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Artaelian	704	26	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2012-11-15T00:50:28+00:00	2012-11-15T00:50:28+00:00	494	Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who were carrying Spike, Applejack and Rarity, had begun to fly side by side since leaving Ponyville, which was now a large distance behind them. Just ahead of them, still leading a quick pace was Sunshine Blaze, carrying Pinkie Pie. Around them, the sky begun to change into a crimson red, as the sun, which had still been rising in the morning sky, and the moon, which had long since set, begun to draw to the middle of the sky. Below, as they flew over various little towns, the worried and panicked screams of Ponies echoed through the air. Rainbow Dash looked down at one point, and saw the ponies of one town staring in horror as the sun and moon both rose to the same point of the sky. “What’s going on?” Rainbow shouted over the wind to Sunshine Blaze. Rarity gasped softly. “That’s what it was like that in my portal! Something dreadful about the princesses…” she trailed off. “I don’t have an answer for this, he hasn’t done this sort of thing before, not even close.” Sunshine Blaze shouted back. Looking ahead, Rainbow Dash saw that they were now fast approaching the ocean. On a beach, a small group of ponies stood around a ship. While from this distance, she could only notice the ponies were looking up at the sky, she could see the ship. Rather than the standard wood boats usually found in Equestria, this boat was purely metal, plates showed signs of being bolted to more metal underneath. It was painted white, which had chipped more towards the bottom, and the metal had a green tint where there was no paint. In the middle and back of the ship stood two, very tall metal pipes, which gently released black smoggy clouds that floated away into the darkening sky. From this distance, the faint chugging sound the ship made could be heard. And it was here that Sunshine Blaze begun his descent, eventually placing Pinkie Pie on the ground. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed suit, and they stood behind Sunshine Blaze, as the ponies now looked at them. The group of ponies mostly looked the same, dark colour coats of blue and orange, each had cutie marks with a seafaring theme, but most had distinct differences. One blue earth pony seemed to have his front left foreleg encased in metal, with pulsing green lights running along certain edges. Another, an orange pegasus, had one normal wing, but his right also was similarly encased in metal. One of the blue earth ponies stood forward. He stood much taller than the rest and wore a black hat with a white feather in it, the front half of him had a black coat on, with black straps fastened up with silver buttons. A metal plate covered the left side of his head, and an unnatural eye sat where his real eye should have been. His right front foreleg was also encased in metal, and the two small pipes vented out steam even as he stood still. The blue glow of his eye flashed over Rainbow Dash, then Applejack, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie in turn, as they all stood still, being held in place by both fear and wonder. “Ye said ye’d be bringing six lasses. I count five an’ a wyrmling.” Captain said, his blue metal eye turning alone to look at Sunshine Blaze. “Why does it matter if one hasn’t got here yet? You and the crew won’t be doing anything unsavoury with them like you normally do on port calls.” Sunshine Blaze snipped. “If things weren’t lookin’ bad, I’d slap ya for that. But still, where’s the last lass eh?” Captain questioned. A sudden white flash and sickly moan with the smell of charred hair indicated the arrival of Twilight Sparkle. Sunshine Blaze looked at her for a moment, before returning his focus to the Captain. “Six. Get on the ship, we don’t have time to waste.” Sunshine Blaze shouted. The crew sprung into life, the unicorns lifting up a gang plank, hooking one end onto the ship. The crew begun to walk up as fast as possible, with the unicorns setting up a different gang plank, which the captain walked up. As Sunshine Blaze begun to walk to a gang plank, Twilight ran in front of him and blocked his path. “What is going on?” she asked, her voice low and angry. “Do you REALLY want to waste time right now learning the answer, or would you rather be some distance away and safe first?” Sunshine Blaze asked back, taking flight, where he was stopped by Rainbow Dash. “Will you answer the question?” she shouted. “I will once you are all on the boat. Unless you six really do want to die today.” Sunshine Blaze replied. Rainbow Dash looked down at Twilight and waited for a reply from her as to what they should do. Twilight only sighed, and begun walking up a gang plank, the others following behind. From here, Rainbow Dash saw that, rather than walk on the metal, wood planks had been attached over the deck. She followed with her friends and sat in the middle of the deck, while around them, the crew followed the Captain’s yelled orders. The ship shuddered, and begun to move. The shore slowly crept away. “Um, Twilight, how long do you think we’ll be gone for?” Fluttershy asked, breaking the silence among the friends. “I don’t know Fluttershy. I guess however long it takes to form a plan to defeat Ulysses.” Twilight replied, looking at the sky as the sun and moon finally came to a stop, side by side in the middle of the sky. “That’s exactly where they stopped in my portal,” Rarity said. “You don’t think Ulysses had some degree of control over what we encountered in the ‘futures’ he showed, do you?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around the group. “It’s possible. We left Ponyville burning as a result of his attacks, similar to what was in yours Rainbow, and the sun and moon are side by side, like Rarity just said, they were like that with her. So, Ulysses very well may have had more influence than what I noticed.” Twilight replied. The six fell silent again, as around them the crew shouted at each other, maintaining the ship, and a slight hum was all that could be heard of whatever powered the ship. As Twilight watched, Equestria was getting further and further away. “Captain! I think you should look at this.” one of the crew shouted. Twilight looked at this crew member, and noticed he was looking at a different part of Equestria. Following where his line of sight went, her eyes came across Cloudsdale. A dark blue half sphere floated above it, the rest seemingly being covered by the sky. Twilight spared a moment to look at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who had both been born at Cloudsdale, and they too watched. ‘Return with my Element of Loyalty, or Equestria shall suffer other tragedies like this.’ Ulysses’ voice filled the air. He sounded cruel, and his voice was almost a whisper. Twilight returned her attention to Cloudsdale, and her jaw dropped. From the half of the sphere that was visible, dark wind funnels reached down, and slowly begun to pull the city up, while others appeared to form a wall to prevent evacuation. Thinking fast, Applejack bit down on Rainbow’s tail, from there Twilight, along with Rarity and Pinkie Pie instinctively jumped at Rainbow Dash, managing to catch her before she could fly off and help Cloudsdale. They kept watching as they held Rainbow against the deck, her voice frantic as she protested being held against her will. Cloudsdale was now rapidly approaching the visible half of the sphere. “I don’t understand, why are none of the pegasi flying away?” Twilight asked, her eyes landing on Fluttershy, who was laying against the deck, her forehooves over her eyes as she cried uncontrollably. ‘How lucky the pegasus are… wings to fly in the sky… and oh! Oh! How I LIVE to pull their feathers, one… by… one. See them try to fly! Their wings useless as they meet their fate… come now, Rainbow Dash… you can stop this. Give me the Element of Loyalty and accept your demise!’ Ulysses’ voice filled the air. This time he seemed mocking and needlessly cruel. And as he spoke the final word, Cloudsdale reached the sphere, and begun to disappear into it. In less than five seconds, Cloudsdale was pulled within the sphere, lost to the world. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie let Rainbow Dash go, and Twilight saw that her friend had been reduced to a sobbing wreck. Unlike Fluttershy, who Twilight knew had covered her eyes so as not to watch, Rainbow Dash had watched the event, right up to Cloudsdale disappearing into the sphere. As they let go of Rainbow Dash, Twilight could hear her speaking quietly to herself. “The weather factory… the clouduseum… the wonderbolts… he just…” Rainbow muttered, clearly still trying to understand fully what she had just witnessed. Twilight slowly begun to think of the gravity of the situation. Ulysses had harmed many in Ponyville to get to them, and now had removed Cloudsdale out of the sky, to where only he knew, possibly killing untold thousands with the act, all to just try and get at Rainbow Dash and take the Element of Loyalty, which still hung around her neck. Thoughts flooded her head as she sat there. How many more would Ulysses kill or harm, to taunt them into coming back? Why had the Elements, supposedly locked safely in Canterlot, turned up out of nowhere to them? Where were the Princesses? Had Ulysses done something to them to gain control of the sun and moon? The sound of hooves on wood made Twilight look to her right, seeing Sunshine Blaze slowly approaching her and her friends. “I feel it is time we talked.” he said. “Oh, now? NOW YOU WANT TO TALK?” Rainbow Dash’s mood suddenly flipped. She shot to her hooves and was now pressing her nose against Sunshine Blaze. “Calm down blue, you may be angry and upset, but still, Sunshine Blaze seems to have some idea as to what is going on. So let’s listen to him.” Twilight said at Rainbow Dash, glaring. The six friends and Spike formed a half circle before Sunshine Blaze, and waited for him to speak. Around the deck, the crew and captain had also stopped. Sunshine Blaze coughed, clearing his throat, and prepared to speak. “If you were hoping for answers as to why Ulysses sought the Elements of Harmony, or how he even learned of them, then this won’t answer your questions. But for whatever reason, he came for them. A direct result would suggest in his efforts, the princesses of Equestria are gone, most likely not dead, Ulysses isn’t that powerful,” Sunshine Blaze looked up at the sun and moon, “but to leave you six in Equestria, unprepared for the true horrors of Ulysses’ powers, that isn’t going to happen. Far away, about a week by ship, is the land where he was born. He can never return there, sages having long put up a spell to prevent his return. You may have heard of this place, it’s called Irvest.” Sunshine Blaze spoke with confidence, despite the lack of answers to unspoken questions. “I know of Irvest. They and Equestria don’t get along.” Twilight stated. “Exactly. Equestria prides itself on advancements while still living with nature, while we from Irvest hold pride in machines. As such, the land I am taking you to will be safe, but alien to you six. Where once light in the night was provided by candles, lights in Irvest is a metal wire heated to high temperatures. But I will be there to help you get used to it, we will be there some time.” Sunshine Blaze replied, smiling. “But why can’t we just form a plan here and sail back? I want to pound that guy for what he did to Cloudsdale!” Rainbow Dash raised on her back hooves and kicked at the air with her forehooves. “That’s probably his plan. He’s good at changing plans fast, as you may have noticed. He’ll expect an immediate return to face him. No. You six will come to Irvest, become stronger for the day we come back. He won’t expect it if we return at random.” Sunshine Blaze narrowed his eyes, looking very unimpressed at Rainbow Dash. “Ah can’t be away too long, what about the farm? And Big Macintosh? Granny Smith? Even little Applebloom.” Applejack said sadly. “And I can’t leave Sweetie Belle alone.” Rarity threw in. “I’m sorry, but going back for your relatives is also out of the question. If Ulysses has moved fast, he’ll have realised who they are in relation to you, and will probably use them against you two. Below deck is a room ready for you six to stay in. Go make yourselves comfortable, we’ll be at sea for a week.” Sunshine Blaze was not being swayed, and walked away from them, no longer willing to let them gripe about things they could not leave behind for long. Twilight watched as Sunshine Blaze walked to the Captain’s side, and the pair begun to talk. At one point, Sunshine Blaze lowered his goggles and flipped the toggle switch once, relaying whatever he saw to the Captain. “Can you believe him? Cloudsdale disappears by some spell, possibly killing thousands, and we can’t turn back for that. Applejack and Rarity are leaving family behind, and he doesn’t care. It’s like he doesn’t know how hard this is for all of us.” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “Ah young lass, if only ye knew the truth. None of ye can understand what youn’ Blaze has been through.” one of the nearby crew said, as he walked past. “I think,” Twilight stood up, “we should give him the benefit of a doubt for now girls. Unlike Ulysses, Sunshine Blaze has only tried to help, not harm. I’m sure with time, he’ll reveal his reasons. Come on, we’d better find this room.” she finished, waiting a few seconds for Spike to climb on her back and sit. At the wheel, Captain and Sunshine Blaze watched the six friends walk below deck. “When are ya planning to tell them more about you and Ulysses?” Captain asked. Sunshine Blaze put his goggles back on his forehead, watching as the rainbow coloured tail of Rainbow Dash disappeared from sight. He sighed and looked around at the crew, who had resumed work across the deck. “I’ll tell them all they need to know before they are to come and face him. If they knew before, they may be less willing to listen to me.” he replied. -- The land of Equestria had been changed dramatically in the short few hours since Ulysses had unlocked the sealed dark magic. In between where Canterlot and Ponyville were, and some distance from the spot where Cloudsdale had been, Ulysses now stood, obsidian and other black rocks rose from the ground around him, even elevating him into the air. The ground twisted, cracked and rumbled as it formed a black castle, with fountains and waterfalls made to hold and pour lava instead of water. The outer walls stood between six towers, which reached lower than the main castle itself. The center of the castle was a tower, which cast a shadow far across the landscape. In the new throne room he had just made at the top of the central tower, Ulysses laughed. “Soon, I will have them all.” he said to himself.
Artaelian	704	27	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2012-11-27T00:34:46+00:00	2012-11-27T00:34:46+00:00	439	‘Two days,’ Twilight thought, staring out of a port hole, ‘two days and this all feels like a very bad dream.’ Around her, the gentle snores of Fluttershy were the only sound aside from the occasional creak the ship made. Rainbow Dash had mostly taken to trying to be asleep most of the time, though it was clear when she was awake, as the snoring from her stopped. Pinkie Pie for the moment had gone to find some food for them all to eat, leaving the room in its current silence. Before Twilight was a small wooden desk, with a candle, paper, ink and a quill. She had been given them on request the previous day, and so far, she had only jotted simple notes to keep track of events. Beside the desk, Spike had curled up and was currently asleep. Twilight lifted the quill, dipped the tip in the ink, and begun to write. Day Two, I can’t not think about this anymore. Something doesn’t sit right with me about the events back in Equestria with those portals, the pathways to the past or to some horrible future. How did going through them cause our bonds to the elements weaken? Even when the Element of Magic appeared on my head, I didn’t feel what I normally feel when it is there. So I’m going to do what I do best, and pour a scientific eye over the events in order to work out what happened. Rainbow’s portal was to a future, earth ponies and unicorns had become “corrupted”, whatever that means, leaving pegasi all alone in a ruined civilization. She said that she woke up, because I hadn’t been given the spell to make the portals yet, after beating an alternate version of myself, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and the Princesses. Could it be her feelings of being disloyal in that alternate future broke the bond she held with the Element of Loyalty? The only reason Ulysses didn’t take it was because Rainbow managed to avoid whatever dark magic he was using to try and take it. Pinkie’s portal isn’t clear, besides what Rainbow recalls an alternate timeline Pinkie Pie saying as she faded out of time. But I have some idea. When I had to take the marble from where it was there, and return to Rainbow’s portal, I set the events for the possibility of Rainbow dying there. To then prevent it, this now non-existent Pinkie Pie had to stop being random and fun loving, and be serious, completely different to what made her the Element of Laughter and breaking the bond she had to it. As this alternate Pinkie Pie died, Ulysses must have transferred the corruption from hers to the one belonging to the Pinkie Pie who was fine. Twilight paused with her writing to look up. Applejack stood up and walked to the door of the room, stopping to smile wearily at Twilight, before she exited the room to walk around the ship. Across from Twilight, Rarity sat also with paper and charcoal, doodling designs to take her mind off events. Twilight sighed, and resumed writing. The portals for Fluttershy, Applejack and myself are all linked to a similar past event, the weeks before the Elements were used by the Princesses to defeat Discord. In the portals for Fluttershy and Applejack, they met three colts, Fireshot, Cloudswirl and Forest Breeze, who had set out to defeat Discord. Its clear why Ulysses chose this part of the past to allow Fluttershy and Applejack to go to, Fluttershy couldn’t be kind and tell them they had no chance of winning against Discord, and Applejack had to lie to keep the past as it was, she couldn’t ever tell them that they would lose. Right there, going against their Elements. The pattern is becoming slightly clear. So far, my friends had to betray their Elements to leave the events. In Rarity’s, the generous thing she could have done was to stay and try and help rebuild a ravaged world, but she had to fight and doom the last survivors, and only then could she return. But what about mine? After my portal, Ulysses seemed angry. Maybe it hadn’t worked right? If so, why did I feel as though the Element of Magic was distant when it appeared on my head? Again Twilight stopped to think. Beside the desk, Spike stirred, and turned over on his other side, mumbling something in his sleep. Rainbow Dash was now snoring as well, so she wasn’t now pretending to be asleep. Twilight examined the events that involved only her to try and see why her bond to the Elements had been broken. And then it clicked. My Element! It may be magic, but its the Magic of Friendship! In the past, I was nothing but friendly to everypony except the Ulysses still going through the events, so my bond to it never got broken! But the present day Ulysses, he forced me to set up the events my friends and I would live through, making me betray my friends! That’s how he broke the bond, he couldn’t do it with magic, and so had to make me stab my friends in the back. I feel terrible now, if I had just stopped running through the portals and falling for his plan, we’d still be in Equestria, with his name and description, and could have stopped him. Instead, I... I handed him five of the Elements, the Princesses and the whole of Equestria. I, I’m a... traitor. The magic holding the quill vanished, and it dropped to the desk with a clunk from the heavy tip. Rarity stopped doodling dresses and looked up at Twilight, noticing she was crying. Leaving her designs where they were, Rarity walked over to Twilight and held her. “What’s wrong Twilight?” Rarity asked. “I worked it out, how he did this,” Twilight sniffed, still sobbing at what she had figured out. “It was us he wanted to corrupt, not the elements.” “And we fell for it, we acted differently to what we represent,” she lay flat on the floor, “we corrupted ourselves... one by... one” she choked out through the tears. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you never had to cast magic in your portal right? So you never went against magic, how could you if you didn’t use any?” Rarity questioned, looking at Twilight curiously. “My Element isn’t magic in the sense of magic. It represents the magic of friendship. Even Discord mocked me once, and he called it the magic of friendship. When I went through the portals at the end, he made me set up the situations we’d all been through, in effect, betraying all of you. I’m a traitor, I gave him pretty much everything to take over Equestria.” Twilight ceased crying and whined, hanging her head. “Twilight Sparkle, you are not a traitor! We all fell for Ulysses’ plan, we had no way of knowing what he would do next. Had we known, we might have been able to do something,” Rarity held Twilight tighter, “now come on, you can’t be a traitor if you were just an unwitting tool he used to achieve his goals. Even Princess Celestia would tell you that if she were here this second.” Twilight looked up at Rarity and smiled weakly. She hugged Rarity back, neither noticing that Fluttershy had woken up, rather confused at the two hugging the other, and where she slept, Rainbow had stopped snoring, woken up by all the talking. When Applejack returned five minutes later, helping Pinkie Pie bring in the food she had found and been allowed to take, Applejack convinced Rainbow to at least sit up and eat, which Rainbow did in silent protest. From there, Twilight explained to all of them what she had worked out, how Ulysses had weakened the bonds they had with the Elements of Harmony, and that Ulysses had tricked them into behaving the opposite of their elements. “Shoot,” snorted Applejack, “he’s just like Discord in a way, except far weaker and his head shoved far up his behind.” There was a slight chuckle at her comment. They sat in silence to eat their food, mostly various kinds of fruits which Pinkie said she had found in a fridge. The revelation that Irvest had fridges as well made the six feel as though Irvest might not be too different to Equestria after all. As she ate, a thought entered Twilight’s mind, and she decided to share it. “Girls,” the others looked at her, “while we joked how Ulysses is like Discord, in another way, he isn’t. Discord changed us all so the Elements couldn’t be used against him. Ulysses must have known there was a chance we’d find out he was causing the events, and could have just got the elements, corrupted or not, and use them against him.” Twilight stated. “Now ya mention it, somethin’ ain’t right. Even in Ponyville with his dark magic, if he hadn’t reacted so fast, we could have used the Elements then and just stopped him. Why did he run the risk of being attacked by them?” Applejack questioned, the thought now disturbing her. Ulysses indeed had ran a huge risk. At any moment he could have been found out, and all it would have taken was a blast of harmony to stop his plans. So why had he done it? “What if the risk was worth whatever he really wanted? I mean,” Rarity paused to think for a second, “he was after possession of the Elements, not Equestria. Whatever he really wants, currently ruling Equestria is the least of his concerns, otherwise he’d have gone straight after the princesses.” “He did mention something about a ‘birthright’ when I met him,” Twilight added, “but I don’t recall in the legends of the elements of there being any mention that they belonged to anyone before Princesses Celestia and Luna found them. I guess the only way we’ll know for sure is when we go back to get the other elements and stop him for good.” And so, the six friends and Spike continued to eat, all attempting to try and consider what the ‘birthright’ Ulysses had mentioned had to do with the Elements of Harmony. Later, Twilight would write one last thing to the notes she had written prior to talking to Rarity, writing the following; After talking with my friends, they reassured me that I am not a traitor, despite my original feelings. Now I feel better, I have to think of how to stop Ulysses. The only clue for his actions being that he is seeking his ‘birthright’, but I have nothing else to go on besides that. Maybe in Irvest, I can find out more of his past. And then, we can all return to Equestria, defeat Ulysses, rebuild Ponyville and return to our normal lives.
Artaelian	704	28	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-01-22T01:21:07+00:00	2013-01-22T01:21:07+00:00	475	Almost a week had passed since Twilight and her friends had been rushed to a waiting ship by Sunshine Blaze in the wake of Ulysses sudden attack on Equestria. She sat on deck, a box before her on top of which sat paper, ink and a quill. Around her, the crew went about their duties, while the Captain stood at the helm. Twilight glanced over the note she had written the previous day, having decided that, for the Princess, it would be best to keep track of current events. She read over the note she had made. Day five, I’ve begun to wonder, what Irvest is like. I’ve read not so nice things about it before, like how ponies there remove limbs and replace them with metal, steam powered ones. Some of the crew have these, and I took it on myself to find out why. What I learned goes against what I read. Rather than do this because they are “ashamed” of their natural bodies, they only replace parts that have become too broken to be repaired by a simple splint. It doesn’t work for everything, but if an accident destroyed one of their legs beyond natural repair, they can choose to continue without said limb, or replace it with one of these “prosthetic” limbs. It makes sense when I think of it, but how the pegasus with a prosthetic wing is still able to fly is beyond me. I apologise now Princess, if you're reading this, the writing may be less neater than it usually is from me. Rainbow Dash has gone stir crazy, since she can’t fly far from the ship. She threw me out of the room we were given below deck. However, the crew was kind enough to give me a box to use, and said I could use this from now on rather than write in that room. We are all on edge about what is taking place as I write. Equestria is apparently a few hundred miles behind us, with Ulysses seemingly in control. Meanwhile, there is nothing around except for the sea. I’ve taken to writing these notes so you can read later to pass the time and not go crazy. Pinkie Pie at first tried to throw a party to cheer us all up, but it didn’t manage to cheer any of us up. She currently talks to Fluttershy, they both seem to be helping each other stay sane. Rainbow Dash remains in her bed, while Rarity and Applejack now and then walk about the ship to pass time. I hope we arrive to Irvest soon, I don’t think we can handle being on this ship for too long. Putting the paper down, Twilight laid flat with her magic a fresh piece of paper, and begun to write a new note for the day. Day six, What I assume was last night, I studied the sun and moon. I assume you can’t see them Princess, but ever since I begun writing, they’ve been near each other in the sky, and the sky isn’t blue or black, but red. How they appear and changed the sky wasn’t why I studied them, or attempted to at least… rather, I have tried to understand how Ulysses had enough strength magically to pull this off. He isn’t like you or Princess Luna, who have a connection to them. I can't help but think this is the side effect of whatever he did with you both when he took over Equestria. Fluttershy was sick last night. She’s still in shock over seeing Cloudsdale being pulled into a sphere. I’m glad she didn’t see it actually disappear. Who knows what she’d be like if she had. I asked if she had eaten anything she was allergic to, but it was pretty clear quickly, when the boat begun to rock violently, and she emptied her stomach further, that she gets seasick. Rarity and Pinkie Pie helped her back to sleep. Rainbow Dash meanwhile hasn’t woken up yet. She’s still alive, but simply refuses to do anything other than doze and eat when Applejack doesn’t give her a choice. Maybe she gets seasick too? She’s too proud of her image like Applejack, so if she is, she wouldn’t hurry to show it. Spike was in trouble as well last night. The captain keeps treasure he and his crew have found to take back to Irvest in the hold, and Spike discovered there were gems in this treasure. A lot of gems. Its amazing how fast he can run, especially when the captain was giving chase, promising to skin him alive. I calmed the captain down, and Applejack said there’s two of the crew in front of the hold now to prevent further incidents. I’ll finish this by writing what Sunshine Blaze told me. He said with a bit of luck, we may even arrive at Irvest a day early, which would be this… today. I can’t really tell what the time is, how the crew are keeping track of when the nights are when the sun and moon are both in the sky is something I’ll have to ask about. Smiling, Twilight placed the new note on top of the pile of papers, lifting them, the ink and quill above the box, which she opened and stored them in. Nearby, the waves gently lapped the boat as it sailed on. With a sigh, Twilight walked towards the helm. “Ah, miss Sparkle, how’rya doin’?” Captain shouted as she drew near. “I’m fine Captain. But could you tell me what the time is?” she asked back. “Blaze! What time is on yer goggles?” Captain shouted over his back. Twilight listened as Sunshine Blaze coughed, which was followed by the sounds of the toggle switch on his goggles being used. “Its five in the afternoon, if I’m right, Irvest should just be coming into sight on the horizon, and be another hour away,” Sunshine Blaze replied, still out of sight. Twilight turned on the spot, and narrowed her eyes as she looked on the horizon. Sure enough, what appeared to be a very large island was coming into view. It lifted her spirits slightly, after seven days of being stuck on the ship, surrounded by the vast sea, it would be good to step on dry land once more. “Ye best go get yerself and yer friends ready, miss Sparkle. Arrangements are that ye seven are the first to disembark,” Captain smiled. “But what happens then? We’re going to be left alone in this strange country?” Twilight asked. “No, miss Sparkle, Sunshine Blaze will accompany ye to the governor's office. What happens then is down to Blaze. Still, best not be leavin’ anythin’ of value on me ship,” Captain chuckled. Twilight ran below deck and barged through the door to the room she and her friends had spent the week in. All five had been suddenly startled by her throwing the door open, and now looked at her, waiting for any potential bad news. “Irvest is on the horizon, we better get ready, girls,” she said. -- As predicted, Irvest took another hour to arrive at. Twilight with Spike on her back, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity now stood at the bow of the ship, staring at the sight of the city the ship was heading to, the buildings in the harbour had been designed simply to serve a purpose rather than be looked at and admired for the architecture. Some of the buildings were made from stone and these stood further away from the water, while closer to the water and ships were rickshaw wooden buildings, slowly rotting from the corrosive sea air and mould Past the harbour were simple buildings, serving the function of homes to those with little money to their family name. They looked rougher, the paint being almost non-existent on them. Beyond these again stood the buildings that made up the business and rich families area. In the middle of the city stood a tall white tower. It clearly was made in layers as the city grew up around it, each new level of the tower taking slightly less space of the former roof of the previous. Every brick was made from a pure white marble, this fact only being clear further up the tower, away from the dirt that had accumulated closer to the ground level. Gold gilding formed patterns and decorations on the tower, though only at the top. Immediately around this sat other functional buildings, which established the streets leading away from the tower. The first they saw was made from a dark marble, with its roof looking like green marble. On the front of this, high above the street, was a gold figure of a pony, surrounded by various different sized coins. This, with no doubt, meant the building was a bank. Fluttershy noticed, direct opposite on the street, a building that was not made from marble, but rather polished stone and onyx, which rather impressed her. Brass lined the front of the slate roof, which had the figure of three pegasi in flight, saddlebags on their backs, and letters held in outstretched hooves. While they were hard to see, dozens of ponies walked in and out of this building, those going in taking letters or packages, and those leaving were pegasi, in blue uniform, with fit to burst saddlebags on their backs. As they continued to look around, Rarity noticed another building, commenting at how it wouldn’t look out of place back in Canterlot. Like most of the other buildings around it, it too had pipes for steam outletting. The construction was of various types of marble, white in non-patterned areas, with black marble to make any decorations stand out. Gold made up the boundaries between the various marble colours, and the steampipes had either been painted gold, or were plated with gold. On a balcony, overlooking the city stood two unicorns, an older dark blue stallion, dressed in red silk and gold stitching stood beside a red unicorn filly. The other buildings lining the streets were far simpler, indicating they were shops simply by the larger windows at street level. Though every building had pipes standing somewhere, often bigger pipes much higher up than smaller ones, even the bank and post office, which steadily released steam clouds into the sky. It only took another two minutes for the ship to finally be moored in the docks, the gangplanks were lifted over the side, and clunked as they landed on the cobblestone of the dock itself. The six friends looked at each other, and the crew standing around them, waiting for one of the others to take the first step off the boat. Realising that none of the others were about to move, Rainbow Dash flew off the ship and landed on the harbour beside the ship. She stood on the cobblestones, and watched as Applejack begun the walk down them as well, closely followed by Twilight and Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and finally, Rarity. Next off the ship was Sunshine Blaze. He too flew off rather than walked, and landed near to them. A loud whistle from the deck stirred the crew into action. “We’d best go to the Council building, Captain will want us out of the way. Follow me closely.” Sunshine Blaze said with a smile. -- If the sight of Port Equis from the harbour had been impressive, the walk through the streets gave a feeling of claustrophobia to the seven friends, as Sunshine Blaze led them swiftly through the streets that were familiar to him, but unfamiliar to them. All around, ponies were dressed up as if they were all going to dinner parties or a royal event. One in five had prosthetic limbs, here and there. To the ponies of Port Equis, they seemed as normal as the pipes and machines that vented steam as they worked, but Twilight couldn’t help but shiver in disgust at what had led to the accidents, that had forced the ponies to get them. She had spent the whole trip to Irvest trying not to recall the story of how the Captain had lost his eye. It had involved a seagull, a barrel of rum and the rather silly idea of juggling swords with olives on the tips of the blades. Sunshine Blaze was leading them up a street which was filled with restaurants, clothing stores, and even a small family run food store or two. Every so often, he led them out of the direct path of ponies that were sitting on machines that had four wheels and propelled themselves along. These machines fascinated Twilight, in Equestria, they only had carriages, and those had to be pulled along, but the ponies of Irvest had actually decided they would work better having an open top and moving by steam power. In a way, it made sense, it got you where you needed to be, and all who rode it wouldn’t be tired out. Before them, the white tower loomed, and from the street, Twilight could see the entrance that Sunshine Blaze was heading to. Much like the rest of the building, the entrance was kept simple, tall, black painted doors, with silver dots lining where the wood had been nailed together. Two, large silver door handles looked purely decorative, at either side of the door sat two unicorns. These unicorns wore red coats and sat behind wooden podiums. As Sunshine Blaze and the seven friends drew near, a fat earth pony was talking to both unicorns. “Would it be possible to enter and make an appointment with the governor today?” he asked. “Would you rather us send a message for an appointment to be made?” one unicorn asked back. “It would be more efficient for all involved if I went and made the appointment directly. I shan’t be long, five minutes at the most.” the fat earth pony answered. Both unicorns gave a sideways glance at the other, before nodding their heads in silent agreement. Their horns glowed white, and the doors swung open, giving a hint at the marble interior to all ponies but Pinkie Pie, who had one hoof on her mouth and was thoughtfully looking down. The fat earth pony slowly hobbled inside, and the doors closed. “Now, listen to me you six, don’t say a word, ok? I know how to handle these two, and if you say anything wrong, you won’t get in with me.” Sunshine Blaze turned around. His face was immediately full of worry, as he ran over the ponies present before him a second time. Twilight, check. Applejack, check. Fluttershy, check. Pinkie Pie, not checked. Rainbow Dash, checked. It dawned on him suddenly, the spot Pinkie Pie had been standing was now empty. “You two look too gloomy. You know what will cheer you up? A PARTY!” Pinkie Pie yelled behind him. Sunshine Blaze’s left eye twitched, and he almost didn’t dare to turn around. “How did she…” he begun. “Move over there? Don’t ask, we never worked it out ourselves.” Twilight finished and answered for him. “But…” “She broke all laws of physics by moving from standing beside Fluttershy, to being up there, annoying those unicorns, in the space of a second. Yes, we know, it’s just something she does. Quite regularly.” Twilight finished Sunshine Blaze’s sentence for him. Sunshine Blaze wasn’t quite sure if he was supposed to just accept this, or be annoyed. The seven friends hadn’t even been in Irvest for half an hour, and already one of them was causing problems. Turning around, his jaw dropped in horror at the sight of Pinkie Pie draping streamers across the two unicorns, a clown nose on her own. “WHERE DID SHE GET THOSE FROM?” he yelled, catching the attention of some of the crowd. “That’s another Pinkie Pie thing, don’t ask,” Rarity responded, “she once managed to bake all the foods for a party in five minutes, sent out the invites in person, and yet still somehow found time to not just fill in the annual income tax forms for Sugarcube Corner, but filled those same forms in for me and our friends, all in an hour.” “The ovens weren’t preheated, so baking took longer,” Pinkie chirped as she put party hats on her friends. “But where did she get them from? She didn’t have them back at the ship!” Sunshine Blaze shouted, his face right up to Twilight’s. “Just don’t ask. It hurts the brain to even attempt, who knows what will happen if you find the logic behind what she does.” Twilight groaned. With an annoyed groan, Sunshine Blaze flew to the unicorns either side of the entrance, and removed the streamers and the fully inflated balloons Pinkie Pie had somehow obtained and inflated while he was looking at Twilight. With them cleared up, he grabbed Pinkie, who was bouncing between the guards, blowing into a kazoo, Sunshine Blaze daring not to question the logic of how she had obtained this item as well. He angrily set her down on the ground where she had originally stood, breathing rapidly in anger. “I’ll say again, let ME do the talking. At this rate, you’ll be lucky to get inside,” He hissed at Pinkie Pie, and proceeded up to the unicorns again, “sorry about that sirs. Very urgent matter I need to discuss with the governor. Is he free?” To his surprise, the unicorns were smiling at him, not minding their own party hats. “Well its not often we see you drop by Blaze, but it seems you're having a mare problem.” one said, as the other burst into roaring laughter. “Six of ‘em to be exact Colt! Haha, teenager, always adventurous, even in…” “SHUT IT,” Blaze coughed, realising he had let his anger get the best of them, “ah, I mean, its not a mare problem.” he finished, blushing. “Oh? Then Blaze, do tell, what kind of problem involves you coming here, with six young mares in tow?” Colt asked. “A Ulysses sized problem.” he replied flatly. Colt and the other guard stared at each other, eyes wide upon hearing the name. -- The main lobby of the Council building did indeed have a lot of marble. The floors were white marble, with black inlaid in the pattern of a star. The bases of the white marble pillars had been coloured green, same for their tops, and swirls of gold ran around each one. In the middle of the main lobby, contrary to all the functional brass pipes, Twilight noticed two things. The first was the fountain. It had fish in it, and lily pads floated on the top, while a single jet of water reached high into the air, the water dropping back down, making a rather calming splashing sound. Just behind this was a circular desk, behind which a silvery coloured earth pony with striking crimson eyes sat. All around, ponies in various official uniforms busied themselves with their tasks, some even leaving papers in the various trays set around the desk. There was only one spot which didn’t have these trays, which faced towards the fountain. Beside her was a single brass pipe with a funnel on the top. This pony watched as Sunshine Blaze led the seven friends towards her, and she smiled. “Welcome back to Irvest, Sunshine Blaze. How may I help you today?” she asked. “It’s just a quick visit to let the governor know of what’s going on. Is he busy? This is really urgent,” he asked back, leaning as far over the desk as possible, “Yes,” she said, “he’s seeing the prime minister right now.” “Well, that’s convenient,” he mused. “Who else?” “Only him,” she replied, chuckling a bit nervously at his apparently sarcastic reaction. “But this will take a while. It’s scheduled for the next three hours.” “Well, there’s been a change of plans,” Sunshine Blaze said as he walked to the corridor leading to the meeting room. The receptionist pony was at a loss of words, finally sinking in that he truly found it convenient that the prime minister was there. Before she could react, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Doesn’t that make you want to go to the bathroom?” she pointed at the fountain. “All the time miss, all the time.” the receptionist replied, a cracked smile on her lips. “Hey!” Sunshine Blaze’s head popped at the edge to the corridor. “Aren’t you coming?” The receptionist sighed as the Equestrian group followed him. She knew she was going to hear about the intrusion that was about to happen. -- “Blaze?” the governor half-yelled half-muttered as Blaze walked into the large meeting room. The governor was a brown earth pony with a black mane and tail, his eyes were a deep blue, and there were visible lines and black under them, which suggested he hadn’t been sleeping, either at all, or very little. “Good day, governor Fountain Pen.” Sunshine Blaze replied with a smile as he and his group entered in a line, without taking a seat. “Good day, prime minister Na—” “W-what’s going on?” Fountain Pen asked, a bit flustered. “What is so urgent that made you barge into my meeting with the prime minister?” The prime minister was a white pegasus with a brass-coloured collar with tie, same colour as his mane and tail. He was at least twenty percent more surprised than the governor. The mares and the dragon looked lost and out of place, but that didn’t seem to bother Sunshine Blaze even a little. “Ulysses attacked Equestria,” Sunshine Blaze cut to the chase. “The whole place by now, I suspect, and these are Equestrian refugees,” he motioned his head at the group. Governor Fountain Pen held his breath from shock at this news. The seven friends shuffled a little uncomfortably at the label, Fluttershy, in particular, shrunk as small as Spike, who was beside her. “Equestria? And he succeeded?” Fountain Pen said quietly, the worry from the news clear in his eyes. “We may not have communications with them,” the prime minister said, “but they have two alicorns leading the country. He can’t be faring well.” “He succeeded alright, the sun and moon in the sky at the same time are probably a result of whatever he did to their princesses. Trapped them somewhere I suspect. Equestria has fallen, things aren’t looking good. They have powerful unicorns and very ancient magic,” Sunshine Blaze merely turned his head to look at the governor, “it’s simply a case of when, not if, he breaks through the sage’s barrier, the only thing keeping him from getting his revenge on Irvest.” “What was he there for?” Fountain Pen asked. “The Elements of Harmony, six powerful stones that uphold balance in Equestria, once held by the Princesses as they brought an end to the reign of Discord and banished Nightmare Moon. Very powerful artifacts.” “So his takeover is to find them? Whatever for?” “We used the elements to stand up to Nightmare Moon on her return,” Twilight Sparkle explained, “and returned Discord to his stone prison. But they’re supposed to be tied to us, or, at least, to our friendship.” “What if there’s another way to harness their power? He did manage to do this,” Sunshine Blaze pointed at the window where the sun and moon were visible on the red sky. The ponies exchanged worried glances. “With such a powerful artifact,” Sunshine Blaze thought aloud, “Ulysses could get through the barrier and be attacking Irvest in as little as a week.” Twilight nodded silently. She had no idea of how good a barrier Irvest had, but she knew it had to be very powerful to stand a week of attacks from the elements. Governor Fountain Pen looked down at his meeting notes. Up to ten minutes ago, his biggest worries were how the government buildings located in the northern part of Port Equis were having some infrastructural trouble, and whether his treasurers were going to be able to adapt to the new rules set forth by the prime minister accounting team. He let out a short sigh. The prime minister only stared at the governor and then back at Sunshine Blaze. He seemed to be letting the governor handle the situation. Fountain Pen set these notes aside, pulled a blank piece of paper under his pile, and his mouth wrote the words Ulysses, Irvest, Equestria on them. He looked back at Sunshine Blaze and begged, “Please tell me you have a backup plan.” “I do,” Sunshine Blaze smiled. He pointed at Rainbow Dash. “See the gold choker around her neck?” “What of it?” Rainbow Dash was about as shocked as her friends, but not enough to miss an opportunity to be awesome. She flared her wings, smiled confidently, and declared, “I’m Rainbow Dash, and I bear,” she put a hoof on her choker, “the element of loyalty.”
Artaelian	704	29	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-02-05T16:54:44+00:00	2013-02-05T16:54:43+00:00	396	“Well, prime minister,” governor Fountain Pen said with finality, “I think you need to tell the armed forces to prepare. I’ll tell my teams to hold on to their hooves for now, their problems clearly just became a lesser priority.” “I will,” he said, and stood up. “Welcome to Irvest, ladies.” He looked at Spike and fumbled for a second. “And dragon,” he amended, then took his leave. “Excuse me.” “Is it true that this ‘prime minister’ is like your princess?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she and her friends slowly took their seats after he left. Fountain Pen smirked at the way Twilight worded her question and looked at Sunshine Blaze. “Don’t worry about him, he’s only a politician,” Sunshine Blaze said waving a hoof. “This time next year, it’s probably going to be somepony else instead.” “If any of us makes it there,” Applejack added somberly. Rarity was noticing in one of the walls the coat of arms. It was a white painted shield with a golden wing, and laurel leaves crowned the top and base. “We’re refugees, then,” she thought out loud. “And we don’t even know when or if we’re getting back to Equestria.” “We’re staying? We’re really staying?” Applejack asked, clearly not liking the idea. She looked around to everypony present, friends and locals. Everypony was shuffling in one way or the other. “I think so, girls,” Twilight said, then turned to the governor. “Maybe you can clarify what’s going to happen next with us?” The governor sighed and started, “Let me give you a bit more context first. I am, as you might have guessed, governor of Port Equis. If you wonder what a governor is, think of it like the mayors you have back in Equestria. That is to say, we look after a single town, but there is an authority higher than us. Prime Ministers are the same as governors too, and we all answer to the four Sages of Irvest.” The governor at this point chose to stop and examine the friends once again. For the most part, they didn’t seem interested in what he had to say, except for the purple unicorn. “What do these sages do exactly?” she asked, as soon as his eyes fell on her. “Ah, well, in Equestria, you had Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Two sisters that raise and lower the sun and moon,” he glanced outside towards the crimson sky caused by the sun and the moon being in the sky at the same time, “a fact that is vital not just to Equestria, but to the whole planet. In Irvest, the sages are to us what the princesses were for Equestria. They maintain the balance of nature, weather, birth and death. Since they are not immortal, they train successors to take their place, but each one can overturn choices made by governors and prime ministers in their quadrant of Irvest. The white coat of arms, and white with gold Council buildings mean Port Equis falls under the rule of the White Mare, Goldwing.” Twilight nodded after a few seconds, and then asked, “where does Sunshine Blaze fall in all of this?” “Nowhere,” Sunshine Blaze blurted out before the governor could say anything. After a couple seconds of silence, the governor concluded there were no further questions. He was glad about this. He didn’t like question and answer sessions before the press, let alone six confused and upset mares from a faraway land. “Now, let’s get down to business,” the governor pointed at Rainbow Dash, “please step forward, Ms. Dash.” With uncharacteristic caution, Rainbow Dash slowly stood up and walked to stand beside Sunshine Blaze. She looked at him, expecting some help as to what was going on from him, but to her annoyance, Sunshine Blaze simply stared straight ahead, and didn’t seem to regard her presence. “Now, you said what you were wearing was the Element of Loyalty, correct?” Fountain Pen questioned “Uh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash replied. “And without all six Elements together, they won’t work?” he asked in general. “That’s right. While the Element of Magic is needed to activate them, if even one bearer and element is missing, the rest are useless.” Twilight answered. “I see, so we are in no immediate threat of Ulysses using the others to get into Irvest. But at the same time, keeping the Element of Loyalty and Ms. Dash in the same place would be unwise. For the security risk it poses to both Ms. Dash at the hooves of,” he paused for a moment in what Rarity later pointed out was for dramatic effect, “unsavoury ponies, and for Irvest as a whole, this shall remain here with me.” he finished, walking to a wall and pressing a button, causing a part of the wall to slide aside and reveal a safe. “Wait,” Twilight spoke up, “why do we have to leave it with you? We can take it anywhere. It isn’t yours! It shouldn’t even be in Irvest!” she protested. “Ah yes. But if it remained at its land of origin, it would be in Ulysses’ possession, so it was Ms. Dash here that brought it to Irvest in your flight for survival. Further, keeping it about you would attract... unsavoury attention. Equestria may be where ponies work together to see another day, but here in Irvest, ponies will gladly stab you in the back to ensure they see the next dawn.” the governor quickly shot a glance at the IN tray on his desk. Rainbow Dash turned to look at Sunshine Blaze again, desperate for him to provide a reason as to why she couldn’t keep the Element of Loyalty with her. Slowly, as if waking from a dream, Sunshine Blaze turned to look at Rainbow, his eyes going from her face, to the Element of Loyalty itself. “No pony dares attack the Council buildings, those who do usually come out worse for the effort, if not half dead. The Council buildings are a physical representation of the Sage’s power. Please, leave it here, you have my word it will be returned when we leave to return to Equestria.” Sunshine Blaze stated. Rainbow Dash groaned and carefully, she removed the Element of Loyalty from around her neck. She walked over to the governor and passed it to him, and watched as he placed it on a cushion in the safe, and then locked the safe again. Smiling, he returned to his seat and sat down. “Now, we’ll begin the task of setting you six a place to stay for now.” he said, opening a drawer and removing some forms. -- One year later -- Twilight walked through the streets of Port Equis, with Spike on her back carrying her newest book purchase, ‘A brief history of Irvest, revised edition number 300’. She had already loaned and returned the previous edition from a local library, making notes, but she had finally enough saved up for her own brand new copy, happy that she had yet another book to take back on her eventual return to Equestria. She turned the corner of another street and walked to the third house on the right. The home the governor had given them was one of the newer homes in a new part of Port Equis. It belonged to Twilight and her friends, as the governor put it, so that ‘they always have a home for any trips to Irvest in the future’. It was very big, roughly five floors tall, minus the attic and the room at the base with the metal door that opened horizontally. Twilight climbed the stairs, and paused. She looked up the white walls and towards the black slate roof. On one of the upper floors, Fluttershy currently leaned out, watering can held firmly in her mouth as she watered the flower pots she had hung outside the windows of her bedroom. This had cheered her up, as on warm and dry spring and summer days, despite the crimson sky and the sun and moon being ever present in the sky, these flower beds allowed Fluttershy to see and speak to birds and insects of all sorts. But Twilight wasn’t looking up at Fluttershy, her eyes landed on something floating about in the sky, buzzing as it passed overhead. “Spike, isn’t that...” she begun to ask. “Oh wow, that’s what they call a ‘plane’. You remember reading about them Twi?” Spike asked. “Yes, engine powered devices used by the Irvestian earth ponies and unicorns. I remarked on reading that they made sense, a machine to fly non-pegasi around without needing to tire out a pegasus pony, or build a wooden ship or basket and tie it to a helium balloon. Did I buy or loan that book?” she asked once more, looking at the baby dragon on her back. “Hm,” Spike went into deep thought for a moment, “oh! You bought that one, it’s called ‘Basic Principles in Machinery’.” he smiled, proud for remembering the fact. “Well, let’s go put my new purchase away and get something to eat.” she replied, opening the door. The main hall of the house wasn’t very impressive, it was simply a corridor with two flights of stairs, one leading down to a large empty room that they as of yet had no idea on its intended use, and a flight up a floor. The walls were painted white and hung on them were simple paintings of flowers or fruit. Near the door stood a wooden table, shining from the finish making it seem a brighter brown that it probably was, and upon this stood a mirror. Rarity often used this before daring to step outside the front door. Twilight’s hooves clopped loudly as she walked across the wood, Spike closing the door behind her. The first floor landing was far more generous than the main hall, and had enough room for three ponies to stand side by side within it. The floor was polished and shone in the light, and once again, the walls were a simple white in colour, however the paintings hung on them were more interesting than the ones found on the main floor. These paintings were of a sunset and a boat sailing in the distance, a mare dressed up with an umbrella in a field of red flowers, or of the night sky and the stars reflecting in a mountain lake. Twilight opened a door which led to the main sitting area. It was large and had a balcony, the black iron bars of the balcony were bent towards the street, presumably to prevent any sort of intruder. Rarity was currently standing out of the balcony, her front hooves resting against the railing. The rest of the room mostly consisted of pillows in purple, pink, yellow, white and orange, and a single cloud that floated in place. Opposite the pillows was a very large, and very nearly empty bookcase. There were only about ten books, including the new one Spike was placing. It wasn’t an impressive bookcase, Twilight would be the first to admit, it was simple, boards of wood nailed together to perform a function, no elaborate decoration or intricate carvings. Down the room was the kitchen, with breakfast bar, where currently Pinkie Pie was baking, washing the mixing bowls for whatever she currently had cooking in the oven. Down the room from there was a table with seven stools arranged around it, one of the stools being taller than the rest. It too was simple and only built to perform the intended function, rather than also being something to admire. Just down from this sat the kitchen, the cupboards had black paint and silver handles, and these hung on the wall above the polished quartz worktop, with more cupboards below them. An oven and sink stood beneath a window, and Twilight saw, this was where Pinkie Pie currently was, water running into messed up bowls in the sink, while the pink mare washed the mix of whatever she had been making that hadn’t gone into the oven off of her hooves. “Heya Twilight! What’d you get while out?” Pinkie asked, looking back down the room at Twilight. “Just a book about Irvest’s history. Since we’re here, we may as well know a little of this place, and like the rest, I can take it back to the library in Ponyville when we go back.” Twilight replied. “Oh darling,” Rarity sighed as she walked in from the balcony, “do you honestly still believe we’ll ever see Equestria again? We’ve been in Irvest for a year now.” Twilight thought for a moment, before she replied. “I don’t see why not. I mean, not even Sunshine Blaze can prevent it. Sooner or later, we’ll know what we have to do to stand a chance against Ulysses, and stop him destroying the world or whatever it is he has planned exactly.” Twilight answered, smiling hopefully. “I hope you are right Twilight. It pains both me and Applejack that we can’t be with our siblings and relatives right now. I can only imagine how upset Sweetie Belle must be.” Rarity said, sitting down on the white pillow. “Speaking of Applejack, where is she? And for that matter, where is Rainbow Dash? I saw Fluttershy tending to her flowers when I was coming in the front door.” Twilight asked. “We needed some fruit, so Applejack offered to go to the market and get some. As for Rainbow Dash, she said something about finding out what pegasi do in Irvest, she was going stir crazy not being able to fly so often.” Pinkie Pie replied. Silence fell on the three ponies. Pinkie Pie turned her attention to the oven, and watched as whatever she had made baked through the glass door. Twilight looked at Spike as he settled down beside the purple pillow and attempted to go to sleep. Rarity meanwhile was clearly not trying to cry at the thoughts she was having over how Sweetie Belle was. “I have to say, I do wonder how Equestria is right now. I mean, what must it be like for ponies there, living under Ulysses’ rule.” Twilight idly stated. -- Ulysses ruled Equestria from an obsidian castle that sat far from Canterlot and Ponyville. In the highest tower, he sat in a marble and obsidian room, on a black marble throne. Far away, he could hear the preparation of his army in their daily routines to defend his castle, safe in the knowledge that he was safe. Sighing, Ulysses stood up and walked to the window which gave him a view of both Canterlot and Ponyville. Above Ponyville, Dragons flew in a calculated pattern, while Canterlot was shielded by a magic barrier that was purple in colour. Ulysses glanced over his back as the door was knocked, and a general in his army entered. “Any specific order for today my lord?” He pondered this for a moment, turning to face the window again. “What would you recommend I do about those two cities?” “Sir?” the general questioned, not quite sure what was being asked of him. “You heard me. What should be done about them?” “Well, my lord, if Canterlot is taken, then Ponyville won’t be far behind.” “Very well, do what must be done.” Ulysses replied, not moving from the window. Behind him, the door clicked softly. As he stared into the window, Ulysses became aware of another presence walking up behind him. Unflinching, he could see the ghostly blue transparent figure of a pegasus mare. Are you really doing what is right? the mare asked. “Of course I am.” he answered her, his determination and commitment to his plan had got him to control Equestria, his true goal couldn’t be much further behind. But for what you desire, you have turned a country into a war zone, hidden its former rulers, and unbalanced the balance of nature itself. the mare pressed. “And what does that matter to you?.” And that is before you take into account the many who have died by your actions, not to mention those that still will die before your goal is reached. “All necessary, their lives are no more important than my own.” Each flame of life, extinguished in your wind of insanity, the mare said coldly, as Ulysses turned around, he could only watch as hundreds, maybe a thousand, of other ghosts appearing, their cold ghostly eyes staring at him, mare, stallion and foal, it mattered not to you, each one as insignificant as an insect. And for what? “For my goal, the world will be better once I have what I desire!” he yelled, all too happy now that his army had left. Will it? Will it really? she said, striking terror into Ulysses. He said nothing, unsure anymore what to say in response. As he waited for her to continue, a little pegasus foal ghost walked in front of him. His wings looked as though they had been pulled apart by two timberwolves fighting over which would eat him. I was Sunny Rays. On my eighth birthday, you tore my wings to pieces by magic and left me to bleed to death. “...I... I...” Ulysses tried to form a sentence, but he couldn’t. As Sunny Rays became lost among the crowd of ghosts, his scar covered spectral form seemed to come apart and meld with the other ghosts nearby, an earth pony stepped forward, she looked much older. I was Petunia Drops. As I tried to protect my foals from you, you threw me against the corner of a building, snapping my neck. The ghosts no longer waited, slowly, they begun to all call out their names and how he had killed them and what they were doing just before. I was Cloud Chaser. I tried to take a rain cloud over the fires you started in my town, but you petrified my hooves while I was over a lake. I was Primrose. I tried to take newborn foals to safety from the hospital ruins, but you impaled me on a wooden beam sticking out of a nearby wall. I was Lexicon, the arch chancellor of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. As you stormed the castle, you turned my own defensive spell back into my horn, overloading and shutting down my brain. “Please... no more...” Ulysses begged, having got to the floor. He had closed his eyes and tried to cover his ears with his hooves, to no avail. Around him, the ghosts didn’t relent. He could no longer hear individuals, each voice lost in a sea as they continued to call out their names and deaths to him. After two minutes, it died down, and slowly, Ulysses sat up. All the ghosts were still there, with the mare that started it all in front of them. You could have accepted your fate all those years ago, instead you chose that fate was wrong. You destroyed your home, your family, your friends, and got eternally banished from Irvest. You could have stopped there, but you continued on, certain that you were right and the world was wrong. And now look where it has gotten you. Where will this end? Can you even be sure that you are doing the right thing anymore? Your hooves are stained forever with the blood of countless innocent victims, all whom had settled for what fate gave them, their lives ended because you just couldn’t accept your lot in life. The mare stated with an apparent joyful glee. Ulysses looked down, to try and prepare his thoughts to give an appropriate response. However, he recoiled in shock at the sight of thick and dark red blood, which surrounded his hooves and ran freely. Desperately, he tried to wipe the blood away so he could check if he was bleeding, but it continued to flow from an unknown source. “What do you expect me to do? I have committed to this course of action, regardless of if I think it is right or wrong anymore, I must see it through. Failure is not an option this time.” he shouted, as all the ghosts began to chant ‘murderer’ at him. When he’d finished speaking, Ulysses found himself alone with the mare again. She looked sadly at him, as she begun to fade away. You had everything you could have ever wanted once, a teacher who loved you, parents who adored you, a brother who idolised you, and friends who cared for you. You fell so far, Ulysses, so far that you can no longer tell right from wrong, and you no longer have anyone willing to show you the way to save yourself. Deep down, you know this will only end badly for yourself. And with that, the mare was gone, leaving Ulysses all alone with his thoughts. He turned to the window, facing what he had done so far to achieve the goal he sought so much. “Are the ghosts right,” he questioned aloud to himself, “would this be worth it? Is this really what I should be doing? No... no I can’t second guess myself. They are wrong, all of them. They and the world will eventually know that they were wrong, that I was right! Nothing shall stop me from achieving my goal.”
Artaelian	704	30	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-02-12T17:07:05+00:00	2013-02-12T17:07:04+00:00	416	Five years after arrival to Irvest --- Twilight smiled as the rest of her colleagues left the theatre, the door closing behind the last one echoed in the room. The theatre was large, and fifteen rows of tables and chairs lined up from the floor, six of each to a row. Before them was a simple dark wood desk and chair, and behind this, bolted to the wall were two very large blackboards, currently filled with diagrams and equations. She sighed and sat down, as a now slightly taller Spike walked around, picking up unused pieces of paper off the tables. It had been five years since Sunshine Blaze had brought Twilight and her friends to the safety of Irvest, and Twilight had accomplished a lot during five years. She had studied everything about Irvest and how the ponies here used magic, and had quickly become a notable scholar. Now, five years later, she was one of the most respected and well known young scholars in Irvest, something she was proud of. Her lecture that day had been about the potential uses and harm combining steam powered machinery and magic, and how they could be used together, something the Irvestians hadn’t considered. As she had proven during the four hour lecture, it was possible that in the near future, machines in Irvest could be powered using magic storing stones instead of coal and water. While this hadn’t gone down well at first, Twilight had shown that the machines functioned the same, did not blow up, and even gave the potential for making them smaller or more streamlined. “That was great Twilight! They really liked your ideas today.” Spike said, serving only to inflate Twilight’s ego. “Yes, it was, wasn’t it? I can only hope some leave today and in a few months, we’ll hear of it becoming reality.” she replied. “That’d be good for you,” Spike smiled, holding the papers upright, and tapping them against her desk to sort them into a consistent pile, “do you know how famous you’d be for thinking of it in the first place?” “Now Spike, you know I don’t do this for fame. I enjoy studying things and finding ways to improve on them.” Twilight stated, watching as Spike finished tapping the papers, and put them into the top drawer. Outside, the sky remained as it had ever since she and her friends had fled from Equestria, a deep crimson red. At first it hadn’t caused much problems, but in Irvest at least, as the years dragged on, weather patterns had become uncontrollable and unpredictable, and Applejack often complained of crops being harder to grow. Twilight had already begun to plan out a solution to this that she would present next, but all she had so far was that there needed to be a way to get or make water as required. She turned slowly as the door to the theatre was knocked, and slowly opened. When it was fully opened, Twilight saw Sunshine Blaze, he was taller now, no longer the fourteen year old that had saved them from Ulysses and brought her and her friends to Irvest. He was now nineteen years old, and looked it. His mane was still wild and unkempt, still turquoise in colour, and his signature goggles had clearly been adjusted to still fit, but had seen better days. “Twilight, come with me. It’s time I talked to you six.” he said. -- Rarity had found adjusting to life in Irvest hard at first. She often wondered if Sweetie Belle was fine and well back in Ponyville. But like her friends, she had eventually adjusted, and easily settled into a new life. Ponies in Irvest wore clothes far more often than those back in Equestria, and her business, which had also been named Carousel Boutique, had taken off. In two years, she even had the need to hire assistants to help make all her orders. The shop looked identical to the one back in Equestria, it was a round building, with white walls, purple spiral pillars and curtains inside. The ground floor held some of the designs on offer in the windows, three changing rooms, and a platform with mirrors where she took measurements. The first floor housed the sewing machines, fabrics and gems, and it was here, beside the six desks that five of her assistants worked to her exact pattern designs. The six desk was currently not in use, it was where Rarity worked, and she was currently walking around, making sure her assistants were still doing the best job she had trained them too. “Now don’t forget the gems. Goldwing was very clear on what she wanted, a silvery dress with the subtle shine of gems. Only the best for one of the Sages.” Rarity stated the order specifications to her assistants. “Yes miss Rarity.” They all chimed, continuing work on their designated part of the dress. The door downstairs rattled the bell. Rarity took a deep breath as she walked to the stairs, putting on a smile. As she entered the ground floor room, she was surprised to see Sunshine Blaze stating near the door, looking at her. “If you can, head back to your house. I’m calling all of you there to talk.” he said. “Oh, sure that shouldn’t be a problem. You go on ahead, I’ll tell my assistants to close up when they’re done for the day.” Rarity replied, turning around and heading back up the stairs. -- Fluttershy still lived at the home provided by the governor of Port Equis, but spent most of her day at a building at the edge of the town. Unlike the others, she hadn’t had a strong start to her life in Irvest, but when the idea of running a pet home, to house pets for ponies that were heading off on vacation, had come to Twilight one night, her friends had all chipped in what little they could to get her started. The building at first had been a simple stone shed, with barely enough room for the pets she would take care of, let alone Fluttershy herself. But as word spread of how good she was, the money had come in fast, and had been enough to hire builders to make a three story building. She had also gained a helper one year, a little pegasus by the name of Shining Rays. He was enthusiastic, and Fluttershy had never met another pony so good with animals like her. “Fluttershy,” Shining Rays poked his sky blue head with a yellow mane through the door, “I’m going to go clean out the litter trays on the third floor. Call if there’s something else I need to do,” he said. “Thank you, Shining Rays,” Fluttershy nodded happily, still reading the sheet of paper on the oak desk before her. A lot of the pets had very specific needs she noted. One particular dog, Sir Darlington, had an allergy to nuts. Turning around to look at the floor behind her, Fluttershy watched as Sir Darlington chewed the bag of nuts he had found somewhere. The first time he had found a bag, she and Shining Rays had reacted quickly to get them out of his stomach, but after the fifth time, Sir Darlington had worked out that, while she paid attention, he wouldn’t get to eat them. And so Sir Darlington had taken up to finding the bags of nuts when Fluttershy and Shining Rays weren’t looking, often right in front of them as they read papers on a new arrival. When they had noticed he had found a sixth bag, and wasn’t any worse off, Fluttershy had simply decided the owners had no clue what really made Sir Darlington sick, but due to his habit of always somehow finding a random bag of nuts, had blamed them. He had been there two weeks, and despite clearing the ground floor of any trace of nuts, Sir Darlington had always managed to find a bag. Fluttershy shook her head and looked back at the paper. Where Sir Darlington found the nuts was a mystery, and questioning it would probably have a disastrous result, similar to questioning Pinkie Pie’s ability to traverse a whole town in a matter of seconds. Fluttershy only looked up at whoever had walked into the building when he coughed. She went slightly pale when she looked directly into the eyes of Sunshine Blaze. “You’re... you’ve... come to take us back to Equestria?” she asked, deflating a bit. “What? No. Not yet at least. I just need to talk to you and your friends back at the home the governor provided you. Can you leave this place now?” he asked. “Oh um, I... I guess Shining Rays will be ok. I’ll let him know.” Fluttershy answered. Sunshine Blaze didn’t say anything else. He turned around and left the building, leaving Fluttershy still. Sir Darlington ceased chewing the bag of nuts, and walked over to Fluttershy, resting his head in front of her, and begun to whimper. Fluttershy looked down at Sir Darlington, and begun to cry as she petted him, knowing what Sunshine Blaze would soon ask of her and her friends. -- Applejack, like Fluttershy, still lived at the home she and her friends shared, but spent most of her day at a farm she had bought just on the outskirts of Port Equis. While it wasn’t the Sweet Apple Acres she longed to see again, Applejack’s farm had done well. Several ponies, both mares and colts, helped tend to the large farm, and Applejack oversaw it all. Applejack currently sat on a hill overlooking the east field, watching as the helpers worked, bucking the trees. Her thoughts wandered to Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Applebloom, and if they were even still alive back in Equestria after Ulysses’ sudden attack. She shook thoughts and images out of her head when they begun to wander on to the thoughts of her family laying dead among the blazing ruins of the farm. She turned her head to her right when a flapping of wings drew near. Beside her, landing gracefully was Sunshine Blaze. He smiled as he sat, looking over the fields. “You did a good thing starting up a farm. Before, Port Equis relied on produce shipped here from elsewhere in Irvest.” Sunshine Blaze opened the conversation. “Yeah, it reduced what was needed. The governor sure seemed happy. Though crops are becoming harder to grow...” Applejack said. The wind blew past the pair as the conversation died as quickly as it had begun. Applejack sighed and looked at the crimson sky. “Ah know why you're here. You want to talk, and take us back.” Applejack flatly stated. “Talk, yes. I’m gathering all your friends back to the house. Come back there when you can.” Sunshine Blaze replied. He smiled, stood up and took flight again, leaving the farm behind him. Applejack looked down at the helpers, and sighed again. -- Sunshine Blaze had trouble getting near his next location, due to a large crowd that had gathered. Normally, ponies knowing who he was and what life he had so far led had usually made it easy to get where he needed. But it clearly wasn’t the case for his current destination. His current destination was a very bright pink building, with balloons of varying colours tied to pretty much anything that they could be tied to. One door in here was simply not enough to deal with the crowd going in or coming out, and as such the front had four sets of double doors, two for entering and two for exiting. From the roof, a fair amount of pipes protruded and pumped a lot of steam into the air. Above the four doors was a large painted sign which bore the picture of a familiar looking pink pony with puffy pink mane and blue eyes, and the words ‘Pinkie Pie’s Confectionery Emporium’. With an annoyed groan, Sunshine Blaze stood at the back of the large queue, and slowly drew closer to the building, Pinkie Pie’s painted face looming above him. Some ponies did indeed recognise him, but such was the draw of Pinkie Pie’s business, that he couldn’t talk them into letting him go ahead in the queue. It took him roughly fifty minutes to get inside the building, where the queue seemed to get faster. The inside of the shop had yellow floorboards, and pink painted walls, along which shelves held various sweets that could be picked up and taken to the counter. In between the inner lines leading in and out was a pale blue coloured stand, which held the same mix of chocolates and sweets. It was another two minutes before he got to the front, and saw Pinkie Pie face to face. “Heya Sunshine Blaze!” Pinkie Pie said quite loudly, drawing some chatter from around the room. “Hello Pinkie Pie, could I have a word?” he asked. He was already very annoyed at the length of time it had taken to even get near Pinkie Pie. “Okie Doki Loki! I’m sure somepony will step in for a moment and serve sweets and cakes and muffins and...” “Right now please Pinkie, I’m tired from standing as it is.” Sunshine Blaze snapped a little. Pinkie Pie picked up on his annoyance and stopped rambling. She looked at another store worker and nodded her head, before leading Sunshine Blaze to one side. Pinkie Pie remained smiling in the quieter part of the store, while Sunshine Blaze breathed a sigh of relief at finally sitting down. “So what’s up?” Pinkie Pie questioned. “I’m getting you and your friends together at your house. Do you think you can leave now?” he asked back. “Um, I’m sure I could, but I like to do my closing time shows. Will I have time to come back for that?” Sunshine Blaze smiled. In the years the seven friends had been in Irvest, only three had become famous across the country, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie had become famous simply because of her extraordinary closing time shows. It had baffled, even scared traditional shop owners at first, as closing time was an uneventful task, and they had petitioned against her shows. But they had quickly drawn tourism to Port Equis, for which the whole city had benefited, even the harbour had changed its run down, worn out sheds for more sturdy brick buildings, and this fact alone had made the other city shop owners withdraw their protest in favour of bringing in far more money. Pinkie Pie herself had been oblivious to the entire incident, even when one rather unsavoury shop owner of the store across the street, a certain colt by the name Glittering, had decided that a petition would not stop the pink pony across the street, and the cold steel of a dagger would. Sunshine Blaze wasn’t too sure of the details himself, but as he had heard, that night had ended with Pinkie Pie, the would be assassin, Glittering and even the local police ponies having a party before they returned to the police station. And even though she had been in the same room as the pony who wanted her dead, and the pony hired to do the deed, Pinkie had just assumed they and the police had come for a very late welcoming party they hadn’t prepared for. “I’m sure you will Pinkie. I’ve been meaning to see one of these shows for a while. Now if you excuse me, I have somewhere to be.” Sunshine Blaze stood up and made for the door. “Aren’t you going to walk with me to the house?” Pinkie Pie asked. “No, I haven’t talked to Rainbow Dash yet. Tell me, where’s the airshow taking place?” Sunshine Blaze smiled. “Up at the park behind the Council building.” -- The crowd roared with anticipation, making Rainbow Dash smile. It hadn’t been easy at first at these ‘airshows’, they had been dominated by the strange ‘airplanes’ and ‘zeppelins’. But with determination, and a lot of quick talk, Rainbow Dash now headlined at the shows. Well, more she headlined with her team, the Irvestbolts, named after the team in Equestria. She chose that name as a dedication, since she had no way of knowing if her heroes, the Wonderbolts, were even alive anymore back in Equestria. In the middle of the grassy field, the unicorn announcer used his magic to amplify his voice. “And now fillies and gentlecolts, the moment you have waited for! Watch in awe and go wild for the Irvestbolts!” Rainbow Dash glanced at the five other pegasi behind her. Each one wore a darker blue and yellow stunt suit, with goggles over their eyes. It wasn’t a secret that Rainbow didn’t have a creative mind when it came to such things as stunt suits or names, but she didn’t mind. The darker colours of the original Wonderbolt stunt suits, to her, served to further her original idea behind the team, to be a slight tribute to her heroes. “Let’s go guys, time to make them leave with their jaws hanging!” Rainbow Dash spoke loudly over the roars and chats of the crowd. She flapped her wings once, and led the way into the sky. -- Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop smiling as the crowd roared after the show. It had been another success, it always was, and made all the better by the appearance of the sages Goldwing and Dusk. She had made it a point to at least try and see what Goldwing looked like at any possible moment during the routine. Goldwing was a white pegasus, about half as tall as Princess Celestia, though obviously lacking a horn. Her mane and tail were yellow and shone like gold, which was something Goldwing had run with, wearing hoof shoes and objects on her wings where they folded in the middle that was golden in colour, if not actually made from gold. Around the room, the rest of the team were getting out of uniform, talking among themselves about how the show had gone. As Rainbow looked around, her eyes landed on the sight of Sunshine Blaze. “What are you doing here?” she asked. It had come across as harsh, due to the adrenaline still running through her body. “I need to talk to you and your friends, can you return to your home?” Sunshine Blaze asked. Rainbow Dash smiled. -- The seven friends sat on their coloured pillows, as Sunshine Blaze stood before them. He had said nothing for the half hour since he had arrived with Rainbow Dash, which made the friends feel nervous. They braced themselves for what he would say when he coughed. “The world is dying. Slowly, but it is dying. Across the world, crops grow less plentiful, and while water isn’t a problem, at this rate, we will all die from malnutrition, despite having plenty of water. I don’t know why Ulysses’ actions put the sun and moon together in the sky, but we have to do something, and soon.” Sunshine Blaze said flatly. “I was actually about to plan such a way to boost crop growth.” Twilight added, with a smile. “That’s all well and good, but even that would be temporary. You all know what has to be done.” Sunshine Blaze let his eyes look at each friend’s face in turn. “We have to go back and defeat Ulysses.” Rainbow Dash replied. “Correct,” Sunshine Blaze nodded, “but there is something important that we must do first. Be awake and ready to leave with me at 8am tomorrow. I must show you the power you are facing, the power I’ve seen him wield before.” Sunshine Blaze begun to walk to the stairwell to leave, but paused when he saw Rarity looking at him, as if she had a question. Rarity herself saw that Sunshine Blaze had stopped, and now seemed to wait on her. “Just what relation do you have to Ulysses?” she asked. Sunshine Blaze seemed visibly uncomfortable with this question, and a slight hint of an internal debate with himself, but he sighed and looked Rarity in the eyes. “He’s my adopted brother.” was his reply.
Artaelian	704	31	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-03-03T01:00:17+00:00	2013-03-03T01:00:16+00:00	463	Twilight and her friends found Sunshine Blaze waiting on the steps to their house at eight in the morning the next day. He greeted them and informed the six that they had a long walk ahead of them all to see what he had to show. They decided to bring some food for the trip. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy hastily gathered what mostly consisted of daisy sandwiches and cupcakes. With the food gathered into two saddlebags, the seven ponies begun their walk to the north, further inland. Sunshine Blaze hadn’t been wrong when he said it would be a long walk. At midday, the seven ponies stopped and sat on the grass lining the dirt path out of Port Equis, itself a white beacon just visible on the horizon. Rainbow Dash currently looked towards the city, chewing slowly on a cupcake. She swallowed the bite and looked at Twilight. “So, besides finding that machines can be worked with magic, what else have you been doing?” Sunshine Blaze asked Twilight. “Well, I figured that there must be a way to travel in time, like how Ulysses begun all this.” Twilight replied. The wind blew gently past the ponies, as Sunshine Blaze stared at Twilight with mild anger at what she had just said. “And how did that go?” he questioned. “Very well, look on the hill behind me.” she tilted her head to behind her, and Sunshine Blaze looked in the direction, seeing another Twilight smiling on the hill behind the one sitting down. That distant Twilight only stayed there for a few seconds and then disappeared. “Provided you keep things simple, and link the points, time travel is easy. A lot of magic is drained, but easy.” Twilight stated. “Ok, I get the feeling you’re about to say something else here that’ll probably annoy me.” Sunshine Blaze stated, waiting for Twilight to say something else. “Well, right now, the other me just went back to when I finally tested the spell, about four weeks ago. After a bit of rest, I attempted to go back and prevent Ulysses taking control of Equestria. I was met with a problem.” Twilight grinned nervously. The other ponies were now turning their heads as if watching a game of tennis. Rainbow Dash swore that for just a second, she saw Sunshine Blaze’s left eye twitch a little. “And that problem was?” he snapped a little when Twilight offered nothing else. “A time lock. I should have figured Ulysses would do such a thing, being able to use time travel. Basically, he’s locked the events that made us come here with you. We can’t ever go to that point and attempt to change it.” she replied. “Well, I was expecting something a bit worse if I’m utterly honest. Ulysses is smart, he wouldn’t leave such a gaping hole in his plans.” Sunshine Blaze said, now seeming a lot calmer than he had just a few second before. Silence once more fell on the seven, as they continued to eat. -- Rainbow Dash could swear it had been another hour of walking. Out in the wide open of the countryside, she had decided it would be better to fly than walk, after all, she had wings, why not use them? It also seemed that Sunshine Blaze had similar thoughts, as he took to the sky. He flew beside Rainbow Dash, and quitely motioned for her to fly higher. A little confused, she followed him up. “Have you noticed anything different about your friends lately?” he asked. “What do you mean? They’re all the same, Twilight’s still an egghead, AJ works her own farm, Rarity still makes clothes, Fluttershy looks after animals and Pinkie is, well, still Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash answered. “Aren’t any of you homesick? Irvest isn’t your home.” Sunshine Blaze said. Rainbow Dash had a moment to consider this as she flew out of the way of a lone tree. In it, birds chirrped and sung, reminding her of the days back in Equestria, when she would fly onto one of Applejack’s trees for a nap. “Honestly,” she said as she flew beside Sunshine Blaze again, “it does seem these days that they’re less bothered by the fact we’re in another country, even believe that their families are dead and nothing is left for them back there. I don’t get why I’m the only one who still seems to want to go back and save Equestria,” she replied. “It’s natural, since you still have that Element of Harmony. Ulysses has corrupted the bond between your friends and their elements, but since you got away with yours, the bond between you and it has had time to repair.” Sunshine Blaze smiled. Rainbow Dash waited for a moment, to see if Sunshine Blaze was going to say anything else. But after a few moments, it became clear he wasn’t, and she cleared her throat. “Where are you taking us anyway?” she asked. “It’s right over there.” Sunshine Blaze answered, flying back down to the path. Rainbow Dash looked ahead, and saw that the rubble and ruins of a long abandoned town stood before them. Nature had clearly plenty of time to begin taking the town back over, as vines climbed up broken walls and buildings, and trees grew haphazardly, wherever the seeds had fallen and taken root. She landed beside Fluttershy, as Sunshine Blaze led them through the abandoned town. The cobble paths had been either disturbed by tree roots, or the ground beneath had shifted slightly, as not a single bit of the path was perfect anymore, and even the cobblestones themselves had been broken apart. Holding back their questions, the six friends were led to an unusual sight. Perfectly in the middle of the town stood a metal device, with two iron handles. Compared to the town around it, this device was perfect, clean. They stood back and watched as Sunshine Blaze walked up to it. He said nothing as he stood under the metal device, and it creaked into life, lowering down and grabbing his front legs with the two iron handles, and strapped him down with iron locks. The device whirred noisily now, raising him up. Another arm appeared from a new part of the device that had raised from the ground, and connected to the goggles on Sunshine Blaze’s head. This arm then lowered with the goggles, and went over Sunshine Blaze’s eyes. It stopped, and a buzzing could be heard, making the six friends very nervous. A second later, the town became enveloped in a blue light, making them huddle close together in fear. As they watched, the blue light changed how the town appeared. It no longer looked abandoned, but perfect and fine. The buildings stood tall, the vines and trees gone, except where the trees had been purposely planted. The windows of the buildings were there as well, and buildings that had once been shops now had their signs over them again. The friends all stared in wonder at the sight before them. Around them, in the same blue glow, ponies now walked the town, one even walking through Pinkie Pie. The town was alive! Pegasus ponies flew through the air, some even moving clouds. Earth ponies moves wooden carts filled with crops, and unicorns walked around, carrying objects of various sizes, one in particular moved a wooden box marked with the words ‘One Ton’. Their jaws dropped, amazed at what they were seeing, the town having changed before their eyes in seconds. As the friends stared in awe at the sight of the abandoned town, reoccupied by the glowing blue ponies, Rainbow Dash saw two that were very familiar, and quietly pointed at them. As they watched, the six friends saw a very young Sunshine Blaze, minus his goggles. He looked barely about five years old, and beside him walked a tall, proud, and strangely kinder looking Ulysses. his cutie mark was a broken hourglass. “That explains why he was so good with time travel and using it to cause all these problems. It’s his special talent,” Twilight said. As they continued to observe, the younger Sunshine Blaze suddenly stopped, being noticed by Ulysses. Sunshine Blaze spoke words they couldn’t hear, and begun to cry. Ulysses grinned, a genuine, warm and friendly grin, and his horn glowed. He disappeared, then reappeared, a small saddlebag in his teeth, which he then placed on Sunshine Blaze’s back. Sunshine Blaze smiled. “I love you big brother!” came the haunting words of the younger Sunshine Blaze. Suddenly, the scene changed. The town was no longer perfect, and fires ravaged the buildings. Ponies ran about, their mouths open in screams. As they looked on, the six friends recoiled in horror as a pegasus with a dark blue mane and white coat, and a pair of familiar looking goggles, attempted to fly away, only to be met by a fireball, and fall to the ground, burning from head to tail, her mane smoking, and skin turning red raw from the burns from the fire that was consuming them. The sight, so close to the six friends, was too much for Rarity and Fluttershy. Rarity closed her eyes, while Fluttershy could not hold down the food she had eaten earlier. Rainbow Dash stood back a little from the ghostly blue image of the burning pegasus, and watched as she threw the goggles aside. “Brother!” came the younger Sunshine Blaze’s shout over the cries of the dying and roar of flames. Standing in the middle of the town was Ulysses, with his familiar, hate filled glare. Running through them, the younger Sunshine Blaze confronted Ulysses. “Why? Why are you doing this?” Sunshine Blaze cried. “You will never understand.” Ulysses replied, lifting the five year old Sunshine Blaze in front of him. Rainbow Dash noticed that Sunshine Blaze’s cutie mark was different than what she remembered. In the image, it looked like a little yellow sun, with thin straight rays radiating to the bottom half only. As she watched on, a red glow wrapped around the whole colt, and the red flames she recognized appeared above and slightly over his cutie mark. The ghostly blue Ulysses dropped the young Sunshine Blaze to the floor, and stared down at his unconscious brother. “Be glad of this gift brat. If you are foolish enough to try and stop me in the future, I will burn you. And it will be a slow, painful death over many meetings if that is the path you choose.” With that, the ghostly figure of Ulysses disappeared, and the scene changed once more. It was now much later, as the buildings around still smoldered from the fires. Slowly, the younger Sunshine Blaze got up. He begun to burst into tears of sorrow and confusion at the sight of the town in ruins, before his eyes landed on the pegasus that was still alive, if only just. He ran over and after quickly getting over a recoil of horror, nuzzled the pegasus. “Son,” the mare rasped, fighting for every breath, “I am glad you are alive. I am sorry you must see me like this.” “Mother... why did he do this?” Sunshine Blaze wailed, his eyes shut tight. “I don’t know. Now, please, don’t cry. Be strong for me Blaze. Don’t ever forget.” she said, losing her fight to stay alive at last. As they watched, the younger Sunshine Blaze slowly stood up and walked over to the goggles. He watched them for a moment, slowly turning his head to face the sky. Slowly, the younger form of Sunshine Blaze stood up, and looked around him. The mares watching could only imagine how horrible it would have been on the day it had been reality, and what toll it took on his mind. “Anypony? Mom? Dad?” the young Sunshine Blaze called out, only to be answered by the wind, and the distant sound of something breaking. The young Sunshine Blaze begun to cry, slowly walking with a clear limp. He came to a stop a few steps along, having seen something. Despite his limp, he ran to a form that lay before the mares. “Mom! Mom, wake up,” he nudged what they could now see was the body of a pegasus, the one that Ulysses had set alight, “please mom, we... we have to find big brother. He can fix this, I know he can.” Sunshine Blaze said, still crying from the pain of his injured leg. After ten seconds, he sat down, still looking at the unmoving form of his mother. By now, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie had begun crying, while Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight knew there was nothing they could do to help this Sunshine Blaze, as it was just a recording. “I... I understand mom,” he said, “you said today was going to be tiring and you needed to sleep in for a big job interview. I... I’m going to borrow the goggles okay? I’ll find big brother, we can fix this, and you can just sleep, so you’re ready for the job interview later.” The six mares watched as the young Sunshine Blaze kissed his mother’s cheek, then limped to the nearby goggles, which were clearly the ones that he still wore to this day. “Good luck today mom, me and big brother will be home in time for dinner!” With that, the ghostly blue light vanished, and Sunshine Blaze was lowered by the device to the ground. The six friends looked at him, as he remained with his back facing them, and one simple sound filled the air. Sunshine Blaze was crying, not hard, but enough that he made a noise. The six mares stood around, unsure of what to do. Sunshine Blaze had shown them his own tragic past, a past which clearly still hurt him, and all so they could witness how powerful Ulysses was up close. “So what do we do now?” Rarity asked. “Can we even do anything? This happened long ago, Rares, Ah don’t think there is anything ta be done.” Applejack answered, joining Rainbow Dash in comforting Fluttershy, who seemed the most traumatized by the events they had just witnessed. “Poor Sunshine Blaze,” Twilight muttered, looking at him, “he must have known how painful it would be for him to watch all this again, and he still did it anyway. Once was more than enough for him to witness such a traumatic event.” “Traumatic? Nah,” Captain suddenly turned from around a corner, “but here ain’t the place to talk. You six best come with me.” -- Captain had been smart enough to hire a road machine to take the six friends faster back to Port Equis than if they had walked. They had stopped outside a small hut at the harbour. Inside, the floor, and all the furniture was made from very old wood, and a simple lantern lit the room from the table. Through the wooden shutters, the sound of the water lapping the harbour was very relaxing. Captain’s blue glowing eye had dimmed, but it moved with his other eye, as he observed the six friends. “Now then,” he said, his voice soft and less grating than normal, “don’t be getting the wrong idea about Blaze. The events that day, on his fifth birthday, they still hurt him. But truth is, he no longer cries because it is traumatic. When I first came across him, he watched these events over and over, only stopping to look for food.” “Really? Then, how is he still sane?” Twilight asked. “Because he kept watching. Me and the crew were spooked by the ghostly images as well when we found him. At first, I wondered the same, how he was still sane. But as he watched, as I learnt, the final words of his mother helped him. He kept watching fer one reason. To be strong. Any old foal can cry and wallow in self pity reliving a traumatic event, but it takes a pony, strong of heart to watch and be strong.” Captain stood up and walked over to a counter, picking up a bottle with his mouth, and tilted it and his head into the air. When it came back down, he growled slightly. “Bugger, rum’s all gone. Anyway,” he returned to the table and sat down once more, “the more he watched it, the more Blaze changed. He didn’t cry and wallow in self pity, he cries because he’s frustrated he can’t find his ma, and no one is able to convince him that she’s dead. She told him ta be strong, and the way he sees it, stopping his brother will be the achievement, when he has finally become stronger than his brother, and make him pay.” “But,” Twilight paused a moment, “what does this have to do with us?” she asked. “What does it hafta do with you?” Captain laughed. “Yes. I don’t get what purpose we have in all of this.” Twilight stated. “You fillies are his best chance in years. Oh sure, Blaze knows alone he can't stand a chance. But there’s strength in numbers, see. He’s often had others help him, but you six,” Captain’s blue metal eye brightened, and shone on each pony in turn, “have the chance to achieve what the rest couldn’t. He needs you six, to help him.” “Others?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “Yes, others. Ulysses dealt with them, unfortunately. I usually found him and what was left, and took him away. How he still is alive, with the amount of times he’s confronted Ulysses, I don’t know.” Captain answered, the blue glow of his eye remaining on Rainbow Dash, illuminating her worried face. “So all the help he’s had before, they were murdered?” Applejack asked. “Now, don’t get bogged down on it. Go on, go back home. Blaze’ll come find you when he’s ready.” -- Twilight couldn’t sleep, her worried pacing in her room unlike the peaceful snores and neighs of her friends in the other rooms. Even Spike, who sat in his bed across the room, couldn’t sleep. Twilight stopped her pacing, passing some paper, a quill and bottle of ink over to Spike. “I need you to take a letter Spike, but keep hold of it.” she said. “But, what’s it for?” Spike questioned. “I’ll tell you later, just take down what I say for now,” Twilight replied and cleared her throat, “Dear Princess Celestia.”
Artaelian	704	32	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-03-22T23:28:49+00:00	2013-03-22T23:28:49+00:00	408	Twilight and friends didn’t see Sunshine Blaze the next day. It had been Rarity who had gone to the front door to see if he was waiting outside, as she woke up before the others. This had led them to debate if he had remained at the ruins of his old home town during the night. The conversation quickly led to an agreement, that Rainbow Dash would fly to his ruined hometown and see if Sunshine Blaze was still there. She had returned with the news that he had gone, and no sign showing where. “Guys,” Rainbow Dash held her head up high, “I know we have it good here in Irvest, we’ve gone from fleeing for our lives to being highly successful here. But you know we can’t stay here. We have to go back with him and save Equestria from Ulysses.” “It’s not that easy, Rainbow,” Applejack spoke up. “If we were asked four years ago, we’d have agreed right away. But we’ve rebuilt our lives now, and Sunshine Blaze is asking us to just ditch our jobs and responsibilities here.” “There’s more too, guys,” Twilight stood up off her purple pillow, “I suspect that the incident he showed us may have, in some way, messed with Sunshine Blaze’s mind. Not to the degree of his brother, but the way Sunshine Blaze wants to get stronger. It suggests he thinks by stopping his brother, everything Ulysses has done will be undone.” The other ponies looked at each other for a moment, before looking at Twilight. “So, you think he’s not aware that his mother is dead, and thinks Ulysses has just trapped her somewhere?” Rarity questioned. “Exactly. I put together what we saw, combined with what Captain said. Sunshine Blaze said he’d never forget, he didn’t show any sign he understood that when his mother stopped breathing, it was because she’d died. And Captain said he found Sunshine Blaze there, watching those events. He’s looking for a way to free his mother from a spell that doesn’t exist. That, along with the fact that he’s had help before, and Captain has always taken him away from the end result before seeing it. Sunshine Blaze has no concept of the finality of death, if he even knows what death is.” They each let the thought sink in. The only feeling that they felt for Sunshine Blaze was pity. It would hurt him a lot when he finally understood the truth of his mother. -- Sunshine Blaze appeared the day after at around midday. It had been Rainbow Dash this time who had answered the door, as she had been about to go out and buy some food. She let him in, and followed him up to the first floor. The six friends sat on their pillows, and only Rainbow Dash was not visibly uncomfortable. Spike walked from the kitchen and held a glass filled with water out for Sunshine Blaze, who took it with his mouth, and tilted his head up and back, emptying the glass in one go. “Thank you,” he said to Spike, looking back at the six friends, “yesterday, you saw what Ulysses was capable of, and how he begun. I know you all have new lives here, but I still come here to ask. Will you all return with me to Equestria, your home, and defeat Ulysses, once and for all?” “Of course I will! For what he did to Cloudsdale five years ago, I’ll be more than happy to go beat the snot outta him!” Rainbow Dash stood up, her wings raised off her back. “Well, since I’m a respected scholar, I guess I could just say I’m going there for some sort of new research, but I’d need time to convince others to pick up the research I have underway.” Twilight spoke up. “And ah just can’t up and leave my farm. Ah mean, we may never return. Ah want it to be run by the right ponies.” Applejack added, rubbing one front hoof with the other. “Yeah, same for my shop.” Rarity and Pinkie Pie said together. “I’ll need some time to make sure Shining Rays can handle all the animals by himself when I go.” Fluttershy said softly. Sunshine Blaze groaned with annoyance and sat down. “Ok, so you all need time. At most, you can have three months. But let me put it to you this way. Equestria is your home, and it needs you. If you don’t want to, and would rather stay safe here, well, I’ve an elder brother to bring to justice. I want to see him pay for his crimes, and I’ll do that with or without you.” he said. Twilight now stood up, and walked up to Sunshine Blaze. She smiled and looked out of the balcony doors, at the crimson sky. “We know how important this is Sunshine Blaze. Had you asked four years ago, we’d have left right away. But you went off on your journeys, and we made lives for ourselves. It won’t be so bad, in three months, we’ll be ready, and we’ll all defeat Ulysses, you have my word on that.” They said no more after that, and Sunshine Blaze excused himself from their home. The seven friends spent the rest of the day talking, knowing that the following day would see them prepare to leave their lives in Irvest far behind. -- Three months later -- The water lapped the harbour walls gently, as Rainbow Dash stared out to sea. It had been three months since her friends had agreed to return to Equestria and save it from Ulysses. As she stood there however, she remained the only one to be at the harbour of Port Equis, watching Captain boss his crew around on the deck of his ship, with Sunshine Blaze flying around doing something. Every so often, Sunshine Blaze would stop, look at something, then continue on. It was pretty odd, and Rainbow Dash hoped he would explain what he was up to later on. That was, of course, assuming her friends hadn’t backed out of their choice to return to Equestria... “Hey Dashie!” Pinkie Pie almost shouted happily, as she bounced beside Rainbow. “About time somepony showed up. Where are the others?” Rainbow asked. “Oh, Twilight said she’d be right behind me, same for the others. Rarity said she’d lock up the house. Something about everything still being there if we get a chance to return.” Pinkie smiled, still bouncing on the spot. As Rainbow Dash looked behind Pinkie Pie, she saw that her pink friend was right. Walking at her usual pace, with Spike on her back and saddlebags carrying some of the books she had bought in Irvest, with the rest on a wooden cart being held behind her by Spike, was Twilight. A little further behind her was Applejack, also with saddlebags but nothing else, and Fluttershy, who didn’t have saddlebags. Rarity however, was nowhere to be seen at that moment. It took another half an hour, according to the nearest clock, for Rarity to show up. Silently, the seven friends finally boarded the ship. “Ah good,” came the Governor’s voice. On the harbour, he walked towards the ship surrounded by six guards, “when Sunshine Blaze said you would be leaving today, he failed to specify the time. And now, Ms. Rainbow Dash, before you depart, here is what you left in my safe keeping six years ago. The element of Loyalty.” With a clap of his hooves, a unicorn in a black suit walked up the gangplank, a box floating by magical influence before him. It opened up, and the unicorn levitated the golden choker from the box and around Rainbow Dash’s neck. “I can’t believe we were about to head back without this. Thank you Governor.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “You are welcome,” he turned as if to leave, but held still, “and you can of course call me Governor Fountain Pen. Until we meet again.” And with that, Governor Fountain Pen departed the harbour, the six guards and unicorn surrounding him as he left. As Rainbow Dash walked to the hull side of the deck with her friends, the ship shuddered slightly into life as the unicorn crew members levitated the gangplanks out of the way. None of the friends said anything, as they watched the main harbour walls, which lead out to sea, passed by the ship. The silence remained even as Port Equis, and Irvest itself became a dot on the horizon. “Do... do you think we’ll ever come back here?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I don’t know Pinkie. I mean, the house is always there, we could come for visits now and then. But let’s focus on what we have to do first.” Twilight replied. “Yeah, finding Ulysses and kicking his flank!” Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof against the deck. “And seeing what he’s done to Equestria while we’ve been gone.” Rarity added. -- The week passed rather uneventfully. For the most part, Twilight arranged with the crew and Sunshine Blaze to see what would become of all the vital items they had brought back from Irvest, learning that the crew would split up, Captain taking half and hiding to await further orders, the rest going with Sunshine Blaze and the friends to take the items where required. Golden Wings, hearing of what the seven friends were heading for, had called on the help of the other sages, and made spells which would hide them from Ulysses’ sight while aboard the ship. Unfortunately, it meant Rainbow Dash couldn’t fly above the sails. But she saw this restriction as more of a challenge, attempting to fly on a crowded and busy ship, without hitting anything. She had impacted one wall on the second day, but true to what she was capable of, the wall came out worse for wear than she had. And she had only left with a slightly bruised ego, and in the end she was much less irritable on the return journey then she had been when sailing to Irvest. The others had remained the same as they had on the first trip back. Captain no longer had to hide gems from Spike, simply because there were none currently on his ship. Each one of the seven friends made themselves busy, in an effort to forget one fact. They were returning to Equestria. They had no idea how bad things had become, or if indeed, anyone they had seen alive before leaving were even alive now. It played heavily on their minds, and was not aided by the fact they were not sure how to even defeat Ulysses as long as he still had five of the Elements of Harmony. “Land HO!” shouted one of the crew above deck. Rainbow Dash toppled out of the hammock she had been napping in, impacting the floor below chin first. She stood up and shook the ringing out of her ears, and followed after Rarity, as all seven made their way above deck. They were all hopeful, that maybe in his six years in Equestria, Ulysses had realised his errors, and had been kind, and that what they would see would be an Equestria no different from the one they had remembered prior to fleeing for their lives, except for the position of the sun and the moon on the sky. Rarity and Fluttershy turned away, unable to look at the sight. Twilight was muttering to herself, and Spike sat on her back, his jaw hanging open from shock. Pinkie Pie, who had been excited at the idea of seeing something good simply sat still, disbelief set in on her face. Applejack uncharacteristically had tears forming in the corners of her eyes, and she was fighting hard to refrain from actually crying. Rainbow Dash looked on ahead, her anger increasing even more than it had during the week of sailing. She couldn’t bear to look at the sight, but at the same time, she couldn’t look away. The whole landscape before them was black, covered in scorched earth, burnt forests and somehow, even the mountains were now black. Equestria lay in ruins, with no signs of life.
Artaelian	704	33	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-04-11T00:17:43+00:00	2013-04-11T00:17:42+00:00	438	From a distance, the whole land of Equestria looked black, but as the ship landed on the beach, the six friends found this wasn’t really the case. The reality was that the ground lay under a layer of ash, but was still devoid of trees, and the grass under the ash did not look healthy at all. Rainbow Dash kicked some ash aside on a nearby rock, and looked silently at Twilight. Twilight herself looked around at the scene before them. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what would cause this.” she stated. The unicorn crew had been selected by Captain to help carry the important items the six friends had brought with them from Irvest, and on deck, Twilight could see Captain talking to Sunshine Blaze. Soon, Sunshine Blaze jumped off the ship and walked up to the six friends, smiling as he did. The smile annoyed Rainbow Dash slightly, as with the state Equestria was in, there was nothing to smile about. But still, Sunshine Blaze smiled. “Well, Captain is ready to wait for us. With the spells given by the sages, we can’t return here to meet with him should we need to run for our lives again. For now though, let’s go.” He said, walking ahead. Checking that the crew joining them were ready, the six friends slowly followed after Sunshine Blaze, dreading to learn what state the rest of Equestria was in. -- After half an hour, a foreboding sight loomed on the horizon. A black stone castle stood in a place that was previously flat and featureless, with six towers holding up the outer walls. The group stared at it, feeling fear as they looked on. Without a word, they begun to walk right, to find a way past it. The black castle that hadn’t been there before was a sure sign of where Ulysses was currently located, and they weren’t ready to face him yet. If they had headed west, they could have gone past Canterlot. But heading east also threw up a problem. East... That was where Cloudsdale had vanished. It had been hard on both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to watch it disappear. But with no indication as to what may have become of all the pegasi that had disappeared that day, it would probably be even harder on them to walk where Cloudsdale had been above six years later. As the group begun to head east, Twilight stared at the landscape. Far off to the east, the landscape seemed to be covered in dots, possibly thousand and thousands of stones. Her curiosity of what they were would soon be answered she knew. Within an hour, she wished she hadn't been so excited. “Graves...” she muttered. There were hundreds, covering every last bit of the ground, and all covered in ash. Solemnly, the group walked among the graves, reading all the names in turn. It was surreal in a way, having watched Cloudsdale vanish, to walk among the graves of those who had presumably died brought a chilling finality to the event. “I won’t find my parents here,” Rainbow Dash said aloud, as she continued walking, “they live in Fillydelphia. What about you Fluttershy?” “They’re in a countryside cottage somewhere to the north last I knew. When this is done, we’ll need to let them know we’re fine.” Fluttershy replied. Rainbow Dash froze. She stared in shock at one of the graves, and her actions caught the attention of her friends, as they hurried over to her and find why she had stopped, “It... it can’t be...” she said slowly, the shock of her discovery preventing her from crying, or even beginning to. The gravestone read; ‘Here lies Spitfire, proud member of the Wonderbolts.’ -- Twilight was glad to finally be walking away from the graveyard that now stood where Cloudsdale had vanished. It hadn’t gone like she had hoped, but at least she learnt the parents of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were elsewhere. However it still had taken some time to get Rainbow Dash away from the sight, simply because three of the graves belonged to some of the Wonderbolts, pegasi she had admired. It had actually been Pinkie Pie, who for the most part had kept quiet and was not her usual bubbly self in the ash covered lands of their home, that had convinced Rainbow to leave. Rainbow now walked with a determined look on her face. If only three Wonderbolts had died, the remaining team had to be somewhere. Ulysses castle now stood far behind them, and the group slowly made their way to the familiar old road that connected Ponyville and Canterlot. This gave the group their first real look at Canterlot since returning. “It’s just like in the future he showed me.” Stated Rainbow Dash. The white walls and colourful tower tops of Canterlot were stained and discoloured by the ash. The walls were now grey, and any gold didn’t shine. But even so, there were lights in the buildings and castle itself. Ponies were still living there, but clearly they had to defend themselves with the giant purple shield around the mountain. “I think we’d better hurry, and see what’s left of Ponyville.” Twilight said, turning up the path in the direction of Ponyville. -- It took under half an hour for what was left of Ponyville to become visible as the group travelled to the valley. The first sight showed mixed promise, some buildings lay in wooden rubble, but for the most part, it appeared that Ponyville had survived Ulysses’ rule. “Look Twi! I think the library survived!” Spike exclaimed happily. “Yes Spike, for the most part, Ponyville looks fine,” she replied smiling. A deafening roar echoed around, causing her to pause as she spoke, and the whole group to freeze. Circling around them, and looping back over Ponyville, was a large red dragon, and now visible in the air around the town were several more of varying colours. “Of course, it MIGHT have become a nest for dragons while we were gone, and everypony we knew died...” Twilight finished, biting her lower lip. “Where’s Applebloom!?” Applejack shouted, running ahead. “And Sweetie Belle!” Rarity added, dropping her lady-like manner, and running off as well, as Twilight tried to protest Applejack’s departure. “Oh good... run off into a nest of uncountable dragons and almost certain death... just how I wanted things to go.” Twilight said, highly irritated. -- As Ponyville drew closer, with the group giving chase to Applejack and Rarity, Twilight noted that Ponyville really did have few to none fallen buildings. It was as if Ulysses’ destruction as he attempted to gain the Elements of Harmony had never taken place. There were even ponies! Mayor Mare was talking to some ponies beside the town hall, Lyra sat in her strange way on a bench, with Bon-Bon next to her sitting normally, in all, the scene looked like the Ponyville Twilight and her friends had run for their lives from six years previous. But there remained one thing wrong with the picture, besides the crimson sky and the placement of the sun and moon together in the sky, the dragons. On the way there, she had assumed the Dragons had taken over the abandoned Ponyville, but it clearly wasn’t the case. There were currently ten fully grown dragons in the sky, and as she ran at full gallop after Applejack and Rarity, Twilight noted that there were at least twenty more on the ground around Ponyville. The group’s fast pace into the town hadn’t gone unnoticed either, one of the ten dragons in the sky was currently flying above them, keeping pace. She didn’t question why, mostly because no one else in the group would know, but it had singled them out. What Twilight was immediately aware of next was a flash of orange and violet racing past. It landed ahead of her, in the way of the path where Rarity and Applejack were still running on ahead beyond it. Focusing on what it was, Twilight saw the orange and violet flash had become a teenage filly, scars covered her body and her wings had a few missing feathers randomly distributed, her violet eyes glaring her down. Twilight skidded to a stop. “And just who are you? Running into the town with crates like you own the place.” the teenage filly shouted. The ground shook behind the group, and the hot breath of the dragon breathed on them. Looking behind her, Twilight saw as it picked each crate up and looked at the items within. “Books. Various personal belonging. Maybe refugees of a new attack.” it said in a rumble. “Well that’s a load off,” the orange filly replied, sitting down, “when we heard there were ponies running into town with crates, I was worried they were Ulysses loyalists with makeshift magic bombs.” she said. “Wait, I remember you.” Rainbow Dash said aloud, stepping forward. She looked into the violet eyes of the orange filly, seeing a life filled with pain that had led her to this moment. It was something to talk about later, but Rainbow was very sure of who this was. “I should hope you remember me!” the orange filly shouted, standing up and looking very angry, “I idolized you before you ran and left us all to die here!” “Scootaloo... what the hay happened to you?” -- Rarity had lost sight of Applejack long ago as their path diverged. Ahead of her now stood the slightly charred building that was Carousel Boutique, her home before she had left for Irvest. It still seemed quiet as it had always been, but as Rarity noted, it did not look run down. Somepony was still living in there, and she didn’t need to guess who. She came to a halt at the door and quickly checked her mane before she knocked, and opened the door. The inside of the shop looked as it had when she left, the mannequins that she used to make dresses when lacking another pony to help her were in one piece, and were not covered in dust, as if they were still in use. The floor too looked like it had been mopped not too long ago, as it shone under the dim light in the room. Rarity laughed to herself slightly. Things had gone far better than she had expected. She had expected to arrive to find Sweetie Belle had done something irreparable, like causing the shop itself to collapse. “Rarity?” came the voice of the teenage Sweetie Belle, who had just arrived from the upper floor. Both sisters ran to the other and hugged, crying tears of joy and relief. They were both alive, they had survived the worst Ulysses had thrown on the world, and for that moment, nothing else mattered. “You’ve grown!” Rarity exclaimed with a chuckle, extending her hooves still holding Sweetie to see her. “Well yes, I didn’t stop sis. I’m just glad you’re home! Where did you go?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Far away, I’ll get to it in a minute. But first, you kept the shop neat and tidy all these years?” Rarity asked. “Yes,” Sweetie Belle beamed a smile, “I wasn’t good at making clothes, but when Ulysses turned up and turned Equestria on its head, I figured you’d want the shop clean when you ever came back. Scootaloo often yelled at me, saying you and your other friends would never return, but I kept cleaning anyway.” Rarity sobbed slightly with joy. Sweetie Belle’s belief that her sister would one day come home made her happy. But that all disappeared when she saw Sweetie Belle’s flank. “You still don’t have a cutie mark?” Rarity shouted, utterly shocked. “Oh... yeah... it’s hard to find your special talent when somepony is trying to destroy civilisation.” Sweetie Belle answered, staring pathetically at her blank flank. “I think we both have long stories to tell each other. Let’s go make some tea and we can talk then.” Rarity replied, leading the way to the kitchen. -- Applejack was relieved to see that Sweet Apple Acres still stood. The only noticeable change she could see was a few missing trees further from the barn and house. But there were more important things on her mind as she ran towards the house. She could see the big red form of Big Macintosh as he carried buckets of apples from the farm and to the barn, the only noticeable change being how tired he looked. She had never once known her brother to look like he had gone without sleep, but the darker patches under his eyes didn’t lie. On the porch of the house, the frail green shape of Granny Smith sat in her rocking chair, a blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm against the chill of the air. But beside the relief of seeing Big Macintosh and Granny Smith still alive and well, there was one pony she hoped to see as she kept running closer. Applebloom. Applejack darted her head around as she ran, hoping to see her little sister at any second. Thud! Applejack came to a sudden stop, and looked around. It sounded like somepony had bucked a tree, but she couldn’t see the shaking tree to know where they were. Thud! She looked sharply to her left, and froze. Over in the tree, looking more tired than Big Macintosh, was Applebloom. She stumbled a bit as she walked to the next tree, turned and bucked her hind legs against the tree, shaking it of any apples that were ready to fall. Applejack laughed slightly to herself, the sight very much reminded her of the time she had promised Big Macintosh that she could buck every apple on the farm for apple buck season. With a smile, and very few tears of joy, she walked over to Applebloom. “How ‘bout ah do the next one?” she asked. Applebloom’s head shot up as if she had just been spoken to by a ghost. It was very much the same way she was currently looking at Applejack. Slowly, Applebloom drew closer, before prodding Applejack gently with one hoof. “It really is you... Applejack,” Applebloom threw herself at her older sister and hugged her tight, “where’ve ya been these last six years?” she wailed, crying with relief of seeing her older sister after the years that had passed. “Ah just had to go somewhere fer a little while. Sorry ah couldn’t tell ya’ll before ah left.” Applejack replied, placing one hoof on Applebloom’s back. The embrace lasted a while, as Applebloom sobbed into Applejack. When she slowed down, she took a step back and looked at her sister. “We were all worried Ulysses had killed you. When you didn’t come back home after his attack on Ponyville, me and Big Macintosh took care of the farm.” she stated. “Ah owe you both then fer doing my job,” Applejack smiled, “but there’s something ah noticed. Didn’t you get yer cutie mark? Ah can’t see it.” Applebloom looked hurt as she looked to her blank flank, sighing as she did. “We’d better go let Big Macintosh and Granny Smith know your ok, then we can catch up.” Applebloom replied. -- Scootaloo, as a young filly, had always looked cute when angry. It was one memory of her Rainbow Dash remembered. But the six years in the Equestria led by Ulysses had changed her. Scootaloo not only achieved looking angry, it was a look that probably would kill ponies out of fear. It was probably the many scars to her face that helped, but the lack of vibrant, energy filled eyes added to it. Scootaloo had led the group to the library, and leaving most of the ship crew and Spike in the library, had led the rest into the basement. It was darker now, and the portals Twilight had set up six years previous still stood there, a bit dimmer in their glow than memory recalled. But there was something strange. Scootaloo had walked into the only part of the basement room that was kept in permanent shadow, and Rainbow heard whispering. Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all looked nervous, but Sunshine Blaze remained calm, apparently used to whatever was going on. Scootaloo soon reappeared from the shadow, and trotted over to the portals on the far wall, looking at each in turn. “When I first came in here after Ulysses attacked Ponyville, I found these. They confused me at first, scared me even. But then, I dared to step through one,” she looked over her back to Rainbow and friends, “imagine my shock when I found there was a Ponyville where you, Rainbow, got struck by lighting and died. I ran back through, and assumed the worst. They couldn’t find you or the others, either alive or dead.” Scootaloo returned her attention to the portals and didn’t speak for a while. Slowly, her right front hoof lifted up towards them. “I was confused, how could I watch you die, yet no body could be found? I kept returning through it, trying to find anything I’d missed, any hint as to where your body had been found. But then, after so many heartbreaking trips, I realised something,” her right front hoof was now reaching out to the portals, “it hadn’t happened. Your body, in there, had been found right away, you died, you were buried. End of it. It gave me new hope, hope that you were alive. So I checked the others, and found they led to either grim futures, or the past of Equestria. I hoped, and constantly entered each, hoping that somewhere, there’d be a hint of what became of you six.” Her last two words were as warm as glacial ice, and thrown like sharp daggers at a heart of whoever heard them. But still, Scootaloo did not move. “And no hints ever came. No bodies were ever found. All the while, ponies here hid from constant raids on supplies by Ulysses’ loyal subjects. Soon, pegasi arrived, wounded badly, from Ulysses’ efforts to purge Equestria of our kind,” she shot a nasty look at the friends and Sunshine Blaze, “can you imagine how I got these scars? Ulysses doesn’t mind earth ponies, or unicorns, he can at least fight them on equal footing, but us pegasi... he wants us extinct. These scars are all the times I came close to death. Each one of them.” “Scootaloo, I’m sorry...” Rainbow Dash said, looking sad. “SHUT UP! Just shut up Rainbow Dash! I don’t look up to you anymore! Why should I idolise a coward who ran and left the other pegasi of Equestria to be slaughtered like common animals?” Scootaloo yelled. As the room fell quiet, all that could be heard was the deep breaths of Scootaloo, Fluttershy’s frightened sobs, and some shuffling in the shadows. Sunshine Blaze added to this by sighing, as he stood up. “I didn’t give her, or any of them a choice,” he said, staring the angry Scootaloo down. “And who are you?” she snapped. “I am Sunshine Blaze, survivor of Ulysses’ first ever attack. I’ve followed him for years, seeking to stop his violence, because he is my brother. If I don’t stop him, then no one will!” Sunshine Blaze exclaimed, raising his front legs in the air. “And what gave you the right to hide them for all these years?” her voice was bitter, and her eyes narrowed. “That day Ulysses attacked this town, he sought to end their lives to take the elements of harmony as his own. The only course of action I could think to do was to get them to Irvest and prepare them for their return and whatever horrors they would face.” Sunshine Blaze replied. Rainbow Dash had expected Scootaloo to burst into another angry rant. So it came as a surprise when she looked to the shadows, her anger subsiding, and nodded. Within seconds, the shadows vanished, and made Rainbow’s jaw drop. Three pegasi had been sitting in the shadows, wearing the Wonderbolts suit. A muddy brown earth pony and a white unicorn sitting to the side of them. The one in the middle had a blue mane and blue eyes, and he looked very tired and badly bruised, cuts were also on any visible part of his body. “I think it’s time we both say what has taken place to the other for the last six years, it could prove vital for defeating Ulysses.” Soarin’ spoke slowly. -- Soarin’ now looked at each of the friends present before him, and watched them discuss among themselves who would explain what had taken place for them. All the while, Scootaloo sat and observed, holding back her anger at the ex-idol that had seemingly left her and every other pony to die. After a brief moment, Twilight stood up and cleared her throat. “Six years ago, we used those portals Scootaloo found, convinced the Elements of Harmony were somehow corrupting themselves. It was only after mine did I learn the truth, Ulysses had tricked us to corrupt the elements for him. We heard noises in the streets and when we went to look, Ulysses was coming here, all to kill us and take the elements of harmony.” She looked at Scootaloo, who’s angered gaze had faltered slightly at hearing what Ulysses had attempted to do six years previous. “He used his magic and grabbed five of the elements from us, but only Rainbow Dash was able to avoid his attempts. When Sunshine Blaze arrived, he quickly told us a plan to get out of there, and we followed it. He took us to Irvest where we’ve been these last six years, even down to seeing the place Ulysses first begun his violent ways.” Soarin’ seemed to think over all of this, as he held his front hooves before him. Scootaloo looked between Twilight and Rainbow Dash, searching for any sign that what she had heard wasn’t the full truth. “You’ve got to be lying somewhere. I don’t believe Ulysses would try to kill all of you!” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Believe it or not squirt,” Rainbow Dash snapped, “he tried it, but he didn’t expect his brother to come and ruin his fun. When Sunshine Blaze here got us out, he tried to trick at least me back to get the last element and kill me, by destroying Cloudsdale!” Soarin’ coughed, and shot an annoyed glance at Scootaloo. “So, this is where our stories temporarily meet,” the cold and emotionless tone in his voice contradicted what Rainbow Dash recalled him sounding like six years previous, “that day, I was at practise, when we watched the sun and moon start to raise in the sky. Then Cloudsdale be pulled to a giant black orb. Being Wonderbolts, we would never let innocent ponies get hurt, we begun as best as we could to get pegasi away, through any gaps in the barrier that kept us on Cloudsdale.” Soarin’ stood up and walked up to Scootaloo, he paused only to give her a look that suggested that he wanted her to think carefully about her anger that she had misplaced for so long. “I can’t tell you how many I saved, but even as Cloudsdale drew near the orb, we kept risking our lives to save as many as we could. Just before impact, I urged the other three, including Spitfire, that we couldn’t risk any more. But she had none of it, and they flew back. That’s when it vanished. Later, I found Spitfire, on the ground and barely alive. She had somehow fallen there. I won’t disclose what caused her to die, but before she did, I made a promise, that her death would not have been in vain.” Soarin’ now turned to face the other two Wonderbolts, and raised his voice slightly. “The next day, we heard of attacks on pegasi, by ponies who had decided the safest thing to do was to ally with Ulysses. That made my mind up. Even if only pegasi would help, we would resist and fight Ulysses and his minions to our last breath. We soon found Ponyvile, which had fallen under the harsh rule of one of Ulysses’ loyalists. Nopony knew how he had quickly taken control of the town, but all bits and food went to him, all pegasi were captured and strung by their hind legs on ropes, including Scootaloo here.” Soarin’ stated. “This new pony called Baron tortured us,” Scootaloo added, “he whipped us, strangled us, set up fires under us. You imagine it, he did it to us. I don’t know how often I was terrified when he got out a knife and said that one of us would be randomly killed. I always feared it’d be me next, but it never was. It was horrifying for the poor pony being killed, but it wasn’t any easier trying to not hear their pleas or cries as they went through it.” As she spoke, she visibly broke down, and was now trembling. “That’s why she has scars and no cutie mark. Hard to earn one when you're strung up to be tortured and possibly murdered,” Soarin’ took a deep breath, “we arrived in secret and formed a quick plan. The citizens here were starving to death and taxed for bits they simply didn’t have. But when we learnt what Baron was doing to the pegasi, just to keep Ulysses happy, we told the town, and they were furious. As one, the whole of Ponyville assaulted the town hall, freed the pegasi, broke Baron’s horn clean from his head, and locked him in a cell where he couldn’t use magic. We eventually checked up on him, to find he had hung himself.” Twilight begun to think things over, as Rainbow Dash looked away from Soarin’ to Scootaloo. The young filly she had known as full of energy and had a positive outlook on life had gone through so many horrors very early on. But something didn’t make sense, the incident with this Baron had been years ago, yet the scars on her were fresh. “So, if that occurred about six years ago, where do the dragons come into things?” Twilight asked. “As his influence spread, Ulysses learnt of other creatures he could not fight on equal terms. He really doesn’t seem to like the idea he may be weaker than anything. So he attempted to wipe out anything that was stronger than him. The dragons didn’t like it too much, and while they aren’t friendly with us ponies, they know we have a common enemy. It’s not just dragons too, there’s manticores, a hydra or two and Zecora.” Soarin’ answered. “Zecora?” Twilight asked dumbstruck. “Yes, she lives in the Everfree Forest, thought you knew her. Anyway, with her, Ulysses learnt she had ways of stopping his epidemics that targeted the Resistance. What he didn’t know, she’s pretty handy with anti-magic potions. We almost had him that time, but he knew the forest better than even Zecora.” Soarin’ now resumed his place between the other two remaining Wonderbolts. “Now, there is simply the remaining problem. We have attempted many times to attack Ulysses’ castle directly, and nopony ever returns from the attempt alive. We must make a plan, and I’m hoping you lot have some ideas.” Soarin’ said. “Actually, I do,” Sunshine Blaze spoke up. He had been quiet the whole time, but now stood, all eyes fell on him, “what we need to do is get these six, and yes I know two aren’t here, they ran off, we’ll find them, into his castle.” “And you think it’s going to be that easy?” Soarin’ questioned, looking at Sunshine Blaze as if he were a lunatic. “It’s simply a case of distraction. Tell me, when somepony tried entering the castle before, what happened?” Sunshine Blaze asked. “Usually, the group were met at the gates by a small army of Ulysses’ loyalists.” Soarin’ replied. “Perfect! Now, you have Resistance members willing to help, dragons, manticores, two hydras and this Zecora. What you need to do is challenge him.” Sunshine Blaze grinned. “Challenge him? I’ve seen far too many go to their deaths by his actions. Give me a good reason why I should risk it!” Soarin’ snapped. “Just listen. Ulysses likes to think there is no one willing to challenge him, and now he has an army. Simply put, you, the Resistance, arrive to his castle in battle formation. He’ll be insulted you think you can fight his army. With them drawn out, if I know him enough, he’ll remain behind. Then, with the dragons distracting any attacks to the air closer to the ground, one can carry the six bearers of the elements of harmony into the castle, where they can find the elements, take them back, and hopefully, finish Ulysses once and for all.” Sunshine Blaze finished his speech in the air, grinning. “A distraction? Do you honestly think it’ll work?” “If what I know about him is right, his loyalists are under some sort of powerful spell. When these six friends confront him, he’ll need all the energy he can get. If they are under a spell, your problems will be over, all you need to do then is get back to Ponyville with the dragons and hope the rest of the plan works.” Sunshine Blaze still grinned, but was now slowly approaching the floor. Soarin’ looked to the other Wonderbolts, the earth pony and unicorn, and a silent exchange took place between them for a moment. After a while, Soarin’ looked to Sunshine Blaze and sighed. “We will go tomorrow. Give us until the town clock rings in 12pm.” Soarin’ said, his face showing worry. “Of couse. Wouldn’t be much of a plan if I rushed you out right now.” Sunshine Blaze landed, his grin turning into a smile. -- Ulysses sat on his black throne, the five elements of harmony he had taken six years previous floated with his magic in the air before him. Each one sparkled, despite the fact there was only the light of his horn in the room, and his horn was glowing black, not a colour that would have made the elements sparkle. He sighed, and with some more magic, the elements disappeared from sight. “Soon. Soon I shall have them... the birth right denied to me by fate. Will you understand me, brother? Will you understand me, element bearers? Will anypony understand... as I crush the life from them?”
Artaelian	704	34	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-08-18T18:49:34+00:00	2013-08-18T18:49:34+00:00	462	Sweetie Belle watched as Rarity levitated the teapot to each cup in turn and poured the tea into them. Smiling, Sweetie Belle used her own magic to lift her cup to her lips and sipped at the tea. Opposite her, Rarity did the same, and sighed as the cup returned to the saucer it had come from. “So, I told you how my friends and I left in a hurry because Ulysses was trying to kill us, and set up another shop in Irvest. Would you please tell me what happened to you these last six years?” Rarity asked. Sweetie Belle looked down at the table as she placed her cup back on its saucer. She raised her head and begun to look around the kitchen, its white walls and floor were complemented by stylish black worktops and a silver sink, even the table the sisters sat at was black. “When Ulysses was rampaging through Ponyville, me, Applebloom and Scootaloo ran and hid at the farm. Fortunately, Ulysses wasn’t interested in Ponyville after that day. But everything was a mess. Things sort of returned to normal, I kept going to school, learned how to use magic. But I always worried that Scootaloo was right, that you wouldn’t come back.” Sweetie Belle now looked into the teacup, her eyes fixed to the brown liquid within. “Then a month after, the pegasus ponies all started disappearing. I was worried it had something to do with the unicorn that came to town and threw the mayor and the ponies working at town hall out. A few days after, Scootaloo went missing. Me and Applebloom went looking for her, but we couldn’t find her anywhere.” Sweetie Belle begun to sob. “Then one day, we were walking past the hospital, and we saw it. Baron, the guy who kicked Mayor Mare out of Ponyville, he was destroying the hospital, until Nurse Redheart wheeled out Ditzy Doo. Using magic, he carried her upside down to the town hall, and we followed. A-and then...” Sweetie Belle burst out crying, her head hung low. “I looked i-in a w-w-window... there was Scootaloo, h-hung by her b-back legs to a rope! S-she was beaten and b-bloody, and her eyes!” Rarity by this point had left her chair and was now beside Sweetie Belle, holding her tight. The younger sibling spoke no more, as her crying now made it impossible. As she soothed her sister, Rarity looked out of a window, and stared at the crimson red sky. As she had just learned, the sky changing colour, and the permanent placement of the sun and moon side by side in the middle of sky had been the least horrible thing to happen in the world. She didn’t want Sweetie Belle to speak any further, as with the horrors of Ulysses’ origins made it perfectly clear what kind of horrors had befallen Equestria in the six years. “I’m here for you Sweetie Belle... it’ll be ok, I promise. I’ll work with Twilight and the others, and we’ll make Ulysses pay for all that he did to you and your friends.” Rarity said, unaware that Sweetie Belle had since seen Scootaloo alive and well. -- At the Sweet Apple Acres, a similar conversation between the Apple Family had taken place, ending on Applebloom’s accounts of the same events she had seen with Sweetie Belle. However, due to Applebloom’s upbringing on a farm, while the sight that had made Sweetie Belle break down and cry in front of her sister had also made her upset, death had not been something of a shock to see. Applebloom had seen animals die now and then, but what had really disgusted her, and made the events affect her hard, had been somewhat different. “When Sweetie Belle said she saw Scootaloo, ah worried. She turned away and begun crying. So ah looked in, and sure ‘nough, there was Scootaloo, strun’ up like clothing on a washing line, her eyes were dull, but Sweetie Belle seemed to think they were grey an’ lifeless.” Applejack reached out a hoof towards her younger sister, who was lost in her thoughts of the event. “But that weren’t the worst part. Ah looked further, an’ to this day, ah wish ah hadn’t. Scootaloo wasn’t alone in there, other pegasi were also upside down, many with broken wings and legs, and all had clearly been beaten badly, some were even dead and just left there. Ah couldn’t stomach to look at it anymore, so ah took Sweetie Belle away.” Applebloom looked to the ground in an effort to hide her tears from recalling the event. This was where her strong resolve to not cry in front of her sister and the rest of the family failed, as tears dropped to the ground. “You don’t havta say more sugarcube. Ah just wish ah was here fer you then.” Applejack said, walking to Applebloom’s side. “Ah understand you had to run from him Applejack, ah don’t blame you. But what ah saw... while ah’ll live with it forever in my memory, it begun the end for Baron. Six months it was before ah looked in the town hall window. That night, I met Soarin’, said he was leading a newly made Resistance against Ulysses and his loyalists, and asked if ah had anything to help. So ah told him. Ah told him everything ah saw through that window. Couple days later, the whole town raided the town hall, and saved all the pegasi still alive. The first one out was Scootaloo. Just before the raid, Baron had decided to kill her. Ah checked on her at hospital every day,” Applebloom paused for a moment, and looked into her older sister’s face, “every day. For two months. Ah watched her go from weak and having lost the will to live, to getting stronger. That gave me new hope. Even when things had gotten that bad for her, surrounded by others and treated, even killed like they meant nothing, she realised the worst was behind her, that there was a point to stayin’ alive. And it gave me the hope, that one day, you’d return, that everything could be normal again.” Applejack wasn’t the pony who normally let herself cry, but after hearing Applebloom’s speech, a small tear of pride and joy ran from her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, and stood up. “Ah’ve got to talk to Twi. We can’t just sit around while Ulysses could cause more harm. You stay here ok sugarcube? Ah’ll be back soon.” Applejack said, and headed back to Ponyville. -- It had been an hour since the little meeting in the library basement. While it had been interesting, Rainbow Dash hadn’t stopped worrying about Scootaloo. The horrors she had seen and heard around her, while still very young herself, they clearly had done something to her. But Scootaloo had left before she could stop her and talk. In the skies over the town, the dragons had begun to change places. Some now flew down to the ground for a rest, while ones that had been resting previously stood up, stretched, and took flight. It hadn’t been hard to find Scootaloo, even as a teenager, she wasn’t exactly the one to keep subtle where she was. Scootaloo was currently in the air above the park, leading in one dragon at a time to a safe and appropriately sized place to land. The last one that had been coming in for a rest had landed, a large red dragon, with a yellow under belly, and yellow spines, and was now looking down at Scootaloo, with what could only be described as a very toothy smile on its face. “Tomorrow you say? A brash pony from Irvest has arranged it?” the dragon said, its voice clearer as Rainbow Dash trotted over. “Yeah, calls himself Sunshine Blaze, he arrived earlier with those crates. It might be worth following his plans, he knows Ulysses very well, said he was his brother.” Scootaloo replied, looking up at the dragon. “Most unfortunate for him. You and I fly to battle once more?” the dragon asked. “Yes Gringhold, maybe for the last time against Ulysses. But, what becomes of our pact once he is beaten?” Scootaloo asked. Gringhold mused for a moment, paying slight attention to the arrival of Rainbow Dash. He snorted a small amount of black smog into the air, which floated away. “Our pact. It saved us both that day, and cannot be broken. You and I keep the other alive. For it to be broken by ourselves will kill us both. Just remember,” Gringhold lowered his head down to Scootaloo, “only use my strength of magic to save yourself should we get separated. For now, I must rest.” Gringhold stomped away, the ground shaking under his weight. For the first time since she had led the dragon in to land, Scootaloo noticed Rainbow Dash, and looked away. “Scootaloo, can we at least talk?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Why? So you can try to justify abandoning us? Abandoning me? To die? No thanks Rainbow Dash, you did enough when you ran off to Irvest to live.” Scootaloo stood up and took flight. Rainbow Dash looked annoyed and took flight after Scootaloo. Being faster than the teenage filly, she soon drew alongside Scootaloo. “I know you’re angry at me, and truth is, I’ve always wanted to come back and help Equestria, but Sunshine Blaze and the others always stopped me. I’m sorry Scootaloo, if I had known what was going on, I’d have ignored them anyway and been back here.” Rainbow Dash said aloud over the rushing wind. Scootaloo stopped flying and hovered in one spot. She glared at Rainbow Dash, gritting her teeth. “Fine, you want to talk, we’ll talk, if that’s what it takes to make you leave me alone.” Scootaloo said coldly. “Listen squirt, I can’t apologise for what you went through. If I’d known, I’d have done something, but you can’t blame me for it, since it wasn’t me doing it to you.” Rainbow Dash said softly, looking to one side. “I didn’t know at the time what was worse. Being hung by my back legs, and whipped for crying or trying to lift myself up and stop the blood rushing and staying in my head, or the fact you never came to kick in those doors and save me, or save the others. I believed in you, I hoped you would suddenly buck open the doors, kick Baron’s flank, and get us all out of there. And each day, each damned day, I had to listen as he whipped us, cut and tore wings, even kill others.” Scootaloo was now very angry again, like she had been in the library basement. “I hung there, my hope you would save us slipped away, and my will to live went with it! I got to the point where I wanted to die, because it would have at least gotten me out of that forsaken place! And then,” Scootaloo paused, tears begun to well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks, “one day, after a time where days could have easily been months, I saw him. He took a knife, and walked up to me. Baron had chosen me to die. Either side of me, two old mares begged him to choose them. And I smiled. I was happy that he wanted to kill me, because then I wouldn’t have to endure the pain, the torture, and the cries of everypony else as he did the same to them.” Rainbow Dash could only stare in stunned silence as Scootaloo spoke, as Scootaloo kept crying, but not openly, as the tears streamed down her face. “He drew closer, the glint of the metal was a welcome sight. And then, as the blade made contact with my belly, the doors burst open. He was shocked, and the blade remained sticking out of me. But I didn’t care, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo now looked sad and tired, “I didn’t care. I knew I was bleeding heavily, and as everything went black, I watched as Baron was overpowered. I saw the ponies of town rushing about, freeing the others, but I thought it was too late for me, Baron had already done enough for me to die. Last thing I saw was Soarin’, as he told me to hang on. And I didn’t. I’d given up the will to live, and closed my eyes.” Scootaloo landed and stomped a hoof, with Rainbow Dash following after her. Once on the ground, Scootaloo sat down, tears still ran down her face, but she still refused to openly cry. “I felt at peace then, when the darkness took over. I thought I had died. Its hard to know when you have, because you can only go through it once, and you don’t get to keep the memory. I don’t know how long it was, but the next thing I remember, there was a beeping noise, and I heard Applebloom, telling me how her day had gone. She noticed I was waking up, because I saw the outline of her standing up and disappearing, only to return with Nurse Redheart. Turns out, it had been close. Another few minutes, and Baron could have done a lot worse and I wouldn’t be here now. The rest of the time in hospital, it was Applebloom and Sweetie Belle coming to cheer me up, or Cherilee coming to teach me things that had been taught at school.” Recalling the events seemed to weaken Scootaloo, as she changed her body position from sitting up, to laying flat on her stomach. But even as she did so, she maintained eye contact with Rainbow Dash. “I ended up finishing school with the others, and then I sought out Soarin’, to thank him. I learnt more about the Resistance, and I wanted desperately to join, so I could do what you had failed to appear and do yourself, defeat Ulysses. But he wouldn’t let me. Instead, I snuck off after them, Applebloom didn’t like that, but she couldn’t stop me. One day, I followed the Resistance to where Ulysses’ loyalists were fighting the dragons, and that’s when it happened. I was near Gringhold at the time, when a magic bomb went off. It wounded me and Gringhold, we should have died. But he made an offer. Neither of us had to die if we entered a pack. Its sort of like what Twilight and Spike have, Spike helps Twilight and in return, Twilight takes care of Spike while he’s vulnerable. Gringhold said if we made the pack, we would both be able to use the energy of the other to heal the wounds that would otherwise kill us. How could I refuse? My recklessness and youth had got me to the point where I was going to die, and I refused to die without defeating Ulysses and his loyalists for all they did to me. I agreed.” The wind blew past the two as Scootaloo stopped speaking, putting her head over her legs. Rainbow Dash looked down at her and felt sorry for the teenage filly. Rainbow had, until that point, felt bad for herself that she had left her home, hadn’t been there to help others. Yet the little filly that had sometimes annoyed her prior to her departure to Irvest now lay before her, having been mentally broken while still the same age she had been when Rainbow had last seen her. It made Rainbow realise that feeling sorry for herself was selfish, that her pity should be for Scootaloo. “When me and Gringhold had helped the other, I asked him what else this pack meant. Since he’s a free dragon, it doesn’t mean I have to find somewhere for him to live, even when Ulysses is defeated, we may never see each other again, but the pact still exists. If one of us needs to borrow the strength of the other to heal a wound, or to use magic in our defence, we can. It’s something I think will be very helpful, since sooner or later, Gringhold will fly somewhere and sleep for a hundred years. That means he’ll store up a lot of energy, but won’t need to take any from me, and I won’t even be alive when he wakes up. It may be unbalanced, but he says what potential energy I would have had will go to him when I die. So it all works out I guess.” Rainbow Dash smiled, and joined Scootaloo in laying on her belly, only she faced Scootaloo. “You know, when I returned, I expected you would have stayed the same. But I was wrong kiddo. You’ve grown so much. You’re better than me, because even when you lost all hope, and were given it back, you didn’t run. You ran with the new hope. It may mean you now have a pack with a dragon, but that doesn’t matter. You’re doing what I should, being brave to try and defeat Ulysses.” Rainbow Dash said. “I know. It’s not easy, and Soarin’ wasn’t happy I’d been sneaking on missions, but what Ulysses did, and my pact with Gringhold secured much needed help in the dragons. Soarin’ soon let me go on missions, and at least all of northern Equestria is under Resistance control. Just the other day we helped overthrow the loyalist who had control of Appleoosa, and had hung Celestia’s guards there as an example for all Pegasi to go and die.” Scootaloo smiled, picking up on the admiration Rainbow had for her bravery. “What did you do with him?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “Well, Gringhold didn’t have to go hunt something in the Everfree forest when we returned...” Scootaloo answered. “Hahaha, nice one kiddo. Nearly had me there.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Nice one? I wish I was joking, Gringhold ate that loyalist in one bite!” Rainbow Dash went pale and her eyes turned to dots. She couldn’t hide that even she had a fear of dragons, it was only normal for ponies, even when she pretended that she didn’t fear them at all. “W-well,” Rainbow Dash quickly thought of a topic to change the conversation, “could I ask how you still have scars on your body?” “Hm, some are from close calls with loyalists, but most are what’s left from when Baron strung me up,” Scootaloo quickly stood up and threw her front hooves into the air, showing a scar that ran across her belly, “this one won’t ever go away, that’s when Baron tried to cut me open to kill me. But I don’t care if I don’t look good anymore with these horrible scars. To finally bring Ulysses’ downfall, I’d gladly shave my mane and tail, even let my coat go unwashed, I’d do anything to beat him, even if I was left with just one leg and no wings. For what his loyalists did to me and others in his name? It’s something I’m willing to do.” “Oh, Rainbow Dash! I’m glad I found you,” came Rarity’s voice, as she walked over, “perhaps you could take me to find Twilight? Sweetie Belle told me an awful story of what happened, and its news you need to hear too, since it involves Scootaloo.” “Ok, Rarity,” Rainbow Dash said, getting up, “let me just finish speaking here and we can get going.” Rarity’s eyes fell on Scootaloo, and immediately, she reared back from what was an utter horror show. “Oh my! If this is one of the things Ulysses has done, then we really need to hurry up,” she looked at Scootaloo, clearly failing to recognise who it was, “don’t worry dear, when I come back, I’ll treat you to a trip to the spa, that is, if it’s still around. If not, I’ll personally help you with those nasty cuts.” “You don’t even know who I am, do you?” Scootaloo asked, sitting up and tilting her head to one side. “After six years away, you’d have to forgive me if I’ve forgotten. Your face does seem familiar however. Oh, hello, Applejack.” Rarity said, her gaze turning to one side and seeing the orange earth pony approach. “Well this is good, now we can all go find Twilight. I’m sure you know where she is, RD,” Applejack said, standing next to Scootaloo. “Yes, well, sorry I don’t remember who you are dear, but do remind me of my offer when you next see me after Ulysses is gone.” Rarity smiled. “Oh please tell me yer kidding Rarity.” Applejack groaned. “Whatever do you mean Applejack?” Rarity questioned. “How can you not know who this is?” Applejack questioned back. “It’s simple, Applejack, I don’t recall ever seeing her before.” Rarity replied. “All you have to do is keep in mind the same eyes, mane and coat colour, then imagine her at about six or seven years old, looking up at you.” Applejack stated, her eyes half closed. Rarity looked at Scootaloo for twenty seconds, trying to do what Applejack had said. It soon dawned on her, and her face turned into a look of shock and embarrassment. “Oh my Celestia, Scootaloo?” Rarity asked. “The very same.” Scootaloo replied, smirking, seemingly enjoying the shock Rarity had just gone through. “I’m... I’m so sorry. When,” She swallowed, “when Sweetie Belle said she saw your eyes through the town hall window, I just assumed she had seen you dead.” “Wait... Sweetie Belle saw me? Did she say whether Applebloom saw me that day as well?” Scootaloo asked, now concerned for her friends. “Yeah sugarcube, if it weren’t for Applebloom seeing ya, she wouldn’t have told Soarin’ and you wouldn’t have been saved.” Applejack answered, holding a leg around Scootaloo, who looked shocked. “Well, sorry we can’t stay and talk, we must go see Twilight. Dangerous business, not for fillies even your age, and do remind me of my offer once Ulysses is gone.” Rarity said, pushing Applejack and Rainbow Dash away to try and avoid further embarrassment on her part. They were stopped by a semi circle of fire in their path. Looking behind them, the three saw Scootaloo’s eyes were glowing with a hint of red and orange. She swept her front right hoof back in the opposite direction she had clearly moved it in just a moment before and smiled. “It’s not dangerous for me. Sorry if I scared you, but times change. I’m comfortable with danger, you’ll be seeing me tomorrow, fighting to get to Ulysses and making him pay for what he did to me,” she stood up and grinned, “with interest. For now, I better go talk to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. See you Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo took to the air, but stopped a few feet from the ground. While she didn’t turn around, she spoke. “Oh and Rainbow Dash? I forgive you. You did what you had to. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hated you for so long, when it wasn’t you who did all this to me.” -- Pinkie stood outside the entrance to her old home, Sugarcube Corner. She had been standing outside for ten minutes, nervous of the reception that would await her when she knocked the door. The Cakes had, for all intents and purposes, been her family before she had to leave Equestria, but would they be willing to welcome her back after six years? Hoping for the best, she approached the door and knocked. As she waited for the door to be answered, she shuffled about nervously. The sound of someone approaching the door on the other side made her back away a little. Seemingly reluctantly, Mr. Cake opened the door a jar, and peeked through the gap. “Yes? Can I-” he stopped. The one eye that Pinkie could see seemed to buldge, and the door was thrown open. “Pinkie Pie? Is- is that really you?” Mr. Cake asked. “Yeppers-jeppers, sorry I disappeared for so long.” Suddenly, she was pulled into Sugarcube Corner, and the door slammed behind her. In the main room, Pinkie was able to see that it didn’t look like the building had been used as a business for a long time. The counters and displays had a disused feel to them, paint chipping away and a thick layer of dirt obvious signs that there hadn’t been a sugary treat made or sold, possibly since her departure. The only other occupants in the room, aside from herself and Mr. Cake, was his wife and a yellowish unicorn, who were staring at the pair as though one or both of them had just grown an extra head. Before Pinkie could speak, Mrs. Cake got up out of the chair she had been sitting on and had cross the room to where Pinkie stood, wrapping her forelegs around the pink mare. “We thought Ulysses or his followers had killed you!” Mrs. Cake cried, tears of happyness flowing down her face. “Well, he tried, but his brother, Sunshine Blaze, oh! You’ve got to meet him later! Anyway, he took us to his homeland, Irvest, to give us time to prepare to defeat Ulysses.” Pinkie explained. As the tearful reunion drew on, Pinkie became curious. Mr and Mrs. Cake were present, and the unicorn had turned out to be Pumpkin Cake, their daughter, but there was still something missing from the scene. “Hey, uh,” Pinkie nervously rubbed her right foreleg against the left, “I just wanted to ask, where’s Pound?” Both Mr and Mrs. Cake glanced at each other before looking at Pinkie. “He’s fine, he has a room in the basement now. We usually make him stay there, so anyone loyal to Ulysses can’t find him, since only we know where the entrance to the basement is. Maybe once Ulysses is gone, he can start to learn to fly.” Mrs. Cake replied, the smile never once leaving her face, at her own instilled hope of a better future for her son. “That’s great. Look, I’m sorry I have to leave now, but I need to check in with the others. I’ll see you all soon okay?” Pinkie stated, hopping out of Sugarcube Corner. She couldn’t wait to find Twilight and tell her the good news. --- Twilight and Fluttershy meanwhile, were highly confused. Before they had left Equestria, they had seen the distant past, with Twilight witnessing what seemed to be the end of the lives of the three colts she, Fluttershy and Applejack had met in the past. By all logic, what Twilight saw standing before her shouldn’t be. It seemed more impossible than Nightmare Moon, which she knew was true. And yet, Fireshot and Forest Breeze stood before her, not looking a day older than they had been a thousand or so years before. “Well thanks for that hello, after all this time.” Fireshot stated, rolling his eyes. “B-but... how?” Twilight stumbled to form words. “My! I had no idea my good looks would charm a mare into being unable to form words!” Forest Breeze remarked, wiggling his eyelids up and down. This earnt him a hoof across the back of his head from Fireshot. “Ignore him, even being cursed, he still hasn’t learnt when it is not appropriate to flirt with a mare.” Fireshot said flatly, ignoring the groan of pain from Forest Breeze. “You were cursed?” Fluttershy almost shouted, immediately causing her to get embarrassed and try to hide into herself. “Yes, by Discord, Twilight should remember that. My curse was to die in three days, which I got around by getting turned to stone. Forest Breeze however is still cursed.” Fireshot said calmly. “Yeah, he cursed me to never be able to tell right from wrong anymore, a curse I get past thanks to Vax. Vax eats the curse energy, allowing me to remain neutral, and not chaotic, which reminds me, Vax? Where are you?” Forest Breeze called out. After a few seconds of silence, a sprite with seemingly disembodied wings flew into the room from a nearby window and begun to spin around Forest Breeze, a thin white line leaving Forest Breeze’s body and arriving into the sprite. Twilight considered for a moment that this was how the sprite fed off the curse energy. “This is him, fascinating isn’t he?” Forest Breeze remarked. “Oh he’s just so cute.” Fluttershy said loudly, her eyes fixed on the sprite, which paid her no attention. Her smile faded into concerna while she still looked at it, and she asked “I just have a question, where’s Cloudswirl?” Fireshot and Forest Breeze looked at the other, before looking back at Fluttershy. “We have no idea. Since I had assumed Discord had killed him and Forest Breeze, and yet, here he stands, that maybe Cloudswirl wasn’t really killed either, we just need to find where he is.” Fireshot stated. “It’s been our main focus, considering what Ulysses is having done to pegasi. Cloudswirl is one. It’d be horrible for him to survive a curse after a thousand years, only to be killed by an usuper with a hatred for anything intelligent that has wings.” Twilight and Fluttershy both looked at each other, both suddenly very worried for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fireshot caught their attention once more with a cough. “Anyway, we spoke to Sunshine Blaze, and agreed to a plan. We shall escort you six tomorrow to the castle gates, so you can reach Ulysses without any injuries before your fight. We’ll see you again at dawn, we both need to make preparations for then. Take care!” Fireshot said, smiling and bowing, before both he and Forest Breeze left. “Twilight,” Fluttershy said quietly, “we’d better find the others, we need to take extra care if Ulysses is singling out pegasi like Dash and I.” No sooner had Fluttershy said that, did the door to the room open once more, and Rainbow Dash walked in, followed by Rarity and Applejack. -- After Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had informed Twilight of what had taken place in Ponyville during their six years away in Irvest, Twilight led her friends outside of the library, and to the edge of Ponyville itself. There, the six friends looked out and could only just make out Ulysses’ castle in the distance. “Girls, tomorrow could be the hardest day we’ll have gone through for a long time. Sure, going against Nightmare Moon wasn’t easy, and Discord almost got the better of us, but we at least had the Elements of Harmony. With Ulysses, we only have one, and we’re risking the fact he could just as easily take the last one when we’re at his castle. I don’t know if we can do this. The whole world is counting on us to get the ones he stole back and defeat him,” Twilight paused, taking deep, worried breaths, and looked at each of her friends in turn, who each wore an expression of worry, “we’ve seen and heard what he has done, even had done in his name. The horrors Equestria has faced the last six years, they weren’t even done by him and are way worse than what we saw he can do. He’s attempted the utter extinction of all pegasi, and his loyalists did the deeds for him. But tomorrow, we’ve got to face him, with no idea how much stronger he has become. I don’t think we can do it.” “Oh come on, Twilight! After all he did? He’s got this coming.” Rainbow Dash said, smiling, and feeling sure that events would go just fine. The conversation died, as the friends looked on at the castle in the distance. -- Twilight had to admit, she had expected the force the Resistance could gather would be a lot smaller than what it was. She had woken up with her friends in the library to the sounds of marching ponies. As her friends left, she had spoken quickly to Spike and held him up in a hug before leaving the library herself. The whole of Ponyville she could see had been covered by the force of the Resistance. She couldn’t see Zecora, but more dragons had appeared during the night, and she could easily see the manticores and hydras. Quite clearly, Ulysses had made more enemies than friends if even the beasts of the Everfree were willing to stand near ponies and not eat them. It made her feel good about Equestria in the six years she was gone, to see all its residents, regardless of species united against a common enemy. She and her friends were currently at the western edge of the army, as they all marched towards Ulysses’ castle, Sunshine Blaze, Fireshot and Forest Breeze kept near them. In the air, Scootaloo, despite the protests of all six friends, was currently flying alongside Gringhold, and she was the only pony in the air. As the castle drew nearer, Twilight thought she could see activity somewhere on the outer walls. “Enemy force approaching!” a voice called out from the castle, barely audible over the sound of so many ponies marching as one. It wasn’t surprising that the Resistance didn’t have the element of surprise as they reached the castle. It was impossible to hide such a large force. The Resistance stopped a five hundred yards from the castle, and Twilight listened as Soarin’ who had been near the front, stepped forward with a unicorn, who casted a voice amplification spell on him. “Ulysses!” Soarin’s voice boomed thanks to the magic. There was no immediate response. “Ulysses! For too long you have terrorised and killed ponies of Equestria! We have resisted you, and fought back, reclaiming our home in the name of peace. Stand before me Ulysses! No pony else needs to die today! Only your castle remains under your control, you have lost!” Soarin’ spoke again. For a brief moment, all Twilight and friends could hear was the wind. This became joined by a laugh, and a visual projection image spell of Ulysses. He was laughing. ‘You really think I am beaten? Look at yourself, you filthy disgusting pegasus. “in the name of peace”, yet to get this far, you have ordered countless deaths, even killed yourself. Do you think you are better than me?’ Ulysses sneered, showing no sign of leaving his castle. “I am better than you Ulysses, we are all better than you. Your loyalists died, not because we are heartless murderers, bent on just wanting to watch the world crumble beneath their hooves, but because we brought them to justice, they died for their crimes, as shall you this day.” Soarin’ replied, to cheers and hoof stomps from the Resistance. ‘And still you try to make yourself better than I.’ Ulysses taunted. “What do you mean?” Soarin’ questioned, taking the bait. ‘I need to remind you? Very well, and I quote, “Spitfire! Speak to me! Don’t die on me Spitfire, not now! What? Avenge you? But, but how? If the pony or thing behind Cloudsdale vanishing did so much and killed so many this fast, what would give me the chance? Spitfire, please, don’t go! Spitfire... I promise. I promise I will make whoever killed you pay with their life!”,’ Ulysses paused, as if waiting for the words to take the desired effect, ‘you set up the Resistance as a way to get revenge, to kill in cold blood. So answer me this, what makes you and I different? Because from what I can understand, we are the same.’ Soarin’ took to the air, looking over the Resistance before facing the castle again. “What makes us different, Ulysses, is that I changed. When I saw what was being done in your name, it ceased to be about avenging Spitfire. It became a fight to free everypony. We were born free and equal, and then you came along, took away our freedoms, and treated pegasi as if we were monsters, to be purged from the world. Then you set on the manticores, dragons, anything that could have more intelligence than you, anything that was different to you. What makes me different? I don’t fight for selfish reasons, or the joy of being the one to crush your skull under my hoof. I fight for the home you robbed from us, for all of these ponies below me, for all the ponies in the towns and cities across Equestria. And if we beat you this day, we will return home, knowing we have our freedom back.” Soarin’s speech was met by the same cheers and hoof stomping as before, but quickly was drowned out by a deep laugh. ‘If.’ Ulysses said. Soarin’ watched as the gate to the castle opened, and the loyalist army marched out. He smiled slightly when they stopped flowing out of the castle, and saw that the remaining forces Ulysses could muster was the same size as the ground unit of the Resistance. “Now is the time Resistance! Give them hell, for Equestria!” He flew down to the ground as around him the forces of the Resistance ran at the charging forces of Ulysses. He held still as two unicorns attached armour to his body, the hoofshoes designed with the purpose of digging into whatever he kicked at. With his silver armour on, Soarin’ joined the charge and entered the fighting. -- High above, the dragons swooped in, breathing fire at the loyalists, burning many into ash. Scootaloo stood on Gringhold, grinning as she watched him sweep over an anti-dragon machine, and burn it and the ponies preparing to use it into ash. Looking back as he raised into the air, Scootaloo cheered. “From what I can see,” she yelled over the winds as she glanced around quickly, “there’s only five more of those at the moment. The only issue then would be to stop the loyalists returning into the castle and getting another.” Gringhold didn’t reply, as he swooped around, breathing fire at the loyalists as he did so. Changing into another swoop, Gringhold looked back at Scootaloo. “Soon we need to join the others in getting low, so Brazen can break the gate open.” he said. “I know. He’s up high now, see?” she said, looking up. As she spotted Brazen, a blue dragon with a lighter blue underbelly, her jaw dropped in horror. One of the anti-dragon machines had succeeded in firing, and the long and thick metal pole flew clean through Brazen, who now fell lifelessly to the ground. “Gringhold!” Scootaloo called out. “I saw. The other dragons are burning the remaining machines, but what do we do now?” Scootaloo begun to think. -- On the battlefield, Sunshine Blaze, Fireshot and Forest Breeze led the six friends past the fighting, trying to not be seen. When they were spotted, Fireshot and Forest Breeze made quick work of disposing the enemy with combined magic and physical strikes. As they did, the call went out among the Resistance that one of the dragons had been shot down, and they all looked up. “Isn’t that...” Twilight begun to ask. “That was the one that was supposed to break a way into the castle! It’s like they knew.” Sunshine Blaze answered her question before she said it. “What do we do now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We have to keep moving. When we get to the gate, we’ll work out another way to get you six inside. The whole operation depends on it.” Fireshot replied, running on. -- Soarin’ bucked his back legs into a loyalist that had attempted to stab him from behind. He didn’t look back, and kept watching as Brazen fell to the ground, impacting with a sickening thud. Soarin’ was only relieved that the dragon had probably already died before ever getting near the ground. His eyes darted about, and eventually found what he was looking for. Still high up were the figures of Scootaloo and Gringhold. He watched for a moment, then realised that Scootaloo was riding on Gringhold’s back, as he shot towards the castle gate. “Scootaloo! Don’t do it! You’ll be killed!” he tried to yell at her, knowing she was too far away to hear him. -- “That’s it! Faster Gringhold!” Scootaloo yelled, watching as the castle gate drew nearer. “Fly young one, I can survive this, but you won’t!” Gringhold shouted back to her. “No way,” Scootaloo now spoke only for herself to hear, “this will be a fantastic story to tell Applebloom and Sweetie Belle if I get back to Ponyville.” she smiled, forcing her eyes to stay open as it became too late to fly away to safety. -- Sunshine Blaze, Fireshot, Forest Breeze and the six friends slowed down a few feet away from the castle gate, looking around them for the source of a very excited, if nervous cheer. Rainbow Dash looked up, and her eyes grew small and jaw lowered at the sight. Gringhold flew through the gate, the wood wasn’t a match for his mass and speed. They splintered as if they were simply twigs, underfoot on a forest trail. As her eyes followed the dragon as he circled back up into the air, Rainbow watched as an orange pegasus with a violet mane and tail flew off his back. Scootaloo landed beside Sunshine Blaze, with the biggest possible grin on her face, and a lot of new scars to her face and the parts of her body that had faced the gate as she and Gringhold had gone through them. “Good luck guys. I’ll hopefully see you all back in Ponyville later!” she said, running at full gallop into the fighting. The six friends, Sunshine Blaze, Fireshot and Forest Breeze all looked to each other for some sort of explanation, and had nothing. They faced the wide open arch where the gate had stood as an impassable wall just moments before. “We’ve done our job, we’ll get to helping others survive through the battle, good luck you six!” Fireshot shouted, running off into battle. Forest Breeze made to follow him, only to stop a few steps later and turn around. “Maybe after this, one of you will take me up on an offer of going for a dinner?” He asked with a smile. The reply he got was the confused looks from the six mares. “Guess not. Think about it at least. Until later!” he shouted and ran off to catch up to Fireshot. Twilight turned her focus to the broken gate into the castle, a grin appeared on her face. “This is it guys. Scootaloo helped us get the chance we thought was gone. Everypony is counting on us. We can’t fail them now. Let’s go stop Ulysses.” Twilight said, breaking into a run into the castle.
Artaelian	704	35	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-10-08T12:03:20+00:00	2013-10-08T12:03:20+00:00	433	The six friends stared at the courtyard beyond the castle walls. The black castle itself sat in the middle, surrounded by lava fountains which served as decoration. Around them, the black outer walls stood tall, reaching for the sky with pointed roofs. Ahead of them, the doorway to the main castle shimmered, displaying six colours, white, yellow, pink, orange, cyan and purple. For a brief moment, Twilight thought she saw the face of Princess Celestia in with the colours, but shook her head. “Twi,” Applejack spoke up, “what is this?” she asked. “By the looks of things, its some sort of spell to keep us out.” Twilight replied. ‘How right you are,’ Ulysses spoke through magic from somewhere within the castle, ‘did you honestly think this would work? Bringing a fight to me, to distract me so you could get in and defeat me? I care not for my loyalists, they are power grabbing simpletons, unable to see the truth. Live or die, what becomes of them means nothing in the grand scheme of things.’ he said. Twilight looked over her back and out past where the gate to the castle had once stood. -- Soarin’ carefully looked at the loyalists around him. The resistance had long since defeated the enemy generals that had given orders, leaving Ulysses’ forces with no one in command. The remaining forces had surrendered, and were now being led back to various Resistance bases for questioning, trial and punishment. He looked at the castle one last time, and left with his troops to the main headquarters, all the while, unable to shake the feeling that it had been far too easy a victory. -- “So now what Ulysses?” Twilight asked, returning her attention to the main castle in front of her. ‘In the six years since I became Lord of Equestria, I have been fair to all who challenged me to a fight. We shall fight on equal terms. Around you, in all but one of the towers, are the elements of harmony I took from you six years ago. Each door to the tower bears the name of the element at the top. Sadly, you had to bring the Element of Loyalty today, so, for the one marked ‘loyalty’, simply do what the others must, and the way in shall open.’ Ulysses replied. “Do what the other must?” Rainbow Dash questioned, her eyes narrowing in anger. ‘Oh, yes. Almost forgot. To gain the element, you must face a horror. A mind breaking, heart wrenching horror. Overcome it, and the element is yours once more. Fail and well... I’ve lived in here six years waiting to put this plan into action, it matters nothing to me if I must stay in here, isolated, while the world outside dies from the day-night. Good luck.’ Ulysses taunted. The six friends looked at each other, and simply nodded their heads as they each took a tower, often running to a different one if it didn’t have the name of the element they usually bore. As they found their tower, they entered and begun to climb to the top. -- Twilight climbed the tower slowly, checking ahead of her as she walked. The only light in the tower was purple, which hardly helped to brighten up the black stone of the walls and floor. Ulysses’ words played on her mind, and she begun to think of all the horrible things he could have prepared for her, in an effort to make whatever she faced less horrible than it otherwise would have been. Finally, she came to a door where the stairs stopped. It was a very basic wooden door as she drew near, but soon, as it got nearer, it changed into a door that was usually found in the castle at Canterlot. She had expected he would use her home as the basis for the horror, and fully expecting what she assumed she would find, she opened the door. The sight that met her made her instantly turn around and gag. It hadn’t been what she had expected. She had expected on opening the door to find a very angry Princess Celestia, and while Princess Celestia was there, she wasn’t angry. The best way to describe what she saw, was that the princess currently lay on the ground bleeding quite heavily from many stab wounds on her body. “T-twilight S-sparkle,” Princess Celestia called out. Reluctantly, Twilight turned and walked slowly into the room, the smell of death thick in the air. She walked to where she recalled where the princess’s head would be, and looked down, “I’m glad, you... came. I-I never wished for... you to see me like this, but...” Princess Celestia was clearly struggling to remain awake to talk to Twilight. “Princess, please, save your strength, help will come soon.” Twilight pleaded. “I-it is too late for me... just k-keep in mind, I-I will always be... proud of you.” Princess Celestia struggled for breath. “No, please, Princess! Don’t die, not like this...” Twilight now begged, tears forming in her eyes. “Y-you must find... Princess Luna. S-she must take my place...” Twilight begun to cry and looked around, hoping there would be somepony who could help. The windows, as she noted, looked odd. There was no light coming through them, and actually looked like there were walls behind them. Twilight suddenly shook her head, and stopped crying, though her eyes remained red from what she had already done. “This isn’t real.” She said flatly. “W-what are... you talking about... my faithful student? I-it is sadly very... real.” Princess Celestia said, looking up weakly at Twilight. “No, it isn’t. I was walking up a tower in Ulysses’ castle to get the Element of Magic back, there’s no way I would suddenly be at Canterlot! And further, there’s no way Ulysses has the power to even fight you for long, so he banished the real you. This is just an illusion!” she shouted. The room swirled around the fake Princess Celestia, as the fake changed into the crown which held the Element of Magic in it. ‘Oh well done Twilight Sparkle,’ Ulysses said, ‘quite fast for you to work out the truth. And more than just with the illusion, you worked out that I couldn’t fight your precious Princess, let alone her sister at the same time. So I did exactly what you just said. Now hurry, your friends are waiting.’ Twilight used her magic and placed the element of magic crown on her head, and ran out of the small room it and she had been in, back down the stairs. -- Rarity had stopped before the door of the tower she had taken. She looked down the steps, and looked at the door before her. At some point in between, it had changed from a simple, rather boring wooden door, to the door in her shop, which led to her sewing machine. Carefully, she pushed it open. The room beyond was a mess, with fabric, ribbons and various other fashion items scattered at random across the room. She smiled a little, relieved that all Ulysses could come up with to try and horrify her was a simple untidy work room. Then she saw it. Or rather, her. By her sewing machine, crying, was Sweetie Belle. Rarity trotted over, and recoiled when she stood beside her sister. Sweetie Belle had become attached to the fabric she had been attempting to sew together, and the machine had now, somehow, sewn part of Sweetie Belle’s leg to the fabric, and she was bleeding heavily. “I’m sorry big sis,” Sweetie Belle looked at Rarity, “I had an accident. Don’t be mad that I ruined your fabric.” Rarity didn’t reply right away. She held Sweetie Belle’s hoof still and used her magic to reverse the progress that had been made by the machine. “Sweetie Belle, if you think I’m going to get angry over the fabric, when you are hurt this badly, then I clearly don’t have my priorities straight! With this much blood, the fabric means nothing, but getting you help to stop the bleeding, that’s far more important right now.” Rarity replied, hoping the fabric would soon be free of the machine. But the fabric seemed endless, and Rarity gritted her teeth together, while beside her Sweetie Belle became weaker and weaker. Rarity groaned in frustration. “Sis, I don’t feel too good.” Sweetie Belle stated, her head dropping down. “Stay awake Sweetie Belle, I’ll soon get you free.” Rarity replied. Sweetie Belle collapsed, and stopped breathing as Rarity dropped her pointless effort to remove the fabric from the sewing machine. Rarity attempted to wake Sweetie Belle up and get her breathing again, but failed, and she burst into tears. After three minutes, Rarity stopped, as a sudden realisation came to mind. How did Sweetie Belle get to Ulysses’ Castle, then stuck to the sewing machine, when she had left her back in Ponyville for her own safety? “This was a very nasty trick Ulysses. But only that. I should have remembered sooner where Sweetie Belle was.” Rarity muttered to herself. ‘You should have yes,’ Ulysses had clearly been laughing, ‘but I can see why you bear the Element of Generosity. You selflessly worked to try and save your dear, little sister, despite her blood ruining a very nice piece of fabric. True, not the best example, but then, I don’t expect to find deep waters with you.’ “What? Are you saying I’m shallow?” Rarity shouted to the air, as the room swirled around the fake Sweetie Belle and became the choker with the Element of Generosity in it. ‘As shallow as a paddling pool.’ Ulysses replied. Rarity huffed, and left carrying the Element of Generosity with her magic. -- Applejack hadn’t been as bothered by the sudden change in the door as she got to it. She had actually expected something like it as she had walked up the tower. It had gone from a simple wood door, to the red painted door of the barn. But what happened next surprised Ulysses more than Applejack. She had walked in, and was met right away with the sight of Big Macintosh, crushed in the apple press machine. She had at first stared in shock, before simply snorting, as if it were some sort of big joke. ‘Why are you laughing Applejack? Your brother is dead, right there, in front of you. Don’t you feel sad?’ Ulysses asked. “Hehe, yes, Ah probably should be, its just,” she took her hat off and fanned herself, “did ya really expect me ta believe Big Macintosh SOMEHOW got from Ponyville, to yer castle, then up this tower and crushed himself dead? Pull the other one, Ah ain’t buying it.” Ulysses growled. The room swirled around the fake dead Big Macintosh and turned into the Element of Honesty, which floated over to Applejack’s neck and attached itself around it. ‘At least your other friends are playing along.’ Ulysses snapped. “Yeah well, ah don’t embody honesty fer nothin’.” Applejack replied, looking smug as she headed back down the tower. -- It hadn’t taken Fluttershy long to get to the top of the tower she had entered. Having wings helped, and despite the fact she often liked to walk, she did use them when it saved time. Around her, the landscape she had become familiar with around her cottage burned. She wished she hadn’t flown so fast to get things over with, so she could just go home and tend to the animals and forget the horrible ordeal. Slowly, tears ran down her face, as she sat among the fires, and watched the part of the Everfree forest that was near her home burn. ‘Ah, just wanted to check on you. Normally, I wouldn’t pay any attention to pegasi, but well,’ Ulysses let loose a single laugh, and quickly caught himself, ‘if my memory is right, you are easily scared or saddened. So? Have I broke you yet? Don’t you just want to curl up into a ball and die?’ “No.” Fluttershy said firmly. ‘Ah ha... wait, what?’ “I said no. You haven’t broken me.” Fluttershy replied. ‘Huh? But... your home, the homes of all those sickeningly and disgustingly cute animals are burning all around you. You should be a gibbering wreck!’ Ulysses shouted. “This horror you picked for me, it looks like the land around my home anyway. You're showing me what you already did.” Fluttershy stated, wiping the tears off her cheeks. ‘So what? That still should make you sad, want to give up and just die for being a pegasus.’ Ulysses replied. “If you wanted that, you should have picked something else. I already cried over this sight yesterday, and I know the animals are fine. This means nothing to me since I saw what you did back at Ponyville. There’s a time to cry, and for me, that time has been and gone.” Fluttershy said. Ulysses groaned. The sight of the burning land around Fluttershy disappeared, and the Element of Kindness appeared, and floated to her neck. With a weak smile, Fluttershy begun the walk back down the tower. -- Pinkie Pie was currently crying at the sight before her. The door had been normal, even as she opened it. But then she saw her friends, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity. They were all laying dead before her, not a single mark on them. Standing among the bodies was a brown alicorn, staring down at her. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real...” Pinkie Pie repeated softly to herself, closing her eyes tight. “Oh but it is it Pinkamena. And you know what? You did this! You killed your friends! Endless parties, their energy drained, and they died.” the alicorn taunted, stepping on Rainbow Dash’s chest, which crunched underneath from the alicorn’s weight. “It’s not real, my friends are in other parts of the castle, I didn’t kill them. You're some kind of horror sent by Ulysses.” Pinkie Pie said, her eyes still closed. “Hardly. I am here to make you face the truth. You killed your friends.” the alicorn taunted. “W-when I was a l-little filly a-and the sun was going d-down...” she begun to sing through her tears. “Now do you like parties? Your parties kill ponies!” the alicorn continued, unaware of Pinkie singing. “T-the darkness a-and the shadows, they w-would always make me frown...” “Stand and face the truth!” it shouted. “I-I’d hide under m-my pillow, f-from what I t-thought I saw...” The alicorn stopped its advance on Pinkie, and looked at her sadly. A second later, it placed a hoof on her, and comforted her. “That song.” it said. “Huh?” Pinkie asked, looked up. “I remember hearing it... so long ago... I was just a spirit, wandering the Everfree forest. I hated the living for being alive, but then... that song... all my anger washed away. It was you, wasn’t it? You were there and sung it.” the brown alicorn said. “Yes, my friends were scared, but I sung the song because I wasn’t scared, and I knew they shouldn’t be either.” Pinkie said, smiling despite the tears rolling down her face. “This unicorn appeared some time later and captured me, it focused my anger towards the living, and not even remembering the song could free me. Could,” the alicorn looked stupid for a moment, before shaking its head, “could you sing it for me? Give me the peace that I seek, that there is no reason to hate the living.” it said, smiling down at Pinkie. Pinkie cleared her throat, and continued to sing. “But Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way, to deal with fears at all. She said: Pinkie, you got to stand up tall, Learn to face your fears, You’ll see, that they can’t hurt you, Just laugh and make them disappear. Ha, ha, ha!” As she sung, the horn disappeared off the alicorn, and he shrunk down to normal pony size. Right away, one of his wings turned into a torn and broken wreck, covered with bite marks. But he stood there, smiling, as his once solid appearance became transparent. As Pinkie finished her song, the pegasus had almost completely vanished, and around where he had been, the fake bodies of her friends swirled and became the Element of Laughter, which placed itself around Pinkie’s neck. She remained there for a moment, smiling as the last traces of the spirit vanished. ‘Thank you... for freeing me...’ -- Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief when they saw each other in the courtyard once more. Each took it in turns to tell the others what they had faced, and had laughed at how cool and calm Applejack had been, despite Ulysses’ best efforts to shake her with the image of her older brother being crushed dead. They looked around, and noted that, despite her usual speed, Rainbow Dash had still yet to turn up. “Do you think she’s ok? I mean, Ulysses did give her a hard time six years ago.” Fluttershy said. “I have a bad feeling girls, we’d better go check on her.” Twilight replied, galloping at full speed towards the tower Rainbow Dash had gone in. -- The door at the top was open slightly, and from it came a sound that made the five friends feel very nervous. It was Rainbow Dash crying, combined with the sound of a hoof stomping against something. With caution, Twilight pushed open the door, and looked inside. The room was small and dimly lit. In the middle of the black stone floor stood Rainbow Dash, dully stamping on some bundle beneath her that was a muted pink. The five friends walked into the room, unsure of what to do next. They hadn’t ever heard Rainbow crying before, it wasn’t something she was prone to. “Dashie?” Pinkie called out. Rainbow Dash stopped her repetitive stamping on the pink bundle before her and looked around. Her eyes were red, and the tears flowed freely down her face. She moved fast, literally flying across the room and grabbed Pinkie tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Rainbow Dash cried, resting her head against Pinkie. “Sorry for what?” Rarity asked. Twilight looked at the bundle still laying on the floor. She narrowed her eyes slightly and walked towards it. She paused half way there, spotting blood. “Someone check Rainbow’s hooves for any cuts.” Twilight called out. Behind her, Applejack checked Rainbow’s front hooves, and saw a small cut by her cutie mark. “Nothin’ on her front hooves, but she has a cut by her cutie mark.” Applejack replied. Twilight examined the pink bundle, and screamed at the sight. Looking back up at her was Pinkie Pie, who had clearly been alive and well some time prior to their arrival to check on Rainbow. But her mane was flat and her colours muted. A short distance away was a butchers knife, which shone dully in the dim light of the room. “Rainbow, what happened here?” Twilight asked, looking back at Rainbow Dash. “W-when I arrived, Ulysses was here. H-he laughed, cast magic, a-and suddenly, there was Pinkie. She t-tried to murder me.” Rainbow replied, crying. As she finished, she collapsed to the floor. Twilight looked at each of her friends in turn, lingering at Pinkie Pie, who had gone pale at the sight of an identical copy of her body just across from her. It didn’t take any imagination to work out what had happened next. Faced with a Pinkie Pie, hellbent on killing her, Rainbow had fought for her life, and won. Her resulting sorrow was clearly because she felt she had been disloyal to a friend. What didn’t make sense to Twilight was one simple fact. Ulysses had been there in the room. He had the chance to take the Element of Loyalty from Rainbow Dash and leave her alone. Why had he left it behind, and make her choose between living and dying in the face of a twisted version of Pinkie Pie? With no purpose to remaining in the tower, the six begun to head back to the courtyard. Applejack waited with Rainbow Dash before walking away, while Fluttershy hurried up and left with Pinkie Pie, who had been all too eager to leave the sight of her doppelganger's dead body. Twilight let Rarity go ahead, while she took up the rear of the group, ready to protect them all should Ulysses spring one last trap. -- As the six friends crossed the courtyard once more to the now open door to the main castle, Twilight listened. Rainbow Dash had insisted she walked by herself the rest of the way down the tower, and Applejack was still telling her that it had been a trick by Ulysses, to break her and make her give up so they would be unable to do anything to him. Similarly, Fluttershy was attempting to cheer Pinkie Pie up, who had become depressed after seeing the body of herself in the same tower Rainbow had been in. Fluttershy was telling Pinkie what she could do for a party after everything was over, and while she didn’t respond as she normally did, Pinkie Pie was at least replying with questions, or comments about what Fluttershy had just said. And in her own way, Pinkie Pie was helping Fluttershy, who had become very scared of the situation they were all in. In the main castle, Twilight noted that the black stone of the floor and walls had decoration. A carpet ran in the middle of the floor, and split to follow each different route the hallway led to. On the walls, coat of arms were present every so often, a grey shield with a unicorn horn, and the words of a long dead language underneath which read ‘For the glory of the unicorns’. The six friends climbed the staircase that had been at the far end of the hall, and the black familiarity of the towers returned. It spiraled high, and not much changed as they all climbed, save for a torch every so often. At the top, the stairs opened up to a large landing, which itself was black like everything else. Before them stood two huge black doors. “Alright girls, I have no idea if this is the right place, but we’re about to find out. Everypony ready?” Twilight asked. This was met with nervous responses of yes by the other ponies. “Ok, let’s go.” Twilight replied, pushing the doors open.
Artaelian	704	36	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-12-05T11:24:13+00:00	2013-12-05T11:24:13+00:00	420	The six friends walked side by side into the room, the door was wide enough for this to be possible. And, either by chance, or the simple fact that Twilight had guessed the throne room would be at the highest point of the castle, they walked in to see Ulysses. His dark blue coat stood out against the black, and his black cape with golden edges and the gold star with six circles of six colours looked perfect and undamaged. Ulysses sat with his back towards them on a lighter marble in the middle of the room. Behind them, the doors closed quietly. As they clicked, Ulysses raised his head, but still didn’t turn to face them. “And so, at long last, you have come to face me. How did it feel? Running for your lives from your home, leaving it to me for six years.” He spoke softly and with purpose. “No more games Ulysses. You’ve caused problems for us all, for the world. Give up now, this doesn’t have to end badly.” Twilight stated. “You speak as if you have won, Twilight Sparkle. No, no you haven’t won. I am still here, still drawing breath. You may claim victory if you defeat me. But I digress, please, answer my question.” None of the friends said anything, as they stared at Ulysses’ back. “You need not answer. I can tell you. You felt fear, sorrow, anger, you felt as if you had betrayed all those you knew and cared for the most. And then,” Ulysses paused, “then I threw salt into the wound of you running for your pathetic lives. I used my magic, and sent Cloudsdale to the void, almost certainly killing half the population in that moment. How could you all live so peacefully in the safety provided to you in Irvest, after all that?” “We lived with ourselves because we knew one day, we’d come back and make you pay for all you did.” Rainbow Dash spat at the ground. “Tell me, how did you find Irvest, my old home? Didn’t you like it? How we have advanced to do what you can here in Equestria, but with more style? Tell me, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, how did it feel, when you found we leave the weather control itself? Did you feel that your wings were useless, superfluous?” Ulysses took this moment to laugh to himself, but the six friends did not move or change their angered expressions. “But of course, you found ways to not feel useless. You, Rainbow Dash, would have used your wings for something, anything, just as long as you could fly. And timid, meek, Fluttershy. You happily spent your time with animals. Tell me I’m wrong,” he paused once again, expecting an answer, but found none coming, “and then, Blaze returned. Oh sure, he checked in once in a while, but this time, he had a purpose. Tell me then, how did it feel when you first saw what I was capable of? I killed and burnt my home town to the ground. I bet Blaze even told you that I am his adopted brother, the usual sob story. And of course, you agreed to come and deal with me, because you couldn’t bear to see the broken wreck of a young colt, who lost his home, his friends, his parents, everything, in one single day.” The six friends lowered their heads slightly as Ulysses stood up. But still, Ulysses didn’t turn around. “I have seen many stand where you six stand today, anger controlling them, all for him. Did Blaze ever tell you how many left alive? No... he wouldn’t have. Blaze has no concept of death, even as he watched mother die. If there is one thing Blaze is good at, it is sending ponies to their deaths by my hooves. Only, this time, it is different, isn’t it.” What happened next went in slow motion. Ulysses reared up on his hind legs and spun on the spot. When his front hooves landed, his horn glowed black, and black arms appeared from somewhere out of sight behind him. These six arms grabbed the Elements of Harmony, and held them around him. “These are not toys. The powers within were enough to defeat the Mare in the Moon, and return Discord to his stone prison, events you Equestrians were foalish enough to boast about across the world, and word got to Irvest. And now,” he smiled an insincere smile, “tell me, what did it feel like, when you returned to Equestria, and saw the land in ruins? To learn pegasi were persecuted and killed in horrific ways, and all only in my name? You hated me even more, but I can see in your eyes, even with them showing anger, there is fear. Fear of the unknown. You know what I was capable of so long ago, yet you do not know how more powerful I am now.” “Why do you want the elements?” Twilight asked. “Ah, good. For a while then, I feared you had all lost your voices. I fear you six will not be here to find out. And if there is one thing I’ve learnt, telling your foes what you plan to do means you’ll be defeated, just in the nick of time. I’m afraid that is one thing you will go to the grave never knowing. And now, I tire of our chat. Farewell you six, and enjoy your last breath!” He shouted. Ulysses stomped a hoof to the ground, and the middle stone of the throne room burst into flame, a seemingly impenetrable wall between him and the six friends. They watched as he prepared magic and fired it towards them, all six diving out of the way just in time. Acting rather than thinking, the six friends scattered about the room, and Twilight begun to think. Running around hopelessly wasn’t going to do much good, but maybe it could help. She looked at each of her friends as she too ran avoiding the magic fired at her by Ulysses, and an idea came to mind. “Applejack! Rainbow! Come to me!” she called out. It took a minute or two for both to arrive at Twilight’s side. “What is it Twi?” Applejack said, breathing deeply. “Running around won’t get us out of this, but we need Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie to keep doing so. Moving targets are tempting, but will be more of a distraction to him. Its us three that’ll get us all out of here alive. I’ll reflect magic back at him, if I do it right, he’ll be unable to cast again for a brief moment. Rainbow, you then fly into him, as hard as you can without getting hurt yourself. If you do it right, you could leave him stunned. Applejack, can you cross the flames?” Twilight said. “With a running jump, it’ll be no problem.” Applejack replied. “Great. When he’s stunned, get across and try to break his horn. Without it, he’ll be no threat.” Twilight grinned. With the plan devised, Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash put it into action. Rainbow Dash took to the air, avoiding a shot of magic cast by Ulysses. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy kept running, only slightly aware of what the other three were doing. Ulysses grinned as he saw Twilight come to a stop. “Giving up? Good, make it easier on yourself!” he shouted, firing magic at her. Twilight cast a shield in front of her, which rebounded Ulysses’ spell. It struck him, causing him to yell out in pain, momentarily dazed. Rainbow Dash took this as her cue, and flying as fast as she could, impacted Ulysses’ side with her head. Winded, Ulysses fell to the ground on his belly, gasping and moaning from the pain of both the rebounded spell and the headbutt to his torso. As he fell, the flame disappeared. Applejack didn’t need to jump through the fire and ran towards him. While he had been stunned, Applejack had to avoid Ulysses as he threw his own legs at her. A few times she managed to kick at his horn with her hind legs, but had to retreat as Ulysses cast the wall of fire between himself and her, and spread it outwards. “Clever, very clever. It won’t be so easy to break my horn. Now stop getting in my way, I have more pegasi to kill.” Ulysses taunted, preparing yet another spell. Twilight followed the line of sight Ulysses intended, and saw that he was aiming at Fluttershy. Using her magic, she teleported to where the magic would strike. As it arrived, she knocked it back into the fire where it dissipated, and cast a spell herself which struck Ulysses. Once again, Rainbow Dash flew into his side, quickly flying back and taking Applejack over the flame wall which Ulysses had managed to keep up, and kicked with her back legs at his horn, still causing only chips to break off, and avoiding Ulysses’ own attacks towards her. As Ulysses seemed to start to recover to force Applejack towards the flames, Rainbow flew back and got Applejack to safety. Ulysses shook his head, and then prepared a spell, aiming this time at Pinkie Pie, resulting in the same response by Twilight, leaving him open to attack by both Rainbow and Applejack. “What’s taking so long? Shouldn’t his horn have broken by now?” Rainbow called out. “I’m trying to help, but he’s got a few magic spells attached to it, I can’t tell which one is preventing it from breaking.” Twilight replied, teleporting to where Rarity was, and running alongside her. This time, she caught Ulysses’ spell, and added her own magic to it, before sending it back. Ulysses this time however, caught the spell, adding to the power behind it himself, and grinned. “Shoot, he’s changed tactics.” Applejack shouted. “Don’t worry, I’m on it!” Rainbow Dash replied. Rainbow Dash flew into the side of Ulysses’ head, causing him to fall to the floor, and left both him and Rainbow dazed on the floor. The flame wall had fallen, and Twilight ran closer, levitating Rainbow away from him. Ulysses recovered quickly and re-established the flame wall, leaving Twilight trapped with him. He grinned down at her. “You’ve been the main thorn in my hoof so far, that ends now.” Twilight felt his skull against her own as Ulysses tried to force her backwards into the fire. She resisted but gained very little ground compared to Ulysses. Noticing their horns were close, she tried to reach into his horn and find what was preventing it from breaking. It was just the distraction she needed too, as Ulysses felt her magic searching his own for what kept his horn from breaking. Both unicorns began to move in the opposite direction, as Ulysses tried to overload Twilight’s magic, and she probed for the defensive spell protecting his horn. The physical struggle begun to move in the other direction, as Ulysses quickly became used to the invasion by her, and once more moved her closer to the fire. With just ten feet left to the fire, Twilight felt there would be no hope to keep up the struggle and find the spell before Ulysses killed her. She didn’t care what spell she cast next, but she put all her effort into it and sending it down Ulysses’ horn. With a loud yell, Ulysses fell to the floor once again, overloaded with magic. Twilight took the temporary rest to search for the defensive spell again, locating it and other spells she had never seen or heard of before. She removed the defensive spell and ran to safety again as Ulysses stood up. Ulysses said nothing as he struggled against the remains of the magic overload to cast the fire walls again. Rainbow, who had watched Twilight physically struggle against him, worried that if he wasn’t defeated soon, and with how tired Twilight looked from the effort, then he would win. She flew at high speed at Ulysses, impacting him as he prepared to re-fire the spell. While he was dazed, Twilight fired an overloading spell again at him, making Ulysses sink further towards the ground. Applejack was flown to him again by Rainbow, and kicked at his horn. The room was filled with the sound of a bone breaking, and the pained cry of Ulysses. He stood on his feet, shaking and barely able to do so. “M-my horn... h-how could you all... beat me?” he said, staring at them looking forlorn. Twilight went to speak and take the elements of harmony back, but stopped. The floor, walls and ceiling begun to shake violently. From where he stood, sparks flew out of what remained of Ulysses’ horn, making it clear he was responsible. As she looked at him, Ulysses’ grinned. “Girls! We have to get out of here! He’s trying to bring the castle down on us.” Twilight yelled, turning and running to the doors. “Twilight, the elements!” Applejack called out. Twilight cast a spell, her magic grabbing the elements of magic, loyalty and honesty. Ulysses however kept a strong hold on the remaining three, forcing Twilight to abandon them as large stones started to fall in the room. -- The castle kept shaking as the six friends ran down the stairs and through the main castle. They watched as around them, walls fell into the path, and the floor cracked open at places. The coat of arms that had been on the walls fell down and shattered. The door soon came into sight, and when they arrived, a new peril presented itself. Despite all efforts to push or buck the door, it wouldn’t open. “Twilight, what do we do now?” Applejack shouted over the rumbles of the crumbling castle. “Rarity, help me check for any spells keeping this door closed.” Twilight said. Together, Rarity and Twilight checked the door, reaching out to it with their magic. Behind them, the ceiling of the corridor begun to crumble and fall to the floor. With a loud exclamation, Rarity found the spell and countered it. “It was a very simple locking spell.” Rarity said, proud of herself as they opened the doors. The courtyard was in a bad state. The lava fountains had broken, and lava now covered the path, but standing near the archway stood Sunshine Blaze, and the only part of the castle that hadn’t become covered in lava, which had cooled a few feet away. “Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, help Pinkie Pie and Applejack across, Rarity, we don’t have much time, you’ll need to teleport with me.” Twilight stated. “But how? I’ve never used that spell before.” Rarity questioned. “Line of sight, cast a spell on yourself wanting to go where Sunshine Blaze is. Hurry!” Twilight replied, preparing to teleport herself. Rarity bit her lower lip, and closed her eyes. Soon, her horn glowed blue, and she disappeared, only to reappear a second later a foot or so behind Sunshine Blaze. Twilight, who had used the spell enough didn’t need to close her eyes, as she cast it and disappeared from near the castle, appearing once more a second later closer to Sunshine Blaze than Rarity had done. “It’s great to see you all came out! Are you all fine? Is Ulysses defeated?” Sunshine Blaze said with a smile as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy placed Applejack and Pinkie Pie on the ground. “Sure did. Thanks to Twilight and Rainbow, Ah bucked his horn clean in half.” Applejack said proudly. “Good, that’d explain why his castle is falling down. Without his full horn, his magic is going haywire. I mean, look up.” Sunshine Blaze replied, grinning with relief. In the sky, the sun and moon were slowly lowering to their positions in the sky that they had meant to just be arriving at six years previous. The six friends cheered at the sight, smiling at one another. “Now, where are the Elements of Harmony? I need you six to hold him down while I use the curse he placed on me against him.” Sunshine Blaze asked. “Uh... well, you see...” Twilight begun. “Oh no, you left them in there?” Sunshine Blaze shouted in panic. “Only three of them are still in there. You don’t have to worry, Sunshine Blaze, with the castle falling down, Ulysses doesn’t stand a chance.” Twilight replied, trying to reassure him as she handed the other two elements to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “Um guys, bit of a problem.” Rainbow Dash said. Around them, the castle had stopped shaking and falling down, and the lava that had still been hot and liquid cooled and solidified in a second. The sight made the six friends feel uneasy, as they had expected the castle to fall to the ground. As soon as it had stopped, once more the castle shook. A dark aura surrounded it and the outer wall and towers, ripping them from the ground and breaking them into pieces. The pieces of the castle orbited Ulysses, who stood in the air. With one yell of rage, he flung the pieces far and wide. “Brother! Stop this, it’s over!” Sunshine Blaze called out. When Ulysses spoke, it was clear he was still struggling against the magical overload. His voice sounded shaky and filled with anger despite the stuttering. “You... y-you all DARE, to come and deny me m-my birth right? You all come here, based on what you t-think you know. You never told them the truth about us, Blaze. Tell them.” Ulysses hissed and yelled. “What does it matter to them? Adopted, birth brother, your relation to me in exact words only needed one word, brother.” Sunshine Blaze replied. Ulysses cast another spell, which passed over Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but forced the others far back. With a shield keeping the two pegasi away from the rest of their friends, Ulysses landed. Cracks like those found in broken glass formed in the air around his body, and as Ulysses begun to laugh, streams of light flowed through the cracks and begun to twist his body. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could only watch in horror as these streams of light warped and twisted Ulysses’ body. Two minutes passed before the cracks begun to get wider, and Ulysses’ body had been twisted into something else entirely. His back legs and hooves now were long like a Saddle Arabian, but his forelegs had twisted into a shape with three joints, at the end of which were griffon paws. His head had been twisted into the shape of a dragon’s own head, but still retained his horn. His tail meanwhile had changed into a scorpion’s tail. Outside the shield, Twilight and her friends, and Sunshine Blaze, stared in horror at what was now keeping them from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “What just happened?” Rarity cried out, her eyes mere pinpricks at the sight. “This is why Starswirl made the law on time travel, that it should be only possible once. Time doesn’t work the way Ulysses has been using it, he’s become a crack in the time stream, and its twisted his form.” Twilight whispered. “So what in the hay do we do Twi?” Applejack shouted, worried for the two isolated pegasi. “We need to get the remaining elements and use them on him, if we don’t, the very fabric of time and space will start tearing more than just himself!” While the barrier kept Rainbow away from her other friends, it didn’t prevent her from hearing them. Ulysses, from what she saw, no longer had a hold on the elements of laughter, kindness or generosity, meaning they were somewhere on the ground among the rubble. Then there was getting the barrier down, something she would have to work out later. And to add to the problem one very terrified and unmoving yellow pegasus beside her. Ulysses grabbed a stone pillar and swung it in the direction of Fluttershy. Rainbow moved quickly and got both herself and Fluttershy out of the way. “Just find somewhere to hide alright?” Rainbow ordered, taking flight again. Fluttershy ran and soon found a solid stone which had once been a corner, just the right size for her to hide, but too small for the twisted form of Ulysses to reach in and grab her. Rainbow meanwhile flew around, avoiding the swings of the stone pillar and the scorpion tail. A glitter of gold in the light gave away where one element was, and avoiding his attacks, she swooped down and collected the element of laughter. “Alright, one down, two to go. Keep up if you can!” she stuck her tongue out at Ulysses. Ulysses didn’t attack her right away, rather, he switched his attention to where Fluttershy had hidden, and fired balls of magic at the stone in an effort to kill her within the structure. In her panic, Fluttershy moved further backwards, her hoof making contact with the element of generosity. “Rainbow Dash! I found another!” she called as loud as she dared. However, it wasn’t loud enough for Rainbow to hear her. Rainbow had thought of going to save Fluttershy, but had quickly spotted that Ulysses’ spells weren’t getting through the stone. Figuring Fluttershy was safe enough, she took his distraction as a moment to look for the missing elements. Looking through the ruins of the castle, she came across the remains of his throne, and sitting among the rubble was the element of kindness. “Two down,” Rainbow grinned. A loud sound of stone breaking alerted her to the fact Ulysses had now succeeded in breaking through into Fluttershy’s hiding place, “oh no, Fluttershy! Hang on!” Rainbow shouted, taking to the air right away. She wasn’t fast enough however, as Ulysses reached in and grabbed Fluttershy. With his other griffon paw, he took the element of Generosity off her and begun to squeeze her. He didn’t succeed in killing her, as touching the element of generosity burned at him, causing him to drop it, but not Fluttershy. With Ulysses momentarily distracted, Rainbow Dash threw her left back leg against his horn. Ulysses roared in pain, collapsing to the ground and letting Fluttershy go. The barrier that kept them away from the others dropped, and Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran towards their pegasi friends. “We’d better hurry,” Twilight said, using her magic to give the remaining elements to their rightful owners, “if we don’t use the elements on him, who knows when the whole of time and space will rip apart.” Ulysses was no longer stunned however, as he stood up a black circle that also appeared round at the same time formed. Swirls of deep and very dark purple pulsed through it and unnatural green flashes gave the impression of invisible lightning strikes from somewhere, this was the fabric of time and space tearing around him. The six friends ran at him regardless, and found they could stand to face him in air, as though it were solid ground. “So, it’s come to this,” Ulysses spoke, his voice much deeper and more draconic than it had been before, “despite my planning to break your bond to the elements and achieve my dreams, you all face me with your bonds restored.” “Why did you do all this? What was the point?” Twilight asked, getting ready to channel magic into the element of magic. “Long ago, I was told that I should have been born with wings as well. Wings nature denied me! With the elements, I would have undone what nature had no right to do. But I shall settle for this, the whole of reality being destroyed.” From the advancing edge of the tear in reality, Sunshine Blaze shook his head. “So, brother, you would rather being the king of a void than doing the right thing for the first time in a long time?” Sunshine Blaze shouted out. “Better than seeing pegasi like you being able to fly where I was not given the choice! Enough talk, I shall end all of your lives before the void does so for me!” Ulysses laughed, his eyes finally caught up to the change as they went from his equine eyes to draconic within a blink. All six friends had to dodge out of the way of dozens of plasma balls fired at them by Ulysses. As more were constantly fired, the majority towards Twilight, Ulysses also used his magic to create weapons, two very large scimitars which he took into his griffon paws. When Rainbow or Applejack attempted to get near him for a physical attack, they were forced to retreat from the stinger of the scorpion tail. “What do we do? We can’t stay still long enough to use the elements and we can’t get near him to distract him long enough.” Rarity wailed, avoiding a dozen balls of plasma. “Think about what we’re fighting for girls! If we give up now, everything is lost!” Twilight called out, still very much aware the majority of Ulysses’ attacks were focused on her than her friends. Around her, each of her friends begun to think over what would be lost if they failed in this confrontation. Rainbow thought to Cloudsdale, lost in the void, and of Scootaloo and the hardships she had faced since Ulysses took over Equestria. Applejack thought of her family, and the farm, which would be reduced to nothing, and what they must have endured because of Ulysses. Rarity thought of her sister, Sweetie Belle, who had seen horrifying sights and destroyed the youthful view of the world she had held. Pinkie Pie thought of the Cake family, and how they had to hide their son in the basement for his own safety and continued life, and how depressed Pound must be even still. And Fluttershy thought of all the animals that had to fend for themselves because she had to flee from Ulysses. She wondered how many would still be alive if not for him. One by one, the elements on their necks glowed, trapping the various parts of Ulysses, and even blocking the magic he cast from his horn. As he struggled against the restraints, Twilight channeled her magic into her element, her eyes changing to a bright white glow. “NO! After everything, you would even deny me this? I won’t allow it!” Ulysses shouted, as the friends begun to be pulled closer to Twilight. “I have had enough of you six! I won’t stay idle as you resolve all this with the elements of harmony! I will ruin harmony once and for all!” As the friends were finally close together and the elements begun to work, Ulysses had been freed from their restraining power. He quickly used his magic to cause an explosion. Twilight, who felt the elements were close to working, dropped the spell and cast magic of her own. But it was too late, as Ulysses and the six friends were engulfed in the explosion. Sunshine Blaze was thrown backwards, striking his head against a rock as he landed. The smoke from the magical explosion rose up in the air, and all that remained in the blast zone were the six floating forms of the elements of harmony, and the bones of Ulysses, who had killed himself rather than be defeated by the elements. In the sky, the sun and moon finally reached opposite sides of the horizon. The sky flashed white for a moment, and the forms of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared. Looking around, the two sisters saw the Elements of Harmony jewels, floating around the unconscious form of Sunshine Blaze, before they sparkled and flew away across Equestria. “At last! We’re back,” she paused, “where is Twilight Sparkle her friends?” Princess Celestia questioned, watching after the elements as they disappeared. “It’s him, sister.” Princess Luna spoke, gently nudging Celestia. “Yes. He sealed us away, I remember his face as well as you, Luna. Put him on my back, we’ll punish him back at Canterlot, and find out how long we have been sealed away for.” Princess Celestia replied, and looked towards Canterlot.
Artaelian	704	37	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Adventure,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Ruining Harmony		complete	9	2	<p>When Rainbow Dash wakes up to a burning Ponyville, nothing is as it seems anymore. She is left with only pegasi that are equally confused, and must attempt to discover what brought Equestria to ashes.</p><p>But as time goes on, back, and around, similar tragedies start happening to her friends, affecting the elements of harmony they bear. Can they work out what is causing these tragedies with their different pasts and futures before there’s no turning back?</p><p>(Formerly begun as Nightmare and Pinkie's Phantasm, Runining Harmony revamps Nightmare into Dash's Dilusion and combines the two stories before continuing on with other events.)</p><p>A thank you to Ekevoo of Equestria Daily's study chat. It is because of him checking each chapter before release that grammer errors or other mistakes are caught before each chapter is live.</p>	teen	2013-12-05T11:27:35+00:00	2013-12-05T11:27:35+00:00	504	Sunshine Blaze smiled. Around him sat the six friends, all laughing and enjoying themselves. They had laid out a picnic blanket and placed the food on it, and all were currently enjoying the food and the company of the other ponies. He felt happy, he hadn’t had friends for a long time, and despite the circumstances in which he had met them, Sunshine Blaze felt like he had finally found friends again. “So, Sunshine Blaze,” Rainbow Dash spoke while chewing the bite of the apple she had just bitten, “what are you up to these days?” she asked. “Well, mostly I’m just travelling with Captain and his crew, searching for lost treasures that can come back to museums here in Irvest. Just my usual when not following leads on Ulysses.” he replied. “That sounds exciting!” Rainbow Dash replied. Sunshine Blaze closed his eyes and for a moment, simply enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his mane. -- The splash of water to his face shocked him from his dream. He wasn’t in a field or on Captain’s ship, but the inky blackness was like a solid wall, and gave no hints as to where he was. Somewhere nearby a lantern which held a candle was lit, showing to him the cobblestone walls and floor. Closer to the light were iron bars, and two pegasi guards stood beyond them, staring at him. “I thought the Princess said to bring him if he was awake.” the one further from the light said. “Well he’s awake now. Up and at them, you.” the other replied. Sunshine Blaze felt the cold metal of the shackles on his legs, and staggered slowly out of the cell. There, he attempted to move his wings, but found they were, along with his torso in the general area around them, restrained by a large tube of metal. It didn’t make sense, why had they thrown him in a cell? What had he missed? As he walked ahead of the guards, he had hoped they would at least offer some clues to his situation, but both were silent as they walked along. Around them, the empty cells gave Sunshine Blaze a glimpse into what Equestria was like. There wasn’t a real need for dungeons or places to detain ponies here, because they were all well behaved. But looks, they mattered. What kind of authority didn’t have such a place? Those who didn’t usually found themselves on the working end of a weapon, wishing that they had at least made the effort. A few minutes and many corridors later, he was in the halls of the castle where it was lighter, as the sun was low in the sky, having not long risen. Around him, the castle staff went around their tasks, pausing to watch him and the guards pass by. Sunshine Blaze hung his head in shame as the chains rattled against the marble floor. How he wished that it was night instead, so nopony would see him in chains. He had attempted to talk to the guards, and currently his tongue hurt from when the guard hit him under his chin for attempting to speak. He considered asking why he was being led around the castle corridors early in the morning, but thought better of it, worried that another attempt would cost him some teeth. Ahead of him stood two doors, with guards either side of it. It was clearly the throne room, but this didn’t answer any questions he had, rather, it gave him another. Why was he in chains, being taken to the throne room? The throne room wasn’t as clean as Sunshine Blaze had been expecting. Around the room, banners hung torn, and pillars were either knocked to the floor, or into another pillar. Clearly, something had taken place. Sat in the middle of the mess, on a broken throne, sat Princess Celestia, and standing beside her was Princess Luna. They didn’t look happy. He smiled to try and make them seem friendlier, but that didn’t work. The guards shoved him to the ground, where he struck his chin and stars appeared in his vision. “What do you have to say for yourself for what you did to my sister, I and Equestria?” Princess Celestia spoke firmly. Sunshine Blaze ran the sentence in his head again. She had just said what he had done to her and Princess Luna? He hadn’t ever met them before. “Your highness-” was all he got out. One of the guard beside him lifted him up by their teeth, and the other kicked at his chin, drawing blood. “You will not speak unless ordered to!” the guard barked. “Guards, let him speak.” Princess Luna said, holding her wings up. Sunshine Blaze opened and closed his mouth, trying to get the pain to pass. When it showed no signs of leaving, he sighed and spoke. “Your highnesses, I’m afraid I don’t understand what is going on. Before this, I’ve never met you two face to face.” Sunshine Blaze said. “You mean you do not remember coming in here, and attempting to take the lives of my sister and I, then sealing us in darkness when you couldn’t kill us?” Princess Celestia stared down at him, her eyes just slits. Ulysses. He had almost bragged about what he had done to the princesses. But there still remained one thing he needed to address. “Tell me, when ‘I’ came in here, what was ‘I’ wearing?” Sunshine Blaze asked. Princess Celestia looked at Princess Luna, neither noticing that once again, the guards beat Sunshine Blaze across the head for questioning the Princesses, when he was there to be questioned. “You wore a black cape across your back.” Princess Luna answered. “Now you see, I always wear,” he got onto his hind legs and reached at his forehead with his front legs, but found his goggles were not there, “well, when they’re there, I always wear my goggles. The cape belonged to my brother, Ulysses. It fits, he bragged how he sealed you two away, and I have never met you two before.” “These goggles,” Princess Celestia lifted them from beside the throne with her magic, “they were taken from you when we brought you in. But how do we know this is not some trick, so you can leave a free pony, and return to do what you planned when you have recovered?” she asked. “Put them on.” Princess Celestia stared at Sunshine Blaze, as though he had just asked her to shave off her mane. “Excuse me?” she asked. “Put them on, then toggle the switch nine times. They have a last recording function.” he stated. It was a long shot, considering that the last recording may have been of the moments he had been brought to Canterlot, but Sunshine Blaze hoped that wasn’t the case, and when she watched, Princess Celestia would witness Ulysses. Princess Celestia held the goggles over her eyes and toggled the switch nine times. She sat in silence as she watched what had been recorded, before setting the goggles down before her. “Your brother was a burns victim?” she asked, opening one eye wider than the other. “Actually no. It’s a long story, but I can shorten it. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony failed to keep them away from my brother, he survived their efforts to break his horn and bringing down his own castle. From there, the twists in time he created to pull off his scheme warped him and begun to destroy reality itself around him.” Sunshine Blaze answered. Princess Celestia sighed, and levitated the goggles over to Sunshine Blaze, placing them back on his head. “Release him. It seems we were deceived by a trickster unicorn.” Princess Celestia said, closing her eyes. Sunshine Blaze breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the chains and wing restraint being removed. He flared his wings to stretch them, and smiled at the Princesses. “You don’t need to say anything. My brother was very good at illusions, he often got me into trouble by appearing as me, but he would always forget that I didn’t wear a cape.” Sunshine Blaze stated. “Yes, but there is one other thing. When we found you, there was a burnt body, a horrible sight. Who or what was it? I’ve never seen anything that looked like a pony with six wings.” Princess Celestia questioned. “Ah, that would have probably been what was left of my brother. He never used to have wings, but when he stole the elements of harmony, he forced them to give him wings, and well, they don’t create something from nothing apparently. But then he lost the elements of harmony and use of the six wings, and rather than be defeated, he decided to lose on his own terms. I’m assuming you have him recovering before you punish him.” Sunshine Blaze answered, keeping eye contact with Princess Celestia. Princess Celestia however looked slightly worried for a moment towards Sunshine Blaze. “Yes, well, the elements of harmony scattered when my sister and I arrived. We have no idea where they are.” Princess Celestia said, looking down at the floor. “All you need to do is get those who held them to find them. It shouldn’t be hard, they embody the elements.” Sunshine Blaze smiled. He couldn’t work out why Princess Celestia looked at him sadly. In a way, she looked at Sunshine Blaze as any grown up would look at the young, when the young had clearly not understood something important. “I fear you are missing a very big point here. They can not look for them.” Princess Celestia stated. “Sure they can, they defeated my brother, and have a bond to the elements. It should be easy for them.” Sunshine Blaze replied, smiling. “They can’t,” Princess Celestia stood up, “they were killed at the battle against your brother. There were no bodies of them.” This seemed to be missed by Sunshine Blaze. He had heard what Princess Celestia had said, but the dots didn’t connect in his head. “I’m sure they’re fine. After such a long time away, and after a fight with my brother, they just went back home.” Princess Celestia went to say something, but was interrupted by green smoke appearing before her. Using her magic, she opened the letter and read it. As she read, tears welled up in her eyes and begun rolling down her cheeks. “Dear Princess Celestia,” she begun to speak aloud, “if you are reading this...” she paused. Looking up, she gazed on a ghostly figure of Twilight, standing in the room. “Then it means I did not return from the confrontation with the one known as Ulysses, and Spike has sent this, my final letter. You may have met Sunshine Blaze by now, and it is because of him that my friends and I went into this fight. From speaking with Applejack, and witnessing a strange function of his goggles, I know why he asked us for help. He has even said to Fluttershy if my memory is right, Ulysses long ago placed a curse on him, to burn when he attempted to stop him. By asking us for help, Sunshine Blaze hoped he could stop his brother from a distance.” The ghostly Twilight sat down, and looked to the floor on her right, sighing as she did so. “I figured an enchanted letter would be better should things go badly, so you can see me one last time, and hopefully be proud of me. But I digress, Sunshine Blaze has asked for this help before, and has revealed that his brother changed him in more ways than just the curse designed to slowly kill him. After the destruction of his home town in Irvest, Sunshine Blaze has grown up with no knowledge of death and its finality. He knows what he asked of others, and now asks of me and my friends, but doesn’t understand. If we die, then that’s it for us. I won’t get to see another day, or speak to you. In his head, I am sure, Sunshine Blaze is still just the little colt that watched his mother die of burn wounds, not understanding that she hadn’t just fallen asleep.” Princess Celestia took a moment to look at Sunshine Blaze. He had remained where he had before, but now lay on his belly, looking up at Twilight. His eyes sparkled slightly, as if some rather horrible thoughts of what he had exactly done were sinking in. “As Spike writes this, we are in Irvest, preparing to return to Equestria. You probably won’t see it, but the sky is always red, and has been since Sunshine Blaze rescued us and brought us here. I haven’t spoken to the others since Sunshine Blaze left, but I can tell they’re thinking the same as me. That this is one fight where the outcome may not be as happy as it was with Nightmare Moon or Discord. We all know, deep down, we’re walking to our deaths. I felt so selfish earlier when asked to do this. I wanted to say no, I wanted to stay here safe, as a respected scholar. But,” Twilight faltered for a moment, “but to say no, when the world is dying from the endless day-night. While you remain trapped somewhere by him? How could I be so selfish, and put myself first? I bear the Element of Magic, and while it is in Ulysses’ possession as this is written, I would rather die trying to save the world.” Twilight now stood up, a smile on her face. “So then, this is where I end this rather long letter Princess Celestia. I do hope it will never have to be sent to you, but as you can see, this is what I have become in the six years. A respected scholar in a country that Equestria has never had relations with. And willingly leaving it behind. To save Irvest, to save Equestria, and the world. To save you. And please, if you ever do meet Sunshine Blaze, don’t blame him for this. He may look like a colt, but he is still young of mind, the prospect of death has never been explained to him. And thank you, Princess Celestia. Thank you for everything you have done for me, or helped me with. Your faithful student always, Twilight Sparkle.” And with that, the ghostly figure of Twilight, cast into the room by an enchantment on the scroll, faded from sight. Beyond where she had appeared, Sunshine Blaze seemed to have finally connected the dots, as he had begun crying. Princess Celestia lifted him up with her magic and brought him before her, placing him back on the ground the same way she had brought him over, laying with his legs underneath his body. Princess Celestia sat down and looked back towards Princess Luna, who had her eyes focused on Sunshine Blaze. “Final letter... the way she spoke... I... I’ve heard of death, but,” Sunshine Blaze closed his eyes tight, “how could I have been so stupid? Why didn’t I see it before... Captain always waking me up on the boat, those I asked for help had gone missing. I just thought dead was another way of saying they had gone somewhere to sleep...” “You are not to blame, Sunshine Blaze,” Princess Celestia spoke softly, “while you had no idea, my student and her friends did. I am sure they knew the risks like Twilight Sparkle said, and despite that, willingly gave their lives to save the world from Ulysses. I am proud of them, and while they will be missed, they will always live on in our hearts.” Sunshine Blaze raised himself to his hooves, and stared at the ground. Slowly, he stopped crying, but didn’t make eye contact with the Princess. “I deserve whatever punishment you deem fit.” he said, his voice flat and raspy from the crying. “Why would I punish you?” Princess Celestia asked. “Because of my actions, and request, your student, and the bearers of the elements of harmony are dead.” Sunshine Blaze replied. Sunshine Blaze winced in anticipation, as Princess Celestia placed a hoof to his chin. Gently, she made Sunshine Blaze look her in the eyes. “Your actions, while they did not end well for all involved, led to the right thing being done. Because of you, the six ponies who embody the individual aspects of harmony are gone, but look outside,” she paused and looked out of a window higher up in the room. The sky was blue, dotted with white clouds, among which, a single rainbow could be seen, “ because of you asking for help, and their choice, the world is safe once again. To punish you for that would mean having to punish anypony for enjoying a sunrise or sunset, for enjoying rainbows, or the warmth of the sun or the chill at night with the moon overhead. Instead, while we may have met under the circumstances where my sister and I had assumed you were the cause for everything, you may return to Irvest, and tell them Equestria wishes to open relations. And, you are free to return as you wish here.” Sunshine Blaze didn’t smile, but his frown subsided. He looked at Princess Celestia, as finally, a smile returned to his face. “I can see why Twilight held you with such high regard, you are very ki-” he cut off, as the goggles on his head shook slightly. Sunshine Blaze quickly lowered them over his eyes, to the confusion of the princesses. He toggled the switch four times. His head spun around, while his mouth formed the shape of an o, and soon, he stopped in a random direction. “Uh, sorry but, did Twilight have a favourite place here?” he asked, looking back at Princess Celestia, goggles over his eyes. “In Canterlot? She rarely left her library before I sent her to Ponyville. Why do you ask?” Princess Celestia replied and questioned back. “Just, there’s was a sudden surge of magic power. I need to check what it is!” Sunshine Blaze shouted, running out of the throne room. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched as he ran out of the doors, before looking at the other with confusion. They both soon came to a silent, unspoken agreement to follow after him. -- The library Twilight had spent her time in before leaving for Ponyville was mostly the same as she had left it. The ruined present for Moondancer still lay near the stairs, where Spike had dropped it after he had removed it from his tail. The books and shelves themselves were coated with a thick layer of dust, as Twilight had been the only pony to use the library before she left, and since she had gone, it was disused. Spiders had taken to the forgotten library, and often ate well since a window had remained open, just enough for when Spike had to send a letter. As the doors burst open, shifting the dust and shaking the cobwebs, the spiders were no longer happy. Through the doors flew in Sunshine Blaze, who landed on his hooves and examined the library with his goggles. They showed that the surge of magic had ceased, but very powerful magic remained on the floor above where he currently stood. As he climbed the stairs, walking past the remains of a forgotten present, the princesses arrived, having flown after Sunshine Blaze as well. As Sunshine Blaze walked out to the floor, he stopped to lift the goggles and place them back on his forehead. In the middle of this upper floor, hovering in midair and casting a purple light, was a star shaped gem. “The element of magic! But, how did it get here?” Princess Celestia questioned, confused. She hadn’t been expecting to ever see the element that Twilight Sparkle had embodied ever again. Sunshine Blaze didn’t answer. Slowly, with his head held low, he approached the Element of Magic, glancing up now and then, seeing the light shimmer within it. “I feel pretty foalish for saying this,” he begun, “because I don’t know if I’m speaking to just an object, or if you can really hear me. But, I’m sorry Twilight. I’m so very sorry. You were right about me. I didn’t understand until today what death really was. I... I hope you can forgive me. I made you choose to live or die, without knowing what I was really asking. While the world may thank you for giving up your life to save them, all I want, what I want to know more than anything, is that you and your friends forgive me.” he said slowly, tears forming once again in the corners of his eyes. The element of magic spun around silently. The light shimmered and made patterns and rainbows on the dust covered floor, as Sunshine Blaze finally looked at it, waiting for any sign to show he was forgiven. He wasn’t expecting a large bubble of purple magic to form suddenly around the element. Clearly, Princess Celestia hadn’t either, but she reacted by rather unroyally grabbing his tail in her teeth and pulling him clear of the bubble. Inside, the element of magic begun to spin faster and faster, pulling the bubble back towards itself. As the bubble drew closer, it seemed to impact a shape, which became more prominent as it continued its collapse. When it had finished, the shape was that of a unicorn, and Sunshine Blaze watched, jaw dropped in awe, as the Element of Magic reformed the golden crown it had been in before, and held in the air on the head of this shape. A pop made Sunshine Blaze and the Princesses close their eyes. Before they could open them again, the sound of somepony taking a breath as if they had just surfaced from a dive underwater filled the room, followed by a voice. “Oh no, my library! It’s filthy! Spike! Where are you? We need to clean this place.... wait... why am I in Canterlot?” Twilight asked. “Twilight Sparkle.” Princess Celestia opened her eyes, and looked at the purple unicorn with a shocked expression. “Princess Celestia! I thought I’d never see you again!” Twilight said, forgetting her confusion and ran to her teacher’s side. “After the letter Spike sent, and watching as the Elements of Harmony vanish, I thought the same. How can you be here?” Princess Celestia asked. “The last thing I remember, we were about to use the elements against this pony called Ulysses. Then there was a bright light, and I felt suddenly constrained, as if in a small space. Next thing I know, here I am.” Twilight replied. “That’s interesting,” Princess Celestia said, while thinking over what Twilight had just said, “Sunshine Blaze, can your go-” she stopped. Where Sunshine Blaze had been standing was now just air. Across the way, a window was now fully open, the wind from outside whipped up the dust in the library. Sunshine Blaze had gone. -- Granny Smith sat in a rocking chair in front of the house on the Sweet Apple Acres farm, watching as out in the fields, Big Macintosh gathered up the buckets of apples that had been bucked from the trees just an hour before. He looked to his right when a soft thud indicated that a pegasus had just landed beside him. There, he saw Sunshine Blaze, smiling. “Hello, are you Big Macintosh?” Sunshine Blaze questioned. “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered, “something bad happen to AJ?” “Yes. I’m sorry, something bad happened when we confronted Ulysses. Something that can be put right. Tell me, did Applejack have a favourite place on the farm?” Sunshine Blaze asked. Big Macintosh didn’t reply right away. He slowly closed his eyes, and seemed as if he was trying to control his emotions. A minute passed before he opened his eyes again, and looked at Sunshine Blaze. “AJ died, didn’t she?” he asked. “Not yet. Not if the Elements of Harmony have any say in this. I need you to tell me, where was her favourite place on the farm.” Sunshine Blaze replied. Big Macintosh walked a short distance away, stopping only to see if Sunshine Blaze was following him. Taking this as a cue, Sunshine Blaze begun to follow Big Macintosh. They arrived at a hill several minutes later, which overlooked the entire farm. In the middle of this hill, a tiny sapling was growing. “It was but a seed when AJ up and disappeared six years ago. Near here, her first tree, Bloomberg, was grown, ‘fore it was shipped to Appleloosa.” Big Macintosh explained, looking at the apple tree sapling. Sunshine Blaze lowered his goggles, and looked around. He smiled as he found what he was looking for, and walked towards it. Over an unassuming part of bare ground, floated the Element of Honesty. It too sparkled in the sunlight, but this time much brighter due to it being in the open. Slowly, Sunshine Blaze stood beside the Element of Honesty, and sat down. A brief moment of silence filled the air, disturbed only by the sound of the wind blowing through the surrounding leaves on the trees. “I can see why you like this spot Applejack,” Sunshine Blaze spoke to the Element of Honesty, as it floated silently beside him, “you can see the whole farm here. It must make you feel proud to be here, and see the trees growing and bearing fruit through your hard work. Of course, your brother deserves some credit as well.” The Element of Honesty only responded by spinning once in the air, before resuming its soundless floating. “You can still look after it. Ulysses didn’t destroy the farm, it is still here. Everything is fine now. And while I learnt a hard lesson on what I really asked you and your friends to do for the world, you shouldn’t pay the price for my, or Ulysses’, actions.” Sunshine Blaze calmly stood up and walked up to Big Macintosh, as the Element of Honesty begun to spin faster and faster in the air. An orange bubble soon appeared, and shrunk. The orange bubble soon begun to touch a shape, of an earth pony with a stetson hat on her head. With a pop, Applejack replaced the bubble shape, gasping for breath. Beside him, Big Macintosh stared in awe at what he had witnessed. “What jus’ happened?” he asked. “What happened? The Elements of Harmony repaid your sister and her friends for saving them from Ulysses after six years. As he tried to kill them, they, sort of absorbed them, and kept them safe from a magical explosion. Somehow.” Sunshine Blaze replied, smiling. Applejack, who had finally caught her breath again, was now looking confused around the farm, her eyes landing on her brother and Sunshine Blaze. “What? Ah don’t git this. Weren’t ah helping Twi and the others with Ulysses?” Applejack asked at Sunshine Blaze. “You were, and you did. Congratulations. Catch up with you later. Bye..” Sunshine Blaze answered, taking flight. -- Fluttershy’s cottage showed signs that it had been burnt down when the nearest part of the Everfree Forest had burnt. However, somepony had rebuilt it to its appearance before the fire. Inside, as Sunshine Blaze found, it had been very well kept. It wasn’t surprising who had kept it clean and dust free since it had been rebuilt, Angel, the bunny Fluttershy often worried about in Irvest, had grown older and now had young of his own. Angel and the other animals, who kept Fluttershy’s cottage clean were staring in wonder at the butterfly shaped gem that was the Element of Kindness, as it floated in the middle of the room. Sunshine Blaze walked carefully towards it, gently picking up Angel, or at least the oldest looking rabbit that he hoped was Angel, and held him closer to the gem. The rabbit stared at him with some annoyance, but turned his attention to the Element that was now floating before him. “Fluttershy... words can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for making you face such an insane pony. I hadn’t expected him to try and kill you all when you were about to defeat him, but, I... I hid the fact he wouldn’t have hesitated to try and kill you for being a pegasus, because I knew if I told you and your friends the truth, you would never have returned. But, look around, that is, if you can. These animals, some so young they have never met you, they’ve all helped to keep your old home clean. If you can, I’m sure you would like to return to meet them all.” Sunshine Blaze said. The Element of Kindness seemed to dim a little. But it didn’t spin, or cast a bubble. It remained still, and got dimmer. It was almost as if it wanted to hide from him. Looking at the rabbit he was holding up, Sunshine Blaze watched as the rabbit jumped towards the Element of Kindness, and wrapped his little arms around it. The Element begun to get brighter and spun, slowly, as a yellow bubble appeared. This quickly collapsed and popped, replaced by Fluttershy gasping for breath, while the rabbit remained holding its arms in a hug on her neck, with the Element of Kindness underneath it on Fluttershy’s neck. Fluttershy lifted a front hoof up to Angel, and removed him so she could look at his face. She smiled and nuzzled him, before gasping with joy at the sight of the animals in her cottage. Angel thumped against her hoof, calling for her attention. He simply pointed at the open door, and as Fluttershy looked at it, she watched as Sunshine Blaze quickly became a speck in the sky. “I don’t blame you, Sunshine Blaze. We had to do what was right. You reminded us of that when we had forgotten.” Fluttershy said softly, knowing that he couldn’t hear her words. -- Carousel Boutique had been closer as Sunshine Blaze flew back over Ponyville. There were only three more places the remaining elements could logically be. Rarity had often talked highly of her fashion store, and had even done her best to recreate it in Irvest, so logic said that the Element of Generosity would have gone there. The sight that awaited him within the store was fairly simple. Scootaloo, her body wrapped by the newest bandages from whatever injuries she had gained during the battle before Ulysses’ Castle, stood stone faced next to Sweetie Belle, who was currently on the floor crying. Floating just before the pair of teenage fillies, was the Element of Generosity. As Sunshine Blaze walked in, Scootaloo simply glanced him over, before focusing once more on her crying friend. “She’s gone... what’ll I do now Scootaloo? M-my sister i-is gone!” Sweetie Belle wailed. “I’m sorry Sweetie Belle, but the years have been kinder on you than me, so while its the best thing I can say, its not the kindest, pain free way of putting things. Your sister’s element of harmony is there, and she’s gone. Crying like a little foal wouldn’t be what she’d want for you.” Scootaloo barely flinched as she spoke the words, causing Sweetie Belle to get louder with her crying. Unseen by the pair, Sunshine Blaze grinned. “I don’t need to say anything.” he said. In the middle of the air, the Element of Generosity spun, getting faster. Scootaloo reacted fast when the white and purple bubble appeared, pulling Sweetie Belle by her tail out of the way. The bubble followed the previous ones, it collapsed, forming a shape of a curly maned unicorn, before popping. Rarity collapsed to the floor as she gasped for breath, the Element of Generosity now around her neck. Her eyes locked on to Sweetie Belle, who had her own eyes locked on Rarity, in shock of what she had just witnessed. Neither sister said a word as they ran at the other, hugging when they met, and crying with joy. Scootaloo watched the sisters hugging and crying with joy, and for the first time in years, she smiled. Behind her, the front door clicked closed, and she turned her head, watching as Sunshine Blaze took flight. -- Mr and Mrs. Cake were slightly worried by the blue balloon shaped gem floating in the empty room that they still maintained for Pinkie Pie. However, despite their worry, they tried to hold back laughs whenever Gummy, Pinkie Pie’s pet alligator, who had grown in her absence attempted to get at the gem and bite it in his toothless gums. They turned their heads to the stairs when the bell by the front door jingled, indicating somepony had just walked in, and the sound of hooves clopping against wood gave away where they were heading. Soon, they saw the orange head with turquoise mane of Sunshine Blaze, who simply walked over to them. “I suspect in a second, you’re both going to be very busy.” Sunshine Blaze stated. “Why, whatever do you mean?” Mrs. Cake questioned. Suddenly, there was a pop, and Pinkie Pie inhaled. There was no delay for the lively pink party pony. She tackled Sunshine Blaze and pinned him to the ground. “Ohmygoshwedidit? We‌defeatedUlyssesandtheelementsofharmonykeptussafeandnowyoucametogetusand,” she spoke without a single break or intake of another breath. “Breath, Pinkie, breath.” Sunshine Blaze reminded her. Giggling, Pinkie Pie let go of Sunshine Blaze and backed away a few feet, taking breaths again. As Sunshine Blaze got up, she begun to talk again. “Are the others ok? That huge boom would have hurt so bad if the Elements didn’t use that strange magic that was to keep me in mine.” Pinkie Pie asked. “Well, Twilight reappeared in her old library up in Canterlot, I left Applejack at her farm, Fluttershy is at her cottage, and Rarity at her old shop. I just have to find Rainbow Dash.” Sunshine Blaze answered. “This is great news! You know what this calls for?” Pinkie Pie asked. Sunshine Blaze simply blinked once. In that single blink, Pinkie Pie had gone from sitting with Gummy’s mouth clamped to her tail, to being surrounded by balloons and streamers, and Gummy now sitting on her head. He prepared to question how she had moved so fast in what was literally less than a second, but stopped, and shook his head. It was just Pinkie Pie, there was no other explanation needed. “No, Pinkie Pie. What does this call for?” he asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. -- “A PARTY!” Pinkie Pie yelled at the top of her voice. An hour had passed since she and the Cakes spread the word of the impromptu party, and tables and chairs now lined the middle of the street past Sugarcube Corner, and went out of sight all the way to the Town Hall. The tables and chairs were decorated with streamers and balloons, and food sat on plates down the middle of the tables, with plates set up before each chair. Ponies had taken the excuse of a party to celebrate the downfall of Ulysses, and the return of the Princesses, and away from the tables, they played games or danced to music. On the horizon, the sun was beginning to set, but Pinkie had clearly planned ahead, as glass encased candles were set up among the food on the tables. Pinkie Pie herself currently sat with her friends, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy, all were at the table closest to the town hall, with the next table over being where the Mayor sat, accompanied by Soarin’, two of the other wonderbolts, and Scootaloo with her friends Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Above them, as Gringhold departed to find a cave to sleep for a hundred years, a chariot pulled by two Canterlot guards that had survived the years under Ulysses’ rule arrived. It landed, and from the back, pausing only to breath in the cool evening air, walked Twilight. “Twi! Over here!” Applejack called out. Twilight responded by smiling, and running over as fast as she possibly could. She took a chair and silently watched as ponies all around celebrated. “I never expected to see the end result of all this.” Twilight said happily. “Yes, but we are here, if only thanks to whatever strange spell the Elements of Harmony used.” Rarity added. Nearby, Sunshine Blaze landed, looking quite upset. He walked over to the table and sat beside Fluttershy. “It wasn’t there. I checked Rainbow Dash’s home, but no sign of the Element of Loyalty.” he said, avoiding eye contact. “Aww, don’t worry! I’ll throw Dashie a party when she returns!” Pinkie Pie stated. “Was her favourite place anywhere in Ponyville?” Sunshine Blaze asked. “Oh, no,” Fluttershy spoke up, “she may have lived in Ponyville, but she always liked Cloudsdale. She did her first and second Sonic Rainbooms there. She liked the fact that she could fly under the clouds, because it wasn’t like flying over a town. Since towns are on the ground, and it’d hurt to try.” Sudden explosions of fireworks filled the air, causing the ponies to stop their conversation and look towards Canterlot. Fireworks flew through the air and exploded in a variety of colours and patterns. “It seems they’re celebrating in Canterlot. That must be quite a party.” Rarity smiled. “Aw... fireworks, why didn’t I think of those?” Pinkie Pie questioned, sounding dejected. “Don’t sweat it Pinkie, yer party’s swell as it is.” Applejack replied. They fell silent once more, continuing to watch the fireworks from Canterlot. After a while, Sunshine Blaze stood up and faced away from the table. “Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Thank you, all of you. If I’d never met you all, I’d still be an ignorant colt, with no understanding of the consequences of my actions. You’ve all been good friends to me in the time I’ve known you. I just... I just wish we hadn’t met under such unfortunate circumstances. It was only because of my brother that I even had to speak to you all. But,” Sunshine Blaze turned his head to look behind him, a big smile appearing on his face, “regardless of the how, the outcome is clear. I always have friends in you. And I wouldn’t change that for anything.” “Where are you going? You don’t have to keep travelling anymore now your brother is gone. Why not stay with us here in Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “Maybe one day, I’ll return and take you up on that offer. But for now... for now I have one more thing I must do. Goodbye my friends.” he replied, taking flight. The five friend watched as he flew away, tears of sorrow forming in the corners of their eyes. They looked at each other, waiting for one of the others to say something. “Do... do you think we’ll ever see him again?” Rarity asked. “Ah dunno Rarity. Maybe. All we can do is hope ah guess.” Applejack answered. “I hope so too, I was going to make him an outfit and ask for him to help model new designs for colts.” Rarity added. Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie simply rolled their eyes. -- Ulysses had said just before he died, that he hadn’t killed anypony since leaving Irvest. This was, simply, a partial truth. Somehow, Cloudsdale and the pegasi on it had survived the void, but many simply hadn’t, and the town was in need of major repair. Slowly, Sunshine Blaze walked through the city, the distant sound of firework explosions filled the air with the only sound. It had taken him most of the night to fly there, and the moon had travelled across the sky, and was now low on the horizon. Silently, he put his goggles over his eyes and looked up. High above, a magical energy source could be seen, and he flew to it before removing his goggles. “Hello Rainbow Dash.” he said to the floating Element of Loyalty. The Element of Loyalty only just hovered over a cloud, which remained still in the air as if under the control of a pegasus. It sparkled slightly in the moonlight, and Sunshine Blaze felt as if it was watching him. “I hope you can see this. Canterlot has been letting off fireworks all night, the pegasi that survived these last six years are busy flying around, taking messages of similar celebrations across Equestria. Word sure goes around fast.” The Element of Loyalty replied only by lifting up a little, but it did not spin. He sighed. “When I left Ponyville, your friends were attending a celebration there, held by Pinkie Pie, of course. She’s promised more parties when you return. But, there’s something I need to say to you. Will you listen to me?” he asked. The Element of Loyalty spun once. Sunshine Blaze smiled, and took a deep breath. “Didn’t you ever notice this all begun with you? How, in the different futures and the past, Ulysses had attempted to break or kill you? I believe simply, in the time he must have observed you all, he grew to hate you the most. You are the fastest pegasus he and I had ever seen. He hated us pegasi just for having what he was denied at birth, but then to find one faster than any he’d seen before, well, that made you his number one target. You weren’t just flaunting what he didn’t get when born, you made it all a big show. And well, I’m sorry. Back in Irvest, I made you and your friends choose between your new safe lives in a dying world, or returning here to face him and save the world. While you were willing to go right then, I would have asked you to consider it for longer than a year, had I known what I was really asking. I was asking for you to choose between living, or dying. I was such a foal... and, I hope you can forgive me.” he said. A pop filled the air beside him, but it wasn’t followed up by a gasp for breath, rather, Rainbow Dash exhaled. “Oh come on! There wasn’t any choice then! I couldn’t leave Equestria or the world die thanks to him. I’d gladly die for real than let ponies suffer and die.” Rainbow Dash stated. “But you six weren’t supposed to. My brother’s curse was cast wrong. It burnt me, yes, but it stored his own power in me. If I’d acted faster, I’d have given it back to him, and none of you would have had to be released from the Elements of Harmony.” Sunshine Blaze said, looking at Rainbow Dash. “C’mon, Blaze. Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s done with, over. We can all return to peaceful lives now. Of course, I’ll help rebuild Cloudsdale, but first, I can help you get settled in Ponyville, since your old home in Irvest is gone.” Rainbow smiled, as the moon begun to touch the horizon. “Rainbow...” “It’ll be great! Wait, would you rather live on the ground or on a cloud? Because I’m the only one in town with a cloud home. But its free to make at least, so it’ll save a bit of money.” Rainbow continued, slightly excited to help Sunshine Blaze make a new home. “...I’m not staying...” “Oh it’ll be so awesome! Obviously, you can’t have rainbows at the front, well, not until the weather factory is rebuilt anyway,” she paused, “what did you say?” “I’m not staying, Rainbow Dash.” Sunshine Blaze repeated, avoiding eye contact. “B-but why not? After all we’ve been through these last six years, you’re just leaving?” Rainbow stood up. “It’s not that I don’t want to. But see it my way. Before I even met you six, I chased after my brother, trying to stop him. Now he’s gone, I can finally live! I can finally be free, able to travel to the places I want to know, and see the sights and wonders it holds from a normal perspective, rather than wondering if my brother is using it in some evil plan. Rainbow Dash,” Sunshine Blaze looked at her with pleading eyes, “I am finally free.” Rainbow Dash smiled weakly, while inside, she wanted to cry from how sad she felt and how happy she was for Sunshine Blaze. His words hurt slightly, since it all meant the same thing, he was leaving, and she was unlikely to ever see him again. “Will you ever come back?” Rainbow asked, small tears in her eyes. “I hope so, one day. Irvest may be where I was born, but my home died when my brother killed everypony. Maybe... maybe one day, I can come back, and call Ponyville my home. I’d like that.” Sunshine Blaze turned his attention to the opposite horizon, as behind him the moon dipped out of sight. “Blaze, thank you. I’m not sure if the others said this to you, but thank you for everything. Even when Twilight didn’t trust you, and the rest of us weren’t sure of who you were, or what you had planned, you didn’t let it get in the way. You saved us from Ulysses when he tried to kill us six years ago. And you reminded us that we had to do what was right for the world. Thank you for everything Sunshine Blaze.” Rainbow Dash said, nuzzling Sunshine Blaze in a friendly way, to end her thank you. On the horizon they now faced, golden rays of light appeared, as the sun rose. Sunshine Blaze raised his wings. “Where are you going to go?” Rainbow Dash asked. Sunshine Blaze took a moment to think of an answer. As it formed in his head, he smiled, and looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes. “Wherever the wind takes me.” Sunshine Blaze answered, and took flight. Rainbow Dash stood on the cloud, watching as Sunshine Blaze slowly became a speck on the horizon, then vanished from sight for the last time. She sighed, and finally begun to cry the tears she had held back. “I don’t understand you, Blaze. You watched your mother die and your home burn, you must have seen countless horrors, and yet, you cried only once the whole time I’ve known you. Any other pony would have broken down and given up the will to live. Yet, all because you were told to stay strong, you didn’t, and only cried once. How brave must you be?” she pondered aloud. She sat there for a while longer, drying her eyes. Satisfied that she had dried them, she took flight and headed for Ponyville. -- A year saw Equestria slowly return to normal. While largely unaffected, Ponyville and Canterlot returned to normal, and offered help to the other towns and cities to rebuild. Cloudsdale was restored soon after and it didn’t take long for all the towns to look like they once had again. Life also returned to normal for the six friends. Applejack, using Equestria’s new relations with Irvest, opened links to the farm she had left behind in Port Equis. Between her and Big Macintosh, plans soon formed to open another farm in Irvest and expand the business. Rarity likewise created links to her store in Port Equis, and begun shipping designs from Irvest to Equestria, while sending designs from Equestria to Irvest. Fluttershy only sent mail now and then to check on how the small animal caretaking business she had set up was doing. Twilight, excited by the new relations had invited other scholars she had known in Irvest to come to Equestria, and see it for themselves, rather than hear about it and the history from her or any book. She remained in the Ponyville library however, content to return to her old life, studying the magic of friendship for Princess Celestia. Pinkie Pie still worked for the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner, having at first seemingly forgotten the store she had run in Port Equis. Later, it was learnt she kept track of it by mail, but had happily returned to the life she had left. Rainbow Dash likewise returned to the life she had known before, managing Ponyville’s weather and practising for when the Wonderbolts would eventually reform and look for new recruits. Since she had passed on control of the team in Irvest, she simply kept track now and then, offering advice to them by mail when they requested the help. Even for Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, things returned to a relative normalcy. While the six years had kept them from finding their special talents, and left Scootaloo with a lot of scars and an emotionally distant outlook on life, the three teenage fillies resumed their lives. And each day, the six friends kept watching the skies, looking for the colours of the friend that had saved them and aided them in saving Equestria. No matter how often Sunshine Blaze never appeared, they never gave up hope that he would one day return to tell them of his latest journey. The End
Aurora	705	1	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-07-04T22:00:30+00:00	2012-07-04T22:00:30+00:00	9,241	On a lofty peak, silhouetted against the veiled light of the rising sun, a weary pegasus pony stood alone. Scrapes and bruises marred her athletic, slender body. She was panting, her chest heaving and her breath visible in the slight chill of the early morning air. The wisps of fine mist escaping her muzzle were quickly carried off by the selfsame breeze that toyed with her windswept, multicolored mane. The mare's glistening blue coat steamed slightly with the heat of great exertion, but on the inside she was fuming even more. “Why can't I DO IT?!” Rainbow Dash demanded of the skies, accentuating each bitter word with a frustrated clop of her hoof. By the grace of Celestia, dawn broke over Ponyville once more. Nudged by her primordial magic, the sun set out on its daily voyage. It's ascent was heralded by the shrill crowing of roosters, from the farmlands of Sweet Apple Acres to the Cottage on the outskirts of the charming little Equestrian village. Other sounds soon followed: all over, early-to-rise ponies began stirring. Pegasi fluttered about, painstakingly arranging and stacking the fluffiest white clouds they could find, trying to catch the radiant light and paint the sky in breathtaking hues of orange and pink. Other clouds, laden with moisture, were diligently pushed along the surface, leaving leaf and branch refreshed and delicate spiderwebs sequined with shimmering droplets of dew. Small teams of unicorns, meanwhile, traversed the pathways, bridges and squares of the town; their horns were aglow as they willed stray leaves and random clutter into large saddle-bags borne by sturdy earth ponies. The Apple family had been up from the first cock-a-doodle-doo, of course. Applejack was already hard at work inspecting the orchards, in preparation for the fall. Being in high spirits on such a gorgeous day, she whistled as she sauntered from tree to tree. Elongated shadows, belonging both to her and her beloved apple trees, stretched out far across the fields, and everywhere there was the sound of leaves rustling merrily in the wind. Pausing just long enough to adjust the visor of her hat, Applejack shaded her green eyes from the shifting angle of the sun's rays. Enamored by the breathtaking spectacle unfolding on the horizon, the blonde mare squinted at the orb of dazzling light, trying to take it all in without being blinded. She thought she saw a small, blue dot circling around a distant mountain top, but when she looked again it had vanished. The farm-mare dismissed the sighting with a shrug - she had work to do. Yet she couldn't help but wonder.. Nopony she knew had seen much of Rainbow Dash of late. While Applejack stood and wondered, however, some ponies still slept soundly. From the loft above the bakeries of Sugarcube Corner only high-pitched snoring could be heard, although the wholesome smell of freshly baked cakes had titillated the noses of passersby since long before sunrise. In the Carousel Boutique, an exhausted Rarity enjoyed a few more belated hours of beauty-sleep after slaving away at yet another tall order. And in the arboreal library that had become Twilight Sparkle's make-shift dwelling, Spike was still curled up in his cozy basket, while his surrogate mother, having burned the midnight oil, slept with a thick tome as a far less comfortable pillow. Fluttershy couldn't afford to be sleeping in. The dedicated animal specialist had taken upon herself the tedious task of waking up birds that, like the above-mentioned ponies, were reluctant to leave their nests; all so that the customary chorus of songbirds could liven up the start of everypony's day. At the eaves of the Everfree forest, the patient pegasus flitted from tree to tree, rousing her charges with a gentle nose-nudge here and a quiet murmur there. “Come on out, sleepy-heads!” she called into a hollow tree, only to be startled by the resulting echoes. “Rise and shine, Mr. Sparrow,” she urged, gently prodding a particularly old and unwilling bird with a hoof-tip. In the warm radiance of the sun, Fluttershy's pale yellow coat shone saffron-gold. Her long, flowing pink tail danced as she fluttered about and frolicked with her feathery friends. She was delighted to see every one of them and seemed to know the location of each of their nests, often stopping to meticulously check upon the eggs therein. Fledglings alighted on her head and back, clinging to her hair when their wings wearied. She carried them gladly, making sure not to bank abruptly and toss them off. And ever as she went the choir of bird-voices grew, until they chirped and sang all around her. Rainbow Dash was resting on a cloud overhead. She watched the delightful scene surreptitiously, wincing quietly while she flexed her aching wings. Her presence wasn't coincidental. Visiting this place at dawn had become something of a habit, though she preferred that nopony knew about it; Fluttershy least of all. Her foalhood friend would probably crawl back into her shell if she found out she wasn't alone. Rainbow Dash frequently felt exasperated by the other pegasus's timidity, but when Fluttershy was alone with her beloved animals like this, completely in her element, she was like a different pony. She laughed and chatted happily, and even sang; making up cheerful little songs that never failed to give Rainbow Dash goosebumps. Away from watchful eyes, furthermore, the usually clumsy pegasus moved with surprising grace. Seeing the mollifying mare like this, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but admire her. She didn't want to butt in and ruin it. With a smile Rainbow Dash realized that, really, she'd been watching over Fluttershy ever since they were just two little fillies in Flight School. They had both stood out in their own way, and they had both suffered for it. 'Rainbow Crash' and 'Klutzershy'.. What a marvelous pair of misfits they'd been. Rainbow Dash still remembered the first time she had witnessed some colts cruelly teasing the hapless young pony. She'd been such an easy target: unable to simply fly away from her tormentors and incapable of standing up for herself. Instead the vulnerable filly had just sat there, taking the abuse with helpless tears welling up in her eyes. Oh, the knot of anger Dash had felt twisting and coiling deep within her insides at that gross injustice. Insults to herself she could shrug off casually, or repay with violence and humiliation. But that scene had kindled some fierce, protective instinct in the rainbow-filly. And she had defended her newfound friend ever since. Rainbow Dash found herself berating the fragile little pony constantly, too, though. She tended to quickly grow impatient with Fluttershy's almost preposterous levels of insecurity, and kept alternating between feelings of affection and irritation towards her. It just didn't make any sense to the cocky mare: how could somepony be so breathtakingly beautiful and multi-talented yet think so little of herself? It was infuriating! Rainbow Dash would challenge anyone who'd hurt her friend without hesitation. But how could she hope to defend the introverted pony from her greatest detractor: herself? She wanted to do more; wanted to make Fluttershy see; yearned to show the bashful butterfly-bearer that she was cool, and funny, and awesome.. Even loved. But how she was going to accomplish that, Rainbow Dash was sure she didn't know. Despite her so-called self-confidence, she seldom dared to express her feelings. It made her feel vulnerable when she talked about awkward stuff like that, failing to be coolness incarnate for the duration. It was too risky, since any move on her part could mess up their friendship forever. But maybe tomorrow, she would fly down and join Fluttershy instead of hiding like a scaredy-pony. She could just hang out with Fluttershy, couldn't she? No pressure. And maybe, if she stopped rattling on about her own hopes and dreams for a minute and just listened, she could get the inscrutable pony to open up to her a little more. Perhaps then she could figure things out. Yeah.. tomorrow sounded good. Right now Rainbow Dash wanted to focus on more pressing problems. For starters, she could barely keep her eyes open and her head felt so heavy that she kept nodding off. After all the failed attempts to recreate the physics-defying feat she'd pulled off at the Best Young Flier competition, she was reluctantly willing to grant gravity this one, minor victory.
Aurora	705	2	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-09-03T06:27:00+00:00	2012-09-03T06:27:00+00:00	5,465	“Tell me honestly, is there something wrong with me?” Applejack, who had just been on her way back to the farm when she'd been ambushed by Rainbow Dash, raised a brow. The uncharacteristic question took her off guard. “What was that?” the bemused mare said, cupping her ear with a hoof in an exaggerated manner. She leaned in a bit closer and pretended to be as hard of hearing as her dear old Granny Smith. “You heard me,” Rainbow Dash replied defensively. She sat down with a sigh and suddenly seemed to take a keen interest in her hooves, already regretting that she posed such a question to her long-time friend and rival. After waking from a brief and fitful nap on a cloud near the Everfree Forest, feeling restless and a bit lonely, it had seemed like a good idea to turn to the most trustworthy and athletic pony she knew for advice. But actually asking for it turned out to be trickier than she thought. Rainbow Dash knew she was being maddeningly vague and indirect, but she didn't really know where to begin. The two of them were always competing or arguing as equals, but right now Rainbow Dash felt like she was showing weakness. Applejack's teasing didn't help. “I thought I did,” Applejack drawled. “Never reckoned I'd be hearin' it from you though, question like that.” She usually enjoyed teasing the proud pegasus, but when her playful taunting was met with silence the sympathetic mare realized that Dash was genuinely struggling with something. She quickly abandoned her little jest and frowned. “Alright, no more tomfoolery,” Applejack said. She sat down on her haunches next to a dejected-looking Rainbow Dash and put a foreleg around the mare's winged shoulders in a gesture of camaraderie. ”You gotta speak plainer though, Rainbow. Can't just make your blue hide scarce for over a week only to come swoopin' in outta nowhere and go 'round askin' me queer questions like that. How d'you expect a mare to answer sensible-like?” Applejack paused a moment, allowing the other mare to have a say. But when Rainbow Dash just continued fidgeting and averting her eyes, she lost her patience. “Spit it out, pony-girl!" she said, "What's eatin' you?” Her stern eyes studied the other mare's face. Rainbow Dash inhaled deeply, struggling for words. She really wasn't very good at this whole asking-for-help business; usually she was the one coming to the aid of others. But Applejack's emphatic approach seemed to be working. The pegasus decided to swallow her pride. “I think there's something wrong with me," she said, "Because after weeks of trying I still haven't been able to pull off the Sonic Rainboom again. Not even once!” “That all?” Applejack laughed. She looked rather relieved. "For a minute there I was 'fraid something serious was ahoof!” In truth, she had feared this was going to be about the other mare's lovelife, which would have been uncomfortable. “It is serious, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash insisted. The severity of her tone wiped the goofy grin off the other equine's face. “Winning that tiara was great and all, but the Pegalympics are coming up soon and now everypony totally thinks the Rainboom is a part of my routine. They'll be expecting it! And the Wonderbolts'll be expecting it, too..” At the thought of losing the hard-won favor of her childhood idols, the usually composed blue mare buried her face in her hooves. “What am I going to do, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash said. There was a shrill note of desperation in her voice. ”Ponies will be coming to see the legendary Rainboom, I just know it. I can't screw it up in front of them! I'd be a laughing-stock!” “Hadn't thought of it like that,” Applejack admitted apologetically, taking pity on the pegasus's plight. She eyed the miserable mare carefully, noting - not without concern - that she looked positively worn out. Her feathers were in disarray, her eyes looked sunken and dark-ringed, and she had slight but noticeable injuries. That settled it for Applejack. These were all symptoms of a problem she had first-hoof experience with, being an incurably stubborn pony herself. “Only thing wrong with you is you're pushin' yourself too dang hard,” she told the sleep-deprived pony. Her tone was maternal; reminiscent of a mare-mother addressing a recalcitrant filly. “Y'all're the fanciest flier I ever did see, Rainbow, but--” “You're just saying that to cheer me up,” Rainbow Dash interrupted her. Her cheeks flushed purple at the compliment despite her objection, however, and she seemed to perk up a little. “Uh, hello? Applejack here, the most honestest pony around?” Applejack said. She seemed upset at the mere suggestion that she would ever resort to empty flattery. Her blonde, pony-tailed mane swayed as she shook her head in disbelief. “I ain't never told no lies, and I ain't about to start when my best friend is runnin' herself ragged and needs some sense knocked into her!” The orange earth pony thwapped the back of Dash's head as though she meant the latter statement literally. “I'm speakin' from experience here, so y'all'd best listen up." “I'm fine, Applejack..” Rainbow Dash feebly attempted to reassure her friend. "Really!" Though she had to stifle a tell-tale yawn before that final word had even left her muzzle. Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Y'know, one of the perks to being such an honest mare is I've gotten awful good at tellin' somepony's lying to me..” Rainbow Dash gulped. “Y'ain't 'fine,' and you know it.” Not for the first time, Rainbow Dash had the disquieting feeling that those shrewd, green eyes could read her like an open book. At the very least, she suspected that being the Element of Honesty involved more than merely being an abysmal liar. Whatever the case, it was hard to argue with the facts. And who could continue to be obstinate after someone went and called you their best friend like that? “Ow. Okay, alright. Sheesh.." Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her head, "What do you think I should do?” Applejack's expression softened. “I'd say y'need some shut-eye,” she suggested. ”After that, maybe we can see 'bout gettin' some training done. C'mon, y'all can crash in the guest-room up in the attic. Once you've recharged the ol' batteries, the Apple family'll treat you to a proper home-cooked meal, fresh off the farm. Do you good.” Rainbow Dash did not protest. It was clear that Applejack would not be gainsaid, and her offer actually sounded really good at the moment. She felt awfully tired, having skipped at least a dozen of her customary naps. She'd be able to sleep for quite a while. Though she had to admit: she was pretty curious to see what Applejack had in mind. When she awoke, who knows how many hours later, Rainbow Dash found that her cuts had been tended to. It was a testament to the extent of her exhaustion - or maybe her ability to sleep like a sedated rock - that she hadn't woken up during the treatment. She got up shakily and stretched her limbs. The much-needed rest had worked wonders; she felt a lot more like her old self again. Totally ready to take on the world! Until a low, rumbling growl from her stomach reminded her that she had skipped far too many meals. “Y'all called?” Applejack joked, poking her head in. The freckled farm-mare wasn't wearing her hat, which surprised Rainbow Dash since she had always figured the two were pretty much inseparable. “Hey, any chance of a quick snack?” Rainbow Dash tried hopefully. “I don't think I'll last 'till dinner..” “No can do,” Applejack said. But just as her famished guest despaired, she let the cat out of the bag. “Dinner's already served, y'lazy bum. Just comin' to drag you out of bed - by the tail if need be.” No tail-dragging turned out to be neccesary, however. Being used to a rather Spartan diet, since she hated cooking, the laden table of the Apple family would have seemed like a feast to Rainbow Dash on any given day. But on an empty stomach it was enough to make her drool. Apples were incorporated in nearly every dish, of course, but it seemed like granny Smith and Applejack could work miracles with this single ingredient. From the fresh salad starter to the delectable apple-pie desert, the pegasus pony savored every last bite. “Woo, I.. am.. stuffed!” Rainbow Dash sighed after the table had been cleared. She was floating a few feet above the ground, her wings beating steadily as she gingerly rubbed her distended stomach with a hoof. “Y'all sure can eat, being such a scrawny lil' filly,” her gracious host noted. “I ain't even sure how you're still able to float 'round like that. But y'know Rainbow, down here on the farm we've gotta work for our food. Come morning, you and me are gonna get our hooves dirty.” “What d'ya mean?” Rainbow Dash said, a little warily. “I thought you were gonna help me pull off the Rainboom?” “I mean to! Can't exactly flap my forelegs and show you how it's done though," Applejack laughed. "'Stead I figured we'd focus on something all you colts and fillies with your heads up in the clouds are clearly lacking." "And what would that be?" "Stamina, 'course! Y'all've got nothing on us earth ponies, it comes down to it.” “I don't think I like where this is going,” Rainbow Dash said with a gulp. “I definitely don't like where this is going!” Rainbow Dash echoed; her strong aversion to hard work kicked in now that she finally saw what Applejack had in mind. It was just after dawn the next day. The pegasus still felt half-asleep, though a hearty breakfast helped to keep her on her hooves. But her heart sank at the sight of the large, rickety, wooden contraption before her, situated in an equally shabby building near the well. It looked every bit like an antique, with a thick layer of dust and countless cobwebs hinting at a very long period of disuse. “One of those old, pony-powered machines?” Rainbow Dash said, eying two spots on opposite ends of the largest beam which were obviously intended for ponies to be harnessed there. It looked like they had to pull and rotate the large central axle, driving a system of belt and gears. This prospect did not amuse her. “Ee-yup," Applejack said, "This here's how the Apple family pumped water to the trees 'fore we had Weather Patrol make it rain for us.” “Yeah, so, about that," Rainbow Dash said hopefully, "If it's water you need, couldn't I just fly up and fetch us a nice, big cloud?” “That ain't gonna do, Dash,” Applejack interrupted. ”T'ain't 'bout the water, we're tryin' to get you toughened up! We could do pointless push-ups and gallop some laps, but I reckon it's easier to do a work-out if there's a purpose to it.” Rainbow Dash looked unconvinced. “It still sounds really lame..” Applejack had anticipated this reaction however. She slyly employed her greatest gambit against the fiercely competitive pony. “Well, if y'think y'all can't handle it, that's fine," she said, trying to sound casual. "I s'pose we could do somethin' easier. My brother was probably right, sayin' there was no way two little mares could pump up enough water for all of our trees and crops.” She didn't even have to lie. “He said that, did he?” came the predictable reply. And so, over the next few weeks two very sweaty and sore ponies went around in circles, struggling bitterly for every hoofstep as they made sure the sprawling orchards of Ponyville could bear fruit in the (very) old-fashioned way. They paused only to eat or sleep. Whenever the pegasus faltered, the stalwart workhorse would push harder. Before long, the winged mare would grit her teeth and persevere, unwilling to be outdone. And whenever Applejack wearied and hung her head, Rainbow Dash would pick up the slack without a word. Then, one morning, just when the pair of them began to despair of their seemingly Sisyphean task ever being finished, Big Macintosh came over and told them they could stop now. There was wonder in the crimson stallion's usually disinterested eyes. “Ha! In your FACE!” Rainbow Dash bellowed triumphantly. She pointed a hoof at the flabbergasted male, moments before collapsing to the floor. “She okay?” Applejack's laconic brother asked. He blinked at the prone blue mare. “She'll be alright,” his sister replied calmly, though she sounded like she was at the end of her rope herself. “Mind carrying her a ways?” A few days later, after both mares had recuperated from the ordeal, Rainbow Dash told Applejack she'd be on her way again. While still far more aerodynamic than the sturdy farm-mare, it was clear that the long days of powering the pumping mechanism had paid off. Beneath her flashy blue coat clearly defined muscles flexed and shifted, and after going through all of that, the pegasus felt like she could fly around the world without stopping for a breather. Applejack saw her off, mostly for a chance to get a few additional words of wisdom in. “Y'got friends you can count on, sugarcube,” she said earnestly, smiling as the boisterous blue mare impatiently flexed her wings. ”I don't wanna go all Twilight on you and bore you with a big speech on the Magic of Friendship. Gist of it is: y'all don't have to deal with your problems on your lonesome, no matter how awesome y'think y'are.” Applejack put a hoof on the winged mare's shoulder. ”Why don'tcha go talk to some of the others gals, too, huh? They might surprise you.” Rainbow Dash looked doubtful but nodded, if only to please her friend. “Alright. I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask.” “Speakin' of which: you want I should put in a good word for you with Fluttershy?” Applejack suggested coyly. “Buh.. Wha.. You can see into my mind?!” the pegasus sputtered aghast. As a precaution she feverishly tried not to think of all the apples she'd 'borrowed' from the orchards, or the adorable way Fluttershy would wiggle when she trotted along the meadows and hummed to herself. This proved to be incredibly hard. “Sure can,” Applejack responded ominously, confirming the poor pony's worst fears. “Y'all ought to be 'shamed of yourself!" But she laughed when a profusely sweating Rainbow Dash winced and backed away a few steps. “Well, either that or y'all talk in your sleep a lot. What's the matter, guilty conscience?” “Remind me again why I hang out with you?” a not-at-all-amused Rainbow Dash said, shooting Applejack an icy glare. “Why, 'cause of my good humor and folksy wisdom 'course!” “Good humor my flank,” Rainbow Dash muttered, “And would you quit smirking?!” “Can't help it!” Applejack replied, switching to an I'm-not-smiling smile. “You two'd make a darn cute couple, y'ask me, and don't you be lettin' anypony tell you different.” “Heh. You.. won't tell her will you?” Rainbow Dash sounded anxious. “Cross my heart.” “And hope to fly?” “I ain't sticking a hoof in my eye, if that's what you're aimin' for..” “Worth a shot.” Instead of more banter, Applejack just smiled and moseyed on over to give the flustered blue skypony a hug. As embarrassing as it was to her, the winged mare clumsily reciprocated, until it became apparent that Applejack wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon and just kept squeezing fondly. “Can't.. breathe..” Dash gasped theatrically. “Y'all are gettin' a mite blue in the face,” the orange equine laughed, loosening her grip. “Take care of yourself now, y'hear?” she called after Rainbow Dash as the pegasus galloped off and spread her wings. “Y'all can count on it!” Dash drawled with a grin, before quickly taking to the safety of the skies. “I'll let that one slide, just this once,” the grounded pony mused. She stared after the departing pegasus a while, before heading back to her beloved farm. “Thanks, A.J.” Rainbow Dash whispered gratefully as she steered towards the center of Ponyville. She vowed to herself that she would find some way to repay the mare for all her help, someday soon. Soaring through the skies and feeling stronger than ever before, Rainbow Dash was sure she could handle whatever the world decided to throw at her. But little did she know of the unspeakable horrors that awaited her at her destination.
Aurora	705	3	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-07-04T22:01:41+00:00	2012-07-04T22:01:41+00:00	6,171	This was going to be a complete waste of time; Rainbow Dash just knew it. She promised Applejack she would ask her other friends for help, too, though. She had to at least make a token effort so she could say that she tried. Having made up her mind, the blue mare quietly nudged open the door to Rarity's boutique and peered inside. “Rarity? You around?” she called halfheartedly, hoping beyond hope that she'd either find the place deserted or so busy that the resident dressmaker wouldn't have time to talk. She had no such luck. “Why, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity gushed. She turned out to be both present and suffering through a particularly slow business day. "And coming in through the front door for a change," the unicorn noted, "Usually your entrances tend to be a tad more, shall we say, dynamic?” Although Rarity's flawless, ingratiating smile never faltered, there was no mistaking the slight accusatory tone in that remark. ”But never mind that. Welcome, welcome! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Rainbow Dash - who realized with a pang of guilt that this probably was the first time she had entered Rarity's shop through conventional means - tried to think of a suitable answer to that question, but drew a complete blank. Why was she here? What was she hoping to accomplish? Her question concerned supersonic flight, not super-fabulous fashion. Before she even got a chance to throw out a strategically placed 'um' to stall for time, however, Rarity answered for her. “You must have heard about it, I suppose,” the unicorn concluded cryptically. She let out a deep sigh and her luxurious, well-coiffed mane bounced as she nodded sagely. “Well, I cannot say I did not see this coming. It's hard to keep a monumental accomplishment such as this a secret, of course. I cannot blame you, Rainbow dear; I completely understand you rushing over here right away. You must be ever so thrilled!” “Yes..” Rainbow Dash bluffed, her curiosity piqued and her quick-witted mind racing. She swiftly called upon her considerable experience in the field of pretending-to-know-what-ponies-were-talking-about. It was a skill she had honed to near-perfection in her Basics of Flight classes, given the fact that she was more interested in the actual flying than the total snoozefest of the underlying theories. “Yes, I'm dying to see the.. thingie?” Okay, so maybe she was a little rusty. But Rarity hardly seemed to notice her cerulean customer's confusion; she appeared to be beside herself with pride and anticipation. If she was truly upset by Rainbow Dash's unexpected visit, she didn't show it. “Come along now, follow me,” Rarity called enthusiastically, leading a bewildered Rainbow Dash to a small room in the back of the shop where she tended to work on her most top-secret projects. “Well, here we are,” she simpered, inclining her horn towards an object hidden beneath a cloth. “Ready for the Pièce de résistance?” “Sure, ready when you are!” Rainbow Dash said, feigning confidence and trying to conceal the fact that she still had no idea where this was going. It didn't help that she wasn't quite sure what Rarity had just said, having never been to Prance. The unicorn's enthusiasm was proving infectious, however, and Rainbow Dash found herself growing excited despite her ignorance. “Voila!” Rarity said dramatically as she raised the dark cloth that had been draped over the fruit of her labors with her natural telekinetic powers. She looked at Rainbow Dash expectantly; she always adored the stunned reactions of customers whenever she exceeded their expectations and was all the more eager to please now that the recipient was a close friend. She was not disappointed. It took a moment for Rainbow Dash to pick her jaw up off the floor. Even then she was rendered nearly speechless. “Rarity, this is.. this is..” the blue mare stammered, wide-eyed and lost for words. “Yes, yes?” Rarity demanded happily, “Magnificent? Unparalleled?” “Soooo AWESOME!” Dash cried instead. But if Rarity was unsatisfied with the other mare's limited vocabulary, the squeal that followed more than made up for it. Before now she had only heard Rainbow Dash produce that noise when the Wonderbolts were present. But this reaction was inevitable. The equinnequin Rarity had unveiled displayed a flight-suit very similar to those the Wonderbolts wore during their spectacular shows. The talented seamstress' perfectionism showed in the way she had created it to fit Rainbow like a second skin, which would reduce wind resistance to a minimum. And making it far more feminine and shapely, in addition to fine-tuning the colors to be a perfect match to Dash's blue coat? Well, that was just a standard procedure. The suit was unadorned and practical, befitting of its intended wearer. But on the flank, where Rainbow Dash's cutie mark would be, a rainbow design made of tiny, brightly colored gemstones sparkled. Finally, the ensemble came with a stylish, streamlined pair of goggles that would protect its wearer's eyes when they were traveling at insane velocities. Rainbow Dash took in all these little details as she circled Rarity's creation. The grin on her face was so persistent that she feared it would never come off again. “For me? You made this for me? Seriously?” she kept repeating until she finally voiced the question that was burning on her mind: ”What the hay did I do to deserve something like this?” “What did you do?” Rarity repeated incredulously. She looked solemnly at the other pony. “Why, darling, you saved my life! And after I acted so shamefully.. This really was the least I could do to repay you.” “Oh, that,” her savior mumbled. Recalling the incident that occurred at the Best Young Flier Competition reminded Rainbow Dash of her actual reason for coming here. “Well, not that I don't totally appreciate it, Rarity, but you really didn't need go out of your way like this. You would've done the same for me,” she said resolutely. At first, Rarity looked like she wanted to argue, to justify her desire to give something back and explain why she felt indebted to Rainbow Dash. But in the end she acquiesced and smiled gratefully. The blue mare's words, however cliched, had taken a load off her shoulders. “Well, the suit is yours regardless. I shall not accept 'no' for an answer," Rarity said with an air of finality. "But I still have to put on some finishing touches, so perhaps you can come and pick it up later?” “Oh, I definitely want the suit!” Rainbow Dash hastily assured her. She felt giddy at the prospect of going flying in it; it would be just another step closer to her greatest ambition. “Splendid! I would get on it right this instant, but I'm actually expecting Fluttershy to drop by any minute,” Rarity told her. ”We scheduled today for our weekly visit to the spa, you see. Come to think of it.. Well, it is probably pointless to ask, but perhaps you would like to join us, Rainbow Dash? My treat, naturally. We seldom get to talk, you and I, and I would rather like to amend that.” “I wouldn't mind chatting sometime, Rare. But spas – not really my thing,” Rainbow Dash replied almost immediately. Neither of them heard the door being gingerly opened. “I thought you might say that,” Rarity said, and she sounded genuinely disappointed. ”But really, it is not all that bad dear. You can relax and allow yourself to be pampered a little. Maybe even get your mane done!” Inadvertently, the unicorn glanced at the other mare's shock of unkempt but uniquely prismatic mane. Both barely veiled disapproval and manic eagerness shone in her azure eyes at the sight of so much makeover potential. She couldn't imagine anypony not wanting to fully capitalize on the physical traits that set them apart. "Naw, I do my own mane." "Really. How.. quaint," Rarity said with a forced smile, glancing at Rainbow Dash's unevenly cut bangs. "But perhaps a professional might come up with something which would look, erm, cooler?" “I like it the way it--” Rainbow Dash began. “Oh, Rainbow Dash is getting her mane done?” a soft voice behind the pegasus said nearly simultaneously. “I am NOT,” Rainbow Dash said brusquely, growing tired of the subject. “Eep..” Rainbow Dash froze. Too late had she realized to whom that other voice belonged. She instantly regretted raising her voice; it couldn't have been aimed at a worse pony. She spun around and, sure enough, there stood Fluttershy looking like she wanted to bolt for the door. “I was just coming to see Rarity,” Fluttershy said quickly, as though she needed to justify her presence even though she had been expected. “I heard the two of you talking. I'm sorry for eavesdropping. It was impolite of me to do that, and I..” “Fluttershy, stop. Just stop, okay?” Rainbow Dash interrupted the skittish pony's superfluous apology, while sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “I didn't mean.. You have nothing to apologize for.” “Quite right,” Rarity added reassuringly, just barely stopping Fluttershy from apologizing for being so apologetic. “Lovely of you to drop by, dear! I was just telling Rainbow Dash here about our weekly get-togethers and invited her to come with sometime.” “That would be fun, I think,” Fluttershy beamed. But when she remembered the blue mare's outburst from earlier her smile faltered. “But I suppose she'd rather not..” Her large, blue eyes darted over to Rainbow Dash; she seemed to be waiting politely to see if her guess hadn't been too presumptuous. “Well, I--” Rainbow Dash said hesitantly. She frantically tried to come up with a plausible excuse. Rarity sensed weakness. “Oh please-please-puh-lease?” she whined, beseeching the demurring mare with her hooves clasped together. She kind of ruined her overacting with a conspiratory wink towards Fluttershy though. “Pretty please.. with a sugar cube on top?” Fluttershy tried, emboldened by her friend's hilariously over-the-top plea. “If you aren't too busy,” she couldn't help but add. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, ready to decline again. But when she looked from one mare to the other, both of them looking at her hopefully, she found she could not do it. Rarity was up to something of course, but snubbing someone who had just given her the coolest gift ever seemed extremely ungrateful. And then there was Fluttershy. If Rainbow Dash hadn't known any better she could have sworn she was at the receiving end of one of her infamous Stares, except this one would put every puppy-dog in Equestria to shame. It was obvious that it would make her happy if Rainbow Dash tagged along. With a sigh, Rainbow realized that resistance was futile. Hey, how bad could it be? “This is horrible..” Rainbow Dash gasped. She stared at the disfigured blue mare in the mirror, unable to fathom how she'd ever let anypony do this to her. Each separate strand of color in her mane had been individually braided and the effect was an almost medusian head of short, uneven braids that stood on end. To add insult to injury, each serpentine pig-tail was fitted with a matching bow near the end. The unlikely trio of of mares were currently in the beauty salon of the spa Rarity and Fluttershy frequented. They'd already enjoyed most of what Rarity would consider 'the usual,' and up to this point even Rainbow Dash hadn't had too much to gripe about. She hadn't seen the point of most of the luxurious treatments lavished on them and they'd gotten a little tedious at times, but they hadn't been unpleasant per se. So most of the day had gone quite smoothly. (Apart from a minor, familiar incident involving cucumber slices.) When they'd arrived at the salon for a little preening however, Rarity had told the beautician present that her services would not be required today. Since she was one of their best customers the spa staff readily agreed with Rarity's every whim, even when she requested that they be allowed to use the facilities present to give each other makeovers. And by 'each other,' she had of course meant 'Rainbow Dash.' “Not to worry, not to worry,” Rarity consoled the distraught pony, although she sounded a little frantic herself. “Just an experiment gone a teensy bit wrong. I can fix this..” She'd never encountered a pony whose mane and tail she couldn't make at least 20% more fabulous with a few simple modifications. But Rainbow Dash's mane wasn't merely unruly, it seemed to actively resist the unicorn's fevered attempts to tame it. “Just have to put this.. there, and.. oh, it is hopeless!” Rarity cried. She looked about ready to tear out her own mane. ”Fluttershy, a little assistance if you please?” “Oh, anything I can do to help Rarity,” Fluttershy said. She beamed encouragingly at Rainbow Dash, who shot her a pleading look in return. “Scalpel,” Rarity demanded. She did not look away from her 'patient,' intently focused on the disastrous 'do before her. “S-scalpel,” Fluttershy repeated haltingly as she took the sharp instrument in question very carefully into her mouth and passed it to Rarity. She looked a bit concerned about what the unicorn was planning to do with it, and she was not the only one. Rainbow Dash, who had been secured to a hairdresser's chair, was frantically shaking her head. (This whole scene was disturbingly reminiscent of a nightmare she once had, albeit one featuring another pony wielding the knife.) “Hold still, dear,” Rarity said intently. Droplets of sweat ran down her forehead as she carefully manipulated the floating scalpel with her magic, but they were dutifully wiped off by Fluttershy. With a few expert incisions Rarity managed to cut all the bows and ribbons she'd tied into Rainbow's mane, all of which had gotten hopelessly tangled. “Blowdryer, stat!” she urged immediately afterwards. Fluttershy hastened to oblige. Requests for combs, brushes, and several kinds of extremely fixating hair gel followed in rapid succession, which Fluttershy all obediently provided. After nearly an hour an exhausted-looking Rarity stepped back and admired her hoof-work. “There. An avant-garde variation on the classic pixie-mane, with a certain wild nonchalance,” she explained. ”A style perfectly suited for you, darling. If I do say so myself..” “Lemme see, lemme see!” Rainbow Dash said, scrambling out of the chair for a chance at seeing herself in one of the salon's many mirrors. She dreaded the sight of whatever posh manestyle Rarity had foisted upon her. When she glanced at her reflection, however, Rainbow Dash did a double take. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide. “This.. This looks..” she stammered, while Rarity looked on with confident pride. “This looks exactly the same!” she finally blurted out, sounding both relieved and incredulous. And indeed one would be hard-pressed to point out any significant difference between the before and the after. “No no no,” Rarity said with a frown. “It's clearly more elegant, more refined now,” she insisted. ”I spent minutes painstakingly arranging each individual lock, to make it look appropriately chaotic and I-don't-care-ish!” “Well I think it looks great on you,” Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash with a smile. “You're.. not really having a good time, are you?” Fluttershy asked sympathetically. The glum expression on Rainbow Dash's face made her question extremely rhetorical. After the debacle with Rainbow Dash's makeover, Rarity, who was still upset that her 'brilliant re-imagining' of Rainbow Dash's manestyle had garnered only lukewarm praise, had briefly excused herself to visit the Little Fillies' Room. The two remaining ponies had moved into the hot tub and it had taken every ounce of restraint from Rainbow Dash's side not to do a cannonball into it. She was beginning to feel rather restless after all this fussing and fawning. Instead she settled for a few languid laps around the large tub, paddling her hind legs whilst floating on her back. Fluttershy was content to occupy a small spot near the edge, where she relaxed while balancing the heavy towel wrapped around her mane. She wasn't much of a swimmer, after all. “Naw, it's alright - I'm having fun!” Rainbow Dash replied, making sure to contort her face into a depressingly unconvincing grin. But Fluttershy just smiled and looked at her serenely, until Rainbow Dash caved and dropped the act. “Oh alright, so it's not really my idea of a great afternoon,” the blue mare admitted with a sigh. She stopped swimming around and settled on the opposite end of the tub, spreading her wings to let them drip-dry. “It was very nice of you to give it a try though,” Fluttershy said soothingly. “Rarity might be a little, um, overzealous sometimes, but she means well.” “You two are really good friends, aren't you?” Rainbow Dash responded, trying to keep her tone conversational and only vaguely interested. She was looking intently at Fluttershy however. Fluttershy was taken slightly off guard by this abrupt change of subject, but nodded and smiled happily. “Oh yes, we spend lots of time together! And she's always there for me. She really is a great friend.” “That's nice,” Rainbow Dash said tersely. She wondered at her own tone. What the hay was wrong with her? Surely she wasn't jealous of the closeness between Rarity and Fluttershy; envious of the fact that they spent more time together than she and the other pegasus ever did? That was ridiculous. Her own choices were to blame for that. Quickly, Rainbow Dash dunked her head underwater to cool off a little and clear her obviously muddled brain. When she resurfaced Fluttershy was looking at her with a mixture of puzzlement and.. something else. Amusement? No. Pity? Naw. Affection? Now that was just wishful thinking. Rainbow Dash gave up. She couldn't figure it out; she sucked at this. Why did it have to be so complicated? Once again she found herself wishing everypony came with a manual containing detailed instructions on how to interpret the subtle signals and all the hints between the lines. She'd been pining for this sadly nonexistent reference guide ever since her teens, when hormones had started raging and she'd found that being a filly herself gave her absolutely no priviliged insight into the wiles and intricacies of her female peers. They'd all been too busy inexplicably swooning over colts, anyway. Always asking her if so-and-so had said anything about them; information they'd imagined Rainbow Dash was privy to since she'd spent so much time hanging out with the boys that she was practically considered one of them. “Snap out of it,” she told herself. “Um.. excuse me?” Fluttershy said, politely pretending like she hadn't just heard Rainbow Dash talking to herself aloud. “N-nothing,” the flustered blue mare responded. “Just got a little woozy from all this steam is all. Had to, you know, snap out of it.” Egads, why was she so lame? “Yes, it can make you a little.. light-headed, can't it?” Fluttershy said, considerately going along with Rainbow Dash's rather flimsy fabrication. She was biting her lower lip for some reason, and tilted her head cutely as their eyes met. Usually, in keeping with her name, Fluttershy couldn't abide more than a few seconds of eye contact with others and would quickly look away. But this time she endured it and their eyes remained locked. Somehow, between those overlarge orbs of sparkling pink and blue, more was being communicated than their clumsy words could ever hope to convey. It was hard to tell in this moistness and heat, but were Fluttershy's pale cheeks flushed a bit more than before? Or was Rainbow Dash just imagining things? She gulped and blinked her eyes a few times, clearing them of the water that dripped from her soggy mane. Which clung rather unattractively to her head, she realized, in a surprising moment of self-consciousness. “H-hey Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash began, trying to sound casual but failing from the get-go. To make matters worse, she had no clue where she was going to take the vacuous, off-hoofed question. What was going on here? Why was she suddenly the shy, stuttering, awkward one? “Yes?” “You know.. Um..” “... Yes?” “Ah, here you are girls!” Rarity said, bursting into the bathroom with a flourish. She was wearing a gorgeous, homemade bathrobe with her cutie mark stitched into the back. A matching white towel was wrapped around her head so as to protect her precious mane from the humid atmosphere. “Terribly sorry to have kept you two waiting, but there was a line like you would not believe.” “Oh, that must've been annoying..” Fluttershy sympathized graciously. “Extremely annoying..” Rainbow Dash concurred through gritted teeth.
Aurora	705	4	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-07-04T22:02:05+00:00	2012-07-04T22:02:05+00:00	5,345	Cumulopolis: the cloud capital of Equestria. Its spectacular skyline of fluffy spacescrapers, towering high into the stratosphere, was said to rival even that of Manehattan. Thousands of pegasus ponies lived their lives there, barely concerning themselves with the goings-on on terra firma. Those numbers only swelled now that the day of the Pegalympics had finally arrived; pegasi from every corner of Equestria were pouring into the great sky-city, all of them eager to see the greatest pony athletes test their mettle. It was all a bit overwhelming for Rainbow Dash. The scale and grandeur of the city and the sheer size of the crowd were intimidating, and she constantly had to keep reminding herself that she was The Great Rainbow Dash, the Fastest Pegasus Ever Born, lest she accidentally started feeling small and insignificant in the midst of it all. For all her bravado, she never imagined she'd make it here this soon. No one had told her that being Best Young Flier automatically qualified her for the Pegalympics. But here she was, in the Icarus Stadium; a fitting venue for the most prestigious athletic competition known to pegasuskind. The ancient, roofless and circular cloud-structure was reminiscent of the stadium in Cloudsdale, only much, much more massive. A huge pit of blue sky gaped in the very center, around which ran the racing track. Rows upon rows of towering cloud-bleachers rose above the central arena, and flat, stationary cloud-platforms, hovering directly above, served as cushy VIP seats. There were many events Rainbow Dash could have chosen to compete in: ball lightning-ball, hailstone put, skydiving, cloudboarding, synchronous flying – the list seemed endless. But the event she had signed up for was the most infamous of all: the Mareathon. A historic, mares-only endurance race notorious for its grueling, nearly inequine length. Usually only about half the ponies that showed up at the starting line ever made it to the finish. The fact that the first half of the race was on hoof - a sore trial for skydwellers who relied overmuch on their wings - was usually blamed for this. Normally, she wouldn't even have considered such a trial and would have preferred something involving her usual aerial acrobatics. But she had been invited to participate in this event in particular by none other than Spitfire of the Wonderbolts, during the single day she'd gotten to spend with them. The famous stuntpony had casually mentioned winning several editions of the Mareathon in a row, and had hinted that she was looking forward to - as she had put it - some actual competition. Rainbow Dash doubted this was the whole story, though. No one knew, after all, how the Wonderbolts selected those worthy of joining their ranks. Was she being put to the test? But whatever the flame-maned mare's true motivations were, Rainbow Dash had been officially challenged. By one of her idols, no less. How could she have possibly refused? Rainbow Dash was, of course, wearing the gear Rarity made for her. It turned out to be supremely comfortable and made her feel like a million bits. The goggles sat on her forehead, ready for when she'd need them, and the rainbow of gems on her flank shone brilliantly in the bright sun. Despite having the proper attire, Rainbow Dash still felt antsy as she stood in the long line of proud pegasi who would be competing in the first event. She tried to stand still and face the cheering masses like the rest of them, but couldn't keep from constantly shifting her weight from one hoof to the other. She could have sworn she could actually feel the obscene amount of gazes resting on her, like pin-pricks on her skin. It made her coat stand on end. The thought of screwing anything up in front of a crowd this large was almost paralyzing. The restless blue pony shot a glance at Spitfire, curious to see how she was coping. But of course, being used to such an audience, the older mare looked completely calm and focused. When she caught Rainbow Dash looking, she even gave her young rival a playful wink. Rainbow Dash hoped that, one day, she could be as nonchalant under this amount of scrutiny. Together with the audience the two mares watched the spectacular opening ceremony, which culminated in Celestia herself setting ablaze a great cauldron, which would burn until the end of the Pegalympics. With the ceremony concluded and the long-winded speech of the city's mayor drawn to an end, the torturous wait was finally over. Only those who would participate in the first event remained. There were still some preparations underway, but the ponies participating in the Mareathon, including Rainbow Dash, made their way over to the starting line regardless. Rainbow Dash used what time was left before the start of the race to stretch her legs and gallop in place, trying to warm up. Thanks to Applejack's unorthodox training methods, she was confident she could survive the exhausting first leg of the race, at least. Well, that and the combined cooking of Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. Together these three had stuffed so many carbohydrates into the blue mare that she feared she'd never want to see another plate of pasta ever again. Thinking of her friends, Rainbow Dash scanned the crowd. Even though she had a vague idea where they were seated, finding a small band of ponies in such a bewildering sea of colors was no easy task. As she skimmed over the throngs of ponies, the blue mare suddenly thought of something Pinkie Pie had told her and laughed. The laughter itself proved to have a curious, relaxing effect: it made her feel a lot less daunted by the presence of so many other ponies. Still smiling, Rainbow Dash tried to remember exactly what Pinkie said. If she recalled correctly, she had just survived that impromptu visit to the spa. Which, as was to be expected, hadn't gone all that well.. “Well, that was unproductive,” Rainbow Dash muttered. She very much doubted that her neat, pedicured hooves and carefully brushed blue coat would help her master supersonic flight any time soon. The pegasus found herself alone again, still loitering outside of the spa after parting with both Rarity and Fluttershy. The former had wanted to get back to her boutique in hopes of some last-minute sales, whereas the latter had been in a hurry to get back to her cottage. A number of animals in her care would get really cranky if they didn't get something to eat soon, according to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash could relate to that. She had been sad to see Fluttershy go. So much was still left unsaid. But Rainbow Dash knew they wouldn't be able to drag the words out, now, anyway. The delicate little moment between them had burst like a bubble the instant Rarity had interrupted them, and regrettably it could not be recreated on demand. You can't force these things, after all. Especially not with a pony like Fluttershy. Or herself, for that matter. Ah well, there would be other moments alone together. First things first, though. She still had two ponies left on her to-visit list: Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. An egghead and a cloudcuckoolander. Great. While Rainbow Dash debated with herself, trying to decide which of these two unlikely advisers to look up first, however, her train of thought was interrupted by a strange buzzing noise that swiftly grew louder. At first, it had been almost imperceptible; there was a fountain in the small square in front of the spa, and the white noise of its falling water drowned out most other sounds. But now it was unmistakable. Suddenly, a young, helmeted pegasus sailed around the corner. She rode a scooter which she was powering with her small wings, whose rapid oscillations turned out to be the source of the motor-like buzzing noise. When she spotted the older pony, the filly screeched to a halt. “Ohmigosh!” Scootaloo said breathlessly, “Rainbow Dash! Hi!” “Oh, hey kiddo,” Rainbow Dash said distractedly. She rather liked the amber filly; the blank-flank reminded Rainbow Dash a lot of herself. But at the moment, she had other things on her mind and quietly hoped the young pony wouldn't stick around too long. “Whatcha doing?” Scootaloo asked inquisitively. She hopped off her scooter and beamed at Rainbow Dash; it wasn't often that she ran into her idol on the streets. Rainbow Dash tended to spend most of her time in the skies above Ponyville, a domain still frustratingly out of the filly's reach. “Nothing much,” Rainbow Dash replied candidly. She regretted this almost immediately. “Cool!” Scootaloo said eagerly. “Can I help?” “Help with.. nothing?” Rainbow Dash blinked. “Uh.. right,” Scootaloo said sheepishly, though she still looked hopeful that she could find some way to be of assistance. Or anything else that would let her spend time with Rainbow Dash. “And what are you doing? Shouldn't you be, like, in school or something?” Now it was Scootaloo's turn to blink. “It's Saturday.” “Uh.. right,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly, getting a sense of deja vu. “Well anyway, whatever it is you were doing, you'd best be, you know, getting back to it. 'Cause I've got stuff to do..” “Oh me? I'm looking for Pinkie Pie!” Scootaloo explained, apparently misinterpreting the mare's dismissal as a question. “'Cause me and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are planning on being Cutie Mark Crusaders Ice-Skaters today and we heard that Pinkie is really good at skating. So Apple Bloom told me: 'Y'all go look for her, Scootaloo! You're the fastest.' And so I did, 'cause I totally am. But then I ran into you and I kinda forgot, but now I remembered!” Rainbow Dash hesitated. She really should know better, but she had to ask: “Ice-skating?” “Uh-huh,” Scootaloo confirmed. She didn't appear to see a problem with their choice of activity. “But it's.. not even fall yet. And not freezing. At all.” “Well yeah,” Scootaloo said with a slight duh-I-knew-that tone. “That's why Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are looking for about a million ice cubes,” she explained calmly. ”Wait, did I mention that? 'Cause that's their mission. We figured we'd need about that many to freeze the lake.” Rainbow Dash, realizing the futility of this discussion, simply nodded. “Of course! Ice cubes!” she said smoothly. ”Yeah, a million ought to be.. enough.” She idly wondered how the others ever mustered the patience needed to deal with all three of these hyperactive fillies at the same time. It occured to her that maybe Scootaloo's presence wasn't entirely inconvenient, however. Maybe the filly could save her a little time. “I'm actually looking for Pinkie, too," she told her. "Did you happen to swing by Sugar Cube Corner, yet?” “I did, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake said she had the day off and that they didn't know where she went.” “Figures,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Pinkie is so random; she really only shows up whenever you least--” “Hiiiiii guys!” Pinkie Pie said, right on cue. She was, of course, standing directly behind the pair of pegasi, giving them both quite a start. “Whatcha doing?” “Looking for you,” Rainbow Dash snapped, glaring at the unpredictable pony after she'd regained her composure. “Whelp, looks like you found me then!” Pinkie Pie beamed, giving no indication that she had actually intended to startle the two other ponies. “Pinkie Pie! The Cutie Mark Crusaders need your help!” Scootaloo said, immediately hijacking the conversation. “We want you to teach us how to ice-skate. It might be our special talent! And it sounds kinda cool, anyway.” “Oh, it's super duper cool!” Pinkie exclaimed, spreading her forelegs wide to indicate the exact extent of its coolness. “Except there's a small problem,” she added, dropping her limbs back to her sides and furrowing her brow. Here it comes, Rainbow Dash thought to herself. She wondered how Pinkie was going to break the news. The trio's plan contained a rather fatal flaw, after all. “Where are we going to get a million ice cubes?” Pinkie Pie said seriously. “We've totally got that covered,” Scootaloo assured her. Rainbow Dash felt like she had to lie down for a bit. “Alrighty then! Meet me at Horseshoe Lake tomorrow and I'll show you guys the ropes! And after that, maybe I can teach you how to skate, too! And what about you Dashie? Did you want skating lessons, too?" “No! No.. I just wanted.. Well, I wanted to ask you..” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. Here went nothing. “I was thinking that maybe you could help me, Pinkie. I'm having trouble pulling off the Rainboom, and I really need to be able to do it at the Pegalympics. If there's anything you know that could help, well, I'd love to hear it..” “Oh is that all?” Pinkie Pie laughed. “Well, I've seen you do it once; well, okay, twice maybe; but the first time I didn't really know what it was; but anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! Rainboom, duh. It was still the most awesomest thing EVER, by the way. But it looked like you were having trouble with your flying before. Prolly 'cause you were all trembly and fetal-position-y! You should work on getting rid of those nerves before a big event with lotsa ponies or you'll never be able to fly your best. I know how you feel Dashie; I mean, I give a lot of speeches at parties and that used to scare the pants off of me! Even when I wasn't wearing any!” Rainbow Dash blinked. The fact that Pinkie Pie had managed to answer such an out-of-the-blue question with casual ease surprised her. It took her brain a moment to decipher the reply, with all of its tangents and heavy doses of Pinkie-speak. When it had finished, Rainbow Dash realized that Pinkie had hit the nail right on the head. Stage-fright had been the cause of her lackluster performance. “Uh.. That's.. Thank you, Pinkie! That's actually a pretty good place to start,” she said, “Any idea on how to fix that, though?” “Hmmm..” Pinkie Pie pondered, scratching her poofy mane. “Oh! I know! You could imagine that the entire crowd is naked,” she suggested with a fillyish giggle. “Then you can laugh at them, and a laugh is the easiest way to get rid of those mean ol' party-pooping nerves!” “.. Pinkie?” “Hm?” “They're gonna be naked. We're naked.” Pinkie Pie looked down at herself, then carefully studied Rainbow Dash. “Oh! Right. Silly me, haha!” “Adults are weird,” Scootaloo observed, looking from one mare to the other and wondering if they even still realized she was there. “You could also imagine they're all wearing, I dunno, funny hats or something,” Pinkie amended her advice, completely unfazed by the doubtful looks the other mare and the filly were giving her. “But the most important thing is that you believe in yourself.” Too late, Rainbow Dash recognized the meaningful tone in which Pinkie had said these last few words. By the time the penny had dropped, the pink pony had already sucked up a lungful of air and jumped atop the edge of the fountain. It served as a makeshift stage as Pinkie began to sing: “The tale she was most fond of - my dear old granny Pie - was of the humble bumblebee and how it could not fly! 'Cause, you see, still fly it did! The skeptics it ignored. It spread its tiny, clumsy wings; ma-jes-ti-cal-ly soared!” “Does she do this a lot?” Scootaloo said, looking rather dismayed. She wasn't used to ponies randomly bursting into song like this. The bemused filly watched as the roseate mare hopped down from her perch, frantically flapping her forelegs like wings. “Only every other day or so,” Rainbow Dash said drily, as Pinkie continued undeterred: “So just believe in yourself and let them all say nay! Just take ol' Pinkie's words to heart: each pony has its day! For on the gray old rock farm in days of yesteryear, they said: “A party cannot last forever, Pinkie dear!” But I believed in myself and let the whiners wail. 'Cause brimming full of confidence, well, you will never fail! When you believe in yourself, then pony, what the hay! You'll beat the odds, and show them all. No matter what they say!” Panting, and with her forelegs splayed wide above her head, Pinkie finished her song. She looked expectantly at Rainbow Dash. “Thanks, Pinkie. I'll be sure to keep that in mind,” Rainbow Dash said. "You're welcome!" Pinkie Pie said, oblivious to the sarcasm. Scootaloo, eager to escape the assault on her poor ears, had hastily said goodbye somewhere around the third couplet. Probably to report the success of her mission back to her fellow crusaders and aid in the “borrowing” of Celestia-knows-how-many ice cubes, Rainbow Dash thought. “But you know who we should really go talk to?” Pinkie said. “Applejack, yeah. I've already been to see her though, and..” “No, silly-filly! Twilight of course!” “Yeah, 'cause she's totally my go-to pony for all matters athletic..” “But she's sooo smart!” “She's a dork, yes. What's your point?” “A dork whooped your flank during the Running of the Leaves?” “That wasn't--” Dash began angrily, until she realized that she should have learned not to underestimate Twilight despite her lacking physical prowess. “Alright, alright. Well played,” she sighed.”Let's go.” “Yay!” Rainbow Dash had finally found her friends amidst the countless other ponies gathered to watch the race. It had actually been easier to spot them than she'd expected; they were drawing quite a bit of attention to themselves. The pegasi here didn't see a lot of unicorns and earth ponies, to begin with. Usually there was no way for them to get around, without plummeting straight through the city's vaporous surface. But Twilight's handy little cloud-walking spell took care of that, and her air balloon had safely carried them all here, even to these elevations. The blue mare's little group of supporters didn't stop standing out there, though: all of them were sporting rainbow-colored face-paint (or make-up, in Rarity's case). Applejack, who got plenty of practice at rodeos, was cheering louder than anypony else in the entire stadium, with plenty of yee-haws thrown in for good measure. Pinkie Pie had somehow acquired a complete Cloudsdale High cheerleader get-up, including pom-poms. These she waved enthusiastically while she came up with one embarrassing cheer after another. Fluttershy was being overshadowed by her peers as always, but looked quite cheerful and waved a little rainbow flag. Spike looked mostly preoccupied with the diverse pile of snacks he had brought along. Twilight Sparkle, lastly, had clearly only read about the Pegalympics and seemed to be having trouble taking it all in. Rainbow Dash waved and felt a surge of affection for her friends as they jumped up and down for her and called her name. It was impossible to hear, but she was sure she saw Fluttershy break out a little 'yay!' It wasn't much, but hey, she'd settle for it. Focusing on Twilight - who was still looking around with foallike wonder - the blue mare wondered how a pony could be both so knowledgeable and yet so naive at the same time. She tried to remember all the advice the purple pony had given her. She'd certainly given Rainbow Dash quite a few things to chew on when she had dropped by a few weeks ago - both literally and figuratively. “Okay, so let me get this straight, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. She was sitting at the table in the Ponyville Library along with Pinkie Pie. The pegasus had trouble concentrating since Pinkie was sitting right next to her, noisily wolfing down various deserts. In the background, Spike's jaws crunched away happily at a smorgasbord of sapphires. “What you're saying is that all ponies have magical powers?” Rainbow Dash managed to finish her sentence. She cocked her head quizzically. Despite her initial misgivings, Rainbow Dash had been convinced, by Pinkie's irrefutable arguments, to drop by Twilight's home and ask her for advice. To their surprise, the purple unicorn had immediately invited them in for dinner. As it turned out, the magical mare, ever eager to learn, had picked up cooking and baking as potential new hobbies to pursue. A constellation of pots, ingredients, and utensils was floating around the room, lazily revolving around the wannabe-chef. There was a huge, precarious stack of recipe-books teetering on the floor and, in typical Twilight-fashion, she seemed to be going through them alphabetically rather than attempting to create any kind of logical procession of courses. The upside to this was, of course, that there was plenty for a famished pony to choose from. Twilight, for her part, seemed delighted to have someone other than Spike around to sample her culinary creations; after all, he was omnivorous and considered virtually everything edible. (Except for her pound cake. According to him, he'd eaten diamonds less dense.) The arrival of two additional dinner-guests-slash-test-subjects really couldn't have been more timely, even if one of them constantly peppered her with questions. “That's correct, Rainbow Dash,” she said patiently, as she poured her guinea pigs some fresh water and had a floating quill tick off a step of the current recipe at the same time. The spike of mystical ivory on her head lit up even more as she made a spherical bubble of water boil in mid-air, before directing it into a pot. “At least, that's what my recent research on the nature of pony magic shows.” “So, if I wanted, I could chop celery and totally overcook it with the power of my mind, too?” “That was an accident. And I'm sorry but I'm afraid it doesn't work like that..” “These carrots are really good, by the way.” “Gee, thanks! I wasn't sure if I got the right amount of caramelization, but--” “I don't get it though.” “The carrots?” “No, the magic thing.” Twilight Sparkle ran a hoof over her face and took a deep breath. The objects orbiting her slowly settled back down onto the floor as her concentration waned. “It's like this, Rainbow Dash: all of us ponies are descendants of alicorns such as Princess Celestia. As you know, these are immensely magical and immortal equines--” “Uh, yeah, I knew that..” Rainbow Dash lied. ”But each of us are born with only a part of that ancient magic,” Twilight pressed on. ”Unicorns like myself, because we have a horn to use as a focal point, can use our magic directly and specifically.” “Like I said: you guys got all the cool powers,” Rainbow said sulkily. She was repeating a statement she had made earlier, which had sparked this entire discussion. “Sort of,” Twilight admitted a bit apprehensively. “But what earth ponies can do is pretty neat, too! Though their form of magic is still poorly understood. I don't quite get how it works myself, but all the books I've read suggest that wherever earth ponies dwell they affect the world around them. As though they form a bond with the land.” “Applejack does get really buddy-buddy with her trees,” Rainbow Dash said, remembering Bloomberg. “Sort of like that, yeah. They are very attuned to their environment. Sometimes, apparently, to the point where they can somehow feel things coming within it.” Twilight paused to shoot a glance at Pinkie Pie, who, at the moment, seemed much more attuned to a stack of pancakes. ”But anyway,” she continued, ”If it weren't for the earth ponies, Ponyville would just be another part of the Everfree Forest.” “How can you say that, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash said, disturbed by the suggestion. “Ponyville could never be like that freaky place. You've been there!” “Obviously. But bizarre as it may sound, Rainbow Dash, I think the Everfree Forest is how the world actually is. How it's supposed to be. Without ponies around, I mean. Plants pollinating plentifully wherever they please, animals all fiercely feral and ferocious, and the climate completely chaotic; occasionally cataclysmic!” “Do you have to do that?” Rainbow Dash had to ask. She wondered if Twilight was at all aware of her apparent addiction to alliteration. “Do what?” “Huh. Never mind.” Twilight Sparkle looked confused. “Uh, anyway.. My point is: it is a wild, savage place. But when earth ponies settle somewhere things gradually change. The land becomes more fertile, animals increasingly domesticated and docile, and the climate temperate and calm.” "Hang on," Rainbow Dash objected, "Me and the rest of the Weather Patrol are the ones who control the climate." "No, you manufacture the weather," Twilight corrected her, "Since you can manipulate the clouds. But without earth ponies around the weather would be creating itself autonomously, and you'd probably find it very hard to keep in check." “I don't know, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. The blue mare was beginning to feel a bit out of her depth, and all the big words and subtle nuances the bookish unicorn was throwing at her weren't helping. “How can you know all of this? Things have been like this in Ponyville for as long as anypony can remember.” “Well, remember Appleloosa?” Twilight replied, ”That was a frontier town, a recent settlement, and yet Applejack's relatives already had a huge, fruitful orchard growing there. In the middle of a desert. If agriculture was naturally possible in that environment, how come the bison were still living as grazing nomads after all these centuries?” “Wow, that's super interesting, Twilight!” Pinkie contributed. The pink mare had seemed insatiable and focused solely on the food, before now. She'd stopped stuffing her face however, listening to Twilight with a rapturous look on her face and her chin propped up on her hooves. “Yeah, totally riveting. It even woke me up once or twice,” Rainbow said flatly. “You know, I don't know why you're bothering to ask me questions if you're just going to disparage me for trying to answer thoroughly,” Twilight huffed. “Sorry Twilight. You're right,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “It's just, this is all really fascinating and all – and I mean that, honest - but I just don't see how it helps me at all.” “I was getting to that! We haven't even talked about pegasi yet.” “Alright. Don't let me stop you.” “Thank you,” Twilight Sparkle nodded. ”Where was I? Right, pegasus ponies. Well, that one's really obvious. You guys can fly!” Rainbow Dash waited silently for a few moments, but when no additional exposition seemed to be forthcoming she threw up her hooves in frustration and disbelief. “But that's not magic!” “Of course it is,” Twilight said. She had that confused look again. “You ever notice these?” Rainbow Dash said. She spread her wings to illustrate her point. “I have,” Twilight said simply, glossing over the sarcasm. ”But did you ever stop to think that it should be physically impossible for you to generate enough lift for flight, with wings as puny as those?” “Did you.. did you just call my wings puny?” Rainbow Dash said. She sounded deeply offended and glared at Twilight with smoldering eyes. “N-no, they're.. great!” the unicorn hastily backtrotted; she clearly hadn't intended to be insulting. “What I meant to say was: if you look at the birds indigenous to this area, you'll notice that they're - literally - featherweights. And their wingspans are proportionally much larger than yours.” “So?” “Well, you weigh about as much as Pinkie, don't you?” “Not at the moment, I think..” The gluttonous party-pony had, indeed, devoured so much pudding, ice-cream and other treats, at this point, that one wondered how she was still able to move. She was following the back-and-forth discussion between the two other ponies as though she were watching a tennis match, and grinned at them when they looked at her dubiously. “Riiight," Twilight said, "Probably not. But, erm, under normal circumstances?” “Yeah, sure. I guess," Rainbow Dash said dismissively. She couldn't really argue there. "Why?” “The point is that you aren't any lighter or smaller than us unicorns or earth ponies. Birds are relatively small, and even have hollow bones to keep their weight down. Yet pegasus ponies can fly around at higher speeds than any bird, without going through all that trouble. In fact, they can have their fall broken by a swarm of butterflies, apparently, or casually stroll about on clouds like they're nearly weightless!” Rainbow Dash needed a moment or two to digest all this. She felt like Twilight was on to something, but the preceding slight about her wings made her reluctant to concede too quickly. “So.. wait, you're saying my wings are just there for decoration? Then what the hay have I been training my flank off for?” “No Rainbow Dash, I'm saying your wings are like my horn: they allow you to instinctively use some form of magic that allows you to fly with them. It's obvious there's physical activity involved, otherwise you wouldn't have to move them at all. But all the flapping in Equestria wouldn't help if you weren't able to affect gravity or disregard a few fundamental laws of nature somehow. At least, that's what I think.” "If that's true," Rainbow Dash said doubtfully, "I should be able to do the Rainboom every time, no sweat. In fact, every pegasus should be able to do it. What gives?" “Hmm, well," Twilight said, "Unicorns clearly don't all have the same magical potential, so I'm guessing the same goes for other types of ponies. You are probably the fastest pegasus I've ever seen--” “Probably?” Rainbow Dash protested. “-you are the fastest pegasus I've ever seen, but-” “There are no buts about it!” “Would you let me finish?” Twilight snapped. “Sorry. Go ahead.” “But.. you can't expect to be able to do something as extreme as the Rainboom consistently without a better understanding of your abilities." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "How can I understand something when nopony even knows how it works?" Twilight smiled sympathetically and touched Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "Look, believe it or not, I understand your frustration. When I took my entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, my magic was still very flaky. I couldn't even do the simple, stupid magic tricks I'd done a million times before. I felt like I was under so much pressure; my whole future was riding on the outcome and those examinators were constantly frowning and scribbling away at their notepads.." "But you pulled it off, right? Turned them all into potted plants, if I remember right," Rainbow Dash said approvingly. She'd have given anything for the ability to turn her teachers into houseplants, back when she attended Flight School. "Not all of them," Twilight said, looking a bit embarrassed. "And it was the wave of magical energy from your first Rainboom, washing over me, that awoke my latent abilities. It was exactly the little push I needed." "So, you think that--" "Maybe all you need is a little push, too," Twilight interrupted. She smirked, enjoying Rainbow Dash's expression now that she experienced first-hoof how annoying that could be. "Though I have to add: I've been studying magic for years now and I still can't fully control it." "I don't have years, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. She tried not to sound too impatient. "Well, we can try to figure out the first step," Twilight said soothingly. "Both occasions where you pulled off the Rainboom were pretty extraordinary, right? We should probably take a closer look at those--” “--and figure out what made it work then!” Rainbow Dash realized. “That's brilliant, Twilight!” “Thanks,” Twilight sighed. “But will I ever be able to complete a sentence, I wonder?” “Oh! Oh! I know this one!” Pinkie said, sticking up a hoof as if she were in class. “The last time she went all rainboomy was 'cause if Dashie hadn't gone that fast, Rarity and those other guys would've been pony pancakes!” The pink mare made a rather graphic 'splat' noise while she pantomimed something falling and flattening on the ground. ”So I guess we should go get your balloon, Twilight, and then I can jump out of it, and then..” “Let's.. let's not do that,” Twilight gulped. Rainbow Dash hastily agreed. “Aww.. but I like pancakes,” Pinkie pouted. “Pinkie has a point though,” Rainbow Dash considered. “When I saw that they were in danger I didn't even think about whether or not I'd make it. I had to make it.” “But the circumstances weren't quite that extreme the very first time, right?” Twilight asked, trying to recall all the details of the blue mare's cutie-mark origin story. Rainbow shook her head. “Naw, I just wanted to win really bad.” “Strange,” Twilight said. “Almost as if it was easier for you when you were younger.” “Um, Dashie, didn't you also mention something about having to “defend Fluttershy's honor,” or something adorkable like that?” Pinkie Pie teased. “Yeah..” the blue mare said reluctantly. She'd intentionally left out that embarrassing little detail. “Yeah, there was that, too.” “So essentially you were still trying to protect a friend,” Twilight said with a smile. “Yeah. A friend..” Rainbow Dash said evasively. ”That's pretty useless though, if that's the secret behind it.” “I don't think it's that specific,” Twilight reassured her. “This is just a hypothesis, mind you, but I think what you have in spades is confidence. And in life-or-death situations you generally don't even think about what needs to be done, you just do it. What it seems to all boil down to is that, in order to pull off something as blatantly impossible as the Rainboom, you need to actually believe you can do it first. That seems to be the key!” Rainbow Dash considered this advice. It sounded awfully familiar somehow.. “Just believe in yourself, Rainbow Dash!” the unicorn repeated firmly. “Hey!” Pinkie Pie said indignantly. “That's what I said!” Every fiber of Rainbow's body was tense, like a drawn bow, waiting for an electrical signal to pulse from her brain as soon as her eyes registered the wave of the checkered flag. In this moment that flag was all that existed; the rest of the world was being filtered out by her faculties. "Ready?" the attractive, white pegasus model who carried the flag began. She got only intense stares for an answer. Even the crowd was completely hushed. "Seeeeet..." she continued, annoyingly stretching out the word. Wings were being revved in anticipation, ready to give their owners a little starting boost. Hooves scraped and stamped impatiently on the surface of the track. "GO!"
Aurora	705	5	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-09-05T12:21:48+00:00	2012-09-05T12:21:48+00:00	5,133	Rainbow Dash felt like she was in a trance. The Mareathon was by far the most punishing thing she had ever subjected her body to. To make matters worse, the air was much thinner at this altitude. Under these conditions her body struggled to maintain even the most basic functions of life, although the pain that had been building in her overexerted muscles and lungs had faded as sweet endorphins began to course through her veins. All she saw was the flank of the pony in front of her; the rest of the world was blurry and vague. Her heart, pounding steadily but rapidly, was the only thing she could hear clearly. Even her desperate breathing, which had settled into a continuous sequence of gasps, matched the thumping beat laid down by the straining muscle in her chest. She galloped on in time with this natural rhythm, her lean muscles flexing beneath her bright blue coat. The pegasus mare felt detached from the world. She still inhabited her own body, but with her senses dulled and her entire being consumed by the monumental task of putting one hoof in front of the other it was as if her conscious mind was just tagging along for the ride; jostling around within the blue automaton that carried it to its destination. Her thoughts began drifting, trying to escape the monotony by conjuring up pleasant daydreams wherein she won the gold medal, became captain of the Wonderbolts, and received a lengthy, celebratory hug from a certain pink-maned pony. Without warning, the mare in front of Rainbow Dash stumbled and fell. It took precious seconds for her sluggish brain, which was running on auto-pilot, to register the fact and react accordingly. Just barely the weary pegasus managed to avoid tripping over the fallen pony, who hadn't the energy left to struggle back onto her feet. Looking over her shoulder - concerned despite her overriding desire to win - Rainbow Dash saw that medical ponies had already rushed to her competitor's side. The official Pegalympics medical team was having a busy day; the Mareathon was definitely living up to its reputation. Many a pony had already collapsed or just plain given up. Rainbow Dash had seen several of these incidents, all of them stark reminders of the fact that pacing one's self was a necessity here. That was one lesson the blue mare had taken to heart: she had held back, letting those who were desperate to take the lead sprint right past her. None of these foolhardy ponies had lasted very long. For a while she'd even been side-by-side with Spitfire, who was using the same tactic. But the Wonderbolt had pressed on after a few laps, confident about the limits of her endurance. It had taken all of Rainbow Dash's willpower not to overdo it and attempt to keep up with her. Her real strength was going to be the aerial portion of the race, she knew; she just needed to make it through this arduous section in one piece so that she could show them all what she was really made of. The prospect of flying again after all this tedious running made Rainbow Dash yearn for the finish even more. This whole time, she had held her wings tucked tightly against her sides, taking care not to unfold them since that would be considered a foul. This had taken far more self-discipline than she had expected; she'd never realized just how often she tended to thoughtlessly flare out her wings. But soon she would be allowed to give in to that impulse again. It couldn't be long now.. "Woooo! Just one more lap to go, Dashie!" a bubbly, heavily amplified voice blared, startling Rainbow Dash. Spike, in hopes of providing commentary during the event, had smuggled in a megaphone. The device had been appropriated by Pinkie Pie, however, much to the chagrin of everypony in the adjacent rows. "Atta girl, Rainbow!" another voice called, "Y'all show 'em what for!" That was Applejack butting in, no doubt. "--so put that thing away, you two!" a third pony lectured them, "The stadium rules clearly state that--Pinkie, what are you--hey, don't point it at me!" The hiss of static followed. Poor Twilight. Rainbow Dash could see them all now, goofing around and arguing over the megaphone. Grinning in spite of her utter exhaustion and encouraged by their unconditional support, she pushed her protesting body into a final sprint towards the finish line. When she finally staggered over it she was treated to some polite applause. Getting this far was considered an accomplishment in and of itself. Rainbow Dash, tired as she was, posed for some photographers with a single foreleg lifted and a proud look in her eyes; droplets of crystalline perspiration sparkling in her exotic, colorful mane. They lapped it up. A young upstart from a small town, making it this far? That made for a great story! To the blue mare, this moment in the limelight was just as refreshing as several minutes worth of rest. Rainbow Dash was beginning to feel like her old, boisterous self again, but forced herself to take a break. She needed some time to catch her breath. There were bowls of water for the parched runners to rehydrate themselves, and Rainbow Dash dunked her face into hers in an attempt to cool off and shock her brain into full gear. While she drank her fill, Rainbow Dash felt the bundles of muscle near her shoulders cramping and instinctively unfolded her wings. Almost immediately she started feeling better. Her legs were still shaking a little, but at least it no longer felt like she had lead weights attached to her torso. There was little time to wonder about this miraculous respite, though; a small group of veteran Mareathon runners, who had made it to the halfway point before her, were getting ready to get going again. And here she was, still in the middle of her pit stop! Tossing her head to remove the drooping bangs of mane from her eyes, Rainbow Dash just caught a glimpse of Spitfire as she dove headfirst into the gap of perfect azure that opened in the center of the stadium. The mare's wings were flat against her streamlined body, helping her get as much speed out of free fall as possible. This was it. Twilight and Applejack had helped her plan it all out in advance. They had agreed that this was the most strategic moment to attempt to take the lead with a Rainboom. It was psychological warfare, since all of them were exhausted and the ponies in front of her had fought tooth and hoof for their small lead. They had probably expended a bit more energy than Rainbow Dash, who had held back to conserve her strength. If she could overtake them with a dramatic burst of speed it would be immensely demoralizing. After that, she could take it down a notch and just focus on staying in the lead. A solid plan. There was just one catch: she had to actually pull it off, first. Rainbow Dash felt confident that she could do it though. At least, more confident than she had felt on that fateful morning, weeks ago, when she'd stood on a mountain top and screamed in frustration at the rising sun. She'd gotten so much help and advice from her friends. She'd spent agonizing hours with Twilight Sparkle, listening to the dorky mare drone on and on about magic, and had even attempted to go against her very nature by meditating together with her self-proclaimed tutor; sitting perfectly still for periods longer than she'd ever imagined bearable (ie. a few minutes). She'd done it before. She'd do it again. This was going to be a piece of cake. ..Right? Rainbow Dash spread her wings and slowly ascended, spiraling upwards to a point much higher above the aperture than any of the other fliers. Looking out in the distance, she could just make out a few small dots on the horizon - the opponents she was hoping to overtake. Donning her goggles, the nervous pegasus was soon fixated on the small patch of brilliant blue below her. She filtered out the confused but expectant murmur of the crowd. She dove down and accelerated, her forelegs stretched out in front of her and her wings a blur of motion. In her wake her colorful tail danced and whipped around wildly. In front of her the atmospheric pressure wave was already building, like a sheet of dense air that resisted her progress. She pushed harder, stretching the resilient obstacle and gritting her teeth. Little arcs of static electricity crackled around her hooves. For the first time, now that her eyes weren't tearing up from the wind, Rainbow Dash could see all these fascinating phenomena happening clearly. "C'mon.. C'mon!" she urged herself, trying to will her wings into doing their enigmatic magicy thing and tell the laws of physics to go suck on a salt lick. She tried every trick she knew to reduce wind resistance at the same time. It was going to happen, Rainbow Dash could feel it. Any second now she would burst through and-- An entire stadium of wide-eyed, exhilarated ponies let out a collective gasp. Before she knew what was happening, Rainbow Dash found herself being flung backwards. The invisible barrier she'd attempted to tear through sprang back soundlessly. It took all of her strength just to stop herself from spinning and rocketing upwards. She was left disoriented and badly out of breath. Her wings, which she had stressed to the breaking point in order to halt her momentum, ached in every joint. Her usually indomitable spirit wavered. “It's hopeless..” Rainbow Dash whispered, looking down at the last of the remaining pegasi taking off before her. She'd never catch up to them now. “I couldn't do it after all..” She closed her eyes in tacit acceptance and felt drained and empty; too worn out to even feel anger at her ignominious failure. “RAINBOW DAAASH!” A high, clear voice rose above the din of the crowd, carrying even to the heights at which the blue mare in question hovered. Rainbow Dash's eyes snapped open. She looked down in shocked surprise to see that Fluttershy, of all ponies, had snagged the megaphone from Pinkie Pie. The plucky pegasus had spread her wings and fluttered up a few feet above the rest, looking up at the blue speck in the vast skies and shouting into the electronic contraption at the top of her lungs. “DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP!” Fluttershy's amplified voice echoed throughout the stadium. “YOU CAN DO IT. I--WE BELIEVE IN YOU! NOW GO.. KICK.. their.. um..” A screeching note of audio feedback rang out in the stunned silence following that outburst. It was cut short because, at that exact moment, Fluttershy realized what she was doing. The usually mousy mare quickly let go of the 'on' button, her face turning beet red. “Eep!” she squeaked, before quickly flitting back down to her seat and hiding behind Rarity. For a moment, Rainbow Dash was left completely dumbfounded. Fluttershy, whose cheering rarely exceeded a few meager decibels, yelling into a megaphone in front of thousands of other ponies? It was terribly unlike her. Rainbow Dash hadn't seen this side of the shy pony since she gave a ferocious dragon a stern talking to. But in this situation there didn't seem to be anything to warrant such a scene. Unless.. Unless.. She felt her own face flushing, but her grimace relaxed into an elated grin. Her heart leapt, and as it pumped with renewed vigor Rainbow Dash felt her exhaustion evaporate. She whinnied loudly, feeling a tingling warmth flow through her sinews all the way up to her proudly flaring wings. In her mind's eye she imagined a pinprick of light - brilliant yet remote, like a distant star - growing brighter and brighter on a black firmament of inner despair. It fueled her with boundless energy and hope. “This one's for you..” Rainbow Dash murmured. She dove down abruptly. "What in tarna--" Applejack gasped, before her precious hat was blown clean off her straw-colored mane and her cry was overpowered by the deafening sonic boom. The shock wave was incredible. Disastrous as it may have seemed to Rarity, her disheveled mane was nothing compared to what ponies in the first few rows experienced. Few of them were still standing; the ripple of dispersing pressure had expanded outwards and left naught but toppled ponies in its wake. Pinkie was shrieking, beside herself with glee as an entire fireworks display worth of colors went off all at once. She flailed her forelegs, then wildly hugged an equally jubilant Fluttershy. The two of them bounced up and down, holding each other and loudly chanting Rainbow Dash's name. It wasn't long before every pony assembled in the stadium followed suit. The brief, shocked spell of silence erupted into a roar of cheering and hoof-stomping. Few of the ponies present had ever seen anything quite this spectacular, and those who had come hoping to catch a glimpse of the fabled Rainboom were not disappointed. The same could be said for Spitfire, who was a few miles out already, flying towards the finish at top speed. She had originally only heard about the Rainboom second-hoof, despite the fact that she probably owed her life to the legendary aerial maneuver. But this time she was conscious to witness it, although she probably still would have missed the silent streak of cyan that overtook her - leaving only a sparkling rainbow trail to mark its passing - if she had happened to blink her eyes right that instant. Even the famous Wonderbolt could not help but be impressed by this incredible burst of speed. Even moreso when, a few second later, she heard the thunderous boom; it didn't take her long to realize that Rainbow Dash hadn't just outraced her, but sound itself. The older mare shook her head and let out a laugh, silently accepting her now seemingly inevitable second place prize. She had to hand it to this heretofore unknown rookie from Ponyville: the filly had style. While the unexpected Rainboom bathed a few thousand flabbergasted fillies and colts in a vibrant mixture of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, however, there was one mare who did not share in the enthusiasm. A twinge of sudden doubt and fear plagued Twilight Sparkle. She had closed her eyes when the ripple of intermingled colors washed over her, and her horn still resonated with the magical energies that it comprised, much as it had when she was taking her entrance exam all those years ago. But this time she felt it even stronger; Twilight was left breathless, even trembling a little after the wave of energy had passed. It was so intense, so abundant, so.. raw; much like her own outpouring of uncontrolled magic before Celestia had intervened. "She did it.. Almost from a standstill," Twilight stammered, still feeling a bit shaky. The magical mare sat down heavily on her haunches and bit her lower lip. She was worried for her friend. Had anyone else caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash's eyes, when the pegasus had gazed down at Fluttershy? Twilight could have sworn that, just for an instant, they had been devoid of both pupil and iris, a vague, creepy white glow kindled within them. Was that what she looked like when she let herself go? Twilight shook her head. She needed to stay focused. It seemed like Rainbow Dash had received the little push she'd needed. But now that the pegasus speedster had been unleashed, would she be able to control her unique sway over reality? Twilight herself had been unable to, but perhaps it was different for pegasus ponies. Then again, the words 'Rainbow Dash' and 'restraint' shouldn't even be used in the same sentence together. Would her friend's old Flight School nickname come back to haunt her? Twilight didn't even want to think of the kind of crater a crash at supersonic speed would leave.. The purple unicorn looked up at the bottom of the isolated, royal cloud-platform where the solar Princess was seated, but couldn't see her mentor from here. How she would have liked to have Celestia around to answer her questions and allay her fears. There was another, flakier alternative, but Twilight Sparkle doubted it would be of much help. "Pinkie!" Twilight yelled, trying to get through to the ecstatic, sparkly-eyed pony next to her, "Pinkie, you wouldn't happen to be picking anything up with your Pinkie Sense right now, would you?" It was a long shot, but it might help to lower her anxiety levels. After all, she could attest to the fact that Pinkie was an expert at detecting impending accidents. Pinkie Pie blinked, calming down a little. She stopped shaking her pom-poms long enough to determine whether any part of her was twitching or doing anything else weird. "Nope!" she eventually concluded. "Well that's a relief," Twilight exhaled, "For a minute there, I--" "Oh, hey, wait a minute.." Pinkie frowned. "What? You felt something?" Twilight gasped, bombarding the pink mare with rapid-fire questions, "Just now? Is it Rainbow Dash? She isn't in trouble is she? Oh, I'll never forgive myself if she ends up getting hurt!" "Hmmmm.. You're standing on my tail; yes; yes; no; no; it's not your fault," Pinkie replied serenely. Her eyes turned skyward briefly, and she rubbed her chin with a hoof while she carefully considered whether she'd provided answers to everything. "Wait, that last one wasn't really a question, was it? Silly me." "Huh? Oh! I--I'm sorry.." Twilight said, quickly lifting her hoof. At least, once her brain - which clearly didn't work quite the same way as Pinkie's - had caught on. "It's alright. No nerve endings back there anyway," Pinkie told her, "If there were, it be really hard to--" The pink mare paused in mid-sentence and shuddered, a tremor traveling from the back of her neck all the way down to the very tip of her poofy tail. Her default smile faltered and a single hoof shot up to clutch at her heart. She looked shaken, and swallowed hard before she spoke. "T-this is bad.." "Define 'bad'," Twilight said grimly, leaning closer to the distraught mare. "The last time I felt something like this was.." Pinkie began. She shut her eyes, displaying an eerily un-Pinkie-like facial expression. "A while before.. before Grandma Pie passed away suddenly.." "So.. that means.." Twilight said with a growing sense of dread. She didn't want to complete that sentence. "Somepony we know is gonna die, probably," Pinkie finished it for her, brutally drawing the conclusion Twilight had been unable to face. The matter-of-fact way in which she spoke gave Twilight a few shudders of her own. Seeing this, Pinkie's grave expression softened. "Well, maybe they won't actually die this time, Twilight. Maybe they'll just be, I dunno.. horribly maimed?" Pinkie proffered with a wholly unconvincing smile. "Oh, well that's a relief.." Twilight groaned, taking no comfort whatsoever in that terrible attempt at reassurance. Her violet eyes turned heavenward and traced the colorful trail that Rainbow Dash had left behind, all the way to the distant horizon. She recalled what Applejack had once told her about Pinkie's eponymous Sense. It had never been wrong.
Aurora	705	6	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-08-08T08:20:56+00:00	2014-01-07T22:02:01+00:00	2,909	"Applejack!" Twilight strained her vocal cords, shouting to be heard over the howling winds and torrential rain. "We need more sandbags! This isn't going to cut it!" The unicorn mare was in full-on leadership mode, but couldn't quite suppress the panicky note in her voice. "We're haulin'em in as fast we can, Twi," Applejack hollered back, audibly short of breath as she struggled to find her footing in the slippery mud. The mare came trudging over to Twilight, bearing several of the crucial but heavy sandbags on her back. The heightened center of gravity made it harder for her to keep her balance and she could barely see for the rain and gloom, yet she soldiered on until she had reached her destination. After pulling the brim of her soaked hat bit further down to shield her eyes, she explained, "The goll-darned wagons we brought're all stuck in the mud. Big Mac and some the other stallions're tryin' to get them movin' again, but they ain't going nowhere in a hurry." Twilight nodded grimly. She'd feared as much. The ragtag group of earth ponies that came staggering in with Applejack were all carrying as much as they could, but it was slow going this way. The purple mare's violet eyes slid past the woefully inadequate line of defense they had constructed so far, then darted to the threat at hoof: the largest river in the Everfree Forest, Styx, seething and overflowing in its banks as the endless downpour fed it into a monstrous state. This kind of extreme weather tended to be limited to the forest, where nature had free reign. But that did not guarantee that Ponyville would come out unscathed, its magical protection notwithstanding. Along its meandering course the river came dangerously close to the outskirts of the village; because of that, a flash flood could still cause significant damage. "Ain't lookin' too good for ol' Ponyville, huh?" Applejack said wryly, correctly guessing what was going through Twilight's head. "Don't you worry, Twi. Nopony here'll let their home get flooded, they have anything to say 'bout it." As she spoke, her green eyes looked fiercely at the river, as if it was a foe she could stare down. Twilight nodded. She knew Applejack had a personal stake in this: Sweet Apple Acres was only a few minutes' gallop away. "I know," she replied, but she worried anyway. "Do you happen to know how the others are doing?" "Saw Fluttershy helpin' to evacuate a bunch of critters over yonder," Applejack said, vaguely gesturing to the other side of the river. "And Pinkie? She was with me." The orange mare looked over her shoulder with a bemused frown. "Don't rightly know where she got off to though." "That sounds like the Pinkie I know," Twilight responded with a shrug. "But never mind that, let me get those for you." She lowered her head a little and focused, relieving Applejack of her burden. Directing the floating, glowing sandbags to where she wanted them took only a casual flick of her horn. Behind her, along the bend of the river, the dark of night was dotted with the intermittent glow of dozens of other shimmering horns. The diversely colored lights looked almost festive, but the general mood among the wet and miserable ponies was anything but. "Thank you kindly," Applejack said gratefully. She winced when she straightened up and stretched her aching back, making several vertebrae pop. The unsettling noise elicited a disapproving click of the tongue from somewhere. Glancing past Twilight, the orange mare grinned jovially at the source of the annoyed sound. "Hangin' in there, Rarity?" The white unicorn was aiding in the construction of the makeshift dam with her telekinesis like every other able-horned unicorn in town. "I am managing just fine, Applejack," she replied, although she had clearly seen better days. The taxing weight of the sandbags and unwieldy rocks was taking its toll on the mare, who rarely levitated anything heavier than rolls of fabric and the occasional hairbrush. "And if you think I am going to be daunted by a little bit of disgusting blubber, you shall have another thing coming!" she added resolutely, apropos of nothing the other pony had actually said. Applejack and Rarity. Twilight looked from one mare to the other and noticed something surprising. The two were usually polar opposites, but at the moment, in the dark of night, they were actually pretty indistinguishable. Their long manes were hanging from their heads in lank, dirty strands, bereft of their unique color and style; their distinctive coats and markings were caked and spattered with mud. Rarity was recognizable only because she had bothered to put on an elaborate designer raincoat, which currently hung from her sides in tatters, having utterly failed to shield her from the elements. "Thought y'all weren't too fond of gettin' your hooves muddy," Applejack quipped, recalling the prima donna-ish way Rarity had acted during a past thunderstorm they'd weathered together. "Ahem. I prefer not to muddy my hooves if it serves no purpose," Rarity corrected her. "Given the circumstances I shall endure it. Besides, this is nothing a nice, long, hot bath cannot remedy. You might wish to remember that, Applejack, lest you mistakenly assume that brown was your natural color." An understandably irritable Twilight was just about to tell the two of them to cut it out and try to cooperate for once, but she stopped herself when she noticed the playful little smiles on the two mares' muzzles. Twilight shook her head and laughed, making a mental note to have Spike take a letter to Princess Celestia when this was all over. She could highlight the curious fact that friendships could apparently manifest in the form of endless bickering. The unicorn's revisions to the to-do list in her brain were rudely interrupted, however, when what was best described as a pink flurry of motion performed a spectacular belly slide right next to the trio of already quite soggy mares, deluging them in a tidal wave of watery muck. This move was, of course, accompanied by the obligatory "Wheeeee!" A sputtering and gasping Rarity gave Pinkie Pie a look which should, by rights, have caused her to spontaneously combust. Applejack, who was blowing profanity-laced bubbles in the mask of mud that now plastered her face, looked none too pleased either. As such Twilight decided to make a quick, strategic decision before all hell broke loose. "Um, Pinkie Pie?" she said with a strained smile, after parting the curtain of dripping mane that had hidden away her face, "Why don't you.. help out.. somewhere else?" "Noooo problemo!" came the enthusiastic response, "Whatcha have in mind, Twilight?" Twilight considered the alternatives, essentially trying to decide where the pink mare would be the least disruptive. "Go see if Fluttershy needs any help. I'm sure she can manage the animals just fine, but I imagine she isn't enjoying the lightning too much. She would probably appreciate the company." "Aye aye, Capt'n!" Pinkie acknowledged, saluting Twilight before cheerfully skipping off a little ways upstream and making her way across the river. She used the only way across that was left for miles: a battered but sturdy wooden bridge which still somehow managed to withstand the relentless onslaught of the river. Twilight sighed as she watched Pinkie go; sometimes she really didn't know what to do with the eccentric earth mare, especially in situations like this. After getting rid of her impromptu facial mask, Applejack took off again, too. She crossed the same bridge to get back to her brother and the stranded wagons, albeit it with a lot more caution than the fearless pink pony that preceded her. Twilight really couldn't blame her for being wary. She took one look at the foaming, raging waters and felt an immediate twinge of dread. The thought of somepony getting swept up by that deadly rush of tumbling water, rocks and uprooted trees was one she really didn't want to dwell on. "We'd better get back to work, too," she told Rarity, who nodded and promptly abandoned a fruitless attempt at fixing her mane. But while the muddy unicorn beside her set her jaw and struggled to lift another one of the sandbags, Twilight dawdled, looking up at the faithless sky. Rain ran down her muzzle and dripped from her horn, and she had to squint to protect her eyes, but it was hard to miss the massive supercell that loomed overhead. It looked disturbingly like a vast, amorphous creature. The dark formation of swirling cloud flashed angrily and in the churning bowels of the storms she saw the shadowy shapes of pegasi flitting about. She knew they were desperately trying to tame the storm from within, thus far to no avail. As the booming sound of the thunder reached her and a gust of gale-force wind swept through her mane, Twilight found herself involuntarily thinking a thought she had often told herself to stop dredging up. It was still painful after all this time, and irrational to boot. After all, what possible difference could a single pegasus make in a situation like this? She still wished Rainbow Dash were here. Rarity gingerly closed the door of the Carousel Boutique behind her, careful not to wake her little sister, who was all tucked in and sound asleep. As a lady ought to be at this hour, the reluctant unicorn told herself. But her beauty-sleep would have to wait. Before she set off the meticulous mare checked off the list of commodities she had packed into her saddlebags; it was going to be a long night after all. It was nearly midnight when, a few minutes later, Rarity arrived at Rainbow Dash's home. It was fortunate that the Princesses had arranged for another full moon tonight. Without its pale light she would have missed the solitary silhouette of the pony she'd promised to meet, huddled up on the top of a small, grassy hill situated right next to the gravity-defying abode. Rarity paused for a moment, looking up at the extravagant castle and noting the lack of burning lights or any other sign of habitation, before climbing up the winding path to the crest of the hill. Fluttershy was sitting on her haunches, gazing at the stars. She wasn't actually seeing any of the twinkling lights woven into Luna's grand tapestry, however. Instead she was straining her eyes, hoping to spot one of those distant suns being blotted out briefly, preferably by a certain blue pegasus rather than yet another dark wisp of cloud. The intensely focused pony's ears perked up when she heard the sound of hooves rustling in the grass behind her. "Oh, hello Rarity," she greeted the approaching unicorn, making a valiant (but not entirely successful) effort to mask the disappointment in her voice. Rarity picked up on the tone but instantly forgave her friend. It had been two whole days since the Pegalympics, without a single sign of Rainbow Dash. She knew the poor pony was worried sick. "You really ought to get some sleep, darling," she told Fluttershy while she shrugged out of her saddlebags, "I can keep watch for you while you rest?" But Fluttershy merely smiled and shook her head. "Thank you so much for the offer, Rarity, but I don't think I'd be able to sleep.." "I heard a lot of ponies are out looking for her. Including the Wonderbolts themselves!" Rarity said, trying to sound cheerful and comforting. She opened her bags and magically sifted through their contents, eventually finding a blanket to keep her warm. Fluttershy had heard the same thing, but knew the search was a lot like looking for a needle in a haystack. A supersonic needle. In a haystack the size of Equestria. "I wish I was out there, helping them look.." she said softly, knowing full well that she wouldn't be of much use. A fact that had never bothered her as much as it did now. Unsure on how to respond to that without hurting the weak-winged pegasus's feelings, Rarity opted for a short spell of silence instead, joining Fluttershy's nightly vigil and scanning the star strewn skies. She wrapped the blanket more closely around herself and offered a spare to Fluttershy, who politely refused, seemingly unbothered by the cold. Rarity studied her friend for a while. "You really care about her, don't you?" she said eventually. It wasn't even really a question. "I do," Fluttershy whispered without a hint of hesitation, before flushing, a bit surprised by her own candidness. "I mean.. she's a really good friend." "Come now, my dear," Rarity said sternly, "Do you think me completely blind?" "W-what do you.." Fluttershy sputtered, but she didn't get to finish the feeble protest. "I have seen the way you look at her, Fluttershy," Rarity interrupted. "I even set up that little rendezvous in the spa, hoping some quality time together would suffice to get the two of you talking." "You.. you were trying to get us together?" Fluttershy looked confused. "But you butted in at the worst possible moment!" she blurted out, momentarily forgetting herself. She quickly pressed her hooves to her muzzle. "Um, I mean, you couldn't have known of course." "No no, you are quite right," Rarity admitted graciously. "After coming up with that rather transparent excuse to get you two alone together, I stood waiting outside the door, lis--" The unicorn paused and hastily corrected herself: "Completely respecting your privacy. Ahem. But other ponies wished to enter the hot tub area. They were getting rather impatient; I could only stall them for so long. So I decided to enter first, just in case there were any.. shenanigans.. going on. Better me walking in on anything like that rather than any random old pony, n'est-ce pas?" "I see. Yes. Perish the thought," Fluttershy said with a nervous giggle, the rosy glow on her cheeks turning beet red. "Sorry.." "Sorry for what?" "That there was nothing to walk in on?" Rarity chuckled. "Well, I need not have worried of course," she teased, "You two were being as frustratingly slow and clueless as always." Fluttershy smiled wanly, realizing that her friend's observation, however blunt, was completely accurate. "Thank you anyway, Rarity. For trying to help." "Do not mention it, my dear," Rarity said modestly, although she actually seemed very pleased that her romantic machinations were finally getting the appreciation they so richly deserved. "I have to say that I was surprised when I first learned that you fancied Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, though. I suppose opposites really do attract." "Opposites?" Fluttershy repeated with a hint of surprise. "I guess you could say that.." She was fidgeting as she spoke. Rarity, unsatisfied with the half-hearted agreement with something she had considered so blatantly obvious, pried a little further. "Are you perhaps suggesting that you and Rainbow Dash are actually very similar to one and other?" The notion seemed absurd, but she'd known Fluttershy long enough to recognize when the timid pegasus was holding back her own opinion for fear of being too confrontational. "Not in terms of behavior, no," Fluttershy readily admitted. "She's a little more.. outgoing? If you know what I mean. But I've known her for a long time. Although she always tried to get me to be more assertive, I always knew.." Fluttershy lowered her head as she reminisced, her face soon eclipsed by a lock of the bright pink mane which so often obscured her eyes. "I always knew that she was hiding. Just like me." "Hiding?" Rarity said, cocking her head. "Not literally I presume?" "Oh no, not like that. I mean, um.." the shy pony said, pausing to collect her thoughts and brush back her mane. "I mean that she is always trying to keep up a certain image. Always pretending to be confident - even when she's, you know.. not?" Rarity was beginning to understand what the other mare was getting at. "Ah yes. Her vaunted coolness." "I remember the day her mother passed away," Fluttershy recalled sadly. "It was years ago; we were still just fillies in Flight School. Rainbow Dash didn't come to class that day. But the next day she was back in her seat as if nothing had happened. I felt so bad for her.. I wanted to talk to her about it. Maybe cheer her up a little, if I could. But.." "She did not let you?" Rarity guessed. Fluttershy nodded slowly. "Yes. Her mother meant the world to her, but I never saw Rainbow cry about her death or even acknowledge that it happened. Come to think of it," the pegasus said, her eyes widening, "I've never seen her cry at all." "Nor have I," Rarity said with a frown. "I imagine she keeps such emotional displays private." "Yes.." Fluttershy said softly. "There are parts of herself she doesn't share, even with her closest friends. And now.. now I might never get to really know her." She gazed out into the quiet night and despaired, trying to hold back the helpless tears. "There there, I am certain it will all be alright," Rarity said quickly, attempting to console the exhausted pony, who was clearly an emotional wreck at this point. She reached over to awkwardly pat the pegasus's back, realizing that mere platitudes probably wouldn't be enough. "She will be back tomorrow, you'll see. Why, she probably decided to take a nap somewhere along the way. You know, one of those two-day naps she likes to take.." Fluttershy gave her friend a watery smile, appreciating the attempt to cheer her back up, unconvincing though it was. Now that she wasn't so preoccupied with keeping watch, however, the yellow pony began to shiver, her chattering teeth extremely audible in the dead of night. That was soon remedied, however, when Rarity triumphantly pulled out the extra blanket she had proffered up before. This time, it was gratefully accepted. "Rarity? Do you think we could, um.. work? Rainbow Dash and me?" Fluttershy wondered aloud, bundled up in her borrowed blanket. "Yes," the white unicorn said immediately, eager to encourage the more optimistic direction the conversation had taken. Quite honestly she had her doubts, but she guessed that the pink-maned pony wasn't looking for advice or detailed answers at the moment. "In spite of your different temperaments, I can see that you two complement each other very well. She needs someone like you to take care of her, I believe." "Me? Take care of her?" Fluttershy mumbled, "Shouldn't that be the other way around?" "She is very protective of you, it is true. But that is not what I meant," Rarity explained. "She seems to avoid responsibilities, whereas you take on more of them all the time without a word of complaint. You constantly care for others, whereas she can hardly take care of herself. I mean, honestly my dear, have you ever tried any of her "cooking?"" The worn-out pegasus giggled. "Hmm.. So.. she needs me?" "I daresay. Why, I remember having an argument with her the other day, concerning her apparent aversion to bathing. She'd just get dirty again anyway, she argued. Obviously I could not abide anypony advocating such poor personal hygiene, so I--" Rarity continued with the rest of the amusing anecdote, and it was a while before she realized that Fluttershy had nodded off. The long, insomniac nights and constant worrying had finally caught up with her. "Poor dear," Rarity sighed, before gently easing the sleeping pony down onto the grass and throwing her own blanket over her for some additional warmth. She watched her best friend for a while, seeing the lines of care in Fluttershy's face and the way she would twitch or nervously mouth words in her sleep. Even now, in her dreams, her mind was reaching out for Rainbow Dash. "You had better get back here soon," Rarity whispered angrily to the (frustratingly empty) skies. "And have an extremely good excuse for putting her through all this." Beyond Equestria, beyond the landmass where ponies, gryphons, dragons, and all manner of other creatures dwelt, lay the Hippocampic Ocean. This seemingly endless stretch of saltwater encircled the known world from all sides and, as far as most of ponykind was concerned, covered the entire planet. During the reign of Discord it had been a churning mass of foaming maelstroms and towering waves (and occasionally lemonade), but in these days of harmony the gales had abated and the waters were mostly calm, lapping contentedly at the coastlines while Luna's tides rocked them gently to and fro. As the great sea slumbered, its deep blue waters glittered like glass in the light of the blazing sun. Everything seemed tranquil, with the only sign of life being the graceful movements of a lonely seagull drifting stationarily in the wind. Until something dropped down abruptly from the steel blue sky. Diving at breakneck speed and at a very steep angle, the object just barely managed to pull level with the surface of the water before crashing into it headfirst. As it soared mere inches above the swell of the waves sheer velocity left a violent spray of whitewater in its wake. It wasn't long before it began to skim the surface, the resulting friction causing rapid deceleration. After skipping like a pebble a few times - the water being about as yielding as bedrock at these speeds - it finally came to a violent halt. The unnatural rainbow bridging the sky and the sea sparkled beautifully for a while, before gradually fading away. Rainbow Dash lay floating on her back, her body motionless but for the gentle rising and falling of the water in which she was now adrift. Her submerged mane lifted and swirled around her head, making it look as though it was bleeding colored ink, although the color red seemed to be predominant. The fallen pony's eyelids trembled as she forced them open, her pink eyes staring blankly and groggily at the skies, until a splash of salty water washed over her face. It stung horribly. Emotionless, irritated tears welled up, adding a few superfluous saline drops to the vast, uncaring sea. Her concussed brain couldn't even formulate a coherent, final thought. It did dutifully register the fact that her hind leg throbbed with a sharp pain, but that seemed inconsequential given that the pegasus pony was already rapidly losing consciousness. The last thing she heard was the mocking cry of the seagull, already distorted by the water that was slowly swallowing her whole. In the end, only a stream of bubbles betrayed the location of the crashed mare. It mattered little: nopony was out looking for her. She was utterly alone. Beneath her, only unfathomable miles of lightless, crushing depths. "Stoppit, all of you! Stop acting like she's dead!" Scootaloo cried angrily, stamping her small hooves. She was addressing a small gathering of ponies on a hill situated between Ponyville and Cloudsdale, where an informal memorial service was being held. The site was marked by a tall, solitary tree, already clad in its yellowed fall regalia, which could be seen for miles around. Scootaloo's narrowed eyes, however, were fixed on a slender stone erected beneath that tree. It bore a familiar symbol, which was the cause of her ire. The young pegasus could not bear to see it there, etched into the dull, gray stone: the cloud with the bolt of multicolored lightning shooting out of it. It wasn't right. The silent, somber crowd looked at the filly with a mixture of shock and pity, but she ignored their attempts to shush or placate her. "Rainbow Dash.. Rainbow Dash can't be dead!" the little pony protested, "She's the coolest.. fastest.. bestest pegasus of them all. Like she'd die in some stupid crash!" Despite the petite pegasus's insistence, her confidence was already beginning to waver. "It's.. it's probably just a prank! She'll be here any second. T-that's right. And she'll be laughing! Laughing at us 'cause we all fell for it.." The young pony looked eagerly at the horizon, and the glimmer of misguided hope kindled in her eyes broke Twilight Sparkle's heart. In lieu of Scootaloo's conspicuously absent parents, she reached out to the desperate little pony, but the feisty filly wasn't having any of it. "Lemme go! I don't want a stupid hug!" she said sullenly, while trying to avoid the unicorn mare. "Scootaloo," Twilight said gently but firmly, "Listen to me. I know it's very hard to believe, but it's been months since Rainbow Dash disappeared. If she was okay, no matter where on earth she was, she would have made it back by now." Avoiding the mare's eyes, the blank-flank stood staring at the ground, still wearing a rebellious expression. In truth, though, she was feeling a little surprised that Twilight wasn't talking down to her like most adults would. It made her feel a little guilty for acting like such a foal. The amber filly swallowed hard, but made no response to Twilight's argument otherwise. "I also don't believe she'd ever pull a cruel prank like that," Twilight continued. "The Rainbow I knew wouldn't do that to us. She cared about us. About you, too." That did it. The filly made a small choking noise. "I.. I wanted to fly with her someday.." She looked up at Twilight, her eyes shining. "She'd show me one of her awesome moves, and then we'd practice together until I finally got it. And then she.. she'd tell me I did a good job.. that she was proud of me.." Scootaloo's lower lip was trembling, her voice fragile and small. "Twilight..?" "Yes?" "I don't want her to be d-dead." Twilight closed her eyes when she felt Scootaloo press into her side and bury her tear-stained face into the soft, purple fur. She could feel the little pony trembling, her small frame softly convulsing as it was wracked with sobs. "None of us do, sweetie," she whispered, blinking back a few tears of her own. It was odd: she thought that she'd spent these last few weeks coming to grips with the fact that Rainbow Dash was gone. But somehow unraveling the last, flimsy shreds of false hope that Scootaloo had clung to affected her as well. As if somewhere, deep inside, an irrational part of her had been hoping for much the same thing. "Thanks, Twilight," Scootaloo muttered when her sobbing had subsided a little. The grief-stricken filly backed away and wiped furiously at her eyes and runny nose. She seemed embarrassed by her outburst; even though she was still shaking the young mare fought hard to keep her erratic breathing in check. Twilight felt for her. She looked into the tough little pony's expressive eyes and hated what she saw. Some of the foallike naivety and wide-eyed innocence that had shone within them had been snuffed out, replaced with something both wiser and more cynical. These were eyes that would no longer register surprise whenever the world demonstrated how terrifically unfair it could be, only resignation. "We're all here for you," the purple mare assured her. "Now why don't you go and find your friends?" All the glares and hushed conversations around them were clearly making the filly feel worse, and from Twilight's own experience she knew the best salve for a wounded soul was the presence of friends. She watched the pint-sized pony hobble off, ducking through the crowd in search of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and decided she should probably heed her own advice. She most desired to speak with Celestia, whose wisdom and warmth could always calm her down. But to the best of her faithful student's knowledge, the Princess had not yet arrived to pay her respects. Spotting a familiar cowboy hat nearby, the unicorn mare settled for less elusive company. Twilight found Applejack standing over the empty grave, holding her hat to her chest and softly speaking to the silent stone. The approaching pony slowed her pace and stopped just out of earshot, maintaining a respectful distance. When Applejack became aware of the other mare's presence she turned and smiled heartily, but she was blinking an awful lot and complained unconvincingly of something getting in her eyes. "Been meanin' to ask you, Twilight," the earth mare whispered, redonning her hat, "Ain't there something we can do? Y'all're so good with magic - gotta be somekinda spell that'll--" "Bring Rainbow Dash back?" Twilight said wearily, tired of having to dash one hope after another. "I'm sorry, Applejack. I know it may seem like there's nothing that cannot be achieved through some impressive spellwork, but a pony's life force is a magic more ancient and formidable than you can imagine. No magic we unicorns possess is sufficient to even get a Cutie Mark to appear, and that's just most trivial manifestation of the endless potential embodied by--" "Whoa there, Twilight. Got me all wrong," Applejack stopped her. Despite all the fancy words, the orange mare had quickly realized her half-uttered question had been misinterpreted. "I know y'all can't work miracles. Was just wondering.. Can't we at least find her.. y'know.." Applejack seemed to have trouble spitting it out. She gritted her teeth, annoyed with her emotions. "Her body. Don't feel right leaving her out there somewhere. All alone.." The mare's voice cracked a little when she spoke those last few words. She sniffed audibly. "Darn it. Gimme a second." Twilight shifted uncomfortably but understood the sentiment. It was incredibly hard to get any kind of closure without tangible proof of their friend's death. Being forever in doubt about Rainbow Dash's ultimate fate was an unimaginably painful prospect. "I.. I tried, Applejack, " the unicorn replied haltingly, still upset by her failure to find any trace of the pegasus, "Believe me I did. But I couldn't--" "I believe you, Twi," Applejack said firmly. "Known you long enough to know y'all tried everything you could. Just checking, y'know.." The earth pony trailed off and stared at the lonely gravestone standing amidst the gathering leaves. "Would've liked to say goodbye.." Twilight nodded sympathetically, but she could already felt her eyes beginning to prickle again and quickly dropped the subject. "How's Fluttershy holding up?" she asked. Hard as it was for her to deal with Rainbow's passing, she couldn't even begin to imagine how the other pegasus in their little group was coping. She had to admit it came as a surprise when she'd learned that the two winged ponies had had feelings for each other - a fact virtually everypony but herself had been aware of, apparently - but now that she knew her heart went out to poor Fluttershy. "She's tore up plenty," Applejack said, never one to sugarcoat the truth, "And well.. see for yourself." She shot a stealthy glance somewhere to their right. Twilight followed her gaze and quickly spotted Fluttershy amidst all the other mourning ponies. Her heart sank at the sight. Leaning heavily on a miserable-looking Rarity, the pink-maned pegasus seemed to be staggering around in a daze, the weight of a thousand crushed dreams resting on her frail shoulders. She wasn't crying, but this seemed to be due more to exhaustion than her emotional state. Her dull eyes were red and puffy and blinked at the harsh light of the sun, unable to comprehend a world which already seemed intent on moving on without Rainbow Dash. Rarity fared a little better, but not by much. She'd bravely volunteered to look after the countless critters under the pegasus pony's care, but dealing with animals clearly wasn't her forte. She looked dead-tired, with traces of filth best left undescribed sullying her perfect hooves and stray chicken feathers flecking her usually well-coiffed mane. And.. were those bunny bite-marks? Tearing her eyes away from that sorry sight, Twilight realized that only one pony from their circle of friends was still absent. "Applejack," she said doubtfully, "Where's Pinkie Pie?" Applejack made no reply. Twilight blinked and asked again, pressing the orange mare for an answer. "She ain't comin'," the blond mare eventually admitted. "Said we were all being silly. That Rainbow ain't dead. I tried to reason with her, but you know how she gets.." "But.. But I don't understand!" Twilight exclaimed, bewildered by the pink pony's behavior. "She's the one who predicted.." "Settle down, sugar cube," Applejack broke her off, her ears twitching from the sudden increase in volume, "No need to holler at me, I was there." "Sorry, sorry," Twilight hastily excused herself, "But it just doesn't make any sense." "Pinkie not makin' sense?" Applejack said with a sarcastic snort, "What's the world comin' to?" "Oh, haha, Applejack. This is serious! It isn't healthy for her to refuse to deal with the situation like this. She's clearly in denial." "I'd say," the earth pony sighed, "Though I think Pinkie just don't deal well with death. Maybe even feels responsible, being the one saw it coming and all that.." "I.. hadn't thought of it like that," Twilight admitted, trying to imagine how that kind of prescience could affect a pony. "We should keep an eye on her, Applejack." "I hear you," the other mare said earnestly. "Gotta look out for each other, times like these." "Oh, by the way," Twilight suddenly remembered, "Have you seen--" But like so many of her sentences, the poor unicorn never got a chance to finish her question. A murmur traveled through the previously quiet crowd. Heads turned and eyes were directed heavenward. Overhead, a group of pegasus ponies in blue, lightning-streaked uniforms approached, literally from out of the blue. Flying in a tight V-formation at low altitude, they dove into a spectacular flyover which drew gasps from all the ponies who'd come to pay their respects. Abruptly, a single orange-maned skypony near the front peeled off from her companions, soaring up to dizzying heights before disappearing from sight altogether. Her companions carried on on the same course, still together, but with a noticeable gap left in their ranks. A void that could never be filled. "Heard they made her an honorary Wonderbolt," Applejack said when she could bear the long stretch of silence that followed the impressive display of aerial acrobatics no longer. "She would have been proud.." Twilight responded absentmindedly. She was lost thought, dwelling on the memories of her brief time with Rainbow Dash. Every so often she'd look around, her searching eyes scanning the spectators for something. But the only thing they seemed to find was more disappointment. Also watching the aerial salute were two familiar blank-flanks who had briefly escaped the watchful eyes of their big sisters and the stifling presence of so many long-faced ponies. They might have been unaware of the exact history of the Missing Mare Formation, but the heavy symbolism was not lost on them. Still, to them the whole scene seemed downright surreal. The dreadful finality of death had yet to sink in. "Where d'you think ponies go when they die?" Sweetie Belle asked Apple Bloom after staring after the Wonderbolts until they were little more than dots on the horizon. It was a poignant question, and one the young unicorn clearly hadn't given much thought up until this point. "Nopony rightly knows," Apple Bloom answered gravely, adopting an air of authority she felt was appropriate given the fact that she alone of the Crusaders had some experience with death. "I asked my sis when grandpa Smith died, but that's all I could get outta her. Told me I should mosey on along and go play." The young pony rolled her eyes. "So I asked grandma. She 'splained that when a pony dies they get put in the ground so that the trees and flowers can grow big 'n' strong." "Oh," Sweetie Belle said doubtfully, furrowing her brow. "But.. we didn't put Rainbow Dash in the ground, did we?" "Uh.. right, yeah. Knew that," Apple Bloom said sheepishly. "I asked Rarity just now and she said something about her going to heaven," Sweetie Belle offered. "Heaven? Like, the sky?" This time it was Apple Bloom who looked skeptical. "Guess so. She wasn't very clear about it." There was a small frown, and then: "Also, she didn't really sound like she believed it herself very much... I could tell." "Well, it's kinda dumb anyway," Apple Bloom scoffed. "Pegasuses already live in the clouds!" "Oh yeah..." the young unicorn said, scratching her head. "I guess adults really don't know either then?" "When a pegasus dies, their spirit becomes a star in the sky," a third voice said resolutely, causing the two philosophizing fillies to wheel around. "Scootaloo?" they exclaimed in surprised stereo. And indeed it was. Their friend wasn't crying anymore - though she still showed signs of it, with the light fur around her eyes and on her cheeks left damp and darkened - but something in her expression still startled them a little bit. She wasn't even looking at them; her eyes were focused on the sky. Though it would soon start getting dark, it was still too early to see the stars of which she spoke. But the young pegasus knew they were there, just beyond the blue veil. She longed to see them more than ever. "W-who told you that?" Apple Bloom inquired carefully, not sure what to make of the apathetic manner that their usually boisterous and energetic fillyfriend had suddenly adopted. She didn't know why, but she thought Scootaloo suddenly seemed.. older. "They watch over us from high above. Serve as beacons to help us find the way when we are lost," Scootaloo continued, completely ignoring the question. She spoke as though she was merely repeating something she had memorized, in words that were not her own. "And sometimes.. sometimes, when you see a shooting star, a pegasus is coming down from the great skies beyond to help guide those left behind." The filly finally turned to face her friends, and though she hated herself for it she could not stop the tears from running down her cheeks. "Rainbow Dash told me that." It was clear that this simple fact made it gospel to the young pegasus. "I found her this one time, way after bedtime, when I'd run away from home again. She was looking at the stars and was acting really strange. And she started to tell me that story. Said her mom was up there." "Wow.." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exclaimed in unison, their mouths hanging open. Their awed expressions actually managed to make Scootaloo laugh, making for a confusing mix of emotions. It wasn't long before a Cutie Mark Crusaders Group Hug was loudly called for, and although she made a token effort to express how much she hated mushy stuff like that, it was just what Scootaloo needed. Twilight was falling. The sun had all but disappeared, with only diffuse dregs of its brilliance remaining. An aptly named purple unicorn stood on the outskirts of Ponyville and gazed gently at the dying of the light. She had been heading home unhurriedly from the memorial on the hill, alone and lost in thought, but paused to watch the day's passing, realizing that she'd never really taken the time to do so. The scenery left a bitter taste in her mouth, however. Seeing the sun move reminded her of the one responsible for its journey across the sky and how disillusioned she currently felt. Twilight had always idolized her mentor, but even she could not excuse the alicorn's absence on this day. Sure, she knew Equestria's ruler was kept very busy with her royal duties, political issues and crises big and small. But when one of the Elements of Harmony - one of her favorite student's friends - passed away, surely she could deign to appear for a little while? Or at the very least send her condolences. The purple pony sighed. She felt too drained to muster any real anger at this shocking betrayal of her faith in her teacher. Sometimes, she felt that Celestia was as distant and unapproachable as the heavenly bodies after which the alicorn was named. It was a fact she was just going to have to live with. Like she was going to have to live with other things.. When she turned to her way back to the library, however, she spotted something that had been left on her doorstep: a rolled-up piece of parchment bearing a official-looking wax seal. She immediately recognized its sun-shaped design, but was too puzzled by its presence there to peruse it right away. The Princess never had letters delivered like this, they always used Spike as a conduit for their correspondence. It was far more efficient. The baby dragon had seemed pretty inconsolable, though, so maybe Celestia wanted to spare him the discomfort of having to regurgitate her message? How considerate, Twilight thought, a bit disturbed by her own bitterness. When she took a step closer, however, the magical mare became aware of the little hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Closing her eyes, she felt her horn resonate with the powerful spells that had been woven around the innocuous-looking piece of paper. That explained a lot - this message was intended to be for her eyes only, it seemed. However convenient Spike's ability to convey letters was, the little dragon did have a habit of reading Twilight's mail.. It took mere seconds for the impatient unicorn to levitate and tear open the letter, nearly impaling the parchment on her horn as she leaned in close to read it, her eyes darting from left to right at an astonishing pace. My dearest Twilight Sparkle, First and foremost, my sincerest apologies for my absence during the memorial service held in honor of your dear friend Rainbow Dash. I ask you to forgive me, and to trust that I abstained from coming for good reason. Please come and see me in my private chambers at Canterlot at your earliest convenience. I have an urgent and sensitive matter I wish to discuss with you in private. It concerns the above. Yours most sincerely, Princess Celestia.
Aurora	705	7	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2012-11-26T12:52:49+00:00	2013-09-08T22:29:10+00:00	4,728	Commissioned artwork & mini-comic by FruitbloodMilkaShake An alien world lay hidden beneath the deceptively tranquil surface of the ocean, harsh and unwelcoming towards anything from the surface foolish enough to plunge into its depths. In that hostile environment not even the pure light of Celestia's sun remained unaffected, the higher wavelengths filtered and mutilated so that everything took on the same hazy, bluish tint. It was easy, therefore, to miss the tiny, insignificant blue pegasus descending deeper and deeper into the vast abyss. Even though she was almost ludicrously out of her element she blended right in, with even her garish mane losing its luster. The uneven strands floated weightlessly around her still, serene face, waving and rippling in an eerie fashion, like a colorful shroud. Warmer shades did not exist in her cold, underwater tomb, so from the gaping wound on Rainbow Dash's head there seemed to bleed only a thin trail of dark ink, swirling in her wake like the smoking contrails of her beloved Wonderbolts. Gravity—which Rainbow Dash had so often and so blatantly defied—was finally conquering her in the end. As natural buoyancy and pegasus magic both failed, it patiently pulled its helpless, unconscious prey down into the murky bowels of the great sea, where the blue gradually faded into black. The darkness there grew thick and ancient, until at last even the faintest memory of warmth and light was snuffed out for good. The drowning pony at least seemed to be at peace, her body acquiescing in its fate as essential processes shut down. The stream of tiny bubbles from her mouth and nose had ceased, her limbs were all relaxed, her limp body gently rotating on every axis as it sank. Her mouth was open slightly, the water filling her muzzle and slowly, inexorably forcing itself into her airways, still blocked off by laryngospasm. Everything was dead silent. Her eyes were closed, and it was almost as if she were sleeping— They snapped open. In an instant, they were wide with primal fear, her pupils dilating in a futile attempt to compensate for the everlasting, hostile darkness in which she was afloat. She might still have been dreaming, caught up in some horrible nightmare, were it not for the unmistakably real, searing pain tearing through her oxygen-deprived lungs. Rainbow Dash began to move frantically, struggling against her fate without plan or purpose, her limbs flailing and kicking, her body contorting in a macabre, weightless dance. The frantic urge to breathe took hold of her, but the disoriented pegasus fought it, knowing that she was faced with a question as simplistic and binary as it was dreadful. Up, or down? Life, or death? It seemed impossible to tell the two apart, with no next to no light left to guide her. But there wasn't time for even a moment's hesitation; what little presence of mind she still possessed was slipping, fast. The same impenetrable column of water that prevented the sun's rays from coming to her aid was slowly crushing her, every last drop of it bearing down on her unfairly frail body. Her chest ached, threatening to collapse from the sheer pressure, and even her sonic-boom-proof eardrums felt like they were on the verge of rupturing. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, calming herself even as every cell in her body ached for her to breathe, and so seal her fate. Her brain was close to insensibility, but she didn't really need to think. She did what she always did: she listened to what her gut told her and went with it. Pure instinct. No looking back. Shooting up like a cyan torpedo, it took mere seconds for her to break the surface. She had guessed correctly. The half-drowned pony inhaled with a desperate gasp, appreciating the reinvigorating air flooding into her lungs more than she ever had before. Then the coughing started, all the briny water she had swallowed pouring forth from her mouth and nostrils in painful heaves; for a few horrendous moments the struggling mare felt like she might choke to death, just after finally breathing the free air again. When it was finally over, an exhausted Rainbow Dash allowed herself to simply float on her back for while, keeping her battered wings splayed out, with only the stinging of the saltwater in her wounds reminding her that she was indeed still alive. She wearily pulled the shattered goggles from her head and watched a very surprised seagull circling above her, while she groggily tried to piece together what, exactly, had happened. Her Sonic Rainboom had been successful, for only the third time in her life, hurtling her past all of the competition in the Mareathon with ease. The poor pegasus officials posted at the finishing cloud were probably still spinning; she had just kept on going, not bothering to stop for their pointless trophy or empty accolades. The only thing that mattered was that she had bested Spitfire—possibly securing herself a spot in the Wonderbolts—and that she was flying faster than she ever had before. Why would she want to stop? There really was no reason to, no freshly fallen Fluttershy or Rarity to check up on. And the rush, the euphoria, the adrenaline pulsing in her veins... it felt too good, too awesome. It had been so long since she had experienced the true sense of speed, that panicky little wobble in her underbelly, the twinge of fear she seldom managed to recall during her usual stunts nowadays... But gradually, as she pushed the envelope and found that she could go faster still, that addicting thrill had been replaced with something else: a sense of disconnection, of Zen-like peace. She was in the zone, achieving through sheer velocity what she could not accomplish during all the wasted, precious minutes of sitting still and trying to meditate with Twilight. Although Rainbow had never really noticed it before, she became aware of the fact that there was something insulating her from the world that rushed past her, some involuntary magic nullifying even the friction of the air, so that it no longer made her eyes tear up and her face contort the way it did when she was still at subsonic speeds. It seemed to expand as she pushed herself harder until it felt like an invisible bubble, growing to envelop her like the magical shields she'd seen powerful unicorns like Twilight project around themselves. All sense of velocity and distance faded into obscurity. Everything was tranquil and silent, since no sound reached her ears; she far out-raced those sluggish oscillations. The mountains and forests and clouds that whizzed past, repeating over and over in ever-more-rapid, psychedelic patterns, grew blurry, blending into a surreal tunnel of colorful streaks, the reflections of which flashed and flickered in the mare's flight goggles. It was as if the pegasus was no longer a part of the physical world she was rapidly circling; she merely passed through, ghost-like, unseen by naked eyes, almost completely unaffected by the forces that shackled and held back all living things. She was free. From the day a foal named Rainbow Dash first dove from the clouds and soared like a bird through the boundless skies, ignoring the cries of shock and terror from her parents and instructors both, this had been what she had yearned for. This had been her dream. Her desire for fame and recognition and derring-do, her lifelong ambition to join the Wonderbolts, even her hopeless love for a certain yellow pegasus... everything came second to this one drive, this one, simple need. She had felt an inkling of it the moment she first stretched her tiny wings, and confirmed it when, as a young filly, she tore through the sound barrier with casual ease: somewhere, deep within her, lay the potential to one day transcend it all, to break free of this world entirely... Maybe even reach the stars. But it was not this day. The universe had caught on to her, almost literally it seemed; as if it were a living, conscious entity that could not long abide anypony so flagrantly violating its rules. Rainbow Dash began to feel like she was pushing up against something again, similar to the now-familiar sound barrier but without the flashy, visible effects; some fundamental threshold she could approach but not surmount, not even with the magical, gravity-defying potential of the pegasus race. Reality itself felt like it had become thick and viscous, wrapping around her and holding her back. It was like trying to fly underwater. Worse. Where before she had been like a nearly immaterial wraith, now it felt like her body was being magically transmuted into lead, one agonizing atom at a time. Rainbow Dash tried to slow down, but the more she managed to do this the quicker she inevitably lost control. The world abruptly became a thing of distinct shapes and objects again, hurtling past at beyond-breakneck speeds. But then the sheer friction of her deceleration set the mysterious field enwrapping her ablaze, and her world was made of all-consuming flame. To make matters worse, her protective cocoon began to shrink as panic and fear took hold of her heart, diminishing further and further until, at last, one of her wings became exposed. There was a sickening snap as the fragile extremity was instantly forced back at an unnatural angle, though not fast enough to prevent the outermost primaries from lighting up like a torch. The nauseating smell of smoke and smoldering feathers tingled in Dash's flaring nostrils, but this horrifying sensation barely registered, since the trauma had her going into shock. The insane g-forces the now-unprotected pegasus was pulling tinged her vision with red as the blood rushed to her head. Her forward momentum was finally failing, but with only one wing she knew a crash-landing would be pretty much inevitable. When her consciousness had faded to only the dimmest shred of survival instinct the field collapsed entirely. If she hadn't already been slowed down considerably, that would have been the end—but even at this reduced speed it still felt she like was being torn apart. With the last coherent thought that bubbled up in her brain, she steered towards a vast swath of glittering blue. The ocean had been Dash's savior, dousing the fire and lessening what would've been a fatal impact had she slammed into the ground, but it had also very nearly been her undoing. And now she was adrift, trying to catch her breath after surviving the entire ordeal. But in between the deep, rasping breaths, Rainbow Dash was smiling. She was alive. She hurt in more places than she cared to list, had probably broken her wing, definitely singed a whole bunch of her feathers, and clearly lost a lot of blood from the nasty gash in her head. But she was still kicking. "A-Any landing you can trot away from... Right, pops?" Something stirred inside of the pegasus, urging her to get going, to move. She tried swimming a little, padding clumsily with all four of her limbs, but it was frustratingly slow and tiring. She hated the water. The more she moved her legs, though, the more it felt like she was gaining a hoofhold. It had never occurred to Rainbow Dash to try, but if she could walk on water vapor, then it stood to reason that she could walk on water, if she put her mind to it? That thought alone—the firm, unwavering conviction offered by what seemed like sound logic to her befuddled brain, coupled with a healthy dose of desperation—appeared to actually make it possible. Climbing up onto the tranquil surface, the dripping, injured pegasus took a few shaky, staggering steps. It wasn't as easy as she thought; despite being technically more solid than the fluffy, static clouds of her birthplace, the fluid beneath her hooves kept shifting and changing, causing her to lose her balance or slowly sink. As long as she kept moving, though, Rainbow Dash found that she could manage. If only the ocean would stop spinning madly around her, and that stupid flock of noisy, identical birds would shut up for a minute... Now that it was easier to move, however, the first order of business was patching up her damaged body a bit. As much as she had always loathed the nickname, ‘Rainbow Crash’ had never been an entirely undeserved epithet, but over the course of her crash-prone career the resilient stuntpony had at least picked up plenty of basic first aid techniques. Tearing her flight-suit to shreds with her teeth, and squeezing herself out of the tatters that remained, Rainbow Dash made herself some makeshift bandages. It felt pretty awful, ripping up a precious gift like that, but hey, she had to be practical here! She had never been one to cling to material possessions very much anyway. Even her own body she tended to treat with callous disregard; driven by her dreams, she always trained harder than was advisable (or even sane), straining her muscles and wings to the breaking point. And whenever a daring feat of aerial acrobatics backfired, she often ended up covered in scrapes and bruises. Her friends always cautioned her about this, worried about her self-destructive tendencies. Their concern was touching, but Dash always just shrugged it off. An added bonus was that it gave her a convenient excuse to drop by Fluttershy's cottage for frequent pit stops. Although, of course, she had stopped doing that after her caring friend grew concerned, and shyly suggested that Rainbow Dash swung by so suspiciously often it almost seemed like she was getting hurt on purpose... Rainbow Dash considered wrapping a bandage around her head to stem the bleeding, but the seawater-soaked rag stung horribly. The last thing she needed right now was more salt in her wounds, so she decided to just skip this luxury. It wasn't really that bad, anyway. Just a flesh wound; she'd had worse. But the injured mare did prepare a few strips of fabric with which she intended to secure her poor wing. She knew this was necessary—judging from the way it was pathetically flopping around, it was probably dislocated. Further jostling could permanently damage the ligaments at the base of her wing, and would hurt. Quite a lot. Unfortunately, so would the treatment. After cobbling together a rough, clumsy sort of sling from the blue shreds, Rainbow Dash gingerly looped it around her damaged wing. She could barely even bear to look at it without feeling nauseous, knowing full well what she had to do next. There was nothing for it—she pulled, hard, and for a fraction of an eon her world exploded into the flashing, epileptic colors of excruciating pain. The intense, electrifying sensation bloomed from the stretched tendons of the joint, raced to the very tips of her wing at the speed of pure agony, and dug deep, sinewy roots into her shoulder and back. The staggering, convulsing pony nearly lost consciousness again, but remained standing by planting the hooves of her hind legs wide apart. The tears that welled up in her eyes she fought back, but the bile still burned in her throat, and there could be no withholding the shrill, unearthly whinny-scream that escaped her lips. For a long while Rainbow Dash stood there, slightly bobbing up and down on the gentle swell of the sea, trembling, hyperventilating, and trying to hold on to her lunch. Slowly, the throbbing subsided and the pain ebbed away. When she felt ready to open her eyes again, she noted with relief that she had successfully secured her injured wing. "Piece of cake," she told herself, straightening up while still trying to keep her panting breath from catching in a pathetic sob. Even here, isolated and alone, where there was nopony around to see her being a weak little crybaby, she didn't like giving in to a pointless display of emotion. Crying never solved anything. It didn't heal your wounds; nor did it make the source of the pain go away. No amount of tears had ever persuaded the inexorable universe to start being fair... or to bring anypony back. Banishing that unpleasant memory and inhaling deeply, Rainbow Dash cleared her sinuses and wiped at her eyes, her jaw once again firmly set. Everything was fine, she told herself. She was fine... a little banged up, maybe, but otherwise her cool, confident self. But she wasn’t fine—she felt very lonely, all of a sudden; a tiny blue dot on that enormous body of water, with no land in sight. Only now did the lost little pegasus realize how far out she really was, and how long and arduous the journey back home was going to be. Her ordeal was far from over. The fact that she was hurt and unable to fly made her feel even more stranded, and navigating was going to be difficult with no landmarks around to guide her and the stars obscured by the light of day. If only Twilight were here. She’d come up with some brilliant spell to teleport them all safely back in no time at all, and hopefully in one piece. Or triangulate their position based on... something or other. Applejack would be a sight for sore eyes, too—the sturdy farmfilly would probably tell her she looked terrible, and to move her sorry butt already. Just the kind of encouragement Rainbow Dash needed right now. And Pinkie would find some way to make her laugh, even in a situation like this. It would probably hurt to do so, but what the hay. Rarity would probably want to kill her for ruining her painstakingly hoof-sewn creation, but even that seemed like a welcome diversion right about now. Fluttershy... would have done a better job of fixing up her wing, for one thing. Rainbow Dash had no trouble imagining her doing so, her skillful hooves gently prodding to determine where it hurt, her hasty, heartfelt apologies when she happened to poke exactly at the most painful spot. Her eyes filling with concern... The mental image startled Rainbow Dash out of her reverie. How long had she been gone already, flying around for her own amusement? How many more days would it take her to get back home? Fluttershy would be worried sick about her pretty soon, if she wasn’t already—all of her friends would be. She didn’t have time to be standing around here, she needed to get back home as soon as possible. With this renewed sense of urgency, Rainbow Dash studied the declination of the sun, squinting and trying to remember what direction she’d been going in. It was hard to think. Trusting to luck, she started limping towards what she thought was the west, trying not to be discouraged by the sight of the enormous stretch of ocean in front of her unsteady, faltering hooves, easily spanning the distance to the horizon like a vast, lifeless blue desert with ever-shifting dunes. The novelty of soft splashes rather than clops accompanying the fall of her hooves wore off almost as quickly as her gratefulness towards the blazing sun that swiftly dried her dripping mane and coat. The bowl of cool, refreshing water she had dunked her head into before the second leg of the Mareathon haunted her thoughts; her throat and lips were dry and ached at the tantalizing sight of the cruelly undrinkable water all around her. Compared to that torment, the feeble protests of her stomach barely even registered. Dash didn’t know how long she had been trudging along when she noticed that it was getting darker, and that the repetitive sine wave of water beneath her hooves was increasing in amplitude—the rises resembling hills now more than subtle little bumps. Wearily lifting her head, Rainbow Dash’s tired eyes widened at the sight of the ominous clouds that were gathering in the distance. Beneath the dreary, grey roof blotting out the sky an orange sun was beginning to set. It seemed to plunge into the ocean, but failed to fizzle and throw up steam as it sank beneath the waves. In the gathering gloom, the brewing storm looked even more threatening. Even after seeing it happen over the Everfree Forest a number of times, it was still unsettling to a pegasus to see clouds behaving so unnaturally, conglomerating into a dark mass by themselves. But there was another, less concrete reason why the spontaneous shift in the weather disturbed Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t sure why; far away from the sphere of influence of earth ponies and alicorns alike, weather like this was probably a common occurrence. However, the thunderstorm seemed like an ill omen to her, filling her with an irrational but unshakable sense of foreboding. She felt her pace quickening when the first, deep roar of the thunder rolled past her, though she was unsure where she was even dredging up the energy from at this point. Before long, the roiling clouds were directly overhead. That’s when the floodgates opened and the downpour began, as suddenly as if a thousand pegasi had started jumping up and down atop the moisture-laden thunderclouds. The surrounding water looked like it was boiling, the texture of the surface changing as it was bombarded with innumerable droplets. The torrential rain pounded down heavily on Rainbow Dash as well, but she didn’t even care about getting completely soaked again. The rain was nice and cool, and the parched pony threw her head back and opened her muzzle wide, drinking all she could of the reinvigorating shower of freshwater. Having escaped from the blue void, Rainbow Dash now found herself an out-of-place splash of vibrant color in a drab, depressing world, with grey skies and churning black water as far as the eye could see. Just as she mounted the foamy-white crest of a towering wave that pushed up from beneath her, and a heavy gust of wind blew back the lank strands of wet mane that clung to her cheeks, a haggard-looking Rainbow Dash caught sight of an anomaly in the otherwise-unchanging view. The rain was easing up a little, making it easier for her to raise her head and gaze up at the small hole that had appeared in the otherwise ubiquitous cloud cover. It was like a window had opened, offering a brief glimpse of the peaceful night sky that was hidden behind the turbulent storm. The little patch of stars was an unexpected but welcome sight, since it could help her ensure that she was still heading the right way. After she had spent several moments studying the distant, twinkling lights above, there was the sudden, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flicker of a falling star. The sight, reflected in her awestruck eyes, both moved and further disquieted Dash. She paused for a moment, trying to figure out where this dreadful, sinking feeling was coming from, but then began to walk faster, almost gallop, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hind leg and the protests from her overtaxed body. If there was a limit to how far loyalty alone could take a dehydrated, starving, wounded pony who was running on fumes, Rainbow Dash would discover it soon enough. Somewhere along the Equestrian coastline, at the pristine beach of a tiny lagoon, a large wave broke as it rolled in towards the shore. Atop it, riding on the overturning crest, was Rainbow Dash, trying to keep her balance but eventually getting wiped out anyway. She washed up on the beach a few moments later, like so much colorful flotsam, simply too worn out to even move at first. As fond of flying as she was, Dash couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so intensely grateful for the feeling of actual sand supporting her. It did so automatically, requiring no effort on her part, something Rainbow Dash had always taken for granted and only now fully appreciated. She could finally give her mind a reprieve from the constant concentration required to traipse around on water. Subsequent waves, advancing and retreating in their continuous assault upon the shore, kept shifting the exhausted pegasus around, seemingly toying with her as they carried her further ashore only to suck her back in again. Finally, when a particularly large wave came crashing in, Rainbow Dash was swept away, only to roll onto her stomach. With some effort she managed to seize this opportunity to get up on her hooves once again, shivering from the cold wind that cut straight through her soaked fur and chilled her to the bone. “Just... Just a little further. Then you can rest,” she told herself for roughly the gazillionth time. By the time Rainbow staggered into Ponyville, she had at least managed to get some food and water in her. During her trek through the woods she had often stopped to hunt for even remotely edible plants and patches of grass, or to drink her fill from the streams she stumbled across, which had kept her from collapsing. If she hadn’t been staggering around in a daze or quite as hungry, she might have wondered why there were no berries or any fresh grass to be found. The bedraggled pegasus with dried blood clinging to her mane drew stares of concern from passersby, few of whom Rainbow Dash thought she was familiar with, although the scarves some of them had wrapped around their necks didn’t help with recognition. She ignored the unfamiliar faces and the whispered conversations behind her back, not noticing the doubtful or even disturbed looks some of these ponies were giving her. She was suffering from tunnel vision, single-mindedly dragging herself to her first destination, and shrugged off any time-wasting and unnecessary questions like ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Do you need help?’. Dash merely shook her head and stubbornly pushed past everypony who tried to hinder her, doggedly keeping her head down and mumbling something about an emergency. Her breathing was growing increasingly shallow. The light-headed mare knew she had to keep going; if she allowed herself a moment of rest now, there was no telling whether she would be able to drag herself up onto her hooves again. When she limped up to the Carousel Boutique, Rainbow Dash was frustrated by a large ‘CLOSED’ sign hanging haphazardly from the front door. The noticeable film of dust that covered both the sign as well as most of the exterior of Rarity’s home and workplace didn’t bode well, but she banged on the door anyway, and tried to peer through the darkened windows even though all the curtains were drawn. Immediately, Rainbow Dash worried that her prolonged absence had something to do with this. Rarity and she had never particularly gotten along... for which she was largely to blame, she supposed. But then the unicorn had made such a big deal out of the fact that Rainbow had "saved her life." Which was pretty awesome, she guessed, but she would have done that for anypony. Still, it had put a serious dent in the thick layer of ice that had separated the two vastly different mares. For some reason, while she turned and walked away, Rainbow Dash found herself hoping for a chance to talk to Rarity again. She needed to apologize for wrecking the suit, first off, and then maybe ask to hang out with her some time—preferably at some place that didn’t have any makeover-related facilities. Rare could be a pretty cool pony when she wanted to be. And she was Fluttershy’s best friend, making her the most qualified pony to consult on that sensitive matter. There was no answer to her insistent knocks on the door of the Golden Oaks Library either, although this building at least still seemed to be inhabited. Still, the lack of response left Rainbow Dash feeling increasingly restless and worried, a frown of concern clouding her already-pained expression. She shivered again, feeling an inexplicable coldness seeping into her skin and gripping her heart in its icy claws. She had so been looking forward to telling Twilight that her theories on pegasus flight had proven correct, and that her additional advice had ended up helping immensely. And, although it would probably end up with her getting a bunch of magical sensors taped to her body again, Dash was dying to discuss the weird stuff that had she had observed when really pushing herself. Upon reaching the outskirts of Ponyville to visit Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow didn’t fare much better. At first the place seemed unchanged, but when Rainbow looked more carefully she noticed that sections of the orchards had gone missing, and that the farm itself had also seen better days. Her gut feelings were looking more and more sound by the second; something bad had clearly happened here. But there was nopony in sight to ask about what had transpired, and Rainbow Dash didn’t feel up to a visit to the farmhouse, where the entire Apple family’s well-meaning concern and barrage of questions would only lead to lengthy delays. Dash pressed onward despite her disappointment; she had really been hoping to catch Applejack outside. There had to be an explanation for all of this. She had only been gone for a few days, her muddled brain estimated, and it seemed hard to believe that so much could have changed in Ponyville during such a brief absence. But if she could rely on anypony to explain it all succinctly and simply—even for a slow-on-the-uptake pony with a concussion—without demanding that trivialities like her injuries were addressed first, it was Applejack. She would understand. While she continued to reminisce on years of rivalry and friendship, and involuntarily began salivating when her mutinous brain cruelly recalled all the the scrumptious meals she had enjoyed here, Rainbow Dash wandered aimlessly towards the Everfree Forest. On the one hoof, she desperately needed to know what fate had befallen Fluttershy; on the other, what she had seen so far made her dread every step that brought her closer to the cottage. Then she spotted something in a clearing ahead and let out a cry of relief, laughing as she forced her unwilling legs into something resembling a trot. A large wooden table had been set up there, and there were some wooden bowls and plates and such, but what had really caught Rainbow Dash’s eye had been the banner stretched between two trees, reading, in multi-colored letters, ‘Welcome home Dashie!’ She immediately recognized the flowery, scribbly penmareship as belonging to Pinkie Pie. But the hopeful blue pegasus’s pace slackened as she got closer to the scene that had filled her with such elation, and began to think things through a little more. There was nopony there waiting for her, of course; she had been lost at sea for several days, and there was no way for her friends to know she had made it back yet. She tried to push away the unreasonable sense of disappointment. At the very least, the fact that a surprise victory celebration had clearly been in the works made her feel a little better. That is, until Dash started noticing disturbing little details she couldn’t have made out from afar. Things like the fact that the table, while clean, looked to be in a state of slight disrepair, or that the writing on the banner looked rather weathered and faded. The whole place had a decaying and eerily quiet feeling to it, like a graveyard or old monument that was being carefully maintained by some caretaker, but was still being gradually worn down by the relentless, eroding influence of time. If this was a prank, it was a frighteningly elaborate one, and in very, very poor taste. Slowly, Rainbow Dash backed away from the clearing with that strange, cold shiver running up and down her spine again. Then she hastily turned and quickened her steps, eager to put as much distance between herself and that uncanny scene as equinely possible. After closing her eyes to cut through some tangly brush, Rainbow Dash had to blink heavily when she opened them again. She froze completely, mouth hanging open at the sight that greeted her. It was like all mental processes shut down temporarily whilst her brain feverishly tried to make sense of the surreally impossible. “No way,” Rainbow said, directly quoting her stumped brain’s eventual conclusion. Right before her lay Horseshoe Lake, a crescent-shaped body of water that was, at the moment, completely and totally... frozen solid. Which meant that either reality had decided to look the other way while Pinkie and the Crusaders had pulled off their completely asinine plan with the ice cubes, or she was hallucinating. And she had hit her head pretty hard... But wait, no, of course! Twilight had probably helped them out with some awesome instant-freezing spell, Rainbow Dash told herself, attempting to keep her sanity from slipping. That had to be it! At that exact moment, the snow began to fall. Looking up in bewilderment, Dash saw entire formations of winged ponies busying themselves with the relocation of several large clouds, all of them carefully prepared in Cloudsdale and heavily laden with moisture. The hard-working pegasi of the Weather Patrol were lifting them up to the correct altitude to allow for the water vapor to crystallize. It was all part of the annual routine, the first step of the artificial push towards seasonal change when ambient temperatures began to drop. Sort of the opposite to Winter Wrap Up. The simple truth was finally beginning to sink in. The constant shivers she had been experiencing... they weren’t due to blood loss, fatigue or lingering uneasiness. It was, quite simply, cold outside. Ponyville was preparing for winter. But the Pegalympics had been held when autumn was only just around the corner... Moving slowly and with difficulty, like an ancient, decrepit pony on her last legs, Rainbow Dash climbed a nearby hill. There was a bleak, barren tree that stood on top of it, like a lone sentinel. Only when she got to the top and leaned up against that dark trunk, heaving for breath, did she notice that her exhalations were coming out of her muzzle as a fine mist. Shading her eyes from the pale winter sun and the gently falling flakes of snow with her one good wing Dash surveyed the land below, which the ever-airborne pegasus had once known like the inside of her saddlebag. Instantly, her sunken but unfailingly keen eyes spotted the differences—shifts in the foliage, patches of forest where the trees had been felled, a barn she could have sworn hadn’t been there when she left—subtle changes, but none of them the kind of thing that could happen overnight. The forlorn pony atop the hill sat there for a long while, looking out at what should have been her home, but wasn’t. The ways it had been altered were minor and not particularly sinister, but felt enormous, in that they took away any sense of security and familiarity. Rainbow Dash was afraid—as any pony would be when faced with the blatantly impossible—but the horror she felt was so weird and atypical that she didn’t know what to make of it. She was faced with a reality that her mind utterly rejected, but which steadfastly refused to go away no matter how often she closed and reopened her eyes. Rainbow Dash would have given anything just for the comforting sight of a familiar face. Somepony to tell her this was all just a horrible, messed-up dream; that she had crashed into the sea and lost consciousness, but had miraculously been rescued. She only had wake up and open her eyes to find all of her friends crowded around her, crying and laughing and wildly hugging her, welcoming her back to the land of the living. She held out a foreleg and caught a snowflake on her hoof. Holding it close to her face, she could see something of the unique, complex structure of the frozen snow crystal, although it rapidly began to melt from the exposure to her body heat. It was a level of detail she didn’t think her brain could ever conjure up, especially after rattling around inside her skull for a bit. As a final test, she moved away from the tree to the curious rock below its outstretched, skeletal branches, and touched it, feeling the soft, squishy moss and the coolness of the stone. Idly, using the edges of her hoof, the lost-in-thought pony scraped off little bits of plant matter, which would probably not survive the coming winter anyway. Then she frowned. There were markings on the surface, carved with the magical precision of a unicorn horn, which she was accidentally bringing to light. Removing some more of the growth she could slowly begin to make out the design... Rainbow Dash suddenly shrunk back as though the rock had burned her. It wasn’t a rock at all, of course; the smooth rectangular shape was clearly pony-made. Adorning the marker and staring her in the face, she realized aghast, was her own, beloved cutie mark. She stumbled, her trembling legs finally faltering and giving way when she tried to take a few hasty steps back from this grisly, unnatural sight. “W-What,” Rainbow Dash stammered, incapable of finishing even that simple thought. Her mind momentarily lost all coherency, teetering dangerously on the edge of utter despair while she stared, blankly, at this final straw. “What... am I looking at exactly, Princess?” Normally speaking, Twilight Sparkle would have treated the mysterious painting Princess Celestia was showing her as yet another important assignment—a mystery to unravel. But it was the day after Rainbow’s memorial service, and her heart just wasn’t in it today. It didn’t help that she had barely slept, having spent the majority of the night tossing and turning while she mulled over the frustratingly vague contents of her mentor’s letter, until the quiet sniffling coming from Spike’s basket distracted her. He’d taken Dash’s death so hard... Twilight had tried to console him, but what could she possibly say to make it better when her own heart was filled with the same doubt and sadness, and was terrified by the same, stark reminder of her own mortality and that of her dearest friends? She had had a rough night, in other words; one that had ended with her finally falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning, cuddling a still-depressed and equally exhausted little dragon to her chest. She wasn’t in the mood for riddles or enigmatic answers. Certainly not from Celestia, with whom she was still quite upset for failing to show up yesterday. In fact, she’d practically stormed into the tower her mentor had summoned her to, and had been purposefully late, by at least two-and-a-half minutes, which the usually extremely punctual unicorn imagined was sufficient to make her point. She had been quite ready to give Celestia a piece of her mind; the entire carriage ride over had been spent rehearsing her pressing, poignant questions and mentally steeling herself for the fallout. She’d just... needed a moment to catch her breath; there had been a lot of stairs to climb in order to reach the observation tower. But she had choked on her carefully prepared cross-examination, of course, when the tall, regal alicorn politely invited her in, standing there in all her stupid, ancient, magical, intimidating splendour. Twilight’s ire had been further mollified by the apologetic smile Celestia had been wearing. There had been something a little off about her expression that Twilight couldn’t quite put her hoof on. The Goddess of the Sun had looked almost... fragile. Old. Even though that ageless face was as immutable as ever, Celestia’s most faithful student—who knew her better than probably anypony alive today—had detected subtle signs of weariness and pain in the alicorn’s normally unfathomable eyes. It had been the first time Twilight had ever caught such glimpses of weakness and frailty in her venerable teacher, and it had taken her completely off guard. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for coming,” Celestia had said, managing a smile. “I realize you must be angry with me, and for good reason. I truly apologize for my inexcusable absence yesterday, and I hope you will allow me to explain myself.” Twilight had remained silent, her indignation evaporating rapidly as Celestia took the words right out of her muzzle. But then the Princess had pointed a golden sabaton at the painting she was looking at right now, asking her to tell her what she saw, and some remnant of the unicorn’s irritation had decided to linger. She failed to see how this ancient piece of artwork, depicting what looked like two newborn foals, was at all relevant. “I assure you this is not a frivolous question,” Celestia remarked, startling Twilight a little. Her mentor had an uncanny knack for correctly guessing what was going through her mind at any given moment. “I see two foals,” Twilight droned, still feeling slightly mutinous, particularly now that she felt compelled to state the obvious. “One dark blue, the other white and— wait.” She looked from the picture to the white alicorn beside her. “Is that you, Princess? You and your sister? I mean, Princess Luna?” Celestia merely nodded encouragingly. “Please, continue.” Turning back to the painting, Twilight leaned in a little closer, studying the scene again now that she was equipped with this crucial bit of knowledge. Something was bothering her about what was depicted—something was incorrect. She had the distinct feeling that it was one of those situations where, were somepony to give her the answer, the answer would be blatantly obvious in retrospect. The two sisters had been painted together in a manner that was rife with symbolism, their tiny, curled up, winged bodies forming a circle, with the two foals arranged in such a way that they were facing each other, but were flipped vertically. Light and dark. Sun and Moon... Suddenly it hit Twilight. “Wait. Princess, Luna is your younger sister, right? I can't really guess how many years—or, erm, centuries—separate the two of you, but surely this painting is employing artistic license by showing you as young foals together?” “Well spotted,” Celestia said proudly. “You are right, of course. Luna is my younger sister, and I am a few hundred years her senior at the moment. But it was not always so. This painting, carefully preserved by magic throughout the ages but kept locked away from the public eye, was actually created on the very day Luna and I were born. Paradoxical as it may sound, we are, in fact, twin sisters. “Twin... sisters... ?” Twilight repeated, frowning and looking completely baffled by this unexpected revelation. “But... but we were always told— Even Luna herself called you her ‘big sister’!” “And so I am,” Celestia said softly, “albeit, originally, only by a few minutes or so.” “I don’t understand,” Twilight said, making her old teacher smile by inadvertently adopting the familiar expression that had always accompanied that statement. The inquisitive look in those violet eyes, the insatiable eagerness to learn—coupled with a sigh of frustration because, at the moment, the answer seemed to be just beyond the intelligent young mare’s knowledge or comprehension. “Then let me explain,” Celestia said, sitting down on her haunches. ”I will try to keep the ancient history brief, since I know you have more pressing questions on your mind. But I am afraid a little background information is needed. “Millennia ago, during dark times, Luna and I were born. Though little more than fillies at the time, we eventually wielded the Elements of Harmony to restore some measure of order to our world. Despite both being heralded as the saviors of Equestria, as the elder sister it remained my destiny to rule in our mother’s stead, once she finally tired of the long years of immortality and decided to pass on the crown. “Luna always begrudged me my privileged position, I fear, though I never foresaw the depths to which her inferiority complex would drive her until it was too late. She was always grumbling about how it had been mere chance that I had crawled out of the womb a little sooner, and that this feat in no way made me more suitable to ascend the throne. She was right of course, but I was an ignorant young fool and tended to tease her about it, failing to realize the psychological repercussions this would have in the long term.” Celestia hung her head, experiencing a pang of shame over her past transgressions. “The two of us were rather fiercely competitive, you see. Luna, particularly, was always quite eager to show me up in any activity, to beat me in every game, no matter how trivial. One fateful night, she challenged me to a race. Or I challenged her - I cannot quite remember what set the entire chain of events into motion. I suppose it no longer matters. She pointed to a dim star in the night sky, which she said was the closest star to our own, and declared that the last one there was ‘an egg most rotten.’” Twilight blinked in disbelief. “P-Proxima Humani? I am familiar with that system, but... Princess, despite being relatively nearby, in terms of stellar distances, isn’t it still over four light-years out?” The astronomy-loving mare could have quoted the exact figure, but the distances involved were already making her head spin. It wasn’t so bad when they were just abstract numbers on a page, but to actually consider an equine trying to travel across a gulf of space that wide... “So even if you were - theoretically speaking, of course—flying at the speed of light...” “It would indeed take more than four years to get there,” Celestia said with a faint smile, “That does not seem very long to an alicorn, even at the tender age of a century-and-a-half, however. And to be completely accurate: Luna merely reached an appreciable fraction of the speed of light. But it was enough...” “I see. Merely a fraction. Naturally. Silly me,” Twilight said weakly. Then she frowned. “But wait, you only mentioned Luna going. Wasn’t it supposed to be a race between the two of you?” A brief, meaningful silence fell, wherein Twilight realized she had asked a delicate question. “I only pretended to start,” Celestia admitted, and for the first time ever the alicorn, plagued by guilt, failed to meet her student’s eyes while she spoke. “I didn’t think she was actually going to go through with it,” she added, and the nearly pleading tone to her voice made Twilight shift uncomfortably. It was almost like the Princess was asking her for forgiveness. "I wanted to at least humor Lulu and her challenge,” Celestia said, shaking her head sadly, ”but leaving our ailing mother to tend to the sun and moon for the duration would have been incredibly irresponsible. The whole thing was really quite mad and foalish to begin with...” She sighed, and looked at the dark pony on the painting, who would later be corrupted and reborn as Nightmare Moon. ”I could feel Luna’s malcontent and jealousy beginning to grow, even then. I thought that if I just pretended to have given up somewhere along the way and declared her the victor, it might cheer her up a little. A startlingly naive and ill-advised plan, as it turned out.” Twilight felt like pointing out the obvious, that despite these mitigating circumstances Celestia needn’t have led her sister on, but she held her tongue. It wasn’t fear that motivated her to remain silent, even though she had just been duly reminded of just how vastly ancient and unimaginably powerful Celestia and Luna really were. Instead, it was pity. To have a single, seemingly innocent, juvenile prank produce such unexpected consequences... “I’m guessing something weird happens to a pony when they go that fast? Is it like time travel?” Twilight tried to imagine the effects, but didn’t quite see how sheer speed could account for what seemed like the results of an aging spell gone horribly wrong. Although astrophysics had always been a hobby of hers, her focus on magical studies had prevented her from delving into the thick tomes of alicorn and unicorn lore that detailed more advanced stellar theories. “It is more like time dilation,” Celestia explained, briefly sounding like the teacher Twilight was familiar with again, now that she had something other than her own mistakes to lecture about. “It would appear, Twilight—counterintuitive though it may seem—that time is neither constant nor absolute. It is dependant on the reference frame it is measured in, and is affected by relative velocity.” “So... time flows differently for everypony, depending on how fast they’re moving?” Twilight thought the entire concept hard to believe, and even harder to visualize. But the twin sisters’ disparate ages and firsthoof experience were pretty solid and dramatic empirical data, so she tried to accept it for now and work out the equations later. “Yes,” Celestia said, visibly impressed at how quickly her star pupil grasped the basic gist of what she was trying to explain. ”Normally speaking nopony notices this; the effect is negligible with day-to-day modes of travel, even for the swiftest Wonderbolt. But Luna, accelerating away from the rest of us at such immense speed, appeared to be gone for hundreds of years here on earth—even though she only experienced a few hours of travel before, thankfully, seeing through my ruse and turning back.” Approximately one point four million questions popped up in Twilight’s head. The science was fascinating, even though she didn’t fully understand it yet, but her curiosity would have to wait. Instead, she tried to guess where this was going, how it all related to her deceased friend and to Celestia’s absence at the funeral. It didn’t take her long to put the pieces together. Her eyes went wide with dawning comprehension and horror. “P-Princess... are you implying that... that Rainbow...?” “Yes. I fear that the same fate may have befallen your friend Rainbow Dash.” “She... she’s alive?” Twilight could barely speak, barely breathe; her heart felt like it had stopped entirely. “I believe she is,” Celestia confirmed, looking sympathetically at her understandably shocked student. She seemed glad to have finally gotten to the crux of the matter. “I have been trying everything in my power to locate her, but...” The lengthy horn upon her forehead pointed floorward a little more. “But we... we buried her.” Twilight was speaking symbolically, of course. There had been nothing left to bury but their dwindling hope of ever seeing their friend again. ”I was—I mean, we were all trying to.. to move on... and now...” Twilight was struggling to form even these fragmented sentences; the uncontrollable sobbing was quite a nuisance. She didn’t even know if she was crying because she was happy to finally have hope again, or because it hurt, because it robbed her of closure and the modicum of peace she had gleaned from weeks of gradual acceptance. It felt like a healing wound being cruelly torn open again. “Are you sure?” “I can only confirm that the Element of Loyalty still resides with her,” Celestia said gently, extending a wing to pull her protege into a comforting hug. ”I only became aware of it the day before the funeral; even though my connection with the Elements was severed, I can still faintly sense their presence. But she’s moving so fast, Twilight... I attempted to augment my senses until I felt the level of stimulus would surely drive me mad, but still I couldn’t intercept her...“ “I was so angry with you!” Twilight confessed, much more upset with herself now. “And all the while you were trying to save her...” She sniffed, looking up at the tall, regal mare. ”Why didn’t you say anything, though, Princess? Why all this secrecy?” “I am not going to lie to you, Twilight,” Celestia said, though it clearly pained her to be so brutally honest. For what it was worth, she placed a comforting hoof on the crying mare’s shoulder, patting and rubbing lightly. “I fear we have a difficult decision to make. I originally did not want to burden you with this knowledge at all, but Luna insisted that it would be presumptuous of me to withhold this information and demanded that I confided in you, at the least. She seemed to think that I was being overprotective of you, and that you were much tougher than I gave you credit for.” “Totally living up to her expectations at the moment, aren’t I?” Twilight said hoarsely and with a stuffy nose. “You’re doing fine.” Celestia smiled, glad to hear that her student hadn’t lost her sarcasm, at least. But the expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “But here are the facts, Twilight: Rainbow Dash may still manage to eventually slow down and rejoin us in our reference frame—providing her fragile, mortal body endures the severe stress of deceleration. But even if she does, it might take her a while, from our perspective. She may show up in a few weeks, or a year later...” “Or...?” Twilight asked, already knowing the answer (and dreading it), but needing to hear it spoken aloud. “Or she may return hundreds of years from now, only to find her home irrevocably changed and all of her friends and family long gone...”
Aurora	705	8	Main 6,Scootaloo,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Morrow	Rainbow Dash goes beyond the impossible, and suffers the consequences.	incomplete	165	2	<p>(5 stars on EQD, yay!) Frustrated with repeated failures, Rainbow Dash reluctantly calls upon the aid of her friends to help her push the envelope. Hijinks ensue. But making the impossible possible, while neglecting other things, may have unforeseen consequences and sunder her from those for whom she cares the most.</p><p>Art commissioned for the story is by the wonderful artists tt-n and FruitBloodMilkaShake. Prereaders: Starfall & Steel Resolve</p><p>(Please note: looking back at the earlier chapters now, it's easy to spot countless little editing mistakes I made. Please don't let this deter you too much; I do get a <i>little</i> better somewhere along the line. And hopefully I'll continue improving in that department.)</p>	teen	2013-09-08T22:01:26+00:00	2014-02-03T12:38:30+00:00	1,700	Not since the return of Nightmare Moon had the sky been this dark and foreboding. The last line of defense against the incoming flood was rapidly dwindling—a single glance along the bank of the rapidly-swelling and raging river was enough to confirm this. One by one the little multicolored pinpricks of lights, generated by the glowing horns of a long string of unicorns, went out, smothered by the ever-encroaching dark of this seemingly endless night. Rarity could feel it, too: that curious, all-pervasive feeling of fatigue that wasn’t entirely corporeal. A sense of being drained of some fundamental essence. An unpleasant sensation of emptiness, like a gaping void growing within, hollowing her out from the inside. Overuse of magic was the cause of this growing discomfort, as nearly every unicorn in Equestria discovered sooner or later over the course of their life. Like normal, physical pain, these sensations were intended as a warning: Her body was telling her to stop before something was irrevocably damaged. But she couldn’t stop. Not now. She had to persevere. At first, it was just because she didn’t want to be shown up by that insufferably tenacious Applejack (even if it meant biting her tongue to keep from complaining even a teensy, entirely reasonable little bit in the earth mare’s presence). At this point, however, far less petty reasons motivated Rarity. Through tremendous willpower, she was still able to summon forth the energies needed to cast her simple-but-crucial spell. She had to keep searching for usable rocks beneath the soil, she simply had to... It helped that it was her signature spell—one her horn had been especially attuned to casting, even at a tender age. But even then Rarity knew that she, too, was scraping the bottom of the mystic barrel, leaving her mind feeling like a muscle stretched and strained beyond endurance—a muscle that felt like it might rip and tear itself apart at any given minute. And still the cruel, unrelenting rain kept beating down. Rarity couldn’t recall ever feeling quite this utterly drenched, and that was saying something—the showers she tended to take were considered legendary. Her vaunted, elaborate coiffure was now but a straight, waterlogged mop, constantly getting in her eyes and muzzle and weighing down her already-heavy head. To make matter worse, the viscous muck beneath her hooves felt like it was trying to actively devour her legs, rendering every step a struggle to pull free. Her designer rain-boots, of course, had been among the first victims it had claimed. And she was so very, very dirty, so utterly encrusted with mud from the bottom up... She couldn’t even bear to think about it, preferring to focus on the task at hoof, lest her near-pathological need for cleanliness ended up getting the better of her. She could get cleaned up later, she kept telling herself. Her fabulosity could be restored given time, her ruined raincoat replaced. And so she set her jaw and soldiered on, grim and stone-faced, impervious to dreck and downpour, steadfastly ignoring countless little whine-worthy aches and woes, turning despair into strength through sheer, bull-headed stubbornness. And all because she couldn’t forget… Because she had seen the look in Applejack’s eyes. Eyes that were normally so stern and so full of determination; eyes she had expected to remain clear and undaunted, and which she had looked to for strength, when her own reserves were running thin. Little could have prepared her for the barely-restrained look of panic she had found instead. Whenever they tried to pierce through yonder trees to catch a glimpse of her imperiled home, they had been filled with doubt—even fear. The genuine pleading note in the proud mare’s joking request to ‘hold down the fort while she was gone’ hadn’t been lost on Rarity; in fact, it had very nearly broken her heart. She had been expecting their usual banter, laced with playful jabs… And only now realized how much she relied on it, how much she missed it... And that’s why she had to keep going. Because, if their pillar of strength was failing, somepony else had to shoulder the load. Because she couldn’t bear to see her friend in such a bad way. Because she wanted, more than anything, to see hope and strength rekindled in those green eyes. Most of her Ponyvillean peers had already reached their limit, though. Their magic utterly spent, they had fallen by the riverside one after another, panting and desperately trying to recuperate, even if only to relieve their equally-struggling friends for a few minutes at a time. Looking askance, Rarity spotted two vaguely-familiar-looking mares who seemed to have given up entirely. Bedraggled and miserable, they were sitting on their haunches in the midst of it all—a catastrophe on a scale they could scarcely even have imagined—their forelegs wrapped around each other in an intimate but desperate embrace. One of them was crying; she could tell by the way her small frame was convulsing, softly but pathetically. Rarity paused, feeling pity for their plight. She probably ought to be yelling at them, trying to snap them out of it... They needed all hooves on deck to have any hope of sufficiently strengthening their hastily-constructed dam, after all. Especially now that they were fast running out of sandbags and were being forced to improvise... But she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. In her (hopelessly romantic) mind, they were young lovers; just two ordinary fillies who had felt obligated to participate in this seemingly-forlorn attempt at saving their little village. Like most of the ponies here they had probably enjoyed a sheltered existence—just like Rarity herself, up until a few years ago. The sight of an errant fluff of cloud, moving of its own accord, or of an innocent little plant growing where it wasn’t wanted, would probably already be enough to disturb them. And yet, they had volunteered for this, and had probably given it their all. But they had been ill-prepared to face the full extent of nature’s wrath, when it was unfettered by the artificial order imposed upon it by ponykind—something they had probably taken for granted all their lives. And to make matters worse, they had run out of the one thing they might use to hold the chaos surrounding them at bay: their magic. If she could have given them some of her own, she would have. In a heartbeat. But alas, she was running on sparks herself, so the struggling pair would have to settle for a bracing smile. The young mare who was comforting the other nervously reciprocated. Even from a distance, Rarity could see that she was trembling, and not just from the cold. There was genuine terror in her eyes, an unmistakable expression of fear and awe on her pretty, grimy face. And who could blame her? After all, the poor thing had only just finally managed to tear her eyes away from the malevolent clouds above, only to be met with the equally-intimidating sight of another force of nature right next to her. Rarity, for one, certainly wouldn’t hold it against her. Following the other mare’s gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear herself, despite the fact that was looking at one of her closest friends, whom she trusted completely. Because whenever she got like this, Twilight Sparkle really was quite a sight to behold. Shading her dark-adjusted eyes with a hoof, she looked over at the other, infinitely more powerful mare, who was floating several hooves above the ground in a violet bubble of raw, swirling magic. This rippling, transparent shell painted the bleak night all in shades of purple and white, as little arcs of magical discharge danced across its surface, crackling in the rain-soaked air to vie with the distant thunder. The pools of ethereal light that had once been violet eyes were aimed heavenwards, gazing up at their shapeless foe with cold and calculated defiance. “RARITY,” an inequine voice boomed suddenly, startling the downtrodden fashionista, who had stood idly staring. “Please, I beg of you darling,” she said breathlessly, clutching at her pounding heart, “don’t ever do that again.” “SOR—” The two ghostly lamps blinked out briefly—”Ehehe, s-sorry. But I really need you to keep looking. I don’t think Applejack is going to ever get those wagons moving again; not in these conditions.” Rarity nodded. “There,” she said curtly, putting on her business-face and pointing out the spot she had been surveying earlier. “There are a few boulders buried below a number of thin layers of sediment. Be forewarned though, they’re pretty hug—” “I’ve got it,” Twilight cut her off. Narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she pointed her at the spot Rarity had indicated. There was a deep rumble, and then the earth beneath her hooves began to crack, prompting Rarity to quickly hop aside. “Nnng...” The droplets of sweat that formed on Twilight’s forehead glistened with the vibrant colors of her intense magical aura, and her whole body shook, as though her fragile mortal shell could barely contain the immense magical forces she was channeling whilst she tore out the very bones of the earth. Gulping, Rarity watched as a massive rock—easily twice the size of the one she had once mistaken for her destiny—burst from the already-pockmarked ground with a wet, squelching sound. The gaping hole so created quickly began to fill up with water, but she was more concerned with the faint, looming circular shadow the weightless stone cast as it levitated past, wanting to keep it was far away from herself as equinely possible. With visible effort, Twilight directed the boulder over to the barricades and piled it atop the rest. Breathing heavily, even the Element of Magic needed a moment to gather her strength after so many nonstop telekinetic feats. She hardly even noticed that she was descending; only when her hooves touches the mud did she realize the aura enwrapping her was slowly collapsing in on itself. “Just—Just need a moment to—” “Twilight, you...” Rarity said softly, shock clearly legible in her expression. The note of alarm in her voice startled the winded unicorn. “What, what?” Instead of replying with words, a clearly disturbed and speechless Rarity reached up and touched her own nose. It took a while for Twilight to understand the intention behind this gesture and do the same. When she did, she was shocked to find traces of blood on her hoof when she drew it back. Her blood. She stared at the smear of dark-red fluid for a while, watching as it was washed away by the rain, drop by diluting drop. A revolting, metallic taste soon touched her lips, as the thin stream of blood from her nose managed to trickle all the way down her muzzle. The light in her eyes died there and then. She felt very weak all of a sudden, and was forced to drop to her all four knees in the mud, feverishly trying to stem the bleeding. “Twilight!” Rarity said sharply, rushing over to the collapsed pony’s side. “I’m fine,” Twilight assured her, holding up a shaky and bloodied hoof. “Just… just a small nosebleed.” She laughed nervously. “Must’ve overdone it a little bit...” Rarity quickly tore off a little of what remained of her shredded raincoat and offered the piece of fabric to the bleeding mare, who accepted it gratefully. “A little?” Rarity was fuming now. ”Darling, I told you you should take the occasional break, just like the rest of us...” “I know,” came the sheepish reply. Twilight managed a weak smile. “I’m… sorry...” Rarity wasn’t satisfied with such feeble apologies, however; she felt like telling Twilight off, not just for her blatant disregard for her own well-being, but also because she was such probably their most valuable asset, not to mention the de facto leader of this entire doomed operation. But she never got the chance... Twilight had already fainted. Upon realizing this, even Rarity’s indomitable spirit gave in to despair. Twilight had been by far the most powerful of them, and even she had been defeated by the elements. She slumped down next to the fallen mare, propping Twilight up against her side to keep her from falling face-first in the mud. Huddled up with her limp and unconscious friend like this, Rarity felt terribly alone all of a sudden, extremely small and insignificant in the midst of all this unstemmable turmoil. After all the storms—both literal and figurative—they had weathered together, after all the fearsome foes they had faced, it seemed to Rarity the epitome of laughable irony that a few angry clouds would eventually be the thing to do them in. But this was no ordinary Everfree storm—of that, she was certain. The dark clouds overhorn moved through the sky with startling, predatory speed, writhing and seething in a way that was strangely unsettling—like they were living things, vast, bloated, vaporous titans crowned with lightning and roaring with thunder, rather than unassuming masses of airborne water-droplets. As the roiling innards of the monstrous cloud directly above flickered with white-hot lightning, Rarity was reminded somehow of an enormous, shapeless, bioluminescent creature from the ocean’s uttermost lightless depths, signalling its agitation, its intent to kill... She wasn’t quite sure where this association had come from—perhaps one of those documentaries Twilight used to make them watch whenever it had been her turn to arrange for movie-night? She didn’t get much chance to ponder this further, however, as, mere moments later, while a fierce clap of thunder still rang in her already-deadened eardrums, her eyes were treated to an even more horrifying sight: a small speck of color burst out of the bottom of the flashing cloud, trailing smoke as it plummeted straight towards them. Narrowing her eyes to be able to spot a bright tail that had been set ablaze, and a tiny set of uselessly-flapping, burning wings, it wasn’t long before Rarity realized the obvious. She wasn’t the only one, either; several other ponies were looking up, too. There was a flurry of frantic pointing, milling about and screaming. “Twilight!” she hissed in desperation, shaking the mare next to her. “You have to wake up! Please wake up...” Even in this wretched rain, she could tell that tears were running down her cheeks. They burned her skin through her pelt, hot with impotent fury. Despite knowing that it was utterly pointless, she pointed her horn at the crashing pegasus. If she could just slow them down the tiniest bit… It might mean the difference between a broken leg or a broken spine. But she couldn’t find it in herself to hope for this, or any other outcome... She had none left.
blayzekohime	706	1	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2011-12-15T00:47:22+00:00	2011-12-15T00:47:22+00:00	19,727	Day One A small group of six ponies gathered atop the hill overlooking Ponyville, the quiet and peaceful town where the holders of the Elements of Harmony were located. There were a few moments of silence between them, nervous glances exchanged one to another. In front of them all stood a unicorn, apparently their leader, seeming the least nervous of the bunch, her eyes focused on the city with determination. Her coat was a light pink, dotted with her cutie mark, six glittery purple stars on her flank. Her mane and tail were pure white, aside from the purple stripe that ran through the center of both, matching the color of her cutie mark. Around her neck was a singular piece of adornment, a heart shaped locket, gleaming in the sunlight. “Here we are,” the unicorn faced the others as she spoke, “This is what you’ve been preparing for these past weeks. Now we’ve gone over all the information we need, and He says this is the time to strike.” “I don’t feel right… this doesn’t feel right,” stated a pink maned, yellow earth pony with four pink roses as her cutie mark. “It’s not like we have any choice,” stated the next pony, a yellow maned, tan coated pony with five apples as her cutie mark. She didn’t sound completely certain. A pink coated pegasus with a simple blue mane but two impressive blue lightning bolts as her cutie mark hovered above the two and huffed down at them, “Come on! This’ll be a breeze. They'll never know what hit 'em! Man they will be so surprised!” A wide grin spread across her face, her mind seeming to race, “And when we get back home, we’ll be heroes!” “Yeah! Everypony likes surprises!” another pegasus, who was yellow-maned with a white coat, rose up next to the pink pegasus. Her own cutie mark was five purple balloons with pink strings, which her hyper personality seemed to match perfectly. Unlike her companions, her mane and tail seemed to actually glow. “You do realize what kind of surprise we are giving them? Yes, Surprise?” the other nearby unicorn asked, her own coat a very pale blue. She had been idly hoofing at the ground, admiring a few shiny rocks that she had found there. It was a rather appropriate habit given the four blue gems on her cutie mark. After a moment, the gemmed unicorn added towards the balloon filly, "I guess you probably do, just don't foul things up with your typical manner." The pink unicorn in front stamped her hoof, “Silence! If I hear another peep that sounds like a doubt, I’ll be reporting to Him and suggesting another conditioning for you all!” Whatever ‘conditioning’ was, it surely struck a chord, since all eyes went back to the pink unicorn. Even the two pegasi opted to land, making themselves slightly less conspicuous, despite their obvious excitement. The yellow earth pony’s mouth hung slightly open, having apparently been going to protest again, but completely unwilling to speak now. “Look it doesn’t matter,” the pink unicorn took a deep breath, calming herself, “We don’t have a choice. He is the only chance our world has of survival, and if we don’t help Him take this one, all our family and friends will die… at least the ones that are left. It’s not like he’s asking us to kill innocents here, so let me go over the targets once more just to be sure.” With that, the unicorn began to point her hoof at her friends in turn. First it went to the yellow earth pony. The unicorn sounded stern as she stated, “Posey, your target lives outside of town near the forest and towards the west in a small cottage with a chicken coop on the outside. You have what you need, so you better not disappoint us. ” Clearly, the leader trusted Posey to do her part the least. Then to the tan earth pony she spoke, “Applejack, your target looks almost just like you, but with fewer apples on her cutie mark. Actually, she shares your name too, so you probably should make up some other name for yourself so it won’t seem weird. She lives out at the apple orchards. Watch out for her family, though you’ll probably fit in pretty well if you do run into them. Just don’t forget; He said no witnesses so, you know…” The hoof went to the pink pegasus next, speaking firmly to her as well, as if she thought she wouldn't be listened to properly, “Firefly, your target lives in the cloud house with rainbows pouring out of it. You can’t really miss it; it's right over there.” She pointed towards the airborne house floating over the next rise, continuing, “Careful with her… she’s faster than you, you’ll need to use your agility. Don't do anything too dangerous.” Her statement was met with an eye-roll from Firefly, who clearly wasn’t worried about it, “Bah, I know how to deal with one trick pony, and danger is my middle name!” "Your middle name may as well be 'suicide' with the way you act," commented the light blue unicorn, who was still toying with several rocks off to the side. The leader sighed, giving another warning glare to the two that spoke up, then pointed to the white pegasus and continued, “Surprise, yours is in the pastry shop in town. Now I know you like to be loud, but be careful about witnesses since He said we can’t allow any of them on this mission. Anyway, she’s a pink earth pony, so at least you’ll have an advantage with your wings.” Then finally she spoke to the white gem-flanked unicorn, “Sparkler, yours is also in town, but not in as busy an area: Carousel Boutique. If I have to come after you because you get distracted by the shiny things in her shop, I will make you sorry.” Twilight, the name this pink unicorn apparently shared with one of the Element holders, stood up straight and finished, “I’m off to the library; we’ll meet back at the designated area. If you can’t grab yours, don’t be afraid to run. Next time we’ll come in force for the ones we didn’t get, but this time we all have the element of surprise.” “Yay surprise!” Surprise squealed, predictably, doing several loops in the air in another sudden burst of excitement. Twilight face-hoofed, “Right… anyway I’ve helped those of you who would let me with your plans so snap to it. I expect you all back through the gate in less than three hours.” ------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle closed the last book of the afternoon, rising to her hooves and stretching, frowning slightly as her mind went over what she had learned, or rather hadn't learned. She had been studying ancient history lately, but there was a distinct lack of references for anything that occurred prior to a thousand years ago, and very few and vague references for the conflict between Luna and Celestia that occured at that time. Twilight often wondered if Celestia was hiding something in particular about the events, even if she was certain Celestia would have good reason if she did so. Then again, perhaps there just wasn't a lot of record keeping done in the days when Discord ruled. She glanced about the room, noticing how many books she had left out, then looking back at the shelves and trying to remember from which shelf she had gotten them. Oh well; it probably wasn’t important, and certainly wasn’t her problem. “Spiiiike?” she called loudly. The patter of tiny feet immediately ran towards her up the stairs, and Spike was soon seen panting as he arrived in her room, “Yes Twilight?” The little dragon’s eager face made her smile, but didn’t keep Twilight from ordering him around. It wasn’t that she was necessarily being bossy,since he’d probably be disappointed if she didn’t give him an order every few minutes that he was here. “Clean up these books okay? I’m going to be getting ready for Pinkie’s party tonight, so join me downstairs in a few,” Twilight said as she reached a hoof out to pat his head, turning back to walk towards the lower level of the library. She didn’t have long to get ready before there was a knock on the door. Twilight arched an eyebrow, heading over to see who could be calling on her at this hour. Surely it wasn’t any of her best friends, since they would probably be shortly on the way to Pinkie’s party as well. “Coming!” Twilight called out, not wanting to stop Spike from finishing his task upstairs. As she moved towards the door, her horn glowed, making the door glow in turn as it opened with a creak. There before her stood the pink unicorn that so recently had been atop the hill, commanding her own friends to attack Twilight’s. It seemed that the pink unicorn had found her own target. “Oh, hello there, cousin Wish,” Twilight Sparkle smiled in recognition, “Great to see you; actually it’s a great time to stop by. I was about to leave for my friend’s party, so maybe you could come with me?” Indeed, while her friends had been preparing back home, the pink unicorn had already been busily finding out all the information that they would need here in Ponyville. For the past three weeks, she had been pulling herself off as a new resident of the town, and had even convinced Twilight that she was a long lost cousin due to family resemblance. No pony questioned the assertion here in Ponyville, as every pony pretty much trusted each other and had no reason to think such things would be lied about. She had even told Twilight Sparkle her real name, though the other unicorn had taken to calling her Wish to avoid confusion around others, a play on the pink unicorn’s special chant she sometimes used when casting magic. Twilight Wish had even learned a great deal about the Elements themselves, even if the information she was actually going to need was still lacking. It was no worry to her however, as she was certain that her master would come through for her once again. “Cousin!” Wish smiled, but looked unsure at the offer, “Oh, I’m not sure if I should go, you know, I actually wanted to talk to you about something rather important.” Twilight smirked, “You're always avoiding meeting my friends. Look, you don’t have to worry, I’m SURE that they will just love you. They’re all really rather nice.” Wish chuckled nervously, “No Twilight, dear, I mean it this time. You’re in danger. They’re coming for you.” Twilight blinked, trying to figure out if this was some kind of a joke, but a look into the other unicorn’s eyes indicated that it wasn’t. She mouthed slowly, “What’s wrong? Who’s coming?” “I can’t say,” Twilight Wish replied seriously, “I can only show. Twilight, do you trust me? I need you to trust me.” “Well, yes, I think so, Wish,” Twilight nodded slowly, feeling uncertain, but at the same time wanted to know what had this unicorn in such a worried state, “Are my friends in danger?” “Yes, they are,” her pink companion sighed, “Twilight, please come close, I’m going to teleport us both.” The nervousness in Wish’s voice was apparent, yet there was something Twilight couldn’t put a hoof on. Her mind seemed closed, as if she were expecting Twilight herself to attack her. ‘Don’t be silly,’ Twilight thought to herself, ‘Why would she be afraid of me? She’s probably just scared that someone else will find us.’ “Fine, I’ll get Spike,” Twilight nodded, turning as if to head up the stairs. “No,” the pink unicorn walked closer to her, moving around to cut her off, “He’s not the one they want, so he’ll probably only be in more danger if he comes with us. Twilight, trust me.” The unicorn made her very best pleading face, tears glistening in her eyes. It was a good thing that the library here had so many books on acting for her to skim through during her time here. Twilight took a deep breath, “Fine then, but shouldn’t I tell him where we’re going?” “No!” Wish tried hard to keep her voice down, “He’ll try to follow us and put himself in danger, please Twilight… this will only take a minute, I SWEAR.” Twilight nodded again, stepping close to the other unicorn, “Fine then.” The pink unicorn moved to stand close to her as well, both facing the same direction with cutie marks touching. Twilight glanced towards the other unicorn, watching as she closed her eyes. A faint purple mist formed around the two, glittering in the light of the room, engulfing them both. Twilight wasn’t alarmed by the smoke, having seen the unicorn cast before, but braced herself, knowing that teleportation with another pony could be a rough ride. “I wish… I wish… I wish,” with Twilight Wish’s chant, there was a flash of light that arched through the mist. Then they were both gone, the teleport spell pulling both unicorns into the vortex. Spike, as luck would have it, arrived too late to see what had occurred. He looked about, not seeing any sign of any pony here, despite having sworn he had heard Twilight speaking down here moments earlier. “Twilight?” he asked himself, but not to anypony in particular, as he was now certainly alone. ------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy put up the last bag of animal feed, having finished feeding her many house pets before sending them outside to play. Placing it in the cupboard with the others, she smiled to herself. It was now time to head over for Pinkie’s latest party, which she, like every pony looked forward to. Turning about, she headed towards the door, head tucked quietly with the small smile remaining on her face. She was not too involved at parties, but she always enjoyed being with her friends even if just to stand and watch them have fun at times. These parties with just the six closest friends together seemed even more special, especially given what the six had been through in the past. As she opened the door however, she blinked in confusion. She stared into the face of another yellow pony with pink mane and tail. For a moment she thought she was looking into a mirror, but no… this pony was an earth pony and the cutie mark was different. “Oh!” the earth pony exclaimed. Clearly she had been standing there for some time, too nervous to knock on the door, “H-hello.” “Oh my. Um… hello,” Fluttershy spoke as she shifted a hoof shyly at the new pony, “Are you lost?” Fluttershy was confused at why any pony would be too nervous to knock on her door, but this one seemed nice enough. “Oh... um. Yes. I am lost. And thirsty. I don’t suppose you could… no probably not,” the earth pony looked at her hooves, seeming embarrassed at herself for a moment. Fluttershy’s pity for a pony in need outweighed her own shyness just enough to let her speak, “Oh dear, please come in. I will get you some tea, and then you can come with me into Ponyville. Don’t worry we’ll find out where you should be.” She gave a sweet smile, turning back inside of her cottage. The earth pony followed behind, looking deeply ashamed as she followed the pegasus in. There wasn’t a lot of conversation between the two, and the earth pony ended up watching in silence while the pegasus brewed them some tea. They exchanged glances a few times, but each time both of them would turn away, seeming unable to stare each other in the eye. “Um. Well here you are,” Fluttershy spoke as she carefully poured herself and the other pony a cup of tea. “Oh. I’m Fluttershy by the way.” The other pony walked slowly to the table, nodding, “Oh. Hello Fluttershy. I’m Posey and I… oh my.” Posey looked out the window behind Fluttershy, clearly feigning surprise to get the pegasus to turn around. It was such a bad ruse that only the most naïve of ponies would have fallen for it. Luckily for her… “Oh is something outside?” Fluttershy turned, walking to the window and looking out of it. She then slowly turned back towards the table, smiling again, “It must be gone now. There are a lot of animals around here, so don’t be too alarmed.” Posey nodded, moving to sip her tea, only looking all the more ashamed. Her mood was even more obvious now; enough for Fluttershy to be more concerned as she sipped her own tea. “Are you okay, Posey?” Fluttershy asked, taking another big gulp of her own tea. Posey shook her head, tears streaming down her face, “N.. no.. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry oh goodness I’m so sorry…” “What do you…” Fluttershy trailed off, suddenly feeling woozy after getting to the half-way point of her tea, the room beginning to spin around her. “W-what?” she murmured as the realization that the other pony had poisoned her tea came all too late for her. She had time to get one more phrase out, “I… forgive you.” Posey watched as Fluttershy toppled to the floor. She sighed, moving slowly over to the unconscious pegasus to roll her over onto her side with a dull thud on the floor. She placed her ear to Fluttershy’s chest, making certain that the heartbeat and breathing were still regular, and then moved a hoof to straighten out Fluttershy’s mane in a nearly mother-like fashion. Posey sighed, then began the painstaking process of dragging Fluttershy out to the cart that Posey had parked out in front, hoping no other ponies saw her. It would be awfully hard to get any other ponies to fall for the tea party trick, no doubt. ------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash posed in the mirror with a huge grin on her face, her crown from the Best Young Flier’s Competition adorning her head. It wasn’t really the best attire to a party, but it had been a long time since she’d properly showed it off. After all, there was never a bad time to remind everypony how awesome she was. Her concentration was broken quite suddenly however, at the sound of a crash outside of her cloud house. The walls shook so hard that she thought they might be about to collapse. Her eyes went large, dropping her crown onto the floor near the door without thinking as she headed out to see if somepony was hurt. On her front yard, if that is what one could call the clouds and rainbow falls outside of her cloud home, it looked as if a pink pegasus had rather ingloriously crashed into her rainbow pond, covering herself from head to hoof. At first Rainbow felt rather cross, but realized that she should probably help the poor pegasus before berating her. After all, even she crashed sometimes. Well okay; often. “Hey you okay?” Rainbow held out a hoof, but the pink pegasus refused to take it. Instead, the other pegasus was on her feet in a snap, yelling at Rainbow, “Aha! Gotcha!” “Uh.. excuse me?” Rainbow looked at her dubiously, stretching out her own wings a bit defensively, “Who are you?” “I’m Firefly!” the pink pegasus grinned, but the her smile faded as she twitched, dropping her confident glare for just a moment. “Wait just a sec,” she spoke again as she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to actually come up with much of a plan, even after having refused to let anyone else help her make one. “Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash sounded as if she was starting to get annoyed, “Look Firefly, it’s just great meeting you I’m sure, but I’m busy getting ready for a party, so if you’re okay you should just…” “Race ya!” Firefly blurted out, cutting Rainbow off and striking a sudden pose of her own as if ready to take off. “What? Oh uh. Well sure, we could do that, but let’s wait 'til after the…” Rainbow started to explain. “Coward!” Firefly blurted out again, then turned about to rear on her forelegs and aim a back hoof directly at Rainbow’s face. Rainbow was quick, dodging around the hoof with a start. When Firefly took off, she couldn’t help but feel her own competitive spirit surging. She took off moments after, quickly catching up to her assailant. “Why you! I’ll beat you and still have time to get where I’m goin' ya little…” Rainbow shot past the other pegasus with ease, barely having taken a few flaps of her own powerful wings to do so. However, Rainbow was surprised when her pink competition caught up and shot past her in a blur of pink and blue. She had never had a pegasus outstretch her that quickly, but she was determined not to let it phase her. After all, she was only using a fraction of her own ability. “Oh gonna play this way huh?” Rainbow tilted downward, wings hammering, body surging forward as the force seemed to bend around her body, "Fine! We'll play this way!" “Bah! Is that your best?” shouted Firefly in return, still keeping up, then shooting up into the air at a sharp angle, twirling as she taunted and laughed. Rainbow didn’t know what to think of this other pegasus. She clearly wasn’t as fast as Rainbow, but was certainly agile, making so many sharp turns and spins during her flight that Rainbow found it dizzying to lock on and follow her. Obviously though, Rainbow couldn’t let this other pegasus have the last laugh, so she shot up in turn to catch back up with the other pegasus. When the upwards spiral turned downward again to send both pegasi towards the ground, Dash couldn’t have been happier. “Let’s see ya pull this off!” Dash compressed her body into the motion, heading downward at a sharp angle and watching the ground scream up towards her. The air began to glow around her, a pocket of energy forming as she slid past the pink pegasus. Suddenly, the air seemed to explode around her in a huge wave of energy, rainbow shock-waves rattling the air around her, causing a brilliant pattern in the sky. What she didn’t expect, however, was for the agile Firefly to actually grab hold of her tail just as she was breaking through, a trail of pink and blue swirling around her own rainbow trail as they continued downward. Firefly clung on for dear life with her bare teeth, eyes wide in shock, clearly not having been expecting this to happen when she reached out to take hold of her opponent. Having only seconds to think as Rainbow was quickly regaining control and compensating for the extra weight, Firefly did the most rash thing she could possibly think of. “Double inside out loop!” Firefly cackled, having no idea what would happen at this speed, but not really caring. Grabbing hold by hooking her forelimbs against Rainbow’s hind legs, she swung herself forward, wings beating the air and using the surge of speed that Dash had unintentionally lent her. Her form shot directly in front of Dash, looping around her repeatedly, continually using her forelimbs to swing about by holding onto Rainbow’s wings. At this point, however, Firefly began to care a lot more about what would happen doing her trick at this speed. Namely, she felt her fur literally ignite into flames, a jet of fire spreading out behind her as her inertia continued to carry her around Rainbow until the pegasus was literally surrounded by a ball of fire. Firefly screeched, letting herself go, luckily shooting up into the air in the process. She dove directly at a nearby dark cloud, plummeting into it and shaking about to soak herself in the water contained there. Even after the fire was out, her skin felt as if it were burning, but at least she wasn’t hurtling towards the ground. Rainbow Dash was not so fortunate. She felt the flames surrounding her, unable to see anything through the ball of fire. She knew that she was heading towards the ground however, and immediately angled upwards, flying right through the flames to burst from the giant fireball with a jet of rainbow light behind her. An explosive wave struck her from behind as the fireball slammed into the ground and exploded, the shockwave sending her even more out of control than she was. She felt herself grow dizzy, spreading out her wings and trying to screech to a halt as quickly as she could. Before she could pull out, she suddenly felt herself slam into the ground at an angle, bouncing up after leaving an impact mark there. Pain shot through her right wing, and trying to move it proved no use. Soon she was spiralling out of control directly towards a grove of trees. She felt the sting of dozens of branches snapping around her, followed by a solid crack of impact as her right side contacted a tree. Pain and darkness quickly followed as she blacked out. ------------------------------------------------------- Applejack was bringing in the last haul of the day, glad to be done with it and looking forward to the party later on that evening. She would leave some of it for the next day and had told Big Macintosh not to do it himself, though she wondered to herself if he would. She hated having others finish her own load of work when it wasn’t necessary. Upon arriving near the apple barn, however, her thoughts were pulled away from her family and towards an unusual sight. A tan pony with blond mane, who looked almost exactly like her save for a small difference in cutie mark, was balancing herself atop a barrel that she had propped against the nearest apple tree, reaching up for one of the apples. “Uh.. howdy?” Applejack wasn’t sure what to think of the other pony’s technique. “Oh howdy!” the other pony smiled, turning herself about, then suddenly collapsing off the barrel as she lost her balance, slamming her face against a branch before landing on her back on the ground. “Uh,” Applejack moved forward, unbuckling herself and leaving the cart that she had been pulling behind, “Ya okay? Ya know ya could just kick tha tree ta get tha apples out, not that ah’m saying ya should'a been stealin' apples from our trees ta begin with.” “Oh, stealing? These are your trees?” the other pony was on her feet quickly, if clumsily, and smiled, “Oh, you’re Applejack, I was just looking for you.” “Yeah our trees, tha ones right next to our barn,” Applejack seemed cross at first, but then calmed slightly when the other pony continued on. “Lookin' fer me?” Applejack automatically assumed that this must be some long lost relative that she was unaware of, so she politely nodded, “Well ya found me. Uh. Yer gonna have ta forgive me though. Ah seem ta be at a loss as ta who ya are. Ah’m Applejack like ya said, so ya already seem ta know me. 'We related? What’s yer name?” “We sorta are. I mean after a fashion I guess,” the other pony smiled, though seemed to be having trouble deciding what words to put together. “Oh! I’m… Apple… Juice. Applejuice.” The fact that she had just made that name up on the spot couldn’t have been much more obvious. Applejack blinked, recognizing this fairly quickly, walking closer to get a better look at the new pony. She grew slightly suspicious, but continued, “Uh. Kin ah help ya?” “Well yeah, actually, you can, but we need to go into the barn there. It’s sort of embarrassing to me,” the strange earth pony’s new words seemed honest enough, at least. “Yer real name is embarassin'? Well sure thang ah guess…” Applejack thought this was strange, but it never occurred to her that the other pony might be dangerous. Who ever heard of a dangerous pony in Ponyville? Well, at least discounting the possessed ones, but this one didn’t seem that far gone. Applejack turned towards the smaller barn near her main house, moving to open the door and step inside. Once inside, the two stared at one another awkwardly for a few more moments. Applejack tilted her head, looking at the other, who moved her head to look about casually in response. “Still embarrassed?” Applejack asked, dubiously, “Is this onna Pinkie or Dash’s pranks? Cause if it is ah ain’t got time fer it.” “No,” her twin replied, “It’s just, I’m still embarrassed, maybe you could close your eyes just for a second, or a minute.” Applejack sighed, “So it is a prank, fine then let’s get it over with.” She closed her eyes, waiting patiently, “Ah only gotta minute though, so be quick about it.” The other pony turned herself about, looking over her shoulder. She carefully moved herself back and forth, lining herself up, and then suddenly lodged both hind hooves back to try to impact Applejack’s head. She promptly missed, sending her hooves too far to the right, then collapsed at the loss of balance. Applejack felt the rush of air and the thud on the ground, “What tha hay you up to? Ya all right?” Still, she didn’t open her eyes yet. “No I’m fine!” the other earth pony assured her, “Just a few more seconds, I swear!” The earth pony carefully lined up her flanks again, moving over a bit, deciding it would be more effective to hit from the side. One hoof was driven up, barely brushing against Applejack’s mane. Applejack shook her head, unsure still what was going on. “Filly, you gotta’bout ten seconds ta get to tha-,” Applejack started, but her sentence was cut off as the two hind hooves finally met their mark, slamming into the side of her head. Her head cracked against the nearest support beam for the barn, pinning it there to harden the impact. Applejack’s eyes flew open just in time to see another kick lodged at her face, coming inches in front of it. She backed out of the way, tripping herself over a feeding trough that had been stored behind her, her rear slamming into it before she flipped the whole thing over and landed on her back. Her head was swimming, eyes darting around to see where her attacker went. It seemed that her match had fallen off balance again when her last kick had been dodged, tumbling into the same beam that Applejack had been slammed against. The impact rattled the barn, causing a cloud of dust to settle around them both. Her own eyes darted around to see where Applejack had landed. Before Applejack could speak, the other pony lunged over the trough at her, her fore-hooves now aimed at the grounded pony’s head. Applejack reacted without thinking, aiming her own hind legs up to kick the other pony in the gut, sending her flying back to skid across the dirt of the barn, ending in a crash as she slammed into an equipment rack, rakes and various farming tools falling upon her. The athletic pony was on her feet more slowly than she might have normally been, her head still swimming with the initial impact. She found her own balance to be impaired, turning just in time to find that the other pony had risen to her feet and was preparing to lash her feet out again. Applejack dodged one, but then had another hoof slam into her forehead once again. Had it not been such a serious situation, Applejack might have thought it was comical when she really did get a look at her opponent. It seemed that the other pony presently had a bucket over her head, the last two kicks having been pure dumb luck as she was simply launching her hind legs in the direction that she heard Applejack. Applejack herself swung around, sending her own hooves back to impact against the other pony’s legs. There were several sickening cracks, the other pony screaming in pain at the impacts. Still, they were poorly aimed, and the other one was able to stagger off to the side out of sight in the dark barn. “What in tarnation? Whar are ya? Ah sware when ah... when ah,” Applejack could barely speak, her head swimming now, her vision blurred. She finally gave up finding the other pony, heading towards the light that she knew to be the open barn door. Just when she thought she would arrive there safely, a stumbling mass of earth pony slammed into her from the side, knocking her over and pinning her onto the floor. When she looked up, the other pony was just now succeeding in getting the bucket off her head. She looked down at Applejack, stunned and apparently having tackled her on accident. Applejack launched her feet up again, but the other pony was now between said legs, making her powerful kick hit nothing but air on either side of her. The pony atop her responded with several more fore-hooves to the face, pain jolting through Applejacks head once again as she finally felt the world around her black out. ------------------------------------------------------- Rarity tried on her third hat and scarf of the evening, never quite satisfied with what she saw. “Oh I suppose this will do,” she huffed, then turned towards her door. It was off to another fabulous party for her, and she was certainly looking forward to it, at least as long as Pinkie didn’t flavor the punch with anything unsanitary. As with other ponies that day, her thoughts were cut off with a knock at the door. Her horn glowed, not bothering to walk over from her primping session. The door opened slowly and she looked out of it from where she was, spying a pony with coat and mane very similar to her own, save for the pink streak in the middle of the mane. What’s more, as the pony entered, they seemed to have a very similar cutie mark to her own, perhaps the same. “Oh… why hello dear. Welcome to Carousel Boutique. Why aren’t you just a darling!” Rarity spoke, unable to resist complimenting the pony that looked just as fabulous as herself, “I must apologize, however. You see I have already closed today, since I am attending a party tonight and can’t be more than fashionably late. I’m sure you under… stand?” Rarity paused near the end, arching an eyebrow as the other pony ignored her statements and walked fully inside anyway, closing the door behind her with her own horn and actually moving to walk around the counter. “Oh don’t worry ‘darling’. This won’t take long,” the strange unicorn smiled, “My name is Sparkler, by the way, no need to introduce yourself, I know who you are.” “Oh, truly?” Rarity found herself smiling, flattering certainly got ponies somewhere with her, “I hope you didn’t come too far to visit, but as I said I am about to leave. Perhaps we could make an appointment for tomorrow?” Rarity was not exactly wanting to give up a potential customer; especially one that seemed to know her work so well. “That would be perfect 'darling',” Sparkler nodding as she trotted over to Rarity. Her eyes visibly shifted over to a number of shiny gems on the counter, then across the room to take in every little thing. So many shiny objects… Rarity nodded, turning to walk over to her appointment book. The pages glowed as they quickly flipped over to the next day. She pondered as she spoke, “How would ten in the morning sound? I had somepony cancel, so I could get you in bright and early. We could probably have a nice chat too, I wouldn’t mind getting to know you, especially with our cutie marks matching so wonderfully." “How about now ‘darling’?” Sparkler’s initially polite voice was near mockery by now, quietly shifting the gems she had been looking at into her own side bag while Rarity was turned away. Rarity blinked, her pen stopping an inch from the parchment, having been expecting Sparkler to go for the idea. She slowly asked, “But I thought you said-? Look dear, I would love to help you now but-” Rarity was cut off as the scarf she had on suddenly tightened around her neck, glowing with magic. Sparkler trotted up behind her, climbing right onto her back and grabbing the scarf in her own mouth as well, aiding the motion of her own telekinesis. At first Rarity had no idea what was going on, just that a strange mare was trying to mount her. “Well I never. Stop that this… instant…” Rarity’s voice was cut off further, suddenly realizing that the other unicorn was in fact assaulting her rather than being amorous. Rarity’s eyes darted around, unable to fathom why such a creature would be attacking her. Her eyes shifted to stare into the mirror on the dresser, directly front of her, spotting the determined gaze of her attacker, and knew what to do. She used the mirror reflection to target her own magic, making a bag of gems rise from behind the other pony and flinging it towards her head. Unfortunately, the same mirror that allowed Rarity to target also allowed Sparkler to spot the incoming missile and duck below it, yanking harder still. She twisted her body around, trying to pull Rarity’s head away so that she couldn’t look into the mirror again. This caused both ponies to slam into the dresser, causing the mirror to fall behind it with a shattering crack. Rarity started to call out, more disturbed that her beautiful dresser had just been trashed than that she was being strangled, but she quickly went back to the task at hand. Unable to see her assailant, she used her powers instead to grab objects in front of her. She threw several more gems that were lying out, flinging them behind her to try to strike Sparkler, but Sparkler could easily see and dodge the projectiles. Next came an empty coat rack, which actually bounced off of Sparklers side, but then Rarity was quite out of things to toss. The main thing that held her back was her complete unwillingness to throw anything that might be damaged. Had it not been for her reluctance to toss clothing to cover up the unicorns own vision or a well of ink to spray the other unicorn, she probably wouldn’t have had much of an issue getting Sparkler off of her. The two struggled for what seemed like forever to both of them, even if it was only a few minutes. Rarity felt her power wane at the lack of oxygen, eventually stumbling forward so that her head slammed into the counter. She felt herself fading into unconsciousness, her mind racing even now to think of a reason why this fabulous unicorn would have attacked her. Did she mess up their outfit? Did she forget an order? What terrible crime against fashion had she committed? Her head swam again, vision going blurry as she gasped for air. The other pony continued to pull, waiting for her victim to fall unconscious before slowly releasing. The last thing Rarity heard before blacking out was the soft voice of the other unicorn whispering, “You really are a gorgeous thing. I must say, it will truly be a waste when we end you.” Sparkler nudged roughly at Rarity’s still form to make sure she was breathing again, and then moved quickly to bind her. Out from her bag came a blindfold to cover her eyes, as well as dully glowing magical chains which were locked around her legs. The other unicorn made sure the door was locked, then went about her own business, filling the empty space in her bag with as many of Rarity’s more shiny possessions as possible before preparing to drag the other unicorn to her own cart. ------------------------------------------------------- Pinkie Pie had already finished the decorations for her party, her room now blanketed with banners, ribbons, streamers, balloons, and every party joy that she could conceive of. Now she had gone back downstairs and sat at the front door to Sugar Cube Corner, eagerly awaiting her friends. Strangely however, none of them had showed up as of yet. Usually they were early if anything, so it was a small worry. The little doubt she started with increased with every tick of the clock, and soon she felt like she might start deflating at the wait. Finally, a knock at the door brought her back to attention. She hopped up with an audible springing noise, racing forward to open it. “Hey there welcome to the… oh,” Pinkie stared at the white pegasus. “Hi!” the white pegasus blurted out, “Hey I’m one of your friend’s friends and I was invited too, can I come in?” She looked quite confident in herself, certain that she would be welcomed in it seemed, and possibly looking forward to her best and potentially most painful surprise yet. What happened next didn’t quite fit into her plan. “YOU!” Pinkie suddenly pointed a hoof into her face. “Me?” the pegasus kept her grin, but was unable to move inside due to Pinkie blocking her path, “Hey I’m Surprise! Have we met?” “You shouldn’t exist! I replaced you!” Pinkie blurted out, suddenly in a blind panic for no reason that Surprise could imagine. Pinkie suddenly bounced back from the door, diving behind the counter at the front of the bakery. The pegasus followed inside, quickly realizing that the pink one was somehow onto her and she had to act fast if she was going to catch the on-guard pony off-guard. “I don’t know what you mean. I was invited to the party, honest!” Surprise smiled, moving towards the counter, trying hard to seem friendly. Her mind raced however, her eyes darting around, trying to figure out how the pink pony had been tipped off. Had one of her friends failed already? Suddenly, Pinkie sprang up once again, wielding what looked like a t-shirt cannon decorated in candy stripes and frosting design. Into this contraption, Pinkie was loading several cupcakes, a comically devious look on her face as she primed the device and aimed it directly at Surprise’s face. “Go back to the eighties!” Pinkie yelled out, though somehow laughing hysterically at the same time. There was an incredibly moist sound, and the delicious payload slammed into Surprise’s face, sending her head over hooves back across the room, slamming into the far wall. Skidding on her back, the pegasus quickly flapped her wings to right herself, tearing open the saddlebag she wore to reach inside. Before anyone could ask her how in Celestia’s name she was doing this, she was pulling out objects that were far too large to have fit inside. A toaster, a large brick, and a small anvil all flew towards the air directly at Pinkie. Pinkie fired the cupcake cannon at the projectiles, which of course had a less than stellar effect on them. She barely ducked out of the way as the objects slammed into the cake rack behind her, causing it to shake as several large cakes fell off, one of them splatting squarely on her head. She jumped back up, now wearing an upside down cake as a hat, and fired another cupcake at the support for the shelf closest to Surprise. Sure enough, the shelf toppled and hit its mark, knocking Surprise to the floor and pinning her, little stars dancing around her head. She grunted angrily, and then shoved the cake rack off of her, now covered in delicious frosting as well. “This isn’t a game!” Surprise yelled at the Pink pony, actually grabbing the stars that had been floating around her head moments earlier, using her mouth to throw one after another to Pinkie. “Of course it is silly!” Pinkie was having a great deal more fun than Surprise, even if she probably wasn’t thinking about how much trouble she would get into for trashing the shop. Not even Pinkie was expecting the stars to actually be thrown, however, and was finally struck in the head by two of them. The jolts of energy from the strange projectiles coursed through her, causing her to shiver violently. It actually felt quite hilarious, but all the same sent her to the floor, temporarily disabled. “W.. oh my stars what are you doing Pinkie?” Missus Cake’s voice shouted as she hoofed it down the stairs just in time to see the baking rack overturn onto Surprise, who to her just appeared to be a random shop patron. “Pinkamena Dianne Pie!” Miss Cake was very motherly in the way she screamed Pinkie’s name; Pinkie only ever heard her full name when she was being scolded. Though Missus Cake had already half-expected Pinkie to be trashing the place when she heard noises from upstairs, she certainly didn’t expect what happened next. The pegasus pony lunged at her, briefly fluttering through the air before slamming into her, knocking her back against a window, which cracked slightly at the impact. “SURPRISE!” Surprise yelled, a psychotic grin on her face. Pinkie started to explain, but her mouth was barely open before she saw Surprise reach back into her hammer-space-equipped saddlebag. Out of it she now pulled a baseball bat, which was promptly slammed into the head of the shocked Missus Cake with a frenzy that even surprised Pinkie. Somehow, she held the bat between both hooves when swinging it, getting plenty of wind up to properly beat her victim. “No witnesses! He said no witnesses! Surprise!” the crazy pegasus cackled madly, continuing to slam the bat down on the head of the older pony, who was quite helpless after the first few hits. “No!” Pinkie launched herself over the counter top, promptly tripping over the brick that Surprise had thrown before, which was now on the floor. She found herself slamming into the cake rack that she had just knocked over. “Pinkie!” Missus Cake yelled out, now a cry for help rather than a cry of anger. Now, however, Pinkie’s leg was caught in the shelf and she was straining to get it loose. By the time Pinkie arrived, Ms. Cake had stopped yelling or even moving for that matter. Pinkie angrily tackled the pegasus off her surrogate mother, slamming her into the window cracked by Missus Cake's head a moment earlier. “Somepony is gonna pay! Somepony is gonna pay BIG TIME!” Pinkie screamed, suddenly taking the situation deadly serious, a mode that few had seen her in and fewer had liked. The pegasus was knocked back, but kicked in return. The kick barely glanced at Pinkie’s belly, now too close for Surprise to get in a good strike. She slammed the pegasus back against the window again, which splintered and cracked with each violent slam. Several more shoves later, Surprise found herself breaking through the window and landing on the other side. Pinkie then raced back, grabbing the baseball bat that Surprise had used on Missus Cake. She gasped at the bloody result, lifting her up to try to see if she was still alive, “M-Missus Cake?” Looking down and realizing how bad the damage was, Pinkie’s mane almost immediately drooped, an actual whoosh of air escaping as her mane and tail both straightened out. “AHHHHHHHH!” a shout came from the front of the bakery. Pinkie turned around to see the terrified eyes of three young fillies. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all stood there, having heard the commotion from outside and they had come to see what it was. The first thing they had seen was a trashed pastry shop and a straight-haired Pinkie standing over Missus Cake with a bloody baseball bat. “I… quick get help!” Pinkie yelled at them, then darted towards the window that she had so recently thrown Surprise out, trying to catch up to the pegasus and leaving the cuties to get help. It never even occurred to her that they probably thought she was the assailant. Outside, she saw no sight of the pegasus. Surprise had promptly given up at the arrival of other potential witnesses, and probably wasn’t too keen on beating the snot out of young fillies. Then again, maybe she had just decided that she couldn't take them all on without at least one witness escaping. Still, Pinkie ran along, looking up into the sky, trying to find her. Tears streamed down her face as the rage coursed through her body like she had never felt before. She wasn’t sure how long she searched, loosing track of time, but eventually had to give up. How could this pegasus escape her? Not even Rainbow Dash could do that. She came around to the front of the bakery this time, not wanting to risk cutting herself more on the glass of the window, but as she came around the side of the building, she was met by the screaming faces of the three fillies again. “Girls!” Pinkie exclaimed, “Did you get help?” Pinkie waited for an answer, but was just met by three sets of frightened eyes. She tried to smile slowly, at which time her mind connected the previous events as they had likely been seen by the three small fillies. “Oh wait,” Pinkie waved a hoof, “You don’t think I… no no no, let me explain.” There was no chance to explain though as the three fillies ran screaming around to the front of the store, starting to run circles around a guard pony that they had apparently summoned there already before settling in behind him. “Yeah that didn’t go well,” Scootaloo commented to her friends from behind the guard. “You’re tellin me,” responded Sweetie Belle, coming to a halt next to the other, also hiding behind the guard. “Guess us bein' Cutie Mark Crusader Crime-Fighters is right out huh…” Applebloom sighed. The large guard pony turned to look nervously at Pinkie Pie, seeming less like he was afraid of her and more like he wasn’t really comfortable arresting a party pony. He spoke carefully, “Come with me Miss Pie. No need to cause any more trouble.” Pinkie shook her head, tears streaming down her face again. How could they think she attacked somepony… killed somepony? She didn’t even know if Missus Cake was even alive! She looked at the shop, unable to see well inside, then back to the approaching guard. She clenched her teeth, and did the only thing she could think of doing. She ran.
blayzekohime	706	2	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2011-12-15T03:39:11+00:00	2011-12-15T03:39:11+00:00	10,885	Day Two “S-Sister?” Luna’s voice snapped Celestia out of her daze. Celestia looked over to Luna, shock in her eyes. She had been staring at the letter from Spike for some time now. This was not even the first time she had read it. She had actually received it hours earlier, along with reports from several authorities in Ponyville including the Mayor and the local guard, who had never had to deal with a crime like this before and was in a complete panic. Celestia gathered herself up, trying not to seem teary eyed. She didn't want to cause Luna undue stress; no one wanted that. She rose from where she was seated atop her throne, moving forward to stand in front of Luna as she approached. “Yes Luna?” she asked with a bittersweet smile. “This cannot be real can it? This doesn’t seem like a deed that any of the Element holders would perform,” Luna spoke with great knowledge. She knew the elements like no others could, having been on the receiving end of their combined friendship once when she was simultaneously saved by and kicked around by them. “I can’t feel Twilight,” Celestia trailed off, sighing, “I can’t detect her life force anywhere, and I usually can when I’m so close to someone. And well, the only link we have between them is that they were all on their way to Pinkie’s party. Given that it appears that Pinkie attacked her own mentor, things don’t look good. While I don’t think Pinkie is directly responsible for the disappearances, I have a feeling that she knows something about it.” Luna looked quietly at Celestia for a moment longer, her eyes then moving towards the royal pegasus guard who had been standing at attention before the two, patiently awaiting his orders after having flown to Ponyville and back himself to confirm the situation. He didn’t dare to speak or hurry up their decision; Celestia was never sure if such silent obedience made her proud or sad. “Take a division to Ponyville,” Celestia finally spoke to him, “Find Pinkie Pie and bring her in. Locate the other Elements if possible; I want everything about this case to come to me.” “Yes Princess! You can be sure that we will…” the guard started. “Not harm her unless you absolutely have to in order to bring her in…alive. She is an Element holder, and if she did commit such a crime it was not of her own free will. We have to help her,” Celestia finished for him, making sure he understood. She knew that her guards could be overzealous at times, and stressed the word ‘alive’ severely. It seemed she had to punish overzealous guards more often than citizenry sometimes. The guard bowed low before turning to take off out the door from the throne room. No doubt he would go towards the barracks to gather a small force. Celestia felt sick ordering a regiment to turn a town inside out looking for something. She felt sick every time she had to give an order that might result in somepony being hurt. “Shall I go as well?” piped up Luna, standing tall as if getting ready. “No sister. I would rather you not for now,” Celestia smiled to her sweetly. “I can take care of myself, sister, I’ll be fine,” Luna sighed, a hint of frustration on her voice, then added quickly, “And I won’t crack and hurt any of our subjects. They need to get used to me… being around them.” “I’m sure you can, and I’m sure you won’t, but if there is someone out there that can take down all of the elements in a single day, we have to proceed very carefully indeed,” Celestia explained as she reached over a hoof, pulling her sister close to hug her. --------------------------------------------- Day Three Pinkie Pie peeked her head over the top of the bushes, slowly sneaking past another set of nervous looking ponies. She heard them chatting quietly to each other and though she couldn’t make out what they said, she heard her own name several times. What were they saying? Did the ponies not like her anymore now? With thoughts like these, she had been straight-maned for another entire day, spending almost that whole time searching for Surprise without any success. She had managed to sneak back to Sugar Cube Corner long enough to get her saddle bags again, so at the very least she had a few of her things, not that she expected a cupcake cannon, a coloring book, and party supplies to come in terribly handy at the moment. Pinkie wasn’t sure what to do. Word had gotten around fast and she wasn’t used to everypony being afraid of her. The only thing she knew was that her friends would be able to help her, so today she had gone to each of their houses in turn to find them. Actually finding them however, had proven more difficult than she had believed. First she had tried her best friend Rainbow Dash’s house, only to find the front yard wrecked and Dash’s most prized award lying on the floor where Dash would have never put it. What’s more, on her way to Fluttershy’s she found small trees that had been snapped as if something ran into them, hints of blood and several blue feathers. At Fluttershy’s, she had also found nothing. The animals had been out feeding and had not seen anything, nor was there any sign of a struggle. There was even a neat little tea set out, though half-finished so somepony must have left in a hurry. There were tracks out front as if somepony had been dragged to a cart, and Pinkie had tried following the tracks, but she lost them as soon as they turned off the main road into tall grass. Rarity’s had been a mess, from what she could see at least, but she couldn’t get too close because it looked like several guard ponies were investigating it at the same time. She had seen Sweetie Belle outside talking to one of them and crying. What had happened? That was another thing. Why were there so many guards? Surely they couldn’t all be looking for her, could they? She felt like something worse must have happened, or was it just that her friends were hiding from her? She was too afraid to ask any of the normal pony citizens what was going on before she was certain. She only had Twilight and Applejack left to try. Surely one of them would be there and able to help her, she believed. Slowly creeping around, she carefully opened the door to the library and slipped inside. The library looked empty as well, but there was neither sign of a struggle nor any sign of any pony being dragged off. That was certainly a relief. And what was that? Pinkie heard a sound from upstairs, so she followed it to see what it was. Soon she realized it was the sound of Spike crying softly. Starting to speak, Pinkie suddenly realized that if she just walked up to him, he might freak out, assuming he had heard the same thing others had. She hadn’t brought any gems, so wasn’t sure how to get his mind off of things. Finally she crept into the room, finding him there on Twilight’s bed, curled up and hugging her pillow. Pinkie felt her heart sink even more; was Twilight missing too? “Uh… Spike? Don’t scream okay?” Pinkie tried to sound nice, even giving him a bright friendly smile, but it was hard to hide the fact that she was stressed out since her mane and tail gave it away. Spike had seen her like this before, and knew just a little of how she could get at times. “Ah!” Spike nearly fell off the bed, “Have you come back to finish the job?” “W- what are you talking about Spikey?” Pinkie blinked, but kept her smile. “You… You got Dash too!” Spike pointed at her mane suddenly, where it just so happened one of Rainbow Dash’s feathers had landed while Pinkie was examining the tree earlier, “Did you take Twilight? Why are you doing this?” “What are you talking about? Now come on Spikey Wikey, you know I wouldn’t hurt anypony,” she reasoned. However, half-way to the bed, she reached up to pull the feather out of her mane. A bloody feather. Oh. That would be hard to play off. “You finally cracked, didn’t you?” accused Spike, pointing at her. “Just like when you tied me down and screamed at me, but worse, you didn’t even bring any gems this time!” It was as if that sealed the deal for him. Spike looked back and forth, before suddenly seeming to realize something. He darted forward to the edge of the bed, leaping at Pinkie and belching out a burst of flame. Was he trying to mail her to Celestia or something? Either way, Pinkie wasn’t willing to test the theory, nor was she willing to find out if a pony could survive being mailed via dragon flame. She quickly dodged out of the way, which gave Spike the opening to run as Pinkie was slamming into the bookcase. “Wait, Spike! It wasn’t me I swear!” Pinkie yelled as she wriggled all four legs trying to get up, only to have several books fall atop her head to keep her from it. By the time she finally stumbled to the door, the little one had already gotten away. If she didn’t have her feelings hurt enough already, they were certainly drained all the more now. Spike had seemed so ready to believe that she had cracked that she started to wonder if she really had. Maybe her own memory was faulty? She could try to catch him still, and probably would if she made an attempt, but would it really do any good? She sat there in the doorway to the library, head drooped low once again, before slowly rising to her hooves and trotting out. There was one more place to check. --------------------------------------------- Applejack sat at the edge of the orchard, hiding off at the edge of the bushes there and waiting for Pinkie. She knew that Pinkie would be coming here, having heard about her being accused of Surprise’s rather violent deed, with some ponies even thinking she was responsible for her missing friends. It was really a bit convenient and she had a hard time feeling sorry for Pinkie at this point, given how annoying it had been to locate her. “Won’t catch her, He says,” she grumbled to herself, “We’ll show Him that He can put His confidence in us.” She stuffed another apple into her mouth, a whole crate of them sitting next to her. Sure enough, Pinkie came sneaking up the road, darting form tree to tree and hiding between each in turn. She seemed able to fit behind objects smaller than herself, which Applejack found every bit as strange as when she'd seen Surprise do it. “That is so creepy. Well, all right, here goes,” Applejack said to herself, standing up on her shaky hind legs. “Uh.. Hay Pinkie Pie! Goodness, I’m sure glad you’re okay!” And she was, too, knowing that He would want to take care of her personally. Pinkie couldn’t have been happier, spotting Applejack and darting over to her, skidding to a stop mere feet from her and panting. Looking over the earth pony, however, it was clear Applejack had been hurt from the way she stood; there was no faking that. Applejack's body had been carefully bandaged from flank down to her hind ankles, hiding her cutie mark in the process. The bandages looked like something Fluttershy would have wrapped her in, designed with cute little flowers, which brought Pinkie’s hopes up even more. “Applejack!” Pinkie darted forward and hugged her, sounding relieved as she spoke, “I’m so glad you’re okay! Listen Applejack, I didn’t take the others or hurt Missus Cake. It was a weird Surprise pegasus; I think she might have time travelled from the eighties to re-replace us!” Applejack stared, “I.. .is that so? Well uh… that would be the white pegasus? We found a white pegasus and we’re holding her in that old barn, right over there.” Pinkie blinked, “You believe me?” Applejack had never believed her crazy nonsense prior to this; having her suddenly buy it actually destroyed some of the charm for Pinkie. Applejack sensed as much, “Of course not.” She did think Pinkie was crazy, but had tried to play along with what she thought Pinkie expected. She didn't expect Pinkie not to expect... nevermind. Pinkie wasn’t certain, but followed along nonetheless, peering at Applejack’s covered flank the entire way for some reason. “What happened to you?” Pinkie asked. “Me? I got into a fight with that white pegasus too, before we captured her. It was pretty weird, I barely beat her,” Applejack rambled on for a moment. Pinkie, however, kept staring at Applejack, seeming to analyze her. She seemed nervous, but not nervous in the typical Applejack sense; it was almost like she was playing off her nervousness too well. There was also something else that was definitely wrong. “Where’d your accent go?” Pinkie asked. Applejack’s eyes shifted about, suddenly seeming to notice her mistake. She stuttered, “Accent? Oh my accent. Well, I just got back from vacation.” “What does being on vacation have to do with it?” asked Pinkie, then turned to notice that they were headed towards one of the older apple barns that hadn’t been in use for some time; one that she was certain Applejack had mentioned was slated for tearing down. “And why did you put her in there?” “Well it has everything to do with it,” Applejack focused on the first question, ignoring the second, “The… train, they lost my luggage.” “The train lost your accent?” Pinkie blinked. “Well they must have, else I’d still have it,” Applejack reasoned. She only had to keep Pinkie distracted for a few more moments, she thought, starting to walk faster, though she started getting less sure of her footing, tripping slightly from time to time. “I guess that makes sense,” Pinkie answered; ironically a more feasible explanation would have seemed like a lie to her. Still, she wasn’t sure that the other pony was acting right. “I still don’t understand the old barn, though and the part about the fight. Are you really Applejack?” she finally asked outright. Applejack turned her head about, trying to feign surprise, though looking a bit confused at the same time with what parts of this Pinkie was buying and which she wasn’t, “Of course I am!” Arriving at the door, Applejack opened it up, clumsily reaching for the door with one hoof to try to hook the handle and pull it open. She offered to let Pinkie Pie in first, but the pink pony wouldn’t budge. “Are you MY Applejack?” Pinkie Pie leaned over, turning one eye towards the earth pony and giving her the patented Pinkie Pie one-eyed stare, one eyeball seeming to bulge from her skull for a moment. Applejack’s eyes got large, gulping solidly and clearly intimidated by the stare, not having expected it, “W.. Ah..” she stammered, unable to think of what to say in response to that. “Gotcha!” another voice suddenly came out of nowhere, a pink and blue blur slamming into Pinkie from a nearby tree, knocking the dazed pony into the barn. Even Applejack found herself cringing at the subsequent crashing from within the barn. “Surprise!” a second voice sounded. Surely enough, Surprise was in the barn, but certainly was not restrained. She was the second one to pounce Pinkie when she arrived, attempting to pin her down alongside Firefly. “Firefly!” called out the pink unicorn that so recently had befriended Twilight, “We already told you, be careful with them! We can’t kill her yet!” “What? I thought you said you already got-," Firefly started. “Look He told us not to kill her right now, regardless,” Twilight screamed at her, cutting her off. Notably, Firefly was still rather fried from her fight with Rainbow Dash earlier. Though she lacked any permanent injury, her wings and fur had obviously been blackened by the scorching she had gotten herself, her mane and tail having taken the brunt of the punishment and were now slightly patchy. Twilight’s horn glowed, a purple mist moving to yank away a golf club that Surprise had just pulled out of her saddlebag with obvious intentions towards Pinkie’s head. The unicorn reiterated, “The no killing rule goes DOUBLE for you, Surprise.” “My goodness, Firefly. You got dust everywhere. And be careful not to whip any more of it up Surprise,” Sparkler, apparently having joined them in the barn, complained, but didn't whine at least. She backed away from the dust cloud made by the impact. “Aw come on!” Firefly huffed. She half stood, though still atop the struggling Pinkie, which couldn’t have been comfortable for the pink pony. “You guys take all the fun out of things!” she smirked and turned to the fashionable unicorn, “And don’t you start Sparkler. At least I didn’t take extra time to raid her house for useless trinkets.” Sparkler hmph’ed, the unicorn taking a few more steps back as the dust cloud increased. “You’re all just so clumsy! It’s like you rush into every situation without a clue of what you’re doing!” she spoke, avoiding any admission that her own time capturing Rarity might have been a little fun for her. Surprise chuckled, despite being deprived of her bludgeoning device, and moved to sit her plot down on Pinkie’s belly to hold her. This made Firefly stumble off of the pink pony, falling into Applejack as she came in and sending the earth pony tumbling against one of the barn’s support columns. “Careful,” murmured Posey, who appeared to be huddled in the corner, “I don’t think this barn looks very stable.” Surprise looked down, leaning forward so that her own face was inches from Pinkie’s as she giggled, “Were you surprised? Huh? Huh?” "Stop stealing my lines!" Pinkie answered, suddenly ramming her head forward to head butt Surprise, sending the white pegasus falling back off of her as well, holding her head. Pinkie’s resistance was short lived, however, as the horns of both present unicorns glowed. The magical energy caused Pinkie to float up into the air, held fast from both sides as she struggled to get a footing, only managing to run in mid air. “So what now, Twilight?” Firefly smirked at the leading unicorn, dusting herself off after shoving Surprise away. Surprise just chuckled and slammed into the dirt, as if being treated as such was completely okay with her. “Well we just need to get her back with the others. I can only teleport one pony at a time, so I’ll take her on ahead myself,” Twilight said as she walked towards the struggling Pinkie. She paused, however, turning her head to Posey, who was still huddled in one corner of the barn, “For goodness sake Posey! Please at least act like you’re a part of this team!” Posey shook her head, silently trying to hold back her tears, “Why are we all acting so different than before? It’s like I don’t even… don’t even…” she shook her head, swaying, then stood straight up, suddenly putting on a braver face, “I’m sorry, I’ll try.” Twilight hm’ed, staring at Posey for a moment, concentrating on her long and hard. She said nothing, but sudden fear filled Posey’s eyes. “N-No!” Posey pleaded, “I’ll be good, I promise, you don’t need to tell him, please don’t tell him!” “No! You won’t replace us!” Pinkie screeched as her feet flailed. She was still unable to touch ground. “You’re all just a bunch of meanie mean-pants!” she screeched again. Despite appearances, Pinkie was taking note of the fear at which they spoke of ‘Him’, putting two and two together enough to know that what they were talking about was some sort of evil force. Was this why they wanted the elements out of the way? Twilight rolled her eyes, walking towards the held pink pony, “Pinkie if you lived in my world for a few days, then you’d know what cruelty really is. Sometimes, you have to be cruel to survive.” --------------------------------------------- Spike watched Pinkie as she snuck away from the library, heading directly towards Sweet Apple Acres. What was she doing? He held a piece of parchment and quill in his claws, but wasn’t sure what to write aside from that Pinkie had been there. Princess Celestia had told him to write back about any new information he received, but perhaps he should wait until he had something useful. He watched as Pinkie headed onward, softly padding about behind her, trying to match his steps with her own so as to not be noticed. He followed her all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, amazed that she didn’t notice him the entire time. She must have really been distracted, he thought. Once there, he saw the most unusual meeting unfold. At first he expected Applejack to try to apprehend Pinkie and was a little concerned when she didn’t. Was Applejack only pretending to be missing? Was she in on this? But why would she hurt the others? He was afraid to get close enough to listen to them, but followed them nonetheless. An answer to his questions that he didn’t expect came as he watched Pinkie get tackled into the barn. Rushing to the door, he peeked around the edge just after Applejack entered within. What he heard next made his eyes grow wide. He had to save Pinkie! But how? He couldn’t beat one pony, much less six of them that were potentially as strong as the Elements themselves. He decided to do what he knew best, pulling out the parchment and quill again and beginning to write. “Hey what’s that?” Firefly turned, cutting off Twilight’s train of thought. Firefly moved to peer through a crack in the barn, “Is somepony out there?” “What?” Twilight glanced in that direction, but didn’t want to break her concentration on Pinkie, lest she be allowed to struggle away. “You three!” she motioned instead to Applejack, Firefly, and Surprise with a hoof, “No witnesses.” As if to punctuate her sentence, she kicked the golf club back over to Surprise. This didn’t make for a very orderly exit from the building, however. As Surprise bolted through it, the door slammed open into Spike in the middle of his message. The dragon had been holding his breath, ready to breathe on the letter as soon as it was finished, and this made him expel the load early to send the unfinished parchment. “No!” Spike yelled out as he skidded across the ground, “It wasn’t done!” He now had more important things to worry about, however. He knew that if these ponies beat up his friends, he wouldn’t be able to escape from three of them. Maybe if he was fast, however, he could at least save Pinkie. “Surprise!” Surprise swung the club, coming inches from Spike’s head as the little dragon ran towards the barn, rapidly climbing up the side. Firefly and Applejack hadn’t expected their prey to run towards the barn instead of away from it. By the time they realized it, they were ten feet out from the door. Applejack tripped as she tried to turn about, tumbling against Firefly before the pegasus had a chance to properly take off. “Stop being a silly pony!” Firefly screamed angrily, shoving Applejack off of her and taking off as fast as she could with her still-singed wings. This was actually where Spike lucked out. These ponies seemed extraordinarily bad at anything resembling teamwork, and Surprise darted up into the air just as Firefly charged towards the barn with the intention of smashing Spike into it. When Surprise swung the golf club at Spike again, she instead impacted the charging Firefly’s head, sending the pink pegasus off course and through the wall of the barn itself with a splintering crash. “You clumsy idiots! I would say you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, Firefly, but I suppose that’s the only thing you can do,” Sparkler called out, trying hard to retain her concentration on the Pinkie grasp, “Um… Twilight dear. Shouldn’t you be doing something?” “Oh, right,” Twilight stammered, having an equal amount of trouble concentrating. She shook her head slightly as if to clear her head of something, then walked over towards Pinkie once again. “I hate to think what will happen to you morons when I leave. I swear one tiny little thing and you all need your hooves held. Anyway… I wish… I wish…” Firefly snorted at Twilight, “I’ll have that little guy’s head on a platter!” She then darted back outside, all the more determined. However, Surprise was just flying up past the hole as Firefly was flying out of it. They slammed together and were both sent spiraling out of control, barely able to stop themselves before impacting the ground. By then, Spike wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Get off!” Firefly shoved Surprise aside again, moving up to start circling about the barn. “Did you see where he went?” Surprise asked Applejack, turning to see that the earth pony had apparently stopped to stuff her face with more apples. “I was busy,” Applejack said with her mouth full, bits of apple trickling down her cheek. Spike had ducked into the roof through another hole and was now running about the rafters. Running towards the middle, he searched for the main support beam. “I’m really going to regret this,” Spike sighed. With those words, Spike took a deep breath, and breathed his magical flame all over the main beam. The next thing any pony knew, the whole barn creaked and began to crumble. The first plank to fall nailed Twilight directly in the head, disrupting her teleportation spell. Needless to say, the impact of wood against her head, followed by her head against the ground, broke her concentration well enough. The cloud of dust resulting from it broke Sparkler's concentration too as she immediately fled the building with no regard for her 'friends' still inside. Freed from her magical binding and unaware of Spike still being nearby, Pinkie immediately darted off. The other confused ponies didn't notice the pink streak as it left out the front and across the orchard. “Shouldn’t some pony be saving Twilight?” Applejack asked from outside, watching the barn cave in on itself as she casually stuffed another apple into her mouth. “What?” Surprise responded, as if the concept of risking her life for some other pony was foreign to her. Luckily for Twilight, Posey was still inside, and the yellow pony managed to pull the plank off of the unicorn’s head before shoving her outside. Twilight and Posey exited the barn shortly before it fully collapsed, the splintering of wood causing a huge bang. There was no doubt that any pony in earshot would be running to see what happened. Spike wasn’t as lucky as the ponies, but at least he was atop the barn so not a great deal collapsed atop him. The next thing he knew, Firefly was pulling him out of the rubble. “Surprise again!” a voice screamed. If the collapse didn’t hurt enough, the slam of Surprise’s club to Spike’s head certainly did, sending the poor dragon flying to crash head first into the ground amongst the other escaped ponies. Firefly and Surprise dove again, death in their eyes. “Waaaaait!” Posey yelled, pulling the baby dragon out from their targeted path, causing both pegasi to land hard on the ground. “What the hay Posey?” Firefly screeched. “Well that was surprising!” Surprise gave her that much credit. “Oh what now?” Twilight glared at Posey, despite having just been saved by the pony, “This isn’t going to be another of your idiot love and peace speeches is it? I swear when we get back it’s condi-” “He’s just a baby!” protested Posey, cutting Twilight off, “And we didn’t come here to kill babies! Besides, don’t you see? This is Twilight’s pet dragon, you said his name was Spike, right? He might be useful right?” “Spike?” Applejack arched and eyebrow. “Oh goodness, Spike? If he’s anything like our Spike, kill him before he speaks,” Sparkler whined as she covered her ears. “Seriously!” agreed Firefly, “Most. Annoying. Voice. Ever. One baby dragon is enough!” “No, she has a point,” Twilight shook her head, “As much as I hate to admit it, this could actually work well. Posey, we’ll talk on the way back, and perhaps we’ll reconsider your conditioning if you do better. Anyway, everypony scramble, there might be help on the way.” --------------------------------------------- Far away, Celestia sat quietly on a pile of soft pillows in her study, worries filling her head. She had a book in front of her, trying hard to get her mind off of things. “I still can’t believe that one of my own would do this,” she spoke to herself. “No, I'm sure it's fine,” assured Luna, having entered the room, moving to sit across from her, “I agree. No need to worry big sister; we’ll get to the bottom of-" She cut herself off as there was a spark in the air above Celestia, a letter appearing in front of the older Princess. It wasn’t folded and looked half-written, complete with a half-broken quill tumbling in with it. Celestia caught the letter with her magic, moving it upright and reading it aloud, “Dear Princess Celestia. This is Spike. You told me to tell you if I saw Pinkie and I have. Now this is very important, so send help right away to Sweet Apple Acres as I don’t know if they’ll catch me before I finish this. Pinkie is in the barn with six other ponies that are all working together to…” the letter ended. “Pinkie Pie is working with others to do what?” Luna peered, her voice taking a slightly more dangerous tone than before. Unfortunately, Spike had chosen a bad place to be cut off. “I…” Celestia was speechless for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes, “Could this get any worse…” And with those words, a large plank of support beam appeared over Celestia’s head, slamming down on her in a cloud of dust. “Sister?” Luna startled, rushing over to pull it off with her own magic, “Are you injured?” “Remind me… never… to say… that again…”
blayzekohime	706	3	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2011-12-18T01:10:24+00:00	2011-12-18T01:10:24+00:00	11,667	Day Six Sending guards to Sweet Apple Acres had not turned up anything of use. They had arrived to find only a collapsed barn and evidence that others had been there prior to its demolition. Celestia was quick enough to realize why it had collapsed, given the support beam that slammed into her head shortly after Spike’s letter, but where had the little one been taken after that? Celestia could think of nothing else to do, so she had to come to Ponyville to lead the search herself. She had left Luna in Canterlot to deal with the day to day governance issues, as much as Luna wanted to come along with her. They really couldn’t leave things unattended, after all, but Celestia was also still quite protective of her little sister. Surely, Celestia thought, Pinkie would see her and come out of hiding to talk, wouldn’t she? It wasn’t like Celestia had a reputation for doing horrible things or inflicting fates worse than death on those that displeased her… oh wait. Well, it was worth a try anyway. Her first stop was the Ponyville hospital. Led by one of the nurses, she left her flanking guards outside to keep watch as she made her way towards a room specially set up for intensive care. Entering the room as quietly as possible, she found Missus Cake laying in the bed, still unconscious, her head and shoulders bandaged. Beside her, Mister Cake sat on his haunches half-asleep, leaning against the bed. “Mister Cake?” Celestia spoke, causing the baker to snap awake at her voice. “Oh uh… your Highness,” he spoke as he rose to his hooves, awkwardly due to his exhaustion, and bowed low. “Please Mister Cake; there’s no need. I just came to check on things. I’ll be overseeing the investigation personally, given… well a few things that have happened.” Celestia smiled gently to him, always trying to keep normal ponies from being intimidated, “I do not suppose she has been able to tell us anything?” “No your Majesty,” Mister Cake insisted on calling her formally even if she’d rather he not at this moment, “They aren’t even sure she will wake up at all… but.. but your… well…” “Please Mister Cake,” Celestia nodded to him, “Do not be intimidated. I am here as a friend, so speak as you wish.” “It’s just,” Mister Cake looked back at his wife, then once again to Celestia. “There’s no way Pinkie Pie did this. The guards don’t understand. If only I could be left alone for a while,” He nose-pointed to the guard at the hospital room door as he spoke, “I’m sure Pinkie would contact me and we could get this resolved.” Celestia kindly shook her head, “I’m sorry Mister Cake. But the guard is for your own protection too. While I do not believe that Pinkie Pie could have done this, someone certainly did. If that someone thinks you are a threat or may know something, they will come for you too.” Mister Cake didn’t respond, instead slumping back to his previous position and looking to the hospital bed. He silently laid his head aside Missus Cake’s on her pillow. “Please trust we are doing everything we can. I wish that I could help myself, but head injuries should really only be treated by a proper medical pony. I am having a specialist come in to look at your wife, and it should not be too much longer until they arrive,” Celestia said with a slight nod, then turned to exit the room once again. ----------------------------------------------------- Celestia however, wasn’t the only one that had arrived in Ponyville that day to search for Pinkie Pie or the others. Nearby Ponyville, guards had been searching the area of broken trees where it was believed Rainbow had crashed, not allowing anyone else inside the perimeter. One certain griffon, however, disagreed. “I said MOVE IT!” Gilda arched her back, wings slightly unfurled, and feathers poofed up to make her look at least as large as the guard in front of her. “MISS!” the pegasus guard shot back, moving to block her when she tried to turn about him, “Now we have been very patient with you. But this is a crime scene and you are not allowed inside while we are conducting this investigation!” “She was my friend! Even more, and I never told her!” Gilda was so angry that tears were rolling down her face, “I deserve to know what happened to her!” Gilda had been in Cloudsdale when she first heard the rumor. Message had been sent to Rainbow Dash’s family there from none other than Princess Celestia herself, and it had quickly gotten around to many of her old friends. As soon as Gilda had heard that Rainbow might be in trouble, she had set aside her reluctance to come back to Ponyville and rushed to find out what happened. The information that Pinkie Pie was wanted for questioning in the case had only made it worse, and of course made Gilda assume the worst. It hadn’t taken her long from that point to find out that the town was swarming with royal guards, which was certainly not something one expected to see in a small village, and that even the Princess herself was somewhere in town. When she found out that there was a crime scene near Rainbow Dash’s home, she had immediately come to see. The conversation had actually started out rather civil, but Gilda had freaked out as soon as she spied one of the guards inside the perimeter picking up a few blood splattered blue feathers and placing them in what looked like a saddlebag full of collected evidence. “MISS!” the guard repeated, “This is your last warning! I’m sure you wouldn’t like it if we had to take your pretty feathers in for questioning.” He smirked. Gilda gritted her beak hard at both the guard’s statement and his inappropriate implications. It was almost as if he was trying to get her to attack him now so that he could just take her in and be done with this conversation. She barely held herself from doing so, instead turning about and taking off, screeching in anger. The hawk-like sound echoed through the nearby fields as she appeared to leave. She did not, however, stay gone for long. Instead, the griffon flew some ways away, turning about in the air, and then charged back downward towards the ground. Approaching the site at break-neck speed, she angled and flew mere feet from touching down, claws angled for grabbing. The guard honestly didn’t expect her to return, but it seemed that Gilda’s stubbornness had been underestimated. Just as they were getting back to their searching, a feathered streak blew through their formation, dodging within inches of several trees and surprised guards before grabbing hold of the saddlebag that lay on the ground. Packed with their documents and evidence, she was probably setting them back quite a bit in their investigation by taking it, but she was in rage mode and didn’t care. “Later, dweebs!” Gilda’s voice rang through the encampment before she was gone. The guards took several long seconds to even realize what had occurred, by which time Gilda had skyrocketed and poked through a low lying cloud. Hidden from their eyes, she arched her path and went the opposite direction to head back over the camp and towards Ponyville itself. “I will find you Pinkie!” Gilda screamed to herself after she was well out of earshot, “You won’t take her away from me again!” ----------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile on the streets of Ponyville itself, a blue unicorn with a beautiful white mane walked from pony to pony, looking for information herself. Most of her body was covered up by her crookedly steepled hat, purple with star designs covering it, and a long cloak of the same design flowing down her back and over her tail. She wore the outfit with unmistakable pride. Trixie had been spending much of her time in Canterlot since her little run-in with the ponies of Ponyville, training her own magic feverishly, determined to return to show up Twilight Sparkle once and for all. She had obsessed over un-doing her humiliation here to the point of unhealthiness, and had worked her offensive magic down to an art. When news arrived in Canterlot of the events here, Trixie was horrified that Twilight was missing. It wasn’t that she was worried about Twilight, but that she couldn’t stand the idea of someone other than herself having defeated Twilight. She had enough contacts in the castle due to her befriending of a certain Prince Blueblood, so she was also aware that Pinkie Pie was wanted, though just as Gilda was not sure why. She, of course, made the assumption that Pinkie was to blame and that now her vengeance must be redirected there. “What do you mean you don’t know anything?” she pointed a hoof at Rose’s face, the latest pony for her to approach. The terrified flower pony shivered in her hooves as Trixie continued, “Are you really refusing to provide the Great and Powerful Trixie with the information she requires to save your miserable city?” “But why would I know anything?” Rose looked cross eyed at Trixie’s hoof, then started to back away, “You can’t just interrogate random ponies and expect them to know something!” With that, the easily startled pony had turned around and begun to flee, “Oh the horror!” “Hmm. Perhaps the flower filly is right,” Trixie tapped her own chin with a hoof, “Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie has underestimated her own intimidating nature! No doubt her reputation has preceded her.” That was assuming, at least, that Trixie’s reputation had changed since her last visit to Ponyville, but she was pretty sure she had impressed enough ponies in Canterlot to make herself look rather good. She had already tried the guards, but these were Celestia’s best and had refused to give her any information as well. No doubt this was only because Celestia was slightly more intimidating than Trixie. Random ponies weren’t giving her much luck either, obviously. “Um… hey. You sure look familiar,” a tan colt with brown mane and horseshoes on his flank said as he walked up behind her. “You dare to feign ignorance of the Great and Powerful Trixie?” she glared back at him, immediately so angry that she nearly forgot why she was in Ponyville to begin with. “Oh right, ah remember. Anyway, uh, I’m Caramel. Mind if ah ask why yer lookin’ for Pinkie and Twilight?” Caramel was curious, obviously, given that he was friends with the missing ponies himself, not to mention Pinkie. “Isn’t it obvious?” Trixie rolled her eyes, “The Pink One has dared to defeat the Twilight Sparkle. Only the Great and Powerful Trixie can defeat her! It is Trixie’s DESTINY! The Great and Powerful Trixie will defeat the Pink One and fulfill her destiny once and for all! Defeating the one that defeated somepony counts, does it not?” Trixie raised her fore-hooves into the air and cackled madly as lightning danced around her. Luckily, it seemed to be no more than a special effect, and even though it zipped past Caramel, it didn’t do him any harm. Still, this caused Caramel to take a page from Rose’s book and turn to flee. In fact, this seemed to be the option taken by most ponies on this particular street. “Oh well. Trixie will try the town square,” Trixie said to herself, then turned around and began to walk in that direction with head held high. ----------------------------------------------------- Pinkie was huddled behind a row of bushes and brambles which had grown up between two of the buildings lining the town square. Exhausted from her ordeal and unsure of where to look for her friends next, she had finally fallen asleep. Unfortunately for Pinkie, her depression seemed to cloud her mind quite a bit. She had assumed that every pony was after her, when in reality most of them were now just worried that something happened to her as well. She had seen Princess Celestia arriving, which only made the situation all the more frightening for her. Out in the square, the same calm peace that usually permeated Ponyville was present, though there was a hint of fright in the way ponies moved through the area. Unaware of Pinkie being nearby, countless ponies passed by the statue in the center before heading about their business. Hushed whispers spoke of the Element-bearers missing, rumors that it might be a precursor to an attack on Equestria, and the few who actually believed Pinkie to have finally cracked. Celestia had kept the investigation pretty tight to her chest, which meant that no pony knew for certain what was going on and only made the rumors worse. When a balloon appeared in the distance, there was a bit of a nervous reaction from the residents, at least until it was apparent that it was not Pinkie’s balloon. As the black balloon neared the square, however, the nervousness returned as the words “Pie Family Rock Farming” could be read clearly on the surface of the hot air balloon. This in itself wasn’t very surprising. Obviously, the Pie family would have been informed that she was missing, and some of them might want to come to try and check on the situation themselves. The part that was really alarming was more that the balloon was heading towards the square rather quickly, losing altitude at a near dive rather than coming in for the graceful landing that balloons probably should. At this point, many ponies started running for cover. Surely enough, the balloon slammed into the ground, skidding all the way across the square until the head of the balloon fell against the square’s pony statue, deflating with a loud rush of air. A number of the braver ponies ran back towards it to check for survivors. Luckily for said survivors, though less luckily for said residents, two earth ponies popped their heads out of the basket of the balloon, mostly unscathed. The first one out exited with such violence that she immediately became tangled in the various straps of the balloon itself. The mare had a dark coat that could be described as purplish or bluish, and a gray mane and tail so straight that it looked like they might be able to cut somepony. As she stumbled out of the lines by tearing them with her teeth, she took several angry steps away from the balloon. “I’m pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen, Inkie!” she screamed angrily at the other pony still stuck in the wreckage. The second filly, whose coat seemed to match the first pony’s mane but contrasted with a darker gray mane of her own, laid a solid kick against the side of the craft, which literally disintegrated under the impact. She rolled out, quite calmly in contrast to the other and slowly rose to all four hooves before dusting herself off. She seemed completely unfazed by the crash, not a hint of emotion on her face. “Not to worry Blinkie. It is probably my fault for suggesting that stealing Dad’s balloon would be faster," she stated dryly, “Though to be fair, I did not think you would really do it.” There were murmurs from the crowd. Some talked about the crash, some asked if everypony was okay, and the closest murmured about the two fillies’ cutie marks. Blinkie, the first pony out, seemed to have a highly unusual mark: a lit bomb. It was one of those cartoonish black round things, but most every pony in the peaceful town would have thought that such marks were impossible. How on Equestria would a pony even get that mark? Inkie’s mark was perhaps something more vague. It consisted of a dark blue dot surrounded by two concentric crystal-blue rings, evenly spaced from one another. What appeared to be white cracks emanated from the center, almost as if indicating that her special talent was breaking things. But how could anypony have that talent? “Stupid balloon!” Blinkie shrieked, turning her head about to pull something from her saddlebag. “Now Blinkie we really don’t have to do that,” Inkie trotted over to her, staring calmly at her, showing nary a hint of emotion. “What’s she lighting that red candle for?” asked one of the ponies nearest the two. “You’ve failed me for the last time!” shouted Blinkie back at the balloon, before taking the lit stick of dynamite and tossing it back towards their arrival vehicle. “Oh Blinkie. You should really watch that. Well I guess everypony should step back,” Inkie casually put her hooves to Blinkie’s chest and shoved. The force of the shove sent Blinkie tumbling back to skid some ten feet further away, Inkie following behind at a calm trot. What happened next had the attention of the entirety of Ponyville. A blast of flame spread out from where the dynamite had landed, exploding shards of the craft in every direction and melting a large portion of the balloon to make it drool from the charred, cracking statue. A cloud of debris and smoke rose into the air, followed quickly by igniting fuel when sent out a spray of flame and more smoldering ash. Needless to say, the royal guard was on the scene in seconds. It wasn’t long before they were pointed towards the two culprits. “Stop right there, criminal scum! Nopony breaks the law on my watch,” an earth pony guard stated as he pointed his hoof at the two fillies. On either side, two other guards came forward, a unicorn and a pegasus. “Oh hello, officers. I think there has just been a misunderstanding,” Inkie attempted to calm things, though her deadpan voice didn’t have very much of a calming effect. “You’ll never take us alive!” Blinkie screamed, not helping their position as she opened back up her saddle bag to pull out a comically large black bottle rocket. “Then pay with your blood!” the earth pony guard raced forward towards the fillies, not wanting to give the one time to throw her neat little toy. The charging guard was joined by his two comrades, the trio all charging at the outmatched mares to try to get the bomb away from them. “Oh dear. Now see what you’ve done sister? Again,” Inkie remained completely calm, but reached for her own backpack. Out from Inkie’s saddlebag came a long handled sledge hammer, looking as if it had barely fit inside of her bag, which Inkie casually slammed into the earth pony guard as he charged at Blinkie. Shivers ran through him as he was visibly jolted, all the links in his armor coming loose as his entire royal guard uniform cracked and fell off of him. Blinkie, meanwhile, pointed the rocket towards the pegasus and fired, sending it screeching forth to hit the charging guard and send her flying backwards, barrel rolling into the sky in tow with the rocket. The guard realized her predicament easily enough, letting go of the rocket in time to survive, but the ensuing explosion then flung her towards the ground at incredible speed. The unicorn guard thought that he was home free, his horn glowing as he prepared to take hold of Blinkie. Without warning, however, his concentration was broken as none other than a pink cupcake slammed into the side of his head, striking with such velocity that he was knocked sideways into the earth pony guard, both now losing their balance even more. Out from between the buildings leapt Pinkie, the Cupcake Cannon over one shoulder. “You leave my sisters alone you meanie meanaroo meanieheads!” Pinkie shouted as she took up a stance between her sisters. “Oh hello sister,” Inkie stated with dead calm, before her eyes traveled back to their opponents, “Oh look at that.” Her hoof pointed to the cutie mark of the guard whose armor she had shattered. The guard looked back in utter humiliation. It wasn’t because he was naked now, of course, given that such was completely normal, but because his lack of armor revealed the smiley face flower on his flank. Humiliated that his un-studly cutie mark was visible, the earth guard immediately ran for cover. That was one down. “Oh, hey sister! I heard you killed all your friends!” Blinkie sounded alarmingly okay with this, “Don’t worry though, we still love you. We came to rescue you!” Behind Blinkie, the pegasus guard which she had so tactfully dismissed with her rocket slammed into the ground with a sickening crack. The guard tried to rise to her hooves, only to fall back down, panting as she curled up into a ball of pain. That was two down. “I didn’t kill them sillies!” Pinkie smiled, surprisingly okay with the accusation when it came from a family member, “They were pony napped so now we have to save them!” “See. I told you,” Inkie looked at Blinkie, but showed no emotion at the news, good or otherwise. “Oh well, I guess that’s fine too. Sure, we can save them,” Blinkie nodded, agreeing with a sadistic grin. The third guard however, hadn’t been brought down by the cupcake, however surprising it may have been for him. He was once again casting a spell, eyes glaring at the three ponies as his horn glowed. Suddenly the guard felt power coursing through him, a jolt of energy striking him from behind and sending him blasting forward. The smoking guard made an arc over the three Pie sisters, slamming into the damaged statue and shattering what remained of it like a bowling ball scattering pins. Okay, all three down. “Noooooo!” Trixie cackled, standing behind where the guard had been, “No pony can defeat the Pink One but the Great and Powerful Trixie! It is Trixie’s destiny to defeat the defeater of the Twilight Sparkle!” On the other side of the trio, there was a gust of wind as another large object angrily stuck the ground. That object was none other than Gilda, still carrying the saddle bags that she had snatched from the guards earlier, now on her back. She had been about to look at the contents when she had spotted the explosive battle from the town square. “Got’cha dweeb!” Gilda spat out, furiously, “Now tell me where Dash is before I bite your stupid pink head off!” “What is going on?!” a third voice boomed over them, reverberating with authority. The next impact of hooves against ground trembled the entire square as the majestic Celestia landed between the group and the still burning balloon, “What is the meaning of this, Pinkie Pie? What have you done?” it was rare to hear such angry words coming from Celestia, but the evidence certainly hadn’t pointed in Pinkie’s favor until now and this debacle didn’t help. "I brought you a letterrrr!" a rather cutsie voice rang out, completely out of feel with the rest of the arrivals. Ditzy Doo landed on the fourth side to complete the set, but obviously wasn't there to fight. She seemed to just be waving a letter around in her mouth. “Wow Pinkie,” Inkie turned calmly, staring first at Trixie, then over to Gilda, then upwards to Celestia. Then, yes, towards the wall-eyed Ditzy. “You really got some heavy hitters after you. I suppose we should be proud of you, even if we’re probably all about to die. Oh well. It was nice seeing you again.” “Wait! I can fix this!” Blinkie turned back to her saddle, digging through it for something in particular, tossing out several round bombs into the immediate area to get them out of the way. The bombs bounced to the ground, moving around Celestia’s hooves and then rolling to settle near the wrecked balloon behind her. “Noooo!” Trixie bravely stepped between Celestia and the trio of earth ponies, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has things well in hoof! Her Majesty has no need to dirty her royal hooves with such low lives!” “Back off! I don’t care if you’re Queen of the Lamos!” Gilda was less brave and more completely irrational. She wasn’t about to let Celestia carry Pinkie off to jail, far out of Gilda’s reach. She wanted revenge on the pony and wasn’t about to let any pony, royalty or no, stand in her way. "Isn't anypony going to take this letter?" Ditzy asked, waving the letter at the pie sisters, "I need to get back home in time to give Dinky her afternoon muffin!" She still didn’t seem worried about the situation at hand. The one thing Celestia couldn’t have expected was to actually be attacked by normal citizens. This caught her completely off guard, having never happened before during her rule. She had actually expected all present to gracefully bow or act intimidated before handing themselves over. That’s what they had done every other time this had happened, after all. That said, Celestia wasn’t exactly at full power, fully intending to pull her punches even if she had to fight. She was intentionally repressing her power to prevent harm to others. The irrational Gilda took off with a screech, looping through the sky before slamming back down onto Celestia from above, impacting her with her full weight in an attempt to knock her off balance. Gilda’s intention was to then snatch Pinkie Pie and fly off, but that’s not quite where things went from there. The Pie sisters had to make a quick decision at that point; namely who to protect Pinkie from first. On one hand, they had every indication from Pinkie's letters home that Trixie and Gilda were both surprisingly incompetent. On the other hand, they had Celestia, who might banish Pinkie into a celestial body or garden statue if she were angry enough, and she certainly seemed furious. In their minds, flawed as they might be, it was fairly obvious who here was the biggest threat. “You’ll have to go through me to hurt Pinkie,” the heroic nature of Inkie’s statement was lost due to her bland voice, but all the same she charged forward, slamming her hammer down upon Celestia’s head, vibrations shaking through her as her crown and neckpiece shattered to the ground, her horn visibly vibrating from the impact. “Hey Pinkie look! A letter!” Ditzy didn’t give up, waving the letter directly in Pinkie’s face, speaking as if she expected Pinkie to be immediately excited at getting one. “Not now Derpy!” Pinkie pushed Ditzy away, who immediately looked far more devastated than the refusal really warranted. Pinkie was more concerned with the real problem, calling out to the others, “Wait! Don’t fight her! Wait no I surrender!” She was terrified that her friends, and all of these were her friends since it was very hard to become Pinkie’s enemy, would bite off a great deal more than they could chew. Blinkie, for her part, wasn’t listening. “Oh well this will have to do!” she grinned as she pulled another large charge of dynamite from her saddle bag, lighting it while Gilda and Inkie were distracting Celestia, then leaping forward to stuff it into Celestia’s mouth as it hung open from the impact against her head. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not certain that this is a good idea!” even Trixie’s eyes widened at the mad attempts to protect or acquire Pinkie, but she had to admit to herself that she too did not wish for Pinkie to be taken away by the likely merciful Celestia. More importantly, that lit stick of dynamite was a lot closer than Trixie was comfortable with, “Very well! Prepare for Trixie’s finest feat yet!” With that, Trixie’s horn glowed, flames leaping from the ground around her as she charged up her full strength, fore-hoofs faced forward as a blast slammed into Celestia’s chest and sent the Princess skidding backwards away from the others, still gagging on the lit stick of dynamite, landing with the other explosives Blinkie had thrown onto the ground around her. The Princess landed upon her bottom some ten feet away, visibly dizzy, not even looking certain of what the object was that was sticking in her mouth. A few seconds of silence passed as all the members of the group were stunned at how effective their collective strategies had been against the unsuspecting royalty. It took them a while to realize how close they were to a potential explosion. The group dived for cover, Ditzy dragged along with them in the fleeing mass. An explosion range out that far outmatched the previous ones. Dust and wind blew through the square, a crater forming where Celestia stood, energy waves tearing into the buildings around them as her body reacted to the incredible force trying to tear her apart. Celestia could have put up a much better defense, all in all, but her mind was elsewhere. Rather than worry about damage to herself, it raced to the fate of the other ponies in the square. Both fore-hooves slammed into the ground again, driving shivers through the ground and causing walls of earth to rise up and shield the two guard ponies, who were still unconscious from the fighting, from the blast. At the same time, her mind reached forward, giving a shove of energy to push the group that had just been fighting her into the alleyway where Pinkie had so recently been hiding, another shard of earth flying up to block off the entrance to it and protect them. Other ponies in the vicinity were lifted, shoved away, or shielded from the explosion before Celestia even thought to protect herself. The group felt the ripple of energy shove them into the alleyway, seconds ahead of the explosion, the shard of dirt shielding them just enough to deflect the worst of the blast upwards above them in a brilliant flash of light, causing the buildings on either side to crack from the strain. “Huh. I expected that fight to not last that long,” Inkie calmly stated as she moved herself in front of the others to protect them from what little debris made it through Celestia’s barrier, “Also: I expected us to be the ones exploding at the end.” "You ponies aren’t being very nice," Ditzy commented, still holding the letter in her mouth, "Actually you're being pretty rude." “Are you all crazy!?” that was quite a statement coming from Pinkie, though she had to strain to not admit how fun flying through the air like that was. “That did go a lot better than I expe- hey wait!” Gilda spoke, but then remembered what her purpose was and immediately tackled Pinkie over onto the ground. She pinned the pony and raised one fore-claw up as if to strike. “The Great and Powerful Trixie suspects that we are seconds from being located on a lunar surface,” Trixie peered through the dust, trying to see, but then perked her ears up at the sound of Gilda, turning to her and hoof-pointing, “Noooo! The Cat-Butted One cannot defeat the Pink One! You are as doooomed as you are foalish!” Ditzy sighed sadly, sitting on her haunches and seeming depressed that no one would take her letter, or pay any real attention to her for that matter. It wasn't easy being a background pony. “No way. No one could survive that!” Blinkie grinned, but then paused, “All the same shouldn’t we all get out of here? I’m pretty sure every guard in town is headed this direction, and I’d really rather not be seen at the site of a royal assassination.” Though guards seemed to be the least of their worries as the jolts of energy that streamed from the blast crater and were not lessening. They showered outwards and caused nearby buildings to creak and crack under pressure, and the alleyway they were in was a dead end. “All gather around the Great and Powerful Trixie and lay your hooves upon her!” Trixie held up her own fore-hooves. “This is no time for kinky pony rituals!” barked out Gilda, fist paused as she had apparently thought better of assaulting Pinkie at this exact moment. “I think she is probably going to try to teleport us, if I had to guess,” Inkie calmly stated as the heated air fluttered her coat and mane about. Somehow said mane was still remaining relatively straight. “All at once? Is that possible?” Blinkie reached out to take hold of the blue unicorn, all the same. Every other pony followed Blinkie’s lead, moving to hug against Trixie. Even Gilda eventually decided to cooperate, hugging arms and wings about the group. It looked like it was particularly embarrassing for her to do so. "Yay! Group hug time!" Ditzy smiled, appearing to have relatively little clue as to what was going on as she joined in. “Nothing is impossible for the Great and Powerful Trixie, who bested Her Majesty on completely even terms with no help whatsoever!” Trixie cheered herself on; the events of minutes earlier were already morphing inside her head. “Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie uses the very power of an exploding goddess to open a rift in the very fabric of time and space!” "Yay time and space!" cheered Ditzy, as if entirely used to this sort of thing. “Is that safe?” Inkie calmly asked, “And won’t it make Celestia even angrier when she does come to? “Trixie is fairly certain,” Trixie responded in an equally calm voice, but didn’t specify if her words referred to one or both of Inkie’s questions. The force of the spell slammed outwards, tearing into the buildings on either side. Bricks and wood crumbled under the force of the magic, and each of them suddenly felt as if they were about to be torn limb from limb by the impact. Just when it felt like this was going to be a lot more lethal than Trixie promised, another wave of energy hit them, similar to the one that had shoved them into the alleyway to begin with. In a sharp flash of light, the group disappeared into a swirling blue vortex, the debris and walls around them imploding suddenly inward to fill the space the group had occupied moments before.
blayzekohime	706	4	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2011-12-18T07:21:21+00:00	2011-12-18T07:21:21+00:00	14,675	Back to Day One Twilight Sparkle’s head spun as Twilight Wish teleported her. The place where they arrived was dark, but was immediately lit as the later pony’s horn was aglow. Being teleported by somepony else wasn’t exactly a premium way to travel, so her legs felt ready to give way as soon as they arrived. Still, Twilight was not a typical pony, so the experience didn’t cause her to collapse. She was looking about almost immediately. It seemed she was in what looked like the interior of an ancient ruin; it was very much like the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters that she had once entered along with her friends. The design was similar, but somehow it seemed older. There was lettering and symbols on the walls that she didn’t recognize as any form of language spoken by ponies, though it all seemed familiar, as if it were just an older version of what they now had. The air was stale, incredibly so, as if it had stagnated here for a long time without any circulation. Indeed, there was no sign of windows, so perhaps they were underground entirely; it would explain why she had never heard of a place like this. Twilight took a deep breath of the musty air and gagged, taking a few moments to adjust to the stench. She covered her mouth with a hoof momentarily, and then turned to look at the other unicorn. She still had no definite reason to assume that she was mistaken in their identity; after all they had only teleported her, but one question was prominent on her mind. “Wish, where are we? How did you even know about a place like this?” Sparkle carefully asked, taking a single step away. Wish had seemed clueless about most things in the world up to this point, asking questions about even the most basic things, such as why ponies were moving clouds around, so to suddenly find out she had knowledge of an incredibly ancient ruin was a stretch. “I stumbled across the outer entrance one day while exploring in the forest, it’s a long way to this point, so I teleported us. There’s no time to explain,“ Wish shook her head, “All I can say is that you are in great danger. Please… trust me.” Wish gave Sparkle as serious an expression as she could, then turned and rushed down the hallway of the ruin. Sparkle didn’t question her strange friend’s assertion, though she had other questions, “You found an expansive ruin and explored the whole thing without ever telling anypony?” “Look, I was scared okay?” Wish called back, “Please just follow me? You’ll understand in just a few minutes.” They walked from the room they were in, which was largely empty aside from a row of broken stone shelves on one side of the room. The hallway they emerged into was lined on its opposite wall with small rooms that looked as if they were temporary guest quarters. They looked as if they might have at one time been comfortable, but now fabric was rotted away leaving only the barebones of a cushion-less stone bed. To the left were more rooms lining each side of the hallway At the end of said left branch there was a large room where Sparkle could not get a good look due to the darkness there. Down the hallway to the right, however, there was a large blue glow from the chamber at the end. It is this chamber that Wish led her to. They arrived at a round chamber about twenty feet in diameter, pausing momentarily. There was a large blue pad in the center of the room, glowing with energy, a swirling blue vortex located directly above it. Sparkle immediately stared into it as if unable to pull her eyes away, but Wish used a hoof to turn her head away immediately. “No! Don’t look directly into it for too long or you'll go insane,” Wish said, “Twilight… now this is important. Do you trust me?” Sparkle looked at Wish, stunned as she spoke, “I do. You’ve helped me a lot over the past few weeks, but…” “Then please do not question this,” Wish gave a deep sigh, pulling a blindfold from a bag that appeared to have already been placed nearby the portal, using her magic to move it and place it on Twilight’s head, “I am going to lead you…” “Shouldn’t you be blindfolded too?” Sparkle asked curiously, not wanting her friend to sacrifice her own sanity. “I am blindfolded now as well,” lied Wish, “But I know the way so I can still lead you; Now prop yourself carefully on me.” Sparkle moved one hoof out to feel, finding Wish’s behind and propping herself up onto it so that she could be led. She heard the other unicorn let out a sigh of relief, but she couldn’t determine why. This was more than a little awkward for her. Wish couldn’t be happier. She had half-expected Sparkle not to fall for her ruse, expecting a full on fight when she didn't. She had been worried that Sparkle would outmatch her even if she got in the first blow, as she suspected that this unicorn was dangerously powerful in a way she couldn’t match. She had heard enough stories of what Sparkle had done to be more than wary of her. Wish having been able to spend so much time ahead of this with Sparkle had made it a breeze, as there had been plenty of time to gain her trusts with a few pretend sacrifices on her part, even going so far as summoning several slime monsters to attack Spike so that she could arrive and ‘save’ him. What’s more, it seemed to her that she was the first to arrive back at the portal, which would make her look better to Him when she arrived back with her captive in a neat bundle with barely a scratch on her. She led Twilight into the vortex while keeping her own eyes closed. The space around them became chill as they were both sucked in, feeling as if their whole forms had been compressed for a moment and then released. For a moment they both felt paralyzed and neither of them dared to open their eyes. Once on the other end, they arrived at a ruin much like the one they had left. Twilight, of course, did not see this. “Should I take it off?” Sparkle asked, uncertain. “Not yet. Please be patient,” Wish spoke in as kind a voice as she could muster, but her excitement couldn’t be easily hidden. Twilight was led away from the blue vortex from which they had emerged, which looked very much like the one they had entered. Sparkle noted as she stepped down from the platform that it seemed to be similar height and shape as the other one, and assumed that this was a ruin of much the same architecture as well. However, if the smell was anything to go by, it had been recently cleaned up and inhabited. The clean smelling, warm air made it feel quite homey. Sparkle was led forward, guided into what she assumed was another hallway. They paused after perhaps ten feet, at which time she heard the grinding of a metal door sliding open, clanging loudly as it hit its stop, echoing through the hallway. Sparkle was then turned and led inside. Finally she noted her cousin coming to a stop and turning so that her own hooves slid off Wish’s behind and settled back to the stone floor. “Now?” Sparkle asked again, “Look, Wish. I do not like this one bit, and if these are more ruins I really want to see them.” There was no answer. Instead, there was the telltale sound of a horn glowing and the rattle of chains as all four of Sparkle’s hooves were suddenly champed tightly and pulled apart. She stumbled, yelping out loudly, the sound echoing through the dark stone walls. Another tight brace locked around her hips and shoulders to hold her tightly, still another choking around her neck to pull it upwards. The chains were flush to her skin, and felt so rusty that Twilight was afraid she would be cut. She was lifted up off the floor, still unable to see, her legs now kicking wildly. “Wish!” Sparkle called, at first seeming to think that someone had captured them both. Her first instinct was to use her magic to pull the blindfold off, except that it didn’t work. When she tried to use her magic, pain trickled up through the chains that held her, as if they were stopping the magic from working or immediately draining any charge that she built up. Wish used her own magic to tighten the blindfold harshly, knowing that Twilight couldn’t target her spells now without line of sight even if she did figure out a work around for the chains. A powerful unicorn might be able to make exception to this, but only if she knew the layout of the area she was in, not to mention the magical chains seemed impervious. Twilight heard the voice of her cousin in one ear, her breath causing her ear to flick about. “You always were a bit naïve, ‘friend’,” a smirk was apparent in Wish’s voice, and it finally became apparent to Sparkle that the culprit was actually Wish herself “You’re not my friend!” Twilight cried out. Her horn glowed, trying to tug at the chains that held her. She had no luck, as the anti-magical enchantment seemed to resist her efforts, each attempt only wrecking more pain through her, making her cry out yet again at the sudden intensity. “Oh, and you’ve just figured this out!” Wish laughed, then could be heard trotting slowly back towards the exit, “Don’t bother with the chains, they’re magically bound and have held far more powerful ponies than you. So is the door. And I know how dangerous you are as a group, so I can assure you that your friends will not be kept in the same cell.” There was a grinding sound as the cage door slid shut again. “There are no books in there. Sorry; I guess you’ll just have a lot of time to dread your impending death.” “Why would you do this?” Sparkle gasped, tears rolling down her face now. Being in danger herself was one thing, but now she had the sickening feeling that she had also endangered her friends. “Because you are a monster,” Wish’s voice now sounded venomous, “As are all of the Favored Child’s followers. Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same to me if your precious Princess commanded it.” “No Wish, let’s talk,” Sparkle attempted, “Wish, you’ve gotten something wrong, just tell me what you’ve been told and I can straighten things out.” The only answer was the sound of hooves leaving down the hallway towards the other end, the one opposite the passage that they had entered through. “WISH!” Sparkle screamed in frustration, thrashing once again as the energy from her frustration only caused her to be jolted with pain again. ------------------------------------ Later that day Fluttershy woke up groggily from the sleeping potion. She wasn’t in as bad a place as Twilight had been placed, at least, either due to the difference in who placed them there or simply because Fluttershy was not considered as much of a threat. The stone bed she was on wasn’t particularly comfortable, having only minimal padding that was nearly rotted away, but it also wasn’t painful. She blinked awake to see the same yellow earth pony that she had met before at her home, who was leaned over the bed, trying to shake Fluttershy awake with a single hoof. “Are you awake? Please wake up I need your help,” Posey spoke quietly, shaking Fluttershy. Fluttershy immediately cringed at the sight of the pony that had brought her here, barely managing to speak, “Oh my… where have you taken me?” “No chit chat!” called Firefly from outside the cell door, “Get her out here NOW! I think the rainbow one is dying. And not a WORD about my coat, either!” Firefly glared angrily from outside the cell, her coat and wings singed noticeably, but fortunately for her not lethally so, perhaps not even enough to impact short distance flying. Still, ponies tended to take a lot of pride in their pastel coloring and Firefly was no different. “I… Look I am sorry about before, but we need your help,” Posey spoke again, “You’re a doctor right? Well your friends are hurt badly and we need your help.” Fluttershy gasped, immediately wide awake, “H-hurt? Dying?" Fluttershy didn’t ask any more questions, standing up as quickly as she could and ignoring her dizziness. Posey moved to help her walk out of the cage door and into the long stone hallway, past an impatient looking Firefly. “Move it you two before I decide to add you to the injured list!” Firefly barked out behind her, swiping a fore-hoof at Fluttershy’s behind. She had intentionally missed, not wanting to hurt the doctor if frightening her was enough. It was, but Fluttershy was already hurrying as fast as she could after hearing that one or more of her friends were injured. The cells looked as if they had been converted from more conventional guest rooms, the front wall of each torn to be replaced with bars long ago, bars which somehow seemed both old and unblemished, as if they had been enchanted to remain strong. One of the cells appeared to be occupied. Fluttershy spied the shadow of a unicorn that had been restrained by a number of chains and suspended in midair. They were shivering, trying to turn their head without success. "Oh Celestia, no. Who's hurt?" called Twilight's voice from inside the cell, "Who did you say was dying?" Fluttershy wasn't allowed to stop and check on Twilight, and she didn't have the heart to answer her friend. Instead she was pushed into another room near the end of the hall. Just before she entered, she glimpsed a swirling blue portal above a platform in the room at the very end of the hallway, but was too distracted to consider it. As she entered the next room, a gasp of horror escaped Fluttershy. On the table closest to the door lay Rainbow Dash, lying on her left side. The pegasus was clearly in bad condition, having apparently turned her right side into an impact of some kind. Fluttershy had seen Rainbow Dash crash through roofs before and emerge without so much as a scratch, so she couldn't imagine how fast the pegasus must have been going when this happened. Her left wing was bent cruelly out of joint, probably having been saved from a worse break by having done so, but now was hanging limply by flesh. Serious bruising showed through her fur down the entire side of her body from shoulder to flank. Her hind right leg was broken so badly that bone could be seen protruding with a visible lump in the flesh. On the next table away lay Applejack, who was visibly restrained to keep her from moving from her table. Her injuries consisted of a few impact wounds about her back and flank, but the right side of her head was swollen and bruised much worse. As an earth pony, she had more solid bones than her pegasus friend, so it didn’t appear any of her injuries were in danger of becoming lethal as of yet. On the third table lay Rarity, restrained there on her side. She was breathing shallowly and had bruises around her neck, as well as scratches about her legs that she obtained during her struggle. All in all, she seemed in the best condition of the lot. There was another unicorn standing beside her who appeared to have the same cutie mark as her, but was obviously a very different pony. This unicorn glanced at the newcomers, but didn’t speak, appearing to be angry at the situation, perhaps at how clumsy some of her teammates had been in causing serious injuries to their targets. On the final table… wait what? At first Fluttershy thought it was Applejack again. She then realized, however, that it was somepony that looked very similar with a slightly different cutie mark. She had impact wounds about her flanks and legs, plus a few other scratches, but no head trauma as the first Applejack that Fluttershy had seen. She wasn’t restrained despite being the only one on the tables that was fully aware and looking around. Aside from the row of five rolling metal tables, one of which was empty, the room appeared to be some kind of a medical facility. There was an ancient shelf to one side of the room, stocked with fresh supplies that were carefully labeled and mostly unused. Along the back were a number of strange machines. One looked like it had a helmet and probes to be attached to a pony, which would have made Fluttershy stop and shiver had she not been more interested in helping her friend. “Oh-oh no!” Fluttershy actually yelled out at the sight of her injured friends, “What happened?” “Why do you even care what happened?” Firefly angrily shot back, “If any of these die, it’ll be both your heads on a platter!” Firefly wasn’t really angry at the two yellow ponies so much as she was angry at herself. She knew that when Twilight, their Twilight, or their 'master' found out how badly she had hurt Rainbow Dash, things could get ugly for Firefly. If any of the Element carriers died early, after all, their chance might be lost. “Please… Fluttershy. We have to work together to save them, okay? My medical supplies are here along the wall, but… I’m afraid I don’t know how to use them very well,” Posey looked towards the shelves. “Pah! You said you were a doctor!” Firefly snorted at Posey, “I sure hope she’s a better one!” “I said I was a gardener and foal-sitter that sometimes took care of animals, and even those things I haven’t done in a long time due to… well you know the way things are,” Posey quietly pointed out, but then looked to Fluttershy, “But she will help, you’ll see.” “A-actually I’m more of a veterinarian, but I will do everything I can,” Fluttershy squeaked as she moved to get a closer look at the tables. Rainbow Dash looked to be the most seriously injured, so Fluttershy looked over to the supplies and ran over to get what she needed, flapping her wings to speed up her movements. She moved to get bandages, braces, salves, and anything else she could before heading back to Rainbow’s table. The amount of magically enchanted medicines was limited, so she took what she could find. “This is a mess,” Sparkler complained, “I knew you were both clumsy but you idiots really outdid yourselves this time. I’m getting out of here; the stench of failure bothers me.” “Wait!” Fluttershy called back, though she didn’t turn her head as she was carefully setting Rainbow Dash’s wing back into place, “You’re a unicorn; do you know any healing magic? Can a medical unicorn be fetched?” “As if,” Sparkler called back before stepping into the hallway, as if healing magic was not shiny enough for her to have ever contemplated. “I doubt it,” Firefly rolled her eyes at the question about the doctor, “Look. We’re not chancing any more trips into Ponyville than what we had to in order to get you guys. Now work faster!” Fluttershy continued working even as tears streamed down her face, calling out to Posey when she needed more supplies. The two worked quite well together, in fact, certainly better than Posey could work with any of her own team. Once Rainbow was bundled up and medicated enough to be stable, they moved on to Applejack and Rarity. The former was bandaged about her flank and head and given a head brace. The latter given a neck brace to allow her to rest it, and given a look-over just in case. Surprisingly, at least to Firefly and Posey, Fluttershy also insisted on helping the other Applejack, bundling her legs and flank in Posey’s cute little bandages after medicating the wounds. “Now stay off these legs for a while, okay?” Fluttershy smiled gently to the second Applejack. This earned a confused stare from the patient, who stated, “Yeah I can’t promise that. You do realize who I am right?” “Yes,” Fluttershy affirmed quietly. Fluttershy was naive, but she wasn't stupid; she had put two and two together based on what and who she had seen. “You’re the one that attacked Applejack, but that doesn’t change that you are hurt. Just... please don't hurt them again. I won't forgive you again...” “Well whatev’,” Applejack glanced at the bandages, obviously not taking Fluttershy's threat seriously, “Wish we had something a bit less foalish.” Firefly hmph-ed, "You're done, Flutter. It’s time to go back to your cage." “But I should really see to the patients and make sure that they are okay,” Fluttershy started, "Especially Rainbow Dash, she's going to need constant looking after." “I said back to the cage!” Firefly brought down a fore-hoof against Fluttershy’s face, slamming her so hard that she stumbled and her head hit the stone floor. The startled squeal she let out could have made the most macho stallion tear up, but Firefly seemed unfazed. Posey gasped, heading towards Fluttershy, but was blocked by Firefly's outstretched wing. Fluttershy rose slowly to her feet, her face becoming slightly angry, but still looking down at the floor, "Just as long as you don't hurt my friends anymore..." “Look we only need them healthy long enough to kill them properly,” Firefly rolled her eyes, "Posey, show her to her room and get any information you need to take care of Rainbow." Fluttershy moved ahead of Posey, though the yellow earth pony was far gentler with Fluttershy. Fluttershy walked quietly back to her cell, moving to the bed and rubbing her new black eye softly. She quietly went over a few suggestions on how to treat Rainbow and the others, but at the end she paused. "Um, where is Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked, realizing that she was the only one of the six that she hadn't seen. "Already dead," said a voice from behind Posey; it was Twilight Wish. She gave a glare to Posey, silently warning her not to contradict the statement, then turned to Firefly, "Firefly. He wants to see you." Absolute terror crossed Firefly's eyes and she looked like she was going to try to fly for it, but in the end she settled back to the floor and followed Twilight down the hall, past Fluttershy's cell and in the direction opposite to the medical chamber. Posey eyed Firefly with worry, glanced back to Fluttershy with guilty eyes, and then turned back to head towards the medical chambers. And then the hallway was silent save for the quiet crying coming from Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle's cells. ------------------------------------------------------- Back with our heroes... The group of ponies and griffon blacked out momentarily, and when they finally snapped out of it they felt as if they were literally slammed into the floor at their new location. It wasn’t a soft floor, either; it was rather obviously some type of metallic surface. When the six individuals looked about, they were in a completely dark area. There was a stagnant chill about the air, as if it hadn’t been touched by living creatures in a long time, and breathing the stale, cool air was difficult. “Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie defeats the darkness!” Trixie was, predictably, the first to speak, her horn glowing to light the room around them, “Behold, we have journeyed through time and space, complete in tact! Could any other pony perform such a feat?” Even so, not even Trixie could hide the surprise that they were all still alive that was in her voice. “Can’t you just do something without announcing it?” Gilda rose to her feet, glaring at Trixie, but then looking around, "Or at least just say 'Hey I'm going to turn on the lights'?" "The Great and Powerful Trixie cannot be referred to with lowly one-letter pronouns!" It seemed they were in some kind of ancient ruin with stone floor and walls around them. There were strange etchings on the wall that looked like they belonged in another time, or perhaps another world entirely. The large chamber had a metallic blue platform in the middle, which appeared to be some kind of magical device. Whatever it was, it wasn’t turned on at present. Furthermore, they weren't able to see it very well, as Trixie’s horn began to flicker and dim. “Hey wait,” Ditzy said, “We need the light for the letter!” She waved said letter towards the Pie sisters again, still more worried about her duty as mail mare than their present predicament. “We do need a lot more light,” Pinkie stood up suddenly, an audible ‘sproing’ noise accompanying the motion, “Maybe we could have an escape party?” She was feeling slightly better, but not by much. The happiness that came with friends defending her was muffled by who they defended her from, or if they had even needed to. “I think that will have to wait until later,” Inkie calmly stated, reaching out to take Ditzy’s letter, which appeared to be addressed simply to ‘The Pie sisters’, before tearing it open to have a look, “Right. It’s a letter from Dad. He says he’ll ground us if we don’t bring the balloon back in one piece.” Gilda rolled her eyes, “Aren’t you a bit old to be grounded, dweebs?” “That means something worse than what you’re thinking,” Pinkie informed Gilda with a nervous chuckle. “So we’ll wad it up into a ball or something so it'll be in one piece,” Blinkie sneered, then looked over at Trixie, “Worn out I guess? We better get out of this cave as quickly as possible. Inkie do you see any weak spots in the walls?” “Too many,” Inkie responded, neutrally, “If we break one, we might have the whole place come down on us.” “Why’d we travel in time and space anyway?” Ditzy asked Trixie, hovering upside down next to her, eyes twirling in opposite circles as she hovered. “Wouldn’t just traveling in space be enough to escape?” “The Great and Powerful Trixie never settles for half-measures!” Trixie shouted to Ditzy, echoing into the empty hall beyond the room and holding up her fore-hooves in her favorite pose. Unfortunately, the lightning that normally danced around her fizzled out; her magic was going to take a while to recover from her time-space trick. She added with as little humility as she could muster, “However, Trixie has decided that we should exit the premises. Trixie does not want her followers damaged in any way.” “Whibbley wobbley timey whimey thingie!” Ditzy blurted out her typical non-sense in response, sounding very happy about it. “Yeah let’s go outside,“ Gilda agreed, angrily, and started towards the only exit to the room, though it didn't seem that promising, “I need more light to smash Pinkie’s face in.” “I already told you guys, I didn’t do it!” Pinkie spoke, immediately on Gilda’s heels, “Come on Gilda, you know how much I like Rainbow Dash!” “Don’t remind me,” Gilda venomously shot an evil glare at Pinkie, seeming even more enraged by the reminder. “Well upon reasoning, the Great and Powerful Trixie does not really see how the Pink One could have defeated the Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie agreed, galloping ahead of Gilda, insisting on being in the front, “Thus Trixie will give you the benefit of a doubt if you lead Trixie to the Twilight Sparkle so that Trixie may grace her with a proper beating.” The others quickly filed behind, moving down the hallway. It was a long corridor with rooms on either side. Each time they passed a door, they would stop to look within it, but none seemed to be anything but dead ends. The first room on the left looked like it might have once been some sort of medical room. There were five metal rolling tables set up with straps to keep patients down, as well as rows of shelves that looked like they could have once held supplies. Further down, there were a number of rooms that had been fitted with bars along their fronts, some of which also had chains hanging from the walls, glowing slightly against the dark. It all looked as if it hadn’t been used for a very long time, however, what little furnishing was in the rooms long having decayed away. “So what’s the story with your cutie marks?” Ditzy asked, moving above Blinkie and Inkie. She still seemed perfectly fine with their present situation and had chosen to walk on the ceiling, flapping her wings to keep herself up there instead of taking up more room on the floor. “I’m a miner,” Blinkie responded, rolling her eyes, “So you know, I blow things up. Everypony always assumes I’m some kind of dangerous criminal just because I have a bomb on my butt. I mean really, just because I specialize in explosives doesn't mean I’m going to blow up everypony I see… even when I am.” “I break things,” Inkie answered more calmly, “I can see weaknesses in walls. It also helps in mining as well as breaking precious things out of rocks. Anyway, I figure I can use my breaking ability to break other things when the need arises. Does that bother you Derpy?” Inkie had heard Pinkie use Ditzy’s nickname already. “Nah!” Ditzy smiled, “I think they’re great, I’m sure you are nice ponies!” “Don’t set yourself up for too much disappointment,” smirked Blinkie. They continued down the hall, passing a few slightly more comfortable looking cells with somewhat more dirty padding for prisoners to sleep on atop stone beds. They then arrived at the biggest room they had seen. The room was absolutely massive, a ceiling twice as high as the other rooms and walls that stretched out for at least a hundred feet per side. In the center was what looked like a lightly glowing dome of energy, bright enough that Trixie allowed her horn to rest it for a moment. It was difficult to see what was behind the force field, but several panels near their end of the room were the likely control points for it. The oddest thing that stood out about this complex however, was that there was no exit at all. None of the rooms attached to the hall had any other exits aside from into the hall from where they had just entered. How were they supposed to get out? “I have a feeling we shouldn’t touch anything,” Ditzy lost her ‘footing’ as the ceiling rose and started to hover, barrel rolling slowly in place as she did so. “Ohhhhh,” Pinkie ignored the warning, moving right over to the brightly colored panel and looking at the glowing buttons. “I think the mail-mare has a point; I don’t think we should touch those sister,” Inkie agreed with Ditzy. “What harm could it possibly do? I mean we’re trapped in here otherwise, so it can’t exactly get us in much deeper,” Blinkie grumbled, “I mean it’s either this or I start throwing dynamite again, right?” “Hey!” Gilda reached out her claw to smack Pinkie’s hoof away from the panel, “Are you trying to get us killed or some- oh never mind I don’t even know why I asked that. Of course you are.” “Aw, I wanted to push the buttons. One of them might turn on the lights, or throw a party, or make me happy.” Pinkie spoke as she eyed them eagerly, but didn’t reach back as of yet. “The Great and Powerful Trixie,” Trixie raised her voice, enjoying the way it echoed in this chamber, “has decided that we will use the consoles.” “And since when do you get to decide for all of us?” Gilda glared at the blue unicorn. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not ‘deciding’ for all of us,” Trixie rolled her eyes, “Trixie heard the vote, and it is clearly in Trixie’s favor. Even the Pink One agrees.” “I thought it was a split vote,” Inkie pointed out. “The Great and Powerful Trixie gets two votes, obviously,” Trixie retorted, “As she is the only unicorn who is present.” “How’s that work?” Ditzy blinked. “Trixie’s horn gets a vote too, obviously,” Trixie retorted, raising her nose up. “Well I should be getting two votes too,” claimed Gilda, “One for me and one for my sanity, which apparently pastel ponies lack!” “Now, now,” Inkie stepped between Gilda and Trixie, calmly trying to cut off their conversation, “Let’s not bring our horns out in public, or what’s left of our sanity for that matter. I’m sure we can solve this in a neutral manner.” “We could just wait for Trixie to rest,” suggested Ditzy, “And then she could make another timey whimey ball!” Ditzy hadn't stopped spinning in the air during the entire conversation. She rolled faster and faster as time went on. “The Great and Powerful Trixie regrets to inform you that she may or may not be able to perform such a task without a large source of exploding magic nearby to feed upon, such as Her Majesty,” Trixie spoke more quietly than usual, looking as if it hurt to admit that. She quickly added, “It is notable, however, that only the Great and Powerful Trixie could have performed such an amazing feat to begin with!" Suddenly there was a buzzing sound. Magical lights glowed from the four corners of the room and the force field shimmered as if receiving a new jolt of energy. All eyes turned to Pinkie, whose hoof was on a large pink button. “It was pink! PINK!” she pre-emptively defended herself, as if that was an irresistible reason for pressing it. The force field shimmered again, blinking rapidly several times before shutting off completely. As one field lowered, there appeared to be another behind it. Each dropped in turn, layering inward towards the center like an onion. Finally at the center, a single restrained alicorn hovered, wrapped in at least two dozen magically bound chains. He was bound so tightly that only his eyes were visible. Even his horn had been locked tightly away, wings wrapped up and locked against his back; they couldn’t even tell what color his coat was. The alicorn opened his eyes slowly, looking like solid red orbs glowing in the pits of his eye sockets. He stared at the group as if looking through their very souls. “Aw man,” Ditzy sighed, ceasing her rolling and finally landing on the floor with the others, “I hope I didn’t just help wake up an unspeakable evil from another world, or from beyond time, or something like that.” She then added more quietly, "Again..."
blayzekohime	706	5	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-30T01:39:11+00:00	2012-01-30T01:39:11+00:00	15,137	Early Day Three Twilight Wish walked slowly into a large chamber, Firefly following behind with her head draped low. The pegasus was shivering as she came to a standstill aside Twilight, her eyes slowly moving to the center of the dark room. The massive room was not visible for the most part, the light from the hallway not being enough to shine fully into the expanse within. The only light in the room itself were several consoles which displayed a number of glowing buttons and switches, none of whose purpose either of the ponies knew. Their eyes were not looking at the consoles, anyway. Their eyes were locked on the pair of red, glowing orbs in the center of the room, which presently were looking downward. There was a strange scratching sound coming from the same direction. “Master?” Twilight spoke quietly, bowing her head low in the process, “I’ve brought Firefly.” “What about it,” a deep voice echoed across the room, sounding disembodied due to the acoustics. It wasn’t a question but more of a bored statement. “Well you said to bring her here my Lord,” Twilight glanced away as she spoke, having trouble keeping eye contact with him. “I also said to not bother me while I’m coloring,” the voice boomed, curtly. The scratching of wax on paper ceased. “We can’t see in the dark and you have the lights off,” Twilight quietly suggested, then blinked, “Wait where did you even get a…” “From the bright pink one’s saddle, there are all sorts of fun things in here. More than should fit, actually.” He cut her off, then after a moment of silence added, “Sure though, I forgot about that. Anyway this is Firefly. Hello again Firefly! I haven’t seen you since your arrival, wasn’t that just a blast?” Strangely, the voice seemed absolutely polite, yet somehow he seemed to invoke terrified obedience from Firefly. Twilight seemed to cope with him better, perhaps because she had been working more closely with him than the others. Twilight nudged against Firefly, coaxing her to answer instead of just standing there shivering. “H-hey. What’s up?” Firefly stammered, looking ready to turn around and flee. “So let me get this straight,” the voice stated, the sound of a paper book closing as he concentrated on her. His red eyes narrowed in the darkness, “You blasted Rainbow Dash with a sonic fireball while she was going at super-sonic speed, causing her to crash into a grove of trees. You expected this to do what?” “Um,” Firefly looked about the room, shifty eyed, “Catch her?” “In one piece? Because it sounds like you were trying to catch her in little pieces,” the voice chuckled, almost gleefully, and then grew more serious again, “We’re extracting Elements here, not hurting ponies for the sheer joy of it. Not just for that, anyway. Now I have to decide how to punish you; this is so annoying. Maybe the wings, I love your wings. Can I have one?” Firefly’s eyes widened, stammering again, “N-no! No don’t! Look I promise I’ll do better. No more mistakes! It was an honest accident, I swear. Oh Helios! If you take my wings my life will be ruined!” The voice stayed quiet for another few moments, his eyes focused on Firefly and narrowing angrily to the point of slits. Then, as randomly as anything, they returned back to large, round eyes, “Oh okay.” They then shifted to Twilight, staring at her as if awaiting some further report. “I’m afraid we missed one of the Elements; the one named Pinkie,” began Twilight, even as Firefly slowly backed out of the room, grateful to be walking out at all. “Yeah, I know,” the voice responded simply. “Well yes, I knew that you would know,” Twilight paused, trying to determine if the voice was angry or not, “Which brings about the question, why are we going after that one since we already…” “It’s just the idea of things, you know,” the voice replied, red eyes shifting boredly around the room, “The one that got away. Anyway, five out of six isn’t bad, right? Go and try again tonight. Now even though you’re going to fail again, I want you to try really hard, okay? Tell the others… I don’t know. Tell them I’ll cut off whatever part they seem to like the most if they fail. That seems to scare them pretty good.” “Uh,” Twilight stared, unsure of how to respond, “Well I had a plan, if you wanted to hear it.” “No, not really. I’d really rather finish my coloring,” the voice audibly shrugged, and moments later the scratching of wax against paper could be heard once again. “Very well then, Master,” Twilight awkwardly turned around, about to step out of the room. “Hold one bit,” the voice stopped her again, though the scratching noise against the paper didn’t stop. “Y-yes Sir?” Twilight answered. “Three things,” the voice started, “First, don’t actually tell them that. If you do then they might try to not come back when they fail, and then I’ll have to kill or re-educate them all again which would be sad, if amusing. Secondly, please stop calling me everything but my name during these meetings. I promise my name isn’t taboo; I’m starting to think I conditioned you TOO well,” The eyes rolled slightly, “Why can’t you be more like Firefly? She actually used my name as an exclamation just now. I love that; ‘makes me feel in charge, you know?” “Of course mast- Helios,” Twilight nodded, and then asked after a long moment of silence, “There were three things?” “Oh right,” the voice responded, “Third, get out. I'm getting tired of your pink.” ---------------------------- Later that same day Twilight Sparkle tried to stretch her muscles out. She tried anyway that she could to move her joints so that she wouldn’t feel so numb. Blinded, she still had little idea of her surroundings. What she did know was whenever her captors left or arrived at the facility there was a sharp buzzing sound from one end of the hall, the end of the hall from whence she had arrived. It was this sound that she heard now, making her grow still to see what she could overhear. “I can’t believe we missed her!” Firefly’s voice sounded out, clearly frustrated. “Yes, Twilight,” Sparkler spoke next, “So much for your ‘perfect plan’. More like perfect mess!” “Please,” Twilight Wish grumbled, her voice dismissing of them, “Look, I couldn’t tell you before, but he knew we would miss her anyway. We still had to try as hard as we could, though, or… well it’s hard to explain, but we had to try.” “How’d he know anyway?” Applejack, their Applejack, spoke next, “How does he always know the results of things? What’s the purpose of doing them?” “Yeah, where’s the surprise in all this?” Surprise’s voice made her typical argument. “Well I think this is it, anyway,” Wish responded, “There’s only one other thing we can predict will happen, and we’ll be ready for it when it does.” There weren’t a lot of others speaking after that, perhaps having given up on getting an explanation from the master’s right-hand mare, but Sparkle heard hoofsteps up the hall. A few of them seemed to step into another room before they got to her cell; from what she had heard the voices say before, that was the medical room where they had kept Rainbow temporarily. One however, moved further and stopped at her cage. Another softer set of hoofsteps seemed to be following that one, almost as if they were trying not to be heard. The sound of Sparkle’s cell door opening could be heard, dragging along the rails. Sparkle hung limp in her restraints, not wanting to encourage them to question her and hoping that they would just assume her to be unconscious. Whoever opened the cage tossed something inside which hit the floor in front of her with a dull thud. Sparkle heard the object shift around slightly, as if it were alive. Twilight felt her body tense up, not exactly certain of what alive thing might have just been tossed into her cell. “T.. Twilight!” Spike’s voice rang out, sounding panicked, “Twilight what have they done to you?” “Spike?” Twilight called out, chains suddenly rattling as she jerked to full awareness, “Spike are you hurt?” Wish chuckled from behind her, “I knew you were awake, you crafty monster. Now listen carefully.” Both Sparkle and Spike grew quiet, though when she felt Spike’s tiny claws reach weakly up to hug against her chest, Twilight felt tears streaming down her face. She instinctively tried to lower her head to nuzzle at him, only for it to be held far above the floor still by the restraining chains. “Here’s what we’re going to do, 'Magic',” began Wish, “I’m going to leave you to enjoy the company of your faithful servant while I go talk to Him. When I get back, one of two things is going to happen. Either you are going to talk and tell me everything I want to know, or you are going to listen to Spike's screams as he is tortured. I just read a whole book on dragon anatomy and I’m pretty sure I can make him feel more pain that either of you ever thought possible.” “Twilight,” Posey’s voice piped up, apparently the owner of the softer hoofsteps, sounding as if she were tearing up, “Don’t tell him please, don’t tell him to condition me again please.” “Shut up Posey,” Wish shot back at Posey in reply, without any hint of feeling for her sadness. Posey’s only response to this was to whimper slightly, her hoofsteps indicating that she walked back away from the cell. With that, the cell door closed again, hoofsteps going into the opposite direction towards ‘His’ chambers. Were they both gone? Twilight couldn’t tell who was around and who wasn’t now. “Twilight?” Spike’s voice was heard again, sounding as if he was tearing up, his little claws digging against her coat, “Don’t tell her. Whatever she wants to know, I don’t care. I won’t blame you.” “Spike you know I can’t do that,” Twilight tried to speak quietly, assuming that Spike wouldn’t be speaking if he saw the other ponies around, “We don’t have much time. Is Pinkie Pie alive?” “Yeah,” Spike nodded, finally releasing her from the hug that she was unable to reciprocate, “They didn’t get her, but I don’t know where she went after that. I think she was looking for you guys.” “Okay,” Twilight breathed out a sigh of relief as she spoke, “Then we can still work this. Look, there is something terrible in the room at the end of the hall and I think we’ll need all the Elements together again. I hear it laughing sometimes and... well it just has that laugh, you know?” Her voice grew even quieter still as she continued, “Do you think you can climb up and get a hold of my blindfold to yank it off?” “Oh no you don’t!” the sound of Surprise’s voice yelled happily from the back corner of her cell, “SURPRISE! I was listening!” Apparently the pegasus had slipped in during the conversation with Wish. There was a ‘sproing’ noise and Twilight felt a breeze as the pegasus flapped up beside her. She tried hard to hold her head down so that Spike could reach the blindfold before Surprise got a hold of either of them, and she could feel him attempting to climb up her left foreleg frantically to get at it. She wasn’t sure if seeing would help her, but figured they must have her blindfolded for a reason. “W-where did you even come from?” Spike’s voice spoke in clear shock that such a bright pony had managed to hide in a shadow, “Stay away from her!” The next thing Twilight knew, there was a splitting pain in her back as Surprise brought down some kind of a bludgeon. Twilight cried out, chains rattling as she thrashed from the pain shooting through her spine. Surprise didn’t stop, however, repeatedly slamming the wooden device down onto her back as she screamed. “No stop it!” Spike shouted as Twilight felt him release her leg. The striking of her back ceased. Instead she heard the sickening crack of wood against Spike’s body, followed shortly by his impact against the cell wall. “Don’t you dare hurt him!” Twilight snarled out, spit flying from her mouth as she screamed out in a rage that was usually uncharacteristic of her. Her body began to smolder, anti-magic chains glowing as they strained to restrain her. The only response she got was for Surprise to slam the weapon into her side, making her jerk once again in her chains. The laughter of the crazed pegasus rang in her ears as she was beaten. Her energy kept trying to surge upwards, each time dampened by the magic holding her, even more pain coursing through her system from her efforts. From the hallway, the voices of her friends screamed out for Surprise to stop as well. Twilight suddenly felt herself relax, relief pouring over her that they were still alive and okay. She even heard Rainbow's voice threatening Surprise if she didn't stop. For a moment, she almost forgot that she was being beaten. “Surprise!” Posey’s voice could only be heard because she spoke between the other sounds. “Oh hey Posey!” Surprise answered. She paused in her beating, much to Twilight’s relief. "Hey lookit! The bat actually caught on fire; guess I'll need to use the golf club on this one!" “What are you doing?” Posey demanded, her voice growing louder than before, “And Firefly! Were you actually going to sit there and eat popcorn while she killed the prisoner?” “What?” Firefly’s voice audibly shrugged, followed shortly by a crunching noise that did in fact sound like popcorn being consumed. “We can’t kill them,” Posey asserted, once again growing quieter. “The dragon doesn’t matter; I could kill it,” Surprise responded, casually. Twilight bursts out in rage again, “I said stay away from him!” Her horn glowed, an aura of magic filling the area, but she couldn’t hold it. The magical chains made any use of her magic feel like it was burning into her head. “You will not!” Posey’s voice grew louder again in Twilight's defense. “Oh manure!” Firefly could be heard saying, a thump sounding as if she had dropped her bag of popcorn, followed swiftly by the sound of her hooves as she left. Suddenly even Surprise’s giggling went silent as Posey spoke again, “You will not hurt them, DO YOU HEAR ME? I already spoke to Him and we are going to do EVERYTHING we can to get the elements WITHOUT killing them. GOT IT?” “Uh,” Surprise could be heard scrambling at the cell door, unlocking it and pulling it open before her own hoofs could be heard hurriedly moving away from the cell and down the hallway. A few moments of silence later, Posey’s lighter steps could be heard entering the cell. “Spike?” Twilight spoke again, almost afraid to ask, “Is he?” “He’s fine,” Posey assured her, “She didn’t get him good and even baby dragons have tough scales. He’ll be fine in a few minutes. I'm afraid I will need to tie him up, though, so he won't try for your blindfold again. I'm really sorry.” “T-thank you,” Twilight breathed out, carefully and quietly wording her next sentences, hoping the others had left after what she assumed was a stare down, “I couldn’t help but notice that you don’t really seem like the others.” Posey sounded reluctant to answer, “No, but if I want to save our world, I have to work with them. There are a lot of good, decent ponies that will suffer if we fail, and that are suffering right now.” “I don’t understand,” Twilight tried to sound as sincere as she could, “If you needed help, you could have just asked for us to use the Elements on your behalf. We would have gladly helped.” “Oh,” Posey softly sat in front of the sightless Twilight, “You don’t understand. The Elements aren’t for us; we probably couldn't use them anyway. Besides, Twilight Wish has the Rainbow of Light and it only takes one of us to use that.” Twilight knew that Posey was correct. As far as she knew, the Elements required a team that felt strongly for one another and her enemies here were anything but that. She carefully probed for more information, “Can I ask why you are getting them then? Who are they for? And what’s the Rainbow of Light?” “I’m sorry,” Posey replied, sounding truly afraid, “I can’t tell you those things, just that we desperately need them to keep our world from dying. Our world isn’t like yours. Yours is full of life, but ours is just a single remaining settlement in a desolate world. Before him, we didn’t have a single alicorn to look after us at all and most ponies thought the first ones were just a legend. And… he’s not that bad. I feel kind of sorry for him. I honestly believe that he’s just trying to make things right and his methods are… well not as good as they could be.” “Please,” Twilight begged, “Please Posey. Is there anything else you can tell me about him?” She didn’t want to emotionally push the earth pony away and risk losing what little of her confidence she had, but desperately needed more information. “I’m sorry,” Posey replied, “I just can’t. All I can promise is that if you cooperate, I will make sure you all get home safely. Even if it means… even if it means helping you defeat the others. He won’t care if you escape once he has your Element.” Somehow, she didn't seem to speak of their master with the same reverence as the others did. “Keeping the prisoner company?” Twilight Wish’s voice rang out, echoing as if she were still farther down the hall. Thankfully, she was still too far away to have heard their whispers. “Oh,” Posey could be heard standing up and then trotting to the door, “Surprise was trying to kill a prisoner again. I had to um... I had to use the… that thing I do sometimes.” Wish sighed, “Fine, I’ll have a nice three-way discussion with her and a pair of pliers later. For now, go drain the puss out of the rainbow one. I think she’s due.” Twilight cringed at such words, looking both depressed and sick simultaneously. Once Posey had trotted out, the door slid closed again. Twilight could hear the other unicorn inside the cell though. Her breathing seemed to be inches from Twilight’s ear. “Twilight,” the voice Wish used was almost motherly, “I see your little friend is stirring again, so what will it be?” “Wait,” Twilight took a deep breath, her mind storming with possibilities. Did she trust Posey? If she did, her and her friends might die anyway. If she didn’t, then she was more certain that they would all die. She couldn’t allow them to torture Spike to death. He wasn’t just her servant. She had raised him from birth; he was like her child. “I’m on a tight schedule,” Wish’s voice grew softer and closer to her ear, “So don’t keep me waiting.” “What do you need to know about the Elements?” Twilight responded. --------------------------------- Day 6 “This is booooring,” Surprise sighed, sitting atop a cloud overlooking the town square, “What are we doing?” The pegasus’ white coat nearly glowed in the sunlight, holding a cricket bat in both her fore-hooves as she relaxed there. “The hay if I know,” Firefly responded, “All I know is that I’m not about ta risk getting my wings chopped off by not doing what I’m told again.” “Yeah, I didn’t really enjoy talking to the pliers either; she didn't even need to either!. I’m just trying to remember what we’re doing at this point,” Surprise scratched the top of her head with the bat. Both their eyes went to their right, towards Twilight, who was also seated atop the cloud thanks to a cloud-walking spell she had picked up during her time with the other Twilight. She was silently watching the square below them, waiting. Aside her was a strange contraption that they had taken from the ruins. The main device had a number of dials and controls, very similar in shape to the control panels at their base, obviously made by the same designers. Attached to it were a number of straps with crystals worked into the leather. It didn’t look like they were for decoration, but served some magical purpose. The last bit was a large helmet with a number of lights atop it, straps meant to lock it across somepony’s head, a special slot meant to clamp down on a unicorn’s horn. The contraption had obviously had some recent repairs and addition, as much of it looked new, while the base itself seemed ancient. Twilight glanced over, as if just noticing them, finally responding to their words, “He said we couldn’t do it until after the fight, and that it will happen soon, but we aren’t sure of the exact day. Once the vortex opens, we can go about our business. Look, Helios would be here himself, but if He showed up it would be instant knock-down drag-out battle between him and Celestia and thousands of innocents could die. He’s trying to avoid that. Nice bloodless coup.” “So we’re going to catch Pinkie?” Firefly tilted her head, “After the whatsit happens? I’m tired of sitting on this cloud like a bunch of paperweights. We’ve been waiting for two days almost, and your staying awake spell is only getting me so far!” “Look,” Twilight sighed, “Forget about Pinkie, she’s not even important right now, Helios just wants her because he’s mad she got away at this point. The important target is Celestia.” “That was a little surprising when I heard it, I admit!” Surprise smiled, “But I’m still not sure how we could catch an alicorn.” “Why do you get to be the favored one anyway?” Firefly grumbled towards Twilight. “Because I’ve been with Helios from the time He arrived in Undervale, and I believed in Him before he even showed up!” Twilight glared at them, “I deserve my position as the right hoof more than anypony else!” Firefly grew silent, not wanting to chance making Twilight truly angry. “Well I guess that makes sense,” Surprise smiled, then started to look impatient again, “Hey what’s that? Is it a giant balloon?” Sure enough, this was the day of the big battle in Ponyville’s town square. The two watched from their cloud as events unfolded, eyes growing large when a huge white alicorn arrived on the scene. The trio on the cloud all tensed up when they saw Celestia’s form slam to the ground in an abrupt but perfect landing, their eyes locking on her and hatred in their eyes. “There she is, the one responsible for all this! Time for action!” Firefly grinned smugly. “Hey, she is the same as Helios! Well, a bit prettier I guess. That’s pretty surprising, since she’s totally evil!” Surprise started to move as if to slip over the cloud edge, but was yanked back by Twilight, who held onto her tail for a moment. “Stop it! You know we can’t interfere yet!” Twilight snapped, “Now we have to wait for the giant explosion to weaken her." “There were already a few explosions,” Surprise pointed out, “They were pretty!” “Yeah but I think he meant something bigger than those. Anyway none of those hit Celestia,” Twilight reasoned. The two were suddenly snapped out of their conversation as a huge burst of energy exploded from the town square. Their cloud disintegrated as the impact wave hit, leaving the three trying to hold themselves against the current. Blinded by the intense light, they all scrambled to get a grip on where they were. Surprise and Firefly thought fast, though their priorities might have been questionable when they grabbed the machine instead of their friend. The two hefted the contraption over towards a nearby rooftop, sitting it down there and looking back just in time to see Twilight Wish plummeting towards the huge fireball that had formed around Celestia. “Oh Helios, I forgot only she knows how to use this thing,” Firefly grumped, “Man we are so dead.” “Don’t look at me!” Surprise chuckled, “I’m blaming it all on you!” It seemed certain that Twilight was going to be incinerated by the huge ball of flame as she fell towards it, and even more certain that her two friends weren’t about to risk their lives for her. However, she felt a strange magical force grab her, slamming her roughly to the side so that she landed out of harm’s way, skidding to the ground next to the building that the two fliers had chosen. From the looks of it, she wasn’t the only one being helped. The alicorn had sent a wave of magic to drive shards of rock out of the ground, shielding two unconscious royal guards that had been laying in the square near to the ball of flame. “She’s blowing up and she’s taking time to save ponies?” Firefly arched an eyebrow, “Is she nuts?” “Wow, I guess she really isn’t like him after all!” Surprise nodded, yet this didn’t seem to lessen her bad opinion of Celestia, “She’s stupid! Hey! Does this mean we can run out and see now?” “Let’s wait until she finishes exploding,” Firefly tactfully suggested. Next to them there was a shrill noise as Twilight appeared next to the machine again, purple smoke spreading around it. She braced herself as the chaos continued. “How are we supposed to get near her?” Twilight screamed in frustration. Across the square, the two spied a second explosion between two buildings, literally shattering the structures apart before they collapsed back inward, imploding back to the point they had just exploded from. They weren’t sure what else had exploded, but whatever it was appeared to have drained energy from the first explosion in the process. “Bet you wish you’d saved that popcorn for now, huh Firefly?” Surprise giggled happily. When it was all over, the area around the town square was in shambles. A huge gaping crater filled the main section now, while the fountain, statue and balloon were nowhere to be seen. The royal guards that had been in the square were, amazingly, still lying where they had been before. They lay atop small mesas of debris as if Celestia had used all her concentration to shield them. Buildings around the square, which were pretty much deserted by the time the fighting got that far, didn’t look like any of them would be standing for very much longer. The buildings around the secondary explosion had actually crumbled and gathered into a huge ball of compressed debris. “Man she’s wasted,” Firefly piped up, heading out towards the crater, “No way she could have survived that.” “Guess we won’t have to worry about her after all!” Surprise chimed in, heading after Firefly, flapping her wings to excitedly peer over the edge of the crater. Twilight wasn’t convinced. She moved to stand next to the machine, concentrating as her winged friends went to investigate, “I wish… I wish…” In the very center, Celestia had dropped to the ground, her body glowing slightly, but not moving. The two pegasi rose to the air once again, flapping through the dust cloud on their way towards the center. Both landed nearby to the fallen goddess, slowly trotting their way closer. They both jumped as Twilight appeared directly behind Celestia, machine in tow for her teleport, both appearing a few feet too high and tumbling to the ground with a crash. “So what were we supposed to do now?” Surprise asked, poking one of her hoofs at Celestia’s smoldering back, then giggling wildly as she watched Twilight tumble to the ground. “Shut up!” barked Twilight as she rose back to her feet, “All the interference makes it hard to target, now come on and help me!” She tossed the helmet across to Firefly, then kicked the needle like probes towards Surprise as she turned to begin adjusting the controls on the machine. Surprise chuckled, putting her cricket bat down on the ground for a moment, instead grabbing one of the probe handles in her mouth. She gleefully jammed it into Celestia’s side with what was possibly the wettest noise the three had ever heard. The straps were looped around their appropriate limbs, one around each leg and battered wing, completing it as quickly as she could. She wasn’t keen on this one waking up before they were done. “Uh, Twilight? Problem” Firefly held the helmet in both hooves, looking slowly back at Twilight. “Oh what is it n… Oh.” Twilight turned around, staring down at Celestia’s upper body, then back up at the helmet that she had handed to Firefly. “Right… where do I put the helmet if her head is gone?” Firefly was trying not to look directly at the body, “Like just put it on the stump or something?” Then, despite all appearances of her being deceased, Celestia’s body began to shiver violently. The three ponies found themselves staring at the body in alarm, watching flesh of the goddess knit itself slowly back together. Celestia’s legs trembled as she slowly pulled her headless self up off the ground the onlookers frozen in sheer terror as they watched her head reconstitute itself, straight from bone to muscle to flesh. Eyes filled the sockets in her skull, globes of blue light within cavities. Fur grew from previously charred flesh, her mane flickering as if trying to spring back from her head. Celestia’s eyes glowed at the trio of ponies, speaking in an echoing voice, “Do you have any idea how much that stings?”Her eyes narrowed again, shifting to the machine that Twilight was seated by and working on. Celesetia’s eyes then widened in sudden recognition, “Brother! No!” An instant later, and the three would have probably been doomed, but the pegasi managed to come through for their comrade, for once. Surprise jammed the final probe into Celestia’s other side, a slightly less disgusting sound than the first one. Meanwhile, Firefly flew up behind her, slamming the helmet onto her head and clamping it down. The helmet immediately seemed to react, gripping down on the alicorn’s horn and strapping around her. “You won’t finish us off, fiend!” Twilight called out, slamming her hoof down on the activation switch. The scream that Celestia made echoed through the entirety of Ponyville, even further than the sounds of the previous explosions, terrible enough to cause some ponies to cover their ears and huddle up to hide. Celestia’s mane and tail flickered again as if trying to fade back into existence, then fizzled out. The princess collapsed with a horrible groan, tumbling to the ground and laying still as the machine drained her. “That was surprising!” Surprise was trembling on the ground, eyes wide, looking unable to move after the sound. “Holy Helios!” Firefly stared, herself having sunk down to hold her hooves over her ears as well, “W-what the hay is that thing?” Twilight’s ears were ringing, unable to hear Firefly’s question, but a gleeful look on her face all the same, “Yes! It worked! The same machine that took Helios from us was repaired to take down our planet’s destroyer, ha!” They were only snapped out of their trance when they heard heavy footsteps behind them. Slowly turning about, they found themselves staring into the eyes of no less than a dozen royal guards, all of whom were as furious as they were horrified by what they were seeing. “So long, suckers!” Twilight grinned, powering up once again, her face contorted in pain at the effort of taking herself and the princess, “I wish… I wish…” and with a blast of magic, she and Celestia disappeared, along with the machine that had been attached to the later of the two. It was unclear if Twilight’s first statement had been aimed at the guards or her two ‘friends’, but somehow the two suspected it was spoken to them. “Uh, we can explain,” Firefly turned, eyeing the guards nervously. “Yeah,” Surprise smiled, hoof pointing to Firefly, “It’s all HER fault!”
blayzekohime	706	6	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-30T02:20:48+00:00	2012-01-30T02:20:48+00:00	12,008	Laughter echoed through the large stone chamber as the six heroes stared at the chained creature. The echoes of the laughter rattling so loudly that the whole structure seemed alive with it. This had been going on for several minutes now, ever since the force field was released, and had continued ever since, going slowly from terrifying to wholly intolerable. “Well he is certainly happy about something,” Inkie calmly asserted, sitting on her haunches with both hooves over her ears, “Blinkie dear. Please stop laughing too; you are just encouraging it.” “I say we let him go!” Blinkie laughed, before being silenced as Inkie casually shoved one hoof into her mouth, causing Blinkie’s cheeks to momentarily poof out. “Maybe he’s not so bad?” Pinkie suggested, “I mean usually somepony that laughs that much isn’t dangerous right?” All the same, Pinkie was twitching at the sound of the rather hoarse laughter, as if maybe it disturbed even her just a little bit. “The Great and Powerful Trixie believes that is the other way around, Pink One,” Trixie sat on her haunches, her horn glowing as she summoned a pair of blue, poofy ear-muffs to temporarily protect her ears from the horrible noise. She then lay down on her belly with her forelegs folded in front of her, seeming upset that her ‘best evil laugh’ position was in jeopardy. “What are you talking about?” Gilda sneered, “I have yet to meet a pony that wasn’t dangerous. It’s all ‘love and friendship’ until they get slightly upset over some trivial thing, then it’s all out the window and they start trying to kill each other with party gags.” Maybe Gilda still had some minor issues left over from her previous visit to Ponyville, “I may be a prick, but at least I’m stable.” “And honest!” Pinkie pointed out to Gilda, smiling slightly. All this laughter actually had Pinkie’s mane slowly inflating again, and though no one heard the noise of her mane inflating again over the echoing of the chamber, soon she was looking like her normal self again. “Aw man,” Ditzy sat in the door to the chambers, still lamenting the group’s collective mistakes, “This sort of thing is why I got kicked out to begin with; he’ll never take me back in again at this rate.” The voice suddenly went from laughing to gagging and after a few seconds of what sounded like smoker’s cough, it finally quieted down. The occupant of the chains then cleared his throat, his wide open eyes shrinking slightly to a more normal expression. He even tried to smile, though his razor sharp teeth showing between the chains didn’t make it easy for him to look nice. “Sorry,” the alicorn’s voice boomed through the room, “No really, I’m sorry. This is kind of embarrassing. It’s just these magic chains tickle something fierce, so I’ve been holding that in for… well I assume a really long time given the condition of this place. I’m not normally like this, honest.” There was a moment of silence, all eyes on the creature in chains. “So I can’t help but notice none of you recognize who I am,” the alicorn casually guessed. He seemed encouraged by this as he continued, “You girls are here to let me go from these chains, right? Served my time? Getting out on good behavior? I mean it’s not like I could even do anything considered bad behavior here. Well, is it?” “He seems pretty nice!” Pinkie decided, “Maybe he can help us rescue our friends?” Blinkie pushed Inkie’s hoof away, then helpfully suggested, “Hey. If we blow him up, do you think you could pull off another one of those swirly blue things, Trixie?” “The Great and Powerful Trixie asserts that somepony chained him up for a reason,” Trixie shook her head to Pinkie, then turned towards Blinkie, “Trixie approves of her faithful minion’s suggestion.” Inkie calmly chimed in, “Well you know. If he could be killed like that, they would probably have just blown him up instead of locking him up for all eternity.” “Maybe if we cover him up with some blankets or something, nopony will notice he’s been unleashed upon the world,” suggested Ditzy, helpfully. Gilda sighed, “You know, I hate to point this out, but this guy is probably the only one that knows the way out of here.” “Do what to me?” the alicorn said, “Yeah well that wouldn’t kill me; alicorns generally can’t die via conventional means or most other means really. All the same, I’d rather you not do it because it would really hurt. Not to mention it would probably kill all of you given the condition of this place. Then I’d be buried under rocks for another thousand years. Believe me, being nigh indestructible is not all it’s cracked up to be.” He blinked once, as if he was suddenly unsure if he should have added that last part, and then continued quickly, “But saaaaay, you know you mentioned rescuing friends and that just happens to be one of my favorite pastimes! Not to mention, I most certainly do know how to get out of here.” His eyes then moved about the room again, seeming to visibly wonder something, “Question! Sorry, I probably should have asked this earlier. How exactly did you lower the force field? I could have sworn they said only a special sort of power could do that.” “I pressed the button!” Pinkie proclaimed, proudly, “Hey! Maybe we could have a party with him anyway. I mean even if he was all chained up, we could put a little party hat on him and-” “That might have been too much information sister dear,” Inkie calmly moved her hoof to ram it into Pinkie’s muzzle this time, “I do not think he would have very much fun at that party anyway. Besides, maybe he is not immortal but the ponies that arrested him did not have a death penalty and he got ‘life in prison’ instead. I suppose it is a bad thing not to age in that case. Who put you here?” “Huh,” the alicorn’s eyes suddenly shifted to Pinkie, “And pressing the button isn’t enough. Which means YOU are holding an Element of Harmony? Laughter I’m guessing, which is my FAVORITE by the way. Unless these others are the other Elements, in which case they’re all my favorites.” His eyes shifted to the others, “And no, actually. Alicorns do age if deprived of their power for long enough; you’ll find that out when you release me. You are releasing me, right? Anyway my own ponies put me here because of a misunderstanding. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.” “The Chained One said ‘nigh’ indestructible, which means he can be destroyed!” Trixie suggested, “His previous captors did not have the Great and Powerful Trixie to come to their aid in their dire time of need, so they have placed him in a neat little package, hoping that the prophesied Trixie would arrive!” “Oh for crying out loud,” Gilda shot at Trixie, “Not everything in the world revolves around you!” She turned to the alicorn, “Not on your life! I’m not some Element of Lameness. We just sorta ended up here with her while she was looking for the other ones. I dunno, they got dragged off or somethin’.” Ditzy, who despite lamenting the awakening did not seem awfully intimidated by evil overlords, flew right up to the chained alicorn. She hovered a mere foot away, “So why’d the timey whimey bubble bring us here anyway? Was the power from your restraints sending a signal through space-time itself? Is the blue thing in the other room a deactivated spatial-temporal hyperlink between worlds and times?” “Oh okay,” the alicorn responded to Gilda, “Well those must be the friends you’re looking for. In that case… wait.” His eyes shifted suddenly towards Ditzy, wide with surprise. They then narrowed slightly as he spoke, “You just reminded me of somepony else. That’s creepy.” His eyes shifted to Ditzy’s flank as if to check something, but then continued, “Right. Well aren’t you just a clever pony, if redundant; it’s really more of a spacial hyperlink only since it’s not really temporal, truth be told. It’s not meant to be at least.” “Nopony’s ever called me clever before! Seriously?” Ditzy turned upside down mid-air, her eyes seeming to roll with her, but in opposite directions, “Especially when I'm just making words up.” The alicorn responded, “Look. I can turn the link back on, since I can power it with my own energy, but you have to let me go so I can do that. After that you can go anywhere and I won’t care.” His eyes shifted to Trixie, perhaps attempting to butter her up a bit so she didn’t go caving things in on him, “Did I mention how great you look in that hat? I can tell you’re alicorn material just by looking at you. Turning unicorns into alicorns is one of the things I can do by the way. ” “I still say we let him go,” Blinkie repeated as she grinned sadistically, now circling the chained up alicorn, looking him over as if sizing him up for a split roast. She suggested, “We should do another vote. My vote’s in.” “Either way could someone please keep that one within my line of sight,” the alicorn referred to Blinkie, “She’s making me very nervous.” “I say we need to find a party hat,” Pinkie responded with a non-answer. “Abstain,” Inkie shrugged. “I still like my idea with the blankets better,” Ditzy chimed in as she landed on the wall aside from the entrance. “Are you all out of your minds?” Gilda yelled, then face-clawed, “No wait. Never mind, again.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie has decided that the Chained One should be released!” Trixie had a change of heart at the offer, “Now peons; watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful-” “Ahem! Yeah I’m gonna cut you off right there,” the alicorn interrupted, politely, “You don’t really need to do some big ritual thing. Now that the field is gone, all you really have to do is press the blue button next to the pink one. Could you hurry? They’re sort of starting to tickle again.” He stifled a chuckle. Trixie glared at the alicorn, and then trotted over towards the console. An air of uneasiness permeated the room, but none moved forward to stop her. “Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie releases the Chained One from his bondage!” Trixie slammed her hoof down on the button in as theatrical a manner as possible. There was a soft creaking noise, then a whirring of magic all around them as the chains glowed brightly. The sound of grinding stone and rattling chains filled the room as the team of heroes backed towards the exit. Trixie, despite having started this process, backed out of the room entirely, ducking behind the others. Pinkie looked as if she was going to walk right up to see it closer, but Inkie and Blinkie collectively pulled her back out of the room as well. Soon the team was tucked away in the hallway, watching around the door frame. There was a sharp clank, then with incredible speed the chains released and were sucked into the floor and ceiling. The alicorn screamed like a little filly as the chains ended up grinding into him as they were pulled away; probably not the most intimidating way for a supposed ancient evil to be released. When they were finally clear, he landed on the pedestal, wobbled for a few moments, then collapsed to the floor; definitely not the most dignified re-entry that he could have made into the world. With that, the room went dark, the only light left being the glowing buttons at the consoles. They were joined shortly by the glowing red eyes of the alicorn as he opened them once again. They were squinted, as if in severe pain. “Ow. Ow. OW. That. Really. Chaffed,” the alicorn gritted his sharp teeth, speaking between them, trembling atop the pedestal, “I mean seriously, you have. No. Idea.” “Wow,” Pinkie piped up, “Almost that same thing happened to me at a party once!” “Is this the part where you cackle and call us foals for releasing you?” Ditzy asked inquisitively, flapping her wings and rising into the air outside of the hallway despite the darkness “No, not really,” the voice boomed back, the eyes relaxing, “I’m not really here for the reason you’re probably thinking, actually.” The creature could be heard shifting around, making a noise as if he were slowly stretching. He suddenly added, as if just remembering, “Oh and light. Phew, I’m getting out of practice.” With that, a glow from his horn filled the stone chambers with light as bright as a sun, radiating outwards to cover the walls, showing off every design and crevice. It hadn’t really been apparent how large the structure was until now, or how bare it was. There were points along the wall that looked as if they had once contained other furniture, or perhaps more consoles, but they were all gone now. Front and center was the alicorn that they had just released; he was the focus of everyone’s attention. He was tall, roughly the same size as Princess Celestia, and looked somehow if he might have been quite beautiful at one time. Now, however, he might have been mistaken for a corpse had he not been moving around. His coat was splotchy, alternating between mold-yellow fur and sickly green skin, several parts of his flesh missing entirely. He was terribly emaciated, his belly caved in down to his ribs, the muscles that showed through his missing skin looking dry and rotten. His mane and tail were virtually non-existent, just a few strands remaining of whatever had been there before, certainly not flowing or magical as they were used to seeing about their princess. Perhaps the most disturbing part however, was his missing cutie mark. It wasn’t missing as if he were a blank-flank, but rather there was a portion of flesh that had obviously been cut away on each flank in a neat square. It was as if his captors had wanted to humiliate him prior to his binding. Whoever this was, he was either so evil as to deserve a colossal punishment, or was a victim of something unimaginably wrong himself. Needless to say, a collective gasp echoed through the room as it was filled with light, even the so far unflappable Ditzy suddenly backing against the wall mid-flight, nearly losing all of her altitude. For a long moment, they stared at him, the alicorn staring right back at them with a slightly confused expression. “It’s the zombie pony!” Pinkie finally exclaimed, then promptly pointed at him and started laughing hysterically in self-defense. “You look like you’ve had a rough stay,” Gilda just stared, forgetting to be rude for once, actually sounding as if she felt really bad for him. His eyes then focused into realization as he spoke, “Oh! Sorry about that, I probably should have warned you earlier. I’m not repairing my injuries yet because I’m afraid if I use what power I have to heal that, I’ll not have enough left to power the teleport. I need to get outside and get some sun, and doubt I can teleport myself without the... well the thing in there.” His eyes went to Pinkie, who was still laughing up a storm, and he added more quietly, “Small request: Could some pony put a cork in Laughter? That’s making me a bit self-conscious; I can’t tell if she’s laughing at or with me.” “Pinkie,” Inkie reached out and calmly plugged Pinkie’s mouth with a hoof, once again, “Do not be rude to the awoken evil from beyond time itself. I am pretty sure he is not a ghostie anyway.” Pinkie’s laughter died down, no one else speaking for a moment. The alicorn looked very nervous now, eyes shifting back and forth as he finally just started to walk forward. Bones cracked, the sound of muscle sinew tearing heard with each of his movements, and he would stagger from time to time as if his knees were near to giving out. His teeth were gritted tightly, as if every movement caused him intense pain and he was trying to play it off for the sake of appearances. The heroes moved out of the hall and out of his way, quickly splitting apart and making a path for the wretched creature. He looked extremely self-conscious as he passed them, heading down the hallway, his bright horn seeming to dim to adjust to the smaller space there. Even Trixie’s eyes were huge. In fact, she actually looked like she might be about to tear up as she spoke with a whisper, “Trixie has never felt more pity than she feels now for the Chained One…” “What are you ponies talking about?” Blinkie grinned, “That guy is awesome! Do you realize how quickly the kidnappers are going to run when they realize that thing is on our side? All he has to do is stagger towards them and chant ‘graaaaaains’.” “You guys are just adorable,” the alicorn spoke back at them in a slightly sarcastic tone, “And you make so many productive comments. Can’t we all just get along?” The group slowly followed him back through the hallway, all the way back to the room in which they had first appeared. The alicorn stood at the blue base in this room, silently staring at it. His horn dimmed slightly more, mist gathering around him slowly and then floating into the device, almost as if he were examining it. Ditzy landed in the room with him first, having flown ahead of the others and landing right next to him. The wall-eyed pony looked up at him, a frown on her face, and spoke quietly, “I’m sorry if I made you feel bad before.” She actually leaned forward and gave him a hug, his flesh giving slightly with a rotten sound to even the slightest pressure. His eyes got wide at that, waiting for her to pull away before he spoke again, “Don’t apologize yet, you might not be sorry later.” He took a deep breath, then continued speaking even as he analyzed the device, “So first things first: tell me your story and how you got here, because none of you know who I am, which means it’s been a lot longer than I thought or I’m missing something here.” The group told him their stories so far, at least as far as they related to the situation. Pinkie did most of the telling, as she was the only one that had seen their enemies. Others piped up from time to time, telling less relevant stories: Ditzy tried to cut in with a story about some muffins she baked earlier that morning and Trixie tried to find reasons to include stories about her own potentially made-up deeds. Gilda, for her part, started ignoring the story about half way through, instead pulling the saddle bags off her back that she had been carrying for so long and starting to sift through their contents. Once they got to the part of the story about the final battle, all of them were speaking at once. Trixie took great pleasure in explaining how she managed to link into the Princess, and what’s more, the alicorn seemed to take great interest in this. The alicorn asked, quite slowly, “And this ‘her Majesty’. What is her name?” “Princess Celestia!” Pinkie answered before anyone else could, “She rules over all of Equestria, and makes the sun rise every day. Hey! What’s your name anyway?” The creature seemed to freeze up, his eyes narrowing to thin slits, his teeth once again gritting together as he spoke between them, “Celestia. Well that explains a few things; I suppose given that we speak the same language, it'd make sense if you are from a sister world. And my name is Helios. 'Ring any bells?” For a moment he just sat there, gnashing his teeth, his muscles visibly tightened in anger. Inkie moved in front of the others in an act of pre-emptive protection, and Blinkie slowly reached her maw into her saddlebag, seeming to poke around and look for something once again. “Nope! Sure doesn’t, but now that we know each other’s names, we can be the best of friends!” Pinkie appeared to be unaware of the tension now that she was in a better mood. “Dude,” Gilda was the only one both honest and brave enough to ask, looking up half way through reading something, “You look pissed; did you know her?” “Know her?” his eyes suddenly went back to their normal shape, “It’s possible! I was straining really hard to try to remember everything, you know; rotten brain and all. Anyway, some of that explains a lot, like I might have mentioned.“ Helios kicked a brittle hoof against the device, causing it to open up to reveal an array of crystals within, glowing alterations of blue and yellow, each engraved with a different symbol, many of which matched the unknown runes on the walls. The crystal slots were in a matrix at least six deep, in a circle at least forty crystals in circumference. Still, he looked into it as if he knew what everything was, his horn glowing softly as he began to move things about. “Based on that and some other things, I’m going to make a few deductions,” he spoke as he continued working, switching the more cracked crystals for better ones, though none of them were in pristine condition, apparently arranging them so that the ones he needed were the least worn, “None of you know who I am, therefore none of you are from this world. You’ve traveled here accidentally through a portal. Unicorn, the strain of such a spell should have torn you all apart, and I have no idea how it didn’t, unless of course the alicorn you were draining was actively protecting you from your own nonsense. Either way, you probably just arrived here because it was the point of least resistance. These worlds used to all be connected together through a system of portals, so some of the rift probably remained open. The good news is that means I can get you back IF I can figure out the location of the rift entrance on your world.” “I am betting there is bad news too,” Inkie put that statement out there for him to chew on. “There usually is!” Ditzy agreed, “I just want to go home. Dinky’s probably gotten into the muffin jar by now.” “Well there’s a few things, actually,” Helios spoke as he closed up the device, latching it back into place, “First of all, I’ll need to know the exact location on your world to target this to, since I don’t really know where the portal is there. Secondly, I can only give it enough energy right now to transport one pony to the surface, and that is going to have to be me. Once outside, I can get as much energy as I want from the sun and then teleport supplies down. If you haven’t figured out a location for me by then, perhaps I can find one myself, but it will really help if you can come up with something.” He took a deep breath then, “I know I promised to help you find your friends, but I really don’t think I should leave this world. Alicorns tend to get tied to their own planet after taking care of them for a while. We’re just going to have to say me getting you back home is enough of a trade-off for saving me.” Helios pushed the platform down hard as he closed it, and there was a loud buzzing as if something had been connected. Suddenly the previously dark lamps on the stone walls were aglow with magical flame, filling the air with the smell of burning dust and grime, temporarily making the air even harder to breath than before. The heroes stared at Helios as he then rose up onto the platform, looking down at them with intense eyes. None of them tried to stop him from leaving. Somehow, his eyes said that he really did intend to return. There was a flash of blue light from the platform, swirling around him and spiraling into a brief vortex of energy. As quickly as it formed, he was gone, and it was once again fading away. -------------------------------------- Helios’ mind filled with possibilities. Could he still save his world, or was it too late? He felt bad, somehow, for not telling his rescuers everything, even if he hadn't lied either. They had held up their side of the bargain, after all. Then again, he fully intended to fill his side of the bargain as well, to the letter if not to the spirit of the agreement. The vortex pulled him outside, landing him on the surface just as he had intended. What met him there was not what he expected, though perhaps he should have. The planet’s sun beat down on him, engulfed in a swirl of intense heat. The land around him was barren in every sense, rolling hills replaced by dry sands, the bare remains of ancient buildings scorched and torn apart in the endless heat, no sign of visible life anywhere. The sun stood in the sky, unmoving since who knew how long. Its stooping low above the horizon was the sole reason that he hadn't been immediately fried. So this was what was left of his world? Half was a desert and the other half would no doubt be frozen over; was he really this late? “You told me you could keep it moving forever! Why didn’t you let me help?” Helios yelled upwards towards the sun and to no pony in particular, his voice full of rage as the heat from the glowing ball above him began to sear at what was left of his flesh. Tears formed in his eyes only to immediately vaporize in the heat of the deserted surface. He gathered energy from the sunlight, but the heat was damaging his flesh just as fast as he could regenerate it, the intense heat both his source of life and his bane for the moment. His mind raced once again, trying to move his senses outward to detect any hint of a surviving settlement. “Is that possible?” he murmured quietly within his own mind. Not questioning what he had found, he gathered what energy he could without overstaying his welcome on the surface before his body blinked away in a sudden flash of white light, targeting himself on the hint of life that he had found.
blayzekohime	706	7	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-30T03:13:50+00:00	2012-01-30T03:13:50+00:00	10,897	The team stared at the platform where their beneficiary had so recently disappeared, dust settling back over the blue surface, the lights of the platform dimming and leaving only the wall-mounted torches in this room to reveal their surroundings. The rest of the strange ruin had not been lit by Helios when he was lighting this room, so to go anywhere else they would have to make their own light once again. They had no reason to trust him to begin with, and the feeling that he might not intend to come back for them at all only grew as time passed. “The Chained One left us alone. Trixie is beginning to think she should have remained in the town square; being banished to the Moon would be more pleasant than this,” Trixie stated, less theatrically than usual, actually moving back to sit on her haunches in a corner, wrapping herself more tightly in her cloak. “It is not a big deal,” Inkie stated calmly, “If there is nothing we can do, there is nothing we can do.” Pinkie was quiet, her mane having slowly started to deflate again, the squeaking of air prominent in the silence of the room. She certainly had been through a mood-whiplash lately. Taking a deep breath, she murmured, “All I’ve done is make things worse, haven’t I?” “Don’t worry sis,” Blinkie patted Pinkie on the back with a hoof, “Everyone messes up. I even got my cutie mark by messing up, remember that?” “I don’t’ think I was there.” “And that’s a good thing; that’s why you’re still alive,” Blinkie grinned sadistically, then shrugged, “Eh, mining school needed renovating anyway.” “Yes everypony messes up. That is sort of true,” Inkie shrugged, suddenly growing very quiet and looking around idly. She was hard to read, to be sure, but it was almost as if she were using Blinkie’s vague answer as an excuse not to talk about her own cutie mark story. “I’m going to be honest here,” Gilda stated, looking up from where she was reading the contents of her stolen saddlebags, “Your cutie marks are crazy weird compared to what I’ve seen, though I guess scaring the lamer ponies could be a good thing.” Blinkie sneered at Gilda, “Yeah? Well may as well give them something to be afraid of, right? Better ponies are afraid of me with a reason, I say.” “And how did the Calm One get her cutie mark?” Trixie asked, less curious about a pony other than herself, and more making a smart comment because she was upset at not getting the attention herself. Inkie sighed, showing just a tiny hint of emotion, “It involved a fit of jealous rage and a collapsing barn and… I do not want to talk about that.” It was hard, knowing her as they now did, to imagine her in a fit of rage, let alone to tell what might have affected her so badly. Or indeed, if it was the memory of that rage now made her so placid. “I wanna go home,” Ditzy complained, “I sure wish you guys had just taken the letter to begin with; you’d all be a lot happier now.” “Gah! Listen to you ponies!” Gilda suddenly snapped, slamming her fist down on the brick floor, the dull thumping noise and slight crack of brick drawing all eyes to her. Once she had their attention, her voice echoed through the otherwise silent chamber, “Seriously? Whatever happened to all that friendship baloney of yours? It’s just like I said before, it all goes out the window the first time you get sad. Why don’t you all suck it up and do something constructive!” “I don’t think there are any windows,” Ditzy looked around, scratching her chin with one hoof. Gilda huffed, standing up on her haunches, “Frill this! I’m not going to listen to you guys sit around being down on yourselves! It’s even more annoying than the usual pony nonsense!” Gilda looked about, and then reached up to grab hold of one of the torches, gripping the base where it was attached to the wall. Using all her strength, she yanked at it, twisting slightly to try to pry it free. At first it seemed like it wouldn’t budge, but after a great deal of grunting and muscles straining, Gilda managed to pull it off its mount with a sharp crack of metal and stone. Much to Pinkie’s surprise, it was handed to her. “Take your sisters and check out the far room,” Gilda told her, “You didn’t get to look at it before he turned the lights off there, and Inkie said she could see… whatever it is she can see.” “Trixie does not see how this will help,” Trixie began, only to be cut off before she could make her full argument. “Trixie should be ashamed for moping so much!” Gilda exclaimed, slipping into Trixie’s own way of talking after hearing her do it so much, “This place is full of magic; if you’re so great and powerful why aren’t you figuring out what all this stuff does? Since you were… pretty amazing getting us here, even if it did end up stupid, I trust you could at least do that much?” “You trust Trixie?” Trixie looked at Gilda as if trying to decide if she was jesting. Even if Gilda had been trying hard not to let on that she was putting her trust in someone, Trixie had picked it up. As often as she bragged, Trixie had never actually had someone put faith in her for something she had actually done and not just because of some made up story. After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded slowly, rising to her hooves. Her horn shimmered, glowing brighter than previously now that she was properly rested. This made her steelped hat act as a night light as she began to stroll back down the hall on her own. “Yeah I guess I’m not that useful,” Ditzy landed on the ceiling nearby, “I’m not really a clever pony, whatever Evil Guy said.” To Ditzy’s surprise, Gilda reached up and took hold of her head. The griffon yanked her rather roughly, plucking her from her spot on the ceiling and turning her to plop her rather forcefully on the floor next to the bags that Gilda had been searching through. “And you, Derpy, or whatever your name is,” Gilda said, “Quit pretending to be useless so no one expects anything of you; it’s ruffling me worse than the rest of these losers. You’re a mailmare aren’t you? Help me sift through this junk. Pony writing is mostly nonsense to me." Pinkie found herself smiling, moving to pass the torch over to Blinkie’s mouth before she moved over and hugged Gilda. Now Gilda was the one finding herself stunned, feeling Pinkie’s mane inflate against the side of her head, poofing against her beak slightly and tasting disturbingly like bubblegum. “I’m glad you’re here Gilda!” Pinkie smiled, then let go of the hug and nodded to Blinkie. Gilda stared in silence for a moment, then looked as if she might sulk, suddenly realizing that she was caught being nice despite her bluster. Blinkie hmph’ed in return upon receiving the torch, but all the same propped it upright on her saddle so she could keep her mouth free. Afterwards she turned to lead her two sisters out of the chamber. They moved down the hallway quicker than before, now far more familiar with their surroundings, passing by each room in turn. The halls seemed more alive than before, buzzing slightly as if magical forces were awakened by Helios’ return, the sound hiding the echo of their hoof-steps in the hallway. Trixie could be seen in one of the rooms, examining some of the magical chains in the cells with interest, prodding one with one hoof, eyes widening at something as she analyzed the magic contained within. Upon glancing back, the three fillies saw their friend Ditzy smiling as she started to show Gilda how the file-saddle was organized. It didn’t seem to have occurred to Gilda that the bags had been organized and not just placed at random, so perhaps the two were making far better progress seeing if the bag contained anything useful thanks to the mailmare’s input. “I knew we were a great team,” Pinkie smiled as they entered the far room once again, Blinkie’s torchlight flickering off the consoles and illuminating a segment of the room at a time, “Even when I didn’t, I knew it’d work out!” “Well I couldn’t be more surprised,” Blinkie commented bitterly, turning to adjust the torch in her saddle once again, making sure it wasn’t going to fall against her saddle full of explosives. Inkie sighed in response, “I am just glad we are not killing each other anymore. I would have hated to have to pry anypony off of you again.” Inkie began to search, following the wall and looking up and down the surface slowly. Her eyes picked out each detail that they passed, eyes seeming to pause at times or zigzag around to follow patterns only she could see in the surface of the wall. Her talent wasn’t breaking things as much as spotting exact points of weakness, even in seemingly impervious materials, and she was finding plenty to work with here, or perhaps, as she had warned earlier, rather more than she’d like. “Too many here,” Inkie stated, “The walls are sturdier here, but I cannot find an area that seems like it would go anywhere. If there is a hidden exit, the weak points around it should be really straight.” “I don’t see the point of this,” Blinkie grumbled, “Why don’t we just rig the platform with explosives and take him out when he returns, or at least bury him in rock forever.” “Do we know for certain that he is a bad guy?” Inkie pointed out, “Being sealed away in constant torment like that instead of just locked away? That does not sound like something a good guy would have done to him.” “I forgave you, Inkie,” Pinkie spoke seemingly at random, smiling to her sister, “You know that right?” There was an awkward silence, “I do not forgive myself. I blew up at you for no good reason, just because I was angry that you were always happy and I was not, and I hurt you because of it, bad enough for you to leave home.” She shivered, adding, “I was grounded for so long because of that.” “’Least no pony died when you collapsed that storehouse on us,” Blinkie stated bitterly, more at herself than her sisters. “That’s it,” Pinkie looked back and forth, “Is that why you came to protect me, because you felt bad about things?” “No,” Inkie tried to respond, but the question distracted her enough that she had to go over that particular section of the wall twice. It was pretty obvious to the other sisters that she wasn’t being entirely honest. “And you make great ‘splodies Blinkie,” Pinkie smiled to her sister, “But you never do anything but carry them around.” Remembering how they got there, she quickly added, “Well almost nothing.” “Yeah,” Blinkie stated bitterly, rolling her eyes, “That’s because I’m forbidden from working in any mines by the Equestrian Excavations Board. I’m literally bound by law not to practice my special talent.” That might explain why Blinkie was a borderline psycho. “I bet you could find something great to do with your talent besides that,” Pinkie smiled to her again. “I saw the rocket you made! So you make fireworks now right? Those are useful!” Blinkie responded to this by simply pulling the torch off of her back and passing it to Pinkie. Pinkie took it when offered, but looked confused. “There, nice and quiet now,” Blinkie snapped, turning to walk down the hall, “I don’t have time to stand here and talk about my uselessness.” Pinkie called out after Blinkie, though the torch in her mouth made it sound like garbles. She started to follow after her, but Inkie calmly reached out a hoof to block her path. “Let her be, Pinkie,” Inkie stated, calmly, “Help me here while she figures things out.” Pinkie sighed, but left her other sister alone, instead moving to turn and shed the light on what Inkie was doing. They were working on the second side of the room by now, and moved more quickly for a moment due to their lack of speaking. “Pinkie?” Inkie glanced back at Pinkie to finally speak again, reaching a hoof to rub at one of her ears and smiling ever so slightly, “Thanks for forgiving me.” Pinkie answered with a happy noise as if to say ‘no problem’, already back to her gleeful self. She was sure that Blinkie would come around too, hope that things would clear up with her sisters keeping her from despairing even in the dark chamber. Blinkie didn’t hear much of this exchange before she left the room, wanting to leave quickly so she wouldn’t be tempted to scream things back at them. Once in the dark hallway, she followed the dim light of Trixie’s horn to one of the cells that lined the hallway. She paused, looking at the light further down the hall where Gilda and Ditzy were, and opted instead to head into the room with Trixie. Trixie looked up from her analysis of a broken chain, blinking slowly at Blinkie, "And what, pray tell, drives you to disturb the delicate work of the Great and Powerful Trixie?" “Eh,” Blinkie walked into the cell with Trixie, appearing to ignore her monologue, “I think I’m going to stay here for a bit; I don’t think I can resist the temptation to blow things up if I go back to that teleport thing.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not have time to explain the intricacies of her astounding analysis!” Trixie habitually crowed. However, when she looked over to Blinkie and recognized the pony's dejected look, she quickly added, “It was not Trixie’s fault, it was the Mad Bomber who tried to hot dog a festive charge down Her Majesty’s throat!” “I know,” Blinkie surprised Trixie by not arguing, instead moving to simply sit down next to the unicorn. In a way, this made Blinkie instantly win the argument, as Trixie had no idea what to retort to a pony that wasn’t retorting. Trixie grew silent, pretending to concentrate greatly as she pulled a loose piece of the chain from the wall, draping it over her back to carry it with her. Trixie then moved across the hall, moving towards the entrance area and to the room with the metal tables in it. She glanced back to check if Blinkie was still following behind her, finding that the dejected looking Pie sister was in fact doing so. “Trixie is not angry at you,” Trixie finally spoke again, as if becoming somewhat self-conscious at Blinkie's mood, walking past the rolling metal tables towards the back of the room, “Trixie is not afraid of the Mad Bomber either.” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Blinkie rolled her eyes, moving to sit back down again near the entrance of the room, “You’re too great and powerful.” “Yes. Yes Trixie is, but that is not what Trixie means,” Trixie shook her head, then looked over at the empty shelves, horn lighting up through her hat to glow into the room subtly patterning the walls with stars, “Trixie used to have a lot of fireworks and explosives, but most of them were crushed by a mighty Ursa Major during a battle in which she…” Trixie suddenly realized that Blinkie had probably heard this story, so there was no point in making anything up, “Well an Ursa Minor, either way Trixie lost her fireworks, as well as her wagon and most of her possessions.” “You like fireworks?” Blinkie peered, but remained at the doorway, “But can’t you do magic?” “Well of course Trixie can ‘do magic’,” the unicorn continued along the shelf, then moved to look at a strange device at the very back of the room, “Trixie combines her magic with fireworks to do even more amazing things. Perhaps if we survive this without being crushed under rocks here, or banished somewhere unpleasant upon our return home, Trixie may want to talk more about fireworks with the Mad Bomber." “You like my cutie mark…” Blinkie was so stunned that she spent the next few minutes just staring at Trixie as she worked. Trixie didn't seem to notice how amazed Blinkie was at the concept, too interested in the machine she had found here. It was mostly nothing more than a stylized box with lights and crystals on it, but attached to it were a number of straps, which looked as if they were made to wrap around somepony's limbs. There were six of these, such that a pegasus could have all six limbs held, each strap encrusted with even more magical-looking crystals. There were also two probe-like attachments, though they were broken at the ends so it was difficult to tell what they were for, and what looked like a helmet that could be adjusted to fit any pony's head, complete with a brace for a horn. "This device makes Trixie feel uncomfortable," was all that the unicorn could think to say about it, placing it back down as it appeared to be non-functional, or at least lacking a source of power for the moment. Blinkie didn't seem to be paying much attention to that, however, instead moving back to their previous conversation, "If we do get out of this, I'll replace all of your fireworks for free." Trixie arched an eyebrow, "The Mad Bomber would do this for Trixie?" She slowly put down the last part of the machine, turning back and looking at Blinkie. "Eh," responded Blinkie matter-of-factly, "It's fine, I'm not technically allowed to sell explosives anyway, but I'm not breaking any laws if I give them away, right?" Trixie pondered this for a moment, then began to walk back out of the room towards the hallway, proceeding around Blinkie, "Trixie appreciates this, and will find a way to repay the Mad Bomber for her generosity." Back in the entrance room, Gilda and Ditzy were dutifully going through the papers in the bag. There was a great deal of official paperwork dealing with things they cared little about, and Gilda was having trouble concentrating on it. In the end, she quietly moved the last stack over for Ditzy to deal with and pulled out some of the other objects. Ditzy wasn’t being her normal, talkative self. When given work like this, it appeared she was as sharp as anything, her concentration near unbreakable. This made her useful in this case, but even less interesting for Gilda to be around. She did notice that Ditzy had separated out several papers from the others, but hadn’t yet asked her what they were. Gilda pulled a box from the bottom of the bag, labeled simply ‘evidence’, opening it up. She found several more of Rainbow Dash’s blue feathers there, splattered with dry blood, and let out a big sigh of regret for having looked further. She leaned back against the wall, slowly closing the box, then hugging it slowly to her chest, growing still. She smiled slightly, nostalgic of her time growing up with her friend, but this was quickly followed by regret for the way she had tossed away their friendship last they had met. It took a while for Ditzy to notice that Gilda wasn’t moving, but when she did, she flapped her wings once and flew a loop to get over to her, landing and giving her a gentle hug. She moved a hoof to wipe some wetness from Gilda’s face. “Aw don’t cry,” Ditzy smiled kindly, “We’ll get out. I think I found what we needed anyway! And when we get back, I’ll make you a griffon sized muffin that we can share!” Gilda rolled her eyes, more out of habit than anything else. “Yeah thanks,” she murmured, drying her face in embarrassment now, “More thinking about Dash. I had some things I wanted to tell her that I never did so… hope she’s okay.” Ditzy ear-perked, scratching her own chin with a hoof, then looking slightly concerned, “You got a crush on Miss Dash? Huh.” “What about it, Derpy?” Gilda sounded somewhat put out at Ditzy’s query. Ditzy smiled gently, “Oh nothing wrong with it, it’s just well… I’m pretty sure she’s not into fillies, errr, even griffon fillies.” “And how would you know that?” Gilda arched her eyebrow. “I asked her out!” Ditzy smiled, almost proudly, “So did several other fillies, so it wasn’t just that she didn’t like me. Everypony assumes she likes fillies though, so don’t feel bad!” “Huh,” Gilda blinked, this information not really helping her mood. Then again, she realized that she probably should have worked up the guts to ask her out earlier, then she would have already known that, “Yeah, well I still want to find her, even if being mushy is out. Whatever! Anyway I don’t want to talk about it!” “You’ll find her,” Ditzy assured, “But sure, we’ll talk about something else.” “So what’s with your name, anyway?” Gilda hugged the box tighter, but changed the subject to the most random thing she could think of. “My name?” Ditzy stared wall-eyed for a few moments, then added after realizing what Gilda meant, “Oh! Derpy’s not my name, it’s just sorta a semi-mean nickname. My name’s Ditzy Doo!” “Man, and ponies call me mean,” Gilda commented, “Then why do you let ponies call you that?” “Uh,” Ditzy sat back where she was, prodding at the papers there then picking up the few she had put aside in her mouth, her voice a little muted for speaking around them, “I don’t know! I guess I just got used to it, I don’t want to hurt their feelings either.” Gilda shook her head, “Ditzy, you got to learn how to stand up for yourself.” Gilda’s eyes then shifted to the papers there, mind latching on to something she had missed before, “Wait, you found something?” “Yep,” Ditzy smiled again, leaning over to pass the papers towards Gilda, “It’s coordinates for the timey whimey device to be aimed at!” “How did you-?” Gilda grasped the papers in her claw, staring at them. She had seen this page, but it had just looked to her like an investigation report on Twilight’s library after she had been taken, “I don’t get it.” “The teleportation stuff, see?” Ditzy smiled, “It says they used the residual magic to find where she teleported to, and were gonna go check out the place later. That’s probably where they took our friends!” “Well that’s great, but how’s that help us now? The teleport thing’s still busted,” Gilda seemed dubious. “Nope,” Ditzy nodded, “’Cause this sheet…” she pulled out another, “… says that Princess Celestia wasn’t able to detect Twilight anywhere, and that they have a special bond so she should have been able to. Soooo, they must have taken her to a rift thingy to take her to another world, outside of Celestia’s detecto-sense-stuff.” “Or she could just be dead,” the incredibly cheery voice was Blinkie’s, who emerged from the hallway aside Trixie. “Trixie refuses to believe that the Twilight Sparkle is deceased,” Trixie furled her eyebrows, still dragging the spare chain she had acquired behind her, “Only the Great and Powerful Trixie can defeat her!” Ditzy chuckled, “Nope she’s not dead, trust me! It has to do with wibbley wobbley timey whimey bubbles. I know all about this! These are the coordinates that evil pony needs for the spacio-temporal hole.” “We found them?” Pinkie’s voice rang out from the hallway shortly after several springing noises from her hopping down the hall, “This is great! And we found something too!” “Indeed,” Inkie followed a few steps behind so as to not be bounced against, “On the opposite side of the big room there are weak points in the wall that are perfectly square. It is obviously some kind of secret passage. The rock is heavy but shifts slightly. If we all pushed together we could probably move it.” “But then we couldn’t give the coordinates to He Who Was Recently Chained and go home,” Trixie pointed out, “Aside from that, Trixie wants to run some tests on this chain. Trixie loves ropes and chains and-“ “Yeah I’m going to cut you off right there,” Gilda held out a hand to Trixie, shaking her head. “I’m curious,” Pinkie smiled, “We could always see what’s in it, then we could just hurry right back!” Whether they intended to wait or go, it was obvious that Pinkie wasn’t the only one that was at least a little bit curious. Soon the group was moving back towards the wall to see what Inkie had found. To most eyes, it was a wall just like any other in the cavernous room. It was part of the back, dead center so that it was directly opposite the other entrance. If there was a secret entrance here, it would have to be near perfectly fitted to the stone around it. “The great and powerful Trixie detects nothing,” Trixie complained, her horn’s glow intensifying as she examined the wall, “And if there were any magic at all, the Great and Powerful Trixie would instantly know.” “Maybe that’s the point!” Ditzy slowly let herself drift in loops, head over hoof, mid-air behind the group, “He’d never think to look for a completely non-magic door!” "Or maybe he knew about it, and it just doesn't go anywhere useful," Blinkie suggested, as if attempting to drain the excess cheer out of the room. “It’s heavy,” Inkie stated, “We will have to all push on it at once. I think this is only meant to be opened from the other side.” She pointed to one part of the wall, placing her hoof against it, “This is the end that pushes open, because the other end,” she walked down a few steps and placed her hoof again, “seems to be shaped different. Well anyway, we should push on that end.” Gilda moved to the end that Inkie claimed would open, and pushed hard against it, digging her foot-claws into the ground beneath her. Her muscled clenched, the wall shifted, but nothing budged for long, shifting right back as soon as she released. “Yeah, I know this isn’t exactly like me,” Gilda looked back at the others, sighing, “But we’re all gonna need to do this together.” Apparently all in agreement for once, the group moved to position themselves together against the wall. The earth ponies helped Gilda on the ground and Ditzy braced herself against the wall to the side of the secret door to push from above. Trixie’s horn glowed as she forced against the wall with her magic at the same time, an aura spreading out from her as she strained. Each heave brought the wall outward slightly, but pushed back against them upon release. Finally there was a single loud click, sounding as if they had forced a large, rusty gear to turn back a single notch. This brought a moment of hope, but after a great deal of effort, it was only open mere inches, painstakingly moving a single click at a time. At this rate, it could take all day to get it open, and that was only if they had enough energy to manage it. “This isn’t working,” complained Blinkie, stating the obvious, and predictably being the first to give up. “It’s open just a little,” Pinkie grabbed their torch once again, waving it at the bare crack, trying to shed some light on the other side, “Hey Trixie!” “Trixie is, as usual, far, FAR ahead of the Pink One,” Trixie smirked, never losing her charm despite being part of a team. Trixie moved up behind Gilda, without really asking, and started to climb up onto her back in order to get a better view of the other side of the crack. This elicited a squawk from the griffon, but all the same she grudgingly allowed Trixie to be there for the time being. Gilda lowered her head slightly as Trixie propped her fore-hooves there, “Hey watch it missy, you’re hooves aren’t exactly comfortable.” Trixie appeared to ignore the complaint, instead concentrating on what she could see of the other side through the crack. Her horn glowed, and there was a sharp breaking noise from the other side. With a loud grinding and a cloud of dust, the door suddenly slid open, loud clicks signaling that the gear that they had heard earlier had been released. The disguised door sank into the wall to reveal what was beyond. “Aha!” Trixie gloated, “The Great and Powerful Trixie… mph!” “Yeah yeah,” Gilda snorted, moving a wing to casually take one of Trixie’s hind legs out from under her, causing the unicorn to slide down the griffon’s back and onto the floor with a thump. Trixie glowered, though found herself smirking again. Gilda smiled back to her, apparently having meant the movement more in fun than spite for once. “We did it!” Pinkie squealed, springing ahead of the others into the hallway beyond. “Yay! See how well we’re working together now? Everyone here has gotten to do something neat now!” The hallway beyond was every bit as deserted as the caverns from before. If there was any respite, it was that it didn’t smell quite as badly due to the lack of rotting supplies or burning dust from newly lit torches. There was, in fact, a switch on the other side that had controlled the wall, which was now broken-looking as its last pulling was too much for the rotting contraption to take. Trixie’s horn lit the way in front of the group as they walked, Blinkie taking up the rear with the torch, once again balancing it into her saddlebag. With these combined, they were able to see quite well; not that there was much to see. After perhaps fifty feet, there was a spiral staircase that went upwards, still contained within the stone walls. It was every bit as wide as the hall, braced with a solid column in the middle, which was no less than ten feet in diameter. The whole thing looked as if it had been carved directly into the bedrock. The walls, both in the staircase and in the hall beneath it, were completely bare, with no sign of the symbols and writing from the rooms below. It made the walk a rather quiet one, giving them plenty of time to think. ------------------------ Helios’ mind swam as he hit the ground at his new location. He barely remembered how he had gotten from where he was before to where he was now. The energy from the sun on the surface had been a surge of power for him, but he had barely been able to use the energy, the strain of absorbing so much so quickly far more than he had expected. If he wanted to keep exerting himself in his newly awakened state, he would need to get used to this feeling, he decided. For a moment, he had thought that he really didn’t want to continue. Perhaps it would be best, he had considered, if he just lay down and died with the world he had lost. His mind however, had reached out, trying to find some sign of life elsewhere on the planet. The spark had hit him close by, and he had latched onto it, taking in the surge of energy and using it to teleport himself downward toward the source. He found himself in cooler air, his body catching up to the damage and immediately beginning to heal more rapidly. Flesh knitted itself back together again, muscles becoming stronger again as they hardened together. His skin grew back into place, his tattered mane and flowing tail extending out in a shimmering wave of golden energy. He took a deep breath, healthy lungs filling with fresh air as his rotten insides began to reshape. His eyes slowly opened as he let the breath out, finally examining his new location. He was underground again, perhaps deep below where the sun had beaten the surface of the planet to death. There was light here, surprisingly natural light in fact, that shone down from a series of glowing orbs located across a high ceiling perhaps ten stories above him. A moment later, he realized that he was actually standing in grass as well, lifting one hoof as he looked down at the ground in surprise. His eyes moved upwards again, looking down through the cavern to find that there was, in fact, a small settlement here. Houses had been built up on both sides, mostly either from scrap and wood that had been dragged from the surface before it got too bad to gather there. Houses were constructed out of everything from old signs to mismatched bricks and even piles of what would be considered trash anywhere else. Other abodes had been carved directly into the rock, decorated with what little the residents could find. The streets were not busy here in what he assumed was the residential segment of the town, but there was activity further down in what looked like it might be a makeshift market. There were stalls set up out of the same type of trash that houses were built of here, ponies, unicorns, and pegasi moving from place to place as they bartered for meager supplies. Further still, well-lit, artificial farmland had been painstakingly formed into the dirt here in the caverns. Helios watched from afar as the ponies interacted. A merchant argued with a shopper over something in a small bowl, another tried futilely to bring order to a crowd of ponies trying to get what looked like water rations, and in another corner two unicorns had to be broken up, fighting over what appeared to be a misshapen loaf of bread. His eyes adjusted to the new light, finally focusing directly in front of him. There was something he hadn’t noticed before; it was a single thin and frightened-looking unicorn staring at him with large eyes. The pinkish unicorn, a cutie mark of half a dozen bright stars on her flank, looked up from the book she had evidently been reading here in the grass, her whole body shivering at what she had just witnessed, no doubt shocked at seeing a corpse suddenly appear in the grass and rapidly regenerate. “P-Prince! You’ve come to save us!” the unicorn rose to her hooves, shaking in a mix of joy and fear at his presence, “I didn’t give up wishing! I never did!”
blayzekohime	706	8	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-10-12T00:00:14+00:00	2012-10-12T00:00:14+00:00	11,952	The pink unicorn stared up at the visionary stallion before her. At least twice as tall as herself, the stallion had a coat of purple so dark it was almost black. His muscles rippled with the strength of youth, despite the age that she knew he must be, not to mention the corpse-like state he had been in just moments prior. His mane flowed down his neck in waves of burnished gold, lapping at the air like ethereal flame and causing heat shimmers around it as it moved. His tail swayed behind him with much the same effect, draping over the grass behind like a shimmering blanket. There was no doubt that this was no normal pony. From his head rose a tall horn, longer and sharper than that of a normal unicorn and twirled with bright purple and ebony, and from his back emerged a pair of wings greater than those of any pegasus, traits she knew were held only by the legendary of ponykind. The back of his wings matched his coat, while the underside faded into the same ebony that was mixed into his horn. His cutie mark stood in stark contrast to his coat, a gleaming yellow sun which, with his present energy, seemed to visibly glow. She didn’t need to ask who he was. She was one of the few who read the stories, and one of the fewer who still believed he had ever existed at all. She bowed reverently, shivering where she stood, tears of joy and relief escaping her eyes. Was he really here to save them? Would he start the sun moving again? Would they be able to go back to the surface and revive Dream Valley? “Well,” Helios smiled graciously, taking a single step towards her, “Somepony who remembers me; finally. And those down there,” he motioned with his eyes towards the distant marketplace, where it looked like several others had already begun to look in their direction, “How will they take to me marching down the street?” "They will perhaps not recognize you... my... my lord?" she answered. Avid scholar though she was, the proper address evaded her recollection now that she unexpectedly had his audience, and she kept her head low as if afraid to look upon him for too long, "Though I am sure they would realize how special you are." Helios arched an eyebrow as he answered in a flat, “What.” It wasn’t a question as much as a stunned noise, his brain, or at least his ego, seeming to break a bit at being warned most had forgotten him. “I’m sorry,” she cringed as if she believed he might become enraged, not able to imagine how he would react to his own ponies not knowing who he was. “It’s just that after you were bound, it was forbidden to talk about you and only a few ponies passed down books about you in secret. Then, after the Sun Stone was damaged during a conflict, the magic you had stored there started to wear out. Probably five years later, it became obvious that the sun was starting to slow, nights growing colder and days growing hotter, slowing more and more each year that passed. I found the books that had been passed down in my family, but no pony believed that you had ever existed, much less that releasing you could save us.” “And you did? Didn't you go to the authorities?” Helios carefully asked, looking about, then suddenly rolled his eyes, “Would you stop bowing and hanging your head in fear? I’m depressed enough, waking up to all this.” “Ah,” she finally raised her head, trying to look into his deep red eyes, but unable to stop shivering. She finally glanced away from him again, “I apologize, my lord. Anyway, there weren't any authorities. There was a movement against formal leadership after you left and most government was taken away, we pretty much all lived as individuals.” “Don’t apologize,” Helios waved a hoof dismissively, though it was hard to hide his disappointment that his proud civilization had degraded to frolicking anarchy in his absence, “I’m not going to smite you, despite what everypony once thought of me. Anyway, let’s just talk. What’s your name?” “Twilight Wish,” Twilight gave another bow, stopping herself half-way through as she remembered his command. “Right,” Helios gave a toothy grin, his sharp teeth making him seem, as usual, more frightening than friendly, “So let’s be friends and get along right? We’re buds! That’s still the pony way or something, I hope? So tell me the story as you know it, since you seem to have a brain about you. I want to know what details I can afford to leave out.” “Oh,” Twilight nodded, unsure of the way he put that, but at least he was honest, “Well, the way I understand it, you and Princess Selene created this world. You controlled the sun, Selene the moon.” “Created?” Helios chuckled, “That’s rich. Mind if I go on letting you believe we created the whole thing and didn’t just arrive with some ponies to settle here?” “Um,” Twilight took a moment to get her head around that request, “Certainly, if you wish. At any rate, the way I understand it, Selene and you had a disagreement one day and… well Selene disappeared shortly thereafter. After that, you had to take on both day and night, but it seemed to take its toll on you. And well, things went downhill a bit, and there was an uprising because you had gotten rid of-” “I. Did. Not,” Helios’s eyes glowed suddenly, his voice echoing down through the cavern with such volume that their entire environment seemed to shake. His face went immediately from his normal friendly expression to one of absolute rage, teeth clenched and a drop of saliva flying from the edge of his mouth, “I did NOT ‘get rid’ of Selene!” Twilight’s eyes widened again, cringing back as Helios’s eyes glowed with rage, watching as the alicorn stood straight up and his tail and mane lashed out into the air around him like a great whirlwind. The spectacle was such that most of the ponies within line of sight had noticed. Some of them shied away to hide, but most of them began to approach, having little more to fear in their present condition. Helios ignored the other gathering ponies, his eyes focused on Twilight as he continued, “Our sister Celestia requested our aid for the home world, claiming that our sister Luna had gone mad, a call which Selene answered despite my misgivings, while I stayed to keep tending to our colony here. Our kindness was repaid with treachery! Celestia returned, feigning sadness and claiming that she had ‘accidentally’ killed Selene when banishing our sister Luna. She said that Selene had been weak from fighting Luna and was near death anyway, which is an absurdity I refuse to believe. In my rage at my sister’s loss, I prepared to retaliate, but Celestia fled with most of our valuable magic research and sealed off the portals between our worlds before I could have my vengeance." Helios still didn’t seem to notice other ponies gathering around to listen to him, his attention still focused on Twilight as he continued, “Thanks to foals who overheard Selene and me arguing about whether she should go, rumors spread that we had been on bad terms. Those rumors became rumors that I had killed her myself to take over this world completely, and my planned invasion of our sister world was just another mad grab for power. Tell me, Twilight, how would that make you feel?” “T-terrible,” Twilight stammered out an answer, shaking in fear, shrinking away from her world's angry former master. Seeing her so frightened seemed to cause him to calm down a little, his muscles losing their tension and his mane and tail returning to their previous state as he went on, “Twilight. The rumors drove me mad, and I admit that I started making bad decisions, even tyrannical ones, to put such things down. I made a lot of mistakes, and in the end the uprising was inevitable and my own fault. I did not wish to destroy my own people in a war after having planted them here for their own safety, so I chose to allow my own imprisonment instead. I worked, willingly, with the greatest unicorns I could find to cast a permanent spell to keep the sun and seasons moving, embedded in the Sun Stone, and I begged them to wake me regularly so that I could make sure that it stayed intact. They agreed to... yet no one did; So tell me, Twilight, why did they not wake me?” “Well it was okay at first, for a long time even,” Twilight began, “And well... I assume they were afraid if they woke you up, you'd not go back and would try to take over again. No one was allowed to speak of you and most of the books about you were destroyed, since they were hoping you'd just be forgotten. A few booked managed to pass down though families like mine, but they were just seen as stories eventually. By the time the spells started to degrade, even the few of us that believed were unaware of where you had been imprisoned. We managed to escape below the surface before the sun stopped completely, but even here in Undervale, I don't think we will last for much longer.” Her eyes went towards the center of the village again, briefly, taking a deep sigh at how things had changed. “How long has it been since the surface became unlivable?” Helios asked gently, a whiff of his mane moving to brush away the tears that had crept onto Twilight's face as she told the story. “Over twenty years now,” Twilight sighed. “Our population is shrinking; We’re less than half of what we were only a few years ago. What’s more, the heat has penetrated the upper levels to the point that we can't go there. It may be only a matter of time before it works its way past our protective spells to here." Helios’s eyes were drawn away from her, and suddenly he realized how many others had joined them, all staring up at him in awe. Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi all gathered around him, staring in utter silence and amazement. His heart bled at the sight of them, hungry and thin as they were, none of their faces having graced a proper smile in many long years. For a moment he too seemed stunned into silence. Many had heard Twilight’s talk about him, but nopony had thought of her of as any more than a pony obsessed with her books and fantasies, not that they didn't understand her wish to escape. Now, here he was, the ancient sun god of legend had returned to them. Several of the ponies in front began to bow low, and soon all the ponies around him were following their example. “I will save you,” Helios started, a grin suddenly spreading across his face, “I will not allow you all to die out, I swear it.” He turned to Twilight, pointing a hoof at her, “Twilight, you’re my second hoof now, and we need to talk alone. I have a plan, and I can already tell you things will go well from now on... or at least, start out well.” ------------------------------------------ “So girls,” Pinkie Pie was the first to speak up as they continued up the long, tiring staircase, “If Helios turns out to be bad, we’ll probably have to use the Elements of Harmony on him!” It sounded more as if she thought it would be fun, rather than dreading such a thing. After all, in her experience such things were normally followed by gigantic celebrations. “I thought that was why we were looking for the other lamos- I mean ponies,” Gilda commented from overhead, having started to hover for a while to take some weight off her legs, “So they could do that thing they do with the Elements, with you, or whatever.” “I think we will end up meeting him before we see them again,” Inkie was starting to pant a bit from the long walk. “Exactly!” Pinkie agreed, “That means we need to decide what elements all of you are, so that we can all group up and shoot a rainbow at him!” “I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that,” Blinkie snorted, “And can’t we take a bit of a rest?” "There might be more to it than that," Pinkie admitted, "I wasn't really listening when Twilight or Celestia was explaining about them all those other times." Yet somehow she had still managed to participate. “Sounds like a great idea to me,” Ditzy flew casually behind Gilda, slowly rolling through random angles as she flew, though managing to stay in the same direction, “What could possibly go wrong? Oh wait, never mind, he said to never ask that.” “Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie is obviously the Element of Magic,” Trixie paused in front, causing the others to stop as well lest they bump into her, as she turned around to face them. Everyone else seemed to take this as a good enough reason to stop and rest. It was unclear how much further the top of the staircase was after all, and no telling who or what they would meet there. “I don’t even know what the choices are,” Gilda landed above the stairs from Trixie, seating herself down as well, “Is there anything cool? You know like the Element of Awesomeness, or Rage, or Speed?" “Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, and Kindness are the ones that are left!” Pinkie smiled, looking about, clearly excited to be discussing the blossoming friendship that she, at least, perceived. “You know I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like this,” Blinkie repeated the complaint, “I mean you can’t just group any six ponies and have them each line up perfectly with one of those.” “Trixie thinks you could be Generosity,” Trixie claimed. “In what way am I Generosity?” Blinkie tilted her head. “Well you’re very generous with explosives, aren’t you?” Trixie nodded matter-of-factly, satisfied with her logic, "And not just giving them away either; the Mad Bomber is also generous in their use." “Well, if I had to be one, I suppose it’d be Honesty,” Gilda shrugged, “I always tell it like it is and all.” "Is that like the Element of Being a Jerk?" Blinkie mused, "I half-regret not getting that one, come to think of it." “Gilda, you'll do great at that,” Pinkie smiled, earning an eye from Gilda, who wasn’t sure which of those things Pinkie thought she’d do great at. “I like being nice to ponies... and other things too,” Ditzy said, “I’ll be Kindness.” “Right,” Pinkie smiled, “We’re doing great! We’re just missing Loyalty!” “Trixie thinks it may be a bad sign that none of us wanted Loyalty,” Trixie murmured, almost to herself. “I will be Loyalty,” Inkie stated, though she didn't sound very enthusiastic about it, “I guess I tend to stand in front of everyone a lot. That will have to be close enough.” “Then we’re set,” Pinkie smiled, “Onwards and upwards! Now all we have to do is plan the party for after we save Equestria!” --------------------------------------- “I don’t mean to question you, my lord,” Twilight began, walking next to Helios and into the more ancient area of the city, “But this is not something I’ve done before, to say the least.” It had taken them a long time to get clear of the crowd, and the news of Helios’s arrival had no doubt already spread through what little was left of this world's pony residents. In the end, it had taken hours of speaking and answering excitable questions in as vague a way as possible before he got away from them. What's more, Helios couldn't bring himself to leave the desperate, hungry-looking ponies to their own devices, so took time to turn a large amount of non-vital objects into food with his magic. It wasn't very good food, granted, as transmogrification wasn't exactly his specialty, but he was storing a lot more energy than anypony else there so he felt it was the least he could do. None of them complained about all the dry hay and stale-tasting water that he conjured. On one hoof, this had made him wait a lot longer than he wished before he could get back to his little playthings in the prison chambers. On the other hoof, such acts had completely solidified his position as the leader of the desperate creatures. He was certain at this point that they would do whatever he wished without question, and all he had to do was ask nicely. In theory at least. “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, Twilight,” Helios nodded, “Do you think I like to do this? Look. I already agreed to let the innocent ones go, but we need that Element. All you have to do is make sure she is separated from the others before I send them back. You’re a unicorn, she’s an earth pony. Just push her around with your magic or something while I distract the others. The way I have this planned, they won't even know that we did anything.” “I’ll try,” Twilight sighed, clearly not comfortable with what she was doing. “Where are we going? These are the ruins; I actually searched this place extensively when we first found it while making the cave for Undervale. I was wishing hard to find you, but never did.” Helios chuckled, "Oh my dear Twilight, but you were so close to where I was. You'll see." Helios had led her further into the cave where few of the residents of Undervale had ever ventured, save to salvage bricks for their homes, and even then they had never gone any further than they absolutely needed. Most every pony in the settlement had been focused on survival, so there wasn’t very much interest in studying ancient ruins aside from among visionaries like Twilight. She was likely the only one that had even seriously contemplated the importance of the ruins here. Very few of the buildings here had survived intact; none of the buildings that hadn't specifically been protected by ancient magic were still standing, in fact. The only large building in the entire cavern was the one at the very furthest end, where no pony but Twilight had been for a very long time, in all likelihood. “This is where I was put, in the ancient Temple of the Sun, which I suppose was forgotten when ponies forgot about law and order in general,” Helios said with a slight bit of venom in his words, pointing his nose towards the great structure ahead of them and smiling grimly, "How ironic to be imprisoned in my own temple," he paused, "Though I guess it's just a bit more ironic that it ended up underground." It was in ruins, as was everything in this world, though amazingly well kept, perhaps from the magic inherent in such places, or perhaps simply because this section of the cave didn't seem to have experienced as much earthly movement. Though most of the carvings and statues had crumbled beyond recognition, the design was still very much like a temple, and Twilight had always felt a certain amount of reverence when coming here. Above the front of the temple was a huge carving that looked as if it had once been a pony's head, perhaps Helios' given the faded colors of the part that was left. On both sides of the head were huge cathedral-sized windows, which were all empty save for shards of colored glass littering the ground around them and still jaggedly protruding about the edges of their frames. Inside, what had once been comfortable seating and a stage up front was now rotted to oblivion, only appearing as piles of debris. Towards the very back was a jewel encrusted throne that still looked spectacular despite its cushions being rotted out from the seat itself. She looked back up at Helios as he strode aside her. He had insisted on her walking beside him, rather than behind him. In fact, despite her misgivings about parts of his master plan, he had been nothing but kind to her, even going so far as to move ahead to open up passages and carefully carrying her over rocky or muddy areas. She began to find herself believing his side of the myth more than what the books had said, however much she loved them. Even after being locked up by his own ponies for centuries, he was still willing to help the civilization that had been so thankless rather than taking the easy way out and leaving for another realm. Twilight found herself imagining how things would be once he had repaired things. She supposed it would be back to the law and order of ages past and less frolicking mindlessly as they did when food and magic were still so plentiful. Then again, that life had more often than not only resulted in outsiders trying to take what they had. Perhaps having a real society would allow their numbers to grow and turn the valley back into a proper kingdom one day. Even more, perhaps she would end up with a place in that kingdom herself as the trusted scholar or adviser in Helios' new court... “Here,” Helios’s voice made Twilight jerk slightly, snapping her out of a daydream as Helios looked down at her and spoke, “There is a secret passage in here. Had I know you were all underground, I would have just taken this path to begin with, though I’m not sure you would have liked meeting me as much had I not recharged and healed myself first." "We would follow you regardless," Twilight spoke, confidently, "You are the last hope we have... and you’ve been very kind to me, more than you had to." "Well see," Helios smiled back at her before continuing further into the temple. Twilight followed quietly for a moment before inquiring, “I wasn’t able to find any passages, either by magic or searching.” “Yeah, about that,” Helios grunted, staring at one of the back walls of the temple, “It’s well-hidden, and also purely mechanical so standard 'secret door finding' spells would miss it. Given that, it will probably also be broken by now." “So we can break into it?” Twilight asked. “I could. We'll see when we get there if we even have to," Helios’s face slowly turned into a grin, “Actually, I think we'll stop here and take a bit of time to go over our plans. Then if no one arrives, I'll go force it open for you.” “Somepony else is on their way?” Twilight tilted her head. “Maybe, but never mind that,” Helios turned to her, smiling, and sat back on his haunches, “Let’s talk about some future plans. First, I’m going to need you to find five of your best friends, preferably ones that have had it a bit hard; you know, so they’re less likely to question some of my more questionable orders.” “You are certainly honest,” Twilight felt nervous, once again, but still did not question his commands, partially because he was so disarmingly honest about things like that. "Yes I am," Helios replied, smirking. -------------------------------------- The heroes had once again arrived at a hallway, all of them having been quite relieved when the stairs ended. They had probably walked up around fifty flights of stairs, and now were greeted by the same bare hall as they had seen below. Luckily for them, there was another wall not a hundred feet from the top of the stairs, and a large lever aside it, looking very much the same as the one on the other below. “We’re here!” Pinkie bounced forward with another ‘sproing’ noise, immediately grabbing hold of the lever and tugging as hard as she could. “Should we really just be yanking it without any thought at all?” Gilda suggested, tactfully. Blinkie Pie sighed, “We got this far by jerking the first switch we saw, so I guess that method's worked out great for us so far.” “Here we go,” Inkie moved up to the other side of the switch to Pinkie, pressing against it until it finally budged with a cranking noise, the sound of ancient gears turning as the door began to open inwards towards them. The group took a few steps back, peering through the cloud of dust that arose as the door swung open, waiting to see what was there. What they saw was the last thing they expected to encounter. It was Helios. He certainly didn’t look as they had seen him before, having now regenerated from his pitiful state, but somehow his eyes made him instantly recognizable. Beside him, a pink unicorn was standing which they had never seen, her own eyes wide as she watched the door open. It looked as though the two had just then been approaching the wall. “Girls!” Helios grinned, “Oh girls, I was beginning to lose faith in you, but it looks like you found the way out. I was just about to come down and see you. You know, with help. This filly came with me to help you, and for No. Other. Reason… that I’m willing to tell you now, but no worries! I swore you would all be sent home and that's exactly where you're going.”
blayzekohime	706	9	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-30T21:49:56+00:00	2012-01-30T21:49:56+00:00	10,784	“Dude,” Gilda just stared at Helios, ‘You’re lookin’ good man, and I don’t say that often about guys.” “It’s you!” Pinkie suddenly leapt in front of the group, hoof pointing forward. “I am! And it is!” Helios smiled, clearly trying to look friendly again, “How nice of you to remember me, looks like your brain is working fine, that’s always good news, not to mention getting flirted with by a griffon... not entirely sure how I feel about that.” “I think,” Twilight Wish took a step back, “The pink one is pointing at me. Anyway, hello, I’m Twilight Wish.” “That’s a weird coincidence,” Ditzy scratched her head with one hoof, “Hey is this an alternate universe?” “No, that would be silly,” Helios grunted, “I think it’s just a common name or something. Anyway let’s…” but no one was listening to him now it seemed, and he trailed off when he realized as much. “Now Pinkie,” Inkie stepped in front of Pinkie, holding her with both fore-hooves before she leapt at Twilight, “We should not be too hasty. He has yet to do anything to deserve a pose down; as far as I can tell she has not either. That, and to be honest I am not entirely sure we can pull off the whole friendship cannon thing yet.” “Friendship wave cannon, it can’t hurt to try!” Ditzy called from the back, flapping her wings to rise in the air and begin rolling again, "It wouldn't hurt nice things, right?" “No you don’t understand!” Pinkie exclaimed, “This is exactly the time for the pose down; we’re in ancient ruins and everything!” “Is that important?” Blinkie looked around at the ruins around them, arching an eyebrow, “Being in ruins?” “Do not listen to the Cat-Butted One, Your Majesty,” Trixie made the assumption that alicorns in general could be referred to as royalty, moving ahead of Pinkie Pie and casually pushing her out of the way in the process, “Clearly a stallion of your caliber needs a real unicorn as a companion, one such as the Great and Powerful Trixie. Do not forget your promise to train her and promote her to alicorn!” “Hey it was just a comment,” Gilda defended, “No need to take it all seriously!” “Who are they?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, moving slowly behind Helios, unsure of these new individuals. “I think he was just saying that so we’d let him go,” Ditzy suggested, only to get a glare from Trixie. “That is a possibility,” Helios confirmed, “I mean if you were in my position, you’d have said a lot of things too, but it’s not completely out of the question that I could train somepony, so it wasn't exactly a lie. Anyway, now that that’s out of the way let’s-” “Hey I have an idea,” Blinkie cut him off with her own suggestion, pulling a stick of dynamite from her saddlebag and casually offering it up to Helios, “Would you mind stuffing this into your mouth? I’d like to try something.” Helios shrugged, and moved to try and take the explosive into his muzzle like a large cigar, mumbling around it, “Sure if it means we can get moving.” “Is ANYONE listening to me?!” Pinkie exclaimed, but apparently no one was. “It will not be necessary to blow His Majesty’s head off,” Trixie grabbed for the dynamite herself, snatching it out of the alicorn's mouth with her magic, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has found the coordinates His Majesty needs, so once the others are sent back, we can be ‘together’.” Trixie ended her sentence waggling her eyebrows at Helios. The suggestive tone with which Trixie spoke left Helios open-mouthed, obviously unsure how to respond to such an implication. “Hey I found those!” Ditzy hovered next to Trixie, looking at her upside down and poking at her horn with a hoof, “Me and the nice birdie!” “The name’s Gilda,” Gilda huffed, “And that goes for both of you. Anyway I only did that so we could get out of here." Yet she added in a quieter voice, as if not wanting it to be heard, "Thanks Der… Ditz'.” “Ok this is it,” Inkie spoke with her normal, even voice, but reached up to snatch the floating dynamite, “I’m confiscating this.” “It’s not like I don’t have twenty more on me,” Blinkie grunted, giving her sister a glare before rolling her eyes and seating herself on her haunches as if bored. Helios took a step back, almost trampling Twilight in the process; she was still hiding behind him for protection from all the psychos that had suddenly emerged from the long-sealed depths. “Hey everypony!” he spoke finally, obviously faking a gleeful tone of voice as he started to stride forward again, trusting that they'd move out of his way as he trotted towards the door, “I have a great idea! Let’s pretend this conversation never happened and go inside, then I’ll send you all home and we'll be happy again, or at least at peace.” “Everyone home, except for Trixie,” Trixie corrected, but did move out of his way. The rest of the group also parted for the massive alicorn as he moved forward, allowing him through, along with Twilight who moved from hiding behind him to hiding in front of him. She clearly wanted to maintain the comfort of having her prince between herself and the others. “These ponies are crazy!” Twilight murmured up to him, hoping the others didn’t hear her, “You’re actually going to let them go? There’s no telling what they’ll do!” “Now, now, Twilight,” Helios smiled gently down at her, “We have to be civil. Most of them are just bystanders, no matter how crazy they might be. We only need the pink one; the others don’t even need to know.” “And how do we do that?” Twilight whispered back up to him. “We’ll I’d just snatch her off the pad,” Helios shrugged back, “but I’ll be busy at the controls. So just tackle her off of it right before it activates so her friends go without her. As long as we send her to the same time and place that they are sent to, they’ll just assume something went wrong during the transfer.” “And what are you plotting about?” Blinkie caught up with the two as they arrived at the top of the stairs, ready to go back down them. “Oh you know, how we’re going to betray you at the last moment,” answered Helios, making Twilight’s eyes go wide at his simple admission. “Come on now,” Inkie moved up to put a hoof in front of her sister, “Like I said; we should not be hasty. No need to get snippy with each other.” It was clear that none of the group trusted him, but Helios’s words were ironically the least suspicious thing he could have said, since none of the others expected him to joke about something he’d actually be doing. Helios simply smiled kindly back at them, lighting up his horn to shine a wave of bright sunlight through the entire cavern system, the magic seeming to even light around corners so that the entire structure was now ablaze. His powers had certainly grown compared to when he was first released, given how effortlessly he did so. They continued down the stairs once again, not taking any sort of break as it was much easier going down. Ditzy went ahead of the others, actually choosing to roll down the stairs, waiting every floor for the others to catch up with her as they walked. Aside from her, Helios walked in front, Twilight close by his side, huddled against him as if she expected to be slaughtered by maniacs the moment she dared to move more than a few steps away. Trixie walked by his other side, head raised proudly, her own horn still shining, even if it had been more than outshone by the alicorn. The Pie sisters were behind them, Blinkie glaring suspiciously at Helios, Pinkie glaring suspiciously at Twilight, and Inkie having her hooves full, having to periodically hold one or both of them back from trying to shove the targets of their hatred down the stairs. Gilda walked furthest behind the others, staying at least ten feet behind the sisters. She stayed silent as she walked down after them, looking depressed as her thoughts turned inward once again. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ditzy hung back closer to Helios, flew up, and landed directly upon his back. At first this made him arch an eyebrow, but eventually he extended his wings slightly so that she had a place to lie as she curled up there, looking much like a kitten. “Are you okay?” Helios asked the nestling pegasus carefully, “I guess I should have asked you that while you were falling down the stairs, but I figured it was some new tradition from your world. Right, anyway! Still alive, this is good. So how about those coordinates you mentioned?” “I’m fine!” Ditzy assured him, “We found coordinates that Twilight Sparkle was teleported to when she was pony-napped, so all we have to do is teleport there! Cause they would have taken her to the spot that teleports off-world probably.” “Yeah here it is, dude,” Gilda spoke as she moved forward, pulling the appropriate paper from her saddlebag, which was grasped magically by the alicorn. “Interesting,” Helios grinned, looking over the paper in front of him, “And they still use the same date system as us. Take a look at this, Twilight.” Twilight blinked as the paper was hovered in front of her, then creased her forehead as she started to speak, “But that’s a month from n-“ Helios cut off Twilight’s words, clamping her mouth shut with his magic, then moved the paper back to himself, “Don’t be silly, now is now. So how many days after the date of this paper should I be sending you? Don’t want to be creating any paradoxes.” “I don’t know, those can be pretty fun!” Ditzy smiled from atop Helios’s back. “You don’t know?” Gilda arched an eyebrow in response to Helios’s words, “Well it was about a week I guess.” The group entered the long hall at the bottom of the staircase again, moving more quickly now as Helios seemed to have increased his stride, not stopping to think that the others probably didn’t have his energy. He seemed as if he was getting quite eager, though if it was just to be rid of them or for some other reason was unclear. He didn’t stop until he arrived at the room at the far end of the compound where the group had initially arrived. Once he was at the blue platform, Helios leaned down, his horn glowing as dials and buttons along the very corner came alight with activity, responding with beeping noises. “Come on then,” Helios stated, “Everyone on the pad! Except you, Twilight.” “Of course,” Twilight looked nervous, moving behind the portal, taking a deep breath as she looked tense. “I thought you said she was here to help,” Pinkie pointed out to Helios about Twilight. “She’s mostly emotional support for me, really,” Helios claimed, honestly enough, “And one other thing. You’ll see.” “Except Trixie as well,” Trixie glared to Helios, even as her friends moved up to the platform. “Now, now, Sele- I mean Trixie.” Helios smiled to her, “Trust me, Trixie. I’ll be back for you after all this is over, so long as you don’t hate me for what happens in between. I give you my word.” Trixie peered at him for a moment longer, taken out of her seemingly trance-like stare only when Gilda reached out a talon, yanking at the unicorn’s horn to pull her up onto the platform. “Trixie did not say you could touch her horn!” Trixie complained, mortified, but all the same was up on the platform with the others. “It’s for your own good. I think,” Gilda huffed. The group looked down at Helios, who stared back up at them, his trademark smile on his face. They all looked more than a bit nervous, but none as nervous as Twilight, who slowly moved behind them to get a good line of sight with Pinkie. “Now,” reiterated Helios, “I’m going to count to three, and then activate. I have to power it myself, since there’s no working power sources left that are strong enough for the job, at least not until I take a few days off to fix one. Anyway, that means I’ll be distracted, which means you be ready. One. Two. Three!” Helios’s eyes shifted to Twilight as he counted, who nodded slowly, unseen by the others. His horn glowed, power surging through the device, causing it to glow more strongly than the last time they had seen it used. The air above it seemed to heat up, snapping into a vortex of colors as an explosion of light shone out and upward. Twilight lunged forward, leaping towards Pinkie, her own horn glowing with power as she used both magic and what little physical strength she had to shove the earth pony off the platform and to the other side. The two landed on the floor, Pinkie slamming into it with a crack, cushioning Twilight’s fall in turn. Pinkie’s friends saw nothing but sharp movement before they left, but it was too late for them to worry about what it was; they were pulled into the vortex and were gone. Pinkie took a few moments to realize what had happened, her head spinning after being slammed into the stone floor. When she looked up and saw Twilight’s face, she immediately shouted, "I knew you were a meanie wicked evil-pants!" As random as it was, Twilight was still so stunned by such an accusation being leveled at her that she drew a complete blank for a few moments. Somepony called her evil? No one had ever done that; it just wasn't something she would ever expect a villain to say. Taking advantage of Twilight's shock, Pinkie kicked her hind legs as hard as she could, pushing Twilight off of her and earning a squeal. Clearly the unicorn was completely unused to violence. Pinkie wasn’t the strongest, but she was still stronger than most unicorns, at least, due to her general tendency to run around and the stronger nature of earth ponies. Twilight flew off of her, slamming into the platform and cracking her back against the edge as she let out a yelp of surprise and pain. Before she knew what was happening, she was watching Pinkie turn tail and run down the hall. Twilight’s horned glowed, lifting Pinkie up off the ground, holding her by her belly with her magic so that the pink pony’s hooves now scrambled in midair. Much to her surprise, however, this didn’t cause Pinkie to give in. Instead, Pinkie reached into the saddlebag still on her side and yanked out her cupcake cannon once again, already loaded with somewhat stale cupcakes, and fired it directly at the unicorn’s face. Twilight was too stunned at the method of attack to respond, the once-delicious goods smacking her in the face and actually sending her back against the platform again in the same fashion as before. She squealed in the same fashion as before as well, kicking her legs in frustration at the difficulty the pony was giving her. Pinkie felt herself drop to the floor again, giggling happily as she turned to go, running as fast as she could. For a moment, she thought she was going to make it. However, upon arriving in the large chamber in which Helios had been imprisoned once again, she found a rather large object suddenly form in front of her, which she slammed into at full speed. The object didn’t budge as she bounced back from it, landing on her bottom, knocked back as if the energy around it alone had forced her backward. Upon looking up, said object appeared to be the teleported Helios. She had trouble recovering, feeling as if she had just slammed into a brick wall. “Y-you won’t get me!” Pinkie claimed, trying to aim her cupcake cannon at his face now, even as she felt herself rising back off of the floor. “Well at least I didn’t teleport into you,” Helios chuckled, “I mean imagine how messy that would have been!” Pinkie fired the weapon again, but predictably the same force that had felt like a brick wall to her expelled the projectile back away to splatter against the floor and roll several feet away. She felt his energy yank her cannon away, another stream of energy pulling her saddlebags off, separating her from all of her items. She tried to speak or scream out, but her muzzle felt as if it were clamped shut. “A pastry cannon in a hammerspace bag,” Helios laughed again, having trouble containing himself, “Okay, that has to be the most entertaining weapon I’ve ever had pointed at me, I will give you credit for that.” “Master!” Twilight came running up the hallway, “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry!” She looked quite goofy, limping with her hurt back and face covered in cupcake icing. This only made Helios laugh more, “Oh don’t worry about it, Twilight. You were HILARIOUS!” He threw his head back, laughing hysterically, no longer containing himself for a moment before speaking to Twilight once again, “Go on to that big room right at the other end of the hall; let’s prepare one of those tables for this one. There should be an extraction machine just inside there, which I’ll probably have to do some fixing on.” “Extraction machine?” Twilight panted, cleaning her face off with her magic and placing the excess icing atop where the other cupcake had landed. “Well,” Helios started, beginning to float the bound and magically gagged pink pony down the hall, “Not a technical term, and not technically what the machine is for. It’s actually what they used to drain me of enough power to keep me bound. Isn’t that interesting though? Learned something new, didn’t you.” “And,” Twilight asked, “What are we using it for?” “To extract her Element!” he grinned, “Don’t worry about what those are, it’s not important yet, and we’ll have around a month to talk about it before you find the others. Trust me on this one, Twilight, having the Elements of Harmony will save our world.” Twilight sighed, following along behind the alicorn, her mind unable to keep from thinking about how he told the others to trust him even as she watched him manipulate them. On the other hand, he hadn’t really lied to them that she had heard. She asked quietly, “Do we really have to kill her?” “Yes,” Helios spoke back, calmly, “I’m going to be honest with you, Twilight; we’re going to have to do some pretty bad things to save what’s left of this world.” He thought to himself, then paused, turning back to look at her again, “Twilight. I let go the ones that we didn’t need; I could have just killed them, too. Please trust me, I’m causing as little damage as possible, I swear.” “I trust you,” Twilight spoke in return, even as she looked at the helpless pink pony, struggling silently against her bonds and likely able to hear their conversation even as they discussed killing her. Twilight felt a tear trickling down her face. ------------------------------- Pinkie found herself waking up again, unaware for a moment where she was. She had passed out from the simple pressure that the alicorn’s magic had put against her head as he had held her muzzle shut. She moved her jaws to verify that they were no longer clamped shut, slowly opening her eyes. She was cold, laying against one of the metal tables in the medical room now, her back hurting against the steel as she tried to wriggle up. She found herself unable to, all fours strapped uncomfortably to the table, more straps holding her around her belly. As she struggled, the straps glowed with energy, magic holding them in place even had she been strong enough to break them. What’s more, she felt like she had been laying there for days, every joint in her body feeling stiff. “Oh goodness, you’re awake,” Twilight Wish’s voice spoke, “I had hoped you would stay asleep for this, at least.” Above her, surely enough, was Helios’s right-hoof filly, Twilight Wish. She had a grimace on her face, her horn aglow with power, and had just been using her magic to move the sinister looking helmet of the extraction machine to Pinkie’s head; Pinkie recognized it as the same machine that had been in here before. It was the one Trixie had examined, though Pinkie hadn't seen her do so, and it now appeared to have had significant repairs. It wasn’t exactly shaped for Pinkie’s head, but it seemed as if they were making it work well enough. “Where is he?” Pinkie stammered out, her eyes darting around and not finding Helios. “He’s gone to the surface to gather energy,” Twilight responded, “Powering the vortex all by himself took a lot out of him, then he powered it up again for the next time it’s needed, then he spent several days tending to the needs of the ponies in Undervale between attempts to get this machine working. He was very tired.” “Y-you could let me go,” Pinkie continued on, her voice lacking its normal happiness. “No, I can’t,” Twilight responded, “I’m sorry, but all I can promise is that I will make this hurt as little as possible, and that it will save the lives of a great many ponies.” The helmet was fitted snugly, Twilight’s horn glowing again to open up a nearby bag. It had apparently been brought here in the meantime, and Pinkie started to wonder exactly how long she had been there. Out from the bag came what looked like a syringe filled with a clear blue fluid, which floated towards Pinkie’s right foreleg. “You’ve been here about a week,” Twilight answered, apparently having seen the question in her eyes, “I tried to keep you under while we repaired the machine, but I ran out of the herbs I needed. They are a little scarce nowadays. Still, I brought this in case you woke up early; it will dull the pain. Please don’t struggle, okay?” Pinkie shook her head, clenching her teeth at the feel of the needle diving under her skin, panting as the drug filled her, dulling her senses. She looked up into Twilight’s eyes, staring deeply into them. The two ponies looked at each other, and at the tears rolling down each other’s faces. Twilight shook her head back at Pinkie, pulling her eyes away before slowly moving a hoof to switch the machine on. Pinkie screeched out as the pain coursed through her, making Twilight cringe visibly; it was as if the pain killer had made barely any difference at all. Twilight watched as the pink pony arched her back and screamed herself hoarse within seconds, her words dissolving into a series of drooling noises from which nothing could be gained. For a few moments, Twilight just stared in terror at what she was doing, before her eyes shifted towards the machine. She waited for as long as she could stand, the unicorn finally backing away from the table, covering her ears with both hooves, tears streaming down her face at the horrifying noise that the draining pink pony was making. Her eyes shifted back to the gauge on the machine after several minutes of this, watching the energy gauge, which registered it as full. It was full? Could she pull the plug now? But Helios had told her that it had to run until the subject was gone or else it wouldn’t take. Her eyes shifted back and forth. Could Helios be wrong? Perhaps he didn’t know how the machine worked? It had been made to torment him, after all. Surely his tormentors wouldn't have explained to him how it worked. “No, that’s absurd,” Twilight spoke to herself, slowly approaching the screaming pony, watching her thrash about, Pinkie’s eyes wide as saliva spattered from the edge of her muzzle. Twilight couldn’t take this, “Oh Helios, what am I doing? I can’t do this… Wait. Wait! I have an idea.” Twilight moved fully over to the table, gritting her teeth as she watched Pinkie struggle. She propped herself up onto the table, then climbed up completely onto it, settling herself to lay chest to chest with the other pony, trying hard to hold the thrashing pony still. It was far easier than it should have been; a clear sign that Pinkie had terribly little left. “No,” Twilight trailed off, “I wish… I wish… I wish…” Twilight closed her eyes, a purple mist surrounding her and the earth pony beneath her. The mist started to swirl, each particle moving back and forth between the unicorn and the earth pony. Twilight focused her power, allowing her own life to seep from herself into Pinkie. If she could just feed enough into her to keep her alive until the process was done, Twilight thought, then perhaps she could follow her master’s order without having to kill somepony she didn’t even know. What seemed like forever passed, Twilight locking her concentration into the process. With a burst of release, she suddenly felt the drain shut off, her own energy ebbing to a halt just short of driving her unconscious. She trembled, looking down into Pinkie’s eyes and searching for life there. Pinkie was staring blankly upwards, her mouth agape, but was still breathing. The machine itself was fizzling, smoke pouring out of it as if it had only stopped because it had overloaded. With a shiver, Twilight realized that it would have continued to drain them both until they were both dead had it not malfunctioned. “Oh Helios, forgive me,” Twilight murmured. Twilight pushed her nose forward to tip the headpiece back off of Pinkie’s head, then went through the painful process of unstrapping the pony; painful because her head was ringing and every bit of her body had to strain to work her magic at this point. Finally the straps were free, and she pulled herself off from atop of Pinkie. She realized that she would never be able to carry the earth pony to the portal, so instead moved to push the rolling table across the stone floor. Even this was no easy task, but she eventually made her way to the portal itself. “Right,” Twilight panted, quietly talking to herself, attempting to justify her actions in her own mind, “I don’t think he’s reconfigured this, so it should send you right to your friends. It’s not that big of a disobedience; after all, he did say he was going to send you back when we were done, right?” Twilight tilted the table, dumping Pinkie onto the platform in roughly the same location where she had been standing before, cringing at the noise that the limp earth pony made as she fell onto the hard surface. She moved over to her, weakly, to check if Pinkie was still breathing. She wasn’t. Twilight gasped. She didn’t have enough energy to start up her life giving spell again, and had no idea how to help a pony that was this hurt through conventional means only. Only having a few seconds to consider, she hit the activation button on the portal. The portal opened up, sucking the pink pony within it and sending her on her way, leaving Twilight behind. “I hope they can help you when you arrive,” Twilight trailed off, collapsing suddenly onto the floor as her own energy gave out. “Oh my,” the voice behind her made her shiver, heavy hoofsteps bearing down on her from behind, “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, you have been very naughty. The machine smells broken, and I can only assume that since I hadn’t told you to send her back, you’ve let the Element bearer go.” “No,” Twilight gasped, trying hard to stay awake, terrified that if she were to fall into unconsciousness before explaining herself that he would never allow her to wake up again, “The machine got it, I just fed life into her so that she didn’t die in the process, then sent her back.” “Twilight, Twilight, you got the Element imprint but broke the machine,” Helios gently moved to loom over her, laying himself down against her, much as she had done to Pinkie before, “It’s only made to hold one life force at a time, then I have to change the crystals. Containing yours as well would have fried it, possibly beyond repair. I see now that it's too dangerous to use it for the Elements; we'll have to find a new way to extract those while I repair the machine for its proper purpose.” “I’m sorry,” Twilight stared up into his eyes, beginning to hyperventilate now, certain that he was about to punish her horribly, and not blaming him even in the slightest. She tried to think of other words to say, but her brain seemed washed of all sensible thought. Here she was, having waited for Him to return for years, and now that he was here she had almost immediately failed him. Was he going to beat her? Violate her? Kill her? She stared up into his bottomless eyes, great cavities in his head with glowing balls at the end, completely unable to read him. “And besides that, Twilight, we wanted her dead, didn’t we?” Helios tsk'ed at her again, shaking his head as his voice literally echoed in her mind, “She is a symbol of our defeat and a direct minion of Celestia, not some innocent bystander; we can’t let her live.” “But I’ve- I’ve never killed somepony before,” Twilight trailed off, her eyes still fixed on the gleaming, angry eyes of her master, having to force each word out, “I don’t think I can. I’m sorry; I just can’t bring myself to. I understand if- if you- if you-” “I see now that it’s going to take something more than polite requests to make you serve me,” Helios’s face slowly moved into a grin once more, even though his eyes still glared at her angrily, “I was going to just let you do what you should, but no, it looks like those that work directly for me are going to need… an extra measure of conditioning. Aren’t they, Twilight? Trust me though, this will hurt me more than it does you...” Even had she the will to struggle, Twilight already felt exhaustion beginning to steal consciousness away and, perhaps blessedly, the view of the grinning, chuckling face of her master dominating her vision. She only had to feel guilty about the sudden appeal of unconsciousness for a moment, however. There was a touch, the sensation of magic penetrating her mind like tendrils of pain to drag her agonizingly back to wakefulness, and then a new darkness blotted out the room leaving nothing but the awareness of her looming prince and the stone against her back. Despite the agony, she did not even attempt to resist. If she could save her friends back in Undervale by sacrificing her own mind, she would without question.
blayzekohime	706	10	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-31T00:28:34+00:00	2012-01-31T00:28:34+00:00	10,325	There Firefly and Surprise stood at the bottom of the crater in the middle of the Ponyville town square, aside the spot from whence their not-so-fearless leader Twilight Wish had so recently disappeared. After Twilight had teleported away along with the restrained form of Princess Celestia, the duo had found themselves staring up at the faces of a dozen royal guardponies. Earth ponies and unicorns scrambled down the sides of the crater, pegasi coming in from above. These guards were not happy campers after seeing their princess taken away, restrained and in a brutally injured state. They hadn't seen who created the explosion, so the general assumption was that it was the fault of the ones they now saw, and who they had seen surrounding the Princess as she disappeared. Regardless of the restraint Celestia may have tried to instil in them, Surprise and Firefly were in for a beating if they stuck around. "Quick! Before they can reach us!" Firefly shouted, flexing her legs and taking off with a few powerful flaps of her wings. They still ached from her previous burning during the fight with Rainbow Dash, but adrenaline was smothering the pain for the moment. "Wait!" Surprise grabbed her cricket bat and was off the ground an instant later, trying to use Firefly's wake to speed herself upwards and gain as much distance as she could before the guards arrived. Four pegasi arrived speeding through the air ahead of the other guards, their expressions bent in fury. They quickly paired off, two heading for Firefly as the other pair dived towards Surprise, who was still struggling to gain altitude and catch up with her cohort. Firefly completely ignored her less agile friend, concentrating on her own escape and hoping that Surprise would be appealing enough of an extra target for her to slip away. She knew she could out-fly a few pegasi in heavy armor, so all she had to do was get away before the unicorns were able to grab at her with their magic. Still, the two pegasi guards approached Firefly at amazing speed despite their armor, training and anger driving them. Firefly only grinned back, waggling her flanks mockingly before suddenly diving directly at one of them; no doubt the last thing he had expected her to do. Firefly ducked her head down, twirling rapidly around the targeted guards as she spun. She performed the same double inside-out loop, as she called it, as she had when she was racing Rainbow Dash. It certainly didn't have the same effect as before, given that she didn't have the extreme speed boost that Rainbow had given her at the time, but it was still enough to send the surprised guard barrel-rolling through the sky, slamming directly into his own comrade and sending them both tumbling towards the ground for several long moments before they could right themselves. By the time they had regained their composure, Firefly had already gained an alarming amount of distance, and was streaking upwards and away towards the cloud cover as if to try to hide there. Surprise was not so fortunate in her knowledge of fancy tricks, and began to wonder if she shouldn't have paid more attention to Firefly's deranged and dangerous stunts back when she had the chance. Still, she did have one thing, and she brought that one thing down against the face of the first winged guard to get near her. The cricket bat let out a loud crack as she smacked it directly against the end of his snout, successfully avoiding the protection of his helmet and sending him spiraling off course while she spun around to aim at the second guard. The second guard was ready, banking to the right suddenly and causing Surprise to miss by mere inches. As he came about to try to swipe his armored head at her however, she successfully spun down and around to slam the bat against his chin, sending him head over hooves. Unfortunately, he was still going directly at her, and his out of control body slammed into Surprise's, one hind hoof striking her in the face and sending her head over hoof as well. It was only through this random movement that she managed to dodge the first pegasus guard once again as he lashed back over to try to get a hold of her. Panicked now, Surprise began swinging the bat at random as she flew, looking almost comical, as if she were trying to rowboat-paddle through the air. Her wings flexed and sent her forward, trying desperately to gain speed if she couldn't gain altitude. As she flew over the other guards, she could practically feel the telekinetic grip of the unicorn guards trying to grab hold of her and pull her down, but with elation she realized that she had in fact managed to move out of their range. She started to laugh hysterically, throwing her bat down at them to give her extra speed as she began to fly faster. The bat slammed down onto the back of one guard, sending him crashing to the ground with a near girlish yelp. She soon realized however, that her being outside of their grabbing range didn't matter as she was still well within their throwing range. When the unicorns came to the same conclusion that they couldn't grab her directly, they began to use their powers to instead fling bits of debris and rock at her. Surprise was completely unprepared as first a slab of brick slammed into the side of her head, sending her off course and nearly causing her to lose herself entirely. She might still have pulled up, were it not for a piece of splintered wood against her right wing, a nail from the torn lumber dragging against its base as it temporarily lodged there. Surprise felt herself fall a few more feet, then the crushing grip of several angry unicorn minds bore down on her as she was rapidly dragged towards them and the ground. She looked up, for an instant seeing the pink Firefly ducking upwards into the clouds, apparently leaving her to her fate. Her mind swam with the adrenaline, tears suddenly streaming down her face as something at the back of her mind screamed to the surface. "Firefly! We're friends! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" Surprise's words managed to rise far enough above the chaos for Firefly to hear her. Firefly had looped into the clouds, hopping from one to another mid-flight, a chuckle escaping her as she glanced back to see the two pegasus guards straining to try to catch up. She was too far above the crowd to be affected by telekinesis or thrown objects; she was practically home free, leaving her friend to pay the price. Her friend... Surprise's scream was barely audible to her from here. She looked down towards the ground now, her keen flyer eyes focusing on the events in the distance. She watched as Surprise slammed into the ground, struggling frantically but now held tightly and unable to move. Despite her being completely disabled, she watched the guards slam down their fore-hooves against her, angrily taking retribution for the loss of their beloved Princess. Firefly felt herself hesitate, and a voice nagged at her from the back of her head. Wasn't this rather unlike her? To leave her friend in the grasp of an enemy that she was certain would kill her? You’ve risked your life for friends countless times before, the voice in the back of her head called to her, as if from a long way off. What happened to you to make you leave her like this? Firefly shook her head, "No!" and turned to try to fly off again, knowing that her hesitation was allowing her own pursuers to catch up. Leaving was now harder than it should have been however, and Firefly felt as if her wings were suddenly weighed down, almost as if the guilt itself were heavy on them. Her mind swam with voices, arguing over what she should do next, her flight pattern now alternating between bursts of speed and sudden hesitation. This didn't go unnoticed by her own pursuers, who re-doubled their efforts to catch up to her. "No!" Firefly suddenly screeched, turning to face her pursuers, diving at them out of nowhere, "YOU MONSTERS!" The pursuers suddenly found themselves facing the pegasus that had previously been trying so desperately to escape. Facing the sheer insanity that had appeared in her eyes, the two guards were actually compelled to bank to either side to avoid the speeding blur of pink and blue as she shot back toward the surface. Rage and confusion now shot through Firefly as never before, her own anger overcoming every voice in her head, snapping her mind free from its former constraints for a few brief moments. All she knew was that she had to save her friend before her mind was lost to her again. "MONSTERS!" Firefly screamed again down at the crowd of guards, causing them to cease their beating of the helpless pegasus and look up in utter surprise. Firefly swooped low, a cone of energy swirling around her, the air suddenly splitting into shards of pink and blue as flames leapt out from all sides. The resulting shockwave shot through Ponyville, and there wasn't a single resident that didn't feel their house shudder as the sonic fireboom rippled through the surrounding area. The pink and blue streak turned into a curve before striking the ground, blasting through the guards. Firefly grabbed hold of Surprise as she passed over, picking up the battered pegasus in all fours as she tried to bank sharply upwards and back into the sky once more. Unfortunately for Firefly and Surprise, diving through a crowd of guards wasn't exactly a fool-proof plan, and they had picked up several more passengers in the process. Firefly felt the grip of several guard ponies that had managed to grab hold of her, tugging at her neck, flattening down her wings, and finally felt herself begin to spiral out of control thanks to all the extra weight and drag. Still entirely inexperienced at such speeds, Firefly was not able to hold herself for long. She skidded into the ground, bouncing upwards several times before slamming back into it, the group of ponies now having bunched into a completely uncontrollable ball of struggling bodies. Firefly's mind still swam with confusion at what she had just done, and the only thing she could think to do was to cling to her friend Surprise in the middle of the ball. Her eyes watched as they flew out of control towards the large ball of imploded debris that was left over from Trixie’s earlier evacuation spell; a seemingly unavoidable collision. She closed her eyes, and an instant later a shattering pain ruffled through her, a sudden jolt of energy and rapid stop causing both Firefly and Surprise to black out entirely. ------------------------------------------------- Luna was jolted out of her sound sleep, tumbling suddenly out of her bed with a heavy thump. She was immediately wakened, struggling to get up off the floor. Her sister was in pain somehow, and Luna felt it almost as if the pain were her own. She wasn't rightly sure how long she remained on the floor there, time racing by for her in her half-sleeping state, momentarily unsure if she was dreaming or not. "Sister!" Luna screamed out at the top of her lungs, the sound echoing through the tower where she slept during most of the daylight hours. An outright scream by Luna was certain to rattle the eardrums of anypony in the structure. The guards outside, stunned by the sudden racket from within Luna's room, had the door open in a heartbeat, "Princess! What happened?" Luna must have looked rather insane to them at that moment, tangled in her moon-patterned sheets and rising from the floor where she had fallen out of the bed, her eyes aglow as she reached out to try to sense what was happening. Pinpointing the event however, was somewhat more difficult, as the whole image seemed to be fading from her mind much as dreams do when one is just waking up. Luna certainly knew that this wasn't a dream though, and stumbled forward almost as if not even seeing the guards that were inquiring after her well-being. The guards moved quickly from her way as she approached the door, reacting almost as if they expected to be attacked by the Princess themselves, even gritting their teeth visibly. The princess was obviously agitated, her coat having darkened significantly with her emotional state, eyes and cutie mark together seeming to glow with an odd sort of lunar aura noticeable even above the sun shining through the windows of the hallway in which she now stood. Her mane and tail whipped about in streams of energy, the reflection of a starry night sky reflected upon them and casting an array of twinkling lights onto the walls of the hallway. She hadn’t changed form to look like Nightmare Moon exactly, but these guards had never seen her former evil side in the flesh and so did not find this change of appearance any less disturbing. Several guards who had been running up the hall after hearing the commotion actually skidded to a halt and stared slack-jawed at her from a distance as if deciding whether to approach or slowly back-up, finally choosing simply to bow in deference and await orders. The moon princess' frustration at her sister's disappearance was only compounded by the way the guards were acting towards her, literally tripping over themselves to keep their distance as if they expected her to snap at any moment and commit some horrible act of violence. She didn't have this problem with her night shift guards, but these ponies were not nearly so used to being around her, much less facing her when she was upset. Had she not been pre-occupied, she probably would have been very angry at them, but in her present state it somehow hurt her deep inside to have such a trust gap between herself and her sister's guards. If Celestia had awoken like this, they would have all been at her side trying to find out what had so disturbed her, not backing away slowly. "My sister! We demand to know where she is!" Luna spoke again, her voice booming so loudly that it echoed down the hallway and rang in the ears of the nearest guards. She certainly lacked the composed demeanor that she took when speaking to Celestia. Even as she spoke, the crown and armor from the stand alongside her bed was levitated out to her, purple moon crown fitted on her head just behind her horn, which somehow seemed longer than usual, and the steel clasp of her chest plate clamped around her torso, the lunar emblem adorning it brightly. Each hoof was raised in turn, slipping into the purple clasps that looked like decorative horseshoes, but in reality served no such small purpose as they were enchanted to ground out any magical attacks that might strike her. Luna turned to face one of the chamber guards as he emerged from her room once again behind her, peering at him, not daring to let it show that her feelings were hurt by their reaction. There were more important things to deal with now, and besides, royalty had to put on a strong face for their beloved minions. "P-Princess Celestia is still in Ponyville, your Majesty," the guard spoke with no small amount of nervousness in his voice, seeing that Luna was not only upset, but also clearly donning her battle armor rather than her usual dress attire, "We were waiting on the report for today, which is slightly late, but not by long..." "We shalt not wait for this ‘report’," Luna spoke simply, her voice booming once again and causing the guard to take a step back, "Thou wilt place the guard on high alert and brace for a possible assault." The guard stood there for a few long seconds as Luna affixed the last few joints of armor about her form, seeming hesitant to move for the moment. “Assault?” one guard finally piped up, understandably incredulous, though he tried not to sound like he wasn’t taking her seriously. “Yes! Assault! Awaken our personal guards as well!” Luna almost shrieked. Unfortunately, she had not lost some of the habits that she gained as Nightmare Moon, and lightning flashed around her as she commanded, “Thou shalt crush any who dare to attack the palace!” “Crush?” a second guard nervously asked, almost to himself, taking another step back. “Couldn’t we just put them on notice?” the first guard asked, “Or perhaps take them into custody?” These were palace guards, not warriors; they had probably never seen a day of combat in their lives, and Princess Celestia had certainly never ordered them to ‘crush’ an enemy. "Thou hast heard our order!" Luna shouted so loudly that the building quivered now, unable to hold her temper when her sister might be in danger, “We are certain that Princess Celestia has been attacked!” "Attacked? Y-yes your Majesty!" the guard nearly jumped out of his own armor in alarm at this statement, bowing low once again and making his way out of the tower along with his comrades nearby. Luna had no time to be aggravated by her reputation, nor by the fact that the guards had suddenly wanted to help when they heard their other princess might be hurt. She immediately set off herself, not bothering to properly exit the tower, but instead moving to one of the huge vaulted windows, which glowed with her magic as it opened. The air around her was alive with energy, the starry mist of her mane and tail encircling her body in a swirl of darkness before her body seemed to dissolve into the energy itself and shoot off across the sky towards Ponyville. The Princess could have teleported, but for all she knew she could be teleporting directly into a battle and she would rather be able to see at a distance what was going on while she approached. Instead her form shot across the sky so rapidly that few noticed the streak of purple overhead, yet she stayed fully aware during each instant that she was mist-form. Her mind stretched out, and her form nearly convulsed in alarm when she realized that she could no longer feel Celestia at all. It was the same way that Celestia had described Twilight Sparkle simply being gone without a trace. It wasn't as if she had died, but as if her physical form had been suddenly transported so far away that every bond to her sister was severed. This was insane. Even when Luna was on her moon, she had been able to feel Celestia’s energy. Where was she? Who was responsible for this? Ponyville was now visible in the distance, smoke rising from the town square, or rather where the town square had recently been located. Even at this distance she could see the huge crater in the center, nearby buildings having been reduced to rubble and slag. Above the square, several forms darted back and forth, most of them gleaming in the sunlight as if armored, and seemingly in pursuit of the two that weren’t. It looked as if every guard in the vicinity had rushed to the scene at once. She aimed herself towards the ground where a group of guards was holding down one of the assumed perpetrators, intending to slam down nearby them so that she could question the apprehended pony personally. She never got that far however, as suddenly from above her there was a fiery pink and blue shock-wave that threw her off course and nearly into one of the few nearby buildings that were still standing. The fireboom was not something that she expected, but at the same time she had been fully prepared to be hit with magic, so her loss of control was brief, her misty form swirling about, banking to the side, then solidifying back into her full alicorn self as she swooped low over the ground. She had only an instant to react as she saw the blur of Firefly, Surprise, and three of the guards tumbling through the air. Her magic shot out, blanketing the cluster of ponies just as it headed towards a large ball of gathered debris, and pulled back hard. She couldn't stop them at that speed without giving them quite a jolt with her magic, by itself enough to knock most any normal pony out, but it certainly beat slamming into the heap of broken stone and wood. When Luna landed, half the present guards looked as if they might be forming up a defensive rank against her until it was obvious that she wasn't attacking. Glancing at them, she sighed in exasperation, shaking her head before turning to the pile of potentially injured ponies. Luna looked over the pile of ponies, most of whom were uninjured. The exception was Surprise, though she obviously hadn't been injured from the tumble and subsequent sudden halt, but rather obviously had bludgeon wounds covering much of her torso, as well as at the ends of her forelegs as if she had briefly attempted to block the hooves of her attackers. Luna turned back towards the guards, jabbing out her hoof to point directly at the closest one, “Thou shalt report to us what has transpired here! Immediately!” --------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle sat in her cell, now released from her former restraints and actually quite free to move around, if you didn’t count that she was still in the same small, barren room as before. Once she had cooperated, she had pretty quickly been able to negotiate better quarters for herself and her friends. Despite still being in custody, they all at least had comfortable straw to sleep on instead of thousand year old mattresses, and decent hay to eat served on clean plates. In fact, Sparkle would have been okay with the conditions if they weren’t forced upon her and if her friends were not also being held. Their captors weren’t eating food any better than they were feeding the prisoners from what she could tell, nor sleeping in better conditions when they stayed down here, so Twilight had quickly reached the assumption that life on their world was simply harder than it was on Equestria. In fact, she had begun to wonder why they had been kidnapped at all, seeing as how she would have already been done with this had they simply asked her for help. Needless to say, these were hardly ideal working conditions. She was left alone in a cell with painfully few books, no access to texts from her own library that might have helped, and somehow even studying was unpleasant when it was being forced upon her. It was a pity that she wasn’t being allowed to enjoy it, too, because the books they did give her were utterly fascinating. Some of the more ancient documents appeared to be actual research from when the Elements of Harmony were being theorized, and much of her work was just filling in the blanks between what they had and what she now knew. Did this world have some sort of connection with Equestria? If so, why had Celestia never mentioned it to her before now? All this was a rather big hole to leave in Twilight’s lessons, yet she still had complete faith that Celestia had a good reason to leave it out. The big question was: If Celestia was leaving something out to protect Twilight, would Twilight regret finding it out? Twilight glanced behind her at the cell door, tightly locked and glowing magically with the same power that had kept her in chains before. She had thought about escaping, and even though the magic of the cell appeared to prevent her teleportation, she knew that if she put her mind to it she could probably break the locks on this one door. She was less sure, however, of whether or not she could also get all of her friends out as well. If she were pressed for time, could she really make a decision on which friends to save and which to leave? On top of that, she wasn’t even sure where they were keeping Spike, and they weren’t likely to tell her as he was their insurance that she would keep working. Snapping her out of all her serious thoughts, there was suddenly a commotion from down the hall. There was a scream of horror that made Twilight’s blood run cold. At first she thought it was Rarity, but on the second yell she realized it was actually Sparkler. It was followed rapidly by the clatter of fleeing hoofsteps running past her cell, Twilight catching a glimpse of the panicking unicorn as she galloped past. “What’s going on?” Twilight leaped up from her seat on the floor, hurrying over to the bars. Had help arrived? Was she about to be freed? The answer to these questions made Twilight Sparkle facehoof even harder than usual. Shortly behind Sparkler ran Helios, a huge sharp-toothed grin on his face and no less than a dozen water balloons of various colors floating around him. One of them flew forward, rounding a corner into the medical room into which Sparkler had fled. There followed a splash and another scream from the tormented pony. “What in Celestia’s name are you doing?” Twilight demanded, rattling a hoof on the bars, “How am I supposed to finish this with you loudly pranking and chasing your minions around every half hour?” True, Twilight would have never said something like that to him before, but the longer she stayed here the harder it became to take the arch-villain seriously, alicorn or no. Despite the frightening visage of his carnivorous looking teeth and his red eyes that were like something out of a horror story, the alicorn’s actual personality seemed to range from polite to, more recently, fits of outright silliness. “Hey now!” Helios briefly became serious, at least in tone of voice, though the water balloons slowly orbiting him made it hard to pull off, “We don’t use the ‘C-word’ in this house young lady. Anyway…” his face took on a slightly bored expression now, even rolling his eyes, “aren’t you done yet?” “Like I said,” Twilight responded, “Anyway, I sort of had some questions, and I wonder if you’d be willing to answer a few since… I’ve been working so hard.” “What?” Helios responded, “Goodness I’ve already agreed to let your pet dragon live and to send you all back to Equestria when you’re done here; what else do you want from me? You know, back in the day captives weren’t nearly so picky.” Any return to seriousness was further averted when Posey stuck her head around the corner to peek out of the medical room and was immediately nailed in the head with a water balloon as Helios spotted her out of the corner of his eye. She let out an adorable squeal and ducked back inside. “Well,” Twilight tried to ignore his antics, carefully wording her sentences, “The thing is, these documents look an awful lot like they were written back when the Elements of Harmony were first being studied, complete with pages theorizing which emotions would be weaknesses for Discord and why. Yet… this is another world entirely. Why are these things here, and not in Equestria where Celestia and Luna actually discovered the Elements?” Helios’s expression became suddenly grave, concentration broken as all his colorful balloons suddenly dropped to the floor and burst about, leaving puddles in the hallway and causing Twilight to shy from the resulting splash outside the bars. His eyes glowed with more intensity and suddenly Twilight felt as if perhaps she should have been more careful about which of his buttons to press. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” Helios practically gritted his teeth between words, “That Celestia would completely leave Selene and I out of your history lessons and take credit for it all herself. The fact is, the Elements were made here, on this world. You don’t really think that they could have been developed on Equestria while Discord was in charge do you? He would have found out and stopped us before we finished, so we found a way to portal into another world, forming a research colony, the descendants of which lived in Dream Valley and now live here in Undervale.” “This place,” Twilight glanced about, “Are you telling me that your ponies are originally from Equestria… and that this colony was just a research base so that you could develop a weapon without Discord realizing in time?” “JUST a research base?” Helios’s mood wasn’t helped by Twilight’s words, one of his eyebrows arching, “Just a research base that saved your world and paved the way for a kingdom in Equestria based on Order rather than Chaos. What we couldn’t have predicted was Celestia’s intention to rule Equestria on her own and to back-stab all her siblings, killing or banishing them all one way or another, even erasing several of them from history to hide her crimes.” “That doesn’t sound like…” Twilight instinctively started to defend her mentor, but cut herself short as she saw his glare intensify. “Such blind obedience,” Helios sneered, “and without even being conditioned.” “Lord Helios!” their conversation was broken again by a call from the teleport room, the voice of Twilight Wish, “I have the package!” The two had been in such deep eye contact that neither had heard the loud noise of the teleport platform activating. “The package!” Helios’s expression suddenly went back from angry to his previous merry expression, “Back to your studies, little Twilight. The sooner you are out of here, the better for me.” ---------------------------------------------- Twilight Wish appeared in the teleportation chamber back on her world, looking completely exhausted. Carrying Celestia and the machine along with her all the way from what was left of Ponyville’s town square to the teleport chamber on Equestria was no easy task; even more so when she realized that she had missed the mark slightly and still had to use her telekinesis to drag Celestia’s limp body up onto the platform to be sent to her own world. Yet somehow, this wasn’t the most difficult part. Her mind was filled with a vision of Firefly and Surprise’s faces as she had left them behind to fend for themselves. Why was that bothering her so much? This was all for the good of the many, after all, and she wasn’t able to carry any other ponies along with her. No amount of excuses she was making at herself was lessening the mental weight, however. She had left two comrades alone, possibly to die, something she would have never dreamed of doing a month ago. As she stumbled off of the platform in the base on her world, the first thing she saw was her world's Applejack cowering in a corner of the teleportation chamber, head ducked down as if hiding from something. “Applejack?” Wish peered slightly at her, panting, “What’s wrong? Look! I brought her back so Helios…” “Shhhh!” Applejack waved to her, then spoke in a quiet voice, “That’s great, it really is, but I’m sort of hiding from Him right now.” “Hiding from Lord Helios?” Wish took the hint and quieted down, but had a questioning expression on her face. She glanced down the hall, seeing Helios standing just outside of Sparkle’s cell with a serious expression on his face and, for some reason, water all around his hooves, “Why would you be…” “I think he might have licked the Laughter crystal or somethin’,” Applejack replied, “Because he’s been chasing us with water balloons and streamers and some kind of party launcher ever since you three left… wait, where are Firefly and Surprise?” “They’ll be back in a bit,” Wish found herself lying with amazing ease, surprised at her own instinct to hide what she had done as if ashamed, “Anyway, he doesn’t look very silly right now; maybe it wore off.” With that, Wish took a few unsteady steps towards the hallway and shouted out, “Lord Helios! I have the package!” “The package!” Helios called back, looking suddenly much happier. After giving a few final words to Sparkle, he trotted up the hall to Wish’s location, “Good, good. Now I’m going to go ahead and teleport us over to my new chamber so we can… where are Surprise and Firefly?” Twilight Wish found it far harder to lie to her Lord, “I… I… Well the guards were surrounding us, and I was afraid if I took them too then I wouldn’t be able to carry uh… the package, too. So I left them. They’ll be okay, I’m sure?” She obviously didn’t sound certain. Helios’s glare bore down on her now, his form towering over her, and Wish found her legs completely buckling and actually collapsing beneath her as her mind filled with a sudden flashback to her conditioning. “Applejack,” Helios’s glance shifted to the earth pony, who immediately cowered back into her corner, eyes wide, “Get Sparkler and Posey ready for a fight. And not a word of the package to the prisoners.” This was all the explanation that he gave Applejack. His horn glowed with a deep purple aura, which spread out to encompass himself, Twilight Wish, and Celestia’s unconscious form, and all three vanished in a pop of energy. At first Twilight Wish expected to be taken to the other end of the hall into Helios’s chamber, simply thinking this was his way of getting Celestia past the prisoners without them realizing that their ruler had been captured. Where she found herself, however, was far into the city, past the Temple of the Sun or even the ruins themselves. It was a large chamber, newly built, though mostly consisting of old bricks carried in from the ruins, probably one hundred feet in diameter and twenty feet from floor to ceiling with six large columns, each perhaps ten feet in diameter, holding up the domed ceiling in the middle. Though it lacked any of the usual carvings or stained glass of a typical temple, obviously a rush job to say the least, the very energy of the chamber gave it a sacred feel. The binding area that had once held Helios, ripped from its former location in the original ruins, was now set up in the center of the room, simpler controls for it having been constructed against one of the six support columns. Here, Celestia was placed with a dull thud against the holding altar, still connected to the power-draining machine for now. Surrounding the holding altar were now six protrusions that looked like torch stands, one in the space between each column. Each one had a fitting at the top instead of a torch, and it was into one of these fittings that Helios dropped a glowing pink crystal, fitting it snugly inside. Twilight knew this place, though she hadn’t been here very often. The ponies in Undervale had been tirelessly building it for Helios over the past month, and it was quite impressive how it had come out. It was a testament to the loyalty of his subjects, even the many citizens that weren’t conditioned to obey his every word. “Twilight Wish,” Helios’s voice echoed through the chamber, barely lit with torches that lined the far walls, as well as the soft glow of the contraption in the middle, “How long ago did you leave Surprise and Firefly?” His voice was still upset, but also had a strange sadness to it. Twilight Wish found herself standing next to the altar where Celestia now lay, looking up at her very unhappy looking master. She answered quickly, not daring to keep him waiting, “A-at least an hour ago. I’m sorry, but it took some time to get Celestia up onto the teleport device and I had to be careful with the machine and-” “You left them,” Helios cut her off, “Instead of say… leaving Celestia temporarily in the chamber on the other side and rushing back to get help, or perhaps teleporting right back to grab them in a second load? Twilight… You’ve disappointed me again. Still, I suppose it is my own fault…” Wish was shaking violently, but her shivers slowly began to ebb when she realized that her master’s expression had become quite depressed. She wasn’t rightly sure how to respond to this, so she just bowed her head low, “I take full responsibility… I will go get them immediately.” “No,” Helios cut her off again, “It’s my fault; you’re not of your right mind at the moment.” Helios moved a hoof slowly to her chin, gently moving her head to look back up at him, “Twilight. I am so sorry for having done this to you, and swear that once this is over I will release you all. None of you will be held accountable for your deeds, and I will accept whatever punishment you wish to levy against me. For now, however…” “I am going to go get Surprise and Firefly before they are tortured, or killed,” Helios continued, “It shouldn’t take long now that there is no alicorn there to protect them; I won’t even have to hurt anypony most likely. As for you, I need you and the other three to be ready when Pinkie Pie and her friends appear out of the time vortex, which is going to be less than an hour from now. Should they arrive before I return, you will need to hold them off until I get back. I think by the time this is done, Twilight Sparkle will be finished with what we need to extract the other Elements.” Helios didn’t give Twilight Wish time to answer, his horn glowing and the dark aura surrounding her before she disappeared in a flash, sent back to their base of operations. “Brother…” a quiet voice broke Helios’s long stare at the place where Wish had just stood. Celestia had finally managed to gather enough strength to speak to him, “You are making a terrible mistake… please listen to me… there's an easier way...” “Sister…” Helios turned to her, his expression full of hatred, “My only mistake was allowing you to take Selene away from me, a mistake I will rectify at the cost of your life.” “We can’t change the past, Brother…” Celestia’s weak eyes moved slowly to focus on the darker alicorn’s face, “Not a day has passed that I did not regret those events, too ashamed to even acknowledge them. But while we can’t erase the past, we could still make a wonderful future together… we don’t have to fight. Please listen to me and this can be easier for both of us…” “NO!” Helios’ enraged voice echoed through the chamber, “I WILL change time!” “Change time?” Celestia’s eyes widened, “No brother, you can’t be thinking of-!” Helios’ horn glowed, Celestia’s mouth suddenly held tightly shut. The rattle of chains was heard as they were pulled out from the floor below and ceiling above Celestia. The controls on the nearby column came to life, and Helios’ eyes glowed with anger. “Now let’s get you suited up, Sister.”
blayzekohime	706	11	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-31T02:14:53+00:00	2012-01-31T02:14:53+00:00	10,107	The square in Ponyville was finally at peace, although that was in part due to there being very little left to destroy. The area around the crater had been roped off for several blocks, a number of royal guards still patrolling the area, every one of them on high alert. Near the edge of the disaster area stood a rather proud-looking, white unicorn stallion, his mane and tail primped and proper, using his magic to float several documents in front of his face. Staring at the papers, he seemed to be quite uncertain about the purpose he was supposed to be serving. Still, someone had to come and oversee things, and the Princesses were... busy. “Your… your Highness?” a tired voice behind the royal unicorn caught his attention, his golden mane swaying gracefully as he turned about. “Yes, what is it? Oh. It’s you,” he struck a pose almost habitually, blue eyes and even the golden and gray compass rose on his flank seeming to glow in the late day sun. “Um, yes, it’s me,” Missus Cake awkwardly replied, giving a bow before continuing, “I was just wondering, Prince Blueblood, if there was anything else you needed me to do. I told the guards about what happened before for their report and… well, I was wondering if it was true that they caught the pegasus pony who attacked me.” “Yes, yes something like that,” Blueblood turned to look at the documents again, practically ignoring her for a few more moments before moving one hoof upward as if to shoo her away, “That is all we need, loyal subject. You may go and rest. I have an important meeting with the Mayor with regard to how best to fund the restoration of the town square. Apparently, she wishes to have a train track laid down while there is an opportunity to do so.” “Oh,” Missus Cake definitely had more questions, but quickly realized that this royal wasn’t exactly one for answering them, and so gave another, somewhat annoyed bow before heading off back to her shop for some much-needed rest as the prince had suggested. She found herself wondering why Celestia would have actually named someone so prim and proper to be in charge of disastrous situations such as this one. As soon as she was gone, Prince Blueblood lowered his papers into a neat little stack and sighed, his horn glowing as they ‘poof’ed away. His form seemed to visibly slump with exhaustion as he murmured to himself in a rather less grand voice than before, “By Faust if I have to keep this up for one more minute I’m going to explode.” As quickly as he had slumped over however, there was a flicker of static in the air that made the hair of his mane and tail stand on end. Blueblood’s eyes shifted from one end of the now empty street to another, then quickly leaped out of the way as if avoiding some invisible enemy. Sure enough, no sooner than he had removed himself from his previous location, the form of a large, dark alicorn appeared in a flash of purple and black magical energy, Helios now standing where Blueblood had been not a moment ago. The alicorn towered over the prince, who felt the shadow fall on him with an almost palpable weight as his own eyes looked up to meet the glowing red orbs in Helios’s head. “Right then!” Helios looked around, eyes immediately falling upon Blueblood, and correctly thinking that he looked like he might be in charge. A large and intimidating hoof was pointed at the unicorn’s face, inches from his nose, “Two pegasi were taken into custody here; where did they go? It’s important for uhhh… stuff. Like national security stuff. You know.” The hoof moved to wave in the air dismissively, as if the alicorn hadn’t really thought out this speech very well while on the way here. “Oh it’s you,” Prince Blueblood didn’t even bother shifting his manner again, actually smirking at Helios upon his appearance, “You know you almost tele-fragged me just now; you should concentrate more on your destination before materializing.” This response, as well as its complete lack of intimidation, caught Helios by surprise, and the alicorn put down the one hoof and looked at Blueblood with one eyebrow raised in confusion. For a moment there was silence. “Sorry about that. Have we met?” Helios finally decided that he may as well try to be nice, since it appeared this one was too brave or stupid to be intimidated. “So, I still need to know where they went. As you can see, I’m an alicorn, which you ponies currently lack, so perhaps I can help.” “We haven’t really met, no, but I’m sure you can help,” Prince Blueblood’s statement sounded surprisingly dismissive, choosing not to mention Luna’s continued presence. Aside from that however, he was quite forthcoming, “There, in Canterlot; you can see it from a mile away, literally.” His own hoof pointed up towards the side of the mountain where Canterlot was visible in the distance, “They’ve been taken in for questioning, and I imagine they will be in the cathedral by the time you arrive.” Helios stared at the prince for a few more moments, still taken somewhat off guard. For a moment he almost wondered if this unicorn could be telling the truth, he gave it so easily. Of course, in Helios’ present mind, the conclusion he eventually came to was that this world was going to be a lot easier to conquer than he had initially believed. Grinning to himself, the alicorn disappeared in another flash of energy. “Prince Blueblood!” another voice from behind the Prince startled him one again. It was one of the royal guards still stationed around the area. The Prince immediately took up his former poise once more, turning about and giving the guard a smirk that couldn’t have been more full of itself, “Yes. Yes. What do you need now?” “Prince Blueblood,” the guard let out a sigh of relief, “I must ask that you not separate yourself from us again, these are dangerous times for royalty… Was anypony else just here?” “Nopony aside from my royal self.” -------------------------- Firefly was the first to wake up in their new environment, her eyes batting awake slowly as she tried to regain her senses. Her eyes looked upwards at a high, vaulted ceiling dotted with red and pink tiles, as well as the huge, white arches supporting it, each arch supported in turn by pristine marble columns. On one side of the two sprawled pegasi, at the inner end of the structure, there was a large door with six blue orbs and a key slot in the middle that looked different from most, in that it was a perfectly round hole rather than the typical keyhole shape. Light was trickling across the cathedral-like hallway, through stained glass windows depicting scenes that she could only assume were taken from history or myth. Many featured some sort of dragon-like chimera that she was unfamiliar with, as well as a sun and moon alicorn that she could only assume were the two sisters of which she had heard Lord Helios speak. The few images she found familiar were the ones that featured six ponies that closely resembled those that they had taken as enemies. In these windows they were depicted as champions - she supposed even tyrants had their national heroes. She tried to get up, only to realize that she was tightly bound with glowing, black chains. They weren’t particularly heavy or even uncomfortable, but were obviously enchanted in some way to keep the ponies in them from moving. She felt Surprise next to her, who had also started to stir. The other pegasus’ body was covered with bruises, but they appeared to have been treated well enough to not be an immediate concern. As Surprise awoke and began to struggle just as Firefly had, both pegasi raised their eyes to look upon their guards. The two pegasi stallions guarding the prisoners looked almost as if they might be twins, both dark gray fur and adorned in purple armor, plates lined down their backs from nose all the way to tail with decorative saddles covering their sides. A chest piece of darker purple was adorned with a single gem that looked like a reptilian eye. The most disturbing thing for the prisoners was that these pegasi appeared to be not entirely equine. Their wings, which matched their chest pieces in color, were clearly those of a bat rather than the feathered wings of more normal pegasi. Their manes and tails were the same color and looked more like reptilian frill than actual mane-fur. As the two stared down at the prisoners with gleaming, dark yellow eyes, grim smiles sat upon their otherwise hate-filled faces. “There you are,” one of them spoke, “The Princess of the Night will be here shortly. She wants to ask you some questions personally.” “Please refuse to answer,” the second one added with a smirk, “It would greatly please us if we were ordered to encourage you.” “Y-you don’t scare us!” Firefly claimed, even as fear rattled through her voice, “We won’t give in and you’ll be sorry when Prince Helios gets here!” “I gotta admit,” Surprise added in a more cheery tone, “This IS pretty surprising!” “And who might this ‘Prince Helios’-” one of the guards started to ask, but suddenly seemed to cut himself off. For a moment, the prisoners both wondered why their guards had become so silent, the eyes of each night pegasus darting around the room, even while their bodies seemed paralyzed. Soon enough however, they realized that a dark aura had encompassed the bodies of their guards, having clasp their muzzles tightly shut, and now lifted them slowly off the floor. Their forms slowly turned forcefully in mid-air to face the opposite entrance, where another larger figure entered. “That would be me,” the voice of Helios rang out from the opposite end of the hallway as he calmly strolled through the tall double doors, “You know, the guards inside this castle are complete pansies. The ones outside put up a decent fight though.” Helios casually tossed the two night pegasi towards the entrance as he arrived to stand over Surprise and Firefly. The two guards slammed into the floor, rolling head over hoof several times before they managed to bring themselves about, landing on all four hooves and looking prepared to charge back. Somehow however, the fact that Helios was now so blithely ignoring them without a single worry made them think twice. When they watched the alicorn rather effortlessly cause the magical chains holding the prisoners to release with a simple wave of his head, they knew for certain that they were not dealing with any normal enemy. “Get the Princess!” one of them firmly instructed the other, “I’ll do my best to hold him off!” The other guard nodded grimly, rushing out the exit and taking flight even while inside to hurry. The first one braced himself and walking forward slowly towards Helios from behind. “Yay, hey you’re even better at surprises than I am!” Surprise had a huge grin on her face as she picked herself up, even as her injuries made her stagger. “Prince!” Firefly staggered to her hooves, “I knew you’d save us! Time to bust some heads!” Her eyes went towards the guard that was approaching from behind. Helios chuckled almost like a parent amused by a silly child, “Right, about that. I’m actually going out of my way not to actually bust any heads. You two on the other hand, can enjoy some head busting while I’m talking to these guys. I’m sure the other one will be back soon too, once he realizes that his Princess is in another castle.” “On the contrary, sir,” the remaining night pegasus responded, somehow feeling that he should speak officially to even an enemy alicorn, “Princess Luna was already nearby, and will be here in mere moments.” “Right, right, but what you don’t realize is—wait, what?” Helios suddenly paused, turning himself around to face the remaining guard once again, one eyebrow raised in his trademark ‘what the hay’ expression, “Don’t be stupid. Princess Luna was the first on Celestia’s ‘I’m banishing everypony in sight’ list.” As if in reply, clouds began to gather outside, the evening light that had been streaming in through the windows suddenly darkening, and crackles of thunder rippling through the structure as if lightning were striking the building itself. Helios grew quiet, his expression grave; not quite so confident as before. “Firefly and Surprise, I’m sending you back now,” he stated simply. “But Master we can-“ Firefly began, but her mouth was quickly sealed with Helios’ telekinesis, as was Surprise’s pre-emptively. “No,” Helios stated plainly, “I can only fight if I don’t have to worry about protecting you. You’ll have enough fun where you’re going, don’t worry.” With that, Helios’ horn glowed and his two minions vanished from sight in a flash of teleportation magic, sent out of harm’s way, possibly to a somewhat less dangerous situation. The guard, now far more confident in seeing Helios’ reaction to the impending arrival of Princess Luna, took another step forward, only for his own body to suddenly blink away in a flash of purple energy. Apparently Helios was not the only one that didn’t want their minions getting underhoof. “Brother,” Luna’s voice echoed through the chamber as she entered, stepping into the cathedral amid a flash of lightning, electrical energy seeming to shiver through the floor as she gathered her power, “Why hast thou arrived after so long a time, and to attack us without provocation?” “Without provocation?” Helios almost laughed, “Oh, but I should have known that she was lying about you turning against her. You’ve been in league with her silly little plan all along, haven’t you?” “How dare you accuse our sister of wrongdoing!” Luna shot back, her voice booming through the cathedral to the extent that the windows rattled noticeably. Her being accused of evil would have likely rolled off her back, but Celestia being so accused was for her a reason to rage, “Our sister art the most innocent amongst us all!” She took a deep breath, moving her hooves as if bracing herself for an attack at any moment, “Why hast thou invaded? Doth our sister Selene know of this? Hath she accompanied you?” Helios just stared at Luna’s last question, one eye twitching in rage, the other quirked in confusion as the two emotions fought each other within him, “You DARE speak her name after you and Celestia MURDERED her?” Luna’s eyes grew wide, clearly having been unaware of that particular detail. Such was the shock that her next words were spoken in an almost frightened voice rather than the booming of a moment ago, “W-what dost thou-?” “Don’t play stupid!” Helios shot back, “Celestia lured her here under the pretense of defeating you, then brought back a lie that she had been killed during the battle! And now I have all the confirmation of that lie that I need!” “Killed… while…” Luna’s face was shocked, eyes staring into space as if not even seeing Helios for a moment, “We… we…” It was no wonder that Celestia had not told her the full story; she had probably not had the heart to further burden Luna with such knowledge. For a brief moment, Luna seemed to falter in her stance, unsure of what to do. The sight of Luna looking so stunned only served to make Helios more angry, flames literally lapping around his hooves, mane and tail letting off waves of heat that shimmered through the air, “Stop with this ruse! I refuse to be a pushover for you and Celestia any longer!” “Brother,” Luna’s voice regained some of its strength as she spoke again, “None of this is our sister Celestia’s fault. If thou returns her and takes us instead, we shall overlook thy actions. If our offer is refused, then we hath no choice but to retrieve her by force.” The only answer Luna received was a scream of rage as Helios completely lost any semblance of self-control, his form surging forward as a jet of flame formed around him. The shockwave of his launch cracked the marble floor beneath him and sent slivers of damage up through the windows on either side of him. Luna was quick to respond of course, a wall of black energy surging up in front of her, slowing his movement as he flew through it, then raising her hooves to slam against his head. The force of the impact was still harder on her than it was on him, sending her sliding back to the hall’s entryway, hind-hooves grinding against the tiles and digging a gash into the floor in the process. Her magic strained forward, trying to send Helios back again, lightning dancing about her as she attempted to deaden his flames. Each alicorn gave another mental shove, bursts of energy slamming into one another, the percussion sending a ripple through the cathedral and causing not only windows to outright shatter, but cracks to appear in the support beams on either side of the structure. The night mare let out a scream of effort in response, directing a surge of dark energy to flank beneath Helios and nail him in the gut, sending him flying upwards then over her head from his own inertia as he still tried to surge against her. Helios slammed into the frame of the building just above the door, the energy of his misplaced attack shattering it and causing their end of the cathedral to sag dangerously. Ready for him to double back to strike again, Luna teleported herself back towards the other end of the room, facing the entrance from which she expected him to come back. Instead, however, she felt a burst of energy from behind her as he instead teleported there, quickly followed by a sharp pain in her back as he bore his energy down upon her, causing her legs to give slightly before she managed to teleport beyond his reach. No sooner did Luna appear ready to bear down on Helios in turn, than he had disappeared once again. The two powerhouses followed this pattern for several more moments, forms flashing about as each attempted to out-teleport the other, more and more attacks shaking through the walls of the building. Suddenly, Luna found herself standing in the middle of the ruined hall, nearly all the beautiful windows shattered, but no sign of Helios. She stood still, breathing heavily, her emotions reaching out to try to sense where her brother was. It had been a long time since she had felt his energy, but it was quickly coming back given how she had been slammed by it several times. Of course, Helios had one significant advantage. He was channeling anger at Luna and was fully willing to cause her serious harm. Luna, on the other hand, was also channeling anger at herself, and although unlike Celestia she would not pull punches, she was still aiming to overcome rather than destroy him. “Thou art insane!” Luna’s eyes grew wide as she sensed his next attack in the nick of time, a well of energy felt forming within her own body. Luna quickly dissolved herself into starry mist once again, Helios appearing right where she had been in an apparent attempt to teleport inside of her. The mist swirled about him nebulously, then imploded inward, Helios suddenly finding himself coated with searing shards of Luna’s energy as they crushed in upon him. Helios’ mane and tail flamed upwards, surrounding himself with flames, but finally resorting to allowing his own form to spread outward, gushing out from between the cracks in Luna’s mist to reform across the hall from her, his knees buckling slightly at his sister’s unexpected maneuver. It seemed to have taken a lot out of him, being far less practiced at mist techniques than his sister. No sooner did he reform than his sister coalesced in front of him, slamming into him again before he could prepare. Helios barely managed a partial defense with his own energy, still getting smashed through one of the very few remaining windows. Together, the two alicorns fell into the embankment below the cathedral as the hallway completely collapsed behind them. They rolled into the gardens below, nearly smashing through several of the many statues in the process. For a time, the two deities resorted to somewhat lesser forms of attack, no doubt getting tired of all the teleporting and mist-forming. Luna’s forehoof slammed into Helios’ face, quickly followed by his hind hooves bucking her in the belly and sending her flying over his head. No sooner had he risen to his feet than Luna was in his face again, leaping upwards and bearing down on him with another hoof to the top of his head. The two crashed together again and again, hooves flying, heads butting, each impact letting loose a burst of angry energy, the sound rippling through the gardens. The environment around them seemed to be slowly shredding apart from the mere proximity of their battle. So into their combat were they, neither noticed the clip clop of smaller hooves rushing towards them. “SSTOOOOOP!” an elderly sounding voice temporarily snapped them from their concentration on one another, “Are you both MAD?” So startled were they that both of the alicorns obeyed the suddenly yelled command, each stunned that somepony would walk up to them while they were locked in combat, let alone give them orders. Luna looked over towards the voice, Helios atop her, each of their hooves mere inches from slamming into each other’s faces again. Not more than a few feet away, a brown furred, elderly earth pony with gray mane and tail, as well as a long gray goatee, stared at them with angry blue eyes. Whoever he was, he looked completely livid. “Hayseed!” Luna recognized him, her voice booming once again, slightly peeved herself that he would put himself in danger by walking up to them, “Why hast thou stopped the Princess of the Night as we defend our palace grounds?” “Mad? Mad? I’m FURIOUS!” Helios started, but then paused, arching an eyebrow, “Wait, did we just get scolded by a gardener? I love this guy! You didn’t want to switch sides did you?” Hayseed sounded unusually brave, even in the face of his own angry Princess, “I’m sure the Princess of the Night knows how to read!” With that, Hayseed’s hoof rose up, pointing to the other side of the pair. Both of the alicorns swayed their eyes over to the target of his pointing, a sign which stated simply ‘No fighting near the statue’. Their eyes rose up slowly, and each alicorn felt their whole body freeze as they looked upon the stoned form of Discord, having been propped up here in the garden exactly where he had been after his re-petrification. A slow, ever-so-slight pulse was visible, resounding through the statue. Both alicorns were on all four hooves in an instant, almost as if they had shot right through each other to stand up. For a long moment, the two stood there quietly, eyes wide and locked onto the statue as a second, somewhat less noticeable pulse shivered through it. As calmly as he could possibly manage, Helios finally voiced a few words, “You…you propped him up… in your garden? Really?” He gave Luna a look of utter confusion. “Be still, for it was our sister’s idea,” Luna responded, her voice much quieter than usual, despite a faintly defensive tone. “Right. I shouldn’t have had to ask,” Helios replied, trying very hard not to show any irritation, “So what do we do now?” Both eyes were still locked onto the statue of their ancient foe, watching as another beat ran through the stone chimera’s form. “We are uncertain,” Luna admitted, her gaze unmoving. “All right you two,” Hayseed interjected, “Go on now, hug and make up.” Helios and Luna simultaneously gave a flat “What.” in response to Hayseed’s suggestion, but then each slowly nodded in turn. Slowly the two moved together again, raising up their forehooves and hugging around each other’s necks. Luna actually smiled a bit, and so did Helios, though his smile looked more like he was having an allergic reaction than as if he were happy. “I’m… sorry for attacking you and your… castle thing, dear sister,” Helios stated in a less-than-convincing tone. “And we,” Luna was clearly putting very real emotion into her own words, “Art sorry for the pain and suffering we caused as Nightmare Moon, and as our royal self. We shalt never forgive ourselves for the demise of our dear sister, and shall not ask that thou forgive or forget our crime.” “Come on now, lad,” Hayseed huffed, “Your apology didn’t sound very sincere, so ya gotta do it over.” “Um,” Helios was very unused to elderly ponies bossing him around, and certainly not used to being referred to as ‘lad’. He took a deep breath, and tried again, “I should have talked to you first, this fighting is not going to get us anywhere. Uh. Dear sister. And I’ll uh. I’ll fix that stuff I broke; we’ll just call it a renovation.” He shifted his eyes about, trying to think of something else nice to say, then added, "Nice bat guards, by the way; ‘wish I had those instead of flutter ponies, honestly." Both alicorn’s shifted their eyes towards the statue again as they hugged, both forms seeming to shrink slightly in sheer intimidation as they looked up at Discord’s form. Hayseed appeared to feel better at least, and he took a few more steps forward to prop himself up and give both of the alicorns a brief hug as well. “There ya go; now didn’t that feel better?” Hayseed nodded as he pulled back away, “Now you two head on out and find tha other Princess; ya kin all three have a nice chat tagether.” The two alicorns ignored that command for a while however, instead staring at Discord’s statue for several more minutes to ensure that it had settled down once more. Both let out a deep breath, very slowly moving away from their hug, both acting as if they were ready to cling together should the statue pulse again. “Right, so uh,” Helios’ eyes shifted again, his wings flexing outward, “We’ll just be going somewhere else now." ----------------------------------------- In the midst of the Everfree Forest, deep underground, lay the portal into the other world of ponies that had stayed hidden for so long, yet been so very active as of late. Many levels above the portal, the entrance of the ruins was covered in foliage, barely visible beneath the vines and flowers growing around it. It was at this entrance that four ponies stood. Twilight Wish stood in front, her body shaking with either nervousness or excitement, eyes wide as she strained to keep her awareness under the emotional strain of what she had been through over the past few days. Behind and to the right of her stood her world’s Applejack, chewing down an apple casually as she waited and sat comfortably in the grass. The second unicorn, Sparkler, stood behind and to Twilight’s left, her eyes fixed on the same area as Wish’s. Directly behind Twilight, Posey stood, shaking hard and knees nearly buckling. In front of Twilight, a pocket watch hovered in mid-air, the energy of her telekinesis surrounding it. Wish’s eyes shifted from the watch to the clearing again, then finally she spoke as she dropped it, certainty in her voice, “Places everyone. According to Prince Helios, the rift opens less than five minutes from now.” Applejack huffed, but all the same moved up the side of a hill that bordered the clearing in which the heroes were expected to appear. There was a log trap constructed there, a simple stake in the ground that could be kicked out of the way to cause the stack of logs to come rolling into the clearing. Sparkler went up to another hill, this one directly behind the entrance to the ruins, sitting her plot down on a place that she had cleared and made sure wasn’t too particularly dirty. Beside her was a pile of shiny looking stones, on her other side Pinkie’s cupcake cannon that Helios had previously confiscated and then given to them. She loaded one of the rocks into it using her own telekinesis, gingerly holding the garish weapon on one side. Posey looked the most reluctant, but all the same moved around to the opposite side of the clearing from where Twilight was, unfolding a net and looking as if she was preparing to throw it. She took a deep breath, seemingly to try to prepare herself, her eyes looking as if she might run as soon as things began. As for Twilight, she kicked open a nearby box with her hind hoof. Her horn glowed as half a dozen menacing-looking knives floated up out of the box, forming a circle around her, pointing them all towards the clearing and clearly preparing to take aim. “Um,” Posey voiced out softly, quickly realizing that she had gotten the short end of the stick in this plan, “I don’t mean to be rude, but should my position really be directly opposite those knives that you’re about to throw, Twilight?” “Oh quit complaining,” Twilight glared at Posey, shutting the rather more timid pony up, “Okay everypony, when I give the word…” Then, as all eyes pointed inward, there was a flash of light, a glowing blue vortex suddenly expanding outward from the center of the clearing. It was exactly when Helios had said they’d arrive, and he would certainly know given it was he who had sent them to this time and place to begin with. Six figures fell from the portal, five of them landing neatly on their feet and a sixth flopping limp onto the ground beside them. “Now!”
blayzekohime	706	12	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-01-31T03:14:32+00:00	2012-01-31T03:14:32+00:00	12,228	“In the garden,” Helios repeated, still aghast, as he flew aside his sister through the skies of Equestria towards the Everfree Forest , “You propped up his statue… in the garden. Oh. And he’s in a different pose to when we defeated him, so I’m guessing he’s escaped at least once since being here. You’re telling me even after that you just… left him in the garden?” Evening had come, Helios having even stopped briefly to let Luna raise her moon, but the conversation was not going nearly so well as Luna had hoped. Helios’ frame of mind seemed random, continually back-tracking or going off on tangents, and generally refusing to believe anything that Luna told him. “We hath already been over this,” Luna’s voice boomed back at him, having nearly forgotten her former agitation thanks to the amount of talking Helios had been doing. “Well the FIRST thing I’m doing when I’m in charge is putting that thing somewhere safer,” Helios huffed. “Thou shalt NOT be ‘in charge’ my brother,” Luna responded, giving him an eye as she grew increasingly testy once again. She habitually glanced at him from time to time, expecting her estranged brother to charge back into her again at any moment. “Oh please,” Helios rolled his eyes, “You can't stop me; you don’t even know how I got back to this world. By the way, I’d say we were at least a good few miles from Discord now, right? Soooo… think fast!” And with that, he validated Luna’s paranoia, the night mare dodging by mere inches the blast of energy Helios suddenly hurled her way, which sailed some five hundred feet through the air before exploding in a brilliant display of fire. A second blast followed, aimed at where Luna ended up after her dodge, this one significantly more powerful, as if its precursor had been a mere feint. “STOP THIS!” Luna cried out, managing to deflect the attack by throwing out her own energy against it, causing the blast to curve around before directing it back towards Helios, “And we know fair well from whence thou comes!” The ball of energy came to a stop between them as each alicorn shoved more and more energy into trying to force it closer to the other. It swirled with a mix of flames and dark energy, whipping at the surrounding air and lighting the forest around them with an intense glow. “Don’t be stupid,” Helios grinned back at her, clearly taking Luna’s words as yet another ruse, his teeth beginning to grit as he strained to hold the energy back himself, now. “Not so! For our scholars hath traced the residue of your unicorn minion’s teleportation spell before it faded, and from thence divined her destination,” Luna responded as she strained in kind, her eyes growing slightly wider at how the ball between them was growing, “We delayed only to question the prisoners, but shalt tarry no further.” “What.” Helios stated flatly, surprise allowing the reverse tug-of-war to slip a little into Luna’s favor before he rallied himself, “All right, I have to admit that’s a bit clever. You know what, Luna? I think I might believe you marginally more than I did before; perhaps you really are trying to protect your ponies, but you’re still fighting for HER and that makes you an enemy.” Helios darted his eyes back and forth a few times, then suddenly grinned widely, shifting the ball of energy just slightly to the side and then actually pulling it instead of continuing to try to drive it backwards against Luna. The result was that the ball of death shot off at tremendous speed, angled downward at the forest floor. More importantly, towards a small shack in a clearing that from the lights that were on inside looked to be inhabited. “Yeah, yeah I know,” Helios conceded as he watched the crackling sphere arc down upon the hut and its unsuspecting resident, “That was a bit stereotypically villainous of me, but I have faith that you’ll take the time to save whoever lives down there instead of chasing after me, dear sister.” And with those words, Helios was gone in another flash of energy. Luna’s eyes grew all the wider as she realized what her brother had done. She had no time to realign her defense, nor time to push the ball of energy off course. There was only one thing she could do in the limited amount of time that he had given her, a fact of which Helios was certainly aware. Selflessly, the alicorn teleported herself directly into the path of the attack, spreading her wings and sending all the power she had into the ball to slow down its descent, spreading a shield over the hermit’s meager home in the process. The energy struck with an explosive force that shook the forest around her, Luna’s enchanted armor literally disintegrating as it tried to shield her from the waves of magical energy surging against her. Nearby trees were flattened against the ground, gouts of flame and dark energy shooting outwards as she deflected them. Just as Helios had suspected she would, Luna easily shielded the home from any serious damage, but the strain to herself was something else entirely. As the energy finally dissipated, Luna felt herself growing dizzy, collapsing to the ground. -------------------------------------- Of all the things they expected to encounter upon arrival, an immediate attack from the minions of the one who just set them free was probably the last. Apparently, plans had changed during the weeks between when Helios had sent them and the time of their arrival. In Helios’ mind at least, they had gone from being bystanders to a direct threat; a threat that had to be dealt with immediately. That was the bad news. The good news? When the heroes arrived, Helios had left on his way to find Firefly and Surprise, so would be bit too busy to help his minions slaughter them personally. The six figures had just appeared out of the swirling blue time vortex, all but Pinkie Pie landing on all fours rather neatly. Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, fell rather heavily to the ground, already limp, and a rather less vibrant pink than usual. “Huh,” Gilda was the first to notice that Pinkie had collapsed, leaning down and making a brief attempt to stand her up. “Hey I think Pinkie bit it during transit guys, she’s not breathing.” “What?” the others stated in near-unison, which of course completely distracted them from the fact that they were surrounded by enemies that were about to attack. “Quick Gilda, give her muzzle to muzzle!” Ditzy hovered slightly higher into the air, trying to look over Gilda’s shoulder. “I don’t think that will work with my beak Ditz’,” Gilda replied, watching Pinkie flop back down onto the ground when released, slumping, eyes rolled back and tongue lolling out. Trixie reared up, hooves over her head. “Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Tri-“ “Please do not hit my sister with lightning, Trixie,” Inkie instructed as she shoved the other pony aside, sending her skidding a few feet across the ground. Then, still calm as ever though her face was one of grave concern, she added pre-emptively, “And Blinkie, please do not involve explosives, either.” “I totally wasn’t going to!” Blinkie shot back, but all the same leaned down over her sister. Blinkie and Inkie both kneeled down to Pinkie Pie, rolling their sister over to her back, and carefully began to try resuscitating her as best they knew how, Inkie breathing for her as Blinkie very carefully performed chest compressions. So distracted were they with concern for their sister, that neither noticed the telekinetically propelled knives that whizzed over their heads just as they had leaned down. Ditzy was the first one to notice something amiss, catching one of the two knives in both hooves no less, and rolling herself about midair from the force of doing so. She was looking over it curiously as if wondering where it came from when much to her surprise the knife glowed again, trying to lunge at her face as she held it back with both forehooves. “Hey everypony, I think we’re being attacked by floaty knives!” Ditzy helpfully announced to her team members. Trixie eyed Ditzy’s knife, her own horn glowing as she took ahold of the other thrown blade before it hit somepony else, “Trixie agrees with the Wall-Eyed One. Something is not right.” “I said NOW!” a shout came from one side of the clearing as Twilight Wish quickly became impatient with her own comrades' inability to follow a cue. With that, a half dozen more knives soared towards the group, pointy ends brandished threateningly towards them and clearly not joking around. “I’m getting to it, be patient,” called down Sparkler, still situated above the gate to the ruins, above and behind where Twilight Wish had been stationed. She apparently had spent all this time trying to find which of the stones in her pile was the least shiny, not wanting to ruin one of the good ones that she might be able to keep. Finally locating one with a nasty crack in it, she loaded it into the cannon and launched it towards the heroes. For Applejack’s part, she had spent most of the time since Wish’s first shout trying to successfully kick the log trap into motion, having missed several times with her hind hoof already. Frustrated, she moved herself about to get an easier angle and kicked at the trigger again, finally striking it squarely with one hind hoof and smiling to herself. The apple pony’s satisfaction with her accomplishment didn’t last long, quickly realizing that her change of position had put her into the path of the trap herself. The logs did roll towards the heroes, surely enough, but Applejack came with them, screaming in blind panic as she ended up running atop the foremost log and trying desperately not to fall off. Unfortunately for Posey, her job was equally prone to danger, as it consisted of trying to throw a net over the fliers of the bunch. At first she tried to get to Ditzy, but hesitated too long and didn’t reach her before she got too far off the ground. When Ditzy started fighting with a knife and slinging it around as she spun, it made Posey even less sure about approaching her. In the end, Posey went for Gilda, who unfortunately was a lot taller than her. The yellow earth pony stood up on her hind legs, reached as far as she could, and let out an adorable squeak as she jumped and tried to drape the net over the griffon’s head the best she could. This ended up with the net being barely over Gilda’s head, draped down one side of her body in a position that might at the very worst present her with a minor inconvenience. Ditzy saw more knives coming her way, her eyes growing wide, releasing the first knife she had to grab hold of the second. The first one flew outward with the force of its struggle, slamming into a nearby tree with an audible 'sproing' noise. The second knife was lost in a similar manner shortly after, but this one Ditzy had seemingly unintentional better-aim with, sending it flying towards Twilight, who had to jump out of the way and in the process almost lost her concentration on her other blades. Trixie stood up, actually cackling madly with the realization that they had been attacked, “The Twilight Wish will rue the day that she challenged the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Rather than waste time trying to catch all the knives that Twilight Wish had thrown, Trixie took a more roundabout approach. Slamming her hooves on the ground, she sent a shiver of magic towards Twilight, a jet of earth suddenly emerging directly in front of the other unicorn to block her line of sight to the knives that she had been controlling. The blades faltered in their path before all fell harmlessly to the ground. Gilda, feeling the net half flop over her, drew her eyes around to peer at the timid looking earth pony that had thrown it onto her. Her eyes narrowed, glaring down at the smaller pony, reaching a single claw out to take hold of Posey’s head, half lifting her off the ground to bring her eye-to-eye. “Um,” Posey wriggled all fours as she was picked up, her eyes going wide, “I don’t suppose you’d mind falling down for a bit, so that it looks like I’m doing well?” Gilda would have been nailed by the rock from Sparkler’s cannon at that point, had the still spinning Ditzy not reached out to take hold of it on its way, spinning twice more before launching it back in Twilight and Sparkler’s direction. Ditzy was having a great time, apparently, possibly not even realizing that they were fighting, if her giggling was anything to go by. “What are you laughing at?” screamed Pinkie’s angry voice, her first words as she suddenly snapped awake. Inkie drew back as the pink pony started to gag and cough after her words, indicating that she was in fact breathing again, only to spot the logs coming up behind her. She braced her fore-hooves on the ground, snapping both hind hooves backwards towards the log. She struck the first one in the rush, cracks and shivers splintering through it as the area she kicked practically disintegrated from the force of the blow. The remainder of the first shattering log turned perpendicular to the others, the rest crashing to a stop behind it as its shattered end gouged into the ground ahead. The three Pie sisters were tossed forward, rolling several feet, but the trap didn’t reach the rest of the heroes and the three it had reached didn’t look like they’d suffer more than light bruising. Applejack was less fortunate, flying off the logs as they came to the sudden stop, slamming face-first into the ground and sliding to a stop directly in front of Trixie. Trixie coughed at the cloud of dust that sprang up around her from Applejack’s skidding through the dirt. Disappointed that the clumsy attacker had spoiled her grand monologue, she placed a forehoof on the grounded pony’s head, sending a jolt of magical energy through her that made her let out a squeal of agony. Luckily for Applejack, Trixie wasn’t a killer, and the earth pony found herself falling safely into unconsciousness. All in all, Trixie had probably done her a favor and saved her from herself. Twilight Wish, determined to not let the failing ambush get any worse, stumbled up over the earth wall that Trixie’s magic had raised in front of her. She was just in time to take the rock that Ditzy had thrown back to the head with a sharp crack. The unicorn staggered, horn vibrating from the blow, and stumbled back down the opposite side of the earthen barrier once again. Blinkie, now less worried about her sister’s condition, was quick to hurl herself into the fight. Pulling a single, round bomb from her saddlebag, she moved to light the thing, grinning gleefully. She probably didn’t have a great throwing arm, but that was quite beside the point. She tossed the bomb upwards, allowing their still whirling Ditzy-cannon to grab hold of it and fling it back towards Sparkler and Twilight. The bomb flew through the air, as luck would have it landing atop the hill and rolling neatly to join the pack of stones that Sparkler was using. Posey, now near tears just from the glare from the larger griffon from whose claws she was dangling, started to struggle with all four legs, kicking futilely at Gilda to get away. Gilda responded by shrugging the rest of the net off, then moved both claws to Posey’s head and tossed her upwards. Ditzy, who was now on quite a roll, so to speak, instinctively grabbed hold of the earth pony and flung her as well. “Hey guys wait I really can’t stop spinning now!” Ditzy called out pitifully, suddenly horrified that she had just thrown a living pony at their opponents. Twilight Wish, just coming over the hill’s top again, found herself pummeled now by Posey, cursing loudly as she rolled back down the hill, thumping her head against the same rock that had smacked her before upon reaching the ground. Her scream pierced the air, although by this point it contained far more rage than it did pain. It was to this chaos that Firefly and Surprise arrived, flying over the clearing about fifty feet above the tree tops. The two had been teleported out of Canterlot by Helios, but due to the hurriedness of said teleport they had not arrived precisely above the clearing where he had intended they appear. Finally making their way back towards the ruins, and thus the clearing, the two had come just in time to see their friends get kicked around by the arriving heroes in seemingly no time at all. “We-we have to help them!” Firefly suddenly called out, taking a dive towards the clearing, aiming directly towards Ditzy, who she perceived to be the most martially skilled of the group after seeing her toss Posey like a ragdoll. Surprise only began to cackle, seeming gleeful at the prospect of having a real knock-down drag out fight, at least one that wasn’t tilted too horribly against her like the last one. Unfortunately for her, she lacked any of her usual bludgeoning instruments, and so had to find one quickly. Spotting Sparkler at her pile of rocks, again taking too much time to try to pick out the one she would least miss, she dove in that direction with the intention of grabbing a few stones for herself. There was another surprise however, that Surprise hadn’t counted on. Just as she was drawing towards the pile of rocks, Sparkler picked Blinkie's thrown bomb out from the pile, looking it over curiously for a moment before she very suddenly realized what it was. Her eyes grew suddenly quite large, looking about and trying to decide what to do with it. Panicking, she very quickly attempted to load it into the cupcake cannon, but promptly fumbled it to send it rolling back into the pile. The fuse almost at its end, Sparkler gave up on this idea and instead simply tumbled off the front of the hill to avoid the explosion, throwing aside the cupcake cannon in the process as she fell off the front of the ruin and landed in front of the entrance below. The cannon, as luck would once again have things, slammed right into Twilight Wish’s back as she was attempting once again to climb over the rock wall, sending her sprawling back down with another scream of frustration. Of course, then Blinkie’s bomb finally detonated. The force of the explosion caused the front of the ruin to collapse downward while sending shards of rock and debris upwards and outwards. Twilight, Sparkler, and Posey found themselves buried in the collapsed hillside, bricks and dirt raining down on them as all three attempted to shield themselves with each other. Surprise managed to bank just in time to avoid any serious damage, but the force of the blast still made her spiral uncontrollably into ground between the earth wall that Trixie had made earlier and the heroes themselves. The only one of the enemies that seemed to be having any luck at all was Firefly, who successfully slammed into Ditzy’s back as she attempted to knock the pony out of the air. Still spinning, Ditzy didn’t hit the ground as hard as she might have, but instead glanced across it at an angle and ended up barrel-rolling across the clearing until she slammed into Surprise, who had just barely managed to get back up to her own hooves once again. “Get your hooves off her!” Gilda screamed with a surprising burst of rage upon seeing Ditzy attacked directly, springing into Firefly as the pegasus attempted to angle back up towards the sky. The pegasus was quickly grounded by Gilda, who definitely had the advantage with grappling between her opposable claws and greater size. Firefly was slammed down onto the ground, belly against the dirt with Gilda’s hind knee in her back, both wings grabbed and twisted back at an angle that made Firefly squeal, terrified that Gilda might be about to relieve her of her wings. Gilda would have, in fact, had she not paused briefly to think how little Ditzy would appreciate her tearing the wings off of any pegasus. Instead, Gilda let go of the wings and slammed her fist into the back of Firefly’s head, knocking the pony against the ground, cutting off her scream and her consciousness. “Wait,” Blinkie paused, slowly looking around, stopping just short of lighting another explosive, “Did we really just kick that much flank?” “Yes. Yes we did,” came Inkie’s bland response as she moved to pull Pinkie up to her hooves again. Gilda moved herself over to help Ditzy up, casually shoving Surprise aside, who apparently didn’t feel like standing herself up and getting pummeled again. Ditzy smiled, immediately moving herself to Gilda’s back and hugging against her head, seeming quite happy about being retrieved by the griffon. “Ha!” Trixie cackled out, madly, “Was there ever any doubt? The Great and Powerful Trixie and her fearless minions are unstoppable! Once we rescue the Twilight Sparkle, she will be forever forced to admit that Trixie is the greatest!” “I said stop laughing!” as soon as Pinkie was stood up, she lunged at Trixie, but was still quite off balance so instead tripped over the unconscious Applejack and tumbled to the ground. “NO!” came a voice suddenly from the collapsed hilltop, drawing all eyes back to wall of earth, half-collapsed itself and dotted with stone debris. It was Twilight Wish, pulling herself weakly from the mess, eyes aglow with rage, hooves smoldering against the ground. Her re-emergence wasn’t quite as awesome as it could have been, as she then slid awkwardly down the earth wall, nearly falling flat on her snout before arriving at the base and stumbling several more steps forward. Her mane and tail were mushed, her eyes wide with insanity. “I’m not finished with you yet!” Twilight took a deep breath, body shaking in rage, as her horn glowed. The glow of her horn was matched by a soft glow from the heart shaped amulet that still hung around her neck, the same one she had worn since the very first day when they had taken their captives from Ponyville. “Give up!” cackled Trixie, ignoring Pinkie’s attempted tackle of her in favor of Twilight, “The Twilight Wish can never hope to defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie!” “Well Pinkie said she was evil,” Inkie observed, “I see that she was right.” “Wait what?” Blinkie opened her saddlebag again, just having shut it with the impression that she wouldn’t be needing more explosives, “Isn’t she dead yet? I’ll take care of this.” “She’s probably about to take her final form,” Pinkie claimed, her tone full of venom, “I hate final forms!” “I hate filling out forms too, but what does that have to do with anything?” Ditzy lifted up her head from where she was, still half-curled atop Gilda’s back. “Um, guys,” Gilda moved to stand aside Trixie, “I think maybe it might be pose down time. She’s looking a bit… glowy.” “I hate pose downs!” Pinkie complained from behind Gilda. Somehow in all this mess, no one had rightly noticed Pinkie’s behavior being different since she came to, though that statement did draw a few confused eyes her way. “Shut up!” Twilight demanded, actually spitting with rage, “This is my monologue and I’m going to finish it!” “Oh fine!” Trixie rolled her eyes, “Everypony into position while the Twilight Wish finishes her monologue. Then we shall make her pay for her lack of awesome!” “I’m not finished with you yet!” Twilight Wish repeated herself, the glow from her heart necklace having spread across her entire form by this point as she stumbled forward another step, “You’ll never make it out of here alive! Now cower in fear as I demonstrate my true POWER!” Gilda face-clawed, “This ham-to-ham combat is killing me.” “I think it’s hilarious,” Blinkie grinned, pulling a long explosive charge from her saddlebag, this one in a metal casing with a timer to prime it on one end. Twilight Wish’s body glowed brighter, the amulet around her neck suddenly alight with energy, a dizzyingly bright rainbow snaking out into mid-air. The energy from the release sent a gush of warm air as the beam lashed out, curling about as if initially confused about its target, then darted towards the group of heroes with an almost friendly twinkle of magic. It didn’t look like it was planning to do anything friendly to them, however. “Taste the Rainbow of Light, evil-doers!” Despite her words, Twilight Wish looked almost surprised that the Rainbow was doing what she wanted it to, even when targeting other ponies. “I won’t let you make me fail my Prince again!” Trixie held up her hooves, laughing in glee as she saw Twilight powering up. Her own hooves glowed, the glow spreading from her to each of the other heroes in turn. More to their own surprise than not, each suddenly felt a very real energy flood through them, each of their bodies aglow as they lifted up off of the ground. There was a burst of energy, colors dancing around them spectacularly as if to shield them from the attacking rainbow before… it rapidly collapsed inward, draining away and leaving them to tumble back to the ground. No sooner had their own summoning failed than the energy of the Rainbow of Light showered down upon them, twisting and turning between them with burning power. For a moment it felt like their blood might boil, but the rainbow itself seemed reluctant in its assault, spiraling off for a moment as if to search for some more worthy enemy. The heroes staggered back to their feet, fearing they only had an instant to react before it returned to finish them off. --------------------------------------- Zecora idly poured another pouch of herbs into her brew, going about her own business quite casually. She had not the least inkling that the world outside was in turmoil, and would have probably remained ignorant until her next visit to Ponyville. That was part of being a hermit, after all. The zebra mare had lived here for some time, usually unbothered by the residents outside of the forest. Though many shook in fear at actually living in the Everfree Forest, she had become quite accustomed to its threats and most of them had learned not to bother the potion master during her time here. At this point, she had learned to anticipate anything that might happen, or so she thought. Just as she was reaching for her next ingredient, there was a sudden explosion from the sky over her house, making her pause and look towards her window. She caught the tail end of the light from the explosion, and not one to panic easily she simply walked towards her window, pulling the curtain aside and peering out and up into the air. To her horror, her eyes were met with a huge ball of swirling flame and black energy headed directly towards her home. For a moment, she was so frozen in confusion and shock that she didn’t notice the magical sound of a figure teleporting in behind her. “’Sup,” asked Helios, apparently having decided to pay her a visit after having just tossed the ball of energy at her house to distract Luna. Zecora turned herself around, starting to speak, but then blinking at the realization that an alicorn had just appeared in her home. She found herself incapable of speaking, let alone rhyming about this situation. “Right!” Helios glanced around, “You’re the only one here? Good. Don’t mind me, I’m just rescuing you from… well me, just in case she fails to.” Not even Helios had been able to bring himself to actually smite a random bystander, but Luna thought he had so that was all that mattered. With that, Helios reached out one hoof, placing it squarely on her forehead. His horn glowed with his energy briefly before both he and Zecora teleported away with a flash of light. In the next instant, Zecora found herself tumbling back to the ground in another area of the forest as Helios landed soundly beside her. “What do you mean, saving me from you?” Zecora immediately demanded as she pulled herself back up to her hooves, “Was my home just blown into goo?” “Possibly, but not necessarily,” Helios shook himself off a bit, cracking his neck a few times as if trying to relax, “You know, come to think of it, it would have been a lot more super-villainous of me to tell you that she was attacking your house and that I was saving you. Sorry, I’m still fairly new at this.” “What are you talking about alicorn? Why do you barge in earning much scorn?” Zecora wasn’t showing much fear of the deity that had visited her after having been informed that he may have accidentally destroyed her house. This caught him off guard, as things sometimes did, but also made him chuckle, “Are you doing that on purpose? Wow.” His words were cut off by the piercing sound of an explosion nearby, which made Zecora jump, but Helios just sort of arched his eyebrow as if he wasn’t particularly surprised. “-hold that thought,” Helios spoke once the explosion had died off, “I think my minions might need my assistance. Anyway I’m sure you can find your way home from here!” And with that, Zecora was left with her mouth half-open, watching the strange alicorn abandon her in some random part of the Everfree Forest. She could probably find her way home from here, granted, but should she really do so without investigating first? Everything had happened so suddenly, that for a moment she found herself stuck where she was with nought but a stunned look on her face. ------------------------------------ For just a moment, Twilight Wish felt what it was like to be truly mad with power. She watched the energy from the Rainbow of Light lash through her enemies, heedless of her allies Surprise, Applejack, and Firefly who were all near enough to feel the energy themselves. So into the rush of the moment was she, that she didn’t even notice when said three allies glowed with Helios’ magical aura. Her three limp allies disappeared in a flash, one at a time as each was teleported away from the chaos. They were followed by the others that were out of the way, but equally incapacitated. The heroes attempted to rise to their feet only to see Helios stepping up aside Twilight Wish, who was still oblivious to his even being present. There was no time to even process this information as the energy from the Rainbow slammed into them again, jolts of power running through each of their forms. One by one, each fell to the ground, shivering in pain. Trixie was the last to crumple, bravely getting off one last shot with her magic, a bolt of energy that whizzed across the clearing and sailed past Helios’ head as he casually leaned to one side. Twilight Wish drew a deep breath, her hooves landing back on the ground as her form seemed to suddenly lose its energy. She took a deep breath, and a brief moment of horror flashed over her eyes as she looked upon the near smoldering forms of her enemies collapsing to the ground. Her horn glowed, power rushing across the clearing before her, and the rainbow was drawn back into the locket, which snapped tightly shut behind it. For a moment it was as if all sound had been sucked out of the world around them, a deathly quiet falling upon the clearing. “I don’t know if I should be impressed or give you a spanking,” Helios was the first to break the silence, reaching out a hoof to catch Twilight Wish as she collapsed to once side, “Got them all, then?” “Y-yes,” Twilight stammered out, “All dead…” The pony’s glossy eyes forced themselves away from the smoldering, still forms laying across the clearing from them, then upwards to her master. “Well then,” Helios nodded, sounding quite happy about the situation, “Let’s hope your allies aren’t all dead too, because I’m not joking about the spanking thing if any of them are.” Helios’ horn glowed, his energy reaching out to grab hold of the explosive that was still in Blinkie’s limp hoof, bringing it over towards him. He then looked down to Twilight, still looking up at him, and blinked slowly at the expression of utter shock and dismay in her eyes. There was another long moment of silence between them before Helios turned back away from her and began to avoid her gaze. “Just a little while longer, I promise,” Helios stated, quieter than usual. With that, his horn glowed as he, Twilight, and the explosive all disappeared, teleporting down into the underground ruins to the location of the portal. Zecora arrived over the hill just in time to witness the disappearance of the alicorn and his minion, her eyes looking over the damaged area and immediately falling on the limp forms across the way from her. Gasping, she galloped across the clearing, leaning down to them. She didn’t recognize most of them, but she certainly knew Pinkie Pie, immediately moving over to her and leaning down, nosing at her prone body. Much to her surprise, Pinkie spoke, immediately accusing her, “Stop shaking me you evil enchantress! You’re just here to laugh at me while I can’t move! Aren’t you?” Zecora blinked, not certain if Pinkie was joking or was missing more of her marbles than usual, “What on Equestria are you talking about, Pinkie Pie? I thought for sure I’d just seen you all die!” “It seems not,” Inkie’s voice was next in line, “It appears that she drew back the energy just short of finishing us, and paralyzed us instead. I think she may have actually saved us from being killed by Helios just now.” “Talk about mixed signals!” Ditzy managed to get out, flopped on her back at an odd angle atop Gilda. Gilda groaned herself, wings bent at an awfully uncomfortable-looking angle, “Oh yeah. And paralyzing us in a forest full of monsters that would as soon eat as look at us is soooo much better.” “I like her,” Blinkie had to grin with the tone of her voice, since her face was rather limp, “I DON’T like him anymore though, he took my ‘splodie.” Trixie didn’t have anything to say. She was just staring angrily at the ground, completely humiliated by her present situation; beaten up by a rainbow of all things. Zecora was still confused, but certainly felt for their situation. She opened up her cloak, lined with small pouches along the inside. One hoof moved to unhitch one of said pouches, allowing a small amount of bluish-colored dust to gather on her hoof. Raising the hoof in the air, she blew the dust across the group, which swirled in a glowing mist about them for a few moments. “This dust will make your movements return,” the zebra explained, “Then what has happened, I will wish to learn.” “I still can’t move! This isn’t funny!” Pinkie Pie shouted impatiently, making Zecora peer at her with suspicion, as if the zebra wasn’t certain that it was really Pinkie. “It probably takes some time.” Inkie observed. “Trixie does not find this amusing,” Trixie finally spoke up, barely able to twitch her head over to take a look at her rescuer, “If Trixie did not feel so numb, she would outline the full details of her amazing plan for vengeance.” There wasn’t much more time for words as there was a dull rumbling from beneath the ground, making them all go silent again. The ground suddenly lurched, a huge dust cloud forming as the clearing sank nearly two stories in depth, and it seemed the heroes would be doomed to swallowing by the earth as the ground sank, possibly to be covered by debris in their still somewhat immobile state. However, they found themselves not falling at all, a soft glow surrounding the group as the ground fell out from beneath them. Even Zecora found herself surrounded by the deep purple glow of somepony’s telekinesis magic. It wasn’t long before the group realized who had them, their forms slowly pulled towards the edge of the newly formed crater to settle back on the ground. Princess Luna stood on the edge of the newly-formed sinkhole, looking as if she was barely able to keep herself standing. Yet she still managed to weakly pull the forms of the still recovering heroes over to the edge with her, settling them down on the ground, shortly before collapsing herself. Zecora leaned down into a bow as soon as her hooves were placed back on the ground, but was up on her hooves almost immediately to rush over to catch the Princess as she finally collapsed under the weight of her own exhaustion. There was certainly a lot to be explained now. “Princess Luna, are you all right?” Zecora helped the princess fall down in a manner that was at least somewhat dignified, allowing her to rest, “What has made you such a sight?” “Canterlot,” Luna managed to huff out quietly, barely able to speak, “Thou must take us all back to Canterlot.” And with that, the Princess closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and seeming to resolve herself to resting. The heroes were meanwhile rising on their own, the cure slowly taking its effect on them. There was a long moment wherein they all exchanged glances, then all eyes went to Luna once again. “So it seems we are going to Canterlot,” Inkie calmly stated. “Is that a good idea?” Blinkie wasn’t sure if anypony knew about her shoving a stick of dynamite down Princess Celestia’s throat, after all, "Anyway, someone at least see if we can find Pinkie's canon. I think it might be useful later." “In Canterlot, the Great and Powerful Trixie will finally be received as a hero,” Trixie’s eyes practically glowed with the visions in her head. “Wouldn’t we have had to do something was actually heroic for that to happen?” Gilda pointed out. “It feels weird though,” Ditzy commented, floating back into the air and beginning her trademark air rolling once again, “Like something is missing.” “It’s like someone’s writing a story about us and forgot the cliffhanger,” Pinkie Pie snapped angrily at Ditzy. “I hate cliffhangers!”
blayzekohime	706	13	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-02-22T19:11:49+00:00	2012-02-22T19:11:49+00:00	7,737	At first, the trip home for the heroes seemed as if it were going to be alarmingly uneventful. It seemed that much of the excitement had happened while they were in transit from Helios’ world and there was more than one offer by Trixie to teleport them back- although these offers were not-so-tactfully refused. Luna was apparently in no shape to teleport them all either, though she was at least walking by the time they were outside of the forest. Once out in the moonlight, she started to look much more healthy. Fortunately Zecora knew her way around the forest well enough to find the safest way out, and once out of the forest the group headed along its border towards Ponyville, the familiar town being the closest settlement. Not to mention, with what had happened over the last few days there would almost certainly be guards there that could help them. How those guards might react to their arrival was another thing entirely. “I’m not worried,” Blinkie muttered as Ponyville came into view, smoke still rising from the disaster area that they had created on their last visit, “Who actually saw us there? I mean there were those guards but… really, after that explosion?” “Awww…” Ditzy fluttered lazily above the group, frowning at the thought of guards having been fried, even if such a thing would be to the group’s advantage. “No,” Inkie shook her head, “I believe the Princess would have saved them, but it should not be an issue since we have Princess Luna to vouch for us.” “We are not even sure for what we shall be vouching,” Luna spoke as she peered over at the group, having taken to slowly walking with them. Apparently she was still too worn to fly herself, both physically and emotionally. Even without being out of sorts from her rather violent sibling reunion earlier, she appeared to barely comprehend most of their conversations, petty and argumentative as they had tended to be since the confrontation in the forest. “I do not know what they mean,” Zecora observed, clearly worried as well, “but it does not sound legal- or clean.” She moved herself slowly over towards Luna, placing herself at the side of the Princess in case she was needed, and keeping herself and the Princess a few paces distance from the rest of the group. “It’s a long story,” Gilda shook her head towards Zecora and Luna, “We over-reacted a bit- well, a lot… Let’s just leave it at that; I’m sure you’ll hear all about it at the trial.” “Trixie would not worry if she were you,” Trixie spoke as she put her nose in the air, “Surely they will realize that we are the only ones capable of saving the world. In exchange for doing so, we shall obviously receive a full pardon, not to mention a huge celebration in our honor.” “I hate saving the world!” Pinkie grumbled, staying near the back of the group and periodically needing the coaxing of her sisters to continue. “It’s no use booing-” Zecora began, but her statement was quickly cut off. Two figures swooped down from the sky, exiting a dark cloud as if appearing from nowhere. They moved so quickly that it was hard to even identify them as pegasi at first, one figure slamming hard into Zecora with his side, sending her literally flying into the others as if she were a large, striped bowling ball. The second figure landed with a heavy thump next to the first, the very impact seeming to bristle with energy that pushed outward against the group. “-What are you doing?” Zecora blurted out, no small amount of surprise and fear in her voice as she slammed directly into Gilda, who in turn collided with all three Pie sisters. Trixie, for her part, was far enough in front that she was able to hop forward and out of the way of the tumbling zebra, turning about to face the assailants. She looked at first as if she would be ready to attack, but almost immediately her horn glow fizzled out as she realized that they weren’t actually under attack, rolling her eyes instead. It was, in fact, Luna’s two night guards, who had apparently mistook the group for villains. Though to their credit, this was not a far cry from the truth. “Trixie sees you have found us,” Trixie crowed sarcastically, “There is no need to fret; the Great and Powerful Trixie, and her obedient minions, have already rescued Her Nocturnal Majesty.” “That was rude!” Ditzy swooped down from her own spot, trying to help the others up, starting with Gilda since she had landed more or less on top. “Oh I am so gonna end you!” Gilda roared out as she was rescued from the heap, though she paused when she realized exactly who the strange bat-pegasi were. “Well that was fun,” Inkie spoke as she slowly rose back to her hooves. “Now would be a very good time for that royal vouch.” Blinkie only grunted, staying on the ground for a moment, apparently having given up on much going right at this point, and it didn’t help that she was clearly not going to be allowed to blow up their attackers. She did give a slight smirk when Pinkie stuck her tongue out at the guards from underneath her, however. “Be still!” came the booming voice of Luna from behind the guards, causing them to immediately startle with realization. Luna continued, “These citizens must be taken to the castle with us, for they may possess a power that we need.” “So we’re not getting arrested?” Blinkie slowly pulled herself back up, shaking the dust off of herself. “I know, right?” Gilda shrugged, “I keep expecting something to go wrong again.” ------------------------------------------------------------ Once the pegasi guards had found them, getting to the palace was a simple matter. A chariot was fetched from Ponyville, and the group was ferried quickly back to the castle without further incident. Zecora was asked to head to Ponyville and help, which she was more than happy to do as the group and the sudden ambush had left her more than a bit disheveled. By the time the chariot arrived over Canterlot, everypony could see that the city was on high alert. The streets and skies surrounding the city were filled with patrols, looking as if every guard had been called to duty at once. The streets were empty of civilians, even considering the late hour, most of them having been herded to their homes or other places of safety. The chariot containing Luna and the heroes was immediately and without question escorted towards the castle upon arrival, and by the time they landed, Luna looked far more comfortable with how things were going. Likewise, the others were feeling stronger, if a bit achy from their recent run-in with the corrupted Rainbow of Light. “We must waste no time,” Luna spoke to one of her honor guard as they approached the throne room, “Thou shalt take a battalion back to Ponyville, and have the zebra show thee the safest way through the forest to the crater. Excavate the area until the portal mechanism there hidden is uncovered.” “An entire battalion, my Princess?” the night guard ear-perked up, blinking as if the request was not one he expected to be given. He would obviously have rather been given a duty involving the guarding of the city, or his princess. “Indeed, thou art correct. Perhaps thou shouldst take two battalions,” Luna responded, not entirely catching the direction of his question. She cut him off before he could speak again, “Thou hast until the morn. Do not disappoint us.” The two stallions that served as her honor guard gave a deep bow. Not questioning further, they took off towards the barracks. The group behind Luna watched these actions quietly in the meanwhile, none of them entirely certain what to think of the events she appeared to be setting in motion. They then followed her once again as she began towards the throne room, unsure of what else to do. At least the guards would leave them unquestioned if they were accompanied by the princess. “Did you see the state the cathedral was in when we passed it?” Blinkie finally couldn’t hold herself in, “I wonder what kind of bomb was used; I hope I don’t have any competition.” “Competition for what?” Gilda quirked an eyebrow, peering over at Blinkie. “Most terrifyingly insane?” “No,” Inkie calmly asserted, “That damage was not caused by an explosion. It looked more like physical trauma." “The Great and Powerful Trixie detected magical energy as well,” Trixie started to sound herself again, and had to pipe in to make sure everypony knew that she did, in fact, recognize magic, “If only Trixie had been available during the battle, perhaps she would have saved Her Majesty’s abode.” “Maybe it was a temporal explosion!” Ditzy stated, almost happily, but then added more sadly, “I hope nopony was hurt.” “Our brother Helios attacked the castle,” Luna spoke back towards them, her booming voice making them all jump back to watching her, “and some secondary damage occurred.” “Secondary damage,” Gilda peered back over her shoulder, seeing the roof of the cathedral sag a bit more in the distance, then turning back and changing the subject. She waved her head towards Pinkie, “So what’s with her?” Indeed, Pinkie was walking silently behind her, a sullen, angry look on her face as her eyes shifted between each individual who spoke. She did not even respond to Gilda’s statement other than to give her a particularly hateful glare. “I know!” Ditzy looked sad again, “I tried making silly faces at her too, and even offered to make her muffins later, but nothing worked!” “Pinkie?” Inkie seemed concerned too, waving a hoof near Pinkie and not receiving a response. “Worry not over her condition,” Luna sounded back to them again. Even now, her voice made them jump, “For it is temporary, and shalt be rectified before the morn. It is then that you shall set out for the portal once more; for the fate of Equestria now lies within your hooves.” “Equestria’s doomed,” Gilda murmured. “We’ll make sure it goes out with a bang then!” Blinkie seemed only encouraged by the ominous prediction. “Behold, our nation may be less doomed than thou dost imagine, for-“ Luna began to speak, but cut herself off as soon as she opened the door to the throne room. “And who, pray tell, gavest thou permission to sit upon the royal throne?” If her normal voice was loud, this was ear-shattering, all following her pressing hooves or claws against their ears. Prince Blueblood was sitting quite casually in the royal throne, appearing to be reading some official documents, though when he set them aside there was a brief glimpse of a fashion magazine bundled between the important looking papers. These objects, as well as the martini that he had sitting on the side rest of the throne, were floated towards a small table to the side with his magic before he rose. He was obviously a bit startled by the yell but kept his demeanor. “Auntie!” Prince Blueblood gave a very formal bow, then moved away from the throne, “I was just keeping it warm for you, obviously. I forgot how loud you could be.” His glance moved to the silent group of heroes behind Luna, “Ah, I take it this is the Plan B team?” “We believed thee to still be in Ponyville, thou shouldst be out watching over our soldiers.” Luna calmed herself fairly quickly, perhaps only because it would not be conducive to their collective goals to be angry at him, but she was still certainly letting him know with her tone who was his better. “Please, your Majesty,” Prince Blueblood’s tone did gain a certain amount of respect as well, perhaps not wanting to push his luck, “I think it would be better if I stayed here to help you; after all, at this rate I’ll be the one raising the sun tomorrow.” “We are quite capable of that, as are others within the city, some of whom thou trained thyself. Thou shouldst have faith in them,” Luna responded, “However, your wish to aid us is fair. Wait aside and we shall speak shortly.” Prince Blueblood nodded again, trotting calmly to one side and having a seat, eyeing the group with silent conceit as he waited. His eyes focused briefly on Trixie, who cleared her throat and shifted the tilt of her head to hide a blush behind the larger Gilda. “Citizens!” Luna turned to the group, holding up one hoof. “We regret that there is little time to explain. Suffice to say, thou must rest before the morrow, wenst thou shalt become our arm in our brother’s world. We are not be strong enough to challenge him, there in his own world.” The expressions on most of the teammates gave a very clear and confused ‘And we will be?’ at Luna’s assertion, but no one dared question her. Guards were called in, and each of the individuals was led to a room of their own. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gilda curled up on the bed, trying to rest. Her whole body ached thanks to days of hiking, fighting, and running around, and as comfortable as the royal suites tended to be, it was impossible to find a restful position in which to lay. Her mind was flooded with so many confusing thoughts, not to mention being particularly un-thrilled about her inclusion in a squad of super-hero ponies. Her dreadful thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. The griffon groaned, rolling her eyes as she dragged herself off of the bed and moved slowly to the door. Opening it up, she was surprised to see Ditzy standing there, smiling gently. “Ditz’?” Gilda seemed confused, “What are you doing here?” “I came to see my favorite birdie-lion!” Ditzy smiled, “I had a cupcake, but I accidentally smoosh’ied it falling down the stairs on the way here. Sorry!” “… our rooms are right next to each other.” Gilda pointed out, her voice deadpan. “Really?” Ditzy looked down the hall as if to confirm this, then tilted her head and scratched it with one hoof, “I wonder what went wrong!” “It doesn’t matter,” Gilda stated, trying her hardest not to roll her eyes. She paused, then took a deep breath before beginning, “Ditz’, you know I-“ “Greetings citizens!” Luna’s voice ruined any chance they had of having a moment, the Princess moving up behind Ditzy, “Thou shouldst be gaining thy rest.” Her voice certainly wasn’t aiding in that. “I was just saying goodnight to my nice friend Gilda!” Ditzy stated, almost happily, one wing flapping a few times and causing her to suddenly lean over and bump into the frame of Gilda’s door. “Yeah it’s cool, I don’t mind her being here,” Gilda tried to be casual. “Maybe I could sleep in your room so we could cuddle!” Ditzy’s statement was clearly one of the most precious innocence, but it still made Gilda’s eyes widen. “Ah, uh…” Gilda stammered. Luna looked back and forth between them, gears in her head appearing to be turning as she was momentarily quiet. “I won’t keep you up!” Ditzy assured, “It’s just you’re really nice to me so…” “It is a good to see ponies and griffons getting along so well; clearly you are truly kind, fair Gilda, to have the respect of such a nice young mare.” Luna observed, looking at Gilda expectantly. “I uh…” Gilda stammered again, looking even more self-conscious. “Yep, she’s the nicest griffon ever! All the other ponies like her too ‘cause she’s so nice to them!” Ditzy seemed almost proud, “She was at a party once in Ponyville, too; I wish I could have gone!” “Indeed, for she is the very essence of affection!” Luna seemed almost purposefully to be digging it deep. “Ditzy…” Gilda began, quietly. “Yep! And she-” Ditzy started to continue. “Ditzy!” Gilda cut her off this time, breathing heavily as if suddenly even more exhausted, “Please… “ “Is there something thou wishest to share with us, fair Gilda?” Luna looked at her without the least change in demeanor. “I’m not a nice griffon, Ditzy. Me being nice to you is the exception not the rule,” Gilda huffed, “’Fact is, I crashed that party pretty bad, even though it’d been thrown for me… all because I was jealous that Rainbow Dash might like Pinkie Pie more. About all I did during that visit was make ponies cry, take their stuff, or insult them. Ditzy… I’m sorry, but I don’t deserve you.” Ditzy quirked her ears, then shook her head and gave Gilda a brief hug, “But you’re nice now!” “Maybe,” Gilda offered, her voice uncertain. “I think maybe you’re just too nice to notice how much of a jerk I am.” “We are impressed, fair Gilda.” Luna spoke, and without further explanation turned to head back down the hall way. ---------------------------------------------------------- As much as Ditzy wanted someone to cuddle with, Gilda had insisted that she return to her own room, so she had eventually relented and been on her way. She had been heading back to her room for some time before she realized that she had somehow ended up in the wrong part of the castle, all alone in one of the ballrooms. She turned about, sitting on her haunches as she turned back and forth to see if she could determine the way back. It must have been a few more minutes still before somepony else noticed her. “Oh, it’s you,” a deep voice jumped from the darkness, before the form of Prince Blueblood stepped out of the shadows. “It sure is!” Ditzy promptly ignored the dismissive tone as if not even noticing it, “I got lost on the way back to my room; I was visiting Gilda!” Prince Blueblood peered as if not quite believing her, “We placed your rooms next door to each other, if memory serves.” “I know! It’s crazy!” Ditzy nodded in agreement, “This palace is really easy to get lost in!” Prince Blueblood blinked down, and she blinked right up at him in return. A few exchanged blinks later, he took a deep breath, shaking his head. “Maybe if you’re an idiot, it is,” he huffed. Ditzy blinked, her smile fading just slightly, “Well it was because…” However, her words were cut short, “No, it was because you are completely incompetent. I mean, if you were laughter, I might dismiss this as you trying to make me laugh, but you’re not, and if you were you would be doing terribly at that anyway since I’m not laughing.” Ditzy’s eyes glistened slightly as she stared up at him, but he didn’t stop. Blueblood seemed unaffected, “The fact is, your foolishness is an outright danger to the mission, and I intend to make a case to Princess Luna asking your exclusion. Even if it means being an Element short, not having such an absurd excuse for a hero amongst them would still be an advantage.” Even as tears rolled down Ditzy’s face, he continued, turning his nose up, “I mean just look at you! Bubbles for a cutie mark? What does that even mean? Is it a symbol for stupidity?” He started to continue, but his words were completely cut off. Not by Ditzy crying, running away, or getting angry, but by her reaching out and leaning forward to hug him with both forelegs. “I’m so sorry,” Ditzy sniffled, “You must feel really bad to want to say stuff like that; I really hope you can find something that makes you happy.” Blueblood blinked slowly, looking stunned, trying to decide if she was trying to insult him creatively or if she was serious. She appeared to be quite serious as she looked up at him. “There’s nothing I can do?” she asked, reaching a hoof up as if ready to wipe a tear away should one appear, even if none did. “You need somepony to talk to? Even if it’s angry talk, I’m here for anypony.” “It’s…” Blueblood’s eyes opened widely, stunned, “Not something I can… well…” he hmph’ed, “So she was right about you, then.” And with that, the Prince gently pushed Ditzy away, turning to take his leave of her. On his way out of the ballroom, he waved a hoof to a nearby passing guard, instructing them to escort the pegasus safely back to her room- and see that she did not wander off again. ---------------------------------------------------- Pinkie Pie lay on the bed in the dark chambers to which she had been taken, or rather dragged kicking and screaming as she shouted about hating royal suites. The room was presently in shambles: the sheets were torn from the bed, candles and decorations were torn from the walls and thrown onto the floor, and the door was cracked from having been repeatedly bucked at as she tried to get out. Eventually having given up on her rage, the dejected party pony had collapsed onto her back on the floor, immobile and feeling very little like a party pony. Perhaps Luna had only been waiting for her to let off some steam, or perhaps she had stopped to speak with Blueblood on the way, because it was not long after the noises ceased that the locks on the door began to unfasten with the dark glow of her magic. The door swung open, and in stepped the royal figure of Princess Luna, followed shortly by Prince Blueblood. “Pinkamena Diane Pie. It is time.” Princess Luna’s voice boomed, walking towards the pink pony on the floor as her magic shut the door behind them. Pinkie did not answer, dragging blankets from the nearby bed to cover her head as if purposefully ignoring them. Prince Blueblood moved to stare down at her as well, looking as if he felt somewhat silly, even rolling his eyes slightly, “All right, I promised I’d try not to enjoy this.” “Silence nephew; it is the only way!” Luna seemed dead serious, approaching Pinkie slowly from one side. Just as she was going to reach out for the pink pony, Pinkie Pie darted towards the door with surprising speed. It wasn’t surprising enough to break the telekinetic grasp of two royal ponies, however, and the escaping, dull-pink figure quickly rose from the floor and left running in midair. “Why does this keep happening?!” shouted Pinkie, clearly enraged once again at her sulking being interrupted. “Hold! It is for thine own good!” Luna said with the most serious of tones, moving back to Pinkie’s side as Blueblood took up the other side with a slight chuckle breaking through his normal manner. Turning Pinkie about in mid-air so that she was briefly upside down, Luna pushed her back onto the floor with her telekinesis. Pinkie gasped as Luna’s hoof went up into the air and suddenly came down onto the pink pony to… tickle her. “Come nephew, aid us!” Luna commanded towards Blueblood. Blueblood shook his head, but followed the orders given him, “I suppose I asked for this when I offered to help.” Both Luna and Blueblood were soon using both of their forehooves to tickle over Pinkie, under her and down her belly and around her neck. Pinkie tried very hard to resist the torture, and for a while looked as if she would stay angry, struggling and yelling things far from suited for the ears of royal ponies. That ended when Luna’s magic grasped a pillow from the bed, bringing it over and shredding it apart so savagely that feathers went everywhere. “Behold nephew! I hath devised a new strategy!” Blueblood chuckled, “Okay, I guess I am enjoying this after all. Better than the last one at least; by Faust that was depressing.” And with that, each of the royal ponies took hold of a dozen or more feathers, and Pinkie was surrounded by a tickling mass of them. Within seconds, the pony went from angry to bursting out in laughter, kicking her legs about frantically, nearly hoofing the two other ponies in the head numerous times. This went on for several minutes, unyielding, not stopping until they were certain that they had succeeded. Soon, Pinkie’s coat shined bright pink, returned suddenly to its normal shade as tears of laughter ran down her cheeks. The resultant glowing flash nearly blinded the two tickling her to the point that they temporarily lost their grip and she was allowed to crawl back towards the bed. However, once there, she only fell onto the mattress and giggled more. “That was hilarious!” Pinkie laughed, pointing at the royal duo in her room, “I almost went gray again and trashed the room!” “Huzzah! We are victorious!” Luna raised a hoof as if in victory, then added more calmly after a brief pause and glance about the room, “We shall fetch a maid.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blinkie sat on her room’s balcony and angrily stared at the dark sky, the forms of patrolling pegasi passing overhead from time to time. Unlike her sister, her mood was pretty much on par for her, not something that she was going to give up. From the noise next door, which was also what drove her to find refuge on the balcony, she guessed that Pinkie was back to her old self, though she wasn’t certain if it was a relief to her or not. Her ears twitched as she heard hoofsteps against the stone path below her, looking down into the courtyard. A dark figure was speaking to one of the night-guard, not being overly loud though their voice still carried through the still, night air. “We don’t exactly have explosives on hand for this sort of thing, and some of the ruin walls are enchanted specifically to ward off magic. It’s becoming quite a task,” the night guard was informing the dark figure. “What about the visitors?” the figure replied in a deep, unfamiliar voice, “Aren’t some of them rock miners? Maybe they have a store of them.” “What? No, I’m afraid not,” the guard replied, “One of them is an explosive expert, but they aren’t technically allowed to sell them.” “But they’ve been seen with them, yes?” the figure asked, waiting for a moment as the guard nodded in response, “Then go to them and offer them any money that we can afford under the table, for the explosives we need.” “I’m afraid we don’t have any money for that sort of thing, especially with the repairs that need done,” the guard replied thoughtfully. “So we’ll dig into gala funds or raise a few taxes, just make it happen.” “Don’t bother,” Blinkie called down, causing them both to freeze. “Pardon?” the guard asked. “Ah,” the figure replied, “We did not know you were awake. What was that?” “Don’t bother digging into funds, come on up and I’ll give you directions to my store, there’s more than enough there and you can take all you need,” replied Blinkie, “I don’t need payment, you can have what you need now and in the future. Not breaking any laws if I’m not selling after all.” She sounded almost bitter. “Thank you,” the figure stated, giving her a nod, “You heard her.” The figure nodded to the guard, who flapped his wings to head up to the balcony. Blinkie nodded to the guard as he arrived before her, sighing slightly, then turned back to regard the figure again, only to find it had vanished as if into smoke and was now gone. ------------------------------------------ Inkie smiled quietly to herself, slowly beginning to doze off to sleep. She also had heard Pinkie’s laughter, and was relaxed in the knowledge that her sister was back to her old self. She too however, was not going to be allowed to sleep quite yet. A knock on the door brought her back to full wakefulness again, and the mare rolled out of bed and calmly trotted over towards the door. When she opened it, she regarded an unfamiliar stallion on the other side of the doorway. It was hard to get a good look at him in the dimly lit hallway, but he appeared to be of dark blue complexion, dark eyes, and a mining pick for a cutie mark on his visible flank. On his collar she noticed the symbol of the Equestrian Excavations Board. “Hello.” Inkie’s voice sounded calm as ever, not betraying her confusion. “Miss Inkamena Pie, I’m glad I caught you,” the stallion nodded, not showing himself in. “I’m Diggy Gem, from the Equestrian Excavations Board. I hope you don’t mind me bothering you here in the midst of all this, but it is rather convenient; you see, it’s about your resume.” “I sent that in months back,” Inkie replied calmly, “What’s this?” “Oh yes,” Diggy replied, “Well it got lost in the paperwork, suffice to say you are perfect for a new project up north, so we wanted to make plans with you now.” “And my sister Blinkie?” Inkie asked. “Well,” the stallion seemed somewhat more reserved, “I’m afraid she is not allowed to practice, so we can’t accept her; I’m sure you understand.” “I don’t work unless she works,” Inkie asserted calmly once again. “This job pays a great deal of money, Miss Pie, enough for you to send some back to her if you wish,” he explained, “In fact, we could leave right now if you wanted.” “This isn’t about money,” Inkie cut off further words from him with sternness that was unusual for her, “I don’t care if I am never able to get a job because of it, I do not work without Blinkie being able to work. And I will certainly not leave Canterlot when I am needed by the others here, against Helios.” “Now Miss Pie, be realistic,” Diggy kindly suggested, “The real Element holders are gone, another group isn’t going to be wielding them any time soon, and how is living under another alicorn’s rule going to differ significantly anyway? It would be better for you, safer for your family, and more profitable in general if you…” “No.” Inkie cut him off again, and he found the door slamming hard in his face. So hard that the door stop came slightly loose from the impact. Inkie left back to bed, not giving it another thought and suffering no regret for her decision. As for Diggy, he only smiled, fading back into starry mist that disappeared down the hallway. ----------------------------------------------- Of all the team, Trixie was having the hardest time getting to sleep. Not because of worry or outside distractions however, but because her own imagination was running wild. She couldn’t stop the vision of herself being greeted in Canterlot, victorious after a long journey to the other world, showered in gifts and given a place of honor among Canterlot’s elite. She even envisioned Twilight Sparkle bowing before her, thanking her for being rescued and admitting that she was her superior. That bit in particular really made her smile. Yet as she continued, her visions began to bother her for a reason that she could not pinpoint. It was strange; she had always enjoyed her fantasies before, and now there was reason for them to come all the clearer. It was at that point that her visions were completely broken by a brief knock on her door. There was no delay or waiting for her to open it before it opened itself, the large form of Prince Blueblood strolling into her room with his typical smug look on his face. “Ah, the Great and Powerful Trixie. Settling in?” he smirked, moving to stand at the edge of her bed and idly poking a hoof at the piece of enchanted chain that was laying on her dresser; apparently Trixie had carried the piece all the way from the magical ruin. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has already settled in,” Trixie not too subtly hinted that he was disturbing her, but decided not to push it, “Is she needed by his Majesty?” She tried very hard not to blush, not having anyone to hide behind this time. “Oh don’t worry,” smiled Blueblood, “I’ll let you rest, but I just wanted to let you know that I’ve taken care of things; spoken to Princess Luna and all.” “Taken… care of things?” Trixie didn’t want to admit that she didn’t understand, but all the same. “Of course,” continued Blueblood, “You don’t need those ruffians getting in your way; you’re clearly a superior specimen. So they shall be sent home tomorrow, while you will lead our best warriors and mages into the portal to take care of this… Helios. It’s better this way.” Trixie was silent for a moment, then spoke up again, less sure, “Trixie does not understand how that is better.” “Well you will get all the credit you deserve, after all!” Blueblood nodded, “I’m sure you’d rather be on your own stained glass window than have it crowded with other ponies, yes?” “No,” Trixie replied, after a certain pause and somewhat quietly. “I beg your pardon?” “Trixie does not wish to take credit on her own,” Trixie replied, more clearly, “She would not have been able to get so far without the help of her companions, and she refuses to take credit at all if her friends do not also receive their due.” “Really?” Blueblood hmm’ed, “Well you’ve mentioned your rival, so I figured it would be more impressive if…” “Trixie thanks his Majesty for his thoughts,” Trixie shook her head, “But Trixie’s friends are more important to her now than ‘being impressive’ to her rival.” Blueblood smirked again, temporarily slipping into a Trixie accent from exposure, “Very well, Prince Blueblood will let Her Majesty know.” And with that, he left Trixie to herself, allowing her to get some sleep and to think about what she had done. Once outside, a familiar starry mist approached him in the hall, solidifying into Luna before him. She raised her head to look squarely into his eyes as he closed the door behind him. “And?” the Princess asked. “You were right,” Blueblood replied, “It seems that every one of them has passed the tests you devised; you’re pretty good at this, Auntie.” “Then tomorrow shalt be their true test.” -------------------------------------- Far away from Canterlot, Spike sat still in his cage, staring at his hands and sighing to himself. He hadn’t been treated poorly since his arrival, at least once he was extracted from the grips of his captors. The ponies that were now taking care of him weren’t even all that bad; they were in fact quite kind to him, and seemed to be in good spirits despite the obviously poor conditions of their homes in Undervale. They spoke of Helios with reverence and respect, just as the ponies he knew back home spoke of Celestia, and Spike had not bothered to try to contradict them. He kept hoping that he would catch a glimpse of Twilight or the others, but he hadn’t since he was dragged out of Twilight’s cell. He knew that they were holding him far away from the others so that they wouldn’t try anything funny. He could only assume that they hadn’t escaped, as he imagined he would not be nearly so comfortable if that were the case. At the very least there was no shortage of food here for him. Gems were not high on the list of priorities for most of the these ponies, so he was freely given of the nearby gem deposits so that he wouldn’t deplete their own food supplies. This didn’t help as much as it should have, because every time he stared into a gem he thought of Rarity and how miserable she must be in her filthy conditions, and that led to thoughts of Twilight being forced to work for fear of their hurting him. He had started to think all of this was partially his fault. “Oh, hi there,” a somewhat grating voice from the edge of his cage spoke up, prying him from his depressed thoughts, and Spike blinked as he looked up. Outside of his cage was, of all things, a baby dragon. It might have been slightly older than Spike, or perhaps just very slightly greedier, as it was just a bit larger than he was. The dragon was covered in pinkish scales, lighter scales down his chest, and dark green frill down his back in a similar pattern to Spike’s own. The dragon’s purple eyes blinked at Spike from the other side of the bars. “Oh uh… hello?” Spike stammered, rising to his feet and heading towards the bars, “Uh… “ “Um, hi…” the other dragon looked slowly back and forth, “Hey do you mind if we talk for a bit?” Spike flinched slightly, “Dude, your voice is grating.” “What?” “Nothin’, it’s not important,” Spike shifty-eyed slightly, backtracking as he did not want to offend a potential friend, “So a dragon living with ponies? Guess we got somethin’ in common right? What’s your name? I’m Spike.” “Oh uh,” the other dragon looked almost unsure if he should answer, “I’m Spike…” “Really?” Spike, the purple Spike, blinked at that, “Well I’m gonna call you Pink then, because calling you Spike is gonna’ be way more creepy than I can handle right now.” “Oh uh, okay,” the pink dragon consented easily enough, “I was just wondering… you were with the evil ponies, right?” “Evil ponies?” Spike asked, then shook his head, having overheard enough to know that Pink was talking about his friends, “Look dude, we’re not evil. We would have come and helped if you’d just asked; it’s what we do. Instead we were knocked out, beaten up, threatened, and my friends are being forced to work in fear that I’ll be killed if they don’t. Who’s evil?” Spike was surprised at how easily the pink version of himself agreed, “I know…” Pink even sniffled slightly, “My friends weren’t always like this… it’s… it’s Him. He affects them somehow, and I don’t know why. I want to help him, ‘cause he can save us all, but… I don’t like how he’s saving us. I want my friends back… I want to feel like a good guy again…” It was at this point that Spike noticed what the pink dragon was holding in both his hands. It was a key, tightly clasped as if afraid of being seen with it. Spike didn’t have to ask; his eyes made the question for him as they locked onto it. The pink Spike sighed, “Promise me that your friends will come back after you rescue them, and help us? Promise that you’ll bring us to your world so we can live like we used to again?” “I promise,” Spike nodded, “Absolutely, you can count on me!” Very reluctantly, the pink dragon moved his claws to place the key into Spike’s. Then, as silently as he had arrived, the pink Spike hopped off into the cave. Spike looked back and forth to be sure his tenders were not watching, and quickly began to unlock his cage door. ----------------------------------------------------- “Here we are,” Posey smiled down at Twilight Sparkle, who was now strapped down onto one of the metal tables in the medical room of the underground base, “This won’t take too long, yours is the last one and we’ll start.” Twilight felt nervous, laying there on one table as her friends were lined up on the tables next to her. Her breath was fast, and she felt the straps from the machine on her head dig slightly into her. The newer version of the extractor that she had reluctantly helped to design only needed to latch onto their heads, and it could even take all of their Elements in at once. In theory, this would leave them drained, but they would recover some hours later. In practice… well, Twilight was unsure. She heard a grunt next to her, though she couldn’t turn her head far at the moment. It was Applejack, whose helmet had been completely applied and who, like her other friends, could not speak. It was an obvious question, and Twilight felt it had been directed at her. “Just calm down, everypony,” Twilight tried to assure her friends, “The other ones aren’t even here, and you know Posey isn’t going to let anything go wrong, she’d turn the machines off first.” “Well, maybe,” Posey replied, gently lowering the facemask part of the helm onto Twilight to cut off her speech as well, “Actually, I’m afraid I haven’t been very honest with you.” And for a moment, there wasn’t so much as a grunt from any of the ponies, including Twilight. “Oh this is a little bit embarrassing,” Posey sounded almost motherly when she talked, “It’s weird, you know? It comes and goes sometimes, like I can see myself doing things but I don’t really have control over them, but overall I’ve been more deceptive than nice.” Posey moved over towards the main portion of the machine, rolling dials as she readied it for activation, “You see, it was more or less just a way to get you to talk. You remember that whole incident in the hallway where I used the stare to stop Surprise from beating on you?” she giggled, slightly amused, “I didn’t really, I mean I can’t do anything like that, Twilight had just told me that Fluttershy could and not to look her in the eyes, you know. So I used the idea, we set up a scenario while you were blinded and while Spike was fairly out of it to convince you that I was on your side. It’s a little amusing, but Twilight, our Twilight, still punished Surprise despite it being a setup.” She giggled in a disturbingly good-natured way, as if she expected them to find that part amusing. The muffled voices were quite prominent now, though it was hard to make out anything they said. Especially Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were very much near breaking their tables. At least this meant they had recovered well, if nothing else. As for Twilight, she simply lay there, listening, desperate tears streaming down her face. “You did design the machine well, Twilight, and I don’t have to kill you with it.” Posey raised her voice just enough to let them hear it above the angry, frantic grunts, “But I’m going to anyway. Then I’ll prove once and for all that I am the best conditioned; maybe I’ll even get to be Helios’ second hoof pony. I bet he’ll be so proud.” And with a last kindly giggle, she pulled the switch to on.
blayzekohime	706	14	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-03-05T22:45:53+00:00	2012-03-05T22:45:53+00:00	6,700	Spike ran towards the sun temple as fast as his little legs could carry him. The way was easy enough to find as at this point there were ponies regularly making the trip from Undervale’s main settlement. From the looks of things in fact, a great many ponies were actually pulling small carts full of what few possessions they had towards the temple. What were they doing? Fortunately for Spike, they were all rather distracted, and he was able to climb into the back of one of the carts, hiding beneath the ragged cloth tarp that covered the items inside. Soon he found himself squished up against a number of old books, pillows, and small trinkets, trying very hard to be still enough to not draw attention as he peered out a gap at the front of the tarp at the two ponies pulling his chosen cart. To the right was a pegasus pony with a blue coat and a faded pink mane, five pink whistles clearly shown as her cutie mark from his present angle. Her eyes were purple, seen when she turned her head to speak to her companion. She had the look of somepony that was incredibly tired, perhaps a bit hungry, but so used to the feeling that she was still coping fairly well with the cart pulling. To her left was an earth pony mare with a pink coat and off-colored pink mane and purple eyes. Her cutie mark was six pink ice cream cones with white ice cream, looking just as hungry. “I can’t wait ‘til we get to the new land!” the earth pony was telling the other, her voice somehow upbeat despite her look, “I wonder if they’ll have ice cream there; it’s been so long since I’ve had it! Prince Helios says that they have all sorts of food, and that we’ll have a big feast when we get there!” After a few more moments of silence, the same mare asked, “Is something wrong, Wind Whistler?” “I don’t know Lickity Split, it just seems as if there is something more to all this,” stated the pegasus, apparently named Wind Whistler, with her more refined voice. “But this will solve everything! When we get there it will be like a brand new Dream Valley!” “Yes, I’m sure it will be, but how do we know that these other ponies are really such vile creatures? We have yet to actually see any of these 'evil' ponies, and the dragon He had us caring for does not seem any different to our baby dragon.” “Because the Prince said…” “Yes Lickity I realize that,” Whistler had the voice of a slightly frustrated mother, “but I’m still not comfortable. It is obvious that his core helpers have had some sort of psychological alteration. It’s almost as if they are different ponies. Why was it necessary to change those that know the most about what is occurring?” "Mmmm, ice cream," replied Lickity, as if she had been day-dreaming during the last bit of the explanation. Whistler sighed, and the two were silent again for a number of minutes. This persisted for most of the trip. When they did speak, they tended to avoid the same subject, so Spike was unable to draw anything more useful from them. He did know one thing however: only Helios’ main helpers had received full mental makeovers. Many of the others could be reluctant or completely unwilling to fight. The cart stopped, and Spike realized that they had arrived. Carefully, he slipped from under the tarp and out the back. He only hoped he could make it all the way back to the underground chambers without being noticed. As for what he would do once he got there, he honestly had no idea, but he couldn’t leave his friends behind to suffer for his escape. The main group of pony refugees was gathered in an orderly fashion in the plaza outside the temple, many others with carts lined up in a neat row, ready to begin the journey to Equestria. From the number of them here, the main settlement itself must have been nearly empty. There were all kinds of ponies as well, even several types that Spike had never even seen before, like flying ponies with butterfly wings instead of the feathers of the pegasi, and even carts filled with water barrels carrying ponies of some aquatic sort. Still other ponies had little more than a saddlebag containing a few personal items. None had packed food, having all been promised a paradise on the other side. A white unicorn with a shiny blue mane and five blue flowers as her cutie mark appeared to be in charge of the evacuation at this point. She would have been quite beautiful had it not been for looking as if she was half-starved, her purple eyes looking dull from stress. From what he overheard, her name was Majesty, and she seemed to have been given this task by Twilight Wish. Spike, the pink one, was following her around doing whatever she wanted in very much the same way that Spike fondly remembered helping Twilight Sparkle, but he didn't dare reveal himself to either of them. It appeared that they had set up a smaller teleportation device, presumably to get the ponies down to the lower chambers and the one that would send them to Equestria. Unfortunately for Spike, it did not appear to be activated yet. While it was clear they were getting ready to leave their desolate world for good, Spike had to wonder, why now of all times? He knew that something big was about to happen, but it was obvious this wasn’t an invasion force. Many of these ponies looked like they could barely hold themselves up, much less fight. Helios, who Spike had only heard of through his captors, must either have been extremely powerful, or foolish, if he thought that he could take on all of Equestria on his own. From what Spike gathered from various overheard conversations on his way towards the temple, Helios did not think he could do that. As he crept from point to point, he heard several ponies talking about the return of somepony named ‘Selene’, who apparently could combine her powers with Helios’ to become truly unbeatable. Spike, of course, did not for a moment doubt that Celestia and Luna could stop both of them, not realizing that one of the two royal sisters was in no position to help anyone, but he did not want to imagine the chaos that would ensue during a battle involving four powerful alicorns. He crept behind the cart nearest to the entrance, pulling a box from said cart with several convenient holes in it, which he then placed over his body and peeked out from. He crept closer to the door, trying to make sure nopony was looking his way whenever he moved. “What’s this?” came a frightfully familiar voice from the door of the temple. It was Twilight Wish. Spike hadn’t thought to peek inside the temple door when rounding the corner, and now felt like a complete moron. Had she seen him move? He felt the grasp of telekinesis around the box, and quickly clung to the inside of it, pulling the lower flaps up with him. To his surprise and relief, Twilight did not examine the box any more closely, and he instead felt himself being carried further inside of the temple. “Hay, does this thing belong to any of you morons?” Twilight’s voice sounded again. “No? ‘Guess it’s just trash.” And with that, Spike felt the box tossed aside, smacking into the ground and rolling several times before settling back down, mercifully with its open side once again facing the floor. He took a deep breath, eyes wide as he loosened his grip and allowed his feet to touch the ground, peering out from the holes once again. He had landed on the far side of the temple, and the entranceway to the lower chambers was mere feet away, not to mention wide open. The gears attached to the door looked damaged, and it was unlikely it would ever be able to close again without serious repair. “So are we gonna get to lead the charge or what?” Firefly’s voice sounded out, speaking with the other four ponies across the room. Spike’s eyes counted them to be sure. He saw five of them; only Posey was missing. “I hope so!” Surprise answered, “They’ll never see us coming!” “Actually, I’m pretty sure we won’t be fighting at all,” Twilight said. “Luna won’t be able to stand up to Helios and Selene together; it’ll be a curb stomp and Equestria will have no choice but to submit.” Luna? Only Luna? Spike suddenly felt far less confident in his world’s defenses, wondering what had happened to Celestia. “I can’t wait to get to their palace!” Sparkler stated dreamily. “I can only imagine the beautiful things they must have there!” “Honestly, I’ll be happy so long as I get the apple farm,” Applejack mused, “I bet I could eat ‘em all.” “Oh stop it Applejack, you can’t eat all those bucking apples.” Twilight’s voice put a clear picture of her rolling her eyes in Spike’s mind. “Buck you I can’t eat all those apples!” Applejack actually sounded a bit upset. As the group seemed to sink further into their argument about apples, Spike saw his chance. He slowly lifted the box, padding into the exit towards the lower chambers as fast as he could manage. Once past the front entrance, he did not stop no matter how tired he got. He took the stairs downward two and three at a time, bouncing from point to point as he found himself panting more and more. By the time he reached the bottom, he felt like he was going to collapse, but knew that he could not rest. As he was approaching the hallway where he knew his friends were confined, he heard it. It was a gut wrenching chorus of muffled screams. As twisted as they were, he knew that they were his friends. Rarity’s scream, if nothing else, was distinct to his ears. The only thing worse than the screams, was the sound he heard as he rounded the corner into the room from which they were coming. Silence; the screaming had stopped. As his eyes fell upon the contents of the room, he felt rage over-riding all of his former exhaustion. Five of his friends were restrained on the tables, masks and helmets covering their faces, bodies twitching in silent, unconscious agony. Behind them was Posey, a motherly smile on her face as she flipped the switch back off. “There we go, dears,” Posey had not seen Spike as of yet, speaking instead to her patients, despite their being only barely able to hear her at best, “My only regret is that you won’t be able to scream so very loud when I finish this.” First, Posey moved to pull the casing off the top of the machine, pulling five variously colored glowing crystals from the top, which she carefully placed in a bag. Humming a happy little tune as she did so, she placed the bag on a nearby table and then moved to pick up a long, slender knife in her muzzle, smiling to herself as she turned to face her patients. What she actually faced when she turned however, was the flailing of an enraged baby dragon. Spike moved so fast in his rage that Posey initially was not even certain of what was coming at her. He bounced up onto the table where Twilight was restrained, launching himself off the edge directly at Posey's face, claws and teeth bared angrily. Showing no regard for his own well-being, Spike took hold of the knife in Posey's mouth by the blade in both of his claws. Fortunately for him, it was only sharp on one edge and he had grabbed it by the opposing side. Posey's eyes grew wide as the blade was pulled from her mouth, rattling as Spike sent it bouncing across the floor, and her face felt like she had just been stabbed by a hundred little needles as Spike sank his teeth into one side. Screaming bloody murder, Posey backed into the shelves behind her, smashing several of them and causing them to tumble downward. Not especially wanting to be rained on with various medical instruments, Posey immediately darted forward, slamming her head into the edge of one of the tables to try to get the angry dragon off of her. Spike felt himself jarred several times, finally releasing her only to use the table as a leaping point to land against her back. Posey let out another shrill scream as he used his whole body as if it were a jackhammer. He drilled his tail into the small of her back, causing the pony to rapidly collapse beneath him. Utterly surprised at how competent a foe an angry baby dragon could be, Posey did not waste any more time attempting to fight him. Instead, she grabbed for the bag full of the gems, obviously intent on running with them. Instead, she found Spike leaping in front of her to take hold of them before she could, then running across the room. At this point, he was not really certain what to do with the objects he had acquired, and his rage was hardly helping him think clearly. However Posey let out an uncharacteristic scream when he took the gems, sounding almost like a banshee as she raced after him. Important as the gems obviously were to her, and wanting nothing more than to hurt the one that had harmed his friends, Spike let out a belch of his sending breath. Posey skidded to a halt, her screams stopping in a moment of stunned silence as she watched the bag disappear in a puff of smoke. Her face was momentarily tense as she considered this, and then finally turned to run out the door herself. The distant sound of hoofbeats against stone faded slowly away as she headed towards the staircase to the temple above. ---------------------------------- "This place looks totally different." Inkie observed, standing at the bottom of the excavated chasm alongside her friends. The royal guard had apparently worked tirelessly through the night, and had achieved their goal of uncovering the hidden portal. "It's still intact? ‘Thought for sure my ‘splodie Helios stole would have gotten it..." Blinkie sounded almost angry at her creation’s failure. "Well if he blew it up, he couldn't get back now could he?" Gilda rolled her eyes, "He was probably just delaying us with having to dig it out." "Indeed, uncovering it was his expectation," Luna's voice boomed behind them. "He was correct, believing that we wouldst not abandon our friends for our own safety. Underestimating us was his error, as thou shalt prove!" Before anypony else could reply, Luna had used her magic to open her own royal saddle, six very shiny pieces of jewelry floating up and out of it, gleaming with the early morning sun. Amongst them was a crown, atop which was a purple, star-shaped jewel, as well as five necklaces, each adorned with a different gem matching the cutie marks of the original Elements of Harmony. Each piece floated to one of the substitute six, clasping around each neck, the crown settling on Trixie's head. "The Great and Powerful Trixie would rather have a crown that matched her own marvelous cutie mark," the unicorn immediately complained, raising one hoof to poke at the crown, seeming offended that it was adorned with her rival's mark instead. "Do not fret; the jewelry shall attune itself next you employ it," Luna boomed, "And shalt magnify the power of your friendship. We are counting on you." "Wait, what about mine?" Gilda quirked an eyebrow, "I don't have a cutie whatsit..." "Maybe it would be what you'd have if you had a cutie mark!" Ditzy suggested, tilting her head sideways, turning about trying to see her own necklace. "Whee!" cheered Pinkie, the only one to have a necklace that already matched her mark, "Time to save our fr--" Her statement was cut short, as statements so often were. There was a flash of light from the teleport pad signifying its activation. Immediately, the guards surrounding the portal took up stances around it, Luna herself turning towards it and arching her wings threateningly. The six, also, were fast to move up beside her, all expecting some kind of attack. What they saw however, were five metal tables, which Spike had managed to roll up onto the portal pad on the other side, each containing one of the ponies that the heroes were set to rescue. Spike himself was with them, looking completely exhausted. "Oh good it was aimed... here and-" Spike stumbled over a few words, then stumbled forward and rolled off the blue, circular pad and onto the ground, finally deciding it was a good time to take a nap. "Does this mean we don't have to go?" Gilda asked, suddenly hopeful. "Her Majesty is still on the other side," Trixie pointed out. "Right..." Gilda took a deep breath and sighed. "Spikey Wikey, you did it!" Pinkie bounced over to the unconscious Spike, cuddling him anyway. "Remove them from the structure!" Luna commanded, wasting no time, and the guards were quick to obey, seeming to have lost all reluctance towards her by this point. She then turned to the substitute team, "Thou shalt move to the device. We shall see to thy friends." "Can they not now wield the elements?" Inkie asked, unsure. "Would they not be better for this?" "They shall not be recovered nearly soon enough," Luna shook her head. "You must go, now." "Come on everypony," Ditzy moved quickly to the pad, landing on her back with a thump, "It'll be just like old times!" The looks she received suggested that none had much idea exactly which times she was referring to. Pinkie, having moved next to Rainbow Dash's side, looked a little pouty that she had to leave her friends after just having found them, but also moved up to the device next to Ditzy. The others were soon to follow, each eyeing the tables as the nearby guards worked to loosen the helmets. Luna moved to block their view, as if silently commanding them to focus, and slammed her hoof down on the switch to return her champions to the other world. --------------------------------- "Applejack, you eat all those apples you're gonna get a wicked bad tummy ache," Firefly argued. Yes, they had really been arguing ever since Spike had infiltrated their headquarters. The argument was only broken at the sound of a scream of rage from the entrance to the lower catacombs, suddenly drawing all five ponies from their bickering. A moment later, Posey stumbled into the main temple, limping rather badly as if she had hurt her back, and looking completely exhausted from stumbling up too many stairs. "That scream came from you?" Twilight asked, incredulous. "That's pretty surprising!" Surprise smiled, hovering nearby. "Oh uh," Posey suddenly returned to her more typical demeanor, "I didn't mean to bother you all, but I just thought you should know..." "Oh I knew we shouldn't have left her to do it," Sparkler rolled her eyes. "I sure can't wait to get those apples," Applejack hadn't heard a word of it, still hooked on the old topic. "Just tell us what you did wrong, Posey," Twilight sighed. "Well," Posey explained, "It wasn't so much what I did, but the fact that well..." then suddenly her voice grew to a fevered pitch again, "You let that stupid baby dragon escape, walk right past you, and then he used his breath-whatsit on the gems and they disappeared!" Then back to complete calmness again, "I hope that isn't too much of a problem, I feel just awful." Twilight smirked, as if she knew something Posey didn't realize, "Don't worry about it; just wait over here with us." "Oh, really?" Posey seemed surprised at the lack of reprimanding, torture, or the like, "Oh, also I think he was able to activate the portal, which means somepony has probably uncovered it on the other side." Twilight sighed, "That soon? Oh for Helios’ sake... fine! Everyone take their positions. Anything that comes up those stairs before Lord Helios gets back is gonna’ get a rainbow in the face. We'll show ‘em what a fully powered Rainbow of Light can do." -------------------------------------- "Do we really have to move this fast?" Blinkie huffed, jogging up the spiral staircase towards the upper temple with the others, "I mean, we don't want to be exhausted right?" "Oh don’t be such a pansy," Gilda huffed from above them. If nothing else, the breeze from her wings was cooling off those below and behind her. "I thought you were a tough psycho." "They're probably going to be in the temple!" Pinkie chirped from the front, seeming unnaturally excited about all this, and practically bouncing up the staircase on her bottom as if it were a bouncy ball, "But don't worry, it doesn't take a lot of energy to do a pose-down, you just have to friend really hard!" "Yeah that's where I'm worried," Gilda responded, "I'd rather have a back-up plan to beat the snot out of them ready." "Friendship, friendship!" Ditzy was quite happy as well, flying above Pinkie as she sang a bit, periodically running into the wall of the staircase when she forgot to keep turning or into the stairs themselves, at which point she would roll up them for a few steps before taking off again. "Not to fear," Trixie assured them, she herself running at a good pace and panting between words. She had initially attempted to be in front, but had since given up on getting around the two sillier ponies at the fore, "Trixie will energize you when we reach the top; The Great and Powerful Trixie and her Minions shall not be stopped!" Inkie pre-emptively stuck a hoof into Trixie's muzzle to keep her from laughing maniacally and giving away their approach. There was not much more time to discuss the issue however, as they reached the top of the staircase, at which point Trixie was finally able to move herself in front. Her horn began to glow, and a wave of fresh energy washed over the group, their panting slowly subsiding as they rested for a moment. "Wait," Blinkie peered at Trixie, as if just having processed the words, "The Great and Powerful Trixie and her Minions?" "Oh fine," Trixie responded, "Team Trixie and Friends." "Nah," Gilda argued, "Needs to be something simple, but awesome, like Team Awesome." "Oh!" Pinkie raised a front hoof, waving it about frantically, "We could be P.A.R.T.Y.!" "What does P.A.R.T.Y. stand for?" Inkie raised an eyebrow. "It has to stand for something?" "Oh! Oh!" Surprise yelled from out in the main temple, "It could stand for Pony ARsonisTs Yay!" "I don't know, that last one sounds a bit not-nice." Ditzy landed softly, and then fell against the nearest wall. "Guys, I think they've noticed us," Gilda sighed. "And what, pray tell, makes Gilda believe that?" Trixie adjusted her hat, which was now smush’ed slightly by the crown she wore over it. "Oh for crying out loud! Come out here so we can target you!" Twilight Wish screamed from outside. "Yeah!" Firefly echoed, "You can come up with a name later after we've killed you!" "That," Gilda replied simply, then pointed out the door into the main temple, drawing their attention to the fact that the other six ponies outside had a clear line of sight to their present location. "Interesting," Inkie observed, more quietly, "They don't want to hit us here. They must be afraid the tunnel will come down and block their path to the portal, or worse collapse it onto the lower chambers." "But wait," Blinkie joined the quieter conversation, "We can still hit them, right?" "Trixie is certain they won't hesitate once we power up," Trixie pondered, "But by then it will be too late!" Her voice rose to her usual hammy self, "Prepare to face your friendship-y doom!" "Yay!" Pinkie squealed, "Pose-down time!" Trixie leapt towards the exit into the main temple, raising her fore-hooves up into the air, her cape blowing about behind her from the energy build up as the others quickly took their positions behind her. It was a tight fit at the entrance if they all wanted to keep line of sight with the other ponies, so eventually Trixie was pushed out into the open. At least they were still at the exit, if that counted for something. "You know Twilight," Sparkler complained, "I could have sworn you said these morons were dead." "Shut up and concentrate!" Twilight moved in front of her group, heart-shaped necklace glowing as it snapped open with an energetic ‘whoosh’ of its own. The energies of the two groups crackled when they touched in the middle, spreading out from each of them and causing the entire temple to vibrate. At first, it seemed as if the native ponies were powering up a great deal faster, the energy of the heroes pushed back significantly as the six within the temple lifted off the ground and glowed brightly. It was like a wall of hatred eating into the globe of energy around Trixie and her friends. "No!" Trixie called back to her friends with sudden realization, "We do not feel anger, remember? Team Awesome P.A.R.T.Y Trixie fights with friendship! Not just for each other, but for them as well!" There was a wave of beautiful rainbow energy surrounding the native ponies, the Rainbow of Light blasting like a cannon round out from them and up towards the high ceiling of the temple. It then arched downwards towards the heroes. As the heroes looked up at the rainbow bearing down on them, all doubt cleared from their minds, suddenly acting as one and knowing exactly what to do. Their forms glowed, rising off of the temple floor as the power arced through them, and the wave of friendship seemed to burst from their very souls and into the air. They did not target the other ponies though, but instead the Rainbow of Light itself. Crashing together, the friendship wave clashed with the beam midair, swirled around it, and with an ear-shattering boom drew the corruption out from it like a black miasma. The temple shook, dangerous-looking cracks splintering along the ceiling, rubble from the floor pushed out towards the walls and a gush of air blasting out through the windows and doors that caused the refugees outside to drop their belongings and fearfully move away from the temple of the sun. Then, suddenly, the energy seemed to flow into equilibrium, both rainbows twirling around each other in peaceful harmony. Together they streaked back towards Twilight Wish and her allies, their own attack having been purified and sent back towards them, as if in unity with the substitutes' own wave of friendship. "Can... can that happen?" Twilight stared up into the blinding light of the two rainbows, "Th-thank you... friends." And then it hit them, feeling as if every hateful thought in their bodies was suddenly aflame. It was excruciating initially, even more so than the conditioning that had left them so twisted, and the chorus of deafening screams rattled the temple almost as much as the initial explosions. The double rainbow swirled around their forms, tightened around them so that they were pulled into a neat little pile, and then released them, all left sitting back-to-back and their eyes lidded in a dreamy state. The Rainbow of Light retreated to the amulet around the unconscious Twilight's neck, snapping shut with a soft click as its work was now done, while the Friendship Wave dissipated into a mist and flowed back towards the heroes. For a moment, there was a near deafening silence, broken only by the soft creak of the temple as it settled back into place, having somehow managed to remain standing. "It... worked?" Trixie's voice finally broke the silence. "Ahem...of course it worked! Was there ever any doubt?" "I still have a few, actually," Gilda blinked, walking slowly over toward the grounded forms of their adversaries, "Are they?..." "Smokin'" Blinkie strolled over to them as well. She was apparently referring to the smoldering ponies themselves as she poked a hoof at Applejack's head, soliciting a grunt, "Still alive, should I use a bomb to..." "Now, now sister. Let us try to be the better ponies," Inkie reached out a hoof to stop Blinkie's own, which had been reaching towards her saddlebags. "Are they all right?" Ditzy was the one that looked most worried about the defeated ponies, landing next to Twilight and leaning down to nuzzle at her, then shake her with both her fore-hooves. "It's okay!" Pinkie bounced over with an audible ‘sproing’, "It's just like when we hit Nightmare Moon! They'll be up in a few minutes and will be all like ‘I'm so sorry!’ then I'll be like 'Whaaaaa.. hay this calls for a party!'" "The Great and Powerful Trixie believes that we have yet to defeat Helios, which is also required for the party protocol to be initiated," the blue unicorn spoke as she shifted her crown again, then slowly blinked as she lifted it temporarily off her head and looked at it with a large grin. Sure enough, the crown’s jewel had reshaped and recolored itself into Trixie's cutie mark, a wand with a wave of blue magic around it. Temporary as it might be, it seemed to have frozen her brain from ego overload. The others' necklaces had similarly reshaped, save for Pinkie's of course, and even Gilda had a flaming feather emblem on her own. "Mine's best," Blinkie grinned widely. Before the inevitable argument over whose was, in fact, best, could pick up any more steam, they were distracted as the other ponies began to stir. "I suggest that, just in case, we leave them here and get them on the way back," Inkie moved around to start trying to push her sisters towards the exit of the temple. "Do we even know where we're going?" Gilda eyed the twitching bodies of the downed ponies as well, and then headed after the others towards the door. Without having the question answered, they went in the only direction they had not been, which was out the front exit of the temple. What they found there was less than encouraging. There was a large circle of ponies, unicorns and pegasi blocking off their path away from the temple. "Y... stay where you are!" warned a half-starved-looking unicorn near the center of the mass. It was Majesty, though the heroes had never seen her. Spike, the pink one, was behind her, looking timid as Majesty continued, "We... we won't let you invade!" "Every one of us is willing to give our lives for Dream Valley!" a pegasus hovering above the unicorn stated, though terror was apparent on her face. She was turquoise with a green mane, three green musical notes adorning her flank. "Oh well," Blinkie started to reach into her saddlebag again. "No killing!" Ditzy was the pony that stopped her this time, even looking a little cross. "Why does nopony let me have any fun?" Blinkie practically threw her hooves up in despair. "The Great and Powerful Trixie does not wish to battle starving ponies either," Trixie admitted, "It does not seem sporting. As we come only to retrieve our Princess, it would be best to let us pass." "Come on guys," Gilda shook her head, "You don't want to fight the team that just smoked your elites." "Um," even Pinkie seemed at a loss, "Maybe if we offer to bake them cupcakes or ... um... we could get you some balloons or something?" "Let them pass," a weak voice instructed from behind Trixie and her friends. The group turned around to see Twilight Wish staggering up to the door and weakly leaning against it. "Twilight?" Majesty blinked, "But..." "Majesty, I am Lord Helios’ recognized second-hoof pony," Twilight managed to sound more stern, "If you are questioning me then you are questioning the Prince." Majesty slowly nodded, then waved her head towards the crowd, which seemed to take her lead and slowly parted for the six to pass by them. The six heroes took a collective sigh, each for their own various reasons. "It would greatly assist us," Inkie peered cautiously towards Twilight, "If we knew where to go from here." "Directly into the city, there is only one path," Twilight stated, settling onto the stone floor as if too exhausted to stand, "It's the only new-looking structure; a giant temple with a sun emblem atop the door, no possible way to miss it." "I could lead them..." started Majesty, but was cut off. "No," Twilight shook her head, "We start evacuating right now, and you are more worthy than I to lead it. The ponies on the other side will not reject refugees." She then cut off the next inevitable question, "I'm absolutely sure... please, trust me." --------------- Celestia lay on the cold, stone slab, her body aching from holding the same position for too long. The magical chains covered almost every part of her body, layered around her. It was a particularly annoying situation since the magic from the chains was actually quite ticklish, making her giggle from time to time no matter how much she willed otherwise. Helios had not even restrained her muzzle, as if the audible confirmation of her torment was something he enjoyed. Time had faded into uncertainty for Celestia, locked away where she could not know what time it was or how many hours or days had passed. She would often fade in and out of consciousness, and was more on the fading out end of things now. At least, until a flash of smoke above brought her back to awareness, right before a bag filled with hard objects slammed down onto her head, glanced off, and rattled to the floor. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see five gems of various colors fall from the bag and roll away from it. She wasn't rightly sure if she should say anything, and as she stared at them time seemed to fade out of focus once again. "A special delivery!" Helios' gleeful voice rang out some undetermined length of time later as he noticed them, practically bouncing over from the nearby console and standing in front of Celestia, "How very interesting!" The stones glowed with Helios's magic: blue, white, purple, tan, and yellow all floated to their particular slots, finishing out the set with the pink one that was already there. Celestia let out another chuckle without wanting to, and Helios chuckled in return. "I know right?" Helios rolled his eyes, "It's like they intentionally designed the chains to be ticklish and annoying. Maybe I should go back in time and wrap whoever invented these things up in them, am I right?" He paused for a moment, as if waiting for her to get some kind of joke, then frowned. "Oh please," he rolled his eyes, "You always were such a baby about things. Aren't you wondering about my evil plan?" Celestia grunted, "I'm pretty certain that I know it already, brother." "Tsk," Helios shook his head, "You underestimate me. You think I'm attempting to change time, but I'm not actually going to do that at all." Celestia quirked an eyebrow, "Then why, dear brother, are we opening a portal to a thousand years ago?" She kept her voice unbelievably even; by this point she arguably deserved sainthood for her patience. "Well, changing time is way too dangerous," Helios smirked, "And then that annoying hourglass pony would probably show up and stop me, so I came up with a plan that doesn't technically change what happened! Tell me Celestia, how do you know that you killed Selene?" "By accident..." Celestia reiterated. "Right, whatever, so claims you," Helios rolled his eyes. "Because she was there and then there was nothing left but charred remains," Celestia sighed, her gaze shifting sharply to one side. "Unidentifiable remains?" Helios leaned forward, looking her in the eyes. "Yes," Celestia got especially shifty-eyed at this part of her reply, "Because of the influx of magic..." "So all you know is that you killed an alicorn, not for certain who it was?" Helios confirmed, nodding, "So when I grab Selene out of the vortex, and replace her with a different, but equally weakened, alicorn, you won't notice the difference." Celestia grew silent, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "In case your mind isn’t at its strongest right now," Helios leaned back, "That's you. I'm going to snatch Selene away, replace her with you, and the you of the past will never know the difference. An alicorn dies then, an alicorn lives now, and the timeline is intact." Celestia chuckled again, but it didn't seem to be from the chains this time, "Oh Brother..." she couldn't help but smirk slightly. Helios snorted, "What? Am I missing something?" his eyes narrowed, recognizing her tone, "That's your 'I'm pranking you' voice. I'm missing something, aren’t I?" "You told them your evil plan; don't you know that once the villain does that, he's doomed?" Celestia smirked. "Told who the what now?" Helios tilted his head, quirking one ear. "Greetings 'Your Majesty'," the voice of Trixie called out from behind him. One could almost hear her waggling her eyebrows as she spoke. "Oh for Faust’s sake."
blayzekohime	706	15	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-10-12T00:05:57+00:00	2012-10-12T00:05:57+00:00	5,291	Trixie stood at the entrance of the newly built temple, head raised confidently as she strolled in, crown gleaming in the glow of the crystals around the altar. Behind her, the others fanned out. Gilda hovered in the air to the right, Ditzy to her left, the latter slowly twirling midair as was her habit. Pinkie was practically dancing a jig with excitement on one side of her, the two other pie sisters on the other. Inkie was rather calm, while Blinkie was grinning quite widely, and insisted upon holding a stick of dynamite in her maw even if it served no real purpose in their current plan. "Trixie!" Helios's voice took on his usual delighted tone, turning fully about to face them as he casually pulled a large switch on the nearby console with his magic. "I don't mean to be rude, so don't take this as such, but... well I couldn't help but notice that you're alive, and I could have sworn my number one assistant said that you were all dead." "She's not your number one assistant anymore," Trixie smirked. "We hit her with the friendship cannon!" Pinkie called out happily between bounces. "So I gathered! Noted then, next time check for life signs." Helios smiled, taking another few casual steps forward, "So, friends! I don't suppose you've come for that training I promised you, Trixie?" "Trixie has come to train you, Your Majesty," Trixie struck one hoof against the other, somehow making a noise like knuckles cracking. "Ow’d ‘oo do ‘at?” Blinkie mumbled around her dynamite, peering over at Trixie out of the corner of her eye. "I hate to interrupt," came the somewhat weak voice of Celestia from behind Helios, "But this is the part where the villain is stalling for time." "I knew I should have gagged you," Helios rolled his eyes. Indeed, the machinery behind him crackled, the switch he had flipped having apparently already started the process of opening the time rift. The glow of the chains increased, the crystals in each slot beginning to vibrate with energy as a ring formed around the altar, connecting each one to the others. The group wasted no time with this realization. Trixie raised her forehooves the same way as she had when they faced their Undervale counterparts, as the others assumed positions behind her. Energy gathered, a bubble of force forming rapidly around them, each of the six rising into the air as they confidently stared down the alicorn before them. "Oh fine, let's get this over with," Helios had a seat on his haunches, making no effort to stop or interrupt them, "Fire away! This is the part where the villain underestimates the hero and is soundly defeated, right?" With that a blast of energy rattled the temple, a stream of rainbow colored energy streaking across the room, arching towards Helios and slamming into him. There was a burst of light from his position as the energy swirled around him in an ever tightening tornado. The wave languished, faded, and the mist returned to the six ponies once more as they settled to the floor again. And there sat Helios, completely unaffected. "Oops," Helios smirked, "I did mention that you were the villain in my last little statement, right?" "What." Trixie's expression went completely blank. "What?!" Inkie, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically emotional. "You cheated!" accused Pinkie, pointing a hoof at him, "You slimey cheatypants cheateder!" "I should have known this was too good to be true," Gilda just faceclawed with both claws at once. Helios chuckled, flexing his wings slowly, "Sorry 'friends', but the friendship wave doesn't work on someone just because you disagree with them. After all, haven't I been honest? Haven't I been generous and loyal to the ponies I'm tasked with protecting? I've been..." "I don't think you've been very kind to most ponies," Ditzy pointed out. "Okay, okay," Helios said, "I haven't spared lives every time I could, but overall, you see that's the beauty of it! The rainbow wave was designed with a threshold that has to be surpassed before it will actually work against a target, and will only actually kill a target if they are virtually without any good whatsoever. You know, it's to keep ponies from using it to solve every little problem or coming to depend too much on it. Believe me, I've been very careful to balance my more questionable deeds with good ones, even protecting ponies from myself at times. Besides, it's all about intent in the end, right? My cause is noble." "Oh that is pastel pony manure!" Gilda shrieked, clearly enraged. “It’s plot physics!” Pinkie smiled, starting to bounce again, “It’d be boring if we got him the same way, right?” "Actually that's pretty ingenious," Inkie pointed out. "I mean if you helped create something like that, would you not want to put in a caveat that would protect you from it?" "It is inappropriate for you to be congratulating him." Trixie reprimanded Inkie. "Oh stop whining," Helios finally stood up straight, spreading his wings again as he took on an uncharacteristically determined expression, "You're going to have to fight me the old fashion way: deal with it." Trixie, in particular, grinned in return, "Oh but Your Majesty, you have no idea how much more Trixie will enjoy this." She then turned to the others, lowering her voice, "The Pie sisters will fan out and distract him, the fliers will go for the gems, Trixie will free Her Majesty." Trixie held her hooves forward then, her horn aglow as a burst of electrical energy shot out towards Helios. The blast of energy appeared to do little more than break his concentration, but that was enough for her to flank to the side before suddenly teleporting out of sight. The unicorn appeared behind the altar at Celestia's tail end, swaying slightly to get her bearings before pulling the magical chain that she had been keeping from beneath her cape. It was the same chain that she had acquired on her first trip into this world from one of the cells, and that she had been studying since. "Whee let's go!" Pinkie squealed, darting off to the right. "Pinkie think fast!" Blinkie tossed a now lit stick of dynamite that was in her mouth to Pinkie before rushing herself directly at Helios. Inkie sighed, then calmly pulled her sledgehammer out of her own saddlebag, holding it firmly in her snout before darting to the left. At the same time, Gilda surged upwards with powerful movements of her wings, arching back and around to sweep herself towards the nearest crystal. Ditzy almost followed her, but then swerved into a different course as if by accident, barrel-rolling several times before heading towards another of the crystals instead. It was a good thing that they had followed Trixie's instruction to spread out. The initial blast of energy from Helios, aimed at Trixie, missed all the others as they fanned apart. The blast shook the entire temple, sending shards of the stone floor spraying backwards and leaving an imprint that went right through to the ground. As he watched cracks spread upwards through the walls around the doorway, Helios gritted his teeth at a sudden realization. This place had been rapidly built out of shabby materials and the structure itself was only barely enchanted to be more sturdy. If he used his full power to attack them, he risked collapsing the temple before the portal was open. His normal strategy of 'hit them with all you’ve got and hope they die' was not going to work; he was going to have to hold back and use strategy. Then again, he only had to keep them under control until the portal activated. The brief amount of time that Helios spent devising a strategy did not go unused, as Pinkie caught hold of Blinkie's dynamite in her muzzle. Skidding to a stop, she yanked out the cupcake cannon, retrieved from the previous battle, as if from thin air. Into the cannon went the dynamite, and the weapon was fired towards Helios. Out blasted a delicious looking cupcake... with a lit stick of dynamite poking out of the top like a candle. Blinkie laughed maniacally as she charged the alicorn, yanking what seemed like a ripcord on her own saddle bag before sliding across the tile floor beneath him. Multiple compartments opened on her saddle as it was triggered, streamers, sparklers, and several bottle rockets shooting out in all directions, though most went directly upwards into Helios. Inkie took advantage of the multiple distractions, circling around behind Helios before leaping upwards and bouncing off of one of the temple's columns. Her hooves left cracks streaming upwards through the support, Inkie not nearly so concerned at bringing it down as Helios might have been, before she lunged back towards Helios' rear, hammer aimed squarely for the weakest point she could find. Gilda surged forward, trying to grab for the pink crystal, but immediately felt a surge of energy jolting through her form, blurring her vision and sending her backwards several meters as she strained to keep herself airborne. She recovered quickly, pulling herself about. "Watch it Ditz’, they're live!" Gilda yelled. "Artillery support please?" Ditzy spun about, bumping into another one of the columns, peering at another of the crystals with each eye, "Maybe we have to get the ones that are like us!" She wobbled over to the yellow one, correctly assuming that it would represent Fluttershy's element, but had no more luck. She was able to keep hold of it, but was buzzed the entire time and wasn't able to pull it free from its socket. Trixie, meanwhile, seemed to have something particular in mind. She moved her piece of chain to wrap it against one of those binding Celestia before her horn glowed. There was a clear exchange of energy between her and the platform, but in the end there was a feedback that blasted her across the floor away from the altar, her own chain landing next to her, both of them smoking slightly. Even Helios had to admit that he was stunned by the efficiency of the team's actions, the Pie sisters in particular seeming to act with one mind. His horn glowed, a shield of energy forming in front of the dynamite that Pinkie fired. Unfortunately, blocking it wasn't all he needed to do; he had to keep it from damaging his surroundings. Encapsulated it in a force field, the dynamite exploded with a muffled boom before fizzling out. This distraction left him open for the unexpected blaze from beneath him, causing him to scream like a filly, almost as if it tickled. Of course then he backed up and took Inkie's hammer right where it hurt, causing his squeal to rise an entire octave to a much less ticklish-sounding note. The alicorn lashed out in return, a short-range wave of energy bursting out from all sides. At the same time, one hoof darted back to impact Inkie in the gut, sending her arching back to slam against another one of the crystal mounts, shaking violently from the impact and new surge of energy before falling back to the floor with a dull thud. Meanwhile Blinkie took a forehoof to her own midsection, then the same hoof to her head as Helios stumbled. She was lucky that the impacts were accidental, or would have likely had her head caved in. As it was she screeched out in pain, barely able to roll herself out of the way of further stomps. Her own saddlebag torn open, half a dozen bombs rolled across the floor as she staggered away. Ditzy squealed seeing the others hurt so, swooping down towards Blinkie first, then looking back at Gilda, remembering her shouting for artillery support. She grabbed hold of the nearest bomb, tossing it upwards towards Gilda, then spun around to continue throwing them up. Amazingly, Gilda managed to grab hold of all six that were tossed her way, jamming each against one of the crystals in turn. Sure enough, the energy surge against them was enough to light the lot, and the griffon shouted to the others, "Take cover!" Trixie grunted as she lifted herself up, then peered back and forth at what was happening before diving behind one of the columns herself. She called out another order, "We can't damage His Majesty fast enough, destroy the structure instead! Her Majesty can survive the collapse!" "Sis!" Pinkie screeched, seeing her sisters take the brunt of Helios’ ire, charging at him on her own, and trying to scoop up another of the bombs to load into her cannon. Hearing what Trixie said however, she instead turned and aimed it towards the wall of the structure, firing in that direction instead. Helios gritted his teeth, leaping off of the floor and letting out a shout of rage. His yell was quickly overshadowed by six explosions from each of the crystal chambers, with another shattering a hole in one side of the temple and causing part of it to rapidly sag towards the floor. The machine itself, more protectively enchanted than the temple's structure, was amazingly resilient against the energy from the explosives, even at close range. The columns around the machine less so. All of them shattered outwards as the roof of the structure began to collapse inward. Helios was not having any of this however, flapping his wings to move himself directly into the fire above the machine. His entire body was suddenly ablaze in dark flames as his energy shot out both upwards and outward, pushing against the roof of the temple as well as the walls on every side. Stone splintered and creaked, rocks that had been falling slowing to a hover and then shooting back upwards. The entire structure rattled as he literally shattered the building outwards, the entire ceiling and upper portion of every wall blasted out into the city, leaving the altar and the machine safely in the center. Fortunately for the team, they were all either on the floor or able to hit the floor in time to avoid being hurled outward along with the rest of the temple, but now things were a great deal more serious. Helios would not need to hold back nearly so much with no need to worry about rubble blocking off the portal that was now rapidly forming around Celestia. Trixie held tight to the chain that she still had in her grasp, then ran back to the altar, once again trying to wind it around Celestia's chains in another desperate attempt at her undisclosed plan. "Blinkie! Inkie!" Pinkie dove to her stunned sisters, trying desperately herself to drag them into a hiding place behind what was left of one of the remaining columns. Gilda roared, and in a move she would have certainly never attempted prior to recent events, she charged into Helios herself, aiming her claws to grab for his horn. She was not really certain of what to do with it once she had it, trying her best to yank and twist it out of place as if expecting to break it. This only elicited a chuckle from Helios as he waved his head and sent her tumbling back into the ground, yelping as one of her wings crumpled beneath her from the impact. "Why won't this work!" Trixie yelled out in a fit of rage herself. Gilda's efforts kept Helios from paying her efforts much notice, but so far she had no way to use that advantage. Ditzy stood up as well, pushing a small piece of rubble off of herself, then tried to get her bearings. Blinking over at Trixie and realizing that she was attempting something, she called out, "Reverse the polarity!" "What?" Trixie paused, barely catching Ditzy's suggestion and eyeing her with disbelief. "Trust me!" Ditzy called back, "I have a friend that does that a lot and it always works! Reversing the polarity will disturb the frequencies and cause a reaction that the outward edge of the space-time bubble will propagate!" "Wait what?" even Helios was given pause as Ditzy suddenly started spouting techno-babble. "Fine!" Trixie cried out, not questioning Ditzy's knowledge of any type of bubble; that cutie mark had to mean something after all. Trixie's horn glowed, magical ripples flowing through the chain in the opposite direction, causing a snap of energy that once again blasted her back away from the altar. This time however, the energy swirled through the chains, the outward edge of a previously invisible bubble becoming visible around the altar as it expanded outward, hesitated, then pulsed several more times. With a shattering noise, the chains all pulsed with energy, then released, slammed back into the mechanisms below them as Celestia screeched out at the chaffing of chains unwinding around her. The team wasted no time, and though Celestia would not appreciate their methods, they did manage to get her off of the platform. Inkie grunted, picking herself up, then slamming her hammer into the harness still holding Celestia's head, unfortunately clobbering her in the process as well but successfully knocking her free. Gilda flapped her one good wing, managing to get enough of a push to thrust her entire body into Celestia's side, getting the rest of her onto the floor. Pinkie grabbed hold of her other side, trying to drag her away from the platform, and even Blinkie managed to drag her dizzy self off of the floor to help pull. The time rift pulsed again, then expanded outwards. The reversal had delayed it and released the chains, but had not stopped the portal from opening. The mechanisms of the altar reacted as it did so, thrusting upwards, but now there was no Princess Celestia to push up and into the rift. Helios' expression became panicked, no longer worrying about his enemies, "No... NO! SELENE! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" His expression twitched, flames shooting outwards from his body. He watched the portal shimmer below him, knowing it would only be open for a brief moment, then without further reluctance threw himself downwards. There was a crash, followed by noises that seemed to come from the other side of the portal. Nightmare Moon's voice could be heard screaming in rage as she was banished, Celestia's own mournful wail in turn. There was a flash of light, and the sounds on the other side of the time rift went silent as the crack in time closed back up on itself. What remained of the machine groaned both from strain and abuse, the enchantments shattering and what remained practically melting from the remaining energy. The heroes were blasted away from the fissure in every direction, landing hard on the shattered tile and rock beneath them. The moment of brief silence was broken by the groans of the ponies, as one at a time they staggered in an attempt to stand. Most of them were only able to manage a position where they were only barely sitting up, and Celestia did not rise at all, her eyes spinning about from that last impact of Inkie's hammer. "My apologies Princess," Inkie calmly noted before gagging at the feel of her own bruised body. "That," Gilda was the next voice to speak up, "Was even more painful than I expected... and I was expecting a lot." "That," Blinkie coughed up a bit between statements, but corrected Gilda, "was awesome!" "Trixie will never again doubt the Derp’ed One's wisdom," Trixie adjusted her hat and crown, then rose up slowly herself, unwilling to remain on the ground in her moment of victory, but in too much pain to manage a particularly hammy speech. "You know what this calls for?" Pinkie staggered up, and tried to make her most predictable of statements, "A... par... t..yyyyy..." she stumbled over again, thumping back against the ground. "Hi lady! What's your name?" Ditzy's statement brought all of their attention to a newcomer. Surely enough, Ditzy had fallen against the body of another mare that had not been present previously. Nearly as large as Celestia, she had a deep blue coat, speckled with white as if patterned after the night sky itself. On her flank was a pattern of a full moon with a starry mist behind it, not unlike the cutie mark of Princess Luna. Her mane and tail were an almost black shade of purple, waving about her as if made of pure energy, also not unlike those of the other alicorns. In fact, she appeared to be an alicorn herself, deep purple wings folded behind her and a solid ebony horn rising above her head. "I..." the confused alicorn stammered, "Where am I? I was fighting Luna... and Celestia yelled for me to take cover, but I couldn't in time and... and then Helios was suddenly there and threw me...then I was here..." "This may take some explanation, Selene," Celestia took a deep breath, her own body starting to recover. ----------------------------------- When the portal opened back up so soon after the heroes had left, Luna had initially assumed the worst. She could not have been more surprised when the vortex opened into a steady gate rather than a bright flash of teleportation and the first two refugee carts were drawn through. The first appeared to be Majesty, flanked by her world's Spike, and appearing cautious and uncertain of if she should be there. It was possible that only they were meant to come through in the first group to test if it was safe, but the second cart pulled by Lickity Split and Wind Whistler came through right behind them, appearing as if Lickity was doing most of the pulling against Whister's better judgment. Princess Luna was quick to realize what was happening, waving off the guards with a single hoof, causing them to back up a few steps while remaining on alert. Luna then approached the initial cart, waving a hoof and greeting them. “Welcome to Equestria, travelers!” Luna’s voice boomed loudly, the new arrivals suddenly stopping in the tracks in front of her, “We, Luna, Princess of the Night, greet thee!” "Oh my stars it's a trap!" Majesty tried to back up, not doing very well at reversing the course of her cart, however. "I was promised ice cream!" Lickity Split's scream of terror was unique, but it was still obviously a scream of terror as she immediately broke off from her own cart and ran headlong into the nearest royal guard while attempting to escape. "Lickity, no!" Whistler was the most level headed of them, but still obviously horror-stricken. She tried to turn her cart around, flapping her wings as she tried to speed off, but then her own harness snapped off and she ended up barrel rolling into the ground. "I'll save you, Majesty!" their baby dragon shouted, appearing to be the bravest. He actually charged and tried to punch Luna in the shin. Luna appeared to have barely felt this attack, arching one eyebrow and raising her other front hoof to hurriedly motion to the surrounding guards not to retaliate against the poor, frightened off-worlders. Spike, meanwhile, yelped and hopped backwards, holding his fist as if he had just punched a brick wall before promptly falling over. "Why were we worried these clowns would invade us again?" commented the guard that Lickity Split had run into, moving a single hoof to gently hold her in place on the ground where she fell. She appeared to stay pinned through sheer panic alone. "Civilians, please do not fear, we shall not harm you!" Luna tried to appease them, but her thundering voice only made them run around more. "Shhh," Blueblood's voice came from behind Luna, "You're only making it worse Auntie Luna." He then turned to the crowd, dropping his normal manner and speaking to the new arrivals, "Come on now, let's calm ourselves. She isn't trying to be mean, she just has a... speech... disorder... thing. It's very sad." It took them a few moments, but eventually the four off-worlders calmed themselves, looking slightly embarrassed as they moved to stand in front of their carts. Luna was silent for a moment, but shot Blueblood a black look for his statement. "Does... this mean we get ice cream after all?" Lickity was the first to speak up, trying to fix her ruffled mane as she spoke. "Um... we suppose so?" Luna spoke uncertainly. "So we're... okay to be here?" Majesty very slowly put the words together, then braced all four hooves against the ground in preparation for Luna's reply. "Thou and thy kin are most welcome in Equestria!" Luna raised a single hoof and shouted again, as if completely unable to adjust the volume even after their initial response. "Behold, for we have prepared a temporary camp in anticipation, and our guards shall safely guide you thence through the forest, in groups." "We'll try to arrange for ice cream." Blueblood waved a hoof towards one of the guards, who went wide-eyed and nodded. ---------------------------------------------------- After Majesty had gone back and informed the others that it was safe to come through, the refugees arrived in a steady stream. What had initially been meant as a front line in case the heroes failed quickly became an orderly evacuation. Small teams of guards escorted groups of a dozen ponies at a time though the safest path in the forest that Zecora had revealed to them, while Zecora herself waited at the refugee camp to help them settle in. The temporary camp had been located conveniently near both Ponyville and a nearby river, allowing a place for the aquatic equines as well. Most of the refugees had seemed very confused, not having expected a warm and orderly welcome, but there had been no time to explain things to them, and they had all been happy simply to be taken care of. After having mistakenly terrified several other groups, Luna had herself opted to stand on a nearby hill rather than personally greet them. Instead, she put Prince Blueblood in charge of greeting, and though he strained to remain stuffy, one could see a measure of emotion slipping through that for him was anything but typical. Finally the portal shimmered, and six more tired figures walked out. It was Twilight Wish and her five closest companions. They looked extremely reserved, almost as if they had not wanted to cross over into the new world. Twilight flicked a few switches on this side of the portal, and the gate closed for the time being, making sure it would still have enough energy to bring the heroes through later on. Twilight Wish’s eyes scanned the area, seeing that the gate was now in the middle of an excavated crater with forest on all sides. Her eyes fell on the unmistakable form of Luna atop the hill, and took a deep breath. “Is- is this a good idea?” even Surprise seemed reluctant, and oddly composed at the seriousness of their situation. “It is,” Twilight sighed again as she began walking towards Luna, “We have to face what we’ve done, no matter what influence it was done under.” "Twilight!" the six froze as a voice unfamiliar to them spoke up, turning to see Blueblood walking towards them. Dropping his usual, official mannerisms caused a few nearby guards to perk their ears in curiosity, "I think the other Twilight will want to see you girls; she should be recovering by now. WELL... I told the guards that tickling them was the cure, but I'm pretty sure they figured out the real cure by now." He stifled a chuckle. "Do we know you?" Firefly moved in front of the group, defensively. Applejack grabbed hold of Firefly's tail, giving her a yank back before she could leap to their defense and then looked at Blueblood, "Guess we're under arrest huh." "No fighting it, Firefly," Twilight reminded the pegasus. "At least they aren't beating us with sticks yet!" Surprise pointed out, as if she expected that to be the eventual result. "They're going to beat us with sticks?" Posey huddled in the back, laying against the ground with both hooves covering her head as she teared up. "Arrest?" Blueblood quirked an eyebrow himself, "No no no, look just wait here for a second and try not to break anything, I'm going to check in with Luna, then we'll be off to the palace." He did not need to go to Luna however, as she had approached the group when she saw them lingering instead of moving on with the other refugees. The alicorn stood next to Blueblood, observing the fragile state of the six ponies and peering at Blueblood as if wondering what he had said to them. "Thou requirest Our presence?" Luna's voice boomed, calmly for her, but still causing all six of the off-world pony's eyes to go wide. Prince Blueblood saw Twilight Wish about to speak, holding out a hoof to shush her, "Auntie Luna! No, no, we're fine. These are friends of Twilight Sparkle's, so we're going to the palace to see if she's been… fixed yet. Unless I miss my guess, Team B has had enough time to get back and... well you should probably escort them to the palace when they arrive, but I guess you already planned to do that." He rattled on just a bit, almost as if nervous. Luna blinked a few times at Blueblood, leaning slowly over to look him in the eyes. She leaned back, thinking intensely, then noted, "We granteth thee leave to do thus; we shall remain and observe." Blueblood took another step towards the off-worlders, and without so much as asking their permission, his horn glowed brightly. He and the six off-worlders were teleported away in a flash. "Should we... follow him, your Majesty?" asked a nearby unicorn guard, seeming equally unsure. Luna's answer was cut off as the portal activated a final time. Once again, the guards rallied around it, and once again there was no need. Upon the now very crowded platform stood the substitute team, along with a very groggy-looking princesses Celestia and Selene. Trixie had struck herself into a pose in anticipation of a cheering crowd on the other side, fore-hooves in the air and a huge grin on her face. When no cheer was immediate, she lowered herself to all fours and adjusted her crown, looking a bit downtrodden. The other members were behind her, Pinkie bouncing up and down in excitement, much to the chagrin of Inkie who was relying on her help to walk. Blinkie, who was apparently the worst of the group, had been placed on Gilda's back between her wings, but still seemed aware of her surroundings if nothing else. Deprived of her usual sleeping position on Gilda, Ditzy had curled up on Selene's back instead, who looked quite alarmed at being used for bedding, among the other things that had occurred. Celestia stood on the other side of the group, strong enough again to at least look like her normal, regal self. Of course, the primary reason for there being no cheer was the confusion at the addition of the new alicorn. Many of the guards were taking up positions just in case it was an enemy, and Luna looked blind and deaf to all other things as she stared at Selene. Tears slowly formed in her eyes before she lunged at Selene so fast that she may as well have teleported, suddenly grasping her in a hug. "Selene, thou art alive!" Luna's voice boomed out, as she practically wept on the shoulder of the still very confused Selene. "Sister... you are... feeling better again?" Selene was clearly just as surprised to see Luna in her right mind as Luna was to see Selene alive. The alicorn then looked about, seeming incredibly shy about the amount of eyes focused on her and sinking downward slightly. "Did Trixie mention the valiant defeat of His Majesty?" Trixie piped up. Celestia smiled brightly at the two, then paused and looked about before turning to the nearest guard, "Prince Blueblood was not waiting for us?" "No, Your Majesty," replied the nearest one, "He went to the palace with some of the refugees, we were just about to follow him." "That won't be necessary," Celestia smiled, then turned to the others, "We'll be going back there ourselves." ----------------------------------------------- Prince Blueblood appeared inside the castle in a flash of light, surrounded by the six off-world ponies, all of whom had to take a moment to get over the dizziness caused by unexpected teleportation. Blueblood himself took stock of his surroundings, noting that they were in the main hall once again, just outside of the throne room. Alerted by the noise, two guards quickly ran out of the throne room, only to skid to a halt when they recognized the Prince and gave him a respectful bow. Blueblood spoke before they could do so themselves, “Oh no need for that. Are the five ponies I left here cleansed?” He stifled a slight chuckle. “Um,” the guard seemed caught off guard by the tone and not being required to bow, “Yes, your Majesty, they are just inside the throne room.” “Sh-should we be here?” Twilight Wish asked quietly from behind Blueblood, looking nervously at her unfamiliar surroundings. “Me and Firefly have already been here!” Surprise smiled happily, happier than she was previously since they still had not been beaten with sticks. “Of course you should,” Blueblood turned his head to shoot back at them, then started to walk through the large double doors to the throne room. He did not bother using his magic, instead allowing the guards to hurriedly dart in front of him to open it. “Ahem,” one of the guards seemed a little nervous, “You should know, my Prince, that your initial suggestion was not exactly… well and they may be a little upset so do be cautious. They’re better though, ‘turns out we just had to read letters to the one and then-” He grew silent as Blueblood gave him a ‘yes I know’ gesture, leaving the guard confused. Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle and her friends, save for Pinkie Pie of course, were all waiting in the throne room. Twilight Sparkle was seated in one of the comfortable-looking couches with Spike snoozing on her back, looking as if she had been reading a book until the new arrivals came, placing it instead on the arm of the chair. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were looking impatient near the front of the throne, pacing back and forth. Fluttershy was being quiet, sitting behind the two pacing ponies but staying a great deal more still and reserved. Rarity was sitting on another comfortable chair across from Twilight, but did not stay there for long. “You!” Rarity was up in a heartbeat, pointing a hoof at Prince Blueblood after overhearing the guard speak to him, “I should have known it was your idea! What was this, revenge for the Gala?” “The Gala?” Blueblood eye-quirked, then snorted, “Faust no, I was having far more fun than you realize.” For a brief moment, Rarity looked as if she might explode all over the Prince, regardless of how royal he might be or who was watching. “Hold it Rarity,” Twilight Sparkle slowly got up from her seat at the couch, her magic moving the still sleeping Spike from her back and placing him where she had just been sitting, “There are more important things to deal with right now.” “You!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash actually spoke in unison, also noticing the group of ponies behind Blueblood. “Oh Helios,” Twilight Wish sweared habitually, as she realized who Blueblood had taken them to see. “Dun dun duuuuun!” Surprise threw her fore-hooves up, deciding the moment would benefit from a drama chord. “Whoa there,” Blueblood moved his position slightly, “Right, sorry; I probably should have come in here on my own first and warned you who was coming in with me… anyway! They are just here to tell you something!” “Right,” Twilight Wish took a deep breath, moving slowly around Blueblood as if acting as the spokesman for her team. She did not get to speak as of yet however, another flash of light from the hallway breaking her concentration. One of the two guards stayed, as if feeling the need to remain and make sure things did not degenerate into violence, the other heading out the double doors once again. “I suppose that must be them,” Twilight Wish said, sighing, “We’re ready to fully confess, and take the penalty for what we’ve-“ “Twilight Wish,” Blueblood shook his head, “I already told you before that once everything was over, I would gladly take responsibility for everything you did while under my influence. Anyway, it’s probably best that I be in my own office while Celestia is explaining things; less chance of explosions that way.” “Wait, what?” Twilight Wish’s eyes grew wide, then she waved a hoof frantically as she saw Blueblood’s horn glowing, “No wait don’t-“ But it was too late, Blueblood had flashed away back to his own quarters, leaving both groups now staring at where he had been in silence. “Okay,” Rainbow Dash was the first to break the silence, “What the hay is going on?” “Best. Surprise. Ever!” decided Surprise. “Oh he decided to leave?” Celestia’s voice was heard from the double doors, the Princess strolling into the room, “Poor thing, he’s probably nervous about seeing Selene again after all this time.” Indeed, the still confused looking alicorn Selene was directly behind Celestia, looking even more nervous as all eyes went to her first. Luna was next to her sister, smiling brightly at her presence. Behind them were the six heroes, Trixie in particular seeming still put out that no one had started cheering yet. “Princess?” Twilight Sparkle walked up to the Princess, as was her habit, despite everypony else in the room having paused to bow to her, “I… I’m not even sure what to ask.” “I’m sorry you had to go through that Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia sighed, leaning down to nose slightly against Twilight’s ear, then moved to walk towards the throne, where she slowly had a seat, “I’m sorry that any of you did, but you have to understand that to interfere too early would have disrupted the proper sequence of events and might have resulted in a… less beneficial outcome.” Now she had their attention, nopony in the room was speaking, all circled about the throne as she spoke. Celestia took a deep breath, “A thousand years ago, when our sister Luna was… taken from us, something very strange happened when she was banished. You see, Selene had joined in the fight, while Helios had stayed in our sister world to keep order. I arrived late to the battle, having had difficulty adjusting to using all the Elements at once… and found Lu—I mean Nightmare Moon had nearly killed Selene. I shouted at her to move aside, and tried to cast the banishing wave before she was killed, but she was not able to get out of the way in time.” Luna tried to retreat into a corner at this point, clearly ashamed at her involvement in the story, but Selene reached out a hoof and pulled her gently back, smiling at her forgivingly. Celestia continued, “At first, I thought I had accidentally finished off Selene, but I was surprised when I realized that the still body was that of Helios. However, Helios had not been so weakened by battle, so he survived the blast, and immediately attacked me in a fit of rage that I did not understand. I was able to subdue him, but he would not speak reasonably with me. He accused me of harming our sisters in a grab for power, and claimed to have ‘saved’ Selene from my ‘evil plan’.” “He was clearly not being himself, but also clearly not possessed, at least not by anything of which the Elements could clense him. I brought him back to the palace, where upon further examination it was discovered his mind had been damaged by some immense torment. Once I knew this, I was able to persuade him to reveal how he remembered me coming back and claiming I had accidentally killed Selene, how he was banished by his own ponies, and how he had awoken and vowed to take his revenge. Helios told me the entire story, and I was… severely tempted to try to prevent it. I realized that it was partially my fault that he was banished, and certainly my fault for not having acted more wisely against Nightmare Moon, but I also realized that changing the timeline was a dangerous thing to do. So instead, I went to Helios… and claimed that I had accidentally killed Selene.” She took a deep breath, “Not a day has gone by that I did not regret putting such things into motion when I could have attempted to prevent them, but the chaos that could ensue from actually trying to change established timelines was… too horrible to contemplate.” “I hope that you forgive me, and that you forgive Helios as well for the things that have occurred. It took over a century of magic work, much of it very painful, to recover his mind from the thousand years of torment he had been through. Once he was freed from his delusions, and realizing what he had done, he insisted that his punishment continue. Forsaking his alicorn form, he has been my faithful servant, standing by my side and keeping the realm safe under a number of guises, beginning as a lowly castle servant and progressing until he earned his present rank. I fear his present guise is designed to keep ponies at a distance, as he did not wish any to become too friendly with him only to be hurt by finding out what he was.” Celestia then turned directly to the off-worlders, making all six of them sink slightly as if expecting reprisal, but her tone was still kind, “Twilight Wish and friends. Helios has informed me that what you did, you did under his influence, and I consider his millennia of punishment more than enough to absolve you of your crimes. I know it will not be easy…” her head turned to the others, “But I ask you to forgive them as well.” “Oh,” Celestia added as an afterthought, “I also think a celebration is due, in honor of our new heroes.” “Yes!” Trixie threw her hooves up, causing everyone to stare at her now for a moment. She slowly put them back upon the floor, and added a more reserved, “Team Awesome P.A.R.T.Y Trixie and Friends thanks you, Your Majesty.” “Oh no need to thank me,” Celestia smiled, “This is your moment, there is probably a crowd gathered outside as we speak, now that news of your achievements has begun to spread.” “Have fun Trixie,” Twilight Sparkle smiled to her. “The Twilight Sparkle is not going out with us?” Trixie looked at her, arching one eyebrow. “No Trixie, you and your friends deserve more credit than we do; all we did was get rescued this time.” Twilight Sparkle smiled, “I’m proud of you Trixie, your magic really has become powerful.” For a moment, Trixie was speechless, looking dizzy with glee at her rival’s words. “Yeah go on guys, especially you G! Glad you came around.” Rainbow Dash moved up beside Twilight Sparkle, looking over at Gilda. Gilda tried not to blush, “Aw don’t get all sappy on me Dash… but thanks. I’ll try and visit more.” “I think I had probably best not go as well,” Twilight Wish spoke up too, but found herself smiling for the first time in quite a while, “Besides, we should get back to help everypony from Undervale get settled in.” With that, the teams separated once again. The off-world ponies were taken to the new settlement to take on their new duties there. Trixie and her friends marched out quite happily to meet the cheering crowd, flanked by both Celestia on one side and Luna and Selene on the other. The other ponies rested up, but for the most part quietly made their way back to Ponyville. ---------------------------------- Dear Princess Celestia, Sometimes we all do things that we regret, sometimes things that can cost us the friendships we cherish the most, making us think that maybe being a loner is the best way to avoid being unhappy. For a long time I avoided the problem in the hopes of avoiding more pain, but the more I avoided it, the more pain I felt. I’ve learned that it’s never too late to come back and try again. Making up for what you did might not be pleasant, but it’s well worth it in the long run. Maybe ponies aren’t such bad friends to have after all. Awesomely Yours, Gilda Dear Princess Celestia, Sometimes life can be really confusing and hard, but I’ve learned that just because you released a horror from its eternal imprisonment and unleashed it upon the universe, doesn’t mean you have to panic and almost crash the TARDIS into a black hole trying to get away; that will only get you kicked off at the nearest planet. And just covering it up with a blanket and hoping nopony notices won’t work either. It’s best to ‘fess up to what you did and ask your friends for help instead; together you can always find a way! Kindly Yours, Ditzy Dear Princess Celestia, Hi! Trixie says that we all have to write to you, and tell you something we learned! I learned that even the worst of meanies can become the best of friends, and all it takes is a common goal and possibly being trapped together in a dark ruin for hours on end. I also learned that if you find a giant pink button with a blinking light on it, you should press it right away! Partastically Yours, Pinkie Pie Dear Princess Celestia, Blowing up things is really fun, so it can be tempting to use ‘splodies to solve all our problems, but sometimes resorting to blowing things up with huge explosives at the first sign of trouble is not the right answer. I’ve learned to carry a wider range of bombs with me, like shaped charges, smoke bombs, and other smaller, tactical explosives. Oh, and I guess I also learned that you should try to use the lowest level of violence possible to solve your problems so there’s a smaller mess to clean up after and fewer ponies wanting revenge. Explosively Yours, Blinkie Pie Dear Princess Celestia, There are a lot of ponies in the world and many of them are loyal to their friends and believe they are doing the right thing. I learned however, that this isn't always enough. A pony can follow almost all the Elements and still end up being brutally wrong, so it's important that we carefully analyze what we are doing and look at both sides of an issue before resorting to extreme measures. Calmly Yours, Inkie Pie Dear Princess Celestia, I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have learned a valuable lesson! I have learned that no matter how talented and mind-boggling amazing that a pony is, she still needs to have friends to depend on to help. What's more, you should not dismiss a pony because they seem to be simple or even clumsy. They sometimes bring brilliant solutions that not even the Great and Powerful Trixie could have imagined. Greatly and Powerfully Yours, Trixie
blayzekohime	706	16	Derpy Hooves,Gilda,Main 6,Spike,Trixie,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Substitute Harmony	Pinkie's friends disappear and Pinkie must find others to try to help her defeat their ponynappers.	complete	322	16	<p>When strange ponies from another world suddenly pony-nap all her friends, Pinkie Pie must find a way to defeat their master all on her own. Blamed for the crime herself, she has no help from Celestia and just about every pony in Ponyville is convinced that she's finally cracked. Who can she possibly find to fill in for the other Elements of Harmony, and help her defeat the ancient evil behind it all?</p><p>This story occurs after Discord is defeated but prior to the rest of season 2. Story is featured on <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/substitute-harmony-update-chapter-5.html" rel="nofollow">Equestria Daily</a> and is now officially a 'six star' rated story! Full size image can also be found there.</p><p>Special thanks to my editor Florentine</p><p>TV Tropes entry is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SubstituteHarmony" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p>Other images:<br/><a href="http://askinkie-pie.tumblr.com/post/10490556102/heres-to-the-three-craziest-sisters-you-will-ever" rel="nofollow">reference of what Blinkie and Inkie's cutie marks look like</a><br/><a href="http://trulycourageous.deviantart.com/gallery/33395612#/d4dlx79" rel="nofollow">The G1 team</a></p><p>This story was written for <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/national-pony-writing-month.html" rel="nofollow">National Pony Writing Month 2011</a>. I completed the required amount for PonyWriMo on 20th of September.</p><p>Also features: Inkie Pie, Blinkie Pie, Twilight (G1), Applejack (G1), Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, Firefly</p>	everyone	2012-03-13T07:24:03+00:00	2012-03-13T07:24:03+00:00	6,137	Helios stood at the top of his tower, peering out the window at the bright, blue sky, then down towards the crowd still filling the Canterlot’s main square. The Celebration had continued late into the evening, both of the victory of the new heroes and of the arrival of Selene, his sister. He had refused to attend himself, even though he could have done so either as Prince Blueblood or himself. Helios had never been ‘himself’ outside of this room for countless years, and had come to the conclusion that it was best to just be the villain that was defeated and then mysteriously fell off the map. The door to his room opened, and he turned slowly to see who it was. A sigh escaped his mouth, then he turned back towards the window as if not willing to look upon the new arrival. It was Selene, who moved slowly into the room, her ethereal mane even more lustrous now that she had a chance to rest after her ordeal. Leaving the door slightly ajar, she paused directly beside him. “Brother?” she finally spoke, her voice quiet and unsure. “I know.” Helios responded. “I know now that you wouldn’t have helped me even had I succeeded, and I know you’re probably deeply ashamed of me for trying to trade our sister’s life for yours, but,” he paused a moment, and sighed, “I still saved you, and that’s one part of my insanity that I can’t look back on with regret.” “I am disappointed that things turned out badly, but if I forgave Luna for what she did in her madness, so you have to know that I forgive you, brother,” Selene walked up to stand beside her brother, looking over at him. When he did not respond, she leaned over to nuzzle his cheek slightly. “I will never forgive myself,” Helios leaned away as if ashamed to accept the gesture. “Well then,” Selene pondered, then smiled again, “Then I will never forgive you for not forgiving yourself. Fair?” Helios found himself chuckling; he had trouble staying serious for very long, and turned his own head to nuzzle back at his sister’s ear, “Fair enough. I’ll try my hoof at forgiving myself, when I get around to it.” “Well just remember I still love you and… well you know,” Selene sighed, blushed slightly, then looked out the window. “Maybe we can watch from here, I think they are going to have fireworks later, the bomb pony apparently had a large stash of them.” “That sounds… nice and distracting,” was the best answer Helios could give. Their moment of reunion was shattered when the door was kicked open, causing them both to look back towards it. Rarity walked in, holding her head high, pausing at the door as she looked at the two. “Ah yes there you are, ‘Prince Blueblood’.” Rarity spoke. “I need to have a brief word with you.” She spoke to Selene, “I hope you don’t mind, darling.” “Oh no,” Selene looked awkward, “Go right ahead.” “A word? With me?” Helios turned about, raising an eyebrow, but faced Rarity and took a few steps forward. “Oh it’s very personal dear,” Rarity walked up to him, then waved a hoof as if to motion for him to lower his head, “Could you lean down so that I can whisper it to you?” Helios blinked, then slowly leaned down. Several times Rarity motioned again, until finally his head was barely an inch from her own. And with that, Rarity’s hoof flew up and smacked Helios hard across the face with an audible crack. “How DARE you!” Rarity’s demeanor suddenly changed, “If you aren’t ready to be with a mare that’s one thing, but you should tell her that you aren’t able to have a relationship, not drag her along like a brute and embarrass her in front of an entire gala! And don’t even PRETEND you weren’t having fun doing so either! I could see it in your eyes earlier, you selfish… selfish… OH I want to say so many unladylike things right now!” Helios was stunned for a few moments that somepony actually hit him; it had been a while since that had last happened. He then just raised his head, chuckling good-naturedly. Even Selene looked slightly amused, giggling from behind him, but then blushing at having done so. “Oh don’t be like that,” Helios smirked at Rarity, “You had every bit as much fun when you slung cake all over me and I fell into that statue. ‘Stupid hall needed renovating anyway.” Rarity hmph’ed, but a moment later sighed, “Well yes, I do admit that was… rather amusing in hindsight.” She managed to smile, taking a deep breath, “I apologize Princess Selene, I just needed to get that out of my system.” She was not going to apologize to Helios, clearly. “Oh it’s… I’m not mad,” Selene spoke quietly, “But I really think maybe… you should forgive him, too.” Helios shrugged, “Look, I’ll make it up to you. Next time you’re in Canterlot I’ll treat you properly and take you to… something. I don’t know, we’ll see what is happening.” “Hmph.” Rarity repeated, then turned to go. “We’ll see, ‘Prince Blueblood’.” Helios took a deep breath, and started to turn back to Selene as Rarity was leaving, “Well at least now we got-“ “Hi!” a very loud voice came from the door now, making Helios cringe. Helios turned back around, managing to grin for the newcomers . Into the door flew Ditzy, nearly falling over as she landed in the middle of the floor. Behind her, somewhat more composed, strolled Gilda, looking very self-conscious for some reason. That reason became apparent shortly afterwards as a little gray unicorn with a blond mane and tail could be seen curled up and sleeping on her back where Ditzy had so often lain. “Hi Mister Helium! I’ve been looking all over for you; I wanted you to meet my little muffin, Dinky!” she waved excitedly towards the filly on Gilda’s back, “A guard is looking for my other little muffin, so I’m sure she’ll be here soon too!” “You… brought your daughter to meet me?” Helios looked baffled. “That’s… probably not the first thing I would have done in your place. I suppose that’s… very special though.” “She’s beautiful, miss.” Selene smiled, walking up as well this time, then leaning over to admire the little one, which caused Gilda to look even more self-conscious. “Thanks! I’m glad somepony brought her to the palace when I was missing, ‘cause now we can-“ Ditzy fell silent, ears perked and standing deathly still as if picking something up. After a few moments, she gasped as if in sheer joy. “Uh, Ditz’?” Gilda seemed worried, “’You okay girl?” “Miss?” Selene seemed worried as well. Even Helios looked slightly spooked, moving to wave a hoof in front of her. What none of them heard, but what Ditzy had apparently picked up, was a strange sound, a kind of cyclic, wheezing, groaning that sounded vaguely mechanical. So focused on Ditzy, none of the others in the room spotted the tall, blue box that appeared in one corner of the room, fading in and out before solidifying. It was about twice as tall as a pony, and wide enough for a large alicorn to pass through its doors, but did not seem large enough for one to actually fit inside. Despite this, the doors burst open, suddenly drawing the attention of all those in the room. Out of the door rushed a brown earth pony with spiky, darker brown hair, looking less styled and more as if his tail and mane just assumed those shapes of their own accord. On his flank was the cutie mark of a golden hourglass, and around his neck was a stylish brown tie with a white collar. His blue eyes focused directly on Helios. “Ha!” the colt yelled, with a notable Trottingham accent, “I’ve got you now Helios! I’m not sure what you’re planning yet, but I’m here to stop you!” “Doctor!” Ditzy practically squealed, “You found me!” “Oh for the love of Faust!” Helios was less amused, “You again? What did I do this time? Step on the wrong butterfly and accidentally destroy the future?” “Is this… a friend of yours, brother?” Selene’s eyes had grown a few sizes larger. “Don’t ask,” Gilda spoke to Selene as an aside as she face-clawed, “It’s best that way.” Ditzy bounced over, hugging against the brown earth pony, “Doctor I thought you’d never come back for me!” “Stand back, Derpy! This could get messy!” the Doctor pushed Ditzy behind him, apparently with the intention of protecting her. He then pulled a long, silver tool with a blue light at its end out of thin air and aimed it at Helios, who simply looked annoyed when said tool took to buzzing at him. “No Doctor, you don’t understand!” Ditzy hugged against the Doctor again, “We already beat him up and made him good. We revealed his evil plan and everything, but he’s not evil now he’s nice, so let’s be nice to him too!” “Yeah, ‘fraid you’re a bit late ‘Doctor’.” Gilda smirked in amusement. “What?” the Doctor paused, then looked upset, “Oh for all the… I have a bloody TIME MACHINE. How can I be late again?” He threw the buzzing tool onto the floor, which snapped back out of sight and into hammerspace. After a moment more spent looking cross, he suddenly blinked, “Wait, you helped defeat him?” “Yes, yes,” Helios sounded annoyed, “Her brilliant plan foiled me when she reversed the whatsit, I’m rather tired of telling this story.” “Reversed the polarity!” Ditzy smiled, hopping in place a few times and flapping her wings, “Trixie did it, but it was my idea!” “You… reversed the polarity?” the Doctor looked at Ditzy, a tear in his eyes, much like a proud parent realizing that their child has grown up. “I’m here I’m here!” another pony stumbled out of the blue box, screeching to a halt as she eyed the room. “Mommy!” the word was apparently aimed at Ditzy. This caused most others in the room to look dumbfounded, as this pony was clearly Ditzy’s own age. She was a unicorn, just like little Dinky, but with far brighter colors. She sported a pink coat and a mane and tail that were layered in various shades of purple, the lighter of the two shades matching her eyes. On her flank were three beautiful-looking white diamonds. “Sparkler!” Ditzy hopped over to hug the new unicorn, “You got your cutie mark! And you got… big? Since I last saw you a few days ago?” “Oh good,” Helios rolled his eyes, “More repeat names; because it’s not confusing enough for me already.” “Exactly how late are you?” Gilda peered at the Doctor with one eye. “Fairly late?” the Doctor nervously moved a hoof to adjust his tie, then seemed vaguely defensive. “Look, at first I went to Derpy’s house and found Sparkler alone there so I thought I’d take care of her for a few days while I looked for Helios. But then I got distracted! Time is not the boss of me!” “Come on Gilda!” Ditzy bounced over towards Gilda now, clearly excited, her wings flapping hard enough that she was hovering even as she tried to tug Gilda towards the strange, blue box. “Wait, what are we doing?” Gilda went wide-eyed, “Come on Ditz’, we won’t all fit in that thing!” The Doctor rolled his eyes, “Oh fine! You win, you can come back aboard; but don’t think this means I’m going soft!” With that, he turned back to walk into the box himself, followed shortly by a smiling Sparkler. Gilda was dragged reluctantly in afterwards by Ditzy, Dinky still on the griffon’s back. She glanced back briefly at Helios and Selene, almost seeming to wonder if staying with them would be safer. A moment later however, the door slammed shut, and the blue box disappeared into nothing, making the same sound as it had when it arrived. “I’m going to take that griffon’s advice, and not ask,” was all that Selene could think to say. “If I ever see that guy again it will be too soon,” Helios shivered, as if remembering something truly disturbing. “Well it doesn’t matter, at least now we can talk and-” “Greetings your Highnesses,” Trixie’s voice came from the door. Helios sighed, sitting his bottom down and seeming to accept his fate, “Yes, though I’m not rightly sure if we’re Highnesses or not at this point.” “Oh no need to call me that,” smiled Selene, “I’m likely going to be quietly spending time with my own studies, but it is nice to see you again. I… owe you and your friends a great deal.” “It was the least the Great and Powerful Trixie could do,” Trixie grinned widely. She may have learned many lessons about friendship, but that did not mean she was not going to eat up the praise. “Actually, Trixie came to hold His Majesty to his promise.” “Promise of what?” Helios quirked one ear, then flattened it, “Oh. The… teach you better magic thing.” He sighed, then gave a shrug, “Sure, we’ll do that, I mean I don’t have much else to do other than take a student. Just one caveat… please shut my door as you leave.” Trixie seemed satisfied with this, pausing to give a formal bow, then turning and walking out with her head held high, the door shutting firmly behind her. “There,” Helios grunted as the door glowed with his magic, “That door is not opening again tonight if I have to-“ As if on cue, there was a loud crash as if somepony had slammed into the wall outside of the window. The form backed up, then flew properly into the window, rubbing her nose with both forehooves. It was Surprise. From the looks of it, she was covered in glow sticks and was wielding what looked like a cricket bat. Fortunately, when she slammed it against Helios’ head it was revealed to be a harmless nerf bat. “Um, SURPRISE!” Surprise grinned maniacally, “Do you like my new bat? Hay! Why aren’t you out partying?” “Because,” Helios gritted his teeth slightly before bringing his face back into a smile, “I am trying to spend time with my long lost sister, now why don’t you go um… I don’t know, eat some glow sticks or something.” “I’m not sure you should be telling her that,” Selene spoke quietly, somewhat concerned that Surprise might take his order seriously. “I already did!” Surprise’s answer foiled Helios’ jest and confirmed Selene’s fears. “Hay Master Helios! Did you know there’s a statue of a villain in the garden that is really a villain turned to stone? It’s freaky looking!” “I am aware,” Helios rolled his eyes, “It’s being moved before the night is over; I’m finally getting my say in something it seems.” “Yep!” Surprise nodded, “Ponies seem to stay away from it, like it’s really scary!” Surprise obviously thought the statue of Discord looked quite silly herself. “Well except for one pony! There was a cute little foal with a silly propeller hat and a screw and a ball for a cutie mark hanging around it. She ran away when I surprised her though!” “You should probably watch that,” Helios poked the nerf bat with a hoof, “It may not hurt, but that doesn’t mean you can’t startle somepony into hurting themselves.” He sighed, “Now, if you don’t mind…” “Oh sure!” Surprise smiled, “I’m gonna go find Vinyl and see if she has more glow-snacks, bye!” “That’s very nice.” Helios place a hoof on Surprise’s nose, pushing the still hovering pony back out of the window, his magic closing it behind her. --------------------------------------------------- Most of the other guests had cleared out, and now the three Pie sisters had found a nice spot in the private, gated gardens to sit together. They all sat at the base of a beautiful willow tree, beautiful red and gold lilies cushioning their laying spots and providing ‘snacks’ as they talked together. “So yeah,” Blinkie grinned widely, “Apparently all my offenses are wiped clean; I’m cleared for work.” “Indeed,” Inkie added, “And Prince Blueblood pulled some strings to get me and Blinkie the job I applied for months back.” “That’s great,” smiled Pinkie. “Everything worked out great! Wow I can’t wait to get home either, but you two better visit more often.” “Certainly,” Inkie smiled in return, “I think this has been an experience we all needed, in the end.” “Yeah,” Blinkie smirked, “Just promise more explosions on our next visit.” “Trixie is happy to see her minions enjoying themselves,” Trixie approached the three from the nearby path, apparently having been looking for them, causing them all to look towards her. “Trixie will be studying under his Majesty, but hopes to visit the Mad Bomber and the Poker Face; especially the Mad Bomber, we shall have business to discuss.” “Oh, sure,” Blinkie grinned, “I used up most of my fireworks at the party, but I can make more.” “Oh yes, we will do that business as well,” Trixie smirked, “But the Great and Powerful Trixie was referring to… private business with the Mad Bomber.” And with that, she gave a wink before turning slowly to head off. “Well. That was enlightening,” Inkie commented. “You go girl!” Pinkie grinned, but then paused, “Hay wait! Why isn’t anypony shipping me?! What gives?” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Days had passed since that celebration. “Yay…” Fluttershy spoke with the most adorable of voices, though she was clearly trying to sound enthusiastic. “Way to go…” Posey, standing right next to her, followed up with her own less than impressive cheering. Both of their eyes were turned upwards to the sky, watching a streak of rainbow and second streak of fire slam into a cloud shortly before the forms of Rainbow Dash and Firefly landed in front of them. “Ha! ‘Beat you again!” Rainbow Dash grinned widely, flexing her wings up, “You ‘got a long way to go, flamer!” “Yeah, yeah,” Firefly grunted, clearly exhausted, probably somewhat moreso than her opponent “I still beat you on the obstacle round. I’ll slam you on both next time!” “Are you two going to have to go so soon? I was going to show Posey my pets and things and… well but if you have to go, that’s okay too.” Fluttershy shifted one of her fore-hooves against the ground shyly. “Oh I’ll stay for a bit longer,” Posey smiled gently, seeming thankful that they let her stay here at all, “I wanted to see the flower ponies in town about their gardens, too.” “I should get back pretty soon,” Firefly said, “I’m supposed to be clearin’ the clouds over New Dream Valley.” “Ah, really? Well don’t be a stranger!” Rainbow waved to Firefly, “Yeah Applejack wanted to see me too, so I’ll head off that way. See ya Fluttershy, Posey!” With that, Rainbow Dash streaked into the sky. She saw Firefly head off in the corner of her eye, then glanced back again to see Fluttershy and Posey moving slowly in the direction of Fluttershy’s home. This sure was a change from only days earlier. It had not been easy for Rainbow to be so forgiving, but she knew what it was like to not be herself, and after learning that the off-worlders had been effectively Discord-ed by Helios’ techniques, she had managed to forgive them. She landed on the ground at Sweet Apple Acres, a few dozen feet from the two Applejacks, and strolled over towards them. The duo were standing at a tree, the Equestrian AJ trying to explain to the other how to buck a tree properly. “Nah that ain’t it Applesauce,” which Applejack had apparently taken to calling her off-worlder look-alike, “Ya can’t just rattle tha tree; ya gotta really put yer hind legs into it. Slam it low, but high enough above the base ta get a good shake.” “Right, got it!” the other stated, then promptly attempted to kick the tree again, missing and falling flat on her face. “Oh for… let’s try… oh hay Rainbow.” Applejack noticed Dash approaching, giving her a nod. “Oh, hello,” ‘Applesauce’ seemed a bit more self-conscious about meeting another of the ponies. “Yeah, you wanted to see me?” Rainbow Dash chuckled, “I hope you don’t want me to help teach how to kick trees!” “Nah,” Applejack waved a hoof, “Anyway, Applesauce is leaving soon fer her own home, ah was just hopin’ ta give ‘er some pointers for when she gets back. Givin’ ‘er some apple seeds ta start her own orchard with.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, “Hay whatever floats your boat. And you needed me for?” Applejack continued, “Oh right, well tha barn me and her had that tussle in is sorta on its last legs, so ah was thankin’ ‘bout tearin’ it down and rebuilding it. Could ya stop by tomorrow and help with that?” “Now that’s work I could get into!” Rainbow Dash grinned. ----------------------------------------------- “This is all very good information,” Twilight Wish smiled at Twilight Sparkle, settling the last of the books that she was borrowing into her saddlebag. They were both standing outside the door to Sparkle’s treehouse library, Wish preparing to leave. “Oh it’s the least I can do,” Sparkle smiled in return, “Don’t worry about it. After all, if we can put our heads together and actually duplicate the Elements, we’ll have a backup set, and you never know when that will come in handy.” “Indeed I… I just thank you for forgiving us, Miss Sparkle.” Wish leaned forward, then gave her a friendly hug. “Oh goodness, it’s nothing really,” Sparkle answered, patting Wish on the back before tugging away, “And I mean that. Trust me, we’ve had a… similar thing happen to us. I know it’s not fun.” “Well… I appreciate it all the same.” Wish smiled again, “Let’s just hope we never need the second set.” “You never know,” smiled Twilight Sparkle.
HiddenBrony	707	1	Bon-Bon,Braeburn,Gummy,Lyra,Main 6,Princess Luna,Trixie,Zecora,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Monkey's Paw	A collection of Short Stories taken as requests for Brony Day 2011.	incomplete	-1	-1	<p>On Brony Day 2011, HiddenBrony took five requests for stories that could easily go up to 5000 words. However, after taking the requests, the finished products fulfilled the wording of the requests, but the spirit of the suggestions were only lightly considered.</p>	everyone	2011-09-02T05:59:50+00:00	2011-09-02T05:59:50+00:00	1,733	A request from one Doctor Dapples. "I don't need a story as long as 5000 words. I'd be happy with a cute little one-shot about something as simple as Twilight having tea (or coffee?) with Luna for the first time." If you take away this foreword, this chapter is actually exactly 5000 words long. ----- It had happened unexpectedly, so much so that the lavender unicorn had quite the morning dealing with the adverse effects of mail flaming up while the delivery service slept soundly under the covers. After dealing with the fire hazard and replacing the small dragon's blanket for the second time in a month, Twilight Sparkle had received a letter from the Princess. However, it was unlike any letter before it - the paper was tinted a pale blue, and the insignia bore the sign of the moon, which was modeled after the cutie mark of the Caretaker of the Night. The unicorn stared at the document, rolled up and placed carefully on her bed, for a solid half an hour, beads of sweat threatening to drench the poor pony as her horn refused to break the seal containing the words underneath. What would it say? What could it say? Twilight had helped save the poor sister of Celestia, sure, and Equestria had welcomed the Princess with open arms. She seemed happy. She seemed fine. Surely everything would be okay. Right? Right. Twilight nodded in the affirmative and stood up on her four legs, approaching the document. Giving it her own version of 'The Stare', the egghead lifted the scroll up with her magic and brought it to her eyes and stared at the seal. She would read it and she would respond with haste. A letter from the Princess was important! It could be some royal duty! Celestia might be sick! Bedridden, even! Too weak to write a letter! The immortal sun goddess. Bedridden. Shaking her head at the sheer absurdity, the unicorn dropped the paper on the edge of the bed. The paper would hold until after breakfast. She was up earlier than usual, it was just a little after dawn, it seemed. The morning dew was slight coming from the chilled air outside and the songbirds outside were slowly coming out of their slumber. Enjoying the birdsong for a moment, the unicorn made way for the kitchen, her mind musing on what she would do today. I promised Applejack I would help sort out some of the financial details at the farm - apparently Granny Smith miscalculated something. It doesn't need to be done now but I'm sure she'll be grateful. And Rarity needed me to model some unicorn headwear for her - that'll be important for business! Oh and Dash … Twilight continued her mental examination of her day's events, specifically tripping over the idea of the letter that stayed on her bed. Heading downstairs, the mare found herself with a meal part-way through preparation, her little assistant/brother Spike surprised that she had stayed up. Twilight explained that she had things to take care of, and left it at that, instead opting to help the dragon with breakfast. The addition of the factual unicorn's help in the meal wasn't lost on it, and the amateur chefs soon produced a by-the-book recipe, fit for consumption by both pony and dragon. The two chatted lightly over the course of their meal, Spike gearing the conversation toward Rarity more as Twilight brought up the stylish unicorn's need for a model to give her an outside view of how a horn would look with a hat. Spike attempted multiple times to steer the conversation to the letter, his interest in the blue parchment mounting, but Twilight skillfully avoided such questions, instead opting to speak more of Rarity. She spoke of the unicorn's curls, her flawless tail, and those piercing eyes. She played the white unicorn up so much that dragon drooled over his meal. As she continued, her voice got fainter and fainter, the lavender mare walking slowly out of the room as Spike started to daydream about his lovely gem. Exhaling softly, Twilight was glad to see Owlicious had fallen asleep on his perch. She didn't need another assistant dogging her with questions about some silly piece of paper. She'd get around to it. Eventually. There was just so much that needed doing. Her friends needed her help - the Princess would understand, of course. These were the girls who saved her from her entrapment. The Elements of Harmony. And right now, they needed her help! Leaving the Library, Twilight Sparkle strode out into the morning light. She really did love the morning, even if she normally slept through it. The soft pale blues and the delicate touch of the dew covered grass made an early morning romp renewing and refreshing. Musing that most anypony would be asleep at this hour, Twilight trotted off toward the one home she knew would be up and working - the Apple Family out at Sweet Apple Acres. The trot there was uneventful enough - the rolling green hills and cloudy blue sky the only company she kept for the whole trip. However, as she made her way alongside the fence, she could see some of the hardworking stallions in the field, bucking apples and checking the health of some of the trees to make sure any disease would be dealt with before it spread. She counted off some of the workers as she took a moment to watch the ponies. Caramel... Crisp... and there's Big MacIntosh. The large red pony could be seen further than the others, and yet still was a head over any normal colt from her distance. Between the workers, Winona made her way through their legs, followed by an energetic and playful AppleBloom, her red bow tickling some of the undersides of the stallions as she ran underneath them, the filly intent on catching her dog. Twilight could hear the youngest in the Apple clan in her head now. Cutie Mark Crusader Dogcatchers! Giggling lightly to herself, the unicorn detached herself from the scene, soon moving on to the the farm proper. Meeting up with Applejack was easy enough. As soon as Twilight made for the front door did the orange mare come out to greet her. Pleasantries were exchanged as Twilight asked about the expenses, Applejack explaining she had actually gotten the paperwork sorted the day before, and awaited the unicorn's skill of organization to find the discrepancy. The farmfilly expressed surprise toward the purple pony, having not expected Twilight to come by for at least a few more days. Twilight merely waived it off, expressing her duty to her friends. As she did, however, a small feeling at the pit of her stomach pulled at her. Applejack thanked her kindly for her help. Regardless, there was still a lot of work to do at the farm, and she couldn't stand around and yammer on with her friend as much as she wanted. The lavender mare understood completely, and quickly set inside, meeting with the grandmother mare as the two went to sort out the paperwork. ----- It only took Twilight an hour and a half, but she had found two separate invoices from a local fertilizer establishment that claimed payment for the same cartel of supplies, and quickly set to work fixing the mistake. Checking with Applejack, the orange Earth pony suggested the likelihood that both she and Big MacIntosh had paid for it separately, and some issue at the wholesaler must of missed the part where they paid twice. Twilight mentioned she was happy enough to help, and left the Apple clan to deal with the rest, rest assured in knowing that they had quite of bit of money coming their way they hadn't accounted for. As she turned to leave, Applejack called her over real quick. She asked about why she had come so early. The pony wasn't daft - Twilight was a night owl with a literal night owl - the morning wasn't something she was up and raring to go for. Laughing it off, the unicorn explained she had a letter from the Princess come in, and that had simply given her enough of a rush in the morning to see her up and about. Applejack questioned about the contents of the letter, but Twilight told her nothing was to be worried about. Mumbling something about the time, Celestia's pupil stated she really had to go, as she wanted to help Rarity out before the 'big noon rush', and galloped off for Ponyville, a suspicious emerald eye tracking her as she left the farm. Coming down to a simple trot as soon as she left the eyesight of her hardworking friend, Twilight cast a nervous glance back toward the farm. She didn't lie to Applejack, she just didn't tell her everything. Like how the letter was still on the bed. Or how she didn't open it. She was going to. Eventually. She just had things to do. Obligations. She had to study the Magic of Friendship, and that meant helping them when they needed help! Coming up on the fanciful building, Carousal Boutique looked beautiful even from it's less seen side, the unicorn walking around from the back of the circular enclosure. Rapping gently on the door, Twilight waited patiently for the other unicorn inside to let her in. However, despite some rumblings and a dark, brooding threat toward anypony who dare swing by her Boutique so early, the hip and trending unicorn's tune changed immediately upon sight of her dear friend. Greeting the fellow unicorn with her usual stressing of words and trademark pet names, Rarity invited her friend inside, positively surprised to see Twilight in so early. She hadn't expected the unicorn's assistance for a couple days, at the least. Still, it may have been because Twilight was becoming more interested in the fashion world, or that she was simply looking for something to brighten up her otherwise drab attire. Twilight would of taken offense to this, but she honestly had no clothes to wear outside of her gala dress, the younger mare having done away with the old dress she had initially asked to fix up. Thus, Rarity carried on about her fashions for a good hour before the two set to work with the various headdresses. Twilight likened the experience to that of a fashion show where she was the only model. Running back and forth between hats before invariably being stopped by Rarity to add some appropriate dress to the ensemble to better 'complete' a piece. Still, it was nice to not have her horn poking at a hat from the inside, or being pushed on by some heavy brim. She mused about why horn fashion was less than it was, and Rarity let her know that such fashions wax and wane with time, and now they were making a comeback. When asked why, Rarity mentioned that the biggest news these days was the return of the sister of Celestia, who sported quite a horn, like her sister. Twilight felt the well in her stomach widen at the mention of the Mare who once dwelled on the Moon. Rarity, privy to the smallest changes in demeanor, quickly grilled her friend for information on what was troubling her. Instead, the unicorn waived it off, relenting about keeping another one of her friends waiting should she be much longer. Somewhat satisfied with the answer, Rarity disrobed her friend and thanked Twilight for her help, citing that she had so much more to work with now. As the unicorn left the Boutique, she couldn't help but think of the letter now. The Princess was big news, and it wasn't right to keep her waiting, that's for sure. Still, the noontide sun shone brightly overhead, and Twilight couldn't help but draw the conclusion that the Princess might be asleep now. Yes, that was simply it - no need to rush and get things done, The Princess of the Night would surely be snoozing after a long summer night. Trotting along the summer's day, Twilight Sparkle headed off toward an open field, one where she would often see her friend Rainbow Dash practising tricks for her entrance exam into the Wonderbolts. Approaching the center of the grassy expanse, Twilight couldn't help but notice a lack of clouds, and a lack of pegasus. Frowning slightly, the unicorn hesitantly made her way out of the field, only to be staring into the rose colored eyes of the cyan mare as she turned her head. Jumping back in surprise, the purple pony shrieked slightly as the cyan pegasus laughed her head off at her friend, claiming another successful prank on the studious unicorn. As the embarrassed filly steadied her hooves, the rainbow-maned pegasus prodded her side playfully. Twilight smiled weakly at her friend, guessing that Dash felt that she was a big enough pony to prank hard on, which she guessed was a way of showing her endearment to her friends. The two chatted for a little while, Dash taking breaks in the conversation to take off into the sky as she showboated to Twilight her new tricks. As the unicorn continued on about any old subject, a system of words or a phrase taken out of context would galvanize the cyan mare into action, a new trick idea buzzing in her head, that would often end in disaster or a close shave. It wasn't long at all before Twilight nervously started to hesitate speaking, for fear of coming up with some sort of string of words that might send her friend into an early grave. Soon, however, Dash started to ask about Twilight's day, which she was more than capable in informing. She skipped the letter in her rundown, her mind taking second nature in ignoring the pastel blue document. However, Dash seemed impressed by the unicorn's work ethic, wondering aloud just what prompted the early start. Twilight laughed nervously, offering this and that and some other things as explanations. The pit in her stomach grew as she spoke to the Element of Loyalty, and the more she spoke, the more that pit tugged at her. She didn't like it. Rainbow Dash attempted to get Twilight's attention back toward tricks, but the purple pony felt she had little more to offer her friend, citing a need to go see their friend Pinkie Pie at the bakery across town. Dash expressed her own interest in accompanying Twilight, but she refused, goading Dash's ego as she mentioned that the last trick looked really awesome, and that she should try and practice it a bit more. The pegasus took the bait, brushing her hoof on her chest with pride as she guessed she could give the move a couple more tries. Twilight fed the ego a little more, and soon Dash was airborne again, taking off to the skies as she went in search of a cloud to use for the trick. Twilight sighed with relief, leaving the field in a slow walk. She really didn't have much on the agenda to meet with Pinkie Pie, but a low grumble from her stomach told her that she might as well stop by to see what there was. Plodding along through town, Twilight took in the sights around her. AppleBloom and her friends were laughing and playing, their red caps strewn about their necks as they chased a lone bunny that had happened to wander into Ponyville. AppleBloom was beating out the other girls, her days spent chasing Winona showing as she helped the girls corner the rabbit. However, it escaped, as they always do, the girls collapsing in a heap on eachother. Looking about, the girls couldn't help but laugh at their folly, soon picking themselves up and taking off for something new to occupy their time. Twilight smiled at this, knowing as long as those fillies stayed together, they'd be fine. Striding up to Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight neatly sidestepped a pink blur that came barrelling out the door at the mere sight of the pink strip of mane Twilight owned. Bouncing about, Pinkie Pie showered her friend in some on-the-spot song that somehow managed to rhyme the word orange flawlessly. Pushing Twilight into the bakery proper, Pinkie hopped around the counter as she chatted amiably at the purple unicorn. Twilight was used to not taking part in her own conversations with Pinkie Pie, as the pink mare rarely missed a beat in which Twilight could speak. Perusing the items, it was about fifteen minutes of non-stop Pinkie speak until the filly decided she'd actually ask why her friend was in. Her stomach growling in response, Twilight sheepishly grinned as her Earth pony friend quickly thought about how to best solve this problem. Ending her pondering, Pinkie pushed the purple pony purposefully toward the pie parlor proper, showcasing a number of the freshly baked goods for her friend. Twilight's eyes bulged as she sniffed each pastry, her mouth closed shut as to not absentmindedly drool over the choices. She felt the pit in her stomach retract slightly at the intent to feed it, and quickly chose a pie at random, only giving it a quick sniff to make sure it wasn't anything she'd find disgusting. Rather, Twilight found it delectable, and taking a quick break from Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Pinkie joined her in consuming the pie, taking great care not to eat it all in one gigantic bite for her friend's sake. Finishing off the round dish, Twilight rested a bit as she and Pinkie Pie spoke about any little thing. It didn't take long for her to notice that Pinkie was actually letting her get words in edgewise, and that bothered her. Bringing it up in passing, Pinkie tilted her head slightly. Putting a hoof up to her chin, the pink mare explained that something seemed to be bothering Twilight, as she wasn't smiling as much as Pinkie was used to. In an instant Twilight felt the pit in her stomach rip open, and the mare looked troubled. Not needing her trademark Pinkie Sense to catch it, the normally hyperactive pony leaned in close to her friend, asking her what was wrong. Twilight shook her head. It wasn't anything too big. Just an early day and a lack of sleep, that was all. Her mind rolled over to the parchment on her bed. Why did she feel so guilty about it? She'd get around to it! She intended to! She had things to do, and the world couldn't be stopped because somepony, even if it was a Princess, had something to tell her. Pinkie didn't buy it as she eyed her lavender friend, stroking her chin thoughtfully as she did. Pressing the issue, Twilight shook her mane as she finally gave up the idea that she simply didn't want to talk about it. Under normal circumstances, most ponies would likely have pushed the envelope to help their friend, but as Pinkie raised a hoof, Mrs. Cake came outside to beckon the party pony back in, citing her help was needed in the kitchen. Despite her free-going spirit, Pinkie had a job that she was tied to, much to Twilight's reprieve. However, as she thanked Pinkie for her time, the mare caught her attention, waving her hoof at her own eyes, then Twilight's, in a very serious looking I'm watching you manner. Finding herself in full gallop in an effort to put as much distance between herself and Pinkie Pie, Twilight soon found herself on the path to Fluttershy's. Finding the idea of seeing all her friends in one day to be appealing, she knew at least Fluttershy wouldn't be prying into her private life at home. Easing herself to a trot, the purple unicorn let herself think back to the letter just a little bit. Perhaps it was some sort additional lesson as deemed by the Princesses? Or perhaps it was just a thank you letter. That made sense, didn't it? To say 'Hey thanks for rescuing me from being some horrible evil tyrant made of dark magic'. That seemed pretty likely. Catching sight of the cottage ahead, Twilight smirked to herself as she could hear a demure voice singing to herself from within it's walls. Picking up her pace, Twilight knew that seeing Fluttershy was a good idea today, and quickly rapped on the pegasus' door. There was a terrified meep coming from inside, which Twilight instinctively called out to calm the pegasus. It wasn't long before the cream colored mare opened the door for her friend, slightly abashed but all too welcoming toward her friend. The purple pony was allowed inside as Fluttershy apologized for this and that, little things Twilight couldn't help but feel would of gone completely unnoticed. Still, she smiled warmly as Fluttershy spoke openly with Twilight - she always did so with her. Twilight sat and listened for awhile, about how Rarity was looking into fashionable pegasi wear for the wings, about how Angel Bunny had woken her up this morning with his own brand of breakfast; he had thrown a carrot at her from outside, up into her second story bedroom, and it had landed square between her eyes. Twilight giggled despite herself when Fluttershy praised the Bunny's aim. Eventually Fluttershy asked Twilight about her day, and the unicorn explained in full, how she had gotten up early, seen Applejack, helped Rarity, watched Dash, and dined with Pinkie. She went on to say that she had already seen everypony else who had asked to see her - now she wanted just to relax with one of her friends. And so they did for a number of hours. Twilight didn't let herself be a burden to Fluttershy, and soon was helping the pegasus in her daily routine - checking on the chickens, feeding the animals, gathering the eggs and eventually was in Fluttershy's kitchen preparing tea when an odd thought struck her. Rarity lived at her business, Pinkie above Sugar Cube Corner, and Applejack lived with her family at the farm. Even Rainbow Dash lived in a cloud home that she often had to move about in part of her work as a weather pony. Twilight herself lived in a Library - and yet Fluttershy owned a cottage. Sure one could argue that her work was with the animals that lived around her, but in all realities the animals came to her. As she thought about it, the butteryellow mare stepped lightly into the room, having finished feeding the animals for the day. Twilight brought up her findings with the pegasus, but to an unexpected result. The pink-maned filly sighed deeply as she sat down. Unsure of what she did, the unicorn asked her friend what was wrong. Fluttershy smiled, which Twilight felt a slight relief from. In her demure voice, the pegasus said that she was well aware of the other ponies marriage to their work - even Dash, and she was often envious of it. When asked why, Fluttershy shook her mane. It was because of their positions in the Ponyville community that they saw many others during the day, and while she was a shy filly, she still loved company. She still loved her friends. Before Twilight was around, she didn't see many ponies, even Rarity was a rare visit. She was downright lonely sometimes, just outside of reach from town. Twilight made to apologize for bringing it up, but the pegasus again shook her head. She said she was happy now, that on days like this her friend would go out of her way just to see her. The pit in her stomach became a chasm. Twilight fidgeted hugely, shocking Fluttershy. When asked what was wrong, Twilight froze. Excusing herself, the mare said she remembered something hugely important. When prodded gently, Twilight relented for a moment. Explaining that she had been putting something important off, she deeply thanked Fluttershy. Confused, the pegasus didn't have time to pry further - not that she likely would have - as the unicorn bolted from the cottage, her eyes focusing on the vague shapes in the distance - specifically, a tree in which she called her home. ----- Blasting into her home, Twilight ran face first into the purple dragon within, who had been standing next to the door, blue scroll in hand. Spike had some great speech built up for the purple unicorn. He'd let her know about all the work he did for her as not only her assistant but as her friend. And how disappointed he was in that his friend had forgone her duty to the Princesses and had quite plainly avoided the blue parchment all day. What a speech he had created in his hand. It's too bad after the collision with Twilight Sparkle he forgot the entire thing, feeling the blue note ripped from his grasp as the unicorn hastily broke the seal and unfurled the scroll. She had been scared - scared of what? Nightmare Moon? No, she wasn't that thing anymore. She was a Princess. She was Celestia's little sister, and she had sent her a note. And right now, she deserved more than Twilight's attention, because the unicorn was so much less right now. She was dishonest, self-absorbed, selfish, lethargic and horridly cruel to just sleight the Princess of the Moon. Spike groaned as he looked around, wondering what happened. As he began to regain focus, his eyes were drawn to a glowing horn nearby, the form of a purple pony reading a note taking shape. Blinking away the last of his confusion, he started to say his mentor's name just before she blinked out of existence, her teleport spell leaving an inky black imprint in the space where she once stood. Shooting to his feet, he called out Twilight's name, looking about for the mare, before realizing that the blue scroll lay discarded on the floor. Stepping forward, the dragon picked up the paper, unraveling it as he gave it a look himself. Dear Twilig- This was scribbled out. Hello, Ms. Spar- More scribbles. Twilight Sparkle, my Sister's dear student, I hope this letter finds you well. Um. Scribble. There are many things different about Equestria after a thousand years, such as astronomy and night clubs. The last bit was only mildly scribbled, as if to signify a naughty secret. One thing that always seems to hold true is how the subjects of Equestria treat a Princess, with utmost honor and borderline stinginess! Spike laughed despite himself, his mind trailing to the night of the Gala in particular. But big Sister always speaks well of you bearers, the Elements of Harmony. You're so much more than a common pony - and I don't need Celly to tell me that. Spike chuckled at such an improper way to refer to the Princess of the Sun. But she speaks so highly of you alone, Twilight. And she says you treat her more as a teacher, or a guardian, than a Princess. Even a friend. So, um, Scribbles were a mess for the next couple lines, Spike trying to pick out words in the mess of ink, but either they were too well scratched over or were simply turned into ink blots. However, near the end, there was a single line. Please be my friend? Warmest Regards, The end of the parchment only held a small scratch, written in an ancient Equestrian language that Spike could only guess was the Princess' name in the old ways. Wearing a goofy smile, the baby dragon's face soon fell as he looked at the floor below him, awash in ash marks and black powder. This was going to take a long time to clean. ----- She was hurried through the halls, the important unicorn pony Twilight Sparkle, but the guard that accompanied the purple pony were hesitant when the mare asked she be taken to the other Princess' room. Exchanging quick glances, the guards nodded, trusting in Twilight's unusual request, and quickly diverged off the familiar path. Twilight's face was stretched in an insincere smile, a pleasantry she forced herself to use when in Canterlot. As they walked, Twilight took note of the tapestries in this part of the palace, as they depicted the phases of the moon, all of them in a brilliant midnight blue. She found them beautiful, each one adorned with a purple border befitting of the night. Not to say the unicorn wasn't partial to the color herself. Soon she was brought before large, ornate doors, the guard standing to either side of the door. Pausing briefly, Twilight indulged herself slightly as she dismissed the stoic stallions with a please. The guard took only a moment to exchange glances, but again they adhered to the unicorn's whims. Twilight giggled to herself, the guard had often bent to her will when she was younger, but now that she was a full-grown mare and an embodiment of an Element of Harmony, she guessed correctly that Celestia had silently bid the Royal Guard to follow her orders. The pit in her stomach was small now, Twilight realized as she placed a hoof on the door, giving it a light push. It diminished rapidly, filling the mare with a sense of purpose, and surprisingly, serenity. Stepping into the room, a pastel blue mane was tossed aside with grace, a lone pony sitting at a small, round table. Upon it sat a kettle and two cups on brilliant white plates. How long she had been there, Twilight didn't know, but she knew what was right. It was like Fluttershy said - she had always been there, but it wasn't until she had friends did she feel happy and complete. Stepping forward, the midnight blue alicorn beamed hugely at the approaching mare, Twilight returning the smile with equal intensity. Placing herself at the table, she sat across from the Princess. The alicorn opened her mouth, but quickly closed it, unsure of what to say. Twilight, on the other hand, poured out some tea for the two, heating it lightly with her magic. She knew exactly what to say as she greeted her new friend. "Hello again, Luna."
HiddenBrony	707	2	Bon-Bon,Braeburn,Gummy,Lyra,Main 6,Princess Luna,Trixie,Zecora,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Monkey's Paw	A collection of Short Stories taken as requests for Brony Day 2011.	incomplete	-1	-1	<p>On Brony Day 2011, HiddenBrony took five requests for stories that could easily go up to 5000 words. However, after taking the requests, the finished products fulfilled the wording of the requests, but the spirit of the suggestions were only lightly considered.</p>	everyone	2011-09-02T05:59:34+00:00	2011-09-02T05:59:34+00:00	1,707	Requested by Arcel Windwing, "How about a story involving Applejack(and family and/or Friends) Defending Sweet Apple acres from some... thing from the Everfree forest?" This is currently the shortest chapter, ringing in at ~2100 words. ----- Tail whipping about, an orange Earth pony surveyed the land between the trees and hills that made up Sweet Apple Acres. Blonde mane blowing wildly in the wind as it passed by, emerald green eyes narrowed at the slightest agitation from the undergrowth. Bringing the bridge of her hat down further, Applejack sneaked behind a large tree and looked beyond it, trying to catch sight of her prey. Somewhere in the orchard, her orchard, a beast from the Everfree had been set loose. At first she found it odd that such a foreign being would even be set to come all the way out here, but in her head she realized why it had chosen her farm to come. She had what it wanted. What it needed. And it was going to try and get it with everything it had, and Applejack knew it. Neither had an advantage over the other, as far as the mare could figure. Whipping her tail forward, Applejack's eye caught the flash of blue in the distance, her eyes tracking the silhouette as it passed over the hill. "Consarn it, they're already in my acre!" Taking off after the figure, the drumming of hooves beating in her ears as she tried to catch the beast before it could throw her off the trail. The advantage Applejack had was that she knew her orchard inside and out. No creature could ever doubt that. However, the rolling hills and trees would give her target ample time to hide. Sure enough, as Applejack claimed the top of the hill, all she could see were trees and budding apples. Stomping her hoof, the mare shot towards her home, betting anything that the Everfree beast would be heading there first. However, she was the fastest in Ponyville - a shared title, but one she owned all the same. Breaking towards the farm in the distance, the mare was rewarded in seeing another streak of blue darting from tree to tree. "Ah gotcha now!" Applejack shouted, shocking the figure from cover as it shot out into the orchard again. "Oh hooo no, Ah don't think so, not this time!" Applejack's bucking legs shot her forwards and pushed against the soft earth as she cleared the crest of a hill, catching up to her quarry. However, the figure proved to be an admirable adversary, whipping about trees as Applejack gave chase, her eyes ever present on the strip of blue. It was fast, but Applejack knew that she was just that much faster, years of applebucking had strengthened her legs something fierce, and no creature from the middle of some forest would pull a fast one on her. She had something that needed protecting. Ponies counted on her to protect it, and she wouldn't let them down. Most dependable pony in all of Ponyville, the orange mare thought as she cut around a tree, shaving a few feet from her competition. "Y'all best stop right there if you wanna do this with any dignity!" The mare cried, but despite her best efforts to deter the stranger, the strip of blue before her eyes kept on as fast as it's legs would carry her. Applejack redoubled her efforts, hoofbeats becoming like thunderclaps as the two figures shot through the whole of Sweet Apple Acres. Off in the distance, Applejack could see her brother holding firm against a couple of her enemy's cohorts, spinning about, simply daring any of them to get close. It was a great tactic, and Applejack simply wished she could run the same idea, but they had sent their runner, and Applejack had to respond in kind. Thank Celestia none of them could fly, or teleport. There would be no stopping a group like that, even if Rainbow Dash and Twilight were with her. Which, Applejack mused, they were, albeit out in Ponyville, defending their own zones. She had to trust in their abilities, as well in the abilities of the other three, for the group to come out on top. Up ahead, near a small plateau that opened up into a flat landscape, her adversary dove out from sea of trees into the open, Applejack hot on her heels. She could hear the ragged breathing, some indecipherable language pouring out from its mouth as the gap between the two thinned, the orange mare wearing a victorious smile. However, not to be out done by a mere pony, the Everfree creature wheeled on it's legs, spinning about in a feral arc, Applejack forcing her hooves into the dirt to keep from colliding with the beast's forefront. Stopping mere inches from the breathing quadreped, both took a cautionary step back, swishing their respective tails as they sized the other up. Applejack took detailed note of the toned muscles that adorned her adversary's body, making mental note that under different circumstances, she'd have likely partnered with it for some fun and games rather than be in a standoff. Again the beast breathed heavily, catching it's breath in tandem with Applejack. It's black tipped legs stretched out as the orange mare slowly started to circle her opponent. Swearing under it's breath, the white streaked animal started to move as well, each giving the other no distinct advantage as they paced along, each eying different streaks of color on their persons. A strip of blue here, a dash of red on Applejack. Enemy colors. With a startling shout, the beast turned, charging against the farm pony. Regaining her composure, Applejack faced the incoming force and moved ahead, clashing against the beast's chest as their heads passed each other, emerald eyes burning into azure spheres. There was a moment where the mare could see its teeth, clenched tight as it pushed against her, it's eyes trained beyond her freckled features. Summoning up years of hard work, the farmfilly resisted against the beast and soon wrapped her neck around part of her opponent, pushing the unfortunate creature to the ground as Applejack fought to keep her own balance as she could hear the snapping of teeth as the beast aimed itself toward her unguarded flank. Deftly pushing her hooved off the ground, the mare's tail swished dangerously past the snapping maw of her attacker. Yet, Applejack hit the ground hard in her evasion, rolling slightly as her hat rolled off her head and landed twixt her and the Everfree creature. Shaking her head to regain her composure, Applejack's eyes narrowed as she saw the black-striped beast nip at her hat, mockingly placing it upon her own as she stared down at the pony before her. "You remove that hat from yer head, or Ah swear Ah'll make you regret comin' anywhere near this farm," Applejack threatened, her hooves scrambling to find the ground beneath them. Her adversary merely grinned as she stood tall, a victorious smirk over the battered mare. "Ah'm given ya... 'till tha counta three!" she breathed loudly, her breath slowly catching up to her. The animal dug into the ground with a hoof, lowering it's covered head as it prepared for the orange pony's assault. "One," Applejack seethed, her eyes narrowing on the tanned brim. "Two!" A hoof slammed against the ground, white striped tail swishing dangerously with a dash of blue hanging off it. "Three!" The protector of Sweet Apple Acres charged forward at the waiting creature, the pony clashing again as they locked heads, each trying to gain quarter over the other. Both heads ducked to the right, shifting their momentum off of each other as they moved quickly to disable the other, however Applejack's attention was torn toward her hat more than her quarry, a distracting fact which her assailant attempted to take advantage of. However, as it went for her broadside, an unexpected jerking motion snapped it's neck to the side as the hat was forcibly removed from it's head, pulling back on the equine's head. Balance completely lost, the Everfree creature stumbled forward as Applejack flipped the hat up on her head, her a smirk appearing on her features as she snapped at the animal's flank, removing the offending blue stripe as the zebra stumbled into a heap. ----- "Well Zecora, Ah hope this teaches you a lesson in personal property," Applejack cheered as she trotted happily alongside the downtrodden zebra, shooting a friendly look towards her friend. "And that ya can't expect to beat an Apple in a game of Capture the Flag on their own farm." Applejack's red team flag hung loosely on her tail, Zecora's blue team insignia hanging on her back as she was led to the 'jail' at the Mayor's office. "Compared to my team I was singled out, with their esteem a zebra's speed they couldn't doubt!" Zecora defended, a small smile on her face as the two mare's muscles burned with the physical exertion. AJ's laugh was hoarse, but she cleared her throat as a rainbow streak shot across the sky towards the office, a number of pegasi following the streak of color behind her. "Well, it looks like Dash has the weather team out in full force against the mail team," she remarked, turning towards the zebra. "Ah gotta say, Zecora, Ah thought you had me out there, Ah hadn't expected you ta' be so hard ta' catch." "Living in the Everfree is a trying life, I often find it best to flee than end up in strife," the zebra responded in her rhyming scheme, her trotting becoming stronger as her breath returned to her, keeping pace with Applejack slowed her recovery, but as the runner for her team, Zecora knew Applejack could likely take her time before returning to the farm before the game was over. "These Ponyville games are quite a delight. What persuades these mares from noon to night?" Applejack chuckled as the Town Hall came into sight, the zebra next to her glad her presence no longer drew stares from the ponies who hid in the shadows now not out of fear, but out of fun of the game, each eye trained on another pony's flank, eyes dancing for flashes of blue or red fabric. "Just tha' fun of the game, Zecora. It's why it's a festival for fun in the sun, a celebration." As the two approached the 'jail', Zecora took the lead as she found herself among the ranks of many dejected looking blue team members, over half of the pegasus force of blue team sitting on the deck under the watchful gaze of Mayor Mare. Applejack approached the aged Ponyville caretaker as she nodded toward her captive. "Caught 'er on tha' farm, ma'am. Went fer tha' hat." Embarrassed at her earlier folly, the zebra chuckled dryly. "Your protectiveness for headwear I will remember, I was in for a scare when in your eyes I could see ember." Applejack laughed off the remark, tipping her hat as she turned back towards her farm, her emerald eyes shooting up in surprise as she caught sight of her big brother with three dejected fillies behind him. Trotting up to the stallion, the orange mare looked over the young girls. "Well, Big Mac, Ah can't imagine what it took fer you to curtail these fillies," she complimented, shaking her head. Big Mac smiled as he chewed on a piece of grass. "Tried to trick me by wearin' them cloaks Sweetie made over their markers." The stallion's tail flicked upwards, red fabric still hanging from his fiery orange hair. "We aren't Cutie Mark Captors," Scootaloo spat sadly, her wings somehow covered in some sticky brown sap as she attempted to flutter the offending material off to no avail. Applejack raised her eye at the sight, looking on as she noticed the other two Crusaders were similarly covered in tree sap. "Nahw how'd you girls get covered in-" "They weren't when I tagged them. Don't rightly know how they did, doesn't really add up," Big Mac cut off as he passed by Applejack, the strange occurrence remaining unanswered as the three fillies made their way up unto the deck and joined the rest of Blue team. However, their frowns soon turned upside down as they made their way to Zecora, the idea of the zebra's mark giving the trio new fire. "Welp, Big Mac, guess we gotta double back to the farm and make sure nopony takes our flags. Only got Caramel and the rest of the work to count on back there!" Applejack teased, Big MacIntosh merely nodding in agreement as the siblings made their way back down the long, dusty road back to Sweet Apple Acres. They had a home to defend.
HiddenBrony	707	3	Bon-Bon,Braeburn,Gummy,Lyra,Main 6,Princess Luna,Trixie,Zecora,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Monkey's Paw	A collection of Short Stories taken as requests for Brony Day 2011.	incomplete	-1	-1	<p>On Brony Day 2011, HiddenBrony took five requests for stories that could easily go up to 5000 words. However, after taking the requests, the finished products fulfilled the wording of the requests, but the spirit of the suggestions were only lightly considered.</p>	everyone	2011-09-03T15:40:26+00:00	2011-09-03T15:40:26+00:00	1,557	Her head hurt. That's what she noticed first. It smarted like she had been just bucked by the strongest applebucker this side of Canterlot. And furthermore, she found herself unable to distinguish anything but the feeling of cold steel against her outstretched body. Steel. That didn't make sense. There wasn't a whole lot of steel around Ponyville, and to be lying on a large slab of the stuff didn't mesh well with the pegasus' train of thought. Not that it was anywhere near coherent anyway, a new rush of pain flowing into her senses reminded her that she had been knocked out. When and why, the pegasus had trouble remembering. She was outside, taking a nap, snaking on some apples, when suddenly... she was jumped! Somepony jumped her! Her! Rainbow Dash! And somehow, she had ended up here. Wherever here was. As the rainbow hair slid drearily to the side, Dash tried to focus on what she could determine. One, she was somewhere unfamiliar. That much was for certain, the pegasus damning the impossibility that the steel she lay on was somehow staying cold even though her own body heat should have made it far more bearable by this point. It didn't. Raising her head, the pony tried to bring a hoof up to move, only to find her hooves restrained. Restrained by knots. On ropes. Blinking hard, the pegasus allowed herself the sudden realization that ponies normally weren't outstretched the way she felt until forced into such a position, and she guessed that the constricting feeling she felt along her hooves was likely the strain of the ropes. Stretching her wings, she at least took solace in the freedom of her blue feathers, the strong appendages flapping hugely as she attempted to fight the rope, the threads of rope cracking and constricting tighter around her hooves as she pushed off. Flapping harder, the pegasus could feel her belly lift just slightly off the steel slab, before suddenly collapsing back down on the cool surface, her wings refusing to continue a losing battle. A shiver ran up her spine as Dash peered into the darkness around her. To be honest, she usually told everypony that pegasi don't feel cold. However, anypony who spoke to Fluttershy would quickly learn that they more have a resistance to cold, such as wind or ambient weather. Surfaces, though? Those were still cold. And as Dash was quickly becoming aware of, completely and utterly uncomfortable and extremely unsettling. She couldn't even turn her head right to nurse the throbbing pain at the back of her skull where she believed she was hit. Just what happened? Suddenly, the sound of hooves on a surface. Wood. Oh thank Celestia there was wood, like she wasn't in some steel cell. Opening her mouth, Rainbow went to scream, only to find herself cut short, a bright, eerie white light bursting through a doorway, streaming down into the cellar. Gasping as she turned her head away from the eyesore, as quickly as it came it disappeared, Rainbow blinking her eyes repeatedly as they returned to darkness. "Who-what?" she startled, her voice rasping unexpectedly. A pitter-patter of hooves. Light and bouncy, neither one carrying much weight with it. She could hear something else. Was it... humming? "Hey!" Rainbow Dash choked out, swallowing some saliva to better speak. "Who're you?" she challenged the darkness and the pony it hid. "What am I doing here! I haven't done anything!" The steps halted nearby. Dash peered into the chasm that surrounded her, the deep expanse betraying none of the secrets it held for her. Growling, the pegasus raised what she could of her hoof and slammed it on the table, causing little more than a dull thunk. "I SWEAR, WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I AM GONNA BUCK YOU UP!" "....Oh Dashie~!" a voice responded. A bubbly, happy, sickeningly sweet voice that could only belong to one pony in all of Ponyville. In all of Equestria. In all the universe only one being could speak with such unmitigated cheer. "P-Pinkie!?" "Hi Dashie!" Pinkie Pie responded from the darkness, the sound of a cloak whipping about. Dash ignored the other sounds as she started to struggle against her bonds in earnest. "Pinkie Pie! You gotta help me, I gotta get outta here!" Dash hissed, trying to keep her voice down. She didn't know what kind of situation she was in, but she didn't want to press her luck that somehow, Pinkie Pie was there! "Can you find a light, or, something! Open the door-" Click. "Not a problem!" There, standing below a single cone of light above her, stood the pink mare Dash had come to know as one of Ponyville's premiere pranksters, party pony, and master pastry chef. And now, adorned on an apron Dash had never seen before, were a collective of sinister looking tools of wood and iron. "I can't exactly work in the dark! I mean, I wish I could, but then I would need eyes like a cat! And then I'd have to purr and meow, or maybe I could just get away with scratching things." Dash stared in stark silence as the chrome objects adorned on Pinkie's clothing reflected and shimmered in the sharp light. She attempted to blink away the image, but there the pink mare stood, adorned in dangerous tools that she had never seen before. "P-P-Pinkie, what... what is all that stuff?" Looking herself over, the Earth pony actually seemed contemplative over the getup, but she soon dismissed Dash's words and approached the table. "Oh, well this is my super-duper, ultra-secret Cupcake-kit!" Dash felt her stomach make a cartwheel. None of that stuff looked anything like what could be used for cupcakes. Scythes, giant cleavers, even a knife that looked like a crescent moon. Dash didn't want to even think what that could do to a pony. "So you're making c-cupcakes huh? Not a whole, big cake? Well that's c-cool I guess," Dash chuckled, her uneasiness apparent as she stared into the bright blue orbs of her friend as they loomed closer and closer. "Hey Pinkie Pie, can you get me off of this thing?" she tried, voice full of fear and hope. There was a flash of emotions on Pinkie's face, but she soon settled on one that only served to fuel her fear. It was one of reluctant sadness. "I'm sorry Rainbow, but this is the way it has to be. I promised I wouldn't! Pinkie promised!" Slamming her flank into the ground, the mare soon picked up a large pair of scissors as she looked about her friend. "You're just gonna have to sit there, Dashie. Nothing I can do." "What do you mean there isn't anything you can do!?" Dash raised her voice, her eyes darting to and fro as she looked at the bonds that held her. "You have scissors right there! In your hooves." Pinkie got closer to her friend, an apologetic look on her face. "You just need to cut right through that rope! Right there, Pinkie Pie! Come on! Please, Pinkie," Rainbow's voice started to shudder into sobs as the sharp metal got ever closer to head, rose colored eyes meeting those brilliant blues. "Please Pinkie I'm sorry about lying about the bear I'm sorry about that time with Gilda just don'tcomenearmewiththosethingsohCelestiaplease-" Snip. Rainbow stopped breathing. There was a long silence as the scissors pulled away from Dash, a hoof pushing itself underneath Dash's face as Pinkie gathered what she cut. Opening her eye, the pegasus could see Pinkie pushing a number of her rainbow hairs off the steel table into a small tray and carrying them happily over to a nearby counter in some dark corner of the cellar. Breathing a hefty sigh of relief, the pegasus let her mind stop spinning before she noticing Pinkie on a return trip. "Cutting my hair!? Pinkie, you don't need to tie me down for a lock of my hair!" "Oh, that's not why you're tied down, silly-filly!" Pinkie smiled, which did not serve to relax Dash in the slightest. "I just need specific pieces of a pony to really know how to make the best cupcake out of them. I'm going to make the most amazing Rainbow cupcakes!" "R-rainbow.... cupcakes!?" Dash breathed, hardly believing her ears. Was Pinkie... was Pinkie going to make her into cupcakes? How do you make cupcakes out of ponies without alerting others to the... well, meat content? Her stomach turned a cartwheel at the very thought. Sweating bullets, which she quickly noted seemed to warm her face on the cool steel surface, Dash was willing to try anything to get out of this scenario. "Ah, well, Pinkie, that's really cool and all, but you've have rainbow before! Remember? Spicy, nopony would like it. You shouldn't even begin to think of making a cupcake out of m-" "I'm not making that kind of rainbow cupcake! I'm making one specifically with you in mind, Rainbow Dash!" Cheering, the pink pony carried herself in a way that seemed oblivious to the absolute fear she was putting her friend through. "Although maybe a Rainbow Dash cupcake could be spicy. A Spicy cupcake! Oh, Rainbow Dash, you're so smart! Stay right there, I'll be right back!" "Wha- no-wait!" Before she could even finish her surprised garble, the mare had disappeared up the stairs, her apron discarded on the floor, falling heavily on the horrible instruments that it beheld. Dash could see them all plain as day, and slowly began to see how each and every one of them could be used against her. The hammer on her hooves, the scalpel on her ears. That moon thingy... oh dear Luna the moon thing was terrifying. It looked like it could hook and tear anything. And she had shears. Why would a pony who cooked have shears!? Reluctant to realize the fact she had basically been calling for Pinkie to stay, given her current position, the pegasus worked on freeing herself as best she could. Dash tried screaming, but it was quickly apparent by the lack of hooves on the wood flooring above that anypony would hear her forlorn cries for freedom, and only wished she was back outside, wings in the air, enjoying the summer's breeze once more. ----- The bulb had burned out. That's all Rainbow knew about five minutes after Pinkie left. She had mustered her courage up to try and make out the objects outside the cone of light that once shown like a beacon of hope, but all it had accomplished was a loud buzzing noise that bored into Dash's brain before it popped and fizzled, much to the pegasus' chagrin. Returning to the darkness from which she had become familiar with before Pinkie... Pinkie Pie. What was with that pony? Maybe she was... just being Pinkie Pie. That had to be it. She wasn't meaning to be menacing or malicious when she was shoving shears into her face and cutting a piece of her mane off. She was just being Pinkie Pie. Dash audibly gulped, feeling the lump of air travel slowly along her gullet against the cold, unfeeling steel table. She didn't know how far that excuse could even last. Likely as far as those tools Pinkie was carrying on her. As her mind slowly lulled itself to numbness in the dark prison, her ear twitched. Hoofbeats. Looking up despite the fact she couldn't see, Dash debated calling for help another time, but the beat of the floorboards soon quelled any such hope. They were bounces, light and fluffy. The door opened, casting blinding light upon Dash's face as the pink mare bounced down the stairs, her puffy mane silhouetted by the fleeting light as it shut slowly behind her. "Dashie~ I'm back!" the pink mare cheered, the sound of dull metal hitting the floor. "I hope you don't mind, but I didn't want to go alllll the way to Cloudsdale to get some rainbow, so I went to your house and picked some out of your little river! Oo! I wonder if it tastes different than the stuff I had before!" "It doesn't," Dash huffed, the cold of the table making the cyan pony more irritable than fearful of the pink mare. "Pinkie, let me go! I won't even tell anypony you did this!" It was a lie, of course. The moment she was free of these bonds she was gonna high tail it to Twilight's. She was a smart pony, she'd listen to her. She'd always been a bit reluctant to take the party pony at face value - Celestia only knew she was right to! There was a silence in the dark as Dash could only guess Pinkie had learned of the bulb's fate. "Ooooh, that's no fun. The light's died." Dash shivered at the word. "Well, okie-dokey. I guess I gotta go get a new bulb," Pinkie said, the pegasus practically feeling the frown on the pink mare's face as she turned toward the stairs. Suddenly, there was a crack of glass shattering. Dash flailed her limbs in surprise, her legs thumping loudly against the... hollow table? Kicking what she could of her leg, a deeply hollow sound issued from the table she laid on. "Pinkie...!" she choked out in the dark. The hoof steps stopped on the stairs as Dash assumed Pinkie Pie had stopped to hear her out, for what good it would do she wasn't sure. "D-Don't leave me again! I don't... want to be alone!" the pegasus pleaded. To be fair she didn't want to be stuck in the same position as before, but with what sounded like glass breaking on the floor, she had a much better chance of surviving in the dark than watching Pinkie get ever closer with those tools of hers. And Rainbow Dash didn't want to watch that. However, that same voice, that silly, happy voice cooed down at her, "Oh Rainbow, don't worry, I wouldn't leave you alone by your little-whittle self!" That didn't exactly comfort Dash knowing that she had just left her alone not moments before. "What about before? I was alone down here for close to an hour... or longer, I don't know!" "Well I left, yeah. But I didn't leave you alone!" A pit formed in Dash's stomach. Somepony was... here? This entire time!? And if they hadn't said a word... than what kind of pony were they? There was a snapping sound. Dash screamed as the basement was suddenly filled with light - at least part of it. The rest of it was obscured by a green toothless alligator which hung from a newly replaced bulb, hanging uselessly from it as the glass enclosure slowly started to heat up. "I left you here with Gummy! What a good alligator, he even changed the lightbulb for you! Rainbow's mind broke at the very prospect of how the alligator had accomplished the task of changing a lightbulb. A suspended lightbulb that a pony had to get up to their hind legs to reach the string and pull it. "O-oh. Gummy." Dash stammered, her eyes unmoving from the flailing alligator. "Great. Good job... Gummy." "Isn't he the greatest!" Pinkie said, happily clambering down the stairs. She took care not to step in the remains of the last bulb, which had been the source of the crashing glass from earlier, Dash noticed. Perhaps it was Gummy who had also - Rainbow's mind forcefully stopped that train of thought. "Good Gummy! Best friend." Even the pegasus had to admit, that animal had its merits. Her eyes tracking the miniature river creature, it wasn't long before the reptile let go of its ambient prey and fell unto Pinkie Pie's buoyant mane, safely tumbling off of it to the floor, where it busied itself with the glass shards that littered the ground that somehow managed to avoid the hoofs of the energetic pony known as Pinkie Pie. It was at this point that Rainbow noticed the smock had returned, her eyes dancing over the utensils that glittered on its forefront. Ice cream scoops... a pot? Tweezers? Why in Equestria would a baker's assistant have tweezers on a smock. That made even less sense than shears. Oh sweet Celestia the shears. Discarded on the ground nearby, the cyan mare couldn't help but stare at the offending tool with immeasurable fear, reminded of how close it had come to her face. How close it was to her muzzle, to her neck... Dash hadn't even noticed how close Pinkie had gotten to her until the mare clouded up her entire vision. "P-Pinkie-" "Hold still now, Dash!" Pinkie warned, her eye getting absurdly close to Dash's own. Whipping the tweezers out, the baker held them in her mouth as she suddenly shoved the instrument into the pegasus' mouth. "Thishill owmry cakph ah sehkent!" Pinkie said through her clenched teeth, Rainbow suddenly feeling her own tongue being yanked out of her mouth. "HIIINKKIIIEEE!" "One ehhcy reeicy sehkent!" Pinkie grimaced as she brought a small swab over the cyan mare's tongue, dabbing it a couple times before releasing Dash's tongue. Fleeing with the swab, Pinkie hopped over to her table in the darkness, leaving a flabbergasted Rainbow Dash to reflect on just what happened. There was a silence that reigned after that. A certain unknowing, not-wishing-to-know din of nothingness that threatened to tear Dash's mind apart. Just what was going on? Why was Pinkie torturing her like this? Why was she so pinkie keen on invading her personal space for... such weirdness!? How did the lightbulb change? Why was the steel so cold!? Hoofbeats. Dash's eyes trained toward the doorway. It was still closed. She spun her head over to Pinkie Pie. She seemed disinterested, even. Rainbow looked up, her voice starting to erupt in her throat as she scream- the door opened suddenly, cutting her voice off. "Y'all down here, Pinkie Pie?" Applejack! "Yeppers!" Pinkie Pie shouted, not tearing from her work. Dash looked confused as the trustworthy Earth pony started making her way down the steps, the pegasus having no words that could make sense. Hey Applejack, Pinkie here is trying to kill me! Make me into cupcakes! That rascal! How about you untie me and we go report her to the proper authorities. Think Celestia will send her to the moon? Somehow that didn't quite add up in her head. What surprised her even more was the paltry glance Applejack gave her. "Nahw, what're y'all doin' down here?" Staring down at the bucket of rainbow at her feet, the hardworking Earth pony gave the dull steel a disinterested kick. Pinkie Pie looked up, turning about as she stared at the two ponies. On her head was a crazy looking instrument, with a magnifying glass attached to a metal arm supersizing her blue eyes. "I'm making rainbow cupcakes! Whaddya think the bucket's for!?" "Rainbow cupcakes. Like, spicy instead ah sugar?" Pinkie Pie nodded ferociously at Applejack's question. Dash couldn't believer her ears. She was tied up here! Why were they talking like she wasn't being held here- it took a moment for the pegasus realized she had a voice of her own. "AJ! Please, you gotta help me! Untie me-" "In a minute, sugarcube," Applejack chided, bringing the pegasus to a dead halt. In a minute!? "Well Pinkie, Ah'm not one ta get in the way of another pony's work," she mentioned, bringing a hoof up to her chin. "Applejack! She's trying to turn me into some kind of cupcake!" The orange mare stopped tapping her chin to look at Rainbow Dash. "Beg pardon?" Even Pinkie Pie looked up from her work doing... something or other. Dash continued, her eyes closed as she relived every moment of agony thus far. "She came at me with shears! Starting cutting my hair, and then she left me here, all tied up! I don't even know how did it, but she just took a sample of my... my tongue or something!" Applejack raised an eyebrow, shaking her head at the story the pegasus had cooked up. "Ah think you got bucked one a little too hard t'day, Dash," Applejack muttered, a tinge of guilt in her voice. "How you think Pinkie tied you up?" "How do I think- She knocked me unconscious and drug me here!" There was a silence from the two fillies in attendance as they stared at the cyan pony. Pinkie was the first to break the silence with a sharp laugh. "Oh Dash, you're so silly!" "Silly!? You tied me up and came at me with shears-" There was a cough. Rainbow Dash looked fiercely over to Applejack as the mare tried to wrap her head around what Dash was trying to relate to her. "So you're sayin'... That Pinkie Pie; Bubbly, happy Pinkie Pie, knocked you unconscious, and them somehow managed to... drag you here, in broad daylight, to the center of Ponyville, tie you up... and then try and cook you up in some sorta cupcake." The pale expression on the pegasus' face held no emotion. "Ah... yes?" "Sugarcube, Ah'm the one who knocked you clean out and tied ya up," Applejack related, a hint of laughter in her voice. "WHAT," Dash screeched, "YOU MEAN YOU DID ALL THAT." Pinkie laughed in the corner, her muzzle back in the darkness where she continued her mysterious work. Applejack chuckled as she shook her head. "It's a lot easier than you think, sugarcube. Ah hogtied you up real nice and pulled you here on mah cart. Real easy like, Ah reckon." Trotting over to the table, Dash noticed the glass on the floor had been swept up. Her eyes dashed across the floor looking for the culprit, before noticing Gummy in the corner, some small broom in its mouth as he rolled along the floor. "Nopony questioned it. Not even fer a second." "W-what for? We're you two planning this? Are you in this together? Is this some Earth pony thing-" Pinkie looked up from the table, giggling at the accusations. "Oh Dashie, nothing like that! Applejack just asked to tie you to my refrigerator for eating all her apples off the tree!" The pegasus completely blanked. Refrigerator? The steel table she laid upon was cold to the touch, and as if on cue the metallic hunk whirred to life as it started its newest cooling cycle. "The... apples..." Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a condescending look as she shook her mane. "Ah told you Ah'd buck you one good if Ah caught you sneakin' apples off our farm so close to applebuckin' season! That's our livlihood yer eatin' into and Ah got a farm to protect. Even from mah closest friends." Prodding the pegasus on the nose, Applejack leaned in close. She seemed serious at first, but her hard features soon softened into an apologetic smile. "When Ah snuck up on ya, I hadn't expect you to wheel about when Ah went ta buck ya. Ah had meant to hit ya broadside but ya turned into it last second. Hadn't meant to knock you clean out, but Ah thought Ah'd have some fun with you once Twilight made sure you were okay." "Twilight was in on it too!?" Dash groaned, her face slamming against the cool lid of the fridge. "I thought she couldn't helped me blow this thing sky high!" "Sorry to disappoint, sugarcube!" Applejack teased, reaching over and untying the pegasus with her mouth. The knots came apart easily enough, just quick pulls on the rope that quickly became familiar as Applejack suddenly found herself with her lasso again. Stretching her wings, Rainbow Dash made as if to take off in a huff before stopping short. "So, wait. What was Pinkie up to, anyway?" The pink mare in question looked up from the table, a small piece of paper stuck, sticking out of her mane. "Who, me?" She asked, looking about. "Yer the only Pinkie we know. What was that about comin' at Dash with shears and all that?" Applejack voiced, suddenly curious in the pink mare's activities while she was gone. "Oh!" Pinkie called, trotting past the two mares as she picked up the bucket in her mouth. Bouncing up the stairs, Pinkie's tail swished back and forth as she spoke through her teeth. "Cawh ah shee!" Turning to Rainbow Dash, Applejack shrugged her shoulders as she slowly took after the pink Earth pony. Dash's dumbfounded look gave way to one of mild curiosity, but she slowly turned and looked over towards the green animal in the corner. "I don't know what you're up to, Gummy, but I'm watching you." Raising a hoof up to her eyes, the mare pointed towards the alligator, then back to her, then back to Gummy. Flapping her wings, the pegasus felt elated in her flight as she retreated up the stairs, leaving the unfocused alligator alone in the cellar. ----- "It's a super secret formula for special cupcakes made for a singular pony!" Pinkie cheered, poking her head out from behind the counter. Dash had calmed down some from her earlier ordeal, glad to see Pinkie Pie in her usual apron, adorned with measuring cups and other, non-lethal culinary objects. "By taking a little bit of somepony and boiling it, and swabbing it with the pony's own taste, I can make a special cupcake that that pony will be sure to love!" "So like... you put my hair and my spit in a cupcake and I'll like it?" Dash deadpanned, casting an unhappy glance over to Applejack, who had finished fishing out an icepack for her friend. Placing it gingerly upon the side of Dash's head, the Earth pony smiled as Dash happily accepted the cooling pack, much to the irony of the farm worker. "I don't think I'd even come close to liking that." "No, Rainbow Dash, it only develops the formula. The cupcake is completely different!" she stressed, her eyebrows furrowing into extreme baker mode. "So why didja go and get a bucket of Rainbow's rainbow if it ain't got nothin' ta do with the 'formula'?" Applejack asked, the question weighing on her mind. Pinkie raised a hoof as if to answer, but quickly dropped it as if she had only just thought of it. "Dunno! I guess I got distracted! Spicy cupcakes, I mean, who wouldn't be!?" "I can name a town or two..." Dash delivered, her eyes half-mooned as she sniffed the air. "Hey, what's that smell? Is that my tailored cupcake?" She asked, suddenly completely interested in the cupcake that only took her unabashed agony to create. "It smells great!" "It smells... brash," Applejack mentioned, thinking it over. "Sure as sugar fits you, Dash." "Quiet AJ!" Dash shot back, her hooves on the counter as she picked herself up. Applejack took note of the pegasus' outstretched wings and swishing tail and chuckled to herself, turning towards the exit. Rainbow Dash noticed the orange pony's departure and called after her, "Hey AJ, where you goin'? Don't you want some of these cupcakes?" "Nah, they're all yours, Rainbow!" Applejack called back, sidestepping Gummy as the alligator appeared on the main floor, its unfocused eyes paying equal attention to the floor and the wall at the same time. "You gotta keep a leash on that little rascal, Pinkie, somepony's liable to trip over 'em! Bye girls!" "See ya AJ!" Pinkie Pie waved a mitted hoof while Dash silently waved goodbye to her friend. Yeah, she kicked her, but it was an accident, Dash admitted. Besides, it wasn't very cool of her just to snack on AJ's livelihood like that, so she might as well have deserved it. However, her thoughts were drawn away as Pinkie Pie revealed the specialty cupcakes, placing them on the counter to cool. The cupcakes were to be expected - a rainbow colored affair that Pinkie herself had dyed to perfection, and Pinkie had mixed just a dash of the rainbow in the frosting to give it a kick. Dash found she hadn't minded that much, as diluted Rainbow with tons of sugar wasn't so bad! Sweet and Spicy. The girls enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, snacking on cupcakes as customers slowly trotted in and out on the slow day. However, before long Pinkie had to close up shop, and Dash made her goodbyes. The two friends, something that Dash had almost been convinced she would never refer to her relationship with Pinkie as again, parted on great terms, Dash commenting on, "The greatest cupcakes I've ever had!" As she walked away, Dash felt an unsettling feeling. As if somepony was watching her. Looking about, she could see Pinkie Pie toiling away as she closed up Sugar Cube Corner, and smiled warmly. No need to be so paranoid after all. Stretching her wings, the pegasus took flight into the skies of Ponyville. ----- From atop his perch on the roof of the sugary building, a green shape stared off into the distance, following the trail of rainbow streaks across the sky. Focused purple eyes glared at the passing pegasus as it sucked on its toothless mouth. "Soon...."
Dubs Rewatcher	708	1	Original Character,Other,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Sapphire Shores,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	A Dashed Reputation	Rainbow Dash goes to buy music. Hilarity, tears, and mass panic insue.	complete	50	2	<p>Despite what many may think, Rainbow Dash isn't fearless. There is one thing that keeps her at bay, that she will fight to protect: her reputation. </p><p>So, what happens when that reputation comes in contact with danger? Hilarity, tears, and mass panic, that's what.</p>	everyone	2011-09-02T05:48:24+00:00	2011-09-02T05:48:24+00:00	3,411	A Dashed Reputation A Fanfic by Dubs Rewatcher DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That pleasure goes to a bunch of people, namely Brian Goldner, Lauren Faust, Jayson Thiessen, and everyone at The Hub. The sun slowly rose over the hills of Equestria, bathing everything in its light. As the bright beams shot through the clouds, eliminating all traces of the night, the sound of snoring was the only thing that could be heard. That was, if you listened hard enough; when Rainbow Dash had made her home, she had taken extra care to make the clouds as thick as possible. While this usually resulted in a rather gloomy lighting situation, today was different. The sun was so radiant, even the great building’s walls couldn't resist. The light filtered through, hitting the cyan mare’s eyelids, causing them to quickly flutter and open. “Agg...” Rainbow Dash let out a slightly annoyed groan as she swung blindly at her bedside table, looking for whatever non-existent alarm clock had awoken her. It was in vain, as she eventually searched too far and tumbled out of her cloud. If it wasn’t for the thickness of her home, it was likely that she would have kept falling, but instead she simply hit the white mass with a soft splat. “Stupid sun...” She had been having the best dream ever. It had started out with her in the Cloudiseum. She was just standing there, talking to her friends, when who should come up behind her but SPITFIRE! THE WONDERBOLT! She then offered to make Rainbow Dash a Wonderbolt. No tests, no nothing. It was only natural; she was the most awesome pegasus in all of Equestria. Soarin’ said so himself. At least, in the dream he had. They were doing tricks, and flips, when suddenly Rainbow had looked at Spitfire and saw only light. The light got brighter and brighter, so Rainbow Dash closed her eyes...the next thing she knew, she was on the floor. Picking herself up, she trotted through her room, heading into the kitchen. Her first instinct when entering was to rush through the cabinets, searching for whatever sustenance she could find. The first thing she pulled out was an apple that she had... borrowed from Sweet Apple Acres the day before. Shrugging, she proceeded to bite into it, her eyes scanning the room. The clock showed that it was early; work wouldn’t start for a few hours at least. The skies were relatively clear, so she could probably get some early morning flying in before her job tore her away. There was a cold front coming in from Canterlot; that meant she was in store for a lot of cloudmaking. After that, what should she do? “I wonder if Pinkie is around?” Rainbow thought out loud as she cantered to her front “lawn,” which was really just a layer of cloud placed in front of her door. Stepping out onto the edge, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something. Deciding that a good fly would help clear her thoughts, she stepped off, letting gravity take over. The wind rushed through her mane, gliding across her wings before letting loose behind her. The mare waited until she had fallen far enough before shifting her wings and quickly shooting upwards, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. Flying was her life. It was the one time when she truly felt alive. At one point, Applejack, her best friend, asked Rainbow what it was like to fly. She couldn’t answer. It wasn’t something you could just explain. The feeling, the euphoria... you became a master of everything. And, as in this case, it could be very good for clearing the mind. Rainbow had just pulled out of a loop, when the niggling thought she had popped into her head, full force. At that moment, she realized two things: 1. Yes, she had forgotten something. 2. She needed to get to Ponyville. Fast. Rushing back to her house, she crashed into her room, and quickly tore it up, looking for the one thing she needed. “Goggles? No. Wonderbolts magazine? No.” She lifted her cloud bed, revealing a small orange lump underneath. The lump raised its head, revealing a mass of purple. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, you’re here! I definitely wasn’t sneaki-” “NOT NOW, PIPSQUEAK.” It was at that moment that she spotted it. Under Scootaloo was a thin plastic square, emblazoned with bright colors. Rainbow Dash shrieked, and threw Scootaloo out of the way. The filly flew across the room, heading straight for the open window. Scootaloo’s attempts to change path were useless, her wings were just too small. She let out a small yelp as she landed in the rainbow-pool outside. If Rainbow Dash had noticed, she didn’t show it. Picking up the thin square object, she stuffed it into her saddlebag and shot through her floor, pointing straight to Ponyville Town Square. ---------- Derpy Hooves was a simple mare. She had a steady job. She had a small filly named Dinky. But, to this day she swears on her life that while on her mail route, she saw something amazing. Ponies ask her, “What do you mean? What did you see?” Her reply is always the same. “A rainbow-colored meteor!” ---------- Rainbow Dash smashed into the ground hooves-first and took off in a gallop, leaving nothing but some cracked concrete and a few startled ponies in her wake. She rushed through the town, weaving between ponies as if they were barrels. She was late, late, LATE. “DARN YOU, MEMORY!” She thought. In her haste, she didn’t see Raindrops, her second-in-command, exiting her home. The yellow mare began to wave, but was quickly bowled over by Rainbow dash, tumbling into a heap. “ARRG! Rainbow Dash! Watch where you’re going!” Raindrops yelled as Rainbow helped her up. Raindrops found that her companion was jogging in place, a worried look frozen on her face. “What? What’s wrong?” “Oh nothing, nothing much...” Rainbow Dash replied, looking around nervously. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. “Say, how would you like to be Weather Captain for today?” Raindrops was shocked. Her, Captain? Sure, she could barely keep up with her duties as it was, but when was she ever going to get this chance again? “Oh, uh...sure! But, why? What’s up with you?” “Oh, uh...” Rainbow Dash racked her brain for an excuse. Housesitting for a bear? No, Raindrops was too smart for that. Sick? No, she was running around just fine. She looked around for something that could help her for an excuse. Down the street, she saw the pink tower rising out out Sugarcube Corner. “Pink...” She looked the other way, only seeing a decrepit shack at the end of the street. The sign on the front was completely worn away, except for the letter “E.” “E...” Next to the shack was an actual house, with a pony mare inside. Walking towards the window, the mare placed a pie on the windowsill to cool. “Pie. Pink-e Pie!” As soon as the last syllable was uttered, she realized her mistake. She had said “Pinkie Pie!” “Oh, are you doing something with Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow nodded so hard she felt as if she was going to throw her head right off the neck. “Yeah, you got it! You know how it is with Pinkie. Always doing something! Gonna be gone all day, maybe all night! Hahaha....” She gave a giant grin to compliment the laugh. Raindrops stared back at her with a quizzical expression on her face. Inside her mind, Rainbow was screaming at herself. “YOU DOLT! Could you have been any worse at lying? Now I’ll never get away...” The yellow mare continued to stare, until suddenly a look of realization crossed her face. “...Oooooooooh.” Raindrops responded, a smile on her face. She winked, and started to trot away. “Have a good time! And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. ‘What is she tal-” She froze. Returning to her gallop, she tried to hide her beet-red face while attempting to force her wings down. But, it was for the best. No one could ever know her secret. ---------- Stepping into the market district, Rainbow Dash finally slowed and took the time to breathe. Just as her heart had started to slow, it started pounding again as she looked up and saw what she had come for. In the middle of the square was a large sign. Said sign was decorated with the seductive visage of an amber yellow earth pony with a curled blue mane. Her dress was white with blue and gold accents, matching her hair and skin. Below her, in large black lettering, it read: SAPPHIRE SHORES ZIGFILLY FOLLIES SPECIAL SIGNING EVENT TODAY ONLY Rainbow Dash’s wings, which had just settled back into place, immediately shot up again as she walked towards the sign, happily chanting “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! SAPPHIRE SHORES!” She pulled the small plastic square out of her saddlebag and held it between her hooves. It boasted an intricate picture of the pop singer climbing onto a stage while all measures of lights exploded behind her. Rainbow Dash had been a fan of the singer ever since foalhood. Her obsession with Sapphire Shores could never rival the Wonderbolts, but it was still sizable. Walking past the huge sign, she searched for the booth where Sapphire would be signing CDs. Within a second she had spotted it; due only to its sheer size. Rainbow Dash had been right to try and secure a spot early. The line had already gone around half of the block, and was growing quickly. She would have a galloped straight over, if it hadn’t been for who she had seen at the back of the line. It was the Element of Generosity herself; Rarity. Rainbow quickly stuffed the CD back into her bag. Walking nonchalantly over to her friend, Rainbow Dash made a plan of what she would say. Rarity noticed the cyan mare quickly, and greeted her. “Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash. Fancy meeting you here! Come to wait in line for the signing?” Rainbow Dash forced herself to stay calm. How had Rarity seen right through her? HAD SHE BEEN SPYING?! “NO!” She shouted. Seeing the confused stares for not only Rarity, but others in the line, she added, much more softly, “No, of course not. I only listen to real music. Like rock!” She mimed a guitar in the air, silently praying that Rarity would buy it. In response, Rarity only giggled. “Of course, Rainbow. I should have figured someone like you wouldn’t care for a mare of Sapphire’s style. Oh, I simply fell in love with her music after that song “Single Mares” came out!” She started humming the tune to herself, while Rainbow suppressed an angry snort. Sapphire had “made it big” with that song. Rainbow had liked her before she was popular. “Well, anyway, would you care to wait with me? It surely won’t take long.” Rainbow knew that if she went through with Rarity, there would be no chance to get her own copy of the CD signed. Abandoning her feelings of loyalty, she shook her head. “Sorry, Rarity, no can do.” This excuse would be much easier than the last. “Weather stuff, y’know? Someone’s gotta keep the skies clear.” “Oh, darling, I completely understand. Be careful!” She called to an already retreating Rainbow Dash. “That was close...” Rainbow Dash sat down on a bench, a few meters away from the line. “Now what? I can’t just take a place in line, Rarity’ll see me. Looks like I’m gonna hafta wait...” Rainbow Dash watched in agony as the line curled around the corner, excited ponies of all shapes and sizes taking their places. Checking to make sure Rarity wasn’t anywhere in sight, Rainbow made her way to the back of the line, bag in tow. As the end of the queue came into sight, she saw something that really annoyed her. Another mare was approaching the line; that was normal enough. But, what did she have with her? A CD? No. Five saddlebags, stuffed to the brim with every CD Sapphire had ever released? Yes. Considering the luck she had had today, Rainbow figured that this mare was looking to get every single thing she had with her signed. If there was one thing Rainbow was certain of, it was this: she would not be getting into line behind her. The offending pony was only a few feet from the line. Realizing just how small her chance was, Rainbow Dash broke into a sprint, charging toward the line at speeds that would have impressed even the Wonderbolts. She was able to make it; but just barely. Squeezing into the closing gap between the mare and the next pony in line, Rainbow ended up knocking the mare back a few feet. “HEY! No cutting!” Looking back at her, Rainbow realized that the mare was actually just a filly; Sunny Days, Rainbow recalled. Not exactly distinguished, but Rainbow remembered her from the talent show a while back. “Uh, howabout no? I was totally here first. You can ask anyone.” Rainbow Dash replied. She turned away, believing that she had ended the conversation. “WHAT?! Don’t turn away from me while I’m talking to you!” She grabbed a hold of Rainbow, forcefully pulling her back with a level of strength that was surprising from a filly her size. “You just pushed me out of the way cuz’ you’re bigger than me! Go to the back!” Sunny Days exclaimed, pointing behind her. Rainbow decided to take a look, wondering if the argument was really worth it. She quickly decided: yes, it was. Since she had busted into the line, at least twenty more ponies had queued up. And, considering how close it was to noon, more were definitely on the way. Rainbow Dash focused a glare onto Sunny Days. She didn’t like to be mean, but she was also willing to do anything for Sapphire’s signature. Also, this filly deserved it. “Listen, little filly.” She smirked with satisfaction, seeing the annoyance that crossed the filly’s face. “I was definitely here first, no doubt about it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the adults need to talk with Ms. Sapphire. Go play in the mud, or whatever it is you do for fun.” That line was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Sunny Days, a look on indescribable anger on her face, dropped her bags to the ground, launched herself onto Rainbow’s back, and began beating Rainbow’s head. “AHHH! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!” Rainbow yelped, jumping up and down, trying to get the murderous filly off of her. She even bucked a few times, not noticing that she was lashing out at other ponies in line. In response to the extra effort to get rid of her, the yellow filly proceeded to bite down on Rainbow Dash’s ears. “OH CELESTIA, GET HER OFF!” “HEY!” One pony yelled. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Another shrieked. “GUARDS, COME QUICK!” At the request of the concerned citizen, two burly gray guards rushed to the scene. Ripping the two ponies apart, it was all the guards could do to contain the wild filly, who, in turn, was screaming all matters of expletives at the top of her lungs. One of the ponies raced away, returning with a quite sizable lollipop in his hooves. “Here you are, little miss,” he said to Sunny Days, placing it in front of her. “enjoy.” The effect was immediate. Sunny Days flashed back to the smiling filly she was before, picking up the candy and stuffing it into her mouth. The guard ruffled her hair, and escorted her back into line. “Hey, why does she get to go back?!” Rainbow exclaimed, pushing herself into the guard. “She attacked me!” “Ma’am, you are at least twice that filly’s age. Do you really expect us to believe that she instigated this? It looks to me that she was just defending herself. Look at her.” The guard pony gestured to Sunny Days, who was apparently quite happy with the lollipop. As the line lurched forward, she skipped along, humming to herself. “Does that look like the face of a killer to you?” “Yes! Well, no, but- HEY!” Rainbow Dash croaked as she was lifted off her feet. The next thing she knew, she was staring down at a gray flank emblazoned with a nightstick. “What are you doing?!” She yelled at the pony carrying her away. “I’m taking you to the back of the line.” Rainbow gave up. She knew it would be pointless to resist at this point, as it would only serve to get her into more trouble if she tried. Placing her down what seemed to be almost a city block back, he gave her a piercing flare. “Maybe this will teach you not to endanger the future of our country.” He said. His voice was cool but even Pinkie Pie would have been able to hear the menace behind it. Once he was out of sight, Rainbow Dash slumped down dejectedly. She may have been depressed, but she still had enough pride to make sure the guard didn’t see her mope. She sighed. “What now?” Staring up into the sky, Rainbow spotted Raindrops and the rest of her team. Rainbow really wished she hadn’t. It made her feel worse enough to know that she was lying to those who needed her. Now, looking up at the work her- no, it was Raindrops’ today. Looking at the work Raindrops’ crew was doing, Rainbow realized exactly why she was captain, and the yellow mare who had replaced her wasn’t. Their cloud formations were all wrong. Due to the cold front coming in from the mountains, today’s weather clearly called for Stratocumulus cumulogenitus clouds, not the Cirrocumulus stratiformis ones that they were laying down. An amateur mistake that Rainbow Dash knew she would never make. Shaking herself out of the angsty stupor she had fallen into, Rainbow Dash pulled her head out of the clouds, figuratively and literally, wondering why the line hadn’t moved yet. To her dismay, it had. The ponies in front of her, seeing nothing but a confused mare looking into the sky, had figured that Rainbow wasn’t actually in line. As such, they had left her behind. “No!” She squeaked, leaping into a gallop. “Calm down, Rainbow Dash. People can’t see you getting so worked up over this.” Slowing down to a trot, she looked for the pony that had been in front of her. Recognizing the tan coat and shaggy pink tail, Rainbow lightly tapped the pony on the shoulder. Once the pony had turned around, Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up. It was Dizzy Twister, head of Natural Disaster Squad. Even if the Natural Disaster Squad was almost never called upon, Rainbow knew Dizzy from their time together as classmates in Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. By chance, they had ended up both moving to Ponyville at the same time. She would totally give Dash her spot back! “Hey Dizzy!” Dizzy, in turn, gave a look of bewilderment. “Oh, uh, hey...” She faded out. “It’s me, Rainbow!” This worried her. How could Dizzy not remember someone as cool as Rainbow Dash? “Remember when I flew past lightning on the first day of camp?” Dizzy Twister grinned and nodded. “Oh, yeah, right! I remember now! So...how are you doing?” “Pretty good.” Rainbow shifted into line behind Dizzy. “You know. Still awesome. Did you hear ab-” Before she could delve further into bragging about her exploits, a tap came on her shoulder. Turning around, she came face-to-face with a balding gray stallion, glasses on his nose, and an amused expression on his face. “Hi, excuse me, sorry for interrupting.” He began. “First of all, congratulations on a great attempt at a chat-and-cut. Really good.” The smile that was on Rainbow’s face started to fade. “Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, that’s gonna work. Unfortunately, I happen to be on the line, so...” Rainbow honestly had no idea what he was talking about. “What? I had this spot in line, and accidentally got out of it. You-” “Yeah, I know a chat-and-cut when I see it. You used this mare,” He gestured to Dizzy Twister, who was kicking at the ground. “this poor, innocent mare, to sneak into the line.” Walking up to Dizzy, he continued. “Do you know her at all?” “I...I mean...well.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “The last time we talked was at Junior Speedsters. An-” “SEE? SHE KNOWS ME!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, jumping a few feet into the air and hovering. Dizzy sighed. “Really, Rainbow, I don’t. We weren’t even friends back then.” The gray pony continued, still talking to Dizzy. “Do you think she’s doing a chat-and-cut?” “I...I kinda feel like you are. I feel a bit manipulated.” Rainbow’s smile was completely gone, replaced by a look of annoyance. “You see? She feels manipulated. You manipulated her.” Rainbow spun around, now facing the stallion again. “What, do you want me to go to the back of the line too? Would that be better?” She put on her most intimidating face, and loomed over him. The stallion wasn’t fazed. “Yes, it would.” He said with a smirk. “Well, you know what I think?” Rainbow began. “I think you should be quiet, and just let me enjoy my day!” She gestured all around her, moving her head along with it. As she moved her head to the left, her blood ran cold. Walking down the avenue were Twilight and Applejack! Rainbow felt her primal instincts take over, forcing her to search for someplace to hide. Without her even realizing, she leaped toward and into what her brain had chosen...only to find out that it was a garbage can. “Well, this is better than nothing.” She could hear the stallion whom she was seconds away from beating up talking. “Man, this town is fulla weirdos.” Resisting the urge to leap out and go buck him, Rainbow continued to crouch inside the can. After a few seconds of silence, she peeked out the top, assuming that they had passed. “Rainbow? What in tarnation are ya doin’ in there?” Evidently, they had not. She lifted herself out. “Oh, uh, hi, AJ. Twilight. I was a...” Rainbow racked her brain for an excuse. Even if she was the physical embodiment of loyalty, years as a die-hard prankster had trained her to lie. Her mind flashed back to all the times she had crashed into Twilight’s library, or Rarity’s boutique. “I was trying out a new trick! Didn’t work like it was supposed to.” Twilight shook her head. “Really, Rainbow. You need to be more careful about these things! What if you hurt somepony?” “Oh, calm down. An egghead like you just doesn’t understand the way my tricks work.” Rainbow lifted a hoof to her chest in pride. “Yea, yea, whatever you say. Anyway, me and Twi were headin’ over to the Sunflower Sammich Deli for a bite to eat. You in?” Rainbow Dash contemplated it. If she were to go, the line would be even longer by the time she got back. If she didn’t go, that would meaning blowing off her friends. And, knowing Applejack, that could result in them trying to find out just what she was doing. Besides; she was out of excuses. “Sure. Let’s go, quickly.” She galloped off. “HOLD ON THERE RAINBOW!” ---------- “So, I told Spike, ‘That’s the Z section, Spike!’” “Ah know what ya mean. Sometimes Big Mac gets so distracted that he’ll end up walkin’ through the entire orchard without buckin’ a single tree.” Rainbow Dash put her head down on the table, holding back a scream. They had been there for...two hours? Probably. It felt like a day. It was terrible. Well, not terrible. The food was decent. Nowhere near the best in town, but good enough. But, if she didn’t get back to the line soon, she would never get a chance to meet Sapphire Shores. She lifted herself up, and cleared her throat. “Uh, girls?” They both looked across the table at her. “Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked politely. “As interesting as this conversation is, I have to get going. Stuff to do!” “Really? Like what? Maybe we could help ya!” Applejack offered. “Oh, noooo...” A small part of Rainbow Dash’s mind started to panic. “Uh... hey, look over there!” She said, pointing. Both mares quickly spun around, looking for whatever it was they were looking for. They didn’t see anything. Well, they did see Pinkie Pie dressed as a bale of hay, but that had become somewhat normal at this point. They turned back to Rainbow, only to see an empty seat. “Landsakes! Where did that filly run off ta?” ---------- While she was gone, the line had grown to at least double what it was. Rainbow placed herself within its ranks, and was determined not to leave. Nothing short of a hurricane could stop her now. And the hurricane never came. Hours passed. The shadows grew longer. It was almost evening before Rainbow Dash rounded a corner, and caught sight of the tan colored pony at a large booth. As Rainbow noted, she didn’t look too good. Her mane was disheveled, and there were bags under her eyes. No doubt from a long day sitting in the hot sun, doing nothing but signing autographs. Rainbow understood the feeling; more than once had she come home, exhausted from a day of flying. She would be courteous, and try to get out of Sapphire’s hair as soon as possible. There were only eight more ponies in front of her. Rainbow’s wings flared up. This was it. Seven ponies. Six ponies. “What will I say?” Five ponies. “What will she say?” Four ponies. “Hi, Sapphire! I’m your biggest fan! No, that’s stupid.” Three ponies. “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. The silent, mysterious type. Wait. No. What am I trying to do, hook up with her?” Two ponies. “I’ve stood in line, shirked my responsibilities, got beat up by a filly, lied to my friends, and hid in a garbage can just to see you! ...Maybe.” The last pony came and went. Rainbow Dash stepped forward. Glancing at her, Sapphire began to stand. Rainbow went wild. “OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! She knows me, and wants to shake my hand! Certainly, Ms. Shores, you can have my autog-” Her thoughts were interrupted by a large guard pony stepping in front of her, and placing a sign that blocked her path. Slightly irritated, Rainbow quickly read the sign. She did a double take at what it said. CLOSED MS. SHORES OFFERS HER APOLOGIES TO ALL WHO DIDN’T MEET HER She saw Sapphire walk through a set of doors, and disappear from sight. A few of the ponies behind Rainbow groaned, walking away from the line, obviously ticked off. Rainbow stayed and sat in front of the sign. She was silent. not one sound passed her lips. Eventually she fell to the ground, and covered her face with her hooves. Everything she had done that day came crashing down on her. She had cut work. Work that was essential to the daily lives of everypony. She had lied through her teeth to her friends, and hadn’t even batted an eyelid. She had stood in line for more than five hours, just to be denied at the last moment. She was trying and failing to contain her tears. Just as the first drop escaped her eyes, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Daring to look at it, Rainbow followed the white appendage up to Rarity’s face. “Rainbow? Are you...crying?” She didn’t answer. Rarity took this as a yes. She embraced Dash. “Oh, dear, what’s wrong? What happened? Was it something with the weather?” Rainbow composed herself. If Rarity, or anypony for that matter, found out that she was crying over this? She would be ruined! Nopony would ever take her seriously again! “I wasn’t crying! Why would I ever cry? I must have gotten something in my eye. Yeah.” “But, why were you on the ground?” “I WAS TIRED! What, you’ve never seen a tired pony before?” Rainbow heard hoofsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Applejack and Twilight. “Hey guys, what’s going on?” Twilight asked. Before Rainbow Dash could answer, Rarity pointed an accusing hoof at the cyan mare and exclaimed, “Rainbow Dash was crying, and she refuses to say why!” All eyes were on Rainbow now. Every face showed concern, but Rainbow didn’t want any of it. all she wanted was to go home. Suddenly, another voice joined the conversation. “Hey, Rainbow Dash!” It was Raindrops. “Just figured you’d want to know how things went today.” Rarity gained a confused expression. “What? Why wouldn’t she know? Rainbow told me that she would be with you all day!” Now all eyes were on Rarity, as everypony became confused(except for Rainbow Dash, who was just scared). Applejack was the first to speak. “That can’t be true! Me an’ Twi found her practicing her flyin’! At least, that’s what she told us, after she climbed outta that garbage can...” Rarity was disgusted, but before she could comment, Raindrops interrupted. “What? I thought you said you were going to be with Pinkie all day!” As if she had been there the entire time, Pinkie Pie proceeded to pop up between Raindrops and Rarity. “HAY GUYS! I heard my name, what’s going on? Are we having a look-very-confused-but-in-rainbow-dash’s-case-very-worried-party?” She pulled a large bag labeled “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY PARTY” from behind her back. Now, even Rainbow Dash was curious. “Pinkie, where did that even come from?” She asked. “Duh, haven’t you ever heard of hammerspace?” Pinkie shook her head in pity. Normally, this would be the time that Rainbow would call the pink pony random, but she wasn’t in the mood. The pity only lasted for a second as Pinkie immediately sprung up, and pushed herself into Raindrops’ face. “So, what were ya saying ‘bout me? Huh? Huh?” “Oh, well, this morning Rainbow Dash gave me control of the weather team for the day, while she was on her date with you.” Rarity stared. Applejack’s jaw dropped. Twilight began to blush. Rainbow started to back away from the group, and was dismayed at the revelation that there was a wall behind her. Pinkie kept smiling. “Well, that’s weird! I don’t remember planning a date with Rainbow Dash...sounds fun, though!” The other mares turned back to Rainbow, who was currently trying to figure out a way to silently pass through a wall and escape. “Rainbow, just what is going on here?” Rarity asked, a hint of worry in her voice. “Why would you lie to us?” “I, I...” She stuttered in response. Twilight moved in closer. “Rainbow, tell us! Let us help.” “Well, um...” Applejack stamped her hoof on the ground. “Come on! Just spit it out!” Rainbow jumped into the air above the five others. “OK, FINE! YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I LIED TO YOU ALL?” She pointed to the large sign in the middle of the square that depicted Sapphire Shores. “I stood in line, or at least I tried to, all day just to get her autograph!” The mares stood shocked, staring at the mare who was screaming at them. “So go ahead! Laugh at me!” At this point, her voice was cracking with every other word. “I don’t care anymore.” Everyone, Pinkie Pie included, was still. The powerful, albeit short tirade had left Dash out of breath and feeling even worse than before. Everyone was silent; until Pinkie started to laugh. All ponies present looked at her, a mix of anger and confusion on their faces. Tears started to run down Dash’s face. It was as she had feared; she had become a laughingstock. Nopony would ever respect her again. Even Scootaloo would probably go looking for a new role model. Her life was ruined. “Pinkie, how can you laugh at your own friend?!” Twilight asked angrily. “Can’t you see she’s upset?” Pinkie kept on laughing. “I’m laughing at how silly she’s being.” Pinkie calmed down, and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Dashie, why would we ever laugh at you? You’re our friend!” She popped up next to Dash. “Our amigo!” Transported to the other side. “Our ystävä! Who cares what kind of music you like?” Rarity stepped forward and touched her muzzle to Dash’s. “I agree. Why would I make fun for something as trivial as that? Besides, Sapphire Shores is amazing! There’s no shame in liking her.” It was Applejack’s turn to speak. “Ah may not be a fan of this here Sapphire Shores, but Rarity is right. Be proud of what you like. Ah certainly don’t judge.” Everypony turned expectantly to Twilight. Rainbow Dash mentally prepared herself for a long, somewhat sappy speech. “Actually, I don’t have anything to say.” Twilight smiled. “Everything I can think of has already been said.” Pinkie, Applejack, Twilight and Rarity embraced Rainbow Dash. “Oh Dashie, don’t you see? We’ll always be friends, no matter what!” Rainbow wiped her eyes, and smiled. “You guys are awesome.” Now everypony was laughing happily. Well, except for Raindrops, who was standing awkwardly on the side. She shuffled her hooves a bit before speaking. “Uh, Rainbow Dash?” Dash turned to her. “I can see you’re having a moment here, so...see you tomorrow, I guess.” She walked away slowly, obviously alienated by the public display of affection the friends gave. As she trotted off, Rainbow waved to her, before drooping her shoulders a bit. Rarity was the first to notice. “Dear, what’s wrong? Nopony is laughing at you.” “Yeah, it’s just... I spent all day just trying to get this autograph, and Sapphire left right before I could! It’s just not fair.” The white unicorn brought her hoof to her chin, and furrowed her brow for a moment. All at once, her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “IDEAAAAAA! Rainbow Dash, did you see where Sapphire Shores went?” The cyan mare looked back at her, a bit confused. “Uh, yeah, sure. She went through that door, right over there.” Se pointed to a plain black door that was a few feet away from where Sapphire had been sitting. “Why?” “Oh, no reason... just wait here, I’ll be back.” Doing as she asked, Rainbow went to sit down with her other three friends. “So... what did you guys do today?” Rainbow asked the others. “Oh, I was playing hide-and-seek with Sir Lints-A-Lot!” The trio stared at Pinkie, who stared back happily. “He wasn’t very good at it.” The group stood in silence for a moment before Applejack spoke. “Well, ah was helpin’ Twi and Spike organize the library. We were just gettin’ lunch when we found ya.” She said. After a moment, a puzzled expression crossed her face. “Speakin’ a’ which, if you weren’t practicing your flyin’, why were you in that garbage can?” Rainbow Dash laughed. “It’s a long story, I’ll tell ya later.” She turned to Twilight. “So, why didn’t Spike come along? You haven’t stopped feeding him, have ya?” “No, I haven’t. He wanted to get done with organizing before nightfall. Besides, he doesn’t like the Sunflower Sammich Deli very much. Not enough gems. But, I figure by the time I get home he’ll be done, and I can write a letter to Princess Celestia.” “What did ya learn today, Twi? I was with ya all day, and I didn’t notice anything.” “Well, actually, you taught me the lesson, Rainbow Dash.” “Huh?” Rainbow Dash was baffled. She had never seen herself as the type to teach anypony anything, let alone Twilight, who knew everything. “You taught me that a true friend doesn’t judge another friend on the small things, like what music they like. A true friend will stand by your side, no matter what.” As if on cue, it was that moment that Rarity decided to return. “Rainbow Dash, I have a surprise for you!” Rainbow slowly turned toward her friend. “Really? What did yoooOOOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH.” Standing a few steps behind Rarity was the Pony of Pop herself, Sapphire Shores. She cantered confidently up to Rainbow. “Hello there, darling. Ms. Rarity tells me that you are a big fan of my work, and that you didn’t get to speak to me today.” She put her hoof under Dash’s mouth, closing it. “Now, we can’t have that, can we? I’d be delighted to sign your CD.” Rainbow Dash stood stock still, not being able to move a muscle in front of the celebrity. Rarity levitated the CD out of Rainbow’s bag, floating it to Sapphire. Pulling a black marker out of her blue mane, she quickly signed the plastic container, and handed it to Dash. The cyan mare kept staring at Sapphire. “Uh, darling?” Rainbow Dash shook herself out of her stupor. “Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!” “No, thank you for being so devoted to my music. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make my exit. Schedules and all that. You know how it is.” While the exchange was happening, Applejack had tapped Rarity on the shoulder, and pulled her aside. “Rarity, how did you convince Shores to do this?” Rarity smiled, knowingly. “After I told her about the Diamond Dog incident, she was so grateful that she told me that she owed me a favor. So, I decided to make good on the offer.” Applejack chuckled. “Well, I guess they don’t call ya the Element of Generosity for nothin’.” “Anything to help a friend.” Rarity replied, turning back to Rainbow Dash. The mare was currently staring her CD, on which were emblazoned in big, black letters: “To my biggest fan, Rainbow Dash. You are truly sensational.” The End AT LEAST IT WOULD BE, IF THERE WASN’T AN EPILOGUE Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stood outside Scootaloo’s home, waiting for the orange filly to come down. She had called out her window that she would be down in five minutes. That was twenty minutes ago. Finally, the two fillies had had enough. Knocking on the door, they were greeted with the friendly face of Scootaloo’s mother. “Oh, hello girls! Scootaloo is upstairs in her room, if you want her.” They proceeded to climb up the stairs, arriving at Scootaloo’s door quickly. Applebloom knocked loudly. “SCOOTALOO, YOU COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW, YA HEAR ME?” They heard a crash, before Scootaloo’s rough voice rang out. “Don’t come in! I’m...naked! Yeah!” “But, Scootaloo, we don’t even wear clothes.” Sweetie Belle replied. The two fillies walked in, and were greeted by a sight that neither of them ever expected to see. In the center of the room stood Rainbow Dash. Well, at least it might have been if she also had a rainbow-colored coat as well as a mane, and was a filly. If it hadn’t been for Scootaloo’s purple eyes, the two might not have recognized the filly at all. There was a small can of orange paint next to her. In response, Apple Bloom fell to the floor, laughing. “It’s not funny!” author’s notes First, I would like to offer my thanks to FIMWiki for their extensive list of background ponies. I wouldn’t have been able to do a lot without it. I would also like to offer an apology to Larry David. I’m sorry a made a very heavy-handed reference to your show in my awful fanfic. Please forgive me. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXz-fOtKBU8]
Madfish	709	1	Doctor Whooves,Princess Celestia,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Missing Stars	Six Element bound Nightmare moon and four freed her. So where are this night's Missing Stars?	incomplete	-1	-1	<p>Six Elements of Harmony bound Nightmare Moon but only four stars are seen aiding her escape. Meanwhile the Doctor has a surprise that doesn't go as planned but can he fix it?<br/>11th Doctor centric<br/>Grammer and spelling corrected but if anyone finds any I've missed please tell me!</p>	everyone	2011-09-02T22:14:55+00:00	2011-09-02T22:14:55+00:00	1,544	I don't own any of the character's used below for if I did I'd be alot more popular.... That aside this version has been corrected for grammer and spelling, but if you find anything please let me know so I can fix it, especially those pesky punctuation marks. Last edited for spelling and grammar 2/9/11 Surprise! She despaired. It was nearly time for the stars to align but after nearly a thousand years only four were finished. She'd taken the honest regard of her subjects and returned honest service to their world: The First Star. She'd taken the free generosity of her subjects and returned it generously, making the sun and moon rise so life might go on: The Second Star. She'd taken the kindness of her subjects and returned it leading as an example of that kindness: The Third Star. She'd taken the friendship her subjects would show each other and had been a friend as much as a monarch to those around her: The Fourth Star. She'd seen her subjects laughing, seen them stand by each other in times of need, but though she smiled, enjoying their levity and honoured the dedication they showed each other. Deep in her heart she felt she had no right to laughter, that she had not tried hard enough and so betrayed the one who most need her. Thus the Star of Laughter and the Star of Loyalty were, if not empty shells, barely even a glimmer next to their finished brethren. Thus she would soon see if a millennium's labour would be enough. It had to be enough. For if it wasn't she had failed again and that was something she could not, would not allow. Travelling through the time vortex, trouble usually started in one of two ways. The first was with a bang as some under maintained component of the TARDIS died sending it and it's occupants on an unexpected detour. The second was that the Doctor himself would decide that some vista of the universe absolutely positively could not be missed by his companions then proceed to drop them all off in the wrong time for it and conveniently into some brewing conflict. Usually isn't always however and it was all Amelia Pond could do to brace against the sensation of everything being stretched in more than a few directions at once. The feeling dissipated after a few seconds and from her position at the console guard rail took quick stock of her surroundings looking over the TARDIS' lower deck. Nothing seemed different. She could still here the Doctor flipping switches and splicing cables both under and over the main console. “Calibrating for a surprise” he'd said. Her Rory could be hear having a kip somewhere below, quiet snores now not so quiet snores drifting up from below. “I can't believe he slept through that,” she thought affectionately, if a little queasily. “Nothing wrong, just another odd day in the life of a time traveller then. So situation normal, even if,” that train for thought puttered to a halt and a new one joined the line. “Has the TARDIS gotten a little smaller, yet also a little taller?” She tipped her head as she started to turn. “Doctor, what was,” the 'that' and everything else going completely unsaid as her brain and eyes were unable to reconcile what she saw. Instead of the expected Time Lord flicking switch and rewiring around and under the console working on his project, there was a horse. An honest to god brown horse with a sand timer tattoo of all things was flicking a few leavers at the controls and looking perplexed at hooves to big for the buttons. The expression on the animal's too expressive face on becoming aware of her regard quickly changed to what she could only describe as “Nonchalant”. “D-D-Doctor,” she finally managed to squeeze out while unsuccessfully trying to glance around without taking her eyes off of the beast in front of her. Without turning from its innocent switch flicking it replied, “Who were you expecting? Shergar? I'm not likely to be anyone else here am I now?”. The voice was the Doctor's but his tone more than a little reminiscent of a schoolboy wondering how much an adult knew about the broken window nearby. “Talking,” she swallowed, a swallow that made her neck feel too long, “Horse”. It was about the only thought that her mind could muster for several moments. She wasn't going to take this quietly though and her brain followed through valiantly with “Doctor, horse. Talking.” “Are you alright?” he asked concern seeping into his tone as she continued to start blankly through him as he approached. “Alright? Alright?” Her voice rising slightly hysterically her eyes coming into focus, “You're a talking horse and your asking if I'm alright?” Brushing of her concern as if the situation was only a minor inconvenience he continued talking, “Good, your fine. Had me worried there for a moment and don't worry about the situation it's all under control.” Before babbling onto another topic. “It's interesting really, I was nearly turned into a cat while the world ended once but never been a horse. Never really got to be the cat either now I think about it. Anyhow back to ourselves in no time and might I say that's a very lovely tattoo of a heart in a pond you have there. The little wings on it? Very cute. When did you get it?” The non sequitur squashed the rising hysteria and she found herself answering, “That planet, the one with the two suns after the cruise. Wait, how do you know about that it's on my” and for the second time in as many minutes her statement went unfinished as she caught sight of her reflection in the glass around the time rotor. Amy's head was whirling now as she slipped to her knees in shock, “Four knees!” her brain helpfully pointed out. Was she okay? “I'm thoroughly confused. Thoroughbred confused? Is making a horse puns a good sign?” she may have spoken out loud, she wasn't sure. “Okay brain up and at em, you and me are going to get through this even if I am a horse at the moment and someone's stuck a couple of green feathered cushions to my side. Green! I must look like a giant mint! Oh and if this is the Doctor's fault we need to strangle him with his bow tie when I get my hands back.” She became aware of the world just in time to see the Doctor twist his hoof in an odd manner in front of her face a few times before looking irritated at it. Looking down and stomping it a couple of times he made a “Hmmmmm”ing sound as it clacked on the deck. “Clicking's out, no fingers, should of thought of that.” Noticing her focusing on him again he continued, “Ah your back, excellent! Lets grab Rory and see if he's swapped hands for hooves too.” Then with a yell of, “Rory! Time to wake up!” He pranced off down the stairs seeming to relish the ringing sound his hooves were making on the steps. “Doctor! Get back here and fix this!” more than a little desperation in her tone. He didn't return of course so it was with a thought that how unfair it was that even things he claimed to have no experience in he could make look easy as she gingerly stood to make her own descent trying to keep all her legs in order. Rory was having one of those dreams on the edge of waking. One that you know is a dream from the things that aren't adding up, but you go with the flow if only because waking up is too much trouble. It wasn't every night that his mind conjured images of him as something else. In this case a pony if he was judging his height right from his surroundings. Growing up in a semi rural village he'd had some experience with horses as a kid and he'd found them fascinating. His coat was a golden-yellow and turning round to his distorted reflection on the metal wall his mane and tail were to colour of red wine held to the light, starting with a claret on the top and deeper reds below. Something unbalancing his head too, rolling his eyes up he discovered it to be a horn with a twisting spiral in it. “Weird dream”, he thought with a shrug, “maybe I should take a run through the corridors. Might be fun.” Suiting action to thought he began circling the lower level of the console room. He tried several different gaits he'd seen horses use both at home and in the uncomfortable part of his memory that was the Centurion. He'd just started a canter when he heard his name shouted by the Doctor telling him to wake up. Distracted he looked up as he reached the stairs and went crashing into a wall of brown hair and flesh that had just left them. With more than a few sharp pains that with a sinking feeling he realised shouldn't be possible in a dream he began pulling his body up. “Rory, while you've in your own unique yet satisfactory manner have answered one question I had for you, you've given me two more to ask. First, do you always run around people's homes like a horse in a paddock and second”, here his voice changed from the conversational tones it had held into one holding a just a smidge of irritation but significantly louder, “Will you get off!” Any doubt that the second wasn't actually a question was answered when Doctor proceeded to get all four of his new hooves under himself and give a great heave. He rose with a “Huff” of expelled air but a little surprise showed on his face as Rory was rolled off his back. “Thought I'd be a bit stronger as a pony,” he muttered shaking his mane out of his eyes and recovering his breath from his short burst of excretion. By the time he had done so his companions had reached both the bottom deck and their feet respectively. While his wife eyed up his new form he took the initiative and asked what was on both their minds, resigned to an answer that he was sure he wouldn't like, “Why are we ponies Doctor?”. “Come to think of it,” he mused internally, “there's a lot I don't like about travelling with Him, starting with multiple near death experiences, one case of total existence failure and a thousand sometimes remembered years as a plastic manikin. The amazing sights and places we visit wouldn't be worth it if the trip didn't make Amy so happy.” So when the Doctor fumbling for an answer weakly replied “Surprise!” under Amy's stare he chalked up another notch on his weirdness meter and refused to jinx further it with any thoughts about being glad at least they weren't in any actual danger. “Your surprise was to turn us all into horses?”, a slow burn in her voice and sour look the Doctor was pretty sure a pony, feathered, horned or otherwise shouldn't be able to make. “Yes. Well no. Well yes it is a surprise, just not the one I was intending. I was trying to fix the chameleon circuit, it's so unfair to her to have to look the same all the time, but you know what it's like without the right parts don't you? I had to – improvise.” “Improvise.” “Yes improvise, glad we're on the same page. Of course the TARDIS can't fabricate the parts needed or I'd have sorted it centuries ago. So I had to get a bit low tech and use a few parts from an old transmat that I had in storage. Inspired thinking if I do say so myself, by linking the transmat and a matter store for it to use to the TARDIS sensors every time she lands she could make a new shell for herself that would blend in seamlessly!” “So we're horses-” “Ponies,” he interrupted “-because your ride needed a new dress.” She finished not letting him butt in further. “I don't we're really real ponies any way,” Rory interjected to break up the argument. Seeing he had their attention he added, “Besides the obvious I mean,” here he rolled his eyes toward the horn on his forehead and gestured with it at Amy's extra feathered appendages, “Our joints are all wrong, ponies don't have this much range of motion, expression either.” “As interesting as that is husband mine what I want is why we're changed not the TARDIS and why he hasn't changed us back?”, turning back to the Doctor she added, “Care to enlighten us Mr Ed?” “A simple calibration error, I forgot to change the targeting sensors on the transmat from personal to industrial. As to why I've not changed us back?” At this point he started prancing on the spot “I've never been a horse before, it's an adventure! I'll turn us all back later after we've met the natives.” “The natives,” both the Williams asked at the same time and more than a little flatly. “Of course natives! You didn't think the old girl just made up these forms up from out of the cloth do you? She must have scanned the locals and decided that these forms would be nicely inconspicuous.” He beamed widely, “So lets land and see where we are!” That said he then raced upstairs to the console giving no time for any time for objections. Momentarily forgetting his lack of fingers he pulled the lever down to initiate the landing but forgetting the other hoof proved to be a bigger mishap as the edge of it caught several buttons sending them careering off course. The TARDIS shook its occupants under the conflicting orders sending both Amy and Rory to the floor while the Doctor's head snagged the materialization lever and allowed his weight to bring it back up then down again as he was swung from one side to the other. Finally a few seconds later the shaking stopped and the familiar sound of materialization began. Staggering to the door from a combination of wrong limbs and nausea Amy called up to the Doctor, “Is it safe to open the door? 'Cause I think I want to be sick.” Quickly glancing at the scanner, “It's fine but stay against the hull for a few minutes, there's not much air out there and I'll need to extend the air shield so we don't suffocate”, he replied. Stepping out on a new world was always an experience even for seasoned travellers such as themselves but even then something about this place was special. They found themselves wondering if this is what Armstrong and Aldrin felt. The landscape that by all rights should have been merely bleak and broken grey rock reminiscent of a quarry the BBC shot science fiction shows in the seventies instead provoke true awe, despite the cratering of the ages, and what weathering the thin atmosphere could achieve. No that wasn't right, it was because of the weathering and cratering. The two couldn't help but believe that they were the medium of an artist, each rock more carefully placed than in a Zen garden and capped off with a sky filled with a million diamond stars undimmed by industry or the meagre light spilling out of the TARDIS behind them. There was love here and despair and joy and hate and a rainbow of other emotions that only the finest artist could bring out. It was beautiful and humbling, even the Doctor seemed to agree as he silently joined them in just looking at the panorama barely disturbed as the air shield extended thickening the atmosphere around them. After what seemed an age there was planet rise and the Doctor quietly whispered that he “had to check the stabilisers” but he'd be tracking them to extend the air shield so they could explore further. After a time they started walking in silence, disturbing the tranquillity around seemed somehow sacrilegious, akin to disturbing those at prayer in a church or readers in a library. Likewise they carefully placed their new hooves on the most stable rocks so as not to disturb the dust and scree patterns around them, low gravity making it much easier to get used to they're new forms. They leaped between such areas though Rory seemed to find it easier something he put down to no wings he couldn't use causing drag and his larger frame. So they continued till they came upon an area that shattered contemplative mood they had built. A smooth disc of polished rock perhaps fifty yards across cut into the surrounding terrain in the centre of which five short glowing pillars of crystal surrounded a sixth, maybe pony back high. No art was here to provoke emotions but the air was still heavy with them surging despair, loss, self loathing, sadness and hate all settled on them for the briefest instant then nothing as they stepped upon it. Amy swallowed, “This has just stopped being fun. I feel heavier than I have all day and considering I think this body's made with lead that's saying something”, her wings opening slightly with her unease. “Really?” Rory asked glad for anything to take his mind off what had just happened “I've just been feeling”, he fumbled for the word he needed, “unfinished.” he finished lamely gaining a raised eyebrow from the mare by his side. The words in head though were more like “Void” and “Hollow” but they just didn't convey the soul deep certainty that something was missing that should be there. Whatever was missing he was pretty sure he'd never had it before the change. “I guess I can see that, I have these”, and here she raised her wings and brought them down hard, “but there's no point to them.” A point well made in that she'd be barely lifted an inch or before coming down hard even in the lower than normal gravity of this moon. “Anyway, shall we take a look round?” “Do you really think that's a good idea?”, Rory sounded distinctly dubious “Oh come on. The Doctor's tracking us, so if anything starts to happen he'll know. Besides what's the worst that could happen?” As Amy started forward Rory called after her, “Oh you did not just say that,” though after a pause he started to follow her, after all he wasn't about to leave her alone after taunting Murphy like that. He caught up in a few steps and the pair circled the pillars. Short on the surface the reached a short way into the bedrock, flickers to light dancing through them, lightly tinged by the colours of the pillars..Looking at the lights evoked a similar response as the previous lunar art but each was far more upbeat. Finding himself studying the lights in a column the colour of claret he was surprised by the arrival of the Doctor who seemed to have in his time away worked out how to manipulate his screwdriver with his mouth. So he was only listening with half an ear as he babbled on, largely entranced by the lights that seemed to speak of dependability and stability too him. A corner of his mind merely mused “This must be what it's like to 'get' modern art”. At the Doctor's arrival Amy left her significant other to his crystal watching to see if he knew what they were or whom had made them. Even before she'd come to a stop he'd acknowledged her approach and began in excited tones, “This is amazing, I've never seen Empathetic Crystal of this size and purity. But why are they Here? How are they here? They should be destroyed by the cross contamination from the other's, but someone, or perhaps given our current forms somepony, has stabilised them with only their own energies it shouldn't be possible!” The mystery of it had left him looking like a kid in a candy shop. “Wait, Empa- what now?” “Empathetic Crystal. It's a psycho reactive crystal that resonates with a particular emotional state to generate power. A medium one about the size of my fist could in theory power all the lights in the TARDIS for a day” “So what are these for then, powering a city?” “Doubtful, there are several problem with Empathetic Crystal. First is that while it generates power it hoards it like a capacitor but only till it's fully charged then dumps it all at once, so for steady power you need lots of tiny ones. The second is they can only be tuned to resonate with a very narrow emotional range, all others become like kryptonite to it draining the charge. Lastly of course is that most people's emotions are to 'variable' for want of a better word to charge them.” “So they're just pretty lights then.” She finished. “Ah but they're not and that's the mystery! They're drawing charge, most likely from the planet above us,” gesturing upward with a hoof, “and given how full they are for a very long time indeed given the distance.” He ran his sonic screwdriver over the pillars one at a time. “Interesting, Interesting. Four of them are near the edge of their capacity and have actually stopped charging. So what's different about you two then?” He said to himself, “Someone's found a way to stop you sulking in each other's presence, so what's made you two so empty.” He spun around. “That one, Rory step back a moment would you?” “Pardon?” he asked coming out of his partial daze. He turned his head to ask the Doctor to repeat what he wanted and without realising it his new horn came in contact with the column he had been watching. It was just a graze but the results were nothing short of electric. No sooner had his horn made contact than the previously mote filled pillar flashed to with a blinding ruby light before dimming to nothing in a split second. The Doctor began frantically scanning the pillars to determine what had happened. Opening her eyes again Amy pulled the red maned stallion clear by his what she thought was his tail and blinking away the flash blindness she could only see the silhouette of the Doctor at work. Apparently the results disturbed him as he started scanning upward, his over large eyes getting even wider. Looking back down then turning and barrel towards them with a cry of “Take cover!” Rory getting his feet under himself joined the half blind flight and the three dived into a crater at the edge of the disc just in time before the remaining columns to flashed as one. Shielded by the rock as the light burst over them they kept most of their vision. So carefully peaking over the edge they took in the energy swept ground they'd just left. Gone was the disc, gone too were the pillar's of crystal leaving only the natural rock of the moon. Only that and a mare black as night with horn and wings further adorned with a helmet and what looked to be some sort of armour. “Free!” the new pony exalted to the stars wings stretched wide. Her voice was strong, exultant and there was honest joy as well as something darker in her tone as she turned to the three. She had rolled the dice with only hope and a prayer that things would take the course they needed too. In irony perhaps, for who could she pray to other than herself and the one she would save? Somehow though, against all odds and logic somepony had been up there to bridge one of the gaps in her unfinished working. That which she could not and if morning came she would find and thank them. With the receptor for Fifth Star, The Star of Loyalty empowered a surge of joy surged through her in strength she could not in her long memories match. Marshalling her power and focusing it she sent all that she could bring to bare to the moon as finally the four complete stars reached their terminus behind the moon. Head brought low by exhaustion, she still smiled. Now that the longest odds had been defeated soon her sister would be back with her. Her most faithful student would see it done and in understanding the part of her special talent she'd dismissed before come into her own as well. It was a shame she'd have to disappoint the pony's of Ponyville but she had one last spell to prepare. The black mare beckoned them forward imperiously with her horn. Not knowing what else to do they trotted up to her the Doctor in the lead. “It's good to see that some pony's haven't abandoned me after all these long years.” She looked down from her larger height at them, “Well, my benefactors will you not introduce yourself to royalty now you've freed her? I've seen you admire my art since your arrival and I would know your names.” With aplomb the Doctor took a further step forward and with a bow started his introductions. “A pleasure to meet you your majesty. I'm known as The Doctor and my companions on this trip are Amelia Williams, née Pond and Rory Williams.” The towering mare looked at them consideringly “Such a feat as travelling to my moon and releasing me from captivity is worthy of a boon I think, especially under such crippling disabilities as you bear. Name your prize and if it's within my power I will grant it.” They took a moment to consider what they should say until Amy spoke up, “Uh, our 'disability' your majesty?” She'd meant it as a query about what the larger mare considered to be their disability but the unnamed mare took it in a completely different manner. “Yes, those I can fix. Tricky but I can do it” and before Amy or the others could correct the winged being's misapprehension her horn began to glow and released a beam of energy like stardust wrapped in moonlight that washed over each of them leaving them feeling a little groggy. “Now, I am overdue for a reckoning with my sister but when you return to Equestria I will have places for each of you in my court. Another flash of magic she was gone. “Do either of you feel any different?” asked the Doctor looking both him self and the other's up and down. “No one suddenly sprouting extra limbs or head ornaments?” “What do you think someone like that considers a disability?” the peppermint mare asked. “I've no clue, not having wings and a horn perhaps. But I don't think so, I'll scan us all thoroughly when we get back to the TARDIS and see what's changed. So let's get going.” Things were a little tense at the TARDIS as the Doctor proceeded to scan the occupants. Made more so of course as in an attempt at dramatic flare he's had them stand in the best positions for the scanner then kicked the lever with his hind hoof. Instead of a quickly initiated scan of them all he'd managed to snap the lever in question. If the delay wasn't so frustrating the companions might have found his look of vague horror and shock amusing. As it was they had to listen to him fight to repair it without fingers mumbling what sounded like apologies round the omnipresent screwdriver currently wielded in his mouth. Finally he was done. “Okay,” the Doctor started with cheer, “Good news or bad news first?” “Good news first.” Snapped out Amy drowning out Rory's “Bad News”. “Okay! Good news! I love giving that out!” “And the news is?” interrupted the stallion. “Well despite being very slightly radioactive we're not mutating, dying or going to explode any time soon. Rory's new tattoo is like mine except different of course and yours has been removed. With no unsightly laser scaring too.” “And the bad?” Amy prompted after the Doctor failed to continue. “Did I say bad? It's not so much bad,” he stretched out the last 'bad', “more, ah, more inconvenient. Yes, inconvenient but interesting, very interesting. It's just that the energy pattern we've been hit with jump started something in our new bodies so it's not going to fade away which in its self wouldn't be a problem except that if we try to use a transmat while emitting it our various parts will be scrambled like eggs.” “You mean we're stuck like this?” Hysterics were trying for a come back but crushed the feeling mercilessly. “I'm sure we can fix it, especially if we were to explain the situation to her majesty.” “Because you've got such a good track record with royalty right?” “Exactly, so lets follow that mare!” he exclaimed. Then with care started preparing the TARDIS for travel. “I really miss my fingers right now.” he mumbled being careful not to damage any more of the controls. A change in the atmosphere of the room and her sister was there. Her heart clenched tight at seeing her for the first time in a millennia, all the details time blurred once more in focus. No words were exchanged, she could see her sister's heart was as filled with anger as before her imprisonment if not more so. The winged white unicorn honestly couldn't fault her for that. So she slowly drew what was left of her power into herself and vanished just as her sister's spell would have connected. The black stood surprised that the white had not resisted but the 'sadness' and pity she'd seen compelled her to lash out. After all, what did the one loved by all know of sadness and pity, pity after what she'd done to her? If between the three spells she'd cast since her release hadn't left her a little drained she'd have used something more than a short term banishment spell that she'd have to keep reinforcing. No other reason at all. For now there were new subjects to meet. She would not be forgotten again. She cast another spell to make her entrance leaving the chamber truly empty.
Madfish	709	2	Doctor Whooves,Princess Celestia,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Missing Stars	Six Element bound Nightmare moon and four freed her. So where are this night's Missing Stars?	incomplete	-1	-1	<p>Six Elements of Harmony bound Nightmare Moon but only four stars are seen aiding her escape. Meanwhile the Doctor has a surprise that doesn't go as planned but can he fix it?<br/>11th Doctor centric<br/>Grammer and spelling corrected but if anyone finds any I've missed please tell me!</p>	everyone	2011-09-02T22:13:04+00:00	2011-09-02T22:13:04+00:00	1,559	Chapter 2 – Follow that Mare A short hop from the TARDIS and they were on the world the moon orbited and to the travellers stepping out it couldn't have been more different than night from day. Gone was the majestic and stark vista that characterised the moon and in its place timber framed buildings with yellow walls lined either side of the cobbled street that could have been pulled from a straight from a children's tale. Even with the moonlight giving a simple charm to their surroundings the Doctor was obviously displeased. “I'd forgotten how annoying it was not to be able to put the TARDIS right when I want her after a short hope. I was aiming for morning so we could ask the locals about our mysterious friend but it seems only a little past midnight.” He said with exasperation. “You mean your driving used to be worse?” Amy ribbed as she stepped our behind him with Rory. “It was a long time ago, a beautiful old girl like her has quirks that a new driver takes time to become acquainted with”, he replied with an affronted look. “Like the handbrake you mean?” Rory chipped in remembering a comment made by River Song. “It's meant to make that sound! Honestly, fly round space and time with someone and they think they know better than the one with hundreds of years experience!” ending with a 'hmmph'. He paused a moment gripping the TARDIS key carefully in his mouth before he carefully walked his forelegs up the TARDIS too tuck the key on the door ledge out of sight. He continued, “Still this is the way we need to go.” “How do you know? I thought you hadn't been here before,” Amy questioned Dropping down he replied with a grin, “Easy! There's a light on down the road there and that means someone's still up.” They trotted down the road toward the light the Doctor had seen round the curve of the street but before they reached it went out. The Doctor just shrugged, “Still as good a way as any. Lets look around a bit to get the lay of the land before going back to the TARDIS to grab a nap. We can ask about when morning comes.” Moving on through the sweet night air they passed under a sign that was probably for a bakery of some sort and stepped out on to a wider thoroughfare that circled a large round building. It was bigger than those they'd passed by with a pointed roof, large windows and decking all the way round both on the ground and first floors. Something was obviously going on there as they approached they could hear voices carrying our into the night and there was light flickering in the windows. As they climbed the few steps to the door however they found themselves slowing and glancing around nervously, a faint scent they couldn't quite place setting them on edge. The Doctor nosed open the door and the scent got a little stronger as he took in the sight of the room. Done up for some fancy event but something had obviously happened. On the dais at the front of the room three white pegasi were being treated by a two other ponies one blue and one white for what appeared to be burns. All over the rest of the room ponies huddled together, shivering, ears trying to track all the sounds around at the same time and more than a few pawing at the ground. “Burnt hair,” he answered the question one of his companions had asked without turning, “and mind numbing fear”. All business he'd not even consciously registered the question he'd just answered though he could hear them swallow deeply as he stepped in and they got their own first looks about. All eyes turned their way as they entered fully, distrust and fear prominent in many of the looks but most turned back to consoling others over what ever tragedy happened merely keeping a wary ear or eye on the three. “Well it seems whatever was going on here has been well and truly cancelled” he muttered. “Let's mingle a bit and see if we can find out what happened here”. So saying he made his way down toward the injured. Amy and Rory paused at the entrance and lent against each other taking comfort in knowing the other was there. Tone uncertain Amy was the one to voice what they were both thinking, “I really don't want to go in there. It feels... It feels....” she ended tailing off. “Like that hall is the most dangerous place we've ever been.” Rory finished for her. “This is ridiculous. We've been through much more danger than a small hall filled with pastel pony's. We should get a move on before he comes crowing that he knows just what's going on and just how to solve it.” “Sounds like an idea.” “Well?” “Well what? “You're not moving.” “Neither are you.” “Isn't is your job to be the big brave stallion in the relationship?” “I'm just trying to decide which group to start with.” “That one then,” she prompted him nodding toward a near by group of three adults accompanied by a few foals. “On you go then.” “Lets just go in together.” A trace of nerves remaining in his voice despite the banter. “On three then?” Setting her face into a determined expression and irritated at her own dithering on getting a nod from her husband she simply, “Three.” Hesitantly starting forward she shook her head as if to shake off the unfounded nerves. It wasn't like she was afraid or anything after all, just a little indecisive after a long and extremely odd day. That's all there was too it and after a half dozen repeats of that in her head she'd mostly quashed the small almost voice in her head that said they were making a terrible mistake. So intent on sorting out her preoccupation that she nearly walked into a cyan mare that stepped forward to meet them. “Sorry!” She exclaimed before catching control of her tone. “It's been a difficult night for us I didn't mean to nearly walk into you like that.” “A difficult night for everypony dearie.” the mare replied in a motherly if worried tone, though she looked over the youngsters and the word 'night' carried an odd inflection. “What happened? Everyone seems so scared.” “You don't know? Oh of course you don't know, you've only just got here. It's terrible, Princess Celestia's been ponynapped!” Obviously not receiving the reaction she'd been expecting in they're uncomprehending looks she eyed at them suspiciously. Rory thankfully was more on the ball than his wife and replied for her “That is terrible! Who could have done such a thing?” He somehow managed to stop himself from wincing at how contrived that sounded. The script much closer to what she was expecting the cyan pony nodded fretfully and lead them over to the two stallions and the three dozing youngsters. “I know if I hadn't been here then I would never believed it either.” She began to ramble, “I'd never have thought it possible and why would somepony want to do it. Surely no pony would really want night to last forever?” “The night lasting forever?” he echoed still confused. “That's what she said,” spoke up the amber stallion. “Called down lightning on the royal guard and mocked us for not knowing her.” “Didn't anybody know who she was?” “A unicorn did, I heard she was sent from Canterlot to check things were going smoothly for the celebration. Was that her Macintosh?” “Eeyup.” replied the large red stallion slowly. “Came by the farm lunch time.” “Hope they don't hold this against her, not that the guard did any better.” Calm and polite as the stallions' contributions were they couldn't help but hear an edge of distrust in the amber's voice and in the half lidded gaze of the red. It also didn't escape they're notice that both had subtly moved themselves between the youngsters and those they held with suspicion. Trying to think of a way to ease their suspicion Amy realised they hadn't introduced themselves but was pre-empted by the yellow filly with the red main looking up and asking the red, MacIntosh, in a sleepy voice, “Who're these ponies?” there was something else added in a mumble they couldn't hear but the little one, obviously dead on her hooves was already drifting back towards sleep. “I can't rightly say little sister,” answered Macintosh, “they haven't introduced themselves yet. You get some sleep, you've still got your chores in the morning.” The filly mumbled something else to which Macintosh replied, “Our sister'l be fine but all ask 'em for ye'”. He turned to the two transmogrified companions said, “What ma little sister here wants to know is if you've seen our other sister, Applejack before you came in?” Mostly addressing the filly Amy replied, “I'm sorry, we haven't seen her”. Turning to Macintosh she added, “I'm Amy Pond this is my husband Rory, sorry about not introducing ourselves earlier.” Macintosh nodded in response. “I can't rightly fault you on that. I'm Big Macintosh”, he gestured to the filly at his feet then at the mare and stallion beside him, “and ma sister Applebloom, we're from Sweet Apple Acres outside of town. And these folks here are Mr and Mrs Cake they're the some of the finest bakers you'll find in these parts.” “And the other two fillies?” Mrs Cake took up the introductions then, “Mr Macintosh here doesn't know them as well, we're watching Sweetie Bell for her sister, Miss Rarity and Scootaloo for Miss Dash”. She seemed calmer for the normality of it, though her something in her tone suggested that 'Miss Dash' being with the young pegasus was something unusual. “Were they caught up in what happened?” asked Rory trying for a bit more information. “Miss Dash, our weathermare, certainly was; she chased the kidnapper when she left.” In her orange pegasus proved not as asleep as she looked when she spoke up, “Rainbow Dash will catch that ponynapper and save the princess single hoofed. There's no way anypony can out fly her.” The conviction in the little pony's voice Amy thought privately was the kind that she'd only heard before in fangirl gushing and Chuck Norris jokes. “That may be,” replied Mrs Cake, “but she shouldn't be so reckless. That pony was the one to have ponynapped the princess.” Seeing the change in the filly's look Mrs Cake must have realised that she'd made her afraid and reverted to a more motherly tone. “I'm sure Miss Dash will be fine, she might be a little reckless but she's a dependable pony. I'm sure she'll be back soon.” Mollified for the time being the pegasus stayed quiet but was obviously listening to the conversation now. “Well why don't we focus on more positive things, I'm sure that Princess Celestia will be back and raise the sun soon.” she continued. “Though it seems your friend is wanting you.” Indeed the Doctor was by the door tilting his head toward the door. “We'd better get going Amy,” said with a tired exhalation. “We should.” she agreed while turning to Big Macintosh “If you can describe your sister we'll pass along that your worried about her.” “Thank you kindly. Ma sister Applejack's not an easy pony to mistake, straw blond mane, orange coat and three red apple's are her mark. Usually has the hat our father gave her too.” With a nod to Mac she turned to leave only to be halted by Mr Cake. “If you wouldn't mind, could you keep an eye out for our assistant Pinkie Pie as well? She vanished after Miss Dash and we're worried about her.” On getting a confirming nod from Amy he continued, “Pinkie, she's,” he paused looking for the right words, “memorable. You'll know her if you meet her.” He finally settled on, real warmth in his voice made it clear he cared about her. “Pinkie's a character,” Mrs Cake took up from here husband without missing a beat, “Pink as the cupcake on our bakery sign and her mane is always such a state, but oh you won't have seen our sign with being new here.” Like there was honest worry in her voice. “Not a problem, I think we passed by it on our way here. Has it got a pink cupcake on the sign?” “That it does dear.” Amy smiled. “Would you like us to pass on a message if we run into Miss Dash too?” Looking out of the corner of her eye at the pegasus filly. “It would be for the best, we can't escort Scootaloo home, her folks have a cloud outside of the town but it's at a fair height.” she looked like she'd say more but stopped herself. “Anyway she's another pony who stands out, her mane's like the rainbow she's named for. Thank you both for doing this.” “As I said, not a problem. Better get going though the Doctor's looking like he's getting a bit impatient. Bye for now.” Stepping our side the Doctor was obviously in take charge mode, his expression serious. “Come on, I've got a lead. A unicorn by name of Twilight Sparkle identified our tall friend as 'Nightmare Moon' and as the only pony who knows about her I think we should pay her a visit.” “Yeah, we heard a bit about her as well. Apparently she kidnapped a princess they think raises the sun.” Rory's tone was bland as he could make it, there would be no taunting Murphy for him. “Hmm, she did mention a sister before she left didn't she? I wonder...” statement drifting off into silence he started to walk. “Where are we going?” “To seek knowledge of course! And where better than a library?” gesturing to a massive tree along the road. “Odd building, it doesn't look anything like the other's round here.” “And a rum old world it would be if every old thing was wouldn't it?” “I'd settle for being the old me right now.” “Where's that adventurer's spirit gone?” “I think it's in the TARDIS and I left it where I was sleeping when I woke up as a pony.” Rory finished with resignation. The Doctor just smirked and after a beat added, “Oh, if you happen to see any pony's in armour about? Hide. I think my questions made them a touch suspicious.” The only response he got was a flat look and his companions began to look around more instead of focusing on the door they had just reached. BANG! BANG! BANG! The Doctor's hoof hitting the door's made them jump as it echoed through the night but despite a light visible behind the shutters no one answered. The returning silence was made more creepy by faint signs of tension on the Doctor's muzzle. BANG! BANG! BANG! His hoof rose and fell again against the door but still there was more answer. “Well if they occupants won't answer I think we'll have to be a little impolite. Just take me a second with the conic to open the latch on this.” He moved his hoof as if into his jacket pocket then froze in embarrassment, “Ah, no pockets either today. I've left it in the TARDIS, I'll be right back.” “Or we could go in the window.” pointed out Amy. “It's been left open” “Yes, would that does work but I think I should get my sonic anyway. Who knows when I'll need it again?” “From how you've been acting I thought you were in a hurry? Is there something your not telling us?” “Just ecological planetary disaster.” “'Just 'ecological'” she began to repeat then stopped herself. “Explain please because I for one am not getting that.” “This planet is soon going to suffer catastrophic weather, massive coastal flooding and probable major shifts in seasonal climate.” He rattled off absent mindedly looking back in the direction of the TARDIS. “Why though?” “Because the Princess with the keys to what ever grand folly of celestial engineering that operates this system has been kidnapped.” “Really? Their Princess really does control the sun and moon?” “Yes. Take a look at the moon.” “What about it?” She queried as she looked up. It was Rory how supplied the answer barely missing a beat, “It's not moved in all the time we've been here.” “Exactly.” “Couldn't the night on this world just be really long?” She was not quite willing to believe in the idea of a machine that could move stars like a magic beast from a legend. “Eternally long if my reckoning is right.” Replied the Doctor with deceptive blandness. “We'll see if we can find a lead on where Miss Sparkle has disappeared too then head back to the TARDIS to grab supplies. Rory, you wait out here and keep watch.” Without waiting for a reply he bit the lip of the window, pulled it open and heaved himself in. Giving Rory a quick kiss on the cheek Amy followed, a quick almost reflexive flap of her wings giving her an easier time of it. Well if he had guard duty, he had guard duty. It wasn't as if he didn't have experience after all. For despite what he'd told the Doctor his time as the Centurion impinged on his consciousness frequently. There was a sort of mental door between them like he'd said. The thing was; it didn't lock. He got a feeling of déjà vu when something the Centurion had done or knew was happening or relevant. It had creeped him out when he became aware of it and still did if he was being honest with himself. It was easy for him now to tell when it started, his inner thoughts started talking to each other, one the more mature one pointing out what the younger missed but if he used it it just became – knowing. So as he circled the library he fell into the Centurion's patterns if not its mannerisms, noting what was out of place. It on some level pleased Rory that the Centurion was a little unsure itself, over nineteen hundred years of habit left it unsure without the blue form of the Pandorica nearby. Luck and paranoid instinct were working with him this time as the tree he walked round had him glancing up through the branches for an ambush. That was the only reason he spotted a white shape reflecting the moonlight in the sky through the branches. Sidling to the window he hissed though it “Douse the light, someone's coming.” A brief consideration of climbing in himself was abandoned when he realised the noise would attract the searcher. So instead he added, “I'll hide out here and let you know when he's gone.” Nosed closed the window putting as much of the tree between himself and the searcher as possible slunk over to another building to hide under its overhang and watch. To his surprise the armoured pegasus didn't land though he flew a mere few inches above it. As the soldier pony came closer it became easy to see why. His right fore leg was heavily bandaged from fetlock to gaskin and held in what looked from his limited experience to be in a poor position for flying being held straight as it was. The light was gone from the window so Rory eased himself back as the pegasus came round, scanning the ground and surroundings. Several tense minutes passed as the soldier searched, thankfully the ground was mostly dry and there had been a lot of ponies moving in front of the tree recently leaving little sign of them to find. Looking around suspiciously the pegasus flew higher and continued to search the area from the sky leaving Rory trapped in his hiding place. The first think Amy noticed upon passing through the window into the library was that it was a tip. Books were strewn across the floor, lying ready to trip the unwary leaving the mint mare to carefully place her hooves on landing. “So what should I be looking for?” She asked looking at the mess. “Anything that might give us an idea where Miss Sparkle or even where Nightmare Moon might be.” The time stallion replied, “She seems to be gone and given the mess it seems she was in a hurry. She may have left something behind that will give us a clue where.” He walked up to the reading table, more accurately a small tree trunk with a shelf looking over the open books on it. “Do you think she really did kidnap this Princess? I mean for someone named Nightmare she seemed fairly nice enough when we freed her. Well that and not so good at listening.” “We'll know for certain when we find her again but it certainly looks that way.” He paused over one tome. “And I think we have an answer, try to find a map will you.” As the pegasus started to look slowly over the shelves he expanded his statement, “We're looking for an old castle in a place called the Everfree Forest. Sounds nice.” Her slow search was stopped by Rory quiet hiss of, “Douse the light, someone's coming. I'll hide out here and let you know when he's gone.” from the window. As beings used to crisis this didn't rate and they quickly ran to the lamps at the stairs and door an blew them out. After an indeterminable wait she hissed “I think spotted an atlas before we had to douse the lights. But I can't see my hand in front of my face in here.” Left unsaid was that neither of them had a way to light on or even seen one. “If I had my screwdriver this wouldn't be a problem.” The Doctor muttered to himself in a way Amy thought was down right petulant of the stallion. “I'll fix the light for you. If you answer a few questions anyway,” came a young boyish voice from above. “Certainly, ask a way.” came the Doctor's more jovial voice from the dark. “Why are you here and in the dark?” “We're looking for Twilight Sparkle, we need to discuss something with her that may impact on the future of the whole world.” answered the Doctors voice, she was pretty sure the he was back near the reading table. “Wow, that sounds important. But why are you in the dark? “We thought that we'd - ” the Doctor's pause was barely noticeable, “surprise her. She's not expecting us. We only met recently in Canterlot.” “I suppose you sound okay.” There was a brief flare of light that left them both momentarily dazzled leaving a candle flame flickering above them at the top of the stairs. Both expected a young pony but what stood there with the candle surprised them both. The what was a small purple lizard with a green crest, looking suspiciously down at them. It looked like it was trying for 'intimidating' but between the faint bags under its eyes and the blue blanket in its other hand his look could be more summed up as 'adorable' “So you're waiting for Twilight huh? Are you friends of hers?” The Doctor nodded, “You could say that, what about yourself? “I'm staying here in the Library it help out while she's here. Don't suppose you know where she is do you?” the little lizard asked nonchalantly. “We think she might be headed to the Everfree Forest. We don't have long to find her as we're on a tight schedule, do you know the best way to get there?” This revelation seemed to shock the dragon as he paled “It's,” he stopped. “How do I know your really her friends? Maybe...” He seemed to brighten, “hey, are you the pony's she met at Moon Dancer's party? You look kind of like how she described them.” “That's us, I'm the Doctor and this is Amy.” “I'm Spike,” and here the lizard's tone got angry and began to rant, “and your a liar! Twilight never went to that party! She never does me and the Princess are about the only friends she has! So what have you done with her and what were you looking for here! She'd never go somewhere as dangerous as the Everfree alone!” “You just a miss understand-” the Doctor tried to say but Spike cut him off. “No I don't! I heard you break in and I heard you say you freed Nightmare Moon! So what have you done with her! If you don't tell me I'll, I'll,” the Lizard after brief indecision snatched a book he could reach from the stairs and held it up. “I'll burn you up and send you away and no-one will see you again!” At this he exhaled a cloud of green fire and the book vanished in the flames not even ash left over just a faint trail of smoke. Even as the Doctor was starting to speak and Amy was mentally upgrading 'Lizard' to 'Dragon' and from his voice and expression 'Upset Child With Flamethrower', the dragon started down the stairs. Whether it was the tears in his eyes, his anger or if he slipped on something she didn't know but the dragon stumbled off the banisterless stairs and fell. The next moments were engraved on her horror filled mind: The dragon landed with a huff of lost breath in front of the reading desk, the Doctors eyes widened as a cloud of fire expelled with the breath swept toward him, the Doctor began to twist, the fire swept over him hiding him and the desk from view, the fire was gone leaving only smoke. While her mind was frozen, the terror welling up inside her told her body exactly what to do when faced with an upset dragon – Flee. Her next conscious thought came from under a bush surrounded by trees and darkness. The white alicorn stepped to her feet wearily. A bone deep ache filled her as her body felt the absence of most of her magic. Still she felt enough had recovered that she felt confident that between herself, her student and the Elements they could finally give her sister the help she needed. Stretching her wings to relieve the phantom knots in her muscles; it was time. Anticipation was over; it would soon be finished. Even though she was more vulnerable than any time since the last battle her sister would be no better, teleporting from the moon so soon after her imprisonment would leave her in the same state. Her intentions came to naught however for as she took her first step and wing beat a book impacted on her head. 'Good' she thought, 'Twilight has worked out that Spike can get us a pass messages between us still. His aim could use work though.' The bump she'd received from it was minor after all though that she was weak enough to have any injury was vexing. Looking to see what her student had sent, pleasure at said student's cleverness gave way to confusion. Why had Twilight sent a copy of 'Elements of Desire - One pony's epic journey for their cutie mark' to her? Any further investigation of the oddity was curtailed by a large reading desk and a pony that must have believed that the bump on her head wasn't large enough. The last thought she had as darkness descended was that perhaps she should have been a bit more forthcoming with her student and then there were no other thoughts to be had for sometime. Author Note's Dialogue is a killer for me, I can't believe it took me this long to write (Ok I actually can...) Constructive C&C appreaciated, especially on the dialogue, character voice and any peskie punctuation I've missed. Edited 2/9/11 for grammar and spelling
uSea	711	1	Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Comedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Purple Menace(s)	Princess Luna gets some help to make up for all the years of pranking she's missed.	complete	215	1	<p>It's April 1st and Princess Luna gets some help to make up for all the years of pranking she's missed.</p>	everyone	2011-09-02T19:58:54+00:00	2011-09-02T19:58:54+00:00	11,670	For the past five Springs Canterlot Castle had been placed on high-alert during the night of March 31st, and security would not have been stepped down until the dawn of April 2nd. But this year was different; instead of eagle eyed guards being posted at each entrance and three-pony patrols sweeping the grounds, there was an air of calm and tranquillity. This year they didn't have to worry about The Purple Menace, He-Who-Chews-The-Valuables; or, as he was more affectionately known by some of the castle staff, That Damn Dragon. They didn't even set any Spike-traps. Because, this year, Twilight's assistant was far away from the castle, contained within the rural town of Ponyville. “May Celestia have mercy on them all,” said a grizzled watchpony, as he looked over the battlements towards the aforementioned town; a mere speck in the distance. He stamped his hooves to ward off the night air. His veteran's intuition caused him to glance skywards and he was rather startled by the sight of a wicker container, flying away from the castle. He briefly courted with the idea of telling somepony about it but he didn't want to be known as a basket case for the rest of his days. The watchpony decided it would be best to forget the incident. Aside from a skeleton crew of fairly bored guards, the castle was sleeping peacefully. There was, however, one notable exception. Princess Celestia was pacing her bedchamber, worried about the day ahead. She had never intended for her meeting with the dragon ambassador to take place on the first of April, but both of their previous appointments had been cancelled and it simply would have been rude to postpone another month; or so her Foreign Affairs advisor had told her. Celestia still didn't like it. Even with Spike away from the castle, holding such an event on this day was asking for trouble. To make matters worse her sister was missing. The Purple Menace awoke from his dream of chasing dancing rubies, and groggily became aware that he was moving. Looking around, he saw that his familiar basket had been placed inside a larger open-topped container that featured a sturdy central handle. Looking up, he saw the 'pegasus pony' that was carrying the basket's handle in her mouth. He was vaguely aware that her purple coat seemed to blend into the night sky before the realisation of his situation caught up with him. “Help! Help! Somebody help me! I've been kidnapped!” Spike risked a look over the side and saw the ground far below. “I need an adult!” “I am an adult!” Luna said automatically. “Oh dear.” Having recovered the plummeting basket and its panicking cargo, Luna set them both down on a cloud, a quick spell preventing them from falling through. “Sorry about dropping you like that; I shouldn't have tried to talk with my mouth full.” “Th... That's okay,” said Spike, his annoyance at being dropped having been completely overshadowed by his curiosity towards the one who dropped him. “But Princess, why are you out here? Why am I out here?” Luna knelt down to reach eye-level with the young dragon. “I need your help, Spike.” “What?!?” “Tomor–” Luna glanced up at the position of the moon. “Today is my first April Foals day for a thousand years. I'm really out of practice and I need your help to make up for all the pranks I've missed.” “So... you're taking me to the castle, to help you with April Foals day pranks?” “Yes. If you agree.” Spike grinned. He had been disappointed that he wouldn't get to prank the castle this year. “Definitely.” “Great! Now that you're awake you can ride the rest of the way on my back.” “Okay,” said Spike, as he clambered onto the Princess. “You know, you could have just asked me back in Ponyville, I'd have agreed anyway.” “I felt guilty enough about disturbing your sleep when I did. And besides,” she said, adopting the involuntary tone of voice that appears when you talk to a young baby, “you just looked so adorable, all curled up in your little basket–” “Okay I get it.” “–and sucking your thumb.” “Sheesh! You're as bad as Twilight! Wait... I forgot about Twilight! She'll worry when she wakes up and finds I'm gone.” Luna’s face lit up with a mischievous smile. “Twilight'll be fine; I left her a note.” - - - - - Twilight Sparkle awoke to find her assistant missing and a note where his basket should be. Reading the note, she was so surprised that she spoke out loud. “What does Princess Luna need Spike for?!?” She read the message again, her cheeks growing red. “And why has she left me kisses!” - - - - - We return to the Princess and her dragon passenger, flying through the darkness of the very early morning. Luna had asked Spike about what he had done for his first April Foals day at the castle. “Well, I had only learned about April Foals day when Twilight told me the evening before, so I didn't really have time to plan anything,” said Spike. “So what did you do?” “I stole everyone's left shoe.” “Hah!” chuckled Luna. “The castle must have been in chaos! They're obsessed with their uniforms.” “Yep,” said Spike. “They even had to pass a new law which forced shoemakers to sell just left, or just right shoes. I didn't come up with that one myself though,” he added, “pretty sure I got the idea from something I read.” “Even so, I'm impressed that you pulled it off.” Luna thought for a moment. “So what did you do with all those shoes?” “I waited about a week for them to get replacements, then I returned the shoes to their rightful owners.” Luna had to stifle her laughter as they flew over the castle walls and landed on her balcony, having waited for a gap in the patrols before doing so. They hid the baskets beneath the Princess's bed and began to discuss where they should go first. “There's an ambassador arriving today, so Celestia's bound to show off the new display-thing in the grand reception hall,” said Luna. “Hmm... That sounds like as good a place to start as any. It'll be easier to come up with an idea with the thing in front of us.” Luna nodded. “Let's sneak down then. There shouldn't be many guards about.” The pair carefully made their way towards the reception hall, scurrying between cover and keeping to the shadows. Spike asked Luna about the ambassador, but all she knew was that it was a he and he was arriving today. They finished the journey without incident. Spike looked around and marvelled at the high ceiling, and the enormous main doors that could have accommodated creatures many times larger than a pony. He hadn't seen this room before. The 'display-thing' that Luna had mentioned sat pride-of-place on a raised stand in the centre of the floor. It was a fairly large, scale-model of the castle made out of some kind of white stone. Spike thought it looked very accurate, and the display itself was about as tall as he was. “Canterlot!” he said. “It's only a model.” “Shh! Someone's coming... Hide!” “Where?!?” said the Princess. “You get behind those curtains, I'll squeeze behind the grandfather clock next to them.” “Okay.” “Hurry!” “Okay!” As quickly as they could, the Princess and the dragon concealed themselves in their respective hiding places. Spike stuck his head out to see what was going on. A trio of mares trotted into the hall. They were each wearing a wide hat (that featured several feathers), and blue uniforms. Spike grinned. “It's 'The Three Maresketeers'!” he whispered towards the bulge in the curtain beside him. “Who?” “They're the worst guards in Canterlot.” “Well even if they are the worst,” said the curtain, “we can't do anything while they're still here!” “Relax, I know how to get rid of them.” Spike fished around on the floor behind the grandfather clock, and was rewarded with a small stone. The castle servants must still prefer to shove mess behind things instead of removing it properly. After testing its weight in his hand, Spike threw the stone out into the room. The sound of its impact echoed around the hall. Its effect on the Maresketeers was instant. They became so alert that Spike could have sworn he had seen exclamation marks above their heads. “Huh? What was that noise?” “Over there! Bring the light.” “Its a rock!” “Just a rock?” “But it moved!” “I think this rock is getting ideas above its station.” “This could set a dangerous precedent.” “What do you mean?” “Think about it; today this rock moves, tomorrow a boulder might think its a good idea to fall on somepony's head.” “And the day after the whole castle might go for a stroll!” “We need to escort this rock from the premises before it spreads.” “Agreed.” Luna watched in amazement as the Maresketeers removed the stone (under heavy guard), and marched it off through the castle. Having been left alone again, she and Spike left their hiding places and approached the model once again. “Well, what should we do?” said the dragon. “We could fill it with spiders.” “Why spiders?” “They scare my sister.” “I didn't know that.” “Not many do,” said Luna. “Hmm,” pondered Spike, “I know the castle gardens like the back of my hand. You get me some jars, and I'll get you some spiders. “Deal!” It took several hours and many stealthy trips into the gardens but their labours were rewarded. The model of Canterlot Castle was covered in spiders. They crawled along the walls, around the battlements, over the spires, and across the courtyards. The spiders themselves seemed fairly content, several had already begun to spin webs between the towers, and a particularly large hairy one had taken up residence in Celestia's bedroom. “Right, that's that done,” said the Princess, as she delicately extracted an eight-legged hitch hiker from her hair. “Where next?” “How about the library?” offered Spike. “I'd hate for ol' Contents Cover to have an uneventful April 1st.” Contents Cover had risen early, as he usually did, and the earth pony was quite looking forwards to an uneventful April 1st. He arrived at the castle library as dawn began to creep over the outer walls and started to make it ready for the day ahead. Part-way through his preparations, Contents noticed a book in the return box. That was strange; he was sure that he had dealt with all the returns before he had finished for the night. “Must be getting old,” he muttered, as he picked up the book and trotted towards the self it lived on. Contents stopped short; there was another book where this one should have been. And it belonged to a completely different section! “This is highly irregular!” Contents put the first book back in its place and took the interloper with him. He had made it half way down the classic fiction aisle when his front leg snagged on something. It was a length of string running across the passageway. A sound came from above, and he looked up in horror as the books on the higher shelves began falling towards him. It was a good fifteen seconds before he realised that the books hadn't hit him and he risked opening his eyes. Suspended, just above his head, was a hardback edition of 'The Colt of Monte Cristo'. Dozens of other volumes were similarly hanging around him, just above pony head height, tied up with string. From Contents's perspective, the ceiling had gotten a lot lower and contained a significantly higher amount of printed text. He could also hear laughter from somewhere nearby. “You won't get away with this!” The laughter stopped. “I don't care who you are, I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!” He heard a 'Twang!' and the books fell the rest of the way. Luna flew out of the library via a high, open window and took up position in the corridor behind a large pot plant to wait for Spike. He was taking longer than she had expected. Luna started thinking about going back in to fetch the dragon, when she heard the librarian shout from inside: “Got you!” Luna panicked. “Spike are you okay?!? Spike? SPI-I-IKE!?!” “What's wrong Princess?” said Spike, casually walking through the library doors. “I thought you'd been caught!” “Nah, that was a library assistant. Contents jumped him when he came to help. I stayed to watch the show.” Luna still looked miffed. “Well don't do that again!” “Yeah yeah.” From up the corridor came the sound of running horseshoes. “Someone must have heard you! Quick, round the corner!” The pair escaped round the corner and heard voices coming from where they had been. “It was definitely a shout wasn't it?” “Oh yes, definitely.” “First it was moving rocks, and now shouting plants.” “Where will it end!” “Now now, there's no need to get hysterical.” “But this could be the start of an uprising!” “Hmm... that's a good point. We had best take this plant in for questioning.” “Agreed.” “We have ways of making you talk!” Spike yawned, even listening to those three was tiring. “I think all that missed sleep is catching up with me...” “Okay, let's go back to my room and you can have a nap. It'll be too busy to sneak around soon anyway. I can wake you up when the castle's preparing dinner and we can try something then.” The young dragon nodded, his basket sounded very inviting after a hard morning's work. They made their way back up to to the Princess's bedroom, careful to avoid Spike getting seen by anypony. They had just gotten through the door, when Spike suddenly gave a loud belch of green fire. A message scroll formed in front of him. He groaned. “I was afraid of this,” he said, reading through the scroll. “What's the matter?” “Princess Celestia sent this to check up on me, to make sure I’m behaving. It says I have to give it to Twilight and that she expects a response post-haste!” “So? Just make up a response and send it,” said Luna. “I can't! It has to be in Twilight's hornwriting or Celestia won't accept it.” Luna floated a quill, an ink pot and a spare scroll over to them. “I'll write one then; I've seen enough of Twilight's hornwriting to be able to duplicate it.” She began to do so. “That's neat,” said Spike, “but where have you seen Twilight's writing?” “Half the spell books in the library have her notes in the margins. And the back covers.” “Oh yeah, Contents Cover was always yelling at Twilight for that.” “Aaand done!” said Luna, passing the scroll to Spike. With a deep breath, the dragon engulfed the new message in flame and it flew out of the window. “What did it say?” “I wrote that you definitely aren't causing trouble to anypony in Ponyville.” And that Twilight thinks Celestia's hair is nice and would she like to go out to dinner sometime? Luna thought to herself. “Great!” said Spike, dragging his basket from under Luna's bed. “Erm... you haven't got any food up here have you?” Luna opened a draw and threw several purple gems towards the dragon. “You can have these.” “Thanks!” Spike said, munching happily. When he had finished, he looked up guiltily. “Were they expensive?” “Don't worry about that. Ponies give me purple gems all the time. Frankly, I'm running out of places to keep them. Just get some sleep, I'll wake you before dinner.” “Okay,” said Spike, curling up in his basket. - - - - - “Spike. Spike, it's time to wake up now.” The voice floated into his dream, gently coaxing him back towards consciousness. It whispered of gentle streams glittering under moonlight. It spoke of evenings sat around an open fire. It sang of the warmth given by family. Spike opened his eyes. “Twilight?” Spike said, sleepily. “Your hair's different.” “I'm not Twilight. I'm Luna. You've been helping me with April Foals day, remember?” “Wait? Luna?” Spike blinked, the days events gradually came back to him. “Oh yeah.” Several purple jewels had been placed in a pile next to him and Spike chewed one thoughtfully. “So what's the plan then?” “When you've finished eating, I thought we could sneak into the kitchens and see if an opportunity presents itself there.” “Sounds good to me.” The Princess and the dragon had managed to hide themselves behind a table in a dark corner of the smaller of the two royal kitchens, the larger kitchen being too busy for them to get inside without being caught. This kitchen was currently empty, but the pots, pans, and jars left around suggested that it was going to be used soon. They didnt have to wait long. An earth pony, in an apron with a large red spot in the middle, burst into the room and began to busy himself with the oven directly opposite to Luna and Spike's hiding place. “Hey, that's 'King of Heartburn' Roasted Cashew!” said the dragon. “Who?” “All the cooking magazines have been raving about him!” Spike continued, turning to Luna, who looked back at him questioningly. “Hold on, I'll double check.” Spike crept out of their hiding place for a better view. “Black mane, a red bandanna, and a cutie mark of cashew nuts set against a heart-shaped fire; it's definitely him.” “Why is he so famous then?” “The magazines say he's amazing with spicy foods.” “Oh! He must have made the curry dishes that my sister and I have had recently,” said Luna. “They were very nice, but much too mild for my tastes.” “Why would you get get Roasted Cashew to cook for you and then only ask for mild dishes? That just seems like such a waste!” “It must be for my sister, she can't stand spicy food.” “Funny, I would have thought it was the other way around, what with the sun being hot and all.” “Yeah,” said Luna. “So this Cashew-guy can make really spicy stuff?” Spike nodded. “He's got this signature super spicy sauce that the critics described as 'Godly'.” “I'd love to try that...” Luna said, as a plan formed in her mind. She stuck her head out of cover, and looked around. She spied what she was after on the table behind the occupied chef. Luna carefully levitated the scroll containing the instructions for tonight's first course and floated it towards their hiding place. “What are you going to do?” said Spike. “I'm attaching a note that says Celestia has made a last-minute change and wants the chef to use his signature spicy sauce on the royal meal tonight.” The young dragon raised an eyebrow. “That should be interesting.” When she had finished, Luna placed the scroll back where she had found it, with her note sticking out from underneath. She ruffled the papers slightly to attract Cashew's attention. The sound behind him caused Roasted Cashew to turn around. “Hold on, a note? I must have missed it earlier.” The chef began to read, and a wide, toothy grin spread across his face. “Finally, a meal worthy of the undefeated of the east cooking style!” While they watched Cashew gather his ingredients, Spike turned to Luna. “He's supposed to be a bit eccentric.” “How so?” “He talks to the food as he cooks it.” As if on cue, the King of Heartburn began: “THIS PAN OF MINE IS BURNING RED!” With quick, precise motions, Cashew picked up the jars of spices and containers of liquids that he had arranged around the oven, and began pouring them in. “ITS LOUD ROAR TELLS ME TO GRASP SEASONING!” A satisfying hiss escaped from the saucepan as more ingredients were thrown into the mix. “ERUPTING...” The chef was now stirring his concoction energetically. “GOD...” Luna didn't know if this 'style' of cooking worked, but it was great fun to watch. “SAUCE!” With a flourish, Cashew reached down for the hob's temperature dial. “HEAT END.” A quick twist turned the dial to its lowest setting. Roasted Cashew slowly sank onto the floor, seemly exhausted from his work. The two onlookers watched the chef sprawl out on the ground and waited until they were sure he was asleep (or at least until he stopped moving). As they emerged from their hiding place, Spike looked up at the clock. “You should get going, they'll be expecting you for dinner soon.” “But what are you going to do?” asked Luna. Spike winked. “Don't worry, I'll see you at dinner.” Princess Celestia was frazzled. She kept looking out the windows expecting to see giant spiders crawling all over the walls. She shuddered. It had just seemed far too real, the model was too perfect. It was just so easy to imagine those eight-legged beasts were actually invadi– No! She wasn't going to think about that again. But she was sure that the one living in the model of her bedroom had winked at her. The Princess tried to put the experience out of mind. Just this dinner to get through, and everything would be fine. She realised that the enormous red dragon sitting across the table had been speaking, and that she hadn't been listening. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief when her sister answered their guest. This was going to be harder than she thought. At last! The first course was being brought out. Mr Cashew's delicate spices should steady her nerves and take her mind off of those spiders. Luna was enjoying herself. She hadn’t known the ambassador was going to be a dragon. He was much more interesting to talk to than the diplomat’s she had met in the past. This dragon had been reciting a tale in which the son of a friend of his had recently been told off by a group of ponies, and now suffered from nightmares of a giant, pink-haired, yellow pegasus being cross with him. The ambassador had just started to explain how this son of a friend would begin to whimper at the merest glimpse of a rainbow, when the first course arrived. Luna had been looking forward to this, and speared a baby carrot that was swimming in the curry sauce. She popped it into her mouth. It was delicious! So full of flavour and so spicy! Luna bit down on the carrot, its crunchiness and sweetness telling her that it hadn't been boiled. It took the edge off perfectly. She looked over to her sister, who was having a slightly different reaction. Princess Celestia's hair had turned bright red and was standing on-end, as if trying to get as far away from her mouth as possible. She levitated several water jugs around her head and drained each in turn. After several minutes, Celestia was able to think about something other than finding a lake and becoming one with it. She noticed the red dragon was talking to her. “You must give my compliments to the chef!” he said in a deep, rumbling voice. Celestia just nodded. There was a commotion at the door, and Celestia's majordomo rushed to her side (along with his impressive moustache). “Your Majesty!” Celestia was still struggling to speak. “Yes, Basil?” “Your Majesty, there have been several reports of things happening in the castle.” “Things often happen in castles.” “Begging your pardon, your Majesty, but I mean strange things.” “What strange things?” Celestia wondered if she could get Basil to bring her more water. “We found the jars that we believe were used to transport those spiders.” “Spiders from Jars?” “Yes, your Majesty,” said Basil, “and the librarian, Contents Cover, was buried by an avalanche of classic fiction.” “Oh my.” “Quite so, your Majesty. And to make matters worse, those... 'Maresketeers' have been escorting various inanimate objects out of the castle all day.” “And you believe these events are linked?” Basil leaned closer. “I believe that we have a reptile in the punch bowl.” “I'm sorry?” Basil tapped his nose. “The castle is a lot more prickly than it ought to be.” “I'm still not following you.” “It's Spike! I know we're not supposed to mention him, but he's bloody here, I bloody know it!” The main course had arrived, and was placed in the centre of the table, covered by a large silver cloche. “You're worrying over nothing,” said Celestia, shooing Basil away. “I received a message from Twilight saying that he was being well behaved in Ponyville; so it's impossible for him to be at the castle.” She noticed that her hair had finally returned to normal; it does look nice, she thought to herself. The cloche was lifted. Celestia gaped at it. Luna burst out laughing. The ambassador cocked his head. With its cover removed, the main course had been revealed to be Spike, eyes closed, hog-tied and with an apple in his mouth. The enormous red dragon opened his mighty jaws. Celestia closed her eyes. This was it, hundreds of years of dragon-pony peace were about to be shattered... “Spike mah boy!” the ambassador bellowed. Surprised, the main course opened his eyes and spat out the apple. “Uncle Gold Tooth?!?” “I haven't seen you in years, lad. Come over here and give your uncle a hug.” Spike released his hold on the rope around his legs, which fell away unsupported. He got up and scampered over to the older dragon. “I didn't know you were the ambassador!” “Well I very nearly wasn't. Previous ambassador said visiting the ponies was dull so I had tried to find an excuse not to come. But I actually found it very entertaining!” “You did?” said Celestia, who was still shocked that the red dragon hadn't gone on a rampage at the sight of an infant of his species on the dinner table. “Of course. I thought that building a miniature castle for those spiders to live in showed a wonderful love for nature, perhaps a little much but its better to go too far, eh! And just when I was starting to get bored of all that politics talk, those three jesters arrived!” “Jesters?” asked the Princess of Day. “Those mares in the silly hats, shouted at that pot-plant. Jolly spiffing I thought.” “Oh yes, them.” “Then you serve me a top notch meal and to cap it all off, you’ve brought my nephew to see me and even let him play a cracking-good joke!” “I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it,” Celestia managed. The rest of dinner continued without additional incident, once Celestia had stopped Basil from summoning the guards of course. The two dragons and the Princess of Night chatted amicably, and Celestia contented herself with listening to their stories, occasionally wondering when her sense of taste would grow brave enough to return. She had been particularly interested in the tale of what those two had been up to today. Celestia sighed, it had been a long April 1st and she still had to work out what she was going to do with both of The Purple Menaces. It would probably involve snakes.
FeroMcPigletron	713	1	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Fluttershy,Slice of Life,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Fluttershy's Lesson	The Cutie Mark Crusaders face a tragedy in their lives and Fluttershy guides them into the darkness	complete	18	2		everyone	2011-09-03T14:31:23+00:00	2011-09-03T14:31:23+00:00	8,511	My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic Fanfic Fluttershy's Lesson by Fero McPigletron [email protected] 20110903 "But why?" Sweetie Belle cried, tears streaming down her face. "Quit your blubbering," Scootaloo said harshly. She herself was fighting off the tight feeling in her chest. She turned her head away as she stamped her hoof. "She was just a chicken." "But we SAVED her!" Sweetie Bells usually delicate timbre cracked in her grief. "We were the Cutie Mark Creature Catchers! When she ran into the Everfree Forest, we helped bring her back from the cockatrice!" The little white pony wailed. "Why did she have to DIE!" "It was just her time," Apple Boom said softly. She had lived long enough in the farm to know the facts of life. And death. She stared solemnly at her two dear friends. "It happens." "Yes. Yes, it does," The three little ponies looked behind them as the quiet steps of a pink-haired mare broke into their small circle. The young fillies gave way as the pegasus turned her gaze to the fragile body held in their ring. "Elizabeak," Fluttershy said. "We wanted to borrow your songbird music sheets. Y'know, from when you taught birds to sing?" Scootaloo began. "We already had the electric guitars. We were going to be Cutie Mark Rock and Roll Tweeter Instructors." "We didn't know where you were," Apple Bloom continued. "We knocked at your door and checked the backyard. We were passing by the chicken coop..." "And we just found her! Just like that!" Sweetie Belle bawled again. "I thought she sleeping and Scootaloo wanted to spook her and make her run around and Apple Bloom said no and we argued and shouted and I thought we woke her by accident but she didn't move and she just laid there and she just... didn't... MOVE!" Apple Bloom started forward to comfort the more fragile white pony but it was Scootaloo who spread her wing and drew Sweetie Belle to her shoulder for support. Fluttershy looked upon kindly as the Crusaders huddled close together as Sweetie Belle's sobs eventually quieted down to sniffs. The pegasus then turned to the still body of the hen and had it on her back. "C'mon," Fluttershy said softly to the puzzled, wide eyes of the fillies. "Come with me." Fluttershy started walking away quickly, not pausing to see if the little ponies were following her. The Crusaders exchanged puzzled glances at each other then ran alongside to the pegasus to keep up. "Where..." Apple Bloom puffed. "Where are we going?" "To the Everfree Forest," Fluttershy said. "Huh?" Sweetie Belle said, surprised. "But it's dangerous there!" "Not to Elizabeak, it isn't." Fluttershy replied, like it was an answer. "Not anymore." * It wasn't far. They had reached the edge of the darkened branches of the woods in short order. It's shadowed trees shrouded the inner paths but Fluttershy stepped forward without hesitation and disappeared from view. "She's gone!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, peering within. "What do we do?" Sweetie Belle quavered. "She told her to follow her but that's the Everfree Forest!" "I'll tell you what we're going to do!" Scootaloo jumped and flew up to perch unsteadily over a nearby branch. "We're going in there and we're going to see what's what because... Well..." "Because what?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Well..." "Because we're Cutie Mark Crusaders, that's what!" Apple Bloom finished. She stepped forward boldly. "Yeah! We're not afraid!" Scootaloo shouted. She launched herself up. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We're not chicken!" She landed on the ground and dove into the darkness. "Elizabeak was a chicken," Sweetie Belle sniffed as she trailed after through the gloom. "No, she's not," Apple Bloom whispered as she too was swallowed up by the shadows. "Now she's just a body." The three fillies maintained a silent course as they walked through the woods. It was the only way they could hear the heavier clip clopping of the older pegasus' hooves on the ground somewhere ahead of them. The brambles hindered their passage and they were forced to take side avenues and avoid low hanging branches. Soon, the sound of hooves stopped. The Crusaders emerged from the bushes to find themselves in a small clearing. Fluttershy standing on a large, flat rock placed squarely at the center of the area. The body lay in the middle of the stone floor. "Every living being has different life spans," Fluttershy whispered quietly as she looked , apparently not noticing the arrival of the fillies. "Some spend a long time alive in the sun, while for others, it can pass as briefly as a candle's flame going out." The young ponies approached the rock and gasped when Fluttershy turned her gaze to them quickly. "But it is not the end. Life is a circle," She said. "It continues. It endures. It survives." "A part of each living creature is immortal," Fluttershy stepped away from the body as she spoke. "No longer held by earthly trappings, it is released into the universe, to join the essence of everything itself. It is free to be a part of eternity. Forever free." "Everfree." The Crusaders didn't know which one of them spoke. The word might have come from her own mouth unknowingly. But they all stared at the body of the chicken that was once Elizabeak but now is just an empty, mortal shell. Something changed in the air. Sounds were now filtering through the once still Everfree Forest. Noises were heard from far away but were slowing making their way towards their direction. The Crusaders were too surprised at the sudden change to be alarmed. "C'mon," Flutteryshy said softly to the puzzled, wide eyes of the fillies. "Come with me. Quickly." The three little ponies complied. * Fluttershy was tidying up in the chicken coop. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were outside, standing on one hoof to another, trembling and sorting through their experience. "What..." Scootaloo was the first to talk. "What was happening back there? Were those other... were they going to...?" "That's life," Fluttershy answered as she bustled within the coop. "That's how it continues. How they endure. How we survive." "Through death?" Sweetie Belle said, more than little horrified to hear herself say it. "We eat apples, don't we?" Fluttershy said gently as she stepped outside. "Do you think that counts as death for them?" "Applejack would certainly like to think so," Apple Bloom smiled. She already had a sample of the lesson but hasn't gotten the full taste. “Trees are like babies to her.” "'Every living being has different life spans'..." Sweetie Belle recalled aloud. She suddenly gasped. "But you have so many animal friends? With different life spans!" "And you live so close to the Everfree Forest," Apple Bloom observed. "Why's that import... oh no!" Scootaloo was turning to her friend when realization struck. "It's so you can bring the... offering to the... while it's FRESH?!?" "I don't want to delay what has to be done," the pegasus smiled just a little sadly. "But the chorus birds! And Angel Bunny!" Sweetie Belle gasped a second time then uttered in quick succession. "OpalescenceWinonaOwlowisciousGummySPIKE!" Fluttershy nodded. A third gasp escaped Sweetie Belle lips. "And us too, right?" Apple Bloom followed. "And for every pony in Ponyville? That's our fate?" "Appetizers!" Scootaloo declared with relish. "We're walking appetizers once our candles go whoosh! Out like a light!" The little pegasus empathized her point why spreading her wings and making a small draft of wind. "In matter of speaking, yes," Fluttershy conceded. She looked at the downhearted faces of the Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle then reached out to hold them close. She hugged them as tightly as she could. "But it doesn't matter if everypony's candle stays lit long into the night or burns out in a brief time. "What only matters," Fluttershy smiled kindly. "...is how brightly you shine." "So shine, Cutie Mark Crusaders," Fluttershy whispered under her breath as she sent the three young fillies home to their respective families. She watched the three little ponies gallop away, talking and planning excitedly on what they would do on their next cutie mark questing adventure. She stared until they disappear from sight then slowly went inside her own house. "...shine as brightly as you can."
NotProud	714	1	Big Macintosh,Bon-Bon,Caramel,Derpy Hooves,Lyra,Main 6,Mayor Mare,Original Character,Spike,Comedy,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	What's Good for the Goosestep	Twilight and her friends work to prevent all-out war between Ponyville and ponies in brown saddles.	complete	12	4	<p>When a parade of prancing ponies goose-step into Ponyville, Twilight and her friends have to struggle against their message of hatred and intolerance. Based on historical events as a parody of Over a Barrel.</p>	everyone	2011-09-03T01:58:06+00:00	2011-09-03T01:58:06+00:00	2,922	(A/N: I want to start by making 1 thing clear. I am not a Nazi. I am not a Neo-Nazi. I am not a Nazi sympathizer. I am not a Holocaust denier. I do not think the Nazis were right. I'm not even a Nazi uniform fetishist. I believe that making fun of the people who committed horrible atrocities in our past is an important way to heal from the emotional blow caused by those atrocities, while never forgetting the events that allowed them to happen in the first place. This story was written as a satirical take on the historical revisionism and insensitivity presented in the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "Over a Barrel". It made me angrier than anything, the implications of that episode, and I said to my friend, "What's next, Adolph Hoofler goose-stepping down the streets of Ponyville?" So here we are. This might have been a better idea if I'd written it closer to when the episode aired, but oh well, whatever, I have a life. You can hate me for writing this, but please do not think that I am something I am now. If you take it for what it's meant to be (satire), you may even find it to be funny. On to the story. I Am Not A Proud Pony It Had To Be Done) *** What's Good for the Goosestep By NotProud My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and all non-original characters are owned by Hasbro and Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended. If you paid money to read this, please report whomever you paid to the FBI! It was the perfect day in Ponyville for a parade. Celestia's sun shone over just a few clouds drifting lazily in the sky, providing the occasional shady spot for travelers out in the sun, and the air was light and cool in the early autumn morning. All of this was lost on Twilight Sparkle, of course, as she was busy poring through an old copy of Wily Witchcraft and Wonderful Wizardry she recently found in the basement of the library where she lived. In her mind, it was a perfect day to stay inside and relax with a good book on the finer points of horn control in spell casting. It never failed that when she was engrossed in a book, somepony just had to come and knock on her door. She didn't even hear the first knock, or at least it didn't register in her head, and when the knocking continued insistently, she shouted for Spike to see who was at the door. "Spike, will you see who's knocking? I don't want to be disturbed today." The baby dragon grumbled, but it wasn't like he'd been doing anything important just then, just dusting some shelves, which he hated doing anyway. He hopped down off his stepladder and made his way to the door, pausing to admire himself in a mirror as he went. A layer of dust dulled his bright green scales. He sighed, but the knocking continued, so he opened the door. It was Pinkie Pie. "Oh, hi, Pinkie, Twilight's not-" "OhmygoshSpike!" Pinkie squealed. She started talking at a mile a minute. "I was walking through town thinking about why hot dogs come in packs of ten while hot dog buns come in packs of eight (I think it's a conspiracy by the hot dog conglomerates to always leave us with two extra hot dogs and then eventually we'll be buried in extra hot dog pairs and they'll take over!) When I saw, not just a new pony, but lots of new ponies! There's a parade downtown!" Spike had by this point been completely bowled over by Pinkie's tirade and was busy picking himself up off the floor. "A parade in town? Hey, that sounds neat! Twilight, c'mon, we should go see!" Twilight groaned. "It's really neat!" cried Pinkie. "They're all wearing matching saddles and they're marching in formation, like real soldiers or something! I hope there isn't gonna be a war, because I hated the last war, it wasn't fun at all, but a military parade is always fun to watch!" "Uhh, Pinkie," said Twilight, "the last recorded war in Equestrian history was hundreds of years ago." Pinkie didn't seem to notice the question. "C'mon, Twilight, we're missing it!" Suddenly, she zipped into the library and was head butting Twilight in the flank, pushing her out the door. "Okay, okay, fine, geez, let's go see this parade." Looking back wistfully over her shoulder, she and Spike followed Pinkie Pie as she bounced toward the center of town. "Hurry hurry hurry, we're gonna miss it!" Twilight soon noticed something amiss. "Pinkie Pie, shouldn't a parade have, you know... music?" It was true. There wasn't any music that they could hear, though Twilight thought she could hear a sound of drums. No, it wasn't drums, it was hoofbeats. Lots of hoofbeats, all falling in a regular rhythm. They galloped out of the house area and onto Main Street and saw a sight to behold before their eyes. Row after row of ponies was marching in perfect synch, legs whipping out to the front before stomping into the ground, again and again. They all stared straight ahead, never wavering, in a military way. The formation was marching down Main Street towards the town square, and quite a crowd had gathered. Everypony from Ponyville was out to see the spectacle. As Twilight watched, she noticed two things about the ponies marching. First, they were all earth ponies. There wasn't a pegasus or unicorn to be seen in the group. Secondly, they all wore brown uniforms, cleanly pressed, with brown saddles to match and red leg bands that had some kind of odd black symbol on their. It looked like an X bent at the ends. Also, they were mostly stallions, though there were a few mares, and they were all different colors. Leading the troop was a smallish brown earth pony with a very tiny moustache and a brown hat to go along with his uniform. His uniform was decorated with medals, and on his flank was the same symbol that adorned all the leg bands his troops were wearing. Twilight got a bad feeling as he pulled up a small crate and a black stallion in a black version of the uniform with a black hat pulled over a podium with a bullhorn. The marching ponies stopped, gathered in front of the podium, facing it, and in between the leader stallion and the crowd of Ponyville citizens. "Citizens of Ponyville!" cried the brown pony in a high-pitched voice with an accent like Photo Finish's. "Mein name is Adock Hoofler, und zees are mein Brown Saddles! Ve come bearink ein message! Ponyville vas founded years ago by earth pony settlers, but in zee years zat followed, zee town has become overrun vith pegasi und unicorns!" He pointed to Rainbow Dash when he said "pegasi" and Twilight when he said "unicorns". "Zey believe, zat because of magic und flying, zey are better zan us! But ve say to zem, NEIGH! So to you earth ponies, who have inherited zis town, I say, take back your birthright! Join zee Brown Saddles! Together, ve vill drive out zee pegasi und unicorns that have defiled zis land vith zeir presence! Sieg Hoofle!" As one, the crowd of Brown Saddles extended their right forelegs into the air and shouted, "Sieg Hoofle! Sieg Hoofle!" They brought their hooves up and down, up and down, as they chanted. The crowd of Ponyvillians around them murmured in shock. Twilight looked over because she heard Pinkie gigglesnorting. Aghast, she watched Pinkie mimic the salute over and over. "Twig snoofle!" she laughed. "Pig poofle! Butt ruffle! This is fun!" "Pinkie!" Twilight gasped, shocked. "You can't seriously agree with what that Hoofler guy just said, can you?" Pinkie gave Twilight a look like she was being silly. "Oh, Twilight, it's just a little fun! I'm sure he doesn't mean all those nasty-wasty things he said! I'll throw him a party, and then he'll see that everypony is his friend!" Twilight had to wonder if maybe Pinkie was on to something there. She couldn't shake the feeling that bad times were coming to Ponyville, though. Then Rainbow Dash and Rarity came over. "Can you believe all that junk?" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Saying that pegasi are worse than earth ponies because we can fly? That's totally dumb!" "I must agree, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, pouting. "Nothing that's been said today has made any sense whatsoever! Since when have unicorns flaunted our abilities over earth ponies? That's ridiculous! Nopony is better than any other pony. Well, certainly nopony with sense." She looked over at the Brown Saddles to make her point. "Though I must say, they have fabulous uniforms, I wonder who their designer is..." "I've got half a mind to give them a piece of my mind!" Rainbow Dash said as she pushed up imaginary sleeves and reared back to fly at the Brown Saddles. Pinkie Pie spoke up. "But Dashie, then you'd only have..." She tapped on the ground with her hind leg, counting. "A quarter of a mind left! I think!" Applejack had just come over to them and grabbed a hold of Rainbow Dash's tail, keeping her from zipping off to pound the new ponies. "Hold on there, sugar cube!" she demanded through her teeth. Rainbow Dash settled down. "Oh hey, AJ, where were you?" "Ah been watchin' the whole thing. An' Ah hates ta say it, but Ah think this Hoofler feller's got a point." They all gasped. "Applejack, that's not like you!" cried Twilight. "What the hay, AJ? D'you want me to stop flying or something!" Rainbow Dash looked about ready to pound Applejack now. "Surely you can't be serious!" Rarity said with shocked. "But her name isn't Shirley!" cried Pinkie Pie, unhelpfully. Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Look, y'all're mah friends, and Ah wouldn't begrudge anypony of their talents what makes 'em special. But Ponyville really was founded by earth ponies who were driven outta their homes 'cuz other ponies was treatin' 'em bad fer bein' earth ponies." She looked down at the ground, unhappy with having to talk about this. "One of the founders was an Apple, that's how Ah knows all this." "Applejack, are you even listening to what you're saying?" Twilight stared at her friend. "That guy wants to kick every pegasus and unicorn out of Ponyville, and that means us!" Applejack sighed. "Ah just wanna make it clear that Ah think he's got a point. That don't mean Ah agree with his methods. Lotsa unicorns and pegasi have made homes here, and Ah wouldn't wanna kick 'em out for nothin'!" "Now you're makin' sense," Spike nodded and held a claw up. "But what are we gonna do about them?" They all turned to look at the Brown Saddles, who were once again marching around the town square. It seemed that a few earth ponies from Ponyville had joined them, or were at least having a close discussion with Adock Hoofler. The short-stature pony laughed as he discussed with them, casting suspicious glances around at various pegasi and unicorns that were still hanging around. The majority of the crowd had parted ways, however. "Well, at least it seems like their message of hatred is not reaching the ears of Ponyville," Rarity huffed. "Yeah," said Rainbow Dash, "but its still reached someponies. What do we do?" Twilight thought for a moment. "Let's ask the Mayor. I'm sure she'll know what to do about all these ponies being in town." * "Quiet, everypony, please!" They got to the Town Hall and angry ponies, all talking, already surrounded the Mayor at once. They couldn't even get close to her because the crowd that had been outside was now entirely inside. "What are you gonna do about them saying we have to leave?" cried Cloud Kicker. "It's just not f-f-fair!" shouted Derpy Hooves. "What do they have against unicorns anyway?" Lyra snorted. "What did any unicorn ever do to them?" Bon-Bon nodded in agreement. "Everpony, please!" The Mayor had a bullhorn now and was standing on her desk. "If you cannot call down, I shall have you escorted from the building!" They all calmed down and let her talk. "Thank you. Now, as I have said before, I cannot deny these Brown Saddles the ability to demonstrate in Ponyville." The crowd raised an angry uproar and the Mayor waved her hooves frantically, giving them a glare that finally settled them down. "We live in a free society, and a hallmark of a free society is free speech! What they are saying may be distasteful, but they have every right to say it!" "But they want to kick all the unicorns and pegasi out of Ponyville!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "I understand that," said the Mayor calmly. "Which is why I will not, under any circumstances, allow anypony to be kicked out of this town. They can talk all they want, but actions against the citizens of this town will NOT be tolerated!" There were murmurs of approval and light stomping applause. The Mayor sat back down in her chair and sighed in relief. "Are there any other questions?" The crowd began to leave, but one deep voice spoke up. "Eeyup, Ah gotta question, Mayor. Whut in the hay are they buildin' over yonder?" The Mayor looked nervous. "I actually do not know. The permits for that building were purchased a month ago. If I had known what the purposes of those who had bought it had been, I would not have allowed it. You'll have to take my word for it." The other ponies did, and began to go back to their lives. Twilight and her friends were no closer to an answer than they had been in the town square. "I for one want to wash my hooves of this entire sordid affair!" declared Rarity. "Running away's not gonna solve anything, Rarity," said Pinkie Pie. "I still say we should throw them a party!" "But what good'll that do?" Applejack was unsure. "Ya cain't just make somepony change their mind about somethin' they believe strong in, can ya?" There was a silence as they all thought about it. "If that's true," said Twilight, mustering her courage, "then we'll just have to prove to Adock Hoofler that he's wrong about unicorns and pegasi. C'mon, girls, we've got a party to throw!" * The day was spent making preparations. They had to ask Fluttershy to join them, because she had been too scared of the parade to come out of her house, but with all six of them and Spike and Angel helping, it was an easy matter to get everything set up in short order. They had punch, streamers, banners that said "Welcome EVERYPONY to Ponyville!", cake, balloons, and of course music. They had decided to invite all the Brown Saddles, even if their target was their leader, Adock Hoofler, and so they couldn't hold the party in Sugarcube Corner. They had set everything up in the park instead. "Pinkie, I think you and Applejack should hand out the invitations," Twilight told them. "He'll be more likely to listen to you two, of course." "All right Twi," replied Applejack, "if y'all really think so." She and Pinkie headed down towards the town square with a couple of balloons and two hoof-written invitations, one for Hoofler himself and one for all the Brown Saddles. He was the only one of them whose name they knew, after all. They found him, his black-coated second in command and all the Brown Saddles, including the new ones from Ponyville (Caramel, Lucky and Daisy among them), clustered around a vacant lot near the town hall. They were building something. "Umm, 'scuse me, Mr. Hoofler?" Applejack asked. Hoofler and the black stallion turned around. Now that they were closer, they got a better look at him. He was all black, and his mane was a dark silvery grey, which made him look old. His uniform was just like the Brown Saddles' uniforms, except it was all black with silver piping, where theirs were tan with black piping. His hat was similar to Hoofler's, except it had an emblem of a metal eagle grasping a shield. The same emblem was actually his cutie mark. "Vat business haff you vit' zee Führer?" the black stallion asked in clipped tones. His voice was like steel grating on ice. Pinkie and Applejack stopped short, and looked at each other. The black stallion was far more intimidating close up. "Er, umm, uh, we, uh, err, that is..." Pinkie recovered from her shock and bounced forward. "We're here to invite you two and all you're Brown Saddles to a Welcome to Ponyville Party!" She nabbed the invitation addressed to Hoofler and held it out to him. The black stallion grabbed it away from her suspiciously. "Now, now, Herr Girdles," said Hoofler, jumping down off his crate and striding forward. The top of his head barely came up to their noses. "If zey vant us to attend a party, zen a party shall ve attend! It is good to see such fine young earth pony mares as yourselves joining our noble cause!" He slid the invitation out of the envelope and read it. It said: ~<3~<3~<3~You're Invited!~<3~<3~<3~ ~ Don't be stupid ~ ~ Be a smarty! ~ ~ Come and join ~ ~ The Pinkie party! ~ <3 Who: You, silly! <3 <3 Where: Ponyville Park! <3 <3 When: Right the heck now! <3 ~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~ "Oh-ho-ho, how charming, Herr Girdles!" The Führer smiled at them. "Und vone invitation for all mein Brown Saddles, isn't zat vunderbar? Unfortunately, zee verk must continue, und zey vill be unable to attend, I am sorry to say." He turned to Herr Girdles, who seemed unconcerned by the decision. "Herr Girdles, I trust you vill be able to oversee zee construction?" "Jawol, mein Führer!" Girdles shouted, and thrust his right hoof outward, almost knocking Hoofler's hat off in the process. "Very good! I shall return! Ve go!" Hoofler began marching off, leaving Pinkie and Applejack to catch up with him. "So, uhh," said Applejack hesitantly, "what is it y'all're buildin'?" Hoofler chuckled. "A base of operations, mein dear. Every movement must have vone!" "What is it you don't like about pegasi and unicorns?" Pinkie asked after they'd gone a bit further. Applejack shook her head nervously at Pinkie, but neither she nor Hoofler seemed to notice it. "Ahh, a clever qvestion from a new initiate. It is not a concept zat I find many ponies are qvick to grasp. Zee answer is simple: zee different ponies vere never meant to commingle. Ponies are happiest ven zey are vith zeir own kind. Ponyville is an earth pony town, so it should be for zee earth ponies. Pegasi can go to Cloudsdale; unicorns to Canterlot, it teems vith zem." He shuddered. Applejack frowned but didn't say anything, and neither did Pinkie. They were cresting the hill to the park anyway. "So, vat kind of party is zis?" Hoofler asked happily. "I just LOVE parties!" He made a happy face and pranced a little as they walked. "Look!" said Pinkie. "You can see the banner!" "'Velcome to Ponyville', oh, how charming! Zis is..." Hoofler stopped talking as they crested the hill and the entire party came into view. His eyes scanned over the picnic tables set up with punch bowls, paper plates, cupcakes and a big cake in the middle. He took in the streamers that hung off the enormous banner strung between two trees. Then he looked at the actual party attendees: two pegasi and two unicorns. His face began to twitch. "Hello, Mr. Hoofler!" said Twilight Sparkle brightly. "Welcome to our party! We want to show you that unicorns and pegasi aren't so... bad...?" Her confusion was because Hoofler had begun gnawing noisily on his hoof. "Zis, zis is an outrage! You fillies tricked me! You are in league vith zee enemy! How dare you, you... you...!" He was shaking now, his hat threatening to fall off his head. "Please, Mr. Hoofler," said Pinkie gently, "come join our party, you'll see! My friends aren't so bad! They're all nice ponies, they just want to make friends with you!" "Never! Nein! Nicht! Nyet!" Hoofler took two quick steps backward. "I vill mark you! Never again vill you be allowed near our headqvarters! You too vill be cast out! Avay!" And he thrust his entire hoof in his mouth and started sucking on it, running jerkily away on three legs and mumbling, "Mutti, Mutti, Mutti, Mutti..." "Well," said Twilight sarcastically after he's disappeared over the horizon, "that went over like a lead balloon." "It was a good idea, Pinkie," said Fluttershy consolingly. "I suppose there is simply no accounting for the taste of some ponies!" huffed Rarity. "What're we gonna do with all this cake?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Eat it, Ah guess!" said Applejack. "Ah mean, cain't let good food go t' waste, rahght?" Twilight smiled. "I guess not. But we'd better invite some other friends to come help us with it. There's way too much here." Then she added, "Pinkie, you're awfully quiet. Are you okay?" "Oh, yeah Twilight, I'm okay. I was just thinking that lead balloons really don't fly well. I saw it on TV once." They didn't know what a TV was, but they didn't ask. * They had a good time at the party, even if the mood was kind of quiet. In the back of their heads was looming the idea that there was going to be a big conflict in town, and soon. They had invited everypony who they could find on short notice, and the party had turned into a town forum of sorts. "This was a great party, Pinkie Pie," said Roseluck. "I just wish the circumstances were better." "Th-th-those B-B-Brown Saddles a-are..." Derpy Hooves swallowed. "I w-w-wanna get rid of 'em." "Parties aren't going to drive them away," said Bon-Bon. "But how can we get rid of them when the Mayor won't?" "Ah been doin' some thinkin'," said Big Macintosh. His sister looked at him curiously. "Whatcha done come up with, Big Mac?" He spoke slowly, as he always did. "Well, if'n they all c'n come in here an' mess up the place with their marchin' an' slogans an' whatnot, why cain't we all do the same?" "That's a great idea!" said Twilight. "A counter-protest! Free speech, just like the Mayor said!" There was a murmur of agreement throughout the crowd. "All right, then," said Big Mac. "We'll need some folks t'make sahgns, an' some others t' round up everypony in town what ain't already joined their sahde." "Somepony should double-check with the Mayor to make sure it'll be okay," said Twilight. "Good thinking, Twilight," said Rarity. "We wouldn't want to get caught by some sticky legal technicality." "All right then! Big Mac, you organize the protesters. We'll go sort things out with the Mayor and meet you in the town square!" "Eeyup." Twilight and her friends rushed off towards the Town Hall. During the day, most of the construction had been completed, and they all warily eyed the concrete dome that rose up next to city hall as they passed it. Brown Saddles were posted outside, and more were marching in order in front of it, shouting slogans and Sieg Hoofling over and over. Gratefully, they filed into the town hall, to find the Mayor in deep conversation with the Ponyville police chief, Blue Line, who was pretty much the entire Ponyville police force as well. They looked up at the six mares as they entered. "Mayor, we have a proposal! There's a protest being organized, against the Brown Saddles. We just wanted to make sure it would be okay first." "It's about time!" shouted the Mayor, throwing her hooves up. "It's nice to see the citizens of Ponyville showing a little spine! You are hereby granted a permit for protestations and other sundries, wherever you want, whenever you want, from this moment!" "Duly witnessed," said Chief Blue Line. "You go ahead and protest, I'll fill out the paperwork in the meantime for you." The Mayor winked and grinned at them, which made them feel much better. "It sure is good when the system works!" sighed Applejack happily. As they left the town hall, it turned out that the protest was already in full swing. A huge mass of ponies, almost every citizen in town, was marching over the hill for the town square. They carried signs that said things like, "Love is the pony way!" and "WE <3 our pegasus and unicorn friends!" and they were chanting, which became clearer as they got closer. "Love is life and hatred kills! Get the hay Out of Ponyville!" They turned to look at the bunker, where the Brown Saddles were huddling to receive orders from their Führer. At a shout, the ponies all lined up and marched toward the oncoming protesters. "Uh oh," said Applejack, "this ain't gonna be pretty none." "We should go help them!" cried Rainbow Dash, but Rarity had an idea. "Wait, girls... To kill the snake, you cut off the head!" She pointed at the bunker. Fluttershy shivered. "I don't like killing snakes..." "I do," said Twilight. "What do you have in mind, Rarity?" "I saw Adock Hoofler duck into the bunker. There are only two guards, the rest of the Brown Saddles are marching away. This is our chance to go in there and try to change his mind!" "All right!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Way to go, Rarity! Hi-hoof!" She held up a hoof, but Rarity primped her mane and ignored it. "C'mon, Rares, don't leave a gal hangin'!" "Ladies do not 'hi-hoof', Rainbow Dash. Come along!" They all trotted toward the bunker. Rarity whispered to Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who galloped ahead. Once she was in front of the bunker, Pinkie tripped, fell over, and started crying. The guards looked at each other, shrugged, and one-stepped out to help her. "Say, uh, you okay there, miss?" "What do y'all think yer doin'?" shouted Applejack, coming up on the scene. "What, I didn't do anything! She fell!" "A likely story, mister! Ah know y'all don't much care for our kind, Ah bet y'all went an' pushed her over, ya meanie!" "He diiiiiid!" wailed Pinkie Pie. While the three of them argued, Rarity snuck up to the other guard. "Why hello there, Mister Brown Saddle," she said sweetly. "Halt!" he cried. "You are not to enter the Führer's compound, unicorn!" Rarity batted her eyelids. "What would I want with that old Führer anyway? I'm looking for a strong, tall colt, who knows how to treat a lady right." The guard swallowed, averted his eyes, and did his best not to react. "Oh, I just love your uniform, did I ever mention that?" Rarity purred. She danced her hoof up the front of it to his ear and whispered in it, "I think it would look just darling on the floor of my boudoir, if you get my meaning." The guard's face lit up bright read. He began to giggle dumbly. Rarity started scritching behind his ear, which made him grin doofily and lean his head forward. When his neck was straightened all the way out, she shouted, "Hii-ya!" and karate-chopped the back of his neck. He went down like a ton of bricks. "Ohh, I'm going to need a pedi after this!" "We're all set here!" said Applejack, standing over the other guard, who was bound and gagged. "Good work, all of you!" said Twilight. "Let's go!" They all ran into the bunker, except for Rarity, who none of them noticed was dragging off the guard she had knocked out. She started stripping off his uniform. * Inside the bunker, it was really dark. The concrete walls were lit with torches, but they were spaced to far apart that it the light was scattered and didn't illuminate all the nooks and crannies. They proceeded cautiously, but soon it became clear that they were alone. Well, almost alone. Hoofler had to be in here somewhere. Soon it also became clear that they had no idea where they were going. The main corridor twisted and turned and there were doors everywhere. "How the hey did they build all of this in one day?" Rainbow Dash wondered aloud. "I have no idea," Twilight had to admit. "Especially since they don't have any magic users..." Their wondering was cut short as Herr Girdles suddenly appeared around a bend. "I see you haff been shnooping," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Hut!" At his signal, six ponies dressed in the same uniform as him appeared out of nowhere and surrounded them. Twilight gulped. "Zis is zee end of zee line for you!" Girdles said. "Seize zem!" The storm trooper ponies rushed forward, but a buck from Applejack quickly felled one. "We ain't goin' down without a fight!" she hollered. "Put up yer dukes!" Rainbow Dash got into the action, bucking at a pony and missing. Then all of a sudden, Pinkie Pie reared up on her hind legs and held her fore hooves out. "Hii-yah!" she shouted. "You aren't gonna take this pink pony down!" She felt a pressure against her back and glanced over her shoulder to see pink mane. Fluttershy had assumed a similar stance. "I've got your back, Pinkie," she said quietly. "Twilight, go find the Führer!" Twilight was unsure. She should stay and help her friends, she thought. But then Rainbow Dash grabbed a trooper pony and tossed him at Pinkie, who dispatched him with a ninja kick. The odds were now even if she left. She looked to where Herr Girdles had been. He was gone. She ran down the hallway that way, having a feeling that that was the direction she needed to go. She cast a light spell and followed the twisting turning corridor until it dead-ended at an enormous double doorway that took up the entire hall. It was painted with a combination of Hoofler's and Girdles's cutie marks. It looked too big to open with magic and she couldn't teleport through it because that would be dangerous. So she knocked. "I don' vanna be bothered!" came a muffled voice from the other side. "It's over, Führer!" Twilight shouted. And then she pushed on the door. Remarkably, it opened. Inside, the deep bunker office was lavishly furnished. The walls were covered by bookshelves. There were ornate lamps lighting the room. Behind a huge mahogany desk sat Adock Hoofler, busily trying to hide the pony dolls he had just been playing with. His hat was off and Twilight could see that his black mane was not only cut short, but also very thin and combed over one side of his head. "Yes, vat is it you vant?" He glared at her with a mix of anger and embarrassment. "I vant you to get your troops out of Ponyville! There's fighting going on outside! It's crazy! Is this what you wanted?" Hoofler sniffed arrogantly. "If it zee vay things must go, zen yes. Getting rid of you outsider ponies is most important!" Twilight took a deep breath. It was time to change tactics. "Mister Hoofler, please. A lot of ponies are getting hurt out there. Some of them are my friends. Some of them look up to you and think that your cause is great. Do you really want them to hurt themselves for you?" Hoofler pursed his lips. "Vell... Zey knew zis could happen ven zey signed up." Twilight pulled up the chair opposite the desk and sat in it. Hoofler gasped in horror, but she ignored it. "Mister Hoofler. I understand that you think we unicorns and pegasi somehow view ourselves as superior to earth ponies, because they can't fly or use magic. But I've lived around earth ponies long enough to know that without them, pegasi and unicorns would be hard pressed to live happy lives. We all need each other. Earth ponies are good at building things and working the soil in ways that pegasi and unicorns just can't match. Everypony in Equestria has their role to play. And having a certain role doesn't make anypony better than anypony else. Please, I just want you to listen to reason." Hoofler eyed her suspiciously. "I vish somevone had said zat to Mutti..." he mumbled, then slapped a hoof over his mouth. "What was that?" Twilight leaned forward. "Nothing! Nothing!" "Mister Hoofler!" Twilight took on a haughty air. "What would your mother say if she knew you were doing this?" Hoofler looked down. "Mutti..." He sniffed, then sighed. "So, zee truth comes out finally, ja? "Ven I vas a little colt, mein family und I lived in Bayvaria. It vas a city populated by pegasi and unicorns, and just vone earth pony family: ours. Mein parents vorked terrible jobs for zese ponies. Day in and day out zey slaved avay, vorking avay zeir lives, und for vat? So zey could be laughed at in zee streets? "Vone day, a group of pegasi und unicorns came und took mein Vati. Zey lifted him up in zee sky und dropped him, again and again, catching him each time, because zey thought it vas funny to hear his screams. Zey nearly killed him! Mein poor Mutti..." He sniffled again and tears formed in his eyes. "She nearly died from shock just seeing him!" His eyes grew hard. "On zat day, I svore zat if ever I could, I vould find a vay to get rid of all pegasi and unicorns! But zere are so many of you, all I can really do is move you out of earth pony cities to your own." He sighed. "I see now it is hopeless." Twilight watched as the once-proud Führer began to cry softly. At that moment, the rest of her friends burst into the room, panting and looking beat up, but none the worse for wear. Twilight held up a hoof so they wouldn't say anything as Hoofler began bawling. "I never vanted to lead an army! All I vanted vas to be an artist!" He pounded his desk. "Ven I vas a foal I loved to draw fluffy clouds und pretty trees! But zose shtupid pegasi, zey vere so mean to us!" He stood up on the desk. "Mein cutie mark isn't even real, you know!" He reached back and tugged at his flank with his teeth. Slowly a piece of fabric painted to look like his flank did, and with it his X-shaped cutie mark. Underneath was a picture of a painter's palette and a paintbrush. "You see?" he said. "Zis vas mein real talent! Oh, vy did I ever start an army?" He broke down crying again, and they all let him have a few moments to pull him together. "Umm, Mister Hoofler?" Pinkie said at long last. "We kind of beat up all your guards already, and there's more ponies fighting outside. It would be super-duper if you would come out with us and tell them to stop." "Maybe once you've put an end to this whole thing," Twilight said softly, "you can find a nice, quiet place to settle down and work on your art. I'm sure you'll do well." Hoofler sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "You really think so?" Twilight smiled at him. "Ponies have a way of surprising you." * When they got back outside, blinking in the waning sunlight, they could see the last remnants of the carnage that had gone on. Ponies lay everywhere, sprawled in the dirt. Some had cuts and bruises. Some were covered in apple juice or were wearing signs broken across their heads. The plaza was a mess, with papers, rocks and bits of uniform strewn everywhere. Big Macintosh had taken aside Caramel, Lucky and Daisy and was talking to them. "Ain't y'all ashamed o' y'allselves? Lookit what's been done 'cuz you all wanted ta join the army an' go trottin' around in a parade!" "Gosh, Big Mac," Caramel said, downcast, "I always get made fun of. I just wanted to, you know, stand up for myself for once." Big Mac sighed. "Caramel, y'all don't get made of 'cuz yer an earth pony, y'get made fun of cuz yore an idiot!" Caramel blushed and looked away. "Zat is enough." Hoofler strode forward not looking terribly confidant and pulled out his bullhorn. "Meinen fillies und gentlecolts!" he shouted. "I, your Führer have decided zat it is time to end all of zis. Zee time has come to say, so long, farevell, auf wiedersehen, and goodbye. Go home, mein little ponies, zee var is done." The Brown Saddles looked sullenly at their leader. Then one by one, they cracked into smiles and began to cheer. "Hooray for Adock Hoofler!" they sang. And then they began to talk about how much they preferred not marching in uniforms or really hating on other ponies. They hugged the citizens of Ponyville and laughed about plans to go home and catch up with their families. Then a dark voice rang out, "NEIN!" It was Herr Girdles. He stood in the center of the plaza and stalked over towards Twilight. "Herr Hoofler, I believed in you! But I alvays knew you did not haff zee heart to do vat vas necessary to carry out our plans! Now zat you have turned tail, I need you no longer! Mein Secret Saddles and I shall take zee reins! Ve vill divide und conquer, und zere vill be nopony who vill stop us! Hut!" He stomped his hoof, and waited a moment as nothing happened. "Hut!" he commanded again. Still, nothing happened. Pinkie giggled. "Oh, you silly-billy! We beat up all your Secret Saddles already!" Girdles's jaw dropped. "All of zem? Even Hanz und Franz?" His face twitched. "Zey vere mein best soldiers!" He whirled on Twilight, staring daggers at her. "Zis is all your fault, unicorn!" Before any of them could react, he pounced on Twilight, knocking her to the ground. She cried out in pain, rolling to her side. Applejack jumped forward to save her, but caught a nasty buck in the teeth from Girdles. "Stay back!" he said. "Or I vill kill her now!" He stood over her, snarling down, as Twilight wept, fearful for her life. "I vill enjoy zis." "I think not!" said a calm voice. There was a clack of metal and suddenly Girdles' forehooves were joined by hoofcuffs. "Enough of that, me boyo," said Chief Blue Line, "'tis the clinky for ye!" "Mayor! Chief Blue Line! You saved me!" The Mayor smiled. "My apologies for allowing you to get hurt, Twilight Sparkle. But after attacking the Princess's prized pupil before a crowd of hundreds, I can more or less guarantee that Herr Girdles will not be seeing freedom any time soon." Girdles's face sagged. "Z-zee Princess? Her shtudent?" "Ye got wax in yer ears, boyo?" Chief Blue Line said, kicking him a little. "C'mon along, now, there's a good stormtrooper. Lockup ain't been used in decades, so I reckon ye'll be sweepin' it out, now. The Princess is gonna looove hearin' about what ye've been up to!" A cheer went up as Girdles was led to the lockup in the town hall. The Mayor turned towards the crowd. "As for the rest of you Brown Saddles, I have half a mind to lock all of you up for starting this mass attack on my citizens! However, our lockup was never designed for crowds of your size, so I will offer you a bargain: renounce the Brown Saddles and you may go free!" The Brown Saddles cheered, and as one begin stripping off their saddles and tossing them up in the air. Unfortunately, this resulted in quite a few ponies getting konked on the head, former Brown Saddles and Ponyvillians alike. Twilight and her friends laughed. It was finally over. They reconvened in Twilight's library. Fluttershy bandaged everypony up and Spike took a letter to the Princess. "Dear Princess Celestia, Today I learned that sometimes a pony might feel neglected because of the way others treat them. But that's no reason to hate all ponies just because they look like your tormentors. The real way to work through conflict is to sit down and talk things out. Fighting doesn't solve anything, although Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy can kick some serious flank." "Twilight, don't tell her that!" Fluttershy murmured. Twilight laughed. "Spike, take that part out and finish it up the usual way. Oh my goodness, what a day it's been." Applejack scratched her head, and hissed as she hit one of her wounds. "Twi, Ah been thinkin'... Somethin's worryin' me, I cain't quite put mah hoof on it..." "No, AJ, I think I know what you mean," said Rainbow Dash. "Where the hay is Rarity?" Everypony looked around. "I haven't seen her since she knocked out that guard!" said Pinkie. "She wasn't with us in the bunker!" gasped Fluttershy. "Oh my gosh!" Twilight stood up. "In all the excitement, I hadn't noticed! We should all go check her boutique!" They ran to the Carousel Boutique, passing numerous ponies happily, if painfully, cleaning up the city. It would be a job finished the next day, unfortunately. They came to a screeching halt in front of the boutique and could hear somepony inside, laughing. Wasting no time, they rushed through the door. There, cackling like a madpony and marching about in a circle, was Rarity, wearing the uniform she had taken off the guard. She stopped as her friends came into the room, and blushed slightly. "Rarity!" exclaimed Twilight. "How could you?" "After all we just been through," Applejack snorted, "y'all got the gall to go prancin' around in that getup?" "Oh girls," said Rarity, hiding her laughter behind a hoof. "Just because I like the uniform doesn't mean I support their ideals. Besides, the Brown Saddles are all gone now, so I can wear this without any guilt!" She twirled. "Oh, doesn't it look fabulous?" "I have to admit," Fluttershy said quietly, "it does look good on you." "I had to take it in a little, of course, which is why I couldn't help you all, but I hear what happened and I am so proud of all of you! Which is why I'm making all of you uniforms of your very own!" Five jaws his the floor. "Well, don't thank me all at once!" Rarity huffed. Then she started marching again and singing, "And now it's Spriingtiiiime, for Hoofler, and Rarity!" *** The next morning, on a hill not far away from Ponyville, a lone earth pony sat in front of an easel and sketched the dawn. He sighed happily as emotion flowed out through his mouth-held paintbrush. "Zis is zee life," he said to himself. "Mutti, it is so peaceful..."
remsaman	715	1	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Scootaloo,Zecora,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Mage	A humanoid mage finds herself in equestria.	incomplete	12	2	<p>Eleanor was an excellent mage. But while adventuring with her comrades, she accidently stumbles through an ominous stone doorway..</p>	everyone	2011-10-14T12:39:16+00:00	2011-10-14T12:39:16+00:00	3,209	Publishers note: This chapter isnt the best. Its got errors, some things dont make sense or dont belong... I suggest you keep reading. It does get better. i promise. "Hey Ellie, time to wake up. We got a huge day ahead of us, and Brannon is bored." A low but strong voice echoed throughout the tent. "Don't call me Ellie, Kent. You know for a fact that I can ruin your day before you even say 'stop'" Eleanor dragged herself from her bed roll, and put on some clothes. She grabbed her staff and pulled herself out of the tent. Plunging her behind on the log close to the camp fire. "Hey Ellie" A mocking tone came from Kent "Sleep well princess?" Eleanor pointed her staff towards the knight and gave his armoured silver butt a shot of electricity. "OUCH! Hey, that hurt!" "I told you to stop." "Just messing with you Eleanor." There was a crash, both Eleanor and Kent jumped and pointed their respective weapons towards the source. Two trees toppled sidewards, and Kent rushed towards a large shadowy figure with his sword, when he swung, the figure just grabbed the sword mid-air and revealed himself "You two really need to calm down." A burly green man walked out of the forest. "Oh, its just you Brannon." Eleanor lowered her staff and Brannon let go of Kent's sword. "Don't scare us like that, seriously. you know we are in unfamiliar territory" "Yeah yeah, its not like we'll stumble upon something ol' Brannon cant handle!" The half-orc beat his fists against his chest, making a drum-like sound. Everybody laughed in response. "Well Kent, since Brannon got the firewood last night, and I'm the one that usually cooks, you go out and find us some food." Kent groaned, sheathed his sword and picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows. After Kent set off into the forest, Eleanor relaxed and lay across the now free log. There were a few clouds in the sky, but a quick snap of her fingers, and the wind picked up and dragged them away. It was good to be a mage. Brannon picked up a large log and placed it on the camp-fire. He was a half-ling. Someone who was born with one of their parents being an orc. It was frowned upon by the community to be a half-ling, but Brannon was like a brother to her, so she respected him. Kent was a regular human, but was born into knighthood. He had been trained to fight for the elite group of soldiers known as "The blade". But he was too much of a joker and they wouldn't accept him. So he put his skills to good use and joined both Eleanor and Brannon in adventuring for treasure. Kent came back about an hour later, holding a few rabbits and dragging a deer carcass. After he skinned them, Eleanor went to work and prepared the trio breakfast. half of the deer for Brannon. It was a pretty basic meal, but it was enough to sustain them for the day. Afterwards, they packed up the camp, put out the fire and ventured along once more. Around half an hour later, they came across a large stone building, the inside was covered in moss and various breeds of fungi. There were many doors along the sides, but most were too rotten or locked, and Brannon was unable to break through them, he still couldn't figure out why Many of the rooms were empty, but some did have some gold in them(score!), others had some rusted blades, while others had torn and worn clothing. But there was one room which intrigued them, it was a large hall with much equipment that seemed like it was built for horses, hundreds of saddles and saddlebags hung from hooks, while there were some armour, seemingly designed specifically for horses, but they were all too small for regular horses, Eleanor pondered this, but soon dismissed the thought. Kent stashed a set of strengthened golden armour, even if it was from a miniature horse, it was gold. so it would be worth a fair bit. Eleanor looked around a selection of bracelets, they were golden and spiked. and each pair had a gemstone of different kinds incremented into the front. She settled for a pair of emerald studded bracelets, as they matched her boots, and emeralds had the capacity of earth-wielding magic. She disregarded the others, knowing that Kent would take them if she didn't (she didn't care about money as much as the other two, the thrill of adventure was more then worth it). Brannon browsed the armoury. It was filled with strange implements, that look like you put them in your mouth, and some had a circular shape for the handle. Needless to say, they probably weren't to be used by a human. But there was one familiar shape he recognized. A large mace, made from steel and a material known only as blood-metal. Brannon grabbed it off the rack and strapped it to his belt. The trio soon met in a large dining hall(which was in almost perfect condition, strangely) and showed their loot. Kent had the largest haul, no surprise to the others, while Eleanor had the least, being the weakest of the bunch. Kent placed a crown(which he looted from the kings quarters) on his head, grabbed a golden goblet from the haul, and filled it with some wine he found in the cellar. He stood up and mockingly shouted throughout the mostly empty hall "Welcome honoured guests to the grand celebration of the recent loot! congratulations to Kent" he took a bow "for bringing in the largest amount of treasure out of all the esteemed adventurers!" He laughed and started to take a sip of his wine, Eleanor took the opportunity and shot a small jolt of electricity at his throat, making him cough and gasp while the wine went down the wrong pipe. "Someday Eleanor, I'll get back at you" He laughed, gave her a wink and took a large swig of wine. Eleanor told Kent to go out hunting again. it was getting dark and neither Eleanor, nor Brannon had the eyes to catch anything in the night. He reluctantly agreed and stepped outside. While he was out, Eleanor explored the ruins a bit more. The second floor was much like the first, but mostly just bedrooms, with the occasional closet. The third floor and above were completely demolished. Most likely by erosion and time.(or something else?) There was also a basement, it was locked so Eleanor had to get Brannon to break the door down. Luckily it broke, and the pair tumbled down a large amount of stone steps. Needless to say, when they hit the bottom, they were both bruised and sore. It was pitch black, so Eleanor muttered a spell and fire lit up in her hand, lighting the room. Around them were lots of tools and other implements, some looked like they had been there for thousands of years, others brand new. They both looked around for a moment, before Brannon spoke through the darkness "hey Eleanor, check this out" Brannon got on one knee and pulled a human skull out of the darkness, it was wearing one of those strangely shaped helmets, but it was bent around the sides, as if the head got bigger and pushed against the helmet. "TO BE! Or not to be? That is the question!" "Very funny Shakespeare. now put it down and lets look for something we could use." Brannon let out a disappointed sigh and threw the skull across the room, shattering it in the process. Eleanor continued to scan the room, lighting up a few wall-mounted torches so she didn't drain too much of her mana, the basis for all magic in the world. Brannon fiddled around with some of the tools on the walls while Eleanor took note of some strange markings on the walls. One called out to her in particular, it was a symbol of a horse with a long flowing mane, but what intrigued her more was it had large wings and a horn, nothing of their world. It also had some arrows pointing to a particular spot on the wall. Eleanor hit it with her staff, it made a hollow noise. She called Brannon over and told him that there might be something on the side. He pounded his fist against the wall, knocking it down in the process. There was a glowing orb in the colour of a cotton-candy pink, an algae green, a dark cyan and a dark sky blue, all swirling around in a singular orb. Fascinated, Eleanor picks it up for further study. Brannon had finished playing around with the contents of the room and was waiting impatiently at the staircase for Eleanor. She led the way up as they climbed through the darkness, lit only by Eleanor's flame and a small amount of light given off by the orb. They got back to the dining hall and Eleanor placed the orb on the table, keeping it in place with a few rags. She stared into it, Brannon raised his hand to ask a question, but Eleanor already knew the answer. "You'll get to eat when Kent gets back." Brannon lowered his hand and sat down, slumping onto the table. This knocked the orb off its place, and it fell off the table, Eleanor tried to stop it, but it was too late. It fell off the table, rolled across the stone floor, and fell into an indentation in the floor. Eleanor felt a wave of mana wash over her as a construct she hadn't noticed before roared to life. Runes along two pillars started to glow, as spiked portions of the room lit up and shot bolts of energy towards a centre pillar. The pillar, charged with energy, shot towards a stone frame at the end of the room, upon contact, the energy split into all sides of the frame, then evenly spread out to create a door-like structure in the frame. On the other side was a bright day, at the peak of a mountain side. A village lay at the foot of the mountain, edged by an ever-expanding forest. Eleanor and Brannon had their mouths open in awe, as a thump was heard from the other side of the room, followed by a familiar voice "Hey, I see you installed a new window. Awesome!" Kent threw his hunt onto the table. "Kent.." Eleanor started "It's not a window, and even if it was, its almost midnight. its daylight on the other side of that, and we are nowhere near a mountain, let alone on top of one." She facepalmed at his stupidity. "Oh." Kent gave an awkward smile as he wandered up to it. "What do you suppose it is then?" "A portal" Brannon rose "I've seen more then one in my time, it's a link to an alternate reality. Everything may be the same, or it might be completely different. The only way to find out is to step through." Kent and Eleanor were both shocked, they didn't think that Brannon was actually that smart to know about these sort of things. "Hey, just because I'm half orc, doesn't mean I'm a dumbass." "Well, ok then." Eleanor butt in "I'll go in first, seeing as Kent just went on a hunt and I'm the only one here with knowledge of magic." They all agreed. "Couldn't we eat first?" Brannon interrupted "I'm starving." "No Brannon." Eleanor grabbed her belongings and head over to the portal. It was rippling, which it wasn't before. This made her worry, but she stepped through anyway. After emerging unscathed on the other side, she concluded it was simply a magic door, not something that could rip you apart. and motioned the others to come through. Brannon came through first, and smelled the fresh mountain air. He let out a hearty laugh and slapped his hand on Eleanor's shoulder. She flashed him a stern look, and he took his hand off. Kent came through next, proud and tall. He looked around and said "So, lets get exploring then" "Not yet Kent, I'm detecting large amounts of mana in these grounds, if we so much as step a foot wrong, something bad could happen." Kent rolled his eyes. "Give me a moment, ill tap into the grounds mana pool...." She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the ground, a blue glow emanated from her palm. "Uhh, Eleanor, are you sure its meant to be doing that?" Brannon questioned "Doing what?" she opened her eyes and saw her hand was shaking violently, the blue glow turning a deep red. "Aah! Stand back everyone, something bad could-" She didn't have time to finish her sentence A blue blast came from Eleanor's hand, sending the trio flying in different directions, she could hear Brannon yelling her name while Kent was shouting obscenities. She rolled down the mountain side, pain coming from all directions, She rolled for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, before coming to a sliding rest on a rocky cliff. She stood up, looking at herself, Nothing was damaged, aside from a few tears on her clothing. Suddenly, A sharp searing pain, worse then she had ever felt, came from her insides, Her bones felt like they were re-arranging themselves. She screamed out in agony, only for her yell to meet two other screams, coming from other sides of the mountain. After the agonizing pain subsided, she fell over, more pain coming from her skull, it felt like something was piercing her skin, but not from the outside. She stood up again, all the pain finally gone for good. Her back was aching, and she wasn't sure why, but she was almost forced to hunch over. Her vision blurred for a moment, before becoming normal again. She reached for her staff, only to find it bounce off of her hand. She reached for it again, and looked over. Instead of her hand, was a hoof! She yelled in surprise and looked down at the rest of her body, It was no longer human, that's for sure. She stared at her body in shock, barely being able to cope with the sudden change. She quickly cast a small spell, and turned some nearby rock into reflective glass. she gasped at what she saw. Her face was a mossy green, with dark cyan markings across her cheeks, nose, and some on her forehead. Her nose, now a muzzle, pointed out like a kitchen blade. her ears were now on the top of her head and were pointed at the tip, her eyes had no pupils and were a solid purple, but she could see just fine. her hair had turned from a long brunette to a styled mixture of maroon and black streaks, but what shocked her the most, was the large pointed horn protruding from her forehead, it stuck out like... She couldn't even find a comparison, it was nothing she had ever seen before. During some small forethought, she thought about her staff, how she could hold it again, without having fingers. Her horn glowed, much to her surprise, and her staff floated over to her hoof, which it glued itself to. She could remove it freely, but now it was as if she had hands. If those hands were flat, and had glue on the front anyway. Her thoughts turned to her attire, her long tan cloak had turned into a small cape that hung from her back, her sleeves turned into wristband-like cloth on the top of her hooves, the emerald bracelets had fixed themselves near the top of her legs, and refused to budge. She concentrated on the bracelets, which started to glow, she then thought about how to get down the mountain, and as if by command, the rocks beneath her shifted into a stairway that led down the base of the mountain. If she had have been a regular person with no experience in the arcane, this would have knocked her dead. But she was an experienced mage and could handle enchanted items. After reaching the base of the mountain, she wandered, mind transfixed on what had happened to her comrades. Midway through the thought, she heard a low, soft voice. "Umm... hello?" Eleanor quickly turned around, instead of seeing a human though, she saw a butter-yellow horse with a long pink mane, But instead of a horn, she had wings. "You shouldn't come around this area, they say it's filled with..... m-m-monsters...." The winged horse's legs trembled and she bit her bottom lip. "I'm fine, I assure you, but while you are here.... Would you mind telling me where I am?" Eleanor asked, she had to find out where she was. "Oh, you are in umm... Ponyville." "Ponyville? I've never heard of it, what country?" "Equestria" "Equestria? Are you sure?" Eleanor tried to focus like she did before, and with a little strain, was able to levitate her world map from her bag. She unfurled it and tried to find Equestria "I don't think Equestria exists. Are you playing tricks on me? Because if you are...." She glanced over to the winged horse, who was on the verge of tears after what she had just said. "Uhh, sorry.... I didn't mean it like that.." The winged horse ran away, afraid of Eleanor. "Shoot." After stuffing the map back into her bag, Eleanor practised a bit with the levitation, it took a while to get used to, but she eventually got the hang of it. After a bit of mindless wandering, Eleanor found a small hut, covered in grass. She peered through the window, The winged horse from before was lying on her couch with a box of tissues. "Ugh, I guess I should go apologize." She sighed. Apologizing was something she almost never had to do, seeing as she usually just killed everyone she needed to apologize to. Eleanor knocked on the door, she heard a sniffle, and then the door opened a crack, A blue eye peered through before slamming shut. "Look, I'm... Sorry.... If I scared you or something, I was just lost, OK? " Eleanor let out a large sigh, and turned to leave. Just as she reached a gate, the soft voice asked her to stop. "I'm sorry too. I probably... Shouldn't have acted so... Scared.... But I haven't met you before and well.... You don't really... have... Pupils..." She whimpered. "Oh right, the eyes. Dont worry...." "Fluttershy" "Fluttershy, I can see perfectly fine, In fact, im not sure why i don't have pupils." The pair laughed. "I can take you to town if you want... If that's what you want." "Of course." Eleanor thought that the others might have found their way to town as well. "So what's your name anyway?" "Eleanor. But I swear if you call me Ellie..." She gave a serious look, before laughing at Fluttershy when she winced. Fluttershy and Eleanor talked all the way to town, before Fluttershy led Eleanor to the library, which was a giant hollowed out tree. A purple head poked out of the window, and quickly went back inside, before finally opening the door. It was another horse with a horn, but she was purple and her horn was shorter. "Oh, hi Twilight, I'd like you to meet.." Fluttershy began "Eleanor." Eleanor rose her hoof to shake hands, but Twilight just stood there, and examined Eleanor "Uhh, Is there a problem?" Eleanor was curious as to why she was ignoring her. "Not at all, but why might I ask, do you not have any pupils?" Twilight asked, as if she was interrogating Eleanor "Because I don't work at a school?" Fluttershy and Eleanor laughed, but Twilight just gave her a look. "Fine, I was born this way. Are you happy?" "Yes, thank you. Oh, nice cutie mark." She wasn't sounding very sincere. "Say what now?" Fluttershy and Twilight gave her a confused look "The mark on your flank, its your special talent. Mind telling me what yours is?" Eleanor looked at her flank, it had an arcane circle on the side. She recognised it because it was something she used once... Before she blew up the school. "Uhh, It's magic. I guess." "Really. Mind showing me a spell or two?" Twilight gave a smirk, Fluttershy stepped backwards. "Sure. Sit back and watch the fireworks." Eleanor grabbed hold of her staff, pointed it at some nearby earth, muttered a spell and started raising the end of the staff towards the sky, a huge chunk of earth levitated along with it. Eleanor Said a spell out loud, before twirling around and hitting the rock with the end of her staff. The rock soared through the air, before exploding into many bright colours. She turned back to Twilight, Both the horses had gaping mouths and wide eyes. Twilight eventually snapped out of it and turned to Eleanor. "I guess you've proved your point, feel free to come inside." "But Twilight" Fluttershy spoke "I haven't seen you do something like that before" "Sshh" "Oh. Ok." Eleanor followed Twilight and Fluttershy inside, and looked around. The place was stacked with many different books, as was the floor. A baby dragon, something Eleanor was familiar with slaying, poked its head around the corner. "Hey there, Don't mind me, just cleaning up." The dragon picked up a few books and placed them on their respective shelves, before approaching Eleanor. "Hey twilight?" "Yes spike?" "Why doesn't she have any pupils?" Eleanor sighed heavily. Today was going to be a long day indeed.
remsaman	715	2	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Scootaloo,Zecora,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Mage	A humanoid mage finds herself in equestria.	incomplete	12	2	<p>Eleanor was an excellent mage. But while adventuring with her comrades, she accidently stumbles through an ominous stone doorway..</p>	everyone	2011-10-02T02:40:01+00:00	2011-10-02T02:40:01+00:00	2,072	Kent awoke with a jolt. The last thing he remembered was tumbling down a hill, and then passing out from huge amounts of pain. He lifted himself off his back and surveyed the area around. He was at the base of the mountain alright, but surrounded by lush forests and damp grass. He stood up, armour clinking against itself, and started to walk over to his sack, luckily, everything was still inside. Just as he was about to reach out for the sack, he heard a high pitched scream coming from the forest. "Damsel in distress? Hope she's rich, or pretty, either works fine for me." Kent reached for his sword, but his fingers wouldn't respond from inside his gloves. He cursed the tight armour for cutting off his blood circulation. "No matter, ill rescue her bare handed." He ran off into the woods, overconfident in his abilities. After a few seconds of running, Kent reached a clearing, and saw a manticore swiping at a fallen down tree. He saw a few tufts of hair poking up from the log, as the manticore swung its ferocious razor sharp claws, the log broke more and more, Kent dove forwards as the manticore was about to take another swipe, wrapped his arms around the figures hiding behind the log, and braced for impact. One claw ripped off the back off his armour, and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him, he dismissed the thought as fatigue. he opened his eyes and saw three foals wearing red and gold capes, they were all shaking in their hooves. His eyes widened, but then just assumed they belonged to a rich man who would pay dearly to have them back. although there was something about that white one and that orange one.... The manticore roared, Kent threw the orange foal onto his shoulder and the other two under his arms, and he ran as fast as he could. He was trained for endurance, so something like this was nothing more then a training exercise for him, a deadly one at that. He was starting to outrun it, before he thought he heard someone tell him to "look out for that cliff" He looked forward and saw the bushes part, before the edge of a cliff suddenly made itself obvious. The three foals screamed (could they even do that?) as Kent rushed off the cliff. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate... But nothing happened. Kent opened his eyes and saw the bottom of the cliff, but it wasn't getting any closer. He looked around and saw each of the foals with their eyes shut and teeth clenched. The manticore was pacing itself on the side of the cliff they just came from. Panicking, Kent looked in all directions, up, down, left, right, nothing was different. What about his back? He leaned his neck to the side and saw a blue blur coming from his middle back. Confused, he leaned forward, and moved forward, just to make sure they were his. Slightly frightened, he made his way to the other side of the cliff and`set the foals down. He started to worry and tried to stop them, he couldn't do it, suddenly, one of the foals rose up from the other two "Hey! You're a pegasus too!" "ARGH!" Kent yelled a little and fell backwards in surprise, he hit the ground hard. "Are you alright mister?" Kent's vision slowly focused, and he saw the three foals standing infront of him with worried looks on their faces. His eyes transfixed on the white one, he noticed a horn protruding from the top of its head. "Ah' think somethin' scared him" One with a red mane and yellowish skin stopped, and looked at it's flank "Aww, no cutie mark." The other two echoed. before the yellow one turned back to Kent "Wow mister, you saved our lives! You must be a hero! Like from the old storybooks!" Kent, still a little distraught, stood up shakily and leaned his head against wall. Crunch "AH FFF-" Kent shoved his limp hands against his head and threw off the helmet "Uhh.." The white foal started to speak "Are you alright? You look like you crushed your ear pretty hard" Kent, starting to get used to the foals talking, replied "Don't be silly, my ears are on the side of-" he stopped when he felt two ears on the top of his head, both throbbing in pain. He used his teeth to rip off his gloves, and started in disbelief. His hands had been replaced with hooves. He took off his boots, and they were much the same as well. He turned to the three foals. "Do any you have a mirror?" The white foal messed around with its, mane, revealing a horn, and a compact mirror. "I always keep one with me, my big sister says I should always look my best." Kent picked up the mirror between two hooves, still staring at the foals horn. "Haven't you ever seen a unicorn before sir?" "No... I can't say I have..." "Well then glad to meet you! I'm Sweetie Belle, and this is Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo!" She started bouncing around her two friends. Kent just tried to give his best smile. Kent examined himself in the mirror, it was a fair shock to him. His face was no longer human, it was elongated and thicker. His eyes were now a golden colour, and he had wild bright silver hair with dark grey streaks through it. His skin, now a sapphire blue fur. And he had wings protruding out of the back of his broken chest piece. He was stunned for a moment, before realising that he was still in front of the three fillies. "So where do you girls live." Kent still found it strange that he was talking to horses, but he was getting used to the idea. After all, he and his comrades have encountered stranger things. "Oh we live in Ponyville! It's just over there!" Scootaloo pointed her hoof at a nearby village. "Why, where do you come from?" " The names Kent, and where I come from isn't your concern. Do you all need help getting down or...?" "Oh don't worry, we can handle ourselves!" Apple Bloom went behind a rock and pulled out some gear "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ROCK CLIMBERS! YAY!" The cheer nearly knocked Kent off the edge of the cliff. The three fillies hooked the ropes to the rock face and strapped themselves into vests, then jumped off the edge. Kent panicked and rushed over to the edge, then relaxed as he saw the three rappelling down the side. He walked back to the other edge of the cliff, the manticore was gone, but he still had to figure out how to control his wings to get to the other side. He focused on that particular part of his back, and after a bit of strain, his wings fluttered a bit. This made Kent smile, but it was only just a start. It took Kent a while, but after around half an hour, he was able to gain enough control over his wings to sustain a few seconds of flight. his armour only made it harder, but he wouldn't leave it behind, it was the only thing he had left of his father. He leaned his back hooves against the rock face, and then started running fast towards the cliff's edge. He leaped off, and focused hard on his wings. Too hard. His wings flapped vigorously, his head smashed into the opposite sides cliff-face. "FFFFFUUUUUUUU-" He held his hooves to his head, and started to fall. "That hurt like a b- oh right I'm falling" He tried to ignore the pain, and concentrate back on his wings. When he stopped falling he was a few metres from a very hard ground. He flew back up to the forested edge of the cliff, and fell flat on his face. "Ugh... why me..." Kent dragged himself back to his loot sack, it was easy to find, as there was only one mountain in the area that had a stone gateway on the top, and a trail left behind when he slid down the side. He threw his armour off, it wasn't easy without hands, but he managed to do it with a few sticks and some rocks. He lay down on the grass and stared at the sky. He never really paid attention to the sky, it was always so bland and boring. But now... It just seemed... peaceful. Through all they had been through, this was the only time he really got to relax and think. "The sky is so clear today." he mumbled to himself before dozing off to sleep. _________________________________________________________________________________________ "Hey fella, You ok there buddy?" Kent's eyes awoke with a jolt, he looked at the sun, it had only moved... maybe half an inch? he wasn't asleep for long, that's for sure. He rolled over and looked at whoever woke him up. Before him stood a Sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, she gave him a grin before continuing "So you're the colt that saved Lil' Scootaloo and her friends eh? She came right up and told me, as well as all the other ponies in town, ha ha. Name's Rainbow Dash. I'm the local weatherpony." She extended a hoof, they shook for a second before she continued "So, where you headed?" Kent put on his armour. "Well actually, I'm just looking for my companions that I lost when we got here. Their names ar-" "Looking for friends? No problem! Just fly behind me and I'll take you to town. They're sure to be there" Kent just stood there, shifting on one hoof. "What are you waiting for?" "I... Can't fly..." "And you call yourself a pegasus..." "Actually I-" "No matter. I'm an excellent flight instructor, just sit tight and follow my lead." Rainbow lands on the ground and begins her lesson "Step one, feel your wings. If you can't feel your wings, then somethings wrong." "Is this going to take much longer?" "HUSH! Now step two, flap your wings. pretend that you are falling off a cliff" "Why pretend?" Kent chuckled, Rainbow just gave him a glare. After a long and vigorous tutorial, Kent was still unable to get off the ground. "I think I see the problem." Rainbow trotted up to Kent, reared up and bucked his armour off. "Hey! That was made by my father!" "And now its off. Can you get off the ground yet?" Still pissed off, Kent did as Rainbow instructed, and got a few feet off the ground. "Hey, I'm doing it! This is awesome! i could ju- arrgh!" He fell to the ground after being hit by a rock. "you gotta learn to fly with distractions." Rainbow tossed a rock up in her hoof. "Try again." Suddenly, an explosion rocked the area. Rainbow and Kent both looked immediately at the source, rocks were falling out of the sky, with rainbow fires trailing each. Kent looked around for his armour, but couldn't find it anywhere. Panicking, he rummaged through his loot sack and pulled out the golden armour he looted from the castle. It fit perfectly. "Hey, where'd you get that?" Rainbow questioned "Doesn't matter. stay here and guard my stuff." And with that, he bolted off into the sky. a faint voice could be heard from behind "Hey, you're doing it!" Kent zoomed through the sky, he noticed how the armour had perfectly shaped holes for the wings, and also was lightweight, it gleamed like the sun. He felt a tear stream down his face, he realised that he had just abandoned the armour that his father made for him before he died. the one and only memory of his one true father figure. He landed just outside of the town, his wings were tired(this was the second time he used them, first time on purpose.) When he walked through the town, all the other ponies in town looked at him strangely, could be the armour, could be that he just sped in from the mountain tops unannounced. As he was nearing the source of the explosion, he was interrupted by Scootaloo. "Hey Kent, you should come with me, there's something awesome you should see!" "Kid, I really don't have time." "Come on! It'll be worth it! Honest!" "Fine. But only if it will just take a second" "I promise! Come on!" Kent sighed and followed Scootaloo, it had better be worth it. A few moments later the most heavenly of smells found its way to Kent's nostrils. All his previous thoughts seemed to melt away as the smell of baked goods pierced his nose and took over. He kept following Scootaloo, but no longer reluctantly. A store with a giant cup cake on the roof came into view, with a sign marking "Sugarcube Corner". "Scootaloo" Kent tried to resist the aroma's coming from the bakery "This really isn't the time for sweets" "Sweets? Just come inside and see!" Scootaloo started tugging on Kent's tail. "Alright alright. Geeze.." Kent rolled his eyes and follow the filly into the store. The store was dark. Kent couldn't see Scootaloo anymore "Is anyone here? Hello? Scootaloo?" "SURPRISE" Kent fell over backwards. Every pony in the room rushed around to see if he was alright. "Ow, my head." Kent rubbed his head with his hoof "Are you alright? Because you should be having fun and it's not easy to have fun if you are hurt at a party!" A pink pony with poofy hair bounced in front of him. "Here have one these!" The pink pony grabbed a cupcake from a nearby table and shoved it in his mouth. As he slowly chewed, a wave of flavours burst and surrounded his mouth, his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head from how delicious it was. The pink pony giggled at his reaction. "That happens a lot the first time. My names Pinkie Pie!" "Could someone explain what's going on. I am really confused right now." "Well, silly, This is a "Thank-you-Kent-for-saving-scootaloo-Apple Bloom-and-Sweetie Belle-from-a-manticore party!" "That explains a lot, like the fireworks" "Fireworks?" Pinkie had a serious look on her face. "I didn't plan any fireworks." Her expression immediately changed "But oh well! LETS PARTY!" Kent tried to get to the door, but was stopped by a hoard of ponies dancing and partying. Kent groaned. "Well as long as I'm here, I should at least try to enjoy myself." He trotted over to the snacks table and dug in. _________________________________________________________________________________________ It was late at night. Kent's stomach was bursting at the seams from eating too much. it didn't help that Pinkie Pie made such good food. "Oh crap" He just remembered that his loot sack was at the base of the mountain, and he couldn't fly after eating so much, and to make matters worse, he didn't have a place to stay, he lay down on a park bench and let out a huge moan, his stomach was killing him. He took off his helmet and rested it at his side. He started to drift off to sleep before being startled by a voice "Oh my, you poor thing" "Who are you calling a thing." Kent put his helmet on and rolled over to see a white unicorn staring him in the face. "Uhh.. Hello miss." "Rarity, It's a pleasure, Kent." "I'm sorry do I know you?" "You saved my sister from the manticore. I would like to return the favour. Is there anything I can do?" "Well now that you mention it, I could use a room to stay for the night." "Of course darling! I have a spare room upstairs, feel free to stay as long as you want. Just follow me and I'll show you where I live." "Alright, just slow down. I think I ate a little too much" After a few minutes, Kent and Rarity approached The Carousel Boutique. Rarity unlocked the door with her keys, before asking "Please be quiet, Sweetie Belle has had a big day and should get her rest." Kent nodded and walked inside. The entire building was laden with Dress horses, cloth, and frilly decorations. "Seems a bit girly." Rarity shot him a look, before showing him his room upstairs. "Thanks miss Rarity. It was kind of you to be so generous" "Think nothing of it dear, now get some rest. After what happened I'm sure you'll need it." She closed the door, Kent placed his armour in a pile, threw himself onto the bed and drifted off to sleep. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Kent hadn't slept that well in a long time. It felt good to be in an actual bed, instead of in a bedroll. He dreamed of being back home, eating a nice meal with his mother and father, who he hadn't seen in sixteen years. He had signed up for The Blade's when his father died. Kent woke up on the floor. Covered in his sheets. There was a basket of apples on the bedside table, with a note attached saying "From Apple Bloom" He smiled, and stood up, unravelling the sheets. He looked for his armour, but it wasn't where he left it! He panicked a little, but calmed a little when he saw a note from Rarity attached to the wardrobe. "Dear Kent I'm sorry for leaving you on the floor, but you were a bit... restless. I didn't want to wake you. I have placed your armour on a dress horse in this wardrobe. I will be out of the store today, but say hello to Sweetie Belle if she is awake. ~Rarity True to the note, when he opened the wardrobe, a pristine dress horse was covered head to hoof in armour. He removed it from the Dress horse and put it on. Kent took a bite of one of the apples. It was sweet and delicious. He placed it back in the basket for later and stepped outside. It was a glorious day. The sun was shining, there were few clouds in the sky, and the birds were chirping. Kent took a few steps out of the boutique, He took a sniff of the morning air, fresh and crisp. After wandering around a bit, trying to get accustomed to the residents of Ponyville, he was stopped in his tracks by a familiar sky-blue pegasus. "There you are, you kept me waiting all day! Here's your loot back." Rainbow tossed his loot sack in front of him, gold and jewels spilling onto the ground. "I'm on to you, don't think this is the last time you'll see me." She then sped off into the sky, leaving a confused Kent to put everything back in the bag. "What's up with her?"
remsaman	715	3	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Scootaloo,Zecora,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Mage	A humanoid mage finds herself in equestria.	incomplete	12	2	<p>Eleanor was an excellent mage. But while adventuring with her comrades, she accidently stumbles through an ominous stone doorway..</p>	everyone	2011-10-01T16:02:30+00:00	2011-10-01T16:02:30+00:00	2,035	Warning: This chapter contains light shipping. "Aargh!" A voice boomed through the thick foliage of the Everfree Forest "I can't see!" THUNK "SWEET MOTHER OF-" CRASH "DAMNIT ELEANOR!" trip "Sonova..." Brannon could not see a thing, after the explosion, his eyes darkened and no matter how hard he thrashed about, his eyes refused to work, even though he could feel his eyelids blinking. His arms had somehow become bound, his hands not responding. He wriggled around on the ground before shouting "HELP!" After a brief moment of his echo bouncing around his surroundings, A soft but somehow familiar voice replied from the darkness "My my, you seem in quite a state. How have you become manticore bait?" A lyrical sarcasm in the voice "Look, I have no idea. I can't see!" Brannon snapped "Maybe with a bit of common thought, you can have your eyesight sought?" The voice became closer, and a flash of light nearly blinded Brannon, he had a hard time focusing his eyes without pain. "It was only some tough material, blocking your sight, now feel free to see the light. "Ugh..." Brannon grunted as he opened his eyes "Could you maybe stop talking in rhy-" Brannon looked at the source of the rhyming, and instantly stopped his train of thought. In front of him was a zebra wearing jewellery and golden rings around her neck, her mane was done in a mohawk. She was holding his leather vest in her hooves, the vest being more then twice her size "I-uh-what?" Brannon could not believe his eyes. "It is not often, around this place, to see another of the zebra race. What are you doing, here alone, when you are so far from home?" "I... Adventure... And what do you mean 'another zebra?'" Brannon stood up, and immediately fell over due to his center of gravity changing. He looked down at his body, he was grey with dark grey stripes along his entire body, all of his belongings either hanging loosely or gone. His hands replaced by hooves, and he had a tail! on his flank was an image of Hercules, but with a more equine body. His eyes widened and he began to step backwards, staring at his hooves, his mouth agape in shock. "But... That's impossible.." "Pardon me? you seem to be confused, are you telling me this is all an elaborate ruse? The zebra's eyes narrowed as she got a very serious look on her face. Brannon blacked out Brannon came to a few hours later, standing in a hollowed out tree, surrounded by who knows what? The zebra from before was nowhere to be found, and his belongings missing, Brannon started to panic. After nearly knocking over the cauldron in the middle of the room, dislodging a few masks and breaking a window, Brannon heard the front door creak open. In stepped the zebra from before, carrying a basket of herbs and some apples. The zebra looked around, Brannon hid behind the cauldron, before she dropped the herbs and began jolting her head around the room, looking for Brannon. "What is this? Where could he be? Does one of my own not trust me?" Brannon peeked around the cauldron to see the zebra's head lower, her eyes drooping. Scared that he hurt her feelings, Brannon, being the softy that he is, slowly revealed himself from behind the cauldron. Upon seeing him, the zebras ears perked up, and she began to smile. "You worried me, for a while, my heart was racing more then a mile! "I'm sorry, what?" Brannon cocked his head in confusion. "Urm, please forget what i just said, my cheeks really are turning red... The zebra blushed, and returned to the herbs she had dropped earlier."You froze up earlier, I'm not sure why, but i was sure I could not say goodbye. I pushed you here, a tedius task, then gathered these herbs so your state did not last." "Thanks, I guess... But might I ask where we are? I haven't a map of the area." "My friend, we are near the town of Ponyville, in the Everfree forest, but before you depart, you might want to rest." "Alright then, is there a spare bed around here?" Brannon looked around the room and saw a single bedroll next to one of the walls, his eyes widened and he looked at the zebra, who was nervously scratching her hoof against the ground "I forgot there was only one bedroll, my memory sure has taken its toll... Perhaps I will just stay awake, after what happened, you might need a break. "Thank you, I might be able to repay this some day, could I have your name?" Brannon asked as he lay down on the bedroll "My name is not important, my fellow zebra, but for personal sakes, call me Zecora." Zecora smiled and began to exit the hut "I'm going to town, ill be back in a while, ill buy some food that might make you smile!" "Wait what was that last part?" Brannon asked, but Zecora didn't reply, instead her cheeks became red before she rushed out the door. "Well that was a bit weird." Brannon said to himself before drifting off to sleep. After what seemed like ten minutes, Brannon woke up to feel something heavy on his back, he looked and saw zecora resting her head on his body. "Uh, Zecora?" Brannon gave her a prod, Zecora woke up instantly, before giving him a nervous smile while backing away. Brannon just stared at her awkwardly "I'm sorry if that was a bit.. uncomfortable for you, you felt quite cold quite cold, the room was too." Zecora just retained her nervous smile, while Brannon just stared at her while walking towards the door. As he turned to leave, he heard a "Wait!" From inside. He looked back and saw Zecora in front of him, kneeling down on her front two hooves"Please don't go..." Zecora pleaded. Brannon was slightly confused. "You aren't rhyming any more?" Brannon questioned, as she had only spoken in rhymes beforehand. "I just... just don't go..." She tried to get as close to Brannon as possible, he felt a bit uneasy. "I... Have to go find my friends..." Brannon tried to gently shake Zecora off his leg, she wouldn't budge. "Please... I haven't seen another zebra in so long, and the other ponies are scared of me..." Zecora began to tear up. Brannon just sighed. "Fine...I guess it couldn't hurt to- WOAH!" Brannon yelled as he was tackled by Zecora in a hug "Easy Zecora. I can still get hurt." "I'm sorry..." Zecora loosened her grip a little bit. A few minutes later, Brannon was lying on the bedroll, with Zecora sleeping on top of his back, So he had time to think. He had always been shunned because of his race, he was banned from places he wanted to be, like a library. he loved knowledge. But he was exiled from society as an outcast, forced to get by doing menial tasks like lifting logs and shoveling horse dung for minimal wage. If Eleanor and Kent hadn't come along, he probably wouldn't be alive. Here, he was somehow a zebra, and according to Zecora, still an outcast, but now he had someone to relate to. Sure, it was a talking zebra, but when your parents were different species, not much surprised you. "I thank you for making my day, feel free to leave. I'll be okay." A soft voice came from Zecora's half-awake mouth. Brannon gave a small nod, then slowly shifted himself so Zecora's head could lower down onto a pillow without waking her up completely. After she was fast asleep, he walked out of the hut, and followed Zecora's directions to Ponyville. He passed a few trees that looked like they were almost screaming, and some blue flowers, which something instinctively told him to avoid. Upon reaching the outskirts of Ponyville, Brannon looked around and saw some of the windows slam shut, and some ponies rushed indoors. He now knew what Zecora was talking about when she said the other ponies didn't like her. While he trotted through town, he could see some ponies staring at him through slits in their curtains and windows, it made him feel uneasy. As he continued through town, he eventually came across the market, and saw an orange pony wearing a stetson trying to sell some apples to another, as soon as the customer saw him though, he ran away, leaving the orange pony confused. The pony heard Brannon coming, and gave him a quick glance before returning to the stand. "Hey Zecora" The orange pony muttered and began counting the gold in her hand "Uhh, I'm not Zecora" Brannon said, confused "Then who are y-" The pony stopped as she got a proper look at Brannon. "I'm Brannon, pleased to meet you." Brannon extended his hoof towards the pony, who placed her hoof on his nervously "A-Ah'm Applejack. P-Pleased ta meetcha...." Applejack nervously scratch her hoof with her other hoof. Brannon was curious, "Is something wrong?" he asked, hoping to find out why all the ponies were hiding. "N-no, aint nothin' wrong with y'all. The town just feels a bit uneasy, what with the rumors goin' round..." "Rumors?" "Well somepony told somepony, who told somepony else who told apple bloom who told big mac who told granny smith who finally told me, that male zebras.... Eat... Other ponies..." Applejack started to back away. "Hey, why would anyone think that?" "Ah don't know, but.. now ah have to get back to the farm..." Applejack gave a nervous smile, and tried to pull the apple cart away, but she couldn't do it. "The blasted thing's stuck." She sighed, before finally asking "Could you give me a push...?" Brannon laughed, then picked up the entire cart off the ground without a sweat, much to Applejack's surprise "Wanna lead the way?" Brannon jokingly asked. Applejack nodded and began walking towards edge of town. "So... What brings you to Ponyville, Brannon?" Applejack asked "Looking for a few friends. Not much else." "Oh really? Would Zecora be one of them?" "No, you wouldn't happen to know a Kent or Eleanor, would you?" "Can't say ah do. What do they look like?" "I have no idea." Applejack gave Brannon a weird look before returning to the path ahead. After a short period of time, a large farmland filled with apple trees came into view, with a big red barn in the middle. "Alright, Y'all can set the cart down next to the barn, and thanks for th' help." CRUNCH "Woops" Brannon chuckled "I think you might need new wheels." "Naw, they were due for a replacement anyway." Applejack Laughed a bit. "Y'all aint half bad, Brannon." "Thanks, its nice to be complimented for once." "Now what do y'all mean by that? Surely Y'all can't be serious about nopony thankin' ya?" Brannon sadly nodded his head in response. "Now tha' right there is ridiculous. Say, you're strong right? How would y'all like a job at sweet apple acres?" "I'd love to. But uhh, where do I start?" Brannon looked around the farmland "Well, you and Big Macintosh can get applebuckin', if you need help, ah'm sure he'll be glad to give a few pointers. HEY! Big Mac! Ah Gotcha somepony to help with the applebuckin'!." Soon after, a Red stallion with a yolk around his neck walked from behind the corner "Ye' wanted to see me sis-" Big Macintosh stopped mid-speech after seeing Brannon "Uhh.. Hi there." Big mac got a worried look on his face "You must be Big Macintosh. Glad to be of help" Brannon reached out for a handshake, but Big Mac just ignored him. "Ah guess y'all better get started!" Applejack pushed Brannon and Big Mac towards the orchard, Big mac led him towards a nearby apple tree "First thing you gotta do is turn around, then you gotta kick the tree with your back legs. like this" Big mac turned around, then kicked the tree with his legs, shortly after a rain of apples came from the branches. Big mac led Brannon over to the next tree "Your turn." Brannon walked up to the tree and did as instructed, instead of apples falling down, however, the entire tree snapped from where he kicked it. Big Mac dropped the hayseed he had in his mouth. "My bad..." Brannon laughed nervously. "Maybe you should go to the bigger, older trees..." Big Mac pointed to the direction of the older, larger trees. Brannon apologized before heading over. Brannon now realized what the mark on his flank meant, it must be something that states what you are good at in the form of a picture, and his was strength. He walked up to the biggest looking tree, and attempted to rip it out of the ground. It was a cinch, he held the entire tree in one hoof, before looking over and see Big Macintosh staring at him, mouth open wide. Brannon grinned and put the tree back where it belonged. He tried again to 'Applebuck', but hit the tree with his front hoof rather then kick it. the tree shook, and all the apples fell out of the canopy. He smiled and proceeded to 'buck' the trees for around half an hour, before a familiar voice came from behind one of the trees "Hello" Zecora poked her head out from behind a tree trunk "I hope you are having a nice day, are the ponies treating you okay?" "What? Oh, hey Zecora, I'm doing fine. Thank you." Brannon smiled. "Thats good to hear, i came here out of fear... "Fear of what?" Brannon started to think about what she could be talking about. "Just something small, dont you worry, if i tell you, i might be sorry. Zecora started biting her lower lip. "Come on then Zecora, I'm sure you can trust me." Brannon put his arm over Zecora "I don't know what to say, something's bothering me, maybe you cou- oh to hay with it..." Zecora stopped rhyming, grabbed Brannon's head and gave him a large kiss. when she stopped she continued "I.... I'm sorry..." Brannon, still red from blushing, tried to comfort her "It's... It's fine Zecora... Even if you came on a little.... Fast... It doesn't make me hate you at all." Zecora's ears perked up "Really? I'm... Glad..." She stopped and gave Brannon a little nuzzle. To which he nervously chuckled. Brannon lay down, he needed a rest anyway. Zecora rested her head on his back like earlier in the day. Brannon smiled a little and enjoyed the farm surroundings. he had been exploring the forest's with Eleanor and Kent for a long time, so a change of scenery was nice. Instead of snarling wolves or big spider webs, there were chirping birds and the sound of wind through the branches. He was prepared to snooze off, when Applejack wandered up to him, not looking where she was going, she slammed straight into a tree. "Sweet mother of Celestia... ouch!" Applejack said to herself, before shaking it off. "Brannon, I got your payme-" Applejack paused as she saw Zecora resting on Brannons back. "nt... Well... Here you go.." Applejack dropped a small pouch before slowly trotting off, looking back only once with a confused look on her face. Brannon opened the pouch, and saw some gold coins inside. Looking closely he saw an imprint of a unicorn with a long flowing mane. "uhh.." Brannon mumbled to himself "They're called bits, the currency of this land." Zecora spoke up. "If you plan on staying, I suggest becoming a bit more accustomed to their ways." "Thanks... Maybe I should get going on trying to find my friends.." "Would one of your friends happen to carry a stick with gems attached to both ends?" Zecora asked "Yes? Have you seen her?" "I saw her walking into town on the way over. Maybe ask around?" "Will do. Thank you very much Zecora." Brannon gave Zecora a small peck on the forehead before running to town. Zecora blushed and smiled. Brannon ran towards town, it was about a mile away. He reached the outskirts when he saw a rainbow explosion in the sky, followed by different coloured flaming rocks fall to the ground. He knew it could only be done by Eleanor. It was the teams way of finding each other if they ever became separated, which was not often. As he was getting closer and closer to the source of the explosion, he was stopped again, this time, by a small yellow filly with red hair and a bow tie. "What in the world? You could have been hurt, kid!" "Wow, you're a zebra arn't you? Do you know Zecora? My names Apple Bloom by the way, You might now my sister Applejack! Do you know her too? Hey, you cutie mark looks awesome, can you tell me how you got it?" "Woah there kid, enough questions. Yes I know Zecora, yes I've met your sister. Now if you will excuse me, I have to-" "And what about your cutie mark huh? How did you get that?" "Well.. I guess I've always had it.." "Aww, you aren't any help. Say mister, do you want to come and help me and my friends get our cutie marks?" "Well.. Not really.." "GREAT!" The filly grabbed onto Brannon's tail and began tugging "You can come with us to the clubhouse! And if the others want to we'll even make you an honorary cutie mark crusader!" "But I-" "Come on lets go!" "Fine." Brannon was getting sick and tired of being interrupted. "But it better not take too long." Brannon gave one last look at the town before reluctantly walking away, back towards Sweet apple Acres.
remsaman	715	4	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Scootaloo,Zecora,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Mage	A humanoid mage finds herself in equestria.	incomplete	12	2	<p>Eleanor was an excellent mage. But while adventuring with her comrades, she accidently stumbles through an ominous stone doorway..</p>	everyone	2011-10-14T09:01:40+00:00	2011-10-14T09:01:40+00:00	3,987	"Look" Eleanor face-hoofed "can we please drop the subject of my eyes? It's making me uncomfortable." Spike rolled his eyes and walked back to his bed. "So uhh... Eleanor." Twilight started "What brings you to Ponyville?" "Just looking for my comrades, that's all." Eleanor grunted. Fluttershy tapped on Twilight's shoulder, before heading towards the door "I.. umm.. Have to go... feed Angel bunny.." Twilight smiled, nodded and returned to Eleanor once the door shut. "Really? What do they look like? I can ask pinkie pie, she knows everypony in Ponyville!" Eleanor looked out the window, hoping to see Brannon and Kent standing outside, looking for her, but instead was met with a blank scene. "I... Don't... Know..." Twilight stared at her awkwardly "You don't know?" Eleanor's eyes widened, realising what she just said "I... Uh... Haven't seen them in a long time..." "Oh, okay then. What are their names? I'll be sure to ask Pinkie later." "Brannon and Kent." "Strange names... Oh well, I'll ask later. Help yourself to the library, If you need anything I'll be studying over there." Twilight pointed towards a pile of books in front of a pillow on the floor, and after giving Eleanor a quick glance, moved there and lay down. With nothing better to do while hopefully waiting for the other two, Eleanor browsed the library's book selection, Anatomy? No... An atlas? Maybe later... Then, a dusty book caught Eleanor's eye. It had some cobwebs on it, but Eleanor took it off the shelf nonetheless. After a quick blow to get rid of the dust on the cover, the title revealed itself as 'Equestria: A species guide; Eleanor cocked an eyebrow, and turned to the contents page. The main four titles were Alicorns, Earth ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns, followed by lesser creatures. Eleanor, intrigued, turned to the "Alicorns" chapter. The chapter was surprisingly short, stating the only known alicorns in existence were the princesses and their parents, With the parents whereabouts unknown, the princesses living together in the castle of the pony sisters, but that has been crossed out, and written above it 'canterlot'. It also said that the princess "Celestia" controls the movement of the sun, and with her sister "Luna" controlling the moon. "Controlling the sun and the moon?" Eleanor said aloud in surprise "That isn't possible.." "What isn't possible?" Twilight asked "Huh? Oh... Nothing.." Eleanor shut the book and returned it to the shelf. Twilight levitated the book in front of her and flipped to the page Eleanor was on. Shortly after, she returned the book to the shelf, and stared suspiciously at Eleanor "You aren't from around here... Are you...?" "Uhh... Nope..." "Riiiggghttt... Well you should still know about Princess Celestia, right?" "Not really.." "Really..." Twilight's eyes narrowed suspiciously, before turning to write something down on a piece of parchment, then asking Spike to send it to the princess, Eleanor stood back in surprise as the dragon burst green flames onto the parchment, before Twilight thanked him and turned back to Eleanor. "Would you care to stay for some tea?" Eleanor took another look out the window, looking for Brannon or Kent, neither were there. She sighed, but reluctantly agreed. After a few minutes of waiting for the water to heat up, Eleanor gave a groan and slumped down onto a chair. Twilight stared at her, which made her uncomfortable, so she tried to drink some tea in the hopes it would calm her nerves. "So..." Eleanor tried to break the ice. She was never really one for conversation, what with half the people she talked to ending up inside out. "Is Fluttershy always that much of a crybaby?" "HEY" Twilight shouted "She may be a bit sensitive but she isn't a crybaby." "Well I said one thing and she just burst into tears." Eleanor took another sip of tea. It was actually pretty good. "That doesn't sound like Fluttershy, I mean, she is a bit shy, but she doesn't usually cry over something so trivial sip" "Well then something must have upset her before we met, otherwise... oooh.. I'm feeling a bit... Woozy." Eleanor's vision blurred before she collapsed and blacked out. Eleanor fuzzed in after what seemed like weeks, on an ornate red carpet, she focused her vision and saw what the book described as an Alicorn, sitting upon a golden throne. But what caught Eleanor's attention more, was that her mane was long and flowing, in the same style and colours as the orb in the ruined building. "Stone Wall, could you please take her staff?" The princess motioned one of her guards towards Eleanor "No." Eleanor stood on two legs, and gripped the staff, pointing it towards the approaching guard. The guard didn't slow down. "I said, NO." Eleanor spun her staff above her head, before slamming the base to the ground, creating a blast-wave of air that knocked the approaching guard to his flank. His horn glowed, before the princess interrupted "That's enough, Stone Wall. I have seen all that I need." The guard returned to his post, angrily glaring at Eleanor. "So.. Eleanor is it? My faithful student Twilight Sparkle tells me that you have quite the magical ability." "Wait, is that what this is all about? You DRUGGED ME, just to ask me a few questions?" Eleanor's teeth were grinding against each other. "Well it certainly seems obvious that you are not from Equestria" the princess chuckled "Most ponies have a little more respect for me. Although I'm not fussed about it. And to be honest, I was the one that told Twilight Sparkle to drug you, and I apologize. But from what she wrote to me in her letter, I assumed you were reluctant to leave the library. " The princess slightly hung her head. "That isn't a good reason to knock me out and kidnap me!" Eleanor slammed her staff against the ground, making a nearby guard jump. "Please calm down Eleanor, I understand you might be angry. I didn't actually ask Twilight to drug you straight up, but rather as a last resort. I'm not sure if she thought you were dangerous or anything, but it was not my intention to knock you out, I was just curious. Please accept my apologies." the princess' tone of voice changed into a slight worry, something that would be unusual for a monarch. "Ugh. Alright then. But I'm sure there are more interesting matters then me." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "I'm curious, what brings you to these lands?" "Looking for friends. That's all." "Of course... Might I ask which land you heil from?" "I'd like to stop being asked questions now." Eleanor's patience was running thin. She didn't give a dragons ass if she was royalty, she didn't bow down to anyone. "Just a few more, now could you tell me where you come from?" "That's enough of the questions..." Eleanor really did not want her finding out where she came from, she could feel something a bit more sinister beneath the princess' calming outer shell. The princess' eyes became more impatient. "Please Eleanor." The princess sounded more stern then before. "I just want to help you" "I don't need help." "Oh for hays sake, just tell me where you live." The princess was shouting this time "I said. NO!" Eleanor's staff burst into flames, she threw it full force at the princess, The princess dived out of the way just in time, the staff struck the back of the throne, piercing it, before blinking back into Eleanor's hooves. Four of the royal guards rushed towards Eleanor, Horns glowing, Eleanor punched the ground with her hooves, putting as much thought as she could into her bracelets, A stone pillar emerged beneath her, carrying her into the air, almost touching the roof of the enormous throne room. A few armoured pegasi flew in to the room, carrying swords in their mouths. This was not the first time Eleanor had experienced combat with flying foes, She leapt off the pillar, landing on the back of one of the pegasi, completely unphased, the pegasus tried to ram Eleanor into the wall, hopefully dazing her long enough to be sedated. Eleanor picked this up, and when the pegasus got close to a well, she smacked the back of his head with her staff, then forcefully jumped using a burst of air, back onto the pillar. Another pegasus closed in on her, she focused on channelling her levitation magic through her staff, to the end crystal. When the pegasus got close, Eleanor swiped the sword with her staff, magnetically locking the sword the the staff. Eleanor started spinning around and around, cliché to these situations. The pegasus tried to let go of the sword, but Eleanor locked his mouth shut with a magic muzzle. She cancelled the magic in the staff, causing the pegasus to spin in the air, slamming into the last pegasus in flight. Both pegasi tumbled to the ground. "Is that all you got?" Eleanor shouted towards the princess, triumphant in her endeavour. The princess gritted her teeth, before her horn began glowing, after a few seconds, a white glow engulphed Eleanor. "Pfft, what's this? A tickling spell?" "Impossible..." Celestia gasped "I cannot banish her..." Eleanor laughed. "To where? the moon?" "That is the general idea." Celestia turned her head towards the throne room door and shouted "LUNA!" A small voice came from the hallway "coming sister". "There's two of them?" Eleanor said to herself "Screw this, I'm out of here." She spun her staff around in the air, before bringing it down. A bright light lit up the room, before returning to normal. Eleanor was gone, as was all trace of her being in the room, save for a few passed out guards. Luna opened the door a few seconds later "Is something wrong sis- oh.. where is your guest?" "Luna." Celestia coughed, she wasn't used to eating the floor. "Send out guards to look for an 'Eleanor', 'Brannon', and 'Kent'." 'Of course.. Is something wrong?" "Yes. Something is very wrong." Fluttershy put a bag of rabbit feed back where it belongs, before turning to go back inside. the sky was getting dark, and all the animals were fed. She smiled. Earlier in the day she had embarrassed herself in front of somepony new, and was starting to regret it. It wasn't her fault... Suddenly, a burst of flame came from behind her shack, she rushed to see the source, only to find Eleanor lying face-first in the mud. smoke coming from her horn. "Oh.. Um.. Do you want some help?" Fluttershy cautiously leaned towards her. Eleanor replied with a muffled speech. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you... Could you um.. Repeat that?" Eleanor struggled to lift her head out of the mud. "That... Would be appreciated... Thank you." Fluttershy was able to lift Eleanor onto her back, and carry her inside. She placed Eleanor on the couch, and fetched a wet towel to clean her face. Eleanor groaned, the burst of adrenaline kept her awake, but now the drugs effects were returning. Fluttershy wrung the towel and hung it on the side of a bucket, she turned around and handed Eleanor a cup of tea. Eleanor was about to take a sip, before asking "It isn't drugged, is it?" Eleanor asked, cautious about last time she had tea. "Drugged? Oh my no, what kind of pony would I be if I drugged people. Oh no no no no..." Fluttershy was a bit stunned at being asked such a question. Still keeping her suspicions, she took a small sip of tea, before placing it on a nearby table. "Fluttershy.." "Um... Yes?" "Is there a reason why you cried when we met? According to your friend you aren't that kind of pers- I mean pony." "Oh.. I.. Umm.." Fluttershy Winced as she pulled back her mane, underneath were some cuts and bruises. Eleanor's mouth dropped open, normally that would be something she would laugh at, but seeing something so innocent have cuts and bruises seemed... wrong. "When you threatened me..." Fluttershy continued "I guess I sort of... lost it..." "Who did this to you..." "I... Don't really know, they were wearing hoods.. But I think I heard one mention the name "Stone Wall". If that's any help.." The name hit Eleanor like a hammer. She remembered the princess referring to one of her guards as "Stone Wall". "I'll be right back." Eleanor grabbed her staff and ran towards Ponyville. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK "Coming!" Twilight called out "Don't get your tail in a twist." Twilight opened the door, expecting some royal guard ponies. But instead was met with the snarling face of Eleanor "OH HAY" Twilight slammed the door, then hid behind a desk. The door exploded into many pieces, flying across the room. Dust settled and Eleanor trotted in, glaring at Twilight. Twilight stood up, horn glowing. "I.... I have magic.. a-and I'm not afraid to u-use it!" Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Don't bother Twilight. Why did you drug me." "T-The princess told me to..." "She said to use it as a last resort, you didn't even ASK! WHY DID YOU DRUG ME?" Eleanor was almost screaming at the top of her lungs "BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE DANGEROUS AND WERE GOING TO HURT EVERYPONY PLEASE DON'T KILL ME" Twilight cowered behind the desk "I won't hurt you, but your friend Fluttershy, has been assaulted and hurt because your princess, your mentor ordered two of her guards to do so." Eleanor lifted her staff up, levitating Twilight and pressing her against the wall "But..." Twilight protested "Celestia would never hurt anypony!" she struggled against the magic bindings, but to no avail. "Which explains why she told you to drug me." "But.. I... Urr..." Twilight was lost for words. "That's what I thought, maybe when you harden up, you might come around and tell Fluttershy the truth yourself." Eleanor grunted "Those bindings will wear off in a few minutes." and with that, she walked back to Fluttershy's hut. Upon returning, Eleanor saw two familiar looking armoured ponies standing at the front of Fluttershy's house. She hid behind some bushes, and with a small peak, could understand a little bit of what they were saying. She heard the words "Refuse, Accept, Reward, and Punishment." Eleanor recognized the guard "Stone Wall", but not the other one. As soon as they left, Eleanor crawled out of the bushes and up to Fluttershy's door, giving it a light knock. Fluttershy peeked through a crack in the door, before letting her inside. "They came for... umm.." "Me, I know." "If it helps, I told them you were never here... I hope that's alright..." "That's awesome, thanks." Eleanor smiled, a rare occasion. "If you need a place to stay, I do have a spare bed..." "That's very kind of you, thanks." Eleanor and Fluttershy smiled at each-other. Fluttershy showed Eleanor the spare bed, then went to her own. Eleanor spent more then an hour staring at the starry night. Worried about her friends, Normally they would answer the signal, no matter what. Once Kent even showed up in the middle of fighting a giant bear. She sighed and rest her head on the pillow. Slowly drifting off to sleep. "Eleanor! Help!" A shrieking voice came from the surrounding darkness. Eleanor looked down, she was her normal self, hands, clothing, hair, everything back to as it was. "Please! Help us!" the voice repeated itself. Eleanor rushed towards the voice, the darkness around her clearing with the more she ran. A short distance later, the darkness completely disappeared. She was back in the building ruins, in front of her was a tall figure, wearing a bleached white dress, hair flowing in different colours. It was a human Celestia. Crown, necklace and all. She was looking angrily at Eleanor, while holding her palm up in the air towards her side. It was Kent, Held up in mid-air by Celestia's magic. "Eleanor! Please! Stop her!" Kent shouted, squirming as much as he could. "YOU." Celestia shouted "I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU." "Let him go, Celestia!" Eleanor pointed her staff at the princess, the tip glowing. Celestia Grinned, and flicked three of her fingers. With a sickening Snap Kent's neck turned to an unnatural degree, then his lifeless body fell to the floor. "NO!" Eleanor shouted, but it was worthless. Kent remained a lifeless corpse. "You'll regret doing that you monster!" Eleanor Dropped her staff, eyes glowing, with a fluent body motion, fireballs flew from her hands towards the princess. But it was to no avail, as the princess just waved her hand, which stopped the fireballs in their path. Celestia grinned even harder. then waved her hand again, Brannon floated out, yelling, and attempting to swipe his fists at Celestia. "Such an ugly being. Allow me to do you the favour of ridding it." Celestia laughed maniacally. "Eleanor" Brannon gave up trying to fight it. "Please.. Tell Zecora... I..." SNAP "NO! BRANNON!" Eleanor ran up to his body, shaking it "Don't.... Please..." She was met with silence. "And now..." Celestia grabbed Eleanors neck with her hand, and brought her to her knees. "Time for retribution" she brought a large knife to Eleanors throat "Any last words?" Celestia's grin could bring nightmares. "Just a few.." Eleanor smiled "Hope you enjoy your new home." She held up pieces of the swirling orb that opened the gate to the other world. Celestia screamed in rage, raised the knife and brought it down. GASP Eleanor jolted upwards, gasping for air. It was just a dream. But it felt so vivid... She looked down and saw her hands were hooves again. "It's okay. It was just a dream" Eleanor assured herself. "But what did it mean?" Publishers note: This is my second attempt at writing an action chapter in a fanfiction, so please excuse me if it seems plain or weird.
remsaman	715	5	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Scootaloo,Zecora,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	The Mage	A humanoid mage finds herself in equestria.	incomplete	12	2	<p>Eleanor was an excellent mage. But while adventuring with her comrades, she accidently stumbles through an ominous stone doorway..</p>	everyone	2011-10-28T13:01:23+00:00	2011-10-28T13:01:23+00:00	1,997	Kent dragged the sack into the Boutique with his mouth, It wasn't helping that he had to clean up jewels and gold with every pony in the vicinity watching him with weird looks on their faces. Lugging it upstairs wasn't an easy feat either. Once there, he shut it in the closet and locked it with a key. He worked too hard to lose that loot to some prying eyes. After securing his loot, he looked out the window to see lots of ponies gathering around one in the middle. It was a tiny filly, holding a golden crown with a large gem encrusted into it. Kent rushed outside, as he walked to the group, ponies split to create a path, as if he was royalty. The filly kept wildly grinning at the crown, unphased by his presence. "Excuse me, little girl?" Kent spoke up. The filly glanced at him, before returning to the crown. "I don't think that belongs to you." "Well of course it does, finders keepers." The filly poked her tongue at Kent, driving his patience. "What's your name?" "Diamond Tiara." Kent tried to keep back a laugh, it seemed to be fitting that a selfish pony was called 'Diamond Tiara' "Alright then, you can keep it if you can name what kind of gem is encrusted into the front of it." Kent grinned. The filly laughed, and looked at the crown "That's easy, its a sapphire, because its blue." Kent snatched the crown from her hooves "Actually, its a lapis lazuli. you can tell by its deeper colour and low transparency" Kent looked around, the filly was staring at him, almost in tears, while the ponies around him were glaring at him, as if he was a common thief. But one little colt caught his eye, he was covered in dirt and scratches. and was no doubt missing at least one tooth. His mane was messy and dirty. He was looking at Kent with sad eyes. Kent couldn't resist, he walked up to the colt, kneeled down and placed the crown on his head. Some ponies gasped, but he only noticed the colts eyes widen, then he burst into a smile. He jumped onto Kent, knocking him onto the ground, embracing him in a hug. Kent returned the hug, and could feel tears of joy streaming down the fur on his back. The colt relinquished his hold, and ran off. Kent watched as the child joined his parents, who also looked rather poor. The boys mother looked at Kent, before mouthing a silent 'thank you'. Kent nodded back, and flew off. Shortly landing in an abandoned part of town. He leaned his head against a wall, before headbanging it, repeating the same thing over and over "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Kent moaned "That thing could have been worth a fortune! AGH! I just had to give it away to a pony I'll probably never meet again." He slouched on a nearby bench, then took off his helmet. "What's wrong with me today..." "That was a courageous thing you did back there." A soothing voice came from behind him. He spun around, in front of him was a mare, 2 shades of orange, with a large curly mane and tail, carrots on the sides of her flank. "I know it isn't much..." She continued "But I just thought you should have this." She held out four carrots in her arms, Kent took them off her, suddenly his chest felt like it weighed a ton. He clenched his teeth, before looking up at the mare. She was walking away. "Wait!" Kent yelled, she turned her head. "What's your name?" "Just call me Carrot Top. Or Carrie, if you want." She smiled, then turned and continued on her way. Kent was dumbstruck. Some random girl out of nowhere decided to give him a gift. Just... Because... But what confounded him even more was that he would rather these carrots then that crown. Only because he was given them as a gift. He put his helmet back on and began to slowly fly around town, munching on the carrots while contemplating what just happened. He looked down and saw several ponies waving.But why? It wasn't that much of a heroic act, was it? He sighed. A few minutes later, a familiar voice followed him "Carrots? Gee where did you steal those from?" "Go away Rainbow Dash" Kent replied, though with carrots in his mouth it sounded more like "gr awer rnbow dsh" "Pfft, What's up your flank?" Kent just glared at her. She grinned, before saying "Listen... I took this out of your sack" Rainbow reached up and took a golden brooch clip out of her mane. "Hope you don't mind." Kent just gave up. "Yeah sure, keep it." he glanced back and saw Rainbow's mouth wide open. which made him smile. Kent lost track of time, and before he knew it, he wasn't in Ponyville anymore. It was a large rocky dirt field, with a few holes in a ground. There was also what he could only make out as a purple and white dot, with some dark murky blue spots in front of it. He was bored, so he naturally went down to investigate. "Aah! Somepony? Anypony? Please help!" Rarity cried. "Scream all you want, pony" One of the two diamond dogs laughed "There isn't a soul around to hear you. This time we will make sure your friends don't come to rescue you" Kent saw them closing in, so he quickly flew in to help. He hovered just behind the diamond dogs, and gave Rarity a wink. he put his head in between the two diamond dogs and said in a loud voice "Sup guys?" As soon as the diamond dogs looked at Kent, he pulled his head back, and smashed their's together. knocking them both unconscious. He fell over and started laughing his flank off, Rarity was unsure of whether to be confused or grateful. But eventually he stopped laughing, so she decided it was probably the best time to say something. "Thank you, Kent. Those ruffians never seem to leave me alone, cant a mare gather gems in peace without being assaulted?" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Maybe next time you should bring some company along." "Maybe I should, Say, Care to help me gather gems? Just in case those diamond dogs come back?" Kent shrugged "Sure why not" For a while, Kent helped Rarity dig up gems she located, while scaring those diamond dogs back to their holes, even though they seemed to come back every few minutes. They loaded up more then a wagon full of gems, before deciding to turn in and return to town. When town was in plain sight, Rarity thanked Kent once more, this time for assisting her in getting the gems, before turning back to town. Kent decided to walk back with her to the boutique, so he could lay down for a while. But, after a short time, a yell came from the clouds "LOOK OUT RARITY" A blur of rainbows came from the sky, before tackling Kent, tumbling him onto the ground. "ARGH! What's your problem Rainbow?" Kent yelled, Rarity turned around, alarmed by the noise "You were about to hurt Rarity and take her gems!" Rainbow announced "I just spent ages helping her GET the gems, and plus, why would I even want them?" "I don't know, the same reason you have a bag filled with loot!" Rarity looked at Kent "Bag filled with loot?" Kent sighed "I'll show you later. Look Rainbow, I don't want to steal anything, okay? Why can't you just leave me alone?" "Because there's something wrong with you, and I WILL find out what it is. No matter what." And with that, Rainbow Dash flew back to her cloud house. "She sure is stubborn..." Kent looked at Rarity, she looked back "Sometimes, yes. Now what was all that about a sack of loot?" "I'll tell you on the way.." Kent groaned. "So what you are saying.." Rarity inspected the loot "Is that you and your friends wander around the world, fight monsters, take what you can, then sell it?" "Well... Yeah." "That sounds very... Exciting..." "Sometimes it is. So.... Now what?" Kent and Rarity looked at each other awkwardly, before Rarity picked up a necklace with a sapphire-encrusted necklace, and put it on. "Does this bring out my eyes?" Kent laughed. "I guess." "Do you mind if I... Keep it?" she gave a pleading look. Kent sighed "why not?" Rarity Squealed in joy. Rarity shuffled around the sack, looking for anything else worth keeping. Something hit the ground, making a large 'clang' noise. Kent's eyes rushed down, and saw a picture frame. Blushing madly, he swiped it up and hid it under his wing. Rarity looked up from inside the sack "What was that?" Kent blushed. "N-Nothing, nothing at all." Rarity gave him a stern look for a moment. She thanked him again for the necklace, and then left the room. Kent sighed in relief, before closing the door. He retrieved the picture frame from under his wing, it was a picture of him and Eleanor, human, having a beer at a local tavern. It was one of the few times she ever smiled. He loved it when she smiled. He put the photo back into the sack, locked it in the wadrobe, and left the boutique. "Well, I should try to find the others, I mean, they could be any of these ponies." Kent studied each of the ponies around him as he walked, none of them looked anything like Eleanor or Brannon, but then again, he didn't look like himself either. He wandered around town for a few minutes, before being approached by three familiar fillies. "Hey girls." Kent cheerily greeted "Hey Kent!" Scootaloo rose up from the other two "Have you seen a guy called Brannon around here? He was helping us find out cutie marks yesterday, but we lost him." Kent froze "Wait... What was his name?" "Brannon. Have you ever met him before?" "Yes... Say, I don't suppose you girls have any idea where he would be?" Apple Bloom cut in front of Scootaloo, "Well, He is a zebra an' all, so ah' would check the Everfree Forest and talk to Zecora. Ah' would go myself, but my big sister wont let me." "Thanks girls, I'll be back later." Kent gave a small salute, before flying towards the Everfree Forest. Finding the other two was his main priority, no exceptions. Although he couldn't see much from above the canopy, he did see a small plume of smoke rising from one area of the forest. He flew towards it, and landed in a small clearing, in the middle, a giant hollowed out tree with a door and windows. He looked in a window and saw a zebra lying on top of another one. "If those fillies are right, then Brannon must have finally found a girlfriend. Hah!" Kent knocked on the door, after a few shuffling noises, and something breaking, the door opened a nudge, The male zebra poked his head through, before slamming the door "Go away." A very familiar deep voice replied, Kent knew it was him in an instant. "Brannon?" "Who are you? How do you know my name?" Brannon poked his head out of the door again. "It's me! Don't you recognize your pal?" Brannon was silent for a moment, before his eyes widening. He sighed, and looked inside. Zecora was sleeping on the bedroll. the place was a mess. "Why do you always show up at the worst times. Shrimp" "Am I.. Interrupting something?" A huge grin came across Kent's face. Brannon turned bright red. "N-No! We;re just... Friends... That's all." Brannon's eyes darted around. "Well alright then stripes, we gotta go find Eleanor and get out of here before I have to give away my entire loot sack." "Could it.. wait? I gotta.. Err.. Finish this first?" Kent opened his mouth to reply, but instead was met with the sound of a large explosion, which rocked the ground. "What in the world was that?" He was quickly answered as a familiar looking staff speared into the trunk of the tree. "ELEANOR!" they both shouted at the same time, then rushed towards the source of the explosion. On the way they dodged raining dirt, rocks, trees, and even a cupcake. Neither of them was sure of what happened, but it sure wasn't good. When they reached the edge of Ponyville, they could see hundreds of ponies in town completely transfixed on a large pulsating glow coming from the center of town. "Wait.." Kent struggled to keep his gaze on it without looking away, it was too bright. But finally a figure made itself clear in the middle of it all. "That must be Eleanor!" "grv hr ths" Brannon tried to speak with Eleanor's staff in his mouth, Kent grabbed it in his and sped towards the glowing ball of light, a few ponies below cheering. As he flew towards the dark figure in the middle, he could see another, larger then the first. Regardless, he came closer and closer to the first figure, before making it out to be a mossy green pony with a unicorns horn, and covered in blue stripes. her mane was red and black. "Eleanor! Catch!" Kent dropped the staff, and kicked it towards her, it magically glued to her hooves. She raised the staff above her head, before shoving it straight into the second figures chest. The second figure screamed, before falling to the ground. The light surrounding disappeared, with Eleanor slowly lowing down to the ground. Ponies from all around surrounded the second pony, while Brannon and Kent rushed to Eleanor. "Thanks for the staff boys. Took you two long enough." A smile came across her face. "Wait how did you know it was us?" Kent asked "Well, you knew my name, and you're wearing that armor, which i saw you grab back in the ruins. And I knew that was Brannon, because who else would hang around with you?" "Oh haha, very funny." Kent pouted. "But... Who's that?" He pointed towards the pony that a crowd was gathering around. Eleanor cleared a path through the crowd. "Princess Celestia. I think I accidentally drove her insane, such a shame, she seemed so tranquil at first. For a monarch, she wasn't very stable." "So.. She's dead?" "No, just paralyzed. She should be fine in an hour or two." Eleanor shrugged. "Hope she doesn't try to kill me again, that would be a bummer." The trio turned to walk away, but was met by six guards wearing armor. Eleanor laughed. "Do you really want to take a chance?" and nodded towards an unconscious princess. The guards looked at each-other, before backing away. "Let's go to the boutique first, I gotta grab my stuff." Kent led the other two towards the Carousel Boutique. When they reached the door, they all heard Rainbow Dash scream "I GOT YOU THIS TIME!". Eleanor flawlessly whipped around and smacked the oncoming pony with her staff, Rainbow skidded along the ground before hitting an apple cart, apples pouring on top of her. She tried tackling them again, but once more, Eleanor batted her away with her staff. "There is no way anypony is THAT fast." She straightened herself up "I'm the fastest flier in Equestria, I'm not being beaten by some wanna-be hero and his girlfriend!" Eleanor blushed "I am NOT his girlfriend!" Rainbow sped towards her once more, but this time her horn glowed, and produced a glowing pink bubble around Rainbow Dash. "Hey.. Lemme out!" Rainbow beat against the sides of the bubble, but it wouldn't burst. "You stay here until you have learned your lesson, missy" Eleanor mocked, then kicked the bubble away. Rainbow still yelling as her voice faded. "Now Kent, grab your stuff and let's go." The three went inside, Eleanor cringed at the girlishness of the establishment. A few moments pass, and Kent comes back downstairs holding his loot sack in his mouth. He gave the others a nod, before they turned to leave. As they left, in front of them was Twilight Sparkle. "S-Stop! I'm warning you..." She was shaking in her hooves. "Oh please.." Eleanor rolled her eyes "I've beaten you before I can do it again." She trotted up to Twilight, and stared her in the face. "Boo." Twilight squealed, then involuntarily teleported away, Eleanor rolled around on the ground in laughter. "Uhh, Eleanor?" Brannon spoke up "I think we should get going. there seems to be a mob forming." A chorus of shouts and threats could be heard from a large group of ponies, each marching towards the trio with a random item in their mouth, brandished like a weapon. "Good idea." She replied, as the three ran in the opposite direction to the mob. Publishers note: Sorry for finishing this chapter rather early, i ran out of ideas. This is getting harder to write the further i go along. Especially since im not trying to kill somepony.
canonkiller	716	1	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:20:56+00:00	2011-10-09T17:20:56+00:00	1,463	Fluttershy flicked an ear as her son jogged past. She was thinking about Liponite again. She could bear to see parts of him in her colt. Realizing his mother was in one of her moods, the colt kept walking, nosing the door open and letting the warm sun heat his scaled forehead. "I'm going outside, okay?" She didn't reply. Trying to stay in the shadows as he moved up the main street, the colt accedentaly bumped a fruit stand with his wing, sending it toppling. The cart's owner sat up from where she was counting her bits. "You better pay for all that waste, you little hooligan!" The colt scrambled to his feet, racing past the ponies watching and flattening his ears as they insulted him. Yesterday, a filly his age had knocked the same stand over. She had gotten little more than a 'try to be more careful next time'. It was because of his father. It was always because of his father. "Oh, hey." Rainbow Dash looked down over the edge of her cloud at the foal standing below. "Why are you here?" "Mom's in one of her moods. She won't teach me how to fly." "Oh, she's sulking again?" The colt nodded. "Has she given you a name yet?" The colt blushed, his orange coat darkening. "Not exactly." "Then no wonder everybody makes fun of you!" Rainbow Dash commented, dropping down to stand in front of the colt. "How about... Thunderwing? Charburn? Batwings? Dragoflight?" "N-no... none of those." The colt stammered. "I want a name that helps people forget that I'm part dragon. I don't want to draw any more attention to it than I need to." "Are you kidding?! You're awesome!" Rainbow Dash pulled open his wing with her teeth. "Look at that! Pegasus flight control with dragon speed and power!" She dropped his wing, holding up on of his paws. "And you don't have to worry about getting shoes, but you still have power in your legs! And you have claws! Imagine the fights you could win!" She dropped his paw. The colt enjoyed the praise, but it was starting to get annoying. "And those black scales are great armour!" "Not to mention they look great on your coat!" Rarity added, cantering up the path. "It would be much worse if your fur was blue or pink. Those scales would look horrid! And your mane looks nice with it, too! Dark grey with a streak of red, and your tail with a streak of yellow - you look amazing!" "Thanks, girls." The colt blushed again. "But I still don't have a name." "How about Wondercoat?" "He can't be named that, Rarity! Look at his cutie mark!" He looked at his flank. True enough, the name didn't fit with his mark, a star that was half black and half white. He sighed. "How about Coronus?" "How about loser?" Some filly sneered as she trotted past, heading for town. In seconds, Rarity had magicked her into the air, and Rainbow Dash was yelling at her, shaking her with both forehooves. "No! Stop!" The colt pounced, landing on Rarity's back. His weight made her topple, and the magic surrounding the airborne filly began to evaporate. Leaping off of Rarity, he managed to skid to a landing under the filly. She bounced off his tough scales and rolled to the ground. "Thanks for helping me." She smiled, getting to her feet. Suddenly, she remebered who had rescued her. "Dragon-boy!" As she cantered away, the colt sat up and sighed. "Coronus is fine."
canonkiller	716	2	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:24:00+00:00	2011-10-09T17:24:00+00:00	1,240	"Look, in order to get airborne, you have to flap your wings harder! Jumping won't work!" Coronus pumped his wings, trying to get higher off the ground than a hoof-width. It wasn't working. "Rainbow, can't we start slower? I haven't had any lessons yet..." "Fine." Rainbow Dash landed from where she expected Coronus to hover to. "Okay, so run over there." Coronus obeyed, jogging a few pony-lengths away and turning to face her. "Now run at me as fast as you can with your wings open. You might be able to glide a bit." Coronus started running, trying to get to his top speed. Suddenly, his wings caught the breeze and he lifted up. Startled, he stopped running. A gust of wind started forming in his wake, blowing him into Rainbow Dash. The pair rolled for a few pony-lengths before Coronus rolled off and ground his muzzle into the dirt. Rainbow Dash got up and dusted herself off. "Well. This is going to take a while." ...Three weeks later... "Rainbow! I think I'm getting the hang of this!" The colt was growing fast, already larger than Rainbow Dash, who was hovering as he caught up. "Look! I bet I'd beat you in a race!" "No way, colt! It's on!" The two took off side by side, muscles straining. Slowly, Coronus pulled ahead of Rainbow Dash. By the time they passed the center of Ponyville, Rainbow was starting to lag behind. Coronus landed, waiting for Rainbow Dash. As she approached, her wings locked. She slid the last few pony-lengths on her belly. "Are you okay?! Talk to me!" Coronus waved his paw in front of her face. She opened her eyes. "G...g..." "What? I can't hear you!" "Good race, buddy!" Rainbow Dash jumped to her feet, hugging the half-dragon. "I haven't flown that hard in ages!" "Uh... thanks?" "C'mon!" The racing Pegasus yelled, taking off towards the library. "Bet I can beat you to go tell Twilight!" "No way, filly!" Coronus laughed as he took off after. Suddenly, something landed on his back, pushing him to the ground. He skidded, feeling small cuts open on his belly where stray rocks had peirced. He whimpered in pain, trying to see his attacker. A frond of pink mane fell in front of his eyes. "What is wrong with you?!" Fluttershy screeched, pushing his head down with her hooves. "Why are you out here all alone?" "I-I'm not alone, mom... Rainbow Dash was teaching m-me how to f-fly..." "No! You are not flying. Do you hear me? Never!" She jerked her head up as Rainbow Dash flew into her, knocking her off and rolling her into a store's wall. "Don't you dare teach him how to fly!" "Why not?" "Because he'll turn out like me!" "No, he won't!" "Yes he will!" "He can't never fly because he's part you and part goshdarned DRAGON!" Fluttershy stood up, wincing as she narrowed her eyes at the two. "He's never been a part of me." She snarled, galloping off back to her home. Coronus scrambled to his feet, running after her. "Mom!" She stopped, glaring at him. "You're not my son." As she cantered away, Coronus felt like the weight of the moon had fallen on his shoulders. He sank to the ground, tears running down his face. Rainbow Dash walked up beside him. "If it helps, I could find you a place to stay. I've got no room to spare, but somepony ought to. C'mon. Let's go." She grabbed his scruff gently, pulling him to his feet. Staying half-carried, Coronus stumbled alongside her, unable to see the ground he was placing his paws on. Rainbow Dash could feel her side wet with tears.
canonkiller	716	3	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:26:38+00:00	2011-10-09T17:26:38+00:00	1,329	~I would like some feedback, so when you rate, could you tell me why you picked it? I want to get better, and I need to figure out how. Thanks in advance, Ice~ "So, you're taking care of me?" Coronus asked, scuffing his claws on the floor. "Like, feeding me and stuff?" "Not exactly." Twilight replied, magicking her current book back to the shelf. "More, I'm giving you a place to sleep." Noticing Coronus looking sad, she smiled. "Look, I know none of us can replace Fluttershy. But I want to make you feel at home. You can read here, help Applejack with her crop, make ... stuff ... with Pinkie, or modeling for Rarity. Or you could get taught how to make rainbows." "No, I'll go see Rarity... maybe... I'll be around..." Coronus flicked his tail in goodbye and trotted out the door. It didn't take him long, and he managed to dodge all the ponies shopping. "Coronus?" Coronus skidded to a stop, wings flared. He'd never heard his name said by anyone other than his mothers' friends. This was a young filly, a Pegasus, with a purple coat and pink mane and tail. Her large orange eyes were fixed on Coronus. He hadn't noticed he had gotten so tall. He kneeled in front of the filly, making sure not to overshow his fangs. "What is it?" She blushed, giggling. "Your wings are pretty. I wish I had wings like that." Coronus opened them, looking at the draconic sails pushing out from under his feathers. "Really?" "Yeah." She stepped forward, brushing his paw with her hoof. "Keep flying, okay?" "W-why?" "Because I want to be like you when I grow up." "Coronus!!!!!" Rarity squealed, pressing the colt close to her in a ursa-hug. "You came just in time!!! Look, I just finished a set of coltswear! Would mind trying it on?" Coronus opened his mouth to answer, but Rarity cut him off. "Thanks!" The colt growled quietly as Rarity magicked a tuxedo on his chest and a short coattail on his rump. She tugged a bowtie over his head, patted his mane back down, and stepped back. Coronus slouched, glaring at his reflection. "Rarity, I like helping and all, but-" "I know!" She exclaimed. "It doesn't look very good on your coat. Hmm, lets try this one!" All of the carefully measured clothes magicked back off, fitting themselves gently over their mannequin. The next set began trying to fit themselves on. A pale yellow tee, jeans and a cap. Still, Rarity wasn't pleased. The first outfit Coronus had felt good in was magicked away to the mannequin. "Rarity, I'm not-" "Close your mouth while I put this on!" She pushed a gold bit into his mouth, attached to a rainbow silk set of reins with streaks of gold. "Rarisy!" Coronus lisped around the bit. "Rarisy, I'm here so ashk abous gessing a hob! I wans so help you mase closshes!" "Why didn't you just say so?" The bit and reins floated off, and Rarity let Coronus step down from the platform. "I can't pay you unless you make good sets, though. And due to the fact you're not a Unicorn, it'll probably take a bit longer..." Curious, Coronus fixed his attention on the bit that had just been removed from his mouth. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to lift it. Suddenly, it seemed like his blood had turned to ice. The scaled patches on his body seemed cold as well, and his vision was trembling. His wings were spreading slowly, pushing Rarity aside and knocking over a hat rack. The bit trembled, hovering ever so slightly off the table. Exhasuted and satisfied, Coronus let it drop. He felt his blood run hot again, and the scales on his forehead thawed. He furled with wings quickly, kneeling as his vision filled with dancing black spots. "Coronus, are you feeling alright?" Rarity asked, pressing a wet strip of fabric to his forehead. He didn't bother to wonder how she had gotten it that fast. "Rar... I... I lifted... it..." She turned to look at the bit, which was sitting on the edge of the counter instead of in the middle. "You can use magic?" 'Must be dragon magic... probably why the poor thing is so exhausted. Another breed's magic digs deep into a pony's body... He's only concious because he's part dragon...' "Do you need to lie down?" Coronus struggled to his feet, legs trembling. "I'm okay..." His eyes shone. "I used magic!" "Y-you did..." Rarity struggled to sound happy. Coronus let out a happy yell and raced around the store, tail and mane streaming out behind him. "Bye!" He burst through the door, almost tipping a filly over as she tried to come in. "What's with him?" The Pegasus asked, her dark coat unnatural for Ponyville, paired with an electric-blue mane and tail. "He's not a normal Pegasus, is he?" "No," Rarity admitted, "he's part dragon. His mother fell in love with a dragon that crashed here a few months ago, and-" "So that's Coronus?" The filly asked. Now that she wasn't framed by the sunlight outside, Rarity noticed she was taller and older than she had thought, obviously a mare. Her cutie mark was a blue lightning bolt crossed by a red flame. Also unnatural. "Where does he live?" "Around..." Rarity muttered. "Not with his mother?" The mare asked. "Why?" "She saw him flying and disowned him..." Rarity's voice choked up on the last few words. "You've lost a child too, haven't you? A filly by the name of Light Wings?" "H-how did you k-know? I didn't t-tell anyone about her..." "It's quite normal for me to know her, Rarity. After all... I... met her." The dark mare trotted back outside, throwing a bag of bits back over her shoulder. It burst open at Rarity's feet. She magicked it up in front of her face. It was over ten thousand bits, and the mare hadn't even bought anything. Confused, Rarity dropped the bag back on the ground. "Light Wings," she began, her eyes closed, "I hope you're happy," her voice caught for a few seconds, and she took a deep breath, "I hope you're happy with the angels. I... I'm so sorry..."
canonkiller	716	4	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-09-23T00:08:20+00:00	2011-09-23T00:08:20+00:00	1,178	"What happened? Rarity, are you...crying?" "Go away, silly Pegasus! I'm fine..." Rarity sobbed, her head pressed up against the wall, her back to Rainbow Dash. "Fine..." "Look, Rarity, we're the Elements of Harmony. Tell me what's wrong." Rainbow Dash put a wing over the Unicorn's back, turning her head away from the wall with one hoof. "Before Twilight Sparkle came and stirred everything up, on one of Celestia's visits, one of her guards came into the shop. I was up in my room, and wanting to be a good owner, went down to greet him. But he was coming up the stairs, armour on and everything. He pushed me back into my room, and on my bed. I was forced on my back, and-" Rarity paused. "Later, in the Everfree Forest while I was looking for mint leaves, I gave birth to a stillborn filly. I named her Light Wings, in hope that it would make it easier for her to find heaven, and I buried her in the forest. A mare just came in that knew about her, but I've never told anyone until now..." "Oh Rarity..." Rainbow Dash ran a hoof over her friend's back. "You could have told somepony..." "No I couldn't! That filly was the result of a rape! He molested me... I'm known for being strong... I couldn't tell anyone I was forced into that..." "I'm so sorry..." Rainbow's voice trailed off. Her voice tone changed as she continued. "Was it painful? When he... you know..." "UGH! This is why I never told anyone!" Rarity jumped to her feet, meeting Rainbow's jaw with one diamond-studded horseshoe. "Because they always find some way to make fun of me about it!" With a final scream of rage, she cantered up the stairs to her room. Rainbow Dash looked up as a colt entered the shop. He blushed. "Did I interrupt something?" Coronus kicked at the air, growling. "They don't have to be so stupid!" He dropped low to the ground, clawing pebbles across the path. "It's not like I'm a Griffon or anything! I'm a Celestia-d@mn pony too!!" "There is no need for such language." A shadow fell over Coronus, and he froze. "C-Celestia?" She was the tallest mare he knew. "Sorry if that insulted you..." The mare laughed, jumping over him so she was visible. "Trust me, kid. I'm no Princess." He eyed her impressive Mark, embarrassed at his own pointless star. "Sorry. I thought you were somepony else." "No problem." She streched out her ebony wings, the bones cracking softly, before folding them more comfortably. "My name is Raven. I came from... no... you shouldn't know. I am here to take care of you." She bend her graceful neck to put her chin on Coronus's forehead. With the touch, he felt a weird crackle. Magic. Her blue mane brushed his face as she drew back again. "It seems you have already come into your powers." Raven added. "Fly with me." She extended her wings to their full extent. Coronus felt small again, and opened his tiny wings, slightly embarrassed. As she shot into the sky, Coronus followed slowly. Every downstroke felt like it was weighted in stones, every movement moving like clouds over the Everfree Forest. He loved flying. He followed her closely, little wings thrumming, body filled with blood on fire. He shot ahead, tail streaming, yelling happily as he changed his angle, shooting straight up. He felt the air bending into a teardrop around him, forced into form by his speed. As he reached the clouds, he closed one wing, spinning back towards the ground. The air around him crackled with power. Just before his spinning impact, he flared his wings, the air around him flying by and hitting the ground, blowing a large ring of plants down in all directions. Much slower, he soared back up to meet Raven, who hadn't stopped to wait, but had watched. "You should teach that to Rainbow Dash when we return." "I like it!" Coronus chirped, doing a few barrel rolls. He flew in the zig-zagging, childish way he normally did as Raven broke the cloud cover he attempted to attack. "Have you seen Coronus?" Pinkie Pie asked as she pushed open the door to the library. "I was going to see if he could light the candles on my biggest cake ever!" "He can't breathe fire..." Twilight Sparkle responded. "Yet." "Well, maybe he knows now. I don't want to light all those candles with a tiny little lighter, and the blowtorch would melt the icing. Coronus would be better at it." Pinkie countered. "Maybe you could magic them alight for me?" "The way my magic has been going, I'd probably set Ponyville on fire." "Well, as long as my cake didn't melt, that be okay." Twilight looked at Pinkie, who was still smiling inoccently. "I can't respond to that sentence sanely, so I'm not going to say anything." "But you did!" Suddenly, Pinkie's mane and tail went flat, and her pupils went small. She gasped once, and she returned to herself. "Another episode?" Twilight asked, putting a book back on the shelf. "Twilight." Pinkie commanded, her tone more serious than had been. Than it had EVER been. "Do you have a book on dragon magic?" "Yes. Here." Twilight lauched it across the room. Pinkie caught it in her mouth, dropping it on the ground and scanning the pages faster than Twilight had though possible. She spun the book so it was facing Twilight, with her hoof on a paragraph. "Read." "Young dragons come into their magic at a young age. It is very powerful, and when still uncontrolled, can be dark and dangerous. Half-dragons, although rare, have special triats to their magic." Twilight read. There was a chart beneath. "Griffon - healing. Unicorn - ice. Earth pony - air. Manticore - poison." There was an inky scratch crossing out one entire bar. Twilight squinted through the messy scribble, managing to thin it with her magic. "Pegasus..." She swallowed, looking up at Pinkie. "Pegasus - DANGER! Do not breed Pegasus with Dragons!" "More." Pinkie ordered. Twilight looked back at the book. "Pegasus and dragon offspring will have mild control of their powers from a very early age. Careful - if a halfling of these two isn't raised with the gentlest care, their magic will become stronger than they are, and will be dark. It is very difficult to raise a half-Pegasus without later having to destroy it." Pinkie's face was a war mask. "Where is Coronus."
canonkiller	716	5	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-09-17T20:18:20+00:00	2011-09-17T20:18:20+00:00	1,170	The glowing spheres around him darted like water bugs. No matter how close he got, he couldn't touch them, couldn't catch them. As he fell, spinning endlessly without a feeling of actually falling, or even movement, he continued to reach out. The colours in them were repeated. The fastest one, with a blue core that faded through all of the rainbow as he watched it. The steady one, with a orange core that faded to yellow. The sparkling one, with a purple core that darkened to a different purple. The elegant-looking one, with a white core that darkened to an attractive violet. The zig-zagging one, which was pink the whole way through. The furthest away and the hardest to catch, with a yellow core and harsh, pink edge. There were others as well, but they were smaller, stayed the same distance away, never seeming to move, falling at his speed, spinning the same ways he did. A pale yellow to dark red, with highlights of pink. A dark blue with darker, midnight edges. A pure white with edges of blue, pink and pale green. A dark black with electric edges. So many to choose. Coronus spun in another roll, trying to stay upright as the glowing orbs flickered around. He could hear a voice, echoes at first before becoming stronger. It was the darkest orb with the blue edge, flying closer and closer. He reached out with one paw, managing to brush the surface. As the momentum from the swipe tumbled him forward, he reached out with his mouth, his muzzle entering the orb. His eyes flashed open, the bright sunlight penetrating his sleep. His muzzle was locked in Ravens'. Her eyes were wide with shock. Coronus pulled back, his lips wet with her spit. She stumbled backwards, tumbling awkwardly into a tree, back pressed upright. "Sorry." Coronus muttered, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I was dreaming..." "ABOUT WHAT?!" Raven screeched, pupils still small. "How old are you?!" "Not about that!" Coronus countered, severing any of her wind ideas. "I couldn't actually tell it was you." She drew back further, and Coronus pushed his head into his paws. "That didn't come out right." "N-never mind." Raven replied, managing to keep her volume under control. "We still have a lot of flying to do." They both took off, staying aflight in awkward silence. Pinkie still hadn't returned to her usual self. She was reading all the books on dragons and their magic that Twilight had. She hadn't slept or eaten in two days. As Spike returned with more books, Pinkie looked up. Her face was taut, expression drawn. "Any news?" Spike was taken aback by her tone. It seemed more like a stallions', and one that had been through war upon war. "No. Rarity was the last one to have seem him, but he left the shop after..." Spike paused, setting the books down in anticipation of an angry tackle. "...using his first magic to lift something small." He braced himself for impact, but none came. Pinkie Pie was still on the ground, three legs tucked neatly under her while the other held her place in a book. "He's flown away, hasn't he." "I... I don't know. Rarity said something about a forgien mare coming in after and knowing his name, but she left. Nopony's seen her either. Not like Rarity was lying or anything, but..." For once in his life, he wasn't smiling as he said Rarity's name. His face was as emotionless as Pinkie's. "We need a Pegasus to find him. Do you understand?" Pinkie asked, standing up and kicking the book across the room. It slammed into a bookcase as she walked over to Spike. "Rainbow Dash is too fast. She'll end up competeing with him when she finds him. Celestia isn't giving an Alicorn's rear about all this. Princess Luna... I still don't trust her. None of the other Pegasus I know care enough to find him." "Pinkie, what are you getting at?" Her eyes were like shards of ice. "I'm going to go give Fluttershy a good kick in the head." The yellow Pegasus shreiked as her door was kicked in. Pinkie walked over the fallen wood, a scowl on her muzzle. "What in the Realm of Dragons is WRONG with you?!?" "I-I don't u-u-understand..." Fluttershy stuttered, pushin up against the wall. "I don't give a buck if you understand." All remorse for using strong language with the fragile Pegasus was gone. There was no pity, no sympathy. "You stabbed your own son in the back. His own mother, deciding he's the bane of her existence." Pinkie kept walking forward, and kicked the door back in place. "Now, not only does he not have a father, who was a bucking dragon, he doesn't have a mother either. Have you heard the insults he endures? The threats he brushes off? Did you ever actually wonder what he was doing when he went straight to his room after coming home?" "I-I-I..." Pinkie pivoted, kicking the timid Pegasus in the face. "He's left the nest, Fluttershy! You forced your own son to fly away! He. Is. Gone. Just like his father. But this time, he wasn't abandoning you. You were abandoning him." Fluttershy stood up, on side of her face already bruising. Her legs trembled as she waited in defiance. "He has nothing to do with me!" "He has EVERYTHING to do with you! He's your son!" "I don't care! I don't love him!" Pinkie Pie dropped her voice to little more than a whisper. "I never asked you if you loved him." The two stared off in silence. Pinkie's face had softened from ice to stone. Fluttershy's cheek had swelled, and her eyes were watering with the pain, despite the glare she was giving Pinkie. Two ponies faced off. Neither had ever been considered an enemy. Neither had ever been so angry. Pinkie, the joyful party-goer. Fluttershy, the timid animal-keeper. Dueling it out in a battle of endurance. Fluttershy was the first to open her mouth. "I never thought of any of you as enemies." "I'm no enemy." The Earth Pony responded. "Your only enemy is yourself." They stood in silence again. The tension was weakening both wills. Pinkie's anger was ebbing. Fluttershy's heart was aching. "Pinkie?" "Yes?" "I'm sorry." "Fluttershy?" "Hm?" "I'm not the one who needs an apology."
canonkiller	716	6	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-09-18T02:41:15+00:00	2011-09-18T02:41:15+00:00	1,125	-For best results, listen to 'Quaritch' in the Avatar soundtrack, mostly the last minute and 20 seconds- Pinkie shoved back into the library, before changing her mind and walking out in reverse. Changing direction, she cantered to Carousel Boutique. She opened the door, charging over to Rarity. "Yes, Pinkie?" Rarity asked, not looking up from her latest design. Despite her urgency, Pinkie was surprised. "How did you know it was me?" "Your hooves don't clop when you walk. They... 'boing'." "Oh, I forgot again." Pinkie muttered. Suddenly, she remembered why she had come. "I need armour. Not Earth Pony, Pegasus. You know, aerodynamic and aluminum." "There hasn't been any aluminum in my latest shipments, but I'm sure I have some downstairs. Old stores, maybe." She paused, looking up. "Who's it for? You have a colt-friend you want to get a gift for?" "Not exactly. I'll tell you later. Here are the measurements." Rarity scanned over the paper Pinkie has slammed down on the table. For once, the lettering wasn't large and loopy. It was small, even print. "I know these measurements from somewhere." "Armour? ASAP?" "Yes, sorry." Rarity calculated the amount of sheet metal she would need before trotting to the back of the store. Opening a door, she magicked the lightbulb to flickering life, illuminating the store. It was huge, and the shelves reached far beyond the lightbulb's reach. Pinkie ground her hooves together over a small candle, her new flint horseshoes lighting the wick. As Rarity searched one side, Pinkie searched the other. Thousands of bolts of fabric reflected the light, some with glittering threads, some looking like they were made of spiderwebs, some like spun gold. As they neared the back, the stacked bolts changed to sheets of metal. "I think I found it!" Pinkie yelled. There was no answer. Immeadiatly, Pinkie knew something was wrong. She set the light down, using her hearing to determine where the walls were. Her 'boing'ing hooves made a kind of echolocation. Pinkie spun around the corner, seeing Rarity on the ground, unconcious. Her horn was still glowing with Light magic. Something moved in the dark, and Pinkie looked up. The hilarity in her face vanished again, pushed under by pure determination. Ponies she loved were in danger. "Show yourself, you bucking sewer rat!" The thing moved again. Pinkie echolocated again before it vanished, making out a pony shape. A filly shape. "Come HERE!" It stopped, turning to face Pinkie and the unconcious Rarity. It's eyes glowed white against the shadows. As it moved forward, the pale light lanced off of the metal, casting the entire aisle in white light. It was a Pegasus filly, looking to be no more than a few hours old. Her pale white fur was still wet, and a blue-purple fuzz made up her still-growing mane and tail. Her legs looked too long. How old was this foal? Maybe only minutes! But something was... off. The filly was silent, her mouth opening and closing in silent breaths. Her hooves had made no noise. Pinkie echoed it again, making sure the light wasn't decieving her. This time, the echoed figure was still mid-leap. Behind the filly. It was like she... didn't exist. The filly suddenly collapsed into a pool of liquid. It wasn't blood. It looked... it looked like she had just been born, and she had died... Pinkie echoed for the final time. Behind the insubstantial foal, there was a mannequin. Pinkie had though it was the foal. With narrowed eyes, Pinkie leaned down over Rarity. The foal was still twitching, eyes rolling back in her head. "Rarity, you have to get up." Pinkie's voice was calm, even. "Rarity, keep your eyes closed. Do not open them. Get up." Pinkie had not taken her eyes off the foal. It was still jerking, legs sliding through the fluid around it. It was growing skinny, bones beginning to push up against skin. With a sound like old parchment, a seam opened along the throat. There was only blackness inside. "I'm not strong enough to lift you, Rarity. You have to get up." The unicorn didn't wake, but groaned. "C'mon, get up." Pinkie hauled her to her feet. "Up." "Pinkie, what's going on?" Rarity was facing down the hallway, and attempted to turn around. "NO!" Pinkie shoved her forwards. "Walk away, don't look back." As the unicorn cantered for the stairs, Pinkie turned to the disintigrating foal. "I'll take care of this." The skeletal beast stood up on bony legs, wobbling like any newborn. It's jaw gaped open, and it screamed in fury. Pinkie almost roared in reply, a wordless war cry. they charged at each other, teeth bared, hooves skidding. Rarity stopped as she heard a sharp crack. That was a bone breaking. Against her better judgement, she ran back, horn sparking with energy. When she turned the corner, she found Pinkie standing still, flanks heaving as she took laboured breaths. "Pinkie, what-" She kicked a small object across the floor. "This was what Coronus magicked, wasn't it." "It must have fallen down the stair when I came down yesterday. Why? What's going on, Pinkie?" The party pony's face was hard as stone. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
canonkiller	716	7	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-09-18T16:52:51+00:00	2011-09-18T16:52:51+00:00	1,378	"Docta? Are you her?" The black stallion nosed the door open, finding a cross-eyed Derpy standing on the step. "What is it, Ditzy? Hallucinations again?" She shook her head, wild yellow mane bobbing. "No sir. Somethan weerd is goona happen." "What makes you think that?" In his mind, the stallion was thinking over diiferent perscriptions. Suddenly, both of her eyes aligned, fixing him with an even, golden stare. "Because this keeps happening." Her voice was just as abnormally normal. "Everytime I start acting normal, bad things happen. Remember last time? Nightmare Moon returned." "I am quite aware of that, Ditzy." "I want to evacuate Ponyville. There's no need to suffer here if my senses are correct again." "Ditzy, I don't see it as that much of a problem-" Suddenly, her face was pressed up against his. "You will move all of your patients out as fast as you can. Get them to a safe place where they will not be harmed. I can clear out the town. Do you understand?" "Y-yes." Her eyes changed directions again. "Imma coonting on yu!" She flew away into the center of Ponyville, wings flapping in an odd rythym. The doctor sighed. "Strawberries?" The pale red mare was at his side in moments. "Yes, Sterile?" "Prepare for emergency evac." She didn't question his order, just trotted back inside and began waking the healthier patients. "Wha's she doin' yellin like that?" Applejack muttered to herself, watching as Derpy - no - Ditzy Doo tried to warn ponies about something. "Hey, Ditz, whatdya yellin' for?" The Pegasus arced to the best landing Applejack had ever seen. Her eyes had switched sides, now moving as one. "There's danger coming. My intellect is active." "Hookay, that was creepy." Applejack admitted. "Who managed to pull off this prank?" Ditzy grabbed her friend's muzzle, moving into a shoulder-height hover. "This is no prank. You can feel it just as much as I can. I know it." She dropped the earth pony the short distance to the ground. By now, a crowd had started forming. "Pinkie has been acting like she's in a war zone. Fluttershy has grown angry, withdrawn, depressed even! Rarity is scared to go into her basement for some unspoken reason. Twilight has been shunning her books and pacing the park outskirts. We've seen hide nor hair of Coronus. Applejack, you've noticed the apples on your crop are withering early, haven't you?" The filly nodded, not wanting to interrupt. "I've been delivering the mail as usual, but these moments keep striking - suddenly I know what I'm doing, my words are right, I can see straight. Nopony goes outside anymore. The birds have stopped singing. The ground is layered in dust. The market wasn't even put up this week! Have any of you even noticed you've been hiding?" There were a few uncertian murmurs among the gathered crowd. This was the first time they'd been out in a while, they realized. Only because all stocks were running low. The ponies who had already shopped realized they were carrying at least three times their usual burden. "What are you saying we do?" A voice called out from the back. "What's going on?" "We have to get out. Every time I get episodes where I think straight, which are rare, somethign bad happens. Last time, it was the return of Nightmare Moon. I don't know what's going to happen. Get the caravans ready, everypony. Pack as fast as you can and move out. Head somewhere further away." She paused, and her eyes crossed. "Pweese." Coronus rolled over in his bed of tree roots, their knarled edges poking against his back. He streched and yawned, looking around for Raven. She was still sleeping against her tree, wings wrapped around her flanks protectively. Coronus got to his feet and looked around for something to do. He saw a squirrel calmly grooming itself on the branches above. His eyes gleamed as his predator half surfaced. Shaking his tail in anticipation, he shot straight up, grabbing the rodent and snapping its neck in his teeth on the descent. He swallowed the warm meat in chinks, not bothering to chew. Raven watched through one narrowed eye. The dragon half was growing stronger. As he finished, licking the blood from his lips, she pretended to wake up, shaking out her mane and tail and streching her wings. "Good morning, colt." "How much longer will we be flying for?" Raven tried to figure out how much distance they had covered. "We'll probably get there by noon." He streched out his back, feeling the vertabrae pop in their places. "You need anyhting to eat?" "I'll get something when we arrive." They took wing side-by-side, catching the thermal and slowly circling higher. Like Raven said, the small town was a indistinct blur near the horizon. "It doesn't look very big." Coronus commented, squinting at it. "Are you sure thats not just a herd of cows?" "It's a town, trust me. It's called Trottown officially, but everyone just calls it 'that little place in the middle of nowhere'. Both are appropriate." She paused, gliding up to the next thermal. "But stay close to me once we get there, okay? It's not the best of places." Pinkie held up the box of armour, presenting it to a Pegasus hovering in front of her. "Here." "I thought Fluttershy was going." Rainbow Dash announced, holding up the helmet. "I didn't think I'd get to go." "No, you lose in races - no offense - but if he's with the Pegamare, he won't be going very fast. Chances are, you'd be able to catch up." Pinkie's face had returned almost to normal, and she was saying a few random things every so often. But, despite Pinkie's improvment, Ditzy Doo was still sane. Rainbow Dash had finsihed strapping on the aluminum armour. A chestplate, four boots, wing sheaths, back plate, and helmet. Because it was Rarity who had built it, there were small shards of gemstones implanted along the edges. Rainbow raised on hoof to her head in a salute. "If I come back, Coronus is coming with me." With those words of semi-encouragement, Rainbow Dash shot into the air. Surprisingly, she could see two dots far away, flying at cruising level. With a yell, she took off after them. Raven landed in front of a run-down pub. There was an unconcious stallion in front of it, a bottle still in one hoof. Raven nosed the door aside, waiting for Coronus as he sidestepped around the pony. Loud music blared as Coronus entered. Raven started walking away, and Coronus hurried to follow her. She went behind the bar and upstairs, leaving Coronus behind. The music started to get to him, and he moved closer. There was a filly out in the middle of the flashing floor, mane and tail swinging, dancing almost exactly to the music. The bottle in her hand proved she was drunk, but she danced nonetheless. Coronus gave in and joined her, his claws clicking on the plastic. She eyed his scales, but didn't comment. "Dance with me?" He nodded, and started matching her moves. She held out the bottle, and against his common sense, Coronus took a swig. Upstairs, Raven was knocking on a door. Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Fed up with waiting, she opened it, seeing a bedraggled-looking stallion slouched on a couch, watching TV. He was so drunk she could smell it from the door. She tried to restrain from gagging. "Dad?" "Oh, shorry hun. Didna shee you there." He slurred, getting up on wobbly legs. "Been a shwhile, hashn't it? What took sha sho long?" "I told you four times. Every time I've come to visit I've told you. I've been hired by Princess Luna to find half-dragons, remember? Because there are too many?" "Oh yesh. You did tells shme. What doesh she do wish them once you drop tshem off?" "Look, I don't know. Can I stay here for the night?" "You realishe the Princesshessh are that way? The way shoo came?" "Yes, I know. That's why I'm here. Now please, can we stay here?" "Shure you can, my girl. Doorsh alwaysh open." Raven went to exit the room, but looked back. "Speaking of doors, there's another unconcious pony outside that you should move." "He'll wake up evenshually." Raven suddenly sensed something was wrong. She hurried down the stairs, spotting Coronus kissing a pony in a booth across the room. She swerved through the crowds and skidded to a stop beside the booth. "Coronus!" He looked up. "Heya Raven." She saw the dull glaze in his eyes. Whoever this pony was, she had made Coronus drunk. Raven narrowed her eyes, spotting a small difference in the placement of the chin, and the curve of the legs. "You're a colt-cuddler?!" "He's not?" The colt replied, sitting back in the chair. "He acted like he was." With a snort of distaste, Raven picked Coronus up by the tail and lugged him upstairs. Dropping him down on the old, torn mattress, she pinned him under one wing and fell asleep.
canonkiller	716	8	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:36:49+00:00	2011-10-09T17:36:49+00:00	1,439	Rainbow Dash tackled the Pegasus from behind, turning it around to face her. She let go suddenly as the Pegasus's large teal eyes focused on her face. "Fluttershy?!" The smaller thing flying beside her looked to be a dragon, with oversized eyes and tiny wings flapping hard. "What are you doing out here? And what is that?" "Oh, um... you see... um..." The pale Pegasus looked away from Rainbow Dash, making eye contact with the little dragon. "Um... I..." The dragon hovered steadily in front of Rainbow Dash, pulling out a letter from the curl of it's tail. Rainbow Dash skimmed the scrawl. "So, Toothless has finally summoned you. How're you going to tell him about his son? That's going to go over really well, I can tell." "Um... I..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I love him, okay! Just let me go." The dragon rolled the letter up again and fluttered over to Fluttershy. She darted away at a steady, fast pace. The dragon looked back at Rainbow Dash in almost pity, and flew after her. Rainbow spun, kicking a cloud in anger. She had lost so much daylight chasing Fluttershy. There was no way she could find Coronus before the sun set. She raced back to Ponyville as fast as her tired wings would carry her. Raven ran a comb through Coronus's dishevlled mane as he squirmed in protest. One lashing paw almost hit her, but her instinctive flinch pulled the hair in the comb taught. Coronus screeched, yanking his mane free of the black mare's grip. "Where are we going that I have to get all prissy for?" He complained, his tail now subject to her wrath. "You're a colt, so I have no way of keeping you from rolling in the mud or eating bugs or whatever, but you may as well be presentable." "I am!" Raven pulled a still-leavy branch, complete with small caterpillar, out of his matted tail, proving her point. With a snort, he changed topics. "Anyway, where are you taking me?" "All dragon halflings must be taken to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna for proper care." "Then why are we going this way? Care doesn't sound that bad." Raven looked up at him, pushing his semi-brushed tail aside. "I've heard the screams, Coronus. Proper care is extermination. Dragon halflings can stir up the bad relations on the borders." He was quiet for a second. "I'm turning more dragon, aren't I? You're taking me somewhere I can't hurt anybody." Raven went to protest, but he held up a paw to silence her. "I know you weren't brushing me for 'my own good'. You were checking for spines and fur loss. I know I'm changing, Raven. You don't have to try and protect me from it." "Coronus, I was never going to hide it from you." He curled his tail around his paws. Where the hairs split, dark blue scales could be seen. His muzzle was rounder, eyes more alert. "Then why are you hiding me?" "Because I don't want any more innocent foals slaughtered." "Twilight! I need a spell, fast." The purple Unicorn woke up from where she had fallen asleep against a bookshelf. "Wha?" "Anything for night vision and cold resistance." "You need rest, just like everypony else. I can't keep you out at night." "Would you rather I got Trixie to do it?" "FINE! I'll do a spell." A few misplaced books and incantations later, Rainbow looked around the dim room, seeing everything like it was as bright as day, with the detail recieved upon hours of inspection. She blinked a few times before spinning and running out the door. "Coronus..." she whispered to the sky, eyes closed in prayer. "I'm coming." "Then I'll help." The sky answered. A pair of narrow green eyes opened in the starless dusk above her. The creature flew down gracefully, the sharp edges visible to the eyes of the Pegasus. "Toothless?! But Fluttershy got a message from you!" "Get on my back. She'll still meet us there, trust me." One the ground, Twilight Sparkle watched the exchange. Wiping the spell from both her own eyes and Rainbow Dash's, she trotted back inside and turned off the lights. Rainbow bucked at the sudden darkness, vaguely seeing the dragon's reflective eyes. As she landed on his back, a voice let out an annoyed snort. "Get off my tail!" A pony yelled, turning to glare at her. His fur was pale pink, almost white, while his mane and tail were dark brown. His cutie mark was a dragon egg. "Toothless, are you sure about this? She looks pretty wimpy." The dragon laughed, muttering something to himself in his own language before responding. "She's faster in the air than you are, that's for sure!" The pony smacked Liponite's shoulder with one hoof. "By the way," he turned to face Rainbow Dash again, "my name's Hiccup. Hold on." "To what?!" Toothless began his quick flight, the tears once gaping through his wing healed over. The Earth Pony kept flicking his back hoof on some metal contraption. It took Rainbow Dash a while to see the thick cords and metal bindings running down the dragon's flank. One of his tail fins had been replaced by a red banner, which the pony was adjusting. There was a white shape on it, in the vague outline of a pony skull wearing a horned helmet. "Hey, Toothless, when'd you get that?" "This pony keeping us airborne took it out with a cannon shot." The dragon replied, surpressing a laugh. "This pony keeping you airborne saved your life more than once!" Hiccup replied, jabbing the dragon's shoulder again. "This dragon keeping you from splatting on the ground saved yours too!" Toothless snikered. "All but one leg." Rainbow Dash looked down at the pony's feet. Sure enough, one was missing from the knee down, and was replced by a crude metal skeleton. She felt pride at having such finely made armor. "Did you decide you were too hungry or something?" "A dragon did, but it wasn't me!" They all laughed for the rest of the flight, dying down to gentle speech as Rainbow Dash decided to go to sleep. She could sense the bond of family between them as she let her eyes shut. Raven carried Coronus by what little of his tail wasn't hiding scales. The colt was snoring peacefully in her grasp, swinging gently when she flapped. There wasn't much time left before Coronus woke up, but she wanted a nighttime start. For one thing, Luna didn't patrol her time as much as Celestia did. A few hours later, she landed at a lengthy gallop, slowing to a stop as Coronus manged to land directly into a tree. She pulled his wings out of the branches until he could struggle free. He landed on the ground belly-up, grunting as he scrambled to his feet. "Work on those landings, okay?" "Yeah, whatever." "Welcome to Berk. The village is just ahead." Fluttershy was standing at the edge of a cliff, which dropped almost straight down to the grassy floor. Inside the ring of stone, there was a wide lake and a few large trees, hidden from a distance. Some other pony said this place was 'Raven Point'. The little dragon had fluttered away once she landed, probably to go eat. She had told it over and over that she was sorry about her lack of speed, but it hadn't replied. At least, not in a language she knew. A filly, looking about Fluttershy's age, meandered out of the underbrush nearby. She had a spiked necklace, with matching bracers. A thick belt around her waist held a heavy-looking battle ax in place. On the other side of the band, there was a gathering basket. The filly's coat was an orange-yellow, with a blond mane and tail. Her mane and tail were done in thick braids, keeping it from falling in her eyes. She noticed Fluttershy and trotted over. "You're one of Toothless's friends?" "W-who are you? Who i-is Toothless?" She rolled her eyes. "My name's Astrid. Toothless is thie big black dragon that sent you a letter? With a Terrible Terror attached?" "Oh... yes, I'm here because of him. My n-name's Fluttershy." The filly was at least two hands taller than she was, and was looking down with a disappointed stare. "Well, welcome." She snarled the last word before galloping off around the outside of the cliff-ring. Watching her, Fluttershy vaguely remembered the mare that she and Liponite had encountered. Maybe the two were related. Toothless aced the landing, claws gripping the edge of the rooftop. Hiccup jumped off, followed by an uncertain Rainbow Dash. The dragon climbed down the wooden pillars built into the walls, getting to the ground with ease. Hiccup jumped right off the roof, landing safely on the wooden porch below. "C'mon down! We don't bite."
canonkiller	716	9	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:39:32+00:00	2011-10-09T17:39:32+00:00	1,095	Raven nudged Coronus ahead of her, trying to keep the pace up. The colt kept wandering off to investigate whatever was there, inculding bugs, snakes, and one lost sheep. They reached the top of the hill, and the village sprawled out below them. Buildings made of wood and mud and who-knows-what, worn dirt paths, a wooden dock streching from the edge of the cliff down to the water. Boats of various sizes and colours were floating along the dock, dragon-head bows bobbing. But on top of that, and the massive amounts of pony below, were the dragons. Coronus realized there were seven distiguishable types. One, which there seemed to only be a single one of, was his own father, snoring peacefully in the sun. There was a wyvren breed, with a tail covered in spikes. Another type of wyvren walked the paths, wings servicing as front legs. Another type, and definatley the most populous, was a small lizard-like thing, stealing food and screeching. A handful of the assembled breeds had two heads and two tails, while another was sausage-like, with stumpy wings and legs. The last breed was like a snake with legs, winding its' way down the dirt path with wings folded tight and tail swinging. "Come on, then." Raven suggested, prodding Coronus's flank. "I have places to be, you know." Coronus ignored her, bolting forward without warning. His entire body coursed with energy as he raised his head. "Dad! Dad, it's me!" Raven galloped after him, eyes stinging from some unseen object. She stopped, trying to wipe whatever it was away. When she held her hoof away from her face, she saw hairs. Short, orange hairs. Coronus ran on, oblivious to the coat shedding away from his paws and back. Large patches of scales were pushing through, shining like moondust in the light. Raven let out a few curses and chased after him again. As the dust settled, a single orange feather came to rest in the the center of the path. It's tip was ebony. Rainbow Dash hovered around Toothless, eyes narrowed as she investigated her new surroundings. There weren't many Pegasus, and even less Unicorns, but all of the Earth ponies were heavy-built or wire-muscled. Life looked pretty harsh, and a few of the buildings had old burn marks along the sides. "Dad!" She jerked her head up at the call. The voice... she knew that voice. Looking around, she could see an orange colt running down the side of the hill, followed closely by a black Pegasus mare. Toothless didn't seem to notice the cry. "Um, you remember how you shared a nest with Fluttershy that one time?" She stammered, watching Coronus's quick paws. "Mm-hm." The dragon growled, licking one paw. "Well," Rainbow Dash swallowed th elump in her throat, "there's something I have to tell you..." Coronus skidded to a stop, ears up and tail swinging. "Dad!" Rainbow Dash could hear Toothless's jaw hit the dirt. Fluttershy lifted her head as the red filly called her name. "Toothless wants to see you. Something about a colt?" She was off like a shot, weaving through the trees and bursting into the village. There. Coronus. His fur was shedding, she realized. The soft coat he had as a foal was blowing in the wind. The thought made her heart skip a few beats. His form was getting more like Liponite's, with a shorter stature and longer core. His wings had grown, and his paws streched up to his knees now. Most of his back had lost it's fur, and one wing was short a few feathers. Her baby. The thoughts, the memories, the love; it all came rushing back. This was her son, no matter the father. Her colt was losing himself. She knew it would happen. When it did... No. She couldn't think that way. His magic would be pure, and strong, and he would be fine. Wouldn't he? Toothless was still lying down, but his son was curled between his front paws, chattering on as his father gently licked his mane. Her baby. With a whinny of protest, she cantered down the path, stopping just long enough to spin and deliver a sharp kick to the side of Toothless's muzzle. Rainbow Dash and Coronus froze at the sight of the timid Pegasus. Raven was behind them, trying to look inconpsicious as she stared. Fluttershy snorted, head lowered. Toothless was still speechless from her attack. "I loved you!" She screamed, tears starting to run down her face. "I loved you and... and you left me! Your memory made me abandon my own son!" "I did nothing! I went home, and so did you!" Toothless countered, bruise showing on his scales. Rainbow Dash tried to cover Coronus's ears and hide his eyes, but he pushed her away, gently. She withdrew. Coronus stood up, avoiding brushing against his father's chin. "Mom? Dad?" They both fell silent, looking towards him. Both of their faces were calm. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I know I'm turning into a dragon. It's not anyone's fault, and there's nothing you can do. Either of you. Please, fighting won't make it any better." As he spoke, his fur continued to fall off, his muzzle shortened, his tail grew heavier and his mane withdrew. He switched to thought-speak. "I... I know it's coming, and... and I read up on it. My magic can't sustain speech much longer. I... I love you both... I love all of you..." The rest of his fur fell off, revealing glittering scales and bright eyes. The last of his feathers landed at his side. He started to back away. "I... I have to leave... I don't want to hurt you..." "Coronus! You don't have to go!" Raven cried out, running in front. "You could stay here..." But the young dragon was already running away, feathers spiralling around in his wake. Fluttershy was the first to move. Falling to her knees, she let out a heart-wrenching cry. Rainbow Dash struggled to withhold tears as she comforted the Pegasus. Raven hadn't moved from the path, her flanks heaving with silent sobs. Toothless slowly got to his feet and padded away, wings dragging on the ground. Coronus skidded to a stop, snapping his wings shut. Was this home? The streets were empty, barren. He couldn't read Ponytongue any more, couldn't understand the letters scrawled on posters that hung around. The scribbles were just that. Scribbles. Coronus sat down in the main plaza. It was so, so quiet. Like death had already come and gone. Coronus bared his teeth and strained, forcing his magic into shapes, ghostly ponies that began walking around the square, talking and going about their days. He forced them into noise, into shape, into clarity, illusions of life awakening all around him. He stopped, panting, morphed versions of his pony friends running about. Wincing against the instantaneous headache, he stumbled into Sugarcube Corner, past the illusions of Mr. and Mrs. Cake and collapsed on Pinkie's old bed. Shivering against the exertion, he closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep. The orbs... The orbs were flying... away... He was... falling...
canonkiller	716	10	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:42:14+00:00	2011-10-09T17:42:14+00:00	1,056	...Dear mother, oh father, how could you leave me alone to starve? Dear sister, oh brother, save me from a love that went too far... Coronus's head throbbed with the song. He couldn't remember where he had heard it before. He couldn't remember anything. His paws were moving, forward, mostly, towards the stairs. Down, down each one. Past the counters. Out the door. Everything was a black kind of spectrum in colour. Across the road. Down the road. Past a stand of apples. Past a restraunt. Past the Hall. On the grass. Why did everything look so vividly dull? Over the grass. Past a pond. Into a forest. Around a tree. Back out of the forest. Back into the grass. Everything... everything hurt... ...I'm sorry, so sorry, for all the pain that I have caused, I'm sorry, so sorry, For everything I have done wrong... The song hurt Fluttershy's ears as she charged into the wall again. The giant dome hit Ponyville in a layer of thick fog. Rainbow Dash had tested it for flaws. There were none. She charged it again, Coronus's unconcious mind-speak ringing in her ears. Her son was in there. Her son needed her. And yet again, she wasn't there for him. She had never been there for him. ... But this thing that grows inside me I know it's far too late To break down and beg for peace, In hope that this darkening shroud will break... Toothless howled in pain, forehead pressed against the dome. He could feel the magic eminating from the dome. He had seen ponies... they must have gotten out of the town. Somehow, they must have known something was going to happen. Moaning, he dragged his claws down the wall. It rippled around them like a balloon, keeping him out effectively. Raven was beside him, chanting spells to try and keep the voice out of her head. The noise burned at her memories, at her willpower. And for once in his life, Liponite felt powerless. Coronus's heart was breaking. ...Oh mother, dear father, how could you leave me alone to starve? Oh sister, dear brother, save me from a love that went too far... Twilight Sparkle groaned as the last echoes of the song faded away. Ditzy was leading, taking them out of danger. How had she known? Rarity was beside her, crying quietly. Spike was napping on Twilight's back. Pinkie's face was still dark, and Applejack had vanished to go and comfort Applebloom. Somewhere in this mass of ponies, patients were being pushed on gurneys, over terrible ruts and holes. Somewhere in the crowd, a young Sweetie Belle cried out for her mother, losing her in the sea of legs. Everywhere, hearts were breaking. ...I wish I knew what I had done Before the shadow grew inside me I wish I knew what I had done Before there was more than what I could see... Yelling in anger and frustration, Rainbow Dash pounded against the roof of the dome. There had to be a weak spot. Tears running down her face, she kicked again and again and again... Her heart beat fast as adrenaline rushed through her veins. The dome quivered, shining white beams lancing out from where she was kicking. Eyes blurred with tears, she couldn't see. Kicking again and again and again... The dome broke, peices dissovling before they hit the ground. All four creatures nearby fell inwards, shocked. The haunting song tore through their minds as they ran closer to the town. Coronus needed them. ...When did this really begin? Back when the sky was born? Life decided before my birth, Why am I the one that’s hurt?... Coronus sagged under the pressure. The dome... his dome... As the magicked dust fell down like rain, another part of him felt like it had been ripped out. His heart was gaping open, ready for the killing blow. His ponies were fading with the dome, the dust under their hooves untouched, their voices drowned out by the roaring in his head. His hearts were racing. His entire body was wracked with pain. He staying lying on his side for what seemed like years. It hurt, vaguely. But it was like thinking about someone else's pain. It was there. But it was indistinct. Coronus closed his eyes. His ebony scales shimmered once before turning as dull as the pebbles on the path. ...Dear mother, dear father, How did you let this get this far? Dear sister, dear brother, You are hope, my shining star... Fluttershy and Toothless both noticed the song fading. Running forward, elegant grace thrown away in the place of pure speed. Dust flew. Coronus, lying on the ground. The song dying, leaving, breaking... A heartbeat... a heartbeat... Coronus's body darkened, his own magic turning rough, from silk to sandpaper. He struggled free of his mother's grasp, out of his father's reach, almond eyes shut tight. A heartbeat... a heartbeat... He opened his eyes, whiter than snow, blazing against his black body. His form was blurring, scales wipsing smoke, form vanishing under the magicked hold. A heartbeat... a heartbeat... The young dragon folded back to his knees, and his scales turned brilliant white a giant pulse eminating from his core, the ground around him breaking, buildings falling, white sparks leaping and scurrying over the ground like rats. A heartbeat... a heartbeat... The light growing, drawing in rubble, seeming to grab objects and pull them to it's center. Toothless was enveloped with Fluttershy by his side. A heartbeat... a heartbeat... Rainbow and Raven fear coursing through their bodies as they flew in to rescue their friends. A heartbeat... a heartbeat... ... ... ... Silence
canonkiller	716	11	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-10-09T17:45:01+00:00	2011-10-09T17:45:01+00:00	1,386	Silence. Silence and darkness. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... "H-h-help! S-someone, please, help!" "Is someone there? Keep talking, we need to hear you! Where are you?" "I don't know cough I can't... I can't see!" "Sit tight. We're on our way." Suddenly, the blanket of darkness lifted. A stallion, middle-aged and wearing a heavy leather siut and oxygen mask. His face was hidden. All of him was hidden. The filly didn't resist the oxygen mask strapped onto her muzzle. She took a long, deep breath, the pressure on her chest not yet subsided. The air was thick with smoke and dust. Small fires burned where candles had tipped over or lamps had broken. A team of ponies flew water from the pond, slowly putting them out. This place... where was it? She couldn't remember ever seeing anything like it. All dusty and broken. Wait. A giant cupcake. THE giant cupcake. Sugarcube Corner? Than this was... Ponyville? Her Ponyville? Her rescuer, the stallion was still standing behind her. "My friends! My friends were here too! Have you found them?" "We have four confirmed. Near the forest. They've been waiting for you." A dirty blue Pegasus was collasped on the ground, rainbow mane in knots and good chunks missing. She was breathing. A black mare, wings extended slightly in sleep. Also breathing. Herself, dirtied but alive, pink mane in some state and pale yellow fur coated in mud. A dragon, snoring almost peacefully, his bulk covering most of the clear ground. Also breathing. Fluttershy sobbed to herself. The fourth found... The stallion galloped up. He kicked off his protective jacket, keeping the mask on for safety. The dark red coat was met with a golden mane and a green apple cutiemark. Without a word, Big Macintosh led Fluttershy aside, past rubble and dirt and mud and fire, over to a small group of ponies. As they approached, a small group moved aside. There was a matress, hauled out from the destruction. A blacket, thick and white and embroidered with small blue clouds. That was his blanket. or at least, it used to be... Fluttershy spread her wings to hide the matress. Gently pulling back the blanket's edge, she saw a rounded muzzle, eyes closed in peace, young ears short and round. She gently licked her son's head, eyes closed as tears ran down her cheeks and onto the scales below. It was a long time before Ponyville recovered. Nopony commented on the beginning or creator of the turmoil. The subject was a delicate one... it would be for a long time to come. Twilight Sparkle slaved over another book. The pages in front of where she had rechaed were empty. The ones behind were filled to the margins with text. The one she was on was steadily filling, muzzlewriting surprising elegant despite the length of the ink dip. The next word she wrote was 'Coronus'. Rarity tightened the last stitch. There were many dresses like this one that she had made recently. She took a dark coal heart, wound it through a gold chain, and slipped it around her own neck. Wiping the tears out of her eyes, she looked at herself in the mirror. The black dress, despite it's dreary colour, was a symbol. Of what, she couldn't grasp. Applejack whittled carefully, the knife in her jaw wobbling slightly. The sculpture was almost finshed. Dark red wood, with the curves of a dragon in flight, abstract but fully there. Setting the knife on the table, she lifted the wood ever-so-gently and placed it in her saddlebag. Pinkie Pie swept out the last of the grime, dust and dirt flying out of the open gates. Their elegant, winding metal forms were old, but strong. The party pony sighed and pushed the broom back under the table. Her happy heart was soft. Rainbow Dash dropped again, the wind bending around her. The trick was almost complete. She pulled up at the last moment, wings flaring into a matter-breaking sheet. The ripples of colour stayed in shades of orange and gray, with black, red and yellow streaks. She complemented herself on the presentation and landed. Fluttershy sat in front of the rounded stone. She couldn't bear to read the words. Their letters were that of judgement. If she looked, their inscription was truth. It couldn't be truth. There was a dragon beside her but she felt no fear from him. Just the same sadness that she had. Toothless set his jaw against his sadness. He could not cry. He was a reptile. They didn't cry. But he wanted to. He wanted to break down, to have tears streaming down his face, to have sobs wreching his lungs, to see evidence of his sadness on his cheeks. But dragons couldn't cry. The assembled animals waited in silence as the Elements of Harmony, minus one, proceeded forward. The box they carried was almost too much to bear. Fluttershy felt her heart break again. She moved aside as the other Elements placed the box into the hole. She finally looked up at the stone. Coronus Son of Fluttershy the Pegasus and Toothless the Night Fury May the rubble of the mountains become like stones in our hearts And for nowhere near the last time, Fluttershy cried over the grave of her son. And her heart was not the only one shaken.
canonkiller	716	12	Apple Bloom,Big Macintosh,Derpy Hooves,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Luna,Spike,Sweetie Belle,Crossover,Dark,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Shaken	As Fluttershy and Liponite's foal tries to fit in, he is met with cold stares and harsh remarks.	complete	9	3	<p>With his mother still haunted by his father's sudden leave, and his father far away in another land, the colt produced by the two has nobody to talk to that understands him. Trying to fit in is useless. He is warded off with cruel insults and hateful sneers. With nopony willing to love him for who he is, where will little Coronus go?</p><p><b>--------------------------------</b><br/><b> This story was written when I was 14, and the quality and content reflect that. Please be aware that my position on topics contained within may have changed in the time between publishing and now, and I apologize for any offensive material that I may have condoned in my younger years. </b></p>	everyone	2011-11-22T21:55:25+00:00	2011-11-22T21:55:25+00:00	979	Silence. Silence and darkness. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... "H-h-help! S-someone, please, help!" "Is someone there? Keep talking, we need to hear you! Where are you?" "I don't know cough I can't... I can't see!" "Sit tight. We're on our way." Suddenly, the blanket of darkness lifted. A stallion, middle-aged and wearing a heavy leather siut and oxygen mask. His face was hidden. All of him was hidden. The filly didn't resist the oxygen mask strapped onto her muzzle. She took a long, deep breath, the pressure on her chest not yet subsided. The air was thick with smoke and dust. Small fires burned where candles had tipped over or lamps had broken. A team of ponies flew water from the pond, slowly putting them out. This place... where was it? She couldn't remember ever seeing anything like it. All dusty and broken. Wait. A giant cupcake. THE giant cupcake. Sugarcube Corner? Than this was... Ponyville? Her Ponyville? Her rescuer, the stallion was still standing behind her. "My friends! My friends were here too! Have you found them?" "We have four confirmed. Near the forest. They've been waiting for you." A dirty blue Pegasus was collasped on the ground, rainbow mane in knots and good chunks missing. She was breathing. A black mare, wings extended slightly in sleep. Also breathing. Herself, dirtied but alive, pink mane in some state and pale yellow fur coated in mud. A dragon, snoring almost peacefully, his bulk covering most of the clear ground. Also breathing. Fluttershy sobbed to herself. The fourth found... The stallion galloped up. He kicked off his potective jacket, keeping the mask on for safety. The dark red coat was met with a golden mane and a green apple cutiemark. Without a word, Big Macintosh let Fluttershy aside, past rubble and dirt and mud and fire, over to a small group of ponies. As they approached, the group moved aside. There was a matress, hauled out from the destruction. A blacket, thick and white and embroidered with small blue clouds. That was his blanket. or at least, it used to be... Fluttershy spread her wings to hide the matress. Gently pulling back the blanket's edge, she saw a rounded muzzle, eyes closed in peace, young ears short and round. She gently licked her son's head, eyes closed as tears ran down her cheeks and onto the scales below. A heartbeat. "...Momma?"
Dreagar	719	1	Main 6,Other,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Stargate Universe: Revival	The crew of the Destiny find themselves out of stasis in the new galaxy. It's not what the expect.	hiatus	31	3	<p>May 9th 2014,<br/>Three years ago we entered stasis expecting sanctuary in this new galaxy; Three years ago we came close to defeat at the hand of an unparalleled drone army. Three years later we now hope to whatever deity or belief that for once, we can actually go one day without fear of our lives. </p><p>-A quote from Col. Everett Young as recorded by Eli Wallace.</p><p>Made for people unfamiliar to the Stargate franchise in mind.<br/>Currently on hiatus until I can come up with a good ending.</p>	everyone	2012-02-23T07:19:10+00:00	2012-02-23T07:19:10+00:00	3,227	We are going to survive. We are going to make it home. -A quote from Col. Everett Young as recorded by Eli Wallace. 3... 2... 1... Systems around Destiny hummed into life, subroutine by subroutine initialised, and with a chorus of complaints from the engines, Destiny dropped out of FTL. The first time in three years. On it's sensors Destiny detected the warm, life giving glow of a red dwarf on the outskirts of the galaxy. Having dropped out of FTL five astronomical units away, the ancient starship needed only to wait another hour before it could return to full operational capacity. And continue it's millennia old mission. Meanwhile in the ship's heart 70 humanoid life forms that had served as her crew stirred to life, each individual stasis pod retracting and releasing an occupant. -&- Dr. Nicholas Rush groaned as he called to action his weary and torn body in the prospect of seeing the results of his desperate plan. Beside him Young roused from his faux slumber turning to him with an expression, that read "Rush, did it work, or are we dead?". The -former- leader of Project Icarus' science team ignored the technically impaired colonel, deciding to instead, see if his protégé survived. -&- Lights flickered to life, giving colour to a grand ring of naquadah, 9 chevrons adorned the ring at regular intervals, inter-spaced with four arches containing each a unique glyph totalling at 36. One hastily constructed subroutine, out of the thousands of subroutines responsible for the ship to spin the object it referred to as an "Astria Porta", but more commonly as of late it had garnered a new name, the Stargate. First spinning clockwise the stargate revealed a top most glyph with a hum of energy the glyph glowed in a brilliant white, contrasting with the bronze and blacks adorning the ring. Again the stargate rotated counter-clockwise until a new glyph glowed to life. Of seven glyphs needed to open a link, 2 had been summoned. With 5 more spins each rotating opposite to the previous, the stargate finished and stood stock still. Energy piled in, thousands of kilojoules flowed through the superconductive naquadah penting up, bursting forth in a flush of light, to then retract and form a shimmering blue pool of energy. The horizon to an artificial yet stable wormhole. Out of the blue shimmer a shirt proudly presenting the fact, you are here, appeared along with the human named Eli Wallace. Or math boy, as his deeds would have it. Shaking off the horrible feeling of being disintegrated, stored in a buffer only to then be reintegrated, Eli was positively beaming at his attempt to defy death, and to a smaller extent, physics. -&- 25,000 Light years away Twilight Sparkle lay staring at the vast night sky, musing the thought of counting each and every star, how many years would that take, hundreds, maybe thousands? Then she shook her head at how long Princess Luna must have spent creating them, all unique all unimaginably distant. A soft smile touched her lips as she saw her pegasus pony friend soar through the air clearing more of the sky with every pass. Like usual the fastest flier in all of Equestria took no longer than a few seconds to finish her nightly routine of clearing the sky. Twilight yawned, content with this night's stargazing she stood up and trotted off the library's balcony and into her bedroom, snuffing out the candle with a thought before curling up on her bed. Groaning, she remembered her book on astronomy that had been left behind in her quest for a good night's rest. With a small exercise of will the book was wrapped in a purple aura, and without further ado, promptly levitated over to Twilight's bed stand - Spike would put it away, after all he was her no.1 assistant. That night rest was the last thing Twilight received. Visions of a dark, metal, behemoth drifting through space, shards of an intelligence many thousands of years wise, but most of all twilight saw a ring of darkness surrounding a standing pool of water shining through the night, the stars so similar yet odd at the same time looking down on the scene. She woke in cold sweat. "Twilight..., wake up sleepy head, Spike told me to make sure you woke up on time for the royal visit!" An insufferable ball of smiling pink joy filled Twilight's vision prompting her to moan in mock agony. "Five more minutes, please, just 5 more." Twilight begged her tormentor. "Nope, nope and nope, silly!" Beamed the earth pony named Pinkamena Diane Pie, or just Pinkie Pie. Rising groggily from her bed Twilight observed that despite Pinkie Pie's ability to wake her for Spike, she didn't seem to fully understand the concept of being on time. The shock of discovering she had only two hours instead of the five she planned to use in preparation for the Royal visit was more than enough to wake her. Twilight sprung out of bed nearly toppling Pinkie if it weren't for the fact Pinkamina had an odd tendency to teleport the second you looked away. Looking around Twilight's horn glowed furiously as books and papers began flying around. Pinkie smiling the entire time a normal pony would be scared for their lives. "Where -are- the plans!?" Twilight cried in fearful frustration. "You mean this?" Pinkie held a clipboard displaying a list of bullet points and tick boxes. "Oh." Twilight stared sheepishly at the piece of paper in the filly's mouth. "Thanks, Pinkie" Twilight said trying to not look completely stupid "Anyway you should probably go and set up the festivities, that'll be one thing off this list." "Okie, Dokie, Loki!" chirped Pinkie as she bounded out of the lobby. Encompassing the door with a soft purple aura Twilight exited the library to find herself in a Ponyville filled with joyful anticipation of the upcoming regal visit. Earth ponies trotted here and there with saddles containing assorted decorations, whilst pegasus ponies flew about hanging up banners and taming the weather to perfection. Unicorns trotted around crafting exquisite decorations and for some, selling exquisite articles clothing. "Why hello darling, you look simply dreadful here, let me fix your mane" Twilight smiled empathetically, Rarity could be surprisingly obsessive sometimes, but Twilight had learned to see the generosity in Rarity's acts. After all, who better to prepare you for a royal visit than the best fashion pony in Equestria? "Thanks, Rarity I'm just so nervous" "Don't be Darling, no one knows the Princesses better than you." she hummed as a levitating brush fixed Twilight's unruly mane. Twilight knew she was right, but it didn't lessen her anxiety. Trotting off with slightly more confidence Twilight Sparkle set off down the main street in search of anything to tick on her list. Slowly, as boredom set in, her thoughts returned to the nightmare. What did it mean? Often times the dreams of a unicorn could hold glimpses of the past, present and future. Every dream was of value. Yet it had been so strange, she stopped dead in her tracks. The stars, would they be the key to locating that ring? No, she was being silly, she had read that pony psychiatrists believed the mind does not produce accurate depictions of the night sky in dreams, regardless of the pony in questions' knowledge of astronomy. Anyways, Twilight concluded, there's no point dwelling on dreams moments before a royal visit! Speeding up to make for lost time, Twilight Sparkle trotted down the road undeterred yet still puzzled. ------ Writer's note, This is my first ever published fan fiction, or for that matter story and thus I would really appreciate constructive criticism, also I'm sorry for the abundance of English slang. I really don't know a lot of the American or Canadian alternatives. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this fic more will come :D Update, Major spelling improvements via Microsoft Word. MASSIVE changes to wording, this is strictly no shipping! Special Thanks to Soronos for reminding me to slow down and proof read!
Dreagar	719	2	Main 6,Other,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Stargate Universe: Revival	The crew of the Destiny find themselves out of stasis in the new galaxy. It's not what the expect.	hiatus	31	3	<p>May 9th 2014,<br/>Three years ago we entered stasis expecting sanctuary in this new galaxy; Three years ago we came close to defeat at the hand of an unparalleled drone army. Three years later we now hope to whatever deity or belief that for once, we can actually go one day without fear of our lives. </p><p>-A quote from Col. Everett Young as recorded by Eli Wallace.</p><p>Made for people unfamiliar to the Stargate franchise in mind.<br/>Currently on hiatus until I can come up with a good ending.</p>	everyone	2012-02-23T07:19:18+00:00	2012-02-23T07:19:18+00:00	2,528	It was never about going home. It's about getting us to where we're going. That... is... the mission. -A quote from Dr. Nicholas Rush as recorded by Eli Wallace. "Tamara, go and see if everyone's okay. As for me I'm going to babysit Rush, there's no telling what he might end up doing." Lt. Tamara Johansen nodded grimly and left for the other pods. With a sigh the old Colonel set off after Rush. "Rush, we had an agreement!" "Fine. You want to know what I know? Nothing. Bloody nothing. For all we know, it could have been millennia since we entered stasis, for all we know, life support might have failed and we are breathing the last wisps of oxygen on the entire ship!" "Okay Rush, give me positives. What DO we know?" "There is air, but I take it you know that. And there may well be scraps of energy left." -&- Eli rounded a corner sighting the unmistakable button, he leaned on it forcing the nearby door to unlock then open. Before him stood Destiny's Observation Deck, the room was spheroid in shape although flattened with a sweeping glass window displaying the ship's fore and the space above it. "Wow.“ Eli exhaled taking in the vast galaxy before him only to notice Destiny's trajectory. A star! They were flying into a star! -&- Trillions of watts pulsed through power conduits performing a routine as old as the ship, strings of energy coalesced into a weave of light, enclosing the ship with an amber aura. Moving at speeds almost unthinkable Destiny drew close to the ageing star. Crimson and orange light intermingled flooding through each and every window as the ship plunged closer and closer to the star. Ripples of plasma boiled on the star’s surface as jets of energy poured out only to return to the star's electromagnetic allure. Destiny for all it's grandess was dwarfed by even the smallest of events, but the challenger pushed forward closer and closer to the rippling mass. The shields shone with untold stress at the sheer pressure of resisting 27.14g of gravitational force whilst buffering 6,740 Fahrenheit of sheer heat, all the while blocking 375,000 trillion trillion lumens of photons barraging each and every side of the ship. Yet the challenger pushed forwards, fighting its way to the core. Elsewhere on the ship solar collectors the size of small apartment buildings lowered themselves closer to the sea of plasma. An unmistakeable buzz of life surged through the ship light after light flickered on, system after system clicked into full gear. All the while Eli stood beaming at a show well done. -&- "Where's Eli?" Chloe asked, a hint of desperation evident in her tone. "Here!" Eli grinned, maybe everything was going to work out alright. Chloe rushed to hug the bemused Eli who gently patted her on the back in a failed attempt to return the gesture. "So, Eli, tell us. How did you survive without fixing your pod?" a stunned Rush asked. "Well, that’s kinda a long story." "Well I want to hear it." The colonel was not taking no for an answer. -&- Three years ago Destiny had to escape an army of robotic drones lest she be destroyed along with her crew, to save the ship Rush and Eli calculated a solution in which they would use their intergalactic Faster than Light engines, in favour of the extragalactic but power thirsty alternative, to navigate through and beyond this far-flung galaxy and into the next. However due to the extremely limited energy supplies aboard, the crew would be required to exist in stasis, conserving power necessary to finish the journey, a three year long journey. There was one catch to this brilliant plan. The ship hosted 71 crew members and only 70 functioning cryostasis pods. Someone had to stay behind. After a heated debate Eli elected to stay behind, in hopes that with all his knowledge he could find a solution before his week of life support ended. Only on the last day of his week Eli came up with an idea. Earlier in a desperate attempt to fix his pod, he used a device known as the ancient communication stones. The device was capable of communication at any distance in real time however for it to work a user must be on both sides of the "line" and must swap consciousness with the other. Calling in Cmdr. Samantha Carter, Eli had her look over the stasis pods in hope that Earth's foremost leader in alien technology would have a solution. She didn't. However as he slept that very night, a vision came to him. Teal'c of the free jaffa nation, a human turned slave by the egotistic Goa'uld race and freed by the peoples of Earth, entered a stargate but before he could exit, it shut off. Samantha had worked day and night to free him from his prison inside the buffer of a stargate. That was the key Eli thought, if he could store himself inside the stargate's buffer he would use no energy from the ship and would stay perfectly frozen in time! You see, wormholes can only transmit energy, not matter. So the ancients overcame the problem by converting matter into energy, sending it through the wormhole, and then converting that energy back to matter. As a safety feature, all of an object had to be de-materialised before it was sent, so in every stargate there is a buffer that can store the de-materialised form of any creature for any period of time. A perfect solution! -&- "Fascinating as your story is Eli, we both know that anything could have happened in our absence and that, that stunt you pulled may very well have cost us those last volts of power needed to remain in FTL!" Eli cringed at Rush’s scalding words, but only a little, after all it was Rush. Rush turned and left the room with Eli quickly following, after a short walk they arrived at the bridge, a large square room with a circular depression where an array of consoles and chairs ordered at the front with a raised captain's chair centre-stage. Quickly planting himself on the captains chair Rush leaned to the side and tapped a few commands in. Eli, knowing the routine sat in the console responsible for system diagnostics. "Okay, year is 2014, so at least it hasn't been that long, uhh ship looks okay but I'm no expert. Annnndddd no drones in sight!" "Good. At least that worked out." Rush had relief painted all over his face, it was almost humorous. -&- "Listen up everyone, the colonel's got something to say." Master Sergeant Ronald Greer announced, Greer always looked up to Young, in his opinion, he was the type of leader this world needed. A flying orb Greer knew to be a kino flew by him and settled above the crowd to film Young's speech. With an intake of breath he began. "May 9th 2014, Three years ago we entered stasis expecting sanctuary in this new galaxy; Three years ago we came close to defeat at the hand of an unparalleled drone army. Three years later we now hope to whatever deity or belief that for once, we can actually go one day without fear of our lives. I have had the pleasure of knowing each and every one of you as not only crew, but friends. This new galaxy, Rush tells me, is very similar to our own milky way, it seems so far that the drones have not followed us across this void, but if they do, we will be ready for them. This is our ground, we have the advantage and I suspect everyone agrees we will use it on those bastards. Until then I suggest everyone go see Lt. Johansen for medical checkups." With some sparse clapping and a few murmurs of agreement the crowd dissolved. Young prayed silently that he was right. ------- Writer's note, Sorry for the lack of ponies, but this part had to be done :D I promise much pony when Destiny next jumps into FTL! And please don't forget to add your 2 cents of constructive criticism, I'm not a professional, but this will help me in preparation for my GCSEs.
Dreagar	719	3	Main 6,Other,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Crossover,Human,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Stargate Universe: Revival	The crew of the Destiny find themselves out of stasis in the new galaxy. It's not what the expect.	hiatus	31	3	<p>May 9th 2014,<br/>Three years ago we entered stasis expecting sanctuary in this new galaxy; Three years ago we came close to defeat at the hand of an unparalleled drone army. Three years later we now hope to whatever deity or belief that for once, we can actually go one day without fear of our lives. </p><p>-A quote from Col. Everett Young as recorded by Eli Wallace.</p><p>Made for people unfamiliar to the Stargate franchise in mind.<br/>Currently on hiatus until I can come up with a good ending.</p>	everyone	2012-02-23T07:19:26+00:00	2012-02-23T07:19:26+00:00	3,220	Everyone thinks we're safe. They think that they'll never find us again. We're not safe, are we? -A quote from Chloe Armstrong as recorded by Eli Wallace. Luna smirked, she could feel their presence in her night sky, how long had it been since a descendant of the Alteran line had been here? Thousands, no, it had been so many millions of years. Luna's heart panged in sympathy, she would've helped them, she wanted oh so desperately to. but sadly she could not help them, nor their descendants. Sighing she gave a knowing glance to her sister. Celestia, not one to look on the bad side, returned the glance with one that read "You know I have the solution. Just ask.". Shaking her head Luna tried her best to look good for the visit, ponies made such a big deal of their visits. On one hoof, they looked up to her and her sister, after all they were living goddesses. But in the end, how powerful really is a goddess? Does her ability to bend space and time prove her right, even the earth pony Pinkie Pie could do that. But no one realised. They looked only as far as their hoof could stretch. Trumpets blared to signal their arrival as if being on a flying chariot was not enough. With a landing smoothed after many years of rehearsal their chariot became land bound once more. With a nudge from celestia Luna picked herself up and faced the crowd of cheering ponies. The day played out like normal, interviews and unrestrained glee brightened her mood, if Celestia couldn't cheer her up, her beloved subjects would. -&- As the sun kissed the horizon, Luna's horn glowed for a second of concentration as the moon began to show itself, darkening the sky to reveal the stars. "You know I can never stop enjoying the beauty of your night sky, even if I hold no domain over it." "Says the one who banished me for a thousand years" Luna jested. "As much as I love the night sky, you know as well as I do that life needs this balance we maintain. The sun warms the air and gives light for ponies to see, the moon gives cool respite and helps ponies sleep." Celestia as level headed as ever replied. "Anyways, I think your little plan had to do with your student, and the Elements of Harmony." "It's hard to keep a secret from you Luna, and yes, it does. Although we cannot interfere with the humans directly, we can help them indirectly." "Thanks sis." Luna's eyes swelled with relief. -&- Twilight Sparkle had eagerly waited for the crowd to thin before she could get a chance to talk to her mentor about more important things like magic. Now that they were alone she could talk about the complexities of magic in peace. "Princess Celestia!" "My faithful Student Twilight Sparkle, I'm guessing you wanted to talk?" Celestia smiled at Twilight, she was one of the few ponies Celestia could rely upon. "I wanted to talk about the Barovachi calculations, is it true that there could be space beyond our own? That would definitely explain teleportation's ability to exceed the speed of magic." "Now that would be telling, however I do believe you have already experienced a clue." Twilight's brow furrowed in thought about that point. "Could it be my nightmare?" "I wouldn't know unless you told me." "Oh, right." Twilight started explaining last night in as much detail as possible, even depicting part of her morning electing a giggle from Celestia. "Princess Luna, you've been very quiet, are you okay?" Luna was acting strange. "Everything's fine, Twilight, anyways since we have all night let's explore this Ring of darkness you found." With a surprising determination Princess Luna started off in what appeared to be a random direction. "Uhh, no offence Princess Luna, but why are you going ahead, we haven't even calculated the position." "Oh, " Luna mumbled sheepishly. Derp. "Luna, dear sister, no one knows the stars better than you, why don't you lead the way." Silently thanking Celestia Luna set off again. Why must she be constrained by these boundaries? Why must she pretend? -&- The stargate had stood inactive for millennia patiently absorbing data and energy for a routine mission, and then it would be forgotten like the rest of it's model. If the stargate had an intelligence it would've been sad. However it did not, it reminded itself. No if it didn't have intelligence how could it remind itself, it thought. Hastily attempting to escape a logic collapse the stargate once again pretended not to be somewhat alive. Confound these ponies. It thought. They drive me to conception. -&- Not 1000 hoofs away Rainbow Dash attempted to follow Twilight, whatever they were doing it would be so awesome. Giving the signal Rainbow Motioned for Fluttershy to tell the others something was up. The element of Loyalty was not about to let her friend get herself into a mess. Fluttershy squeaking at the sudden call to action quietly attempted to fly away not realising their antics were very humorous to the living deities. "Pst. uhh. The cat... has left... the bag? Oh poor thing I hope it's alright." "Oh, silly, it's an expression, Twilight's not a cat." "Oh, um ok." "Ah don't know 'bout y'all but I'm mighty interested in what Twilight's got up to." "You wouldn't suppose we need to get any formal attire, besides, does my mane look good?" "Sugar cube, it looks fine, now quit your dallying and get to it, we got a Twilight to spy on." -&- After meeting up with Rainbow Dash the group continued to follow Twilight and the Princesses. Fluttershy gave a whimper "What... what is that." "Ooh, pretty I wonder if It likes parties!" "Pinkie, does that look like a pony?" Dash nearly facehoofed. "No but..." "Sigh anyways if we can be quiet, we might hear them talking." On that note the group continued quitely observing the other smaller party. An audible gasp from Twilight could be heard when the thing appeared in her line of sight. "What. Is it?" "That I cannot tell you, Twilight Sparkle however, maybe the magic of friendship might." Twilight dwelt on that before coming up with nothing. "Hmm..."Running her horn around the object twilight felt almost no magic. Celestia laughed "I guess it does like parties!" to no one in particular. "Told'ya!" "Shh" Rainbow unwilling to admit defeat. "Celestia, I don't get it, it's nothing but a big, stone ring." "Why don't you try to talk to it, connect with it." "Uhh. Hello?" grunting Twilight tried a different approach, using a telekinetic wave of energy she hoped that something might respond. It did. With a screech the device activated, chevrons lighting up, before spinning on it's ramp. With the 7th glyph glowing the stargate settled, but before Twilight was de-materialised by the outburst of energy a mighty. "Twilight, I'ma coming!" shook her out of the stupor. Violently rolling down the ramp from the force of a full grown farm pony flying at you, Twilight was safely illuminated by the pool of light. "How, how did you know?" "When sumthin nasty is about to happen, there's got ta be a pause before." "Wait, roll back, Why are you here? Have you been following me?" Twilight complained in mock anger "We couldn't leave you behind, why else?" "Thanks guys." "Hey. No problem. You just owe me one." Rainbow dash declared proudly despite having done nothing the whole time. "Anyways, I have a mission for you Twilight sparkle, and the Elements of Harmony. Find out what this is, and find out what it leads to." This time it was Luna's turn to glare at her sister "Lead to..? It's just a puddle." "Just a guess" ------ Writer's note, Writing the pony parts are far more enjoyable, I hope I kept the humour and light-heartedness of MLP:FiM while writing this. Also once again I beg for constructive criticism.
Rex Ivan	720	1	Pinkie Pie,Rarity,Twilight Sparkle,Comedy,Romance,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	You Know you want it ... I think	Twilight X Pinkie SEX number	complete	146	8	<p>Twilight Sparkle casts a spell that allows her to see how many sexual partners every pony in Ponyville has had, and she has to deal with her own reactions to what she sees. Comedy that deals with adult situations in a childish way. Nothing very explicit at all.</p><p>This was for a writing group, using the theme of "write MLP fiction based off of a song". My song of choice is 'Everyone Else has had More Sex than Me" by TISM. I suggest watching the video on youtube to better understand this story.</p><p>EDIT: Comments contain spoilers, and a very short omake (meaning non canonical, but fun anyway) epilogue by Fluttersnipe.</p><p>MLP and the song this story is based from are NOT mine in any way, and are the properties of their respective owners only. This is a fan work.</p>	teen	2011-09-03T19:43:17+00:00	2011-09-03T19:43:17+00:00	12,125	You Know You Want It … I Think WTG week 7 – theme based off of a song Song of Choice: Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwNVE37BGVE By Rex Ivan * Males of the orb-weaver spider (genus Argiope) die in copula without female 'collaboration', as was previously suspected due to observations of similar cannibalistic spider species. Further study has provided evidence of an immediate and invariable death of the male during insertion of their second tier reproductive organs, regardless of whether they mate with a newly moulted defenseless female or an older mature female that would be prone to attack. Twilight Sparkle read the description again, out loud this time. She closed the book with a sigh and turned to her dragon familiar. “You see Spike, the male spider would rather die than not engage in an act that would further the population of his species. Whether it's due to instinct or the choice to follow his libido, has no real bearing on the outcome. He still performs the act and he still dies. He doesn't care what happens to him, as long as he is able to be with another in the most intimate of ways. Don't you see, Spike?!” “Um … no, not really? Hey … did you get any sleep last night? Is that why you're thinking about odd ball stuff so early in the morning?” The baby dragon eyed her over his bowl of garnet and topaz stones. She let out a sign of frustration and disgust before trying to explain. “What I mean, Spike, is that there are creatures out there copulating right now for the first, last, and only time in their entire existence. They are ready and willing to give up their lives for the progress of the 'herd', as it were. However, our species doesn't have to worry about that, at least not to my knowledge.” She paused and put a hoof to her chin in thought for a moment. “Well, even if there were somepony with an affliction like that, they would be in an incredibly small minority. So, to spell it out, there should very well be SOME pony around here willing to treat me to a roll in the hay.” Spike nearly choked on his breakfast. After a sputtering and gagging fit, he was able to get himself under control to ask the question that concerned him most. “You've never gone after this sort of thing before, Twilight. Why now? Did something happen?” “It was last week, after Rainbow Dash got back from her 'private lessons' with the Wonder Bolts. That was the first thing that set me off. Would you believe that I ACTUALLY thought she was getting flying lessons from them? Real flying lessons, I mean. I felt so silly when she had to take me aside and explain to me what they had been doing. Oh, that was embarrassing in so many ways.” She took a long slurp of the highly caffeinated cold beverage sitting on her desk before continuing. “It really made me see how naive I've been towards everything. It all fell into mortifyingly clear focus when I recalled the excuses our friends use, and the frequency with which they use them. The 'special private parties' Pinkie throws for her stallion friends, the times Rarity asks her debutant suitors over for 'tea', and all the 'special family reunions' on Apple Jack's farm that nopony else is allowed to drop in on; everything all falls into place with retrospect. I just feel like a total foal for not seeing it sooner. So after you eat your breakfast I'm going to need you to help me hunt down some volumes for me while I work on a plan to fix this problem.” “OK, first off, Rarity really does just have tea with her socialite friends. She wouldn't lie about that, Twilight. Really.” Spike shot her a stern look, causing her to momentarily stop working on the diagram she was beginning to sketch out. She gave him a small sad smile and allowed him to continue. “Secondly, how do you know that they're actually rolling in each others hay, or how ever you want to put it? Do you have any real proof of that, or is this just your imagination running wild from sleep deprivation?” “Spike, you don't need sleep when you've got Awake-Alert Spells. Well, you don't need MUCH sleep.” She took another long sip from her cup. “But, honestly, Spike I don't really expect you to make these connections, since you still have as innocent a mindset as I had up until recently.” “Humph! Last I heard, having an innocent mind wasn't a crime. Besides, even if your friends are all doing their own thing, so what? It's not like it's something you've never done yourself. Twilight …? Are you OK? You dropped your pencil.” “I'm fine Spike. Finish up your breakfast, and then I have some chores for you to do out in town.” She hurried about her drawing desk moving a protractor and straight edge to mark down a few shapes on the page. “Didn't you just say that you needed me to get a few books for you?” “That was before I remembered the things you have to do in town today. There are a lot of them too, so you should hurry up and finish eating so you can get started. As it is you'll likely be out all day or nearly so.” She concentrated until the glowing tip of her horn burst into a flash of light, producing a sizable stack of paper on the table in front of her assistant. “Best hurry along then.” * After he had left, Twilight realized that Spike may very well have been right. She could very well have been blowing the entire situation out of proportion. She had no real way of knowing just how active all the residents of Ponyville were in their bedtime endeavors. She did, however, know of a way she could find out. It took most of the morning for Twilight to find the proper spell book and gather the components for it. After a few rehearsals she made the cast. This one seemed to go off with a minimum of flash and spectacle. She was glad of this, since she didn't really want to have to explain something so embarrassing to the rest of the town. She tested her new ability with a glance in the mirror. Her joy that the spell had worked was quickly overshadowed by the implications of the singular red numeral printed just above her cutie mark. She knew that when she walked outside every other pony would have a number as well. She knew that she would be the only one able to see the bright red numbers, but it didn't spare her the embarrassment of knowing that hers would be the lowest one. Twilight slowly felt her heart sinking into her stomach. She turned away from her reflection with half a frown. She looked back again to the book still open on her desk. “What a horrible sense of humor you have … “ She scowled down at the book, her shoulders hunching slightly. “I guess ... I should have specified that I wanted you to show me the number of ponies, BESIDES one's own self, that everypony has had sexual encounters with.“ She frowned deeper as she turned to stared down at the red number 'one' magically stamped on her upper flank. She felt her eyes start to swell with tears, before crushing them back with clenched eyelids. “Fine. You want to be a jerk of a spell book, that's just fine. I ought to toss you in the fireplace right now.” Slowly the book closed itself and floated up to it's rightful place in the shelf on the far wall. “I'll remember this next time I need anything from YOU.” * It took about another half hour before Twilight was emotionally prepared to journey outdoors. What greeted her nearly made her want to turn right around, lock the door, and go cry in her pillow till the spell had worn off. “T … thank you … I was expecting this letter … today.” The cock-eyed mail mare laughed dimly and nodded before flying off to make her next delivery. Twilight watched her fly off, all the while staring at the double digit number emblazoned just above her cutie mark. She sighed to herself. “Observe objectively. Observe objectively.” She whispered the mantra to herself as she walked down the street looking at the ponies all passing by, sneaking a glance at their flanks as casually as she could without seeming like a pervert. After a while, Twilight began to doubt if it matter that she looked like a pervert or not. Judging from the numbers she was seeing, she wouldn't be surprised if most ponies were completely indifferent to her staring at rump. At length Twilight found herself standing outside of Carousel Boutique. She stood at the door a moment, partially frowning as she found herself wondering if she really wanted to know. After taking a deep long breath, she opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately she was greeted by her smiling unicorn friend, who seemed to have been making her way to the door as Twilight walked in. “Oh, what a surprise, Twilight Sparkle. What brings you to my FABulous establishment today?” “Oh … you know me. I'm just wandering around aimlessly … looking ...” Twilight craned her neck to look past the violet ribbon of hair that coiled between her sight and her friend's flank. “Oh … really? Well, I've never known you to be one to aimlessly do anything. Could it be that … perhaps, you've heard of the new dress designs I'm working on?” “Well … yes! You caught me. That's just what I was wondering about.” Twilight smiled sheepishly as lied to her friend. “Oh HO! You can't fool me. Here, I've only just finished touching up my latest pattern. Come over this way and I'll present them to you.” Rarity turned to walk over to one of the dress maker's ponies standing silently in the corner. “Now, if you'll just notice this … Twilight? Oh, my deary, are you feeling alright? You suddenly look so pale. Here, let me help you lie down, and I can fetch you a nice soothing cup of tea. It's so relaxing and it will- Twilight, wait! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” She shouted after the galloping purple unicorn to no avail. “Well! It's not like I asked her to model anything for me … “ With a slight pout the seamstress walked back into her shop. * As Twilight sped down the street, all the ponies zooming past turned to a blur of bright colors. No details were attached to any of them, except for the red numbers that burned their way into her mind. Single digits blended together as she ran, turning to double digits before being added to more numerals and compounding exponentially in Twilight's mind. Mathematics ran a muck as they overtook the rational processes in the unicorn's brain, and soon, she found herself unintentionally calculating pi to the twentieth decimal place. She clenched her eyes shut as she moved forward, trying not to scream out in frustration as tears began to stream down her face. THUMP! Twilight opened her eyes to see who she had collided with. As her vision began to focus, she was greeted with a bright red number marked onto a wine colored coat, inches away from her face. Twilight blinked several times before her head cleared enough to realize that the pony laying on top of her wasn't moving very much at all. She shook her head as she sat up, and more fervor fell away from her brain. She managed to pull herself out from under the heap of an earth pony before realizing that she had run right into Berry Punch. Predictably, the pony smelled of liquor and now seemed to be taking a nap in the middle of the street. Twilight reached down to wrap a leg around her shoulders and drag her towards the side of a nearby building, where she could sleep it off without getting run down again. Looking down again at Berry Punch's number, she sighed deeply and began walking away. “I wonder how many of those you even remember.” She spoke half heartedly as she mumbled the question into the air. “How many of what, Twilight?” Pink fluff immediately filled her vision as a very exuberant earth pony bounced down from a nearby tree. The shear strange and sudden appearance was enough to make Twilight momentarily forget what she had been doing. “Uh … I … tree? Pinkie, what are you ...” Twilight quickly snapped her eyes shut. “Twilight? Are you OK? What's up?” The little pink pony bounced from side to side, while Twilight tried to make her way out of the street. “Twiiiiiillliiiiiight. Are you playing a new game? OH OH OH! I wanna play the 'Stagger Through the Street' game too! Do you just have to close your eyes and walk around without bumping into things.” “No, Pinkie. I'm not playing a game. I need your help.” Twilight reached her hooves out in front of her searchingly. “Oh. Well, sure. I can help you. Here.” Pinkie reached out to grab the lid of Twilight's right eye and wrench it open. “There, now you can see where you're going.” “No! Pinkie, I don't want to see. I just want to get back home without seeing any … oh no. Oh Celestia … it's over nine thousand … Pinkie how is that even possible ...” Twilight backed away as both of her eyes shot open and stared unblinkingly at the pink earth pony's rump. “What do you mean, Twilight? Is something wrong?” Twilight looked up from her friend's flank, into her sweet clear blue eyes, and stared for a moment longer before breaking into tears in the middle of the street. “Twilight … what's wrong? Oh my. Hey, silly filly, you need to turn that frown upside down, and I know how to help that happen. Follow me.” Pinkie grabbed Twilight by the hoof and pulled her along, bouncing down the street. Twilight allowed herself to be tugged behind the smiling pink pony in full view of the entire town, while tears still streamed down her face. *** After arriving at Pinkie's room above the Sugar Cube Corner Bakery, Twilight found herself sitting at a table with a fresh cut slice of strawberry pie in front of her. She looked absent mindedly toward her host as Pinkie passed over a napkin. Twilight took it from her and dried her face before looking down at her plate again. “It always helps me, when I'm feeling glum, to get out what's on my mind while sharing some baked goods. So … do tell? What's wrong?” Pinkie's shining face peered at Twilight. “Do … do you need a party?! Because we could totally throw one RIGHT NOW!” Streamers began to fall from the ceiling and confetti shot up from somewhere beneath the table. “No! No, Pinkie, please … no parties. Not just now.” The purple unicorn looked down again at her slice of pie. “Oh. OK then.” The streamers promptly retracted into some unseen portal in the ceiling, while the confetti seemed to dissolve into nothingness before it hit the floor. “So then, will you still be able to tell me what's wrong?” “I … oh Pinkie, you wouldn't understand. No pony would. Not with the experiences you've had. You would only laugh at me for being a silly pony.” “Of course I'll laugh, Twilight. I love to laugh. Maybe that's what's wrong, then? You just need to laugh more. I can fix that you know.” “No Pinkie, it's not that. It's,” Twilight let out a long deep breath before continuing, “ … it's that everypony else has had more sex than me. I hate it, and I don't know how to fix it.” “What? … Twilight … is that honestly all that's bothering you?” Pinkie looked genuinely surprised at her friend. “See, I knew you would make light of it, that's why I didn't bring it up.” Twilight looked back down at her dessert and sniffed a little bit. “Oh, don't be so down on yourself. I know JUST how to fix this.” With that she pulled a red marker out of thin air and proceeded to write two extra digits in front of the 'one' that was printed on Twilight's flank. “There. See! All better now!” “Wait, WHAT?! How are you able to see that? And for that matter how is that supposed to make me feel any better at all?” Twilight's worried face looked up toward her friend. “This is what you were so upset over, wasn't it? Over a silly little number? Well there, it's not so little anymore. TADA! PINKIE FIXES EVERYTHING!!” She threw her hooves up into the air triumphantly. “No … NO! No, that didn't fix ANYthing at all. I still know that I'M the only lover I've ever had, and it still feels horrible. Changing the number didn't actually change anything in reality.” “Twilight.” Pinkie's tone was lower as she spoke, and her smile had faded mostly from her face. “What does it matter really how many sexy buddies you've been around? It's not a popularity contest … and if you're treating it that way, then you're looking at a pretty ugly type of popularity.” “I know that, but … but I would like it if SOME other pony were to accept me intimately enough to invite me into bed, even if it's just in a purely physical way.” Twilight sniffed again “Then what? What would you do after they did? Would you stay with them forever and ever? Or would you move on to try to find another one? Maybe then another after that? When would it be enough? For that matter, when it DID finally get to be enough, would you even be able to remember them all? There's no use in being so worried over something that you're just going to forget right away, or somepony you're just going to forget either. I mean, it IS fun while you're there in the moment, but after that, they all just kind of … turn into a number.” “Pinkie … I … I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it seem like I was making the mistake of quantity over quality. It's not that I want to gorge my libido on the company of strangers. It's just that … I don't want to be so totally left out and alone. You know?” Pinkie smiled broadly again. “HEE! No need to worry. It looks like I was the one who made the mistake. You don't want a bigger number just for the sake of having it. You want to be wanted, even if it's just by one other pony. I can take care of that too. Right now!” Her smile didn't falter as she jumped across the table at her friend. Twilight's eyes went wide as she was tackled to the floor. With her superior earth pony strength, Pinkie wasted no time pinning the purple unicorn's shoulders to the floor with her front hooves while straddling her lower legs over Twilight's midsection. “Wait! WAIT, Pinkie! Please wait, just a moment!” “The Pinkie does not know the meaning of that word, AND you did not say it in the form of a question. That's a DOUBLE penetration penalty! Would you like to try again for double the points or go for the physical challenge?” Pinkie's eyes widened and her smile stretched wider than it had been all day, causing Twilight to break into a cold sweat. “No, I'm being serious, Pinkie. REALLY this time! Um … Won't you please wait?” Twilight looked up at her with worrying eyes. Pinkie's smile vanished and her brow lowered as she studied her friend for a moment. Suddenly her expression brightened again. “Oh you really WERE being serious. My bad. I just realized that I didn't tell you what the safe word was. That could have really been a mess. By the way it's 'Glandhammer'. Keep that in mind.” Still sitting on top of Twilight she peered down at her, now a more normal expression of mirth on her face. “So what are we waiting for?” “First, could you get off of me for a moment?” Pinkie stood up, allowing Twilight to do the same. “Now, as I was about to say … there was a reason that I just didn't come out and ask. I mean other than you being a friend and all.” She muttered under her breath, “Although I didn't think it would be this easy with you.” “Don't be silly. Friends are the BEST to hop into bed with, and partying with Pinkie is the easiest thing to do.” She beamed another award winning smile to her friend. “Uh … yeah. I see that now. It's just that ...” Twilight fidgeted as she searched for the right words. “I guess I'm just really afraid is all. It's something strange and everypony else has had so much experience. What if … what if I'm 'bad' at it?” “Hehe. Silly Twilight. If you're no good then I'll teach you how to be good. Here, let me show you.” With that Pinkie shoved Twilight sideways across the room to land squarely into the bed in the corner. Twilight was about to protest when she looked up to see the falling ball of pink cotton zooming down to land directly on top of her. “OOPH! Pinkie, you-” Twilight was cut off as the pink ball of energy locked her mouth shut with her own. She struggled a bit as the pink legs and tail wrapped abound her various body parts. Then ever so softly, she felt the warm wet tongue press past her lips, and begin lightly circling the inside of her dental structure. That was when the heat began building up in her chest as it was pressed tightly to her friend. Her stomach tingled inside as she began to wrap her own legs around the pink pony. As her heart began to beat faster the warm strain inside of it swelled with a mounting pressure, filling her chest and threatening to burst her open. It was then that Twilight found herself thinking on the real fears she had tried to hold back for so long. As Pinkie's kiss deepened, she began thinking of all the ponies with numbers in the triple digits, and wondered how much they had shifted focus away from their normal lives to build up such a high score. She wondered if her own desires would be altered, possibly changing to match those of the higher ranking ponies in the town. Then a cold streak of fear crawled up her spine, as she began to search her memory, through all the books she had read, for any hint of an instance where a pony's cutie mark had changed. It took several seconds before she realized that Pinkie was no longer kissing her. She looked up to see a worried look on her friend's face. She stared up into Pinkie's eyes for a moment before speaking her mind. “Will everything change now? Will this end me?” Pinkie smiled a little as she answered. “Do you want it to?” Twilight thought for a long moment more, before leaning up for another long deep kiss, this time returning the tongue that was offered to her. Then, slowly, not breaking the embrace, her horn began to glow, and the shutters of the room above Sugar Cube Corner closed and locked tightly.
MarineMarksman	723	1	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Beyond the Call of Duty	Follow the desperate struggle of the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces as war comes back to Equestria.	cancelled	27	3	<p><b>Previously named The Fall of Equestria.</b></p><p>In the past, there was a major war between the nations of Equestria, Canine Arabia, and Griffondore. The Diamond Dogs, jealous of the ponies prosperity, invaded the lands of Equestria. They slaughtered innocent civilians without mercy, and overran their military with overwhelming numbers. Today, in the year 2047, we get to hear from the survivors of this war, as they share their stories of heroes and tragedy.</p>	teen	2012-04-10T04:42:44+00:00	2012-04-10T04:42:44+00:00	1,931	-I've decided to rewrite this story and take it in a different direction. It will have a similar plot, but will be much better. Enjoy. <3- "I don't remember what caused the war. I don't remember why the diamond dogs decided to invade our lands. I don't remember why they raped and slaughtered our people. I don't remember why they killed our beloved leader, Princess Celestia. What I do remember was how it started. I remember all the bloodshed, the death, the fear. In combat, I lost and made many friends. I lost my husband, my son, and my best friend in the war. All to the diamond dog horde. From what I can recollect, is that the war started in Stalliongrad, during Hearths Warming. I would know, I was there." -Major Crystal, Equestrian Army (ret.) Stalliongrad Outskirts, Equestria December 25th, 2014 While the citizens of Stalliongrad were sitting around the fireplace, passing around hot cocoa and presents in the spirit of love and tolerance, the colts and mares of the Equestrian Army's Sixteenth Royal Guard Unit were out in the freezing cold. While this industrial city seemed like a peaceful area, it was a target for raids and looting by rogue diamond dogs and griffons. That's why, no matter what, the Sixteenth was always on duty. Despite what most ponies thought, the military of Equestria didn't charge into battle with swords and glistening centurion armor. Instead, they were equipped with modern firearms such as assault rifles and carbines, as well as dull camouflage and kevlar body armor. They rode into battle in armored tanks, blowing away everything in their path. The bandits that typically came for a visit normally didn't stand a chance. This time around, things were different. The snow crunched under Sergeant Crystal's boots as she marched through the forest, her hooves grasping her SCAR-L. Behind her was the rest of her squad, the twelve colts and mares under her command. "Second squad, how are things looking out there?" Her CO, Colonel Nightwing, inquired over the COM. "All quiet out here. Freezing our flanks off. Same shit, different day." Crystal replied. She could hear Surprise laughing over the radio. Crystal couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Alright, second squad. I haven't heard from first squad, and I can't get through to them either. Probably just some interference. Mind checking in with them?" Surprise requested. "Shouldn't be a problem, ma'am." Crystal responded. "Alright. They are about a mile to your south. Uploading their location to your HUD." The goggles Crystal was wearing lit up a few seconds later, displaying a small map of the area. A small dot appeared on the map, which was where first squad would be. "We got the data. See you in a few, Colonel." Crystal stated, before switching off her COM. "Squad, on me!" One by one, the members of second squad circled the Sergeant. After a quick headcount, she continued speaking. "Alright, first squad went off the map, so the Colonel wants us to go see how what's up. Probably interference, but keep on your guard. I didn't get to my position for being reckless." "No, you got it by kissing up to your husband." Crystal's second in command, Corporal Spice, pointed out. A deep blush spread across Crystals face as laughter erupted throughout the squad. "Alright, simmer down. Just because I'm married to the CO, doesn't mean I'm getting special treatment." Crystal stated, hushing her squad. "Let's hurry up and check on first squad. I don't want to spend all of Hearths Warming with melted snow in my boots." "Storms picking up." Crystal pointed out as the squad climbed up a steep hill. "No shit, sherclop." Spice responded. "Spice, shut it." Crystal ordered. "Snails, you're lagging. Get up here with the DMR and scout out the area." "Coming!" Snails called up to her, as he clumsily jogged up to the front. Though Snails may be a little slow, he certainly was the best shot in the platoon. In his hooves was an M14 EBR, upgraded with a scope capable of switching to both thermal and night vision modes, which was very helpful in Stalliongrad's unpredictable weather. As Snails caught up to her, Crystal signaled the rest of the squad to hunker down, before climbing to the top of the hill. Snails went prone as he set up his M14 on its bipod and carefully loaded a magazine into it. Crystal went prone beside him, resting her SCAR on the ground beside her. "What do you see?" Crystal asked. "Nothin'. Scope isn't working ri... oh... I haven't turned it on." Snails muttered. Crystal resisted the urge to facehoof as Snails switched on his scopes thermal vision mode and peered into it. "Shit... I have eyes on first squad. They're all down. Counting three- no, four tango's. Diamond Dogs, armed with AK type weapons." "Dammit..." Crystal muttered to herself as she switched on her COM, "Colonel, do you read me?" There was no response, only a few bursts of static. "Colonel Nightwing, this is second squad, do you copy?" "Second squad, I want you to pull back immediately! The town is under siege!" Nightwing's voice shouted desperately over the COM. "Sir, what-" "There is no time, Sergeant! We have at least two hundred diamond dogs with modern military hardware assaulting the city. Pull back!" The Colonel responded. Snails and Crystal shared a sidelong glance before she responded. "I copy, Colonel. We're on our way back." "Let's move..." Crystal muttered solemnly to Snails as they stood up. As they regrouped with the rest of the squad, Spice walked up to her. "Where's first squad?" Spice asked. "Dead. Stalliongrad is under siege by diamond dog forces armed with military hardware. We're being called back to help defend the city. Lock and load, ponies!" Crystal called out. "What did I do during to Great War? I was a member of the Equestrian Navy Seals. During the war, we were deployed all over the world. The war... it changed me. Now a days, I'm a shadow of my former self. But at least I'm not trapped in my shell anymore. Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to... anyways... during the first hours of the Siege of Stalliongrad, me and my team were deployed to the Equestrian Sea for a hostage rescue mission. That mission was arguably the biggest failure in the history of the SEAL's." -Command Master Chief Petty Officer Fluttershy, Equestrian Navy (ret.) Fluttershy looked down at the heavily modified HK416 that was assigned to her. To hold a tool of death in her hand, after helping all those sick animals and ponies throughout the years didn't sit well with her. But what else could she do? After her cottage was foreclosed, she couldn't get a job or a home. She would have died in a ditch if it wasn't for her savior, a Navy recruiter, who cleaned her up and fed her, and then persisted she enlist. After a few years, her CO recommended she sign up for the SEAL's, saying her medical expertise would be invaluable in it. So she did. "How you holding up, rookie?" Whiplash asked the trembling mare, his voice barely audible over the sound of their blackhawk's rotor blades. "Oh... just fine... I suppose." Fluttershy muttered. Whiplash shook his head and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, rookie. We all have pre-mission jitters. Even I do. I've got your back, rookie, don't worry your pretty little head off." Fluttershy nodded slightly, the beginnings of a smile starting to spread across her face. "Echo 3-1, you are five minutes out." A voice stated over the helicopters radio system. "That's our cue! Snips, we have sentry's on the deck. Take em' out." Whiplash ordered. "You got it, boss!" Snips replied, opening up the blackhawks side door and tucking his SR-25's stock into his shoulder. Seconds later, Fluttershy could hear the suppressed whisper of Snips sniper, as he took out the sentry's one by one. "Sentry's are down, sir," Snips stated, before adding proudly, "all head shots." "Nice job. Alright, Fluttershy, Starlight, glide down there and secure the DZ." Whiplash stated. Fluttershy trotted over to the opening and glanced down. Starlight trotted up beside her. "Strap it down." Starlight stated, motioning to the MP5 that was strapped to her side. "Trust me, you don't want to end up weaponless in a combat zone." Fluttershy nodded, strapping her HK to her back before she jumped out of the helicopter, spreading her wings and silently gliding to the deck below. Starlight landed next to her without a sound, already pulling out her firearm. "Woah... you two look like a couple of dark angels from my angle..." A slurred voice pointed out. Before Fluttershy could even begin to look for the source, Starlight twirled around and fired a burst into the chest of a drunken guard, who was slouched over lazily. It happened so quick, there wasn't even surprise in his eyes. "Decks clear, come on down." Starlight said into her headset. Fluttershy ignored her as she trotted up to the guards lifeless body. He looked so... peaceful. Fluttershy saw that expression before, in the eyes of animals she wasn't able to save. This was first dead sentient being she ever saw. "Dark Angels huh...? Sounds like a nice nickname. What do you think rookie?" Fluttershy didn't respond, as she continued to stare into the guards lifeless eyes. "What's wrong with her?" Whiplash inquired, as he and the rest of the team walked up to the two pegasi. "Witnessed her first death. She'll get over it." Starlight stated coldly. "Come on rookie, snap out of it." Whiplash stated, shaking Fluttershy in an attempt to knock her out of her trance. A couple of SEAL's walked forward and picked up the body, before tossing it over the deck. "Fluttershy... he would have done the same... we have hostages to rescue... come on..." Whiplash whispered into her ear. "Those are innocent ponies down there. That dog wasn't innocent. I need your head in the game, rookie. Let's go." Fluttershy shook her head, rising to her hooves and readying her HK. Whiplash smiled slightly, as he motioned her to follow him. Follow him to the lower decks. What every survivor would know to be the depths of hell.
MarineMarksman	723	2	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Beyond the Call of Duty	Follow the desperate struggle of the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces as war comes back to Equestria.	cancelled	27	3	<p><b>Previously named The Fall of Equestria.</b></p><p>In the past, there was a major war between the nations of Equestria, Canine Arabia, and Griffondore. The Diamond Dogs, jealous of the ponies prosperity, invaded the lands of Equestria. They slaughtered innocent civilians without mercy, and overran their military with overwhelming numbers. Today, in the year 2047, we get to hear from the survivors of this war, as they share their stories of heroes and tragedy.</p>	teen	2012-04-11T15:13:34+00:00	2012-04-11T15:13:34+00:00	1,393	Museum of Equestria, Canterlot July 8th, 2047 Present Day Inkwell sat there, listening to the words spilling out of Fluttershy's mouth. She explained everything in poetic detail, especially when she watched the drunken dog die right in front of her. He had her stories of Fluttershy's innocence, her kindness, her purity. She was the Element of Kindness, after all. But, she really was a shadow of her former self. Sure, she was still kind and polite, but her eyes told a different story. Her eyes literally screamed 'I could kill you in a second.' The horrific scars that covered her body told a lot as well. Inkwell felt pity for her. "What every survivor would come to know as the depths of hell..." Fluttershy finished. "And why is that, miss Fluttershy?" Inkwell inquired. "Because that's the only thing we could compare it to. We were the best of the best, but nopony was prepared for what was down there." Fluttershy stated, cringing slightly at the memory. HMS Nightingale, off the coast of South Equestria December 25th, 2014 "Stack up!" Whiplash shouted, as Whiplash, Starlight, Fluttershy, and two other SEAL's formed up on the metal door leading to the lower decks. "Team two, are you in position?" "Affirmative!" Team twos leader responded. "Hold up! Hear that?" Starlight asked. Fluttershy listened carefully, before cringing at what she heard. The sounds of boots charging up the stairwell they were supposed to be climbing down, as well as angry howls and barks. "Dogs!" The SEAL beside Fluttershy called out, before the door flung open. Fluttershy dove for cover, looking up to see that the SEAL beside her had been hit in the chest. His eyes were the same as the dogs. Lifeless. "Bastards!" Starlight shouted from behind her cover. "Fluttershy, get up and fire!" Shaking from a combination of fear and adrenalin, Fluttershy rose off the ground and raised her HK, firing a single round at the closest diamond dog. The round struck him in the face, causing his face to seemingly cave in from the impact. "Nice shot rookie!" She heard Whiplash shout over the gunfire. Feeling more confident, Fluttershy fired a quick burst into the dogs. Two rounds went wild and missed, but a single round managed to hit one of the diamond dogs in the chest, passing right through his heart. "Blackbird One, this is Team One, we are pinned down by the breaching point. We need fire support!" Whiplash shouted over the radio. "Roger that, bringing the rain!" The pilot of Blackbird One responded. Seconds later, a blackhawk passed over the cargo ship, before turning around and hovering over the team. Several of the diamond dogs started shooting up at the helicopter, before getting mowed down by the minigun mounted on its side. "Clear?" Blackbird One's pilot inquired. Whiplash walked up, pulling out his sidearm, an M9, and put a single round in the head of a lone survivor. "Clear." Present Day "How did it feel? Taking a life for the first time?" Inkwell inquired. "It felt wrong. It made me sick. Once we got back to base, I cried myself to sleep. Nowadays, though, I know that those dogs probably deserved it. Doesn't stop the guilt, though." She responded. "As we climbed down the steps, every step made my heart beat faster. I knew what was ahead, I wasn't going to like. But I knew I had a job to do." "Team Two, are you there?" Whiplash asked. There was no response. Just static. "Team Two, please respond." Whiplash requested. There was still no response. "Dammit..." Whiplash muttered. "They are too prepared and organized to be pirates." "What now, Chief?" Starlight asked. "We continue the mission. Hostages should be on the deck below." Whiplash responded. "Copy that, Chief." Starlight responded. "Firewall, take point." Whiplash ordered. The SEAL beside Fluttershy nodded, raising his M1014, which was the standard shotgun in the Equestrian military, to his shoulder. He rounded the corner and marched forward, followed closely by the rest of the team. "Hold up." He whispered. The team stopped in front of an iron door. Inside, there was screams of pain from a female. Everypony knew what was happening in there, but they didn't want to admit it. "Hold still!" A deep, brutish voice shouted from inside the room. Firewall had enough, as he turned around and bucked in the door. The team charged in, to see a large diamond dog attempting to mount a light blue earth pony. Firewall dropped his shotgun and pulled out his ka-bar knife as he tackled the dog off of her. The dog landed on its back as Firewall attempted to stab the dog in the chest. The diamond dog managed to grab his hoof before the knife plunged into him. With a loud, angry howl, the dog flung Firewall off of him and stood up, reaching for his sidearm. He didn't get a chance. A loud shot rang out before the dog went limp on the floor. Fluttershy looked to her side to see the smoking barrel of a Magnum, held by Starlight. "A little overkill, don't you think?" Whiplash asked. Starlight shrugged and slid the magnum back in its holster, before helping Firewall off the floor. "You alright, ma'am?" Whiplash asked the shaken mare. She didn't respond, but she did manage to nod slightly. "Firewall, escort her up top for evac. We'll keep going and find the rest of the hostages." Whiplash stated. "Aye aye, sir." Firewall responded, picking up the mare and balancing her on his shoulders, before galloping out of the room. "The bastards..." Starlight muttered. "We'll kill them all, Star, don't you worry." Whiplash promised. "Let's keep going. Those hostages won't rescue themselves." Present Day "That mare told us a lot about what happened on the ship. She told us how the dogs killed the non-important colts in front of them, before cooking and eating them. How they used the mares as sex slave. How they starved and tortured her and the other hostages. I found out later that her husband was among the other hostages. The ones that were still alive. Except..." As Whiplash kicked in the door leading the cargo hold, time just seemed to slow down. There stood a large group of diamond dogs, pointing their guns at the SEAL's and the hostages. There were fifteen of them, all trembling, gagged, and tied up. They were skinny, bruised, and scarred. They looked like they were dead. "Put your weapons down!" One of the dogs shouted at the SEAL's. "Sir? Orders?" Starlight asked. "Hold your ground. They will kill us if we surrender. And the hostages will be next." Whiplash pointed out. "Release the hostages! We have you surrounded!" Whiplash shouted at the dogs. At this, the dogs laughed hysterically. "Are you kidding me?! Three little ponies?! You're fucked!" The dog, probably their leader, shouted back. "Where's the money!" Another dog shouted. "There isn't any money. Equestria doesn't deal with pirates." Starlight stated. "That's a shame. Man, we had a lot of fun with them. You should have been there." The dog said, before pulling out a small six shooter and shooting the nearest hostage in the head. Taking this as their cue, the rest of the dogs opened fire, on both the hostages and the SEAL's. Fluttershy and Whiplash managed to dive behind cover in time. Starlight wasn't so lucky. "Fuck!" Starlight shouted. Fluttershy looked down at her to see that her leg had been shattered by a lucky hit. "Team One, fall back! We got your six!" A voice shouted over the COM. Three SEAL's, the survivors of Team Two, charged into the fray, firing their HK's wildly into the dogs. The dogs returned fire, quickly mowing down the three SEAL's. Not about to let Team Two die in vain, Team One charged out of the cargo hold, narrowly dodging a wall of bullets. The trio of SEAL's galloped up the stairwell and burst through the door leading to the deck. Hovering barely a thousand feet away from them was their blackhawk. Behind them, they could hear the angry howls of the diamond dogs, calling for their blood. "Run dammit!" Firewall shouted at them, causing the trio to break out into a full out sprint. The door they had just exited through flew off it's hinges as the horde of diamond dogs started pouring out of it. Fluttershy jumped aboard the blackhawk, while Whiplash helped Starlight inside before jumping on board himself. "Get us out of here!" Whiplash shouted. "Aye aye!" The pilot shouted back. The blackhawk started lifting off the ground, spent shells pouring out from it's minigun. Most of the diamond dogs were torn to pieces by the barrage. Those who were lucky enough to dodge the minigun's destruction returned fire. Fluttershy could barely hear the rounds bouncing harmlessly off the helicopters armor as it hovered away from the cargo ship. "The mare ended up killing herself from the whole ordeal. It's all our fault, really. We could have saved them. Maybe not all of them, but at least some..." Fluttershy stated, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's not your fault, Fluttershy. You wouldn't have been able to take on that many." Inkwell stated. Fluttershy sniffled a little in response. "Thank you for your time, miss. I will see you around for a second interview." Inkwell said, before rising out of his chair. Before walking out of the room, Inkwell glanced at the Element of Kindness, who was staring down at her hooves and mumbling something to herself. Inkwell truly felt sorry for the poor creature.
MarineMarksman	723	3	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Beyond the Call of Duty	Follow the desperate struggle of the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces as war comes back to Equestria.	cancelled	27	3	<p><b>Previously named The Fall of Equestria.</b></p><p>In the past, there was a major war between the nations of Equestria, Canine Arabia, and Griffondore. The Diamond Dogs, jealous of the ponies prosperity, invaded the lands of Equestria. They slaughtered innocent civilians without mercy, and overran their military with overwhelming numbers. Today, in the year 2047, we get to hear from the survivors of this war, as they share their stories of heroes and tragedy.</p>	teen	2012-05-02T15:58:52+00:00	2012-05-02T15:58:52+00:00	1,265	"When we reached Stalliongrad, we weren't prepared for what we were about to see. Our unit was on its last stand, guarding the last few surviving civilians. Any other Guard units in the area were too far away to help us. We lost many good mares and colts that day. If it wasn't for those SEAL's, we would all be dead." -Major Crystal, Equestrian Army (ret.) The storm had cleared up by the time Crystal's unit reached the city. She wished it hadn't. They were surrounded by death and destruction. Bodies of ponies, both civilian and military, and dogs laid strewn out in the street. The snow surrounding the squad was stained with the blood of the innocent. In the next street was a couple of destroyed humvees, and judging by the treads that ran down the street, they were destroyed by enemy armor. "By the Goddesses..." Snails muttered, taking in the scene. Even Crystal, an experienced veteran who served in the Coltistan War, was shocked by the brutality of this... not even a massacre would be able to describe this slaughter. "We need to keep moving." Crystal urged. "The fight's long gone from this area." "Second squad, where are you?!" Nightwing's voice demanded over the COM. Crystal listened to the distant gunfire and checked her HUD's map. "Ten blocks away. ETA, five minutes." "Copy that! Nightwing, out!" The Colonel stated, before the COM link died. Suddenly, Crystal heard the sound of heavy machine gun fire from behind them. Instinctively, she and few others dived to the ground in an attempt to escape the enemy fire. "Sergeant? What the hell are you doing on the ground?" A voice with a Manehatton accent inquired. Crystal poked her head up to see the source of the voice. It was Sergeant Sprinkles, the leader of Fourth Squad. Crystal rose off the ground and turned to face the Sergeant. "Thought you were enemy fast movers." Crystal responded with a shrug, before motioning over to the humvees that the rest of Fourth Squad were riding in, "Got anymore room?" "Plenty. Mount up." Sprinkles stated. Crystal nodded and started to make her way over to the nearest humvee, slinging her SCAR over her shoulder and motioning to the rest of her squad to mount up. "Miss Crystal? I'm sorry to interrupt, but would you mind if I brought in somepony to assist with the interview?" Inkwell inquired. "Not at all. Go right ahead." Crystal responded. Inkwell smiled and rose from his seat, before walking over to the door and holding it open. In came a middle aged yellow Pegasus, who's graying pink mane shimmered in the sunlight. It was the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy. "Dear Celestia..." Crystal muttered, as she shakily rose to her hooves. The two mares stood just stood there for a moment, staring at each other with disbelief, before they charged at each other and wrapped their hooves around tightly around one another. Crystal appeared to be sobbing lightly into Fluttershy's coat, while Fluttershy rubbed her back soothingly, her eyes glistening with tears. A satisfied smile spread across Inkwells face as he watched the hugging mares. Fluttershy told Inkwell that she hasn't heard from or seen Crystal in thirty years when he first asked her to come in. It was the first time he saw her smile, besides in pictures. "So, shall we continue?" Inkwell inquired. "It was dark by the time our convoy arrived at the rally point, though the flaming buildings that surrounded us did a good job of showing the way. As well as the bodies of countless civilians and Equestrian soldiers. It soon became apparent that the dogs weren't just killing us, but they were also feasting on our dead... and survivors. Among... other things..." Crystal stated. "Fucking bastard!" Crystal shouted as she rolled out of her humvee and raised her SCAR, firing off two rounds into the stomach of a diamond dog, who was ripping apart a screaming foal. A startled cry escaped his lips, followed by a howl of pain, before he went limp and slumped over on the ground. Crystal galloped up to the body and kicked the dogs AK aside, before going to check on the foal. But it was too late. The dog had ripped off both of the foals forehooves, which would have caused him to bleed out in a minute or less. Sprinkles trotted up beside her and placed his hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but Crystal shrugged it off. She held the foal in her hooves and stared down at it, shocked by the brutality of it. "He was just a foal... barely six months old by the looks of it. But the dogs didn't care. They didn't care whether you were young, adult, or old, they would kill you just the same..." Crystal muttered, her eyes glistening with tears. Fluttershy pulled her in for a tight hug and started to rub her back in an attempt to comfort her old friend and comrade, but that only brought more tears. After a few minutes, Crystal regained her composure and turned back to Inkwell, who was eagerly awaiting to hear more. "We've got more bodies!" Snails called out. Crystal shook herself out of her trance and gently placed the foals dismembered body on the frozen ground, before rising and trotted up beside Snails. It was a young married couple, judging by the wedding bands they were wearing. The mares stomach was much bigger compared to the rest of her body, an obvious sign that she was pregnant. "Sarge... could you shine your light on the mares body...?" Snails requested. Crystal nodded in compliance, switching on her SCAR's tactical flashlight and aiming the beam of light at the mares body. Both Snails and Crystal grimaced at the sight. "That's... that's sperm." Snails pointed out. "Those bastards raped her... and slit her throat..." Sprinkles said, walking up beside the two. "EVERYPONY, GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!" Crystal shouted at the rest of her unit. They quickly complied, lining up beside the trio and staring in disbelief at the bodies. "You see this?" Crystal asked, pointing at the body of the pregnant mare. "Those bastards not only killed her, they also raped her, and then killed both her and her child. And over there, that dog was ripping apart a foal, who looked barely old enough to crawl! Keep these images in your heads, ponies, so you can remember why we are fighting these savages!" "After that... nopony said a word. We just waited for when we could get out of our humvees and get our revenge." Crystal stated, staring at her hooves with an expressionless face.
MarineMarksman	723	4	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Beyond the Call of Duty	Follow the desperate struggle of the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces as war comes back to Equestria.	cancelled	27	3	<p><b>Previously named The Fall of Equestria.</b></p><p>In the past, there was a major war between the nations of Equestria, Canine Arabia, and Griffondore. The Diamond Dogs, jealous of the ponies prosperity, invaded the lands of Equestria. They slaughtered innocent civilians without mercy, and overran their military with overwhelming numbers. Today, in the year 2047, we get to hear from the survivors of this war, as they share their stories of heroes and tragedy.</p>	teen	2012-08-18T09:29:14+00:00	2012-08-18T09:29:14+00:00	912	Crystal leaned her head against the cold glass as she stared blankly out of the humvees windows. Besides the sound of snow and ice crunching under the humvees wheels, and the sound of their humvees engine, it was deathly silent, to the point where could hear your own heartbeat. The convoy rolled forward slowly, steadily getting closer to the battle. The closer they got, though, the more destruction they saw. They passed city hall, which was nothing but flattened rubble covered in a mix of snow, ice, and ash. They passed by the police station, which was literally an inferno. Nearby was a long line of blindfolded police officers, military personnel, and civilians, all executed by diamond dog kill squads. "Dear Celestia..." Spice muttered silently, before closing his eyes and looking away. "Crystal, do you read me?" Colonel Nightwing's voice inquired, his face popping up on the upper right corner of Crystals HUD. He honestly looked like he went to hell and back. "I read you, Colonel." Crystal replied. "We need you to get here ASAP. We are getting slaughtered over here." Nightwing stated, barely maintaining his cool. "We're going as fast as we can, Colonel. We linked up with the remnants of Fourth Squad and are en route via Fourth Squads humvees." "Copy that. We still haven't gotten the reinforcements or air support we were promised, but we have several members of the Navy SEAL's en route. Hope they have something here to support by the time they get here." Present Day "When we got there, there wasn't much of us left. Our entire unit was reduced to just barely a platoon. We were low on ammo and supplies, but the dogs just kept coming. Every time we fought off their forces, they would send in another huge waves. We knew that without air support or reinforcements, it would be a useless fight... sort of like the... what was it called, the Battle of the Ranch? You know what I'm talking about, right?" Crystal inquired. "Of course. You're talking about the Pony-Mule War of 1812, right?" "Yeah. During that battle, roughly 200 ponies defended the Alamo Ranch from a Mule siege. The mules forces numbered in the thousands. Our forces knew they were outnumbered, but they knew that they had to protect the civilians that were held up in the ranch. After four days, our forces were wiped out, but for every pony that was shot down, we took out two of theirs in turn. Just like me and my troops during the Battle of Stalliongrad. We fought not for the city or for the country, but for the lives of those who lived there, who were depending on us to keep those brutish savages away from them." Crystals humvee screeched around the corner, narrowly missing a burnt out car. It was quickly followed by the rest of the convoy, their engines roar breaking the silence of the night. "Contacts!" Snails shouted from the front of the humvee. Crystal looked forward to see a large group of diamond dogs charging out in the open. "Engaging!" Their gunner shouted, sliding the M2's bolt forward and opening fire. The Dogs turned towards the incoming convoy and returned fire. The driver of Crystals humvees swerved to avoid incoming fire and stopped. "Out! Out! Out!" Crystal shouted over the burping of the M2. A round passed through the humvees window and hit the driver in the side of the head. "Pony down! Pony down!" Snails shouted, pushing the drivers side door open and pushing his body out, before rolling out of the humvee. Spice climbed out as well, narrowly escaping death as a round wizzed past his head, missing him by less than an inch. Crystal ducked down and grabbed her SCAR, doing her best to ignore the bullets passing overhead and pinging against the humvees armor. She crawled out of the transport and chambered a round into her SCAR, before turning to check on her troops. Snails was in shock, his chest rising and falling at a sufficient speed to cause Crystal to worry. Beside him was Spice, who was firing his M4 from behind his cover. "Fifty's jammed!" The gunner shouted over the gunfire, before a round passed right through his forehead, his blood and brains spilling out onto the humvee and ground. "Fuck!" Crystal shouted out in shock. "Crystal! Come in!" Nightwings voice shouted over her COM system. "I'm heavily engaged at the moment, Colonel! We must have ran into the next wave before they reached you!" Crystal responded. "Copy! Listen Crystal, we have allied air support inbound! Mark your targets!" "Say again!" Crystal requested, unable to hear him over the gunfire. "MARK YOUR TARGETS!" Nightwing's voice shouted. "Copy that!" Crystal responded, before turning to Snails. "Snails! Air support in bound! We need to you to mark the targets." "He's not in the condition to do that, Sarge. Look at him!" Spice pointed out, motioning towards Snails, who was sitting down in the snow, rocking back and forth in a fetal position and mumbling to himself. Crystal groaned and crawled over to him, reaching one of the pouches attached to Snails ballistics vest and pulling out a small laser pointer. She then crawled under the humvee and activated it, focusing the green beam on the first line of dogs. "Target marked!" Crystal shouted over the COM. "Confirmed, target marked. Napalm strike is one minute out." An anonymous pilots voice replied. "Oh shit..." Crystal muttered to herself, before switching to her platoon main COM channel. "Napalm strike inbound! Move! Move!" "Fuck!" Spice shouted. Crystal rolled out from under the humvee and lifted up Snails, who was still in shock. "Covering fire!" Crystal shouted at Spice. Spice nodded, raising his M4 and firing a steady stream of lead into the dogs. "Come on! Come on!" Sergeant Sprinkles shouted at the trio, urging them to move faster. Crystal and Spice started galloping as fast as possible towards the second line of humvees. A couple of stallions ran up to them and took Snails from Crystal. "Incoming!" Somepony shouted. Crystal and her followers jumped behind one of the humvees, just as a F-15 screeched overhead, a stream of napalm trailing behind it. The covered the dogs and quickly spread throughout their ranks, the sound of gunfire being replaced by their screams and howls of agony. "No time to celebrate! Head to the rally point! Double time it!" Crystal shouted to the ponies surrounding her. "Did you think those dogs deserved that death? To literally be roasted alive?" Inkwell inquired. A small chuckle escaped Crystals cracked lips, before she looked up from her hooves and stared straight into Inkwells eyes. "No. I don't think they deserved that. I believe those brutes deserved more than that. They should have been torn apart alive, then fed to their fellow dogs, then those dogs would be killed in a similar fashion. The things those dogs did... they that much and much more." Crystal slowly trotted through the street, wading deep snow covered in blood, corpses, and debris. A squadron of F-15's screeched overhead, all of them painted in Royal Equestrian Air Force livery. They were soon followed by several MiG's, likely MiG-29's, who were firing both their gun pods and missiles. "Bandits on our tail!" One of the pilots shouted over the COM. "I'm hit! Mayday! Mayday!" Another pilot shouted desperately. Crystal looked up to see a smoking F-15 pass over, pull a 180, and crash somewhere in the distance. Crystal started galloping down the street, disregarding all caution. The sound of the icey snow crunching underneath her boots was soon drowned out by the roar of MiG as it passed overhead, which was being chased down by a F-15. "Griffin One to units on ground, I have eyes on enemy armor heading towards where Griffin Four crash landed." Griffin One advised. "Copy that Griffin One, we are a bit short on horsepower at the moment. Is there anypony in that area?" Colonel Nightwing inquired. "We're just down the street, Colonel." Crystal stated, as she rounded the corner of the last building lining the street. "I need you to evac the downed pilot before the enemy gets to him. Are you carrying any anti-armor ordnance?" "My squad has a few AT4's, don't know what Fourth Squad is packing, however." "We've got two AT4's and a Javelin." Sergeant Sprinkles voice stated. "Copy that. That might just be enough to hold off the enemy armor. Get that pilot out of there, Crystal. I don't want anypony left behind." "Understood. Crystal out." "You know... it's funny... up until right then, I thought the Canine Arabian Air Forces would be no match for our pilots. To see the complete opposite, and to see our fighters get shot down by those mongrels... it was rather demoralizing." Crystal muttered.
MarineMarksman	723	5	Cutie Mark Crusaders,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Romance,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Beyond the Call of Duty	Follow the desperate struggle of the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces as war comes back to Equestria.	cancelled	27	3	<p><b>Previously named The Fall of Equestria.</b></p><p>In the past, there was a major war between the nations of Equestria, Canine Arabia, and Griffondore. The Diamond Dogs, jealous of the ponies prosperity, invaded the lands of Equestria. They slaughtered innocent civilians without mercy, and overran their military with overwhelming numbers. Today, in the year 2047, we get to hear from the survivors of this war, as they share their stories of heroes and tragedy.</p>	teen	2012-06-01T16:52:39+00:00	2012-06-01T16:52:39+00:00	820	"I was a member of the Royal Equestrian Air Forces 231st Tactical Squadron, stationed on the Canine Arabian border. Since we were the closest air unit to Stalliongrad, we went sent in to provide air support. Once we got there, though, we had no idea that the dogs had fighters waiting for us." -Major Soarin, Royal Equestrian Air Force (ret.) "Hawkeyes, this is Wonderbolt One, we are one minute out from the target. Do you have eyes on any enemy air in the area?" Wonderbolt One, or Spitfire, inquired. "That's a negative, Wonderbolt One. Wonderbolt's Ten and Eleven, you are cleared to engage enemies on ground." Hawkeyes, the AWACS that was assigned to the 231st Tactical Squadron, or the Wonderbolts, stated. "Copy that." Wonderbolt Eleven replied. "Hawkeyes, this is Colonel Nightwing, I have forces to your south that are requesting air support." Nightwing requested. "Copy that, Colonel, advise them to mark enemy forces with a targeting laser. Wonderbolt Eleven, veer off and prepare to supply close air support." "Roger. Is napalm approved for use?" Wonderbolt Eleven inquired. "Napalm is approved for disposal. Careful where you drop it, allied ground forces are danger close." Hawkeyes advised. "Copy that." "Wonderbolt Two, Wonderbolt Three, give Wonderbolt Eleven some cover." Spitfire ordered. "No problem, Spits." Soarin, or Wonderbolt Two, replied. Soarin looked out of the left side of his cockpit to see Wonderbolt Eleven's F-15E roll to the left and dive down a few thousand feet, weighted down by several cluster bombs and a couple sidewinders. Soarin wrapped his hooves around his F-15's joystick and moved it to the left, sending his F-15 into a roll. "Target marked!" Somepony shouted over the radio. "Confirmed, target marked. Napalm strike is one minute out." Wonderbolt Eleven stated. Soarin watched from a few thousand feet above Wonderbolt Eleven as his F-15 started diving towards the ground, before pulling up barely 500 feet above the ground and dropping its payload on the enemy forces on the ground below. "Poor bastards." Wonderbolt Three commented, as they both watched the napalm spread throughout the enemy forces, burning them alive. "I honestly felt bad for those dogs... at the time, at least. Now, after I was told of the atrocities that were committed by the canine forces, I'm sure a good number of them deserved such a fate." Soarin stated. "What about the canine air force? When did they show up?" Inkwell inquired. "Shortly after we finished our first attack runs. Their first wave came in with brand new stealth fighters, the PAK FA, followed by numerous SU-35's and MiG-29's. Nopony saw them coming, not even our AWACS. By the time we realized they were there, they were right on top of us." "Wonderbolts, we're picking some very small blips on our radar. Might be canine drones or missiles. Move in and intercept them." Hawkeyes ordered. "Copy that Hawkeyes. Wonderbolt Two, Wonderbolt Three, form up on me. Wonderbolt Four, Wonderbolt Five, form up with Hawkeyes in case there are enemy fighters in the area. The rest of you, split up into pairs and patrol the airspace." Spitfire ordered. "Understood." Soarin responded, turning his fighter in the direction that his HUD instructed him to. In the distance was a blue blip, indicating that it was Spitfire. Zooming around the air space was about a dozen green blips, indicating where the rest of the Wonderbolts were. And then there were these ten, tiny, red blips far in the distance, high up in the clouds. "Wonderbolts Two and Three, climb up to 15,000 feet and continuing heading in your current direction. We will attempt to hail the incoming unidentified aircraft." Hawkeyes stated. Soarin looked the left as Wonderbolt Three passed by him and started to pull up. "Race ya." Wonderbolt Three said. "You're on." Soarin replied, pushing his throttle stick forward and pulling back the joystick. His F-15's speed increased by about 200 mile per hour as it started to pull up, easily passing his wingmate. "Unidentified aircraft, you are entering restricted airspace. Identify yourselves." Hawkeyes ordered. "No response..." Spitfire muttered after a short pause. "Unidentified aircraft, you will be engaged if you do not change your course immediately. Change your course to heading 225." There was no response, not even by the time Soarin and his wingmate formed up on Spitfire. "Wonderbolts One, Two, and Three, unidentified targets are designated as possible hostiles. Move in to identify, and engage them if necessary." Hawkeyes ordered. "Copy that. Moving in to intercept." Spitfire responded, as her F-15 started to accelerate. Soarin pushed the throttle stick forward in an attempt to keep formation with their squadron leader. "You'll be right on top of them once you break the cloud cover." Hawkeyes stated. Soarin switched off his sidewinders and gun pods safety as he watched the distance between his fighter and the red blips grow smaller and smaller. "Breaking the cloud cover in three... two... one..." Spitfire counted down, before her aircraft disappeared from view as she broke through the clouds. A split second later, Soarin broke through the clouds as well, blinded for a few seconds by the bright sun and the brilliant blue sky. As he eyes became accustomed to the brightness, he spotted ten small objects in the distance. "I've got eyes on the unidentified aircraft. To our northeast." Soarin stated. "I see them. Let's try to get beside them." Spitfire said, as her F-15 banked to the right and started accelerating towards the aircraft in the distance. Soarin rotated his joystick to the right as his fighter jerked right. "Unidentified aircraft," Spitfire began, "this is Captain Spitfire of the Royal Equestrian Air Force. You must identify yourselves immediately and change your course to heading 225, or we will engage you." There was no response from the unidentified aircraft. "Wonderbolt One, unidentified aircraft are picking up speed and not changing course. You are clear to engage if needed. Wonderbolts Eight, Nine, and Ten, form up and support Wonderbolts One, Two, and Three." Hawkeyes ordered. "Copy that, Hawkeyes. We're on our way." Wonderbolt Eight responded. "Unidentified aircraft, you have three seconds to identify yourselves and change course, or we will engage!" Spitfire shouted. Soarin jumped as warning alarms started going off. "Missile lock." A computerized voice stated calmly. Soarin cursed to himself, banking to the left to evade the incoming missile. "Shit!" Wonderbolt Three shouted, "I've got two- no, three, on my tail!" "I've got your six, Wonderbolt Three." Soarin stated, watching Wonderbolt Three's F-15 roar past him, followed closely by three enemy fighters. Soarin pulled back the throttle slightly and pulled the joystick to the right, turning his jet around. He then pushed forward on the throttle, picking enough speed to catch up with the enemy fighters. A steady tone started going off, indicating to Soarin that he had a lock on. "Wonderbolt Two, Fox Two." Soarin stated. His F-15 shuttered as one of his sidewinders launched off of its rail, racing past Soarin's cockpit and hitting the closest enemy fighter in the tail. The fighter started smoking as its engines failed, causing it to plummet out of the sky. "Shit! I'm hit! I'm hit!" Wonderbolt Three shouted desperately. Soarin watched as his F-15 started to smoke and slow. One of the enemy fighters fired it's gun pod at his F-15, causing his right wing to shred off and hit the other fighter. "Fuck!" Soarin cursed, locking onto the last remaining enemy fighter and firing off a sidewinder, which ripped right through its left wing. "Wonderbolt Three, eject!" Hawkeyes shouted. "I can't! The lever is jammed!" Wonderbolt Three shouted desperately, as his smoking F-15 plummeted out of the sky, disappearing as it dropped into the cloud cover. "We had never seen the diamond dogs fly with such skills before. We thought they were a bunch of dumb mongrels who flew their fighters like a retarded pegasus. How wrong were we, huh?" Soarin asked with a light chuckle, before collapsing on the table, shaking as he sobbed.
Ganymede	724	1	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2012-03-25T23:36:50+00:00	2013-09-17T14:56:24+00:00	5,739	Prologue ============================================ The days of summer in Equestria wrought heat from Celestia's sun, burning from its surface to radiate in waves upon the surface. The heat dispersed to the far reaches of Equestria, beyond the lands that most ponies know, bound to nothing but the unknown edge that only the bravest of ponies sought, and no pony ever found. In the center lay Ponyville: Rural. Wooden. Commonplace. Yet homely. Filled with ponies conversing and relaxing within the cool comfort of their homes. They sought refuge from the forge of fire above them, emerging infrequently lest the sky be populated with the protective cloud cover of the pegasus community. To the west, away from the darkness of the Everfree Forest, lay the Great Mountains of Equestria, bounding the town from the western deserts, reaching like fingers of a forbidding hand, fogged in the distance: Unreachable. Impenetrable. Seen, but rarely considered. It was here that the legend of the sleeping dragon originated. It was here from which few returned. Beyond the mountains, reachable only by a narrow path traversed by train, lay a vast desert. Here the flames of the celestial fireball licked the earth, scorching the sand, ripping the skin of the inexperienced traveler. Those who lived in these parts were calloused, desensitized, and layered with an armor of hide as thick and rough as dragon scales. The furthest known town in these parts was Appleloosa: Rickety. Barren. Unforgiving. Merely stepping outside threatened to blind you from the glare off the sand. Dust storms swept through like locust swarms, and just as deadly. Few ventured beyond this point. There was seldom any need. But there was another place... Beyond the disheveled town, hidden in the bowels of the desert where the rivers had dug out great canyons and rifts—where the terrain became unsurpassable—where even the native creatures themselves struggled to survive—there was a facility. Here, the sun showered its rays upon a graveyard: a cesspit of sand and rock and bones, where the only sign of life was scattered in the form of metallic structure. The facility was built almost entirely underground, hidden away from the death and decay above it. Like a creature hibernating in the sand, only bits and pieces could be seen extending above the sand, like toes and fingers extending up just enough to remind the world that it was still there. It was here that Twilight Sparkle—student and apprentice of Princess Celestia—traveled from her home in Canterlot, and the comfort of the two royal sisters. It was here that she would start her life of scientific and magical discovery. And, in a twist of fate, it was here that she would discover the most powerful force—beyond magic or science—within the bounds of Equestria: Friendship. ============================================ Twilight was asleep, her face illuminated by the red glow of the digital clock display next to her bed. A small pool of saliva dampened her white pillow as it migrated out of her open mouth. Every so often, she would quiver slightly: a remnant of the excitement from the previous evening. The darkened room around her was lit only by the hallway light, which seeped through the crack under her door on the wall opposite the bed, casting shadows on the hard-tile floor. To the left, a desk lined the wall, now home to supplies which Twilight had hastily thrown down upon entering the dorm room, and which she was too tired to put in their proper place. None of the drawers of the desk had been filled yet, and the room still carried the unnaturally clean smell of a room that had been unoccupied for a long time. The most prominent item on the desk was a piece of parchment, laying precariously on top of the supplies on the table, and adorned with fluid cursive writing. Dear Twilight Sparkle, It fills my heart with great joy and triumph to hear that you have found a place to contribute to Equestria. I haven't heard much about Pony Mesa, but I trust it will hold many great things for you and your future. While I am sure you will miss many things about your old home here in Canterlot, it is my greatest wish that you look only forward, and seek out all that Pony Mesa can bring to you. I recognize your concern about my agreement with the western edge of Equestria, and realize that by moving beyond the mountains, I will no longer be able to contact you. I have been working hard to remedy this, but it will probably not be resolved in your lifetime, unfortunately. I can only give you my most sincere hopes, and remind you that I will always be here to help, should you ever return. I wish you all the best in your new life at Pony Mesa. Forever Your Mentor, Princess Celestia Twilight had kept this note close to her, and read through it many times during her journey. It was now one of her closest possessions, second only to one other, which was sitting at the foot of her bed. A wicker basket shined dully against the incoming hallway light, just in front of the bed. A small set of sheets and bedding had been placed lovingly inside, forming a makeshift crib. Inside, sleeping soundly and surprisingly quietly, rested her dear baby dragon Spike. His head peeked out from under the sheets, and was sunk deeply into a small pillow. The light from the door had threatened to shine over the basket rim but stopped just short, keeping the slumbering form in darkened silhouette. Twilight had struggled with Spike's role in her new job. Letters passed back and forth, friends were consulted, and even the Princess had given some advice. Yet, in the end, Twilight decided she would rather give up her opportunity at Pony Mesa rather than separate herself from him. He was, after all, her number-one-assistant, and she would keep it that way as long as she had any say in the matter. As for Pony Mesa, dragons had never even approached the facility before—not even infants. Dragons were not like ponies. They had different mentalities and physicalities that made them special, and Pony Mesa immediately considered advantageous possibilities to having a dragon on staff. This had surprised Twilight, who had yet to fully understand the degree of separation the facility had from traditional ethical values. From what Twilight gathered, Pony Mesa didn't seem to care how young Spike was, or how mature. It was his physical traits and abilities they looked at. They cared about nothing else. Of course, Twilight didn't mind agreeing to most of this. In fact, she preferred keeping Spike by her side as much as possible. She had no other pony to look after him while she was at work, and leaving Spike alone for hours at a time in the dormitory seemed almost cruel. In fact, as her assistant, Twilight was sure Spike would feel just as comfortable in a laboratory as he would in her bedroom. Twilight's body convulsed, causing a disruption in her sheets. Spike was undisturbed, and the rest of the room remained quiet, but Twilight was now aware of her surroundings, despite not having moved from her restful position on her side. Her eyes were still closed, and for a few moments, she tried sinking back into the dream she was having. She forced back the image of Spike placing the beaker on the Bunsen burner. Why Spike was placing a beaker on the Bunsen burner was beyond her, but at a point, she didn't care. It was a dream. Dreams didn't have to make any sense. The image of Spike floated in her eyes for a moment as she realized she was simply becoming more conscious. She really wanted more sleep. This was a big day! But the excitement, and the anticipation, and the rush from last night was coming back, and Twilight couldn't force herself to relax. She rolled on her back and opened her eyes. A cold, clammy feeling surrounded her as she realized her sheets were damp from sweat. She moved around a bit, fighting to get away from the moistest parts, but realized quickly that most of the bed was simply drenched. "ew... eww, eww, eww-ewww-ewweww!" she spurted, thrashing her sheets around like waves as she fought to the other side of the bed. One final cascade of sheets later and she was out of the bed entirely, her hooves hitting the cold hard floor. For a moment she stood there, breathing nervously and staring at the sheets. She could still smell the lingering saltiness. She had remembered something like this happening before, but never this bad. Was I really that restless? she thought. The top sheet had been folded over now, so part of the bottom sheet was exposed. Twilight couldn't quite see what parts were contaminated in the darkness of the room. All she saw were the white sheets dimly grey in the ambient light. She analyzed the various possibilities for continuing sleep, trying to feel with her hooves for which parts of the sheets were worst. Of course, she could always just climb on top of the comforter, but then there was also the matter of the pillow. What time is it? she thought, walking around the foot of the bed, careful not to trip over the basket. The glare of the digital display made her blink a few times as the numbers came into focus. 7:34 She turned back towards the bed on her left. Screw it, she thought. I'll just take a shower. ================================================= Pony Mesa's Dormitories were laid out uncomfortably like a physician's office. Hallways plastered with the cold fluorescent lights of the ceiling meandered like labyrinths, revealing wooden doors into other small rooms, each of which probably contained another pony, sound asleep. Twilight carried herself quietly, in case there were others like herself still trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep. She was careful not to drop her small basket of toiletries levitated in front of her. She had never showered anywhere besides her own tower in Canterlot before now. The act of carrying a basket with her was alien, and made her all the more aware of her unfamiliar surroundings. This place was quite large, even by Canterlot standards. She found the knobless door to the facilities, lit her horn, and pushed it open quietly, as if she didn't want any other ponies knowing she was there. Of course, what she was doing was perfectly normal. Everypony did this. Right? Unless she was doing something wrong. The thought made her look down into the basket just to be sure she didn't miss anything. Did ponies wear towels in these situations? As the door opened, the reverberating cascade of water in the distance informed her there was one other occupant in the shower stalls. She glanced quickly to the stalls on the right, just to be sure some pony wouldn't stagger out in front of her. Dampness chewed at her hooves as she traversed the section, compliments of the recent mopping performed on the floor not more than an hour before. The bronze-colored tiles beneath her hooves were much smaller than the tiles of the hallway, and raised so as to provide rivets for the water to seep into, but she could still sense droplets lingering on the tops of many of the tiles. It was so much more harsh than the facilities in her home tower. She wasn't used to the steep echo. She stepped into the second section, lined with individual shower stalls, and sighed quietly to herself as she saw they all had curtains. Of course, if she felt more daring, there was always the room at the L-Bend between these two rooms that was surrounded by shower heads, without so much as a set of dividers. However, Twilight thought she would put this off until she felt a bit braver. Steam wafted from the used stall, and the humidity relaxed her as she picked out the stall furthest to the right: as far away from the used one as possible. She stared at the single lever on the wall, and wondered how to control the flow. The temperature was definitely controlled by turning it, but where was the on-switch? She reluctantly reached out a hoof, and pulled it off to the side, only to cry out from a torrent of icy water. She jumped up on her hooves, and hopped around a few times. Ow. Ow! Owww! She waved her hoof at the lever, and gave it a mock-punch out of frustration as the water started to warm up. As she stepped up to it, she prodded it with her hoof to the left and right, and noticed the temperature changed, but the flow didn't. Even pressing it didn't do anything. Stupid Controls, she thought. When at last she found a comfortable temperature, she settled back and let the water run over her. After a few deep breaths, she was surprised at how much more comfortable she was feeling. The tiled floor against her hooves felt different, of course, and the curtain behind her was raised slightly so her hooves were visible. However, the water itself was just as familiar. She moved around a bit under the shower head, letting the striking warmth snake around her body: on her head, down her back, feeling it work her muscles like the fingers of a masterful masseur. She couldn't help but close her eyes and pretend she was back in her own shower at home. Much to her comfort, everything else went very much the same as it did back home, and she found herself quite relaxed as she stepped back into the hallway. She even used the same drying spells she had practiced, so she wouldn't have to shiver in the cold air. I think it's probably time to wake up Spike, she thought. I wonder if he slept any better than I did. ================================================= Light seeped in as Twilight opened the door. She was careful to open the door just enough for her to enter, watching carefully so that none of the light swept over Spike's basket. She placed her hygienics on the cluttered desk, and walked quietly over to the sleeping dragon. "Spike," she whispered quietly, placing her front hoof gently on the dragon's head. "Spike, it's time to get up now." Spike stirred slightly as Twilight looked around at the clock. 7:56 Still plenty of time, she thought, heading to the closet door on the right-side of the room. She reached in and pulled something out. She had been looking forward to this moment. It was a real, honest, official lab coat. All hers! She had worn it back in Canterlot at every opportunity she got, ever since she received the acceptance letter. It was her business suit, her tuxedo, her most fashionable dress—nothing else made her feel more superior. She couldn't help but feel exceptional as she slipped it on. She had made it! Twilight walked up to the desk and playfully levitated a clipboard and pencil, pretending to jot down important notes. And if you see here, Dr. Cornwell, she thought to herself, the invariant response to this particular nuclear instability clearly points to evidence supporting a new form of energy. In that darkened room, her thoughts went out to new discoveries, all under her name. Prizes were offered to her left and right. Prestigious recognitions were plastered on her walls. Before she knew it, she was back in Canterlot, being praised by nobility for her monumental contributions to society. And, of course, Princess Celestia was there, showering her with a barrage of compliments, each one dignifying her more and more as the best student to have received a scientific education in Canterlot in the history of Equestria. Spike snore loudly. "Oh, Spike," Twilight said, walking back over to the basket and prodding the dragon's head with her hoof. "Spike, really. You've slept long enough." Spike stirred, his head bobbing on his pillow as it dodge Twilight's hoof. "Okay. Okay! Okay!" he said, flinging his arms out and batting away at Twilight's prodding hoof. "Fine! I'm up." Twilight watched as the dragon sat up, rubbing his huge eyes. She could never quite overcome just how cute he was when he was tired. She walked over to the door and flipped the light switch, causing an explosion of fluorescent light to cascade from the ceiling. "AHH! Twilight! Really!" Spike buried his head face-first in his pillow. "Warn me when you're going to do that!" "Hehe, sorry Spike," Twilight giggled. She didn't bother mentioning the guilty pleasure she got from Spike's reaction. Twilight walked over to her desk and levitated a printed sheet of paper. It was rather formal, and detailed many important aspects of her new job: most importantly, the schedule. The tram she wanted left at 8:12 sharp, giving her a solid ten minutes to reach the station. Of course, that was no problem for her. She had already been to the tram station a few times the day before. "Where are we going for breakfast?" Spike mumbled as he stumbled out of the basket. Twilight felt her eyes widen at this. They quickly went back to the schedule and darted across every page. Her horn sparked to life, and the pages rusted and flipped from one page to the next. "I... uh..." she stammered, getting more flustered by the second. "S-Sorry, Spike?" She turned around, finally realizing they had just slept through what little time they had had. She was so busy thinking about the experiment schedule that she had completely forgotten she needed to eat. "Looks like we're going to have to wait for lunch this time." "WHAAAT!" Spike yelled out. "Wait for lunch!? No way! I'm starving!" "There's simply no time. We only have a few minutes before our train leaves." Spike stumbled some more as he gained his balance, and walked over to the door. Twilight giggled. "Don't worry, Spike. I'm sure there are a few gemstones laying around the break room fridge," she joked. "They'd better." Spike rubbing the rest of the dust out of his eyes. Twilight checked off the last of her list of supplies before magicking the door open, being sure to shut off the light and lock the door behind her. Here we go, she thought. ================================================= Pony Mesa was a city rivaling Cloudsdale in size, built almost entirely underground. The central connecting structure was a series of vast interweaving tunnels, like an ant farm of passages that grew out fungus-like from the core of the city, through which the transit system traversed. Many of the tunnels were the size of airplane hangars, and poorly lit from the lack of any opening to the outside. The entrance to the dormitories, which by normal standards had the appearance of a decent-size building, hardly took up the top half of the tunnel wall. The lobby of the dormitory itself was not inside the tunnel, but just on the other side of the wall, leaving most of the architecture purely decorative. A catwalk extended from the lobby entrance, as wide as the building itself, narrowing to the station platform in the center of the tunnel: a suspended metal carpet extending from the mouth of the dorm. Twilight and Spike shivered as they waited at the station platform, out at the edge of the catwalk. An ominous breeze rolled down the tunnel, cooled by the impressive conditioning system, and dried by the natural underground currents like those of a hollowed cavern. There was no visible end to the tunnel. The unnaturally straight metallic walls opposite the station could only be seen by the uncomfortable spherical illuminations from the built-in incandescent fixtures, none of which were bright enough to illuminate the length of the tunnel. Twilight could see Spike shivering as he gazed down the darkness. She could understand his feeling. This place felt less like a building, and more like a monstrous organism. Twilight felt Spike press up against her foreleg, and she wrapped it around to hold him close. They could feel each other's apprehension, too entranced by the magnitude of structure to be excited by ideas of intellect. In fact, Twilight was so captured by the harsh, almost frightening beauty of the darkness before her, that she hardly noticed the train creeping up behind her, crawling silently down the rail. Its hulking and box-like shape were more akin to a large grub than a train. Twilight backed up slightly, pulling Spike with her as the tram crept to a stop, lined perfectly with the edge of the catwalk. It was little more than a glorified metal box, lined with glassless windows. They watched as the door hissed open by itself, revealing a few steps leading to the aisle, all lined with cloth. Twilight couldn't help noting the irony of how little comfort most of the facility provided for their bare hooves, despite going through the trouble of adding some in the transport vessel. There were only a hoofful of seats on board, and none of them were occupied. They were laid out like park benches, back-to-back on either side, leaving a small space open for handicapped ponies. Twilight took a seat at the front of the train on the left-hand side, opposite the door, holding Spike in her lap as the door swung shut. She shifted against the hard surface, again noting the irony of the lack of seat cushioning. Even the entrance had a carpet. A subtle lurch announced the departure of the tram as Twilight and Spike watched the metal surface of the tunnel wall through the window gliding past them. A moment later, a female recorded voice sounded over the speaker system. Good Morning, and Welcome to the Pony Mesa Transit System... Twilight took a deep breath, going over the schedule in her head as she let the words flow over her. She had traveled very little before, mostly by balloon or train. Nothing compared to this, though. The dark, indoor journey was almost more exciting than any trip she had taken outside. Everything was so much closer, as if she could simply reach out a hoof and touch it. The only thing it was missing was a tour guide, and a good novelty book at the end. Spike, of course, was standing on her knee, smiling wide-eyed as he leaned precariously against the bottom rim. As the tram finished the stretch of tunnel and rounded the corner, Spike let out a gasp, bringing Twilight out of her scheduling stupor. The tunnel had opened into a mouth: a cavernous beehive that even made Twilight gasp as her eyes tried to take in all the activity. She could only imagine this must have served as a nexus of transit. Multiple rails were suspended throughout the area, some of which were occupied with identical trains, and dozens of other ponies stood and walked all around the various stations. The sight was almost dizzying. She had seen plenty of grand architecture back in Canterlot, but nothing with this much movement. The thought of all the complex management and mechanics almost made her put down her schedule. "Where do you think they all go?" Spike asked curiously, referring to all the other train rails. Twilight shook her head. "Just... other parts of the facility," she said. "I wonder if I can get a map of this place somewhere. The layout is probably fascinating!" The hub guided their train down a new darkened tunnel, and the walls glided smoothly past the open windows. The cool air wafted through the train as Twilight felt her inner ear compress slightly. Twilight tried to guess how deep they were as the tunnel brought them around the second corner. Twilight had to work to hold Spike back as they entered the next room. The complex threads of tram track and corresponding trams were instead replaced by machinery: in particular, a single large contraption at the far side of the room on their left. As the train moved closer, Twilight recognized it as a mechanical arm, larger than the train itself, wielding a torch at the far end as it effortlessly sealed connecting wires and hardware on a mechanical project in front of it. Twilight tried to make out the metallic structure being constructed as she passed by, but couldn't make much out. Perhaps some sort of propulsion engine? Jet-powered, maybe? She couldn't be sure. As the tram re-entered another tunnel, turning through a right-hand U-Turn this time, the recorded announcements continued serenely. If you have not yet submitted your identity to the retinal clearance system, you must report to Pony Mesa personnel for processing... "Retinal Clearance?" Twilight said towards Spike. "I didn't read anything in the acceptance letters about that!" She fidgeted, imagining being locked out of everything on her very first day. "Oh... I hope there wasn't a form I was supposed to fill out." Spike shrugged. "Relax, Twilight," he said. "Just let someone else open the doors. You're not the only pony in the building." Twilight took a deep breath as another room emerged, this one much longer. Unlike the previous two, Twilight could clearly see the concrete floor below them, as well as the steel-girdered ceiling above them. However, the most prominent feature of this room was the satellite rocket being assembled on the right. It was near completion, its construction mostly guided by machine. Hundreds of wires were exposed at the broken joint between the rounded head and sleek orange-decaled body, resting on the advanced scaffolding. Below them, the ground was littered with hard-hat ponies, taking measurements, driving forklifts, studying blueprints. Twilight stared out the window. "The tram goes right through a rocket construction site?!" She turned towards Spike. "Why would they show this stuff off?! You'd think this would only be visible to the workers." Spike was on the right-hand side of the train now, standing on a seat so he could see out. "Who cares! When is Canterlot getting one of these things? They could make the trains obso—obsi—" "Obsolete," Twilight finished for him. She suppressed rolling her eyes as Spike started describing the launching sites they could place next to the castle. A circular door opening in the floor around the corner, revealing a vast manhole opening into a brightly lit array of reddish-yellow sandstone beneath the concrete floor. With a subtle lurch, the tram came to a stop on a rotary elevator, immediately descending into the rocky cavern. Twilight took note of the thickness of the concrete floor as they sunk through the hole, watching as the gray of the wall turned to the brown and yellow of the rocky cavern. The geologist in Twilight went crazy at the sight. Nature had sculpted shapes and curves that architects could only attempt to mimic! The layers of geological stratification alone made Twilight wish she could stop the tram so she could study it. She had read about this sort of thing in books, and seen plenty of pictures, but seeing it up close was entirely different. She hadn't been this fascinated by geology since her childhood from before she lived at Canterlot. Of course, this was a long time ago. "It's a shame they had to build through this area," she said as the tram reached the bottom of the elevator, accelerating down a new rail that extended down the rocky cave. "It took so long for all this to be formed. I wonder if they realize the damage they've done by running a track through here. You'd think a scientific community would know better." The announcements were still playing quietly in the background. Please keep your limbs inside the train at all times. Do not attempt to open the doors until the train has come to a complete stop at the station platform... The natural formations of the cave gave way to an artificially carved passage of rock, supported by intervallic metal archways each with a harsh yellow light shining upon the track. Twilight could feel the air around them heating up quickly as they sped down the passageway. The rhythmic rate with which the train hissed past each arch was hypnotic, each one bringing them closer to the end of the tunnel: a wall of rock lit so brightly there was only one conclusion Twilight could use to explain it. As the train rounded the corner, Twilight squinted as a wave of heat hit her like a blast furnace. Next to her, a blaring whirring sound swooshed, coming from the ground beneath them. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the bright-blue sky to her right, a wall of rock still on her left. "Look, Twilight!" Spike said, pointing at the source of the torrential cacophony. "Come here! Quick! You gotta see this!" Twilight was out of her seat, squinting down at the ground beneath the train. "Is that a heli-cop... a heleco...?" Spike struggled to yell over the sound, and his voice dwindled. Twilight stared down at the green-black camouflage of the vehicle, sitting poised ready for flight on a helipad. "Wait," Twilight said, "that's a military helicopter! What is the military doing here?! This is a place of research!" She watched as what looked like a few soldier ponies trotted out of a nearby tunnel built into the plateau of rock opposite the chopper. Some were communicating with the pilot, while others stood around to talk. Twilight sunk back into her seat and grabbed Spike as the train re-entered the facility through an opening in the plateau wall in front of them. "I'm not sure I like where this is going," she said to Spike. "Military soldiers? Here?!" The sound of the chopper stifled and reverberated as the train curved to the right into a large concrete chamber with a massive circular doorway at the end. Warm air still wafted through the opening, but the stifling heat of the sun was subdued. A gate parted majestically as the train entered the room, slowing to a halt just before the building-sized hatch. The tram was now suspended from the railing: a transition Twilight hadn't even noticed. The announcer was also no longer speaking. Lights emerged around the cylindrical opening, lighting the outer rim. A hazard-striped square in the center of the hatch pulled back inside the opening, revealing a square hole peering into the darkness beyond. A blast of ice froze them as the hatch split four ways, seeping lengthwise into the walls. Twilight felt bumps of cold stick up on her hide as she let out a small shiver. A rail extended from the other side of the now-open hatch, joining with the one they were on now. Another small lurch announced the emergence of the train into the new opening. Twilight heard the door seal up behind them as they reached the other side, plunging them into total impenetrable blackness. "I wonder if the military is here for surveillance, or if this place actually hires them to test military equipment," Twilight pondered. "Either way, I hope I never have to meet them." Spike looked up at her. "Isn't your brother part of the Equestrian military?" "That's different!" Twilight said. She put her hoof up to retaliate, but thought better of it. Lights flickered on as the train picked up speed again, revealing the sewer-like twisting tube before them. The announcer had chimed in again. A reminder that the Pony Mesa Hazard Course Decathlon will commence this evening at... 1900 hours... in the level 3 facility... More lights continued to reveal the path before them as Twilight let out a small groan at the announcement. Pony Mesa had required her to perform a mandatory "Hazard Course" as a safety regulation. As it turned out, there was very little "safety" taught in the course at all. The whole thing was just a glorified obstacle course: the obvious result of too much funding and not enough planning. If anything, the course itself needed an improvement in safety. Many parts of the course required stunts that Twilight pointed out could cause serious injury if they went wrong. And parts of it, like the firing range, were downright insipid. She was a scientist! When would she ever need to know how to fire a gun?! A few bends later, the tube opened out into a junction. The floor of this room was like a plateau, dropping off in various places so deep Twilight couldn't see the bottom. There were no guardrails that Twilight could see, and the whole thing reeked of employee lawsuit. Another hatch was already open to the side of the room as the train twisted towards it. Twilight took note of the large railroad crossing gates on either side of the train just before they entered through the new hatch: probably some sort of passageway for cargo carriers. The hatch closed behind them as they passed through, sealing them into another tube. The train rounded the corner to a dead end, halting over and descending down a shaft. She watched as the concrete walls brushing quickly upwards around them gave way to another dimly lit room with a strange green glow in the background. The train rail flew up past them as the train lined up below it again, accelerating down the new path. "We should be almost there," Twilight said. A chill ran through her body as she considered where the tram might let her off. There was no telling how dangerous the place may be. The pitfalls of the previous room made her nervous. In front of them, a large robot awkwardly walked on all-fours in front of a small vat of glowing green fluid. However, as much as her eyes were drawn towards the glow, her mind drifted left, guided by a strange presence. What she saw was another rail, with another train suspended by it. There was only one occupant: a business pony staring out of the train. There was something not quite right about him. A briefcase hung at his side with the Pony Mesa logo, and under normal circumstances, she would have assumed he worked for the company. However, there was something more to him that she couldn't put her hoof on. It was as though he was forcefully drawing her gaze towards him. "Twilight!" Spike suddenly yelled out, leaping onto her lap. The unknown force dissolved, and Twilight looked out the window to see the train nearly crash into the massive robotic contraption. Both the train and the robot stopped just in time, and she felt a chill run through her body. "Are you all right?!" Twilight exclaimed. The yellow robot pneumatically crawled spider-like down a ramp descending away from them. Twilight glanced back at the empty train on her left. Empty?! she thought. Twilight shook her head, letting her mane fly out as she caught her breath. The presence she had felt before was gone. "Are you all right, Twilight?" Spike asked. "That crash looks like it shook you up." Twilight turned her head again and watched as the empty train slithered silently down the rail and out of sight, exiting through a tunnel at the far end of the chamber. She forced her attention back to the robotic insectoid now crawling down a ramp into the green-glowing slime pit in front of them. The tram was now starting up again, gliding right over the substance leaking out of a massive cylindrical tank to the left. A few ticks from her suit informed her that her Geiger counter was going off. "Radiation," Twilight said, leaning her head out the window carefully for a closer look. "And here I thought the safety procedures were lacking in the Hazard Course." She pulled back inside, shaking her head. "If they have us work with that stuff, I might just put in my resignation." Now arriving at... Sector C Test Labs and Control Facilities! Twilight's head shot up at this. The tram was fast catching up with another catwalk, just like the one back at the dormitories. As it finally reached it, Twilight felt the train come to one last final halt before everything went still. The announcer piped up again as the security pony noticed them and started walking over to them. Please stand back from the automated door, and wait for a security officer to verify your identity. "This is it, Spike! This is it, this is it—" Twilight was suddenly very jumpy as she watched the guard approach the train. Thoughts and worries raced through her mind. Am I good? Will he recognize me? What if he doesn't recognize me? Does he expect paperwork? What about Spike? What if he doesn't allow Spike? What if I get in trouble because of Spike? What if— "Morning, Miss Twilight!" the guard spoke through the door. Twilight involuntarily jumped as the guard reached a hoof up to open the train door. "Uh... hi!" she said nervously, having no idea what to say. "It's my first day. You know... scientist and all..." Stupid, she thought. He knows you're a scientist. Stupid, stupid, stupid... As the door hissed open, Twilight could see the guard now very clearly. He was a black pony, sturdily built and wearing a thick purple uniform. A gray round helmet was mounted on his head, sporting a small cross-hair at the front. Twilight's eyes went to the firearm mounted on his shoulder and recognized it as the same mechanism she was taught in the firing range: a small pistol controlled by a subtle switch in one of the hoof gloves. "Ah! And this must be Spike," he said as Twilight lead her baby dragon off the train. "I can't say that I've ever seen a baby dragon before. Is he here as an experiment for the scientists?" Twilight had to fight back an angry insulted response. Did he really think she had brought a baby dragon here just to act as a guinea pig? "Actually, he's my assistant," she corrected him. "He always helps me out, you know, with small tasks and whatnot." Spike smiled boldly as the guard peered down at him. "Well, we always welcome more help," he said, leading them up to the door. "Just don't go getting in trouble, young man," he joked. The catwalk led up to what could only be described as an enormous metal box embedded in the side of the wall. There were no windows in the structure, and the only entrance she could see was a large door built to split into two parts vertically, their lips crested with hazard stripes. The guard escorted both of them up to the doors, before stepping up to the control system to the left of the door to punch in a code with his hoof. Twilight heard the code take as the system whirred to life. Gears turned and bumped behind the walls, computers chimed acceptance, and before she knew it, Twilight was watching enormous pistons sliding open along the front of the giant doors, finishing with a satisfying crunch of metal-on-metal. Sliding open with a loud hiss and pop of slamming metal, the doors revealed an entrance tunnel leading straight into the labs. "You have a good day, miss," the guard said turning to them. Twilight turned to look at the blue-colored tunnel, its floor grate revealing an array of pipes beneath it. Lights shined in on it, and Twilight felt an incessant pounding in her chest as she considered what awaited them on the other side. She was shuddered from excitement. She peered down at Spike, smiled, and suddenly felt a bit calmer about the whole experience. No matter what awaited her at the end of that tunnel, Spike would always be by her side. It was just another day of experiments in Canterlot. Nothing more. "Come on, Spike," she said, looking back up and leading him down the tunnel. "Let's go see how real science is done."
Ganymede	724	2	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2012-03-25T17:37:00+00:00	2013-09-13T17:42:01+00:00	3,723	A blue glow wafted around the short expanse that Twilight led Spike down. She could feel the stenciled holes carved into the metal grate against her hooves, and peered down at the intricacies of the pipework below. Spike stayed close behind her. At the end of the hallway was another metallic doorway, identical to the one at the entrance. Twilight heard the now-familiar sound of the metal pistons sliding out from in front of the doorway. The solid sound of metal crashing into metal as the bars slammed fully open made Twilight jump slightly. The reverberation in this enclosure magnified the effect, which echoed uncomfortably around her ears. The doors swept open, revealing a well-lit bright metallic lobby area, complete with island front desk, chairs for waiting, and a large blue outline-map of Equestria covering the opposite wall. For a moment, Twilight stood staring at all the activity. Scientists dawning lab coats meandered around the room. Some of them were paired or grouped, discussing their hopes for that day, or lightly conversing about something new in their personal lives, all preparing for the day ahead of them. A grey security pony stood at the floating island desk in the center, studying a computer screen. Twilight glanced down at Spike. "Do we just... walk right in?" she wondered quietly. Twilight looked up again, and saw that the security pony had noticed them. For a moment, she stood there, as if waiting for a cue. Eventually the pony gave them a look, as if trying not to roll their eyes, waving over at them. "Well, come on!" she finally said. She! Twilight thought. Not that Twilight was against females taking on dangerous and aggressive roles in society. She just never quite considered running into a female security guard so soon. Twilight stepped up nervously as the doors slammed shut behind her. The pony at the desk looked preoccupied again at the computer, her round helmet glistening from the overhead fluorescent lights. Again, Twilight glanced at the firearm resting casually on her shoulder. The pony turned to look at her again. "You can come closer, you know. We don't bite." Twilight walked right up to the desk, looking around for some kind of paperwork or sign-in sheet. The desk was almost entirely blank, save for a few sheets the pony herself was using for notes. "Now, you must be Twilight Sparkle," she said, touching the computer screen nonchalantly with her hoof as she talked. "Looks like you'll be getting some fun down in the Test Chamber today." She stopped and turned towards her. "That's always fun." Twilight blushed slightly, wondering what that could mean. The guard must have noticed. "Ah, it's just something all the newbies have to go through. They always have you guys pushing switches and pulling levers for the first few weeks. You just wait 'til the next new guy gets here. It'll all be worth it," she continued. "Now!" she said, turning back towards the screen. "I believe you have a guest with you, is that right?" Twilight thought for a moment. "Oh! You mean Spike?" Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought. Who else could she mean? "Well," she responded, "if that's the name of the baby dragon you've brought with you." For a moment they looked at each other, Twilight getting the sense she was expecting something. "Um," the mare finally spoke, "can I see him?" "OH!" Twilight said, suddenly backing up. "Oh, sure! Yeah. He's right here." The security pony smiled slightly as she peered over the desk. "My!" she said. "That really is a baby dragon, isn't it! Isn't he just adorable." Spike was not smiling. Twilight rested her hoof on his shoulder as the pony turned back to her computer. "He'll need to be checked over with a physician before he'll be allowed in the test chamber with you," she said. "He won't need an environment suit, of course. Dragon scales are an armor in-and-of-themselves. Plus, they repel radiation!" Twilight widened her eyes at this. The pony seemed to notice, because she turned her head to follow up. "That... hasn't been fully tested. It's just a theory, from what I've heard." Twilight walked back up to the desk, peering around to try and see what she was doing on the screen. "So, to give you the rundown," she started again, turning back to face Twilight, "you'll be taking... is it Spike? You'll be taking Spike around the corner near the entrance to Sector B. There's a room right around the research area where he'll be checked over. Don't worry," she added, seeing the worried look on Twilight's face, "they don't do anything that could harm the guy. It's just some observations, that's all." She shifted a bit as she continued. "You, on the other hand, will have to put on your Hazardous Environment Suit. They're stashed in the locker rooms just past the break room. There should still be one sitting in the center hub. I think the others are out of commission for now. I'm assuming you've been through the Hazard Course?" "Yeah," Twilight answered, hardly believing they were already relying on such ridiculous training. What exactly did they expect her to have to do in this experiment? "Alright, then. You should be good to go. If you get lost, feel free to ask anyone around here. Just tell them you're new. They'll understand." "Thanks," Twilight said, feeling a bit better now that she had an idea of what they had in store. She looked around the room a bit as she wandered towards the hallway on the right. This place was very different from the cold darkness of the tram tunnels. There was a warmth to it—even more so than the dormitory lobby. The multiple scientists walking and conversing casually added activity and social comfort as well. In fact, had the walls been marble instead of metal, she would almost have been able to pretend she was back in Canterlot! She reached the hallway on the right, this being the only noticeable exit from the lobby, and saw a number of colorful stripes marking various locations throughout the labs. Each stripe was labeled with a different section, traversing the walls towards the destination they had described. Twilight read them out loud. "Research... Development... Personal Facilities..." She looked down at Spike. "Looks like I need to take you to the research branch. That's the red stripe on the wall," she said, more to herself than anything. Twilight was liking this place more and more as she thought about how well this navigational system worked. She followed the stripe as it wormed its way down the brightly-lit hallway, very aware of the curious looks ponies were giving Spike. The hallway she was following was in the shape of a "C", wrapping around some central room sitting just behind the lobby. Twilight noticed a small, non-obtrusive metal door in the hallway opposite the lobby that must have served as the entrance into the central room. For a moment, Twilight toyed with taking a peek inside, but decided in the end that it just wasn't her place to poke around too much. The Research stripe lead all the way to the end of the "C", and out along a straight hallway extending orthogonally from its tip. Windows lined this new hallway on either side, peering into two main rooms on opposite sides. As Twilight reached the top of a ramp at the end of the "C", the first thing she saw through the window opposite her made her stop short. A scientist was arguing heatedly... and the pony he was arguing with was a business pony. The same business pony. The one she had seen on the train, just before they had nearly crashed into the robot. How did he get here? she thought. She wanted another witness. She wasn't crazy. She couldn't be. "Hey, Spike," she said, peering down at the dragon and pointing towards the window. "You see that pony in the business suit, right?" She looked up. He was gone! Standing where the pony used to be was another scientist, continuing the heated conversation. "Huh?" Spike said. "Why would there be a business pony? This is a laboratory, isn't it?" Twilight felt slightly faint, walking lightly over to lean against the wall on her left. "N—nevermind, Spike," she said, regaining her composure, pushing the thought of the pony out of her mind. She stepped into the hallway proper and looked around. "This... looks right," she said. "It's certainly the research section. And there's Section B down at the end! But, I don't see anything marking where I need to take you..." A metal door had glided open at the far end of the hallway as one of the scientists walked out, a unicorn hovering a clipboard in front of her. "Excuse me!" Twilight said as they walked by her, grabbing her attention. "The guard in the lobby said there's a physician's office around here. Do you know where that is?" The pony stared at them for a bit. She was a green pony, her matching green hair done up in a bun with crescent glasses tipped on her nose. She looked confused. "Physician?" she said. "I'm not sure what you're referring to..." Twilight looked around, hoping there was something obvious that screamed out that she was in the wrong place. Nothing jumped out at her. "Well," she continued, "she said that Spike here needed to be looked over before he'd be allowed much further. They said there was a place somewhere in the research section for that." The pony was clearly thinking, and quickly coming to a conclusion. "Well, technically we don't have any place like that. I think what they were really referring to was the small makeshift emergency room in the back. You'll find it around that room right back there," she finished, pointing through the window where the business pony had been standing. "Thanks," Twilight said. Then, while she still had her attention, "do you know who I might talk you about it?" The pony thought a bit more. "Most likely they wanted you to speak with the person in charge of emergencies. His name is Dr. Yursa. I don't know him that well, but if the lobby guard told you about it, he'll probably be expecting you." "Thanks," Twilight said. The pony complemented her farewell and departed with a smile. So friendly! she thought as she watched her round the corner. I could get use to this! ====================================================== "Dr. Yursa?" Twilight said, stepping into a back area occupied by a single pony. He was a brown pony with a black mane, dressed slightly more formally, but was by no means an outright physician. She didn't notice any medical equipment. The pony turned around. "Ye— AH!" he said. "Yes! You must be Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight smiled awkwardly as she looked around the room. She recognized a lot of the equipment from some of her laboratory classrooms back in Canterlot. There was a medical kit on the wall to her right... slightly more elaborate than the one she was introduced to in the Hazard Course. On the far wall was an eyewash station... what appeared to be a metal sink basin, but with two rubber-tipped hoses situated where one's eyes would be. Connected to it was an emergency shower. She had remembered learning about these in the classroom, but had thankfully never had to use them. A small stack of fire blankets were folded neatly in a glass cabinet. The wall on the left was lined with leather bedding, for serious injuries where the patient could no longer stand. "It's not much," he said, looking around the room with her. "I'm sorely disappointed that we couldn't get this place any closer to the development area. Every week I find myself filing requests to get this place moved. Most of our injuries occur in the test chamber, and its simply impractical to expect them to walk across the entire lab to get the help they need!" Twilight felt an uncomfortable twinge when she heard the words "Test Chamber". She imagined herself walking in here with severe burns or a damaged eye, complaining about how far she had to walk. "SO!" the pony said, "is this the guy?" Twilight looked around. She had almost forgotten about Spike! "Oh, yeah. This is Spike," she said. "My!" he said, walking over and leaning down. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing!" Spike was crossing his arms with a scowl. "This shouldn't take too long, Miss Sparkle. Just a quick look over," he explained. "I should be done by the time you're suited up for the experiment." Twilight blushed nervously. "Oh..." she said, not wanting to leave just yet. "I was kinda hoping I could stay with him for this. You know..." The pony smiled. "Perfectly understandable, of course, but there's really nothing to worry about. Just a few quick tests, that's all!" Twilight stood there, looking down at Spike, who looked up embarrassingly. "I'm fine!" he said. The pony jumped. He apparently wasn't expecting the dragon to be able to talk. "Ah, see? Even better," he said, leaning down towards Spike. "How are you feeling? You doing all right?" Spike rolled his eyes, making a face at Twilight that pleaded with her to go away. "Okay... so..." she said, "I... guess I'll just leave you two alone!" She stood there staring a bit longer. Both of them looked at her. "I'm... I'm going now!" she said again. "Just... turning around! Walking out the door! Yes! That's... that's what I'm doing!" Twilight stepped out of the room, meandering back into the hallway. She hadn't quite expected it to be that difficult to leave Spike alone like that. She knew there was nothing to worry about... but her body was still protesting. "Okay," she thought, switching her thoughts around to the impending experiment. "Hazard Suit. Need a Hazard Suit..." She re-traversed the "C" back to the stripe origins and read through the section names again. "Personal Facilities," she read off the green stripe. "That sounds about right." She followed the "C" around again, keeping an eye on the stripe, and noticed a hallway extending off to the right just opposite the door into the central room. She followed the green stripe down this new hallway, and discovered it to form the shaft of an "I", leading her to a split junction in a new area of the labs. The blue "Development" stripe lead off to the left. Twilight followed the green "Personal Facilities" stripe to the right, following a path that lead her through an opening into a smaller, cozier hallway with a black-and-tan tiled floor. Turning to her left, she walked down the narrow hallway, stopping to explore a small break room on the right. There wasn't much here. Just a few tables on the left and a counter on the right with a microwave that was currently in use. Two vending machines sat next to the counter at the far end of the room. Twilight considered getting something for Spike at the machines, but decided it could wait until after the experiment. Heading further down the hallway, she ran into a metal door on the side of a small L-Bend that lead into a small locker room. Four benches populated the brown-tiled floor of the square room, with lockers situated all around. Each locker had a name embossed in the metal: something Twilight noted must be very expensive. The back of the room housed two other areas. On the right, there was a small lavatory with a couple stalls and taps. She also noticed a medical kit on the wall. On the left, there was a darker area that Twilight couldn't quite make out. However, she assumed that had to be where the suits were kept. A single gray pony was busy putting on his lab coat near one of the benches. He was obviously one of the older scientists, his mane almost entirely white by now. He looked up as she came in. "Oh! Haven't seen you around here. You must be the new pony!" he said cheerfully. "Always nice to see some new faces around here." Twilight smiled, about to ask where the suits were when he continued. "They put you in the Test Chamber?" Twilight nodded. "Ah, of course. They always do that do the new guys. Almost some sort of silly hazing game they play around here." He stepped around the bench and casually rested his flank against the wood. "You heard about the system crash they had a few minutes ago?" he said. Twilight spoke up now. "System crash?" The pony smiled. "Probably nothing to worry about. The front desk says they lost quite a few files, though. Even the guys down in the Test Chamber said they were having some trouble." "Bah!" he continued, seeing Twilight's concerned face. "Don't let it worry you. These things happen. My guess is, they'll have it all worked out before you get down there." He got off the bench and walked over to one of the open lockers. "You get yourself a lock yet?" he asked, indicating the door to the locker. Twilight felt a pleasant streak of pride as she read her name at the top. "They don't give away locks unfortunately, but you can buy one at the shop. It's not too far from the dorms. I'm assuming you live on campus?" he added. "Yeah," Twilight said, "I rode the train here from the dorms this morning." "Quite a ride, eh? We get a lot of newbies saying how much they like the tour. This place is a lot bigger than many ponies realize!" "You're telling me!" Twilight said, finally finding something to talk about. "I was surprised at some of the stuff they just have lying around the train path! I mean... a satellite rocket? Really?" The pony looked around a bit before turning back to her. "This place isn't exactly the strictest when it comes to security," he said. "I'm assuming you've heard about the administrator?" Twilight was now becoming sincerely interested in this conversation. "No one's mentioned him yet, no," she said. "Why?" The pony looked around a bit more before getting up close to her. "Well, you didn't hear it from me, but there's rumors of a conspiracy," he said. "Not sure what they're planning, but there are ponies who say they've seen a strange pony wandering around here. Some guy in a business suit. Think he's conspiring with the administrator. No one's been able to get any information about the guy. He's mysterious. Many think he's here for more than just business..." The pony backed up, speaking normally again. "Me? I don't see it. Bunch of codswallop! Rumors will get you worked up about anything. I've been working here too long to let these things bother me anymore. Of course," he gave Twilight a look, "that doesn't stop be from following them all. Great entertainment! Keeps old guys like me from dying of boredom!" He let out a laugh that sputtered into a cough. Shaking out his mane, he walked towards the darkened area on the left. "I suppose you're here to suit up, eh?" Twilight wanted to hear more about the rumors and conspiracies, but decided it would be best to move on. "Yeah, thanks. I had a feeling they might be back in this area." The aged pony lead her around into the nook to the left, where she now had a clear view of the place. The first thing she noticed was the black control-panel desk sitting just in front of her. She guessed from the three suit-shaped glowing icons that this controlled something that had to do with the Hazard Suit she wanted. Peering over the panel, her suspicions were confirmed. Three cylindrical containers stood at the back of the darkened room, sitting on a sunken floor. Each one emitted a light; Each one had a set of stairs leading up to it; Each one was controlled by one of the buttons on the control panel. Two of them were empty, emitting a red light with red icons on the panel correspondingly. The one in the middle was closed with a green icon, and contained a suit in the shape of the pony reared on its hind legs. Twilight approached the control panel. "So I just..." The gray pony walked up next to her and pushed the center button. The green icon turned red as a glass shielding raised up to expose the suit. "Uh, thanks," she said. "Need any help?" he said. "You know, these new suits can be tricky sometimes." Twilight remembered putting it on the Hazard Course. It had taken her a whole 15 minutes the first time! "I think I can manage," she said automatically. "Suit yourself!" he said—then chuckled lightly at the bad pun. The pony walked out of the locker room and back to work, leaving Twilight alone with the suit. She turned to see a small stairway leading down to the sunken floor. Taking a deep breath, she descended the stairs, and up to the suit waiting for her in the chamber. ====================================================== "You two should be all set!" said Dr. Yursa. Twilight was standing in the small emergency area wearing her Hazardous Environment Suit. Spike had had a giggle fit upon first seeing her. Apparently fashion was not the suit's high point. The whole thing felt very mechanical, like she was wearing some sort of super-hero outfit. She felt very subconscious about her appearance, and it didn't help that the whole thing was bright orange, contrasting horribly with her purple hide. The good news was that she didn't have to feel the cold hard floor anymore, since the suit came with glove-tight black rubber ends that wrapped around her hooves. The thing had to be one of the most expensive pieces of equipment in the entire facility! The stuff she had learned about it in the Hazard Course alone lead her to believe that the military would willingly give up half their men just to have one of these things! Overkill didn't come close to fully describing the insanity of this suit's contraptions, and she couldn't imagine the degree to which Pony Mesa could improve this lab had they put their money to better use. "So, I'm assuming you know the way to the Test Chamber?" Yursa said. Twilight remembered the blue stripe leading to the left from the "I" junction and nodded. "Yeah." "This little guy checked out just fine. Healthier than most of the scientists around here!" he said, rubbing the dragon affectionately on the head. "You two look like you'll make a great team!" Twilight blushed as she motioned Spike by her side. "Thanks, Dr. Yursa. We'll be fine." Twilight turned and walked out the door, wondering if she should have said anything else before she left. "So, you're fine, right?" Twilight said to Spike, leading him towards the "I" junction. "Nothing hurt? Nothing was uncomfortable?" "I'm fine!" Spike said. "Let's just get to the experiment already." "Okay," Twilight said, rounding the corner and down the shaft of the "I". Then, leaning down and speaking quieter, "They didn't touch you anywhere... inappropriate, did they?" "TWILIGHT!" Spike screamed out, making Twilight look around quickly. A few scientists had looked up curiously. "Okay, okay! I'm just... it was just a question, that's all! Just a question..." Twilight lead him around to the left, following the blue stripe that wormed around a right L-Bend. Twilight recognized the blue glow of the pipes beneath the floor grate: the same kind that was in the lab's entrance tunnel. There were a few large server boxes lined against the walls, each one larger than she was. A few of them looked like they had tape reels! Just how old is some of this stuff?! she thought. She passed a few more scientists along the hallway, finally rounding a smooth U-Bend and finding herself at a door guarded by a security officer. The brown pony seemed to he expecting them. "Twilight Sparkle!" he said, seeing them. "And wearing the infamous Hazard Suit, I see! Looks like you're in the barrel today, eh?" A set of doors blocked the passage into the next area, each with a set of glass windows forming an interesting design. A strange device was bolted next to the doors, looking like some strange box with a computer screen on the front. She assumed from the black elongated rubber stretching across the top that this had to be some sort of scanner. "I guess I'll be seeing you two after the test. I hear this one's got the people down in the Testing Area pretty excited!" he said, walking over to the device on the wall. He leaned over, resting his muzzle against the screen as the black rubber extended out and wrapped around the top of his head, just around his eyes. A few ticks later the computer chimed an acceptance, snapping the doors unlocked as they hissed open. Twilight noticed a magnified image of a retina displayed on the screen of the device. The must be what they meant by retinal clearance, thought Twilight. "You're good to go through!" he said. Twilight walked Spike through the doors, thanking the guard as a second set of identical doors hissed open as well, revealing a "T" junction. The area they had just entered felt different than the rest of the lab. Visually it looked about the same, but the air was stiller, and there were no scientists walking around. Twilight peered to either side of the "T". "I wonder which way we need to go?" she said to Spike. "Uh... split up?" Spike suggested. "Uh... how about not," Twilight responded. "Come on, we'll try the left." An announcer sounded above them, deep, cold, almost electronic. Miss. Daisy. Please. Report to. Sector. B. For. Contamination. Prevention. Analysis. The wall to their right hosted two rotary screens: a contraption Twilight had never seen before. At first, she thought they were still pictures until they flipped to show a different image. She stopped to study the way they worked, concluding that they consisted of two horizontal shafts one above the other that each had rotating rectangular prisms. No. Not two shafts. Four! she thought. Fancy! As they rotated, the sides of the prisms would line up to show an image. Ironically, only two pictures were displayed for each rotary image. Twilight thought this odd, since rectangles typically had four sides. Again, a missed opportunity, probably the cause of more lack of planning. Twilight and Spike watched a few moments at some of the pictures. They appeared to be advertisements, or perhaps motivational posters. There was one for "Teamwork" showing some scientists walking around, and one for "Technology" showing the same spider-like contraption they had nearly run into on the train. There was another one showing a large hydro-electric dam with some small writing she couldn't read, and another one showing off a military helicopter. Twilight felt uneasy again as she remembered the live helicopter they had seen on their way to work. Twilight. Sparkle. Please. Report. To. Anomalous. Materials. Test. Chamber. Immediately. Twilight jumped upon hearing her name. Was she late? Was she in trouble? Were they looking for her? "We should hurry up and get to the test," she said to Spike. ====================================================== The split junction, as it turned out, was not a "T" so much as an "O", wrapping around what Twilight discovered to be an elevator shaft whose entrance was at the far end of the "O". Twilight and Spike were now nearing the bottom of the dark green-lit shaft, taking in the intricacies of the metal structure before them. Unlike a typical elevator, this elevator was not fully enclosed, having no door and hardly any walls. It didn't even take up the entire shaft, allowing Twilight and her dragon companion to observe every detail of the green-lit maintenance shaft as they descended, including a red ladder spanning its entire length. "Just what I'd hoped for," she said jokingly. "To go even further underground." The elevator reached the bottom, lining up with a short platform between the edge of the shaft and the elevator platform, prompting Twilight to lead Spike through the doors (identical to the ones the guard opened) into the next area. This section of the lab had a more mechanical, engineering feel about it. Two scientists stood at the far end of the hallway, next to what looked like some sort of electric generator situated against the wall. At least, that's what Twilight assumed it was. All she really knew was it was some semi-circle of grated metal surrounding an electrical rotary device of some kind, with a few pipes extending away from it embedded in the floor. Twilight led Spike to the end of the hallway, through another set of doors on the right. As she entered the next hallway, she stopped to observe a new set of navigational color-coded stripes on the wall. Again, she read the descriptions aloud. "Control Room... Test Lab Access... Plasma Cells... Ionization Chambers..." "Well that's pretty obvious," Spike said. "True. It would certainly appear we want to follow the path to Test Lab Access," she said, peering down the hallway. "Not that there's much of a choice of paths, that is." Twilight followed the four stripes (orange, green, light blue, dark blue) as they rounded the hallway to the right. On the left, more large square server computers covered up parts of the four stripes as various scientists stopped to observe the readouts on their front panels. On the right were two enormous pipes that spanned the length of the hallway, marked all down the side multiple times with the words "Laser" and "Caution". "What exactly do they need all this stuff for?" she asked Spike. "Plasma Cells? Ionization Chambers? Lasers? I thought this would just be a bunch of rooms with beakers and Bunsen burners!" Twilight turned to the left, noticing another security pony standing next to the set of doors. "Twilight Sparkle?" he piped up as she came into his sight. "Test Chamber's right around the corner! They're looking forward to meeting you." Twilight thanked him, heading through the doors into the next room. "Well, these are obviously the Plasma Cells!" she said, looking around the room and noticing that the light blue stripe was now missing. It was a relatively uneventful room, completely metallic and machined like every other room she had been in. Some pipes lined the ceiling, and there was a little shape built into the walls on the right. However, the most interesting sight was the Plasma Cells themselves. Two metal octahedrons, each with a glass stripe down the center revealing some sort of blue acidic fluid, each connected via pipes both between them, and connecting them to the walls on either side. What they had to do with plasma was beyond her. She didn't see anything heat related about them at all! Stepping past them, she walked into a small opening at the far wall and down a green dimly-lit hallway that wound around sinusoidally like large sideways steps. She took note of the red digital sign just before the door at the end. "Control Room," she read. She looked through the glass door, feeling her face flush and body tingle from nervousness at the sight of three scientists looking out through the glass at her expectantly. "Stay close," she told Spike, walking up the door and letting it slide gracefully out of the way. She stepped cautiously into the room. This place was obviously some sort of nexus for development and experimentation. It wasn't very large, around the size of the locker room—maybe a little smaller. To her left, she could see a long window mostly covered by a thick metal blast shield, on the other side of which was (from the little she could see) a vast chamber. The Test Chamber, she thought to herself. Other ponies were standing around in lab coats, observing various computer readouts and displays situated around the room. However, the three she was now looking at were standing in a semicircle around her, and seemed more interested in her and her dragon than in the experiment itself! "Ah! Twilight Sparkle," the pony on the left said, a blue male with what obviously used to be a long flowing mane, before it was hastily cut. He was obviously relatively new. "Good to see you made it! Any trouble finding us? It's a pretty decent-sized lab and all." "No," she said, stifling a nervous laugh. "No, no problems. You have a pretty nice direction system thing. You know... the stripes on the wall and everything." "Ah, right!" said the pony on the right. "I'd forgotten about those." She was a light-grey pony, quite a bit older than the one of the left. Obviously more experienced. "Well, we should probably get started here," said the pony in the middle, a brown pony, older than the left, younger than the right, but obviously holding more seniority in this department than the other two. "Has anyone told you much about the experiment you'll be helping us out with?" Twilight shook her head. "No pony has said anything!" "Typical," he continued. "We really need more communication on the upper floors. Anyway, what we're running here is a materials test on one of our latest crystalline substances! We don't exactly know where it comes from—those bastards down at lambda lab never tell us—" he mumbled this part more to himself, "but basically it's a new find on their part. And very pure! Everyone I've talked to says they're very excited about it! You should feel privileged to have this be your first experiment with us!" Twilight thought about mentioning the system crash, but assumed that they would tell her if it was of any major concern. "So, if you'll come over here for a moment," he said, leading Twilight over to the observation window, "you'll be able to see out into the chamber you'll be working in." Twilight peered through the window, her eyes suddenly overwhelmed from the multitude of sights. For one, there was the sheer size of the chamber! The entire lower part of the lab clearly revolved around this room. It was basically a cylindrical brown-metal shaft, but many times larger around than the elevator shaft she had ridden down just earlier. She guessed she could fit the entire Canterlot Library inside it pretty easily! For two, there was the contraption at the top. Twilight had to stare at it for a few seconds before she realized what she was looking at. At first, she thought it was the base of a giant laser beam! And in the end, that's basically what it was. But the tip was much larger than a traditional laser emitter, and there were three barrel-shaped emitters surrounding the central tip. The bottom of the chamber was setup to contain something. There was a round hole surrounded by metal walls, and three large metal arms opened like fingers on an open hand, waiting for something to be placed in its open palm. Twilight had to almost stick her head out the window to see it, but there was a catwalk-like indented path leading up to the center of the hand for depositing. "What you see here is what's called an anti-mass spectrometer," the brown pony said. "Anti-mass spectrometer," Twilight said. "Anti! Mass-Spectrometer. Like... anti-matter. Not matter. Anti-matter." The brown pony looked at her. Twilight couldn't quite read his expression. "True, it's more a whimsical name. It's not exactly your average mass spectrometer. It's had a few... er... modifications to make it a bit more versatile. We had to improvise a bit to get something that can take readings on materials of this special nature." "Special nature?" Twilight repeated. "Well, again, we don't really know the true nature of what we're measuring. We just take what they give us and measure it." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're right. This place does need work with its communication." "Anyway, you'll be helping us out with some of the equipment. It's pretty straight-forward. Mostly you'll just be turning stuff on and adjusting the carrier as we see fit. It's not the most interesting job, but it needs to be done." Twilight turned around as the gray female chimed in. "There will be a couple ponies waiting for you at the chamber entrance. They'll give you a little more advice before you go in." She turned and walked to the end of the control room, bending her head down to another retinal scanner. It clicked and chimed like the other one as the door slid open. "You should be good! Don't be afraid to give us a shout if you're having any problems," she said. Twilight walked up to the open door, looking at the ponies smiling around her. Did they even think to ask how she felt about this? Oh, but no! They had already had so many ponies go through this routine, they probably didn't care anymore. The door lead into another room similar to the one with the plasma cells—perhaps a bit larger. Twilight noted how the dark blue stripe disappeared as she rounded the corner, and assumed this had to be the "Ionization Chambers" she had read about earlier. Three structures sat on the ground on the right-hand side of the room, looking like massive vacuum tubes, or maybe the tops of Light Houses. It was difficult to describe some of the bizarre equipment in these labs sometimes. Twilight stopped by to look through the glass casing of one of them. The large yellow spark glowing inside was entrancing! It reminded her a bit of electric static, if someone were to roll it up into a ball. Again, she couldn't imagine what this had to do with "Ions"... or, for that matter, anomalous materials! Again, probably just a mass of funding no pony knew what to do with. At least they looked pretty, though. Two ponies were at the end of the room, conversing. The one facing her was a gray pony, almost as aged as the one in the locker room. The other one was brown, with a dark brown mane and looked very... familiar... Twilight walked around to see him from the side and jumped up. "DR. WHOOVES!" she yelled out, startling the brown pony who turned to see who the offending pony was. "Who is... wait... Twilight?! Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight trotted up eagerly to join him, completely forgetting Spike was by her side. "Dr. Whooves! You're here! I had no idea... You said you'd gotten a job in a research facility. I had no idea it was here!" Dr. Whooves had been one of Twilight's fellow students back in Canterlot. He was much older than Twilight, a result of waiting so long to get into the field. His wife had birthed a daughter just before his announcement. Twilight remembered fondly of the time he showed her off during his final class. A proud parent indeed! "Yeah," he said, responding to Twilight's excited delight at seeing him, "it was here alright. And what about you! I haven't heard from you since I got hired! What's happened? Anything new in Canterlot?" "Nothing much. Same old same old." "Still Celestia's prize student?" "Well, not anymore of course. You can't exactly call me a student anymore." They looked at each other a bit, thinking of how to keep the conversation going. "Nice suit, by the way," he said at last. "Really matches your color." Twilight blushed. "Got you working the test chamber, do they?" he continued. "I got out easy, of course. Age will do that. Not that I would have cared." He glanced down and caught Spike lingering around Twilight's hind leg. "And... WHOA! They let you take that guy with you!? You lucky swine..." He walked over and rubbed his hoof solidly into the dragon's head. "Yep!" said Twilight. "He's my little helper! Forever and ever!" "They're not..." he starting, "they're not gonna let this guy into the Test Chamber with you, are they?" "That was the idea," she said. "Whooooa!" he said, turning to Spike with a huge fake smile: the kind new proud fathers are best at when they want to make a kid feel special. "Well, aren't you just the lucky one here!" Now it was Spike's turn to blush. "Oh, please," he said, turning away a little. Then, turning back slightly with a small pause. "Go on." Dr. Whooves got back up to talk with Twilight. "You're not nervous are you? Your first big day and all?" "Well, maybe a little," she said. "This place is full of really nice ponies. I've been chatting my way all the way over here!" "So you're liking it here so far!" he said. "That's... that's really great." He paused. "Yeah, it took a little bit for us to get situated," he continued. "It's tough moving to a new place when you're married. Especially with a fowl. Of course, it doesn't seem like Spike has had too much trouble adjusting." "He's actually been just fine, really," Twilight said. "Hey, listen, I really gotta go. I've been here way too long. They're probably all looking at their watching wondering what's taking me so long!" "Oh, yeah! Absolutely! I won't keep you waiting." Twilight looked around and found the door to the elevator that led out of the hallway. "I'll see you after the test!" she said, waving as the doors swung open. Dr. Whooves waved back, resuming his conversation with the other pony as Twilight got on the elevator. The elevator she was on now was shaped like a small metal gazebo, hovering over a circular hole in a small square room. She was really getting tired of all the green lights by now. Why did every elevator and smaller hallway have to be lit the color of sick? She looked around, finding the down-arrow button on the wall to the left. No sooner did she depress it than the elevator started spinning, causing her to lose balance and grab onto the side railing to stay upright. She held on, trying not to be sick as the elevator rotated down the shaft, hitting the bottom with a dull clunk. Twilight held onto the rail a bit longer, trying to stabilize the fluid in her inner ear. "Come on, Twilight!" Spike said, walking through the hissing opening doors. Letting go of the railing and stepping through the doors, she emerged into the hallway shaking her mane a bit. This hallway was much the same as all the other hallways she had walked down so far, except that the entire side of the wall to her right was plastered with a single red stripe labeled "Test Lab", complete with arrow pointing away from her! "This has to be the single longest journey I've ever gone on in a single section of a single building. I feel like we're miles away from the lobby by now!" "Come on," Spike said again. "We're almost there!" Now it was Spike's turn to lead Twilight. They were so close now the little dragon couldn't keep himself still from excitement! Of course, it was every kids dream to run a massive fancy experiment. It was on par with getting to work with construction equipment! Twilight followed Spike to the T-Junction at the end, turning right to follow the red stripe before slowly bending off to the left and to a dead-end. Well, almost a dead-end. There was an uninviting blank metal door in the wall that made Twilight feel uneasy about. In fact, had it not been for the luminescent sign that read "Test Lab", she might have considered turning around and heading back! "Do you... should we knock?" she asked Spike. As an answer, Spike walked right up to the door, reaching out his fist to hammer on it. However, the door didn't need any contact, and slid open automatically as Spike got close enough. Spike stepped through immediately, with Twilight reluctantly forcing herself through after him. "Twilight! There you are!" came a voice to her left as the heavy metal door swung shut. She was now standing in some sort of anti-chamber. It was less than a preparation room: more of a closet than anything else—darker, and less inviting than any of the other rooms she had been in so far. In fact, it was so metallic, so... raw... that if someone had told her it was used as an execution chamber, she's be hard-pressed to refute it. Two ponies stood in front of a massive blast-door, close to identical with the entrance doors to the labs, only without the cylindrical beams. The ponies looked anxious, and Twilight couldn't tell whether it was from excitement, nervousness, or fright! The yellow pony on the left spoke up again. "So, basically, this is just going to be some pretty standard stuff. You'll be able to hear what's going on through the loud speaker the whole time, so if you get confused, we'll help you out. We're not going to ask anything too much of you of course—mostly just flipping a few switches on the inside." The red pony on the right turned to the left. "Has the sample already been sent?" "They sent it down a few minutes ago," the yellow pony responded, turning back to Twilight. "Anyway, this is all pretty straight forward. We'll probably be turning the spectrometer up quite a bit higher than usual, but it shouldn't be a problem." "Couldn't that cause a phase distortion?" the red pony said. The yellow pony was getting agitated. "Yes, technically it could. But the chances of that happening are so small that—" "You don't think there's a possibility that... you know... with such a pure sample..." Now the scientist on the left was clearly trying to hold back his annoyance. "Look," he said, "I know your concern, alright? But we've been over this already! The chances of a Resonance Cascade are so diminutive that the idea of such a thing happening in a routine test is laughable! By bringing it up, all you're going to do is cause an unnecessary stir!" "What's a Resonance Cascade?" Twilight asked. Both ponies looked at her. The red one looked positively mortified. The yellow one looked perturbed. "It's... well... it's really nothing you should worry about. But I guess it's always good to know about these things. Just... don't let this worry you during the experiment. This has always been a possibility for the last thirty years, and has yet to show up even on the smallest scale!" Twilight watched as he breathed deep to calm himself and the situation around him. "Our equipment has... well... it's been modified a lot lately. And, with those modifications has come some... er... instability." The way he stressed the word instability clearly showed his intention of it to have a whimsical interpretation. It wasn't instability. It was "instability". "Now, should all the variables be set just right, and all the sources point to just the right place, and the planets line up, and hell freezes over, then maybe, just maybe, there's a possibility of the system going into an infinitefeedbackloopandimplodingonitself." He spoke these last words so quietly and so fast Twilight could barely make them out. "Going into a what now?" she said. "It means the whole facility blows up," said the red pony. "THANK You Captain Drama!" said the yellow pony. "Now, this was a very interesting conversation, and we're all completely worked up and agitated now, but if you don't mind, I think we should remember where we are!" The red pony turned back to the yellow pony. "We're standing just outside the chamber that will spell the doom of us all?" The yellow pony nearly lost it. He was gritting his teeth now, and barring his hooves into the floor. "Can. We. PLEASE! Just run the Test!" At the very least, Twilight felt very entertained by the two ponies. She wasn't quite sure how much of this to believe, and a small part of her was a bit worried, but for the most part she wasn't letting any of this bother her. "Okay, fine, fine. Be that way," said the red pony. "But don't say I didn't predict it when it happens." Both ponies turned away from each other to operate two retinal scanners on either side of the chamber. The clicking from either side intermingled into a frenzied mechanical sound that Twilight was thankful was so short lived. A moment later, two chimes of acceptance rang out as the blast doors swung open. For a moment, Twilight looked at the two ponies, expecting some last words, but they apparently didn't want to say anything anymore. Twilight walked through the doors into the Test Chamber, looking up with a gasp! The sheer size of the room and the contraption on the wall was dizzying from this angle. She forced herself to look down to prevent herself from feeling light-headed. She turned towards Spike, who hadn't said anything for a while, hearing the blast doors slam shut behind them. "You're not worried about anything those ponies back these said, are you?" Spike jumped up excitedly. "Are you kidding?! This thing could blow up the whole building! That's AWESOME!" Twilight wanted to believe in his enthusiasm, but she could see he was trying hard to fool himself with fake excitement. There was an anxiety behind it, and Twilight felt a sudden urge to hold him close and comfort him in this massive chamber. Everything inside was deathly still: a massive cave home to a sleeping demon just around the corner. The silent whir of the conditioning system threatened insanity in its victims who listened to its monotony for too long, and the glowing yellow lights bathed the chamber in a false warmth, a poor imitation of true source created by Celestia herself. Twilight looked at the massive alien hand in the center of the room, poised as if to reach up and rip out the contraption in the ceiling. It's three metallic fingers were open, a venous trap scaled to proportions that would consume herself and Spike comfortably if they were to willingly walk into its grip. The indented catwalk was just to its left, a runway casting the aura of a green mile, leading directly into the jaws of the contraption. The silence was broken by the squeal of the loud speaker, the speaker adjusting the feedback to zero. "Test... Testing!" a voice said. "Testing! Everything... everything in order? Good? Good!" Twilight looked up and spotted the blast shield on the wall to her left, marking the window into the control room. She walked around the chamber to the right with the hopes of seeing inside, but the window was simply too high. All she could see was the ceiling. "Alright, Twilight! It looks like we're about ready to begin," came the voice of the brown pony from the control room, sounding very different through the loud speaker. "Before we get started, I'm going to have to ask you to switch on the rotors. There should be a switch on the upper platform that controls that." Twilight felt very much out of control. There was no way for her to respond, or ask questions. All she could do was look around. Thankfully, the platform was pretty obvious. It was on the exact opposite side of the chamber from the control room window, and had a ladder leading up to it starting from a small balcony area. "Spike?" she said. "You want to do the honors?" Twilight would have gladly done this herself, but hooves don't work well with ladders. Spike's hands were perfect for that kind of thing. "Will do!" he said with a histrionic salute. Twilight watched with pride as her baby dragon ran around and up the steps of the small balcony, jumping up the rungs of the ladder. They were a bit big for him, but he was managing quite well. Nevertheless, she found herself subconsciously walking up the stairs to standing below him just in case. Spike disappeared above the platform, echoing metal clunks with each running step he took. Twilight heard his voice emanate from somewhere up above as the footsteps reached the end. "I think I see it!" he said. "Is it the big red one?" "I don't know. Try it!" Twilight said. Just how many buttons could there be? A moment later there was a loud thunk as something slammed into place. Something was moving above her now, like a massive fan or windmill. She stepped down the stairs to get a look at the ceiling, but couldn't see anything rotating. She assumed it had to be inside the base of the ceiling contraption. As the machine finished whirring to life, the brown pony chimed in again. "Excellent! Looks like that dragon is useful after all!" There was a small chuckle from the other scientists in the room. "Alright, Twilight. We can take it from here." Twilight looked up at the platform. "Spike! You can come down now!" Twilight saw the small head of Spike peer out through the guard rails. "Hey, Twilight! You gotta see this! I can see everything from up here!" "That's alright, Spike! I'd really, really feel more comfortable if you come down from there though!" Images of Spike slipping through the guard rails haunted her thoughts for a moment. "Oh, come on Twilight! Just a few more minutes?" "NOW, Spike!" There was a loud groan as the head disappeared. A few moments later he was hopping down the ladder rungs, jumping down from the second one to land on the metal surface with a dull ringing thud. "This isn't a playground, Spike," she said as he walked down the stairs. "There's dangerous stuff in here!" "I know," he said. Twilight looked up and gasped at the contraption in the ceiling. The whole thing was coming to life now! The barrels she had seen surrounding the central laser were now rotating, a clear electrical current arching between them and the center. That can't be safe, she thought. The loud speaker came on. "Power up emitters," said a voice; Twilight couldn't tell which one. "Phase One. Three... Two..." The central stub turned on like a flashlight, blinding Twilight into looking away. "... One..." A moment later the entire chamber lit up. It was... beautiful! A golden beam had descended from the tip of the ceiling contraption straight into the palm of the hand, glowing divinely. The chamber was now filled with a light that danced subtly on the walls. "Whooooa..." came Spike's voice. "Now that... is... cool!" Another announcer spoke. "Phase 2... activating... now..." Twilight mouth was now agape. Each of the three rotating barrels were arching their own beams angularly into the palm of the hand, so they all met at the same spot. The beams were much more complex and convoluted. Twilight could only stare in wonder. "Increasing overhead capacitors... 1... 0... 5... percent..." The brown pony's voice sounded over the speaker again. "Okay, Twilight. It looks like we have the system fully up and running now. The sample should be arriving any moment now. When it does, we're going to ask you to push it into the analysis port in the center." Twilight assumed he meant the massive metallic hand in the center. She was feeling less and less comfortable with this as the minutes rolled by. The beams were letting off a lot of heat, and Twilight could feel herself starting to break out in a sweat. "Don't get too close," she said to Spike, backing away from the beams slightly. Spike's eyes were wide, his mouth agape, his fingers twitching. She could tell there was some sort of braingasm going off inside of him. A hissing sound to her right made Twilight turn towards the indented walkway, where she noticed the floor in the back sliding into the wall to reveal a pit. Rising out of the pit was another floor, identical to the one sliding into the wall, but with a strange contraption sitting on it. The brown pony sounded over the speaker again. "Okay, Twilight. If you would make your way to the carrier, you should see the sample waiting for you now." Twilight followed Spike over to the grocery-store cart contraption. Well, not quite a grocery cart. There was no basket. Instead, there was some sort of orange body with arms extending out, holding on to— "What is that?" Twilight said, peering at the strange material being held out by the arms of the cart. Spike's gape had turned into a drool as he looked at the crystalline rock in front of him. "Don't. Even. Think about it," she said, seeing Spike's mouth get dangerously close to the rock. The brown pony could be heard again. "Go ahead, Twilight! Push that thing right on in!" Twilight looked down the runway and blink away again. The place where the beams met was so bright she couldn't look at it. "Okay," she said, looking down at Spike. Lighting her horn, she rolled the cart gently down the runway. It wasn't too difficult. The wheels were well greased, and once it was started, it practically rolled itself! She could sense with her horn how close it was to the beam, and slowed it down just before it entered. A searing pain flew through her horn just as it hit, making her scream out! A terrible ear-shattering scraping sound ripped through the chamber, accompanied by strange lights flying up from the hand. The fingers of the hand were closing in to grip its prize. "Twilight!" sounded the announcer. "Twilight, get away from there!" Twilight watched as the central beam grew and widened, forming a tornado of light blaring sound around the room. "Spike!" Twilight yelled, looking around to find him still by her side. She got down and held him tight. "What's going on?" she heard him say. "I don't—" An explosion rang out above them, deafening in the reverberation of the steel room. Twilight looked up as another one rang out. Then another one. The central beam was splitting out uncontrollably, striking the walls as debris rained down. Twilight put her head down as more scientists could be heard over the system amid the chaos. "Why aren't you shutting it down?! Get that thing shut down!" "I'm trying! It won't—" "Just hit this button! You need to—" "It's not going!" Twilight yelled out as the chamber continued to tear itself apart. "UNDER ME!" She was on top of Spike now, almost crushing him under her own body, wrapping her hooves tightly around him and ducking her head down. The brown pony could be heard now. "Cut all power! Cut all systems! I want—" Twilights ears exploded. A pain rang through them, tearing at her brain. Her eyes had closed shut tightly at the bright light that had shined behind her. She was deaf. All she could hear was a persistent ringing. She opened her eyes, looking around and trying to get a sense of what was going on, but her vision was blurred. All she could make out was the beam, dancing brilliantly green in front of her. She blinked, trying to clear her brain, her vision slowly coming back to her. The entire chamber had been dimmed, the beam now splitting out in all directions. Twilight forced her head up to look at the control room window and saw flames billowing smoke into the chamber. The ringing in her ears was dying down as the turmoil of the chamber danced slowly back into her head. She felt her hooves reach up to Spike's ears. His body was expanding and contracting with breath beneath her. She could almost feel his heart pounding against her own body. Next to her, she could hear a sound overpowering the other forces of the chamber. A force pulling in towards a center... growing... expanding... emanating... A train smashed into her. She was knocked out of balanced, out of mind, out of thoughts. An overwhelming darkness surrounded her as she tipped over the edge into insanity. Where am I? Where's the chamber? Why is everything black? Am I dead? Is everyone else dead? Why can't I feel the ground? Why can't I speak? Oh gosh oh Celestia oh gosh oh— The chamber flashed before her again. She was lying on her side now, debris flying, lightening scattering. She tried to get up, feeling a hunk of metal slam into her temple just below her ear, streaming pain through her body and blurring her vision again. She forced herself on her feet, frantically looking around. "SPIIIIIIIIKE!" she screamed out until her throat was on fire. Another flash as she was plunged into what she could only describe as a hallucination. The entire chamber had been reduced to a strange green landscape, with alien flora and fauna dancing bizarrely in front of her. She blinked, trying to make it go away, or clarify into items she remembered in the chamber, but they simply became more defined alien structures. She closed her eyes tight. I'm not crazy I'm not crazy I'm not crazy I'm not crazy... She opened her eyes again, finding herself face-to-face with creatures, each with a single red eye, each looking at her. Twilight's heart was exploding in her chest now. She could see the creatures advancing on her... see their arthropod eyes... feel their breath... Her mind gave out as she passed out entirely, the darkness enveloping her, taking her away from her nightmares on a blackened sled of panic. Everything disappeared into darkness.
Ganymede	724	3	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2012-03-14T18:30:05+00:00	2013-09-13T19:24:14+00:00	3,934	Sirens sounded in the distance. The crash of falling metal echoed dully. Images flashed, as by a dream, hazy and undefined. A beam of green light. A flash. An eye looking at her, insect-like... Twilight lifted the lids of her eyes. There was no strength in her to move anything else. Grayness stared back. Hard. Metallic. Unyielding. So close she could have reached out and touched it. She stared at it a while, letting her eyes adjust as the blurred distortions clarified into something solid. She willed her neck to turn, concentrating on making her muscles work again, hardly taking in what was in front of her. Slowly, she started to get her bearings. She was lying on her side, close to the indented walkway. More images flashed in her mind: A cart pushed down the pathway. A strange rock. A pain in her horn. She looked mildly around the chamber, her thoughts still slow and methodical. The whole room was lit again with that same artificial golden light that was there when she had first walked in. How long ago was that? Twilight bent her neck slightly to look up at the ceiling, trying to make out something above her. She could hardly make any sense out of it: it was just a litter of gray shapes and colors. Her eyes were still adjusting, becoming more focused as she regained consciousness. Struggling with every ounce of energy she had, she forced her body to move. Her body responded with pain. Shooting. Searing. Tearing. Every muscle protested, every inch of skin burned, every bone cracked. She would have screamed, but there was no energy left to scream with. She collapsed, panting, feeling a dull throbbing all over her body. She tried again, forcing her joints to bend, and her muscles to contract. And slowly, little by little, she worked her way up again, rolling onto her stomach with a loud crunching sound against the debris. She looked down, focusing her eyes on the floor below. It was now riddled with shattered glass, and sharp pieces of metal debris. Another image flashed: a beam breaking out from the center, striking a metal wall. An Explosion. A shower of sharp material, like shrapnel. Her eyes focused on her hooves, immune to the shards, covered in the glove-tight rubber fittings. All up and down the arms of the suit were dents and scrapes where the debris had hit her. Had she not been wearing it, her hide would have been shredded raw! She moved each limb independently now. Prodding. Testing. Pressing lightly on the ground before pushing down hard enough to support her whole weight. As she worked her way onto her left hind leg, a dull tight pain shot up right through the bone. She collapsed on the ground again as a message rang out from the suit. Minor Fracture Detected. Twilight rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious," she croaked back to the suit. Her throat protested every word. She struggled up again, this time ready for the pain, but still wincing with a loud gasp as she put weight on the leg, feeling it strongest at the bottom of the fibula. Morphine Administered, the suit rang out. Twilight felt a small sting somewhere on her side just in front of her flank followed by an immediate lessening of the pain around her leg. She sighed loudly from relief as the pain continued to decrease. "Well, suit," she whispered jokingly, "I don't think you'll be hearing me complain about overspending again." She chuckled lightly, feeling a tightness in her chest that she was sure would have been painful a moment before. She looked up, and finally studied the room proper, taking in everything her now-focused eyes could handle. Damage didn't begin to describe what she was looking at! She searched through her memories for the best word to fit the situation. Many came quickly to mind. Destruction. Devastation. Disaster. Twilight had learned all these words... had seen pictures... had read books. But nothing quite fit what was around her now. None of them quite captured the realness. Comparing the difference between what she had read about and what she saw was like the difference between a scab and an open wound. This whole place was still bleeding, and calling out for help! Something gnawed at her from the back of her mind. A thought more painful than anything her body had experienced. A worry that had been creeping up ever since she first opened her eyes. Had she not been so weak, she would be running frantic right now! And, at the same time, a guilt: deeper—much deeper—than the worry, but still present. More images flashed as she tried to remember what had happened. Spike had climbed the ladder in the back to start up the machinery. Had he been up there all that time? No. No, he had come down. Down where? Down here! With her! He was next to her when the cart went through. She had been with him. Had he run off? No. She remembered now. She had grabbed him. She had protected him. She had held him tight. But then, why wasn't he here? "S-Spike!" she croaked, the pain of his memory shooting through her. "Spike! Are you there?" Silence answered back. Twilight swallowed hard against a lump in her throat and started walking around. Glass cracked beneath her hooves with each step she took, glistening among the scattered metal and wounded structure. She stared around her, taking in the damaged organs of the Test Chamber: dangling ventilation tubes, loose wires, shapeless hunks of metal perched like boulders. The contraption in the ceiling had been reduced to a stump, its rotary mechanism exposed and torn, weeping tears of static in small electric arcs. One of the fingers of the giant hand had been severed, laying defeated on its side next to the palm. "Spike!" she projected again, feeling her throat coming back to life. A horror slowly overcame her as she remembered. Perhaps she had passed out already? She couldn't quite make out the details. But Spike had NOT been with her the whole time. She remembered now: her scream tearing her throat apart during the disaster, calling for him. Her body went cold as she realized the possibilities. Part of her was afraid of finding what she was looking for now. Afraid of what she would see. And sooner—much sooner than she expected—she spotted it. A small glimpse of purple amid the gray. A shot of adrenaline ran through Twilight's back as she ran over, praying with every last breath that he was still there—still the same—still the Spike she remembered. Just sleeping, she told herself as his curled body came into view. Just sleeping. The platform Spike had climbed during the experiment had collapsed onto the balcony area during the turmoil, taking with it nearly every guard rail and contorting the entire platform out of shape. But it was grated, and Twilight could see through the platform to the balcony underneath. She could see him there, Spike, her little baby dragon, curled up on his side, trapped underneath. Twilight slowed as she got close, reaching up and placing her muzzle right up against the metal so she could see through. Okay, Twilight. Logical. Signs of life. Just... look. Don't think. Just look... Twilight held her breath, heart pounding as the purple form of the dragon lay before her. Her mind was numb, her thoughts focused on that single tiny body beneath the wreckage. Waiting. Staring. Hoping. She was aware of every breath she took. Every beat in her chest. Every quiver from her body. And finally— And she saw it! The sign she had been hoping for. A tiny flicker of expansion. A breath! He's alive! she thought, lighting her horn. Putting up with the pain shooting into her skull, she forced her magic upon the platform, driving it with everything she had. Seconds passed. Minutes rolled by. Her energy dwindled, her muscles gave out, but the platform remained right where it was. She breathed harder as she let go of the platform. Adrenaline was quickly pulling her into a panic. "Oh no... oh no..." she muttered, trotting restlessly around the chamber. "Find help... need help." "Heeelp!" she yelled out louder, finding her voice coming back to her as she raced around the room. "HEEEEELP!" She was running up to the entrance where the two blast doors used to be sealed. Two-foot-thick metal doors, and they had been bent back, forced into the walls around them, leaving an opening large enough for Twilight to fit through easily. "HEEEELP!" she yelled out again, jumping through the doors into the anti-chamber, and suddenly found her hooves slipping out from under her! She slid around catching her balance before looking down at what she was standing on. A large part of the floor had been pasted with a thick gelatin, striped with different shades of red. Looking around for the source, she felt nausea overwhelm her as she found the remains of the two scientists who had given her the briefing. Their bodies were still whole, but their flesh had been torn up by the flying debris, leaving streaks of blood leaking all over their bodies. "Oh... dear... Celestia..." she quivered, her hoof raising towards her mouth. Looking around, she saw the plain metal door leading out into the hallway, slid open a few inches. Twilight stepped carefully through the slippery filth now covering the hooves of her suit and peered through. "Hey!" she yelled out, seeing a dark-magenta scientist with her back turned just outside the door. "Can you help me?!" The pony was kneeling over something, surrounded by the red rotating warning lights flashing on the walls. Twilight moved to get a closer look, and saw the head of another pony laying on his back, unconscious. He wasn't dead: not yet at least. The kneeling pony was busy resuscitating him, with small spasms that Twilight guessed were chest compressions. Twilight was torn. She knew the pony was in the middle of a life-critical procedure, but the tightness in her heart begged her to shout out anyway—to tear her away from the activity she was performing and attend to the only thing that really mattered. To me, she reminded herself. Matters to me... Twilight continued to stare, watching as the pony bent over to breathe life back into the victim's lungs. There was no telling how long she had been at this. Part of Twilight was holding her breath for the poor pony. A cough. A sputter. A cloud of spit. The resuscitating pony backed up, reaching a hoof out as the victim looked around, now coughing violently. As she moved aside, Twilight noticed the guy on his back flipping onto his side, trying to get up, revealing a brown-coat body garbed in black vest and uniform. A security guard! Twilight's eyes went to a large laceration on his hind leg, running from his flank roughly down to his knee. It was still mostly open, but was no longer running freely. Twilight banged on the metal door. "Hey!" This time, both ponies looked around, seeing Twilight's face through the small opening in the door. The magenta pony—unicorn, female—stifled a gasp as she headed up to the opening. "You're ALIVE?!" she said. "How is—" "I don't know," Twilight answered, quickly getting to the point. "Listen, I need your help. There's someone else in here. I need help getting them out." The security guard was now crawling onto his hooves, wincing every time he moved his hind leg. The unicorn glanced back at him before looking at Twilight. "I'll... I'll see what i can do. Can you get this door open?" Twilight looked at the odd angle the door was sitting at, wedged into the wall. "I'll need some help," Twilight said. "Together?" "Sure." Both of the lit their horns, Twilight's emanating a dull pain through her scalp. The searing migraine was gone now, but she could tell her magic wasn't at full strength yet. The door jolted in spasms, breaking through tiny barriers of debris as it forced its way further into the wall, making a loud clunk with each move. It was difficult with two horns, and impossible with one. Twilight couldn't have escaped without her. "That's good," Twilight said. The opening was around two feet now. "Can you get through?" "Easily," said the unicorn. Twilight stepped back, letting the scientist into the anti-chamber, hearing her cry out as her hooves pressed into the mass of congealed blood on the floor. "What... oh dear Celestia, what HAPPENED?!" Twilight watched her horror-struck face pass over the red masses in the corners of the room, the remains of the two scientists, darting back to Twilight, and then catching a glimpse of the wreckage beyond the blast doors. "Come on," said Twilight, "I'll clear a space for your through the debris." Twilight's whole body was screaming at her to hurry. It was everything Twilight could do not to reach out and drag the other pony with her by the mane! Stepping carefully over the bottom blast door, Twilight lit her horn, creating a small burst of air on the ground in front of her. Shards of metal and glass were pushed aside as she stepped down the path to the platform. She could sense the scientist following close behind. "He's under here," Twilight said stopping the wind and turning to look at the scientist. She was staring wide-eyed around the chamber as she walked down the path. "We'll need to lift this." The unicorn pony simply gazed around in total astonishment. "Dear Celestia..." she whispered, "what have we done..." Twilight's impatience was overwhelming her. "Hey!" Twilight yelled out, indicating the platform with her head with a scowl. The unicorn blinked. "Oh, sorry. Right. This... this... wait, the entire platform?!" Twilight gave her a sarcastic, almost cruel look. "Well, unless there's a way to break it apart, yes! The entire platform!" She continued staring past Twilight at the massive structure, mouth slightly agape. "ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME OR NOT?!" Twilight burst out, unable to control herself anymore. "I..." she said, now thoroughly shaken, "I... yes, just give me... yes... yes of course." "Okay, then! Let's light 'er up!" Twilight said, floating her own magic towards the platform. The other unicorn joined her and soon the platform was moving, lifting, squelching off the metal surface, shifting debris, knocking metal rails and poles onto the ground which clattered loudly. "OVER!" Twilight shouted, shifting a portion of her magic horizontally. Second by second the platform moved, like a cargo ship departing at sea, tearing away from the other hunks of metal around it. Both ponies were straining now, sweat forming at their temples. "ENOUGH!" Twilight shouted, easing up on her magic until the platform came to rest. She had waited until the purple form was fully exposed, and was now jumping onto the balcony, crashing through the shards of wreckage. "Spike," she groaned, gently lifting the form of the dragon in her hooves. Her anxiety lessened as she felt his warmth against her face—felt his breath—felt his body expanding and contracting with each breath. She could now feel it quite easily. It was very fast now. Almost hyperventilating. "Is that..." the unicorn next to her whispered, peering over at the baby dragon. "Spike, are you okay?" Twilight said, turning the dragon over in her hooves. She let out a cry as she looked at his face. His eyes were wide. His pupils dilated. He looked positively horrified! "Spike!" she yelled out, shaking him slightly. "Spike! You're okay! You're alright! We're here!" "He's hurt," came the voice of the unicorn next to her. "What?" The unicorn approached her now and pointed at Spike's right side. Spike was on his back now, and her hoof brushed Twilight's chest as she pointed. "Bring him out here," she said. "I have a medical kit laid out. I'll see what I can do." Twilight's breath completely escaped her. She couldn't comprehend what she had just heard. Spike? Hurt? Spike couldn't be hurt! His scales... they would have protected him! "Hurry!" the scientist said, her purple tail disappearing around the corner of the blast doors. Twilight lit her horn, elevating the limp form of her baby dragon and running through the doors, carefully hovering his weakened body through the small openings. Twilight stepped out into the hallway, taking in a new set of wounds that the facility was suffering from. Red lights flashed in the distance, the security pony was now leaning with his back against the wall on the left tending to his wound, and Twilight now noticed the large metal medical container laying open on the floor. "Set him down right here, on his back. That's it." Twilight lowered him right next to the kit, watching his body convulse some more in hyperventilating breaths. "What's happening to him?" Twilight asked, unable to take her eyes on him. "He's starting to go into shock. If we address the wound quickly enough, it should sustain him long enough to find help." Twilight never thought she would hear those words out loud, used in such a serious manner. They felt so much more real than when she read about them in stories. She bent down with the other unicorn to watch what she was doing. "See?" she said, pointing her hoof at a place just above Spike's hip. "There's a gash right here, on his side." Twilight looked at where her hoof was and saw a small but thick red streak going length-wise down his side. Part of his front was red, remnants of the fountain that had pored from the wound when it was more open. "He's lost a lot of blood. It looks like it's healing quickly, but I can seal it up a bit better. I'll see if I have some tape in here. Come over here and hold this." Twilight walked around to her left. She wanted nothing more than to hold him close to her—to whisper to him—to feel his warm body close to hers. Sitting still and having to watch him lying there like some doll in a classroom was simply cruel. Twilight knelt down next to Spike. "What did you want me to hold?" She touched her hoof on the right side of Spike's stomach. "I need you to apply pressure around the wound. It's still slightly open, and we need to stem the bleeding as much as possible. You can use magic if you want to." Twilight felt down with her hooves, running them against the rough scales of Spike's body, one above and one below the gash. Lighting her horn, Twilight compressed the side of Spike's body, feeling some of the arteries pinch off, and watching as the gash closed a bit. "That's good," came the unicorn. "Hold him there for me." Twilight sat there in tension, holding her baby dragon together like some sort of broken package as the unicorn next to her tore off large strips of white medical tape, worming them around Spike's torso. She could feel her face scrunch up as hot tears melted from her eyes watching the process of her dear Spike having to be taped up. Was it really this bad? Had it really come to this? "Okay, that should hold for a while," she said. "You'll need to get him to the emergency medical room upstairs. They'll have better equipment for this kind of thing. And hey!" Twilight was now breaking down, sobbing into Spike's side, tears glistening into the tape wrapped around his body. Her own body was convulsing as she cried out, reaching her hoof under Spike's head like a pillow, resting the other on his chest. A hoof reached under her, pulling, hoisting, tearing her away from her dragon. She felt her head roughly turned. The unicorn had forced her up to meet her gaze. "Hey. Hey, listen. Listen to me," she said, brushing some of Twilight's tears off her cheeks. "Calm down. It's not over. Not yet. He can still be saved." Twilight couldn't control herself anymore. She wanted to say something, but all she could do was let out a stifled cry as more tears streamed down. "Look," the unicorn said, "all he needs is more medical attention. We can get him that! But time is critical here, and I need you to cooperate with me. Do you understand?" Twilight forced a nod, trying desperately to hold back more tears. "Okay. You're gonna be alright?" What kind of a question is this? Twilight thought. Again, Twilight forced another nod. "Okay. Follow me." As the scientist got up, Twilight took a shaky quivering breath, letting it out as smoothly as she could. She could still feel fluid dripping from her eyes, but the compulsive sobs had stopped. Lighting her horn, she picked up her wrapped baby dragon and followed the scientist. They rounded the corner, bringing more damage into view. One of the large computer servers had detached from the wall and had scattered more debris around it as a red rotating warning light flashed overhead. The scientist followed Twilight's example from the Test Chamber, magicking a small wind to push aside the rubble. She led Twilight to the left, into the hallway with the large red stripe and the words "Test Lab" on it. Twilight grimaced as the memory of Spike yelling after her down the hallway flashed through her mind. The wreckage was much worse down here. The end of the hallway was now host to half-a-dozen metal rods, each the size of a small tank on the back of a tanker truck, stacked length-wise down the hallway. There were more still attached to the ceiling, where they had fallen from, and some had broken through the glass of the doors leading to the elevator. The scientist in front of her turned. "Can you get over these?" she said to Twilight. Twilight nodded, noticing her tears starting to dry. Focusing on travel was helping to take her mind off Spike. She walked forward, following the guiding hoof of the scientist now pointing towards the elevator. Climbing over the pipes was much more difficult than she had expected. She had needed to place Spike gently on top of one of the pillars so she could use her horn in the navigation process. She wasn't particularly strong, but she could use levitation to aid in places where her muscles were weak. She activated the elevator, resulting in the door on the right swinging open, and then turned back to the scientist. "Aren't you coming with me?" Twilight asked, seeing the scientist turning around. "Oh," she said, turning her head, "I'm going to help out the security guard some more. I might catch up with you later." "Oh," Twilight said. She wasn't expecting this. She didn't want to be alone. "Okay!" She watched the scientist round the corner before levitating Spike inside the elevator with her. She pushed the button, forgetting that this was the elevator that spun and was surprised to find that it wasn't as dizzying as the first time. In fact, she was feeling much better altogether! True, she still had a large lump in her throat, with dried tears and possibly blood crusted on her face, but her body felt surprisingly nimble and pain-free again. Even her fracture wasn't bothering her. This. Suit. Is. AMAZING! she thought, wiggling her hind leg and noticing how comfortable it was now. Could it be healed already? The doors hissed open smoothly as she re-entered the Ionization Chambers waiting for her at the top. The room was much as she remembered it. Just... darker, as if a light or two had burned out. She was about to look around when a loud voice startled her. "TWILIGHT!" Dr. Whooves had slammed into her, knocking the wind right out of her! For a moment, she nearly dropped Spike! "Twilight! You're ALIVE!" She could hear his voice cracking at the end, turning into sobs. She looked around uncomfortably as he started crying into her shoulder, finding a corner next to one of the ionization cores where she could rest Spike for a few minutes. She brought a hoof up and ran it slowly down his neck, brushing down his mane. "It's... it's alright! I'm okay!" she said, noticing that her own voice was sounding much better. "And... you're alright!" Dr. Whooves backed up, his face soaked and contorted. He shook his head at the floor, as if shaking the tears off his face. "Me?" he said, looking up. "Nah, I'm not the important one here. I'm just some old guy," he continued, backing up a bit before popping his head up again. "But you! You're so young! And right in the middle of it all." He was looking at her much more carefully now. His eyes were squinted, as if finding a new discovering of science that was hiding in Twilight's eyes. She watched as he walked up to her for a closer inspection. "What... happened to your face?" he said, getting right up close to her and reaching his hoof up to her right cheek. Twilight recoiled slightly, not expecting the strange sensation as the hoof brushed gently down her hide. It didn't feel like skin anymore: almost like scales, or a massive callous. "I have no idea," Twilight said, trying and failing to recall what might have happened. "I haven't got a chance to look at myself yet." He was looking quite worried now, his eyes now widening. "It's all bloody. You should really have someone take a look at that." "I..." Twilight started, bring her hoof up to feel her cheek. It didn't hurt, but it didn't have the texture that a normal hide should have, even from the little she could feel through the rubber of the suit. "And... you!" Twilight spoke up again. "You're not hurt?" Dr. Whooves shuffled his hooves a bit, looking almost embarrassed. "Well, no," he said. He looked up, and Twilight suddenly saw a nervousness surface that she had sworn was there all along. "At least, not yet." Dr. Whooves indicated his head over to the glass chambers against the left-hand wall: the three that Twilight had looked at with the balls of electric current. Twilight followed his lead as he turned to walk out in front of them. Something red flashed in her peripheral vision, but she turned away from it. "That!" he said, pointing at the inside of one of the glass tubes. Twilight saw it as soon as he pointed at it. Something green was sitting inside the chamber. Something... alive! She walked up slowly, entranced as a foal would be at the zoo. At first glance, it might have looked like a blob of green jello—only more opaque, and much slimier. But on closer inspection, there was a fleshy texture to it, almost cloth-like. Had it been perfectly still, it may have looked tempting to use as a pillow! But there was an uncomfortable movement to it: a resonant throbbing, as though enormous veins were pumping all around just below the surface. Small legs supported it as it hovered slightly above the ground, which it swayed on restlessly. Twilight recognized it as a hunting stance. She had read about similar poses in some of the carnivorous creatures of the forest. Twilight felt uneasy staring at it, and backed up slightly. "What is it?" she asked, keeping her head facing the strange creature. Dr. Whooves walked up and peered through the glass with her. "That's what I'd like to know," he said. "This thing wasn't here before the experiment. And something makes me doubt it's the only one." Twilight tore her eyes away from the creatures to look back at Dr.Whooves. "You think the experiment brought these things in? How could... what process... what kind of science..." Dr. Whooves shook his head, looking as dumbfounded as Twilight felt. "There's no telling what horrors have been brought about by all this. Remember, those samples don't come in from our lab. That's all lambda! And the things I've heard about that place—" He stopped short, contemplating a bit before finishing. "Well, let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the strangest thing you see before the end." Twilight looked back at the creature. It looked like it was facing her, turning in its glass confinement to prepare for its next victim. "So you think I'll see more of them when I leave here?" she asked. Dr. Whooves shouted out, startling her again. "Leave?!" Twilight turned to see him slightly surprised—almost downright worried! "Twilight, I don't want you going beyond this room. You've seen the damage! You've seen the possibilities! This creature—" He stopped short again. Twilight walked up to him, suddenly having an urge to comfort him as she did Spike. "Dr. Whooves," she said, "I can't stay here. I have to save—" "Sure you can!" Dr. Whooves said. "Help will come, I guarantee it! Someone will call for help! You'll see!" "But Spike!" she said, and was surprised to see Dr. Whooves go completely silent. She waited for a response, but none came. He just looked at her. Twilight finally lit her horn, and brought forth her baby dragon, still wide-eyed, but not breathing as fast as he was before. Dr. Whooves let out a breath that sounded like a wounded cicada. "Wha... oh. Dear. Celestia...." Twilight set him gently between them as Dr. Whooves continued to stare. "He's going into shock," Twilight said, remembering the terminology. "I need to find help. And fast." Dr. Whooves walked up slowly, crouching down to lay a hoof gently on the dragon's body. He was leaning his head down next to the dragon's, and stroking his body lovingly as though it was his own foal. "What has this place done to you?" he quivered. Twilight looked down at him, but didn't move. "I need to go out there. And I need to do it now," she said. Dr. Whooves continued to stroke the dragon's body, but looked up to meet her gaze. "You realize what you could be facing," he said, shaking his head slightly. "You realize that by going out there—" Dr. Whooves had a horrible tremble in his voice now as he got up. Backing up slightly, he turned to indicate something in the corner. As the red that Twilight had glimpsed before came into focus, Twilight doubled up in sick, trying hard not to hurl. A body was laying there: the remains of the other scientist that had been in the room. The redness she had seen turned out to be a carpet of blood, painted as though someone had tipped a large vat on its side. The pony itself was on its side, hooves facing her. There was a gash length-wise down his middle, and there was something... something... sticking out... "Ah! Oh, Celestia!" Twilight screamed out, turning away and trying to force the image out of her head. "That's what you'll be facing, Twilight," Dr. Whooves said next to her. "That's what's out there. I watched him die, Twilight. I was here when it happened. Death. Destruction. Decay. That's what's waiting for you out there." Twilight was turning back towards the glass chambers, trying not to hurl. It was too much! She lowered her head at the floor as the creature behind the glass came back into view. "Are you really willing to go through more of this?" Dr. Whooves asked. "Because, if you are, I'm not coming with you." Twilight was having trouble focusing her eyes. There were no tears—only horror. She couldn't quite grasp what she had just seen. Dr. Whoove's voice resounded behind her. "Twilight?" She heard him move around in front of her. He was standing between her and the glass now. She could see his hooves on the floor. "Twilight?" he said again. Twilight swallowed, glancing over at Spike. He was still breathing, a large patch of red invading the whiteness of the medical tape. She swallowed hard. And then she looked up, meeting his gaze with her own eyes. Solid. Marked. Resolved. "I'm going out there, Dr. Whooves. I have to. And whether you're going with me or not is your choice. For me, however, it's not. I have something I need to do. I have someone who's depending on me. And if you think I'm going to—to sit here, and—" She stopped, trying to find the right words. She had been doing so well! Dr. Whooves rested a hoof on her shoulder. "I can't stop you, Twilight," he said. "I can only prepare you. I can only show you what's out there. Just know that if you leave here, you will never see me again." Twilight looked at him and saw his eyes: Cold. Harsh. Yet, ironically, warm. A rugged warmth that reached invitingly into Twilight only to twist and push in ways Twilight was afraid to explore. She pulled her gaze away from him, searching the room. The poised creature behind the glass. The gruesome scene in the corner. And finally down at Spike. A resolve was overcoming her, driving inside of her. "Yes," she finally said, looking up to meet his eyes again. "I'm going out there." Dr. Whooves smiled, almost painfully. And yet, there was something else. And as Twilight finally saw it, she thought the perfect word for what she saw in his eyes. Pride! ========================================================= A few ticks sounded as Dr. Whooves worked the retinal scanner. He turned to look at her as the acceptance chimed, swinging the door open. His face was reserved. "If you find help while you're out there," he said, "remember to send them down here." "I will," she said, forcing a small smile. "You'll be alright here?" "So long as that thing back there doesn't escape," he said, indicating his head towards the glass container. She glanced back for a second. Then they both turned towards each other again, their eyes meeting in the middle. For a moment, neither of them knew what to say. Then, walking towards each other, they embraced, burying their faces in each other's shoulders, feeling the comfort of each other's grasp—the feel of hide touching hide—the feel of warmth and closeness. And then it was over. They were parting. Dr. Whooves was moving out of the way so Twilight could approach the door. Twilight walked over and peered into the control room. Sirens could be heard streaming in from the Test Chamber. Three bodies lay strewn around the room, a few of them torn up. The door at the opposite end had been blasted apart during the experiment. Twilight looked back at Dr. Whooves, and for a moment, they shared one final moment. She considered for a moment what she wanted to say, but nothing seemed appropriate. This is how she wanted to remember him: just standing there. In silence. With her. She watched as the tiniest flicker of the smile crested him face. Then, lighting her horn, she lifted Spike, parted her eyes from his, and walked through the door. The blast shield on the right-hand wall had been partially destroyed, showering light on the opposite wall from the Test Chamber. Part of Twilight was tempted to look through the opening and see the wreckage again: one last reminder of what she had just been through. Mild splatters of blood lay on the floor as she walked, the majority being plastered on the walls from the explosion. Twilight kept her head down, eyes away from the bloodshed. As she passed through the blasted opening at the other end, magicking Spike carefully through with her, she became very aware of her solitude. The narrow green-lit hallway surrounded her now, and memories flooded back of the three scientists peering expectantly at her through the door from the control room. She remembered this as being the sinusoidal hallway, jogging step-wise several times. Each hoof she brought down took her closer to, and finally around, a different bend in the stairway-shaped hallway. Each bend was the same. Creep up. Peer around. Take notice. Observe that it's clear. Continue. At last, half-a-dozen bends later, she found an opening into an actual room. She noticed the two octahedron-shaped containers in the left-hand side, and recognized them as the "plasma cells" she had looked at earlier. She looked around the chamber. This whole room was a wreck! One of the containers had broken open, and was leaking the blue-glowing liquid, no longer glowing as it seeped to every corner of the floor. The doors in the right-hand wall in the back were blocked off by a pipe as long as the entire room, and thick enough that Twilight may have been able to squeeze her entire body through, if she cared to try. She looked around carefully, entering the room as she considered a way to get past the large pipe. If she was careful, she might be able to walk on top of the pipe, and avoid the spilled fluid on the floor. A sound cried out behind her as something hit her from behind. She could feel it strike her through her suit. It couldn't have been much larger than a tennis ball. And it was still there! Still on her! Crawling! She tried looking around at it, and felt it creeping along her body, on her flank, on her back— Twilight cried out and moved, hastily setting Spike down as she rolled onto her back, trying to crush it. The creature was crawling around her side, onto her belly, up towards her face— She swatted at it with her hooves, lifting her head up. She saw it! Just a glimpse. She rolled over on her stomach again trying to crush it beneath her. The creature: the same kind as the one in the glass chamber. She rolled back and forth, hoping to smash it like a bug, but it was already on her side, her back, her neck— Lighting her horn, she picked it up, and threw it across the room. It hit the fluid on the floor with a small splash, jumping around in pain as it slid straight to the back of the room. Twilight got up, looking around quickly, feeling her breath gliding quickly and deeply through her lungs. Is it dead? Did I kill it? Is it— It wasn't dead. Twilight wanted to escape—to simply climb over the pipes—but the creature was turning around, and Twilight was suddenly fascinated by its actions. It was tapping the walls, feeling out with its feet—claws—tentacles, sticking them, grabbing onto— Oh, no! she thought, watching it ascend above the ground. It was walking up the wall! Literally! Walking! Straight up the wall! Twilight couldn't quite imagine how such a large creature could pull it off, but it was there! In front of her! Walking! And then— Twilight screamed out an ducked. The creature had just flown! Wait, was it flying? Catapulting! Like a wingless grasshopper! Without thinking, Twilight rolled onto her back, and kept going straight onto her belly again, hearing the creature thud weakly on the ground next to her. The creature turned towards her again, and Twilight was back on her feet, running! Running to the door! Sliding to the door—slipping—falling— Her hooves had completely slid out from under her as her belly slammed into the spill on the floor, her whole body ramming into the wall on the far side. She couldn't get up. She couldn't move! The creature was jumping again, flying the entire length of the room to land on the wall next to her. Twilight lit her horn again, starring up at the creature, watching her magic surround it, levitating it away from the wall. For a moment, she simply considered it: a green blob of an organism suspended in a light purple haze. Then, she slammed it into the wall. The creature let out a cry of pain, but still flailed around. She rammed it again, feeling its flesh compress like rubber against the steel wall. Another slam. Another. Another. Bash after bash, and the creature kept flailing. Twilight yelled out with each one. Why. Won't. You. Just. Die!? Twilight felt her magic start to give out. The creature was very weak now as she let the cloud dwindle, hearing the large green insect collapse on the floor just next to her. It was struggling to roll on its front, but couldn't quite manage it. Twilight's curiosity prompted her to look at the creature again. She had never seen it when it was on its back like this. She knew there was going to be some defense mechanism underneath, and expected some sort of mouth or sting, but nothing like this! There was almost no flesh underneath. The entire bottom of the creature was nothing but mouth! Red, swollen, permanently open, exposing what appeared to be a beak inside the gaping hole. If it wanted to, it could probably swallow an entire hoof or head in a single bite. Twilight reached her hind leg into an awkward angle and pushed against the back wall, feeling her body slide effortlessly across the floor. She reached out with her foreleg now, and clawed at the dry floor, hoisting herself away from the sea and struggled back onto her hooves. Spike was still in the corner, cradled in the fetal position with his back towards her. Could he move now? She lit her horn levitating the dragon over the pipe and setting him down just in front of the door. She used a similar technique to help herself up on it, keeping an eye on the creature still struggling on the floor. She had little strength left in her horn now, but lit it again just to smash the creature into the floor a few more times anyway. Just how resilient are these things?! she thought, smashing it for the third time. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when the doors swung open. They still worked! She could see the small stretch of hallway before her. She had to be close to the elevator by now! She levitated Spike into a corner of the hallway before cautiously stepping out herself. A cry behind her shot a chill through her as she ducked, hooves over her head. The creature had just leapt right through the door, landing opposite her in the hallway, turning to prepare for its next leap. Twilight didn't think. Glancing over at Spike, she kept her head down and charged head-long down the hallway. She could hear the creature behind her. She lifted her head and looked back at it as she ran— —and felt her head suddenly explode. Wave after wave of pain flooded down her scalp, throbbing, pulsating—her brain was tearing apart as her body collapsed. Her throat burned as she filled the hallway with a piercing scream, pressing her hooves into her temple to try and hold herself together! She felt around frantically: the top of her head, her hair, her horn—her horn!? Part of her horn. Half of her horn! She let out another scream as the pain kept flooding, praying for it to subside—to at least diminish—to give her a chance to catch her breath. The creature was on top of her now: the tiniest sense of feeling on the small of her back amid the rush of pain pouring from her head. She couldn't light her horn: not in the state she was in. She rolled onto her back again, and kept rolling, turning herself around so she could roll frantically down the hallway, leaving the poor creature to run crazily around her body. A voice rang out from the suit. Weapon Detected. Twilight stopped and looked around. The creature had managed to fall off in the fray of rolling. And behind her, she could see what had caused the damage to her horn. The laser canisters that spanned the entire wall of the hallway had broken, shooting a beam straight across the center, like a glowing trip-wire suspended a few feet in the air. Rubble was spread all over the floor: burnt computer chips, wires, pieces of metal and glass, and... something else. She crawled over to it, still grimacing from the flood of pain now leaking into her neck and into the rest of her body. She pushed her hoof into it, and found that it stuck! Did the suit know? Twilight didn't care anymore. It was a long piece of metal, and it felt heavy. Satisfyingly heavy. She looked over to see the creature preparing the jump again. She lifted the bar, daring it to jump. To try! With a loud cry, the creature leapt into the air as Twilight swung the bar, and missed spectacularly. Twilight got up, forcing herself onto her hooves, feeling her muscles work, feeling her hooves dig into the rubble-infested floor. Invigorated. Vengeful. For a moment, she stared at the creature with its back still towards her. Then, leaping on it before it could prepare its next jump, she smashed it with the bar, piercing it on the end of the crook like a skewer. She brought the bar up to her face, staring at the flailing creature upside down on the end. She wanted to watch it suffer. She wanted to watch it die. Slowly. Painfully. She wanted to hear it scream as it slowly bled out on the end of the rod. But then she came up with a better idea. Carrying it back down the hallway, she leaned the bar carefully up to the laser beam, and a few seconds later there was no more creature. The entire organism simply melted into a puddle on the floor. The end of the bar had turned red-hot instantly, but cooled rapidly back to the gray metal texture of before. It was over. She wanted to drop the bar, but the suit wouldn't let her. It just clung to the end of her hoof like some extension of her foreleg. At least she could still use it to walk. She ducked carefully under the laser and back over to Spike, still lying in the corner. He seemed to be hanging on, but was certainly in no better shape. Oh, Spike, she thought. Will I still be able to carry you? She put her head down and tried lighting her horn. Pain seared down her scalp again, raining down her neck. It wasn't quite agony, but the sensation was extremely uncomfortable. She could see small glimpses of sparks raining down in front of her, as if her horn was bleeding from the tip. Finally she stopped, deciding that magic would only make things worse. She had learned at some point from Celestia herself that horns had special healing powers. Of course, that had been in relation to internal damage from a spell. She had no idea if a horn had any ability to actually regrow. Walking over, she whispered a small apology to the seemingly sleeping dragon, and then clutched the spines on his head firmly in her mouth. He felt much heavier than he did when she used magic. And much more awkward. His limbs dangled, and she had to be careful that they didn't sway into anything. The laser was particularly tricky, as she had to bend over so far that part of his body dragged along the debris-strewn floor. She could feel her neck becoming stiff and sore very quickly as her muscles screamed out. She wasn't an Earth Pony. She didn't used her mouth to carry stuff that often. She laid him down as she reached the end of the hallway, reaching the doors that were next to the four colored stripes on the wall. She walked up to them hopefully but they wouldn't open. She considered using magic, but decided it wasn't worth the pain. Raising her hoof up with the metal bar still attached, she simply smashed the glass in the lower-right corner. Satisfying, she thought. I could get used to this. Now came the tricky part, though. She had a choice. She could either use magic to levitate Spike through the opening, or she could drag him through, and risk him getting cut up by the jagged edges of the glass. Thinking a moment, she came up with a better solution. Using the metal bar, she scrapped harshly along the edges of the glass frame, ripping out as much of the glass as she could. Then, using her hooves, she pushed all the large chunks out of the way, leaving only the smallest of the pieces still sitting on the metal floor. It took some work, but what she was left with was a relatively clear path to drag Spike down. And "drag" was exactly the word for it. She didn't even bother lifting him as she forced him along the floor fitting herself flank-first through the opening. The next hallway contained the elevator at the end, and was largely undamaged. Twilight was amazed at the variety of destruction she had witnessed so far! Picking up Spike all the way off the ground, she ran right up to the elevator, slamming her hoof into the button. Of course, nothing happened. She had done it more for the satisfaction of pressing a button, and for the slight, hopeful chance that something still worked around this facility. With the doors not opening, she followed suit, smashing the lower-left pane of glass, clearing out the shards around the edges, and pushing them away. She forced herself through the opening and looked around. The elevator shaft was felt very empty and hollow now. The platform she stepped onto was short, and had nothing to stop her from stepping right off the edge and down the shaft. Again, the entire area was lit with that same sickly-green light. She looked up, expecting to see the elevator stuck at the top. But there was nothing there! All she could make out was a cable dangling from the ceiling. Creeping right up the edge of the platform, she peered down. The shaft extending a ways further, and at the bottom was the remains of the elevator. She recognized the top, with a portion of the cable still attached. The rest was strewn around in parts throughout the bottom of the shaft. She couldn't see any blood. Hopefully no one was inside at the time. Looking around some more, she noticed the red ladder to her left extending to the top. And above her—way above her—was the small platform at the top that the ladder led to. For a moment she just stood there, thinking. She imagined herself with Spike in her mouth, climbing hoof-over-hoof up the rungs of the ladder. Imagined her hooves slipping out from under her. Imagined her muscles giving out half-way. Imagined the ladder breaking. She started to some to a conclusion. No, she thought, shaking her head. This isn't going to work. There has to be a better way. She forced herself out of the opening and looked around the hallway. "What kind of building doesn't have stairs!?" she said out loud, hearing her own voice resonate in the silence. She had already come up with an idea, of course. She was just taking her time preparing. It wasn't exactly going to be pleasant. "Okay, need to put it to the test. Need to test out the theory. Okay, testing, here we go..." She lit her horn, feeling the dull pain as sparks flew out the end. Spike was engulfed in a cloud of purple and lifted up. Okay, she thought. Not too bad so far... She lit it further, feeling the magic engulfing her own body. The pain was much clearer now, resonating down her skull. She stayed focused and pushed further. Her body was becoming lighter, but her head was exploding again. It was becoming much more difficult to concentrate. With one last push, she felt her own body lift entirely off the ground. As soon as she felt this, she let go, dropping herself and Spike back on the floor with a dull thud. "Ow," she said mildly, cradling her head weakly in her hooves. Well, at least it works, she thought. Horns were very strange instruments. If she had tried that exact same maneuver back in the ruins of the Test Chamber, she couldn't have pulled it off. There was a weakness then that she didn't have now. And somehow, that weakness was independent of outright physical injury. It was as though her own bodily fatigue was connected to her magical performance. She had recovered much energy now, and could perform much more powerful spells now, albeit very painful while they lasted. She hated to have to use her horn like this, as injured as it was. She knew that using it would do nothing more than make it worse. But there wasn't much choice in the matter. It either this, or face the long grueling struggle of using her own hooves. She brought Spike into the shaft first, carefully placing him to the side with her mouth before crawling in after him. She tried hard not to think about how high the shaft was as she lit her horn. For right now, she put all thought aside of her injury, and concentrated only on putting as much force and effort into the spell as she had. Seconds later she and Spike were surrounded by the glowing orb of magic. She could feel their bodies rising as she levitated them carefully towards the center of the shaft. She didn't want their heads striking the top platform and distracting her into letting go. The sensation was similar to gripping a rope as you're dangling off a cliff. Your hands stay still, your muscles grow stiff, but you never let your grip lessen. Your thoughts concentrate only on gripping tighter, even as you lose the feeling in your hands from the circulation cutting off. So it was with Twilight, except it was like having dozens of needles penetrating your hands while clutching the rope, knowing they would stop if you just let go. In fact, Twilight was so blinded from concentration and pain that she hardly noticed the platform slipping past her, and had to descend a bit before she landed. A shaky convulsive relief swept through her as she stopped the spell, lightly setting Spike down on the ground. She took a few steps out into the "O"-shaped hallway that wrapped around the elevator shaft before collapsing onto her stomach on the ground, going into small fits of spasms as she relaxed her muscles. Her head was spinning. She swayed it a bit as she tried to get her bearings, hardly noticing the two forelegs of another pony standing just in front of her. "Hey!" said a voice above her. "You alright?" She looked up, and found herself staring into the eyes of a security pony. Male. Brown. Earth-pony. The same one she had seen activate the retinal scanners into this area. He appeared to be mostly uninjured. He reached his hoof out towards her which she grasped with her own, letting him hoist her up. "My gosh! Is it really... Twilight?!" he said with a wide-eyed stare. "Twilight Sparkle?! THE Twilight Sparkle?! Who I sent down to the Test Chamber?!" He gave her a good look, taking her in. Her bloody face. Her suit. The bar attached to her hoof. And finally, her horn. "Well, I'll say that suit is certainly paying for itself now! Of course, your face has seen better days, and something tells me there used to be more of you... up there." He indicated his hoof towards her head. "Um, thanks," Twilight said. "Hey, listen. I could use your help. My dragon's hurt, and I need to get him to Sector B. There's an emergency medical area in the back. Could you help me get there?" She led the security pony back to where she laid Spike, just in front of the elevator doors. "Not a problem. He definitely needs help, I can see that. Just gimme a sec." Twilight admired his strength as he grabbed Spike by the spines with his own teeth and swung him on his back as though he were a stuffed doll. How did he balance him so well on his back like that? "Stay close," he said. "There are... things... walking around here." "I know," Twilight said. "I killed one of them down below." The security pony walked out in front at quite a clip, but still conversed with her politely. "Really? You killed one?! With your own bare hooves? Er, I mean—" He had clearly remembered the suit, but Twilight knew what he meant. "I found a crowbar," she said, jolting his memory of the metal shaft attached to her right hoof. "Ah! A natural at adaptation I see!" he said, rounding the corner towards the doors. "You know, if you get out of here alive, you might consider getting into the security business. We could use more ponies who know how to look after themselves in these kind of situations." Twilight felt a tiny sliver of pride as a smile flickered across her face. Twilight noticed the guard step over more bodies as he led her down the hallway back through the doors. There was less blood than the large carpet she had seen in the Ionization Chambers, but it still stained the floors all around the deceased. Twilight averted her eyes the best she could, but still felt an uneasy twinge in her stomach each time one of them came into view. "So," she heard the guard pipe up as they rounded the corner, "a scientist down in the Test Chamber. You were obviously there when it happened. Any idea what went wrong?" "Well, actually—" "Wait! Hold that thought!" They were back in the hallway with the same blue-tinted metal grate as the entrance to the labs. Most of the lights were out, but there was still plenty to see down the hallway. And at the end were two ponies. Scientists. Upright. Walking. They appeared at first to be survivors! But both Twilight and the security guard could tell that these were not conscious living ponies. They didn't move like normal ponies. And their faces— "Stand back," said the guard. "I saw a few of these back in the other hallway." Twilight jumped as the guard let out a few shots of the pistol mounted on his shoulder. She had never heard a gun before! They were never even allowed back in Canterlot! She was amazed at the powerful sound it gave off, satisfyingly reverberating around the hallway, stinging her ears with each shot. The ponies at the end of the hallway collapsed, one after the other. She starred in the distance, trying to make out what was different about them. "What, were they—?" Twilight asked, feeling more uneasy by the second. "Well, come take a look for yourself," he said, trotting up to the end of the hallway. Part of Twilight would rather have simply stayed back and have the guard cart the bodies off into a corner, where she would never see them again. But there was another, more curious part of her that needed to know. "Yep. This place is really making me glad I got all that target practice," the guard said as Twilight caught up with him. "These poor ponies... It would've been better had they just died." Twilight looked down at the nearest pony and immediately recognized the round green insectoid resting on the pony's face. "I know these things!" Twilight exclaimed. "One of them jumped on me down in the lower level!" The guard chuckled next to her. "Heh, you're lucky you're a unicorn!" he said. "These things feed on cerebral tissue, apparently. They connect to a host body through the scalp if they can, and use it to seek out its next victim." He looked up at Twilight, who was astonished at the guard's terminology. "Not my words," he said. "One of the scientists described it to me... while he was alive." The guard continued walking up the path, leading Twilight back to the "I" junction that lead to the central "C" hallway. Twilight followed him, glancing back at the two ponies on the ground before trotting forward to catch up. "So!" the guard started up again, "You were telling me what happened down there. What went wrong?" Twilight thought a bit as they rounded the corner into the shaft of the "I". "I have no idea! It was just... this rock. They had me push a strange rock into an analysis beam. And then... boom! Explosion! Chaos! ... This!" The guard turned to the right down the "C" hallway. "So, no idea then? Not even an inkling of a theory?" "Nope," Twilight responded automatically. "It all just happened so suddenly." Both of them stopped short as they rounded the corner that led into Sector B, dumbstruck by the massive obstruction in front of them. "Speaking of suddenly," the guard started, "what in the name of Equestria happened here!" the guard started. Twilight couldn't quite believe what they were seeing either! Was this the right place? As far as Twilight could tell, the entire ceiling had caved in! There wasn't even a gap between the pile of massive concrete blocks and the ceiling at the top! It was all just piles of concrete and rubble. Mountainous. Impenetrable. "An avalanche?" The guard said. "How... where..." Twilight struggled to comprehend all of this. "The medical station must be on the other side of this! How are we going to get through?!" Twilight looked back at the guard as he turned back towards her. "We'll find a way. Here, follow me. We'll see if there's a connecting route through the lobby." "The lobby?" she said. "I've already been in the lobby! It doesn't go through!" Twilight could see more red flashing warning lights on the walls, emanating from just around the corner of the "C". "Well, it didn't before!" the guard answered. "But if that thing could shake up this place bad enough to block a path, it might have done enough damage to open one!" Twilight watched as the guard turned to walk down to the corner of the hallway. "Wait!" Twilight said, following after him and stopping at the door to her right. "This hallway wraps around some kind of central room! Maybe there's a way from there! Here, can you get this door open?" Twilight turned towards the door on her right: plain and metal with security code buttons on the side. It had been blasted crooked during the cascade, and now sat wedged inside the wall at an odd angle. "That door's going nowhere," the guard said, walking back to Twilight. "Or at least, not without a lot of trouble." Twilight could see through some of the small cracks and crevices between the wall and the door. There were more flashing red lights and warning sirens going off inside. "Can you at least try to get it open?" The guard let out a sigh, reaching his mouth behind him and dragging Spike off his back so he could set him safely in a corner. "Fine. I'll need some room, though," he said simply, dredging up when looked like a monument of energy. "Stand back." Twilight retreated to where he had lain Spike, kneeling down so she could comfort him. The guard had backed up a ways, and a moment later charged straight at the door. Twilight jumped a bit as his hind-hooves struck the door. A small dent formed, but the door remained. A retreat. Another charge. Another crash. A bigger dent. She watched as he struck the door a third time, whacking entire door hard enough to give way a bit. It was now arcing inside the room a bit, but still stuck. "One... more..." the guard said, charging head-strong. And with the last solid strike, the door caved in entirely and landed on the ground inside the room with a loud clang. "Amazing!" Twilight said, admiring the strength it must have taken to bend a steel door. The guard was breathing heavily, but was not off balance or anything. "They don't have us go through training for nothing!" he said. He looked down at Twilight bending over the small form of the dragon. "How's the little guy doing?" Twilight reached over her hooves and felt around his body, his heart, his forehead, his breath— "He's still warm," she said. "Very warm! Like, hot!" Twilight kept her hoof on his forehead and felt worrying thoughts creep through her head. "Let me see if I can get you through the barrier in here," he said, walking into the door. Twilight watched as the front-half of his body disappeared through the door only to come back a moment later. "You're in luck!" he said. "There's a ventilation opening in the side. It looks like it goes through the wall on the other side of the barrier. I'll see if I can knock one of the server computers over for your to climb up. Come on in." Twilight glanced back at Spike as she stood up and walked into the room with him. This was one of the most chaotic rooms she had seen by far! It was covered in what used to be large shelves filled with black computer servers. The place looked much like a library, but much smaller, and with electronics instead of books. Some of the free-standing shelves had tipped over, breaking wires and short-circuiting many of the systems. Some of them had caught on fire! Many of the lights were blown out, and the room was hazed in smoke and red warning lights. "There!" the guard said, pointing up at the wall on the right. Twilight followed his gaze and noticed the rectangular opening high-up in the wall, close to the ceiling. "How am I supposed to get up there?!" Twilight shouted amid the alarms and flames. "Hang on," he said, stepping up to one of the shelves on her right. He reared up on his hind hooves, resting his forelegs on the shelf to give it a hard shove. It tipped over easily, crashing into the wall well before hitting the ground so it was leaning at a steep angle. "Can you climb this?" he shouted, pointing at the make-shift ramp leading roughing up to the hole at the top of the wall. "I think so," she said. "Let me go get Spike." Twilight was not expecting the security guard to walk out with her, and turned around when she noticed he was trotting right up to her. "Before you go," he started, "I want you to have this." He bent his head down into one of the lower parts of his uniform and flipped out something small and black, catching it on an outstretched hoof. Twilight looked at it as he held it out for her. "A pistol?!" she shouted, surprised. "Ooooh, no! I don't think you want me using that thing!" "You're gonna need it!" he said. "I hear that hazard suit you're wearing is built for using weapons!" Twilight backed up, shaking her head. "No... no, no, no, nonononono! That's... I'm a scientist! I'm not... trained... for that kind of thing!" "They didn't have a target range during your hazard course training?" Twilight was at a loss for words. "That was... but... we're not... PFFT!" she spit, completely perplexed. "You really expect me—Twilight Sparkle—scientist—to just pick up a gun like some... some grunt! And go shooting things?!" "You wanna keep smashing things with a crowbar?" he said with a sly smile. "Be my guest! But take the firearm with you anyway." Twilight just looked at him with a crazed face, peering back and forth between his face and the pistol. "You really wanna face those zombie ponies we saw back there with your own bare hooves?" Twilight scowled, almost angry at how good his argument was. Finally she gave in. "Fine. I'll take it," she said, "but only as an emergency tool! I'm not going to use this thing!" "That's fine!" he said, turning to head back into the room as soon as Twilight had lifted the device with her magic. "Just don't come cryin' to me when one of those headcrab thingys finds a way to attach itself over your horn!" Twilight could feel an annoyance creep over her as she mantled the gun, slipping it into the holster on her shoulder like she was shown during the hazard course before reaching for Spike. "You need any help?" the guard said as Twilight finished dragging Spike into the room with her. "I can manage." The guard watched as she worked out how to most easily get up the ramp with Spike. "I'm not coming with you, by the way." Twilight lurched forward from surprise, nearly dropping Spike! "What?! Why?!" she said, putting him down on the floor. The guard shrugged. "More civilians. Gotta keep watch for more ponies like you, coming up that elevator shaft." He winked. Somehow she got the feeling he was being somewhat facetious. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked, knowing the answer. The guard turned and walked towards the door, clouded slightly by the haze of smoke. The flames of the computer in the back were starting to spread. "Don't count on it," he said. And as he walked out, Twilight turned back to Spike, still injured, still burning up on the floor. Fine, be that way, she thought. I'll manage on my own. "Come on," she said to Spike, just before hoisting him up to the vent, "Let's get you some help." ========================================================= "GET BACK!" Twilight jumped at Dr. Yursa's crazed voice as she entered the medical room. He was backed into the corner, holding out a scalpel between his two hooves pressed together. His eyes were wide, and he was shaking violently. "It's okay!" Twilight said. "I'm not one of... of them." Dr. Yursa looked at her funny, as if he thought she might have been a hallucination. "Twi... Twilight?" he said slowly. She walked slowly up to him, making him hoist the scalpel higher in front of him. "Calm down! It really is me! I'm not going to hurt you!" She watched as Dr. Yursa slowly lowered the knife, still shaking. "H-h-h-h-how?" he said, wonderingly. "How did you survive!? This... this whole place!" "I know, Doctor. I'm amazed I'm alive too. But right now, I need your help." Twilight had struggled a bit with how to get down from the ventilation duct. It had been very high above the ground. She had ended up jumping down herself (discovering that her fracture hadn't entirely healed), and then levitated Spike the rest of the way with her. She was now standing inside a somewhat darkened room. Most of the lights at least still worked in here, and the equipment didn't look too shaken around. Things were looking promising. "H-h-help?" he stuttered. "H-h-how can I help? I just... well... look at me! I'm a wreck!" As an answer, Twilight stepped back out the door, and dragged her baby dragon into the room, stopping just in front of him. "He's hurt," she said simply. "The lady on the bottom floor said he's going through shock. Can you help?" He starred at the creature in front of him, taking in his injured body, eyes still wide, wrapped in white, stained with red, looking terrified. "Wha... I..." he said shakily, "Well I... guess... yes! Yes, we have stuff here for that! That's—" he swallowed roughly, "—that's exactly what this place is for!" He let out a nervous laugh, sounding almost relieved at being presented with something he actually knew how to handle! "There's a table we can prop up in the closet over there. Unfold it and set it up in the center here." "Why can't we use that thing in the corner?" she said, indicating the leather bedding she had noticed the first time she was in here. Dr. Yursa glanced at it before looking back at Twilight. "That's just for resting on. We need something to operate on. That's what's in the closet," he said, indicating his head impatiently behind Twilight. "Okay," Twilight said, walking to the right to a tall white cabinet against the wall and magicking one of the doors open, "this one?" "Should be in the front." Twilight pulled out what looked like a long metal sheet as tall as the entire cabinet, discovering a couple legs folded underneath. She figured out the mechanics and snapped it open with her horn. "Good, good," he said, "Put it here in the middle. That's it. Now, help me get something to clean it with. It should already be sterilized, but we need to be sure." It took Twilight and Dr. Yursa around 10 minutes to get everything setup. The table was scrubbed, special sheets were laid down, and a few instruments were set onto a second table. "Alright. Set him up here," he said at last. "Easy! That's it!" Twilight strained her horn to ensure he was set down in just the right way, feeling awkward about the rough way she had been handling him so far. "That's it. Now," he said, bending over to look at him, "the first thing we need is to treat the shock. I have some fluid here that'll help." He indicated the large clear bag suspended from the poll next to him. "Now, normally there's a unicorn here to assist me with this stuff, but I'm not sure where she got to, and I doubt we'll get a hold of her. It looks like you'll be doing a lot of the handy work." "I'll... do my best?" Twilight said, not knowing how she felt about this. Yursa was already indicating the first step. "Now the best way to do this is to find a vein. I think I can do that much. Let me see..." He bent over and started feeling around the dragon's arm. "This is so much easier on ponies," he muttered. "These thick scales... I'm just not used to... wait! I think I got something." He looked at Twilight. "Sterilization first, Twilight. There's some peroxide on the table over there, and some cotton balls. All it needs is a dab." Twilight worked as quickly as she could, trying hard not to spill anything. Her horn was feeling much better now, and simple things like this hardly hurt it, but it was far from what it used to be. "Good, good," he said, "Now the needle. Sterilize the needle." He indicated with his head to the end of the tube dangling from the bag. Twilight picked it up, rubbing it thoroughly with the cotton ball, trying not to think about what was coming next. "Okay, okay. That's good. Just one rub should do it," he said, noticing how distracted she was getting. "Now, just put it here, right where my hoof is. You should be able to feel it with your magic. It's just a small pulse." "I," Twilight said, starting to bring the needle up to the scales, "I don't think I can do this." "It's alright! He won't feel much pain. It's just prick. Just make sure it goes in the right place." Twilight brought the needle up with her magic again and noticed she was shaking now. "Are you alright? Do you need some water?" He indicated towards the emergency shower in the back. "No, no! I can do this. I just... need to concentrate." She thought about Spike, and how important this was, putting her mind straight to where his hoof was. She took deep breaths to calm herself as she brought the tip right up to a small pulse she sensed with her horn. It was subtle. "That's it," he said. "You're gonna need some pressure to get through the scales now. Just... get through the dermal tissue and feel it just on the other side." Twilight pushed forward, trying not to feel light-headed as she felt it worm through the skin. Less than a quarter of an inch in, she could feel a small tube with the tip. "Ahhghh!" She yelled out, letting go. "I can... feel it!" "Don't stop! You were doing great! You found it! Just—" "Okayokayokayokayokay! Just be quiet! I can do this." She felt back with the tip, resting it right against the tube, and without trying to think about it, she pushed it lightly in. She let out a breath. "It's in!" she said, stepping back from the table and relaxing all her muscles. "Great. Just switch that knob at the top. It'll do the rest," he said. Twilight did what she was told, feeling the fluid start to drain from the plastic pouch. "And some tape would help," he added, indicating his hoof still holding the needle in place. "Oh. Right. Yes." The tape at least was an easy part. Once the needle was secure, she stepped back to talk. "How long until he recovers?" she asked, looking at Spike's body still laying stock still on the table, eyes still wide, pupils still dilated, watching his chest rise and fall gently with each breath. "Depends," was all he said, moving around until he was right up next to him. "Right now, we need to address the wound itself. It looks like a relatively decent job was done applying pressure. Did you do all this?" he said, indicating the wrap of tape around his body. "Some of it," she said, "mostly it was another scientist who helped. Another unicorn." "Magenta?" he asked, and suddenly Twilight knew what he was referring to. "Heh. Well, I guess that explains where your assistant went," she said. Yursa smiled weakly. "Alright, so," he said, turning back to Spike, "that should take care of the shock. If all goes well, he should be back to a somewhat stable mental state after a while." He reached up and started feeling carefully around hid body now, studying the redness of the tape. "Can you lift him up now? I'd like you to unwrap this for me so I can look at the wound." Twilight wanted to turn away as she worked, but knew that magic didn't quite work that way. She lit her horn and levitated him an inch off the table, peeling off the layers of tape wrapped around his body. "That's it," he said as the last of it came off. "My! That's..." He and Twilight starred at the open wound. Or, at least, Dr. Yursa stared at the open wound. Twilight was going back and forth between glancing at it, and turning her head in the opposite direction. It was not as she had remembered it. Back outside the Test Chamber it had been so... clean! Now all the scales around it were reddened and puffy and... oozy... "What... what happened to it?" Twilight asked, finally settling by staring at the floor. She couldn't see Dr. Yursa from her downward gaze, but she guessed he was quite perplexed. "Did you..." he started, "did you even try to clean it before you wrapped it up?!" "I... don't know," Twilight said, thinking back to the nurse. Dr. Yursa sighed deeply. "Nevermind. It's not your fault. Let me see how bad the damage is." He turned to Twilight. "Sorry to have to keep asking difficult things of you, but I'm going to need you to spread it open a bit for me. Very... very gently." Twilight glanced at the wound again before looking up at the ceiling. She lit her horn again and felt his flesh in her thoughts pulling open, just slightly. A smell slammed into her: Putrid. Damaged. Invading her nostrils, tearing into her brain. "Oh, Celestia," she said, turning her head away with her hoof to her snout. "That's it," he said, "keep it right there, that's good." Twilight thought she was going to be sick. She brought her thoughts to poor Dr. Yursa, having to endure the smell close up. Perhaps he had dealt with things this bad before? "Well, it's a relatively clean cut," he said, peering in close, "definitely a sheer laceration. No really rough edges or anything, but..." He peered further in. "Could you come over here and shine a light for me?" Twilight held her breath, keeping her head turned away as she approached the table and lit up her horn like a flashlight. "Thanks," he said. "Also, I think your suit comes with a flashlight if you'd rather use that—" "I'm fine!" she said, tense from her magical usage and lack of oxygen. "Well, from what I can see, the foreign body is still in there. It's definitely sheet metal, broke off during the experiment. Normally I don't like to remove things like this, but—" He was glancing around inside at different angles, studying the way it was lodged in the wound. He finally came away shaking his head. "I'm not going to take it out. Not when it's that deep," he said. Twilight could sense him turning his attention away from Spike's side. "I think the very next thing we need to do is clean the wound." Twilight let her magic dwindle as the opening sealed back up. Dr. Yursa went to the cabinets on the right and started fishing around. "I have some saline over here we can use. We don't want the peroxide. It's too much, especially for something this deep. Plus the bubbles can get into the bloodstream and... well, nevermind." He turned around holding a large piston syringe that Twilight was relieved to see didn't have a needle at the end. "This part should be pretty straight forward," he said. "It's just some simple irrigation. Help flush out the wound." Twilight looked at the full syringe in his hands, then at the wound, then back at the syringe. "I'm going to squirt that... inside the wound?!" "That's the idea, yes," he said, quite calmly. "It's a bit like basting. Do you cook?" Twilight didn't quite know what to make of this, and ended up giving a small snicker that sounded like a cross between a retch and a cough. "Okay, bad analogy," he said, "but you get what I mean. Just be sure to give it some pressure, and be sure to get all around the entire area." Twilight lit her horn, mumbling to herself. "Why oh why didn't that unicorn come back with me?" She grimaced as she opened the wound again, holding her breath as the stench came flooding back. Levitating the syringe, she placed the end mildly inside and pressed down the plunger, trying not to think about what she was doing. The table exploded! Twilight jumped as Dr. Yursa ran around the other end of the table. "Hold him! HOLD HIM!" he yelled out, slamming his hooves over Spike's body, pinning his writhing body to the table. Twilight had shrunk back. "Keep going!" he yelled. "I got him, keep going!" Twilight kept pressing down the plunger, hating herself as she felt the fluid strike the top-inside of the wound, gliding it clockwise around the inside. "All around, that's it," he said, holding down the struggling figure. Twilight tore her eyes away from him, trying to block out the whimpering cries. "That's good. You're doing great! Halfway there!" Twilight grimaced as the spray struck the metal inside, splashing slightly onto the table. Spike was now letting out a long consistent sob getting louder by the second. His convulsions had stopped, but every muscle was tense, pressing harshly against Yursa's forelegs. The process was taking forever! She could sense the fluid leaking out onto the table as she brought it around the bottom of the wound. Spike was trying desperately to flail his arms, still pinned to the table. Twilight felt the last of the fluid squirt out and immediately dropped the syringe, letting it clang loudly onto the floor. She was shaking violently. Spike's cry was now loudly filling the room, sounding so unlike is usual voice: like some kind of Everfree creature screaming into the night. Twilight wasn't sure her ears could take it. "That should do it!" Yursa said over the screams, leaning forward to look at her in concern. "I can handle him for now if you want to go to the other room until he calms down." "I'm not leaving him!" Twilight said shakily. She could feel a quivering weakness in her stomach as she leaned up to the pitiful figure on the table. Her hoof went to his cheek as she stroked it, feeling a heat resonating off the scales. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes wide. He looked so confused! "It's okay," she whispered, Spike's cries lessening into a whimper. "It's okay, it's over!" She continued stroking his cheek, leaning her head forward until it was just over his face, and she could tell: Spike could see her—could hear her— "It's okay. I'm here," she said quietly, bringing her hoof up to rub against his forehead, feeling a blistering heat radiating from it. Dr. Yursa was now backing up, no longer holding him, amazed at Twilight's ability. For a while he was still, silent, watching, as Twilight continued to comfort the figure on the table. "He doesn't look as bad now," Twilight said after a while, looking over at Yursa standing in the corner. "His eyes look better." Indeed, Spike's pupils were no longer dilated, and his lids were not as wide. "Remarkable!" Yursa said, walking around the table. "You're... it's like..." He walked right up to Twilight, very curious now. "Did you... did you raise him yourself?" he asked. Twilight was somewhat taken aback. She had never exactly considered the bond between her and Spike in quite that way before. "Yes," she said at last. "Well, sort of. He... I hatched him when I was very young. It was... academic. At least, it was at first." They both turned to the dragon now lying remarkably still now, but breathing hard. His wound was still leaking the clear fluid, but somehow looked much better—much cleaner. "I'm really sorry," he said at last, turning back to Twilight grimly. "No pony should have to go through that," he added slowly. He opened his mouth to say something else, but fell silent. For a moment they both watched Spike laying peacefully on the table. He looked as though he was falling asleep now! Twilight could feel a small warmth inside her, comforting her as she watched the calm figure, lessening the distress that had been clouding the back of her mind. "I think," Yursa said quietly after a while, "that we should probably do something about your face." Twilight had completely forgotten about the crustiness on her cheek, and felt her hoof subconsciously reaching up to feel it again. "What about Spike?" she said, turning to look at him again. "Oh, he'll be alright. I'm going to leave the wound exposed to the air for a bit and dress it up later. We'll of course have to work out what to do about the infection, but—" Twilight thought she glimpsed the tiniest bit of sadness in his eyes for a moment, but it passed quickly. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." ========================================================= Twilight picked her head up off the ground, lifting her hoof wearily to her cheek to feel the gauze taped to the large cut on her face. How long have I been out? she wondered. Looking around from her place on the floor, she remembered why she had woken. She had heard something... something important! She stood up slowly, seeing the metal folding table still sitting in front of her in the slightly darkened room, with Dr. Yursa in the corner resting. "Twi-" came the sound again, "Twilight?" Twilight's ears perked. It had been ages since she had heard that voice! In a heartbeat she was on her hooves, racing up to the table. "Twilight?" came the voice again as she put her hooves carefully up on the table and leaned over. Spike was lying there, completely calm, his eyes droopy as if he had just woken. The tiniest flicker of a smile crested his face as he looked at her. "Twilight, is that you?" he said quietly, a curious, hopeful look in his eyes. She could tell he was still adjusting to the light. "Yes," she said half laughing, half crying. "Yes, it's me!" She leaned in and wrapped her hooves around his face, placing her lips gently on the dragon's forehead before lowering it to rest sideways against his body. "So," Spike continued at almost a whisper, "you didn't leave me?" A warmth engulfed Twilight as she listened to his voice. "No, Spike. I'm still here," she said. "I would never leave you." She lay there for a moment before lifting her head to look at him again. Spike was now turning his head and looking around. "What happened, Twilight?" he said, "Where are we?" "We're with Dr. Yursa," she said smiling. "You remember Dr. Yursa, right?" Spike was adjusting very slowly, still very out of it, like a wakening coma patient. "Yeah," he said at least, "yeah, I remember him! He's the one that touched me in places back in the lab!" Twilight's smile flickered as she glanced over at where Yursa was still resting. She turned back to Spike. "How do you feel? Are you alright?" As an answer, Spike reached back with his arms and struggled to sit up. "Whoa!" Twilight said, "Easy! Careful! Take it slow." "I'm alright," he said. Then, reaching down to his side, "But it's really sore, like, right here." Twilight had done a descent job dressing and bandaging the wound at Yursa's instruction. He had joked with her about putting in stitches, but explained that they weren't really appropriate for something this inflamed. "Well, don't touch it," she said. "It'll heal on its own." Spike continued to stare around the room, taking in all the equipment and refreshing his memory of where everything was. "This place looks different," he said. "Did something happen?" Twilight thought for a moment, and decided to be honest. "Yes, Spike. Something happened," she said. A small pause as Spike's memory slowly came back. Then, "Did the building blow up?" Twilight's eyes almost went wide before cracking a huge smile. "Not... quite!" she said. "But almost?" Spike said, starting to sound more like Spike again. Twilight couldn't help it. She let out a small laugh and felt herself leaning in to embrace him, holding him tight. "Ow," he said lightly as she brushed against the wound. She felt his own arms reaching around her neck and for a moment they sat there, holding each other, Spike's warm body pressed into hers. Very warm in fact. Almost too warm. "Well, look who's awake!" said a voice next to her. Twilight let go to look at Dr. Yursa standing next to the table, walking up to check on Spike. "You, Mr. Dragon, caused quite a stir! Had miss Twilight here going nuts! You should be feeling very lucky right now." Spike blushed, looking around his body and finally poked a bit at his side some more. "You're gonna want to leave that alone," he said. "It's still very tender." He turned to Twilight. "Could I, uh, speak to you outside for a moment?" he said. Twilight didn't like the sound of those words at all. Her smile had faded almost instantly as she gave the tiniest of nods. "Sure." She stepped out the door behind Yursa as they departed from Spike, letting him lie back down to rest a bit. As she stepped into the other room, she could see through the window into the darkened hallway of the research area. She was in the room where the business pony had been earlier. "Listen, Twilight," he started as the door closed behind her, "there's something I need to—" "It's about the infection, isn't it," Twilight interrupted him. For a moment they stared. Then Yursa finally gave a small nod. "I tried to stem it. I spent a long time after you went to sleep looking into it. It's working very rapidly. I don't think I've seen anything work this fast!" Twilight tried to comprehend what she was hearing. Her brain heard and understood, but the rest of her didn't want to. "By the time you got him to me, it had already spread over most of his body. He's very hot right now. Very sick. I wish I could say there was something I could do, but—" He took a breath and swallowed. "I really don't have the tools, or the medicine to deal with something like this. He needs more serious medical attention, and we simply don't have that in these labs." Twilight looked at him dumbfounded, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. "What are you saying?" she said, not even trying to hold back her frustration, "You're just gonna let him... just gonna do nothing?!" "I already did everything I could do!" They stared a bit longer, and for a moment she actually felt sorry for him. His head bent down, and she could tell this was extremely difficult for him. "I'm sorry," he said at last. Twilight's blood boiled beneath her skin as it was pounded through her body from her chest. "Sorry?" she whispered, almost deathly. "Sorry." Yursa didn't say anything else, keeping his head bent down. "No," Twilight said, shaking her head. "No, this isn't over! I didn't go through all that just for this! I'm not going to just sit here and—" Dr. Yursa was simply shaking his head. "I know how hard this must be for you." "NO!" she shouted. "YOU DON'T! YOU HAVE NO IDEA! YOU JUST... YOU..." She leaned into the floor and let out a loud yell at the window. Yursa had backed up a few steps, but didn't lose his composure. She turned to him again, shaking, trying to think. Her thoughts were racing around, and she fought hard to control herself. "You say there would be a chance if he got more help," she said again. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Her gaze was piercing but he didn't shrink back. "I don't know," he said calmly. "They might have something to help him or they might not." More thoughts raced. Her head was swimming with ideas, plans, scenarios, each one crazier than the last, and none of them the least bit sane. She breathed deep to calm herself, finding it to work only partially. "I'm going back out there," she said. She watched Dr. Yursa, expecting him to retaliate. "That's your choice," he said simply. Twilight was somewhat taken aback. "And I'm taking Spike with me," she said, clarifying her statement in case he hadn't understood. Dr. Yursa said nothing. Twilight kept going. "I can do this," she said, "I can find the surface. I can get out of here. I can find him help!" "And I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor," he said in return. Twilight was getting frustrated again. She wanted to argue with him. She wanted him to think she was crazy! Why did he have to be so calm!? "In fact," he continued, "I'm beginning to think that's the best option right now. It's the best advice I could ever think to give. It's certainly better than staying here." Twilight was at a loss for words. "You... you..." "Come on back inside," he said. "I'll get you patched up." "Patched up?!" she said, half-confused, half still frustrated with his demeanor. "Twilight," he said, turning around again, "the transit system is completely shut down. There's only one way out of these labs, and that's through Sector B. Do you have any idea what's in Sector B?" Twilight waited for his answer as he continued. "Raw sewage! That's what!" he said. "Your wounds are going to need a lot more protection than they already have if they're to get through that! Now come back inside." Twilight kept standing there, wanting to shout out, wanting to scream! This wasn't at all what she had expected! She walked over to the wall next to her and bumped her head roughly into it. What am I getting myself into? she thought to herself. What am I doing? Dr. Yursa was waiting for her inside, standing next to Spike who was carefully pulling out the IV. "What's going on?" Spike asked as he handed the needle over to Yursa. "I heard yelling." "Can you walk?" Twilight asked. Spike thought for a moment, letting the question seep in. "I... think so," he said. He swung his legs over the side of the table and swayed a bit before pushing himself off and landed on the floor. His knees bent for a bit before straightening back up, staggering for a few moments. "Whoa," Dr. Yursa said. "You alright? Can you stand straight?" They watched as Spike slowly regained his balanced, finally taking a few steps towards Twilight and grabbing onto the front of her body. Twilight instinctively reached a hoof up and pulled him in close to her. "Looks like he should be okay," Yursa said. "Come on over here in the corner with me. I'll get you fixed up." "What's going on?" Spike asked, looking up at Twilight. She let go of him, watching him balance on his feet before walking over with Dr. Yursa. "We're leaving," she said. ========================================================= Twilight's preparations flew by so quickly she hardly noticed that they were already out the door! Dr. Yursa hadn't had much to say, but tried to fit in everything he could in the little time they had, preparing her the best he could for Sector B. They were walking down the darkened trashed hallway with the two large glass windows on either side, coming up on the L-Bend entrance to Sector B. Spike was actually walking now, but Twilight didn't know for how long. He wasn't exactly energetic. And she was trying not to think about what his reaction would be to some of the more gruesome things she had seen. "I don't understand," Spike said trying to keep up with her. "Leaving where?" "Out of this facility," she said. "We're getting to the surface, and we're high-tailing it back to—" She stopped for a moment. She wanted to say "back to Canterlot", but that was a long way! Surely she didn't have time for that! Perhaps there was a hospital in Appleloosa? Oh, she didn't know! I'll work it out as we go, she thought. "We're just getting out of here!" she finished, picking up the pace again. And all too soon, the L-Bend spit them out into an anti-chamber to Sector B, filled with two bodies: one dead, one undead. Part of Twilight wanted to put her hooves over Spike's eyes but she realized how impractical this would be if she did that for every body they came across. He would need to get used to it, just as she had She prepared herself. The room itself was nothing special. There was a medical kit on the wall that the security corpse had obviously attempted to use, and a diamond-plated floor that lead to a vestibule spanned by two black open-frame doors with X-bar reinforcement beams. The rest of the room felt very concrete in comparison with the rest of the lab. "Twilight?" The fatigued but scared sound of Spike came from behind her as the bodies came into his view. "Try not to look," she said back to him. "This is just the way things are now." As Twilight entered the vestibule through the crooked left-hand door, she noticed a large metal fan spinning slowly in the ceiling. The area was hardly large enough for her and Spike. "Can I ride on your back?" Spike asked, leaning against her side hopefully. Twilight had hoped he wouldn't ask this. She had prepared herself for another headcrab encounter, and had removed the safety from her pistol... begrudgingly. She didn't want Spike tossed around in case things got ugly. Before they lad left, Dr. Yursa had also pointed out a clever aspect of the suit! A hook on the side that she could slip the crowbar into when she wasn't using it. She was feeling much more prepared now. "Sorry, Spike," she said. "Maybe when we're away from the facility." Twilight pushed a small green button on her left, swinging the doors open. Or, almost swinging the doors open. One door stayed closed. The other one oscillated between open and closed. "Well, glad to see all the doors are still in order!" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. Spike wasn't smiling. "Just time it right. No problem," she said, preparing for a couple seconds before dashing through. Spike hesitated, but made it through too. "Now," she said looking around at her new surroundings, "We're ultimately looking for an elevator. Something to get us to the surface. Follow me." She was in a much larger area with massive sheet-metal plates tiling the walls, each one framed with rivets. A few blue-painted pipes stuck out of the ground here and there, traveling thickly to the ceiling. There was only one path from here, which she led Spike hastily down. She could hear running water in the distance, and the hissing of pipes. It wasn't exactly the most habitable place. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Spike asked. "This looks kinda rough!" "Well, at least all the lights are working in this area," she said. "We can see what we're doing." She walked around a corner to the left, leading Spike around the only path through the area, round again to the right down a small set of stairs. She noticed a balcony on the wall in front of her as she descended, and looked up to see a pony standing there. She perked up. "Hey!" she shouted. The pony turned, revealing formal attire, walking off to the right and out of site. Twilight stood and stared a moment longer. No! she thought. Not him! Not again! "Who were you shouting to?" Spike asked, catching up to her. Twilight shook her head again, putting the image of the business pony out of her head. "No one, Spike. It was no one." The new area she descended in was much larger now! The ceiling was higher to accommodation the catwalk, now on her right. She could see the path jog to the left a bit up ahead, and there was an opening in the wall just before the jog covered by glass, not much larger than a window, but close to the floor like a door. She could still hear running water far away with a few new sounds: A fan rotating, some wind blowing lightly, a few dogs yipping— Wait, she thought, dogs... yipping? Twilight turned to Spike. "Do you hear that?" she asked. Both of them jumped back as the glass in the opening crashed, broken by a large watermelon... with legs... and eyes... and— "What is that thing!?" Spike yelled out as it turned and bounded towards them, it's entire front covered in a circle of hundreds of complex eyes! "Get Back!" Twilight yelled at him as she tried to remember how to work the gun. The creature was already at her, taunting her, squealing at her. A sound went off like a gun. Next thing she knew she was flying through the air, limbs flailing, slamming painfully into the wall behind her and sliding to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. For a moment she forgot where she was. Her head was dazed. She looked around for Spike and saw him now at the top of the stairs, safe for now. She saw the creature running up to her again, yipping excitedly. But she was equal to it, already righting herself. Her hoof was already slipping out the crowbar, raising it behind her as the creature leaned into the ground for another wailing attack. With a whipping motion of her hoof, the bar made contact, and now it was the creature's turn to go flying! It lightly hit the wall on the other side of the wall, bleeding puss as it collapsed dead onto the floor. "Wh-hoa!" Twilight turned to see Spike staring out in amazement, apparently forgetting his fatigue. "Now that was cool! What was that thing!?" More yipping. Further away. Twilight strained her ears and could tell this was a lot more than just a tiny group. "Stay back, Spike," she said, walking slowly towards the sound. "It sounds like we may have woken the pack." Spike jumped up, half worried half eager, looking around frantically as if one could come at him from anywhere. He ran down the steps and hid away in one of the corners where he had a good view of all incoming directions, prepared for a show. Twilight was somewhat dazed from the impact, but pushed passed it with a new set of nerves. There was something about having that bar in her hands—the gun at the ready—Spike behind her to protect. It was invigorating! It was a high! The yipping echoed around, and suddenly got much louder as she heard them round the corner. One... three... seven... how many were there! Pressing her hoof into the ground, she felt the switch in the tip—felt the mechanism—felt the trigger compress. A shot rang out, splitting her ears apart! It clanged against the ground too far to the right. Twilight compensated, turning, firing, and hit the first one in the side just next to the eyes. It recoiled back, stumbling over in puss-colored blood. Twilight felt it! The bullet striking it! It was a feeling that required no magic to sense. It was like she was right there with it when it made contact! She brought her hoof down again, feeling another bullet crack out of the muzzle and pin one of the creatures in the eye. Spike was now cowering in the corner in awe. Again and again she snapped the trigger, striking another two... three... four... And then they were on her, barring into the ground, wailing. Lifting her hoof up, crowbar shining, she whipped it through the air, feeling it penetrate a thick skin, skewing one on the end before raising it up, creature and all, and whipping it off and into the wall with a satisfying splat. Another wail as she brought the bar from its height, slamming it back-handed into another creature. The blood was flowing now as she brought it down a third time, whipping it into creature after creature, making some of them hesitate and fall back. Twilight jumped forward, letting out a scream! An instinctual war-cry! Intoxicated with adrenaline! Many of the creatures jumped back a bit. She took this opportunity to bring her hoof back down, letting bullets fly out in a series of bangs until she heard the click at the end of the clip. Only two creatures remained now. She swung back her crowbar, but the they were already running off, scampering back down the hallway in whimpers. Twilight holstered her crowbar, breathing hard as she turning back to Spike. His hands were clutching the bottom lip of his gaping mouth, shaking from excitement. "That... was..." Twilight walked up to him, leaning over to grasp his body and rest her hoof against his forehead. "How are you?" she asked quickly. "Still hanging in there?" "That was INCREDIBLE! Where did you learn to do that!?" Twilight got up, looking at the pile of alien corpses littering the floor. "You'll want to save your energy, Spike. We have a long haul ahead of us," she said. "Oh, and watch your step. I don't know where these things have been." Twilight watched as Spike stumbled forward a bit. His youth gave him energy, but he was far from well. Had they been back in Canterlot, Twilight wouldn't have allowed him to even sit up, much less walk around. But that was then. "Stay close," she said, walking around the jog. The ceiling lowered back down in this area, and Twilight noticed the air getting thicker... and nastier... The hallway split at a "T". The left was blocked by a giant ventilation fan that took up the entire wall. The right was also a dead end at a further distance, again with another fan. All up and down the "T" were steel barrels about as tall as Twilight, all emitting a putrid toxic odor. A dumpster sat at the very end of the right hallway, hidden away in a nook. Twilight walked to the right and noticed another path that she hadn't seen from the split. It went off to the left, but was blocked by crisscrossing metal bars. Even Spike couldn't quite fit through those openings. "Well, Spike?" she asked. "Any ideas?" Twilight turned around, looking for her dragon companion and noticed him a couple dozen feet away holding his stomach and limping. "Spike!" she yelled, trotting up to him. "Spike! Are you alright?" Spike grasped Twilight as she approached her, leaning into her for support. "I don't think this smell agrees with me," he moaned. Twilight got down on the floor and felt his burning forehead before letting him climb onto her back. He struggled to get to the top. "Don't worry, Spike," she said, getting up and walking carefully back to the bars, "I'll find a way out of here." Even Twilight herself was getting nauseated from the smell. She needed to get out of here, fast. "There's a hole in the floor here," she said, noticing a place where a square manhole had been removed just in front of the gate. "There are more drains on the other side. We should be able to worm our way through here." Spike moaned softly in response, not moving much. Twilight peered down through the hole and looked around. The hole itself was very shallow: only a few inches thick. The other side hosted the inside of a massive drainage pipe with some fluid inside. The smell was nearly unbearable. "I wish I could say things were going to get better, Spike," she said as she raised her head, "but it looks like the worst is yet to come. You might want to hold your breath for this part." As an answer, Spike leaned over the left side of Twilight's back and hurled. Twilight stepped to the right in surprise, trying to dodge the putrid acid and bile as it hit the floor and splashed onto to suit. Oh, Celestia!, she thought, looking at the pipe she was about to traverse. Why do I have to do this? She magicked Spike onto the ground, carefully resting him on his back in a corner close to the hole. "Stay here," she said, walking up to the opening. "I'm going to take a look around." Spike stayed on his back, staring blankly up at the ceiling trying to hold back the remaining contents of his stomach as Twilight approached the hole. She had an idea of how to pull this off without magic. Placing her forelegs in front and hind legs in back, she carefully lowered each back hoof into the hole, feeling her flank descend as she held on with her forelegs. She was able to descend almost down to her snout before letting go with her forelegs and slamming into the ankle-deep wreaking fluid below. She stood up, feeling pain in her stomach every time she breathed in. She looked around the bronze tint of the large pipe around her. It may have been a sewer! Except that there was no fecal matter, replaced instead with some kind of clearish-yellow toxic by-product. It might have been urine, except for the putrid odor that went beyond anything she had smelled in a public restroom. She tried to keep to the side of the pipe, where the curve to the side brought the floor above the surface of the fluid, walking swiftly around while keeping a mental picture of how the small labyrinth was laid out. Within five minutes, she had found a short route around a U-Bend that led straight underneath one of the drainage hatches, which she popped open with her horn. The next part was tricky, so she prepared herself before starting. Lighting her horn, she lifted Spike from his position just above the pipe and flew him quickly through the opening and into the pipe. She worked quickly so his time inside was limited, worming his body around the bends and back out the other end, setting him back down on the floor on the other side of the gate. Twilight had been in the pipe so long now that she herself was about ready to retch! Lighting her horn and switching her magic to uncomfortable levels, she levitated herself through the opening, crawling out to join Spike. The gate had blocked off the center of an "I" junction, leaving Twilight a non-choice of left or right. A non-choice because the left was blocked by yet another fan. The smell was much worse on this side of the gate, and as Twilight magicked Spike's body down the tunnel she saw the source. One of the pipes on the wall had broken, and was leaking the yellowish toxic chemical onto the floor where it seeped down into one of the drains in the floor. Twilight quickly stepped past this and entered a large chamber at the end, roughly half the size of a basket ball court. To the left of the brightly-lit room was a cargo lift setup to descend into the floor, which took up half the entire space on the floor! Hugging the wall around it was a raised platform with ramps for getting up to the top, and a massive lever in the back which Twilight assumed activated the lift. Spike sputtered and retched again, spitting up bile through his nose as well as it leaked down his face and neck and onto the floor. Twilight lowered him to the ground, where she tore off a bit of the gauze covering her face and used it to dry the vomit off his cheeks. He was looking quite bad now. "Twi-light?" he stuttered. "No no no no, don't say anything," she whispered, "save your energy." He was breathing hard again, but not from disease. Fear was taking over the poor dragon as he lay there burning on the floor. "Twilight, am I gonna die?" Twilight kept wiping his face, her hoof now shaking a bit. "No, no, no, don't think like that, Spike. Don't think like that. I'm gonna get your help. We're gonna get out of here and I'm gonna find help. You're gonna be fine." She glanced back at the cargo lift, wondering if it was the only way. "You're not just- gulp -saying that?" Twilight stared back into his eyes, at a complete loss of words. She was hard-pressed not to just hug the poor creature right there in that room until all her strength gave out and she couldn't hold him anymore. "Spike," she said leaning over, searching for comforting words. There were none that she found particularly appropriate. All of them were outright lies: the worst thing Twilight Sparkle believed you could say to someone in times of distress. Spike deserved better. "I," she started, and then proceeded to tell the truth, "I can't guarantee anything, Spike," she said at last, "except that you will never see me leave your side until the bitter end. No matter what that end may be." Twilight was surprised at his reaction to this. His expression was so... complex. She simply couldn't read it. Was that content? It like some kind of strange peace, like all the lies had been some kind of poison of fear she had suddenly drained. It almost brought a flicker of a smile on her face, as some kind of small agreement was being exchanged between them that needed no words to be spoken. She could see a similar flicker flash on his own face. Having nothing else to say, she lit her horn and carried him over to the cargo lift, setting him down in the middle while she went to the end to peer down at the long descent. There was water at the bottom, and some kind of moving machinery inside the water, but beyond that she couldn't see. Twilight lit her horn again and hoisted the large lever in the back. It was very heavy and stiff, as if it had never been used. As the lift traversed the the guides reaching like massive arms down to the bottom, Twilight turned around and caught a glimpse at something in the back of the room: A vent opening, a fan being exposed, a mass of green behind it, a massive number of— Tennis balls? she thought confusingly. They were all rolling out, falling in clumps onto the floor, invading the room. There were so many of them. One of them got just close enough she could see it sliding toward her on the floor, just as the lift descended past floor height. She recognized it! And suddenly she was pulling out her crowbar, looking up expectantly as she watched the floor rise up away from her. Headcrabs! she thought, a chill flying through her body. She lit her horn, dragging Spike right next to her. She wanted a close eye on him when the shit hit the fan. The lift descended at a slight angle, forming a very steep ramp. This would have worked much better had it been a straight drop, causing enough damage to the headcrabs from the fall to end their lives before they had a chance to attack. Instead, she watched as the first green blobs above her slipped over the edge and slid down the steep ramp, landing injured on the lift, but not dead. The first few simply hit the lift and rolled to the end, pulled by the forward momentum of the ramp and toppling over the edge. For a moment, Twilight was hopeful that she could simply dodge these things and let them fall to their own demise! But as more and more got pushed over the edge, many of them started colliding with one another, and some of them remained on the lift, dazed by their descent, many of them upside down. Twilight ran up to some of them and started kicking them like green playground balls, sometimes two or three at a time, feeling the blood rush come back each time her hoof contacted their flesh. As many turned to dozens, she started using her crowbar as a golf club as well, whipping it into large piles and scattering them over the edge. Some of them were jumping around now, trying to get on top of her. She glanced back at Spike, noticing some of the crabs considering him. Running back, she skewed them on her bar one at a time, flinging them away from Spike. And then— They were on her. Jumping on her from behind. Crawling on her, over the suit, up her legs, down her back. She lit her horn, picking many of them up and slinging them away from her, trying to keep her head straight as horror flooded through her veins. She had remembered, back before her horn got damaged, she used to be able to pick up massive numbers of items at a time. But now, things were different. She had to struggle just to pick up a half-dozen. This would have worked well, except that they were jumping on her faster than she could pick them up! Dozens of them were now fighting their way to her scalp, many of them getting to her neck before they were flown off. She hovered Spike above her, shaking off the few crabs clinging on to him. One of the crabs tickled her horn, shocking her into a jumping scream! Thinking of the only thing she could do, she collapsed on the floor and started rolling, pressing the crabs sickeningly into the ground, using her levitation in reverse to press herself into them until they popped like water balloons. Above her, she flailed the crowbar, slamming it into the ground all around her, killing many of them along the way. Rolling to the edge of the lift until she nearly fell off, she looked around, peeling many of the crabs off her face so she could see. They were at the bottom now! Without thinking, she turned and ran carrying Spike with her, picking the crabs off her body as she went, grunting from exhaustion. In front of the lift was a small stream of sewer water running through the wall to get processed. To her left was a brown-concrete passage that led away—somewhere— There were so many of them: dozens of crabs that had slipped off and landed alive on the passage floor all eyeing her as she ran. Dozens of them were crawling towards her, ready to jump. The passage turned to the right, leading to a floor-less chamber with an L-shaped catwalk. She ran for it, trying to get to the catwalk so she could round the corner into the next passage when fireworks shot off. Green. Electric. Loud. Coming from nowhere! And out from the electric storm dropped a creature she had never seen before, slamming into the corner of the catwalk and tearing it off its base and killing the creature at the bottom of the pit. Twilight stood horrified at the sudden collapse of her escape path! "WHAT HAPPENED!?" she shouted out loud, completely baffled at the unexplainable phenomenon. She looked behind her, noticing many of the crabs rounding the corner after her. She needed to act, and fast! Increasing the strength of her horn, she jumped off the edge into the pit of the room, catching herself with her magic and levitating her body into the air. She was almost blind from her effort, going by feel instead of sight, guiding herself and Spike roughly into the next passage. She landed running, utterly exhausted, shaking from fright, but still going. This area was some kind of massive maintenance area, having the look and feel of a warehouse, only dirtier. The lights were dimmer than the other area, and the ceiling was arched like a train tunnel. Reaching the end of the passage, she screeched to a halt, trying to comprehend the new scene in front of her. The tunnel had spit them out into another sewage-stream in a multi-level room. Twilight was standing on the second level, peering out at a broken catwalk that had spanned the sewage stream flowing orthogonally below. On either side of the deep stream were sidewalks on either side, hugging the walls and following the direction of the flow. Lighting her horn again, she levitated herself across the gap, smelling the disgust of the running sewage below. She was very weak now, and struggled to hold both of them up. Reaching the other end, she collapsed both of them to the ground, panting on her side. She barely had any energy to continue, and for a moment she considered simply closing her eyes and giving up. But there was still a touch of adrenaline left in her, pushing at her, forcing her up. Every muscle was now protesting, pushed to their limits. Lighting her horn, she carried Spike around the corner— —to a dead-end. Oh, no, she thought, seeing the blank wall in front of her. No, no, no, no, no... She walked up slowly and rested her hoof on it, just to be sure it wasn't some trick of the light, and saw something flicker to her left. Something shining. The wall! The wall itself was shining! Why was the wall shining? Turning her head to look at it dead-on, she felt her heart skip a beat! Doors! Metal Doors! An Elevator! For a moment she thought she may have been hallucinating or dreaming, the way you see water in the desert. But these doors were close—physical—she could feel them! They were solid! And for the first time since she had left Dr. Yursa's office, she smiled. "We made it!" she said out loud, feeling jubilation rush through her. "We found it! An elevator!" A warmth drove through her body, making her forget about her fatigue. "We made it!" she said, turning towards Spike, almost jumping from her excitement. "WE MADE IT, SPIKE! WE MADE IT!" She ran up and prodded Spike, wanting so badly to see his reaction at the good news. "Spike!" she yelled out at him again. "Spike, we found an elevator! We're getting out of here!" She tapped him a few times with her hoof. No response. "Spike! Wake up! We're here!" She nudged him a few more times playfully, expecting at least a small shudder. A flicker. A blink. Nothing. "Spike!" she said, slightly less energetically, leaning in to look at his face. The excitement was draining fast as she looked at him closer. "Spike?" Spike was no longer moving. His eyes were staring at the ceiling unseeing, his mouth baring a strange weak expression. It might have been a smile: a remnant of his expression back at the cargo lift. Twilight bent down and nudged him again. Again, no response. She sunk down onto her stomach on the floor, bending over him so she could look into that face, taking in every last scale, every dried tear, every stain of sick, remembering... "Spike," she whispered, leaning in very close. "We're gonna make it, Spike. We're gonna reach the surface." She reached a hoof up and starting gently stroking it down his body. It was cold. Twilight shook her head, unbelieving. No, she thought. Not now! Not when we're so close! Twilight couldn't think of any more words. All her thoughts were jumbled and confused. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. All she could do was stare at that creature on the floor. Cold. Indifferent. Empty. She sat there a few moments in silence, her mind blank, her feelings dwindling, her hope gone. She whispered his name one last time, hearing it echo around the room. And then her muscles gave out as her head collapsed onto his body. She could feel tears streaming, but was barely conscious of them as they leaked onto his body. And in that cold hallway tunnel, she sobbed quietly into his scales as the world collapsed around her.
Ganymede	724	4	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2012-03-22T23:42:39+00:00	2013-09-14T02:45:39+00:00	2,805	Twilight's consciousness sifted, scattering widely, darkness penetrated every corner, every wall, every panel, closing in to a tightening grip that crushes unceasingly. Colors swirled, jeering, taunting, jumping just out of reach, pushing everything back into the blackness. Green condensed into a spherical form as legs sprouted, threatening to spring, only to seep back into the swirl as it reached its apex. A bright light emerged in the center of the darkness, dim and intimidating, turning into the imposing form of a massive alicorn with powerful flowing mane and massive wings, staring down in dissappointment at a weak purple form on the ground. Twilight, it whispered, a voice penetrating every corner of existence, inescapable and dark. What have you done? The alicorn disintegrated into a headstone, taller than life, blank, dull, rough. An inscription carved itself at the bottom, spraying dust into the eyes, irritating them. Here lies Spike, mark of purity in Equestria, murdered at the hooves of Twilight Sparkle The words separated from the stone, breaking into letters, each unraveling into faces—dozens of faces—hundreds of faces: silhouettes peering dead-eyed, curious, enraged, shocked. Towers sprung up, the remains of a castle, sinking backwards, consumed by the numerous countenances all pushing, protecting, hiding away their home from the deadly threat in front of them. Twilight woke up with a jolt, bolting her head up and looked around. The hide on her face was crusted over from the remnants of tears, and her eyes were red and swollen. The dim scene of the arched brown tunnel lay before her. Concrete. Rough. Punishing. The weak smell of fecal matter wafted dully from the flowing stream tinkling lightly just down the tunnel. Beneath her, she could feel a cold body of scales, like a large doll she had been carrying with her since before she could remember. She kept her head up, eyes forward, not looking at it. It wasn't like the other corpses in the facility. It wasn't just another grim decoration in a corridor. It was different. It was special. It required recognition. Twilight stood up, reminded immediately of how weak she was. Her muscles were sore and stiff, begging her to lie back down. Twilight pushed passed them, no longer caring about feeling pain. Whatever life wanted to hit her with now was simply punishment: the ticking clock of Celestia's world simply balancing out the horrible crimes she had committed. If anything, she welcomed the pain. It was a relief the find that the world still sought some form of balance, even if that balance came in the form of physical torrents of discomfort. It was better than having to face the emptiness she was trying so hard to ignore inside. Twilight walked in front of the elevator and turned to face it. The elevator stared back. She watched as the light reflected off the surface of the doors, wondering how something so cold and indifferent could have meant so much to her just a moment ago. It was just a gray square in the wall to her now. Just another decoration in the dull cave of the facility. Meaningless. Leading nowhere. The surface, she thought, the surface... What surface? Why have a surface? Was there supposed to be something up there? Minutes rolled by with her staring blankly at that steel door. It seemed like hours, but she wished it could be years. She never wanted to leave. She felt just as empty as the body of scales on the floor. Hopeless. Void. Numb. Perhaps it was stiffness in her muscles from standing too long; Perhaps it was her eyes going black from staring at the same spot for too long; Perhaps it was just an unconscious instinct; Somehow, though, she felt her body move. She was walking, lifting a hoof, pressing it lightly—very lightly—into the button on the side, pressing harder—just a little harder—until finally, it lit up. The doors swung open immediately, revealing the inside of the large cargo elevator. There was a brightness and warmth to it that might have been inviting much earlier. The doors opening had no affect on her. She wouldn't have cared if they had swung open or not. She would have gladly continued staring at them for as long as she could stand. But now there was a choice to be made. The brightness of the inside of the elevator beckoned for a body to fill it. A living body! A requirement Twilight did not feel she met right now. She neither felt fit nor deserving of being presented with such a reward. Accepting it would mean accepting something much more: accepting a loss that she wasn't quite ready to explore. And yet, something in her body was telling her it was time to move forward. Physically. Against the current holding her back. And hold back it did! She couldn't move forward alone. Her role down here wasn't finished yet. There was still closure to fulfill. It was the only thing she had left in her: the last purpose in her life before fate pushed her beyond into the darkness. She barely felt her hooves moving as she hovered towards the form on the ground. She forced herself to look at it: so small against the expanse of the floor. She heard the elevator doors close gently behind her as she walked up and decided the most careful way to move him without disturbing any aspect of his physicality. She refused to use magic. She would fulfill this through her own physical exertion, pouring in her own energy and sweat to withhold the honor of the symbol before her. She moved around in silence, using her hoof to gently shut the lids of the eyes, move the jaw closed, and finally place her mouth gently around the scales at the top of the head. She lifted it slowly, so as to cause the least amount of sliding against the surface. She would worry about cleaning the scales later. Cosmetics could be performed on the surface, once she found a suitable memorial ground. Gliding back to the elevator, careful not to let the form in her mouth swing too much, she pushed the button on the elevator again and walked carefully through the doors, setting the form respectably in the exact center of the compartment. Every movement was automatic, unfeeling—simply another step which just happened to have another one right after it. She turned away from the small form lying at peace on the floor and stared at the buttons available to her next to the doors. There were a number of them. Twilight noted two columns, a center row—two rows above two below—five total rows, times two columns: ten buttons. All of this happened subconsciously as Twilight stared at the rectangular array of buttons. It was simply the way her mind worked. Of course, there was no surface button, but then, no elevator would have a "surface" button. It was all just different levels. Her hoof hit the top floor—floor ten—feeling the glossy-clear button depress. Nothing happened. Twilight waited a moment, hoping the light was simply out, hearing the doors close quietly, but the elevator never moved or made a sound. She pushed it again, in case it didn't work simply because the doors needed to be closed when you depressed it. Again, nothing. She felt her hoof move automatically to the next button, pushing firmly on 9. Nothing. Pushing on 8... Nothing. 7... Nothing. 6... 5... 4... 3— A light! A force beneath her hooves! A weak hum as the elevator's motor kicked into gear! Perhaps not as near the surface as she had wanted, but she was willing to walk as far as was necessary to reach the surface. The floor dropped out slightly from under her as the elevator slowed, the light on the button going on. There was a moment's pause, and then— The doors slid open, revealing black-and-white checkered tiles on the floor, clean, marble, with natural cracks and grooves reflecting the light cast from the elevator. Twilight reached a hoof around to hold the doors open, moving around to see what lay ahead. As she rounded the corner, a brick wall came into view opposite the doors, as well as a dropped ceiling with acoustic tiles, one of which was damaged, revealing the dark void of the plenum space above it. Twilight stepped out onto the marble floor, looking both ways. It might have been somewhat cozy had it been lit better. Too many of the fluorescent lights had been damaged. One of them had been knocked entirely off its support beams, sitting precariously in the middle of the floor arcing small electrical bolts from its exposed and damaged circuitry. Twilight turned her head away from this site, and looked instead to her right at a set of red doors peering at her with wire-mesh glass windows. The room behind them was almost darker than the hallway! True, this was no good for a final resting place, but perhaps it would lead someplace better. Another elevator? Stairs? Even a door outside, if she was lucky. She moved softly back to the form in the center of the elevator, letting the doors close behind her, carefully positioning her mouth around his spines and lifting the body once again. She pressed the "open doors" button and stepped out into the hallway to explore. She avoided the sparking light fixture at first, setting the body down carefully in front of the red doors to the right and tried the handle. Locked. She tried the other handle. Also locked. Leaning forward, she peered in the window, trying to see the best she could if it led anywhere. A tiny light shined dimly, reflecting off the floor. It wasn't in the ceiling, and Twilight guessed it was probably some sort of desk lamp. A table, perhaps? In the back? And something else—a figure—moving slightly. A creature? No! It had a mane. Twilight hesitated. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk to another pony just yet. She wanted to finish her duty to Spike first: to put a cap on the wound. It was still too fresh now. And yet, she wasn't sure she would ever find a proper place for the body without some other pony's help! Thoughts fought with each other tearing silently back and forth and practicality finally won. Lifting her hoof, she tapped lightly on the door. The resting head of the silhouette bolted up like a deer in the woods, turning slightly to search for the sound, letting her dangling mane swing playfully. She didn't get up from her resting place. Twilight gave another soft knock, hoping to and succeeding at prompting the pony to a standing position. It happened much quicker than Twilight had expected. The shadow didn't so much stand as disappear. Twilight could barely make out the darting whiff of smoke as it ran off into a corner of the room Twilight couldn't see. Twilight kept waiting, hoping the pony was simply preparing something before answering the door, but no one ever came. The room now looked deserted, as if the pony inside had simply left through another door that Twilight couldn't see. Curiosity leeched through her as questions raced through her head. Perhaps there was another path in there? Another way to the surface? A separate hallway? Twilight focused on the silver crash-bar on the other side of the door and focused her magic on it. She reached out with her crippled horn and felt for the other side, and was met halfway at the window. Something solid was in the way. Her magic couldn't sense anything beyond the glass. A magic barrier, she thought sarcastically. Of course. For a moment she considered simply smashing the glass! But then she remembered about wire mesh, and the thought of getting her hooves sliced up like a celery stock in a blender coerced her away from the idea. Even a crowbar couldn't break through that stuff, and she was out of bullets. Turning around again, she felt her increased awareness radiating into the hallway, and started picking up on small details she had missed the first time. She noticed the subtle difference difference in color of the bricks that split the walls horizontally, the bottom darker than the top. She noticed a sign on the right-hand wall a few feet down, brass and bolted at the corners, with an arrow pointing away from her to "Admin offices", and another arrow pointing to the "Executive lounge" which the ghost of the other pony inhabited. She noticed a few dark bulbous forms with legs scattered dimly around the sparking entrails of the fluorescent body in the center of the passage. And she noticed a patch of black on the wall: a shadow just next to the corpse of the lighting fixture, cleanly and perfectly square, as if someone had drawn it, rather than cast it. It rested against the ground, and couldn't be much more than a couple feet on all sides. Twilight crept towards the opening, turning so often as to keep the vestige of her deceased assistant in peripheral view. Reaching her hoof out, she felt the rough solid brick surface, running her hoof down to the edge of the shadow, feeling it run around a corner and through an opening. A passage? she thought. She considered lighting her horn, but remembered Dr. Yursa mentioning the flashlight. Wincing away the sudden rush of memories from that experience, she found the switch they had shown her in the Hazard Course, feeling it with the tip of her left hoof, and switched it on. Ohhh! she thought, shining it on the square hole and blinking at the gray shining reflection from the interior. A vent! The light from the flashlight played off the walls and wreckage cluttering the hallway, casting long irregular shadows as she moved around. Twilight bent down and poked her head inside, noticing two passages: one to the left, one to the right. She wasn't entirely keen on traversing a ventilation system, but if this passage could lead her to a helping hoof, it would be worth the effort. Lighting her horn, she magicked the small remains of her dragon companion in front of her, not wanting to leave him behind in the hallway, and placed him carefully through the opening before climbing in herself. Twilight remembered as a filly slipping into small compartments and crevices to hide when it was needed. She had never had friends to play with: they were never a priority in her life. The only times she found herself in tight spaces was when she was ensconcing herself from harriers. The claustrophobia of the ventilation walls around her burned her with memories of taunts and derision. Images of the Canterlot towers in the background of her denouncing peers flashed in her head, a view from beneath one of the balconies, watching as the ponies in front of her tried desperately to coax her from her hiding place. She pushed back the memory, trying to forget the tear-filled conversations she had with her parents. They had loved her—they had tried to help—but they never seemed to understand that in the end, she just wanted to be alone. Too many pushes to make friends. Too many lectures on how to talk to the other ponies. To reason with them. They never seemed to understand that maybe Twilight didn't want to reason with them. She just wanted them to leave her alone! And every late-night conversation with her parents always ended the same way: with her giving in, telling them she would "try", only to retreat to her room and escape tearfully into a book until she fell asleep. These thoughts flashed before her and vanished within a few seconds as she pushed them back into the confines of her subconscious. She wasn't in Canterlot anymore. And ponies here don't treat her like that. Things are different, she told herself, trying to pull herself back to the present. At last, she reached the end of the passage. She had climbed slightly as the vent had angled up, and she imagined being a few feet above the ground by now. Struggling to see around Spike's large form in front of her, she noticed a grate covering which she hastily unbolted with her horn. She levitated both grate and body carefully in front of her until she reached the opening at the end. Placing her hooves through first, she placed them against the walls and hoisted her head out for a look around. She was in the Executive Lounge now! She recognized the doors behind her to the right! She had come out over top of a couple vending machines which, if she was careful, she could step out onto before dropping onto the floor. Carefully setting both the grate and the body on the floor, she stepped a hoof onto the thin plastic top of the first machine, feeling it give way with a POP as it indented downward slightly. Slowly putting the rest of her weight on it, she slid her body snake-like out of the vent until her hind-hooves touched down. And suddenly, with all her weight resting on the machine, it wobbled unsteadily. Placing her hooves towards the edge, Twilight prepared to jump off only to find herself overbalancing the machine as it leaned forward and past its delicate center of gravity. Twilight's stomach fluttered as the ground dropped out from under her, slamming her harshly into the ground, the machine landing with a crash behind her loud enough to wake the dead, scattering glass over the floor. Getting up slowly, relieved to find nothing broken or fractured, Twilight shook herself out and looked behind her. The wires on the black wall of the back of the machine shown glistening, with glass particles shining like diamonds on the floor. They were lit by the colorful glow of the machine still standing next to it. She looked over at Spike, relieved to find his body undamaged. Turning around to look back into the room, she caught a glimpse of something purple and glowing, but it was gone a moment later. Twilight wanted to say something—to shout out—but her voice didn't seem to be working at the moment. Instead, she simply wandered curiously into the room, open-mouthed. The room was quite dark, the only lights coming from the vending machine behind her, and a small desk lamp on a coffee table sitting in front of a green cloth couch. She squinted her eyes, taking in the same walls, the ceiling, the floor, all the same as the hallway, just shaped differently. Walking further into the room, she caught a small purple haze in her peripheral vision, and turned rapidly to find a massive object hurling towards her. "HUH?!" she shouted. A strike! A shock of pain! And everything went black. ========================================================= Light shown from above, casting shadows on the dim sand below. A few rocks scattered around on the uneven ground that Twilight felt beneath her bare hooves. She couldn't look up. The sky was bright above her, but there was no sun, and no clouds. There was only the empty sky above her, for which she could not see. The surface... She had longed for this moment. The ground felt triumphant beneath her feet. And yet, now that she had made it here, she couldn't quite see what was so special. This wasn't what she had in mind as a final resting place, was it? A memorial should be more than dust or sand, rock or dry vegetation. It should be someplace deserving: someplace for her to look back and remember fondly. Twilight looked around as the wind picked up, blowing dust around her hooves, baring the rocky blood-red surface as the grains shifted through the cracks in the earth. Barren. Deserted. Empty. A place unfit to house a part of herself for eternity. The scene brightened, condensing into a large ball of light, making Twilight's eyes strain. She couldn't see the sand or the ground anymore, and an overwhelming fatigue enveloped her as she was sucked out of the desert. "That's it, dear." A voice from above her—her eyes were closed—she could feel a soft material beneath her as she moved around on her side. The bright light was now flashing in and out: a redness against the lids of her eyes. She swatted her hoof at it blindly. "That's it! You're okay now." The voice sounded less distant now as Twilight became more conscious. The light went out as Twilight blinked her eyes open, trying to focus on what was in front of her. "Who..." Twilight spoke, croaking out the first words since the elevator. The white coat of a mare shown dimly in the darkened room. She couldn't quite make out the color of her mane, but its texture was thick and wavy, dangling all around her face. "You," Twilight said, peering up meekly at the shadow in front of her as her memory started to come back, "I... I saw you!" The mare was now stroking her hoof lightly through Twilight's mane, straightening out the tangles that had formed from her fall, very much how a mother would stroke the mane of a foal. "Indeed, yes," she whispered quietly, sounding slightly embarrassed. "You, er, gave me quite a fright, I should say. You know, there are much better ways of entering a room than sneaking through an air duct." "You... did this?" Twilight asked, referring to her attack. The mare sat back slightly, continue to stroke gently. "And I'm terribly sorry for it, dear! I just... well, I thought you might be one of them." Twilight looked around, taking in the room more thoroughly now that she was not longer under threat. It was surprisingly clean! The coffee table with the desk lamp had been pushed slightly back so the mare could stand in its place in front of the couch. The light from the desk lamp showed dimly behind her, making her silhouette contrast even more against the lit background. The vending machine had been pushed back up, and there was no glass on the floor anymore. In fact, the floors around her were practically glowing with colorful reflections! There was very little on the floor at all! The grate had been placed back in the wall, and the place where she had set Spike— "Wait," Twilight cried out softly, looking all around the room as she sat up slightly. "Where's Spike?" The mare continued to stroke her mane. "Spike... who, now? What... what's a Spike? What are you talking about dear?" Twilight hoisted her body up against Rarity's hoof so she could look her in the eye. "Spike!" Twilight said more clearly. "I left him right over there!" she pointed her hoof towards the vending machines. "Where is he?" The shadow of the mare glanced back to the light of the machines, and then back to Twilight. "I'm afraid I still don't... can you clarify dear?" Twilight put a hoof to her face, trying to wipe the fatigue out of her face so she could think clearly. "My dragon," she said now, starting the panic when she couldn't see him anywhere in the room, "My baby dragon. Over there!" The mare brought her hoof away from Twilight's mane, as she stood up. Twilight couldn't see the mare's eyes very well in the dark, but judging from her stature she was coming to some kind of realization. "Oh," she started, backing up a bit. Twilight stopped talking as the mare continued to think. "Oh!" she said again, "Oh, my! That was... you mean he..." The mare turned to look towards the machines, and in the colorful glow wafting on her face, Twilight could see a truly horrified expression dawning upon her. Twilight felt sick, nausea dripping through her as she fought to say the next words. "What... what did you do to him?" The mare was now stock still, a hoof raised to her open mouth, eyes wide. Twilight sat up, leaning forward to project her words again. "What. Did. You. Do. To. Him?" she asked more clearly. The mare's voice was very shrill now, shaking as she walked towards Twilight. She averted her eyes from her as she spoke. "I didn't know. I didn't! I really didn't! I thought he was just a... just another..." "Where is he!?" Twilight shouted out, much louder now, hoping to dear Celestia she had simply placed him somewhere retrievable. "Y-you must understand! There were these... these things! In the ceiling! And they, well, traps, you see! Traps! I didn't... they hang down, and they catch things. Ponies! I needed something... well, I thought if maybe they had something else to occupy them—" Twilight felt a flood of nausea crinkle her stomach as she started to realize where this was going. Twilight watched the shadow of the mare grab the desk lamp from the table just in front of her and turned it hastily to shine straight up at the ceiling before immediately shrinking into a corner, wincing. Twilight raised her head against her will and stared in pure horrified awe at the putrid site above her! A few of the ceiling tiles had been damaged, revealing the crawlspace above them. And attached at the top was a stump of blood, like a carved-up torso: a living organism contracting and pulsing like a stomach during digestion. The site was was like glue to Twilight's eyes, repulsive to the degree that everything else around it was too banal to garner interest anymore. But what really twisted her insides were the feet sticking out at the bottom. Two small, green, scaly feet dangling from the inside of the organism perched on the ceiling. A heat climbed through her like a fever, glowing in waves as she suppressed the urge to rip apart the furniture she was sitting on with her bare hooves. To climb up to that ceiling and rip apart that stump until the room was splattered with blood! The tiniest squeak emanated from the corner of the room. "I'm sorry!" Twilight brought her head slowly back down to the cowering shadow in the corner of the room. A shaking, burning rage was building from the pit of her stomach, reaching up to her chest. "You're.... s-s--ss-s-sorry," she quivered, unable to keep her voice steady. Twilight got up, almost collapsing onto the floor from her shaking hooves and incredible fatigue. "You're s-s-sorry!" The mare could be heard sobbing weekly as Twilight approached her quietly, face scrunched from the exorbitant amount of energy that had built up inside her! There was a pressure down inside now, pressing against the walls of her insides, fighting to get out. "You're... YOU'RE. SORRY!" She burst out, almost surprised at where such a voice had come from! She lifted a hoof at the poor cowering form in the corner, making her wince into a ball, hooves over her face— —and slammed it into the wall next to her, screaming out as she did so. Fighting wasn't enough. Hitting and drawing blood wasn't enough. She wanted something hurt! She wanted pain! And she wanted it at the tips of her hooves! She reached back and grabbed her crowbar. "NOO!" shouted the voice next to her, but Twilight ignored her. She looked at the form on the ground for a moment, imagining the site of her bloodied and torn like the scientists in the Test Anti-chamber. And when this didn't satisfy her, she turned around the room, finally marching quickly up to one of the machines near the entrance doors, bringing back her crowbar— —and slammed it satisfyingly into the machine, watching an image of the dragon-scaled feet flash before her eyes. Another swing as she felt the bar whip through the air and crash through the plastic of the machine. Each blow brought with it more energy, more damage, more satisfaction. More images flashed before her as she tore into the machine. An image of Dr. Yursa telling her about the infection. An image of the nurse telling her there was still hope. An image of Celestia advising against her taking Spike with her. Twilight was hardly even aware of her hoof batting wildly in the air anymore! Eventually her energy dwindled as she realized how hard she was breathing. The large box for dispensing canned drinks stood irreparably pulverized before her, the plastic on the front torn up with shreds and tears. Twilight hardly even took in the site as she stared blankly, feeling her lungs fight in huge gasping waves for air. She walked quickly back to the couch, where she collapsed in a heap, every muscle utterly worn out. She even let her limbs droop over the sides as she lay on her stomach, totally defeated, not wanting to get up. She lay there for ages, resting her head, every thought gone, every ounce of energy exerted, every shriveling of motivation extinguished. It wasn't until she felt a hoof stroke her back that she realized she was still laying there on the couch! And as the pony next to her spoke, she felt herself suddenly whisked away back to a time she could scarcely remember: a filly, sitting on her bed, her mother stroking her back in that same way, comforting her after a terrible derisive chiding from her peers. And a warmth spread, almost against her will, as that hoof glided down her, feeling it through the suit as if there was nothing between it and her own hide. A voice rolled over her ears, serene and comforting. "You... you poor thing," she whispered, and Twilight could hear the mare's voice cracking slightly as she tried to hold back the sobs of fright she had let out during Twilight's outburst. "He... really meant that much to you, did he?" Twilight didn't say anything, continuing to feel the soothing hoof press lightly against the her muscles. "I've also lost people I love," she continued, and Twilight knew she was trying desperately to relate to her. She knew this was just a small attempted of comfort. But Twilight didn't care anymore. She let the gesture roll over her, hearing the words but not listening. "I left my sister to come over here," she continued, "and I haven't seen her in years now." The body of the mare next to her shifted, and Twilight sensed she was looking down at her rather than at the wall. "I know it's not a real loss," she said, her voice more directed with her head turned, "but that doesn't mean I don't feel a longing to be with her. I can only imagine what that feeling would be like if I knew I would never see her again." Twilight continued sitting there, feeling a peace like she had never felt since she was a filly. Her body was so relaxed and so warm with that body so close to hers, she could have nearly fallen asleep! "You know," she continued, "I used to tell her a story every night before she went to bed." She turned her head down at Twilight. "Always the same one. Maybe you've heard it. It's called Philogo Monahikois: The Lonely Mare. I read it in a book of old pony's tales when I was a filly." Twilight didn't say anything, but shifted her shoulders as if to say she'd never heard of it. "Perhaps you'd like to hear it? You might find it fitting." Again, Twilight shrugged, hardly caring what she did or did not hear at this point. Rarity took this as an opportunity, and suddenly Twilight found herself being pushed a bit further into the couch as Rarity dug her own flank into the soft cushions, pulling up the coffee table to rest her tired rear hooves. Rarity's back was now leaning into Twilight's side, as Rarity's hoof rubbed the top of Twilight's head lightly around her horn. "Well, let's see," thought Rarity, remembering how the story went. "I think the words are coming back to me now." She leaned in just a bit more, closing her eyes as she let the words roll down her tongue. "In the seas before Equestria, on an aboriginal island, there lived a Kelpie whose name was Aquanifur. She was an aged pony who had risen the island from the sea many ages ago, and was nearing the end of her life. The island was deserted, and Aquanifur had one wish she wanted to fulfill before she passed beyond the mortal world. She wanted someone to look after the island while she was gone. In her final days, she sent a request to the other three Great Islands in the sea to send each of their greatest, wisest, and most compassionate ponies so they could be trained to lead the future populace of the island. "When each of the ponies arrived on the shores, Aquanifur summoned them to the center of the island, instructing her new followers as her own creator had before her. When the instructions had passed, Aquanifur offered each of them a gift based on their most cherished virtue, as a memory of Aquanifur after she had passed. "The first mare was Agaretè, and cherished beyond all else the persistence of culture, knowledge, and understanding. And so, Aquanifur gifted her a foal, whom Agaretè named Neumagoìs, and whom she embraced and nurtured as though she had born the foal herself, promising to teach the foal all the lessons of her own life, as well as the instruction she had been taught by Aquanifur. Aquanifur acknowledged her, and showed her gratitude before turning to the next mare. "Aropàtos stood before Aquanifur now, showing her respect before pronouncing her own beliefs in dedication, loyalty, and fidelity. And so, Aquanifur gifted her a Stallion named Equeros, whom Aropàtos fell in love with in that instant, and whose mutual affection would only grow as the years passed. Aropàtos stood thanking Aquanifur next to her new lover as Aquanifur again acknowledged the gratitude before turning to the third and final mare. "Philogos was the youngest of the mares, and stood greatly humbled before the majestic presence of the Kelpie. When asked what values she held most dear, she merely shook her mane, saying she had only spent her life in books and training, and knew only of the cold facts of life from her scholastic teachings. She desired nothing except an understanding of these strange traits the others had spoken of. "Aquanifur smiled upon Philogos, expressing a deepest regret that she could not bestow any gift upon her, saying that true understanding can only come with time. And as Aquanifur explained this, an idea manifested itself, for which Aquanifur acted upon in that moment. Time, as it turned out, just so happened to be a gift she could give. "Aquanifur turned to the three mares, and gave one final gift to them all: The gift of long life! All three mares would continue to grow and learn for as long as the Great Alicorns of the ages to come, and would ascend to the passage beyond to join with Aquanifur when at last their long lives had passed. All three mares expressed their appreciation and elation upon such a wondrous gift, with only Philogos still feeling hollow and incomplete, having only one gift where the others had two. "Aquanifur bid them farewell, passing before them beyond the mortal world, never to be seen on that island or any of the others for the remainder of their existence. Years passed as the three mares set about their own ways, establishing the island as a habitable location. The three ruled separately, establishing their own laws on different parts of the island. Neumagoìs grew to be a filly, and then a young mare, with Agaretè growing proud at what her daughter had learned and achieved. Aropàtos stayed loyal to Equeros for all these years, cherishing him with her affection even in his old age. "Philogos grew resentful over these years, still wounded by the prejudiced rewards to her peers. Her reign grew from calculated, to stern, to disdainful, watching as her own people learned to express the same values as the two mares, despite Philogos's continued lack of understanding. More than once, she had considered outlawing marriage just to spite them, but always concluded it to be logically impractical if the land was to maintain its population. "Years turned to decades as the people under Philogos's rule grew restless. Her rule had been sustainable, but her people found her distanced personal relationship with the populace to be deficient. Many travelling beyond the boundaries of Philogos's commonwealth, discovering the lands of her peers. "It wasn't until another decade had passed that Philogos heard of problems arising beyond her own land. Aropàtos was in grief, her mind deteriorating under the weight of the her loss. Equeros had been grown old for many years, but his passing was no easier to accept. He had been a lover and companion to Aropàtos since the beginning of her rule, but Aquanifur had not gifted him with the long life that Aropàtos herself had been granted. Neither of them had any children, having no desire except to be with each other. "Word had reached Philogos that Aropàtos could be seen mourning at the stallion's grave for many hours each day, her heart crushed under the gravity of his passing. Over time, her population suffered as Aropàtos lost the will to rule. Her country had begun to die. "Philogos understood nothing of the grievances Aropàtos was suffering from. However, as a dedicated and logical ruler, she could not allow Aropàtos to let an entire land fall to ruin, even under the weight of death. Summoning her second, she ordered him temporary ruler as she bid Aropàtos a visit in her own land. "Aropàtos had not laid eyes on Philogos since Aquanifur had granted them their gifts. A familiarity rose inside them when their eyes met as they remembered their last meeting thogether. A brief spell overtook Aropàtos as she recalled Philogos being free of any gift, believing Aquanifur to favor Philogos by sparing her of this terrible feeling of grief. However, the spell passed as she saw a sadness and longing in Philogos's eyes that had been growing since last they had met. They embraced in hospitality and understanding, and for a moment, Philogos felt a warmth spread from her heart. "Aropàtos and Philogos spoke closely for the next year as Philogos undertook the ruling of the populace, providing a shoulder for Aropàtos to lean on until she had recovered. As Philogos at last returned to her own country, Aropàtos continued to stay in contact, sending letters of thanks and updates on recent events. Philogos continued to respond with advice, finding herself subconsciously planning future visits. More years passed as the two exchanged experience, sharing methods and techniques in leadership until word got around of another tragedy. "Agaretè had been desperate to continue her lineage, aiding Neumagoìs in her quest to find a mate. Many suitors presented themselves, to which Agaretè had insisted her daughter partake in marriage, but Neumagoìs would not hear it. She wanted her own choice, and she sensed neither companionship nor infatuation with any of the potentials. With Neumagoìs's eventual loss of fertility with age, Agaretè resigned beseeching his daughter for a suitor, retreating to a role of comfort and sympathy as she watched her daughter continue to age. "Neumagoìs's death brought unimaginable pain, both to Agaretè and her people. So many stallions had desired her hand in matrimony. So many mares had idolized her throughout their lives. Agaretè suffered worse than even Aropàtos as she struggled to come to terms with her loss. Once again, Philogos called upon her second to hold the fort, inviting a willing Aropàtos to join her in her visit to Agaretè's land. "Agaretè greeted her companions with surprise and relief, like Aropàtos, not having seen or contacted either since first they met with Aquanifur. Neither Philogos nor Aropàtos could relate to the misery Agaretè endured now. Aropàtos had lost a lover of the present, but Agaretè had lost a potential lineage of the future: an eternal deprivation, void of the evanescent hope that had filled her many years ago. "Both companions lent her their support, taking it in turns to rule and console. A number of years went by before the bereavement had passed, and Aropàtos and Philogos continued to lend support in writing. Over time, the three grew close, shaping their empires similarly as they shared their experiences in rule. Boundaries became muddled as the once-distinct lands merged. Nearly a generation later, the three rulers could be seen frequently visiting each other in their separate private dwellings, or walking in stride through the public streets. The populace learned slowly of Philogos as she warmed up to the people she had governed for so many years, embracing them at last as she had done with her own peers for so long now. "The three lived the remainder of their lives in harmony. As death presented herself at their door, each of the three prepared a successor, honoring the land that Aquanifur had bestowed upon them, and placing their teachings in written scrolls to be passed down the lines. "When at last Aquanifur greeted the three mares, being gracious enough to pass each companion proximally, she expressed her acclamation of their accomplishment, offering a place beside her in the eternal realm. Before she parted, she asked each one in turn how each of the gifts she had bestowed had inspired them during their venture into sovereignty. "Both Agaretè and Aropàtos expressed their humbled gratitude to the Kelpie, reminiscing upon the motivation and excitement they had experienced during their initial years. Aquanifur listened politely as they recalled experiences and sensations that brought them joy and pride, staying quiet so they could cherish the moment uninterrupted. However, the sorrow and grief marked so deeply within them was as conspicuous to the Kelpie as a scar on their hide, and Philogos couldn't help but notice a shade of dissappointment in her eyes. "When at last the Kelpie turned to Philogos, a surprise overtook them all as she asked how her own gift had served her. Philogos didn't understand, merely pointing out that she had not been gifted anything, expecting the Kelpie to simply recall this aspect and acknowledge it as she turned away. "Instead, however, the dissappointment in her eyes shown deeper than before, and Philogos struggled with what to say. Had the Kelpie granted her a gift she had not remembered? Begging the Kelpie for sympathy, she expressed her confusion, explaining how she could not comprehend the question she was being asked. "And now the Kelpie spoke, emphasizing each word with both grace and potency. And she said to Philogos. "The gift bestowed upon you was the greatest of the three, my dear Philogos. Whereas my gifts of lover and offspring were fleeting to your long-lived companions, your gift is eternal. You experienced it as it fought and countered the suffering of your peers, and fed your own heart and desires in a mutual emotional enrichment. You see young Philogos, your gift was before you even as you first entered the island. "And as Aquanifur turned away from Philogos, she saw before her the two companions whom she had befriended, and realized with a surge of compassion and memory just how much she had learned. And as Philogos tried to put into words the closeness she felt with her companions, Aquanifur put a hoof up to silence her, merely smiling in understanding as she saw the connection through Philogos's eyes. "Philogos always remembered that day, as did Agaretè and Aropàtos as they sat together next to Aquanifur in the immortal realm. Their kinship lasts to this day, and can be seen sometimes at night. The stars show three ponies raising hooves together, laughing brilliantly in merriment as they celebrate their commune over the sea." The mare continued to stroke Twilight's mane as she finished the story. Twilight's lifted her eye lids a bit just to be sure there wasn't anything more to the story. "That... that was beautiful!" she said softly, swallowing to get a better grip on the words. "You recited all that from memory?" She looked down at Twilight and smiled. Twilight lifted her chin and looked up into her eyes. "Every night," she whispered. "Every. Single. Night." She looked back up to stare at the wall with Twilight. "You read something enough times and it just sorta sticks. I remember Sweetie Bell always asking me about it when I finished. She would always ask me why Aquanifur didn't simply gift Philogos a friend to play with. I remember always struggling to give her an answer." The mare shifted on the couch as she turned to face the table. "We... we used to go out at night sometimes. Just the two of us," she continued, "and Sweetie Bell would always look up at the sky, and try to find the constellation of Philogos. She would always ask me to help her find it, and I would always point to some random set of stars and joke with her about how they looked like laughing ponies, and—" Twilight listened as she droned out. When Twilight finally looked up, the white mare was seen leaning towards into her hooves, stifling tiny sobs. "Are you alright?" Twilight asked. And she noticed that this was not simply out of courtesy, she was actually genuinely concerned. "I'm... fine," she let out softly with a tiny hiccough. She turned a bit, her eyes glossy from the reflection of the moisture. "I guess it's just, it's been so long." Twilight wasn't sure she felt comfortable about this conversation anymore, but the mare continued anyway. "My first job was not administrative, by the way," she said, subtly changing topics. "I used to be a designer! Fashion," she put in, turning towards Twilight. "But, alas, ponies just didn't want that. I loved it! Don't get me wrong! It was... wonderful! It was just, no pony was all that interested in my designs. They only wanted famous designer clothes." She let out a long sigh. "In the end, I had to close shop. It was harsh, but it had to be done." Twilight let her shoulders droop in dissapointment as the mare got off the couch, feeling her gentle stroking come to an end. She stood up and faced Twilight, shaking the sadness out from under her. "I'm Rarity," she said, holding a hoof out. Twilight turned her head slowly, almost smiling as the shadow of the face came into view. She was about to simply lift her hoof lazily in the air, but then thought she may as well do this proper. Forcing herself all the way up, she got off the couch and slipped uneasily onto the floor, her legs feeling like jelly. She stabilized a bit before introducing herself. Holding out her own hoof, she felt them connect as they shook and embraced together. "Twilight Sparkle," she said softly. ========================================================= "So how long have you been here?" Twilight asked. The back of her mind was still eating at her for not thinking about Spike, but her curiosity with her new companion was driving her mind forward. Rarity thought for a moment, her head at the ceiling and her hoof to her chin. "Five years, maybe," she said. "No," Twilight said, "that's not what I meant. I mean, how long have you been here?" she said, pointing her hoof at the floor. "Like, in this room?" "Oh!" Rarity said. "Not too long. I've been hiding here ever since... well, you know." Twilight watched as she trotted lightly to the door and peered out the window. "I've been keeping a lookout for things. Creatures have been pouring in lately. Such strange things! And not just the ones in the ceiling either. Moving creatures!" "Yeah, I know," Twilight said, jumping into the conversation. "I've seen them." Rarity turned to look at her more closely, taking in the suit, the gauze on her face, the gun on her shoulder, and finally the crowbar on her side. "I can imagine!" Rarity said at last. "It looks like you've been on quite a trek." Then, looking closer, "And... is that a Mark IV Hazardous Environment Suit?!" Rarity looked closely in the dark room, trying to make out the model number. "How do you know about that?" Twilight asked. "Did you ever work in the labs?" "Oh, no dear! I know nothing about science. I leave that to the egghe—er, true professionals! Like yourself." She made a small gesture as she caught herself, but continued as if it never happened. "No, dear. I only know about it because I've had to file some things related to it. I file reports on all sorts of equipment. It's just, this particular thing just so happened to be one of our most expensive items. It stuck, I guess you could say." Twilight watched as she turned and muttered to herself. "Still quite hideous, though. And those colors, my Celestia!" "So where do we go now?" Twilight said. Rarity turned, confused. "Go?!" She tilted her head, one eye cocked. "Well, yeah! Obviously we're not staying in this room forever, are we?" Rarity walked up, sputtering a small laugh as she realized what she was asking. "Twilight, darling, you can't be serious! I mean, you've seen what's out there, right?" She put a hoof up on Twilight's shoulder, patting the nonsense out of her with what she believed to be an understanding smile. "Uh, yeah! I have seen what's out there. And I know that what's out there will come in here if we wait long enough!" Rarity was fidgeting now, unconsciously tapping a hoof nervously on the floor as her head swayed back and forth. "Now, now. There's no need to jump to conclusions. I'm sure there's someone that'll be coming down here any time now. Disasters happen. They just do. That's why there's enforcement, security, constables, military." She swallowed hard, fighting back the growing nervousness before looking pleafully up at Twilight. "Right?" Twilight narrowed her eyes sarcastically at her, letting out a low sigh. "Look," she said, "there's a broken light out in the hallway, but I can't get past it with my horn the way it is. I'm thinking that together—" "What happened to your horn?" Rarity interrupted. "It... kinda got cut in half," she said. "Accident with a laser." Twilight winced as Rarity let in a horrendous intake of breath, pulling back as if looking at an open wound. "Does it... does it grow back?" she asked. "Don't know." Twilight said. "Didn't think to ask." She walked past Rarity towards the doors. "Anyway, come on out here with me. We'll see if we can get past this." Twilight pushed against the crash bar, feeling it give way easily as the door swung open. It was almost refreshing to be on her feet again, moving forward and away from the torturous path she had trodden on thus far. She heard a clunk behind her as she approached the light, and turned to see Rarity propping the door open, apprehension flooding her face. "Come on, Rarity!" Twilight said. "There's nothing out here." Rarity just stood there, watching intensely, but not moving. "Look, it's not gonna hurt. See?" Twilight lit her horn, feeling the metal lighting fixture shift slightly but still perfectly safe from the coursing electrical currents. Twilight turned to look at Rarity as she did this, but Rarity was already creeping back into the room. "Ugh!" Twilight exasperated, dropping the slightly floating metal onto the ground. "Come on, Rarity. I can't do this alone!" Trotting back before Rarity closed the door the rest of the way, Twilight propped it back open and grabbed Rarity's front hoof, pulling her roughly out into the hallway. "AH! NO! I DON'T WANT—" Twilight half-walked half-dragged Rarity right up to the wreckage in the hallway, watching her face grow more anxious with each step. "There!" Twilight said, putting her hoof back on the floor. "See? Nothing wrong!" Rarity was now stomping nervously, her teeth showing as she grimaced in agitation.. "Well, no," she said, almost stuttering, "not right here, at least. But—" Twilight took a deep breath, waiting for the impending explanation that, sure enough, came pouring out volume upon volume. "It's just... well, you're all protected and armed and everything—and that's great and all—and you've already encountered lots of stuff and everything. I trust you to go your merry way. But me? I'm just some... some fashion designer! I don't... I'm not... You can't honestly expect me to—" Twilight put a hoof up, getting tired of this by now. A moment ago, she may have been suffering from the weight of her tragic occurrence at the bottom of the elevator. But somehow, seeing her new companion so worked up about something Twilight was already familiar with was driving a new feeling into her. She wanted to teach her! She wanted to show her what Twilight herself had learned down her winding path so far. "Look," she finally said. "Just stick with me. If we get in trouble, I'll deal with it. We'll find some ammunition, and then I'll be as good as any security officer around here." Rarity calmed down, but was still showing signs of shaky compulsive after-shock. "Y-y-you're familiar with firearms?" Twilight almost laughed as she remembered her complete disbelief at being dragged through a firing range during her training. Oh, how things had changed. "You could say that," she said. She raised a hoof and rested it against the dark silhouette of the white mare on the floor. "Look. I wish I could say that everything will just roll over. I wish I could say that some... some... authority is sending over troops or trained unicorns or rescue teams. I wish that was true, I really do. But right now, the only way I know we'll be safe for sure is to get out of here," she explained. "I came up here in an elevator. We're still a number of floors underground, but there's a chance we could find another elevator. Once we're out, we can make a break for it back to Canterlot and see if the Princess can help us." "The first place I'm going," said Rarity, "is Ponyville. I'm not leaving Sweetie Bell there any longer than I have to. We'll take her to Canterlot with us," she mused for a moment. "Canterlot." She shook her mane, still shaken, but now with a strange smile. "To think, I had always dreamed of the place back when I ran my Boutique." She let out a sigh as she leaned into the floor. "Fine," she finally said. "I'll come with you. But you have to promise me we'll pick up my sister first thing after we get out!" Twilight and Rarity looked at each other, determination on purple, hardened concern on white. "It's a deal," said Twilight. ========================================================= Glass chips flew into the next room with a tinkling crash as Twilight smashed the glass window at the end of the hallway. Running the crowbar around the edge of the opening, she pushed the remaining shards out, holstering the bar before jumping recklessly through. Twilight's belly scraped against the bottom of the opening as she hoisted herself into the painfully bright office foyer, closing her eyes from the sting of the lights as she fell over and landed on her side on top of the mess of glass shards. Shaking and brushing the glistening glass crystals off the suit, Twilight turned to let Rarity in, only to see a purple haze surrounding the crash bar on the adjacent door. Rarity stepped through as the door opened out into the hall, and stared revoltingly at the mess Twilight had created on the floor. "What?!" Twilight yelled out. "You didn't tell me you could open these doors!" "Well, you didn't ask, darling!" she said, swishing her mane around. "You know, you really should communicate more before you jump into things. It might just make you look a bit smarter." As Rarity carefully tread through the swarm of shining saws sparkling on the floor, Twilight's eyes adjusted to the light. And there before her, walking out into the open, was the most stunningly gorgeous mare Twilight had laid eyes on! She hadn't really gotten a chance to see Rarity in full back in that dark room. But now that they were both in the light of the foyer, Twilight almost couldn't take her eyes off her! There was a fullness to her: a depth to her body. There were no pudges or pockets of unnecessary fat rolling around, but her figure was not as diminutive and streamlined as Twilight's. It was as if her brilliantly white coat had been fluffed to give her that staged operatic look of dignity so often depicted in formal performances. Her mane was also uniquely fashionable, split into two long purple waves that splashed around her face, coiling and uncoiling as they sprung under their own weight. Their hue looked so much cleaner than Twilight's coat, which looked filthy in comparison, and each time she swerved her head (which she did often, simply to feel mane's movement), each follicle shined as the light reflected off it. Twilight could almost feel the slew of conditioners lining each strand. She watched as Rarity traveled towards the center of the foyer, and realized the nexus they had just entered. So many choices! "Which way do we go?" Twilight asked Rarity, hoping she knew her way around a bit. "Do you know where we might find an elevator?" "Stairs, more like, dear," she said, turning around to let that magnificent mane spring and shine. "And this place really isn't that complicated. Most of these choices are just dead-ends. So, for example—" She walked to the right-hand wall and peered through the broken window. "That room is completely flooded! I mean, it's a wreck! And even if it wasn't, there wouldn't be anywhere to go." "What about that vent over to the left?" Twilight asked. The flooded room was torn apart, but just as brightly lit, showing an assortment of cabinets and counter-tops of what likely used to be a break room. Twilight had picked out the metallic fins of the vent covering quickly against the brown tiled bricks. "A vent?" she said, moving over to take a better look. "That... why would you even mention that? It just leads to the crawlspaces above!" "Not necessarily," Twilight added. "I got into the room you were hiding in through a vent. They've turned out to be pretty useful!" "Well," Rarity said, turning to walk further down the hallway, "you won't be needing to take such uncomfortable and filthy paths, dear. Not while you're with me, at least." Twilight was surprised to find Rarity's nervousness dissipate and diminish in this bright area devoid of life. There were still small twitches here and there, and Twilight was sure a hoof to her chest would evince a host of heated activity that she hid behind her impassive demeanor. However, the familiarity of environment had calmed her enough to think clearly. "Now, over here," she said, leading Twilight around a corner, "there's a corridor that leads to the packaging and storage sections. I would imagine that's where we would find the stairs, most likely." "What's down that way?" Twilight asked, pointing further down the passage, seeing some of the lights dimming just before it rounded another corner. "That?" Rarity said, wrinkling her muzzle. "That's nothing. Just some security depot of some sort. None of us really went there ourselves. We just saw security go back there sometimes." Twilight trotted quickly down that way. "Let's check it out then!" she said, Rarity looking around quickly before hurriedly coming up behind. "We might find some ammunition." "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight," Rarity whispered as she caught up. "Twilight, please, I really don't feel comfortable—" As Twilight rounded a few corners, surpassing a number of wooden crates propped precariously around the passage, Rarity caught some more words amid her rambling. None of them were reassuring. As they finally rounded the corner into the actual storehouse, Rarity was practically nipping at Twilight's tail to pull her back! "What is your problem?" Twilight whispered agitatedly, pulling her flank around so Rarity couldn't reach it. "Look, this place is just as empty as back there!" This was a lie, or course. Twilight had noticed the security pony sitting behind the gate at the end of the room. They had entered on top of a long platform suspended above the main storage room below, all lit by fluorescent lights above. The guard's annex contained a door frame leading to another area. She wondered where it might lead. Perhaps she could convince the guard to let her in. "Hey!" Twilight shouted out. "We're looking for ammo. You wouldn't happen to have any in here, would you?" The guard sat up, revealing his black coat and mane. He would have been a shadow had the light not shined off his hide like glass. "You're not... one of them?" he looked out. He was slightly shaken, but hid it well among his authoritative disposition. "No," Twilight said with a flicker of a smile. "They haven't got us yet. I haven't seen any of those head things around here. They're probably all further down." "Did you come up here from below?" he asked. "Well, I did. But Rarity here works up in these offices." "Who?" he said, looking around. Twilight turned around to see the room she was in vacant. Rarity was nowhere to be seen. "Ugh," she said quietly to herself. "I finally find another nice pony, and she has to just—" She ignored her absence, trotting straight up to the gate so she could peer through. "That suit you're wearing," he said, his eyes moving over the light orange armor covering her hide. "You wouldn't happen to have been around ground zero, would you?" A small brick struck her in the stomach at these words, which she tried and failed to hide in the redness of her face. A stupid smile crested her face, accompanied with a nervous laugh. "Hehe... uh, why do you ask?" The guard smiled, as if showing success at a clever joke. "No reason," he said slyly as he walked up to the gate. His hoof passed over a large lever, swinging the gate open with a squeak that made Twilight's brain hurt. "I think I got just what you need," the guard said, inviting her in and showing her through the door way in the back. Twilight followed him down a short expanse of more industrial architecture, much like walking into the "employee's only" section of a large supermarket. The floor was metallic now, and there was a musty smell accompanied by loud fans running in the back. The passage ended in a small room lined with firearms and ammunition. Twilight found her eyes widening uncontrollably at the stock! The guard must have noticed, because he gave her a look that said "Don't get too excited." "Now, let's see... AH! Here we are! Just what I had in mind!" The guard dismounted a gun larger than Twilight had see even in pictures! "SPAS-12 Deul Mode Shotgun," he said proudly. "This thing is probably what you really want." Twilight's mind was fighting between awe and intimidation, remembering the feel of the pistol's bullet striking the dog-like creatures, and imagining what kind of impact this new gun might have. Would there be any remains at all after it hit a creature that small? "That seems a little much, don't you think?" she asked. "I mean, the gun I have right now got the job done pretty well so far!" "So far!," he emphasized. "You obviously haven't seen some of the other creatures," he added, sending a tingling chill through Twilight's hide. She swallowed hard. "Others?" The guard handed the gun up to her, offering her to magic it into place. "Trust me," he said, "you're gonna need this." ========================================================= "NO!" Rarity shouted out, stomping her hoof solidly on the marble tiled floor. "NO! No, no, no, no, nonononono, I REFUSE!" Twilight stood back in the foyer, magically holding out a security vest and pistol for Rarity. Had Twilight only come out wielding the shotgun on her shoulder, Rarity may have simply fainted! But this insistence upon Twilight for her to have protection kept her conscious. She would have no part in any of it. "Come on, Rarity. I'll teach you how it's done, alright? Just... we need to be prepared." Rarity spat—or rather, she let a small raspberry out the side of her mouth. She was simply too proper for actual spitting. "If we're really going into territory like that, I'll just go back to my little hiding place, thank you very much!" Twilight scowled. "You know, that brings me to another thing. It's very rude to go hiding around the corner when your friend finds another pony." "Hmmm? What?" Rarity's pupils rose as she thought. "Oh, that," she said, backing up slightly flustered. "That was... really nothing. I just... sorry." "Is something wrong?" Twilight inquired. "Wrong?" she said, shifting her eyes. "No. Nothing's wrong. Why would you say something's wrong? I just—" She looked at Twilight a moment as Twilight's lids closed in sarcasm. "Okay, fine," Rarity said, moving back up to Twilight, "how about I just... slip these on, yes? Yes, I'll just—" Rarity magicked the security vest hastily away from Twilight, grimacing as she slipped it over herself (no doubt it didn't match her coat), and adjusted it to her fit. "Now," she said, magically dangling the pistol in front of her, as if it was a wad of tissue paper containing a dead cockroach. "how exactly—" "There's a place on the shoulder," Twilight said, magicking it away from her. "Let me get that for you." ========================================================= Rarity was very quiet as she led Twilight down the hallways. Twilight kept trying to pry into Rarity's sudden anxiety, but Rarity just kept her mouth shut and pretended nothing was wrong. "Can you at least tell me where we're going?!" Twilight finally said, as they turned at the end of the hallway. Based on what was through the door, Twilight guessed that Rarity was trying to find a place to "hide the body". It was a large, dark room that served mostly as an ammunitions store. Twilight tried hard not to curse under her breath for going out of her way to find ammunition, seeing how abundant it was now turning out to be. "Stairs, Twilight, dear. We're going to find stairs," was all she said. Twilight looked over at one of the shelves. "Well, I guess we can at least take some of this with us," she said more to herself than anything. She reached out with a hoof and grabbed some of the 9 mm for Rarity, and slipping it into the ammo hold on the side of her security vest. Rarity gave Twilight a look, but didn't say anything as she rounded the corner. "Now," she started, "there should be some stairs right around the corner here. This should take us to the second floor. If I remember right, there should be an elevator on the fourth floor that will take us just below the surface." She led Twilight through an open doorway, devoid of any actual door, that led out of the ammo room and into a small, brightly lit storage depot. "If we can manage to navigate the offices upstairs, we—GET DOWN!" Twilight jumped at Rarity's exclamation, moving around in a panic as she watched Rarity duck behind a large wooden crate just in front of them. "Down! DOWN!" Twilight looked in the direction of the beeps just as they stopped and felt her entire body freeze up. There, attached to the ceiling, were six long barrels, all starting to rotate. "Rarity! Is that a—" Her next words were cut off by the echoing thunder of the sentry turret. Twilight wasn't entirely sure how she managed to get behind cover in time. All she knew was the rush of adrenaline, the harsh bruises caused by a dozen bullets slamming into her suit, the sudden urge to cry as she huddled up close to the crate, breathing in quick gasps, closing her eyes and plowing her hooves into her ears as she felt the storm of metal fly over her. The sound stopped. Twilight removed her hooves from her ears very slowly, and looked up at Rarity, now shaking almost uncontrollably in front of her. "Wha... how—" Twilight was at a loss for words. All she could do is wave her hooves around at Rarity, trying to communicate her complete lack of comprehension. Rarity didn't seem to be able to move, let alone speak. After finally determining that the turret wasn't going to shoot at them while they were behind the crate, Twilight decided to explore their situation. "Okay," she thought out loud. "We're hiding from a big gun. It stopped when we got behind these boxes, so it might have a motion sensor." "You THINK?!" Twilight recoiled at Rarity's sudden remark. "I'm just trying to figure out how to get out of here," Twilight said, as if she was simply running another experiment back at Canterlot. "Yes. You do that," Rarity said shakily. "In the mean time, I'm going to stay behind this box, where that thing can't see me." Twilight rolled her eyes, trying to think of a way to observe the room without getting out from behind cover. "Do you have a mirror?" she asked Rarity. Rarity gave her a surprised look that quickly turned into what Twilight could only describe as "insane". "Why, Twilight! If you want to know how horrid you look right now, all you need to do is ASK!" Her voice quickly went from facetious to downright angry as she spoke. "No, no, no! I mean to look around the room! I want to know if there's some way to shut the turret down!" Now it was Rarity's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh! Well, not from here, darling. The only thing that we can turn off from where we are is our hearts when WE DIE!" "You're not helping, Rarity!" Twilight put a testing hoof out from behind cover and waved it around, hearing another couple thunder claps just as she pulled it away. "Yep! Still under fire." Rarity gave a really deep sigh of irritation. "There's a switch to turn it off in this room, but it's beneath the gun itself." She waved a hoof. "Good luck getting to it." Twilight gritted her teeth, almost feeling sorry for the ponies who had to work with Rarity before the facility decided to vomit all over itself. She rose up until her mane was just about to crest over the crate and took a deep breath. As an initial test, Twilight sprung her head up for an instant before pulling it back. A few bullets exploded over her, ripping a few hairs off her mane as she hid it once again behind the box. "What are you doing?" Rarity asked as Twilight repeated the process. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm playing gopher!" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Yes, dear. I can see that." Twilight ignored Rarity's comment as she continued to peak out from over the box. "Just... a little bit... more..." "Okay!" she said upon narrowly avoiding the last of the bullets. "From what I've seen, the switch seems to be under some kind of scaffolding. If we can manage to get under it, we should be safe from the line of fire." "Oh, bravo," Rarity said. "Now if only there wasn't a field of death in the way." Twilight grimaced, but managed not to drive her hoof into her face. Leaning back, she braced herself before plowing her entire body into the crate, pressing it against the wood as hard as she could. Rarity simply stared at her now, at a complete loss for words. Twilight could only pray that her plan would work, but the box didn't seem to want to move. As her muscles started to give out, Twilight concentrated with her horn and added a small burst of magic to her efforts. She let out a stifled cry as her damaged horn protested, but she didn't let up. The box still didn't want to move, but there wasn't much else she could do. Closing her eyes and driving her hooves full force into the wood, she forced away all her other senses, and drowned herself in the task, feeling a dull pain flow down her legs, gasping for enough air to keep her going. And slowly, the box started to move. In fact, once the box was in motion, everything became much easier! She almost didn't need her magic anymore to make the crate pick up speed, and soon she found herself taking step after step, walking steadily as she pushed. She looked up as she walked until she saw part of the scaffolding loom overhead, covering them from fire, before completely collapsing onto the ground. She opened her eyes, her lids still partly closed, slightly blurry-visioned from all the effort as she felt a dull pain course through her legs. "Well, dear, you should have just told me that you wanted to push the box in the first place!" Twilight sat up, rubbing her hooves against her head as she looked into the eyes of Rarity, now standing under the scaffolding with her. "You—" Twilight started. "You helped me push!" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Well, of course dear! You didn't expect me to just watch you struggle against a great idea all alone, did you?" Twilight gave her a look, but Rarity didn't see it. She was already walking up to the wall to where the turret switch was. "You know, you really need to communicate more, dear," she said as she magicked the switch down. "Wait," Twilight really did slam her hoof into her face this time. "Why didn't you just use your magic to flip the switch from back there?" Twilight and Rarity both waited until they heard the turret above them fully retreat into the ceiling and power down before Rarity continued. "You really think they made it that easy?" she said. "And what if there was a rouge unicorn running around? This turret wouldn't be a very good defense against them if they could simply turn it off with their magic from a distance!" "So it's like... like those doors that I couldn't open." "Exactly." Twilight wanted to ask why Rarity could open doors with her magic, but couldn't turn off the security turrets, but decided it wasn't worth pressing the issue. "What exactly are in these crates that's worth protecting with such heavy fire?" she asked, walking up to one of them and prodding it with her hoof a few times. "Probably more ammunition," Rarity said, rolling her eyes. "Come on. The stairs are through here." ========================================================= "So, what other kind of security measures should I know about?" Twilight was walking carefully up the stairs wide staircase they had just found, which took up the entire hallway and wound around a U-Turn as it went. "Well, the only other one that I know about are the guards," Rarity answered. "Not that you need to sorry about them, of course," she continued, giving Twilight a look. "Pretty much everyone fled to the surface as soon as all this happened." Twilight noticed Rarity's subtle flare in her eyes as she said this, as if these words gave her some spark of comfort. Twilight didn't bother mentioning the guards she had met along the way, and decided to simply go with whatever Rarity said for now. Every time she had tried to pry into Rarity's strange shyness around other ponies, she had simply gone quiet, and Twilight didn't see the point anymore. "So this should at least get us to the second floor," Rarity said as they neared the top. "Once we get there, it should be a short path to the next few staircases." She let out a loud sigh. "Honestly, I can't wait to get to the surface. Hopefully there will be some kind of map to show us how to get out of here." Twilight amused herself with the thought of a mall-style map stand sitting in the middle of the desert. She really wasn't too concerned about finding her way once she was outside. She knew they were somewhere west. She could use the sun to help guide her at that point. "How are you feeling, by the way?" Rarity's question caught Twilight off-guard. "About?" she prompted, but Rarity's shot her a look that said all-too-clearly what she really meant. "Oh. I'm, uh, fine! Really." This wasn't entirely true. She had forced all thoughts of Spike out of her mind, afraid to confront them until they had fully escaped. It had managed to reduce itself to a dull pain in the back of her head, and every so often she found herself holding back a lump in her throat, but mostly she was trying to keep her head straight enough to navigate the labyrinth of the facility. Now that she thought about it, however, she sympathized with Rarity. She, too, was separated, and Twilight found some comfort in helping Rarity find her way back. She wasn't entirely sure whether Rarity was aware of any of this, but she didn't press the question any further. "There are some offices right around the corner, here," she said as she rounded the corner. "The stairs should be close." Twilight peered through another doorless entrance, trimmed with red just like the last one, and noticed an expansive hallway similar to the bright ones she had found after smashing the window open. "I don't like the sound of that," Rarity said, pulling in a bit close to Twilight. The ceiling was emitting some sounds that Twilight had heard before, back in the room with Dr. Whooves. They were the same sounds that the headcrabs made when they were curious. "Just stay close," Twilight said, leaning her front hoof forward so it was resting on the trigger. "I've killed some of these creatures before. I know how to handle myself." Twilight peered through a window in the wall just as a light went out on the other side. Rarity backed up, and pressed herself against the wall. "Is someone in there?" she asked Twilight. Twilight was too curious to answer right away, and pressed her face up against the window to try and see in. "If there is, I can't see them." She went to a metal door opposide, and peered into the small office, looking around at the large desk and furniture around it. "Nothing in here, either," she said. At the last moment, her eyes slid across some kind of large piece of meat resting on the floor and nearly retched when she realized it was the severed limb of a pony. Twilight staggered out of the door, looking sick. "What?! What is it?!" Rarity said frantically upon seeing Twilight's face. "Is it—" "It's nothing," Twilight assured her. "Just keep your eyes open." The last thing she needed right now was a panicked Rarity running and screaming around the complex: especially considering what might be crawling around this very hallway. Twilight and Rarity were no longer walking down the hallway. They were creeping down the hallway, almost tiptoeing as they slipped quietly along the wall. The hallway split into a large, complicated common area, slitting and winding: a maze of brick walls, red doorways, and glass windows. Twilight's ears perked up upon hearing a different sound: like some sickly pony was clearing a fountain of phlem out of their throat. Both of them froze to listen, and realized they had merely heard the closest one. At first, Twilight thought it was simply a biological sound, like coughing, or retching. However, the more she listened to it, the more it started to sound like a language: as if the creatures all around them were communicating with each other using some disgusting set of phonics. "Maaaaaybe we shouldn't go this way," Twilight said quietly. Rarity was close to agreeing, but she looked too petrified to respond. As the sounds got louder, Twilight looked straight ahead again, expecting something to round the corner at any moment. She could tell just from listening that one of them was just around the corner, and another was to the right, a ways down the hallway. If she wasn't careful, she would have both of them to deal with at the same time, plus any others further away that she couldn't locate right away. She looked over at Rarity, and stole her attention by softly clearing her throat. "Stay back while I poke around. If one of them comes around, shoot low. My suit can absorb a few stray bullets, but if you get me in the head, it's over. Just lean forward so it's pointing down, and use your hoof just like I showed you." "Twilight, I—" "If you fire and miss, it will at least get my attention so I can—" "Twilight—" "—come back and try myself." "Twilight, I really don't think—" "But, of course, that's assuming you don't hit me in the process, and distract me by—" "TWILIGHT, WATCH OUT!" "Wha—AHH!" A shot rang out as something rounded the corner, echoing around the hallway and making Twilight's ears ring painfully. She had not been expecting the recoil, and found herself staggering backwards. "WHA—IS—" Rarity let out a scream that almost sounded like a laugh, gasping right off the ground as she saw the body of the creature. "Is it de—" "Stay here!" Twilight ordered, keeping her gun pointed in the direction to the nearest noise to the right. The creature on the ground was larger than she was! Its brown scales made its body almost resemble a dragon, except that its snout was too short. Even stranger, its feet had hooves, much like a pony's, with single large nails protruding for balance. Twilight noted the claws at the end of its front limbs. This creature was bipedal. She rounded the corner, feeling the blood rushing back to her limbs, her front hoof tensed on the floor against the trigger. "Twilight!" Rarity didn't bother to stick around, retreating back down the hallway and away from the danger. Twilight didn't think twice about it, already piercing the area around her for movement. She already knew where the first one was. She could hear it. She rounded the corner, not even giving it a chance to attack. She was ready for the recoil this time, leaning forward as she hit the trigger. She held her ears down, but that didn't make the noise any less painful. Even with her leaning forward, she still staggered back a step or two as she watched the creature collapse to the ground, becoming a heap just like the first one. The ringing persisted, and she lost track of where the others were. She retreated back down the hallway, hoping to buy some time before the rest of them saw her. Rarity was nowhere in sight. She peered around the corner, hoping to see without being seen. She could tell there was another one, hiding around a support pillar, but she couldn't get a shot in without charging around at it. In the corner of her eye, she caught something green, glowing bright, filling the area, and causing her to turn her head just in time to catch one of them, clearly in front of her, just a few yards away. Its insectisoid body was engulfed in an orb of green magic, sparks shooting from its arms. Twilight barely had enough time to react. She bent her knees as if to jump, and ended up rolling onto the floor just as the creature directed the magic towards her. She could feel the heat of the ray as it shot over her, travelling the length of the hall and striking the wall behind it, She could hear some of the brick break off the wall behind her as it struck, and instinctively reached a hoof to her head to make sure there wasn't any damage. She rose to her feet and charged in towards the creature, her blood on fire, and slammed on her trigger hoof before she was even halfway, feeling the gun slam against her shoulder and watching the wounded creature clutch its wounded body before collapsing onto the floor. She spun around a few times, trying to gather a 360 degree peripheral. She couldn't see what was behind every pillar, and her ears were ringing so badly she could barely hear any of the alien chatter. She jumped as one of the lights went out above her, plunging the once-bright offices into a dull yellow glow. She could catch a glimmer of green from time to time, but every time she looked closely, it was gone. She looked back down the hallway. "Rarity?" she called. The hallway was empty. All she saw was a scattering of brick at the end where the first magic burst had struck. She took a few steps, wondering whether she could make it to the end and hide around the corner. Perhaps she could lure them one-at-a-time. It was a plan that was short-lived. She felt, rather than heard them. She could sense one of them right behind her without even turning around. Had it been another pony, she would have claimed to have felt their breath on the back of her neck, but that would be assuming these things had a breath. She felt her hoof on her trigger, feeling her own breath quicken, her mind swimming, making it difficult to focus. In one swift move, she turned— —and fell over, forced by the creature in front of her onto her back. She felt herself slide an inch, and stared up at—not one—not two— "S-s-so... many..." They were around her now, dragging her down the hallway. They weren't attacking. She would have already been dead had they wanted her to be. She couldn't read their expressions. Just a single read eye, blinking from the sides, complex and spider-like. Their heads were bowed, and they were concentrating on their claws, which they were motioning around in a circle, summoning green orbs of magic as though they were holding unicorn horns. She flipped over, feeling their magic flow through her body, surrounding her, drowning her in a glow of green. She moved her hooves, clawing at the ground, but they simply slipped. Her stomach dropped as she was hoisted into the air, forced to turn around and face the dozen creatures now completely surrounding her. The room around them was dimming, as though every light was slowly going out, leaving only a purple haze of light glowing around their insectisoid forms. "R-Rarity..." Her voice had almost given out. Every one of the creatures were manipulating their claws, summoning a powerful magic that was dragging her away with them. She could feel her body going numb, her mind going blank, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. The world bent, flexing around her as though it was made of paper. Colors flashed and changed. And she— —suddenly grew more conscious! She could hear them again, chanting, as the world became clear again. She could almost free herself, struggling and flailing her legs again. A shot rang out, slamming against her ears and sending a shockwave through her body. The hallway became bright again almost instantly, and she felt herself slam into the ground. She looked up at the creatures, now disoriented as they looked around the for source of the shot. One of them was collapsing to the ground. Another shot, closer this time. Twilight put her hooves over her head, and listened to the creatures' calls become more aggravated. A third shot rang out, and some of the creatures started summoning sparks of green magic: the same they shot at her before. Twilight seized her opportunity, jumping to her feet and slamming down on her trigger hoof, feeling her gun explode into the creature just in front of her before it could fire its magic. More shots rang out behind her, and Twilight felt a few bullets strike her flank. The suit absorbed the damage, but Twilight still cried out from the impact. Creature after creature fell, until the hallway was littered with bodies. Twilight didn't stop until she had put a few more rounds in the pile. "Twilight!" Twilight turned to see a thoroughly shaken Rarity, still wearing her security vest as tidy as if she had just put it on. She walked right up to Twilight and made a face, as though she was trying not to vomit. "D-don't... don't ever..." "Rarity!" "Don't you ever make me—" "Rarity!" Twilight launched herself forward and wrapped her hooves around her. She could feel Rarity still shaking under her hooves, but she seemed to calm down a bit. "You... if..." she took a deep breath as Twilight let go, beaming. Rarity groaned loudly, lifting her hooves into the air in exasperation. "I should have never left that room!" "Rarity! I wouldn't be alive without you!" "Then you should never have left the room!" "Rarity, let's—" She took a deep breath. Both of them were practically hyperventilating. "Let's just calm down." Twilight turned around to look at the pile of bodies on the floor. She grimaced as she lit her horn, moving them out of the way to the best of her ability. "What... are those things?!" Rarity looked at the pile that Twilight was magicking down the hallway, grimaced, and turned away, retching. "Whatever they were, they're dead now," Twilight said. "Hopefully we won't have to deal with many more of these things." Rarity turned back to her, still looking sick. "W-we?! What do you mean we?!" She waltzed right up to Twilight until they were face to face. "I'm going back to my hiding place! You can stay here and deal with these... things." She waved her hoof in the alien pile that Twilight had just set down inside one of the offices, turning her head in disapproval. Twilight turned to stop her as Rarity stormed down the hallway. "Rarity, wait—" "I won't be part of such violence! It's just... uncivil!" Twilight galloped down the hallway until she was in front of her. "And what exactly are you going to do if they get inside your little office room? Are you going to sit down to tea with them and negotiate a peace treaty?" "Don't get smart with me!" She stopped and pointed a hoof at Twilight. "Hiding in an office building might not be the best plan, but it's certainly better than wandering right into their nest!" Twilight grimaced. "This wasn't a nest," she retorted. "These things are all over! For all you know, your little office hideout could be covered in these things by now!" Rarity looked offended. "You don't know that!" "And you don't know that they aren't." Twilight put a hoof to her face. "Look. Didn't we just have this conversation back in the office? We can't count on anypony finding us down here! The only ponies we can count on to get us out of here are ourselves." She put her hoof down and walked back past Rarity down the hall. "Now do you want to see your sister again or not?" Rarity sputtered. "You leave Sweetie Belle out of this!" "That's what we're doing this for, isn't it?" Twilight asked. "So you can see Sweetie Belle, and I can see the Princess again?" Rarity's face glowed a shade of red, her mouth hanging open, eyes narrowed. Twilight turned to look at her, watching the gears turn. Slowly, Rarity walked up to Twilight, one step at a time, until they were inches away. She was fuming. "You," she said. "You had better be damn sure we make it out of here alive." Twilight just looked back at her. "No promises." Rarity turned and bared down, letting out a muffled scream in aggravation. "FINE!" she yelled. "Fine! I'll come with you!" She turned and glared back at Twilight. "But I am not going to act the "soldier" for this mission. That's your job." She "hmmphed", throwing her head into the air as she trotted past Twilight. "I'm just tagging along." Twilight rolled her eyes, and followed Rarity through the complex, and to the next set of stairs. ========================================================= Twilight peered around the corner, trying to stay out of sight. They had finally gotten to the top of the second staircase, and Twilight was starting to get anxious to get to the elevator Rarity had been talking about. This floor was darker, looking more like a concrete warehouse than an office building. A few pipes stuck out along the ceiling above them, and the area echoed softly around them. "I can hear them," she whispered. "There are two of them just around the corner. We can take them pretty easily." "We?!" Rarity made a small stomp with her front hoof. "You're the one with the big scary shotgun on your shoulder!" Twilight refrained from rolling her eyes. "If we take them on together, they'll go down faster. It's less risky." She peered around the corner again. "This one's pretty simple," she said. "You take the one of the left, I'll take the one on the right." Rarity stuck her lips out and pouted at Twilight, not saying anything. "Look, just do it," Twilight said. "Would you rather risk one of them rounding the corner and attacking you?" Rarity just kept staring. Twilight ignored her. "On three," she said. "One..." Twilight didn't bother counting all the way to three. Her nerves got the best of her, and her hoof was already on the trigger. She had already run around the corner and slammed on the trigger before either of the creatures knew they were there. "Rarity! Now!" She prepared herself in case Rarity didn't make it, half-expecting to fire the second shot. She could see the second creature right next to her, already summoning its green magic. "Rari—" Her voice was cut off by a set of shots from around the corner. Round after round pummeled the creature, knocking it back before it collapsed to the ground. Twilight turned back towards Rarity, who was still fuming. Twilight beamed, satisfied. "See? It's not too bad once you get used to it." Rarity just scowled and walked past Twilight. "Oh, come on," Twilight said, following behind her with a smile. "You know you liked it." Rarity opened a door at the end of the hallway, leading Twilight through a small room to a door on the other side. "Hang on," Twilight said, turning towards a metal ramp leading down a passage in the back of the room. "There's probably some supplies down here. I'm gonna go take a look." "And leave me here?" Rarity said, "You'll be fine," Twilight said with a sigh. "I just need someone to keep watch, in case anything tries to sneak down here with me." Then, seeing Rarity's terrified face, added, "If anything attacks you, just scream out my name." Twilight wasn't entirely sure this made Rarity feel any better, but it at least shocked her enough that she didn't retort. She walked lightly down the ramp, hearing her hooves clang against the metal each time, until she reached the dark concrete room below. This was the first time she had been truly alone since— No, she thought. Don't think about him right now. She distracted herself by looking around the room. She was in luck! It looked like it used to be some sort of security storage room. "Let's see here... 12 gauge... where is the 12 gauge?" She looked around at the various boxes sitting around the room, using as little magic as she could to open them. Luckily, most of the wooden crates were already open, revealing so many different kinds of ammunition it made her head spin. "Banana clips, 22 mm, 357, tranquilizer darts?!" Twilight stared at the sheer variety. After a few minutes of sorting it out, she finally magicked a few boxes of 12 gauge, and some 9 mm for Rarity. She was about to leave when she something else caught her attention. "Are those... grenades?!" she said out loud. Twilight walked up to the egg-shaped devices sitting inside one of the crates. It looked like they were already attacked to a long belt, which Twilight levitated into the air so she could get a better look. She detached one of them and brought it up close so she could inspect it, noting the rough tiled texture, and studying the way the pin sat precariously inside. I wonder how they work. Before she could investigate any further, though, she was interrupted by a loud scream. "RARITY!" she shouted, throwing the belt around her shoulder and reattaching the loose grenade. She bolted up the ramp as a second scream shouted out her name. "I'm coming, Rarity!" Twilight's eyes blurred as the rush flowed through her, compelling her to run faster. Her hoof was already on the trigger, ready to fire when a second voice struck her ears. "STOP!" Twilight leaned back and slid to a halt, feeling all the blood rush to her head. She was starring into the barrel of another 9 mm, sitting on the shoulder of a brown earth pony. Both his eyes were set on Twilight, and beneath him, his hooves dug into the body of Rarity, pinning her to the ground. A moment passed where they just looked at each other. Then the guard pony spoke. "Are you working with her?" He gestured at Rarity with his head. "We're together, yes," Twilight said, trying to work out why this was a problem. The guard looked at her, a gleam of triumph in his eyes. "I've been looking forward to this," he said. "I knew she couldn't have been working alone." Twilight's face stayed blank. "Uh, yeah. This place is kind of dangerous to walk around alone," she said. "Two guns are better than one, you could say." "Don't play smart with me," he said. "What exactly are you two planning? Why did you set this up?" Now Twilight cocked her eyes. "Set... what?" She looked down at Rarity, watching a few beads of sweat run down the side of her head. "Rarity, wha—" "You leave her out of this!" the guard yelled. "You look at me, not at her! Tell me. What are you planning? Why did you sabotage that experiment?" Twilight gasped now. "Sabotage?! What are you—" "Don't play stupid," he said. "You think I don't know? Hazardous Environment Suit, SPAS-12 shotgun, grenades." He gave her a look. "You were prepared for this," he said. "And as if there was any doubt, I happen to find you working with her!" He dug his hoof into Rarity's coat, making her whimper beneath him. "What?!" Twilight said. "She's just an office worker!" "Ooooh! Just an office worker!" he scoffed. "You tell me. Is she just an office worker?" Twilight felt her body run cold, looking down at Rarity, who was now breathing very fast. "What's going on, Rarity?" The guard cocked his head, his expression dimming. "Oh?" he said. "You mean you don't know?" He looked down at Rarity. "You've been working with this grunt-of-a-scientist, and you never told her your master plan?" "I DON'T HAVE A PLAN!" Rarity shouted. The guard leaned down, putting his face right up against hers. "That's not what the records show," he said. "I had no choice!" "Rarity! What is going on?!" Twilight said. The guard stood up as Rarity turned her head, shutting her eyes tight. "This little office worker went and sabotaged the whole thing!" he said. "Went and messed up a bunch of files related to the experiment." He brought his head back down to hers. "And then," he shook his head, taking a deep breath, "she uploaded a virus, crashing the whole system right before it happened." Twilight looked down at Rarity, looking for some sign. She could hear Rarity whimpering beneath the guard, even so much as sobbing. "Why did you do it?" he whispered. "What were you planning?" "I t-t-told you," she sobbed. "I d-d-didn't want—" "Leave her alone," Twilight said. The guard looked up. "Why? So you can pick up where you left off?" He dug his hoof in even deeper. "This ends now!" Twilight took a deep breath and calmed down. "What do you want with us?" The guard just looked at her. "I want you to turn yourselves in," he said. "Put an end to all this. The Equesrtian military is on its way. Tell them everything you know, and turn yourselves in." He lightened his grip. "If you're lucky, they'll let you live." Twilight scowled. "I'm not turning myself in for something I didn't do." The guard lost his temper. "You have no argument!" he yelled. "You were at ground zero! Everypony knows it! Now turn yourself in, or I'll end this here and now!" Twilight leaned forward onto her front hoof. "We're trying to get out of here! Just like you!" she lowered her voice and almost whispered. "Now let her go, or I'll make you let her go." The guard scoffed. "And what are you gonna do, Twilight Sparkle?!" he said. "You gonna shoot me?" A shot rang out, making Twilight's ears bleed as it echoed around the room. She had not meant to fire, but she had leaned forward in anger too far. "Y-y-y-y-you... y-you shot a guard!" Rarity trembled on the ground, looking at the heap on the ground next to her. "You just... shot an actual pony!" Even Twilight was close to tears as she looked at the body on the ground. "I didn't mean—" She took a deep breath, shaking violently. "Y-y-y-you just... just..." "I know!" Twilight said, leaning forward and putting her hooves to her ears. "Don't say it!" She closed her eyes tight, feeling moisture slide down her cheeks. She fought against the thought. It had been blasted so firmly into her mind. "T-T-Twilight—" Twilight breathed deep, keeping her eyes closed as she wept into her hooves. She couldn't speak against the lump in her throat. "T-Twilight—" "I... c-can't..." she squeaked. "Twilight, it's... just... calm down." Twilight couldn't see it, but Rarity's face was just as drenched as Twilight's. Twilight could feel Rarity's hoof against her face, and knew she had gotten off the floor to stand next to her. "H-how do I c-calm down?!" "I," Rarity swallowed hard. "don't know. Just... we should get out of here." Twilight wanted to sit there on the ground, crying into her hooves for hours, but Rarity had a point. They had to keep moving, and Twilight picked herself up against her own will. Her whole body ached from the pain of killing another pony. "We should h-h-hide the body," she said, whispering the last words. She turned her head away from the body, wishing she didn't need to think about it. Rarity also fought back tears, quivering visibly. "T-together?" Twilight said, reaching out with her magic with her eyes averted. As a response, Tilight heard Rarity's own magic start up, and sensed it next to her own. Rarity let out a small scream of disgust as she felt it rise into the air, its limbs swinging freely. Twilight forced the image of a floating corpse out of her mind. "We'll hide it behind some boxes down here. Hopefully it will look like one of the creatures killed him." Rarity's face was still mortified. "Oh, believe me, Twilight. Nobody is going to look at this thing long enough to see it has bullet holes in it." They worked their way down the ramp until they were amongst the crates. "You know," Twilight thought out loud, "this wouldn't be a problem if the aliens had shotguns." She elaborated upon seeing Rarity's face. "You know, because everyone would just assume the aliens shot him." Rarity stood there as Twilight took the corpse and dropped it hastily behind one of the crates, making a face as though she was dropping a used tissue. "Let's just not do this again," Rarity said. "I'd like to get out of here without being charged with murder in the royal courts." Twilight led Rarity back up the ramp. "Speaking of crimes," she started, giving Rarity a knowing look. Rarity looked at Twilight curiously before she caught on to Twilight's implications. She didn't bother to wait for Twilight to clarify. She simply threw her head into the air and walked past Twilight. "I'm simply not ready to talk about it yet," she said. Twilight closed her eyes and trotted after her. "You sabotaged the entire experiment?!" "I said I'm not ready to talk about it!" Rarity repeated. "Now we have an elevator to reach—" Twilight galloped in front of her before she could walk any further. "We're talking about this," she said. "Now!" She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, daring Rarity to go around her. Rarity cocked her eye. "There really isn't much to talk about, dear," she said. "What's done is done. And besides! It's not like I had a choice." "Didn't have a choice?! What did they do? Hold a gun to your head?" "I SAID," Rarity put a hoof to her forehead, closing her eyes and trying to calm down. "Look," she finally said. "I don't like to talk about it, okay? It's a... difficult topic for me." Twilight just stared at her. "I can imagine." The two of them stood there in the dark room, Rarity looking at the ground and taking deep breaths, Twilight staring straight ahead at her. A soft wind could be heard through the pipes, and an occasional drop of water landed from a leak in the ceiling. The wait seemed to take forever. "Fine," Rarity said. "Fine, I'll tell you." She walked around the room and finally collapsed onto the ground, burying her head in her hooves. When she looked back up, she started: "You have to understand, Twilight. Our records have never exactly been "clean". My parents kept me out of most of it, but when I finally got here, they couldn't hide me from it anymore. I had access to all the background reports of everyone who ever worked for or was associated with the company." "You're saying your parents were criminals?" Twilight asked, not sure how much of this was true. Rarity grimaced. "It's not like they were just common thieves or anymore," she said. "They... well, they just weren't fond of the system, that's all. They found ways of living that weren't as... "conventional" as most. They never liked my idea of finding work to pay for my life. They said it was a waste of time. They said I could have all sorts of freedom I didn't have if I would just learn the system like they did." "System?" Twilight cocked an eye. "Yes, darling. The government. They knew how to get around things. The idea was to have Equestria take care of them, instead of having to work." The idea dawned on Twilight. "You mean they committed fraud," she said bluntly. Rarity grimaced. "They wouldn't have put it quite that way," she said slowly. "But yes, that was the idea." She sighed as she continued. "My sister, Sweetie Belle, was also involved. Not directly, of course, but she was part of the paperwork. The entire setup was complicated, and I didn't look into it enough to know what everything meant. That would require a pretty thorough attorney to work all of that out. But, I did read enough to come to the conclusion that, if the contracts were manipulated they could be made to have some rather substantial consequences." "Like what?" Twilight asked. Rarity took a deep breath. "Like the disownership of my sister," she said softly. "Like the banishment of my family, and my own exile." She closed her eyes. "I had no way to undo what my parents had setup. I'm not entire sure they were aware of these implications." "Anyway," she continued, "I hid this away as best I could, as you can imagine. I didn't have much trouble keeping it quiet until—" She stopped, taking another deep breath. "I dont know who he was, or where he came from," she said, shaking her head. "He didn't tell me his name. All he did was give me a roll of parchment with instructions on it, and told me if I didn't follow them, I would never see my family again. He showed me a document after that, which I recognized as one of the forms my parents had signed fraudulently. He didn't have to explain anything for me to understand." Rarity looked up, a few tears threatening to crest over her eyelids. "I didn't have a choice, Twilight! It was either this facility, or my family." Twilight walked right up to Rarity, who backed up against one of the walls, afraid of what Twilight might do. Twilight leaned back so Rarity knew she wasn't any threat, and reached a hoof out to help Rarity up. "Tell me everything he had you do," she said. ========================================================= Thankfully, the last staircase wasn't difficult to find. There was a small area that Rarity said used to lead to a breakroom, but it was sealed off a few years ago. Rarity simply bypassed this by going through a high security door on the side. Unfortunately, Rarity didn't remember much about what she had done with the computer. Technology had never been one of her strong points. She had mostly been hired to keep track of spreadsheets, and other basic functions. However, she did remember a few crucial steps, such as the removal of any backup files concerning information about the experiment, as well as disabling all of the fail-safe measures around the equipment. As it turns out, she did not directly upload the virus. She had merely taken down the firewall, which allowed someone from the outside to upload it to the company servers. "What I'm interested in is who this business pony is," Twilight said as they walked up the stairs. "From the way you describe him, he sounds a lot like somepony I've seen around here." "Again, he didn't tell me his name," Rarity said. "And he kind of talked funny, as if he had a speech impediment." "You think he's with the Equestrian government?" Twilight asked, reaching the top of the stairs. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's—" She stopped. In front of her was a large hallway expanse, once again picking up the tiled floor and brick walls from earlier. At the end of it was an elevator shaft, but this wasn't what had caught her attention. To her right, just before the red-trimmed entrance to the hallway, was a door—and through the window was pony, staring straight at her: a pony wearing a business suit. "R-Rarity," she said. "I think you'd better see this," she said. Twilight looked back at the pony on the other side of the glass, who gave her a small nod... and smiled! As he did so, he turned and walked away from view. "What is it, dear?" Rarity said, looking off in Twilight's direction. "Did you see another security pony?" Twilight walked right up the door, peering closely through the window, trying to see around. "Can you open this door?" she asked Rarity. Rarity lit her horn and opened the door, revealing a long hallway that didn't have any path to the right. "Where did he go?" Twilight asked, walking through the door, trying to find some secret entrance in the wall that the pony could have escaped through. "Where did who go?" Rarity asked. "Twilight," she said, when Twilight didn't answer, "are you all right?" Twilight just starred at the wall, as if it would suddenly open to reveal some secret lair that the business pony always hid inside. "I..." she turned, "let's just get out of here," she finished. Rarity nodded. "I highly agree!" she said. "I'm getting mighty tired of these offices! The elevator should be just down here." "Do you think what he said was true?" Twilight asked. "About the military coming here?" Rarity shook her head. "We'll know before we get out of here," she said. "Honestly, I'm hoping so. I am not looking forward to walking all the way to Ponyville." Twilight walked to the end of the hallway with Rarity, looking through a few of the windows around her, and observing a short walkway overhead. "Well!" Rarity exclaimed. "Isn't this interesting!" She gestured at the elevator shaft, completely devoid of an elevator—or doors—or a working button. "Yeah, I had to deal with this before," Twilight said. "It wasn't exactly pleasant." She backed down the hallway with Rarity. "Just be glad you have your entire horn," she said, "and that you don't have to carry anything except yourself." "What are you suggesting, Twilight? That we simply levitate ourselves to the top?" Twilight gave her a look that told her that's exactly what she intended. "I'm not sure I have that kind of power. I can only levitate small items." Twilight stuck a hoof out at Rarity. "That's why we work together!" she said triumphantly. "I read about this back in Canterlot. Unicorns can combine their powers and magnify them! If we tried to use levitation spells on ourselves or on each other alone, we'd both be fighting an uphill battle." She turned towards the elevator, a small spark igniting on her horn. "But! If we both focus our magic on both of us, then the magic will combine, and make it much easier!" Rarity looked confused. "Have you... done this?" she asked. "I wrote a thesis on it back in Canterlot," she said. This didn't seem to comfort Rarity much. "Just try levitating both of us," she said. "I'll do the rest." Twilight lit her horn and grimaced as she floated a cloud of magic around herself and Rarity. Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath, floating her own cloud forward. The pink cloud of Twilight's met up with the white cloud of Rarity's, and their tint began to change. "Think levitation!" Twilight said, pushing against their bodies with her magic. She saw Rarity do the same, and suddenly the cloud lit up a magnificent cyan! The glow lit up the entire hallway, and without much of a thought, both ponies felt their hooves leave the ground. Rarity let out a surprised scream, more like a laugh than anything. "Twilight! We're flying!" "Try to get to the elevator," she said. "We need to fit through the doorway." What followed was one of the most awkward things Twilight had ever done. The magic did not like fighting itself. Every time Rarity tried to go somewhere Twilight didn't expect, the magic lost some of its power, and they both nearly fell more than once. It was like a running a six-legged race. Every time they disagreed about where their center hooves should go, the ropes threatened to trip them. "Maybe if you just—" "We need to go this way—" "—move your flank over there—" "—if you could back up a bit more—" "—you're too far to the right—" "—hang on! You're slipping!" It seemed to go on forever, but they finally floated themselves inside the elevator shaft. They both looked up, seeing the elevator stuck at the top. "On the count of three," Twilight said. "One—" "Oh, and Twilight?" Rarity interrupted, "Do actually count to three this time." Twilight blushed, but continued to concentrate on the orb of magic. "On the count of three. One..." She grimaced from the light tinge of pain against her horn. "... Two..." She looked up at Rarity, who nodded. "THREE!" Forcing a bit more magic into their spells, they felt their bodies quickly ascend the shaft. The cyan cloud became brighter, drowning the entire shaft in a beautiful haze of sparkles and mist. The elevator came much sooner than they had expected, and both of them lowered their magic until they landed, side-by-side, on top of it. The both looked at each other as the magic wore off, looking down at a small opening in the top of the elevator where a vent used to be. Some other ponies must have crawled out through the top at some point. "Let's do this," Twilight said. She dropped down into the elevator, helping Rarity down with her, and faced the elevator doors, ready for her next great adventure.
Ganymede	724	5	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2012-10-08T14:01:28+00:00	2015-02-24T16:26:45+00:00	2,190	It was nearly pitch black inside the elevator. All power had been cut off, and it took a while for Twilight's eyes to adjust and get her bearings. Her ears perked up, and she could hear a soft hum of machinery through the doors. "Where exactly did this elevator go?" Twilight asked. She couldn't see Rarity, but she could hear her making a racket as she moved around, running into some of the walls of the elevator before finally grabbing onto Twilight for balance. "I'm... urgh! Not entirely sure." Twilight grunted as she felt the weight of Rarity's hooves on her back, allowing Rarity to use her for support. "I wish I could see," Rarity added. Twilight wished she had some kind of a flashlight—and then realized she did have a flashlight! She remembered them mentioning one built right into the suit during her training course. She reached back, trying to remember where the switch was. "AH!" Rarity shouted as Twilight finally clicked something on one of the legs of the suit. "Point that thing somewhere else!" Twilight turned, realizing the light had been pointed right into Rarity's face. "Sorry." She continued to turn, finding a place on the shiny walls where there wouldn't be any blinding glare. They both blinked and cringed for a minute or two until their eyes adjusted. "You could have turned that thing on before we jumped in here," Rarity said. "But no matter. It looks like we're sealed inside. I wouldn't expect any of the buttons to work." Twilight stepped up to the chrome-colored doors, careful not to point the light directly at them. "We'll just have to force them open, then," she said, turning to Rarity. She reached back and unsheathed her crowbar, once again pleased at how useful such a simple piece of metal could be. "Twilight, dear, you are quite useful sometimes," Rarity said. She watched as Twilight turned towards the doors and jammed the bar through the small opening between them before pivoting it with her hoof. Rarity lit her horn upon seeing Twilight's struggle, and added some extra pressure. A tiny sliver of light emerged from between the doors, and as the opening grew to an inch or two, the crowbar simply slipped and fell to the ground. "Okay," Twilight said, holstering the crowbar, "We should be be able to push them open the rest of the way." She peered through the opening, blinking against the light. The noise was much louder now, coming from ventilation ducts clearly visible against the upper walls. A bright concrete wall shimmered before her. "Can you see anything?" Rarity asked. Twilight tried to make out more of the surroundings, but couldn't manage to peer around enough to make out what was to the left or right. "It doesn't sound like we're outside," she said. "Sounds like we're in some kind of busy warehouse or something. It's really bright." She thought back to her tram ride, and considered how cool it would be if they walked out into a room with a giant missile under construction. She felt a pang of guilt as she remembered how much Spike would have loved that, and put a hoof up to her stomach, pulling back from the door. "Well, I must admit," Rarity chimed in, "I really liked your technique back in the elevator shaft. Perhaps it would work on the doors." Twilight was surprised at first, but realized that Rarity had a good point. "On the count of three?" she said. Rarity just smiled at her. "Why not one?" She lit her horn, pressing lightly against both doors with her own magic. Twilight just rolled her eyes, and met Rarity's magic with her own. They both closed their eyes as the cyan light bounced off the metal walls and blinded them. They could feel the doors slipping easily to the side, and heard the sounds of the vents above magnified, as well as the additional sound of some machinery in the distance. They lowered their magic as they felt the doors finish retreating and put their hooves up to their eyes, looking out at last into the bright concrete expanse before them. "Well, I was right. We're definitely not outside," Twilight said, her eyes finally adjusting as she looked around. "Hopefully we're at least close." They glanced to the left and saw a wall. "Looks like there's just one way to go," Twilight said. They headed off to the right, looking around at the large bright passage, listening to the busy sounds around them. There was a window on the wall to their right, which Twilight assumed was some kind of security room. There was a metal door next to the window, but it was clearly locked. She peered through the window at some of the control panels, noting one of the buttons on it that said "Silo Access". "Silo?" Rarity asked, looking at a barn-sized brown metal door on the wall opposite. "You don't suppose they process hay in this facility, do you?" Twilight put a hoof to her face, forgetting that Rarity was from a small rural town. "It probably means it's a missile silo," she said. "Silos make great places to store equipment, and test out engines before they're used in practice." Rarity stared at the door. "Rocket engines," she pondered. "Remind me never to go in there," she said, clearly not intent on getting her eyebrows singed. The continued down the hallway, listening to the hum of the machinery. It almost sounded like conveyor belts, or maybe something rolling, like a cart. "What—ha!" Rarity shouted. "Look at this!" She trotted over to the wall next to the massive silo door, and pointed to a wall-mounted devices that Twilight recognized from her training. It was nothing more than an intricate yellow box with "HEV" written on the front, and a few pipes mounted to it, but Twilight knew that these would come in handy if there were more of them. "Do you think it's charged?" Twilight asked stupidly, remember a second later that the device would be glowing red if it wasn't. "I really have no idea," Rarity said. "It's definitely worth trying, though." Twilight reached a hoof up and ran it along the surface. She really wished she had her notes with her now. She could remember how all the other scientists looked at her strange as she levitated a sheet of parchment and quill in front of her as she entered the training course, but that was now sitting back in her dormitory, probably getting chewed on by a headcrab by now. "I think the connection is in the lower corner here somewhere." She pressed her hoof against several places, remembering how she had pressed it into some kind of groove during the training course. "Uh, Twilight," Rarity said, pointing a hoof to the other side of the device. "It says "place hoof here"." Twilight stared at the small words Rarity was pointing at and felt her face go very red. "I..." she meekly placed her hoof where Rarity was point. "... er... thanks." She turned away so she didn't have to look Rarity in the eye. The machine churned to life as she pressed her hoof in, and she felt a warm surge course through the suit. She looked down at her foreleg and watched a small bar on the suit fill up, and waited until the machine turned red and stopped. "What?" Rarity said. "What's wrong with it? Why did it stop?" "It always does that," Twilight explained. "The guide told me these things only hold a portion of what the suit can." Twilight watched Rarity's expression and added "I know. It doesn't make any sense to me either." "So, what exactly does charging your suit do?" Rarity asked. "Are there special features you can now use? Does it magnify your magic?" "I think it just adds some extra protection or something," she said. "I'm able to use my flashlight and stuff without charging it, so I really don't think it does much more than add a little extra cushion." She pressed her hoof against the surface of her suit in various places to see if it felt any different. "I guess we'll find out the next time you fire your gun into me," she joked. Rarity scowled, but didn't say anything. "Come on," Twilight said, "there have to be some stairs or something that will take us outside." Now that Rarity was outside her known territory, Twilight took over as the lead, following the only path available to them. They took note of a large fire door situated along the central path, which was thankfully open, as well as the emergency button behind glass set into the wall, which Twilight assumed would close the door. "Um, Twilight?" Rarity said, pointing a hoof towards the end of the hallway, "I don't think they want us to go this way." Twilight saw what Rarity meant as she walked up to the device set into the wall near her hooves. It looked like some kind of large camera, or a set of vision goggles, with a single giant lens on the front. The major difference, however, is that there was a clearly visible green dot on the wall opposite. "A laser?" Twilight asked, tempted to move her hoof in front of the lens, but managed to hold back just in case. "It looks like some kind of security device, but why would they only set it at hoof level? Couldn't anypony just step right over it?" Rarity pouted. "I really don't like the idea of being scanned by lasers. I wish there was a way to actually see them." Twilight smirked, thinking back to her lessons in Canterlot. "Well, that's easy enough," she said. "You just create a fog, like this." She lit her horn, thankful that creating fog was a relatively simple spell. She still grimaced at the headache it caused, but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't concentrate. "Oh, wow! That's quite a thick stretch of light!" Rarity gaped at the clearly visible laser line stretch across the hallway at their feet. "What do you think it does?" Twilight examined the strange camera device on the wall and shook her head. "There's no way to know for sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's either a tracking device, or some kind of explosive." Both of them took a few steps back at these words. "Somehow, I doubt the latter. I don't think this facility would actually intend on harming its employees." "But what about those creatures?" Rarity asked. "Would you not put it past one of the scientists to rig this place with traps to protected themselves against those... things?" Twilight tried not to think about the massive storage facility with crate after crate of ammunition. Could one of those boxes have laser trip mines in it?! "At any rate, just step over it carefully. I'll keep this place lit up with fog just in case." Twilight histrionically stepped over the laser, making of a point of keeping as much distance between her body and the laser as possible. Rarity was almost beside herself in nervousness as she attempted to mimic Twilight, letting out small whimpers as she did so. "Oh, great," Twilight said, looking around the corner. She had already filled the next stretch with fog, and it didn't look pretty. "You're gonna love this, Rarity." Rarity rounded corner as it bent off to the right, and peered down the remainder of the hallway, which led into a large, cluttered storage room. Aside from storage crates littering the area, there were also a number of boxes marked as being volatile and explosive. And as if this wasn't bad enough, Twilight saw in the distance what must have been security turrets similar to the Gatling gun back in the office buildings, except that these were mounted on tripods. "H-how exactly are we supposed to get past these lasers?!" Rarity asked, looking at the large array of criss-crossing red beams blocking their path into the room. Twilight had a feeling she knew exactly what these lasers would do. "Very, very carefully," she said. "I wish there was some way to turn them off. The only other way we can be completely safe is if we somehow disable those turrets back there." Rarity nearly fainted when Twilight pointed out the tripod guns in the back of the room. "There has to be another way." Twilight spent a few seconds studying the array of lasers, trying to work out exactly how she would worm her way through them. She counted five of them, which were all unfortunately crisscrossing in all three directions at once, so you always had to be looking at all five of them as you traversed it. "Yeah, I'm not sure I want to risk this," Twilight agreed. "These don't look like they have any kind of explosives attached to them. That would be like the trip mine back there." She indicated the camera device mounted to the wall behind them. "Our best bet would be to disable those turrets back there, but I don't have access to any of the magic cables from back here!" Rarity gave her a look. "Aren't you the one that goes around shooting things? Why don't you just use your big fat gun?" Twilight rolled her eyes at Rarity's sarcasm. "Ha. Ha," she responded.. "It's not that simple. It's not like I can just shoot them, or throw my crowbar at them, or toss a grena—" She stopped mid-sentence. She had imagined each scenario as she said it, and obviously throwing a crowbar would have been completely ridiculous, and shooting the turret at such a great distance would be impractical. The bullets would hardly do anything. A grenade, on the other hand, would do significant damage! It had to be worth a shot. "You might want to stand back around that corner, Rarity. I'm going to try something." Twilight lit her horn and snapped one of the grenades off her harness. Rarity squeaked and jumped, landing on her stomach on the ground with her hooves over her ears. "It's—" Twilight started to say it's not that bad, but realized she was about to pull the pin on a miniature bomb hovering a few inches away from her face. Suddenly Rarity's reaction was quite understandable. I'll play this safe she thought. I won't pull the pin until I've placed it next to the turret. This was, of course, easier said than done. The crisscrossing lasers wouldn't exactly ignore something as small as a grenade. She had to weave it through just the right path to get it into the room. Even then, she didn't have a very good view of the room, and had difficulty judging how far the grenade was from the turret at such a long distance. She of course had thought about using her magic directly on the turret, but no matter what she came up with—whether turning it in a different direction, or physically moving it somewhere else—there was simply no way to make it not fire. It needed to be destroyed if they didn't want it raining bullets in some direction. Twilight retreated back where Rarity was now crouching, and slowly got into the same position. She reached out with her magic to make sure she could feel the pin, and hesitated. She suddenly became very aware of exactly how much could go wrong. Here she was, sitting right next to a laser trip mine, just around the corner from a room full of volatile materials, on the other side of detection lasers which could set off an automatic turret that would fire straight into the room of explosives. She tried hard not to think of everything that might go wrong, reaching out with her magic to be sure she knew exactly where everything was. Just before she pulled the pin, she found herself instinctively wrapping her hoof around Rarity and pulling her close. She felt Rarity painfully latch onto her, sensing the pin being pulled. Twilight closed her eyes tight and braced herself. The result was surprisingly anticlimactic. A loud pop went off in the other room, like a firecracker, followed by the whine of injured electronics. A few sparks could be heard, and then— "Is that it?" Twilight asked, still clinging on to a now-shaking Rarity. "I would have expected—" What did she expect? A massive domino effect? The whole hallway to cave in? Rarity didn't say anything at all. She was covering her ears so tightly that Twilight wasn't even sure she had heard the explosion. Twilight tapped her on the back, causing her to stir. "Hey," Twilight said, "It's safe." Rarity slowly pulled her hooves away from her ears, looking up at Twilight with large, quivering pupils. "Are we safe?" she asked meekly. Twilight caught sight of the laser trip mine a few feet behind Rarity. "About as safe as we're gonna get," she peered around the corner, "for now." From what she could see, the turret was no where in sight. Everything else seemed to still be there, including the volatile crates, but the real threat was now gone. She reached behind her and pulled out her crowbar, slowly poking it forward until it touched one of the lasers. There was an audible beep of recognition, but nothing happened. Nothing exploded, or melted, or shot at them. The ceiling didn't cave in, there were no spikes or heavy boulders that were unleashed, and the only difference she could see is that the laser no longer reached the other side of the wall. "It looks like that did it," she said. She glanced back and watched Rarity continue to tremble on the floor, peering up at her like a puppy. "You can get up now, you know," she added. Rarity looked around a few times, starting to blush. Twilight turned back towards the lasers as Rarity climbed to her hooves. Taking a deep breath, Twilight leaned her head down and walked through the lasers. She was met with a cacophony of beeps and chirps as each of the lasers in turn "detected" her, but nothing else happened. "Okay, come on through," she said back to Rarity. Rarity just starred at Twilight on the other side. "Just... walk through?" she asked. Twilight nodded, and watched as Rarity closed her eyes and stuck a hoof out, as if testing the waters of a pool. She pulled her head back, grimaced, and then charged through the lasers as a slow gallop. Twilight chuckled for a moment, just before Rarity charged right into her, knocking her over onto the floor. "AH! Rarity!" she said as Rarity toppled on top of her. "Get off me!" She reached her hooves beneath her and forced the other mare off of her before getting back on her hooves. "Just... relax, okay?" Twilight looked around. Now that they were actually inside the room, she had a much better idea of how things were laid out. Most of the bright room was filled boxes which, as it turns out, were mostly not filled with explosives. Only one or two were marked as being volatile. There was also a small chain-link fence in the middle, which seemed to be randomly placed. It was built right into the infrastructure, so it must have had an architectural purpose at some point. However, the thing that really caught her eye now was the body in the corner. Rarity saw it too. Neither of them could take their eyes off it. Clearly, a pony had been unfortunate enough to encounter a few headcrabs, but that was not what really struck Twilight. She walked up, examining the peculiar outfit the pony was wearing. He was blue, with a dark blue mane, but both of them were barely visible beneath its helmet and mask. The rest of him was covered in what Twilight could only describe as "camouflage". Around its torso was a green vest with a green pack on its back. Even more unusual, it was wearing white-on-black camouflage on the bottom. Clearly this pony was equipped far beyond any normal security pony. However, even the pony itself wasn't what truly caught their eye. Sitting on the ground next to it was something shimmering: a chrome engineering marvel. Rarity would have called it a "big gun", but Twilight knew this was so much more. This was a military-grade sub-machinegun: something Black Mesa would never have had lying around. This was a weapon the pony had brought in from the outside. "They're here!" Twilight said, turning to Rarity. "The military! They've come!" She jumped up and started bouncing around the room. "They've actually come to rescue us!" Rarity simply gawked at her, then back at the pony, then back at her. "You really think so?!" She looked back at the pony and stuck her lip out. "He doesn't exactly look like he's doing too well. Do you think they're still here?" And as if on cue, Twilight heard an announcement system chime in: the same announcement system she had heard back in her Anomalous Materials lab, just before she rode the elevator to the lower levels. "All. Military. Personnel. Extreme. Force. On. Foreign. Contamination." Twilight looked back at Rarity. "I'd say that sounds like they're still here," she said. "Come on! We've gotta be close! They're probably all waiting for us on the surface!" She was about to run off when she caught herself and trotted back to the body. "I guess I may as well get an upgrade," she said to herself, almost laughing from relief. "Not that I'll need it." She lit her horn, and traded out her shotgun for the submachine gun, amazed at how the suit so swiftly and easily adapted to the new handle. She aimed it at the wall in front of her and tested out the trigger. All she heard was a click. "Hang on," she said, opening the pony's pack. "He has to have left some ammunition in here." She fished around until she found a few banana clips, and stashed them into the ammo holster on her suit. "That ought to be more than enough to get us out of here," she said. "The military has probably cleaned out most of the creatures by now." Rarity got up and shook out her mane. "Well! I will certainly be glad to get out of these awful clothes," she said. "These things are far from the latest fashion." She tapped some of the material with her hoof. "They have inspired me to design a new outfit for these security ponies! They most certainly need it." "Yeah," Twilight said. "All three that are left." She rolled her eyes. ========================================================= Aside from the explosive crates, there wasn't much else in the room to look at. Not that Twilight or Rarity cared. Both of them were mostly concerned with a way out, which Twilight quickly found towards the back of the room. "Is this whole place going to be like this?" Rarity asked. She was pointing her hoof at the fire door they were passing through, as well as another laser tripmine around the corner. The hallway jogged to the left before continuing straight, and from the looks of it, somepony must not have wanted anything from getting through. "Just be careful," Twilight said. "You can jump over it if you're nervous. It's not even at knee-height." "But..." Rarity peered around the other corner, seeing something around the other bend. "But what about the second one?" "Secon—" Twilight stopped and looked around the corner with Rarity. The first laser was in the bend, and was easy enough to jump over. The second one was just after the hallway straightened out, and was barely visible from where they were standing. It was much too high to jump over. "We'll look at it closer when we get there," Twilight said. She walked up to the first laser and came up with an idea. She lit her horn and wrapped her magic around the laser, like a shimmering pink tube. She stepped back, horn still lit, and admired her work. "There! Why didn't I think of this before?" She turned back to Rarity. "I've solidified my magic, so you can't touch the laser. The worst you can do is bang your knee into the magic." Rarity didn't entirely look convinced. "You're sure it's solid?" She reached her hoof out tentatively, still a foot away from where Twilight had cast the spell. "It's all right, Rarity. I've completely—" Twilight covered her ears. The whole room quivered with the sound of electrical current. "WHAT THE H—" She could barely hear herself think. Twilight looked up, seeing Rarity no long beside her, and turned her head frantically to look for her. She finally spotted her on the other side of the tripmine laser. She had tripped right over Twilight's magic, and was stumbling back to her hooves. "EVERY PONY FOR THEMSELF!" she cried out frantically, jumping around the L-Bend of the hallway. Twilight saw her turn to run down the hallway, and blasted up a barrier of magic to stop her before she ran right through the second laser. Rarity slammed right into it, making an uncomfortable crunch. Her eyes derped for a moment before she collapsed to the ground. Twilight turned in the direction of the sound and saw, just in front of her, a headcrab, where there had been absolutely nothing just moments before. She instinctively got out her crowbar. "Where did you come from?" she asked, sneaking up behind it and whacking it like a golf ball. "You weren't here just a mi—" She covered her ears again as another blast came, this time just behind her. She turned just in time to see... what? A green glowing ball? A miniature electrical storm? A burst of unicorn magic? Whatever it was, she didn't have much time ot think. No sooner had the ball faded than two more headcrabs stood in its place. "What is going on?" she said quietly to herself. "It's almost as if—" She flinched as a third storm appeared to her right. "DAH! WHAT THE HAY?!" This one had left four headcrabs behind, all piled on top of one another as if someone had simply dumped them out of a box. The first two headcrabs had turned and were crawling in her direction. Luckily the four new headcrabs were on the other side of the fence, so she had plenty of time to get rid of the two in front of her. She ran up and kicked the first one into the wall, stunning it so she could spear it with her crowbar. The second one she simply stepped on until she heard a disgusting and satisfying crunch. She brought her hoof up and looked at the stains, grimaces at the mess. "Eh... worth it," she thought out loud. The other four headcrabs were flipped onto their feet, getting situated. Twilight decided to finish them off before they even stood a chance. Her hoof was already on the trigger. "AH! NOT AGAIN!" Her hooves went over her head as another storm surged on the other end of the room, followed by another one in the far corner. "What is—" She stopped as she saw the sheer number of headcrabs starting to pour in. There must have been at least seven in each of those last drops. Without thinking, she slammed her hoof to the ground, feeling the trigger depress. She almost tripped right onto her face. After being so used to the enormous kick from the shotgun, the submachinegun didn't give nearly as much compensating force. What was more, the repetition of each bullet being fired made her head spin and her jaw ache from being jerked around. It made it much more difficult to aim, and more than once she had to stop and readjust. Twilight turned as another storm appeared behind her, followed by another one just in front, and a third in the corner. She jerked around in circles, panicking, unsure which group to attack first. A few of the headcrabs were already leaping at her, landing on her back and sides. Instinctively she rolled onto her back, and continued to roll along the floor, putting her hooves up and trying not to think about what she was rolling into. She stood up, looking around quickly and recognizing the fire door. She was in the hallway, and could escape by running down, but there was still no way to get Rarity to safety unless— "The fire door!" she yelled. "That's it!" It didn't take long for her to find the glass with the button on the other side. She didn't even bother using her crowbar to break it, and simply slammed her hoof straight through to the button. The suit helped, as did the incredible adrenaline rush. She quickly galloped through the door, holding her head down to protect her ears from the blaring siren. A few lights were rotating as well, signalling the door which was slowly descending from the ceiling. Twilight turned to see the group of headcrabs turning the leap at her through the door. "No! Not you!" she yelled. She slammed her hoof down, half-expecting the kickback, and felt her teeth clatter once again as the gun riddled the room with bullets. She heard a click and lifted her hoof. She swore—actually swore—and turned to her right at Rarity, who was working on becoming conscious again. "Rarity!" she yelled. "We need to get out of here!" She looked at the door again, which was halfway closed. A few of the nearest crabs were dead. "Here. Crawl under this with me!" She lept over the first laser, nearly running right into Rarity. "Here," she said, helping Rarity off the ground, "like this." "Twilight, wha—" Rarity was still getting up, trying to get her bearings. "Under! Under!" Twilight got down on her belly and crawled hoof-over-hoof under the second laser. She heard the door slam shut, followed by the sirens stopping, but she knew there were already headcrabs on the other side. "Twilight, I—" "NO TIME!" Twilight yelled, crawling faster. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the laser a few feet away, and slowly got to her hooves. "You have to—" "AH! Twilight!" Rarity had leaped out of the way as one of the headcrabs jumped at her. Twilight held her breath, half-expecting one of them to crawl right into the first laser. "Rarity!" Twilight yelled, thinking fast. She had to get Rarity out of there. "Hang on!" Trying not to think about the recklessness of her actions, she lit her horn and concentrated harder than she had ever done before. Her head exploded in pain, melting all around her brain, burning her temple, causing her to yell out. She focused it around Rarity, lifting her right off the ground. ""OHGOSHTWILIGHT, WHATAREYOU—" The next second seemed to happen in slow motion. Twilight looked up and pulled Rarity right over the laser, watching as the headcrab next to her leaped up to follow. She saw, just a slip second before it happened, the headcrab leap right into the second laser. She turned her head, pulling at Rarity harder than she had ever pulled at anything in her life, and shut her eyes tight. It wasn't the sound of the head of the blast that caught her off guard. It was the force! The blast literally knocked her over onto her side. She immediately lost focus on her magic, leaving Rarity screaming and flailing through the air. She could only watch as Rarity flew right over her, landed on the ground, and skidded to a halt. Twilight could barely move after the cloud of dust cleared. She breathed a sigh of relief, closed her eyes, and felt her mind drift away. ========================================================= "...Twilight..." Twilight stirred. Her head was throbbing with a dull pain, and everything around her was blurred. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. "Twi...light..." The voice was getting louder, but not much clearer. She could jsut make out a white blur moving around above her. She was... on her back? When did she get on her back? "Twilight! Wake up!" Her eyes started to adjust, and the first thing she saw was Rarity's face focus above her. "Uh... morning?" she said meekly. She put a hoof up to her head and tried to sit up. Her body ached as she did so, making her groan. "Wha—" "Twilight, we have to go!" "What? Why?" she asked, finally coming to her senses. "What's wrong?" She looked around and noticed she was still in the same hallway. There was a massive scorch mark on the wall behind her, as well as multiple yellow stains where, Twilight guessed, there used to be headcrabs. "Stop sitting there and get up!" Rarity yelled. "We have to go before more of them—" Rarity didn't finish before she was interrupted by the intense sound of a magic storm on the opposite end of the hallway. Twilight felt a shock flow through her body, jolting her to her feet, chills flowing through her hide. "What was—" "Help me!" Rarity yelled, and Twilight watched completely stunned as Rarity turned and slammed her hoof to the ground. She heard the familiar firecracker of the pistol go off once... twice... four times... over and over. Twilight tried to see what Rarity was shooting at, but her eyes were still trying to focus. "Twilight, you have to get up! These things have been popping up all over the place now! We need to get out of here!" Twilight fished around her suit until she found the ammo controls. She still somewhat remembered using them from the hazard course shooting range. She touched the panel on the side of the suit and heard the satisfying click of her gun reload. "I'm ready!" she said, getting to her hooves. "Now what exactly are we shooting at?" She stared ahead, her eyes finally focusing on the small doorway at the end of the hallway. It lead into an area similar to the offices, with a tile floor and brick walls. It seemed to be some kind of cafeteria. "What—wait, is that—" she walked up to the body lying in the middle of the room. "It's these things again!" Twilight had hoped they wouldn't have to deal with the bipedal insectisoids again. It was bad enough that they were larger than she was, but their strange magic that was beyond even her comprehension gave her an uneasy feeling. "Twilight, we—" "I know, I know! We need to get out of here! Let's just—" Another storm surged, this time near the corner of the room. Twilight instinctively turned and fired into it. "Follow me!" she said, watching the creature slump lifelessly to the ground. The hallway had curved to the right just before it reached the cafeteria, and Twilight raced right back out the door and to the right, following the once-again bright concrete passageway. It sloped down as it went, and Twilight nearly stumbled a few times as she galloped down, turning to the left as she followed the path. There was a wall at the bottom of the ramp, marking where the hallway opened into another room to the right. "In here!" Twilight said, reaching the bottom of the ramp. "We just need to—no, no, nonoNO!" Another storm had surged at the bottom of the ramp, before Twilight could slow down from her gallop down the ramp. She felt her body collide with the creature as the storm subsided, knocking them both to the ground. "Rarity!" she yelled, getting to her hooves. She had seen a couple containers at the end of the hallway that were marked as being volatile. "Rarity, whatever you do, don't shoot—" She put her hooves over her head as she heard shots ring out. "Rarity!" she yelled, flailing her forehooves in the air. She could hear the creature behind her getting to its feet. "Rarity, stop!" Twilight galloped back up the ramp, hearing a crackling sound behind her. The creature was charging up one of its green bursts of magic. "Around the corner!" she yelled, pointing with her head. She watched Rarity do so, and followed her, nearly running right into her. She heard the crackling get even louder and braced for the shot. However, instead of seeing a bolt of magic strike the wall, she was instead met with another ear-shattering snap which echoed throughout the hallway. She threw her hooves to her ears and slammed her body to the ground, but the worst of the damage was already done. She could hear chunks of metal clinking off the walls, and a few bits and pieces of organic tissue landing on the ground. She felt herself gag at the sight, but managed to hold down her lunch. Rarity pulled Twilight to her feet. "Are you all right?" Twilight looked at Rarity, amazed at how unfazed she was. She was still clearly shaken, but she wasn't frantic like she was before. "I think it made the same mistake that you did," Twilight said. "It fired without looking around first." Rarity twitched. "Well, for the record, I did stop." She turned to look at the damage and cringed. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said. "And it simply smells awful!" Twilight got up and took a sniff, putting her hoof to her nose. "Next time, could we try to keep the exploding of aliens to a minimum?" she said. "It might make our last few minutes travelling to the surface a bit less putrid." She grimaced as she saw the mess with her own eyes. "Let's just get out of here before more of them come," she said. "The sooner we find those soldiers, the better." ========================================================= Twilgiht rounded the corner and gawked. "More lasers?!" Luckily these were not the kind that exploded. She looked past the crisscrossing array of red lasers and into the large storage room beyond. "This is just like the last time!" she said. "Only this time there are two turrets, and a large mess all around us," she added, motioning at the alien debris from the explosion. Rarity was still standing at the top of the ramp, trying not to look at the stains all over the floor. "So just use your grenades again!" she said. "They worked quite well the last time." "Yes, but—" Twilight looked back into the room. It was difficult to judge the situation. The room was quite cluttered with green metallic crates stacked all around, not to mention some hooks dangling from the ceiling. This room was large enough to require some fancy means of carrying the cargo around, which Twilight admired for a while. The hooks weren't exactly attached directly to the ceiling, and were instead attached to girders that cross-crossed above them, forming paths that the hooks could travel down. "I can already see two turrets," she said. "There might be more, but the room is so cluttered—" She grabbed one of her grenades and carefully threaded it through the lasers. "At the very least, I should be able to take out this first one," she said. "That one is at least pretty easy to see. I just need to..." She mumbled to herself as she positioned it. She took a deep breath, ducked around the corner, and pulled the pin. Rarity jumped at the top of the ramp, as did Twilight who was on the ground holding her hooves over her head. She heard the sound of debris bouncing around, and stood up. "That should at least take care of the first—" she turned toward Rarity, "—one..." Both of them heard it: a constant beeping that wasn't there a moment before. "I—" Twilight said, "But I destroyed it!" she said. "There shouldn't be—" She peered quickly around the corner a few times, playing her "gopher" game before finally turning to face the room head-on. The turret was clearly destroyed. She could see the scorch marks, as well as sparks and smoke where the turret used to be. "Then where—" She took a few steps into the room and immediately backed back out as she heard the beeps stop. "It's the second one!" she said, turning to Rarity. "I must have activated the second one when I destroyed the first one!" Rarity had been patiently waiting at the top for Twilight to do whatever it is she was going to do. How, however, Rarity was stepping down slowly to join her. "Well!?" she said, "Just toss another grenade in there! Take the other one out!" "I can't! I don't even know where it is!" "What do you mean you don't know where it is! You just saw it!" "I caught glimpses of it, but I can't know exactly where it is unless I walk into the room! I need—" Rarity screamed, jumping on top of Twilight and grabbing onto her. Another storm had appeared, a few feet up the ramp. "Kill it! Kill it!" "I can't see! Get off me!" Twilight knocked Rarity off her back and turned to aim when a second storm went off behind her, right where the mess of alien tissue was. "Run!" she yelled, hearing both of them charge up at the same time. "Follow me!" What happened next was what Twilight could only describe as the stupidest move she had ever made. Turning around to face the other creature, she bolted forward, around the corner, and straight into the room with the turret. For a moment, the turret stopped beeping at just stood there, giving Twilight just enough time to find some cover. There were some crates in the middle of the room that looked solid enough to sustain some heavy fire. She took a leap of faith, diving to the left of them just as the turret on her right fired. She could hear the creatures behind her firing off their magic, but they were still around the corner and couldn't get to her. It didn't fire for long. It had some sort of motion detector that stopped it after she was hidden. Now was her chance! She turned back towards the hallway and fired a few round, grabbing the creature's attention. What happened next was the closest Twilight ever wanted to come to a battle. The creatures were as much of a target for the turret as she was, and the creatures knew it. They stopped as they rounded the corner, and Twilight heard the beeping stop. She covered her ears, bracing for the sound. Just before she heard the turret fire, a few shots went off around the corner. Rarity was taking out the second one. The turret fired off just as the first creature started charging its magic, disturbing it. She watched as the creature fell to the ground, but its magic lingered, looking disturbingly like one of the magic storms that brought it here. It pulsed for a moment, and then let out a bang that shook the room, spreading tendrils of magic in every direction. Twilight saw the crate next to her glow slightly as it absorbed some of the magic as it struck. She waited. Seconds. Minutes. Nothing much could be heard now: not even the beeping of the turret. She stood up slowly and looked around at the wreckage of the creature's magic. There were scorch marks scattered all over, and the second turret had been decimated. Some of the crates had holes in them. She took a deep breath, feeling around her suit to make sure there wasn't any damage to herself. "You okay, Rarity?" she yelled. She heard a voice around the corner as Rarity stepped through the array of lasers with Twilight. "Never. Again," she said. "Never, ever again." She flipped her hair, looking thoroughly disheveled. "This has to be the worst possible place to walk through. Honestly! Turrets, explosives, mines—this whole place is a giant mess of booby traps! I feel like I'm in some kind of Daring Do adventure!" She shook herself out and groaned in frustration, looking around the room. "Twilight, dear, do tell me: is it your goal to completely destroy this entire facility before we escape from it?" Twilight put her hoof to her face. "I think the aliens will end up doing that for us," she said. "I really think we're just accelerating the process." "Is that really necessary?" Rarity asked, not even trying to hide her sarcasm. "I would think we would want to slow the process, if anything. I hardly think that setting off massive magical explosions, and triggering automatic Gatling guns is going to help keep this place intact." "Let's just get out of here," Twilight said. "Bickering around it isn't going to change anything. We have to be close. Once we get to the surface, we can argue all we want." Rarity hmmphed. "I am not arguing! I am complaining!" She turned to Twilight. "Do you want to hear arguing?" Twilight sighed. "Not really, no," she said. Rarity threw her head into the air and walked past her. "Good! Now how do we get out of here?" Both of them looked around the room. The whole place looked like some kind of makeshift barricade, and the scorch marks and debris made it look more than ever like a war zone. Neither of them could see any kind of doorway that led out. "Do you think this is a dead end?" Twilight asked. "I didn't see any other path back there." Rarity was busy peering through some of the crates. She apparently had some experience in dealing with clutter. "It looks like there might be an exit back here," she said, looking through some cracks between the crates. The particular stack she was looking through was about three times taller than either of them were. It was a rather impressive stack! Twilight had to marvel at just how precariously everything had been placed on top of everything else. "Is that it?" Twilight asked? "Because, you know, I'd hate to have to blast through all these crates and cause another mess." She gave Rarity a look which made her glare back. "There's nothing that says we can't just climb over them," she said. "I myself have climbed over plenty of messes in my day!" Twilight looked confused. "Where would you have seen a mess that was this big?" she asked, trying to imagine how tidy her home must have been back in Ponyville. "I—" Rarity stopped and turned, looking away from Twilight. Had she been any less dignified, she might have been blushing. "I have a certain amount of, shall we say, "organized chaos" while I'm working." She straightened up, trying to hide any embarrassment she may have had. "It helps with the creative process." Twilight rolled her eyes, but didn't indulge in her curiosity any further. Instead, she simply watched as Rarity searched out somewhere along the wall of crates where some of them had collapsed, forming a makeshift stepping stone path to the top. Twilight couldn't help but imagine Rarity as being like some well-groomed mountain goat as she stepped carefully on each of the fallen crates, balancing herself as she worked her way to the top. "How's the view from up there?" Twilight joked after Rarity was a few feet up. Rarity didn't say anything, still concentrating on getting to the next level up. It was like climbing up an avalanche, and every so often, one of Rarity's hooves would slip on an unstable box. "Almost... there..." Rarity made the finally leap to the top of the stack and looked around. "Wha-ha-HA! There is an exit!" she said, pointing a hoof down to the other side. "Come up here!" Twilight lit her horn, "I have a better idea." She looked up at one of the nearby hooks and gently turned the crank it was wrapped around. She couldn't exactly see the crank, since it was deeply embedded in the mechanism, but she could easily find it with her magic by feeling up the cable. "What are you doing, dear?" Rarity called from above. Twilight didn't answer, instead reaching her hoof up and grabbing hold of the cable with the rubber end of the suit. Just as she had hoped, the suit latched onto it, just as it did with the crowbar. She lit her horn again and rotated the mechanism once again, hoisting both the hook and herself into the air. "Ooo, clever!" Rarity said from the top of the crates. "You do have good ideas sometimes, darling—when they aren't blowing up in front of us, that is." Twilight waited until the cable was all the way up before looking around. She was just a few feet away from where the crates were stacked. Rarity walked carefully over the top until she was as close to Twilight as she could get. "Unfortunately, I can't reach you from here, Twilight," Rarity said. "Looks like you may need to find another way." "No, no!" Twilight said. "I have this under control!" She wiggled her hind legs a bit, doing a small dance with her rump. It was quite difficult to cling on. She really wasn't that strong. However, after enough wiggling, she managed to get the cable to swing. "Having fun, darling?" Rarity asked sarcastically, watching Twilight go back and forth. "I haven't seen a pony do something like this since I got Sweetie Belle that tire swing." Twilight wanted to do a "Ha. Ha." back at her, but she was too busy working her body to get the cable to swing further. She tried not to look down, or at the crates in front of her. She knew she would have to let go at some point, but knew she didn't have the balance or dexterity to land on top of the crates. "Can you... catch me...?" She spoke each time she swung forward. "I think you're on your own here, Twilight," she said. "I must say, you would have been much better off just climbing up the crates like I did." Rarity's point looked more and more sensical each time she swung. "Hang on!" Twilight said. "I have... an idea...!" At least this idea was as completely asinine as the last one. Of course, it was still dangerous, but at least there were no magic-tossing aliens in the way this time. She lit her horn and felt for the crank at the top. She swung forward, counting each swing silently to herself. One... she thought to herself, swinging forward with her magic around the crank. Two—oh, screw it. She released her magic on the crank on her second swing, spinning the cable out of control. She felt her body tossed forward and grunted as all the wind was knocked out of her. She had managed to slam right into the side of the stack right at the top, such that the top half of her body wrapped over the top. The slid down, trying to grab hold of something and saw Rarity pounce forward to grab hold of her hooves. "You're already at the top, dear. You may as well climb up with me." She was gasping for breath upon lunging forward, but was smiling nonetheless. Working together, Twilight managed to hoist herself up onto the stack. "So!" Twilight said, catching her breath and looking around. "Where's the door?" "Right there," she said, pointing her hoof to the other side and to the left. The stack they were standing on were quite close to the end of the room, forming a rather tight space between the stack they were standing on and the wall at the far end. "I—wait." Twilight closed her eyes and reopened them. "This has to be some kind of joke." When she opened her eyes, Rarity was looking at her with a wide facetious smile. "You knew about this all along, didn't you." Twilight gave her a blank stare. The door Rarity had pointed at was another fire door. Just like the last few entrances they had walked past, this one also had lasers on the other side. However, unlike the last few, the turrets were clearly visible. They were sitting just on the other side of the stack of crates, in that tight space beneath them. "Another grenade?" she asked. "Wait, don't tell me. The other turret will activate when I do that." She stopped and thought for a moment, watching Rarity's wide smile. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Twilight's struggle. "What exactly are you smiling at?!" Twilight asked, watching Rarity actually start to laugh. "I—oh, I'm sorry, Twilight," she said. "It's just, one problem after the other after the other." She looked down at the lasers below and laughed again. "I mean, just how many times are we going to run into these things? Honestly! This is getting ridiculous!" Twilight had had enough. "You know what? You're right!" She walked down the stack as far as she could and aimed her gun at the door. "Twilight! What are you doing?" "Getting us out of here!" she said. She leaned her hoof down and fired the gun straight into the wall next to the door. It was a small target, but she managed to hit the glass just in front of the fire door, exposing the button behind it. "Follow me!" she said. She braced herself, and leaped off the stack of crates. It was a rough landing, but not nearly as bad as the one from the ventilation duct just before she had reached the doctor. "You're crazy!" Rarity shouted as Twilight walked up to the button. "How is closing the fire door going to help us get out of here!" Twilight ignored her, slamming her hoof into the button. Sirens blared once again as the warning lights flared. "Come on, Rarity!" Twilight yelled, walking to the other side of the door. "Before it closes!" Rarity made a pained expression. She looked like Twilight just made her step on a giant bug. She closed her eyes and leaped most-ungracefully off the stack, landing with a painful crunch on the ground and letting out a loud "OW!" Twilight grimmaced, but was relieved to see that Rarity had no problem trotting up to where Twilight was. "Just duck under the door," she said, peering under the half-closed fire door. "This should protect us from those turrets." Rarity got all the way down on her stomach and half-crawled half-rolled through the door. It really wasn't necessary, but Twilight didn't say anything. Once they were on the other side, they waited until the door was completely shut before looking at the array of lasers in front of them. "Good thing there aren't any turrets around here," Twilight said. "I would hate to have to use a grenade right now." "You mean you didn't know?" Rarity asked. "And you just—" She opened and closed her mouth a few times, completely lost for words. Twilight gave the hallway in front of them one last look before sticking her hoof out and touching one of the lasers. Sure enough, she heard the turrets start up behind them through the fire doors. They could hear them beeping, but it was muffled. "Looks like we're safe," she said, walking through the lasers. "See? Perfect plan!" ========================================================= Both of them looked to their left, and found themselves staring at another stack of metal green crates. These, at least, didn't seem to be nearly as high, and looked as though they would be relatively easy to walk over. "Twilight, darling," Rarity said. "I really need a rest! All this excitement is making my shoulders all sore." She pouted, and moved her shoulders around in circles, making sure they were right in front of Twilight's face. Twilight was about to protest, but finally gave up upon realizing just how tired she was. "It looks like we're relatively safe here," Twilight said, looking around. The fire door was still behind them, and the hallway opened up into the room on their left once again crowded with boxes. "There can't be much more of this," she thought out loud. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," Rarity said over the background sound of the machinery. "This is facility is probably a giant pack rat. I bet these rooms go on for miles!" Twilight sighed loudly. "I'm really not looking forward to tricking out more defense turrets," she thought. "Who in Equestria would want to defend all this stuff so badly?!" She waved her hoof back at the fire door. "I mean, really! It's bad enough having laser-activated guns—but trip mines?! Actual explosives?! At this rate, we'll never get out of here!" "I'm wondering just what kind of other booby traps are setup in this place. I mean, this is just a set of random storage rooms. Can you image what kind of security they have setup in the labs?!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "I don't really remember any kind of automated security in the labs when I worked there. Mostly just guards stationed around. I think these auto-systems are just their way of being lazy." Rarity exhaled a breath upwards, blowing the front of her mane around. "I'm not sure what I like least about this place," she said. "The clutter, the security, or the constant background noise. I mean, it sounds like there's some kind of washing machine all around us! Where the heck is that coming from, anyway?!" She took a step or two back and waved a hoof, "And what is all that constant mumbling?! It's like there's some kind of work-force doing construction somewhere—" "SHH!" Twilight put a hoof up to Rarity's lips. She held her breath. "I think you're right," she said. "Listen." Rarity looked offended at Twilight's interruption, but allowed her to have her quiet time. Twilight was suddenly fascinated by what she was hearing. It was quite difficult to tell exactly what it was over the general sound of the equipment, but from what she could decipher, it was definitely some kind of voice, like something coming over a radio. "What are they saying?" Twilight asked. "It's just a bunch of mumbled garbage." Rarity walked up to the crates, waving her hoof as if telling Twilight to move aside. "It's just a bunch of orders, darling. Go here, do that, use lethal force or what have you." "Use—" Twilight stopped, feeling a chill run through her body. "Rarity! Those aren't just radio messages." She jumped to her feet, "That's the military!" Before Rarity could even respond, Twilight was jumping onto the crates, struggling to get over them. "Come on! They have to be just around the corner! We're almost there!" She felt her hooves slip as she hastily walked over them, occasionally knocking one down the side. "Twilight, dear! We mustn't rush into this! We don't know what's up ahead!" Rarity groaned as she nearly slipped on one of the crates. "Ooooh, do be careful!" Twilight reached the top, not even bothering to slow down. The voices were much clearer now. She could almost make out what they were saying. She glanced behind her, and saw that Rarity had completely stopped, as if she was waiting for something. Upon a second glace, Twilight discerned that she was concentrating on something. "Rarity, come on!" Twilight landed back on the floor and immediately felt her hooves slip out from under her. She yelled out, trying to stabilizer herself, but there was simply no traction. Her legs slipped out from under her, and she landed spread-eagle on her stomach, sliding forward down the hallway, spinning slightly. "Rarity!" She lit her horn and focused it on her own body. Pain seared through her head, but she at last slowed down. When her vision finally stopped spinning, she looked around. The whole floor was completely flooded. To her right were the crates she had just climbed over. To her left was a wall with an elevator. Well, actually, it was an elevator shaft. There wasn't any door, or elevator, in or beyond the doorway. Twilight didn't want to think about where she would be if she had slid into that. She looked ahead of her, to where the much-louder sounds of the radio conversation was. She could almost make it out now. However, the sight ahead of her made her groan loud enough to drone out chatter. "More security?!" She should have seen this coming. Random crates just weren't safe unless there was either something that exploded or something that shot at you every few yards. She could see as many as three turrets ahead of her, as well as a fire door. The entire passage, for at least the next thirty feet, was jam packed full of laser generators. Twilight lit her horn and fogged up the room just enough to expose them, and watched as the entire hallway turned red. Twilight threw her head back and shrieked at her misfortune, her voice echoing all around the room. She slammed her head down into her hooves, muffling her voice before finally going quiet. She lied there in silence for a moment, wondering how she was even going to get up. And then she realized that the place really was quite silent now, except for the sound of the machinery. The voices had stopped. Or, at least, they did for a few seconds. "Sir, I heard something." The voice was actually loud enough that Twilight had no problem understanding every word. It was definitely a stallion, and a brutish one at that. It was so muffled, it might have been coming through a radio. Twilight looked past the lasers and into the next room. There were a few catwalks inside, and a few more boxes. Twilight couldn't see too well beyond the fog and labyrinth of crisscrossing lasers. However, she could just barely make out some pony-shaped objects standing on top of the highest catwalk. She couldn't see all of them: just their legs. However, she recognized the camouflage pattern, and knew immediately what she was looking at. "Hey!" Twilight yelled. "Hey, over here!" She tried waving her hooves, hopeful to get their attention. She saw the figured crouch down in the distance, and heard their voices. "It's a scientist! MOVEMENT!" "YES!" Twilight yelled, putting her hooves up. "I'm right here—" "Twilight!" "Rarity?" Twilight looked to her right just in time to see Rarity half-jumping half-sliding towards her. She felt Rarity's body slam right into hers, and suddenly they were both sliding along the floor. "Rarity! We're going to—" The air exploded around them, and Twilight hugged Rarity tight as they slid. It was the sound of a machinegun, just like the one she was carrying, and she could hear bullets splashing into the water. "Rarity! What are—we're going to—AHHHHHHHHH—" The ground had falling out from under them, and Twilight watched as the ceiling was replaced by the top of the elevator shaft, now getting further and further away with great speed. "Twilight!" Rarity yelled. "Magic, now!" Twilight could hardly think during the free-fall, but she used the little concentration she had left on lighting her horn. In an instant, she felt it merge with Rarity's, and both of their bodies slowed to a halt. Twilight gasped and wheezed as she turned over in the air and saw the ground just a few feet from her. The shock made her release her magic, and she felt the "ground" leave her once again. She closed her eyes, hearing a short scream from Rarity, before slamming into the bottom of the shaft. Both of them groaned, checking to see how much damage had been done. Above them, they could still hear the soldiers, who had most likely just entered the room they had been in. "Keep your eyes open," she heard one of them say. "They were here just a moment ago. Check for hiding places." Twilight huddled up against the wall of the elevator shaft. "They—did they just... shoot at us?!" Her voice was cracking, despite almost whispering. Rarity responded by putting her hoof to her lips and pointing her hoof at the conversation above them. Twilight refrained from asking further questions, despite the lump in her throat. "D'ya think they fell down there?" It was more of a grunt than a question. Twilight felt, rather than saw, the other soldier take a glance down the shaft. "Careful there, soldier boy." Twilight assumed he was slipping on the water above. "Don't wanna be a blood stain at the bottom of that." "How's we get stuck guarding these dumbass storage areas anyway? There's nopony here!" There was a pause as Twilight assumed he was attempting to look down the elevator again. "Let's just pack up and go to the silo. That place'll be chock full o' cannon fodder." "Your orders are to stay here. Don't like it? You can jump down that elevator shaft." The guard laughed to himself. "I'd like to see how big a splat a dumb earth pony makes when he hits the ground." Twilight felt a hoof nudge her against the suit and turned to see Rarity indicating a small opening in the wall. Twilight motioned questioningly at the soldiers above her, but Rarity made a gesture with her hoof that everything was okay. The entrance was smaller than the vents back in the office rooms, but they still managed to fit. Rarity had some difficulty, and Twilight was reminded of watching a large cat trying to fit into a tiny box as a filly. It would have been funny in a different time. Twilight went behind her, hearing the soldiers continue to argue in the background. Their voices died out as they crawled further into the small vent. Twilight tried lighting her horn as the passage darkened, but stifled a cry as she remembered the state of her horn. They traveled for what seemed like hours, twisting and turning, climbing and falling, slaves to wherever the shaft wanted them to go. Occasionally there was a fork, but there was never any indication of where either path went. "R-rarity?" Twilight whispered, finally sensing that they were far enough away from any military activity. "Rarity, why didn't they see us? Back in the elevator shaft? I would have sworn—" "They're just grunts," was all she said. "Yeah, but—" Twilight stopped, giving her hooves time to rest. "Why... how... what the heck is going on?! Who were they? Why did they—" Twilight stopped as she realized her voice was no longer a whisper. "You obviously aren't very familiar with the Equestrian military, are you?" Rarity sighed. "Can this wait until we're in a bit more of a comfortable place?" "And risk being shot at? I don't think so. This might be the safest place we get for a while!" Another sigh. "Twilight, this place is now a war zone. You think this place is safe? How do you know we're not on the other side of a brick wall from a stationed military camp? Or worse yet, how do you know this pipe doesn't go right through a room full of soldiers? We've seen plenty of exposed air vents on our way here." "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?" Twilight tried to move her hooves up. They were cramping up in the tightness of the vent. "These guards aren't the Royal Guard Canterlot, Twilight. These are obviously different. I suspect they're not even under the influence of Princess Celestia." "Of course they—" Twilight lowered her voice, "of course they aren't. You think Princess Celestia would kill a bunch of innocent ponies?!" "I think that whoever is doing this has nothing to do with Princess Celestia. We're outside her boundaries. They rules here are different." "So, what do we do?" There was a long pause. Twilight listened to the air traveling around them, watching the fur on Rarity's back wave in the light from Rarity's horn. "Well, first off, we get out of these vents. We make for the surface." She took a deep breath. "Chances are, this whole place will go to hell before it's all over, and we want to be as far away as we can when that happens. We make for Canterlot. If we can find the Princess—" There was another long pause. "I think I see a light up ahead." ========================================================= "How many of them are there?" All Twilight could see was Rarity's tail in the dim light of her horn. Rarity was looking down through a grate at the room below them. "Only two," she said. "Looks like they're taking a rest. They should be pretty easy to knock out after I take away their weapons." Twilight watched as Rarity carefully unlatched the grate below them. It was amazing how quiet she could be. Twilight would never have known what she was doing had she not been intentionally listening closely. "Ready, dear?" Twilight ignored how strangely the word "dear" fit into the situation, and poked Rarity gently with her horn to let her know she was ready. The next thing she saw was Rarity's backside slide forward and out of sight, followed by the blinding light of the room below shining up through the grate. Twilight slid up with her hooves, wholeheartedly intending to drop down with her, but held back as she heard the confused shout of the soldiers below: "Wha—get her!" "She's over there! Wai—where's my—" "She's got our guns! Get her!" Meanwhile, Rarity was racing frantically, trying not to get tackled by the two grunts. "Twilight!" she yelled. "Come on!" Twilight lurched forward on instinct, half falling, half toppling out of the grate, landing on the ground with an uncomfortable thud. Before she could so much as look up, she heard the soldiers racing towards her. "Get her!" Her muscles froze up, wanting to do everything at the same time. She heard gun shots ring through the air. She felt the soldiers collapse on top of her. She curled up and waited, helpless. A second later, though, she felt the soldiers get up off of her, followed by Rarity's voice. "You know, I really meant for you to help take them out. You didn't need to just be a distraction." Twilight looked up to see the other two ponies had been reduced to corpses being carried into a corner by Rarity. "You you killed them!" Rarity looked over at Twilight, quite surprised. "Well don't seem so surprised, Twilight. They were going to kill you. It's not like they were nice ponies or anything." Twilight heard a slight hint of shakiness in Rarity's voice, and knew Rarity was working very hard at hiding any trauma she might be feeling. "Now," Rarity continued, "help me take this armor off of them." "Huh?" Twilight watched as Rarity started slipping the garments off the soldiers in front of them, and slipping them onto herself in place of her security uniform. "Better to be soldiers going AWOL then scientists and security guards trying to escape." Rarity was working on slipping off the other soldier's uniform for Twilight and handing it to her when Twilight interrupted. "I think I'd rather keep my HEV suit." Rarity scoffed. "Oh, yes, and stand out in a big yellow suit that announces what it's doing. You may as well be wearing a flashing white lab coat!" She forced the armor down at Twilight's hooves. "You'll put that on if you value your life." Twilight looked down at the armor and blinked. "I'm not putting that on," she said, pushing it away with her hoof. "This suit saved my life back at ground zero! There's no telling how many times I would have died without it!" Rarity looked like she was about to roll her eyes, but took a deep breath instead. "Fine, suit yourself. Just don't come running to me when all the bullets come hurling at you. Purple against yellow really doesn't camaflouge well, dear." Twilight really did roll her eyes, but stayed silent as Rarity suited up. She seemed much more willing to play dress-up as an army soldier than she did as a security guard. "Well, at least the beret looks nice on me," she said, levitating the hat over her horn. "Lucky for us—well, me, anyway. The soldiers we ambushed happen to be of some rank." She looked down at her chest and noticed some of the badges, and a large patch with the words "HECU" on it. "HECU?" she wondered. "Probably some kind of combat unit or something," Twilight thought out loud. "More like Half Educated Chatter Unit," Rarity said. "These guys talk louder than my friends on the Ponyville farms!" Rarity made a face shortly after, "Don't tell anyone I said that." Rarity levitated the soldier's gun over to her, and carefully mounted it over the armor. Twilight couldn't help but grin stupidly at Rarity's reaction to such an unwieldy weapon. "Really?! Do these soldiers seriously carry such monstrosities with them on their shoulders like this? You'd think they'd be smarter and at least use magic!" "Well, most of them are probably Earth ponies," Twilight thought. "It's probably less distracting when you need your magic for something else." Rarity grimaced, "It's distracting enough having to carry around a massive paper-weight. I feel like I'm going to tip over from the weight of this thing!" She sighed. "Well, at least the armor is light enough." She looked down at the vest and frowned. "They could have chosen a slightly better shade of green, though." Both of them looked around at the room they were in. There really wasn't much here that was different from what they had already seen. A few catwalks above them, boxes strewn about, and some vents here and there. The one thing that stood out from the rest was a large closet-like area with a grate for a floor. Judging by the button next to the entrance, and the cams and pulleys in the walls, this was some sort of lift. "The surface!" Twilight exclaimed. "Or rather, a way to get closer to it," Rarity said. "There's no telling where it leads. But if we're close enough for there to be soldiers around, we must be getting close." Rarity walked up and examined the interior. "My guess is there are just more soldiers above us." She looked back at Twilight and frowned. "This really would be so much easier if you had just taken my advice and rid yourself of that suit. You look like a canary!" Twilight motioned with her head towards the gun on her shoulder. "I think I can handle myself." "Not if there are a dozen of them in the same room, you can't." Rarity stepped onto the lift. "Follow my lead, Twilight. You really aren't going to make this easy for me, but it's probably the only chance we have to get out of here." Rarity stepped up to the button in the back and raised her hoof. "Wait." Twilight stepped on the left next to her. "What exactly are you going to do?" Rarity daintily pressed her hoof into the button and grimaced at the loud clunking equipment come to life around them. A large metal door slammed shut behind them, and they felt the floor lurch upwards. "Just... don't say anything. Let me do the talking. If everything goes well—" "Talk? What do you mean, talk? You don't seriously think—" "Twilight, I know what I'm doing. Just be quiet. They can probably already hear us." "But—" Rarity put a hoof up to Twilight's mouth and indicated upwards with her head. She was right. The soldiers could already be heard from where they were. "This sucks!" one of them said. "These pansy-ass scientists just don't have any fight in 'em! The cockroaches in this place are tougher to kill!" "Shut-up, Wingman. You rather be out there with the shells? You'll get your chance." There was a small pause as they heard loud scuffling. "Oh, great. Sounds like someone's on their way up. I hope it's more cannon fodder. My clip's still almost full." Twilight shrunk back to hide behind Rarity, who was stretching out as if preparing to display herself on stage at a fashion show. She closed her eyes, praying Rarity knew what she was doing. "Stand up straight," Rarity whispered. "You're as much a part of this as I am." Twilight felt her joints lock, and her whole body twitched and shook. She could feel a beed of cold sweat running down her neck. As the elevator crested the next floor, she could see dozens of eyes through the grated door. "The hell?" one of them said. "What's that scientist doing with a commander?" Some of the soldiers tightened the grips on their guns. Twilight heard the doors slam open and ring throughout the room. Immediately, one of the female soldiers starting yelling commands. "Alright, soldiers, listen up! We have new orders, and a new strategy, and I don't want any of you falling behind!" It took Twilight a second or two to register what was going on. That wasn't a female soldier. That was Rarity! Her voice was barely recognizable in such a low harsh tone. "Major Tripe!" Rarity turned towards Twilight and jammed a hoof towards the center of the room. "Take point." She turned back to the rest of the soldiers, who were all standing at attention trying hard to conceal looks of confusion. "What you see before you, ladies, is a weapon deadlier than any you've held in your hands. This armor turns any meat bag ruffian pony into a weapon of death. Its armor will chew up missiles and spit out confetti. Its weapon-selection is wider than your grandmother. Its healing capabilities will cure cancer." Rarity was slowly circling Twilight, who was still rigid and trying hard not to shake. "If any of you see one of these coming at you, you turn tail and run squawking, less you want to be served for dinner with a side of stuffing. Now—" She stopped and turned towards one of the other soldiers, who was clearly trying to hold back a laugh. "Do you find something funny, Corporal?" Rarity was inches away from him in seconds. "Because I could use a target during our next demonstration. Someone with as little meat as you would be easy to clean-up afterwards." "Sir, no, sir!" Twilight's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting the soldiers to play along so well. "You are soldiers! You are elite! You will stand proud next to this new technology. You have been hand-selected to escort this walking death trap into the field!" She turned towards the soldiers, and Twilight followed, standing next to her. "We walk at 1700 hours." "Sir, yes, sir!" Twilight felt chills at crowd of soldiers saluting and grunting their approval. Her whole body was quivering, but she held fast until Rarity said "At ease, stallions!" Rarity immediately retreated into a corner where there were no other soldiers. Twilight followed close behind. Thankfully, none of the others seemed to want to be anywhere near Rarity, although Twilight was getting some interesting looks. "What do we do now?" Twilight whispered, still unable to think clearly. Rarity pulled Twilight around into a more concealed area, and they huddled together. "I've got them distracted," she whispered. "With enough luck, we should be able to sneak out of here between now and... whenever it is 1700 hours is. It's just a shame there aren't any clocks in these rooms." She indicated a door in the side of the room. "Now follow me, and try to look... soldier-ish." Rarity walked off towards the door at a steady trot, with Twilight close behind, trying to look as confident as she could. She tried to ignore the feeling of every eye looking her way. She could tell there were suspicions rising from the few murmurs she was picking up. The door led to a catwalk spanning a bottomless pit. Twilight would have been tempted to peer over the hoofrail for a better look had she not been feeling so self-conscious. "Watch the tendrils, dear," Rarity said quietly. Twilight stopped just short of a rope dangling from the ceiling, and glimpsed up to see the same grotesque barnacle-like organism that Rarity had so inconsiderately fed when Twilight first met her. She looked down at Rarity again and walked carefully around it, trying not to think of what it would feel like to become a course for dinner. The end of the catwalk presented them with a T-junction. Twilight was about to ask which way they should go, but stopped short upon looking to the left. Both Rarity and Twilight had to stop and admire the gratuitously superfluous amount of security. It was as though some bored security guard had set this up as a joke! The entire length of the hallway was crisscrossed with trip-mines, claymores, security turrets, and electrical wires. Twilight was surprised there weren't guard dogs and barbed wire in there too. "You think they forgot the kitchen sink?" Twilight whispered. "Not even Princess Celestia's private quarters as that well guarded!" Twilight blushed under Rarity's look. "Not... not that I've ever seen them or anything. I just—" Rarity rolled her eyes, but didn't mention anything about it. "Well, at least there's a path to the right." A short way down the hallway, however, revealed that the right path didn't bring them much closer either. "It's... just a room. Where's the exit?" Rarity pointed to the right-hand wall as they entered. "There's—" She stopped short and lowered her voice. "There are soldiers up there, in that other room." Twilight looked up at where she was pointing, and noticed that this smaller room was actually a sink-hole in a much larger room. She couldn't see over the wall, but could still manage to hear chatter above them. "What are we going to do now?" Twilight whispered. Rarity started exploring the room, and Twilight followed suit. It may not have been a very large room, but like all the rooms in this storage area, it was littered with "stuff": boxes and crates, rope, chains, broken hoofrails, debris—the sort of things neither of them had any use for. "There's not much we can do," Rarity said softly, still rummaging through whatever she could find. "Even if we managed to get out of this room, we'd still end up facing multiple soldiers. We'd be completely out-matched!" Twilight looked around the room, around boxes, in dark corners, hoping to see some doorway, some ladder, some vent to escape through. "Do you think we'll have to go through back through the hallway?" Twilight asked, hoping Rarity wasn't thinking the same thing. "Honestly, Twilight, I think we'd stand a better chance against the soldiers. One step out of line in that hallway, and we'd be... well, a lot more messy, that's for sure." She shook the thought out of her head. "We need a plan. I can't pull off the commander-act if we're struggling over a wall. We need some way to keep out of sight until—" She stopped. Twilight heard them too. The soldiers were talking loudly above them. "Science team? Really?" "That's what we think." Twilight and Rarity both held their breath. "What did they look like?" There were some shuffles as the other soldiers gathered into a tight spot to talk. "One of them was wearing a suit: some kind of armor—very bright and shiny. We were told it was a weapon, and that it was going to be deployed five minutes ago." There was some uncomfortable movement as the other soldiers could be heard looking around. "What kind of weapon? Did they say what it could do?" "No, sir. The commander in charge didn't say what—" "Which commander? Who ordered this thing?" Twilight and Rarity heard some loud disagreement, and couldn't quite distinguish who was saying what. Neither Twilight or Rarity could move. "Station 12, we have a code-red. Team Science is fighting back. I repeat, Team Science is fighting back. We need all teams to the top security storage units. We have a weapon loose and planning attack. I repeat, code red." Twilight started panicking as all the soldiers could be heard shuffling loudly into positions all around the room. "What are we... they'll see us!" "All teams, we need immediate backup. I want every room in here secure. Leave no corner unchecked, no box unturned, no gate unopened. We have an extremely volatile weapon on the loose." Twilight heard the footsteps coming quickly towards them, ready to check over the hoofrail above. Twilight barely noticed her hoof hovering over the trigger of her assault rifle when she felt a hoof reach around her front pastern and hoist her back around some crates. She had to stifle her scream as Rarity put a hoof up to her muzzle. "Whatdowedo whatdowedo whatdowedo—" "Quiet," Rarity mouthed. Both of them could sense, rather than see, the soldiers on the other side walking up to the rails. "They're going to see us eventually! Don't you see the catwalks? They're all over this place! They can see us from a distance, or walk right over us!" Rarity put a hoof up to Twilight's muzzle again. As quiet as she was, the soldiers seemed to be picking up their scent. "I know, Twilight." Twilight stopped upon hearing Rarity's voice. She had fear in her voice, and the same fear in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was too afraid to speak it out loud. There was a long silence. It may have lasted many minutes, or maybe an hour. Twilight couldn't tell. She could hardly think anymore from holding her breath. The soldiers were listening now. They didn't need to look anymore. They knew they were there. They just needed something, anything to confirm their suspicious. She could almost sense them smiling, taking in the moment. That's when Rarity did something Twilight never expected. She reached a hoof around her shoulder, and pulled Twilight forward, resting her forehead against Twilight's. She watched as Rarity's eyes flicked down at their guns, then back up, and then motioned to the side where the soldiers were waiting. Twilight got the message. They weren't going down without a fight. They weren't going to sit here and wait for the soldiers to make their first move. Twilight could feel the warmth coming off Rarity's face, and saw the slightest smile creep along the corner of her mouth. Twilight found the trigger of her rifle with her hoof on the ground, barely tapping it in preparation. Rarity gave a nod. As if in slow motion, both of them moved out from behind the crates, Twilight leaning into the trigger. She could feel the floor vibrate as every soldier opened fire. She stayed on the trigger, feeling the spray of bullets rain out, hoping against hope that none of the bullets ricocheting off her suit would strike her above the neck. A few times, she nearly fell from the force. And then a sound ripped through the air that had nothing to do with the soldiers. It was a familiar sound they hadn't heard since the lower levels, and for the very first time since the experiment, she was actually glad she was hearing it. Aliens were pouring in. The green energy spikes and zaps of electrical sparks were tearing through the room. The rain of bullets she felt on herself stopped, and she looked around quickly, picking out a few of the bipedal being that had nearly sucked Twilight into the other dimension back in the office complex. A shot rang out against the storm of noise, and she looked around to see Rarity, still standing, taking out one of the creatures near her. "We have to get to the upper level!" she yelled, using her magic to levitate crates over to the wall. "Help me!" Twilight struggled against the pain in her horn, and threw box after box her way. "They're everywhere!" Twilight yelled back, stopping every so often to riddle another teleporting being with lead. "We won't be able to hold them off!" Rarity didn't wait for all the boxes to reach the top of the wall. She leaped up, kicking some of the lighter boxes off the stack, struggling up to the top. Twilight followed, kicking off one of the crab-like aliens as it latched onto her hind hoof. As they reached the top, both of them had to stop and gape at the chaos on the upper floor. Not just the pillars, boxes, catwalks littering the room, but also the deafening battle of shock-magic, rifles, shotguns, and panicked soldiers. "There!" Rarity forced Twilight's head around until she saw a sign on the opposite wall. "The surface! We have to get to the elevator!" Twilight didn't wait for the cavalry to see them. She leaped up onto the floor, using a bit of magic to help her, and lifted Rarity up with them. What followed was a sprint through madness. Twilight was barely aware of her hooves pounding the ground. Her ears rang, her heart hurt, her eyes focused on the sign so hard they may have bled. She wasn't even aware of Rarity next to her, but kept an image of her in her mind, convinced that she was right behind her. Just as she thought nothing could get any louder, an explosion rang out behind her. She could feel the wind from it, the heat singing the back of her neck, debris piercing her hind legs. She lost control, and felt herself tumble forward onto the ground, landing on her side. She tried to get up, and failed, slipping right back onto the floor. "Get up!" Rarity was in front of her. She had just pushed a button in the wall. "Get up! We're getting out of here!" Twilight tried again, and forced herself onto her hooves. One of them was very sore, but the suit was healing it fast. "Into the elevator!" Rarity yelled. Twilight followed behind her, and watched Rarity slam a hoof into the button in the back. They waited until the gates slammed shut and the elevator had moved up above it, before collapsing onto the grate they were standing on. Both of them were finally realizing how hard they were breathing, and felt their lungs catch on fire. "H... how... did you not... get hurt... ?" Twilight asked, thinking about the explosion. Rarity took a few deep breaths, still shaken. "I must have been on the other side of a pillar," she said. Twilight turned towards her, and felt a hoof wrap around her own. Rarity looked her in the eye. "We did it," she said. "We'll be at the surface, soon." Twilight could hardly think anymore. She just wanted it all to be over. "Not much longer," she said, looking up the elevator shaft. "I'm coming, Sweetie Belle." Twilight watched as a smile crested her lips, and started feeling one crest her own, but it was short lived. Above them, they could hear noise: the exact same kind they had just come from. "Uh... Rarity?" Twilight looked over at Rarity, who was starting to catch on. This clearly wasn't going to get any better just because they were above ground. "What are we—" Twilight felt a hoof against her muzzle. "I swear, Twilight if you say 'what are we going to do' one more time, I'm going to sit on your back and make you carry me through the battle!" The sounds were getting louder as they neared the top. "Now let's make the most of the situation, and just get as far away from this place as possible!" In the background of shooting noises and explosions, both of them could hear the rotors of a helicopter. "They've obviously landed in full force," Twilight said, a little louder. "We'll need to make a run for it." They both watched as they caught up with ground-level, and noticed the elevator was taking them to the inside of a small open warehouse. They could see the sun shining in through the door to their left, and felt the ground shaking from the activity. "Ready?" Rarity looked over at her. Her mane was no longer the beautiful arrangement from when Twilight first met her. Her entire coat was dirtied and ruffled, and her eyes were bloodshot. Twilight nodded just as the doors swung open. Two soldiers were holding off one of the bipedal aliens. Bullets were ringing out. One of the soldiers caught Rarity and Twilight out of the corner of their eye, and faltered when he saw Rarity in the commander uniform. It was just long enough for Twilight to step on the trigger, blasting him backwards. She waited for the alien to prevail over the other soldier before putting a few bullets in its head. "Have to reload!" she yelled to Rarity, racing to a crate and peering out through the open door. The setting sun bathed the front of the room in red, and she could see glimpses of an Osprey flying overhead. "They must be using those things to send backup!" Rarity yelled as Twilight magicked another clip into the suit. "We'll never get out of here unless we take it down!" "WHAT?!" Twilight shook her head, clearly having misheard. "Take it out?! Are you insane?!" Rarity gave her a "we just survived aliens, soldiers, and explosions, you shouldn't be surprised at anything anymore" look. "Simple. We take out the blades." She looked around. "We just need something heavy enough." Twilight facehooved. "Of course! How silly of me to think that two unicorns with no military training couldn't take out an Osprey!" She couldn't hide her sarcasm anymore. "Why don't we go throw that forklift at it? That ought to make it blow up!" Rarity was going red in the face. "Are you going to help me or not?!" "Fine! Fine. What do we have to lose, anyway?" Twilight galloped out with Rarity, trying to avoid any enemy fire streaming in from the battle outside. Rarity looked around and found a large, volatile barrel sitting in a corner. "We'll have to make this quick," she said, levitating the container. "It might not be heavy, but it'll sure cause some damage." Twilight didn't say anything, choosing to hide in the corner with Rarity, waiting for her signal. "We'll need both of our magic to hurl it fast enough. Otherwise, one of the soldiers will see if and shoot it before it reaches the plane." Twilight nodded. She could hear grenade going off in the distance, and more soldiers shouting out orders. She carefully peered around the corner and out of the large garage door opening into the red-stained mesa of the outside. The entire area was paved over. It was like some kind of enclosed parking lot, with large gates surrounding the entire area. If they managed to destroy the Osprey, they'd still need to find a way out. "I can hear it coming back around," Twilight said, looking around. "It sounds like it's behind us." "Just be ready," Rarity said. "If we miss, they'll know we're here." Twilight cringed as the deafening sounds of the Osprey hovered over them. She could feel the wind pick up, blowing her mane around. She looked outside to see more aliens appearing, and a particular shortage of soldiers. "They're about to send backups!" she yelled, using her magic to grab hold of the barrel with Rarity. "On the count of—" "It's already over us! Let's just—" Both of them looked up to see the Osprey right above them, its rotors cresting over the roof. They felt the wind pick up ten-fold, and felt their hooves slip against the ground as it pushed them back. "Ready?" Twilight looked over at Rarity, then back at the Osprey. "NOW!" Both of them tossed the canister up, pushing hard against the wind. Twilight turned the barrel with the sharp edge pointing up, so as to make it more aerodynamic. Even with both of them pushing, it was still a struggle against the wind of the blades. The last few feet were the toughest. They both strained until they heard the distinguished sound of an explosive substance striking a fast-moving rotor. "RUN!" Twilight and Rarity said in unison, already on their hooves and racing back towards the elevator. The Osprey could be heard in the background, tumbling towards the ground, debris spitting out in every direction. They turned and watched from behind some steal crates as the bird twisted around in the air, finally landing on its side. One of the blades spun off and struck it in the back, and Twilight and Rarity both put their hooves to their ears as the entire rear of the ship blew sky high. There was a silence. Or, at least, there would have been a silence had Twilight's ears not been ringing so loudly. They were literally throbbing in pain. Had both of them known for sure the coast was clear, they would have been jumping for joy. They felt like gods, like they could do anything and nothing could stop them. They had just taken down an osprey! "Come on!" Rarity yelled, although Twilight couldn't hear her over the ringing in her ears. She followed her nonetheless. Both of them very slowly walked around the bonfire of flames lighting up the entire space. The sun was going down quickly, and the fire was now the primary source of light. Twilight made a little jump of excitement, sticking her tongue out at their fallen prey. "Yeah!" she yelled out, doing what Rarity considered a very dorky dance. "We took out an Osprey, we took out an Osprey," she sang, randomly moving her hooves around to the invisible beat. "Um, Twilight?" Rarity was tapping Twilight on the shoulder, but Twilight couldn't feel it. Twilight just closed her eyes and started bobbing her head stupidly, singing "WE TOOK OUT AN OSPREY, WE TOOK OUT AN OSPREY!" "Twilight!" Twilight opened her eyes just in time to see a strange rainbow streak across the sky, before it turned and headed directly towards them. "What in the name of... Twilight, look ou—" Both of them were knocked back the streak of colors, which was as large as either of them were. For a rainbow, just a bunch of reflections of light, it sure felt very solid. Twilight landed on her back and rolled over, looking up as the streak of rainbow tore through the sky again. "What is that thing?!" Twilight fired her assault rifle at it, but there was no way she could hit it. Whatever was flying through the air was too fast. "Use your magic!" Rarity yelled. "It's probably a pegasus." Both Twilight and Rarity focused their magic on the rainbow as it dived back down at them. The sparkling purple haze slipped a few times as the entity—whatever it was—kept slipping right through her force field. However, it managed to slow it down enough for it to lose control. "Aaa—whaaaaa !!" They could hear it screaming as it fell, its voice breaking every down and them. Twilight jumped right in front of it, and felt it collide with her. She was ready for it this time, though, and made sure she came out on top. When they finally came to a rest, Twilight looked down to see that she had captured a sleek blue pegasus. Rarity quickly came over to magic her wings in place. The pegasus was obviously struggling. "LEMME GO!" She yelled. "You scientists as just a bunch of—" "We don't want to hurt you!" Twilight yelled back. Rarity gave her a look. "We don't?" Twilight used her own magic, to hold the pegasus's hooves in place. "She might know something," Twilight said. "And she's unarmed. Look." She pointed at the pegasus's armor, which had no weapons attached to it. "Just kill me already, like you did with everyone else!" she yelled. "I'm not telling you anything!" Rarity looked up at the sky. Twilight could hear it too. More soldiers were coming. "We need to get back underground," Twilight said. "Underground?! We just got to the surface!" "Yes," Twilight said, "but if we don't get out of here, we're going to be craters on the surface!" "Hello!" The pegasus was struggling against the magic. "I'm still here, you know!" "Come on," Twilight said, finding a small building with an open door. "There's a ladder leading back down over here. We'll take Ms. Pretty-Colors over here in for a little talk." "That's Airman Rainbow Dash to you!" Both of them turned. Twilight was tempted to get her a little kick, but refrained from doing so. Instead, she lessened her magic on the pegasus's front hooves, and proceeded to drag her towards the ladder, her rump high in the air. "You just wait until my buddies get here! None of you scientists are gonna get anything out of me!" It was like pulling an angry Ursa. Rainbow Dash just didn't want to let up on the struggle, and never seemed to run out of energy to do so. Even when they reached the ladder, and tossed her to the bottom, she barely seemed winded from the fall. "I say! Careful, Twilight! We want to interrogate her, not use to her mop the floor!" "Yeah," Twilight said, using what magic she had left to steady herself on the ladder. "Plenty of time for that after the interrogation," she mumbled to herself. "Where are we, anyway?" They followed another ladder down and looked around. "We seem to be in some back-door to the storage area," Rarity said. "Yeah, right," Rainbow Dash said. "This is probably some lair you scientists built for military interrogations. Go ahead! Torture me!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "This is torture enough." ========================================================= The tunnels seemed to go on forever, but after climbing through some vents and rounding some corners, they finally came out into the bright familiar light of the storage room, dragging Rainbow Dash kicking and screaming with them. Or, she would have been screaming bad Rarity not gagged her with magic. "Doesn't she ever run out of energy?" Twilight said. "Honestly, she's been doing this for, what, 30 minutes now? This is ridiculous!" "Where are we, anyway?" Rarity looked around to get her bearings before finally slamming a hoof to her forehead. "Starswirl's Beard! We're right back where we started!" "WHAT?!" Twilight looked around, and sure enough, they were right back at the elevator they had come out of from the office complex, although the elevator itself was now on the other side of a glass window. "This is... wait, we must be... in that security station we saw when we first came in!" "Indeed you are." Both of them turned to see a brown stallion working on standing up. He was bleeding from the side, but he was healthy enough to talk. "Are you okay?" Twilight asked, coming over for a closer look at the wound. "I'd feel better if that soldier wasn't here with us," he said, nodding at Rainbow Dash. "We were kind of hoping to get some information out of her," Twilight said. "They don't exactly seem all that friendly, considering they were here to rescue us." The pony cocked his eyebrow. "Indeed." He turned and walked over to some monitors, where Twilight could see into the other rooms. Soldiers were on patrol everywhere. There wasn't a single monitor that showed an empty room. "What do we—" Rarity cleared her throat before Twilight could finish her sentence. "I... mean. So!" She walked up to Rainbow Dash. "Why exactly do you want to kill us so much?" Rainbow Dash mumbled behind her gag. "She probably thought you two caused all this," the brown pony said. "There's really only one safe place to go from here." They watched as he walked over to a panel and pushed a large red button. The enormous silo door on the other side of the glass creaked and slowly opened. "The missile silo?!" Twilight said. "You really think a missile silo is a good place to hide?" "If it'll get you away from the military," he said. "The soldiers won't want to explore that place too much. It's chock full of radiation, hazardous chemicals, gas leaks, hot steam, crushing equipment, and exposed electrical wiring." Twilight, Rarity, and even Rainbow Dash looked up at the pony. None of them had anything to say to this. "Of course," he went on, "I'm sure it's nothing your hazardous environment suit couldn't handle." He leaned in to Twilight. "You wouldn't happen to have been at ground zero, would you?" Twilight just stared at him. "At any rate, the silo is probably the best way to get to the Lambda Complex. With the transit system out of commission, the only other way would be on the surface—and I really doubt you'll want to be going there any time soon." "Wait," Twilight finally caught her breath. "Did you say Lambda Complex?" "Indeed, I did!" He turned around, holding his side. "Why, if anypony can end this thing, it's them. Darn science team, delving into extra-dimensional portals. They should have known that—" Rainbow Dash started squirming and screaming against her gag, throwing her head in his direction, as if trying to point her hoof at him and say "there!" "Calm down," Rarity said. "Really! For a soldier, you sure are whiny." Rainbow Dash glared at her. "Anyway, you three had best make your way in there before the soldiers find you." He turned and pressed another button to open a door to let them out. "What about you?" Twilight asked. "Me?" The stallion turned. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'd only slow you down." He went back to a corner and slumped to the floor. "I'm not long for this world anyway." Twilight heard Rarity swallow, and knew she was feeling the same twang of guilt that Twilight was. "We... well... thank you," Twilight said. "We'll... we'll send someone back for you, if we ever get this straightened out." "Don't bother," was all he said. Taking a deep breath, Twilight and Rarity turned towards the silo access. "Do you want to drag her, or should I?" Twilight asked. Rarity looked down at the struggling Rainbow Dash and sighed. "I suppose you've had your share." Twilight watched as the purple magic turned to white, and then led the way through the massive door, and into the dark passage leading into the silo.
Ganymede	724	6	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2013-03-22T03:38:15+00:00	2013-09-16T20:00:59+00:00	1,664	"QUIIIIIIIEEEEEEEET!" Twilight had been hacking away at a boarded-up passage with her crowbar, and stopped to scream at the wiggling blue pony. "I can't even think with her making all that noise. Even with her gagged!" Rarity just rolled her eyes, tightening her magic around Rainbow Dash's muzzle. "Twilight, I really don't think we should be going this way. I mean, don't ponies put boards over an entrance for a reason?" Twilight walked around exasperated. "Do you see another way to go?" She trotted back to the silo entrance, slamming her hooves into the ground the whole way. "They bolted the door shut after we went through! It's not like we could go back if we wanted to." She swung her crowbar into it, making a satisfying clang. "Besides, every other door in this entire place is locked up tight. Just look around us!" All around them was a dark, dank area. The sound of the ventilation from the storage area they had left was replaced by complete silence, save for the sound of some dripping water in the distance, and the loud "MMMPH!" sounds from Rainbow Dash struggling against her ties and gag. The few lights around them barely lit the concrete floors, and all the pipes along the ceiling were rusted over. "By all means," Twilight continued, "if you see a pleasant, inviting door with a welcome mat, do let me know." Twilight went back to the boarded-up hallway and continued to hack away, content with hearing the satisfying THWACK of each hit. "Well, now, dear," Rarity said, "there's no need to use that tone." She shrunk back into one of the corners, using her magic to drag Rainbow Dash with her. "You know," she said quietly to Rainbow Dash, "you could be a bit quieter." Twilight imagined Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes, but didn't bother to turn around to see. The boards were taking forever to knock down, and her arms were getting sore from all the swinging. She let out an exasperated groan amid Rainbow Dash's muffled yells. "Darling!" Rarity said, "Are you sure you wouldn't like some help?!" Twilight swung her crowbar into another board, feeling it start to crack. "Well," she said, "you could start by tightening your grip on that grunt's muzzle." She swung the crowbar again and slammed it satisfyingly into the cracked board, and watched as it broke in two, and fell to the floor. "You don't think I've tried?" Rarity said. "If I make it any tighter, she might not have a muzzle!" Twilight lifted her crowbar again, finding the next board. Fine with me, she thought. At least that would make it quieter in here. A few boards later, Twilight caught a glimpse of light on the other side. She put down her crowbar with a clang and peered through, pressing her face against the wood. "I think I see something," she said. "It looks like a... well, it's some sort of really big room. I can't really tell from this angle." Twilight was concentrating so hard, she hardly noticed that Rainbow Dash had fallen silent. "I think we can get through here, but it might take a few more min—er—hours." She took a deep breath and picked up her crowbar with a sigh. "Really," Rarity said, "I simply can't stand watching you do all the work! Can't I at least use my magic to help?" Twilight rolled her eyes. "If you use your magic on this, you might lose your grip on Mr. Wings over there. The last thing we need is a pegasus flying around here like some lost moth." Rainbow Dash let out another yell, much louder than the others. "AH!" Twilight groaned, "make it STOP!" She threw her hooves into the air and over her head. "You know what? Forget it! I'm sick of hammering these boards!" She lit her horn and grabbed one of the grenades from her suit. Now, even Rarity started yelling out in protest as Twilight magicked the grenade through the hole and pulled the pin. "All right, every pony," Twilight yelled. "MOVE!" She galloped out of the way, and caught a glimpse of a screaming, panicking Rarity flailing a wide-eyed Rainbow Dash behind her. Both of them cradled into a corner and put their hooves over their heads as the blast hit their ears. Twilight winced from the pain, forgetting how much a loud noise could hurt. All of them waited a few seconds in silence as the wood chips settled and the air cleared. She sensed, rather than heard, Rarity getting to her hooves. "Have you gone INSANE, dear?!" Rarity spewed. "Honestly, you seem to be turning the most mundane tasks into some sort of... of... demolitions competition! I swear to Celestia, I'm never going to get my hearing back when we're done with this!" Rainbow Dash could be seen in the corner, some of the color missing from her face. "And of all the things to blow up, you just HAD to use your precious grenades on a bunch of wooden boards! You didn't think that we might need those in case we, oh I don't know, GET ATTACKED BY ALIENS?!" Twilight felt a cold sweat start to pour down her neck, and tried not to look Rarity in the face. "Oh, and," she added, lowering her voice to a whisper, "I almost forgot to mention, you nearly got us killed, dear. That might be an important fact." Twilight tried to move, and found herself unable to. She could still see Rarity's face in her mind, even though all her eyes saw was the cold, dark pavement at her hooves. She opened her mouth to apologize, and only managed to make a high-pitched squeak come out instead. "I—" Rarity started to speak up again, before exhaling and sighing deeply. Twilight looked up to see Rarity look down at the ground, and then turn around towards the corner where Rainbow Dash was. Rainbow Dash was still in the corner. Her magic bindings were off, but she hadn't moved one inch. Both Twilight and Rarity seemed to notice the unbound Rainbow Dash at the same time, and just stared. Rainbow spread her wings and lifted her head slightly, shifting her eyes. "What?" Rarity looked back at Twilight before turning back to Rainbow. "You're... still here?" Rarity squeaked, as though her voice would frighten her away. Rainbow gave them a bewildered look. "Uh, yeah?" She indicated the room by glancing around. "Kinda lost in here." She started to get up. "Besides, you two are too busy blowing yourselves up to bother hurting me." She got up and stretched her wings. Rarity and Twilight were still staring at her. "I—but—aren't you—" Rarity stuttered. "We have weapons!" She tried pointer her hoof to the pistol on her shoulder, and nearly fell over. There was a clatter on the ground as the gun fell out of its holster. Rainbow Dash looked down at Rarity picking it up. "I'll take my chances," she said. Twilight put her hoof to her face. "Well, at least she won't be making a racket anymore," she said quietly to herself. "Why in the world didn't we just—" she thought about what would have happened if they hadn't bound her in the first place, and decided it was for the best. Rarity gave a loud, disgruntled sigh as she levitated the pistol back in place. She turned back at Twilight and stuck her hoof into Twilight's chest. "Don't," she said, putting her face right up to Twilight's, "ever do that again." Twilight watched as Rarity walked through the debris and into the big room on the other side. Rainbow Dash was still stretching, now lying on the ground with her body laid out as much as she could muster. "Well, come on, Mr. Grunt," Twilight said, rolling her eyes, "you can stretch later." She turned around and muttering wishfully, "Maybe there's a gym somewhere around here we don't know about." ========================================================= Twilight felt her hoof slip on one of the ladder bars and groaned as she regained her balance. "Why in Equestria does this place have so many ladders?!" She looked around at the large pit she and Rarity were descending into. It could have easily housed the small library room she lived in back in Canterlot. But, somehow, she couldn't imagine anything being less like Canterlot. The concrete was gone now, replaced by a dark, rusty metal, lit poorly by the glaring overhead lights. There was a large concrete platform in the center of the pit, surrounded by a black-and-yellow striped warning trim, that looked like it might be a door of some sort, but none of them could figure out how to get it open. Looking up, Twilight could still see remnants of the area above the pit, including the small head of Rainbow Dash peering curiously at them. Rainbow Dash had decided to stay at the top, in case she discovered a way to open the door from the top. Both Twilight and Rarity had searched with her for a while and never did find anything, but Rainbow swore she didn't see anything when she flew down there. Twilight doubted Rainbow would find another route up there, but she still tried to keep a close eye on her anyway. "Darling!" she heard the voice of Rarity above her. Twilight looked up, but only saw Rarity's large rump intruding upon her face, and tried to ignore the face-full-of-tail that kept brushing all around her. "Darling," she continued, "I—I think I'm slipping." Twilight looked forward again and felt a large weight drop on her head. She tried pushing back against it, but her own hooves quickly slipped off the bars as well. Twilight felt an all-too-familiar jolt in her stomach and light scream from Rarity. Luckily, the fall wasn't very far, and they collapsed on the ground a second later. Rarity groaned, partially bruised, but Twilight's suit absorbed the impact. "I hate ladders," Twilight sighed. "Having fun down there?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, head still peering over the edge. Twilight looked up at the blue dot of a head, silhouetted against the glaring lights on the ceiling, and gave as scathing a glare as she could muster. Rainbow had decided to take it as a blessing that she was stuck with a couple of jesters to keep her entertained. After letting her loose to fly around the room, Twilight and Rarity had made a number of blunders while searching for a way out, including one involving a headcrab zombie and an explosive container. Rainbow had found these encounters increasingly amusing, and was now giggling at almost any small blunder they made. "Oh, by the way," Rainbow continued, a hint of satisfaction in her voice, "I think I found something!" She stifled a laugh. "You two—" she put a hoof to her mouth, "You two wanna come up and have a look?!" This was followed by a large spurt of giggles, to which Twilight rolled her eyes. She tried to toss a few magic bullets her way, only to find herself yelling "OW!" as she remembered her horn was still bad. This only made Rainbow laugh even louder. "You two are a riot!" she said, finally calming down enough to talk. She was peering back over the edge again. "I wonder if all scientists are like this!" She scratched her head, "I shoulda become a security guard. Who needs TV when you have this?!" Twilight watched Rainbow turn around and out of sight. She could still hear her giggling as she retreated. "You don't suppose," she heard Rarity say behind her, "she actually found something?" Twilight rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter," she said. "It's not like she has any place to go—not unless she found some sort of secret trap door, at least." She considered this as she got her bearings. This may as well have been the kind of place that had all sorts of hidden areas that lead to secret compartments and maintenance areas, very few of which (she hoped) lead anywhere in particular. Rarity was already ahead of her, studying the lighter-metal "door" sunk into the bottom of the hole they were standing in. Twilight caught up, stepping over the black-yellow warning trim, and noticed the step onto the sunken door was much deeper than it looked from above. "Are you sure this is safe?" Twilight asked Rarity. She stepped down and walked up to join Rarity. "What if this thing opens while we're standing on it?" "Oh, don't silly, darling," Rarity said, not bothering to look back. "There couldn't possibly be anything else that operates this thing! See for yourself!" Twilight followed Rarity's hoof, and noticed there was a large vertical beam extending from the back of the door-pit, with a small light a good ways up. It had been so camouflaged that Twilight hadn't noticed it until she had walked right up to it. "See those buttons up there?" Rarity asked. "Those have to be what opens this thing." "Up... there?" Twilight asked slowly. "Rarity! We can't even reach that high! How are ponies supposed to open this thing if the controls are out of reach?!" Rarity turned around and rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know, darling. Maybe the ponies who work down here are taller?" Now it was Twilight's turn to roll her eyes. "Let's just ask Rainbow to come down here. It'll be easier than finding a ladder to cli—" A klaxon sounded, filling the room with echoing alarms so loud, they made the air feel thicker. Twilight covered her ears instinctively before remembering her ears were already dampened to loud sounds from all the gunfire. She could still see Rarity's hide standing on end from when she had jumped from surprise. "What in Equestrian is that?!" she screamed. Twilight almost had to lip-read to hear her. "I don't know!" she yelled back, "but I think we should—AH!" She felt the floor shift out, nearly making her fall on her face. "The platform!" she screamed, catching her balance. "MOVE!" They slammed into each other, still panicking, before noticing the doors had already conveyed them to the edge of the pit. Twilight jumped onto the side, pulling herself forward and onto the yellow-black trim. Rarity had been right behind her, and had jumped on top of Twilight. Judging by the weight, the floor had completely swept back, and was no longer supporting them. Twilight groaned as she felt Rarity claw herself over Twilight back, being sure to knock Twilight's head around as she reached the end. "Rarity!" She felt the weight lift. The klaxons shut off a few seconds later as Twilight got to her hooves. "For gosh sake, Rarity! You couldn't have—" Twilight jumped as a loud metal clang rang out behind her. Rarity did the same. Silence took over again, and Twilight once again became painfully aware of the ringing in her ears. "Well, that was interesting," Twilight said, turning around. "I wonder what—" "AWESOME!" Both Twilight and Rarity looked up to see an annoying flare of rainbow shoot down from above and land right where the sunken door used to be. She flared her wings and posed like some great war hero on top of a large lift that wasn't there a second ago: one which covered the entire pit, and was high enough to allow a pony to reach the switches on the poll. "I knew that had to do something!" she said triumphantly. "Too bad you two were too busy—rolling—around down here." She rolled her eyes in different directions as she said this. Twilight didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. "Hey, don't look at me that way!" she said. "I just helped you two find the way out of here!" She turned around and trotted up to the buttons in the back. "Now, I wonder what these do." Twilight was about to casually step onto the lift, but was caught off guard by Rainbow's statement. "RAINBOW! NO!" she shouted out, already seeing her hoof hovering over the switch. She didn't bother to wait to see what she would do. Rarity's tail was already in her mouth, and she was flinging her onto the lift. "Twilight! What are you—" No sooner had Rarity hit the lift than Rainbow's hoof hit the switch. The lift didn't so much "descend" as "plummet". Twilight felt a tremendous force on her muzzle, which was still holding on for dear life to Rarity's tail, and felt her entire body yanked forward and down. Every muscle in her body tightened. The lift was moving so fast that she remained suspended above it for a few seconds. Unfortunately, a few seconds was all it took for the lift to reach the bottom, and by the time Twilight found her bearings on the lift, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of her hooves collapsing from under her and her face slamming into metal. Silence ensued, which was followed by a very long, muffled groan directed into the ground. Twilight heard the sound of gently flapping wings, and imagined Rainbow Dash lightly touching down on the lift. Twilight was already clenching her teeth, trying to prevent a few choice words from slipping out, even before prying her face from the ground. "Well, this place looks... different," she heard Rainbow say. Twilight was already pulling her face up. It stretched for a moment, skin still clinging to the metal, before snapping off with the sound of a cork popping. Her eyes derped for a few seconds, a few stars rotating over her head, before she finally shook out her mane and clenched her teeth in a snarl. Rarity was busy laying on her side and rubbing her temple with a stunned look still on her face. "Hmmm..." Rainbow contemplated, flying off the lift. "Looks like this place actually goes somewhere." Twilight followed Rainbow with her eyes, and gasped as an enormous tunnel came into view. It was still just as dimly lit as the room they were just in, if not darker, but unlike that room, this place actually went somewhere. She was so busy taking in the enormous space—the vaulted ceiling, the small walkway on the side, the way the lift suspended over the floor, the suspended walkways surrounding it, and a small object she couldn't quite make out—that she didn't even notice Rainbow Dash hovering around in contemplation. The next thing she heard was Rainbow turning around. "Well... er..." she started, before a sudden "thanks guys gottago!" A SWOOSH followed, and Twilight only caught the tail-end of the rainbow streak left behind. "RAINBOW!" Twilight yelled. She turned back to Rarity, who was still getting her bearings. "Well, that's great. That's juuuust great!" She furrowed her brows, feeling her face grow hot. "She just flew off!" She turned around, face still red, and heard Rarity trot up behind her. She sensed, rather than felt, Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Maybe it's for the best, Darling," she said. "She is, after all, a soldier. We're lucky she didn't just kill us as soon as she was set free." This only made Twilight angrier. "She could have told us something. She could have helped us!" She turned back to Rarity. "Can you imagine how useful it would have been to have an actual military soldier with us?!" Rarity withdrew her hoof. "Dangerous, more like," she muttered. Twilight ignored her, and carefully walked to the edge of the suspended walkway and dropped down to the tunnel floor. "How in Equestria are we going to catch up to her?!" "Darling." She heard Rarity drop down to the floor with her. "I don't think we need to—" "OF COURSE WE NEED TO!" Twilight turned around and blurted out. "I mean—" she calmed down upon seeing Rarity's reaction. She sighed. "Look, I don't think there's any way we can stand a chance at surviving this without some help." she explained. "Now," she walked up to Rarity, "if you want to continue wandering around here, with nothing but the pistol on your shoulder, and a pony who only half understands how the sub-machine gun she's wielding works, be my guest, but I really, really, seriously think we could use someone who really knows what they're doing." Rarity gave her a look that a mother might give to an upset child. "You really believe Rainbow Dash knew what she was doing?" "Why, of cour—" Twilight stopped herself mid-sentence. She put her hoof back on the ground, which was hovering around to help make her point. Rarity's statement hit harder than the floor of the lift when it had slammed into her face. She hung her head and scowled. "No," she said blankly. "Good," Rarity said simply. She walked past Twilight, continuing her own train of thought. "Now then, we should think about the best way forward," she said, walking up to a small object on the tracks that Twilight hadn't noticed a moment ago. "This train might help." Twilight's head sprung up. "Train?! Really?!" She galloped forward, and found that the "small" object had really been a rather large object a ways away. As she approached, a small electric cart came into view. She also realized, looking down at the floor, was that what the black metal beams that she assumed were just reinforcing the floor were really embedded train rails. She looked back up at the small cart. "That's... not really a train, Rarity," she said, catching her breath. "It's more of a wooden platform on a rail. They may call it a train, but it's more of an electric-powered cargo hauler. They made me ride one of these back in the hazard course." Rarity cocked an eye at her. "It doesn't really go that fast," Twilight said, boarding the platform and studying the metal box mounted on the front, "but it should get us where we need to be." The top of the orange box she was looking at was full of switches and knobs, all of which Twilight knew exactly how to operate. She flipped one of them as Rarity boarded behind her, and heard the satisfying sound of the "cargo hauler" come to life. "Looks like this one's three speeds," she said. "The other one was only two. Maybe it'll get us there faster?" She gently push the lever forward until it clunked into the first speed. The train lurched forward, catching Rarity off guard. "A-a-are you sure this is safe, dear?" Rarity said, catching her balance. Twilight was carefully keeping her eye on all the gauges. "I'm not sure how long this thing has been down here. It seems to be a little rusty." She pushed the lever another notch, and felt another jarring increase in speed. Rarity had put both hooves around Twilight's waist. They were moving a lot faster than Twilight had thought. The lift they had gotten off was fading into the distance. The tunnel was curving now, and both of them were keeping a close eye on what was ahead of them. "Uh, Twilight?" Rarity was pointing her hoof at some green dots approaching them. Twilight had seen them before Rarity had even stuck her hoof out, and recognized them as those strange hound things Twilight had protected Spike against in the sewage area. She could hear them yipping in the distance. "Don't worry," she said, pushing the lever one more click. "Full speed ahead!" She felt another lurch as the train sped up again. The wind was whipping her mane around, and part of her felt the exhilaration of the moment. The green dots very quickly approached, and turned into green blurs before passing on their left or their right. One of the dots was right in front of them, and looked confused on which way to go. "Twilight, we're going to—" SPLAT! Twilight and Rarity flinched as they felt a light bump. "Maybe we should slow down, dear!" she heard Rarity say. Twilight was starting to agree with her. The speed was a lot of fun, and certainly helped to avoid alien contact, but there wasn't much they could do if they ran into a larger obstacle. The walls were a blur, and the ride had become one ceiling-light passing by after another. Occasionally a large creature would pass by, but aside from the splats of "rail kill" and the constant churning of the electric motor and metal-on-metal wheels, there wasn't much to the monotony. That was, until the tunnel straightened out. "Dear, you might want to slow down." "I see it!" Twilight said, pressing some controls. There was a very bright green light at the end of the tunnel, and both of them were having to shield their eyes. Neither of them could see well enough to see what was beyond, but they both doubted the rails extended beyond that point. Boxes were coming into view, sitting on the rails beside some of the aliens. Twilight yelled out as the ones sitting on the rail explosively turned into flying wooden chips as the "train" plowed into them. Both Rarity and Twilight ducked, hooves flailing over their heads, as this happened. "Twilight, SLOW DOWN!" Twilight's hooves were going crazy over the control panel. One of her hooves was yanking on the speed switch. "I can't!" she yelled, looking up at the fast-approaching green glow. They were close enough now to see that it was, in fact, a large vat of green glowing liquid. Twilight could hear a faint ticking from her suit which in the back of her mind sounded like a Geiger counter. Pipes wound around above the fluid, extending from the walls. Many were leaking the glowing goo, and there were small specks of debris floating around the small lake. "Twilight! Gate! Board! WOODEN THING!" Twilight's eyes went wide as she saw the parking gate ahead, with a large concrete barrier just beyond. Twilight's hooves stopped, and she felt herself go into a small trance. A few choice moments flashed before her eyes as the gate flew up to them and snapped into a slew of wooden chips. Twilight and Rarity instinctively grabbed onto each other in a tight embrace, scrunching their eyes. There was a loud bang as the train collided. Twilight only remembered the next second or two as a bunch of flailing hooves, blurred glimpses of pipes and metal, and a very bright green light. Did she scream? Was Rarity next to her the whole time? Did anypony see them? Twilight couldn't say. All she could remember was the painful pinch on the back of her neck, followed by an even more painful upward jerk. She kept flailing her hooves in an outright panic, and didn't even take note of the fact she wasn't falling anymore. It wasn't until she had "floated" over the concrete at the back of the lake that she noticed she was being carried. She stopped flailing her hooves, and felt her head spin. She felt like she had just run a marathon. "W-WHA-AA-A-AT?!" she could barely let out. She drifted gently down until she felt her hooves touch ground before feeling the pain in her neck go away suddenly. She collapsed, feeling the ground slam first into her hooves, and then into the rest of her body. She wished she could take off the suit so she could feel the satisfaction of the cold ground against her bare hide. For the first time since they had seen the barrier, she heard the sound of Rarity's voice. It was just a bunch of groans and sighs, but it was still clearly recognizable as her voice. Twilight tried to get up, and promptly collapsed again as her wobbly knees couldn't hold her weight. "R---r-rarity?" She tried looking around, and noticed a solid metal wall marking the end of the tunnel. Behind her, the green liquid still glowed brightly, casting shimmering shadows on the wall. "R-Rarity!" she said again, this time having a little better luck getting to her hooves. "Rarity, what just—" "SERIOUSLY!" a voice sounded above her, "You two really need to get your acts together!" Twilight's head snapped up, nearly making her overbalance and collapse again. There, floating above them with the most sarcastic scowl Twilight had ever seen on a mare, was Rainbow Dash. "YOU!" Twilight gasped. She had to rub her eyes just to be sure she was actually seeing correctly. "YOU saved us?!" She stared as Rainbow floated onto the ground. Rainbow couldn't help but strike a pose at these words, although her scowl was still somewhat present. Twilight barely noticed Rarity coming to her senses. It wasn't until she heard the words "Twilight, what in Equestria just- RAINBOW!" that she finally turned around to see Rarity starring dumbfounded right at Rainbow Dash. "You have GOT to be kidding!" Twilight walked slowly up to her, mouth still agape, struggling with whether to say thank you, ask her why she saved them, or simply slap her in the face. What ended up coming out was a stuttered combination of all three. "Wha—but you... how—and why?! And—" Rarity's eyes went even wider. "Did you just... save our lives!?" A hint of red tinged Rainbow's cheeks, and she made a funny smile. "I, uh..." "So, wait," Twilight thought. "You actually went out of your way to save a us? A couple of clumsy scientists?" Twilight emphasized the word clumsy. "No! I mean yes! I mean—" Rainbow was retreating into the corner and smiled with a small squeak. Twilight's gape instinctively turned into a smile, and then into smirk. She walked up to Rainbow, half-knowingly, and slowly said "And here I never would have thought! A soldier, actually caring about a couple scientists!" As if Rainbow couldn't have gone any redder, she somehow defied all the laws of color by turning even more red. Twilight found herself starting to chuckle at this, and turned to Rarity, who started to smile as well. "Well, what do you know," Rarity said, walking up to Rainbow. "Our military soldier has feelings after all!" "Guys, really! It was just something I—" Rainbow said, starting to cower against the wall. "I mean, I only—" Twilight and Rarity forced themselves to stop smirking, and walked up to Rainbow. Twilight patted her lightly on the head. "Don't worry, Mr. Airman Rainbow Dash," she said. "We won't tell a soul." She closed her eyes as she said this. "Just so long," she looked back down with a smirk, "as you tell us your story." Rainbow Dash stood up. "My story," she said, sounding relieved. Some of the color came back into her cheeks. "My story! Oh, of course! Sure." She looked around. "I'll... get right on that." She flew up, eager to get away from the awkward situation. ========================================================= "I have to admit," Rarity said, descending in the arms of Rainbow Dash, "having a pegasus around is a big help." Twilight was standing inside one of the pipes that ran from the walls above the vat of radioactive goo. They had just gotten done searching the entire area for an exit, and determined that the only way out was through one of these pipes. Twilight admitted this wasn't the optimal solution, since it could potentially lead them somewhere really bad, like the source of all the radiation, but none of them had come up with a better idea. Rainbow Dash had just finished lowering Rarity inside the pipe. They were lucky to find an opening in the pipe to climb through. Luckily, these pipes were so old that many had completely rusted through, resulting not only in leaking goo, but also some rather large openings in the top for them to enter through. What was more curious about the general area, however, was the fact that the tunnel simply stopped. The cargo train didn't have anywhere to go beyond the lake of goo. Twilight made the suggestion that, perhaps the radioactive lake used to be some sort of lift that would carry the crates somewhere further. The others thought it more likely, though, that the construction crew simply abandoned the train project. Whatever the case, the pipes seemed to be the only way to go. "You still have your flashlight, Twilight?" Rarity asked. This was, of course, a rhetorical question. Twilight's flashlight was bound to her suit. It was simply Rarity's way to reminding her it was there. A click indicated that Twilight had switched it on. They all looked through the pipe in its new brightly lit glory. It was empty. "Sure you don't want me to fly ahead?" Rainbow asked. Rainbow was still getting over her embarrassment, but she was doing much better since they started looking for the exit. She found pride in her ability to use her wings to help looking around from a distance. "I'm sure," Twilight said. "You couldn't see anything anyway. I'm the one with the light, remember?" Twilight walked forward, and lead the way through the pipe, her hooves clanging against the hollow metal. It was a noisy process, but they were glad their hooves were the only thing they could hear. No sound meant no rushing fluid coming their way, or anything else that might surprise them. "So," Rainbow Dash started. They had only been walking for a few seconds, but it felt much longer. "The guy back at the entrance says this is a silo complex. Do you scientists really keep missiles down here? Or are silos just used for testing and stuff?" Twilight had nearly forgotten that this was supposed to lead to a silo. So far, she hadn't seen a single sign since the entrance. Nevertheless, her mind felt compelled to correct her. "The missiles themselves are never actually stored in test silos," she said. "The parts are brought in and tested, and then carted to another area to be assembled." She pondered a bit to be sure what she said was correct. "Unless," she put in, "the silo is really a housing for a missile prepped to launch. But that's not the kind that we're going to... I think." Rainbow seemed much more interested than she should have. She pulled up right beside Twilight, wide-eyed. "Is that what happened at ground zero?" she asked. "Did you set off a missile? Did it blow up?" Twilight sighed. "We're not going to see a missile, Rainbow. Or a rocket. Or anything with any kind of cross-Equestrian propulsion system prepped with an explosive." She rolled her eyes. "The most we could possibly see is a rocket thruster, and even then, it'll be disabled." She glared back at Rainbow, "And no, we weren't in a missile silo when this all happened." She looked back toward with a blank stare and squeaked, "We were in a test chamber for an anti-mass spectrometer." Rainbow's eyes went even wider. "Wow," she said blankly. "Geeky." Twilight turned back to her, trying not to roll her eyes again. "Shouldn't we be the ones asking the questions?" She stopped, and Rainbow almost passed right by her. "I mean, why are all you guys trying to kill us?! Shouldn't you all be—oh, I don't know—trying to rescue us?!" "WHOA, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow put her hooves up in defense. "We don't rescue," she said. "We clean!" she said with a flourish. "That's our job." She thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. "Actually, that's just what they told us. We're not exactly officially part of the HECU." "The what?" Twilight asked. "It's," Rainbow put her hoof behind her neck, "some kind of strange clean-up crew. I don't remember what it stands for. They basically just ripped us out of the armed forces or wherever we came from, and told us they had a mission for us." Rainbow put her hoof back on the ground and stood there, but Twilight kept waiting for more. "and?" Twilight asked. "And," Rainbow thought, "they basically just told us they were sending us to some big facility of some sort, and to kill everyone and everything in sight. Said it was some sort of dangerous hazard to all of Equestria, and that the entire place was... er... contaminated? I don't know." "You didn't listen to the briefing?!" "I did!" Rainbow said. "Right up until the words "kill everything". After that, I kinda blanked out." Twilight lowered her face into her hoof and sighed. "So you don't even know why you're here." She looked up. "Do you at least know who sent you? Who recruited you?" "We never ask," Rainbow said. "We just go where they want us to go. We're not supposed to ask questions. For all we knew, you all were a bunch of mad Frankenstallion scientists, mixing up evil goo, and bringing back ponies from the dead!" "That's... not... what...." Twilight felt her face go read from hearing this despicable misconception of science, but pushed it into the back of her mind. "Pardon me," Rarity interrupted, making both Twilight and Rainbow Dash turn. Rarity winced as the flashlight glared in her eyes. "Ah! Point that somewhere—" "Sorry." The light flared to the side. "Thanks. Anyway, I was wondering. Aren't soldiers supposed to be all armored, and have all sorts of weapons and tools and stuff? As far as I can tell, you're not wearing anything at all, dear!" Twilight smirked. The whole facility in ruin, and she asks about clothes. she thought. "I—" Rainbow looked hurt. "Look, I don't like being weighed down, all right?! I'm a flyer! Those stupid uniforms don't make any sense!" "When you're flying, dear, I can see that," Rarity continued, "but in a place like this?!" "What can I say?" Rainbow said, a little louder, "I guess I just like going all natural!" "Well, I couldn't possibly stand getting all mucky down here in these areas! Why, if given the choice, I'd suit up in something just as full-bodied as Twilight's suit." "You would, wouldn't you!" "Uh... girls?" Twilight started. Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. Neither had noticed how they had been inching towards each other the whole time. There was an awkward silence as they realized they were still standing in a damp, dark tube that could barely fit all three of them. Twilight indicated with her flashlight. "Could we, maybe, move along?" Rarity's left eye twitched. "O-of course, dear! We were just... having some casual conversation, that's all." She daintily walked past Twilight before realizing she was blocking the flashlight. "Right, this way," she said, walking back behind Twilight. Twilight didn't even bother rolling her eyes, and kept walking forward. "So," Rainbow said, "do they, like, have a stash of those suits somewhere? I mean, not that I'd wear one," she said, flicking her eyes at Rarity, "but those things look kinda cool." Twilight reached a sharp turn to the left and waited until everypony reached the end up the tube before turning the flashlight in their direction. "They must have a number of them," Twilight said. "They spent the money on an entire course for it, so I would imagine there are at least enough for each major location to have two or three." "Yeah," Rainbow said. "if you all work in this green goo all day, I can understand why." "We don't work in green goo, Rainbow Dash, and if you'd just—" She was interrupted by the sound of giggling. Twilight scowled, "Can we just move forward? There's a light up ahead, and I'd like to get out of here before we're all covered in goo!" Rainbow still giggled silently to herself as they all approached the end of the tunnel. The light was shining from the top of the pipe, which meant they all had to climb out the top. There was no point moving forward in the pipe, since a portion of it was blocked by a strainer grate. Rainbow was the first to shoot out the top, eager to fly again. "Hey, guys!" she said, sticking her head upside down into the pipe again. "It's a bit of a drop from here. You'll probably wanna watch your step." Twilight walked the rest of the way and tried sticking her head over the top. Her eyes barely breached the opening. "I can't quite see. How far is the drop?" she asked. She saw that Rainbow was now perched at the top of the pipe like a sphinx. "Far enough if would hurt," she said. "I'd carry you, but," she stretched out her wings and arms in a big, histrionic show, "I think I've done enough heavy lifting for today." "RAINBOW!" Twilight shouted. "All right! All right!" Rainbow said, jumping off her perch with a scowl. She threw a hoof in Twilight's direction. "But this is the last time!" Being lifted into the air by two hooves wasn't exactly comfortable, but Twilight would much rather endure the awkwardness than wind up with another fractured ankle. As she was lifted, she took note of how much smaller this "room" was than the others she had been in, and concluded that this was no more than a plumber's maintenance area. The entire place was grungy, and the only things of note were the enormous pipes cluttering the small area, equally as large as the one they were getting out of. It seemed Rainbow had barely set Twilight down when Rarity chimed in beside her. "Twilight, dear, do you think we're going the right way?" She indicated with her hoof, "This doesn't look at all like a silo." Rarity had a point. Twilight hated to admit it, but the evidence was mounting. The way to the silo was most likely not through a series of pipes. "Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, "could you fly ahead and see if this goes anywhere?" The words "go anywhere" didn't immediately seem to make any sense. The entire room seemed to be a small pipe-filled area with no visible exit. However, it was so convoluted that there may as well have been an open pipe, or (Celestia forbid) a ventilation duct somewhere. Rainbow Dash agreed enthusiastically, though, and was whooshing around the room so fast that the wind blew their manes around. A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash disappeared entirely, and it was another moment before Twilight realized she had gone around some kind of corner. She could hear the swooshing around of the air somewhere nearby, and knew Rainbow had to be close. In fact, considering how long Rainbow was gone, Twilight suggested there must be quite an expansive tunnel or room to explore somewhere, and motioned to Rarity to follow her down the most obvious path through the pipes. It wasn't like they could get lost in a room not much larger than her old living area. They were nearly close enough to see where the room curved around when another SWOOSH made them nearly jump out of their hide. "HEY GUYS!" Rainbow shouted. "Big room! HUUUUUGE! You gotta see this!" Another WHOOSH and she was gone. Both Twilight and Rarity looked at each other, then up at the pipes, then back to each other. Struggling, they both climbed onto a couple of the larger pipes in the back of the room. From there, they could see the much nicer, more brightly lit hallway that lead away from the room. However, neither of them could reach it. For one, the floor of the hallway was much higher than the floor of the room, and for two, the suspended walkway it spilled out onto was blocked by hoof-rails too high for them to jump over, even if they could reach the floor. "How are we—" Rarity started. SWOOOOSH! "Hey, sorry guys," Rainbow said, hovering over the suspended walkway. "Guess you two could probably use a lift." She came down over Twilight and wrapped her hooves around her waist. "Trust me, though, this is gonna be worth it!" ========================================================= Twilight put a hoof up and squinted. They had just rounded the corner of the hallway, and found themselves staring at what Twilight believed to be a large room. She couldn't quite tell, since all she could really see was the blinding green light of what must be kilotons of radioactive material leaked all over the ground. It was taking a while for her eyes to adjust to the glow. Her Geiger Counter was having a seizure. It sounded like someone turned on a fan and stuck a piece of parchment between the blades. "I think we missed the silo," Rarity said, turning her head completely to the side and using her entire forearm to shield against the light. "So much for living very long after we get out of here." Twilight considered going back to the other room, but curiosity got the best of her. There was some sort of walkway over the lake, from the little Twilight could see, and she had to take a look around. "How did you manage to fly in here?!" she asked Rainbow. "I can barely see anything!" As an answer, Rainbow flew out into the room. "I just look up," she said simply. "There's no light coming from the ceiling." Twilight ignored the absurdity of there being no lights on the ceiling, and followed suit. By holding her hoof low enough, she was able to almost completely block the direct light. The room looked a lot smaller without the glow shining directly in her eyes, and she was able to take in the odd shape. The most notable thing, aside from the very tall ceiling, was that the back wall actually curved outward, as if some sort of large cylindrical building had bumped into it from the outside. Beyond that, she noticed a large vertical beam rise to the ceiling, and end at a square hole. She later tried squinting at the base of the beam, and thought she could see a square lift to accompany it. Unfortunately, the lift was suspended out in the middle of the lake, and Twilight still couldn't make out the floor without damaging her eyes. "Rainbow," she said, flailing with her other hoof in the general vicinity of the lift. "Can you fly us over there? That might be a way into the silo." Rarity must have retreated back into the hallway, as that's where her voice came from. "The silo?" she asked. "What in the world of Pony Mesa thinks we're anywhere near the silo?!" Twilight indicated towards the round shape of the back wall, even though Rarity couldn't see it from the hallway. "There's a sign back there that says "Silo D"" she said, proud of the fact her eyes were starting to adjust. She was quite expecting the gasp from both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "I—" Rainbow started, "I knew that!" She crossed her hooves with a smug look, still hovering in mid-air. "I was just... waiting for you two to come in here and see for yourself!" Twilight retreated into the hallway, which looked extremely dark after coming back from the glow-room, and lead Rarity carefully out into the room. Rarity kept her eyes closed tight the whole time. "We just need to get to the lift," she said. "We can take it from there." Rainbow looked insulted. "A lift?!" she shouted. "You guys think a lift can carry you up there better than I can?!" Twilight hadn't considered this reaction. Next thing she knew, all the wind was being knocked out of her from the force of Rainbow's hooves. "I'll show you two a lift!" Within less than a second, the wind was flailing her mane back. Between the hooves digging into her torso and the sheer speed they were going, Twilight could barely breathe. The room was once again a blur of green light, for which she tried not to look down. They flew straight up, and everything went dark. She felt her hooves touch ground a moment later. She gasped for breath upon Rainbow letting her go. A WHOOSH signified Rainbow diving back down for Rarity. Twilight looked up and squinted, this time because of the dark. The glow from the room below washed up through the ceiling and into the hallway she had just been carried into, but it wasn't enough to shed light all the way to the end. Twilight heard screams from below, and thought about how Rarity must feel in Rainbow's arms. She couldn't quite tell whether they were screams of exhilaration, fright, or surprise, as they kept going back and forth between the three. The screams increased tenfold as Rainbow surfaced above the hole, and turned into heaving breathing and sighing as she was lowered to the ground. "Oh..." Rarity said, wobbling on all fours, "I'm seeing stars darling!" She shook her head violently and turned towards Rainbow Dash with a menacing snarl. "Never, in all my years, has any pony dared picked me up in such a rash way!" She flipped her hair. "I'll have you know I have quite a kick," she said, bucking one of her hind legs, "from some of my ex-stallions." She walked right up to Rainbow and poked her in the chest. "You'd better Watch. Your. Back." She "Hmmph"ed, and turned around with her head held high. Twilight continued to squint into the darkness. "Can anypony see anything?" She asked. "There's not much to see, Darling," Rarity said. "It's just a grey hallway." Twilight switched her flashlight on, but it looked just as dim as the rest of the hallway. Her pupils were still adjusting. "Hopefully this place will have less radiation," she said, noticing her Geiger Counter go down to only a few ticks here and there. "Not that it'll help after the amount we were just exposed to." She turned around. "Rarity, can you lead the way?" Rarity shook out her mane, and trotted forward. "I may not be a tour guide, but I can most certainly see where I'm going." Twilight kept a close eye on Rarity's tail, which shimmered against the dark surroundings. They hadn't gone very far when Rarity stopped abruptly, causing Twilight's head to ram into Rarity's hind quarters, followed by an "Umph!" from Rarity. Twilight looked around, and could make out a dim green glow, as if from far away, and was finally starting to adjust enough to the darkness to see some silhouettes here and there. "Oh, my!" Rarity gasped. "Is... is this the silo?!" As Twilight continued to stare, the silhouettes gained some color, and as they did, even Twilight had to gasp. They were about mid-way up the entire height of the room, on a catwalk suspended way high above the ground, which was (not surprisingly) glowing a dim green way below them. In the center of the silo was an enormous cylindrical beam which Twilight assumed was "the silo within the silo", and probably housed the missile itself, if there was one. Various other catwalks could be seen at varying heights and directions spanning the space from the inner silo to the walls of the outside—places leading into other hallways like the one they had just come from, and probably housing other facilities adjacent to the silo. It was still the same dark, damp, metal atmosphere of every other place they had been so far. Twilight could make out some peeling colored paint on many of the walls with the words "Silo D" on them, which were so faded that they almost blended right in with the grey walls. "So this is the Silo!" Rarity exclaimed. "I had no idea it was so... big!" Twilight heard some squeaks and murmurs behind her, and turned around to see Rainbow Dash anxiously bouncing around on her hooves. "So... much... room..." she squeaked. It only took Twilight a second to realize what was going on. "Oh, all right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Go on." Rainbow shot straight up and immediately launched into the room, sending cascades of Rainbow over every inch of the room. She circled around catwalks, pounced off of walls, climbed the shadows of the ceiling, and even explored a few of the hallways that the catwalks attached to. Twilight and Rarity watched her, smiling involuntarily as she "whoohoo"ed and "yeah"ed her way around the room. Twilight agreed with Rarity: she certainly added a "dash" of color to the drab. Five minutes later, Rainbow popped up in front of them, heaving and wiping her brow. She caught her breath quickly. "That. Was. AWESOME!" she said. "I still say I like being outside. But this has got to be one of the best indoor workout areas I've ever seen!" She turned around and threw her hooves out in a pretend bear-hug of the entire room. "Seriously! If we survive this mess, we need to come back here. I have plans for this place!" Twilight smiled at her weakly, and turned towards the catwalk as it curved around the perimeter of the silo. "Come on. Let's see if we can't get to the center part." Rainbow flew in front of them and turned to stop them. "Uh, why?" she asked. "What's in the silo that we need?" Twilight stopped and thought about this. They had been working this entire time on getting into the silo. Now that they were here, she wasn't quite sure why they had come here, save as a way point to where they were ultimately going. "To get to the Lambda Complex," she said, closing her eyes and grinning. Rainbow lowered her eyelids. "And what's in this Lambda Complex, anyway? More dumb scientists?" She threw up her hooves. "Why don't we just get out of here?! Get to the surface! Find a vehicle and leave!" "Easy for you to say," Rarity chimed. "You're a soldier! They won't be hunting you." She flipped her hair. "In case you haven't noticed, you grunts are kind of trying to kill us." Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. "I guess." She looked around. "Still, it's a better option than being stuck down here, or being crammed into some small room with a bunch of other scientists who have no idea what they're doing." "You don't know that!" Twilight said. "If we can create a situation like this, I'm sure we're smart enough to clean it up! We just need enough time." Now it was Rainbow's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, right. You two don't even know how to work a gun." Twilight was about to leap out at her, but Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. "Let it go, dear." They all went silent for a minute and stared at the ground. Even Rainbow hovered onto the ground with the rest of them. They walked around the catwalk of the Silo for a while, and noted the way it sharply turned at a point to head straight into the inner Silo. It looked much larger from the perspective of walking up to it. "So, Twilight," Rainbow asked, "what kind of silo is this?" Twilight looked around the walls for signs, but didn't see anything aside from the obvious ones that said "Silo D". "I'm not sure. My guess is it's just a standard rocket test lab. Very few silos actually have rockets in them." When they finally reached the wall, Twilight noticed a hatch in the side, roughly the size of a standard door. It blended right in with the wall, save for the bolted metal trim around it. "Looks like there's a latch that opens it here," Twilight said, examining a large red handle to the side of the hatch. "Silo Access," she read allowed. "Hang on," she heard Rainbow say. She was already at the door with her ear pressed against it. "Can you hear that?" Twilight and Rarity looked around at the seemingly empty outer-silo, then back at the hatch. "Hear what?" Twilight asked. Rainbow pressed her ear harder against the door. "It sounds like something's banging around in there." She ignored Twilight and Rarity's strange looks. "They don't do construction work in any of the Silos, do they?" "Not that I know of," Twilight said. Rarity had been backing up the whole time. "I... you know what? I'm not sure this is the best idea, girls." Twilight looked back at her. "It's not like we have a choice. This is the only way forward. That is, without having Rainbow fly us around the silo." Rarity glanced at Rainbow Dash and gave an involuntary shiver. "Fine," she said, walking toward again, "but don't expect me to follow you to certain death. I do have standards, you know." "There's nothing in there," Twilight assured her. She turned the lever as she said this, and the hatch swung open to reveal a wall, just feet away from them. A small room lay in between. However, the most notable thing was the noise. Rainbow was right. There was definitely something banging around inside. Even Twilight had to think twice before walking into the small area they had revealed. "There's another hatch," she said, looking around the room. The other two crammed inside behind her. "I think this is some sort of access hallway that goes around the perimeter." She pulled the lever and heard the door shut behind them. For a moment they were trapped inside the room. Then the door swung open in front of them, and the first thing Twilight saw was a headcrab, surrounded by blood, and latched onto the moaning head of an undead pony. She felt her heart leap, and her front hooves left the floor as she backed up. The pony was only a couple feet away. Twilight slammed on her forehoof and felt the familiar feeling of her teeth chattering to the bullets flying out of her shoulder. The first few bullets knocked the zombie to the ground, but Twilight didn't let up on the trigger until the entire clip ran out. Her ears rang more than ever from the echoing sound of gunpowder going off, but the banging from inside the silo still continued. She turned around to make sure her friends were okay to see Rarity cowering with her hooves over her ears, and Rainbow Dash still preoccupied with the metal wall. "Come on, everypony," she said, leading them down the blood-stained hallway. "Let's all hope it's just machinery that's banging around in there." They stepped lightly, going around all the blood stains, carefully avoiding the bodies of the deceased ponies. She could hear Rarity dry-heaving a couple of times. "Watch out, girls," she said, pointing up at the barnacle attached to the ceiling way above them. Its ropy tongue descended the entire way to the floor, and Twilight didn't want to see any of her friends turned to ceiling-lunch. A few steps further, Twilight caught sight of some steps leading up to a wall with another hatch at the end of the curving hallway. The banging was getting louder. "Wish I could see what was making all the racket," Rainbow said. "I can barely think!" "Wait," Rarity turned towards Rainbow, "you mean you actually use that thing?" She tapped the side of Rainbow's head. "Oh, ha, ha," Rainbow said blankly. Twilight had been carefully approaching the door as Rarity and Rainbow Dash held back. Her hoof was almost on the lever when Rainbow Dash flew up to her. "Wait!" she said. "Let me. I wanna see what we're dealing with, here." Before Twilight could protest, Rainbow had already pressed the lever and was anxiously waiting to peer inside. Her wings were flared, and her feathers were rustled. When the hatch finally hissed open, Rainbow took a step inside and looked around. "Finally! A window!" she flew out to the center of the room to look through it. "What could possibly—" The window exploded, filling the room with glass shards. Twilight threw her hooves over her head, trying to peer between her forearms to see what was happening. Many of the shards cut into her forehead and chin, but the suit absorbed most of the damage. A loud scream from Rarity pierced the room. "RAINBOW!" Twilight shouted, putting her hooves down so she could see what was going on. Her mouth never closed after she said that. Her eyes widened, and her feet froze to the floor. Something was on top of Rainbow Dash. That's how she would have described it. "Something". Because her eyes still couldn't make sense out of what she was seeing. It was green. And it was so large, it filled the entire room and extended right out the window. Rainbow Dash was sprawling on the floor, trying to get out from under it. "Uh," she said, struggling, "a little help, guys!" Twilight could barely think with Rarity screaming in her ear. She turned around, "Rarity, STOP!" she said, forcibly closing her mouth. "We gotta help Rainbow!" "What do we do?!" "We have to—" "GUYS! HELP!" Twilight felt a fire rupture within her at these panicked words, and pulled her hooves free of the ice binding them to the floor. "COME ON!" she yelled, running out into the room like some crazed mad-pony. The creature, which Twilight now realized was just the end of an enormous "stem" originating from the inside of the silo, had managed to wrap two thick black tentacles at its base around Rainbow's torso, and was dragging her across the floor. "TWILIGHT!" she yelled, seeing Twilight run out into the room. Twilight lunged forward stupidly and grabbed onto Rainbow's front hooves with her own, trying to use her rear hooves to dig into the floor. "RARITY!" Twilight yelled. She could feel herself being dragged across the room with Rainbow. Her hooves struck the side of some sort of desk or cabinet resting against the window-side wall, and Twilight pressed them into it for leverage. She could see Rainbow's face the entire time, scrunched and strained as she fought with every hoof and wing for freedom. She could tell Rainbow was slipping out from its grasp. "I... I..." Rainbow said, "I GOT A WING OUT!" She flared it around, and Twilight could suddenly feel more progress as she strained to push against the cabinet. Rainbow struggled to get her other wing out. "I'm coming, Twilight!" Twilight's eyes went wide as she caught a glimpse of something white dashing towards her to her right. "Don't worry, Twilight! I got you!" The next thing Twilight knew, her hooves had been pulled out from under her, wrapped up in Rarity's forehooves. Immediately, Twilight felt herself lurch forward, letting go of one of Rainbow's hooves. "RAINBOW!" she yelled, trying desperately to hold onto something, but Rainbow's other hoof was slipping fast. She felt herself yanked forward, all the way out the window, until Rarity's own hooves locked against the wall. As she ground to a halt, she felt Rainbow's hoof slip most of the way out, until they were hanging on by the tip. And then, with a snap, they parted. Twilight gasped as she felt herself fall to the ground, rear hooves still clung to by Rarity. Her body landed on the desk, head still sticking out the window, and was immediately dragged the rest of the way into the room. "TWIIIIIIIIIIIIILIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" Rainbow Dash's voice could be heard fading away, and Twilight could still see a glimpse of blue attached to the strange stalk as it descended to the bottom of the silo. "RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight shook her hooves free of Rarity's an ran up to the window in a panic. "We have to do something, Rarity! We have to do something NOW!" She turned back to Rarity and saw she was already on her hooves and dancing around. "What to do, what to do what to dowhattodo—" "We have to get in there!" "In THEEEEEERE??!" Rarity squawked. "But there's THREE OF THEM!" "I know! I see them, but—" "There has to be another way!" "I know, I know. I'm looking—AH! YES! The rocket control command!" The "drawer" she had been pushing her feet against turned out to have a lot of buttons and switches on them, which Twilight quickly realized controlled the rocket engine that had been mounted to the ceiling. "Come on, come on comeoncomeoncomeon," she shouted, slamming her hoof into the launch button. "It's out of fuel!" "Well we can't just throw grenades at it, that'll just make it mad!" "I know, I'm thinking!" Twilight jabbed her hoof at the button a few more times, more as a stress reliever than anything. "We have to get the fuel on somehow. There has to be a source—", she glimpsed some red and blue tubes on the ceiling coming from the rocket engine. "PIPES!" she yelled. "Follow the pipes! Come on, Rarity! We'll go outside and see where the pipes go, COME ON!" Twilight ran out the door, barely looking behind her to see if Rarity was following. "If we're lucky, it won't be too far!" "Twilight, the catwalks outside are a dead-end, remember?" Rarity was hot on her heels. "They don't go anywhere!" "I know, but we need to try. Watch out for the—" There was a crash as Twilight's hoof landed on the floor and kept going. Part of the catwalk had simple crumbled beneath both of them, sending them tumbling onto the catwalk below. "Twiliiiiii—" rarity screamed. The both landed on the catwalk below. Twilight felt the impact of it, and looked back at Rarity just before she felt the second one break under he weight. "Rarity, catchme!" Twilight yelled, grabbed onto Rarity's hooves before she fell. Twilight's weight dragged Rarity forward a few inches, but she finally stopped, hanging onto a dangling Twilight. "Twilight!" Rarity said, struggling to hold on. "I can't hold both you and the suit. You're too heavy." "Just... hold on!" Twilight said. She looked around at the very tall outer perimeter of the silo, and the layers of catwalks above and below them. "If you can just pull—wait! No! There's a catwalk just below me!" She wiggled her rear legs. "Just let me go. I'm low enough it shouldn't break." "But what if it does! There's nothing left under that!" "Trust me!" They stared at each other, Rarity wincing under the strain of holding Twilight up. Twilight gave a small nod, and Rarity loosened her grip. Twilight slid down as much as she could, and then let go, landing with a small thud on the catwalk below. She quickly retreated to an area where the catwalk was sitting directly on one of the beams that supported them before catching her breath. "Are you all right?" Rarity asked, peering down the hole Twilight had just dropped down. "I'm fine, but Rainbow Dash still needs our help." She looked around and saw a hatch not too far away She assumed there must be an exit hatch at every level. "You stay up there and see if you can find the fuel. I'll look down here. We'll meet back at this opening, got it?" "How will you get back up?!" "Don't think about that right now." Twilight said. "We'll figure that out when we get back. Let's go rescue Rainbow Dash!" ========================================================= Rarity still had her hoof out from when she was holding onto Twilight. She blinked, and wiped the shocked look off her face. "Okay, Rarity," Rarity said to herself, getting onto her hooves. "You can do this. It's completely possibly to fire a rocket and be fabulous doing it!" She waved her mane around and looked around at the drab surroundings. All that ugly rust was cluttering what could otherwise be a glistening industrial marvel. But there wasn't time for that. Rainbow Dash was in trouble, and she alone had to do something! At least, that's what she kept telling herself. She struck the best pose she had for a pony about to launch out on a mission. Then she thought twice about charging off, and instead tiptoed lightly across the catwalk, praying she wouldn't land on a part that would crumble beneath her—or worse, snag her hoof on something sharp. "These architects really need to be more careful," she said aloud. "This material is much too flimsy! Don't they know somepony could be hurt?" She swung her head up and sighed. "I suppose I shall simply watch my step," she said, picking up the pace. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for being late to Rainbow's rescue." She finally found the ugly hatch that lead to the outer section. She would most certainly be pleased to be away from all the ruckus that monster was making. If she had had her way, she would gladly have stayed just to teach it some manners. It should know better than to strike its nose into the walls. That causes dents, after all. The hatch swung open to reveal a catwalk leading to one of the many hallways at the end. Rarity would have charged forward except for the zombie standing in the middle, surrounded by— "Explosives?!" Rarity said to herself. "This keeps happening! The ponies have no consideration for safety around here!" She grimaced before leaning forward onto her hoof. She would have winced had she not been expecting the tremendous sound of the gun being fired. "Well, I suppose I could use better aim." She trotted back behind the hatch opening and peered around. Hopefully the wall would stifle the sound. She leaned against her hoof again, keeping the gun pointed in the general direction. It was still uncomfortably loud, but at least it helped. She had to shoot a few more times before the air satisfyingly exploded around her ears. She looked around to see a lack of explosives and zombie in the way. She smiled to herself, and remembered how before, she would have cowered or hidden her ears to do such a thing. She galloped to the spot to see how well she did when she stopped short. "Wha—but—my catwalk!" She stared at the ground in disbelief. "Darn it, Rarity, you went and blew your path up!" She peered over the edge, and saw it against the green glow dozens of feet below her. "Well, this isn't going well at all!" She backed up, feeling dizzy from the sight. "Why, the only way across now is by those pipes spanning the gap!" She recognized the pipes from the inside of the silo. "Well at least I'm going to right way." She stared at them for a moment. "The red could use a slightly lighter shade." She caught herself. "Ah, but no time for that! Rainbow Dash." She tiptoed onto the pipes as lightly as she did the catwalk. "Ooooo..." she wavered, trying not to wobble too much. As wide as it was, being this high made it feeling like a balance beam. She never did make a good ballerina, yet somehow she always made it to the other side. As soon as she made it across, she galloped full speed into the hallway and collapsed onto the ground—not because she was out of breath, but because she wanted to hug the beautiful, solid ground beneath her hooves. "Oh, I would kiss this if it wasn't all filthy and covered in germs," she said. "Oh, what the heck." She plowed her muzzle into the ground and gave it a smack. "EWWWYUCK!" She made some spitting noises without actually spitting, and first wiped her lips, then her tongue. "That's the last time I do that," she said. She got up, and noticed the pipes still following her. In fact, the pipes were the only thing to take note of in the entire hallway! Everything else was just dark, drab concrete. She turned the corner and galloped across the empty stretch. "Follow the pipes. Just follow the pipes," she said, trying to catch her breath. "Follow, follow, follow..." She rounded the corner again and ran into a metal door with a light over it. The sign read "Fuel Room". "AHA! Fuel," she said triumphantly. "Well, that was easy. I'll just—" she looked around and only saw a small keypad next to her. "A passcode?!" she said. "Well, that's just delightful. How am I supposed to find a passcode?!" She thought for a moment, taking note of the way the beige bricks clashed with the metal door. "I'd change the door color to green," she said. "But that can wait. Passcode!" she said, turning around to start looking. Perhaps some nice pony had written down the password for the door on a sticky note, and lift it somewhere easily accessible. At least, that was the only thing she could hope for. She trotted into the room, noting the flimsy pillars here and there, plus the floor's constant back-and-forth between tile and diamond-plate. It was most distracting, especially in the inconsistent lighting. Unfortunately, the area was small enough that she had explored the entirety of it within seconds. The section in the back had a ladder that went to a lower part, but she really didn't feel like going there. For one, she could already see down there by looking over the railing behind the ladder, and for two, it didn't seem to go anywhere. Nevertheless, it seemed to the only place left to go. She walked daintily in front of the ladder, and carefully placed each hoof onto the rung, following what she was sure were the proper procedures that all maintenance ponies should follow. "One—hoof—at—a time," she chimed, making each move as fluid as she could. "Aaaand, that's it," she said, getting off with a flourish. "Now then! What glamorous thing does Rarity have to do next?" She trotted around the ladder, taking extra care not to look at (or step on) any of the pony corpses in the corner. "A ponyhole!?" She looked in disbelief at the round hold in the ground, partially covered by a matching metal cover. "Of all the places I have to explore." "Still, it's better than going back empty hooved." She took a deep breath, and pushed the cover out of the way. "I hope Twilight's having better luck than me." ========================================================= Twilight peered around the open hatch at the walkway leading to the hallway at the other end. There was a creature on the other side, delightfully preoccupied with something on the ground. She resisted her kill-on-sight impulse for a moment to consider simply tip-toeing past it, but reconsidered. A grenade should do nicely here. She aimed carefully, pulling the pin before galloping out onto the catwalk to throw it. She didn't trust herself to toss it the entire length. She waited until she heard the tink of metal on concrete before turning around and ducking. The ground shook as the shock wave struck her, and she was slightly worried about the catwalk crumbling from under her. Luckily, it was still intact. She got up and inspected the large scorch mark on the ground. It smelled horribly. She even noticed a trail of smoke extending from just in front of her, and looked around for the source, only to find out it was her own tail. A few of the hairs had been singed, and a light trail of smoke was still wafting up from it. Twilight made sure there were no live flames on her it before setting out down the hallway. Unfortunately, there was nothing in this hallway that indicated fuel. There was just a thick, rough, metal cable in the upper left that looked like it could transfer a couple megawatts of power. Other than that, the rest of was just concrete and lights. Occasionally the cable would attach to a power reader the size of a book shelf, but none of the dials read anything larger than zero. She followed the hallway around a corner, and noticed the cable turned straight down and plunged into the ground. Of course, this made sense as soon as she saw the next room, whose floor looked to be suspended somehow. This was only because the material of the floor matched the catwalks back in the silo. That, and the floor ended at a large pit off to the right, complete with hoof-rails and a "boarding platform", which Twilight (correctly) assumed was for some sort of elevator. This whole place seemed to be for storage. There were enormous hooks dangling from long thick cables all over the ceiling, and many crates were scattered all around the room. The elevator was obviously for transporting something (although what it was transporting was a complete mystery). Perhaps the scientists lived down there? Whatever the case, Twilight stepped up to the boarding area and found a convenient button on the side to call the elevator. "Huh," she said out lout. "Something in this place actually makes sense!" She tried to peer down at where the elevator should be and felt her head spin at the dizzying height. There was no elevator. Instead, the floor was again covered in a glowing mass of goo. "Is this their idea of littering?!" she exclaimed aloud. "There's green goo everywhere in this complex!" Somehow, she really didn't want to know the source. She pushed the button anyway, despite the lack of elevator. Not entirely to her surprise, instead of an elevator, she heard some clunking noises approaching her from the bottom of the pit, and noticed that lights were turning on along the walls. She rolled her eyes. "Should have guessed," she said. "It's a light switch." She had already turned around the look for a ladder or a staircase when she heard a hissing sound from above her. She looked up to see some sort of yellow-ish grate or platform lit up on the ceiling, and realized the elevator had been sitting up there the whole time. "Why would it need to be up there?!" she asked. Regardless, she watched it descend, taking note that it was, in fact, a complete elevator, with sides and a ceiling, although it didn't have any doors. The ceiling had a blue light that illuminated the inside, but the outside of it was lit from the lights on the walls of the pit. Twilight watched as it reached the platform— —and went right past it without stopping. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" She waited until the roof was at her height, and leaped out onto the roof, grabbing hold of the thick cable at the top. She looked up at the platform quickly moving away from her. She pondered a bit at her rash actions. "I've... done stupider things," she thought out loud. "At least the cable seems to be in good condition." No sooner had she said this than the elevator came to a jarring halt, and made a terrible racket above her. She lowered her eyelids and stared at the wall of the pit. "Great," she said. "The pulley system's out." She looked up at the ceiling, grabbed hold of the cable, and jumped up and down a few times. There were a few creaks, but nothing seemed to free up. "Okay, Twilight. You're smart. You can get yourself out of this." She looked up at how high the platform was above her and gulped. "Right?" Now would have been the perfect time for a levitation spell. She cringed at the thought of having to use her horn that much again. She inched over to the edge of the lift, getting down on her belly and crawling as close as she could, and peered over the edge. She seemed to be about halfway down. It couldn't have been more perfect. A long crawl back up the rope, or an equally long fall into slime at the bottom. As she stared, she noticed a hallway she couldn't see from the platform above. The lights were on, and she could hear some machinery down there. "HEY!" she instinctively shouted. "IS ANYONE DOWN THERE?!" She waited, listening to her own voice echo around the pit. She watched the glow of the green fluid, taking note of how eerily calm it looked. Had it been water, she may have considered jumping. She was just about to inch backwards onto her hooves when she heard a faint echo from below. "Is someone up there?" Twilight looked back over the edge and squinted. She could barely see the form of a pony at the edge of the hallway. "YES!" she yelled. "I'M TRAPPED UP HERE! CAN YOU GET ME DOWN?!" She listened carefully for a reply. A second later, the distant voice of the pony could be heard again. "What are you doing up there? It's not safe!" Twilight rolled her eyes before looking back down for a reply. "I THINK I KNOW THAT NOW!" It was a while before she heard the next reply. Twilight hoped he was looking for some way to get the elevator to the bottom, but for all she knew, he had simply abandoned her. It wasn't for another 5 minutes that he came back, and another faint message came back to her. "Looks like the elevator's jammed!" Twilight looked up and made a very exasperated groan at the ceiling. "Do you see another way down?" Twilight was just about to give the pony a piece of her mind when she heard this last statement. She had done some looking around, but hadn't seen anything overly obvious, save for a ladder along the side of the pit. "THERE'S A LADDER, BUT IT'S TOO FAR AWAY!" she shouted back. Again, another 5 minute wait for a reply. It was as if there was a conversation going on at the bottom of the lift that she couldn't hear. "Can you try jumping to the ladder, and using the rungs to slow your fall?" Twilight couldn't have thought of a worse plan if she tried. She imagined the scenario, and saw herself falling to her death in 12 different ways. Some had her landing on the ground, others in the goo. Sometimes she reached the rungs, but slipped and got pushed onto her back. In one scenario, she even saw herself clinging onto a rung and injuring her shoulder from the impact. One thing was consistent, though: every scenario saw her dead at the end. She was just about to give up and try it anyway when she heard a loud snapping sound above her, and felt the elevator move down a step. She nearly fell off, but managed to use her hooves to stay rooted on her belly. "I THINK THE CABLE'S COMING LOOSE!" she yelled. She didn't wait for a response. She was on her hooves and back at the cable as quickly as she could, and looked up hopefully at the cable. Another snap, another step. This time, she was ready, clinging onto the cable as tightly as she could. And then, with another snap, the elevator freed completely, and Twilight suddenly found herself screaming for dear life. The cable had completely snapped somewhere up above, and had sent the elevator in free fall. The feeling of her stomach dropping out from under her was a familiar one, but one she wouldn't call "comfortable". It only lasted for a couple seconds, though, and the goo at the bottom was viscous enough to give a soft landing. She looked around sarcastically as the elevator sunk into the goo, still clinging onto the elevator cable (which she noticed was flaccid), and looked into the hallway at two scientist stallions staring back at her. The floor of the elevator sunk into the goo, and quickly traveled until the goo was up to her waist before it stopped. Hazardous Chemical Detected, the suit rang out. She lowered the lids of her eyes and stared back at the scientists. "You, uh," one of the scientists started, "You need some help?" She stared at them for a few more seconds, still holding the flaccid cable. "You think?" she said blankly. Another few seconds passed. "It, uh," he continued, looking up curiously at the pit, "It looks like the cable broke." Twilight didn't move. "Yeah," she said. "I noticed." "It's a good thing that stuff was at the bottom to stop your fall, huh?" Twilight still hadn't lifted her eyelids. "Yeah. Gooooood thiiiiiing," she said, being sure to emphasize each word as sarcastically as she could. The scientist seemed to have finally run out of words, and turned to his colleague, who had been standing just behind him and staring at her like she was another alien. "Why don't you help her out of there, Pipelight?" Twilight let go of the cable and dropped on all fours, letting the goo rise almost to her neck. "I think I can manage." ========================================================= "Step, aaaaaaand step, aaaaaaand step, aaaaaaaand step..." Rarity had been climbing down the ponyhole ladder for what felt like the last 10 minutes. She was beginning to wonder if there was an end. Every time she looked up, all she saw was the sides of the tunneling hole converge to a pin point at the top. "Aaaaaaand step, aaaaaaand ahh!" Her head had descended below the ceiling of a small tunnel. She peered through the rungs of the ladder at the dismal sight. "Oh, my!" she said, "A sewer for sure! It's going to take forever to get back up again!" There were yellow-ish lights on the ceiling, but they didn't do the best job of lighting the area. There was a large red pipe just above the ground that followed the tunnel around, though, which meant she could use that as a platform and avoid taking a dip into the nasty water flooding the ground. "This place could most definitely use some air freshener." She took a hoof off the ladder and pulled out a small container. "Good thing I always carry a can." She wafted the can around letting out a spay of freshener and taking a deep breath. "That's better!" She continued down the ladder until her hooves reached the pipe. It was a bit slippery, but it was plenty wide enough to walk on. She carefully got on all fours and turned around, spraying the freshener some more. "Now then! To get out of here." She held out the can and sprayed a little as she walked, closing her eyes occasionally as she enjoyed the minting smell. The tunnel bent around a corner to the right at the end, and she stopped to peek around. "Well, that won't do," she said, looking at the bars of a large gate blocking the way. "Looks like I'll have to go the other way." She sniffed her way back to the ladder, and carefully went around it, sniffing her way to the next right-hand corner. "Aha!" she said. "Another ladder. Rarity, you are a genius!" She walked right up to it, smacked her can of freshening with a kiss, and put it away as she started to climb. Luckily this was a much shorter ladder, and Rarity had only to push the lid up be able to climb out. She stuck her head out over the edge and examined the state of the floor before deciding it was at least satisfactorily clean enough to put her hooves on it to climb out. She lifted herself out onto all fours, shook out her mane, and looked around. The room was barely large enough to fit both her and the ponyhole she had come out of. It was mostly an excuse to allow the pony access to an open hatchway in one of the walls, identical to the ones leading out of the silo. More yellow light shown through, casting shadows across the room, but the hallway on the other side was warmly lit and somewhat cozy. "It feels like I'm in a submarine," she said. "All these hatchways and narrow passages—it barely qualifies as a hallway!" The passage was filled with openings in the left-hand side, which all opened into smaller compartments. Each one contained some sort of supplies that sat inside an open chest. The last one had some armaments sitting inside a green chest, complete with grenades. "Hmmm," she said, "no fuel. I'm not high enough to have reached the control room yet." She walked to the end of the short hallway and pulled the lever to open the hatch at the end. "These doors really could use labels," she said. "All these plain metal doors really don't help the poor ponies who don't have a map." She stepped out and looked around at the large amount of space. This place, much like the cargo area Twilight had explored, was just adjacent to a large pit. However, this one was much wider, with no green glow at the bottom. In fact, it even had catwalks that went all the way around the perimeter. Rarity stepped up carefully to the edge of the pit, taking note that there were no hoof rails or warning labels. She peered over the edge and gasped. What she saw was what she could only describe as Equestria's largest propeller fan. It was easily large enough to propel a cruise liner, and didn't seem to have anything to do with anything else in the room. "I don't remember seeing the budget reports for this thing when I was in the office." She looked up at the ceiling, which towered so far above her that it was dizzying. It was like somepony had taken a jet engine, blown it up to 10 times its size, tilted it on its end and built a room around it. It didn't make any sense. "Maybe this is part of a rocket." she said. "The... inside of a rocket, yes. That has to be it." She stood there for a while with her eyes cocked, wondering whether she should simply head back. The rest of the room was so plain it didn't even warrant exploring. "I guess there's not much harm in poking around a bit," she thought. "It's not like there's any other ponies in here." She turned around. "Right?" She waited for a response just in case. She turned around and started trotting around the catwalk, looking down at the fan as she went. It was a standard four-petal flower-shaped fan: the kind you see in the small hoof-held personal devices at the one-bit store. Each blade could have supported her entire Boutique, back when she was still making dresses. She was only a quarter of the way around when she reached a ladder that descended through an opening in the catwalk against the wall. She looked through it, and noticed it went to a lower catwalk, at the same level as the fan. She pushed her mouth to the side as she considered it, and decided there wasn't much to lose by looking. After all, it wasn't like there was anywhere else to go. "One. Step. At. A Time," she said as she descended. "Step, and step, and step, aaaaand step." She reached the bottom and had to gasp out loud at how majestic the fan looked from this angle. It looked like something that should be roped off at a museum. She walked around slowly, taking in every curve. The shapes of such things always made her mind turn to the curves of the pony body. She used to work with those curves every day while patching her fashions together. They were her life. Halfway around, she found another ladder that descended to a platform just below the fan. This platform looked flimsier than the catwalks, and lead straight up to the enormous shaft the fan rested on: a shaft that descended straight into the darkness of the pit. "Now that's just too far," she said to herself, looking at the flimsy platform. She couldn't help but admire the kind of ponies who would descend to such a place. "Why in Equestria would anyone want to go down there?" At the end of the platform, she could barely make out a red light resting against the top of the shaft. "Is that," she started. "NO! No pony in their right mind would dare put a switch in such a horrid location!" She stuck her head up and "hmphed". She turned around and started to head back. And then something struck her in the back of her mind. She stopped, and contemplated. Her eyes narrowed, and she backed up a few paces to stare at the red light. It was like it was beckoning to her. It longed to be pressed, to be made green—to work. Of course, such a fan couldn't possibly work. It was too big. Nothing that big could spin worth anything. And yet, curiosity kept building. She walked back to the ladder, grinning at the thought of actually pressing it, just to see what would happen. "Oh, all right," she finally said. Just before she grabbed onto the ladder, she did a little dance and giggled like a little girl. "I can't believe I'm doing this!" She was much more careful on this ladder. She had half a mind to turn back after every step, but the adrenaline was already flowing. She was sure she could race back up the ladder if anything went wrong. The platform looked much wider down here than it did from the catwalk. There was nothing between her and the darkness of the bottom of the pit. She would have been downright scared from the utter silence and darkness surrounding the area had it not been for the sheer majesty above her. It felt like she was exploring a giant's house, and this was the fan for the disposal in the sink. She giggled at this analogy, and tried to imagine a giant hoof reaching down, and a pair of eyes looking down at her through the top of the pit. She walked dramatically up to the fan, right up to the red light, and noticed there was a second light as well: a green one just under the red. It was protruding slighting. "Should I push it? Should I not push it? Should I push it? Should I not push it?" She went back and forth for a few seconds before finally having another giggle fit. There really wasn't a choice anymore. She had to do it. She closed her eyes and stuck her hoof out for a second before pulling it back and giggling some more. "Okay, okay, okay." she said. "Don't think about it. Just do it." She jabbed her hoof into it without a further thought, and both felt and heard the satisfying click of the button pressing. The red glow turned to green, which lit up the area she was standing in. Had she not looked up at the fan, she wouldn't have been able to tell if it had worked. It was moving so slowly, and so quietly, there was almost no difference. "Okay, I really should shut it off now," she said, still giggling slightly. "Aaaaaand off!" She jabbed her hoof into the red protruding button. Nothing happened. Rarity frowned. "Aaaaaand OFF!" she said a little louder, really putting her weight into it. It wouldn't budge. "Off! Off! OFF! You. Defiled. Thing. Why. Won't. You. Turn. OFF!" she said with every bang, each one harder than the last. She looked up against, and noticed the fan was moving a bit faster now. "Uh... oh..." she said quietly. "Well, nice being here, better get back, BYE!" She galloped back to the ladder and climbed it straight to the top. Every second the fan moved faster, and she was starting to feel a breeze each time a blade passed by. It was a sprint back to the other ladder as the wind picked up. By the time she started climbing, the wind was whipping her mane around violently in intervals. "Okay. Here we go," she said, putting her hooves on the rungs. "Up. Up. Up, up,up,upupupupupupup," she had never climbed a ladder faster in her life. As she climbed, the wind became steady, and she had to fight a bit to stay on the rungs. "Okay," she thought, "Here we are. The top." She inched over and felt some of the wind die down as it was blocked by the catwalk. However, her mane was still being blown around as she galloped back into the main part of the room. It was making quite a noise now. The hatch back into the hallway was still open, and she burst back in, intent on climbing out of the sewers before the fan tore down the entire facility. After all, a fan that large most certainly would destroy at least the entire room it was in, right? As she entered, however, she noticed the hatch at the other end was still closed. She looked for another switch, but there wasn't any. "Ah!" she thought. "Other door." She turned around and tried flipping the lever for the other hatch, hoping they were connected somehow. It was stuck. Rarity gritted her teeth, and felt herself starting to turn red. "What is the matter with the equipment in this place?!" she shouted. "Every darn thing I try to use breaks!" She could hear the wind still picking up outside, and felt some of the hairs on her mane and tail flip around even from inside the hallway. She entered one of the tiny rooms on the side of the hallway and curled up. "Well!" she said to herself, "A fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Rarity." ========================================================= Twilight looked at the dials on the power device. Every one of them was sitting at zero. "We're thinking the generator isn't turned on," one of the scientists said. He was a brown stallion with a blond mane. Twilight turned towards the stallion, who was silhouetted against the green goop she had just climbed out of. Much of it stilled clung to her suit. "Well, I really have no reason to doubt you," she said, her eyes still lidded. "Everything else you've said so far has been correct." The stallion smiled, clearly not picking up on her sarcasm. "So, do you think you could help switch it on? You do have a hazardous environment suit, after all." "Yes, indeed!" the other scientist chimed in. This one was blue with a brown mane. "Those new suits can come in handy in a tight spot." Twilight merely sighed quietly at this, and turned to look down the passage to the generator. The scientists had pointed out that there was a third scientist who had already gone down there. "Why don't you two go down there yourself?" she asked. "Isn't maintaining the generator exactly what you two do all day?" The stallions looked insulted. "Oh, my, Celestia no! We leave that to the maintenance crew," one of them said. The other one continued, "We just monitor the gauges here, and let someone know if they do anything unusual." Twilight watched as the stallion trotted up to one of the gauges. "Looks like it's still at zero." The brown maned one answered. "Right O! Still a problem." They both turned to Twilight, closed their eyes, and beamed at her. Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. "Look. I really need to get the rocket in the Silo turned on. Do you know where the fuel is?" "The fuel?" The brown one said. The blue pony answered, "Why, that's on the other side of the silo!" Brown pony: "You'd need to climb back up that shaft!" Blue: "And head back to the Silo!" Brown: "And through the other hallway!" "WHAT?!" Twilight said. Blue: "But if it's a rocket you want to fire," Brown: "that thing won't fire without power." Blue: "Why don't you take a look?" Brown: "You might find it'll come in handy." They beamed at her again. Twilight sighed, feeling a bit better than before. "Right," she said. "Power." She rounded the corner, not bothering to say another word before she departed. She stepping through the spilled goop in the middle of the hallway, and came out into another pit-room. It was as though every other room in this part of the complex was a mini-silo. Did they do this as a joke?! This one wasn't as tall as the other one, but it still had the obligatory goo at the bottom. She looked up and noted: more catwalks, more ladders, more darkness. "Of course," she muttered to herself. At least she could see the generator at the top: a large cylindrical metal contraption suspended by two metal beams. It reminded Twilight of some sort of a bloated sauce pot left too long on the stove, save for the bare wires all around it. Instead of simply putting a catwalk at ground level, however, this place had another platform with a control switch, which Twilight assumed was another elevator of some kind. It certainly couldn't have called another elevator, as this platform had hoof-rails all around it. She walked up and pushed the button, half-expecting it to not work, and found herself clinging on for dear life to the hoof-rails on either side of her. The entire platform had swung a complete 180 around the perimeter of the entire room. It came to a halt on the other side, leaving Twilight winded. She swung her hoof into the dial out of spite. "Ow!" she said, holding up her hoof and examining the suit. "I thought this thing was supposed to protect me against everything!" She grimaced, and turned around to face the ladder. "Well, at least this is better than the elevator." Twilight could see a hoof sticking out just above the generator, waving violently. She shook her head and continued to climb. "Hey!" a voice said, "Go back!" She crested the top of the ladder, which went straight through one of the beams supporting the generator, and saw that she could use the beam as a platform. A cowering white stallion with wavy blond hair could be seen at the top. "Stay away!" he shouted. "Go back! Isn't safe!" Twilight saw a button on the side of the generator as she walked up to it. "Is there something wrong with the generator?" she asked. "Not safe! Go back!" Twilight scratched the top of her head, wondering if she should try pressing the button anyway. "You know," she said, looking up at the ceiling just in case, "I don't think there's anything in here that can hurt you. Why don't you just go back to the other ponies?" The stallion shivered, curling up into a ball. "C-c-can't. T-t-too late. T-they're coming! T-they're already here!" Twilight cocked a brow and looked around. "Uh... who?" Her hoof was resting on the power button. "T-t-the... ZEEEEN!" he said. "QUIET!" he yelled out, piercing the entire room, "they'll heeeeeeeeear you..." Twilight just stared at him, keeping a brow cocked. "Oooooooookay! I'm going to turn the generator on now." She pressed the button, and watched satisfyingly as a green light illuminated above it. "I'm going to go away now, okay?" she said to the stallion. "D-d-d-don't leave! ZEEEEEEN, remember?" Twilight was honestly getting scared now as she headed back to the ladder. She was just about there when she yelled out. "AH!" Something large and metallic nearly hit her in the head, and swung into the wall with a bang. She quickly climbed down the ladder to avoid anything else. It turned out there were two pendulums that had swung down the walls. They had made a few connections just before Twilight heard the generator spring to life. As Twilight got back onto the last-moving platform, she could still hear the stallion at the top. "zeeeeeeeeeeeen..." Twilight took a deep breath before heading back down the passage to the two scientists. "Excellent!" the blue one said, starring at the gauges. "Somepony has restored all power!" "We'll have the engine up again in no time," the brown one answered, walking up to him. Twilight rolled her eyes and walked around them. "I think I'm going to see myself out," she said, finding the ladder that climbed to the top of the pit. "Don't worry about me." Neither of the two stallions seemed to notice. ========================================================= The wind from outside the hallway sounded like a locomotive hurling down the tracks. It was quite clear, now, why the entire room was empty. The wind could probably pick up a house. Rarity was still curled up in the room. She backed up, and felt the box behind her rup up against her flank. "This is ridiculous," she said to herself. "I can't just stay curled up in here. What am I waiting for? The fan to run out of power?!" The thought did occur to her. "I must prevail!" she said, standing up and striking a pose. "I must! I must! I MUST!" She galloped down the hallway and back out into the room. No sooner had she gone through the door than her entire face flailed back from the wind, making her skin ripple against her skull. Her mane and tail had completely come unraveled, and she felt lucky they hadn't detached from the rest of her body. She pushed forward against the wind, right up to the edge of the pit, and looked up. The top was boarded up to the point that she couldn't see anything beyond a few dozen feet, but she was sure it went on much higher than that. Time to knock open a new way, she thought, unable to move her lips. She galloped back into the hallway, where the wind wasn't as strong, and moved around her mouth, trying to get some feeling back. The grenades were here, which she saw fit as the perfect way to break through. "Ok-ey, Ra-ity!" she said dramatically through numb lips, "-ime to b-low -tuff up! MMPH!" She added the last part in protest of her own mouth. She had to put her hoof up to prevent the wind from obscuring her vision as she walked close enough to the pit to stand a chance at tossing. In fact, she didn't really even have to "toss" the grenades at all, if she got close enough. A couple of them went soaring out of her hooves by accident simply by holding them too far out over the fan. Just hold the pin, Rarity. she though. Hold—the—pin! She did just this, and felt the rest of the grenade slip away as her hoof reached over the pit. A few seconds later, there was a flash above her. She could barely hear the explosion above the sound of the wind. She followed suit with the remaining grenades, and watched the boarded up passage fade away with each one. The wind died down slightly as more of the air was free to go upwards. Rarity walked right up to the edge, until she could feel the torrent against her chin. It felt like she was trying to push her body against a solid piece of metal going the speed of a train. She backed up, holding her chin, and felt that was red and raw. "There's no turning back, Rairty," she said, walking back to the wall and striking another dramatic pose. "I must explore this final territory! I must restore peace and fuel to this silo! I. Must. PREVAIL!" She galloped down the runway at full speed and jumped straight into the wall of wind. She accelerated so quickly, her initial thoughts were of a quick death against the ceiling. It was like being flung from a super-powered catapult. Everything happened so quickly, she could hardly think. She barely realized she was screaming, save for her terribly sore throat. She slowed down just as she saw the ceiling approach, and saw a small opening in the back. She had nearly reached the wall at the other end. Twilight Sparkle would have pointed out her conserved momentum from galloping, but Rarity just considered it magic. She reached up with a hoof, as though she was simply jumping incredibly high, and tried to grab hold of the edge of the tiny hole in the wall— —and flew right past it, slamming into the ceiling. "Ow..." she said, before peeling off the ceiling and falling back down the pit. The wind picked back up, and before she had time to think, she was being flung back up against as though by a spring. This time, she didn't go quite as fast, and was able to grab hold of the top of the opening. The wind wasn't enough to keep her level, and she fell back down, managing to grab hold of the bottom of the opening before she fell the rest of the way. She hoisted herself up, wondering whether it was worth letting go once more for another chance. With some concerted effort, she managed to make it over the edge. She collapsed onto her belly inside and caught her breath. The inside of this area was tiny—nothing more than a glorified ventilation duct—and was only lit with a dim red light. "Well!" she said, finally catching her breath. "That's one way to go back upstairs." She crawled around on her belly before trying to get back onto her hooves. The area was too short for her to fully extend her limbs, so she ended up moving around like a fish on the ground. "Now, I can't be too far from the control room," she said, looking around on the ground. "There has to be an exit around here somewhere." There wasn't much to explore. It didn't even extend as far as the ventilation ducts they had traversed back in the storage facility where the soldier were. There was a light breeze from the fan, but nothing like what she experienced before. "That fan had better not just be the air-conditioning for this place," she mumbled. She didn't have far to go until she found a number of grates scattered around the floor. She peered down the first one, and noticed it wasn't too far from where the hallway lead out to the entrance to the fuel room. "HAHA!" she screamed. "I may yet be in luck!" A few checks later, and she had found the entrance to the fuel room, and the very next guess placed her directly over it. "Now," she thought, "to get through." She lifted her hoof and brought it down on one of the grates, letting out a loud "OW!" as she did. "That thing's sharp," she whined. As she rubbed her poor hoof, she caught a glimpse of a light on the ceiling next to her, and realized one of the grates was already open, making her feel silly for trying to break one open. She crawled over and peered through, seeing a step-ladder just below. "I guess they tried to escape?" she asked to herself. "Well, whatever. At least I don't have to jump down." She carefully lowered herself onto the ladder and climbed down, looking around the room as soon as she reached the bottom. There wasn't much to see. The red and blue pipes roamed around in a few places, but other than that, it was just another standard metal chamber littered with bodies. "Let's see... fuel, fuel, fuel," she muttered to herself. "FUEL!" She ran over to a large control panel the size of the panel for the test rocket in the silo, and noticed two large buttons: one red, one blue, each marked with a label. "Feeeeul!" she said dramatically, ramming her hoof into the red button. A click and a rumble sounded before the light glowed red above the switch. "HAHA!" she screamed. "Something around here actually works!" She looked at the other one, which said "Oxygen". "Better turn that one on as well," she said. "Just in case." Luckily, that one worked too. Rarity was just about to head back to the ladder when she realized how silly it would be if the door just so happened to work. She looked around, and saw a ladder over in the direction where the door should be. She was at the top within seconds, and came face to face with the same door she had already had problems with. "Ah, should have known," she said, looking at the wall to the side. "Another keypad." She rest her hoof against it and tapped some buttons in jest. "Be nice if it worked." With a hiss, the door swung wide open, leaving Rarity staring wide-eyed and gaping. She stepped through slowly, looking around at the same room she had been standing in when she was still searching for the key code. She gritted her teeth for a moment, and considered kicking something before taking a deep breath. "There will be time for that later," she said. Without another word, she galloped back to the silo at full speed, happily listening to the gurgling sounds of the fuel being pumped through the pipes. ========================================================= Twilight hadn't stopped running since she had reached the top of the ladder. The last minute and a half were a complete blur, but she was definitely back at the silo. She flipped open the hatch to the inside, and ran back across the catwalks, clattering loudly until she reached the hole where she fell through. "Rarity?" she asked. "Are you there?" As an answer, a head poked through the opening. "Well, it's about time, dear! I've been trying to figure out how we were going to get back up to the top!" They both leaned in and gazed at how high the top catwalk was. "Come down with me, Rarity. I think I have a plan, but it's not going to be pretty." Rarity gawked. "Down?! But—" "No time!" Twilight said. The banging from inside the silo had waited until now to really start up. Twilight had hardly notice how quiet it had been until just now. Twilight watched as Rarity's hind legs dangled from the hole, followed by her torso, her head, and finally her top hooves. "You want me to simply let go?" she asked, still dangling from the top. "It's a short drop," Twilight said. "We can get back to the top as a group. It'll be easier." Before Rarity had hit the ground, Twilight was already running further up the catwalk to look around. As she suspected, none of the catwalks went full-circle around the silo, and she reached a hoof-rail dead-end before long. She peered over the rail to see nothing but a long drop and some goo at the bottom. Of course, it wasn't the dead-end she was looking for. A light shed across the walkway not too far before the hoof-rail, and Twilight cantered quietly to where the light shown. "Twilight, where are you?" Rarity asked, rounding the corner. "Slow down!" Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, well you don't have to be like that, dear," she said, tiptoeing right up to her. "It was only a question." Twilight shook her head, "No, no. Just... lower your voice," she said, motioning downward with her hoof. She lead Rarity right up to where the light spilled out onto the walkway, and showed her the source of the light. There was a doorway the same size as the hatchways into the silo, only without the hatch itself, and directly on the other side was "You can't be serious, Twilight," Rarity gasped as quietly as she could. "We're going inside the chamber where she was captured?! In with that... that thing?!" As if in answer, one of the three stalks stopped its incessant banging, and reared back into a long, drawn-out moan that shook the floor and made their hide stand on end. Twilight gulped and nodded. "I have a plan," she said, getting out a few grenades. "Oh, Twilight, dear," Rarity said, shaking her head, "I really was just joking when I suggested we lob grenades at it." "No, no!" Twilight said quietly. "It's a distraction. I heard one of the ponies say that these things hear us. They're listeners!" Rarity both widened her eyes and rolled them at the same time. "That can't be right." "Here, watch." Twilight gently pulled the pin from the grenade with her magic, and tossed it through the doorway into a far corner. Rarity hid her ears, but the boom was muffled by the walls. No sooner had it done this than the sound of the banging started up full force right where the grenade went off. "Now, watch," Twilight said. Twilight positioned herself just to the side of the doorway and leaned against the wall. She then stuck out her hoof right in front of the doorway and wiggled it up and down violently for the next few seconds. Sure enough, the creature didn't stop banging in the same spot from when she threw the grenade. "You don't know that," Rarity said. "What if it just isn't looking at you?!" As an answer, Twilight hunched up onto her toes, and tiptoed through the door. "Twi—" Rarity started, before hunching herself up and tiptoeing after her. "Twilight!" she whispered. "Twilight, what are you doing?!" Twilight was already well into the room by the time Rarity caught up with her. As they had entered they both got a good look at the stalks, as well as the silo. When it attacked Rainbow Dash, Twilight had only caught a glimpse of the creatures, and thought them to be simple animated plants. However, as she got a closer look, she noticed the stalk was more like a neck with an enormous head at the end. The head was approximately oval-shaped, stretching out vertically from the top of the stalk. It was always bent over, though, feeling around with what looked like a large black beak at the end, which curved down and ended at a point like a hummingbird's. Both the beak and the small tentacles underneath the body were black, and Twilight now saw the tentacles as being like tiny limbs, so small they could only grab something if the head was directly over its pray. The banging finally made sense now. The creature's only real attack was to skewer its enemies with its sharp beak, which would immobilize it to the point it could pick it up. The creature didn't have eyes, Twilight could now see, but it did have a mock-eye painted on its side, much like a butterfly's back is falsely painted. Twilight would have stayed to quietly analyze its habits, but there was still Rainbow Dash to rescue. She looked up at the rocket engine on the ceiling above them. It was held by a tripod of red-blue pipes, thick electrical cable, and support beam, all running from the walls along the ceiling to the center. "Ladders," Twilight whispered to Rarity. She pointed over at a red ladder just to her left, propped against the wall, and leading up to the first of many layers of overhangs going around the perimeter of the room. "Twilight, wait!" Rarity whispered. Twilight had always tiptoed at a quick pace over to the ladder, and was already starting to climb. "Twilight, slow down!" Rarity shouted, watching as Twilight quickly climbed halfway up. "What if it's not—" There was a snap from the ladder, and a "Whoaoaoa!" from Twilight as the ladder parted from the wall, clanging against the hole it went through in the upper overhang. Rarity gasped as the creatures banging immediately headed in their direction. "Twilight!" Rarity bolted over to her and put her hooves over her head. Twilight saw it too. She inhaled deeply and held her breath, closing her eyes tight as one of the stems reared its head to strike down upon her. Just as it was about to lean in the strike, it leaned back and gave another almighty groan, shaking the entire room. The other two stalks did likewise. Twilight didn't stop to think about why it was doing this, and kept climbing the crooked ladder. She reached up with a hoof as she got to the hold in the overhang, and pushed the ladder back upright before looking down at Rarity. "Come on!" she said, waiting until Rarity was just below her before climbing up onto the platform. Rarity did likewise. "Just one more, and we can get into the control room," she said. They were now tiptoeing as quickly and quietly as their hooves would carry them. The next ladder was on the opposite side of the control room, but Twilight was confident they could make it without distracting the creature. "Hang on," she said, getting out another grenade. She pulled the pin and flung it to the platform just above them, where the ladder came up. After covering their ears and letting it shake the room, Twilight explained. "Boxes," she said. "They were blocking the way." The next ladder came and went without much event. Both of them held their breath in case it also detached from the wall, but this ladder was much more solidly build. Twilight could feel her heart pounding as she approached the control room. She was curious to know whether all the lights would work, showing them that everything was working properly. She guessed they would find out once they got inside. However, before they were completely around, Twilight stopped dead. There was a brown stallion dressed like a security guard standing inside the control room, looking around. He hadn't seemed to notice them, but was completely distracted by the three stalks rearing their heads and banging against the platforms. Twilight could tell he had a determined look on his face. Twilight had horrible visions of him pressing the launch button with them still inside the silo. There really wasn't anything she could do. If she warned him, the creature would hear. If they didn't, they'd get burned alive. Twilight was just about to toss a grenade somewhere to get his attention when she saw him leap heroically out the window. "HEEEEY!" he shouted at the creature, brandishing the gun on his shoulder. "HEY, OVER HERE! EAT LEAD, YOU OUTER SPACE OCTOPUS!" There was nothing she could do. Twilight simply watched as the guard managed to fire three shots just before the creature slammed on top of him with a bang. It wasn't pretty. The beak went right through his torso, spreading blood all over the platform. When the beak lifted, his body was still clinging on it, making the creature writhe around and bang random places trying to get it off. "Over here!" Twilight whispered, feeling a tight knot in her stomach as she tried to avoid the random strikes and tiptoe at the same time. "Quickly!" They didn't even bother avoiding the blood. Twilight leaped inside, followed by Rarity. They both jumped again as the creature struck the platform just outside the window. Without thinking, Twilight slammed her hoof into the "Test Fire" button, and hit the floor with both hooves over her head. Rarity followed suit. There was a hiss—a rumble— And the room exploded. It was like listening to a grenade constantly going off next to her ear. Twilight could feel the heat from above her, and knew the flames were wafting inside the control room. She kept reminding herself that heat only rises, but it didn't distract her from the burning sensation against the back of her head. She could only imagine what Rarity was experiencing. With one last puff, the engine died out, leaving a thick trail of smoke idling just above the ground. Twilight let out a violent cough, and staggered to her hooves. Her mane and tail were completely singed, and even parts of her hide had turned black from the smoke. "Is—cough—is everypony okay?" she said weakly. Rarity got up and looked around. "My tail!" she shouted. "My beautiful tail!" She thrust her mangled tail in Twilight's face. "RUINED!" she shouted, pointing out every scorch mark and place where the hairs were now uneven. Twilight smiled, and even giggled, glad that Rarity was okay. She looked around at the blackened equipment around them, and then at the hazy interior of the silo, which was now strewn with the melted biological matter of what used to be the alien creature. "Well," she sighed, "we did what we could." She climbed out the window and onto the platform, noting that parts of the inside of the upper platform were still glowing red. If it wasn't for the suit, she wouldn't have been able to stand the heat of the metal platforms. "You might want to stay inside, Rarity," she suggested. She turned back to the hole in the bottom of the silo where the stalks had been sticking out of, and waited. "Come on, Rainbow Dash," she whispered. The seconds rolled by one at a time, and Twilight was testing how long she could hold her breath. She was very aware of the exact way in which the smoke curved and rose all around the ground. She was very aware of the shape of the mass of creature sprawled all along the ground. After what seemed like hours, she finally heard something. A voice. Before she could call out, there was a pop, and a small black meteorite launched out of the hole, raining black debris onto the floor. It spread out its arms wide and uttered "OH, FOR PETE'S SAKE!" "RAINBOW!" Twilight shouted, dancing around on the floor. The black blob shook itself out, turning blue as it did so, and flew right up to the platform. "You guys couldn't have waited a few more minutes?!" Rainbow shouted. "I almost had 'em!" She swung her hooves around in a few mock-punches. Twilight's eyes went wide as she remembered the many groans the creature had been letting out. "That was you?!" Twilight said. "Heh, I was afraid you were just giving the poor thing indigestion!" "Indigestion is right," Rainbow said, trying to get the soot out of her mane and tail. "The way I was pounding that thing, it was probably begging to be killed!" Twilight actually laughed. She would have hugged her if she could reach that far. "Okay," Twilight said, crawling back into the control room with Rarity, "you've proved your awesomeness." Rarity had simply been staring with her mouth open the entire time, unable to comprehend how Rainbow Dash was still alive, much less unscathed. "I guess we should figure out how to get out of here," Twilight said, watching Rainbow hover just outside the window. "No problem!" Rainbow said, closing her eyes and hovering her hoof from side to side. "There's a pool the creature was covering up at the bottom of the pit." She turned around to look at it. "Now that it's seen the wrath of me," she turned to strike a pose, "it's been completely uncovered. It probably takes us straight out of the silo!" She flung her hooves into the air and smiled as she said this. Twilight nodded her head, not even bothering to refute. "Rarity? That sound good to you?" Rarity was still gawking at Rainbow Dash, and finally noticed all the other ponies staring at her. She blushed, and smiled lightly, realizing how rude it was of her to stare. "I, uh..." She looked up at Rainbow Dash. She was at a complete loss for words, but managed to get out a "It's good to see you, Rainbow Dash." She blushed even harder, trying to think of more to say. Twilight shifted her eyes between the two of them and nearly cracked up. "I guess it's good to see you, too," Rainbow said. Twilight let out a couple giggles. "Alright, you two," she said. "What say we get out of here."
Ganymede	724	7	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2013-04-15T02:51:37+00:00	2013-09-17T15:19:52+00:00	1,619	"And then," Rainbow said, flying up into a pose, "I whipped my hoof around, and WHAM! Right in the socker!" "Uh-huh," Twilight said for the thousandth time. They had been traveling down the pipes just outside the silo for a few minutes, during which Rainbow Dash had been giving them a blow-by-blow account of every punch, kick, and bite used in her triumphant defeat over the "dozen-tentacle behemoth" in the heart of the silo. Twilight would rather she simply write a book about it and be done with it. Getting out of the silo had proven to be a challenge. The pit Rainbow had been dragged into was much deeper than Rarity or Twilight had thought, and they had needed Rainbow's help in getting all the way down. Once down there, Rainbow wheeled them around in a tour of the dark green-goo-glowing cave where she fought against the base of the stalks. There was even a deep pool of water in the middle that turned out to be a small reservoir that lead just outside the main Silo. It ended up leading them to a waste collection zone, where they were travelling now. Actually, "Waste Collection Zone" was just the name Twilight gave it, based on the waterfall of less-viscous green goo that poured into a river-sized vat below them. The waves and running stream carried the waste to a Neighagra Falls sized set of roaring waterfalls in the distance that spilled hundreds of feet into a swirling vortex of green goo. Celestia-only-knew where it all went. Knowing Pony Mesa, Twilight guessed it was probably into some bunny-and-flower-infested forest somewhere. The best part of all of this was that the pipes they were standing on hovered right over the raging river of slime. The entire time they had been walking, Twilight could see the river flowing below them, as well as the mist and smoke of the rushing falls up ahead. "And then," Rainbow continued, "I whooshed around, and dodged another blow, like this." Rarity leaned up to Twilight and ducked as Rainbow did a barrel roll over them. "Dear," Rarity said, nudging Twilight. She nodded towards the falls up ahead. "Don't you think Rainbow should, you know..." "—and then, just as it was about to—" Twilight could barely see the massive chamber up ahead through the wafting mist of the falls. There was a much larger pipe hovering over the middle of the pit. She could just make out some sort of tiny wheel at the top, which she guessed was some sort of valve, and imagined that it had something to do with the large gap between it and the wall. The other end of the pipe wasn't connected to anything either, and judging from its jagged edges, it seemed to have broken clean in two. Had it not been for the cables holding it up, the little of the pipe that was there itself wouldn't even be there. She leaned back towards Rarity. "I'll see what I can do." Rainbow Dash was swimming through the air on her back next to them, demonstrating how she swam so casually after her big victory. She didn't even notice that Twilight had been eyeing her for the last few seconds. "A-hem!" Twilight said at last. Rainbow turned, mid-sentence. "Oh, right, of course!" she said, flying over to them. "How could I forget my assistants?" "Assistants?!" Rarity spat. "Well," Rainbow said. She put her hooves on her hips, "I couldn't have completely thwarted this thing without a distraction!" Rarity blew a raspberry in disbelief. "You have got to be—Twilight, can you believe her?!" she said, pointing at Rainbow Dash. Twilight ignored Rarity, and glared at the blue pegasus. "Rainbow, we need your help again." Rainbow put her hooves on her hips. "Of course you do!" she said valiantly. "What's it this time? A giant bird of prey? A manticore? A fire-breathing dragon?" Twilight felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Spike. "Whatever it is, Airman Rainbow Dash will be there to save the day!" She put a hoof up and made a supercolt pose. Twilight narrowed her lids and exhaled out of her nose. "We need you to carry us to the pipe," she said simply. Rainbow Dash's hooves slacked, along with her face. "Oh. Well, okay, I guess." She put her hoof behind her and scratched her neck. "But you're sure—you're absolutely positive there's no, like, giant four-headed hydra about to jump out of here, right?" Twilight glared at her. "Okay, okay!" Rainbow said, lowering down to her. "It was just a question." Twilight felt the hooves of Rainbow Dash around her waist again, but they weren't nearly as rough as they usually were. If anything, it was as though Rainbow was dragging her hooves the whole time. Twilight felt a light spray as Rainbow flew over the cresting green-goo-waterfall. She tried not to look down. The pipe in the center may as well have been suspended over a bottomless pit, had it not been for the bright glow wafting up from the bottom. "There's a wheel on the top," she said, pointing at the top of the pipe. There was a cable going from the wheel to the ceiling. "I'm hoping it controls the hatch to the pipe in the wall." Rainbow hovered to the small wheel, and set Twilight on the top of the pipe. She wobbled as she tried to balance herself on the curving ground. "Well," she said, "at least it's not slippery." She got her bearings, and carefully stepped around until she was facing the wheel. "Let's hope this works," she said, rearing back and placing her forehooves on it. It wouldn't budge. "Rainbow," Twilight said, jerking at the wheel a few more times, "can you get this open?" Had she thought about it more, she probably would have had Rainbow fly out and do this herself. As it was, she simply backed onto another part of the pipe, and watched Rainbow have at it. It wasn't a pretty sight. Rainbow tried lots of different approaches: pushing, pulling, flying, turning—none of them worked. All she accomplished was showing off her teeth and pouring beads of sweat. While entertaining to watch, it didn't do much for getting the hatch open. "Let me try loosening it up a bit," Twilight said. Twilight strained her horn, and concentrated on the wheel-shaft. Rainbow took this as an immediate sign to start pulling on the wheel again, and didn't let up the whole time Twilight worked her magic. It was difficult to conjure something into areas you couldn't see, especially something like a viscous fluid. Twilight had to take her best guess as to where the metal was stuck the worst. She wrapped it first around the base of the wheel, and spread it into the socket, squeezing it between the small cracks. "I... think it's... moving!" Rainbow said. "Just... a little... harder..." Twilight could hear her really straining as she moved the fluid as far into the socket as it would reach. There was a loud pop, followed by a voice-cracking yell, followed by a crash off to the left. Twilight stopped her spell, and noticed the wheel spinning around on its own. She looked around. "Rainbow?" she asked. Twilight looked at the waterfall, then the ceiling, then the wall with the exit pipe, and finally spotted a blue patch on the far wall just to the right of the hatch. It was almost spread-eagle, and would have made a nice abstract mural, had it not been alive. She heard it groan as a piece of the wall next to it cracked off and fell into the pit. "It looks like we got the hatch open!" Twilight yelled over the roar of the waterfall. She walked up to the edge of the pipe as Rainbow Dash extracted herself from the Rainbow-Dash-shaped crater in the wall. "We'll need your help again getting through the hatch," she said, looking at the wall. "I don't we can jump that far." Rainbow derped her way over to Twilight. "Yeeeeah," she said, flying around erratically, "about that." Twilight put her hoof up to shield herself from the glow, and looked out over the waterfall. "RARITY!" she yelled. "ARE YOU STILL OKAY OVER THERE?!" She could barely hear the faint "I'm fine, dear," in the distance, over the sound of the rushing green waste. Twilight gave Rainbow a look, and Rainbow derpily put a hoof up in salute. "Got it," she said. A streak of rainbow flew off erratically and crashed into one of the far pipes. "I'm okay," it said, and righted itself as it flew up to the white blur in the distance that was Rarity. Twilight couldn't make out Rarity's expression, but as Rainbow staggeringly lifted her off the ground, Twilight was sure it was anything but confident. Twilight watched as Rainbow flew like a colorful moth back to the pipe, and passed right by it. "Rainbow," Twilight said, pointing in front of her, "pipe, remember?" Rainbow staggered back. "Got it," she said. Twilight waited patiently until she heard the crash of Rainbow and Rarity in the exit pipe, and then called Rainbow back. She stood up inside the pipe, shook out her mane, tapped her hoof against her head a few times, as if trying to get water out of her ear, and took off again, this time no longer derped. "It's a nice thing this pipe is so much bigger than the others," Rainbow said as she lowered Twilight. "Makes it a lot easier to hit from a distance." She set Twilight carefully inside the pipe, right next to Rarity. Twilight was glad to be able to walk freely after being trapped on the island pipe, and promptly took off, leading them wherever the pipe would take them. "So, what makes you think this is the way out?" Rainbow asked hovering next to her. "Nothing, really," Twilight said. "In fact, there's really no signs or anything that says how to get out of here. I'm just basing it off the fact It leads in the opposite direction of the silo, that's all." Rarity pulled in front of Twilight and stopped her. "Don't you think you're being a bit rash about this? I mean—" Twilight walked right by her. "It's the only place to go, Rarity," she said, turning her head to look back at the other two. "Did you see another way?" Rarity cantered next to Twilight. "I didn't exactly have time to look, dear. I was carried pretty directly." Rainbow tailed behind them in the air, half-glancing behind her. "Twilight's right," Rainbow said. "there wasn't much room to fly around in there. Believe me, I would have known." "See?" Twilight said. "So long as we're not backtracking, we just have to keep walking and see where this pipe comes out." She picked up the pace, and rounded a corner. "For all we know, this could take us straight to the surface. Or better yet, into some laboratory somewhere!" "Uh, Twilight," Rainbow said. "I can already see it," Twilight said, closing her eyes as she walked. "Fellow scientists, all ready to welcome new members to their team, already charting out their path to the complex." "Twilight," Rarity started, "you might want to—" "And they'll have a map, too! A real map, of the entire facility!" she said. "And it'll—AHH!" There was a snap, and Twilight felt the surface of the pipe fall out from under her as it pivoted downward. She tried looking down to follow the mouth of the pipe, but had no control over where her body was in the air. There was a clunk as the pipe struck something just before it went vertical, and she felt her rump hit the pipe and slide at a steep angle. "RAINBO—" Before she could finish screaming, she landed on something hard, and felt it crack beneath her rump. Her head snapped back, and she found herself on her back looking straight up. The last thing she saw was Rarity's own rump sliding down the pipe directly above her. The wind was knocked out of her as it slammed into her body. She closed her eyes and grimaced. She would have groaned, but she didn't have any air left to groan with. Rainbow Dash gently lowered herself onto the ground behind them. "You know," she said, folding her wings, "you two need to stop doing that. It's getting kinda old." ========================================================= Twilight got up on all fours and rubbed her back. The light concrete floor was covered with wooden debris. "Well," Rarity said, still working on standing up, "at least that box broke your fall." Twilight looked around the room at the myriad of other boxes sitting in every corner of the oddly-shaped storage closet. It reminded Twilight of some of the storage rooms they were in, back when the military was attacking them. The only difference was it wasn't as bright. "I'm thinking it's the other way around," Twilight said. "My fall broke the box." She turned towards Rarity, "And considering what broke your fall, it's a good thing this suit is so strong. I'm not sure I could have survived that!" Rainbow was busy poking around at some of the boxes in the room. "What do you think's in here?" she asked. Twilight walked up to one of them. "I don't know," she said. "But considering the state of this facility, I don't think anyone would mind if we took a peek." She pulled out the crowbar and held it out towards Rainbow Dash. "I don't suppose you'd care to do the honors?" Rainbow snatched up the crowbar and swung it around. "WOULD I?!" Twilight stood back and ducked as Rainbow swung it back over her head, and kept going until it hit the box in front of them. There was a satisfying whack of metal on wood, followed by a blur of colors. Regardless of the fact the top of the box snapped in half after the first blow, Rainbow kept going at it until the entire box was reduced to saw dust... ... and then spun out into a rainbow tornado as she demolished every box in the room. "Rainbo—whoa!" Twilight ducked as some of the wood pieces flew over her head. "You really don't—AH!—need to—ow!" Twilight kept putting her hoof up and flinching as more debris came her way. Rarity got behind Twilight. "I think she's doing more damage to the contents than she is to the boxes." The rainbow tornado stopped and spun out into a heaving Rainbow Dash, holding the crowbar like a blow torch. Twilight and Rarity gaped, first at Rainbow, then to the debris all around the room, then back at Rainbow Dash, completely lost for words. Rainbow Dash glanced down at the crowbar, and then back up at Twilight. "This thing's pretty cool," she said, holding it up as though she was appraising it. "You don't mind if I hold on to this for a while, do you?" At first, Twilight didn't say anything at all. She just stood there, unable to comprehend what Rainbow was asking. "Uhhhhhhh..." she said, turning back to Rarity, then back to Rainbow Dash, then back to Rarity again. Rarity was shaking her head with her hooves up like she was a filly being offered some horrid vegetable. She turned back to Rainbow with a stern look on her face. "You can keep it under one condition," she said, raising a hoof. "You have to use it away from us." Rainbow threw her hooves up over her head. "WHOOHOO! Done!" she said. "The next monsterzilla I come across doesn't stand a chance with this thing!" She swooshed it around her head a few times before landing with a flourish. Twilight ignored the face-hoofing Rarity standing next to her, and instead looked around at the debris. "What exactly was in these crates, anyway?" Rainbow Dash turned around and looked at the closest one to her. With a swoop of her hoof, she picked up something small, green, and metal. "Looks like cameras," she said, holding one up at eye level. She put a hoof up to the front and twisted it, as if cleaning a lens. Twilight also picked one up gently with her magic, and Rarity gazed over her shoulder. They were approximately small, green, metal boxes with a lens on the front. The metal casting was slightly decorated in shape. She turned it around a bit until the lens was facing them, and heard an "Ooo!" from Rarity. "These look familiar," she said. "Where have we seen this?" She turned to Rarity. She heard a snap, and turned to see Rainbow Dash hovering near the wall. "Hey!" she said, looking up at a green spot on the wall. "They're sticky! Maybe they're like the cameras on the wa—HEY!" She ducked as a green light shot out. It was just dusty enough in the room that they could manage to see the green laser light shining out of the device. "What gives?! I didn't touch anything!" Rainbow stuck her hoof, as if to wave it around in front of the laser. "NO-NO-NO-NONONONON—" Twilight and Rarity screamed out together, waving their hooves. Rainbow stopped with a disappointed look on her face. "What?" she asked. "It's just a camera thing. What's it—" "Trip Mine!" Twilight shouted. "We saw them in the storage rooms." Rainbow's eyes went wide for a second, and she reached her hoof in back of her neck. "Huh." She got up close to it and eyed it. "So this is what they look like." She pulled back and looked at them again. "The ground troops said they had a few traps that they used. They never showed them to us, though." She crossed her arms. "They never let us airponies play with any of the cool toys." Twilight trotted around the room and started levitating a few of them into a small storage pocket in the side of her suit. "These things might come in handy," she said. "We'll place a few traps if we get in trouble." ========================================================= There was only one exit from the storage room: a long, winding hallway that looked like little more than an extension of the room. Twilight had only grabbed a hoofful of the trip-mines, but she was already feeling the bulge in the pocket of the suit. They weren't exactly comfortable. Rainbow Dash took the lead, swinging her shiny new crowbar in front of her, as though warding off gnats. Twilight and Rarity stayed behind, keeping a close eye in case the crowbar happened to come hurling their way. "Do you hear that?" Rarity whispered. Twilight's right ear whipped up to listen. "I don't hear anything," she said. "Just Rainbow Dash." Rarity gave her a look, but didn't say anything else. They had only been walking another few seconds before Twilight felt a rumble under her hooves. It reminded her of when she lived in the dorms of the Canterlot academy, and felt the rhythm of somepony's stereo system from downstairs. She tapped Rarity on the shoulder, and stopped. Rainbow Dash continued to swing the crowbar around until a one of her dramatic swooshes sent her spinning a 180, and she caught a glance of the other two not moving. "Yeah. And then I'll whip around like this and—Hey," she said, catching an eye of them and flying down to their level. "What gives?" "Twilight thinks she found something, I suppose," Rarity said. "Actually..." Twilight looked around confusingly, trying to pinpoint the source of the disruption. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "It's just an empty hallway," she said. "It's not like—" The ground shook, sending a few dust stalactites falling from the ceiling. "What the—" It shook again, this time sending a few rock grains down the walls. A deep growl in the distance followed a third shake, and Twilight felt Rarity cling onto the side of her suit. Rainbow Dash had about-faced. Twilight couldn't read her expression, but Twilight had a feeling she had sensed another great terror up ahead. Twilight gave Rarity a look, and Rarity gave an embarrassed grin and let go. They both looked at Rainbow Dash facing away from them, silently flapping her wings. Rarity looked at Twilight. "You don't think she's going to—" There was a WHOOSH and a Rainbow Streak, and Rainbow Dash was gone. Twilight put a hoof to her face. "She did." One exasperated groan later, Twilight and Rarity were galloping after her down the long hallway. They could hear another low growl in the distance, followed by the ground shaking. There was a loud "yeah!" off in the distance, and Twilight and Rarity stopped to listen. Based on the occasional "take that" echoing back down the hallway, Twilight guessed (correctly) that Rainbow Dash had found something. There were a few clangs echoing back: probably the sound of a crowbar hitting stuff, followed by a distant whoosh that sounded like some kind of jet engine. Twilight could see a bit of orange shimmering against the wall. "ow, ow, ow,ow,ow,OW,OW,OW!" Rainbow Dash came bolting back. Flickers of orange and red were licking the blue and rainbow. She swooshed right passed them, landed in a smoking heap. and then sat up and whacked a hoof into the edge of her wing to put some of the flames out before grabbing her tail to do the same. Twilight and Rarity had already run up to her by the time she finally put out the fire. "That thing has flame throwers?!" Rainbow said, throwing her hooves over her head as soon as she finished putting out her tail. "How am I supposed to compete with that?!" She flew up into the air, and Twilight could still see the blackened tip of her right wing. "Oh, my!" Rarity said, looking around at Twilight. In fact, both of them were looking at Twilight. There was silence from the two of them, and for a few seconds, all she could hear was the sound of the creature stomping around and growling in the distance. "Well," she said, "unless there's a way around it, it looks like we've reached an impasse." She sighed and hung her head. Rarity poked the pocket of Twilight's suit. "Couldn't we set some traps for it?" she asked. "Something this big—it seems like the only way." Twilight shook her head. "It sounds like it's too big to fit through this hallway. It would have come after us if it wasn't," she said. "And without seeing the area it's in, I wouldn't know how to fight it." She looked up at Rainbow Dash. "Did you see anything while you were in there, Rainbow?" Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. "Not really," she said. "Just a big pile of blue monster in my face." "She was probably too busy swinging your crowbar," Rarity whispered to Twilight. Rainbow Dash still managed to hear, and glared at her with her arms crossed. Twilight trotted down the hallway. "Well we're not going to get anywhere without seeing what we have to work with," she said, ignoring the quiet pleas behind her to stop. She ignored the bickering of the two behind her, and kept walking until she saw the exit to the tunnel. The bickering immediately stopped, and all three of them instinctively pressed up against one of the walls. None of them were close enough to the exit to see clearly, but they could all tell something huge was just on the other side. Twilight got on her hind legs, pressed her back against the wall, and started inching her way towards the end, careful not to make too much noise with her hooves. She could hear the soft growl of the creature breathing. There was a large blue obstruction blocking most of her vision to the room. Twilight looked back and saw the other two hanging behind, making frantic but silent motions for her to come back. She could feel the sweat pouring down her temple as she inched even closer, trying to get a peak of the inside of the room. The blue obstruction finally came into full view as she held her breath and inched her way closer. It looked like some sort of over-sized bipedal baby, but much bulkier and calm. It was plated with some sort of natural shiny armor over its black and blue webbed skin. Luckily, she couldn't see its face, as it was facing away from her. It looked around curiously, and took a few steps forward. Each step made the ground shake violently, causing more dust to pour from the ceiling, and a few of the loose pebbles on the ground to rattle. A soft glow could be seen in front of it each time it exhaled. Twilight felt her legs involuntarily shake as she inched a few steps further, right up to the edge of the tunnel. From what she could see, the tunnel exited into some sort of train depot, in the shape of a large underground dome. She could see the same kind of metal rails in the floor that were in the entrance to the silo, which all came to the middle around a giant turntable. She couldn't see where the rails lead to, but she assumed there must be at least one train somewhere. Two things stood out on the far wall. The first was an entrance to another tunnel similar to the one she was in standing in. The other was a glass-less window peering inside what must have been a control room for the rails. She could see a few of the controls against the wall, as well as a pony peering out of the room, wearing a— Business Suit, Twilight thought. Her limbs froze, and her eyes tunneled in on him. It was the same pony. Following me, she thought. They locked eyes. Neither of them blinked. The black stallion gave the tiniest of nods—did he nod?—and walked silently to the right and out of sight. The creature let out a low growl, but Twilight's heart pounded above it. Her hooves nearly gave out from under her. Why was he here?! She closed her eyes, breathed deeply a few times, and inched her way back down the hall to where the others were, knees shaking the whole time. "And?!" Rainbow said, crossing her hooves. Twilight collapsed onto the ground and took a few more breaths. "This isn't going to be easy," she said. She ignored the rolling eyes around her and continued. "That creature is blocking a giant bottleneck. Every path leads to and from that one room." She looked around at the other two, who were both scratching their heads and looking around. "We need a distraction," she continued, getting back onto her hooves. "A really... fast distraction," she said, looking straight at Rainbow Dash. It took a few seconds for Rainbow to catch onto what she was saying. "Oooh, no," she said. "I'm not letting that thing turn me into a roast hunk of meat!" She swooshed further back down the hallway and threw her head back with her hooves crossed. "Count me out of this!" Twilight put her face into her hoof. "You're the only one who's fast enough to avoid it!" she said. "Look, do you want out of here or not?!" Rainbow shook her head, hooves still crossed. "Nu-uh! No way, no how!" ========================================================= Rainbow hovered, poised on the verge of entering the room. Sweat was pouring from her temples, but she managed to keep perfectly still in the air. "Come on, Airman Rainbow Dash," Twilight mocked. "You're the one who wanted to beat up something with that crowbar." Rainbow Dash couldn't take her eyes off the growling blue creature. "Not something that shoots fire from its arms." Rarity walked up next to Twilight. "Dear, don't you think we should reconsider?" she said. "I mean, what if it's more distracted by us?" Twilight shook her head. "Don't need to. We'll give Rainbow Dash a head start, and sneak around behind it while it's distracted." She looked up at Rainbow, who was now gnawing on her hooves with chattering teeth. "I'm... sure she'll be okay."' The creature was eyeing a large vaulted tunnel exit off to the right, which was gated shut. Twilight gave a nod to Rarity, and tiptoed out into the room. They could feel the air moving with each breath the creature let out, and the sudden increase in space around them was dizzying. Rainbow Dash could barely be heard hovering behind them. Twilight could see a few glimmers from the corner of her eye, as the light reflected off the crowbar. Twilight stepped carefully over the threshold of the turntable. There was a flash of green, and an electrical buzz of arcing energy. Twilight cried out and covered her eyes. "RAINBOW!" she shouted. Two of the bipedal creatures they had seen back in the storage areas had appeared just in front of the tunnel entrance they were heading towards. Her call had prompted an abrupt response from the mass of blue to their right. A low rumbling growl was quickly followed by the ground trembling as it started stomping around in a circle, looking for the source of the disruption. "On it!" Rainbow said. She swooped into a rainbow blur straight at one of the smaller creatures, and with a loud whack, the creature flew back and landed in a heap on its back. "No, no!" Twilight said. "The BIG one!" Rarity was stumbling around, trying desperately to follow the erratic movements Twilight was making as she dodged out of the way of the heaping blue mass. There was a loud crunch as thick blue foot smashed into brown standing alien. Twilight kept her eye on the two flaming arms, whipping around to form orange streaks in the air. Rainbow was fidgeting with the crowbar, swerving first this way, then changing her mind and swerving the other way. "RAINBOW!" Twilight glimpsed one of the many tunnels that the tracks lead off into, and galloped towards it. The sound of a blow torch went off behind her, and she glimpsed back to see the creature randomly shooting flames into the air. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. It was dark in the tunnel, but Twilight could just make out another wooden platform train sitting on the tracks, and prompted Rarity to follow behind her and hide behind its metal control box. "Where is she?" Rarity asked, cuddling up as best she could. Twilight peered around and could see the creature writhing around, as if it had an itch it couldn't scratch. The entire room was filled with deep rumbling and stomping as it moaned and turned, occasionally shooting flames at the ceiling in frustration. "What's it doing?" Rarity asked, pulling in closer to Twilight. Twilight squinted and looked closely around the room, then at the creature, then back at the room. Something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. Then she saw it: Rainbow Dash had managed to climb onto its back, and was swinging the crowbar into it like she was hammering a particularly stubborn nail. A flash of light and sparks flew up each time she hit, which Twilight had mistakenly thought was just a glaring reflection off its armor. The creature let out a yell in frustration, and started stomping the ground like its feet were on fire. Each stomp made the ground shake so much, Twilight kept getting knocked off the train platform. Twilight poked her head out over the top of the train controls and held on the best she could. "STOP PISSING IT OFF!" she shouted. She slipped off, and struggled to regain her balance. "You're supposed to be getting it away from the exit!" Rainbow staggered off the creatures back and swooped high above it, trying desperately to dodge the random flames shooting up. "I'm—trying!" she managed to get out. Twilight's pupils were going crazy in their sockets trying to follow Rainbow Dash around in the air. It was a colorful blur of rainbow streaks, bright orange glows, and giant blue blob, all coming together in a small fireworks display. "Come on," she said to Rarity. "At least it's distracted. We might have a chance at the tunnel." She trotted out from behind the train, keeping her eye on the flames. "But, Twilight!" Rarity galloped up to her, lip quivering. "We don't have a clear—" Another green flash erupted to their right with a static bang, covering up the rest of Rarity's sentence. The blur of blue halted and turned towards the source of the noise. It swung an arm out, as if to swat the rainbow fly out of the way, and then charged towards the new alien spawn. "Now!" Twilight yelled. "Run! RUN!" Twilight felt her hooves pounding against the ground as she charged at the tunnel. There was a thwack in the distance, followed by a loud, voice-breaking scream, and a rainbow meteor crashed and slid in front of their path. Twilight and Rarity reared, and Rarity nearly fell over. Rainbow snapped onto her hooves and prepared to launch herself back into the battle. "Tunnel, Rainbow!" Twilight said. She caught a glimpse of Rainbow looking around confused before dashing into the tunnel and out of sight. A war cry emanated from the tunnel shortly after, followed by the sound of metal whipping through the air. Twilight readied her gun. The inside of the tunnel was chaos. Except for a few steps on the ground, and the hurricane of electrical flashes, it was identical to the tunnel they had just come out of. Creatures just like the ones that got stepped on in the depot were pouring in, and Rainbow had already knocked one of them on its back. She swooped on top of it, and landed her final blow. Twilight slammed on her hoof, and riddled a few bullets into the side, where a group of four or five of the creatures were charging up their electrical attacks. They each clutched various parts of their slimy bodies and collapsed in all different ways. "HEYAW!" Rainbow shot down at another shockwave and whipped a blow into the side of the newly-appearing creature's face, sending a splash of yellow fluid flying as the creature landed in a heap on the ground. "That'll teach you to mess with me!" Another shockwave burst behind her, and before she could turn, the newly spawned creature spat out an electrical bolt straight into her rump. Her mane stood on end, and she let out a noise like an injured mouse. "Rarity!" Twilight yelled, pointing her hoof at Rainbow. Rarity got the message, and promptly snapped her hoof into the ground, letting a mass of lead slam into the offending creature. The battle lasted a few more minutes. Twilight's teeth were sore from the gun shaking them around so much, and Rarity looked like she was about to faint. Rainbow Dash was the only one who looked like she was enjoying herself. Rainbow glared at the last creature falling into a heap on the floor, and wiped her brow. She whipped the crowbar around and struck a victorious pose before turning to the other two. Twilight and Rarity were both heaving and lying collapsed on the ground. Twilight sighed, and Rarity let out a dramatic groan. "Is it over?" Twilight asked. Rainbow swooped down and lifted them both to their hooves. Rarity collapsed back onto the ground again, and had to be lifted two more times before she would stay up. Twilight was shaky, but managed to keep her balance. "Looks like we did it, guys!" Rainbow said. "We really taught those things a lesson!" All of them jumped as the ground shook violently, and the tunnel filled with a low growl. Rarity wrapped her hooves around Twilight and pressed her shaking body into the other's. Twilight looked around awkwardly at the mass of blue standing just outside the entrance. "Heh. Maaaaaybe not quite." ========================================================= The control center wasn't too difficult to find. Rainbow Dash half-lead half-dragged Twilight and Rarity around the corner to a boarded up entrance, and smashed through it with ease. Both her and Rarity were now recovering on the floor while Rainbow Dash looked out the window, studying the clunky movements of the blue monster in the depot. Twilight stared at the old equipment and control panels against the walls, disappointed at the lack of any functioning sounds or lights. The big red "OFF" sign above it wasn't helping either. "If we want to get out of here, we'll have to get the trains powered up," she said, leaning against the wall. "There's gotta be a power source around here." Rainbow kept looking out the window. "Why bother?" she asked. "All getting on a train will do is give that monster out there a skillet to fry its lunch on." She glanced at the rusting panels against the wall. "That's assuming you can find the outlet to plug that thing in." Twilight sighed. She was considering getting up when she heard her stomach rumble. She put her hooves over it, and realized she hadn't eaten anything since before the experiment and, in fact hadn't drunk anything either. She would give anything to have a bite of a sunflower sandwich right about now, and wondered how many days it would take before she suggested roasting some of the aliens just to get something in her tummy. Heck, it might be worth trying alien meat just to see Rarity's reaction. Twilight chuckled at this, which got Rainbow Dash's attention. "What's so funny?" she asked. Twilight shook her head. "Just... this," she said, moving her hooves around at the room. She rolled over and got to her hooves, stretching out with many groans, before walking up to examine the equipment. She caught a glimpse of the blue monster in the distance, breathing quietly but deeply, a faint growl emanating with each one. "I don't think there's a power switch on this thing," she said, poking a few of the controls with her hoof. "I also don't think there's a power plug. There's some sort of primary power source that's been turned off." Rarity could be heard in the corner trying to get to her hooves. "You think the cables have been broken?" she asked. "More like the source has been turned off," she said. "Purposefully." Rarity's eyes widened, and she stepped up next to Twilight. "Certainly none of the scientists would do something like that in this kind of situation," she said. Twilight shrugged. "They did it before," she said. "Back in the silo, they had their own power generator for the rocket, which one of the scientists had switched off. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same here." Rainbow scratched her neck. "Lemme get this straight," she said. "You all are suppose to be a bunch of egghead geniuses working here, right?" She crossed her hooves. "And yet, you go around walking straight into enemy fire and turning off your only sources of power?" She rolled her eyes. "Some scientists, huh?" Twilight was too tired to retaliate. "Look, we need to get the power back on, or we're not going anywhere." Rainbow flew over to the window. "And YOU need to open your eyes! Giant flaming monster out there, remember?!" "I know!" Twilight shouted. "Just... one thing at a time, okay Rainbow?" She paced around the room. "The least we can do is get the trains running. We can deal with the other obstacles when we get there." She walked over to the door and peered around at the hallway just outside of the control room. They were on the second floor, which consisted only of a few ramps and catwalks suspended over the floor below. A ladder descended below. The room shook quietly as the creature in the depot stomped around, causing a few dust clouds to fall from the ceiling. "Other obstacles?!" Rainbow Dash said, flying over to her. "It's the only obstacle!" Twilight ignored her, and carefully descended the ladder. "This tunnel leads somewhere, and I want to see where," she said. "If we're in luck, it leads to some sort of power source." Rainbow flew down next to her. "And why can't this tunnel go somewhere else? Like, oh, I don't know, away from here?!" Twilight shook her head. "I'm tired of walking," she said. "Taking a train to the Lambda Complex would be a lot faster." She looked behind her for Rarity. "And besides, even if this tunnel did go somewhere, the chances of it going someplace we want to be is a lot less likely than it we take the train." Rarity was inching her way onto the ladder. "Twilight has a point," she said, sticking out her leg to find the rung. "Ponies use trains to get to convenient places. Tunnels are for maintenance." Rainbow flew up to Rarity and pulled her off the rungs and into her hooves. "Yeah, yeah," she said, carrying Rarity to the ground. "Let's just get moving. The further away we get from that thing, the better." ========================================================= Twilight slammed on her hoof one last time, and watched the last of the bipedal creatures fall to the ground. "How many more of these are there?" she asked with a sigh. Rainbow Dash was at the end of the tunnel, turning a red steel wheel in an attempt to open a pair of large doors at the end. "Don't ask me," she said. "You're the one who wanted us to come this way." She put her hind legs against the wheel and pulled. "Stupid... wheel..." "You know," Twilight said, "it might work better if your legs were somewhere other than the wheel." Rainbow stopped, looked down, and blushed. "I-I know that!" she said. She flew back with a giggle and repositioned herself on the ground. Twilight turned around. "Now, there should be something on the other side of these doors that's important. They seem like blast doors of some kind." Rarity blew a lock out of her hair and rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't put it past them to put a broom closet back here," she said. "Just like that time they hid a cruise liner turbine in the rocket silo." Twilight and Rainbow looked up. "Huh?" Rarity shifted her eyes between them. "Er, long story," she said, blushes and moving back. Rainbow continued to struggle against her epic battle with the wheel. "Almost... got it..." Rarity gave Twilight a look. "Dear, do you think you could lend a hoo—" Before she could finish, there was a loud squeak, and both Twilight and Rarity covered their ears and shielded their eyes against a bright green slit appearing between the two blast doors. Twilight put her hoof down and squinted as the doors parted, and finally trotted up to have a look inside. Her tail could still be seen amid the glow as she crested the threshold, and she looked up and sighed. "More ladders," she said, turning back to the others. Rainbow and Rarity sighed in unison. "Just watch out for the radioactive pool," she said on her way back. "There's got to be a regulation or something that every silo-shaped room be filled with some form of radioactive material. Is it just not Pony Mesa if an area is actually safe?!" Rainbow whooshed past her, making her mane whip around, and caused a rainbow streak to fly through the doors and up the shaft. Her voice could be heard echoing around the chamber. "It doesn't look too bad from in here," she said. "Looks like it's only two stories." Twilight sighed. "That's how much we climbed in the silo." She put her hoof up and lead Rarity through the doors. It was a much smaller area than anything they had seen in the silo, and as a result, much brighter. Luckily, all the light was well below them, so there was nothing shining directly in their eyes. She walked up to the first ladder to her right and placed her hoof on one of the rungs. She looked up, and could see a glimpse of blue and rainbow moving around above the grated catwalks. "Uh, guys," Rainbow said. She flew back down and hovered with an uneasy look on her face. "I don't think this is the right way. Why don't we just turn around and go back now." She gave a hasty grin and flew back through the blast doors they had just come through. Twilight grimaced. "RAINBOW!" she shouted. Rainbow flew back into the room and hovered over the pit. "What? I just don't think we should be going this way." Twilight turned to glare at her, and Rainbow backed up a bit. "It's... ummm... not safe?" She made a funny face, and then grinned really wide with a squee. Twilight rolled her eyes. "You just took on a gargantuan monster, Rainbow Dash. I think you can handle whatever's at the top of this thing." She continued to climb the ladder. "Twilight," Rarity said, starting to climb the ladder behind her. "What if Rainbow's right? There could be traps ups there!" Twilight crested the top and turned to help Rarity up. "Then it's a good thing we have a military soldier to help us disable them, isn't it?" Rarity shook her head. "That's not what I meant." Twilight found the second ladder and started to climb, watching the green shimmer of the light against the wall. "Yeah!" Rainbow said, flying up to her level. "Yeah, that's it! There are traps, Twilight. Big, huge, ugly traps." She threw her hooves out, her eyes going wide. "They're everywhere! We gotta get out of here." Twilight reached the top of the ladder and crested it. "Now you're just saying that because of Rarity," she said, turning around to help Rarity. "Why don't you just tell us what's bothering you?" Rainbow backed up and fidgeted. "Bothering? Me?!" She giggled nervously. "What could possibly bother me?! I'm a soldier!" She flew up and struck a pose, but Twilight could tell she wasn't really into it. Twilight walked around the catwalk until she found the exit: a set of blast doors identical to the ones they came through. "Now you got me curious," she said. "Just what exactly did you find here?" The first thing she could see through he doors was a wooden table against a wall that looked just like all the other tunnels they had come through. It had a few armaments sitting on it, but other than that, it didn't look at all out of place. Above it was a sign saying "Power Generator", which caused a smile to crest Twilight's face. Rarity saw it too, and made a point of mentioning it to her. As she crested the threshold, however, she heard a strange white noise coming from her left, and she turned to see a rather elaborate setup. The white noise was coming from a radio, which was nothing more than a small dial-ridden box sitting atop a safe. It was accompanied, however, by crates of explosives and more armaments, as well as strategic maps, wooden chairs, a few guns, and some special leather coats with the letters "HECU" imprinted on them. "Oh, my!" Rarity said, as she walked up behind Twilight. "Does this mean the military is here?" Twilight walked up to the table and studied some of the maps. "Looks like it," she said. "The grunts here must not be too smart, just leaving this stuff lying around like this." She readied her gun. "We'd better be careful. We don't want to walk into an ambush." Rainbow Dash could be seen fidgeting violently behind them, still on the other side of the blast doors. "Come on, Rainbow," Twilight said, turning to the right, and starting down a new tunnel. "We have a power source to find." Rainbow continued to fidget, not bothering to come through the door. Rarity looked back at her. "Twilight. I don't think she wants us to come this way." Twilight sighed, but didn't stop walking. "Of course she doesn't," she said. "But we need her, Rarity. Neither of us stand a chance against a bunch of trained soldiers." She stopped to put her head in the air with a smile. "That's where Rainbow Dash comes in. She's the perfect distraction!" "WHAAAT?!" Twilight and Rarity turned towards the blast doors, where the scream came from. Rainbow Dash bolted out the door and immediately started shaking her head and her hooves. "Oh, no, nononono, you are not putting me in that position." She crossed her arms. "A monster, I'll do. But that's it. I am not walking in front of my comrades in front of a bunch of scientists. They'll murder me!" Twilight sighed. "They'll murder all of us if you don't distract them," she said. "Look, do you want to get out of here or not?" Twilight turned to continue down the hallway, and Rainbow flew out in front of her to stop her. "Look," Rainbow said, "you don't understand. I'm already on the fritz with these guys. They'll see right threw any move I make!" Twilight pushed her aside. "Then I guess that's just a chance we'll have to be willing to take," she said. "We can't get the trains going without power. If you can't distract them, then at least try to get the power going yourself," she said. Rainbow put a hoof to her face. "Guys, seriously. I can't do this." She flew back in front of them. "Look, can't we just have another go at the monster? We can totally just walk along the rails. It's no big deal!" Twilight stopped. "Rainbow, if you don't think you can distract them, we can always just fight them head-to-head. Is that what you want?" "WHA—I—YOU WANT... UUUUUUUGH!" Rainbow fell on her back on the floor and sighed. "I give up," she said. She got up and looked at them. "I'll try distracting them," she said, "but you two have gotta do you part. I won't be single-hoofedly responsible for messing this whole thing up." Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're a soldier, Rainbow," she said. "You're one of them. Nothing's going to go wrong." Rainbow let out a groan, and dragged her hooves through the air behind her. ========================================================= "Go on," Twilight whispered. Rainbow Dash looked at her, than around the corner, then back at Twilight. They were at the end of the tunnel, and the military presence couldn't be more clear. The tunnel had ended at a bend that opened into a large bunker. a few ramps descended into a sink in the middle, which took up the majority of the room. A single guard was standing watch at the end, peering out from behind a barricade of what looked like sacks of apples. Behind the guard, some more ramps crisscrossed up to an entrance at the top. Rainbow couldn't see where it went, but she could hear some radio chatter, and assumed that must be where most of them were hanging out. She looked back at Twilight and pouted, quivering as though she was about to cry. "You'll be fine," Twilight whispered. "Just get out there." Twilight gave her a little nudge, and she flew out from around the corner. Immediately the guard stood up, hoof at the ready. "MOVEME—" the stallion stopped short. "Rainbow?" The stallion moved his head away from the sight, revealing a red beret sitting atop a brown muzzle. His eyes were squinted, and he looked half-ready to jerk back and pull the trigger. Rainbow hovered nervously, trying not to shake. She wished she still had the crowbar, but Twilight said she should hold onto it while Rainbow was with the guards. She stood upright in the air and put her hoof up. "H-hey, guys." The stallion's jaw dropped, and his eyes opened wide. Some of the other guards could be seen peering around the corner of the opening in the back. "Weeeeeell," one of them started. He was a brown stallion with dark mane, and Rainbow immediately recognized him as Hoops, one of this fellow comrades. His mane normally would have covered his eyes, but it was brushed off to the side and held there by an enormous white helmet that covered most of his head. "If it isn't Rainbow Crash!" He flew out, together with a dark stallion with light mane, dressed in the same camouflage gear and helmet: Hoops's buddy Dumb-Bell. Rainbow flew out into the room, trying not to glance back at Twilight and Rarity. The two stallions started circling her. "Haven't seen you in a while, Rainbow Crash," the Dumb-Bell said. "Not since you chickened out of our group." Rainbow came down and landed on the ground, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah," Hoops said, both of them landing next to her. "What's the matter? Scared of a little combat?!" Rainbow scowled and whipped her tail. "Very funny, guys," she said. "I got lost from the group when the electrical storm hit." The two of them laughed. "That's not what we remember," Dumb-Bell said. They both flew up off the ground, laughing and poking at each other. "Okay, you two," the guard said, "enough horseplay." He turned towards Rainbow. "Get going," he said, indicating the door with his head. Rainbow sighed and flew into the air. She could see the two other pegasi still laughing as they landed at the top of the ramps in the back and went back into the door. "Hey, everyone!" Dumb-Bell said. "Guess who finally came crawling back." Rainbow could hear chattering from around the corner, and put her hoof to her face as she followed behind. She glanced down at the guard as she flew overhead, but he just scowled back at her. She could hear laughs and jeers crying out as she came over the ramps and up to the doors. Many of the other soldiers had come up to the entrance to take a look. "Well, if it isn't the prodigal rainbow!" said a blue soldier with a deep voice. "What's wrong?" said a tan one with a nasal voice. "Aren'tya glad to see yer... buddies?" He burst out laughing and landed on the floor as more soldiers came up. One of the bigger soldiers came out just as Rainbow landed on the ground, and hooked Rainbow around the neck. "We missed having ya around," he said, rubbing his hoof into Rainbow's scalp. "We've been without a punching bag for hours!" Rainbow forced a laugh. "Heh. Yeah, guys. I... guess." She gulped, and struggled to look up against the grip of the other pony. "Hey! Look what we got here!" he yelled out around the corner. "Taste the rainbow, everyone!" He whipped his arm around, and Rainbow felt her neck nearly break off. He let go, and flung her across the room, sending her spinning into a central room where a dozen soldiers were standing around. She slammed into a couple of them like a bowling ball, and smashed against the opposite wall. Rainbow blacked out for a second, and finally opened her eyes to see the blurred upside-down outlines of a dozen soldiers. None of them seemed to be paying any attention to her. "Hey! No fair!" one of them said. "I wasn't ready." The talking blur came into focus, and Rainbow could see it turning around. It didn't have a happy face. "See how you like it!" the shape said, turning around. Rainbow felt a sharp tug on her tail, and found herself being yanked off the wall with a sick peeling sound. "Take that!" the voice said. Rainbow felt her tail nearly rip out of her rear-end, and suddenly felt herself flying through the air again. She was only partially aware of her own voice-breaking yells. She could hear one of the more macho pegasi let out a deep "YEEEEEEEAH!" as she flew. She skidded to a halt on the ground, and sat up, a few birds flying in circles over her head. Her head was swimming, and her vision was doubled and fading in and out. "O... kay, guys," she said, her eyes derping. "It's... good to see you too?" Dumb-Bell walked up to her, still laughing like an idiot. "What's the matter, Rainbow Crash? Afraid of a little dodgeball?!" Rainbow shook the birds away from her head and bared her teeth. "Heh," Hoops said. "I think she's just tired of being the ball." Rainbow got up and flew into the air, grimacing at some of the scrapes and bruises. "Yeah, okay, guys," she said. "Joke's over." A blue-gray pegasus came stumbling forward. He was more round than the other two, but still managed a smirky face, and Rainbow recognized him as Score, the third in the group. "Ah, come on, Rainbow Crash," he said. "You know we're just messin' with ya." Rainbow felt a tug on her tail, and looked back to see Hoops holding onto it with his teeth. Dumb-Bell walked in front of her as she struggled against Hoop's grip. "Hehe, it's all in good fun, eh, Rainbow Crash?" Hoops yanked on her tail, bringing her down just low enough for Dumb-Bell to land a solid punch in her gut, knocking the wind out of her with an "OOF!" Dumb-Bell lead Hoops and Score back to the rest of the soldiers in the common room, with Hoops still biting her tail. "Don't worry, guys," Dumb-Bell said, indicating the struggling Rainbow Dash. "Our rainbow balloon is safe and sound." Hoops swung her around and onto the ground, and suddenly she found herself surrounded by a tightly-packed bunch of grunts, all looking down at her and scowling. Rainbow got to her hooves and shrunk back, forcing a laugh. They continued to encroach upon her. "So, ummm," Rainbow started. "What'd I miss?" Two dozen eyes stared down at her, and suddenly went wide-eyed. "What'd you miss?" one of them said. "What'd you miss?!" Rainbow saw the soldier's head peek above the others. His face was crazed and contorted. "WHAT'D YOU MIIIIIISS?!" he said, wiggling his face around, and making some of the skin flop around. "AAHHHHHHBLGLGHGBHGLGHGGH!" "CAN IT, Crackers!" another one said with a grunt. Rainbow watched a hoof reach above the crowd and push the crazed pony back down. A big black muzzle came down and pressed itself into Rainbow's. "You missed a tragedy," he said quietly. "Word has it we got some scientist rebels out there. Wanna try an' take us out." "YEEEAH!" Crackers said in the background. "THEY CRAAAAAAABLGLBGZZY!" The black pony ignored him. "They been takin' out mah buddies. Took out a whole plane of 'em." He put a hoof out, and pointed it right out next to Rainbow's ear. Rainbow flinched, eyes still wide. "They out there. An' we gonna put a stop to 'em." He pressed his muzzle into hers until it hurt. "Got it?" Rainbow gulped and nodded, a bead of sweat inching its way down her temple. The muzzle left hers as abruptly as it arrived, and she found herself looking at the black pony's hind quarters shortly after. The other ponies quickly started chatting. "Yeah!" one said. "We gonna get 'em!" said another. They started hoof bumping and punching each other's shoulders. Rainbow finally got a chance to look around as the ponies were busy, and noticed the entire room focused on a single grate sunk into the floor. The switch in the back suggested it was some sort of lift, although Rainbow Dash couldn't tell whether it went up or down. The rest of the room was mildly lit, and consisted mostly of radio equipment. A few small tunnels lead here and there, and Rainbow came to the conclusion that they must have gone around the perimeter of the larger area where the guard was. "So, er, guys?" she said, trying to steer the conversation. "What exactly is the plan? I mean, do we even know where these, er, scientists are?" One of the soldiers came over and slammed their hoof into Rainbow's back with a laugh, making her hooves slip out from under her. "HA! If we knew where they were, we'd be there, wouldn't we!" The rest of the soldiers cracked up around him. Rainbow could see Dumb-Bell and Hoops snickering at her, their eyes narrowed maliciously. Another soldier came up behind Rainbow and rested a hoof on her head, giving her another noogie. "That's why we're tryin' to shut everythin' down, little squirt," he said. "Why do you think we're here? Found a nice generator in the basement. Got it boarded up reeeeeeal good." He bent his head around so Rainbow could see his blue face. "Thems scientists ain't goin' nowhere." Rainbow gave another nervous laugh and backed up. "Weeeell... let's sock it to them. Right guys?" She grinned big, and made a few weak punching movements in the air. The blue pony scowled. "You'd better believe it, pal." He was about to say something else when another stallion came up and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey," the other pony said. He had slipped on a mask, and Rainbow couldn't see his face. "We got radio chatter," he said. "We think they might be in the area." Every other pony in the room perked their ears at this, and all of them went silent before bursting out all at once and stampeding over to the radio equipment. Rainbow couldn't help but be kicked around as all the other soldiers flew around her. As they all got close to the radio, Rainbow quietly tiptoed back, and looked around. There was no way she could activate the lift without all the other ponies noticing. However, there might still be a way to the basement without needing to. She glanced to her left, saw the tunnel was empty, hunched her back, and tiptoed out of sight. ========================================================= Rainbow Dash flexed her wings and let the pain of her bruises and cuts wash over her. She closed her eyes and took a quiet breath, and then opened them to look around. The passage she had followed revolved around the bunker area, and had exited onto an overhang on the side. She could see the tunnel she had come through with Twilight and Rarity off to her right. The guard was theoretically to her left. She hadn't looked yet, for fear of being seen. The entire narrow passage she had just come through was devoid of any stairs or path that would take her to the basement. All she had found were more radios, ammo crates, and a few active trip mine traps: the same kind Twilight had picked up in the other room. The only way down would be to blast a hole in the floor. Now that she could see the bunker from above, she noticed that it wasn't just a floor: it was a bridge. The area between the two ramps was actually suspended over a large hole that went down a ways. The bridge covered so much of the hole that she hadn't even noticed it when she was being greeted by the guard. Only a couple small holes on the sides indicated that there was anything beneath the floor at all. She got down low, pressing her belly against the floor, and inched her way forward. There was a slight bump around the edge of the balcony where the hoofrails sat, and she was just barely able to hide her entire body behind it. She reached up with a hoof and pulled her mane down, trying to imagine what it must look like having a rainbow tuft sticking over the top. She lifted her left ear and placed it against the wall. She couldn't hear anything. The guard must be very quiet. Careful not to make a sound, she lifted her head until her big oval eyes crested the rim. She could just barely see the ramps in the back, and the area immediately below. The guard wasn't there. Rainbow felt herself involuntarily squee, and squinted her eyes with a grin, shifting them from side to side. She peered her head all the way over the ledge, and found the space between the bridge and the wall. The hole it allowed her to see quite far, and she could make out a few other levels. She lifted her head and looked around once more, and then spread her wings. With a movement like a bullet through the air, she silently whipped herself over the edge, through the hoofrails, and whooshed down through the hole. It was a practiced skill to move this quietly. It was like moving through a series of curtains. Each move, she worked her body and wings to push the air out of the way just so. She watched the layers pass, feeling a spurt of wind as each one swept past her. Each layer held another floor. Some may have had soldiers, but Rainbow wasn't looking. All they would sense is a whiff of air as she went by. As the last layer approached, and all she could see past it was a solid floor, she slipped out a hoof and latched onto the side of the last bridge. With the movement of an acrobat, she swung herself effortlessly around and under the bridge before pressing herself against the underside. Her wings were fluttering like mad to keep her hovering, but it was a small enough movement that nopony would ever notice. Two soldiers were walking on the concrete floor a good twenty feet below her, moving to her left. All she could see were their camouflage outfits and white helmets. She looked around and saw four openings in the surrounding walls. A soft hum could be heard, and she guessed that the generator must be on the right, as that was where most of the noise was coming from. She waited until the soldiers were out of sight, and the dropped straight down from the wall and swooped to the right. She swung around the corner, and peered out from behind the separating wall, just to be sure the soldiers weren't coming back. She turned around with a deep breath and looked around the room. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth gaped as she found herself staring face-to-face with a control panel that covered the entire wall. It towered above her, and displayed a prominent power dial the size of a projector screen. Two switches, each half the size of her own body, were on either side of the dial. Only one of them was in the "ON" position. The dial was sitting in red. Rainbow hunched her back and tiptoed up to the switch, looking all around just to be sure. She was just about to reach a hoof up to it when she heard voices from behind her. "Hehe, yeah," said Hoops. "We rigged this thing up good." "Better than good," said Dumb-Bell. "Nopony will suspect we actually boarded up the pump," he said. "the whole place is totally flooded. It's awesome!" Rainbow shot straight up, and pressed her back against the ceiling again. She watched carefully as the voices grew louder. "You really think the scientists would come all the way down here?" Score said. "I mean, we've been all up and down here, and I've never seen them." "Eheh," Hoops laughed, "they're probably back in that train room, place... er... thing." "Tryin' to get the power on, no doubt," Dumb-Bell said. They all laughed, and Rainbow watched as they all came into the room just below her. Dumb-Bell was in the middle, with Hoops and Score on either side. The only way she could tell them apart with their helmets on was by their wing color. "I wish we could turn the other one off," Score said. He flew up to the switch and whacked it with his hoof. "Darn handle ripped off. Must've rusted." Rainbow squinted, and just barely made out the camouflaged double-handle levers on the switches. One of them only had a bar where the switch should have attached. "This thing's trashed," Dumb-Bell said. He stepped up to the panel and kicked it with his forehoof. "Ow!" He shook it out and started hopping around. "Hehe. Serves you right," Score said. "Shut up!" Rainbow Dash backed up as quietly as she could, until she was hovering just over the entrance. Then, pushing her wings back, she dived down and flew straight back to the other side of the tunnel, where the three had come from. There was another entrance in the back that exited into a crude set of black spiral stairs. Rainbow grabbed hold of the bar they wrapped around, and swung herself around and down out of site, before any of the three pegasi could turn around. She kept hold of the bar, and whipped around in circles, descending the stairs much faster than she could on hoof. She felt her hooves strike something towards the end, and skidded to a halt to find herself in waist-high water. She lifted her wings out of it and turned her head to watch them drip, sticking out her tongue in distaste at how mucky it was. She flapped them a few times before refolding them and trudging through the water. The basement she had found herself in was completely trashed. Lights dangled from the ceiling, some of them flickering; Various trash, boxes, and supplies floated around in the water; Rust covered many of the pipes along the wall. In the distance, she could just make out a large metal contraption with a horizontal pump at its core. It looked like the soldiers had wedged everything they could find into the pump, and the whole thing now resembled a miniature trash compacter. Rainbow waded carefully through the water, watching the rippling waves she created cause the trashing to bob around, and the distorted echoes of Dumb-Bell and Score could still be heard above her. She half-walked half-tread her way to the machine in the back, which was in a shadowing nook of the room. With a silent "bleh", she turned her head, reached in with both hooves, and started prying the gunk and trash out of the piston. Within seconds, the water immediately around her was filled with broken jars, fried electronics, and empty soda cans. She even pried out what she thought was an old dried-up fruitcake. It could have been plastic for all she could tell, though. With a loud clunk, the piston dropped as she pulled out a broken radio transmitter. Rainbow pulled her hooves back, in case it decided to smash whatever was left. She looked at what was left, and noticed only a steal beam wedged beneath the piston. Looking around to be sure she had enough room, Rainbow got right up close to the beam and wrapped her hooves around it and pulled. It didn't budge. She let go for a second, and then spat on both of her hooves, rubbing them together until they were nice and sticky. Then she placed them at the top of the beam, and wrapped her bottom hooves around it as well, as if she was trying to climb it, and spread her wings. She was so preoccupied with this that she hadn't even noticed how quiet it had gotten. All she could hear was the water splashing around her. She could feel a few pieces of trash and debris brushing against her back as the waves washed them up to her, and she made a few movements to push them away. With a deep breath, Rainbow flapped her wings forward, holding onto the beam as tight as she could. She could feel it starting to slip with each flap, and each time, she flapped a little harder. She gave one last almighty heave, and with a snap that rang out around the room, she flew backwards, beam in hooves, and splashed straight into the water. Everything went blurry, and it took a second for her to get her bearings. Finding the ground beneath her hooves, she pushed up and felt her head break the surface. She flipped her mane around, whipping the water around the room, and getting the water out of her ears. As she did so, a hum filled the room, followed by a loud rhythmic drone. She turned around a few times, and found the piston behind her, pumping away to a loud whirr of belts and fans. She took a deep breath, and spread her wings with a flourish, sending more water splashing to the side. "One less thing to worry about," she whispered to herself. She flew up out of the water with a splash, hovered for a second, and then whipped around back to the stairs. "Hey." Rainbow whipped her wings around and came to a halt just before the stairs. Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score were standing hip-deep in the water, just in front of the exit. Dumb-Bell was in front. "Looky what we got here," he said, turning his head to the other two, and then back to Rainbow, and then around to the churning machine behind her. "Looks like Rainbow Crash has turned into little Rainbow Rat!" He laughed with a smirk, and the other forced a laugh along with him. "Serge is gonna love this." Rainbow landed in front of them, and noticed the water level had gone down a few inches. "You wouldn't," she said with a snarl. Dumb-Bell snickered, and then burst out laughing. The other two joined in as well. "You—" he choked up, trying to catch his breath. "You really think you're gonna get out of this one?" The laughs filled the room, and echoed above the increasing roar of machinery. "You think they're gonna believe you when you tell them the pump just happened to turn itself on, and you just happened to be in the room?" He stood up, changing his smile into a scowl, and placed his muzzle right up against Dash's. "I always knew you were a little snitch." Hoops gave a few stupid chuckles behind Dumb-Bell. "What do you think we should do with her?" Dumb-Bell turned around and whipped a hoof into Hoops's face. "Ow!" Hoops cowered, and held up a hoof to his cheek. "We are not gonna do anything, you idiot," he said. "Let the Serge deal with 'er." "Hey!" Score whined. "Why can't we be the heroes?" He moped about. "I wanted to watch her squirm." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at all of this, and gave a loud mock-yawn. "Weeeeell, if you guys are done talking about me," she said, "I think I'd better get going." Dumb-Bell put a hoof up in front of her. "You're not going anywhere," he said with a stupid smile. He reached around with his wing, and opened up a saddlebag on his uniform. "Serge is gonna deal with you first." He reached his wing into the bag, and pulled out a radio transmitter. "Yeah, that's nice and all," Rainbow said. "Just one problem." She spread her wings just as Dumb-Bell put the mic up to his lips. He stopped short, dumbfounded. "You're assuming they can catch me." She crouched low and blasted forward from all fours, launching herself at them so fast, their helmets were blown right off. She could hear Dumb-Bell's "WHAAA—" behind her as she grabbed hold of the staircase poll and whipped herself around and up at lightning speed. As soon as the generator room came into focus, she let go, launching herself like a dart towards the panel in the back. As she slowed down, she could hear muffed shouts coming from the staircase. Without hesitation, she grabbed onto the switch and hoisted it up against the spring-loaded off position. "I got—" "Where'd she—" "Get up there!" She pushed harder, feeling the sweat pour from under her mane, and felt and snap as the switch gave in and slapped against the wall. There was a spark, and a hum of life, and Rainbow suddenly felt her mane and tail standing on end. Arcs of electricity sprung to life here and there along the panel, and the electric charge filled the room with a tingly feeling. There was an "OOMF!" behind her, and she turned to see Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score piled on top of one another at the top of the staircase. "GET HER!" Dumb-Bell yelled. He shoved himself out of the body-pile and pulled out his radio mic. "We have a Double Rainbow!" he said. "I repeat, we have a Double Rainbow!" Rainbow Dash looked at him funny for a second as Hoops and Score continued to stumble over one another. There was some confused babbling over the radio, followed by Dumb-Bell saying "It means Rainbow double-crossed, you idiots!" Rainbow heard a glimpse of "oh!"s and "okay"s come over the receiver. She giggled a bit as Dumb-Bell rolled his eyes. Dumb-Bell pointed a hoof at her. "You won't be laughing when you're sitting in front of the interoga—intaga—iner—question-thing light!" Dumb-Bell said. Rainbow glared at her. "I don't plan on it." She spread her wings, rose into the air, and did a backflip, landing on the wall just above the switch. "Sorry boys," she said. She grabbed hold of the switch handle with both hooves and rocked it back and fourth. "But I've got plans!" She pulled up hard, and with a creak and a snap, the handle broke clean off, just like the switch on the other side. She held it up for all three of them to see. "Looks like you all are out of luck." Just as she said this, there was a swoosh from above her, and a half-dozen pegasi came tumbling through the holes in the ceiling, and landed with a thud on the floor in the central room. All of them were armed, crouched low, with wings spread, ready to fire. "I wouldn't say that," Dumb-Bell said, walking forward. Rainbow put her hooves behind her and stupidly grinned. "Hehe." She tossed the broken switch off to the side, and shifted her eyes from side to side as it clanged in the distance. "Ummm..." The pegasi all scowled, and a particularly muscular pegasus sprung up in the back. "YEEEEEAH!" "Uh," Rainbow started, scratching her head. "I'd... better be going now. Nice talking to ya CATCHEMEIFYOUCAN!" She was already halfway to the ceiling exit before she finished. She arced straight up and through the break in the ceiling, wind howling in her ears as she crossed the threshold. She could just make out a few yells behind her as she rocketed through the floors, a bullet train whipping through a tunnel. The pinhole end of the tunnel exploded into a full-size room as she breached the top, and she spun around to get her bearings: ramps on her left, hoofrails behind, soldier in front of the ramps— "MOVEMENT!" Rainbow let loose a voice-cracking yell, and flew off in the opposite direction. Her head followed as she righted herself, and she found herself starring at a wall which she promptly smashed into. "Ow." She pulled her head out of the wall and shook the derp out of her eyes. A few bangs could be heard in the distance, and something was striking the wall around her. She stumbled to the right with a "WHOA" towards the tunnel exit, glancing back at the bullet-riddled wall. She pushed herself against the ground and kicked off into another flight, following the tunnel. She could hear shouts behind her: orders being dished out. The walls on either side raced passed her, and she deftly tilted her wings to the rhythm of the path as it jogged to the left, then the right, then the left again, cutting corners within an inch of the walls. Something purple and white zoomed under her, and she screeched to a halt. A voice behind her called out. "RAINBOW!" She flipped over and flew back to the blur, slowing down just enough to make out two ponies with crazed expressions on their faces. She could just make out the buzzing of wings in the background. "Rainbow," Twilight said. "Where have you—" "NO TIME!" She swooped down and wrapped her hooves around them: Twilight on the right, Rarity on the left, and flapped hard against the weight. "RAINBOW!" Both of them screamed as she bolted forward. Everything blurred as she picked up speed, and all she could hear was wind and screams. The extra weights on either side were throwing her off balance, and she couldn't help but lean one way or the other. She rammed into one of the walls on her right and flipped into a barrel roll before catching herself. "WHERE—" she could barely hear Twilight, "—ARE—WE GOING?" Rarity was still piercing the air with a glass-shattering scream. The end of the tunnel reared up in front of her, and she parachuted her wings to screech to a halt, looking for the blast doors. "Soldiers!" she explained. "Flying!" The wind whistled around her in short bursts as a few bullets flew past her, and she turned and bolted towards the green glow to her left. Her hoof slipped under the force of the turn, followed by a "RAINBO—AHHHHHHH!" to her right. Rarity was still screaming on her left, but Twilight completely slipped out as she entered the dive into the pit. A sharp yank on her tail told her Twilight had managed to grab on. With all the skill from flight school, she arced her wings in just the right way, both pushing the wind, and guiding it. She push her body up until it righted itself from the dive, the Gs pushing back against every muscle, and barely missed the ramp as she cut across the corner and whipped through the bottom blast doors. She felt a bump as Twilight scraped against the ground, but managed to stay fast enough to keep her airborn. "SLOW—DOWN!" Twilight's voice could barely be heard. She heard a few crashes, and even a loud masculine scream behind her, and could only imagine the poor pegasi crashing into the goop and walls as they tried duplicating that maneuver. Almost there, she thought. She pressed her body together and picking up speed. She kept being tugged in intervals, and it wasn't until she felt a hoof on her backside that she realized Twilight was crawling hoof-over-hoof up her tail. She tried to keep her balance as Twilight stumbled up her haunches and onto her back. Rarity was now shifted below her, and she felt her weight come to the center again, easing up on the strain. A boom and a rumble went off behind her, followed by another closely after. She came to a break in the path, and swerved to the right, not stopping until she got to the two-story dead-end with the catwalks halfway up. She slowed down, pulled up, and found the double-doors she was heading for the whole time. "RAINBOW! WE'RE GONNA—" She slammed into the doors and felt her head spin. Her hooves slipped, and she tumbled onto the ground after dropping Rarity from her grasp. Twilight flew off, and they rolled to a stop, scattered throughout the room. Rainbow was on her hooves before the birds stopped flying, and the room was still swimming all around her. She could still manage to recognize it as the control room for the train, though. The large window was in the back, looking out over the depot. There was a snap behind her, and she turned her head to see the doors magicked closed, and various items floating towards it in a purple haze. She turned around to see Twilight wincing, and her horn a glow. Rarity was in the corner, slightly tear-stricken, but still alive. "Are the trains running?" Rainbow asked stupidly. Twilight finished her spell, and galloped over to the window. She placed her hooves on the bottom and leaned out into the depot. "I—" She pulled back and looked around at the panel. Rainbow followed her line of sight, and saw the large bold letters "OFF" just above the controls. She put a hoof to her face and groaned. "What now?!" A gust of wind was followed by a loud bang as the doors jolted, making Rainbow and Twilight jump. Voices followed. "It's jammed!" Another set of wings fluttered down, followed by another voice. "Don't just stand there. Force it open!" A slight pause. "Nimbus Squad, go through the debot. Stratus Squad, stay here and get that door down!" Another whack make a few electronics fall off the pile in front of the door. "What do we do now, Twilight?" Rainbow asked. Twilight turned back to the lifeless panel. "I have an idea," she said, "but it's completely insane!" She walked up to the window and put her hooves against the sill. "Waitwaitwaitwait, hold on!" Rainbow said. She flew over to Twilight and put her hooves up. "You're not gonna—" Twilight looked out into the depot with Rainbow and stared at the thirty-foot monster with its back turned in a corner. It was just blocking a tunnel that lead off to the left. They could hear it breathing. "Oh, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "I just don't know what else to do." She pulled back and crouched onto the floor. "It's either getting burned alive, or getting riddled with bullets. There's just no good choice!" Another smash filled the room, and Rainbow looked at the door, then back to Twilight, then out the window. "Maybe not," she said, turning back to Twilight. "But sometimes crazy is better than nothing at all." She swooped down and landed in front of Twilight, holding out her hoof. "Give me the crowbar, Twilight." Twilight's eyes went wide. She reached back almost instinctively, but then pulled back her hoof. "You're serious?" Rainbow scowled and put her hooves on her hips. Her glare was enough to make Twilight keep moving. "Okay," she said, pulling out the crowbar, "but don't do anything too stupid." Rainbow grabbed the crowbar and examined it under the light, watching the metal reflect it in a series of glimmers and sparkles. "I'm a grunt, Twilight." She swooshed the crowbar through the air a couple times and perched herself on the sill, looking out over the depot. She turned back at Twilight and derped. "I was born to do stupid things!" Rainbow watched Twilight's eyes bug out and roll around, followed by watching her face droop into her hoof. She gave a weak smile, and leaped out into the depot, wings flared and teeth bared. One whoosh later, and she was floating just in back of the breathing blue mountain in the entrance to the back tunnel. She hesitated a bit, holding the crowbar limp in her right hoof. A faint sound echoed to her left. "Remember. Look for a back entrance." She glimpsed to the side and saw movement in the small tunnel exit. Soldiers were about to pour out into the depot. An evil grin crept through Rainbow's face, and her eyes squinted into a glare. She turned her head towards the beast next to her, just feet away from the back of its head, and floated innocently to within a few inches of it. She turned to it, placed the crowbar behind her back, and whistled with shifting eyes for just a second. Then, whipping it out from behind her, "HEY FLAME-BREATH! CHEW ON THIS!" She whipped the crowbar around, and it clanged satisfyingly into its armor, sending a few sparks flying. There was a rumble, followed by a growl that grew into a roar, and suddenly the entire room was shaking. Rainbow backed up, her smile fading. Shaking the room in jolts with each step, the mountain turned around, revealing its would-be eyes. All that could be seen on its face was a red flaming glow where its mouth should be, but Rainbow could tell that, if it had a face, it would be all rage. She put the crowbar behind her back, grinned big, and giggled. "Uh, gotta go!" She raced back into the room, and caught a glimpse of something to her right. Soldiers were pouring out into the depot. She stopped mid-air and looked down at them. "It's Rainbow!" shouted one, pointing up. "Get her!" Another Equestria-shattering roar shook the chamber, and every soldier turned to face the storming blue mass charging into the room. A few backed up, while others yelled out. With a sickening crunch, the two forces collided, and the first thing Rainbow saw was a giant foot smash down onto one of the soldiers. "WHAT THE—" "HEEEEEEELP!" More screams echoed around the room as the monster unleashed its flames across the fleeing crowd. More soldiers were pouring out into the depot, spraying a hurricane of bullets in their path, causing sparks to jump and fly off the impenetrable armor. The creature leaned back and shook the room with another roar as the new set of soldiers came charging out at it. Rainbow swished her blue body down and into the tunnel they originally came in from in a haze of rainbow trail. All she could hear from behind her were war cries and screams, muffled by flames and growling. She turned around in the tunnel and flew up to the mouth, hovering so she could watch the battle. Pegasi were now flying all around the beast as it tore its arms through the air, trying to swat at them hopelessly. Some of them tried clinging onto it, as Rainbow had done earlier. "NO, YOU IDIOTS," one of the soldiers on the ground yelled. "FORGET THE BEAST! GET THE SCIENTISTS!" Rainbow crept out of the tunnel, keeping her eye on the flaming sparking chaos, which was steadily acquiring bodies of soldiers at its feet. She hovered up to the control-room depot, where Twilight and Rarity were watching with stunned faces at what was happening. The door behind them had nearly been bashed open, and movement could be seen behind them as the frightened soldiers tried to get a glimpse at what was causing all the noise. Rainbow floated right up to them, and glanced at the battle before looking at Twilight. "We gotta get out of here before we get creamed!" she said. "Are you CRAZY?!" Twilight yelled, looking at her with an insane expression. The door behind them crashed, and the pegasi could be seen clearly now. "There they are!" one of them shouted. Twilight turned and saw one of the soldiers aim their gun through the opening in the doors. "Nevermind. Let's go!" she said, turning back to Rainbow. Rarity only caught a glimpse of this conversation, and turned her head at the last minute. "What?" Twilight put her hooves on the sill, and perched her hind hooves on it like a cat before leaping out of it onto the depot floor. "Twilight!" Rarity yelled. "Twilight, wait for me!" She stumbled a bit at the sill, but Rainbow didn't wait to see the disaster of her fall. She whipped over her, and lifted her off the ground, hovering down to the ground before dropping her on all fours. "THIS WAY!" Twilight yelled, waiving a hoof at both of them. She sprinted off next to the battle, holding up her hoof to shield against the occasional bullet that whooshed past her. Rarity was screaming as she galloped after her. The entire room was becoming a flaming, bloody mess as the monster tore the army to shreds right next to them. Rainbow hovered over them as they galloped towards the tunnel in the back, and only glimpsed back when she heard more soldiers rocketing out of the control room behind them. There was another roar as the depot shook, and the air was blasted with flames so thick that the ceiling couldn't be seen. Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all turned to watch the new wave of soldiers fried alive in front of them one after another, all dropping to the ground in blackened crisps from the ceiling of fire. Only a second later, the flames dissolved into smoke, followed by the creature leaning back and letting out a victory cry, and sending a few warning flames into the air for any other remaining ponies. "Twilight," Rarity said, literally shaking from head to toe. "I really think we should—" There was a grunt as the creature turned its head, and all three of them knew it was staring right at them. They locked eyes for a second, and it blew out a small flame from where its mouth would be. "Um." Rarity started poking Twilight furiously, not taking her eyes off the creature. "Twilight. I think it saw us. I think it sees us. I think—" "I know, Rarity!" Twilight yelled. Rarity went wide eyed and nearly fainted. "What are we—how are we—wha—" "We're," Twilight started, sounding just as scared, "going to—RUUUUUUUUN!" She reeled back on her hind hooves, waving her forehooves in the air, before bolting off in the other direction down the tunnel. "Twilight, wait!" Rarity screamed, waving her own hooves in the air. The monster gave another grunt, and then lurched forward, causing more Equestria-shattering booms and shakes each time its feet smashed into the ground. Rainbow turned around to see Twilight and Rarity colliding with each other as they galloped in a frenzy down the hallway. Without so much as a thought, Rainbow shot down after them and hooked her hooves under each one in turn, lifting them straight off the ground. "RUN, RAINBOW!" Twilight yelled, realizing what she was doing. Rainbow flapped hard against the wind, feeling a hot gust of air hit her rump, envisioning the flames leaping out behind her. She picked up speed, dodging the parts of the ceiling falling down each time the ground shook. The walls were racing past her as she approached a corner of the tunnel. Getting as close to the edge as she could, she banked and righted herself into the new branch of tunnel. "DEAD END!" Twilight screamed, just before Rainbow saw it. A wall stood just in front of a massive contraption of electrical equipment that towered dozens of feel in all directions. There was a path cut through it, through which they could see a platform in the back. Rainbow skidded to a halt just before hitting the wall, and lowered them to the platform. "What do we do?" Rarity said as she landed on the ground. "That thing's right behind us!" "We need a place to hide! Quick!" Twilight said. She looked around in all directions. Rainbow looked to the right, and saw a small control panel at the end of the platform with a large switch in the middle. She spread her wings and launched herself at it. "I say we get this thing on and get out of here!" she yelled. Twilight looked at her as if just noticing the panel, and opened her eyes wide. The booms and shakes got louder, and they could see a charging blue mass in the back of the tunnel. She glanced at the switch, then at the tunnel, then back at the switch. "Do it!" she said. Rainbow grabbed the switch and pulled, pressing it against the spring-loaded off position just like the other switch. Twilight galloped up and threw her hooves onto it as well. With both of them pushing, the switch gave in easily, snapping into position. Immediately all their manes went flying from static, and the air cracked and snapped all around them as arcs flew around the equipment. "It's on!" Twilight yelled. "Get us out of here!" Rainbow leaped on top of Twilight, hoisting her up and heading towards Rarity. There was another boom and shake, and Rainbow glanced up to see the monster just feet away from the contraption. She froze, feeling every muscle in her body tense up. It was blocking their only way out. They all starred as it slammed its way through the crumbling tunnel, right in between the arcing electrical units. Rarity screamed and covered her face, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked away, putting a hoof out in front of them. There was a deafening roar, followed by complete stillness as the stomping stopped. Rainbow Dash waited with bated breath to be cooked alive, and cringed as she awaited the flames. They never came. The roar rose up into a piercing scream, and they heard a few flames shoot out, accompanied by cracks and snaps of electricity. And then— Rainbow Dash looked up to see the monster standing there, almost lifeless. It stared at them, arms slacked. Then, with a small puff of flame from its mouth and a small groan, it fell onto its knees with a thud before collapsing entirely onto the ground with a deep thunderous boom. Silence followed, broken only by the occasional snap of electricity. All three of them just stared at the body lying on the ground in front of them. Twilight was the first to speak. "Is it dead?" Rainbow started to float forward to poke it a few times, but Twilight grabbed her tail with her teeth and pulled her back. "Not a good idea," she said, letting go. Rainbow looked over and saw Rarity cowering on the ground in tears. She looked back at Twilight and scratched the back of her neck. "Uh, what just happened?" Twilight paced around on the platform, still wide-eyed. "It... it was electrocuted," she said. "This power plant is so old, it must be leaking current all over the place." Rainbow let her hooves drop, and stared at the giant blue corpse. "Wow..." She floated down to the ground and landed right next to Twilight. They both kept looking at the creature. "I guess we don't have to worry about the military anymore," Rainbow said. Rainbow couldn't see Twilight's expression, but from what she could catch in her peripheral vision, it wasn't joyful. "You might have used a bit more stealth, you know," she said, turning her head towards her. "Being chased down a hallway wasn't exactly what I had in mind as far as an escape plan." Rainbow laughed nervously and ran a hoof along the back of her neck. "Heh, yeah." Twilight turned her head around and looked at her saddlebags. A glimmer of magic aura hovered around it as she opened it and levitated something out. "These traps came in really handy," she said. "It wasn't easy setting them up." Rainbow made a confused face. "Wait, when was this?" Twilight giggled. "When we were flying down the tunnel," she said. She closed her eyes and beamed. "I'm quite proud of it, actually. I managed to throw them onto the walls with my magic while I was on your back." Rainbow gaped. "That was you?!" she said, thinking back to the explosions she heard while flying. "Wow," she said, wide-eyed. "You'd make a pretty good demolitionist if you were in the army," she said. Twilight blushed, and walked over to where Rarity was still cowering. "Okay, Rarity," she said. "You can get up now." Rarity poked her head up like a gopher and glanced around. "Are," she started, "Are we still alive?!" She ran her hooves all around her body just to make sure. Twilight laughed. "I wouldn't exactly say every pony is," she said. "But Rainbow Dash and I most definitely are." Rarity got up onto shaking hooves, nearly falling over a few times. They all put their hooves around her to comfort her, and she took a deep breath as she calmed down. All of them looked at the enormous corpse lying on the ground. Rainbow Dash gave an involuntary snort of laughter as she realized what they had just survived. Twilight glared at her, but ultimately smiled too. "Let's," Twilight said, "not do that again."
Ganymede	724	8	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2013-06-21T00:57:09+00:00	2013-09-17T21:02:02+00:00	1,485	The three of them had taken some time to work out how to get around the electrical equipment. The high voltages causing lightning to shoot out ruled out any hope of flying around it, although that didn't stop Rainbow Dash wanting to try. It was with some luck, then, that Rarity noticed a door to a backtrack hallway. Twilight had assumed it was just a storage closet from the outside, and was surprisingly pleased to see that it actually went somewhere. "Where do you think it goes?" Rarity asked. "Hopefully back to the depot," Twilight said, leading the way through the cramped tunnel. "It would be nice if we got to use the power we just went through all the trouble to turn on." She put a hoof up to shield her eyes against the bright lights on the ceiling. "Honestly, though, I have no idea," she said. "Without a map, there's no way to know where anything leads. We could be walking into a maintenance closet for all we know, or even taking a back entrance to the silo." Rarity mumbled, "I wouldn't be surprised if this took us into the bowels of Tartarus, at the rate we're going. How do we even know the train goes the right way?" Twilight hung her head. "Unless you see an alternative, Rarity, I don't see that we have much choice in the matter." Rarity nodded before falling silent. The both listened to their own hoof steps as they traversed the hallway, looking around at the cold, dark walls closing around them. Twilight could feel her own body weighing her down. The machine gun on her shoulder was becoming more annoying by the second, and she wished more than ever that she could take her suit off and relax, even if only for a minute. "Isn't it ironic?" Rarity asked, walking up to Twilight. "We finally get the power on, only to be blocked by the very thing supplying the power." Twilight didn't say anything. She just stared ahead at the tunnel as it curved and twisted wherever it wanted to go. "I mean," Rarity continued, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this whole thing was a trap, specifically to make us go down this hallway!" "Rarity," Twilight said. "No, really, Twilight!" Rarity continued. "We've been running into traps this whole time. You think it was happenstance that a giant tentacle monster just happened to be in the center of the silo we needed to pass?" "Rarity." "Or that the military just happened to be guarding the generator for this old, derelict rail system that no scientist in their right mind would ever want to use?" "Rarity, what is your point?" Twilight said. She stopped and turned around, tilting her head with a sigh. "My point is," Rarity said, "how do we even know that this rail system isn't just another trap?" She lifted a hoof to point towards the end of the tunnel, "For all we know, the military could be waiting for us on the other end of these tracks." Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but closed it instead before turning around and continuing down the tunnel. "Look," she said, pointing a hoof around one of the bends, "there's a door coming up." She looked back at Rarity. "We'll know where we are soon enough. We can decide what the best course of action is after that." Twilight waited for a response, but none came. The rest of the journey up to the door was slow, but they seemed to reach it much sooner than Twilight was ready. She turned around to look at the other two just as she reached the door. Part of her wanted to say something to them, but until she knew for sure what was on the other side of the door, she couldn't think of what to tell them. Twilight took a deep breath, reached a hoof out and pushed the door open. It was definitely the same depot from before. However, there was a certain rotting decay that wasn't there when they had first seen it. The smell was like a wall hitting her in the face. An acrid haze filled the room, and the ceiling was covered in a thick smog. No sooner had she taking a step into the room than the bodies came into view: a near-unrecognizable pile of carnage laden with camouflage outfits lay in front of the opening they had escaped into when they first encountered the beast. The uniforms were the only things covering the morbid sight of charred pony flesh, aside from the wisps of steam still clouding the remains. Various other bodies dotted the floor of the depot, like specks of mold. Twilight felt her jaw slowly drop as the scene unfolded. She had to work hard not to simply retch from the smell. Her knees wobbled, and she felt light-headed from the wafting smoke. It wasn't until Rarity walked in behind her that she came to her senses. "Oh, my—" Rarity stopped short and immediately started convulsing in a fit of coughing and retching. Twilight perked back up and trotted back to Rarity, placing a hoof on her back. "It's okay," she said. "It's only for a little bit. Just until we get the trains running." Rarity closed her eyes, trying to stop them from watering. "Don't worry about me, dear," she said. "I'm just... allergic to rotting corpses, that's all." She smiled weakly. "There has to be a train here that will work," Twilight said, looking around. "If we can manage to get one onto the turntable, there should be a way to direct it towards the exit tunnel." She turned around and walked back to the door they had just exited, not bothering to look at what was in front of her. "Now, if I was to take a guess," she continued, "the switch to control the turntable is probably in the control room." She thought about the large Frankenpony switch they had seen and rolled her eyes. "Control in the control room," she repeated quietly. She peered through the door and into the tunnel. "Rainbow!" she said, squinting against the lights. "Rainbow, do you think you could come out here? We could use your help." Twilight stuck her head inside to look around, and realized that Rainbow hadn't said anything since they had entered the tunnel. "Rainbow! Are you ther—" She felt a hoof tapping her shoulder, and turned around to see Rarity giving her a look. Twilight was about to ask, when Rarity jabbed her hoof towards the depot. "Is she—" Twilight turned around to give the depot another good look. Rainbow was clearly visible in a corner of the depot she had overlooked. She was hovering in the air, curled up, her face in her hooves. Twilight looked back at Rarity, mouth slightly agape. "You don't think..." Rarity put her hoof up to Twilight's mouth, and trotted off towards Rainbow. Twilight followed closely behind. As they approached, they could see that Rainbow was curled up, almost into a fetal position in the air, and was quivering. She was silent, save for the occasional sniff, but neither of them could see her face due to her hooves being in the way. Both Twilight and Rarity stopped just short of her, trying to work out what was wrong. "Rainbow?" Twilight said slowly. "Are you alrigh—" "I'M FINE!" she shouted. She turned around and put her head up, as if trying to strike a proud pose. It clashed with her occasional sniffles. Twilight and Rarity looked at one another with wide eyes, shaking their heads. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Rarity shoved her hoof into it. She followed Rarity's other hoof to where three bodies were lying, just below Rainbow Dash. As far as she could tell, they all had shocked looks on their faces, but it was hard to tell with so much of their hair covering their eyes. Twilight reached a hoof out carefully, and brushed some of the hair out of the way so she could see their faces more clearly. "Oh, dear," Rarity said quietly. "You don't suppose..." She looked up at Twilight before both of them looked up at Rainbow Dash. "I—" Twilight started, "I didn't even consider—" She felt her voice falter for a moment. "R-Rainbow?" She swallowed. "Were those three pegasus ponies your—" "No!" Rainbow shouted before Twilight could finish. "Not way! Never!" She flailed her hooves out. "Those idiots?!" Her voice cracked on these last words. "I," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I didn't even like them." She stuck her head up again, striking another "proud" pose at the wall. Both of them walked up closer to Rainbow, trying to hide their pity. "Rainbow," Twilight said quietly. "There's nothing to hide. Everypony goes through this. I've gone through this. We can help you." "Hide?!" Rainbow lashed out. "Hide what? I'm not hiding anything!" She whipped around and threw her hooves out, showing her tear-stricken face. Her eyes were red, and her mouth was scrunched. "Nothing's wrong! Three random idiots did something stupid and get themselves killed. BIG. DEAL." Twilight looked around the room at the dozens of bodies lying around. Then she looked back up at Rainbow. "Three?" Rainbow scrunched up her face even more and made a big sniffling noise. She closed her eyes tight and put her hoof up, as though shielding herself from the sight. "I—" She couldn't speak. Rarity stepped forward. "Rainbow, come down." Rainbow barred her teeth, and a few tears slipped through her lids. She breathed out and in deeply. Before Twilight and Rarity knew what was going on, Rainbow slammed herself into the opposite wall and banged her hooves into a few times, finally leaning her foreleg against the wall. Then, she dug her face into her foreleg, and sobbed. Even digging her face couldn't stifle the sound. Her body twitched and convulsed, and her legs slowly gave out from under her. Twilight and Rarity were with her before her body hit the ground, wrapping their hooves around her and whimpering nonsensical attempts at calming her down. Neither of them had any idea what to say, but they couldn't stand to hear Rainbow like this in silence. "It's okay, Rainbow." "We won't judge you." "Just let it all out." "Don't think about us." Rainbow gasped between sobs, and managed to let out a few words. "Why... is this happening?" She sobbed, putting her hooves up in front of her face. "This isn't... how it's supposed to be." She convulsed again, and swallowed hard. "I'm a SOLDIER!" She threw her hoof against the wall in a mock punch. "I'm not supposed to be like this!" Twilight stroked her shoulder and leaned her muzzle against her ear. Feelings were pouring in from her first time meeting Rarity, and she was having a tough time fighting them. She closed her eyes. "Death," Twilight said. She swallowed. "is hard for all of us, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow scrunched her face, trying not to look at her. "But I didn't even like them!" she said. "It's not fair!" She threw her hoof against the wall again, this time with a dull thud. Rarity continued to stroke her hoof down Rainbow's back, whispering trivial statements. "I," Twilight thought out loud. "I don't think it matters what you thought about them," she said. "It's the fact that you knew them that makes it... difficult." Twilight got up and walked around the room. Spike's face was flashing in her mind: on the rafters in the test chamber, peering down excitedly at all the equipment, or whining at her about how he'd be fine while she was gone. The images burned. A quiet sob just behind her made her turn around. Rainbow had managed to get up off the wall. Her face looked horrible, and she was shaking on all fours, but she was still standing. "Y-y-you," She sounded half-scared. "Y-you said you lost someone too?" Twilight's eyes widened, and she looked over at Rarity, who was walking slowly up from behind. "I don't think Twilight wants to talk about it right now, dear," she said. Twilight took a deep breath, and then closed her muzzle and sighed. Her head sunk into her hoof, and she closed her eyes. "I..." Rainbow said. "I want to hear it," she said. Twilight rubbed her hoof into her face, trying to wipe away all the mental images of green and purple scales. There was a dark part between then and now: a void she didn't want to explore. "Maybe someday," she said, not looking up. "But not right now. It's still too soon... for me." She sensed, rather than saw, Rarity put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "It's alright dear," she said. "Just give her some time." Twilight looked up to see Rarity leading Rainbow away. "Now," Rarity said, "Twilight says there's a switch that will activate the turntable." ========================================================= The train in the back switched on with a hum. Twilight didn't see much of a difference between this train and the one in the silo, save for a few crates sitting atop, which she had magicked off to make room for herself. The turntable was directly ahead, and was already positioned to accept her train. Rarity was standing at the turntable and facing the control room. Her hoof was up. "Rarity," Twilight said over the sound of the train. "The turntable is perfectly aligned already. I don't think there's anything we have to wait for." Rarity put her hoof down and gave her a look before finally rolling her eyes and turning away. Twilight shook her head, and slowly pushed forward on the lever. The train lurched forward, throwing her slightly off balance, but she regained quickly. The rest of the room came into full view as she exited the nook that the train had been standing in. Rarity was walking up to the train to greet her. "Twilight," she said, meeting the train halfway, "I must admit, I'm a bit worried about Rainbow Dash." Twilight looked up at the control room, and saw the vibrant blue face of Rainbow Dash against the dull gray of the room she was in. She was smiling weakly, but didn't say anything. "You don't suppose she'll do anything rash, do you?" Rarity asked. "I mean, I just remember back when you had..." Twilight scrunched her eyes shut, trying not to remember how she had threatened Rarity after what happened to Spike. She opened them and looked back at Rarity. "I'll talk to her at some point," she said. "Just keep an eye on her for now." Twilight waited until the train was centered on the turntable before bringing the train to a stop. She reached up her hoof to signal Rainbow Dash, who saluted with one of her hooves, and pulled down on the lever with the other. Rarity didn't wait for the train to stop before climbing onto the train with Twilight. "I must admit," Rarity said, holding up a small canister. "I'm going to be very glad to get out of this room." She waved her hoof around, wafting a spray around them. "I've almost run out of air freshener!" Twilight turned around to see Rainbow flying up to them, and waited until she was hovering right next to them. "Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked. Rainbow put a hoof behind her neck before bringing it out in front to wipe her brow. She made a face, as though she was trying to think. It looked painful. "I guess I just need to chill out," she said. "Put all this behind me. It's not like any of them were my friends or anything." Her voice started to crack up towards the end, and she fell silent. "Well, if it's any consolation," Twilight said, "you handle this kind of situation better me." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, turning her head to face the tunnel. "I really hope this rail will take us somewhere safer." Rarity quietly scoffed, but didn't say anything. Twilight pushed the lever forward, and felt the train lurch again. She was surprised at the sudden feeling that arose as she watched the tunnel approach her. As little time as they had spent in the depot, it still felt familiar to her. She understood it. Now the train was taking her away from it. Rainbow whipped around with a whoosh of rainbow trail, and flew into the tunnel. "Can't this thing go any faster?" she asked. "There's nothing here!" She hovered in front of them at the end of the tunnel and crossed her hooves. "It just bends over this way and keeps going." "Really?" Rarity asked. "You're sure you didn't miss anything? Perhaps some swinging spikes, or a pit of lava?" Twilight glanced over at Rarity before looking back at Rainbow. "Well, I suppose we could go a few notches faster." She gave Rainbow a look. "But you have to promise to catch us if we lose control." Rainbow stood up in mid air and saluted again. "No mare left behind!" she said. For the first time since they had entered the depot, Rainbow's face glowed, and Twilight couldn't help but smile. Rainbow gave a weak smile back at her before turning back to face the tunnel. "She'll be fine," Twilight whispered to Rarity. She pushed the lever forward a few more notches, and felt the train pick up speed. ========================================================= "I wish I had a map," Twilight said, gazing down the endless tunnel. "These rails could lead anywhere!" "Twilight's right," Rainbow said, pacing in the cool air in front of them. "For all we know, we've been going in circles. I mean, what if the whole train thing is just one giant round trip?!" "We don't know that," Twilight said. She had kept her hoof on the speed control the entire time, despite the fact that they were hardly travelling at more than a slow gallop. "If we were going around in circles, we'd have merged with another track by now." She held onto the control panel as the train curved around one of the corners. "Besides," she said, leveling out, "we're well away from the silo by now. According to my calculations, if the silo door was two floors below the surface, then the lift we took would take us 2 more floors below that, then another lift up into the silo..." She continued to think out loud, tracing their path up lifts, down stairs, taking into account falling through holes and climbing ladders, always using her hoof to help gauge the height. "...and then finally landed in the room with the trip mines, my guess is that we're probably only a couple hundred feet below the surface." Rainbow whipped around in front of her. "How can you remember all of that?! I don't even know how far we went since our last turn!" Twilight looked around at the dark, cold tunnel around them and sighed. "Part of me wishes I couldn't," she said. "Looking back, I can still sketch out the exact floor plan of the Canterlot Castle." She swiveled her hoof around, as though drawing out blue prints in mid-air. "I could also tell you the exact dimensions of my old room, down to the last inch, without having ever measured them." She sighed. "It hasn't been very useful until now." Rarity's eyes were wide. "Why, that's remarkable, dear! How can you still manage to fit anything else in that little head of yours?!" She tapped the top of Twilight's head with her hoof, making Twilight blush. "Uh, guys?" Rainbow's back was to them, and she was pointing down the tunnel. "Looks like we got something up ahead." Twilight squinted against the darkness, and saw something red and white in the distance: a parking gate, similar to the one they had crashed into in the silo. Twilight instinctively pulled back on the lever, slowing the train to a slow walk. "Uh," Rainbow said, pulling back and scratching her head, "we're not exactly anywhere close to it yet." Twilight blushed again. "I know," she said. "I was, er, just making sure the controls still work?" She ducked her head down, and pushed the lever forward again. "Why, who could that be?" Rarity said. "There's a stallion standing on next to the gate." She turned towards Twilight. "You don't suppose he's—" Twilight peered over the train panel to get a better look. She shook her head. "If he was a soldier, we'd be dead by now," she said. "They'd be looking for us." The stallion was standing on a raised boarding platform off to the side. A room was in back of him, with a set of windows looking in. A switch towards the back of the platform clearly controlled the gate. "If he's not with the military, he's probably lonely," Rarity whispered. "Should be pretty easy for me to get something out of him." Twilight turned towards her. "Let me talk to him, first." She pulled the speed lever down one notch at a time, and brought the train to a lurching halt at the platform. The brown stallion standing there was wearing a standard Pony Mesa security uniform, and trotted up to them with an excited look on his face. "I knew it!" he said, skipping the last few feet. "I knew somepony got the power on! HAHA!" A crazed look crossed the stallion's face, and took a step back. Twilight looked around. "I—" The stallion took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said, "It's just been a loooong day. I think the aliens are starting to get to me." He turned around. "I've been hoping to see some signs of pony life down here ever since the place went under. Thank Celestia you three showed up!" Twilight stepped off the train and onto the platform. "You've been down here the whole time?!" The stallion shook his head. "Well, not the whole time. I've been wandering around these tunnels for a bit, but—" His eyes locked onto Twilight's hooves, and slowly followed them up until they reached the suit. His jaw dropped as he gazed all around Twilight, slowly walking around her as though admiring a marble statue. "Um," Twilight said, feeling uncomfortable, "can I help you?" Rainbow snickered behind her. "My... gracious Celestia," he said, breathlessly. "That suit!" He continued to walk around her. "I—" Twilight stopped mid-sentence, and straightened up. "Well, I guess it is a state of the art Mark IV, and it has certainly been helpful, but—" "It's you!" he said, jumping up and down like a colt. "It's you! It's really you!" Twilight looked at him cock-eyed, and then looked around. "It's me." She stopped. "Wait, what's me?" The stallion rolled his eyes. "You are Twilight Sparkle, are you not?" Twilight looked perplexed. "I, uh... h-how do you know my name?" As a response, the stallion placed his hoof on Twilight shoulder and started laughing hysterically. "H-how," he wheezed. "How do I—" He turned towards Rainbow and Rarity. "How do I know—" He shook his head with his mouth hanging open, and pointed his hoof at Twilight. "Can you believe this mare?" Twilight looked at Rainbow and Rarity, too, and saw that they were just as perplexed as she was. The stallion looked back at her. "EVERYPONY knows who you are, Twilight! The whole facility knows!" Twilight felt a chill run through her entire body at these words. "I—er—what?" The stallion shook his head and turned around. "Well, not every pony." He laughed silently to himself before turning around a few feet away from her. "But... the Twilight Sparkle?" he said, half-asking. "The one who destroyed an Osprey? The one the military has been after? The one who—" "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow Dash said, swooping down and landing in front of him. "How does the military know her name?" The stallion beamed again. "Luckily," he said, "they don't. Not yet, at least. They just refer to her by an alias for now, and occasionally describe her." He gave her a sly look. "I think they're afraid of you." He winked. "So," Rarity said, stepping forward, "how do you know her name? You said you haven't met anyone since the incident." The stallion raised his hoof. "That's... I guess that's not entirely true. One of the scientists mentioned it to me in passing, before I made it as far as this tunnel." He turned around and beckoned to them. "Come with me." He trotted off to the side and through the small door into the security room. Twilight looked blankly at the others before leading them through the door as well. "Here," the guard said, "is where the eyes and ears of the facility are!" He waved his hoof around at the darkened closet-of-a-room. It was cluttered with wires and electrical equipment. "Radios!" he said, waving his hoof around. "We've been listening in this whole time." He leaned into one of them and smiled suggestively at Twilight. "The military isn't the only group who's interested in you, Twilight." Rarity shifted uncomfortably next to her. "It seems," the stallion continued, "there are two factions battling over you. One is the military." He turned around and walked up to a table in the back, standing there just long enough to adjust a knob at one of the stations. "The other," he said, turning around, "is a peculiar team of scientists who call themselves the Lambda Lab." "Lambda La—" they all started to say, before being cut off by the stallion. "This," he said, waving a hoof at the window, "is what they keep talking about. This rail system. That's why I came down here." He walked up to Twilight and lowered his voice. "There is something here they want, and want desperately! Lambda keeps mentioning it. I think they're hoping you hear about it." He looked up at Twilight. "They also keep mentioning you," he said. "I think they have a feeling you're in the general vicinity." Twilight shook her head. "What do they want? Do they want me to find it?" The stallion turned around. "I don't know. Whatever it is, they won't say. I think they fear the military will find out about it." He turned back around to look at them. "And with good reason! I believe the military is stationed near here. Whatever it is Lamda is talking about, the military has shut it down." "Shut it down?" Twilight repeated. "Shut what down?! It sounds like it could be anything! Without knowing what this thing is, it could be impossible to find it!" The stallion chuckled. "I thought the same thing," he said. "But keep in mind, I also thought it was impossible for a single mare to take on a military-grade hovercraft!" "I wasn't alone," Twilight interrupted, placing her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "Nor will you be during this mission," he said, indicating both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "It looks like you've found some friends along the way." Rainbow flew out in front of Twilight, nearly bumping into her. "Darn straight!" she shouted. "We'll ALWAYS be there for her!" The stallion backed up, eyes wide. "You'll have to forgive her," Twilight said. "She can be a bit rash sometimes." Rainbow scoffed at her. "Says the pony who blew up some wooden boards with a grenade," she said. "That was one time, Rainbow!" Twilight shouted. "ONE. TIME." She stopped as Rainbow burst into fits of laughter on the ground. "Oh, very funny," she said, rolling her eyes with a sigh. Twilight looked back up at the stallion. "You wouldn't happen to have a map of this place, would you?" As an answer, the stallion started shuffling papers, and bumping into equipment. "I... don't think so," he said. He picked up something small on the table and held it up to Twilight. "I do have a few sticks of bubblegum left, though! It's not quite a map, but I happen to know they're still minty fresh!" Twilight looked at the stallion, then down at the gum, then back at the stallion, glaring. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass." ========================================================= Twilight started up the train as soon as the guard had opened the parking gate. She ignored the few loop-da-loops Rainbow did out of boredom, and concentrated on the tracks ahead. "Without a map, we'll have to improvise," she said. "It looks like there's a turntable up ahead." "That's not a turntable," the guard said behind her. Twilight turned around as the guard continued. "That lift will take you straight down into the main part of the rails." Rainbow Dash flew up ahead to take a look. "Down?" She landed on the turntable and stuck her head between the table and the surrounding wall. Her voice echoed from beneath it. "You can't be serious!" She brought her head up and flew back towards Twilight. "Aren't lifts supposed to take ponies up? I mean, who designed this place? Moles?" Twilight rolled her eyes. "Diamond Dogs, more like," she said. "I don't know where they get their "Anomalous Materials", but I wouldn't be surprised if they simply find them buried in a giant pit. The gem I saw in the test chapter must have been bigger than my head!" "Gem?!" Rarity's eyes widened and sparkled. "This place has gems?!" She grabbed Twilight's head and steered her face to meet hers. "Do they have anything else? Sapphires, perhaps? Or... rubies?!" Her eyes rolled back and her mouth slouched into a dreamy position. "Focus, Rarity," Twilight said, picking Rarity's hooves off her face and guiding them back to the ground. "I doubt this train will take us to a great mine or anything." "But," Rarity said, her voice cracking, "it could?" The security guard could be heard chuckling to himself behind them. He hadn't left his station, but they were still close enough that his echoing voice carried down the tunnel. "Just ignore him," Twilight said. "We should be ready in case something or somepony is waiting for us." She reached behind her and pulled out her crowbar. "Rainbow!" Rainbow turned around as Twilight tossed her the crowbar, which she caught with both hooves. "Awesome!" "Now, we'll have to look for a way to activate the lift," she said as the train rolled onto the turntable. "Rainbow Dash, do you see any kind of lever, or button that could—whoa!" The train turned, and she grabbed hold of the panel and looked back up to see the wall moving. "Never mind!" she said. The ceiling was floating away as well, a she could see Rainbow still hovering above her with the crowbar. The entire train and the rail it was sitting on were corkscrewing down a large pit. Twilight grabbed hold of the control panel to keep her balance as they spun down the lift, and Rarity had grabbed onto Twilight. Both of them had closed their eyes, trying not to get dizzy. A few seconds later, the lift splashed into the floor before clanging to a halt. "Well, that was... fun," Twilight shaking out her head and trying to get her inner-ear juices to settle. She kept her eyes on the train, trying to get her bearings. "Heh," Rainbow Dash said, floating down to their level. "Looked pretty awesome from up here." She put her hooves up in a mock-spooky manner and spoke like she was telling a ghost story. "Like you were delving down a deep pit to to your doom." She pulled back and laughed. "I only wish there was a giant lever at the top. We need mad-scientist costumes." Twilight scowled at her, and Rainbow's smile faltered. "Oh, right, I forgot," she said. "You are mad scientists." "RAINBOW!" Twilight yelled. Rarity cleared her throat. "Actually, dear," she said, "I'm more of an office assistant. I never actually did anything sciencey, per say." She tilted her head in thought. "Although I did once experiment with mixing various levels of cream in my coffee. Does that count as science?" Twilight scrunched her face and resisted banging her head into the control panel. "I dunno," Rainbow said. "The only time I did any experimenting was when I was in flight school, and we really didn't wear any lab coats when we were doing that. In fact, we really didn't wear anything at a—" "ENOUGH!" Twilight yelled. The whole area went quiet, except for the echoes of their voices. Twilight looked at the tunnel ahead of them. The whole area they were in was flooded, although luckily none of the water came up past the wooden platform boards they were standing on. "Now," she said, ignoring the blushing faces of Rainbow and Rarity, "as you all can see, this place is flooded." She tried and failed to hold her sarcasm. "This means all that ridiculous high voltage that we saw at the power plant is coursing through here." She pointed her hoof at the water. "So, unless any of you want to end up like the big blue monster back there, I suggest we take it nice and slow." She pushed forward on the lever, and felt the train lurch into its lowest speed. Rainbow Dash flew up ahead. "Nice and slow, huh? And how's that going to help if the train dives into the water?" Twilight scowled. "Then I guess it's a good thing we have a pegasus to carry us," she said. Rainbow didn't ask any more questions after that. Twilight looked around at the walls of the tunnel, which were decayed, and given a brown, rotten look from the dim lights yellow lights hanging from periodic hooks on the wall. It felt like they were travelling down a sewer. The coronas blinded them as they approached, and all they could hear was the gentle splashing of the water against the moving train. Rarity looked around and made a face. "I do hope we don't have to spend much time down here," she said. "You're sure the military isn't simply setting us up?" Twilight leaned gently against her hoof trigger as the train approached the first turn. "The guard did say they were down here. But, I'm not seeing how they could have gotten here without the power on. The lift won't work without it, and as far as what the guard told us, he didn't see any soldiers come this way." "Unless he's a spy!" Rainbow Dash said. The train gently turned the corner, revealing a widening tunnel. Some other parts of the rail system could be seen above them through the ceiling, and some of the light from above shined through the openness, forming patterns on the water. "Somehow, I doubt that," Twilight said. "Although there technically isn't anything to prove otherwise." She thought for a moment. "The pegasus soldiers disabled the power, which means they probably don't want us down here. Why would they station one of their ponies at the entrance, and tell us to proceed?" Rainbow Dash turned around. "Obviously, to put us off guard!" Rarity pushed Twilight out of the way before she could respond. "Rainbow Dash, that's enough," she said. "We are all prepared for a fight if one comes to us." Twilight looked at Rarity. "That is a good point," Twilight said. "There's not much we can do if there's a trap down here. We already know the risks." The train tilted upward, and Twilight and Rarity grabbed hold of the panel so they wouldn't slide backwards. "We're moving up," Twilight said, looking ahead at the tracks. Rainbow Dash flew to the top of the incline and peered around. Her body glowed in the darkness up ahead, and her voice echoed down the tunnel. "Looks like it meets up with another track," she said. "Good," Twilight said. "That must be the primary rail. The one we've been travelling on must be an entrance rail." Twilight watched as they crested the top of the incline and saw the rest of the track come into view. "My guess is that the unit on the surface is a different unit than the one in the depot. The rails are probably built like a mine, and are filled with inclines just like this one." She looked at Rarity, and then back at Rainbow Dash. "The further up we go, the more careful we'll have to be." Rainbow Dash flew in front of the train and lead it as it turned the corner onto the main rail. The tunnels up ahead were mostly barren. A few wooden structures climbed the walls, and provided platforms that seemed to have no purpose. Other paths would fork off into a dark corridors that ended in abandoned storage. The going was slow, but the military was nowhere in sight. "Anything up ahead, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. Rainbow hovered up ahead. "Just another fork," she said. "This one's blocked, though. Some sort of cable's in the way." Twilight scratched her head. "Cable?" A few red lights on the wall saturated the part of the tunnel they were in, and a brighter area could be seen in the distance. Twilight could just make out another switch in the tracks. "Some kind of hook thing," she said. "Looks broken." Rarity sighed and rested her face against her forehoof, leaning into the control panel of the train. "You're sure there's nothing else?" Twilight asked. More of the brightness up ahead came into view, and she could see the left-hand wall give way to a large space. The switch in the track diverted it into this space. "Well, there's a door, but it doesn't look like there's anything on the other side." Twilight peered around the corner as the train entered the expanse, and brought it to a halt just before it reached the switch. A thick cable was hanging from the ceiling, with a large steel claw at the end of it, obviously used to lift crates at some point. "May as well take a look around," she said. "It certainly looks more promising than any of the other forks we've come across." She stepped off the train. "At least it's quiet. Might give us a chance to rest our hooves." She trotted into one of the corners and turned around to look at the room from another angle. "Why don't you explore the new path, Rainbow?" she said, pointing a hoof. "Rarity and I will have a look around." Rainbow did a lazy salute, and hovered around the corner and out of sight. Twilight and Rarity waited until they could no longer hear the flapping of her wings. Rarity walked up to Twilight in the corner. "She's looking a bit worn out," she said. "You don't think she's lost her enthusiasm, do you?" Twilight shook her head. "She's definitely still Rainbow Dash," she said. "She's probably just fatigued." Twilight walked up to the hook and reached a hoof up to it. The entire thing was larger than her body, and half of it was too high to reach. "If I had to guess, I'd say she's just bored. I mean," she looked around, "there's nothing to fight down here." Rarity tilted her head. "And... that's a bad thing?" Twilight trotted across the tracks, lifting her hooves high above the rails so as not to electrocute herself. "We should look for a way through this door," she said, reaching the wall on the other side. "It looks like more than just a storage room. There might be some useful stuff in there." Rarity leaned up against the hook. "I don't like this, Twilight." Her face was blank, and she wasn't looking at Twilight. "This... situation." She moved her hoof gently across the hook. Twilight was busy examining the door. It was surprisingly standard compared to the large blast doors they had been running across lately. The dull handle and indented casing made it look like a standard hinged door that opened on the inside. Twilight prodded the handle, but it wouldn't turn. "I don't like it either, Rarity," Twilight said. "But we've managed to survive worse." Rarity sighed, and trotted across the tracks to meet up with Twilight on the other side. "I don't mean that," she said. "I mean I don't like knowing what's about to happen," she said. "The anticipation." She walked up to the wall and leaned against it, carefully pushing her mane out of the way so it wouldn't pick up any of the dirt on the surface. "Every other time, we had no idea what we were getting into. We had no time to think about it." She leaned in close and whispered, "We're about to infiltrate a military operation! Doesn't that make you nervous?!" Twilight kicked the door out of frustration, and leaned up against the wall on the other side of the door from Rarity, and sunk to the floor. "We're not soldiers, Rarity," she said. "Neither of us know how to fight. Most of the times before this were simply luck." She looked at the floor and shook her head. "We have to be smart this time. We know what we're getting into, and we know what we have to work with." A soft flutter could be heard echoing in from the tunnel, making Twilight's ears perk. She lifted her head to see Rainbow hovering back into the light. "There's a lift," Rainbow said, throwing her hoof over her shoulder. "I think it goes up a ways, but I didn't fly very far." Twilight's eyes widened. "Well that's good news," she said. "The closer to the surface we are, the more likely it is we'll find what we're looking for." She got onto her hooves and groaned at the sudden protest her muscles were making. "See if you can break down this door, Rainbow. There might be some controls we can use to move the hook." Rainbow looked around absent-mindedly, breathed deep, and sighed. She reared back, and flung herself against the door with a dull thud. Twilight and Rarity jumped at the noise, but the door didn't budge. Rainbow hovered back and shook her head. "Whelp! Looks like it's stuck. We'd better get going." Twilight narrowed her eyes, and quietly walked up to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow also turned around, and for a moment, they stared at each other. "Crowbar," Twilight said, holding out her hoof. Rainbow looked at her blankly, and reluctantly handed the crowbar over. "Heh, good luck with that," she said, rubbing her shoulder. "If an awesome pegasus like me can't open it, I doubt a simple egghead like you would have the strength!" Twilight snatched the crowbar away with a "hmmph", and walked behind Rainbow. "It's not for the door," she said simply. With a "whish" sound, she brought the bar back, and whipped it with a loud snap into Rainbow's rear end. "AHH!" Rainbow said, keeling over. She gritted her teeth, and jumped into the air, rubbing her rump with her hoof. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Twilight cocked her head and pursed her lips. "I just figured you could use a little motivation," she said, taking a few steps away from her. "YOU'RE A SOLDIER!" she yelled. "PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT!" She tossed the crowbar hard enough to make Rainbow flinch as she caught it. Rainbow's wide eyes followed Twilight as she moved out of the way. Even Rarity had taken a few steps back, and was looking back and forth between the two. Rainbow waited for Twilight to say something else, but all Twilight did was turn around, flip her hoof towards the door, and say "proceed". Rainbow looked over at Rarity, who shrugged. "She is right," Rarity said. "You didn't exactly give it your all last time, dear." Rainbow breathed a few choice words under her breath, still rubbing her rump, and hovered to the other side of the tracks, narrowing her eyes and scowling. Without hesitation, she flared her wings, flipped over, and slammed her body into the ground, using the force and momentum to kick off. A bang went off a second later. A cloud of dust exploded across the area, making Twilight cough and wave her hoof around to see. All that was there was a glowing streak of rainbow between the ground and the door. Rainbow Dash was nowhere in sight. Twilight caught her breath, gave Rarity a look, and walked slowly through the dust cloud to peer through the doorway. The wall was cracked in many places, and entire chunks were missing near the entrance. Rainbow was spread-eagle upside-down on the wall in the back, eyes slightly derping. Off to the side, the door was rocking back and forth on the ground, knocked entirely off its hinges with a dent protruding so far that it couldn't lay flat on the ground anymore. Twilight smiled at it before looking back at Rainbow. "Now that's the Rainbow I know," she said. ========================================================= Twilight stepped into the room and let her eyes adjust to the light. The place had been abandoned for quite some time, judging from the amount of dust and cobwebs investing the area. A few old computers sat on a metal table off the the side. The rest of the room was empty save for a few boxes here and there. "Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, "why don't you check those crates over in the corner. See if there's any ordnance." She turned to the other side of the room as Rainbow saluted. "I'll see if any of these computers still work." Twilight stepped up to a metal table off to the side, and started wiping the dust off the monitors. "I haven't worked too much with computers," Twilight said. "They use a very different kind of magic than I'm used to. It's more delicate than the kind I was trained on." She bent her head down and looked under the table. "If these things don't work, I'm not sure I'll be able to repair them." Rarity cocked her head. "I always assumed they ran off the same stuff as the train." Twilight tapped the side of one of the boxes under the table, and got down onto the floor to have a closer look. "As a power source, that's true. But all the logic is handled by spells. Some of my teachers back in Canterlot told us about it. It can take a lifetime for a unicorn to acquire the accuracy and precision needed to cast magic at that level. Very few ponies can do it." Twilight stayed under the table for another minute, fiddling with switches and prodding things with what little magic she had. A few of the systems hummed to life. "Looks like two of the three mainframes still work," she said, getting back to her hooves. "If we're lucky, we should be able to get some information." She looked at Rarity. "Do you think your credentials still work?" Rarity looked confused. "Why in Equestria would my credentials work on these old things?! I may as well try to log into a rock!" She walked up to one of the monitors and touched the screen with her right hoof. She sighed. "Still, I don't suppose it would hurt to try. Maybe they're all on the same network?" Rainbow Dash flew over to the other two. "Not much in the crates," she said. "But I did manage to snatch a couple of these things, whatever they are." She held up some small leather pouches in her hooves. Twilight grabbed one of the pouches and examined it. "It has an antenna," she said, pointing at lt. "It's probably got a receiver inside somewhere." She turned it over in her hoof a few times. "Maybe an explosive?" She walked over to where the crate was, which Rainbow had carefully pried open. "I wonder if there's a transmitter in here somewhere." "Twilight!" Rarity said from across the room. "I think I found something!" She waved a hoof at one of the screens. Twilight left Rainbow Dash peering into the crate, and joined Rarity to look at the screen. "Look at this," Rarity said, as Twilight stepped up next to her. "I don't know why, but my credentials got me access to some of the security systems. Those things should only be accessible to highly important personnel!" Twilight tried to make some sense out of the diagrams and maps she was seeing on the screen. "Is that..." she said, pointing a hoof at the screen. "A map of the rail system, yes," Rarity said. "Look at this! I can see all the levels of the system, and control parts of them, too!" Twilight's eyes widened, and she felt a chill run through her body. "Can we," she said excitedly, "bypass the entire rail system?" she asked. "Is there a shortcut to the surface?" Rainbow's voice shouted from across the room. "Got it!" She held up a few small bricks. "Whatever it is, it's got a button and another antenna," she said. "Are these the transmadiddlies you were talking about?" Twilight glanced around at Rainbow floating up to her. "How many did you find?" she asked. "They should match up with the pockets." Rainbow fiddled with a few of them, and floated back to one of the tables. "I... think they have numbers or something on them. I can't tell. Gimme a sec." Twilight turned back to Rarity, who was scanning the screen with her hoof. "It looks like the entire system revolves around this one central room," Rarity continued. "There's definitely a control center of some sort on the surface. Whatever's in the central room must be controlled from there." She pointed to it with her hoof, and then scanned around it until she found what she was looking for. "Here! This elevator goes straight for the surface. It looks like it's shut down right now, but... hang on." She moved her hoof around and pushed her hoof into some buttons on the screen. "It's not giving me access." She pressed her hoof into a part of the screen a few more times, and finally started punching the screen. "It's not working," she said. "I don't have control over anything on the surface." Twilight stepped back and peered out the door. "Do you at least have access to the crane hook?" "Hook... hook... let's see..." Rarity moved her hoof wildly across the screen. "Ah! There it is." She pressed her hoof into the screen again, and a loud sound could be heard outside the door. Twilight trotted up to the door and stuck her head out. "It's moving!" she shouted back. A loud click emanated from the tracks, over the sound of the moving cable. "I flipped the switch on the tracks, too, dear," Rarity said. "It looks like I can control everything below the surface." Twilight licked her lips, and felt a twinkle spark in her eye. She smirked at the tracks and the hook outside, and then turned around to head back into the room. "Rarity," Twilight said, "I think I have a plan." She walked up to her, and put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "If we can find a way to stay in contact, I'd like you to stay here. You can help control the rails using the system, and the meet up with us on the surface using the elevator." She turned around. "Rainbow, how are those explosives coming along?" "Almost got it," Rainbow said, holding up a few of the pouches and flying over Twilight. "I matched them up by their little number thingies. Hopefully that's how they work. OH!" Rainbow gasped. "You mentioned staying in touch! I saw something a minute ago! Just a sec." Rainbow darted back to the table with the explosives, and got down on the floor. "I think," she said, rummaging around with some cardboard boxes, "these might help." Rainbow got back up, holding three small contraptions in her hooves. She tossed one to Twilight, and it ricocheted off her fumbling hooves and into her forehead. "Ow!" Twilight said, barely catching it in her hooves. "Warn me before you do that!" She scowled, and looked down at what she was holding. "A... shortwave radio?" She looked back up at Rainbow. "Are you serious?!" Rainbow shrugged. "Hey, I don't know what any of this techno-jumbo does. They're just bricks to me." Twilight shook her head. "No, no, no. I mean, these things could be really helpful! Here." She reached out towards Rainbow and grabbed the other two radios. "There should be enough for all three of us to stay in touch," she said. "Rarity?" Rarity turned around with a blank face. Twilight tilted her head. "Are you going to be alright staying here?" Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "Stay here, darling?" She looked around the room, and for a while, Twilight wasn't sure what was going on in her mind. Finally, Rarity looked back, still somewhat absent-minded. "Well, I hadn't put much thought into it. Let's see," she said. "No fighting, stay in touch with my friends, get to control everything..." She finally looked back at the other two and flipped her hair. "It's not quite an evening at the spa, but it'll have to do." Twilight just looked at her, and smiled. ========================================================= "Rarity!" Twilight yelled through the radio. "Ra—ri—ty! Can you hear me?" She pushed a few of the buttons. Rainbow Dash was hovering next to her on the train, trying not to snicker. Twilight had been trying to figure out how to work the radio transmitters for the past few minutes before they departed. "Ugh! Stupid technology," Twilight said, pushing a few more buttons. "This thing needs a manual." The explosive charges were neatly packed away next to the few trip mines she had left, and Rarity had spent the last five minutes familiarizing herself with the rail map. Twilight had been glued to the screen for a while, trying to memorize every line and crevice, and Rainbow Dash almost had to pry her away with the crowbar to get her to leave. Twilight shook the contraption around with her hoof before pushing another random button. "Ra—ri—ty!" she shouted. "Come—In! Do—You—Rea—" "You—Do—Not—Have—To—Shout—Dear," came the response. Twilight stopped dead and closed her muzzle. Her ears went red, and she shrunk back behind the train panel. Rainbow Dash's hooves were jammed in her muzzle, barely containing her laughter. "Testing," she said, much quieter. "Testing?" "I still heeeear you," Rarity sang. "Rainbow," Twilight said, making sure the radio was turned off, "we should work out a way to talk in code words, in case the military can hear us on this channel." Rainbow shrugged. "Pfft! Leave the flying to me," she said. "You can work out the code words with little miss sing-song over there." She pointed a hoof over to the security entrance. "Rainbow Dash," Twilight growled, "we're already on the train. Can't you just fly over there and tell her?" Rainbow glared at her for a second, and then floated over to the entrance, turned around, and positioned herself like one of the royal guards. "The Rainbow Messenger is standing by to receive your requests," she mocked. She shot Twilight a look. "All right," Twilight said with a sigh, "we need basic code words for common things, and they need to have nothing to do with what we're really saying." She pondered to herself a bit more. "Common things... common things... let's see." She started ticking things off with her hoof: "Throwing rail switches, spotting guards, giving directions..." Rainbow Dash stretched her arms out in a histrionic yawn, and made no attempt to stifle the loud noise. "Fine!" Twilight said. "I'll get to the point." She got off the train and walked up to Rainbow. "Since we're looking for the Lambda Lab, we'll go Greek. Rarity will be Phi. I'll be Rho. We'll give cardinal directions based on nu, sigma, epsilon, and omega—" "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rainbow said, holding up her hooves. "I am not memorizing the Greek alphabet," she said. "I had a hard enough time remembering the fraternities at flight school! I am not about to try figuring out which letter is which over that staticy radio thing." Twilight glared at her. "Okay, Airman Rainbow Dash," she said, "what would you prefer?" Rainbow pointed her hoof at herself. "Obviously, I would be called Awesome." She pointed a hoof a Twilight, "You would be Egghead, and Rarity would be Prissy." "Prissy?!" Rarity said from around the corner. "I am not prissy! I am fabulous! Or do I need to give you a lesson in the difference?" Twilight rolled her eyes. "We are not doing that, Rainbow," she said. "We need something the military can overlook. Most of the military is going to hear words like awesome and fabulous and call them out." She twisted her hooves in front of her. "How about we compromise. We'll use military jargon for some of the stuff. I'll be Suit-Up, you be Wings, and Rarity will be Radio. Sound fair?" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Sounds lame," she said. "Well, it's not like we have a choice," Twilight said. "I mean, the only other way would be to guarantee the military couldn't decipher our signal, and the only way to do that would be to... encrypt it..." She trailed off at the end, and then groaned loudly. "Why didn't I think of that?" She put her hoof to her forehead. "Encrypt the signal, that's it!" Rainbow just stared at her blankly. "Gather the radios, Rainbow," she said, holding out her hooves. "I have an idea." Rainbow rolled her eyes and flew back through the door to get Rarity's receiver. "Okay," Twilight said, grabbing the radios from Rainbow, "if this works, we can say whatever we want, and the military won't be the wiser." She lit her horn and cried out after a few sparks flew. She stopped and took another breath. "Stupid horn." She closed her eyes and let the lightest of auras fly around, touching it directly to the antennas of the radios. There was a purple spark, and the tip of the antennas glowed, as though she had just lit three candles. "There," she said, rubbing her horn with one of her hooves. "The transmission should be altered when it comes out. The signal will only make sense if it's received by one of these these radios." She handed two of them back to Rainbow Dash. "So... that means we don't have to learn to speak egghead?" Rainbow said. Twilight ignored her, and headed back towards the train. "The only problem would be if the military gets hold of one of them," she thought. She held the radio up to her muzzle and pushed the button. "Can you hear this, Rarity?" "Loud and clear, darling," came the voice. "And, thank you for not yelling this time." Twilight stepped back up onto the wooden train platform, and started up the controls. "Rainbow Dash, I'm going to start the train rolling forward. I need you to scout ahead. Fly down to the lift and keep me posted." Twilight reached her hoof out to the controls and hesitated. Thoughts emerged about what she was doing: the closer the train got to the surface, the messier things would get. Even Rainbow Dash was having second thoughts. "Rarity," Twilight said over the radio, "as soon as we're gone, I want you to set one of the explosives just outside the door. If you see any aliens or military ponies in the area, I want you to detonate it." She turned to Rainbow Dash. "Keep me posted on everything, Rainbow. If you kill a headcrab, I want to know about it." Rainbow swung the crowbar around a few times, and then flew off down the tunnel. Twilight took a deep breath and touched her hoof along the trigger of her side-arm. Every muscle in her body was tensed. "Think thoughts," she whispered to herself. "There is a way to the surface, and we are going to make it." She closed her eyes, reached out to the panel, and pushed the lever. She watched as the train rolled through the room and up to the tunnel, and couldn't help but lean against the trigger. Her eyes glanced at the security door, hoping to see Rarity one last time before crossing the threshold, but she was too far around the corner. The walls of the tunnel passed by the train, and she was plunged into darkness. Her eyes darted over the rust-stained walls, and blinked against the distant lights. Parts of the floor opened up to reveal glistening water, flooding what must have been maintenance pits below the rails. "Rainbow," she said, holding up the receiver, "Is everything clear at the lift?" Rainbow's cracked voice echoed through the tunnel. "It's stuck." Twilight cocked her brow. "What do you mean, it's stuck?" Her eyes darted around, and part of her was distracted by the thought of being knocked into the water. She wished there was something to help keep her on the platform. "I mean," the voice came again, "the lift is stuck! It's partway up, and won't come back down." Twilight felt a chill crest her body. "Rarity?" she said. "Did you touch something?" Rarity's voice sang through the receiver. "I don't think so," she said. "Although the screen is showing the same thing." "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said, "Regroup. I want us teamed up in case we see activity. Rarity, I want you to try lowering the lift." She looked back down the tunnel, and noticed she was most of the way down the initial tunnel stretch. The lift was just around the corner. "Rainbow," Twilight said, as Rainbow rounded the corner, "get behind the panel. I think it'll work better if we surprise them." Rainbow's wings flapped wildly as her hooves touched down, and Twilight reached over and pushed her head down behind the panel. "Twilight," Rarity's voice echoed, "I think I got the lift down, but the system asked if I wanted to override something. I don't think I'm the only pony controlling the system." A light shown around the bend at the end of a short stretch, which grew as the train rounded the corner. A cylindrical room could be seen at the end of a short stretch, with a turntable at its base. Twilight pulled the train up to the threshold and pulled the lever back to a stop. "Do you see anything, Rainbow?" she asked. Rainbow Dash jumped onto the panel and stuck her head out into the room. Her rainbow tail flicked and brushed against Twilight's face, and Twilight clawed it away with her hooves. "I don't see anyone," Rainbow said. "It's just really high." Twilight reached her hooves around and guided Rainbow back behind the platform. "Rarity," she said, "I'm going to move the train onto the lift. As soon as that's done, I want you to start it up." She turned towards Rainbow. "They're going to try to ambush us, but I have a plan. I don't think they know you're with me." She reached out her hoof and pushed the lever forward a notch, and then held out a hoof, "let me see the crowbar." The train came to a halt on the turntable as Rainbow made the hand-off. She lit her horn and touched it to the crowbar, just as she did with the antennas. "I wrote some papers on this theory back in Canterlot," she said. "Normally it takes very powerful magic to form a barrier. I think I found a way around that." She handed the crowbar back to Rainbow Dash. "That crowbar has only a portion of force field magic on it. I discovered that that kind of magic is both regenerative and elastic, which means you should be able to form a complete barrier simply by moving it around fast enough." Rainbow was tilting the bar in front of her face at different angles, trying to discern exactly what it was. Upon hearing Twilight's explanation, she instinctively moved her hoof off to the side and started shaking it around like a glowstick. A sheet of purple glass materialized as she moved the crowbar around, and Rainbow reached out her other hoof to touch it. "That's pretty freaky," she said. "It looks like some sort of hard candy." Twilight was looking up at the shaft, trying to figure out whether to take an offensive or defensive approach. "Well, don't lick it," she said. "I've never tasted a force field before, but I doubt it tastes anything like candy." She held up the radio. "Move us up, Rarity." She held onto the panel as the train started corkscrewing up. "That force field doesn't last very long," she said. "You'll have to keep repainting it if you want—" "AHH!" Rainbow jumped up and grabbed her tail. A tinge of smoke was wafting from it, and the tip of it was black. Twilight looked around, and noticed some cubbies around the walls, opening into various chambers. "Force field, Rainbow! Get a barrier up!" She squinted into the dark chambers, trying to see who had fired. Rainbow's blurred swishes around her didn't help. "I can't see," she said, trying to compensate for the train's rotation. "The lift is moving too fast! I—AH!" Something bounced off her hoof, and she looked down to see a glowing green spot emanating from her suit. "What is—" She thought for a second, and the looked up to see the solid glowing field of purple darkening around her. "Rainbow! Get inside the force field!" she yelled. Something whacked her from behind, and she jumped around. "What in Luna's..." she said, rubbing her backside. "They're using penetrative magic." She looked up at Rainbow. "We can't protect against this stuff!" She ducked as a green ray came shooting out of one of the cubbies and singed her mane. "Rarity," she said into the radio, "can you make the lift go any faster?" Rarity's voice could barely be heard above the growing activity. "I'm barely able to keep the lift going at all, dear. Something keeps fighting it!" "Rainbow," Twilight said, dodging another ray, "Fly into one of the cubbies! Try to take out whatever's causing these things!" Rainbow whipped around just over the train and flew at one of the cubbies. The force field was sinking below the lift as they ascending. "The opening's blocked," Rainbow said. "I—AH!" She jumped out of the way of one of the rays, "—can't get through." "Come back down, then," she said. "My suit seems to block some of it. Get under me! I'll protect you." Rainbow looked insulted. "Under you?!" She crossed her hooves. "I'm not chickening out just because we can't hide behind a wall!" Twilight put her hooves over her head and got down on her stomach. She flinched as one of the beams struck the side of the train, kicking up wood chips. The air was saturated. "Are you crazy," she said. "They'll vaporize you!" Rainbow swished around. "Only if they can hit me!" she said. "Besides, we're almost at the top." Twilight peeked through her hooves, and saw the ground above her quickly descending to their level. She got out the radio again. "Rarity, can you seal off any of the passages around this place?" The train crested the top as Rarity's voice came back. "There's an escape hatch off to the side, but everything else looks open." "Then seal it!" she said. "We need to trap whatever's down there." The lift clanged to a halt, and Twilight grabbed hold of the panel to keep her balance. She got to her hooves and looked around. "Are you all right, Rainbow?" she asked. Rainbow circled around the train a few times. "It would take more than that to beat me!" she said. She flew up and struck a pose. "We need to split up," Twilight said. "The track splits up ahead. I need you to take the right side, and then use the staircase that leads to the upper level. It's the ideal place to search the rail, and the military is bound to have guards stationed up there." Rainbow turned around and faced the dark tunnel. "Right side, top level," she said. "Got it!" She flew off with a trail of rainbows behind her, leaving Twilight alone on the train. "Rarity," Twilight said, "I need you to make sure the switch it flipped to the right side, and make sure all of the gates are open. I'm going to make a run for it." Rainbow's voice replied. "You might want to hold off on that, Twilight," she said. "They've setup trip mines along the walls." There was a thump off to the side of the rails, and Twilight looked over to see the hatch Rarity had closed in the floor. Something was trying to get through. "You'll have to detonate them, Rainbow. I'm starting up the train now." She reached a hoof out to the panel. "I can't afford to stay here much longer." A few war cries came over the radio, followed by a lot of thumping and crunching. "Rainbow?" Twilight said. The cries were getting louder. "What's going on over there?!" The thumps got louder, and were mingled with loud cracks that sounded like gunfire. Twilight's ears shot up, and her blood ran cold. "Rainbow Dash!" She brought the radio up, hooves shaking. "Rarity, Is the path clear?" Her hoof was pushing forward on the lever before she got an answer, and she grabbed hold of the panel and ducked behind it, placing the muzzle of her gun just over the top. "Rainbow!" she yelled into the radio. "Wherever you are, stay clear of the rail!" She pushed the lever as far as it would go, and placed her hooves on either side of the panel, keeping the trigger button against the wall. This was crazy. It was absolutely crazy! But she could manage to clear the rails. She was shooting forward faster than she had anticipated. The first turn was the worst. It pulled on her hoof so hard she thought it would rip it clean off. Without thinking, she pressed her hoof into the side of the panel, and felt the rattling kick of her gun pummel her shoulder. The radio was sandwiched between her other hoof and her body, continuously uttering static and cracks of gunfire. Each turn jolted and disoriented her, stopping the stream of bullets coming from her shoulder. She could see glimpses of wider areas around the rails, and could tell she wasn't alone. The noise around her was deafening, increased ten-fold by the myriad of other gunfire around her. Between the blur of colors around her, and the thunderous noise, it was like being in a tornado. Lights flew by overhead, alternating light and dark too quickly for her to comprehend. Painful explosions struck her ears, most likely remnants of the tripmines Rainbow had mentioned, rendering her temporarily deaf to the activity, and she could feel heat emanating from the suit, which kept reporting minimal amounts of damage to her. The turmoil only lasted a few seconds, and ended as quickly as it began. The train straightened out, leaving the noise echoing into the background, without any knowledge of just how much damages she had done. Her ears were still ringing loud enough that she couldn't hear anything from the radio. She peered over the panel as soon as the noise started to subside, and saw something racing up to her: something large, green, and glowing. She barely had time to react. She grabbed the radio receiver, and rolled off the train just before it collided. She felt her body slam into the ground and immediately flail off spinning from the impact. All she could do was pull her hooves in close to her body and pray. She felt her right-rear hoof strike something hard, and yelled out against a sudden sheer of pain. An explosive noise echoed down the tunnel, striking her head like a sonic hurricane. She could feel the heat singing her face as she rolled to a stop. It took a few seconds for her to realize she wasn't moving anymore. The pain from her hoof was pulling her attention away from her surroundings. She had barely managed to hold onto the radio. "R-Rainbow?" she managed to sputter through the radio. "Are you—" She stopped as she saw a whip of rainbow colors soar around the bend of the tunnel. It stopped just short of her location. "Twilight!" Rainbow yelled. Her voice scared Twilight more than anything she had just encountered. She had never heard Rainbow this scared before. Twilight sat up, and watched as Rainbow lowered herself to the ground, just in front of Twilight. "What happened back there, Rainbow?" she said. "I heard gunfire." Rainbow was already on top of Twilight, moving her eyes around Twilight's wound. "What happened?" she asked, voice shaking. "You're bleeding." Rarity's voice cracked over the radio. "What's going on over there? Is everypony all right?" Twilight brought her hoof up for a better look. A large gash of dark red was oozing around it, and she could see some of the metal of the suit exposed around the crack. "It's just a cut," she said. "It doesn't look that deep. I just need to find something to stem the bleeding." Rainbow took a deep breath, followed by a sigh of relief. "Twilight's fine," she said to Rarity. "She just... had an accident." She put the radio down and looked back at Twilight. "You look terrible," she said. "Like, your whole face is all bruised up and dirty. I can barely tell that it's still you!" Twilight put a hoof up to her face and scraped against it. The pressure against it felt sore, and the rubber tip of the suit came away soot-filled. "What happened to the train?" Rainbow asked. Twilight turned around and followed the tunnel up to a brick-laid dead end. The glowing green barrier was gone. All along the path were bits of flame and chunks of wood, and the shattered remains of the train could be seen in the distance, at an odd angle against the brick wall. "I guess you could say it came in handy," she said. She got onto her hooves and winced. "I don't know how well I can walk," she said. "That fall might have sprained something." She limbed forward, and Rainbow Dash landed next to her to help guide her. "We have to keep moving. More guards could be on the way." ========================================================= Rainbow helped Twilight to the end of the tunnel, where the passage opened up into a large shipment area. The rail stopped just short of a brick wall, now flickering with fire from the train wreckage. Bodies and debris were scattered, and it looked as though the area had been in heavy use just before the crash. "Rarity," Twilight said, still holding onto Rainbow Dash, "does your map show any locations of first aid stations?" She looked around at the shipment yard, and noticed a passage off to the right: the only exit in sight. "I don't think they show up on my map, dear," Rarity said. "Are you sure you're okay?" Twilight pointed to the passage, and Rainbow Dash started to head in that direction. "It's just a minor scrape, Rarity, but I'd like to get it cleaned up. The creatures that have been showing up have some sort of weird infectious organisms." She leaned up to Rainbow Dash, and pointed out the shadow of a corpse in the corner of the room. "Unicorns," she said. "They've been putting up all the force fields. It's rare to find unicorns with these kind of powers, even in the Canterlot Royal Guard." Rainbow stopped just short of the passage. "The ponies I fought back there weren't unicorns," she said. "They were just earth ponies." "We can't afford to assume anything up ahead," Twilight said, pushing Rainbow to go faster. "The military is probably in short supply of able unicorns, but the limited number just means they'll be seen more at bottlenecks." The smoke from the fires was starting to cloud the room behind them. Twilight pushed through the passage to the side, and found that it opened into a sharply inconsistent hallway, with many nooks along its jagged walls. Twilight could pick out a place or two where the nooks seemed to continue into other passages. She could see the other side, which bent sharply around, back towards the rail. "Rainbow," she said, "search this place for medical supplies. And let me know if there's another suit recharge station nearby." She could feel the strength coming back to her ankle, and moved a bit faster as Rainbow Dash took off. Rarity's voice cracked over the radio. "Twilight, are you there? You're getting close to the central chamber." Twilight brought the receiver closer. Ribbons of swishing rainbow were saturating the room in front of her, and she tried not to run into it as she walked forward. "I was hoping we were," she said over the radio. "We should be just around the corner from it. If we can get to—" A deafening crack went off next to her ear, and she nearly dropped the receiver. She put her hoof up to protect from the crackling green light, and stumbled on her bad hoof. "Rainbow!" Strange voices echoed behind her as she tried to catch her balance, and she felt something pinch her side. "Rainbo—" Another crack went off, further down the passage. The claw around her was pulling her in, and she instinctively flailed her good rear hoof into the alien body behind her. It was disturbingly smooth and soft. A rainbow missile appeared in the corner of her eye, followed by a yell and a crunch of metal-on-bone as she swung the crowbar. Twilight flew forward as the creature let go, and landed on her side on the ground. More cracks were going off in the distance, and she could see some of the aliens charging up in a green aura. A rainbow mane came down over her face, and she felt a pair of hooves reach around her middle, hoisting her up. She could hear Rainbow's voice. "I found a box thing in that room over there," she said. "And I heard soldiers talk—EEEK!" The bright arch across the room, and Rainbow's mane stood on end. Twilight pushed against her forehooves and stumbled onto all fours as Rainbow recovered, a dull pain coursing through her rear hoof. "Get behind me!" She waved her forehoof around, and Rainbow Dash leaped behind her as another arch shot just over Twilight. Without thinking, she slammed forward on her hoof, and felt another staggering set of punches strike her shoulder. The kickback knocked her onto her rear hooves, and she stopped firing. "Into the room, Rainbow! I'll follow you!" She was on all fours before Rainbow had even gotten the message. Some of the creatures were clutching parts of their body and staggering, but none of them had fallen. Rainbow whipped around and flew out of sight just a few feet in front of her. Twilight looked around, trying to see where she had gone, and trotted forward against the sharp pains with each strike against her hoof. "Rainb—" A pair of hooves wrapped around the back of her neck, and she was yanked off into a side room as another green arch shot past. She stumbled forward, nearly running right into Rainbow Dash, who flew up in surprise. "Quick, behind the table," she said, pointing a hoof. "I'll finish them off." Rainbow whipped forward towards the door, but Twilight caught her tail between her teeth. "Ah, noyadon't," she mumbled through her clenched muzzle. She pulled back hard, trying to toss Rainbow back into the room, but ended up only feeling a sharp pain in her jaw, and let go. She brought a hoof up to her cheek and rubbed it before turning her attention to the room. "I need you to help clean the wound." Rainbow peered out the door. "But—" She looked back in with big puppy-dog eyes, and Twilight had to look away to stop from giving in. "If they find us, you can take care of them, but for now—" "Movement!" Twilight's ears perked up as the word echoed around the corner of the passage. Hoofsteps were pounding all around them, and Twilight instinctively ducked and covered her ears as the waves of bullets struck the air just outside the door. She crawled hoof over hoof to the area in back of the table, where Rainbow had pointed. The medbox Rainbow had found was on the wall just above her, and she reached up with a hoof, trying to reach it without having to get up. Rainbow was still busy peeking out the entrance from behind the wall. "Rainbow!" Twilight said, slumping back onto the ground. "I still have the explosives in the bags on my suit." She magicked the pack open and slipped out one of the leather bags, as well as the transmitter. "I want you to slip it out into the passage and detonate it if any of the activity comes in here." Rainbow looked back at her, slightly confused, but ultimately grabbed the case with enthusiasm. A sly smile spread across her lips as she grabbed the transmitter, and she turned her head slowly back towards the noise happening outside the room. "Make sure it's well away from the opening," Twilight said. "The back flash alone could scorch everything in this room." She turned over and started messing with something on the shoulder of the suit. A small pop sounded right around the base of the gun, and she turned back towards Rainbow. "Take my gun," she said, slipping it off her shoulder and onto the ground. "I need to work on getting cleaned up." Rainbow threw her hoof up in a salute, and accidentally tossed the leather case behind her against the wall. A patch of red crested her cheeks, and she swooped down the grab it, tossing it around the corner just outside the opening. Twilight reached up higher with her hoof and managed to pop the casing open, revealing a complete kit of medical supplies: gauze, disinfectants, bandages—everything she needed. Rainbow picked up the machine gun from the floor, held it up, and attempted to pump it like a shotgun before realizing it wasn't that kind of gun. She held the sight up to her eye, and pretended to shoot it out the door. "Focus, Rainbow," Twilight said. "I need you here with me." Twilight was busy pulling down some of the gauze, and was rummaging through some of the bottles, trying to find something non-sterile to help clean out the wound. "Hold this," she said, handing some of the gauze to Rainbow. "I need you to press this into the wound. Soak up the blood, and try to keep it under pressure as I find the right solution." Rainbow did as she asked as Twilight continued to look through a pile of bottles on the floor that she had knocked out of the supply box a minute ago. Gunshots and cries continued to rain outside. Twilight and Rainbow froze as hoofsteps trotted up just in front of the opening, and a lone soldier ducked inside the room for cover. He was so busy concentrating on the outside that he didn't even think to look around the room. Twilight pulled Rainbow's head below the table, and they both held their breathes as the soldier reloaded. She looked down at her hoof, and saw that the gauze was completely soaked. She peered over the table to see that the soldier had run back out into more gunfire. Twilight pushed Rainbow back up, and quickly resumed looking through the bottles. The one she was looking for came up quickly, and she handed the saline solution to Rainbow. "Squirt some of this into the wound," she said. "We need to get it wrapped up before going back out there." She reached up and pulled down some of the bandages. "If we're lucky, we should be able to—" She stopped short. The gunfire in the passage had subsided, and all they could hear were hoofsteps outside. A few quiet echoes around the corner could be heard, saying things like "All Clear". Both Twilight and Rainbow stuck their heads up the listen, holding their breaths and trying not to move. "Damn aliens die too easily," one of them said. "Heh, at least they fight back. You should be glad there aren't any scientists down here." Twilight shrunk back as the voices got louder. "Hey, the scientists aren't that bad," the other one said. "I like a good cannon fodder every once and a while. It's fun to watch the blood fly." Twilight's stomach lurched at this, and she got down as far as she could. She winced as Rainbow splashed some of the saline onto her wound, and tried not to cry out. "Hey," a different voice said, further away. "What are you two doing over here? Aren't you supposed to be with the group?" Some shuffling could be heard, as well as some mumbling. "Well?!" the other voice said, "Do you have something to say or not?" More mumbling of "No sirs" came through the door, followed by a deep sigh. "Well, if you're going to be here, you may as well do a sweep of the area. I'll send the rest of the troop this way, and we'll search it for any other activity." Twilight's stomach jumped up into her throat at this, and she started silently waving her hooves around at Rainbow. "What?" Rainbow mouthed, trying to figure out what Twilight was saying. "What do you—" "Button!" Twilight whispered. "Case!" Rainbow's eyes flashed as she got the message, and the grabbed the transmitter she had left on the floor and got behind the table with Twilight. She reached up a hoof to push the button, but Twilight stopped her. "Wait!" she whispered. "We need as many of them in the room as possible." They both got as low as they could, and listened as the hoofsteps in the passage grew. More voices could be heard. "Stupid orders," one of them said. "What do they want us to do? Clean up the corpses?" Twilight pointed a hoof at the bandages, and Rainbow silently got low on the floor, setting the transmitter just next to her hoof as she started unrolling some and wrapping it around Twilight's wound. "Just what the hell are these things alien things, anyway?" said another voice. "Stupid scientists, playing Celestia. They're all just power hungry SOBs!" Rainbow pulled one of the bandages taught, and Twilight gasped as it cut into the wound. "Hey," another voice said, "take a look at this. I think it's one of ours." More hoofsteps could be heard collecting into a particular spot around the corner, right where Rainbow had tossed the leather case. Rainbow seemed to have noticed, too, as she had stopped to look back at Twilight. The mumbles from the soldiers were getting louder, and one of them sounded above the others. "Search the area! Get this thing out of the tunnel, and get a demolitions group out here! Everyone, evacuate the area!" Twilight lurched forward and flailed her hooves. "NOW, RAINBOW!" The explosion slammed into her ears, just as Rainbow came down on the button, and she closed her eyes against the blinding flames. Heat whipped against her face, singeing her cheeks. The pain from her ears leeched into her head, and the subsequent migraine brought tears to her eyes. She leaned back and opened her eyes, and saw Rainbow Dash shaking on her hooves, with hairs on her mane sticking out on end. She could barely hear Rarity's voice screaming over the radio against the ringing in her ears. Rainbow turned towards her, a look of shock still invading her face, and Twilight choked on a laugh. Neither of them could hear each other, but Rainbow Dash brought a hoof up to her ear and rubbed it, and Twilight nodded in agreement. Both of them just looked at each other for a moment. And then Rainbow Dash collapsed onto the ground with a deep breath, prompting Twilight to do the same. Her half-bandaged hoof was the last thing on her mind. ========================================================= Twilight coughed from the light haze of smoke hanging in the passage. Rainbow was already looking around at the remains, trying to guess what they used to be. Most of what was left was either in pieces, charred black, or both, and all of it was surrounded by blood smears. "Check around the corner," Twilight said. "Rarity says the central chamber should be somewhere nearby." She turned around and distracted herself from the carnage by looking at one of the walls. "I'm going to setup some traps behind us." She only had three trip mines left, but that was all she needed to cover the passage. Within a few seconds, three green beams shown in the haze, blocking the path behind them. She turned around to see Rainbow returning. "Any luck?" she asked. Rainbow came up close and rubbed her hooves together. "I think you'd better come see this." Twilight couldn't quite read her expression. It was very un-Rainbow-ish, and she couldn't decide whether this was her way of showing concern or fright. Either way, the look didn't suite her. "What's wrong?" she asked. As a reply, Rainbow hovered back down the passage, flashing Twilight a glance that implied she wanted her to follow. "First off," she said, leading Twilight around the corner, "we're lucky the guards were called away. I seriously doubt we would have gotten past this thing." She pointed down the tunnel, to where it opened up at a "T". A single-pony barricade sat at the far wall, facing the passage they were heading down. It was covered from top to bottom with bricks, except for the front of it, which was opened just wide enough to expose a massive duel-barreled turret gun as large as their entire bodies. Twilight had to fight the urge to duck as she approached it. "I looked all around this thing," Rainbow said. "There's nopony inside it." Twilight walked up to the "T", and found that the path had taken them back to the rails. She gazed across them at the gun turret bunker sitting across from her, and then carefully stepped across for a better look. "Do you think they put this here to guard the central chamber?" Twilight asked. Rainbow hovered just to the right of the bunker. "Central chamber, big army base, big scary monster—whatever it's guarding is on the other side of those blast doors." She pointed a hoof to the right. "Blast doors?!" Twilight turned her head. Sure enough, the rails only traveled a short distance before ending dead-stop at a massive pair of red-white striped metal doors. "You—" She trotted down the rail passage until she was right up against the doors. "You found it! We found it!" She turned around. "This has to be it!" She rummaged around until she found the radio. "Rarity," she said, "we think we found the chamber. Do you think you can open the doors?" Static chewed away at the silence as Twilight waited, but Rarity finally responded. "I thought you'd never ask." Rainbow obviously heard the words, but didn't look as pleased as Twilight felt. She lowered herself to the ground and pointed a hoof at the wall next to her. "That's not all," she said. "There's something else you need to see." Twilight cocked a brow and trotted back to the turret. "What is it?" she asked. "A message?" Rainbow tilted her head. "Nooooooot exactly." Twilight stepped up to the turret, blinking against the sharp lights, and squinted to see what Rainbow Dash was pointing to. A few words were scribbled in yellow paint where Rainbow Dash was pointing. "Yore Dead, Rainbow Dash," Twilight read out loud. She turned back towards Rainbow. "Well, aside from showing how bad soldiers are at spelling, that's not really saying much," she said. "You did betray them, after all. It's not this is a big surprise." She turned back towards the wall and cringed. "I just hope they don't mangle you as badly as they did that contraction. That has to be the worst spelling of the word "you're" I've ever seen!" Rainbow shook her head. "That's not all." She flew over to the other side of the bunker, to an area Twilight hadn't really looked at, and pointed to an area of the wall that was dimly lit. Twilight could barely see anything in the shadows, but could tell there was something huge written on the wall. It wasn't until she flipped on her flashlight that the full impact of the image hit her. The words covered nearly the entire wall, but were so distorted that she could barely make them out. Whatever was smeared on the wall looked horribly like blood. "Wha—" Twilight said, turning towards Rainbow. "What does this mean? Free Mare?" She turned back towards the words and re-read them. "Free. Mare." She cocked a brow, and then looked back at Rainbow. "Is this... did the military write this?" She looked back at it before walking across the tracks for a closer look. "It... looks fresh." She ran a hoof over the rough surface, and a few streaks of red came off onto her hoof. "I sure hope this is paint." She brought the radio back up. "How's that door coming, Rarity?" "It's tricky. I think all the doors are tied together somehow. I should almost have it." She acknowledged, and then ran her hoof along the graffiti again. "I don't like this, Rainbow," she said. "Death threats and bad grammar are one thing, but this—" She turned around. "This is a call sign! It's like an alias for something—or... someone." She trotted back across the tracks. "If the military have placed this much importance on it, then they must have picked up on something. This has to have something to do with the communications that Lambda is putting out. We have to find out what—" "Whahaha!" A hiss and a crack emanated down the hallway against Rarity's echoing laugh. "I've got it!" Both Twilight and Rainbow turned to see a sliver of black widening between the two blast doors. Twilight glanced at Rainbow as she walked past her, and Rainbow hovered silently behind. "Good work, Rarity," she said, walking up to the doors. "This will give us an idea of what we're up against." As the doors widened, the silhouette against the darkness came into view, revealing some sort of fancy, red and white cylindrical pipe in the center of a larger silo. As Twilight crested the threshold, she found that the pipe travelled right up to the ceiling, where it capped with a black dome. On the floor, the pipe travelled straight through a hole, and she could see it travel far below by looking through the grated catwalk she was standing on. There was no doubt what it was. "This—" Twilight started. Rainbow was whipping around the room like a colt in a newly-discovered playground. She whipped up to the dome, then down to the floor, then around in circles, dragging her hoof around its surface. "Ha!" she said, pulling away with her hooves on her hips. "And you said none of these silos would have a real rocket!" Twilight got down onto the floor and winked through one of the grate holes, trying to see how far down the base was. She could just make out a few wisps of steam hissing below. "This is amazing!" she said. "It looks like it's still active." Rainbow flew out in front of the rocket. "Well of course it's still active! They were probably going to launch it just before we showed up!" Twilight brought the radio back up. "Looks like we found it, Rarity," she said. "The team at Lambda was trying to launch some sort of rocket. We need to get to the surface so we can launch it. Any ideas?" She waited as a few more cracks of static came out of the radio. "It doesn't look like there's a way out anywhere near your area," Rarity said. "If I had access to the launch site, I could open the bay doors and you could climb out, but those controls are probably on the surface." Twilight clenched her hoof and growled at the ceiling. "Then what's the long way?" she asked. Another long wait crackled, with a few "hmmm"s thrown in from time to time. "There's a lift a ways a way that will take you to surface level," she said. "But it's on the level below you." "There's a ladder back here," Rainbow said, whipping around from behind the rocket. "Doesn't look like we'll have any trouble going down." Twilight grumbled as she stomped around the rocket, with an occasional "ow!" each time she landed on her bad hoof. "If it's any consolation, dear, the blast doors are already open at that level," Rarity said. "No need to thank me!" ========================================================= Rainbow hovered below Twilight as she lowered herself down the ladder. The fall wasn't too far, but Twilight wanted somepony there just in case. "So," Rainbow said, caressing the rocket like a childhood toy, "what do you think they're going to blow up?" Twilight lowered her hoof off the last wrung and felt the catwalk below her. "Blow up?" "Yeah!" Rainbow said. She hovered around the rocket, running her hoof along the surface. "I mean, with the right stuff, this thing could make a heck of a rainbomb!" Twilight lowered her forehooves onto the ground and looked around. "Rainbomb?" Rainbow blushed. "It... was an idea I came up with at flight school," she said. "It would happen if I did a sonic rainboom just before hitting the surface." Twilight opened her mouth to ask, but thought better about it. She lowered her hoof and lead Rainbow around to the exit. "This doesn't look like a military rocket," she said. "I doubt it's designed to blow up." She turned her attention to the exit, and found herself looking at a somewhat larger, brighter passage. It was less like a tunnel, and more like a long hallway, much wider than the rail. As a result, the rail itself only took up a portion of the area, giving rise to a rather extensive walking area on either side. The yellowish lighting shed some color onto the grays. Twilight stepped out, carefully avoiding the rail, and walked to the right. A few twinges of pain still crept through her hoof, but the suit was doing a wondrous job healing. She imagined the morphine must also be helping. "Looks like there's a room in the corner, here," Rainbow said. "Might have more supplies." She reached out a hoof, and Twilight placed her crowbar on them. "Have fun," Twilight said. "I'm going to look around." She got out the radio as Rainbow retreated. "We should be two levels below the surface, Rarity," Twilight said. "No sign of the military. Do you see anything of interest in this area?" She could hear Rainbow cracking open boxes in the distance, and a few lights were flickering towards the end of the passage. Other than that, everything was very still. "Nothing is marked on my screens, Twilight," Rarity said. "I have no idea what's in any of these areas, or even what their purpose is." Twilight squinted into the distance, and walked alongside the rail. "Can you at least give us an idea of how far we have to go?" "Twilight!" "AH!" Twilight jumped and turned to see the large blue ball of pegasus smearing against her face, making her jump back. "DON'T—" she started, "do that." She took a breath as Rainbow backed up. Rainbow whipped the crowbar around absentmindedly. "Sorry," she said, "but I found another one of those suit power charge things, and a few more of those exploding pouch things, too. I thought you might want to know." Twilight sighed. "Thanks," she said. She stepped forward and made her way back to where Rainbow Dash came from. "Rarity? Any word on how far?" "It's quite a ways, dear," she said, "but it doesn't look like you should have much trouble getting there. It's very straight-forward." "Any bottlenecks?" Twilight asked. "Looks like there are two," Rarity said. "But they aren't very long. I don't see any kind of doors or hatches that could be in the way. You should be able to ride the train straight to it." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Easier said than done," she mumbled. She followed Rainbow back to the small room, and saw the suit charger unit on the wall right away. She instinctively placed her hoof onto it, just as she did in the storage rooms. A warmth spread through her body as she charged, and the pain in her hoof dramatically subsided. It almost felt as though she was recharging her body. Her fatigue was being sucked away, and it felt easier to move around. "I owe my life to this technology," she said, pulling away from the station. "I must admit, I thought it was crazy when I first put it on, but—" She took a deep breath and looked Rainbow. "I'm going to be glad when this is all over." Rainbow stretched out her hooves in a mock-yawn. "I just can't wait to get to the surface," she said. "These tunnels are really cramping my style!" Twilight giggled. "Just don't forget about us when you finally fly home," she said. Twilight stepped out of the room and looked around the passage. She hadn't paid much attention to it when she initially came out here, but there was a train parked a good ways down the track. Her eyes moved towards it, and she signaled Rainbow to follow her to it. "You think the rocket's the answer?" Rainbow asked. "You think it could end all this?" Twilight shook her head. "Honestly, I have no idea what it could be. It looks like a satallite delivery rocket, but it could be anything." Rainbow flew up ahead. "Let's just hope those eggheads know what they're doing." They both stopped just before boarding the train, and Twilight got the radio back out. "We're moving forward, Rarity," she said. "We should be at the surface shortly." ========================================================= Twilight had been travelling slowly down the rail for a good five minutes, with Rainbow hovering next to her. Each minute that passed by put her more on edge, despite Rainbow's lazy acrobatics in the background. Everything was silent except for the soft hum of the train. The tunnel had grown dark again, and the extra space between them and the wall had shrunk back down. Twilight jerked around, craning her neck to see behind her. "I don't like this," she said. "The military should be down here. They should be guarding this place." Rainbow waved a hoof. "Relax, Twilight! They're probably all at the surface." She flew ahead of the train and turned around. "Besides, we didn't even see any soldiers until we went up that first level." Twilight jerked again, looking from side to side. "Yes, I know, but from what Rarity has told us, there's only one way to the surface. The soldiers would have to pass through here to get to where we were! It's not like they just... disappeared." Without thinking, Twilight reached her hoof forward and stopped the train. The hum immediately gave way to palpable silence that made her ears ring. "What are you doing?!" Rainbow flew right in front of her and reached her hoof out over the panel, but Twilight blocked her. "Wait," she said. "Think about this. The military has unicorns, right?" Rainbow cocked her head. "Yeah. So?" Twilight stepped back, readying her gun. "So," she said, "they would want to station those unicorns at bottleneck junctures so they can use their magic as a blocking strategy! Bottleneck junctures just—like—this one." She waved her hoof around. Rainbow looked around incredulously. "Yeah," she said. "Loooots of unicorns around here right now." Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're not getting this, are you," she said. "You've seen what they can do. They have both force fields and penetrative magic. That's well into the advanced studies of some of the top Canterlot schools!" She stepped forward. "Do you know what else they study at that level?" Rainbow rolled her eyes and put her hooves on her hips. "Get to the point." "Cloaking magic, phase magic, materialization magic..." She ticked these off on her hoof. "They could be standing here, and we wouldn't even know it!" Rainbow took a deep breath. "Is that why you're so jumpy?" she asked. "However," Twilight continued, ignoring Rainbow Dash, "I just remembered that, a few years ago, I delved into some of those subjects in my free time, and discovered some tricks to detect cloaking." She growled stamped her good hoof against the ground, "If only I had my horn, I'd be able to conjure up enough energy. It would take almost an explosive amount of—" She stopped, hoof still in the air, and stood like a statue, thinking. "That's it!" she said, slamming her hoof into her forehead. "I can send a weak signal into an explosive, and use it to magnify the signal!" She levitated one of the explosives out of her suit. "The problem is, an explosion like that would be difficult to focus the magic on. But I could remedy that by focusing it before I—" "AHH!" Rainbow flew back into Twilight's side. A green flash had gone off next to them, and Twilight glimpsed a small, white unicorn barring down next to her. A few more flashes went off in front of them. Magic auras from their horns were lighting up the tunnel. "Rainbow! Forward!" Twilight slammed on the lever and grabbed onto the panel, trying desperately not to fall off. The unicorns were in stride with her actions, and were teleporting out from behind her to lead her down the tunnel. Some of them were firing beams, trying to disable the train. Others were attempting to form barriers, and failing to make them stable in time. The train shattered these easily, sending green shards sprinkling over her. "Rainbow!" Twilight put her horn against the antenna of one of the explosive transmitters, and tossed it to Rainbow Dash. "Keep it close!" A tingling feeling formed around her hooves, and she looked down to see a massive aura of green waving around her body. She recognized it as levitation magic, and realized the unicorns were attempting to pull her off the train. "Stay close to me, Rainbow!" she said. "Be evasive! They're trying to grab onto us!" She looked back at her own body curiously before looking back up. "Don't worry about me, my suit protects against it!" Rainbow was flying ahead, trying to see what the train was heading into, sending spirals of rainbows hurling into the tunnel. She whipped around one of the bends and out of sight, prompting Twilight to hang onto the panel as the train followed. Her rear hooves nearly left the platform from the force. The rainbow trail reappeared ahead of her, but she couldn't see any more flashes. The unicorns seemed to be gone. All she could see ahead of her was the bright blue and rainbow glow of Rainbow Dash up ahead. She reached a hoof up, ready to slow the train down. "Duck!" Rainbow's voice echoed back to her. The rainbow trail swept down, and in its place was what Twilight could only describe as a flameball hurling towards her. She instinctively moved her hooves out from under her, slamming her body into the platform with a "Whoa!" as the ball hurled over her head, leaving a thick smoke trail. "What was that?!" Rainbow slowed to let the train catch up to her. "It's heading back this way," she said. She slowed down even further, and Twilight watched as she tailed even further behind. "I think it's following us." Twilight stumbled and slipped against the platform, trying to turn around for a better look. As soon as she did, her eyes locked onto the glowing mass behind her, lighting up a large part of the tunnel. Whatever the unicorns had unleashed was almost sentient in the way it moved: almost phoenix-like. Rainbow could only be seen as a blur of blue and rainbow, but the ball of fire followed her every move. It was like watching two glowsticks have at each other. Twilight put her hooves over her head as Rainbow swept back over the train. The train shook from the sonic waves, and she could feel the heat of the fireball. She quickly got to her hooves and stumbled back up to the panel. The tunnel was opening up into a larger area, with several other tracks and tunnels leading out of it. It was like a larger version of the depot near the generator. Several large pillars helped hold up the vaulted ceiling above them. "Rarity!" Twilight yelled into the radio. "We've reached some kind of huge junction! What way do we go?!" She could barely hear Rarity's voice cracking out the other end. "Just keep going straight!" Rainbow was dancing around the pillars as the train hurled through the room. She had just made it to the far end, and was accelerating forward across the length of the room, gaining distance from the ball. Twilight saw what she was doing a split second before it did it, and yelled out. "No, Rainbow! NOT ONE OF THE PILLARS!" She held her hoof up against the glowing explosion behind her, and watched, as if in slow motion, the crumbling rocks surrounded by flaming gases, spreading out to damage other pillars. The sonic waves reached as far as her train, and for a moment, she was afraid she would be derailed. The ceiling cracked under the pressure, and within seconds, the top of the room was breaking and crumbling into large boulders crashing into the ground. All of this was framing the growing rainbow trail, heading straight for her. "Rainbow!" Twilight said, as Rainbow caught up with her. "What did you do?!" "I destroyed the fireball!" "Using the structural foundation of the tunnel?!" "What was I supposed to use? My tail?" "Rainbow, we can't—" The rumbling behind them grew exponentially, and they both turned to see the entire room tearing itself apart from the inside out. "What do we do?!" Twilight yelled. "This thing can't outrun an avalanche!" Rainbow glanced back at the cascading roar of earth falling behind them, and in a split second, dove down on top of Twilight and grabbed her hooves around her. "Well I can!" she yelled. Twilight felt a yank around her middle as the roar behind them nearly deafened her. Bits and pieces were already falling off the tunnel ceiling before they had crested the threshold, forcing Rainbow to maneuver around them. Everything became a blur of darkness and flashes of ceiling lights as they flew by. Rainbow's hooves were squeezing her so tight, she was having trouble breathing. She pulled her hooves up as high as she could, afraid they would scrape against the ground. The rumbling was quickly fading behind them. "Lift ahead!" Rainbow yelled. Twilight forced her head up, and tried to focus on the end of the tunnel. A light was growing larger, and she could just make out a small crowd around the area. "Unicorns!" Twilight said. "They're blocking the area, we have to stop!" "And risk being squashed?!" Rainbow said. "I don't think so!" Twilight stuck her head down between her hooves and looked behind her. The entire tunnel was collapsing a good ways behind them at a solid clip. It was only seconds away. Twilight looked back up and was immediately blinded by a series of green flashes. Every unicorn had apparently seen the collapse, and was teleporting out of the room. Both Rainbow and Twilight were inside the lift room a second later. They came to a halt just inside. "DON'T STOP!" Twilight yelled. "I can't!" Rainbow said. "There's a force field!" Rainbow lunged upwards, and Twilight felt them both whack against it. "I can see the surface! If we can just—" Twilight had already gotten out one of the explosives, and was lighting it up with as much magic as she could get through her horn. "Button, Rainbow!" She threw the explosive on the ground. "Press the button!" Rainbow nearly dropped Twilight as she got out the receiver. With her hooves already busy holding onto Twilight, she ended up slamming the button up into Twilight's suit in order to detonate it. A blinding corona of magic went off below them, shattering the field above them. There was no heat or shockwave, but Twilight still had to shut her eyes tight against the sheer amount of light. "We're good!" she said. "GO!" Rainbow was already hurling them straight up. The walls of the cylindrical room were cracking, and a few chunks were falling here and there. A screeching blur of dull gray and rumbling snapped away, replaced by quiet darkness and a soft breeze as they crested over the lift exit. The rumbling continued below them, sounding much more distant from above, and diminished to a hiss after a few more seconds. Twilight and Rainbow hovered in the air, breathing hard and looking around at the deceptively still air. The night sky shown above them against the lights shining down on the surface track, and they could just make out a massive concrete barrier ahead. Signs smattered the side of it, ranging from "Heat Warning" to "Radioactive". Rainbow brought Twilight down just behind a nearby bush, and they both peered out from behind, still catching their breath. "Twilight?" Rarity said. "Rainbow? What's going on up there? What's all that ruckus?" Twilight looked at Rainbow before bringing the radio back out. "We're fine," she whispered, before winking at Rainbow Dash. "And it looks like you were right. That track lead us straight to the launch site." ========================================================= Twilight glanced towards the exit hole they had just come out of, in case there were any remaining unicorns trying to escape. Everything had once again fallen silent. She could just make out a few unicorn guards a ways up ahead, but other than that, the only things of note were the bugs flying around the lights overhead, and some military radio chatter. "So, what's the plan?" Rainbow whispered dramatically. Twilight closed the gap in the bushes, and turned towards Rainbow. "They know we're here," she said. "We made too much noise in the tunnels for them not to know we're here. The real question is, why aren't they attacking us? " She reached forward and parted the bushes again. "It's almost as if they're waiting for us." Rainbow cocked her head. "Waiting for what?" Twilight levitated a few of the explosives from the suit and placed them on the ground. "That's what worries me. All the unicorns teleported out just before the tunnel collapsed. They easily could have gone to the surface and waited for us." Rainbow scratched her neck. "Maybe they were afraid to?" She shook her head. "I dunno. We brought the entire tunnel down with us. Maybe they thought we had some sort of weapon or something that they didn't know about." Twilight lifted each of the explosives one-by-one and touched them to her horn. "That's true," she said. "We broke through their force field pretty easily, and we could have destroyed a large crowd on the surface with a single one of these explosives." She lowered the device to the ground. "I just can't help but think they're up to something. They keep changing their tactics." Rainbow cocked her head. "What do you mean?" "Like," Twilight started, "for example, they were firing condensed magic at us on the lift, which wasn't very effective. It just bounced off my suite, and you were able to evade it pretty easily." She ticked it off on her hoof. "Then there were the force fields. They put them up in the tunnel originally, but then discovered they weren't working well against the train, so they moved it into the lift shaft instead." She ticked another hoof. "And then that fireball they made seemed to be some sort of last resort. You noticed they didn't make it until towards the very end of the tunnel, and they must have known how vulnerable and dangerous it was." Rainbow sighed. "So, what's your point?" Twilight lifted each of the explosives back up with her horn. "The point is, they must have something up ahead waiting for us. It's probably some sort of new tactic." Rainbow looked down at the explosives before looking back up. "So, again, what's the plan?" Twilight levitated one of the transmitters, and touched the antenna to her horn. "The plan," she said with a sigh, "is to distract them with a bombing run, and then drop me off near the entrance to the command center. That should buy us enough time to launch the rocket and get out of here." She carefully placed each of the explosives back into her suit, and then stretched out on onto her stomach. "The only way we can see what they're doing is from the air, and the best defense is surprise. We need to detonate the explosives before they know what's happening. Now," she stretched out, "carry me like you did before." Rainbow stepped back. "You want to fly straight into their trap?!" She shot Rainbow a look. "Trust be, Rainbow," she said. "If it doesn't work, we'll just fly out of here. You are a fast flyer, are you not?" Some of the color washed out of Rainbow's face before being replaced with a tinge of red. The word "fine" escaped her lips through barred teeth just before she jumped on top of Twilight and wrapped her hooves around her. "Good! Now swoop us down lo—whoa!" Rainbow pulled up so fast, Twilight barely had time to catch her breath. The ground fell away from under her hooves, and she had to work not to look down as even the few tree-tops shrunk below them. The ground was dotted with lights and variously-shaded surfaces. She couldn't tell the difference between warning lights and unicorn magic glows from this distance, even if she tried. "Rainbow! Down!" she said, waving her hooves around. "Take us into a dive over the launch pad." She hovered the explosives next to her as she said this. Rainbow leaned forward, and Twilight felt the wind pick up as the ground swept back towards her. She wasn't expecting how drastic the sudden loss of gravity would be, and her mind went blank from the motion. As she pulled up, the shades of color came into focus as rails, walls, trees, and everything else she had seen through the bush, all racing past her at once. She only had a fraction of the second to think. She dropped the first explosive as soon as the first unicorn came into view, and randomly dispersed the others as Rainbow flew over the wall. A few shouts came from the soldiers below, followed by many green flashes. Twilight only caught a glimpse of the launch site itself, which seemed to be nothing more than a massive concrete crater with a hatch in the bottom for the rocket to come out. The unicorns stood all around it, frantically firing magic up at them. She could feel the levitation auras fight against her, and Rainbow was struggling to continue flying straight. "Up, Rainbow!" As soon as she felt the tug upwards on her middle, she pressed the button on the transmitter. The subsequent shockwave shook her bones as the fireball from below lit up the night sky. The auras of magic immediately vanished, and she tried to glance back down at the ground as Rainbow continued to climb. "Is there anyone left?" Twilight asked. Rainbow leveled out and slowly hovered down to the launch site, sweeping her eyes around the ground. "Looks like your plan worked," she said. She hovered both of them all the way to the ground. "There's nopony left on the ground. Could be more hiding, though." Twilight looked around at the launch site as they descended. The entire area was surrounded by cliffs, except for the wall with the entrance, and a large concrete building adjacent to it. The building's only noticeable features were a set of small blast doors at the base, and two windows on a second story. "That was easy," Twilight said, looking around. "That was way, way too easy." She trotted up to the wall and pointed a hoof. "Why didn't they at least have a force field over the wall? Why were all the unicorns in plain sight? And—" she trotted full-circle around Rainbow Dash, looking along the ground, "where are the bodies?! There are no remains!" Rainbow Dash jumped up, doing loops in the air to look around with her. "Hang on," Twilight said. She lit her horn, and fizzled a blast over the wall. The pitiful sparks flew overhead, and continued past the wall and into the stars. "So much for a surprise force field trap," she said. She took a deep breath. "Maybe they're just losing their edge. Come on. We should at least get the rocket launched." She looked up at the building. "My guess is that the launch button is going to be in that top floor. Can you fly through those windows?" Rainbow had swooped up to them before Twilight had finished her sentence. "No problem!" She peered through the glass, and then traveled back to the ground, holding out her hoof. Twilight instinctively got out the crowbar and placed it in her hooves. A moment later, there was a loud crash, and Rainbow was busy smashing the crowbar into the remaining shards in the opening. She dove inside and disappeared. "Rarity," Twilight said over the radio, "We've found the command center. We need you to get to the elevator so you can rendezvous with us." A crack over the radio responded. "Okay, darling, but it may take a while. It's not the easiest location to get to." "Take your time," Twilight said. Rainbow swooped back out the window and landed next to Twilight. "I found the launch button, but it's stuck," she said. "It says it needs some sort of "authorization" or some such thing. I can't get it to work." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Can't trust a soldier to do anything," she joked. "Carry me in, and I'll see what I can do." She felt the familiar squeeze around her middle, and the uncomfortable sensation of the ground falling from under her as she was carried up to the windows. Her initial concentration was on getting through the opening, as they were only large enough for a single small pony to slither through. Her rear hooves caught on the bottom, and she stumbled forward over the threshold and rolled onto the command-center floor. She shook out her mane and looked around at the new setting. The buzzing and beeping machines all around her were a jarring change from the dull gray of the rail, and it was a struggle just to try and make sense out of all the colorful lights that flashed and flickered across the many monitors. "Here's the button," Rainbow said. She had flown in just after Twilight, and was standing behind her. "It's really big, and has the word "launch" on it, but when I hit it—" She leaned forward and pressed her hoof into the button. A mare's voice came over the intercom overhead: "INVALID AUTHORIZATION. PLEASE ENTER CREDENTIALS." Twilight opened her muzzle and stared at the button. "Credentials?" She looked around. "It's just a button! There aren't any credentials for this thing. How would it even know who—" She stopped, and a wide smile crested her face. "Of course!" She stepped up to the button, and looked at it closely. "A hoof signature." She licked her lips, and then pressed the rubber tip of the suit's hoof into the button. "INVALID AUTHORIZATION. PLEASE ENTER CREDENTIALS." Twilight gritted her teeth and groaned at the ceiling. "They must have used the hoof of one of the scientists working here." She looked around. "Check the other rooms. There's probably a body around here we can use." Rainbow looked a little sick at this statement, but moved out of the room anyway. A few seconds later, she returned, dragging the corpse of a black stallion wearing a science uniform. A light train of blood followed on the floor. "Put his hoof here," Twilight said. "That should trigger the authorization they need." Rainbow turned her head away from the body, and pulled the hoof up to the button, proceeding to randomly slam it into the wall all around where the button was. Twilight was about to roll her eyes when one of her attempts succeeded. "AUTHORIZATION GRANTED." Sirens flared, accompanied by warning lights, and a blast protection cover closed over the windows. "LAUNCH SEQUENCE IN TEN SECONDS." Twilight launched herself onto Rainbow Dash and pinned her to the ground. "We did it!" She reached her hooves around Rainbow and squeezed hard. "We actually did it!" "4... 3... 2..." "Ummm, Twilight?" Rainbow said. "Can't breathe..." The ground shook beneath them, and Twilight could only imagine what was going on outside on the other side of the blast shields. Even with such thick walls between them, the sound was still deafening. She looked up at the screens and followed many of the statistics they were reporting. All of them looked normal. Had the military been staging the whole thing, it would have been picture-perfect. "Rarity!" Twilight shouted into the radio. "Rarity, we got the rocket launched! We're in the command center!" The static was worse than ever, but she could still make out Rarity's voice. "I'm al - - ere. Jus - - more mi - -" The rumbling subsided over the next many seconds, and Twilight couldn't help but feel a weight lift from her shoulders. She stood up and moved back towards the blast-shielded windows, and watched as they uncovered the openings. Twilight immediately trotted up to the windows, leaned her head out the opening, and peered up at the strangest, most wonderful sight she had seen yet: A trail of smoke leading up to a magnificent rumbling fireball against the night sky. She could just make out the shape of the rocket as it curved in its intended trajectory. Twilight put her elbows on the sill and rested her head in her hooves, simply smiling up at the sight, still unable to believe how easy it was to pull off. "Twi - - etting close. Ha - - pened th -" Twilight's ears perked, and she looked down at the radio. "Oh, right!" She trotted over to one of the monitors next to the fancy server equipment and saw an entirely new map in front of her. It showed everything for the surface, including the elevator Rarity had mentioned. She jammed her hoof into it and watched the highlight turn from red to green. "You should be good to go, Rarity," Twilight said. She turned towards Rainbow Dash. "Do you think we should go wait for her?" Rainbow flew through the opening and looked up. Her arms were crossed, and she seemed to have a mock-scowl on her face. "I can't believe they put a darn wall up between us and the rocket," she said. "I totally wanted to race it!" Twilight giggled. "I'm sure there will be other chances," she said. "At a place like this, at least." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Because firing giant rockets like this happens all the time, right?" She sighed. "I just wish I had had a chance to—HEY!" Rainbow batted a hoof against her shoulder. Twilight had thought she saw a flash of light, but couldn't be sure. She instinctively trotted up to the window. "Rainbow?" she said. Rainbow fidgeted around in the air, as though she was fighting something. "Hey! Just what's the big deal?!" She struggled around some more, and Twilight eventually caught sight of the aura around her tail. "Rainbow!" Twilight leaped forward and stuck her hooves out. "Grab on!" By the time she had said this, Rainbow was already being pulled away into a corner in the ground. Twilight leaned her head out over the sill, and saw what must have been a dozen unicorns standing around the launch pad, all aiming their horns at Rainbow. "Twilight!" Rainbow fared her wings frantically as the aura spread up her tail to her body. Twilight looked back and saw she had left the crowbar inside, and quickly grabbed it before squeezing herself out of the window. "Rainbow Dash!" Her hoof caught on the sill, and she found herself being hurled into the ground. The impact was overwhelming, and for a few seconds, she couldn't focus on anything. She rolled onto her hooves against the aches invading every part of her body, and pressed herself forward into the fray. "Stop it!" Rainbow struggled. "I'm not going back! You can't make me! LET. ME. GO!" The aura was up to her neck now, and she was so close to the group of unicorns that Twilight couldn't risk setting off any kind of explosion without hitting her. Regardless, she charged forward, horn spitting what little magic she could muster. A few of the unicorns sent out jets of magic that knocked her to the ground. She got back onto her hooves, and slammed on her forehoof, sending a torrent of bullets streaming into the group. A few of them hit something, and one of the unicorns fell, but not before three others had jumped in to put up a force field around them, with Rainbow Dash inside it. "HANG ON!" Twilight said. She got out one of the explosives and put it to her horn. "I can get you out of there! Just give me a mi—" There was a loud POP, and a blinding flash struck her eyes, making her put her hoof up to shield against it. When she brought it back down, only a trail of magic residue was left in front of her. Every one of the unicorns, including Rainbow Dash, had teleported away. Twilight stood there a few minutes, heart pounding, trying to take in what she had just seen. She whipped her head around, as if expecting everyone to simply be in a different location now, but everywhere she looked, there was only silence. "RAINBOOOOOOW!" she yelled into the silence, trotting forward to where the unicorns were standing. She coughed and sputtered against the wafts of smoke still remaining from the rocket launch. "RAAAAINBOOOOOOW!" She turned around, searching for any little nook or cranny where the unicorns could have dragged her: anywhere she could possibly be hiding. Her body shook, as she tried to figure out where to go. "Twilight?" Rarity came over the radio. "Twi - ight? Are y - - ll right?" Twilight stood there a few more seconds, catching her breath. She stared at the launch pad and watched the smoke waft away. She watched the bugs dance around the lights. She watched the wind jostle the tree tops. Finally, she brought the radio up to her muzzle, and closed her eyes. "She's gone."
Ganymede	724	9	Pinkie Pie,Rainbow Dash,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Half-Life: Equestria	What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?	incomplete	102	9	<p>What if, instead of going to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot to go to the Pony Mesa Research Facility?<br/>What if, instead of fighting off Nightmare Moon, she fought off a Resonance Cascade?<br/>And what if, instead of meeting her friends in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, she instead met them in the aftermath of the Resonance Cascade?</p><p>This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, as she takes on the role of Gordon Freeman from the original Half-Life, and the friends she meets along the way.</p><p>Thanks to HiveLordLusa for the picture.</p>	teen	2013-08-13T22:47:09+00:00	2013-09-18T16:06:00+00:00	1,584	"Twilight!" Rarity's voice rang out over the radio. "Twilight, are you there? I think I'm in the control room, but I can't find my way out!" Twilight heard the words, but didn't process them. Her mind was going crazy, racing from one possibility to another as Rarity's voice echoed in the background. Part of her wanted to hide. Another part fought to keep looking, in the dim hope that Rainbow had managed to escape. As much as she hoped to see it, though, there were never any blue or rainbow colors against the harsh lights and fog around her, and the only thing she could hear was the incessant pounding against her chest. "Twilight! Are you still there?!" Rarity's voice had been increasingly panic-stricken. "Answer me!" Twilight reached back with a shaking hoof and pulled out the radio, eyes still careening over every square foot of space around her. She opened her mouth to respond, and realized how dry her muzzle had gotten. She was just about to speak when a voice echoed behind her. "Twilight, dear! Are you all right?!" Twilight turned around to see a speck of moving white leaning out the window that Twilight had fallen out of. Her heart jumped up into her throat as more possibilities surged into her head. She both raced towards Rarity, and stayed put at the same time, resulting in a strange half-stumble as she nearly tripped over her own hooves. "Rarity!" She choked on the word and coughed, and swallowed as she trotted forward. "Rarity, she's gone! Rainbow Dash is gone!" "Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Rarity went silent as realization set in, and she leaned out further to look around. "You don't mean she flew off, do you?" "They captured her!" Twilight said. "They—" she swallowed, "they got to her. They teleported before I could do anything." She trotted right up to the building, until she had to crane her neck to see Rarity's head sticking out the window. "I need to get back into the control room," she said. "Can you get these blast doors open?" Rarity looked down at her, and saw where Twilight was pointing her hoof. "Honestly, Twilight, I couldn't even get the main doors open. They didn't even bother to add door handles. How do you expect me to—" "There's a control panel in the back," Twilight said. "On the left-hand side. We used it to get the elevator working." Rarity ducked her head back inside. "I'll see what I can do." Twilight did a little dance in anticipation, and trotted up as close to the building as she could. The blast doors were indented into the wall, so she found herself standing beneath the second story overhanging above her. All the adrenaline in her body tempted her to throw herself at the doors, and try prying them open, but every pragmatic voice in her head protested before she could lift a hoof. A crack and a hiss snapped and echoed behind Twilight, and she looked back towards the launch site to see what it was. "I think that did it." Rarity's voice could barely be heard from Twilight's position. Twilight stepped forward and peered around towards the crater, just enough to see something opening on the far side of the expanse. "Wrong doors, Rarity!" she shouted. She growled quietly to herself, and stamped back under the overhang. She was becoming more and more aware of how fatigued she was getting. "Sorry, dear, but I'm just not as familiar with this panel. I think—wait, this might be it." Twilight was just about to lean up against the doors when they sprung to life, making her jump back. "That's it!" She stumbled back so she could see the windows again. "Stay put. I'll meet up with you." She raced down the corridor before she had finished her last sentence. She half-expected to run into a door as she rounded the corner. Instead, she found herself entering a much more elaborate entrance-courtyard, half of which was occupied by a staircase leading to the second-floor. There was a gap between the staircase and the far wall, but all that was there were a few haphazardly placed boxes. She had just placed her foot on the first step when she looked up to see what she was walking into. She stopped mid-step and stared dumb-founded, unsure whether to facehoof, or simply groan. She ended up closing her eyes and softly uttering "You have got to be kidding." The entire surrounding wall above her was covered, inch-for-inch, packed to the brink, with sticks of dynamite. What was more, Twilight could just make out a number of trigger-mechanisms all over the staircase, in the form of laser detectors. It would be virtually impossible to climb without setting one of them off. She stepped back and stared at the situation, wondering whether she could set it off somehow without being in the vicinity, and finally decided that, no matter what she did, setting off the traps would only cause an avalanche that would block the entrance. She galloped back down the corridor until she reached the launch site, and yelled back through the window: "Rarity, do you see another way in? That way's blocked." It was a few seconds before Rarity appeared at the window. "What do you mean, it's blocked? I pressed the button. The door should be open." Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, not the blast doors. Just... can you meet me at the entrance?" Rarity cocked her head, but didn't say anything. "Thanks." Twilight galloped back towards the open blast doors, but stopped short. "Oh, and, whatever you do, don't go outside." Rarity blinked with mouth gaped. "Wait, you want me to wha—" Twilight was already halfway down the corridor by the time Rarity caught on to what was going on. Twilight stopped as soon as she reached the courtyard, and listened to the silence. Rarity's stumbling and faint complaining could be just barely heard through the door, but eventually, the door swung open, revealing an exasperated Rarity. "Okay, Twilight. The door clearly opens. What is this about the entrance being—" she caught site of the dynamite, "— blocked..." Twilight couldn't help but enjoy a guilty pleasure upon seeing Rarity's face. It was a particularly slow and dramatic realization, and Twilight could tell she was considering simply closing the door and forgetting about the whole thing. "Well," she finally said, "it appears the military has been busy." She peered around the corner to see just how extensive the damage was. "No doubt the result of excruciating boredom, and perhaps one-too-many drinks." "Alcohol isn't allowed in the Equestrian military, Rarity," Twilight said. Rarity rolled her eyes. "Who said this was the Equestrian military. Back when I was in Ponyville, rumor had it there was a zebra nearby that concocted some pretty potent mixes." She took a step back. "A good apple cider is one thing, but," she waved a hoof around, "I think it would take a bit more than a few mugs of cider to inspire this." Twilight wondering for a moment whether Rarity's words would come across as offensive to the zebra community. She decided not to pursue the issue. "So," she said, waving her own hoof around, "any ideas on how to get around this? It would be nice to be out of here before the sun rises." Rarity was about to point her hoof towards the boxes when Twilight interrupted her. "Besides the boxes, Rarity." Rarity retracted her hoof, looked around, and then shrugged, batting her eyes innocently. Twilight bowed her head and sighed. "Fine!" she said, dragging her feet over to the crates in the corner. She mumbled as she did so. "Stupid technology," she said. "We break forcefields, communicate over large distances, and wipe out a large crowd of unicorns from mid-flight. But when it comes to getting around a staircase? Noooooo! We have to uses boxes." Twilight made sure to exaggerate every hoist, every step, and every grunt as she sarcastically worked her way up the pile of wood. Rarity was at the threshold, leaning against the doorway, trying desperately not to roll her eyes, in fear they would leave her sockets from rolling so hard. "Really, Twilight," Rarity said, "I think you need to complain a bit louder. There are probably a few soldiers out there who haven't heard you yet." Twilight stopped herself before a few choice words escaped her muzzle, instead using the last of her energy to push herself to the top of the pile. The box she was standing on wobbled, but she managed to remain balanced. "Okay," she said, half to herself, "the top of the staircase looks unprotected, so I should be able to leap onto it safely. I just have to—wh-hoa-oa..." She grabbed onto the wall next to her, just below one of the packs of dynamite. "Okay, Twilight," she said to herself, "the sooner you jump, the better." She closed her eyes, breathed deep, and pushed off. The jump went relatively smoothly. That is, aside from the spectacular wood-box avalanche she caused, and her faceplant caused by her leg getting caught on the side of the staircase. She waited for the rumbling of wood to subside behind her before peeling her face off of the top stair and looking up at Rarity, smiling in a half-derp. "Proud of yourself, dear?" Rarity asked. Twilight shook her head and got up on all-fours. "Hey, I made it, didn't I?" She looked back proudly at the mess of wood below her. "Now," she turned towards Rarity, "let's get to the control room. Hopefully we can use the equipment to track down Rainbow Dash." ========================================================= It was amazing how much better it felt to be surrounded by lab equipment. The sounds of beeping and chirping, the lights blinking, the colorful ambiance—all of it felt refreshing after being trapped in a world of grey for so long. Of course, none of it held a candle to the sight and smells of her old library. As useful as computers could be, nothing could duplicate the divine tactile experiences of holding a physical book. Twilight had wasted no time getting to the control monitor, and was now racing through as many maps of the area as would fit on the screen. "What I don't understand," she said, half-to-herself, "is why they only took Rainbow Dash." Her hooves continued to slide along the screen as she spoke. "I mean, obviously they couldn't grab onto my suit. But I don't have any kind of helmet! They could have easily grabbed hold of me." Rarity was busy staring out the window. "Perhaps they were just distracted." Twilight paused for a moment, and then turned around. "Rarity, do you think you could stand somewhere else? Having you stand right next to the window like that is making me nervous." Rarity pouted her lip, and cocked her head, but ultimately stepped away from the window. "I still don't understand what you hope to achieve, dear," she said. "Do you expect Rainbow Dash to show up on the monitor?" Twilight gritted her teeth. "There is nothing else we have to work with," she said quietly. "It's not like they walked or flew out of here. There's nothing I can use to estimate where they went." She sighed. "The most we can do is find a new path, and hope it takes us closer." Rarity had decided to make herself useful by staring over Twilight's shoulder at the screen. At least if they couldn't find anything, it would be four eyes not seeing anything instead of two. Twilight slammed a hoof into the wall next to her, with a few choice expletive euphemisms. "I don't get it!" she shouted. "Why couldn't they have left some soldiers behind?! At least then I could have something to go off of: a radio, a map—heck, even a body would be better than nothing. Teleport magic can't be traced!" Rarity leaned her head forward, pretending to look at the screen harder. "You think they planned it this way," she said quietly. Twilight leaned her head into her hoof. "I know, I know. They're planning something, I just don't know what!" She shook her head. "It's all so strange." Rarity reached back almost instinctively, and pulled out her radio. "Can we use these in any way?" Twilight shook her head. "The only way we could track down something using the radios is if we receive a signal. All we can do is scatter the signal when we transmit, but there's no way to know what's picking it up." "But that's exactly my point, dear," she said. "The military is using their radios all the time!" "Yes, but there would be no way to tell which signal is the one we're looking for." She reached out a hoof, and let Rarity hand her the device. "Even if I remove the encryption, all we'll get is a bunch of jumbled signals from all over the base. Not to mention, there would be no guarantee that any one of them would be coming from Rainbow Dash's location. These radios have a very short range. You were breaking up just from being on the other side of the rail system, remember?" Rarity sighed, and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Then what do you want to do, dear? We can't just host a sleepover in a rocket control center." "I know!" Twilight shouted. She stopped short, and took a deep breath. "I know," she said quieter. "They'll probably be targeting you next. They could send in more unicorns to this place at any time." "Exactly," Rarity said. "The sooner we get moving, the better." Twilight stared at the screen some more, hoping there was something she had missed: some clue, or passage, or... something that would lead her to a secret base of some kind. Finally, though, she simply lifted a hoof in defeat, and pointed it at a mundane place on the screen. "This track leads back under the surface," she said. "They'll have a tougher time finding us there." Rarity didn't say anything, but her eyes shed a glimmer of sympathy as they met up with Twilight's. Twilight didn't realize it at the time, but for the first time since Rainbow had been captured, she smiled. ========================================================= "Aaaaaand step, aaaaaaand step, aaaaaaand step, aaa—" "Would you hurry up?!" Twilight had been standing at the bottom of the ladder for what felt like five minutes. In fact, as far as taking Rarity with her was concerned, she may as well have been pulling a sack of apples. Every time Twilight turned around, Rarity was staring off into space. It had taken her ten minutes just to get her out of the launch site area. "Well, excuse me for being careful, darling," Rarity said. "It wouldn't do us much good if I injured myself." Twilight opened her mouth to retaliate, but ended up closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her adrenaline was going crazy, and it was everything she could take to hold it down. She watched as Rarity gently set down onto the ground before looking around. The area they were in looked like a much larger, much darker, and much more run-down version of the corkscrew lift rooms they had explored. One of the lights in the corner was flickering, and there were patches of mold here and there in the corners. The musty smell made Twilight's nose wrinkle. She sighed. "Sorry, Rarity," she said, "but I just can't help but think of Rainbow Dash. I keep wondering what kind of crazy things she might try to do if we don't find her." Rarity was staring lazily up through the entrance hole they had come through. "You mean like escape?" Twilight found herself with her hoof in the air and her mouth open, and quickly closed it. "Actually," she said, "that would be the best case scenario." She turned around. "I mean, she'll do something stupid to provoke them. She'll get herself hurt, or—" "—killed," Rarity finished. Twilight turned to face Rarity again, realizing she couldn't bring herself to say the word herself. She stepped up to Rarity, who was still staring blankly up at the ceiling near the ladder. "Look, I'm sorry if you find the scenery really fascinating, but we really have to go!" Rarity looked like she was coming out of a trance. "What—huh?" She blinked, and then turned around to look at Twilight. "Oh, I—" Twilight glared at her, but didn't say anything. Rarity's eyes drooped, and she bowed her head. "I'm sorry if I haven't seemed very concerned lately." She swung her forehoof back and forth, scraping it along the ground. "I know I should be feeling more concerned about Rainbow right now. It's just, I can't help but think..." She turned her neck and glanced back up the ladder. Twilight felt a twinge in her stomach as she realized what she was getting at. She hadn't even considered it until she saw Rarity's face. Neither of them had brought up Rarity's sister since before they had entered the silo. This was the first time since then that they had been at the surface. "R-Rarity." Twilight could hardly even get the words out. "I mean," Rarity continued, "It's not that I don't care, or anything. It's just—" "Rarity." Twilight stepped up to put a hoof on her shoulder, but Rarity pushed it away. "You must," she started, "think I'm pretty selfish." Her voice was stifled, as though she was having trouble controlling herself. "Rarity." Twilight's voice was almost a whisper. "Look," Rarity said, lifting her head back up. Her face was tinged pink. "Let's just get going, okay? The sooner we're away from here—" "Rarity!" Twilight said. Her voice echoed around them as the room fell silent. Both of them felt compelled to speak, but neither could find the words to say. The air was unnaturally still. Twilight was the first to break the silence. "You don't have to come with me," she said. "You have a home! You have a family! I'm not going to stop you if you want to go to them." Rarity choked back, looking close to tears. "I know," she said. "I just feel so," she thought for a bit, "so guilty!" She stared off to the side. "You helped me get out of that office. The least I can do is see you through." She turned back to face her again. "I mean, I don't know if I'll go all the way to the Lambda lab with you," she said, "but I am not going to abandon you while I can still help." Rarity's face was anything but pretty. Her eyes had swelled and become red, and much of her face had channels of wetness running down the sides, however much she attempted to hide it. Twilight stepped up to her and placed her hooves on either side of Rarity's face. "Look at me," she said, forcing Rarity to meet her eyes. "You have a family. You're obviously in pain. Nopony is going to think less of you if you leave now." She struck her head up into a dignified pose, and walked around Twilight, trying hard to regain her composure. "It is simply," she said, "out of the question! If you are going to find the Lambda Lab, you are going to need my help. I simply cannot see you do this alone." She turned and strained a smile at Twilight. "Besides," she said, "even if I found my sister, and returned home, I doubt that we would appreciate headcrabs teleporting into our dining room." She threw her head up with a "Hmmph!", and stamped across the room. "I daresay it would be most prudent to cleanse the invasion before having afternoon tea!" Twilight snickered as Rarity wiped some of the drips from her face. She followed Rarity through the musty room, admiring how quickly she was recovering. "Well, if you say so," Twilight said. "Just, do you think you could cut down a bit on the sarcastic remarks? Maybe just a little?" Rarity scoffed as they reached the other side of the room. "Twilight, honestly! Stopping an invasion is one thing. But I'm not a miracle worker!" She threw her head up in the air, but not without cracking a smile against the straight face she had been trying so hard to keep. ========================================================= "Well, at least we don't have to walk the rest of the way underground," Rarity said. Twilight reached the other side of the lift room to see what Rarity was pointing to. There was so much clutter in the way, she could barely make out what was at the tunnel entrance. A slew of crates, pallets, old rusted pipe pieces, and various outdated electronics infested the area, and looked like they had been accumulating for years. It reminded Twilight of what happened to her brother's workbench when her mother didn't remind him to clean it. "Do you really see a train under there?" Twilight asked. "Or are you just suggesting we try using one of these pallets as a sled?" As a response, Rarity wafted some of her white aura around the debris and pushed it aside one piece at a time. Twilight couldn't help but be amused at the way Rarity picked up some of the less pleasant items with as little magic as possible, as though the grime would wash off onto it somehow. "Well, I do agree," Rarity said, "for a massive, glaringly red hunk of metal, this train certainly managed to blend in a lot." She pushed aside a metal plate the size of her entire body that was leaning up against something, and revealed a large chunk of red metal behind it, crudely shaped into some sort of vehicle. "Definitely not the sort of train we're used to," Rarity said. "Part of me wonders whether it still runs." Twilight stepped up to it and ran a hoof over the top. It came just up to her shoulders, and extended into the tunnel just further than the length of the other trains. "It's probably an older model," Twilight said. "It's too rusted and beat-up to be newer than the wood trains." From what she could see in the dark tunnel, most of the train reminded her of a somewhat chubby monorail train. The front had a hood, as though covering some sort of engine. There was no roof covering the train, and even if there had been, it would have been so low that Twilight would have to lie on the floor to fit under it. Even without a roof, it would still be a tight squeeze to get two ponies inside. There were hinges on the side, as if there had once been doors, but Twilight suspected they had fallen off at some point. She could just imagine some maintenance pony driving around the corner with the door open, striking a wall that knocked it off, and shrugging the whole thing away as "just another thing that broke on this damn train". "Please tell me you can get this thing working," Rarity said. "My hooves are positively throbbing from all the walking I've been doing!" Twilight was already inside and looking at the control panels, trying to relate it to the wood trains she already knew. "Looks like the same interface," she said. "If power has been routed to this part of the tracks, there's a good chance it'll turn on like any of the others." As she worked, Twilight could hear Rarity shuffling uncomfortable outside the train. "If you had asked me a couple days ago, I would have told you I'd have given anything in Equestria to ride the train to Canterlot." Rarity sighed. "I can't exactly say I have the same enthusiasm for trains anymore." Twilight looked up, a few sparks flying from her horn. "This looks like the end of the rails," she said. "I'm not sure where our last stop is going to be, but I can tell you this: I'm not riding on anymore trains after this one. Even if it looks like the only way to go." Rarity cocked her head. "You'd rather turn back?" Twilight scowled. "I'd rather blast a hold in the wall with a grenade." Rarity scoffed and flipped her hair. "Well, we already know you're capable of doing that, dear." She stepped up closer to the train to try and get a better idea of what Twilight was doing. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Twilight stood up. "I've been studying the mechanisms of the trains as we've been riding them, and they seem to be pretty simple. This one just needed a little magic." She stood off to the side to make room for Rarity. "Looks like it's good to go." Rarity just stood there and stared. Twilight had barely been able to shuffle to the side, much less move around to get comfortable. The engine was very close behind them, and she was not looking forward to having her rump pressed against it the whole time. "Twilight, dear." Twilight caught Rarity's eye, and had no problem reading the awkward expression on her face. "Don't worry, Rarity," she said, "I have a plan, in case we get into trouble." Rarity breathed a mock-sigh of relief. "Oh, good! I was wondering which technique we would use if there was an obstacle in our way: kamikaze, or the slam-on-the-breaks and scream. I daresay, I've gotten quite a lot of practice for the second one." Twilight rolled her eyes. "I can't exactly promise neither of us will scream," she mumbled under her breath, "but!" she spoke up, "I will say, if we get into trouble, we can simple roll off the side of the train like I did back with that forcefield." Rarity couldn't help but glance down at Twilight's rear hoof. The bandages were soaked red. Twilight caught her, and spoke up again. "Just remember not to hit the rail when you roll," she said. Rarity continued to stand there, face still blank and bemused, even as Twilight started up the engine of the train. The rear of the train roared as Twilight pressed the button, making Twilight look back to make sure there wasn't some sort of rodent or headcrab caught in the engine. It was a much more powerful engine than the other trains. "So?" Twilight said. "Are you coming? Or do you want to wait for the next train?" Rarity snapped out of her bemusement and shook her head. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but everything she tried to get out her muzzle kept choking back. She finally gave in, and squeezed her way onto the train. Twilight pressed the lever forward one notch, and felt the train smoothly accelerate. It was so subtle that she had to look at the wall next to her before she realized they were moving at all. For the next few seconds, Rarity histrionically wiggled around, rubbing her rump up against the back, wrenching her hooves out from under her before squeezing them back in, and making a lot of un-lady-like grunts in the process. At one point, she even made an entire scene out of turning around and placing her rump against the controls, only to find her ears right up against the roaring engine, and her flanks fiddling with the controls. "Twiiiiilight!" she whined, "Hoooow exactly am I supposed to get comfortable in this thing?!" She pouted her lip. "I'm exhausted, it would be soooo nice to actually get some beauty sleep before this is over." Rarity completed her full three-sixty turn in the train, and slumped her head against the dashboard, letting her cheeks and chin droop all over the cold metal, and whinnied. Twilight's eyes had drooped so low they were almost closed. Rarity's whinny finally made her slam her face into the dashboard and keep it there for a few seconds. "Why do I put up with this?" she mumbled into the metal. She pulled her head back up and looked forward to watch the lights fly by. It was almost mesmerizing. One light, two lights, three lights, four... "Uh, Rarity?" Twilight counted another five lights go by before she started up again. "I think we're accelerating." Rarity was too busy counting the rust spots on the front of the train to notice much of anything. As fast as they were going, the ride was quite smooth. "Rarity!" Twilight was looking down at the controls, trying to fiddle with the speed lever. "I think we're going to have to get off the hard way," she said. "The speed controls are responding. There's no way I can slow it down. Not using the controls, anyway." She looked back up, and saw nothing but a long stretch of tunnel. "At least we have plenty of time. We shouldn't run into anything for a while, so that should give us some leeway for getting off before we crash." The word "crash" made Rarity's ears, mane, tale, and coat stand on end, and she immediately leaped up and tried to turn in place, only to find herself still wedged in. "Wha—! What do we do?! Where do we—Crash?! Really?! Whe—" Twilight punched a hoof into her muzzle. "We'll be fine, so long as we get off now. We can use the back of the train. The leap off the back will slow us down, and help us control the roll." She wiggled her way sideways. "Here, I'll move off to the side so you can get yourself unstuck." Rarity's panic only mounted as she freed her body. Being packed in was almost a comfort, like wearing a large coat of metal armor. The freedom of her body made her lose balance. "T-Twilight," she whimpered. "I don't know if I can do this." "You'll be fine!" Twilight said over the sound of the engine. "Just don't tense up. We have plenty of time. It's not like—" Both of them froze as a blinding light went off in the distance, followed by a shockwave that shook the train and pierced their ears. A ball of orange burned in the air for a few seconds as it dissipated into smoke. "On second thought," Twilight said. Rarity's head spun around from side to side. "What did—was that a—where did that—" "They're trying to de-rail the train!" Twilight shouted. As the smoke got closer, Twilight could make out a boarding platform just next to it. The rails had been bent up and around from the explosion, and were now pointing towards the platform. "Changeofplans, get over to the side, Rarity," Twilight shouted. She rammed her hooves against Rarity's rump, and pushed. Seconds remained. "Side, Rarity! Jump!" Looking forward was like falling from a building. The broken rails shot towards her so fast that it caused vertigo. She barely had time to brace herself before it struck. Rarity had stumble-trip-jumped out of the train just as it had hit the ramp, and was already performing a screaming barrel roll. Twilight's knees shook as she kicked off the train, and her ankle caught the back, causing her to lose what little control she had left. She wiggled in the air for a second, and then felt herself slam into the concrete below, carried into a roll by her momentum. "Ra-ri-ty!" she yelled with each bone-crunching collision with the platform. With each one, she felt herself scrape against the surface and slow down. She kept her hooves in tight, forcing herself against her temptation to flail them out and try to catch something. She could barely breath, as each blow knocked more and more wind out her. And then the ground disappeared beneath her. There were no more scrapes and slides. It was just air all around her. She wheezed, trying desperately to get a breath of air to scream with, letting her hooves flail out as she fell. Her momentum kept her rotating, so she kept going back and forth between seeing the ceiling flying away above her, and the floor hurtling up below her. She felt her heart jump up into her throat just as the ground came up and slammed into her. It took a second or two to calm down enough to see why she wasn't dead. The impact had knocked her dizzy, but she wasn't lying on the ground. In fact, she was suspended in the air—no, water! She flailed her hooves around, and felt the resistance. She took a breath by instinct, and instantly caught a lungful of water. She paddled for her life, and just managed to break the surface. As soon as she did, she brought her hoof up out of the water and started pounding on her chest with with it while treading with the other. Sputtering turned into coughing, with turned into retching. Her head went under a few more times as her one hoof struggled to keep her afloat, and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of water streaming through her nostrils. She tried to yell out to Rarity above her, but couldn't get the breath she needed to do so. She only continued to tread and cough, tread and sputter, tread and breathe. It wasn't until some of the water had leaked out of her ears that she heard the battle above her. Magic reigned overhead, and she could just make out some of the green residue of it. "Twi-ight!" Rarity's voice could just be heard over the sounds. The voice was coming towards her. "Twilight! I'm coming!" A few green beams flew out overhead, illuminating the room she was in. Twilight could barely make out a few walls and items here and there in the glow, but other than that, all she knew was she was in an old flooded area of some sort. The beams struck the walls with a flash, leaving glowing residue behind. And then Rarity's body appeared, leaping out over the edge of the platform. For a second, Twilight was afraid she was going to land on top of her, and flailed her hooves against the water to try and paddle away. However, after a few seconds without any sign of a splash, she looked back up to see Rarity still suspended above her. A green aura was surrounding her. Twilight let out what little breath she had caught up in her lungs as she watched Rarity float motionlessly away from the edge, and out of sight. "Rar—" She breathed. "—rity!" She could barely think, let alone continue to tread water, and almost considered taking a short break: just a quick trip to the bottom to rest. Every one of her legs were pained from impact and use. And then something else caught her eye that made her snap back to reality. Something small had been hurled over the edge of the platform: something about the size of a baseball, mostly grey in the dim light cast from the tunnel, and probably missing a very important pin. Twilight's eyes went wide as she watched it arc over the side. And then she gasped, and dove underwater, furiously pushing against the water with what little strength she had left. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, making her feel like she could push herself that much harder. The muffled sounds and blurred sights around her almost became clearer in that moment, and she caught sight of a blinking light in the distance. She swam down hard towards it, letting a couple air bubbles escape as she pushed forward. She fiddled with a switch at her side, and found the release mechanism for her gun. The weight at her shoulder popped away, and she suddenly felt much lighter, and could swim a bit faster. As the light got closer, it revealed a wavering, blurred entrance door. Twilight reached a hoof out and managed to use the top of the metal entrance-way to pull herself through, and into the flooded hallway. A mountain of heat washed over her as she swam through the tunnel, and she felt herself being blasted forward, riding the wave of the explosion. Her lungs were about ready to tear themselves out of her chest, and her limbs were threatening to cut themselves away from her body in protest. She pushed forward, seeing a ramp ahead of her, and a subtle shimmering above, which must have been the surface. Her surroundings were becoming less focused, and shrouded in darkness. She was having trouble concentrating. PUSH! she thought. It was the only thing left she could think about as the last of her air escaped out in bubbles. All it would take is one breath. One breath, and it would be over. She could rest. Forever. PUUUUUSH! Her hoof struck the ramp, and she kicked off of it hard. The breach of the surface and the first breath of air striking her lungs brought a dizzying amount of feelings back. An orgasmic feeling of relief pulsed through her body as she struggled to stay afloat. What little energy she had left, she used to push forward until she felt the ramp beneath her. Half-walking, half-swimming, she waded her way up the ramp and out of the water. She had never realized just how heavy her body was until the water was down to her knees. The last few steps up the ramp were pure agony. Had her mind been focused enough to consider her appearance, she would have realized what a wreck she must have looked. However, all she could manage to do was slump up the ramp, and barely crest the top. She lifted her wavering head and looked at the yellow-ish lights illuminating a very different-looking hallway with yellow-crusted paint on the walls, and tiled floor. Her eyes drooped, causing the lights to be the only thing she could see. And then, she collapsed onto the ground, and left the conscious world. ========================================================= The first thing she heard was dripping. Soft echoes reached her ears, each spaced a few seconds apart. She moved a hoof and tried to open her eyes. It felt like somepony had placed weights on her lids, and the lights shining down upon her weren't helping. Pressing with all the strength she had, she managed to lift her body up with her forehooves, and worm her way onto all-fours. The hallway in front of her was still coming into focus. All she could make out was a blur of yellow amid a rocking dizziness. "R-Rarity?" Her mouth was parched, despite the volume of water she had inhaled earlier. A pain deep in her stomach reminded her of how long she had gone without food. Rarity had suggested eating some of the grass outside the launch site, and while that was a good idea in theory, there wasn't enough for it to make up for a complete meal. Most of what was outside had simply been dirt. She blinked against the lights as the yellow-peeled paint and tiled floor came back into focus. She stumbled a bit as she regained her balance, and immediately felt herself drawn back towards the water behind her. She stepped hoof-over-hoof up to the ramp, and collapsed on the ground just in front of the water, and plowed her muzzle into the surface, gulping as fast as her throat could work. She could feel the pain as the water hit her stomach, but she didn't stop. She kept forcing down all that she could fit, even until she felt uncomfortably full. There was no telling when she would see water next. A few memories snapped back into her mind, including a particularly disturbing image of Rarity engulfed in magic. Twilight lurched at this thought, and she swallowed wrong. Her coughing came up so fast, she didn't have any time to take a breath, and she found herself sputtering and struggling to breath. She pounded her chest a few times with her hoof, and the coughing subsided over time, although the lump in her chest didn't go away. She couldn't help but notice how her eyes didn't water up, like they always did when this happened. She needed to rest. That's what every book she had every read on dehydration had said. She didn't feel like resting, though. Sooner or later, she would have to move, even if for nothing more than to find food. As much water as she had just drunk, it wouldn't make up for a lack of nutrition. She thought about what Rainbow Dash might say if she saw Twilight now. She would probably be trying to drag her out of the hallway, even if it meant Twilight clawing at the ground in protest. It was exactly the kind of thing she would do. That's when she saw it. She wasn't sure whether it was because she was thinking about her at the time, or if there had simply been a trick of the light. However, she had sworn she had just caught a glimpse of a rainbow-colored tail in the corner of her eye. She focused, and found herself staring at the empty hallway. There was nothing there, save for the lights and that awful peeling paint. "Rainbow Dash?" she said out loud, if for no other reason than to hear her voice. It was still cracked from being parched. She trotted to the end of the tunnel stretch, and peered around the bend. Another short stretch revealed itself as she did so. No rainbows of any kind were there. "Hello?" Her voice curtailed and stretched in the silence around her. The only other sound was the constant dripping in the distance. Part of her was afraid to keep going, in case she was to see something else. Perhaps next time, it wouldn't be a rainbow tail. She had read about ponies having delusions and hallucinations under stressful situations like this, and wasn't keen on having one. Okay, Twilight, keep it together, she thought. It was just a trick of the light. She closed her eyes, rubbed them with her hooves, and opened them again, blinking against the light. Again, no rainbows were present. She took a deep breath, sighed, and set off down the hallway. Just walk, she thought to herself. Don't think. Just walk. As it turned out, the path was quite short. She didn't have to go around too many more bends before it emptied her out into somewhere more significant. She stepped out of the tunnel, and onto a catwalk platform that surrounded the room she had entered. The place was flooded, but unlike the room she had fallen into before, it had the distinct feeling that it was done on purpose. The water level came just up to the bottom of a surrounding catwalk that went around the entire perimeter of the room. It was as though someone had made a make-shift fish tank out of a two-story room. Her suspicion was confirmed by a large rusted shark cage suspended over the water by a pulley system. She could just make out an observation area to the right, marked by a few windows, and a platform reaching out over the cage. She stepped carefully along the catwalks, staying as far to the outside as possible, in case there was something in the water. There were a few ripples here and there in the surface, as well as patches of reflection on the catwalk that Twilight discovered were still wet, although from what, she couldn't tell. Something must have splashed the water at some point. As well, a few ropes made Twilight look up at the ceiling. She regretted it the moment she did. The moisture had attracted a large array of barnacles, which were covering many areas of the ceiling. Their tendrils could barely be seen in the room, unless one was specifically looking for them. They blended in too well with the water and the glare of the lights, and Twilight had to work hard to avoid them. She went back and forth between looking up at the ceiling, and looking ahead of her for long strands. Very few of the barnacles were over the path of the catwalk, which made things easier, although It didn't make her feel any less nervous. As she reached one of the corners of the perimeter, however, she saw it again: A rainbow tail was sticking out around the corner of where the path lead. It was only there for a second before disappearing. However, as it did so, it was accompanied by the quiet pattering of hoofsteps. "HEY!" Twilight yelled. She took off down the catwalk, nearly running into one of the tendrils hanging from the ceiling. She dodged it awkwardly, and ran around the corner, and into the cubbyway that it lead into. She was running so fast, she nearly ran into the dead-end wall that it lead to, and almost fell over from stopping so hard. She looked up, and noticed the there was a ladder against the dimly lit dead-end, which lead straight up into another room. Rainbow Dash could have easily flown up there. Twilight was already breathing hard, mostly from anxiety, but somewhat from exhaustion. Nevertheless, she placed her hooves on the ladder rails, and hoisted herself up, pushing her hooves to move quickly. She couldn't be sure, but there was a moment when she thought she caught a glimpse of the rainbow streak just over her head, at the crest of the ladder. She only saw it in her peripheral vision, though. It was gone by the time she looked up. "Rainbow Dash!" She crested the ladder, and ran around the small bend just in front of it, which lead out into the observation room. "Rainbow Da—OOF!" The impact of another body caught her by surprise, and she almost lost her balance. A pair of hooves grabbed her by the shoulders, and a nasal stallion's voice reached her ears. "Ow," it said. Twilight caught her balance and took a step back to look around. It was difficult to see the rest of the room, as it was being blocked by a short, light-tan stallion with thick black glasses. She could see his tail flicking behind him, and noticed it was black, just like his mane. She whipped her head around a few times, in case Rainbow Dash was clinging to the ceiling, or hiding under some equipment, before turning back to the stallion. "You haven't seen a blue pegasus around here, you have?" The stallion turned around in an awkwardly-postured way, and stepped up to some controls on her right. "You mean Rainbow Dash?" he asked. Twilight's ears perked, as did her eyelids. "You know her?!" she jumped up. "I mean," she took a deep breath and sunk into the floor, "she's here somewhere?" The stallion shook his head. "Nah. I just heard you shouting her name. I've never seen a blue pegasus in this room in my life." Twilight lowered her lids, letting a sigh escape her lips. "Listen, lady," he said, still not looking at her, "I don't think this is the best place to be looking for someone. It's pretty much abandoned." He reached out at one of the controls, and tapped one of the levers curiously. "Honestly, I don't even know how you got in here." He brought a hoof up to his head. "Come to think of it, I'm not even sure how I got in here." He looked around. "This is pretty much the nowheresville of everywhere." He made a cough-sneeze-smirk, as well as a nasal chuckle, before sighing and walking off to the corner of the room. "Ah, listen to me," he said. "No beautiful mare like yourself would want to listen to me." Twilight cocked her head with a weird look on her face. This statement came out of nowhere. "What?" she said. The stallion simply reached one of the far corners of the room, and sat down, facing away from her, fiddling his hooves. "Sorry," he said, "I'm not good with mares. They make me nervous." He snorted, and flinched in another nasal laugh. "It's actually one of the reasons I work here," he said. "No other ponies." Twilight just stared at him. "Wait. Didn't you just say you didn't know how you got here?" She hardly notice that she had backed up a few steps. "Sorry," the stallion said. "Just trying to make conversation." Suddenly, he perked up and turned to face Twilight with wide eyes. "Hey!" he said. "You wanna kill a shark?!" Twilight's face contorted into a horrified frown, and she found herself involuntarily shaking her head. "No, no!" he said, "It's real easy. Just use the tranquilizer." Not even the shock from hearing a scientist not know how a tranquilizer worked could making Twilight talk. She just continued to stare in horror. "Well, I guess it's not really a shark," he continued. "More like a flesh-eating piranha the size of a manticore. It likes to hop out every so often, and scare the other ponies." He laughed nervously, rubbing his hooves together, before looking off to the side. "I'm so lonely," he said quietly. Twilight's horrified look dwindled, and she almost felt a bit sorry for him at this last statement. However, something was instinctively repelling her away from him, as if he had a cold, or really bad body odor. She just couldn't push herself to get close enough to comfort him. Instead, she trotted up to the window, placed her forehooves on the sill, and peered out over the edge at the water below. She could just make out a dark patch of the water that was moving around: something just beneath the surface. He had overestimated its size. It was more like the size of a large stallion. Its movements kept the water surface rippling. "Is there any way out of here without using the platforms around the tank?" she asked. The stallion shook his head. "That's why nopony wanted the job," he said. He chucked again. "I don't mind, though," he said. "I don't think it's a monster. It's just a little misunderstood." Twilight didn't even try to comprehend this. One minute ago, he was asking whether she wanted to kill the thing, and now it sounded like he was describing his pet. "You said there's a tranquilizer gun?" "That's right," he said, perking up. "I made it myself, out of old scraps and stuff I found lying around." Twilight stared at him for a moment, wondering whether this stallion could just be another hallucination, and decided there was no way her mind could conjure up something like this. He was definitely real. "I'm assuming you know where you put it?" Twilight asked dully. The stallion smiled wide, and walked over to a small exit door, where the suspended platform was attached. "I put it in the shark cage!" he said. Twilight didn't even bother to sigh. She simply stepped up to the control panel to her right, leaned her head back, and smashed her face into it. The resulting noise made the stallion jump. He scratched his head, stepped up to Twilight, and leaned over her shoulder. "Was it something I said?" ========================================================= Twilight stood at the exit doorway that lead out to the shark cage. The suspended platform looked much wider from up here. It had blended in so well from below that she had barely noticed it was there. "So, let me get this straight," Twilight said, turning back towards the stallion. "You had one weapon to defend yourself, and you decided to toss it into a cage suspended over a monster-infested pool?!" The stallion looked down and pawed at the ground. "It seemed like a good idea at the time?" he said, his voice going up an octave in pitch. Twilight looked around the room. "How did you manage to survive this long?! There's not exactly that many places to hide." The stallion blushed and backed up, and his glasses slid down an inch of his muzzle. "Survive?" He pushed the rim back up his nose as he laughed nervously again. "Wha—What do you mean? I work here." Twilight scrunched her mouth to prevent herself from letting another exasperated sigh escape her muzzle and ravage the room. "Oh, I don't know," she whispered, "maybe the ALIENS roaming around?!" She flailed her hooves as she said this. Now it was the stallion's turn to look confused. "Aliens?" He looked around. "There are aliens here?" He started trotting around the room, looking under some of the control panels, and inside some of the storage boxes. "Nobody told me they would be—" He looked up. "Is that who this "Rainbow Dash" is? Is she an alien?" He started gnawing on his hooves. "Did you... let her loose? Is she roaming around here, looking to eat us?! OH, CELESTIA, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" He jumped up and grabbed onto the front of Twilight's suit, in a beggar's position. Twilight just stood there, watching the entire thing as though it was one of Princess Luna's favorite Marelequin novels. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to push him away, or toss him into the pool behind her. Perhaps she could throw him into the shark cage, and have him toss her the tranquilizer gun before dropping into the water: get the best of both worlds. "For your information," she said quietly, placing her hooves on his own so she could guide them off her chest and onto the ground, "Rainbow Dash is very much a pony, and I'm not about to study her anatomy to confirm it." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the bad mental images out of her head. "Honestly, I don't know why you haven't seen any aliens here. They're all over the facility. They keep teleporting in from nowhere." Twilight phased out for a second as she considered all the times she had seen the aliens. A pattern was starting to emerge, as it sometimes did in the back of her mind. "Actually, from what I recall, the only time we ever saw the aliens teleport is when there was a lot of other activity. There was always either gunfire, or some sort of ruckus going on." The stallion whimpered when he heard the word "gunfire", but Twilight ignored him. "Either that means the rift gets thinner when there's more energy in the area," she put her other hoof up as she continued, "or the aliens are deliberately looking for the most likely places for organic life to be." She put a hoof on to her forehead. "Oh gosh, I really, really hope it isn't the later." She started trotting nervously around the room. "When did the monster appear in the water?" she asked, not stopping. The stallion was close to tears. "I-I don't know! Maybe a... a week? Or maybe two. OH GOSH, I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!" He put his hooves over his face and started balling. Twilight stopped dead. "A... week?!" She blinked a couple times. "But, that would mean—" She had to pause for a bit to regain her thoughts. The stale air and lights around her didn't help with her thoughts process, but she couldn't stop. "A week!" She put her hoof down. "They've known about this for a whole week!" The stallion whimpered again. "Know?" he squeaked. Twilight was barely paying attention to him anymore. "I need to get to Lambda before this gets any worse. The aliens could be planning something big!" The stallion's glasses had fogged up, and he had taken them off to rub his eyes. "P-planning?" he said. Twilight sighed. "I don't suppose you know how to get to the Lambda Lab from here?" The stallion just chewed on the end of his hooves for a bit, and shook his head. "Didn't think so," Twilight said. She turned back towards the exit, and peered out. "So, here I am, stuck in some tiny control room, Rainbow Dash and Rarity are gone, I'm starving to death, and there's a monster that's looking forward to having me for lunch." She swept a hoof up sarcastically. "What could be better?!" As if on cue, a rainbow streak appeared in the corner of her eye. Twilight instinctively whipped her eyes to the bottom of the main chamber to focus on it, managing to catch a blue flank and a rainbow tail just as it crossed a broken catwalk, and exited an open doorway. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight galloped down the platform without thinking, desperate to get a better look. "Rainbow, wait!" She reached out a hoof to stop herself at the edge of the platform, and felt it slip out from under her. She flailed out a hoof to grab onto something, but she was already slipping right off the platform. She managed to hook a hoof over the ledge, but it slipped right off, and she felt herself bang against the top of the shark cage before falling through an opening in the top and landing at the base of the cage. The fall wasn't nearly as bad as the one from the train. She could ignore the pain easily enough. What she couldn't ignore was all the blood rushing to her face from embarrassment. No matter what condition her body was in, she still couldn't help the fact that she was now stuck at the bottom of a suspended shark cage. She kept her head turned away, and prayed that the stallion didn't see or hear anything. She put her hooves over her head, and tried to imagine being back in her bed, with the pillows covering her face. "Oh, good!" a nasally voice shouted in the distance. "You found the tranquilizer!" Twilight stifled a groan from under her hooves. She wished more than anything that she could simply walk away from this. "I'll just release the cage so you can deal with that monster," the stallion shouted. Twilight poked her head up so fast, all the blood rushed away from it, making her slightly woozy. That didn't prevent her from standing up and waving her forelegs around, banging on the bars and shouting, "NO, NO NO NONONO!" The cable snapped above her, and the ground fell away. The stallion's voice echoed "there we are" just before Twilight was plunged into the water. She barely had time to start holding her breath. She banged against the bars a few more times underwater, and then looked up for the opening. Even in the blurred surroundings, the hole that the bars formed in the top was easily visible. She was just about to reach up and hoist herself through when the cage shook. The bang that it made was stifled from the water, but it was still loud enough to make her jerk her head around. Two massive rows of teeth stared back at her from the other side of the cage, and a few air bubbles escaped her muzzle as she yelled out. The jaw that the teeth belonged to was gnawing at the cage, making it rock and move around, but the bars were just as strong as they were above the water. Twilight fiddled around, looking for some sort of gun at the bottom of the cage, and grabbed onto the only long-ish thing she could find. She couldn't see it very clearly, and her hooves struggled to grasp it. The fact that she couldn't feel anything through the rubber-tipped suit legs didn't help. It took all the energy she had left just to find the firing lever. Everything else was what she could only describe as "awkward". She managed to hold the gun up between the bars, but hardly had any control over it. It slipped around too much. The only reason she managed to hit anything when she pulled the lever is because the monster was at point-blank range, and took up the entire wall of the cage. The cage went still, and she could only hope that meant the creature was dead. She barely managed to hold onto the gun as she pushed herself through the opening of the cage, and was so busy looking up at the surface that her hooves kept getting tangled in the upper bars. She breached the surface, and inhaled. The first thing she saw after her eyes started clearing were the barnacles clinging to the ceiling. She couldn't keep her head above water for too long. She only had one hoof to paddle with, and had to work hard to cradle the gun in the other. She swam off in what she hoped was the direction Rainbow Dash had gone. A platform was there, leading up to a door. The platform had been broken, and only extended out a few feet. The fact that it was bent under its own weight made it easy for Twilight to climb out. She tossed the gun onto it first, and then hoisted herself out after it, pushing the gun forward with her muzzle. "You're welcome!" the voice shouted behind her. It was all Twilight could do to prevent herself from using the gun to "tranquilize" the stallion. She found a particular perverse pleasure in imagining the look on his face when she did it, as well as the choice words she could say to him just before he blacked out. Of course, none of it came to pass. All Twilight could manage to do was climb onto her hooves, kick the gun forward, and follow the platform up to the open doorway. If Rainbow Dash had been here, she had at least been nice enough to leave the door open for her. ========================================================= The "gun", it turned out, was actually a crossbow, and was very likely not created from bits and scraps, as the stallion had described. She remembered seeing these things all the time, back when she was around the Equestrian military. Very few of the guards at Canterlot had one of these, but they were some of Twilight's favorite weapons. She had begged her brother to show her one up close, but Shining Armor said it was too dangerous to show her at such a young age. Of course, the crossbows in Canterlot all had spear-tipped arrows. Twilight had never considered using a crossbow to fire darts, much less tranquilizer darts. The closest she had read about were a few ancient pony tribes, and some zebra cultures that used blowguns to propel darts, but they were quite rare. She had only ever seen a blowgun in one of Canterlot's ancient history museums. This crossbow, however, was anything but ancient. It was made from some sort of metal, much like the gun she had jettisoned. The best part of this was that it fit into her suit just as well. She didn't have any spare ammunition for it, so she would have to be sparing, but it would at least provide some protection if anything should attack her. She looked around. She had just traversed a number of descending ramps down to the bottom of a much dryer room. She could still hear that incessant dripping in the background, but it wasn't quite as loud. There were some red maintenance lights beneath the ramps, and the old rotting yellow of the previous walls had been replaced with rusting red. A "wet floor" sign was standing towards the exit doorway in the back, and Twilight got a sudden urge to kick it. She rounded the corner, and let out a loud groan. The rear-end of a blue pony was facing her, with her rainbow tail flicking at her, as though in jest. It whipped around the bend as soon as she saw it. "RAINBOW!" Twilight said. She lunged forward, and started galloping down the wet floor, being as careful as she could not to slip. "Rainbow, this isn't funny!" She reached the bend, and followed the sound of hoofsteps until she reached another flooded chamber, much like the first one. This one was much dimmer, grayer, and smaller, but the catwalk platform still went around the perimeter, just like the other one. Twilight could just make out two forms swimming beneath the water. "I know you're in here, Rainbow!" Twilight said, looking around. "There's no point hiding!" As though answering her call, she caught one last flick of rainbow whipping around a doorway at the opposite corner of the room. "AHA!" Twilight said, pointing a hoof in her direction. She lifted her forehooves in the air, as though about to charge off after her, and ended up slowing to a trot. She wanted to be extra careful going over these platforms. "It's like she's trying to make me fall," she mumbled to herself. Between the moister, the dripping, and the tight enclosure, Twilight felt more like she was in a swamp cave than a flooded facility. It already had the swamp monsters she had read about in her fillyhood fairytales. It even had that moldy smell. As soon as she made it to the corridor, she sped up, and rounded a number of corners before coming out into an open space large enough to house a missile. The sheer volume reminded her of the area that the tram had gone through, with all the forklifts and pony workers traveling around underneath. That place had actually had a rocket in it. In fact, for a moment, she had to check to make sure this wasn't the very room she was in. Instead of a missile on her right, however, there were instead a number of large crusher pistons in the floor and ceiling. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but each set of pistons was large enough to easily smash an entire carriage if it wanted to. "Come out, Rainbow!" she shouted. She couldn't see her anywhere, but she still had a feeling. There was definitely a presence. It kept making her look over her shoulder. It was drawing her eyes somewhere, and she kept turning around, trying to work out exactly where it was coming from, or what exactly it was. Her eyes focused on a catwalk in the back, and the entire rest of the room went black. She suddenly felt light-headed as an attack of tunnel-vision hit her, and all she could see was the form standing on the platform: something dark, with green eyes. Something... with a business suit. She gasped and rubbed her eyes, trying to stabilize herself after her sudden onset of dizziness. She took some deep breaths, trying to get some oxygen back into her system, and opened her eyes again, blinking. The pony standing on the catwalk was still there. However, it was no longer wearing a business suit. It was instead a mare: blue, with a tuft of rainbow. She was staring right at her. "Rainbow!" Twilight shouted, regaining her composure. She saw no way of getting up onto the catwalk, but charged after her anyway. "Rainbow, come down here!" The blue mare had already sped off to the right, and around the corner. Twilight kept running until she was right under the catwalk, and looked around for some way to get to the top. A few crates stood in the corner to her left, shrouded by the shadows under the catwalk. Twilight could just make out a ladder underneath, and galloped over to where they were. She wasn't sure where all her energy had come from, and frankly, she didn't care. She was already swiping at some of the boxes on the top of the stack, trying to clean a space for her to climb up. She ended up causing more of a mess than was already there, but eventually, the scattering of wood and debris gave way to a set of stepping stones she could use to climb up to where the ladder was. She was amazed how quickly she was able to climb, considering how exhausted she felt otherwise. She couldn't help but stop midway down the catwalk to stare at the contraption of pistons one last time. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn they would make a pretty good obstacle course. If only the pistons were a bit closer together, and didn't completely crush whatever was sitting on them. Knowing these scientists, this entire room may have been built to entertain the security guards. She dashed down the platform, and around the corner. ========================================================= The next many bends yielded no signs of Rainbow Dash. In fact, she didn't see anypony at all, much less a blue pegasus with rainbow-colored hair. The corridor lead out into what looked like some sort of control room, or central computer room. Shelves upon shelves of electronic equipment beeped and lit up all around the room, and she could only imagine what kind of information must have been on these servers. She stepped up to one and stopped in front of the blinking lights to have a look. She immediately wished she hadn't. No sooner had she stopped than she got an overwhelming urge to collapse. Her mouth was dry, her muscles ached, and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. It was an epic struggle just to keep herself on her hooves. Even her stomach was pining for nourishment, and was insistent upon making it clear how empty it was. She looked around for a place to rest, and caught sight of a nice corner of the room, a bit darker than the rest of it. She trotted uncomfortably toward it, feeling the rest of the room wavering around her. A loud hissing sound made her turn around. She aimed her crossbow in its direction, but was having trouble aiming it. Her eyes were somewhat blurry, and her shoulder was shaking. "Hey!" a female voice sounded in the general direction, "are you all right?" Twilight squinted, and realized the hissing sound had been a sliding glass door opening in the distance. She could now see the teal mare earth pony peaking her head out. The only other features Twilight could make out were a blue-white striped mane and a lab coat. Twilight lifted a hoof, and then trotted over to her direction. She became much clearer as she got closer, and a small prep-room came into focus behind the glass door, not much larger than a walk-in closet, but much brighter, and more metallic. "You look terrible," the mare said, looking up and down Twilight. "You're not trying to single-hoofedly fight off the whole army, are you?" Twilight stifled a chuckle, and thought about what a mess she must have looked. Part of her was glad there wasn't a mirror around. Between her bandaged hoof, her calloused face, her half-a-horn, and her exhausted posture, she must have looked more like a soldier coming back from the front lines than a scientist travelling around a facility. "I'm fine," she lied. "I didn't think there were any ponies in this area." The mare lead Twilight into the prep-room and closed the door behind her. "There aren't," she said. "Or, at least, not many of us. This isn't a very populated area." Twilight saw her get down onto her belly, and decided she'd follow suit. As soon as she was down, she instinctively put her head down. She couldn't help but think of magic kindergarten, and the way the teacher would give them all "nap time" midway through the day. That's what she really needed right now: to put her head down on her desk and close her eyes for a few minutes. "I'm sorry we don't have a bed," the mare joked. "These labs are sorely in need of room service. I'm still waiting on my Martini." Twilight didn't have the energy to laugh. She just let her eyes droop, and breathed heavily for a few seconds before mumbling, "I could really just go for some orange juice." The mare chuckled. "You'll have to wait for the breakfast buffet for that, I'm afraid," she said. "It doesn't open until 8:00." Twilight lifted her head up and sighed with a dazed smile. The mare smiled back, and they both looked around the room and giggled. "How long have you been here?" Twilight asked. The mare prodded her hoof at the ground. "Not too long. Maybe eight hours?" She sighed. "This place has been pretty safe from all the activity. I spent the first few hours after the incident running around in circles. My lab is a ways from here." Both of them looked at each other for a bit. Twilight could see that the mare had some heavy bags under her eyes, and was realizing that she was just as tired as Twilight was. "I had a feeling this would happen," the mare said. "With the stuff Lambda's been doing, it was only a matter of time." Twilight's ears perked. "Lambda?!" The mare's eyes went wide. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of them." Twilight shook her head. "I've been trying to reach them ever since the military showed up." The mare rolled her eyes. "Don't bother," she said. "They're probably just busy making things worse. Heck, even if you managed to reach them, they'd probably just use you as a guinea pig. They're always looking for new ponies to throw into their little experiments." Twilight cocked her eyes. "Isn't that a bit... unethical?" The mare laughed. "You must be new here," she said. "I'm sorry. Welcome to Pony Mesa!" she mocked. "Where the scientific process goes to die." Twilight felt a twinge in her stomach, and brought a hoof up to hide the blood rushing to her face. "It's all right," the mare said. "None of us knew this place would be like this when we applied. Most of us only got the invitation because of our knowledge of the fields. There aren't many ponies who would be willing to do this if they knew what they were getting into." Twilight thought back. It seemed like forever since she had received her invitation. Even Princess Celestia had been surprised at the time. None of the ponies in Canterlot had heard of Pony Mesa, and Princess Celestia couldn't gather much information. In fact, the Princess hadn't been very keen on letting Twilight go. If it had been her choice, she would have had Twilight stay in Canterlot. Twilight had been at odds about the whole thing for months. Princess Celestia had been her mentor for so long, and had almost become like a parent, taking her under her wing. And yet, she kept feeling a bit trapped towards the end of her studies. She felt like she needed to do something with her knowledge: to help contribute. It had been Twilight who had convinced Princess Celestia to let her finally go to Pony Mesa. She had meant to get together with her one last time before she left, but Spike had reminded her of a number of things she still needed to do on her list. Once Princess Celestia had been informed that she wouldn't make it, she sent Twilight a letter while she was on the train. Of course, that letter was probably long gone by now. It had been sitting on her dormitory desk for some time now, and had probably been consumed by some fire, or ravaged and eaten by a headcrab. "You went through the same thing, didn't you," the mare said. "Huh?" Twilight refocused, coming out of her stupor. "The letter. The invitation, I mean." She pawed at the ground as she spoke. "You were just as excited about coming here, weren't you." Twilight shook her head. It all seemed so stupid now. So pointless. "Well, I don't think there's much I can do to persuade you," she said. "You've clearly got your heart set on reaching Lambda, and frankly, I don't blame you." She chuckled. "Not much else to do around this place. If you're gonna die, may as well run around and try to fix the world's problems while you're at it." Twilight blinked. "You're... coming with me?" The mare shook her head and laughed. "No, no. You misunderstand me," she said. "I'm staying right here. In case you haven't guessed, I don't think too highly of of the Lambda ponies." Twilight dropped her head and sighed. "Don't get me wrong," she said, "I'm sure what you're doing is better than just lying around here in this room, but," she sighed, "I'm just not up to that kind of punishment." She indicated the cuts and bruises around Twilight's body. "At least you have that suit. Just imagine what I'd look like by now." Twilight looked down at the bandage around her rear hoof, and noticed it had gotten loose from all the water. She reached her muzzle down and worked it forward until it slipped off her leg, revealing a thin streak of red. It wasn't bleeding anymore, and the suit had done wonders for healing it. "Listen," the mare said, "you want my advice? Stay down here." She waved a hoof around the room. "This whole part of the facility is practically dead. They'll never think to look for you down here." Twilight nodded. "I noticed there weren't any breaches down here. It doesn't look like there's been much alien activity." The mare shook her head. "I'm not talking about the aliens. I'm talking about the swarm of soldiers on the surface!" She pointed her hoof at the ceiling. "Whoever's leading them does not want us finding out about something. There's only one reason to explicitly kill every living pony after a disaster like this." She took a deep breath. "They're hiding something, and whatever it is, it's out in the open now." Twilight thought back to her vision of the business pony. "I have a feeling I know who's behind it," Twilight whispered. "But I'm not even sure that they're a pony. I keep seeing... visions." The mare rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't surprise me," she said. "After the things I've seen today, I bet some of the ponies here sold their lives over to the demons of Tartarus. If you told me that Kronos himself was leading this, I'd be hard-pressed to refute it." Twilight watched the mare put her head down on the ground and close her eyes. She felt her own eyes droop as she did so. "There's a freezer through that door," she said, indicating her head towards the back wall, eyes still closed. "I think there's a ladder in the back that should take you deeper into this part of the facility." Her voice was fading. "I'm gonna stay here." She breathed deep. "Get some rest." She lazily lifted a hoof at the wall behind her. "Just press that switch behind me to open it, and be sure to close it on your way in." She cradled her hooves under her head like a pillow. "Don't wanna freeze in here." Twilight put her own head down for a few seconds and thought about the situation. The more she thought, the more she wanted to stay here and rest. She even considered staying here for a few hours, just to get some shut-eye. But then, the thought of Rainbow Dash came back into her mind, and she found herself pushing up onto her hooves. She looked down at the mare, and wondered what to say. She looked so peaceful. Ultimately, she simply stepped around her, lifted her hoof, and pressed the switch on the wall. ========================================================= When the mare described the freezer, she neglected to tell Twilight how cold it was. As Twilight managed to reach the ladder in the back, she couldn't help but babble a few four-letter words: a difficult task, considering her bottom lip had gone numb. This was no ordinary freezer, and Twilight felt lucky her entire system hadn't shut down by now. The only reason she figured she was still alive was because of the suit, and even then, the automated voice kept ringing out, warning her to get out of the cold. It had only taken her a few seconds to reach the ladder and climb down into the storage area below, but that's all it took for half her face to frost over. Any longer, and she feared she's start loosing her skin. Literally. She put a hoof up to her cheek as she reached the bottom, as the numbness turned to burning pain. It was warm in here: even warmer than in the generator room. A freezer like that one needed an enormous heat pump, and all the heat obviously need to go somewhere. She could see the heat coils against the walls, and could feel the waves dissipating. She cringed at the pain, but at least pain meant the skin wasn't dead. Plus, it served as an excellent means of keeping her awake. The small maintenance area lead out into a large passage, filled with enormous pipes lining its walls. They looked like they hadn't been used in years. Everything was rusted over, and derelict. Not only that, but the passage also looked like a dumping ground for old unwanted trash. All sorts of old crates and piles of electronics lay bare on the floor, and Twilight had to watch her step as she traveled. A light breeze traveled down the hallway, and she could hear the soft hum of machinery in the background. It was certainly better than the dripping sounds from before. The only thing she didn't like was how the wind hitting her face only increased the pain. A twinge of fear caught her. She wasn't sure what made her think about it, but part of her wondered what would happen if she couldn't find her way out of here. She was completely alone in this tunnel, with nothing but the incessant hum to keep her company. This looked like the kind of place where one might find a skeleton. Part of her was afraid she'd find one. "Rarity," she whispered, trying to remember what she looked like the last time she saw her. She would give anything to be able to see her face again. In fact, anypony would be better than being alone. She wouldn't even mind seeing a headcrab, if it meant she wasn't the only thing alive down here. Luckily, all her fears were put to rest a short ways down the passage. She rounded the corner, and caught a glimpse of a light above her. The floor in front of the wall was actually a cargo lift, which traveled up the wall to a floor just above it. Twilight could just barely see the ceiling of the floor above her from where she stood. She stepped onto the platform, and pressed the switch on the wall to activate it. It was a bit rusty, but with enough force, she managed to push it into position, and sighed in relief when the lift started moving. She rolled her eyes at how pathetic her life had become. She never imagined she would find such joy in feeling the ground beneath her travelling upwards. It was like progress without all the work. Why couldn't there be something that simply carried her to the Lambda Complex? As the lift crested the top, a long stretch of hallway came into focus. Judging by the breeze, the temperature, and the lighting rounding the corner at the end, this part of the facility was open to the outside. She had to take a deep breath as she stepped off the lift, just to be sure she was smelling fresh air. The feeling brought a bit of life back into her hooves. As she stepped forward, however, something caught her eye: a tail, wiggling and shaking from around the corner, just before it disappeared. "RAIN—" she started, "—bow?" A laugh was echoing around the hallway. It was very distinctive, and was definitely not a sound that Rainbow Dash would make. It was like giggling—a high-pitched mocking-sort of giggling—and she couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. She trotted down the hallway some more, until she could see more around the bend. A few glaring lights shined from a large cargo bay, and she could see the night sky through an opening in the ceiling. Again, something peeked out from behind a pillar and wiggled around. It was very pink, and very fluffy... almost like— "Cotton candy?" Twilight said out loud. The giggling got louder. She couldn't tell whether it was the acoustics of the room, or if there was more than one of them, but she couldn't pin-point where it was coming from. A glimmer of light flashed in the distance, and Twilight heard a soft snap of wood behind her, as well as a twinge of pain on the side of her ear. She instinctively reached up and rubbed it with her hoof before bringing it back down. There were red streaks on the rubber of her suit. She glanced behind her, and noticed a small hole in the wood of the crate just behind her head. Without thinking, she leaped up and dodged behind the crate, just as another snap struck the wood box, right around where her head had been. She couldn't even hear the bullets being fired. All she could hear was her heart pounding harder against her chest, and the giggling getting louder all around her. "Are we playing hide and seek?" the voice echoed. It was high-pitched, and very playful: the kind of voice a baby sitter would use. "Because I know you can find a better hiding place than that." A few more snaps came from the other side of the crate, and then the giggling shifted around. She could hear the voice moving, until it was almost behind her. Another snap went off just over her head, on the side of the crate she was on, and Twilight cried out. "Aw, this isn't any fun," the voice said. "You're right there!" Twilight didn't have time to think. She put one of her forehooves over her head, and bolted out from behind the crate. The manic giggling started up again as she charged out, and she could hear whistling as a few bullets flew past her. She rounded the corner, making sure to keep her back to the gunfire. She felt a few sharp pelts against her backside, and then everything stopped. She had barely rounded the corner of a short stretch of passage behind the central room before she heard the voice again. "That's more like it!" it said. "Although, It's not as fun to shoot a pony from behind." It sighed, letting the sound echo from all directions. "Why won't you just come out and play with me? It's not like you're very good at hiding." Twilight curled up with her back against the wall, looking in both directions. She could see everything very clearly from here. If the mare rounded the corner, Twilight would be able to see her. "Oh, I know!" the voice said, starting to converge onto one spot. "How about we switch places!" The voice finally converged at the end of the short U-bend behind the central room, and Twilight turned to see a pink face staring back at her. She couldn't see her mane, since it was covered by a black leather hood, but she assumed it was pink and frilly, just like her tail. "You can try and find me!" she waved. Twilight didn't even think. She got up onto her forehoof, and slammed on it, sending a dart hurtling towards the pony. The mare was gone as soon as she had fired, and a clink told her the dart had hit the wall behind her. "Ooo!" the voice said, once again echoing around the room, "you're good." Twilight ran up the passage and peeked around the corner, ready to pull back the moment she saw anything. The entire room was still, from what little of it she could see. Stacks and stacks of crates littered the small part of it in front of her, but there wasn't any movement, and no bullets ever came. "What are you waiting for, silly?" the voice echoed. "I'm not going to find myself!" There was a pause, followed by a loud outburst of laughter. "HAHAHA! Find myself! HEHE!" Twilight readied her crossbow and bared her teeth. The giggling was getting very annoying, and Twilight felt it would be worth putting a dart in her neck just to shut her up. She raced out from around the corner, and charged down the passage, coming out into the central chamber. The small expanse of crates grew into a much larger cargo bay, complete with a large platform that took up most of the room, held up by a number of pillars underneath. She could just make out a ramp that lead up to the top. More giggling echoed around her. And then, the voice came from directly behind her. "Why are you looking over there?" it said. Twilight turned around and shot a dart at something pink that was peering around the corner of the passage she had just exited. It was gone before her hoof had reached the floor to fire. "Missed me!" the voice echoed, converging somewhere else. "I'm really over here!" Twilight turned in the direction of the voice to see the pink pony dangling by her rear hooves from the back of the platform, like a possum. Twilight mocked firing another dart, but the pink mare didn't move. "Ah!" she put a hoof out, "you can't fool me!" She swung back up and disappeared. "I don't think you really want to shoot me," the voice echoed. "Besides!" Twilight craned her neck at the direction the voice was coming from, and saw the mare peering down at her from the roof. The black suit was camouflaged against the night sky. "What fun would it be if I wasn't here?" She whipped her head back, and her voice echoed off to the left. Twilight turned her head in that direction to see the mare's head poking around the entrance passage. "It must be so lonely out here." She disappeared again, and the voice reappeared from the top of the platform. She was lying on her belly with her head on her hooves, as if she was bored. "It's got to be much more entertaining with me around!" Twilight didn't wait for the mare to disappear again. She dashed back towards the passage she had entered by, praying nothing would hit her from behind this time. "Where are you going?!" the voice echoed. Twilight rounded the corner and nearly jumped out of her hide. The pink pony was right in front of her, and it was everything Twilight could do not to run right into her. She slipped as she tried to regain her balance, and felt her hoof trigger the crossbow. An anticlimactic thum went off on her shoulder, and she collected herself just in time to see the mare with a shocked look on her face. A tiny dart was protruding from the side of her neck. They stared at each other for a second, the mouth of the mare getting wider. "You shot me!" The mare didn't even bother to try removing the dart. She just stood there, like a puppy dog, pining at Twilight. "I thought you were my friend, and you shot me!" Twilight was breathing hard, trying to keep calm. The shocked look on the pony's face slumped, and her eyes drooped. With one last pining whimper, the mare keeled over, and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Twilight reached out a shaking hoof, and put it up to the mare's neck, trying to feel for a pulse. It was almost impossible to feel anything at all through the rubber of the suit, but she had to try. She did everything short of putting her nose to the mare's neck to try and make sure she was still alive. She wasn't sure she could take another death, even if it was a pony who had just tried to kill her. She looked up at the rest of the room, and tried to make some sense out of it. It was so cluttered and convoluted, it was difficult to get a sense of what choices she had for where to go. Her entire body was running on adrenaline at this point, and her mind wasn't functioning normally. She blindly ran out into the middle of the room, beneath the platform, and looked around. There were too many stacked crates under here, and even with the lights on the beams holding the platform up, the crates cast enough shadows to make it difficult to see. The last brilliant idea she could come up with was to climb the ramp onto the platform. With the state her mind was in, even climbing a platform was considered "brilliant" compared to the ideas floating around in there. She didn't remember climbing a ramp to ever be this difficult. Her muscles were in pain by the time she reached the top, and she was completely out of breath. However, she was able to get a good look around the room from up here, even if she had to trot up to the edges to do it. Most of the room was devoid of ways out. She was hoping for some sort of "exit" sign, probably accompanied by a small door of some sort. However, the closest she could find was an enormous passage in the back with the sign next to it that read "surface". The passage was partially blocked by garage door that was only half-open. There was another passage next to it, but the door was completely shut. She stumbled her way back down the ramp, and trotted through the myriad of crates to get to the passage. It was tough just to stay on her hooves without collapsing off to the side. She was starting to lose her balance. As she rounded the corner, however, her whole body jerked and tensed. Rainbow Dash was standing in the middle of the passage, staring right at her. She flicked her rainbow tail a couple times, and then turned and darted on hoof down the passage and out of sight, not even bothering to use her wings. "Oh, not again," Twilight mumbled. "Rainbow Dash!" She could barely sense her hooves moving as the adrenaline took over, and she was galloping down as quickly as she could. She was around the corner in seconds, her breathing getting shallow but quick. The blue mare was in plain sight, travelling away from her, just before rounding the corner. "Why... are you... running?" Twilight couldn't get the words out loud enough as she galloped after her. It took all she had just to breathe. She rounded another corner, and saw the blue mare stopped in the middle of the passage, facing away from her, and looking around for where to go. Just before Twilight caught up to her, she dashed to the right, and through a doorway that Twilight almost overlooked. Twilight turned and ran after her into the darkened room, trying to keep an eye on the glowing rainbow mane and tail, which scattered the light more than her hide. She followed her through another doorway into a smaller room, and looked around. This room was smaller, but brighter. There was a skylight in the ceiling. It looked like just another cargo hold, as if it housed part of a sorting facility at some point. Metal desks and wooden crates were stacked around, and the few doors she saw only lead into small closet-sized areas. She peered through a few of them, sighing with each one as all she saw was darkness. And then, around her third check, she saw it: the face of a mare looking out at her in the dim light. She was flicking her tail impatiently, as if waiting for her. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said, stepping up to the doorway. "There you are! What have you been doing?! I feel like I've been trying to catch you for hours!" She got right up to the doorway so she could get a better look at the mare. The room was a bit larger than it looked from the outside. Rainbow wasn't moving. She simply stood there, flicking her tail. If it hadn't been for her nostrils moving with her breaths, and her occasional blinks, she could have almost been a manikin. "Rainbow?" Twilight asked, a little quieter. "Are you okay?" She stepped into the room, and turned on her flashlight. The room looked almost empty, but she wasn't shining the light on the rest of the room. She walked around and shined the light at Rainbow Dash, causing an eerie shadow to fall on the opposite wall and floor. Rainbow merely shifted her hooves on the ground, but didn't turn. "Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, and two words came out. "Get her." "Huh?" Twilight turned around just as the door slammed shut, and a dozen silhouettes came out from the corners. "Rainbow?" She whipped around and saw one of them running straight at her. Twilight reared onto her hind legs. "RAINBOW!" A hoof whipped out, crashed into her head, and everything went black. ========================================================= Voices could be heard around her. She couldn't really make out very many of them, but they were all around her. Some were whispering, others were shouting in the distance. The air was warm and fresh, and she could tell she was probably outside somewhere. She moved her head, and groaned at how difficult it was. Her posture didn't feel natural: her hooves had been forced behind her, and she was upright, probably sitting on something. She tried to move her hooves out in front of her, but something was preventing them from doing so. "Hey," a voice sounded close to her. "I think she's coming to." There was a loud snap, and a bright light poured down from her. She clenched her already-closed eyes, and felt a hoof against her chin. "Do you think she's the one?" another voice said. The hoof lifted her chin up, and Twilight clenched even tighter as she was brought up to face the light. "We're about to find out." Twilight blinked, trying to adjust to the light. She could feel tears forming as her eyes protested. It was like looking directly at the sun. She could see little more than silhouettes in the background against the blinding light in front of her. "You!" another voice said, much stronger than the first, "move that light!" One of the silhouettes stepped forward. "I want to be able to look her in the eye." The light subsided as the source of it moved off to the left. In its place, a white stallion stepped forward, wearing what Twilight could only describe as standard Canterlot regalia: bronze armor and helmet, with a blue crest. His face looked familiar. He got up close and put his muzzle up to Twilight's eyes and stared at her. "You, mare," he whispered. "Do you recognize me?" Twilight swallowed, trying to look around, but was unable to look past the stallion's eyes. His face was taking up her entire view. "You're—" Twilight cleared her throat, "you're Silver Lance!" She squinted, trying to make sure she was seeing right. "I saw—you were at the coronation ceremonies!" The stallion backed up and smiled, shaking his head. "I never thought I would live to see the day," he said quietly, "that you, of all ponies, would live to commit treason." Twilight's voice faltered. She couldn't have heard that right. She shook her head, trying to work out what he was trying to say. "I didn't—" "Oh, yes you did," he said, a little quieter. His voice sounded disdainful. "Don't try to hide the obvious. A mare is seen at ground zero, dressed in a hazard suit. She somehow manages to survive, only to meet up with an office worker who also just so happens to have helped sabotage the experiment. She then goes forth to commit act after act of terrorism against the military, whose only job is to help clean up the very mess you started." "Those soldiers were killing innocent ponies!" Twilight shouted. "Don't," he shouted, "lie to me, Free Mare." He bared down, letting his golden armor shimmer in the light. "You scientists have been planning this. Admit it. Confess. This whole facility is just an excuse, isn't it? You're trying to start a war. You don't have the—" "I am not trying to start a war!" Twilight shouted. "I know nothing about this place! I only just started working here!" A streak of pain lit up her cheek with a snap as her head jerked to the side. When she looked up, she saw Silver Lance holding his hoof off to the side, as if he had just struck her. "You don't talk back unless I say so," he said. "Or do I have to teach you that lesson?" Twilight reached her tongue around the side of her mouth to check for any missing teeth. Luckily, everything was still intact, but it still stung. "Now, you're going to tell me exactly what happened, starting from when you got your acceptance letter." He walked back and cocked his head to the side to look at her. "Slowly." Twilight could see just past the stallion, and could make out a few other stallions trotting up and down a nearby road. Some of them looked like they had just grabbed weapons. Others were taking off to fly. However, the thing that caught her attention the most was a small cage just in back of the street. She couldn't fully make out what was inside it. However, there were three small figures, and Twilight had the strangest sensation she knew who one of them was. "Well?" Silver Lance walked up to her again. "Are you going to talk? Or do I have to persuade you again?" He lifted his hoof again. Twilight closed her eyes for another blow, but it never came. "You all are delusional!" Twilight shouted. "You have absolutely no evidence that I did anything at all! I simply—" "DO NOT LIE TO ME!" he shouted. "This is a matter of Equestrian safety! I will not have every pony put at risk just because one mare refuses to admit her crimes. Now CONFESS! YOU ARE UNDER THE—" "What is going on over here?!" Twilight ears perked up. She knew the voice. It sent a chill down her spine, and for a moment, she was more frightened than she ever was in front of Silver Lance, without fully understanding why. An eruption of light lit up the area in front of her like the sun, dwarfing the interrogation lamp, and filling the area with a presence so all-consuming that all Twilight wanted to do was shrink into a corner and hide. It was all Silver Lance could do just to stay on his hooves. He clenched his jaw, trying to stay serious, but nothing could hide his shaking. He turned around. "Y-Your... Your Majesty!" He immediately fell onto one knee, as if an invisible force had pushed him there. Twilight could not see any magical aura, though. Twilight tried to blink her eyes open so she could see, and managed to make out the faintest hint of the waving colors and stern soft face she had grown so familiar with all her life. A single eye looked piercingly at the situation, and the gaze was almost tangible, like a ray of light scanning the area. The Princess was completely ignoring Silver Lance, and was simply staring right at Twilight. She couldn't make out her expression. She had never seen Princess Celestia like this before, and felt her body go cold from fear. Celestia may have had a straight face, but she was hiding a wealth of emotions that Twilight couldn't even begin to imagine. Silver Lance was still on his knees, afraid to look up. "Your... Your majesty?" In one swift move, the aura around Princess Celestia diminished, and her horn lit up. Silver Lance was cast aside, leaving the path to Twilight clear. Her speed on hooves was remarkable, and she was on top of Twilight before she could blink, horn lit. Twilight immediately heard her bonds severed, and her hooves freed. She dropped onto all fours as Celestia leaned over and placed her horn at various parts of her body. A twinge of pain lit her rear hoof, and was gone in an instant. Her face, too, was cleared of pain. Every part of her was being rejuvenated. And then, The Princess saw her horn. Twilight could almost feel the gaze of the Princess upon it, and her face went red. She could only imagine the Princess's expression upon seeing, and part of her was hoping that it, too, would be healed, and become whole again. But nothing happened. Instead, she felt a set of large hooves wrap around her body, and the next thing she knew, she was pulled into a hug so tight she could barely breathe. "P-P-Princess?" Twilight sputtered. She could hear a few gulping sounds from above her. "Twilight," she barely whispered. Twilight had never heard her like this. She didn't think she had ever heard the Princess cry before. Twilight wanted to ask a million questions, but nothing came out. As soon as the hooves released her, Twilight cried out, "What is going on? What are you doing here?" Celestia put her hoof up to her muzzle and made a soft noise, as though to quiet her and comfort her. "We'll have to talk later," she said. "We need to get you cleaned up." With one giant swooping motion, she guided Twilight forward with her hoof. "Don't think," she said. "Just go to the barracks. They have food and water. They can get you cleaned up." Her voice was still stifled, as though she was trying hard to hold back an outburst of emotions. "We can—I will take you back to Canterlot," she said. "And then, I will tell you everything." Twilight turned to look at her. "But what about—" "I will not have you starve, Twilight," Celestia said. "There will be plenty of time to talk once we're back home." She looked up past Twilight, and caught the eye of one of the guards. "You," she said, "Take Twilight to the barracks. See to it she is well nourished." She bent back down to look at Twilight. "I believe you will find someone there that has missed you very much." She gave a teary-eyed wink, and then turned to go back down the road. Twilight could only watch as the Princess stepped away from her, and a brown unicorn guard walked up to take her place. "Miss?" he said. Twilight looked at him, and then looked past him at the cage next to the road. She could see what was inside much more clearly now: three fillies, all huddled together and sleeping under a single blanket. The one in the middle looked very familiar, and Twilight couldn't help but assume who it was. "Miss, come with me," the guard repeated. Twilight felt a hoof wrap around her foreleg, and she was pulled around to follow the road. Her head was spinning, and she was still trying to grasp everything that was going on. She had so many questions that she couldn't keep them all straight. The surrounding area was very busy, especially considering the time of night. Many ponies in various types of uniforms and armor were galloping down the street. Pegasi were taking off and landing. Unicorns were practicing their spells. Twilight was having trouble keeping track of all the activity, especially considering half of it was in shadow. The place was littered with crates and supplies, creating a labyrinth on either side of the road. There were high walls at the far ends, as far as her eyes could see. What caught her eyes the most, however, was the building just down the road. There were many other smaller buildings that could be taken as barracks, but this one didn't look anything like a barracks. If anything, it looked like someone had uprooted one of the Canterlot buildings, and put it down in the middle of this place. The marble walls and exterior decor made it stick out, as though a tornado had randomly tossed it next to the road. It was with some confusion, then, that the guard lead her straight up to the doors of this marble building. "The Royal Barracks, my lady," the guard said, bowing to her. "You should see yourself inside. Princess's orders." Twilight looked around, wondering whether she might wait for the guard to leave before exploring a bit, but decided it wasn't worth it. There were too many other guards around. It would be too easy to get caught. She stepped up to the ebony doors and pushed one of them open. It was already partially cracked, so there was no need to open a latch. A crest of light expanded and spilled out across the threshold, and she blinked as she stepped into it. The inside looked like a miniature version of the Canterlot Castle entrance hall. The architecture was modeled after it almost perfectly: marble walls, vaulted ceilings, red carpet, sconces—all it was missing were the stain glass windows. There was even a small version of Princess Celestia's throne in the back, albeit without the stairs leading up to it. There were two staircases on either side, leading up to the second floor. Twilight stepped across the red carpet, very aware of how dirty the hooves of her suit must have been, and looked around at the archways in the walls, each one arcing over a door. She had no idea where to go, and wondered whether she should just wait here for someone to come down. She stepped up quietly to get a better look at the throne. She couldn't help but feel ill at the thought of Princess Celestia sitting in it. It was one thing to be sitting at a castle, managing the country. It was quite another to be sitting at the head of a barracks, commanding an army. As much as it was staring her in the face, she still refused to believe Celestia would wage war against an innocent population. "TWILY!" Twilight jumped and turned around. She hadn't heard that voice in over three days. A white stallion with a blue mane stood at the entrance to the barracks, dressed in a red uniform with white sashes. She had never seen a stallion smile so brightly, and she couldn't help but smile herself at the sight. "Shining Armor?!" she said. Twilight didn't wait for her brother to start charging down the hallway. She was already galloping towards him before he could say another word. They met halfway, and slammed into a hug so tight it made Celestia's seem mild. "Twily! You're alive!" she heard her brother say. They embraced for another few seconds before parting. "Princess Celestia said she would find you," he said. "I never doubted her for a second!" He reached a hoof up and rubbed it into the top of her head. "My little sis. Up to the challenges of war! Wait until mom and dad hear about this!" He looked down at her. "Although, I have to say, that suit does not match your color." Twilight's smile was starting to make her lips hurt, but she couldn't stop. She simply batted a hoof into Shining Armor's chest and tried to regain her composure. "What is going on?!" she said, trying not to laugh. "Why are you here?! Is this—" she jumped up at the prospect, "Is this some sort of rescue mission?! Are you here to rescue all the scientists?" Shining's smile faltered, and he raised a hoof up to comb his hair back. "Ehe... uh... noooot exactly." He laughed nervously. Twilight's smile also started to falter, and she stopped bouncing. "I... I don't understand," she said. "What are you all doing here, then?" She looked around, as if expecting someone to jump out and yell "gotcha!". "Princess Celestia told me she wasn't aloud to be in this area. She shouldn't be here. Couldn't she get in trouble?" Shining scratched the back of his neck. "Well, she, uh, is the Princess. I'm sure she has as much right to be here as any other pony." Twilight scowled. "That's not what she said in her letter." Shining thought for a bit, and then smiled, patting Twilight on the shoulder. "Look, why are you worrying about this? We found you! You're going back home!" Twilight pulled away, and let Shining's hoof drop to the floor. She shook her head. "I just don't understand," she said. "Ponies are dying out there! I've seen how bad it is." She backed up a few steps and continued shaking her head. "I guess I just want to know how Princess Celestia and the Canterlot military fit into all this." A look of understanding hit Shining, and a light smile crested his lips. He stepped up to her and looked down into her eyes. "I promise, Twilight," he said, "we never wanted to hurt you. You weren't our enemy." Twilight closed her eyes and opened them. "Then who is?!" Shining lifted his forehoof and waved it back at the entrance doors. "Those... scientists! The ones who are creating all this destruction and chaos! The ones who are sending all these creatures through the portals." He put his hoof down. "Look, I don't know how all this started. I don't have the big picture. All I know is, Princess Celestia informed us of a great threat against Equestria." He took a deep breath and straightened his posture. "That's our job, Twi. To protect the lives of our fellow ponies against threats like this one." Twilight's mouth gaped, and she squinted her eyes. "That's what you're telling yourself? That you're protecting Equestria?! That's your excuse for murdering innocent ponies?!" Twilight put a hoof to his face. "I follow my orders, Twilight," he said. "According to Princess Celestia, the ponies we're fighting are not innocent." "NOT INNOCENT?!" Twilight screamed. "My friend out there was an office worker, following orders just like you. She has a little sister! All she wants is to see her again. And you think she's threatening Equestria?!" Shining opened his mouth to say something, and closed it again. His face went even paler than usual, and for a moment, he looked like he was about to be ill. "Look," he said, slightly shaking, "None of this is black and white. Some of the ponies in there may be like you or your friend. But there's no way to know! It's—" "—complicated?" Twilight finished. They both looked at each other, and Twilight thought she saw something in his eyes. They had known each other for too long to be able to hide stuff from each other, and Shining finally gave in. "Look, I've been thinking about this too," he finally said. "Something about this whole thing is... not right. It isn't like Princess Celestia to wage war on a corporation like this." He sighed. "This whole thing has been bothering me ever since we arrived." They looked at each other again, before both opening their mouths at the same time. "I think you should—" "I think that—" "Go ahead," Twilight said. "I think you should talk to her," Shining said. "You're her prized student. Maybe you can find out what's going on, and try and talk some sense into her." Twilight put a hoof to her face. "Talk some sense into her," she repeated. "Talk some sense into Princess Celestia?!" She put her hoof down. "I never thought I would ever hear those words. I've known Princess Celestia for most of my life, and she has never once done anything I disagree with." Shining stepped up to her. "Then my guess," he said, "is that something is very wrong." Twilight nodded, and they finally looked each other in the eye one last time. Both of them couldn't help but smile again, and they reached their hooves around and embraced again. "Come on," Shining said, parting from the hug. "Let's get you something to eat." ========================================================= Princess Celestia had gone all out for her superior officers, as far as the cuisine went. In fact, according to Shining Armor, she was trying her best to deliver the same food to all the troops, with mixed results. There was very little in the way of desserts, but the majority of the food was surprisingly fresh considering it was all imported from remote towns and farms. The apples were particularly good. Twilight hadn't had a meal as nourishing and filling since the going-away party her family threw for her. Nevertheless, she couldn't help her mind being stuck on her impending meeting with Princess Celestia. She desperately wanted answers, and yet, she was so full of questions that she wasn't sure which ones to ask first. The whole situation felt much larger than anything she had dealt with before, and part of her felt like she was about to infringe on something beyond her league. Shining Armor didn't say anything about it, but Twilight could tell through all his reminiscing that the same questions were gnawing at him. The only time he mentioned anything about it was right after the meal, when he offered to find the Princess for her. In fact, it wasn't so much an offer as a statement. He suggested it just before walking out the door. And now, Twilight was pacing up and down the red carpet, waiting with baited breath, sure that the next time she turned to face the doors, Princess Celestia would be walking through them. It made her uncomfortable every time. In fact, by the time Princess Celestia finally stepped across the threshold, Twilight had almost worked herself into a frenzy, and had to actively work to not let all her pent up energy loose at once. Shining Armor was the first one through. "I found her, Twilight," he said, stepping over the threshold. "Turns out, she was on her way over here to check on you." The light emanating from the Princess was attenuated, making it much easier to distinguish her body. It didn't take anything away from her presence, however. She smiled calmly at Twilight. "I gather Shining Armor took care of you while I was gone?" she asked. Twilight was about to answer when she realized it was a rhetorical question. Celestia stepped up to her and lowered her muzzle down to her ear. "If there's anything else you need, don't be afraid to mention it." She lifted it again, and continued walking past her until she was at the throne in the back. "Now," she said, taking a seat, "Shining Armor says you have some questions for me." She smiled warmly. "I can only imagine how confusing this must be for you, and I believe it would only be fair for you to know as much as I can tell you." She glanced at Shining Armor, who nodded and turned to leave. "He's—" Twilight turned to look at her brother. Celestia waited until he had stepped outside the door and closed it before continuing. "Shining Armor is too close to the troops to hear what I have to say," she said. "I don't want rumors to start affecting morale." Twilight looked at the Princess, then back at the door, then back at the Princess again. She trotted right up to the throne. "This isn't like you, Princess," she said. "I've never known you to wage war before! Much less against innocent civilians." She started pacing before the throne. "What is going on?! I thought you couldn't come here! How did you find out about this? What does this have to do with Equestria? What—" Celestia put her hoof up, and Twilight fell silent. Twilight looked up at her, trying to keep her interrogative stance, but couldn't hold it after seeing the pitiful look on Celestia's face. If anything, it looked like many of the questions Twilight was asking were wearing on her just as much as they were Twilight. She closed her eyes and breathed deep before looking wearily back at her. "I can see I have a lot to answer to," she said quietly. "And I understand all of your concerns. This is not something that I would normally do, and if it was any other situation, I would do everything in my power to prevent the situation that we're in now." She got up from her throne and started walking around the room. "But I suppose you have a right to know." Twilight watched as she started walking along the walls. "Know... what?" It took some time for Celestia to gather her thoughts before she turned back towards Twilight. She had never seen her look so serious before. "Everything you have seen so far," she started, "The new creatures, the experiments, the political divisions—even your own acceptance as an employee is all but a small tip of a much larger problem." She lit her horn, and a wave of light spilled out onto the floor. It changed hue into a dark green, and a strange canvas was painted before Twilight: nebulous clouds, islands of floating green land, eerie lights in the distance. "Xen," Celestia said, "is what they call the world between worlds. It was a discovery that should never have been made. We were not ready for it, and the creatures terrorizing this facility are but a pinprick of the proof." She closed off the light, and the canvas on the floor disappeared, reverting back to the brilliant red carpet. "It is not just this world that is the problem now," she said. "What we have done is open a rift between Equestria, and many, many other worlds: worlds much stronger than us." She looked Twilight in the eye as she said this. "I have seen one of these worlds. I have seen the one which poses the most imminent danger to Equestria." She turned around and stepped off to the side, staring at one of the many arches along the marble wall. "It is my duty," she continued, "to ensure the safety of My Little Ponies. They have been my children: my family, and after all that we have been through, I could not live with myself if I let anything happen to them." Twilight couldn't help but interrupt at this point. "But, ponies are dying out there as we speak!" she said. "The soldiers that you are sending out there are committing murder!" Twilight couldn't see from the back, but Celestia made a movement as though she had closed her eyes tightly, and tried to block something uncomfortable. "I want to help them, Twilight," she said. "And I would, if that was possible." "It is possible!" Twilight shouted. "You can call off these attacks. Try and rescue the scientists!" Celestia turned back to face Twilight again, and Twilight could see that one of her eyes was a bit puffy. She was very good at trying to hide it, but Twilight had been too close to her to ignore something like that. "These are things," Celestia said, "that do not entirely make sense until you are sitting on the throne: until it is you who have to make the decisions." She came right up to Twilight and got down onto the floor. Twilight did the same: both of them sitting comfortable on the red carpet together, like old friends. "Try to see things through my eyes. Let's assume I call off the attack," she said. "Let's assume that every pony survives this crisis, we close the rift between the worlds, and everypony goes back to living normal lives." Twilight had no problems imagining this situation. "Do you see any problems with this?" Twilight considered what Celestia was saying, and wondered why she was even asking the question. Any pony who saw a problem with ponies living happy lives must have a very strange world view. She shook her head. "Naturally," Celestia said. "It's the perfect scenario, in the mind of the average pony. Even ponies who have great power, and much experience as rulers would agree that that is the best solution. For example, my sister believed that was the correct solution." Twilight looked confused. "I don't get it," she said. "What's wrong with everypony being happy?" "Absolutely nothing," Celestia said in a heartbeat. "In fact, if everypony could be forever happy, and forever safe, then everything would be black and white, and ruling Equestria would be one of the easiest jobs there is." Twilight cocked her brow. "So, what's the problem?" "The problem is information," Celestia said. "Once all the ponies are rescued, how many of them would know exactly how the rift to the other world was created?" Twilight shrugged. "Who cares? Everyone who survived would want nothing to do with it anymore. It would be useless information." Celestia eyed her closer. "Do you know that?" Twilight put a hoof to her forehead and made an exasperated noise. "I don't even know why this is an issue! Nopony would ever want to purposefully risk destroying Equestria! Especially not after almost being killed in this giant mess!" Celestia didn't move. Her eyes were still on Twilight, with an almost aggravatingly understanding look. It made Twilight feel like a little filly again. "What?!" Twilight didn't know what made her ask it, but she couldn't stand being looked at like that anymore. Celestia just kept staring at her though. "Oh, nothing," she said simply. "You just remind me of a certain Princess, long, long ago." Twilight cocked her brow. "Your sister?" she said sarcastically. "Me," she said simply. Celestia shifted in her spot. "Let me try explaining it to you this way," she said. "Everypony at this facility looks at their job as more than just an occupation. Science is their passion, Twilight, just as magic is your own passion." Twilight gave her a "get to the point" look, but tried to hide it behind an understanding guise. She desperately wanted to understand, but nothing she had heard so far made any sense. "If Canterlot were to be destroyed, and you were nearly killed at the hand of your own magic, what would you think? Would you forget everything you learned?" She leaned in closer. "Or would you be driven to learn more? Perhaps, to find out what went wrong? What you did wrong? And try to correct it?" Twilight opened her mouth to say how she obviously wouldn't want to use magic anymore, but the last questions made her think. It was very unusual for anything to go wrong during her spells. However, every time it did, she had always delved that much deeper, checked out that many more books, and studied that much harder. "I—" What was she going to say? That she wouldn't give up until she got the spell right? That she would keep researching until she found out the cause of the disaster? That everything that happened would define her lifelong goal of realization and redemption from that day forward? Nothing that was going through her mind could help with her argument. Attempting to give up magic entirely would only increase her curiosity, and make her life miserable. Celestia seemed to be able to read all these thoughts just by looking at her. "I think," Celestia said quietly, "you're beginning to see the problem." She lifted her head back up and shifted in place. "The first time this happened, it was a small group of fanatical unicorns experimenting with a new kind of magic. Back then, they found themselves in trouble, just as these scientists are now, and I did exactly what you would have done: I rescued every pony involved, told them of the dangers of what they were doing, and let them go their way." She closed her eyes. "That was over two thousand years ago." She opened them. "But the memory is still with me today. Those few ponies rebuilt their magical domain into a massive cult, and they did it so quickly and stealthily that I wasn't even aware of it until they were threatening half the country." She leaned back in towards Twilight. "Perhaps you've read of the event that came of it in your history books." Twilight felt her stomach drop. "You don't mean... " Her eyes went wide. "The Equestrian Mage War?" she whispered. "Followed by the Great Unicorn Purge," Celestia finished. "It was a dark time, Twilight. It took five hundred years to recover." She bowed her head, and spent a few seconds in silence before lifting it back up. "I was young back then. I had only first started ruling. I was tired of ponies before me ruling with such an iron hoof. I wanted to be more trusting." "But you are trusting!" Twilight said. "I've seen the way you rule. You've never left ponies to die before, or killed anypony because of something they did, or studied, or thought. It's not like you—" Celestia shook her head. "And I don't want it to be," she said. "I was much more harsh before you knew me. After the purge, I was afraid of making the same mistake again, and I did some things that I still regret." She took a deep breath. "But that's all behind us now. I have tried very hard to return to the trusting sovereignty I had first sought." Celestia shook her head. "Not this time, though," she continued. "This time, it's almost an exact repeat of the events from before. And with the information I've been gathering, it has the potential to be worse than anything seen during the Equestrian Mage War. I cannot take that risk." "So you're simply going to kill everypony off?" Twilight said. Celestia's smile faltered, and the light emanating from her wavered, and nearly turned to shadow. She looked like she was fighting off a large weight that was crushing her from above. "They're already dead, Twilight," she whispered. "They've been dead ever since the portal was opened. Whether their bodies live through this event or not, they will never be able to return to the life they once had." Twilight was having a hard time getting past the look on her face. It really did look like she had given up on the situation: like she honestly believed that this was the only option. "W-What about closing the portal?" Twilight asked. "How do you expect to close all the rifts—close the way to "Xen"—if you kill everypony who knows how to close it?" Celestia shook her head. "That is beyond our control," she said. "The rift is impossible to close." Twilight stood up. "Lambda!" she said. "Lambda can close it. I know. They've been working on it ever since it opened!" Celestia remained on the floor, and gave Twilight a look as though she wished Twilight would do the same. "Lambda," Celestia said, "is the team who opened the rift in the first place. If anything, they are the most dangerous group." "But we have to get to them! Even if they're going to give up their lives, they at least can spend the last few hours of them trying to redeem themselves! At least give them a chance." This time, it was Celestia's turn to stand up. "If you knew what I do—if you could see what I have seen—you would think differently." Twilight backed up. "If I knew—but, how would you know?" Her eyes widened as she started to realize something. "You've... wait a minute—" She stopped and lifted a hoof. "You've been in contact! But, who would—" She felt a chill run from her head down through the rest of her body. "That... pony in the suit!" She backed up even further. "That pony that's been watching me. He's been contacting you, hasn't he?" Celestia stepped up to Twilight, and her countenance almost looked frightened. "Now, Twilight—" "You've been talking to him this whole time!" "Twilight, this has nothing to do with you." "THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH ME!" They stared at each other for a moment, and Twilight could see Celestia's thoughts racing as her face went from scared to angry to confused and back again. Neither of them moved. The air was particularly thick, and she could feel the heat from the lit sconces on the wall. "I believe this discussion is over." With one swift move, Princess Celestia stepped around Twilight, approached the door, and turned with one last look. "We'll discuss this further in the morning, after you're well rested." She crossed the threshold, and was just about to leave entirely when she stopped. "I'm..." she paused. "I'm glad to see you're safe." With that, she stepped away, and the entire room dimmed as her aura disappeared with her. Twilight ran off down the hallway, and stepped out the door a moment later, only to see Shining Armor standing at the foot of the stairs. "Twilight," he said, walking up to her. "I just saw Princess Celestia leaving. What happened?" Twilight looked off in the distance as the bright aura faded away. Thoughts raced through her head, each one vying for attention, and she had to work to keep from drowning in them. She desperately wanted answers, but nothing she could think of would convince the Princess to speak rationally. She thought about Rarity, and Rainbow. She thought about the Lambda Lab. She thought about everything Celestia had said. And then, she thought about Canterlot, and her brother. The Princess wanted her home. She wanted her under her visage. She wanted to under her control. And the more she thought about it, the more furious she got. Finally, she turned back towards Shining, and uttered two words. "We're leaving." ========================================================= It took a while to explain everything to Shining Armor, and even then, he only partially understood. They walked as she explained it, trying to whisper everything so no other pony would hear. "So, you really think the Princess has lost it?" Shining Armor asked. "I don't know." Twilight looked up to make sure no other ponies were looking at them. "But I think she may have been influenced somehow. If I go back to Canterlot now, I'll never get another chance to help close the rift." "Twily!" Shining Armor stopped and spun Twilight around. "This isn't a light decision. If you choose not to go back to Canterlot now, you may never see it again!" Twilight couldn't help but remember what Celestia had said about never truly returning to her former life. "I'm not sure I could really return there even if I wanted to." Shining Armor cocked his brow. "Huh?" Twilight shook her head. "Nevermind. I need you to do me some favors before I go." She looked around. "Two of my friends were captured before I was taken prisoner. I need you to find them, and free them." Shining Armor scratched his head, mouth gaping, trying to work out what was being asked of him. "Twilight, I don't even know what they look like. How am I—" "One is a white unicorn with purple curly hair. The other's a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail." "Rainbow mane and—Twily, are you sure you're not just making this up?" Twilight ignored him. "Once they're free, I need you to go to the cage that's on the street and free the three fillies that are trapped inside." She indicated a hoof in the direction of the cage. "One of them is related to my friend. I need you to take them away from here, somewhere far away. Ponyville, perhaps." Shining Armor closed his mouth and glared at her. "Twilight, Ponyville is a long way a way! How am I supposed to do all this without—" Twilight waved her hooves. "I really don't care," she said. "Just... do it somehow. We need to get out of here while we still can. I need to reach the Lambda Complex, and I'm going to need all the help I can get." She reached out and grabbed her brother's hoof, lifting it up and grasping it close to her chest. "Promise me, brother." She made a face she hadn't made since she was a filly, trying to convince her brother to let her have a second scoop of ice cream. It was a face Shining Armor had never been able to resist. Shining signed. "All right, Twilight, I'll do what I can." He lifted a hoof. "But no promises!" Twilight smiled and almost jumped at how well that face still worked. "Great!" she mouthed. "Now, what's the best way to get out of here?" Shining glanced around, and lead Twilight off the road, into a shadowed area where there weren't any soldiers. The path wound around and twisted, going around small buildings, sword-sharpening stations, target practice boards, and other places that were not being used at this time of night. Eventually, they made it to the wall in the back, in an area almost impossible to see due to the lack of light. "There's a sewer drain right around here," Shining whispered. "I don't know where it leads, but it's large enough for a pony to slide down. The guards use it as a dumping place for some of the left-over trash and scraps of food. Your best chance of not being caught is through there." Twilight peered through the large pipe opening and cringed at the smell. She held a hoof up to her nose and looked up at Shining Armor. "Thanks," she said. She was about to start climbing in when Shining Armor grabbed her and hoisted her into a tight hug. Twilight almost cried out from how tight it was. "I love you, sis," Shining said. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble, okay? I'd like to see you in one piece again." Twilight took a deep breath as soon as her brother released her. "I'll see what I can do, BBBFF," she said. They both smiled. "If I manage to complete my task at the Lambda Complex, I'll see if I can meet you over in Ponyville. That's where Rarity said she used to live. It's probably the safest place to be." Shining Armor nodded. "That'll be the first place I go." He looked around. "I just hope I don't forget any of those errands you gave me." Twilight pushed Shining Armor in the chest and giggled. "Get going, big brother." Shining backed up and gave her a sarcastic smile before looking at her normally again. "Good luck, sis." He turned around and started heading back to the camp. Just before he made it back to the main road, he turned his head, and they looked at each other one last time. It only lasted a second. And then he was gone. Twilight turned back towards the pipe. She held her nose and wafted her hoof in front of it, trying not to imagine what kind of trash had been poured down recently. Then, taking a deep breath and holding it, she bowed her head down, and dove straight into the pipe.
PonyBlue	725	1	Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Unexpected	Rainbow Dash is unexpectedly pregnant. Follow how she meets this life change.	incomplete	178	8	<p>Life….<br/>It doesn’t always go to plan. <br/>It never has for Rainbow Dash.<br/>One drunken summer’s night was all it took to change her life. Now Rainbow Dash finds herself pregnant. Follow her as faces this unexpected event.</p>	teen	2012-06-23T18:50:26+00:00	2012-06-23T18:50:26+00:00	9,439	Chapter 1 Shock “Miss Rainbow?” Nurse Tenderheart waved her hoof in front of the cerulean blue pegasus’s faces. The young mare’s violet eyes were distant and glassy. “Miss Rainbow Dash!” Like a thunderclap, Rainbow Dash was back to reality. She was breathing harshly, harder than if she had ran a race across the sky. Her eyes were wide. She wanted to say something, scream but the words were stuck in her throat. “Miss Rainbow, are you alright?” Nurse Tenderheart asked worriedly. It was a stupid thing to say but there was little more she could do. She stroked the young mare’s back in a comforting motion. “It will be okay.” “Nurse…” It was a whisper, a tiny little plea. Rainbow Dash swallowed hard. It was difficult for her to produce the words. Her mouth was so awfully dry. “Tell me that it isn’t true, please….” Nurse Tenderheart lowered her gaze to her two front hooves. As much as blue earth pony wanted to deny the fact for the sake of this young mare, honesty compelled her to say otherwise. “I’m sorry Miss Rainbow.” Her voice was gentle. “But it’s positive.” The words exploded in Rainbow Dash’s ears. She shut her eyes tight, gritting her teeth as reality bit into her skin. Her cerulean blue flanks were pale from shock and she so wanted to hide her face under her hooves. She didn't expect this to happen. "Miss Rainbow, will you be okay?" Seriously, this was not supposed to happen! She was supposed to go for the tryout with the Wonderbolts at the end of the year. It was all planed out. "Rainbow Dash?" Tenderheart's concerned voice cornered her. It dragged her back to this small room in Ponyville, with its claustrophobic white walls. She didn’t want to be here, in this clinic anymore. Yet she wasn't sure where to go. Rainbow Dash swallowed the sour taste that rose up from the hollow pit of her stomach and showed her bravest smile. "Yeah. Don't worry. I'm fine." She answered reassuringly. "I will be fine." Nurse Tenderheart's hoof came to rest on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. The cerulean mare tried to stand. "Wait, Miss Rainbow." Her voice turned serious. "Don't leave just yet. We have a lot of things to discuss." Rainbow Dash nodded weakly. "Can we talk about it later?" "We could schedule an appointment next week. Do you know what are you going to do about it?" ‘It’… a short little word that thunder right in her ears. "I don't know." Nurse Tenderheart sighed heavily. Letting go of Rainbow Dash's shoulder, she move to occupy the small couch on Rainbow Dash’s left. "Was it consensual?" It was a disgusting question to ask. No stallion, certainly not in Ponyville would ever force himself on a mare, but there were rules to follow. Rainbow Dash bit her bottom lip and shrugged. "Yeah..." “Do you remember when it might have happened?” Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply. Tears were beginning to form at the corner of her eyes. "I don’t remember. It might have been one of the parties I attended. I don’t know." Nurse Tenderheart sighed again. It was still too early to guess, perhaps a month or two. "Can you remember anything about him? What kind of pony was he? " Rainbow Dash snapped to face Tenderheart. "I was drunk, okay! Pinkie Pie always lays out too much alcohol. Are you blaming me?" "No, but…" Nurse Tenderheart paused. “There could be complications if he wasn’t a pegasus. Only pegasi foals can float on clouds. A Unicorn or an Earth pony foal would fall right through a cloud ceiling.” The colour drained out of Rainbow Dash’s face. "I didn’t think about that. Like I said before–" "It is okay." Tenderheart cut in. "It just happened, right?" "Yeah,” Rainbow Dash gave a quick nod. "Do you think you can try remembering him?" "I don't know." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I need to clear my head first." "I’ll schedule an appointment, same time next week?” “Sure, whatever.” Rainbow Dash stood up. “You should speak to your family. There are options." “My parents are dead. No siblings.” Rainbow Dash said as a matter of fact. ‘The poor thing’, Tenderheart sighed heavily. She wished she could do more but the best she could do was to see the young cerulean mare safely out the door before she had to see another patient. Before Rainbow Dash left the medical examination room, she turned to Nurse Tenderheart again. "Hey, are you one hundred percent sure it's positive?" Sighing, Nurse Tenderheart could only nod. "Yes." She confirmed. "It's positive." * * * Rainbow Dash flew aimlessly around Ponyville. She had no specific place to go. She had taken the day off from her job as Ponyville’s weather manager. Yeah, she was the boss. The big weather boss of a no name town in the middle of nowhere. Sure, it looked good on paper, a pony her age making weather manager. The quick promotion should have been a star in her mane, a sign of talent and of a pony that was going places. Instead, it was as good as being put out to pasture. Nopony in the know would argue any different. She had been kicked out of Equestria Weather Service main office at Cloudsdale and sentenced to serve the ruined remains of her career in a town so small a pony like Pinkie Pie could remember every pony’s name. She had ruffled one too many important feathers but was too talented to simply dismiss in a more common fashion. She looked up at the sky. It was blue, cloudless, no sign of rain. She huffed. Team cloud 9 was slacking off on the job again. When the boss is away, the ponies come out and play, as the saying goes. Rainbow Dash was distracting herself. She was ignoring the red dragon in the room. Seriously, how was she supposed to solve this big problem? It was just an accident, a mistake. Her breathing was heavy and tense. How ironic that the event changing her life forever was one which she had no real recollection off. Her life was taking a tail spin on an out of control dive. The most recent of Pinkie Pie’s parties she had attended was a month ago. Apple Jack’s big brother, Macintosh was there. They weren’t even really friends, just acquaintances, your sister’s friend, stuff like that. Just two ponies celebrating Twilight Sparkle’s birthday, hanging out with the others and drinking Pinkie’s damned Friendship cocktails. Maybe they drank too much that night. She certainly had, not that it took much with her light body. Most pegasi couldn’t drink much, unlike Fluttershy who drank like a fish. She remembered not being able to get her wings to beat in proper sequence and Macintosh’s strong flank supporting her as they walked to Sweet Apple Acres. Why there she had not a clue. He must have convinced her it was better to sleep off the alcohol at the farm rather than on the floor of SugarCube Corner. They were talking and laughing all the way, swaying to each others motion and she, leaning into his warm red flank for support. "You wanna know something?" She had said to him, hiccupping from too much alcohol. "You're hot." She giggled. Her head was light. She felt like she was flying. "You’re so hot… and strong too. Your green eyes are very pretty." "Eeyup." He admitted easily. Maybe he didn't realize those words escaped his mouth. Her hooves slipped and started to fall. Instinctively, he drew her closer with all intension of keeping Dash on her legs. Instead they ended up stumbling on the floor. Him on top and her beneath. Thank goodness they had safely arrived at Sweet Apple Acres; otherwise they would end up lying on some street in the middle of Ponyville. "But I guess you never knew that." She looked up, unperturbed by his massive muscular body that covered her like a warm red blanket. "Know what?" Big Macintosh asked the blue pegesus mare pinned beneath him. "That I thought of you that way." She looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "Really?" He chuckled easily. "Yeah…" She moved upward until their faces were impossibly close, lips barely touching. "So hot it makes me want to kiss you right now…" There, Rainbow Dash concluded. It must have happened. The next day, she woke up with a terrible hangover in Big Macintosh’s bed and little memory of the night before. She decided not to talk about that matter. She would just pretend that nothing happened between them. Nothing was going to change anyway. They weren't really friends and quite comfortable with that relationship as it was. She buried that one night’s memory at the back of her head. They continued their lives according to their usual routines, meeting each other on occasion, like usual, like normal as the day before. Without Rainbow Dash realizing, her wings had carried her to Sweet Apple Acres and with a loud thump crashed into Apple Jack, knocking the pale orange pony onto her haunches. “What in the hay! Look where you are flying Rainbow Dash.” Apple Jack got off the ground. “You nearly upset my apple cart.” She wiggled her body a little to straighten the cartload of apple behind her. It was just one straw too many. Rainbow Dash burst into tears, like a breaking rain cloud. Tears rained out of her violet eyes. Apple Jack was just dumb struck. “Ah’ didn’t mean to be that harsh.” Of all ponies, Apple Jack could not bare to see Rainbow Dash crying, it just didn’t seem natural. "Don't cry." She used her hoof to brush the tears away. "Now care to tell what the matter is?" Rainbow Dash bowed her head. She didn't dare to look her friend in the face. With a small shaken voice, she said… "I'm pregnant." Apple Jack’s Stetson hat fell neatly off her head. "Wh-what?" Her eyes widened. "Are you sure?" Rainbow Dash nodded, sobbing quietly. "I haven’t been feeling so hot lately. I thought it was stomach flu or something, but it wouldn’t go away. So I went to the clinic. Nurse told me it's positive." Apple Jack took a long deep drag of air, what in tarnation do you say in moments like this. She wasn’t a wordsmith or something but she had to try. Rainbow Dash needed to hear that her friends were with her. She took another moment, unconsciously crushing a dead leaf on the ground with her front hoof. “There now,” She patted Rainbow’s shoulder lightly. "You don't have to go this alone.” She was turned to Rainbow Dash’s teary face. "Me, Twi, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie, we’ll take care of you. Ah’ll be there if you need me.” She smiled hoping to wipe away Dash’s troubled expression. “That’s a promise of a lifetime, you hear." Rainbow Dash dropped onto her hunches. "What should I do? Soon it will be hard to cover…" She put her front hooves on her still flat stomach. "What will every pony think of me? Ponies will talk. Ponyville is such a small place.” Apple Jack followed her gaze. "We'll think of something." She knew Dash wasn’t ready to settle down, certainly not with a foal. This turn of events must've been shocking as hay. "Maybe… I should…. you know…. abort it. It will save me from more trouble." "Now listen here, don’t you speak another word about doing that Rainbow Dash." Apple Jack became very serious, almost crossed with her friend. "But, A.J–" "Not another word of that. And don't worry, Dash. You can count on me and the rest of the girls." Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. How could she not worry? She was the one with the growing belly "Hey…" She drew Apple Jack’s attention. Her eyes were clouded with uncertainty. "Do you know where Macintosh is?" * * * “Oh hay…” Apple Jack careful undid the harness around her back, mindful to undo every buckle. It forced her to think. It couldn’t be what she was thinking. Maybe.. just maybe Dash was better acquitted with Macintosh than she had known. All her pegasus friend wanted was a kind word or something from her brother. Horsefeathers. Who was she kidding? That acquaintance was probably the cause of this mess in the first place. It took every bit of self control not to bolt and run up to that dumb older brother of hers. With a slight pushed, she left the apple cart on the side of the path. Even at moments like these, a small corner of her mind, hoped that Apple Bloom and her two friends wouldn’t try anything with her apples. Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Jugglers were no longer welcomed at the Ponyville’s town square. And there was a matter of a fine from the Major’s office for littering which would be coming out of Apple Bloom’s allowance. She knew the place where Big Macintosh would always be whenever he was free from work. Rainbow Dash trailed behind her, head hanging low between hooves and not even flying. From afar, they could hear his humming from under an apple tree. “Big Macintosh,” Apple Jack yelled at the top of her lungs. “Get your big, red hide here right this minute.” Apple Jack glanced at Rainbow Dash but her friend was finding her own front hooves rather more interesting than the going on around her. “Dash,” she asked gently. “Do you want to go talk to him or would rather have ma’ do the talking.” “I can do it,” Rainbow Dash said more to herself than to Apple Jack. “Just..” Apple Jack understood. “Ah be in hollering distance if you need me..” and backed away, to give Dash the privacy she needed. Being alone yet not, made meeting Macintosh a little easier. Rainbow Dash approached the big red pony. "Macintosh." His face was passive as usual. It could be even be described as bored, apart from the little glances he kept throwing in the direction of his younger sister, Apple Jack. He was a hard buck to read Gathering all her courage, she blurted out, "I need to ask." Big Macintosh brows arched high, the stick of grass fell limp between his lips. "What do you wanna ask?" Big Macintosh studied her expression in confusion. "Dash…What is it? Something wrong?" "I have to know …" She tried to steady her voice. He stomach began to heave, she felt sick. "After Pinkies Pie’s party the other month… did we… did we…“ Her voice died in a whisper. Why was he just standing there with that broken stick of hay in his mouth? He just stared at her, wordless as if cruelly forcing her to continue? He made no effort to put the pieces together. He just stood there. Rainbow Dash jerked her head up in anger. “Do I have to spell it out?” she yelled. “Did we have S. E. X.!” “Sis..” A young filly appeared out of nowhere. Apple Jack nearly jumped nearly four feet straight into the air. How did her little sister move so quiet like? “What’s AssEeeAxe?” Apple Bloom asked having heard Rainbow Dash. “Apple Bloom!” By Princess Celestria’s mane this wasn’t the time to be going about explaining the birds and the bees, and the proper use of protection. “Git!” She held up a hoof. “Get back to the house this minute!” “What ah do?” “Just git. And don’t come out for another hour. Big pony business.” “This is so unfair!” the small olive yellow pony complained. Apple Jack stomped her hoof sending Apple Bloom scampering away. “Why was everypony so crabby today?” Apple Bloom muttered under her breath. Luckily she had spotted a cart of apples at the side of the dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were free. “Are you the father of my foal?” Rainbow Dash waited for an answer, she needed an answer. But the large red stallion just stood there, as rigid as ice. His eye fixed on some unseen thing on her snout. She began to wonder if her decision to confront him with the news was right. "Ah’ can’t rightly say." She wasn’t sure if she heard him right. He couldn’t have meant that, but yet he looked for all the world like he didn't care at all. "You bastard…" Rainbow Dash neighed angrily, her wings flew open. Without telling her directly, the implication was there, that she was that kind of pony… because she had come from a big city? She shoved a hoof into his thick muscular chest. "How dare you talk to me like that! Of course the foal is yours. What do you think I am?” Big Macintosh was quiet for such a long time. Her anger was suddenly spent. "Okay." It was a whisper. Rainbow Dash didn’t care if he could hear her but she remained speaking that way. She forced her eyes close and snapped her wings shut. “Okay, I understand…" She turned and walked away. This had been a mistake. Her foot steps grew quicker. What had she been thinking? She galloped passed Apple Jack. She had to get away from here. “Big Macintosh? Dash!” Apple Jack yelled as the fleeing pegasus. This was beginning to become mighty troublesome. He exhaled heavily, scratching the back of his head. “Ah’ didn’t mean that.” “Ah’ don’t know what you meant, but we’ll be talk about this later.” Apple Jack shouted and ran after Rainbow Dash. She had to catch up before Rainbow got a little more sense and started flying. Good thing she was a strong runner. “Slow down,” she shouted Heedless Rainbow Dash continued running. She seized the cerulean pegasus’s tail by her teeth. “Ah’ said, slow down!” Although in reality Apple Jack sounded rather muffed with so much rainbow coloured hair in her mouth. Instinctively Rainbow Dash threw open her wing and started a sequence of strong wing beats. “Horse apple!” Her eyes grew wide as Rainbow Dash lifted into the air. She dug her hooves into the ground, tearing tracks of dirt into the ground. Then with a hard tug that only Earth pony muscles could do, she pulled Rainbow Dash into a stumbled landing. Before the dust had settled, Apple Jack was already on her hooves. “What in blazes Rainbow.” She spun around to pegasus in the dust. “You nearly dragged me into the sky!” Rainbow Dash was curled up on the ground, her face and snout under her front hooves and her wings tucked tightly to her sides. Her eyes were again wet with tears. Why did it hurt so much? Why should she care if Macintosh wasn’t interested? He wasn’t anypony important. “Oh Dash…" Apple Jack whispered softly upon seeing the tears. “Crying don’t suit you.” But deep down, Rainbow Dash knew why. She cried not for herself but for the foal growing inside her womb. She cried because the pony who fathered her foal didn't acknowledge its’ existence. It would not have a father, or herd of parents, siblings and half siblings. She was about to bring into Equestria another pony that would never have a real family, just like herself. No, it was worse. Rainbow Dash cringed. She had a family. She had faint memories of one before she became an orphan. Her foal would not even have that. So she cried for her foal's future. She cried because she knew there would be unkind whispers. Whispers of the absent family herd that something was wrong with the Rainbow line. Children could be cruel. Apple Jack leaned close to nuzzle the cerulean pegasus. “Ah heard what he said.” She spoke and continued a little more softly, “Not that I was purposefully ease dropping or anything.” Apple Jack paused. “But this is my brother we are talking about. And ah know my brother. The thing you heard was totally different from the thing he said.” Apple Jack hoped. “You mistook him. He is the responsible sort, not very good with managing the money side of a farm but the sort of pony that will honour his commitments. He’ll be there.” Minutes passed. No pony can cry forever, especially a pony like Rainbow Dash. “A.J, what am I going to do?” Her voice was still shaky. “Let’s go to Twilight’s and think things over. It will be quiet there and not over run by critters like Fluttershy’s.” Speaking of which, that Angel Bunny of Fluttershy gave her a serious case of the heebie-jeebies. That rabbit didn’t seem quite right. * * ***
PonyBlue	725	2	Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Unexpected	Rainbow Dash is unexpectedly pregnant. Follow how she meets this life change.	incomplete	178	8	<p>Life….<br/>It doesn’t always go to plan. <br/>It never has for Rainbow Dash.<br/>One drunken summer’s night was all it took to change her life. Now Rainbow Dash finds herself pregnant. Follow her as faces this unexpected event.</p>	teen	2012-06-12T01:21:23+00:00	2012-06-12T01:21:23+00:00	13,711	Chapter 2 She didn’t feel well. What did Nurse Tenderheart call it again? Well, what ever it was, she couldn’t bare thinking about it… or about him. Remove that country slang of his and all Macintosh had uttered to her face amounted to one word, “No.” Rainbow Dash never believed that such a simple word could be that painful. That word tasted like acid rain, sharp, sour, and biting. The way he spoke, the painful reality it came from the father of her foal, made her feel like she was nothing to him, like she was worthless and abandoned yet again. If only there was nothing left inside for her to feel. What happened that night clearly was just…sex, accidental drunken sex, obviously. Her pregnancy wasn't expected, nor the foal in her womb the result of passionate love between lovers. So why had she hoped he cared? Why should he have cared? Thinking of that red stallion only made her nausea worse. The journey to The Book and Branches Library, Twilight’s home in Ponyville felt like it had taken years. It was actually a struggle keeping pace with A.J. Every sway of each hoof step stirred something down in the hollow pit of her stomach. Pegasi didn’t get motion sickness, did they? Twilight’s place had to be close. She just needed to concentrate on putting one hoof in front of another. It couldn’t be that far. Her head began to feel dizzy, stressed. She had to stop. “Dash, you okay.” A concern voice sounded from her right. "You look sick.” Apple Jack voice crashed in her ears like cymbals of rolling thunder. Rainbow Dash felt her senses began to grow numb. Without warning, without caution, the nauseous feeling rose again, and this time it was greater than any she felt since starting the morning. "Dash?" There was now concern in A.J voice. Her face must be pale, she knew. Her flanks damp with sweat. She must've looked horrible. She dropped her head and shielded her mouth with the side of her fetlock. Her brows were thin and knotted from holding her inside from leaking out. It was an impossible task. Wordlessly she vomited right in front of Apple Jack's worried face. "Dash!" She kneeled on the ground and throwing up the contents of her stomach, right by the signboard of the Book and Branches Library. It was an unpleasant odour that filled the air, matched by the disgusting green mess on the ground. She was a public spectacle for every pony to see. Rainbow Dash couldn't recall a single moment in her life when he felt so miserable and helpless. Her stomach heaved. It was painful. Buck…buckity …buck that Macintosh. And not only that, she could feel she was on the verge of tears again. It hurt too much, in her stomach and in that space within her chest. She couldn’t hold back the tears. It won't stop. They overflowed from her eyes. She choked for air, having difficulties breathing. Throwing up and crying, doing those acts at the same time made her gag. She felt A.J kneel down beside her. A.J must be panicked for sure. Apple Jack's green eyes had grown wide. "Dash?" A pause. "Answer me!" There was such concern in A.J.’s voice, at least one hundred percent if not more. Rainbow Dash didn’t want to hear it. She waved a hoof to at the earth pony’s face. "Go away…" "Wha-?" "I'm…fine…" Apple Jack stared at Rainbow Dash in horror. "No, yer not." The orange earth pony had never seen the cerulean pegasus look so terrible like this before. She placed her hoof on her friend’s shoulder. "Ah'm taking you to the clinic, now." "No…" Rainbow Dash shook her head between heaves, still throwing up, still crying. She refused to go back to that little white room again. Not today. "Trust…me. I'm –" "Hay you are!” Apple Jack yelled furiously. “Crying and puking out yer insides don't look fine to ma!". She was frightened. It must have been years and years ago but she didn’t remember her own mother being so sick on account of being pregnant with Apple Bloom. Unexpectedly, a familiar voice echoed from the back. “Hello, Apple Jack, Rainbow…” Apple Jack whipped her head around. The unicorn’s lavender coat was almost as distinctive as the single pink stripe in her purple mane and tail. It was Twilight Sparkle walking up the street towards them. Spike was as usual balanced on top of Twilight Sparkle’s back. The baby dragon sat between two saddle bags that appeared to be full from the morning’s groceries. “Girls, what–” Twilight Sparkle stopped when she heard…sobbing? Then the sour smell of vomit reached her nose. A worried look was soon cast on her face. "What happened?" “Sugarcube, mind if Dash and I stay for a spell at your place?” “You don’t need to ask.” Twilight replied. Apple Jack nodded and leaned over to Dash. "You finished?" Apple Jack’s voice was gentle. Rainbow Dash gave a brief nod. "Ye-yeah." "Good. Let's get you inside. It's hot out here. Can you walk?" Rainbow Dash tried to stand but her legs felt like jelly. She almost fell if not for Apple Jack’s sturdy orange body shouldering one side of her body. “A little help Twi-“Apple Jack hollered. The angle was wrong and threatened to tip her on her side along with Dash. Spike leapt off, allowing Twilight Sparkle to pull off her saddle bags with a shimmer of unicorn magic. She then hurried to the pegasus pony’s free side. With a small grunt, she braced herself against Rainbow Dash, sandwiching the pegasus mare. It wasn’t terribly comfortable for any of the three ponies. Nevertheless together they hoisted Rainbow Dash onto her feet and began moving off the grass towards Twilight’s surrogate home. “Spi-ike.” Twilight called back. Her horn shimmered with magic as she opened the engraved door of the library. “Could you clean up while I help Rainbow Dash in?” “Sure thing, Boss,” Spike agreed before him could stop himself. “Thanks. I can always count on my number one assistant.” Spike smiled. It was always good to hear that his work was appreciated. He turned to his task. Only then did its sudden enormity assault his nostrils. “You got to be kidding me.” Regret, why did it always tasted like ash? It was as bad as the time Twilight drank hot sauce and threw up all over the bathroom floor. In other ways this was worst. He had at least a mop them and that was still nasty. Just the memory made his claws feel unclean. What a way to remember their first Pinkie Pie party. So how was he going to get rid of this? With his bare claws? Eewwww… Not a chance. Not for all the fire rubies in the world. If only he could make it disappear with magic.. or… could he risk it? He might only be a baby dragon… but he was a baby fire breathing dragon. Yet fires, even small ones made more than a few ponies nervous. He could get into trouble. Spike glance quickly around him. Conveniently if somewhat ominous, there was not a pony in sight. The street was empty. Spike took a deep breath, careful to concentrate on the type of flame he wanted; A nice fierce and hot deconstruction fire rather than a delicate teleportation fire used to send letters. Princess Celestia or for that matter any pony in Canterlot would not want this… in their mail. He let out a bleach of blue almost white fire. The smokeless flames lapped at the unmentionable mess on the ground and in a few hot moments had charred the green mush into white ash. It was going well until Spike heard the unmistakable sound of a mare clearing her throat. ‘Please be Twilight. Please be Twilight.’ It was an impossible hope. Fearfully he turned slowly. A white unicorn loomed over him and she wasn’t fair Rarity, Ponyville’s seamstress and self styled fashion designer. This white unicorn had a red mane that was stripped with black. She wore a disapproving frown on her muzzle that reached all the way to her eyes. Adding to that worrying visage was her crisp dark blue uniform with long sleeves that ran up her forelegs. “Hello, hello, hello what do we have here then? “The custodian helmet on her head tilted forward, revealing the moon silver and sun gold crest of the Royal Equestrian Police. Constable Baccarat levitated her night stick, tapping it lightly on her foreleg. “I don’t know what you think you are doing, but I’ll have you know, arson of public property is a crime against the Crown. What do you have to say for yourself?” The native of Trottingham pointed her nightstick at the offending baby dragon. ‘You can save this Spike,’ a little voice in his head stated urgently. ‘Say something plausible. Surely there must be many good reasons to set an open fire.’ Spike opened his mouth but to his horror not a word came out. He couldn’t think under pressure. “This isn’t what it looks like,” he blurted out. ‘Nooo…. don’t say that.’ The little voice wailed in horror. “Not arson you say?" Constable Baccarat grinned. "Well, please do enlighten me.” Whatever train of thought running in Spike’s head was abruptly derailed with a bellowing shout of “Fire!” Weathermare Cloud Kicker flew in with a heavy grey cloud between her hooves. She centred the cloud over the fire as she was trained. Then with a giant leap and a wild cry that the sounded like ‘Yay!’, she planted her four hooves on the cloud. The grey cloud rumbled from the impact, lightning flashed. It was so exciting! It’ll be the talk of the week in the Weather Office. It was a rare chance to use a fire extinguishing drill on a real fire no less. A second mighty leap quickly followed. Cloud Kicker was a little too enthusiastic. On cue Constable Baccarat took a big step to the side. Horse sense, it was a wonderful thing. It had been endlessly useful in her younger days when she still walked the beat on some of Trottingham’s less calmly streets. The cloud burst open like a popping balloon. It rained. It rained heavily with big fat droplets of the kind a pony only sees when the Equestria’s Weather Service held its ‘Once in a Decade Thunderstorm’. The rain was so thick it was hard to see if you were caught in it. And that thunderstorm was just large enough to catch the fire and one baby dragon. Constable Baccarat was mildly amused. She was a bad mare. ”Let’s dry you off at the Police House. My colt Pip Squeak would love to hear your story.” * * * The sounds of thundering rain dimmed into the background as the library’s front door closed behind them with a soft ‘click’. With another shimmer of Twilight Sparkle’s magic, the curtains were drawn and sunshine poured in from the Library’s many windows. It promised to be another hot summer afternoon which was odd given the sound of rain just out side. Twilight Sparkle’s subconscious elected to ignore the discrepancy. It was either that or go slowly mad from the bizarre chaos that was daily life in Ponyville. Twilight turned her head slightly. Rainbow Dash looked awkward balanced between Apple Jack and herself. She looked vulnerable without her trademark brashness. "Dash, I don’t mean to be rude, but you look terrible.” "I’m fine. Don't worry." The dry heaves made it an obvious lie. Carefully, Apple Jack settled Rainbow Dash on the couch, letting a weary Twilight Sparkle to plop down in the seat across the table from her two friends. "She isn’t sick, is she?" Worry, concern and confusion were etched all over Twilight’s face. Aside from Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash was one of the most physically fit ponies she had the pleasure to meet. To make Rainbow this sick… It had to be something bad, she just knew it. Something serious maybe even incurable? She hoped it wasn’t incurable. Unbidden, a mired of horrible incurable diseases come to mind. Most were rare and all would chill a pony’s soul. She should never have read Dr House’s Incurable Diseases for the Incurable Know-It-Alls. Diseases with names like Mad Cow Disease, a horror that stole a pony’s mind, intellect and personality. It left its victims unable to stand or even recognised friends and family. Or Rabies which turned infected ponies into rampaging salivating monsters. Their bite was infectious. It was as close as anypony had come to a real life zombiepony story. The victim eventually died from thirst, still trapped in the grip of violent insanity. Or Horn Rot. The last gave Twilight Sparkle a shiver up her spine and down the length of her horn. Did she just imagine something alive twitching under her coat, the first sign of that horrible disease? “No”, Apple Jack said. Her voice shook Twilight out of her dark imagination and drew it back to the moment. "Dash ain’t sick." Apple Jack wasn’t unsure how best to continue. She laid her hoof on the cerulean pegasus's back, patting her gently. She didn’t know if it was her place to tell. She turned to Dash for her say-so but the pegasus said not a word, displaying an uncharacteristic silence. “She is pregnant.” Apple Jack exhaled a tense breath. Twilight Sparkle snapped up and blinked. ‘Excuse Me?’ the question was unsaid. That was last thing she expected to hear. It took a moment for her brain to begin functioning again. “Congratulation!” Suddenly Twilight wasn't THAT worried. Rainbow Dash was going to live. NO incurable disease. The worried look on Twilight's face faded. “I didn’t know you had a coltfriend. So who is the father?” Dash did not speak immediately. Instead she drew her folded wings closer to grip her back. Apple Jack twitched guiltily. But before she could say anything, Rainbow Dash murmured… “Don’t have one” Twilight Sparkle’s face went blank “That is biologically impossible!” Was somepony pulling her leg? Or did Dash…do it and still not know how foals were made. Did Dash somehow miss ‘The Talk’? Did she have to give the ‘Talk’? Just remembering her own ‘Talk’ was mortifying enough. It wasn’t often that Princess Celestia, Sun Goddess and Head of State took a pony aside and explained that now you had become a mare, she wanted to be certain that you knew how little foals were made. Twilight was sure she could still feel the heat on her cheeks after all these years. The Princess had escorted her to a section of Canterlot Library she had never been too. It was a restricted section that no filly was supposed to enter on pain of a weeks’ banishment from the library. She had been curious about those books beyond her reach, but the punishment was simply too harsh. Twilight had followed the rule to the letter. She had been a good filly. Princess Celestia showed her an orange book with graphic illustrations which were… well, graphic. Twilight thought she would have died of embarrassment until Princess Celestia began a candid discussion on the subject. Then Twilight knew she HAD died and was being tormented in the pony hell of embarrassment. What part fit into… where? That big? How did anypony expect that to fit? And somehow the whole ordeal was supposed to feel…. Nice? Princess Celestia warned her not to be carried away by new unfamiliar emotions, especially around colts or allowing herself to be peer pressured and rushed into… doing things. How foals were a lifelong responsibility and lastly, the importance of protection and contraceptives. “You foal has a father.” Twilight assured. Apple Jack twitched again. “Conception of a foal requires both maternal and paternal chromosomes. There has never been a reported case of parthenogenesis amongst ponies.” Twilight continued. “Having a foal has nothing to do with touching horns… a stallion has to…to…” She faltered. Princess Celestia was a lot better at this. “I’m sure you know…. umm...given that…so the father is likely the stallion who… special touch-” She trailed off in a whisper. Her eyes met Apple Jack’s. The orange pony was giving her a silent horrified look that all but screamed, ‘Don’t you have any sense in that big noggin of yours.’ Figurative… It was figurative. Comprehension spread across her face… “Oh...” “She didn’t mean nothing by it. Twi was just being Twi.” Apple Jack leaned close putting her hoof back on her friend’s shoulder Rainbow Dash shied away from the earth pony’s touch. “No, Twilight’s right. I am a screw up.” Dash turned quiet. “And you know what? On the day we all got our cutie mark, the day I first achieved the Sonic Rainboom, my happiest minute.” Her voice grew tighter by the word. “I ruined my life!” She shouted as she wept. “Didn’t know that, did you?” She laughed but it could well have been a sob. It was a bitter and mirthless sound. Neither Twilight Sparkle nor Apple Jack said a word. Both ponies were too stunned to speak. “I always end my story with the Sonic Rainboom but do you want to know what happened after that?” She paused to suck in a ragged breath. “The school authorities, they kicked me out of flight school!” She practically yelled. “Rainbow Crash crashed out of flight school!” Rainbow Dash clenched both her eyes shut. Twilight was the first to recover. She practically lunged across the table and wrapped both her hooves around her friend in a hug that Dash refused to return. “Oh, Rainbow. It’s okay.” She brushed Dash’s rainbow coloured mane back out of the pegasus’s damp eyes. “I didn’t finish flight school, Twilight.” She sniffled back a sob. “At the start of the race, I knocked Fluttershy off the cloud she was standing on. I didn’t see her.” She looked away. “I was so focused on winning.” “She panicked. She forgot the glide manoeuvre all pegasi foals are supposed to know. She fell all the way to the ground. That fall should have injured her. It could have killed her! I could have killed Fluttershy!” “But you didn’t.” Apple Jack cut in. “Fluttershy found her cutie mark because of that. And you did well enough. Weather Manager of Ponyville ain’t something to be putting down.” She shoved her way out of Twilight’s hug, away from Apple Jack. “Its punishment,” her voice came out harsh. “I kept opening my big mouth when I should have kept it shut. I didn’t make many friends with management, although Senior Manager Thunder Cloud liked my spunk.” A ghost of a smile was on Rainbow Dash’s lips. “I was good at my job. Awesome. For awhile, I thought I was going to climb my way up the ladder.” “Then I crossed paths with her.” Rainbow Dash breathed. “She was a stuck up bully. She didn’t like that a blue collar weathermare knew more about weather management than her fancy scroll said she did. I wasn’t afraid to show it either.” She slump face first onto the couch for a second before continuing “I thought I could handle her. I was dumb. I was wrong. I screwed up big time. She wasn’t any green lettuce snot. Her family had influence in the Weather Service.” Rainbow Dash paused for breath, and to back away from the tears. “She tried to get me fired. When that didn’t work she had me promoted and posted out here.” Dash gave a resigned look, one touched with regret and desperation. “That’s what places like Ponyville are. Nopony comes back from places like these.” “What cha saying? Ponyville ain’t no dump….” A hoof reached the Earth pony’s shoulder stopping her from saying more. Twilight slowly shook her head at Apple Jack. She had seen that kind of intrigue in Celestia’s court. Rainbow Dash was silent as she set apart from her friends. Her head was tilted forward and her mane obscured her eyes. She sniffed and rubbed her nose with the back of her hoof. “The Wonderbolt’s try out are at the end year.” She couldn’t breathe. “I even screwed that up.” She whispered, choking back sobs. * * “I made you some tea. How are you feeling?" Twilight hovered over her. A teapot and cup float in the grip of her magic. "Terri…ble…" Rainbow Dash said in a quiet, morose tone. “Drink this. It’ll help.” Dash stared mournfully into the porcelain white cup. She hated tea. She didn’t even like the idea of growing fond of the taste. And there was Twilight, watching her with a rather insistent look on her muzzle. ‘Yeah, yeah, I got the message’. She took a sip. It didn’t even taste like Twilight’s usual favourite, Earl Neigh. It tasted like a pokey mix of weeds that Zecora would have made. She took a second sip then a third to get Twilight to give her some breathing space. Twilight Sparkle waited until she was sure Rainbow Dash was actually drinking the tea rather than surreptitiously watering her potted plants. Then, it was back to the kitchen where she set the teapot on the counter top amidst cans of open herbs and other ingredients. Twilight frowned for a briefest of moments. Something nagged at her as if she had forgotten something, something important. It hung just at the tip of her tongue. Did she put too much chamomile leaves…no that couldn’t be it. Had she forgotten to pick up more alfalfa hay? No, Spike would have reminded her. “Ah hope that brew helps.” Apple Jack interrupted. The earth pony was already there, waiting in the kitchen. “So what was with her vomiting just now?" Apple Jack asked. “Its morning sickness,” Twilight answered, a little distracted. “Before you told me Rainbow Dash was pregnant, vomiting could have been any number of things, food poisoning for instance.” She shook her mane. “It’s morning sickness.” “Morning Sickness? It ain’t morning no more. Maybe 14’o clock in the afternoon. “ “It is just a name. It’s caused by hormonal imbalance. It can occur any time of the day. Not all mares get it when pregnant. We’ll probably have to prepare ourselves for lots of this…. Twilight smiled a wane smile. “She’ll probably be doing this regularly in her first trimester." "Trimester?" "It's a medical term." Twilight Sparkle explained. "A pony pregnancy lasts about eleven months, typically broken into three periods, or trimesters, each of about four months. The first trimester period holds all sorts of problems, especially to new mothers." A worried look was quickly on Apple Jack's face upon hearing the word ‘problems’. “What sort of problems?" She asked. "Let's see…" Twilight Sparkle looked up the ceiling thoughtfully, trying to remember what she had learned in medical texts from Canterlot Royal library. It wasn’t much. “The first trimester carries the highest risk of miscarriage. Gentle exercise is recommended as it helps maintain a healthy body weight. However strenuous exercise significantly increases the risks of miscarriage. I would guess The Sonic Rainboom and the Buccaneer Blaze would count as strenuous. "She'll be mighty unhappy to hear that." "I guess you could say that." Twilight chuckled a little “– which reminds me of one thing important." "What is it?" "Um, Rainbow Dash might have problems like changes in everyday moods –" Apple Jack held up her fore hoof to her head. "Changes in everyday moods? You mean as in…mood swings?" Twilight Sparkle nodded. Apple Jack just sighed. Silence crept into the kitchen. Twilight Sparkle started clearing the countertop but something caused her to pause. “Is there something that you want to say?” Twilight Sparkle began. "What do yer mean?" Apple Jack narrowed her gaze. “You‘re hovering.” Twilight Sparkle waited a moment more but the orange earth pony kept silent. “So what is bothering you?” she asked finally. “Ah guess, ah’m an easy book to read.” Apple Jack sighed. “Ah just can’t bear to hear Dash going about saying her foal has no father. It gives ponies the wrong kind of impression. Dash ain’t that kind of mare. Her foal has a father. She knows who he is.” “Is it somepony we know?” Twilight asked. Apple Jack’s reaction was damning. “Apple Jack, please don't tell me," She looked her friend fully in the eyes. "Big Macintosh. Ma’ brother." It was the barest of whisper but both ponies heard her loud and clear like a fire alarm. “Dash met ma brother earlier this morning to talk about their foal.” "What did he say?" Twilight asked. "He's the responsible sort. He’ll take care of Dash." Apple Jack insisted. “Did he actually say that?” Twilight pressed on. Twilight’s clear purple eyes made Apple Jack look away. The orange earth pony was too honest to even lie to herself. "Ah’ don’t know what he said." She exhaled a tense breath. “He gave Dash the impression he was abandoning her but ah know ma’ brother, Big Macintosh would never do that.” Her gaze fell to the floor. “A marriage could save the problem.” “Would it?” Twilight questioned. “What about love? Can you imagine being in a loveless marriage? Do we even know Macintosh or Rainbow Dash loves each other? You can’t just assume Macintosh will marry Rainbow Dash or even if she wants to marry him.” “A foal needs her father.” The orange pony answered. “Dash needs a husband to take care of her. Ponies can grow to love each other and that is not to say that Dash doesn’t have at least some kind of feeling for ma brother. Ah don’t see her as the kind of mare that would allow any stallion in to her bed.” Apple Jack gaze drifted from Twilight’s amethyst eyes to the brown wooden floor. “What other option is there?” "There is-" Twilight Sparkle offered. “an abortion.” Apple Jacks eyes grew wide. "Abortion? Hay no!” She looked up. “I don’t know what mares do in Canterlot, but we don’t do things like that in Ponyville. It’s dangerous. Dash would end up dead.” “Not with modern equestrian medicine,” Twilight replied. “We are still young. Parenthood isn’t something that we should be thinking about at our age. I don’t think I’m ready for the responsibilities of parenthood and I raised a baby dragon.” For a second, Apple Jack was lost for words. She blinked, staring at a friend she thought she knew. Surely Twilight couldn’t have meant what she had just said. Yet the look on Twilight’s face, the set of her facial expression was that of utter seriousness. She really believed what she was saying. “Twi, please listen to yer self for a moment.” She slowly began. “The help yer talking about is killing another pony. A foal. And not just any foal, that’s Dash’s foal you’re thinking of killing, our best friend’s daughter. That’s… my niece we are talking about.” “It’s an embryo.” Twilight replied. “It’s not a fetus, let alone a foal. It doesn’t even have limbs yet or much in the way of a brain. At most it is the size of half a jelly bean. That isn’t a pony.” Apple Jack’s voice rose. “Then when do you consider foal a foal?” How could she be so callous? “When she starts talking?” “No! Of course not!” Twilight didn’t like the tone she was hearing. “Abortion is illegal after the seventh month.” “And why is that? What’s so special about the seventh month?” “It has to do with brain development and personhood. After the seventh month, a fetal brain is sufficiently developed to show signs of activity similar to conscious adult. The magic corpus is an example….” Twilight rambled. Apple Jack didn’t understand much of what Twilight said but she did understand one word. “Magic. It is about magic, isn’t it.” She turned to Twilight. “That’s when unicorn foal first use their magic.” Her tone dared the lavender unicorn to say otherwise. “So what happens when a unicorn has a pegasus or earth pony foal? Unicorns don’t consider the foal alive?” “No!” Twilight burst. The lavender unicorn took a breath. She was trying her best to keep from shouting. How did the conversation become so… barbed? “We are both trying to help.” The lavender unicorn managed to say. “You saw how she was acting. Rainbow Dash is not prepared to be a mother, certainly for the time being.” Twilight paused and looked to the Earth pony’s distant apple green eyes. “Being a Wonderbolt is important to Rainbow Dash. She would be giving up her dreams for –“ “Motherhood.” Apple Jack finished, keeping her ground. “To see her foal, hear her daughter laugh, play and grow up. And who says Dash can’t do her fancy flying after having her foal?” “It is not that easy.” Twilight replied quietly. “We don’t even know if Rainbow Dash can support a foal on her own. Who will support her foal when she is away? The Wonderbolts tour Equestria.” “Ma brother will.” Apple Jack said as she turned to Twilight Sparkle. “And ain’t that what friends are for, Twi. Friends help each other.” The earth pony continued. “Dash needs to know her friends are there beside her, behind her and around her.” “Apple Jack, this is a foal, a life time responsibility. I…I’m a student from Canterlot.” Twilight said hesitantly. “Princess Celestia has allowed me to continue my stay in Ponyville while I study friendship but eventually…” Twilight breathed deeply, she knew it had to come someday. “Eventually, I will have to go back to Canterlot. It is not only me. Rarity’s dream will eventually led her away from Ponyville. She has too if she hopes to realise her dreams of being a great fashion designer.” Twilight looked away. “Of the six of us, I can only see for certain that you and maybe Fluttershy will be staying in Ponyville. Even Pinkie Pie might leave if she decides to open her own bakery.” “So what are you saying?” Twilight felt uncomfortable, as if it was betrayal for merely stating a simple fact of life. “We six may not always be together.”
PonyBlue	725	3	Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Unexpected	Rainbow Dash is unexpectedly pregnant. Follow how she meets this life change.	incomplete	178	8	<p>Life….<br/>It doesn’t always go to plan. <br/>It never has for Rainbow Dash.<br/>One drunken summer’s night was all it took to change her life. Now Rainbow Dash finds herself pregnant. Follow her as faces this unexpected event.</p>	teen	2011-12-28T02:56:17+00:00	2011-12-28T02:56:17+00:00	7,217	Chapter 3 Macintosh felt like time had stopped, though Celestia’s sun continued to tick across the sky. He was inside the barn rather then out in the farm, something he rarely did while there was still day light. Since meeting Rainbow Dash earlier that day, his heart simply wasn’t into tending the apples trees. The large Earth pony stallion set by the barn doors, looking out into the blue sky above, his mouth moving slowly as he chewed a bit of wood. He shifted his position time and again, but couldn't seem to find the thing that eluded him, rest "Usually when you have something troubling yer mind, you start wood chewing.” Grandpa Hay Seed commented as the old cowpony stallion came into view. "Don’t want to be teaching Apple Bloom any bad habits. Never hear the end of it from yer Granny Smith or yer other sister." Macintosh let his gaze lingered on his grandfather. "No, ah don’t, on both accounts." He turned his head and spat out the crushed apple stick. The space between his teeth felt empty. He really should try quitting. "Gramps…" The old cowpony turned his head a little to take a look at his grandson's face, curious at Macintosh's strange tone. Macintosh was like him in that regard, a stallion of few words. "Hmm?" Macintosh held his breath. "Can ah talk with you?" One look from Macintosh answered it all, the look Hay Seed knew so well, the one Macintosh always used whenever he had serious matter on his mind. The greying brown stallion pushed his saddle bags aside and turned his body, facing his grandson. "What's troubling you?" Hay Seed picked up a stick of apple wood and started chewing. Macintosh dropped his head. He didn't know how Gramps would react once he uttered his next words. Surely he'll be shocked. Maybe he even lost his respect for him. "Ah got a mare pregnant." There was a long silence from old Hay Seed. The words had come out so easily, so casually out of Macintosh's mouth. There was no hint of humour or something even laughable in that one sentence. Hay Seed frowned. He couldn't believe his flicking ears. No matter how furious he blinked his eyes, the pony in front of him stayed the same hardworking, reliable and responsible red buck he had known since the day he was born. "Ah see." Macintosh took a deep breath. It felt as if the sun and the calm, breezy wind had all been swept away. “Ah got a mare pregnant.” He repeated more for his own ears. "Who…?" Minutes ticked by. Macintosh did not answer. “No names.” Hay Seed finally answered the gap. “Good that you are trying to protect her reputation. But that won’t last long.” He sighed, before coming to rest by his grandson. He looked at Macintosh, who had his gaze fixed intently on a patch of sky dominated by a white fluffy cloud. His grandson seemed to be thinking hard. “How did it happen?” He asked quietly. "Ah…" Macintosh began. "Ah… don't quite remember how it happened to be exact." Each of his next words was accompanied with a sigh. “We were both drunk at that time." . Hay Seed looked lost. "That was mighty foolish of you”. "Ah…We didn't realize,” the red buck spoke with regret and guilt covering his face. "It just happened, Gramps.” Macintosh closed his eyes as his memory replayed the scene back to his mind. “You’re hot…” She leaned up to him. Her mane fanned out behind her like her name sake, a vibrant rainbow. Their lips were close, her breath warm on his face, reeking of alcohol. Her violet eyes, half lidded looked up into his and then she kissed him. That simple kiss broke that invisible wall between them. He kissed her in reply. If only he hadn’t, then all this would never have happened. Dash wouldn't have responded to him and that one night wouldn't have ended with the two of them curled up into each other with their heated bodies cooling off in Luna’s night. "We didn't intend to do it in the first place…" Macintosh sighed heavily. "But it happened. And what make things worse, there is…" "A foal is on the way." Grandpa Hay Seed finished. Macintosh nodded weakly. Silence stretched between the two stallions. "So… care to tell ma’ what to be expecting from ma’ first great grand foal?” Macintosh turned his to his grandfather, surprised at the sudden light tone. He would not call himself a smart pony, but he wasn’t unobservant. The question was casual, though its meaning was not. Hay Seed continued. “Ponyville has changed a lot since ma’ brothers and ah first rode into town. There’re lot more horn heads and there are those flying buzzards all over the place.” Like many small towns that dotted Equestria, Ponyville had been built hoof over hoof by the labour of Earth ponies. It was only later, after the farms had been wrestled from the land that the pegasi would come. And even later still after the town had began to prosper did the unicorns arrive. All this left an indelible mark, one of lingering resentment that no Earth pony would admit too. Where were the other breeds when the earth ponies needed help? Where were magic and rain clouds when such would have been the difference between life and death? Big Macintosh had grown up hearing those old grumbling whispers. They were ugly whispers that he cared not to repeat. It was the reason why many Ponyville traditions would not allow magic, despite how practical it would be. It even led to an altercation between his sister and her unicorn friend, Twilight over the issue at last year’s Winter Wrapped Up. “They’re called pegasi.” Macintosh corrected, though he was sure his grandfather knew that. Macintosh wasn’t a pony that put much stock in that kind of thinking. Ever pony did what they were best at. No Earth pony would say putting a plough behind a unicorn was a good idea. And no unicorn or pegasus would begrudge an Earth pony for being the strongest of the three breeds “Ma’ first foal might have wings.” He waited for the old stallion to react and hoped for the best. "A buzzard in the family?” A picture of reedy thin pegasus trying to buck an apple tree tickled Hay Seed’s stomach until he couldn't control the funny feeling anymore. “Ah sure was worried it might have been on of yer cousins.” Hay Seed burst out laughing. “No need for town folk calling us inbred.” Macintosh joined his grandfather’s laughter, even if it wasn’t all that funny. For Macintosh at least, he needed that laugh. A bit of tension he didn’t know existed had evaporated. His heart felt a lot lighter. Hay Seed stamped his hooves on the ground. “A buzzard in the family would certainly help get the apples to the market faster.” “Eeyup. Be faster than Apple Jack.” “That girl won’t like that one bit. Why, she’ll make it a race to the market every day. Remember that iron mare circus with Apple Jack and that friend of hers.” The two stallions snickered and then laughed again, so hard, until their insides started to hurt from laughing out loud too much. They didn’t hear the steady footstep approaching them, nor the sharp click of steel apple bucking shoes tapping up to the barn door. “Boy… ya gonna give yer granny Smith a heart attack. Bad enough that buzzard friend of yer sister’s is always at the farm poaching our apples.” “Dash ain’t no buzzard.” Macintosh replied, no longer laughing. “And she don’t steal apples. She has a tab with Apple Jack. She pays her bits.” Hay Seed narrowed his gaze. Apple Bloom, his youngest granddaughter on the farm also had a pegasus friend, who came by often. She was an orange filly of similar age with a purple mane. Her name was Scootaloo or something. The two stallions exchanged a look. “It’s her, ain’t it.” Quietly, Macintosh nodded his head. “Rainbow Dash, she’s pregnant with ma’ foal.” “So what are yer intentions?” That question from Hay Seed made the soft click of steel shoe halt in mid steps, a moment just behind the barn door. She kept silent not wanting to be discovered for the time being, at least, not yet. Though the two stallions’ voices weren't loud, barely adible, but it was enough. Apple Jack heard every single word. "Ma intentions?" Macintosh stared up at the sky and shrugged carelessly. "Ah don't know. Ah haven't figured it out yet.” "A grown buck should always have intentions for the things he does. Have you thought about marriage?" The old stallion scrutinized his grandson. Macintosh averted his gaze from his grandpa’s direction. Hay Seed didn't miss the perturbed expression that coloured his grandson’s face. "Don't tell me you haven't thought at all about it." "Dash and I…" Macintosh muttered. "Our relationship ain’t what might be called…” The red pony hesitated. What was Dash to him or him to her? “She don’t…” Did she even love him? “We’re not a couple. Ah never thought of asking Dash to marry me." Hay Seed picked up his second stick of wood. The old cowpony chewed it carefully in his mouth. "Things having happened this way, by next spring, you will be a father. There’ll be a foal running about, probably sitting up in our trees eating the apple blossoms with her mother." The revelation seemed to seep into Macintosh's head because the muscle of his neck grew even tenser. "Macintosh”, Hay Seed continued. “Most ponies would say marriage is the best solution. Perhaps it is, perhaps it ain’t. It’ll be true that for a short while there’ll be fewer problems, certainly with the village folk. ” Hay Seed paused. “There is one thing ah have to add. A marriage like any good building needs a good foundation. With a strong foundation and regular up keep, a marriage can last a lifetime. Marriage for the sake of responsibility is a hollow thing. It will not make a good family for anypony. For yourself, yer foal or that pegasus mare. It only makes three unhappy ponies.” Hay Seed stopped. He was unused to making long speeches. “Macintosh, ah never pried into yer personal affairs, but do you love this mare?” Macintosh froze at hearing his own answer. The word slipped out of his mouth so easily he couldn't even stop himself. “No.” * * Apple Jack was shocked. He couldn’t have said that. She still couldn’t believe her ears after hearing the word from Big Macintosh’s very own mouth. Apple Jack wanted to jump in and buck his red hide. Big Macintosh was the most responsible pony she knew. He was an upstanding pony and stallion. He always did what was right. How could he say this? Dash needed a stallion to protect her and her foal. Apple Jack really hadn’t planned on eavesdropping on two of her kin’s conversation, or rather discussion. That was the last thing she had in mind when she returned home to Sweet Apple Acres. She had arrived ready to burst with a shout of ‘Big Macintosh, you got to patch things up with Dash’. Dash needed to know that Twilight was wrong. Nopony shouldn’t ever consider killing her own foal as an answer to life’s troubles. Apple Jack was at the barn door when a question from Gramps brought her to a halt. “So what are yer intentions?” Just hearing the serious tone of Gramps, even without seeing his face was enough for Apple Jack to conclude that he knew about Dash’s pregnancy. Macintosh probably had told him the news. Besides, what other more serious topic was there if it wasn't about Rainbow Dash and her pregnancy? With a little hint of embarrassment, Apple Jack continued to listen to their voices. As she listened more and more into their deep talk, the feelings within her turned to anger. What? Macintosh wasn’t considering marrying Rainbow Dash? She was angry at the revelation. Only minutes ago she had thought she had known everything that was to her brother. What was her brother going to do? Abandon Dash in the rain at the train station? Just like that cad of a unicorn did with Derpy Hooves…. A speck of guilt touched Apple Jack…. she meant Ditzy Doo. It was unkind that Ditzy was called Derpy Hooves by many a pony behind her back on account of her eyes. Her thoughts turned back to Rainbow Dash. Was her friend nothing to her brother? Just…a mare who happened to be the mother of his foal by accident? What of the faith she had put into him? She stood up for him. She put her good word in for him with Dash. “Horsefeathers.” She turned to head back to the farmhouse before she did something she would later regret. Twilight Sparkles' words from earlier that afternoon came unbidden. ‘You can’t just assume Macintosh will marry Rainbow Dash.’ * * Breakfast at the Apple table the following morning was chilly and it had nothing to do with the fact that it was six in the morning or that Princess Celestia was still fast asleep and had yet to raise her sun. “Apple Bloom, would you tell yer brother to pass the maple syrup.” The little olive yellow pony glanced at her older sister than to her big brother. Sitting between her two older siblings was rather unpleasant this morning. Helplessly, Apple Bloom turned to her grandmother. Her big honey yellow eyes begging to be excused from the table. Going to school had never felt so appealing. Granny Smith, matriarch of the Apple clan put her hoof down. She nodded to her youngest grandchild, who quickly ran out of the kitchen with a hurried call of “Bye Everypony” followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Once the little filly was gone, she then turned to her other two grandchildren. Macintosh was silently eating his hay. Apple Jack on the other hoof, if glares were daggers, Macintosh would most surely be struck dead. “What’s going on between the two of yew?” The old green mare’s eyes were specifically on Apple Jack. Her eldest granddaughter looked away. Old Apple Smith didn’t like this kind of behaviour at her table. “If yew can’t be civil, best be out in farm.” “If you would excuse me, Granny Smith.” Apple Jack stood up. The orange pony trotted out the door. The table was silent and Macintosh soon followed. “Thank you for breakfast,” he said, and two old ponies were soon alone at the table. Apple Smith looked across the table to her husband of 50 years. “Ah know that look Hay Seed, yew know something. So out with it!” “You know you can’t get anything out of me, Smith.” The old cowpony answered with a stubborn expression on his face, which turned to a slight grin as he watched his wife of 50 years. “If ah were 30 years younger, ah buck that grin off yer face.” Hay Seed continued grinning. Even after all the many decades they have been together, nothing seemed to have changed. Smith was still the same fiery mare who dared to hire him and his two brothers, three lowlifes with nothing more that a promise of warm beds and a good meal to defend her stake of land and that of her friends from the Longhorn Desperados. Of course, that was what got him interested in the first place and stopped him from throwing her out of the salon onto her rump. What kind of mare was brave enough or desperate enough to approach the Hay Brothers with empty hooves? It did help that Apple Smith had a nice rump. Hay Seed flicked his ears forwards to listen to Apple Smith tirade. “Ah could have yew thrown off ma farm and ah still have that wanted poster,” she threatened with the easy of a well rehearsed play. The old bounty on Hay brothers he mussed. “60 bits don’t buy all that much no more,” he answered. “As for me getting off yer farm, that’ll never happen, Smith. Ah be back after sundown and terrorise you in yer own bed.” He leered. “Farm fillies like yer self should be wise not to tangle with the likes of the Hay brothers.” She batted him on the nose for his troubles. The old stallion continued to grin. Eeyup, he and his two brothers met the Longhorn gang in a final showdown at Ponyville. Once the dust had settled and that was back before the town square had been paved over with cobbled stones, the Hay Brothers stood tall. The Longhorn gang had been taught a lesson that was not to be forgotten. Those land claims eventually become the Apple, Lemon and Carrot farms. And the Hay brothers, well they vanished into the sunset never to be found by long arm of the law, while the Apple, Lemon and Carrot got themselves their husbands. “Carrot Redland, Lemon Zest and I will form us a posse and run yew off good and proper.” Hay Seed frowned. “Carrot Redland passed on two winters ago. Zest hasn’t been herself, not since ma brother died. You know that.” Apple Smith stopped mid sentence. She slummed into her chair. She felt tired. Her bad hips as always ached terribly. “Ah forgot. Ah honestly forgot.” She was silent for a long time before she finally spoke. “Time’s fast catching up on us, ain’t it.” Hay Seed reached out and held Apple Smith’s hoof with his own. When did their hooves become so worn and nicked? “Ah’m sorry, ah can’t tell you what’s happening at yer own table. It’s not ma place to say, nor ma place to be involved. If anything is to be said, our grandchildren will tell us.” “Surely, if the matter is of such seriousness it would be best we lend our advice.” She looked up as if expecting Hay Seed to agree. Hay Seed shook his head. “There are no right answers to this one. Only what a pony can live by.” His fore hoof was by Apple Smith’s face stroking her now dull green coat, it had been so very bright once. “Ah won’t have it any other way but you have mighty strong and forceful opinions, Smith. It hasn’t always turned out right.” Apple Smith looked away, letting Hay Seed touch fall from her face. “Yew talking about our eldest, aren’t yew?” Hay Seed didn’t reply. He didn’t need too. She breathed slowly. As much as she wished to deny it, her husband was right. She had raised her daughters to be strong ponies, and her eldest, the mother of her three grandchildren living on the farm, had been the strongest. Sweet Apple Acres was simply not large enough for two strong willed and stubborn mares. It was a rift between mother and daughter that never healed Hay Seed began to clear the breakfast table. “You don’t want to go making the same mistake.” A rift that never would heal because she had outlived her eldest daughter. It was one of the great regrets in her long life. Apple Smith didn’t reply. * **
PonyBlue	725	4	Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Unexpected	Rainbow Dash is unexpectedly pregnant. Follow how she meets this life change.	incomplete	178	8	<p>Life….<br/>It doesn’t always go to plan. <br/>It never has for Rainbow Dash.<br/>One drunken summer’s night was all it took to change her life. Now Rainbow Dash finds herself pregnant. Follow her as faces this unexpected event.</p>	teen	2012-06-24T02:02:39+00:00	2012-06-24T02:02:39+00:00	4,948	Chapter 4 Rarity. The second she woke up, she already felt like crap. “Buck it!” Rainbow Dash murmured bitterly. She would have been more forceful and her words louder had she not been in the midst of worshipping the porcelain goddess of Twilight’s bathroom. This was not to say that Rainbow Dash was a stranger to the porcelain goddess. In fact and much to her dismay, this experience brought back memories of a similar incident with free cupcakes…specifically Apple Jack’s Baked Bads, as Pinkie Pie called them. A single mouthful of one potato chip flavoured, earthworm filled cupcake was enough to kill any love Rainbow Dash might have had for the confectionary delight. Even the word ‘cupcake’ was now enough to send her running. But this… this was just plain misery and unbelievably nasty. It felt like she had spent countless hours with her head hovering over the lip of Twilight’s toilet bowl, yet her insides refused to settle and continued to tremble like a leaf in a storm. A famous mare once said. ‘Tomorrow is another day and a new day brought a fresh start and a solution to yesterday’s problems.’ But Dash knew better. Life didn’t work that way. Yesterday’s tomorrow had become today over the course of a night. Problems didn’t vanish in Luna’s night, instead they often grew. Today began as a hot day, even by summer standards. The air hummed with the buzz of insects in the grass and had enough humidity to make it stifling even indoor. Some shady clouds in the sky would have been nice, even a bit of rain but there was none. Unfortunately for Cloud Kicker, her assistant, she had called in sick again. Cloud Kicker would have to manage Ponyville’s weather system for another day. Ponyville’s Weather Service would have to make due, somehow.” Yesterday… had been difficult to say the least. Her entire world had shifted on its poles. A.J had been so adamant and she had a point but so did Twilight. She was torn between her friends. Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. Her eyes trailed down the length of her body, watching the expense of azure blue skin stretch out from her chest to her still taunt abdomen. Something flickered in those deep pools of her violet eyes… an unfamiliar emotion that if it could be named was fear…fearful indecision. Abruptly Rainbow Dash tilted head-first once more over the porcelain toilet bowl. Any thoughts small or profound vanished in a heavy wave of heaving queasiness. It was a full minute later before the retching sound stopped. Rainbow wiped the side of her mouth with her fetlock as she recoiled from the experience. “W-What I w-wouldn’t give f-for a bottle of motion sickness tablets right now.” Dash shivered slightly as her sparse breakfast disappeared down the toilet with a swirling flush. Twilight Sparkle and Spike were gone, something to do arson and community service, something strange like that. It left the whole library empty, lonely and... depressing. Rainbow Dash nudged the faucet with the edge of her fore hoof to get the water running. It took two tries before she had water to wash out her mouth from that awful aftertaste that lingered there. She glared in irritation at the brass tap head. Only a Unicorn like Twilight Sparkle would have a tap this difficult to use. Rainbow Dash lifted her head and caught sigh of her reflection in the mirror. The cerulean Pegasus that stood there was a mare with a haggard tired look around her eyes. This was a mare that had spent a night tossing and turning, all but unable to sleep. As she stared, a faint sound reached her ears. She couldn’t put her hoof on what it was exactly. It took her a moment before she recognized it to be a familiar voice, but one she had not expected to hear. Dash barely had time to put one hoof in front of another when she heard the sound of Twilight Sparkle’s front door creaking open. The sound of the doorbell chimed in the air as a dazzling alabaster Unicorn sauntered through the doorstep of the Book and Branches library. “Hello, any pony home? Twilight, are you in?” Rarity called out as she entered. The door was unlocked but that in itself was not unusual nonetheless the fashionista stopped in surprise. What froze her in mid step was the state of the library… and perhaps the criminally unfashionable rust brown blackout curtains that Twilight had adorn her windows with. Even coarse burp sacks would have been an improvement. The normally warm candlelight glow of the library’s main floor was nowhere to be found. In its place was a stilted dull greyness mixed with the scent of old dusty paper. The curtains were shut, only a single ray of Celestia’s morning light penetrated the gloom. Even the usually tidy library that Rarity had come to expect was in disarray. Books of all shapes and sizes lay haphazardly scattered upon the floor. Many were faced up and opened. A terribly careless thing to do to a book, Rarity felt. Such treatment would ruin a book’s spine, pages would fall out soon after. Sometimes it seemed that Twilight Sparkle never learned how to clean up after herself, being far too reliant on poor Spikey-Wikey. “Uh... Rarity?!” Dash asked, a little bit nervous as she stuck her head out of the bathroom. Her eyes strained against the low grayed light. Even now she wasn't sure how to face her friends without feeling shame. “Rarity?” The alabaster Unicorn yet out a small yelp of surprise as she lifted her head at the mention of her name. “Rainbow Dash?!” She called, her words hung in the darken room.. “What in the name of Equestria are you doing back there!?” "Nothing,” Rainbow Dash smiled forcefully in return. “That is hardly nothing, darling. You gave me quite the fright!” “So why did you come over for?” “I just came by to see if Twilight had any books on historical fashion. I believe ruffles will be making a come back this summer. I want to be ahead of the game. I’m guessing she isn’t in and the library is actually closed.” Rarity’s last comment was not to be expected because Dash seemed surprised and it made the rainbow maned pony glanced over to the front door then back to the library counter beside her. Dash turned to the counter and returned, clutching something in her mouth. Dangling in front of her was a small sign in Twilight’s neat and even handwriting, it read: ‘The Book and Branches Library is closed today. Be sure to come back tomorrow!’ “I guess I forgot to put that up.” Rainbow muttered. “But help yourself, it is a public library.” Rainbow Dash turned to a book shelf. “What do you think? Historic fashion… should it come under F for Fashion or H for historic?” A quick glance of the books on the shelf nearest to her revealed a puzzle assemblage of book titles. Canterlot cook books were set side by side with books on Zebra potions. There seemed neither rhyme nor rhythm to the shelving system that Twilight used. “I was meaning to ask you about the weather. It is a bit hot, even for a summer’s day. Some clouds in the sky would be nice even some rain,” Rarity commented. “The humidity is also simply dreadful and don’t let me start on the buzzing insects. Those little monstrosities are everywhere.” Rainbow Dash let out a small groan. If Rarity was complaining, she could imagine the number of complains that must be piling on her table at the Weather Office. “Nothing much I can do.” She said and continued to concentrate on the shelved books in front of her, pacing from book shelve to book shelve looking for a hint of Rarity’s book. “The shipment of clouds from Cloudsdale’s weather factory is late. Ponyville’s weather patrol has to make due, somehow.” Rarity was about to say something in reply when she sniffed the air hanging over the blue Pegasus. It was a scent that changed her mood to a worried one. Rarity frowned. Rainbow Dash’s mane was quite unruly, more so than usual. She looked so pale and there was something in the Pegasus posture that Rarity had not seen before. The athletic Pegasus mare looked tired. No, that was not it, Rarity corrected herself. She looked fragile. "Rainbow Dash is everything okay?" Rarity finally spoke but concern never left her eyes. Rainbow Dash stopped and hesitantly turned her face towards Rarity’s voice. “I'm your best friend,” Rarity stressed. “You can tell me.” Dash scuffed a hoof at the floor. “I, um... was…and... I…” Nothing came to mind. She sat down on her hunches, her legs quivered slightly. There was nothing to say except the truth. Rainbow Dash found it impossible to speak. Call it a mare’s instinct but what Rarity said next surprised everypony, most of all herself "You are with foal, aren’t you?” ‘Pony-feathers!’ Rainbow Dash flinched, her eyes wide and ever so slowly she nodded her head. “How did you guess?” The question escaped her lips. “I’m not already showing, am I?” Rainbow Dash panicked even as she brought her own hooves to cover her lower abdomen. The look of alarm on Rarity was sudden. Belatedly she realised she just gave Rarity her answer, removing any possibility of hiding her pregnancy. “I-I... It’s no big deal,” Rainbow Dash gave a non-committal shrug of her wings and turned away to the bookshelves. She had not even finish turning when she suddenly found herself in Rarity’s soft embrace. “What the hay!?” she cried and struggled to break free, but Rarity somehow found the strength to hold firm to the more athletic mare. “Oh, darling, it is a big deal.” Rarity soothing voice added as she whispered in Dash’s ear, trying her best to comfort the cerulean mare. “It’s going to be alright, do you hear me? You’re going to be alright.” This time there were no tears but Rainbow Dash found her body shaking with quiet little spasms. Rarity squeezed a little tighter in reply. Slowly, then like a dam breaking, Dash felt the fight leave her. Hesitantly she hugged back, wrapping her forelegs around her friend. She rested her head on Rarity withers and buried her face beneath the Unicorn’s long silky blue mane. “I found out yesterday.” She whispered, unable to stop herself.. I couldn’t go home.” “So I assume you had a sleepover with Twilight." Rarity managed a small smile on her face. “Have you told the rest of the girls?” She asked softly. “Apple Jack knows. I couldn’t stay with her because…because Macintosh.” Her expression dropped at his name. Rarity grew silent as she listened to what Dash said. “Did he hurt you?" Rarity asked, almost emotionlessly. 'Yes, he emotionally did.' Dash shook her head. “It was an accident.” "Did he say something that hurt you?" 'Yes.' “He said that... the foal isn’t his.” Dash ended her words with a stuttering whisper. She ran a hoof gently over the back of Dash’s short rainbow toned mane. If it were possible the look in her friend’s eyes was one that would’ve melted the coldest of hearts, even that of Nightmare Moon. “I am sorry. I truly am.” Rarity laid her hoof over her friends head. “Macintosh is a fool of a stallion to say that. He does not deserve you.” Rarity continued to hold Dash in her hooves. “You should get some sleep," Rarity spoke, breaking the silence and held Rainbow Dash at hoof distance "You look exhausted." "I'm not tired." She broke away from Rarity. "Oh, really?" Rarity replied amusedly, even managing a small smile. "The bags under your eyes disagree." "I can't sleep." She mumbled. The look in her eyes was far away and distant. Even though Rainbow Dash didn't say it, Rarity knew what was going on in her mind, "Tell me," her voice was quiet, almost eerie, “Do you want this foal?” Dash didn't reply. Locks of her rainbow colour mane fell over her face as she dropped her head down low, hiding away from Rarity’s gaze. Rarity asked again, this time with a different tack. “If Macintosh had proposed, would you have married him?" Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please… don't ask me this…" "Why? Rarity pushed. “It isn’t a hard question to answer. Do you love him? Do you see your future with him? Would you start your own herd? Be honest." Rainbow Dash was unable to produce any answer immediately. What Rarity said made her speechless, tongue-tied. She frowned at her own feeling. Her heart was like a wind tossed storm cloud, so full of uncertainties. Yeah, what if the situation she was in right now wasn’t about a foal and pregnant stuff, but about Macintosh proposing to her. Marriage? Yes, somewhere at the back of her mind she had hoped to fall in love and get married one day. Maybe have a foal or two eventually. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure how that would work out. But it all come right some day or night. Just not now, not before the Wonderbolts. Would she have wanted to be tied down to an apple farmer in Ponyville, a dependable Earth Pony apple farmer, whose horizon stretch only as far as the fences of Sweet Apple Acres? Would she have given up her dream of being a Wonderbolt? For what? She asked herself. To raise a wing pegasi foals so they could grow up manage the weather over farms of The Apples, The Carrot, The Lemons and The Pies? Rainbow Dash could see such a life playing out for decades to come. She would spend her evenings regaling her half dozen foals and their school friends with tales of Cloudsdale, that far away big city which she had been born in. She would amaze them, just like she did now with Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, with vivid descriptions of the majestic propylon, the processional gateway that led up to the colossal Acropolis of Cloudsdale and best of all the Stadia Maximus. It was the largest and most prestigious hippodrome of the pegasi world. It was a place of tall storied colonnade of mystical pegasi heroes and the home of the Wonderbolts. There the Wonderbolt raced, their thundering wing beats amazed the crowds that gather to pay homage to the greatest fliers of Equestion. She could see herself telling and retelling stories of Wonderbolts until she was an old grey mare, but never be a Wonderbolt herself. She knew what she would have said and it was ‘No.’ She saw neither foal nor Macintosh in her perfect picture of the immediate future. Rainbow Dash never looked at him that way, despite frequently spotting him as she over flew Sweet Apple Acres every day. She would admit. He had an easy nature around him and a friendly southern country charm that put everypony at ease. He made you feel as if you had always been neighbours. Add that to his sun-kissed mane, brick red coat and lettuce green eyes, she wouldn’t deny a certain natural physical attraction. She had kissed him after all and a bit more, her hoof drifted to her abdomen, even if she was as drunk as skunk at the time. But what they had between them was just platonic relationship. She was sure of that… a platonic relationship that got very warm one summer’s night. She just could not see a future married to an apple farmer. So how come making the decision wasn’t any easier to make? “I… She flinched “It’s my flesh and blood. I don’t have a choice.” She replied ever so slowly. "Is that so? I don't believe you!” Rarity retorted sharply. “You sound like Apple Jack.” Her mouth gaped open it was as if she had been slapped across the face by Rarity. “Dear, I can tell,” Rarity continued. “You are running.” Rainbow Dash huffed, taking offence. “I'm not running!” She emphasized the last word. She stood nose to nose with the white Unicorn “Then what of the Wonderbolts? What of your ambition or was it all just hot air?” "Rarity…" Rainbow Dash shot a warning look. The alabaster Unicorn ignored the other mare and turned away. “I didn’t take you for a quitter, Rainbow Dash. Or maybe you are. Maybe you weren’t even serious about the Wonderbolts.” Rarity mocked. She had enough, like the sudden snap of a Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash spun her body fully and faced Rarity. “Joining the Wonderbolts has been my dreamed since I was a filly “Her voice rose, almost yelling. Her wings were stretched out in anger. "How could you say that to me?!" She shouted “Then why are you quitting!?” Rarity shouted in reply. “Because I don’t have a place with the Wonderbolts!,” Rainbow Dash shrieked, stomping her fore hooves hard on the library’s wooden floor. “Is that's what you wanted to hear?” Her shout echoed across the library’s darkened interior. She looked at Rarity sharply with angry, hurt eyes. Had the answer to Rarity's question earlier always been so close? The words were more bitter then she had expected. Slowly, she turned her gaze elsewhere, anywhere so she wouldn’t need to look Rarity in the eye. “I won the Young Flier’s competition. I saved you and three Wonderbolts while doing the first recorded Sonic Rainboom!” Her throat caught and she let out a whimper. “Look at me. I’m still stuck in Weather Management. I’ll be pushing around clouds in Ponyville, in the middle of nowhere for the rest of my life.” Dash slowly sank heavily onto her haunches and a tired sigh escaped her lips. “Is that what you want to hear?" They were bickering like two fillies over some childish argument, calling each other names and ready to nip at the other’s legs "Why are you doing this to me, Rarity?" She looked wearily to the Unicorn. Rarity returned her stare, mute. It seemed like the whole space between them had turned into a grave zone once again. Rarity answered slowly, making Dash fixed her violet eyes on her own azure orbs. "Because I am you friend Rainbow Dash, because I love you. I am forcing you to be honest with yourself. Your decision on your pregnancy should be done for the right reason. Not as an excuse to give up and run away. Not because of Apple Jack or Twilight Sparkle personal opinions. The worst thing in life is the regret of what might have been.” “The Best Young Flyer competition…” Dash trailed. “It was supposed to be my big break. With the Sonic Rainboom I expected… something. Something more than a general ad in a CloudsDale newspaper, which almost nopony in Ponyville subscribes too. I could have missed it.” The last came out as a whisper. “The Sonic Rainboom deserves an automatic ticket to the Wonderbolts, at the very least a personal invite from Captain Spitfire to the tryout,” It had nagged at her for weeks. “The wonderbolts…is all a blur to me…” The admission was like an electric shock to her veins. It was painful. Rarity squeezed Dash lightly with her fore hooves. "Do you really want to give up your dream?" Rainbow Dash smiled weakly. She shot back a playful look. "That's not a bad idea, don't you think? Rainbow Crash finally washes out for good. Something every pony in Flight Camp knew from the start. Maybe she would make a better mom than a Wonderbolt,” she joked, even managing a false half hearted chuckle. “She wasn’t all too good being a Weathermare either." “That is not you, Rainbow Dash. You never run.” “Rarity, when I first found out that I was pregnant with Macintosh's foal, I was really, really scared. I really was. I still am. I couldn’t sleep. I was never so frightened in my life. But you know something strange,” Rainbow Dash said softly in a tiny voice. “As I lay in bed, I suddenly felt secure. I didn’t have to worry about the future anymore because I didn’t have one. I finally made one screw up too many. No more future. No more Wonderbolts. No more need to climb back into the Weather Service central office at Cloudsdale. I’ve been a wash up for years now and just maybe, it was alright to stop fighting for once. And when I asked myself whether it was okay or not to spend the rest of my life in Ponyville, the thought somehow didn’t make me as sick as I imagined.” Her voice turned low. “I don’t need…”, she breathed, it almost a squeak. “I don’t want to hear it from Spitfire or Soarin’,” She hiccupped and sniffed on the verge of tears. “I’ve not heard from Spitfire since the Grand Galloping Gala.” That bit of news had nagged at her for weeks. “I am the fastest Pegasus alive in all of Equestria, even the records say so. I had Twilight check! But maybe… maybe…” The words came out slowly. Only here in the confines of Twilight’s library with Rarity as her only witness, did she dare admit her darkest fear. It scared her so much she could barely admit it to herself. “Maybe, I don’t have the right stuff to be a Wonderbolt.” “Rainbow Dash, darling, if there ever was a pony born to be Wonderbolt it would be you. You are a very fast pony and if I may borrow your colloquium, an awesome mare.” Dash shook her head. “I’ve never flown with other ponies as much as I flew against ponies. It isn’t just a preference or style. It is in my blood, like the rainbow of my mane or my cutie mark. It’s always a race. I even raced the wind and when that was no longer enough, I fought to fly faster still. That’s how I split the light spectrum. Faster than fast.” Rainbow Dash looked away. “I’m a solo flyer, a racer. Maybe that was what the Wonderbolts could see.” She hiccupped as she chocked back a cry. “Maybe that is why winning the Best Young Flyer competition didn’t mean a thing. While the Wonderbolts…” She couldn’t do it anymore. Tears springing anew from her eyes, and she began to sob. At the first sight of tears streaking down Rainbow Dash’s face, Rarity reached forward and tackled Rainbow Dash in a bear-hug comparable to that of a certain pink party pony. ‘While the Wonderbolts,’ Rarity completed silently for the mare she held in her hooves, ‘was a team.’ A team couldn’t work with a pony that was as individualistic as Rainbow Dash. She tried her best to comfort her friend. Dash held on to Rarity, her shoulders heaving and choked sobs escaped her lips. It was then, she realised what Rarity had been saying about running. She was running and maybe that was why she was holding on to the foal. It would be a convenient excuse for her to crash out without her heroes saying to her face that she didn’t have what it took to make the cut. She could avoid another failure, in a long list of failures. Fierce Rainbow Dash was hiding behind a foal, her old friend Gilda would have called her pathetic and the female griffon would be right too. Rarity stayed still as Rainbow Dash cried her heart out on her chest. After a few minutes, Rarity’s grip slackened to a gentle embrace. She was relieved that Rainbow Dash had quieted down just a little. She wiped the tears away, leaving streaks on Rainbow Dash’s blue cheeks. There was some truth in the stereotypes, Pegasi were quick but intense in their emotions. “Some warm aromatic tea would help.” She whispered into her ear. Rarity thought she heard a slight gasp escape the Pegasus, but it was muffled by her quiet sobbing. She didn’t know it, but Rainbow Dash absolutely hated tea.
PonyBlue	725	5	Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Unexpected	Rainbow Dash is unexpectedly pregnant. Follow how she meets this life change.	incomplete	178	8	<p>Life….<br/>It doesn’t always go to plan. <br/>It never has for Rainbow Dash.<br/>One drunken summer’s night was all it took to change her life. Now Rainbow Dash finds herself pregnant. Follow her as faces this unexpected event.</p>	teen	2013-03-17T22:05:12+00:00	2013-03-17T22:05:10+00:00	3,229	Chapter 5 Persuasion. “We need to talk.” Macintosh began without preamble. The large stallion stood tall a corn field, just south of the farm house. He was red blot in a field of green stalks. Apples were the main stay of Sweet Apple Acres but it wasn’t the only thing grown on the farm. “What is there to be talking about?” His younger sister, Apple Jack answered without looking back. She busied herself examining a corn leaf with a practise eye for any signs of insect infestation or infection. “Ah overheard what you and gramps were talking about last night. What more is there to say?” It wasn’t what he had expected, though he didn’t know what to expect. “Ah see.” “My hoof you see!” She spun around, the stiff hairs of her blond tail nearly snapped across his nose. “Mah best friend is pregnant with mah brother’s foal. While mah other best friend is suggesting an abortion ‘cause she thinks nopony will be lending a helping hoof and she is not the least bit concern that she’ll be killing a foal. A foal that is our friend’s first daughter and mah first niece. And then ah’ hear ma’ brother is not going to pony up to his responsibilities!” Macintosh was silent, speechless. Apple Jack continued to glare at her brother. She wasn’t patient enough to wait for a reply from the large earth stallion. Too much of a cold-blooded pony in him, Apple Jack concluded. Immovable and slow… Troublesome. “So what were you thinking of doing? Abandon Dash like that cad of a unicorn, Muffin Bran did to poor Ditzy Hooves?” “Muffin Bran didn’t abandon his family.” Macintosh defended. He did so almost on reflex. There were few enough stallions in pony society, about one stallion born to every four mares and there were few enough stallions in Ponyville that they were almost a community within a community. “He headed east to find his fortune.” “There is only one mare left in Ponyville who believes that story and its Ditzy Hooves.” Apple Jack answered back. “Ah won’t have my best friend sitting at the train station every evening waiting for a pony who will never come.” Slowly she looked at Macintosh in an almost pained look. “You should have seen Dash. She was crying her eyes out.” Macintosh's voice was low. “Ah didn’t know that. Ah, never meant to hurt her.” "You did.” She stated. “Regardless of yer intensions, you hurt her bad. So, will you do the right thing?" “It would be one mistake compounded over another.” “But if you don’t love Dash, then why in land sakes did you sleep with her?” She asked in frustration. “She was drunk. Ah was drunk. Drunk ponies make mistakes.” “Mistakes are when you wake up late in the morning and forget to feed the pigs. Siring a foal with yer sister’s best friend who is also the town’s Weather Manager isn’t.” Macintosh knew what his sister meant. The talk would never die down. Rainbow Dash might not act it but she was a prominent member of the community. The Weather Manager was second only to the Mayor as weather control was of the life blood of a farming community like Ponyvile. “You can’t make a pony love another pony just by yer say so.” “Please Big Macintosh, ah know you have a big heart. So please, can’t you find room for Dash. Can’t you love her? She needs you, more than she knows herself.” Macintosh didn't answer immediately. His forehead wrinkled with lines of a frown. Certainly there was still doubt hanging at the back of his mind. Macintosh fell into a deep thinking once again. His shoulders sagged with burdening uncertainties “She a fine mare, though a bit on the lazy side when she thinks nopony is a looking. And has a tendency to help herself to an apple or two” Apple jack chuckled tensely. “But a fine mare all the same.” “It won’t be right.” he finally spoke. “Apple Jack,” he turned to his sister. “Ah can’t give Dash something ah don’t have.” His tone was weary. “And the fact of the matter is ah don’t….ah don’t think if she even sees me in the same way. Sis, have you ever asked what ah want?” Those few words sounded selfish even to his ear but it had to be said. He regretted saying it but didn’t gramps make a point about marrying for the wrong reason? Was marriage simply going to heap one bad decision over another? “A bit late now,” Apple Jack retorted hotly. Macintosh could only look away. She continued glaring at her older brother until she let out a heavy sigh. “No.” She admitted guilty. “Honestly, ah haven’t. Ah kinda figured that ya would do the right thing on yer own. So what do you want?” Macintosh was silent. “Ah -” There was nothing to say, nothing but the truth. “Ah don’t know.” “Landsakes,” Apple Jack swore and jabbed her hoof to her forehead “Fine,” Apple Jack cut in, tired, and frustrated that she was getting little headway. “If you can’t do what is right by Dash, can you at least do what is right by yer own blood. Yer foal deserves a father. ” For the first time in a long while, he had been blindsided. * “Feeling better?” The question hung over the table in Twilight’s kitchen like the cloud of steam over the tea mugs the two mares had between their hooves. Rainbow Dash snorted as she kept the steaming mug away from her mouth. It smelled like boiled weeds and was a tasty as it sounded, terrible. “A bit.” She admitted despite the unpleasant smell, and slowly she took a small polite sip if only to stop Rarity from staring at her. “What do I do now? Macintosh…” It always came back to him, Rarity sighed. “Forget about him for the moment. As much as can be said about Macintosh, ultimately it is his decision. As for the foal, I think it would be shrewd if you ask yourself if you can actually afford one.” “I’m giving birth to a foal, Rarity.” Dash replied dryly. “Not buying one at Rich's Barnyard Bargain. I mean… how much can a foal cost?” “Darling, if you could only see the bills Sweetie Belle charges to my bank ledgers, you’ll sing a different tune.” A pencil and a sheet of paper flew over to Rarity as she cleared a space on the table. “Now then, I can help you go over your finances and see what kind of damage a foal would make to your budget.” Her red rim glasses lifted out her saddle bags on her snout. Rainbow Dash moaned reluctantly. “Do I have to?” She asked, only to receive a searching look from Rarity. Dash relented. “Fine, where do we start?” “Well, let’s start with the basics, income. How much money do you make?” Little did Rainbow Dash know, that little question was the start of more heartache. The numbers didn’t add up. In one long shuddering moment, stark realisation dawn upon Rainbow Dash. The pencil she held in her mouth tumbled and rolled away unnoticed. She had always been good with numbers, most Pegasi were, just as many Unicorns were good with the written word, but it was now very apparent she wasn’t any good at managing her Bits. “We can fix this.” Rarity insisted firmly. The figures on her bank ledges spelled it out in bold strokes of red ink. Her finances were in a horrible state, bad enough that it made Rarity cringe even as the Unicorn tried to keep her face blank and neutral. Rainbow Dash never lingered on her spending habits but now it was out for Rarity and herself to see. It was glaringly simple. “How?” Dash wailed in despair. “Nopony can fix this.” All around her were her banking papers which she have had flown down from her home to library for Rarity to read. “I live from pay check to pay check, and I’m the village Weather Manager! I make more Bits than the other Weather mares and I can only make ends meet from overtime In the last two months of my pregnancy, I’ll be grounded, cloud bound, too heavy to be on Weather Security patrols.” Dash dropped her head between her blue hooves. “Without the overtime, I’ll have only on my basic salary and…I won’t have Bits to put food on the table.” “As a temporary solution, I would suggest you can cut your spending on the Wonderbolts now.” Rarity interjected. “No more airshow tickets, no more memorabilia, posters and plushies. Put those Bits into your savings account to make up for the months while you are grounded.” “Savings that I barely have,” Dash muttered while shaking her head. “It’s still not enough, Rarity. Most of my Bits are gone before it even gets into my hooves. I have a spending problem.” “More than half,” The alabaster unicorn added. “You don’t so much have a spending problem as a too much house problem. You have committed too much of your income to mortgage payments. As a general rule, the maximum you should dedicate to a mortgage is 25% of you net salary. Above 35% you generally have not enough money for …well everything else.” The unicorn shook her head. “You are at 43%! Such a high housing cost percentage leaves you with no room for error.” Dash cringed at Rarity’s words “I messed up okay!” She yelled defensively. She could already feel Rarity’s unasked question burning into her blue fur coat. “I got my place when I was in Cloudsdale… when I was going places.” She then added quietly, “when I thought I was going to be somepony. I wanted at place which said that.” Rarity crossed her forehoove and levitated off her red rim glasses. “It need not be mentioned that was a bad financial decision. You are still repaying your education loan for Flight school, which you have to pay back in full given that you failed to graduate. “ “Don’t remind me.” Dash replied gloomily. “I had one chance when I was younger to make something of myself and I screwed up. I should never have done that Sonic Rainboom.” “Why ever would say that? That Sonic Rainboom gave us our Cutie Marks. It made us all the ponies we are today.” “Yeah it did,” Dash replied bitterly. “I flunked out of Flight School because of that and it isn’t even recorded in the history books as the first Sonic Rainboom. No proof.” Rarity was shocked. “I didn’t know.” The unicorn held her hoof to her mouth. “I’m so sorry.” “Yeah, yeah.” Dash waved her friend off, yet the look of pain still plastered on her snout. “I guess it all balanced out in the end. Twilight got into her fancy magic school of hers while I got kicked out of mine.” Dash leaned back, wished her cushion had a backing to lean on. “I’m still paying for that screw up. Got to repay the scholarship for flunking out of Flight School.” Rainbow Dash dropped her face between her hooves. If she wanted something better for her foal than a cloud pushing Weatherpony, her baby had to think about graduating from Flight School. But unlike her mother there wouldn’t be any helpful scholarship waiting in the wings after Basics. Rainbow Dash didn’t want to admit it but lineage mattered. Ponies were not born equal. If her half Earthpony foal was born a Pegasus, the chances were she wouldn’t be fast. She would be slow, heavy boned and maybe even small winged. At best, she would be good for pulling sky wagons and carrying goods between Pegasi towns. It would be an honest living but she would be in the end, be nothing more that muscle, no better than her cloud pushing mother. Such a Pegasus would never win, let alone qualify for a scholarship at Flight School. At worse, Dash couldn’t bear to think of it. Her foal would have dainty Pegasi wings, no better than a show piece. Something she was sure Scootaloo was an example off. Not strong enough to fly in any meaningful way, yet not Earthpony strong to take up traditional Earthpony jobs. Oh, Celestia what had she done. Dash couldn’t breathe. She wanted to scream. Rarity took off her red rimmed glasses and reach out to hold Rainbow Dash by the hoof. Rainbow Dash stare down into her teacup and began to bite her bottom lip with her teeth, an action Rarity found quite distracting, especially when it went against every book she had read on good manners. "Dear, please do stop that. You're going to make yourself bleed," Rarity admonished, although she wasn't so worried about that as she was of Rainbow Dash having another tear filled panic attack. The Pegasus promptly stopped and sighed loudly, the sound portraying all the frustration and hopelessness she felt. Then the inevitable question came up. “What if she isn’t a Pegasus?” Her eyes were wide and desperate. "So far we’ve been talking as if she took after me. But what if she…” Her fore hoof hovered over her abdomen. “Takes after her fath… Macintosh... an Earthpony…what do I do then? Can I afford a roof over her head? How much does a house on the ground cost anyway?” she asked flippantly hoping to hide her growing dread. Rarity let out a sighed. It was enough to cause Dash to swallow hard. A number was scribbled on a paper and passed across the table. Rainbow Dash gingerly pulled it open between her hooves. There was a reason Fluttershy lived in a cottage so close to the dangerous Ever Free Forest. Living close to wildlife was on reason and the other was now staring back at Rainbow Dash “Great, just great,” was the first thing Rainbow Dash said out loud. She couldn’t afford an Earthpony foal. It was a simple as that. “Now not only I can’t feed her. I don’t even put a roof over her head. The cloudhouse draining all my bits is next to useless!” “I screwed up,” She whispered. “I can’t afford her.” The last she added in almost a whisper. “Stop that this instant,” Rarity snapped. Despair never helped anypony. It just let ponies wallow… in whatever ponies were supposed to wallow in. Perhaps self-pity… Rarity absently pondered. Dash misunderstood the anger in Rarity’s voice and flinched slightly. "I'm sorry," she said softly, bringing her wing up and over her withers to wrap around herself like a little feathered ball. “I shouldn’t dump all this on you. It is my mistake after all. I wouldn’t be causing so trouble.” Rarity’s frustration instantly dissipated, replaced instead with a pang of sorrow that news most other mares would treasure and eagerly await had instead become a terrible burden to her friend. “Think nothing of it. That is what friends are for.” The unicorn replied, then lowering her voice to a gentler tone, “Besides my parents always said if they had waited until they could "afford" a foal, my sister and I would never have been born.” Rarity managed a grin. “You still have eleven months,” Rarity trailed. “if you decide to keep her.” “Ten.” Dash corrected. “But should I?” The whisper was so quite that Rarity had to swivel her ears to the side to hear. “Pardon me?” Rarity asked although she heard well enough the first time. “I’m asking you, as a friend,” Rainbow Dash looked to Rarity. “Should I keep her?” "I don't know." Rarity answered, and honestly she didn't. The fact that she didn't have an answer for this situation or for that rouge Macintosh, irritated her tremendously. As a friend, she wished she had been better prepared. “I…I am not telling you if you should keep your pregnancy or end it, but whatever you decided, I will tell you are in a poor financial state. You’ll have to spend less money, make more money, and likely sell your house for something more affordable. Renting may not be bad idea. You might want to consider getting an additional job. I believe Ditzy Hooves has some experience.” ”Derpy?” “Rather rude to call Ditzy that.” “I thought she was a Weathermare?” “She is. But I also know she works a second job as the village mailmare. She works ever so hard to raise her daughter Dinky. I know all this because Dinky is a Unicorn. There ever fewer of us unicorn in ponyville, even less than there are Pegasi such that Twilight Sparkle and I have taken upon ourselves to hold special magic classes.” Rainbow Dash sighed and hung her head over the figures written on paper under her snout. The math was simple. “I can’t keep her.”
PonyBlue	725	6	Big Macintosh,Rainbow Dash,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Unexpected	Rainbow Dash is unexpectedly pregnant. Follow how she meets this life change.	incomplete	178	8	<p>Life….<br/>It doesn’t always go to plan. <br/>It never has for Rainbow Dash.<br/>One drunken summer’s night was all it took to change her life. Now Rainbow Dash finds herself pregnant. Follow her as faces this unexpected event.</p>	teen	2013-03-18T02:20:32+00:00	2013-03-18T03:11:43+00:00	4,299	Chapter 6 Confusion When Rainbow Dash woke up the next day, she did so to the sound of a sturdy hoof knocking on the door. She groaned softly, as she groggily forced her violet eyes to open. She found her forelegs close to her face and her head pressed softly on a purple pillow. Slowly she raised her fore hoof then started slightly rubbing her left eye while her gaze move downwards to lingered on the front door at the far side of the library. The knocking continued. Somepony was outside. Still she refused to leave her borrowed bed. Not even on the third knock or the fourth would rouse her into action. She didn’t answer on the fifth either. The knocking continued. The pony at the door was persistent fellow and it appeared that neither Twilight nor Spike was going to answer the door either. Where were they? Her sleepy mind asked. More community service? How many hours did Spike get for starting a fire? Reluctantly she rose from the bed and fluttered her wings to carry her down the stairs and across the living room… or was it the public library. The two were one and the same in Twilight Sparkle’s home so it was hard to decide. She opened the door, only to see Macintosh standing out there. ‘What was he doing here?’ was her first thought. The next was coloured in red as bright as the stallion standing in front of her. How dare he show his face? Still that was not the problem. It was too early for anger… well almost. His eyes were fixed intently on hers, scrutinizing her, wide-eyed and fully composed like there was nothing wrong for him to do so, even after what he had said to her face just the other day. His bigger form shadowed her, blocking the late morning sunlight from reaching her eyes. But that was not the problem either. "What ," she hissed, "are you," her slender blue hoof jabbed his chest, "doing here?" No, the problem was that he opened him mouth and began to talk. "Dash, take this." He reached down and picked up a scroll from his saddle bags. Anger and curiosity warred in her ears. One hoof was ready to slap his face and throw the red stallion off Twilight’s door. He may have been one of the largest ponies in Ponyville but she had the rage to do it. The other hoof was curious, even traitorously relieved that Macintosh cared enough to be here. Curiosity won out. She took the scroll from his mouth. Her lips came close to his. It was unavoidable. A flash of heat blossomed across her face. She quickly turned towards the scroll, trying hard to forget what she just felt. The scroll was made of rich heavy paper and tied by even fancier ribbons. Carefully, she unfurled the scroll and began to read. The words printed in velvety red ink at the top squeezed the breath out of her chest. She blinked, her anger forgotten. It must have been a dream, a strange dream. It was a betrothal contract! Her eyes darted across the paper. The slew of official gibberish on the paper remained unchanging. It was definitely for her and Macintosh. Betrothal … Marriage… Yeah, sure eventually. But like this? By putting her hoof print on a piece of paper in Twilight’s living room, which amounted to Ponyville’s public library? Every little filly dreamed of forming herds with her best friends and marrying a stallion she could love and who would be loved in return. Even Rainbow Dash had to admit she wasn’t immune either. But that dream laid dormant in an old hatbox, unopened since she was a flightless cloud bound filly. It was way back before watching her first air show in the coliseum, before better and more awesome dreams had taken its place. Even so, she could remember it well enough if she tried. There would be no grand ceremony that Unicorns seemed to enjoy so, nor the unending parade of friends and family both near and far that Earth ponies were liable to hold. It would be a typical Pegasi wedding, small and attended only by close friends. It would be held in the early months of summer just as the clouds were getting warmer and the wind filled with floating dandelions seeds. A small reception would follow afterwards by the climax of the wedding… the sky dance, a dance that would last a lifetime It would be between herself, one other mare and their stallion. No outlandishly large herds as some families had. She could even remember some of the flight routines she had made up. The intervening years had made them look childish, simplistic, boring even… and none of it was going to happen. Not with an Earthpony stallion, not with Macintosh. There would be no passionate embraced between lovers on the wing. It would be Macintosh in a hot air balloon, floating stately upwards. It was an apt analogy; an uninterested stallion in a passionless marriage of convenience. "Why?" Her voice came out strong, raspy, almost normal with the barest of hint of a waver to it. There was a soft pause while he worked his mouth to speak. That was the only physical indication of his growing anxiety. "Isn't it obvious?" Her eyes narrowed. "No, it isn't. That's why I am asking." This was such a simple thing yet he couldn't understand why it was so hard for him to say what he meant. “That foal is mine.” "And you care about the foal?" She ached to ask if he cared about her. "Of course. Ah know I don’t have all that many bits but ah want to do the right thing. Ah want to be able to provide for our foal. Ah will not be allowing our foal be born illegitimate." Just as she had thought, Rainbow Dash looked down at the scroll between her hooves. It all must have made perfect sense. He was at the very least partially responsible for this situation. But did he want to do it? Did he care about them or were she and the foal just another duty and responsibility that he was compelled to take care of? Maybe he did care for the foal after a fashion. Apple Jack made it a point. The Apple clan took care of their own. But what about its mother? Did he care for foal’s mother, for Rainbow Dash? Damn him for being such a cold unfeeling bastard. She tried very hard to make sure her voice didn't shake. It wouldn't be a good idea to cry right now. Hormones, they were getting to her. But she needed her wits about her. "No." She reared back and threw the scroll at him. The scroll bounced off his nose and came rolling to his fore hooves. "I refuse to put my hoof print on that, scroll." She said the last word as if it were the worst kind of venom. Screw the wedding! If she was going to be married to somepony, it should at least be a pony that loved her. She stepped away and he stepped forward to fill the space. The door clicked shut behind him. “Ah’m not forcing you into sign this." Macintosh lowered his voice. “This here betrothal contract is mah way of apologising. Ah’m sorry, ah didn’t make myself right clear when we last spoke. Ah’m saying that come what may, ah’ll help raise our foal. This’ll give our foal legitimacy even if we don’t marry.” Macintosh took a step closer. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She defiantly looked into his apple green eyes. “We won’t be having a foal.” "What ‘ca mean by that?" His eyes narrowed and his mind worked furiously trying to understand her words. "Of course it matters! Our child needs a father, a family!” Macintosh took a step closer. "Are you saying you gona put our foal up for adoption?" Rainbow Dash didn't move an inch. “I am considering not carrying it at all.” Damn him, it was so much clearer before he came. “An abortion, since you won't be there to take an active role as the father, since this is all one big mistake that I can’t afford.” Maybe she was saying too much, but heck with him. She was very angry right now and there was only so much she could take from him. He couldn’t believe his flickering ears. Dash couldn’t have meant that. "No.” His voice was low. Yet it sounded like his voice had thunder right across the closed space of the library. It was louder that he liked or intended. Rainbow Dash found herself talking several steps back. Her rump was suddenly pressed against a bookshelf with not a step left to go. There was fire in his voice and it sounded dangerous in her ear. She was abruptly very aware that he was nearly twice her weight and a head taller in height. Big Macintosh was a very large Earthpony stallion and she was a Pegasus mare trapped in a confined space. Her wings were nearly useless. She closed her eyes tightly. He was frightening her. The realisation stopped him cold. He had never done such a thing before. He quickly broke away from her with a frantic look in his eyes. “Ah’m sorry.” He retreated. "Give me a second chance." he said and there was a plea in his voice. "Second chance?" Her eyes opened and they were big and wide. That question brought a wail to her chest. "Second chance." "Wha… Why should I?" "Because our foal deserves her chance at life.” "Well, there doesn't have to be a foal. She hollered, her anger returned. “You didn't want the baby in the first place! And you didn't want the mother, either!" “The foal is mine too. Don’t ah have a say?” Something flickered in those deep expressive pools of his eyes. His eyes trailed down the naked length of her flank, watching her exposed blue skin all the way to her exposed cutie mark of a rainbow coloured lightning bolt. Although the memory was blurry in his mind, he had looked at her like that before, the first time on the night they made love. Rainbow Dash inhaled deeply, the barrel of her chest rising and falling beneath her folded wings. The smell of him, his spicy apple scent made her head spin, and her insides twist. She took more deeps gulps of air, trying to calm her racing heart, only to breathe in more his scent. "What am I supposed to do…?" She whispered, still clinging to the decision she made with Rarity the night before like a drowning Pegasus would a life raft. She was doing all that was possible to keep her life together. Her reputation. Her life. Her dream. She had been so damn close. How could he simply swoop in and do this to her? “I can’t afford her.” “Ah'll help take care of our daughter. That Dash, is a promise. The farm ain’t rich but no foal of mine will ever have to worry about food on her table." She roughly pulled back only to find his muscular body flush against hers, letting her feel all of him, and at the same time making sure she couldn't throw open her wide wings and run. It made her dizzy. "What do you think you are doing?" She rasped. "Promise me, Dash. Promise me that we will at least talk. Promise me that you won’t do anything rash until our herd comes to a decision on our foal.” His voice was soft, yet demanding and his face a scant centimetre from hers. That was when her in confused, anger hazed mind that Rainbow Dash figured something out. Did he use the term ‘herd’? Did he think that they could be a family? Her hind legs gave out on her causing her rump to fall heavily onto the floor. He did care for her and the foal! If so, he just wasn’t so apt at showing it. But he was showing it in his own way. Yet a cold thought lingered in her mind, if this was another mare would he treat her the same as he was her? Did they have a relationship between them, a Rainbow Dash and Macintosh? Would she ever have had one with him if she wasn't carrying his foal? His lips came near her temple and then one words shattered her resolve. "Please?" It was a low halting request. Could she say no? His bowed head came close to her face when in the next instant he kissed her. Macintosh didn’t know what he was doing but it felt right… like their first night together. His lips gently claimed hers. He pressed her chin down with his hoof that made her open her mouth, letting his tongues swirl around hers. “What are you doing?” Dash managed a protesting squeak. Yet she couldn’t ignore that her traitorous body responded to him so quickly and fervently that she could barely contain a low moan. His tongue kept a tempo that made her heart canter in her chest. Her wings on her back arched franticly to stretch out for release. She was just about to reach out with one foreleg to wrap around his wither when he pulled away from her. Rainbow Dash gave off a protesting mewl. The nerve he had to stop at a time like this, leaving her high and dry. She tilted her head up a little to look passed Macintosh red frame. She could almost see Twilight Sparkle from behind the door. A deep frown was etched onto the unicorn’s purple face and her horn was aflame with the glow of her purple magic. “Leave Macintosh, if you know what is good for you.” Twilight Sparkle threatened. * ***
EmptyVector	726	1	Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Zecora,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	A Gap Between the Stars	A character driven story with character revelations and tragedies.	incomplete	-1	-1	<p>Upon the sun rising, the residents of Equestria think today is going to be an ordinary day, something strange is coming. Luna can feel it but when questioning her sister about the strange feelings she was getting, she is met with an emotional sister who wishes to keep a certain something about her past secret.</p><p>These events will shake Equestria to it's core.</p>	everyone	2011-09-05T20:27:16+00:00	2011-09-05T20:27:16+00:00	1,115	A Gap Between the Stars Chapter 1: The gap between worlds Introduction: A world of white and broken remnants and lost concepts, it is a place that ideas are born and where they die. It is also a gap dividing two worlds that are the same yet different to one another is divided. Across the white and endless plains laid old sketches, half written ideas, books and strange unfinished or partly built devices. It was a lonely place which served its purpose as a gateway and a barrier to avoid the clashing of two very different worlds. Although this world was mostly empty, strange ideas still inhabited it. It, however, played a minor role in the shaping of the worlds. More powerful ideas had larger dominions within this world. They struggled for dominance against one and another. There were two powers within this gap that vied for the dominance over one another to see which idea would take a hold in its opposite. They had spent hundreds of years trying to outdo one another through competitions and games in an attempt to gain the upper hand. However, they had remained in a stale mate for longer than even they can remember. Even in this mirror world and the land known as Equestria, legends had surfaced about the black clockwork earth pony and the white regal unicorn with his pointed hat. A table sat in the middle of a blank landscape of white. The landscape shimmered with the pale reflections of shattered glass. On one side of the table sat a black pony with a mane of glossy silver. His blue eyes reflected the brightness of this world between worlds. Upon his back sat a contraption of metal, wire and gears, which hummed as various dials twitched back and forth, and diodes lit up occasionally. Upon his flank lay a mark of two interlocking cogs and a short silver tail. There were various devices were strapped to his forelegs that ticked and clicked at intervals. He wore a pair of spectacles with several switches on the left lens which enabled him to adjust multiple lenses for the delicate work he would often do in his spare time. He sat upon a chair carved from black marble jutting with the shapes of cogs and gears. Behind him lay discarded pieces of scrap metal, some broken and torn, other pieces rusting from age. Upon the opposite side of the table sat another pony, white with golden mane with green shimmering eyes. He wore a red pointed hat and was garbed in a Cape ornamented with sparkling jewel. He wore a pair of plain golden wire rim spectacles and a belt with various pouches and strange implements. Upon his flank, he bore the mark of a wand and five stars. He sat upon a white marble chair with finely carved flowers and almost life like woodland animals. Behind him lay many discarded books some of which piled high, others were left open and others were so old they were falling to pieces. They sat at a wooden table in the mostly empty whiteness which seemed to stretch forever. Various pieces of paper laid scattered with old games of tic-tack-toe and hang-pony lay scattered around the table in a disorganized fashion. Upon the table lay an intricately wooden carved chess set, on either side stood several pieces that had been taken by each player. The white pony sat with deep concentration on his face as his black counterpart ticked and bounced with eager anticipation. "Tic tic" was the only thing that could be heard until a small bell chimed from the contraption located on his right foreleg. "Times up, times up," said the black pony excitedly as he watched his counterpart struggle to think of his next move "Bah!. That incessant ticking of yours put me off, do you have to click and clack and tick all the time?." There was a pause as the black pony winded a mechanism on his side, and the ticking began anew. "Someone has to keep track of the time between turns, or else we'll take forever" retorted the black pony picking up a crank that lay beside him and beginning to wind a mechanism by turning the crank with his mouth. The white pony stared at his black counterpart, a look of confusion across his face as he watched and listened to the "click click clang" of the springs within the strange contraption. "Your games require too much thinking and not enough fun said the white pony in frustration as he moved one of his pieces at random. The black pony raised his head, cocking it to the side as he tapped his hoof on the table. "Well, your games require over exerting your body without thought or reason" replied to the black pony calmly as he moved his piece into position. He flicked the switch on his arm, and his turn clock began ticking once again. Pressing a button on his right leg as the bell chimed. "Your move," said the black pony as he began to wind himself up once again, ticking as he bounced eagerly in his chair, awaiting his opponent's next move. The white pony stared in confusion at his opponent's move and began to think deeply. "Besides, the next game you get to pick, I wonder what game it will be?" The white pony moved his piece, and the bell chimed once again. "yes, but I have to say I haven't had much time to think about it due to my work" replied to the white pony as he cocked his head in thought. "Tag?" "No" replied the white pony. "Forty forty?" "No." "Soccer?" "NO!" his voice raised in anger. "It's usually one of those I just listed or some variant of same; often, something involving a lot of running around and wearing each other out" replied to the black pony as a diode pinged, and he promptly took his move. "Oh?, well how about a new game then?, something that even you should like" the white pony said with a grin as he made his move. "A new game you say?, What is it, what is it, what is it?" he asked excitedly, bouncing in his chair enthusiastically. "Well, how about we see which world is more likely to be more accepting to its opposite. We shaped their ideas, and in turn they gave us shape, it's only fitting that we look at the works. They played a role in creating" said the white pony as he moved his piece randomly, barely even paying attention to the game now. "So, how are we going to decide this?" he ticked and twitched as various mechanisms suddenly became active, his ears perking curiously. "We will allow a handful of ponies to enter through your gate and to come into the world which has followed my influences and do the same with yours. Whoever out of the ponies we pick has gained the most experiences will win the game." The white pony tapped at the wooden desk impatiently as he was awaiting his opponent's next move, studying the board casually as he watched the game unfold. "The data that could be gathered from this venture makes this game worth participating in alone, but how will we pick who will cross the gap?" the black regarded the board thoughtfully as he moved his piece and chimed again. "How about I pick the candidates from your gate, and you pick the ones from mine?" he queried the white pony as he stared at the board before moving his piece again. "This new game is sounding more and more fun by the second and something I can get behind. I will agree to these terms." "Finally! check mate!" he exclaimed black pony, almost as an afterthought, as he moved his final piece into place, and his strategy was finally completed. "Bah how long did you know you were going to win?" the white pony asked in frustration, knocking the pieces off the board. "About 12 moves ago, honestly you were so easy to read!" smiled the black pony excitedly as he began to lose himself in thought. "Bah! You say that every time we play this stupid game, we will see who comes out on top with this next game" snapped the white pony, eyes flaring with anger. "We shall indeed, if you will excuse me, I have many things to plan to do and things to build" exclaimed the black pony, flicking a switch, causing his contraptions to spring and churn to life, and a series of bells rang across the white endless expanse. "Let the games begin." Ponyville, a village nestled in a region surrounded by mountains and within close proximity of the feared Everfree forest. The town itself was within viewing distance of Princess Celestia's castle and the cloud city which served as the domain of the Pegasi. Apple orchards could be seen covering the foothills near the mountains in vast fields in close proximity to the sweet apple acres. Ponyville was small community in comparison to say Phillydelphia but it was home to a vast variety of different characters. Life in Ponyville was an equal balance of work and play to be it local trade, parties or community gatherings for communal activities such as winter wrap-up and the running of the leaves. Life was peaceful here and had been for many years. However, the residents of Ponyville were about to have a shock that would rock their foundations. * * * * * * * * * * * Twilight Sparkle awoke to the sound of the high-pitched ringing of her alarm clock as it's high pitched ring echoed across her bed chamber. Spike immediately reacted by placing his pillow over his head to drown out the incessant ringing. Twilight groggily reached over and tapped the alarm clock, silencing it before climbing out of bed. She trotted towards the mirror and stared blankly at her reflection for a few moments. She used her magic to brush her bed messed mane before turning around to inspect the library. The library was a chaotic mess from last nights studying. Books lay scattered across the library, and scrolls lay disorganized at her study desk. "Spike, it's time to wake up. I'm going to need your help cleaning this mess." She said, her voice soft, clear and well spoken. Spike grumbled in response, tossing in his bed, "5 more minutes" he said in a low mumble and instantly began to snore lightly. Twilight sighed lightly as she approached Spike's bed, gently nudging him with her hoof "Come on, we need to get this place fixed up for Princess Celestia's visit today." Spike grumbled irritably, yawning before slowly crawling out of his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His purple and green scales shimmered in the morning sun as he made his way towards the wooden ladder which led into the main chamber groggily. Twilight quickly followed, taking a quick glance at her check-list for today and began to organize her research. Today was the day that the Princess was coming to review her study of the magic of friendship and last night had been a mad dash to finish compiling her notes. "So, when do we have breakfast? I'm starving." asked the baby dragon as he picked up a pile of books, his stomach rumbling loudly. "We'll eat after we have cleaned up Spike," replied Twilight as she placed the books and scrolls she needed for today on her desk, "once everything is spic and span for the Princess's visit. We can eat to our heart's content." The two spent the best part of an hour clearing away books, dusting and cleaning the small library and ensuring everything was spotless for the Princess's visit. They prepared breakfast together, which consisted mainly of a mixture of grasses and flowers. Spike grumbled lightly, complaining about the lack of jewels to eat but begrudgingly ate what was given to him, even so. As they ate, light tremors began to run through the building. Twilight and Spike stopped in the middle of chewing their food as the bookshelves and table vibrated and shook. Spike gripped the table tightly as he nervously watched the ceiling light swing back and forth, then suddenly the vibrations stopped. The room became still as the light continued to swing lightly, everything was quiet and the tension grew as they slowly ducked under the table. What in Equestria was that?" whispered Spike. "I don't know Spike. I don't know." * * * * * * * * * * * Everfree forest is considered an oddity in Equestria as it functions without the care of any-pony. No need to change any of the seasons, the animals fend for themselves, and the seasons require no change or intervention. It just happens. To most this is considered unnatural, but the fear of Everfree forest is not unwarranted. Strange plants, animals and beasts dwell here, some more dangerous than others. Few ponies ever ventured to this region except the odd few brave enough. Strange incidents occur here that more often than not go unexplained most of the time. One Pony, however, came here every so often although she disliked doing so, it made her nervous every time she entered this region. Her name was Fluttershy, and she walked within these woods to tend to her friends or transport them to another location if they needed to migrate. She would walk through the winding forest paths, singing with the birds as she walked through the woods, often alone except for the company of her animal friends. Today was different. Today was different. The forest was still and the native animals were nowhere to be seen "This is strange, there would be usually lots of different animals around and yet it's so quiet today" she said softly to herself, gazing around to see if there were any sign of woodland animals that lived in these parts. She had come to the forest to collect herbs that grew here for medicines she made for the animals. A lot of herbs that grew here which she could not find nowhere else in Equestria. She walked among a clearing that opened up into a swampy bog. The familiar buzzing of midges and the songs of frogs could not be heard. It was quiet, too quiet.... Suddenly, a loud bang erupted from the centre of the bog, and Fluttershy jumped in shock and fright. She ran for the cover of a nearby bush as ground shook. Fluttershy placed her hooves over her head to try and drown out her fear. Then suddenly the tremors stopped. All was still again, but the forest was eerily quiet. Fluttershy peaked out from her hiding place, seeing if the coast was clear before venturing from her hiding place. She took a step out of the bush, tiphoofing towards the swamp inch by inch when suddenly there was a crash, much like a mirror being shattered. Fluttershy jumped again, quickly retreating back into her bush hiding place. She peeked out of the bush and noticed what appeared to be a crack suspended in the air. Parts of the horizon were flaking off and splashing into the swamp. Something pushed its way through the crack. Fluttershy watched, unable to avert her eyes from what was happening. The crack grew bigger until finally giving way and whatever lay behind pushed through. Fluttershy gazed wide-eyed at an object floating where the crack had once been been. It looked like a gear, much like the ones she had seen in the clock tower when she had visited Apploosa with her friends. The gear shuddered in the mid air, the area's around the gear crumbling revealing the blackness that lay behind the gap. The gear slowly began to turn clockwise, as it turned the crack grew larger. Another gear popped out from the blackness linking with the other gear. Fluttershy let out a quiet squeak as she slowly backed away from the swamp, a shiver of fear running through her body as she watched yet another gear lock with the others. The clinking and clanking of the cogs did not stop as Fluttershy continued to back away. She turned and broke into a gallop almost stumbling over herself in a panic. The clanking and whir of the gears grew louder behind her, but she kept running, her legs moving as if by themselves. "I have to warn them, I have to tell the others whats going on!" Fluttershy said to herself. She continued to gallop, her chest pounding fast from fear and exertion. She kept running, her mind screaming at her not to look back... * * * * * * * * * * * Canterlot, the capital of Equestria was a city built upon a mountain side overlooking Ponyville and the Everfree forest. The white towers and castle could be seen from miles around. Within the walls housed many schools, libraries, observatories and gardens filled with many exotic and beautiful flowers. From here Princess Celestia ruled Equestria with her younger sister Princess Luna, who had long since had the corruption of Nightmare Moon lifted from her thanks to the help of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Celestia sat upon her throne, basking in the warmth of the sun that shone through the window onto her throne. Luna sat at her side, which was unusual these days. Since Luna had taken on the responsibility back of raising the moon to bring the night, she often slept during the day as she spent much of the night wandering the parks and forests, spending time with all manners of nocturnal animals. Today, however, Luna was awake which to the palace guards and royal servants seemed rather odd. Luna sat next her sister, on edge and fearful, unsure of this strange feeling she was getting. She didn't know what it was but she felt a niggling feeling in the back of her mind, and had a knot in her stomach. Celestia glanced down at her sister curiously, gently patting her mane reassuringly. "So you can feel it to my sister?" she asked soothingly. "Yes sister I can but what is it? It feels like it doesn't belong here" Luna asked curiously, a worried look spreading across her features. Celestia closed her eyes, focusing her magic, focusing on the disturbance that was growing in Equestria. Her horn glowed the brighter as she concentrated, her magic projecting onto her mind brief flashes of area's all across Equestia. Finally, the spell rested upon Everfree forest. Celestia shivered lightly as soon as her magic touched the region. Images continued to flash in her mind. The green twisted yet lush trees became visible but something was off. Everything in the forest was still. Finally, she caught a glimpse of something moving in an area of swamp. She concentrated hard on the movement and saw the source of it. A series of strange interlocking cogs floated in the swamp forming a rectangular pattern in mid air. Celestia quickly snapped back to the throne room, the magic fading from her horn as she breathed heavily, a cold sweat running down her forehead. "I-it can't be...it can't be him" she said aloud and shakily, shivering at what she had just witnessed. Luna glanced up at her sister. A look of concern crossed her face as she studied her sister's reaction to this development. "What are you talking about sister? I have never seen you this worried" Luna questioned as she gently nuzzled her sister in an attempt to calm her down. "This was somepony I hoped I would never see from or hear from again, and a chapter of my life. This is something I 'm not proud of my dear sister" Celestia replied shakily, looking down at her sister as tears welled in her eyes. "Please sister, let me help you, please tell me what is wrong?" Luna shouted in a sudden outburst of emotion. "Please let me help you." Celestia tried to hold back her feelings, feelings she had tried to keep bottling up for nearly 1000 years but could no longer contain. She cried, cried aloud for the first time in many years. Luna held her sister close. She had never seen her sister in such a vulnerable state before, she felt her shiver as she clinged to her tightly. Celestia sobbed as she buried her face into her sister's shoulder, whimpering. Luna gently ran her hoof through her older sibling's shimmering mane, comforting her as she whispered to her sister "Shh it will be okay." The guards looked up wondering what was happening, but Luna gave a quick nod to them to leave. They bowed before leaving the room, closing the door behind them. "Please sister, tell me what's wrong, so I can help you" Luna asked softly and soothingly, trying her best to calm her sister down. Celestia looked at her sister in the eye. Her face stained with tears as she bit her lower lip before nodding. "This is something I had hoped I would never have to tell you dear sister... I had hoped we could have carried on as we were before, but it is only right that I tell you" Celestia sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What happened, this is what happened, about a week after I banished you to the moon..."
Parchment_Scroll	727	1	Main 6,Other,Spike,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Marehouse 13	Warehouse agents in Equestria? Somepony's not going to be happy about this.	hiatus	40	0	<p>A purple lightning bolt strikes in the middle of Whitetail Woods out of a cloudless sky. For Twilight Sparkle and friends, this isn't the first time such an event heralded a new pony visiting Ponyville.</p><p>For Warehouse agents Pete Lattimer and Claudia Donovan, however, this is an entirely new experience.</p><p><b>Note:</b> Retitle stolen from CharginChuck's suggestion in the comments of Chapter 1. It's punnier.<br/><b>Note:</b> On hiatus until such time as it becomes feasible to rework the existing chapters and continue.</p>	everyone	2011-09-26T08:31:56+00:00	2011-09-26T08:31:56+00:00	2,887	Marehouse 13 Chapter One Equestria's Tourist Industry The sylvan peace of Whitetail Wood was shattered by purple lightning. Small woodland creatures ran for hiding places, peering out of bushes and knotholes in trees at the clearing where the disturbance was compounded. In the clearing, in the wake of the lightning bolt, two ponies were arguing. "You just had to play with it, didn't you?" The maroon-hued unicorn mare shouted. Her bob-cut black and purple striped mane didn't quite obscure her brilliant violet eyes, but the tips of the hairs tickled her face. She blew it out of the way in frustration. "Hey," her companion, a tan earth pony stallion with a close-cropped brown mane replied. "I didn't think the first thing I picked up would be the artifact, all right?" The mare sighed. "Fine, fine. Artie's going to have a field day with this," she said. The stallion frowned. "Myka's not going to be thrilled either," he admitted. "How 'bout we stop arguing about it and see if we can figure out how to get out of this situation, okay?" "Fine," the mare agreed, looking around. "Well, apart from being turned into technicolor horses--" "Ponies," the stallion corrected. "Whatever. Anyway, it looks like we're in some kind of forest. Maybe. This all could be some kind of hallucination." The stallion was fumbling at his saddlebags with a forehoof. Each attempt to reach caused him to turn slightly, until he was spinning in circles, his frustration getting worse with each moment. "You mean like with Beatrix Potter's tea set?" He shook his head, then resumed futilely groping at his saddlebag. "Doubt it. This all started with disappearances, remember?" The mare simply sat down and stared at him. "Pete?" Pete looked up at her. "Yeah, Claudia?" "What are you doing?" Secret Service/Warehouse Agent-turned-pony Pete Lattimer looked at his -- also ponified -- partner for this investigation. "Trying to get into this saddlebag and see what I've got on me," he said. "I feel naked without a Tesla." Claudia frowned. "You're wearing a T-shirt," she pointed out. "I, on the other hand, am naked, unless you count the saddlebags." "Don't sweat it, Claud," Pete said, resuming his futile effort to reach into his own saddlebags. "Ponies don't normally wear clothes at all." "And yet," Claudia pointed out, "you're still wearing a T-shirt." "I like this T-shirt," Pete said with a shrug. Finally, he gave up on reaching into his own saddlebag and motioned for Claudia to come closer. "C'mere, I want to check your saddlebags." Claudia sighed, and trotted over to him. It didn't take him long at all to start rooting around in her bag. "Let' s see," he said. "Keys to the Prius... MP3 player... AHA!" Pete reached deeper into the saddlebag to grab Claudia's custom mini Tesla gun. Hooves, unfortunately, are not grasping appendages. The lesson would have to wait, however, until consciousness returned to the surprised agent -- his hoof had depressed the trigger and discharged a low-power shot directly into his face at near point-blank range. ---------- Applejack was relaxing in her apple cellar, taking advantage of the cool environment on a hot summer day, when she heard the sound of somepony trotting past in something of a hurry. She was unsurprised, but curious, to find her intellectual friend Twilight Sparkle heading past the farm. "Hay," she called out. "What's up, Twi?" Twilight Sparkle smiled, changing course to meet Applejack by the entrance to the cellar. "Hey, Applejack. There was another purple lightning bolt in Whitetail Wood," she said. "If I hurry, I might be able to find the spot it keeps striking, so we can put up signs or something." "'Nother tourist, huh?" Applejack grinned. "Hol' on a second, there, Sugarcube. Ah reckon ya best not go meetin' 'em alone." "I'll be fine, Applejack," Twilight protested. "Besides, I'm sure you've got plenty of work to do on the farm." "Naw," the orange earth pony said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Ah'm actually done fer the day. Ah wuz just down in th' cellar ta cool off a mite. 'Sides, y'all know that not everypony who shows up after that lightnin's been the friendly sort." "Oh, come on," the unicorn replied. "They all come around eventually." Still, that unicorn colt a few weeks back had both a talent and a predilection for pyrokinesis, and had been quite the hoof-full. It'd taken a first-hoof view of just what his so-called "little pranks" did to those whose property he destroyed to turn him around. If the Cutie Mark Crusaders had actually been in their clubhouse... Twilight shuddered. "On the other hoof," she said, "you're probably right." "Leastways it's always been foals," Applejack pointed out. "Ah hate ta think what a full grown troublemaker could git up to."
Parchment_Scroll	727	2	Main 6,Other,Spike,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Marehouse 13	Warehouse agents in Equestria? Somepony's not going to be happy about this.	hiatus	40	0	<p>A purple lightning bolt strikes in the middle of Whitetail Woods out of a cloudless sky. For Twilight Sparkle and friends, this isn't the first time such an event heralded a new pony visiting Ponyville.</p><p>For Warehouse agents Pete Lattimer and Claudia Donovan, however, this is an entirely new experience.</p><p><b>Note:</b> Retitle stolen from CharginChuck's suggestion in the comments of Chapter 1. It's punnier.<br/><b>Note:</b> On hiatus until such time as it becomes feasible to rework the existing chapters and continue.</p>	everyone	2011-09-26T08:32:30+00:00	2011-09-26T08:32:30+00:00	3,237	Marehouse 13 Steep Learning Curve Claudia frowned. "You know," she told the unconscious Agent Lattimer, "you really could have thought this through." She looked around the clearing for some water to splash him with. It might not be very effective at waking him up, but it would give her something to do besides trying to slap him awake with her hooves, as tempting as that may have been. As she craned her neck, looking around, her ears twitched. Is that...? She started walking towards the sound that had triggered the reaction, trying to identify it. Yes! Running water! The stream wasn't far at all, but presented a whole new problem. Okay, Claudia, how are you going to scoop up water in your hooves? The maroon unicorn's horn began to glow as she pondered the problem. While she considered her limited options, a small orb of water, about eight inches across, separated itself from the stream and floated over to her. Behind her, Pete groaned. As she turned to check on him, she found herself face-to-rippling-surface with the floating water. She stared at it, finally becoming aware of a strange tugging sensation in her forehead. The sensation was somehow connected to the orb, she realized. Experimentally, she concentrated on raising the water higher. A native Equestrian unicorn could have warned her not to use too much effort. An experienced, educated unicorn could have told her the expected consequences of essentially using all her strength to direct something upwards. Without that information, Claudia was doomed to make a classic blunder many burgeoning magic users are wont to make. She and Pete would later -- not much later, as it happens -- come to be extremely grateful she'd made the mistake with water instead of, say, a rock. "Ugh," grunted Pete again, dragging himself to his hooves. Claudia gave up searching the sky for the vanished water orb and trotted over to him. He gaped at her, blinking as though to clear his vision. "Claudia?" She sighed. "Yeah, Pete, it's me." "Okay... You're... you're a pony." He shook his head. "Why are you a pony? And why do I hurt all over like I've been Tesla'd?" Claudia smirked at the supposedly more experienced agent. "A) Because somebody who shall remain Pete decided to start playing with toys when you knew one of them was an artifact, and B) because you've been Tesla'd." Pete winced. "Who shot me? Did we get 'em?" "You shot yourself, Pete," said Claudia. "So I guess we did get 'em, huh? I don't know what possessed you to try picking my Tesla up with a hoof of all things, but you set it off while you were trying to get it out of my bag. Lucky for you I keep it set at the lowest possible setting." Claudia shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. "Well, before that, I don't suppose either of us figured out where exactly the artifact sent us?" * * * * * "Whoa," Twilight called out. "We're off course." As she veered to the right, and Applejack followed, the earth pony frowned. "Y'all ain't exactly the most trail wise o' ponies, Twi. Are ya sure?" Twilight Sparkle nodded matter-of-factly. "Definitely, Applejack. I may not know these woods as well as you, but you didn't feel the massive surge of magic that just happened this way." Applejack trotted up alongside her friend. "Ya think we got another tourist so soon after the one we're lookin' fer?" "No," Twilight said, taking a moment to levitate a map of the area into view and make notes on it as she talked. "What I felt was unicorn magic. My guess is whoever just came through was experimenting and put their all into some spell." Applejack frowned. "That's bad, right?" "Well, it could be, depending on the spell, but I think whatever it was was pretty simple. Levitation, most likely." Applejack nodded, then stopped, holding out a hoof. "Whoa up a sec, Twi. Ah hear somepony' up ahead." As she came to a stop, Twilight heard it too -- two pony voices talking: a stallion and a mare, and both adults. "Well, can you describe the artifact? I don't remember picking it up," the stallion said. "Because you Tesla'd yourself," the mare replied. "Which is to be expected from someone dense enough to start playing around when we're looking for an artifact. Artifacts are not toys, Pete." "In my defense," the stallion replied, "I remember we were in the toy section of the thrift store, so this one probably was. Right?" Twilight Sparkle frowned. The longer this went on, she realized, the more awkward it could become for them. She nodded to Applejack and stepped out into the clearing, coughing slightly to get the two ponies' attention. Applejack followed, just in time to see about a gallon of water fall out of the sky to drench the two newcomers. * * * * * Five minutes later, it became clear that everypony in that clearing had a completely different attitude about the situation. Twilight Sparkle looked on it as an opportunity to share the magic of friendship with somepony new, as that had proven true in the past. Applejack eyed the two fully-grown (and in the stallion's case, definitely handsome) ponies with suspicion. The new mare, Claudia, was clearly exasperated. The stallion, who effusively introduced himself as Pete Lattimer, was a "tourist" pony of the type Twilight had begun to dread - a fan. She really didn't know how to take the knowledge that somewhere out there, complete strangers were watching her and her friends. It felt like an invasion of privacy. And they all wanted her and her friends to say some of the strangest things, it seemed. "Lemme see if I got this straight," Applejack was saying. "Y'all work fer the government where y'all come from." "Right," Claudia answered, with a roll of her eyes at Pete, who was just grinning at Twilight Sparkle oddly. "And we--" "Y'all're lookin' fer some kinda dangerous magical artifact thingamajigger, and that's what sent y'all here?" "Exactly, and we're really not supposed to interact with any of the locals while we're here." "What?" Pete and Twilight Sparkle simultaneously turned to look at Claudia. "What are you talking about, Claudia? How can we pass up an opportunity like this? I mean, Equestria! Ponyville!" Pete grinned and waved a hoof at the lavender unicorn. "Twilight Sparkle!" "You are really starting to weird me out there, Pete." "Creepy fan gushing aside," Twilight Sparkle interjected, "everypony else who's come here from your world has interacted with us. They stick around at least long enough to learn something about the magic of friendship before they leave Ponyville." "The magic of friendship," Claudia repeated, deadpan. "You're serious about this." "It's the most powerful force in the world," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's saved Equestria twice so far, and that's not counting the little day-to-day events that come up." Claudia facehoofed, groaning in frustration. "Pete, back me up here." "She's right," Pete said, finally shaking off his ecstatic mood and returning to the subject at hand. "We can't leave without at least visiting Ponyville." "No," Claudia groaned again. "Back me up. You remember what Artie said when we got trapped in that pocket dimension. Protocols." "Did we ever find out what those protocols were?" "Well, I clearly remember not interacting with the locals being one of them." "And how well did that work out?" "I got kidnapped by a horror comic monster and we ended up getting involved in a cheap rip-off of I Am Legend -- the, uh, book. Not the movie," Claudia admitted. "And?" "And we found another artifact in that pocket dimension and saved that world from a genocidal madman." "So... protocols?" "We should ask Artie," Claudia said after a moment's consideration. After a bit of concentration, her horn began to glow a deep green color, and her Farnsworth communicator levitated out of her saddlebag. "I'm impressed," Twilight Sparkle said with a grin. "It usually takes a lot more practice to learn that kind of control over unicorn magic." "Yeah, well, I'm a fast learner," Claudia said before turning her attention to the device.
Parchment_Scroll	727	3	Main 6,Other,Spike,Alternate Universe,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Marehouse 13	Warehouse agents in Equestria? Somepony's not going to be happy about this.	hiatus	40	0	<p>A purple lightning bolt strikes in the middle of Whitetail Woods out of a cloudless sky. For Twilight Sparkle and friends, this isn't the first time such an event heralded a new pony visiting Ponyville.</p><p>For Warehouse agents Pete Lattimer and Claudia Donovan, however, this is an entirely new experience.</p><p><b>Note:</b> Retitle stolen from CharginChuck's suggestion in the comments of Chapter 1. It's punnier.<br/><b>Note:</b> On hiatus until such time as it becomes feasible to rework the existing chapters and continue.</p>	everyone	2012-02-25T03:06:16+00:00	2012-02-25T03:06:16+00:00	2,547	Marehouse 13 Anywhere on Earth Author's Note: This fiction takes place during Season 3 of Warehouse 13, prior to the season finale. There was an air of exasperation about the four ponies approaching Ponyville from White Tail Woods that day. Twilight Sparkle frowned. Until this time, every newcomer to Ponyville who'd appeared after the purple lightning had been a foal in desperate need of the Magic of Friendship. These two, however, seemed to have friendship to spare. Not only that, they were clearly fully grown adults, and in trusted positions in their home world. This was just confusing. In addition, the stallion was a fan, which meant that the most offhoof remark led to delighted gushing from him - and exasperated groans from the mare. Applejack glared at the new stallion and mare. It wasn't fair to say she didn't like them. In fact, she had the distinct feeling that, given time, she could grow to be friends with both. It didn't sit well with her that, based on what they'd said, a good part of their job seemed to involve lying. It also didn't help that the stallion was not only handsome and fit, but, based on the repeated attempts at small talk, an incorrigible flirt. Claudia Donovan was irritated. Things were bad enough before she and Pete had been sent on this retrieval. Granted, she had been spending more and more of her time sequestered away in her own little corner of the Warehouse prior to that, and Artie had specifically stated that she needed "some time away from the office," but this was... it was too much. What had possessed Pete to start playing with toys when they were looking for an artifact? Well, granted, this was Pete Lattimer, but it was still a bad idea. And now they were stuck for who knew how long in the magical land of ponies. It just really was too much. Pete Lattimer was only mildly irritated, mostly by the fact that no one else seemed to be having a good time. This was the best Artifact ever! Too bad he couldn't remember what it looked like. Still, here he was, trotting (trotting!) happily along beside Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, two of the best ponies a brony could ask to meet. But Twilight was showing signs of stress, which he knew could lead to disaster, Applejack was being less than trusting, and Claudia was bringing the whole group down even further. Something would have to be done. Desperate times called for desperate measures. And he knew just the pony to deal with the problem, and in precisely the style it needed to be done. The only problem was getting away from the other three ponies. Applejack was watching the two of them like a hawk. One of the group vanishing would raise Twilight Sparkle's stress levels to unconscionable heights. And Claudia would not stop glaring at him, making escape an improbability at best. He casually glanced at her, taking note of her ponified appearance: She was a typical unicorn pony mare. Her eyes matched the purple stripe in her black mane and tail, with her body being a slightly redder maroon in color. In point of fact, she looked more like a recoloring of Twilight Sparkle than anything else, which gave him ideas for silly pranks that could wait until he got her to play along. She had, he noted, a cutie mark consisting of a grey box with a black rectangle in the middle of it. The black rectangle had rounded corners, and was covered with a series of ones and zeroes in old-fashioned CRT green. As he looked at her, the pattern of digits on her flank changed from: 01010100 01010010 01001111 01010100 to: 01010111 01001000 01000001 01010100 As he marveled at this - a magically changing cutie mark! - she stopped and glared at him even more than she already had been. "What?" He realized he'd been staring. "I, um, what?" "You're staring." "No I'm not," he lied. To his chagrin, he found his eyes darting back and forth, and his mouth pursing oddly. As he struggled to school his expression back to genuine-seeming nonchalance, he realized just exactly what face he'd been making. "It's just... well... you're a pony now." "Yes," said Claudia, waiting for Pete to get to the point. "And so are you." "And that comes with certain... distinguishing characteristics." "You lost me there, Pete." "Unless I miss my guess," Twilight said, "he's talking about your Cutie Mark." "My what now?" "Your Cutie Mark," Pete said. "See, at some point in their lives, ponies have a kind of a eureka moment--" "A gestalt," Twilight said. "Bless you. Anyway, they figure out what makes them them, and when they do, it's memorialized for all time by a sort of magical tattoo on their flank." "On their...?" "Near their hip." "Are you saying I have a tramp stamp?" Claudia craned her head to look, then smacked herself in the face with a hoof. "I have a computer monitor on my--" "Hey now!" "What's with all o' tha fancy mathematics on it, that's what Ah wanna know." "Looks like some kind of binary code." Pete and Claudia stared at the purple unicorn. "You know what binary code is?" "Well, it's simple enough," Twilight said. "Binary is a numeric system consisting of nothing but ones and zeroes, which is all I see there. It looks like a random pattern, but there are four distinct groupings of eight digits, and before it changed, the first and last groupings repeated, which indicates a meaning beyond the literal numeric--" "Quick, what were the numbers?" "The first group was 84, 82, 79, and 84 again." Claudia sat down, muttering numbers. "Let's see... subtract sixty-four, and... T... R... O... 'Trot'? Okay, what does it say now?" "Oh, it's changed again... Let's see. 77, 65, 84 again, and 72. Let me guess: 'Math'?" "What did it say before?" "What." "Before it changed to 'Math.'" "What." "After 'Trot.'" "Look," interrupted Pete, "we can continue this 'Who's on First' routine, or I can simplify things so we can head back to Sugarc-- I mean Ponyville." He felt his face start to scrunch up again and nobly (but futilely) fought the impulse. "Twilight is saying that before, it said 'What.' Which, come to think of it, is the first thing you said right after it changed." "Great," muttered Claudia. "So my thoughts are right there on my a--" "Language, Claude," interrupted Pete. "...for everyone to see?" "Only if they can translate from this code," said Twilight. "It's kind of weird. If A is the first letter, why does the code start at 65?" "It's ASCII, which is one step removed from basic computer language. The first thirty-two characters are control codes for the computer itself, then 32 is a space, and then there's punctuation, numerals, some more punctuation, and then the uppercase alphabet, some more punctuation, then the lowercase alphabet..." Claudia stopped. "And before you ask, so that the transition from upper case to lower case can be made by changing a single bit." "I've always wondered. Why is there punctuation between the upper and lower case alphabets?" asked Pete. Claudia felt a headache coming on. "Please," she said to Twilight Sparkle. "Please tell me that there is coffee where we're going." Pete grinned. "I bet I know where she can get one!" * * * * * Artie frowned. He'd expected to hear back from Pete and Claudia by now. He'd specifically chosen this particular retrieval for them because it seemed so simple. The location of the artifact was more or less known. No one had been hurt by it yet, although some parents had been briefly traumatized by the disappearance of their children. Everyone who'd disappeared had turned up in relatively short order, completely unharmed, and apparently without any psychological trauma. Granted, the parents had reported a change in behavior, always for the better, so there was the possibility of some sort of mind control effect, but so far all changes had been beneficial. He really wanted that artifact back in the Warehouse, where it could be studied, catalogued, and, most importantly, safely stashed away before it began to have the inevitable detrimental effect on people that such items invariably had. Frowning still further, he reached for a metallic device sitting on his desk: the Farnsworth communication device, capable of transmitting audio and video to another Farnsworth anywhere on the planet - even alternate versions of the planet. Provided Pete and Claudia were on Earth, any Earth, they were within reach. He sighed. He supposed that meant that he should wait for them to call. Pete and Claudia were responsible adults, after-- He reached for the Farnsworth again, a bit faster this time, then hesitated. Pete had jokingly referred to him as Claudia's "Dad" on numerous occasions, and he didn't want to reinforce that impression. He was sure they had everything under control. He reached for the device one last time, only to flip it closed and glower at it from beneath his bushy eyebrows. * * * * * Pete tried not to frown. He'd been hoping to get in touch with Ponyville's resident party pony in order to cheer Claudia up. He'd hoped that Sugarcube Corner would have coffee, with which to wash down the numerous cakes, pies, pastries, and other assorted confectioneries offered. He certainly had not planned on Ponyville having the equivalent of a Starbuck's. And yet, here they were, with Sugarcube Corner in view on the opposite side of town square, drinking some admittedly very good mocha lattes, but with Pinkie Pie nowhere in sight. Discussion had quickly moved from Claudia's ever-changing Cutie Mark ("the mood ring of Cutie Marks," Pete had called it, but the name didn't stick) to his own static one. There, on his flank, was a painful reminder of one of the worst days of his life. In bright red, a circle around a firefighter's hat. Around the circle, four protrusions in the same color, within the topmost of which were the letters "NCFD" and within the lower quadrant, "4994". Pete knew exactly what the symbol signified, and what moment it would have appeared, had he been a pony at the time. It was the day he'd learned to listen to his hunches, his "Vibes". It was the day he'd talked to his father and been overwhelmed with the feeling that he would never see the man again. It was the day his father had died, saving two children's lives, and he had determined that some day, he would be a hero, just like his old man. And that he would trust that feeling, that Vibe, for the rest of his life. It wasn't until the three ponies around him burst into tears that he realized he'd just said all of that out loud. "Wow, Pete," Claudia said. "I had no idea..." Pete frowned. "I, uh, don't talk about it much," he admitted. Before he could say more, he found himself being hugged from four different directions. He briefly considered protesting, but decided that sometimes, you just need a good hug. It was while he was letting himself come back from his recollection that he realized that somewhere along the line, another pony had managed to show up without his knowledge, and was hugging him from behind. He felt a grin building, and didn't bother to fight it. "When did you get here, Pinkie Pie?" "Right around when you were telling your dad that you wanted to grow up to be the kind of person who makes the world safe even if it means leaving the people you care about," admitted Pinkie, wiping tears away from her eyes. "That's just so sad!" "Well," said Pete, "I've mostly put the sad parts behind me. But yeah, sometimes, it just..." He sighed, and, while Twilight, Applejack, and Claudia extricated themselves from the group hug, Pinkie Pie just squeezed him tighter. "Anyway," he said after a moment. "Um, personal space?" Pinkie grinned at him and took a step back. "Okie-dokie-lokie, new bestest pal!" "Pete Lattimer," he said, extending a hoof. "Pinkie Pie," the party pony said, shaking his hoof vigorously, "but I bet you already knew that!" "You'd win, too." "He's a fan," muttered Twilight. "Wow, a grown up fan? I didn't know we had those! And he's a colt, too!" "Ah reckon there's a lot about these tourist folks y'all don't know, Pinkie." Pinkie grinned. "That's what makes them so great! Every time we get a new tourist to Ponyville, there's a chance to make not just one new friend, but an entire world full of new friends!" Twilight Sparkle could feel the pressure building. An entire world. Hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of ponies out there, and their only contact with Equestria was the downright unpredictable bridge between their worlds that, for some reason, led just outside of Ponyville. And Pete and Claudia were representatives of that world's government, which meant that mishandling them could lead to a diplomatic incident. "Keep it together, Twilight," she muttered. "Keep it together." And now, both of these representatives, along with her good friends Applejack and Pinkie Pie, were staring at her. Not good, not good, not good! She could feel herself building towards a full-blown panic, about to turn a small problem into an enormously huge entire-town-in-total-chaos Princess-has-to-come-and-save-the-day problem. The knowledge that panicking was the absolute last thing she should do wasn't helping. It only served to make her fear of failure even worse. While everypony stared at the recently vacated spot where she had been sitting, she began frantically pulling out every book the Books and Branches Library had on diplomacy. "Well," said Pete, "this can't end well." "Ah'm sure it'll be fine, sugarcube." "Mm-hmm. The last time she got in a state like that, at least that I know of, she was late writing a Friendship Report to the Princess. You remember how that turned out, I'm sure." "Oh mah goodness, the Smarty Pants Incident." "Exactly." "What's the Smarty Pants Incident?" Pete frowned, then looked over at Claudia. "I keep forgetting, you have no idea what we're talking about." He looked over at Applejack. "Why don't you go check on Twilight, and I'll fill Claudia in." "Ah'm not sure Ah should leave y'all alone like that." "Oh, it'll be fine, Applejack! I'll stay here with them!" Pinkie Pie had interposed herself between the two newcomers and put a hoof around each of their shoulders, pulling them together. "See? Adult supervision," said Pete. "I promise we won't get into any trouble while you're gone. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." "Well all right," Applejack relented. "But just so's ya know, Pinkie Pie takes them Pinkie Pie Swears mighty serious, so y'all best keep yer word." "Just get galloping, Applejack," Pete said. "Before Twilight does something we'll all regret." Applejack frowned, then apparently decided that they didn't have time to argue further, and headed for the library at a full gallop. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was rooting around in Claudia's saddlebags. "Hey, what are you doing with my stuff?" Claudia quickly yanked the bag away from the party pony, settling it back on her back. "This thingy's buzzing," Pinkie replied, holding up Claudia's Farnsworth balanced on one forehoof. "What is it?" Pete grinned at her. "That," he said, "is how we're going to prank one of my closest and best friends." He nudged the pink pony conspiratorially. "You in?" "Am I in? I love a good prank! So long as nopony gets hurt, it's all in good fun!" "Great! Here's what you do..."
Octavian	728	1	Adventure,Comedy,Crossover,Random	My Little League: Friendship is Legendary		cancelled	3	2	<p>The Crimson Reaper awakes in an unknown land, after being murdered by two flippin' Ninjas, The Fist of Shadow and The Eye of Twilight<br /><br />A MLP / LoL crossover.<br />This will be my first fanfic, and hopefully my longest and best, so please point out any typos or words I have written which sounds awfully strange or is hard to understand.<br /><br />CANCELLED<br />For now.<br /><br />I've been thinking about this fic of mine, and it's horrible written. I mean really? Vlad dies and then magically appears in Equestria, way too simple and lazy of me.<br />I'm cancelling this fic, and will probably/probably not start it back up again after some time, completely remade.</p>	everyone	null	2011-09-05T08:13:24+00:00	1,620	His eyes slowly opened. He expected to see the cold, familiar stone ceiling of his little home in Nox. He expected to wake up, live his life like he always had since he had gained his powers, a life filled with battles and blood. He also expected to go to bed the same day, only to awake the next day, in a world filled with repetition. He did not expect two of the most dangerous assassins known to Noxian to be on each side of his bed. He did not expect that his body was filled with paralyzing toxins. He did not expect this day to be his last. Sadly, it was. "Hello again, Vladimir, long time no see." Akali said with a smile. "Akali, Shen, what a pleasure seeing you two here." Vladimir replied. Akali swung her Kama down at the Crimson Reaper's legs. "It would be so nice to have a friendly chat, Vladimir, but you have impeded the balance of the Noxian and Demiacian war." "Short said; you're dead." Shen said, as he drew his Ki infused twin swords down on Vladimir’s throat. Seperating Vladimir's head from his body. “Shen, inform the Noxian leaders that their “valued” Blood Mage has left this world. I’ll find Kennen and then we’re out of this place.” Akali disappeared in a Twilight Shroud, leaving Shen with the dead body of the Crimson Reaper. It wasn’t long before he too, was gone. His eyes slowly opened. He expected to see the sundering fires of the underworld. He did not expect to see the clear, blue sky which lay right in front of his eyes. He did not expect to smell the nature at its finest. He did not expect to see a tiny butterfly glide by his face. He expected to lift his body with his own two hands and walk around with his own two feet. He did not expect his clothes to be gone and his limbs to hooves. He did not expect himself to transform himself into a blood pool and lose consciousness because of that. He did not expect to hear a shriek in the distant and hear the sound of horse hoofs running towards him. He expected to close his eyes and wake up a few hours later. He did. Vladimir lay in a comforting bed in the middle of a white, but still dark room. “How is the patient?” A girly voice asked, her voice filled with concern. “He’s going to be up and moving in about three hours. Still, I wonder what made him lose six liters of blood; he doesn’t even have any kind of injury on him.” The deep voice replied to the girl. “Hey, is there anybody there?” Vladimir asked. The door to the room opened up and let in some light. “Mister, please stand still for a second, you have just lost six liters of blood, so give me a minute to do a check-up you can probably be out in an hour or so.” The deep voice said in a relaxing way. Vladimir thought back on his years as a teenager, when he still lived with his teacher. “How much blood does a human have?” The raspy old voice asked him. “A human have five point six liters of blood inside of them.” Vladimir replied. “Very good Vlad, now, how much blood does every single animal have?” Vladimir still remembered that lesson down to every single detail. “Mister, what am I?” Vladimir asked. “You are a pony.” The deep voice said. “Wait, what?!” Vladimir yelled out while staring where his hands should be, finding hooves instead.
Noyman Jayden	731	1	Adventure,Alternate Universe,Comedy,Crossover,Dark,Random,Romance,Slice of Life,Tragedy	The Cutie Mark Crusader's Big Adventure of Joy	it's a good story short too also Trixie is best pony	complete	-1	-1	<p>a beautiful story about lvoe and self discoveryand Hitler.<br /><br />(It's also a trollfic)<br />its really short kinda. i didnt writ it my frend did and aks me to post it.</p>	mature	null	2011-09-04T20:29:17+00:00	40	The oral mark crusaders Matt Smith took his old friend Winston Churchill to Ponyville with the T.A.R.D.S to see some ponies. They walked around every way and met every pony but all Winstoncould think was how can I get my fuck on with these ponies. Since he was an oldman you knew just prefer the younger ones so he went to go find the threelittle ones hanging out together they called themselves the cutie markcrusaders “Ohm yeah” he thought to himself then told the Doctor that he was going to go for a walk what a lie he had just told loll so he went to go find those young and sexy ponies. He found them hanging around a big tree. He came up to them and said “Do want to see what my what true calling is” is then he pulled down his pants showing his very large and old cock. Sweetie Belle being Raritysister knew exactly what to do. She began blowing on it within seconds which turned on Scootaloo so much she stared giving Sweetie Belle oral and AppleBloom also got horney from this started giving Scootaloo oral it was so hot for like 10 minutes it went like this taking turns on the British Prime Minister very large penis was then Winston decided it was time he the grabbed Scootaloo flipped her around started penetrating her while AppleBloom stared making out with her.Sweetie Belle was climbing inside Apple Bloom's ass all were screaming loudly then they would take turns until Winston Churchill came on their young faces what they didn’t know was that The Doctor was watching the whole time masturbating to the whole thing but he had not had his fill so he went straight to Fluttershy and raped her again and again then killed her .Winston Churchill started having a heart attack cause he is so old he died right there naked. Because of his death the Nazi would totally win the war all because he wanted to get his fuck on. It was then the young Ponies finally got their cutie marks it was a threesome mark cause that’s their talent threesomes.
Wheller	732	1	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-04T22:27:16+00:00	2011-09-04T22:27:16+00:00	2,148	Chronology notes: Stop! You are reading the Eighth story in the series started by The Kindness of Strangers! Please read The Kindness of Strangers first! http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/ The second part of the story is Putting the Pieces Back Together found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/407/ The third part of the story is Midnight in the Heart of Equestria found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/419/ The fourth part of the story is Tomorrow is Always a New Day found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/433/ The fifth part of the story is To Each Their Own found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/526/ The sixith part of the story is Imperfect found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/600/ This story is the direct sequel to Paradiso found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/687/ Broken Record Chapter 1 “My name is Vinyl Scratch. Artist, musician, jack of all trades and master of none, Though you may be more familiar with my stage name: DJ Pon3.” “Vinyl? Who are you talking to?” Vinyl Scratch looked up from where she was laying. She was in Twilight Sparkle’s Library, lying on her sofa. It had become her home away from home, if she could call any of her three apartments in Canterlot, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia hope. “Twilight Sparkle, there is something very important that you need to know about me: I talk to myself, alot,” Vinyl said with a grin. “Did I wake you?” The lavender unicorn smiled back at her. “No, I was up to begin with, Rainbow snores.” “I know! I can hear her down here,” Vinyl said with a smile. “You must have really worn her out.” Twilight turned bright red. “Vinyl!” “Relax! It’s perfectly normal! I would know!” Vinyl grinned mischievously. Twilight deadpanned her. “Vinyl Scratch. There is nothing about you that is perfectly normal.” “You make an excellent point!” Twilight smiled at her friend and bid her goodnight, she returned upstairs to her sleeping partner, leaving Vinyl alone down stairs. Vinyl chuckled at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, her only two friends in town had recently become romantically involved with each other, something Vinyl Scratch had seen coming kilometres away. No, that wasn’t exactly true. They weren’t her only friends, She’d recently made friends with a kangaroo who’d been living in town, Benjamin Willoughby. Bonding with the kangaroo had been difficult, as he was highly introverted and preferred keeping to himself, though Vinyl figured that might have something to do with his training and his life experiences. Benjamin Willoughby was a member of The King’s Own South Island Dragoons. An armoured cavalry regiment of the Commonwealth of South Island Army, holding the rank of trooper. South Island was at war with the Twin Gryphon Kingdoms, Equestria’s neighbouring country. Vinyl Scratch, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle had met Willoughby in the Hoofson Bay Area, a neutral territory that the gryphons had occupied to strip mine for resources. Vinyl had met Twilight and Rainbow on their way to find a missing ambassador when they had been captured by an overzealous gryphon known as Gilda. Willoughby and the rest of the crew he belonged to had saved the three mares at the last minute, bonding the ponies and kangaroos together. That all seemed like ancient history at this point. It made the rest of her life seem prehistoric. Vinyl chuckled at her own joke, rolling over on her back and looking up at the ceiling. Friendship, real friendship, was something that had been few and far between during most of her life. Not that she was socially awkward or anything, she’d just never had much of an opportunity to make friends as a filly. What was the point when your parents just decided one day that they were picking up and moving after living in a place for only two months? She’d had a few, but could remember only a few of their names and none of their faces. She wouldn’t recognise any of them were they to bump into each other on the street tomorrow, and likely they wouldn’t either. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, Vinyl was somewhat famous. She wasn’t Sapphire Shores famous, not by any means of the word, but she was famous in her own niche. No, that wasn’t exactly true either. DJ Pon3 was famous; nopony knew who Vinyl Scratch was. On the converse, Vinyl had spent many nights with ponies that she had neglected to learn the names of either. So really, she had no right to complain, which she didn’t. “You must be getting old, Vinyl, you’re getting nostalgic for your old life,” she said, quietly to herself. Vinyl Scratch didn’t know where she was born. There were records of it, sure, and she could find them if she tried, but she had never really seen the point, her first memories were of Marenassass, an independent city between Canterlot and Fillydelphia provinces. She remembered playing in the front garden of her house when her father came home from his job, telling her that he’d gotten a new job and that they would be moving. They had lived there for three months. Her father was something of a sore subject. Vinyl Scratch immensely disliked her father; he was lazy, impertinent, and arrogant. He couldn’t hold a job if his life depended on it. Vinyl knew now that her father could have been much worse, he could have been an alcoholic, he could have abused her, but he didn’t. That role belonged to her mother. Vinyl’s mother was always angry about something, and her drinking habit usually made it worse. Generally, she was angry about her husband, not being able to keep a job. Money had always been tight, but most of it went to pay for mother’s alcohol. Vinyl hated her on the drink, when mum started drinking, the last thing she wanted to do was be around otherwise she was liable for a beating. Vinyl had been relatively well behaved for a child, but her mother always found an excuse to punish her. She had realised early on in life that her parents weren’t going to provide for her. If she wanted to get anywhere, she would have to do it herself. She spent most of her days out in the city, gathering up bottles, tin cans, and all amounts of refuse that she could in order to turn in for money. It didn’t get her much, but enough to get by. She remembered the time her mother found her stash of money under her bed, accused her of stealing, gave her a good beating, and then took her money to buy more booze. Vinyl became much better at hiding things after that, a skill that she would put to great use much later in life. Then one day, her father came home and announced that they were moving again. Vinyl’s family had been living in Manehattan at this time, and Vinyl was about the age of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She told her father flatly that she wasn’t going with them. She didn’t need her parents to survive. She’d pretty much been doing it on her own, and what was she getting for living with them? A dead beat dad and an abusive mother, the roof over her head was of no consequence, it was with that, Vinyl Scratch packed her few possessions and went out into the Manehattan streets to live on her own, to this day, she hadn’t seen her parents since that fateful day, but it didn’t matter, they were dead to her. Of course, life on her own was still difficult for a young filly, all alone in the big city. She was young, idealistic, and naive, and here she was, living alone, in the underworld of Manehattan, Equestria’s hive of scum and villainy. Manehattan wasn’t like Canterlot, not by a long shot. The royal guard kept Canterlot practically crime free, it had the distinction of being a big city, with small town safety. The city ponies in Canterlot behaved themselves, because they knew that Princess Celestia was watching them. Manehattan didn’t have that luxury. Vinyl had been forced to do things as a filly. Things that Twilight or Rainbow Dash would cringe at. Things that Vinyl still cringed at in the dead of night. Her eyes had grown heavy, and began to droop. Vinyl Scratch drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her mother beating her.
Wheller	732	2	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-05T02:32:27+00:00	2011-09-05T02:32:27+00:00	1,833	Chapter 2 “The bloody hell is that doing here?” Captain Reginald Blackthorn and Lieutenant William Cutting were sitting in an observation post at the top of the tallest tree they could find in the Everfree forest, the two kangaroos were looking out to the west, having spotted a target moving towards the forest from the far side of the forest. “Lost, it’s got to be!” Cutting said, giving his opinion. “Sure is, four hundred kilometres into the Equestrian border? Pretty damn lost! Four hundred kilometres is a long way to go, think of how many could have seen Lef-tenant!” Blackthorn said half-heartedly. “Consider how many might not have, there’s a lot of sparsely populated countryside to travel, if it is lost, that might explain why it hasn’t gone back yet.” Cutting said. “In any case, get somebody down there and take care of it!” ... There weren’t a lot of tried and true ways for a street urchin to make money. There was one, however, that worked extremely well, assuming that you didn’t get caught. Zap was the commodity in Manehattan in this day and age. What seemed like everypony wanted it, and worse, there was plenty to go around. Vinyl was ashamed of the fact that just after leaving home, she’d been roped into dealing zap for a very nasty Gnoll by the name of Trigger. Gnolls, known colloquially as ‘Diamond Dogs,’ were native to the Splendid Valley, which was a fair distance from Manehattan, that didn’t stop a few of them who were exceptionally greedy to travel this far west. Gnolls loved gems and shiny things, and Trigger was quite smitten with the Equestrian Bit. When Vinyl started working for him, she’d thought that she’d gotten a good deal, she’d been allowed to keep five per cent of the profits for herself, and the remaining ninety five went back to him, and he would certainly know if she had been cheating. She didn’t dare steal from Trigger, he would make the beatings given to her by her mother seem like a mild spanking. And so here Vinyl was, dealing zap on a street corner, taking all the risk, and not making anything for herself in return. Trigger had given her a place to live and food to eat, but it turned out it was nothing more than a scam to sap more money out from under the young filly, not yet old enough to have her cutie mark, in the end, she was lucky to be living on a hundred bits a month during the middle of a recession. Despite being on the short end of the stick of their arrangement, Trigger kept Vinyl around, she was popular with his customers, and many would seek her out and buy from her especially, when customers came around, Vinyl would occasionally sing a few of the songs that she knew. She wasn’t the best singer in Equestria, but she wasn’t bad either. “Blue Moon! Now I’m no longer alone! /Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own!” Vinyl sang. A small crowd had gathered listening to the unicorn filly sing, she finished up the song, and had nearly an entire city block stomping their hooves in applause, even everyday people began giving her bits just for the singing that she did. Trigger found out quickly and generously allowed her to keep six per cent of the money she got from singing. Then one morning, everything changed. Vinyl was out in the streets, singing and selling zap, when she looked up, hearing a loud booming noise, and sky filled with a band of expanding colour. Vinyl recognised it as the fabled Sonic Rainboom, from a story that her father had told her when he wasn’t being a self-righteous bastard. Vinyl knew at that point that she wanted to sing about that, but she knew no songs about such an event. She had the brilliant idea that she would make one up! She knew nothing about music, she could sing, kind of, but she couldn’t make a song. She went to the library and found a book on music theory, which would basically become her best friend. She’d come in to the library, return it, and then take it out again with such frequency that the head librarian would eventually give it to her, since no pony else was clearly using it. Vinyl spent months with her head buried in that book learning how to make music, arranging her song about the Rainboom carefully so that would be perfect, and five months later, her work paid off. She preformed her song the next morning, and hadn’t even been able to finish before the applause started, the city ponies started throwing bits at her by the dozen for her performance, but despite all the money that she’d made from her song, nearly all of it going to Trigger anyway, Vinyl earned something more important, her cutie mark, a barred quaver, appeared. Vinyl knew at this point that music was her calling. She wanted nothing more than to write music. The problem was, getting Trigger to let her. ... Vinyl Scratch awoke from her slumber, raising her head off her pillow. It was early, probably around four. “Why am I awake at this hour?” she groaned to herself, she wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep, but that wasn’t happening. Sleep had become out of the question, she decided that a walk wasn’t out of the question. Donning her goggles and saddlebag, she quietly stepped out of the library. “Just like birds of a feather, a rainbow together we’ll find! / Volare! Oh Oh/ E Contare oh oh oh oh!” she sang to herself, as she often did on walks. Unfortunately, the other residents of Ponyville were exactly glad to hear the song. Vinyl heard a window open, and a mare called out to her. “Do you mind!? Trixie is trying to sleep!” Vinyl looked up at the window to discover Trixie half hanging out from it, looking down at her. “Heh, sorry Trixie! My bad!” Vinyl called back to her. “Vinyl Scratch... Trixie knows you’re a musician, but she requests that you wait until everypony is awake before singing!” Trixie pulled her head back inside the window, and presumably went back to sleep. Vinyl continued walking, and discovered the relatively unfamiliar figure of a kangaroo in the street. Oddity, they weren’t usually up this early. Then again, neither was she, Vinyl got closer to the kangaroo and discovered that it was the Tank Driver, Corporal McNair. “Hey! Driver Nephi! What’s going on?” Vinyl asked. McNair looked at her blankly, before feebly responding. “My name is McNair...” “I know what your name is Stephen,” Vinyl said plainly, “What’s going on?” “I’m... not allowed to tell you,” McNair said softly. “Aw come on! That’s lame sauce! Tell me what’s going on!” Vinyl said, mock pleading with the kangaroo. “Vinyl... I’m serious, I can’t tell you. I’ve been specifically ordered not to,” McNair said. Vinyl’s grin vanished. “It’s... not bad, is it?” “I’m not allowed to tell you,” McNair repeated. Vinyl frowned. “Of course not... whatever it is? Stay safe.” McNair nodded at the unicorn as she went about her way. That was disconcerting. Something was bothering the kangaroo, but she wasn’t allowed to know what it was? It meant that gryphons were probably involved. Or other kangaroos. Vinyl had met the kangaroos of No.38/42 Commando, Lieutenant Cutting was decent, Captain Blackthorn reminded Vinyl of her father, and she’d only had words with a few others. She walked to the edge of Everfree, opened her saddle bag and levitated out her 11mm magnum revolver that she’d reclaimed from Twilight’s care. Everfree had never been a safe place, and she wasn’t going a millimetre inside it without a little assurance.
Wheller	732	3	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2012-03-08T16:36:55+00:00	2012-03-08T16:36:55+00:00	1,675	Chapter 3 The Lake of Origin. Vinyl Scratch mused over the meaning of the sign as she looked over the large body of water that was situated some hundred metres deep into the Everfree forest. She approached the water’s edge, looking into it. Her reflection was not looking back at her. Instead, there was a filly, younger than the Cutie Mark Crusaders with red eyes, an off white coat, and a blue mane looking back at her. It was her. “What?” Vinyl asked as she studied the water. The filly looking back at her eyes widened, she raised her forelegs up in a defensive position. “No mummy! Don’t hit me!” she cried out. Vinyl gasped and stumbled back, tripping over a rock and landing on her back, gasping for air. “First time looking into the lake?” a voice asked from behind her. Vinyl sat up and snapped her head around, pointing the magnum revolver at the source of the voice. Sitting behind her calmly was a muted pink earth pony, a straight, dark magenta mane, and three balloons for a cutie mark. Vinyl looked at her with confusion. “What did you see?” the pink pony asked. “I saw... me, as a filly, begging my mother not to hurt me,” Vinyl reported. The pink pony gave her a smile, not a genuine one, but like she was smiling at Vinyl’s misfortune. “Welcome to the Lake of Origin. Where it never lets you forget where you come from.” The pink pony ushered Vinyl to the embankment, and both of them looked into the lake at the same time, seeing themselves only as they were right now. “This is the only safe way to look at the lake. Have to trick it!” the pink pony said. “See? It’s confused right now, because it doesn’t know what to show that applies to the both of us.” “Who are you?” Vinyl Scratch asked. “I’m Pinkie Pie,” the pony replied. “You’re Pinkie Pie?” Vinyl asked in shock. She didn’t match Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s descriptions of her. “Why? You know me from somewhere?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I’m friends with Twilight and Rainbow Dash,” Vinyl said plainly. Pinkie Pie frowned and backed away from the Lake of Origin. “Oh, them.” Vinyl followed her back up the embankment. “They’re worried about you, you know? Afraid that something’s happened to you, with you being all alone in this forest.” “I’m not alone,” Pinkie Pie said plainly. “I’ve never had the luxury of being alone.” Vinyl looked to the pony to offer up some explanation, but she did not give any. “They’re all better off without me anyway,” Pinkie said. “They don’t need me, haven’t needed me since we beat Nightmare Moon... tell you what, that was some irony right there, Pinkie Pie, the element of laughter... and the pony that was only truly happy once in her life.” Vinyl frowned. “My friends never knew me, not the real me. I acted crazy so that they’d like me, I threw parties that they’d want to go to... who’d want to be friends with the real me?” Pinkie Pie said with a sigh. Vinyl placed a hoof on Pinkie Pie’s shoulder; the pink pony turned around and looked at her. Vinyl gave her a smile. “I don’t think you’re that bad. You might be surprised with what your friends would think if they knew the real you!” Pinkie Pie sighed. “It doesn’t matter, not after what I did... not after I saw them.” “Who broke your heart Pinkie Pie?” Vinyl Scratch asked. “Twilight,” Pinkie said with a sigh. “You know? I was the first pony she met when she came to town. I liked her the moment she said ‘hello.’ I didn’t know what to say back, so I panicked and ran off. Then I threw her a party and hoped she would like me! And then the other day... I saw her and Rainbow Dash, kissing... and I knew. I knew my chances were gone.” Pinkie Pie shut her eyes tight and tears began to drip from them, Vinyl frowned and wiped the tears from Pinkie Pie’s face. “Hey! Come on now! No tears!” Vinyl said encouragingly. “It’ll be all right!” Pinkie Pie pushed her away. “Leave me alone!” she cried out and galloped off into the distance. Vinyl frowned. “Well Vinyl Scratch, I guess that’s another thing you can add to the list of things in life you failed at,” she said to herself, she rose to her hooves and continued on her way. Pinkie Pie needed to be by herself for a little while. ... Trigger, as to be expected, was not willing to let Vinyl go without a damned good reason. Vinyl brought in more money to him than any of his other dealers, letting her go would be bad for business. Vinyl, however, had expected this, and had spent the last few days rehearsing what she was going to say. “Out? You want out?” The Diamond Dog exclaimed in his high pitched voice. “The only thing that is out is the question! You bring me more money than any other of the useless ponies! You don’t get to quit! Every pony knows you by name and asks for you specifically! You’re too good for business!” Vinyl swallowed hard, and spoke. “That’s why I need out boss, everypony knows who I am and what I do... including the police.” Trigger’s ears perked up. “Chose your next words carefully pony, if I hear you’ve sold me out to copper...” “No... no, I’ve been too smart to get caught... so far, but the police know what I do, and they know I work for you, eventually they’ll find evidence to prove it... I make you a lot of money, boss, but I’m also your biggest liability,” Vinyl said, repeating word for word as she’d been practicing. Trigger thought about what the unicorn filly had been saying. She had a point, not to mention that she was far too popular with the undercity scum to just get rid of. “All right, fine! Consider your employment with my organisation terminated. You’re free to do as you please... in fact, I’m going to give you a five thousand pounds to get you started, let it not be said that Trigger isn’t generous!” Trigger said, a small smile forming on his face. Vinyl had taken Trigger up on his offer, figuring that it was more dangerous to say “no thank you,” when he was obviously trying to lock her into another debt trap. “I do expect to be repaid... every penny,” Trigger said. “Of course! No problem at all!” Vinyl said enthusiastically. “With interest!” ... “Lef-tenant Cutting?” Captain Blackthorn asked. “Took care of it, hiding on the forest’s western edge where no pony is going to find it,” Cutting replied, knowing what Blackthorn was going on about it. “Excellent!” Blackthorn said. “Now, I’m writing up my report to command, I need your opinion on objective one.” “We proved the rumours true, sir. I think command needs to take the action that they’ve always wanted to,” Cutting said. “I wholeheartedly agree Lef-tenant... Let’s just hope this doesn’t blow up in our faces.”
Wheller	732	4	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-05T21:09:50+00:00	2011-09-05T21:09:50+00:00	1,688	Chapter 4 Vinyl froze; she heard a quiet plinking noise off in the distance. Any other pony wouldn’t have been able to hear it. The noise belonged to silenced submachine gun fire. Vinyl picked up speed, rushing towards the source of the gunfire, the kangaroo commandos were in trouble and she had to help. Then the gunfire stopped, Vinyl wandered into the kangaroo commando encampment, and lying on the ground was the body of a manticore. “Bloody hell! This forest is a death trap! How can something so big be that quiet?” one of the kangaroo commandos called out. “I do believe you were warned,” Vinyl said. Poor choice on her part, as the commandos all swung their submachine guns around, pointing them at Vinyl and cocking them. “Guns down lads,” Captain Blackthorn ordered as he hopped over to where the unicorn was standing. “You can put that away.” Vinyl looked at her magnum revolver, nodding, and slipping it back into her saddlebag. “Captain Blackthorn.” “Vinyl Scratch. Mind explaining what you’re doing here?” Blackthorn asked. “Mind explaining what you’ve ordered the cavalry boys to keep quiet about?” Vinyl said flatly, answering Blackthorn’s question and asking one of her own in the process. “I’m guessing that you wouldn’t take too kindly to having anyone know you’re out here. If I haven’t done enough to earn your boy’s trust, then we’re going to start having some serious problems.” “Are you threatening me, Vinyl Scratch?” Blackthorn asked. “I’m giving you something to think about,” Vinyl said plainly. Blackthorn looked back at Lieutenant Cutting, who nodded at him; Vinyl had been a trustworthy and valuable ally to the kangaroos so far. Blackthorn agreed with Cutting, and gave in. “You want to know? Fine, I’ll show you.” ... Freedom. Vinyl Scratch had freedom. She’d been out of Trigger’s employment for several years at this point; she spent most of her time at the public library, teaching herself everything she could about music. If she was going to be able to pay Trigger off, it would be through writing music. Vinyl had her muzzle deep into a book, not paying attention to anything going on around her. She hadn’t seen the pony that had come up to her. “So, you’re the pony that’s hauled off the entire music section.” Vinyl jumped slightly, standing over her was a dark grey earth pony with a treble cleft cutie mark. “Well?” the earth pony said again. “Oh... uh, sorry, do... you need one of these?” Vinyl asked. The earth pony smiled at her. “No, I’m merely surprised that anypony else uses the music section besides me. I’m Octavia.” “Vinyl Scratch,” Vinyl said with a grin. Octavia quickly became the first real friend that Vinyl had had in a very long time. They got together to study music, which naturally progressed into hanging out at coffee shops, going shopping, gossiping about celebrities, and eventually, getting involved in the club scene. The first time that Vinyl had gone to a club had certainly been the most memorable. She listened to the music; it was unlike anything else she had ever heard of before. She loved it, the bass, the machine gun beats, the scratching of a record. That was the sound that hooked her. She went out and got herself a turntable the very next day. “You? A DJ? You’re kidding me,” Octavia said. “House music is so... low, Vinyl, any idiot with a turntable can do it. You can do so much better!” “Well, fortunately for me, I just happen to be an idiot with a turntable!” Vinyl said with a grin. Despite her initial misgivings, Octavia was incredibly supportive. Vinyl worked hard to make her routine perfect, and it was something that Octavia could respect, though she did think that Vinyl could have easily become a great composer of classical music. Vinyl had gotten herself a gig, DJing opening for another, when Octavia had approached her. “While I think that you could be doing so much better... but I figured that you simply can’t go out there without any... gear, so I got you these,” Octavia said, presenting Vinyl Scratch with a pair of violet goggles. Vinyl smiled, donning the goggles and smiling brightly. “Hey! These are cool!” Octavia looked over her goggle clad friend and groaned loudly. “By Celestia! I think I’ve created a monster!” Both mares giggled. ... “What am I looking at?” Vinyl Scratch asked as she looked out into the clearing on the western end of Everfree forest. “What does it look like?” Blackthorn asked. “It looks like you have twenty tied up gryphons and a tank,” Vinyl said. “Good eyes, because we do have twenty tied up gryphons and a tank,” Blackthorn said mischievously. “Mark VIII Cruiser tank, to be more precise.” “That’s all fine and dandy,” Vinyl said. “What is it doing here?” “See the gryphons? It chased them here. According to the commander, a Sergeant Wilkes, he didn’t realise he’d chased them into Equestria, and with no markings on the border, had no idea he’d left the Hoofson Bay Area until we told him.” Vinyl frowned. “You do realise, that if word gets back to the Twin Gryphon Kingdoms that so many kangaroos are in Equestria, they’ll think Equestria and South Island have joined forces and declare war.” “You think we haven’t realised that?” Blackthorn said. “You think it’s what we want? Because it isn’t, South Island is doing fine in the war and doesn’t need to drag Equestria into it... We were sent here because we’d heard rumours of Gryphons infiltrating Equestria, and High Command is ready to extend the hand of friendship and help should the Gryphons declare war... right now though? We want to stop the war from spilling over if we can help it.” Vinyl frowned at the kangaroo. “Newsflash Captain! You’ve failed! That platoon that attacked me, Willoughby, and Cutting in Whitetail was proof enough that you failed! Now you have twenty prisoners on Equestrian soil!” Blackthorn nodded. “We’d leave if we could, really, we would. Fact of the matter is, both tanks don’t have enough fuel to get back, and No.38 Commando’s now deceased commanding officer accidentally set the fuel that they had brought with them... along with most of the forest on fire.” Vinyl scowled at the kangaroo. “If the gryphons declare war, we’re going to have a serious problem, captain.” She turned and left the kangaroos to their own devices. This was getting out of hand. ... Vinyl had loved it, the lights, the colours, the sounds of her DJing performance, but what she loved the most was that by the time she had finished, the club ponies began stomping in applause. Vinyl Scratch’s life had begun to turn up, for the first time, she was happy. Everything was going her way. Trigger had accidentally swallowed a bit and choked to death on it, the police seized his funds and nopony stepped in and directly took over his business, Vinyl was rich. She had all the money that Trigger had given her, intending to scam her out of future earnings and now she didn’t have to pay it back. Vinyl Scratch and money, however, did not end up being a good combination, as time went by. Her life became dedicated to pure hedonism. Vinyl partied, she started drinking heavily, she became addicted to zap, and soon enough, Octavia had become the designated, “keep Vinyl Scratch from dying” pony. Vinyl had practically ceased to be Vinyl Scratch; she’d adopted the stage name of DJ Pon3. Something that which Octavia dismissed as childish, but Vinyl insisted was “cool.” Vinyl had never realised how much Octavia truly cared about her until recently. She had put up with more than a fair share of garbage from the unicorn, and what had she done in return? Vinyl repaid Octavia’s kindness by vomiting on her after having too much to drink and regularly ditching her to have a-less-than-romantic-more-about-pleasure-encounter with a Stallion and/or Mare that she didn’t know the names of. The night that Octavia had given Vinyl Scratch her goggles, she had said that she’d created a monster, they’d laughed about it, but it hadn’t ended up being a joke like they’d intended. It had become the truth. A drunken Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were walking home from a club one night, it was an odd situation, as Vinyl would usually ditch Octavia by this point for a late night romp, but for some reason that Vinyl could not recall, on account of the drunkenness, she had not done it that night. Vinyl stumbled along while Octavia guided her home. “I loves you O!” Vinyl said, nuzzling her friend as they walked. “You’re my bestest friend! Always lookin’ out for me.” “Easy there lover-girl, I’m not one of the ponies you usually go home with!” Octavia said plainly. “Sometimes I wish you were!” Vinyl said. “Sometimes I pretend they’re you!” “I really don’t need to know about your love life, Vinyl,” Octavia said. “Some love life, those ponies don’t love me, they love DJ Pon3, and the booze and the drugs!” Vinyl said. “Not like you! You were my friend before DJ Pon3. That’s why I loves you!” And with that, Vinyl vomited in the street, passing out and requiring Octavia to carry her back to her apartment. “I love you too Vinyl Scratch...” Octavia said quietly as she carried her friend off into the night.
Wheller	732	5	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-06T01:57:54+00:00	2011-09-06T01:57:54+00:00	1,566	Chapter 5 The late night walk was supposed to put her at ease. Now the sun had risen and Vinyl Scratch was anything but. She was walking along the path between Everfree and Ponyville; there was a small cottage, with a Pegasus pony standing in the front garden, watering her flowers. Vinyl had stopped and started watching absentmindedly, and that was about the time the yellow Pegasus looked up at her. Their eyes met, and Vinyl Scratch felt rather creepy having stood and watched. “Uh... hi!” Vinyl said, trying to defuse the situation. “I like your flowers, they’re very... nice.” Smooth, Vinyl Scratch, very smooth. “Thank you,” the Pegasus said quietly, looking down at the ground. “I’m Vinyl Scratch, what’s your name?” Vinyl asked. Brilliant, now you’re making this more awkward. Good for you Vinyl. “Fluttershy...” the Pegasus said quietly. Fluttershy... that sounded familiar. “Oh? You’re Fluttershy?” Vinyl said. “Twilight and Rainbow Dash told me about you!” “Oh? You know Twilight and Rainbow?” Fluttershy said, apparently, being friends with those two had put Fluttershy more at ease. “Oh, you must be the unicorn that they met going to the Hoofson bay.” “Yep! That’s me, Vinyl Scratch,” Vinyl said with a smile. “I haven’t seen a lot of Twilight or Rainbow recently,” Fluttershy said. “Not since they got... you know, together. I didn’t want to come visit while they were... you know, together.” Well, if that wasn’t the best way of making it awkward, Vinyl Scratch didn’t know what was. “Heh, yeah, I live with them now, Twilight has quite the pair of lungs... if you know what I mean,” Vinyl said with a grin. Fluttershy blushed, she did. “Well, I’m going to let you get back to... whatever it is you’re doing, nice talking to you!” Vinyl said, and trotted away, Fluttershy gave her a quiet goodbye. That was the single most awkward conversation of her entire life. ... Vinyl was well experienced with hangovers at this time in her life. By Celestia, they hurt. She rolled out of bed and found Octavia sleeping on her couch. “O?” she called out to her. Octavia opened her eyes. “Good morning, drunk and disorderly,” she said sarcastically. “I’m not drunk... yet!” Vinyl said with a grin. “As for disorderly...” Vinyl crossed the room to the couch and laid down on it and began snuggling with Octavia who groaned in annoyance. “Do you remember what you said to me last night?” Octavia asked. “Nope! Why?” Vinyl asked. “You told me that you loved me... and that you wanted me,” Octavia said. “Considering how drunk you were, I’m not surprised, you’ll mount anything that moves when you’re drunk.” “Heh! Did I really? Well to be honest, you are kind of hot,” Vinyl said with a mischievous grin. “Now you’re just saying that to mess with me,” Octavia said with mild annoyance. “Because you know I’m not into mares.” “Oh Octavia! You know me so well!” Vinyl said snuggling her friend inappropriately. “Stop that. I will not hesitate to kick your teeth in!” Octavia said. “Oh you’re no fun!” Vinyl said, letting her friend go. Vinyl realised now that Octavia didn’t have time to be fun, making sure that Vinyl didn’t suddenly die had become something of a full time job for the earth pony. “Where we goin’ tonight?” Vinyl asked. “Vinyl? Is it necessary to party every day of the week?” Octavia asked. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” Vinyl said with a grin. “Come on party pooper!” “Fine,” Octavia growled. “All right! Can’t think of anything else I’d rather do than spend the night hanging out with my best friend!” Vinyl cried in excitement. Octavia knew that Vinyl was just going to get drunk and ditch her for some random club pony, but she went with her anyway. She put up with it; she hadn’t the heart to tell her how horrible a friend Vinyl was. ... “What are we going to do with them?” Captain Blackthorn hadn’t the faintest idea, they had twenty gryphons prisoner, and they hadn’t the resources to move them. Particularly not without being seen. They couldn’t leave the Mark VIII cruiser tank behind either. Not to mention Tebbs and his crew living in Ponyville. Blackthorn was out of options. “Sir?” Cutting asked again. “Lef-tenant Cutting? How would you fancy a trip into town?” Blackthorn asked. ... The two kangaroos hopped out of the Everfree forest, past Fluttershy’s cottage, the Pegasus was still standing outside, watering her flowers, she looked up to see the two kangaroos, and instinctively dropped her can. Blackthorn and Cutting entered town, Everypony set their eyes upon them. All movement in town, they entered the centre of town, everypony was watching them in silence. “Could someone please tell me, where I can find Twilight Sparkle?” Blackthorn asked. Everypony pointed towards the Library, Blackthorn and Cutting hopped along the high street and promptly knocked upon the door. Twilight opened the door and gasped slightly. “I don’t know you.” “No, no you don’t,” Blackthorn said. “We need to have words.” ... “You’ve been spying on us,” Twilight said angrily. “How long? How long has South Island been spying on Equestria?” Blackthorn sighed. “Seven months,” he said plainly. Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? You’ve been in the Everfree forest for seven months!?” Blackthorn shook his head in negative. “No, my team has only been here a few days... Before that, South Island sent a single commando by the name of Roy Melbourne to ascertain the possibility of an alliance between Equestria and South Island. Sergeant Melbourne has since been reassigned to the Hoofson Bay.” Twilight’s mouth fell open in surprise; she had met Roy Melbourne during an ill-fated walkabout in the Mohoofie Desert several months prior. “Melbourne spoke highly of you in his after contact report, I quote: ‘Twilight Sparkle has a good head on her shoulders, she’s clever, she might even be a genius, but she’s being hindered by a lack of knowledge about the outside world. Not exactly her fault, none of these ponies seems to know anything about the rest of the world either.’” Blackthorn said. “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here Captain?” Twilight asked. “CSI has been trying to get an ambassador into Equestria for years, but the requests are always turned down, come back nearly as fast as they get sent with the same message. No. I understand you have certain... pull with your countries leader. I would like you to convince her to see the ambassador,” Blackthorn said politely. “What happens if I say no?” Twilight asked. “Then we go back into the Everfree forest, pack up out gear, and walk to the border between Equestria and the Hoofson bay. We’re not gryphons, Twilight Sparkle. If we were, I’d have my pistol out and pointed at your head, telling you to do it or I’d blow your head off,” Blackthorn said. “I’ll do it,” Twilight said. “But do be aware, you are asking a lot from me. When the time comes, I’ll be asking for just as big a favour from you.” “Duly noted, CSI is in your debt,” Blackthorn said. “Don’t thank me yet,” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia is not going to be happy that you’re here and is quite likely to... deal, with you personally.” Blackthorn looked at her and gave a slight smile. “I’m a Commando, ma’am. I’m already dead.”
Wheller	732	6	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-06T18:17:26+00:00	2011-09-06T18:17:26+00:00	2,039	Chapter 6 “Canterlot, huh?” Vinyl Scratch said. “Going to be gone long?” “A few days, tops. I figured that a letter wouldn’t cut it... not like Spike is around to send it anyway,” Twilight said, she was packing her saddlebag with a few days previsions. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask, where is the little guy anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You remember that dragon a few months back? The one that practically destroyed the town, He was a member of the Green Dragonflight; they’re not the most friendly. Spike is playing ambassador... officially anyway, there’s a more capable pony that’s actually doing the negotiating,” Twilight said. “You know, I’m kind of surprised it didn’t come up sooner.” Rainbow said with a shrug. “We have been kind of busy keeping the world from exploding every five seconds,” Twilight reasoned as she slipped her saddlebags on her haunches. She had conceded to Blackthorn’s request and was off to visit with Princess Celestia, a task that she was not looking forward to in the slightest. “No funny business while I’m gone!” Twilight said, pointing at Rainbow Dash. “If I fall victim to any pranks when I come back, you’re butt is sleeping outside until the end of summer.” Rainbow Dash was taken aback by Twilight’s statement. Twilight merely grinned at her, and walked out. It took Rainbow Dash a full minute to realise that Twilight had been making a joke. “They grow up so fast!” Vinyl said with mock sniffles, sounding as if she was a proud parent sending their child off to university. “Shut up Vinyl.” ... Crash was the bane of existence for the Manehattan Police Service, as it was for Vinyl Scratch, for very different reasons. The police were very aware of her time as a drugs dealer for Trigger when she was younger, and had every reason to suspect that she might be dealing in crash. Looking back on it, she couldn’t blame the MPS for this line of thought; she’d been the most infamous zap dealer in Manehattan when she was a filly. Though, as time went on, more ponies came to her for her singing than what she was dealing. Regardless, that wasn’t enough to keep MPS from leaving her alone. Vinyl was regularly visited by Uniformed Police Constables and warned not to loiter, and on occasion, a Detective from CID would try to buy from her. Vinyl could always tell who was a police officer and who wasn’t, she’d never been caught. Of course, being caught didn’t matter, Every Detective Constable and up at CID knew who she was and what she did. They could just never prove it. Those times were in the past. Vinyl hadn’t dealt in years, she was using now instead, she had never touched zap in her time as a dealer, she wasn’t stupid, trying the stuff would have been stealing from Trigger. Stealing from Trigger would mean a ruthless beating that would put anything her mother had given her to shame. Zap wasn’t popular anymore though, now it was crash. Vinyl liked to go on walks in the evenings before heading to a club; every so often she’d catch a DC following her. “You’re wasting your time; I know you’re a copper!” She’d call out. Most of the time, she’d take a turn and the DC would keep on walking trying to stay cool, rarely, they’d turn around and walk the other way in defeat. Particularly brave ones would continue to follow, usually taking steps to lag behind. Regardless, they were wasting their time; Vinyl was exceptionally good at hiding things. Vinyl had been off zap for several months by the time she’d gotten hooked on crash. Octavia had begged her to get off zap; the usually collected earth pony had broken down in tears upon asking her to give it up. She’d promised Octavia she’d kick the habit, and did get rehabilitated for it. Unfortunately, it did not last; Vinyl Scratch had never been able to keep her promises to Octavia. She had become addicted to crash pretty much day one that it appeared on the streets. Knowing that Octavia would not be pleased with her, she hid her use of the drug from her, and managed to keep it from her for several weeks. She had always been good at hiding things. ... “Pinkie Pie? Are you here?” Vinyl Scratch had wandered into the banks of the lake of origin, looking around for the pink pony. She saw nothing but herself in the lake. Wait. If she saw herself only as she was now, that meant... Vinyl Scratch turned to her left, Pinkie Pie was sitting only a few metres away, looking down into the lake. She was crying. “I’ve decided I no longer want to be called Pinkie Pie, It’s too... fun,” the pink pony said. “I don’t feel like fun right now.” Vinyl Scratch trotted over to where the pink pony was sitting, and plopped herself down next to her. “Fair enough, what would you like me to call you?” “What do you care?” the pink pony asked. “That’s an interesting choice for a name, ‘what do you care’ it is then,” Vinyl said with a grin. Pinkie Pie gave Vinyl a look that felt like a hundred knives were being driven into the unicorn’s belly. “Call me Pinkamena. It’s my birth name.” “Nice to meet you Pinkamena, I’m Vinyl Scratch,” Vinyl said, offering a hoof to shake. Pinkie Pie did not accept it; she merely stared at it for a few moments before looking back across the lake. After a few minutes, Vinyl spoke again. “I’m not putting it down until you shake,” she said grinning at her. Reluctantly, Pinkie took the hoof for a quick shake, lasting merely a second before she turned back to look at the lake again. “Do you like looking at the lake?” Vinyl asked. “No. It only shows bad things,” Pinkie Pie said. “I look at it because that’s what I deserve.” Vinyl put her hoof around Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, pulling her close to her. “That’s not true! Not true at all! Nopony deserves bad things unless they’ve done bad things to others.” “I have done bad things to others. I beat up my friends,” Pinkie Pie said quietly. “Maybe, but I’m sure that if you asked for their forgiveness, that they’d give it to you! Twilight and Rainbow care about you Pinkamena!” Vinyl said reassuringly. Pinkie Pie turned her head and looked into Vinyl’s eyes. “No they don’t. They care about Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie isn’t real. Never was,” she said sadly. “You might be surprised that they’ll like you as you really are!” Vinyl said trying to reassure her. Pinkie Pie was not having it, her eyes became very small, and her frown turned to a look of anger. “Why would anypony like this!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, pushing Vinyl off her. “Nopony wants a friend like me! Don’t ever come back here or I’ll kill you!” Pinkie Pie ran off into the tree line, sobbing loudly as she ran, Vinyl frowned, and while nopony could see it behind her goggles, she was crying to. She rose to her hooves, and walked back towards town. Being a friend was the first thing on the list of things in life she’d failed at. ... “You know, I really shouldn’t be surprised, but here I am, surprised anyway,” Octavia had said sadly. “You worry too much O. I got this!” Vinyl had said. She realised now that she had been trying to convince herself just as much as she had Octavia. “No you don’t, Vinyl. You’re an addict.” “I am NOT an addict! I... I can quit anytime I want,” Cheesy. Vinyl Scratch was supposed to be the witty one. That had been the night Vinyl Scratch and Octavia’s friendship had ended. Vinyl had broken Octavia’s jaw late one night in a Manehattan club washroom. Octavia had been trying to help; she’d been trying to dump Vinyl Scratch’s stash of crash down a sink to keep the unicorn from killing herself with it. Vinyl repaid the kindness the only way she’d known how, by hurting Octavia, this time physically. September 22nd, Year 1001 of Celestia’s reign, was the end of a friendship. She’d been taken to the Royal hospital in Canterlot’s drug rehabilitation centre, the best of its kind in all Equestria, treated for her addiction, and for the first time in a long time, Vinyl Scratch’s head was clear, free of the influence of zap, crash, and alcohol. She realised just how awful she’d been. And that needed fixing. That was when that earth pony doctor, black coat and mane, eyes of amber came to her and suggested that she travelled. The Hoofson bay was nice, he’d said. Travelling would do her a world of good, it’d get her head clear, and in the place she’d belong. It had, Vinyl Scratch had met Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash on that trip. It had been the most important event of her life. She barely remembered the earth pony doctor; she probably wouldn’t even recognise him without his medical coat on if she saw him tomorrow. She owed him her thanks.
Wheller	732	7	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-07T18:32:52+00:00	2011-09-07T18:32:52+00:00	1,805	Chapter 7 Twilight Sparkle stood at the door of the throne room of Princess Celestia’s castle, she was hesitant to go in, and rightfully so, she had no idea how the Princess would react to the request. Equestria had been refusing ambassadors from the Commonwealth of South Island for years, and Twilight knew not why. Reluctantly, she entered the door and approached the princess. “Your Highness. I apologise for asking to see you on such short notice.” “Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Celestia said with a smile, “I can always clear a busy schedule to see you, my most faithful student, and I know that you would not ask if it were not of the upmost importance.” Twilight nodded in agreement. “I’ve come here ferrying a request... for a friend.” “A friend? I see that they did not accompany you, most unfortunate, is this a new friend?” Princess Celesta said. “Yes,” Twilight said. “Relatively new yes, we felt that it would not be... appropriate for him to accompany me.” “Oh? It’s a he?” Celestia said, smiling playfully. “He is also a kangaroo,” Twilight said, Princess Celestia’s smile began to fade, she knew what was coming. “He has asked me to request that you accept an ambassador from the Commonwealth of South Island,” Twilight said, she swallowed hard, things were either about to become very bad, or very good, and Twilight frankly did not know which. “Has he?” Princess Celestia said plainly, Twilight was worried, but ended up being caught off guard by what Princess Celestia said next: “Tell me Twilight Sparkle, do you think I should accept an ambassador from South Island?” “You... you’re asking me Princess? That’s such an important choice!” Twilight proclaimed. “Indeed it is,” Celestia said, nodding her head in agreement. “A decision that I would make with my sister, however as she is... indisposed, at the moment. I turn to your counsel.” Twilight didn’t like that she’d been put on the spot like that, she was afraid of making the wrong decision, and what the Princess would do if she made it. She weighed the options carefully, as she thought about it, she realised that Blackthorn’s request had been that, a request. He hadn’t demanded it of her, he’d asked, politely in fact! “Yes, yes, I think you should accept the ambassador,” Twilight said. “The kangaroo that asked me is an honourable individual with noble intentions, his request was genuine.” “Very well then, I shall accept an ambassador from the Commonwealth of South Island into my court. I thank you for your council, my faithful student,” Celestia said regally. Twilight felt as if she’d had a boulder lifted off her shoulders, she relaxed, and bowed respectfully towards her mentor. “How is Princess Luna?” ... Twilight and Princess Celestia were standing outside Princess Luna’s room, in her private ward inside the Royal Hospital. Two guards were posted at the door, not willing to let anyone in without Princess Celestia’s explicit order. (Apart from the doctors who were treating her.) They stood aside and allowed them entry. They opened the door, and Princess Luna was lying on the floor in the corner of her padded cell, bound in a straight jacket, rocking back and forth. “Fly me to the moon! Let me play among the stars...” she sang, but stopped as she heard the door open. Rolling around to face the door. “Stay the fuck away from me!” Twilight stepped back in surprise at the Princess’ profane outburst. “Luna?” Celestia said sweetly. “It’s me! Tia and Twilight Sparkle!” Luna gasped. “Twilight Sparkle! Twilight! Twilight! Please! Come here! Come here!” Twilight looked to Celestia for guidance, the Princess ushered her forward, but gave her a look that emphasised caution. Twilight slowly approached the fallen Princess, kneeling down in front of her. “Hi Luna, how are you?” Twilight said, realising almost instantly as the words rolled off her tongue that she likely didn’t want to hear the response. “They’re hurting me!” Luna cried out. “They eyes! They’re hurting me so much! Help me Twilight, please! Save me from them! They won’t stop hurting me!” “Who are they Princess?” Twilight asked. “They eyes! They are them! They hurt me, torturing me! They always have, and always will! Help me! Please!” Luna cried out. Twilight rose and stepped back from the Princess in fear. “No! Twilight! Don’t leave me! You have to help me! Please don’t abandon me to them!” Luna cried out. Twilight couldn’t bear to watch any more. She and Celestia backed out from the room, Luna screamed her name, shouting for them to come back and help her. The guards closed the door, and Twilight looked to Princess Celestia. “She’s... insane.” Celestia nodded sadly in agreement. “My poor sister, she thinks her doctors are torturing her.” Twilight watched as a tear ran down her mentor’s muzzle, her sister was in pain, and there was nothing she could do to help. ... Rainbow Dash felt someone brush up against her. No, now they were fully embracing her. She opened her eyes and groggily asked: “Twilight?” It wasn’t Twilight. Vinyl Scratch was lying in bed with Rainbow Dash, snuggling her. “Please don’t be mad, today was a rough day,” Vinyl said seriously. Rainbow Dash looked at the off-white unicorn in surprise. She’d been woken up by Vinyl Scratch’s surprise snuggles before, but this time she wasn’t messing around. “What’s wrong Vinyl?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I met Pinkie Pie,” Vinyl said, giving a small sniffle. “Actually, I met her the other day, but I met her again today... it didn’t end well. She said she would kill me if I ever came looking for her again.” “What?” Rainbow Dash asked in surprise, that didn’t sound like Pinkie Pie at all! “I’ve had ponies threaten to kill me before, Dash, that’s not the issue, she’s just so... sad and there was nothing I could do,” Vinyl said. “I’m a terrible friend Rainbow, I always have been.” Rainbow Dash rolled over on her side and gave Vinyl a hug. “No you’re not! You proved that you were a good friend in the Hoofson bay! You’re dependable! You stood by us when we needed you... and while I hate to admit it, you’re actually funny.” A small smile formed on Vinyl’s face. “I don’t know what we’d do without you Vinyl Scratch,” Rainbow Dash said, she took her hoof to Vinyl’s mane, messing it up. “So no crying! You’re a good friend!” Vinyl squeezed Rainbow Dash, giving her the biggest hug she’d ever gotten. “Thank you.” ... “Check the reserves! How much do we have?” Sergeant Archibald Wilkes, Commander of Mark VIII Cruiser tank Iron Hoof of Cromwell sat on the turret of his parked cruiser tank, watching over the gryphon prisoners he and his crew had chased into Equestria from the Hoofson bay. “Let me put it this way, sir, it’s nothing short of a miracle that we got here. That prototype engine is really something sir!” called the kangaroo from inside the tank, checking over the fuel gages. “Not in earshot of the enemy! I’d rather not have to execute the lot of them because you can’t keep your mouth shut, Sapper Dougan!” Wilkes called out. “Might as well,” one of the gryphons said. “We were all deserting when you jumped us anyway; we’re already dead to the kingdoms.” The other gryphon prisoners groaned loudly, yelling at the first one to shut his mouth. “That’s enough!” Wilkes called out. “You’re all prisoners of war, and shall be treated as such... unlike you lot, we have standards, but I won’t be shedding any tears if your government executes you when they get you back, which will happen eventually. Look forward to your prospects in life.” Sapper Dougan popped his head out of the tank’s turret, shaking his head; there was no possible way for them to get back to get back to their operational area in the Hoofson Bay. “Wonderful,” Wilkes said. They were stuck here in this damned forest, he’d seen the wildlife, and while it was something that the tank’s 7.55mm Sesa machine guns could handle, they couldn’t actually use them effectively. Unless the stupid creatures ran at them from the front, one of the machine guns was useless, the other one was mounted on the turret, and assuming that the batteries powering the turret didn’t go out, which without running the engine, they eventually would, it took more time than they usually had against a swift manticore. Wilkes cursed the commandos; they’d brought them right in the middle of a death trap. It wasn’t a complete loss, however, as Captain Blackthorn had generously provided two of his commandos for defence. Wilkes spat sarcasm silently at the Captain. As much as he hated to admit it, he was just as much caught up in something he didn’t want to be as the ponies of Equestria were. ... “Are you sure that you don’t want my guards to fly you back Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked. “No thank you princess,” Twilight said respectfully, “I rather enjoyed the walk through Whitetail Wood on my way here, and it will be nice to walk through it again.” Princess Celestia nodded in understanding; she too, loved the beauty of Whitetail Wood, though she rarely ever got a chance to see it any more. “I’ve sent a letter to the Commonwealth of South Island personally, I think they will be most excited to finally have an ambassador visit my court, don’t you think?” Celestia said regally. Twilight nodded in affirmation, however she did not have a chance to reply, bursting through the doors to the throne room as a red coated earth pony, clad in a doctor’s coat. The Royal guards moved to intercept him, grabbing him and forcing him to stop before he could get any closer to the Princess. “Your Highness! Your Highness!” the doctor pony called out. “I bring word from the Royal Hospital!” “Guards release him!” Celestia called out, they responded promptly. Allowing the doctor to fall to the ground. “I bring word from the Psychiatric ward! Princess Luna has escaped!”
Wheller	732	8	DJ P0N-3,Octavia,Princess Luna,Rainbow Dash,Twilight Sparkle,Dark,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic	Broken Record	Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.	complete	28	5	<p>Vinyl Scratch a successful Unicorn DJ from Manehattan, however this hasn't always been the case. Vinyl laments on her past, while in the mean time, a Dark force begins to move in the heart of Everfree Forest.</p>	teen	2011-09-08T18:22:00+00:00	2011-09-08T18:22:00+00:00	1,975	Chapter 8 The carriage carrying Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville landed softly on the ground, in a hurry, Twilight hopped off the back and burst through the door of her Library. “Front and centre everypony!” She called out. Vinyl was already in the main room, Rainbow Dash trotted down the stairs. Twilight waved them outside. “We have a serious problem on our hooves girls, Rainbow Dash, find Rarity and meet us at Fluttershy’s cottage, Vinyl and I will get Applejack and meet you there,” Twilight instructed. “What’s going on Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I‘ll tell you when we’re all together, I don’t have time to explain it twice,” Twilight said. This was good enough for Rainbow Dash, and the Pegasus flew off. Vinyl and Twilight stopped by Sweet Apple Acres and grabbed Applejack as they said they would, and arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage about the same time that Rainbow Dash did with Rarity. Fluttershy stepped outside to find that her friends had all assembled in her front garden. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Is something wrong?” Twilight nodded in affirmation. “There is something I need to fill you in on... about Princess Luna, I’m sorry for lying to you all, but Luna hasn’t been away on a diplomatic mission, like I said she was. She’s been locked up in the Royal Hospital Psychiatric Ward for the last five months undergoing treatment.” Everyponies’ mouth fell wide open. “Why would ya’ll lie ta us like tha’! Luna’s our friend too!” Applejack called out in surprise. “Because Princess Celestia asked me to keep it confidential, the only ponies that knew were myself, the Princess, her personal guard, and the doctors treating her,” Twilight said. “Tha’ don’ make it right! We deserved ta know the truth!” Applejack said angrily. “I know, that’s why I’m telling you all now, Luna has escaped. Princess Celestia has good reason to believe that she is hold up in the old castle in the Everfree forest, she’s very unstable, and we need to find her and bring her back.” “You want me to follow you into the Everfree forest to help your friend? Say no more Twilight, I’m with you.” Vinyl Scratch said, opening her saddlebag and pulling out her Magnum Revolver, opening the breech to check the ammunition, satisfied, she snapped it back shut. Applejack however, was still fuming with anger. “Ah’m sorry Twilight, but Ah make it mah personal policy ta not help liars, yer on yer own.” Twilight Sparkle was taken aback by Applejack’s reaction, she knew that she wasn’t going to take well to having been lied to, but she hadn’t expected a full out refusal to help, that was so unlike her! “I’m afraid I must agree with Applejack,” Rarity said, bowing her head slightly, as if deep in thought. “You three,” she said, pointing at Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Vinyl. “Have been keeping a lot to yourselves lately, I know you have! If you can’t trust us with such information, then I don’t think we can be friends.” Rarity and Applejack departed without another word, leaving Twilight, Rainbow, Vinyl, and Fluttershy standing in the garden, watching them leave. Fluttershy was transfixed on Vinyl’s revolver. “Um... You aren’t planning on using that on any of the animals in the forest. Are you?” Vinyl looked at Fluttershy with deadly seriousness. “Since the fire, all the animals have gotten hyper-aggressive, if one of them tries to hurt my friends... I’m putting them down.” Fluttershy squeaked with fright at Vinyl, backing up slightly. “I’m sorry Twilight... but I can’t go with you. I can’t be a part of something where somepony would kill those poor creatures.” Fluttershy turned and walked away, leaving Twilight, Vinyl, and Rainbow Dash alone. “What just happened here?” Rainbow Dash asked in surprise. “Our... our friends just abandoned us,” Twilight said dumbfoundedly. “How could they do that?” Vinyl frowned at what had just happened. She looked at her friend, ready to explain herself. “Sorry I drove off the last one... but when I need to make a choice between the life of my friends and the life of one of those creatures... well, it’s an easy choice.” “You didn’t do anything wrong Vinyl,” Twilight assured her. She looked at her two remaining friends. “Thank you... thank you both for standing by me. It means a lot to me.” “Are you kidding? I’d never leave you hanging Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cried out. “Applejack is being jerk; I might just have to beat some sense into her later!” “As long as you’re willing to accept them, my horn and hooves are at your disposal,” Vinyl said. Twilight smiled. “Well, let’s not waste any more time then! Let’s go!” ... Vinyl kept her eyes open, checking around for any signs of trouble. Twilight too had drawn her revolver out; she agreed wholeheartedly with Vinyl that they needed to protect themselves. Everfree had never been quite right... now it was so much worse. Vinyl was impressed at just how large the forest was, they were heading north northwest at 335 degrees, Everfree was much longer than it was wider, Iron Hoof of Cromwell was parked five kilometres from here at the south-western end of the forest. The kangaroo commando camp was at the exact opposite side of the forest, and they had divided themselves between the two. Vinyl followed behind Twilight and Rainbow, the two of them seemed to know where they were going. They had reached a river which Vinyl suspected fed the Lake of Origin, but looking into the water revealed her only as she was now. “Eyes open,” Twilight said. “This might get ugly.” Twilight took a step into the river; it was shallow and easy enough for them to cross at. Vinyl didn’t know why Twilight was worried, but she figured that there was a good reason. Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and landed on the other side. Vinyl and Twilight stepped quietly across the river, getting across to the other side without incident. Twilight sighed a sigh of relief. “Okay, let’s go.” “What were we worrying about?” Vinyl asked. “The sea serpent.” ... The trio of ponies walked to the edge of the grounds of the ancient castle. They had made it without any serious hiccups. And they were beginning to think that it was all too easy. They crossed the open grounds towards the deteriorated castle’s Observatory. Memories of being here nearly two years ago were flooding back to Rainbow Dash and Twilight. “Look!” Rainbow Dash pointed off to a high tower in the distance where they could see a light shining from. “There she is! Up there!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash galloped towards the tower, causing Vinyl’s eyes to widen with fear. “Stop!” she screamed, causing the two ponies to freeze in their tracks. Vinyl took her revolver and fired a single shot straight in front of her. The bullet impacted on a magical energy shield, sending sparks flying as the energy of the impact was distributed across the entirety of the shield, which stretched around the entirety of the Observatory. “Goggles,” Vinyl said point at her eyes. “Just enough contrast to see it.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and swallowed hard. They didn’t want to think about what would have happened had they touched it. “Wonderful,” Twilight said. “To think we came all this way in order to come across an impassable barrier.” Almost as if on cue, the magical shield crackled, and retreated from its position, it fell completely, as if its caster had been expecting them. Which considering it was Princess Luna, she likely was. Vinyl nodded in affirmation, it was safe to go forward. The three mares took their steps past where the shield had been and sighed in relief, though jumped in surprise when the shield came back up around them when they were all inside its perimeter. “Well,” Twilight said. “No going back now.” ... The three climbed the stairs of the observatory, slowly and carefully taking in the surroundings, some of the walls were blank; some of them had small, indecipherable scribbles that looked incredibly old on them. Some of them had writing that was fresh. Not insane! They lie! Saw a pony get into a blue box. Box disappeared. Must study. Blue Moon! In the distance they heard music begin to play, accompanied by beautiful singing. “Blue Moon! You saw me standing alone...” The trio of mares picked up the pace, and soon enough they had reached the top of the stairs, inside the room was a record player, books scattered about the tables and floors, and most importantly Princess Luna bobbing her head to the music. “Blue Moon! Now I’m no longer alone!” Princess Luna said, her horn began to glow, as a magical shield dropped around each of the three mares. “Without a dream in my heart!” Princess Luna sung, looking at each of the three ponies before her. “Without a love of my own...”

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