In the ever dangerous Everfee forest, smoke rose high to the sky the same time as the sun. Many beasts and creatures tried to approach, only for them to be greeted with an electrifying sensation. They fled.
Sitting in a rather bizarre position for his species close to the source was a brown pegasus. His face was blank as his eyes were closed. His breathing was rhythmic, and his body twitched every now and then. His most notable feature being a giant scar on his right eye, or perhaps the fact that he only has one wing. On his lap, laid a small light blue filly, peacefully slumbering as the single wing of the pegasus, and an oversized jacket protected her from the sharp winds of the night. Laying right on top of the filly but under the wing, was a rabbit with a snow white fur, sleeping in a poised manner.
As they continued to slumber in relaxing silence, the first rays of the morning light shone on the pegasus, awakening him with a rush of morning air.
Daisy awoke almost instantly and scanned the area with her ruby eyes before leaving to do her business. Maddie just silently sat there, pondering whether to wake up Bliss or not. In the end, he slightly shook her while calling her name.
"Wake up, sis, we gotta start moving"
Rising slowly with a yawn as she rubbed her eye, Bliss held Maddie's wing and jacket tightly to her chest, trying to escape the cold bite of the morning wind. After a few seconds of sitting, she finally opened her eyes and looked straight at Maddie. As she continued to stare, Maddie only looked with expectation, fully knowing the outcome. In the end, Bliss just pouted before laying back down. Only chuckling at her attitude, Maddie carefully placed her on his back and covered her with his only wing as he stood up.
Taking a deep breath, Maddie released it as a sigh as he moved to collect the spikes Bliss had planted the night prior, finding that a few of the strings looked a bit more strained than it should've been.
"Guess I didn't need to stay awake after all." Maddie commented to himself as he put the last one in one of his many pockets.
He calmly lit a cigarette, using the dying embers of the campfire.
With Daisy climbing back on top of him, Maddie starts to follow the river downstream.
"Oh shit, I think we actually found it." Bliss excitedly comments, still on top of Maddie but without the wing as they climb over a fence.
"Fucking finally, I carried you for like 5 hours." Maddie said with a small smirk.
"Oh please, you used to carry me the whole day"
"Yeah, back when you were tiny as fuck, nowadays you're pretty heavy"
"Maybe you're just weaker now"
They shared a chuckle at their little exchange while Daisy just sighs at their stupidity.
"Anyways, you know what the hell these things are?" Maddie asks as they stand in front of a tree.
Quite a large number of red colored things were attached to the branches of the plant. Seeing something they've never seen before, Maddie lifts up Bliss, who cuts the stem of the new red thing and stores it inside her cloak.
"Wonder what this thing does, and why someone would be growing such a ridiculous amount of it." Bliss comments as they stare at the distance, the entire field filled with similar trees.
"Whatever the reason may be, we should probably leave fast, it's not smart to stay still after stealing after all." Maddie responds as he quickly climbs back over the fence to follow the edge.
Walking for quite a while, they finally reach something that looked like an entrance, allowing them to gaze upon the town. Silently staring at Ponyville, the three just stand there, entranced by the peaceful nature of it.
Daisy fully settles in Maddie's mane, laying comfortably.
Bliss laid down on Maddie, hugging his neck with her hooves as she looked on with a serene expression.
Maddie simply returns the hug with his wing as he calmly takes it all in.
Slowly letting out a breath, Maddie was about to start moving.
"Can Ah help y'all?" A heavy accented voice called out to them.
Slowly turning back, Maddie gave a bright smile as his eyes closed. Bliss simply slipped her hoof in her coat, preparing to bring out her knife, just in case. Daisy simply stared, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The owner of the voice, a red earth pony with a yellow mane, flinched very slightly at the scene, now eyeing the trio suspiciously with his green eyes.
"No, we're just new to town, thought we'd look around." Maddie answered, opening his eyes ever so slightly.
The unknown pony just narrowed his eyes, already wary of them.
"This here is private property, Ah'd suggest y'all leave." He spoke with a slightly threatening tone.
Maddie nodded slightly before turning around to leave.
As the trio slowly left his line of sight, the red pony just sighed before walking into the field.
"Dang real estate agents, using foals tah try and gain sympathy." He muttered to himself before continuing his chores.
"Clear." Bliss said after she looked back.
"Good." Maddie said with a sigh.
"You think he's suspicious of us?"
"Definitely, and I don't know if I could've taken him, he's pretty big"
"But you've beaten bigger"
"Yeah, but he's also the same species as us. If anything, we might be on the weaker side." Maddie finished with a frown.
"I guess that makes sense." Bliss accepted with a slight frown as well.
As they calmly walked, a very distinct sound reminded them of a matter of extreme importance.
"Maddie, I'm hungry"
"I heard, we haven't eaten breakfast yet"
"Soooo-" she nervously said.
"Yes, we'll be eating in town, actual food too probably." Maddie answered with suppressed excitement.
"YES!" Bliss celebrated loudly.
Maddie chuckled at how excited she was, and he couldn't lie, he could barely hold himself back from sprinting into town at full speed. The thought of bringing too much attention did the most to keep him at bay.
Arriving in Ponyville, the trio treaded carefully, watching around for any pickpockets and the like.
After careful observation of their surroundings by remaining as inconspicuous as possible, they very quickly realized their first problem.
"They don't use frags, why the fuck would they use frags." Bliss put her hoof to her face as she mumbled her complaints.
"We'll have to try the other method." Maddie calmly said as they stayed near the shadows of buildings.
"In broad daylight? Are you sure we can lose them?" She worriedly asked.
"Don't worry, I have a plan"
"Let's hear it"
Right above the peaceful town of Ponyville, a light blue colored pegasus stayed high in the air, sleeping whilst snoring. Dreaming of random air stunts and such, she muttered of ponies praising her newest trick. Until, her instincts as the town's protector shouted for her to go do her job.
"Something's wrong." She said as she awoke and stood tall in half a second, her rainbow colored mane and tail floating from the strong winds.
With a flap of her wings, she took off as she started to circle the town, looking for any kind of trouble.
And she found it.
With her superior technique of multitasking, she calmly gazed over the town while flying, then she spotted a pony she didn't recognize. Or rather, she couldn't recognize as a small pony ran into Filthy Rich, then said something before running off. Then another pony she didn't know came out, stopped Filthy Rich to say something before sighing and walking off in the direction of the filly.
"There is definitely something going on." She said before taking off.
Landing right in front of Filthy, she stopped him.
"Filthy, I need you to check your belongings"
Filthy looked confused for a few seconds before asking. "Why, Ms. Rainbow Dash?"
"UGH, just do it." She demanded with a serious face.
Still confused, but complying, Filthy Rich opened a saddlebag he was carrying, only to realize that it's empty.
"What!? How could this happen? I just made sure I had my bits on me.
Rainbow only frowned and took off in the direction of the thieves.
Said thieves were currently treading through the town, having changed directions multiple times, arrived at one of the only food establishments in Ponyville.
"Ooh, Maddie, I need to eat something from there." Bliss said with stars in her eyes as she smelt the scent coming from the gingerbread house.
"Sounds good." Maddie complied with a smile as they made their way inside.
As the trio open the door, a small jingle plays, alerting the owners.
"I'll be with you in just a sec dear." A feminine voice called out from behind the bar.
"It's fine, we'll wait." Maddie replied absent-mindedly as he looked around.
Staring with slight awe as she stepped off of Maddie, Bliss marveled at all the decorations and the different kinds of desserts stacked on random tables. Maddie wasn't that much better as he peered at the glass container, silently pondering if it's worth it to just take it all without the owners knowing. Even Daisy took peeks at all the different treats.
"All done, how can I help you?" The owner called out as she stepped out of the kitchen. "Oh my, I don't think I've seen you two before." She said with a smile.
Snapping back to reality, Maddie took the initiative whilst Bliss was still absorbed.
"Yeah, we're just visiting, and thought it might be a good idea to eat something." He replied with a practiced smile.
"Well then, I welcome you to Ponyville, I'm Cup Cake, but you can just call me Ms. Cake, everypony does." She said with a genuinely kind smile, one that made Maddie flinch, ever so slightly from surprise.
"Well Ms. Cake, it's great to meet you, you can call me Maddie, that over excited filly over there is Snow Bliss, and this is Daisy." He said after quickly reorganizing himself.
Daisy rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at having to wait.
Ms. Cake took a peek at the bunny, only to chuckle at the similarity of another bunny she knew. Maddie stared with a raised eyebrow at her.
"Oh don't worry dear, I just thought about how similar Daisy is to another bunny I know." She said with a chuckle.
Maddie responded with his own chuckle, though a bit awkward.
"Well, what would you like to order?" She asked, changing topics.
"Oh, Uh, I'll, um." He frowned a bit, not knowing any of the names.
"Maddie." Bliss called out, almost in a whisper as she stood with her front hooves on a table. Said table had a cake on top, stacking up three layers as it stood tall. Bliss was looking up to the very top, before she turned her head to Maddie with shining eyes, full of desire.
Maddie stared, slightly shocked at the scene before cracking a smile and chuckled a bit.
"We'll take a cake like that, and three drinks to go with it please." He told as he turned to Ms. Cake, who was giving an amused smile, prompting her to take the order and move towards the back to bring out a stored one.
Placing the three layered cake, she added three tall glasses, filled with chocolate shake, that was topped off with cream, sprinkles and one strawberry and straw each.
"On the house." Ms. Cake said as Maddie was taking out a stolen pouch.
"What?" He asked with a confused face.
"It means it's free hun, first time customers get a free order." She finished with a smile.
"But, that's, extremely unprofitable isn't it?"
She let out a few chuckles at the question.
"It's fine dear, Equestria is in its most longest period of harmony in recent years, save a few hiccups, so it's fine to do these things once in a while." She explained with a happy smile.
"I, see." He replied, albeit shocked at the random act of kindness.
A random sound of a bell came from the kitchen, prompting Ms. Cake to excuse herself.
"Yo, Maddie, you eating?" Bliss asked from a table, the cake and drinks already placed there.
"Y-yeah, I'm coming." He mindlessly replied as he went to take a seat.
"You alright?" Bliss asked after looking at Maddie's rigid movements.
"I'm, fine, let's just eat first"
Bliss stared worriedly for a few seconds, before finally dropping it.
"Alright, by the way, since we actually paid, we don't need to worry much right?" She asked as she struggled on how to eat the cake.
"Yes, your knife, though, no, we didn't pay." He replied as he sliced the cake into manageable pieces.
"What?" Bliss froze as she asked. "So she just, gave it to us?" She asked with an incredulous expression.
"Yeah, I don't think she messed with it either." He said as he grabbed a slice.
"If you say so." Bliss mumbled, a bit confused as she grabbed a piece with her hoof.
Daisy, in the same state as them, just decided to ignore the feeling and try the cake.
Eyes widening in disbelief, they all froze from euphoria at the sweet sensation in their mouths. The amazingly light taste, combined with the delightful cream and chocolate fillings, completely fried their brains as they never tasted anything like it before. The best part however, was that there was still a large amount left.
In astonishing speed, the cake was gone.
"That was actually amazing." Bliss commented, pieces of cake decorated around her mouth.
Daisy burped slightly, but still gave a sound of approval.
"No kidding, that was one of the best things I've tasted." Maddie replied as he used the table cloth to clean her face, which Bliss gratefully accepted.
Sighing with content, Bliss couldn't wait as she grabbed her milkshake and slurped from the straw.
"Oh shit! Maddie, Daisy, you gotta try the drinks!" She exclaimed with a bright smile.
"Damn, this shit's good." Maddie stated, mouth stuck to the straw.
Daisy joined in as she had a similar reaction.
Soon enough, they all finished their drinks, happy with their decision to come here.
"Dude, more." Bliss said as she practically vibrated in her seat, Daisy giving the same sentiment.
"Sure." Maddie easily complied with a big smile, genuinely happy as he went to ask for more.
Happily drinking milkshakes, the trio were peaceful. They easily created an enjoyable atmosphere, merrily laughing as they relaxed, talking and drinking in complete peace. No worries, no dangers, just them, and their emotions.
Until.
"Ugh! I just can't believe I lost them Flutters! What if they're already out of town by now?" Angrily shouting, Rainbow Dash came in the store as she complained to another pegasus.
"Don't worry Dash, I'm sure you'll catch them, right after you have lunch." Flutters calmly said with a slightly silent voice.
The trio were broken out of their little daydreaming as they carefully observed the newcomers.
"Yeah! I'll teach them a lesson or two when I-!" She stopped her rant as she noticed three extra pairs of eyes on her.
"Oh, I don't think I've seen them before." Flutters commented without much thought.
"Hey! Quit staring you-YOU!"
"SMOKE!" Maddie yelled, prompting Bliss to throw down a few balls that filled the room in black smoke immediately.
"Fuck!" Bliss shouted in annoyance.
"Just book it!" Maddie commanded as they ran through the streets of Ponyville, knocking down ponies in the process.
Left in Sugarcube Corner, the two mares coughed as tears were falling from their eyes. They quickly made their way outside, hacking out smoke, to breathing fresh air.
"Ugh, my eyes!" Ponies cried out in pain as those who got close to the smoke, quickly felt the aftereffects.
"You good Flutters?" Rainbow asked, fighting through the pain.
"I-I'll manage." She weakly replied as she continued to cough.
"No you won't, I'll take you to a doc." She sternly said before flying off, taking Flutters with her.
Ms. Cake ran out as well, confused as to what could've exploded outside the kitchen.
Night quickly came. The moon held itself, high in the sky to look over Equestria. The stars shone brightly, accompanying the moon in its noble quest.
Guards, personally selected by Princess Luna herself to be able to circle the entirety of Ponyville ten times over in one flight. The bat ponies, donned in purple armor, made from the highest quality steel. With predatory eyes and sharp fangs, they patrolled the town, searching for the suspects.
Said suspects, were currently staying in a place, not a single creature would've suspected.
Inside the one place, where it should've been the safest.
*Sigh*
Bliss let out a relieved sigh as the shadow of a guard walked past their place of hiding.
"When do you think we can leave?" Bliss whispered to Maddie, who was busy tying up a knocked out guard.
"I don't know, I wanted us to leave during the night, but these guys," he said as he tapped the guards' helmet, "can see perfectly fine in the dark"
"What should we do then?"
"We should, no, then, no that, fuck." Maddie walked back and forth as he struggled to come up with a feasible plan.
Daisy's ears suddenly rose, prompting her to land on Maddie's mouth, shutting him up. Bliss held her breath as the three watched the door with tense expressions.
Slowly, very slowly, the door opened a tiny bit.
Maddie flexed his muscles, already in a position to strike.
Daisy brought out her claws, prepared to react appropriately.
Bliss already had her knife out, glowing a dull blue, ready to cut through anything that comes through.
The door stayed still, just taunting the trio on what could come through. Not even the tiniest trace of a shadow showed under the door. But they didn't let their guard down, it's not the first time they didn't see the shadow before.
As seconds passed, sweat formed slowly. The small gust of wind from the opened door teased their expectations.
Seeing the door not moving, Maddie, as careful as he can, approached the door and peered through, only to find nothing.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he silently closed the door and turned to Bliss.
"For fuck's sake." Bliss smacked her face with her hoof, annoyed by the event.
Daisy only sighed in annoyance.
Princess Luna of the night, one of the few alicorns Equestria has to offer, was having a bad day.
Currently working on an hour of sleep in two days, she had personally come down to Ponyville after a scroll had come in. A simple report of a theft is not important enough for her presence, but two of the Elements of Harmony had been injured in trying to pursue the thief, one even had to stay the night in the hospital as she had fainted from the amount of smoke she inhaled.
Right after she heard of this, she skipped her sleep and chose to aid in catching them herself, alongside some of her trusted guards. But after a full day of searching, they came up empty, further angering the already enraged princess.
So, choosing to at least try for one more day, she decided to spend the night in the castle of a fellow princess, Twilight Sparkle.
Currently staying in her castle, Luna had chosen to take an evening walk before beginning her nightly duties, then she heard something.
"What the? Who are you!" The muffled voice of someone called out.
Taking a second to process the information, she quickly followed the sound to the source. A double door, one used for storage, although it didn't look even the slightest bit different from the rest of its siblings. She quickly bucked it open as time seemed to slow down for her.
With her severe lack of sleep, coupled with the stress of being on full alert for the whole day, her reaction speed had been slowed down to one of a snail's speed. As her mind raced to form thoughts, a sore feeling formed under her jaw, along with the sensation of flipping backwards through the air.
Her vision went upwards, and it didn't stop as it kept going up, eventually going down as it went past the point of looking upwards, turning to behind her. Until it eventually stopped as she stared at the ground.
With her mind slowly blacking out, she heard a loud gasp, followed by a worried voice calling out to her.
And during all that, a single thought dominated her mind.
"Was that a foal?"