//------------------------------// // Act 1: Chapter 2 // Story: Elements of Chaos // by Incredible Blunderbolt //------------------------------// Elements of Chaos Act 1 Chapter 2 Twilight Sparkle walked quickly beside her teacher’s sister. The only pony whom walked near the duo was the large white stallion who’d arrived with Luna. Twilight’s friends trailed behind them at varying distances. Luna led them to the town park and into the privacy of the woods where owls hooted in the darkness and squirrels scampered amongst the leaves. “Princess Celestia’s been kidnapped?” The unicorn still couldn’t process the words the Princess of the Night had said upon gathering them. “I don’t understand... Who would do such a thing?” Luna paused for a moment and waited for the others to gather around. After an anxious Fluttershy had made her way through the bushes, the princess began to speak. “I believe my sister once told you the about Discord.” “Yeah, we kicked his butt like a month ago.” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Why? Is he back?” Twilight knocked her hoof off of the pegasus’s foreleg. “Ow! What was that for?” she cried indignantly. “Don’t interrupt her, Rainbow!” Twilight whispered hastily. To Luna she then said; “Yes she did Princess, why do you ask?” The ruler of Equestria looked uncomfortable with so much attention focused on her, but she continued nonetheless. “Unlike my sister, I am not very good at explaining things.” she began. “But I do not believe she told you the full story. You see, long ago, Discord had a master. An evil King named Eclipse who ruled Equestria with an iron hoof.” “Wait... what?” A confused Applejack questioned. “Ah ain’t never heard o’ no Eclipse.” The Princess shifted uneasily. “‘Tis not common knowledge, Applejack. In fact, this is one detail we purposefully left out of the history books.” “Why is that?” Twilight asked. She didn’t understand why her teacher would do such a thing. History was filled with cruel ponies who’d risen to power and then subsequently toppled from their thrones. Why should this Eclipse guy be any different? “We have our reasons...” Luna said evasively. “Suffice to say he was one facet of history that was better off forgotten.” She straightened and continued her story. “Long ago, Eclipse sat upon Equestria’s throne and ruled over everypony with a cruel authority. He lead his citizens to crush other countries and claim them for his own with an army of incredible power and overwhelming might.” “Just what made this army so powerful, huh?” Rainbow again cut in. Twilight resisted the urge to kick her again. Rainbow Dash will be Rainbow Dash... she thought irritatedly. Luna thought for a moment before giving her answer in a carefully monitored tone. “If you didn’t want to be a slave, you had to serve in his army.” “Slaves?” Rarity exclaimed. “How ghastly!” “Indeed, Rarity. Eclipse had slaves that were forced to serve under his indiscriminate whip. They built statues of him; monuments to his power. The very castle my sister and I live at in Canterlot was built from their suffering.” Twilight gasped. She’d lived in that castle for years whilst Celestia had taught her. How many of these slaves had been forced to build the rooms she’d so carelessly traipsed around in? “What happened Luna? Did Discord take over?” This time, it was Pinkie Pie’s turn to interject. “No,” she answered. “My sister and I defeated them eons ago when we discovered the Elements of Harmony. But I believe Eclipse has returned to seek vengeance.” “Why do you think that?” Twilight asked. “When I returned from my flight this morning I found many of our sentinels slain; including Celestia’s personal guard, Swiftblade.” The large pegasus snorted beside Luna. “Swiftblade was also the younger brother of my own guard, Cutlass.” she added sadly. “My sister herself was nowhere to be found. At first, I believed that it may have been an attack by some foreign nation, until it was brought to my attention that Eclipse’s cell was empty.” Rainbow Dash pricked up. “You think he broke out?” “I believe that Discord utilized his own escape to release Eclipse from his prison under the palace labyrinth. From what you told us, he spent an awful long time around that area.” “So... what would you have us do?” Twilight questioned. This whole situation was getting harder and harder to accept, but she wanted to know where this discussion was leading. “I must rule in Celestia’s stead while she is missing. I need you to search for my sister and investigate any leads you may come across concerning Eclipse’s escape. If he is behind this, he must be stopped.” Luna said grimly. “W-w-what?” Fluttershy cried, hiding herself behind her mane. “No-no-no, we can’t do that!” “Oh, quit being a fraidy-filly, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Of course we will, Princess!” Twilight had to hand it to Rainbow. It seemed that no matter the situation, the pegasus was always ready to go adventuring. “No.” Applejack argued. “Fluttershy’s got a point. Some o’ us’ve got responsibilities. We can’t just abandon them!” “But if Luna’s right, this may be the biggest responsibility ever!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “What about Big Macintosh, huh? Whose gonna take care o’ him if Ah leave? Apple Bloom can’t, she’s just a filly!” “Big Macintosh can take care of himself just fine, A.J.! You know that!” “No, he can’t! He needs somepony to help him; he’s in no state to be on his own!” “Quiet! Both of you!” Rarity exclaimed. “All of this arguing is not going to solve anything!” Turning to face the orange pony, Rarity’s voice changed to a soft, comforting tone. “Now Applejack, you know Big Macintosh can take care of himself. Whatever he can’t do on his own, I’m sure somepony in town will be more than happy to help him. We cannot simply ignore a job like this, I’m sure even you don’t want to.” The orange pony paused, and then nodded sullenly. “Okay...” “Do you have any idea where we should begin, Princess?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence. The alicorn nodded. “You should begin your search in Hoofington. Captain Lionheart is leading the investigation there.” She looked over to her guard. “I would have you take Cutlass along for protection.” The white pegasus jerked back suddenly, his eyes wide. “What?” He said in a gruff, throaty voice. “Your highness, I cannot simply leave you!” “Aw, It’s okay Princess. We can handle ourselves.” Rainbow interjected, standing on her hind legs and lashing out at invisible foes with her forehooves. “We kicked Discord’s butt easily, we don’t no stinkin’ babysitter!” A murmur of general agreement emanated from the majority of those present. The Ruler of the Night shook her head in exasperation. “Eclipse is not like Discord my little ponies, he does not play games. If he discovers you, he will kill you without hesitation.” Luna’s words echoed ominously in the night, sinking deep under Twilight’s skin. This was the first time in her life she’d actually thought about the possibility of getting killed. “Luna if I leave, there will be nopony to protect you.” the stallion insisted. “My duties are clear-” “Your duty is what I tell you it is, Cutlass.” she answered sternly. “You will travel with them; I have many more guards who can protect me.” “Then have one of them go!” Cutlass roared, stamping a hoof on the ground. “No.” she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “They must travel as light as possible. You are my best, Cutlass; my most trusted companion. I know you will not fail me.” Twilight watched the large stallion’s face fall, obviously realizing that his boss was serious on this matter. “Luna, I cannot advise this-” he tried. “Yet you will do as your Princess commands.” The stallion lowered his head in defeat, breathing a heavy sigh, “Yes, my liege.” Luna turned to face Twilight and her friends. “I must return to my duties at the castle, but do not hesitate to contact me if need be.” With one last look of reassurance she spread her wings and took off, flying quickly into the night sky. The Princess’s sudden departure frustrated Twilight a bit; she was hoping she could talk to Luna afterwards. Princess Celestia had never hidden information from her, but it was all too obvious from the way she’d acted earlier that there was something the Ruler of the Night was not telling her subjects. “You ever get the feeling you were being intentionally left in the dark?” Rainbow Dash gave voice to Twilight’s very thoughts. Despite the situation, the six friends giggled at her quip. [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] After Luna left, the seven ponies stood around in the dark, not saying much. Pinkie Pie just wanted to go home, back to Sugarcube Corner and forget about this big mess that had just been dumped into their laps. It wasn’t fair that they had to fix everything that went wrong in Equestria. She knew it was selfish, but this wasn’t like the Discord situation, or even Nightmare Moon. Ponies had been killed; And not just any ponies either, but Celestia’s elite guards. How could they possibly hope to defeat anything like that- even with Luna’s guard, Cutlass? “Well... now what?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around the group. Soaring up into the sky, she pulled a loopty-loop and hovered over them. “Should we go now? I’m game!” Twilight shook her head. “Not right now. It would be foolish to just take off for Hoffington in the middle of the night with no supplies.” she said. “Besides,” she added with a look over to Applejack. “Some of us have to talk to some ponies before we leave.” There were some murmurs of agreement amongst the friends. “What do you think, Cutlass?” The large pegasus glowered at the ground. After a few moments, he released a growling answer. “I think we’re wasting time. We should have left by now.” He looked up and studied his new charges. “But you are not soldiers. Hoofington is at least a day’s run away. We should leave in the morning; when you are rested and prepared.” Without waiting for a response, the large pony began walking back to town. “Wow, somepony’s cranky.” Pinkie Pie said. She never understood why ponies could get so upset over everything when there was so much that they could be happy about. They were going on an adventure, they were all together, it was Sweetie Belle’s birthday. Why did everypony always focus on the negatives? Oh right, there was that whole getting killed part... But still, Cutlass was being a meanie... “Oh, I don’t think he means to be rude, Pinkie.” Fluttershy said quietly. “I’m sure he’s just upset because he’d rather be helping Princess Luna.” “Well,” Applejack grunted. “Upset or not, he’s got a point. We should all git home ‘n git some rest.” With Applejack leading the pack, the six friends walked out of the park and back through the dark town, splintering off along the way. Pinkie Pie stumbled glumly back into Sugarcube Corner, the party still in full swing. Looking around, her eyes instinctively picked out her favorite gray pegasus against the crowd of dancing ponies. All at once, a torrent of emotions threatened to take over her, some of them- like the anxiety of possibly never seeing her again- were new. Most of them though, were more of the same. The pink mare couldn’t really figure out exactly when she’d started to have feelings for Derpy Hooves. It hardly mattered, really. The fact that she felt them now is what took precedence. Pinkie thought about her new duty, a dangerous mission to find Princess Celestia and an evil stallion named Eclipse. There was no guarantee that she was going to be coming back, was there? Even Luna had expressed fear of that. Pinkie Pie watched Applejack and Rarity gather up their younger sisters from their game of tag. The young fillies began whining in protest, but stopped once they noticed the looks on the faces of the elder ponies. Once they’d said goodbye, Pinkie’s friends left Sugarcube Corner for home, presumably to inform their families of their new situation. Pinkie Pie knew that she was supposed to get some rest for tomorrow, but there was no way she could go to sleep with the raucous ponies partying it up downstairs. After a few moments of serious contemplation, she decided she would let the party die at its own pace. There were so many ponies in the building having a good time that it seemed selfish to just tell them all to leave. Besides, what would she tell them? It didn’t seem like anypony had even noticed the birthday filly’s absence. Derpy hopped around the dance floor, excitedly showing off her moves to those cheering around her. She seemed so happy, so unaware. Did she know that Pinkie Pie really liked her? More importantly; should Pinkie tell Derpy before she left town? Breathing out a heavy sigh, the party pony sat down by the pastry counter. If she was going to tell Derpy how she felt, she didn’t have very long to do so. After all, the group had decided to depart for Hoofington first thing in the morning. Yet even with this motivation, Pinkie Pie felt her heart race ever faster at the thought of saying anything to the pegasus. The two ponies were good friends- they had been since Pinkie had first moved to Ponyville- but how would Derpy react if Pinkie suddenly told her about her feelings? The last thing the pink mare wanted was rejection weighing her down on her journey. What if she didn’t come back though? Pinkie Pie had never been one for such pessimism, but the thought of never knowing if her feelings were returned was just as painful as that of being spurned. Pinkie Pie leaned against the counter with her head in her hooves. What’s a pony to do? she thought dejectedly. [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] The shutting of the front door awakened Big Macintosh from his sleep. A.J. must be home with Apple Bloom, he thought. The sound of tiny hooves jumping up the stairs moments later confirmed his theory. “Whadda ya mean ya halfta leave tomorrow?” Apple Bloom’s voice echoed outside of Big Mac’s door. “Shh, Apple Bloom!” came the voice of his other sister. “Do y’all wanna wake up Big Macintosh?” “But-” The filly’s voice was cut short by Applejack’s reply. “Ah told y’all, Ah’ll explain in the mornin’! Now git tah bed, Apple Bloom!” The frustration in Applejack’s tone startled Big Mac. The orange mare was rarely so upset as to growl at Apple Bloom. Somethin’ must be wrong with her... Big Macintosh wondered if their talk earlier was still bothering Applejack; and what was all this about her leaving? Ah, it can wait ‘till mornin’... There was no point in talking to Applejack right now if she’d decided to wait to discuss whatever it was that was bothering her. Hoofbeats continued down the hallway and into separate rooms. A few minutes later, muffled crashes began echoing from the room furthest from him. Tossing his head back onto his pillow, Big Macintosh released a sigh of exasperation. He really was going to have to get up, wasn’t he? With a groan of pain, the red pony heaved himself up on his bed. Setting a hoof onto the ground sent a shot of pain flashing up his foreleg and straight into his broken ribs. Grunting, he brought the rest of himself off of the bed and onto his hooves. The hard part complete, Big Macintosh made his way to the door and pushed it open with a hoof. Only one lamp remained burning in the house, casting a glow from Applejack’s room and down the hallway. A silhouette danced in the doorway repeating a pattern every few moments; lifting up objects at random, only to growl and toss them aside. While limping across the hall, Big Macintosh noticed something new about his sister’s room; it was a mess. Somethin’s definitely wrong. he thought. Applejack’s room was always spotless; she cleaned it every morning before breakfast. Big Mac sat down in the doorway and tried to think of something to say to his distressed sister. Applejack lifted a coil of rope off of her bureau and studied it for a moment. Growling once more, the mare threw it across the room where it unraveled and added to the pile of junk accumulating on her bed. Moving to lift something else, Applejack jumped at the sudden sound of Big Macintosh’s voice. “Y’know, that rope ain’t no good, Sis. Too frayed. It wont last long if’n ya wind up needin’ it.” Spinning around, Applejack’s face was a crazy combination of confusion, fear and anger. “Big Mac!” Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she approached the red pony. “Shouldn’t y’all be in bed?” “Shouldn’t you?” The question seemed to stun Applejack. She plopped down on the floor and sighed deeply. “Now what’s this Ah heard ‘bout yeh leavin’ A.J.?” Applejack turned away from her brother, but Big Mac managed to catch a glimpse of the grimace she was hiding. She strode quickly to her closet and began rummaging around in it, as if looking for something. “A.J., Ah kin only help if yeh tell meh what’s goin’ on!” Big Mac groaned. He really didn’t want to play this game all night. “So please, what’s eatin’ yeh?” The orange pony paused. Still staring intently into the closet, she broke the news. “Celestia’s missin’, Big Mac. Princess Luna wants mah help.” Taken aback, Big Macintosh shook his head. She hadn’t really said what he thought she’d said, right? The very idea that the Sun Princess could go missing was unthinkable to him. “Come again?” “Ah’m leavin’ with mah friends tomorrow mornin’ to find Princess Celestia, Big Mac.” Applejack said softly. Moving slowly across the room, Big Macintosh sat down next to his sister. He wrapped a foreleg around Applejack. “But that’s not what’s botherin’ yah, is it?” “No, that’s not it...” she said after a few moments. “If Ah leave, what’ll happen here? Yer all laid up an’ Nurse Redheart don’t want you movin’ ‘round too much.” Big Mac felt the corner of his lip raise at her words. As much as his sister may love him, she seemed to have forgotten that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. “Ah kin make do.” he said reassuringly. “Yeah, by gettin’ up against Nurse’s orders ‘n gettin’ yerself hurt again!” “Ah’ll be fine, A.J. Ah ain’t gotten up all day. No need to. Besides, if Ah do need somethin’, Apple Bloom’ll be here.” The orange mare just shook her head in exasperation. “Big Mac, yer outta bed right now.” He had to admit Applejack had a good point. But Big Macintosh was never one to hold somepony back. The way Applejack was speaking, she really wanted to go on this trip. Who wouldn’t. Big Mac thought. Celestia’s been so kind to all of us ponyfolk, it’s time to return the kindness. Besides, he reasoned, Applejack acted confident, but she wasn’t entirely sure of herself. He had seen it in her eyes during their earlier discussion. Perhaps finding Celestia would help her realize just how important it was for her to learn that she was more than ready to run things herself, just in case- somehow- Big Mac bit the big one before he was ready to. “Eeyup.” He finally said, releasing his sister. “But Ah can’t spend all day in that durned room.” Applejack’s eye’s glared at him as he made his way to the exit. Pausing for a moment in the doorway, he said the only thing he could think of. “Applejack; a pony’s gotta do what a pony’s gotta do.” Without waiting for an answer, he walked out. “The good rope’s in the shed.” [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] A pink mare stood by a door and watched her guests file out of the bakery. One by one the amount of ponies in the building dwindled until only a few remained: drinking punch by the table or dancing to the last of Vinyl Scratch’s songs. The mare saw a gray figure nearing the door and steeled herself for what she was about to do. Come on, Pinkie Pie! she thought determinedly. It’s only a few itsy-bitsy words. If you don’t say them now, you might never get to! Pinkie Pie reached out a foreleg and stopped Derpy Hooves as she was stepping outside. “Hmm?” the gray pony laughed. “Hey Pinkie Pie, great party! As usual.” The pegasus studied her friend, whom hadn’t dropped her hoof. “What’s up?” Realizing she’d frozen, Pinkie Pie ripped her hoof off of Derpy. Struggling to look her in the eyes, the pink mare racked her brain for words. “Uh... You wanna go for a walk, Derpy? I kinda need some fresh air.” Yes! the perfect plan; Pinkie Pie would admit her feelings far away from the piercing eyes of the remaining partygoers. With the big moon and all the stars up in the sky, it was going to be awesome! Derpy raised an eyebrow. “Uh, Pinkie? It’s like, ten o’clock at night!” Oh no! Pinkie Pie panicked. I never thought about the fact that she might not wanna go! The mare literally felt her face drop. She had finally gotten the nerve to tell Derpy her feelings, but now it was too late. With confusion evident on her face, the pegasus continued slowly. “But... Uh, I’d love a walk.” Yes! Pinkie led her friend around town, searching frantically for the perfect place to launch her plan. Not the park... Pinkie thought. I can’t go there again! The thought of confessing her love in the same place her friends had been commissioned for their mission disturbed Pinkie Pie to no end. Ooh! I know! With the perfect idea in mind, Pinkie tore through town with a confused Derpy Hooves in tow. The pair continued out of Ponyville and into the large fields beyond. Pinkie looked behind herself to make sure Derpy was still following her before breaking off the road and into the meadow. After a few more moments of furious examination, Pinkie led her friend to the top of a large hill that overlooked all of Ponyville. Pinkie Pie surveyed the landscape. The clear night sky shone with millions of beautiful stars. The few lanterns that remained burning in Ponyville blended with the fireflies that danced under the light of the large moon that hung over the town. Pinkie nodded in satisfaction. Perfect! Derpy trotted up beside the pink mare and took a seat. “Pinkie... Pie...” She said between large gasps of air. “What are... we doing... way... out here?” Pinkie aimed a hoof out at the picturesque scene before them, smiling proudly. “Oh... wow!” The pegasus seemed genuinely enthralled with the view, but turned to face Pinkie Pie after a few moments. “So why exactly are we way out here?” Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, but her mind drew a blank. “Uh...” She’d spent so much time searching around for the perfect place that she’d forgotten to plan her words. Pinkie felt her face growing hot and thanked Luna for the darkness; at least Derpy wouldn’t notice her blush. Fighting to make her hooves stop dancing on the dirt, Pinkie Pie decided to start from the top. “You know how Princess Luna asked to talk to some ponies today, right?” Derpy nodded. “Well, it turns out that there’s something that she wants us to help her with...” Pinkie Pie launched into the story, telling Derpy Hooves all about the job she and her friends would be doing soon. She talked about Celestia’s absence and the evil stallion Eclipse, about Hoofington and Luna’s guard, even explaining in extravagant detail all the little fears and feelings she had that she might not be coming back. Throughout the story, Derpy remained a respectful audience, gasping at all the right times and even reaching a hoof forward to comfort Pinkie towards the end. “It’s okay Pinkie, I’m sure you’ll all come back; you have to.” Derpy whispered comfortingly. Pinkie picked her head up and looked at her friend. She still didn’t really know what to say, but she had to try something. After all, she’d come this far; quitting now wasn’t really an option. “I know, but just in case I don’t, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say. I was too scared to say it before, but now I’m not.” Derpy raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Pinkie?” “Well...” she said. Her last few words were a borderline lie. Butterflies danced around in her stomach like they were guests at a heavy metal concert. “I really can’t shake off this bad feeling, and I was worried this might be my last chance to get it off my chest. I just wanted to make sure that I said it before it was too late.” Pinkie watched Derpy nod slowly. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Derpy, we’ve been friends for a long time right?” “Mmm-hmm, ever since I crashed into the Cakes’ mailbox.” Derpy’s comment on the farcical way they had met caused the pair to giggle despite Pinkie’s anxiety. “Well... I...” Pinkie Pie frowned. Here she was, prepared to say what was on her mind, but she still couldn’t find the words. The pink mare growled to herself and stared at the ground, racking her brain for the right phrase. Derpy Hooves, I love you! Pinkie tried. No, that’s too... too... Pinkie cursed her vocabulary, Twilight would know the word she was looking for... “Hey, Pinks.” The unexpected interruption of thought caused Pinkie Pie to look up at her friend. The abrupt exposure to Derpy’s golden eyes- shining in the starlight- caused her to lose what little progress she’d made. Pinkie lost her battle and felt her hooves dancing again. All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie felt a pressure against her lips. What is going... wait, she thought. Is... is this really happening? A stunned Pinkie finally regained control of herself and kissed Derpy back. Yes! After a few short moments, the pair broke their kiss and Pinkie looked up meekly at Derpy. Did... did that just happen? The gray pony shifted uncomfortably in the moonlight. “I love you.” she said. “I’ve had a crush on you ever since we met. I just wanted to tell you before you left.” Pinkie Pie felt her heart soar in her chest. Forget Celestia! Forget that big meanie Eclipse and their stupid mission; Derpy Hooves had just told Pinkie she loved her! Giggling softly, Pinkie replied, “I love you too.” [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] The sun floated slightly over the distant mountains, casting the world in a fiery orange glow. A few birds called as they soared high above the sleeping town. Only two figures moved; the lavender unicorn that stood before the Ponyville town entrance sign, pacing constantly from once side of the road to the other, and the baby dragon that lay sleeping on the fence marking the town line. A single blue dot suddenly appeared in the orange sky. It floated closer and closer to the unicorn at a steady pace. Rainbow Dash circled overhead for a few moments before landing softly in the grass by the dragon. “Hey Twilight!” she yawned. “You ready to go?” The unicorn nodded, emulating the other pony’s yawn. Rainbow released a small smile at the sight. Now that’s what I call ‘cute!’ Annoyed by herself, the pegasus shook her head. She was all too familiar with the final destination of that train of thought, and the last thing she needed was to get all mushy before they left on a dangerous adventure. “Did you see anypony else while you were flying?” Twilight asked once she’d finished. Rainbow Dash trotted over to the road and took a seat by the sign. “Uh-huh. A.J.’s walking down her road right now, Rarity was just leaving when I passed by, and Pinkie Pie’s on her way with somepony else.” “What about Fluttershy and Cutlass?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Fluttershy’s probably feeding her animals and I don’t even know where Cutlass went last night.” “I’m right here.” The same gruff voice they'd heard the night before spoke behind her. Rainbow Dash just about jumped out of her skin. Spinning around, she found Cutlass directly behind her, stretching his large wings. Dash took the opportunity to get a good look at the stallion, she hadn’t been able to see him too well before. He was pure white and rather large, with a sharp indigo mane. A long smooth scar decorated his countenance, making its way across one of his deep blue eyes. His golden armor shone in the light of the sunrise, casting a shadow on his sword. “Ah, good morning Sir Cutlass. Did you have a pleasant sleep?” Twilight said genially. “I’ve slept in worse places,” the stallion answered, cracking his back. “But I think the owners of the inn should check their beds more often; My back is feeling the brunt of their neglect.” Bored by the conversation, Rainbow Dash turned back around to face the street. Another pony was making their way down the road towards them. As the pony drew closer, Rainbow recognized the pony as her friend Rarity. She had a few saddlebags on her back along with something else strapped to her side, something long and brown. No way! the cyan pony thought. Is that... no! Deciding she had to investigate, Rainbow Dash trotted up to Rarity. Even in close proximity, Dash had trouble believing what her friend was carrying. Shaking her head in disbelief, she began walking next to the unicorn. “Rarity... Is that a sword?” Dash asked. Rarity looked over to Rainbow and smirked. “Good morning to you too, Rainbow.” “Yeah, yeah. Good morning Rarity.” Dash said impatiently, tossing pleasantries aside. “Why do you have a sword?” Rarity paused for a moment, the expression on her face was one of pique. “First of all Rainbow, it is called a rapier. Furthermore, you are carrying a dagger on your foreleg and you’re asking me why I’ve got a weapon?” “Well, yeah!” Rainbow answered incredulously, raising her hooves in the air. Laughing, she continued. “I mean, at least I know how to use mine!” If slow burns gave off needle rays, Rainbow Dash would’ve had two small holes where her eyes used to be. Rarity’s glare made the pegasus uncomfortable to say the least. “I’ll have you know Rainbow, I am quite good with a sword. Would you like me to show you?” Deciding she didn’t like where this discussion was heading, Rainbow backed off. “Uh... No thanks, Rarity.” She didn’t honestly believe that such a ritzy pony would even know the difference between a sword and a dagger- let alone how to use either- but that didn’t mean she wanted to put her theory to the test. Besides, Rarity was her friend and the comments she was making were kinda rude. Dash apologized and went to go sit down by the sign again. The next to arrive was Applejack, carrying saddlebags rounded with supplies. In addition to her hat, a long length of rope was coiled around her neck like a necklace. She took a seat by the sign alongside Rainbow Dash and breathed a long, tired sigh. “Mornin’ R.D.” “Morning A.J.” The two chatted quietly about nothing in particular for a few minutes while waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive. Spike woke up and yawned. The young drake sat on the fence for a moment before jumping. Quickly, he made his way back to his backpack. Rainbow watched him pull a bottle full of blueish-gray liquid out of his backpack. The dragon shook the vial and studied the contents as they swished around inside. With a nod, he proceeded to hand it to Twilight with a few words. “What do you think that is?” Rainbow asked the orange mare. “I dunno, looks like some kinda potion or somethin’." “What do you think it does?” “Why’re y’all askin’ me? I don’t know the first thing about magic.” The sound of heavy wing-beats tore Rainbow from her conversation. Looking down the street to search for the source of the noise, she noticed a large dust cloud ripping through the streets toward the group. What the... Rainbow’s confusion dissipated once she noticed what was causing the disturbance. Next to her, Applejack released a low, irritated growl. An orange filly stood on top of a scooter, her wings propelling her to high speeds. A large red wagon was attached to the back of her vehicle, in which two other fillies sat amongst a pile of assorted objects. All three of the young ponies wore red and gold capes that flapped wildly in the wind. The fillies sped toward their elder counterparts and halted upon reaching them. They got off their transport and began high-hoofing each other excitedly. Their riotous laughter came to an abrupt end when Applejack stormed over to them. “Apple Bloom!” she hollered. The yellow filly shrunk down low to the ground and looked up at her sister. “What are y’all doin here?” Rarity walked over next to Applejack and glared at the unicorn filly. “And you too, Sweetie Belle, you should be asleep this time of day!” The two fillies in question shared an awkward groan. Without skipping a beat, the pegasus filly jumped around the larger ponies and bounded excitedly towards the cyan mare. “We’re ready to go, Rainbow Dash!” she cried, hopping about. Scootaloo’s shrieks earned Rainbow some very vexed expressions from the elder sisters of the other two fillies. Feeling seriously put on the spot, Dash offered a shrug. “What?” she defended. “I never said she could come with us!” “What were y’all thinkin’?” Applejack sighed. Scootaloo stopped jumping about, and looked excitedly at the older ponies. “Action!” she said, swiping at imaginary foes. The other two fillies crawled beneath their sisters. Apple Bloom stuck her head out from underneath Applejack. “Adventure!” Sweetie Belle revealed her own head from underneath Rarity. “And, um...” She thought hard for a moment. “Excitement!” The three fillies gathered between the larger ponies and jumped into the air together. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Adventurers!” Rainbow stared blankly at the crusaders and tried to force a chuckle back down. The urge to laugh only grew with the redness on Applejack’s face. “Apple Bloom, y’all better march back home this instant! Yer not comin’ with us!” “But-” the filly cried in protest, but was cut off by her elder sister. “Ah said git home!” Sweetie Belle spoke up next to her friend. “But Applejack, we want to help!” Rarity looked over to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, you are not coming either. I want you to go straight home!” “Um... can I help?” A quiet voice said. Rainbow Dash stepped to the side and made room for a small yellow pegasus with a long pink mane. Fluttershy walked up to the group of fillies and couched down to their levels. “Now girls, why would you want to come on a big, dangerous adventure?” “You guys‘re gonna go all the way to Hoofington!” Apple Bloom spoke up. “An’ who knows where from there! If we go with you there’s no way we wont get our cutie marks!” “That, and the action!” Scootaloo said. Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Well girls, you know you can’t come with us...” “But-” the orange filly protested. Fluttershy held up a hoof and silenced her. “But you can stay here and keep an eye on Ponyville while we’re gone.” she compromised. “I’m sure there are plenty of ponies around town who could use some help!” The fillies mulled it over, then Apple Bloom spoke up. “Hey, yeah! We could be... Cutie Mark Crusader Ponyville Protecters!” The young ponies cheered at the idea, excitedly sharing plans for their next mission. “How do you do that?” Rainbow Dash asked her fellow pegasus as she walked back over to the older ponies. “I don’t know...” the timid pony responded. “I guess it’s a gift?” Rainbow Dash let a smile creep onto her face. Pinkie Pie laughed loudly as she walked down the road towards the group with another pony at her side. Rainbow felt her jaw drop upon seeing her. This morning just gets more and more surprising. she thought, taking off to greet the new arrivals. “No way!” Rainbow Dash cried, landing next to Pinkie. “Did you finally do it, Pinkie?” The other mares nodded ecstatically. “Uh-huh!” Pinkie cheered. “Last night! I was afraid it would be my last chance...” “Huh?” Dash responded. “Why would you think that?” Derpy’s smile faded a little. “Well, she has this feeling that she’ll... that she’ll...” Rainbow Dash was concerned now; she never knew that her exuberant friend could be so pessimistic. “What?” she said, shocked by her friend’s words. “Do you really think that’ll happen, Pinkie?” “It’s just a feeling.” She said. “Yeah, but so are the rest of your Pinkie Senses!” Derpy cried. “I still say you shouldn’t go.” “I have to.” Although she felt a little awkward over her friends’ choice of subject matter, Rainbow felt compelled to alleviate some stress “Yeah, don’t worry Derpy.” she said. “I’ll make sure Pinkie Pie gets home safely! Rainbow’s words seemed to comfort the gray pony somewhat, as she nodded in thanks. They neared the rest of the group, the random chatter of those present seemed to fill the air completely. After some good-bye’s and some be carefuls, the travelers all stood together before the town line. Cutlass paced before them, his armor now glowing in the sunlight. “Alright, Hoofington is around a day’s run away. It’s going to take a while to get there so I don’t want to be hearing, ‘Are we there yet?’ the whole way. We’re going to find Captain Lionheart, find out what he knows, and go from there. Any questions?” “Yeah!” Rainbow jeered. “‘Are we there yet?’ How old do you think we are?” The Guardpony stared at her dryly. “Any other questions?” With no response, he turned around and started at a fast trot. “Let’s go!” A few sideways glances later and the rest of the group was right behind him. Onward they charged into the unknown, unto the most dangerous and important mission they’d ever faced. Rainbow Dash didn’t know what awaited them- she hardly dared to guess- but the excitement of being entrusted with such an important job put an extra bounce in her step as they bounded along the dirt road and into the sunrise. “Wait!” Rainbow screamed suddenly. The other ponies stopped running and looked at her. Staring Cutlass directly in the eye, she continued. “Are we there yet?”