The battered battalion of ponies moved forward. The time had passed much faster than they had expected. Sun Flare looked around as the battalion, now under his command, marched as fast as they could. They had received some resistance from some enemy soldiers earlier, but they had dispersed. Even the chaotic signs that Discord was there had begun to disappear.
“I don't like it, sir,” one of his guards said, glancing around the grass-filled plain that separated Ponyville from them.
“I know,” Sun Flare responded, sighing. “It makes no sense.”
Twilight rode in the royal carriage, accompanied by another chariot of royal guards, who accompanied them, so to speak, their hold insignias on their sides. The whole situation had frightened Twilight and her friends were afraid of the events to come, as well, including the Princesses' increasing... condition.
“I don't know about this, Twi,” Applejack said, looking down at the trees that they flew over.
The trees almost looked sad somehow, as if they knew exactly what was going on, but Twilight didn't. Everything seemed as if the whole world was preparing for the days to come, as if a warning... a warning...
“I just don't get it!” Shining Armor shouted. Up until now, he had been silent, deep in thought.
“What?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. The wind blew through her mane.
Before he could answer, a guard shouted, “Sir! The Wonderbolts are back!”
Pulling her head up, Twilight saw one of the happiest things from all of this. “It's Rainbow Dash!”
She and her friends did a small cheer in response. Rainbow stopped right next to the carriage. “That was awesome!” she stated, full of pride.
Spitfire, who came up beside her, didn't look so happy.
“What's wrong?” Shining Armor questioned.
“We lost ten ponies. And the enemies aren't just Changelings. They're ponies, too.”
Shining Armor and and Twilight both did a simultaneous, “What?”
The reaction partially surprised Spitfire. She expected them to take it... well, better! “Where are you going?” she asked the group. The reply worried Spitfire the most.
“Ponyville.”
“Then let's go,” she agreed.
Phantom looked out over the town of Ponyville. The final soldiers had left, and all who remained were him, Trixie, and a few guards. Morning had come, giving the town a look of peace. The buildings, as crude as they were, had their own charm. It was a simple yet pretty nice town, unaware of what terror would fall upon it.
Phantom shook his head. All this would soon be in ruins. It was most humorous to think that no one would remember him even being there.
Turning around, he began to head back to the Everfree Forest. Seeing the trees in the distance, he decided he should just walk there. Flanked by his guards, he proceeded in the direction of the forest.
Upon their arrival, a familiar figure stood there, surprising them all. Twilight was the one to address the mare.
“Trixie!” Twilight stared with interest.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. It's me.”
She was soon flanked by several guards dressed in black battle armor.
“Who are you?” Shining Armor demanded, his twenty guards taking up positions behind him. He was in a battle stance, ready to protect his sister and her friends.
“I call killing this guy,” one guard said, pointing.
Fluttershy covered behind one of their guards, her pink mane covering her face .Rarity was standing in a proud posture, while Applejack was shifting back and forth.
“Get them!” Trixie yelled with pure contempt.
The guards responded by charging at the royal guards.
The royal guards did the same, charging at the ten enemy ponies. The sides slammed into one another. Rainbow Dash felt confidence, flying at Trixie in an attempt to ram her. Trixie, however, summoned an orb of energy to surround her horn. Dash rammed into solid magic, hurling back behind Twilight. She managed to yell, “No fair!”
Turning back to where she thought Trixie was, she came face to face with her...
“What do you want?” Twilight shouted angrily, annoyed at Trixie's actions.
Trixie just ignored her, proceeding to what she was about to say, almost as if it was on schedule.”Last time you got the better of me! But my magic skills have increased since we last met.” Two guards had been flanking her, and when they were about to attack her, Trixie spun with impressive ease. She shot a magic bolt at the guards, but instead of killing them, it sent them soaring back into a house behind them.
Rainbow Dash had been watching this happen after her previous attempt to knock out Trixie. She began to notice Trixie had a gauntlet. Every time she used magic, it surged with energy! She was cheating! If only she could get it.
Around them, the battle was continuing on, with the numerous guards slowly taking down the enemy. Twilight was now standing before Trixie. “Your fight is with me, Trixie!” she snapped, powering up a spell. Her horn surged with as much energy as she could muster. She knew that she couldn't win this alone, but she didn't think she would have to.
Rainbow slowly moved to where she could get Trixie without turning out like the guards who tried this.
“Why are you really here?” Twilight asked, trying to get Trixie's full attention.
Trixie just laughed, preparing to attack. Before she or Twilight could say or do anything, however, Rainbow Dash sped in with extreme speed. She smashed into Trixie's legs, knocking the gauntlet off her wrist. Trixie got up, only to be surrounded by guards.
“Guards! Take her to Canterlot!” Shining Armor commanded. He was worried about how much power Trixie held, and what other ponies had to do with this.
As the towns ponies slowly began to walk out of their homes, they all had the same symptoms: headaches. When Shining Armor questioned them, they only remembered Trixie and her guards. They had no recollection of the involvement of others.
But Celestia was fine with this. Guards were deployed to where the changelings were. The whole situation appeared under control, but Twilight didn't buy it entirely. She and her friends decided to stay in town.
When they returned, they first went to Sugarcube Corner to see Pinkie Pie. They were shocked to see that she was baking the whole time there! She even offered all of the guards cookies. Twilight laughed at this, but she couldn't waste time. I hope this is resolved soon, she thought, walking with her brother on their way to the royal carriage. She was the only one to go to Canterlot; no one else.
Phantom strolled through the forest. He had the time, which Trixie and Chrysalis would buy. Trixie would fail, just as she did the last two times. The second one, she had help! He had told his guards to take a stroll, and not get their feeble minds confused or get lost in the forest.
He observed the tranquil forest, the green, lustrous trees swaying back and forth with the calming wind. Even Phantom could appreciate that. He wasn't completely heartless. He looked at it, finding it somewhat relaxing—well, as relaxing as it can get when one is a maniac.
Yes, he knew he was insane, but... his thoughts trailed off.
He gave Mira the day off. She needed the rest. She really was the only one he cared about. He didn't know what he would do if something would happen to her. He walked over to a large, gray cave right by a small cliff dip. He flew up, gliding to a stop in the mouth of the cave.
Looking up, he realized that time had gotten away from him. Deciding that this was a good a place as any, he lied down, calming his tense muscles that had been tight for a long time. In his dreams, all he got from the garbled images were... pain, pain, and more pain. That was all he really knew.
Then, a southern style accented voice cut in. “Hey, mister. Are ya awake?”
Phantom's right eye snapped open. He saw only one thing; a red-haired filly. He recognized her instantly. It was Apple Bloom, aka Applejack's younger sister.
“Mister?”
Phantom wasn't used to communication with fillies. They were not the most controllable group. “What?” he growled, jumping up fairly fast. It was more of a statement than an answer.
Apple Bloom stepped back, surprised at his response, as well as his look. He was covered in spiked armor, and he had dragon wings! She smiled, looking up at him, trying to be nice.
He simply stared at her with blank, red eyes. “I would suggest that you get away from the forest. It can be... dangerous here.”
“I'm not scared!” she snapped back.
Phantom was impressed with her courage with strangers, especially since he wasn't the most welcoming sight. “Are you here with anyone?” he asked, glancing around. He wasn't about to take chances of his presence being known. Celestia would not just let him dwell freely in the forest if she knew that he was there carrying out his plans.
“No,” she replied, obviously frightened by his appearance.
“I ask that you leave and...” He stopped talking, deciding it was best to just wipe her memory of what has occurred. She wasn't worth his time to kill or make her a minion; just useless! Passing his wings over her, she fell into a dark, deep sleep.
Soon after waking up, Apple Bloom looked around. She was not in the cave! She was alone in the forest somehow. Her mind was muddy, and she struggled to recall all the details as she walked along, thinking.
As the morning passed on, Apple Bloom ran into her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who had come looking for her. She decided not to tell about her encounter with the strange pony, thinking no one would believe her, even if she told them. It was just too odd.
As they walked home, Scootaloo was the first to break the silence. “So, where were you?” she asked, smiling.
“Ah know where it was, just lookin' around,” she replied.
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack shouter, bursting out of the bushes. “Ah thought ah told ya not to go into the forest alone!”
“Sorry,” Apple Bloom apologized. She began to explain what had happened to her, and much to the shock of her friends and sister, she didn't tell them the whole story.
“And where is this pony?” Applejack asked.
“Well,” she began, “I don't remember.”
Applejack shook her head. “Well, c'mon. We need to leave.”
“Okay,” they all said in agreement as they began their trek back to Ponyville.
Phantom continued his rest, now annoyed by the intrusion. He had just begun to fall back into sleep when a familiar voice snapped him back awake.
“So, you enjoying your ruse?”
Phantom looked up, showing he was in an angry, annoyed mood. Mira stood there. “So, how did you do it?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Free Discord, convince the others to join, everything!”
He sighed, still tired and irritable. “Do you really think I have enough power to release Discord? No, I couldn't. His release was mostly for show. He and I had been working away at his prison since his last defeat.”
Mira shook her head. “Wow, I'm surprised I didn't catch it. Why didn't you tell me?” she asked.
“Trust me,” Phantom said, smiling.
Celestia paced about her chambers. She had heard of the attack on Ponyville and the outside, and she was furious. She hadn't felt this angry in a long while. Her thoughts were clouded. She hadn't gotten any sleep since this whole ordeal had begun! Her mane wasn't much better; it was almost completely matted and tangled.
“You majesty!” a guard shouted, running to run before continuing on. He, a unicorn with a white coat and green eyes, was adorned by the usual gold armor of the guards.
“Trixie has just arrived in Canterlot. She is being held in the dungeon.”
Celestia winced. She had heard of Trixie, and she didn't seem like the kind to attack for no reason. Anger finally won out. She decided to end this herself...
Phantom walked through the forest, flanked by Mira. She had proceeded to ask him more than he would have liked to reveal of his plan.
“So, how did you get your hooves on these so called cannons?” she asked, tilting her head.
He growled back in response. “I didn't. A simple hallucination spell, that's all. Now, if you don't mind, please leave me alone!”
Mira flattened her ears, annoyed. “Hey, I didn't mean anything. You need to stop being so cruel if you expect to rule this land.”
He stared at her with menacing eyes, burning with rage. His response came as a surprise to her. “I don't.”
“What?” was the only word she could think of.
He didn't show any expression whatsoever, staring at her once again with that stare. She had gotten used to it. Any other pony would have reacted to the stare, but she simply returned it. He opened his mouth to speak, when a unison to screams echoed across the forest.
“What was that?” Mira asked, concerned at the sound of the voices. It sounded like fillies. The only comparison she ever really felt was with young ponies, who had no experience in the matters.
“Not my problem.”
His answer angered her deeply. “Fine! I'll go, then!” she kissed angrily, running off and only managing to hear Phantom speak again.
“Fine, I will come, but only for a sport.”
Phantom ran after Mira. He wasn't used to coming to the rescue of some pony who was no used to him in any way! Finally, he reached a clearing. Glancing around, he spotted Mira battling a pack of Manticores.
Phantom took a step forward, preparing to help. He felt a jolt of pain, however, as he was flung across the clearing. He smashed into a tree, the mere force of the impact breaking several of his ribs. The sheer pain was enough to overwhelm him. The adrenaline strong enough to numb it slightly. Looking up, he saw that a new piece on the field had arrived.
He chuckled, slowly getting up. “Nice move. I didn't expect a Manticore to deliver that much force,” he said, staring at the mixed beast. He surely had not expected for a stupid beast like this to surprise him. He smiled, laughing chaotically. He approached the Manticore limping slightly, smiling. “My turn.”
Apple Bloom ran as fast as her feet could take her. Looking back, she saw the Manticores pursuing them. They had unknowingly disturbed their sleeping, and now they were angry.
“Hurry!” Applejack yelled, galloping behind them to make sure no one fell or tripped.
They ran, ducking under branches and weaving through the trees as fast as they could. She could tell they couldn't outrun them for much longer. Sweetie Belle, who was in front of her, tripping, causing the whole group to fall in a clearing just outside the Everfree.