//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine // Story: Tainted Twilight // by Hammy //------------------------------// Applejack woke up to the sounds of birds chirping, a rather common occurrence considering she lived on an orchard. She looked out towards her farm and saw her daily chores ready for her, as always. She had to let that wait though, as she had more important things to take care of. She walked towards her mailbox, and found the letter she was looking for. She hastily went back inside, ripped open the letter, and hoped that Twilight gave her the news she was looking for. Applejack, There's something you should know. It's complicated, but the magic I'm learning isn't from our world. It's from a dark, evil place that nopony has ever been before, called The Void. The Princesses have only used it in the most dire of circumstances, and I'm afraid we are going to have to use it again. Princess Celestia believes that beings living in other world will invade Equestria at any given time, and so we have to be on high alert. I may not be able to send anymore letters after this, so I wanted to let you know what was really going on. I'll try to keep you as updated as I can. Please be safe, and be careful. I love you all. Twilight Sparkle Without hesitation, Applejack started gathering some food, and headed out the door. It was most definitely not the news she was looking for. She knew something was wrong, and she was kicking herself for not acting on it sooner. She needed to find the rest of the girls, and they had to help their friend. After a few hours, noon was setting in, and Applejack was able to wrangle up the group with relative ease. All of them had somber expressions on their face. They knew how important this trip was, and how difficult it might be to accomplish. “So, if Canterlot has increased security now, what makes you think they are going to let us walk right in?” Rainbow Dash asked to the impromptu leader. “Ah dunno, Rainbow, but we have to try something. Ah have a terrible feeling that something bad is gonna happen to Twilight, an' we need to be there to help her. She would do the same for us!” “Well, we need to have some sort of plan going into this, we can't just barge in” Rainbow countered. All five ponies thought about a potential plan to save their friend, with nopony stepping up to explain a way. Finally, Fluttershy spoke up. “You know, we could always just ask them to let us in. I'm sure if they knew the situation, they would let us check up on her.” Rainbow Dash looked at her with genuine awe, shocked that she would even consider such a ridiculous plan, “Right, I'm sure with potential invaders on the loose, they are just going to let five random ponies waltz right into the Princesses' castle.” Fluttershy, deflated from the criticism, offered no argument, and replied with silence. Applejack pondered on the thought, and struck an idea, “That might just be good plan after all, let me explain...” After several moments of planning, Applejack was confident enough to depart, “We ain't gonna do no good for Twilight if we just stand here doin' nothing, let's head out!” With that, they set out towards Canterlot, hoping to help their best friend in any way they could. As the train was barreling its way towards the capital, they just stared at each other, unsure of what they might find. Even Pinkie, normally full of life and energy, kept quiet, the unease in her filling to the brim. They couldn't stand to think of what could happen to Twilight, and that they weren't there when she needed them most. Applejack put a hoof on Pinkie's leg, and gave her a reassuring look. “Don't you worry, we're gonna make sure that we're all in this together. Nothing can stop the Elements, can they?” Pinkie gave a small smile, and nodded back, “Yeah, nothing can stop us! Besides, Twilight's secret agent magic training will give us all the help we need if something goes wrong. She'll be able to sneak in the shadows, creeping up on the bad guys and-” Applejack chuckled and let her describe her fantastic telling of Twilight's new spy powers. Everypony needed a small relief from the tension that had formed since they sat down. AJ looked out to the forest, and quietly contemplated just what exactly they were getting themselves into. If nopony has ever been to The Void, then how do we stop them? Using their own craft? If that's the only way, then we only have three ponies who can fight back. I really hope Celestia has taught Twilight well, we'll need every bit of her magic. She looked back over to her best friends, the ones she spent so much time with, ones that she knew virtually everything about, We've never failed before, and there's no reason we would fail now. I know the Elements of Harmony can stop The Void, whatever it is. Just have faith, Applejack. When we meet Twilight, she'll tell us everything we need to know. As the train slowed to a halt, the ponies were getting ready to head straight to the castle, not wanting to waste any time. They stepped out, and saw the dramatic difference the increased security brought. Guards were everywhere, making sure that every passenger stepping out of the train were official Equestrian citizens. There were patrols set up at nearly every street corner, keeping watchful eyes on the small gatherings that formed throughout the day. It was such a stark contrast from when they visited last time, when the police and military were an invisible presence. Indeed, it seemed as though they were trying to make a statement. Try something, and all of Equestria's military will be thrown at you Applejack silently thought as she stepped out of the station. They casually walked to the front gates, trying not to raise any suspicions, and were greeted with less-than-friendly guards. “Halt! State your business with the Princesses!” “We're here for Twilight Sparkle, she requested our assistance an' we wanted to have a word with her,” Applejack said in her most authoritative voice. She wasn't going to let nopony push her around. “That's impossible, we have strict orders not to let anypony in unless they have written permission from the Princess.” “Well, ask the Princess then! She knows us all personally! Ah demand that ah see Twilight! You are not gonna keep me from my friend!” The guard took a step forward in response to the outburst. Applejack knew instantly that she made a horrible mistake, and quickly took a step back. As the guard was going towards the orange mare, Rainbow Dash intercepted him, and got between the two. If the plan hadn't backfired yet, it sure was about to now. “You so much as touch her, and I will make your life a whole lot more miserable, buddy,” Rainbow Dash said, venom seeping through every word that came out. When they were about to clash, a voice boomed from the castle. ”Enough! I will not have this display anywhere near Canterlot!” It was Celestia, who was obviously not happy by Rainbow's and Applejack's attempts to breach the castle. She walked towards them, and gave the three a stern look, “They are allowed in, only if they agree not to cause any more trouble.” They both shook their heads meekly, and walked into the Castle, with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all following. “So, why did you decide to visit Twilight? Did she contact you in some way?” “We just wanted to check up on her secret agent training!” Pinkie Pie was happy to fill in for Applejack's horrible lying, although, she had a feeling Pinkie wasn't lying on purpose, “We were just wondering where you're gonna station her at! But you might not want to tell us, because then that would blow her cover, and then she would have to cut ties with Equestria and become a rogue agent, and-” “Pinkie, Twilight's not becoming a secret agent. However, the reason why she is here is top secret. That's why I was startled to see you all here.” Celestia tried to get a real answer out of the other four, to no avail. “We were just worried about Twilight is all,” Applejack said, trying to bend the truth, “an' we were just checking up on her. Is she around, by any chance?” “Why yes, she's in her room, I'll let you all visit her while I get things ready for her training. She will have to report as soon as I'm done with more urgent matters, so you'll have to excuse her when it's time.” The five ponies agreed, and were escorted to Twilight's room. Unease flooded into Applejack, and with every step added a new knot into her stomach. She couldn't imagine what kind of stress she was going through, and if she was going to be happy they were there at all, since they were technically uninvited. They opened the door and stepped in, and saw Twilight staring into a broken mirror. She turned to see all her best friends at her side again, and she let out a gasp. “Girls, you're all here! I can't believe this!” Twilight squealed. They all came together for a huge hug, and all of Applejack's worries washed away, with Twilight's embrace replacing it with relief. “Ah'm so glad you're okay, Twilight, ah was afraid something happened to you. We're here to help you any way we can. Can I just ask you somethin' first?” “Of course Applejack! Ask away!” “Why were you starin' at a broken mirror?” Twilight's eyes widened slightly, as if she didn't know what to say, as if they were slightly mad for even asking a question like that. After a brief moment, a grin washed over face, and she gave a reply as she walked past the ponies, chuckling as she said it. “Sometimes, you don't need a mirror to see your reflection.”