//------------------------------// // Ponyville // Story: Iron Wings // by Select Few //------------------------------// Time: 5:24 A.M., 06/28/4 PHA Location: 1km above White Tail Woods. The rising sun hit Franz directly in the eyes, dragging him from the much needed sleep he had been in and into the world of the living. He had set the ship to autopilot the night before, and had intended to rest up before the next step in his mission. The sun had different plans, it seems. At least he had made it to the edge of Ponyville with little trouble. Once he escaped Canterlot, he doubted that anyone would be able to find him for at least half a week, maybe less if his “friend” remembered anything. Still, plenty of time for him to find the Elements and get out. Ah, yes, the Elements. Franz had no idea of where to begin the search, so he intended to scout out the town today and to strike tonight. As long as no one ran into his cloaked ship, he should be able to do this without being detected. He set the ship into a low hover, floating just inches about the trees of the forest. He angled his ship towards the town and pulled out a pair of binoculars. He got them adjusted so that the town was clear and the forest just beyond it wasn’t, and then set them on a shelf just behind the cockpit. And then he waited. It only took an hour for the first sign of life to appear in the town. Ponies pushing carts and rolling barrels could be seen walking the large road that split that part of town in two. Those who had booths set them up in a large empty part of town, which Franz assumed to have been designed with this very purpose in mind. They put up banners noting the prices of their wares, then set upon the task of unpacking their goodies and putting them on display. None of this was what Franz was looking for, however. “If I were to hide my most powerful artifact, I would make sure that it was guarded by someone I trusted entirely. A high ranking military individual, A close friend, something like that.” Franz thought as he adjusted his grip on the binoculars and looked around the town. “The ponies that live here don’t exactly fit the first description, so I’ll just have to watch for someone who looks out of place.” He looked around the town again. “Looking for someone who looks odd in a town whose population makes a peacock jealous. Klingt einfach genug.” It was on his fourth scanning of the town that the library opened and someone who definitely stood out exited the building. Franz adjusted the binocular and, upon finding that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, began to grin. “Then again, perhaps this is the easiest part after all.” He put away the binoculars and began to plan his attack. Once he had a plan he was happy with, he sat back and waited for nightfall. • • • – – – • • • Time: 9:59 P.M., 06/28/4 PHA Location: Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville. Getting into the library was remarkably easy, though that might just be because Franz was used to breaking into high-security bases and “impenetrable” fortresses, not the local library of a farming town. He just climbed through an upstairs window. That was it, it wasn’t even locked. Inside he had found what appeared to be a bedroom, though the only occupant was the creature that had alerted him to this place earlier. “I’d heard that nobility was keeping dragons as pets, but to see one so openly on display… es macht mich krank.” A brief spray of Dragonsbane pollen ensured that the dragon would not be waking up for the next few days, but Franz had to be careful; too much pollen would gift the young dragonling a one way ticket to the stars. It wasn’t really pollen, but a special mix concocted by the Dragon arm of the Alliance, meant to put down any dragon who opposed the new order. Of course, it hadn’t been used in centuries, but every Infiltrator was given a small supply, just in case. When Franz had seen the dragonling earlier, he prepared a dose based on what he had been able to deduce about the dragon’s age based on his height and development. It had taken half of his supply to get the right dose. With the dragonling taken care of, Franz carefully made his way down the stairs to the library proper. Franz began to look around for a safe or suspicious painting or something similar. “Ok, if I were to hide something like the Elements in a library, where would I put it? I’d have a room hidden by a bookcase, most likely. Have some random book be the lever. Hmm… knowing ponies, it’s probably something obvious like ‘Safes for Dummies by Not A. Lever’ or ‘Totally not a secret room behind this bookshe-‘” “…Sie haben mich verarschen.” Right behind him was a shelf incased in glass. Inside the case was a cloth display, and on top of the display, exposed to the library and any would-be thieves, were the Elements of Harmony. “If this doesn’t at least have some sort of defensive spell, I’m going to slap whoever runs this place.” Franz approached the case and carefully, ever so slowly, removed the glass cover. Then, he proceeded to put the five necklaces into one of his empty pockets. Finally, he took the crown and tried to put it in the pocket with the other Elements. It wouldn’t fit, however. Not wanting to waste time, Franz put the crown on top of his head and prepared to fly out the way he came. An idea struck him, however, and he flew back down to the floor. “Oh, look at me! I’m a little pony! Ich liebe es zu tanzen! Lassen Sie uns einen Regenbogen!” Franz began prancing along the ground, still wearing the crown, and paid little attention to the rest of the library. The only other occupant was knocked out for a few days, so why should he worry? “Spike! Would it keep it down in here?! I’m trying to-“ A voice from behind him cause Franz to stop in his tracks. He turned around and saw a lavender unicorn- No, wait, she had wings too. “What did they call them again? Pegacorns? Unisuses? Aluminum? No, that’s not right.”- standing in a doorway that revealed stairs that led down beneath the earth. She has slightly bigger than most ponies, but it was barely noticeable. She was staring at the griffin with a look of worry and disturbed curiosity. “Uh… Who are you, and what are you doing?” Franz looked at her for a moment. “Are you the owner of this library?” He asked the “Alicorn! That was it.” “Yes. Yes, I am. But you still haven’t answered my questions. Why are you in my library, and what is that on your he- WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY?!” “Nach den Sternen, does she have a mouth on her.” Franz approached the mare and stood right in front of her. “First things first, Fräulein.” And then he slapped her. She raised a hoof to her check and started to rub it. It was slightly red from the impact, but Franz hadn’t hit hard enough to permanently damage her. “What the hay was that for?” “Pfui! Pony curses!” Franz shook his head. “That was for leaving your most powerful artifacts lying out in the open in the middle of a war, Fräulein.” The mare just looked confused at this. “War? What War? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Na toll, sie sind dümmer als ich dachte.” Franz raised a hand to his face, then looked directly at the mare. “The war with the Draco-Griffin Alliance? The one that was declared not three days ago? That war.” The mare continued looking at the griffin with confusion on her face, though now it contained a hint of irritation as well. “I’m sure that if we were at war, the Princess would have told me immediately. As she hasn’t, I can only conclude that you are either lying, or have been hitting the cider a little early.” She walked around to a table that contained an empty scroll, a quill and an inkwell. “See? Not a single letter in sight. Also, Das war ziemlich unhöflich.” Franz was surprised at that last part, but the only outward change was a small frown on his face. “Sie sprechen Deutsch?” “Ja.” “Ah, großartig. Ich liebe es, wenn sie nicht verstehen können mich. Anyway, I’ll be heading off now. I have a war to fight, you know.” As Franz turned to leave, his wings were enveloped by a purple glow. “You’re not leaving with the Elements!” The mare said, trying to hold him there. “If you cared so much about them, Fräulein, you would have had them secured better.” Franz replied, formulating a plan to get out of the mare’s grasp. He came up with several, but only one that he really liked. He only had to get her to talk for a few moments… “I didn’t need to. The Elements are useless without their bearers.” The mare said, a small bit of smugness showing through in her tone. Franz had not been privy to that information, and assumed that neither had his superiors. “Bearers, Fräulein? What bearers?” He had to decide what to do about this new information, and whether or not to continue with the physical Elements. He still had to escape from the library, but that part should be easy, Ja? “Each Element of Harmony represents a separate Element of Friendship. Both are necessary for the survival of Equestria, so the elements choose their bearer based on who best embodies each trait.” The mare lectured the griffin, who was digesting the information. “So… The Elements themselves choose their bearers? How do they deem someone worthy?” “Well, I’m not too sure about most cases,” The mare said, placing a hoof on her chin. She put her hoof back down and continued “But in my case, a series of tests devised by the sinister Nightmare Moon allowed me to realize that each of my friends embodied each of the Elements. As the Element of Magic, all it took was the spark of friendship to reawaken the Elements, and defeat Nightmare Moon!” The mare was getting more and more excited, standing on her hind legs as she exclaimed the final word. “Wait, did she say…” Franz paused for a moment. “So, you are one of the bearers of Harmony, ja?” It made sense, now that he thought about it. The mark on her flank matched the symbol on the crown. The mare stood a little taller as she finally introduced herself. “Indeed I am. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, the bearer of the Element of Magic.” “A Princess AND a bearer? This just got interesting…” Franz prepared his escape. The mare still had his wings in a magical grip, intending to hold him there until either he gave up the Elements, or someone came along and called the Royal Guard. “So, you must be pretty important to Equestria, ja? Why are you down in Ponyville?” “I’m not so important that I can’t still live with my friends. Ponyville is the place I’ve come to call home. Anywhere else would simply be a place to live.” The mare sat down in front of the table. “Now, are you going to give back the Elements or not?” “Nein, Klein Prinzessin. But you have given me far more than I had intended to take when I arrived, so Danke.” Franz reached back to his wings and found the little button that was hidden beneath his feathers. Princess Sparkle just continued to sit and smile at Franz. “Well, you aren’t leaving here until you do, so unless you want to be here all night, I suggest you-“ *POP* The mare just stared in shock as the griffin removed his wings and rolled onto the floor. The surprise caused her to lose her concentration and the wings fell to the floor with a heavy clunk. She shook her head to regain her focus, but when she could see straight again the griffin was gone. “Where did he go?” Princess Sparkle started to get up to look for him, but right as she did something sharp stabbed her in the neck. When she turned to see what it was, she saw Franz removing a dart from her neck and placing it back into a pocket on his vest. As her vision began to blacken, she was only aware of one phrase: “Gute Nacht, Prinzessin.” And then everything faded away.