//------------------------------// // Falling Embers // Story: Broken Feathers // by That Avi Nerd //------------------------------// Phantom sprinted out of Sugar Cube corner, with Rainbow Dash hot on his tail. He turned towards the other side of town. Towards a towering plume of smoke. Towards Sweet Apple Acres... "What. Happened." Rainbow demanded, catching up to the midnight blue Pegasus. "Wait a second." Was his reply. Rainbow became frustrated, then confused as a Phoenix, of all creatures, dropped down next to Phantom and seemed to whisper into his ear. "Lead the way, Philomena." The flaming Phoenix led the Pegasi through town, weaving in and out of ponies who were traveling the now busy streets. Most of which they avoided hitting, but a few they bumped, receiving a 'look out' and 'watch it' here and there, being called rude when they thought they couldn't hear. They ran past Rarity's shop, who was so busy inside working on dresses for countless customers that she didn't even bother them a glance. "Phantom, what's going on? Why are we running? What happened?" The trio turned right, heading out of town towards Sweet Apple Acres, and the ever rising smoke plume. "There was a fire, we're still trying to figure out what's happened but... we fear the worst." "Fear the worst? What's that supposed to mean? What. Happened!?" On the dirt road that led towards the farm house, the beat of their hoof steps kicked up a decent dust cloud. Nopony would have been able to follow them or run the risk of choking on the air. The Pegasi could smell the smoke from there. It was the distinctive smell of wood burning. Rows upon rows of healthy, green apple trees blocked their view, but Rainbow Dash could tell that it wasn't the farm house burning. They entered the main gates. The first thing Rainbow Dash saw were ponies wearing bright, black and yellow stripped jackets, respirators, and fire helmets; they were carrying pales of water back and forth from a nearby well to a location that Rainbow could not yet see. Her pace quickened, as did Phantom's. The trio reached the clearing just in front of the farm house. Rainbow's eyes were immediately drawn to the fire engulfed barn. Smoke and flames rolled out of every crack and opening, charring the area of ground around them. Several guards were in the area, including Shinning Armor, who was comforting a crying Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash and Phantom ran over to them. Twilight stopped hugging her brother, and looked up at Rainbow with puffy, water-y eyes. "Oh, Rainbow!" She balled, embracing her cyan friend, careful to avoid her bandages. "It's just awful!" "Twilight, what happened?" Rainbow tried to sound as comforting as possible. The Alicorn sniffed, trying to clear herself before speaking again. She pointed towards towards Applebloom who was sitting on her haunches, wrapped up in a blanket, talking to two Unicorn stallions wearing dark blue jackets with 'CSI' printed in gold on the side. The Unicorns were using their magic to take notes of what the young filly described. She seemed on the verge of having a complete breakdown. "Rainbow... it's... it's... Applejack..." "What do you mean? Where is she?" Rainbow escaped the embrace, and threw her front hooves on Twilight's shoulders, and started to shake her, demanding answers. "That's just it. Nopony knows where she's at. She was in the barn moving stacks of hay, and Applebloom came to help her; but when she went into the barn, flames were everywhere. They can't find Applejack. Everypony think's she's still inside!" "What...?" Rainbow went limp, her mouth opened in shock. She couldn't break her gaze from the barn. Until the news sank in. "Apple... Applejack...?" Phantom eased up to the stunned Pegasus. Careful not to startle her, he wrapped a wing around her. "Rainbow..." He said in a mournful tone. "No... no... no no no no no NO!" Rainbow broke free of Phantom's grip, ran past Twilight and Shinning Armor, and straight for the burning barn. "APPLEJACK!" "Rainbow! Rainbow stop!" Phantom flew after the distraught Pegasus. If not for her emotional state, Rainbow Dash may have noticed the intense heat, even from the distance she was at, and smartly stopped where she was. But she didn't. She kept going, straight for the flaming entrance. Several firefighter ponies witnessed this, and also galloped after the Pegasus. Phantom reached her moments before they did. He landed in front of Rainbow, and stopped her with a tight hug. As much as she struggled to get past him, he stood his ground, the heat from the fire on his back threatened to burn his feathers to a crisp. "There's nothing you can do, Rainbow! She's gone." He yelled, trying to knock some sense into the stubborn mare. "She can't be gone! She's my best friend! She's alive! I know it!" "Sir, ma'am." One of the firefighters told the pair. "You need to step back, the barn is going to collapse." On cue, the barn fell in on itself. First the roof caved in, then the walls that once held it up. A fresh mushroom cloud of smoke rose up, laced with tens of thousands of glowing embers. What didn't rise into the air, as blown out the sides, hurdling themselves towards everypony around. Phantom pushed Rainbow Dash to the ground, and laid on top of her to protect her from the flying debris. Seconds that seemed like hours passed before the major pieces ceased to fall. Phantom looked around to make sure it was clear. Realizing it was finally safe again, he got off of the cyan Pegasus. Below, Rainbow Dash didn't move. She was paralyzed with sadness; waterfalls of tears flowed from her eyes. Around the two Pegasi, glowing embers fell from the expanding mushroom cloud like snow. Phantom looked towards what was left of the barn: a large, burning pile of wood. Slowly, the firefighters were putting it out. Rainbow Dash re-positioned herself for a better view, though she remained sitting on all fours. The glow from the fire reflected in her blurry, magenta eyes. "Rainbow..." Phantom tried to comfort the Pegasus, knowing well that he couldn't. "She's... she's..." Rainbow couldn't finish her sentence before breaking down in another crying fit. Phantom sighed sorrowfully, and tried to slowly walk way, leaving the mare alone with her thoughts, but a hoof on his foreleg stopped him. "Please... don't go..." Phantom sighed again. "Rainbow... it would be better to have a friend next to you, not somepony like me who you don't know very well..." She sniffed. "M-my friends will... j-just c-cry too. I... n-need somepony that's... s-strong. Please... stay." Phantom debated his options. It was his mission to protect her, and he guessed that mean physically, and emotionally. "Okay." He laid on all fours next to the weeping mare, their sides barely touching. From afar, Twilight Sparkle watched the two Pegasi stare into the dying flames, embers falling like snow around them. If it were not for the dire situation, it would have been very romantic. Twilight felt another tear escape her eyes. Applejack... The name echoed through her head. From the fields of her blurry vision, she could see a long, bright, flowing multi-colored mane that seemed to sparkle and glow. Looking for it's owner, she barely saw the tall, white mare. "P-Princess?" She asked, not yet sure who the mare was. "Oh Twilight, I'm so, so very sorry." Princess Celestia spoke in a tone that softer than normal. "W-why are y-you h-here? Sh-shouldn't you be in C-Canterlot?" "Yes, but I came down to see how the preparations were going, then Philomena said she could smell a fire and went for help. I was busy with other things. I... I didn't realize how bad it was. Have they found her yet?" Twilight tried to speak, but couldn't. She instead fell to the ground, covered her head with her hooves, trying to block out the reality of the situation, and cried again. Princess Celestia used one of her massive, yet elegant wings to wipe the tears away. Twilight looked up at her teacher and smiled, thankful for the support. "We'll know more, Twilight, in time. Right now, there's nothing we can do." The Princess directed her attention to Shinning Armor. "Captain?" The Captain of the Royal Guard trotted up to the sun goddess. "Yes, Princess Celestia?" "Once the fire is put out I want a full investigation." "Already on it, Princess. Some of my investigators are already interviewing the little sister. Applejack's big brother and grandmother are in Manehatten visiting family." "Good. I ask a favor of you." "Anything." "I need you to inform the rest of the Elements what has happened." Shinning Armor froze where he stood. The was the one task he was hoping he wouldn't have to do. "No." Twilight spoke before Shining Armor could formulate a reply. "I'll do it. That way it comes from a friend. From somepony that can comfort them." Shinning Armor nodded, stepping away to resume his previous conversation with his lead investigators, who had just finished interviewing Applebloom. Twilight tried to leave, but Princess Celestia stopped her. "Twilight, wait," she commanded. "Yes, Celestia?" "What about Rainbow Dash?" The white mare nodded towards the two Pegasi who were still laying down, watching the ever dying flames. "It looks like Phantom is comforting her well. She'll tell you that she's fine later on, but right now, I can tell that she's broken. We all are." "Phantom? I hope he's not too distraught, especially after his last mission." "Why would he be upset? Yeah, Applejack might be dead, but he doesn't know her. There's no reason for him to be distraught." "Something terrible happened on his last assignment. That's why I had Shinning Armor put him behind a desk for awhile; to let the wounds heal." "What was it?" Princess Celestia sighed. "I will tell you on the way to your library, we can have your friends meet you there, and tell them all at once." As the two Alicorns slowly left, Phantom was left alone with his thoughts; Rainbow Dash had cried herself to sleep and was now leaning up against his side. He draped his left wing over her, using it has a sort-of blanket. Phantom couldn't help but notice how peaceful the mare looked as she slept, how pretty she really was. No! He screamed in thought, physically shaking his head trying to rid them from his mind. No no no no no! Not again. I'm not supposed to have emotional connections to the mission. Not again. Try as he might, he couldn't escape. Especially with the fire as a reminder, even though it was nearly extinguished. Sleep was also affecting him. Slowly, it was winning out over his conscious mind. Soon, he found himself drifting to sleep, unaware of the unwanted memories he would dream. "Phantom!" Called a blue unicorn stallion with a red and silver mane and tail. His cutie mark was that of an inspector's magnifying glass. "You ready?" "Yeah, Sky." Phantom took a deep breath, looking up at a large, dimly lit manor. It was at least four stories tall and the length of your average arena. "let's go." The two stallions headed towards the main entrance, Phantom chose to fly instead of run. Over a year of investigative work has led to this. Deep cover infiltrations and sting operations have led the pair of spies to this moment. A noble pony mare who was next in line to the family fortune was ponynapped the previous year. Sky and Phantom had been working nonstop on the case since Shinning Armor threw it on their desk. Finally they knew where the mare was being held. Finally they had a warrant to get into the manor, and bring her out. Finally, the adventure would be over. And all thanks to an anonymous tip. One of the biggest lessons that Sky was trying to teach Phantom, was to not get emotionally involved in an OP. But that was difficult, as much as they've invested into this particular case, even Sky was becoming emotionally attached, as much as he wouldn't admit it. In truth, all of Equestria was emotionally involved. This case had been front page news of every new paper in Equestria since the story broke. Now, the end began. Sky used his magic to break down the door in a shower of splinters. Immediately they ran into opposition in the form of two guards who were on patrol, both were black with white armor that blended well with the white walls and ceiling. Sky fired at one of them with a magical spell that instantly put him to sleep, while Phantom physically tackled the other, holding him down on the brown, wooden floor. "Where is the girl?" Phantom demanded in a low, threatening voice. "I... I don't know. I'm just a guard!" "How can you expect to guard something if you don't know where what you're guarding is?" Sky interrogated, hoping his words would confused the guard. They did. "Uhh..." "Last chance..." Phantom used a forehoof and started to put pressure on the guards neck. "Attic. Follow the stairs up to the top... follow the hallway and turn right on the last door... Please, let... go..." "See, that wasn't so hard?" Phantom picked the guard up, and threw him out of the window that was next to the door, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "Let's go," Sky commanded. He charged up the stairs, with Phantom flying overhead. The pair zipped by servants, who all ran away in terror from the intruders, alerting the rest of the guards to what was happening. On the third floor, the guards that were chasing after the spies finally caught up. In order to put some space between the two parties, Sky used his magic to collapse the inner walls in on the stairs. Unfortunately, he didn't quite think his plan through. Once the walls caved in, bring the bottom portion of the stairs with them, it drug along the rest of the stairs. Sky began to fall towards the forming ruble, but Phantom wrapped his forelegs around his friend, lifting him back up into the air towards the attic floor. Once arriving, Phantom carefully set him down. "Thank you." Sky said. "Anytime. Just think your plans through next time, will ya?" "Sure thing. Let's finish this." "Agreed." Sky and Phantom galloped down the hallway, remembering the guard's directions. They could easily tell they were correct. The last door on the right had at least five deadbolt locks, and two boards that stretched horizontally across the frame, further halting any potential movement by the door. The pair of spies would quickly change that though. "After you," Sky offered Phantom with the wave of a hoof. "No no no, after you. Doors are your business, ponies are mine. Let's refrain from reaching beyond our expertise, shall we?" The joke managed to make both of the spies laugh. Sky nodded, then fired a magical aura at the door. Within seconds, it was disintegrated into a pile of ashes. Unlike the rest of the manor, this room was dark. Sky had to use a spell that projected light from his horn in order to see. On the far wall was a window that gave a great view of the cool, moonless night sky. The walls in this room were for some reason more elegantly decorated than the others. Even the floor was different. Instead of wood, it was a floor of white marble. Cautiously, they entered. There was a certain stillness to the room's cold air. Neither one of the spies could figure out what it meant. Then the fur on the back of their necks stood on end. Behind them, a concrete slab fell where the door once stood, blocking the exit. "What the...?" Sky fired a bolt of magic at the concrete, but nothing happened. Phantom tried flying through the window, but hit some sort of an invisible barrier. The Pegasus bounced off, landing back on the marble floor. "That... hurt..." Phantom managed to mumble, rising to his hooves. "Here, let me try." Sky turned towards the window, and fired another bolt of magic at it. Instead of passing through, or be absorbed like with the concrete, it bounced back at him. Phantom reacted quickly enough to push Sky out of the way, with the price of being hit in the wing. "Ah!" He screamed in pain. "Celestia! Phantom, I am so sorry." "N-not... your fault... S-Sky." Phantom grinned, and got back up. A good portion of his left wing was chard, and clearly broken. When the two ponies saw the damaged wing, they both felt like throwing up. "Ya sure? Like, really sure?" "Yes. Now, how are we going to get out of this room?" "I-" "You won't." A new voice interrupted the two. Phantom and Sky desperately looked around to try to pinpoint the source. It wasn't until an entire section of wall rotated in front of them did they learn the source. With it, emerged two hooded ponies standing behind a made who was hog tied on the hard ground. "Not alive, at least." Spoke the one on the left, from under the hood, several whisps of white hair was visible. "You, and the girl, will die in this room." "Prove it." Sky mistakenly mocked. "Gladly." The mysterious stallion pushed the made towards Phantom, who gently caught her as the two hooded stallions disappeared behind the rotating wall. "Well, that was interesting. What'd you think he means?" "Dunno." Phantom replied, removing the gag over the white, unicorn mare's mouth. "Are you okay, ma'am?" "Yes..." she said softly. "We need to go. Now." "Why? The haven't done anything yet." Sky laughed. His cockiness was cut short by a large crack that zipped through the marble floor. From the main crack, thousands of other fractions spread out towards the other walls. "That's why..." Slowly, large pieces of white marble fell to the story below. Phantom could tell they were over an arena of sorts. "What's the plan here, Sky?" He asked with haste. "I... I don't-" Before Sky could finish, the floor collapsed into the lower story, bringing the ponies with it. It wasn't until the dust and ruble settled that they could see where they were. The room was brightly lit, and structured like the rest of the manor. The trio found themselves completely surrounded by armor clad guards, all armed with swords. At one end of the circle, were the same two hooded stallions from earlier. "Hmm. Usually the works..." The other stallion said, sounding of disappointment. "When do your plans ever work?" Insulted the one with the white mane. "Guards, who ever kills one of them gets a years paid vacation. Have fun." A smile grew on the faces of the guards as the two cloaked stallions disappeared behind them. Slowly, the guards menacingly closed in on the trio, who were now back to back with each other, staring the guards down. "Got a plan, Sky?" "You won't like it. Hold onto the mare." Phantom did as told, wrapping a leg and his good wing around the made for protection. "What're you doing...?" Sky's horn was lighting up, his eyes closed tightly in concentration. "Sky..." The horn grew brighter. "Sky!" Phantom's scream may have started in the ruble and guard filled room, but it ended outside in the cool night air, at the front gates to the manor. He released his grip on the mare, and stared at the broken down front door. "Sky!" Phantom sprinted towards it. Suddenly, an explosion ripped through a portion if the manor, just above the entrance. Fire and smoke filled the once still night. Phantom could only stare in horror as the explosion spread, starting more fires and bringing the once great major to it's knees. Phantom awoke, covered in sweat, breathing rapidly; his heart pounding. Rainbow Dash merely shuffled at his side by his sudden move. He remained in place as to not disturb her further. His gaze drifted towards the chard remains of the once bright red barn. Small whisps of smoke continued to rise in the night from warm, glowing embers in the ash.