//------------------------------// // Revealed // Story: Broken Feathers // by That Avi Nerd //------------------------------// The door to the Golden Oaks Library once again opened. This time, nopony inside jumped to any conclusions. Instead, they patiently waited to see who was entering. “Twilight? I’m home,” called a young, familiar voice. In an instant, Twilight rose to her hooves, and sprinted for the door. “Spike!” Twilight tackled her surprised assistant. Spike found himself caught in her magical aura, being compressed tightly into her chest with her forelegs wrapped around him. Breathing did not come easily. “Twilight... air...” The unicorn tilted her head in confusion before realizing what she was doing. “Oh! Sorry...” She sheepishly set him down, trying to laugh it off. “I was just so excited to see you. You know you’re late, right?” “Yeah, I know. But Princess Celestia wanted to speak with me about something, and she had the best sapphire. Ever.” “Oh? What did she want to talk about?” Twilight used her magic to lift Spike into the air, swing him over and set him down on a chair. Next to Rarity. A slight blush grew on the dragon’s face. “She... uh... told me about my responsibilities during the fair. Basically I’m going to do what I normally do at the library, but wherever you go in Ponyville, too.” Spike looked around. It was only now that he noticed the gloom expression on everypony’s face. Twilight was trying her best to hide it, but was starting to struggle. “Say, what’s wrong with everypony? Where’s Rainbow Dash at? And Applejack?” Twilight bit her lip. “Rainbow’s fine. She’s with Soarin’ now. But Applejack...” she looked away solemnly, looking for the words to tell Spike genently. Fluttershy quietly let out several more tears. Rarity was the one who snapped. “Is gone!” Rarity broke down in tears, hearing the words that were coming out of her own mouth. Pinkie Pie sunk down even further, burying herself in her own legs. “W-what...” Spike was at a loss for words. “W-what do you mean, ‘gone’?” “Spike,” Twilight began with a comforting tone, wrapping a foreleg around his shoulder and pulling him close. “Nopony knows where she was. Applebloom went to the barn to help Applejack move some hay but... but when she got there it was... on fire.” “So Applejack...” Spike was on the verge of tears. His eyes watered up. His lower lip quivered. A sinking sensation crossed his abdomen. In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the iconic brown stetson, hanging up in a hat hanger. Twilight could feel the emotions flying through the air as he stared at it. “Applejack’s...d-d-dead?” Everypony bowed their heads, each letting out more tears. “We don’t know, Spike. The barn was completely engulfed in flames when help arrived. They couldn’t risk going in, the flames were too hot. No remains have been found, either...” Spike sat in place, letting out quiet sobs. Twilight tried to comfort him as best she could. “Come on,” she told him with a smile. “Let’s get you something to eat. You can tell us all about your trip." "Okay..." Spike finally managed to squeak out after a few sniffs. Twilight led the young dragon into the kitchen, where she prepared him what appeared to be a wonderful meal. A glass of tea was also included. "Spike?" Rarity's voice called softly. Spike turned to see her standing in the doorway to the kitchen, with an emerald in the grips of her magic. She levitated it over to his now awaiting plate on the table in front of him, and set it down gently. "I was saving this for you when you got back, since you're a great friend and helper." "T-thanks, Rarity. That means a lot." Spike eagerly bit into the emerald easily, as if it were made of simple bread. Simply put, it was probably the most delicious gem he had ever tasted. At the very minimum it was in the top five. "How did the trip go?" Twilight asked, sitting down to a cup of her own tea. "Well..." Spike went on to explain what had happened during his trip to Canterlot. The purpose of said trip was to help organize the fair with the Royal and Noble families, and to spread the word amongst the capital. He had even gone as far as to send out notifications to pretty much every town in Equestria, and the capitals of neighboring nations. His stay was more of a vacation in the first place. Sending out those invitations was secondary to his main reason benig there: spending time with Twilight's family. They had been some of the nicest ponies he had met before coming to Ponyville, so when they heard Spike was arriving they eagerly offered up their home to him. His story was cut short by a rumbling in his stomach. "Oh boy..." With a loud belch, a green plume of smoke left Spike's mouth. The smoke quickly materialized into a rolled up scroll. Twilight took the scroll in her magical grip, unrolling it and scanning its text. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Oh listen to me, I'll have to get used to calling my most faithful student 'Princess' from now on. Even though I am currently in Ponyville, I sent this to you once I was sure Spike had arrived home to inform you that I would like your presence at mine and my sister’s side at the fair this evening. All you need is your Element of Harmony crown for yourself, and preferably the Elements for your friends too, should they decide to join us. This evening is the magic show, an event of which I suspect will be of interest to you. In fact, I'm asking that you begin the show with a powerful display of magic to your choosing. As I said, your friends are more than welcome to join us. I know that Applejack's absence will weigh heavy on your minds, but I ask that you do not let it hold you back. My ponies have informed me that no evidence has been found that Applejack was in the barn at the time of the fire. Good luck, my little ponies, Princess Celestia Rarity had apparently been standing over Twilight's shoulder, reading the letter too. She squealed with glee. "Eeeee! We get to dress up! And sit with the Princesses of all ponies. Oh, it'll be so much fun!" Rarity began to hop around the table. Completing a few laps, she went into the main room and announced the news to Fluttershy and Pinkie. Those two looked... less than enthused. Spike and Twilight followed Rarity in. "Princess Celestia only said we needed to wear our Elements..." Twilight deadpanned. "Oh, hehehe." Rarity looked sheepishly at the ground. Twilight moved a group of books off of their shelf, revealing a metallic safe buried into the wall. The trotted over to it, using her hoof to turn the combination dial. "This safe is protected by a magical enchantment that I created myself. The only way it will ever open is if my hoof enters in the proper combination." There was a loud click. "Like so." Slowly, the thick door swung open. Inside, surrounded by fitted, black velvet forms, were the six Elements of Harmony: Twilight's Magic Crown, and the necklaces of Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. All eyes focused on Applejack's necklace, and its apple-shaped gem. Twilight grabbed her crown, setting it gently on the top of her head. She then passed around the appropriate necklace for everypony present. That only left two remaining: Loyalty and Honesty. Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "Rainbow's right!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, suddenly jumping to her feet, her hair returning to it's normal color and puffiness. "Applejack wouldn't leave us! She's still out there!" Pinkie made sure her necklace was secure, then began to jump around in circles around her friends, trying to raise their spirits. "And she wouldn't wanna see us moping around like this! She'd want us to be out there having fun and making Ponyville look good and bringing in customers for the shops and selling bushels of bushels of bushels of red, succulent, juicy apples!" Rarity's expression turned determined. "She's right, and, Rainbow was right. I was foolish to think that something could have possibly happened to Applejack." "Yes..." Fluttershy agreed ever so softly. "I-I think that's what Applejack would want. If-if that's what you guys think too..." Rarity wrapped a hoof over her shy friend's shoulder, "That's exactly what we thinking, dear Fluttershy." A smile grew across the yellow mare's muzzle. The same could be said for everypony, and dragon, present. Phantom shut his eyes as quickly as the board hit him across the muzzle. Letting his limbs relax, he fell loosely to the ground, appearing to have been knocked unconscious, or worse. Phantom wondered if following Soarin' into this tunnel was really such a good idea after all, even if he had found the mare who's been missing. Refusing to open his eyes, he continued to pretend to be knocked unconscious. "You didn't have to hit him that hard, boss," spoke a second voice. Phantom suspected this was the stallion he had been following who was now speaking. "Oh but he ever so does irritate me. First he saved that stupid mare, and now he followed you, nearly revealing our plans," said the stallion that just hit Phantom. "So you're going to lock him up with her, now?" "Possibly, I may kill him first." "Bloodshed will only make things wor—" "You're worried about bloodshed? Whose idea was it to get rid of that mare you hold so dearly?" There was a moment’s pause. "Exactly." What mare is he talking about? Couldn't be Rainbow. Could it? His train of thought was interrupted by an echoing shriek, just barely audible, But still easily recognized. Rainbow! As much as Phantom tried to hold his eyes shut, they still managed to violently open. Two ponies were standing next to him. One was obviously the stallion that he had been following earlier, and Phantom recognized the other in an instant, his mint green coat and snow white hair standing out in his mind. Cloud Maker... Then it clicked. The initials he saw on the bottom of the lamp at the beginning of the cavern and under the ash of the barn. 'C.M.M.' Luckily, both stallions were facing down the tunnel, away from Phantom so they didn't see his eyes open. "What was that?" Cloud Maker questioned Soarin'. "What was what?" "I thought I heard something..." Applejack gauffed. "'S probably one of mah friends comin' to save me. Ya'll are in trouble now!" "Quite you!" Cloud Maker turned to face Applejack, and hit the metallic cell bars with his hoof. Seeing his movement, Phantom quickly closed his eyes once more. "Put this nuisance in with her. I'm going to go check this noise out." "Yes, sir." Run, Rainbow, run, Phantom thought as he felt hooves grab hold of his forelegs. Sompony dragged him towards the cell currently occupied by Applejack. Loud metallic clicks were followed by a low, sliding sound as the cell door was opened. Phantom found himself being lifted into the air, and thrown into the cell. Moments after landing on the rock floor with a thump, the heavy doors slid shut once again, letting out a clank that seemed to echo on forever. A hoof tapped and pushed on his shoulder. "Ya okay?" asked Applejack in her usual southern tone. Phantom opened his eyes, looking around to confirm that he was indeed locked in the cell. Applejack was standing over him, staring into his eyes, her concern clearly evident in her own. "Yeah..." Phantom mumbled, slowly rising to his feet. His head was still swirling from that hit. Being thrown onto a rock floor didn't help either. "Fine... just fine. Sure, I discovered that you are, in fact, alive. But now we'll both probably die, and I failed to protect Rainbow Dash. Great. Just flippin' great." Applejack cocked her head in wonder. "How'd ya mean?" "Everypony in town believes you're dead." Applejack stared at Phantom in horror, her jaw wide open. "Your barn burned down and everypony thought you were inside. I found your hat in the ashes. And now, here I go following my curiosity yet again only to, yet again, end up over my head. Cloud Maker is going to chase after Rainbow Dash, likely catch her considering her current state, and kill her. Then, he'll come back here, and kill the both of us." Applejack stuttered, at a complete loss for words. She fell back on her haunches, staring at the tock wall blankly. "S-s-s-s-so, everypony thinks Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah'm d-dead?" she finally managed to utter. "For now. If Rainbow Dash can escape long enough to tell somepony, then that'll change and they'll likely come after us. Until then, yeah, essentially everypony thinks you're gone." Applejack let out a long, tiresome sigh. Judging by the scrapes on the rock floor in front of the cell doors, she had been pacing back and forth for a good while. The ends of her hooves were covered in dust. "Ya said somethin' 'bout protectin' RD?" "As I said before being interrupted by Cloud Maker... My name is Phantom. I'm from the Royal Guard. I was sent here by Captain Armor to protect Rainbow Dash." "An' why does she need protectin' now?" "After the attempt by Queen Chrysalis on Rainbow Dash's life, Princess Celestia thought it nessesary to add more security measures for the fair. Each of the Elements of Harmony has a personal body guard for the duration of said fair; each hiding in the shadows until required to show themselves, like I was. Once I revealed myself, Captain Armor thought it wise that we reveal my purpose in Ponyville, and explained the situation to everypony." "So, Ah have a body guard?" "Not... really... He didn't get here in time to actually start protecting you. That apparent lapse in security has come back to haunt us." "Ah see... How ya plannin' on getting us outta here?" Phantom thought for a moment. Applejack waited with growing frustration. "Truth is," he finally spoke, "I can't think of one. My first plan was to dodge the blow and fight back, but seeing Cloud's reflection in your eyes, I decided against it. Cloud Maker may not seem like much, but he's capable of a lot. At the Guard Academy, I ranked second. Him? He was first. Me, him, and Sky made one great team. Then we parted ways." "Well, it seems like we'll be here ahwhile." Applejack sat on her haunches, getting as comfortable as she could. Phantom knew she would want to hear some of the stories, so he too sat down and begin to tell. Twilight Sparkle trotted into the stage area on the newly-opened fairgrounds. Fairgoers all about were milling around, finding open seats in one of the many rows of chairs. Everything was set up in a semi-circle, facing in on a large stage, currently dominated by a giant red curtain. Several open-air balconies rose up above the rest of the seats, reserved for V.I.P.'s like nobles and foreign dignitaries. Two Royal Guards standing outside the entrance leading to the stairs of the farthest balcony on stage left indicated where the Princess would be. Twilight led her friends, all wearing their respective Elements of Harmony, towards them. As the four Elements of Harmony approached, the two Royal Guards snapped to attention, looked straight ahead, and respectfully allowed the four mares to pass by in silence. Rarity, who was trailing at the end, nodded at the two ponies. Once past, they went back to a relaxed state with their wings outstretched, covering the entrance. Their hoofsteps reverberated through the structure with each steps. The wooden staircase was congested with random noise. Anypony above could hear them coming. At the top of the stairs, the group of friends were met by yet another pair of Royal Guards, these two guarding an entrance that led back outside to the main balcony. Passing by without the slightest bit of resistance, they emerged into an open air balcony, covered only by a thick white sun awning. The air was slightly warm and humid. At their currently altitude, they were picking up a slight breeze. There were three rows of four seats, each row higher up than the one in front. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were already present. The two rulers were standing on the edge of the balcony, in front of the seats, watching over the fairgoers as they shuffled into place. The white sun goddess looked over at the Elements of Harmony. "Ah," she began, "you made it. "Yes, Princess." Twilight replied softly. "We figured this would be a good way to get our minds off of what's happened..." There was a pregnant pause in the group. "Come, my little ponies, take a seat. The show is about to start. I will have food and refreshments brought up to us soon." Princess Celestia and Luna took seats in the top row, leaving a space in between them that Princess Celestia motioned for Twilight to take. With a slight nod, Twilight headed up, setting down the saddlebags she's been carrying. Her friends behind her took sets in the front row, settling in to enjoy what was to come. "Pray tell," Princess Luna spoke in her much exercised 'normal' voice as Twilight sat between her and her sister. "Where is Miss Rainbow Dash?" "She was having lunch with Soarin', I think," Twilight replied casually. "I would assume once they're done she'll come here, with or without him." Slowly, she started giggling to herself. Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. "Who is this 'Soarin''?" "He's the co-captain of the Wonderbolts. And he's a certain pony that Rainbow Dash has a certain crush on." Twilight was now openly laughing to herself. Even Princess Celestia was starting to join in with her student. A unicorn stallion trotted out onto the stage. He waited patiently as the crowd's chattering died down. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. "Welcome, fillies and gentlecoats!" The stallion used his magic to amplify his voice tremendously. His voice seemed to echo on forever. "Today, we have the gracious opportunity by Princess Celestia to preform the greatest feats of magic in front of all of Equestria and her neighboring nations." Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rolled their eyes in unison. "So without further delays, let us begin!" His horn lit up with a white glow. Trails of fire and smoke trailed the large amount of fireworks rocketing through the blue skies. Just under the clouds, they exploded in a dazzling display that captured many 'oohs' and 'ahs' from the crowd below. The rainbow of sparks they left behind fell shortly before fading from existence. Even though her friends were slightly impressed, Twilight Sparkle was not. This is going to take awhile... she thought. Most of the day passed by with little excitement. Celestia's sun had dipped below the horizon, making its presence known only through the slightly lit western horizon. On the opposite side of the sky, Luna's moon was rising above Ponyville, providing dim light to the fair area. A few of the unicorns who had performed were pretty good by Twilight’s standards; one in particular had used a combination of light and smoke spells to tell a vivid (if stretched) version of how the Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, and King Sombra. Princess Celestia seemed at least mildly entertained, but Princess Luna, however, was staring off towards the Ponyville reservoir, intent on her own thoughts. Twilight watched the Princess close her eyes, take a few deep breaths, and her horn light up with a faint, purple tint. She expected something to happen, but nothing did. The lavender alicorn turned to Princess Celestia. "What is Princess Luna doing?" Twilight asked in a whisper. Princess Celestia lowered her head to her student's. "She's entering the dreams of another pony." "What? Why? And who?" "Not only does my sister raise and lower the moon, she protects the dreams of ponies. She can sense if somepony is having a nightmare, and does what she can to help them through it. As for who, I am not sure. The magic she uses is not one I am very familiar with. All I can say for sure is that she's looking for somepony, but hasn't found them." "Hasn't found them? What do you mean?" "She needs to know where the pony is in order to enter their dreams. It appears as if she's searching for somepony in particular, shifting through the countless dreams of others." Both Twilight and Princess Celestia looked at the closed eyes of Princess Luna, watching them bounce around in a chaotic manor; similar to the R.E.M. of one's deep sleep. "Applejack?" "It may well be." "Then we should ask her." Twilight was about to nudge the Princess of the Night when Princess Celestia stopped her with her own magic. "No. If she's in the dreams of another it could be very painful for the both of them to pull her out of it." The ears of everypony in the balcony (except for Princess Luna) perked up upon hearing the sounds of somepony coming up the stairs. Twilight wondered if they were that loud on their way up. They looked to the entrance in time to see the two Royal Guards salute as a white unicorn stallion clad in golden armor with a blue mane walked in. "Shiny!" Twilight nearly yelled, but controlled herself once she remembered what Princess Luna was doing beside her. Twilight hurried over to her brother and gave him a tight hug. "Oof! Hey, Twiley." Shining Armor returned the hug, a smile trying its hardest to show, tugging at the corner of his mouth. The Captain of the Royal Guard looked around the room, seeing its mostly happy occupants. What stood out most to him was not the entrance Princess Luna, but the pony who was missing from the six. "Where's Rainbow Dash?" Shining's voice sounded unsteady, contrast to his usual confidence. "Last we heard she was eating with Soarin'," Rarity explained. "And that was at about noon. I figured she would join us when they finished, but, I haven't seen her anywhere." The rest of the present Elements of Harmony nodded with her statement. "Why?" asked Twilight, tilted her head slightly to the side. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Rainbow?" "I don't know, that's the problem. I can't find Phantom. That's the part of this that worries me. I've ordered him to report in every hour and I haven't heard anything from him all day." The present Elements of Harmony gasped. A frown formed on Princess Celestia's muzzle. Princess Luna remained in her trance. "Oh, dear," Fluttershy spoke up, ever so slightly. "I-I'm sure she's fine." "Yeah!" Pinkie yelled. "Rainbow Dash is always fine because Rainbow Dash is Rainbow Dash! Except those times she's not fine because she's being Rainbow Dash... but usually she's fine!" "Quite right, dear." Rarity agreed with the two. "Shiny, I'm sure they're just out for a walk somewhere. Just relax," Twilight attempted to reassure her brother. "That's just the thing, Twiley," he replied."I've searched all around town myself, along with most of the guards. They haven't been seen anywhere. Last I saw them they were walking towards Sugarcube Corner together, but I was distracted with dealing with the crowd. They're both missing." At that moment, Princess Luna opened her eyes. She rose from her seat, and trotted towards the balcony edge with her wings open. "Rainbow Dash is in trouble," Princess Luna spoke. "We are going to find her." "Princess Luna," Twilight called, "wait!" The night princess heeded her words, pausing for a moment. Twilight used her magic to levitate a golden necklace out of her saddlebags: Rainbow Dash's Element of Harmony. "Take this, give it to her when you see her, please?" Luna nodded, taking the necklace in her own magic and before anypony else could stop her, the Princess of the night disappeared into her domain.