To an outsider, Ponyville may have seemed like an utterly unremarkable town. The architecture, while certainly delightful and cheery, was the same for each and every building along the crooked cobble streets, all wooden frame and pastel paint jobs. The roofs were invariably thatched, the yellow straw browned with age and wear. Ugly dark splotches were splattered across the walls of anything within reach of splashed mud, like bruises inflicted on the buildings.
To the residents of Ponyville, however, it was an entirely different story. Ponyville was entirely defenceless - it had no walls, no battlements, no stationary guard force, with only a weak volunteer-based civilian militia to draw upon. Its people were ragged, long since weary of the dangers of the wilderness. And compounded with the fact that it was immediately adjacent to the legendary Everfree Forest, meant that the town was under constant threat of annhilation, barely surviving through the phenomenal willpower of its tired but determined townfolk.
Which, perhaps, was why Twilight Sparkle and Rarity found themselves leg-deep in a border skirmish between the town guards and a large pack of timberwolves from the Everfree, raging across several apple orchards and crop fields.
“Ugh, Rarity, where are you?” Twilight cried out into the darkness, as the screams and shouts of guards as well as the baying and growling of wolves rang out all around them. Her eyes narrowed as she heard a rustle behind her. Whipping around, she flipped open the Arcanomicon and a blast of pure energy exploded from one of the pages, catching the attacking wolf on the full and scattering its remains.
As the bits of kindling fell to the ground, she gave a sigh of relief and glanced at the page of the Arcanomicon, which had the words ‘Magic Missile’ clearly inked into the top of the page, with several blocks of notes underneath. The edges of the page was ever so slightly singed from the blast.
There was a brief crackle of power to her left, and Twilight spun around to see a ghostly unicorn gliding through the shrubbery as though it was nothing, a scepter glowing in her magical grasp. Rarity smiled thinly, her deathly appearance giving way to a more mortal coloration, even as three wolves hurled themselves at her from out of the brush.
Her tail, usually purple and curled, was suddenly a writhing mass of bone and chitin forming into a massive scorpion’s tail. “Do not think for a moment that you mutts can surprise me!” Rarity bared her teeth, suddenly sharp like a predator’s, and her eyes briefly flashed a bloody crimson. A burst of fire and ash erupted from the stinger, immolating the three wolves in a swirl of demonic flame. The creatures dropped to the ground, no more than mere firewood.
She smiled at Twilight, stretching leisurely. “Good to see that you’re alright, dear.” As she stretched, her tail returned to normal, the chitin cracking and shattering into glittering nothingness. “The fight is still going on, and I do believe the good guards of Ponyville need our help.” She turned, pausing before the piles of burning twigs. Her eyes flashed once, and she turned ethereal once more, a spirit disappearing into the darkness.
Twilight sighed. Even though they had spent entire days just talking and knowing each other, she still didn’t quite understand her enigmatic companion. They were both unicorns, but clearly neither used unicorn magic in their fighting. Twilight, of course, relied on the Arcanomicon’s teachings and those ancient magics in a combat capacity, but Rarity… Rarity’s magic felt wrong. It was powerful, no doubt, and effective. But it felt unnatural, and whenever Rarity used it, she would take on a few… monstrous qualities.
“Rarity, wait for me!” Twilight grumbled, her horn glowing brightly as she prepared to teleport after Rarity. Perhaps it was just her, but teleporting always seemed natural to her. Easy. Instinctual, even. Most other unicorns would take months, even years, mastering a teleportation of but a few feet. She could do ten, twenty, even thirty feet without breaking a sweat. Anothing thing that was strange about her, to add to the list.
“So, Twilight.” Spike said, his voice sounding loudly in her ears.
Twilight jumped, teleporting a few feet off her mark. “Agh! Spike, don’t scare me like that!” Her mane was curled at the ends, scorched by magical residue. “Especially when using magic like teleportation!”
“Oh yeah, sorry about that.” Spike appeared as a glowing dragon sitting a few paces in front of her. He had a smug grin on his face, like surprising her was his plan all along. “So, Rarity, huh? What do you think about her?”
“She’s interesting, I suppose.” Twilight mused, as a beam of ice exploded from the Arcanomicon, encasing a wolf in frost. It promptly exploded from the extreme cold. “I’m still not sure. She has the sophistication of Canterlotian high society, yet acts with a boldness rarely seen amongst nobles. She’s intelligent and world-wise, but doesn’t seem to be highly knowledgable. And she’s… dark. Like she’s seen things before. Had experiences that haunted her.”
“No, not like that.” Spike snorted. Clearly his adopted sister still has no idea how social interaction worked. “Okay, let’s start easy. Do you like her personality?”
“Well… personality, like… how?”
“Seriously, Twi?” Spike groaned. “Never mind. I figured a pony as beautiful and graceful as Rarity would have an equally charming personality…” He sighed, and Twilight rolled her eyes as his image flickered away.
“Twilight, dear, I need some help here!” Rarity’s call wafted from deep in the grove. She whipped her scorpion tail around, smashing through a throng of wolves, but for each wolf that she demolished, two would rise from the forest debris. Her eyes flashed, and the tail stabbed straight through a particularly large wolf.
“Rend your flesh…” She muttered, as the wolf dissolved into ash. “Snap your bones…” Her hooves slammed into the side of another, ignoring the pain that shot up her legs. She smiled grimly as she heard bark shatter. “Crush your body…”
Rarity’s eyes, narrowed before, suddenly snapped open, and a wave of necrotic energy surged outwards, engulfing the wolves around her. “BREAK YOUR SOUL!” The wolves fell, wooden paws scrabbling at the ground as her magic pained their very spirits. “Twilight, now!”
Twilight nodded, and flipped the Arcanomicon open. “Sealed Arcana,” She murmured, as a magical circle appeared around her. Arcane runes circled around her, glowing bright golden, lighting up the orchard. “First seal…”
Twilight winced as she felt mana drain away from her, the massive amounts of energy coalescing into the form of a massive fountain of pure fire. Flames licked the skies as heat filled the orchard, exploding in a roar that rivaled Celestia’s sun itself. “Gate of Flame!” Twilight’s eyes were brimming with crackling flame as she sensed the Arcanomicon draw power from her, focusing her raw emotions into barely contained arcane rage.
The tightly-held fountain collapsed, a blazing inferno surging outwards in a ring of pure destruction, obliterating everything in its path. It consumed trees and wolves alike, yet left friendly ponies untounched. Twilight roared into the burning night, as all around her was devoured by the hungry flames. For over ten minutes, the flames of war raged in a wide circle, destroying anything that strode inside the zone of pure death. Twilight strained every drop of mana she had in containing the fire, but fortunately it seemed that the Arcanomicon provided a means to control the wild blaze.
Finally, when the guards had corralled the last of the wolves into her burning trap, she dispelled the circle of flame, collapsing onto the ground. Rarity trotted over, kneeling next to Twilight with concern clear on her face. Spike, too, conjured his corporeal body to tend to her.
“Twilight, darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked, helping the exhausted Twilight to her feet. “Are you hurt?”
“No, she’s just magically drained.” Spike said, closing his eyes to channel what little mana he had into Twilight’s body. “I’ve seen this before. When a unicorn spends way to much mana doing magic, they go into some kinda extra-long nap time to replenish their energy.” He tapped Twilight’s skull lightly, prompting a weak groan from the unicorn. “Yeah, she just needs some rest is all.”
Twilight mumbled something unintelligible, and drifted off to sleep.
While Twilight slumbered away atop a cart, Rarity was busy with the town guards who had immediately began thanking them for saving their hides, as they all made the slow walk back to town.
“No, really, gentlecolts, it is of no trouble at all.” Rarity said, laughing daintily and waving her hoof casually.
“But you saved us!” A guard, an earth pony stallion called Steel Shovel, insisted. “If you weren’t there, we would’ve definitely been overrun by the wolves, and the town would be in ruin! Please, name a reward, and I will ensure that you get it.”
Rarity paused. “Any reward? Well, in that case, I think my friend and I will require a place for the night and probably a good deal after that.” Steel Shovel beckoned for a nearby scout to approach, a young charcoal grey pegasus fresh out of colthood. “I would, of course, prefer it to have beds and all the standard fare, as well as bathing facilities if you could manage.”
Shovel nodded. “Anything else? We can’t begin to explain how grateful we are.”
“And…” Rarity paused, thinking about what she and Twilight have talked about in the past few days. “My friend has travelled here to look for a certain mare called ‘Sunny Skies’. Perhaps you would be able to provide directions to where we may locate her?”
The scout finished scratching the instructions down on a small tablet. “Will that be all, miss?”
“That’s it. Thank you, kind sir.” Rarity smiled warmly, and the scout blushed brightly. He bolted off, galloping towards town.
“Ah, Flint. Good lad, he is.” Steel Shovel said, grinning. “Strong will, if a bit rash.”
“Yes.” Rarity fell silent for a moment. “So, how is the town like?”
Steel looked back at her. “Ponyville, you mean? Well, it depends. As you have seen first hand, it is not the safest place. It borders the Everfree, see, so beasties are a common problem here. And with the crazy stuff with the eternal night, monsters just seem to get braver and braver. Oddly enough our food is still growing, so that’s one thing that’s good.”
“Ponyville’s home to good honest folk, not much crime, a great deal of community spirit. Mostly farmers, some crafters, but there are also a couple of griffon traders who have the town as home base. They carry the more rare items like foreign fruits and whatnot. It’s a good place to live, I guess, if a little risky. The Everfree’s natural magic means our food grows better than most, so except for the monsters, it’s a great place to live in.”
“I see. And the people are happy?”
“Oh, absolutely. Perhaps not so much nowadays, but if the sun hadn’t come out in days, you’d be a bit grumpy too.” Steel joked, smiling. Rarity also smiled politely, but her mind was already whirring in activity. Princess Celestia asked Twilight to come here, to meet a mare called Sunny Skies. The connection to Celestia was obvious, with the sun and all. But why Ponyville? What was so special about Ponyville?
“A bit for your thoughts?”
“What?” Rarity blinked. “Oh, nothing, just thinking about how good it would be to finally have proper lodgings. We’ve been traveling a while and heaven knows we need a bath.”
The assorted guards laughed, and a few of the mares nodded in agreement. “Aye. But at least the day is as cold as night, now, and sweat doesn’t come easy.” One of them said, causing the mares to laugh again.
“Oh, look.” Steel stopped as they neared the edge of the large apple orchard. “This is the outskirts of the town. Well, miss, welcome to Ponyville. I believe Flint should be waiting for you at the main gates. Have fun in our town. I’ll be leading the troops back to the barracks.” They bid each other goodbye, and Rarity, along with a very tired Twilight propped up by Spike, followed the young Flint to an inn.
“The streets are rather dreary, are they not?” Rarity commented as she looked at the well trodden cobbles and abandoned stalls arrayed at the edges of the street, at the puddles which lingered in potholes in the ground, and the muddy bricks that were strewn around from broken down structures.
“It’s not the best, I’ll admit.” Flint shrugged. “But it’s home.”
“Have you ever thought of living anywhere else?” Rarity asked. “I’ve heard that Antler Basin is quiet and idylic. And it’s not too far away, too.”
“Nah.” Flint shook his head. “I’m Ponyville born and I’m not gonna abandon my home town. Plus, what’ll I do if I don’t live here? Here the guard appreciates my skills, I’ve got a spot to fill. It’s nice living here.”
“I see.” Rarity had entertained ideas of leaving Canterlot when she stilled lived there. True, it was home, but she always felt that she could do much better elsewhere, since there were so many thieves in the Canterlot Underground already. She hoped that perhaps one day she could be like Flint, settling down somewhere where she would be appreciated and needed.
“Speaking of home, we’re here!” Flint said, stopping in front of a relatively large wooden structure.
Rarity stared up at the sign of the inn. “Golden Oak Inn.” She read. “Is it good?”
“As good as it gets, in this little towny.” Flint shrugged again. “My uncle owns this place, so I convinced him to let you ladies stay for a bit, cost-free.”
“Thank you, dear.” Rarity smiled. “I believe we can take it from here.”
“Stay safe.” Flint said, trotting off. Rarity pushed through the door, with Twilight staggering behind her. Fortunately the innkeeper had been expecting them and they were quickly rushed off to bed without another word. Twilight practically fell into a bed and descended into slumbers. Rarity, still with a bit of life in her, indulged herself with a small bath before following suit.
The thing about night time eternal, was that nopony had any idea when to wake. Their biological clocks were completely thrown off by the absence of sunlight, and most, if not all ponies relied on the town bell tower. Unicorns who knew clock and watch spells were marginally more well off, but only in the loosest of definitions. But it was clear that life would be completely different for everypony.
Speaking of unicorns, Ponyville’s newest visitors were slumbering away in the eternal darkness. Having travelled in pitch black and camping on the road for days, they were very much spent and appreciative of a soft bed. Even Spike, who usually preferred his passive form, indulged in the pleasures of a flesh and blood body and dozed off in a pile of pillows.
Suddenly, Twilight flailed about with her limbs, tumbling off a bed and landing in a pile on the floor, her horn buzzing loudly in her mind. A wake-up call, of sorts. She winced, calling off the spell, and clambered up to her feet.
“Twilight, dear… why are you up at this hour?” Rarity mumbled, awoken by the commotion. “It’s still dark out…”
Spike, who was used to Twilight’s night-long study sessions and early morning activities, was already up and about, gathering everything the two mares needed for their morning preparations. “It’s always dark, milady.” He quipped.
Twilight flicked an ear at the dragon. “There’s no time to lose. I’ve been tasked to reach Sunny Skies by Princess Celestia and I’m not going to fail her.”
“Yes, yes… but perhaps it might not hurt to get to know some of the locals, maybe find some allies first?” Rarity asked. “In dark times like these, friends can be invaluable assets.”
“I don’t have time to make more friends, Rarity.” Twilight said, washing up with a pan of water which Spike had brought in. “I can’t betray Princess Celestia’s trust. I’ve put off my task for long enough.”
“I dunno, Twilight… I mean, more companions would be cool. The more the merrier, right?” Spike suggested, tentatively.
“We don’t need to be merry, Spike!” Twilight finally snapped, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “We need to solve this problem, and we need to solve this problem quickly!” Spike backed away, claws held up placatingly.
“Alright! Okay, sure. Speed. Right…” The sentence trailed off when Spike realized that Twilight’s infamous temper was no longer directed at him. Instead, she was glaring at a certain young guard who had knocked on the door, after she flung it open with a burst of magic.
“What?” She demanded, irritation clear on her face.
“Uh… breakfast?” Flint tried to smile and gestured at a cart behind him.
Twilight’s scowl deepened, and the intensity of her glare increased to such a degree that Flint was forced back by the pure ferocity of the look, taking several steps back until he was combletely backed up against a wall. “We don’t have time for that, sir. Instead, have you found out where Miss Sunny Skies lives?” She asked, although to be fair she had managed to contain much of the frustrated anger that had caused the outburst in the first place.
“Now now, Twilight, you’ll be no use to anypony if you starve yourself.” Rarity said, firmly. “You have to eat, to keep up your strength. Anyway, would Sunny Skies be up at this hour?”
“But I…” Twilight hung her head in defeat, conceding to the logic in her words. “Alright, Rarity. You have a point.” She looked over at Flint apologetically. “Sorry, I got a bit frustrated by the situation.”
“S’alright.” Flint nodded understandingly. “We all got those mornings, miss.”
Twilight sighed, her posture sagging slightly. “Yeah. The events of past days are… um… tiring, I guess. So, what’s on the menu?”
“Oh, the standard. Hay-stuff, fruit, greens…” He rattled off a long list of foods, tapping a hoof everytime he named something new. “Hell, why don’t you come and see, miss?” He pushed the cart forward, and Twilight saw that the cart was loaded with food, square compartments dividing up different types of food, each covered by a clear glass lid.
Twilight peered into each compartment, and indeed, she saw a plethora of different foods. Hay-fries, lettuce, tomatoes, a variety of different fruits such as apples and oranges, and even some manner of dark red berries that Twilight did not recognise.
Flint noticed Twilight’s gaze lingering on the berries. “Blood berries, miss.” He clarified, before hastily continuing when he saw Twilight’s dismayed expression. “Only in name, of course. These berries carry magical effects, such as enhancing the senses and, when brewed into a potion, makes healing easier. Soldiers often dry them and carry them as rations before battle, which is where the name comes from, what with the spilling blood and all. Well, that and its crimson coloring.”
“Healing properties, then? Maybe it’s a variant of snowberries with an internal spell matrix to stimulate bodily functions…” Twilight hummed curiously. “I’ll have a simple salad, and could I also take a few berries for testing?”
“Testing?” Flint blinked, then nodded when he understood. “Oh, you’re one of those scholar types. Well, help yourself, miss. You’re a guest in this inn.”
Rarity trotted up to the cart. “Hello again, dear. I think I’ll take a daisy sandwich and some strawberries, if I may.”
“Of course, of course!” Flint beamed. “Take whatever you need, Miss Rarity.” Rarity smiled graciously, but chuckled inwardly at the colt’s eagerness to impress her. “If that’s all, I’ll be taking my leave. You ladies enjoy your meal now.”
They did. Not to insult Spike’s cooking, but one could only embellish camp rations to a degree. To taste real cooking from a professional chef was refreshing. After dusting off a few crumbs from the table at which they were dining, Rarity returned to tidying herself and the refreshed Twilight Sparkle leapt to her hooves with a confident smile. “Well, now that we’re all rested up, we can go find Sunny Skies, yes?”
Rarity nodded. “I see no reason why not. Flint should be downstairs, we can ask him if he could help with anything. It would also be prudent to ask around with the locals, I’ve found that sometimes important information can be gathered that way.”
Twilight shrugged. “Well, if you want to. Spike, do you want to come with, for hide for a bit?”
“Hey, yeah!” Spike grinned. “I can help with the talking. I’m a smooth talker, you know.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “What?”
“Nothing, Spike. Are you ready, Rarity?” Twilight glanced over at the other unicorn, who was still brushing her mane. “Uh, Rarity? You’ve been at it for at least an hour now.” Twilight, like any self-respecting mare, cared for her appearance plenty, and had her share of morning rituals to tidy herself up. But all of her procedures seemed insignificant to Rarity’s meticulous styling.
“Please, Twilight. I’ve been on the road for a fair while and I need time to properly groom myself. You go ahead, darling, I’ll be right down.” Rarity said, levitating several combs which treated her hair and tail with rapid speed. “Eech. Summoning Heartless just completely tangles up my tail. Remember, Twilight, be subtle. Don’t let more figure out what we’re doing than is absolutely necessary.”
Twilight rolled her eyes again. She thought that Rarity was rather paranoid about the situation. “If we find out anything important and you’re not down yet, we’ll give you a call, okay? Spike, let’s go.” She strode out of the room, the Arcanomicon tucked close to her side in a specially made holster, the young dragon trailing behind her.
“Hey, Miss Twilight! Over here!” The bar section of the inn was already roudy in the early morning, being the only place that served decent drink and food combos in the town. Patrons milled about, sipping at rousing drinks and breakfast, eager to catch some entertainment before the working hours. Flint sat near a circle of happily drinking ponies in construction gear and waved at her.
Twilight trotted over, ducking as a tray was flung across the room like a frisbee. “Ah, good morning, Flint.” She sat herself down at a seat that Flint had dragged over from another table. “The breakfast was nice.”
“Thank you.” Flint grinned, and one of the construction ponies snorted in disbelief. “See, Mud? I told you she’d like my cooking.”
“You cooked that?” Twilight asked in surprise. Then, noticing how rude that must’ve been, she shrunk back with an embarrased smile. “Sorry, I just… you didn’t seem like the cooking type, Flint. It was really good.”
“Aw, you flatter me.” Flint grinned. “Say, did Miss Rarity say anything about the cooking?”
“Um.” Twilight paused. Did Rarity say anything about the cooking? Twilight didn’t remember, herself too occupied by the meal. “…Yes?”
Flint raised an eyebrow. “And…?” He waved a hood for her to continue.
“Um… she liked it?”
Flint beamed, his face lit up like a miniature sun. “She did?” He turned to the construction ponies who stared at Twilight incredulously. “Hear that, lads? Fine cooking does get you mares!”
“Well…” Spike spoke up, propping himself beside his partner. “The bread is kinda soggy, the lettuce isn’t quite crisp, the cheese is chunky, but other than that it’s okay.” Flint frowned slightly.
“Spike, don’t be so rude…” Twilight began, before she was cut off by Flint.
“Nah, Miss, it’s fine. It helps to point out what I did wrong.” Flint grinned. “Thanks, little dragon. That’ll help me cook even better breakfasts.”
“Ah, speaking of…” Flint said, recalling something Rarity had asked of him. “Here - the address of Sunny Skies.” His horn flared, and from a small sack on the ground floated a sheet of paper. Twilight plucked it out of his grasp and examined it. “Yeah, it’s a map of Ponyville. You just gotta take a bend at the town square, down Buck Street and turn the corner at the end of the street. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you very much, Flint, you have no idea how important this is.” Twilight smiled, tucking the map into her saddlebags. “Well then, I think it’s about time we fetch Rarity-“
“Hey, mister.” Flint glanced at the green-and-purple dragon familiar standing beside Twilight.
“Yeah, little dragon?”
Spike held two fingers to his eyes then to him. I’m watching you. Flint narrowed his eyes. The two males’s glares met, and sparks flew between them.
“Spike, we’re going. You mind going passive for a moment?”
Spike shot one last look at the stallion before winking out of existence. Flint chuckled. Perhaps getting a mare was going to be a little more interesting than simply cooking a good breakfast.
Flint waved Twilight goodbye, then turned back to his friends who were finishing up their meal. But out of the corner of his eye, mere moments after Twilight left the inn, he noticed a hooded figure slip into the shadows.
Just as Twilight stepped out of the Inn, Rarity dropped down from the second floor, her mane done up perfectly and her cloak, now repaired and complete with golden trim and arcane runes, rippling in the wind. Landing with the barest hint of a tap, she straightened up and gave Twilight a winning smile.
“So, darling, what have you found out?” She asked, dusting herself off daintily. “I, for one, have learned much from the maid service.” Her eyes shone briefly. “Did you know that the maids here have somehow adopted Old Celestial maid costumes? Those are coming back in, I can just feel it!”
“Ahem. Focus.” Twilight coughed, breaking off Rarity’s tangent. “Anything about Sunny Skies and restoring the sun-mph!” Her voice was suddenly muffled by Rarity clamping a hoof onto her muzzle.
“Hush, Twilight! Don’t be so loud - Midnight Cultists could be everywhere.” Rarity’s eyes looked around carefully, scanning her surroundings.
“Midnight Cultists?” Twilight echoed, confused at the unfamiliar term.
“Yes, Twilight. These… Cultists apparently believe that the eternal night is some sort of blessing from the heavens.” Rarity whispered, leaning close to Twilight. “As I’ve said, darling, I’ve gleaned a lot of tid-bits from the maids in the inn. Sometimes it helps to be… social.” And wealthy, Rarity thought bitterly, mourning the loss of the scant few bits she had in the first place, used to buy the silence of the gossip-heavy maids.
“What? Are they insane?” Twilight growled, pacing angrily. “Ponies are dying in this Celestia-damned night, and they think that it’s a blessing?”
“Twilight! They may be slightly… misguided, but you mustn’t judge them so rashly!” Rarity said, sternly. “Now, as far as anypony knows, they don’t have much in terms of organization, but they do have a high priest based in Murky Deeps. Some consider the Cult the Church’s evil twin.”
Twilight, at the mention of Celestia’s church unfolded her map and studied it again. “Speaking of, it says here that Sunny Skies lives in an abandoned chapel.” She pointed at the chapel shaped block with a small scribbled note saying ‘Skies residence’. “According to the annotations, it’s been broken down for decades now. Why would she live in a derelict house?”
“Decades?” Rarity frowned. “Why, I’ve heard that the chapel was under renovation by orders of the Church itself! Work started last week, apparently. In fact, it’s making some of the resident Cult-sympathizers uneasy. They think it’s a deliberate move on the Church’s part to remove the Cult from Ponyville, and it’s got them riled up.”
She leaned in close. “One of the maids told me that the Cultists are planning to strike preemptively against the Church.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and she was about to speak when Rarity bumped shoulders with her and giggled. “Now, darling, why don’t we go and get some tea, hmm?”
Twilight glanced questioningly at her, but Rarity just shot her a look to hold off her question. “Later.” She mouthed. They picked up the pace and trotted briskly away.
Once they were clear out of earshot of the inn, Rarity gave a sigh of relief and turned to look at Twilight. “That was too close.” She smiled weakly. “I’ve gotten a bit rusty, sorry about that little unplanned exercise, darling. There was someone eavesdropping and I don’t trust the tense situation in Ponyville right now. There are about six factions wrestling for control of the streets, each of them with different agendas and two pairs of which are definitely close to blows.” She started off again at a slow pace, heading towards the town center.
“Six factions?” Twilight tilted her head curiously, following close behind the white mare.
“Well, there’s the Cult and the Church, likely close to violence though both are only minor players. The guard is directly opposed to the raiders who have gained an incredible presence in Ponyville, the Natural Advocates, who think that the day will return in time, and the Commons, the town council.”
Twilight gave a deep sigh. “And I thought that Canterlotian politics were bad. At least then Princess Celestia was there to keep things under control…”
On the rooftops, a figure cloaked in deep blue watched the two mares as they walked past, cutting out of the backalley and joining the throng of ponies milling about the main street. Her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, the figure leapt smoothly onto another rooftop. In the eternal night, her cloak rendered her practically invisible, her wings propelling her every leap and muffling her every landing. If a pony happened to look up, they’d sooner think a phantom was on the loose.
“Sunny Skies…” A raspy but feminine voice came from under the cloak. “What do those two want with her?”
“Better question: who the buck are you?” A light crunch told the mare that someone - another pegasus - had landed behind her. She whipped around, her cloak billowing in the wind, and fixed the newcomer with a cautious look. “Take your hood off!” Flint commanded, the young guard bristling suspiciously.
“…Sure.” With deliberate slowness, the mare shed her cloak. Even in the dim moonlight, her rainbow mane was clear to see, and the glinting silver wingblades and vambraces, both scratched and aged but still in fighting condition, were proof enough of her combat prowess. Her rosy eyes glared at Flint with almost as much hostility as he was regarding her, and the two pegasi eyed each other as though sizing up their prey.
“Back off, kid. You don’t know what you’re dealing with here.” Rainbow warned, flashing her wingblades intimidatingly. “You’ve been serving for… two? Three years at best?”
“Four.” Flint spat, stamping his hooves and causing the blades hidden in his bracers to pop out. “And I don’t care if I’m outta my depth. What are you planning to do with the two of them?”
“Nothing, if they don’t get in my way.” Rainbow said, glancing back to the street. She could still see Twilight and Rarity, caught in the crowd. “If they do… I’ll make sure they don’t.”
Flint growled, crouching down slightly. “I won’t let you.”
Dash stared at him, surprised at his resolve. She briefly entertained cutting him down where he stood, but she recalled her dream with Sunny Skies - she wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore. Not unless she could help it. “I’d like to see you try.” She finally settled with a simple retort, then spreading her wings and surrounding herself with nimbus energy, decreasing air resistance and smoothing her passage. Then she took off, a rainbow contrail behind her.
“Why you-!” Flint shouted, his own wings churning as he took off in a flash, barely keeping up with the speeding pegasus mare. “Get back here!”
Rainbow snorted, and rocketed forward with a flap of her nimbus-enhanced wings.
Ignorant of the highspeed chase overhead, Rarity and Twilight slowly wove their way through Ponyville’s streets. “So…” Twilight started, trying to keep up with Rarity’s rather brisk pace. “These midnight cultists… why do they think this is a blessing? Can’t they see the chaos erupting all around them?”
Rarity paused, her tail briefly flickering into Heartless form, too quickly to be caught by anyone other than Twilight. “The night isn’t all bad.” She said, finally, glancing up at the night sky. In the eternal night, the glimmering stars and the pale moon seemed more radiant than ever, brilliant constellations filling the night sky, the faint purple glow of distant nebulae adding color to the vast darkness. “There is a beauty to it, no? The mystery, the unknown allure of the great beyond…”
Twilight, contrary to Rarity’s comments, scowled angrily. “Well it’s causing problems! Ponies can’t live in this darkness, and as Princess Celestia’s pupil I have a duty to help Equestria. How could you like all of this? Monsters are out and about, ponies are panicking, and Nightmare Moon is coming back!”
Rarity, in an almost panicked manner, pressed a hoof against Twilight’s muzzle to quiet her. “Shh! Darling, you do realize most ponies don’t know the situation about Nightmare Moon and Celestia?” Twilight was silent for a moment, before her eyes widened in a look of sudden realization. Rarity resisted the urge to facehoof at the other mare’s utter obliviousness. “As far as they know, the Princess is simply not raising the sun - not missing entirely, and the longer they can believe that, the better.”
“But don’t they deserve to know what is going on? Knowledge is power, after all. If we told them-“ Twilight began, but Rarity quickly cut her off.
“Twilight, dear, if you told them a mysterious stallion appeared and assaulted the Princess, there would be widespread panic.” Rarity sighed. “You’re a smart mare, Twilight, but you need to be a little more sensitive when dealing with the simple folk.”
Twilight looked to protest, but eventually she bowed to Rarity’s wisdom and dropped her head in defeat. Rarity smiled and patted her on the back. “Your heart is in the right place, though. If Equestria’s commonfolk weren’t as easily spooked, telling them about Nightmare Moon’s return would be a decent idea… just perhaps not now.”
Suddenly, Rarity perked up, her ear twitching. “Odd. I thought I heard a shout… did I imagine that?”
Twilight looked up. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Rarity frowned, but after a few moments shrugged and the pair continued on their way.
“Just give up already!” Rainbow shouted, as she banked to the left and rolled smoothly across a rooftop, just in time to avoid Flint slicing through the air where she was only moments ago, his bladed bracers narrowly missing her tail.
Whipping around, Rainbow flared out her wings and brought her wingblades up in a single fluid motion, parrying a heavy strike from Flint’s bracers and opening up an opportunity for her to elbow the stallion in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. In a flurry of action, Rainbow spun in midair and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to Flint’s right cheek, an attack that snapped Flint’s head to the left and sent him reeling, blood leaking from a corner of his mouth.
“I warned you, kid! Don’t make me do this!” Rainbow growled, her body beginning to visibly crackle with nimbus energy, manifesting as blue lightning that run up and down her legs and wings, lighting up the rooftop the two stood upon. “Just back off, and nobody gets more hurt!”
“What, and let you endanger Miss Rarity and Sparkle? Not a chance!” Flint shouted, putting on a surprising burst of speed and barrelling towards Dash, his hooves outstretched. Surprised by his ferocity and courage, Dash was momentarily taken aback, giving him the chance to close in with his blade braces and strike at her. But the moment he entered melee range, Rainbow’s instincts kicked in, and her wingblades flashed a brilliant cerulean blue as she swung downwards towards Flint, the supercharged blades humming full of energy.
The moment the wingblades met Flint’s bracers, an explosion of sound and light erupted from the contact point of the two blades, and Flint barely had enough time to even blink before the shockwave blasted him clean into the air, sent flying by a full-fledged thunderclap just inches from where his head was.
The explosion of blue light was probably visible from a mile away. Dash swore loudly, and took off, knowing full well that more enemies were on the way. But she barely moved ten feet before a grey blur crashed into her, sending both Rainbow and Flint crashing down onto a thatched roof, the material somehow holding underneath the impact - though just barely, the interwoven hay giving dangerously under them.
Dash, the less protected of the two, was hit harder by the impact. By the time she regained her bearings, Flint had wound up a hoof and clocked her in the side of her head, before bearing down on her with his blades. Dash growled as she desperately blinked spots out of her eyes, just in time to avoid a powerful swing from Flint’s bracers. “You fucker! You trying to get yourself killed?” Dash shouted, slamming aside a hoof with her wingblades and charging up her hooves with nimbus energy.
“That lightning trick won’t work again, you criminal scum! I’ve got you trapped!” Flint roared, lunging at Dash with both blades extended.
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, focused nimbus energy into her left foreleg, and swung it forward just as Flint came within range.
The subsequent thunderclap, more powerful than the last, sent Flint hurtling backwards even quicker than he had came, his smoking form sailing through the air and crashing through a window of a stone building. Dash took off after him, just to make sure he was put out of commission in the near future.
“Is this it?” Twilight stared up at the chapel structure. It was significantly smaller than she’d expected - barely large enough to hold two families, and the unicorn, accustomed to the sprawling cathedrals in Canterlot, was understandably confused at the small, dirty building. “This is where Sunny Skies lives?”
Rarity nods slowly, looking down at the map. “It says so on the map, at least. Do you want to knock, or should I?”
Before either one of them could even touch the door, however, the heavy oak slabs were slammed open, in fact almost blown off their hinges, by a wave of gold and blue energy. The clashing of steel and scraping of metal on stone rang out loudly from inside the chapel, and even though the sky was still dark as ever, it was bright as day inside, owing to the brilliant shimmering auras emanating from two of the ponies inside.
Twilight and Rarity shared one look, and immediately galloped inside.