Ponies Protecting Ponies

by Venates

Chapter Three: Lost

"Carrot, I made my call."

<I know you did, Bon, and I'm telling you, it's the wrong one! We can't send Hooves in there, not after his brother...>

"After his brother what, Carrot? After he died? Because that's what happened. Or did you forget?"

Bon Bon was galloping angrily away from her hometown. Each time she spoke, her snarl grew in intensity.

<It's not something a pony easily forgets, Bon.>

"Could have fooled me."

The cream-colored mare slowed to a trot as her destination loomed closer. Her deep breaths were not from exhaustion.

<Bon Bon, what do you want me to say?> asked Carrot Top. <That I'm sorry? I did that. I did that in front of his whole family. But he knew what he was getting into when he signed on for the job.>

"Yeah, but did you?" Bon Bon shot back. Her head rotated slowly as she took in every detail of her surroundings. Memories came flooding back to her. Memories that were now just in the way of clear thought. Bon Bon's heart beat hard in her chest as she waited for Carrot Top's response.

<Of course I did,> snapped Carrot Top. <Sometimes when you're chief handler, you have to make some tough calls. You pick the ponies you think are capable. And you understand that they might not always come back.>

"And he didn't," Bon Bon grunted. The stallion never again set hoof in the office. He never brightened another day with a joke and a smile. The mare in Bon Bon's ear sent him on a suicide mission, and— Bon Bon realized that her teeth were grinding and sighed. "I am not in a position with a lot of options, Carrot."

<You had plenty of options!> Carrot Top yelled. <Why couldn't you send me in there with him?>

Bon Bon stamped on a branch and snapped it in two. "Because you would have focused more on keeping him safe than on the mission, and that's assuming you could stand to be within speaking distance of him!"

<I...> The rest of Carrot Top's sentence was either lost or never said. It was never exactly subtle the way she always conveniently found an excuse to not enter the lab or join a conversation with the late agent's only brother. For one reason or another, Carrot Top never stayed in the same room as Doctor Hooves for long, and Bon Bon took notice. Bon Bon stood in silence in an open field surrounded by trees as her heart rate slowed back to normal.

"...Carrot."

No answer.

"Carrot Top."

<What.>

"Have we reached an understanding?"

<For now.>

Bon Bon nodded to herself. "Good. Get the Canterlot office on the line. I need to know what information they have on Princess Celestia's departure and escort."

<Yes... ma'am.>

Bon Bon refused to be bothered by her recent conversation; the mission came first, and so far speaking with Carrot had only proved to be a hindrance. She wound her way between every tree in her immediate area, checking their bark and branches for damage or for any signs of pony life.

"Rendezvous point is clear," Bon Bon said to what should have been morning mist. "I don't see any signs of a struggle, so either the princess never arrived, or her guard dropped her off and cleared out without checking in."

<Check for signs of a landing,> Carrot Top suggested. <Trampled or rolled-over grass or anything. Hang on, I've made contact with the Canterlot branch.>

---

Back at Ponyville HQ, Carrot Top turned a knob on the console in front of her, and a stern-looking stallion blipped onto one of the hanging monitors.

"Carrot Top, Ponyville PPP," the yellow mare said to the image.

"Director Rad Dent, Canterlot," the image said back. "I'm surprised to see you, Top. Word is you retired."

"Word is not important unless it's what I need to hear, Rad," Carrot Top replied. "What happened to the two agents assigned to Princess Celestia's escort?"

Dent raised an eyebrow. "If you're referring to Agents Heartstrings and Star, our intel says that they—"

"No no, they arrived on time, give or take an hour," Carrot Top said. "I mean the guards assigned to Princess Celestia's transportation. Her chariot."

"Only royal guards pull royal chariots, and you know that they are outside of our jurisdiction," said Rad Dent. "They don't even know we exist. Sparkle and the two agents we sent your way had their transport arranged by the princess herself."

"Dent, sweetie, this really isn't at all relevant right now," Carrot Top said without any charm in her voice. "Just tell me what happened to the two guards pulling Princess Celestia's chariot."

The director raised his eyebrow further. "The princess didn't take a chariot to Ponyville."

"...What?"

"You and I both know she can fly there under her own power," Dent continued. "Her arrival was supposed to be discreet, yes? Far easier for her to manage that when on her own."

<Carrot, you there?>

Carrot Top put a hoof to her ear. "I am, Bon. I'm with the Canterlot branch. They say that Princess Celestia departed alone."

<Well, she arrived with someone,> Bon Bon said. <Or very nearly, anyway. I've got two sets of hoofprints larger than the average pony's by about twofold. The lay of the grass suggests a slight time difference, but not by much.>

"Anything on where they lead?" asked Carrot Top.

<One heads for Town Hall before ending with some dirt clods,> Bon Bon confirmed. <I assume this is where Nightmare took flight to crash the ceremony.>

"And the other?"

Bon Bon took her time responding.

<I have no idea,> she confessed. <Like I said, there's no sign of a struggle, but as far as I can tell, this second set is just kind of... here. There's marks from a landing, a small bit of pacing, and then... it's like she just vanished.>

Carrot Top sighed. "We'll think of something else. In the meantime, I should check in on—"

<They're fine, Top,> Bon Bon interrupted. <They would have radioed if something came up.>

"Yeah, but—"

<Is Canterlot still on the line?>

Carrot Top looked to the nearby monitor that showed Rad Dent in the Canterlot office. "Yeah," she said, "I'll patch him through."

"Dent here," the director grunted.

<Bon. What is the situation in Canterlot?>

"Situation?" asked Dent confused. "Other than the fact the sun was supposed to come up two hours ago, everything is fine here. Princess Celestia was last known to be in your location, Bon. Mind telling me what's keeping her from raising the sun?"

Bon Bon was silent for a moment. <Director, how soon can you mobilize all of your available operatives?>

Dent grunted. "Just asking that question has some serious implications, especially when so recently placed into your new position as chief handler of such a small branch." The director's eyebrows adopted an angry furrow; Carrot Top was thankful that Bon Bon couldn't see the image and get the brunt of the look. "Are you having some problems, Agent?"

Silence.

<No, sir,> Bon Bon began slowly, <Princess Celestia is just very distracted with a particularly large cup of tea at the moment. You'll know when she's finished.>

"Bon—!" The monitor showing the director blipped off.

"I cut communications with Canterlot," Carrot Top said, her attention back on her earpiece. "I'm assuming that was a good place to do so?"

A sigh answered her. <Yeah, I suppose there's not much more I could have done with that conversation,> Bon Bon admitted. <I really don't need some stuck-up stallion telling me that I'm not fit for my job.>

"I don't think he—"

<There were 'implications', Top,> Bon Bon said.

"Yes, and..." Carrot Top swallowed as old memories washed back into her mind. "And there's no possible way he could appreciate the situation you're in right now."

<...Thank you.>

"Don't mention it," replied Carrot Top. She started moving her hooves across the console in front of her. "I'm going to dive into some old documents and schematics on the town, like you asked. Hopefully I can—"

<I'll join you,> Bon Bon interrupted. <There aren't any more leads up here, and two pairs of eyes will be able to find something faster than one.>

"I..." Carrot Top swallowed again. "If you think that's best."

<I do.> Carrot Top began placing various maps and blueprints on all of the command room's monitors before Bon Bon's voice stopped her dead. <And while we're there... I think there's some apologies I owe you.>

---

"Wow. That's supposed to be a castle?"

"It was at one time, yes."

Amethyst and Doctor Hooves were approaching decrepit ruins that barely held up so much as a door. All that stood in their path was the single most worn-out bridge that Equestria had to offer.

"Do you think it's safe?" asked Amethyst, giving the first plank on the bridge a tap.

"Not even a little!" Hooves replied happily. He took a few bounding steps forward.

"Whoa! Hold up!" Amethyst grabbed the doctor's tail with her teeth before he could get any further across the gorge. She managed to drag him back onto the safety of solid ground, where he promptly plopped onto his hindquarters. "Doc, I can't let you do that."

"This castle is Nightmare Moon's most probable destination!" Hooves protested. "Assuming she's not here already, of course. We need to get inside, assess the situation, assert her location, erect the device—"

"Doctor, yes, I know, but—" Amethyst looked down into the chasm between them and the ruins. "It's risky. This bridge doesn't look like it can hold too much. You and your machine are more valuable assets than I am, so I'm going to cross first and ensure that it won't snap under your combined weight. Okay?"

"Miss Star," Hooves began condescendingly, still seated squarely,"I believe you'll find that in no way am I the asset here, as this device—"

"Needs you to run it," Amethyst interrupted with a prod on his chest.

"Actually—"

"Hooves, drop it." Amethyst turned towards the bridge and gave the first step another tentative tap. "I know you've been with the company longer, but as an agent I outrank you. This is an order."

The doctor furrowed his lips and eyebrows in concentration before his face brightened. "Oh hey!" he exclaimed. "That's true! Although you are still severely misled about a few other topics."

"We'll get back to that," Amethyst grumbled. She took her first step across the bridge, and then a second, and then a third. Against better judgment, she looked down to her hooves as though she needed visual confirmation that they were not falling through the air. No bottom to the gorge could be seen, though that was partially due to some unusual mist. Amethyst took a deep breath and continued walking. Before long she managed to reach the other side of the chasm. Once safe, she took another glance back at the bridge and called, "This thing is sturdier than it looks!"

"Well, yeah!" Hooves replied. "My brother set this up for the agency's use a few years back!"

"Your brother?" cried Amethyst. "I thought this was just another part of the castle?"

"Are you kidding?" The doctor got to his hooves. "This place has been abandoned for a thousand years! You think wood and rope can actually last that long?"

"You raise a fair point!" Amethyst conceded. "Come on over! It should be able to hold both you and your gear!"

Hooves happily obliged and made his first few trots across the bridge. As he got closer to Amethyst, he told her, "You know, it doesn't look like much now, but the castle was truly remarkable back in its time! Or at least, that's what history tells us."

"I'm sure," Amethyst scoffed. She waved her hoof to keep Hooves moving towards her. She then blinked and rubbed an eye in order to remove some of the odd-looking mist from her view.

"No, really!" Hooves continued. "Did you know it was the first building in recorded history to have more than one floor? The second and third levels have mostly eroded and fallen apart, but ground level is actually on top of a stone-lined basement where eeeeEEEAAAUGH!"

"DOCTOR!"

The bridge snapped. Right in front of Amethyst, with Hooves only a few steps from safety, the ends of the bridge closest to her actually snapped and fell, taking the stallion with it. His hooves wildly clutched at empty air while his eyes rolled downwards. Before he could determine just how much time he had left to live, a raspberry aura clouded Hooves' view, and all falling sensations ceased.

"I've got you, Doc!"

The doctor's front hooves still took a few grabs at nothing while the stallion slowly rose upwards. In mere moments, he was settled safely at his pink friend's side.

"Woo!" Hooves cried. His breathing was heavy, but he acted more excited than frightened or tired. Once free of the aura that surrounded him, he crawled towards the chasm edge and peered over it. "That fall would have most DEFINITELY... crippled me. Best-case scenario."

Amethyst chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, Doctor."

"Me too!" said Hooves with a huge grin. He then turned to Amethyst. "I must say, you're quite adept at levitation! From my observations, most unicorns don't lift much more than a small supply or two here and there!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not most ponies," Amethyst laughed. "PPP unicorns are all trained to be able to lift and carry ten times what you weigh, and to do so without breaking a sweat."

The doctor reached out and put a hoof onto Amethyst's cheek. He looked into her eyes, and she into his. He then drew his hoof back and observed a bead of water on its surface. "Sweat," he said bluntly.

Amethyst chuckled again. "You're one strange bird, Doc. Come on. Let's see what we can find in these ruins."

---

"Careful, watch your—!"

"Doo! Seriously! Let go! You don't need to carry me over every bump and crevice!"

"Sorry..."

The grey pegasus deposited her unicorn partner on the other side of a narrow ravine. Lyra dusted herself off before she continued walking with Derpy floating just behind her.

"I guess this forest just has me a little jumpy now," Derpy confessed while rubbing the back of her head. "Between the two landslides, the manticore, and Nightmare Moon on the loose—"

"Yeah, it's been crazy, but that doesn't mean you need to baby me," Lyra said. As she continued to walk, she sighed and added, "Although I do appreciate you saving me from that drop earlier."

"It's okay, really," said Derpy. "Oh, watch out for that rock!"

Lyra picked up and chucked the rock into the trees with her magic without even looking at it. "That does not mean I need you to keep 'saving' me. Get it?"

Derpy's limbs drooped down underneath her for a minute or two before she asked, "Do you have kids?"

"For breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Lyra said. After a slapping sound, she looked behind her to see that Derpy had covered her mouth with her front hooves, and both eyes were staring at her widely. "It's a joke, Doo," Lyra explained. "No. No kids."

"Oh..." Derpy regained her composure. "Well, I have a little filly. A unicorn, actually."

"My sincere congrats," Lyra said, perhaps less than sincerely.

"And she can be quite the hoofful, too!" Derpy continued. "Her starting school was a bit of relief for me, you know. Having her somewhere where I don't have to worry about her... It's hard being both an agent and a single mom trying to raise a foal."

"At least you're trying," Lyra snuffed. She continued to keep her attention fixed on the path in front of her. "Growing up, my parents were either absent or breathing down my neck to do better. I'm still not sure which I preferred. Once I got my cutie mark, they ground my nose into music so hard that my passion for it lost its luster. I never once played in the Canterlot Orchestra, and that will probably always be at the top of their disappointment list."

"But you're an agent of Ponies Protecting Ponies now!" exclaimed Derpy. "Surely they're proud of that!"

"It's a secret organization, Doo," Lyra reminded her. She picked up another rock with her magic and threw it harder than the last. "Even if we were still talking, it's not like I could tell them about it."

"You don't talk to your parents anymore?!" asked Derpy incredulously.

A snort was Lyra's only response.

"Well," Derpy began with hesitation, "maybe when you're a parent you can do better?"

"Oh yeah," Lyra answered with a hint of sarcasm, "I'd make a great parent. I can tell a kid exactly what to do to get through life. Teach them the ropes. Show them exactly how to get through all of life's difficulties. And, when they struggle, I'll be so crushed over the thought of them failing and the idea that I failed them that I'll give them a little nudge, pat her on the head, and say, 'Good job, sport, you're really getting the hang of this.' Give her all the false confidence she'll ever need. Then, when the time comes, she'll think she's ready when she's actually not, and before I can stop her, she's made a mistake that can't just be nudged better."

Derpy opened her mouth to say something. Something else made her decide to close it. It was several minutes before Lyra spoke again.

"What's her name?"

"W-what? Who?"

"Your kid," Lyra clarified. She used her magic grip to move a branch out of Derpy's flight path. "What's her name?"

"Oh... Dinky," Derpy answered.

"Cute. Well listen," said Lyra, "whatever you do, make sure she gets the chance to just be a kid. Give her some freedom. Let her explore. Let her make mistakes. I mean, okay, don't just let her do whatever she wants or she'll turn into a brat, but if you force adulthood on her too quickly or try to shield her from the harsh world of reality, it'll really mess her up. You feel me?"

Derpy nodded, but considering Lyra wasn't looking, she made her response vocal. "I... I feel you."

Lyra opened her mouth as though to say something, then closed it and shook her head. Derpy didn't say anything else. A few other voices filled the void in their conversation. Lyra shifted her gaze briefly onto Twilight Sparkle's party of six, all giggling in a nearby clearing.

---

"...It's not easy, is it, Carrot?"

"No, Bon Bon, it's not."

"Being in charge, I mean. Having ponies' lives in your hooves."

"I know what you meant."

Two mares stood in Ponyville PPP headquarters, sifting through documents about their town from almost the first farm founded there until the present day. Other than the occasional words like "nothing here" or "excuse me", this was the first conversation that had taken place since Bon Bon arrived back in the control room.

"Look, what you said earlier," Bon Bon began. She licked her lips before continuing. "About Dent. It made me realize that maybe... Maybe I've been a little harsh on you about... about..."

"You had every right to be harsh on me, Bon," Carrot said. There was little emotion in her voice. "He was under my command, and I'm the one who put him on that mission. It's my fault he's no longer with us."

"That's the thing though," said Bon Bon, "I don't think it is." Carrot spun to look at her, but Bon Bon had her eyes glued to a monitor. She continued, "Tonight's made me realize... you were in a tough position. You looked at your options, weighed them against the risk, and made a call. An impossible call. And I feel like I've made a few tonight as well, and..." She wiped at one of her eyes, but did not look away from her work. "I just don't want something to happen and have anypony hate me the way I hated you."

For the longest time, Carrot Top said nothing. When she finally spoke, all she could muster was, "That's... fair."

"And sometimes I still want to hate you, you know?" Bon Bon continued. "That sounds awful, but... I just... I can't believe he's gone. It's like I need someone to be mad at. And anything that goes wrong tonight, I'm going to be blamed the same way I blamed you, even though I'm just trying to do my job..."

This time Carrot Top did not respond.

Other than a few beeps and clicks, the minutes passed by without another word between the two. Several documents came up and passed through the monitors before Bon Bon broke the silence again.

"I can see why you would want to quit now."

Carrot Top let the words hang in the air a good while before she replied, and when she did, she did not directly address Bon Bon's statement. "For the record... there's a reason I passed the position on to you. I knew you didn't have much tolerance for me at that point, but I could tell that... I could tell that you were made of stronger stuff than me." This time Bon Bon did break eye contact with her work, though Carrot Top did not. She continued, "And the way you've handled this night so far... I can tell that I was right." It was at this point she turned to look back at her partner. "And I'm sorry if all of my joking around makes you think that I didn't care. That I don't care. Fact is, I do, and a lot more than I'd like to admit. That's why I stepped down, Bon Bon. I cared too much, and... losing an agent broke me. I wasn't ready to lose family. That doesn't mean that I think you are, or that you don't care. Far from it. I know you will do everything you can to keep us safe. I also know that you can stay strong if a time ever comes where you can't." Carrot Top licked her lips and lowered her gaze. "I just hope that tonight doesn't prove the notion."

Bon Bon was silent. Her attention returned to the blown-up documents in front of her, and before long Carrot Top followed suit. A few fans whirred on. Minutes ticked by and still neither mare said a word until—

"There."

Bon Bon turned to see what Carrot Top was looking at. It was an ancient letter, its inked words barely visible in the scan made of the document.

"This is the transcript from a landscaping job," Bon Bon observed, confused. "What could planting trees over a hundred years ago have to do with us now?"

"Not 'trees' plural," Carrot Top replied. "Just one."

"And?" asked Bon Bon. "I should care because...?"

"Fine, I'll read it." Carrot Top cleared her throat. "'The soil we's planted this tree on ain't natural. It has strange magic properties. Princess Celestia was contacted and survey'ed the plot herself. Said something about it being a unique magical waypoint, with a great dest'ny in its footure. All's I know is for now, all's it is is a tree.'" Carrot Top turned to Bon Bon. "Do you know what this means?"

"Spelling and grammar have come a long way?" suggested Bon Bon bluntly.

Carrot Top shook her head. "Think, Bon. In order to contain a being like Princess Celestia, Nightmare Moon would have needed to channel additional magic on top of her own. She would erect a prison over a strong, magical waypoint, and I can't think of too many other places in Ponyville that fit that kind of description."

"Alright, I see where you're coming from," Bon Bon confessed. She leaned over the console and squinted at the ancient document on the screen. "So where can we find this tree?" she asked. "Is it even still around?"

"Is it ever," Carrot Top answered. She turned a knob on the control room console, and the transcript slid off the screen. In its place came a much more recent document: a photo of the town library.

---

"And this statue represents the Elements of Harmony!" Doctor Hooves said happily.

Amethyst looked over the aged marble. Moss and vines grew unchecked across its surface. "There's only five elements here," she observed. "Aren't there supposed to be six?"

"You know about the Elements?" Hooves asked. "Most books concerning them have been lost over time."

"I was lucky enough to come across one in the Canterlot library when I was young," said Amethyst, circling the statue. "The idea of magic gems is kind of what led me to my gem-cutting career."

"Oh, good, you do cut crystals!" Hooves looked beside himself. "I was hoping I read your file right!"

Amethyst spun towards the doctor. "My...? Do you even have permission to read that?!"

"See, the funny thing about the old legend," Hooves began as though he didn't hear Amethyst's inquiry, "is that the Elements were never real artifacts." He walked towards the statue himself. "When Celestia defeated her sister, that's just the story she told her subjects in hopes that Nightmare Moon might get distracted trying to find these mythical relics, should she return. Do you read Daring Do? There's one where the same thing happens to her when Ahuizotl sends her on this huge wild goose chase, and—"

"And how do you know all this?" Amethyst asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Celestia is the one who founded our organization!" Hooves happily answered. "Though most of her secrets are highly classified, only to be known by the highest members of the company, sworn to secrecy."

"Again: you know this because...?"

"I read things I'm not supposed to," Hooves said bluntly. Amethyst slapped her face with a hoof. The doctor paced to another side of the sculpture and continued, "I haven't even said the best part! Like you said, there's only five elements on this statue! That's because the notion of there being a sixth leads to an even wilder goose chase!"

"That's brilliant, Doc. Really. Truly." Amethyst rubbed her temples. "But howzabout we try to focus on the task at hoof?"

"Oh! Right!" Hooves unstrapped the saddlebag from his back and began removing components from it. "Okay, considering the Elements of Harmony display is still intact, we can assume that Nightmare Moon has not yet arrived here, or surely she would have taken them and left to search for the sixth. I'm going to start getting set up. Here, I need you to take these." Hooves removed a hoofful of very rough-looking, yet colorful stones from his pouch, rolled them towards Amethyst, and then stuffed his nose back into the bag.

"These," began Amethyst, picking up a ruby, "are some of the most unrefined gems I have ever seen in my entire life. Heck, most of the gems in Equestria are already refined when you dig them up! What do you want me to do with them?"

"I need you to cut them," Hooves replied.

"Cut th— Why weren't these already cut?!"

"I didn't have the idea until yesterday!"

"Idea?!" Amethyst was fuming. "You said the device was mostly ready! Why are you still making — and I mean this as literally as possible — last-minute adjustments?!"

"I also need you to power the device."

Amethyst blinked. "...WHAT?!"

"It runs on unicorn magic," Hooves said simply.

"Uni... You didn't even have any unicorns on your team until yesterday!" yelled Amethyst.

"I know!" exclaimed Hooves, almost losing a pair of screws while throwing his forelegs in the air in excitement, "This will make for a really interesting field test!"

"A field—?!" Amethyst bit her lip before exploding, "THIS IS NOT A GAME, HOOVES!"

"Well I'm SORRY!" Hooves yelled back as his forelegs clamped back down onto his device. "This was originally tuned to my brother's magic, and he hasn't exactly been able to help me lately!"

Amethyst stopped speaking. Her hoof beat the ground a few times in frustration as she tried to settle on an emotion to feel. "You..." Her face contorted into a number of positions before a heavy sigh released every muscle. "You really miss him, don't you?"

Hooves did not immediately answer. He picked up a tool with one hoof and a machine part with the other. When he spoke, it was as though the stoic stallion from earlier in the night retook his place. "Things have certainly been more quiet," Hooves admitted. "I don't have him to talk to anymore, or to help me with my experiments. Then again, no one really talks to me anymore..." Hooves worked in the still night air. Parts slid together and his machine started taking shape. Then, as he turned a screwdriver, he said, "This has been really nice today, Amethyst."

"Nice?" Amethyst asked. She drug her hooves as she paced. "Nice how? I just got done yelling at you, and now I'm not even sure how to feel about that."

"Yelling is okay," said Hooves, still focused on his work. "Yelling means that you see me, you see what I'm doing, and you care enough to let me know that you think I'm doing something wrong." He looked up at Amethyst and added, "Even if I don't agree with it."

Amethyst gave no response. Hooves fiddled with some loose bolts before speaking again.

"It's just been nice to be outside for a while," the stallion stated. "Get some fresh air. Talk to somebody who doesn't look sad every time they look at me."

Amethyst stared at the stallion as he worked. She gave him a few minutes of peace before speaking again. "So..." Amethyst licked her lips. "So what do you need me to do, exactly? To power it?"

"See this right here?" Hooves pointed to a circular, funnel-like panel, and Amethyst nodded. "When I give the word, I need you to fire the most powerful cleansing spell that you can straight into it, and — if my calculations are correct — this device should stop Nightmare Moon."

"A cleansing spell?" asked Amethyst bewildered. "Not, like, an obliteration spell?"

Hooves shook his head. "That's not how we work, Miss Star."

Amethyst nodded. "I know. That's why I made sure."

Hooves smiled.

"Your principles are admirable, if misled."

Amethyst's heart dropped so hard that it may have scratched itself against her rib cage. Pupils dilated and sweat running down her back, she twitched her head to look towards the smooth, yet menacing voice that joined the conversation. Only a few meters from Amethyst and her partner stood a giant black alicorn with a mane and tail not unlike the mist that blocked Amethyst's vision just minutes before.

"N-Nightmare Moon," Amethyst stammered.

"Hello!" said the doctor with a wave of his hoof.

The regal alicorn looked casually between the two of them, and then over to the nearby statue. She then turned her head back to the ponies in a bored manner. "The two of you intend to... 'stop' me?"

Hooves nodded his head vigorously. Amethyst slowly backed up until she stood right next to him. She mustered her strength and tried to sound as brave and intimidating as possible. "Y-y-yes." She failed.

Nightmare Moon gave an wicked chuckle. "Humorous. I could use a jester for my new kingdom, you know, but I feel that you might... resist the position."

Amethyst's horn ignited. Nightmare Moon's face became more stern.

"Yes. You would most definitely resist," she sneered. Amethyst shivered and inched closer to Hooves. Nightmare Moon leered at her. "Dull your horn at once," she ordered the mare. Amethyst's horn continued to glow, but that was all it did. Nightmare roared, "I gave you an order, foal!" She stamped the ground, and lighting cracked in its wake. Amethyst shook even harder, despite Hooves' warm body pressing against her. Her raspberry aura did not waver. Nightmare Moon stood herself up and scoffed, "Very well. I'll have you know that I feel no pleasure in taking the lives of my subjects, but I cannot allow you nor your 'device' the chance to end my eternal night!"

With that as their only warning, the armored alicorn fired a blinding bolt from her horn. Heat and cold both emanated from the site of its impact, leaving behind only a circular black scorch mark and an empty saddlebag. After a short puff from her nose, Nightmare Moon flicked her ear at the sound of new voices perforating the night air.

"What's with you and falling off cliffs today?"

The black alicorn looked to the marble pedestal holding five orbs on its arms, and then to the voices. With one more look to the remains of those who would impede her, she melted into a fine starry mist and flew towards a blue pegasus trying to tie a bridge back together.

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

"Phrasing"? Are they supposed to be working for PPP or for Malory Archer?

[The One Hammer]

Celestia is ploting Twilight's life. Also she's hiding in the basement of the library.

[Yami Vizzini]

This "device" had better not be going where it seems like it's going....