Divergence

by Seattle_Lite

Ambiguity

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Divergence
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Chapter 7
Ambiguity
An MLP:FiM Fanfiction by Seattle Lite

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Applejack and Rainbow Dash tore down the wide thoroughfare at a full gallop, the bright moonlight casting long shadows all about them. Their hooves clattered sharply on the wooden bridge as they crossed. Both ponies were strong athletes, their bodies already shifted into the high-gear mode of a challenge thrown down. Between controlled breaths, they had little trouble with conversation.

"AJ, I'm gonna pull ahead and up a bit, see if I can spot ‘em down the trail!"

"Good call, Dash; if they hear us comin' they might make a duck into some bushes. I'll keep an eye out!"

Dash nodded as she unfurled her wings and lifted off the ground. Now airborne, the wind flowing easily around her aerodynamic frame, she began to pick up greater speed than any earthbound pony could hope to match, even Applejack. Soon, she was well out of sight, powering along just below the high boughs that converged above the path.

Left to her thoughts, it wasn't long before AJ began to wonder. Somethin' don't feel right. Twilight sure ain't no athlete, an’ I'll be shorn if Rarity coulda’ kept this pace for this long. Glancing about to confirm her theory, she had been paying special attention to the brush off to the sides, looking closely for any sign of a pony-sized hole that may have recently been plowed through. Nothin'. This don't make no sense… unless...

She pulled to a halt, pursing her lips and let out a piercing whistle, signaling Dash to return. Which, after barely a minute had passed, she did.

"What the hell, AJ? Why'd you whistle? Give us away much?" the Pegasus snarked.

"Dash, this ain't right. Think about it: there just ain't no way them two could have come this far this fast. We've been after ‘em for too long, and ain't seen any sign."

"Well, what are we gonna do? We can't go back empty-hoofed and let that dragon go after them! You heard what he said!” Dash broke off, frowning thoughtfully as she hovered in the air. “So, what do ya think?"

"Ah'm bettin' the only thing they could’a done was go right into the forest. That's the only way we'd a missed their trail so far. We need to backtrack and find where they went in."

"Great! That's just great!" Dash exclaimed with a moan, crossing her arms over her chest, clearly pouting.

"Ah know it sugarcube… but the way it’s lookin’, trackin’ is what we’re gonna have to do. They must'a gone into the deep o’ the forest. No way 'round it."

"Ugh! That'll take forever! Okay, tell you what—you backtrack, look for wherever they went in. I'm gonna zip up ahead to the end of the road, just to be totally sure. If I don't see ‘em, I'll head back in a snap."

Applejack nodded. "Alright then," she said, turning about and heading back the way she came. She knew she'd been paying close enough attention to the surrounding path that she hadn't overlooked their point of entry—it must have been back closer to the castle itself.

Coming back across the bridge, she slowed to a brisk canter and really started to scrutinize her surroundings. Ah sure wish Winona were here right about now. She'd be on their trail lickety-split.

Applejack was growing increasingly frustrated when she caught the sound of flapping wings coming up from behind—Dash had caught her up.

"Any luck?" she asked, looking back to find her question preemptively answered by the scowl painted across her airborne friend's face. A "Humph" from the disgruntled Pegasus confirmed it.

They were now back within the huge clearing, the castle in the distance. Together, they began searching the circular tree line and quickly found what they would have spotted, had they not been in such a rush initially. Broken branches and a flurry of tracks leading into the heart of the Everfree Forest - they had the trail. It wouldn't be long now; the two Unicorns couldn't be making good time through the intensely thick, jungle-like forest.

"All right then, AJ; you take the trail, I'll take the air. Keeping track of you shouldn't be a problem, so just whistle if you need me. With any luck we'll find them pretty quick." Rainbow Dash paused, her eyes narrowing. "They have a lot to answer for."

"Dash, I know what yer feelin', an’ Ah'm angry 'bout Fluttershy too, but don't get too carried away when we catch 'em up, okay? This whole thing ain't makin' much sense right now, and we gotta lot to figure out 'bout what happened back there."

Dash glared into the darkness of the forest. "Like I said: answers. We're wasting time, let's go." With that she was off, above the tree line in a heartbeat, disappearing from view.

Applejack frowned upwards, more than a little concerned about the ambiguity of that last statement… but Dash was right, time was wasting. With a grumble, she proceeded into the forest. It was dark, and the canopy heavy, but the moon was so bright it wasn't long before her eyes adjusted more than enough to see clearly.

What she saw was at once reassuring and disturbing. Reassuring in that the path the fleeing pair had taken couldn't be more obvious—they had plowed through the brush like a freight train: the grasses were bent, leaves scattered about and broken branches and twigs completely littered the trail they had taken. What disturbed her was the other side of that bit—they were running scared, blind and totally panicked. A pang of concern warred with the curiosity in her mind and the anger in her heart at what had happened to Fluttershy.

What happened to you, Twi?

Applejack knew there was only one way to find out. She set off at a good canter. Not knowing if Dash could pick up the shifting of the brushes as she made her way, though she assumed she could, AJ nevertheless let her hooves clatter against the occasional stone loud enough to be heard from above.

Making good progress, AJ flinched at the occasional tufts of mane and coat hanging from branches, torn from the Unicorns in their flight. She gasped as she came across a particular tree smeared with blood at head-height, as though one of the ponies had slammed right into it. Falling silent at the thought of what could have caused the grisly stain, her ears soon perked, picking up the sound of rushing water not far ahead. Pushing her way through the thick brush she cleared to the bank... and froze, her jaw hanging wide open in complete disbelief.

"DASH!"

Rainbow Dash had been flying in a tight circular search pattern, keeping an ear on Applejack’s location below, not wanting to lose her. At the same time, she was on the lookout for some sign of the fleeing Unicorns: a sound—Rarity must be whining non-stop—or perhaps a glint of light from their horns, not that they'd really need it to light their way with how crazy-bright the still huge moon was.

Her thoughts were lingering on what Applejack had said before, and the implications were perfectly clear: Applejack thought she was going to fly off the handle when they caught up with Twilight. The sudden swell of rage in her breast at the thought of what the purple Unicorn had done to Fluttershy made her admit that Applejack was right to be concerned... the admission made her slightly uncomfortable. She knew she’d always been bit... ‘impetuous,’ sure, but it’s not like she was just going to start breaking bones when they caught up to Twilight. The more she thought about it all, the more she got the feeling that something was out of place. Twilight just didn’t seem the type to totally spit her bit like that, at least to the extent that she did. Whatever reason she had though, she’d gone too damned far! Nothing could excuse—

Her ears perked to attention. She had just spotted what she was sure was movement up ahead, past the snaking line of the river below, when a shocked cry from AJ sent her banking sharply around, toward the sound of her friend's call, trying to find a place to drop safely through the near-ubiquitous canopy. Why the hell is she shouting?! Damn it, if they hear us they're just gonna try and hide!

Applejack called out again, “Dash! Ya’ll need ta see this! Git down here now!”

She abandoned her attempts at a cautious descent at the panicked tone in Applejack's voice and burst down through the thick foliage, jinking hard in her rapid fall to avoid the larger branches.

There was Applejack, standing stock-still in front of—What… The fuck... Is that?!

Dash found herself just as lost for words as her friend had been as she came to a rough landing next to the orange pony. Before her was a twisted, morbid scene, made all the more horrific by its unnatural beauty. The water of the river before them had somehow been turned to solid ice and… erupted, rising in stiletto spires high into the air, the solid ice glittering in the moonlight. The blood that ran thickly down the central spikes was also shining in the silver glow. Ten feet above them, a Manticore was hanging, speared through in a dozen places, its body hanging limp and lifeless. One of the razor-sharp icicles had pierced up through its throat, nearly severing the head of the beast.

How long the moment of shock held the pair immobile, they couldn't have said, but it was Applejack that broke the horrified silence, her voice barely a whisper.

"Sugarcube… what… what is this?"

Dash snapped out of her stunned silence, her mind shifting from shock to the absolute clarity of fatalistic realism. Turning her head, she met Applejack's wide eyes with a level stare.

"This is Twilight. It has to be. There's no way Rarity could know magic like this. Hell, I've never even heard of any magic like this. She must have known we'd come after her, and wised up. Look across the bank, no more broken branches, just a few tracks."

Applejack squinted over, but lacked the intensely sharp vision of the Pegasus to distinguish the tracks at that distance.

Dash continued, her tone low and raw, "She's thinking now, and she's not playing games. This would have killed you if you’d set it off."

Applejack's ears flattened against her head. She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe that Twilight would actually do something like this, would go this far.

And Rarity... Rarity is with her, she knew about this! I don't… I can't…

Applejack felt like her heart was breaking. She didn't even notice the foreleg that wrapped around her shoulders until it pulled her into a crushing embrace. Blinking past tears she hadn't realized were flooding her eyes, she buried her face in Dash's multi-hued mane.

After a long moment, Dash pushed her back.

"AJ. Turn around and go back to the castle," she said, her tone clipped.

This Applejack was not prepared for. "Wait, what? What are you on about Dash?"

"The rules have changed, AJ. Twilight's not playing fucking games here, I just told you. You're turning around, and going back to the castle. I'm not letting that—" She jabbed a hoof at the grisly spectacle before them. "—Happen to you. No. Way."

Emerald green eyes flashed in recognition of what Dash meant, and her jaw set.

"Rainbow, you think I'm letting you go in there alone, you spent too much time in the clouds," Applejack said, her voice hard as oak.

The two stood, squared off and glaring at one another, each by their stubborn natures unwilling to yield her position.

"Go. Back."

"No."

Dash stomped a hoof and growled her frustration. "Damn it AJ, do I have to beat some sense into you? Again?"

Refusing to rise to the bait, under-hoofed as the jibe was, Applejack knew how to win this debate. "Dash, think 'bout this. How do you expect to find em? You got sharp eyes, yeah, but you don't know the first thing 'bout trackin'. If'n ya recall, the only reason the Princess didn't let that dragon go after 'em was because my plan was a good one. One in the air, one on the ground. 'Sides, what if I do go back, an’ that dragon gets his chance? He wants their blood, the Elements, an' that's it."

Dash was silent for a moment, considering all this. She was terrified for her friend, but Applejack seemed equally afraid for her. She knew she lost this round, but with a stroke of brilliant mischief, she decided not to leave her friend comfortably dwelling on the victory.

"Y'know Applesnack, you're kinda hot when you get pissed," she said with a smirk, turning abruptly and snapping her tail under Applejack's chin, leaving the workpony totally flustered.

Giving Applejack no chance to respond, Dash was back to business.

"Okay, so we're going on together now, but I'm not leaving you on the ground alone. Who knows what else that freakin’ sorceress set up. C'mon, I'm gonna lift you over to the other side."

Applejack grinned. "Just watch your hooves there, Sally."

~

The going was much, much slower now. The pair they were tracking had really collected their wits. As obviously panicked and thoughtless as their initial rush through the thick forest was, the path they blazed was now conversely subtle. The only signs to be found were the occasional hoof-scuffed earth, bent grasses, and oddly arranged branches. It was enough for Applejack, if just barely. Even more troublesome was the constant stress of vigilance. They could only guess what else lay in store for them down the trail, courtesy of a hyper-powered, highly trained and intensely paranoid personal protege of a goddess.

Having already encountered a couple more of her calling cards, they were developing a decidedly healthy level of paranoia themselves.

The first after the slaughtered Manticore had been some kind of illusion-baited trap. How they triggered it, they had been unable to able to figure out. They had been passing beneath the arching branch of a massive tree, when without warning came the voices of Twilight and Rarity, right next to them—"They found us! Run!"—the colors of violet and alabaster forms barely discernible as they dashed away through the middle of a thick brush.

Dash had reactively bolted after them, only to be tackled to the ground by Applejack before she got two steps. "AJ! What the hell?!" she squawked out indignantly.

"Dash, that ain't right. Didn't you notice? Those leaves didn't move around 'em, no sound of their hooves, and now listen- nothin'. My bottom bit says that was another trap." To test her theory, she lifted a stick off the ground in her mouth and tossed it into the bush that the ‘Unicorns’ had so suddenly appeared in.

The pair flinched and stepped back reflexively as the space within the foliage lit up in a fierce, if tightly contained, storm of electrical energy.

The third encounter was as fortunate for the pair as the first. Another denizen of the forest had triggered it before their arrival, though not by much. They heard the explosion clearly, not far ahead. Arriving on the scene, they looked around cautiously. Something had been blown to messy little bits here. The only identifiable piece of the unlucky creature was the clawed foot of a chicken. As gruesome as the Manticore had been, the sheer amount of gore and blood painting the trees and ground around them was worse.

Applejack turned, retching at the fetid stench, while Dash grimly pushed past her own nausea, trying to figure out exactly what had happened here. Looking about carefully, she saw that there were jagged shards of stone scattered amidst the gore… as if… an exploding rock? This is getting insane! Did that thing even have to step on it, or did it blow when it got too close? What the hay has Celestia been teaching this filly? Dash's first impression of Twilight had been of an admittedly cute bookworm who didn't get out much. Now she was wondering if she wasn't some kind of secret agent Unicorn!

~

Applejack, having successfully vacated the contents of her stomach and feeling none the better for it, began to speak in hushed tones as they made their way through the forest.

"Dash, I been thinkin'. Now I know what yer gonna say, but just hear me out—I don't think Twilight's been tryin' to kill us." Applejack got precisely the look of incredulity she'd expected, but before the Pegasus could start verbally questioning her sanity, she pressed on. "I mean, us specifically. The more I think 'bout it, the more I'm sure she was really expectin' those dragons to be comin' after her, not us. Think 'bout it- lethal as all that would'a been for us, I don't much think they'd ah done more'n slow a full-grown dragon down. She's desperate, scared, an’ tryin' to buy as much time as she can."

Rainbow frowned thoughtfully. "I get what you're sayin' AJ, and it makes sense, but it doesn't exactly change the situation does it? I mean, one wrong step we might not even see coming, an’ it's over."

"Yeah Dash, I know. I'm sayin' this cuz I want ya to try to understand where she's comin' from… I'm just afraid o' what you two are gonna do when we do catch 'em up. Just… promise me, please, that you'll at least hear her out. Please. For me."

Dash's frown deepened into a scowl. She walked on in silent vigilance of their surroundings. Applejack decided not to press her any further, her point and plea had been made; she was confident Dash would think long and hard about her words.

~

A short while later, Applejack suddenly pulled up, eyes wide and ears perked high as they swiveled about. Dash looked at her questioningly, but the other pony’s attention was completely focused on something elsewhere.

"Dash," she said, her voice barely audible, "we're not alone."

Eyes darting surreptitiously all about, Dash saw… nothing, felt no hint of what would make Applejack say such a thing, but there was no questioning that her friend was serious. A chill ran down her spine.

"How can you tell?" she whispered back.

"Earth pony thing. Ya'll Pegasi can control the weathers 'n such, Unicorns have magic, my kin have… it's hard to describe. It's a connection to the land, I guess ya'll could say. An Ah'm tellin' ya, we're being stalked. Ah can feel it."

While Dash didn't really know what to make of the explanation, she didn't doubt the validity of it, but there didn't seem to be much they could do about it at the moment, and she said as much.

Applejack nodded, "Jus'… jus' be on yer guard, okay?" she whispered, rounding a tree heavy with vines. The irony of her last statement was lost on both ponies as the vines wreathing the tree suddenly lit with a distinctive purple radiance and came alive. With blinding speed, they lashed out and whipped about Applejack, binding her and pulling her into a bone-crushing impact with the tree. She struggled frantically, but was strung up tightly to the base of the tree as more vines snaked about her torso and neck, their long thorns cutting into her.

"Dash!" she screamed. "Get these damned things offa me! It's getting tighter! Aaaah!"

Bolting over, Dash pulled at the malignantly enchanted flora, her armored uniform protecting her forelegs from the sharp thorns. The vines were wrapped far too tightly against her friend's body to find enough purchase or to get any leverage, so she began to use her teeth, frantically trying to bite through them as all the while Applejack cried out in anguish, the thorns digging deeper into her flesh. Applejack's screams grew weaker as the vines wrapped around her throat, effectively strangling her. Eyes wide and pleading, she stared at Rainbow as her friend desperately tried to free her. It wasn't working. Applejack felt the vertebrae in her neck begin to creak as the vines constricted relentlessly, forcing her head inexorably back and up toward an unnatural angle that would soon snap her neck like a dry twig.

The huge creature appeared out of nowhere, throwing Rainbow Dash out of the way like she was a rag doll. Moonlight flashed on silver claws as they cut through the death-trap vines in a single, fluid arch. Applejack collapsed to the ground, barely conscious and gasping raggedly as her lungs greedily filled with oxygen. Her senses slowly returning, she could hear Dash's voice, cursing from somewhere in the middle of a bush as she thrashed about, trying to clamber free. Her blurred vision began to clear, and she found herself at eye-level with a pair of huge, clawed paws.

Lifting her head, she found herself gazing up at a creature she had only heard tales of, traditionally the kind used to frighten misbehaving colts and fillies. This close up, his massive frame completely filled her field of vision. His fur was thick and wild, the breadth of his chest and shoulders easily twice that of her brother, who was one of the largest stallions she'd ever seen. His large ears were perked and fully forward… and those eyes. Large and yellow, they seemed to glow with an internal light as they pierced her with an emotionless and steady regard. She was struck with the certainty of intuitive knowledge that he was looking past her coat, beyond her bluster, into the very core of her... and that he was little impressed.

The flood of curses pouring from Rainbow's direction ceased abruptly as she cleared the tangled mass of leaves and shrubbery she had been hurled into. A frozen moment lingered on the scene as she took in the massive creature standing before a prone Applejack… correction, the massive predator looming over a helpless Applejack! Impulse and recognition washed over her. No time to think, just act—do something, try to get him away from AJ, buy her time to escape.

Wings flaring, a snarl of rage and fear tearing from her throat, she launched herself at the predator.

A single shaggy eyebrow rose above an ambient eye.

~~~~~~

Lyra was beginning to grow concerned. The dawn was fast approaching. The greater Convergences were ever tricky—unpredictable as their results were pivotal. Planning was all good and well, but once the events were in motion, things always had a tendency to spiral beyond the hope of control, into the murky waters of chaos. Beyond the sight of even the wisest.

Why did gods always seem to think they could control everything? The same reason we always do I imagine, she ruminated. Endless self-delusion at our own grandeur. Could be worse, I suppose. I've heard the tales of those other realms, too horrible to even contemplate. And what can any of us do? Where do we find a modicum of sanity in it all? Why, we can laugh. We laugh at the sheer, endless absurdity of it all.

She strummed distractedly at her lyre as her thoughts tread these disturbing paths.

Suddenly perking, Lyra felt the familiar approach through the skein of her magics. Finally, she thought. The great wolf strode into the clearing through the mists. Lyra blinked as the two expected visitors did not appear behind him. Rather, as he drew closer, she saw that two unconscious ponies were draped across his back. She half-rose in alarm. "What—" she began.

He interrupted her gruffly, shrugging the pair unceremoniously off him and onto the grass at his feet. "They were troublesome," he rumbled by way of simple explanation, clearly lacking the inclination to elaborate.

Well, this was unexpected. Lovely. But then… She glanced over to a particularly thick patch of grasses woven to conceal the still slumbering Twilight and Rarity, I suppose this somewhat simplifies things. For my part, at any rate.

"Does anything ever work out as planned?" she asked in a wistful, almost rhetorical tone.

The wolf gazed at her solemnly. "Never."

She paused, long and hard. "It was all a mistake, wasn't it?"

"Everything is, Lyra, sooner or later."

~~~~~~

The haze of golden light radiated painfully behind her closed eyelids. Squinting hard, the ambient light abated, and she sighed in relief as the pounding in her head lessened slightly. Slowly, the intrusion of senses awakening began to demand more and more of her attention, even as she struggled to return to that blissful solace of oblivion. The warmth of the sun growing uncomfortably hot upon her back and the sweet sound of wind rustling the grasses all around her proved enough incentive to cycle her groggy consciousness through the "who-what-where" phases of awakening. In short order, memories of recent events flooded in and her eyes snapped open.

Twilight Sparkle raised her head, looking around in alarm. The scene before her did not mesh with what she last recalled before falling asleep to a full belly and the serene music of that odd, green Unicorn.

She was no longer in that peaceful glen that radiated a palpable sense of protection and peace.

A rumbling snore drew her attention to the curled mass of alabaster coat and purple mane that was her companion. She couldn't help but smirk a bit at the contrast of the prim and proper Rarity, normally so graceful and poised, now rumbling away like a jackhammer as she slept.

Rising, she was struck with how very refreshed she felt. She took stock and was amazed to discover all of her considerable wounds seemed to have been fully healed. She felt fresh, alive... and thoroughly confused. Where in Equastria were they? How did they get here? The Everfree, this most certainly was not - she felt reconnected to the magical stability of civilized Equestria.

Proceeding down the logical course of action, first thing was first—rousing Rarity. The Unicorn might know where they were; she had lived in the area and may know the terrain well enough to recognize their position.

"Rarity. Wake up," she said, nosing the slumbering mare.

She was rewarded by a distinctly unladylike snort and grumble from her friend.

"Rarity!" she said louder, prodding the Unicorn with her hoof. "Wake up!"

"Bwa—what?" Rarity blurted, startled from her sleep, raising her head and blearily meeting Twilight's gaze.

Twilight couldn't help but smirk a bit at the tousled mane and sloppy appearance of her friend. "Time to get up. It's early morning by the looks of it, but I have no idea where we are."

"Where we are? What do you—" she broke off as she looked around, taking in their surroundings. "Why, this is White Tail Wood! Just on the edge of Ponyville! However did we get here?"

Twilight grimaced. "Yeah, no idea. But we're close to Ponyville? Can you lead us back? How far is it?"

Rarity looked up and around, gauging their bearings. "Very close. Just 'round the corner actually."

"Well, that's a relief. Sorry to wake you so abruptly, but we'd better get going. How do you feel?"

"I…" Rarity cocked her head to the side. "I feel wonderful actually," she said in a tone of bewilderment.

"Me too. I'm really going to have to expand my studies. There's so much more to magic than I ever thought—Unicorn magics are inherently linear, a framework of will, effect, and application. What we experienced last night was almost… an inverse of that understanding. Almost cyclic in its manifestation…" she trailed off, mumbling to her herself for a moment, lost in the implications.

Rarity rose and shook herself. "Yes darling, that’s all well and good," she said, interrupting Twilight's ruminations, a habit of the purple Unicorn she was becoming increasingly familiar with. “But as you said, we need to get moving."

Twilight nodded, jarred from her thoughts. "Right, which way?"

Taking the lead, Rarity broke into a brisk canter with the reassuring knowledge of finally knowing where they were and how to get where they were going- home. The thought filled her with confidence and joy—things would be alright soon, back amongst the familiar. It wasn't long before they cleared the forest, the bright morning light falling around them; breaking into an all-out gallop across the wide grassy plains, the sunshine felt like a benediction.

By the time they made the edges of town, they were breathing heavily, the sweat from their brows burning into their eyes. So it was that they didn't hear the building shouts until the crowd had nearly surrounded them. The cacophony was deafening, ponies overriding one another in their rapid-fire exclamations.

"Rarity!"

"Thought you were dead!"

"Where did you all—"

"—where are the others?!"

"The Princess!"

"...guards everywhere, I don't—"

"—light Sparkle!"

A voice, hard and commanding, cut through the din. "Make way! Now!"

Blinking away the sweat from her vision, Twilight took a moment to process what her eyes were telling her.

Approaching her was a stallion, adorned in armor from hoof to head, the gold of it glinting in the morning light. A cordon of the townsponies opened for his approach, but this clearly wasn't enough for him. "Disperse! Clear out! Go home, I don't care, but back off now, all of you," he ordered left and right, the mares and stallions cringing slightly under the fierce tone and unyielding glare. Snorting, he drew up before a still-panting Twilight. "Miss Sparkle. I am pleased to have found you. I had heard you and some others had gone into the Everfree Forest, yet here you are. Please, follow me."

Bemused at his words, yet relieved at his presence and all the familiar order it represented, she began to follow, pulling up to his side as a flood of questions vied for dominance in her mind. A victor didn't have time to make itself known, however; as she pulled up next to him, the sight previously denied her left those thoughts gasping in the dirt.

Ahead, in the open square before the Town Hall, were arrayed what Twilight, despite having lived her entire life within the walls of Canterlot, had rarely seen—a fully formed Elite Contingent of the Royal Guard. While the military sciences were at best an ancillary draw to her academic pursuits, she had nevertheless taken—and of course excelled at—the requisite courses that touched upon the subject matter of the modern Equestrian military. An Elite Contingent was unique in both its efficacy and composition; they were among the few quarters of the military that actually seemed to do anything, though what it is they got up to she was never privileged to be made aware of. She had merely noted them coming and going at all hours, and as far as she recalled, there were only a few such units active in all of Equestria.

The Contingent was comprised of seven heavy Earth ponies—her escort the eighth—their armor far from ceremonial, each bearing scars and grooves unique to its owner. These ponies were renowned to be the first in and the last out of any engagement. Four Pegasi were adorned in lighter armor, designed for agility and swift movement, extensions from their shoulders ribbing across the front angles of their wings, the razored edges glinting.

The final three wore no armor, at least none that could be seen, as dark brown cloaks hung about them. The sunburst sigil on the right breast marked them for what they were—Elite Mages of the Equestrian Military. Twilight was effectively trotting on autopilot as she drew closer.

Her escort drew her towards the cloaked three, one of whom spoke. "Sergeant, excellent. Take your Heavies and attend to some crowd-control."

The Heavy stomped a salute, glanced at his ponies, and they moved off to follow orders.

The tall Unicorn stepped forward, his coat a dark blue, white mane clipped short and curling about his horn. "Well. Twilight Sparkle. Nice of you to finally show up," he said, his tone curt and efficient.

Twilight found herself at a loss for a moment; this Unicorn knew her name. Not only that, but he implied he had been waiting for her. She mustered all the eloquence of her years of academic and arcane pursuit.

"Um."

The Mage's brows rose when she did not immediately continue. "Right then. I'm afraid questions will have to wait, both for a safer location, and when your tongue decides to start working again. Now. I understand you have companions. Where are they?"

Okay. A direct question to answer. Much easier. "Yes, I—" Wait. Where was Rarity?! Looking about, she saw no sign of the alabaster beauty. "Um…"

Another pause as the Unicorn Mage visibly bit down on his frustration, "Lovely. Description please. Succinctly," he said, the last word slightly emphasized.

She gave it, as well as the name of her friend's place of business.

The Mage nodded to one of the Pegasi, and two took off towards the Carousel Boutique.

"And the others?"

Frowning, Twilight responded, "What do you mean?" Something felt… off about this.

"Miss Sparkle, I have specific orders. We are here to collect yourself, and five other mares. Two Pegasi, two Earth ponies, and one additional Unicorn. Aside from yourself, all residents of this town. You were the only one named and described. Tell me who, and where, they are."

"I… what is this? How did you know where I was, and what do the others have to do with anything!"

The Mage stepped forward, a slight frown angling down over his blue eyes. "My orders are… opaque, at best. I don't like bringing my men out here to collect a bunch of fillies while in the midst of what is quickly becoming the greatest crisis in our recent history. I don't like not knowing why I've been ordered to do so, and I especially don't like being cross-questioned and hamstrung by the ungrateful recipient of our protection. Now. Will you please—"

He got no farther. There was a shout from one of the Elite Pegasi, a flashing of eyes as all turned to the focus of his alarm—just enough time to register what appeared to be a small mountain dropping from the sky in a blur, and a shockwave knocking half the town off their hooves as the dragon slammed into the earth on the far side of town. In retrospect, it really was an incredible irony that, standing amidst an elite, highly trained fighting force of veterans, it was Twilight Sparkle who first broke from the shock. She had a particular reason, of course, for it wasn't until she watched the dragon nosing about, peering in the windows and rumbling low in his language, that she realized where he was. Specifically. Not just over on the other side of Ponyville; he was at the Library. That meant one thing to Twilight. "Spike!" she screamed, bolting forward in a full-out gallop.

A surprised curse and rapid flurry of orders lashed out behind her, and suddenly the ring of Earth pony Heavies were in full charge ahead of her, two blurs of gold flashed overhead, and the billowing cloaks of the Mages began to pull ahead of her. All converging on the Library.

In her panicked flight, Twilight overheard—but paid scant attention to—a running argument between two of the Mages just ahead of her. She caught something about "diplomacy" and "foreign relations" from one, the leader responding with "orders don't allow for," and something about "potential invasion". She frankly didn't give a damn what they were on about—Spike, the only brother she had ever known, was in the Library, and the great dragon's words back at the castle returned to haunt her: "He is precious to me." That was what he'd said, hadn't he? And now, here was one of his escorts, rooting about the Library! He was going to take Spike!

No, she thought with a sudden, grim determination. He was going to try.

A bolt of violet energy lashed out, cracking the air, throwing the galloping Mages off-canter as it streaked out below the Pegasi, between the Heavy guards, and slammed into the dragon’s side. He staggered back. One step.

Everything seemed to slow as the great beast turned his head, eyes narrowing.

Twilight caught a murmur from one of the Mages, "Oh shit."

---

Chapter 6 - “Gravity”
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Chapter 8 - “Horizons”
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Comments

[CV12Hornet]

Dammit, Twilight!