Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 4: Alicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 16: As splendid summer skies

Twilight let out a sigh of relief as Fillydelphia came into view. Finally, the next step in their journey was here. All they had to do now was rescue Applejack and they'd be out. She just hoped everything would be better than the other towns and cities.

“I'll need to find a way to cover my wings again,” Twilight said as they walked towards it.

“And hide me,” Spike grumbled.

“And hide Spike.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Leave it to me. You have any bits?” She was greeted by apologetic smiles. She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Avatar group, might as well be freeloaders too, right? Fine. You'll owe me though.” She spread out her wing and took to the sky, flying into the city. A number of pegasi moved to intercept her, but she just flew by them and they didn't pursue for long. The group moved over to the cover of some berry blast bushes and watched the city.

“So, what do you think she meant before? Civil war?” Sweetie asked.

“I don't know. They don't seem to be fighting,” Twilight said as she looked over the city. They could see dozens of ponies milling about in great clusters. A lot of them were holding signs and yelling across at each other, but they were too far away to hear or make out what the signs said. For the most part it looked peaceful. There were posters posted all over the buildings as well. “It looks a lot friendlier than the last two places we've been.”

“That's not really that hard to do,” Sweetie grumbled. She scanned the area and sighed. “Though, it does seem peaceful enough. Maybe it won't be so bad? There's no real fighting. Look, Gilda's coming back! That was fast.”

Sure enough, the griffon landed besides them a moment later and held out a few cloaks. “I'm sorry, it's the best I could find.”

Twilight nodded and took it, before pausing. “Wait, what's this say? Who's Goldenhorn?”

Gilda sighed and shook her head. “It's... well, it's just weird.”

The cloaks were white and had the words 'Vote Goldenhorn for a golden future' embedded across it. She shrugged and tossed it over her back. “Was it at least cheap?” Spike pulled his on and sighed.

“Practically giving them away,” Gilda grumbled.

“You know what? I'm going to wait here,” the dragon said with a shake of his head.

“What? But it'll be dangerous!” Twilight objected.

“I'm a baby dragon, I can't exactly blend in. Even with this it's pretty obvious.”

“But--”

“I'll wait here with him,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Me too,” Scootaloo said with a nod of her head. “Between the two of us we should be able to keep out of trouble.”

Twilight looked between the two before slowly giving a nod of her head. “Fine. But you have to be careful. No risks, okay?”

The three gave muffled agreements before the remaining members of the group turned to follow Gilda into the town.

“Don't try to buy anything,” the griffon said. “The ponies here will take you for every bit you've got.”

Twilight nodded. “I see. If we had any bits, that would be a problem.”

“Fine, every bit I'VE got.”

“So, what exactly is going on here? It doesn't seem so ba--” She looked up as the din suddenly rose up from the crowds.

“Goldenhorn for a golden future!”

“Silvertongue for a change we can believe in!”

“Lilyhoof for a gentle touch all ponies need!”

Twilight blinked and stared at the screaming ponies, before looking to Gilda. “Wait, what exactly IS going on here?”

She sighed. “I am not quite sure. I left really quick last time I was here. As far as I can tell, they've decided to replace the emperor. Now the ponies are gathering up and trying to vote to see who the new emperor will be.”

Twilight paused for a second before face hoofing. “But... an emperor isn't an elected... the buck is... this makes no sense and... what?”

“Just wait until you see some of what they are yelling about. I've never heard so many ponies yelling about 'change' outside of beggars.”

The alicorn shook her head and kept trotting. “Okay, fine. Then what is the emperor and his soldiers doing about all this? Photo Finish has to be doing something.”

“I'm not sure.”

Twilight shook her head again. “Then what is... oh buck no.” She let out a groan as they passed a sign that said 'Vote Mare-Do-Well to keep the streets safe'. “You have got to be kidding me. Her, too?”

“New ponies!” a voice suddenly yelled before a red pony charged forward, nearly tackling them. “Have you just arrived?”

“Don't answer him!” Gilda warned.

Alas, it was too late. “Why yes, we did,” Twilight said. The other pony's face lit up.

“Wonderful, wonderful! As I'm sure you're completely aware there are currently a number of changes going on throughout the kingdom. First and foremost, that tyrant Fancy Pants has been locked in his castle thanks to the valiant efforts of the mysterious Mare Do Well. Now, such kindness cannot go unrewarded so I, along with others like me, believe that she should be supported by--”

“Stop your lying, you rock headed idiot!” a blue mare yelled as she ran forward. “It's not thanks to Mare Do Well at all that the tyrant has been dethroned! It was Silvertongue who uncovered his treachery and was responsible for having him imprisoned. It's thanks to her efforts that--”

“Are you both blind? She's obviously a supporter of Goldenhorn! Look at her cloak!” an orange mare yelled as she ran up. She was holding a big sign supporting Goldenhorn. The three started yelling and screaming at each other and after a few seconds they started throwing hooves and beating each other with signs.

Twilight and her friends quickly trotted off in the confusion. “Oh my goodness. They have Fancy imprisoned? But he was so...” The words trailed off. “Actually, with Discord's changes for all we know he's become a tyrant.”

“Should we try tah get him outta prison?” Flowerbloom asked.

“No,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “He should be safe for now. Once we get Applejack free, hopefully all this will calm down. If we try forcing our way in, well... there's no telling what'll happen. We could lose access to her entirely.”

Gilda eyed them curiously. “You know, I'm starting to wonder if there is a bit more profit joining with you than I originally anticipated. Rescuing an emperor is bound to have some great rewards, isn't it?”

“Not now,” the alicorn said with a shake of her head. “Once we release whatever bond Discord has on this town, maybe. But like this, there'd probably be nothing for us but the gallows.” She glanced to the griffon. “Why, you aren't planning on turning us in for money, are you?”

Gilda snorted. “Of course not. I'm not a fool. There's a lot of profit to be made, working along side you. Turning you in means I'd just get paid once. It doesn't seem too dangerous now, either. Later... well, who knows?”

Rainbow gave her a firm nudge. “Don't start talking like that. I might be blind but I can still take you and your tail feathers down.”

The griffon snickered and shook her head. “Good to know you're still the same old Dash.”

“Heh. It would take a lot more than Nightmare Moon to change me around.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I think it's best we try to find the statue. In Cloudsdale it was in the center of the city, so hopefully the same will be true here.”

“If it's not?” Sweetie asked.

“Well... I don't know, then,” Twilight said softly. They turned down another street and were suddenly assaulted on all sides by more ponies yelling, except this time they were yelling different things from when they'd entered.

“Buy our oranges, a hundred percent organic. Approved by the Avatar herself! Nine out of ten doctors agree our oranges help prevent Diagonus disease.”

“Buy our hayburgers, best in the kingdom! The Avatar herself ate here every day of her stay!”

“Our hoof cream is doctor recommended! Even the Avatar bought an entire case after a nasty accident with her earth bending! Back on your hooves in three days or your money back. Pending terms of agreement.”

“Three bits for a pie! Terms and conditions apply!”

Twilight paused and looked back to the others. “What kind of terms and conditions can apply to a pie?” she asked softly.

“Ah've got no idea. Ohhhh, look!” Flowerbloom pointed towards a small stand.

“Buy our cabbage noodles! Our noodles are the only ones with comprisite added for fuller flavor!”

Twilight looked even more confused. “What the heck is comprisite?”

“Ah don't know, but it must be pretty good, right? Ah mean, why else would they advertise havin' it?” Flowerbloom asked with a shrug.

“Hey!” a gray pegasus down the road suddenly yelled from her muffin cart. “I saw what you did!”

“W-what?” a nearby pony asked, confusion in their voice.

“You shoved my cart wheel and broke it! You're going to have to pay to fix it!” the pegasus' eye's moved around angrily.

Twilight and her friends quickly passed the fight, nervously glancing back as they went. “This... is very strange.”

“I did warn you,” Gilda muttered. “The entire city is like this. I tried getting some work here and nearly got stiffed, twice.”

Twilight frowned. “Wait, nearly?”

“Let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job, and then I get paid,” the griffon said ominously. “How you holding up back there, Rainbow?”

“Fine,” she muttered. “It's probably for the best, anyway. It makes me a bit harder to identify with my feathers and hair singed.”

Twilight glanced back at her friend. The burns were very minor and hardly noticeable. She doubted they worked as any kind of disguise. But, she decided it was best not to ruin her friend's beliefs. “We should probably get you a cloak, anyway. Just... not one of these political ones.”

Gilda sighed. “Leave it to me.” She flew off again.

Twilight watched her leave and started walking faster. “Come on.”

“What? Shouldn't we wait for her?” Rainbow asked.

“No. I still don't trust her. She might be trying to lead Trixie or who knows else to us. Who knows how Discord has changed her? Besides, even before all this she was hardly the most trustworthy of griffons. She already turned on us once.”

“No,” Rainbow said, digging her hooves into the ground.

“W-what? What do you mean, no? She might--”

“'Might' is the key word here. She hasn't shown any signs of being anything but herself. I trust her.”

“But we can't trust her,” Twilight snapped. “Who knows how she has been affected? Discord might have--”

“And he might not have. Until we see some sign of her being anything but herself, I'm trusting her. I believe in her,” Rainbow snapped and ground her hoof deeper into the ground. There was a light flash and her element appeared around her neck. “Frankly, trusting in my friends hasn't steered me wrong yet. I won't start now.”

Twilight stared for a few moments before shaking her head. “Fine. Just... I do this under protest.”

“Do it however you want,” Rainbow grumbled. “We've made a lot of friends on our travels, Twilight. Heck, we've directly or indirectly affected almost every pony in the world at this point. We can't expect them all to be suddenly evil and out to get us.”

The alicorn stepped forward and sat down besides the pegasus. “No, you're right. There has to be... some ponies out here still unaffected. Ponies we can depend on to help us. Who knows? Maybe his magic doesn't affect griffons. Though, the tap dancing buffalo we saw a few days back makes me doubt that.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Who cares? Even if she's different, she's still a friend. And if she's not... well, we'll deal with that when it comes.”

The alicorn nodded and they waited, glancing up towards the sky. After a few minutes there was a soft fluttering of wings and the griffon appeared over the edge of a building. She tossed a bundled up white cloak down. “Catch!”

“Ahhhh!” Rainbow fell over as it smacked her in the chest.

“Sorry,” the griffon said with a snicker as she landed. “Come on, let's go.”

Twilight spent a few seconds helping the pegasus get dressed before trotting deeper into the city. There were more merchants, more ponies trying to get them to vote and just more trouble. They kept their heads low and gradually made it through the city until coming to the center courtyard. The alicorn paused. “Is... that it?”

In the center there was a large boulder dug deep into the ground. There was no pedestal. As they came closer they could see a tiny little pebble on top of it. “Wait... is that Boulder?” Flowerbloom asked as she galloped forward. “Ah think it is!”

“I think it's pretty clearly a boulder,” Twilight said with a sigh. “But I more meant is that Applejack inside it.”

“No, not that, this!” She reached up a hoof to push the pebble. It moved a few inches, before rolling right back to where it had been before. She nudged it again and it quickly rolled back to where it had been. She frowned and picked it up. It suddenly flew up, smacked her in the middle of the forehead before bouncing off and returning to land on the boulder. Flowerbloom groaned. “No, that's definitely Boulder. Ah think it's keepin' watch. Ah... ah'm pretty sure that ain't Applejack... ow.”

“Then where is she?” Twilight asked as she looked around. “Where else would the statue be aside from...” The words trailed off as she turned towards the castle. “Oh buck no.”

“You think it's in there?” Gilda asked.

“Oh, wow. That's horrible," Rainbow said, waving her hoof in front of her face. "In where? Remember guys, I can't see, so a little information would be nice.”

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I think, well... I think Applejack might be in the castle. Since Fancy is currently imprisoned there, there is no telling what might happen if we try to go in there. There's probably traps, soldiers, everything in there designed to keep ponies from going in there.”

“Well, it's a good thing you have a master water bender, earth bender, air bender and all bender, isn't it?” Sweetie asked with a smirk. There was a light grunt from behind her. “Oh, right. And a griffon.”

“I'm worth more than two of you benders,” Gilda muttered. “But if you really want to sneak into that place, well, you're mad. They'll have earth benders all over the place. The moment your hooves touch the ground they'll be all over you.”

Twilight nodded. “Probably. We'll have to find some way to do something about them...” She rubbed her chin before grinning. “Gilda, how strong would you say you are?”

The griffon snorted. “Stronger than you ponies could ever dream of being.”

Twilight nodded. “Good. I'll need you to carry Flowerbloom then.”

“What?” the group asked in unison, staring at the mare.

“It's simple, really. We just fly over the gates. If we're flying, they won't feel us with their earth bending and--”

“That's stupid,” Gilda snapped. “Even at night there will be so many ponies watching the courtyard they'd be on us in a second. You'd have to draw them away first.”

“Why can't we just walk in?” Sweetie asked.

Twilight stared at the mare. “Because they might attack us and--”

“They might not. They're earth benders, right? So it won't be very easy to sneak in. Even when I launched my initial assault here I had to be very, very careful and use a whole herd of earth benders to back mine up. We frankly don't have numbers needed for something like that, so sneaking in isn't an option. Going in the front door is our only real choice, here.”

Twilight stared at the unicorn for a few moments before sighing and giving a little nod. “I... suppose you're right. After all, you are the only pony to actually conquer this city in known history.”

“Exactly, and most of that was an inside job. Without getting ponies on the inside it would have been impossible. Come on,” Sweetie said as she started walking towards the castle. The others followed behind her, grudgingly.

------

The castle was as well guarded as they expected. Massive, towering walls closed it off from the rest of the city, with guards stationed every ten feet or so. Twilight gulped nervously and was suddenly quite thankful that she hadn't tried their sneak in plan. Even if a lot of ponies didn't seem to be as capable of sensing through the earth as Applejack, a few of them had to have the skill. Sweetie stopped outside the gate and stared at it. “Err, Twilight. I think it would be best if you were to go in first.”

The alicorn nodded, taking a deep breath. She slowly stepped forward. The guards dug their hooves into the ground and glared defiantly at her. “Errr, hello. I ummm, I'm here to see whoever is in charge.” She took a slow, deep breath and slowly lifted up a wing, making it appear through the cloak. “I'm the Avatar.”

There was a momentary pause as the guard's faces went from angry, to confused, to worried, to anxious and finally dread. The one on her left nodded. “I-I'll go get Mare Do Well!” she said before galloping off, bending a hole in the wall before disappearing through it.

Twilight looked back at the others. “Well... they aren't trying to imprison us, that's a start.”

“Yet,” Gilda grumbled as she looked around. “I still wouldn't trust any of them.”

The alicorn nodded slowly. “Trust me, I know that all too well.”

Soon there was a gentle clopping of hooves and a purple garbed pony wearing a large hat appeared through the hole the guard had made. “Well, Avatar. Truly, zis is a pleasure! Come, you must! We have much to talk about!”

Twilight nodded slowly and motioned the others to follow her. She pushed her hooves into the ground with each step, feeling and listening to the earth, watching out for any ambushes or secret attacks. She couldn't feel any, yet. “So, Photo, I--”

“No! Do not call me that! I am Mare Do Well! I know not of this 'Photo Finish' you speak of!” She rose a hoof in great exaggerated fashion, before trotting forward again. They walked through the courtyard and towards the big castle. The place seemed almost empty, aside from the guards on the walls.

The alicorn sighed. “Please, it's obviously you. Your accent is--”

“Silence! I will hear nothing of this mare you speak of as if she is me! I am Mare Do Well! Mare for short!”

Twilight lifted up a hoof to rub her forehead. “Fine. Mare, what has happened here? Where's the emperor? I've heard--”

“Fancy Pants? He is imprisoned, but quite safe. He was no longer fit to rule so I have taken his place!” she said with a shake of her head and another dramatic wave of her hoof.

Twilight nodded slowly. “I... see. You've overthrown him then. I, errr, guess. But what about out there? Ponies were arguing and discussing all manners of, well, political groups. Silvertongue, Goldenhorn.”

“Ah, indeed. Both loyal members to me. You see, when the votes go in they will of course choose me as their leader. However, to keep the people satisfied, Silvertongue and Goldenhorn will become my advisors, that way everypony is happy. Is brilliant, no?”

Twilight nodded and looked around. “Errr, quite brilliant.” There was still no sign of the ambush. Though the things Photo was saying were worrying her. “So the voting thing is all a sham, then?”

“Indeed. As Avatar, you must see the need to keep the ponies under control and maintain the peace, yes? What is wrong with a few lies if they keep the ponies from harm?”

Twilight nodded again. “I see. I uhhh, I guess that's pretty good.”

“You have, of course, come to support me, yes? An endorsement from the Avatar would count for much in these troubled times. You have seen our great city, it is... no longer fabulous, no? Merchants yelling in the street, ponies scamming each other, fighting over minor things such as bits. Is disgraceful! I shall of course fix it, all of it.” Mare Do Well gave a firm nod.

“Err, right. Yes. I've come to support you. So you're not going to harm the emperor, then? I remember before you were... quite protective of him.”

“Indeed, yes. I was very, very protective. He is a good pony, but a fool. The kingdom would die in his hooves. That is why it falls to me to protect it. My loyalties are first to the kingdom, then to him.” She paused for a second before nodding. “He will live in much comfort, of course.”

Twilight nodded. At least they weren't trying to burn him at the stake. “So, when did you make this decision? Was it soon after Discord appeared, by any chance?”

The pony paused for a second before giving a nod. “As a matter of fact, yes. It was right after that foul abomination made its appearance. He came through our forces like a blade through hot butter. It was as if he was more amused than threatened by us. It was then that I realized our kingdom was weak, vulnerable, decrepit! A sham!” She exited the hall and trotted into the throne room and kept talking. Twilight didn't hear her though.

In the center of the room, Applejack's statue stood tall and proud. It was on a pedestal, overlooking the throne. Twilight couldn't keep the squeak of excitement from her voice as her eyes lit up. It was there! It was really there!

“Hmmm? Oh, yes. A... gift from Discord. He told us to keep an eye on it. Is very tacky, no?” Photo Finish shook her head.

Twilight nodded. “O-of course. Errr, may I see it closer, please? I'd very much like to touch it.”

Mare Do Well paused and turned back. Her eyes glared from behind the mask. “Why?”

“Err, because it's... very interesting?” Twilight said weakly with a nervous gulp. She glanced back nervously. Her friends were starting to tense up as well.

“Oh. I see. Then it has nothing to do with the statue itself?” the mare took a step closer. “His highness took much interest in the statue as well. He examined it closely, talked of it daily! But you know that, don't you? After all, you are a traitor!”

“W-what?” Twilight asked, shrinking back. She was suddenly distinctly aware of just how many guards were in the room. The calm and tranquility instantly shifted to hostility from the mare.

“A traitor, yes! I see it now! You come here to free the emperor, do you not? Deny, it makes no difference! I see all! Your betrayal shall not go unrewarded! Guards!”

Twilight gulped and then spread out her wings. A surge of wind shot out, hurtling the guards back as well as Mare Do Well. “Sorry! This is just very important!” She galloped towards the statue, skidding to a stop in front of it. “Come on, let's get it out of here!”

“We can't!” Flowerbloom said as the ground began to rumble. “We're in the middle of Fillydelphia! We can't just steal it an' go! They'll catch us in a second!”

Sweetie galloped forward, barely avoiding a spike of earth as it rose from the ground. “Go inside! Wake up Applejack! We'll do what we can to hold them off!”

“But--”

“Do it!” Flowerbloom yelled before stomping her hooves and more spikes of rock shot up, blocking off the doors. “We ain't got much time! Make it fast! Bring back mah sister!”

“We've got this handled, don't worry!” Rainbow yelled as she flapped her wings and sent a burst of wind through the room, sending the earth benders scattering again.

Twilight gulped before turning to the statue. The room was rumbling around them as the floor was torn asunder, but she didn't have much choice. This would be their only chance. With a prayer and a worried heart she pushed her head forward, her horn gently tapping against her friend before she disappeared into the other realm.

Comments

[eric-emanwu]

So, in Fillydelphia, Discord decided to create a political crisis of a different kind. Instead of going all 3 tribes on the ponies, he instead used the natural chaos of his powers to influence the removal of fancy pants, removing all curtesy in a political election scam that Photo was running in her mare do well garb. It was also affecting commerce, making all the merchants all corperatey and strict and mean. It also seems that scoots and fluttershy and spike are sitting this one out.

One small touch that I loved you put into this chapter was the way Rainbow talks about what it means to be loyal to a friend. About refusing to believe the worst about Gilda, despite what Discord's been doing to them before this. About trust in loyalty. And just like AJ's truth speech, it brought her element back out. Although, the whole blindness thing did make it a bit of a drag when it came to seeing that AJ wasn't in town, only....maud was? Hmm. Anyways, what's also interesting about the buildup is the unexpected turns. First, there was sweetie belle talking about how she was a military mastermind to take the city, and so shot down most of the more elaborate plans to get in. With the "new" sweetie after being purified, it's easy for me to forget that she was still a prodigy in war and bending as the "Azula".

The second fun part was how Twilight walked up to the gates, showed her wings.....and they let her in. That was a nice change too. What wasn't as nice was that they got to the statue, and then got into a fight, forcing a rush job for Twilight to get in, get out, and get AJ as fast as possible with the other warriors giving her time to work. Well, let's hope she works fast.