Everything moved in slow motion for Twilight. Her heart raced in her chest as she watched Rainbow’s wings flap down, propelling her from their table. Her eyes went wide as she saw Scootaloo’s mother leap from her seat, a shiny object that reflected the nearby candlelight with a sickly glow held tightly in her right hoof. No! she thought. Without a moment of hesitation, Twilight lit her horn, focused her magic on Rainbow then on everybody sitting at their table, and teleported them all into the first place that she could think of that was relatively close by: their hotel room.
Their table and the booths they sat upon reappeared in mid air, falling upon the edge of the bed with a terrific clash. Everybody slipped off of their seats, collapsing to the carpeted floor in a heap. Due to her momentum, Rainbow flew straight into the wall on the other side of their small room, leaving a dent where her head struck it.
Twilight lay still on the floor, panting heavily. Her vision was swimming so badly that she felt a bit nauseous, even though there was nothing in her stomach. Her head ached terribly, and her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. All of her energy was gone, and her muscles burned as if she had just finished a five mile race at full gallop. She closed her eyes and licked her dry lips as she pushed away the urge to throw up. “S-Spike!” she croaked out, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Send a letter to Celestia... for help...” Twilight coughed out as she tried to push herself up.
“On it!” Spike yelled, looking around the room for anything to write on. Fortunately, he spotted a small notepad, a quill, and a small ink pot on the desk next to Rainbow. He scampered over there, dipped the quill in the ink pot, hastily wrote a small message to Celestia, then sent it off. “Done!” he yelled. Rainbow groaned and pushed herself up, shaking her head with an annoyed flick of her tail. “Yo Dash, you okay?” he asked, kneeling down next to her with an outstretched claw.
“No, I am not okay!” Rainbow growled, pushing him away with a wing. She stood up, rubbing her forehead with a hoof as she glared at Twilight. “How could you?!” she asked, barely-restrained anger in her voice as she stalked up to her.
“Wh... What?” Twilight asked in a daze, struggling to lift her head as she forced her vision to focus on her special somepony. Rainbow snorted once and stormed away, breathing heavily through her nose as her legs and wings shook in a furious rage. Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed, but she pushed her feelings aside for the moment and remembered that they were still in danger. She swallowed once, the stark reality of their situation sinking deep into her mind. Wincing at the fact that she was going to have to cast another spell, especially after casting such a complicated and energy-consuming spell, she knew that there would be no small amount of pain. Nevertheless, she lit her horn once more, a bright purple aura coating the door and the window as she sealed them inside. Her headache doubled in intensity, making her groan and clench her eyes shut. It was just a little bit too warm in their room, and she desperately wished that they could crack a window to cool things off, but she simply wouldn’t dare risk their safety for her own personal comfort. “Rainbow...” she muttered. “I... I couldn’t...”
“Couldn’t what?!” Rainbow shot back, stomping up to her again. “Couldn’t let me capture one of Scootaloo’s parents? Sure, I would have let her have it and then some, but still! Why didn’t you let me?”
“Because I... I...” Twilight weakly flapped her wings as she finally got back on her hooves, a few of her feathers falling to the floor. On trembling legs, she cautiously walked over to the bed and flopped down upon it. She felt so tired that she knew if she closed her eyes, she would be asleep in seconds. “I didn’t think... Ugh...!” She buried her muzzle under her front hooves as tears welled up in her eyes; the pain in her head was simply too much to bear, and Rainbow’s yelling wasn’t helping her headache in the slightest.
“And once again, the all-powerful princess doesn’t think before she acts!” Rainbow yelled, her voice becoming hoarse from all the yelling. “If you ever loved me, you wouldn’t have stopped me, and—”
“Rainbow, stop!” Scootaloo screamed at the top of her lungs. She trotted up to her and slapped her leg with a hoof, then glared up at her. “Did you really just say that?! Look at her!” she said, standing up on her hind legs as she placed her two front hooves on Rainbow’s chest. When Rainbow’s gaze didn’t budge from her own, she jabbed her left hoof into Rainbow’s chest and used her right hoof to gesture at Twilight, who still had her muzzle buried under her forelegs. “I said look at her!” she hissed out as her eyes narrowed. “She kept all of us safe. You, me, and Spike. I admire that you want to hurt my mother, but not if there’s a small chance that you could get hurt.”
“One on one with a drunk? Pfft, I could have totally won that!” Rainbow said with a snort.
“She was eating dinner with her friends, Rainbow! Do you really think you could take on all four of them by yourself?” Scootaloo asked moments before Twilight coughed and lifted her head from the sheets.
“She had a knife, Rainbow,” Twilight said, staring daggers at Rainbow. “I have no doubt that you would be able to subdue Scootaloo’s mother, but she was ready to kill you!” Tears streamed down her cheeks as the thought of living without her best friend grazed against her mind. She wearily lifted a hoof towards her as her throat grew tight. “I love you too much to let that happen to you...” Her muscles screamed in protest as she fought to keep her hoof aloft, and as the seconds passed, her vision started to become blurry.
Rainbow’s eyes locked on Twilight’s hoof before they flicked up to meet Twilight’s tired gaze. “She had a... a knife?” she whispered, her ears flopping down as her heart sunk into her stomach. Everything clicked into place in her mind. She was going to kill me? she thought, her stomach twisting itself into a tight knot. “I... I, uh...” Rainbow walked up next to the bed and sat down, grabbing Twilight’s hoof in between her own. She held it close to her chest as she laid her forehead against Twilight’s, feeling heat radiate from her horn through her disheveled mane. “I’m sorry, Twi,” she choked out, holding onto Twilight’s hoof with all of her strength. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, and...” Rainbow gently nuzzled her cheek, then whispered, “I love you, too,” so quietly that only Twilight could hear her. “Forgive me?” she asked with a sheepish smile as she sat back.
Twilight cracked a small smile. “Only on two conditions, and I think you already know one of them.”
“Snuggles after Celestia comes with her army to lock down the city?” Rainbow asked with a smirk.
“Yes,” Twilight said with a nod. “You want to know the other?”
“Mhm!” Rainbow nodded furiously.
Twilight yanked on Rainbow’s hoof, pulling her back up against the side of the bed. Twilight placed her forehead on Rainbow’s like Rainbow had done seconds earlier and stared deep into her eyes. “Don’t ever scream at me like that again. Got it?”
Rainbow’s eyes drifted shut as her head tilted to the side, letting her lips find Twilight’s. “Anything for you,” she whispered into Twilight’s flicking ear. Suddenly, somepony banged on their door, making her head whip up. “Scootaloo, Spike? Get behind me.” She flicked her wings open wide, preparing herself for the worst. The door glowed in a pale yellow light, then their door swung open wide. Rainbow’s lips parted as she snarled, grinding a hoof into the carpeted floor as she lowered herself, ready to tackle whoever was about to walk inside.
“Twilight? Rainbow?” Princess Celestia strode inside their room and paused as two of her royal guard trotted past her, deadly-looking spears held under their right wings. They took up position in the back of the room while two others took up position in front of the window. “Thank goodness you all are okay. I came as quickly as I could,” she said, eyeing the table and the two booths with a curious gaze.
Rainbow’s shoulders drooped in relief as she bowed before Celestia, folding her wings back in. “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” she said as she stood back up. “How many guards did you bring with you?”
“On such a short notice, I only managed to bring sixteen.” Celestia shut the door with a quick spell, then sat down in front of Rainbow and Twilight. “More are on the way, for my sister is rousing the guards in the barracks. We are going to do a full sweep of Cloudsdale, and I give you my word that we will find the escapees.”
“Princess...” Twilight croaked. She pushed herself up on the bed, feeling nothing but an overwhelming hunger in her gut coupled with a horrendous headache. “Thank you for coming in the middle of the night. We didn’t wake you, did we?” she asked, noticing the lack of regalia.
“...Yes, but I had only just retired for the evening. With a fellow princess in need of assistance, I would go many nights without sleep if need be.”
“Good to know.” Twilight slipped from the bed and sat down, closing her eyes for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. “All I know is that Scootaloo saw her mother. She knows more than I do in this situation, so...” She looked over at Scootaloo and opened a wing for her to sit under.
Scootaloo’s gaze flicked between Twilight and Princess Celestia, biting her tongue as she trotted in place. They need to know I only saw my mother! she thought, a small groan slipping from between her lips. Celestia looked at her with a lifted eyebrow, making her wilt in place.
“What is it, little one?” Celestia asked, laying down on the floor. She crossed her forelegs and beckoned her forward with a hoof. “You are among friends; there is nothing to fear.”
“Um... Okay.” Scootaloo took a few steps towards Celestia and sat down beside Twilight, rubbing her left foreleg with a hoof as she stared at the floor. “I don’t think my dad is here,” she squeaked out as Twilight’s wing wrapped around her. “I heard my mom saying that he was gonna come back soon.”
“Hm...” Celestia’s eyebrows furrowed as she let out a deep breath.
“And it sounded like she has friends here in Cloudsdale, too. My dad used to work up here in the factory, so maybe ask around there?” Scootaloo glanced up at Twilight and shrugged. “His friends might not want to give him up if they know anything, though...” Scootaloo sighed as her tail swished back and forth behind her. “Why can’t they just leave us alone?”
“My guards will surely find them, little one, I promise you that.” Celestia stood up and fluffed her wings. “When reinforcements arrive, you all will be on the very first chariot back to Canterlot.” She saw Twilight open her mouth to speak, but she waved her off with a hoof. “Including you, Twilight. You are a target to these ponies, and you must be kept safe above all else.” A knock on the door kept her from speaking, so she shot a glance over her shoulder just in time to see the door open. “Oh, Lieutenant! Have our reinforcements arrived?” she asked, turning around to face him.
“Yes, Princess!” he barked out. “As per your commands, a chariot and an escort of pegasi are waiting just outside to escort the V.I.P.’s back to Canterlot!”
“Excellent.” Celestia looked back at everypony in the room. “If you would all follow him, we shall get you back to safety in no time at all!”
Rainbow huffed. “So what are you going to do to find Scootaloo’s mother?” she asked, looking up at Celestia with a defiant gaze. “Are you going to search each and every house and building here until you find them? Scootaloo made it sound like her mother was crashing with some friends, and I don’t think they have a house up here.”
“Well, no, we are not going to do that, Rainbow,” Celestia said, her voice light but firm. “That would not be appropriate.”
“For a situation like this? I think it’s totally appropriate!” Rainbow said. “We need to catch her as soon as possible!”
“For all we know, she could have flown away into the night,” Celestia said, her voice becoming firmer. “We do not know if she is still in the city.”
“Exactly! She might still be here!” Rainbow stomped on the floor with her front hooves. “I’ll do it myself if I have to!”
Celestia’s lieutenant strode up to Rainbow and looked down upon her with a steely gaze. “With all due respect, if you try to do anything of the sort, you will be arrested, ma’am.” Rainbow flicked her tail once, her gaze never leaving his until Twilight nudged her with a wing.
“Rainbow... they’ll get her,” Twilight said, letting Scootaloo go. She looked down at her and said, “Follow the nice guard down to the chariot, okay? Rainbow will follow you to make sure everything is safe.”
“Okay...” Scootaloo nuzzled Twilight’s leg, then trotted away after Rainbow.
Twilight stood up, her head hung low. “Spike, can you send word to my parents that we’ll be coming home late tonight?” she asked.
“Uh...” Spike rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know how to do that.”
Celestia lit her horn for several seconds, then said, “It is done. A guard has been dispatched to their home.”
“H-How?” Twilight asked, blearily looking up at Celestia.
“I will teach you later, my faithful student, but now is not the time for such things,” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “You should not keep the nice pegasi at the chariot waiting, though.”
“Good point.” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her former mentor’s neck. “I wish we wouldn’t have to keep meeting under such stressful circumstances...”
“As do I, Twilight...” Celestia gently nuzzled Twilight’s neck, then let her go. “Perhaps I shall invite you all for tea once this is all taken care of.”
“That would be awesome,” Twilight said with a grin. “Thank you for coming...” she murmured as she walked past her.
Spike walked up to Celestia, then chuckled nervously. “Hey, so... I just wanna say that I’m sorry for waking you up, Princess. I don’t like it when Twilight makes me get out of bed, so I’m pretty sure that you don’t like being woken up, either.”
“It is quite alright, Spike,” Celestia said with a light chuckle. She lit her horn, then levitated Spike up onto her back. “So... why does it look like Twilight teleported a table and chairs in here?”
Spike laughed. “Long story.”
CELESTIA, LUNA, CADANCE, TWILIGHT, AND DISCORD DAMN IT YOU STUPID FUCKING WORTHLESS PIECE OF TRASH GUARD! I HOPE YOU FUCKING LOSE EVERYTHING WHEN THIS IS ALL DONE WITH!
That guard's gotta go! Lock him in the cell with the bitch, just get them out of here!
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HE IS A FAILURE AS A GUARD! HE KNOWS WHAT SHE DID! HE KNOWS WHAT SHE IS! GO! FUCK YOURSELF YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I HOPE YOU GET DEMOTED TO THE WORST POSSIBLE POSITION! DISCORD'S ASS WIPING TOILET PAPER!
Ugh... yeah mister guard, maybe you should give one fraction of a percent of a thought as to why she lost her daughter. I hope for your son's sake that you don't know already. But, nah, she was nice all those years ago, people (ponies) never change, and you totally live in a dystopian world where children are taken from loving parents for bullshit reasons all the time. So no need to think about the why, or at all! Good luck with the new career after your superiors find out, and I'm sure you'll never regret letting her go free.
Oh bugger....
Personally hate it when fics do this. All of a sudden, I'm supposed to believe a couple drunk fugitives have this network of friends willing to go against the law for them? And that they can take on not only the royal diarchy, but a freakin' princess, and her super-OP friends that handle matters of national security on a regular basis? I get that we're trying to have an internal conflict here, but it honestly would have been better for the parents to have been caught early on and for another conflict to arise, rather than coming up with all this convoluted horseshit about how two aging drunks with blatant anger issues are suddenly on the same level as Twilight and her friends.
Guard sold out!!!!
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To be fair, if someone is charging right at you and you have a knife they don't notice, it would be very easy to just stick it out and let their momentum do the rest. Twilight's brain just went into Panic mode because of that scenario. And we all know Twilight does not think logically during panic mode.
8395207
Yeah, but I can see where this is all going. This is going to turn into a near-apocalyptic battle with the parents, when it should be just a real quick scuffle ending with a couple drunken assholes going to prison. C'mon, suspension of disbelief only goes so far. I'm only looking forward to it because I like seeing drunken, abusive shitbags get what's coming to 'em.
Oh... COME ON!!!
...stupid guard!
...le sigh... You just can't find good help these days, stupid guard thinking with the wrong head and Tranquil pulling the parent card smart on her part but I can't believe a Lt. would fall for such ploy.
I think Fluffy needs to be kicked out of the Gaurd for this. He just directory disobeyed an order from the Princess all becuase he his wrong head do some thinking. Hopefully both parents get caught and several ponies get a good scolding over how to trust those in power.
Yo! Bro! Stop thinking with ya dick, Man!
8395210
Ah. A fine pastime; if I do say so myself.
Freaking traitor!!
I'm just thinking about some ways this can end....
I see fire... LOTS AND LOTS OF FIRE
8395328
You're exactly how I feel about this chapter.
I wonder if fluffy was ever give an info pack about what happening, I have feel fluffy going to face wrath of either a princess or a over protective big brother
8395172
um I would go with being in charge of the CMC when they out try to get a cutie mark.....
8395377
No that's too easy. Discord gets creative.
8395379
the cmc can as well by watch them I mean make sure they don't end up coat in tree sap... oh and pay for damages....
8395158
...huh.
Twilight's a Princess, so this story definitely takes place past "Keep Calm and Flutter On"...
Why hasn't Rainbow asked Fluttershy to ask Discord to help? Pretty sure he'd have plenty of ways to track that pair down instantly, and I seriously doubt if any of the heroes would care what it put the pair through in the process.
8395382
This guy's letting an abusive parent and attempted murderer run loose. He deserves Discord.
8395383
guess cause rainbow did not think of it and also why few people put discord in story is cause he too powerfully and could track them down but then they be no story, they escape ask discord and he say yess and snap claws and poof there in front of him or the princess or in his basement.....there be no reason to have them escape
8395384
I just think the CMC would be million time worst then discord. till they get they cutie marks.... then again I from school of though that little kids are worst then ever demon out there combind...... that and I can see discord get bored after while. or kill them
8395396
Yeah no. Discord is worse.
8395391
Or an alternative.
Discord can't track them down because their inherent magic is just that week after years of dissipation through alcoholism. So instead he generates a beacon Scootaloo is to wear at all times that will let him know instantly if she's in distress, and will show him her surroundings when it does. Thus, Discord becomes her guardian angel.
This leads to Scootaloo being reckless as she hopes to use Discord's help to catch her parents to end this once and for all.
8395197
Scootaloo's parents don't have some sort of network like that. It just so happens that she ran into an old friend that she was able to manipulate. I've been watching Game of Thrones way too much haha.
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I'm sorry, guess I was confused. She mentioned "friends" across Equestria that they were getting in touch with.
8395411
Oh, nah. Consider them friends from their past or old work colleagues.
8395414
And all totally okay with helping them hide from the cops? I like my work buddies, but not enough to get charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive.
this scene with scoots mother & that guard my reaction is http://i.imgur.com/Ytc396y.gif glad this story's updated & the guard should be discharged for breaking an order! at least in my story(when i'm able to finish it!) a royal guard will be punished/pay for his crime!
8395424
All of them aren't totally okay with helping them out, but there are a few that are.
8395444
but apparently there still going to help them even if there not ok with it, and that just dosint make alot of sense. Im with Kildeez on this one.
would you really go out of youre way to help a fugitive on the run from what is basically the secret service especially when youre a member of said group and have been ordered by the head of state to arrest said person.
i wouldn't
8395401
yea that could end in bad way if it went that way
8395547
Thus we have a logical way to involve Discord - which makes sense to do - but also includes continued conflict.
There is always a way to incorporate entities of that level while still having conflict in the story. You just need to be creative about it.
Tchah! There's always someone on the inside that blows everything out the loop!
Oh well, nice twist in any case.
One sweet voice was all it took to make that guard forget his duty. Did he even read up on Tranquil breeze after she was sent to jail?
8395543
Personally, I wouldn't, nor would any other reasonable person/pony. Sure makes for a good story, though!
Tranquil certainly has a way with words, huh
I really hope "Fluffy" earns himself a dishonorable discharge.
Really? When we had to endure months of waiting for this encounter after eight chapters of scattered plot development and your business with your prequel's book publishing, we have to endure three more for another chapter?
FLUFFY WHY DID YOU DO THAT!!!!!
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so meny people are going to get arrested, so meny fucking people and i want to know what is going through there heads when it happens
why did they do it? what was there reasoning? how is the prison cell?
Found something.
Great chapter.
8396065
Haha, thanks for pointing that out! XP
cool was waiting for this xD didnt want to read part 1 then wait also is there a part 3? as i rather read the parts together
She pulled the sympathy and old feelings card on him and now might have a guard on her side because she's blatantly lied to him and he might not know the full details of her arrest and that she abused scoots because as he is a father he would have arrested her if he knew>>8395889
Missing comma.
Missing comma.
These are some pretty shitty guards. What are they doing peeing and buying coffee when the only reason they are out there in the first place is because they were ordered by Princess Celestia to conduct an emergency manhunt for an escaped felon? Yes, I understand Fluffy is lying and what he is doing, aiding and abetting, is much worse. But neglecting their duties for petty reasons is still pretty irresponsible.
Good chapter. I felt many strong emotions. Mainly anger. Anger at ponies thinking with their penises and being lazy and neglectful in the line of duty.
~KBO.
Best couple
This is why I love this story, anything can happen. I'm never sure that Twilight will be never be harmed (Cuz she's super powerful), and I never can be sure Scootaloo will be safe from her parents.
Hurray, you updated!