16: So Close; Still So Far
Yes. Once all of this is over, I am returning to my long-distance teleportation training.
Star Light could scarcely recall the last time she had to travel over such a long distance on hoof. There was that one time when she had to travel to far eastern Equestria and back, but that was with ample breaks in between and enough food to shame even the most gluttonous pony's stash. And Hoofington appeared to be so close to Canterlot on a map, too. Oh, how wrong she was. Then again, she did fail to take into account the long trip down the mountain that Canterlot was situated on. It also likely would've helped if she hadn’t galloped for the entire eleven or so miles. And to think she used to hate it when her parents took her out to run cross country.
It wasn’t like it mattered in the end, anyway; she was standing just outside of Hoofington, and time wasn’t something that she could afford to squander. If she was to find Rainbow Dash, then her burning lungs and aching legs were just things that she’d have to endure. Of course, getting to the city was the easy part. Getting Rainbow Dash out of there in one piece was the real challenge.
Best not to waste any more time, I suppose.
As Star Light took the first steps into the sprawling city, the issue of actually locating Rainbow became a very apparent one. Numerous buildings on either side towered over her, and stretched down the street for as far as the eye could see. The street that she was on had to contain dozens of them alone. And that was to say nothing of the countless ponies wandering about the streets. Even for a pony as distinctive as Rainbow, spotting her amidst the hundreds of buildings and thousands of citizens that Hoofington had to offer was a truly daunting task.
Of course, she always had the option of traveling at ground level, thoroughly perusing the streets for any hints of rainbow. However, Hoofington was a rather large city, to put it lightly, and such a method of exploration would take far too much time, time that Star Light already had virtually none of. If she was going to search the city for that pegasus, then she would have to approach things from a different angle.
“I'm going to need higher ground,” she muttered. Her eyes scanned the numerous buildings around her. Any number of the towering structures would’ve proven to be effective vantage points, but getting atop any one of them was where the challenge began.
Without any climbing equipment or opposable thumbs, she only had her teleportation to rely on, and even then, it was nothing very impressive. At the most, she could travel a maximum distance of thirty feet without fear of going thirty miles off course, nowhere near enough to mount the towers around her. However, there was a plethora of other, smaller buildings that could serve as stepping stones if she managed to get on top of those.
Star’s eyes shifted over to a smaller building, a small-time bakery, likely family-owned. Getting on top of the single-story structure would prove to be foal’s play, even for Star’s weaker-than-average magical abilities.
Unfortunately, as she looked over the bakery, she failed to notice the stallion walking right towards her. She only acknowledged his existence when he bumped into her, knocking her to the ground. As things stood, her visit wasn't starting off as smoothly as she had hoped.
As she lay on the ground, the stallion stood over her, not making the slightest effort to help her up. He just stood there, wearing a wide grin that was likely supposed to be friendly, but only came across as annoying as Star Light picked herself up off of the ground.
“Idiot,” she mumbled, brushing the dirt off of herself. It wasn't so much the dirt that annoyed her; she had gotten far worse things on her robes than that. No, it was the fact that she was knocked down in the first place. “Would you mind watching where you’re going next time?” she inquired.
Despite the seething glare she gave him, the stallion remained as lively as ever. “Hello there!” he said. “Welcome to Hoofington!”
Star Light only rolled her eyes. She appreciated hospitality as much as the next mare, but it was neither the time nor the place for such formalities. “Yes, I know where I am, thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must—”
She hardly got halfway through her next sentence before the stallion jammed out a hoof, expecting a friendly hoofshake. Star Light looked down at the hoof, then back up at the stallion, face flat and unamused.
“I don’t have time for this,” she muttered. “Please, just leave me—” As eager as Star Light was to tell the stallion off, she couldn’t help but notice something very odd about him. It was his eyes.
The stallion was kind of enough to remain perfectly still as he waited for the hoofshake that never came, allowing Star Light a closer look. She didn’t notice it as first, but looking more closely, she could see a very faint, yellow glow in his eyes. A sense of familiarity scratched at the back of Star’s mind. It took her a moment, but she soon remembered exactly where she had seen such a thing before.
Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.
“Oh, no,” she whispered. She backed away from the smiling stallion, her heart racing as a fresh wave of panic rushed through her body. She looked around at the countless other ponies walking around, or rather, she looked at their eyes.
Yellow.
It didn’t matter who it was, be it a stallion, a mare, or a foal, all of their eyes were aglow with that faint, yellow light. To the untrained eye, nothing would’ve seemed out of the ordinary; it was just ponies going about their daily lives. As Star Light observed her surroundings, she quickly realized that that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Looking more closely, she saw ponies stiffly walking up and down the streets in an endless loop. Vendors stood stock still, unmoving and unblinking, behind their stands. Even listening to the randomly assorted groups of ponies standing about yielded strange results. All of them kept having the same, repeated conversation about the weather, the occasional forced laugh thrown in here and there.
Nothing about the scene was ordinary. It wasn’t a city full of ponies, but one full of puppets. Puppets led along by some unseen string. That only left one question. Who was the puppeteer? Star Light needed to find Rainbow Dash, and quickly.
She swung back around to face the bakery, immediately pouring magic into her horn. She shut her eyes, painting a picture of her destination in her mind. With it being a roof, it didn’t take much trouble. With a clear image in her mind and enough magic built up, she released it all in one casting. She felt the surge of magic rush through her as it carried her to her target destination.
A split-second later, she rematerialized above the bakery. Ten feet above it, to be exact. That being the case, she took an immediate ten-foot dive to the bakery’s roof proper. She landed on the unforgiving concrete with a forceful thud, knocking all of the wind out of her. Evidently, overshooting her mark was still a problem, a minor flaw in her planning that she overlooked.
Star didn’t dwell too much on that graceful landing before getting back on her hooves, readying herself to jump over to the next building. She set her eyes on a nice, three-story building not far from her. From the ground, that might’ve been a challenge, but thanks to the bakery’s boost, it was miles easier. In a flash of light, she jumped over to that building, and with that one as another boost, she jumped over to another, and another, and another, each building higher than the last. As far as plans went, that one was going far better than she expected.
Before long, she found herself atop a towering, ten-story hotel, definitely a reasonable vantage point. Hoofington stretched out beneath her, its streets cutting wide swaths of brown through the maze of concrete buildings. From that point, nearly the entire east side of the city was visible to the unicorn. If there was something of interest to find, then she was going to find it.
Taking a deep, calming sigh, Star Light shut her eyes. Focus was imperative. A clear mind was essential. She needed to be sharp and alert. As she cleared her mind, all outside noise, from the loud hustle and bustle of the city, to murmured conversations, became crystal clear. Even her heartbeat, even her gentle breathing, was loud and clear. Properly composed, Star Light opened her eyes. The change in clarity was like night and day.
The citizens below, the size of mere ants before, were clear, distinct, and most importantly, easily identifiable to Star Light’s keen eyes. She scanned the packs of ponies below and the droves of pegasi above, keeping an eye out for any hints of blue or rainbow. At the moment, though, there seemed to be nothing, at least not from her current perch.
In another flash of light, she reappeared atop another nearby building, this one slightly lower than the hotel, but still acceptable. From that new vantage point, she made another scan of the city, going through every single street in her sight. To her annoyance, the result was the same: nothing. She jumped from building to building, scanning over the numerous streets five times over before continuing to the next. Each failed search only made her more frantic, more desperate. She even looked over certain places twice, desperate to find the pegasus. She double-checked, triple-checked, and double-checked her triple-checks. Yet each search still yielded the same thing. Nothing, nothing, and more nothing.
This isn't good. Not good at all. Where is she?
Doubts started filling her mind. What if Rainbow wasn’t there? What if she was captured by whoever brainwashed the city? What if Star Light simply overlooked the pegasus during her more frantic searches? All of these scenarios and more raced through Star’s head, and none of them helped to calm her nerves.
It certainly didn’t help that all of her frequent teleporting was taking a toll on her both physically and mentally. She felt her senses slipping away from her. Her vision, slightly blurred, was becoming utterly useless in her search, and the soft buzz in her ears virtually crippled her concentration. The entirety of her horn throbbed with the familiar ache of a unicorn pushing their magical capabilities past their limits, an ache that Star Light knew all too well.
As she sat there, gasping for breath and her brain sizzling, she had to admit that she may have overdone it. She should’ve stopped after three teleportations. She pushed it at five. After scrambling her brain with the ninth one, she finally decided that a quick break might have been the better option.
“How do those Las Pegasus performers make it look so easy?” she breathed out.
After her little breather, Star Light felt like she had enough juice for a few more castings. In reality, she only had enough for one if she was lucky, but ‘stubborn’ was another one of her many traits. Just as she started gathering the magic, however, her ears perked up as they caught a noise. It sounded like the clattering of a tipped over trashcan. Better yet, it came from right behind her.
She immediately spun around and crept towards the edge of the roof, towards the source of the noise. Peering over the edge, it hardly took her more than a second to spot something interesting at last. Was it Rainbow Dash? No, but it could still prove useful.
"Why am I always stuck with the heavy lifting?" A stallion clad in black robes travelled down the alley, weighed down by the burden of a purple unicorn resting on his back. That alone would’ve been enough to pique Star’s interest, but things only became more interesting when she realized that she recognized the unconscious mare, if only vaguely.
They met back in Ponyville under rather… unfavorable circumstances. She may not have known the purple unicorn for very long, but it was still long enough for Star Light to know that the unicorn was friends with Rainbow Dash. If she was still in the city, then Rainbow must’ve been as well. It wasn’t the most concrete of assumptions that Star had ever made, but since she was in a situation that involved Rainbow Dash, found enemies who were hunting Rainbow Dash and targeting friends of Rainbow Dash, assuming that it was all connected to Rainbow Dash was only a fair assumption to make.
Thankfully, the stallion had yet to notice the white-clad mare. If he was actually dumb enough to not only lead her to where Rainbow was, but to his base of operations as well, she potentially kill two birds with one stone.
Time to see where this goes.
Slowly and quietly, Star Light crept along the rooftop, tailing the oblivious stallion down the alley. As she did, she couldn’t help but let a soft chuckle pass through her lips. Sometimes, things were made a little too easy for her.
----
This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. Far from it. The plan was simple: capture the rainbow one and eliminate any opposition along the way. The proper preparations were set-up. Nothing was overlooked. Eyes and ears covered the entire city, capturing everything. Not a single street went unguarded. Even the layout within the tavern was perfect. The bait was laid out and one of the rainbow one’s friends went right for it.
Once the brown pegasus walked in, the assigned guards moved in front of the entrance, effectively trapping her inside while the others closed in. Even if she tried to run, she wouldn’t have gotten far. Even if she fought, she wouldn’t have lasted long. After all, she was one, frail pegasus. What fools they all were.
They all foolishly believed that they were prepared to face any situation; that any problem that presented itself would’ve been resolved posthaste. They were wrong.
Things were going accordingly at first. They had the brown pegasus surrounded, ready to capture her. But when that same pegasus went alight in a white, ethereal glow, morphing into the celestial sun princess, it became clear that there were certain things that they were not prepared for. All of their planning, all of their training, none of it could have ever prepared them to face the fiery wrath of Celestia herself.
There was a collective silence throughout the entire tavern as the alicorn scanned her environment. Dozens surrounded her, some backing away in fear, others defiantly standing their ground, daggers in mouth. All synchronization in the plan was gone, rendered meaningless by her presence. Everything that was to happen next was left entirely to fate.
In the end, some chose to flee, others chose to attack, others were simply too dumbfounded to do either. None got far. None stood a chance.
Celestia attacked quickly, fiercely, and ruthlessly. Her magic flew about the tavern in a magnificent display of controlled destruction. Those who chose to retreat hardly made it five steps before being tossed aside by sweeping bursts of magic, colliding with the walls at violent speeds.
Those who chose to fight fared no better. Numerous ponies charged the princess, daggers ready to slice and stab. The metal blades merely bounced off of her protective shield, not even causing a single ripple in the golden orb. Magical attacks were equally useless, their feeble blasts ricocheting off of the golden barrier, striking the surrounding walls, and in some instances, their own comrades, singeing both wood and flesh alike to a blacked crisp. They remained persistent, however, hopelessly convinced that the barrage of steel and magic had to overcome the princess eventually.
All the while, Celestia showed no signs of fatigue against the supposed onslaught. While their attacks were blind, reckless, and desperate, hers were not so haphazard. Every single beam of energy she fired was precise and focused. None missed their marks. The numerous surrounding ponies fell one by one as they were struck by the golden arrows. Her attacks sent pony after pony tumbling across the tavern floor, their coat and skin charred and smoking. The sickening odor of burning flesh slowly but surely filled the room, forcing its way into their nostrils, burning them.
Pained screams of the injured echoed throughout the tavern as more and more fell, their numbers dropping rapidly. Soon, only three remained, the bodies of their comrades littering the floor, a grim reminder of what awaited them in the near future. They had no hope. The plan completely fell apart. They needed to get out of there. Celestia was the only thing standing between them and the front door, their only chance at escape, slim as it was.
Two of the three took their chances and ran for the door. Celestia’s reaction was instantaneous. A golden beam slammed into one as he passed by, sending him crashing against the wall, his blue coat singed a dark, sizzling black. The other managed to make it past the princess. However, just as it seemed as though freedom was within her grasp, she came to a sudden stop. Looking behind, a golden aura around her tail was all that she saw before she was yanked back, flung towards the far opposite wall, crashing against it with a sickening crunch.
That left only one. Out of all of the ponies, he was the only one clad in black robes, robes that Celestia recognized all too well. The elegant stitching along the fabric, the white accents, it all only served to bring back memories that she would’ve rather forgotten. But the thing that caught her eyes the most was that accursed insignia etched into the hood that concealed his face. A full moon eclipsing a brilliant sun. The Solar Eclipse.
As she observed him, the slightest glint of anger flashed through her eyes. She knew that he was involved with everything that had happened over the past few days. He knew something that she wanted to know, and he was going to tell her, whether or not he wanted to.
The young stallion locked eyes with the princess. His legs trembled. The dagger in his mouth grew heavier with each passing second. Calm, controlled breaths were nothing if not an impossibility. Over forty bodies, and the princess went through all of them within a few minutes, not breaking a sweat. He was the last one left. It was hopeless. He stood no chance. Still, even as things stood, he couldn’t just stand down. Not to her. If she was going to take him down, he was going to go down fighting.
With nothing to lose, he broke into a mad charge towards the princess. The distance closed in seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, he made the leap towards her, eyes set on her throat. Then he stopped, left floating in the air, trapped in a golden aura mere inches from the princess. Her cold eyes stared directly into his, instilling a cripplingly cold fear in his chest. His mind was racing, and through the panic, only one thought stood out.
“Celestia have mercy on me.”
The princess’ face grew cold and stern. She peered even deeper into the stallion’s eyes, striking dread into his heart with one, simple word. “No.”
She threw to stallion to the ground. Before he even had time to register the pain, he felt a hoof firmly plant itself on his skull. She had him trapped. He was at her mercy.
Celestia glared down at him, her eyes boring a hole into his very soul. Slowly, she eased more weight onto the stallion’s head as she lowered her head next to his. “The Staff. Where is it?” she asked, her voice calm yet demanding.
As persistent as the stallion was in his attempts to escape Celestia’s grasp, he wasn’t going anywhere without her approval. “I… I don’t know!”
Celestia would’ve been lying if she said that she didn’t expect that exact answer. It wouldn’t have been the first uncooperative prisoner that she had to deal with, and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. If she had the time, then she likely would’ve been able to coax the information out of him, but time was something that she didn’t have. She had to resort to more direct measures.
Her eyes wandered down to the stallion’s flailing legs. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as an idea quickly formed in her mind. She enveloped one of the legs in a tight magical grip, stretching it out to full extension. The stallion must’ve known exactly what the princess had in mind, because the sheer panic in his eyes managed to make Celestia’s own heart race.
“I am in no mood to pull teeth,” Celestia stated. “I will ask you again. Where is the Staff?”
“I told you, I don’t know! You’ll just have to kill me.”
A soft, pitying sigh passed through Celestia’s lips. “Very well. Then you leave me no choice.”
The magical shroud around the stallion’s leg began to bend. Once he felt that pressure, he flipped into another full-fledged panic, flailing his free limbs every which way. Celestia, however, ensured that he was going nowhere. All the while, his leg only bent further back.
“Wait! Stop! Stop!” he cried. But Celestia didn’t listen. Her patience was already worn beyond thin. If showing mercy got her nowhere, then perhaps she should’ve stopped offering it.
The tavern doors burst open as a blue blur shot inside. Celestia immediately released her grip on her captive’s leg, much to his immense relief. Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt right in front of the princess, panic running rampant in her eyes. “Princess, you gotta hear this! Twilight and the others were… were…” Her voice trailed off as she finally noticed the devastation surrounding her.
She took in the charred, blacked wood that spotted the tavern, the small blood spatters that stained the floor and walls, and the numerous ponies lying on the ground in ways that only a plethora of broken bones would allow. The sight should’ve been shocking, disturbing, or at least bothersome to the pegasus. Perhaps unnerving or at least a bit uncomforting. The scene before her should’ve been a number of things, but it was none of them. It was surprising, yes, but more in the sense of walking in on a giant mess rather than a possible massacre.
After scanning it all, her eyes finally stopped on Celestia. “What, uh… What happened here?”
Celestia didn’t falter for a second. “My suspicions were correct. This tavern was a giant trap. All of these ponies attempted to attack me. They left me no choice. It had to be done.”
The sheer callousness behind her voice should’ve been something of a red flag, but there were far too many other things on Rainbow’s mind for her to be concerned about that.
“You were saying something about Twilight?” Celestia asked, worry finally appearing in her eyes. “Has something happened?”
And with that question, all of the destruction around Rainbow may as well have been graffiti on a wall for all she cared for it. “Yeah. I think they were captured or something."
Celestia’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she glanced back down at the stallion beneath her hoof. Her eyes quickly snapped back up to Rainbow. “By who?”
Rainbow awkwardly scratched the back of her head. “I… didn’t really get a good look at their faces, but…” She took note of the stallion as well, and her eyes filled with a newfound hatred. “…but they were wearing the same robes as this jerk!” She punctuated that with a swift kick to the stallion’s ribs. With Celestia cutting off his air supply, he couldn’t so much yelp as he could wheeze in pain.
The sun princess hardly concerned herself with the abuse. She had other questions. “These ponies that you saw, were they attempting to capture you as well?”
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah. Three of ‘em tried to jump me in that abandoned house. I managed to take out two, but the last one got away.” Her voice grew sterner as the anger she felt back at the house started to resurface again, and was only amplified as she glared at the stallion before her.
Celestia would’ve continued her questions if a few choice words didn’t jump out at her. “’Take out’?” she repeated. “As in you—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rainbow quickly cut in. “No, I didn’t kill any of ‘em. I just knocked ‘em out. Don’t ask how, ‘cause I barely know myself.”
“I see.” Celestia’s face softened ever so slightly. She had a niggling desire to continue that conversation, more out of worry than anything else, but she was quick to remember why they were there in the first place. With these recent developments, things only became all the more urgent. “Regardless, perhaps our new friend will be able to shed some light,” she said, looking down at the stallion.
“He better, if he knows what good for him,” Rainbow said. In reality, she was just hoping that he’d give her the perfect excuse to tear him a new one. She still had pent-up aggression for the one that got away. The chance to let it all out just seemed far too sweet to let slip by.
Celestia finally removed her hoof from the stallion’s throat. As he rolled about the ground, gasping for air, she noticed the murderous glint in Rainbow’s eyes. The pegasus stood over the stallion, just waiting for the perfect moment—the perfect excuse—to beat him within an inch of his life. Celestia gently eased her aside with a wing, much to Rainbow’s annoyance. “Hey, what gives?”
“Now, now, Rainbow,” Celestia began, her voice carrying the silky smoothness of a mother. “There will be no need for violence.”
Her assurances made the stallion chuckle, in spite of his bruised ribs. “Just as hypocritical as always,” he said. “Just five minutes ago, were you not going to—” Whatever blatant lie he was prepared to spew was promptly cut off when a golden shroud wrapped around his mouth.
“Unless violence is made necessary,” Celestia said, stern eyes glaring daggers at the silenced stallion. Not long afterwards, she brought her eyes back up to Rainbow, the princess’ eyes not showing a hint of the animosity they held mere seconds ago. “You have no need to worry,” she said. “I will handle this.”
Rainbow’s eyes, still brewing with anger, drifted down to the stallion. She knew that whatever Celestia had planned would be too good, too painless, for him. If she just had five minutes with him, then she'd give him what he really deserved. Granted, she may not have gotten answers, but she’d still feel better afterwards. But Celestia said that she had things under control, and Rainbow didn’t have much reason to doubt that. So, against her gut instinct, Rainbow sat aside.
With her under control, Celestia could refocus attention on the stallion. After removing the magical gag, she lifted the stallion in a golden aura until the two were eye to eye. “Now, I have been very patient with you. That patience is beginning to wear thin. I will give you one last chance to cooperate.” She brought the stallion closer until their muzzles were mere inches apart. “Where is the Staff?”
Rainbow shot up to her hooves. “And my friends?”
“And her friends,” Celestia quickly added.
“I already told you. I don’t—”
“I've heard you before. I simply don’t believe you.”
The stallion could only scoff. “Believe what you want.”
“Rest assured, I only believe what I know to be true. As of right now, I believe that you are no longer proving to be of any use to me.”
“Let me have a crack at it,” Rainbow requested, an impish grin on her face. “I bet I can get him talking in no time.”
Celestia kept her gaze fixed on the stallion. “That won’t be necessary.” She softly sighed. “I have given you the chance to cooperate. To redeem yourself, if only slightly. You chose to spurn it. I hoped that it wouldn’t come to this, but you leave me no choice.” Her horn surged with its magnificent, golden light, illuminating the entire tavern. As she inched towards the stallion, the trapped pony put all of his strength into attempts at escape, but he couldn’t budge an inch. Celestia’s grip was firm and unwavering; he wasn’t budging a single muscle if she didn’t allow it.
With another flick of magic, she drew back his hood. A pair of terrified, blue eyes stared at her from an equally terrified orange face. Celestia’s horn stopped mere inches from the stallion’s sweating forehead. “Do you have anything else that you wish to say?” She herself didn’t know why she gave such ponies so many chances. Maybe she had some blind hope that an inkling of sense would break through to them, but more times than not, they simply spat those chances back in her face, sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally.
As the stallion’s expression hardened, she knew that this time would be no different. “Do whatever you want to me,” he spat. “Just know that—”
“If you insist,” Celestia cut in. Whatever speech he had planned, it was nothing that she hadn’t heard a thousand times before. She had far more important things to attend to. Before the stallion could properly express the sheer fear that was undoubtedly coursing through his veins, Celestia touched her horn to his forehead.
Rainbow Dash could only stand aside and shield her eyes as a blinding light engulfed the entire building. Once it faded, she cracked open an eye. The stallion was still floating in Celestia’s magic, but his body was limp. Whatever Celestia did to him, it knocked him out cold.
Celestia herself had her eyes closed as well. But they weren’t clamped shut as if out of pain, but gently shut as though she were concentrating. Although the small voice at the back of her mind was telling her not to, Rainbow crept closer towards the princess. “Uh, Princess Celestia? You okay?” Understandably, her mouth curled into a small frown when she didn’t get a response.
However, just before Rainbow was about to use the tried and true method of waving a hoof in front of the unresponsive princess’ face, Celestia slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she seemed to stare off into space before snapping her eyes back on the stallion before her. Her face fixed itself into a soft, yet fierce glare, one that chilled Rainbow to the bone just looking at it.
“So… what happened?” the pegasus asked.
The question seemed to fly right over Celestia’s head. She just stood there for a few more seconds before finally dropping the stallion to the ground like a discarded ragdoll. “Worthless,” she muttered.
“What?”
“He doesn’t know much. He doesn’t know where the Staff is nor where the others are.”
“How do you know? Did you read his mind or something?”
“In a way, yes. It’s something of a last resort that I use in only the most dire of situations. As you can see, its effects on the recipient are less than beneficial.” She took another glance down at the pony lying at her hooves.
Rainbow gently prodded him with a hoof, getting absolutely nothing in response. She had to admit, if she couldn’t see him breathing, she might have assumed the worst. “Who are these guys, anyway? Why are they doing this?” Rainbow looked back up at the princess, expecting an answer.
She didn’t get one, at least not straight away. Celestia took a moment to properly compose herself. She shut her eyes and gently sighed. Evidently, the situation was starting to get to her as well. Finally, Celestia opened her eyes and looked dead at Rainbow. “I don’t know.”
Rainbow didn't know what it was, but something odd was itching at the back of her mind. It was a feeling that she just couldn't shake. Whatever it was about the princess, it simply felt like she wasn't being entirely up front. Regardless, those niggling feelings weren't helping her get any closer to her friends, and as of that moment, nothing else was either. She felt herself slouch over as she felt a pang of what Celestia must've been feeling; disappointment as they ran into another dead-end. “So, I guess we’re stumped, then?”
Surprisingly, a small smile crept onto Celestia’s face, raising Rainbow’s own spirits, if only slightly. “Not quite,” she said. “Though this stallion didn’t yield much information, I do now know where they’re operating from. I’m almost certain that Twilight and the others, as well as the Staff, are there as well.”
Rainbow felt a surge of newfound energy as she stood right back up. In all honesty, she didn’t give a flying feather about that fancy whacking stick; she just wanted to find her friends. “Alright! Where to?”
“It isn’t very far from here. Stay by me and we will be there in no time.”
As psyched as Rainbow was to get some much-needed payback, she couldn’t help but feel that they were overlooking something. That feeling became very apparent when she laid eyes on the stallion at her hooves, and weighed down like a sack of bricks when she saw the other unconscious ponies strewn about the destroyed tavern. “What about these guys?” she asked.
Celestia took a quick look around the tavern herself. “No need to worry. They won’t be waking for quite some time, and once they do, they’ll find themselves behind bars.” If Rainbow still had concerns about anything, Celestia didn’t give her a chance to voice them. “Now, if there’s nothing else to discuss, we should get going. We’ve wasted enough time.”
There were still things that Rainbow wanted to discuss. A lot of things, actually, but Celestia was right. Her friends needed her, and standing around wasn’t going to do a thing to help them. The questions buzzing about in her head would simply have to wait.
As she approached the princess, she could feel the familiar sensation of magic wrapping tightly around her body. After a few short seconds, another flash filled the tavern. When it cleared, the two ponies were gone.
----
At times, Star Light truly wondered what most ponies had against looking up. If any one of her targets had mastered that simple art, or even just studied it in their spare time, it would’ve thrown a massive wrench into virtually all of her plans. Yes, it would’ve caused the occasional sprain in the neck, but a bit of pain would go a long way if it meant protecting their precious, secret plans.
Even the lout that she was trailing would’ve given her some trouble if he just looked up. Her frequent leaps from building to building as she followed him, while impressive, weren’t exactly the subtlest form of travel. One glance up and her cover would’ve been blown wide open. Maybe it would’ve led to a heart-pounding chase through the crowded streets or even a small brawl in the heart of the city. That would’ve been nice.
But as things stood, Star Light remained undetected, and the stallion remained ignorant. As a result, he soon led Star right straight to what she was hoping for. Just a scant few blocks away sat Hoofington’s most prized piece of architecture. The Celestial Museum. Named after the sun princess herself, this was one of the very few buildings throughout Equestria that Celestia herself personally built. Even after so many years, her elegance still withstood the test of time.
The wooden exterior, carved from the finest oak, still shone with the same lustrous sheen that it had from the day it was built. Its windows were crystal clear, its body free of any nicks or scratches. And at the very top stood a white marble carving of Celestia herself, forever looking over all of Hoofington. It was as if time itself refused to deface such a beautiful structure.
However, beneath the elegance was something far more sinister. Something that should’ve been lost in history long ago. And Star Light was led right to it. But before she got too ahead of herself, she had to save that mare.
With no more reason left to wait, Star dropped down from the rooftop. The stallion never saw her coming. He was only alerted to his presence when he heard a light thud behind him. He spun around, but all he saw of her was a swift pink hoof speeding towards his face. He already had no chance, but with the unicorn weighing him down, he was completely helpless. With a satisfying, shattering crack, Star Light sent the stallion crashing to the floor.
The purple unicorn tumbled off of his back during the fall, landing on the ground in a sleepy heap.
Before Star could check on her, however, she still had to deal with the stallion, who quickly recovered from his little tumble. The smile on her face as the stallion drew a dagger was just as gleeful as it was disturbing. Finally, she would have a fight, and from the looks of it, an easy one at that.
If the stallion was low in rank, it certainly showed. His fighting stance hardly showed a hint of confidence. He was nervous. Afraid. Sure, with his level of skill, he’d be able to deal with ponies like the purple mare, ponies who lacked proper combat experience, very easily. But against a pony such as Star Light. It was a very different matter. She wouldn’t even need to use her own weapons. It wasn't so much a challenge for herself, but rather an insult to him.
With a blood-thirsty cry, the stallion rushed forward. Now, any respectable combat instructor would've heavily advised against such an action, as a blind charge was, is, and forever will be, easily predictable and avoidable. Star Light quickly proved that point as she sidestepped the stallion’s wild swipe, clearing the blade by miles. She punished him with a quick jab to the back of the head. It wasn’t too forceful; just hard enough to really piss the stallion off.
Another point that is strongly advised by combat instructors is to never throw all of one's weight and strength into each and every attack, as it would not only leave one wide open for counterattacks, but would also eat through one's energy very quickly. Unfortunately, nopony told the stallion that.
He furiously swung his dagger towards Star Light, aiming for her chest, her throat, her abdomen, and always hitting nothing but air. None of the unicorn’s movements were wasted. Ducks led gracefully into sidesteps. Backsteps led seamlessly into small leaps over the blade. She even teased him, at times allowing his blade to pass mere inches from her flesh. And every time he missed, she snuck in a punch or two, whether it was to his face, his chest, or at times, his rump. This was the first fight that she had in months, and as Celestia as her witness, she was going to savor every second of it.
Soon enough, the stallion’s movements grew sluggish, more so than they already were, at least. His attacks decreased noticeably in both speed and power, making them even easier to dodge. His chances of hitting Star Light were already low to begin with, but now, he didn’t have a chance. He was never in control from the very start. Star Light played him like putty in her hooves, and now she had him just the way she liked her opponents. Weak, groggy, and defenseless.
Soon, the two were at a stand-off. The stallion panted, his legs shaking and lungs burning from fatigue. Star, meanwhile, was just as energetic as she was before the fight. Her smug, satisfied eyes stared right into the stallion’s own furious gaze. They both knew how the fight was going to end, whether or not either of them said it. Star Light, however, felt an obligatory need to rub that fact in regardless.
"We both know how this is going to end," she said, her smirk only growing wider. "You'd be better off surrendering, not that it'd make a difference."
The stallion only snorted as he prepared himself for one last charge, crouching down low, mustering up one last burst of energy. Star Light never gave him the chance to do so. She darted forward, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. The stallion’s eyes were quick to fill with terror, but his body was anything but quick. Before he could react, Star brought a firm hoof down on the top of his head, slamming his face into the concrete. His body followed suit, crumbling to the ground in a limp heap. It was over. He was out cold.
Victorious, Star Light stepped over the stallion, shaking the lingering aches out of her hoof as she approached the sleeping mare. She had to admit, he didn’t last as long as she would’ve liked, but given the strict time constraints, that was likely for the best.
With the threat eliminated, that only left the task of waking up the mare. Maybe she’d be able to get the unicorn to give her some information on Rainbow's whereabouts. Somehow, she felt that was going to be far easier said than done.
“Let’s see what we can do.” After clapping her hooves together, Star Light stood over the sleeping unicorn. From there, she could already tell that she was still breathing, so that was the worst-case scenario thankfully thrown out of the window. Star gave the unicorn a quick look over, observing her body for any signs of trauma. “Hmm. No bruises, no cuts, no signs of broken bones. Looks like she was knocked out with some kind of spell or drug. Okay, this should be simple enough.”
Her observation complete, Star backed away from the mare. Her horn glowed a bright blue as she reached into her robes. She took out a small vial of clear liquid. It was the perfect thing to wake anyone from their deepest of slumbers, drug-induced or otherwise.
She unscrewed the vial and carefully dabbed a tiny amount of the liquid on her hoof. After placing the vial back in the safety of her robes, she held the hoof right under the sleepy mare’s nose. “Okay, sleepyhead. Time to wake up.”
After breathing in the liquid’s scent, the unconscious mare’s nose involuntarily twitched and fidgeted about until finally…
“Achoo! Achoo! Ah… Ah… Achoo!” The mare exploded into a fit of uncontrollable sneezes.
Whatever professional appearance Star Light thought that she had quickly crumbled as she tried and failed to hold back her chuckles. As the scene before her went on, those chuckles quickly turned into uproarious cackles as she fell back on her haunches, clutching at her aching stomach. It was for that very reason why sneezing water was one of her favorite tools. One whiff of the stuff, and she was guaranteed a show from anybody.
Of course, as the mare’s sneezes came to an end, so too did Star’s laughter. So, once the purple unicorn was over her fit, Star trotted back up to check on her. “So, you awake yet?” she asked. She couldn’t help but smile as the mare cracked an eye open. At least she knew that it worked, not that there was any doubt.
“Wha?” she groaned. Her vision was hopelessly blurry. All she could make out was the silhouette of a pony against the blue sky. “Rainbow, is that you?” she asked, still fighting through the daze.
Star’s smile quickly faded away. As much as she was enjoying herself, she couldn’t forget the gravity of the situation, nor why she was there in the first place. “No, I’m not Rainbow Dash. Actually, I was hoping that you could help me find her.”
The dazed unicorn opened her other eye. “What? Why would you—” For the first time since she woke up, her vision finally cleared. The very first thing she saw was a hooded pony staring right down at her. So, she reacted much like how any normal pony would’ve reacted to such a sight. She shot a potentially lethal beam of magic right at the hooded pony’s face.
Now, Star Light liked to consider herself fast. At full gallop, she could run faster than some pegasi could fly. Her senses were well above average, and her reaction time was near instantaneous. That said, the speed at which she jerked her head back to avoid that beam of magic was undoubtedly the fastest she had ever, and will ever, move.
Even then, she was unable to save her mane, if the few blacked locks dangling in her vision were any indicator. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time to mourn over her ruined mane before she felt herself lift off of the ground, trapped in a lavender aura. Just as she predicted, talking to that mare was going to be much easier said than done.
When she got a good look at the mare, the sight was unsurprising, to say the least. The unicorn could’ve set fire to something with the unbridled anger in her eyes. And Star Light, at the moment, was at her mercy. As far as situations went, she had seen boulders balanced on needles that were more stable. Still, she wasn’t dead yet; in fact, she still had free reign to move about in the unicorn’s magical grip. Maybe she’d still be able to talk her way out.
“Where are my friends?” the unicorn demanded.
Star Light wisely kept her hooves up in the air, lest she cause some kneejerk reaction. “I don’t know,” she calmly answered.
“Don’t lie to me!” Another surge of magic built up in the unicorn’s horn. Star didn’t need to be a magical aficionado to know that she didn’t want to be on the receiving end on whatever that spell was. Still, she kept her composure.
“I am not the enemy here. I want to help you.”
The unicorn's expression only grew sterner. “Help? How?”
Star Light motioned to the unconscious stallion lying underneath her. “Well, I did just save you from him. How’s that for starters?” Her captor’s hardened expression softened for a moment as she took that fact into consideration. Star Light was actually surprised when she felt herself relax. She didn’t even know she was that tense.
“How do I know that I can trust you more than him?” the unicorn asked, her voice softer than before.
“That’s the thing. I know that this isn’t the best of circumstances, but I was hoping that saving your life would make you give me the benefit of the doubt.” Star figured that she was slowly but surely getting through to the mare, but until her hooves were safely back on the ground, she wasn’t going to assume much of anything. It did, however, seem to be working, as she felt the grip around her loosen. She wasn’t back on the ground yet, but it was a start.
The two unicorns locked eyes again. “H-how do I know you’re not just working for them?” the purple mare asked. She tried to sound fierce, but she still couldn’t hide the uncertainty in her voice.
Even though Star Light understood just how irrational a paranoid pony could be, she still couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Do you hear yourself right now? Why would I knock out one of my comrades and then wake you up, a key target, giving you a chance to do any number of things?” She brought attention to the lavender aura that she still floated in. “Clearly, not a sound plan.”
“Who’s to say that I’m even awake? This could all be a hallucination caused by the tranquilizers. You might not even be here right now!”
In spite of the situation, Star couldn't keep herself from smacking a hoof to her face. “Oh, for the love of— Really?!”
“Well, excuse me! It’s hard for me to think rationally right after I’ve been drugged!”
Star was about to toss more fuel onto the verbal fire when she felt the grip around her tighten again. Perspective regained, she decided that shouting at her possibly unstable captor wasn’t the best course of action. After swallowing down a few choice words, Star finally calmed down. “Okay. Maybe we should try this again.” She softly sighed. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”
The purple mare raised a single, confused eyebrow. “We’ve met before?”
“I suppose that’s a no,” Star sighed. She grabbed her hood and drew it back, revealing herself to the mare. Her captor took a moment to study Star’s face, trying to figure out where she had seen her before. It seemed as though Star Light cleared another hurdle when her captor’s eyes went wide with realization.
“Wait, I met you in Ponyville,” she said. Almost immediately, her face flared with anger. “You were the one who broke into Rainbow’s house!”
A disturbingly wide smile broke out onto Star’s face. “Ah! So, you do remember me. Excellent.”
Despite her oddly chipper attitude, Twilight’s glare didn’t soften for an instant. “What are you doing here? Why did you break into Rainbow’s home? Don’t try to play games with me this time, either! You’re not exactly in the position to mess around.”
Star’s smile softened into another sly grin. “At least you’re more intelligent than most other ponies I meet. And since we’ve already met once before, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if I shed some more light on things.”
“Looks like you didn’t get away after all,” Twilight said, her own smirk crawling onto her face.
A short chuckle left Star’s muzzle. She liked this mare. “I suppose not.” The pink unicorn cleared her throat. “My name is Star Light. As for why I’m here, well, I’m simply on a mission. That is the same reason why I… perused Rainbow’s home.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, her suspicions not waning by the slightest. “A mission? What kind of mission? And that would be?”
“To protect Rainbow Dash.”
“From who?”
“From the likes of him.” With a jerk of her head, Star directed Twilight’s attention towards the black-clad stallion unconscious next to her.
Twilight felt a pang of disgust as she looked down at the stallion. The thoughts of what he’d have done to her if help hadn’t have arrived raced into her mind. It was a close call, one that Twilight didn’t want to make again. Still, her suspicions of her supposed savior remained.
“Listen,” Star said. “As I said, my only reason for being here is to ensure Rainbow’s protection. As her friend, I can only assume that you wish for the same. As long as we share that mutual goal, you have nothing to fear from me.”
Despite the reassurances, doubt still lingered in Twilight’s eyes. “As happy as I’d be to see a friendly face, I don’t think I’m ready to trust just anypony. I don’t really even know who to trust anymore.”
“Where do we go from here then?” She pointed down to the sleeping stallion. “I can’t, in clear conscience, let you wander off by yourself with more like him around. But I have my doubts that you’re willing to welcome me with open arms just yet.”
Twilight took a moment to weigh her options. Star Light’s claims seemed genuine, but for all she knew, deception could just be her special talent. Her gut was telling her to trust the pink unicorn, but she just couldn’t bring herself to take a risk like that. She couldn’t trust her own judgment. However, there was one pony whose judgment she did trust.
“Listen, Star Light. I’m taking you to Princess Celestia. If she can trust you, then I can, too.” She saw the unicorn visibly tense up at the mention of the princess’ name. Not the most reassuring sign. “Is there a problem?”
“Huh? Oh, no. Fair’s fair, I suppose. But, uh, do you even know where she is?”
“As a matter of fact, I—” Whatever confident face Twilight put on quickly shattered as another realization slammed into her. “—don’t.”
Star Light sighed once again. “Listen, I know things aren’t looking their brightest right now, but like I said, I’m not the enemy here. I want to help, but I can’t if you won’t let me.” When Twilight didn’t say anything, Star continued. “You wanted to know where your friends were. I think I know where they are. I can take you to them.”
Star Light could practically hear the struggle raging in Twilight’s mind as the unicorn tried to decide which option was the best. Even if she didn’t admit it, they knew that wandering the city blind was only going to waste time, and between the two, Star Light likely knew the city's layout better. As long as Twilight kept an eye on her, things should've been fine. The choice seemed clear.
After what felt like an eternity, Star was finally freed from her lavender prison, landing on the heavenly ground once more. However, her relief would have to wait; despite releasing Star, Twilight’s horn still surged with energy, and had it pointed right at the pink mare.
“If you think that you know where my friends are, take me to them. Now,” Twilight ordered.
Star slowly brought her hood back over her head, concealing her face within its shadows once more. “As you wish. But if you want to get them all out of there in one piece, you will do what I say, when I say it. Understand?”
Twilight’s horn crackled with energy as she entertained the thought of releasing her spell at the slightest provocation. “Just don’t try anything funny and we’ll see how well we get along.”
“Fair enough. Now let’s get going.” She trotted past Twilight, further into the alley. “The place isn’t very far. Just try to keep up.”
Twilight didn’t take her eyes off of the pink unicorn for a second as she followed behind. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into, but she didn’t care. She had a goal set in her mind, and she was going to see it through, no matter what.
Don’t worry, girls. I’m coming.
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2924839 Tobuscus literal trailer? At a timelike this? Priceless.
Though it might seem things are dragging on, I bet that without any of this the other chapters wouldn't make any sense. 9k+ words is very vivid but if it's needed to help progress the story then it's needed. I did like the stealth of prowling, the 'combat' scenes with Celestia (mind you that she is a VERY hard target to get to. You might need like 4 Artifacts... and a banana), and I found it hilarious to see how Twilight's reaction was
Awesome, also Magic is OP because Unicorns
2946780
Yeah, I always get paranoid around points in the story like this. It's scary how quick some people are to get impatient, even if the set-up is essential to the rest of the story. Not to mention the payoff will be well worth the wait.
2946866 Absolutely
I hope one day to continue writing past to the point where my story loops around itself in a massive twist. Just haven't been able to get there because of some unreleased crossovers I'm still polishing up on.
It's all about the set-up/execution, and then you get to finally sit back, bask in it's release, and enjoy the payoff
Well somepony's messing with a Piece of Eden
Also you got me into the Assassins Creed series
OMFG I READ THIS ON FANFIC.NET FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
2946956
Is that right? Huh. Interesting. I never put it on ff.net.
2947033 Here, thankfully I'm pretty good at info gathering and ran a quick search. Not a Shaun Hastings from AC but I don't plan to be. Anyways, use/do what you will
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8780010/1/Live-by-the-Creed
(I never use the site, I don't understand the layouts properly. Go Fimfic, woo! *Ahem* anyways...)
2947117
Aligning Orbital Friendship Cannon at Target...
As for the story. Filler? What filler? It's called story building! It's not like every chapter must have ten things relevant to the plot and fifteen paragraphs of action! Right?
2947151 I always pictured filler to be this:
images.politico.com/global/2012/11/121116_2_twinkie_ap_328.jpg
Story Building makes everything in a chapter delicious
2947174
Mmmm... those tasty looking treats that I know not the name of...
... looks like those updates bugged something again. I'm getting the NaN on my notification bar...
Edit...
Yeah, I know, I'm slow today... those are twinkies, at least according to the picture's name...
2947117
Welp. This is apparently a thing now. A thing that I have blogged (and vented a bit) about. Geez, this is the second time someone plagiarized my story. I don't know whether to be flattered, angry, or indifferent. Anyway, thanks for finding that for me. Much appreciated.
2947212 No problem
2947212
Columns A and B, definitely. Don't be indifferent, though. I'd be mad as all hell if anyone plagiarized any of my works.
2840751
Mysterious hooded mare watching from a distance
Take a second to look awesome, time to go
2946777
Thing is, that would totally be in-character for Rainbow Dash.
Mother of Celestia I love this story.
2951938 I haven't had any time to read this! Its been on my read later list for like three weeks! there has just been so much to do! Im currently writing three stories at the same time, two of which are on their first chapters, the most important chapters in any story! Its so difficult!
That was a great Chapter I'm glad there are two arms of the assassins or at least the enemies are a mock of the assassins.
I can't wait for the next chapter 
I also love seeing Celestia actually fighting that was great 
I do hope the rest can be saved and I look forward to what happens with Rainbow Dash 
I WANT MOAR 
if you don't mind 
I still dont understand if Celestia is a bad guy or not?
2924839 Walking slow-motion so you still look awesome.
Guard just saw you and he's gonna shoot you.
2977417
but don't mind him just keep looking awesome
that shadow will take care of him WHITE
2982765 Guard said "STOP!" just kill him with your awesome.
The other got hit by an arrow so your good.
It sounds like there is 3 factions in the story so far.
2982875
Part the Red Sea,
Hopefully those guards have good armour.
2983912 No they don't, maybe they do. THEY DON'T.
Now Act like you didn't do it. (They're not buyin' it.)
2985287
Target comes out of his shelter,
he's distracted by a feather.
2987659 He's like "Shoot Me."
He likes feathers.
2987771
He looks up when he remembers
Ooh, I LOVE birds!
2993188 Nod at the bird and PEOPLE DIE.
Everywhere PEOPLE DIE.
2993199
Target doesn't die,
HE'S FINE!
Target sends horsemen to die.
2993386 Kill the horse ((NOPE)) the rider FALLS DOWN.
Kill the rider the rider falls down.
2993447
Target's still fine.
Target nods and some other guards
that were hiding in pillars
COME OUT
2996267 And then take their formation,
And target pulls out his sword.
Then goes to smell his sword,
Not sure why.
2997159
Mysterious hooded man joined by
other hooded people...
YOUR'E NEXT.
2998931 Running.
RUNNING!
Slow-motion Jump ATTACK!!
*guitar* DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DO SUBSCRIBE!!!!
2999192
Aw dang it, I missed that comment thread cause I read too slow
Maybe start the Revelations trailer?
3001966 Go for it...
On second thought I'll start it
Stargate, Ubisoft, SPARKLE.
Fade in to the left hand of a sleepy man.
How'd he fall asleep there?
3001988
Help up the sleepy hooded man.
That's what beds are for.
Drag him 'cross the stone floor.
(I'm at work atm hence the delay between posts)
3002204
Front shot then a shot from the ceiling.
He could get carpet burned.
Slow fade.
3002686
Cut to white on a boat, I'm looking ahead.
Holding on a rope. I am...
Nauseous.
3002801 Now I'm alone, walking away.
And I'm afraid of heights.
Oh sh**!!
3004316
How'd I get up here? If I fall, then I would be dead.
I made it down alright.
I feel great - RAAHH! GOD! COME ON!
3004343
Whoever shot that arrow's gonna pay.
Enter Bald Guy With a Cape.
Break the arrow off, you can take a bald guy.
3004475 Then you see the bald guy
joined by some other guys.
RUN UP!
BAD ASS DASH here
3004683
In slow motion, kick a guy in the head.
Stab his friend. Spin around, roll off.
Punch a face.
3005695
Start out in slow motion first,
then use your speed hack.
Grab a sword, use it to deflect.
3006455 Stab him in the back.
Get down just in time,
and slap him in the face.