//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: A Night on the Town: Hunt or be Hunted // Story: Ponygoyles // by Alphamon_Ouryuken //------------------------------// Manehatten (Unknown Location): “That’s everything.” The spy lowered her head, giving her superior time to mull over the information. This, added with the success of the Wonderbolts’ mission and the discovery of the magic burst-controlling trooper of Fancy Pants, was putting the boss in one of the best moods the spy had ever seen her in. But she was still wary, for even in a good mood, the boss was known to smash ponies heads in. “These creatures, these Ponygoyles; they say they’re from a different era, hm?” “Yes, mistress,” the spy clarified. “That one Ponygoyle… the Wonderbolts said she had control over her magic bursts, though she just barely avoided hitting the other monsters.” “Yes, mistress.” “Hm.” She spun around in her chair and looked out the window at the city skyline. “We can’t let this opportunity slip away. I think the Ponygoyles need some extra eyes on them at all times. What say you, my dear?” “That’s a grand idea, mistress.” “Send word to agent Shield. Give him the coordinates. We'll have him observe these creatures, find their strengths and weaknesses.” “At once, mistress.” Sunset Enterprises: The sun set behind the Manehatten skyline and, with the disappearance of its rays, the power of the Ponygoyles was reawakened. As cracks spread across their diurnal stone casing, the six ancient siblings woke with unified roars, casting off their stone skins and revealing the flesh beneath. Twilight yawned as she finished roaring. She turned to the others and as they stretched their limbs, Fancy Pants walked up. "I must say, that’s quite a way to wake up." "PA-TOOY!! Gross!" Pinkie shouted as she angrily spit several feathers out of her mouth and a pigeon hastily flew away. She groaned, ignoring her sisters giggling at her misfortune."Ugh, stupid birds, I'll be spitting feathers for weeks!" “Well that's what you get for sleeping with your mouth open again.” Rarity stated with a coy smirk. “Oh go scare a nun!” Pinkie snapped. "Enchanting. Anyways, you six are to come with me," Fancy said, leading them back into the Castle. The Ponygoyle sisters followed him downstairs to his personal office once more. Unlike last time however, the screens were on, displaying several pictures of their fight from yesterday. "Now I'm sure you are all wondering why I called you here," Fancy said as he sat down at his desk. "We're figuring it has something to do with those vikings from yesterday?" Twilight asked, while a few of her sisters—particularly Pinkie—observed the screens. "It's the only thing that makes sense to us." “Indeed, though they weren't exactly ‘vikings’,” Fancy explained, unlike yesterday there was a bit of an edge in his tone. “They were soldiers from a rival company that have been trying to take me out for a while now.” Fancy pressed a button on his desk, causing the biggest screen to change, revealing one of the pegasi carrying a suitcase back to the helicopter. “You see, it turns out the assault on the Castle was a simple ruse to keep cover their true intent; stealing a much more valuable item.” "Which is what, exactly?" Twilight asked. Fancy pressed another button and the screen changed to show three objects; stone orbs with gem-like symbols on the front. “These are three of five rare artifacts that are very difficult to find.” He explained. The group stared at the orbs on the screen. Though Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow seemed the most interested in them. “These artifacts can be sold for a very high price, and I’d rather not let them fall into the wrong hands—” "Alright, and where are they now?" Rainbow asked as she slowly turned her attention away from the screen. "We could use some information like that." Fancy sighed in disappointment. “Sadly, my sources have yet to find out; the thieves were a lot more crafty than I imagined. And if I send my own forces to investigate it’ll look very suspicious for me. Which is why I need your help.” "Say what again?" Pinkie asked, for she had been scratching a wall aimlessly during the briefing. “I need your help to re-acquire three artifacts that were stolen during you fight yesterday,” Fancy stated bluntly. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" Pinkie asked, throwing up her arms.. "That could've saved us a lot of trouble." “Ugh...go back to sleep Pinkie,” Rarity groaned before turning back to Fancy with a sweet smile. “We’d be more than happy to help you out, right girls?” Twilight simply shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we can’t help. Not without knowing more about this new world.” She turned to her sisters. “We can’t simply jump into a situation without know what we’re up against.” "Oh, come on, Twilight!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Those thieves broke into our castle and violated it." She grabbed Twilight and looked her dead in the eyes. "VIOLATED. IT." “I know Rainbow,” Twilight responded,placing a hand on her shoulder. “But you need to remember; we’ve been asleep for one thousand years, and as far as we know, we’re the last of our kind. If we’re going to make any big decisions from here, we need to learn more about this new time period we live in, and jumping into this situation without that knowledge could get us killed, understand?” "Okay, and we can do that... WHILE LOOKING FOR THE JERKS WHO ATTACKED OUR HOME!" Rainbow suddenly barked out, pushing Twilight out of her way and marched out. “She’s really gung-ho about is, isn’t she?” Fancy asked with a mild chuckle. The rest of the group stared at him for a moment.”Gung-who?” Fluttershy asked. “Nevermind.” Twilight rolled her eyes before turning to her sisters. “Applejack, Pinkie, go after Rainbow and make sure she doesn’t get hurt….or hurt anyone.” AJ nodded and grabbed Pinkie as she headed out to the door where Rainbow left. Twilight turned her attention to Fancy. “I’m sorry, Mr. Fancy, but we still need to know more about this time before we do anything rash.” Fancy held up his hand and nodded. “It’s alright, I understand.” he said as he turned off the screens. “I’ll see if I can find out anything about our uninvited guests before calling you back, hopefully there’s something I missed that could prove useful.” The Ponygoyle sisters nodded and left the room, but before she left Twilight glanced back at Fancy. “Maybe you should get a… De-tec-tive, to help you.” "Hm.... this isn't the kind of thing a detective can just solve," Fancy replied. "It wouldn't hurt to try..." Twilight said as she walked out of the room. However, just as she left, another door opened up next to the desk revealing the silhouetted figure. "Give her some more time...she'll see things our way soon," the figure said as it melted back into the shadows. Outside, Pinkie and Applejack caught up to Rainbow, who was just about to take off from the Castle balcony. "Rainbow, wait!" Pinkie called out. "Wait? I did 1000 years of waiting. I'm DONE waiting," Rainbow said as she flared her wings. "Someone attacked our castle. I would've thought Twilight would understand, but noooo, she wants to waste her time just casually flying through this stupid city.” "Look, we get where yer comin' from,” Applejack stated. "Don't forget that we were frozen along with you, but how do you intend to find the ponies in a city we know nothin' about?" "Yeah!" Pinkie added as she flew in front of her. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, or a grain of salt in a lake, or a…. mmmm, can't think of anything else at the moment, but bottom line: we're going with you." Applejack blinked. "Wait, what?" "Well yeah, we're going with her, AJ,” Pinkie whispered to her. “We gotta keep an eye on her.” “Fine,” Applejack sighed before leaping onto the edge of the balcony. “Just don't go swooping down and grabbing anypony that looks suspicious to you. Ah’d rather not draw too much attention to us.” "They were pegasus ponies." Rainbow said as she flew beside AJ. "They won't stay on the ground." As they flew off, Twilight and Rarity watched them from inside. “Do you think they'll be all right on their own?” Rarity asked, unsure of how well they would fare in this new world. “I trust them enough not to get into… too much trouble,” Twilight replied as she turned her attention to the rooftop with the blank billboard. “And besides, we need to meet up with Cadence.” “Are you... attracted to Cadence by any chance, Twilight?" Rarity asked with a sly grin on her face. Twilight's blushed and her left eye twitched. "NO! Why would you even… NO!" "Come now, you KNOW I like to help with romance," Rarity said with a giggle. "Um, excuse me,” Fluttershy meekly called out, getting their attention. "I think I can see her waiting for us." She pointed at the building, where a pink Unicorn was indeed waiting for them on the roof. "Thank you, Fluttershy." Twilight sighed, opened her wings and flew towards the building with her sisters. "About time they noticed," Cadence said with a smile as they landed. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes." “Terribly sorry to keep you waiting,” Rarity apologized as she approached the Unicorn. “Our sisters had some… disagreements on whether or not we should come.” "I understand. I mean, we just met. But I promise, I'm not going to hurt any of you." “Rainbow Dash isn't exactly convinced,” Twilight stated. “But thankfully, not all of us are as… short-tempered as her.” Rarity scoffed, rolling her eyes. “That's putting it mildly, darling.” "She's coming around, girls," Fluttershy added timidly. "She's just having difficulty adapting to our new environment." "Which brings up my question from yesterday," Cadence said, getting everyone's attention. “Exactly where did you all come from?" "That is... a very difficult answer," Rarity admitted. "I mean, we would say we came from modern times, but... that might prove counterproductive." "Well then..." Cadance smiled and pointed to the large park several blocks away. "Let's head to that park and you can tell me all about yourselves." "Alright. That's rather.... ominous," Rarity commented with a nervous tone. "Still not very trusting, are you?" Cadence sighed. "Look, nopony's ever seen someone of your species. You're all basically considered myths and if anyone spotted the three of you out in the open, it would bring attention that I'm sure you don't want to deal with. That park, however, provides great cover for us since not many ponies go through here at night, unless there's some sort of celebration." "W-well, that makes sense," Fluttershy said nervously. Twilight nodded. "I'll follow you there, De-Tec-Tive." She enveloped Cadence in her aura and flew off towards the park with her sisters flying behind her. 'This is going to be an... interesting conversation.' "Find anything?" Rainbow asked Pinkie, who had jsut finished searching through a cart. "Well, I found out there's a neat little food called 'candy' now and it looks DELICIOUS!" Pinkie said happily. "Ah seriously doubt the merchant we scared off was workin' fer them,” Applejack sighed as she looked around. Seeing houses that practically touched the sky was quite a sight to behold. "You done sightseeing, sis?" Rainbow asked her, to which AJ responded with a glare. “Uh… so, um... where did those jerks go, Pinks?!" "Mmmphh!?" Pinkie said through a mouthful of candy. "Mmm, ifffsh mmphnn grrph iphersh!" Applejack arched a brow. "Whut?" Pinkie held up a claw as she swallowed all of the candy in her mouth.... and suddenly her eyes widened. “OH, BY THE ANCESTOR'S, SHE'S DRUNK! RUN!" Rainbow screamed as she and AJ flew away. Pinkie's pupils enlarged to the point where they took up most of her eyes as a deranged smile spread across her face. "SSSSSUUUUGAAAAAR!!!" She screamed as she flew after her sisters with drool pouring out of her jaw. "Move, move, MOVE!" Rainbow shouted, but it was futile as Pinkie was already on her tail. literally. "MUST. TASTE. SKITTLE-SISTER!!" Pinkie screamed as she started chewing on Rainbow's tail. "SKITTLE-SISTER FEED PINKIE!!" Applejack shot down from above and tackled her to the ground. "Dammit, sis, stand down!!" she roared as Pinkie kept fighting against her in her hyper state. All at once, Pinkie went still for a moment, before slowly turning her head towards Applejack. "You smell like apples." "Aw, HAY no!" Applejack leapt into the air, struggling to get some distance. "Fer Pete’s sake, Pinkie, just calm down!" "NO! I need MORE sweets! I need more—" Suddenly Pinkie's entire body seized up, and a goofy grin spread across her face as she fell to her knees. "Ooooohhhh.... pretty staaaaarssss,” she slurred before she slumped over, revealing what appeared to be a tranquilizer dart lodged in her rear. "What the... DASH, GET TO LOW GROUND!" Applejack shouted as she dragged Pinkie out of the open area. "Nice shot," the stallion smirked as he watched from above. "Looks like that tip wasn't total BS after all..." "Well I was always the better shot." the mare of the pair said with a bit of pride in her voice. She pulled out a set of wicked-sharp knives."I'll get the blue one's attention first. You just be ready." Back in the park, Twilight landed and set Cadence down as her magic aura dissipated. "Ok now, we've met with you and brought you where you wanted to go," Twilight said. "Before we go any further, we need you to explain a few about this world to us." "Sure thing," Cadence said as she shivered a bit. "That was rather unnerving, though. Anyway, what do you want to know then?" Twilight took a moment to think before glancing at her sisters. "Let's start with why you were in our castle." "Like I said before, I'm a detective. Part of my job is to investigate a place just in case something is going on that shouldn't be happening or is done against the law," Cadence stated plainly. "That help any bit?" Rarity immediately stepped in. "I don't know exactly what you've heard about Mr. Fancy, but I can assure you he has no malicious intent. Why, he's the reason we're even here in the first place," she said confidently. "Yes, and while you see that as a good sign, it could also mean he's planning something. Trust me, when it comes to Fancy Pants, you can't be too sure." Rarity scowled. "Now see here—" she began, only to be cut off by Twilight. "Remember, sister, we are still new to this world. And while Mr. Fancy may be responsible for freeing us, that doesn't mean he has nothing to hide." Twilight frowned. "You would do well to remember what happened the last time we trusted someone so blindly..." "You were betrayed before?" Cadence asked. She suddenly felt sad for the situation yet also shocked that someone had the balls to actually try and back-stab these creatures. "Well, it started when..." “She gonna be okay?” Rainbow asked Applejack as they hid in an abandoned building with the unconscious Pinkie. “I mean, she’s breathing, but…” “Ah think so. Landsakes, that’s some powerful drug they usin’ on her to knock her out that quick,” Applejack said, in an attempt to try and lighten the situation. “Yeah well… I think somebody’s hunting us and deliberately knocked her out, not to mention I’m pretty sure they’ve been following us since then.” Rainbow looked out the side entrance to make sure the coast was clear. “Now yer just bein paranoid,” Applejack insisted. “Ah mean, who would even know we existed other thanFancy Pants?” Just as she said that, several knives rained down from above, forcing RD and AJ to leap back "OK, now I'm 95% sure we're being hunted,” Rainbow panted as she caught her breath. "Yeah, Ah got that feelin' to." They turned and AJ narrowly avoided a laser blast to the face. "The hayseeds?! Who’s there?!" “Your doom,” a male voice called out from the shadows. Before they could react several more knives were thrown at them from three separate areas. Back at the park, Twilight had just finished re-telling the tale of how exactly they ended up in the future, or rather the present for Cadence. Needless to say, the Detective was shocked by this revelation. "Well.... I-I can't say I've ever heard of anything like that before," she said. "But um.... I am sorry for your loss." "Even the eggs in the rookery were gone,” Fluttershy sighed as she wrapped her wings around herself, wiping a few tears away. "As far as we know, we're the last of our kind..." "I'm.... I'm sorry to hear that," Cadence said. "I can understand losing family." "Oh, can you?" Rarity said coldly. "And how, beg my pardon, can you compare to our pain?" "Rarity...” Twilight began, only for Cadence to interrupt her. "My parents were on their way to pick me up from school," she began as she stood up. "It was late and I had to stay in the Principal's office because I decided to pull a stupid stunt that got me in trouble." Cadence slowly walked towards Rarity. "My mother and I yelled at each other over the phone and I told her that I wished I wasn't even her daughter..." The Detective stopped inches away from the white Ponygoyle. "Minutes after I hung up, they crashed into a drunk driver. They died before I could reach the hospital." As she continued, Twilight noticed that she was desperately trying to hold back tears. "Every day, I can't help but think that if I hadn't been such an immature spoiled brat, they would've lived, and I can never forgive myself for not being able to tell them how sorry I was before they died. So yes, I do know what it's like to lose someone precious to you, and I also know what it's like to lose them after saying something you'll regret for the rest of your life!" "O-oh…." Rarity mumbled, rather surprised at how venomous Cadence sounded towards her. "I know you've experienced a great deal of emotional pain, but don't think for a second that other ponies haven't," she finished. I.... I'm sorry," Rarity apologized, with an embarrassed expression on her face. "I just.... Fancy saved our lives and you're saying these... things and just expect us to believe them.... I'm sorry." Cadence calmed down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard to believe. There are a lot of ponies out there who use their status to remain good in the public eye while covering up their true intentions. You come across a lot of ponies like that in my line of work." Rarity sniffed as she wiped an eye and smiled. "I understand, darling." "Now that we've gotten that uncomfortable subject out of the way," Twilight said, trying to shift the tone of the conversation, "I think it's best that you start telling us everything you know about this world.” "Sure thing," Cadence took a deep breath to calm herself. "Now what would you like to know first?" "New animal species!" Fluttershy chimed in. "The newest fashion!" Rarity immediately added. Twilight rolled her eyes and snapped her claws, causing to soundproof bubbles to appear around their heads. "Let's start with how far technology has gotten." Back in the city, Rainbow Dash and Applejack continued their battle against their unknown assailants. "Alright, assholes, show yourselves!" Rainbow yelled as the two quickly took to the air, narrowly avoiding the knives. "You want a fight?! Fight in the open!" "Nice try," Another voice chuckled. Immediately, a laser shot towards RD's back. "LOOK OUT!" AJ screamed as she pushed the cyan Ponygoyle out of the way. The laser struck AJ in the gut but thanks to her tougher scales she was able to withstand it, although she still felt the intense heat and touched her hand to the stinging spot on her chest. If she got hit with that again, it'd make that particular spot easier to pierce. "So that's how yer gonna play, huh?!" Applejack yelled. "Playin' the coward while ya take potshots at me and mah rookery sis?!" RD snarled before turning around, just in time, to dodge another shower of knives. “Ok, enough of this!” she snapped, immediately snatching one of the knives out of the ground. She dodged one of the lasers before throwing her knife in the direction it came from. She heard a grunt to the left of her and smirked; she’d found one of the attackers and flew towards him. She grabbed something, flew up and dropped her prey on the roof… and was baffled by what she saw. Her opponent had the build of a stallion, the horn on his head glowing as several knives hovered above him. He wore black body armor with dark blue utility belt, shoulder pads and gauntlets. His face was covered by a black mask with three claw marks. AJ took the opportunity to keep a lookout for their second opponent. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long as it immediately darted out of the shadows and attempted to strike RD from behind. AJ dive-bombed towards her and would've crushed her under her claws had the assailant not dodged at the last moment. Her attire was almost the same as her comrade, but the red was swapped for grey.. "Alright.... Ah gotta ask.... what's up with the claw marks?" Applejack asked, panting slightly. The mare only chuckled, her mask revealing her mouth. "That's a story for another time. One you and your wretched kind won't live to see." The mare pulled out two laser pistols and aimed at them. "Funny thing is, you two are just prey for the real target." "What the hay do ya want us for?!" Applejack shouted as she dodged another laser before taking off. The masked mare used a grappling claw to hoist herself up to the top of the warehouse. "Isn't it obvious?!" She smirked and blasted Applejack’s left wing, sending her spiraling towards the ground below. "We're using you to lure out the bigger fish: your leader!" As Applejack fell, she saw the cyan Ponygoyle swoop in to grab her and gently lay her down. "Applejack…” Rainbow whispered, her entire body shaking with rage. “ OKAY, THAT TEARS IT!"She climbed up the building to the mare with blinding speed and tackled her once she made it to the roof. "YOU ARE SO DEAD!" she shouted, but was then blasted by the stallion from her side, sending her flying into a wall and knocking her out. "Ya need to be more careful, sis." the stallion said, which earned him punch to the shoulder. "Thanks, but I can handle myself," the mare retorted. They turned their attention towards the two Ponygoyles, only to see Rainbow already heading towards the downed Applejack. Before they could catch up to her however, they were intercepted by a blast of magic and a torrent of green flames, followed by a smoke bomb obscuring their vision. By the time the smoke cleared, Rainbow had ducked into the shadows and fled. “Damn it! We lost them!” the mare snapped in rage while the stallion sighed. "Well... this is gonna be somethin' to explain to big brother." Back at the park, Cadence was explaining to the trio how far the world had come since they'd been sealed away, which the girls had a little trouble following. "So wait.... there's a device that tells you when someone's trying to reach you?" Twilight asked as she held the Detective’s cellphone. "And a torch that can be used in any environment that doesn't burn anything?" Fluttershy asked her, gripping the flashlight. "That's not even the half of it! Wait 'till I tell you about the internet!" Cadence smiled as she took back her phone. Rarity arched a brow. "The inter-what-now?" "Think of it as one giant source of information, that you can access via this baby," she explained, holding up her phone. "Okay, THAT I'm finding very hard to believe," Rarity scoffed. "I'm still wrapping my head around the chariots moving on their own." "They're called cars and trucks Rarity. They're actually FASTER than chariots," Cadence said with a good amount of pride in her voice. "I think you girls could be.... motorcycle girls though." "Motorcycle?" "Well, think of it as—" Before she could continue, her phone started beeping. "Aw Jeez... we're gonna have to cut this meeting short." "Oh. Why's that?" Rarity asked as she looked at the vibrating device. "I mean, what does that beacon tell you?" "Well, my partner's waiting for me at the station, and if I end up late he might start asking questions." She stopped when she realized Rarity was giving her an odd look. "Partner?" she asked her with a smirk. “What kind of partner?” "J-just someone I work together with to solve crimes and stop criminals from harming innocent bystanders." Cadence quickly explained, trying to hide her blush. "Now I have to go. I'll see you all later?" “I suppose. We'll meet you back here at this park,” Twilight said as she spread her wings. “Sound reasonable?” "It sounds very reasonable," Cadence agreed with a smile. Twilight and her sisters flew away, leaving Cadence to return to her car a moment later. "Well, MY life just really complicated," she mumbled as she drove off, glancing back at the Ponygoyles as they flew towards Sunset Industries. 'Fancy... what are you up to? And how do these creatures play a part in it?' "Jeez...who the hay were those weirdos?!" Rainbow groaned as she flew across the rooftops with Applejack in her arms. "And where the hay is Pinkie?!" "HIYA!" Pinkie cheered as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere with some cotton candy in her claws. "What..... WHERE WERE YOU?!" Rainbow exclaimed. “Well,” Pinkie began as she munched on her cotton candy, “after I woke up, I thought I saw somepony I knew, but then they disappeared. But then I saw a place full of more of the sweet treats that Fancy had and I had to have some, but then it turned out it was blocked by some weird magic shield, so I smashed it and-” "PINKIE!" Rainbow exclaimed. While she was glad she was alive she was also rather irritated. "ME AND AJ NEARLY GOT KILLED BY SOME PONIES IN MASKS AND YOU WERE EATING CANDY?!!" Pinkie blinked, slowly registering this information.“Wh-what…? But why?” “Ugh… what hit me... ?” Applejack mumbled as she slowly came too. Tt took her a moment to realize Rainbow was carrying her. “Wuh? What happened? Where’d the masked ponies go?!” "I-uh-I sent them packing. And Pinkie was off eating damn food!" Rainbow yelled, quickly changing the subject. “But...why would they attack us and then flee?” "Doesn't matter, AJ. Fact is, they're not here now," Rainbow said with a tinge of fear in her voice. "They're gone and not attacking us." “Indeed, they’re not, but I think you owe me a thank-you for covering for you while you flew off,” a new, familiar voice called out from behind them, prompting them to stop and turn around, disbelief written all over their faces. “After all, if it weren’t for me distracting them, you’d all be in cages right now.” “Uh, girls?” Pinkie said as she dropped her candy. “Is the sugar getting to me again or is that who I think it is?” “Looks like that anonymous tip was right after all,” the stallion said as the two of them entered the room. "And I told you, brother, that we could've had those two easily had we tried to pursue them!" the mare said with a growl. The stallion just rolled his eyes under his mask as they approached the other stallion in the room. “I can assume that the mission was a success?" He said without turning around, the tone of his voice making it clear that it was more of a statement then a question. "Well.... actually brother.... we didn't manage to finish the job. They got away from us." The mare said as she prepared herself for the worst knowing how their bigger brother tend to act when it came to Ponygoyles getting away. “...care to explain to me how he two of you managed to lose what could be the only chance we have at ending her life?” He asked in a stern tone, just barely containing his rage. "The two Ponygoyles surprised us. We're more used to her tactics of deceit and hiding in the shadows." The brother said. "These two. They preferred to fight upfront and ensured we couldn't use the shadows." "That doesn't excuse your failure!" He snapped, causing the two to flinch. "Our ancestors have been tracking down these monsters for decades, I will not have you sully their name by underestimating our opponents!" "Brother what he meant was that they were more battle hardened. Like they were fresh off another fight. They weren't like the Demon, these two were warriors." The mare said in an attempt to defend her brother. "If it were the demon we wouldn't have had as much trouble." "I don't know sister.... that friend of hers was rather troublesome." “Not to mention one of their allies aides them from the shadows.” The mare added as their eldest sibling turned to face them. "....they have allies.... perhaps the one that helped them was.... HER." The eldest sibling said with contempt in his voice. "However. If this is true..... perhaps we could... convince them." "WHAT?! Brother they are Ponygoyles! Demons! They are-" "The ones you fought? I recognized them from a castle.... apparently they've been trapped in stone for a very long time..... maybe they don't realize how dangerous of a threat the demon is.... and that could provide an advantage." “You can’t seriously be considering that we work with them, are you?!” She snapped as she turned to the middle brother. “We can’t trust them!” "I agree sister but maybe after we use them we could kill them then?" The brother said. "See? It benefits everyone involved!" "....that is true." The eldest said. "But we won't be able to figure it out now. They're gone for now and we have no way to track them since you two failed to place a tracker on them just in case." The sister scoffed. "It's not like they can hide forever, all we have to do is wait for them to reveal themselves... and then we make our move... and this time we'll be prepared for anything they throw at us!" She stated confidently. "That confidence you have is admirable sister.... it is also what costed us a father... do not let it go to your head." The eldest said. The two shut up at that. The matter of their parents was indeed a very sore point for them still. "Anyways I have to be somewhere soon. You two need to maintain your covers as well." "Just make sure you're not found out either." The middle brother retorted. "From what I've heard the police forces have been investigating rumors behind some strange organization..." "I will brother." The eldest said as he left. The other two soon left as well. Vanishing to do whatever their normal jobs could be.... planning their revenge. "Well I found that.... rather engaging and interesting." Rarity said as she landed on the edge of the castle. "Cadence was rather fun." “I can’t disagree...” Fluttershy smiled as she landed. “Though I feel like the city is a little...exciting for me...so much noise, even at night....” "At least it can keep us awake if we ever feel tired." Twilight joked, her thoughts drifting to Pinkie Pie and the rest of her sisters.. ".... I wonder how Rainbow and the others are doing?" “Sisters!” Pinkie shouted with an excited look on her face, “You’re not going to believe who we found!” She started gleefully skipping around the trio while Applejack and Rainbow stood by the entrance to the Castle, both of them had equally excited smiles. “Who-?" Twilight froze when she felt a claw on her shoulder, and heard a very familiar voice. "Twilight, it's been far too long my sister..." Turning around, Twilight found herself face to face with a cyan Ponygoyle, her violet eyes, her light blue hair, that air of utmost confidence she held...it was her, she was alive. The cyan Ponygoyle giggled. "What's wrong? Speechless after seeing my beau-OOF!" Her words died in her mouth as Twilight tackled to the ground, more tears of joy streaming from her eyes. "You're alive... I can't believe it! You're alive..." Twilight sobbed into her chest. "It's..... it's okay Twilight." The cyan Ponygoyle said as she patted her back. "I'm here now." “It's just… I thought I had lost you… I thought…” “GROUP HUG!!” Pinkie screamed as she jumped onto the two. "P-Pinkie....... crushing us." Twilight groaned before she levitated Pinkie off them as they got up. “Sorry about her, but seeing an old friend again is bound to get that reaction out of her…” “I see even after a thousand years she hasn't changed.” Her cyan sister smirked and she dusted herself off. “Also, Pinkie? What's that about?” "Oh it's my name!" Pinkie said with a smile on her face. "Or... at least it's the one that makes sense!" She arched a brow. “And all of you have names now?” "Well..... yeah." Twilight said, gesturing to her sisters one at a time. "That's Rainbow-" "Yo!" "AJ-" "Howdy." “Fluttershy-” “...hi…” “And Rarity.” The white Ponygoyle cleared her throat. “While I am overjoyed to see that one of our kin survived, as well as our old friend…I can't help but wonder… how exactly did you survive?” The cyan sister sighed. "Well... see it was like this-" The cyan Ponygoyle flew over the treetops, desperately searching for her siblings. While Twilight had ordered her to stay at the Castle, she could not bring herself to stand idly by while her leader risked being ambushed and captured by the enemy. As she landed on one of the cliffs overlooking the sea, however when she took a glance back at the Castle… and was horrified by what she saw: The Vikings were approaching the Castle! She immediately spread her wings and prepared to take off only for the sun to rise… forcing her into a stone sleep. "By the time I awoke… it was all over." She continued, tears beginning to form. "I...I was so ashamed, if I'd just listened... maybe I could've..." "There was nothing you could've done sister." Twilight said as she hugged her again. “A-after that, I found the dragon washed up on a nearby beach…” She continued, wiping away her tears. “I took some time to nurse him back to health… but when we returned…” “Stone… by night?!” She exclaimed in shock as she flew towards her slumbering sisters. “But how?! This is-” She placed a claw on Twilight’s shoulder and felt a spark of magic “No…” The dragon then nuzzled up against Rarity's statue with sorrow in his eyes and he kept trying to scratch her statue to wake her up, tears welling up in his eyes. “This spell… it cannot be broken…” She mumbled to herself as she sank down to her knees, grief overcoming her once more… however, a small spark of magic appeared in her claws… giving her an idea. “If I cannot free you, then I will join you…” She said as she stood up and began engulfing all of the statues with her magic. The Dragon turn to her and growled in confusion, she simply gave him a sad smile and tears flowing freely. “Dragon… I thank you for staying loyal to us for so long… but you are free now. Go, see the world, you are no longer tethered to us…” With those words she flew to a small tower not too far from the one of her sisters were perched upon and assumed her own position. As the magic aura from the statues flowed towards her, it began replicating the effects of the spell that was cast, encasing her in stone until the day the castle rose above the clouds… "Oh that's..... that's so touching." Pinkie said as she blew her nose on Rainbow's wing. "EW! PINKIE!" "Unfortunately…" She sighed. "I couldn't even awaken and at the same time as you... thanks to a greedy equine..." "That's horrible sister." Fluttershy said as she silently gasped. "Yeah.... because of him I awoke almost a whole month earlier than you girls." "Wait, a whole month?!" Applejack asked in shock. "How didja wake up so early?!" "The weirdest thing happened... when I awoke I found myself in some sort of box..." Trixie explained as they approached the top of the tower. "Apparently someone less rich as your friend Fancy Pants took my immobile form along with part of the Castle I rested upon in order to display me in a museum..." "What the heck is a museum?" Rainbow asked. "And why did he take only you and the rest of us?" "Like I said, he was less rich than your friend... anyway, his flying device and the box that contained me was brought above the clouds… and considering the terms with the spell were for such a thing to happen, I guess it counted for part of the Castle as well..." "I guess it did, dear." Rarity said with a smile. "Oh sister it's so good to see you again!" "Indeed it is, but as much as I'd love to catch up with you all, we have a much more important matter to address." The cyan sister began. "Specifically the two ponies that.... Applejack, it's Applejack right?" "Y-yeah?" "The ponies Applejack and Rainbow encountered." She finished. "What about them?" Rainbow said. "We kicked their asses and sent them packing. No big deal sis." “Waddaya mean “we”?” Applejack asked skeptically. “Ah was knocked out-” “Wait, what does she mean by that?” Twilight interrupted as she turned to the two with a less than pleased look. “What kind of trouble did you two get into?” "Hey it wasn't even our fault! They attacked us for no real reason at all! Can't even really say what they looked like because they had on some weird masks on!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Well those ponies.... they're a big threat to our existence." The cyan sister explained. "I need you girls to believe me. They're nothing more than monsters themselves." "How big a threat are we talking?" Twilight asked curiously, wondering who would dare attack her sisters unprovoked. "They seem to know how we act. Our patterns when we're in groups and where best to attack our joints." Trixie said. "I've encountered them a few time. I don't know what they want with us but that's the best I can tell you." "My master can tell you much more." John said as he approached the group, immediately putting the cyan one on edge. "Who is he?!" She snapped, baring her fangs menacingly. "Relax sister. He's the butler of the one who saved us." Twilight said gently as she put a claw on her shoulder. "You don't need to act hostile towards him." Slowly she calmed herself, giving him a sharp glare that clearly said “try anything and I end you.”. John however, was unfazed and turned his attention to Twilight. “My master has discovered some interesting facts about to ones that attacked the castle, as well as the ones who assaulted your sisters.” "We'll be there shortly I promise." She said. "But can you give us a moment? We just got reunited with some old friends." "Understood, he'll be waiting for you in his office." John stated as he walked away. The cyan Ponygoyle glared in his direction. "He has an... odd aura... is he really an equine?" "Honestly we don't know." Rainbow said as she yawned. "Yes well his master still saved us." Rarity said. "I think courtesy is the least that we owe him." "...and he hasn't done anything... questionable, had he?" She asked with suspicious tone. "I don't think he brought you all back just to be nice..." "What do you mean sister? You... you think he might be using us?" Fluttershy asked nervously. "Well I hope not! That'd just be mean!" Pinkie said with a pouting face. "Everyone has a motive." She sighed. "There's a special saying in this world, "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is.". He wants us for something… we just don't know what." "Ah you're too paranoid sis." Rainbow said yet she couldn't help but feel the same way. "Maybe... but then again-" She immediately stopped and turned to her brethren. "I'm sorry, it's just after reuniting after so long... I don't want to lose you all again..." "It's okay sister.... I promise. You won't lose us." Twilight promised as she hugged her. "Now, let's go see what Mr. Fancy has found out..." "I'm glad to see you've reunited with another of your brethren." Fancy smiled as the Ponygoyles gathered in his office. "I guess this means there is hope for your species." "Thank you Fancy." Twilight said with a bow. "But if we may ask... what is it that you found out about the invaders?" She asked him. He smirked a bit as he leaned back in his chair. “The ones who broke into our home were apparently in league with a Clan known as the Hunters.” Fancy explained, The screen next to the group changed to show a stallion wearing a mask with three red slash marks. “Of course it'd be them…” The cyan sister growled in contempt. "So what do you know about them then Fancy?" Twilight asked. "I'm sure you didn't just drag us all the way out here just to say you knew who they were and just leave it at that." "Well it took me some time to find out their history but apparently they've been around much longer than the Wonderbolts." He explained. "They surfaced around 1000 years ago.... with the sole purpose of eliminating the entire Ponygoyle species." "WAIT WHAT?!" They all shouted causing the two to nearly get a headache from the combined voices. "Can we try and NOT shatter the windows with your voices please?" John said as he recovered. "But-but... why?" Fluttershy asked, tears threatening to fall. "I know our species wasn't well-liked in the past… but to create an entire clan just to kill us all?!" "Something must have happened. A rogue Ponygoyle or something." Rainbow said, but even that didn't alleviate the disgust in her heart. "This is-just-URGH!" Applejack roared as she punched a wall. "Damn bastards!" "No doubt the ones who attacked you two are members of the clan." The cyan sister stated. "I had a few run-ins with them not too long after I awoke myself, and their methods are exactly the same." "Then we need to act quick and strike back!" Pinkie said with a grin on her face. "I say we hunt THEM down and rip them a new one!" “Now you're talking!” Rainbow smirked. "That'd be a good plan... is we still lived in your time." Fancy replied sternly. "But trust me, if you try a strategy like that now they'll see you coming a mile away, if we are going to take them head on it has to be discreetly. Both RD and Pinkie groan but waited for Fancy to say his part. "Okay then... so what do you have planned then Fancy?" Twilight asked. "It's somewhat complex but if pulled off correctly it will severely crippled their forces." Fancy explained as he pressed another bottle, the screen immediately shifted to a three stone orbs, one of which looked familiar. "They seem to be collecting these orbs for their own purposes, I've managed to track down the one that stole along with two more." He stated as the screens changed. "Each one is being kept in a separate storage facility." ".... is this what we're forced to be now? Lowly thieves?" Rarity asked with a sigh. "It's so sad to be turned from a proud warrior into.... this." "Many warriors have been forced to use crafty means to win over the years." Fancy replied. "Sometimes you need to try a different method to get results, and simply attacking them directly right off the bat would yield unfavorable consequences in the long run." "Okay then.... who's going with who then?" Rainbow asked as she clapped her hands together. "I think it's easy who's going with who." Twilight said as she turned to her sisters. "Rarity, you and Fluttershy are working together," "Rainbow, you're with Applejack, The two of you have encountered them before and have worked well together in the past." Twilight explained, the two nodded and shared a look, making it clear that they'd enjoy paying back the ones who tried to hunt them down. "Hey! What about ME!" Pinkie said with a pouty face. "I don't have anyone to partner with!" "You're coming with us this time." Twilight stated while gesturing to herself and her sister. "YAY!" Pinkie shouted as she hugged Twilight and her sister. "I'M GOING TO BE HELPING!" "Well, now that it's decided, I believe we should discuss exactly where which team should be sent." He explained as the screen changed to reveal three locations, what appeared to be an island, and underground cave, and a large aircraft miles above the city. "These are where we should hit?" Twilight asked as she looked at the pictures. "Alright me, Pinkie, and my sister will hit the flying fortress above the city first." "Then we'll take the one on the island!" Applejack stated, slamming her first into her claw for emphasis. "And that leaves the underground base for us." Rarity mused. "Right, so let's get started!" Rainbow shouted as she turned to rush out the door, only for Twilight to hold her back with her magic. "I think it would be best if we wait until tomorrow." She stated. "Least we turn to stone in the middle of the mission and leave ourselves vulnerable. "Oh.... hehe..... r-right." Rainbow said, scratching her head in embarrassment. "I mean.... wow, that would've been bad." The rest of the clan rolled their eyes and exited the room... though their cyan sister glanced back at Fancy for a few seconds before leaving… Cadence sighed as she watched the sun rise over the horizon from the office. "Truly can't say I expected to arrive before you, usually I'm the one who's late." She smiled as her partner approached her carrying a coffee mug in one hand and a folder in the other. The Stallion was about as tall as her, white fur, blue mane, a denim jacket with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans, brown shoes, and a police badge on his chest. "Sorry. I got held up by some traffic. You know how Manehattan cabbies are Cadence." Shining said with a chuckle. "And that's why I have my own car." She replied with a smirk. "So Shining, how'd your part of the investigation go?" "I looked into his financial records but I can't really seem to find anything incriminating on Fancy. Sorry Caddy." Shining said, disappointment evident in his voice. "I should've guessed, someone like him would cover up his tracks there as well." She mumbled as she gazed at the castle atop the tower. "Looks like we're gonna have to take a different approach." "What are you thinkin' then partner? Not much we can do on our end." Shining stated. "Oh by the way, the commissioner says we're getting a new partner, today.” "A rookie huh?" Cadence scoffed. "Why are they assigning us a new partner, we've done fine up until now." "Eh it might be so he can learn what it's like on the streets. I mean really compared to some of the others here? We're about the only clean ones in the city." Shining explained as he handed her his coffee. "That's putting it mildly." She mused, yawning before she took a nice long sip. "I mean, we just busted another crooked cop last week, didn't we?" "Yeah that sounds about right." He chuckled. "You had an all nighter? Sorry about that." "Don't worry about it... let's just get this over with." She sighed as she walked back inside. “By the way, what's the rookies name?” Shining paused and opened the folder. “Flash Sentry.”