//------------------------------// // Regrouping // Story: Harmonics // by ezra09 //------------------------------// “So, this is Ponyville,” Thistleroot said as they walked down the main street of the quiet little town. “Smaller than I imagined from all the stories. Where is everypony?” “Maybe they’re hiding,” Mimic said, now under the guise of a dark brown Pegasus. Interestingly enough her feathered wing was still bandaged, and she still treated it gingerly. Thistleroot thought for a moment to ask about it, but there were more important things to be doing than satisfying his own curiosity. “Do you think word’s made it here already?” Mimic shrugged. “Do you know where we’re going, or are we going to have to ask around?” “We’ll have to ask. Hmm,” Thistleroot moved off the road to the nearest house and gave the front door a quick trio of knocks. A minute passed. Another. Thistleroot knocked again. There was a faint shuffling sound on the other side of the door, and then it opened a crack. A mare’s face appeared on the other side. She had dark circles under her eyes and her purple mane was unkempt. “Yes, hello?” “Hi, sorry to bother you. We’re looking for the home of Rainbow Dash.” “Oh… um…” The mare’s gaze bounced between him and Mimic before looking back into her house. Thistleroot could barely make out the whispers of another pony. She turned back an shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t know, goodbye.” And then she pushed the door shut. “Ponies are definitely worried about something,” Mimic said. “I don’t think they will want to talk to us. We might have to make some threats to get anywhere.” “I hate to admit it, but you’re right,” Thistleroot said. “Any ideas?” “Well, I am a changeling. Ponies are pretty scared of us usually.” Thistleroot shook his head. “We need something bigger and scarier than that. Something nopony in the world wants in their home.” ***** “That looks like the place,” Thistleroot said, craning his neck to look at the cloud home far above. It was hard to make out the details in the light of the now setting sun, but there weren’t that many cloud houses around Ponyville. “I’m still confused,” Mimic said. “What is a latter day and why did they want you to leave so quickly?” “Don’t worry about it. So uh, I don’t suppose you can do any flying?” Mimic shook her injured wing out experimentally and winced. “Rather not.” “Alright. Uh, let’s see.” Thistleroot looked around for something to knock with. The house was situated above a hill several dozen yards from the edge of town. There weren’t many pony made items, but it didn’t take him long to find and scoop up a hoof sized stone from the ground to hurl up toward the house. It made it almost half way before falling back toward them. He ducked under his forelegs, eyes closed, and the stone struck the ground several feet away. Once again Mimic managed to convey an eye-roll without any pupils. A unicorn horn appear in a small flash of light and then she lifted the rock and sent it skyward. Rather than knocking against the side of the house like Thistleroot had imagined, the stone punched through the floor and disappeared. “I guess it works better with wooden houses,” Thistleroot said. “You think anypony noticed?” Before Mimic could answer, a voice called from behind them. “What the hay are you doing?” Thistleroot turned, a brilliant defense already springing to mind. “She did it!” “Thistleroot?” A pony was moving from the shadows, most of her body and head obscured by an ugly, lump hood and cape. Underneath the hood Thistleroot could just make out an orange coat and a tuft of purple mane. “Scootaloo?” Scootaloo pulled her hood back. “Ha! I told you she was still alive!” Thistleroot said, turning to stick his tongue out at Mimic before galloping toward Scootaloo. Scootaloo hesitated, tucked her head under her hood to her side, grabbed a heavy book in her mouth, and flung it toward Thistleroot. He staggered, flinching as the book hit him sharply in the side of the head. His hooves came up a second too late to smack the projectile out of the air and he went down in a heap. “I’m re-ack!” He saw Mimic in the peripheral of his vision, horn glowing dangerously, body tense. There were no more obvious signs of aggression from Scootaloo. Thistleroot got back to his hooves, wincing as each beat of his heart made his head pulse with pain. Yeah, that was gonna leave a bump. Scootaloo shook her head, looking half amused, half chagrined. “You were supposed to catch it. So I could see the color of your magic.” “Right, sorry,” Thistleroot said, rubbing his forehead gingerly. “Want to try again with a different book? I’ll get it this time.” “No. No, it’s definitely you.” Scootaloo shook her head again before closing the distance and throwing her front legs around his neck. Thistleroot hugged her back with his left hoof and grabbed Mimic with his right, pulling her into the hug before she could slip away. It lasted only a few seconds before Mimic managed to pull away. “Alright, alright. You’re gonna make me sick.” Scootaloo stepped back as well. “How did you get out of there? I thought…” “Oh, you should have seen it. We made it to the top of Canterlot tower and found Star Shine, and then we were all fighting up until the entire thing collapsed, and I basically saved the day with my awesome magic and wit.” Scootaloo grinned. “Okay, but what actually happened.” Thistleroot turned his snout up. “Hmph! And still I get no respect.” “Mimic, what… actually, you are Mimic, right?” “Who else would I be?” Mimic asked. “Okay, you’re her. What happened in Canterlot?” “We made it to the top of Canterlot tower and found the blue unicorn. A fight broke out and the tower collapsed. Then there was some kind of golden light and everything exploded. The unicorn said your princess protected us.” “So what now?” Thistleroot asked. “Do we have a plan besides just waiting for the princesses or the Elements of Harmony to save the day.” Scootaloo’s grin fell. “That’s probably not going to happen.” “Oh, that doesn’t sound good.” She shook her head. “The princesses were imprisoned and the Element Bearers were turned to stone.” “Ah. Well. That’s uh… I hear Mexicolt is nice this time of year.” “There might still be something we can do,” Scootaloo said. “I might have something to turn the Twilight Sparkle back. Give me a second to go up and grab some things and then I’ll explain everything on the way.” “On the way where?” “Canterlot. Or at least where everypony from Canterlot is now.” Scootaloo picked up the book she’d thrown at him and turned it over to the front cover. It was a copy of The Abridged History of Equestria, Fourth Edition. “I went to the library to see what I could find out about whatever we’re up against, but I don’t even know where to start. I need to find my friend Spike. He’s good at that kind of thing.” “Alright,” Thistleroot said, smiling nervously. “I guess we have a plan.” Scootaloo nodded and looked to Mimic. “Will you come too?” “Yes, I’m coming. We still have a deal, remember?” “Yeah, I remember.” Scootaloo hopped into the air. “I’ll just be a second.” ***** The cloud house was untouched since the last time she’d been there several months before. Most everything she and Dash had cared about were in Canterlot. Well, had been. It’s doubtful anything she had survived. She felt a twinge of unease when she moved into the main living room. The house was quiet. Even more so than an empty house down below would have been. There was no creak of settling wood of bustling of neighbors outside. The only thing she could hear was her own even breathing. She remembered her first day there, more than ten years ago. The uneasy silence whenever Dash had to go somewhere. The anxious knot in her gut as she waited for the other horseshoe to drop. She’d believed it to be only a matter of time before Celestia decided on a suitable punishment, or at the very least until she was shipped back to the orphanage. She shook her head, trying to push those thoughts away, and made for the small closet under the stairs. She was older now. Somepony had manipulated her, used her to free whatever the hay Nocturne was, but she wasn’t going to be some scared child waiting for the consequences of her actions to catch up to her. Not this time. At the back of the cupboard was a small safe. Not Dash’s idea, of course. She wasn’t exactly the plan ahead kind of pony, but Twilight had managed to convince her. Scootaloo spun the combination on the wheel of the safe and popped it open. There wasn’t much inside with any practical purpose. It mostly contained a few sentimental items. An envelope with pictures of Dash and her friends, and of Scootaloo and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Dash’s first award flying with the Wonderbolts. The like. At the bottom was a small pack with a first aid kit and a sack of bits, for emergencies. Scootaloo tucked it into her saddlebag and after a moment of thought pulled out a picture of herself and Rainbow Dash as well. She closed the safe and took one last look around her home before departing. ***** The walk to Canterlot was easier than the walk to Ponyville. Mimic’s leg was almost entirely healed, or at least she was better able to pretend that it was. Thistleroot really couldn’t tell what the changeling was thinking most of the time, even when she looked like a pony. Was she being stoic, or cold? Either way, she spent most of the trip in silence, breaking it only to answer questions and throw in the occasional barb at one of them. Teamwork during the battle of Canterlot aside, she was kinda mean. As they walked, Scootaloo filled him in on the events after the Gala and after they separated in Canterlot, and he in turn filled her in on the preparations made before the changeling attack, leaving out his conversation with the mad pony for the time being. “Yep, I’m actually a pretty big deal around Canterlot these days. There are some that call me Lord Thistleroot. I even sat in for Celestia on the throne for a brief period. I’m basically her right hoof at this point.” “Suuuure.” It took them better than a day to reach Canterlot, and once again Thistleroot’s chest hurt when he looked at the ruined city. He swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. Scootaloo and Mimic seemed ready to move on without comment, so he would too. Almost half way up to the peak, exposed by the collapse face of the mountain, was the large stone ring that he now knew to be a prison. Several pegasi could be seen flitting about it, but the stones seemed to be inert. Another half a day was spent carefully moving through the ruined streets and crossing over rubble. Finally the far side of the city came into view, and beyond a gentle slope leading to a mass of tents and makeshift camp sites. They made their way past the first rows of tents just before sunset. To Thistleroot’s surprise, ponies moved about the camps with a sense of purpose. Where he had expected disarray and helplessness, there was order. Scootaloo stopped one of the ponies for directions and was pointed toward the center of the camp, where several large tents were clustered together. “Official business only,” one white Earth Pony said as they approached. Thistleroot recognized him as one of Princess Celestia’s personal guards. He’d been with them at the hospital just before the attack. “It’s cool, Sterling,” Thistleroot said, horn glowing blue for a second to show he wasn’t a changeling. “Al will want to see us.” The Earth Pony gave him a skeptical look and then shrugged and stood aside. Scootaloo looked back at Thistleroot in disbelief. “Hey, I told you. I’m kind of a big deal these days.” “Hmm,” Mimic said. “And here I thought the lord part was just a joke.” “Please don’t encourage him,” Scootaloo said. They made their way into the tent. For all its size, there weren’t many ponies inside. Several tables were laid out, each covered with papers or books. Two guards stood on either side of the entrance, for what little they were worth considering one of the other occupants. Standing at a table near the center of the room was Al, aka Starswirl the Shaved. “Where is that book on windigos? The one with the-“ before he could finish, the final figure in the room was moving, bouncing over a chair and up onto one of the tables. “It’s right here,” the purple dragon said, grabbing a heavy tome and bouncing back across the room. “Right, thanks. And what about the-“ “Right over here,” the dragon said, circling around Starswirl and grabbing a long piece of paper. The paper was suddenly wrapped in a silver light and lifted gently into the air. Starswirl adjusted his position to read from it in the candlelight. His gaze flickered up toward Scootaloo, back down toward the paper, and up again. “Huh. So you are alive.” Spike looked up as well. “Scootaloo!” the dragon called, moving toward them. “Spike. Glad to see you’re okay.” Ah, so this dragon was the friend she was looking for. He was taller than anypony in the room by more than a head and probably in his mid to late teens. The dragon made it to her and threw his arms around her. She returned the hug for a long moment before pulling back. “I need your help.” “You do?” “Yeah. Uh, I guess I should start at the beginning. I guess nopony around here knows what happened.” “We know enough,” Starswirl said, moving over to them as well. “A lot of the guards that were fighting changelings were pulled out of the city by Princess Luna just before the city was destroyed. Those who were nearby say she got a message from Celestia to evacuate everypony still fighting. So a couple of ponies saw the Element Bearers get turned to stone.” “The princesses fought the thing that came out of Canterlot mountain. She called herself Nocturne.” “Yeah, so we’ve heard. Am I’m guessing she shoved the princesses into the prison she broke out of?” Scootaloo nodded. “That’s why I need you Spike. I tried to find information about her myself, but I didn’t know where to start looking, and you’ve been helping Twilight do this nerdy stuff for years.” “Oh. Yeah, I can try to help,” Spike said. “That’s actually what we’re doing here, but it’s not going too great. The library in Canterlot was destroyed. We recovered what we could, but it isn’t much.” “There’s nothing in the Canterlot library about this Nocturne specifically,” Starswirl said. “I know that for sure. I’ve been trying to piece something together by looking at the other non-ponies, but there’s almost nothing on them before ponies came to Equestria.” “Oh,” Scootaloo said, ears falling flat. There was a moment of silence before Mimic stepped forward. “Well, if you don’t have anything more to add to that subject, there is something else we need to take care of.” “Yeah. Okay,” Scootaloo said. “Uh, mister Al? Where are the changelings that were taken prisoner during all of the attacks?” “Most of them were broken free the past few days. A lot of changelings up and left now, probably to spread out to other cities.” Mimic hissed in displeasure. “Most of them?” Scootaloo asked. “The one that attacked you is still around. Nopony seemed particularly interested in saving him.” “Where is he?” Mimic asked. Starswirl raised cocked an eyebrow. “Why?” Mimic just glared at him and he shrugged. “Two tents South. Guard shouldn’t give you any trouble as long as you don’t try breaking him out then and there.” Mimic turned and left the tent. “Odd company you’re keeping,” Starswirl said. “Not as subtle as they like to make themselves out to be.” “She saved my life,” Scootaloo said. “Mine too,” Thistleroot added. “Wait, was that mare a changeling?” Spike asked, looking from Scootaloo to Starswirl. The guards shifted uncomfortably. “Eh, that’s not important at this point,” Starswirl said. “Bigger picture. I’m starting to think these books are useless. In fact…” “In fact what?” Scootaloo asked. “Bah, I’m a fool for even thinking it. It’s something more up Celestia’s alley.” He shook his head. “But hey, it works for her, so why not? You kids really want to help?” Scootaloo and Spike nodded. Thistleroot glanced at them and did the same a second late. “Hmph. I guess I’m getting a bit old for this kind of thing anyway. There’s someplace we might be able to get information. I was going to go myself, but I can’t leave just yet. The unicorns of Canterlot aren’t ready to raise and set the sun by themselves, and letting that go undone will just cause more panic than is necessary.” “Wait, the unicorns of Canterlot are doing it?” Thistleroot asked. “Aye. We were worried about Nocturne at first, but she hasn’t seemed to care. Anyway, I was going to go, but not for a few days. Maybe even a few weeks, depending on how fast they learn. But if you kids really want to save the day, I guess I can send you instead.” “Send us where?” Scootaloo asked. “A library, I think. Thing is, nopony alive has ever been inside. It’s been sealed up with magic since before I was born. Even when I was young the only people who knew what it was were old coots. I figure if there is any place with information on something as old as this Nocturne seems to be, it’ll be there.” “Well, it’s better than any other ideas we have,” Scootaloo said. “Do you know how to unseal it?” “Not a clue. I’ve tried plenty of times, but nothing seems to work.” “Then how are we supposed to get in?” Starswirl shrugged. “Honestly I don’t think you can. Celestia seems to think you can solve any problem by letting kids handle it, so by all means, prove me wrong.” Scootaloo scowled. “Fine. How do we get there?” “That’s the spirit. Tell you what, I’ll teleport you there when you’re ready. Give me a few minutes though, it’s about time for us to set the sun. Get together anypony you want to take with you.” Scootaloo nodded and Starswirl moved past her to leave. “Oh, oh! I want to help set it!” Thistleroot said, following Starswirl. “Can I help?” “Sure, sure. Come on kid.” They disappeared through the tent door. After a moment of thought, Scootaloo went to find Mimic.