//------------------------------// // Pony POV Nightdrake World: Spike, Sequel 1/4 // Story: Pony POV Nightmare World: Spike The Dragon // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// "I’m not gonna let those scumbags Twilight and Rarity take away OUR paradise!" said Rainbow Dash, wearing a Wonderbolts flight suit, with wings made of rainbow-colored light. "How dare they," growled Applejack. "Nightdrake Banneret is the best thing that's ever happened ta Equestria and they want ta destroy the paradise he built? Ah'm not gonna let that happen." Unlike almost everypony else, she still looked the same as she had before Spike took over. She liked the way she looked and didn't want to change, even centuries later. "I'LL PROTECT OUR FRIEND SPIKE!" Pinkie Pie declared, striking a dramatic pose in her brightly colored ninja costume. Neighponese rock music blared in the background. Fireworks set off by Pinkie Pie's personal Spike Assistant followed. She still wore that party hat/crown on her head, though. = Soul Eater - Official Opening 2 - Papermoon = "I can't let the foals in Partitopia down. I can't let down all the parents I've been foalsitting for all these centuries! If Twilight has her way, I won't be able to keep the party train going, so count me in!" Behind her, her legion of Pinkie clones all nodded in agreement, the horde wearing Clone Trooper, Zaku, Star Trot, and various other cosplay costumes. "I'll protect my ponies' happiness! I may have retired but I just can't stand idly by!" Celestia, the former ruler of Equestria, wiggled excitedly. She might have stood up, it was hard to tell. While most of the ponies had grown big and fat over the years, Celestia was by far the biggest and the fattest. Centuries of gorging herself non stop in Caketopia had turned the former princess into a gigantic, completely spherical white orb, splattered with the remnants of countless cakes. As Nightdrake Banneret had risen, fewer and fewer ponies were interested in working hard for a vague promise of peaceful retirement in their old age, with the majority stuck on the social bottom compared to a tiny handful of extremely well off elites. The elite had been shocked and horrified, as their money meant nothing with Nightdrake Banneret producing any products and services that ponies desired for free with nothing but a request. They had demanded Celestia ban Spike from destroying their sense of superiority. Celestia, having always looked for a way to eliminate the classism that still plagued her beautiful country, refused, then asked Spike for Caketopia to retire in, and gave her administrative duties (for as long as they lasted) to Twilight Sparkle. The elite had promptly began demanding the same thing of Twilight. Since the majority did NOT want Spike to listen to the elites’ demands that he stop, he didn't. Twilight, not able to take their shrill whining, asked for them to go away. Spike had obeyed, and teleported them to Neighpon. They'd demanded of Spike a way back to Equestria on the spot, and Spike had provided. And the elites, true to form and nature, had insisted on Spike improving the ride in every way possible until the airship resembled a mobile palace... by the time the elites got back to Canterlot they were no longer interested in demanding Spike end his 'rampage.' Now everypony was elite, which was certainly better than everypony being lower class or something. "Then it's settled," said Rainbow Dash. "Spike! Griffon mode!" An avatar of Spike appeared out of thin air and spewed green flames onto the pegasus. When the flames cleared, the now-Griffon Dash extended her new claws. "I’m going to find them, and when I do, Twilight and Rarity are going down." “Hold yer horses there. First things first,” AJ said. “Spike.” “Yes?” One of his avatars, in the likeness of how he used to look when he was Twilight’s assistant, appeared. “Bring the Elements of Harmony here and destroy them.” “I can’t do that,” Spike said. “What?!” Everypony present said. Spike turned to Celestia. “Her enchantments from when she sent you to fight Discord are still working, and it’s harmony magic. I wouldn’t be able to destroy them even if I wanted to.” “Nightmare Moon did. Why can’t you destroy them?” Rainbow Dash said. “Maybe if they were inactive, I could.” Pinkie said to Celestia, “Can’t you make your divine magical enchantments go screaming and running away from the Elements?!” “I would need them here to do that,” Celestia said. “Well, we have’ta try something else,” Applejack said. “We gotta find them, even if it’s the most unfun thing we do!” Pinkie Pie said. === Unnoticed by the assembled ponies, a small globe of purple light far away from them winked out. Twilight sighed. "They're coming after us. All of them, even," she swallowed. "Even my own teacher, Celestia." Her head drooped as she blinked against the tears. "Grandmommy?" Minty, a young unicorn with a pale violet coat and a pink mane, carrying a bag with the Elements inside, asked in concern. "Twilight," Rarity nuzzled along her neck. "She's not your teacher. Not any more. She hasn't been for, for centuries. Just as my," she shivered, "just as Sweetie doesn't want me to be a part of her, well, not her life, but the existence she has now." She looked up at the night sky. It alone seemed the same as from before Spike's awakening to his nightmare power. He respected Luna's desire to keep the Night her own. But in the distance on the ground there shone spots that were constant sunlight from the wishes of the ponies there; just as others showed endless cool dark, or patches of winter chill, or summer heat. "We have to stop this," Rarity looked at Twilight. "We need to gather new Element Bearers, somehow. But we also have to find a way to hide ourselves from Spike's notice. And of his, well, I suppose we have to say his masters?" "I've been thinking about that," Twilight said. She looked at the wall of her new home. Books from the long-gone Golden Oaks Library and from the Royal Castle in Canterlot covered the walls. One of them floated over to Twilight, one of the last few books ever written in Equestria. These days ponies never bothered to write anything down. If they wanted something in literary form, they just told Spike to make it. The title ran, Life Before Spike the Generous. "First of all, we have to find the Great and Powerful Trixie." She flipped through it and held it open before Rarity. It showed a picture of a unicorn statue, a unicorn they both remembered from so very long ago. One with a conical hat, a blue cape, and a dismayed expression from when she'd realized that in a world where everyone could have whatever they wanted, no matter how unusual, her magical performances were meaningless. The look that had been on her face when she'd gone into the wilds and found a cockatrice and forced it to gaze into her eyes. === "Why?" Trixie shook stone fragments from her mane. "Why did you free Trixie? Trixie is obsolete, a relic of a bygone era. She deserves to be forgotten by a world that no longer needs her." "Trixie, please listen," said Twilight. "We found a way to return everything back to normal, but we can't do it without your help." "Why bother though?" Trixie flopped onto the ground. "If everypony just wants to waste their time doing frivolous things then so be it. It's not Trixie's problem." "Now I know that you don't mean that, darling," said Rarity. "Don't you miss seeing ponies marvel at your tricks? Don't you want them to dazzle with exciting displays the likes of which they have never seen before?" Rarity leaned her head down to Trixie's level. "Please, help us bring the laughter back to Equestria." Trixie was silent for a moment. Then she stood up and straightened her hat. "Yes. Trixie--The Great and Powerful Trixie does! Just give Trixie a moment, she wants to see if there's anything useful in those trash heaps over there. Stars, it's gotten messy around." The blue unicorn trotted off. Rarity turned to Twilight. "Well, that's one down, five to go." Twilight flipped the book open. "We’re going to see next Seabreeze the Forty-second." The page showed a picture of a breezy convincing his fellow breezies to not accept Spike's help. And whose descendants would do the same across multiple generations, keeping their race from becoming complacent and constantly reminding them the value of an honest day's work. === It took less time than they would have expected to find Breezie Grotto. Being an extradimensional world made it paradoxically easy. Nightdrake Banneret had set up so many dimension-crossing gates for quick and easy travel in Equestria that it made opening other gates even easier. All they had to do was create a gate to the Grotto’s entrance, but they hadn’t counted on Pinkie asking Banneret to tell her when this happened. After opening the gate to Breezie Grotto’s gate, Twilight looked at Minty. "Minty, I’m going to need you to transform us into breezies. I won’t have my horn, so I need you to stay outside to transform us back when we get out. If we don’t come back through that portal in two hours, go and take the Elements to my family. You know where they are, and I made sure there were enough candidates for the Elements once you reach them. Do you understand?” Rarity said, “Twilight, are you sure about this?” “We’re up against our friends. We can’t afford to be unprepared.” “Grandma, should I begin now?” Minty said. "Yes." Minty concentrated. Her horn glowed, magic pouring forth in a moment, and in another three breezies stood where two alicorns and one unicorn once did. Twilight Breezie flew forward, nuzzled her descendant, and flew after the other two through the gate. On the other side lay the dimly-familiar sight from so long ago, Breezie Grotto. The three ponies-turned-breezies looked around in awe. "I'd forgotten how lovely it all is," Rarity said. She frowned and her saddlebag opened. "Blast it! I kept telling myself that the next time I came here I'd pack my sketchbook, and I STILL forgot!" "It's been a thousand years, Rarity. We kind of have bigger problems to deal with." Twilight said. "I think some may be coming our way," Trixie pointed a warning hoof at the small -- swarm? -- of Breezies flying at them. Twilight and Rarity gulped at the sight of them holding spears. Spears the size of sewing needles, true, but still spears, tips dripping ichor with an almost metallic odor. "Dragon Bile?" Twilight swallowed at her recognition. "That's one of the deadliest poisons known to exist, or it was before Spike came to power, anyway. It was supposed to be able to kill full-grown dragons!" "And dat is vy ve use it!" A familiar-sounding voice said. A Breezie with a thick pink mane and tail and a Prussian blue body glared at them. His fellow Breezies looked only slightly more friendly as he said, "If yoo are here because that crazy dragon vants to know ef ve haff changed our minds, the answer is still no! And if yoo are here to amuse yourselves at our expense," he jabbed at Twilight with the spear, "Yoo haff anodder think coming!" "Amuse ourselves at your expense?" Rarity asked, shocked. "What do you mean?" "Some ponies come here to fight and kill us for der amusement, sometimes. Ve make sure dey cannot do much damage. But after, de dragon always ask if ve vant our wounded made better. Ve tell him no!" Seabreeze said. Trixie stared in shock, Rarity and Twilight in horror. Warily, he lowered his spear. "Yoo, yoo are not here for dat?" "No, ve, I mean WE, are not!" Twilight hurriedly explained. "Seabreeze, we want, no, we NEED your help to stop what Nightdrake Banneret has done. Your honesty in your dealings with your people and the ponies and even Nightdrake Banneret is something we need with us to defeat and cure him." "If yoo vant to beat Nightdrake Banneret, fine," Seabreeze said. "But yoo want to cure him? He is like Diamond Dog with foaming sickness," he tapped his head. "Vat vunce was inside him, is gone. Only nasty-hurting sickness is left." "No!" Twilight yelled, causing him to spun back. Speaking more quietly, she said, "I, I know the old Spike is in there! We just have to bring him to his senses..." "YOU'RE the pony who needs to be brought to her senses, Miss Princess Meany-mean Know-it-all!" A new gate opened beside Twilight and she barely avoided a blast from a party cannon that sent Breezie homes tumbling. A pink ball of energy came out, stained from endless feasts of pastry, and looking almost too heavy to move. Twilight and Rarity gasped to see one of Banneret's normal avatars next to her, one that possessed slightly more awareness than the usual ones. But even so a dullness showed in the green eyes set in that large black-scaled and golden armored form. "Pinkie, dear, how did you find us?” Rarity said. “I know where you’re teleporting,” Spike’s avatar said. “That’s right! Did you think we wouldn’t try to find you?” Pinkie said. “Don't make us fight you! We don't want to hurt you!" Rarity said. "I got news for you, Princess No-Fun Prissy Pony," Pinkie sneered as she aimed her party cannon, having reloaded it with a blast of Spike's magical breath. "If you want to destroy the joy I bring the foals I foalsit in Partitopia, then I'll do what I gotta do!" === Despite her girth, Pinkie moved with the speed of a pony a third her size. "GET BACK HERE!" she screamed as she chased after the three transformed ponies, crushing breezie homes under hoof. "DUCK!" shouted Twilight as Pinkie once again aimed her party cannon. The three managed to dive out of the way at the last minute when the cannon fired, destroying more breezie homes and sending even more breezies flying. "No!" cried Seabreeze, horrified. "Do yoo see vhat yoo brought here?" "We're sorry, Seabreeze! We didn't mean for this to happen..." Rarity shushed them as Pinkie drew near, the ground shaking with every hoofstep. The pink pony looked around in frustration. "Come out, come out wherever you are! Man, Dashie was right--you are all a bunch of chickens!" "Come on, turn us back to ponies!" whispered Trixie as Pinkie started to walk away. "The three of us should be able to overpower even her." "No, Trixie, we can't have a fight here," said Rarity. "The breezies' home would be utterly obliterated if we did." "Wait!" said Twilight, as Pinkie trotted back towards the gate. "What's she doing?" Pinkie approached the avatar of Spike. "Spike! Pinkie clones!" Immediately, the avatar spewed green fire and five (considerably thinner than the original) Pinkie clones appeared. "Alright, everypony!" said Pinkie, pacing in front of the clones. "There are a couple of party poopers hiding around here and I want you to find them and bring them to me and let them face cold, hard, Pinkie Pie justice. Understand?" The Pinkie clones saluted and charged towards the Breezie town. Any building that was still standing was quickly upturned and splintered apart. Debris and rubble rained down as the clones rooted around looking for the trio, uncaring of the screaming, fleeing breezies that got in their way. “But don’t kill them! You silly buffoons!” Pinkie said. “Well, technically I’m a buffon too, since it used to make ponies happy… Most of the time, but this isn’t that! But wouldn’t that thwart my plans of scaring them? … Spike! Make sure nopony except my clones heard that!” Five minutes later. "No, no, NO!" shouted Seabreeze. He angrily picked up a discarded spear. "Zhat's it! I am going to end zis once and for all!" "No, wait!" Twilight flew in front of Seabreeze. "Please, Seabreeze, don't kill her! She doesn't realize what's she doing--!" "And that’s suppose to vhat? Make me feel bad for her?" "Please, let us try to reason with her. Just don't kill her." Seabreeze glared at Twilight. Then he looked up at the rampaging Pinkie clones before turning back to Twilight. "Fine," he said. "I von't kill her. We'll use reason on her, but first yoo haff to stop those oversized beasts!" "Simple," said Trixie with a smirk. "Just follow Trixie's lead." Trixie flew up and positioned herself between two Pinkie clones. "Oh, yoo-hoo." The clones turned around to see the tiny blue breezie posturing at them. "Were you looking for The Small, But Still Powerful Trixie?" "Fun!" cried out one of the clones triumphantly. And the two clones both hunched and pounced at Trixie at the same time, just as Trixie flew up, causing the clones to painfully crack their heads together. "You'll have to do better than that if you want to catch Trixie!" The clones quickly recovered and began to chase the pony-turned-breezie. "Come on, this waaaay!" And she led the clones away from the damaged town and towards what was a relatively empty part of the grotto. "Great idea, Trixie!" said Twilight. "Hey! Over here!" "Yes! Come get us!" said Rarity. "We're just right here, minding our own business!" Soon all the clones were chasing after the pony-turned-breezies… And doing a terrible job at it. They tripped over each other, simple ruses fooled them, and the smaller breezies outmaneuvered them at every turn. Twilight had to laugh when she managed to trick one clone into hitting itself in the face with a large clown hammer. Of course, none of this would have been possible if Breezie’s Grotto’s dimension didn’t have air much less denser than that of Equus, otherwise a simple breeze would have blown them away into a trap, possibly superglued into something, knowing Pinkie Pie… most certainly NOT a slasher horror movie poster, that would just be silly. On the sidelines, Pinkie groaned in frustration. "Come ON! They're itty-bitty BUGS! How are you NOT catching them! Even a small leaf can send them flying! A LEAF!" Seabreeze scowled at her, then he looked at the wrecked town around and at all the scared breezies huddled in the rubble. Then he looked at the spear in his hoof. "Alright, prinzess, you wanted to use reason on her--" The breezie tossed aside the spear. "--so I'll reason with her." The breezie flew forward, over the ruined buildings, bobbing and weaving around the increasingly irritated clones, and towards Pinkie "Hey YOO!" Pinkie turned and found herself face to face with the angry breezie. "Alright, yoo fettämne mare, it's about time somebreezie laid down some cold hard truths on yoo!" === "Truths?" Pinkie snorted, almost knocking Seabreeze out of the air. "You jerks want to make everyone miserable again, and I'M the one who needs to listen? Oh, this oughta be good. Come on, Mister Teeny-Meany Pants, tell me these 'cold hard truths'!" "First of all, yoo are wrecking our home, yoo crazy mare!" Seabreeze pointed at the shattered village behind him. Breezies flew in all directions. ther cries of fear and grief filling the air. "Yoo are the one making sadness and misery here!" "Look, I'm sorry about your homes, but what exactly do you think it's going to happen when Nightdrake Banneret is gone?" "None of yoo will ever come here to kill us all! If those foals vant their parents so badly, vhy don't they just vish for new parents?" "They don't want REPLACEMENTS, they want their REAL parents." "Then vhy don't yoo just wish that they take responsibility for their foals!? Have yoo thought of that?!" "They already tried that... It didn't work. The wishes conflicted and got cancelled." Seabreeze didn't like that his home was being destroyed. In his experience, every other time someone invaded his home, breezies died and homes were lost, and they did it for fun. He realized that Pinkie wasn't doing it for that, she just wanted to protect her orphans, her people. Just like him every time his home was invaded. "Look, I don't like destroying your homes, in fact- Hey! Spike!" Pinkie snorted at Spike. "Fix all the damage I've caused here so far!" "As you command," the Spike avatar said in an utterly emotionless voice. He strode carefully into the village and opened his mouth, ready to breathe fire on the ruins. Seabreeze gasped and flew at him. "Don't yoo DARE! Vatever vickedness she does us, ve vill fix it vit our OWN hands!" Spike immediately closed his mouth. "I said fix it so they can have their homes back!" Spike opened his mouth. "I said no!" "I said yes!" Twilight, Rarity and Trixie wanted to watch as soon as they heard Seabreeze confront Pinkie. However, with them being too busy fleeing from the Pinkie clones, they simply flew up higher, away from their grasp. “Hey! That’s not fair!” One of the clones said. “Get back down here!” They saw Seabreeze and Pinkie giving conflicting orders to Nightdrake Banneret’s avatar, effectively freezing it. "Pinkie used to be smarter than this," Rarity said. "Everypony used to be smarter than this," Twilight agreed sadly. "But she's done nothing but give parties to everypony for centuries. Everything she needed Spike made, she hasn't done anything for herself for that whole time." Rarity remembered: "This way we can all live up to our Elements without having to worry about anything else! Rarity, this is a GOOD thing! Spike WANTS to do it, isn't that right?" "I want what you want, Pinkie," came the reply in Spike’s voice, and the DEAD look he wore on his face made Rarity’s stomach flip. "I want to give everypony whatever they need and want to be happy." He looked at Rarity as she stood nearby and looked haggard, like some precious part of her very soul had been torn away by the sight of this. The faintest note of anger was in Spike’s voice as he said, "Like YOU never could, Rarity." Rarity looked at her old friend, tears in her eyes. "I swear to you, Twilight, if I'd known it was possible to lose an Element, I would never have --" "Save it," Twilight said. "I wonder if I should try out a new spell, one that might help deal with Spike's avatars at the very least, I -- oh, no!" "Spike! Bring Gummy here!" Pinkie yelled at Spike. An instant later an alligator stood beneath Pinkie. Its head alone was the size of an alicorn, and the fangs looked long and lethal. Past changes to please its mistress showed on it: a red rubber clown nose, a dingy party hat, and his bright pink and chartreuse coloring. Rarity shuddered at this crime against fashion. “Gummy, do the thing!” Pinkie said, signaling him to put them in his throat pouch instead of swallowing them. It rumbled a roar and strode forward into the village, snapping at everything that moved. Half a dozen breezies, many of which still carried their spears, vanished between its jaws. "My people!" Seabreeze shook his fist at Pinkie. "Yoo crazy vitch! I swore not to hurt you, but dis iss too much!" He flew for his dropped spear. Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Spike, bring the breezies back, alive and unharmed." They came back covered in alligator gunk, but they didn’t have their spears anymore. “See? They-” Pinkie look down towards Gummy, “Gummy? What’s wrong?” The alligator barely reacted to what Pinkie said. Everything became a blur to him and his breaths kept getting softer. He finally closed his eyes. “No, No, nononononono!” Pinkie cried. “Gummy wake up! Please!” Seabreeze didn’t find any satisfaction in Pinkie’s pain. Watching her cry over her dead, after realizing she was first and foremost trying to protect the foals under her care made him, if anything, feel sorry for her. And yet, she still had destroyed his town, injured many of his people, and his people were defending themselves; Gummy's death was just the result. He knew that it didn't matter if she had a good reason or not, she still wronged them, and he had to punish her. But how? He didn't want to punish her too harshly. Twilight took her normal form back. Pinkie didn’t pay any attention to her, her fallen friend mattering more to her than somepony she would never consider a friend again. Spike, however, blinked in surprise to see her standing right beside them. And she casted a spell. One she remembered Rarity showing her a book about centuries past, one from the now long-forgotten Castle of the Sisters, the book Spike tried to share with her when she was crying over her hard work being rejected and -- when she refused -- literally consumed into himself. It cut off all the dark magic flowing into the avatar. Everything it'd made vanished. All the enhancements Gummy received over the years. The restored homes belonging to the breezies. The Pinkie clones. The cake. Everything. Including itself. And for just a second... "Twi, Rarity, PLEASE! No!” Spike begged. “I just want to help! I just want you to love me!" Eyes wide and pleading, a dragon with tattered scales and in lead armor begged at the alicorns before it vanished. "What?" Pinkie stared around in horror. The village was ruined. Homes were shattered. Breezies went over to hug their loved ones. And Twilight and Rarity just looked at her, grief filling their eyes. "I, no, this wasn't supposed to, I didn't mean." “Wait, the breezies didn’t stay obliterated,” Rarity said. “BECAUSE I WASN’T TRYING TO KILL THEM!” She shrieked at them both, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WHY? YOU BIG DUMB JERKASSICORNS! I WAS GONNA HAVE SPIKE FIX IT ALL AND HEAL EVERYPONY AFTER I STOPPED YOU! Now Gummy’s dead, everypony’s hurt, and it's all your fault!" She dropped on her hefty belly. "I was gonna fix it all, but I can't and you made it happen. Why? Why?!" "Dey did not do dis," Seabreeze said. His voice was stern, but pity showed in his eyes. "Yoo did dis. Yoo brought the other-yoos here, yoo brought that lissard here and told it to eat breezies. Your alligator is dead because of yoo!" Pinkie began to sob. Rarity reached out for her, but Twilight stopped her. "She needs honesty more than your kindness right now, Rarity." "Yoo say yoo vant to fix dis?" Seabreeze looked into her eyes. Pinkie blinked tears away and nodded. He pointed at the village. "Den dis is your punishment. Stay here. Vork vit your own hoofs. Fix every house yoo vrecked and apologize to every breezie living here..." "No..." Pinkie said, her eyes going pinpoint pupils at the last one. Seabreeze ignored her. "Yes. Ven dis is done, ven yoo haff done all yoo can to fix dis, den yoo are forgiven." He flew away from her to the two alicorns and Trixie. Twilight cast her spell, restoring them to their true forms. He looked back and sighed. "Yoo vish to stop things like dis from happening again? Den I am vith yoo." "Okay," Twilight said. She looked at Pinkie as the overweight mare, moving slowly and painfully, began to try and repair the breezie homes under the direction of the survivors. "Now we go and find loyalty." “And how do yoo suppose to get me there in vun piece? I’m a breezie, an acorn can easily kill me.” Twilight thought for a moment, and had an idea. She charged up her horn and focused her magic on Seabreeze, momentarily engulfing him in a purple aura. His body didn’t change, but now he felt stronger. “All done. This spell should allow you to fly even through storms.” “Vat did yoo do?” “I increased your strength and stamina. It should last you for a few weeks.” Seabreeze began flying around Twilight and her friends, surprised by how fast he moved, way faster than he ever did. “I am ready. Let’s do dis!” “You’ll be slower out of Breeze grotto than inside.” Seabreeze shrugged, “Vorks for me” Twilight took a deep breath. "Princess Luna, here we come!" === Minty waited outside of the portal into Breezie Grotto for her great-grandmother and her friends’ return, bored out of her mind and unaware of the fact that Pinkie was there and fighting them. "Lost something?" Gilda said. Minty immediately tensed. The way she saw it, an enemy had come to steal the Elements, and she wouldn’t let her great-grandmother down. "Chill. I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to say something." The griffon spoke, a white flag tied up on her tail. "I’m assuming that Twilight never even mentioned me, the name's Gilda. Long story short, I was a jerkass when I visited your elders' home town to hang out with my best bud, my only bud, Rainbow Dash ... and she ended up choosing them over me ... And I lost the only real friend I'd ever had. It took me a few decades, but I realized I hated myself.” Minty was still glaring at her. She had no idea what they were planning to do, but she wouldn’t let them play her for a fool. "I've only ever asked Nightdrake Banneret for two things. The second was to extend my life so I could stay in top form with Dash like she did. The first, I asked him to change my heart so I could BE with Dash without being a jealous beotch to her other friends ... He offered to create a clone of Dash who was more like me to be my best friend instead first. I turned him down. You ponies bleat that you shouldn't change who you are to better suit a friend. Yet you always cheer when the 'magic of friendship' changes somegriff for the better. Hypocrites.” Minty had raised an eyebrow. She understood the value of improving herself for the sake of her friends, but it never occurred to her that her fellow ponies might be demanding more than they themselves were giving. She was beginning to feel unsure. "If all Nightdrake Banneret's used is quick fix magic, and if you beating Nightdrake Banneret will undo all he's done like all that Discord and Nightmare Moon did was undone when they got zapped ... then not only am I fighting to keep from aging into a pile of dust and others to suffer the same fate except you immortal Alicorns, I'm also fighting NOT to turn back into into somegriff I don't WANT to be again! ...” Minty was beginning to feel scared. Her great-grandmother wouldn’t let that happen, right? "So just turn around, and go back home. You want to change the world? VOTE! That's what you ponies always said to griffons isn't it? Why your goddess was always trying to make herself LESS powerful a leader and let ponies decide more for themselves. Just talk to ponies one by one and convince them to vote your way. You can do it the peaceful way, or you can ignore what everyone else wants in favor of what YOU want. Like Discord, Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and Chrysalis all did." Minty heard of those names before. This had to be bait. This comparison wasn’t fair! Her great-grandmother was nothing like them! She didn’t talk back or moved from where she was. It wasn’t worth the trouble. "Now personally, I'd ask you to give up. But we both know that's not going to happen. You're self-righteous and convinced it doesn't matter how many have to suffer for how you think the world should be. Ponies like you have always existed, and will always exist, trying to push back time, to make thing how they were again in 'the good old days.' Where everything was so much more worthwhile, where foals dying of hoof in mouth disease was common, when us griffons still saw ponies as food, when racism was the order of the day, or back further, when stallions murdered each other for mates while the mares cheered the winners and the slow and sickly were left to die when the predators came.” Minty wouldn’t accept this. She couldn’t accept this. She knew things weren’t perfect back when her great-grandmother was the ruler of Equestria, but this wasn’t what she wanted… was it? Angry, scared and confused, she only had one thing to say to Gilda, “Get out.” "Look, I KNOW nothing I'm saying is getting through to you. I KNOW nothing I COULD say will make you stop. Because once you ponies decide you're the heroes, that your way is right, NOTHING ELSE CHANGES IT!” Minty looked down in shame. “But DASH wanted me to say it! She said it was formal junk, but I know it's because she doesn't want to fight any of you. But she knows that her loyalty to Equestria has to outweigh her loyalty to a handful of friends out to destroy the world because 'they want hard work to be important again'... . So again, zap me where I stand, send me to Mars so you don't have to deal with me later. But I want you to remember that all the suffering and misery that you want in the world to feel important, everypony who dies, including me, is YOUR FAULT!" Gilda flew off, but contrary to what she believed, her words left their impact on Minty. Was this the right thing to do? Was what Gilda was saying about her, her great-grandmother and her friends true? She didn’t know, and she was scared to find out. She looked at the bag containing the Elements of Harmony, for a moment the thought of running off to Caketopia and hoffing them over crossed her mind. But she also knew her family, especially Twilight, would never forgive her for this. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for going on adventures and “Saving the world”. Maybe she needed to go back home and think this over. “Hi, Minty! Kept you waiting, huh?” Twilight came through the portal along with her friends. “Hi, great-grandmother.” “Are you alright, dear?” Rarity said, “You look terribly shaken. Is everything okay?” “Yeah. It’s fine.” Minty said, “Where are we going next?” “We’re going to Moonshine Valley to pick up Luna.” Twilight said. “Is something wrong?” “No. Let’s just go.” === Far away, Nightdrake Banneret screamed in pain. "Twi, Rarity, PLEASE! No! I just want to help! I just want you to love me!" his avatar had cried out. Then darkness. Like a part of his body had been cut clean off. For the first time in a very long time, the dragon felt rage. He wanted to teleport every one of his avatars to the Breezie grotto and punish Twilight and Rarity for hurting him, for betraying him. And he would have except... "Spike?" "Spike? Did you hear me?" "Spike?! SPIIIKE?!" "SPIKE!?" All across Equestria, ponies screamed his name, frantically smashed their buzzers or furiously rang their bells. The ponies were so used to having their every wish immediately fulfilled that even the slightest delay was enough to send them into a panic. Banneret quickly went back to work, refilling ponies' drinks, cleaning up their messes, and giving them new trinkets. And already the memory of the incident was beginning to fade from his mind... Elsewhere, Applejack watched the avatars get back to work after suddenly freezing for a few seconds. "Rarity an' Twilight, you two had somethin' ta do with this, didn't you?" she growled, gritting her teeth. "You two better hope that Pinkie or Rainbow Dash will find you first. Because if Ah find ya--" She gave her brand new lasso a tug-- "it ain’t gonna be pretty." === Applejack wasn't blind, she knew what lazy bums a lot of ponies had become, but all of it had been their choice. She hadn't LIKED Aunt and Uncle Orange's fancy shmancy upper class junk, but she had RESPECTED IT, and had accepted that was how they chose to live, just as they accepted Sweet Apple Acres was how she'd chosen to live. AJ stamped her hoof, and shouted at the sky, not caring who heard her or not. "DANGNABBIT TWILIGHT! WHAT THE BUCK GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?! YA THINK JUST CAUSE YER AN ALICORN NOW YA GOT THE RIGHT TO TAKE PONIES' CHOICES FROM 'EM!? This was their choice, and my choice! Just cause ya chose somethin' different doesn't mean ya got a right ta make everypony else dance ta yer tune! We never forced ya ta dance to ours! "If you buncha self righteous bullies are gonna make everypony else miserable just cause they ain't bein' up ta yer standards, then Ah'm gonna give ya a hard and fast lesson on respectin' other ponies' choices! Ya can bet on it!" Applejack sighed. She took out a locket Spike had given her that let her keep an eye on all the relatives of her choice. Fatty Apple Bloom was in that fancy throne of hers, dictating every possible design idea for new gadgets, then as soon as they were done she'd begin working on the NEXT design that was an improvement on the last. Big Mac still working the fields, with Cheerilee with 'em. And "Granny" Smith, now a filly having fun at Pinkie Pie's endless parties. Her granny had earned it. And Twilight and her friends wanted to end it because they disagreed with it. "Idiots, if they really wanted to undo EVERYTHING Spike's done, does that mean everypony besides the two of them turnin' ta dust cause we're past our time? Selfish jerks." Applejack sighed again, gritted her teeth, and shed a single tear for her astray friends. Applejack remembered how busy she used to be, all the blood sweat and tears her friends had to go through just to get her to relax, how Applejack had nearly worked herself to death once before admitting weakness. She remembered how her obsession with making sure her family was protected and being always important to her family had caused her once to baby Apple Bloom so badly she nearly got eaten by a Chimera as a result of trying to break free of Applejack's grip. She wouldn't fall into that trap again. Rainbow Dash had been more than eager to fill the void, coming up with ever more elaborate competitions between the two. She didn't think her family or her friends would need her, and why would they? As far as she knew, they all had their own lives, they were happy, and this was all thanks to Nightdrake Banneret. They would need her again if Banneret was gone, but this wasn't an option. The way she saw it, it shouldn't be; they shouldn't have to suffer because of the desires of a few selfish ponies. Her decision was already made. "Spike." Nightdrake Banneret’s avatar appeared. It was like most of his standard avatars, a replica of how Spike had been when he was Twilight's number one assistant. She’d seen on rare occations avatars that looked like hulking titans, close to how he looked now.Compared to the hulking titans she'd seen Spike use on rare occasions that were a lot closer to how he looked now. “Do you want me to bring Twilight’s family here?” “Huh, why?” AJ asked. “I thought getting hostages would stop them.” “No! Ah ain’t delivering THAT low of a blow!” Applejack said. "Then, what is your command?" The avatar asked. "Ah'm ready." AJ put her father's beloved stetson down. "Don't hold back, and don't be gentle." "I can do it painlessly easily." "Ah'm gonna be fightin' mah friends cause they can't let go of the 'good old days' and want everypony to be in 'em too. There ain't nothin' painless about this, so why should this?" "Because the pain is unneeded." "It'll feel like cheatin' TA ME if it ain't there." She look a deep breath and slowly let it go. "Do it Spike." "As you command." Green fire covered Applejack, she screamed in agony. Her body twisted and turned. She felt an extra-special pain unlike any other pierce her skull, then that same extra-special pain rip apart her back. She thought of it, her centuries of life, her endless competitions with Rainbow Dash, her mistakes, her sins, her achievements, her virtues, she felt felt her heart, mind and soul burn along with her body. Applejack didn't know how long it lasted. It might as well have been an eternity. Spike had been happy to let everypony who didn't want anything to do with him be, until Twilight and Rarity had to go and upset the applecart because they couldn't accept ponies having chosen a different way from them? Possibly kill off an entire world just to satisfy what THEY DECIDED was right and wrong? No. Did she want her brother to die and turn to dust because SHE thought it was unnatural for him to still be with his wife? Applejack wouldn't let them. The pillar of green flame faded. A red glow picked up the stetson hat and slowly put it back on Applejack's head, she grunted as she had to reposition it to make room for her new horn. AJ flexed her new feathery wings. "Ah'll protect this world Twili, and if Ah can't, Ah promise ya, Ah will avenge it," said the new Alicorn. "I could make you some new regalia, Princess Applejack." "Ah ain't no princess. And fancy bardin' is for lookin' pretty, and Ah ain't gonna be doin' stuff that it's right to be pretty about." "Excuse me, I think carrying your request caused another mass delay for others." "Sorry," the new Alicorn said. The avatar bowed and vanished. === Miles away, the sun had risen, and the four ponies and one breezie stood at the entrance of Moonshine Valley, home of Princess Luna and the bat ponies. The valley was filled with beautifully crafted silver and sapphire buildings, and at the center of it all was a large citadel with a giant moon carved into the side. Trixie whistled. "Now that is impressive," she said. "The bat ponies are quite the artisans aren't they?" "Yes, they've had a thousand years to perfect their craft," said Rarity. "You should see the sculptures they built on the moon." "And dey did dis all vithout de help of de dragon?" Seabreeze asked suspiciously, examining his reflection in one of the buildings. Twilight nodded. "Princess Luna commanded that none of the bat ponies were to ask Spike for anything and so… they didn't." "Seems pretty quiet," said Minty, looking around the empty streets. "Where is everypony?" "Probably sleeping. Bat ponies are nocturnal after all. Ah, here we go." Twilight walked up to a snoozing bat pony guard leaning on his spear. She cleared her throat, startling him awake. "Wha..?" he said. "Excuse me, sir," said Twilight, patiently. "But we would like an audience with Princess Luna. Is now a good time?" "Uh..." The bat pony scratched his head with his spear. "The princess is already meeting with someone else, but I can see if she's willing for a few more guests." Twilight thanked the guard as he flew off towards the citadel and rejoined the others. "Twilight, do you think Princess Luna will help us?" asked Rarity. "The last few times I met her, she seemed pretty... morose." "I'm sure she'll help us," said Twilight firmly. "She has always been loyal to the ideals of the old Equestria and she always managed to cultivate a sense of devotion in her subjects. She's exactly what we need.” Twilight turned to Minty. “Minty, you should get back home. I’ll give you a signal to send us the Elements or, in case we fail, I’ll leave taking Nightdrake Banneret down to you. Hopefully, you won’t have to fight this yourself.” “Alright, I’ll be waiting.” Minty nuzzled her Great-grandmother. "Hopefully, I'll see you after all this is over." Minty said goodbye to the others and was on her way. She breathed in the fresh air and sighed. It was a beautiful day. Minty had a long way to go and she would be teleporting most of the distance, but for now, she would take her time and enjoy the scenery-- Minty paused as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. The unicorn walked over to where she had just seen whatever it was, but there was nothing. Just trees and flowers surrounding the otherwise empty road. "Huh," she said turning back towards the road-- THWACK! Minty fell to the ground, unconscious. Working rather efficiently, a pair of changelings -- now called the Flutterponies -- who were accompanied by one of Spike's avatars, stuffed the pony into a sack along with the bag she carried with Elements inside, and tied it shut. “Spike, take us to Celestia.” “As you wish.” They were gone in a burst of green flame. ... In her citadel, Princess Luna, her mane no longer starry or flowing, stirred her tea as she talked to Fluttercruel. "So then what happened?" "So after I gave my big speech, the guy looks at me right in the eye and says, 'So what? The daughter Sir Spike made for us is better than the daughter we actually had." Fluttercruel snorted in disgust. "Then his wife dumped a bowl of custard on my head and kicked me out." "That's terrible." "Eh, it's still a step up from what most ponies normally do. Usually, they just have Spike run me off as soon as they see me." "Sometimes I don't know why you even bother," said Luna sadly, setting down her teacup. "Every year, the ponies seem to get more and more lazy and selfish. Just when I think they can't sink lower, they surprise me." "I bother because it's how my momma raised me. 'You're not doing any good if you only help those who don't need help,' that's what she always told me." "Still... it can't be easy." Luna got up and walked over to the balcony and gazed out at the city. She noted a guard flying up towards her. "Having ponies constantly mock, spit on you and treat you like dirt." "'Course it isn't easy, but that's how I like it." Fluttercruel said. "'Challenge is the spice of life!' My dad taught me that one." The guard finally reached the balcony and landed in front of Luna. "Pardon the intrusion, your majesty," he said, bowing before her. "But Twilight Sparkle and Rarity are at the valley entrance with two others requesting an audience with you." Luna instantly brightened up. "Really? Of course I'd liked to see them, it's always a pleasure. I wonder who the two others are? Hmm..." Luna pondered this for a moment before turning back to Fluttercruel. "Do you want to come along? I'm sure they'd be glad to see you." "Eh, maybe later," she said, reclining back in her chair. "I'm just going to chill for a little bit. You have some fun. You could use it." And with that, Luna jumped off the balcony and flew down to meet Twilight and the others. ... Far away, on top of a cliff, the newly-alicornified Applejack sat waiting. Then there was a burst of green flame behind her. A pair of Spike's avatars bowed to her. "As you have commanded, we have returned," one of them said. "With news of the whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle and her associates." "Presently, they are at Moonshine Valley," said the other. "They seem to be trying to recruit Princess Luna to their cause." "They won't get a chance to," growled Applejack. "An' if Luna has joined up with them, then she'll suffer with the rest of those slimey varmints!" She kicked off the ground and shot off towards the Valley. Despite her inexperience with flying, she was moving at an incredible speed. She made a mental note to challenge Rainbow Dash to a race when this was all over. She'd probably be able to outstrip her by far... No! Stay focused, Applejack. Remember why you're doing this. Remember what will happen if you fail... A horrible mental image filled her mind. She saw pudgy Apple Bloom falling off her throne, gasping for air. She saw Big Macintosh and his wife scream in pain as their bodies withered away. She saw "Granny" Smith rapidly age from foal to an ancient pony before falling to pieces... Applejack gritted her teeth and increased her speed. The air around her crackled with red energy and her eyes glowed red. "Twilight an' Rarity, Ah will stop you. FOR MAH FAMILY!" === Three ponies and one breezie looked up as Luna descended to meet them in the moonflower garden outside her palace, the light becoming shadowy in her presence. "My friends," Luna said, nuzzling Twilight first and then Rarity. They winced slightly at seeing her, smaller and shorn of much of her power. Luna nodded first at Seabreeze, and then at Trixie. "Seabreeze, is it not? Leader of the breezies? And..." Her eyes widened as she looked at the blue unicorn. "Wait, I remember hearing of you from my sister..." Luna shook herself, "An illusionist, she said? Trick-something?" "The Great and Powerful Trixie is pleased to meet the Princess of the Moon," Trixie stood and gave a formal bow as she spoke. "Trixie wishes she was better remembered, but after a thousand years she supposes that a few things will be forgotten." "Much has been forgotten. It's why I made this city," Luna said, her voice going dull before lightening. "But it is good to see old friends. Please come inside, I have a small lunch prepared..." "Green cheese and moon pies?" Trixie tried and failed to look innocent as the three alicorns looked disgusted. She said, "Given that Trixie has not eaten in a thousand years, she should not complain. After all..." "Trixie," Twilight said, her voice stern, "If you even try to say 'hungry as a horse', I think I might turn you back into stone." "I think the meal may be slightly more varied than that," Luna said. "Please do come, let us eat before we speak of whatever brought you here." She turned and led her guests and old friends into the ivory citadel. --- The meal was indeed more varied than expected, complete with some sweet wine. Even Seabreeze drank a thimble-full. Twilight and Rarity wondered if Luna knew why they were there. If she did she gave no sign, speaking only of times gone by, before Nightdrake Banneret. Banners hung from the walls, their colors dull and faded and looking tattered along the edges. Hastily worked patches showed on the walls behind them. Twilight noticed Rarity shaking her head ever so slightly as she saw them. They also wondered who else had been there; an empty seat sat along the table, and an empty silver platter lay before it with some scraps of meat on it. Twilight and Rarity looked at each other, their curiosity reflected in each others' eyes. "My Moon Tribe eats some meat, especially of late," Luna said. She indicated some of the guards standing around the chamber. Some of them bore bandages along their limbs. Their silvered barding showed some faint tarnish and scarring, but the spears they bore looked serviceable. "They, we, raise some cattle and other domestic animals in the valleys further into the mountains where ponies no longer wish to go." "Domestic animals?" Trixie looked away from a pair of small Moon Tribe foals she'd been amusing with her illusion and at Luna, swallowing. "You feed cows and pigs to them?" "Non-sapient ones," Twilight hurriedly said, catching the angry look on the faces of the bat ponies. "They existed back in our time, too; griffons and other carnivores ate them." Trixie still looked a trifle ill, but she returned to the happy foals. Twilight said, "And while I love history, I'm afraid it's more current events we have to discuss here. Luna, Rarity and I, we've decided that..." "That 'tis time for Nightdrake Banneret to be defeated, and responsibility for the lives of ponies be handed back over to them?" Luna looked at her and Rarity. "Yes!" Twilight said, relieved. She'd wondered how to say it. "We need to gather new Elements; between us we already have Magic, Laughter," Trixie threw off a small burst of purple and blue fireworks, eliciting delighted little whinnies from the foals, "and Honesty." Seabreeze looked up from his thimble and nodded tersely. Twilight looked at Luna. "I was hoping we'd found Loyalty here. Your devotion to the Moon Tribe, your determination to keep them from becoming reliant on Nightdrake Banneret... Will you help us?" "No." Twilight blinked. "But why not?!?" "For one reason, I am not the current Bearer of Loyalty, though I know who is." Luna said, standing up at the head of the table. Before any could ask the obvious question, she added, "And I dare not leave my ponies unguarded at this time." "Vhich enemies are attacking yoo?" Twilight looked at Seabreeze, shocked. He noticed and shrugged, pointing around the room. "Guard-ponies' armor is damaged, and they are too. Valls haff been damaged too, recently. Dey raise their food in hidden places; animals that can be driven avay ven enemy comes." He buzzed over to look Luna in the face. The Moon Princess looked ashamed. "Hoo your enemies are? Other dragons? Griffons?" "No," she said, the words almost dragged out of her. "They are ponies. Pegasi. They attack my ponies, plunder what little we have sometimes, but mostly," her next words sounded like a curse, "they seek battle because it amuses them." "That, that can't be true!" Rarity stared in shock. "Ponies get everything they need from Spike, there's no need for them to..." Realization struck her at the same moment as it did the others. "What they NEED, yes," Luna emphasized. "But not everything they want. You remember the, what did you call them, the 'historical re-enactors' of your time, Twilight, Rarity?" The two alicorns nodded. "It was good to see ponies interested in the past, but they romanticized it so much," Twilight said. "So do these," Luna said. "I know not where they learned it from, but they heard the old stories about pegasus warriors raiding their enemies for plunder and glory in the days before Equestria and decided it would be fun," Luna flattened her ears, "to play at it. They asked Nightdrake Banneret for armor, weapons, strong and healthy bodies. Then they started raiding Moonshine Valley." She looked at the damaged walls and at the guards. "It has gone on for years now. It took me long enough to realize they were serious, and to teach my ponies how to fight back." She shivered, the feathers of her wings ruffling. "It was not easy. Banneret gives them protection against my powers -- 'to keep it fair' -- and heals their injuries, but since we refuse to accept his help?" She sank down on her haunches, head hanging. "We grow fewer and fewer. They mock us, saying all we need to do is to accept Banneret's gifts and we can play this game forever as they wish to. Sometimes I wonder if that is why the dragon allows it to happen." "Luna, I..." Rarity went to the Princess and nuzzled her. "I promise you, we will stop this. All of it. When we stop Spi -- I mean Nightdrake Banneret. But you have to tell us who Loyalty is." "Rarity," Luna looked at her, at them all. "You may not be pleased to know who the Bearer is. And I do not know if I have the right to share her identity without her consent." --- Outside the valley, Applejack looked up from atop the pinnacle on the hill she stood on and wondered just what she was seeing. Four pegasi, three stallions and a mare, descended towards her. Lances set in fighting harnesses hung at their sides, and they bore blades like a rooster's spur set along their fetlocks. Their glittering, gem-encrusted golden armor looked as gaudy as one of Rarity's old dresses. "Hey, blondie! Get outta here, no overpowered OCs permitted!" Applejack noticed these weren’t bat-ponies, like the ones she expected to encounter. They were armed, but they didn’t look like they were with Luna. She knew something wasn’t right. “First off, what are ya talkin’ about? And secondly, who are ya and what are you doin’ here?” Applejack said. One of the pegasi stallions dropped before her, snorting. "This is our playground, and we don't need some wanna-be alicorn..." "Hey, keep it period! I mean," One of the stallions said, "Uh, 'speakest thou as true warriors ought'?" "Ah ain't got time!" Applejack charged into their midst before they could call for one of Spike's avatars. Her hooves lashed out in every direction, sending all three flying. They impacted with groans. Their leader, ‘General’ Lightning Dust, a light turquoise mare with an amber and gold mane spilling from under her crested helmet, snorted in disgust. "Idiots. We're off on a raid against the bats here, not hassling everypony we meet." The three armored stallions cringed. Lightning Dust dropped down before Applejack and spoke in a more respectful tone. "Er sorry about that, ma'am, but sometimes these three forget that not everypony's playing the game." "Game?" Now Applejack remembered. Dash told her about these pegasi, with contemptuous snorts. They acted like it was the old days of the Three Tribes, and treating it like a game. AJ wondered what went through their minds, but given that Spike could repair all the damage and heal everypony involved in a moment, what harm did it… Wait… Wasn’t Moonshine Valley independent from Nightdrake Banneret? “What are a buncha’ play-pretend pony-raiders doin’ in Moonshine Valley?” Applejack horn started to crack lightning, “Y’all ain’t being a bunch of rattle-snakes ta them, are ya?” “What, uh, no, no,” Lightning Dust gave a nervous laugh, “In fact, Luna is in on it!” She lied. “What?” “Uh, yes! Luna changed her mind about Spike!” Dumbbell said. “When?” “A hundred years ago! We’re just playing a friendly game of ‘capture the fort’!” Score said. “Well, Ah’m glad the Princess finally decided ta accept help,” Applejack believed the liars with a smile. Lightning Dust grinned, a trifle too widely. "Yes, that’s it! So, forgiven?" "Sure, y'all are forgiven," Applejack said. "What's more, ah just have ta know." She spread her wings and let crimson lightning play between them and over her horn. The pegasi fell back, eyes wide. "Can AH play?" === Twilight wasn't sure of what to think as Princess Luna lead them through the halls of the citadel to meet this mystery pony. "And you're sure that this pony is the Element of Loyalty?" she asked. "How do you know? And why can't you tell us who is?" "And what do you mean that I 'won't be pleased to know who it is'?" asked Rarity. "Everything will be clear soon," said Luna. "But first we need to find her. She likes to wander, you see, but I'm hoping that she'll be in her quarters." "Sorry to interrupt, but Trixie was wondering about something, why is Celestia not here with you...?" "We had a disagreement," said Luna quietly. "Nightdrake Banneret?" Then she turned to Trixie. "Oh, yes, we did disagree there. But that isn't why she isn't here. We wanted to continue being a princess, and she didn't." "That's--well, Trixie would never in a thousand years imagine that the princess would just abandon her duties like that!" "Neither did we," said Luna sadly. "But she did. I suppose we should've seen it coming. Celestia did always feel burdened by her responsibilities..." Luna shook herself. "But that's in past. For now, let's just focus on the present and find our friend, shall we?" And with that Luna set off down the hall. Twilight, Rarity, Trixie, and Seabreeze exchanged uneasy looks before following her. ... High above the valley, Applejack and the four pegasi laid on a cloud and looked down on the city. "So how do you want to do this?" ‘General’ Lightning Dust asked. "We've hit this place plenty of times before and we know a few strategies you might want to consider." "Yeah," Hoops said. "Like for example, the southern wall isn't as well guarded as the others, you can always start there." "Or you could try the sneaky approach," Score said. "There's an old sewer pipe over there that leads right to the city square. You could use that. That is if you don't mind the smell." "Hold on," Dumbbell said. "Are we going to speak in period accurate speech or not? I thought we were doing that." "No, Dumbbell, we are not doing that," Lightning Dust said, rolling her eyes. "We were never going to do that, it's just busy work. Anyways, we could also split up and do a pincer attack on the city and get them to divide their forces so they're easier to take out." "Those are mighty fine suggestions," said Applejack, standing up. "But here's deal: there are some lowdown, dirty varmints down there that Ah need ta tear ta pieces. Ah'll deal with them and Ah need you bunch ta keep all the guards off mah back while Ah do that. Think ya could do that?" "Ha! You kidding?" Core said. "We've been kicking around those losers for years now; this'll be a cakewalk! But, um, how do you wanna attack?" Applejack smirked. "Like this." Applejack's new horn glowed bright red. The former earth pony obviously didn't know any fancy spells enchantments. Except for two: basic telekinesis and this: Applejack fired off a bolt of magic at the city. It struck the side of a building causing an explosion to blossom forth. "There! That'll get their attention," she said as she and the pegasi jumped off the cloud. "An' remember! Take care of the guards--while Ah take care of business!" ... Outside the valley, Fluttercruel watched a plume of smoke rise up from the city as she reclined on a ledge and sipped a glass of chocolate milk. "Of course all the fun stuff happens when I'm away," she muttered to herself. "Heh, Dad would've found that funny." She got up and stretched. "Well, better get to it then, eh, Mom? No rest for the good guys." She downed the glass and tossed it aside. And was disappointed when it merely shattered. "I can never get it to explode..." she said, shaking her head. Then she hopped down and started to make her way back to the city.