//------------------------------// // Day Six, Afternoon: Almost Imperceptible // Story: The Golden Age of Apocalypse, Book II: Synchronicity // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// Walking through the center of Ponyville and enjoying the sights, Sunset, Octavia and the triplets headed towards Princess Twilight’s castle. As Sunset just wanted to enjoy the day as herself rather than Princess Sunset, they got up early and took a regular train from Canterlot to Ponyville. The ponies on the train had been friendly and engaging, and thanks to Sunset’s conjuring of her guitar, Octavia entertained their fellow passengers during the ride. The young musician had gotten a lot of accolades and adulation for her performance and by the time they’d pulled into Ponyville Station, those riders were reluctant to disembark, as it meant the end of a very enjoyable trip, one far more so than normal. As they passed through the main promenade, the raven-haired teen noticed that none of the ponies treated them any different than as if they had been ponies themselves. “Sunny, did you cast a disguise spell on us, by any chance?” she wondered. Sunset shook her head. “No. I didn’t think it was necessary. This is Ponyville, and we’re safe.” “Relatively safe,” Adagio added with a grin. “We are talking about Equestria’s disaster magnet, you know.” Aria laughed. “Well, if that’s the case, then I guess that Twily and the others must’ve left a positive enough impression on everypony here, if they aren’t freaking out like they were in Canterlot.” “Well, count me impressed. In some ways, it reminds me of home – San Palomino, that is,” Octavia commented. “Well, this Ponyville, unlike the one back home, is a magnet for the weirdest shit, so they’re used to things like this,” Adagio noted. “Yeah, like pool players that turn out to be assassins or grocery store owners that turn out to be secret ninjas!” Sonata added. Octavia gave her an incredulous look, and the youngest triplet laughed. “No, seriously. Mr. Daikon Radish apparently is originally from Neighpon, and is a master of the art of turf-fu, which is a major pony martial art.” “And Razz said Earth was weird,” Octavia said with mild amusement. Aria walked, her hands behind her head briefly as she stretched. “I’m just glad to be able to take an actual day off,” the middle triplet mused. “All work and no play makes Aria a cranky bitch.” “Hey, I’m just glad you’re back to treating me like family again instead of putting me on a pedestal,” Sunset commented. “Sunny, if it means anything, we hate doing it as much as you do. But like Adm. Loam said, a certain level of detachment is required to do our jobs correctly. You weren’t there when we all nearly lost it when our sœurs were killed in the time that never was. Even though we recovered, for a split second or two, we were useless, and in a situation where bullets take fractions of a second to kill, that’s unacceptable. You may have come back from the dead, but as you said, even you can’t bring back someone who’s gone.” “Yeah, I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Sonata gave her cousin a soft smile. “If it helps, think of it as just another way to show that we love you. If we didn’t, it’d be a lot easier to be professionally detached, you know?” Sunset would have responded in turn, had it not been for a sudden tackleglomp from behind. “Sunny!” Sunset suddenly felt herself hit the ground, followed by a familiar mop of magenta hair rubbing up against her back. “You’re here, you’re here! You’re really here!” Hearing her family’s laughter behind her, Sunset groaned, “Don’t make me change my mind, Pi—” Sunset turned around just in time for Pinkie to lean forward and kiss her, not caring about propriety. The four cousins suddenly found looking elsewhere to be in fashion. “This again?” Octavia commented. “You do realize that the population of ponies are skewed to the point that lesbian relationships are almost at a parity with straight ones, right?” Aria noted. “No, I…didn’t know that.” “Yeah. Why do you think our cousin has a girlfriend despite ‘claiming’—” Aria added finger quotes, “—that she’s straight?” “Look, let’s let the lovebirds be, okay?” Adagio noted. “I’m eager to just get to the castle and see how Twily’s doing. Shall we?” Knowing that Sunset would be okay, the four girls continued, much to Sunset’s irritation. Meanwhile, Sunset pushed Pinkie away. “Pinkie!” she gasped. To her surprise, Pinkie’s hair had straightened, and she had a forlorn look on her face. “I know, but I missed you, and this week has been hell for me, sweetie!” the usually chipper girl spoke. That caught Sunset’s attention. Again, while she didn’t feel anything romantic for her friend, she did want her best for her. “You could’ve called.” “I did!” Pinkie said, wiping her eyes. “I left several messages.” Sunset summoned her phone and looked at it; sure enough, there were a ton of emails, voicemails and texts from Pinkie, all of which she’d disregarded because she’d been extremely busy, so much so that it had drained its charge last night and she had to magic up a recharge this morning. Sunset looked at Pinkie with a completely apologetic look. “Pinkie, I—” “I know…I know you’ve been busy,” Pinkie mourned, “but I missed you and you didn’t call or write and I thought you didn’t love me anymore, and then I heard the news about that kitsune proposing to you and I thought you’d leave me!” Sunset looked at Pinkie and saw the fear in the girl’s eyes. She’s serious, Sunset realized. “Pinkie, I….” Sunset began… …only to find herself swept up in a pink whirlwind… …and a second later deposited in a room filled with gaudy balloons and one very, very exasperated pony Pinkie. “That fillyfriend of yours?” Pinkie accused Sunset, agitation in her eyes. “I’m sorry to say this, Sunny, but she’s driving me crazy!” Apple Bloom sighed. Because her friends were all injured or grounded, it meant that she had a lot of free time to herself. And of course because Applejack was mad at her friends because they were mad at her because of that other Applejack (and Bloom didn’t understand why; the other Applejack was kinda cool, all things considered), that meant that her dear loving sister had dragged her into helping around the farm. Right now, she was checking the back forty, looking around at the trees. A lot of them were broken and snapped, as if a hydra had come through the farm. Which was silly, given that hydras didn’t like being around ponies. She thought it could be a timberwolf as well, but just as easily dismissed the thought, as timberwolves really didn’t like the smell that applewood left, so they never tried to integrate it with their forms. The filly yawned; she’d been here ten whole minutes and she already bored out of her skull. “Well,” she said aloud, “Ah guess Ah oughta look an’ see which trees’re okay, so Ah c’n let Applejack an’ Mac know. They ain’t gonna be happy about what happened t’ th’ trees, though.” Especially Jebediah; that had been one of the oldest trees on the farm and was planted way back when Granny was her age, and now it was nothing more than a memory, its deeply scarred and shattered trunk laying in ruins. Apple Bloom stomped the ground in order to take out her frustrations at her boredom as well as keeping herself awake. “AH’M BORED! BORED, BORED, BORED!” she yelled into the air, as if it would help. Of course, it didn’t. From the treeline, it watched. The little figure stomped around, moving back and forth and bellowing out a war cry. It clearly demanded a challenge, looking for a worthy opponent. The Bete Goson narrowed its sulfuric eyes, watching its every move. The challenger had an unusual style and pattern to its moves, almost as if it wasn’t trained at all. But it knew better. Ponies provided some of the most challenging and dangerous fights known to Gosonkind. This was one of the smaller, younger ones, but it was likely no less formidable. The Goson scratched one of the trunks of the tree it hid behind, scoring a deep groove into the bark. It would watch and wait, preferably for the large red male or the strong orange female. They would provide a better challenge. And if not? Then it would accept the challenge of the small warrior kicking the air. A battle of honor was a battle of honor, after all. Divine looked at Adagio. “I apologize, and I know this is your day off, Capt. Dazzle,” he began. The oldest triplet sighed. “No such thing as a day off for a SIREN,” she moaned, reciting the old Canadian SIREN motto. “Explain to me what’s going on.” Seated at the dining table, which was currently covered with a large map of Ponyville Province, the guard captain explained everything about the Bete Goson and the increasing attacks that had occurred. The three triplets listened rapt as Lt. Gatecruncher, the Army liaison from Fort Berryville, had detailed an increasing number of attacks there, as well. Looking at the map, Aria stated, “That doesn’t make sense. There’s easily about ten miles between Ponyville and Berryville, if I’m reading this chart right, and given the times of the attacks, it doesn’t parse well.” “Have you considered you’re dealing with more than one attacker?” Sonata asked the ponies. Sgt. Deep Trench, one of the patrol leaders, looked at her. “That wouldn’t make sense, Commander. From what we know about Bete Gosons, unlike their ursine cousins, they really don’t like being around one another unless they have no choice, say like mating season or….” “Spring, when it’s mating season?” Adagio, arms folded, looked at the ponies. The three ponies present looked at one another, then to their human colleagues. “We’re screwed, aren’t we?” Gatecruncher commented. Seated on one of the balconies, the others had a charming lunch together, talking about how their week went. “Sounds like you had a fun time, Flutters,” Octavia told her. “I got some songs written and the local Discord – who is nothing like my dad – inspired one of them. The working title is, ‘I Think I’m Losing My Mind’. Remind me to play it for you later,” the chiffon-haired girl told her bandmate. The butter-yellow pegasus sighed. “He really didn’t mean to freak you out, Flutters,” she told her. “He’s just…well, exuberant about showing off in front of his friends.” “I know, Shy, and it’s not your fault. It’s just something I have to adjust to.” Seated together, the two Rainbow Dashes lazed in their chairs, posture be damned. “Well, I had a pretty cool time, Tav,” the human Rainbow told her friend. “I was totally a hero and shit and apparently, I’ve got magic, just like AJ and Pinks!” “Yeah!” pegasus Rainbow agreed. “She was moving all like nyrrrr and vroom!” as she moved her arms around, pantomiming her counterpart’s actions. “And then she turned around and ka-chow! Lightning bolted the quarray eels like they were nothing! Plus, she saved Scoots and the others! Mare, I totally appreciate that!” One Rainbow put out a fist to bump and the other responded, knocking their appendages together in a sign of clear, unadulterated coolness. “So has anyone seen Sunny?” Twilight asked, wondering where her sister was. “Oh, Pinkie tackleglomped her just outside of the train station,” Octavia told her. “Hopefully they should be coming up for air from swapping spit any minute now.” “She didn’t, did she?” Twilight asked. “I hate to say it, but I really think that Ari’s right when she says that Sunny might be a little bit on the gay side,” Octavia said. “Personally doesn’t bother me any, but I wish Sunny would stop stringing Pinkie along.” “Am I missing something?” Princess Twilight asked. “Twi, you know that Pinkie – our Pinkie, anyway – has been out of sorts because she misses Sunny. I told you she’s completely in love with my sister. It looks as though my sister might be reciprocating, despite telling us she’s not interested.” Princess Twilight nodded sagely. “Well, at least she’s a better match for Sunset in the dating department than Flash was, apparently.” “I’m not sure I would call what that jerk does ‘dating’, per se,” the plum-haired scholar growled. “Sunny told me what he did to you, Twily,” the princess told her. “I’m sorry to hear that.” “It’s not your fault,” Twilight responded to the alicorn. “He knew what he was doing and now he’s paying the price: his reputation is in tatters and while I hope he learns his lesson, I honestly don’t think he will.” Applejack, stretching, said, “Well, Ah’ve had enough lunch, thanks. Ah think Ah’m going to take a walk and enjoy what little I can before tonight’s concert and before we go back tomorrow. Anyone wanna come?” “No, while I would love to,” Octavia told her, “Fluttershy and I need to practice for tonight.” The various other girls made apologies as to why they couldn’t and understanding that, Applejack nodded. She wanted to see if she could pick up some souvenirs for her family that seemed plausible enough to have come from “their vacation in Oregon” even though they came from here. As she left the room and headed towards the stairs, she brought her phone out, in order to take notes down. Let’s see: maybe I can see if Rarity – either of them – can make a t-shirt for Mel. I think he’d like that. She then tried to figure out what to get for the others; maybe she could come up with a decent idea or two after her stroll. “Look, Pinkie, I’m sorry,” Sunset told her. “She’s normally not like this.” “Yeah, I can figure that. But she’s still driving me batty!” the pony argued. “Look, I get that you’re going to defend your fillyfriend, and I certainly understand that. But we’re just…too different. I’m all about smiles and laughter and stuff. She’s all about….” The pony paused. “Well, I don’t know what she’s all about, but whatever it is, it’s not normal Pinkie material! Maybe it’s those drugs she’s taking!” “Look, I know about the lithium salts,” Sunset explained, “and they help balance her.” “Balance her? That’s alchemical stuff! That stuff is dangerous!” “Human body chemistry is different from pony ones, remember? Different species,” Sunset reminded her. “Besides, she’s probably told you about everything that’s happened to her, and yet she gets up and always tries to put a smile on everyone’s face in her own way. And yes, she was probably the same way as you, but what happened to her scarred her terribly and she’s spent a while coming out from under all that. So I would appreciate if you laid off her, okay?” “Sunny, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to rain on your parade with her; what two mares do in their own private time is certainly none of my business. I’m just saying that there’s something elementally sad about her, something that is crying out for completion. If you love her – if you really love her as much as she does you – then you’ll want to take care of that.” A strangely sad look briefly came over the pink mare’s face as she said, “Don’t let a mistake ruin your whole life.” “You seem to be speaking from personal experience there, Pinkie,” Sunset noted. “Let’s just say that your fillyfriend isn’t the only Pinkie in town with relationship regrets and call it that, okay? Mine are just not as bad as hers.” Sunset was treading down a path that she really didn’t want to discuss. Pinkie was not her girlfriend, and anything she could say would probably be misconstrued by anyone or anypony, especially this Pinkie. But at the same time, Pinkie was special to her. She had to protect Pinkie, especially since she wasn’t here to protect herself. The teen rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Pinkie…. Pinkie is very important to me,” she said, choosing her words very carefully. “Her happiness means the world to me, but I also have to let her grow to be the woman that I know she can be. If I do anything to change that, it would be to shortchange her and her future. And she means too much to me to do that to her.” The pony looked at the teenager for the longest time, and then finally smiled. “You really love her, don’t you?” Sunset was about to say something, when the pink mare raised a hoof. “I can tell. You want the best for her, even if you’re not sure how to help her; I can see that in your eyes. That’s…beautiful, Sunny, really beautiful.” She walked over and hugged the human. “Take care of her always and she’ll always be there for you. I know she will.” Despite herself, Sunset gave a small, girlish smile. “I…know, Pinkie, I know.” “Then what are you doing here spending time with me? Your fillyfriend’s been waiting all week to see you! Go schedule some quality smoochy-face time with her!” Pinkie started pushing Sunset towards the door and finally shoved her out. With a satisfied grin, she looked at the door where the alicorn in human form had been just a few moments ago. “Wow, I swear if it wasn’t for me, nopony would ever get their happy endings!” “And you see, Your Grace,” a particularly bland and boring pony droned, “if you take into account the significant amount of bits spent on the particular project, I don’t see any reason why either the municipal government nor Her Highness’ office should not pay for the recompensation. As you’ll see here in Form 2345XJ1, it clearly states….” Raspberry Beryl stifled a yawn and tuned out the droning stallion. For some reason that she couldn’t understand, every pony that had any interest in either trying to appeal to Twilight’s sense of minutiae or Tartarusbent on boring her to death had scheduled time during this period while she was covering the Court proceedings. “…and according to Form 2312-AB-D-1231, it also points out that I’m entitled to…” Raspberry remembered a figure from the time she was on Earth. He was in a videogame and had a face that could be best described as “angry glare grit teeth”. It probably looked fearsome on a human, but she also bet if she tried it now, she would just look silly…unless she switched to her Sombraic form, in which case then she would look possessed. Either way, she wanted this stallion to shut up and just go away. That’s when she suddenly heard something. “What did you say?” she asked. “I said that according to those two forms and the Ancient Laws of Unicornia, that house belongs to me and those ponies are staying there illegally.” “But you’re not a unicorn,” Raspberry pointed out. “The laws of Unicornia don’t apply to you.” “But my mother was a unicorn and a member of the old Unicornian nobility,” the stallion continued. “Furthermore, my second cousin is influential in the Court of the Moon, and so I insist that I get the respect that I am due!” Raspberry rolled her eyes. “And they say that Canterlot residents are uptight.” “I’ll have you know that I moved here from Canterlot six months ago in order to get away from that!” “And that explains it.” “Well then, I absolutely insist that the house be passed to me under the laws of Unicornia!” the stallion insisted. Raspberry frowned; she was starting to lose her patience with this idiot. “Well, Mr. Houseflipper, as much as I’m finding this absolutely fascinating—” she said in her best imitation of Rarity, hoping her friend would forgive her, “—the truth is, you seem to be ignorant of more than a few things. For starters, this is Ponyville Province. The province was never under the control of any of the original three breakaway nations, so the laws of Unicornia – or Pegasopolis or Æarthe, for that matter – never applied. Secondly, you’re talking about an ancien régime, and per the laws of the Unification of the Realms, none of the old laws apply unless specifically dictated by municipal code, royal or noble decision or the direct decree of one of the ruling princesses. So I’m afraid your claims are not valid.” Houseflipper’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to demand that you give me the land over on 245 Blackberry Pass, or else I’m going to have to go to Princess Twilight and demand it.” Raspberry’s eyes widened briefly, then narrowed. 245 Blackberry? That’s the orphanage! She groaned. Talk about cliché villain shit! Focusing a narrow glare on him, she pointed out, “Do you see where I’m sitting?” “Yes, that’s the throne of Princess Twilight, but I don’t see how—” “And do you know who I am?” “Yes, yes, yes,” he said, waving a hoof as if unconcerned. “Raspberry Beryl, Archmagus of Equestria and the Court Mage of Princess Twilight, as well as a princess in pretense, as I recall. But none of that makes you fit to make decisions—” “Wrong,” she hissed, leaning forward. “What it means is that I’m a member of the Court of Friendship and I can make certain legal decisions that the Princess can override, but she likely won’t. Furthermore, given that I am holding Court in her stead, that means I am her direct representative, and to you, I may as well be her. Therefore, I can make several decisions, many of which I guarantee you won’t like.” She paused briefly to dramatically float a glass of water to her lips, taking a long drink before continuing. “The first of which, I declare any ownership point you have null and void – not that I needed to, mind you; it was never enforceable to begin with. But the second part is the more important one: I find you in contempt.” “What?” he sputtered. “You can’t do that!” “I just did,” Raspberry stated. “I honestly don’t care about what you have to say or think about me, or whatever supposed – and clearly inflated – influence that you may think you have. But allow me to explain something, since you clearly aren’t getting it: I am the Archmagus of Equestria. That means I have direct authority from the Princess of Friendship aka the Princess of Magic herself. Furthermore, it also means that I am directly influential in the Courts of the Sun and the Moon.” She leaned back into the throne, luxuriating in her point. “So, let’s play a game: who has more influence? You, who are a paper tiger and trying to spread your influence like too much butter on bread; or me, who knows a couple of the princesses on a first-name basis and is technically one in my own right? I mean, I don’t care to brag, but I think you may as well just give up your point right now. I’m already holding you in contempt, which means your fine is currently at ₿2000, but if you don’t depart, we’re going to increase it.” “You can’t do that!” he screamed, his eyes bulging. Raspberry waved a guard over. “Sergeant, please make sure that Mr. Houseflipper has a guest suite in the jail. Nothing serious, just a cooling down period until he decides he’s going to pay his ₿5000 fine. Afterwards, you can let him know he needs to report to Lady Fluttershy next week so she can explain to him the principles of kindness.” The guardspony, a pegasus, saluted. “Understood, ma’am.” She turned to Houseflipper. “C’mon, you, let’s get you where you really need to sit and think about what you did.” With the assistance of two other ponies, the offender was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the room. Raspberry turned to another sergeant, who was acting as the usher. “Is there anypony else for today?” He shook his head. “No, ma’am – that moron was the last one there was.” She smiled as she hopped out of the seat. “Good! Declare Court closed for the week. Now I’m going to breathe a sigh of relief; I have no idea how Twi does this on a regular basis. Speaking of which, is she in the castle?” “I believe she’s on the residential floor right now talking to some of the humans that just arrived.” Raspberry perked up at that. “Oh, that’s great! It’s been a while since I saw Soni and Ari last. Hell, I’ll even deal with seeing Dagi as well. And of course, Tavi and Sunny – can’t forget them.” “I, uh, have no idea who you’re talking about, ma’am,” the guardspony said with a straight face. “Well, no worries, I guess. Anyway, close up shop and then you’re dismissed for the day. Have a good weekend, okay?” Despite it all, he smiled. “You as well, Archmagus,” he told her. That done, Raspberry departed the Throne Room and headed towards the stairs, intent on visiting her friends. However, it didn’t take long before one other joined her: a familiar weight descended on her horn with a flutter. “Yes, I’m done for the week, Heelee,” she assured him. “Believe me, I really didn’t want to go another moment in there.” There was a chirped sigh of relief, and she giggled a bit at that. “Hey, you had it easy,” she accused him as they headed up the stairs. “You just had to keep yourself busy this week. I’m the one who had to sit in all of that stuff. I mean, granted, not all of it was bad, and I got to help a lot of ponies in ways I hadn’t done before, but…. Let’s just say that there are some ponies beyond help, you know?” She finally reached the floor she wanted to and opened the door, revealing all the humans seated at the table, just chatting around lunch. “Hey, just in time!” Rainbow – the human one – called out. “The rest of our group got here and we’re thinking about showing them around the town.” “Well, you’ve been here all week, so that’s not a problem,” Raspberry said as she pulled a seat up. “Besides, we all have to head back to Canterlot tomorrow for the preparations, so I’m hoping that we’ll be able to show them some local color,” Applejack – again, the human one as well – added. Princess Twilight, however, noted that her friend looked a little down. “Let me guess,” she began. “Court get you down?” Raspberry nodded. “Yeah. Some of the ponies that are moving here from the other big cities? They clearly don’t get what Ponyville is supposed to be like. It’s almost as though they moved here so that they could make our town like the place they came from, Twi!” It was Twilight – the human teenager – that responded instead. With an understanding look on her face, she looked at her friend and said, “Well, you spent a few weeks on Earth and know what our society is like. Sounds like pony society isn’t all that different than it seems.” The mulberry unicorn nodded. “Yeah, Twily, you have a point. Still, at least all of it is over now and when it starts up, it’s Twi’s problem again.” The alicorn rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks, Razz.” “Well, yeah, this is about as interesting as dirt an’ all,” the pony Rainbow drolled, “but I’m a bit more focused on what’s going down with that karate bear stuff. I mean, that’s what’s got all the guards fired up, right? Hell, let me at ‘em and I guarantee I’ll wipe the floor with them!” She looked at her counterpart. “An’ if we add her to the mix, I promise you they won’t last for shit!” The human Rainbow grinned. “Yeah! Just watch my moves and I’ll juice those fuckers up!” She offered a fist to bump, which the pegasus did without a second’s thought. “But Rainbow, we don’t know why this poor thing is hurting others,” the pegasus Fluttershy stated, looking at her oldest friend. “What if it’s hurt itself? Or sick, or afraid of us? What if it’s just trying to protect itself? If you attack it, all you’re doing is just making it feel that much more guilty about itself!” “Raini,” the human Fluttershy began. “I hate it when you do that,” the addressee in question grumbled. “I’m doing it because I care. I don’t want you to get hurt. Maybe she’s right about it; I don’t know. I just know that I wouldn’t want any of you getting hurt because of this. Apparently, several ponies have, and because Twily says that we humans are ideal targets for it, I’m afraid it will hurt you and I don’t want that.” “But Flutters….” The chiffon-haired girl crossed her arms. “I’m putting my foot down on this one, Raini.” Rainbow sighed. “I think I liked you better when you were a pushover,” she grunted. “Be that as it may, I think we should let the experts handle this,” Octavia advised. “That’s Capt. Right and his forces, as well as the triplets. And I know we’re safe when it comes to the triplets, and I don’t doubt that Princess Twilight’s forces aren’t any less capable.” “Spoken like a true scholar,” Twilight affectionately told her cousin. “Well, you had to rub off on me at some point or another, Twily,” Octavia replied with a grin. “I see my sarcasm was lost on you.” “Sarcasm?” “You did a double negative, Tavi. Seriously! I thought you were better than that,” the plum-haired scholar stated dramatically. Octavia rolled her eyes. “Okay, I think Sunny’s rubbed off on you more than you’ve rubbed off on me. Anyway, though, as long as we remain in safe areas, I think we should be fine.” Princess Twilight nodded in agreement. “I’ve already asked Div to place his best troops in highly-trafficked locations so that if something happens, we’ll be ready. Plus, I don’t mean to brag, but if worst comes to, we do have two alicorns in town – myself, and Sunny – so I don’t think there’s anything to fear.” “Unless you’re stepping between Pinkie trying to kiss my sister,” Twilight cracked. “Then you might be in over your head.” “I can’t believe we’re doing this on our day off,” Aria sighed. Now, she was walking the ridgeline of a butte that skirted the northeast edge of Ponyville’s municipal limits. “And why is there a butte here, for that matter? What kind of bizarre topography does this place have? I swear, it’s like someone just created the place half-assed, stated it was plains and then for reasons that make no logical sense, added a lake, forest, rolling hills and now a butte on demand, like as if a plot needed it.” “Yeah,” Sonata laughed. “It’s like the main city in Filly Fantasia. I think the writers originally meant it to be just a single setting, but then as the series grew, they needed to change parts of the layout in order to accommodate some of the outlandish—” “You’re not helping,” the middle triplet accused. “Would you two knock it off?” Adagio admonished her sisters. “Look, it was a good thing that we talked Princess Twilight into letting us store a weapons crate at her Chateau d’ Arts & Crafts Gone Wrong, or else we’d just have sidearms. At least with what we have here, we have a fighting chance against whatever it is.” She looked toward the guardspony that had been assigned as their scout. “Trooper Furlong, what’ve you got?” From above, assisted by a speaking crystal, the pegasus winged his way around the area; looking up, from this distance the winged pony looked little more than a bird soaring through the skies. “Nothing so far, ma’am,” he replied. “Of course, this is the area of town that’s farthest from the Everfree, and given most of the attacks have been there, we’re less likely to see it.” “Great, just great – first, we have to give up our hard-earned liberty in order to deal with this shit, and now we’re in the wrong place? This sucks. Seriously, this is just UNSAT,” Aria groaned. “Hey, look at it this way, sis,” Sonata suggested. “At least we’re getting to see a nicer, more peaceful view of Ponyville than the last time we were here. And I don’t have to worry about being critically injured by an assassin pool player!” Adagio chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what our lives have been reduced to, ladies: we were once unstoppable illegal Canadian child soldiers. Now we’re heavily armed Canadian-American schoolgirls related to an alien goddess and whose job it is to save more than one world from perverted fox princes and pool-playing assassins. I swear, it’s like our life is some badly-written story.” “Don’t get started on Twily’s multiverse theories again,” Sonata groaned. “It’s bad enough we now know that they exist. I really don’t want to get a headache thinking of all the permutations.” “Well, you are the smartest of us three, sis,” Aria chimed in. “I don’t mind admitting that.” Aria was about to continue chatting, when she suddenly saw Adagio stop and gave the hand signals to stop, followed by the one for silence. Noting that, both younger sisters immediately fell in line, going back from their habits as normal girls over to that of specially trained naval commandos. “Trooper Furlong,” Adagio whispered into her crystal, “what’ve you got eyes on, over?” “Something bad, ma’am,” came the response. “That…whatever it is?” “No, but something just as bad: there’s a hydra up ahead. They usually don’t wander into this part of the Unicornian Plains, as they prefer to remain in Froggy Bottom Bog. But if one is out, that’s going to be really bad. The direction it’s in is headed towards the parade grounds, where a lot of ponies without homes still reside. Do I have permission to start using combat magic?” “If you think it’ll drive it away, do it,” Adagio ordered. “We can’t afford an additional risk to the populace.” “I’ll see what I can do, ma’am.” The line ended, and from above, Furlong began his assault. She didn’t know what his combat magic specialty was but given that he was in the Guard rather than the Navy or Army, it had to be mostly defense related, the oldest triplet decided. She wasn’t still up on the magical capabilities of Equestria, but it stood to reason that was what the case was. “Okay, at ease,” she told her sisters. “Even though we’re focused on that Beet…whatever, we can’t let something like a hydra get into the city limits. Ari, get up to a nearby tree and set up a sniper position. Soni and I will remain here in case we need to push on the ground.” “Roger that,” Aria stated, slinging her weapon around her shoulder. “Looks like today’s going to be a fun one.” “Yeah, no shit. But we have a duty, and besides, I’d rather this than have to deal with what Sunny’s gotta deal with.” “You mean you’re not marrying that prince?” Pinkie asked, her eyes red with tears still. “Pinkie…I’m not even….” Sunset paused. She was going to say dating anyone, but the last thing she wanted was for Pinkie to lose it right now. Pinkie was still extremely fragile when it came to that. “Why would I do that?” Sunset said instead. “My mother wouldn’t want me to marry for affairs of state. If she did, she would have found a much more advantageous marriage for my cousin Cadance, not to mention both Twilight and my aunt. So if she didn’t do it with them, she wouldn’t do it with me. Plus, to be honest, given how Fujitsu acted towards the triplets and what he did to Tavi? Even if she was looking for an advantageous marriage for me, he wouldn’t be it.” “But then what about…” “Pinkie, I’m not marrying anyone. Not right now and not in the foreseeable future – that even includes you.” Sunset felt compelled to say that much; while she didn’t expect her would-be paramour to rush out and go buy an engagement ring, it did sound like something that was safe enough to say. “I’m still…well, as an alicorn, I still feel I have a long way to grow. And as a human, I definitely do. I can’t do that if I’m saddled with a betrothal, right?” “So…I still have time?” Sunset felt that silence was the better part of valor and opted not to answer that. Pinkie wiped her eyes, smiling. “I’m…happy,” she said, her voice sounding a little more normal. “I love you, Sunny, and I want the best for you. And I don’t mean the best as in me; I’m not conceited enough to think that of myself.” She reached over and caressed the taller girl’s face. “I would be brokenhearted if you had married him, sure, but I would have been devastated because that meant you wouldn’t have had a happy life. You mean too much for me to ever see you go through that, love.” Sunset noticed the crowds building around them, and that meant one of two things: either she and Pinkie were drawing a crowd, or worse, the populace was about to break into one of those strange song and dance numbers that ponies always did for some reason. She found it weird that her native species had a proclivity to do that, and since her time as a human had since upgraded that to outright creepy as fuck. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to stick around for it. “Let’s get going,” Sunset told her. “I haven’t had lunch yet after getting dragged into an impromptu meeting with your counterpart, and I’m starving.” “Is everything okay?” Pinkie asked her. “Yeah, she was just worried about you,” Sunset stated as the two walked away from the growing crowd. Sure enough, one of the ponies – Sunset thought she looked like she would be Waterjug’s counterpart – broke out into song, and as four other ponies joined in she definitely wanted to make sure she was clear of the aural blast radius, in a manner of speaking. After a few minutes, they were at Bon Apple Tea, a small, secluded (or in Pinkie’s terms, “romantic”) café. Sunset had chosen it mainly because she hadn’t wanted to be bothered by the extended musical number going on outside and hadn’t even thought of the ramifications. But as she saw the girl sitting across from her, drinking a strawberry milkshake and undressing her with her eyes, she realized she probably should’ve thought about lunch choices a little more thoroughly. To ease Pinkie’s worries about the week, Sunset went over everything and how she’d been worked to the bone, and how if it hadn’t been for her two assistants, things would have been worse. Pinkie was about to point out how rude and pushy Precious Jewel had been to her until Sunset had pointed out that Jewel had thrown herself into her work, having been at Sunset’s chambers at first light of dawn in order to get work done and not having left until Sunset practically had to order her. “She sounds totally like a yandere,” Pinkie mused when Sunset was done with her explanation. The flame-haired girl giggled at that. “Yeah, I guess she could, now that I think of it. But I don’t think she’s interested in me at all, Pinks. She’s clearly got her eye on somepony else at the castle – why else would she wear that risqué attire of hers? I think she’ll calm down once she has her intended firmly wrapped around her hoof.” Pinkie sighed and gave Sunset a smile. “I still have my doubts – call it woman’s intuition – but I trust you.” “So why don’t you tell me about your week?” “Not much to admit, really,” Pinkie said sadly. “I spent most of the time helping out at the Sugarcube Corner, because the other Pinkie sure as hell doesn’t. I mean, don’t get me wrong: I like her, but she’s…she doesn’t take things seriously enough. She’s like a perpetual twelve-year-old and doesn’t have many responsibilities and really doesn’t take any further ones. It’s like she just wants to coast through life.” “Pinkie, she also has her responsibilities as the Element of Laughter and a member of Twilight’s Court, so I’m sure those duties keep her tied up,” Sunset reminded her. “I’m pretty sure that all of The Court of Friendship is pretty busy, now that I think of it, at least by pony standards. Remember that humans have a lot more on their plates because of the lives we lead, so what might seem as lackadaisical to you might be a full plate to a pony.” “Except that I’ve seen you work and you’re always busy! And you said that you’ve been working yourself to the bone this past week!” Pinkie countered. Well, she’s got me there, the flame-haired girl had to admit. Before Sunset could say anything else, Pinkie absently poked her straw at her half-finished milkshake and asked, “Do you have a court, Sunny? And if so, am I a part of it?” “Personally, I don’t think I would want a court, as much as Rares would think it would be ‘divinely romantic.’ And before you ask, I don’t know if that entitles you to titles of nobility, either. I don’t know if you’d even want them.” “There’s only one title I can think of that I would want,” Pinkie said sweetly. “I know, Pinkie, but don’t you think it’s a little too early to start thinking about that?” Sunset asked, worry creeping into her voice. After all, Engagement Rings & Drumsticks was just across the street, and all Pinkie needed to do was to see that. “Maybe,” she admitted. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to, Sunny. I am your bride and your all,” she stated in a stentorian tone. “When everything seems lost and you have no one to stand by you, I will always be there for you.” She reached over and took Sunset’s hands, holding them in her own. Sunset suddenly felt flustered at that. “Pinkie, I….” “I know. PDA again. But I guess the rules for royals – even pony ones – are a little different from normal ponies or people, right?” She pulled out her phone. “Need to make a note to look up how the Brits do things. I’m sure there’s enough on the net to figure that out. I’m just glad we can be a normal couple when we’re back home, right?” “Yeah, right,” Sunset said flatly. “But for right now, can I ask something?” Pinkie’s blue eyes bored into Sunset’s cyan ones. “Please, if for no one else than me, have fun today, okay? I can tell there’s a lot on your mind and it’s not good to just let it sink in and fester.” “Well, that’s my plan today. I have to go back early tomorrow, so if nothing else, I just want to have fun today.” “Well, I know a girl who’s available to have fun with,” Pinkie stated in a smooth tone. “She’s perky, cheerful and very, very kissable,” she purred. “And I know she would just love to spend time with her girlfriend.” Sunset couldn’t help herself. “Really? Where is she?” Pinkie blinked and her jaw dropped. Then she laughed, a musical tone that just elicited from her as though she was letting loose some long, pent-up frustration. Looking at Sunset, she said honestly, “I don’t know what I would do without you, love.” Laying in her bed at Ponyville General, Gracenote lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling and wallowing in her utter defeat. She was ruined. Not only would she not be able to perform at all this week, but she wasn’t even sure she had the bits to pay for the expensive medical treatment she was going to need as a result of the attack she’d received. Every part of her hurt and her wings were ruined – not to the point where she’d lose them, but they would take a long, long time to recuperate. Time she didn’t have and money she didn’t have, either. She would have to sell her home and then move back to her hometown. Her parents would insist that she give up the music industry and go work with the local birdnest building factory, something she didn’t want to do. She was made for music and made to be the biggest celebrity there was! But that wish was now gone, thanks to a wild animal and her own inability to get away. The nurse approached. “Miss Gracenote? You have visitors.” Gracenote lolled her head towards the nurse. “I do?” “Yes. Would you like me to let them in?” At this point, Gracenote’s life wasn’t any lower; she was probably at the bottom of the barrel, so what harm would it do? “Sure,” she said in a soft, defeat-filled voice. “Let them in.” The nurse nodded and departed, leaving Gracenote to carefully sit up in the bed. She wouldn’t hope to be looked down upon any further than she already was. So it was a complete shock to her that who should walk in were Fluttershy, the human that shared her name and another human who seemed cut in the same stock as the chiffon-haired one. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” the pegasus said in a soft, but kind voice. “What…what are you doing here?” Gracenote demanded. “Here to laugh at me while I’m down?” But the pegasus just looked at her and shook her head. The look in her cyan eyes were one of sorrow. “I’m sorry to hear what happened to you. Are you okay?” “Do I look okay?” Gracenote asked. “I was attacked by that creature, I’ve lost everything and now I can’t even afford to pay for my bills! I’m ruined!” “Don’t worry. The bills have been taken care of.” It had been the human Fluttershy – her hated rival – that had spoken. “What?” The pegasus smiled. “When she heard what had happened to you, she went and used some connections of hers. She’ll be paying for your medical expenses using the proceeds she made from her performances here.” When Gracenote looked completely shocked, the human Fluttershy smiled. “I came here to show the best of humanity,” she explained. “That means more than just performing. That also means doing what I can to help ponies whenever I can and to show them that we humans are more than just the fearsome legends you grew up with.” “But why me?” Gracenote asked, completely perplexed. “After everything I said to you….” This time the second human, one with a black mane and purple eyes, spoke; she reminded Gracenote of Octavia Melody, for some reason. “That’s Flutters for you,” she said. “She’s always been one of the kindest people I know and that’s why I’m glad to be her friend. We’ll be performing tonight at a benefit to raise money for the rest of your medical bills.” “But you’re not a pony! You don’t have to take care of me!” “No,” Fluttershy answered with a smile. “But I am just like her,” she said, gesturing to her pony counterpart. “I can’t bear to see anyone – or anypony – suffer if there’s something I can do to help it. You could say…it’s Kindness.” There was a knock on Applejack’s bedroom door. The teen, sitting on her bed and reading, looked up. “Come in,” she called out. The door opened up, revealing Big Macintosh. “Hey, Ah hope y’ don’t mind,” he said. The blonde smiled. “Naah, was just doing some homework and Ah’m already bored of it. Ah’m not Twily,” she added with a chuckle. “So, Ah wuz hopin’ y’d tell me a little more ‘bout yer brother,” Macintosh told her. “Sounds way different than me, Ah reckon.” “Yeah, but he’s mah brother,” she said with a grin. “So Ah love the big lug. An’ he’s got a good girlfriend, too.” “Well, tell ya what: up fer another home-cooked Apple meal? Ah know we didn’t talk ‘bout that before, an’ Ah know that Granny would be pleased as punch t’ hear ‘bout all of it.” “Well, Ah know that Ah’m supposed to go to Flutter and Tavi’s performance tonight, but until then Ah’m free. So that sounds like a perfect plan to me.” The stallion gestured towards the door. “Well, then, if’n ya don’t mind, we c’n go swing by an’ get mah fillyfriend an’ let her hear about this, too. Ah think Cheerilee’ll get a kick out o’ this.” Applejack got up from the bed. “You don’t think it’ll freak her out?” Macintosh laughed. “Sugarcube, she teaches the schoolfoals ‘round these parts. If that don’t freak her out, Ah don’t know whut would.” As they walked back towards the palace, Pinkie and Sunset talked about other things, topics that the latter hoped were neutral enough and that the former thought were fascinating, because it was details about the youth of her dearest love. As they moved on, Pinkie’s hand repeatedly brushed against Sunset’s, as if hinting at something. After a bit, Sunset ultimately relented and took Pinkie’s hand in her own, much to the latter’s content. They walked around town, shopping and just enjoying time together, and as they did so, Sunset had to admit, it was a great way of spending some downtime, even if it wasn’t the way she wanted it to. The way the other girl just excitedly wanted to share time with her, not just because she was beautiful, or because she was a princess or even a goddess, but just because she was Sunset Shimmer. Pinkie loved her because she was who she was, and even Sunset knew that wasn’t going to change. She could see it nearly as clear as her fellow princess Cadance would, she guessed: Pinkie loved her deeply and utterly and that would never change. It was only part of the reason why that cheered her and worried her. She wasn’t gay. She wasn’t attracted to girls in the least. And yet, if she was, she knew she could easily see herself spending the rest of immortality with someone like Pinkie. Hell, her family already thought they were an item – both sides of her family, in fact, and possibly even all three if someone was to ask Shimmer. Plus, in a bizarre sense, the first one that Pinkie had been open to about her feelings outside their circle of friends had been Sunset’s own adoptive mother. She looked at Pinkie as she rushed over to a nearby chocolate store, bouncing up and down and insisting that she wanted to try some. Sunset had never seen Pinkie so open before, not with anyone else. Though the scholar athlete was honest and forthright with her friends, there was something that she always seemed to hold back, a part of her that always felt reserved. And yet, that wasn’t on display here: Pinkie was truly being herself around Sunset because the cheerleader loved and trusted her enough to show the deepest facets of herself, warts and all. It was, Sunset knew, the sign of not just a passing fancy, or even someone in a relationship – it was the sign of someone who had already decided upon her spouse and had settled herself in for the lifelong journey that couples walked together. Sunset wondered if she was worthy of that. Walking into the chocolate store and waving at the friendly stallion who minded the counter, Pinkie’s mind was swirling with thoughts. Once again, her dearest love was fretting about something, and it wasn’t hard for Pinkie to guess what it was: Sunset had always felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, and that had to be double now that she was an actual princess and goddess. It was Pinkie’s job to relieve that burden, not just because she was in love with Sunset, but because of what she knew she was. She only wished that she could get Sunset to just open up and relax a little more. She was sure that she had her girlfriend’s love; of that, there was no doubt in Pinkie’s mind. But Sunset was too burdened by other cares and concerns and Pinkie sometimes worried it made her girlfriend feel a little too distant. But then, there were those unguarded moments, the little instances where Pinkie saw her girlfriend just unwind and smile and laugh and love life. Those moments Pinkie cherished more than anything else, because she knew they were so special when she did it around her. It was irrational, but she felt jealous when Sunset was able to do that around her family, because she wanted those moments to herself. But at the same time, she knew that as long as the girl she loved – the alicorn she loved – was able to just be herself and not just Sunset Shimmer, Alicorn of Earth, Princess of France, Princess of Equestria and A Billion Other Titles, then everything would work out in the end. Pinkie looked forward to the day when the two of them could just spend time with each other, lay in each other’s laps and sip wine and read from tablets. The other Pinkie – Mina – despite the very different way her life had been, went through her own hell all in order to end up with her Sunset. Even if that took that level of dedication, Pinkie would do the same, because she loved Sunset. Because that’s what being a proper girlfriend meant: being there for the good and the bad. And given how rough their lives had been and how reality had often dealt both girls more than their share of bad hands in the card game of life, Pinkie would continue to fight for their happiness in whatever way or manner it took. Sunset had saved Pinkie from her inner demons from just being true to herself. Pinkie would save her beloved from the slings and arrows of the world – worlds – by doing the same. She knew she had to be worthy of that. At this point, Apple Bloom was so bored out of her skull that she was actually working, bucking the trees as hard as she could. Granted, as a filly, there wasn’t much she could do, but she was putting her everything into it, trying to be a miniature version of her sister. And that in itself was a problem: Normally, the younger Apple sister idolized the older, but Applejack had not been anything to impress this past week. And the reason for that was both simple and ironic: the human that shared Applejack’s name, mainly because she was an alternate universe version of her. Apple Bloom thought it was cool enough that there were alternate reality versions of themselves, just like in those sci-fi comics that Spike always read. But to experience them? That was absolutely amazing! Bloom wished she could meet her counterpart. From what the human Applejack had told her, “Bloomie” was fourteen, which meant she was much older than Bloom herself was, which means she was probably pretty cool. Plus, given her own ability to use mechanical parts and the like, probably paled in comparison to the other’s “computer programming skills”, whatever that was. Plus, there was that absolutely magical (in a non-magical sense) world that the humans lived in. For a filly interested in mechanical craftwork like Bloom was, it was probably heaven. Too bad I’m stuck here, she thought grimly to herself. I know that I’m needed here, but Applejack always gets a chance to go off on adventures! I want my chance too! Frustrated, Bloom bucked as hard as she could— —and heard a roar, her hooves impacting against something soft that was most decidedly not wood. Bloom looked up… …and into eyes filled with rage and sharp teeth. A muzzle snarled at her, then uttered a roar straight into her face. Needless to say, Bloom screamed. Meanwhile, on another part of the farm, Applejack removed her hat and wiped the sweat off her brow, the perspiration whisked off her orange fur and yellow mane by a strong right foreleg. The week was over and she was glad for the weekend, though…it had been, quite honestly, the most miserable week she’d had in quite a while. She’d alienated her friends because of that fake Applejack and worse, even her family was starting to like that charlatan! The only pony who she thought still might be on her side, Raspberry, was tied to the humans in a way that the rest of her friends weren’t, and that probably meant she was likely in that other Applejerk’s pocket as well. She couldn’t blame her friends, though; even Applejack knew that ponies always took a fancy to the new and exotic – except when they were afraid of same. Unfortunately, the fact that Ponyville had grown since Twilight’s coronation meant that the locals were now more used to the former than the latter. And while that was a good thing, it also meant that a grifter like that no-good fake Applejack could thrive in a situation like this. After all, she’d already stolen Applejack’s friends, family and probably Celestia only knew what else. Placing her hat back on her head – a proper hat, since unlike some other individuals with the same name as her, she appreciated the value of a headcovering – she was about to get back to work when she heard Apple Bloom’s scream coming from the eastern fields. She was about to dismiss it as just Apple Bloom being bored – her friends were either hospitalized or grounded, after all – but then she remembered the warning that Divine’s guardsponies had given her just the other day. About the creature that had injured several ponies and that nopony was safe. Worried about her sister, she rushed over to the fields in question to see chaos taking the order of the day. Terrified out of her wits, Apple Bloom hid underneath the ruins of two shredded apple trees. Meanwhile, two guards were taking on a brutal beast, and were losing – badly. Worse, she knew the ponies in question: Pulsewave was one of the fastest pegasi assigned to the Friendship Guard and was nearly as fast as Rainbow herself; he was also apparently no slouch in the combat magic department, either. As for the other, Boomer, he was just as big as her brother and, truth be told, much easier on the eyes. But he was also a fighter – and right now all the skills she knew he had been all for naught. And the reason for that was the Bete Goson. It set itself there, unnatural and unreal even by Ursa standards. Standing upright like a minotaur or a human, it had a body more akin to those other two species than its own native one. Its fur was mottled and striped in strange patterns and looked strangely enough like clothing on the creature rather than a hirsuite covering. Crowning its head like a halo of puffed-up fur, the Goson almost appeared as if it had a globe-shaped mane of its own, or what (if any of the humans had been around) would have referred to as an “Afro” hairstyle. The look was both comical and bizarre, and had it not been for the clear ferocity of the creature, Applejack might have just fallen to the ground, laughing at the incredulity of the situation. But there was little to laugh about when the Goson picked up another guard whose name Applejack didn’t know and with a cruel ease, slammed it against another tree by his hindlegs. She could hear an audible crack, but whether it was the tree or the pony’s rib she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she had to do something, or ponies were going to get hurt – worse, her little sister was in great jeopardy. “HEY, YA FUR COAT – WHY NOT TRY PICKIN’ ON SOMEPONY YER OWN STRENGTH?” she roared as she dove into the fray, and with the ease of a mare used to fighting rammed into the Goson at full speed, pushing it away from its quarry. Wasting no time, she turned to the others and shouted, “Get out of here and get help!” A second later she realized that she was the one who was going to need help as she felt her tail being yanked, followed by the unnatural vertigo of being thrown through the air. A second later, she felt the impact of being slammed against – and through – one of her precious apple trees. She felt her world spin at the impact, as well as felt something else go. She thought she heard her sister scream. Shaking her head, Applejack felt herself being picked up, and then slammed back to the ground again. Not wanting to end up like the Guards she’d just rescued a second before, she lashed out with a hindleg and felt something connect hard; a roar of pain sounded out and Applejack used that time to try to get away, only to feel herself picked up like a Smarty Pants doll and thrown like one. She sailed through the air but hadn’t even yet landed when she felt herself slammed several times while in mid-air. She screamed in pain and finally hit the ground, crashing painfully and briefly blacking out. A second later, she felt something heavy dropped on her and it made her scream. She didn’t have to guess what it was: the Goson, clearly intending to pin her for a series of blows, dropped the heaviest tree he could on her, and with her pinned, there was no chance for her to easily break out of this predicament. Her vision swam as she saw the Goson headed towards her with what looked like murderous intent. She tried to force herself to her feet but couldn’t do it. It was as though she’d had all her strength sapped out of her and was now helpless before the oncoming marauder. Having been through a war and the brutal aftermath, she hadn’t thought that she would have been brought down by yet another one of the rampaging animals that lived in the Everfree Forest, but the truth was undeniable. Eyes connected with eyes, and in that moment, Applejack wondered if that would be the last thing she ever saw.