//------------------------------// // Apr. 2013 - Beyond All Thresholds - 3. When Do The Dreamers Awake? // Story: RoMS' Extravaganza // by RoMS //------------------------------// 3. When do the dreamers awake? The hallways of Canterlot were known to be part of the most majestic place in Equestria. Draperies of gold, silver and gemstones shone above the heads of countless guards tirelessly repeating their duty, day by day. Two ponies were conducted to the chamber of the Throne. The terrified looks on their faces were blatant. They were none other than Mr and Mrs Cake, the owners of the now notorious Sugarcube Corner. Guards opened the last gate and left the couple standing alone in the huge anteroom. The palace was bright as the sunlight flooded through hundreds of stained glass windows depicting glorious heroes and deeds of the past. The Element Bearers and Equestria’s Princesses were among them. Two Alicorns turned their heads toward their guests. The first one, the taller, was a white muse whose floating mane was made of pink, green and various nuances of blue and white. Wearing a golden necklace and a magnificent crown, she had a bright sun as a cutie mark. Her purple eyes were compassionate. “Princess Celestia?” the couple gasped. On the other hoof, Luna’s stare was harsh. For a moment, her very presence seemed to cast a pall over the regal chamber and any doubts that she was the warrior formerly known as Nightmare Moon were dispelled on the spot. “And… P-P-Princess Lun-” “Enough of this etiquette. Come, we have serious matters to discuss.” She curtly cut off. Mr and Mrs Cake glanced at each other, “As you wish milady.” Celestia leaned toward Luna, “Don’t dominate them. They are as shocked by these circumstances as we are.” “It’s an important matter, my beloved sister. I can’t abide the idea that they have seen nothing, that’s utter nonsense.” “Sometimes we have to listen and understand, not everypony possesses as much power as you or I.” “You may be right,” Luna sighed. The couple had moved close to the regal sisters. Celestia remained silent, staring through the large bay window. Luna looked at the two earth ponies, “Approach and gaze at the outside. Tell me what thou art seeing.” They could see a courtyard. Dozens of fillies were playing. Their giggles were reassuring that not everything there in Canterlot was duty, royal matters, and intrigue. “This is Harmony,” Luna cut off when Mrs Cake tried to speak. “Something that we must protect… preserve every day. A duty I failed to fulfil a long time ago.” Luna stared into her audience’s eyes, “We do not wish to blame you, but to understand why and how.” Mr Cake and his bride felt nauseous under the almighty look of the dark blue alicorn. His hesitant voice rose up, “We’re so… very sorry but we have seen nothing before it was too late… We had… complete confidence in Pinkie Pie. She attended every task related to the management of the stock. You know Pinkie is… was really good with numbers when she wanted to be.” “You never went down? You never took a look at the basement?” “No… Yes,” Mrs Cake said, Luna arched an eyebrow. “I mean two months ago I went down to help Pinkie and everything was normal. It stank like every basement you know. How could I have imagined for a second that such… horrible things were happening there?” She began to sob. Mr Cake embraced her, trying to be comforting. Celestia glanced critically over at Luna. The latter gave her big sister her spot. Celestia beamed and spoke with a melodic voice, immediately ceasing the tears, “You must know that today, the inhabitants of Ponyville are in shock. You’ve lost your reputation and you must understand that going back to Sugarcube Corner is not the… wisest decision you could make. I…” “So that's it!?” Mrs Cake erupted. “You want us to abandon everything we’ve built through the twelve last years, to leave those who count to us. How will my babies comprehend?” Mrs Cake sobbed. She had lost her temper. She, who had always been authoritative and confident, had hit a new low. Her husband tried to comfort his “sunshine”. She pushed his hoof. Celestia and Luna did not feel at ease, witnessing this pitiful attempt to avoid the facts. “Mr and Mrs Cake, we might have a solution,” Celestia concluded. “We can loan to you a safe and calm place in Manehatten for the time being. Applejack and her family really want to help you, at least until the scandal weakens. There, you could consider your future more clearly.” “You want us to flee?” Mrs Cake tripped over her words. “I just want you to consider that…” “This can’t be possible,” she shot back. “I can’t believe you want us to flee. Get it into your head that…” “Mind your tongue,” Luna exhorted before Celestia gave her an off-putting stare. “…I’m not leaving Ponyville, my children and my patisserie.” Then she turned and left the throne room, tearful, attempting to keep some semblance of pride. Celestia bit her tongue in an effort to keep from giggling. It had been aeons since somepony had stood up to her in such manner. It was… refreshing. Luna, however, was exasperated. This pony was so narrow-minded, she thought, just like herself. Mr Cake tried to call her wife back. A disregarding silent welcomed his complaint. He sighed and fixed with his tired eyes both of his monarchs. “She is really upset… you know. But I would like to know, if we come back later, will this offer still be available?” Celestia and Luna nodded as the stallion turned back and urged toward the gate. Mrs Cake could be a shrew when she wanted to. “And sorry for the annoyance.” Mr Cake yelled as he raced out, chasing his wife. The yellow and orange stallion disappeared. Luna and Celestia could hear the echoes of Mrs Cake’s grunts of anger. The two sisters glanced at each other. They could not repress their laughter but it remained short-lived, this was a serious matter. Following this strange and thrilling meeting, Luna excused herself and flew to Ponyville. It was her duty to assist in Rainbow’s awakening. Ω ϗ ϡ Ϙ ϐ Ϙ ϡ ϗ Ω The Mane Six were impatiently waiting in the neighbouring room. Fluttershy had just arrived. Her trip to Zecora’s house had lasted longer than she expected, and meeting a hydra when she returned did not make the trip any easier. Her mane was ruffled, and scratches covered her hooves. Applejack’s hoof was frenetically stomping the tiled ground, unnerving everypony. Her stare was alternating between the clock, hung high on the wall, and the door. This wobbling movement was really noticeable and annoying. Twilight put her hoof on her friend’s shoulder, “Calm down Applejack, she is fine right now. We just need… to wait for the nurse.” “I know,” Applejack replied. “But those three guards outside of her room… I don’t have a good feelin' about them.” “You have to remember that Rainbow is charged with three accusations of murder.” “She is NOT a murderer.” “I know, but the evidence…” Twilight saw Rarity staring at her from the corner of her eye. She was shaking her head pointedly. The purple alicorn took the hint. “Look Applejack,” Twilight continued. “I’m sure she is fine. We’ll talk to her in few minutes… Princess Luna will come too. She has… questions to Rainbow.” “Questions…” Applejack cursed. “Ain’t nothin' good about interrogations.” She was right, Twilight knew that. Three guards were here to make sure Rainbow wouldn't escape… to make sure she would answer whether she wanted to or not. Solving the argument, the door opened as Princess Luna and the nurse, Healing Rhyme, entered. Luna’s face was pinched by a long and sleepless night, or day in her case. Each pony raised their muzzle, waiting for information. “We’ve already begun the reanimation process. She will awaken in ten or twenty minutes,” the nurse stated. “But before we go into her room, I have some things to tell you. About her state…” Every pony held her breath. “Miss Rainbow Dash’s physical state is… abominable. She's lost her wings but I have no doubt you already know that. Every inch of her skin and flesh has been cut off or bruised. Recovery will take time and she may suffer her whole life. Even walking will be an ordeal. She will need you… maybe forever…” Nausea swamped their minds. The nurse kept going on the explanations, giving details about the wounds, the foreshadowing physical and psychological traumas. That she could suffer from amnesia, temporary comatose, muteness and suicide attempts. She faced Luna, mentioning that any interrogation could wreck her spirit more than it already was. “When you enter, don’t be surprised if she is restrained firmly. We were forced to. She could react violently. She killed three ponies in that bas…” “We already know that.” Applejack grumbled. The nurse avoided the mare’s incriminating stare. “Also, she has lost her eyesight. They have been burnt with acid. She will recover but she will be blind for a few weeks. Take care about her, make sure she isn’t overstimulated.” A second time, Healing Rhyme glanced meaningfully at the princess. At the same time, Fluttershy hid her eyes behind her hooves, trying not to think about how painful this reunion would be. “Finally, I also want you to know that Rainbow Dash woke up last night. One of her intravenous lines slipped out. She had been half-awake for a minute before we took care of her. I think she won’t even remember it.” “Did she say anything, Nurse Rhyme?” Rarity demanded, hesitantly. “She screamed.” The nurse’s last sentence casted a chill over the group. She motioned everypony to follow her. They finally arrived at Rainbow’s room. From the window, they could see two doctors administering painkillers to the bruised body. The nurse and her two colleagues went out once Luna, Twilight and her friends had gathered around Rainbow’s bed. The former pegasus was breathing loudly. But, it sounded more like a hissing in everypony’s ears. Her eyelids were slowly moving. Each pony could see it under the bandages circling her head. Her body gave small spasms as she was regaining her senses. They could barely see her skin. She looked like a mummy, wrapped in countless bandages. She woke up. Unable to see, she started hyperventilating, startling everypony. Hearing the audience’s sudden moves, she raised her hooves toward her closest watcher, carefully feeling the contours of the face. She recognized Fluttershy when she touched her mane. This familiar and comforting pony made the intense expression on her face fade away. It was not Pinkie Pie… It was definitely not her. She was finally out of the basement. Everywhere else seemed like heaven compared to the underground hell where she had been brought from. Rainbow tried to speak. At the first attempt, not even a sound came out of her mouth… just a pitiful squeal. Then she found her words and began speaking with a low, loose, and trembling voice, “Is everypony here? I can’t see you… I can’t see anything.” Twilight, Luna, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy assented. Each pony gave her a hug. To the surprise of all, Rainbow harshly rejected everypony’s mark of affection with a sweep of her hoof. “Don’t… Don’t touch me, none of you… nopony… ever.” Fluttershy, whose feelings had been hurt, stepped back, accidentally knocking over a box of medical utensils. It all fell down the ground, causing an echoing metallic jingling and startling Rainbow Dash. She screamed so violently, her friends had to cover their ears. She shook under her bed sheets as she tried to find a way out. The pitch of her voice was so high… and lasted for so long. “Calm yourself! STOP! Nopony’s gonna hurt yah, Shugarcube. NOPONY AT ALL. It’s over, yer safe now.” Applejack’s voice drowned out the chaos. “Nopony, yah heard me?” Rainbow Dash started crying, cringing under the bedcovers. The rolling tears on her burnt cheeks intensified her pain causing her to scream again. It took a couple of minutes to bring her back from her panicked state. Rainbow calmed herself and took a deep breath, “Twilight, Applejack and… Luna or Celestia I don’t know, you stay. Everypony else, get out.” Rarity and Fluttershy looked at each other. They felt hurt from being sent away in such a harsh manner. They went out after Rarity tried in vain to contest the demand. “Twilight, when you will get back to your library, I want you to send a letter, with Spike’s help, to Cloudsdale. I can get a pension from the Pegasus Resources Program for Injured Workers. Tell them to send it to my parents.” She asked Twilight to leave. Only Luna and Applejack remained. “Luna?” Rainbow’s interrogator stiffened. “I want to know why… why Pinkie did this to me… Why me… why?” “I can’t respond to you, not until you’ve answered my questions to my satisfaction.” “What? What are you talking about?” “It appears that you've killed Pinkie Pie as well as two stallions from the Royal Watch.” Rainbow’s hooves started shivering. She remembered, the knife, home, Pinkie, the guards… the insanity, the basement. She shook her head between her hooves, squeezing hard enough to force small drops of blood from her wounds which soaked into her cyan coat. “It can’t be…” “But it is,” Luna cut her off. “Once you've been declared ‘stable’, I’ll come back.” “Get away… Get out… I’m just a freak to your eyes, some experimental crap… another line in somepony’s agenda…” “I…” “Out!!” Rainbow sobbed. Applejack was alone, silent and stoic, facing her broken friend. “Applejack?” The farm pony jumped. The pitch of Rainbow's voice was piercing and caused Applejack to wince. “Ye… yes Sugarcube?” “Never call me like that again…” “Okay…” Applejack swallowed. “I want you to tell me what you see. You’re the only one who would ever tell me the truth, the only one I can trust with this, the only one with enough integrity to give it to me straight. Describe what you see, draw me.” Applejack listed each of the macabre and dreadful wounds, injuries, bruises, scars and marks that covered her friend’s body. In spite of the disgust it created in Applejack’s heart, she did not miss any details and made to Rainbow the greatest and most grotesque description that could have ever been done about her. Rainbow’s face was indescribable, a mix of contentment, sadness, insanity and despair. “Thanks Applejack. Now leave me alone, ain’t useful to talk to a dead mare.” Applejack was on her way out when Rainbow called her back. “Please, the bandages are so tight; can you undo the gauze around my head? I can't stand the sound of the blood pounding in my ears.” Applejack nodded. She started removing the bandages. Her eyes widened as she noticed that the yellow strands of Rainbow's mane had turned black. She repressed her surprise at the sight, smothering the involuntary gasp it brought. She had already hurt Rainbow too much. Applejack withdrew in the hallway. Everypony was waiting for her with Nurse Healing Rhyme. “What did she say?” Luna asked. “Nothing, she wanted the bandages around her head to be loosened,” Applejack turned to Healing Rhyme. “Have you notice the…” Applejack mentioned Rainbow’s mane with her hoof pointed at her own. Twilight asked for clarification and what she got shocked her to her core. “Black isn’t a natural colour for ponies.” “Extraordinary situations bring incomprehensible consequences…” Luna observed. “I hope yer wrong.” “I would like to be, Applejack.” Everypony heard Rainbow’s voice from behind the door. They gathered around Rainbow’s bed. The black lock of mane covering her head disgusted Rarity. She frowned but did not make a sound. “What do you need, dear Rainbow.” Rarity initiated. “There was somepony here last night.” “Oh you remember it, I came to change your bandages,” The nurse replied. “No, it was a filly… Scootaloo.” Everypony gasped. The nurse pointed out that a guard had caught two fillies, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Applejack and Rarity berated their sisters. “They were here!” They yelled. Apparently the guard who had delivered the two fillies to their respective home had not mentioned where he had caught them. Rainbow’s painkillers began to take effect and no pony succeeded in making her lucid again. They decided to let her rest, alone in her room. “Where is Scootaloo at this hour?” Luna asked. “At school for sure, with Apple Bloom and my sister,” Rarity responded. Ω ϗ ϡ Ϙ ϐ Ϙ ϡ ϗ Ω Sitting on her school bench, Scootaloo was shivering. Her two friends gave her worried looks as she was biting at her hooves. Cheerilee had also noticed and remarked Scootaloo’s strange behaviour. It was nearly time for recess. The bell rang out and every pupil surged out of the classroom, except for Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and their teacher. “What’s bothering you, my little filly?” Cheerilee asked with a gentle smile. Scootaloo turned to the crusaders before glancing back to her teacher, who understood. “Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Could you go out to eat your lunch, I must have a discussion with your friend.” “But…” They griped when Cheerilee made them go to the schoolyard. “What happened?” She started as she sat next to her pupil. “Have you heard about Rainbow Dash, Miss Cheerilee?” Cheerilee stuttered, “Hu… eh… Yes, I guess so.” “I saw her last night at the hospital. I talked to her but she did not answer.” Tearful, Scootaloo stood up and ran away, disappearing in the hallway. Taken by surprise, Cheerilee arched an eyebrow and sighed. Once the little pegasus came out of the classroom and went to the playground, she was assaulted by both of her friends. They had decided to make her squeal. “I… I can’t tell you…” It was the only response they got. Disappointed, they let her stand up and wipe the dust from her flanks. “Yes, the blank flank can’t say that Rainbow had lost her wings!” Scootaloo turned around and faced the cynical face of Diamond Tiara along with her closest friend Silver Spoon. These two bullies were always in the wrong place at the wrong time, she thought. Hatred flooded Scootaloo’s mind. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared at her friends with fear in their eyes. They could almost see the steam of anger hissing out of her ears. “And you want to know how I know that? I heard my father talking about it last night. She has lost her wings and… her eyes,” Tiara giggled. It was the straw which broke the manticore’s back. Scootaloo leaped toward Diamond Tiara before anypony could react. She bucked her up and slammed her against a wall with a powerful impact. Half-unconscious, Tiara could see her archenemy standing over her. Scootaloo raised her hooves and stomped the one who dared making fun of her foster sister, knocking her out. Her little wings buzzed with rage. Cheerilee and another teacher had witnessed the fight and ran over Scootaloo, moving her aside from the motionless body of Tiara. Silver Spoon cowered in a corner, scared of Scootaloo’s sudden and violent fit of rage. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom did not move an inch, they could not, far too afraid of Cheerilee. They had never seen her so angry. The teacher disappeared into the school hall, dragging a struggling Scootaloo. The other professor carried Tiara to the infirmary. Ω ϗ ϡ Ϙ ϐ Ϙ ϡ ϗ Ω “Are you crazy Scootaloo?” The headmaster shouted. “You could have broken her leg, or worse.” “She deserved it,” She mumbled. “I beg your pardon?” The principal fulminated. Scootaloo burst into tears, “She stomped on Rainbow’s honor. She spat on her as if she was… nothing. That bully deserved to be beaten, it's the only way she’ll learn her lesson!” Cheerilee stated, “You can’t solve everything with violence Scootaloo. Violence calls itself.” “I just responded.” “And she ended up being hit and had to be sent to the infirmary, not you.” Scootaloo stared at her hooves. “I can’t even contact your parents,” The headmaster rose up. “They won’t even raise a hoof for me,” Scootaloo snapped back, disrespectfully. “Scootaloo… as you live in the boarding school I can’t expel you from here. But you won’t attend the classes until you’ve calmed yourself. Now leave us and go directly to your room.” Cheerilee leaned toward her superior as Scootaloo went out, “What do her parents do that keeps them away from home so much? I don’t know much about them.” “I don’t really know, but it has something to do with the Realm and the Crowns. If I want to send her parents a message I need to send it through the Department of Domestic and Foreign Security.” Cheerilee's eyes widened. “Some fillies don’t have the luck to know their parents very well. Circumstances tear families apart,” the principal added. Ω ϗ ϡ Ϙ ϐ Ϙ ϡ ϗ Ω Princess Celestia ran amok in her private apartment. Her rage made the wall of the Canterlot Palace tremble. The royal guards were shivering in their armoured pants. It had been a long time since last Celestia’s fit of anger, and no pony wanted to block her way at the moment. She turned the castle upside down searching for an object that was nowhere to be found. The captain of the guard showed up, yammering, raising his hooves, trying to calm the rampaging monarch. “Your highness, may I ask why thou hast succumbed to such agitation?” “The Elements! They have disappeared.” The captain’s face lost all of its colour, “That can’t be. The Elements were safe in the royal chest, the most unbreakable of the realm.” “I know that, I’ve made it myself… But it’s not the Elements only which are missing, it’s the chest itself.” “It… vanished?” “Yes,” she said gravely. The captain ran to the great hallway of the Canterlot court and shouted out orders to every guard he could find. His voice echoed for hours in the Castle. In her room, the princess of the Sun let her anger explode. The windows shattered with the force of her magical presence. “Discord, if this is your deed, I won’t turn you in stone this time. I’ll find a more… appropriate punishment, you hear me!” She tried to calm herself. It was either the ambience or the circumstances, but she had never felt this angry before. It was not ordinary. Convincing herself Discord could be innocent in this whole story, she yet surprised herself thinking up various cruel punishments for having deceived her and every pony in Equestria. A tipping point was coming. She felt it. Things were going to change dramatically and she and everypony had to be ready. Unfortunately, without the Elements of Harmony, they were defenseless. She collapsed onto her couch, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. She had a headache. Somepony coughed. Opening her eyes, Celestia saw Unbendable Scroll, her chamberlain; an old stallion whose blue fur and orange mane had turned grey over the time. Fifty years of work in the Castle had marked the pony’s characteristics. He had two sealed letter magically floating close to him. He bowed before Celestia. “Excuse my intrusion Your Majesty, but unfortunately I've brought with me two more lines of bad news to add on thine agenda.” “What are they, my old friend?” Celestia asked, trying to wipe the anger from her face. “One letter came from the Griffon’s realm across the sea, brought by a diplomatic raven,” Celestia’s jaw nearly dropped, this hadn't happened in eons. “And the second one comes from the Bad Lands’ Marches. It concerns the Hive.” Celestia grasped with her magic the two letters and broke open them. Ω ϗ ϡ Ϙ ϐ Ϙ ϡ ϗ Ω The school’s bell rang out. One by one each filly and colt went out. Applejack and her five friends were waiting for the three fillies they knew so well. Luna had to depart after she received an urgent message from her sister. To their displeasure, they did not see Scootaloo coming along with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. The two Crusaders told the story of the day. That Scootaloo ran into Diamond Tiara, that she was summoned in the headmaster’s office and that she was 'expelled' for three days. “So where do her parents live?” Rarity asked. “You don’t know?” Twilight was surprised. “Her parents are vassals to the crown. They are members of the upper reaches of power.” “Like… the nobility?” Rarity went wild with ecstatic glee; her eyes glowed with jealousy and respect. “Much more like… the army.” Twilight corrected. “We don’t know much about them, it’s quite classified.” “We?” Applejack pointed out. “Few months ago Rainbow asked me about Scootaloo’s parents. We made some investigations but we drew a blank.” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom insisted on going to see their friend, restricted to her room in the dormitory. The Mane Six had nothing to do but to surrender to their “cuteness”. The two fillies could be unbearable when they wanted to. After fifteen minutes of wandering around the boarding school, they found it. Knocking at the door, they entered. Scootaloo’s room was cozy and warm. Its window opened onto the City Hall square. On its walls were posters of Rainbow Dash, old photos and, something that attracted Twilight’s attention, a photo of a mare and a stallion, carrying a foal that looked much like Scootaloo in their hooves. Scootaloo’s father, if it was him, wore the ceremonial armour of the Sky Gusts, the military nobles of Cloudsdale. His stripes clearly meant he was a general. Drawing a clear distinction with this bombastic suit, the mare looked like Daring-Do’s doppleganger, a long and dark mane with the ensemble of an adventurer. Unfortunately, the colours had dried out, leaving a sepia photo. They had one thing in common, a weird insignia stamped on their shoulder. It was a talon circling a scroll and a dagger. Twilight was perplexed. She was almost sure to know something about this mark. But she could not remember. During her studies with the princess, she had secretly leafed through old and classified scrolls in Canterlot library; occasionally, she happened across and read documents she shouldn't have. Scootaloo was lying on her bed, looking dejected. Seeing her friends and their relatives brightened her mood a little. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle started jumping on her friend’s bed, trying to restore some happiness in her heart. “Scootaloo, we know about you and Rainbow last night.” Fluttershy initiated. Fluttershy’s first step surprised her friends. Maybe it was better that she was the one to speak. She was so kind. Scootaloo’s jaw nearly dropped, discretion was definitely not her talent. “Is… Is she okay?” Scootaloo stuttered. “Yes, she woke up, but she needs rest, lots of calm and rest…” Applejack specified. “I…” “Yes she will be fine,” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom cut off. “She may have no wings now, but he eyes will heal and she will still be our Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo smiled, she would like to be as sure as her closest friends. Sweetie Belle turned to Twilight, “You could cast that spell you used on Big Sis’ at Cloudsdale that drove her into a crazy pegasus.” Rarity blushed. She looked like a tomato. “Sweetie Belle,” she hissed. “You said you would never talk about that again!” “Sorry, it slipped out.” Sweetie Belle laughed. “Miss Scootaloo?” Everypony stared at the door. A stallion, a pegasus in a black uniform, was standing in the entrance. He had an envelope under his hooves. He gazed at each pony with his military eyes then slowly headed to the quivering filly, sat on her bed. The silent was heavy and pregnant. He sighed in awe. He had to force the words out of her lips. “My deepest condolences. Your father fell on the battlefield this morning. Our hearts grieve with yours. Equestria will remember his sacrifice.” A chill passed on each face. Scootaloo cringed on herself; her eyes were watery. A sob crackled between her cheeks. She curled on her linens. A long complaint rose slowly, eerily, painfully. “How… how dare you?” Rarity erupted, pushing the stallion aside. “Haven't you ever heard of tact?” The stallion sighed a second time. He put off his kepi. “I’m sorry, but my superiors want me to return to the front line as fast as possible.” He gulped. He was clearly anxious, ill-at-ease. And his feelings were easy to share with the mares circling him. “You said… the front lines? As in, combat lines,” Fluttershy noticed. The pegasus was surprised, “You all still don’t know. Equestria is at war since this morning.” War… this word shook each pony. War was not a term used often in a pony's lexicon. “The changelings have been on the move for ten hours and… I’m not allowed to tell you why for the moment, but the Griffon’s Kingdom, across the sea, has declared war on our nation. But they haven’t attacked yet. They are sending a delegation,” He swallowed. “We have been brought to bay. Terrible times are on the horizon.” He knelt and looked in Scootaloo’s eyes, “Your father was an important stallion. He died a hero in the Bad Lands against Chrysalis’s army and…” “What about my mother?” Scootaloo troubled. “The foreign bureau still doesn’t know. She is missing in action… You know, my little filly, she has been in the griffin imperium for months. We don’t know where she is right now. She could have fled to the north or leaded to the South of the old continent.” “My mother isn’t a coward,” Scootaloo convinced herself. “I know… my deepest condolences for your father, my little filly. Chin up, be proud, he was a great stallion. The fiercest warrior I’ve ever known.” He glanced at Twilight and her friends and left every pony. Applejack chased him out. Scootaloo’s complain burst out. Trembling she tried to repel Rarity’s hug. But she had no strength left. She collapsed on her bed, wet with tears. Crooked, she was a pity. Fluttershy had burst into tears too. She was emotional and empathic. The sorrow was powerful and they all felt tears ran on their cheeks. Applejack had pushed out the stallion. Tearful she stood in the threshold of the door. “You! They didn’t teach you kindness in the army?” “Sorry if this is a bit too fast for you… but I must be back on the front as fast as possible. And I don’t want her to recognize me,” The soldier confessed, a drop sprout under his eyes. “Wait… why?” “She is my brother’s daughter.” “You’re her…” The stallion nodded painfully. “Yes, I don’t want her to remember who I am… I may feed the rodents tonight. Two deaths in the family in a row would put her down, especially since her mother is untraceable and that her model, Rainbow Dash has been… shot down.” Applejack avoided an eye contact with the soldier. “Eh… What’s your name?” “Burning Spirit…” He said half-heartedly. The pegasus left the boarding room. A strange felling plagued his eyes. It was the eyes of a stallion knowing he would die soon, hollowed, grieved, and lifeless. He might have been a burning spirit, he was no longer one. In the room, a long silence had set up when Applejack came back. Scootaloo was sobbing silently now, her muzzled hidden her a pillow. A dark cloud had passed on Applebloom’s and Sweetie Belle’s faces. Everypony was nauseous… The silence was unsettling. “War… I can’t believe it,” Twilight rebelled. “How could Princess Celestia have let this happen?” “The times, they are changing…” Rarity added mystically.