Paper Pony

by Drag Orion


Chapter 1 Part 2 - The Castle of the Sun and Moon

Following Zecora’s directions, Twilight, Applejack, and Spike made their way through the Everfree Forest until they came upon a long, rickety, old bridge, held together with worn and frayed ropes.  A number of the wooden boards were broken and rotted and several were missing entirely, however, there were still enough for them to cross to the other side.

    “Zecora did say north from her cottage,” recalled Spike as the trio looked at the huge drop they’d take if they fell from the bridge.  “Do you think she meant to go across here too?”

    “Looks that way,” answered Applejack as she pointed across the bridge to where the moonlight shined down over the forest treetops.  Though it was very faint in the perpetual midnight hours, they could just make out the outline of a large structure.  Without even knowing for certain what it was, none of them had any doubt that it was the very place they had sought out.  Unfortunately, the perilous trek across the bridge put a damper on any desire to celebrate their destination was finally in sight, at least for two of them.

    “Celestia’s old castle,” spoke Twilight, so mesmerized by the sight of it she absentmindedly took a step onto the bridge, causing the weak first board to snap in two and make her drop.

    “Twilight!” cried Spike, seeing the purple Unicorn fall to her doom, but Applejack was quick to bite onto her tail and tug her back to safety just in time.  Twilight panted for breath, her life flashing before her eyes.  Spike hugged her, relieved that she was okay.

    “That was… too close,” Twilight wheezed and trembled.

    “Well, if it wasn’t obvious enough, this bridge is on its last legs,” stated Applejack.  She surveyed the area around to see if there was any other way they could take.  To her dismay, besides the bridge only a very scenic trek back through the forest remained their only alternative.  “And it doesn’t look like there’s any other means of getting across without taking a very long detour around.”

    “It’ll add hours on to our journey to get to the castle if we don’t use the bridge,” calculated Twilight.  “And the longer we are in this forest the more likely we are to run into more dangers and, not counting the Shadow Bolts, we’ve been lucky to only encounter a single cragodile.”

    “Very lucky,” gulped Spike as the howl of timberwolves carried to their ears from not too far away.  “Best to not push it any more than we have.”

    “Good thing I know just what we need to get us all across this bridge safely,” stated AJ, much to her companions’ relief.

    “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Spike repeated as he hugged Applejack’s front left hoove after hearing that.  The orange Earth Pony blushed a bit embarrassed at being thanked over and over.  Twilight chuckled as she watched, though she knew she was just as grateful that Applejack was there to help them.

    “So, how can we cross this bridge in the shape it is in?” wondered Twilight as she gave it another lookover and didn’t trust to tae so much as a single step onto it.

    “It’s simple really,” explained Applejack.  “We just need to tie the ends of a new rope to both ends of the bridge.  We can then hold onto that for extra support as we got across.”

    “Makes sense,” commented Spike, though he still scratched at the top of his scaley head.  “But how are we supposed to get a rope to the other side in the first place?”

    “If it were a shorter distance,” explained Applejack.  “We’d tie a rock to one end and toss it across in an effort to snag it on something.  However, for a case like this, where it’s too far to throw, we’d need a volunteer to go across and secure the rope.”

    “Okay,” the small dragon nodded.  “And who would be crazy enough to volunteer?”  Spike’s question was answered instantly as the two Ponies looked at him.  “M-M-Me?”

    “Sorry Spike,” Twilight told him.  “But Applejack’s plan does make sense and part of why it does is if you’re the one to go.”

    “Twilight’s right,” Applejack added.  “This bridge probably can’t support either of us the way it is, but you should be light enough to make it to the other side.”

    “And I can use my magic to help levitate you a little to help you out and catch you if you should fall,” said Twilight hoping to ease away his fears.  “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.  You are my Number One Assistant and my number one friend after all.”

    Taking a few breaths, Spike built up his courage and stood up straighter.  “Okay!” he declared, attempting to appear fearless, but he was still trembling slightly.  “I’ll do it.”

    “Then here ya go, Spike,” Applejack instructed the baby dragon, wrapping it around his waist.

    “Where do you even keep all that rope?” Spike asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“A seasoned rodeo Pony is always ready with rope,” she answered without actually answering him and then went on to further instruct her scaly friend.  “Along with Twilight’s magic, this will be a lifeline for you.  Even so, take each step with the utmost caution and, whatever you do, don’t look down.  You got all that?”

    “Y-Y-Yeah,” the nervous, purple dragon answered before turning to face the bridge and saw the big challenge before him.  Checking the rope around him, he tugged on it to make certain it was securely bound to him.  Twilight then focused her magic on him, enveloping his body with her magical aura, making his body feel light as a feather.  A couple more big breaths and then Spike stepped over the board that Twilight broke and onto the next one that was still in good enough condition to stand on and placed his foot upon it.  Holding tightly to the old ropes of the bridge, Spike slowly took another step forward, leaving solid ground completely.

    Letting go of the railing of the bridge with one hand, Spike wiped the sweat from his forehead and took some breaths before readying himself to take his second step.  The wooden boards creaked under his weight and bent a little, but they were still strong enough to support him.  “Two steps down,” thought Spike as he forced his gaze to remain forward.  “Only about a hundred more to go.”

    Step after step, Spike continued to the other end of the bridge.  His body quickly became soaked in sweat as the tension raised his already high body temperature to the boiling point.  Fortunately, by the time he made it more than halfway across without any incidents, Spike had gained enough confidence in their setup that his body’s trembling stopped and his breathing returned to normal.  His pace had also increased, helping him to cross the broken bridge much faster than the first half.  Before Spike even realized it, he had made it all the way to the other side and his feet once more met solid ground.

    “I- I did it,” he spoke softly at first, but as the realization of his success sunk in, he threw up his arms excitedly.  “Oh, yeah!  I did it! Whoo!”

    “Great job, Spike,” Applejack called to him.  “Now, tie that rope to something good and tight so we can get across.”

    “I’m on it,” he called back, feeling anything after that trek across that flimsy bridge was just a walk in the park.  Taking the rope to a nearby tree, Spike tied it to the thick trunk and gave it a few tugs to ensure his knot wouldn’t come undone.  When he felt satisfied with his work, Spike waved to his friends.  “All set on this side!”

    “Then just sit tight and we’ll be over there quicker than a hog racing to eat its early morning slop,” Applejack called back and then turned to Twilight.  “Okay, your turn to cross, Twi.  Just hold on to the rope tightly as you cross and whatever you do, don’t let go, unless you want to end up a pancake.”

    “Scientifically speaking,” Twilight told her.  “The end result of one falling at terminal velocity won’t result in one’s body compressing into a perfectly flat shape.  It’s actually a much more unsightly end result.”

    “And does that make crossing any less nerve wracking for you?” asked Applejack.

    “Hold on tight so I don’t fall and become a pancake,” Twilight replied as she hugged the rope tightly and started her way across.

The trek to the other side was even more perilous for Twilight with her greater weight coupled with her unable to use her skill with magic not yet at the level of self levitation with movement.  The wooden boards creaked loudly as she crossed, some unable to handle the weight of a young adult Pony, and snapped in two.  Hanging tightly to the rope, Twilight avoided falling and then carefully reached for another board to continue on.

When Twilight made it across, she was gasping and sweating as she felt her heart pounding in her chest.  “You did it, Twilight!” Spike told her.  “Great job.”

“Heheh, not bad for a Pony that spent so much time just reading books, right?” she chuckled nervously, still shocked that she actually did that.

“I just hope there will be enough boards left for when we have to go back,” he commented, seeing the wider gaps they’d have to cross after Twilight took her turn.

“I didn’t consider that we’d have to go back too,” worried Twilight, not eager to go through that again.

“We might have to do what Applejack’s doing,” said Spike as he looked back down the bridge.

“What Applejack’s doings?” she repeated and turned to watch, seeing Applejack hanging upside down as she made her way over.  In the short time they were talking, she was already halfway across and showing no sign of hesitating as she finished making her way across in record time.

“That was amazing, Applejack,” Spike told her once she reached the other side.

“It tweren’t nothing,” she replied.  “Been ages since I had to crawl across on a rope so I’m glad I wasn’t too rusty.  Anyway, now that we’ve made it across, the castle isn’t much further now and the sooner we get there the sooner I can get my hat back.”

Making their way forward, the trio, at long last, arrived at Celestia’s old castle or, at least, what remained of it.  Hundreds of years of being left to the elements allowed for nature to take over.  Vines clung over the outer walls, covering the dark gray stone in green.  The gate was rusted brown and one side had broken off the hinges and dropped to the ground, allowing them free passage through it.

Walking through the courtyard to the stoop leading into the castle, they took in the scnery around them that no Pony had laid eyes upon in centuries.  There were hedges that appeared to have once been trimmed into decorative shapes, but time and lack of care had allowed them to grow into an overgrown mess that distorted their original forms from what they once were.  The hedges and vines, however, were not the only plants that had gone wild without a gardener to reign them in.  Weeds had sprouted through the cobblestone walkway and even on the stone stoop, filling them both with cracks that caused them to get chipped all over.

The castle itself was in just as horrid shape as the courtyard.  Whole sections had decayed from countless seasons facing the elements till weakening them till they finally crumbled into ruins.  As for the places that were still mostly intact, cobwebs hung from the ceilings and the walls as spiders and other insects took up residence inside.  There were also nests built in any nooks and crannies that birds could take up residence in and bats swooped around, enjoying the eternal night just as much as the ones back at Sweet Apple Acres.

“This is incredible,” Twilight said, her heart racing with excitement.  Her previous scare from crossing the bridge to get here was already forgotten and seeing all this instantly made the journey completely worth it.  She stared at the wrecked remains of the forest-ravaged location like it was still brand new and was not at all the dreary, rundown place it had become.  “Have you ever laid eyes upon a place like this?”

“Does Ponyville dump count?” snarked Spike as he took another look around, but couldn’t see this place with rose-tinted glasses like Twilight could.

“Don’t you understand?” she asked him.  “This is really Celestia’s old castle, her old home.  Just think about it.  Can you believe she started out in such a humble dwelling such as this?”

“Uh, can a castle really be considered ‘humble?’” questioned Applejack.  “I mean, maybe compared to her new one, but I bet this one was mighty impressive in its heyday.”

“Oh, now I really wish I brought my camera,” Twilight geeked out.  “This is better than having access to ten libraries at the same time.  Oh, and the library!  I hope it managed to weather through the centuries better than the rest of the castle!  Spike, how are you at sketching?”

“For having nopony with digits to teach me how to use them to write or draw,” he answered.  “More than decent, I’d say.”

“Do you think you can make a rough sketch of the front of the castle,” she instructed him.  “We’ve gotta reserve this moment for posterity!”

“Your Number One Assistant is on the job,” he told her with a salute.  Taking a few steps back to get as much of the front of the castle into his field of view, Spike then sat down and unrolled a piece of scroll paper onto a clipboard and started to scratch out a rough sketch with a quill.

“Uh, Equestria to Twilight,” Applejack tried to get her attention, but she was far too preoccupied fangirling over the castle to pay attention to anything else.  Spike was busy too, trying his hardest to draw the old castle to the best of his abilities, pausing to look up from his work and then dipping his quill into a bottle of ink to start sketching some more.

“Looks like those two will be a while,” she figured as she rubbed her hatless head.  “Well, it might be better this way.  Those two will be safer out here and I can go on ahead and take care of those rapscallions myself and get my hat back.”  As her two friends continued to be distracted by the ruins, Applejack quietly made her way inside the castle, on her own.

“Annnnnd… done!” announced Spike as he finished his sketch and signed his name in the bottom corner of his work.

“Let’s take a look,” Twilight said as she hurried over to see.  With only amateur drawing abilities and an ink quill available to him, Spike’s sketch was hardly able to capture as much as Twilight had hoped for, but she smiled, satisfied with what he did with the time he had to work on it and what little he had available to him.  “Very nicely done, Number One Assistant.”

“All in a day's work,” he stated proudly crossing his arms.  His smile then quickly went away as a swarm of bats suddenly flew out from the front entrance of Celestia’s castle, startling them both.  “It’s hard to believe that Celestia used to live in a place like this, the way it is now,” the purple dragon commented.  “This place feels a lot more like a mausoleum compared to the back castle in Canterlot, even though it’s currently in the sky.”

“It’s probably been centuries since anypony tended to this place,” replied Twilight.  “It’s hard to believe any Pony ever used to live here.  Even if Celestia did decide to build a new castle in Canterlot, why would she simply abandon this castle and allow it to fall into ruin.  It should have remained a national landmark to be preserved forever.  However, from what we know, she didn’t just leave this place, but she even went so far as to hide its existence from the world.  The question is, why.”

“She did leave the Elements of Harmony here,” Spike brought up.  “Maybe she wanted to make sure they wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“That is one possibility,” considered Twilight as she approached a plaque covered in vines.  “But if their safety was a factor, at all, it would have made more sense to take them with her to Canterlot.  No.  There has to be more to the mystery than just that.”

Twilight tugged away the plantlife covering the plaque to see what was hidden beneath it.  Around the border were images of the sun and moo.  Inside the border was an inscription.  “The Castle of the Sun and Moon.  There is no end to day or night.  The Sun will always follow the Moon and the Moon will always chase after the Sun.  The cycle is eternal, their fate forever linked.”

“Or maybe Celestia wanted to forget,” Twilight continued after reading those words.  “Forget the pain caused by Nightmare Moon when she betrayed her.  It was hard for Celestia to go against Nightmare Moon when she returned.  I can only imagine how heartbreaking it had to be when Celestia had no choice but to banish her to the moon.  In a way, this place might have ended up becoming a mausoleum to their friendship.”

“It must have been very tragic,” added Spike looking at the disheveled mess once more.  “Two that were once the best of friends, as close as family suddenly turning on one another.”

“It was Nightmare Moon who was the one turned against Celestia,” Twilight reminded him.  “But, I’m sure, a part of her still must have cared for Celestia too.  I bet the two must have been very close like my brother, Shining Armor, and myself or you with your siblings, Applejack.”  Applejack didn’t answer.  Twilight looked around.  “Applejack?  Where did she go?”

“She was with us when we arrived, a minute ago,” Spike replied and then gazed down the dark hallway in the castle.  “You don’t think that she went ahead without us, do you?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” answered Twilight.  “That hat was incredibly important to her.  She’d probably even take on Nightmare Moon if she had to to get it back.”

“But if the Shadow Bolts are really in there lying in wait, they probably have some kind of traps waiting for us inside,” worried Spike.  “Applejack could be in danger already.”

“Then let’s not waste any more time and find her,” Twilight told him and the two hurried inside.

“Applejack!” Spike and Twilight called out as they raced through the castle in search of their friend.  “Applejack, it’s us!  Where did you go?”

As they ran down the hall they saw tapestries of the Sun and Moon lining the walls along with aged suits of armor, some still standing in only slightly rusted condition and others on the floor in a heap.  They also saw more damage to the castle, though it was clear by the magical scorch marks that this was the collateral damage left behind by Celestia and Nightmare Moon’s long ago battle.

Paying the scenery very little mind, Spike and Twilight continued to call out for Applejack, worried the first might have just befallen her.


“Sounds like our guests are here,” commented Nightshroud as Twilight and Spike’s voices reached them further in the castle.

“They couldn’t have given us more warning if they pressed the doorbell,” joked Gale Force.

“But this old castle doesn’t even have a doorbell,” pointed out Sunny Day.

“That was a joke,” Gale told Sunny.

“Come on Ponies,” Firestorm told her fellow Shadow Bolts.  “It’s time for the welcoming party to greet our guests.”

“Heheh, I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces,” cackled Nightshroud.  “It’ll definitely be a hoot.  They’ll wish they turned tail when they still had the chance.”

“I just hope they don’t just run away in fright from what we’ve got in store for them,” added Gale.

“By the time they realize anything, there will be no escape for them,” claimed Nightshroud as he adjusted Applejack’s hat a little on his head.  “And this time we don’t have to worry about them receiving some unexpected help, not like it’ll make any difference this time, even if they did.”

“Indeed,” nodded Firestorm before giving the order.  “Let’s give Nightmare Moon a call on the viewing orb.  I’m certain she’ll want to see our moment of triumph first hand.”  The four Pegasis gathered around an orb just like the one Derpy had and spoke Nightmare Moon’s name into it.


“Nightmare Moon,” sounded the orb on the Dark Alicorn’s side, prompting her to quickly answer it.

“Hello, this is Nightmare Moon,” she answered it and watched as the villainous Pegasi team appeared on it.  “Ah, the Shadow Bolts.  I trust you bring me good news on your end.  Has Twilight Sparkle already been defeated?”

“Not quite,” Firestorm answered her.  “She’s managed to make it to the castle, but we’re prepared for her.  We’re going to use that thing you told us about the last time we were here.”

“Oh, are you now?” she replied with a dark grin.  “Celestia’s little defense system, used against her own student.  Yes, I quite like the idea.  You may proceed, but let me just remind you that I won’t tolerate failure, especially after all I’ve given you.”

“You can count on us,” Firestorm assured her, not sounding fearful at the implications of her words, but actually more motivated instead.  “Just sit back and enjoy the show.  The Shadow Bolts promise nothing but the best for their Princess of the Night.”

“I’m delighted to hear that,” grinned Nightmare Moon as she used her magic upon the orb and different rooms flickered on it from within the old castle.  “Let’s see now.  Where are you, Twilight Sparkle?”  The orb continued to flicker until finally, Twilight appeared on the screen alongside Spike, the two wandering through the castle, completely unaware that they were being spied upon.


“Applejack!  Applejack!” Twilight and Spike kept on calling out to her over and over again.  The two poked their heads into every room they passed, hoping to find her in one of them.  Finally, they peeked into a study and discovered Applejack was looking around before turning to leave.

“Not here either,” she mumbled to herself as she headed back to the hall, only for her two friends to burst in excited to see her.

“There you are,” panted Spike as he sprinted over with Twilight right beside him.

“Twilight?  Spike?” Applejack said as she trotted towards them as well.

“Why did you run ahead of us?” asked Twilight.  “It is dangerous to go alone.”

“I am plenty capable of taking care of myself,” she assured them.  “But it might be better if you two wait outside while I take care of the Shadow Bolts.  Just as soon as I can figure out where they hold themselves up in here.”

“But we’re already outnumbered four to three,” Twilight explained.

“Maybe, but from what I’ve seen from the two of you as we went through the Everfree Forest,” she explained.  “You are both capable and have your strengths, but fighting isn’t one of them.  You could end up being more of a liability than anything if this is the first real brawl you’ve been in.”

“We won’t be,” promised Twilight.  “I admit I’m new to using my magic in a fight, but I’m not going to get caught off guard by them again.  And I don’t mean to sound disrespectful to you, but do you honestly think you can beat all four of them on your own?  Aside from numbers, they can fly, giving them a huge advantage over you and who knows what else they could have in store for us.”

“Precisely why it’d be more than a little foolish for us all to go so they could wrangle us all up at once,” she argued.  “And if their past attempt didn’t make it clear enough, they’re only after you, Twilight,” Applejack reminded her.  “That means we gotta keep you safe above all else.”

“Nightmare Moon challenged me to come here to retrieve the Elements,” argued Twilight.  “I can’t let her think I’m too frightened to go up against whatever she plans to throw at me.  Princess Celestia’s put all her faith in me and I can’t let her down.”

“Not to mention all of Equestria,” Spike chimed in and quickly regretted doing so as the flames of the argument between the two was only getting more heated.

“And if anything should happen to you,” countered Applejack as she butted heads with Twilight.  “What do you spose will happen to Equestria?  It’ll fall apart knowing both Celestia and the Pony she pinned all her hopes have been defeated.  Then Nightmare Moon will win for sure.”

“She’ll win if I don’t do anything,” snapped Twilight.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn!” they shouted at one another in unison.  “Can’t you see I want to help you?!?”

“Help me?” asked Applejack.  “I’m the one who came here to give you a hoof.”

“I know,” Twilight told her.  “And I’m really grateful for that, but it’s also because of me that so much trouble has started.  Celestia was defeated by Nightmare Moon because she protected me and you were forced to give up your hat to ensure I was rescued.  I can’t just stand by and let others do my fighting for me when I owe them so much.  And it’s not just for the sake of others that I have to fight.  I need to get stronger so that I can fix everything.  If I’m going to save Equestria, I need to find the power needed to do so.”

“Twilight,” replied Applejack.  “If you feel guilty about my hat, you shouldn’t be.  Yeah, I am sore it got taken away, but you shouldn’t blame yourself for that.  You helped me get it back before and you are on this mission to help not only me, but all of Equestria.  That you were willing to go through the Everfree Forest and cross some rickety, old bridge shows you are plenty strong already and very courageous.”

“Then let’s put all this bickering behind us,” Twilight said.  “Whatever the Shadow Bolts have in store for us, we’ll work together to defeat them.”

Just as the two Ponies had finally started their reconciliation, they were interrupted by the blaring of a pipe organ from somewhere deep within the castle.  It wasn’t clear what kind of song was being played on it, but in such a creepy environment, it sounded bone-chilling.  “That didn’t sound good,” worried Spike as his teeth chattered and he hugged his arms around his body.  “And I don’t mean in an off-key kinda way.  Is this the Shadow Bolts’ doing?”

“Who else could it be?” replied Applejack as she and Twilight got on guard for whatever was to accompany the eerie music.  “And they were already pretty underhanded before so why not now as well?”

“But what could they be planning?” pondered Twilight, putting her analytical skills to use.  “If they are just playing this music to distract us then they should have made their move to attack us right away.  At this point it is useless as a distraction and they’ll be down one Pony short if one is sitting down playing a pipe organ.”

“They could have more allies,” suggested Applejack.

“But that doesn’t make this music playing any more advantageous to them at this point,” Twilight stated again.

“Hey,” Spike chimed in.  “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” asked Twilight, perking up her ears.  “Something other than that lousy music-playing?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s footsteps,” he answered.  “Heavy, metal ones.”

“Yeah, I hear it now too,” Applejack said.  “And there’s no doubt that it’s heading straight for us.”

“I can hear it now, as well,” worried Twilight, a look of dread on her face as well as on others too.  “It definitely sounds like a lot more than four Ponies.”

“Just how many allies do you think they have?” sweated Spike, the sound of clanking footsteps getting louder and more numerous by the second.

“No idea, but definitely a lot,” answered Applejack.  “We better get out of here before they reach us or we could get swarmed like a pile of birdseed in a henhouse.”

Not wasting any time, Twilight, Spike, and Applejack left the study, wary of the approaching danger.  “Do we get out of here or press on?” wondered Spike as they listened to the hoofsteps that seemed to be coming from both ends of the hall.

“No doubt the way out will be blocked,” figured Twilight.  “And forward will be guarded well too.  “We’re in for a fight regardless of our choice, so we might as well press on and go on the offensive.  That’s our best option now.”

“Then let’s go,” added Applejack as she took the lead and Twilight followed right behind with Spike on her back.  “No matter what we’re up against, we’ll charge right through them!”

“For Equestria and Princess Celestia!” cheered Twilight, attempting to not think about what they might be coming up against.

“We’re so doomed,” sighed Spike, holding tightly to Twilight’s neck as she galloped forward.  “But whatever.  Onward Twilight!”

Rushing forward, the trio felt ready to face whatever foes got in their way.  Turning a corner in the hall, they finally got their answer as a number of Ponies clad in armor that covered over every inch of their bodies.  Slowly, they made their way towards them.

“That explains why their footsteps were so noisy,” commented Twilight.  “They were all wearing that old armor, but why?  It’s a lot more protective than the armor the Ponies in Canterlot wear, but it’s so heavy and clunky to move around in that it’s completely impractical to use.”

“That makes it all the better for us then,” declared Applejack.  “We can just charge on through!”

Despite saying they would both charge through, Applejack was the one who plowed into the armored Ponies, knocking them all down domino style while Twilight followed behind, carefully stepping around them till they were past them all.  They stopped and looked back, surprised more that they made it past them so easily.  “If this was their big plan to capture us,” said Spike, scratching his head.  Hopping off Twilight, he approached the armored Ponies, though he remained cautious as he stared down at them.  “Maybe we don’t have anything to worry about after all.”

“Be careful, Spike,” warned Twilight.  “This was easy.  Too easy.  Something is wrong.  I think we’re overlooking something important.”

“Does that even matter at this point?” asked Spike as he turned back to Twilight.  While his back was turned the armored Ponies started to rise back up again.  “They’re beaten.  Let’s get going.  We’ve got Elements to find.”

“Spike!” cried Twilight.  “Get back here, fast!”

“What?  Why?” he questioned her as he turned his head to see the Ponies approaching them again.  Crying out, he hurried to hide behind Twilight.  “Oh, that’s why.”

“Want some more?” snorted Applejack as moved in front of Twilight and Spike.  “Take another step closer and I’ll buck you and that tin can suit all the way across Equestria!”  Even after being warned, the Ponies didn’t falter.

“Okay!” announced Applejack.  “You asked for it!”  Turning around, she showed off the powerful back legs that fell a million apples from trees.  She aimed to buck him back at the other Ponies, but she bucked too high and knocked his helmet off and his head too.  When she saw what she had done, she just stared, mouth agape.  “I-I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean t- WARGH!”  In mid apology the beheaded Pony’s body continued to walk towards her, completely unaffected by the loss of its head.  “What in tarnation?”

“What in Equestria is going on?!?” cried Spike, hugging Twilight’s leg tightly, frightened by this latest development.  “How is that Pony moving without a head on his shoulders?”

“I think I know,” answered Twilight, concern in her tone, as she focused her magic to levitate the armored Pony without a head and with one big burst of magic pulled the armor apart at the joints.  When she did so, the three of them discovered that there was no Pony inside of it.  “I figured as much.”

“There’s nopony in there,” gasped Applejack, glad she hadn’t kicked their head off, but this new revelation presented new problems for them to deal with.  Then does that mean…”

“Yes,” nodded Twilight.  “They’re all empty, meaning that all these suits of armor have been enchanted to come to life.  It’s just like how Derpy brought all those Muffins to life back on the bridge and had them attack us.”

“Living muffins?” questioned Applejack raising an eyebrow.  “You were attacked by living muffins?”

“It’s just as weird as it sounds,” confirmed Spike.

“And this is even worse than that,” Twilight informed them.  “The muffins were more bothersome than dangerous.  However, none of the Shadow Bolts should be able to do this.  Even enhanced by Nightmare Moon, none of them were given magical abilities and even then, there is no way they could animate objects this large without years of training.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that they are,” Spike pointed out as they slowly retreated back as the suits of armor started to approach them.

“The only thing I can think of is that it has something to do with the organ music playing,” contemplated Twilight as she rubbed her chin.  “They didn’t start moving till after it started to play and if that’s the case then it must have been enchanted to manipulate the suits of armor.  In which case, this could very well be a security system Celestia created to protect her old castle.”  As Twilight said all this, her tone shifted once more from dread to admiration. “Oh, this is truly amazing.  Celestia was able to use magic to set all this up and allow it to be used by anypony, even those unable to use it themselves.  It’s also incredible that an enchantment she set up ages ago is still fully functional.  This is just more proof of what an amazing Pony Celestia is!  I have to ask her how she managed to do such magic in my next letter to her.  What books she read and what spells she combined.  Oh, I just can’t wait to find out.”

“Is now really the time to be getting excited over this?” Spike asked Twilight, hoping to pull her back to the situation at hand.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized.

“I don’t really know all the details about how the organ is related to these things,” admitted Applejack as she looked at the one they reduced to pieces on the ground.  “But, at least it was easy enough to defeat one of them.  If we take them apart they won’t pose us any danger.”

“Are you sure about that?” cried Spike as he pointed at the downed suit of armor.  Twilight and Applejack turned to look and watched as it reassembled, helmet and all till it was good as new.  It then rejoined the others in going after them.

“I’m sure you both probably figured this out by now,” added Twilight.  “But so long as the enchantment isn’t broken, the objects affected by it will not tire from whatever task they are driven to perform.  That they can even put themselves back together is even more proof as to how amazing the enchantment is.”

“Any idea how we can stop something so ‘amazing?’” questioned Spike, hoping that was a part of Twilight’s lecture.

“Inflicting enough damage to actually break it would normally do the trick,” she answered.  “However, metal is a ton harder to break than baked goods and considering Celestia is the one who created it, even that might not work.  Our only choice might be to stop the Pony playing the organ.”

“Then let’s ignore these things and go after the organ,” instructed Applejack.  “That’s probably where all our other objectives are anyway, the Elements and my hat.”


“Heheh, did you hear that?” laughed Gale Force as she watched Twilight and her friends through the crystal ball.  “They still intend to find the Elements.  Either they are incredibly brave or unbelievably stupid.”

“Hard to tell,” snickered Nightshroud.  “Perhaps giving them a bigger challenge will help us decide which it is.”

“Indeed,” agreed Firestorm.  “Start playing for real.  Let’s show them what these enchanted suits of armor can really do.”

“Coming right up,” Sunny Day replied as he continued to play away on the pipe organ with his hooves.  He began hitting the keys faster and more energetically than before and the music blared out louder than ever.  “Hey, if this is supposed to be a team effort, why am I the only one doing something?”

“Uh, because out of all of us, you know how to play the piano,” lied Gale Force, well away that musical talent had nothing to do with it.

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” he admitted happily.  “You know, this is the first time I’ve ever been glad my mom had me take piano lessons.”

“You better make sure to send her a Thank You card when this is over,” Gale told him, stifling a snicker at his gullibility.

“They got a taste,” said Firestorm as she watched Twilight and others still oblivious to the real danger they were about to face.  “Time for the meal.”


“The music changed,” cried Spike as they hurried through the old castle.  “That’s bad, right?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered.  “My hypothesis is that the pipe organ is what controls the suits of armor.  We still don’t know if that’s true or if how it’s played affects them in any way.  Without any substantial evidence it’s only a conjecture.”

“Well, that conjecture of yours seems to be spot on,” Applejack told her as she looked back and saw the previously slow-moving hollow ponies of steel were now galloping after them and closing the distance between them.

“This is incredible!” exclaimed Twilight.  “The enchantment used on those soldiers is even more intricate than I could have imagined.  It’s absolutely genius!”

“Now really isn’t the time to be impressed by that sort of thing!” Spike reminded her.  “If they were just playing around with us before, I think they’re being serious now.”

“We just have to find the organ controlling them and we’ll be fine,” stated Twilight as she pushed her body as hard as she could to run even faster, but all the time she spent with her nose in books didn’t do her any favors in terms of running stamina.  Slowly she started falling behind Applejack who slowed herself down to avoid leaving her new friend in the dust, but it also allowed their pursuers to close the gap between them even faster.  “If we can just outrun them a little longer then I’m sure we’ll find it.”

“That might not be an option anymore,” warned Applejack as their way forward became blocked by more of their tin can foes.  Looking back, the ones chasing them were only getting closer too.  “At this rate we’’ll get surrounded.”

“Quick!  Up there,” instructed Twilight, turning to lead Applejack upa  staircase to the upper level of the old castle, bu that didn’t discourage the suits of armor from continuing to pursue.

“That was fast thinking,” commented Applejack, looking back to see the tireless armor hot on their heels.  With a quick buck she managed to knock a few back down to the ground floor, but more just took their place and kept up the chase.

“Yeah,” added Spike as he looked up the stairs to see more animated armor ready to intercept them.  “But any ideas what we’re going to do about them?”

“I’m already on it,” answered Twilight as her horn glowed brightly with magic.  As they neared the top of the stairs she unleashed all the power she had built up in it and blasted the suits of armor against the wall, making them crumble into a pile of themselves and allowed them to reach the top.

“Nice one,” praised Spike as they reached the second floor, still being chased from behind.  “You took them all out with one blast.”

“Yeah,” she wheezed, growing fatigued from running away.  “But something like that uses up more magic than I care to expend at once, especially in a situation like this.”  Looking back, already they were putting themselves back together.  A few of them ended up reassembling with parts from one another, though that didn’t appear to adversely affect them at all as they ran after them as relentlessly as ever.  “And it’s also a lot of magic to use up just to delay them a little.”

“Smashing them doesn’t work and magic doesn’t work either,” cried Spike.  “And my flames, well, I don’t think we want burning hot suits of armor chasing after us will just make things even worse for us, if that’s even possible.”

“Well, hot enough temperatures could cause them to melt and that should stop them beyond recovery,” explained Twilight.  “But I doubt your body has the lung capacity to take out more than two or three if you tried.”

“Then there really is nothing we can do,” Spike took from what Twilight just said.

We’ll figure something out,” panted Twilight, her gallop quickly dropping to a trot.  “We just have to keep moving.”

“Not if you’re moving at a snail’s crawl,” stated Applejack as she opened a nearby door and checked the inside to make certain it was void of any suits of armor.  “Let’s barricade ourselves in here.  It’s not much of an improvement, but it’ll at least give us a chance to catch our breath.”

With no time to debate it, Twilight hurried into the room and Applejack quickly closed the door behind her and held it shut.  As the suits of armor pounded away at the door, Spike hopped off of Twilight and started pushing tables, chairs, and any other heavy objects he could carry and used them to help brace the door.  Meanwhile, Twilight sat down, exhaustion hitting her now that she was no longer running.

While Spike and Applejack barricaded the door, she looked around the room, finding it looked to be as grand as the rest of the castle once was, but now it was merely a musty and abandoned shadow of itself.  In the corner of the room was a moldy, old bed and nearby was a dresser covered in a thick layer of dust.  “Is this somepony’s bedroom?” wondered Twilight as her breathing started to drop from rasping back to normal.  “Maybe Celestia’s old room?”

“Ugh!” groaned Spike as he added his weight to blocking the door as well, but more and more suits of armor gathered at the door as they attempted to force it open.  “This is still not enough!  We need more!”

“I’m on it,” replied Applejack as she hurried to the dresser and started to push it towards the door.  As she did, one of the drawers slipped out and landed on the ground, breaking into pieces.  She ignored it and kept pushing the dresser to the door, leaning it against it to further defend their position.

As Twilight looked at the broken drawer, she noticed a piece of paper that was in it.  Growing curious, she picked it up and blew the dust off of it, discovering it was a scribbly drawing of two Alicorns surrounded by a heart.  It only took her a second to recognize the white pony with a mane and tail pinks, greens, and blues as Celestia.  Looking at the second Pony colored in dark blue, she recognized this as Nightmare Moon.  “Celestia really did care for her,” thought Twilight, tearing up.  “Why did Nightmare Moon have to betray her?”

“Is everything alright?” Spike asked as he and Applejack kept their backs against the blocked door to help reinforce it.  With the addition of the dresser it appeared to be keeping their pursuers at bay, for the time being.

“I’m fine,” she nodded, quickly composing herself.  “Now we have to figure out how we’re going to get out of this mess.”

“Well, we’re trapped in this room and the only way out is through a ton of unfriendly metal,” analyzed Spike.

“And there hasn’t been any sign of those varmints the entire time we’ve been here,” commented Applejack as she listened to the pipe organ music and could still faintly hear it being played.  “Do you think they know what’s been happening to us or what?”

“They probably have some means of spying on us,” figured Twilight.  “They probably have a viewing orb or something like the guards have in Canterlot castle to keep watch.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they are somewhere laughing their heads off at us.”

“Well, if’n you are watching,” snorted Applejack as she shouted and scanned the room.  “Maybe you can hear us too.  If you can then listen well.  We will get out of this mess and defeat you lot.  I promise you all that and that goes double for the polecat who stole my hat.  I’m going to take care of you personally and take back my hat.  That is the honest truth!”


“Finders keepers,” taunted Nightshroud, amused at Applejack’s growing frustration.

“Come on now,” Firestorm instructed Sunny Day.  “Play harder.  Break through that door already.”

“I’m trying,” he answered.  “My hooves are getting tired.  I’ve never played a concert this long before.  I’ve never actually played a concert before ever, but still.”

“We’ve almost got them,” Gale Force told him.  “Just break through that door and that’ll be it.  Come on now.  This is the big finale!”

“Alright,” he breathed, raising hooves up high before dropping them down hard on the keys to make the music blare louder than ever.  “Here I go!”


“Is taunting them really the smartest thing to do right now?” asked Spike as the music started to get louder again and the suits of armor rammed at the door hard enough to send the two of them flying forward as the door started to splinter.  “Ugh… Just saying.  I don’t think it’s helping our situation any.”

“Looks like this is it,” breathed Applejack as they watched their barricade and forced open more and more each time the door got rammed.  “Time for our last stand.”

The door finally gave in and collapsed as the steel soldiers charged in.  Quick to react, Applejack turned and started to buck away as many as she could as they poured in.  However, as much as she tried there were still far too many for her two hind legs to kick.  The greater bulk of them made it past her and made their way towards Twilight and Spike.

“Were you sure that my flames could melt them?” asked Spike as the first of many approached them.

“If you can get your flame hot enough and keep it going long enough,” she answered.

“Well, here goes nothing,” nodded Spike as he took in the biggest breath he could muster and exhaled the strongest flames he could.  Embers of green burst out between his lips, illuminating the room in a green glow.  The suit of armor approaching them got bathed in emerald fire that quickly turned its silver body into a burning bright orange.  It attempted to keep moving forward, soon the metal started to melt, causing it to collapse.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Twilight told her dragon friend as his face was turning a darker shade or purple than usual.  “You’ve melted it more than enough.”

    Spike let his flames slowly diminish till it was out completely and he started to gasp for air.  As the suit of armor’s body slowly cooled and hardened, it tried to get back up again, but it’s warped body and joints fused together made it for it to move.  Before it could get itself upright again it collapsed to the ground again.

    “One down,” wheezed Spike as he turned to Twilight, not paying attention as another suit of armor came upon him.  Acting quickly, Twilight fired a black of magic knocking it back.  “Thanks, Twi,” he told her, breathing now with relief as well as to reinflate his lungs.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she told him.  “There’s too many of these things for the three of us to fight.”  She turned her head to the back of the room, but there was nothing but a solid wall there.  Looking forward again, there were too many suits of armor in their way to force their way through.  “And now we’ve got nowhere left to go.”

“Then what do we do?” cried Spike as the two of them backed away and Applejack quickly retreated to join them.

“I… don’t know,” she admitted.  “I knew there would be a lot of them, but there are enough suits of armor here to quell a small invasion.  Celestia truly is amazing if she did such a thing all by herself.  Now, for it to be used against us, there’s just no way we can stop it.  Nightmare Moon wasn’t kidding.  When she said there was no way we could win and at best we’d only be delaying the inevitable, she meant it.”

“We can’t give up now,” Applejack told her as they were quickly running out of anywhere to retreat too.  “We’ll have to force our way through if need be.”

“Against all these?” cried Spike.

“It’s either that or wait till we have nowhere left to run,” said Applejack, giving him their only alternative.

“I think that ship’s already set sail,” replied Spike as he felt the wall against his back.
“It might just be delaying the inevitable,” stated Twilight as she gathered up all the magic she could muster into her horn.  “But I’d rather go down fighting.”

“That’s the spirit!” declared Applejack, readying herself for better or worse.  “For Equestria!”

“For Equestria!” Spike and Twilight shouted after her and tried one last time to fight back.


“They actually think they can fight their way through that?” laughed Gale Force as she and the others watched the trio’s final moments.  The trio fought desperately, but they couldn’t push back the encroaching force or even get them to stop moving.  When one was beaten another instantly took its place and kept on the move.  Smaller and smaller the gap between them and the suits of armor became.  To fight their way past them would have been the same as attempting to dig throughs till steel with their bare hooves and claws.  “Good luck with that.”

“So long as we keep pumping out this music there is no stopping us,” added Nightshroud as he drank up the look of despair the trio was attempting to hide behind clenched jaws and angry eyes.  “But it’ll be fun to see them try.”

“Anyone wanna take over?” asked Sunny Day.  “My arms are getting tired and I’d like to watch our enemies for a little while.”

“Uh, sorry didn’t quite get that,” Firestorm replied as she and the others ignored him and kept on watching Twilight and co.’s demise.


“Ow,” groaned Twilight, rubbing her head after firing off a dozen more blasts of magic in rapid succession.  “My horn feels like it’s going to overheat.”

“I am my limit too,” wheezed Spike, running short on breath again after managing to melt a couple more suits of armor together.  He fell onto his butt, mouth dry and his embers escaping his maw as he exhaled.  “My pilot light is about to go out.”

“Just leave it to me,” said Applejack, gathering her strength for another powerful kick to send back a handful of the suits of armor, but even she was showing signs of growing tired from just holding the line.  After this attack, her legs quivered like jelly, barely allowing her to remain standing.

“We’re all at our limits,” Twilight told Applejack.  “There’s nothing more we can do.”

Too tired to do more than slump against the wall, the trio was only able to watch as the clunking suits of armor closed in around them.  All they could see was their cold steel as they prepared  to apprehend them.  It was then that the wall behind them started to slide open and reveal a hidden passage.

“Oh, great,” groaned Spike as they looked into the new dark corridor, not sure what else to expect next.  “Aren’t we already outnumbered bad enough?”

“But there’s no need for them to send in more,” commented Applejack.  “Why would they-”

“SURPRISE!” exclaimed the pink, curly-haired Pony as she blasted a ton of confetti out of a small blue cannon she had with her, covering Spike, Twilight, Applejack with the tiny bits of colored paper.

“Huh?” questioned the trio at this very unexpected development.


“Huh?” wondered the Shadow Bolts, not expecting this to happen either.  They all stared at the new Pony through their orb, including Sunny Day who paused from his playing.

“Where did she come from?” Nightshroud asked.


“Where in tarnation did you come from Pinkie Pie?” asked Applejack.

“Well, it all started a long, long time ago, on a cold Winter’s night on the rock farm.  My mother was in a great deal of pain and I was charging through-”

“Whoa, now! Hold your horses,” Applejack interrupted her.  “I meant how did you get here, in this wall?”

“Oh, that,” she smiled and giggled brightly.  “Back in Ponyville, I was just enjoying the day, even though it was night when this purple Pony over here came over and introduced herself to me and I was all, ‘Wowie zowie!  There’s a new Pony in town!  I have to go throw her a welcome party.  So I ran off to get ready, but by the time I got back she had already left, so I went looking for her.  I ran into Derpy who said she went to Sweet Apple Acres and then I ran into Big Mac who just said ‘yup,’ but then Apple Bloom told me she went into the Everfree Forest and and you went after her.  From there, I kept on searching and searching till I ended up finding this castle and went looking around.  Then, I pulled on a level and suddenly there you all were so I shouted surprise and fired my confetti cannon.  After that, you asked me how I got here so I-”

“That’s enough of an explanation,” Applejack said as she covered Pinkie’s mouth, though she kept on going for a bit more anyway.  “But we’re really grateful you showed up when you did.  Now we can get out of here.”

“Get out of here?” replied Pinkie sadly.  “But what about Twilight’s party?  I got a cake ready and everything.  You can even invite all your scary looking metal friends to join us.”

“Hey, did anypony else notice that the suits of armor stopped moving?” asked Spike, alerting the others to this fact and they saw it was true.

“Yeah, and the music stopped playing too,” realized Twilight.

“I think we weren’t the only ones caught off guard by Pinkie’s sudden and random appearance,” commented Applejack.  “In which case, we should probably get out of here while we can.”


“You idiot!” cried Firestorm and she and other Shadow Bolts hurried to the pipe organ to play it again.  “We almost had them, why did you stop playing?”

“I-I-I got distracted,” he admitted, looking over the keys in confusion.  “Uh, I forgot my place.  Where did I leave off playing?”

“That doesn’t matter!” cried Gale Force as the three of them pounded on the keys to get the suits of armor moving again.  Turning to the crystal ball, they watched as their enchanted force started to move, only to crash into the wall as Twilight and the others shut the passage behind them and made their escape.

“They managed to get away,” groaned Nightshroud.  “We were so close too!”

“We have to find them again,” ordered Firestorm.  “Look for them on the crystal ball.”

“Let’s see,” mumbled Gale as she moved her hooves over it to change the image from one room to another, however, no matter how many times she did this, Twilight and the others didn’t appear.  “No good.  They are somewhere that wasn’t set up to be viewable from here.”

“This is just perfect,” grumbled Firestorm.  “We can’t send the those tin toys after them if we don’t know where exactly they are.  What a dumb limitation for enchanted suits of armor.”

“As dumb as needing to play a pipe organ to make them move?” asked Nightshroud.

“It’s up there,” she admitted and sighed now that they were back to square one again in capturing Twilight.

“Do you think Nightmare Moon will be upset with us?” asked Sunny Day.

“Upset?” asked the Dark Alicorn as her image now appeared upon the viewing orb and Gale Force stumbled back in fright.  Her voice was calm, yet threatening at the same time as she looked at the trembling faces of her subordinates.  “Why would I be upset when you were mere moments away from defeating them, only for them to slip through your hooves?!?”

“That wasn’t our fault,” Sunny Day replied.  “How were we supposed to know they were going to be saved two times in a row?”

“Two times?” she questioned him.  “You already tried and failed to capture Twilight and her friends once before?”

“It was all luck on her part,” Gale Force assured her.  “But she’s gotta be out of it by now.  When we unleash plan C on her there is no way that she will get away.”

“See to it that she doesn’t,” Nightmare Moon told them.  “Remember, I granted you all your greatest dream and I can just as easily take all that away.  Never forget that.”

“W-We won’t forget,” stuttered Firestorm nervously.  “And we won’t let you down.  You made us into Wonderbolts, but even better.  We’re the Shadow Bolts, your Shadow Bolts.  We can’t possibly fail our princess.”

“We shall certainly see now, won’t we,” Nightmare Moon replied before the orb went dark as she ended the call.  Firestorm looked at the rest of her team, all of them looking equally fearful of what further failure meant.

“Why did you have to mention that we failed once before?” Nightshroud questioned Sunny Day.  “Now Nightmare Moon might take away everything she’s given to us.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Sunny Day replied.  “This might just be her way of motivating us to do our best.  Anyway, if we succeed then we’ve got nothing to worry about.  Let’s just do plan C and take care of them.  By the way, what is plan C?”

“We don’t have a plan C,” admitted Gale Force.  “I just made that up to convince Nightmare Moon not to give up on us.  None of us expected them to escape from an inescapable force of animated suits of armor!”

“It’ll be fine,” Firestorm assured them.  “Things might have gotten a bit out of hoof, but that doesn’t change the fact that they have to be worn out.  Even if they weren’t, there’s no way they could hope to stand a chance against us.”

“Yeah,” agreed Nightshroud.  “Let’s just capture them and be done with this.  Then we won’t have to worry about losing anything.  We’ll be known as the greatest fliers in all of Equestria, just like we always wanted to be.”


With them currently out of danger, the group took the time to recover their strength before making their next move.  As they did, they filled Pinkie Pie in on everything that had happened from Nightmare Moon’s return to their own arrival at the castle.  The whole time she listened, that happy-go-lucky smile never left her face.

“Well, what do you think?” asked Twilight once she finished explaining their situation.

“I think this is the best hiding in a castle’s spooky catacombs party ever!” exclaimed Pinkie as she and the others sat in the dark passageway and ate the Twilight’s head shaped cake she had brought with her.  Twilight was still amazed she had managed to make a cake in her likeness in such a short amount of time and so accurately to her likeness since they only briefly met.

“You’ve had others parties like this?” asked Spike before eating another piece of the tasty vanilla with strawberry frosting goodness.

“No, and that’s why this one’s the best one ever,” she told him with her overly bubbly attitude.

“This certainly is the best one of those parties in my book too,” stated Applejack.  “We’d have been goners if you hadn’t shown up when you did.  Now, we’re still not out of the woods, but at least it looks like we’ve got a bit of time to rest and recover before we go and search for those varmints.”

“Yeah, but we still need a plan,” Twilight replied as she tried to think in between eating some of her mane in cake form.  “We’re still outnumbered four to three.  At the very least, it seems like those suits of armor can’t get to us here so we might be able to avoid running into them again if we avoid the main parts of the castle.”

“Sounds good to me,” smiled Applejack.  “I’ll take four to three against a hundred to three any day.”

“What about Pinkie Pie?” asked Spike.

“Yeah, what about Pinkie Pie?” asked Pinkie as well.

“That’s up to you, Pinkie,” Twilight told her.  “We’ll be facing plenty of danger, so if you want to back out and go back to Ponyville then now’s your chance.  If you help us out anymore than you have, I can’t guarantee that you won’t be in any danger.”

“No can do,” Pinkie answered, shaking her head.  “What kind of friend would I be to go home and let you go off, on a journey of growth and discovery, to save the world from eternal night caused by an evil Alicorn princess, without me?”

“Uh,” Twilight said, not sure how to answer that.

“Exactly!” Pinkie went on.  “I have no idea either, but it’s definitely not the kind of friend I am.”  Picking up the remaining half of Twilight’s cake, she stuffed it into her maw and swallowed it whole.  “Now, what’s the party plan for how we beat those meanies?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” answered Twilight.  “We don’t have much to work with, I’ve got my magic, Spike has his flames, and Applejack is strong and has her ropes.  Pinkie, what do you have?”

“Well I did bring a cake,” she told Twilight.  “Oh, but we already ate it.  Um, let’s see.  What else… What else?  Does the Smile Song count?”

“And that can help us out, how?” questioned Twilight.

“It can make us feel better,” she admitted.  “But I guess it wouldn’t be helpful in this particular situation.”

“How about that?” asked Spike pointing at Pinkie’s party cannon.  “I’d say a cannon would be very helpful.”

“It would,” nodded Applejack before she pulled the string in the back and fired out some confetti.  “If it actually had some real ammo to put in it.”

“Anything else, Pinkie?” Spike asked her.

“Uhhhhhh…” pondered Pinkie for a few seconds.  Her curly mane deflated a bit and her tone turned sadder.  “Nope.  That’s all.  Sorry, if I can’t be more helpful.”

“Actually,” smiled Twilight.  “This cannon might be just what we need and all it’ll take is a little teamwork.”

“Really?” asked Pinkie, perking up instantly.  “That’s so super fantastic amazing!”

“Oh, trust me,” smiled Twilight.  “It will be.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a plan,” replied an excited Applejack, grinning at the sight of Twilight’s smile and looked eager to get some much needed payback on the Shadow Bolts.  Spike and Pinkie also had hopeful expressions on as they were eager to see what kind of plan Twilight had come up with.

“Okay, listen up,” she told them.  “First we’re going to have to…”