The rest of the journey was utterly uneventful, and, to my surprise, I reached Ponyville without incident. It was hard to tell which gate I arrived at exactly, but I’m fairly sure it was the northwest gate, which Trixie and I had passed back and forth through before we’d left for Cloudsdale. While it was just as foggy as it had ever been outside the walls, it looked safe enough, and so I thumped my hoof against the wooden gate a few times to try and get the attention of the guards.
I was pleasantly surprised when Thunderlane fluttered down from the wall above, and his embered eyes widened in surprise. “Y-you’re back!” He glanced around, looking for anypony else hidden in the fog, but it was just the two of us outside the gate. “Where’s T-Trixie?”
All I could really do was shake my head. I couldn’t explain why Trixie did what she did, and I suspected she couldn’t right now either. “G-gone. Went crazy, and r-ran off.”
“Oh...Ap-Applejack’s not gonna like th-that,” he said, with a worried tone. “Speaking of, you p-picked a bad time to g-get here. Pr-Princess Celestia arrived a sh-short while ago, and I saw P-Pinkie gallop past with this r-real worried look on her face. You c-came to see Applej-jack, right?”
I nodded, but I was reeling a bit. The “Y-yeah. We scouted the r-reservoir, just like sh-she asked, and a l-lot more besides. You s-said Princess Celestia is here?”
“She is, b-but…” Thunderlane trailed off, and looked back up at the wall, before his eyes turned back to me. “Look, I d-don’t think it w-would be a good idea to l-let you in right now. W-whatever they’re m-meeting about, it’s p-probably important. Ev-even if I d-did, I don’t th-think the other militia p-ponies would let you into the sq-square.”
I considered that for a moment, while Thunderlane shifted nervously on his hooves. Even that Princess Celestia was here was a massive shock. I’d heard so much about the Princess up until this point, about how she’d led Equestria into war against the dragons and won, and was even now coordinating the battle against the demons from the Everchaos. I never thought I’d see her for myself, with my own embered eyes. The sun herself had come down to speak to us.
Or rather, to speak to Pinkie and Applejack. The last I’d seen of Pinkie, she’d run down to see us in jail, and had been horrified by what Applejack had done and continued to do. She said she’d talk to the Princess about it, and it seemed like she’d figured out some way to do exactly that. Maybe that meant that the Princess was here specifically about that, to free me and Dinky from Applejack’s control, or maybe she’d come to punish Applejack for herself?
Either way, Pinkie would be one voice against that of the militia. The townsponies would speak for her, but whose opinion mattered more? If push really came to shove, who would the ponies of the militia side with—Pinkie, or Applejack? My gaze wandered to Thunderlane, and Snails came to mind as well. There were at least two guards I could trust. And maybe one that could help me right now.
I looked up at Thunderlane, who jerked to attention as I focused on him. “Th-then it’s really imp-important I get in. I n-need to help Pinkie.”
“P-Pinkie?” His embers flickered at me in confusion. “You know P-Pinkie? And h-help her how?”
“I th-think Pinkie brought Pr-Princess Celestia here, because...you r-remember last time I w-was here, and my friend D-Dinky?”
He furrowed his brow for a moment, and I hoped he wasn’t Hollowed far enough to begin forgetting recent events. After a moment, his embered eyes lit up in realization. “The f-filly? In Applejack’s j-jail?”
“Y-yes! Her.” I tilted my head back towards the gate. “I th-think Pinkie wants to g-get her out, and she g-got a message to the Princess to ask f-for her help. That f-filly was Ponyville’s Archm-mage, until Applejack l-locked her up.”
“Ar-Archmage…?” Thunderlane mumbled in confusion. “W-why did we have a f-filly serving as an Archm-mage, I thought it w-was...isn’t Am-Amethyst the town’s...no, w-wait, that cute l-librarian took over, but...sh-she had wings, unless…w-why can’t I r-remember…?”
After a moment, he made a frustrated noise, and looked back up at me. “It’s all bl-blurring together, b-but I think I r-remember. Okay, I’ll...I’ll help.” He glanced back up at the wall, then the gate, before he finally turned to me. “W-we’re both wearing P-Ponyville armor, so they sh-shouldn’t shoot at us. C-can you fly?”
I shook my head sadly, and Thunderlane shrugged. “Th-that’s alright. I’m a st-strong flier, I’ll c-carry you to the sq-square.” My wingtips had already twitched slightly at the mere thought of flight, but when Thunderlane said he’d carry me in flight, I felt them spasm eagerly. For once, I couldn’t contain my excitement at the thought of flying again. My cheeks flushed with dark ichor as Thunderlane beckoned me closer, and he wrapped his forelegs around me. Our libido might have been just as undead as we were, but it wasn’t exactly a flattering position for a mare to be held in by a stallion. His ragged gray wings beat, pushing the fog back around us, and together, we leapt into the air.
Ponyville sprawled before us, unhidden by fog and lit by the setting sun. The thatched rooftops glowed like spun, faded gold, and the cobbled streets were like rivers of stone passing between them. The great crystal castle matched our height, and the glassy walls gleamed as they reflected the sunlight. At the edges, I could see the scrap-wood walls with little dots moving across them—ponies looked like little ants from up here. And beyond them, walls of glowing golden fog all around us, aside from the Everchaos, where the clouds turned dark with smoke. I could see the faint flickers of fire from that direction, and the sky trembled slightly as the great cannons of the firebreak launched another defensive volley.
As I looked at the world around me, I was overwhelmed with joy; I was seeing the world as a pegasus truly ought to. I had been groundbound all this time, and to fly again, even if not under my own power, it felt as though something had always been missing. I couldn’t stop my wings from flaring out as far as I could to try and catch the wind for myself. I worked my shoulder muscles to flap as we glided above Ponyville, and my wings sluggishly tried to beat in time with Thunderlane’s so that he didn’t have to carry all of my weight himself.
Flare and flicker. Breathe in, then out. Wingbeats, repeated against the weight of the world. It was so overwhelming to try and remember to do it all manually, to work my undead body until it felt alive again. I was spreading myself thin, but if I didn’t, then I would never learn how to do it properly. I would never get any practice at being alive, and I needed all the practice I could get, because it was oh, so worth it for moments like this.
It all came to an end far too soon. We peaked, and began to spiral back down towards the ground to bleed speed and land safely. I saw militia ponies on the walls and rooftops track us with rifles and shotguns, but they saw our armor, and that just barely stayed their hooves while we made our way towards the base of the crystal castle.
As we descended, I got a good look at the situation. The square’s entrances were heavily guarded, and Thunderlane was right; there was no way they would have let me through on hoof. A gleaming golden phaeton had landed near the castle, and two stallions wearing bright golden armor and carrying spears stood guard beside it. Pinkie Pie was easy to spot, as her bright pink fur stood out against the worn cobble streets, but to my surprise, Commander Flash Magnus stood beside her. In fact, he looked as though he was guarding Pinkie—which was funny, because she was taller than he was—from Applejack. Speaking of the Hollow Huntress, she was shouting wildly, at us and at the guards stationed in the square. I couldn’t make out the words, and for that, I was thankful.
My breath finally caught in my throat as I focused on the last pony, who stood high above them all. Since they were standing so close, I could tell that Princess Celestia was a leg-length taller than Pinkie, who was already the tallest pony in the square. I had already known that the Princess was a living goddess, but the sight of her finally made me understand what that meant. As we drew close, I could see the grace and power in how she stood, and I could feel the incredible heat of her fire. With Pinkie and her standing so close, the two of them were like twin suns in the middle of Ponyville, and I started to panic. I was a fool to try and intrude, to try and force myself into their conversation.
But my embered eyes caught the unmarred, perfect eyes of Princess Celestia, and a feeling of calm came over me. She looked more amused than anything else at my intrusion, and she smiled slightly as one wing beckoned us closer. The other, she waved to her guards beside her, giving the order to relax. Everything was going to be just fine.
Applejack, however, did not seem to think so. As Thunderlane flapped his wings to slow us down and land, Applejack had already galloped below us, and we could finally understand her. “-the hay are you doin’, Thunderlane?! Ya’ll know the Princess is coming, and ya’ll are bringing a damned Hollow into the meeting-”
Thunderlane dropped me gently, and I stumbled awkwardly across the cobbles until I ran into the end of a shotgun barrel. Applejack had drawn her weapon in an instant, and I froze as I remembered how it had barked before and blasted fire and lead right through my armor, and that set had been made of steel; it would barely be slowed down by my quilted barding. Thunderlane landed a moment later, but he kept his wings spread nervously, as if he was going to take off again and flee. “Sh-she insisted, said it w-was important-”
“I don’t care if she’s bringin’ Discord’s head on a pike, I don’t want to see her within ten miles of this stars-damned meeting-!”
“Applejack,” Celestia said, and her voice was both firm and gentle, like a mother affectionately chiding a foal. “It’s quite alright; you don’t need to worry. Stand down.”
Applejack snarled at the Princess. “She’s a Hollow. It’s my duty to keep Ponyville safe, and that means keeping the damned Hollows out of Ponyville, to keep this fort safe, dammit!”
Celestia glanced around the square, at the militia ponies stationed all around us, who watched nervously and glanced amongst each other at their leaders arguing amongst themselves. “Are we not safe here, Applejack, in the heart of Ponyville? I personally find this town to be well-guarded indeed. And Hollow this pony may be, but I can clearly see she still has her wits about her. In fact, it looks as though she works for you, seeing as her barding bears your flag.”
The barrel of the shotgun shuddered in Applejack’s hooves, but after a few moments, she relented. She holstered her shotgun against her side, and snarled at me, “Why are you here? You got some real ruttin’ nerve, coming here now.”
It was safe to move, now that the shotgun wasn’t leveled at my breast any more, and the first thing I did was swallow the heavy lump in my throat. “I’m b-back from scouting Cloudsdale, and the P-Ponyville reservoir, I was g-going to report that…” I could see Applejack’s hackles raising—I’d intruded for such a minor thing? I added quickly, “And-and I wanted to sp-speak for Dinky, alongside P-Pinkie.”
Celestia’s eyebrows rose, and she looked to Applejack, who was still snarling at me. “What’s this about Dinky Doo?”
“It’s not important,” Applejack said dismissively.
Pinkie Pie bounced up alongside the Princess, joining the conversation. “You know Dinky?”
“Of course,” Princess Celestia said warmly. “She’s my own student’s student, and she’s spoken about her a great deal in the past. I’d rather hoped to meet her while I was here, in fact; I understand she took up the position of Town Archmage, after Starlight left to continue her research in the Crystal Empire?”
“Shoot!” Pinkie groaned. “Wish I’d known you’d know who she was, that would’ve helped so much before!”
Princess Celestia focused on Applejack again. “What’s happened to Archmage Dinky?”
“Ex-Archmage,” Applejack clarified. “She had to be stripped o’ her position after she got a buncha ponies killed, most importantly Zecora! She’s sittin’ in a jail cell until I figure out what to do with her.”
The Princess reeled somewhat at that. “She was part of that mess? And you put Dinky in jail? Is she safe there? Well-taken care of?”
“Safe enough,” Applejack replied, with a dismissive, half-hearted shrug.
The voice of the Princess finally took on a harsh tone. “We’ll be putting a pin in that, Applejack, for discussion in a moment.” She turned to Magnus, who had followed behind Pinkie. “Commander? Is there anything else you’ve left out of your report? I would have appreciated being informed of the entire story.”
He nodded, and bowed his head. “Apologies, Princess. I prioritized the disruption to the military supply lines, and didn’t know you had a personal investment. Negotiating her release was next on the list.” He looked up, and tilted his head at me. “Actually, that brings up a question. You were in jail with her, Holly. How’d you end up working for Applejack?”
“Yeah!” Pinkie said, as she put a hoof to her chin in suspicion. “What’s going on there, huh?”
“She s-said-”
“I’ll explain the situation, Hollow.” Applejack interrupted, as she stepped between me and the Princess. “I had work that needed doin’, and offered her, the ex-Archmage, and a loudmouthed rat a deal. They went out and handled a couple easy problems outside the walls with spare equipment, and they’d go free, easy as that.”
“Prison conscripts?” Princess Celestia asked, her voice heavy with disbelief. “Applejack, I’m...I’m incredibly disappointed in you. I thought you were better than that. I know you were better than that. Has time really taken such a toll on you?”
“I said I offered them the deal! They had a choice, and they accepted.”
“Of course they did,” the Princess said, with a sad shake of her head. “If they thought it was the only way out of the cell, then they would have taken any deal you offered them. Dinky stayed behind, and this mare is here. What of the third? That ‘rat’ you spoke of?”
“Tr-Trixie.” I answered. “She t-took the deal too, and we worked t-together as a team.”
The Princess shut her eyes in mounting disbelief. “Trixie now too...what has been going on in Ponyville, right under my nose?”
Pinkie raised her hoof, to ask a question. “Wait, you know Trixie-”
“Twilight’s letters,” Princess Celestia answered, without opening her eyes.
“Oh yeah! Right, okay. Fair enough!”
“And speakin’ of that rat, where is she now, huh? Can’t hardly notice she seems to not be here. You leave her to die somewhere out in the fog?” Applejack asked accusingly.
I looked down at the cobbles under my hooves, and sighed. “L-like I said, I have a r-report.”
With an aggravated grunt Applejack replied, “Give us the short version.”
It wasn’t as short as Applejack wanted, I could tell that much. I mostly skimmed over the walk up the mountain pass there and the campsite, and described the valley quickly. She seemed interested when I described how Cloudsdale had fallen into the valley and broken apart, and when I described the skeletons and the Gravewardens controlling them. However, I noticed that Princess Celestia’s attention wandered somewhat at that point. I suspected she’d heard a lot of it before from Mistmane, and when I mentioned that I’d run across her, I did see both her and Magnus’ ears quirk up in interest.
However, the Princess’s attention quickly became totally focused on the doors to the Crystal Castle. While I was talking, her horn lit with golden magic, and a matching field wrapped around the door handle. No matter how she tugged at the door, it remained firmly shut.
I continued my report as quickly as I could, since the actual geography of Cloudsdale wasn’t too important. Applejack had no interest in the Gravewarden’s society, though Pinkie took notes (literally, with a notepad she took out from her wild pink mane). The lower weather factory and the dam were mostly skimmed over, but when I reached the inside of the upper weather factory and the black lake on which it floated, everypony except Celestia was paying attention once more. Even the description of the fight against the Gravelord wasn’t enough to pull her away from her longing gaze at the crystal castle.
I described the mare made of dust, who had controlled the Gravelord, but it was only when I described the necklace that Celestia suddenly started. “Wait. You said it was a golden necklace with a purple diamond set as the centerpiece? Describe the mare again.”
As I did, I could see Celestia’s expression turn despondent. When I told them how the mare had fallen apart into glowing powder, and how Trixie had drained the soul inside the necklace, everypony went quiet. Even Pinkie Pie suddenly looked depressed. I finished the report with a description of Trixie’s sudden madness, and how she’d kicked me into the lake. I omitted Opalescence and most of the journey back; my encounter with the giant cat seemed almost delusional in hindsight, even though I knew it had happened. They didn’t seem to need any more information as to the mare’s identity anyways.
After I finished the report, Princess Celestia let out a long, sad sigh. “Thank you. I understand you may feel guilty for your part in that, but I do not find you at fault. It’s regrettable that it came to pass, all the same.” She turned to the militia commander beside me, and asked, “What’s your takeaway from that, Applejack?”
“My takeaway?” Applejack asked, with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I dunno what you all look so damned morose about. Sounds like they disregarded my direct orders, bit off more than they could chew, and that moron got exactly what she deserved. Good riddance to her.”
Pinkie’s expression soured. “Good riddance? Applejack! I get that you might not care all that much about Trixie, but what about Rar-”
“Pinkie.” Princess Celestia held up a hoof to cut her off. “Please.” She turned back towards Applejack, and they looked at each other intently. “Applejack, does the phrase ‘Elements of Harmony’ mean anything to you?”
Applejack screwed up her face in confusion. “Can’t say it does. What’s it mean? Air, water, that sorta stuff?”
Princess Celestia shook her head. “Not quite. What about the name ‘Rarity?”
“Nope. Not ringin’ any bells.”
Pinkie looked horrified, and she leaned against Magnus in shock as her eyes began to tear up.
“I see.” Princess Celestia sighed deeply, then turned back to me, with a morose expression. “Holly, was it? Thank you for your scouting, and your report—It’s been more informative than you know. I’d like to speak with you about another matter in a few minutes, so please, don’t go anywhere.”
Applejack stepped forward rebelliously. “Actually, I reckon’ she’s done just about enough. Thunderlane, drag her back to her cell, so she can’t get into any more trouble.”
The stallion had started to hover nervously nearby, only a few wingbeats away from the safety of the sky, but he hesitated as he glanced towards me, then the Princess. That gave her a chance to hold up her own hoof. “Please don’t, Thunderlane. I meant what I said.”
“I beg yer pardon?” Applejack snarled. “Thunderlane, I gave you an order. Follow it this time!”
Thunderlane shrank down, and his eyes were wild with confusion as everypony looked at him. “B-but...Applejack, sh-she’s the Princess.”
“Of Equestria; not of Ponyville. Her orders might fly everywhere else, but Ponyville is under my control! And I don’t want you-” Applejack pointed at Thunderlane, then spun on her hoof and pointed at Princess Celestia. “-or you! To think that you can overrule my authority and my rules in my town!”
Pinkie slumped to the ground, and clutched Magnus’ foreleg like a drowning pony clutched at driftwood. “Jacky...you can’t do that. That’s not—are you even listening to yourself?”
“About your authority...” Princess Celestia said, as she drew herself up straight. Suddenly, she appeared very formal, and she had to look down to meet Applejack’s eyes. Behind her, the royal guards shifted, and I noticed they were quietly standing at attention in case they were needed. “Applejack, I’m politely asking this of you, not as a Princess, but as a friend. Please step down from your position as Commander of the Ponyville Militia.”
Applejack blinked at the Princess for a moment in surprise, before her expression turned hard once more. “You have some ruttin’ nerve! Why do y'all think I oughta, huh?”
Princess Celestia’s tone wasn’t cold, but it was very restrained. She meant every word, and she chose those words carefully. “I was summoned here to Ponyville by your fellow Element of Harmony, Pinkie Pie. She has expressed deep concerns about your treatment of the township of Ponyville, and the citizens thereof. Commander Magnus, who carried the message, shares those concerns. I had dearly hoped they were mistaken, or that this could be resolved with minimal disruption.
“But since my arrival, Applejack, you’ve demonstrated almost no knowledge of the world at large, your own past life, or those of other citizens of Ponyville. Not even your closest friends. I was willing to give you leniency, considering your past achievements and those of your family within the Golden Guard, but I cannot allow this to continue. Please, come with me back to Canterlot. The Curse has clearly taken a great toll on your mental state, and-”
“That’s a load of horse hockey and you know it!” Applejack howled suddenly, and cut off Celestia. “Apples don’t go Hollow! We never have, and we never will, and I don’t appreciate you tryin’ to depose me usin’ that farce as an excuse!”
Princess Celestia backed up a step at Applejack’s outburst, and she lowered her head in sadness as she turned to Magnus. “If you’d prefer the request to be a formal one, Applejack, then I can provide you with a letter within the hour. Commander Magnus, do you have a blank message scroll with which I can send a message to Raven in Canterlot, so that she can send back the proper-”
“Don’t waste your paper.” Applejack spat. “I’m not goin’ anywhere. I ain’t goin’ to Canterlot with y’all, and I’m sure as Tartarus not steppin’ down from my position.”
Princess Celestia didn’t look at her. “Please, Applejack. One final warning, and one final request, is all I can allow. Please step down.”
Applejack snarled, and gnashed her teeth like a feral animal. “Y’all come to my town, and spit in the face of my rules and my authority.”
“Your town,” the Princess repeated, with a sigh. “Applejack, at least answer one last question, for my own curiosity. Which is more important to you? The town of Ponyville, or the Ponies that live here?”
Applejack blinked in confusion for a moment, before she responded. “Fort Ponyville needs to stay standin’, above all else. If y’all are askin’ what I think you’re askin’, then no, I never had any sympathy for dirty rotten Hollows. I will continue to keep kickin’ em out until we’ve cleansed this town o’ their plague. Maybe y’all don’t have the strength to do what needs to be done, like I do.”
Princess Celestia’s eyes were shut tightly, and though she was hiding it very well, I could see how she grit her teeth, and how her hooves trembled. “I understand, and...I’m sorry.”
She kept her eyes closed, but she turned to face the royal guards, who still stood by the golden phaeton. “Knights Flint and Tinder, Commander Magnus. Please take Miss Applejack into custody, but try not to hurt-”
“Like Tartarus!” Applejack shrieked, as she ducked low to the ground and spread her hooves. She was ready to leap at whoever came at her, and one hoof grabbed her holstered shotgun on her back. Her embered eyes snapped from the Princess, to her guards, to Magnus and Pinkie, to myself, then back again. She was just waiting for one of us to make the first move.
Princess Celestia sighed again, and finished where she had left off. “Please try not to hurt her, if it can be at all avoided.”
“I ain’t gonna let you take me prisoner,” snarled Applejack. “And neither will the Ponyville Irregulars.”
All of a sudden, the fact that we stood in the heart of Ponyville, in a town square that was heavily fortified by the militia, was thrown into sharp relief. All around us, on rooftops and behind sandbags, the able-bodied stallions and mares of Ponyville watched. Some held swords, in hooves or teeth, and others hammers or axes. Many held guns, whether they were Gryphon-made rifles built for hunting or military service, or older shotguns that they’d long used to defend them and theirs from the Everfree forest. Mounted guns, borrowed or outright stolen from the military’s many supply caravans, could be turned around on us in a second. And every one of the armed ponies wore a faded red apple on their armor, to denote that they were part of the militia formed to defend Ponyville.
“We will not be intimidated by royal authority!” Growled Applejack. “Ponyville! Take Celestia and Pinkie prisoner. Kill the rest!”
But, as I looked around at those ponies, and Thunderlane not three steps away, I could see it in their eyes. They just couldn’t do it. There was a wide gulf of difference between pointing those guns outward, towards the demons that threw themselves against the walls, and pointing them inward against each other. Maybe if Princess Celestia herself wasn’t who they were being asked to take arms against, they could have been swayed by Applejack’s bluster and momentum. But pointing their guns against the Princess was where nearly all of them drew the line.
“What are y’all waitin’ for?! I said kill ‘em!”
Not a single one of the militia moved, except to slowly shake their heads. A few even set down their weapons on the cobblestones, making it clear that they would not take action. Applejack’s expression turned manic, and she started to twitch as she saw more and more of the ponies she’d thought to be loyal laying down their arms.
Princess Celestia opened her eyes slowly, and looked around the square. She was clearly relieved that the tide had not turned against her...but there wasn’t even a trace of a smile. “Thank you, citizens of Ponyville. You’ve gone above and beyond the call to action in defending your homes, and I couldn’t ask any more of you in doing so.”
“Traitors!” Applejack screeched, as spittle flew from her lips. “Turncoats and malcontents, all o’ ya! I can see it now! I can see how the curse has gotten to all o’ you!”
She wheeled around to glare at me and Magnus, and her accusing hoof was jabbed in my direction. “You! The two o’ you! This is all your fault! You brought the curse in here, and you infected all my ponies!” She pointed at Magnus. “And you let it happen! You worked with her, against me! I knew you were trouble, all along!”
And then she turned tail and ran. Her hooves rang out on the cobblestones as she galloped away. I watched, and for as much as I thought I should have been glad, glad that the pony who had tormented me and so many others had finally been taken down a peg, it just felt awful. Applejack had done terrible things, to be sure. But to her, this had been a world-shaking betrayal, and her Hollowed mind didn’t have much world left to shake.
Magnus began to chase after her, but the Princess opened her wing to stop him. “Don’t. Let her run, but take Flint and Tinder, and follow her from the air. I know she’s probably heading back to Sweet Apple Acres, but confirm it if you can. We’ll leave her be, as long as she stays there.”
Magnus nodded, and leapt into the air, with both of Celestia’s guards right behind him. Pinkie was left standing by herself, and I took Magnus’ place as she leaned against me instead. She practically seared my side as she hugged me, but I held her close anyways, because she needed to hold somepony close while she cried.
Princess Celestia seemed to be only doing slightly better. She took a few moments to compose herself, and then looked around at the Ponyville Irregulars. “No other charges will be levied; any actions taken under Applejack’s orders are fully forgiven. The Ponyville Irregulars will not, I repeat, will not be disbanded, but I understand if some of you may be conflicted about continuing in your duties.” She let out another deep sigh. “Those of you who still wish to bear arms in service to the protection of Ponyville, please assemble as many citizens as might be found outside Town Hall. I will be along shortly to make the official announcements.”
As the militia ponies began to disperse from Friendship Square, the Princess pulled Pinkie into a tight hug as well, which seemed to perk her up slightly. “Pinkie? Could you go with them? I think Ponyville might have some issues trusting the militia alone, but your voice will carry weight.”
Pinkie swallowed, before she snapped her hoof into a salute. “Okay. It might take a little bit to round everypony up because they’re kinda scattered and hiding, but I’ll move as quick as I can.”
Pinkie disappeared in a Pinkie-shaped cloud of smoke, and Princess Celestia turned once more to the gleaming crystal castle towering high above us all. She murmured something under her breath, almost too quiet to hear, but I just barely made it out above the noise of Ponyville. “To see what’s become of the Elements...Is this why you’ve locked me out, and sealed yourself away?”
I didn’t have time to ponder the meaning of the words. The Princess looked down to me, Pinkie, and Thunderlane, and gently flicked her head. “Please, lead me to the jail. I’ll see Archmagus Dinky released for myself, and any other prisoners that Applejack may have taken.”