Chapter 2
Ponyville was in a panic. Everypony in town was rushing this way or that, frantically grabbing supplies and fortifying the barricade.
Twilight had overseen the initial creation of the barricade, but her mind was too mercurial to stay focused on the task. She sat on the balcony of her library, staring at the gargantuan heaps of black smoke emerging from Canterlot.
I can’t stay here with the Princess in danger, thought Twilight. If anything ever happened to her...
She winced at the thought of what could be happening to her mentor. She knew that she had to save the Princess; without Celestia, Equestria was doomed.
Twilight gathered her five best friends into the hot-air balloon. Ponyville would be losing some of its best defenders, but Twilight just couldn’t leave the Princess vulnerable to the invading hordes.
“Um, Twilight?”
“What’s wrong, Fluttershy?”
“Well, it’s just that, I mean, I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave everyone behind. I just don’t feel right leaving behind all those little-bitty animals all by themselves. Not that I disagree with you, of course, but, well, I’m so worried about Angel. What if...what if...what if-”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy! Everything is going to be just fine. We’ll quickly fly up to Canterlot, rescue Princess Celestia, and return before the hordes come anywhere close to Ponyville. There’s nothing to worry about, and once we have Princess Celestia with us, those hordes won’t stand a chance!”
“I sure hope you’re right, Twilight,” interjected Rainbow Dash. “If we didn’t need all the chariots to defend Ponyville, I would’ve called you crazy to use a hot-air balloon in a time like this. You never know what could be fired at us, and if we get shot down, we’ll have no way of getting back!”
“It’s not ideal, Rainbow, but it’s the best we’ve got. Is everypony ready?”
Her friends all gave a nod of consent, and Twilight summoned her magic to make the balloon rise. Before it got far off the ground, however, a familiar voice called up to them.
“Big sis, would ya please let me go wit y’all? I’m mighty scared of them critters a-comin’, and I don’t want no scaredy-filly cutie mark! I’d much rather a balloon-flyin’ cutie mark, and I wanna help y’all save the Princess!”
“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom,” replied her elder sister, “but Ponyville has an achin’ need for as many ponies as it can afford. We can’t have everypony off leavin’ looking for the Princess, or else them critters’ll run over this whole town! Ah promise ah’ma come back and protect ya, Apple Bloom.”
The filly’s eyes welled up with tears as she saw her sister fly away on a grand adventure. She was filled with new hope, however, when she saw her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle working on acquiring their wall-building cutie mark. She happily pranced over to join them.
Little did she know that her sister wouldn’t be returning to protect her. Little did she know that she’d soon become a victim of the hordes.