They broke through the veil. Luckily for them, they bumped into Twilight immediately, before something could’ve separated them.
“Girls… I miscalculated,” the alicorn said as she became aware of their presence. “Pinkie’s veil is-“
“As big as a house? Yeah, we noticed,” Tempest Shadow finished her sentence.
“So… where are we exactly?” Rainbow Dash asked.
They finally managed to take a good look at their surroundings. Black masses were all around them, but once their eyes adjusted to the dim light they realized they were in midst of a huge crowd of ponies, all clustered together. Yet they couldn’t figure out why they were here, when all of a sudden, they heard a strange booming sound in the distance, slowly approaching them, becoming more pronounced, and they quickly realized it was the sound of a massive crowd booing, as the surrounding equines began to make the said noise.
“Yish… these ponies sure don’t like whatever is happening up in the front,” the broken unicorn said. “What are they getting so worked up about anyway?”
“Tempest darling, you’re taller than all of us. Can’t you see what’s going on?” Rarity suggested.
“Not from this distance. It’s really far away. All I can see is dancing lights.”
The Princess of Friendship flew up a bit to elevate herself, and she saw that her companion was speaking the truth, seeing nothing but lit up area in the distance, and lights being spun about.
“We’ll just have to get there then,” she said as she landed back on the ground, her head turning to the shaman. “Zecora, we’ll need to clear the path to the far end.”
The zebra didn’t waste much time and heeded the alicorn’s request. She drew out her staff, clenched it between her teeth, and took a swing at the crowd, the mirage dispelling itself momentarily, allowing the group to pass through them. And so, they made their way through the illusionary crowd, yet the further they waded through, the louder and the more constant the booing sound became.
“Tempest, you see anything yet?” Twilight eventually asked.
The broken unicorn squinted, trying to discern what was happening in the distance, and soon enough, after a few more steps she finally made a reply to the query. “Oh, that’s just pathetically sad.”
“What is?” the fashionista wondered.
“What our happy-go-lucky merry-maker is going through.”
“Wait… Pinkie Pie?” the wonderbolt chipped in. “What’s happening?”
“I think the crowd’s responses alone are an answer to this question,” she answered.
Twilight didn’t wait long to act. She flew up to see what the ex-lieutenant was talking about and instantly got the message. Now that they were closer, it became clear what the dancing lights they saw earlier were: a huge stage stood far away, stage lights trailing about it, and the party planner was on it, dancing about while wearing multiple instruments in an attempt to entertain the massive audience, but it was clear from both expression on her face, as well as the obvious reaction of the crowd, that it wasn’t going in a way she had hoped. She couldn’t watch this happening anymore. She dashed through the air, over the heads of the audience, towards the stage; there was nothing to deter her from her path… or at least she thought so at first.
Just as the pink earth pony attempted another joke by spraying her mouth with whipped cream, the audience booed again. The sound began building up as the massive crowd voiced their displeasure in unison, becoming so loud that it turned into a shockwave, being sent outwards, hitting Twilight and sending her flying backward through the air. The whole world was spinning, completely disorienting her. That’s when Rainbow Dash spotted her coming back their way. She instantly lept on Tempest’s back, bouncing off into the air at enough height to intercept her incoming friend, crashing together, causing them to roll on the ground behind for several hoofs.
“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?!” Rarity asked in a concerned tone.
The blue pegasus shook her head as she finally got up, holding the alicorn in her hoofs. “Ye, but never mind me. Twilight, you okay?”
“Urgh… yeah…” she answered in a groggy tone. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
“What exactly happened?” the broken unicorn questioned. “I saw you fly towards the stage and next thing I know, you were sent flying back.”
“It’s the nightmare, Tempest,” she explained. “It seems that it’s only gotten stronger after freeing Rarity. So much so that it’s now actively trying to repel us from getting closer to Pinkie.”
“Well, that certainly explains a few things,” the wonderbolt said.
The alicorn wondered for a moment what she meant until she saw the crowd in front of her that Zecora had been dealing with. When earlier she was able to just sweep them away with a single swing of her staff, it was now moving very slowly in a thick black mass that roughly resembled ponies.
She finally managed to pull her tool out, causing her to fall on her backside. “Forcing our way would be like wading through dense molasses. The nightmare’s blocked all of our passages.“
“How are we supposed to get to Pinkie Pie then if her own nightmare is obstructing our way?” Rarity gave Twilight a concerned look.
A sparking sound soon followed as lightning began to form around Tempest Shadow’s broken horn. “I can always blast a way through.”
“NO!” the princess almost instantly responded. “We can’t make the situation any worse, Tempest! King Sombra’s grip has clearly gotten stronger since we’ve rescued Rarity, so much so that some of the nightmares are now actively trying to prevent us from interfering! Who knows what will happen if we try to force it!”
The cracking died down and the broken unicorn sighed. “Fine… so what are we supposed to do then?”
“We have to give Pinkie a notice in some way, to make her realize she’s stuck in a nightmare of her own making.”
“How are we supposed to do that from here?” the blue pegasus questioned. “And what are we even supposed to tell her? The crowd’s clearly not getting any more light-hearted.”
“Well, the nightmare is clearly trying to convince Pinkie Pie that she’s not as entertaining as she thinks she is,” Rarity voiced her thoughts, “so we need to do something about that, obviously, but who’s supposed give the back-up she needs?”
“With Rarity, I must agree,” the shaman chipped in. “I ask you all who stand before me, who do you think brings out the best of her glee?”
Twilight sat and went into deep thought; she needed to find an answer. She may already know how to deliver the message to the party planner, but what was she supposed to convey? Who does she know that can bring much joy to her? She shares an unbreakable bond of friendship with the other elements, but who does the Element of Laughter look up to? Who does she know that can communicate on the same level as her that the rest don’t understand?
That’s when she finally got it. “Girls… I think I know who can help Pinkie. She’ll be overjoyed to see her, considering she didn’t get a chance to meet her back at the Crystal Empire.”
“Heh… tough crowd…” the pink earth pony said to herself out loud, as she failed to put the audience in a good mood once again.
To say that the crowd was lacking a good mood would be an understatement. With everything she was trying to pull, the displeasure in the watchers only seemed to grow, the booing voices kept growing louder. And as it grew, Pinkie’s confidence slowly began to dwindle. She’s had to deal with unhappy customers before, but nothing on this level; there were ponies everywhere, rows as far as the eyes could see, their eyes constantly watching, judging, their unhappy faces clearly visible, infinitely scowling in dissatisfaction. And she was running out of tricks, none of them worked, what will happen once she’s got nothing else left to show? How can she put a smile on everybody’s face?
A flash suddenly happened in the distance among the crowd. Pinkie noticed it, shielding her eyes from the strong stage lights and squinting so she could gather what it was. A great pink screen loomed above the audience, on it there were pictures of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Tempest, and Zecora, along with a lot of flashing hearts, decorating the surroundings of the bright words at the center:
Pinkie Pie, don’t get discouraged! Offer to this nightmare some Ham & Pan!
Ham and Pan. It took some time, but after a few moments, the realization came over her and her expression of confusion turned into a grin.
“Sooooooo… you ponies want something to laugh about, do you?” she addressed the audience in front of her. “Fine!”
She reached for the side of the stage and dragged out a door, having it stand in the middle, and then waited. There was silence all around for some time, so clear that the cricket’s singing could be heard.
A knock on the door suddenly followed, to which the earth pony made a surprising gesture. “Oh my, who could that be?”
She opened them, revealing a room on the other side. A mare of grey fur, with a flattened purple mane, wearing a bland dark blue dress, stood in front of a large canvas, painting a giant rainbow gemstone with the brush she held in her mouth. The party planner entered and shut the doors behind her, after which they fell over, garnering the mare’s attention, who turned her head, revealing the neutral look on her face.
“Maud!” the Element of Laughter exclaimed.
The older mare put the brush on the canvas stand before addressing her. “Hello, Pinkie Pie.”
“What are you doing here, Maud?” the younger sibling inquired before turning her attention to the canvas. “Actually, what are you doing?”
“Painting a picture of bismuth,” she plainly answered, looking at it as well.
“Odd,” the pink mare replied, “I don’t think I’ve seen you draw. I don’t think you’ve ever even shown interest in it.”
The grey pony turned to face her. “You’re just jealous I’m a little hobby horse now.”
Silence followed the exchange, one could even hear the cricket’s song. But then, all of a sudden, laughter from a single person followed, yet the moment Pinkie turned to it to see where it came from, it went quiet.
“Who was it?!” she called out at the audience. “Who was the somepony who thought this was funny?!”
Nobody answered. But it didn’t matter to her. It wasn’t just the fact that somebody actually laughed for the first time, it was also the fact that the crowd wasn’t booing at all this time around. Were they trying to suppress the laughter then? She was about to find out.
Pinkie Pie turned back to Maud, and the setting on the stage had already changed from a few moments ago. The older mare was standing in the middle of a park, and a little fox wearing a suit was going about between her legs.
“Awww, who’s your new friend, Maud?” she asked.
“His name’s Jamie,” the grey mare answered in her usual monotone voice. “I met him during my morning run.”
“Drat,” the party planner cursed, “I’d have liked to see that fox trot with my own eyes.”
“You still can, the hunters are looking for him,” her elder sibling told her.
This time around there was no moment of silence, nor was just the sound of one person laughing. The laughter started springing up from various locations of the audience, while the rest remained quiet, no booing whatsoever.
“Oh, you find this funny, do you?!” Pinkie Pie addressed the audience again. “Well... get ready for a big one!”
She turned back to Maud once more, and again, the scenery on the stage changed. This time it was a decorated room, ready for festivities. Nobody could figure out what it was about, but there was one clue that sat on the table: a tall, brightly frosted wedding cake, with a pair of pony figurines on top of it. But the elder sibling couldn’t be seen anywhere, however, noises were coming from a folding dressing screen that was standing on the side of the stage.
“Maud!” the pink pony called out. “Do you have your present ready for the wedding party?”
“Yeah,” the monotone voice spoke, before the mare stuck her head past the screen, revealing she was wearing the harness on her head. “They can use it right away, see?”
The younger sibling tilted her head. “…Why a bridle, though?”
Finally, Maud stepped out of the folding screen, revealing that, besides the harness, she was wearing a wedding dress. “Somepony has to guide the fretting bride down the aisle.”
Suddenly, little by little, laughter erupted in the same manner that the booing did earlier, starting from the front row, and expanding to the back, growing louder with each passing moment. The world around them began to quake, the darkness and the nightmare that was being generated began to collapse on their own.
“Thank you, thank you! You’ve been a wonderful audience!” the Element of Laughter said as she took a bow. “And give it up for my sister, Maud!” The other mare who stood beside her merely nodded instead of taking a bow as well. “Once again, thank you, and good night!”
And with those final words, the veil of nightmare shattered. As it did, the remains of the shadow that was generating it, turned into a shadowy horned equine, which roared, and then disappeared.
The party planner was still taking a bow before she finally raised her head, and realized she was in, what looked like, a big barn house, decked with banners. The surroundings were alien to her, but not so much the group of mares that were sitting close by.
“Oh hey, girls!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “You wouldn’t believe what just happened!”
“Trust us, Pinkie, we would,” Twilight reassured her, with the other mares nodding in agreement.
A snorting sound came up for a split second behind them, grabbing their attention, seeing the broken unicorn standing still, acting as if nothing had just happened, only for her to notice everybody giving her weird looks. “What? I thought that last one was funny.”
“Where is he…?” Chrysalis groaned.
She was lounging, the library books elevating one of the big pillows on the dusty old chaise that was inside the abandoned house which served as their hideout, after all, what other option did she have? It’s been long, way too long. She had sent him a warning that he wouldn’t be able to ignore, and that was some time ago. Where was he? If the decrepit elder had gotten himself exposed and caught by some miracle, it was nobody else’s fault but his!
A flash happened. A giant portal made of dark light opened inside the dusty living room, garnering her attention. A cloaked figure stepped through it, after which the gateway immediately closed shut. The magical aura lit up again, surrounding the figure’s hood and pulling it back, revealing Grogar’s face.
“Took you long enough!” she rebuked him. “I gave you notice about… probably half an hour ago. I was beginning to think I’d have to spring you out of whatever prison you’ve been taken to.”
“No thanks to you,” he replied. “Were you any louder you might have gotten your wish, but that would hardly benefit to any of us.”
“So what took you?”
“I had to cover my tracks, what else.”
“Oh, let me guess, you were telling the kid a bedtime story?” the Changeling Queen laughed at the notion that the Father of Monsters had to put the alicorn child to sleep, until she noticed he was staring at her, not showing an ounce of amusement. “Wait… you’re serious?”
“If I’m too hard to read, I'll just tell you plainly: yes,” the ram answered. “I had to make sure to remain on the little girl’s good side, otherwise she might go blabbering to somebody.”
“And what kind of story did you tell her? ‘The Little Filly and the Big Bad Timberwolf”? she mused as she slinked around the coworker.
“It doesn’t concern you, Queen of Changelings,” was the only answer he gave her.
The Broodmother frowned disappointingly. “Always so serious about everything… Did you at the very least find what you were looking for? I hope my acting career out there is paying off, considering I’ve pulled the same stunt in less than half a day.”
The grizzled ram smiled, and from under his cloak, a light turned on as his magical aura dragged out a book. “You can take comfort in the fact that I did.”
“Excellent!” Chrysalis said as she ripped the book out of Grogar’s grasp with her magic. “Now that we finally have the information we need we can start working on the-“ Her voice stopped when she brought the book to her face and saw the actual title on it. “'Crystal Empire: Early design of plumbing'… Grogar, is this some kind of joke?”
“I don’t find anything humorous about this, Queen of Changelings,” the elder one answered.
“NEITHER DO I!” she yelled at an incredibly high volume in frustration, her voice resonating, as she threw the book on the floor. “I’m out there risking myself to distract the guards and the princess, so you can get in there and find the location where the umbrum are locked up, meanwhile you were playing with the princess’ brat, and then you bring back-!”
A beam of dark light shot at her face, transforming into a strip that attached itself to the changeling’s mouth, instantly silencing her. She struggled to remove it, but it wouldn’t come off, as its caster made sure it would remain in place for as long as he wanted.
“If the guards outside haven’t found us so far, they certainly will now if you’re going to make this kind of racket,” Grogar said, as he slowly dispelled the strip. “In any case, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
Chrysalis raised her eyebrow. “Did… did you just use a metaphor in a literal sense?”
“Yes,” the grizzled ram answered, raising the book in the air. “This was a very cunning disguise. After all, it’s not important what the outside looks like, but rather what’s inside that counts.”
“Can’t you be a bit more specific?”
He opened the book, flipping through a few pages and then stopping, leaving it open. “Look at the book and tell me what you can see.”
The Queen of Changelings crook her eyebrow then leaned forward, and began reading the contents of the book. “Bathtubs and showers can be made from a myriad of materials ranging from the conventional enameled, cast iron and steel, to fiberglass, acrylic, and-“ The book immediately slammed shut, scraping the very tip of her nose, making her flinch in the process.
“I didn’t tell you to read the contents of the book, Queen of Changelings,” the elder sheep sighed. “I shouldn’t have expected you to understand…”
“Well what did you want me to see then?” she replied in an angry tone, rubbing her nose.
The book opened again, this time the pages slowly flipped though. “Look at the edges of the book, outside of where the text is,” the ram instructed.
Chrysalis cautiously leaned in again and listened to what he was saying, observing. As the pages kept turning, she began to notice something: on each of the pages, there was a symbol at the bottom edge of the text.
“These… runes, wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with it?” she asked.
“Congratulations, you’ve figured it out,” Grogar confirmed. “This whole book is, in reality, a container… and the runes, of which I just so happen to know their meaning, are its key.”
“I see…” the Changeling Queen replied, a tone of skepticism in her being noticeable. “And how exactly are we supposed to “unlock” it?”
The whole book was enveloped in dark light, and then one after another, pages began to fly out of it, past the Pillar of Hatred’s face, arranging themselves next to one another in lines and rows by her side. The thick book cover fell to the ground, empty, its holder deciding that it had served its purpose, slowly walking to them.
“It is a code, Queen of Changelings,” the grizzled ram elaborated further. “When the runes are activated correctly, it will trigger the pages’ true purpose.”
“Ah… I see,” she said as she sauntered to his side. “What’s the password then?”
He gave her a blunt answer. “I’ve no idea.”
She looked at her hunched-over companion in surprise. “What? But I thought you said-“
“I said I know what the runes mean, I didn’t say I know what is the combination that the container’s maker had set up,” Grogar explained. “And considering there are over one hundred pages in the book, the number of any possible combinations could be over…” His voice ceased after being interrupted by a softened-up thud, as the Queen of Changelings landed face-first on to the pillow on the chaise upon which she was lounging a few moments ago. “I see you’ve grasped the gravity of the situation.”
“That better not have been a pun you’ve made just now…” Chrysalis said in a muffled voice. “Anyway, this one’s entirely on you, considering I’ve been doing all the heavy lifting over here.”
“Funny… I was under the impression that Changelings do not tire out,” he mused.
“Of course we do, ignoramus. Exhaustion only starts hitting hard on us when we haven’t fed on love in a while.”
The elder sheep turned back to the pages, only to let the silence linger for a few moments, before he finally spoke, stroking his beard. “Curious…”
“What is?” Chrysalis asked.
“Nothing… just inner thoughts. But speaking of lifting…” the grizzled ram grinned, as the books stacked under the pillow began to glow and then flew out, dropping the elevation on the chaise, making the changeling’s neck bend unnaturally with a crack.
“Hey! Do you mind?!” she yelled, raising herself and forcing her twisted neck back into a normal position with another crack.
“My apologies,” he said, “but if I’m to unlock it, I’ll have to re-use the material to gain some insight into the inner workings of the owner’s mind. And even the smallest clue will be of use right now.”
“So, you’ve no idea what this place is?” Pinkie Pie asked as she trotted about the house, looking at things after they had explained what had happened so far.
“Sadly no,” Twilight answered as she looked about as well, “even Radiant Hope offered no clue to this. Or at least the part we read so far didn’t.”
“But there’s got to be a reason as to why we’ve been sent here in the first place,” Rarity wondered.
That was a question they couldn’t find an answer for, until the party planner explained, as she stopped by one of the windows and stared outside. “Well, Applejack is probably here because she’s a farmer and all.”
All the mares looked at her, but the blue pegasus was the first to answer. “What makes you say that, Pinkie?”
“I mean, she’s kinda doing her thing out there.”
Out there? The other mares quickly rushed to her side and looked out the window. There was an open field on the other side of the house, frozen solid, houses sticking out of the icy walls, but levitating in the middle of the field was a figure, and they quickly recognized the color of her winter gear.
“AJ!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“Come on, everypony! We need to go!” the alicorn ordered, and everybody quickly galloped to the doorway leading outside.
The doors swung open, and the pink earth pony immediately dashed out into the field. “Don’t worry, Applejack! We’re coming!” she yelled.
“Pinkie, wait!” Twilight yelled and grabbed hold of her tail with her magic, stopping her on the spot, before getting to her side. “We can’t rush into this, Pinkie. When we found you, the veil of nightmare was already expanded to the whole house, and now that we’ve freed you, who knows how big Applejack’s veil is.”
While the rest of the group slowly joined, she let go of her friend, and slowly moved forward, with her front leg lifted, waving about the check for the veil’s location. She didn’t make it more than a few hooves towards the field before she touched the invisible shroud… and it was big.
“That’s the swirly shadowy thingy you were talking about, Twilight?” the earth pony asked.
She simply nodded, while her companion got back on her feet. The rest of the group meanwhile caught up and they stood beside the princess in a row; they already knew what would’ve followed, and they were ready.
The alicorn looked at both sides. “Now remember, everypony, we go in together, on my mark. Ready?”
“READY!” they yelled in unison.
“Now!” she ordered, with that, the group walked through the invisible veil.
Surprisingly, it was daytime. The sun was high in the sky and all around them… was a barren wasteland. They couldn’t figure it out; there were miles upon miles of barren dried-up dirt with dead trees, without any signs of life, plant or otherwise.
“Twilight, you said that this place was just an illusion, right?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Yes, why?” the princess replied.
“Then why…” she said as she pulled off her hat, the signs of perspiration on her face visible, “am I sizzling in this heat?”
Now that the party planner had mentioned it, others began to feel it too. With the winter clothing, they had been wearing to repel the cold, the sweltering heat began to show its teeth. And the atmosphere certainly wasn’t a factor in any of the previous nightmares.
“Twilight, in the light of the current events, may I suggest that we step back outside and discuss before we go any further?” the fashionista suggested.
“You know, as much as I hate going out in the cold again, I’m with Rares on this one. Let’s just figure out how we’re supposed to- OOF!” the wonderbolt said as she turned to exit, only to hit a solid object.
A large boulder lay in the middle of a dried-up field of trees. This was probably where they came in through the nightmare veil… which begged the question, why was it solid? Rainbow Dash started beating against it with her hooves, yet it wouldn’t budge.
The tall broken unicorn stopped her. “Let me try.”
Tempest positioned herself, with her back end facing the boulder, tapping the soles of her metal horseshoes against it, before pulling back and then flexing, her hind legs crashing against the boulder, only for it to end up crushing it in half.
Some time passed after she noticed what she had done, before turning to face the rest. “Hold on, I didn’t expect this would’ve happened, I swear!”
“I don’t think you’re to blame for anything, Tempest,” Twilight told her.
“Twilight, we’re trapped inside, with no way out now!” Rarity stressed her frustration.
“Yes, but not because of her,” she elaborated. “Remember when we were inside Pinkie’s nightmare and at some point, the nightmares became impossible to wade through? Now that Sombra’s no longer watching over her, the nightmare may have become solid all on its own.”
“Hold on… are you saying we’re permanently trapped in this place until AJ wakes up?”
The princess would not have time to answer that question as she noticed that one in the group was absent. That’s when she finally noticed the zebra walking up to a nearby hill where an old dead tree stood. She tapped it with her front hooves, before grabbing hold of her staff and swinging it against it. Instead of the shaman’s staff going straight through it, as it did with all illusions before, the two pieces of wood connected, making a resounding noise.
The staff was lowered and she removed the cowl of her coat, before returning to the group. “Twilight, what you said before rings true. It seems the umbrum king’s might grew. I must report, with rue, my power here will not break through.”
“If that’s the case, then we better hurry,” the princess urged. “Because this heat’s not gonna drop any time soon.”
“Wonderful… just wonderful… As if my mane’s not gone through enough already today,” Rarity complained as she pulled off her hat, her hair cascading down.
“Is there something wrong with your mane, Rarity? You look… grey,” Pinkie pie commented on the fashionista’s current state.
“Pinkie, can you please NOT mention my predicament,” she whined.
There was a sudden sound of heavy garments dropping to the floor, everybody noticed that the shaman had just stripped down, removing her coat.
“Zecora! Not in front of everypony!” Rarity freaked out.
“Forgive me, Rarity, but excess insulation will rob us of acceleration,” she explained. “And if my worst assumption is true, the nightmare’s veil will give us its due.”
Tempest walked to the front of the group, removing her cap. “Yeah… whatever the zebra just said, I’ll have to agree with it. If the nightmare is just creating a room in which we barely even move, our stuff’s still gonna be left on the ground where we originally dropped them regardless of where we go.”
“Well… that’s true,” Twilight concurred.
“Well go on then, all of you too,” the broken unicorn gave an order, as she removed her shawl. “Or do you want to be carried the rest of the way once you get a heatstroke?”
And so, the rest of the mares removed their clothes and packs, leaving them in the pile, before they finally began to march in one direction; even though they didn’t know in which way their lost friend was, they knew they’ll reach her eventually. But the track was no walk in the park. It’s uncertain how long they trot through the barren wasteland, it felt like hours, and in the light of the scorching sun, some were no longer able to pull their own weight. Twilight was the first to drop off, forcing the Rainbow Dash to carry her, then Rarity fainted, making Tempest Shadow carry her, eventually Pinkie Pie finally deflated, at which point they realized they couldn’t continue as such. Luckily, Zecora kept her saddlebags with her, so they managed to get a rope and some cloth, as well as some old wood to fashion a makeshift stretcher, upon which they put the three passed out mares, while the remaining three pulled them. Inevitably, however, even Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep up and longer and collapsed, adding the last Element to the group. And so, the broken unicorn and the zebra pulled the stretcher pilled up with mares, on which they were harnessed by themselves. Besides the weight, Zecora wasn’t particularly bothered by the environment, this was as close to home as she ever was in Equestria, and it was nice to finally feel some warmth after numerous hours out in the cold for which she wasn’t suited. Her sight gazed to her side, seeing the purple mare who was a good head taller than an average pony, pulling her own weight, and despite showing noticeable signs of strain, she kept on a firm face.
“I must say,” the shaman addressed her, “I had figured by now, you would’ve followed our friend’s way.”
“You expected me to pass out after a little walk like this?” she regarded the zebra. “Please, I’ve had my fair share of desert crossings in my life. This is little more than a stroll for me. I’m not some little soft marshmallowy thing.”
“Yes, I figured as such. The ursa had pushed you so to change that much?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No need to hide, Miss Shadow, the princess spoke to me aside. Even if the events did not come to pass, what transpired in your darkest hour was visible to us, like glass.”
The purple mare sighed. “I wish you didn’t have to see that. Magic is everything to a unicorn. To have it be taken from you… it feels like losing a limb. That’s what’s happened to me; not only did I lose a part of me that was a core to who I was, I also lost the only two friends I had. Even if some things may have been different than I had seen from my perspective, for so long I believed the world had wronged me. I was angry and bitter, I wanted to do anything to get that part of me back again, but I couldn’t do it if I was weak. I left my home, I grew stronger, and I searched for a source of power, anything that could help me regain my magic back…”
“To wit, hailed the Storm King? He who claimed to be nature's force in full swing, who made offers you could not win?”
The unicorn grit her teeth. “I was a fool. I had sincerely believed that somecreature who saw the world as I did would be true to his word. Instead, he used me to get what he wanted, and in the end, he turned on me, after all I’ve done for him.”
“And yet through thick and thin, it’s clear the Princess and her friend stood by you like kin. Why have you not stayed with them, even for a brief look in?”
“Twilight and her friends are generous, don’t get me wrong, but their town was just too… cheerful for my taste. And besides, after the Storm King was destroyed… after all I did in his name, I had to do something to make things right, but after all I’ve been through, I didn’t think there was a place for me in Equestria…”
“But did you not find it here, where lands collide, ear-to-ear?”
“Well, not at first. I came to the Crystal Empire, not really expecting much until Cadence put me in the right direction… and I met Glitter Drops again.”
“Ah, the little teal mare. But your parting end bad, was it too much to bear?”
“It did. And I was still bitter after meeting her again but… then I learned something I couldn’t see from where I stood. And if it came to it again, were it up to me to decide whether the same fate had befallen her instead of me-”
“Would you have chosen, instead to flee?”
She nodded.
“She’s precious to you, more than all the land’s riches presented to you?”
“More than you can imagine.”
“No, I’ve no trouble imagining," the shaman spoke as they began to climb the hill. "Everypony is made of past events, good and maddening. Some they sadly block or crush, others mold us by standing by without nary a blush. I sympathize with you, for special bonds leave marks, some visible, others great like sparks.”
She gave her a look of suspicion. “Is that what the whole rhyming thing is about? Because of somepony else?”
The zebra shook her head. “It’s more than that, my friend. It’s-“
As they reached the top of the hill, Zecora’s voice stopped. A barn house stood in the distance with several others, amidst the lifeless land.
A groan came from the stretcher at the back. “Hnnn... why did we stop?”
Tempest shot a glance back, noticing Rainbow Dash stretching. “Have you been lounging this whole time…?”
“No!” the pegasus protested. “I… I was just really tired after all that’s happened. I and Zecora have been up this whole time, while the rest of you had a nice snooze.”
The shaman shot a glance back as well, then both she and the unicorn’s faces met before Tempest answered back to the load. “You have some really weird ideas of what “a nice snooze” is. Anyway, everypony get on your feet, we’re here.”
The other mares finally woke up from their conditions and looked about, the alicorn eventually spotting the structures as well. “That’s Sweet Apple Acres! Everypony, get up!”
“Apples? Did somepony just say apples?!” The party planner’s head popped up in an instant. “Let me through, I’m hungry!” she yelled before she ran after Twilight.
“Hey Pinkie, wait up!” the wonderbolt scrambled and charged after them.
The zebra and the broken unicorn watched them run off, but one was yet to move. “What about you?” the latter addressed the fashionista who was still lounging on the stretcher.
“No no, I’m fine, darling. You two just keep on going,” Rarity answered.
After hearing that reply, Tempest and Zecora looked at each other again and gave one another an unamused look; no way were they going to drag her the rest of the way. They unstrapped their harness’, causing the stretcher to flop to the ground, rousing the white unicorn, and they ran off.
“Girls, come on, I was just kidding!” she cried, quickly getting up back on her feet. “Wait for me!”
The merciless sun beamed down on the helpless little farm. The country pony moved from one building to the next, checking every nook and cranny, but in the end, it was no use; all the cellars, all the pantries, everything was empty, with no food in sight. This was horrible. There wasn’t even any food to feed the farm animals… as a matter of fact, there were no farm animals anywhere; on the farm and everything around it was dead! And it was all her fault. She was responsible for taking care of Sweet Apple Acres, her family’s legacy, and she let all of this happen. Speaking of which, what was she going to tell them?
“Applejack!” a voice came from outside.
She dreaded what would follow, so she slowly traipsed out the door. The rest of the Apple family was already waiting outside, none of them looking one bit pleased. Applebloom sat on the ground, clutching her belly, both Big Mac and Sugar Belle stood beside her, looking drained, and next to them stood by a wooden bucket was Granny Smith, scowling.
“Ya see this?” she said as she tipped it over, causing it to fall to the side and show that it’s empty. “We got notin’! No apples! And without them, we and the rest of Ponyville are gonna starve!”
“Eyup…” the red stalling weakly agreed.
“Applejack, I’m soooooo hungry…” the youngest sibling agonized as the growl came from her tummy. “Why couldn’t you grow any apples…?”
“Ah… ah’m sorry, everypony… If I had just done my job better-“ Applejack tried to apologize only to be interrupted.
“I never should’ve returned to Ponyville,” another voice spoke, revealing it to be Grand Pear, who now stood next to the elderly mare. “I would’ve taken my sweet little Pear with me by force had I known her choice would’ve resulted in a failure like you.”
Those words… they cut so deep, she didn’t want to hear that, not from Grand Pear of all ponies. But that wouldn’t be the last one.
Another pair of earth ponies suddenly appeared next to him, their cutie marks resembling oranges.
“You know what dear, I’m glad you decided to leave Manehatten and returned to the farm,” the stallion spoke, only to have the mare join in. “Yeah. If you’re this bad doing something as primitive as farming, I shudder to think what you would’ve done to the Orange reputation.”
And it just wouldn’t stop, more and more members of the other branches of the Apple family began popping up out of nowhere, their criticism piling up. It hurt, every single word hurt so much, she just wanted it to stop.
“Applejack!”
That voice just now… sounded different than the others, it’s very familiar.
“Applejack!”
Another one! She finally turned her gaze and looked to the side. She saw figures coming from over the hill, fast approaching… and she knew them.
“Wha… what are y’all doin’ here? Ya need to leave. There’s no food left here, not for my family, let alone you guys.”
Twilight managed to reach her first. “Applejack, you have to snap out of it! This whole thing is a nightmare!”
“No… no, Twilight you don’t get it,” she replied despondently. “Look around… the trees, the plants… everything is dead. My whole family’s gonna starve, and it’s all my fault!”
The princess lifted the county pony’s hung head. “Applejack, when I say that this is a nightmare, it is a complete and honest truth. You’re a farmer without compare, so I know you would always do your best to make sure your job would never be shirked in any way.” The rest of the Elements joined, as well as the two companions, while she continued. “And I know for the fact that you’re not prideful so any more that you wouldn’t call for us to help you if you were in trouble.”
“But…” she said in a startled tone, “but it looks so real…”
“Only because of Sombra’s doing, darling,” Rarity answered, “he’s the one who’s been generating these awful places we fear most to keep us trapped forever.”
“Yeah, so do us all a favor and get us out of here, I’m starving!” Pinkie Pie urged, leaving an awkward silence afterward.
“Oh, that was a good choice of words right there,” Tempest quipped.
But despite all that, after seeing the barren wasteland, her family being completely drained, doubt still hung around the orange earth pony. “Ah… ah dunno if Ah can do this, y’all…”
Suddenly, a pair of blue hooves grabbed her and shook her for a bit. “AJ, you listen to me and logic me this: what kind of a sorry excuse for a farmer would help their snooty upper-class relatives build a conglomerate in Manehatten???”
Something stirred in Applejack’s memory, she recalled it… some time ago she returned from Manehatten on a business trip, before she got sidetracked by what was happening now. She remembered!
“Ya know what… ye’re right!” she shouted as her memory caught up. “Ah’d never let Ponyville end up in this sorry state if it were under my watch!” As she said that, the world around her shook. “And ya’ll need to shove off!” she yelled at the gathered Apple family, their forms being disrupted as she did. “And…” she turned back to her friends before she finished, “you’re right… Ah’m not too prideful anymore to admit that you girls will always be there when Ah need ya.” She smiled. “Thanks.”
The nightmare shattered, collapsing on itself, the invisible veil dispersing. From its shadowy remnants, the form of horned equine appeared, disappearing, but not before roaring loudly.
Applejack shook her head, feeling completely lost as she realized she was standing in a frozen field surrounded by a ceiling of ice and snow, with frozen houses on the far ends. But before she could speak, somebody beat her to it.
“COLD!” the wonderbolt yelled and shivered, as the chills came over her, now that the heat that the nightmare had generated was gone and she had no winter gear on.
All of the rescuers were in the said predicament, except for the broken unicorn who was keeping up the brave face.