The Golden Oaks library was the pinnacle of peace and quiet. The ancient tree that housed the vast stores of books stood sentinel over its little section of town. Nothing would disturb this peace.
Until the front door burst open and Dusk Noir landed in the open space outside. Moments later, the windows on the ground floor shattered and pony puppets followed after him. Their master, his hooded robe billowing about him, strode out with the ghost of a smile on his face.
Dusk shrugged off ponies who tried to help him up, urging them to run. They swiftly obeyed and scattered, Ligne Grace coming to a stop as his puppets flanked around him.
"I would say it's nice to see you again, Grace," said Dusk, "but it isn't nice to lie."
"Come now, Dusk," he chuckled. "Our last meeting was cut so tragically short. Why not make the most of now?"
His puppets raised their forelegs. Magic fired from metal fixtures fashioned to their wooden legs, forcing Dusk to conjure a shield. He fired back with blue pellets, the puppets moving to protect Grace.
Tapping into the shadows, Dusk conjured tendrils from the one cast by the tree. Grace leapt aside but Dusk managed to fling two of his puppets away. Another charged him, a blade springing out as it charged.
Dusk ducked under its first strike and bounded away on pink hooves. He landed on a rooftop, looking down at Grace.
"Your puppets seem to have undergone cosmetic changes," he remarked. "I can't say it fits with their aesthetic."
"Thank you! Somepony who understands," cried Grace. "I mean just look at them! There's no form, no style to these! They're just… bolted on."
"I'm surprised you allowed it," said Dusk, working his magic secretly. "You clearly put a lot of work into them."
"Yes, yes I did. But I suppose it's a small price to pay for what's to come," he shrugged. "Besides, it's certainly increased their effectiveness."
The two puppets Dusk had flung away suddenly leapt up on either side of him. At the same time, he called down the colour forms of Rainbow and Twilight from above to block their attacks. They fell onto patches of pink he cast, making them bounce up and away while he jumped, firing at Grace as he came down.
His remaining puppet protected him from the shots, but Grace himself intercepted Dusk as he landed. Dispatching an Applejack form to fight the third, he engaged the puppet master.
A flurry of blows passed between the unicorns. Dusk's hooves flashed orange as Grace's body moved in ways that shouldn't have been possible. A horizontal duck under a swipe. Moving his head back further than his neck should have allowed. His body stretching to literally move over Dusk.
"How are you doing that?!" Dusk cried.
"Now, now, we can't give it all away at once." Grace's half-smile never left his face as he leapt back from Dusk. His cloak fell back slightly as he raised both of his forelegs in Dusk's direction, revealing miniature crossbows affixed to both limbs. "My turn!"
Dusk dissolved into shadow to avoid the barrage of bolts. In the split second before he did, one got into his leg. It fell out when he reformed, but it left a stinging red spot regardless.
He didn't have time to dwell before Grace sprinted at him, blades replacing the crossbows.
"You shouldn't have come here, Grace!" Dusk summoned bladed shadows on his legs to counter them. "My friends and I won't suffer this, nor will the princesses!"
"Has it not occurred to you that we may have already thought of that?" Grace kept Dusk engaged in a deadly dance, his legs twisting and turning. "This little operation has been in the works for a while. There's a lot we've taken into account."
"It doesn't mean we won't stop you." Dusk levitated away on a colour cloud. "We're more than a match for the likes of you! You won't take Ray!"
"Oh, so you've guessed that much?" Grace shrugged. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. We had the impression you and your friends may know what to expect. Unless… they don't?"
He didn't miss Dusk's flinch at his words. No, they didn't know what to expect. They didn't have the slightest hint of it. All because he hadn't told them and if Grace hadn't come by himself as he claimed…
He turned to run but a puppet blocked his retreat. He summoned another of his forms, along with two more for the other puppets, but this was really taking it out of him. He needed to get away, had to get to Fluttershy's cottage or keep Grace away at least.
The unicorn was charging again, his blades flashing. Time to stop holding back.
He backed away from his strikes, dodging and ducking. He only needed a moment, just a moment.
"Well today will certainly be a nice surprise for them," Grace was saying. "I've met some very interesting individuals that are eager to make their acquaintances. We've even prepared a royal surprise for the land's newest princess! I hope she likes it."
His anger flared at the mention of Twilight. He stepped on one of Grace's blades, forcing him down and holding him in place. His hooves turning orange, Dusk followed up with an uppercut. The rose-maned unicorn had only a moment to widen his eyes before the blow struck him squarely beneath the jaw.
CLUNK!
Dusk cried out in shock as Grace's head flew free of his shoulders, bouncing away with a wooden clatter.
Everything fell silent. Dusk stared at the motionless head. Then at the body, still standing. For a moment, he feared that he'd just accidentally done something inexcusable. And yet, as the seconds ticked by and the body remained standing, frozen in place, with no traces of blood anywhere to be seen, Dusk quickly realised something was very wrong. He could practically feel his nerves screaming danger.
Those instincts saved his life when, all of a sudden, the headless body dashed forward and struck again, somehow moving of its own volition. The blade scraped past Dusk's neck, forcing him back. The cloak fell away from the sudden movement and Dusk stared.
Grace’s body was just like his puppets. Only strands of magic connected his joints together. With a violent wooden clatter, the body rose into the air and split apart, the limbs spinning like leaves caught in a whirling breeze. They sped towards the head, which now rose up into the air facing away from Dusk, levitating to the centre of the flurry of limbs and gently reattaching itself to the neck of the body with a faint click. As Grace’s head slowly rotated around to face Dusk, turning a-hundred-eighty-degrees as if on a swivel, he saw that the same calm, amused half-smile still remained… though it now had a considerably more fiendish edge to it.
"Well…cat's out of the bag now, it seems," Grace spoke without any difficulty, in that same detached, mildly amused tone, as though he were merely commenting on the weather. "I wasn't planning to reveal this until a suitably dramatic opportunity arose, but I'm more than capable of improvising. I suppose a remark about the artist becoming their art would be fitting right about now?"
His other puppets were reforming themselves too, their body parts rejoining and surrounding him. Dusk couldn't help but take a horrified step back from the utterly unnatural sight before him.
"What? How…" His eyes frantically scanned the surrounding area, careful not to avert his gaze too far from the talking puppet before him. "Where are you? Where's the real you?"
He had to be hiding somewhere nearby, Dusk reasoned. He should've guessed that somepony who fought with puppets wouldn't put themself in harm's way. The Grace in front of him was clearly just a decoy, a body-double. The real one was likely pulling the strings from someplace where he could get a good view of the fight. But as he glanced at alleyways, through windows, atop all of the surrounding buildings for any glimpse of the true puppet master or a telltale glow of magic, he found… nothing. The entire block was completely empty, save for him and the reforming puppets. The Grace puppet's head seemed to cock to the side somewhat as he gave Dusk a blank stare.
"Oh, dear. You don't seem to understand." The bodies of his other puppets clicked together behind him, filling the air with a twisted wooden staccato, as the Grace puppet's smile widened-ever-so-slightly. "I'm right here, Dusk. Right in front of you."
Dusk's eyes widened. He took another step back. The words were tumbling out of his mouth before he even realised he was speaking. "Who… what… are you?"
Grace laughed in response, a short and breathless sound that sounded almost forced. The puppeteer's eyes - which Dusk only now noticed seemed a bit too reflective to belong to a normal pony - met with his own.
"I am what you see before you… perfection."
With that, his detached limbs began spinning faster through the air as his other puppets bared their weapons once more.
Breathing heavily, already feeling at his limit, Dusk tensed himself. He summoned more colour forms around him as the whirlwind that was Grace surged towards him.
The tree gave a satisfying jolt, the apples above loosed from its branches and into the baskets below. Applejack nodded in satisfaction. That just never got old. It helped that she was in good company.
"Y'all comfy up there?" she asked Rainbow.
"All good and chilled," she replied, reclining on a cloud. "This is the life, huh AJ?"
"What, you loungin' around while I'm workin' ma flank off?"
"That's the way of it." She sighed in satisfaction. "You should try it sometime. They're pretty comfy."
"In case ya haven't noticed, I'm lackin' in a certain area that lets me even get up on those darn things." She indicated the lack of wings. "Maybe if I finish some fancy spell, I can get ma own pair-a wings and take ya up on that."
"Princess Applejack. Now that'd be something," sniggered Rainbow. "But hey, Twilight could always cast that spell that makes you walk on clouds and then I can just carry you up."
"Ta find ma own cloud or are we gonna be sharin'?"
"Your own, obviously!" she said quickly, a blush appearing on her face. "I mean, if you wanted to share, that'd be fine but, uh, I wouldn't want you being all cramped with me."
Applejack chuckled. "Much appreciated. Well, if it means anythin', there's worse ponies ta be cramped with."
"So uh... you wouldn't mind?"
"No, I don't reckon I would." She looked up, feeling her own face warm up a little. "Would you?"
Rainbow descended into a series of uncharacteristic flustered muttering and looked away. Even Applejack felt a little taken aback at herself. First the Princess, now Rainbow? What in the world was coming over her? She'd never thought about any of them like that before and she didn't have cider to blame this time. Not that they weren't bad looking, especially not Rainbow. She looked after herself and it showed. Sure, her bragging could get a bit much but it certainly wasn't for nothing. She worked hard to get where she was and Applejack admired that. Not that she needed telling, her ego was big enough but even so...
She shook her head rapidly. Where had that all come from? She glanced up at Rainbow and caught her peering over the edge of her cloud. She sharply looked away, at the same time Applejack did. Had she been staring? For what reason? Unless... no, that couldn't be it. Could it...?
"Uh, Rainbow? Everythin' alright there?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, totally fine, AJ!" she said quickly. "No problems here, just us two pals hanging out and uh... yeah, just that!"
"Ya sure? 'Cause if there was anythin' ya wanted to talk about-"
"Nope, nothing!" She started looking this way and that, like a twitchy rabbit. "All good here! Nothing you need to..." Her eyes focused on something and she suddenly frowned. "Applejack, we've got trouble."
"Trouble? What in the world are ya talkin' about?"
Applejack looked where she was looking. A stallion stood watching, dressed in loose-fitting clothes. His fur was dark brown, his mane bone white. His appearance struck a chord in Applejack's memory. That, plus Rainbow's reaction, made her tense up.
"It's the guy from Baltimare," Rainbow whispered. "Osteo."
"One-a Fallen's cronies?" replied Applejack.
"Careful. Not sure how, but we think he can do something weird with his bones and he can really take a hit."
"Now, it don't have to come to that jus' yet, Rainbow. We ain't tried talkin' firs'." Addressing the stallion, she raised her voice and said, "Look here, I don't know what yer business is here, but this don't have to get ugly."
Osteo said nothing. His eyes briefly glanced at Rainbow, then lingered on Applejack. She didn't like it. It felt like he was sizing her up, like somepony about to throw hooves. Given what Rainbow had told her about this pony in her encounter with him, she couldn't say she was keen on such a confrontation.
"A fresh challenge," he said at last. He cricked his neck and approached. "I hope you will offer me good sport."
"Hey, back off!" Rainbow approached, bearing her wings. "You want her? You have to deal with me too."
"That will not be an issue," he replied. "You have your own contender to deal with."
"What the hay do you-?" She was cut off when what looked like magic came raining down from above. "What the?! Where did that come from?!"
"There!" Applejack pointed to a grey speck in the sky. "What is that?"
"I've got it! Just watch yourself around this guy!" she warned and took off.
The spells, if that's what they were, lessened as they focused on Rainbow. Something about them seemed oddly familiar, as did the pony they originated from...
But she didn't have time to focus on that. She detected movement, approaching fast. Leaping aside, she heard a heavy crunch behind her. When she looked back, Osteo's hoof had managed to crack the trunk of the tree. He nodded in approval.
"You react quickly. Good. This fight shows promise."
"What in the world is wrong with you?" She raised her hooves. "I don't want ta fight you, got it? Whatever it is you want, we can-"
Applejack jumped back to avoid his next strike, blocking his follow-up. She winced from the hit, ducked under his next one and reared her legs for a good buck. The hit landed, but he crossed his forelegs together to absorb it, skidding back.
"Adaptable as well," he complimented. "You waste your potential in farm life."
"I'm quite happy with ma life, thanks!" she shot back. "Fer the last time, I ain't gonna fight you! Is that all you care about?"
"It is all that matters. Life is a constant struggle. These struggles either destroy us or make us stronger." He flexed his foreleg. "Such is the Way of the Beast."
That last word, particularly the gravity with which it was spoken, made Applejack freeze.
"The Beast? Ya don't mean..."
"Words are meaningless. Action speaks louder. Now, fight me!"
He charged but Applejack met it. She rammed him with her shoulder, though it was like she'd tackled a tree. He wrapped his forelegs around her, hauling her up and down in a supplex. She shook off the daze from the impact and angled a kick between his back legs. He grunted, his weight shifted. She shoved him off and sprang up, kicking him under his chin and making him stagger back.
Osteo looked down at his chin. He touched it with his hoof and grinned. Applejack needed to end this quickly, so she charged and reared her legs for another buck. She could hear something faintly creaking like old wood. He didn't even try to get out of the way, just took the hit right in the chest.
What should have sent him flying only made him stagger a couple of steps. He laughed and rapped his chest. It was like hooves on old bone.
"Ah, there is something about battling a fellow Earth pony that I never tire from!" he crowed. "No spells, no flying, just the strength we were blessed with!"
"How... in the hay did you do that?" she gasped.
"You may realise, soon enough."
He bucked the tree he'd already broken towards her. It came crashing down at great speed and she only just avoided it. But she didn't react quickly enough to his follow-up punch. Then another. Then another. The last one made her shoot backwards into the trunk of another tree, dislodging the apples with a few falling on her head.
Her head was ringing and her vision was wavey. Something tasted funny in her mouth and she spat it out. Red splattered the grass. She shook her head to clear her vision and adjusted her hat.
"Alright, Osteo," she growled. "Ya asked fer it. Now, yer gonna get it."
"Yes, yes!" he cheered.
While the two Earth ponies clashed, the state in the sky wasn't looking much better. Rainbow was really being put through her paces. It was like being back at the Wonderbolt Academy, but at least Spitfire wasn't shooting at her.
She soared around where the blasts originated. It looked like a pony, another Pegasus. An alicorn? She could see metal and thought it must be Fallen. But he didn't seem big enough, although this one still had some size to him. The shots seemed to be coming from something attached to his forelegs... or from his forelegs themselves. Almost like...
"No way," she murmured. She used a cloud for cover, getting as close as she could. She got flashes of detail. Gunmetal grey fur. A crossed-swords cutie mark. Dark eyes. "Edge...?"
As she got a better look at him, she knew she was right but also... not quite. His forelegs were completely replaced by the metal tubes that used to be fixed atop them, the ones that let him shoot magic. His rear legs had given way to similar ones, but these emitted fiery jets from inside. Both of his wings were metal too, the feathers giving way to sharp blades. But his face... half of it was gone, with something like a metal skull grafted into place. A single, piercing red eye flashed as it saw her.
"Geeze," she whispered. "What the hay did they do to you?"
He didn't reply, not with words. Instead, he fired again and she had to shoot off. Whatever had happened, he was obviously out to get her and she couldn't just keep flying away. She had to go on the offensive.
She flew up, so the sun would be at her back. She could see him flinch as the glare hit his eyes and she sped back, hooves outstretched. She smacked into him, ignoring the slight pain when one of her hooves hit the metal side of his face. She angled around again, two of his shots whizzing past to strike again.
He blocked with his legs and swung at her head. She ducked, getting him in the face with a kick before flying beneath him to attack from below. She tackled him in the gut, but let go when he slammed his metal leg on her back. She yelled, which became a shriek when she felt a sharp burn. He'd kicked with his rear foot in the chest, issuing a jet of flames at the same time.
"Oh come on!" She backed off a bit, glaring. "You're gone for months and then you come back as some weird cyborg? That's just cheating!"
His remaining eye regarded her without emotion. Then, it widened a slight fraction and his lips parted.
"Y-You..."
It was like he struggled to get the word out. There was a slight, electronic rasp to it too.
"Yeah, me," she retorted. "So you do remember me. You remember that I kicked your flank last time too?"
"Re... Remember..." He spoke through gritted teeth. "Have to... have to..."
"Have to what?" Rainbow's wariness gave way to concern. "Hey, what is it? What's the matter with you?"
"Have to... obey..." he growled. "Can't... can't... have to...!"
"Oh, so we're doing this again? Like how you sold out everypony in Cloudsdale and Ponyville and Canterlot to Chrysalis, just because you were a little butthurt?" She locked eyes with his remaining fleshy one. "Come on! You came back before. You don't have to let Tube or Soul or anypony tell you what to do. Whatever they did to you, you can fight it!"
"Fight... fight... fight..." The light faded from his eye, the one in his robot one flashing. "Fight... you."
With a blank expression, he fired. It was the levitation beam and he caught her in it. He spun her around like Applejack would lasso an apple for a trick and slammed her to the ground. She couldn't stop her momentum and hit the dirt, hard.
She managed to grip the side of the crater she'd created, every part of her hurting. She vaguely acknowledged something coming right ar her from above, realised what it was and dived aside at the last moment. She was knocked forward by the impact behind her, Edge rising from the ground like a zombie.
"Alright. You wanna fight?" She shook herself off and spread her wings. "You've got one!"
He did the same and the two Pegasi took off again.
"Thank you, Pinkie," said Rarity, accepting the box of cupcakes from her. "Though it is important to watch one's figure, I think I can allow myself a little treat after I've finished the order I'm working through today."
"Ooh, is it a big one?" asked Pinkie.
She nodded. "Quite substantial, yes. Much as I love creating all manner of clothing, even I need a little motivation to keep myself going sometimes."
"I heard that, sister. You can do it Rarity, and it's gonna be just fabuuuulous!" She sang out this last word like an opera singer.
"Your confidence is most appreciated." She smiled at Pinkie as the door to Sugarcube Corner opened behind her. "I hope all goes well before the Cakes return. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to-"
"No. No, I don't believe you will be excused," somepony said behind her. "Not until we've had a chance to catch-up."
Rarity froze. She knew that voice and when she whirled around, it only confirmed who she already knew it to be. A thestral with a lustrous blue mane and grey fur that bordered on silver. Her fangs were bared in a playful smirk and her eyes glimmered.
"Selena?"
"Ooh, who's this? A friend of yours? Wait..." Pinkie frowned. "Weren't you the pony that tricked Spike into helping find a magic mirror and attacked him after?"
"No trickery was involved. We merely cooperated, until it became clear our goals didn't align. A shame, really..." That smirk widened. "Such potential in the little one."
"You'll keep your fangs off him." Rarity tossed her mane over her shoulder and glared. "If your business is some form of payback, I shall be happy to oblige you."
"Yeah!" Pinkie bounded over the counter. "I'm not gonna let some mean pony hurt my friends!"
Selena chuckled. "Oh, how sweet. Snick, Slash. I believe I've found you a playmate."
Two other ponies slid in behind her. Their faces were obscured by theatrical masks, one smiling and one frowning. Both wore red and white robes that appeared to drape over them like coats on their hangers. Both exchanged looks with each other, then stared at Pinkie.
"Oh hi there! So which is which?" she asked, pointing from one to the other. "Snick? No, I'm gonna say Slash. Or was I right the first time? No, you're definitely Snick! Or are you?"
They didn't respond verbally. Instead, they shrugged off their robes, revealing alarmingly thin frames and matching, form-fitting clothes with pouches on belts that tied them off. Blades glinted on the ends of their forelegs, which they raised in front of them in a cross shape. Rarity felt a chill when she saw spots of red along the edges.
"Is it too much to hope you're gonna help cut some cake with those?" Pinkie yelped as they dived at her, one going high and the other low, forcing her back behind the counter. "Yep, didn't think so!"
"Pinkie!" Rarity started after her, but Selena grabbed her and flung her outside. Ponies gasped as she landed in the street, skidding on the ground a bit. "You uncouth brute!"
"Oh trust me, Rarity," she replied, revealing long claws from the sides of her hooves, "we haven't even gotten started!"
She charged with incredible speed. Rarity only just managed to levitate a box to protect herself, but Selena practically split it wide open. It was a delivery for Quills and Sofas, containing a great number of the former. Making a mental note to pay the proprietor in full, she gathered them up and fired them at Selena like darts. She hissed as she was forced to deflect or dodge the sharpened nubs.
"Go, all of you! Run!" she called to the surrounding ponies. "Get inside and lock your doors, quickly!"
They didn't need telling twice. Most had already started to, stampeding to either return home or put as much distance from the fight as possible. So much went on in Ponyville of this nature, it was practically standard procedure.
"Rarity! Catch!"
Pinkie stuck her head out the window and hurled a couple of kitchen knives. She caught them in her aura before Pinkie's attention was diverted by the twins again. She reacted just in time to block Selena's next strike, metal clanging as her claws clashed.
"Oh good," she purred. "I was almost thinking this would be over too quickly."
"I do aim to make a point of making my guests suitably entertained." She slashed at Selena's chest, which she blocked. "Though it is good courtesy to be informed beforehand."
"I'm sorry to just drop in like this." Another series of cuts and slices followed, blocked and returned blow for blow. "But I was in the neighbourhood. I hope it's not too much of a bother."
"Not at all." Rarity bent backwards as Selena aimed at her neck. She turned it into a flip-kick right in Selena's chin and landed deftly. "I'm nothing, if not flexible."
"What a coincidence." Selena rubbed her chin and her eyes flashed again. "So am I."
She came at Rarity again, moving so quickly she barely had time to react. She winced and cried as, despite her efforts, Selena's claws cut into her wherever they could get an opening. Namely on her legs and sides. Not deep, but enough to draw blood. She needed to break off.
At a glance, she saw somepony with their window open to see what was going on. Before she could close them and lock up, Rarity levitated the curtains to her and used them to wrap Selena like a Hearth's Warming bow. It wasn't the neatest job, but it brought her time to put some distance between them. She used some remaining cloth to bandage the wounds she'd already received as Selena cut her way out.
Rarity knew when a fight wasn't in her favour so she'd already started to run for the boutique. To her immense relief, the fabric delivery had just arrived. Derpy went to ask for a signature, but caught sight of the situation unfolding and wisely fled. Rarity cracked open the boxes and levitated the fabric out, letting it whirl around her like a tornado. A shame, most of it was quite expensive but she couldn't let that worry her.
"No sign of that delightful little scarf you had last time?" asked Selena with a chuckle. "I was hoping to take it for myself, after I'm through with you."
"Over my dead body," hissed Rarity as the fabric whipped around her.
Selena's fangs glinted. "That was the idea."
Back at Sugarcube, Pinkie was also having a bad time of it. She thanked her lucky stars the Cakes weren't home but that left her to deal with this prickly pair.
The twins moved with perfect harmony. If one went left, the other went right. If one retreated, the other advanced. Even Pinkie had a few close calls with those nasty knives of theirs. She needed some more space to fight them in and luckily, the Cakes had given her a very big room. She hurried up, the pair bounding off the walls to come after her.
"Okay, I gotta say, you two are really good acrobats!" she said. "You ever thought about being in a circus? Las Pegasus maybe? I bet you'd be a great act!"
One of them sprang off the wall to slice at her head. She flipped away, almost landing on the other who approached from behind. The tips of the blade whistled past her hooves as she twirled in the air to land.
"Come on, you're trying to cut me and didn't even say howdy-do. Unless you can't speak, which is fine. Ooh, I know ESL! Look!"
She signed a greeting with her hooves. The twins looked at each other, then back at her. One drew her blade across her throat. The other mimicked something heavy falling to the floor.
"Yeeeaahh I figured," she sighed. "It's a shame. You seem like we could have been good friends. Oh well. Party cannon!"
She whipped out her trusty tool and fired. The two of them dodged the shot, splitting up to attack. They flipped around but Pinkie angled the barrel to the floor. Her next shot made her jump into the air, just as the twins landed where she'd been. The frowny one got stuck in the taffy she'd left for her.
"Hey, now it's a party of one. Hoo boy, that was a crazy time!" Pinkie fired off more shots as the happy one ducked and jumped out of their way. "You guys should have been there. I thought all my friends were throwing me a goodbye party, but it was actually a surprise birthday party. I'd forgotten my own birthday! Can you believe it?"
If the happy one had any thoughts, she didn't voice them. Her hoof went to one of her belt pouches and Pinkie saw something flash when she flung it. She cartwheeled around her cannon, raising it up so the smaller knives bounced off the metal. Before she could angle it back down, she was forced to dance around it like a maypole as the happy one tried to cut her like a cupcake.
"So you guys never actually told me your names!" She ducked and the blade clanged off the cannon. "You seem like more of a snicker to me. Get it? Because your mask is smiling." The attack stopped for a moment and her shoulders shook briefly. "Hey, I saw that! Made you laugh, see? Maybe we can really be-whoa!"
She moved her head back, just as the blade cut off a bit of her fringe. But a follow-up got her across the chest.
"Hey! That hurt!" Pinkie got her under the cannon and tipped it on top of her, adding a blast for good measure. It made the happy one jump backwards to avoid it. "You know, you're not gonna make many friends like that!"
She glanced at the cut. It wasn't too bad, but she'd need to dig open the first-aid box later.
A tearing sound got her attention. The frowny one had pulled free of the taffy, but she'd lost her balance doing so and fell. The force caused one of her belt pouches to loosen its lid. A box tumbled out, falling open when it hit the floor. Pinkie saw what was inside and gasped.
"That's the Alicorn Amulet! Don't you two know how dangerous that is? You can't just... wait..." Pinkie realised something. Their knives already had blood on them and there was only one place they could have found that Amulet. "Where's Zecora? What did you do to her?"
She asked this with a calm she certainly wasn't feeling. The twins exchanged another look. They looked down at each other's blades, then back at Pinkie again. They raised them up in answer.
It took all Pinkie had not to burst into tears, right then and there. Instead, she could feel her pink fur losing its usual lustre and her poofy mane drape around her, hanging like some very depressed looking curtains.
"Okay then," she said in a blank voice before furrowing her brow. "No more Mrs Nice Pinkie."
Her cannon fired again as the twins lunged.
Fluttershy hummed happily, setting down two cups of tea on the table in front of the couch. She turned to look at her coltfriend, waiting for her to join him and was concerned when she saw he was frowning.
"Ray? Is everything okay? Is Angel giving you a hard time again?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, totally fine, Flutters," he said, plastering on a smile. "You know me, just the old gears turning, you know? Also, when is that rabbit not giving me a hard time?"
"I do know. I also know when you've got something on your mind." She settled down next to him. "Is something the matter with Dusk? You've been like this since you left the library."
"It's… complicated," he said. "You know how Dusk is, sometimes he's even worse than me when it comes to admitting his problems to others."
"Well, you're not wrong. I mean, that isn't to say anything bad about him but…" She considered her next words. "He can be a little… well…"
"Frustratingly tight-lipped about his personal problems?" he prompted. "I mean, I know I'm not one to talk, but still."
"That's okay. We all have our troubles we don't want to feel like we're burdening others with." She placed a hoof on his. "I hope you know that, whatever it is, I'm happy to shoulder that burden. No matter what. We're each other's strength, remember?"
"As if I would ever forget." He kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, it's all good. Just need to give him some time, that's all. But I swear, he makes me wait any longer than the end of today and I'm bringing the pipe back."
She wagged a hoof at him. "Oh no, you don't. Don't make me use the Stare on you, mister."
"By Twilight, not that!" He frowned again. "Wow, that does feel weird to say. Wonder how it must be for her."
"Probably just as weird. Now, how about we stop worrying about whatever's on our minds and catch up on some much-needed snuggling?" she suggested, already nestled under his chin.
"Now that sounds like a-" Ray froze when somepony knocked at the door. "Oh come on! Can't a stallion catch a break?!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure this won't take long." She flew to the door and opened it. "Oh goodness, Rose. What's the matter?"
"Fluttershy, you've got to come, quickly!" begged the flower pony. "I was out picking some flowers in the meadow near the Everfree Forest and I heard what sounded like an animal in pain! I think it was a bear."
"Oh no, not Harry! Where is the poor dear?"
"Well, I didn't go too far in but he sounded like he was near the border of the Forest. I can show you where, come on!"
"I'll be right there. Oh, um…" She blushed and looked awkwardly back at Ray. "I'm really, really sorry about this."
"Hey it's okay, you indulged me for my thing. I'm not gonna stop you from going to help an animal friend." He started to stand. "Want me to tag along? In case it's something bad?"
"If it's not too deep into the Forest, it'll be alright. Harry doesn't like to admit it, but even he gets a little afraid of going in there," she whispered conspiratorially. "He probably just needs a little encouragement to get him out. I'm sure it won't take long. You just keep my spot warm for me, okay?"
"Consider it done. Be back soon!"
"Missing you already!" She blew him a kiss and turned to Rose. "Okay, show me where he is."
"It's just this way, hurry! But now that you're here…" 'Rose' turned away, allowing 'herself' a satisfied smile. "Everything will be just fine."