//------------------------------// // Trust // Story: The New Moon Rises // by Kit Wolfkat //------------------------------// Trust. “Are we there yet?” “NO, we are not.” Twilight let out a frustrated sigh at Pinkie’s incessant questioning, even though they have only walked a short distance from the fencing. The crows were calling out loud, and the broken twigs that were being stepped on only added to her annoyance. Fluttershy let out a small whimper, her wings flapping nervously as she tried to keep up with the group’s pace. “Do you think we’re going to be okay, Twilight?” she asked in a soft voice. Twilight shrugged, her shoulders raised a bit higher. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we could meet Daybreaker and invite us for a lovely tea and biscuits with her,” Twilight said snarkily. “Oh that does sound lovely, don’t you think Rari-” Fluttershy began, smiling as she turned to- “Or maybe we could get killed by your incessant questions when we have hardly started walking from our starting point. Or maybe even better, I’ll die of boredom before we even get close to Daybreaker,” Twilight continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. The pegasus quickly lowered her head, her ears dropping down in a bit of shame and fear, “Sorry..” Fluttershy whispered, her voice barely audible. Twilight groaned again. Rainbow Dash tried to fly up to Twilight but Rarity pulled her back by the tail with her magic while Winters by his hoof, shaking their heads in silence while Applejack mouthing to her to let it go for now. She sighed before falling behind in the back of the group. Twilight didn’t notice this, she was too focused on looking at the map. “Right, if I were to read this map, Sisterswith is about… uh, 5 kms away from Ponyville and the closest landmark would be Von Shy’s house.” she said in close observation of the map. “We would need to walk south for 4.82 kms more until we reached our destination!” “Are you kidding me, I can’t walk that long!” Rainbow Dash barked out Oh great. “But you’re flying, Dashie. You’re a pegasus pony after all!” Pinkie Pie pointed out as she giggled. The rainbow mare groaned, “Besides the point, Pinkster. We’re gonna take maybe hours to even get there.” She’s already complaining after a few minutes. “Not gonna lie Twilight, maybe she’s got a point?” Winters added, “We could maybe try to find something that can take us there faster?” I swear… if I hear one more- She took a deep breath before responding to Winters, “Maybe, we’ll see.” Winters nodded in understanding and fell silent. The group continued their trek through the dense forest, their footsteps crunching on the dry leaves scattered on the ground. They walked for another few minutes, passing by some strange looking trees and bushes until the path they were walking ran out with a sign on the side of it. A bright warning sign displayed itself in bold letters. Everybeing stopped as Twilight walked up to the sign and read the words etched on it out loud. “Warning, end of the safety trail parameters. Beyond this point, the forest is unpredictable and dangerous. Enter at your own risk. Huh.” Twilight felt a knot of apprehension twist in her stomach as she stared at the dense forest ahead. The group had left the safety of the trail and now stood at the edge of the unknown. Her eyes swept over the towering trees, their branches tangled with thick vines and leaves that obscured the dark sky. The only light visible was the one from Pinkie Pie’s tail lantern and Twilight’s magical illumination. Calm down Twilight Sparkle, you can do this. You’re doing this for the kingdom, for the queen, for the Princess. You’ll be fine, you’ll get rewarded, the Princess will be grateful to you and she’ll do anything. Think about the Royal Archives you’ll get, mom’s face, Shining Armor and the Princess’ appro- “Hey uh Twi? You okay?” Winters asked as he watched Twilight took several deep breaths. Twilight shook her head quickly, turning to him with the most fakest confident smile she can muster. “I’m fine Winters, really.” she responded, her eyes averting his. Winters nodded slowly at this. He looked around the forest in mild discomfort, his eyes darting nervously from one shadowy corner to the next. Twilight could tell that he was just as uneasy as she was, but he was trying his best to hide it. “Well, looks like we’re actually doing it huh?” he said, a hint of nervousness escaped his mouth as he looked around towards the others. Twilight turned around and faced them all with an uncertain look, “Are you sure you want to follow me?” she asked, still sceptical of their decision to join her on a dangerous and quite frankly foolhardy mission. “YEAH!” Winters, Pinkie Pie and Rarity shouted out in unison, while the others merely nodded in apprehension. The crows nearby flew away in a flurry of wings, disturbed by the sudden noise. Twilight sighed. This isn’t gonna be easy for her. 15 minutes after Daybreaker’s appearance. Ponyville General Hospital This wasn’t his usual day of checking up on his patients. There wasn’t any checking for their daily flus, diseases, STD’s, nor any injuries from accidents or mishaps. No, this was something different. Dr. Greymane was used to seeing all kinds of patients in the hospital, but today was different. As a high ranking physician from the upper corners of Manehatten, the hustle bustle of its streets and its daily accidents and repertoires. He thought it would be more peaceful here and he could maybe finally have a rest here. “FOR FAUST’S SAKE I NEED MORE HOOVES HERE, REDHEART COME OVER HERE!” he shouted, trying his best to apply pressure onto Princess Luna’s chest with the other doctors. The bleeding was getting worse every second. Nurse Redheart stopped moving the stretchers she was transporting the other patient, signalling to the other nurse to take the one away. She ran over to Dr. Greymane’s side, her hooves slipping slightly on the blood-slicked floor. “What do you-” “Gauze, hypochlorite, suture and morphine, NOW!” he shouted to her, not taking his eyes off his patient. Nurse Redheart nodded, and quickly ran to the cupboards and started gathering the supplies. The hospital alarm has been blaring for minutes now, though it felt like hours. Doctors and nurses were running back and forth, frantically trying to attend to the influx of patients pouring into the hospital. Some were brought in by the militia which arrived in town earlier while the others brought themselves in, however much their injuries allowed them to. The situation was chaotic, and the hospital staff was stretched thin. Dr Greymane and the other doctors kept the pressure on Princess Luna’s chest, trying their best to stem the flow of blood as best they could. Nurse Redheart returned with the supplies on a rolling cart, her hooves shaking slightly as she hoofed them over to the doctors. “Right, I need another hoof to replace mine!” Dr. Greymane barked, his voice strained with urgency as he struggled to maintain pressure on the wound. One of the other doctors quickly took his place, and Dr. Greymane quickly moved to start injecting her with the syringe full of morphine to ease her pain and make her sedated. Princess Luna’s breathing started to slow down as the effects of the morphine began to take hold. Her eyes closed and as she fell under consciousness, her bleeding seemingly stabilised under pressure. The doctors quickly moved the operating table over to the bed and locked it in place. They placed the princess on the table, removing her dress and accessories to access the damage. It wasn’t good. Suddenly the lights in the operating room went out. More screams outside followed, as the entire town went out of power and was covered in a shroud of darkness. “My goodness, do we have to climb up this cliff?” Rarity asked, panting heavily. “My hooves aren’t really suited for rock hiking or cliff diving if you know?” she continued, looking down at her dirty hooves and wincing as a sharp rock poked her hoof. Twilight groaned inwardly at the complaints, feeling her patience wearing thin. She was determined to reach their destination as quickly as possible, and the others’ complaints were only slowing them down.“Can we just keep walking?” she said, straining to hide her irritance. Fluttershy trailed behind Rarity, her wings flapping softly to keep her balance on the rough terrain. “I-I don’t mind,” she offered timidly, “I think it’s alright for us to take a break and rest if we need it, and my wings could use a bit of-” “No resting, you said all of you want to follow me? Then you follow my orders, not hers.” Twilight said sharply, making it clear that she was in charge of this expedition. She continued climbing farther up the cliff , causing the others to catch up to her. Why can’t they just listen to and shut up for Faust’s sake. I don’t need this. I need to ignore them, I have to… Rainbow Dash has been in the back of the group ever since they hiked up on the mountainside, keeping tabs behind them. But she couldn’t help but see Twilight Sparkle, that self-egotistical braggart from the upper-echelons of Canterlot being herself, even though they were supposed to be at least working together, was still herself. Figures.. Rainbow shook that thought of her head. She bit her lips as Twilight kept walking faster and faster, seemingly ignoring the others for the sake of getting to their destination as quickly as possible. “HEY, Sparkplug! Can ya slow down for a minute?” Rainbow shouted, but the instant she did, it was an instant change of pace she caused. The unicorn halted her steps and turned around, her face contorted in anger. “It’s Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash! How many times do you have to call me that, like you have some sort of vendetta against this mission, or me!” Twilight snapped back, her eyes glinting with more than just annoyance. “Hey, you’re the one who looks like she’s high off her rockers right now. Besides, you’re just being a-” Rainbow said, only to have Applejack intervene quickly on her behalf. “Look uh, Miss Sparkle. She ain’t mean no insults to ya anymore, right?” she emphasised, looking at Rainbow Dash with a raised eye. “Right now, all we need’s a little break so we can rest and get our bearings together.” Twilight huffed in frustration, “No, I want to hear what she said.” Applejack stepped forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Ah, I think we all know what she meant, Twilight. We’re all tired and could use a break. No need to get darn defensive about it.” “I said no, I want to hear from her own cursed laced mouth what she’s going to say,” she continued, this time using her magic to pull away Applejack from Rainbow Dash back to Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie and Winters. Winters and Rarity grabbed Applejack onto her hooves while Pinkie and Fluttershy watched as Twilight walked closer to Rainbow Dash. “Now tell me, Miss Rainbow Dash. What were you going to say?” Rainbow Dash could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Despite the intense gaze of her friends and Twilight’s imposing figure, she refused to back down. With a sly grin, she leaned in close, her head nearly touching Twilight’s horn. The other ponies gasped in shock at Rainbow Dash’s boldness. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, Applejack and Winters had their mouths agape while Rarity put a hoof to her chest in disbelief. Even Pinkie, who was usually the most cheerful and carefree of the group, looked concerned. “Well, little Miss Sparkplug,” she said, her voice dripping with defiance. “I think you’re an arrogant, uptight bitch. And I don’t think I need to say that enough.” Twilight’s eyes widened in shock at Rainbow Dash’s words. For a moment, she was speechless. The other ponies held their breath, waiting for her response. Then, Twilight’s horn lit up with a bright purple glow, and as she lifted Rainbow Dash off the ground with her magic, she threw her into the nearby cliff wall. The cliff wall let out a loud crackle on its surface as Rainbow Dash collided with it, and she fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The sounds echoed throughout the forest and the cliff wall itself had a deep crack that grew larger with each passing second. Rainbow shook the daze out of her head and stood up, her eyes glaring at Twilight. “Oh uh, that’s not good.” Pinkie Pie said. The pegasus quickly charged towards Twilight Sparkle, and tackled her to the ground, delivering a flurry of swift punches to her jaw. Twilight grunted in pain and pushed Rainbow off of her, getting up quickly and preparing to retaliate with a blast of magic. But before she could, she felt another pair of hooves tackling her to the ground. This time, she turned to face Applejack, who had a fierce look in her eyes. “NOW THAT’S ENOUGH, YA GODDARN IDIOT!” she yelled at her. Twilight struggled against her hooves, trying to push her off and arguing her defence. “SHE STARTED IT, EVER SINCE I CAME HERE SHE’S BEEN NOTHING BUT-” “NUH-UH! EVER SINCE I GOT ARRESTED YOU CAME AND BROUGHT A WHOLE LOT OF TROUBLE. FIRST APPLEJACK, PINKIE PIE, WINTERS, AND THEN MAKING FLUTTERSHY CRY!” Rainbow angrily pointed her hoof towards Twilight, whilst being held by Winters and Rarity by the wings. “AND NOT ONLY THAT, EVER SINCE YOU APPEARED DAYBREAKER GOT LOOSE AND I’M SURE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS!” Twilight’s eyes got even angrier, “How dare you, I’ve been the princess’ most loyal student ever since I was a filly. Not like YOU know anything about loyalty.” she angrily remarked with such vindication. Rainbow’s wings tried to flare up but Winters and Rarity held her back, knowing that the situation was already heated enough. Applejack continued to hold onto Twilight, trying to calm her down. Rainbow leaned forward furiously, “When I get my hooves on you, I’m gonna beat you so hard the princess will think twice when she-” “THAT’S ENOUGH!” The others looked towards Fluttershy, who had been quiet for the most part, but now stood between the two arguing ponies, her eyes stern and unwavering. Her eyes looked like it had been dry crying for a while. “I’m tired of-of this..” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before continuing. “I just don’t want any more fa-fighting!” she said in a weak voice, her wings sullen and her ears drooping. Pinkie Pie walked over to her and gave her a big hug, “There, there Flutters. Don’t be miserable anymore!” Pinkie cheerily said. “I Promise that I’ll bring you a big cake, make sure these two wackos make up and stop fighting, and we’ll all have a big party together at the bakery!” Winters nodded in agreement, smiling at Twilight nervously as he did. “Yeah. Let’s uh, calm down for a moment and get our bearings together. Besides, don’t we have an alicorn to defeat?” Fluttershy sniffled, her eyes glistening with tears, but she managed a small smile. She returned the hug, with a gentle squeeze. “Thanks, Pinkie.” Rainbow looked at this display and with a sigh, slowly flew over to Fluttershy, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Ya good Shy?” she asked her, her wings slowly unfurling as her anger subsided. Fluttershy nodded, wiping away her tears. “I-I’m okay now, Rainbow. Thank you for asking,” she replied softly, giving Rainbow Dash a weak smile. Rainbow gave a smile, her eyes momentarily glancing at Twilight before returning to her friend. Twilight scoffed, “Fine..” she said as she cleaned off the dirt from her coat, her eyes still glaring at Rainbow. Applejack held onto her for a moment longer before letting go, giving her a stern look. “But this doesn’t make us even, for now all I need to do is to find that Elements of Harmony thing and get this sorted out as fast as possible.” “Hey girls, did you hear that noise?” Winter called out to them, as a faint rumbling began shaking the cliff. The ground began shaking and cracks from the cliff wall began to form and widen. The ponies exchanged alarmed glances as the trembling intensified. Dust and small rocks started to fall from above while the ground started to crack due to Twilight’s earlier magical blast. Large amount of rocks fell behind them, sealing off the way they came. Twilight’s eyes widened in fear as she held the ground tightly, trying to stabilise herself. “Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! This...this wasn’t supposed to happen,” she muttered, her voice filled with panic. “We gotta-” The ground under Rarity and Winters gave way, causing both of them to the depths below as they screamed in sheer terror. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she quickly flew down to rescue them, her wings flapping with urgency. Rainbow Dash, still feeling the effects of the earlier confrontation, quickly followed suit, diving down to assist Fluttershy. The ground under Pinkie gave way as well, but not before Pinkie Pie blew several balloons in a few short seconds and tied it tightly around her tail. Using the balloons as makeshift parachutes, Pinkie floated gently down to safety, her face plastered with a wide grin despite the danger. The remaining ponies, Twilight and Applejack, watched in awe as Pinkie descended safely to the ground. “This is bad, bad, bad!” Twilight panicked, her hooves nervously moving around as she tried to find a way back down, but the cracks in the ground made it clear that going back was no longer an option. She glanced at Applejack, desperation evident in her eyes. “Twilight! Ya gotta stop movin’! The ground ain’t gonna be-” But before Applejack could finish her sentence, the ground beneath Twilight quickly gave way, and Twilight could feel herself falling to her death… for a few microseconds before Applejack grabbed her by the hooves. “Ah got ya! Ah got ya!” Applejack’s strong grip held onto Twilight, preventing her from plummeting into the dark forest abyss below. Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest as she dangled in the air, her eyes wide with shock and fear. “Applejack, don’t let go! Oh please for the love of Faust DO NOT LET ME GO! ” Twilight cried out, her voice trembling as her hind hooves desperately tried finding a ledge, any ledge to hoist herself back up. “Ain’t plannin’ on it!” Applejack responded, trying hard to pull Twilight back up. But the ground continued to crumble around them, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a stable grip. The weight of Twilight’s panic-stricken body strained Applejack’s strength. Even worse, each time Twilight tried hoisting herself back up, she made even more cracks in the ground. Applejack’s eyes noticed this and as she looked down, there’s only one ground to make sure if both of them could survive. “Twi, I gotta let you go!” Twilight’s eyes widened in terror at Applejack’s words. “What?! Are you crazy!” her hooves clung to Applejack even tighter, refusing to let go while her hind hooves even desperately trying to hoist back up. “Trust me, Twi! If Ah hold on to ya, this ground goes and we both die! Please, trust me!” Applejack pleaded, her eyes filled with a mix of calm determination and sadness as her hooves began to loosen their grip. Twilight hesitantly met the mare’s eyes, closed her eyes and with deep shuddering breaths, let go. I’m gonna die.. Oh Faust, I’m sorry. She felt herself freefalling through the air, the wind rushing past her ear while her eyes remained tearfully closed.. For a while, fear passed through her. Here was the star student of Princess Luna, dedicated to her studies, the echelons of the universe and the knowledge that could have bowed before her, and yet, it seemed she was going to meet her end in a dark forest, far from home. Who would’ve thought this would be her end? Certainly not her. She felt a tight force beneath her. I’m dead.. I’m really dead. Oh Faust.. This is- “Sparkplug ya good?” Twilight’s eyes snapped open, and she found herself securely held in Rainbow Dash’s hooves, her wings spread wide to slow their descent. They were hovering just above the ground, safe from the treacherous fall. Twilight’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide with shock and relief. “Rainbow... Yo-you saved me?” she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. Rainbow Dash grinned slightly cockily, “Hey, if ya wanna die ya could have just asked me. But hey, you’re alive now, so you owe me one, huh?” Twilight let out a shaky laugh, her hooves still trembling from the adrenaline rush. Her laughter slowly turned into sobs, and she turned to embrace the pegasus tightly. Rainbow’s eyes widened in sudden nervousness and surprise; she wasn’t expecting this since she half expected for her to say something harsh again, maybe even blast her in the face or something. She hesitated for a moment, her hooves awkwardly hovering in the air, before deciding to return the hug, albeit tentatively. After a brief pause, Rainbow quickly pulled away from the hug, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. She cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. “Right, uh, Sparkplug. I’m not really the touchy-feely type, so let’s uh just keep this between us, kay? No need to go sharin’ it with anyone, especially Applejack.” Twilight grinned skittishly, her eyes darting everywhere of the dark forest but Rainbow’s gaze.“Right, uh. You’re right! We should probably um… find the others?” “Awesome!” Rainbow replied, her signature confident grin returning to her face. She gave Twilight a mild shove of a hoof, while she flew up in the air. “Let’s go, Sparkplug. We gotta go and get-” “HEY, Y’ALL! AH APPRECIATE BOTH OF YA MAKIN’ UP DOWN THERE, BUT I'm ON TOP OF A CLIFF RIGHT NOW AND I COULD REALLY USE SOME SORT OF A PEGASUS TO BRING ME DOWN HERE! ESPECIALLY YOU RAINBOW!” Applejack’s voice echoed loudly from above, interrupting Rainbow’s sentence. Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked up to see Applejack with a combined look of annoyance and fear as she stood on the cliffside alone, with rocks and cracks still threatening to plunge her into the depths below. Rainbow groaned, rolling her eyes. “Alright, alright I’m coming! Don’t get your mane’s all up in a twist, damn.” she muttered under her breath. She turned to Twilight with a cocky smile, “Be right back. Sit tight, Sparkplug. And if you see the others, especially Fluttershy, holler out!” she said before shooting up into the sky, her wings propelling her towards Applejack’s location. Twilight stood up from the ground and watched as Rainbow Dash soared towards Applejack’s position. As she waited for their return, Twilight took a moment to survey their surroundings. The dark forest loomed around her, the tall trees casting eerie shadows that danced in the dim light. Well Twilight Sparkle, you caused a cliff slide and likely killed your old friend and some locals. I’m just hoping that they actually do survive, Faust knows that I’m probably going to Tartarus because of this. She looked around again, this time her eyes seeing her crumpled map as it. She picked it up and unfolded it, trying to make sense of their current location. The map was tattered and torn, making it difficult to decipher even the most obvious details. She lowered the map from her face and dropped it, letting out a sigh. Scratch that, I am going to Tartarus. ….. Fuck. As the group prepared to leave the area, somewhere in the midst of the bushes far from them, another flash ignited. A changeling and her companion slowly emerged from it, the former holding a notepad while the latter held a camera. She turned towards her partner and grinned, “This, is gonna be greatest story we’ll get. Bigger than any of us had imagined before!” Her partner nodded, and took another picture at the group in front of them, unsuspecting of the duo. Flavia turned towards her Stratis and held him tight, “We’re making history here. And we’re in the thick of it. Come on! We need to follow them!” she said, quietly galloping after the three with her camera operator right behind her.