"Yeppppppppppp!" exclaimed a joyful Pinkie Pie. Not only her, but all the other ponies were radiant as they saw Fluttershy safe and sound. Leaning on Twilight, they emerged together from the thick smoke that had risen from the place where the Cockatrice Titanicus had fallen.
Soon, the friends found each other and began to give each other hugs of happiness, rejoicing in the success of their mission and the fact that everything had gone well.
"Thank you! Thank you!" the exhausted pegasus said as she listened to her friends' praise.
"That was amazing, no, it was fantastic, no, it was Fluttertastic! YAY!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed excitedly, setting off more confetti bombs.
"Truly, all the success of this operation is thanks to you, Fluttershy," said Twilight with a smile.
Thus ended Operation "Catwalk," planned by all and directed by Twilight. Its goal had been to reduce the threat posed by the Cockatrice Titanicus. This terrible beast, which was under Vanilla's control, made it very difficult to confront the villain directly. But because Vanilla had separated from her pet, the perfect opportunity had arisen to face her separately.
Using their best talents, each pony did their best to prepare the necessary tools to be used in battle.
And during the battle, no one carried more responsibility than Fluttershy.
Using a magical amulet given to her by Twilight, which made her invisible, Fluttershy managed to get close enough to the Cockatrice Titanicus's neck. Once there, and throughout the rest of the conflict, she pressed the beast's weak point until it succumbed. This was not an easy task, as being there for so long exposed her to the violent twists of the creature's neck, the fierce winds of its wings, and its corrosive breath. All of this without mentioning Fluttershy's low resistance to such strenuous tasks. It could really be said that the timid pegasus had pushed herself beyond her limits.
Of course, she was aware of this, but not so much of the cost of performing such a commendable task.
At that moment, Fluttershy suddenly began to cough.
"Friend, are you okay?" asked a concerned Applejack.
"Yes, it's just the smoke from a moment ago," Fluttershy replied calmly but with a hoarse voice.
"Oh dear, dear, everything you had to go through, having to endure that beast's breath," Rarity expressed mournfully, giving a suspicious glance at the fallen body of the huge Cockatrice.
"Fluttershy, you don't look well. We need to go to the medical wagon so you can be checked," ordered Twilight, noticing her friend's paleness.
"It's not necessary, Twilight, I'm fine," Fluttershy asserted. However, the pegasus coughed again and staggered due to a sudden dizziness, quickly being supported by Twilight.
The other ponies were genuinely concerned at that moment.
"Of course you're not okay, dear. You need care immediately," exclaimed Rarity, stomping her hoof on the ground.
"Don't worry about us, sugar cube. We'll take care of everything now," said Applejack alongside Pinkie Pie, both wearing expressions of confidence.
Fluttershy seemed like she would protest once more, but then she lowered her head and simply said, "Okay."
"Then there's no time to lose, I'll take Fluttershy with me... but first," Twilight said, waving her horn in the direction of the Cockatrice Titanicus.
"Wait, Twilight, is he going to be okay... right?" Fluttershy asked, looking worriedly at the enormous fallen body of the creature.
"Yes, he's just unconscious, and we need to make sure he stays that way," Twilight said and, igniting her horn, began to cast a spell to keep the Cockatrice Titanicus asleep. Huge, soft-textured earplugs appeared and were placed on the Cockatrice Titanicus's head. The creature stirred a bit, but then its limbs stretched out into a more relaxed posture.
"This will be enough for now. Applejack, you're in charge. Secure the Titanic Dragon Rooster as we discussed. If Rainbow Dash returns, all of you come with me to the medical car immediately. Do the same if Vanilla shows up. I repeat, do not engage with him yet. I couldn't mention it earlier, but he has a magical amulet that disrupts spells. It's dangerous..." Twilight said with a serious look to her friends. "That's all, I'll see you in a moment."
With nothing more to add, Twilight swiftly departed, carrying Fluttershy toward the train.
The ponies watched with concern as their two friends moved away. Applejack, who stood in front of them, also felt the same worry as her friends, but at that moment, another thought came to her mind. A thought that had a proud rainbow-maned pegasus in the middle.
"Alright, girls, you heard Twilight. Let's get those hooves moving!" Applejack announced, concluding that farewell.
Work was the only thing that could distract Applejack from the growing concern within her, an unsettling feeling when she looked at the horizon in the direction where Rainbow Dash should be. But she couldn't talk about these concerns; first, they had to complete the mission they had planned among their friends. So, determined, Applejack began to assign tasks to each of her friends to ensure the capture of the Cockatrice Titanicus.
It didn't take long for Applejack and Rarity to finish their work. Rarity had woven a huge sticky web around the Cockatrice Titanicus with a viscous and elastic white substance similar to rubber. This substance had been prepared by Applejack, who used pine sap and kitchen ingredients donated by Pinkie Pie to make it. Finding bottled pine sap in the supplies was a stroke of luck, but the abundance of kitchen ingredients from Pinkie Pie was an unresolved mystery. Applejack scratched her head, wondering when her friend had brought so many of these materials onto the train.
With their work done, both ponies decided to head towards where Pinkie Pie should not be too far away...
"So, Applejack jumped and hit the Cockatrice directly on the beak, causing it to fall sideways. Rarity lunged towards its claws and freed Twilight, but just then a fireball reached them from behind. The Cockatrice had risen in anger, seeking revenge, and cornered them in the flames. But then, the brave Fluttershy launched herself straight at the beast, charging at its weak point, and defeated it once and for all!" Pinkie Pie cheered loudly from the top of a large rock.
This was where Pinkie Pie was supposed to be on guard.
"Pinkie Pie, can you please tell us what you're doing?" asked a frustrated Rarity.
"Hi, girls! I'm just preparing the amazing story I'll tell Rainbow Dash when she comes back, about how we defeated the fearsome Cockatrice Titanicus," Pinkie responded cheerfully, making exaggerated faces.
"But that's not how it happened," Applejack said somewhat annoyed.
"Exactly! The more incredible, the better!" Pinkie Pie replied, taking out a notepad from her mane and starting to write her latest nonsense without paying them any more attention.
Rarity and Applejack were too tired to reprimand their friend for that.
"Well, dear, Applejack and I thought it would be best to return to the train and see how Fluttershy is. It's been several minutes, and Twilight hasn't returned yet," Rarity said as she waved a fan she conjured with her magic.
"Uhmmp, it's not necessary. They're already coming this way," Pinkie Pie responded without even looking at them, while she corrected her writing with great concentration.
Indeed, that was the case. Both ponies turned around and saw Twilight and Fluttershy flying in their direction.
"Phew, what a relief. Fluttershy looks completely recovered," Applejack exclaimed.
"And with a new hairstyle," added Rarity, who had noticed a small braid in her pegasus friend's mane.
Then, Pinkie Pie's ears picked up something else in the air. She quickly stood up, looked up, and in the distance, she noticed a rainbow-colored dot approaching rapidly. With a smile accompanied by a joyful neigh, Pinkie Pie began to hop towards the horizon.
"It's Rainbow! It's Rainbow! She's coming!" exclaimed the excited pink pony.
The other ponies turned around again and saw Rainbow Dash approaching from the opposite direction in her characteristic agile flight.
"Here, Rainbow Dash! Over here!" Pinkie Pie began to wave to her approaching friend. The cheerful enthusiasm soon infected the other ponies, and they also started making gestures to get her attention.
However, Rainbow Dash suddenly accelerated her flight to maximum speed. From that distance, the only thing the ponies noticed from below was the rainbow trail she left behind before disappearing in a straight line across the sky. Then, a dull thud resonated behind them, followed by an explosion. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie didn't understand what had happened. When they turned around to look back, they only saw Fluttershy in the air, so shocked by what had happened that she couldn't articulate a word.
A large cloud of dust began to rise not far away, on the other side of the train.
Pinkie Pie climbed down from the big rock and joined the other ponies. However, no one said anything. A trembling Fluttershy descended from the sky and joined the group. But even then, no one could find words. In the distance, the dust cloud began to recede, but the sounds of stones colliding and exploding still accompanied it.
"What's happening?" asked a bewildered Rarity, whose mind didn't want to accept what she was witnessing.
"Rainbow Dash attacked Twilight, and now they're fighting," Applejack said mechanically. The other ponies looked at each other, confused and terrified by this truth, although they could see it happening at that moment. Indeed, a fierce battle was in progress on the other side of the train, far from the sight of their friends.
"But why...?" Pinkie Pie didn't finish her question, as an unexpected movement of her tail caught her attention and that of her friends.
Then, a dark object fell onto the large rock behind them. A faint dust cloud rose, and soon the infamous figure of a pink-maned pony in navy blue armor emerged from it. It was Vanilla, with eyes injected with darkness as deep as the abyss of the seas. But he wasn't alone; another figure resembling the embodiment of his own shadow accompanied him.
Both menacing presences stared at the frightened ponies.
"Applejack, what do we do?" asked Pinkie Pie, noting the growing danger approaching.
"I... I..." Applejack stammered.
"Applejack?"
Mannah quickly surveyed his surroundings. In front of him were the enemies of his nation, those who had tested the millennia-old oath made by their predecessors.
"Peasants and villagers," he thought to himself; these were the enemies he would face. Mannah was almost tempted to spit ink at that moment, but he refrained. Such behavior would be very rude and improper for someone like him. He was royalty, a direct descendant of the original first knights of the order. Unlike the others who had been selected from among the many of their own kind, Mannah could boast that at least one member of his family had belonged to that illustrious group in their respective generation.
This was the reason for the great recognition he received from his own people and also the cause of the deep anger he felt within himself.
He had not wished to be a Knight of the Order.
In every generation of his family, the youngest son had been chosen as the bearer of the element of acceptance. Only he had been chosen as the eldest. He had aspired to be a member of the Cunabula council, just like his father and his other ancestors whom he admired so much.
That dream did not last. Accepting that destiny was the toughest trial he had faced in his youth. It had caused a deep wound in his heart. But this wound, instead of healing over time and giving him wisdom and understanding, left a scar that brought him anger and sorrow he could not acknowledge.
This very anger, welling up from his subconscious, fueled the spell he was about to use against his enemies. He had initially thought of delivering a speech to his opponents to make them understand the despair to which he would send them. But now, after the standoff with Morrigan, that no longer mattered to him in the slightest.
"DRAKEN TIDES!" Mannah exclaimed, releasing a torrent of turbulent water that soared into the sky.
A torrent of water began to rise like a wall in front of the ponies, quickly turning into a black whirlpool that started to engulf everything around it.
Applejack was having a bad day. In the morning, Granny Smith had woken up with a severe headache after drinking cider the night before, despite warnings from Applejack and Big Mac. When she went to check the chicken coop, she discovered that several chickens had escaped, perhaps frightened by the fireworks from the night before. She had fallen into a mud puddle twice before she could even make it to the train, so she had to bathe three times before leaving. Much earlier, she found out that Apple Bloom had used her old Grand Galloping Gala dress and completely ruined it. She loved Apple Bloom dearly, but with each passing day, it seemed like her younger sister was growing further and further away from her, from her family, and from their parents' farm.
A rock propelled by the force of the terrible whirlpool struck Applejack's face, causing her intense pain. A pain that her friend Rainbow Dash would have used to snap her out of her stupor and then shout, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, APPLEJACK?"
Applejack looked around. All her friends were trapped by the fascinating terror of the water whirlpool rising in front of them. They were unable to move or look away, like prey cornered by a snake. These reliable and experienced ponies had become frightened fillies, utterly defenseless against the disaster. They were one step away from closing their eyes and never opening them again in their lives.
That wouldn't happen today; she wouldn't allow it.
"EVERYONE, RUN!" Applejack yelled at the top of her lungs. Her friends snapped out of their trance and, seeing Applejack's retreat, followed her at top speed.
She ran, Applejack ran. Her friends ran alongside her, almost at the same speed. Even Fluttershy was running. She felt they were getting away from the whirlpool. She thanked the stars for being a four-legged pony, and that her friends were as well. A loud crash was heard behind them, as if the tide had crashed against a cliff. Applejack didn't look back. She wouldn't until they reached the train.
The train was close, but...
Applejack panicked when she saw that all the doors of the cars were closed.
How would they get in? Would she jump onto the train? Break a window? The farm pony was at her wit's end. She no longer knew what to do, no longer knew what else to think. Would she have to sacrifice herself?
"Twilight, I'm sorry..." Applejack thought, hearing the sound of the water approaching again from behind. There was no more time. Applejack would turn around and face the fury of the wave, praying to the heavens that her friends could withstand the impact behind her.
Then a miracle, a gleam appeared through one of the car doors. Hadn't she noticed it before? It seemed slightly ajar.
Without hesitation, Applejack shouted, "FOLLOW ME!"
Slowing down as she entered the open car, they all followed her like arrows. Applejack remained at the door, making sure everyone had entered. Then, she cast one last look outside.
A terrible wave as tall as two barns approached like a black wall, destroying everything in its path.
Applejack closed the door and closed her eyes, hugging her friends.
...
A whistle. Nothing more.
Silence and an intense drumming.
More silence and a drum that kept resonating.
All dark. She opens her eyes, and everything is dark. The drum still echoes, but in the distance...
...
Applejack hears her heart calm down. She had expected to hear a crash or a thud, something like a bull charging at you. She knew about that. But she felt nothing.
Suddenly, Applejack panics... could it be that she...?
She examines her nose, her tongue, and bites her hoof. Everything is normal. Granny Smith used to tell her that all you had to do was check yourself like that to know if you were alive. But she used to be wrong sometimes...
She extends her hooves into the air... there's an elastic layer around her... it feels unnatural.
A shiver runs through her, then icy air surrounds her. Intense light emanates from one end...
"Applejack... Applejack..." she hears a distant voice. It's familiar... like her mother's.
"Applejack... Applejack..." she hears another voice. Like her father's...
Applejack is scared, really scared. She wasn't ready... she isn't. She never was, but... could it really be...?
"Mom? Dad?" she responds with an imperceptible whisper to the intense light.
Then she's pulled out by an irresistible force.
...
Inside one of the medical cars on the train, a disoriented Applejack looks around. There are Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, perfectly healthy and intact, with looks of happiness.
"Huh? What?" the farm pony stammers.
"Don't worry; disorientation is a normal side effect when using Averages impact isolation capsules. It'll pass in a few minutes. You might not hear well for a while, but that's temporary too," Magazine Doublereport explained as he examined Applejack with some complex medical devices.
"Greetings, everyone," a mental voice addresses all the Knights of the Order in their war room.
"Hello, Balor," Morrigan responds from her seat, her gaze directed at the golden orb suspended in the room.
Above them all hovers Balor of Cunabula, bearer of the element of magic, just awakened.