//------------------------------// // 16 // Story: Rift in Ponyville // by xnaturalblue //------------------------------// Fire Bolt, Sapphire Swirl, and Marshmallow Creme hurried through the dilapidated streets, their wings tired from flying and their hearts heavy with the weight of the destroyed city. As they turned the corner out of the neighborhood, they found themselves face-to-face with a tall figure: the scrapper from earlier. His eyes glinted with a dangerous mixture of desperation and malevolence. His ragged wings twitched with a feral energy as one wing clutched the knife strapped to his leg, clearly ready for a fight. The three pegasi halted, their eyes widening as they assessed the threat before them. Fire Bolt stepped forward. "We don't want trouble, and I don’t think you do either," she said firmly, her voice cutting through the eerie silence of the war-torn city. "We just need to pass through." The blue pegasus sneered, his voice laced with bitterness and his green mane slightly obscuring his eyes. "Pass through, huh? Cloudsdale ain't a free highway anymore, sweetheart. You gotta pay the toll." Sapphire Swirl stepped up beside Fire Bolt, their eyes narrowed in annoyance. "We don't have anything to give you. We're just trying to survive like everyone else." Marshmallow Creme, although visibly the most frightened of the bunch, stood her ground. "Please, there's been enough suffering here. You and I have been here for all of it. Let us through." The scrapper chuckled darkly, his wing’s twitching grip tightening on the knife. "Survival ain't free, girls. You'll have to fight for it." Sapphire squinted, clearly confused as to what made them look like a young girl. Unluckily for the pegasus, they weren’t, and they were extremely strong and agile. Without warning, he lunged at them, his wings buzzing with the desperate energy of someone pushed to the brink. Sapphire, quick on their hooves, dodged his attack, narrowly avoiding the glinting blade. Bolt retaliated with a swift kick, aiming for his side, but he rolled away, narrowly escaping her blow. Marshmallow Creme, though petrified, suddenly shocked everyone. She grabbed a heavy piece of debris lying nearby, using it as a makeshift weapon. With a yell, she swung it at the scrapper and hit him in the chest with a loud thump, catching him off guard and earning a pained grunt as he stumbled backward. The pegasus, now infuriated, charged at them once more, his eyes wild with desperation. His knife was clutched between his teeth now, but Sapphire was able to get a kick to his jaw before he made contact. It wasn’t enough to disarm him, but it put a few feet of space between them. He paced menacingly, fire burning in his yellow eyes. In his final act of desperation, he managed to make a swift move with his knife before the trio could fully evade. Marshmallow Creme, who was closest to him, felt a sharp sting on her flank as the blade nicked her skin. She cried out, stumbling back in pain. Fire Bolt turned without thinking with wide eyes. "It's just a scratch," Marshmallow Creme reassured her, though her voice wavered. The cut wasn't deep, but it throbbed with pain. She turned back towards the scrapper, her wings unfurled and ready for action as rage crawled up her throat. Sapphire stood by her side firmly, sensing the infuriation radiating from their sister. Bolt charged at the pony, her speed and agility catching him off guard. Sapphire Swirl followed suit, her movements fluid and calculated. The pegasus fought back fiercely, but he was no match for the combined strength and skill of the two furious pegasi. In a swift and coordinated effort, Bolt deftly knocked the knife from the pony's grasp, sending it clattering to the ground with a loud shriek. Sapphire Swirl, with a powerful kick to the chest, disarmed him completely, leaving him defenseless. Together with a final blow, they sent the scrapper sprawling to the ground, defeated. Wordlessly, he scampered away, hatred still strong in his weakened gaze. Breathing heavily, Fire Bolt and Sapphire Swirl turned back to Marshmallow Creme, their concern now doubled as she lay unable to stand. Working together, they quickly tended to her wound, their movements gentle and precise as Bolt used an old cloth from her saddlebag to wrap it and stem the bleeding. Marshmallow Creme winced, but their care and support made the pain more bearable. “We need to find a safe place to treat this properly," Sapphire said softly. "We can't risk an infection." "You're really brave, Marshmallow," Bolt said, her eyes filled with worry as she finished fastening the cloth. "Not many ponies could keep living here after being surrounded by this kind of danger. I don’t know how you’ve done it this long." Marshmallow Creme offered a weary smile. "We're all brave. We have to be, in a world like this." Fire Bolt nodded in agreement. "We stick together and keep moving forward. Can you fly?” Sonar Moonshadow sat with his eyes closed and ears twitching relentlessly as Jelly Splash rested with her eyes closed as well, unable to sleep. Every time she started to drift off, she was met with the memory of that creature’s open jaw inches from her face. The void inside had looked endless, and somehow the sight alone had filled her with so much dread it made her sick to remember. She could tell from the silence alone how worried the lilac unicorn was about their two companions, and although she’d only known them for a short amount of time, she found herself incredibly concerned about their fate as well. Jelly found that laying down with her eyes closed was more than enough and just about as good as sleep, but she couldn’t help but peek through one eye in case of three pegasi in the sky every now and then. She was incredibly surprised when she was suddenly shaken awake after somehow drifting off to sleep for a bit. “Jelly, wake up, they’re coming back!” She lept to her hooves at that, a little disoriented from the sudden headrush. Three pegasi landed a few yards in front of them, and Sonar Moonshadow heard the inconsistency of hoofsteps – somepony was limping. The familiar aura of Bolt was to the right of the crowd, and the limping came from his left, so his shoulders relaxed just a bit. “We survived!” Said Marshmallow cheerily. “Barely…” Sapphire murmured, and Fire Bolt fell into an embrace with her partner.  “We survived,” She echoed, and their hug was suddenly joined by another pony. “Oh my gosh, Sonar Moonshadow! It’s so nice to finally meet you! I would’ve liked to meet under different circumstances, but you know, beggars can’t be choosers and all of that. You’re taller than I thought you would be! You’re a lucky guy, Boltie’s such a great mare!” She rattled off, pulling away at some point to keep talking. “I got a little scratch while we were up there, but don’t worry! Nopony got seriously hurt, just a little run-in with a scavenger, but that’s pretty commonplace for Cloudsdale. Unfortunate, really, because it used to be such a beautiful city!” She suddenly noticed the teal unicorn awkwardly getting the run-down from Sapphire Swirl and approached her with an outstretched hoof. “Hi there! I’m Marshmallow Creme, but you can just call me Marshmallow or Marshie. I know, it’s a long name… Oh! I’m Fire Bolt’s friend from when we were fillies!” Jelly Splash stared at the pegasus for a while before touching hooves with her. “I’m Jelly Splash. Or Jelly. Not a long name, though,” She smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “Nice to meet ya!” Marshmallow beamed back before her smile was broken by a yawn, and she covered her mouth with a hoof. “Marshie, why don’t you take a quick nap while we figure out our next move? I can take a better look at that flank of yours, too,” Sapphire suggested, scanning the landscape for some clean water to use. “You can what?” Marshmallow’s jaw dropped, freezing as she lay down. “Your injury. Your injury, Marshmallow. Why would you even… nevermind.” Sapphire rolled their eyes with a giggle and flew off to retrieve water. “Oh! Duh!” She flushed for a moment as Jelly Splash snickered at her obliviousness, and Sapphire returned with a dampened cloth in moments. They lifted the bloodied cloth and squinted at the wound before gently blotting it with the clean one, wincing as Marshmallow hissed in pain. “It’s not too deep at all. You’ll be fine once it scabs over.” Sapphire continued their work before blowing on it gently to dry the water dripping down her leg. “I don’t have another clean cloth, though, so maybe it’s best that you rest while it heals anyway.” Marshmallow nodded, getting more comfortable where she was. Marshmallow Creme was nodding off before long from the blood loss, and she listened to the muffled sounds of the ponies around her speaking in hushed tones. She could only make out a few words at a time, like “safe” and “forward,” and eventually, she fell under the warm blanket of sleep. She was bounding from cloud to cloud. In the soft glow of the illuminated blue sky, fluffy tufts of cotton candy clouds stretched as far as her sparkling eyes could see. It was here that Marshmallow Creme discovered her true talent - jumping through hoops made of glistening sugar strands. Each hoop was a different color and size, and she tackled them with the grace of a ballet dancer and the spirit of an adventurer. With a swish of her tail, she would dive down, her wings tucked against her sides, and then ascend through the hoop with her wings spread. Her laughter filled the air as she leaped from cloud to cloud, her hooves barely touching the delicate candy before jumping into the air again. She would bounce lightly, her ponytail swinging behind her head, and then take off into flight again. Slowing down for a moment to catch her breath, she suddenly heard the sound of magic being used. Marshmallow, her heart still aflutter from her own performance on the cotton candy clouds, turned around, her eyes widening in surprise. There, perched gracefully on a cloud above, was Princess Luna, the once-mighty ruler of the night. Her mane shimmered with stars, and her teal eyes glowed with ancient wisdom and warmth. "Princess Luna!" Marshmallow Creme exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of awe and pure joy. "You're back! We've missed you so much! But what are you doing in my cotton candy world?" Luna smiled gently, her voice like a melody. "My dear Marshmallow Creme, I have watched over you, and I am proud of the pegasus you have become." The pink pegasus beamed with pride. “But I must tell you something very important. There is a very dangerous force at play, little one, a force that threatens the very fabric of our world. I have been searching for answers, trying to understand the darkness that has cast its shadow over Equestria. I have encountered it once before, but… I never thought his return to be possible. For that, I am sorry to all of your fellow citizens." Marshmallow tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "Is there anything we can do to help, Princess? My friends and I are always ready to stand by your side." Luna smiled softly. "Indeed, there is hope, young one. The power of friendship has always been Equestria's greatest strength. Assemble your friends, those whose hearts are pure and true, for together, you can unlock the secrets that will save our land. For I… my physical form is far from salvageable. You will not find me before I perish." The princess broke their eye contact with a sad sigh. “I can only hope that I will join my sister, wherever we go.” Marshmallow nodded, her heart heavy as she sensed the crushing grief from the princess. "But how do we begin, Princess Luna? What are these secrets that I need to unlock? And my friends are already assembled, right?" Luna’s expression returned to one of serenity, a shining glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Look for the signs, my dear pegasus. Follow the dreams and the whispers of the wind. Seek the ancient artifacts scattered across Equestria, for they hold the key to unlocking the darkness that has a grip upon our world. Trust in your friends, for their loyalty and love will guide you through the darkest of times. You will find the remaining three." “But wait, what does that mean? Artifacts? I don’t know the first thing about-” Luna flew down to meet Marshmallow on the same level. "I believe in you, Marshmallow Creme," Luna cut her off abruptly, her voice soft but fierce, and it made the pegasus feel like she was getting a scolding from her mother. “You have everything you need within you.” The princess pulled the younger pony into a tight hug, one that Marshmallow practically melted into, and before she could ask another question, she woke up.