//------------------------------// // Unexpected Visitors // Story: Marks of Harmony // by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch //------------------------------// Gdocs Version Marks of Harmony Part 1 The cold night air of a wind-whipped desert tugged at the mane of lone mare as she silently traversed the sands. Even though her mane glowed subtly under the moonlight, it was not near enough light to lead her way. This task was in the hooves of a lantern swinging with rusty creaking from her mouth. None of these small details did she allow to rest in her mind, for there was much for her to do. Not that she disliked the large amount of work before her—on the contrary—she relished it, but her resources had an annoying tendency to be rather scarce. Hunting down the necessary ore was the irritant. Every day and night, her hours of operation were limited, and often she would spend whole weeks searching for a sufficient quantity. If she had had her way, she would not be in this position at all. Only, every antagonistic event that could have plagued her life had done so. The worst part was not actually her relative inability to do her work, but the knowledge that she had deserved everything her punishment entailed. She could blame no one but herself. She still believed in her actions, for part of her punishment was for nothing more than refusing to beg for forgiveness, but she could only blame herself for being caught. It would be all too easy to blame her failure and capture on her former associates. They had, after all, abandoned her the moment their attempt had been revealed, and she arrested for her direct involvement. At first, this was indeed how she had viewed the entire sequence of events. Over the years though, she had come to the realization that her carelessness, sloppiness, and complacency were solely responsible for her fall from grace. Eternal exile for the ‘corruption of the natural order’ was not something she celebrated—at least not in the traditional sense—but it had at least given her the utmost freedom, if at the cost of efficiency and speed. Of course, this train of thought was more easily come by in her present state. For even though she still had much to do and was beset by a need for secrecy and evasion; she had been flouting the laws of the land and the decrees of her punishment for the longest time of anypony in history. Adding to this pleasurable thought was the knowledge that her project was on the verge of completion; that its existence was still hidden; and that no one even suspected her resurgence. So, even though she was mildly irritated, in the grand scheme of her devising things could not be better. Yes, Aurora Streak was ready, and the House of a Thousand Fangs was nearly at her beck and call. ______________________________________________________________________________ Rainbow Dash, proudly the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria, considered herself well-educated on sky bound objects. Clouds, thunderheads, lightning, rain, birds, bugs, pegasi, floating buildings: Rainbow swore she had seen it all. “Then again,” she thought, hovering with eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, “I’ve never been this close to an Equestrian border this long.” Her job had been simple, but one she relished more than anything. Her idols, the Wonderbolts, had asked if she knew of any particularly windswept areas that were out of the way. According to Spitfire, their traditional training grounds were becoming too routine, not to mention clustered with fans and reporters. Clearly, they needed a new place to practice. Of course, Rainbow had been only too happy—no beyond that—she had been totally stoked to help them. The spot in question was on the edges of the Equestrian border, quite a distance from Ponyville, or any pony settlement for that matter. The land across the line was a wind blasted desert: a complete desolation. Rainbow thought it was the most visually bland place in Equestria, but this time, it did not matter. The fierce currents from the desert carried over into Equestria, providing a chance for pegasi to train against the worst air funnels nature had to offer. Rainbow had honestly only ever spent serious time here on two separate occasions. Both had been incredibly short. The wind she could deal with, it was why she came there after all. The loneliness she could take too; she was tough. But the sand and grit, she would never get used to it getting stuck to every part of her body. However, the Wonderbolts had suits and goggles, and thus the sand would not bother them in the slightest. But now, with that unidentifiable thing flying toward Equestria, Rainbow was not so sure anymore. “Well,” she said with a shrug, “only one way to find out what the hay it is.” With an appropriate pose beforehand, Rainbow rocketed toward the vessel, the wind screaming in her ears in no time. The closer she got, the more confused she became. It looked something like a boat in shape, but it had no masts and was wide rather than long. Its bottom was not deep, but shallow and conforming to the odd shape of the deck. If she could have, Rainbow would have continued to gain speed on her approach, but her proximity to the vessel was slowing her down instead. She scanned the ship for anything capable of doing this, and her eyes narrowed upon seeing the rear. Spewing glaring red flames with enough force to topple a mountain were four massive tube-like devices. They were made of shined brass, much like a goodly portion of the vessel. But the shaking alone could not account for her rapidly dropping speed. It was like flying through molasses for all the work she was putting into staying up. “Come on!” she screamed aloud, willing her wings to beat faster. Even if her ever-loyal wings were somehow failing her, she could at least make a banking pass of the boat’s deck. This showed not only the empty captain’s wheel, but an odd collection of brass plates built into the wood along with small, brass smokestack-like things that appeared to be attached to ball bearings. “That is so weir…!” Rainbow began saying, but the moment she passed over the deck, her wings completely failed, going uselessly limp and dropping her onto the wood. She screamed and winced upon landing, curling up with a severely sprained foreleg. “Shoot!” she hissed through the pain. “Well, maybe whoever owns this thing can help me. They oughta too, since their stupid boat dropped me out of the sky.” “Do not insult the House of a Thousand Fangs by calling her a boat,” a voice penetrated the roaring of the flame geysers. It rang of Luna’s regality, but lacked its refinement and dripped with cynicism. “If you are going to insult something do it properly. Now, get off my research vessel before I throw you off.” “Whoa, whoa!” Rainbow retorted, turning to see the mare speaking to her. She was just some stupid deep blue unicorn with a purple mane and tail streaked with green anyway. “You can’t just throw me off just ‘cause you don’t like visitors. It was your dumb boat that killed my wings and your stupid deck that sprained my leg!” “Interesting…,” the unicorn whispered dangerously to herself. Her eyes closed, and her horn began glowing. Rainbow flinched, ready to be grabbed by some sort of spell and tossed into the sky, but nothing like that happened. She tentatively opened one eye, and could not help but audibly gasp. Surrounding the ship like a bubble was a sphere of sparkling, glowing color: undeniable magic. It was slowing fading from color to color, almost every shade of every hue represented. Under normal circumstances, Rainbow would have been impressed. It was an awesome sight, but more than that, the magic gave off a malevolent aura that drove away any sense of cool the field had. Finally, the field disappeared, or rather, it simply became invisible again, and Rainbow turned her attention back to the mare. “I have changed my mind. You are staying with me,” she said definitively. “And what if I don’t wanna?” Rainbow asked, defiantly. The last thing she wanted to do was stay on this creepy boat with this creepy unicorn. “Just a moment ago, you did not want to leave,” the mare said calmly. “Well duh!” Rainbow replied. “If I could, I’d get off your stupid thingamajig, but my wings won’t work and my leg’s sprained. Pay attention why don’t ya.” “No matter. You will remain that way as long as you stay here, so I guess you have no choice,” the unicorn said, and she flared wings. Oh hay! She’s an allicorn! Rainbow realized with more than a little bit of fear. There’s no way I’m gettin’ away from her unless… The idea was simple, but insane; just the type of plan Rainbow liked best. Reinforcing her mind against the likely pain that was to follow, she dropped onto her back and rolled to the right. “What are you doing?!” the allicorn yelled, voice cracking with confusion. Rainbow could not respond without screaming out in agony. Her plan was working, but her leg would rather it not be. With her speed unparalleled anywhere, Rainbow was off the edge of the rail-less deck in seconds, plummeting away from the boat through the clear air. As she had thought, her wings began to obey her again the further she fell, and she was zipping away toward home in no time. We’ll settle this later… Rainbow glowered as she glanced back at the now accelerating vessel. Right now, I’ve got to warn Ponyville and Princess Celestia about you. However much Rainbow wished it were not so, there was no denying the ship was on direct course for her home. _____________________________________________________________________________ On normal Tuesdays, Twilight Sparkle—student to the Princess of the Sun, Celestia—would set about cleaning the library. She routinely did this once a week, and was often amazed that a place as peaceful as a library could become so messy. And every time this thought passed through her head, she would be reminded of the countless mishaps that had occurred within her current residence. A sigh usually escaped her then, followed by a bit of guilt for allowing so precious a building and its even more precious books to be at constant risk. That was not to say she and Spike did not pick up after themselves. They tried their hardest to keep the place presentable, but Twilight had something of a bad habit of starting too many projects at once. Things inevitably became cluttered, giving her ample reason for a weekly cleaning. This particular Tuesday, however; Twilight could either finish twice as fast, or she would be stuck with a greater mess than when she first started. Pinkie Pie—loveable, crazy, random Pinkie—had asked if she could help her and Spike. Her reasoning, in her own words, had been, “Well you can’t stay cooped all day! That’s just awful! You need have time to get up and move…a…round!” Twilight had said that would be great, even if she had not meant it. If it had been Rarity or Applejack, she could have said no and felt okay about it. Rarity and Applejack would understand. But Pinkie was another matter entirely. It was just so hard to say no to her. Part of this, Twilight was convinced, came from her perpetually hyper nature, but only the coldest pony in the world would ever think of denying Pinkie Pie. Just seeing her reaction to being turned down would wrench any normal pony’s heart. “Well, maybe she will be helpful,” Twilight said to no one but herself, opening the store room for the cleaning supplies. “Yeah, if by helpful you mean knocking over every bookcase in here,” Spike said grumpily, trudging down the stairs with a stack of books taller than him. “Don’t be that way Spike,” Twilight replied mildly. “Let’s not forget that you’ve knocked over the cases before.” “But when I do it, it’s only ‘cause I can’t reach or you’ve given me too many books to put up,” Spike fought back. “Ugh, listen,” Twilight turned around, irritated, “you should just be grateful she wants to help. I mean, Pinkie normally hates doing stuff like this, so…just appreciate it.” “Whatever,” Spike mumbled. Twilight chose to ignore him, as the only way she would win this argument would be if Pinkie really did turn out to be helpful. Twilight waited for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. Only after clearing her head did she begin to fill a mopping bucket with water. The tap could not have been running for more than two seconds when the door was smashed open. “Hey Twilight!” Pinkie yelled, annunciating each word with equal amounts of grandness. Being unprepared for Pinkie’s early arrival, Twilight jerked her head up and banged it on an overhanging shelf. Stinging pain and shock knocked her hoof out, spilling the bucket, and her control over the tap disintegrated. The result was a spray of water all over her body and a pulsing hoof and forehead. “Morning Pinkie,” Twilight said with a groan. “Whadya need?” her friend asked enthusiastically, bouncing over and bending her neck down to Twilight’s level. Her eyes—overly wide, bright, and cheerful as ever—showed not the slightest realization that she had been responsible for the mishap. “Sure, could you fill this bucket with water while I go dry off?” Twilight asked, voice dripping with cynicism. “Okay!” Pinkie answered, flippantly pushing Twilight out of her way and eagerly switching the tap on again. With nothing more for it, Twilight dragged her soaking wet mane and tail up the stairs, doing her best not to think about what Pinkie might do while she was gone. “Told you…” Spike chided her in a sing-song voice as she passed. She paused significantly to glare at him, but wet as she was, it did not have the full effect. While he kept his mouth shut, Spike still motioned with his arms as if to convey, “Hey, I’m right and you know it.” Twilight sighed again, and already she was beginning to brace herself for a day of stress and continual groans. But if her lessons with Princess Celestia and adventures during her stay in Ponyville had taught her anything, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that perseverance always paid off. This thought lifted her spirits considerably as she dried herself off with a towel and threw it onto the building pile of laundry. Upon making her way into the actual library again, she was impressed to see both Spike and Pinkie working. Well, upon a second look, only Spike was really working. Pinkie had somehow procured boar-bristle brushes Twilight knew she didn’t have; strapped them to her hooves; and was now skating wildly around the library floor, suds trailing her. “What’s wrong Twilight?” Pinkie asked on a pass, seeing her friend’s bewildered look. “You didn’t think I’d just sit and scrub all day did you? Boorr—ring.” “Well, as long as it works,” Twilight replied good-naturedly. It was certainly not the most harmful idea Pinkie could have thought up, and she had honestly been expecting worse. Holding out even more hope for the day, Twilight levitated a duster and began giving her upper shelves some much needed TLC. “I LOVE water!” Pinkie shouted randomly, throwing herself in the air before landing with all four hooves in the too-small bucket. The contents splashed all over the floor, and Pinkie immediately leapt out again to twirl over the wood. “Do you have a washing bin Twilight?” Pinkie asked, doing complex acrobatics too close to a flinching Spike for his comfort. “Sure,” she replied, looking down to check their progress. “You want me to take over the floor for a bit so you can start some laundry?” “Nah,” Pinkie said lightly. “I was just thinking how fun it would be to fill it with soapy water and throw Spike in. I bet he looks hilarious covered in bubbles.” “Well, it has been a while since he took a bath…” Twilight admitted, pointedly watching her baby dragon. “No,” Spike said flatly with half-closed lids. “It’s bad enough I have to reorganize these books every week. You and Pinkie aren’t getting a good laugh at my expense.” “Does he really need a bath?!” Pinkie asked, skidding to a slippery halt and completely ignoring Spike. “I think so,” Twilight answered more confidently. “Absolutely not!” Spike insisted, fists clenched. “Come on Spike!” Pinkie zipped over to him, hooves still strapped to the scrubbers. “It’ll be fun! Getting wet in the summer is always the best way to par-tay!” “Dragons don’t take water baths,” Spike informed her in a formal tone. “The most we do is sunbathing.” “Please Spike,” Twilight said from the wash closet, arranging the laundry so she could drag the bin outside. “You’d be more than willing to take a bath if Rarity asked.” She emerged with the bin hovering over her back to Spike staring blankly and blushing. Pinkie had noticed, and was rolling on her back in the cleaning water on the floor, laughing insanely. “Hahahaha! I LOVE it when Spike blushes over Rarity! It’s so funny! Hahaha!” she squealed. “It’s not funny!” Spike complained fervently, attempting to save what remained of his dignity. This only furthered Pinkie’s hysterics and even Twilight could not help but snicker. “Well, you’re not giving me a bath regardless,” Spike said, crossing his arms solidly. “Try me,” Twilight said mildly, grabbing him in her floatation spell and hauling him and the basin out the door. Pinkie followed, still laughing her head off and wearing the bristle scrubbers. It really was a beautiful summer morning, not yet too hot but with the sun shining comfortably on the grass. “Cheer up Spike!” Pinkie said in her usual upbeat tone. He only stared unconvinced at her from within the levitation spell. “Really!” Pinkie continued. “I’ll even give you a back scratch with my scrubbers.” She punctuated this with an emphatic wave of her front hooves, which, while walking forward, resulted in a fantastic tumble, head first into the grass. “Weird,” Pinkie said, more to herself than Twilight, “I normally have no problems walking on two legs.” “Well, we can’t always be perfect,” Twilight said smiling. “You okay though?” “YEP!” Pinkie shouted, leaping up and bouncing ahead without the slightest sign she had just fallen flat on her face. “She blows my mind,” Spike said. “I think she blows just about every pony’s mind,” Twilight agreed, following her friend to the small yard behind the library. Once around, Twilight plopped the tub as close as possible to the outdoor faucet and ungracefully dropped Spike inside it. His head quickly came back up, a glare of disapproval at the ready. “Sorry,” Twilight apologized with a small smile. “And now for the best part: WATER JET!” Pinkie exploded with glee, kicking the tap wide open with her back hooves. True to her promise, the pipe gurgled, dropped a small tear, and finally blasted the entire yard with enough water to flood Celestia’s throne room. Without a warning, Twilight was bombarded by the gushing flow and her mind was rendered nearly frozen from shock. Pinkie on the other hand—likely having planned it from the start—screamed with amused craziness and leapt into the flowing water. Her mane and tail were blown behind her like there was a fierce wind in her face, and she opened and closed her mouth to allow the bursting water to tickle the back of her mouth. For Twilight, it was her one chance. She dashed away from the broken water stream and hurriedly shut the tap. “Awwww….” Pinkie responded. “Didn’t you think that was the best EVER!?” “Well…” Twilight tried to politely avoid telling the exact truth, “it certainly woke me up.” She smiled in an attempt to convince Pinkie Pie, but her friend was not buying it. She stared unconvinced until Twilight tentatively opened her eyes. “What?” Twilight asked exasperated. “Look at Spike!” Pinkie gestured with her hoof, as if this were the most obvious thing one ought to do after escaping a jet stream of water. Twilight did as Pinkie said, if only to see what in Equestria she meant. It was as if Spike had been transformed into a completely different dragon, his purple and green scales standing out sharply in the light of the sun. “Whoa…” he said, gazing at his new look. “There’s no way Rarity’ll turn me down now. Pinkie Pie! You’re the best.” He zipped over to her, embracing her one front leg. “No problem,” Pinkie said. “And it was fun too.” “Are you kiddin’ me?” Spike replied. “It was awesome! Bump on it.” He and Pinkie tapped their fist and hoof, and Twilight could only tilt her head in bewilderment. Some days, Spike was just as random as Pinkie. “Whatever happened to giving him a scrub on the back?” she could not help asking as she wrung out her mane and tail with a spell. “I just thought shooting water at him would be more insane!” Pinkie said animatedly. “Huh…” Twilight gave up. “Come on, let’s go finish.” She had just taken a step forward when the ground began shaking violently, as if there were an earthquake. “Wait! Ponyville doesn’t get earthquakes!” Twilight realized aloud. “Then how do you explain this?” Spike asked, knocked onto his side by the intense vibration. “Who cares?!” Pinkie asked, having kicked off her scrubbers and allowing the shaking to jiggle her whole body like a pebble on pavement. “Twilight!” Spike suddenly shouted. “In the sky! To your right!” She immediately turned her eyes up, and gasped audibly at what she saw. “Spiiiike! Go try to find Rainbow Dash as quickly as you can! Pinkie, you and me are gonna go get Fluttershy!” “O o o o k k k ay ay,” Pinkie agreed, allowing the shaking to carry her after the galloping Twilight. ______________________________________________________________________________ “How the hay is it keeping up with me!?” Rainbow Dash hollered to the sky above Ponyville. The mysterious ship she had thought to be an old clunker of a flying machine was in fact capable of blasting through the air faster than a train. Rainbow could still outstrip it, but Ponyville was already in a panic by the time she got back. Even Rainbow herself could not hide a certain level of fright. For some reason, upon nearing Ponyville the ship had come closer to the ground and the shaking in the air and earth had intensified. Rainbow hated it; if only because she was forced to slow down to avoid crashing into trees and buildings. She hated slowing down, and that allicorn mare was going to pay. But even though her own issues with the vessel were detrimental, her urgency for one of her best friends drove her on. The roaring, gurgling crash of those flame-jetting tubes; the thick black smoke expelled from the brass spikes at its bow; and the world shaking power of its proximity was probably scaring Fluttershy and her animals half to death. Rainbow was risking her hide staying outside with the ship in sight, but there was no way she was leaving poor, gentle Fluttershy alone. Be it blind luck or fate, Rainbow touched down outside her fellow pegasi’s cottage without incident. She winced from walking on her sprained leg, but it was already becoming bearable. “Fluttershy! We gotta go!” she bellowed over the cacophony, banging on the cottage door. “Uh, hurry!” she added when no one answered. “Okay! If you’re not coming out, I’m comin’ in!” She propped herself forward, preparing to buck the door, when somepony screamed her name. Nerves and surprise sent Rainbow forward onto her face, looking wildly around for the source of the voice. “Who’s there?!” she asked apprehensively, standing up properly. “H-h-h-ey-y-y R-r-a-a-i-n-n-n-b-o-o-w!” a jittery version of Pinkie Pie’s voice rang out. Turning her head in the direction of Ponyville, Rainbow relaxed slightly as Twilight and Pinkie came galloping up the road. Well, Twilight was galloping. Pinkie was allowing the shaking ground to carry her along, hence the bouncy voice. She eyed Pinkie concernedly as she always did when the pink pony acted so nonchalant, but was interrupted before Pinkie could see her. “Are you trying to get Fluttershy?!” Twilight asked over the tumult. “Yeah!” Rainbow replied, “but she won’t answer!” Pinkie opened her mouth to add something, but was cut across by a bubbly hissing from the ship, still visible over Ponyville. More brass tubes extended from hidden planks on its underside, but instead of belching smoke, endless streams of cloud came pouring out. They accumulated beneath the vessel rapidly; coagulating into a single, square-shaped mass. Once the cloud had been fully deposited, the ship’s gushing flames gradually shrank into nothingness, and it gently settled atop the cloud. All of the dissonance it had brought with it ceased, and should a stranger be arriving in Ponyville, its presence might as well be nothing but normal. “No…way…” Rainbow could not help but saying in inspired awe. “That…is…totally…AWESOME!” “I want one!” Pinkie piped in cheerily. “Imagine how much confetti and cotton candy I could stuff in those tubes!” “No girls,” Twilight said seriously. “That is neither awesome nor fun.” “Come on Twilight,” Rainbow said, exasperated. “The mare on board is definitely a threat to Equestria, but you’ve got to admit…that cloud thing is so cool!” “I don’t have to admit anything. If you would just…wait, did you say there’s a mare on board that’s a threat to Equestria?” “Yeah,” Rainbow said, though now with less urgency. The ship had quieted after all. “She’s some allicorn with a power trip problem. Dunno who she is or why she’s got such an attitude, but that boat is the definition of sweet.” “For the final time,” Twilight said, beginning to become aggravated, “the fact that that invention spewed cloud is not a good sign. It’s one thing to capture clouds, but it’s a whole other thing to imbue something that big with Pegasus magic.” “What’re you talkin’ about?” Rainbow asked in disbelief. “Pegasi don’t have any magic.” Twilight turned to face Rainbow directly, her face heavy with her signature “You should know what I’m talking about” look. “What?” Rainbow shrugged, honestly just not understanding Twilight’s jibber jabber. “How do you think a Pegasus stands on clouds?” Twilight asked dryly. “Oh, that’s what you mean,” Rainbow replied, now less confused, but still not overly alarmed. She had thought the shaking and disorder the vessel had been causing was purposeful, but it was clear those effects were only byproducts of its normal operation. “Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, darting over to Fluttershy’s door. Said door was open and Fluttershy, still shaking slightly and eyes warily watching the sky, came out leading her plethora of animals. “Is it over?” she asked fearfully. “No, Fluttershy, it is by no means over,” Twilight said seriously, prompting a solid knock on her head from Rainbow. “What I mean is...” Twilight corrected herself sheepishly, “the shaking is over, but the vessel that caused it is still here.” “Where is it?” Fluttershy asked tentatively. “Can you see it?” “Yeah!” Pinkie said, almost eagerly. “It’s sitting on its own cloud over Ponyville.” The three others split, allowing Fluttershy to peer into the distance. “Oh my,” Fluttershy said immediately. “It seems so cold on the outside. What is it?” “No clue,” Rainbow inserted promptly, “but no pony with any sense should go near it. My wings wouldn’t work around it.” “Tell me more about it Rainbow Dash,” Twilight ordered. “If we’re going to send a warning to Princess Celestia, we need to be as detailed as possible.” “Um, well,” Rainbow began, “there were my wings, which didn’t work, and even when they did, I wasn’t able to fly as fast as normal.” “And the mare?” Twilight asked. “Do I look like a camera to you?” Rainbow shot back. “I was too worried about escaping at the time to care.” “I mean did she use any magic?!” Twilight said, raising her voice. “You should’ve said so!” Rainbow replied, becoming more boisterous as well. “Well…!?” Twilight pressed. “Fluttershy says BE QUIET!” Pinkie exploded before the argument could continue further. Both ponies turned in surprise to Fluttershy, who looked away mildly. “I was just saying,” she spoke softly, “that if it really is a threat, arguing won’t get us anywhere.” Rainbow and Twilight stared blankly at her for a few moments, but Dash eventually spoke up. “You’re right Fluttershy,” she said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s like I completely forgot about the threat it was. That is totally uncool…what the hay?” “What’s wrong Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked, her curiosity shining through in her voice. “No it’s just…The last time I remember doing something like that…” she trailed off, too unsure in her assumption to say anything more. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Twilight said, spitting a bit from the tongue twisting, “then why hasn’t Fluttershy been affected?” “Because only I’ve been close to that thing,” Rainbow reasoned. “You don’t seriously think he’s on board it do you? I mean, we saw it; hay, we did it ourselves.” “But it would be rather unlike him to go at us only half-heartedly,” Twilight said, scowling in deep thought. “Who are you talking about?” Fluttershy asked. “It’s becoming confusing.” “Discord,” Rainbow said flatly. “Me and Twilight think he’s on that ship with whoever that mare is.” “It’s ‘Twilight and I’ Dash,” Twilight corrected, “but we also think that he’s, for whatever reason, not as strong as he was. Only some of us have been affected, and then, even those of us who have been, it’s been minimal and sporadic.” “That’s crazy talk,” Pinkie waved her hoof nonchalantly. “He’s a statue still. Stone doesn’t move around silly. Well, gargoyles do, but Discord isn’t a gargoyle and I don’t think…” “Pinkie!” Rainbow shouted, unable to take her rant any longer. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we’re overreacting. But we can’t be sure, and even without Discord, that mare means business.” “Let’s head back into town,” Twilight suggested. “But we need to go our separate ways. Anyone who knows about us and the Elements will be looking for us as a group. Rainbow, you come in with Fluttershy from the direction of the Everfree Forest. Pinkie, make sure you meet up with Applejack. She’ll probably come into town on the regular road, so meet her there and be sure she understands our suspicions.” Rainbow saluted stolidly, eyed Fluttershy somewhat harshly, and blasted into the skies with her timid friend following. “Sure Twilight,” Pinkie said, attempting seriousness and failing epically. “Do want me to pick up some cupcakes for everypony?” “Pinkie, just go find Applejack,” Twilight struggled to remain calm. “We can talk about cupcakes a little later.” “Okay,” Pinkie replied, bouncing away toward Sweet Apple Acres. And now you, Twilight thought to herself. Drag Rarity out of her house, find Spike, get a letter to the Princess as fast as possible, and see if we can’t figure out what that thing is. There’s got to be some precedent in some book. ______________________________________________________________________________ Ponyville could have been a ghost town. The shutters for every home were all tightly clasped to their windows, so much so that not even the wind could cause them to wiggle slightly. Twilight went slinking through these eerie facades, repeatedly glancing back at Ponyville Town Hall and the gargantuan vessel that rested over its flag pole. The craft had much greater girth up close than Twilight had ever imagined, and indeed, it was so massive, she doubted if even all the citizens of Ponyville could fill a third of its deck. Within nothing but its brooding presence, Twilight made her way to Rarity’s shop, Carousel Boutique. Like every other building in Ponyville, it too was shut up like it had been foreclosed. Under normal circumstances, Twilight would have just gone up and knocked on the door. As things stood, even a whisper was like a shout in the new Ponyville, and Twilight was rather apprehensive about the ship’s reaction to so intrusive a sound. Oh, good Celestia, she berated herself, it’s an inanimate object. Don’t be ridiculous. Just knock on the door. And yet, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself of this, it still seemed dangerous to do much more than pad through the streets. But she had to know if Rarity was here, and the only way to determine that was to knock. C’mon Twilight, she convinced herself. You faced down Nightmare Moon, Discord, and the Changeling Army. You can knock on a door. Before her irritating gut could say otherwise, she tapped her hoof on Rarity’s door. Even after several seconds, nothing happened. There was not even any sound from inside the Boutique to indicate whether or not Rarity was just trying to stay hidden. Disheartened, Twilight made to step down into the street again, but was forcibly yanked by the neck through the now open door onto Rarity’s show floor. She coughed slightly, but was just glad that Rarity was indeed at her home. “What in Equestria are you doing outside Twilight?” she asked, utter shock displayed in her tone. “Did you not see that horrid, ugly thing take Town Hall hostage?” “Hey, Twilight!” came another familiar and relieved voice. “Aw, man, it’s good to know you’re okay,” Spike continued, coming up to stand beside Rarity. “I couldn’t find Rainbow Dash, and when that ship started coming down even lower; Rarity, me, and a bunch of other ponies hid here.” “Slow down Spike,” Twilight reassured him. “Rainbow Dash is fine. So are Pinkie and Fluttershy. Applejack should be okay too, but Pinkie’s on her way to Sweet Apple Acres just to be sure. What about all the other ponies? Where are they?” “Upstairs,” Rarity answered as Spike sighed in relief. “It’s been a nightmare trying to keep them organized and away from all of my things.” Twilight half-heartedly suppressed rolling her eyes, and asked, “What did you mean when you said Town Hall had been taken hostage?” Rarity’s mouth dropped open slightly and her eyes narrowed concernedly at this apparently ridiculous question. “Um, Twilight,” Spike said, his voice colored with the same confusion on Rarity’s face, “you can see that ship outside right?” “Oh, I thought somepony had come off the ship,” Twilight realized. “No dear,” Rarity said, “not a single pony or otherwise has come or gone from that hulk of unrefined junk. It’s strange, don’t you think?” “I’m not sure,” Twilight replied, “but the only way we’re going to find out is by taking a closer look. You guys are with me right?” “Count me in!” Spike said fiercely. “Anypony who thinks they can get away with terrorizing Ponyville has another thing comin’.” “You’ve been hanging around with Rainbow Dash too much Spike,” Rarity said. “I’m not sure Twilight. Don’t you think we should go more cautiously? Form a plan of sorts first?” “Rarity,” Twilight said sarcastically, “when has a plan ever proven useful? Besides, that thing is so big, I doubt even the most skilled pony could get close without being noticed.” “Are you suggesting we get caught?!” Rarity asked in horror. “Yes,” Twilight replied blankly. “At least if we don’t look like we’re spying, we can’t be accused of doing it.” “I follow,” Spike agreed, then in a quieter voice, “though I’m not sure whether that’s a good sign or not.” “What should I tell the ponies here still?” Rarity asked. Twilight grimaced. Not many ponies aside from Celestia and her trusted advisors knew Twilight and her friends were the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. It would be difficult to convince them to stay without revealing their affiliations. “Twilight?” Rarity queried again. “How many are there?” Twilight asked stolidly. “Only five,” Spike said. “Why does that matter?” “We’re leaving now,” Twilight said weightily. “Don’t tell them anything, and be as quiet as you can. The less they know the better.” “But…my things…” Rarity nearly pleaded. “Rarity,” Twilight said forcefully, “We’re leaving.” Her rather materialistic friend hung her head in mild depression, but followed them out nonetheless. Twilight searched the streets apprehensively before leading her two fellows toward Ponyville Square. As they walked, Twilight began to feel that the eerie desertedness all around them was not the way it seemed. The houses were all shut up, true, but they were less than lifeless, as if no pony, hiding or not, resided in them. “Where is everypony?” Spike asked, bewildered by the atmosphere and voicing Twilight’s thoughts. “They’re hiding dear,” Rarity said, “much like we should be.” “No, I think Spike’s feeling it too,” Twilight said, curiosity aroused. “Nopony is in their house. They’re not hiding.” “Well if they’re not here,” Rarity asked, interested despite herself, “where are they?” Twilight was about to voice her suspicions, but when they rounded the corner into Ponyville Square, all that escaped her mouth was, “Oh no.” When they had come into the Square—shops and houses darkened by the ship’s cloud—Twilight had expected to find nopony; not most everypony crowded beneath the ship’s shadow, gazing raptly up at a break in the cloud. “What are they doi…mph!” Rarity nearly shouted before Twilight hastily shoved a hoof into her mouth. An allicorn mare was speaking from the break in the cloud. The source of the gap was a litter of sorts, suspended rather than supported. Four tightly wound—and consequently thin—steel cables extended down from the vessel. They were attached to the tops of the four poles supporting the litter’s shade. This shade was in the shape of a flowing square pyramid. It was colored in a deep hue of navy blue, like the night sky, but the edges of each facet were colored by ethereal, jagged marks of luminescent green and pink. It was the first sign of color Twilight had seen in the invading vessel, but it gave her no hope as it normally would have. She was not exactly sure what it was about the shade, be it the colors, shape, their arrangement, or a combination of the three, but she could feel vicious purpose and significance emanating from it. As horrible as the sensation was, it also brought a level of relief. Discord’s only drive was to cause chaos. There was nothing in the chaos itself. It generated more questions than answers, but undoubtedly the allicorn mare standing on the litter platform of brass and wood had every answer. She was an imposing and regal figure, Twilight had to admit. Her coat was the same deep blue as Princess Luna’s and the shade above her, and her eyes were a sharp, but pale pink. Her mane was an uncommon light violet with green lines down its length, and she had combed it onto one side of her face. It fell down below her shoulder, but was uneven and a bit unkempt at the edges. Her tail was of the same pattern, but had been much better groomed. Its whole length was smoothly flowing, though not as long as that of Princess Luna or Celestia. As for her general size, Twilight guessed her to be around Cadence’s height. “And I have returned, for nothing but knowledge and a desire to spread that knowledge,” she was saying. Twilight, Spike, and Rarity all started. Her voice was much lighter and sweeter than they had imagined, and amazingly, there was nothing fake in it. “I apologize for any fear my preferred mode of arrival may have caused, but I assure you my experiments will more than make it up to you.” “Oh yeah!” screamed out the unmistakable challenging voice of Rainbow Dash. “Do those experiments involve stealing a pegasus’s wings?!” “Well subtlety just went out the window,” Rarity whispered cynically before the assembly of ponies burst into confused and accusatory shouts. “I told you before,” the mare answered Rainbow, wherever she was, “if you are going to do something, take the effort to do it properly. I have no desire to engage with a ruffian such as yourself in a debate you will refuse to lose, even when I have clearly won.” “Rainbow Dash’s no ruffian!” Applejack’s signature accent rang out. “Who’d ya thank ya’r, talkin’ like that?!” Applejack’s comment was well met by the citizens of Ponyville, but Twilight was still dumbstruck by the mare’s language. Behind her pleasant voice, was an arrogant, snarky tone that seemed completely justified. There was an authority there that Twilight, having lived around Princess Celestia for many years, could identify, and that her friends could not. This mare had power, knew it, and was unafraid to show it. Even if her resolve rebelled against it, in that moment, Twilight Sparkle became scared for the survival of Ponyville and Equestria.