A strong white unicorn stallion with a short, electric blue mane stood in a luxurious marble chamber, dressed in a decorated blue uniform. Outside the set of windows, a light snow gently fell, and in the far distance a storm raged.
“Urgent news, general,” a pink alicorn announced as she trotted in.
“Go ahead, Ruby,” he answered.
“There are indications that not only is The Alliance's device ready, but that it was the cause for the fall of Hoover dome.”
There was an uncomfortable silence as the general took in the information.
“The device brought down the entire dome of Vanhoover?” he marveled.
“...At least that's what reports indicate.”
“And so it's been used?”
“This is all I've been told to relay.”
“That would explain why they didn't attack... Thank you, Ruby. It looks like we'll need to take defensive measures, and hasten preparations. Please call a meeting with the rest of the staff immediately.”
“I will, General.” He nodded to her as she rushed off.
He turned and sighed as he looked out into the cold. “Already...”
* * *
Applejack was at a loss at what to do. The guards wouldn't say a helpful word. If she ran she'd get shot, and if she kept walking, she'd get locked up. There was little choice, so she kept hobbling along, legs tied together, leaning on the guard to keep from falling over as she walked awkwardly to a jail.
She had only just noticed her hat was missing. She figured it must've fallen off in the fight with the guards, unnoticed by her at the time.
She let out a stifled sighed through the gag.
She was led into a room with an old earth pony sitting at a desk. There were four guards posted in the room. They came to a stop in front of the desk, keeping her hooves tied so she was forced to remain leaning on one of her escorts. “Warden, we have a new guest,” one announced.
“Ah, alright, alright,” the warden said without looking up from the paperwork on his desk. “Name, residence, age, color, eye color, mane color, tail color and species,” he listed off his demands. The escorts untied her gag.
Applejack looked around. There seemed to be no reason to be uncooperative. Being silent or lying would do no good, but she was sure these ponies were no good, either, and she wasn't about to give them everything they wanted. “I'hm Applejack...”
“And?” he pressed.
“An' why should I help the ponies that hurt my friends and tied me up'?!” she spat. She was swiftly kicked in the side by a guard.
“Guards, beat her thoroughly then have her choked out. If she's still uncooperative we'll have her executed.”
The guard she was leaning on threw her onto the floor, while the other grabbed her tail and started dragging her.
“Wait! Wait!” she cried.
He put a hoof up, still looking down at paperwork. The guards stopped.
“We'll give her another chance. Go ahead, filly. And don't waste my time,” he said flatly.
She sighed. She bit her lips and huffed like a bull, cheeks turning red. A guard lifted her so she could stand again.
“I'm from Sweet Apple Acres..." she started with a growl, "I'hm twenty-two, an – what did y'all ask again?!” she snapped.
“Color, eye color, mane color, tail color and species.” His voice dripped with impatience.
“I'hm orange. Green eyes, mah mane and tail are blond, and I'm an Earth pony.”
With a loud slam, he set down the quill.
“Ah, you sound familiar! Is Applejack your private name or public name?”
“Come again?”
“Is 'Applejack' your private name or public name?” he asked, his voice seething with irritation. “I'm not going to ask again.”
She cocked an eyebrow and glanced around the room, her right ear folding back. “It's... My, uh... Name, name?”
“Right...” he said, flipping through a folder full of forms.
“Aha! Orange earth pony with naturally blond mane, Gold Will, Applejack. You're right here on file. Looks like you've been here before. It says-” he froze.
He looked up at her, wide-eyed. He stared for several long moments, then looked back down to the file.
He pulled a picture from the folder, looked at it, then looked back at Applejack. “Do you have family, Applejack?” he asked with a level but loud voice.
“Uhh, yeah. I got an' older brother, Big Macintosh, a younger sister-”
“Please describe your older brother,” he interrupted.
She glared at him, then continued, “He's a quiet pony an' a real hard worker. He's real big, red, orange mane an' tail, green eyes-”
“Guards,” the warden started “go take a message to general Crimson Fire. Tell him his sister has just been arrested, alive, after she's been killed and buried, and she's here. I'll keep an eye on this one with my own guards.”
“Right away!” They promptly left, leaving Applejack without support. She yelped as she fell to the ground with a painful thud.
“His sister!? Killed and buried!? What's goin' on with you pon-” She was cut off by one of the guards replacing her gag.
She growled loudly, glaring at the old pony.
“Oh, believe me, young mare, you'll get plenty of opportunity to speak, shortly. But for now, it's best you remain quiet, and when you do speak, it is us who will ask the questions.”
* * *
“Streamers! She actually wanted streamers on her dress! Can you believe that!?” Rarity's voice strained.
“Rarity-” Amber Light started.
“And then Applejack – I'm not sure if it's just as bad or worse, but she wanted galoshes with her dress!”
“Rarity!”
“And Twilight! Connecting the stars with lines to make constellations – scorpions and minotaurs – oh the eyesore!”
“RARITY!”
“Oh, yes, dear?”
“We understand that domers are not as well dressed as Equestrians!” Amber Light vented at Rarity's long tangent.
“Oh, but that's not all! Have they ever heard of soap?... Have you ever heard of soap?!”
“If you'll notice, we're a bit short on water... Well, water that's warm enough to bathe in without dying of hypothermia,” Flameheart explained.
“Very well, but these 'domers', you called them!-”
“-you saw the domers, ran from the guards and met us. Is that it?” Light asked.
“Well... Yes. I do suppose that is all of what has happened.”
“Well, Amber Light, what do you make of it?” Flameheart asked.
Amber looked at her and circled her, making her uneasy. “Alright. Flameheart, grab her. Snowglade, tie her up. Now.”
“WHAT!?”
She hardly had time to think before she was tied. “Sweetie Belle, what are you doing!? Agh! Watch the hoof! Augh! Untie me this instant! This is absolutely uncivilized!”
“Calm down. Let us talk for a minute, then we'll let you go,” Amber said.
She tried to pull the ropes off with telekinesis, but nothing happened. “But what are you doing! Why did you tie me up!? Why isn't my magic working!?”
“Shh” Amber Light hushed her.
“You!-”
The nurse put a hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes; “Don't worry. Everything will be alright. Just let us talk things out for a minute.” Her voice was gentle and sincere. Rarity's grimace relaxed as she looked at her.
“Snowglade, watch her while we talk outside.” Amber Light led all of the team except Sweetie Belle outside the tent.
“Yes, sir,” she replied dutifully.
“Now, Sweetie Belle, what on Earth is going on!?”
“Can't say, sis...”
Outside the tent the blizzard had eased to a gentle snowfall. The team walked into the cold and gathered in a tight cluster. The nurse leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice while fighting back shivers; “She was certainly very near death. She wouldn't have lasted another minute if we hadn't found her when we did.”
“True... And I believe if she were using a warmth spell, her core temperature would've stayed warm, correct?” Amber asked, and the nurse nodded.
“But that was not the case. She definitely had a severe case of hypothermia. So she wasn't using a warmth spell,” she replied.
“Her story holds up so far,” Flameheart added. “She did know our private names, and Snowglade's name. I'd say it's case closed. She's telling the truth. Either that or she's the best actor I've ever seen, and a genius, at that, to keep all her facts straight.”
“Still, it's a bit of a far-fetched story. Let's keep an eye on her; don't let her out of your sight. Don't reveal any more than I say. It's also best we not tell her our plans in advance.” His team nodded.
They heard wailing from inside the tent. Amber let out a loud sigh and re-entered, followed by his team.
Rarity was crying.
Snowglade's expression was flat. “She's been asking me to untie her. And loosen the rope. And complaining about chaffing. Now she's crying about how awful everything is.”
“But it's true! I just want to go home!” Rarity wailed.
“Alright. Flameheart, get back on guard duty outside,” Amber ordered.
“Right away.” He started donning the heavy winter gear.
“Snowglade, you may untie her. And I hope you're not planning to escape, Rarity, 'cause we're the only source of warm clothes and food that you'll find. And if you keep crying, so help me I'll get our resident wood-carver to make a pacifier for you.” He pointed at Flameheart.
“I'll carve it. I'd love to carve something for our guest!” he said with a smile.
“How can you be so insensitive?!” she asked them, her voice choked with tears. Sweetie Belle magicked her ropes off.
“Me? I was offering a gift. Wouldn't you like a pacifier?” Amber asked using a baby voice.
“You monsters!” she sobbed to both of them.
“Oh! I didn't mean it as an insult! I guess that's a bit of a foalish gift, huh? But I still want to carve something for you... Hmm...” Flameheart went into thought, eyeing Rarity.
“I really don't blame her, coming from where she did,” the nurse chimed in.
Amber light continued; “Well, no matter, you'd better listen to this 'monster', because I'm going to tell you what you need to know.”
She sniffed.
“Why should I?!”
“Because if you don't saddle down and start acting like a real mare, then you're going to die, quite simply. We need to tell you things you need to know to survive out here.”
“And why should I!?” She started crying again.
“Aha!” Flameheart said, coming back out of thought, only to notice that Rarity had fallen back into wailing. “Oh, dear. Did I miss something?”
“Flameheart, just gear up and get on guard duty.” Amber Light's voice was underlined with irritation.
“Right away!” He continued gearing up.
The nurse glanced at the leader with a cocked eyebrow and a light scowl. He relented, turning to their refugee. “Look, we just want to get you out alive, okay?”
“And get me home?!” She asked.
“I certainly wouldn't complain about that,” he added.
He looked straight at Redheart and motioned to their unicorn guest.
“Rarity, you're safe with us. Amber Light may be... Not like the Carrot Cake you described at all, but he's well-meaning.” The nurse put a hoof around her shoulders. “You'll be alright here, and we'll get you home. There's lots of powerful magicians at Bastion-” Amber Light cleared his throat, glaring at the medic.
“And we'll see what we can do,” she finished.
“But why did you tie me up!?” Rarity asked.
“You could've been a spy,” Amber Light told.
“Me? A spy! They tried to kill me! I'm no spy at all!”
“Of course you're not a spy” Redheart said. “That's what we found out. What, with how we found you, how you knew your sister's name, and how gentle and kind you are...”
“You don't mean it!”
“But I do! Now don't cry, everything will be alright.” She wiped Rarity's tears. “You still haven't had your soup yet.”
“Your magic works fine, by the way,” Amber said. “We wrapped your horn in a gem-studded ribbon while we thought you might be a spy. Medic, you may take it off.”
“You mean magic-reflecting gems? You stopped my magic!?”
“And saved your life,” he replied. "And don't forget that allowing you to use your magic is a sign of trust and good faith. We have no incentive to do so other than that."
The nurse took the ribbon off.
“Now, down to business,” Amber started. “Rarity, this world is vastly different. Those living in the dome you saw were part of 'The Alliance'. They call themselves 'The Order', but really they're called 'The Alliance'. Their government is a bunch of murdering liars, and that's about what you need to know. They've fooled the entire population into believing that all unicorns are horrible monsters with powerful magic, and absolutely nothing will convince them otherwise.
“If they had captured you, they would've killed you in a brutal and torturous way, just because you're a unicorn. We're here to keep that from happening...”
“But, if it's because I'm a unicorn, then how could I have been a spy?” she asked.
“I did say they were murdering liars, didn't I? They have a secret police force known as the 'Blades of Night' composed of unicorns. Now, if you could chow down on that soup ASAP, we've got to pack up and get going. It's going to take a bit longer since we've got one more extra to accommodate, and we've got a tight schedule to keep.”
“One more extra?” She asked.
Flameheart strapped a large rifle to the outer side of his hoof.
“Oh, yes. Flameheart's a downed pilot. More on that later, though. Now we need to get you ready for a walk in the tundra.” Amber explained.
The pilot lifted the arm with the rifle, flipped it to the inner side of his arm, set the stock against his shoulder, and chambered a round.
* * *
In a small living room, the dull pink pony was finishing wrapping Pinkie's thigh in bandage. Pinkie sniffed, cried out, tired, and woozy. “The pain meds should be taking effect by now. The police usually use very low caliber rounds for their regular duty, saves logistics and allows them to carry more ammo. This one looked like about a twenty-two, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Lucky there was a unicorn, there, otherwise they probably would've come after you. Interrupting them while they're trying to capture a unicorn-”
She looked up from her work to see the puffy-maned pony was asleep.
Poor thing must be exhausted. As fun as getting shot at is, when you're hit, it's not so fun...
She pulled Pinkie onto her own back and carried her to her bedroom. She gently set her down on her bed. She pulled the covers out from under Pinkie. She shifted in her sleep as she put the covers over her. I've never felt so good about taking care of myself...
She tucked Pinkie in, then filled a glass of water from the kitchen, and set it next to the nightstand. The pony rolled in her sleep a little. The domer's heart melted a little.
There was a hard knock on the front door. She walked out, closed her bedroom door, and hurried. She knew they wouldn't be searching the house this time. She could always tell when they meant to search.
She opened the door and looked around the street to see a patrol of two guards, one going down each side of the street, knocking on doors and flying off. Two others nailed an announcement to a post on the street and flew away. She trotted out to see a public announcement of a unicorn spectacular later the next day.
Looks like I've got business tomorrow. She grinned, having been waiting weeks for the opportunity.
A small crowd of curious ponies had gathered around. A few pegasi hovered nearby. A group of three brown ones with particularly stocky builds hoofbumped eachother, and started talking:
“I've been sharpening some stones for weeks for this!”
“You mean those wicked-looking ones!?”
“Yeah!”
“Too bad they won't let us use knives!”
“Uh, no, numbskull, you don't want to kill it before the finale!”
“But there should really be some kind of stabbing, ya'know?”
“Just sharpen some stones like I did!”
She felt sick to see so many of them excited about the public execution, for a very different reason than her own. Instead, she focused on the ones who looked sad, appalled, and the ones who simply walked off without any response at all. It would've been hard to tell, but she knew, she hoped, that they were the majority.
She trotted back to her house, thinking of preparing a salad for her mysterious guest, when she felt her knees and nose itch.
Someone was setting up a trap for her, and it was set wherever it was she was thinking of going.
My house! She darted behind the small building, and approached her bedroom window. She carefully looked and saw that the room was empty. Her heart was pounding in her ears. The silence was terrible. She opened the window as quietly as she could, and silently slid through it. The pink pony and the glass were missing from the bed.
The blankets were slightly bloodied, in a mess on the floor.
What!? They didn't come when I was gone, did they? I wasn't gone for a minute!! She screamed in her head. Oh you idiots better not have hurt a cute curly hair on her cute pink head!
She approached the closed bedroom door, moving slowly, gently lowering each hoof to avoid making any noise. She cautiously leaned against the door, and spent several long moments listening intently for the smallest noise. The silence was overbearing, interrupted only by her heart thudding in her chest.
She exploded into her main living room and darted to the opposite side, jumping behind the couch, expecting to hear gunfire and shouting.
Instead, a pink pony screamed, hid behind the table in the kitchen, then instantly jumped up again; “You aren't supposed to surprise me! It's a surprise party FOR you, not BY you! So what's your name!? Ooooh! You haven't told me yet! Is that because it's a -” She leaned in close, leaning the side of her head against the dull pony's. She hid her head in the pony's long, straight pink-hued mane; “is it a secret? Are you a SPY?” she whispered loudly.
Pinkie didn't notice the dark pony's jaw had dropped open the moment she blew in the room, and stayed open. “No! Of course not! I'm Astilbe... What did you do to my house?...” she said, looking around, noticing party decorations everywhere.
“I got it prepared for a I-just-met-you and thank-you-for-saving-me party, of course! What kind of party would it be if there wasn't cake! It would be a cakeless party! And that's not a party at all!”
“Cake?...” She noticed a fresh-baked cake in her kitchen.
“What is going on here? I wasn't gone for five minutes, and you decorated my house like it's a filly's birthday, and baked a cake!?”
“I know! It took me forever! Usually I can do it so much faster than this! - Wait! Did you say it's a filly's birthday!? Who's birthday is it!? Is it YOURS!? Is it!? Is it!?” she asked, bouncing with energy.
“How... How are you walking on that leg?” Astilbe asked, much more gently, pointing towards Pinkie's blood-drenched bandaged thigh.
“Oh, this? I-” Pinkie's expression suddenly melted. “OOOWWWW!!!” She fell on the ground clenching her thigh.
Astilbe rushed over. “Pain meds don't work perfectly...” she told her.
“Well duh! The only thing that works perfectly is a tambourine! And do you know – Ooooh” She was cut off as another pang hit her.
Astilbe couldn't help but crack an innocent half-smile at Pinkie's cheerful antics, as she helped Pinkie back up. “Look, you may have opened the wound again, and that's bad, you could die if you don't rest.”
“D-... die?”
“Yes, this is serious. But don't worry, I made you a promise you'd be okay if you did what I said, remember?”
“No, you promised I'd be okay if I came with you!”
“Well, I promise you'll be okay if you do what I say.”
“Pinkie Promise?”
“I Pinkie Promise.” Astilbe said with a comforting smile.
“You didn't do the promise!” The guest protested.
“I didn't?”
“No!”
“How do I 'do' it?”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pinkie went through the motions, “Ooohh!” and clenched her thigh again in an intense pang of pain.
Astilbe copied Pinkie's motions. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Then she continued in a more serious tone; “Now you need to get back in bed, and lie down so your leg is above your chest, okay?”
“Okay... But what about-”
“I'll bring you some cake.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah, and a lot of water, too.”
“I am thirsty!”
“See, we can still have a good time with you in bed. If a cake makes a party, then you can party in bed, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so, as long as there's cake!...” Astilbe chuckled at Pinkie's antics again.
“Uhm... Could you help me... Get there?” The Equestrian was holding her bandaged leg in the air.
“Sure. Just lean on me.” Astilbe led her back to bed, tucked her in, and got some of the cake and water for her.
She had never seen a pony make such a mess of eating such a small slice of cake. “Can I have more?!”
“No, I worry what the sugar low will do to you! But I'll make you a salad!”
“Mmmm! Salad!”
Astilbe went into the kitchen and soon returned with a simple salad. Pinkie ravenously devoured it, then chugged the water. “Now, I'm really wondering exactly what your story is. What were you doing with-” She stopped.
Pinkie had finished eating, and turned to her caretaker with a suddenly sober face. “Astilbe,” she started, in a sad, serious tone that took her host off guard.
“What happened to my friends, Applejack and Twilight? And Rarity?”
“You mean the earth pony with the hat and the unicorn?”
“Mhm.”
“Well... I don't know.”
“Those big'ol meanie guards hurt me, and now they got them... Are they gonna hurt them?”
“I... I'm afraid they're going to hurt the unicorn you were with.”
Pinkie looked down, her ears flattening. She sniffed, glanced side to side, then looked up at Astilbe with scared, wet eyes. “Is-is she gonna... Is she gonna die?”
Astilbe sighed. Her mouth turned to a frown, compassion came over her face. “I'm afraid so, Pinkie,” she said.
Pinkie started wailing like a foal. Astilbe hushed her down, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “But she's my friend! They can't do that! They can't! She's a nice pony! She's a cute pony! She's a smart pony!” Pinkie stopped yelling and fell into crying again.
Astilbe leaned in and wrapped her hoof over both her shoulders.
“Pinkie, Pinkie... don't cry... can you keep a secret?”
Tears continued to pour down her face as she sobbed. “Mmhmm.”