//------------------------------// // Deadline // Story: Her Own Pony // by Jorofrarie //------------------------------// Here we are... finally. Latest chapter, and latest change of events. Don't forget to like and fav, and COMMENT! Seriously, it's the only way you can give me feedback. The sun rose above the peak of Canterlot’s mountain with slightly less spectacle than was normal. The only real sign that it was there was a dull bright smudge in the clouds where it might have been. But even that smudge was lost in the blurring curtains of rain that bore down on the city with a vengeance. She had been watching the weather coming in for about an hour now, waiting for it to reach boiling point. Only in the last ten or so minutes however had the storm actually started. For so long beforehand the clouds had been gathering, clumping together slowly and darkening far above her head, and that was after taking into account that she was staying in Canterlot, the highest place around. If she squinted a little, she could almost make out the pegasus ponies flying around, coercing the clouds to clump together and form the unbroken line that spoke of a maelstrom to come. A whistling wind struck up, howling past the outlying fringes of the mansion. From her spot on the balcony it was almost deafening, although she was lucky enough to have it coming from behind her, so no rain actually landed on her. It was a small luxury, but it was enough. But it didn’t stop the once-clear landscape from becoming a mire of muddy browns and running water. The flickering of the candle by her bed and the occasional lightening flash was the only light she had, but it was enough to see that Canterlot was a little wet. She let out a deep sigh, her body relaxing until she was lying down, head resting on her front hooves as she watched the storm. She knew that today could possibly be the last day she would see, this the last sunrise. Funny that. She hadn’t even thought that she’d miss something that simple that much. It was just a big yellow ball after all, a flaming mass in the sky. And yet... There was something about it, the welcoming glow in the morning when she woke up and looked outside. The reds and oranges when she went to bed in the evening, after Fancy had shown her the city. And I don’t get to see it today… So lost in thoughts as she was, she didn’t even hear the knocking at her door until a shout came through, barely making it into her head – and past the noise of the rain. She looked back to see a very bedraggled looking Polished Mantle standing there, slowly and hesitantly opening the door. His grey fur was looking darker, and water dripped from the top of his muzzle. He coughed as he caught sight of her sitting at the balcony, doing a quick double-take before hastily recovering. “I’m terribly sorry if I’m interrupting anything miss Pie. I just wished to tell you that breakfast is ready for you if you are hungry.” His smile looked forced for some reason. “Thanks Polished!” she shouted back. He nodded and looked as if to leave, but a thought slipped into her head, and she stopped him with a shouted, “Actually, do you think I would be able to have it in here?” Polished hesitated. “Why would you want to eat up here? Wouldn’t you wish you come downstairs and discuss the plan for today with Fancy Pants? I have no doubt that he would want to see how you slept last night.” His eyes wandered around the room, before resting on somewhere behind her, out in the storm. For some reason he just wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Is there something wrong?” “N-not at all!” she balked, “I… just wanted to set out some clothes for the day! Can’t have myself getting all wet from the rain! The Princesses wouldn’t appreciate that, would they?” He looked directly at her and sighed. “Very well then, I will be right back with your food. Fancy will not be happy, however. He does enjoy your conversations.” With that he walked out of the room, closing the door softly and leaving her alone again. Truthfully, the idea to eat by herself was spur of the moment, but there was something that she needed to check before she could go out and talk to Fancy and Polished. Actually, Polished had been acting a little strangely while he was talking, something had surprised him. She stood up with a soft groan, cracking her joints and stretching quickly, before moving over to the dresser. There was a massive mirror on the side of it, a full length one that would let her check her suspicions. She closed her eyes and stood in front of it, not wanting to see herself. She didn’t want to take the risk of seeing what had changed overnight, if anything… She opened her eyes and looked. The face that looked back wasn’t hers, couldn’t have been hers. And yet there it was, staring right back at her, an innocent taunt. But that wasn’t right in the first place. She’d never had her own face, only one that she’d borrowed from another pony. One that had a real life, not a transparent façade. But it was the only face she had. Whatever semblance of colour was gone. The straight hair was a pale tangle trailing down her sides, the coat ivory lacking any lustre. The once vibrant pink had drained away, leaving only a pale white, lit only by the candle next to her bed and the occasional lightening flash. She was glad for that. If the lighting had been better, then Polished Mantle might have gotten a better look at her. But it was the eyes. The eyes were as black as before, sunken pits of the darkest night. The surface of them was unbroken, any whites that may have existed absorbed by the spreading darkness. She turned sideways to get a view of herself… The cutie mark. It was gone. Her flank was bare of any marking, any designation. She may have been able to hide the coat, the eyes, but this would seal her fate. No pony would ignore the loss of a cutie mark than they would the loss of a head. They just weren’t the sort of thing that disappeared. Well, no turning back now. I’ve got an audience. I’ll just have to hide myself for today, or at least until I can get to the Princesses. At least now I have an excuse for a cloak, or some clothes, or something. Ponies wear those kinds of things in this weather, right? A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she hurriedly swept a hoof through the wardrobe to grab the first thing, anything to hide herself. She ran over to the door and grabbed at the handle, yanking it open just long enough to utter a hurried, “Thanks!” grab the food offered by Polished’s magic, and retreat with a slam. Her heart sunk when she heard Polished cough awkwardly and yell out softly, “I think you might want to reconsider your apparel for today, Pinkie. I have the feeling that most Canterlotians do not go about wearing lace undergarments…” Well… at least he didn’t notice the coat… She heard him trot softly away on the other side of the door, his hoofsteps drifting away, barely audible over the crashing rain. She turned to the food in front of her and carried it out to the balcony to start eating. The tip of the royal castle was hidden today, unlike the other days where she could just make out the tip of one of the castles. She knew that she’d have to go out there sooner or later and confront it all, but at the moment she was trying to delay. It was daunting knowing that the culmination of a few days of life might vanish in the space of a second. But the alternative? Living a lie? Hiding away in Canterlot, hiding the truth from Fancy Pants? She couldn’t do that. Besides, the threat of the guards and Celestia herself bearing down on her was about to come true, courtesy of Octavia. No. I have to finish this. She gulped. For better or for worse. ** If the sound of the rain had been anything to go by, it would have been heavy. It should have bore down on her and soaked her in seconds. It should have been cold, and annoying, and terrible for the day. Surprisingly, it wasn’t at all like that. Yep. It was much, much worse. She, Fancy and Polished had eyed the rain dubiously from indoors, she and Fancy already in their clothing. Her cloak was doing its job, hiding her features, and she wasn’t going to take it off with anyone around to see. The rain however, looked like it was going to tear it off of her anyway. Or was that the wind? Could have been either. They were having arguments, it seemed. She and Fancy had made a dash for the gates, sprinting along the long drive in an effort to reduce the amount of time spent exposed to the elements, or maybe to stop themselves from being blown off the city itself. It could have happened, or so she thought. At first they had thought that they might make it all the way to the castle in one go, running through the rain and getting into the front doors. They had made it to about the first row of shops before the clouds got really angry. Hmmm, can a cloud get angry? Actually, I don’t think that I want to know the answer to that one… The driving rain that threatened to stop them altogether suddenly ramped up to another level. Instead of forcing them back, it slammed them into the ground. Moving anywhere under fire from the watery artillery was impossible, and only the shops were a viable option. That, and the covered areas of the city. All of a sudden, instead of a clear run all the way to the castle, their route became a winding maze of backstreets and alcoves, all in an effort to stop both of them becoming smudges in the pavement. ** “Fancy?” she called out, hoping to get an answer over the sound of the rain. “How long do we have until the Princesses expect us?” The stallion in front of her turned his head over his back, shaking rain out of his mane at the same time and flicking back the hood of his black cloak. “Well,” he half-said, half-shouted, “the audience was scheduled for some time nearing midday, my dear, and the hour is currently half-ten…” He saw her expression and turned, resting a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Pinkie Pie, I am sure that we will arrive to speak to the Princesses in a perfect condition. It would be best for you to relax. I’ve met Celestia before, and I can tell you that she is much more welcoming than the nobles around here would have you believe.” “But why would the nobles around here think she was mean?” she queried, worry in her voice. Fancy chuckled bitterly. “Let us just say that the Princess and the nobles… they don’t mix. And you do not want to see why,” he added as he saw her expression. “Now let us move on. The Princess may tolerate some tardiness, but it is best not to be late in the first place if you ask me!” Fancy walked on, weaving a path through the narrow covered paths that were made by the small coverings that jutted out from the shop fronts. A steady stream of other ponies was making its way back and forth under the coverings, all of them going about their daily lives as if nothing was different. And their numbers were no lesser, meaning that there was an oppressive crush of ponies passing by on either side of them both. She was having suspicions about Fancy. He seemed to be passing through the crowd with ease, and she couldn’t think of any way he might be able to other than him cheating with a spell… Wham! With a startled cry, she fell to the side as a pony brushed into her, pushing her over. The pony – a blue stallion from what she could see – was already moving on as if nothing had happened. The crowd didn’t seem to care either, and everypony passed on with their business. She staggered to her hooves, pushing herself further towards the shop fronts in an effort to get some modicum of space to stand steadily. There was only a thin sliver, but it was enough for her to get her footing and get a look around. She had to find Fancy. He had been in front of her, and he was her only way of finding her way around the twisting city with any certainty. All she had to do was find him. Then again, that seemed like a part of the problem. The heads of ponies walking by were blocking her view, preventing her from finding Fancy. She tried to get someplace higher, but everywhere around her was on the same level, and there was no way to elevate her sight. She started jumping, trying to catch even the smallest glimpse of a pony that might be Fancy. But they all looked the same! Same coat, same build… How could she find him?! Grrrrr… Why does this have to happen all the time?! Crowds are EVIL! She hopped up again, hovering in the air for a split second before coming down again. But it was the same view every time, the tops of heads, horns and wings. She started walking in the direction she had been going before. Maybe if she was going the right way she could bump into Fancy again, and then they could keep going. It would be easy, right? All she would have to do would be to… go… In the right direction… Oh no, I didn’t did I? The scenery around her was familiar, but in no good way. This was where she had passed not even a few minutes ago in the other direction. If she was going this way, then Fancy was only getting further away! She twirled suddenly, some sense of direction and purpose filling her. All she would have to do now would be to go back to where she had come from and continue, then she would be able to catch up to Fancy and reunite! Her heart sank as she turned. She hadn’t noticed the intersection that split the sidewalk. The whole place was covered, and it was much wider than she had remembered. Or was that just the ponies crowding around her, stifling her, trapping her in their net… With a gasp she started running. She just had to move, to get away from the crowd and escape. She picked a direction at random and started running along. The ponies she bumped into gave her annoyed glances before being lost again in the crush, forgotten. But she didn’t care, she just had to escape and meet the Princesses, in whatever order possible. The sidewalk opened up suddenly, revealing a massive crowded area. The markets, the most packed place in Canterlot. Hastily erected covers sheltered the ponies from the pounding rain, and the excess noise didn’t stop the shop keepers from trying to sell their wares. This was the worst place she could be. She would have no chance of finding her way out now. Hay, she didn’t even know how she’d gotten out last time! That was all Fancy’s doing, not her own! With a muffled sob, she stalked to the wall, found a free spot, and collapsed, her mane folding around her head. The coat felt heavy on her, and she felt an urge to just rip it off, to let the ponies see her. She didn’t care anymore. She just wanted it to end, for it all to go away. Why did she have to get lost? Why did ponies have to chase her? Why was her existence somehow a bad thing? A pony sat down beside her. She didn’t bother turning, she knew that the pony wouldn’t care if she tried to talk. Maybe it would go away soon, and she would be left on her own again. Did they want something? Why would they sit down next to her? The stranger nudged her side, uttering a soft, “Hey!” It came out as a hoarse yell-whisper in an effort to be heard above the weather. She turned her head slowly, still looking at the ground. “What? What is it?” The words came out dull and lacking emotion. The pony sighed. “You lost too huh?” Without waiting for an answer, it said, “Yeah, same here. Kinda sucks, ya’know? It’d be awesome to just fly up and… clear the clouds. Stupid rain tho’. Can’t get off the ground without being smashed back down. How do earth ponies manage anyway?!” The mare – there could be no doubt from listening to the voice – obviously wanted something. Nopony around in Canterlot seemed to talk to another without wanting something. She turned her head to tell her that she couldn’t do anything for her… …And the words got stuck in her throat. Sitting before her was a very familiar, and very curious looking pegasus. And she seemed very… …Colourful. “Y-yeah,” the cloaked pony stammered, “the weather’s p-pretty bad today. Yep, sucks.” She shrank back into the folds of her cloak in an effort to hide herself. The rainbow pegasus – what was her name? Had she heard it before? – chuckled. “Yeah, I’m the lead weather mare down in Ponyville, not to brag or anything, so I’ve seen my fair share of some massive storms. This is like… 8.5 on the scale?” She struck a miniature pose from her sitting position. “I could totally clear this up in a few seconds. Only problem is that it’s Canterlot’s weather n’ all… Not my problem, ya’know?” The cloaked pony nodded hesitantly. “Yeah… Wrong weather… Can’t touch it. Heh, sucks…?” She trailed off softly. The rainbow pegasus narrowed her eyes. “Man,” she said, “you remind me so much of one of my friends…” Her heart froze. “R-really? Is that bad?” The pegasus shook her head quickly. “Not at all! She’s one of my best friends. Her name is-“ The cloaked pony held her breath… “-Fluttershy. She’s really nice, I bet that the two of you would hit it off instantly. Anyway, I’m being rude or something. I’m Rainbow Dash!” She held out a hoof, offering it for a shake. The cloaked pony slowly raised her own hoof and clacked it against Rainbow’s. Rainbow grinned widely. “And not to brag or anything, but I’m kinda Equestria’s fastest pegasus. Surprised you haven’t heard of me already.” ‘The fastest pegasus in Equestria’ gasped. “I know!” she exclaimed, “you should totally come with me and meet my friends! I bet you’d love them, you seem like a cool gal’. Come with me, I can totally take you to them.” Something flagged in the cloaked pony’s mind. “But I thought you mentioned that you were los-“ Rainbow kept talking as if she hadn’t heard. “Yep, totally take you to them.” Rainbow walked off, leaving her behind. She doubtfully looked at the retreating pegasus and contemplated shrinking into the crowd and disappearing, but a quick look back turned her against that thought. Anything was better than being lost in that crush of bodies. So, with a slight whimper, she trotted after the rainbow hued tail. For a moment the pegasus turned to her. “Hey, you got a name?” she asked. The cloaked pony hesitated, thinking of something. She couldn’t just use the name Pinkie, she was sure that this pony knew the real one. “…Call me Strand…” she said softly, and more than a little unsurely. The pegasus didn’t seem to notice. “Strand huh? Weird name, but I’ve heard weirder. Come on Strand, I’ll get you to my friends in no time!” She strutted off again, leaving her to follow. It’s not the best alternative, but I can probably leave her and find Fancy somewhere… ** They had walked for at least a half hour, wandering the small streets in an attempt to find somepony. The rain still hadn’t lightened, and the crashes of thunder were becoming louder and louder, shaking the ground they walked on. It was clear that soon there wouldn’t be anywhere to go but for inside. Whether that be the castle, or some house, or even a covered alley didn’t matter. As long as the elements couldn’t get to her she’d be safe. Rainbow growled beside her. “Oh come on!” she yelled, “how big is the stupid city anyway?” The multi-hued pegasus stamped a hoof on the cobblestone road. “Stupid storm, stopping me from flying. I mean, really. Who the hay makes a storm THIS BIG?! I bet some pegasus screwed the specifics or somethin’, made a class nine when it was meant to be a class three. Seen it happen before.” She huffed and stamped her hoof again. The two of them were standing in a slightly less crowded part of the city. Sure, there were still ponies, but there were definitely less of them. The only noticeable difference that told the duo that they were in a different part of the city was the general mood of the populace. Instead of pushing past, these new pedestrians were hurriedly darting between stalls, keeping an eye on the sky in case things deteriorated rapidly. She and Rainbow were lost. Or at least, still didn’t know where to go. Rainbow turned to her. “Well, this sucks. I dunno, I think the city’s changing around us. It’s a maze or somethin’, I dunno. I’m still trying to figure out how these guys find their way around!” The cloaked pony’s ears perked up. “Well… why don’t we just ask for directions? They could tell us where to go?” “Are you crazy?! We do not ask for directions. I bet I can find it myself, just you watch. I’ve gotten us this far, I can find the way out.” Rainbow retorted. “Please?” she said softly, “I just want to get out of here. There are some ponies that are… expecting me. I really don’t want to be late or anything.” Rainbow’s eyes softened. “Aww come on… can’t we just… keep going?” She waited for a response, but didn’t get one, apart from the sagging of the cloaked pony’s shoulders. “Fine,” she relented, “we’ll ask somepony. But we go inside first, I don’t trust these guys.” She shot a glare at the passer-by’s. She walked to a nearby shop – a coffee shop by the look of it, and packed too, due to the weather – and pushed the door open. Immediately, a gale of smells and noise swept over the two, and a yell to, “Shut the darn door! You’re letting the warmth out!” She hurriedly ushered the rainbow pegasus inside and slammed the door, settling the atmosphere again. A soft song was drifting around the room, along with a heady stream of sweet scented smoke, and the inhabitants of the shop were packing themselves everywhere they could. Bean bags, chairs, benches and the floor had bodies there. They were all chatting, and most were facing towards the front of the room, where a musician sat on a raised section of ground. He had a guitar sitting in front of him, resting on his legs. His hooves were dancing over the strings, and both of his eyes were closed in happiness, concentration, or just plain relaxation. And the musician was most definitely Rolling Stone. She gasped. A sharp, clear sound. Some of the listeners gave her curious stares, and some annoyed ones. The musician – Stone – opened one of his eyes cautiously to get a look at the pony that made the noise. The eye roamed the room for a moment, before settling on her. A look of recognition settled on him, before his face became a calm lake again. Rainbow was moving beside her, hopping slowly from side to side in agitation. “Come on Strand, I really don’t think we need to ask for directions, we were going just fine before. Come on, let’s go.” She held out a hoof and caught Rainbow as she turned to leave. “Just wait a second,” she said, “I know the stallion playing for the shop. Maybe he can help us?” Rainbow looked at her doubtfully. “Maybe… whatever. Just make sure that it doesn’t take too long. I’m gonna go to the bar or something, grab something to drink. Be back in a sec’.” She trotted off into the crowd in the direction of the counter. She nodded to herself and turned back to Rolling as he continued to strum along slowly. She waved a hoof at him to gain his attention, and he rolled his eyes before slowly bringing his song to an end with a few carefully placed chords and a bow. As the sounds faded from the air, the audience started to either clap, or groan in disappointment. Rolling made another grand bow, stating, “Don’t worry folks, I’ll be back sometime today. But you can’t keep perfection forever, and I need to take a break. See you soon everypony!” He finished with another, smaller bow, and a grin, before making his way off the elevated spot and off to the side, taking his guitar with him on his back. It only took a few seconds for him to come around the crowd and approach her, grinning softly as he got closer. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favourite and most mysterious pony again. How have you been?” She nodded, grinning in spite of herself. “Just fine Rolling. But I’m not here to chat. I lost Fancy in the crowds, and I need a way to get back to him. Canterlot Castle maybe? Rolling snorted. “Yeah, Fancy losing his companion. Sounds like something he would do. I can get you there, don’t worry. I know you’re new here. If I’m not mistaken you have a very… important appointment today?” Something flagged in her mind. “Hang on,” she asked, “how did you know it was me behind the hood? I was wearing it so that ponies wouldn’t see me!” He patted her back. “I’m a changeling honey, lights don’t have the same effect on me. Darkness doesn’t have the darkness part if you’re a changeling...” “Hey! Get away from her you creep!” A voice shouted out, and not a second later Rainbow Dash was astride Rolling as he was barrelled away. “Nopony touches Strand when I’m here to help!” “Rainbow, no!” she yelled softly, trying not to attract any more attention than the small tackle had attracted, which wasn’t much considering how packed the room was. “He’s the friend I was talking about!” “Indeed, Rainbow Hash-“ “Rainbow Dash,” the pegasus growled. “Rainbow Hash,” he said firmly. “I’m here to help you, as ‘Strand’ so succinctly said,” he said, putting a slight emphasis on ‘Strand’. “Apparently you can’t find your way around Canterlot?” Rainbow Dash grimaced. “No! We just need to… get directions…” She said the phrase as if she were swallowing a feather. Stone raised an eyebrow. “Yeah… anyway. I can help you. I’ll probably take you to Canterlot Castle-“ “Hey! How do you know to take us to the Castle?! Have you been spying on us?!” Rainbow accused. Wait, the Castle? She’s at the Castle?! Since when? “Not at all,” Stone said cooley, raising an eyebrow. He either didn’t feel anything, or had the greatest poker face in existence. “But it is the most central part of Canterlot in terms of finding your way around this city. Therefore, Castle.” “…Fine…” Rainbow relented. “Let’s just go already, this is stupid.” She turned tail and walked out the door, outside the shop. Stone leaned in. “I take it that you haven’t told her about your… situation?” She shivered. “Not at all, she can’t know. She just can’t…” The musician hesitated. “Okay, here’s the deal here. I can take you as far as the gates to the Castle, but I can’t take you any further than that. You’ll be on your own then. If Fancy’s there, it’s good. If he’s not, then I’m afraid that you can either come with me, or go inside the Castle. There’s not much else to do.” “But why can’t you come in?” she asked fearfully. “I can’t go in there alone!” He smiled sadly. “Strand – should I still call you that? – remember. Changeling. I’m really… not very appreciated here. Especially not after the invasion. The ponies around here think of us as less than insects, and I’m not going to risk them finding out about me. Ever. “As for the Castle, it’s important. Very important. They wouldn’t have it just sitting there without some sort of protection of some sort. Not long after the invasion the guards put enchantments on all of the outer walls and gates. A changeling can’t pass through without losing a disguise. Believe me, I know that for a fact. I saw one try to get through masquerading as a petitioning pony. You really don’t want to know what happened to him afterwards…” Stone shuddered. He perked up. “But this is about you, not me. So we’ll get to the Castle, we’ll get you all sorted out, and I’ll split. It’s up to you from there. And remember: If we’re around other ponies, your new name – your identity – has to stick. You’re Strand, I’m Rolling Stone the musician. All. The. Time. Don’t ever forget that. Now let’s go, we’re wasting time.” She held up a hoof. “But what about what she said before? About the other ponies being there? The ponies that are after me?” He sighed. “Strand, we have no other choice. You need to get to the Princesses, they’re your only option. Besides, you can just leave them behind. The Castle is bigger than you think. Now come on, now or never.” Rolling Stone trotted out of the shop, towards an impatient Rainbow Dash, and the cloaked pony – Strand – trotted after him. I guess I’m Strand now… ...This’ll be strange… ** “Are we there yet?” “No.” “Are we there yet now?” “Shut up.” “Are we almost there ye-“ “RAINBOW DASH!” Stone yelled angrily. “I agreed to take you to the Castle, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take you through the sewer on the way! Shut up and follow me!” Rolling Stone stalked off. “Man, what a killjoy,” Rainbow pouted. “It was just question.” The cloaked pony remained quiet and trotted after her changeling companion, trying not to lose him in the mass of moving bodies and the crash of the rain. A small stream was running along the gutter of every street, and a small mist was rising from the force of the water impacting hard stone. The musician turned another corner ahead of them and stopped as they both caught up. “Here we are,” he announced, “the Castle.” Behind her, she could hear Rainbow mutter softly, “I knew we were close…” In front of them was a large street, the gates to the castle about 100 metres in front of them. They were large, shining bronze things, easily visible through the haze of rain. The area around them was strangely clear of most ponies, only a few stragglers hanging around there in plain sight, all of which were almost being pelted to the ground. Rolling turned to the pair. “Okay, here we are. You can just make your way inside now. I have to get back to the café. Can’t leave my fans hanging, you know?” “Why won’t you come with us?” Rainbow asked. “You could totally meet my friends too! I bet you’d all get along so well. And Pinkie would love to throw you two a party!” Stone chuckled awkwardly. “Listen miss. I’m sure that’d be fine n’ all… but I’ve got some places to be. Excuse me if I decide not to meet up with everypony. Besides, your friends are probably off somewhere else, there’s almost no chance of them finding you he-“ “HEY! RAINBOW DASH! Girls, there she is!” “-re” the musician deadpanned. “Well,” he groaned, “somepony is just loving the coincidence there…” A small crowd of shuffling figures darted into their sight-lines. The group almost tackled Rainbow as they ran at her, and one of them did, her features becoming clear as she slammed into the pegasus. …Pink… This is bad. Very, very bad. She discreetly tried to back away from the crowd, and Rolling Stone almost looked to be doing the same thing, possibly for the same reason. But before any of them could escape from sight, the small crowd turned their attention to them. “My, my. Rainbow Dash, I didn’t know that you’d picked up such a handsome stallion!” one of them practically drooled. “I mean really, you’ve outdone yourself dear!” Rainbow looked to be blushing. “R-Rarity! This is just some colt that helped take me here! He’s called, like, Rolling Stone or something, I dunno…” One of the mares walked towards Rolling Stone and stretched out a hoof. “Pleasure to meet’cha, mister. Name’s Applejack. Kinda new to the big city of Canterlot, ya’know? Plenty nice o’ ya to take our friend Rainbow back to us tho’. Mighty helpful.” Rolling waved a hoof. “No problem miss Applejack, just helping out a mare in need,” one of the mares gave a small, wistful sigh. “Anyway, I’ve gotta get goi-“ “Hiya mister! Thanks a bunch for helping Dashie! That’s super gooper doper mooper – have I said super yet? – flooper of you!” The mare that had tackled the pegasus had jumped in front of Stone and frozen him solid. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I looooove to throw parties! You look like the kinda stallion that likes to love to like to throw parties! “You name was Rolling Stone, right?” she gave him a death glare. The pink mare was pulled away from behind by a strong, white hoof. The cloaked pony gave a silent sigh of relief. It was scary watching another her, and it brought back memories. Two other ponies were talking to Rolling now, but she tuned them both out and tried to back away slowly, keeping herself as close to the ground as possible… “Oh my, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was standing… I’m sorry…” The bundle of yellow that she had just backed into was hurriedly spouting apologies as she backed away. All of the mares turned their attention to the commotion, and the cloaked pony started to shrink back, trying to make herself as small as possible. ...Why are they looking at me...? Rainbow Dash walked forward and swept a hoof in her direction. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Girls, this mare’s called Strand, she’s pretty cool. I met her all alone someplace around here!” A chorus of sympathetic shouts came her way. “Oh, the poor dear!” “That’s a real shame there missy.” “Oh no, you poor thing! I can’t imagine being lost like that!” “Darling, that is truly terrible. A mare? All by herself?” One of them, the purple one, walked forward and started to lead her forward while the rest of the group followed slowly. Rolling Stone was caught up between the orange and the white one, both of which were asking him questions about what he did. The purple one started to talk to her. “I hope that you’re okay now, I hate to think that somepony was mean to you. But you’ll be alright now, my friends and I can help you find your way back. We’re actually on our way to the castle now, so if you want to come along we can get you some help there!” The cloaked pony stuttered. “Uhh, sure. That sounds… great. I…” she couldn’t think of a way of declining that wouldn’t sound suspicious. “I might just wander along with you?” They came out from under the shelter of the shop fronts, and the rain immediately lessened, as if something was above them that stopped most of the force. The gates to the castle passed by her, like great behemoths, a silent passing of her sentence. There would be no escape here, not within the castle. Especially not with this particular group of ponies. A thought ran into her head that made her blood run cold. A group of ponies… and one more… She turned to make a silent warning, but the purple one had turned as well, and was watching from behind her. Anything she did would be seen. She couldn’t give herself away, not so close to her goal. Rolling Stone was standing near the gates, just short of their border. He was trying to decline an invitation to come within the grounds. The rainbow one, Rainbow Dash, was encouraging him. “Come on pally, it’s great here, I bet that even the Princesses will be after you man. You could play to everypony. Seriously, get in here!” “Oh, that’s great, but I’ve really gotta be go-“ “Nonsense darling, can’t you come inside for just one moment?” the white one asked from behind him. He backed away from her slightly, and one of his hooves drew close to the invisible boundary. Tiny sparks flew from where his hooves neared it, and a slight glow sprang up, hinting at a far greater and larger dome-wall that existed out of sight. “No, really, I must be somewhere el-“ The pink one jumped at him, almost smashing into his face. “COME ON!” she shouted, “You’ll have a great time! Just give it a try!” She leaped forward again and crash tackled him, spinning him around… …And right into the invisible wall. A great burst of light flew out, and as he passed through the wall she could see his disguise being stripped away. In less than a second, the exposed and prone form of what was Rolling Stone was strewn across the ground. The mares had hidden their eyes when the light flew out, but the moment it was gone they had looked. Gasps echoed around, and guards that were posted nearby were already running, evidently from the burst of light. There was a moment of paused, before every mare shouted, “Changeling!” In a moment the guards had closed in and grabbed Stone, pulling him to his hooves and roughly handling him into hoof-cuffs. “Come on you slimy insect,” she heard one of the grunt, “you’re gonna have a nice little vacation in the dungeons.” The group of mares around her started talking as he was dragged away, and one of them might have patted her back in sympathy. She caught something about them being sad for one of her friends being impersonated. But she knew the truth. Her only ally had just been taken away, and was now in the hands of those that wanted him gone. And she was alone with the mares that wanted her gone.