//------------------------------// // Just Like Old Times // Story: The Element of Corruption // by Fyronarion //------------------------------// "Hurry girls! The entrance isn't far from us!" encouraged Pinkie Pie. The six of them were making a mad dash for the exit of the cave, which was slowly collapsing upon itself. "We're not going to make it!" shouted Rainbow Dash, flying as fast as she could and kicking aside the falling rubble from her friends. Sadly, she was right. Right when they reached the exit, a large shockwave caused the mouth of the cave to fall upon itself, effectively blocking their only way to escape. "Horsefeathers!" cursed Applejack as she halted herself before the exit, which was now piled high with rocks. Rainbow Dash moved towards the blocked exit and tried to move a large boulder, but it was too big and bulky. "It's too heavy." reported Rainbow Dash. At that moment, everypony else started to freak out. "I don't want to die!" cried Fluttershy, hyperventilating. Pinkie Pie pulled her into a hug and comforted her. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash glumly while Rarity sighed in resignation. As the situation looked bleak, a ray of light suddenly penetrated from the cave ceiling. The mares looked up to see a rather large clearing, with the outside view of the sky. Descending upon them is...Trixie's carriage? Everypony was too stunned to speak, except for Trixie, who shouted "Hooray!" with joy and rushed forward. Finally, Rarity broke the silence. "Is that...your carriage? And it's flying?" she asked in disbelief. Trixie nodded when she said that. As they looked up, the window opened and nopony other than Spike stuck his head out of the window and waved at them, a smug expression on his face. "What's up guys? Like the new ride?" he asked, tapping his claws against the windowsill, a look of amusement on his face. "Wow! Spike, how did you turn it into a balloon?" shouted Pinkie. "Well, after I ran away like a coward before the fight, I went back into the carriage. I was pacing around inside, thinking of a way to help you guys when I found this weird button that said flight mode, so I pressed it and now here we are-" "Enough chatter Spike! Get on board everypony!" shouted Trixie. Spike ducked back into the carriage and the bottom hatch opened. A coil of rope was dropped and soon everypony was climbing up to the balloon carriage. After the ponies were on board, Trixie beelined for the dashboard and sat down, quickly flipping the controls.. The carriage slowly tilted and lifted itself in the air. It was then she realized that somepony was missing. "Wait, where's Twilight and those guards?" asked Trixie. Spike gasped and looked at the mares. "We didn't let Twilight on? Lower the ship, Trixie! We have to get her!" said Spike. Trixie hesitated before pulling a lever down, which lowered the ship down. Rainbow Dash flew to the door and pulled it open. From their view, it seems like they have a few minutes to escape at least. There was no sign of life ahead of them in the dark maw of the cave, and Spike stood by the door, keeping his claws crossed, muttering "C'mon.." Meanwhile, to Twilight and Onyx... The two stallions have made a steady progress so far, skillfully avoiding the falling debris. Onyx was the first to notice the floating carriage, and he quickly motioned to Slipstream to pull Twilight while he discharged a bright green flare from his horn. The flare illuminated the cave, signaling that they are coming. As he finished the signal, Onyx heard a yelp behind him. He turned to see Slipstream on the ground, a large rock covering his right wing. He was in apparent pain as he gritted his teeth. Onyx rushed forward to help, but Slipstream waved him off. "Go! Take Twilight and get the hay out of here!" he shouted, tugging his wing from the heavy rock. "No! I'll get you out of this. Stay still!" he commanded. Slipstream shook his head, his mane matted against his head and his face bruised. "There's no time Onyx. Take her and get out of here-" "He is right, you know." said a voice behind him. Onyx whirled around to see Nucleon standing there, gasping for breath. His face contorted to rage. "You!" he screamed, lunging towards him. Nucleon quickly reacted by forming a shield, and Onyx bounced off of it harmlessly. The shield that surrounded him slowly dissipated as Nucleon glared at him. "Are you insane? I'm here to help!" he protested. Onyx chuckled in disbelief. "Help? Didn't you attack us? You are the enemy. Get out of here before I neutralize you." said Onyx, taking a stance and not noticing the rapidly shaking cave. Nucleon looked frustrated as he gripped his mane, trying to control himself. Finally, he answered. "Look, I wasn't at the fight. I don't even know what you're talking about. All I know is that one of the drones impersonated me and tried to kill you guys. I noticed the cave shaking from afar and flew as fast as I could to support you." he explained. Onyx raised his eyebrow. "How do I know you aren't an imposter?" he asked cautiously. Nucleon sighed and lifted his left wing, revealing a small but prominent scar across the carapace. "The drone you were fighting did not have this mark. Believe me, I wouldn't harm Twilight." he said, his voice in an almost pleading tone. Onyx looked at him thoroughly before accepting the fact he was being honest and soon, he mounted the unconscious Twilight on his back. As he did that, he saw Slipstream crawl out from under the rock. His wing was a bloody mess as he clutched it, trying to suppress the pain. As he stumbled towards Onyx and Nucleon, a loud hiss was heard. Nucleon's eyes opened wide when he heard that. From the darkness, another changeling came. This one looked exactly like Nucleon, except that he hissed at the ponies menacingly. Onyx exchanged worried looks with Slipstream. Which one is the real one? "There is no escape. Surrender yourself and you will be taken to safety." he rasped. Nucleon took a step forward, glaring at him. "You're not the real Nucleon. I am." he said. The drone laughed. "Stop playing around. I know what you are going to do. Convince them that you are good and attack them while they have their guard down-" "I will never do that!" he thundered. At that moment, Onyx intervened. "Lift your left wing. Now." he said softly. The drone cursed and lifted his left wing, revealing a plain shell. Onyx's horn glowed and he launched a spell that vaporized the drone into a pile of lint and dust before the drone could react. Nucleon looked at Onyx gratefully. "Thanks." he said. "Don't think that I'm keeping my eyes off of you-" He was interrupted when a low pitched whistling was heard from deep within a cave. Nucleon's ears perked up, and his eyes widened with fear. He hurried to get themselves together. "A swarm. They are coming. Quick Onyx, grab my tail!" he shouted. He thought that was a strange request until he saw a flash of teal. The entire cave went black as changeling reinforcements flooded the cavern. Onyx ran forward and bit down on Nucleon's tail just when he took off in a burst of speed. Both of them went into the air as fast as they can, avoiding the flying circus of changelings. Spike was the first to notice a black figure flying speedily towards them. He turned to Dash. "There they are! Open the door wide!" he shouted to her. She nodded before pulling the door wide open. A black streak flew past them before crashing into the inside of the carriage. Spike quickly closed the door as Trixie lifted the lever, allowing the balloon to levitate itself out. Onyx, Nucleon and Twilight were all in a pile. He got up, dazed. He then noticed the carriage ascending, so he made a dash for the window. The rocks were falling like mad now as he saw Slipstream hold off the changelings from attacking the balloon. He turned to the balloon. "Why are you still here?! GET OUT!" he screamed, before taking one of the changeling's magic beams to his left leg. Slipstream crashed to the ground, but he put up a good fight, taking down a few drones that were trying to approach him despite his fallen state and bloody stump of a wing.. Onyx opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Trixie. "Here we go. Hopefully, the rocks will not puncture the balloon's outer layer." she shouted as the carriage suddenly flew up. Bolts of spells whizzed past them as they went up. "No! Get back down!" he shouted, rushing up to Trixie. She shook her head firmly. "We are not going down there. If we do, we will all die!" she responded, slapping his hooves away from the control panel as more and more rocks fell down past them. The entire carriage turned dark until they burst from the ground. Rays of sunshine penetrated from the window, flooding the entire room with a golden light. Onyx backed away from the window and looked at it. He cannot comprehend what happened. "Slipstream...Slipstream..." he muttered before falling asleep from exhaustion and disbelief. Rainbow Dash shook her head as Spike ran towards Twilight, who was slowly stirring. She slowly opened her eyes and evaluated her surroundings. "Wh-where am I?" she asked. Applejack glared at her. "Rainbow, tie her and that changeling up." she ordered. Rainbow Dash did a double take on that order. "Um..what?" she said unsurely. "Do it!" she shouted. Rainbow Dash flew a few feet in the air before grabbing a coil of rope and tying it around Twilight. Twilight was visibly startled. "What? What are you doing? I thought we were friends-OOF!" she said as an orange hoof smashed against her face. She tasted blood in her mouth before spitting it out. Spike stared at Applejack angrily, as if he wants to roast her with his dragon breath. "What in hay are you doing, Applejack?" asked Spike. She pointed at Twilight. "She has some explaining to do. And ah don't trust that changeling for a second. Tis' better if we have 'em tied up like a pig." she said. As Spike was about to say a retort, Rarity took a step forward. "Although I do not agree with Applejack, this occasion is an exception. Twilight has left us for a reason, and it is understandable for us to...extract the information from her. Also, that changeling has to be taken to Canterlot for immediate interrogation." she said. Spike was still not convinced, but Twilight spoke up. "Spike, thanks for your support, but I think it's best that I answer each and every question they ask me." she said. He nodded, defeated. Twilight then looked on at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Ask away." she said, ready to be bombarded with questions. Canterlot Castle... It has been another busy week for the Princess. Local complaints and news of uprisings from nearby colonies have kept pestering her. Just when she dismissed her fifth adviser the door to her chamber burst open. One of her Royal Guards galloped in and halted before her, hastily bowing. "Your highness, I have news. Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadence have arrived. They have news about the current whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle...and they have even more dire news." he said, gasping for air. It took a moment for her to absorb the information, but she heard it correctly. Princess Celestia stood up and dismissed all her advisors, who were lined up, assuring that she will get to them very soon. "Bring them to the Conference Chamber." she said before trotting outside of the chamber, two guards by her sides. The guard nodded before dashing off to where they are located... Twenty minutes later, at the Royal Conference Chamber... "Glad to see you two in good health." greeted the Princess. Shining Armor was sitting across from her, right next to Cadence. He nodded his head once to acknowledge that. When both of them have landed in the Castle courtyard, it caused chaos for the guards. Going through security checks and identity scans were hard enough, but to get audience with the Princess was thought "impossible" by Cadence. Luckily, the guards took pity and allowed them inside to meet Celestia. Shining Armor stood up and looked at her in the eye. "Princess, we have a very big problem." he said. Celestia raised her eyebrows and leaned forward at the table, clasping her hooves together. "Really? What is the trouble?" she asked. He exchanged looks with Cadence. "Princess Celestia, the changelings have a big plan. They are going to invade us. Again." he said. Celestia looked intrigued. "Again? Didn't they learn their lesson the last time they tried to invade us?" she said. Cadence then stood up. "Aunt, it's an even bigger issue than you think. I don't think they are that stupid to repeat the first invasion. You see, my husband told me that they are going to infiltrate the Crystal Empire to revive Sombra, and with his assistance, they will overtake Canterlot." she said, visibly shaken. Shining expected the Princess to be serious, but he was surprised when she burst out laughing. "Oh, good one dear niece. But you see, they cannot bring back King Sombra. He was blasted into smithereens after the Elements of Harmony dealt with him. I doubt he can come back to life that easily." she explained. Frustrated that Celestia isn't taking him or Cadence seriously, Shining Armor marched to where the Princess was and pounded his hooves against the smooth wooden table. "They will succeed. Do you know why?" he asked, trying to hold his temper. Celestia shook her head. "They. Will. Use. My. Sister. Twilight will die. They are going to extract her magic and use it resurrect him. Are you going to sit here and wait for that to happen?" he said, his teeth gritted. Cadence gasped. Under the Royal code, nopony is allowed to speak like that to the Princess. Even if they are the Captain of the Royal Guard. Celestia stared at his angry face coolly. She sighed before standing up. "You will have full control of the airship fleet. Give the infantry the green light to board the ships." she said, glancing at the guards standing next to her. They heeded her orders and walked out of the doors. Cadence coughed, which caught Celestia's attention. She looked at her. "Do you have something to say?" she asked. Cadence had a flushed expression on her face. "Well...erm...if you are sending your guards out to my kingdom...who will deal with your sister?" she asked, a nervous tone in her voice. Shining Armor widened his eyes at her. Celestia stiffened with a frozen look on her face. She didn't say anything. Shining decided it was best that they leave. "C'mon, Cadence. Let's go." he said, urging her. She followed after him, but looked back towards the Princess. Celestia was still staring off into space. Cadence shook her head and left, gently closing the door... Back to the Mane Six... "I estimate we have about half an hour before we reach Canterlot." announced Trixie to the ponies. They broke into a cheer, and had a good reason too. Hours of questioning Twilight has come to an end. She tearfully went through all the details, telling them how she was bewitched by Nightmare Moon and how she had no choice but to accept. When it came to the part where she attacked Fluttershy, Twilight's voice almost broke when she said that she could hear conflicting voices in her head telling her to either do it or not. After that, she explained her encounters with the guards in the maze and how they held off everypony during the skirmish. After her explanation, the Mane Five in turn explained how they found Twilight and everypony else in the cave. Apparently, they were by the ruined steam room when a distant rumble was heard. Trixie detected a spike of thermal energy with her horn, and they followed her until they found the cave with the ponies in it. Feeling that the scores were settled, Twilight's former friends were satisfied with her explanation. "Ah've never thought of it that way." she said, untying her bonds until she was free. Rainbow Dash then flew in front of her. "Between you and me, if you try doing that again, I will hurt you really bad. Nothing personal." she said menacingly, before breaking into a grin and punching Twilight on her shoulder. Just when Twilight was about to reply, she was pulled into a hug by Pinkie Pie, who was ecstatic with joy. "Twilight is back! Yay! Group hug, everypony!" she shouted. She then felt five bodies thump against her as her friends laughed and embraced each other. Even Trixie was begrudgingly pulled into the hug by a very insistent Pinkie, and Spike jumped into the center of the group of hug. A few seconds later, a muffled Twilight said "Guys? Can you get off now?" They got off and went back to their regular routine. Twilight trotted up to Nucleon's unconscious form. "What will happen to him?" she asked quietly. Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I dunno, but I think he's going to go through trial. Maybe they will execute him." she said hopefully. "Rainbow! That's not nice!" interjected Fluttershy. Dash laughed as she hovered above them. Twilight shook her head. "I don't know. He did attack us, but my gut tells me something is off..." she trailed off, her eyes glazed. She turned to Onyx, who slowly came back to them. "Ugh..what happened? The last thing I remember was crashing inside a flying carriage." he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Twilight went over to him. "Onyx, you need to tell me what happened in that cave. All of us need to hear what went on down there." she said soothingly. He scrunched his face in concentration. "Well, you were hit by a rock. I was dragging you back to the carriage while Slipstream-" he stopped when he said his name. It then dawned on Twilight that Slipstream wasn't in the vehicle with them. "Onyx...where is Slipstream?" she asked. He just shook his head, not believing what happened to his comrade. "He's dead, Twilight. He died trying to fend off those drones that were going to disable the carriage. The entire cave collapsed on top of him." he said sadly. Twilight looked down. Behind her, Applejack took her hat off and held it by her chest. Everypony became silent until Twilight broke the silence. "When Nucleon attacked us, what did-" "Nucleon wasn't attacking us. One of the drones was impersonating him, as he claims. He seemed sincere, though. He showed me a small scar under his wing that the drone didn't have, and he helped me drag you out of there." he explained. Twilight looked at Nucleon and felt a twang of affection. "Rainbow, untie him please." she said. Rainbow Dash saluted her with her hooves and flew over to him, quickly cutting the rope. His body fell sideways, and Rainbow quickly put his body in a leaning position. Trixie turned towards them from the cockpit. "We are here. We are at Canterlot. Prepare to disembark." she said, pulling a lever from the top of the control panel. The ship descended just when everypony rushed forward to the windows to see the signature Royal Castle glistening in the sunset. Onyx took off his broken armor and discarded it. He agreed to carry Nucleon, and he levitated him on his back and firmly secured the body. Twilight felt butterflies in her stomach. Although it has been exactly eight months since she left the Princess's side, she feared Celestia's wrath. Also, she was scared of facing the local citizens, who were informed of Twilight's defection. As everypony got off the ship, Twilight stayed behind. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned to see Trixie smiling at her. "Nervous?" she asked. Twilight just nodded. Trixie let go of her and stared at the castle too. "It's just like stage fright. If you were a regular performer and popular with the audience, such as I, and you suddenly disappeared for almost a year and made a reappearance, you would be afraid to perform. The same applies here. You must conquer fright, Twilight." she said. "I'm just afraid of the Princess and how everypony will think of me." she said sadly. "Trixie went through your hoofsteps. Trixie too was ridiculed back in Ponyville. Do you know what happened?" she asked. Twilight shook her head. "Trixie came back a few months later. Trixie might've been a laughingstock, but nopony can undermine the Great and Powerful Trixie's self-esteem!" she exclaimed. Twilight hesitated before nodding in determination. She followed Trixie out of the carriage...and both of them followed the five ponies and the baby dragon that were slowly walking towards the large castle...