“Pinkie, what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked, finally pulling herself out of Pinkie’s hug.
“Well, it is my camp after all! It would make no sense if I wasn’t here! Now, who wants a cookie? I have lots of them! I just made them this morning, so they’re super-duper fresh!” Pinkie Pie bounced towards a tent that had delicious baked smells coming from it.
“Your camp? Like you made it?” Starlight asked following after Pinkie.
“Yep!” Pinkie replied and went in, Starlight was about to follow when Rainbow stopped her.
“Starlight, I need to talk to Pinkie Pie for a minute. Can you wait out here with Apple Bloom?”
“Awww… I wanted a cookie!” Starlight pouted.
“I’ll get you one; just stay her for a minute.” Rainbow said, turning towards the tent opening.
“You promise?” Starlight asked. Rainbow grinned.
“I’ll do better than promise! I’ll Pinkie Promise!” She said and completed the moves. Starlight giggled.
“Rainbow Dash! You better get in here and get that filly a cookie!” Pinkie’s voice called from inside the bakery tent.
“Wait…is that the Pinkie Pie from the Pinkie Promise?” Starlight asked, but Rainbow had already gone inside. Apple Bloom walked up behind her. She laughed.
“Eeyup! The one and only Pinkie Pie.”
---
The General huffed in frustration as she flung yet another book to the side. Nothing! She was deep within the Guard archives looking for anything that had been saved. Anything that would give her a clue how to use any remaining magic in the Elements of Harmony to re-cast the Stasis Spell on the sun. She cursed. Every magic related book had been burned during the uprising.
She knew that, of course, but she couldn’t help but make sure. She wanted to know if there was any way she alone could use their energies to stop the super-nova. Even if she did manage to find the remaining three bearers, that still left two missing. She sat back on her haunches and looked around.
She didn’t really know why she was up here, if she was honest with herself. She knew full well the Elements didn’t work unless all six were there. She also knew that none of them could possibly be activated without a spark of magic; which she knew didn’t exist anymore.
She put her head against a bookshelf and closed her eyes. Everything was falling apart. She wanted to feel remorse, regret, and guilt; well, she did feel all those things, but there wasn’t time for those feelings. The world was about to come to an end in two weeks and there seemed to be nothing she could do about it.
The General sighed. Magic. Before the uprising began it was just another part of life. Like the ground or the sky, it was there and she had never had a problem with it. In fact, it had saved her butt and all of Equestria’s more times than she could count. She had even used it herself to do just that.
Then, when the Uprising started, when pegasi and earth ponies had risen up; against the princesses, against the unicorns, against magic, everything changed. At first she had fought alongside her friends and family. She had been dependable. Never-flinching, never failing, she was always there for her friends. She had been the Element of Honesty for Pete’s sake!
Then, less than a year into the battle, the unicorn side started loosing. It wasn’t gradual either. Suddenly, without warning, unicorns started disappearing. No pony knew where they went or how to find them. There was nothing any pony could do either. They would be there one day and the next, without warning or explanation, they were gone.
Her two unicorn friends had gone into hiding after that. They had all fought in the beginning. They had tried everything. Even the Elements of Harmony had no effect because it wasn’t magic they were fighting against, it wasn’t evil, it was other ponies. Her friends didn’t disappear like the others though. They were captured, they were killed.
She would never forget that day as long as she lived. Harmony, magic, friendship; none of it had worked, it had all been useless. In that pit of hopelessness, she had looked around at what was left. Her family. She knew the Guard was merciless. In their eyes those who fought for the unicorns or hid them were just as bad as the unicorns themselves. They were killed right along with their unicorn friends. That was the day she decided that her family, the only thing she had left in the world, was more important to her than her morals.
She had to protect them, whatever the cost. So she did the only thing she knew would work. She switched sides, leaving the losing unicorns, none of which she even really cared about, and joined the Guard. She had never shown weakness to her superiors, never flinched from a fight. She took what she had given to her friends, who were now either dead, or hated her, and gave it to the Guard. Now, ten years and a steady rise of promotions later, here she was.
She had never regretted her decision. Her family was safe, wasn’t it? Didn’t that prove she had done the right thing? She had never allowed doubt into her mind. Maybe she could have saved both her family and what was left of her friends, maybe; but even if she could decide again she would make the same decision as before. The one with the sure and true outcome, the one where her family was fine, no matter what happened. She wasn’t willing to risk it the other way.
She sighed and thumped her head against the bookshelf. At least she hadn’t until today when everything she had done for the last ten years, or ever, was literally about to blow up in her face. The General huffed and stood up, going towards the door. There wasn’t time for this. She needed a fix to the problem and she needed it now.
There was nothing to be found up here in the archives. She needed to focus her time and energy on the only lead she had. She came back into her office and got on the intercom to her second in command.
“Lieutenant Shot! Any news on the patrols over the Everfree looking for Rainbow Dash?” She barked into the microphone.
“No Sir. Sorry Sir. Half a patrol just flew in to sub out. They say they couldn’t find anything!” Shot told her. She frowned.
“Well tell them they better find something or they are going to have me to answer to!” She yelled angrily. She sat back in her chair, letting it swivel around to face the window at the back of her office.
“Where are you?” She asked quietly.
---
“Rainbow Dash, I need to talk to you. Pretty please?” Pinkie asked and led Rainbow to the back of the bakery tent into the kitchen.
“Actually Pinkie, I wanted to talk to you too.” Rainbow said and followed her.
“Really? That’s funny! We have, like, the same brain today!” Pinkie Pie smiled.
“So what really is this place? Why is it here? I just have so many questions.” Rainbow sighed.
“Well, remember right after things got really bad, and we knew we were going to lose?” Pinkie asked, becoming oddly serious.
“Yeah. I stayed in Canterlot to keep an eye on things. Not that I ever did much though…I just wanted to make sure I would be the first to know if there was anything that changed…any opening we could take advantage of…I don’t know…So you came here?”
“Not at first, first I went home to Ponyville. But no pony ever smiled anymore. They were all sad, and I was sad too. I thought everything was a lost cause, but then, I decided that if I couldn’t make my friends smile anymore, what good was I? I thought real hard and I realized that the Guard was making every pony sad, so I told any pony who wanted to come, to come with me and we would start someplace new, where the Guard couldn’t find us. And we’ve been here ever since.” Pinkie said, looking down at her hooves.
“You made this place?” Rainbow asked, surprised.
“I had a lot of help! It was just my idea.” Pinkie smiled.
“Well, I am really glad you did. I don’t know how long Starlight and I can stay here, but…” Rainbow trailed off, not sure how to continue. She didn’t want to hurt Pinkie’s feelings by telling her they probably wouldn’t stay.
“Starlight! She’s the unicorn you were with right?” Pinkie perked up.
“Yeah, she’s something special, I think. Her magic is really strong. That was why we were coming through the forest. We wanted to see if Zecora could help with her magic control at all.”
“Well, then we’ll make sure you both get any thing you need to do…whatever you think you need too! It’s okay if you can’t stay. I’m just so happy to see you! and Fluttershy! It’s been to long…” Pinkie Pie turned away, a small sad look coming over her face.
Rainbow understood. These years had been hard on all of them. She didn’t say anything. She simply went over to Pinkie and put her wing around her, pulling Pinkie into a hug.
“Rainbow!! How long does it take to get a cookie?” Starlight’s voice reached them from outside the tent. Rainbow smiled and she and Pinkie went out into the main bakery area. Rainbow grabbed a small chocolate cookie and opened the tent flap to find Starlight sitting, patiently looking up at her.
“Yay! Thanks!” Starlight said and took the cookie. Rainbow laughed and Pinkie Pie came out of the tent.
“Mhm! This is really good!” Starlight said in appreciation to Pinkie.
“I’m glad you like it!” Pinkie replied as she bounced over.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy is awake and she’s asking for you.” Apple Bloom had gone over to the med tent while Pinkie and Rainbow were talking. Now she raced over to them. Rainbow didn’t even stop to respond to Apple Bloom as she took off for the med tent.
“Well, we’d better follow her!” Pinkie said to Starlight and they both did just that, Pinkie bouncing along and Starlight trying to keep up.
Rainbow Dash flung back the opening to the tent and rushed in, nervous. Fluttershy had to be okay. She just had to.
“Woah, Rainbow, calm down. I’m fine.” Fluttershy was sitting in a cot on the far side of the tent, propped up by several pillows. The only indication of her injury was a bandage that stretched across her neck. She smiled as Rainbow came in and sat next to the bed. The med tent was pretty simple. A few cots were arranged along the walls and in one corner was a small table and cupboards that held medical supplies.
“Are you sure you are okay? You looked pretty bad…” Rainbow said, still not quite satisfied that Fluttershy was really doing better.
“Your friend is a fighter. When she first came in, we had thought we would lose her, but she pulled through admirably.” The white med pony said, coming up behind Rainbow.
“We can’t take the credit for it, though. Without the help of Zecora’s healing remedies we never would have saved her.” She continued. The medic mare turned and went to the other side of the tent, just as Pinkie Pie, Starlight and Apple Bloom all entered.
“Yay! Fluttershy’s okay!! We totally need to have a party for her! What would you call a party like that? A hooray-you-didn’t-die-from-your-injury party? No that’s too scary, more like a hooray-you-survived-your-life-threatening-injury, or even…” Pinkie Pie rambled and then trailed off, a little lost in thought. Starlight made her way over to Fluttershy’s cot and sat down next to Rainbow.
“I’m really glad you’re okay.” She told her.
“Thanks, Starlight. I’m really glad you and Rainbow managed to get me here so I could be okay. Thank you.” Fluttershy smiled and Starlight smiled back.
“Rainbow, its funny you found this place, since you were looking for help for me and to find Zecora, if things hadn’t happened the way they did, well, who knows what would have happened.”
“Well, just be happy Apple Bloom didn’t hit me with that arrow, besides, why waste time thinking about what could have happened, and focus on what did.” Rainbow said, eyeing Fluttershy, who nodded.
"A Yay-you-are-getting-better Party! That's what I'm going to call it! Or just a 'Getting Better' Party, since I don't think all of that would fit on a banner...It would be a big banner though and who doesn't love big banners?! And big cake! Fluttershy what is your favorite flavor of cake? Oh wait! I know this one! Hrm... It's been a while, but I think I remember.... It's strawberry, No! Raspberry! Right?" Pinkie said in rapid fire. Fluttershy nodded, Pinkie was right, she did love raspberries.
Starlight was listening to all of this, but she wasn’t paying attention. Her thoughts were spinning.
“So this Zecora is the pony we were looking for?” She asked.
“Well, technically, she’s not a pony…” Apple Bloom said, but she was mostly ignored as Rainbow jumped in.
“Yep! She should be able to help with your magic, Starlight.”
“Well, she certainly helped me, without the potion she brewed, I…” Fluttershy continued, but trailed off as the flap to the med tent opened and a very strange looking pony walked in.
Starlight had never seen anything like her. She was black and white striped and her mane stuck straight up, like no pony Starlight had ever seen.
“Potion? That is not so. It was simply a remedy to help blood flow slow.” She said in response to Fluttershy, who blushed.
“Woah! You’re…” Starlight started, but was unsure how to continue.
“She’s a Zebra.” Apple Bloom muttered, still miffed about being shut out earlier.
“Oh! I read a book once that had Zebras in it! It was The Complete Guide to All Equine Species in and around Equestria! I mean, there were some pages ripped out, but the part about Zebras was there!” Starlight said, excitedly.
Zecora smiled and looked around.
“My! There are many ponies in this room, some I have not seen for many moons.” She said, looking at Rainbow and Fluttershy. She looked at Starlight, who was still staring at her, ever curious.
“And there is even some pony new! Little filly, do not think I have forgotten you.”
For what seemed like the tenth time today, Starlight introduced herself.
“I’m Starlight.” Rainbow had been waiting, but now she went up to Zecora,
“Zecora, it’s great to see you after such a long time, but that isn’t why we are here, in addition to looking for help for Fluttershy’s injuries, we were also looking for you. Starlight, as I am sure you noticed is a unicorn. From what we have seen, she also has a pretty great magic talent, but she doesn’t know anything about magic and we could think of no pony, or no zebra, I guess, that would know how to even start her on the right way towards learning. I don’t know if you can, but would you try to help her with magic?”
“I did indeed see her horn, I am well aware she is a unicorn.” Zecora began.
“I can help her learn the control that is necessary for any young foal. I cannot help any further than that, for she does not even know where her magic is at. I would not know where to start, since she does not yet have a cutie mark.”
“What?” Starlight asked.
“It means she’ll help.” Apple Bloom told her.
“That’s great! How do we start?” Starlight said, looking up to Zecora, who smiled.