//------------------------------// // Convergence // Story: Dusk // by Resda //------------------------------// Don't panic. No pressure. Just the life of one of your only friends hanging in the balance. Boy is that breathing exercise hard when you're flying through the air for your life. I'm going to have to ask Cadance about that. My horn is glowing, using a modified version of Rarity's gem finding spell set to detect a particular herb known for its venom-absorbing qualities. I'm far from the edge of the forest now, and I've already forgotten which way I came from. I'll figure that part out in a second. But first... There it is! I don't even bother to land, opting to teleport instead. It's in a rare clearing in the otherwise impenetrable canopy of the forest, and the setting sun provides just enough illumination to find the plant and dig it out of the soil. Six minutes, forty eight seconds. Not Rainbow Dash speed, but it'd have to do. I clutch the plant tightly in my aura and spread my wings again, ready to take flight, when suddenly a new voice rings out, making my blood run ice cold. "Hold it right there, partner." I'm both horrified and relieved that I recognize the voice. I turn to face her and am met with hard, emerald eyes. "Applejack," I breathe, "it's you." "Were you expecting a changeling, perhaps?" Rarity's voice cuts in from behind me. There is no joy in her tone... only sheer hatred, seeping out like venom. Venom. "There's no time, girls. I have to get to-" "Don't 'girls' us, faker," Applejack says, her gaze piercing straight through me. "We're bringin' ya to the Princess, whether you want us to or not." My breathing catches, involuntarily. Could she really be... I dare to mouth the name. "P-princess Cel-" "No, it's Princess Luna," Rarity replies. "Though that's probably to your benefit. I doubt that Princess Celestia would bother to let you live past sunset." Rarity's cold, unfeeling response all the confirmation I need. This is no idle chat. They're hunting me. I have to get out of here. But the herbs... Fluttershy... "I can't. I need to..." I take wing, catching them both in my downdraft as I take off vertically. My eyes frantically scan for the forest's edge, but the mixture of panic and adrenaline has all but obliterated my sense of direction in the dark, moonless night. I flap my wings again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ponyville to regain my bearings, but something buzzes past me invisibly, and I'm knocked askew by the turbulence left in its wake. A rainbow contrail loops around, approaching me head on only to stop right in front of me. "You're not getting away this time." Rainbow Dash meets my gaze with the same fire I had seen in the Library. I backwing furiously, putting as much distance between me and her as possible. "Rainbow, please, there's no time!" "You're trying to escape," Rainbow Dash states. Her lip curls. "Good." She reels her left arm back, telegraphing her punch. She's faster than that, and we both know it. But she wants me to know exactly what her intentions are. Her arm swings forward, and I quickly drop down, out of the way of her haymaker, only to have to flap wildly to avoid a sweeping dive kick. I'm running on instinct and adrenaline alone now, dodging strike after strike as Rainbow Dash presses forward. This is hardly the kind of routine either of us had in mind when she mentioned "awesomeness training" three days ago. Three days ago... dear Celestia, everything changed so fast. Three days ago we were all still friends. We were laughing together. I was accepting the crown, and they all watched... I deflect a wild, furious punch and twirl in the air, catching Rainbow Dash with my outstretched wing. The hit sends her tumbling backward, and I know that I only have seconds. Ten seconds flat, perhaps? It's enough time to get away, enough time to get to Fluttershy and give her WHERE ARE THE HERBS They're falling out of the sky, dropping right back into the clearing. I take off after them, bringing in my limbs for a high-speed dive. Just as they get in range, I light my horn and wrap my magic around the plants. I look after Rainbow Dash apologetically before turning around. But before I can escape, I sense a familiar aura flare up underneath me. Pale blue spots fill the air around, above and below me; in the center of each, there's a cut gem, honed to a fine edge and hoof-polished to reflective brilliance. Rarity must have done these all herself. The swarm of gems closes in, swirling around me like so many shards of glass in a tornado. I can't move, for fear of being literally cut to pieces. I can almost hear her saying, "Hold your pose, darling." It's just like yesterday. Except this time... The cloud of razors gets closer, biting into my wings as I struggle to stay aloft. This time, she doesn't care if she hits me or not. A memory returns to the surface, unbidden. A simple exchange of spells. Rarity had shown me the gem finding spell during an idle visit to the Boutique. In exchange, I showed her how to exert more precision over her telekinesis. She was a quick study - and her natural affinity for gems led to the discovery that she could manipulate them without any effort at all. She was so thrilled, she nearly hugged me to death. The gems close in, wrapping tightly around me, digging into my flesh all around and leaving open wounds faster than any natural magic can close them up. The harsh reality of the situation crashes in on me once again. There is no mercy to be had here. I'm just a thief, a kidnapper and a liar to them. And I had crossed a line. Twilight couldn't ask for better friends, really. The gems stop their assault long enough for Rainbow Dash to slam into my solarplexus. She drives forward with a hoof, and it's a testament to earth pony resilience that I don't black out when I hit the ground with a sickening thud. But she's not done; Rarity suddenly has my hooves and wings held down in her telekinetic grip, and Rainbow is throwing her hooves at my body, relishing each time I gasp for air and cry out in pain. "Stop," Applejack suddenly says, and Rainbow relents. I look to her, only to see her back turned. She reels her back legs in, balancing on her front half. Her strong legs are tensed, ready to deliver a final blow. "Ah'm gonna finish this myself." I can hear the sound of her limbs snapping through the air, colliding with pony flesh and cracking bone. But I can't feel a thing. I can only hear a piercing scream of terror and the sound of violent coughing. I open my eyes, only to see a mess of curly pink hair in front of me. The obstruction drops from view, revealing a trio of horrified expressions. I may not be a shapeshifter anymore, but I know that right now my expression is a perfect mirror of theirs. Pinkie Pie convulses on the floor, clutching her chest. There's a trickle of blood dripping from the corner of her lips - lips that, surprisingly, are still turned up in a faint smile. That's two friends down. First Fluttershy, now Pinkie. My existence has laid two ponies low. Wouldn't it be easier to just... No. There's no time for this. "Nopony move!" I yell, setting my horn alight. Rainbow Dash steps forward, but I stare her down. "We'll do this later. Pinkie needs help now." I'm not all that good at healing magic. It's not for lack of trying, though - I studied the theory for a few weeks in Canterlot, but was never able to muster up the magical power to fix more than a paper cut. Pinkie needs more than that. I pour my magical energy into her chest, and her eyes widen as her pain comes back many times over. Within moments, her condition is stable, though it's a long way from fully healed. As I scan over the affected area, I can tell that my work was shoddy at best. Pinkie needs proper care. She needs... I wrap her in a cage of force to keep her immobile and turn back to the others. "We need to get to Princess Luna. Take me to her." Rainbow Dash glares at me and prepares to speak, but in the face of Pinkie's injury, she decides against it, deciding to cut through the brush instead. I make a move to follow, Pinkie held fast in my aura. "Rarity, could you get those herbs? I need them... for Fluttershy." Rarity hesitates, but grabs a clump of the plants after a moment. "Fluttershy is already in Princess Luna's care," she replies, an odd look crossing her face, even as relief fills mine. "Let's get goin'," Applejack drawls. Her eyes have a faraway look to them, almost worse than the one she had in the Library. The march is long and tense; no one dares say a word, for fear of shattering this unspoken truce. The only sounds punctuating the trip are Pinkie's pained moans. It's enough to get us moving much faster. The edge of the forest comes into view within minutes. "There! It's Luna!" Rainbow Dash cries out. "Princess, Pinkie Pie needs you!" Her rainbow streak draws a perfect line towards the edge of the forest and the clearing where I had left Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. By the time we get to the edge ourselvs, Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna - and Fluttershy, to my relief - are halfway back to meet us. Princess Luna fixes me with an unreadable expression as she covers Pinkie Pie in her magical aura. "She can be saved," she announces to no one in particular. "I will get to work immediately." She cradles the broken mare carefully, moving to a more remote location... and leaving the five of us to our own devices. The meeting is as strained as anypony would expect. I immediately look to Fluttershy and she smiles softly, wordlessly telling me that she is okay. But her gaze lingers over Applejack, Rainbow and Rarity. Silence rules the hour, at least until I speak. Anything to break the tension. "I'm glad you're alright, Fluttershy." She nods, maintaining her characteristic silence. "I should be better in a few days," she finally adds. "Princess Luna was able to extract the venom before it did more damage." Rarity looks between the two of us, but says nothing. It's Rainbow Dash, instead, who addresses the issue. "What's going to happen now?" "Now?" I echo. "Now, we wait, and hope that Pinkie Pie will be alright." Applejack takes in a sharp gasp of air, making us all turn to face her. "We... we oughta go ch-check in on her..." she manages. The five of us move as one towards where Luna was working her magic. Pinkie lay in the center of a flattened patch of grass. Her chest looks as if it's being lit from the inside as Luna's cerulean-tinted magic re-knits torn flesh and bone. Her expression is much less pained than before. Applejack can take no more. "Pinkie Pie, Ah'm sorry, I didn't mean ta... Ah could've killed..." Fluttershy gasps and stiffens, looking to me for confirmation. When I nod, it's as if her world shatters. But then... Pinkie smiles. It's weak and fragile, but it's a balm for our nerves. "Don't flatter yourself, Applejack," she says weakly. "I shifted rocks for a living before Ponyville. I'm tougher than I look!" She chuckles a bit, putting smiles on our faces, but we all wince when she clutches a hoof to her chest in pain. "Be still, Pinkie Pie," Luna scolds her as her magical aura continues its sweep over her body. "But why, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asks, holding back her emotion. "Why did you get in the way?" "I don't like it when friends get hurt," Pinkie replies. "And I like it even less when friends hurt friends." "Friends?" Rainbow Dash cries out. "With... that?" Her accusing hoof is like a knife through the heart. "Her name is Dusk." I turn to Fluttershy. Her wings are open, and she's matching Rainbow's gaze in intensity. "She was trying to save my life. So yes, Rainbow Dash, she is our friend." Rainbow Dash sputters, completely dumbstruck. "When we let you go looking for the changeling, you weren't supposed to join forces with it!" Rarity stands with Rainbow, tempering rage with confusion. "How can you put your trust in a changeling? After what they've done to us?" "It's not that simple..." Fluttershy starts. "But it is, Fluttershy." We all turn to Luna. Her horn is no longer glowing. Below her, Pinkie Pie is struggling to her feet. The Lunar Princess continues her proclamation, damning as it may be. "Changelings survive off of deception and subterfuge. You can't take her for her word, knowing that she could be under Chrysalis's orders." I get a good look at Luna's face. What was unreadable before was plainly evident right now - at least to me. Underneath the veneer of equipoise afforded by nigh-immortality, I could see the same frustration, rage and contempt the others wore on their proverbial sleeves. It's enough to make my eyes water. If not even the Princess has any mercy left for me, how can I possibly expect anypony else to? It's then that Pinkie stands up, putting herself between us and Luna. "Don't listen, girls," she announces. "Nightmare Moon is trying to trick us." Luna's jaw opens wide before clamping shut. Applejack's brow wrinkles. "Are you sure you're okay, Pinkie? That's not Nightmare Moon, that's Princess Lu-" Applejack is cut off with a wave of a pink hoof. "Don't you get it?" Pinkie continues, even as Luna's face is halfway between anger and shock. "She tried to bring about eternal night. And we're the Elements of Harmony. We can't take her for her word, knowing she could be trying to kill us off." "Pinkie, why would you even say something like that?" I yell at the delusional pink pony. "She just saved your life!" Rarity raises her voice to scold Pinkie as well. "Princess Luna is nothing like the Nightmare. She's a changed mare. You know that as well as any of us do!" "Exactly." Pinkie glares at the others as she trots over to Fluttershy and me. "Ponies are more than what's on the surface. They can change!" With a little wiggle, she wedges herself between us, draping her forelegs over our shoulders. "Dusk has a plan to fix everything. She isn't trying to kill us, or surrender us to the changeling queen, she's trying to get Twilight back. And Fluttershy and me, we're going to stick with her." I have no words. I know Pinkie's telling the truth, and I can't help but pull her into my embrace. "Thank you," I mutter. Pinkie flails about. "Don't squeeze, don't squeeze! It still hurts!" I release her immediately, and she falls to her haunches. Fluttershy laughs quietly next to her as she helps her to her hooves. "You're crazy," Rainbow Dash cries out hysterically, shattering the moment into pieces. "You're both crazy!" Her eyes lock on me, still full of rage. "You. What mind-control poison did you fill them with? What did you do?" "Stop that right now, Rainbow Dash! You have no right!" Everypony flinches at the sound of Fluttershy's words - including the mare herself. It's amazing how effective those old lessons turned out to be. "We're going to go with her... whether you like it or not." I close my eyes. The hive's call points me further down the path, into the gorge below. I take a few steps forward, immediately followed by Pinkie and Fluttershy. Behind us, the forest - and the other girls - sink from view, obscured by the ridge. But there's no turning back now. "Thank you..." I finally manage as we reach the bottom of the gorge. "Both of you. Really." "True friends help friends in need," Pinkie states simply. We continue in silence, the dirt slope having given way to flat bedrock underneath our hooves. "So what do you think? Can two injured mares and a rebel changeling take on the entirety of Chrysalis's army?" "There's plenty of time between here and there," I muse. Pinkie raises an eyebrow. "You've really got the whole cryptic princess double-speak thing down pat, don't you?" she jeers. "Oh, There's plenty of time between here and there... plenty of time for us to heal, or plenty of time for an ambush, or plenty of time for..." "Girls, wait!" "...for something like that to happen..." I whip around, unable to believe my ears. But Applejack is running down the slope, trying to catch up. "Wait!" she repeats, and the three of us exchange a look and meet her halfway. Applejack needs a moment to catch her breath. Normally, a quick run like that wouldn't be enough to get her winded, but I can forgive her fatigue considering the circumstances. "Girls... hold on a sec..." she says. "What is it, Applejack?" Fluttershy asks. Applejack looks at each of us, in turn. Her gaze lingers just a little bit longer on me, as if she's still trying to work something out in her head. Fortunately, we don't have to wait long for her answer. "Ah'm comin' with ya." The news is... a pleasant surprise, and I take it in stride with all of the calm and decorum expected of an alicorn princess. For all of five seconds. Within the next three seconds, though, Applejack is the unsuspecting center of a four-pony group hug. Pinkie Pie squeezes extra hard, injury notwithstanding. For a moment, she is able to lift the rest of us up bodily, and I'm thoroughly convinced that Princess Luna did too good a job patching her up. When she finally releases us from her herculean grip, it's with three sighs of relief. Pinkie bounds around us in a loose circle, throwing in a cartwheel or two for good measure. "Oh my gosh, we need to throw a New Party Member in the Party Party!" "Wait, Pinkie," I say, and she freezes in midair, dropping lightly to the ground. I turn to Applejack. "Not to look a gift pony in the mouth, pardon the pun... but why the change of heart?" Applejack doffs her stetson, holding it to her chest. "Well, I'll tell you. Ah'll be the first to admit, part of it's 'cause I owe Pinkie here a favor, after what I've gone and done..." She eyes her fellow earth pony, eyes still sorrowful. Pinkie smiles back, past sins already forgiven. "But if'n you know me at all, you know I like to see the good, honest truth," she adds. "And the truth is, Pinkie Pie was willin' to throw herself in harm's way for ya. Fluttershy, too, if I've got the right idea." Fluttershy nods, so the mare continues. "Either Rainbow Dash is right, you've poisoned their minds, and I've got to protect them from you-" Pinkie Pie lifts a hoof to stop her, but Applejack presses on. "-or you're a pony worth trustin'. That idea... settles with me a little better, I think." She replaces her hat on top of her head and clears her throat. "So. Where are we headed?" I smirk. "First, we're going to set up camp. Fluttershy and Pinkie could use the rest. And then?" Three ponies and a rebel changeling against the entirety of Chrysalis's army? Our chances are looking better by the second. "We're headed into changeling territory."