Chapter 26: ...Tarnished
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"Is he alright?"
"He got hit pretty hard in the back of the head..."
"What was that? Our magic stopped working completely for a few moments...and then...!"
Azure Courage could only imagine what was going on. His head still hurt, but slowly, he was starting to return to consciousness.
What...happened...? he wondered to himself. His eyes were still shut, but he was starting to move as he began to regain alertness.
"He's waking up..." He began to recognize Silver's voice now, and Silver sighed after noting this. "He's not gonna like this..."
Abruptly, an image flashed into his mind. He and most of the others at the picnic...fighting...!
"Shadow Ghouls...!" Azure's eyes snapped open, and he sluggishly began struggling to his feet.
"Calm down, Azure," Silver said, though it was clear from his voice he did not like the turn of events one bit either. Azure once more failed to heed his words, trying to get back on his feet.
Memory began to flood back to him now that his consciousness was coming back to him. They were all at a picnic, when the Shadow Ghouls attacked. It seemed to be an endless battle...Azure tried to use a new spell...then...
"Somepony screamed..." Azure said, dazed. He blinked once, then twice. He looked around, hoping to see all his friends there in one piece and relatively unharmed.
His friends were totally silent. They knew he heard it, and their faces represented an emotion Azure didn't like to see. It was sorrow, and possibly hopelessness in their features. Azure slowly looked around, trying to process what he was seeing.
Spike...Applejack...Rainbow...Rarity...Silver...Pinkie... He noticed Pinkie's mane wasn't its usual self. It had somehow lost its poofiness between when he was knocked out and when he was conscious. Her tail was also flat, and her fur tone in general...it looked like she had gone slightly...darker, in shade. Not one even looked relieved at anything. In fact, they-- Wait...
He blinked several times, looking around. "Twilight...Fluttershy...where are they?!"
The group went silent again. Only half of the group could meet his eyes. "Where are they?!"
"Taken..." Pinkie finally broke the silence. Even her voice sounded off.
"W-what...?"
Silver cut in at this point. "Azure...both of them were taken away almost right after you were knocked out."
There was silence for a few good moments. All Azure could hear was the sound of his heart beating furiously. Not only were two of his friends swiped right out from under his nose without anything he could do about it, but one of them, he--
"By who!? Not that pony that summoned the Shadow Ghouls?!" Azure yelled, already starting to become overcome with emotion.
His worst fear was coming to pass...
No.
Not if he had anything to say about it...
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"No, Az," Applejack explained, "There was another one in a cloak too. He was the one that knocked you out..."
Silver could hear the confusion and anger in her tone too. He was angry himself; his magic got turned off, and he couldn't have done anything to stop the two cloaked equines from making off with Fluttershy and Twilight. He hadn't seen any of it; not that he could even if he tried, but from what he could gather, Fluttershy had passed out from fright, while Twilight struggled against her captors.
"Fluttershy passed out when the cloaked unicorn got close, but Twilight...she was..." Silver heard Rainbow state. "She was handled the same way you were!"
With his magic re-enabled, Silver could "see" everything clearly once more. However, he didn't need his echolocation to locate the next step of events. He could hear Azure hyperventilating now, and there wasn't a bucket of cold water around to snap him out of it.
"Darn it all!!" Azure was moving now. His movements were more erratic than normal. Silver could tell right now that in his condition, he likely wouldn't be able to go on. The blind pony could understand what Azure was feeling right now, but...
"Az, where are you going?!" Rainbow called out.
"I'm gonna go after them!" Azure yelled back.
"Hold it, Azure!" Silver said, gritting his teeth and rushing forward. He could tell he was in Azure's path since the hoofsteps stopped. "I can't let you do that!"
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It was hard to believe, but it was true. Silver had cut off Azure in his path, and at first, Rarity couldn't understand why he had done it. Time was ticking, and the longer they spent arguing, the further away the brutes that attacked them would get. But, after she considered what Azure had been through recently...
"Don't try to stop me, Silver, I'm going to get them back, even if I'm going it alone!"
And how far he was willing to go for a friend in need...
"Do you hear yourself right now?!" Even with two dead eyes, Silver's stare still appeared violent. "We couldn't handle them as a group when our magic cut out! What makes you think you can do anything alone?!"
"I-I know how to fight without relying on magic!" Azure retorted. "I can fight them now without any help! Besides, they only knocked me out because they got the drop on me before I could react! I'm going to be more perceptive this time!"
Rarity finally understood what Silver was doing. He wasn't stopping Azure because he condoned the actions of the two ponies that had done as they had; he was stopping Azure because in his current emotional state...
"You wouldn't last two seconds against them even if you were on-guard!"
"I don't care, Silver!" Azure shouted, seeming to get louder. "I'll fight them, even if it costs me--"
Though Rarity didn't see why it had to come to it, she disregarded it as Silver's only real means of communicating with Azure when he was like this. Silver reached out, striking Azure in the face hard enough to send him stumbling back until he fell on his rump. That clearly hadn't done anything for the overall situation, yet...
"Whoa, Silver, what're you doing?!" Applejack called out, looking about ready to stomp over there and return the favor in Azure's place.
"Don't, Applejack," Rarity pleaded. This earned her a few looks.
"Rarity...?" Pinkie asked, still clearly depressed.
"Azure needs this..." Rarity responded, turning her attention back to the spectacle. "Please, refrain from stepping in. Silver isn't out to hurt Azure...more than he needs to..."
Azure rubbed the sore area. Now, Rarity could see his eyes were alight once again with his usual magic color. The last time she'd seen him like that, Virid had been the one angering him. However, at that time, his rage had been justified. Now, however, Azure was directing his rage at Silver because Silver was in his way.
Try as she may, Rarity couldn't help but wonder if Twilight's being taken was the cause of some of Azure's anger.
"What was that for?!" Rarity could tell Azure was already close to a breaking point, and Silver hitting him had brought him to the edge of it now. He was back on his feet, no longer caring if Silver could see his death glares.
"To knock some sense into you!" Silver shouted back. "You're a lot of things Azure. I didn't know 'stupid' was one of them..."
"I can't take this stuff from anypony right now, not even you!" Azure snorted. "I'll say it once: move!"
When Silver failed to comply, Azure tried to thrust his forehoof into Silver's face to prove a point. The others only managed part of a gasp, Rarity herself included. It seemed like it was going to be a clean hit, but Silver moved his head out of the way just enough to where the attack missed. Silver repeated his earlier attack, but Azure was more prepared for it this time, stumbling backwards only a couple of steps.
Azure wiped his hoof over the sore area again. "That's it, Silver! I'm going, even if I have to take you down to do it!"
Azure rushed forward again, with Silver merely looking on, any anger he had replaced with relative calmness.
"You can't get past me like that, Azure," Silver stated clearly, his voice raised in volume but not in anger. Azure reached Silver, throwing yet another forehoof in his friend's direction. Silver took a glancing hit, but did not immediately retaliate. Azure tried again with his opposite forehoof, and finally managed to land his first hit.
"Silver, I'm not going to hold back!" Azure growled.
"You can't see why I'm doing this, can you?" Silver responded, still all calm. This only served to agitate Azure further, and he spun around, aiming for a double back kick. However, to Rarity's shock, Silver was able to avoid this move too. Even if his other senses were heightened, Rarity couldn't see how Silver could have possibly evaded that.
"What's Silver up to?" Rainbow asked, hovering in place. "I don't get it!"
Rarity took a closer look. "Azure may battle with his emotions, but right now, his heart may be in the right place...but..."
"But what?" questioned Applejack.
"He's too upset to see straight." Rarity said, "Silver knows this. Azure Courage is normally a very reckless pony, but even so...he does at least some thinking, even at his worst."
"But now, look at him. He's emotionally devastated. Right now, he views Silver, his closest friend, not necessarily as an enemy, but as an obstacle that he needs to get out of his way. Normally, he would take his friends' advice. However, Azure can't make that distinction right now..."
The fight continued, with Silver landing another punch to Azure's face, but it didn't seem to phase him. It seemed like, with every hit Silver evaded or landed, he was only getting more and more erratic.
"So..." Rainbow said. "It ain't that Silver knew the attack was coming..."
"Az can't even focus right now," Applejack cut in, seeming as though she knew something the others didn't. "If he can't even land a good hit on somepony that could match him, he won't stand a chance against much of anythin' if he goes off now."
"That's why Silver's butting in?" Spike asked.
"Exactly, Spike," Rarity responded.
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Azure Courage couldn't believe what was happening. In the space of a few minutes, two friends were snatched out from under his nose. He had a duty to fulfill, both as a friend and as a Protector of the Bearers, yet Silver was getting in his way. Worse still, he couldn't get Silver out of it.
Azure charged forth again, using the gravity spell to manipulate his jumps. He then made himself heavier, aiming to crash down on Silver's midsection. However, Silver dodged to the left.
"I've known you forever, Azure," Silver said, each word sounding more like a taunt than a condolence to him, "I didn't think you were this brutal. We're on the same side! I'm just as upset as you are..."
Azure's eyes widened, but the statement only made him madder.
"What do you know about how I feel?!" Azure roared, unaware his voice was breaking just a little. Azure believed he sounded enraged, but Silver only seemed to "look" at him oddly. "Have you ever had a friend foalnapped right from under your nose? Have you?!"
"You haven't either," Silver replied, casually dodging a few more shots. Azure wasn't aware of it, but the more emotional he got, the more his style was clouded. He thought he was throwing perfect hoof-punches and his tactics were spot-on.
Why can't I hit him!? Azure thought to himself. I know he knows some martial arts, but he can't use them to their full extent, even with his sound magic! So why is he--?!
"Azure, you can't go on like that!" Silver shouted, and Azure once more took it as an insult rather than a hint.
"I could if you would just butt out, Silver!" Azure responded, going up on his hind legs to throw a punch.
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"My greatest fear is that I won't be able to protect my friends...or anypony, for that matter, when they need it the most. It almost happened that night, and the mere thought of what might have happened to you if I hadn't...if I hadn't spotted that unicorn..."
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"Azure Courage, do you even hear yourself right now?!" Silver shouted, meeting his move with an effective parry.
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"I understand that you want to protect what's important to you, but I can't let you lose sight of who you are to do it."
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"You may be hard-headed, reckless even, but there's no need for you to put this all on yourself!" Silver launched his own attack, aiming for Azure's chest. Azure couldn't block in time, but refused to let himself fall over.
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"Why do ya'll have to carry such a heavy burden?"
"Because..."
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"I made a promise, Silver, and I intend to keep it!" Azure didn't even notice the tear sliding down one side of his face as he moved to attack Silver again. Azure thought it was his technique that knocked Silver back, but he didn't realize it was the sheer shock of how he sounded to Silver that did the job.
"I..." Silver started, getting back on his hooves. "I understand, Azure! Knowing you, you did make a promise, but you didn't promise to do it alone!"
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"I'm...I'm Azure Courage. I moved down here from Canterlot last week. ... Well, it was a matter of noise pollution, really."
"Yeah, Canterlot can be noisy sometimes, but, well, I'm here on royal business...I was sent by the princess to check on preparations for the festival..."
"You know...the Princess...?"
"I'm her most trusted student...oh, I forgot, I'm Twilight Sparkle..."
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Silver continued to let Azure come to him, and yet again avoided another hoof-punch. Azure was breathing hard.
"I won't..." Azure panted. He knew he had more reserves than this...so why...?
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"'Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night'...I hope the princess was right... I hope it really is just an old ponytale..."
"Wait, so...I'm not the only one tracking that?"
"Wait...what?"
"You just mentioned Nightmare Moon, didn't you? How the so-called Mare in the Moon is supposed to return this year?"
"That's right, but...I thought I was the only one that...saw it coming..."
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"I can't...I can't let her down!"
Silver's face twitched.
"'Her'? Two of them were taken..."
Azure gritted his teeth, and ran at Silver again, but his pace was slower than it was before, and more tears were coming from his eyes now.
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"...I never really got to congratulate you for taking care of the ursa..."
"You don't need to thank me...If anything, I should thank you..."
"Thank me? For what?"
"When I saw the size of that Ursa, I began to wonder if I could ever pull it off...But with your kind words, I got the confidence that I needed."
"?!"
"Thanks..."
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Azure was knocked back by Silver. It was clear even Silver didn't exactly know what Azure was going through. Azure struggled to get back on his hooves; again, he wasn't sure why it was suddenly getting harder and harder for him to keep going.
"...Twilight..." he mumbled.
"Eh...?" Silver asked.
"...I..."
Azure couldn't complete his statement, "M-move, Silver!"
Azure's movements were sluggish in addition to being erratic. He wasn't truly aware of it, but he was missing almost every shot he threw the blind pony's way.
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"You got hurt again, didn't you? You were out fighting, weren't you? I knew you couldn't go long without getting yourself injured! Why do you insist on putting yourself in physical danger?!"
"It was just an accident, I swear..."
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"So, just so you know, we're going to go up on the mountain and persuade the dragon to nap somewhere else..."
"Now, when you say 'persuade'..."
"Of course your first response is to resort to violence..."
"Well, how else are you going to convince a dragon to move?"
"If we simply explain to it what its snoring is doing, it might realize what it's doing!"
"If it cared enough about what it was doing, it wouldn't have moved so close!"
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"You know I'm not letting you away from here until you've cooled off, Azure!" Silver said, whirling around and kicking Azure under the chin. Though the physical damage wasn't in any way close to life-threatening, Azure found himself trembling as he fought to rise to his four feet again.
"You want me to cool off..." Azure's eyes started glowing again, "When Twilight's in danger?!"
"Fluttershy was taken too!" Silver responded. "Why do you only care about Twilight being taken?"
Azure didn't respond, gritting his teeth. More tears rolled down his face as everypony else looked on.
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"Wait."
"What?"
"I want to know...what exactly do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to go back over there as soon as I take care of some other stuff and do a stakeout, like when Dash and me went over to Fluttershy's that night. If it shows up..."
"You're going to fight it, right?"
"Of course I am! I know you don't exactly like it when I fight, but..."
"No, no, I don't like it when you fight, but when it's like this...well, it's obvious whoever's behind this isn't looking for a friend. And neither are the creatures they're sending after us."
"Azure, do what you have to do. Just be careful..."
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"...I..."
Azure's horn flickered. Even his magic was betraying now...
"It's not that I don't care about Fluttershy, Silver...!"
"Then...why do you seem to only be worried about Twilight...?"
Azure didn't answer, his horn lighting up brightly, matching his eyes.
"S-Silver...!"
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"What?"
"Oh, it's nothing...it's just that the glasses fit you..."
"Yeah, I'd bet..."
"Oh, come on, at least it's only temporary..."
"Yeah, I guess, though if this had happened when I was in magic school...who knows what kind of hazing I would have gotten from other students...I read a lot and I didn't have any interest in other ponies...the glasses would have--"
"I wouldn't be too sure of that..."
"How do you know how they would have treated me?"
"Just a hunch, Twilight..."
"How do you think I look in glasses?"
"A lot cuter than Rarity when she wears hers..."
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Azure's horn and eyes returned to normal, Azure closing his eyes.
"Well...can you answer?" Silver asked. Azure spasmed, choking back his words, not bothering to fight back the tears.
Twilight...I...I know what my answer is...to everything...But I have to get you back, no matter what...in order to tell you what those are!
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"Hey, you! Wait up!"
"...what?"
"You dropped one of your books!"
"I--I--"
"Um...Here...I'll put it back in your bag..."
"Th-th-th...Thank...you..."
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Fast forward...a few years later... Azure thought to himself. I-I'm almost sure it's her...but even so...
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"W-wait, Twilight!"
"?"
"Y-you dropped your book..."
"T-thank you..."
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"...I love her..."
Silver blinked his visionless eyes. Did he hear Azure correctly?
"W-what...?" He was amazed to hear it. A loud stomp filled his ears. Silver didn't need sight to know what he would have been seeing otherwise. It was the visage of an almost desperate colt, one that wanted so badly to save the mare he treasured he was just about ready to toss aside everything for her sake.
And that colt was Azure Courage.
"I love Twilight!!!"
The sounds of several simultaneous gasps filled his ears. Silver couldn't have imagined that it would have come out under these circumstances. However, even though it was a surprise to hear it now, Silver noticed Azure's aura changed. If he didn't take this shot now...
"Azure, I'm not going to stand here and try to convince you that I know how you feel, but I can sympathize with you," Silver said, taking a few steps towards him. "But tell me, how do you think they feel?"
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Azure blinked as Silver motioned behind him almost perfectly to where the others were standing. They all shared looks of concern and worry. And once again, Pinkie was still clinically depressed.
"They also want to save their friends...your friends," Silver emphasized. "I understand it hurts you that you couldn't protect her then, but it's not too late to save her and Fluttershy..."
The words rung clear in Azure's mind.
I-I almost forgot...Fluttershy too...
"But you won't be able to do that if you forget the kind of pony you are."
Did I...did I completely lose myself in my emotions? I didn't care what happened to Fluttershy, it was that bad? It was guilt he was feeling now. He'd lashed out at everypony, even his friends, because of circumstances he probably couldn't have helped. He was caught off-guard by the sudden attack, and he wanted so desperately to make it up to Twilight he lost himself in his anger.
"I-I'm sorry..." Azure's lip quivered and tears began to fall down his face freely. He could see it now; once again, he was the fool. He shut his eyes tightly, lowering his head. "I'm so sorry...!"
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Silver sighed in relief. At last, Azure understood what he was doing wrong; at last, he understood his emotions were only clouding his judgment. Silver found himself breathing heavily. Even given Azure's state, Silver still wasn't able to completely evade all of his attacks. At his worst, Azure could still land a clean hit; but Silver employed a defensive fighting style-not the best thing to go up against Azure. If he did that poorly against him...
"Now, it's our turn," Rarity announced, walking towards them.
"For what?" Rainbow questioned, making only a little effort to hide her impatience at the situation. She knew just as well as anypony else that those two cloaked ponies were making off with their "prizes".
"What mares do best, apply a gentle touch..." responded the unicorn as she continued over to Azure, who was still trembling on the spot, still beating himself up over the fool that he was for letting himself get to that point. He was still despairing over the situation; Silver could sense that, yet he seemed a little calmer now. Silver began to walk towards the approaching hoofsteps, stopping halfway to process what happened a little further.
"But first...Silver, are you alright?" Rarity asked, stopping as she passed him.
"Yeah, just need to catch my breath. You know what to do, right?" Silver replied.
"Of course," Silver didn't need eyesight to inform him Rarity had winked at him; it just seemed like something she'd do right about now. Silver closed his dead eyes and allowed the mares to pass him, counting the bodies. Two on land, one slightly dragging her hooves; likely Pinkie given how hard she'd taken the foalnapping, one in the air. There were two bodies missing, but Silver guessed that even Spike knew he wouldn't do anything more than the other three would either.
Silver altered his echolocation, and found what, or rather, who, was missing from the group of ponies. Silver walked again, finding that Applejack hadn't move from her spot since Azure's little annoucement.
"You alright, Applejack?"
I hope she's going to put it aside for the moment... Silver thought. That couldn't have been easy for her to hear; she does have feelings for him too...
"Yeah..." Applejack's heartbeat hitched for a moment, Silver being close enough to pick it up. The colt couldn't place it, but he'd guessed Applejack was telling only half the truth. "Yeah, I'm fine..."
I hope you are...there's something we've gotta do now, as a team...
"And...Silver?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for bringin' Az back," responded Applejack.
"No problem," Silver responded, turning back to the group over by Azure. He didn't need to see to know how Rarity's "gentle touch" went. He could detect four bodies clustered very close together where Azure was now, Azure himself at the center of it all. "Everypony needs to vent now and then."
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It was calming. He didn't have to tackle this alone; he was a fool to think he could given the situation. Azure Courage was between three mares who he'd formed close friendships with. Applejack wasn't involved in the hug, but it was almost at the back of the colt's mind right now. He took a deep breath, allowing himself to be calm. At first, he shuddered as the air entered his lungs, but his condition stablized, physically and emotionally.
Azure closed his eyes as his friends backed up. When he reopened them, he was completely serious; but not necessarily full of rage. Well, except for the dimly glowing eyes. He was back in business.
"It's time," Silver cut in.
"Right," Azure replied. "But before we go, there's something we've got to take care of first."
His gaze focused on Spike, who had joined the group at this point.
"Spike," Azure said, "I want you to write the Princess and tell her what happened here."
"W-what do you think that will do?"
"I don't know. But, we can't just keep this from her, one way or the other. Oh, and..." Azure said, "That light spell...Twilight's notes on it? Send those along with it."
"Why?" Rainbow cut in. "What's she gonna do with the notes?"
"...Do any of you remember my cousins, Virid, Blitz?"
"Y-yes, of course we do," Rarity responded, not really getting it either.
"They're in the Royal Guards now," Silver said. "Azure's betting on a long shot, but it just might work..."
Yeah...a long shot, Silver... Azure thought to himself. Even if this much has happened, I still have a secret to keep...
"Well, that's great and all," Rainbow cut in, "But what are we gonna do about those creeps in the cloaks?!"
"We're going to do what I planned to do alone..." Azure said, "Chase after them..."
"But they've definitely got some distance on us now, Az!" Applejack called out. "They could be anywhere outside the town limits by this point!"
"Yeah..." Azure stated. "That's true...but...do you all remember the dragon that tried to nest just outside of town?"
"Fluttershy told me about that earlier," Silver said. "A big red dragon..."
"Yeah, well...I was over on the cliffside, watching it leave. As it did, I managed to overhear it saying something about 'rats with yellow eyes'. At the time, I didn't think to mention it...but I think he was talking about Shadow Ghouls..."
"Wait, are you saying that he was run out of his original home by those things?!" Spike shouted.
"It can't hurt to ask...Spike, you're always with Twilight in the library...Did she ever look up where dragons normally live?" Azure questioned. Spike paused for a moment, trying to remember.
"It was like, right after it happened, but...I think I remember her saying that it wasn't time for the migration yet...So...according to her...she said...the Badlands, just south of the Everfree Forest..." Spike struggled to relay what he believed he heard Twilight say.
"The badlands, hm..." Azure said. "That seems like where they're going, so...we have to get moving. Did anypony see which way they went after they snatched Twilight and Fluttershy?"
"T-they went...!" Pinkie started, having regained some of her color and "poofiness", hopping towards a thick part of the trees to the south. "That way!!" It was clear, she had hope that this would still turn out alright.
"Then...that's where we'll go..." Azure said. "Spike, I'm going to have to ask you to remain behind and wait..."
Spike closed his hands into fists. It was clear he wanted to help out too...
"Alright...I'll stay behind and write the letter..." he agreed.
"Everypony else ready?" Azure asked, looking around. There was a "hmph" of agreement from the others. "Then let's go!"
The six ponies quickly shot off into the forest, Rainbow using her wings while the others used their hooves. Spike was left to return to the library, entrusted to give the status report.
Azure closed his eyes, and reopened them as he got into the lead. His eyes were glowing vividly now, just as they had before against so many other opponents, Silver included. He didn't even seem to notice this, too focused on the task at hand.
Twilight...Fluttershy...don't worry. I--We...will save you!
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"...stop complaining...we did it, didn't we, Shade?"
"You know I don't like it when my creatures are nullified, Tagane!"
"Couldn't help it. It was the best way to catch them off guard, and besides...you were playing with them..."
Twilight's eyes slowly opened. Her head felt sore, and she wasn't sure why, but she was being carried from place to place, on the back of another pony. At first, she could only see a blur, but as her consciousness began to focus, she realized she was in a deep, deep forest. She began to look around, fearing for her friend's safety more than her own.
The first thing she noticed was that she was atop a pony's back, horizontally, her legs dangling off her captor's back. As she pitched her head to the left, she noticed Fluttershy, still passed out from the fear, slung over another cloaked pony. Memories of the ruined picnic came flooding back to her, and instinctively, she began to move just a little bit.
She hadn't so much as twitched a muscle when the pony carrying her calmly turned his head and said to her, in a placid tone, "Refrain from getting any ideas. We were told to bring you back alive..."
"But I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind if we..." The other pony said, an insane sort of tone to his voice, "Roughed up our cargo to do it..."
Did they...did they...?
"Oh no, not you," The pony in front continued, "The one I'm carrying..."
I-I can't let Fluttershy get hurt...but I can't do anything here... Twilight thought. I...I can handle some pain, but...Fluttershy...?
"I must admit, Shade," the pony carrying her said. "You know how to negotiate with hostages well...just leave the planning to me..."
"Not on your life, Tagane..." Shade grumbled, looking ahead.
"Tell me..." Twilight began, "What kind of ponies are you?"
"It's not important," Tagane said. "Nothing will matter when we reach our destination. Just cooperate, and your friend will not be hurt."
Twilight hung limp. She didn't want to see Fluttershy hurt, and that was the worst part of all-rather than threaten her with physical violence if she resisted, they would threaten her friend. These were truly evil ponies she knew she was dealing with now.
The lavender unicorn looked up. She had to do something about this situation, but what could she do that wouldn't get Fluttershy hurt?
Can I use my magic now...? she asked herself, finding it easy to call on her magic. She knew she needed to be discrete about it, otherwise things would get worse. Looking up again, she saw several branches she could break off easily without them noticing a thing.
This is all I can do...I'm just going to hope it'll be enough...Everypony else...it's in your hooves now...
An image filled her mind. It rejuvenated her, gave her hope.
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"Is there any way I can give up?!"
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Azure Courage... Twilight thought to herself. "There can be no harmony without courage"...Now, I may not be in a position to fight back...but I'm going to share your courage now...
Discretely, Twilight focused her magic into her horn. Neither of the ponies seemed to notice the sound of a thin stick snapping off of a tree as they continued on their path...