Canterlot Castle glowed in the rising sunlight, reflecting across the stricken land. Streets usually full of unicorns bustling through their daily routines were now replaced with 'royal' guards patrolling the area, ready to pounce at any intruder that came their way. But inside the surrounding buildings, pegasi and unicorns alike were getting up, getting ready for their daily grind of work...War. However, as the streets began to become fuller and slightly more lively, Canterlot was all-too oblivious to the five visitors emerging from the entrance of town.
Twilight fidgeted slightly as she walked down the cobblestone path with her four friends, "Are you sure they didn't notice?"
"Twilight," Rainbow Dash scoffed, "I'm an exact copy of Icy Rain, you know?"
"I'm talking about my hair," Twilight hissed, glancing ever which way.
Her hair had been slowly turning straighter and purpler within the hour. The effects of the potion had started to wear out as they were flying to Canterlot. Fluttershy's tail had been gradually growing since they exited the lake, Rainbow Dash's coat was turner lighter, Pinkie Pie's mane was curling in more than one place, and Rarity's eyes were already completely blue (much to her pleasure). They only had so much time left.
A few of the pegasi turned their heads at the ponies as they walked further up the road, but most avoided eye contact with Rainbow Dash in particular.
"Icy Rain must have quite the reputation," Rarity whispered in a low voice to Fluttershy, "Don't you think?"
Fluttershy nodded. It was all she could really do. She hadn't spoken a word since the guards had let the five of them through. Twilight and Rainbow Dash came to a steady halt, turning their heads this way and that.
"Why've we stopped?" Pinkie piped up, "You guys got sore hooves?"
"No," Twilight gave a peeved sigh, "We don't know where the jail is."
"Then ask somepony, silly."
Twilight snapped, "It's not the simple Pinkie!"
A few pegasi's eyes drifted over to Rainbow Dash, suspicion etched across their faces. Twilight's cheeks flushed as Rainbow Dash gave her a stern look.
"Oh, for Celestia's sake..." Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.
With a sudden burst of energy, Rainbow Dash grabbed a random passerby by the shoulder, spun them around to face her, and began to yell, "Jail! Where is it?!"
"W-What?" the orange pegasus stammered under Rainbow Dash's firm grip.
"English! Do you speak it?!"
"Y-y-yeah..."
"Then tell me where the jail is or I'll have you reported," Rainbow Dash's voice growled like a minotaur's.
"It's o-over by where the bakery was. I-it's right across from there."
"Thank You!"
The pegasi was thrown away from Dash with a simple toss of the hoof, sprinting away from the mad mare as fast as he could. Twilight, meanwhile, gave a backwards nod to the upcoming fork in the road, "It's over there."
A total of four guards were standing in front of what used to be the Canterlot Pub. The five ponies approached the place carefully, trying their best to act casual.
"Same drill as before," Rainbow Dash hissed at the others, "And please no crying this time, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy let out a tiny meep at the memory as she tried to hide behind her mane for comfort.
"Morning," Rainbow Dash mumbled to the guards, who stood up straighter at the sight of Rainbow Dash, "I'm here to check up on one of the prisoners, so if you could let me through with my partners, that'd be great."
A white, buff pegasus let out a heavy snort, "Sure. If you have the proper credentials."
"Do you know who I am?" Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared as her anger increased, "I just happen to be one of the leading scout masters of the whole pegasi brigade. I was in the front lines of the Ponyville Raid. And you want to see my credentials? I think I should check all of yours, because if you obviously have no idea who I am...Then, you all could be traitors for all I know. And I will tell the boss about my suspicions, I can tell you four that much."
There was a heated silence that followed. Three of the four pegasi were nervously looking at the ground, with their heads bowed. Except for the white, buff pegasi. He glared at Rainbow Dash with full power, as if scanning her retinas. He sighed loudly, "Make it quick, alright?"
"I'll take as long as I need, okay?"
"Fine."
"Good day," Rainbow Dash added with a flick of her tail as two of the guards opened the door for the five of them.
The pub had seen better days. Within the months of it being out of business, it was already damp, dark, and cold. The place reeked of mildew and rust. Twilight ducked her head at the smell, trying her best not to sneeze as she sized up the jail. A few, wooden, homemade cells lined the walls with three to four prisoners tucked away in each one. All were pegasi, either possessed or not, the five ponies weren't sure.
The sound of Rainbow Dash's hooves against the wet, stone floor ricocheted off the walls as she neared a cell. Two yellow and blue coated mares glared up at her with an unspoken accusation in their steel eyes. The blue-coated one even went so far as to spit at the ground where Rainbow Dash stood.
"Where's the one they call Applejack?" Rainbow Dash ignored the spit at the ground with great difficulty.
"What are you talking about?" The yellow of the two rolled her eyes, "Or are you trying to get us tortured again? We don't got no information, alright?"
"I'm talking about one of the prisoners."
"You don't know your own prisoners now, Ice?" the pegasus that spat on Rainbow Dash snorted, "Ain't that some shi-
"Tell me where she is, right this instant!"
The pegasi in the cell next to theirs flinched, as the blue pegasus spat at her face, "No."
Twilight stepped forward, "Rainb- I mean, Rain...This isn't going to do any good. Why not tell them the truth?"
A cruel smile dawned on the yellow one's face, her eyes flicking back and forth from Rainbow Dash to Twilight cheekily, "I know who you are..."
"Of course you should you little-
"Not you," she snapped, "I meant, you."
Twilight's eyes widened as the mare pointed a hoof at her, "Me?"
"Yeah, I do," the yellow one smirked, "How come you ain't in jail with us, Rosy?"
"Rosy?" Fluttershy murmured under her breath.
"That's right," it was the blue pegasus' turn to smile, "It's been a long time. We haven't seen you since you went and ditched the raid on Ponyville. What happened there, Rosy? Change of heart?"
The yellow mare's smile faltered, however, when she caught sight of Twilight's hair, "Hey, Rosy? Has your hair ever been that...that...that...HEY!"
"W-what?"
"Impostor! She's an impostor! IMPOSTOR!"
"No, I'm not! Shut-up!" Twilight hissed at them both.
"No, why's your skin turning purple as we speak? You don't got no STD do you?" the blue mare drew back from the ponies, "What's going on with your wings?"
"They're fine," Twilight snipped, "See?"
But the pegasi weren't looking at Twilight anymore. Instead, their gaze was fixed on Rainbow Dash's wings, which were starting to shrink slightly in size. Her coat was already turning a cool cerulean shade.
"You ALL are impostors!" the blue pegasus laughed, "What a hoot...AND you snuck into a jail? Classic!"
"It's not what it looks like," Pinkie Pie shouted, already in her earth pony form, "...Okay, maybe it is a little. Just, tell us where Applejack is?"
"No, you traitors."
"Oh, and this is coming from the ones that are in the jail cell?" retorted Rarity with a low snarl.
"You can stop it now Rarity," Twilight sighed, "We're already back to our proper selves as it is."
"Not now, Twilight," Rarity raised a whitening hoof to silence her friend, "I am in a rage."
"HEY, you're those...those ponies. The ones that defeated Chrysalis, aren't ya?"
"We don't know what you're talking about! Where's Applejack? Speak!" Pinkie pounced at the cell, rocking it back and forth on its hinges.
"Oh, you'll see..." the blue pegasus let out a high-pitched laugh, "GUARDS! GUARDS! IMPOSTORS! THEY'RE ALL IMPOSTORS!"
Twilight slapped a hoof at her own face, letting out a low groan, "For the love of Celestia, whose side are you two on anyway? You're BOTH in jail!"
"It isn't our fault. We were framed!" the blue pegasus sniffed condescendingly, "GUARDS, OVER HERE! HURRY!"
Thundering hoofsteps sounded closer and the gang held their breath for what seemed to be ages. It didn't help that the blue pegasus screamed the entire time though.
"What's going on?" The beefy, white pegasus stopped short from the group of transformed ponies, "You guys?"
"See, see, see? Didn't we do good by reporting them? Isn't THAT enough to let us out?"
"Don't even count on it, Whisper," the guard growled at the blue pegasus, "And don't let me hear a word from either of you. Got it, Echo?"
"Wait, her name is Whisper?" Rarity deadpanned, blinking up innocently at the lanky pegasus.
Whisper piped up, "They was wondering about Applejack. We didn't say nothing, I tell you. We're innocent!"
"I think your commander was the judge of that. Running away in the middle of combat isn't exactly a proven gesture of loyalty. Now can it or I'll-
"You'll do what? Lock us up?"
A sly grin spread across the guard's lips, "No, I was thinking about taking you two on a field trip to the bridge-
Echo's eyes widened in horror, "You can take her. I didn't say anything. It's her fault. Not mine."
"Echo," Whisper's head snapped back to her friend, "What was that all about?"
"Sorry..."
"Look, I don't have any time for this. It seems as though we've found the fugitives we've been after. And what's this? They all come with baggage?"
Twilight flinched as the pegasus swiped her saddlebag away and then it dawned on her what exactly was in there. She bared her teeth in desperation, clawing at the pegasus. But it was no use. He was three times bigger than her and was holding the bag over her head.
"Hm? Something valuable in here, hm?"
Without warning, the guard turned the bag over in his hooves and shook it. The ponies' eyes fell to the floor as a bundle of objects clattered on the stone floor. Wet, splattered books covered the length of the floor along with several overturned ink bootles and a set of broken quills. Twilight's legs wobbled slightly as her eyes scanned the length of the floor. From the corner of her eye, she spied Pinkie Pie slowly putting something behind her back, in the same place she would normally put her party cannon...
"Wha-what is this exactly? Rebel plots and schemes? Plans? What is it?"
"My books," Twilight cried out slightly, "All of my stuff is...ruined!"
Rainbow Dash's brow fell a few inches, "You're crying about a bunch of old, soggy books at a time like this?"
"This is the perfect time to," Twilight threw a quick wink over her shoulder which was met with confounded looks.
"Do I have to bag search every one of you guys? I can do it right here, right now."
"Here, just drop your bags everyone. We only came here for one thing anyway, and it's not as though you could carry it in a bag," Pinkie threw her hooves in the air with a sigh of defeat.
"You came here for one thing?" scoffed the prison guard.
"One pony more like it," Whisper smirked coldly from behind the wooden bars of the cell.
"Apple Jack was it?" The beefy guard murmured almost to himself.
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash stepped forward, "Now where is she? What did you DO to her?"
There was a burst of laughter from both the mares and the guard. The guard whipped his head back at Rainbow Dash, meeting her glare with another cruel laugh, "Oh, I didn't do anything to her. I can assure you that much. But I can't say the same for the five of you. You heard the earth pony, throw down your bags."
"No."
"Rainbow Dash," Twilight's pleading look failed to make any impact with Dash in the slightest.
"What if I don't? I won't do it until I see Apple Jack."
"Well, I'm not taking you to see Apple Jack period...so it seems as though we're at an impasse, aren't we?"
"Oooh, look at the fancy language on egghead."
Rarity let out a shriek, "RAINBOW DASH!"
"What?!"
"Put. Down. Your. Well-designed. Saddlebag. Or. I. WILL. BE. IN. A. RAGE."
There was a small pause between the ponies as Rainbow Dash pondered over what this meant or if it had any meaning whatsoever. Her eyes drifted down to her saddlebag and then up to the harsh eyes of the guard. She looked back at the pleading eyes of her friends and let out a slow, sad sigh.
"...No."
"Oh, come'on Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy meeped from behind her hair, "Just do it, please."
"It's too late Fluttershy...this got personal."
"You know what? I really don't have time for this."
Without any warning, a heavy impact struck Rainbow Dash in the back of the head. Her hooves wobbled at the numbing pain, and her teeth gritted together. Large blobs of red and purple threatened to shut out her whole vision as sharp tingles stung her face and hooves. With a cut-off moan, Rainbow Dash hit the floor, her eyes already shut. The guard's face errupted with a smug grin as he snatched the saddlebag off of her.
"See, that wasn't so hard now..."