Pony Fantasy VI: The War of Chaos

by BeanyOne


Chapter 3: Martial Law

The New Lunar Republic's secret hideout was fairly unassuming. A cave was cut into the side of a mountain with no external features to distinguish it from any other cave. Were it not for the occasional pony entering or exiting, a random passerby might not even realize there was anything there. As the group approached the cave entrance, Applebloom held up a hoof, motioning for the others to stop.

"Ah gotta say the code phrase before we go in, or they'll attack us," she informed the others. Turning to the cave entrance, she raised her voice to an ostentatious shout. "Hey! It's me, Applebloom! 'The moon has risen once more!'"

A pony stuck his head out, a sour grimace emblazoned on his face. "Do you have to use that obnoxious tone every single time you say the pass phrase? We know who you are, you know." Heaving a weary sigh, he motioned for them to follow. "We'd received word that you would be heading this way from our contacts in Neighshe. Mayor Mare has been quite eager to speak with you, Princess Celestia."

Celestia nodded. "The time to lay our allegiances bare has come, and I welcome the opportunity. I refuse to let the Empire do any more business with my subjects."

As they were led through the hideout, Twilight took stock of her surroundings. With little space and materials, the interior of the hideout was sparsely decorated, maintaining only a barely functional level of decor. Scant few tables and beds lined various walls, and a couple of bookshelves stood in a corner. Most of the rest of the space was occupied by barrels and crates of various supplies needed for daily operations within the base. Twilight noted that there only seemed to be a few ponies, and she idly wondered how they kept a resistance movement running on such a skeleton crew.

The stallion brought them to an improvised office within the cave. A businesslike mare was going over reports at her desk with a look of consternation. As the group approached, she looked up from her papers and smiled. "Oh, you've finally arrived! We can finally get the operation underway." She stood up from her desk and walked over to the group, shaking each pony's hoof in turn. "Celestia and Applebloom, I have been expecting you. Allow me to introduce myself to your traveling companions. My name is Mayor Mare, and I am the acting leader of the New Lunar Republic resistance movement," she said, bowing to Twilight and Luna.

Luna bowed in response. "Well met, noble Mayor Mare! Thou may call us Luna, royal sister of Celestia."

Mayor Mare jumped back in surprise. "Luna?! THE Luna?! You've been gone for so long!"

Celestia nodded. "Indeed she has. In fact, we proposed the name of the movement in your honor, dear sister. It was your memory I wished to honor, as the path I have walked since you left has not been truly noble." Celestia averted her gaze from Luna shamefully.

Luna faced her sister indignantly. "We care not for whether thou hast lived nobly. Thou art our sister, and we are flattered for the immense honor. Now, please, stop averting your eyes! We did not reunite to wallow in the misery of our past selves!"

Celestia smiled warmly. "You always did have your head screwed on a little tighter, even if you don't really understand some things yet. I'm so glad to have you back, Luna."

Mayor Mare pushed up her spectacles on the bridge of her nose. "Yes, and what is your name, if I may inquire?"

Twilight looked at the others nervously before responding. "My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Mayor Mare nodded pensively. "I recall the Empire making a huge ruckus about somepony with that name recently. Something about a mare that can talk with Espers. I presume you are her?"

Twilight fidgeted a bit. "I-I guess so? I don't remember anything-"

"Hey! She doesn't remember that!" Applebloom interrupted forcefully. "She was under the influence of the Demon Tiara, and the Empire ordered her to talk with that Esper thing at Neighshe!"

Twilight was taken aback by Applebloom's intervention. They had all traveled so far just to speak with the New Lunar Republic, yet Applebloom still seemed to be protecting her from something.

Mayor Mare sighed. "The Empire was using you, Twilight Sparkle. I'm sure this comes as no shock, but they wish to control the power of that Esper."

Twilight bore a pained expression as she replied. "So I'm told. And I'm also told that I'm supposedly the only one who can talk to the Espers. But-but you guys want to use the Esper's power to defeat the Empire! How is that any different?!"

Mayor Mare took her glasses off and massaged her temples as she continued. "Twilight, did nopony tell you how I came to be the leader of the New Lunar Republic? Why my name is 'Mayor Mare' instead of something else entirely? I hail from the southern continent, where the Imperial capital of Stalliongrad resides. The Empire has forced their way into every town on the continent and imposed military rule. I was the mayor of one of those towns, displaced by the military incursion." She slammed her desk in frustration. "They're not stopping there, Ms. Sparkle. They won't stop. They want control of all of Equestria. There is no possible way we can defeat that large of a force by ourselves. We need the Esper. We need you, Twilight."

Twilight began backing into a corner, knees buckling from the pressure. "Why does everypony want me to fight?! I don't even remember who I am! This is too much. It's not fair!" As she began to sniffle, Celestia walked over to console her.

Celestia looked up to Mayor Mare. "I know we are desperate for assistance, but this is too much for the girl to take in at once. Please, have some compassion for her situation. She hasn't yet come to terms with all that has happened."

Mayor Mare began to walk out of the room. "We don't have any time. I will not force you to make any decision, Ms. Twilight. If you truly do not wish to fight, you are completely within your right to abstain from our conflict. I implore you, however, to stay with us at least one night and talk with everypony about what has happened. Our struggle is not mere bloodlust nor thirst for power."

Twilight sighed. "Okay. I suppose I can agree to that much." She picked herself up and began to walk to her designated room. "I'll stay here another night and talk with everypony. You've stuck with me this far."


Twilight had been tossing and turning for a couple of hours. She eventually decided there was no way she was going to get any sleep until she resolved this once and for all. Climbing out of bed, she noticed Applebloom leaning against the door frame.

"Finally awake, are ya?" Applebloom smirked at Twilight.

Twilight groaned. "Didn't really get any sleep at all, but yeah, I'm awake. I suppose you'd be a good first pony to talk to. What's going on here and why should I involve myself?"

Applebloom stared at Twilight sternly. "Miss Twilight, Ah ain't gonna mince words here. It's rough out there. Ah'm one of the NLR's scouts, and Ah've been to the occupied towns. It ain't a pretty sight. The Empire has everypony completely under grip, and they won't think twice about beatin' a random civilian for kicks."

Twilight shivered. "Isn't there anything you can do without my help?"

Applebloom sighed. "Not really. There's too many o'them, and not enough of us. Plus, we don't have any o'their fancy-shmancey Magitek armors. We're lucky we were able to deal with the two we saw before."

Twilight frowned. "So that's all I am? A tool of war? You need me to stand up to their Magitek armors, and then once that's done you'll discard me?"

Applebloom slapped Twilight. "Ah don't wanna have to make a habit o'that, but you gotta stop sayin' that. We are yer friends, no matter what happens. Ah promised Ah'd protect you, and Celestia has taken quite a likin' to ya. If you decide not to fight, it'll hurt us, but we're not so hard up we need t'force somepony to join us against their will."

Twilight nodded and began to walk away. "Friends? Are they truly my friends?" She wandered through the hideout, stopping at their makeshift bar. Celestia was sitting at one of the tables, laughing raucously. "Princess...?"

Celestia looked around and noticed Twilight, then continued laughing boisterously. She tapped the seat next to her. "Come, sit down, my subject! Why the long face?!"

Twilight sat next to Celestia, blushing slightly at the unusually forward actions of the Princess. I guess some habits die hard, she thought to herself. "Princess Celestia, I don't know what I should do. Is there anything you can tell me?"

Celestia guzzled a shot of whiskey before replying. "Think of it like this, Twilight. Friends help their friends. I would do anything to help you, and I trust that you would do the same for me. Is there really anypony in the Empire you can think of who gives a damn about you? They're the ones who simply want to use you as a weapon. They don't want friends. They only think of themselves, and I just think that's downright awful. Wouldn't you agree, my faithful friend?" she concluded with a heavy pat on Twilight's back.

Twilight grunted from the impact, but the words rang true. What had the Empire ever done for her or anypony else? She felt she was beginning to see things more clearly, but there was still one more pony she wanted to talk to. Twilight thanked Celestia, who promptly returned to laughing inanely about seemingly nothing, and went to seek out Luna.

Luna was punching the walls in a back room with her forehooves, clearly in the midst of some form of training. Seeing Twilight approach, she stopped for a bit and wiped her brow. "Twilight Sparkle, did you come to join us in our regimen? It is always nice to have a sparring partner!"

"Oh, no, nothing like that!" Twilight replied sheepishly. She wondered if she'd even survive two minutes sparring with Luna. "No, I wanted to ask you something. What are you doing here? You weren't really even part of the resistance movement, despite it being named after you, were you?"

Luna thought for a moment. "What you say is true, Twilight, but our reasons for assisting in the rebellion are twofold. First, we implicitly trust and support our sister. Celestia has always put her duties to her subjects before even her own health, as much as it pains me to see her get like...well, that. We trained specifically to assist our home and our sister in any way we can."

Twilight nodded. "What's the other reason?"

Luna scowled, her speech losing its customary formality. "The Empire has taken ponies from me that I loved. Friends, family, and even Banner. I cannot forgive them for this. I cannot let them destroy any more lives in the name of their power-hungry ambitions." She punched the wall fiercely with her forehoof, driving the point home.

Twilight nodded. "I think I understand. Thank you, Luna."

Leaving the mare to her training, Twilight walked back to Mayor Mare's office. The mayor looked up at Twilight expectantly. "Have you come to a decision? Will you fight for us, knowing full well what we stand for and what we could lose should we fail?"

Twilight took a deep breath. "Mayor Mare, I will fight for the New Lunar Republic. I will speak to the Esper."

Mayor Mare smiled. "I'm very relieved to hear you say that, Miss Twilight."

"But...I'm scared-"

"Twilight. We're all scared. The reality of war is that any given day, one of us might not live to see our family at the end. But we do not face the Empire alone. We all look out for each other." Twilight nodded resolutely as Mayor Mare continued. "All right. We have much to discuss. Let's gather everypony together."


The meeting hall was little more than a long table hastily set up in the common area of the hideout. The scant few ponies in the base were gathered around the long table, awaiting whatever Mayor Mare planned to discuss. Mayor Mare straightened her papers in front of her, then began the meeting. "Greetings, everypony. Let me start by saying what's on all our minds. The Empire has Magitek armor, which means they've somehow harnessed the power of magic. Our scouts have confirmed they are using a laboratory in Stalliongrad to develop their power source, but what the actual power source is, we can only guess at."

Applebloom spoke up. "Ah've been snoopin' around towns, and rumor is that they've found somethin' ancient. Maybe they found some dead Espers?"

"Are you saying there's some relationship between Espers and Magitek?" Twilight asked, confused.

Mayor Mare pursed her lips grimly for a few seconds before responding. "Well, we have no direct evidence that that's specifically what they're using, but we do have some anecdotal evidence: the records of the War of Chaos."

Everypony else in the room save for Twilight gasped. Celestia slammed the table with her hoof. "You can't be serious! That's only an old pony's tale!"

Applebloom shook her head. "Hold on there, Ah remember mah granny tellin' me stories about magical machines. She seemed pretty convinced that this was once a real thing."

Mayor Mare nodded. "We don't really have any direct evidence, only the stories. However, legends tend to be based on fact, and the legends say that unicorns can wield immense powers of destruction by focusing the energies of the Espers themselves. The only one we know for sure that has survived contact with the Esper in Neighshe is Miss Twilight here. We had received reports that she had communicated somehow with the Esper. Twilight has agreed to help us all, and our next move should be to head towards Neighshe and see if we can get Twilight to ask for the Esper's help."

Celestia sighed heavily. "There will be great risk. We shall have to accompany Twilight and ensure her safety."

Applebloom was rubbing Twilight's shoulder comfortingly. "Twi, are you sure ya wanna go through with this?"

Twilight nodded resolutely. "I've made up my mind. I want to help-!"

"Mayor...Mare! Somepony!" A weak shout was ringing from the entrance of the hideout. The gathered ponies rushed to see the source of the commotion, a wounded messenger from Canterlot City. "C-Canterlot City...the Empire has occupied it!" He coughed weakly before continuing. "They know...where the hideout is. They're marching here...there's no time!"

Mayor Mare gasped. "No! They found us! Why those-"

"It's okay. We have somepony quite well-suited to the task. Isn't that right, Applebloom?" Celestia prodded.

Applebloom smirked. Finally, some action! "Ah'm on it! Ah'll sneak into Canterlot City and slow 'em down! You can count on me!"

Applebloom rushed out the opening and made for Canterlot, leaving the others to discuss an alternate plan. Luna spoke up first. "It seems we must make plans for a different approach to Neighshe. The Lete River flows from behind thine hideout to a short ways south of Neighshe. If thou hast a raft, we could ride the rapids to Neighshe!"

Mayor Mare turned to one of the staff ponies. "You there! Do we still have the raft in the back room?"

The pony nervously saluted. "Y-yes, ma'am! We can have it prepped for you in a few minutes!"

The staff ponies scrambled to set up the raft while the group discussed the situation further.


It had been a couple of days since the meeting with the New Lunar Republic. Applebloom had successfully sown chaos in the ranks of the Imperial occupying force at Canterlot City, raiding their supplies and feeding them misinformation. They were beginning to grow suspicious of her, however, and Applebloom knew it was only a matter of time before she was caught. She needed to find a way to escape and meet up with everypony in Neighshe.

She ducked into the nearby shop to hide from the patrolling guards. Inside, there was a merchant pony chatting up the store owner. Applebloom decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, hoping to discover a way to escape. "...So even though the streets are locked down, they're letting me through," the merchant pony finished.

Applebloom's ears perked. Letting her through? she repeated in her head. If the merchant pony was being allowed through the military checkpoints, that could present just the opportunity she needed. The store owner interrupted her thoughts with his reply. "I guess it pays to be in service to the richest pony in town, eh? Anyway, here's your next order of hard cider. You're the only one who'll do business with me right now!"

The merchant pony guffawed. "Nopony would be insane enough to cross those guards. Well, I'll probably be back later to fill another order!" The merchant pony turned to leave, prompting Applebloom to hide behind the corner. As the pony rounded the corner to leave, Applebloom struck her in the back of the head with her hoof, causing her to fall unconscious.

"Sorry about that, but Ah need to leave now!" Applebloom said to nopony in particular as she dragged the limp pony into a side room. The merchant's bag was filled with all manner of spray dyes and clothes. Applebloom took a moment to spritz her coat and mane to look like the merchant's, then donned some clothes to complete the illusion. Grabbing the cider, she exited into the street.

The soldiers were on high alert, and very few citizens dared leave their homes. A soldier in Magitek armor blocked access to the entrance of the rich pony's home, and all exits from the city seemed to be flanked by several guards. Applebloom cursed under her breath at her luck. If she was going to have any chance at escaping, she'd have to press her luck in the mansion.

When she approached the checkpoint, the soldier in the armor stared down at her. "Back again so soon?"

"Yeah. Ah suppose he really loves his cider, eh?" Applebloom replied casually.

The guard continued watching her, unblinking. "Is it just me, or did your voice change a bit since last you came through here?"

"Uh, nope! Ah'm just a little tipsy and mah country upbringin's shinin' through," Applebloom replied hastily, punctuating her sentence with a nervous chuckle.

The guard shrugged and stepped aside, allowing Applebloom through. She breathed a sigh of relief and entered the sprawling mansion before her. The inside was as richly decorated as might be expected of the wealthiest pony in town. There were expensive suits of decorative armor, bookshelves in many rooms, and a few art gallery portraits adorning the walls. Applebloom brought the cider to the mansion's owner on the second floor, where he was fidgeting in his chair. "Oh, thank you for fetching me another round. I find it hard to live with myself without something to drink."

"Why? What's the matter?" Applebloom prodded.

The stallion sighed. "I sold out. I gave those loathsome Imperials money and weapons in exchange for them granting me protection and allowing me passage wherever they have occupied. I did not realize that I would be bringing disaster to my very hometown as a result. I don't deserve to look anypony in the eyes here anymore."

Applebloom remained silent for a short while, considering her words carefully. "Hey, do ya wish for peace to return to the world?"

"Yes, and I would help anypony that could promise such."

"If what ya say is true, Ah'd like to enlist yer help. Is there any way Ah can get outta the city without the soldiers gettin' on mah rump?"

The stallion peered at Applebloom quizzically. "Well...yes, there is. I've always kept a secret passage that leads through my basement in case of emergency, but I think the soldiers are using it for an interrogation right now."

"All right. Ah'm gonna borrow yer bathroom and wash this disgusting dye off me, then Ah'm gonna get the hay outta here. Ah promise Ah will help bring peace for yer sake. Until then, try t'hang on."

Applebloom ducked into the adjacent bathroom and took a quick shower. Looking her usual self once more, she emerged, winking at the bewildered stallion. She then followed his shaky hoof to the corner of the room, behind a rather ornate bookcase. As she approached the rear of the room, she felt a draft and heard wind blowing from below. Behind the bookcase was a very well-hidden staircase, which she promptly descended.

The basement was rather dilapidated and bare, but it stretched much further than Applebloom could have imagined. She wondered if the mansion's original owner must have run a smuggling operation underneath the house, because she'd never seen such a large network of passages. Off in the distance, she could faintly make out the sound of ponies arguing. Remembering what the stallion had mentioned about an interrogation, Applebloom became curious and followed the sound to a lone room with a small viewing port on the door. Peering through the door, she could make out two guards roughing up a mare with a light blue coat and a now unkempt mane with blue and white streaks. Applebloom gasped, recognizing who the guards were 'interrogating.' "Th-that's one o'the Empire's generals! What the hay's she doing here?!" Applebloom whispered to herself.

The guards stepped back briefly, the mare refusing to soften her glare. One of the guards sneered at her. "Strong will you have, but it matters not. This is what happens to anypony who betrays Emperor Gilda. Such a pity to see the once great General Trixie fallen from grace." Trixie spat at the guard in reply, prompting him to growl in rage. "Why you-! You deserve nothing short of death for your insolence!"

"Don't make me laugh, you pitiful little peasant! It was not Trixie who used poison to do her dirty work! If the Emperor truly allowed such a thing to occur, then it is the Emperor who has no honor!"

The guard punched Trixie hard in her body, causing her to double over onto the ground. "Silence! I will not hear any more of your traitorous words. Your execution is scheduled for tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to seeing you put in your place." He turned to the other guard. "Your shift begins now. Make absolutely sure she does not escape."

The other, clearly younger, guard saluted his superior. "Yes, sir! You need not worry, sir! I could stay awake for days if need be!"

As the guard turned to leave, Applebloom scampered around the corner to hide, peering around to ensure she was in the clear. The guard exited somewhere further down the hall, meaning Applebloom was safe for the moment. As she walked back to the door, she heard the unmistakable sound of snoring. "Sheesh, what an incompetent outfit they're running," she muttered to herself as she picked the lock to the door. Sure enough, the guard was leaned back in his chair and snoring so loudly it was painful to listen to. Trixie glanced up at Applebloom quizzically while the latter undid her chains.

Standing up, Trixie glared at Applebloom. "What the hell do you want with The Great and Powerful Trixie, disheveled hick?"

Applebloom pouted. "Is that any way to treat the pony who just freed ya? Ah'm no hick! Ah'm a treasure hunter from the New Lunar Republic, and from the looks of things, you could do with our protection!"

Trixie scoffed. "Why would Trixie need your help? All you seem capable of doing is getting my mane dirty."

Applebloom slapped Trixie. "Okay, cut that crap out. If we're gonna travel, we gotta cooperate, and that third pony stuff is gonna get old really fast. Mah name's Applebloom, and like it or not, Ah'm the one that saved you from certain death tomorrow. If ya come with me, Ah can guarantee yer safety."

Trixie grumbled under her breath, clutching her cheek where Applebloom had stung it earlier. "Fine. I'll go along with you for now. They will stop at nothing to ensure I perish, Applebloom. Can you truly back up your words?"

"We won't find out hangin' around here. Ah gotta meet up with the others in Neighshe."

"Neighshe?! Discord himself is leading a force there to capture the Esper they found in the mines after he finishes with the siege of Sweet Apple Acres!"

Applebloom gasped. "Aw horseapples! We don't have much time then!"

Trixie nodded gravely. "All right then. Follow me, Miss Applebloom. I know the way out."

Trixie guided Applebloom through the labyrinthine twists and turns of the basement passages. It would have taken Applebloom hours to explore this herself, she noted. Trixie's help was already beginning to pay off, but she was wondering about her other abilities. "Hey, Trixie? You were one of the Empire's top generals, right?"

Trixie smirked. "Be patient, little hayseed. You shall bear witness to the Great and Powerful Trixie's prowess soon enough." She pointed up a flight of stairs with her hoof. "Up there is the exit. We need to hurry to the caves; if I know Discord, he's already finished off Sweet Apple Acres and has mobilized his forces."

Applebloom nodded. The door led outside of Canterlot City's outer walls, and no guards could see into the area they had emerged from. She breathed a sigh of relief. They would be safe at least until reaching Canterlot Cave.


They had reached the caves almost suspiciously without incident. Applebloom knew better than to trust a long run of good fortune. She'd had a feeling for a while that they might be walking into some sort of trap, but they had to press forward. The mouth of the cave stood before them, and Applebloom steeled her nerves before she set foot inside. Trixie, on the other hoof, swaggered inside as if shrugging off all of Applebloom's concerns as merely trivial. Pouting as fully as her cheeks would permit, Applebloom fell in behind Trixie.

The cave didn't particularly look any different from before. As they walked along, Applebloom gazed around at the rock formations that encompassed the cave. The stalactite formations were rather breathtaking, she had to admit. She'd completely overlooked the scenery her first few times through the cave, and now she couldn't stop taking it in.

Applebloom opened her mouth to comment about one of the formations in particular when the ground began to rumble. Applebloom and Trixie lost their balance and both tumbled to the ground in a heap. Applebloom scrambled to her hooves, looking around for the source of the quake. "What the hay was that?!" she exclaimed.

Trixie picked herself up nonchalantly and dusted herself off. "I warned you they would be sending their best after me. You'd best prepare yourself, Bloom. You're playing in the big leagues now."

Applebloom resented Trixie's condescending tone, but she had to admit she had never known anything that could rock Canterlot Cave this violently. What was going on?

Her unease began to compound itself as the rumbling intensified. Applebloom could swear she could hear mechanical grinding in-between the rumbles. Whatever was chasing them wasn't natural. Still, she resolved herself to remain stoic in front of Trixie. No self-respecting hero would allow herself to falter in the face of destiny, after all.

As they rounded the final bend, the light of the sun flooded in through the exit. Right on cue, a gigantic mechanical contraption tunneled through the rock and blocked their retreat. Applebloom immediately readied herself for battle, but Trixie hesitated and began hyperventilating. Applebloom turned to her in bewilderment. "Trixie?! What's wrong?! Ah thought ya were a Great and Powerful somethin'-or-other!"

Trixie pointed a trembling hoof at the front of the giant machine in front of them. "Wh-wh-WHEEL! GIANT WHEEL!" She immediately curled up on the ground in the fetal position, rocking back and forth.

Applebloom sighed. "Aw, fer the love of...must I do EVERYTHING myself?!" She tensed her body, waiting for whatever the machine in front of her would do, but it seemed to be staying still. Deciding now was better than never, she charged headlong at the armor, thrusting her dagger at its tough shell. The dagger merely clinked harmlessly off the mythril plating. "Ah dangit! How am Ah supposed t'do anything to this?!"

Trixie didn't answer. She continued to rock back and forth as the armor's front bay opened up, showcasing an array of missiles. The armor trained them on Trixie's prostrate form. Applebloom cursed as she dove towards Trixie, shoving her out of the way of the missiles prior to impact. The explosion singed her tail, but they were otherwise unscathed. "Trixie! Ah need yer help! Show me what you can do!" she demanded of the ex-general.

Trixie gulped, then nodded resolutely. She stood between Applebloom and the armor. "All right, watch and learn. Trixie didn't become a general by cowering under the weight of those infernal wheels." Her body was trembling in sharp contrast to her tough words, but she remained steadfast as the armor charged an electrical magic attack.

Applebloom gasped. "Trixie! Aren't ya gonna dodge or somethin'-"

"Stand back and watch, Hayseed! I will show you what magic can do!"

The electricity arced towards Trixie, who made no move to evade. Instead, she tilted her head so her horn bore the brunt of the shock. Her horn began to glow, then the electrical strike fizzled out. Trixie's horn started to glow more and more brightly, then she shot back an even stronger electrical attack that arced around the entirety of the machine's chassis. The strike seemed to overload its internal systems, as it began to explode in various places. It began firing missiles in random directions. Applebloom and Trixie took this as their cue to run past it and out the exit of the cave.

As they escaped through the cave mouth, the ceiling caved in on the armor within, crushing it. They heard a muffled explosion rock the ground, then silence. Applebloom whooped. "Boy howdy, that was incredible, Trixie! Ah didn't know ya could absorb magic with yer horn!"

Trixie blushed. "Well, Trixie didn't realize it was that easy to impress you. But let's not rest on our laurels yet. We still have to get to Neighshe."

Applebloom nodded happily. Neighshe still needed them, but for the time being, she could rest easy in the knowledge that friendship had saved them both from certain doom. She couldn't wait to tell everypony about all that had happened.

Together, they set off towards the north, each a little more at ease with their chosen company.