//------------------------------// // *Chapter 11 Part 4: The Mare Who Waited // Story: Equestrian Earth the MMORPG // by Chaotic Note //------------------------------// A Chaotic Production presents... The Adventuring Arc :Rainbow Dash: Chapter 11 Part 4 ~ Not yet edited by ultra1437, but is edited by Genghis ~ Pre-read by RemareShadows and Apuppy120 Second Arc's Theme Song - Code Geass - Opening 1 (HQ) Capricorn hadn’t had the pleasure to go on her own in the game in such a long time. Usually she had her team mates walking beside her, but not this time. She’s treading on a path by herself, looking for her friend. She remembered the day she first logged onto Equestrian Earth. As soon as she placed a step on the stone road of Aeroslida, she stumbled upon a ragtag group of players looking for a new teammate. Morning Shower had a megaphone while the others were holding up signs, advertising their growing group. It was one of the most anime-ish she ever saw, and it filled her with laughter. Capricorn wasn’t really the type of pony to be all cuddly with others, but she did enjoy their company. It was nice to just be there in their conversations, and their team synergy made beautiful music in battle. Which is why she was a little nervous when Morning Shower ran off on her own with somepony else. If there was anything she knew about Morning, it was that she could get a too enthusiastic about impressing people she liked. She would take things above and beyond of what she should do. Since they were out to question people about a dangerous criminal, Morning might take their investigations a little too far. She remembered one time when Morning was asked to go get tickets for a chariot ride to Cloudsdale. It had been thirty minutes since she had left, so they had to go search for her. When they did, what greeted them was a rather hyped up duck race with Morning hosting the betting pool. She explained later that she didn’t have enough money to get the tickets, so she decided that holding bets for a duck race would get her enough for them. Honestly, Capricorn thought that grinding would have been a slightly better option, but hey. It got the group some new gear as well. But this was different. Morning was out there, getting involved in something dangerous. She didn’t know a lot about hacking, but she’d imagine that hackers in a virtual game are one of the scariest things possible. From what she had heard, they had the power to control and alter anything around them in order to turn the tables to their advantages. Rainbow Dash was there of course, and even though Capricorn doesn’t have a clear idea on what kind of mare she was, she knew Rainbow was the kind of mare to keep somepony like Morning down to earth. So why did she still have that creeping feeling crawling inside her? “I have to find her,” Capricorn mumbled to herself as she walked between the buildings. As she came towards a way out into the market, she saw a square object lying on the side of the road just outside the alley. “Why hello? A book?” As she came closer to the book, she could read the title on it. She almost wished she hadn’t. “Oh no.” +Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+ “So you really don’t know about this guy?” “Nope. S-s-sorry, ma’am.” “Are you re-e-eally sure? I mean, a lot of people have told you that you’re vat-deep in the Underworld. There has to be something you know about this hacker.” “I can only know s-s-so much, ma’am. I won’t lie about maybe being one of the best information brokers-s-s out there, but even this-s-s guy eludes-s-s me.” “Maybe I can interest you in some –” Rainbow Dash brought out a small pouch of bits and held it up the hooded python’s face, “– bits.” “Even if I did take thes-s-se, I s-s-still can’t tell you a thing. I s-s-simply do not know, and that is-s-s the truth.” Rainbow Dash stowed away the money. “Well… alright. You take care then.” Trottingham’s information broker, a hooded Naga by the name of SilverTongue in the game, nodded before slithering away, melting into the dark alley’s shadows. Most players wouldn’t want to toy with people like him, much less make eye contact. Superstitious tales warn to not look at them in the eye, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t afraid of those stories of eternal petrifaction. And surprisingly, SilverTongue was a gentlesnake despite having a shady job. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t give her the information she wanted, and she’s starting to lose her patience with it. Just like how… she lost patience with Morning earlier. Rainbow angrily lashed at the ground with her stomps, frustrated with herself. Over the years, Rainbow Dash has built up the reputation of being one of the coolest mares around, so why couldn’t she have handled the situation coolly? She honestly never thought that having fans would shake her mind so much. It was amazing to be noticed. Scootaloo was proof of that. The filly loved her. But if upsetting a fan brought her this much guilt… “It’s not your fault, Rainbow Dash. I mean, she did drive away those people,” Rainbow grumbled to herself. “But… ugh! I didn’t have to do that!” Rainbow slammed the side of the building next to her with the back of her hoof. “I… I gotta set things straight. Gotta make this right.” Rainbow rubbed the back of the hoof she used earlier before stepping out from the alleyway and into the open. Her next stop should be to message friends about her current situation. Surely they could help her find Morning. Before she could even spread her wings, however, a tackle from the side pushed her to the ground, throwing up dust on both of them. “Hey what gives?!” Rainbow coughed, pushing her assailant off. She gave her attacker a closer look. “Wait aren’t you– ” A sudden, painful slap greeted Rainbow’s face, strong enough to knock a few health points off of her. Capricorn reeled the hoof back, fire dancing her eyes. “How. Dare. You.” “How dare I? How dare I!?” Rainbow repeated with vigor. She stood up to meet Capricorn eye to eye. Her scowl then melted into a nervous smile. “Oh wait. Did Morning tell you what happened earlier?” she softly chuckled, making a poor attempt to alleviate what was sure to be a tense confrontation. “No, she didn’t,” Capricorn flatly replied, staring dead straight into her eyes. “O- oh. Well I might as well tell you anyway since you’re here. You see, I kinda– ” “Allowed her to get kidnapped?” Rainbow’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening. “Come again?” Rainbow Dash backed off as Capricorn stomped into her personal bubble. Her chest roughly brushed against Rainbow’s. “Kidnapped. As in stolen, whisked away, and gone from her friends!” Capricorn growled. Her tone rose with each word. “I knew something wrong was going to happen, but never would I think it would come to this. Let me guess: you told Morning off because you were slightly irritated and she took off in a flash. Because of that, she’s gone! Is that it?” Rainbow could only manage an, “U-u-uh– ” “Just ’uh?’ Is that all you can say now?” Capricorn pulled a book from her inventory and shoved it into Rainbow’s chest. Rainbow, her breathing slowed, read the title of it. Morning Shower’s Diary. “How did you– ” “I found it on the ground, dirtied and soiled. Morning always keeps her most precious entries in there. They were secrets that she even wouldn’t entrust to us, her friends. We respect that, and I know for sure that she wouldn’t just leave it lying around for just anypony to pick up.” Rainbow handed the book back into Capricorn who swiped it away. “Look I’m sorry, alright? I know an apology isn’t going to cut it right now, but I am truly sorry. I was just about to go look for her actually.” Capricorn just continued to glare. “Just about? Why didn’t you look earlier?” “I had other things on my mind! But I’m going to make this alright. I’m gonna go find her. I promise!” “No you’re not. I don’t want you anywhere near her anymore. You’ve done enough.” Capricorn turned her back from Rainbow, storming off. “Where are you going?” Rainbow called after her, although making no attempts to chase after. “To go find my friend!” Capricorn bellowed back. And with an incredible sprint, the Rogue was gone. +Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+ “Rainbow has been gone for quite a while. Should we go look for her?” Applejack asked Twilight who was reading a book called The Advanced Guide on Ganking. Rarity, who was playing cards with Trixie and Pinkie Pie, nodded. “I agree. Rainbow Dash does have the tendency to get herself between a rock and a hard place.” Trixie placed down an Ace of Hearts. “I’m pretty sure she could take care of herself. I know her type, and you girls should know it too. She probably doesn’t want help.” “Don’t say that, Trixie,” Applejack growled. “This is serious!” “Bartender! Can I have another C.C. Butterbeer?” Pinkie requested at the top of her lungs, waving an empty bottle of one high in the air. “Coming right up!” A crisp, cool glass bottle of Cotton Candy Butterbeer was tossed towards her, which Pinkie expertly caught with her mouth before landing back on her chair. “I’ll have one as well!” Trixie hollered with a smirk. “Put it on Twilight’s tab!” “Hey!” “Oh don’t worry. I’ll pay you back later,” Trixie chuckled as she caught hers with magic. Pinkie and Trixie uncapped their drinks and clanged them together in a celebratory toast before gulping down their mouthwatering contents. Twilight rolled her eyes and turned towards Applejack. “I would go and help Rainbow, but I think she left with the impression that she wanted to do this by herself.” “But Twili– ” “No buts.” “Butts are good. They’re soft and cushy to touch,” Trixie commented with a subtle smirk. Twilight frowned at that. “Trixie!” Applejack pounded the surface of the table, shooting glares at Trixie. “I swear tah Celestia that you don’t take anything with the least bit of empathy! Aren’t you even a bit concerned?” Pinkie tossed down a red Uno card with a five on it into the card pile. Rarity silently shook her head towards Pinkie while the silly mare giggled. Trixie, however, was no longer interested in the cards. “If it makes you feel better, than yes I am slightly worried. But your daring friend left here with quite the impression. I’m not about to pick up my tail just to interrupt Rainbow. I don’t think she’ll thank me for it, and I get the feeling she’ll come back soon enough.” Twilight slipped a bookmark in her book before storing it into her inventory. “Trixie makes a good point. We’re just here to relax and enjoy a game, Applejack. Hackers are not our business and should be left to the authorities suitable for this task.” “But what if Rainbow gets herself in trouble?” Applejack questioned, looking quite frustrated. “She’s our friend and you’re telling us we should ignore her?” She struck it right in the heart. Everypony except Trixie glanced down at the floor, avoiding Applejack’s eyes. Trixie heaved a soft sigh and laid down her hoof of cards. “Honestly I don’t think you know what is truly at stake here. It’s something that you apparently don’t understand clearly enough.” “And what would that be, showmare?” Applejack growled. Trixie brushed the dust off her shoulder. “Pride.” Applejack opened her mouth to retort back, but seemed to struggle with her jaws. “Didn’t you pay attention to Rainbow last night? She looked like somepony had taken her cupcake and smashed it down to the ground. She had flames in her eyes that night, and she definitely had the right to be. I would be if somepony had stolen something precious from me.” Trixie glanced towards Twilight. Twilight only looked away, pink colors blossoming lightly in her cheeks. “Anyway, this is something that Rainbow will have to do herself. Enlighten me, Applejack. How do you think she would feel if suddenly her friends decided to butt in with help that she never wanted in the first place?” Applejack scanned the table, her eyes trailing at the cards, at the drinks, and finally back to Trixie. “If I was Rainbow, I would probably feel bullheaded as an ox.” “See? I knew you would say th– ” “But she would also know that we came to help her because it was the right thing to do. Rainbow may be stubborn, but even she understands how important teamwork is, and I’m not about walk away from her.” Applejack tipped the front end of her hat up, giving them all a strong look. “Now who’s with me?” After a short moment, Twilight was the first to raise her hoof. Shame was painted in her eyes. “I am. I’m… I’m sorry that I’ve forgotten such an important thing. Rainbow Dash is still our friend, and what do friends do? They help each other. I can’t even call myself an acquaintance to her right now.” The others slowly raised their hooves up as well, leaving Trixie the last one left. Trixie heavily sighed once more. “Alright if you all really are going to do this, then I might as well come.” Trixie jabbed towards Applejack. “But only to see what would happen. I’m not about to get myself fully involved in this.” “That’s fine. You can come along and see how wrong you are,” Applejack smirked. Trixie rolled her eyes, crossing her forelegs across her chest. “Now let’s go find Rainbow. She can’t be too far since the hacker is most likely stationed here.” Fluttershy raised her hoof slightly. Applejack quickly caught that and turned her head towards her. “U- um. I- I don’t think we need to look, um, far. She’s right over there.” They all looked towards the front door, finding Rainbow standing underneath the open frame. Her eyes were shaky, and her breathing was raspy. “Guys, I can’t believe I’m asking you this now, but I need your help.” +Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+ “Darling, before you begin, you should drink first. Your throat sounds absolutely parched!” Rarity said as she levitated a cup of steaming warm cider towards Rainbow. She had one ordered before Rainbow asked them if they could go upstairs into the room before they hear what she had to say. Everypony except Twilight and Applejack were resting on the beds. Fluttershy was on her stomach next to Rainbow who was sitting on the edge of the second bed, facing away from the window. Pinkie was on the first bed on her back and limbs spread out in angel formation. Her head hung on the edge as she looked up towards Rainbow, and was twirling a peppermint candy ninja star. Rarity was on the same bed as Pinkie, although she had a couple pillows underneath her forelegs to make her rest more comfortable. Trixie was alone on the third bed, next to the window with her hat shading her eyes as her head was laid on a pillow. “Thanks Rare,” Rainbow coughed before sending the sweet contents into her stomach. The warm touches of the drink soothed her windpipe. “Wow. This is some really good stuff.” “I know. I’m still surprised every time I have a meal here. I even catch myself drooling on the pillow every morning after I have a couple bites. I would have never imagined I would do such an unladylike thing, but I just can’t help myself.” “That’s great and all, but I would really like to know what happened,” Applejack said, turning towards Rainbow. “We were really worried about you. Some of us anyway,” she said as she casted a quick gaze at Trixie. Rainbow didn’t notice the slight frown Trixie had. “Well to make the story quick and short, I messed up pretty bad.” Applejack raised one of her eyebrows. “How so?” “Yeah! What could you have down that could possibly made your smile upside down?” Pinkie asked. “I mean, your frown is really sad and everything! I never seen you this down before. Not even when Applejack ran out of cider! You must have down something really, really, really, really ba– ” Twilight had a cupcake stuffed in Pinkie’s mouth, immediately subduing her. Pinkie sighed with content, dazed and distracted in a cupcake daydream. “Pinkie, Rainbow can’t tell us what’s wrong if she keeps being interrupted.” “It’s fine, Twilight,” Rainbow assured, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hoof. “She’s right though. This is probably one of the biggest mess-ups I could have possibly made.” “Could you please elaborate? I get the feeling we don’t have all day,” Trixie said with an annoyed frown. Twilight shushed at Trixie before Rainbow gathered up her thoughts. “I… I kinda met somepony today.” Rarity’s interests were snatched up. “Oh? Who is it? An old friend? Possibly a stallion you knew before?” “No it wasn’t anypony like that. Her name was Morning Shower, and she’s a big fan of mine.” “Wait, I know this story.” Everypony except for Rainbow turned to look at Trixie. She had her hat lifted up a little to look at Rainbow. “You drove her away in frustration, didn’t you?” “What are you going on about, Trixie?” Applejack scowled. “Rainbow is great with anypony who admires her! She would never dare to upset any one of them!” To Applejack’s surprise, Rainbow shook her head. “No. She’s right. She ran away when she believed I was mad at her.” Rainbow lowered her head even farther in shame. Applejack couldn’t even meet her eyes. “And to be honest, I was a little angry with her. But I would never even imagine I would ever get into this situation.” The mares all looked at each other as awkward silence blanketed the room. Twilight was the first to break it. “Well I’m sure it’s not that bad as you think it is. I mean, everypony gets upset every now and then– ” “But do they usually lead them being kidnapped?!” Rainbow suddenly burst out in a shout, her eyes filled with tears and her brows furrowed deep. Twilight’s eyes widened, recoiling a little. “W- what?! Kidnapped???” “O- oh my. That sounds very horrible,” Fluttershy said in a hush tone, which was ironically heard by everypony in the room due to the second silence. It didn’t stay for very long. “What in tarnation do you mean she was kidnapped?” Applejack demanded. “How did upsetting a fan of yours end up getting her in deep water?” “Well this is quite interesting,” Trixie mumbled to herself quiet enough for none of them to hear. A distinct sound wings flapping from the window caught her attention. There were no birds to be found, but instead there was a scroll sitting in the frame of the open window. A green satin ribbon had it tied up. “Why hello? What do we have here?” Meanwhile, Rainbow had already revealed Morning’s diary to the others. None of them bothered to read it though as what Rainbow had to say was already enough. She had a small, sad smile. “I couldn’t help myself, but I had to take a peek in her diary. Can you believe she stayed up for three nights straight in order to lift weights with her wings alone? Just in order to impress me with her flying skills when I come over to Cloudsdale? That’s some crazy dedication right there!” Her smile went 180 into a frown again. “Trouble is, I actually did go to Cloudsdale a few days after that entry was written down. She said she performed a couple nice tricks when she saw me in town, including writing my name in the sky with clouds. How could I have missed that?! I would have loved to see that!” Twilight walked up to Rainbow and gently placed a hoof on her shoulder, giving her a soft smile. “Hey don’t kick yourself so hard for this. There’s no way you could have possibly known that happened. I remember you complaining to me after you came back about how you were stuck inside the Weather Factory, filing paperwork the entire day?” “Yeah I guess. I just wished somepony could have saw that and told me though. I definitely would have loved to meet her had I known,” Rainbow groaned, throwing her back against the bed. “And now this happens!” Applejack placed a hard stomp on the wooden floor. “Well don’t you fret any longer, Rainbow. We’re gonna help you find Morning right now, but not before you pick yourself from that self pity pool of yours. It really wasn’t your fault this happened ya know.” “That’s right, Rainbow,” Fluttershy nodded. “It wasn’t your fault. It’s not like you assisted with her kidnap.” “But it feels like I did.” Rainbow rolled onto her side, facing away from Fluttershy. “I don’t even know where she could be.” “Well I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore.” Everypony turned towards Trixie once more. Even Pinkie snapped out from her cupcake dream. Trixie was slowly waving an opened scroll inches above her vulnerable belly. “I think our Trottingham Hacker is challenging us now.” Rainbow suddenly stood up on the mattress, her nostrils flaring and eyes burning. “He was the one who kidnapped Morning? Where is he?” Trixie confidently smirked as if she knew all the secrets to the world. “Winsome Falls. The caverns beneath them to be specific.” +Ω ‡‡¥‡‡Ω+ Morning’s stomach was rustling restlessly. Not the greatest feeling in the world to wake up to. Her head felt like it was taken for a ride in the washer and dryer. It felt like tides were being thrown left and right inside of her, the waves of acid crashing against the fleshy walls of her stomach. She tried to suppress the growing feeling in her belly down, but it was kind of hard to tell which way was down as she was hanging upside down, tied in a tight coil of rope hanging from the dark ceiling. In the end, she unfortunately lost the battle and lost her lunch, virtual daisy sandwich and all. She looked around to see nothing but darkness. The air reminded her of wet bread, and gave her body quite a chill as well. The only source of light was the lantern the hung beside her. “Ugh,” Morning groaned weakly, “that was disgusting.” “Quite. You’re getting my floor all messy, ya cunt.” Morning swiveled her head around. “Who’s there?” “Why it’s me of course. Don’t you recognize me?” her captor said, removing the shadows from him as he stepped into the dim light. Morning narrowed her eyes, a scowl erupting across her face as she hissed, “Master Wind. Or should I say Ass Wind?” “Oh my. Still the feisty mare from all those years ago,” Wind chuckled with a smile of amusement. “If my memory serves me correctly, weren’t you just a shy little doll before you decided to play as the hero?” “I ‘played’ hero because there had to be somepony to stand up to assholes like you,” Morning growled, struggling against her bonds. Though the more she fought, the tighter the rope coiled around her. “Tsk, tsk. When will you ever learn that heroes don’t always leave flowers in their wake?” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Master Wind simply sneered towards her. “It means it’s not always sunshines and rainbows. When you defied me on that day, you made a very nasty enemy. I bide my time well, staying out of the searchlights of those pesky government dogs. I even had to change my face a little every now and then.” “Then why are you the same way you looked before?” He shrugged. “I just thought you might appreciate a little bit of nostalgia, a taste of the good ole days.” “They weren’t good ole days to me, Wind. Now let me go!” “Oh ho ho I’m afraid I will not,” he said, a black cane with a ruby crystal crowning it materializing in his hoof. “You see, I’m fishing for a big catch today, and I’m in need of some bait. Fortunately, it seemed like a rather large worm had squirmed right into my path, and I get the feeling that my prize wanted a big one.” Morning stopped wiggling in her rope cage for a few moments before growling, “Rainbow Dash will kick your sorry ass.” “I’m afraid that’s where you are wrong, doll. You see, I have very good friends with me today.” Master Wind sat upon an exquisitely carved wooden chair that materialized out from a gush of blue data from the ground. He made a couple claps. The sounds bounced around the walls a couple times before Morning saw something coming out from the darkness. Her breath was trapped her throat as two monstrous creatures limbered on their tree trunk-sized legs. They resembled a hybrid creature cross between a lizard and a bear that was dipped in liquid darkness. Their feet and body embodied the massive furry beast while their heads were reptilian-like. Black slime pooled under where their bared teeth were, but what truly horrified her was who was in the cage that the two carried on their backs. “Capricorn!” Morning cried out, struggling to swing towards her. However it was no use. Her friend looked like she was knocked out cold, and she wouldn’t wake no matter how loud she shouted. Master Wind’s soft chuckle slowly grew into howling, evil laughter. “Oh this will be fun!” +Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+ When one thinks of Winsome Falls, they expect gushing amounts of water and rainbows to fill the air, so naturally they also expected the Winsome Caverns must be colorful and pretty. However, the ugly truth of the caves is that it is a cesspool of the rainbows’ wastes. Rainbows are known to be incredibly spicy due to a component in the spectrum that glued all of the colors together in perfect seven lines. When the rainbow collides, that component is separated from the combination, free to be its foul self. And Winsome Caverns is the tank of that nasty stuff. The mares had arrived at the mossy entrance of the Winsome Caverns, the rim of its large mouth toothed by hanging stalactite and rising stalagmite. Even from more than twenty meters away, the band of adventurers could detect the cave’s noxious stench in their nose. Rarity was by far the most disgusted, going as far as to wear a hazmat suit. It was similar to the one Rarity owned out in the real world, except its air tanks were made out of ruby. “Do we have to go in there, darlings? My readings are telling me that this gruesome, icky, nasty, horrid place has a 9.3 scale rating of radiation that gives anypony in there a magic debuff, and an 11.0 rating on the E.W. scale.” “I’m afraid so,” Trixie said, reading the ransom note once more. “The hacker does claim to be here. So far, it’s our only lead.” “Then I say we go in, whoop this guy’s ass, save Morning, and put this guy’s sorry flank into the cage,” Rainbow said, punching her two hooves together. “Now who’s with me?” Applejack slightly raised her war hammer up. “Right here, Rainbow. Right here.” Twilight stepped up right next to Rainbow. “So am I. We’re not going to let his actions progress any longer.” “Me too! Me too!” Pinkie bounced up and down with a grin hidden behind her cloth mask, although her eyes sparkles were practically screaming excitement. Rarity sighed. “Well I suppose I have to.” Fluttershy silently nodded while Trixie just heaved a sigh. “Then it’s settled!” Rainbow shouted, charging straight into the depths of the cave. “I’m coming to save you, Morning!” “Rainbow Dash, wait!” Twilight shouted after her, racing after the blue dasher. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Trixie soon trailed after her, leaving only Rarity and Fluttershy behind. Rarity was about to muster up her courage to step further towards the cave when Fluttershy gently pulled on her tail. She slightly pulled on the sleeve of her leafy cape. “Do you, um, have an extra suit? I don’t think I’m well equipped for such a dangerous place.” “Why of course, darling!” Rarity said, dropping another set of the suit for Fluttershy’s inventory to suck up. Fluttershy selected the suit in her bag and equipped it. It appeared on her in a bright, quick flash. “Which reminds me, I need to refresh our team’s equipment. I’m afraid we need to be better equipped for the future, but the problem is that I’m running out of bits.” “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll get by. Hopefully.” Fluttershy smiled softly. Rarity turned her gaze towards the jaws of the cave. “I sure hope you’re right. I’m not even sure if Twilight’s Sparkling Robes of Armament will protect her, and that’s the strongest gear out of all ours!” “It is?” Rarity nodded. “Oh yes. Nullifying 75% of a physical attack is quite enormous, but I’ve noticed the monsters around here are quite stronger than the ones we’ve encountered before. We only got by because of team work.” “Well I have faith in our friends.” “As do I, dear Fluttershy. As do I.” +Ω‡‡¥‡‡Ω+ Rain Spice Bats are flying, elemental cave creatures made out of water that can blind a player by throwing spicy water projectiles from their wings. A colony of them didn’t stand a chance as Rainbow meteored into their home. The sheer wind-filled force from her harsh landing blew them all away. Rainbow had landed on some mud, getting her dirty, but she didn’t the slightest bit of attention to it. All she had on her mind was– “Morning! Where are you?” “Rainbow, be quiet!” The blue rogue craned her head around to see Twilight and the others arriving. “We don’t want to alert the hacker’s attention. Who knows what traps he may have set up for us?” “I don’t care what he throws at us! After what he did, I just want to give him a piece of my mind and a hooful of broken teeth!” Rarity inspected the area. “Please think more carefully about this, darling. Twilight does make a valuable point. This is an unknown enemy we’re dealing with here. From the rather uncouth writing on the letter, I can easily tell you that he is absolutely not a gentlecolt. I’ve never seen such arrogance ever since I had the utter displeasure of meeting Blueblood.” “Well he certainly does have leverage on us,” Trixie said. “If I was in his shoes, I would have written a note like that as well.” Applejack scowled. “Of course you would.” Trixie strutted up to Applejack and bumped chests with her, a sly grin gracing her lips. “Why yes I probably would. I’d imagine that he had a lot of fun writing that letter. That nickname he gave you specifically was cute. Does he happen to know you personally?” Applejack growled, “And what’s that supposed to mean?” “Oh please. He called you a ‘Curvy Cowgirl.’ That’s a mighty delicious word for somepony to use isn’t it, cowgirl?” Applejack aggressively pressed her snout against Trixie’s grinning one. “Don’t you dare call me that again. I was willing to give you a second chance, but I can see you haven’t really changed at all, showmare.” “You haven’t exactly been friendly with me either, Applejack. Your tone is just laced with red.” “Well you seem to have a good talent of getting on my nerves easily.” “Would that be tiptoeing or treading?” “Why I ‘oughta– ” Twilight pushed herself between the two and pushed them apart from each other. “Please! No fighting, girls! Now is not the time for bickering.” “Twilight, aren’t you seeing this? Trixie is still her downright nasty self! I don’t see any of the ‘good’ changes you said she had after that magic duel you two had!” Trixie brushed the dust off her chest. “I’m trying really hard here, but I believe most of your friends don’t trust me very well.” “Well with that behavior, I can certainly see why Applejack is a little furious with you,” Rarity frowned. “I like you!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “I like everypony!” Applejack turned towards Rainbow. “How about you, Dash? What do you think of Trixie?” “She’s fine I guess,” Rainbow Dash said, although not looking at Applejack and was eyeing the various tunnels branching out from the main chamber they were in. “Seems like a good drinking buddy to have.” “Why thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Trixie said, grinning at Applejack’s slightly deeper scowl. “Rainbow Dash!” “W- well if Rainbow Dash likes her, I guess she’s an okay pony,” Fluttershy mumbled. Applejack shoved her hat down to cover her eyes. Just as she did, a voice boomed out from deep within the caves. It reminded Rainbow of snakes, and was definitely masculine. “Well what do we have here? Guests? Oh my, it’s certainly early to have them. I haven’t even set up the appetizers yet.” Rainbow stomped a hoof towards the general direction of the voice, although the echo made it difficult to determine where it was coming from. “Where are you? Where’s Morning Shower? Show yourself, coward!” she bellowed. “My my, what strong words you have. If you really want to meet me so bad, then why don’t you come and join me? Here, I’ll even give you a road to start on.” The rocky walls started to rumble, the earth groaning beneath their hooves. The cave was getting darker, and as Rainbow Dash turned around, she could see why. The entrance was closing. “No!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she flew towards the closing mouth, although it was too late as the light bit of light was choked out and her hooves punched against solid rock. It pained quite a bit, but it didn’t stop her from hitting the wall. “You bastard! Don’t you dare bucking cage us in here!” “Isn’t this what you wanted though? To have a confrontation with me?” “I’ll punch your lights out!” Rainbow roared as she turned around and dived down one of the tunnels. Twilight reached out towards Rainbow. “Wait! Don’t do it, Rainbow! It’s a tr –” The tunnel where Rainbow Dash went through immediately closed. “– ap… ” Twilight fell onto her knees. “Oh no. It’s Discord all over again.” “This guy is playing smart with Rainbow Dash’s mood,” Trixie noted, dropping her grin for a more serious frown. “Sorry Twilight, but I don’t think we’re going to see Rainbow Dash for a while.” Applejack stepped between Twilight and Trixie, looking straight into the magician’s eyes. “And what do you propose we do now?” Trixie wasn’t intimidated. “Why we stick together of course. Safety and power in groups.” “Well what about Rainbow Dash?” “She can fend for herself. She may not be the brightest out of all of us, but she has the grit to make up for it.” The two stared into each other’s eyes, silently fighting a battle of will. Applejack’s blazed while Trixie’s was stone and unmoving. Finally, Applejack’s glare was doused a little. She looked away from Trixie. “Fine. I just hope Rainbow is gonna be alright.” She walked over to Twilight and offered a hoof to her. “Come on, Twi. Get up. We got as criminal to lasso.” Twilight nodded, and took Applejack’s help as she picked herself off the ground. Pinkie Pie, not alarmed by the sudden twist on their plan, bounced happily ahead of the group. “Come on, girls! I think the voice came from this way!” “Well we better follow her, darlings. We shouldn’t lose her too,” Rarity said, trotting after Pinkie. She muttered ‘ew’ and ‘gross’ as red mud splattered more on her hooves with each step, even though the hazmat suit protected her. Fluttershy followed closely behind her. Soon, the other three joined them, descending into the darkness with them as Pinkie sang a silly song about giggling at the ghostly. A small smile grew on Twilight, feeling her spirits lifting up a little. They’ll surely find Rainbow again. They got to.