Canterlot Castle was abnormally busy for this time of day; servants running to and fro, seeming far more frightened than usual. Rarity; the Mistress of the Castle and Provincial Governor of all Equestria, knew this could only mean one thing. She walked through the halls in her regalia; the Nobles simultaneously enchanted and intimidated by the sight of the Unicorn, who still retained her beauty and passion for Dressmaking, her craving for great power fitting in among those traits already present, and maintained by the Empress herself; in a bid to keep Rarity from becoming too ambitious.
She stood in the Grand Hall with her Crystal Guards as the great doors opened; revealing none other than the undisputed Empress Twilight Sparkle, adorned in ceremonial armor, a red cape covering her back and a jagged crystal crown resting atop her head. The infamous Alicorn had been responsible for the downfall of beloved rulers Celestia and Luna; her new regime's steel grip on Equestria and pony-kind causing much pain and suffering over the years. It was true; resistance movements had forced in a bid to overthrow the totalitarian regime, initially considered too scattered and disorganized to be considered a threat. Recent reports had been concerning indeed; a series of Bombings in Fillydelphia; increasingly bold and successful raids on the frontier railways, especially around Appleoosa; and worst of all: Those responsible evaded capture time and time again, striking blow after blow; which loosened the Empress' grip on Equestria, and brought more support to the foolish cause of the upstart rebels.
"Ah, Twilight, dear; to what occasion do we owe the pleasure?" Rarity said, acting as though little was wrong; allowing the Enforcers to deal with the commoners while she enjoyed the regal splendors and high-life that was Canterlot.
The Empress did not seem amused at all; having paid close attention to events going on throughout her domain with growing frustration, which she might very well have taken out on Rarity; had the Unicorn Mare not been a long-time friend. Besides; with the strong anger and resentment she could feel coming from one among the otherwise cowardly and powerless crowd; she would soon have somepony to take her own frustrations out on.
Pretending to listen to Rarity drone on about how it was an honor she was here, and the arrangements for a celebration; Twilight bided her time until it happened; one of the maids; a Pegasus, kicked off into the air, avoiding the Crystal Guards on the ground and diving downwards towards Twilight Sparkle; a butcher's knife in hoof.
"Die, you merciless Witch!" The Pegasus shouted as she rapidly approached Twilight.
The young Mare found herself thrown across the room by a strong Telekinetic push; hitting the wall and crashing back down to the floor, stunned but otherwise alive. The Guards took advantage of this and grabbed hold of her; the Nobles and Servants clearing a path and gathering around to watch as the Empress approached the Mare who had just tried to assassinate her; a smug grin on her face as she approached the restrained mare.
"Go on, monster; kill me now and get it over with!" The Pegasus shouted, putting on a brave face, though in reality she was absolutely and utterly terrified; Twilight could feel it.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Twilight said, looking down on the subdued Pegasus. She picked up the knife her assailant had been holding; looking over the sharpened instrument before handing it over to a guard. "No; I have other plans for you."
With that being said; Twilight summoned a black crystal shard, an object rarely used, though feared for good reason. The Empress could tell this upstart had heard of this before; watching her squirm and struggle; shouting for her to get away and spewing idle threats; all in vain. With her free hoof; Twilight grabbed the Rebellious maid's face; forcefully holding it straight before impaling her right eye with the crystal.
The Pegasus Mare's scream of pain echoed throughout the Great Hall; some sickened by this, others terrified, while others still were enraged, though powerless to stop what was going to happen at this point. Twilight released the Crystal, which had now sunken into the victim's wound, beginning to crystalize her body. The aforementioned Pegasus wasn't dead, no; she was beyond the comparably sweet embrace as things stood, her body going limp as she lost consciousness from the pain.
"Take her to the dungeons; keep her there until she's ready." She ordered, turning to those who had witnessed the vile event take place. "Let this be a lesson to you, to all of you; you are mine, all of you! If you don't like it; then you're welcome to resist, and if you resist; you'll be lucky if I decide to end your meaningless lives then and there."
Confident her message had gotten through; the Guards cleared a path for her as she motioned for Rarity to follow. There was still much to discuss, and her patience had been worn thin.
The Train ride from Manehattan to Ponyville seemed to last an eternity; from the forests surrounding the urban community to the mountainous regions around Canterlot, and finally to the flat fields and rolling hills of the Equestrian Breadbasket. Eventually; they arrived in Ponyville; the small town that Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom had once called home. Little had changed about it; which was an amazing feat considering most other communities had decayed into large slums surrounding much smaller, prosperous districts reserved for collaborators with the regime.
Perhaps the Empress still had some respect left for this community and the few ponies fortunate enough to still live here? The answers would never be clear, but that didn't matter; that wasn't what any of these Mares were here for. Stepping out onto the platform; "Melody", "Lightning Runner", and "Appleblossom" gathered to take one good look at the town they had grown up in and remembered so fondly...
"No sense standin' around; we better get going." Babs Seed said after giving them a moment to reminisce.
Applebloom nodded, she and the others following without a word. They walked through the streets of Ponyville; past Sugarcube Corner and the desolate Library that was home to Twilight Sparkle initially; now simply abandoned. This place wasn't their goal, however; the four pushed on towards Sweet Apple Acres, or what was left of it.
When the War had come to Ponyville; Applebloom, Granny Smith, and Big Mac had been long gone; hearing nothing about the farm or its fate. She saw now that the house proper had been burned; the other buildings having fallen into disrepair and disuse. The Orchard was overgrown; no longer cultivated or cared for by any pony; despite the fact plenty still took food, as the obvious lack of Apples on many of the trees showed them.
It pained Applebloom to see her childhood home reduced to ashes while the surrounding land she had worked on and cared for with her siblings had hardly seen proper care for all these long years. Still; there was little that could be done about it considering the situation they found themselves in.
"Right... So which way to the Clubhouse?" Babs Seed asked, having only been there a few times in the past.
"I think... It's this way." Scootaloo said, pointing a hoof down a trail just barely visible in all the grass that had grown since it was last used.
Without hesitation; the four began walking down the path. The fresh, country air and familiar feel of this place gave Applebloom time to reflect once more. She wished things didn't turn out like this; she wished that they could all go back to the way they were before; when the Princess' ruled over everything with a steady, even hand; when Nopony had to struggle just to live in slums that were just a step above living in the garbage that many homeless ponies lived in, simply to survive.
The more Applebloom looked back on it; the angrier she got. What right did Twilight have, to twist her sister in such a way; to murder or arrest half her family and hunt the other half down like dogs? Likely the most important question in the raging storm of anger and confusion that blew through her mind was; how? How did it all come to this? A tear traveled down her cheek, which she wiped away; taking deep breaths to calm herself, feeling a hoof come over her shoulders, her cousin pulling her into a hug.
"It'll be alright..." Babs Seed said, having noticed Applebloom on the verge of losing her cool.
Applebloom returned the hug, trying hard to calm herself. She looked to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who had stopped and turned, and were now walking back over to the two cousins, taking note of Applebloom's apparent grief.
"Don't cry, Applebloom..." Sweetie Belle said, trying to hide the fact she was close to that point herself, reminiscing over better times as well.
"Yeah... I... I know it hurts... We know how you feel." Scootaloo said, thinking about Rainbow Dash; how she idolized her as a role model and spiritual sister before, only to see her as a heartless monster now.
It was inevitable it would happen; Sweetie Belle couldn't hold back any longer, admitting she missed Rarity before she and Applebloom both broke down into sobbing, the latter clinging tightly to her Cousin while the other embraced Scootaloo with a hug, the Pegasus Mare staying strong and keeping it bottled up through all this as best she could; angry at the pony responsible for all their pain, and the pain so many other ponies felt. Twilight would pay for this; no questions about it.
The four Mares stopped for a bit, resting under the shade of an Apple tree to calm down and collect themselves. They discussed times long gone, laughed over their silly antics all in the name of getting their Cutie Marks and reminisced over loved ones lost, and all the times they shared with them before; good and bad.
As they talked, Scootaloo drifted off; needing an outlet for the anger she felt. Her stomach growling gave her the perfect idea of how to go about this in a manner that would hardly seem suspicious, as she walked over to a second Apple Tree, a quick and powerful kick with her hind legs causing a bunch of Apples to fall from the tree. Not only did she feel somewhat relieved, but she had an excuse as well.
"So... You guys hungry, too?" She asked, picking up some Apples.
"Yeah." Applebloom said, while Sweetie Belle and Babs nodded, every pony feeling somewhat better after releasing the emotional tension that had built up for so long.
The four mares sat in the shade for a while longer, enjoying a snack out of the Apples, which still tasted like the best apples in all Equestria; relaxing just a moment longer before Applebloom stood up again.
"Well, I guess we better get goin'." She said, the others standing and following her through the Orchard a ways before they came upon a very familiar sight; their Clubhouse; which hadn't changed a single bit since that last day... The retractable ramp was raised, though the four of them were tall enough to easily bring it back down... It seemed they didn't need to, however; a blue aura gently pushing it down.
Sweetie Belle's ears perked, shivers sent down her spine as she felt magic unlike anything she sensed before...
"What is it?" Scootaloo said, noticing her friend's reaction to the obvious presence of another Unicorn.
"Magic... Powerful magic, too." Sweetie Belle replied, looking up to the Clubhouse.
"Can you tell if they're friends or enemies?" Babs Seed asked, clearly not having a grasp on the concept of Magic. Nopony there did, really; besides Sweetie Belle, of course.
"It doesn't work like that." The white-coated Unicorn said, understanding it would take another unicorn to truly understand what it was like. "I can only tell how powerful any source of magic is, and this one... It's powerful, but... Different... I really can't explain it."
"Hmm... Well; we ain't gonna get any answers just standin' around; so come on." Applebloom said, walking towards the old clubhouse, the others following close behind.
They had all gathered around the door, which Applebloom opened slowly, peeking inside to see a Unicorn Mare she knew well enough. "Trixie!?" She asked, in shock and awe; noticing another pony in there too; cloaked and hooded.
The four mares stepped in, seeing Trixie Lulamoon sitting in the room alongside the mysterious other pony. "Hello." Trixie said, standing to introduce herself. "I'm sure you might already know me... You know; 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'!" She said, mimicking her own formerly boastful and egotistical personality, getting a slight smile out of the group; who remembered her well, perhaps not in the fondest manner, but none of that mattered anymore.
"And you'll definitely remember me." The stranger said; removing her hood to reveal a very familiar yellow-coated Pegasus; albeit her eye seemed a bit odd, but there was no mistaking the pink mane and gentle voice.
"Fluttershy!" Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all exclaimed excitedly, rushing over to her without hesitation, pulling her into a group-hug.
"It's good to finally see a friendly face..."
"Where have you been? How have you been?"
"We missed you."
Babs Seed walked over to and sat near Trixie as the other three bombarded Fluttershy with comments and questions; eventually settling down at the request of their friend, whom they'd honestly never expected to see again. They all sat; swapping stories of their lives; Trixie's travels around Equestria, Fluttershy's roles in the formation of Resistance Movements, whether intentionally or not; and finally, the lives of the Cutie Mark Crusaders after their relocation to Manehattan; how they finally earned their Cutie Marks, and so on and so forth.
"So... Why'd you bring us here?" Applebloom asked eventually, curious.
Fluttershy stared at Applebloom for a moment, thinking o a way to explain it. "Well... It started just before the fall of the Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia showed me a vision of six ponies who would wiled the Elements of Harmony, as the others... Well, you know. Anyway; I saw you three, Miss Babs Seed, and Miss Trixie as the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
"But that's only five." Applebloom said, remembering well enough that there were Six elements. "So... Who's the Sixth?"
"I can still use Kindness; the Princess managed to purge the corruption within me before it could consume my body... Even still; it left it's mark." Fluttershy answered; her hoof touching the crystalized portion of her flesh around her blue orb that served as her eye.
"And where are the Elements?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well... They were't easy to find. Princess Celestia never told me, and there were only a select few others she trusted enough to tell. Most of them are gone now, but I managed to find out from one pony who used to Guard the Palace and Princess'; he told me that before the march to the Crystal Empire; Celestia took the Elements to a Dragon's lair at Rambling Rock Ridge. I was skeptical at first, and then my travels brought me to Rambling Rock Ridge once; there is a dragon living up there. I don't know if it has the Elements, but it ties in with the Royal Guard's story, so that would be the most likely place to look."
"Well, wheat are we waitin' for, then? Let's go steal ourselves some dragon's treasure!" Applebloom said, standing up, ready to leave for the Ridge.
"Wait!" Fluttershy said, looking troubled. "Th-there's something you should know... The dragon I saw... It had purple scales and green spines."
The adventurous attitude Applebloom had before disappeared almost entirely, as she knew of only one dragon that looked like what Fluttershy had just described. "A-are ya sure...?" Applebloom asked, torn on the issue now.
Fluttershy nodded. "No mistake; I'm fairly certain the dragon I saw was Spike. He's gotten bigger; much bigger. I don't know if he's aggressive or not... I never let him see me, but the fact remains that Princess Celestia may very well have left the Elements of Harmony with him, and no matter what; we'll have to face him if we want to save Equestria."
Everypony in the room looked very worried; for Babs and Trixie; it was simply the principle that there was a dragon; a creature most Ponies avoided and for good reason. For the others, however; it was deeper than that. They all took a moment to collect their thoughts and make a plan of action; part of each of them praying to Celestia the dragon would remember them, and hopefully hand over the elements without incident.
Twilight paced, obviously irritated. She and Rarity both had retreated to the private chambers of Canterlot Castle in the aftermath of that little episode downstairs and now the Empress stood here, before the one and only pony she had entrusted governorship of Equestria to.
"So explain to me, Rarity; why my enforcers are dealing with repeated incidents involving the 'common rabble' you claim you can take care of so easily?" The Empress said, obviously annoyed with her friend.
"Oh... W-well... I guess towards the frontier it gets a tad more difficult to keep the populace in line, though rest assured; the situation is well under control." Rarity said, admittedly very intimidated by Twilight.
"Yes; so well under control, I'd say. If you consider the recent bombing of the Barracks in Fillydelphia and the Train Raid near Appleoosa 'under control'." Twilight said, turning to the Balcony, standing outside and watching as she brought the sun down below the horizon. "You've disappointed me, Rarity; you sit in this castle enjoying your earthly pleasures with the cowardly 'nobles' below. I thought I could trust you to deal with the people, but you've proven to me that you're far too lenient on these rebels. I will be taking change here, Rarity; you'll be reassigned to duty as an Enforcer until such a time as I deem the situation under control and return to the Crystal Empire. Understood?"
"B-but..." Rarity said, receiving a glare from Twilight before she could finish her objection, a surge of fear tearing through the Unicorn. "Y-yes, Majesty. I understand." Rarity said, likely the most reluctant in the palace to oppose Twilight; having witnessed first-hand many of the brutal acts she was capable of.
"Good; you're dismissed." Twilight replied, turning to look out over the Balcony once more, this time to the city illuminated by moon and torch light, and beyond to the greater part of Equestria. She could feel a storm brewing in the distance; Rarity's incapability of dealing with the Rebellion, allowing it to grow as much as it had, may have given ponies all the encouragement they'd need to stand united against her. Fear was her greatest weapon beforehand, and she still believed that with it she could keep the populace in line. Examples would have to be made, however; the Rebels and their charming little bid for freedom had to be put down swiftly, and their leaders... Well; that would be for her to decide once she had them in her hooves. For now; she watched the clouds gather, as the Pegasi prepared a nighttime storm. Somewhere in Equestria, she felt the faint presence of a familiar magic... Could it be possible? No; there was no way. She had sent the Princess' to their respective Celestial Bodies; Cadence and Shining Armor had been put up on display beside her throne, and there were no other known Alicorns besides her... That didn't mean the Princess' hadn't left behind artifacts, however; some of their influence could very well linger on this world. She heard a knock at the door; opening the door herself.
"Your Majesty; it's finished." A Crystal Guard said, standing alongside a Pegasus Pony made entirely of Dark Crystal; one glowing red orb serving as her eye while the other socket remained empty; proof enough for Twilight this was the same mare as earlier.
"Perfect." Twilight said, turning and inspecting this latest addition to her small, lethal force of personal bodyguards. "I have an assignment for you."