Chapter XII: Fight and Flight
Rarity had stood by her word when she said she would take a long bath.
She reclined against the back of the large tub, relaxing in the now lukewarm water. How long had she been there, an hour? Maybe two? She had lost track of time and honestly didn’t care.
A mud mask was splattered over her face, and cucumbers rested over her eyes. Incense wafted across the room, filling it with the sweet smell of lavender, and giving Rarity a calm, tranquil feeling that relaxed every muscle in her body. Rarity daydreamed she was floating in the middle of the ocean without a care in the world, not even concerned that her hooves were getting pruny from soaking so long.
“Ah,” was the only way Rarity could sum up her feelings of total zen, having abandoned all worries and stress. She didn’t care about Vesper Radiance or some silly crown. Those could wait until later.
What came next was like a wrecking ball, shattering not only the wall separating Rarity’s bath from the next room, but all sense of peace she had been experiencing. The wall busted outward, raining debris and drywall into the bathtub. She screamed, ripping the cucumbers off her eyes just in time to see a large, feathered creature catapult past her and crash onto her bed.
Rarity jumped out of the now filthy water, her mind still careening and trying to pick up the damaged pieces of her relaxing evening. It was a fruitless effort, and she knew she had a better chance of fixing the hole in the wall. Looking through it, she saw Twilight grappling with one of the griffons from before.
“Rarity!” Spike bounded across the hole and hugged Rarity around the middle. “Are you okay?”
“I’d be lying if I said yes,” Rarity replied in a sour note. “What in Equestria is going on?”
“Spike, Rarity!” Twilight joined them in the demolished bathroom, having blasted the other griffon against the wall. “Thank goodness you’re both okay! Quick, we need to—”
“Twilight, wait!” Rarity stomped a hoof on the tiled floor. “What is going on around here? I demand an explanation as to why there are griffons in our hotel!”
“I don’t know!” Twilight yelled in a panicked voice, eyes bulging out of her head. “I just woke up and found two of them about to kill Spike and I! I have no idea what’s going on!”
“Uhh, Twilight, I think he’s starting to get back up!” Spike pointed a claw back to the other room, where the griffon was pulling himself off the ground, preparing to strike again.
“Hang on!” Twilight said, powering her horn.
Rarity could feel the tingling sensation of teleportation overtaking her as a white light started to fill the room. Just as she began to disappear, something yanked on her tail, jerking her in another direction. The worse sense of nausea Rarity had ever experienced settled within her stomach. She felt as if she was being stretched and compressed at the same time. She had only teleported with Twilight a hooful of times, but she knew it never felt like this.
She felt soft grass brush against her legs, and a cold wind blew across her wet fur, instantly sending shivers across her body. She opened her eyes, rubbed the rest of the mud mask off her face, and saw tall city buildings around her, while stars gleamed overhead. Rarity looked around to gauge her surroundings. She had reappeared in a small park somewhere in Los Pegasus.
The nausea returned full force, compelling Rarity to slap a hoof across her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. She held back the bile, tasting the horrible acid in the back of her throat. When it finally subsided, Rarity took a deep breath and fell back on her haunches.
“Ugh, that was just awful. I think I’d rather have Sweetie Belle’s cooking again.” She felt a wave of nostalgia and longing roll over her heart. Once again, she had up and left on an adventure without telling her sister goodbye. How much would Sweetie Belle have grown by the time Rarity saw her again? Would she get to see Sweetie Belle again?
Rarity was pulled out of her steadily darkening thoughts by a loud groan behind her. She twisted around to see Spike sitting up and holding his head.
“Whoa… haven’t felt that in a long time.”
“Spike, are you okay?” Rarity asked, rushing to his side.
Spike looked up at Rarity before looking over himself. “Uhh, I think so… wait.” He grabbed his tail and groaned, his eyes focused near the tip. “I don’t believe it; I got spliced!”
Rarity’s eyes widened as they landed on Spike’s tail. Half of the purple scales that had decorated it were now gone, revealing the soft, squishy pink flesh underneath. “Oh, dear!” Rarity held a hoof to her mouth. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“No, not really.” Spike’s fins drooped. “But, it’ll take forever for them to grow back.” He let go of his tail and looked around. “Where are we, anyway? And where’s Twilight? It isn’t like her to mess up a teleportation spell.”
Rarity was about to answer when something shifted in the grass nearby. A large shadow got to its hands and knees, shaking off whatever dizziness had taken hold of it. Straining her eyes, Rarity began to make out some of the shadows features: A brown coat, dark feathers, and a more slender build than the rest of her griffon counterparts.
Eliza looked over to Rarity and Spike, eyes narrowing in a predatory manner. “Well, I meant to tag along with the pony princess, but I guess this is a nice consolation.” She held up her claws, knives dispersed between each knuckle. “Payback time, ya little prissy.”
Spike jumped in front of Rarity, spreading his arms out. “You’re going to have to get through me first!”
Eliza clicked her beak in amusement. “I’m so glad you phrased it like that.” She lunged at Spike, thrusting her knives forward.
Tucking in the exposed part of his tail, Spike turned his back on Eliza while Rarity screamed, unsure of what to do.
The knives struck against Spike’s scales and simply rebounded, catching Eliza by surprise. Spike spun around and let loose a small jet of emerald flames from his mouth, scorching Eliza’s hand. She dropped the knives with a screech, clutching her burnt claws close to her chest.
Rarity snapped out of her doldrums, eyes narrowing as combative instincts took over. She jumped over Spike and twisted on her front hooves, smashing her hind legs into Eliza’s chest and sending her sprawling to the ground.
Without a word, she snatched Spike up and tossed him onto her back, galloping away from the park as fast as she could.
“Spike,” she panted, “that was very heroic of you, and I am forever grateful. But, never do anything like that again! You had me worried sick!”
Spike had his arms wrapped around Rarity's neck to stop himself from falling off. “Sorry, Rarity, but I couldn’t just stand there and let that griffon hurt you.”
Rarity rounded a corner, finding herself somewhere deep within the city. She levitated Spike off her back and nuzzled him against the cheek. “Oh, Spike, you’re braver than most stallions I know. That said, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. Even if it is for me, try not to do anything too dangerous, please?”
“Heh, heh, I guess I could do that.” Spike blushed.
Setting him down, Rarity gave him a peck on the cheek. “You really are a noble dragon. Now, come on, we have to find the others.”
“Kiss—kes—I mean, yes!” Spike shook his head, clearing his daze. “Yeah, we should probably find everypony else before something bad happens.”
There was a roar of a lion, and the night sky lit up in a burning red glow as a ball of fire streaked over their heads and crashed into the pavement, blackening it, and sending a shower of small embers everywhere. The few ponies that had been out instantly broke into a chorus of panicked yells and ran away as fast as they could.
Turning her head, Rarity could see Eliza soaring through the air, her burnt hand held tightly against her chest while a ball of fire hovered over her other one.
“What? They can throw fire now?” Rarity shrieked.
“That would be so cool if she wasn’t trying to kill us.” Spike pouted.
Rarity jumped out of the way of the incoming fireball, levitated Spike onto her back, and broke into a run. Behind her, she could hear bursts of fire striking the road. Judging by the prickling sensation on her backside, she knew they weren’t far off their mark.
Around them, ponies fled, taking cover in any of the stores that still had their doors open. If anything, Rarity was grateful Eliza only had eyes for her and Spike.
“Rarity, she’s getting closer! What are we going to do?” Spike yelled into her ear.
Rarity wished she had an answer. Moreover, she wished she had magical prowess like Twilight. She looked at the stone road beneath them. Was she strong enough to rip pieces of it out and attack with them like she had in the desert? Perhaps, if she could stop and concentrate for a few moments.
A piece of the road in front of her ignited in a quick burst of fire, leaving only bubbling tar behind. Rarity came careening to a stop at the edge of the burning quagmire. She turned around in time to see Eliza with one last fireball aimed directly at her.
“Rarity, duck!” Spike shouted.
Rarity didn’t hesitate and dropped down to the ground, putting her hooves over her head. Just above her, she saw the blazing comet heading straight for her, only for it to be intercepted by a spray of green flames. The two colorful blazes collided in midair, the red being consumed by the green. It was by far, as Rarity had ever seen, the greatest flames Spike had ever bellowed. The red fire vanished completely into the green conflagration, serving only to enlarge the ball as it continued on its path for Eliza.
With a look of pure apathy, and a touch of fear, Eliza fled from the emerald inferno, the tables now turned against her.
As she flew off, Rarity stood up and turned her head around to stare in wide-eyed amazement at Spike, who was coughing up puffs of smoke. “Spike, that was simply amazing! I didn’t know you could breathe fire like that yet!”
“Neither—’cough’—did I.” He burped up a few more clouds before slumping down on Rarity’s back. “And I’m not doing that again for a long time.”
Regardless of the situation, Rarity found herself giggling in both amusement and admiration. Spike had saved her life twice in one night. She always knew he would grow up to be a brave knight. Her mirth was cut short when a shadow dropped out of the sky, dive-bombing her with outstretched talons. She screamed and ducked again, waiting for the claws to sink into her sides.
Instead, she felt a light pressure lift off her back accompanied by a frantic scream that grew more distant with each second. Rarity jumped and spun around, seeing Eliza carry Spike down the road and pin him against a building at the end. She covered his mouth with her good hand, using her burnt one to hold out her knives. Spike was just barely able to keep them at bay with his short arms.
Trembling with rage and fearing for Spike’s life, Rarity tore after him. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do, but she needed to do something. The street appeared to stretch on forever, the end never getting nearer as Rarity ran. How long could Spike keep Eliza from carving into him?
Hooves pounding against the street, Rarity frantically searched for something to aid her, yet all around there were only closed shops and a few cowering ponies.
A blue spark jumped from Rarity’s horn, and it jerked her head to the right. Rarity’s eyes fell upon a darkened store front, and within the shadows, she could see something sparkling.
She gasped, then a ruthless smile traveled across her face.
With a bright flash, dozens of precious stones were ripped from their casings and broke through the glass window, circling around Rarity before speeding down the road, sharp points facing forward.
“Eliza!” Rarity bellowed.
Her voice prompted the griffon to turn around, just in time to see the gems stop within point blank range. She leaned in closer to Spike, bringing the pointed knives closer to Spike’s neck.
“Put. The dragon. Down.” Rarity’s voice was soft, yet it managed to close the difference that separated her and Eliza.
“If one of those things even twitches, I’ll gut him like a fish!” Eliza warned, her armed hand shaking in anticipation.
“If one of those knives touches him, I’ll shred you to ribbons.”
The two females stared each other down, one waiting for the other to call their bluff. The air around them grew still, and the background noise of the city was drowned out by the chorus of their beating hearts.
A bead of sweat slipped down Rarity’s face, threatening to run into her eye. But she would refuse to blink, refuse to lose her concentration. Not with Spike’s life hanging on the line.
Her entire body tensed, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Diamonds, rubies and emeralds floated around Eliza, poised to tear her to shreds.
Unable to hold them anymore, Eliza's knives fell from her scorched, blistering claws. Before Rarity could breathe a sigh of relief, Eliza sprang into the sky, faster than the gemstones could react.
With a vicious war cry, Rarity sent them spiraling into the air after Eliza, watching them catch the lights of the city as the climbed higher and higher. Soon, it was only with her impeccable eye for detail that Rarity could see them, or the beast holding Spike prisoner. Even when the two were nothing but specks in the night sky, Rarity’s gems hounded their every move.
Eliza must have come to a realization about her desperate flight, for she pulled into a vertical dive and let go of Spike, favoring her own survival over that of her prisoner’s.
Rarity gasped in horror as she watched Spike tumble through the air. Thinking quickly, she released all but one of her gemstones, allowing the rest to fall back to the earth, glittering in an array of dazzling colors. She ran, trying to get to a closer position while keeping an eye on Spike and her last diamond.
As it caught up to him, Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs, “Spike, catch it!”
Spike snatched at the glowing diamond, taking it in his claws. The second he did, Rarity jerked it towards herself, dragging Spike across the sky along with it. Rarity pulled him in via her diamond until he was close enough that she could wrap her aura around his body and bring him safely to the ground.
She ran over and threw her hooves around him. “Spike, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, I think so.” He shivered, and when Rarity looked into his eyes, it looked like he had taken one too many shots of caffeine. “But, I changed my mind: I don’t want wings. In fact, I never want to fly again!”
Rarity just smiled and hugged him tighter, closing her eyes and savoring the fact that they were both still alive. Something bright shone through her eyelids, and she opened them to see a tall pillar of teal light tear into the distant sky. Curious, Rarity followed it to its apex, where it abruptly extinguished instead of slowly fading out like normal light would.
“Spike, look.” Rarity pointed, ending their embrace. “Does that seem a little odd to you?”
“A giant beam of light coming from the middle of the city? Yeah, a little.” He followed Rarity’s hoof further up. “Oh, that. Yeah, that’s even weirder.”
“What do you think it is?”
Spike shrugged. “I don’t know. But look at the color. I’m pretty sure that’s Sunset’s magic.”
“Hmm, a beacon, perhaps?” Rarity lowered herself so Spike could climb onto her back.
“Only one way to find out, I guess.”
Rarity nodded and sprung into a quick gait. She kept herself on high alert, however, not wanting to be caught off guard. While Eliza was no doubt nursing her wounded pride, Rarity shuddered to think who else might be lurking in the city.
“Luna, what is it?”
Celestia had watched Luna abruptly awake from her dream trance, gasping and panting heavily from whatever vision she had seen.
“Are you alright, sister?" she pressed with concern. "You're trembling.” The two sat inside the high tower of the castle, the moon casting its lustrous light through the balcony door. They lay across from each other, resting atop overstuffed pillows. Celestia lowered the tattered book she had been reading, giving Luna her full attention.
Luna stared vacantly into space, her expression grim. She was so silent that, for a moment, Celestia thought she had simply gone back to the dream world. Finally, she said very softly, “They are in mortal peril.”
“What?” Celestia’s eyes widened. “How can you be so sure?”
“I was speaking to Sunset Shimmer in her dream when I felt a malevolent presence lurking over her physical body. If she is in danger, I fear they are all in danger,” Luna said despondently, her face a grim mask.
Celestia stood abruptly, dropping the book as she marched for the door, a fierce look on her face. “Then the time for inaction is over. I don’t care who Vesper Radiance is; I have rested on my laurels long enough. Our ponies need us.” She looked over her shoulder to see Luna still resting in place, giving her a pointed stare.
“Sister, what is it you plan on doing, exactly?” Luna asked, her voice still quiet.
“Make for Los Pegasus, of course,” Celestia said briskly.
Luna sighed and stood up, taking gentle steps towards Celestia. “Tia—and I cannot believe I am saying this—but, stop and think rationally for a moment.”
Celestia recoiled slightly, looking taken aback. “Rationally? Of course I’m thinking rationally, Luna.”
“No, you are not,” Luna said with a shake of her head. “You are thinking passionately. I should know, for these situations are usually reversed.”
In spite of her rapidly waning patience, Celestia took a deep breath, keeping her composure, and said, “Okay then, Luna. Explain to me how I am thinking passionately.”
“Very well. Did you honestly put a great deal of thought into how you were going to get to Los Pegasus in a timely manner? Were you going to take the royal chariot and ask the guards to fly at sonic speeds? Even if you flew on your own, you would not reach the city until daybreak. And judging by Twilight’s letter, Vesper Radiance is not taking prisoners.” Luna held up a hoof, cutting Celestia off before she could speak. “No, Sister: you and I both know you could not teleport that distance without exhausting all of your magic and then some. It’s over a two-hundred mile gap, Celestia. Even with our magic combined, it would be a serious strain.”
Luna faced the balcony and stared up at the half moon. “To add to that problem, as I exited Sunset’s mind, I felt something go up around most of the city. I cannot access anypony’s dreams. They are hazy and disoriented, like someone has placed a barrier around them.”
Celestia stood rooted to the spot, taking another deep breath as she organized her thoughts. Luna’s words were true; she hadn’t thought about the time it would take her to reach Los Pegasus. By the time she did arrive, whatever was going on now would be well and truly over. Either Twilight and her friends would stand victorious, or…
She looked up at Luna with remorseful eyes. “What would you have me do, then? Do you remember what happened in Cloudsdale? I sent Twilight and her friends into this mess; I should at least be there for my student when she needs me.”
“But she isn’t your student anymore.” Luna locked eyes with her. Celestia could see the regret in them, but it was overshadowed with cold truth. “She is a grown mare now. She is an alicorn, ascended on your behalf.” Luna took a step forward. “When I first returned home as Nightmare Moon, you took a gamble hoping that Twilight Sparkle would make friends and activate the Elements of Harmony. You knew that once you set that wheel into motion, there was nothing you would be able to do until she succeeded except watch from your imprisonment.
“And now, sister, I’m afraid that at this time, in this moment, there is nothing you can do right now except trust that she and her friends will be all right. I know it is not easy, and if it were not true, I would be right by your side, willing to fight. But our intervention now would mean nothing. Worse yet, it could result in us walking into a trap.”
Celestia bowed her head, considering Luna’s words. True enough, Nightmare Moon had rendered her useless upon return. And while Celestia loathed being useless, she had rested easy knowing she had given something to Twilight: the lore of harmony and the idea of making friends.
She then considered the circumstances of Discord's escape.. The situation escalated beyond Celestia’s control, but she had been able to return to Twilight the friendship letters she had written over her first year in Ponyville, aiding her in restoring her friends and defeating Discord.
And while the Crystal Empire had been a test of sorts, Celestia had given Twilight clear instructions on what needed to be done. And if worse came to worst, she and Luna would have swooped in and stopped Sombra.
But Celestia couldn’t help but wonder: what had she given Twilight this time? It wasn’t as if Twilight could not flourish without her guidance, but Celestia felt useless if she did not contribute something.
After Queen Chrysalis had struck her down in front of her subjects, Celestia had vowed to never be useless again.
She sank back into her pillow, and rubbed her weary eyes. Although she was loathe to admit it, Luna was right: there was nothing she could do at present.
Luna sat down next to her and draped a wing over her shoulders. “Do not worry, Tia. I have faith they will be fine. They have Twilight to lead them, and if this Sunset Shimmer is anything like your student of old, then she is quite powerful.”
“Yes, I know you are probably right, Luna. I just wish there was something I could do. Anything to show Twilight—to show all of them—that we’re with them.” Celestia’s eyes gleamed, and a small smile graced her lips.
“Perhaps there is a way.”
Pinkie Pie was pretty sure her dream had consisted of an endless fountain of root beer. Next to the one where she met the muffin pony and got free samples, that was her favorite dream, and it wasn’t easy to come by.
Understandably, she hadn’t been too happy when she had been woken up by Fluttershy’s screaming and forced to play extreme dart tag with a griffon using a crossbow. Luckily, she had managed to forfeit by leaping out the window and landing in a conveniently placed hydrangea bush. There was no point in playing if the other player was going to cheat.
She walked down the block, shaking the leaves out of her poofy mane. “You don’t play dart tag with pointy arrows,” she said, pulling out a long stick and discarding it. “Ponies get hurt that way!” She stopped walking, a light switching on in her head. “Hey, wait a minute—I think he was trying to hurt me!” Another light turned on. “That was one of the mean griffons from earlier!”
An arrow stuck itself into the ground not but an inch away from her hoof. Pinkie looked up and saw the griffon flying over her, reloading his crossbow. “That’s right, love. Now, hold still and I’ll make this almost painless.”
“Almost painless?” Pinkie questioned as she leaned forward with an eyebrow raised. “That’s like going to the dentist and having him say, ‘don’t worry, you almost won’t feel a thing.’ That’s not exactly good sloganing.”
He rolled his eyes. “All right, then. Close your eyes and you won’t feel a thing.” He took aim at Pinkie’s head.
Pinkie, meanwhile, was rubbing her chin in thought. “I don’t know… that sounds like you’re just lying to—eeep!” Pinkie ducked at the last moment as the arrow flew, becoming tangled in her hair instead. “You liar, I bet that was going to hurt!”
“Why don’t ya hold still and find out?” He prepped another arrow, but by now Pinkie had enough sense to run away.
She scurried down the street, her Pinkie Sense now actively telling her when to dodge an incoming arrow with a slight pinch in her back calf.
I don’t get it. Why are all griffons so mean? Pinkie’s first instinct was to throw him a party to cheer him up, but she remembered how well that had turned out with Gilda and quickly scratched that off her idea list. She folded the list up and hid it in her mane as she swung around a corner, narrowly avoiding being impaled by an iron bolt.
Up ahead, she spotted a manhole cover big enough for her to fit in, but small enough so the griffon would have trouble following her. Pinkie jumped and stomped down hard as she landed on top of it, the cover flipping over and depositing her down into the city sewers.
A horrible stench attacked Pinkie’s nose, forcing her to gag and making her eyes water. The floor beneath her was cold and slimy, splashed with water that had lapped up from the main waterway.
Pinkie looked into the sickly green water, unable to see even her own reflection. She snapped her head up when she heard the manhole being pried off by her pursuer.
I really oughta learn his name… Even if he is trying to hurt me, that’s just good manners. However, she decided to ask at a later time—probably one when he wasn’t pointing arrows pointing at her. She looked back into the sewer water and put her hooves together. Rarity, please forgive me.
Reaching back into her mane, Pinkie produced a long silly straw and placed one end in her mouth before diving into the horrid murk, laying flat against the shallow bottom. She kept her eyes closed, taking tiny breaths of air through her straw as she let the waterway carry her down.
Through the liquid curtain, Pinkie heard the griffon—she was going to call him Mr. Feathers from now on—break through the manhole and descend into the sewers. She could only hope that he wouldn’t see the pink swizzle straw sticking out of the water.
A shadow flew overhead, briefly darkening the already murky channel. Pinkie waited a few more minutes, keeping herself unusually still until she decided to check and see if the coast was clear. She slowly lifted her head out of the water, peering into the thick gloom the coated the tunnels of the sewer. She lifted her ears next, swiveling them around, trying to pick up even the slightest noise. After checking in all directions, Pinkie pulled herself out of the water and shook off like a wet dog, her mane poofing out more than usual.
“Whew.” Pinkie took a deep breath, coughing at the foul stench that still lingered in the air. “Well, at least I can check off sewer swimming and put it under ‘things I should never do again.’” As quiet as a mouse, she slinked through the tunnels, aware that Mr. Feathers was most likely still on the prowl. But now, Pinkie had the element of surprise: her favorite non-magical element.
The sound of her hooves clacking against the moist pavement and the water dripping down from the pipes above echoed softly around Pinkie, disturbing the otherwise oppressive silence. Pinkie took comfort in the tiny sounds, finding a steady rhythm that she could hum a tune too as she sauntered down the path. She was careful not to skip or break out into song, knowing full well it would give her position away. It was like a game of hide and seek.
Deeper within the shadows, Pinkie could make out faint mutterings and the splashing of water. She eased around the corner and found Mr. Feathers with his back turned towards her, grumbling under his breath.
“...Stupid ponies. If we don’t find all of them, that little brat’s gonna have all our heads. And there’s no way I’m goin’ out like Jasper.”
“Who’s Jasper?” Pinkie asked, having moved herself to sit on the back of Mr. Feather’s neck.
“Auugh, what the—” He began to flail himself around, trying to shake Pinkie off of him. But Pinkie just squealed with delight, feeling like she was on a wild carnival ride. She wished she had a hat like Applejack’s to swing around.
With a roar of anger, Mr. Feathers threw his back against the wall, attempting to smash Pinkie—and his quiver of arrows—in the process. Pinkie, however, somersaulted over his head as he impacted, snatching his crossbow as she went, and landing on her back hooves.
She swung around and pointed the loaded weapon at him. “Alright, nobody move, see? This is a stick up, see?”
There was a flash of fear across Mr. Feathers’ face before he broke into a calm smile, chuckling lightly. “And do you know how to even fire that thing, little lady?”
Pinkie lowered the weapon and shrugged. “Well, I guess you got me there.” She then raised the crossbow over her head and brought it down against the pavement, smashing it repeatedly at rapids speeds.
“My crossbow!” Mr. Feathers shouted. He growled at Pinkie and pouncing at her just as she backflipped into the water.
Standing up, Pinkie found that the water went up to her chest, making it slightly difficult to maneuver when Mr. Feathers lunged in after her. She skirted through the water, narrowly avoiding his slashing claws.
“Come on, Mr. Feathers, can’t we just talk this out like civilized folk? Preferably over some sweets?”
Mr. Feathers responded by lashing out once more, forcing Pinkie to duck underwater. Using the murkiness as cover, Pinkie tried to swim down the channel, only to be grabbed by her tail and fished out of the water. She hung upside down, facing Mr. Feathers and reading his furious expression.
Pinkie let out a nervous giggle. “Whoops, ehehe, looks like you caught me, Mr. Feathers.”
“What did you call me?”
“Oh, well, I didn’t know your name, and I couldn’t just keep calling you Mr. Griffon over and over in my head, that’s just silly, so—”
Mr. Feathers roared again, sending Pinkie’s mane billowing back and covering her face with spittle.
When he was finished, Pinkie smiled sheepishly, wiping the spit from her face before jabbing her hooves out, poking Mr. Feathers in both of his eyes. “Peek-a-boo!”
“Gah!” He let go of Pinkie and threw his wet, grimy claws to his eyes. “Sweet harpies, it burns!” he screeched.
Pinkie lifted her head out of the water. “Yeah, you might wanna see an optometrist about that,” she said, backing away slowly. She quickly dove back under when he made a wild grab for her. When Pinkie resurfaced, she turned and splashed loudly through the sewer water trying to get away from Mr. Feathers, who had taken an aerial position and was snatching at her like a bird trying to catch a fish.
However, Pinkie noticed they were blind strikes and saw that his eyes were a burning red. She splashed her hoof across the surface of the water and dodged when Mr. Feathers swooped at her. A devilish smile creeped across her face.
She quietly cleared her throat and cupped her hooves around her mouth, careful not to get any liquid near her lips. “Ooooooh, Mr. Feathers! Over heeeeerrreeee!” Yet the words did not come from Pinkie’s mouth; instead, they came from deeper within the pony-crafted tunnels.
Mr. Feathers jerked his neck, his ears twitching madly, and flew off after the noise.
Pinkie lifted a stray tin can that had been floating past her and flung it after him, listening as it made a loud splash. “No no, no, this way!” She watched Mr. Feathers break in midair and smash his claws down in the water, groping for a pony that wasn’t there.
Climbing back onto the walkway, she threw her voice down the corridor again. “Sorry, over here!” A blur of brown zipped past her, vanishing into the haze while she continued to call, “Uh-oh, you almost have me! You’re right about to catch me!”
Wham!
Pinkie winced at the sound of impact, wondering how fast Mr. Feathers had been flying when he collided with the cement. She galloped after him, finding the griffon lying on his back, his eyes half-lidded in a daze. If Pinkie squinted hard enough, she could see little birdies circling over his head.
She gave the griffon a little pat, eliciting a painful moan from him, and skipped away. That had been almost as much fun as the changeling fight!
Taking a deep breath, she gagged at the putrid smell permeating through the air. “Ugh, I need to get out of here. It smells like the Cake twins’ dirty diapers.”
Spotting a ladder, Pinkie shimmied up it and pushed opened the manhole, finding herself surrounded by the dazzling glow of the Strip.
“Ooooh, pretty lights!”
Rainbow ducked, letting the barbed chain swing over her head. She swiveled in the air and delivered a high kick to Lume’s jaw, rendering him unconscious and sending him spiraling towards the city below. As he fell back, Rainbow turned and blocked an oncoming fist from Axel.
Fighting two well-trained opponents was tougher than Rainbow had originally thought it would be. Though, if anyone asked later on, she of course would say it had been no big deal. Even if the numerous bruises and cuts told a different story.
But Rainbow fought on, ignoring her pain. She had to keep Fluttershy safe. She’d grown a lot from the timid and nervous pegasus to… well, a less timid and nervous pegasus. But still, Rainbow had seen her come a long way and knew she could handle herself in a lot of situations, but this probably wasn’t one of them. In fact, as Rainbow dodged another one of the griffon’s blows, she wondered if she herself could handle this.
Wait a sec! I’m not thinking like a pegasus! I shouldn’t be handling this with my hooves! I should be handling this with my wings!
With a powerful shove, Rainbow broke away from Axel and bolted higher into the sky before looping around and pulling into a vertical dive. She strapped her legs to her sides and folded her wings back, feeling the wind tear at her face.
Just over the roar of the rushing air, she heard Axel shout, “Hey, where do you think yer goin’?”
Rainbow lifted her head up to see him diving after her. Perfect. She grinned to herself.
The two of them cut through the sky like falling knives. Axel quickly caught up with Rainbow, putting them neck and neck with each other. The ground drew ever closer at an incredible speed, waiting for the two winged creatures to collide against it.
Axel lifted his head and gave Rainbow a questioning look, to which Rainbow responded with a cocky grin. She increased her speed, certain she could have produced a Sonic Rainboom if she had more distance between herself and the ground.
She narrowed her gaze, using her keen eyes to judge the distance remaining before impact. She measured it around two-hundred feet and closing quickly. With Axel right behind her, Rainbow knew it was going to be a close call. The thought only made her blood pump faster.
One-hundred fifty feet. Neither one of them were slowing down. Rainbow ran the routine over and over in her head, wanting to time it just right. She needed to hurt Axel enough to put him out of commission, not flatten him like a pancake. But that would take some effort on his part.
One-hundred feet. The late night ponies were starting to point and stare at the two angels falling from the sky. Rainbow stuck her hooves out, preparing for her stunt.
Sixty feet. She bit her tongue, scrunching her face in concentration.
Twenty feet. Rainbow stuck her wings out and broke out of her dive in a perfect ninety degree turn, rocketing down the street and leaving her multicolored contrail in her wake.
Axel had not been so lucky.
He stuck his wings out, catching a slight draft—enough to pull him out of the dive, but not enough to mimic Rainbow’s perfect execution. Still maintaining a downward velocity, he smacked against the pavement, bouncing and tumbling across the road before coming to a rest next to an abandoned carrot dog stand. By the slight twitching of his wing, Rainbow knew her plan had worked perfectly.
She stopped and punched the air, letting out a whoop of delight. Her victory was cut short, however, when something sharp wrapped around and bit deep into her hoof. She looked up, finding Lume sneering at her with a chipped beak. He tugged on the chain that had ensnared Rainbow, dragging her back into the sky.
Rainbow fought back, tears drawing to the corners of her eyes as the barbs snagged into her skin. Fighting against the chain whip, another idea came to her mind. Heh, I’m on a roll tonight. Giving up her act of resistance, Rainbow instead flew right at Lume, her hoof still wrapped by the end of the chain.
Lume drew his claw back, ready to strike at Rainbow as she neared, but Rainbow veered around him instead, catching him off guard.
Around and around she circled him, taking the extension of the chain with her. She spiraled it up him, adorning him like ribbon around a Hearths’ Warming tree, binding his arms and wings. With a pained yell, she dug the barbs out of her hoof and watched Lume drop out of the sky again, bound by his own weapon. Luckily for him, he didn’t have too far to fall.
“Ha! I must be some sort of genius!” Rainbow said, a smug grin plastered on her face. A sharp pain shot through her hoof, quickly dragging her out of her personal victory circle. She grimaced at the four messy gashes bleeding freely. She would need to get that bandaged fast.
“But first,” she murmured, “I gotta find Fluttershy.” She hadn’t looked too fondly on the idea of leaving Fluttershy behind and knew Fluttershy probably wasn’t too happy about it either, but it had been for the best. With the two griffons taken care of, they could search for the rest of their friends.
With a few deep breaths, Rainbow blocked out the pain and took off in the direction of the cemetery, flying at a more relaxed pace.
The blanket of trees below her was almost as dark as the sky above, seeming to repel all light from the city. Rainbow felt even more guilty about leaving Fluttershy behind. She knew the dead couldn’t walk, but this place was still unnerving, even from the air.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow called, hearing her own voice faintly echo across the horizon. A moment of silence passed, the moan of the slight breeze her only reply.. “Fluttershy, it’s me! You can come out now! I sent those losers packing!”
Fluttershy didn’t answer.
Rainbow frowned, a small bubble of fear building in her gut. She descended through the trees, touching down on the leaf-strewn path, making sure to land on her good hoof. It was near pitch black now, and Rainbow had to squint to make out the outlines of the tombstones in front of her. The air now carried the smell of earth… and a faint odor of decay.
Treading lightly, Rainbow ventured further into the cemetery, continuously calling for Fluttershy. But none of those calls went answered. Rainbow’s sense of dread grew with each step, her voice quivering more and more as she ventured into the the relentless dark. It wasn’t like Fluttershy to not come to her friend’s call. Something would have to have chased her off. Or…
Rainbow quickened her pace, scanning the black veil surrounding her for any movement, friendly or otherwise. The longer she stared, the more features became prominent, revealing more of the scenery around her. Yet all she could find were decrepit statues and graves sanded away by the hooves of time. No other living thing seemed to stir amongst the headstones.
Crack!
Rainbow’s face paled as she slowly looked down at what had broken beneath her hoof, the smooth, cold texture already giving her a good hint. Lifting her leg back, she observed a broken leg bone—one that had clearly belonged to a pony.
Somepony must have replaced Rainbow’s heart with a snare drum because she was sure there was no way it could beat that fast. In front of her, she could see more bones littered about like discarded trash. With shaky hooves, she moved forward, approaching the skull that laid on its side. Rainbow fell to her knees and picked it up.
No. This… this can’t be Fluttershy. It’s… it’s too clean. It’s too old. Unless… it’s magic. Rainbow shook her head and took a few large gulps of air. It wasn’t Fluttershy; it couldn’t be. And she had to believe that! Still, if that wasn’t her, then where was Fluttershy?
Rainbow dropped the skull and stood once more. “Come on, Fluttershy! Please answer me!”
Something tugged at her tail and Rainbow whipped around, a hopeful glint in her eye. Only, there was no one behind her. Feeling both disappointed and slightly paranoid, Rainbow was about to turn back around when something brushed against her leg, making her jump. She heard another crack and winced, knowing she had just crushed the skull.
Looking down, she found a small, brown squirrel waving its arms in a desperate attempt to get her attention.
“Oh, uh, hey, little guy. Do you need something?”
The squirrel began to chitter madly, hopping up and down for a second before walking around on all fours, swishing its tail back and forth.
Rainbow blinked, thoroughly confused by this display of behavior. Is it trying to tell me something? It doesn’t… no, it can’t… can it?
“Are you… trying to tell me where Fluttershy is?”
The squirrel nodded its head fervently.
“Really?” Rainbow shouted, bringing her head down to the squirrel’s level. “Where is she? What happened?”
The small rodent dramatically pointed for Rainbow to follow, leading her to a tall tree with a large hollow in its trunk. It climbed inside then stuck its head out, covering its eyes and shivering.
Rainbow tapped her hoof against her chin. Was the squirrel cold? No, it was trying to tell her something. She examined the hollow opening, noting that it was large enough for a pony to squeeze into, and the squirrel cowering in terror.
“Fluttershy… hid inside this tree!” Rainbow pieced together.
Nodding, the squirrel jumped out of the tree and landed in the grass, picking up a fallen leaf. It folded the leaf over its head, wearing it like a hood, and began to make a sound that Rainbow thought sounded close to cackling. If tiny animals could cackle.
Fluttershy was… laughing? No, that doesn’t sound right. Rainbow looked down again, seeing the squirrel rub its hands together, trying to look dastardly. Ugh, only cheesy villains do that. Wait a sec, villains!
“Did an evil pony with a dark cloak come through here?” Rainbow asked. She couldn’t believe she was playing charades with a wild animal.
However, the squirrel nodded again, and Rainbow gnashed her teeth together. “Vesper Radiance.” She dropped low, eyeing the rodent with a mixture of fury and concern. “Did Vesper Radiance, the cloaked pony, take Fluttershy away?”
The squirrel bobbed its head slowly, a forlorn look in its eye.
Rainbow threw her head back and bellowed in fury. That horrible pony had the nerve to steal her best friend away? Rainbow was going to make sure she paid dearly. “If you hurt one hair on her head, I’ll make sure you wish you were never born!” she screamed to sky. Her eyes found the squirrel again. “Did you see which way they went?”
With a single directional gesture from the little squirrel, Rainbow was off, all her fatigue gone; adrenaline and red hot rage flowing through her. She broke through the treeline and shot back towards the city proper, heading west for the piers.
“Fluttershy! Fluttershy, answer me! Vesper Radiance, you coward, show yourself!” Rainbow screamed over and over again. She stopped on every rooftop, taking a quick look at her surroundings before taking off again, praying that they had only managed to get so far.
Come on, Rainbow Dash. You’re the fastest pony in Equestria! There’s no way she can outrun you!
“Rainbow Dash!”
It was faint, but she heard it: Fluttershy’s unmistakable cry. Rainbow closed in on it, flying as fast as her wings could carry her.
“Don’t worry, ‘Shy, I’m here! I’m here! Just hang on!”
“My, you’re a loud dog, aren’t you?”
Rainbow came to a stop, her gaze fixated on the roof in front of her. There stood the source of all her anger, dressed in her cloak of shadows, the Alicorn Amulet radiating its eerie crimson light. Suspended in a red aura next to her was an unconscious Fluttershy.
“You!” Rainbow charged with an outstretched hoof ready to bash Vesper’s face in. But the moment before contact, she vanished. Rainbow forced herself to a halt, twisting this way and that in the hunt for the target.
“Yoo hoo, over here!”
Whipping her head around, Rainbow found Vesper on a distant roof. She could almost feel the villain sneering at her from under her hood. With a snarl, Rainbow flew at her again, only to have her teleport once more.
“Ugghhh!” Rainbow growled in frustration. “Hold still!”
“Now where’s the fun in that?” a voice whispered in her ear.
Rainbow swung her hoof, catching only air as a horrendous giggle floated through her ears. She turned around, spotting Vesper not too far away.
“Come on, O fastest flyer in all of Equestria! I won’t move this time, I promise!”
With a bull-like snort, Rainbow charged once more, putting all her weight into her next attack. I’m going to make sure this hurts!
Wham!
All Rainbow could see were stars—bright stars swimming around her head. She lay on her back, her front half aching like she had smashed into something. She groaned, lying on the ground for a minute while she got ahold of herself.
Rising to her hooves, she immediately crouched down and flared her wings out, for Vesper Radiance stood not two feet in front of her, Fluttershy still hanging limp next to her.
“Well, Rainbow Dash, I’m waiting.”
Rainbow jumped forward, smacking her head once again and landing on her haunches. “What the…?” She rubbed her head, staring at the space in between her and Vesper. She squinted her eyes and saw a faint ripple in the air.
She leaned forward and pressed her hoof against what felt like one of Twilight’s force fields. Slamming her hoof against it, Rainbow saw a flash of red blink in front of her. She pounded her hoof again, watching as an outline appeared, extending up and enclosing what looked like half of the city from Rainbow’s view. She gaped at the dome, then looked back to Vesper.
“You coward! Let us out of here!”
“Hmph. If you want to live and see at least another day, I suggest you stay there. But don’t worry, I’ll be back to kill you quite soon. That is, if you aren’t already dead by my return.”
Rainbow repeatedly beat against the force field. “Let Fluttershy go! Let her go, or I’ll—”
“Or you’ll what?” Vesper taunted. “Bark at me some more? Ooooh yes, so scary. I feel so very threatened right now. I may as well give up and go home.” She let out a harsh laugh, shaking Fluttershy in her magical grip. “You caught me in a good mood, Rainbow Dash, otherwise, you’d be nothing more than a speck on the floor. Your angry face and pointless struggle are so very amusing to watch.”
“I said let Fluttershy go, right now!”
Vesper chuckled darkly. “I can’t do that, Rainbow Dash. You see, I need her. Alive, luckily for you. So don’t worry, I’ll keep her nice and safe. At least until she serves her purpose. Then you can have her back in tiny little pieces,” she said casually, unnerving Rainbow to her core.
“You… if you hurt her… I swear…”
“You might want to hold onto that vague insult.” Vesper pointed behind Rainbow. “You have an admirer.”
Rainbow looked over her shoulder, finding a pegasus-shape something flying towards her at alarming speeds. She looked back to Vesper Radiance, but both she and Fluttershy were gone. Returning her attention to her new guest, she dived out of the way as it came in for a heavy landing.
Back in the air, Rainbow sized up her opponent, sucking in a sharp breath as its features became recognizable in the dark night. Rainbow became paralyzed with fear, her mind repeating over and over that she could not be seeing who she thought she was seeing.
“Y-you… you’re supposed to be… dead.”
The pegasus turned around, moving his compass cutie mark out of sight. His once dark blue fur had taken on a more greyish tint, and a vast amount of his hair and feathers were beginning to fall out. His eyes were completely blank, just white marbles sitting in his skull.
Sky Chart opened his mouth and let out a bone-chilling screech, one that could only belong to a pony no longer of the earth. He rushed up at Rainbow, snapping his newly sharpened teeth at her.
She only just managed to avoid losing her hoof, surprised that a zombie could move that fast. Kicking her legs out, she bucked Sky Chart in the chest before fleeing further into the city.
Rainbow couldn’t help but wonder if the myth about zombie bites turning you into a zombie as well were true. But with Sky Chart right behind her trying to nip at her tail, she knew she didn’t want to find out. Twisting around, she swung her back leg, smashing it against Sky Chart’s face. He staggered and fell back some distance, but quickly shook it off and resumed his chase.
“Right, zombies don’t feel pain. Oh this is bad. This is really, really bad!” Rainbow gripped the sides of her head. How could you stop something that didn’t feel pain? Rainbow considered just punching it over and over again but was afraid of being bitten somewhere along the way.
Weaving in and out through the tall buildings, Rainbow could only think of one pony who might be able to solve this problem.
“Twilight!” she screamed.
The griffon finally crumpled in front of her, unable to withstand the last concussion blast Twilight had dealt him. She took a minute to gather herself, sitting down at a table in the small plaza she had teleported into. The griffon had managed to latch onto her just as she had vanished, and somewhere during the journey, she had lost Spike and Rarity.
Twilight bit her lip, hoping that they were together and safe from harm, along with the rest of her friends. She massaged her forehead, sighing in frustration. Mercenary griffons attacking them in the middle of the night… and they could throw fireballs! How was that even possible?
“Griffons only have wind attributes, like pegasi. The only way they could produce fire is through ancient runes, or… or… dark magic.” A chill ran down Twilight’s spine. If Vesper Radiance was strong enough to give griffons fire abilities, what else could she do?
Twilight stood up, having caught her breath. Her mane stuck out at odd ends and she snorted in frustration. Her friends had been scattered all around the city, the most dangerous mare in Equestria probably already had the Tempest Crown, and they still didn’t know where the last piece of the Dark Regalia was.
Her first task as a princess of Equestria and Twilight felt like she was failing miserably. She could only imagine Celestia’s look of disappointment, or her scolding tone of displeasure.
She shook her head. No, she couldn’t think like that! It was far from over! Her friends had endured worse and always came out on top. She just had to round them all up, and fast.
“But how?” Twilight asked, agitated lines crossing her face. “I don’t even know where to start looking!”
Twilight gasped as a bright beam of light shot into the sky, creating a soft blue glow that settled around the city. She smiled at the teal light and said, “Thank you, Sunset.”
Breaking into a gallop, Twilight followed the beacon, teleporting every few minutes to help close the distance. Her journey brought her to an avenue of casinos and hotels in the Los Pegasus Strip. She came to a slow canter as she approached the tall, black pyramid that was emitting the pillar of light from its tip. Her concentration on reuniting with her friends was briefly broken by the buildings’ architectural design. A hotel shaped into a pyramid was simply astounding! She made a mental note to come back and examine it later.
As Twilight neared the paw of the marble sphinx, she continuously glanced around for any sign of her friends amongst the thin crowd of party-going ponies. Yet she found no familiar looking faces, not even Sunset’s.
“Maybe they’re all inside,” Twilight said to herself, heading for the entrance.
“Twilight!” A shrill voice broke through the night.
Twilight whipped her back. “Rainbow Dash?”
Flying at top speed was the blue pegasus herself with a horrified expression on her face. Twilight’s eyes widened in panic when she realized that Rainbow wasn’t slowing down. She collided with Twilight, sending both of them to the ground in a heap.
“Twilight!” Rainbow said, grabbing her off of the ground and shaking her shoulders. “Problem! Really big problem! No, a lot of problems! Fluttershy! Vesper Radiance! Barrier! Zombies!”
“Rainbow, slow down! I can’t even tell what you’re saying.” Twilight pulled away from Rainbow’s embrace, shaking herself off. “Now, please, slowly tell me what’s wrong?”
Rainbow pointed with a hoof. “Well first, there’s that!”
Speeding down the avenue was another pegasus, but Twilight could already sense something was wrong with it. She tensed her body, preparing her horn for an attack. A teal blast smashed into the side of the pegasus, sending it flying into the building parallel to it. The ambling ponies passing by screamed in a panic and fled as the pegasus tumbled to the ground.
Twilight looked up to the sphinx’s head to see Sunset clambering down, looking less than graceful as she did. She lost her footing and tumbled down the leg, coming to rest on top of its paw, the rope of her hourglass trying to choke her. Rainbow and Twilight quickly rushed to her side.
“Woah, Sunset, are you okay?” Rainbow asked. “Geez, what happened to you?”
Sunset pushed herself to a standing position and untangled herself. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she grumbled in a disgruntled tone.
Twilight took note of the bloodstained linen wrapped around her chest and the hard, pensive look in her eye. She was about to push for some information, but Sunset cut her off.
“Was that… Sky Chart I just blasted?” She pointed to the pony already getting back to his hooves. He twisted his head, popping the bones his neck before hissing at the three mares, saliva dripping from his maw.
Rainbow hastily nodded her head. “He’s a zombie!”
“There’s no such thing as zombie ponies,” Twilight scolded incredulously.
“Well, you might want to tell him that.” Sunset jerked her head.
Sky Chart flared his wings, allowing Twilight to catch a glimpse of a patch of mottled skin. She lit her horn, bracing herself for an imminent attack. Okay, maybe he is a zombie.
As Sky Chart lunged at them, a rope flew out and wrapped around his midsection, slamming him back onto the ground.
“Ah’ll ask ya to not go hurtin’ mah friends, thank ya very much,” Applejack said, strolling into view.
Twilight encased Sky Chart within a small force field and walked up to Applejack. “Thanks, A.J.”
“Don’t mention it, sugarcube. Ah’m just glad to see y’all okay… well, mostly okay.”
Rainbow let out a frustrated yell, startling both ponies enough for Twilight’s focus on the force field to waver. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! Everything is not okay!” Rainbow shouted, starting to hyperventilate. “Fluttershy! Vesper Radiance has Fluttershy!”