Dear Everypony,
I hope this letter reaches you and that you are all okay. I wish I could be there with you but bad luck has sent me way off track. I have to keep this short so I’ll get right into it.
I’ve ended up on the Empire’s continent. I can’t say where because this could get caught by an Imperial and then my goose will really be cooked. Let me assure you that I’m fine and that I’ve met some new friends that have helped me every step of the way. They are good ponies and I hope to one day introduce you to them.
I need to end this, so let me tell you all that I miss you and I’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive. You can count on that.
Your Friend,
Applejack
Rainbow Dash finished reading the letter and smiled widely at the traveling ponies. “Did you all hear that? AJ’s okay and she’s totally going to kick the Empire’s butt!”
“Yes, Rainbow Dash, you said that the last time you read the letter to us,” Spike said. The dragon sat upon Stardust’s back, a bag in one claw and a half-eaten gem in the other. “And the time before that, and the time before that too.” He stuffed the gem into his mouth, reached into the bag, and pulled out another jewel. Tiny crumbs of crushed gem spewed from his mouth as he said, “We get it, you’re happy she’s okay. I’m happy she’s okay.”
“Hey, watch it!” Stardust hollered. He flexed his wings, sending bits of gem scattering to the ground. “You want to start walking, dragon boy?”
“Heh, sorry.”
Rainbow Dash was suddenly beside Spike, flapping her wings at a steady beat to keep pace with the chocobo. She thrust the letter in his face, nearly knocking him over. “You totally don’t get it. Applejack’s gonna crush the Empire into a little ball and buck it so hard it’ll kiss the moon!”
A derisive scoff from behind Rainbow Dash caught the pegasus’ attention. She whirled around and glared at the offending pony. “What? You don’t think she can do it?”
“Trixie doesn’t know this Applejack personally, but it’ll take more than one pony to make the Empire roll over and die,” the former general said. Trixie looked up at Rainbow Dash with a half-lidded stare. “If your friend is smart, she’ll lay low and stay out of trouble. Emperor Blueblood doesn’t like ponies that break his rules.”
“Hah! You just wait. I bet she’ll have this whole thing taken care of before—”
“Quiet. We’re here.”
The soft spoken but firm command came from the last member of the group, Big Macintosh. Everyone grew silent, waiting for the stallion to say something else. Big Macintosh merely looked out at the horizon, a solemn expression on his muzzle. Before him was an expanse of sand and rock as far as the eye could see. The great desert of Fillygaro lay at his hooves.
A small smile spread across Big Macintosh’s face. “I’m home.”
The stallion stood tall, gazing out at his homeland. He remained that way for a moment, his eyes tracing over every detail they could find. “If I take one more step, I’ll be home for the first time in ten years.”
Big Macintosh lifted a forehoof, let it linger in the air, then brought it down on the sandy ground. The sand parted around his hoof, cradling it as though it were welcoming him back. He took another step. And another. Then another, until he was walking at a steady pace.
The others watched him trot away, each remaining silent. Once Big Macintosh walked over a dozen hooves away, Rainbow Dash said in a hushed voice, “He might be happy, but I just know I’m going to get sand in every feather of my wings again.” She gave a huff, folded her wings tightly to her body, and followed after the stallion.
.o.O.o.
Traversing the grand desert of Fillygaro wasn’t the slog that Rainbow Dash feared it would be. While she didn’t have a special cloak to shield her from the elements like Twilight did, she did have Spike and Trixie. Spike blew a cool wind over the group with his new frost breath every few minutes, creating a pleasant cone of chill air around them. Trixie, with her ice magic, kept any scorpions and sand rays from attacking them by blasting the annoying monsters before they could pose a threat. It wasn’t long before Fillygaro Orchard came into view.
“It’s as beautiful as I remember,” Big Macintosh said. The smile hadn’t left his muzzle since he had set hoof in the desert.
“Hey, Big Mac,” Rainbow Dash called from behind him. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why in the world would you build your farm way out here?”
“Don’t mind at all, Miss Dash. There’s a large underground lake that runs under the orchard. Used to be an oasis before my granny and grandad found it and settle there. Best growin’ land in the world.”
“Uh huh. And the whole building going under the ground thing? Who came up with that?”
“My pappy. He was diggin’ a hole for a new tree and dug so far he went right through the ground. Lost his shovel but found some sort o' cave. Huge one, too. Big enough to fit all of South Fillygaro in. Thought he would have to move the orchard but somehow got the idea to put the orchard in it. Ol’ Cranky Doodle and him came up with the systems to lower it into the cave whenever there was a sandstorm a blowin’.”
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Spike said, his eyes wide in amazement. “I didn’t know ponies could do things like that.”
“Just takes a little bit o’ grease and grit.”
“As fascinating as this all is,” Trixie said, cutting off any further discussion, “need Trixie remind you that we are not here for visiting? We have an out-of-control, flaming pony to find.”
Rainbow Dash’s hoof poked Trixie in the back of her head, none too gently. “Hey, lay off, would ya? Nopony’s more worried about her than me. She might have a lot of power in that little body of hers, but she’s still a newbie. She’s probably hurt or in trouble and it’s all I can think about. But that don’t mean I’m going to get snippy with everyone. Got it?”
“Are you lecturing me?”
“Somepony’s got to keep you in line.”
The others watched on, waiting for Trixie to make a response. Stardust began edging away and found that Big Macintosh made a good barrier between himself and the scary ex-Imperial. Rainbow Dash and Trixie locked gazes, neither of them backing down from their silent battle of wills.
Trixie humphed, lifted her nose in the air, and walked away, ending the standoff. “Trixie is here to get the job done, not waste her time with sentiment.” Without looking back, Trixie headed for the orchard.
“I really wish she hadn’t come,” Stardust said, peeking up from behind Big Macintosh. “She’s going to do something nasty, I just know it.”
“You let me worry about her,” Rainbow Dash replied, landing on the ground. “I brought her here, so she’s kinda my responsibility. I know she’s a pain but she helped out a lot when the Empire attacked.”
“I still don’t trust her. You don’t know what she did to us chocobos.”
Rainbow Dash sighed and trotted forward. “Just… carry our stuff, all right?”
The chocobo’s feathers ruffled up and he opened his beak to call after her, but the soft touch of a claw on his neck stopped him. Stardust looked back, seeing Spike giving him an apologetic look and a shake of his head. Slowly, Stardust’s feathers settled back in place. Giving a grunt, he followed after the ponies into Fillygaro Orchard.
.o.O.o.
The moment Big Macintosh stepped through the entrance way, ponies everywhere stopped what they were doing and surrounded the stallion.
“Big Mac, you’re back!”
“By the sun, where’ve you been?”
“What’s with all the gear? It looks like you’re ready for war.”
“Dude, who’re the chicks?”
Trixie zapped the last speaker.
Big Macintosh, sporting a wide grin, held up a hoof, bringing any further questions to a halt. “It’s good to see y’all. The place looks great. I wish I was here fer visitin’, but we need to get to the other side of the mountains. Ya mind?”
“You want us to move the orchard?” One of the guards, Caramel, approached the group. “Is that all? Sure thing! I’ll tell the engineers right now!” He rushed off, pushing ponies out of his way in his eagerness.
“Move… this building?” Trixie asked.
Rainbow Dash gave a knowing smirk. “Yeah, wait until you see it! It’s awesome!”
“Thanks, y’all,” Big Macintosh said. He stepped forward and ponies moved aside to let him pass. “If ya don’t mind, I have somepony to see. Visit y’all later.” He headed for a large iron door that led out to the main plaza, opened it, stepped out into the sunny grounds, and turned a left, removing him from sight.
The remaining Returners glanced around, confused looks on their faces. “Well, now what?” Trixie said to the others. Most of the crowd had already left, leaving only a few guards in the entrance way.
One of the guards came up to the group and bowed. “If you all would follow me, we need to get you to a secure place while the orchard is moved.” Without another word, he turned and headed off towards the same door Big Macintosh had left through.
“Will somepony please tell Trixie what the hay is going on?!”
.o.O.o.
“Land sakes! Call me a worm in a rotten apple. Big Macintosh!”
On this day, ponies swore that Granny Smith moved faster than a cactrot on a cider binge. The old Apple matron shot across the plaza in the blink of an eye and gathered Big Macintosh up in a mighty hug. “By all that’s good and proper, yer back!”
Big Macintosh eyes misted up as he returned the hug. “Sorry I was gone so long.”
“Hush you. Yer back. That’s enough for this old biddy.”
The stallion nodded, a small smile on his muzzle. He held Granny Smith close, letting the minutes wash by.
“I reckon you have some stories ta tell,” Granny Smith said some time later. “I want to hear ‘em. You have time?”
“Eeyup.”
“You don’t want to go around reminiscin’?”
“Nope.”
“Good.”
.o.O.o.
Beneath the apple orchard, separated by over one hundred hooves of dirt, steel, and iron, was a large room. Inside this room, ponies wearing overalls covered in smudges of grease and grime attended to gears and motors five times their size. Pegasi hovered high above the floor, inspecting rotors and gears for any misalignment or rust. Unicorns pooled their levitation magic to hoist up heavy equipment to earth ponies located on walkways, who positioned the equipment where it needed to go using precise hoof movements. More earth ponies manned a series of control panels and levers, waiting for the command to flip their switch.
The cacophony of noises from drills, hammers, and wrenches nearly drowned out Caramel as he lead Rainbow Dash, Trixie, Spike, and Stardust through the warehouse sized room. “This here is the heart of Fillygaro Orchard. You wanted to know how we were going to move this place? Well, here it is.”
“Amazing…” Spike said, his mouth hanging open in awe.
Rainbow Dash let out a slow whistle, mirroring Spike’s appraisal. “I’ll say. I’d rather fly than go underground, but this is still pretty cool.”
“Most pegasi can’t make the flight over the mountain range,” Caramel explained. “So it’s a lot easier to go under it.”
“How exactly does it work? Applejack never really got around to telling me.”
“Well, as much as we all love Miss Applejack, she wasn’t all that interested in how the systems here worked. She more-or-less left that up to us so she could concentrate on the orchard. Basically, there’s a series of tunnels under the desert that we use to move the whole building. We built rails through those tunnels that carry the orchard all the way to the other side.”
“Must have taken a long time to dig out all those caves, huh?” Spike said.
“Actually, we lucked out there too,” Caramel replied. “There already were a whole mess of caves to work with. We think the underground river that runs through here carved most of it out. All we had to do was build the rails and off we go!”
“Aren't you afraid of monster attacks?” Trixie, who had remained uncharacteristically silent up until now, asked.
Caramel waved off her concern with a hoof. “Naw. There’s nothing down there big enough to worry about.”
At that moment, a high-pitched alarm echoed through the chamber and red lights attached to the walls began to flash.
“Oh, shoot,” Caramel said. “We’re taking off and I didn’t get you to your rooms. Um… ah… well…. oh! See those seats over there?” He pointed to a row of metal pods built into the wall. “Get into one of those and use the straps to hold you down. Hurry!” He rushed towards one of the empty pods and began fastening the straps around himself.
Rainbow Dash, Trixie, and Spike followed Caramel’s example, each entering a pod. They began strapping themselves in when a cough caught their attention. Stardust stood in front of a pod and gave it a sour look. “It’s too small.”
The entire room suddenly lurched, knocking Stardust off his talons. The room jerked again and the chocobo was sent careening across the floor. Stardust flailed his wings and talons, screaming for help, but there was nothing for him to grab onto. His momentum sent him towards an engine with dozens of whirring gears and pistons. Stardust gave a strangled cry as the moving machinery filled his vision.
A soft pink glow surrounded his talons. Stardust came to a sudden stop, his beak inches away from getting crushed between a set of gears grinding against each other. The next moment he was pulled back, towards the pods holding the ponies. His body slammed into the empty pod, sending a cloud of silver feathers into the air. The safety straps of the pod whipped around Stardust, each glowing pink, and tied down the chocobo.
“Ack! Can’t breathe!”
A female grunt of effort was heard above the clanking of machinery, and the straps lightened their hold. Stardust gasped in air and managed to settle down in his seat. He slowly lifted his head towards the source of the pink glow. “T-Thanks…”
“Stupid... bird,” Trixie said. Sweat dripped down her forehead and her breaths came in large, deep gulps. The glow around her horn disappeared.
“Uh, sorry about that,” came Caramel’s voice. “Our, uh, stuff isn't really made with chocobos in mind.”
Stardust wiggled within his seat, half of his body in the pod and the other hanging out. The straps were the only things keeping him from falling out. “No duh! How long will this take?”
“Um, about two hours.”
Stardust sighed. “Great.”
.o.O.o.
Two long and very uncomfortable hours later, Fillygaro Orchard rose up from the sands of a desert a hundred miles away. Rock, sand, and scorpions cascaded down the walls and protective dome of the orchard, pooling within specially made ducts that carried the desert material back where it came from. Once Fillygaro completely surfaced, the dome covering the orchard split open, revealing the rows of apple trees within. Shutters and windows were next, opening the building to fresh air. Soon, the denizens of Fillygaro emerged from their quarters and began checking equipment and the trees for any signs of damage.
The main door to the plaza opened and Big Macintosh walked out, Granny Smith at his side. “Such a shame ya hafta go, Big Mac. It ain’t fair yer gone for ten years and I get to see ya for only a few hours.”
Big Macintosh smiled and gave Granny Smith a gentle nuzzle. “Eeyup.”
“Too bad Applejack ain’t here. Weda had a might fine family reunion.” She stepped back, giving Big Macintosh one last look over. “I hope those trinkets yer poppa had lyin’ around help out. You give them Impie brutes a good what for, ya hear?”
“Eeyup.”
“Good. Looks like yer friends are ready.”
Emerging from the other side of the plaza, Rainbow Dash, Trixie, Spike, and Stardust walked up to them, Caramel leading the way. Every few steps, Stardust would wince and shake out a talon or wing.
“Y’all enjoy the trip?” Granny Smith asked the group.
“No.”
Spike poked Stardust in the side, causing the chocobo to seize up and double over. “It was fine. A little bumpy, though.”
“Ah. A few more times and ya get used to it. Though it’ll be a week before we head back, so stop by iffin ya need somethin’!”
Rainbow Dash smirked, raising a hoof in salute. “You got it, Granny! It depends on how things go, I guess. We’ll be heading for Coltingen first and see if we can get any clues there.”
Big Macintosh leaned down and gave Granny Smith a final, gentle hug. “Sorry. But I have to go now.”
Granny Smith sighed and returned the gesture. “Don’t be a stranger now, ya hear?”
“Eeyup.” The stallion let go, gave her an encouraging smile, and walked towards his companions. Together, they all waved their goodbyes and headed for the exit.
The elderly Apple matron watched them go, once again left behind in her orchard.
.o.O.o.
The walk to Coltingen was a much needed one after being cooped up in the bowels of Fillygaro’s engine room. The ponies and chocobo traveled quickly, eager to continue their search for Twilight Sparkle and loosen up their muscles.
“Okay guys, this place we’re going to is kinda important to me,” Rainbow Dash said. She flew just ahead of the group, keeping low so that she could stare them all in the eye. “So I want you all on your best behavior. No fighting, no looting, no lollygagging, no loitering, no illegal parking, no—”
“Fire!” Spike cried out.
“Definitely not that either.”
“No, fire! There’s a building on fire!”
“Wha?!” Rainbow Dash whirled around and her eyes widened. Coltingen was a mile away from them, but a column of smoke could easily be seen. Following the smoke down to its source, fire tore at a building near the edge of town. “Ohmygosh!” Rainbow Dash took off towards the blaze, leaving a spectral trail behind her.
She reached the building in less than a minute and spotted ponies in a water brigade trying to douse the fire. The efforts were for naught, as most of the home had already been consumed. The best they could hope for was that the flames did not reach any other houses. Rainbow Dash whipped her head around, searching for anything she could do to help, when she spotted Big Macintosh entering the town and run up to the well the citizens were drawing water from.
The stallion dropped his saddle and pulled out a long, rubber hose. Big Macintosh quickly attached one end with a motor and dropped it in the well. Big Macintosh looked up and motioned for Rainbow Dash to come down. She zipped next to him and he said, “Miss Dash, I need you to carry this end above the fire. Make sure you hang onto it.”
“Got it!” She picked up the offered hose in her mouth and flew up above the fire, flapping her wings to clear the air around her of smoke. Seconds later, water rushed out of the hose and sprayed over the fiery wreckage. Rainbow Dash circled around, making sure the water poured over every inch of the house. After a few minutes, the fire began to recede. The ponies on the ground cheered and redoubled their efforts to put out the rest. Soon, the remaining flames were stamped out.
Rainbow Dash wiped her forehead, her leg coming back covered in sweat and soot. “Phew! Gwad that’s opher wiff.” She flew back to Big Macintosh, who was putting away his tools, and gave back the hose. “Nice thinking, big guy. Thanks.”
“Eeyup.”
“I’m going to ask what happened. There’s a bar two streets from here that way. You and the others meet me there in an hour, okay?”
“Eeyup.”
“Great.” The pegasus nodded her thanks and turned towards the smoldering building. She picked out a pale yellow earth pony mare that stood nearby, watching the others work and not doing anything else. “Hey. Junebug, right? What happened here?”
The pony started, blinking with wide eyes at the newcomer. “Rainbow Dash? You're back?”
"Yeah, long story. What happened? A stove go bad or something?”
“No. Nothing like that…” Junebug trailed off, her gaze going blank as though she were looking at something else.
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash yelled in the mare’s ear.
“Oh! Sorry.” Junebug shook her head and swallowed through a dry mouth. “No, it was… I don’t know what it was. It was glowing. And hot. It… it landed right in front of that house, then took off again.”
“Seriously?! Which way did it go?”
Junebug pointed out of town, towards the horizon. “S-South… I think. It happened so fast.”
“Alright! Thanks a lot!” Rainbow Dash patted Junebug on the back, earning a squeak of surprise. “You don’t know how helpful you’ve been.”
“You… you’re welcome.”
Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded her thanks again, then leapt into the sky. She headed towards the back end of Coltingen, missing the pony arriving on the scene and watching her fly off into the distance.
.o.O.o.
It was little more than a shack.
The small house was surrounded by trees and located on the very edge of Coltingen. A single dirt trail led to the house, barely perceivable by all the foliage growing over it. The house itself was comprised of rotting logs stacked haphazardly over each other, forming a rickety structure that leaned to the side. Only a sturdy oak kept the house from toppling over completely. A single cracked glass window and wooden door were the only openings to the inside.
Rainbow Dash landed before the shack and pushed the door open. She winced from the squeal that came from the rusty hinges that rotated for the first time in hours. Looking inside revealed only slightly better conditions. The interior of the house consisted of a single room. There was no furniture other than a wooden stool that was on its side, discarded to one end of the room. The majority of the space was taken up by a garden, planted where floorboards had been ripped out and tossed aside. The green herbs that grew within this garden looked well kept, a stark contrast to the house surrounding it. Rainbow Dash walked past the garden and lifted up a trap door built into the floor, its hinges hardly making a noise. A set of wooden stairs lay underneath. She stepped down them and into a candle lit cellar.
The room was smaller than the upstairs but was considerably more crowded. Candles lined the walls, giving the room a soft, flickering light. Flowers of every color and species lay within jars all across the dirt floor. In the center of the room, a single bed sat. A stallion stood in front of the bed, his back turned to her. The stallion tilted his head and pushed up a tall, green tophat, revealing a muzzle covered in wrinkles and a shock of gray mane. The brown earth pony held a long grass stalk in his mouth that he chewed on every few seconds, causing a thin strip of beard attached to his chin to bob.
“Well, I’ll be. Izzat you, Rainbow Dash?”
“Hey, Mr. Greenhooves,” Rainbow Dash replied.
Greenhooves smiled and walked up to her, his green eyes tracing over her face. “I say you’ve grown since last I saw ya. Been a few years, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Rainbow Dash’s gaze settled past Greenhooves and on the pony laying on the bed.
“Oh, beg yer pardon,” Greenhooves said and moved aside. “Go right ahead. I’m sure she’s just as excited to see you again, heh heh heh.”
Rainbow Dash gave a barely perceptible nod and walked forward. In a few short strides she stood over the bed and its occupant.
She was a pegasus. She lay on her back with her hooves folded over her barrel. Her coat was a brilliant shade of sunlight and her mane and tail were streaked with orange and yellow. Her eyes were closed, giving the mare a peaceful look even as a hint of a frown could be seen. She didn’t react in the slightest to Rainbow Dash’s approach.
“Hey, Spitfire,” Rainbow Dash said. She sat down and removed her bandana from her forehead. Her rainbow mane, now free of its confines, cascaded down her head in an unkempt mass. “It’s been a while, huh? Sorry. I’ve… I’ve been so busy. You wouldn’t believe the stories I’ve got to tell you. Heh, I hardly believe some of it, myself.” She fell silent, watching Spitfire for any sign of movement. There came none. Not even the gentle rising and falling of her chest to indicate breathing could be seen. Spitfire lay as still as a statue.
Rainbow Dash sighed. She reached up and placed her hoof over Spitfire’s, careful not to jostle them. “I haven’t given up. I’m still looking. I swear, I’ll find a way to bring you back.”
“Bring back from what?”
In a flash of movement too fast to be seen, Rainbow Dash unsheathed her dagger and whirled around, her wings flared and her body tense. Her guard lessened a fraction upon seeing Trixie standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Wandering off into the woods for a rendezvous, are we?” Trixie asked, seemingly unperturbed by Rainbow Dash’s aggressive stance. “Didn’t realize you were the romantic type.”
“Shut up, Trixie.” Rainbow Dash put away her dagger and wrapped her bandana back around her head. “Just forget what you saw here, got it?”
Trixie placed a hoof to her chin and let out a low hum. “No, Trixie is too curious to do that. Why don’t you tell her? It will save Trixie the hassle of asking you later.”
“Gah! Why did you follow me? Shouldn’t you be helping the others?”
“They had the situation well under control when Trixie left them. Now, are you going to talk or what?”
Before either could continue, Greenhooves raised a hoof. “Ah, pardon me. Imma go check on my herbs. You girls play nice now, ya hear?” With that, he brushed past Trixie and climbed the stairs. The sound of the trap door closing followed soon after.
Trixie hadn’t moved her gaze from Rainbow Dash’s the whole time. “Well?”
Rainbow Dash ground her teeth together and turned to face Spitfire. “Why should I tell you anything? This doesn’t concern you. I’m still not even sure I can trust you.”
“Even after all Trixie did for your Returner friends in Neighshe?” Rainbow Dash didn’t respond. “Then how about this? Trixie isn’t sure she can trust any of you. How is she to know that you won’t throw her into a dungeon the moment you have the upper hoof against the Empire? Trixie isn’t blind; she knows nopony likes her.”
The sound of hooves against the soft ground notified Rainbow Dash that Trixie had moved closer. She tensed, ready to draw her blade, until she felt a hoof lay gently on her back. “So,” Trixie said, barely above a whisper. “Give me a reason to trust you.”
Rainbow Dash twisted her head, her gaze coming into contact with Trixie’s. She searched the unicorn’s eyes, finding a cool but honest look. “Fine. But this stays between you and me, got it? I need a reason to trust you, too.”
“I swear I won’t tell.”
“Alright, then.” The pegasus took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You see, Spitfire is… my partner.”
.o.O.o.
“Hey, Rainbow, what are we after again?”
“Hold your horses, Fire. I’m trying to figure out where we are.”
Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me we’re lost. Again.”
“Alright.”
“Alright… what?”
“I won’t tell ya.”
Spitfire’s hoof met her face. She let out a unladylike groan and looked down at the mountain the two pegasi hovered over. This mountain, with its jagged rocks and steep cliffs, looked like all the other mountains in the range the two had flown over all day. The sun was low in the sky, and Spitfire estimated that they had an hour’s worth of light left. “Dash, just admit that you got some bogus information and let’s call it a day. My wings are killing me and I could really go for a potion right about now.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rainbow Dash said. She flew in front of Spitfire, holding her hooves up in a pleading manner. “Just a little longer. We can’t go back empty hoofed. We’ve come so far!”
“Dash—”
“How are we going to call ourselves the greatest treasure hunters that ever lived if we don’t find anything, huh? What if Daring Do got ahead of us? We’d be laughed at!”
Spitfire sighed and shook her head. “Okay, okay. We’ll look a little longer.”
“Yes!” Rainbow Dash cheered, raising a hoof to the air. “You won’t regret this. Now c’mon. I think I know where we need to go.” Rainbow Dash turned and descended towards the mountain below, Spitfire right behind her.
The two reached the mountain and Rainbow Dash dove down into a deep, tight crevasse. Spitfire followed and noticed that the walls were so close her wingtips nearly brushed against them. The fading light didn’t help as the shadows obscured outcroppings of rock that whizzed past Spitfire’s head. Rainbow Dash, even with her bright coloring, could barely be seen. “Dash! This is crazy! We should head back.”
“Just a little further!” Rainbow Dash called up ahead. “I think we’re almost there!”
“Dash, I’m heading back! This is—”
The boulder appeared before her, instantly filling her vision.
The sickening sound of flesh meeting rock was the last thing Spitfire remembered.
.o.O.o.
“I… didn’t realize she wasn’t following me anymore for a whole minute. When I went back to check up on her… she… she didn’t look good…”
.o.O.o.
Rainbow Dash paced back and forth in front of the doctor’s office. The rug underneath her hooves threatened to wear away, but that didn’t stop her. The minutes on the old grandfather clock nearby ticked by and Rainbow Dash continued her left and right march.
The doctor’s door opened. Rainbow Dash was in front of it in an instant, startling the nurse poking her head out. “Is she alright?” Rainbow Dash blurted out.
The nurse closed her eyes and sighed. “She’ll live. She’s awake if you want to see her.” The nurse stepped aside and Rainbow Dash wasted no time slipping by.
Inside, Spitfire lay on a bed with bandages wrapped around her head, chest, and forehooves. An elderly pony stood next to her, shining a small light into her eyes. He looked up when Rainbow Dash walked to the other side of the bed. “She’s responding to treatment, so that’s good. That was a nasty hit she took to the head, though. Keep an eye on her for me and let me know if she seems faint or something.” He put away his instruments, nodded at Rainbow Dash, and left the room.
Rainbow Dash didn’t acknowledge that he had left. Her focus remained on Spitfire the entire time. Slowly, she reached forward and put a hoof over Spitfire’s own. Spitfire looked up at her and smiled. “He said I’ll have to stay in bed for a while. No flying or anything like that.”
“That’s… that’s good…” Rainbow Dash said, her voice low and jittery. “Spitfire. I’m… I’m so… so sorry for this. You were right. We should have gone back.”
Spitfire blinked. “Spitfire? That doctor called me that. Is… is that my name?”
It was Rainbow Dash’s turn to blink. “What?”
“And… who are you? Do I know you?”
Rainbow Dash’s jaw hung open. She stared at Spitfire, looking for any signs of mischief. “Y-You’re kidding. Right?” She reached forward and grasped Spitfire’s shoulders. “You’re joking with me, right?”
Moisture began to build in Spitfire’s eyes. She looked away, wiping at her face. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t remember.”
“Doc!”
.o.O.o.
“She forgot everything that had happened since I met her. Our time together, our adventures, everything. I… I thought that if I brought her here, where she grew up, it would help jog her memory or something. It didn’t.”
.o.O.o.
A hoof impacted Rainbow Dash’s face, sending her sprawling on the ground.
“Get out of here!” the stallion roared at the fallen pegasus. “It’s your fault she’s this way.”
Rainbow Dash grimaced as she slowly picked herself back up. She touched a hoof to her mouth and came away with blood. She looked up, past the furious stallion, to Spitfire standing behind him. Spitfire frowned, her eyes sad, and looked away.
“Spitfire,” Rainbow Dash said. She reached forward, towards Spitfire, but the stallion pushed her away.
“I said git! I knew you were going to be bad for her, but I never expected this.”
“Tell him. Tell him, Spitfire. Please…”
Spitfire turned her head, meeting Rainbow Dash’s gaze. “I’m sorry I don’t remember you. You should leave. It’s… it’s for the best, for everypony.”
.o.O.o.
“Trixie takes it you did.”
Rainbow Dash sniffed, running a forehoof across her face. “Yeah. Stupidest decision I ever made. I searched a whole year for something to make her remember me. That’s when... I heard Coltingen came under some type of Imperial attack. I came back as fast as I could, but it was already too late. Spitfire… she… she didn’t make it. I heard later that her memory came back and the last word she said was… my name.
“I… failed her.”
She ended her speech, the room falling into an uncomfortable silence. The only sounds came from Rainbow Dash’s sniffling. Moments later, Trixie stood up and walked towards the bed. She peered down at Spitfire’s calm, prone body, an unreadable expression on her muzzle. “Trixie doesn’t… I mean, I don’t often say this, but I’m sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing this with me. Is she dead?”
Behind her, Rainbow Dash wiped her nose across her foreleg and shook her head. “Naw. That guy you saw has got these weird herbs that are keeping her in… ah… what did he call it again?”
“Suspended animation.”
“Yeah, that’s it—whoa!” Rainbow Dash squeaked and whirled around to come muzzle to muzzle with Greenhooves.
The stallion gave a hearty chuckle at seeing Rainbow Dash’s wide eyed stare. “Sorry to scare you like that. It got mighty quiet down here so I thought to check up on ya. You done visiting?”
Rainbow Dash looked back at Spitfire, her gaze lingering on the comatose mare. With a sigh, she nodded and headed back up the cellar stairs. “Yeah. We need to get going. Thanks again for all you’ve done, Mr. Greenhooves.”
“Don’t mention it! You take care now, ya hear?”
“You betcha! C’mon Trix, let’s go see the others.” Not waiting for a response, Rainbow Dash ran up the steps and out of sight.
Trixie didn’t immediately follow. She gave one last look at Rainbow Dash’s partner, a thoughtful expression on her muzzle, before running after her companion.
.o.O.o.
When Rainbow Dash and Trixie reached Clinking Cups, Coltingen’s oldest bar, Big Macintosh, Spike, and Stardust were waiting for them. A round of drinks were already ordered for them and Rainbow Dash guzzled hers down heartily.
“Jeez, Rainbow Dash,” Spike commented while nursing a mug of mead. “You sure don’t waste time.”
Rainbow Dash slammed down her empty mug and gave a loud belch. “Gahh, that hits the spot.” She wiped her mouth with a hoof and finally addressed the others around her. “Now, let’s get to it. That fire was caused by Twilight. A pony I know saw a glowing figure just before it started, so that’s gotta be her. Junebug said she headed south, so that’s where we’re headed as soon as we’re done here.”
“Hmm, south means Jidhoof,” Trixie murmured. “If Trixie has heard correctly, that place is much larger than this town. She is sure there will be more eyewitnesses there.”
“Yep! So finish up, and let’s get going before—”
“Before somepony else takes the bounty, eh, Rainbow Dash?”
As one, the group turned to the new speaker. At the bar, slouching in her chair so much that she threatened to fall out of it, sat Daring Do. She grabbed a mug sitting on the bar next to her and headed towards them, a self-satisfied smirk on her muzzle. “That’s how it goes with you, right? You rush off, all guts and no plan. You make it so easy for me, ya know?”
“Go away, Daring Doofus,” Rainbow Dash said, a growl emanating from the back of her throat. “This ain’t none of your business.”
“Oh contraire! When rumors of a glowing pony are around and the Empire is offering a bounty large enough to fill Fillygaro Desert with gil, it is so my business.”
“Uh, what are you talking about?”
“You haven’t heard? Ha! You need to stop hanging around with that resistance or whatever it’s called. Seems some higher-ups in the Empire are looking for a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. They put up enough gil to put me on easy street for a long time.”
The group shared an uneasy glance with each other, all of them considering the adventurer’s words. Spike reacted first, hopping up on the table and marching up to Daring Do so he could look her in the eyes. “Now you listen to me. I don’t care who you think you are, but you leave Twilight alone. She’s our friend and doesn’t need greedy jerks like you ruining her life. If you so much as touch a hair on her head, you’ll regret it.”
Daring Do blinked, quirking an eyebrow at the little dragon in front of her. She regarded Spike’s serious face, his green eyes hard with resolve.
She fell over laughing.
“Wha… what’s, heh heh heh, that? I-Is he, ha, your pet or something?” Daring Do said in between guffaws.
“I’m nopony’s pet!”
“Shrimpy bodyguard?”
“No!”
Daring Do finally managed to get her laughter under control and stood back up. She wiped her eyes clean of tears and smirked at the group. “Well, whatever you are, you stand no chance against the greatest adventurer that has ever lived! I’m going to get to this Twilight Sparkle first. You guys can fight over the scraps.”
“Oh, yeah?!” Rainbow Dash yelled, flapping up and over the table to stand hoof to hoof against Daring Do. “Well, you can forget it because we’re going to get to her first. There’s no way I’m gonna let you of all ponies beat me.”
“Seems we have a race then. Heh, just like old times. Too bad you don’t have your partner with ya or this might actually be close.” Daring Do quickly ducked away from a blue hoof that rocketed towards her head. “Ha! Still too slow. See ya, Rainbow Crash!” With that, she sped out the door and was gone.
“Curse that Daring Do,” Rainbow Dash seethed. She stomped back to the table and slammed her hooves down. “Get your things together, guys. We’re leaving!”
“Who was that?” Stardust asked as he began packing away their provisions. “A rival?”
“No way! Just a loudmouth with a few lucky finds. She’s nothing but a pain in my flank. C’mon, we gotta get going.”
“We’re gonna stop by the Chickadee Forest first, though, right?”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “Whoa, what? When did we agree to that?”
“When we made plans at Neighshe. It’s why I came.”
A groan escaped from Rainbow Dash’s mouth. “Dude, I’m sorry but we don’t have time. The Empire’s on Twilight’s tail so we don’t have time to waste.”
“But… but…” Stardust looked to each face around the table but found nopony willing to look him in the eye.
“We… are kinda in a hurry, Stardust,” Spike said. The dragon rubbed his arms, his eyes downcast. “We can check out your home later. We gotta find Twi first.”
Now it was Stardust’s turn to slam the table. “C’mon! I’ve been following you darn ponies from one end of this continent to the next, carrying your stuff the whole time. It’s my turn to get what I want!”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed. She marched over to the chocobo and yanked on his neck feathers, pulling him down to eye level. Stardust’s eyes widened, but he didn’t pull away from Rainbow Dash’s grip. “Now listen to me, bud. I get that you want to check up on your family, I really do. But things have changed and we can’t waste a second. So get our things together an—”
“Ahem.”
The deep, male voice immediately gained everyone’s attention. All heads turned to Big Macintosh, whose frown and narrowed eyes made them all take a step back. “Yer not being fair, Miss Dash. You went to see somepony important to you. It stands to reason Stardust is allowed to do the same.”
“How did you—”
“I could tell. That’s all I’ll say about that. But Stardust has been a good sport about things and deserves his chance. I know we need to get to Miss Sparkle so I suggest Stardust check on his home while we go on ahead.”
“Go… on ahead?” Rainbow Dash repeated. “But, our stuff…”
“I’ll carry it. In fact, we’ll all share the load. Then, once Stardust is done with his business, he can catch up to us. Right? You chocobos are mighty fast, ain’tcha?”
Stardust rapidly nodded his head. He pushed Rainbow Dash away and said, “Y-Yeah. There isn’t a monster that can outrun a chocobo. Everychoco knows that.”
“Then it’s decided,” Big Macintosh responded, nodding his head. “We’ll head south. Meet up with us as quick as ya can, alright?”
“You got it!” Stardust raised a wing to his head, giving the stallion a confident salute. “I’ll be so quick you won’t even know I’m gone.”
“Good. Now, let’s get going. We’ve got a lot of travelin’ ahead of us.”
.o.O.o.
Big Macintosh’s estimate of a lot of travelin’ turned out to be two days of constant walking. The weather had become overcast, but no rain had yet to fall. The group pushed themselves to move on in case showers did fall, fearing muddy trails to slog through. With the addition of Stardust’s load, it made the situation that much more urgent.
“Ugh, how does that birdbrain manage all this stuff?” Rainbow Dash moaned, her back ladened with bags filled with potions.
“Chocobos have higher endurance and weight tolerances than your average pony,” Trixie replied. Her own cargo consisted of herbs and water, lighter than Rainbow’s but still a strain to her back. Only the sporadic use of her levitational magic to lighten the load allowed her to keep up with the others. “Why do you think the Empire wanted them? They’re good beasts of burden.”
“Speaking of the Empire,” Spike said as he adjusted the pack holding their gil. “What did you do that made Stardust afraid of you? He said you forced him and the others to burn a place called Mareanda.”
Trixie didn’t answer. She kept up the pace, looking straight ahead.
“Hey, I said—”
“Trixie was following orders. That is all.”
“Hey! That can’t be all. The way Stardust was talking, you’d think—”
The unicorn’s horn flared pink. A moment later, Spike’s lips snapped shut, keeping all but a few surprised muffles from escaping.
Nopony else pressed Trixie for answers for the remainder of the trip.
On the evening of the second day, the lights of Jidhoof shown in the distance. The group reached the paved, stone walkway leading into the city by the time night had set in. Even with the fading light, nopony had trouble finding their way. Every corner had a light post that illuminated the clean streets and well kept houses around them. The citizens, dressed in clothes ranging from fine tailored suits to extravagant dresses, walked by with their heads held high. Many did not bother to even glance in their direction, content to ignore them and go about their way.
“Oi, I hate coming here,” Rainbow Dash said, walking towards a building with an inn sign hanging above its door. The text was written in elaborate calligraphy, so stylized that it was hard to tell if it read inn or win. “Nothing but annoying and uppity ponies everywhere.”
Beside her, Trixie took in the rows of shops with an assortment of paints, brushes, and easels displayed in their windows. “If Trixie has heard correctly, this is supposed to be an art town, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Boring as day-old hay, too.”
They reached the inn and stepped inside. Soon, the group was enjoying a pleasant meal of tofu and rice, with flan for dessert. Tired from their long days of travel, they retired to bed early to refresh and start their search anew for Twilight in the morning.
Watching through a cafe window across the street, Daring Do smirked.
.o.O.o.
The resounding crash of a door being kicked in awoke Rainbow Dash with a start. She sat up, blinked her eyes against the light spilling into her room, and rolled in time to avoid a club from bashing her head in. She twisted herself in midair and landed on her hooves, all in an instant. Her assailant came at her again, but Rainbow Dash was ready. She launched herself forward, catching her attacker in the head with a hoof. She winced as her hoof came into contact with a metal helmet, creating a loud clang. Rainbow Dash’s opponent stepped back in a daze, allowing her to rush by and into the hallway.
She was greeted by Imperial soldiers on all sides.
“Nab her!” one of them shouted.
Acting swiftly, Rainbow Dash leaped into the air and hovered just above the Imperial’s grabby hooves. Two pegasus soldiers rose up after her.
“Ha! You think you guys can match me in the sky?” With that, Rainbow Dash sped off, rocketing past the pegasi and down the hall. Ahead of her, a door burst open and a unicorn soldier walked out carrying a struggling Spike in his magical grip.
He never saw it coming. Rainbow Dash swooped down, lashing out with a hind leg to the unicorn’s skull. The impact sent the unicorn tumbling down the hall and sending Spike sailing into the air.
Rainbow Dash twirled, held out her forehooves, and caught Spike on his descent. “Gotcha!”
“Whoa,” Spike said, his eyes whirling in their sockets. He shook his head, and noticed his savior. “Thanks, Dash.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. We got a bunch of party crashers to still deal with.” She pointed of hoof down the hallway. The contingent of Imperials had regrouped and charged at them, their weapons at the ready.
“Oh, yeah?” Spike smiled, his needle sharp teeth gleaming in the candlelight. “Point me at them.”
“Why?”
“Just watch.”
With no time to lose, Rainbow Dash twisted Spike in her grip and grimaced at all the soldiers ready to dog pile her. Spike smirked, took a deep breath, and let loose a stream of frigid air. The confined space of the hallway provided a perfect funnel for the air to travel, engulfing all the soldiers in its path.
In seconds, it was over. Spike ceased his breath attack and beheld the results. He squirmed out of Rainbow Dash’s hold and walked up to the first pony in the line of Imperials and patted him on the side. “Not bad, huh?”
Rainbow Dash nodded dumbly. The entire contingent of soldiers stood before her, each frozen solid in their final moments. The ice encasing them even surrounded the walls, ceiling, and floor of the hallway, creating a miniature ice cavern with its own display of sculptures. “Very… cool.”
Banging nearby drew their attention. One of the doors suddenly burst open in a shower of broken wood and ice, an unconscious soldier flying out of it. The Imperial impacted against the slick floor, skidding across until he stopped at Spike’s feet. Big Macintosh peeked out, ready for more mayhem, but blinked at the winter wonderland just outside his door. Further down, another door was violently ripped open, this time by a pink glow of magic. Trixie stepped into the hallway, quirked an eyebrow at the scene, and levitated a soldier out of her room.
“It appears you won’t be needing the Great and Powerful Trixie’s magical talent after all,” she commented as she walked towards the others, bringing the Imperial with her. “Pity.”
“Whaddaya got there?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing towards the captured Imperial.
Trixie brought her catch forward and deposited him in front of the others. This one was awake. He shivered at the sight of his comrades and at the cold stares coming from the Returners. “This fool thought he was mighty enough to overcome Trixie. He’s lucky she didn’t end his pathetic life. So, as compensation, she expects him to tell us what is going on.”
The Imperial looked left and right, a wild look entering his eyes as he found no means of escape. He yelped as Trixie poked him with a hoof and blurted out, “Please! Don’t kill me! I’ll talk.”
“Then talk,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her hooves in front of her. “How’d you guys know we were here?”
“W-W-We got a tip,” the soldier stammered. “Some pegasus with weird clothes. She said you were Returners looking for the glowing pony.”
“Daring Do.” Rainbow Dash nearly spat the name. “Do you know where she headed?”
“I-I’m not sure. It looked like she headed north when she left. There’s supposed to be a town deep in the mountains there called Chozo. That’s all I know!”
“Then good night,” Trixie whispered into his ear. The next moment, she slammed her hoof into the back of his neck, knocking him out. The soldier slumped down, his slow breathing showing within the cold confines of the hallway. “We better head out. There aren’t enough ponies here for a full deployment, so more must be around somewhere. These guys will thaw out soon and Trixie doesn’t want to be around when they do.”
“Yeah, I’m with ya on that,” Rainbow Dash said. “And Daring Do still has a lead on us. We gotta move, so get going.”
Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Big Macintosh each nodded and headed back to their room. Once they were out of sight, Trixie turned to the soldier she had struck and levitated a folded-up piece of paper from out of her mane. Quietly, she slipped it under his armor plating. Her task done, she turned and headed for her own room.