The cloaked figure snuck through the streets of the Crystal Empire. She had asked a nearby pony where exactly she was, and that’s what they told her – the Crystal Empire. She had managed to get away from the palace without getting noticed, her unicorn magic saving her from impacting the ground below. The streets through which she now walked were unlike any she had traversed before. Great structures made from megalithic slabs of solid gems made up the buildings, and its denizens sparkled as if made from the same material. Asking a few more crystal ponies, she had ascertained the location of the train station. All she had to do now was figure out when the next train to Canterlot was, and how to get a ticket without any pony money.
Arriving at the small train depot on the outskirts of the city, she made her way up to the ticket booth. An old, bored looking crystal stallion sat there reading the latest issue of “Neighsweek”.
“One for Canterlot?” the cloaked pony asked.
“Next train to Canterlot arrives at five,” the attendant said emotionlessly without looking up from the magazine, “Twenty bits.”
She levitated out all the money she had brought with her from her saddlebag. She had about seven hundred dollars in twenties and a handful of smaller change. She had no idea what the exchange rate between dollars and bits was, and she didn’t think the attendant would even entertain the idea of doing math. This was of course assuming Equestria even knew what dollars were. She sighed; maybe she could try something else. She tossed a bundle of nickels on the counter.
The attendant, still without looking up, scooped the faux-bits into a drawer and handed her a ticket. Only three hours to wait.
***
Four ponies laid in exhaustion on the floor of a train car, panting and gasping for breath. A fifth peered down the car, intently looking for any bystander that might have witnessed their little gambit. It appeared to be safe; nopony else was in this car.
“Oh my… oh my goodness,” Fluttershy coughed out.
“Is everypony okay?” Agister asked as he pulled himself to his hooves.
Everypony present nodded. They had made it onto the two o’clock train, but only barely. Fluttershy had almost missed the train entirely and had been reduced to hanging onto the end guardrail by her hooves before Agister pulled her up with his magic. They found themselves in the train’s caboose, where stacks of crates crowded the small car.
“Get up,” Dartmoor commanded, “We have to get to the passenger cars and blend in before anypony comes back here.”
The others did as he asked and tiredly followed him to the door. They passed through several cars before they came to the rear compartment car.
“We’re going to want to split up here, don’t want to put all our eggs in the same basket. This compartment’s empty, so Agister, you take this one and I’ll scout further down the train.”
“What about us?” asked Pinkie.
“Ugh…” he responded as if their presence was an unnecessary headache, “The unicorn can stay with Agister. It’d cause less suspicion if we’re not in some haphazard inter-racial group.”
“I do have a name, you know,” Rarity grumbled.
“Alright, we’ll see you when we get off at the Crystal Empire,” he finished, ignoring her. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy followed him as he passed into the next railcar. Agister gestured to the empty compartment.
“After you, my dear.”
The two unicorns took a seat in the comfortable bench seats of the car. It was a relief to finally be where they needed to be and not worry about the plan. They were all safely aboard the train; all they had to do now was get to the Crystal Empire. There was still a lot on Rarity’s mind, but at least she could relax for the time being. Looking up, she saw Agister gazing at her.
“How are you holding up, my dear? Dartmoor wasn’t too rough with you when we boarded?”
Rarity scoffed, “I don’t think that stallion knows the meaning of gentle, but I appreciate your concern. I think I’ll manage.”
“That’s good. I’d get some sleep if I were you. I’ll stay up and watch the door.”
“I don’t think I can, to be quite honest. Besides the fact that we are illegally on board a train, I’m a tad too worried about Twilight and Spike to sleep.”
“That’s understandable,” Agister smiled kindly, “Would you care to talk awhile to keep your mind occupied? I daresay there’s little else to do.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think…” Rarity’s eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered what she’d been meaning to talk to Agister about, “Actually, there is something I was curious about. Do you know anything about Assateague Island?”
He jerked suddenly, his eyes wide in surprise, “And why would a young lady such as yourself want to know about Assateague for, hmm? Have you been talking to Dartmoor?”
“Well… Yes,” she admitted uncomfortably, “If you don’t want to tell me, I’d understand. It’s just Dartmoor said I should ask you.”
Agister sighed, “Normally, I don’t like talking about it, but if Dartmoor told you to ask me, then I suppose it’s okay. However, you must give me your word you won’t speak a syllable of this conversation to anypony else. What I’m about to tell you is a highly classified government secret.”
“I promise.”
Taking a moment to position himself on the train seat, he took a breath and began his story –
“A long time ago, before you were even born, I was senior administrator of the Department of Magic Anomalies. It’s a secret government office that studies rumors of magic artifacts we don’t know anything about. We usually go investigate these rumors, ascertain if the artifact in question poses a danger to Equestria, and then report our findings to the princess. Usually it’s nothing more than a lone witch-doctor claiming to have distilled chaos into a potion, or some other such nonsense. Whenever we come across something dangerous, we seize it and store it in the Starswirl the Bearded section of the Royal Canterlot Archives, where only the princess and a select few ponies can study it.
“One day, thirty years ago, we got a report of a magic artifact hidden in a remote village on Assateague Island, to the south east of Baltimare. This island was, in fact, not technically part of the Equestrian Empire, so it made the act of seizing any dangerous artifacts more complicated. I informed Princess Celestia of this. This is where I made a fatal mistake.”
“Mistake?”
“Yes. The Department of Magic Anomalies is an independent branch of the government, so I usually reported to nopony except the princess herself. I was careless that day, and I did not notice that there was somepony else in the room – Lord Umber, the prime minister at the time.”
“Was the prime minister not allowed to hear what you said?”
“It wasn’t that he wasn’t allowed to, it was just that it was unwise to tell him. Umber was a nationalist, and had been long trying to convince Celestia to annex Assateague Island. Now that he knew there was potentially something dangerous there, he had the ammunition necessary to convince the House of Nobles to declare an invasion. Of course, I didn’t know this at the time, and I don't think Celestia expected him to make such a heinous move, either. She told me to go to the village and attempt to attain the magic artifact diplomatically.”
“What happened?” Rarity asked breathlessly as she covered her mouth with her hooves.
“Well…”
***
I went by myself to Assateague. It was a diplomatic mission, after all. In all reality, I was expecting that everypony there would tell me they had no idea what I was talking about. I was correct. Nopony knew anything about a mystical magical artifact that resided there. All I had to do was go back to Canterlot and inform the princess, and she would decide the next move. That’s almost what happened, before I came across somepony.
A young foal approached me. It was abundantly clear that he was nervous, and it immediately garnered my attention. He looked scraggly and malnourished and in my mind, there were two possibilities. Either he was concerned about an outsider appearing in such a small, isolated village, or he was having issues with his family. I decided that kindness was the proper response in either case.
“Hey, mister. You know what the time is?”
I pulled out my pocket watch, “It’s a quarter past noon. Why…”
I turned back to the colt, but he was gone. He was gone along with my coin purse. Needless to say, I was more than a little upset. I spotted the little street urchin dodging around crowds of ponies, and I quickly gave chase. I was a lot younger then, and infinitely more fit. I was about to catch up with him, but then he stopped.
He was caught in a green magic aura.
“Does this belong to you?” a snide voice asked.
Looking up, I saw a dark robed unicorn, the owner of the entrapping magic. Lord Umber.
“My lord,” I greeted, bowing, “What brings you to Assateague?”
“Duke Agister,” the prime minister greeted in return, nodding imperceptibly, “I’ve come looking for you. You are to vacate this hamlet immediately. That is an order.”
I raised my eyebrow, “With all due respect, your lordship, I am the head of the Department of Magic Anomolies. I report only to Princess Celestia.”
Umber sighed, “Yes, for all official duties. However, under Equestrian law title eleven, code 178, all civilian nobility are subservient to commissioned officers in a war zone,” he leaned closer and growled, “This order comes from the commanding officer of this occupation. Leave now.”
“War zone? Occupation? What are you talking about?!”
Umber didn’t respond. He pulled my coin purse from the street rat and threw him to the ground with force, knocking the wind out of him. With one last smug smile cast in my direction, the prime minister teleported away.
I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I had very little time. The princess would never authorize a war so easily, and it was likely that Umber had the House of Nobles declare it in a secret session without her knowledge. I had no idea what to do. There was no way I could find the princess in time to stop this, and if I didn’t leave the city, I could be arrested – or worse.
Doing the only thing I could think of at the moment, I picked up the colt who had stolen my purse and placed him on my back.
“I need to get you home,” I told him, “What’s your name?”
He appeared to be about to complain about my sudden interest, but exhaustion and pain quelled those thoughts. He simply replied, “Dartmoor.”
“Alright Dartmoor, where do you live?”
“Over by the…”
A great fireball erupted from the house next to us! We were both thrown away from the blast with great force as heat seared our fur!
“What the...?!”
A colossal armored unicorn knight strode casually around the corner. He wore the silver armor of the elite Equestrian mage-knight division which completely covered his body, making him appear as a walking metal instrument of death. Before I had the chance to do anything but get up, the knight cast another spell that caused another cottage to burst into flames.
There was screaming. There was the deafening sound of magic blasts from more knights out of our line of sight. A great wind blew by us as a battalion of pegasus soldiers circled the skies above us like vultures above a dying pony.
I grabbed Dartmoor once more. He immediately struggled against my magic.
“Stop! We have to get out of here!” I yelled at him.
“Not without my parents!” he yelled back. I was having an extremely difficult time holding on to him, and the degree of effort I had to put into the spell was draining my energy.
“Where do you live?” I gave in.
“Turn left!”
We dashed through the streets, the young earth pony clinging onto my back. We dodged fireballs and swooping pegasus soldiers and fleeing townsfolk before we arrived. We were too late. His house was already an inferno.
I felt his grip release, and he slid off my back landing heavily on the ground. He made no attempt to get up, and laid on the ground in tears as he stared at his home and family in flames. It was the only time I’ve ever seen Dartmoor cry.
He fought me as I took him in my magic again. He struggled, but his will was utterly broken. We escaped the city. As I later found out, we were the only two survivors of the Assateague Massacre.
***
After Agister finished his story, Rarity could only stare at him, mouth open and eyes wide in shock. He slouched back in his seat, suddenly feeling very old and very tired. It was several minutes before either of them could speak again.
“So what happened to the village?” she asked with a tear in her eye.
“It was gone. Lord Umber completely wiped it out. Celestia heard about what he was doing far too late. She came to Assateague, but everypony was dead by the time she got there. All she could do was place Umber and the ponies involved in the massacre under arrest and declare a memorial service.”
“So... Dartmoor’s parents…?”
“Yes, them too. I tried to adopt him, to take him back to Canterlot with me. However, seeing what the Equestrian army had done to his home, seeing the evils of the world – he didn’t want any part of it. He ran away from that place and never went back. I suppose he’s told you the rest. He became a vagabond and a smuggler, and even to this day he hates the Equestrian government with all his heart.”
“What happened to Umber? Surely Dartmoor doesn’t blame Celestia and the whole government for what one pony did…”
Agister smiled, “He doesn’t care. I’ve told him exactly what happened, and he barely listened to a word I said. His heart’s full of hate. Hate and sorrow. I’m actually surprised he agreed to help us when I asked him. I suppose he’s more loyal to me than I would have first thought.
“As for Umber, he was tried and found guilty of war crimes. The last I heard, he had died in prison. The magic artifact, whatever it might have been, was never found. I was so distraught by the events I had witnessed, I resigned my position at the Department of Magic Anomalies immediately. I spent the rest of my years wandering the country, helping ponies wherever I could. I could say that the cosmos might feel fit to forgive me for my part in initiating the massacre - I don’t know. My conscious, however, will never forgive me for as long as I live.”
Rarity was speechless, a single tear making its way down her cheek.
“If you don’t mind, I need a little time alone,” Agister said as he laid back in the seat, emotionally drained, “We should be at the Crystal Empire in an hour.”
***
Rainbow Dash rode the elevator up to the seventeenth floor of the high-rise with the two Applejacks. Great bursts of adrenaline pulsed from her stomach. She had been wondering about the human version of herself ever since Twilight had first told them what had happened on the other side of the mirror. She didn’t have wings, but she was the best in the world at kicking a ball around. As weird as that had sounded to her, she still was entranced by the thought of the human version of her being the best at something, even something as stupid as kicking a ball. It made her reflect on what exactly would make her unique. What would make her the best, if she hadn’t been born with wings? What would she have done if she had been in a similar situation to Human-Dash? Could I say she’s just as awesome as me?
“I’d like ta try somethin’ a little different this time, if y’all are up to it…” Human-AJ suggested.
“Like what?
“How bout we give ole Rainbow Dash a little prank of our own?”
“That sounds awesome!” smiled Rainbow, breaking away from her thoughts, “What’s the plan?”
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You girls hide behind the corner. Ah’ll go an’ knock on her door. Five minutes later, Ah’ll pretend Ah gotta use the little girl’s room and hide. Then Applejack here’ll knock on the door.”
The two pony-girls smiled. This was going to be good.
“Five minutes later, you’ll do the same thing and Rainbow’ll knock on the door. While Dash is answerin’ the door, me and AJ will come back inta the room.”
Rainbow laughed, “Man, she won’t know what’s going on.”
“When she’s as confused as a peach tree in an apple field, we’ll let ‘er in on the joke. You girls ready?”
Applejack and Rainbow giggled and hid behind the corner, straining to hear what was going on as Human-AJ knocked on the apartment door. A few moments later they heard a very familiar voice answer –
“Hey, what’s up, Applejack!”
“Nothin’ much, Dash. Just though Ah’d drop by on mah old friend.”
“Then get in here. I was just about to…”
The sound of their voices abruptly halted with the sound of a closing door. The two girls looked at each other and smiled.
“You know, I never really thought of you as the pranking type, Applejack.”
“Ah’m not. This is all Human-AJ’s idea; she’s probably tryin’ ta impress yer clone over there. There’s just so much about this world that’s different, she and Ah are different too. You’re probably pretty different than that Dash in there also.”
“We’ll see. I want to ask her what it’s like to drive those car thingies around. I bet she can drive one faster than anypony here.”
“Anybody, sugarcube. Ah don’t really think…”
“Has it been five minutes yet?” Rainbow interrupted her.
“Ah don’t know. Ah’ll go listen at the door so Ah can hear when she goes inta the other room.”
Applejack walked over to the apartment door and put her ear to it. After a few minutes, a smile crossed her face and she stood up. She raised her fist and rapped smartly at the door, to be answered a moment later. Rainbow craned her head to pick up the conversation without being seen.
“Hey, uh… Applejack,” Human-Dash started after a moment of uncertainty, “Did you leave? I thought you just…”
“Nope, Ah just thought Ah’d drop in on my old friend. How’s it goin’?”
“Uh, I… uh…”
“Well are ya just gonna stand there or you gonna invite me in?”
“Yeah, sure. Come in. This is weird.”
As soon as she heard the door close, Rainbow rushed to it and pressed her ear to it to try to listen to one of the best pranks in history.
“You want some apple juice?” she heard Human-Dash say, “You just had some, it’s right there on the table, but I guess I’m imagining that, too.”
“Uhm, sure.”
Rainbow heard footsteps as she assumed Rainbow Dash was getting the aforementioned drink.
“Thanks, sugarcube.”
“Don’t mention it. I guess since you were a ghost, you probably don’t remember what I said about the Wonderbolts.”
“‘Fraid not.”
“Read it and weep,” she said followed by a brief pause, “I just got this in the mail. I got accepted to the Naval Academy! I’m going to be a pilot!”
Human-Dash squealed and jumped for joy while pulling AJ into a hug.
“Well, uh, congratulations, Rainbow.”
“Thanks! I knew I would get in. There’s no way they could have declined me, as awesome as I’d make their sports teams. Not to mention I’m already an ace pilot.”
“Pilot?”
“Yeah, you know how I’ve been taking flying lessons with Spitfire?”
“Oh, yeah?” Applejack replied. She had no idea what she was talking about.
“Yeah, I’m getting pretty good at it. I don’t know why you don’t want me to take you flying. Maybe as a ‘congratulations’ present?”
“Yeah, uh,” AJ laughed nervously. Apparently Human-AJ didn't fancy the idea of this girl flying her around. She didn't either, come to think of it, “Maybe Ah’ll jus’ get you somethin’ else instead…”
“Like what? How about a congratulatory kiss?” Human-Dash asked with a teasing voice. Rainbow Dash gasped on the other side of the door, and Applejack didn’t appear to be any less surprised.
“Uhm, well… Ah… Ya see… Ah gotta go to the bathroom…” she said, extremely nervously this time. A flurry of footstep followed, and Rainbow could only assume she ran to the bathroom as fast as she could. It was her turn.
She took a deep breath, hand trembling and butterflies raging in her stomach (although, in all honesty, that could just be the caffeine). She knocked at the door.
The door opened.
Standing in front of Rainbow Dash was her human counterpart. Both girls’ eyes went wide at seeing each other for the first time. They were identical in skin tone, hair coloration, facial features – everything except their clothing. Rainbow was wearing the clothes Rarity had given her earlier that day while Human-Dash wore a set of Wonderbolts sweat clothes. They stared at each other for a good ten seconds before Human-Dash finally broke out of her reverie. She said the first thing that came to her mind –
“Uhm… You want to come in?”
Rainbow nodded and followed her into the apartment. It was modestly furnished with a large living room with a kitchen nook and a hallway to the right leading to several shut doorways. Both Rainbow Dash’s sat down on the loveseat while one of the doors opened revealing both Applejacks. They were wearing identical grins and sat down opposite from them on the sofa. They looked at Human-Dash with expectant smiles, undoubtedly waiting for her to stutter in confusion and ask what the hay was going on.
That never came.
“You know, Applejack,” Human-Dash started, “I realize that you’re happy I got into the academy and everything, but you didn’t have to go and hire me a stripper.”
Everyone’s faces turned from smile to shocked confusion in a millisecond. Unable to respond, the Applejacks sat there in surprise as Human-Dash got a glass of juice and handed it to Rainbow. Rainbow took a sip instinctively while still staring at the athlete with wide eyes.
“Anyway, I know what’s really going on here,” Human-Dash continued with a smile, “And it’ll all be over in a few minutes.”
“Uhm… What didja think is goin’ on?” asked Human-AJ in confusion.
“Well, obviously you’re all figures of my imagination. You’re just the work of the acid I dropped an hour ago.”
“Wait, WHAT!?”
“Yep! Although I guess since my imagination got me such an attractive girl, I might as well enjoy it before she disappears.”
Human-Dash leaned over toward Rainbow, who suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Hovering with a smile an inch from her face, she quickly closed the distance and gave her a long, wet lick up the side of her cheek.
It’s super effective! Rainbow Dash is now paralyzed!
“Hold on, hold on!” shouted Human-AJ as Human-Dash pulled back from her counterpart’s face, “We’re really here! Look, we were trying ta prank ya, but we didn’t know you were on drugs! Look, these girls are actually ponies from another world, and… Wait, this isn’t helping, is it?”
Human-Dash shook her head, “Like I said, you’ll disappear in a few minutes anyway.”
“Why do ya say that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with concern.
“Because everyone knows the only thing that can get rid of hallucinations is hallucinogens. I figured that out once when I was high. So I spiked all your drinks with three hits of LSD.”
“WHAT?!”
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” she continued, turning back toward Rainbow, “I have a stripper to enjoy before she’s gone.”
“Wait, stop, stop!” cried Human-AJ desperately, “We’re real… we’re really real! Aw, shit, what are we gonna do now? We gotta go to the hospital. No, they’re gonna want ta know where we got it. Ah’m gonna be in so much trouble!”
The two pony-girls just sat in stunned silence. They had no idea what this ‘LSD’ was, but if it was making Human-AJ curse like that, it must be bad. They looked at each other in alarm. What were they going to do?
To their surprise, Human-Dash just burst out laughing. She rolled over onto the floor, holding her sides as the three girls looked on incredulously, momentarily too shocked to speak.
“Oh, man, you should see the looks on your faces,” she said through bursts of giggles, “Rainbow Dash is still the best prankster in the world! I had you guys freaking out so hard!”
“Wait, what?”
“Pinkie Pie called an hour ago and told me what was going on,” she explained as she got back up onto the loveseat, wiping a tear from her eye, “She wanted to know if I could come to her ‘Welcome to Earth’ party for you two. I thought you guys might pull something like this, especially if there’s another me with you, so I turned the tables. I don’t even have any acid on me right now.”
All three girls breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well shucks, RD,” Human-AJ laughed, “Ah shoulda known better than ta try ta one up you on pranks. So Pinkie explained who we all are and such?”
“Yeah, although I can’t really tell which one of you is the real AJ.”
“I’m the original.”
“And I’m the Applejack that was a pony,” AJ added.
“So this sexy thing must be pony-me…”
Rainbow Dash blushed, “Yeah…”
“‘Metallicolt’,” Human-Dash read off her counterpart’s shirt, “That’s a good band. You like them?”
“Actually, Rarity gave me this shirt. I’ve never heard of them before.”
“What! We’re going to have to fix that. If you’re going to be running around being awesome, then we’ll have to adjust your taste in music.”
“Anyway,” Human-AJ interrupted, “We actually came by ta ask you a question, Dash.”
“Shoot.”
“Well, these girls came here lookin’ for somebody. Have ya ever seen Twilight Sparkle? Not the one that came through that portal, mind you, a different one.”
“Now that you mention it, I have,” Human-Dash responded, rubbing her chin, “She was at a party once. I thought it was a little weird that she looked so much like that pony-girl Twilight, so I started chatting her up. She didn’t really talk much. All that she said was she lived on the other side of town and she came to the party with Sunset Shimmer.”
“Sunset Shimmer?”
“Yeah, I guess they’re friends or something. I gave Twilight my number, but I guess she lost it. You might want to talk with Fluttershy about all this; she’s the closest with Sunset.”
“Gosh darn it,” Applejack fumed, “This is turning into a confound wild goose chase.”
Human-Dash shrugged, “Sorry about that. I’d offer to come help you, but I’ve got to leave for flying lessons with Spitfire in an hour.”
“It’s okay,” Human-AJ said, “Ah guess we’ll be headin’ back ta the farm for now. Ah’ll give Fluttershy a call.”
“Cool. I guess I’ll see you guys later.”
Rainbow Dash and the two Applejacks headed for the door. However, just as they were about to cross the threshold, Human-Dash called after them.
“Yo, pony-me!”
“Yeah?” Rainbow asked, turning around.
“You’re supposed to be just like me, so you like flying, right?”
“Only more than anything!”
“Nice. You want me to take you flying human-style tomorrow?”
Rainbow’s eyes lit up, “Really?”
“Sure, it’s cool. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, alright?”
“Oh-my-gosh oh-my-gosh oh…” Rainbow Dash suddenly realized how uncool she was being and quickly adjusted her attitude, “I mean… yeah, sounds awesome.”
Human-Dash smiled, “It’s a date, then.”
***
“The guard hath indicated you wish to report unto us dark tidings, citizen.”
“Yes, princess,” Sly Hoof bowed deeply before the darkly colored alicorn.
“Speak, then.”
“The Crystal Empire is under attack, my liege.”
“Under attack? Is it the Black Crystal Disciples?” Princess Celestia asked.
“It is.”
“I see. What is your name, my little pony?”
“Sly Hoof, your majesty.”
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Sly Hoof. I’m sure you must be tired from your journey. Please, go to the guard’s quarter and get some food and sleep. We shall handle it from here.”
“Thank you, princess.”
As the pegasus departed, Celestia turned to her sister. They exchanged worried looks. They both knew this could happen, but they hadn’t expected the Disciples to be so brash.
“I must go and help Cadence,” Celestia started.
“Nonsense, my sister,” Luna countered, “Let me go in your stead. Equestria needs you here, on the throne. I am more than capable of leading the army.”
“But…”
“I won’t hear another word of disagreement. You have my word, I will ensure to bring swift punishment to the usurpers. Princess Cadance and Twilight will be made safe. I promise you, sister.”
Celestia sighed, “Very well. Fly to Fort Ticoltderoga. There are two thousand soldiers stationed there. Take them and besiege the Empire. I will send the Royal Equestrian Army to reinforce you from Canterlot.”
Luna nodded, “Don’t worry, ‘Tia. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Celestia smiled weakly at the affection. “I know. I trust you.”
As she watched Luna take off toward the north, Celestia thought about the manner by which the Disciples attacked them. Grimm Shado was a master strategist; there was no way he was playing all his cards. Something definitely didn’t feel right.
***
“What do you want!? I told you, I don’t know where Twilight is!” Shining Armor cried through tears.
Grimm Shado released the wheel of the rack. A smile crossed his face as the scar over his eye wrinkled into a sinister sneer.
“But you wouldn’t tell us even if you knew, am I correct?”
“Just stop, please. Put me up there instead. Cadence has nothing to do with this!”
“Oh, but I disagree. Cadence is the one who returned the crystal heart. She is the one who defeated our lord. She is the imposter who had the insolence to sit on our king's throne.”
“Just… stop. I’ll do anything.”
Cadence panted as tears ran down her cheek. All four legs and both her limbs were clamped into the rack. A trickle of blood ran off her right wing where the rack had stretched the skin to the breaking point and ripped out her feathers. One of her eyes was bruised and swollen from where she had been struck. A metal clamp adorned her horn, preventing her from performing any magic. In spite of all this, an angry smile danced across her face.
“Is this it?”
Grimm looked back over to her, a shocked expression slipped onto his face for a brief second, before turning back into a smile.
“Of course not, my dear. I wouldn’t want you to get a false sense of disappointment about Crystal interrogation methods, seeing as how you’re our ‘princess’.”
He turned to a grimy henchman at the door, “Get the thumbscrews,” pausing, he turned to smile at Shining Armor, “The big ones.”
“Anything…” cried Shining Armor weakly.
“There is something you can do,” noted Grimm ponderously as he rubbed his chin, “I daresay that fool Sly Hoof has probably made it to Canterlot by now. If we had some... protection, we’d be a little less inclined to be so desperate to complete our plans right away.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Cast your protection spell. Keep the Equestrian army and anypony else out of Canterlot. Do this, and I won’t have to rip this bitch in half,” he smiled.
Shining Armor sighed, exhausted and weary in defeat.
“Fine.”
***
The train pulled to a halt at the station outside the Crystal Empire. Fluttershy silently followed Pinkie Pie and Dartmoor as they disembarked. It wasn’t a smooth process, and many other passengers pushed their way to the front, making them the last to leave the train. This was something that did not go unnoticed to Dartmoor, and Fluttershy guessed the only thing keeping him from murdering his way to the front of the line was the unintentional interference of Pinkie.
Standing on the platform, they saw Rarity and Agister get off one of the rear cars. The three of them galloped over to reunite their group.
“Okay, we’re all here?” Agister said as he did a quick head count, “Let’s get to the city quickly, then. The less attention we attract out in the open, the better.”
They started to follow him off the platform, while Fluttershy trailed slightly behind. They pushed around the ponies trying to make their way onto the train. It was strange how nonchalant these pedestrians were, considering their homeland had been invaded by the followers of a malevolent dictator. Apparently word of the attack had not left the castle. Fluttershy was about to call after the group to slow down when she bumped into something, falling down.
She looked up at the figure she had bumped into. It was a mare in a black cloak so encompassing she could only make out her face when they were sprawled on the ground next to each other.
“Oh, um, sorry,” Fluttershy started before she got a good look at the cloaked figure, “Wait… don’t I know you?”
“No!” the cloaked figure stated in panic, “No, you must have me mistaken for somebody else…”
The cloaked figure quickly got back on her hooves and rushed into a train car. Fluttershy was in momentary shock. Somebody?
“Hey!” called Dartmoor from a long distance in front of her. She had forgotten she had been following him to the city. She got back up on her hooves as quickly as she could and hurriedly chased after them. That is, until she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the Crystal Palace.
A great blue beam of magic erupted from the top spire, rocketing toward the sky. As it reached a great height above the city, it started to splay out and downwards. It was going to cover the city in a giant magical dome.
“HURRY!” shouted Agister. The four ponies ahead of her started galloping at full speed toward the city. Fluttershy followed as quick as her hooves could take her. The blue magic bubble was closing toward the ground now. Five hundred feet above her. Four hundred. Two hundred. Right above her head.
WHAM! Fluttershy slammed into the side of Shining Armor’s protective spell.
She fell back on her haunches from the recoil as she saw the shocked faces of her friends on the inside of the bubble.
Fluttershy was stranded.