The castle grounds were in complete chaos, with the guards running everywhere in search of the three crusaders, who were currently hidden deep in the maze.
"Geez, Sweetie, you have to work on your endurance: we could have beaten her had you lasted longer!" protested Scootaloo as her reptilian eyes scanned the sky in search of flying guards.
They had hidden under an arc made of hedge, hoping to gain some minutes to let Sweetie rest.
"Don't be so harsh with her," retorted Apple Bloom "She had to control the foals, remember?"
"That's not the point," flatly stated the unicorn, flopping down, her back against the maze walls "I made a huge miscalculation."
"What do you mean?" asked the pegasus turning around to look at her friend.
"I overestimated us: Luna is the weakest of the two princesses, yet she bested us without breaking a sweat... And we had the surprise factor on our side too..."
"Then what? We give up? We go back and say we're sorry?" asked Scootaloo, rage evident in her words.
"Ah doubt we can just go home now: it won't take long for the guards to find where we live... And Ah recon mah sis will be mighty angry..." said Apple Bloom hanging her head.
Both the other fillies saddened thinking to their own families' reactions.
"There's another thing: Luna referred to us as nightmare, and it made me wonder if Night was a real djinn..." added Sweetie after a short silence.
"You mean that that dumb cloud made a fool of us?" asked Scootaloo frowning "But she gave us something for sure!"
"No, I think it was Nightmare Moon trying to take control over us... Our eyes are a huge hint."
"But we're not being controlled, right?" asked Apple Bloom closing her eyes, as if to seal the influence of the infamous creature.
"I'm not being controlled by nopony Sweets!" said the pegasus stomping a hoof.
"No, but she's influencing us, like I did with the foals... I'm not sure I would have ever considered the idea of invading the castle before," explained the white filly "But the point is, I fear that our families' welcome might be worse than you think."
"No, there's no way that mah sis is going to use the elements on me!" protested Apple Bloom "And Ah'm sure Rarity will do the same for ya!"
"We attacked Luna, Celestia won't go easy on us: it's either the elements or banishment..." warned the unicorn, before adding in a somewhat solemn tone: "To the moon."
"It's not like princess Celestia sends ponies to the moon everyday..." countered Scootaloo, yet her eyes went up to the sky once more.
"She sent there her own sister, who wasn't just influenced... I say we run away."
"Where to, Sweetie? Ah have family members almost everywhere in Equestria!"
"When Rainbow was young she went for a while in the Griffin Kingdom... We can go there too..." proposed the orange filly.
But before they could reach a decision, voices and hoofsteps made it clear that they weren't alone anymore.
The trio rushed through the maze, hoping to avoid the guards, but apparently they wasted too much time hiding for they soon found themselves cornered in a dead end, the guardstallions rapidly closing on them from different routes. But then, something unexpected happened:
"They're here! Come swiftly!" somepony called out from the castle.
And to that call heeded all the guards, galloping away from the maze.
---
"Here we are Lulu, where are the foals?" asked Celestia entering the throne room.
There she found Capitan Shining Armor scowling at a small group of guards while a trio of foals happily played with Luna's tail and mane as she sat in the throne massaging her temples.
"Those are not our fillies..." stated Rainbow hovering next to Celestia.
"Ah reckon they're not even fillies..." said Applejack.
The foals where in fact three colts, lamely painted to match the crusaders' coat colors, wearing some kind of armor made of cardboard.
"We know that, Miss Applejack," said Luna in a tired tone "We're ashamed to say that the guards took the wrong foals: those three acted as baits."
The Sweetie-imposter, who was none other than Star Shimmer, grinned.
"What do we do now?" asked Rarity, fear in her voice.
"We'll find them," said Celestia placing a hoof on the white unicorn's shoulder "Do not fear."
---
If entering the city had been easy, the three fillies found pretty hard to leave it, especially since Sweetie Belle was still unable to cast illusions that lasted long enough, and so they ended up hiding in one of the many parks.
"We should be safe here," said Apple Bloom spying around the bush they had hidden in "At least for a while..."
"Then we have some time to think on our next move," said Scootaloo "Any idea on how to reach the Griffon Empire?"
"So it's decided already?" asked Apple Bloom showing a bit of concern.
"So it seems, Bloom," chuckled weakly Sweetie Belle "Any other idea?"
"Ah'm not so sure Ah can leave mah family just like that..." explained the yellow filly "Ah'm turning mahself in."
"But Bloom, what if they send you to the moon?" asked Scootaloo.
"Ah'm sorry girls, Ah can't go on like this," she said jumping out of the bush.
Scootaloo was ready to go after her, but her friend's hoof stopped her.
"It's one of the fugitives! Get her!" shouted a male voice, probably a guard.
"Com'on lazy bums, come an git me!" shouted back Apple Bloom.
Silent tears started streaming down both fillies cheeks hearing their friend being subdued by the guards.
"Search the park, the other two must be near!" ordered the same guardstallion.
"Sweetie, brace yourself," said Scootaloo gritting her teeth and passing her front hooves around the unicorn's trunk "Take off!"
And with that the pegasus bolted out of the bush, her friend in her hooves, passing right in the middle of a group pegasi guards.
The guardspony, after a moment of uncertainty, flew as fast as they wings could carry them behind the two fillies.
"They're closing on us Scoots!" shouted Sweetie to make sure her friend could hear her over the wind.
"Can you teleport?"
"Only one of us."
Scootaloo peered at the rapidly closing city walls and at the waterfall behind them. She also spotted a rainbow streak coming their way from the castle.
"It's enough!" she said securing her grab on Sweetie.
"What do you mean?" would have asked the unicorn, but her friend had thrown her over the walls.
The world started spinning fast until she started plummeting toward the waterfall, but a bit out the raging current and into the empty air.
Rainbow is coming your way! rang the pegasus' voice in her mind.
She looked up and saw the familiar cyan mare flying at top speed to get her.
"Sweetie, I'm coming!" said Rainbow Dash flying as fast as she could.
Sweetie looked down. She was almost at the bottom of the waterfall.
"Got you!" said the pegasus grabbing her tail.
"I'm sorry Rainbow," said Sweetie staring into the mare's magenta eyes.
Then, in a green flash she was gone.