“Smart thinking bringing along a picnic, Rarity,” Twilight commented as she took another bite of her dandelion sandwich.
“Thank you, darling,” Rarity said, smiling. Her voice sounded...distant for some reason. “I only wish I had remembered to pack extra for Rainbow Dash. Did you really need to consume all the seconds?”
“You try being an awesome daredevil on an empty stomach,” Rainbow scoffed as she finished her second hay sandwich.
“I wish you’d brought more cake,” Pinkie said into her empty water glass.
“She didn’t brin’ any cake, sugarcube,” Applejack sighed while smiling.
“Exactly!” Pinkie shouted in agreement. “What’s a picnic party without picnic cake?”
“It’d be an actual picnic, Pinkie,” Rainbow said, laughing.
“I was actually very satisfied with the picnic,” Fluttershy muttered. “If you don’t mind me saying so.”
As her friends went back and forth on the quality of their picnic, Twilight reflected on how perfect this felt. It felt like they were back to doing simple things like eating meals together, and having pet playdates in the park. The activities they enjoyed when she wasn’t a princess. It was difficult having a bite with your friends when ponies kept trying to shake your hoof. The only thing that bothered her was how far away all her friends sounded. Their speech also had a certain dreamy quality to it.
Suddenly, she felt a change in the joyful atmosphere. It now felt...dark and foreboding, as if day had unexpectedly turned to night. The sand she didn’t realize she was sitting on felt more real, it was like her senses suddenly got sharper. She didn’t want to ruin the mood, but she wanted to know if her friends felt what she felt.
“Do you guys feel...that?” as she asked the question, she realized that while the sand felt real, her friends didn’t. “What’s going on?”
“Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” Rarity asked with a different tone than she usually used.
Something was definitely wrong here. Twilight stood up as she felt the atmosphere change again. This time it was accompanied by an actual change: the sky ripping apart. Right before her eyes, the sky seemed to splitting into two halves, with a blood-red line down the middle. The eerie line was quickly expanding as it emitted the sound of piercing thunder, even though there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.
She looked at her friends again, only to be glad that they did notice it. Upon a second glance, they appeared to be looking at a certain part in the sky. She looked up to meet their gaze and was greeted by the most terrifying sight she had ever had the displeasure of seeing.
The sunny half-sky was raining, but it wasn’t raining water, or even raining blood; it was raining giant. Dead. Bugs. Not just any bug, but a bug that Twilight somehow recognized as a giant killer mosquito that she had previously encountered, but couldn’t quite remember where. One of the bodies landed on top of their picnic blanket with a gut-wrenching crunch.
Once again, her friends didn’t seem to find anything wrong with this unwanted intrusion, not even a single scream. She prodded the body and sure enough it was dead as a rock. Lifting the body with her magic, she inspected it closely until she found what she didn’t know she was looking for. The unlucky mosquito had a giant hole in it’s chest.
All at once, it came back to her: the encounter, the capture, the escape, the fight, and worst of all: the last resort. That horrible flash of magic that signalled the worst moment in her life and the complete and utter destruction of her pure soul. The gaping hole began to fill with light until it shone brighter and brighter until she was engulfed by the light, the terrible, awful light....
She woke with a small scream and a jump, landing her outside of her sleeping bag, but still inside her tent. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she took a peek outside and saw that Luna’s moon was still high in the sky. Sighing, she sat on her sleeping bag and went over the events of the day. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the comfort of her friends. They must have carried back to her tent and tucked her into her sleeping bag.
Something beside her sleeping bag had caught her eye. Looking down at it, she saw that it was a small cyan blue feather. It was obvious who it belonged to, but how did it get there? After thinking it over for a moment, she deduced that Rainbow Dash had been the one who carried her to her tent and tucked her in. She must have also spent a moment or two inside her tent before returning to her own.
She levitated the feather into her saddlebags and collected her thoughts. She discovered that coming to a conclusion when she was feeling so many emotions was impossible. In fact, she couldn’t think of an emotion that she wasn’t feeling...besides happiness. What she needed was to talk it out with someone, but it was still the middle of the night and everypony was still asleep.
“Is everythin’ okay, sugarcube?”
Well, almost everypony.
Applejack calmly trotted into her tent. Considering the events that just transpired, she had to give Applejack praise for being so calm. Her honest friend sat beside her and waited patiently for a response.
“Ugh, no it’s not,” Twilight confessed. “Why are you awake and how did you know I needed somepony to talk to?”
“After everythin’ that just happened, do you really think anypony’s asleep right now?” Applejack shook her head. “Now, to answer your second question: Ah heard you holler and figured you were awake. Besides, after the day you had, how could you not need somepony to talk to?”
“Well, I definitely need somepony,” Twilight said, confirming her statement. “And I’m kinda glad it’s you.”
“Ah appreciate your kind words, but you probably know it’s not me you need.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t tell me you still don’t know,” Applejack said more to herself than to Twilight. “After Ah’m done here, Ah’m gonna have a talk with somepony else.”
“Applejack, things aren’t looking the brightest, and I could really do without secrets right now.”
Applejack opened her mouth and then immediately closed it. Twilight could tell just by looking into her eyes that Applejack was struggling with several factors that meant a lot to her: friendship, trust, respecting somepony else’s privacy and not telling somepony something that they deserved to know.
“Ah’m sorry, sugarcube,” Applejack said, finally. “It’s up to them to talk to you about it, not me.”
“That’s fair, we actually do have some things to talk about, now that I think about it,” Twilight said, glancing over at the saddlebags that contained the cyan feather.
“Good, now besides that, tell me what’s on your mind,” Applejack said quietly.
“I don’t know where to begin,” Twilight said, “but I guess I’ll start with the fact that I never want to do that ever again.”
“Ah can’t even begin to understand what it is that you’re feeling, but Ah’ll still say that whatever it is; you won’t have to feel it alone.”
“Yes, I do!” Twilight shouted.
“Wha—”
“I know you care about me and all, Applejack, but you don’t have to lie to me. Did you have to blow that thing up? Did Pinkie, or Rarity, or Rainbow? I appreciate what you’re telling me, but the truth is that I am going to have endure this on my own.”
Twilight looked away from Applejack and clamped her eyes shut to prevent the tears from escaping. She wished that she didn’t have to face it alone, but the truth just simply was that she did and nice words weren’t going to change that.
“Twilight,” Applejack said quietly, resting her hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Ah don’t lie, and you know that. What Ah said to you is true and don’t think for a moment that it isn’t. Now, Ah know you’re stubborn, heck, nopony knows stubborn like Ah do, but just own up to the fact that we are and always will be your very best friends. What does a friend do for another friend? Anythin’ that needs to be done. If somethin’ is bothering you, Ah will do everythin’ Ah can to support you in your time of need.”
“I understand that you’ll support me, but please don’t tell me you’ll experience what I’m feeling just to make me feel better. This isn’t sadness like when you weren’t invited to a birthday party; this is the destruction of your soul. The feeling that something’s changed and you have to embrace it instead of ignoring it. Otherwise you’ll burn up and d-die.”
Twilight threw herself into Applejack’s forelegs, sobbing as she did so. Applejack rubbed little circles on her back as Twilight shivered with sadness. Now that she’s said what she’s been thinking, it was only a matter of time before Applejack picked up on it.
“You’ve given this more thought than you let on,” Applejack said confidently. “It doesn’t sound like you need comfort for the things in the past. It sure sounds like you need to be told that everythin’ is goin’ to work out in the future.”
“I don’t want to think about things I can’t change,” Twilight stated, “but I do want to talk about the events that are coming. What if this is the beginning? What if this turns me into a m-murderer?”
“Twilight!” Applejack said, taken aback. “Don’t start talkin’ nonsense. It’s not like you wanted to do it in the first place. If you hadn’t done it then who knows what might have happened. It may not be the best endin’, but it’s certainly not the worst one either.”
“I know, but once something like this starts, I don’t think it can be stopped. Just the fact that I’ve done it in the past means that I’m likely to do it in the future. My worst fear is...returning to Ponyville as a killer. What would S-Spike think? No one would look at me the same ever again.”
“If you don’t want it to change who you are, then don’t let it, sugarcube. It’s honestly as simple as that. Even if you become some battle-ready pony dressed in armor most of the time, you don’t have to let it overcome who you really are. It didn’t change your brother did it?”
“My brother wanted his violent life, I don’t want mine.”
“Your life is in your hooves and yours alone. Don’t ever forget that.”
Twilight thought that killing the mosquito would be the beginning of something awful, but everything Applejack said was reasonable. Even though she was the only one who knew how it felt, she wouldn’t go through it alone. No matter what threatened to change her next, she just had to remember the book-loving mare she was on the inside. The wings on her back were proof that she could easily overcome any changes.
“Anypony ever tell you that you’re surprising wise for a farmer?” Twilight jokingly asked.
“Heh, don’t you know that farmers are the smartest ponies of all?” Applejack said, smiling back.
After a loving hug, Twilight thanked Applejack and told her that she should at least try to get some sleep. They were going to have another long day ahead of them, whether they liked it or not. Not to mention that this was going to be their last day in Equestria...at least for a while.
Packing up the tents was a silent affair. Nopony seemed to be talkative at all, not even Pinkie Pie, which told Twilight that something was up. Either they all had Applejack’s idea of not letting Twilight experience her feelings alone, or her and Applejack weren’t the only ones who talked last night.
After they all packed and eat breakfast (which felt too much like Twilight’s nightmare to be enjoyable), they set out across the terrible desert once more. This time, no random interruptions were had by Rarity concerning her hooficure, or Pinkie talking about how she was going to throw the biggest party in the history of parties when they got back. Everypony seemed too absorbed in their own thoughts to say much at all. Considering Twilight was also lost in her thoughts, she couldn’t blame them.
She was so busy thinking over Applejack’s words that she barely noticed the Badlands at all. The likely blood-soaked sands might as well been invisible. If she could, she would have it like that all the time. Leaving this desert also represented to her. It represented leaving the sins behind and accepting the future. Any obstacle they had coming up, it couldn’t be as bad as what she had to face in this single location alone.
Glancing at Rainbow Dash, she realized that the speedster was no longer trying to avoid her gaze or feint anger. Instead she looked back with a determined gleam in her eyes. What that meant, she had no idea, but as long as it didn’t cause anymore unnecessary in-fighting; she didn’t care. Either way, they were definitely going to have a heart-to-heart later.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t notice when they had reached the end of the Badlands. She could finally see where the sand faded away to reveal actual land. This was just what she’d been waiting for: a change in scenery. Unfortunately, the Badlands had already affected her so much that not even a different area could undo the damage. Not to mention that she had to remember her promise to Trixie.
“There it is,” Twilight said, her voice raspy from lack of use.“Excuse me, there’s our exit. Finally, we can leave this...place.”
“Don’t jinx it, now,” Applejack said, smiling darkly. “We’re not quite there yet. We still have plenty of time to get attacked by a horrifying monster.”
She wasn’t sure if Applejack’s dark humor had lightened the mood, or weighted it down. Either way, she was happy to do away with the silence. Too much thinking is unhealthy.
“Well, let’s not waste any time,” Rarity said, smiling. “I’ve had enough sand for one day.”
Twilight didn’t care what awaited them, she was ready to face it. Embracing who she was now meant remembering the aspects of the pony she was before. Her confidence would get her through this like it had gotten her through so many obstacles before. They were getting closer to the end of the path.
“I wonder what kind of ponies we’re going to meet outside of Equestria?” Pinkie said, wondering out loud, bouncing with every step. “I hope their friendly.”
Just a few more steps and she’ll find out.
“Don’t get too excited,” Rarity sighed. “I’ve heard tales about the ponies outside of Equestria. They probably won’t very be friendly at all.”
Some tales were true, they learned that the hard way, but it won’t matter in a minute.
“Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped. “Mean ponies? I should’ve stayed in Ponyville.”
Don’t worry, in another step or two, she’ll find the confidence to carry on.
“Hey Twilight?” Rainbow spoke, her voice laced with concern. “Are you feeling alright?”
Of course she is, why wouldn’t she be alright? Maybe it was because her steps were slowing down, or because her eyelids were getting heavy. Was it due to the fact her thoughts were becoming blurry? Perhaps it’s because....
She should create a list of the things that were bothering her, because right now, the darkness was high on it. It wasn’t scary so much as it was just annoying now. Especially concerning the circumstances that always surrounded it’s arrival. If she was unconscious in the real world right now, she was open to attack. Not to mention that she was so close to the border....
“Alright,” Twilight shouted. “Whatever you want now, hurry up and tell me. I’m kinda in Dangerville, Equestria right now, and I don’t like being vulnerable!”
“Your friends will protect you,” said the shadow mare, trotting into view. “They’re loyal and care for your safety, which is why I should’ve warned them instead. If you continue to ignore me, your downfall is guaranteed. I didn’t know you cared so little about your loved ones.”
“Give it a rest, already,” Twilight scoffed. “We’re going to save Equestria, and you can’t stop us.”
“Listen you fool,” the shadow mare scolded. “Once you exit Equestria, you will no longer be under my protection. The choices you make from now on will be your own. All I ask is that you come to your senses before it’s too late.”
“Princess Celestia will find you,” Twilight said confidently. “Whoever you are, you’ll be brought to justice.”
“What makes you think she hasn’t found me yet?” the shadow mare asked. “Speaking of your precious idol, you will soon learn things about her that you wish you hadn’t.”
“What are you—”
“Farewell, Twilight Sparkle,” the mare said sadly, hovering in the air. “I hope that we will meet again.”
Once again, the mare’s white eyes fused together to form her exit. Without a second thought she flew into it.
“Twilight! Wake up!” a familiar voice shouted. “Please! I’m sick of watching bad things happen to you!”
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said drowsily. “I’m awake, just give me a second.”
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Rainbow sighed, wiping some sweat from her forehead. “It’s cool, guys, she’s awake. You can stop freaking out now.”
“We’re freaking out?!” Applejack half-asked, mostly shouted, but Rarity stopped her with a shake of her head.
“Sorry, everypony,” Twilight said, rubbing her head. “I think I fell asleep.”
“What?” Rainbow asked, dumbfounded. “You just...fell asleep outta nowhere? But that’s my thing!”
“Jeez Twi’,” Applejack sighed, shaking her head. “You should told me last night if you wanted a little sleep. I would’ve left earlier.”
“Wait, what were you guys doing last night?” Rainbow asked, suspicious.
“N-nothing,” Applejack said quickly. She struggled to hide her lying face.
“It wasn’t that,” Twilight said, snapping them back to reality. “It was the shadow mare I was telling you about before, she put to me to sleep or something. We won’t have to worry anymore though, she said that leaving Equestria meant leaving her ‘protection.’ Now can we hurry up and leave already?”
Her eagerness to leave Equestria suddenly became more clear to everypony. They all exchanged glances as they trotted towards the exit once more. She realized that maybe her friends weren’t so eager to leave Equestria. She had to admit that if it wasn’t for her desire to escape her misfortunes, she wouldn’t want to leave home either. No matter how they looked at it, they needed to finish what they started.
Three...two...one....
Twilight finally took her first step outside Equestria. Even though all she was really doing was stepping out of sand onto soil, it felt like so much more. Her friends stirred up a clamor about how they had officially left Equestria, but she didn’t hear it because she was just relishing in her newfound freedom.
“Twilight? Twilight? Twilight!” Rainbow shouted in her ear.
“Ow! Rainbow!” Twilight shouted back, rubbing her aching ear.
“Geez, Twi’, why do we keep having to shout your name? Anyway, we just wanted to check out the map.”
“Oh, the map, right.”
Twilight opened her saddlebags with magic and pulled the map out. The map accidentally pulled the forgotten cupcake out with it. She telekinetically caught the cupcake before it hit the ground and put it back in her saddlebags.
“Was that a cupcake?” Rainbow asked, looking confused.
“Yeah, it’s from a few days ago. I don’t really know why I haven’t eaten it yet, weird. Okay, let’s see this map.”
Her friends gathered around the map as she inspected their route. The only problem was that they were already off course due to the fact that they abandoned the train. She traced the route they had improvised through the Badlands.
“Okay, new route,” Twilight announced. “Let’s stop at a town up ahead.”
“For the night?” Pinkie asked. “But we just started walking.”
“Pinkie,” Twilight sighed. “We’ve been walking all day. It’s almost nine.”
Pinkie looked up at the sky to see that it was indeed dark. She couldn’t blame her, it didn’t feel like they were walking long at all.
“Oh yeah, it is,” Pinkie said, smiling. “Well, I don’t know about you girls, but I feel like I’ve been walking for days. Let’s go get some shut-eye!”
Pinkie bounced ahead, leaving five ponies to giggle at her antics and follow her. Twilight often remembered that without her friends, she would’ve gone insane long ago. The first thing she noticed about this region is that the environments weren’t so different from Equestria. They were surrounded by the same green trees and grass and the soil didn’t even feel different. Why couldn’t the whole world just be part of Equestria? She realized that it wasn’t that simple, but she couldn’t help thinking it.
If this wasn’t a part of Equestria, then what was it called? She’d never heard what the other nations were called. In fact, she never heard anything about the nations at all, in fact, where did Rarity hear those stories from? Probably the spa like all her other gossip. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to ask later....
Who even ruled these parts? Would her status of princess count here? Are the ponies here hostile? Are there even ponies here? Too many questions swirled around in her head, which meant that once again, she was doing too much thinking. She would probably just ask the citizens of the town they were about to enter.
Now that they were out of the desert, she had a chance to really appreciate the scenery. She still thought it felt too much like Equestria, but that wasn’t too much of a bad thing. Even the rustling of the trees somehow managed to remind her of the Running of the Leaves back home. She wouldn’t even be surprised if—wait a minute. The trees are rustling an awful lot for a windless day....
“Girls, stop,” Twilight said, preparing her battle stance.
“What is it?” Rainbow asked, flying in front of her. “Getting cold hooves? It’s cool, we’re—”
“Rainbow get down!” Twilight accidentally shouted. She covered her mouth, but the damage had already been done. Twilight quickly fired a magical blast at the trees, hoping to get the upper hoof, but as she did, a figure leaped out over the blast. It slammed into Rainbow, sending her crashing into the ground. In the confused struggle, Twilight saw the glint of a knife.
Thinking quickly, she wrapped her magic grip around the attacker and slammed them into a tree. Leaves hailed down as she slammed them again, and again and—
“Twilight, stop!” Applejack shouted.
The pounding in her ears died down as she realized what she was doing. The adrenaline wore off as she gently put the pony down and moved to cover her eyes. She didn’t feel the tears yet, but she knew they were coming. Feeling a hoof carefully pat her shoulder for reassurance, she uncovered her eyes. Rainbow removed her hoof and gave her a warm smile. Fluttershy moved to check on the wounded attacker as Rarity telekinetically yanked the knife out of their grasp.
“Ugh!” Rarity groaned, holding the knife as if it were dynamite. “How dare you attack us you filthy hooligan! Didn’t your mother teach you to never injure a lady?! Who are you anyhow?”
“Well, I couldn’t tell you because hollows like me don’t have names,” said the rough-voiced pony. “As for your comment, I wouldn’t quite call the pony I attacked a lady.”
“Thanks, I try,” Rainbow said, smiling at the inverted compliment.
The colt had a gray coat and a ripped up hooded cloak so they couldn’t really see his face. His rough yet young voice definitely matched his appearance.
“Why did you attack me anyway?” Rainbow asked.
“Who else was I going to attack, the Alicorn?” he snapped, rubbing his ribs.
“Nothing more than a few bruises,” Fluttershy said, grinning at her diagnosis. “Take it easy for a while and um, don’t attack anyone else for a few days, or ever.”
“Thanks for the genius advice,” he said sarcastically. “I’ll remember that one.”
“Why don’t you stop talking and start...talking?” Rainbow chuckled at her inability to word sentences better.
“Talk about what?”
“You could start with explaining why you don’t have name.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Interrogator,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Unimportant hollows like me are called the Empties, we’re not allowed to be named because our existence is meaningless. The only reason we’re allowed to be born is so King Hollow has someone to rule. If you can call it ruling, which I don’t. See I’m not like the others who are so willing to accept their useless lives, I want something more, something real.”
“Cute story, but I’m still not hearing why you attacked us,” Rainbow said, glaring daggers at him. Her look of disgust was in sharp contrast to Twilight’s look of concern.
“You’re the first Alicorn I’ve ever seen,” he said, gesturing to Twilight. “If anyone can help you it’s you. You Alicorns are supposed to be all-knowing right?”
Did she know everything? No. Did Celestia? Apparently. Did Luna? Probably. Did Cadence? Not to her knowledge. Clearly the vote is still out on whether or not the average Alicorn is supposed to know everything. Either way, this guy could use some guidance so she has to give him something to work with.
“Well, we aren’t Alicorns for nothing,” Twilight nervously chuckled. “I can tell you didn't really mean to nearly kill my friend, so I guess I'll offer you some of my wisdom.”
“Yeah, that would be much appreciated,” he said, bowing.
What has she done? Now she has to impart wisdom on somepony? She’d imparted wisdom on ponies before, but they were foals! How did Celestia have an answer for everything? She’ll need to figure out her thought process later, but now she had needed to say something. He’ll need to know something that he didn’t know before, something to help him on his journey. Wait, she knew what it had to be.
“I know what you need,” Twilight said, smiling. “You need...a name.”
“A name?” he repeated. “But they’re outlawed for Empties like me, weren’t you listening?”
“If you don’t agree with King Whatever’s tyranny, then you’re gonna have to oppose him, one step at a time. Let’s start with a name. What kind of name would you like?”
“Heh, doesn’t matter, if anyone around here catches me with a name, I’m history.”
“Well, how do you like ‘Chaser’?”
“Chaser? What kind of stupid name is that?”
“You’re carving your own path right? This name will give you the strength to chase your dreams along that path.”
“Wow, you must be from Equestria if you can say something as sappy as that without vomiting, but sure, I’ll give your name a try. Chaser....”
Chaser looked towards the distance, as if considering all the new possibilities. He wordlessly pulled down the hood concealing his head. His shaggy mane was a lighter shade of his coat and his eyes were light green. Perhaps his hood’s purpose was to hide his eyes because the color clashed with his coat and mane. The corners of his mouth slowly turned upright to form a smile. It looked foreign on his face, but somehow it still looked nice.
“I knew meeting you would change my life,” Chaser said, still smiling. “I can’t remember the last time I said this, but thank you.”
“Lucky for you we hear that a lot in Equestria so it’s natural for us to respond ‘you’re welcome’!” Twilight replied, also smiling.
“About that, how much do you guys know about The Hollow?”
“Considering we just got here, not much.”
“Then I’ll say this as simply as I can: go back to Equestria.”
“What?”
“If the way I’ve been describing it isn’t enough to make you leave, then nothing will. The Hollow is a terrible place for everypony and if I wasn’t born a hollow then I would have already left. Why are you here anyway? Who would be dumb enough to cross the Badlands just to get to The Hollow?”
“Don’t worry, we’re not dumb,” Twilight stated, rubbing the back of her head. “We’re here on an official mission from our ruler, Princess Celestia.”
“Whoa!” Chaser suddenly shouted, startling them. “Whoa. Okay, first rule of The Hollow: don’t talk about her, got it?”
“What’s wrong with Princess Cel—”
“Shut up unless you want to be beheaded!” Chaser snapped again. “Sorry, but if you want to live to see tomorrow, stop speaking about her. It’s forbidden to discuss anything having to do with her here.”
“But why?” Rainbow asked. “What do you guys have against the Princess?”
“Some things belong in the past,” Chaser stated cryptically.
“Do you have anything useful to say about this place?” Rainbow asked angrily.
“Look, there’s a lot to be said about The Hollow, but there’s not a lot that’s allowed to be said about The Hollow. All I can really say is good luck and don’t talk about Equestria.”
“We got it,” Twilight sighed, annoyed at the lack of new knowledge.
“I gotta get going, but I hope we meet again,” Chaser said, turning around. “Hopefully not on the battlefield.”
“What’s that supposed to—” Twilight said, but stopped as Chaser galloped off into the distance without another word. “Mean?”
“Anypony else get the feelin’ that that was just a big waste of time?” Applejack asked, looking confused.
“We learned a few new things,” Twilight stated hopefully. “And now we know not to talk about Equestria around here.”
“And I guess we did help that guy out,” Rainbow muttered.
“Exactly! We—”
“Although he did try to kill me so it wasn’t much of a victory.”
“Thanks Rainbow,” Twilight said sarcastically. “What would I do without you?”
“I don’t wanna find out,” Rainbow murmured into her mane so quietly that Twilight almost mistook it for Fluttershy.
“What’d you say?”
“Huh? Oh nothing, nothing at all,” Rainbow chuckled nervously, her strange smile creeping everyone out.
“Yeah...anyway, we’re long overdue for those naps, so let’s get a move on,” Twilight exclaimed, rearing up for encouragement.
Her friends shouted in collective agreement and began galloping down the path alongside her. It would be hard to not think about Equestria while she was having fun with friends. She estimated that they were about halfway to their destination, so with a few more days, they should be done with all this. To her, the sooner the better, and the less chance for her to change any more than she already has.
The town finally came into view after a few minutes of running. All she could see was an average sized gray building so she didn’t hope too high for what kind of town it was. The only hope she kept in mind was that the ponies here were nicer than Chaser made them out to be.
“Okay, everypony slow down,” Twilight said breathlessly. “We don’t wanna freak these ponies out.”
“Sounds they’re already freaks,” Rainbow chuckled, furling her wings.
“Stop that this instant,” Rarity demanded, her head held high. “It’s beyond rude to to walk into a town of ponies whilst insulting them. Besides, these aren’t the kind of ponies you want to trifle with.”
“That’s cool,” Rainbow said, smiling deviously. “I’m probably the kindest pony you’ll ever meet.”
“I agree,” Fluttershy exclaimed happily.
“But Fluttershy, you’re the kindest pony anyone will ever meet,” Applejack said, putting her foreleg around Fluttershy’s shoulders.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy apologized, staring at the ground.
“What about me?” Pinkie Pie asked, inserting herself around Applejack’s other foreleg. "I'm pretty kind too, right?"
“You’re still plenty kind, Pinkie,” Applejack stated, smiling nervously. “But it’s kinda hard to walk like this, do you mind?”
“No, I’m pretty sure Fluttershy is okay with you taking your leg off her,” Pinkie said blissfully.
“Uhh—”
“Shush!” Twilight said forcefully. “We’re here.”
If the region really was being controlled by a vicious tyrant, you wouldn’t know just by looking at this town. It was much quieter than Ponyville, but other than that, it wasn’t too different. Almost all the buildings were deprived of color except one light orange building that was larger than all the others. Every other building was just the same shade of gray and white.
The ponies definitely didn’t look as cheerful as the ponies from Equestria either. These ponies seemed to have a sullen look on their face at all times. None of them were too colorful, definitely no lavender or rainbow colors, but they did have light blue and light red and light...orange. Basically, there was no variation at all.
The most upsetting part had to be that no one seemed to want to talk. Whenever they passed each other, they just kept looking forward without saying a single word. Twilight could tell that it was driving Pinkie crazy.
“What’s wrong with everypony?” Rainbow whispered.
“We already know,” Twilight answered sadly. “Chaser said that King Hollow rules with an iron hoof.”
“Not just that,” Rarity said, “every major town is ruled by a Major, someone who personally enforces the King’s rules from inside the town.”
“Kind of like a mayor?” Applejack asked.
“Sure, as long as the mayor in question enjoys harshly enforcing unfair rules,” Rarity replied.
“What are you doing?” suddenly asked a voice to the right, startling them.
A light blue pony with a slightly darker shade of blue for a mane stood there, looking as sad as the rest of the town population.
“We’re just having a little conversation, heh,” Twilight said very nervously.
“You should know that public conversations are outlawed,” the blue pony said robotically. “Please stop.”
“Yes, we’re so very sorry about that,” Rarity said, walking up to him. “We were actually just telling that to this Alicorn. She’s visiting from that place and asked us for directions.”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing behind him. “This conversation has gone on too long. Farewell.”
Without another word, he turned away and trotted off.
“That was close,” Rarity said seriously. “We better get somewhere private right now. This way!”
Without warning Rarity quickly trotted towards one of the gray buildings. After briefly shrugging to each other, they followed after her. They followed her into the building and gathered around each other. All around them, ponies were doing the same thing.
“What’s happening?” Twilight asked.
“This is the only place in town where you’re allowed to have public conversations,” Rarity explained, glancing around as she did so.
“How do you—”
“Except we’re going to use it to have a private one, so we have to make it quick,” Rarity whispered quickly.
“Alright, what do you girls want to do now?” Twilight asked, taking a vote.
“Which one is the inn? I really just want to go to bed and figure this out in the morning,” Rainbow said, yawning slightly.
“The inn is one the other side of town,” Rarity whispered even faster. “However, I think they’re on to us, so we have to hurry.”
“What makes you think that?” Twilight whispered back.
“You’re an Alicorn wearing a protective vest, the rest of us are too colorful to be hollows, and we’re having a private conversation in a public conversation house. We’re extremely suspicious and the longer we stay here, the more suspicious we become.”
“So what do we do?” Pinkie asked a little too loudly.
“Shh! We should—”
“Hey!” shouted an armored guard in the corner. “No private conversations, speak up or go home! The Major isn’t in a great mood right now.”
“Who’re you to—” Rainbow shouted before Rarity covered her mouth.
“Yes, yes, we’ll just go now,” Rarity chuckled nervously. “Wouldn’t want to upset the Major, now would we?”
Without another word, Rarity galloped out the door, signalling them to follow. As they galloped out, Twilight noticed that the guards were staring at her the longest. No doubt either because of her combination of a horn and wings or because of her protective vest. Now that she thought about it, she really was just a walking red alert waiting to happen.
“Okay, they’re definitely on to us now,” Rarity said, panicking.
“Then hurry up and lead us to the inn,” Rainbow said, angrily glancing behind her.
“Fine, but you might want to avoid being airborne as long as we’re in this town,” Rarity said through clenched teeth, trotting towards the inn.
“What? No way!” Rainbow shouted, alerting several ponies.
“Rainbow, please, do it for me,” Twilight pleaded, fluttering her eyelashes.
“Ugh, fine,” Rainbow said, hesitantly furled her wings.
“Thanks,” Twilight said, smiling.
“Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow muttered.
“The Major lives in the orange house, right Rarity?” Pinkie asked, resisting her urge to bounce while walking.
“That’s correct, and it’s actually bad luck that the inn is right next to his house,” Rarity said, still glancing everywhere.
“What’s his name?”
“No one knows because no one’s ever met him. He’s handles everything through his guards, eliminating the need to ever leave.”
“Do you think he’d come deal with us personally if he hears that Twilight is an Alicorn?”
“Maybe...but it’s been a long time since he has last left, I think, I don’t know, I don’t live here.”
“Anymore?”
“Any...huh?”
“Well, you know a lot about a place you’ve never been to before, so I figured you must’ve lived here at some point right?”
“D-don’t be ridiculous, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity muttered, panic in her eyes. “You know that I’ve lived in P—that place since I was a filly.”
“How many years was that?”
“Can we finish this conversation, let me think, never?! We have to hurry, but be nonchalant about it.”
“Okay!”
They were only feet away from the inn, but another problem was already staring them in the face. The entrance was surrounded by two armored guards. There was no way they would just let her walk in.
“Drat, more guards,” Rarity growled. “Let’s see, how are we going to do this?”
“Let’s just try and act natural,” Rainbow said, trotting in place.
“Yes, the Alicorn and her expressive friends just naturally walk into the inn, it sounds more believable as a lunchtime joke than as a plan,” Rarity snapped.
“Look, there’s no other way to do this, not unless you just wanna fight our way in, but I don’t think they would give a room if we did.”
“You know what? Fine, let’s just walk right in, it doesn’t even matter anymore!”
“Calm down, Rarity,” Twilight said, patting Rarity’s shoulder. “Let’s just get this over with, okay?”
Rarity nodded slightly, trotting towards the inn. Twilight and the others followed in pursuit, acting as naturally as a battle-ready Alicorn and her friends can. Their attempt was cut short when the guards blocked the entrance.
“Hey, what gives?” Rainbow growled.
“Wouldn’t want you going to sleep before you get to meet your special guest,” said one of the guards.
“Special guest?” Rarity said, looking terrified. “S-sounds delightful, w-when will they be arriving?”
“He’ll be here shortly,” the guard replied. “Just stand right here and wait.”
“Great, just great,” Rarity muttered as they trotted in front of the inn. “It’s all over, everything we’re done so far has been for nothing because now we’re toast.”
“Rarity, calm down...again,” Twilight said maintaining her composure despite the butterflies in her stomach. “We’ll just—”
“No you won’t!” Rarity shouted. “He’s going to kill us as soon as he sees that you’re an Alicorn and there’s nothing we can do about it because he’s too strong to fight.”
“Who are you talking about?” Applejack asked. “They haven’t even told us who’s comin’ yet.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rarity said, smiling sadly. “The Major is coming, and he’s going to obliterate us on the spot.”
“Um, Rarity?” Fluttershy said quietly, putting a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Please stop worrying. We’ll find a way to get out of this, I promise.”
“Darling Fluttershy, a friend to the end,” Rarity commented. “I hope I’ll remember you in the afterlife.”
“Okay, Rarity’s gone psycho again,” Rainbow said, pulling Twilight aside. “Which means that it’s up to us to come up a plan.”
Staring at the ground, Twilight tried to think of a way to escape their situation. The guards were everywhere so if they fled, they would be instantly surrounded. If they attacked the guards now, they would once again be surrounded. In fact, if they did anything except just stand there, they’d be instantly surrounded.
“I-I don’t know,” Twilight said. “The only thing to do is wait.”
“But that means giving up!” Rainbow said as if it was the worst thing in the world.
“Well, what do you think we should—”
The sound of a door crashing against a wall interrupted her. Looking towards the orange house, she saw that it was indeed the door of that house being opened, which means that they were out of time. Rarity began loudly sobbing, causing Fluttershy to comfort her. Pinkie held onto Applejack, shaking enough for the both of them. Twilight and Rainbow merely exchanged glances, afraid for what was about to come.
The dark sky was cloudy, were those there before? The sound of thunder began like the sound of a chainsaw revving up. Fluttershy got Rarity down to just stifles, but Pinkie’s grip on Applejack seemed to have increased in strength. A hoof exited the door frame, followed by another, with another following behind, bringing a body along, finished up by the last hoof. His body was the normal light gray, but his mane was dark yellow and short. A terrible scar covered his back, making it look as though he was blasted by a large amount of energy. His light blue eyes were cold and lacking in love. A gray horn rested on his forehead.
The unicorn practically marched towards them, chuckling deeply as he did so. The thunder seemed to chuckle alongside him. The ponies passing by stopped and stared in awe at the stallion that most of them thought was only a legend. Instead of sullen looks, they instead wore looks of fear and horror. He stopped directly in front of them and stared with his cold eyes.
“What do we have here?” he asked, his voice deep and rumbling. “A princess and her guards. You know Princess, here in The Hollow, we have a king. A much stronger title than prince or princess, don’t you agree?”
“W-who are you?” Twilight asked, covering her friends with her wings.
“Huh, if anypony except royalty had asked that question,” he said, taking a second to chuckle darkly to himself. “Fine, I’ll humor you for now. My name is Major Kuwabara. Now that you know my name, will you grant me the honor of knowing yours?”
Even though it was in the form of a question, it sounded like a demand. Twilight looked over at her friends. Rarity nodded once; Twilight nodded in return.
“My name is Princess Twilight,” she stated proudly. “O-of Equestria!”
The thunder rumbled violently, almost if it were ripping the sky apart. Several hollows gasped, but Kuwabara didn’t even flinch. Without warning, he tossed his head back and let out a deep laugh that somehow echoed around them.
“A new princess of Equestria...here of all places?” Kuwabara shouted to the surrounding ponies. “Now I feel honored, don’t you all? Come on, enjoy a good laugh at our blessing! Ha ha ha!”
The surrounding ponies forced laughter out of their throats, looking mortified as they did so. Pinkie joined in with their laughter, hers the only natural sounding laugh. The rest of them just waited for something else to happen.
“Ahhh, that was a good release of happiness,” Kuwabara said, wiping a nonexistent tear from his face. “Thank you for that, Princess. Now, let’s get down to business.”
Without warning, Kuwabara rushed forward and pulled her foreleg back. Without even having time to think, Twilight’s sight went dark as she was launched backwards. The collective gasp of her friends filled the air.
“Twilight!” Rainbow shouted above them. She heard the sound of Rainbow and someone else grunting.
“No! Stop it!” Applejack’s distinct voice filled her ears.
“Just. One. Hit!”
“Ah didn’t realize you had a death wish, now calm down!”
Kuwabara’s deep chuckle seemed to finally activate the searing pain in her body. It originated from her chest but spread to the other parts of her body. She didn’t even realize that her eyes were closed until she had to pry them open. Blinking the darkness away, she rose to her hooves. She slowly walked over to her friends, aided by Rainbow’s steady forelegs.
“Why is there an Equestrian princess in my town?!” Kuwabara screamed. “Can anyone tell me why an Alicorn and her stupid friends decided that it would be a good idea to cross the Badlands and step hoof in my town?!”
“Maybe they—”
“Silence!” Kuwabara shouted. The thunder proved to be defiant by growing louder. “The thing is...there is no correct answer, because under no circumstances should anyone from Equestria be here.”
“We’re not here to stay,” Twilight said, coughing slightly. “We’re just passing through. We’re on a mission.”
“A mission you say?” Kuwabara chuckled once more. “Well, if you don’t leave right now, your mission ends here.”
“Chill out!” Rainbow shouted. “We’re only in your dumb town because we need somewhere to rest for the night. If you’ll just let us sleep here tonight, we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Hmm, you drive a hard bargain, but I think I’ll have to go the plan that I just thought of.”
“And what would that be?” Fluttershy asked, cowering behind Rarity.
“I’ll destroy you all right now!” Kuwabara shouted as he charged forward again. Before he got even halfway, he suddenly gasped and leapt backwards.
Twilight wondered why until her answer crashed into the ground at the speed of light. A single monstrous bolt of lightning hit the ground, devastating the ground beneath it. The frightened screams of ponies all around them vibrated into the air. After what seemed like an eternity, the bolt disappeared, leaving a large crater in front of the inn. She figured that nearly getting vaporized would wipe the smirk off of Kuwabara, but sure enough, his grin was as large and eerie as ever.
“So,” Kuwabara said, looking at the sky. “The Princess of the Sun attempts to strike me yet again does she?! Perhaps she’s protecting her fellow princess?”
“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
“It seems that your precious ruler is protecting her subjects from me yet again,” Kuwabara repeated somberly. “If that’s what she truly desires, then I shall grant her this one wish out of respect. You may rest in my inn tonight, Princess, but when morning comes, you better be prepared.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow growled. “We’ll have our stuff packed in advance and be out of here as soon as we can. Wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“That’s good to hear,” Kuwabara snickered darkly.
Kuwabara nodded to the guards, who moved to make way for the ponies. Continuing to laugh to himself, Kuwabara marched back to his home. Shaking her head sadly, Twilight led her friends into the inn. The pony at the counter seemed to have been watching everything that was happening, because as soon as they walked in she eagerly gestured upstair. When asked which room was theirs, she told them to take any they preferred.
The room they picked only had two beds, so since they were eager to rest, they unanimously decided to all sleep on the floor. In her drowsy and injured state, the floor didn’t even feel too much different from a bed. Looking around, she saw that her friends also seemed content with their floor. She fell asleep thinking about home, as it was the only thing in her head at the moment that wouldn’t give her nightmares.