Chapter 4: Baltimare
The grass prickled Applejack’s fur as she moved through the vast countryside, Applebloom walking closely behind her, her tiny red satchel wrapped around her waist. Carefully, Applejack lifted one hoof in front of the other, stepping over a set of leaves. She adjusted her tan stetson as she wiped the sweat from her brow. With a simple tug of her shoulders, she moved the lantern to her right, lighting the distance ahead and tightening the grip of the green satchel around her back.
Rustle.
Applejack stopped in her tracks as she slowly and calmly raised her hoof, signalling Applebloom to stop as the little filly clumsily ran into Applejack’s legs.
With her hoof still raised and her head facing forward, her eyes darted back and forth as she examined every nook and cranny as best as she could through the encroaching darkness. Her eyes spotted something running across the bushes. A blurry figure jumped from bush to bush as it ran farther away, becoming nothing more than a shadow in the night.
Slowly, the rustling grew fainter as the figure disappeared from view. Applejack lowered her foreleg and continued forward. Briefly, Applejack looked behind her. Applebloom was still shaking as she walked closer to Applejack’s legs, like a filly clinging to their guardian.
Applejack felt sadness wash over her as her little sister looked at her with those terrified eyes. It must have been hard for a filly so young to leave behind everything that she had ever known. The farm. The cattle. Everything was gone. Applejack had made sure of that. Luckily, she had been able to sell everything of value and managed to make a few bits in the process. They’d need it for the long road ahead.
Applejack smiled and rubbed her Applebloom’s mane. “Don’t worry, lil’ sis. I’m sure it was just a rabbit.”
“I...I ain’t scared,” Applebloom said defiantly, looking upward as she continued walking.
Applejack chuckled. “Of course ya ain’t. You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about as long as you got your big sister and your dependable granny.”
Applebloom hid her blush as she crunched the leaves below her hooves. “I’m hungry,” she said, barely below a whisper.
Applejack smiled at her sister. “Well, I’m sure your granny’s found found somethin’ in these here parts. She knows the backwoods of Ponland like the back of her hoof.” Applejack could see the faintest of smiles on Applebloom’s mouth as she walked beside her.
“Found me some berries! Ain’t poisonous. I already checked.”
Applejack’s head snapped back and she smiled as she watched her grandmother’s figure come into the light of the lantern. Applebloom ran and pulled Granny Smith into a tight hug, shouting, “Granny! You’re back!”
Applejack shushed her. “You gotta be quiet. They could have a patrol along this route,” Applejack whispered.
Granny Smith waved a hoof, dismissively. “Oh, quit yer fussin’! I already checked. Ain’t nopony down the road for miles. Anyway, I picked up a little something.”
Granny Smith reached in her satchel and opened it up, revealing a plethora of purple berries, enough to obscure whatever else Granny Smith was keeping in that old bag of hers.
Applebloom reached a hoof in it before Applejack stopped her, placing her foreleg in front of the bag. “You sure they ain’t poisonous? You checked and made sure?”
“Of course I checked!” Granny Smith yelled. “I wasn’t born yesterday! I know my berries from my poisons! Back in my day, I went rustling for food every night!”
Applejack sighed as she removed her foreleg. Immediately, Applebloom reached in, grabbing as many as her hooves could hold. Granny Smith gave a wrinkled smile as she watched Applebloom devour those berries only as a little filly could.
She hadn’t stopped to think about how this was affecting her. Granny Smith had built that farm from the from the ground up. It was her livelihood. She had raised a family twice on that small Ponish farm and spent nearly five decades running that family apple stand. Now it was all nothing but a distant memory, now erased by the flames of Trixie’s conquest.
Applejack trotted forward, moving past Applebloom and Granny Smith. She turned to her grandmother. “Did you see it?”
Granny Smith nodded. “Yep, couldn’t see much past that forest, but sure enough, I found some ponies and shacks. Looks like the place.”
“Good,” Applejack said. “Looks like that’s where we’re heading.” Applejack took the lead as she moved closer to the the distant treetops. It was all just behind these trees: salvation. She had heard rumors around town of a refugee camp along the Ponish countryside that was taking in ponies from all over and transporting them straight to Britannia. Right now, it was the best hope they had.
“Also,” Granny Smith said, “Did you hear anything strange? I swear I saw something down in that forest. Looked like a rabbit, curly tail and everything. But it was too big; it looked almost like a pony!”
Applejack laughed. “I’m sure it’s nothin’. I heard it too, probably just a wild vermin, that’s all.” She turned to Applebloom. “Anyway, once you’re finished eating, we’ll get going.
Applebloom nodded and quickly finished off the last of the berries as Granny Smith stored the rest in her satchel. Applejack adjusted the rope around her shoulder that carried the lantern and her satchel and continued down the path that Granny Smith had pointed out to her, past the rising treetops and into the dark forest.
As she walked through, hard soil and autumnal leaves cracked against Applejack’s hooves. Every sound caused her eyes to bounce from one tree to another. The rustling of leaves. The silent night air broken by a faint gust of wind. Breath was beginning to leave Applejack’s lungs as she tightened up. Be strong. For them.
Forward, she continued to trudge. She couldn’t let them see how terrified she truly was. Step by step, she moved through the forest. She looked forward, gazing past the neverending rows of trees and bushes. She could hear a stream now; the sound of water lapping against hard rock and soil. Almost there, she thought to herself.
She looked back. Applebloom was shaking. In her fear and anxiety, she hadn’t realized just how cold it had gotten. Quickly, Applejack reached in her saddlebags and pulled out a small set of wool robes. “Applebloom,” she called out.
Her small eyes rose as Applejack tossed the the robes over. “Thanks,” Applebloom muttered as she put on the robes, still trying to act brave. After a moment, she began to notice something strange: the smell of smoke.
Applejack stopped. Smoke? No. She held up a hoof and turned to face her family. “I need ya’ll to stay here for a moment,” she whispered. They nodded silently with weary looks etched plainly across their faces.
Carefully, Applejack walked forward, pushing past the bushes. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to light a fire in these woods, not with the German soldiers waiting around the corner.
She slowed her pace, leaning against the trees as she hid underneath their shadows. She could now hear voices. They were shouting. Some were crying. Applejack held her breath as she slowed down to a snail’s pace. Gently, she lifted one hoof over the other as she drew closer to the shouting.
Clumsily, she stumbled forward, landing face first into the dirt. The smoke was gaining more visibility. She scrambled to her hooves and stuck closer to the trees, crouching low as she ducked into a nearby bush. She slowly and silently pushed the leaves away. She could see everything now.
Soldiers in purple armor with purple cloaks and purple capes. Ponies in tin shacks led by gunpoint. Mothers held their children close. Fathers walked stoically, trying to look brave. Wooden shacks burning as ponies ran out only to face armed ponies. Some tried to run, but were shot down before they could gain any distance.
I have to warn them, she realized. She took a step backwards.
Rustle.
Her head snapped backwards as she tried to pinpoint the sound. It was nearby.
“What was that?” one of the soldiers yelled from near the shacks. Without delay, she twisted her body backwards and ran. She galloped faster than she thought was possible, jumping over leaves and weaving from tree to tree.
Thick leaves scratched against her skin as she pushed past them, stumbling over a thick bush. She swerved through the trees. Their voices trailed behind. Screams and hoofsteps followed her throughout the dark forest.
Rustle.
Whatever that sound was, it was getting closer. She sprinted faster, sweat running down her cheeks.
Almost there, she reassured herself. Just then, as she pushed past an overhanging branch, she could hear a quivering voice.
“How long do you think she’s gonna be?”
“Not too long,” Granny Smith’s voice reassured Applebloom. “Your sister’s reliable. I know she’ll turn u-”
Applejack shoved through the branches and flailed her right foreleg about. “Granny! Applebloom! We need to get going! Soldiers! Soldiers!”
Granny Smith’s face turned to confusion. “Hold up, there. What-”
Applejack grabbed hold of her grandmother’s hoof. “No time. They’re on to us.”
Applebloom joined them as they began running, following desperately after Applejack as she held onto Granny Smith’s fragile, aged foreleg. She took a right, a left, and another left. The directions blended together as Applejack continued to run. She could barely breath now. Only one thought lingered in her mind. I have to get there somewhere safe. I have to-
Rustle. Rustle. It was getting closer, very close. The shouting was getting closer too.
“Hey!” said a voice from above.
Applejack nearly paused as her eyes veered from left to right, scanning all around her. It didn’t sound like a soldier’s voice. It sounded too...playful, almost childlike. She ignored the voice and continued.
“Hey, you! You with the hat!”
She was losing it. She looked around once more. “What was that?” Applebloom said between breaths.
“Don’t know, Applebloom. Might be one of them Germans. Can’t tell. Either way, we gotta keep running.”
“Waaaaaiiiit!”
From the corners of her eyes, something tumbled from the row of trees. Something curly. Something...pink?
Applejack turned her head, still running. It was a pony, that much was clear. Pink and poofy were the only words to describe her. Pink, poofy mane. Pink, poofy tail. Pink, poofy coat. Even her voice seemed to have a tint of pink to it as she spoke. “I’m not an enemy, I promise!”
Applejack veered to her right, away from the strange pink pony. “How am I supposed to trust that you ain’t trying to pull us into one of your traps?”
“I pinkie promise that this is not a trap!”
“Pinkie-what?”
“Never mind! Anyway, I’ve been watching you ever since you entered the forest and-”
Applejack angrily faced her. “You were spying on us?”
“Nononono! I heard that they were smuggling refugees around here and I wanted to check on it myself. I saw you walking through, and I thought to myself, ‘I bet these guys are refugees, because why else would they be running through this creepy countryside in the middle of the night unless they had some weird obsession with creepy forests and countrysides.’ Not that there’s anything wrong with creepy forest and countryside obsessions. In fact, I knew one guy who-”
“Okay! I get it!,” Applejack said, breathing heavily. “But if you ain’t one of them, then why are you chasing after us?”
Her face seemed more serious now. “I have a cabin near here. We can hide there.”
“What do you mean we? How am I supposed to trust some little, pink fluff ball that came running in through the woods and is conveniently offering me and my family shelter?”
The words sounded almost silly as she said them aloud. The voices behind her were getting closer. There was no way that she could outrun them on her own. She looked back. Applebloom was panting hard and Granny Smith looked like she was on her last leg. She bit her lip. “This place of yours, will we be safe?”
The pink pony nodded vigorously. “Uh huh! I promise, you guys will be just fine!”
“Alright, then. If it means shaking these guys, then lead the way!” She turned to Applebloom, breathing heavily. “Applebloom, hop on my back.”
Applebloom clumsily nodded and lept onto Applejack’s back, grasping her forelegs around her shoulders. It took everything in Applejack’s power to keep running with the weight of her little sister against her back. She grabbed hold of Granny Smith, putting her weight against her shoulders.
She trudged forward, keeping behind the pink mare as she twisted and turned through the forest. It was was several moments before she could see the silhouette of a cabin in the distance, over a small hill.
Applejack galloped over the hill, holding Granny Smith close as Applebloom’s grip around her shoulders tightened. The shouts from behind grew closer. “They went over that hill!” one of the soldiers yelled.
The pink mare began hopping to the top and pushed open the door, allowing them entrance. The three of them rushed past her and into the dimly lit log cabin.
It was bare inside. Only a small couch, an empty fireplace, and a small overhanging lantern that stood near an open hallway. The pink mare ran in, pushing them through the cabin and past the hallway. Hastily, she pushed them into a small room inhabited by only a rickety bed and a derelict bookshelf. “Wait right here,” she said.
Before Applejack could respond, the pink mare was gone. They were now alone in this strange bedroom lit only by a small candle.
Applebloom climbed down Applejack’s back and faced her. “Are we gonna be okay?”
“Yeah, we just hav-” Applejack was interrupted by a sudden knocking from the other room.
Applejack shushed them and crouched low to the ground, pushing the others behind her. All was quiet for a moment.
The silence was broken by the creaking of a door. A deep voice echoed throughout the empty hallways. “Ma’am, we’ve received word of possible refugees in the area. I’m going to have to search your residen-”
“Excuuuuuse me?” the pink mare’s voice boomed. “You wake me up in the middle of the night, try to barge into my house, and you expect me to be fine with it?”
“Ma’am, I really don’t-”
“Do you have any idea of who I am? Oh, of course you don’t. If you had any idea of who I was, you wouldn't be barging into my home past midnight like this. You want a clue? My parents own the largest mining company in the world and have a special contract with Queen Trixie, herself!”
“Wait...you...you’re…”
“My name is Pinkamina Diane Pie, daughter of Augustus Pie and Marianna Rockbelle Pie, and unless you feel like explaining personally to Queen Trixie why the latest supply of red crystals is running late, I suggest you search elsewhere.”
“I...I...very well Miss Pinkamina. Have a safe nigh-”
The door was slammed shut and the locks clinked. After a moment of silence, the pink mare’s voice boomed. “You can come out now!” she yelled, much more peacefully than moments before.
Slowly, Applejack left and approached the strange pink mare, her family following closely behind.
Applejack's face grew pale as she approached her. "Your name...I recognize it. Pie...as in the Pie Corporation?"
Her face lit up as she approached them. "Yeah! They're my parents! I-"
Applejack backed up, raising a hoof to silence her. "Miss Pinkamina-"
She dismissively waved a hoof. "Pinkamina? Oh, you can just call me Pinkie...or Pinkie Pie!"
Applejack bit her lip. "Listen, I'm mighty grateful, but I have to know...why are you here? What's going on? What do you want with my family?"
"Well," she said, "I came here, because I'd heard that there was a refugee camp in this area. I've been traveling for several days and noticed you when I was walking through the countryside, and I thought, 'I bet those guys are heading to the refugee camp!' Since I left home without directions, it was just perfect! Unfortunately...well you know the rest. Those mean soldiers have been taking down a lot of camps lately."
“But...Pinkamina...err...Pinkie, why do you care about refugees? Your parents are some of the wealthiest ponies in the world! What’s your stake in this?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “Innocent ponies are getting captured and thrown in scary prisons every day! Why wouldn’t I care?”
Applejack paused, stunned by her response.
Pinkie Pie continued. “That’s why my parents started everything. They had the money and knew all the right ponies! Even though they didn’t want me to help them at first, I convinced them that I would be perfect for the job!”
“Job? What job?” Applejack asked.
“The job of getting refugees across the country! My dad used words like ‘underground’ and ‘network’, but I like to think of it like a super duper rescue adventure!”
“Rescue?” Applejack repeated the words, hung up on the implications of what they meant. “You mean...you can help us?” she asked all too quickly.
Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously. “You bet! Just leave it me! I already have it planned out! First, we’ll go north and head to Germaneigh. Then-”
“Germaneigh? But that’s the heart of everything! Sneaking through an occupied country is one thing, but sneaking through Queen Trixie’s backdoor is another!”
“It’s the only way!” Pinkie assured her. “Besides, I promise all of you will be safe! This isn’t my first time helping ponies get across the country. I have tons of safehouses just like this one and know tons of ponies along the way that can help us!”
Applejack was defeated. She knew that this was the only way that she could ensure her family’s safety. For now, she had to place her faith in this strange pink mare. “Alright, Miss-”
“Pinkie!” she corrected her. “You don’t have to call me Miss,” she added with a giggle.
“Alright...Pinkie,” she said, searching her eyes. They were big and bright, not a hint of deceit in them. Her smile. Her eyes. They were all genuine. She sighed. “I trust ya.”
“Yay!” Pinkie yelled at the top of her lungs as she began bouncing about Applejack like some sort of wild rabbit. “This is going to be so much fun! It’s only 2:00 A.M. We should totally have a we just met party!”
“Actually,” Applejack interrupted as she turned to her family, “I imagine my family’s pretty tired. You wouldn’t happen to have a few extra beds lying around?”
She nodded and pointed a hoof down the hall. “Of course! There’s two extra bedrooms over there.”
Applejack nodded as she began making her way to her bed. Even though, she still had her doubts, something felt right about trusting this mysterious pink pony.
"Hello?" Twilight Sparkle called out into the darkness. She began scanning her surroundings. There was nothing around her; just a pure, black abyss. She stumbled forwards. "Spike? Mom? Anyone?" There was no response.
Behind her she could hear a strange clicking noise. She turned around, but could see nothing. She tried to ignore it, but she was stopped by another clicking noise; this one was significantly louder. She recognized the sound now; it was gunfire. It sounded so familiar to Twilight.
Twilight began running, she was not aware of which direction she ran. She couldn't even tell if she was actually running away from the gunfire or simply closer. She simply ran, and didn't stop. The feeling seemed so familiar to her, almost second nature.
She could smell fire.
"Ma'am!" Twilight's eyes snapped open and she turned to see the pony from atop the train, now standing outside with side door, held open.
"Ma'am, I was yelling for a solid two minutes. We're here."
Twilight managed a weak laugh. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep....I better get going," she said, quickly grabbing her satchel, and exiting the carriage.
It took her a moment to recollect her thoughts as she stared off into the row of buildings and small shops. She looked down, almost expecting Spike to make some off colour quip about her lack of sleep.
Twilight opened the side of her satchel and pulled out a small piece of parchment. Nightingale Books and Scrolls, it read. Thanks for the directions, mom, Twilight thought bitterly as she weaved through the crowds, trying her best to avoid eye contact with anypony. She never did care for the hard stares of others. Everywhere she walked, she could see that same robotic look as they went from point A to point B, often hiding behind a forced smile as they did so.
As she made it through the hectic crowds of ponies wandering the streets, she began to wonder what kind of books were so special that they needed to be picked up by hoof?
Quickly, she walked around from building to building until she had reached the end of the first row, when she noticed a neatly painted two story, wooden building which read, "Nightingale Books and Scrolls". The building appeared to be aged, but well maintained over the years. It's exterior paint was white, and its pristine windows gave a glimpse inside, where she could see all sorts of ponies going in and out as they purchased books, both new and old. This must be the place, she thought. Hopefully I can find her. She slowly pushed open the door with her front foreleg, and could hear a set of bells ring over her head as the door pushed open.
The minute that she opened the doors, she was greeted by a brown earth pony in a red jacket. "Welcome to Nightingale Books and Scrolls, may I help you or you just browsing?"
Twilight jumped back, startled by his appearance. She regained her hoofing and weakly responded, "Yes, I-err would like to speak with Miss Rosanna Nightingale about a package I am supposed to receive."
"Miss Nightingale was on the second floor last time I saw her," the earth pony said.
Twilight happily thanked him, and walked through the store, beaming at the sight of all these books, carefully organized into rows for each customer's leisure. The store, like the rest of the city, was quite packed; mainly by little fillies and parents wishing to get their children the latest set of popular children's books. Regardless of the crowd, though, Twilight felt at peace among these shelves. She could feel herself almost drawn into another world. Some of these were fantasy filled tales of knights and goblins, while others were historical dramas focusing on the various challenges faced by ponies throughout history.
On another shelf, she could see the various religious manuscripts and books. The Celestian Bible was laced along the walls along with a handful of other books from some of the smaller religions such as dodekathesism, a religion spawned to the east that worshiped twelve distinct gods and goddesses, as well as some of the smaller denominations of Celestianism. Twilight had never been too into the religious ideals of Celestia. She did somewhat idolize her as a prominent historical figure, but she never found her to be a figure worthy of worship. Her mother was a bi-theist who worshiped both goddesses. She would always tell Twilight about how one day the goddesses would return to unite the world. Twilight thought that it was simply wishful thinking. In her opinion, ponykind had been left behind long ago. However, she was never too vocal about her views, Luckily, although the majority of the population was still Celestian, they had become more accepting of other ways of thought, especially with the influx of immigrants in the past several decades.
With a final glance, she looked away from the rows of book, and ran past the screaming fillies, whose parents lagged closely behind, and made her way to a wooden staircase that stood in the center of the room. She made made her way up; grabbing onto the wooden railings with her foreleg to ensure balance. The second floor was small in comparison to the first floor, housing the majority of the non fiction books. There weren't quite as many ponies on this floor as on the previous. It consisted mostly of older mares and stallions. Among these ponies, one stood out in particular: an old mare in a red jacket, similar to the pony at the entrance, who sported a mane with different shades of red, and a light yellow coat. Twilight made her way towards the mare.
"Hello, ma'am," Twilight began. "Do you know where I can find Miss Rosanna Nightingale?"
The mare's ears immediately perked up. "That'd be me! You can call me Rose for short, though. Anyway, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. My mother, Silver Tome, sent me here from Fillydelphia to pick up a package."
"Ah, you're Silver Tome's daughter! I've been expecting you. How is she?" Rose asked as she walked over to an unused counter.
"She's doing very well," Twilight happily replied, as she watched to mare search behind the counter. "I'm guessing you're friends with my mom?"
Rose's head popped up, and she walked out carrying a small cardboard box. She carried it in her left hoof and responded, "Of course! I met her when I was on a trip to Fillydelphia. It's rare to come across such a hardcore bibliophile. We started chatting about books, and afterwards, we started sending letters back and forth. Eventually, we got in a habit of mailing each other books that the other hadn't read."
"So my mother sent me all the way here just to pick up regular books? I thought this was for the library."
"Oh, it is!" she exclaimed holding the package to her chest. "There are some rare books in this collection that your mom was interested in purchasing from me; rare books that she didn't want to risk being sent in through the mail."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," said Twilight as she stared at the package. "So...are you going to let me have it?"
Rose nodded her head, and began apologizing, "Of course! I'm so sorry! Sometimes I just get lost in my rants."
She extended her hoof containing the package. Twilight began levitating the package beside her. Rose waved her hoof at Twilight, and gave a final farewell. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you Twilight! Tell your mother, I said hi!"
Twilight waved back, and then began making her way towards the stairs. Before she did, however, she wanted to see just what sort of rare books her mother had gotten hold of. She trotted next to the nonfiction section shelf, and used her magic to tear away the layers of tape. With a final telekinetic snip, she tore off the tape and opened up the cardboard package. From inside, she could see five books. She levitated them out from the package to closely inspect them.
Four of the books were very old historical books. The first book dealt with the First Equestrian Civil War, taking placing right after the disappearance of the princesses and the ensuing chaos that birthed Solaria: The Solar Empire, and Lunaria: The Lunar Republic. The Solarians wished for the return of Princess Celestia, and continued to worship her existence, developing a state based on the foundations of sovereignty and peace. The Lunarians, on the other hand, worshiped Princess Luna, and developed into a much more militaristic state, one consisting mostly of pegasi. Two of the other books were first hand accounts of the Eastern Union's first settlers as well as the Lunarians who traveled across the sea to claim a chunk of this new found land. The fourth book was a first hand account of the Pegasi-Griffin war and the Battle of Cloudsdale. Twilight vaguely remembered her mother speaking of this particular book; about a battle where a rainbow-maned pegasus famously stood her ground against the invading griffins.
Twilight levitated the final book in front of her; it was much different than the others. It had no title, and simply had a brown hardcover with a golden unicorn emblazoned onto the front; the unicorn’s eyes glowing a bright azure. On its cover, was a small sticky note. One of a kind. Handle with care.
She had begun to open it when felt a loud rumbling that shattered her concentration. She dropped the book onto the ground, and fell, landing on her sides.
Twilight slowly lifted herself up, and grunted as she rubbed her shoulder. What was that?
Twilight caught herself as she felt another set of tremors. Everypony in the library was looking around in confusion with the exception of a single pony staring off into the windows. She started screaming. Everypony began crowding around her, in an attempt to see had caused her to panic.
Twilight joined in on the crowd when she noticed that they had all began running in the opposite direction, clogging up the stairs. Twilight awkwardly squeezed through the panicked crowd, and gazed outside the window, when her heart momentarily stopped.
Through the window, she could see stacks of smoke rising up from several of the buildings in the shopping district. She could see fires building, and ponies on the street running in panic. Above the smoke, a fleet of metallic airplanes clouded the skies. These attack planes did not bear The Solarian crest; these attack planes bore a single, crimson bolt of lightning: the crest of Neighpon, The Empire of the Pacific Isles. What were they doing here? Twilight had heard that they were staying out of the war; why would they choose to attack now? More importantly, why Solaria? Solaria wasn't even involved in the war! A million thoughts forced their way into her head at once.
She could not hear any gunfire at first and begun to wonder where the fire and smoke was coming from. Her curiosity was stopped when saw several of the planes dive straight into the shops below, causing a cluster of burning wood and rubble to fly forth, towards the streets.
It was then that Twilight could hear the clicking once more; the clicking of gunfire, as a passing plane began firing towards the window. Twilight jumped backwards, into the hardwood floor, as a torrent of glass rained down upon her. Twilight, still lying on the ground, acted quickly as she summoned forth a shield to block the incoming glass shards. As the glass slid down her shield, she deactivated it, and began to make her way towards the stairs, where a crowd of ponies still remained as they desperately tried to escape.
She had almost reached them when she was knocked back by an explosion of wood and metal as a Neighponese plane flew straight into the side of the building. She covered her face with her hooves, once again activating a shield to protect her from fires that were quickly spreading across the second floor. Twilight opened her eyes to see that the wooden stairway had collapsed, and a crowd of ponies screamed as they fell into the fires below, their screams quickly silenced. Twilight began panicking, trying to find a method of escape.
She ran towards the center of the room where the stairway had once stood. Perhaps she could simply jump to the first floor, she may not have been an athletic pony, but she could surely handle a minor fall. Her plans instantly changed when she looked below, from the safety of her bubble-like shield. The collapsed stairway was now ablaze, holding in place the bodies of several dead ponies.
She scanned the room, and now she could see them; all across the room, there were ponies who had been killed by the initial gunfire or set ablaze by the first set of explosions. Her body tensed up. She could hear the screaming in the back of her mind, again; the screaming of ponies. A voice filled her head. If something happens, I want you to keep running. Don't stop, just keep running.
"No!" she yelled to herself as she violently shook her head. "Not today, not like this."
I can teleport!, she thought to herself. I'll just send myself somewhere nearby.
Twilight closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate. In truth, she hadn't quite been able to master the teleportation spell, not when she spent most of the day fixing up the library. Her current study of magic only consisted of about two hours a day, just before she went to bed. She could only go small distances and only with immense concentration. She had never performed the spell under such intense stress. Unfortunately, she didn't have time for second guessing.
Twilight Sparkle began to clear her mind of all distractions. She tried to ignore the sounds of gunfire, the collapsing wood, the screams of the dead, and the smell of fire. Her eyes popped open. The smell of fire? She examined the barrier around her. It was slowly fading as smoke had began to seep in from under her feet. She remembered her tome’s words.
This defensive spell is not perfect. Only a small number of unicorns, mostly those born with the talent for defensive spells, can actually create a perfect shield. You see, when you make a perfect barrier, you completely encase yourself in a bubble. Unfortunately, you also close off yourself from the outside world, and in doing so, you also cut off the outside supply of oxygen. The only way around this is to either add a layer to the spell that recirculates the oxygen or simply create holes that allow oxygen to enter. But remember, if you go through with the second method, your shield is no longer perfect, and also allows in any number of harmful substances that could fill the air around you.
Why had she forgotten that book’s words? She had been too hasty when she casted her spell. There was too much clogging her mind. Even now, she struggled to think as smoke began to seep in. She began coughing and wheezing as the barrier around her collapsed.
She placed her hoof around her nose, and desperately tried to breathe. She didn't know what to do anymore, she was simply walking, her vision was now blurry from all the smoke. As she tried to take a step back, she felt the wood under her collapse, and she fell through the floor below, landing on a pile of wood.
She tried to stand, but could feel a great pain in her hind leg. Twilight ignored the pain and began pushing against the ground with her barely functioning legs. She slowly rose, still coughing, and pushed away the columns of wood that blocked her path. She lacked the strength to simply use her hooves, and had to sloppily lean her whole body against them. She was now trudging through the first floor, and could see the broken remains of the attack plane that destroyed the building.
All around the floor were the scattered corpses of once happy customers. They varied in age, from child to adult. Normally, she would have been revolted at the sight. In the back of her mind, she wanted nothing more than to vomit at the thought of these dead children, but could only think of escape, as her senses began going numb.
She tripped over another piled of wood, and began to crawl, desperately racing to find an escape. She began to weakly pound a hoof against the ground. She weakly cried out, "Spike? Mom? Anyone?" There was no response. She began sulking against the ground. She had finally begun to accept defeat.
Her eyes began to close as she tried to maintain consciousness. Within moments, her vision began to fade. Seconds became minutes. Minutes became hours. Hours became an eternity. Darkness closed in all around her.
That's when she heard the singing.
Twilight slowly rose her head up and could hear the familiar tune from the other night. It was the fillies singing their strangely foreign tune. The singing became more powerful and Twilight felt a strange surge of energy flow through her entire being. Was this it? Was this the song of her death? She picked herself off the ground, one leg at a time, and began limping across the floor as the voices grew louder. She could not see anything ahead of hear, only smoke and fire, blurred together. Instead, she followed the music, limping closer. She had no plans, no ideas, only the music.
It was then that she saw the most intense light she had ever seen. Twilight Sparkle moved hoof over her eyes and could see the luminescent silhouette of a pony standing in front of her. Behind the strange figure were was an endless white light. The music grew even louder as she approached the heavenly pony, and the pony's wings extended. She didn't recognize the silhouette. She could see no face, and could only make out her long flowing mane, forming a heart-shape near her forehead. Yes, it was a feminine figure, but a powerful one; her angelic wings extended before Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle increased her speed and could see the bright pony extending a hoof. Twilight did the same, slowly limping forward with her right foreleg extended out. She was just inches away from the heavenly figure as the music boomed in her ears. She felt another pony grasp her hoof as she was pulled forward, away from the burning building just as the music suddenly cut off. The pony that pulled her forward was not the angelic pegasus from before, but the familiar figure of Rose. She fell forward as Rose grabbed hold of her.
"Easy," she whispered. Everything around her began to fade. The last thing she saw was Rose pulling her over her shoulders and running.
Three Days Later
Twilight found herself in the middle of a gravel road, surrounded by tall, stone buildings. These buildings were empty and destroyed, with their windows completely shattered. Glass and broken cobblestone filled the street as Twilight walked across. She called out, but there was no response.
The air around her chilled her bones, and she began to shiver. Every building around her looked the same; stone structures completely devoid of all life. She could now hear a voice.
"Twily, we need to go!"
"But I don't wanna go!"
Twilight's ears perked up, and in front of her stood a scared purple filly next a slightly older, white coated colt, with a blue mane, and no cutie mark. It was Twilight; a much younger Twilight.
"Twily, mom and dad said that we need to be ready."
The filly Twilight began to place her hoof over eyes, and she began to sob. The white colt leaned down in front of the little Twilight, used his magic to bring forth a ragged gray doll, and placed it in front of her. She began wiping the tears from her eyes, and wrapped her tiny forelegs around the raggedy doll. The colt began to hug the little filly tightly.
"Come on Twily, mom and dad are waiting." The colt picked up Twilight and carried her, putting her weight against his shoulder.
He began walking away with the small Twilight as the older Twilight chased after them.
"No!" she yelled. "Stop!" The colt didn't stop, and the two faded away in front of Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle awoke covered in sweat as she tore away her bed covers. She was back home, in the Fillydelphia library. She examined her bare hind legs to see that her right leg was covered in bandages. To her right, Spike continued to stare at Twilight, who was struggling to catch her breath.
"Are you okay, Twilight?" Spike asked.
"Yeah," Twilight said in between breaths, "I'm fine. Just a bad dream, that's all."
She heard a set of hooves climbing up the stairs. Silver Tome walked in and sat beside her bed.
"You're sweating. Was it that same dream?"
Twilight paused, staring at the ground. Twilight slowly nodded her head. "I could see him. I could see my brother. I kept chasing after him, like I always do, but he just...fades away. No goodbye, no farewell, he just disappears."
"Twilight," Silver Tome said, lightly grabbing hold of her hoof.
"I know! I know!" Twilight said, her voice now sounding agitated. Her voice softened. "I know that he's dead, but still....I can't stop thinking about him. I can't stop thinking of everything that's happened."
Silver Tome was unable to think of the right words. Nothing she said could truly make Twilight at ease, especially when it came to her brother. She decided to change the subject.
"Rose came by earlier. She wanted to see how you were doing. I tell you, one of these days I'm going to have to find a way to repay that mare. First, she saves my daughter, then she keeps coming by to check on you; there are some wonderful ponies in this world," she said with a smile.
Twilight paused. “Mom, what do you think it means?”
Silver Tome gave a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“What I saw that day. The music. That pegasus. I could’ve sworn that they were...guiding me.”
She sighed. “I don’t know how the mind works. Could’ve been your brain trying to decypher everything. I’ve heard that some ponies hallucinate when they’re overly stressed. What happened to you was a stressful situation if I’ve ever heard of one. Maybe it’s a sign from the Goddesses, who knows? I’m just glad that you’re back in one piece.”
Twilight, too, gave a weak smile. "How much long do you think my leg will have to stay bandaged?"
"Probably a few more days. Honestly, I'm still amazed that you got by with such minor injuries. A sprained ankle and some minor burns, but no lasting damage. The doctors said you should be fully healed in another week."
Twilight let out a sigh and pulled the blankets up, examining her hindlegs which were covered in bandages. It had been almost a week since the attack; almost a week since Solaria officially declared war of Neighpon and her allies. As it turns out, right before the attack, Neighpon declared an official alliance with the nation of Germaneigh. No pony understood why they did it, but It had finally happened; Solaria finally got her war. Even now, Twilight could remember the booming speech that King Filthy Rich gave the morning after. Everyone seemed willing to fight back now. Everyone was angry and frustrated as they watched their fellow countryponies die senseless deaths. As much as Twilight hated to admit it, she too felt something stir inside her that day.
There was a moment of silence between the three. Even Spike, who had refrained from the conversation, gave an uncomfortable look. Silver Tome was aware of where this conversation would soon head.
"So when are they implementing the draft?" Twilight asked, breaking the silence.
Silver Tome didn't immediately respond. She looked into her daughter's eyes and said, "They've starting enlisting ponies as of yesterday. But Twilight, as long as you're injured, you don't have to go." As she said it, there was an almost pleading voice in the way that she spoke and looked at Twilight.
"Actually," Twilight began, "I've made a decision."
Her mother leaned in, both hooves around Twilight's left hoof. "Honey, you don't have t-"
"I'm enlisting."
Her mother froze and her hooves slipped from Twilight's as if Twilight's entire hoof had been born in ice. Her entire body became the whitest shade of pale. Twilight continued. "Right after my wounds are healed, I'm going to sign up for service."
Her mother didn't say a word, she simply stared of into space, trying to realize her daughter's words. She had almost lost her daughter once, she didn't want it to happen a second time.
"But why?" Spike yelled. "You can probably get away from it due to medical excuses. You almost died for Celestia's sake!"
"I know that," Twilight calmly responded. "I also know that hundreds, if not thousands, did die. I saw them. I remember when I was in the burning building,I saw children burned alive. It's not right!"
Twilight's gave was now one of firm resolve. "I'm not going to run from this. It's like before, ponies are dying. I saw it firsthand in the bookstore. I saw bullets, fire, corpses, and children dying and innocents slaughtered. I know I'm only one pony. I'm not special; I'm just a librarian, but I'm also a unicorn, and my special talent is magic. I may not be able to make a huge difference, but if I can help in any way to bring an end this violence in any way possible; if I can bring an end to the bad dreams, then that's what I'm going to do."
Silver Tome sat for a minute with her head facing the ground. She threw her arms around Twilight, tears beginning to form around her elder eyes. "Don't ever say you're not special," she said as her voice began to crack. "You're my daughter, you're the most special pony on this planet."
Twilight didn't bother to respond and simply returned the hug. Spike began making his way downstairs. He was young and naive, but he wasn't stupid. He left Twilight alone with her mother as she came to terms with the truth: Twilight Sparkle, her daughter, was a soldier now.
