//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Unforgiven Villains // Story: Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 2: Earth Pony // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Rainbow dove under the covers, shivering heavily as she moved in between Spike and Twilight. The avatar groaned as her eyes slowly opened. “Mggll? Rainbow? What are you- EEEE! You're ice cold! What happened?!” “B-b-b-bath... s-s-s-so c-c-cold,” the mare squeaked as she pulled both her much warmer friends in. Spike groaned. “You want me to light you on fire?” he grumbled in annoyance. “I guess having a fire bender and a dragon to help warm us up has made us a tad bit used to having warm baths,” Fluttershy mumbled as she moved in to help warm her friend. Within a few moments the blue pegasus stopped shivering. “Used to t-take ice cold baths all the time,” Rainbow grumbled. “Dang avatar making us all spoiled.” “Well,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. “If you want, I can stop warming up the bath water when you want one. Maybe have more baths in icy lakes. Would that make it better?” “No, no,” the pegasus sighed as she laid down in the blankets, releasing her friends. “So, what do you think of these Apples? Think they'll be able to help us?” “I don't know,” the avatar said with a sigh. “Maybe? That Applejack kept looking at me funny, I think she might be up to something. I just hope it works in our favor.” “Well, they're letting us sleep at their place,” Spike interjected. “Even if they can't help us get the amulet, at least we don't have to sleep outside. They even got Rainbow a bath, she hasn't smelt this good in weeks. Mfff!” “I was just getting all the sweat off, you little lizard,” Rainbow grumbled as she gazed down at him, her hooves holding the pillow over his face. “How about next time you pull the cart all day and see how much you feel like dropping into bed?” Spike gasped for air as he was finally released from the poofy torture. “Right! I'm sorry, sorry. Also, hey. Dragon. Dra-gon, not lizard. I don't do that tongue thing. I also breath fire.” “You're also a total wuss,” the pegasus teased as she pulled him in close and gave him a noogie. “HEY! Stop it! Let go!” “You two keep it down,” Twilight hissed, though she struggled to keep a straight face. “Remember we're guests here, and we don't want to wake any pony.” “Fiiiine. Ugh,” Rainbow grumbled as she let the dragon go. He quickly crawled away to sleep closer to Fluttershy. “So, what do we have planned for tomorrow?” “Work out a plan to get the alicorn amulet. Hopefully everything goes smoothly...” the alicorn mumbled with a sigh. “Not that anything ever does.” ------ Far from the peaceful town of Sweet Apple Acres, two mares trapped in a small cage discussed the causes of their current imprisonment. “I ended up walking straight into the middle of these stallions camp,” Colgate said with a sigh. “I took one look at their spears and ran. Fortunately for me, they were so surprised that they took a few moments to start pursuit. Unfortunately, with my limp they were quickly gaining. I almost made it to the road right as a cart was passing by but...” The mare lowered her head. “I... the ground caved in under me. I ran right on top of some tunnel and slammed head first into the dirt when it collapsed. By the time I reoriented myself there was a spear to my throat and I was dragged off. I couldn't even yell for help...” Rarity frowned as she rested back against the bars. Her eyes eventually fell on the five stallions outside the cages, sleeping around a quickly dying fire pit. “I'm sorry about all that. Banished from your home. The earth benders there sound quite cruel.” “Yes,” Colgate mumbled as she closed her eyes. “The earth benders were... quite cruel. How did you end up out in these parts?” “I was traveling,” the fallen princess said with a sigh. “Trying to find my sister. I... was pushing myself too hard. I actually fell asleep in the middle of the road. From there, it was easy for them to attack me. This cage doesn't look too sturdy though, I think we can probably escape if we can break some of these ropes.” “What if they come after us?” the blue unicorn asked nervously. “If that happens, I'll... I'll think of something. We'll just have to be careful and quiet. Let's each choose a corner of the cage and see if we can work our way out.” “Very well,” Colgate mumbled as she moved towards the back. Rarity quickly moved towards the front of the cage and looked down at the bindings. The ropes holding the cage together were tight and thoroughly knotted, she imagined it would take her all night to untie even a few, and she'd need to do dozens. Fortunately, she doubted she'd have to untie them. The young princess glanced towards their captors and, more importantly, the cups that laid besides them. Her horn glowed as the cup slowly lifted off the floor and made its way towards her. She held her breath as the pony nearest it started to stir, as she held the mug frozen in mid air over him. After a few seconds the pony stopped moving and the cup began its journey to the cage anew. She glanced into the mug as it appeared in front of her, and let out a happy sigh at the sight of a few inches of liquid. She wiped some sweat from her brow and let out a sigh as she leaned back. She couldn't believe how much that simple act had made her sweat. She glanced up at the clear sky as she pondered why it felt so hot tonight. With a shake of her head she refocused on the task at hoof. The liquid, red in color with a fruity scent, slowly lifted from the container and formed a long, narrow blade. The serrated edge began cutting along the ropes and, within a few moments she had the first one cut to pieces. “Done,” Colgate said suddenly. “W-what?” Rarity asked as the liquid blade fell into the grass. She turned around and, sure enough, one of the vertical bars of the cage had been removed, all of its ropes missing. Her mouth fell open as she looked around, but she couldn't find any trace of the bindings. “It'll be a bit of a squeeze, but we should be able so slide under and through these two bars now...” the other unicorn mumbled as she slowly lowered her head and pushed through the bars. After a few moments, and getting her backside trapped for a few seconds, she managed to pop out and roll across the grass for a few seconds. The princess gulped and quickly followed after. Her eyes looked over the poles. They seemed slightly darker along where the ropes had been. She quickly shook her head as she slid it in between them and began making her escape. The unicorn was half way out when a yell caught her attention. “Hey! The mares are escaping, get up!” one of the stallions yelled. Rarity mentally cursed as she kicked and thrashed, eventually popping out from the bars. She tumbled a few feet before getting up. “Quick, let's go!” She quickly began to gallop away, the other mare barely managing to keep up. She began to slow down, allowing the limping unicorn to run with her. It didn't take long before she heard the stallions galloping behind them. “Hurry up! They're going to catch us!” “Leave me! I can't run as fast, I'm already feeling exhausted,” Colgate gasped out. The princess glanced back, even in the dim moon light she could see the stallions pursuing them, already almost upon them. She growled as her horn came alive. She felt out for something, anything! Her eyes went wide as she did a sharp turn to the right. “Come on, follow me!” “W-what are you... d-doing?” the blue unicorn asked as she struggled to keep up. The bandits jeered at them as they came ever closer, the thrill of soon captured prey upon them. “Just follow!” Rarity yelled as she darted through the grass. After a few moments the grass gave way to dirt and rocks as they stumbled upon a very small creek. The princess was easily able to hop over it to land on the opposite side. Colgate was not so quick, instead having to run through it, though it was only a few inches deep so she easily made it to the other side. Once there she stopped and turned to the younger unicorn. “W-what are you doing? You... you need to run. I-I'll be fine. J-just run,” the mare gasped out as her knees wobbled. The princess could tell the limping pony wouldn't be able to go any further on her wounded and tired legs. “Don't worry. Just be calm, I have this,” Rarity said as she turned towards the opposite shore, if it could be called that. It didn't take long before the stallions jumped out from the grass, stopping quickly as they saw their prey standing just a little away. “You girls gone and given up? Don't think this means we'll be gentle after that little escape attempt,” the nearest stallion said as he stepped forward, raising his spear. “But maybe if you get down on the ground and ask real nice, I'll just tan your hide a little bit,” the stallion said as he trotted a little closer, licking his lips. “Stop!” the princess growled. “I'm done running from you. If you do not abandon your pursuit, I will be forced to kill you. All of you. Leave!” her voice boomed. The stallion burst into laughter as he jumped over the stream. He never made it across as spikes of ice erupted under him. Thick skewers stabbed out all around him as the other stallions stopped their laughter and stared. The leaping stallion let out a whimper, his body frozen in mid motion as jagged shards of ice barely missed impaling him, instead the criss-crossed spikes supporting his weight. “Right, leaving. W-we'll get right on that,” the stallion squeaked, though he was too frightened to move. He let out a shriek as the spikes of ice shoved up and threw him back towards his fellow bandits. “Let's get her!” one of them yelled, a moment before being slapped upside the head. “Are you insane?!” the spared pony snapped. “She's Water Nation! Let's get out of here, who knows how many others there are?” without a further word the stallion turned tail and ran, not even bothering to grab his spear. The others looked between him and her before quickly following after. “Yeah, you better run!” Rarity called after them. The proud unicorn turned to her comrade and froze. The other unicorn was staring at her with wide eyed terror, the blue mare's body shaking uncontrollably. “Err, don't worry. I don't plan to-” “Y-you're from the Water Nation? Why are... how did you... I... a-are you going to k-kill me?” “No!” the unicorn said with a quick shake of her head. “I was just trying to keep us safe. I don't... I don't want to kill any pony. I'm just... listen. I'll leave. Okay?” Colgate gulped and the two stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Finally, the blue unicorn opened her mouth. “If... does that mean you're not a member of the Water Nation any more?” Rarity sighed and shook her head. “No. I... I am no longer a member of them. I'm a...” She took a deep breath. “I am returning to the country. I have... ponies there who need me. Ones I must save. Well, one I must. I mean you no harm though.” The limping pony nodded. “I... I see. I hope you don't expect me to come with you.” “No!” the fallen princess said with a quick shake of her head. “This is my journey, my problem. No ponyelses.” She got to her hooves and began walking for a few steps, stopping a moment to grab the abandoned spear in her magic. “If you wish to come with me, to the next town, I have no objections...” Colgate slowly started walking towards the mare. “Well... I guess that won't cause any problems. If you wanted to kill me you could have done it already.” She paused for a moment as she looked the white unicorn over. “I... understand not being with them. I mean... I've met a few water benders who... left their home as well. I know you aren't all bad.” “What?!” Rarity shrieked. “You know ponies who've abandoned the Water Nation?! But, the price for abandoning ones post is...” she quickly went silent before shaking her head. “If it's so high, why are you returning?” “My sister needs me,” the princess said as each step made her dig her hooves into the ground. “She... I can't abandon her. I've done it far too many times as it is...” The two walked in silence again, the only sound the occasional crickets. After a while the blue unicorn sighed. “We should find someplace to hide. Someplace with cover that can keep us safe in case any more ponies try to attack us.” Rarity nodded slowly. “You're right. It's been a long night as it is. Sleep would do us good.” ------ Twilight stared, her eyes almost as wide as saucers. A single drop of drool slowly dribbled from the corner of her mouth as she stared at... feast was too small a word. The table she and her friends were now sitting at was covered in so many delicious apple based treats that they had to have the table candles sitting on nearby counters. The scent of delicious, well cooked treats flooded their nostrils as the assorted ponies stared in shock. “A-are... how many ponies are you expecting?” the avatar finally managed to ask as she wiped some drool from her mouth. “We ain't expectin' nopony,” Applejack said with a smile. “But don't let anypony eva say the Apple family don't know how tah treat guests right proper. 'Specially one so well known as yah, miss avatar ness.” “Please, just Twilight. Thank you very much for your generosity,” the alicorn said as she slowly pulled over an apple tart and bit into it. Her entire body shook for a moment as the deliciously warm treat embraced her senses, the flaky crust mixing perfectly with the delicious and smooth apple filling. As if on cue, the others began to dig in and soon the room was filled with the sound of chewing mouths and the occasional happy groan of well fed ponies. “I think this may be better grub than the wonderbolts get,” Rainbow said as she wiped some apple sauce from her mouth. “You cooked all this yourself?” “Not at all,” the earth pony said as she motioned to Big Mac. “Mah big brother here is one ah the finest cooks this side ah Fillydelphia.” The large stallion blushed and looked down. “So, miss Apple. About the amulet...” Twilight started, but quickly went quiet as the mare raised a hoof. “Now now, Twilight,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. “That's business. Yah all had a long trip and ah won't hear ah thing until yah gone and had a right proper breakfast. We can all talk after.” The alicorn sighed a moment before shrugging and digging into the grub. After a very long, but delightful, breakfast the four ponies and baby dragon splayed out over the living room floor, clutching their stomachs. “I never wanna see another apple as long as I live,” Rainbow groaned. The young farming mare merely chuckled as she trotted into the room after them, the sound of dishes being washed coming from the other room. “Well, now that yah all had a nice meal, how about we get down tah business. Yah all said yah needed this amulet thing tah save the kingdoms, right?” Twilight nodded as she slowly sat up... only to collapse back on her back a moment later. “Uh huh. I'd compete myself, but I don't know how to earth bend yet and, even if I could, with a broken hoof I couldn't do much.” “Well, don't yah worry one bit,” Applejack grinned as a smile spread against her lips. “Ah can personally guarantee that you'll get this amulet when me and mah brother win this here tournament.” “Really?!” the avatar shrieked as she sat up again. “Oh, thank you thank you thank you th-” “Now, hold up. Ah never said ah'd do it for free. Yah see, ah need something from yah first. It's pretty easy though, yah'll barely even notice.” The farmer smiled widely. “What is it?” Twilight asked with a feeling of dread. “Ah want yah tah endorse our apples,” Applejack said with a nod of her head. “Yah gone now and tasted our products, bein' able tah use the avatar's name and seal of approval would sky rocket our sales. Might even be able tah buy Granny Smith her new hip.” “I... what? You want me to what?” the avatar stared at the earth pony with a cocked eye. “That's all? You just want me to endorse your apples? Don't need me to fight off a hydra? Seek out a mythical golden apple? Defeat a giant scorpio minor? Just endorse some apples?” “Eeyup,” the earth pony said as she trotted over, spit in her hoof and held it out. “It's a deal then. Ah give mah word ah'll get yah this fancy amulet ah yours. Don't worry your lil head, me and mah bro have been five times champions. Ain't no pony been able tah stand against the two ah us.” “Two? Wait, so you both compete?” Twilight asked as she glanced at the hoof, cringing as she held out her broken one. Fortunately, the earth pony shook it gently. “Eeyup,” the stallion said as he walked into the room. “Mmmm hmm. Doubles tournament,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Didn't yah read the poster?” “Well, I did, but not that closely,” the avatar muttered. “Well, we have a deal. So how does this work?” “Well, yah'll just need tah let us get some paintin's done. Don't worry about it, it can all wait until after tadays matchs.” “Todays? Wait, how many days does this tournament last?” Twilight squeaked as she looked around. “We need to get to Fillydelphia, we can't-” “Now, don't yah worry your lil head,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “No need tah act more anxious than a hen in a fox cave. Today an' tomorrow are the tournament days. Always have a nice day a rest before the grand finale. Makes sure it's a nice, fair fight. We kin get some stuff settled after me an' Big Mac get done for the day. How about yah all go out an' git in your wagon.” Twilight nodded slowly as they slowly headed outside, excitement billowing within her. Everything was going right for once, she could hardly believe it. ------ “Go 'way...” Rarity groaned as she felt something poking her side. It poked again and she tried rolling away. “Aunty, leave me al-” she let out a shriek as her eyes opened and she jumped to her hooves, looking around wildly as she prepared for a fight. The color, what little there was, quickly drained from her face. Three stallions stood over the two. Earth ponies, each wearing the thick metals of the Earth Kingdom's soldiers. She had seen them before, just never so close. She gulped and looked around, but there was no sufficient source of water for her to adequately fight one of them, let alone three. Against benders, her subpar skill with the spear would be useless as well. Colgate was slowly waking up, though she reacted in a similar manner, jumping to her hooves quickly. The nearest pony stamped his hoof once. Rocks shot out of the ground, surrounding the two unicorns and pinning them up. He glared at the princess as she nervously gulped. “C-can I-I help you?” she squeaked, her mouth suddenly very dry. “Perhaps,” the nearest stallion said as he stepped closer to look her in the eye. “On our patrol we came across a band of robbers, frightened like school foals. Normally we'd have just let it slide and imprison them, except what they mentioned. A pair of water benders, traveling through our lands. Amazingly enough, you two match their descriptions perfectly.” Rarity tried to speak, but couldn't croak out the words with her tongue suddenly dry as sand. After a moment she heard a soft voice behind her. “We are not water benders,” Colgate muttered. “Of course you're not. But if you don't mind, we'll need proof,” the stallion growled as he turned his focus to the blue mare. “Of course. I...” the mare paused for a moment before sighing. “My name is Colgate, and this is my guide, Diamondeyes. I am a fire bender.” The three earth ponies stopped then, before quickly backing away from the two and whispering amongst themselves. After a few moments, the stallion raised his head again. “Ah. Well, if you could prove this, we would of course let you go. But we'll need a demonstration.” “If you could release me, please? Bending is difficult without the proper movements...” the unicorn asked gently. “I don't know...” the stallion muttered. “Please. There are three of you and only one of me. I would have no chance of escape if running was my goal.” “Very well,” the stallion's hoof hit the ground and Rarity could hear the ground retreating behind her. After a few moments a burst of flame shot over the white unicorn's head, making the earth ponies stare with wide eyed amazement. A second later the rocks holding the princess in place retreated into the ground, freeing her. “My apologies,” the stallion said with a polite bow. “We are at war, however, and must always keep an eye out for spies from the Water Nation.” “It's quite alright,” Colgate said as she moved to the young water bender's side. “However, those bandits you mentioned, I believe I know them. They attacked and captured the two of us last night. They didn't know about my fire bending, so we managed to escape. Please don't let such awful creatures escape. Who knows what horrible things they would have done to us had we not been able to flee?” The stallion nodded. “Of course. Those ponies have already been imprisoned, they'll be punished for sending us off on this wild goose chase. Unfortunately, the roads these days can be quite treacherous. Do you require an escort?” “No, we'll manage on our own,” Colgate said with a shy smile. “You've already wasted more than enough time on the two of us, please continue on with your duties. Thank you very much for continuing to keep these roads safe.” “Of course,” the stallion said as her turned and started trotting off. The other two glanced at him, and then the mares for a few moments, before following suit. Once they were out of sight the blue unicorn let out a sigh of relief. “Well, at least that went well.” Rarity just sat there, eyes wide as her brain struggled to focus on all that just happened. Finally, she managed to open her mouth and speak. “Grkkgrkk.” Unfortunately, her mouth was still quite dry. She closed her eyes, slowly trying to swallow before speaking. “Y-you're... a f-fire bender?” she finally croaked out. “Indeed.” “B-but you said you were banished from an earth pony city! How...?” “I was banished from the fire benders for... it's not important. I don't wish to speak of it,” Colgate mumbled as she poked the ground. “You saved me... why?” Rarity squeaked out, moisture slowly returning to her mouth. “You saved me, as well. It was the least I could do. Come, we still need to find the road if we are to continue,” she held out her hoof to help the young princess up. “Do... do you hate me now, for what I am?” The young white unicorn glanced up at the other mare before slowly shaking her head. “No. It doesn't matter what kind of bending you do. Come on, let's find the road.” She took the hoof and let the mare pull her up, before slowly trotting towards the rising sun, the spear slung across her back. ------ Twilight stared, her mouth hanging open. Had it not been for the meal she had earlier, this would have been the most impressive sight she'd seen all day. A large field had been completely cleared, just outside the town. A large square of rock had been raised a few feet off the ground, made of solid stone. Stands, made of the same earthly substance, towered into the sky with hundreds of seats. Almost every single one of them was filled with yelling, cheering ponies. “How did this town hold so many?” the avatar finally managed to ask. “Ponies come from near an' far tah see this here competition,” Applejack said with a snicker. “Most ah them likely arrived this mornin'. Town was likely chock full ah them last night too. Yah all lucky yah didn't try tah stay at the inn. Tanight it'll be stocked more full than uncle Appletaffy's prize winnin' hog stuffed inside aunt Applesnap's girdle.” “This arena wasn't here yesterday,” Spike said as the cart came to a stop. “Well, duh. Earth bendin',” Rainbow said with a snicker as she moved to help Twilight down. “How many competitors are there?” “Usually a few dozen or so. Single elimination, ring out or submission,” the orange earth pony called back as she started trotting towards the ring with her brother. “Don't yah worry your little heads. Once yah see me an' Big Macintosh in action, yah won't worry one bean about us takin' home your fancy lil amulet.” Twilight nodded as she limped after the two, supported by her friends. The stands were so packed they were forced to sit on the ground with a number of other ponies and watch. Four earth benders were on stage, fighting each other as rocks and dirt flew through the air. After a few moments one and then the other flew out of the arena. Fluttershy squeaked occasionally as they watched, quickly covering her eyes with one hoof, and Angel's with the other. Spike and Rainbow, on the other hoof, quickly began cheering on the most brutal of fighters. After a few fights Applejack and Big Mac took the stage as the crowd erupted into cheers. “Ladies and gentlecolts, you know them, you love them!” the announcer yelled. “The Apples! Five time champions and two of the best earth benders this side of Fillydelphia! Their challengers, the mole brothers! Let's get ready to Ruuuuuummmmmmble!” Two brown earth ponies stood on the opposite side of the arena from the two siblings. Instantly they dove into the ground, quickly disappearing into it as if the solid stone was nothing more than water. The rock was dug up slightly as the two quickly tunneled towards the Apples, as the two farmers just stood and waited. Suddenly the mole brothers shot out from either side, each sending a boulder at the Apples, intending to squash them. Applejack stomped both her hooves down as two small walls of rocks sprouted up, blocking the giant stones. The barriers cracked under the assault, but didn't buckle as the two masses turned to pebbles. Big Mac quickly jumped into the air and, as he landed, the ground rippled outward from them as the arena shook like a lake after a cannon ball. The two digging ponies let out a shriek as they were tossed out from the stonework and slammed into the ground, a good ten yards from the stage. The cheers were deafening as the ponies stood up and stomped their hooves in appreciation of the fight. “Did you see that?! Did you see that?!” Rainbow yelled as she pointed. “That was awesome, he just BAMMED and those two went flying!” Twilight nodded as she watched. “Impressive, I suppose. I guess they are pretty... pretty... no. That's impossible. How can they... how...” “For our next match!” the announcer yelled. “We have the pebble sisters!” The crowd quickly cheered as two earth pony mares jumped on the stage. “Versus the Flim Flam brothers!” Two all too familiar yellow earth ponies moved opposite the mares as the crowd cheered. Rainbow didn't wait, she tore off through the air, landing behind the two earth benders. “You two! What are you two doing here?!” “We're in the middle of a competition, do you mind?” Flim asked with a hmph. “Yes I do mind, you murderous monsters! You think I'm going to just stand here and wait for you to fight, after what you two did? We have a whole crowd here, waiting, ow!” the pegasus stopped as she looked back. A small cup had smacked her in the back, thrown from the crowd. The ponies were now booing and yelling as they threw whatever they had on hoof at the mare. “Get off the stage! Start the fight!” the ponies yelled. “Hey! These two are criminals, they can't-” Rainbow yelled back at the crowd. The moment she was distracted, Flim and Flam grinned at each other and tapped their hooves. A pillar of rock shot out, sending the pegasus flying off the stage and into the ground. She got to her hooves, coughing up dirt. She turned to glare at the two. “You two better give up before we... huh?” The mare blinked in confusion as she stared into the eyes of the referee, a large orange stallion. “Miss, if you don't stop interfering with the matches, you're going to have to leave,” the earth pony said with a glare. “But they're criminals, they attacked a town and pretended to be members of the Water Nation! Well, not them, but they had a bunch of other ponies who... what?” The stallion just stared at her with a cocked eye. “Very well then. Where is your proof?” “My... my proof?” Rainbow squeaked. “I... err, we have the words of the ponies who lived there. But none of them are here... we have the word of the avatar!” “... So you have no proof,” the stallion said as he shook his head. “Go sit back down with your friends, or leave.” “But-” “I told you what you can do! Until you have proof of your baseless accusations, stop interfering with our tournament!” the stallion snapped. Rainbow growled before giving one last glare at the Flim Flam brothers, who just smirked back at her. She slowly walked off, back to her friends. “I can't believe this,” the pegasus grumbled. “Our word should be enough. Those two deserve to rot in a cell!” Twilight nodded. “They do, and they will. But we can't do anything right now,” the alicorn said with a glare towards the earth benders. “The moment those two are knocked out of the tournament, we'll get them. But, as long as they're in it we'll just get in trouble for interfering.” “Fine,” Rainbow growled as she ground her hooves into the ground. “But the moment they're out, we're getting them.” “Agreed,” Twilight said with a sigh as she watched the match, hoping the two would be knocked out. Unfortunately, the match was soon over with the brothers victorious. The group watched with trepidation, all enjoyment gone, as the tournament went round by round. The Apples easily crushed their opposition, Applejack's defensive capabilities in perfect sync with Big Mac's powerful attacks. Flim and Flam proved to be just as competent, their movements in unison as they quickly blew through the rounds. Rainbow growled angrily as her mind flashed back to her own defeat at their hooves, her eyes getting more narrowed with each victory. Eventually only the Apples and the brother remained, and she let out an annoyed cry. “We should go get them now!” the pegasus snapped. “We can't wait for the match tomorrow!” “We don't have much choice,” Twilight said with a sigh. “We'll just have to be patient.” Applejack and Bic Mac slowly trotted towards the group, a smile on her face and sweat glistening off her body. “Woo-wee,” the earth pony mare said with a shake of her mane. “That was a nice lil work out. So, what was it that had your hot-headed flyin' friend all up an' at'em?” The avatar raised a hoof before the pegasus could start. “Those two, the other finalists? They're criminals. They used a number of bandits, disguised as the Water Nation's soldiers, to rob and trick a town south of here. Plenty of ponies died because of those murderers. We managed to stop them, but they escaped. We never thought we'd find them here.” The yellow mare hummed as she scratched her chin. “But yah all don't have any proof?” “None,” the alicorn mumbled with a sigh. “I don't even know what we could use as proof.” “Well, that's a bit of a conundrum,” Applejack grumbled as she looked to her big brother. “We know a few ponies who kin keep an eye on em. Make sure they don't try an' run outta town. Unfortunately, ain't much yah can do while the tournaments goin' on. Ponies come from near an' far tah see all this, an' no ponies gonna take kindly tah yah interferin' without proof.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said with a nod of his head. “We can't just let them escape though!” Fluttershy finally spoke up, before quickly covering her mouth. “S-sorry...” “Ah ain't sayin' yah hafta. Me an' Bic Mac will trounce the two ah them tomorrow. Once that's all done, ponies will be a lot more inclined tah listen tah your accusations.” Twilight nodded and sighed. “Well... I guess that works. It's what we figured we'd have to do. You sure you can keep them from trying to escape the town tonight?” “Yup,” the earth pony said with a nod of her head. “We know jus' about everypony in town. Big Mac, think yah can get a watch going?” “Eeyup,” the stallion said as he turned and began to trot off. “Now don't yah worry one bit. Those two will answer for everything they gone and done. But for now, how about ah go ahead and take yah back to the farm? We can start workin' on your endorsements. Ah know jus' the pony tah draw up some signs.” Twilight sighed again. “I guess. Not like there's anything else we can do right now.” With some help of her friends, the alicorn was back in the cart and they began the slow trip back to the farm, now pulled by the younger Apple. ------ The sun slowly set across the sky, half its glow hidden behind the mountains to the west. Rarity sighed as she kept her gaze to the southern sky. Dark clouds had formed, warning of a powerful storm in the direction. “How much longer until we reach the town?” the princess asked. “I don't know,” Colgate said with a shrug. “The sign was quite old and faded. I don't even know if it still exists, plenty of towns... probably disappeared during the hundred years of night.” The white unicorn sighed as she lowered her gaze slightly, eying the wall of trees that were slowly getting closer. “I thought it would... it would... by the stars.” Her mouth fell open as they came closer and she made out a black mass in the distance. Thin streams of smoke rose from it. “Is that... is that the town?” The blue unicorn gulped as she stared as well. “I... I don't... know. It's small though. I don't think it... oh...” The two exchanged looks before galloping off towards the trees. The two soon arrived at the source of the smoke. The once proud town of Drowsy Void was nothing more than piles of ash and crumbled buildings. Not a soul remained, the only signs of ponies being here were the large number of hoof prints. Rarity gulped as she slowly walked through, knocking aside piles of ash. “How did this happen?” “The Water Nation,” Colgate mumbled. “Impossible! Why would they burn this place down?” the princess started trotting faster. “There must have been an accident. A fire, no pony was able to put it out. It probably happened because the sun dried everything out,” she said quickly as she looked through the wreckage for any sign of ponies. “Hello! Is any pony here? HELLO!” she yelled. “DIAMONDEYE!” the blue unicorn screamed. “Come here, quick!” Rarity instantly took off, sending ash flying as she galloped towards her traveling companion. It wasn't long before she found the other unicorn standing by the tree line. “What's wrong?” The fire bender merely pointed up, her eyes wide with horror. Dangling from the tree, a rope tightly around his neck and dark welts across his body, was a black stallion. His hooves were tied in front of him and his body was weighted down with the Water Nation's armor. Rarity stared for a few moments before her horn glowed. Her spear shot up and sliced through the rope, dropping the pony to the ground in a painful heap. To her slight delight, she heard the pony make a grunt of pain. To her horror, she saw the stallion's forehead, where a bleeding hole signified the removal of his horn. “Is he... is he dead?” Colgate asked as she took a step back. “No, not yet,” the princess said as she moved forward, knocking his helmet off as she looked over his beaten face. “But he will be if we don't do something. Can you go try to find some... no, it'll be faster if I find them myself. You need to look over him, get this armor off and try to stem any bleeding,” she said as she galloped off, into the woods. “Wait!” the fire bender called, but it was too late. She nervously gulped and moved to the unconscious stallion as she slowly began removing his armor. Blood coated much of the internal layers, matting into his purple mane and making the pieces difficult to remove, but she eventually got them off and laid the pony out. A large hole in his chest was bleeding severely as she nervously watched. After a few seconds she held up her hoof. “I'm... I'm sorry. This is for your own good...” Flame formed on the edge of the hoof as she slowly placed it towards the wound. Rarity froze as the scream pierced the night, but she quickly shook her head and got back to searching. The light was quickly disappearing and she needed to find whatever she could use, fast. Her mind struggled to focus on the many lessons her aunt had given her on medical herbs, but one lesson instead flooded into her mind, over and over. The punishment for treason in the Water Nation. The very same punishment that stallion had undergone. She struggled to shake the thoughts from her mind as she imagined Sweetie Belle being here. Standing in this town as it burned to the ground. Worse of all... ordering such a punishment on another pony. Gouging out the horn of a unicorn. Hanging them from the... She shook her head again. “Right. Berries. Nuts. Anything foragable. Medical herbs. Need to stop the infection. Focus Rarity, focus.” ------ Big Mac stifled a loud yawn as he slowly trotted down the long, empty road to the farm. His eyes glazed over slightly as he walked, his steps occasionally wobbling from side to side. He had stayed out a bit too long with some family friends and gotten suckered into a small apple cider drinking contest. Of course he'd won, but his head still felt off kilter. He'd almost stayed in town, but he refused to leave his sister home alone, even if the avatar and her friends were there. He stopped as his ears perked up. He tapped his hoof on the ground before jumping backwards. A spike of earth stabbed up in front of him, narrowly missing. The moment his hooves touched ground, the dirt shot up, flinging him into the air. His hooves flailed wildly as he tried to gain his bearings. He fell towards the ground, hooves out, as it suddenly opened into a pit under him. He landed hard, his hooves buckling under him as he slammed into the ground. The earth pony shook his head, trying to clear it as the pit suddenly collapsed in on him. Rock and dirt battered him as he lifted his hooves up. A moment later he shot out of the ground, landing a few yards away as he struggled to get to his hooves, blood sliding down his face and blinding his left eye. “Who... who's there? Show yourself!” the large pony said as his head swiveled left and right. He dove down as a pillar of rock shot over his head. He turned to the right and quickly galloped forward, his jaw set. He dove to the right as a spike of earth shot out from his left, but was suddenly sent flying back as a wave of mud formed under him and sent him hurtling into the air. He flew for a moment before landing in one of the trees, quickly tumbling down before crashing into the ground, head first. He slowly got to his hooves, only to get slammed as a pillar of rock shot out from under him, hitting him under the chin as his head whipped up. The large pony wobbled a few moments, before dropping on his side, unconscious. Two earth ponies slowly walked out from behind the nearby trees. “Whew,” Flim muttered. “Didn't think he'd be that tough after the drugs we gave him.” “Told yah it'd work,” Flam said as he twirled his mustache. “Now we just need to ensure he can't compete tomorrow and the grand prize is as good as ours.” ”What about his sister?” the bare faced pony asked. “She's not a worry,” the mustached pony said. “He was doing all the fighting, she just played defense. We'll trounce her. Time to take her brother out of the competition.” The two shared a look before nodding as they advanced on the helpless red pony.