Seventeen hours earlier, in Detrots…
The first thing Twilight felt in what seemed like a long time was the comfortable pillow that her head rested on. She groaned as she opened her eyes. She heard the sound of birds singing, ponies calling from outside to each other, and Brewman walking around the room outside her and her friends. Twilight slowly rose from her pillow, stretched her forelegs and looked around the room.
She looked to her left and saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, still sleeping in their beds. Glad they were okay she looked to her right, to where Fluttershy would be sleeping. A large part of her hoped that Fluttershy drugging them was a dream, and they would be able to go home.
The unicorn’s heart shattered when she saw the bed was empty. She stared dumbly at it with tears in her eyes for what seemed like ages. She didn’t hear the others beginning to stir from their slumber.
“Eh,” Rainbow groaned, stretching out her legs and wings, and rubbed her head with a hoof. “What happened?”
“Last thing I remember was having a drink with ya’ll,” Applejack said, stretching her legs and swinging her head from side to side. “And now this.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened when she remembered, then they narrowed and she hissed the name, “Fluttershy.”
“Now hold on, Rainbow.” Rarity said. “What if Fluttershy wasn’t responsible? What if she didn’t know what-”
“She was responsible,” Twilight cut her off. “She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“I knew it!” Rainbow roared, slamming down on the bed with her hooves. “When I find her I’m going to give her such a yelling she’ll be deaf from it for a week!”
“Hey, girls,” Pinkie said. Nopony noticed that the pink pony had gotten up and was looking at a scroll left wrapped up on the table. “I think it’s from Fluttershy,” she said in a sad tone, which seemed to Twilight so wrong coming from a pony who was meant to bring joy to the world.
Twilight got out of her bed and walked over to where Pinkie stood, gazing at the scroll left there. It was perfectly rolled up with a red ribbon tied around it. The lavender unicorn picked it up with her magic, untied the ribbon and began to read aloud.
“My dearest friends.
Firstly I want to thank you all, for being my friends. For being there when I needed it. For staying by me even when I wouldn’t go no further. For having faith in me when I had none for myself. I love you all so much and I will never forget you. The last two years will always leave a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
That is why I must leave you all now. I lied when I said I met Firewing here in Detrots. He went into Horsca about a month ago, and I’m going in after him, alone. I’m sorry for having to drug you like I did but I don’t want to see you all get hurt because of me, or worse. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to any of you.
By the time you would’ve all have awakened it will have been two days since I left you sleeping here. Star, the commander of the garrison, has promised me that you will be taken back to Ponyville safely. When you get there, please make sure Angel bunny is freed with the others at the cottage. I’m sure it's what he would have wanted. After that, live your lives the way you have all lived them, honest, loyal, generous, kind and happy.
I love you girls so much, and I’m sorry I’m so sorry.
Farewell.”
The letter ended and Twilight buried her face in it, her tears soaking into the scroll and ruining some of the writing. She looked around to see Pinkie’s head buried in Rarity’s chest, the white unicorn trying to calm down the crying pony even when she was in distress herself. Rainbow only stared at the ground, her face from one of anger to complete sorrow. Applejack showed no emotion whatsoever, her face staring at Twilight’s blankly with no idea what to do now.
Twilight looked away and stared towards where her yellow pegasus friend would have slept, her face wet with her own tears. Their friend had basically abandoned them, or saved them, depending on the situation Fluttershy was in at the moment.
She thought for a minute, then moved over to her bed, her eyes full of purpose; her horn shone its magenta aura over to where her bed lay and pulled out her saddlebags from underneath. She opened it up and checked inside them to see if she had everything.
“Twi?” Applejack asked curiously. “What ya doing?”
“I’m going after her,” Twilight stated.
Everypony gasped. “Twilight,” Rainbow said, jumping out if her bed and hovering in the air in front of the unicorn. “Isn’t that a bit dangerous, even for you?”
“Rainbow’s right,” Applejack said. “Fluttershy could be anywhere in Horsca by now. It could take years to find her.”
“I don’t care!” Twilight snapped back. “Right now the kindest pony that will ever live is out there somewhere, frightened, alone and lost. She has saved my life on several occasions, from dragons to cockatrices, and I want to return the favour, by being by her side. Because although she probably won’t admit it, she’s scared of what’s happening to her, and what she needs is a friend by her side.”
She placed her saddlebags on her back and moved to stand in front of the door. “You can go home if you want. But I’m not going home knowing I’ll have one less pony friend there.”
The four mares looked at each other in unease, unsure of what to do or how to act. Twilight decided to give it another minute before setting off. “Well,” Rainbow was the first to speak after a moment of silence. “Noone tells me to give up or go home, but me.” She dived under her bed and fished out her saddlebags. “I’m with you, Twilight,” she said with a grin, which Twilight replied in kind.
Pinkie stood facing the two mares for a moment before calmly getting her saddlebags and placing them on her back. “I’m ready, Twilight,” she stated. Applejack and Rarity looked at each other, then nodded and fished out their saddlebags from under their beds. Twilight felt her eyes water in joy and a beaming smile across her face; she never felt so lucky to have such good friends as she did now.
“All right, ladies,” she said with authority. “We need to get to Horsca by the end of the day. Fluttershy has had a two day head start but we’re not let that going to stop us, are we?”
“No way!” the four ponies responded in unison, Twilight nodded and turned to the door.
“Then let’s do this.” She reared up, and then galloped for the door, her friends following behind her. The door swung open on contact with Twilight’s hooves and they charged into the main room.
“Ah, thank goodness you’re awake, and thankfully with no side affects from such a long sleep,” a golden armoured white pegasus greeted them as they ran out of the room. Next to him stood Brewman who had a frown on his face. Behind the pegasus stood two unicorn guards, both had their eyes on the five ponies as they stopped dead a few feet away from the soldiers.
Twilight strode forward. “Let me guess, you must be… Commander Star?”
Star nodded. “That is correct, Twilight Sparkle.” He couldn’t help but smirk when Twilight’s eyes widened at the mention of her name. “Don’t be surprised I know your name, Twilight. Or that of your friends. After Fluttershy left two days ago I did I little digging onto you all and what I found was most fascinating. Saving Equestria twice is no easy feat.”
Rainbow snorted. “Um, I believe you mean three times.”
Twilight turned to Rainbow with a quizzical look. “When was the third time?”
Rainbow crossed her legs over her chest. “You know, when we got rid of that dragon on the mountain?”
Twilight shook her head. “I think Fluttershy takes full credit for that. We were on our flanks most of the time at that part anyway.”
“Ah yeah,” Rainbow replied, “I forgot about that bit.”
“Anyway,” Star interrupted. “I’m here to make sure that your escorted to the carriage.”
“Carriage,” Rarity said, her head tilting to one side. “What carriage?”
“The carriage that will fly you back to Ponyville this morning,” Star answered, looking at each of the confused ponies faces. “Or did Fluttershy forget to mention that in her letter she left you all?”
“Well, we’re not going home. We’re going to Horsca and find Fluttershy,” Rainbow proclaimed, moving closer to the white pegasus.
The two guards behind Star moved into an aggressive stance. “I’m afraid, Rainbow Dash,” Star said, gesturing the soldiers behind him to relax, “that I ain’t going to allow you to go after her. Fluttershy was very… specific that I make sure you all get back to Ponyville safely.”
“Aww, did little Fluttershy threaten biggie you?” Pinkie asked. Rainbow sniggered at such a suggestion, yet when she looked back at Star and saw him sweating, she couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Um, no,” he lied. “But as commander of the garrison here I order you to come with me.”
“Excuse me!” Rainbow zoomed up into his face until their noses were just millimetres apart. “But I only take orders from the Princesses, my friends and myself! Right now Fluttershy is not exactly right in the head at the moment. She’s been burned to a crisp, resurrected, and been in a coma for a month, and that’s not exactly going to do wonders for a pony. So now, she needs us more than she would let on. You could force us into the carriage, or even lock us in here if you want, but we are not going back to Ponyville, not without her.”
Star looked away from the other pegasus’ eyes, taking a moment to consider what Rainbow said. “Alright,” he said after a brief but intense moment of silence. He turned from the confused pegasus to the guards behind him. “Make sure they don’t leave this building,” he ordered.
“What!” the five ponies exclaimed. Rainbow slunk down to the floor and facehoofed herself hard. “Me and my big dumb mouth,” she muttered. The two unicorn guards erected a shield around the front door as Star left. Once the commander was outside, the unicorn guards left, slamming the door behind them.
Applejack leapt over the pegasus and tried to kick down the door, but was sent flying when her legs connected with a golden aura around the door. The four ponies crowded around her in concern and helped her up on her hooves.
Applejack shook the dust off her body. “Well that was real smooth, Rainbow,” she scowled, frowning at the pegasus. “If ya could keep that big mouth of yours shut for once, we may actually do something right for a change!”
Instead of retorting like she would do, Rainbow seemed to shrink slightly and rubbed her right leg. “Sorry,” she muttered. Somepony would’ve thought that Fluttershy and Rainbow had swapped places.
Applejack calmed down and put a comforting hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “That’s okay, sugarcube, I forgive ya,” She said with a smile.
“But how do we get out of here now?” Rarity whined. “The only way out is blocked by a barrier of some sort.”
“Twilight, you’re super duper smarty warty,” Pinkie said. “You could bring down the barrier, right?”
Twilight shook her head solemnly. “That’s military magic, Pinkie. Even if I could, it’s draining on a unicorn to fight another’s power.”
“So… we’re stuck here?” Rainbow said despairingly. The five mares looked down on the ground, their ears folded back and their eyes sullen.
“Well, if you want to give up that is.” They turned to Brewman, who was walking behind the bar with a smile on his face. “But I got a better idea, how about I get you all out of here?”
Five faces lit up in joy. “You want to help us?” Twilight asked joyfully. Brewman nodded. “Why?”
“Do I need a reason?” he answered with a shrug. “Other than the ones you said to Star, and the fact that you’re my friends, and I help my friends in need.”
He gestured for them to step behind the bar and surround a cellar door in the ground beneath him. “Before I bought this place,” he explained. “It was used by smugglers bringing in goods from Equestria to Horsca, and vice versa. This will take you to a clearing on the other side of the forest outside the city. Keep following the path, and once you get over the mountains you’ll be in Horsca. Fluttershy left in the late afternoon so would have made it the following evening. You on the other hoof could possibly get there by tonight if you move fast enough.”
“What about the guards?” Rarity asked. “Would they know that we have gone?”
Brewman shook his head and chuckled. “They don’t even know the smuggling took place, Rarity. Probably the Horscans put a stop to it. Anyway if they ask I’ll just say you’re in your room complaining.” He opened the doors and said, “Hop in.”
Pinkie jumped in first; crying out, “Wee!” as she fell, followed by Rarity, then Rainbow and Twilight.
“How could we repay ya for this?” Applejack asked as she took her place to jump.
“Just come back with Fluttershy alive and well, okay,” he answered.
“Hey, Brewman!” Twilight called from down below. “What’s in these sacks? They’re blooming heavy.”
“I put some things in them that you might need when you get into Horsca. Wait until you’re outside the city to find out!” He turned to Applejack. “See you later, fellow Ponyvillians, and good luck.”
Applejack grinned and hopped in, with them gone Brewman closed the doors and locked it. “Celestia’s sun and Luna’s moon guide you ponies,” he said quietly, and then turned back around, continuing with cleaning the mugs and dishes.
“Ouch! That was my tail whoever stood on that!” Rarity screeched.
“Oops, sorry, Rarity,” Rainbow said in the faint light emanated from Twilight’s horn. The five mares had been going through this tunnel for what seemed like an hour, each tripping up on each other’s hooves or tails at some point. On Twilight's back was a giant sack full of what seemed like leathery objects of some sort. While Applejack had the second sack, which was just as heavy but what of nopony knew.
“I think I can see a light,” Pinkie said.
“That’s just Twi’s light from her horn,” Applejack said.
Pinkie giggled. “Oh yeah you’re right, it is Twilight.” Silence reigned for a moment. “Say,” the pink pony suggested, “why don’t we play a game?”
“Okay,” Rainbow said sarcastically. “What should we play in a narrow corridor used by smugglers that smells as if something’s died?!”
“Um…” Pinkie pondered, before smiling. “I have no idea.”
“Then why did you suggest us playing something if you don’t know what to do?!” Applejack shouted from the front.
The pink pony simply shrugged. “Thought it might keep our minds occupied.”
The tunnel suddenly started to widen, allowing the ponies to fan out from the packed space. They found themselves in a small cave, with a small pool of water that rippled as the ponies walked by it and the walls of the cave sparkled like gems.
Twilight led the way through a narrow passage through the cave, eventually seeing a bright light at the end of the cave. She grinned when she realised they were nearly outside.
“Come on, girls!” she called back. “We’re nearly there!” She broke into a gallop and ran straight into the outside world. She found herself in a meadow that stretched up to a small river, flowing fast as if it was escaping from something. To her right, following the path that led to the city was an arched stone bridge, its stone showing signs of age due to the moss hanging over its sides. The long grass blew flowingly to the current of the wind. Twilight breathed deeply, for the air to her seemed as sweet as honey.
Twilight squinted her eyes as she walked from the shadows into the sun that now loomed overhead; her eyes resumed their normal size once they had adjusted. She didn’t notice Applejack standing next to her, her hat lowered over her brow due to the sun, and she heard Rarity complain that she didn’t have a suitable hat for this day. While Rainbow and Pinkie sat by the cave entrance, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the gentle breeze. “So where now, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“I believe we go this way,” she answered, pointing to the where the bridge stood. She began to trot back onto the road and heading, presumably, north, while the others followed behind, eager to find their friend again.
“So I spy with my little eye. Something beginning with… T,” Pinkie said. The group had been walking for around four hours now and to pass the time, Pinkie had started playing ‘I spy’ and since then it’s been pretty much the same answer.
“Let me guess,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “A tree?”
“Nooooo” Pinkie said innocently, much to Rainbow’s surprise.
“Pinkie, how can it not be a tree when on either side of us, are trees!” Rainbow said in exasperation.
“Don’t know,” Pinkie shrugged. “Just isn’t a tree.”
“Okay then…” Applejack said, looking around for something beginning with ‘T’, her eyes soon turned to the lavender unicorn in front of them. “Is it Twilight?”
“Yippee!” Pinkie cheered, jumping in the air and punching it. “Well done, Applejack! Your go!”
Okay… um,” Applejack pondered, looking around for something to pick that wasn’t a tree. Around them, trees walled the path they walked down, a few times were small openings to clearings with lush meadows, but they felt clustered by the trees so to speak. Ahead of them, however, looming in the distance was the mountains that separated Equestria from Horsca, their peaks reaching into the clouds as if they were poking them.
“Girls, do you mind if we stop for a while?” Twilight looked back at the other ponies. “I’m a little hungry.” Her belly started to rumble as if to prove the statement.
“Okay, Twilight. Would be nice to have a picnic out here,” Rarity added.
“Yeah, plus we could see what’s in that sack Brewman gave us,” Rainbow said, pointing to the sack that Twilight was carrying on her back. Although Rainbow offered to take it, Twilight refused saying just a little further. And that was about an hour ago.
The five friends moved off the road into an opening that led into a field with a house that was broken and deserted, although what they did here was pretty easy to understand. Around them, were rows upon rows of apple trees, each one had ripe, spellbindingly fragrant apples that were a brighter green than the grass they moved on.
Twilight set down the sack and rubbed her back with her hooves. Pinkie got out her blanket and set it down on the grass. The ponies crowded it and brought out the second sack Brewman gave them. Inside were a varied number of fruits from apples to kumquats. They brought out some and shared it around, enjoying the delicious and rather exotic fruits.
“So, Twilight?” Rainbow asked, looking inquisitively at the first sack by Twilight’s side. “Are you going to check what’s in there?”
The lavender unicorn finished eating her mouthful and answered, “I don’t see why not.”
Her horn glowed its familiar magenta colour around the sack, making it float in the air, then swinging it upside down and spilling its contents out. Out came six unusual bracelets; five had a golden unicorn head on the front, with a length from the wrist of the hoof to below the knee, while the tops resembled something of a sword handle. The other was even stranger; a wooden structure that had two half arches on the sides, with a loose string connecting the two together. While on the side, was a lever of some sort that seemed to push back.
The five ponies looked at them strangely. “Any idea what these are?” Pinkie asked to noone in particular. The others shook their heads.
“So what in tarnation do we do with them?” Applejack asked, again to noone in particular.
“Let’s try putting them on,” Twilight suggested.
Rarity took a step back from them. “Goodness gracious no!” she yelled. “A lady like me will never be seen wearing something so… unglamorous in her life. It will make my leg look boisterous.”
“Oh come on, Rarity!” Applejack fumed. “It’s not like it’s going to kill ya.”
The white unicorn nodded and with a sigh reluctantly attached one of the bracelets to her leg, muttering something about finding Fluttershy being worth the humiliation. There was no difficulty attaching them to their legs – they clicked in place rather than strapped on. Rainbow had difficulty with hers, but Twilight gave her a helping hoof once done with her own.
Twilight stared in wonder at hers and found it ever so light and surprisingly comfortable, as if it wasn’t even there. She raised her leg in the air to see how it was attached when a foot long blade shot out of a small slit at the end, making her jump back in surprise. The four ponies moved their legs in the same position and soon four more blades appeared from their bracelets. “Incredible,” Twilight muttered in wonder.
“This. Is. So. Awesome!” Rainbow squealed in delight, a bright grin on her face. She flew into the air and gave her sword a few swings and lunges.
“Careful with that thing,” Applejack warned her. “It’s not a toy, ya know.”
“I know that, Applejack,” Rainbow scoffed. “I’m just trying it out. Ha, no one’s gonna mess with us in Horsca.”
“I must say,” Rarity admitted. “That these are quite comfortable on one’s features.”
“Say, what about the other one?” Pinkie pointed to the sixth bracelet, the strange one.
Before Twilight could pick it up, Rainbow dived down and grabbed it. She placed it on her left leg, a clicking sound meaning it attached. As one, the two half arches spread out to form a full arch at the front end of the thing, the string tightened until it stretched between the two ends.
“A crossbow,” Twilight proclaimed, much to Rainbow’s glee. The unicorn looked around to see if there were any crossbow bolts. Upon finding none, she looked back in the bag and found a quiver of around fifty bolts that were stuck to the bottom of the sack. “I found some bolts, Dash!” she called up to the pegasus.
Rainbow swooped back to the ground so Twilight could equip the quiver of bolts to Rainbow's side. They fitted nicely around her waist as the unicorn tightened the strap around the cyan pegasus’ neck.
“Hold on now,” Applejack said as she walked over. “Why should Rainbow get the crossbow?”
“Because I’m a pegasus. So if I need to, I could shoot things from above,” Rainbow argued.
“Just because ya got wings doesn’t mean ya the best shooter out of all us,” Applejack retorted. Rainbow was about to reply but realised the earth pony was right. She could still easily miss and hit her friends from above as well on the ground if they did get into a fight.
“So how should we decide whose the better shot then out of all of us?” Rainbow asked.
“Um…” Applejack said, looking around the orchard for something they could use as target practice. Her eyes spotted a large tree on a small slope about a good forty feet from them, on the branches were some of the biggest apples she had ever seen. It would make a perfect target.
“See that tree over there?” She pointed to where she was looking. Her good rival nodded. “If ya can shoot down one of those apples then ya have it, but if I can shoot one down then I’ll have it. Deal?”
Rainbow took a moment to consider this. “Deal.” The two rivals spat on their hooves and put them together in agreement.
“How can they do that on each others’ hooves escapes me,” Rarity grimaced in disgust.
The two contestants looked at the three other ponies, which now sat in a line on Pinkie’s blanket. “Ya not going to try out?”
“I don’t think I would be any good at it, Applejack, so I’m out. What about you two?” Twilight said, looking at Rarity and Pinkie who shook their heads. “Looks like it’s just you two.”
“Okay then, your loss,” Rainbow shrugged, turning around and focusing on the targeted apple tree. “You go first, Applejack.”
“Thank ya kindly, Rainbow,” Applejack said with a smile. The pegasus took off the crossbow bracelet and helped place it on the orange pony’s free leg.
Once on, Applejack positioned herself facing the tree and sitting on her rump. She took a bolt from Rainbow in her teeth and placed it on the tip of the bowstring, the bolt sitting comfortably on a rack in the middle. She used her right leg to push the lever on the right side back so the arrow and the string were pulled back as well. “I take it to release it again to fire?” the earth pony asked aloud.
“I think you have to push it down to release it,” Twilight replied. The unicorn was about to go further when she heard a crunching sound. She looked to her right and saw Pinkie diving her face into a huge bag of popcorn. “Where did you get that bag of popcorn from?” she asked with an eyebrow raised.
“I got it from Detrots. Brewman had it in his basement and he had a few bags so I thought he wouldn’t mind if I had one,” Pinkie explained. “Want some?”
Twilight stared at her friend for a moment, and then simply shrugged. “Yeah alright.” she picked a hoofful with her magic and placed it on the blanket. Rarity meanwhile, without taking her eyes from the scene in front of her, sneakily snuck her hoof in the bag and picked some.
Applejack, meanwhile, raised her leg once again and got ready to fire. There wasn’t a sound in the world, no birds sang, nor anypony spoke. The only things that could be heard were their steady breathing.
Applejack held her breath for a moment and pushed the lever down, the bolt soaring off the bow with a crack. Unfortunately for Applejack it past an apple she aimed at and embedded itself into the tree. “Darn it!” Applejack cursed herself. Rainbow started to snigger.
“Gee, Applejack, I thought you were the better shot out of all of us,” the pegasus sniggered.
“Yeah well ya still got to hit it, Rainbow,” Applejack retorted with a smirk. “If ya do, then ya have it.” She took the crossbow off her leg and helped Rainbow put it on hers.
“Well then, here goes nothing,” Rainbow said with a slight hint of nervousness. She set up her position where her orange friend had sat and, once she gotten the bolt in place, raised her left leg. Her leg shook about as she tried to get a steady aim on an apple that seemed to call to her.
She took a deep breath, and pushed down on the lever. The bolt shooting off sent Rainbow falling down on her back, the bolt went straight through the apple and embedded itself in the tree. A minute later the apple fell to the ground and rolled down the slope, landing by a stunned Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
The three ponies behind them cheered at Rainbow’s victory. Applejack clapped her hooves together and helped the pegasus on her hooves. “Well done, RD,” she said with a smile. “May be we’re in safer hooves than I thought we would be.”
“Thanks, Applejack. It’s good to know you have some faith in me,” Rainbow said in a tone of mock-offence.
Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head at the two ponies. ‘They’ll never get over their rivalry,’ she thought. She looked over to Pinkie. “Do you know what the time is?”
Pinkie looked at her party watch. “Well it’s gone two hours over party time so it must be about two-ish,” she answered.
Twilight got up and started putting some leftovers in her bags. “We better get going if we want to be in Horsca by tonight,” she said. Rarity and Pinkie nodded in agreement and soon started helping. Applejack and Rainbow joined soon after, Rainbow picking the victory apple as she passed with her teeth.
It wasn’t long that they were packed up and ready to go, Rainbow took the lead followed by Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie who hopped rather than walked.
By the time they made it within the shadow of the mountains it was twilight hours. The sun was now halfway over the horizon and the moon was beginning its ascent into the sky, with the stars starting to appear one by one. Rainbow flew upfront and reached the top of the mountain. In the low sunlight, she could see the vast beauty of the country that lay before her.
As she sat there waiting for her friends to reach her, she wondered where her other winged friend would be. She wasn’t angry with Fluttershy, no, but she was extremely worried about her. Rainbow had always seen Fluttershy as a sister or, even though she would never admit it, the sister she always wanted. A sister that she could look after, and one to be by her side and to stop her sometimes before things went too far. “I’ll find you again, Fluttershy,” she declared to the open sky. “Even if it takes me a hundred years.”
By the time Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie made it up the mountain, panting as they came to the summit, the sun had gone and the sky was abounded with bright stars. “Ladies!” Rainbow exclaimed. Turning around to face them. She reared up on her hind legs and spread her forelegs wide as if she was about to give them a hug. “May I be the first to welcome you to Horsca, the land of the horses!”
“Wow,” the four ponies chimed together. Although the darkness of Luna’s night had clouded the land, like Rainbow, they could tell of a beauty that this country holds.
“We should get to the bottom of this mountain, then I think we should call it a day,” Twilight, said. The others agreed. They followed the path down the other side of the mountain; thankfully for them it wasn’t steep so apart from a few small rocks that the ponies could trip over, they made it down and into Horsca with little difficulty.
They followed the dirt path as it turned into a stone road. “I think we’ve gone far enough,” Twilight declared, leading them off the main road and into a clearing hidden from plain sight.
“Finally,” Rarity sighed in relief. Her hind legs gave way and she collapsed onto her rump, the grass feeling surprisingly comfortable on her rear. “I have never done so much walking in ages.”
Pinkie and Twilight found some wood and set up a fire that glowed brightly thanks to Twilight and her magic. The five friends surrounded it, enjoying the sound of the firewood as it crackled and broke apart, while they stayed nice and warm under their blankets.
“Are you all mad at Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
The others were taken aback by the question; they really thought about it for a moment until Twilight answered first. “No, can’t say I am. Disappointed mainly but not mad.”
“I think if we were mad, sugarcube,” Applejack reasoned. “We would be on that carriage back to Ponyville, and not here looking for her.”
“I guess so,” Pinkie said quietly, looking to the ground.
“Are you mad, darling?” Rarity asked.
“Nope,” Pinkie answered, shaking her head. “I find it hard to be mad at her for long. It just doesn’t feel right.”
“It isn’t right to be mad at anypony for long, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “We all make mistakes and we should move on from them.”
Applejack, with the corner of her eye (she had taken her hat off and it rested at her side), noticed something different in the sky. She looked up and gasped in wonder and awe. “Twi,” she whispered. “Look at this!”
Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity and Pinkie looked up and gasped in shock at what they saw. The sky was coloured in waves of green and red, swirling around the stars as if they were dancing. Twilight, without once moving her eyes away from the beauty she was witnessing, brought a notebook out of her saddlebags and started jotting down notes without even looking.
“A aurora borealis,” she said hoarsely. “I thought I would never get to see them in my lifetime. They usually occur much further north, but this… this is amazing.”
“It sure is,” Rainbow agreed. “And strangely, we have to thank Fluttershy for this.”
Twilight didn’t respond; she simply nodded in agreement. “What do you think, Rarity?” Rainbow turned to the other unicorn, but noticed that she was fast asleep, huddled up near the fire under Fluttershy’s blanket and her breathing steady.
“You know what, I agree with her,” Rainbow said, pointing to the white unicorn. “Goodnight, everypony.” She laid down and rested her head on the soft grass and fell asleep extraordinarily quickly.
“So what’s the plan tomorrow, Twilight?” Pinkie asked.
“Well,” Twilight answered. “I think we should head to the nearest city and see if Fluttershy came through. Go a similar way we found Applejack.”
“Please don’t bring that up again,” Applejack said with a groan. “It wasn’t exactly my finest moment.”
“Sorry, Applejack,” Twilight said. “But that’s the plan, and we won’t stop until we find her again.”
Pinkie nodded, and then yawned, “Well I’m tired,” she said drearily. “Goodnight, Applejack, Twilight.” She fell flat on her side and was spark out the moment she hit the ground.
“Do ya think Fluttershy might be watching this as well?” Applejack asked the unicorn.
“Oh I hope so, Applejack,” Twilight said. “I sure hope so.”
Little did the two mares know that miles away, on the highest point of a city, a yellow pegasus pony was thinking whether they were seeing the aurora as well.
The stars started to disappear from the sky one by one. As soon as they disappeared, the sun began its climb over the horizon and into the sky, bringing the dawn of a new day. To Fluttershy, the city of Castilian was beautiful, but now, with the first light of the day shining down on its majestic white walls, it was made even more magnificent.
Fluttershy sat up top the main balcony once again, her wings spread out wide, enjoying the light breeze on her feathers that although slightly ticklish, made her more relaxed than she is. She looked down onto the steppes that lay before the city gates, which were packed with horses.
Throughout the night, hundreds of horses had galloped from their homes across northern Horsca and set up camp outside the city walls. Freya had assured her that they were her soldiers under her orders, which calmed her to an extent at least. Now, as she looked down on the camps, she could hear the sound of whinnying, swords on anvils and clashes of blades, sounds that were so alien to her.
Fluttershy had small bags under her eyes due to the fact she didn’t sleep well at all, mostly though due to the part excitement, part nervousness she felt for today. She turned her head away from the camps outside the city, and faced her destination. The Ragged Mountain range, as they were known as by the horses. She could see the peaks of some of the highest mountains reach over the clouds that loomed over it. She realised that she would have to set off very soon if she wanted to get there tonight.
“Miss Fluttershy,” a voice called from below. The pegasus took her gaze off her destination and looked down the steps to reveal a horse, probably a colt due to his size, whose coat was a dark brown and had a light ginger mane and tail. “Miss Freya would like you to meet her in the main hall before you leave.”
The pegasus walked down the stairs from the balcony and faced the young horse. “Thank you, sir, I would be with her shortly.” The horse bowed his head and trotted off down the corridor. Fluttershy followed the colt until she came to the door of the guest room, the room that Freya gave her for the night.
The guest room wasn’t as big as Freya’s understandably, but was by far more luxurious. A dark red carpet with swirling gold lines adorned the floor, a large wardrobe made up an entire wall, while a bookcase made up another, filled with tomes of books of either fiction or knowledge about the country she was in. The third wall was made up of stands that had two-foot long ceremonial swords that were either in steel or in bronze. And the guest bed was huge, with a bright green duvet with a golden horse head on the front, while either side were bed draws for her to use.
Fluttershy entered her room and headed straight to the wardrobe, picking out her saddlebags with her teeth and opening them up to be sure everything was all right. She delved her head into the bag and found her medallion; she smiled and hugged it as if it was an old teddy bear. She pulled out her sword bracelet given to her by Star in Detrots and placed it onto her right leg, the brace clicking in place nicely around her hoof.
She lifted her foreleg and the sword slowly crawled out of the scabbard. It seemed to Fluttershy that it sang as it appeared, as if it was anticipating its use. Fluttershy prayed to Celestia and Luna that she would never need to use it, but the dangers of the country made it too valuable to leave here.
She decided to practice on using it; she gave a few swings around the room, unbelievably managing to miss anything that came as close to being hit. If any horsecarl came through that day and saw Fluttershy practice, they would probably have lost their jaws.
Satisfied in its use, she lowered her leg down and the sword sang mournfully as it detracted into the scabbard. She looked around the room for one final time before swinging her saddlebags over her back and trotted out the door, singing a cheery little tune as she trotted, trying to look and stay confident. But all she wanted to do was stay here, or go home.
She soon found herself in the main hall again. The tables had been re-arranged so that they were at the sides of the room. Any stains from last night’s feast had been removed, and there wasn’t a single horse in sight.
“Freya?” she called out to the empty room, hoping she might be within hearing distance. She waited for a few moments, but noone called back to her. She moved to where Freya sat last night and sat down next to it, deciding to wait patiently for her to return.
Minutes later, she was beginning to tap her hoof in impatience. Although Fluttershy was normally a patient pony, she couldn’t help sometimes to be agitated by other ponies’ lack of time keeping. Her eyes darted from one part of the hall to another; she then looked up, and did a double take.
Mounted on the highest points of the walls, were the stuffed heads of sabre tooth tigers, bears, and she could swear one was a Fenrisian wolf, the largest and most dangerous breed of wolf in existence.
“When a horse of the Horscan army achieves great things, he or she is sent out into the wild to find and kill the deadliest creatures in Horsca. If they return, then they become a horsecarl, a member of the personal bodyguards of the king or queen of Horsca,” Freya explained as she walked in and noticing Fluttershy’s confused look at the mounted heads.
When the pegasus noticed the old grey horse come in, she made a wide smile and ran up to Freya, nuzzling her. “Good morning, Fluttershy, my dear. I trust you slept well?”
Fluttershy shied away. “Actually… I didn’t to be honest,” she said, and then added quickly, “But it wasn’t the bed’s fault! I guess I was nervous about today.”
Freya chuckled and nuzzled her in comfort. “You should have said something last night. I know a few lullabies that would send a foal to sleep in seconds.”
“I was worried I might disturb you,” she said, rubbing her hooves together.
Freya chuckled again. “I would never get disturbed by a good friend, Fluttershy. Besides, I didn’t sleep well last night either.”
She indicated for the pegasus to follow her. “I am truly afraid about today, Fluttershy,” she said sadly. “Outside the city right now is around five thousand horses itching to get into battle, and I’ve been told more will come, probably going up into ten thousand by noon. I have to lead them all, Fluttershy, and I’m afraid that I will be unable to protect them.”
Fluttershy frowned, unable to think of what to say to Freya at this moment. “Don’t worry,” she said softly with a small smile. “I’m sure you will do your best. And they will love you, Freya. No matter what happens.”
Freya smiled back but didn’t say anything. The old mare guided Fluttershy to her room. When they got there, Freya moved to one of the chest at the far corner if the room.
“I wanted to give this to you before you leave,” Freya explained. “It was a gift from a unicorn when I was a foal. He said that if I should ever get lost in the darkness, it will light the way for me.” She found what she was looking for and brought it out with her teeth. In her mouth was a gem, a bright violet colour and shaped like a cone.
Fluttershy shook her head. “I could never accept that, Freya. It was a gift given to you and you alone should have it.”
“Nonsense, Fluttershy,” Freya said. “I’m too old for going into caves, dungeons and old temples. So I have no need for this anymore. But you do if you’re going into that catacomb.”
Freya walked over and placed the gem into her saddlebags. “Thank you,” Fluttershy said, accepting defeat.
“You’re welcome, my dear,” Freya said. The two stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say to the other.
“Where’s Thowra?” Fluttershy suddenly asked, “I want to see him before I go, to thank him also.” Freya’s reaction was sudden, her ears drooped right back and her eyes seemed to glisten with water.
“He’s gone,” she answered sadly, closing her eyes and lowered her head towards the ground. “He left in the early morning for Andulusia. I don’t know when, or if, he’ll come back.”
Fluttershy eyes widened and her eyes started to water. “I never even got to say goodbye.”
Freya wrapped a hoof around the pegasus. “Neither did I, child. But Thowra was never good at saying goodbye, even when he was a colt. Plus it’s hard on him.”
Fluttershy looked up at her. “Why?”
“That, I’m afraid is not for me to tell. Only Thowra should tell you that, if he is willing to that is,” Freya answered.
“Do you think I will see him again?”
Freya shrugged. “I don’t know, but maybe, Fluttershy, maybe.”
Fluttershy sniffed back some tears and wiped her eyes. “Well… I guess this is goodbye?”
Freya nodded slightly. “I guess so.” They stared at each other for a moment before embracing in a hug. “Come back safely, Fluttershy, for I’ll want to hear your story.”
“I’ll try,” Fluttershy promised. She pulled away from the embrace, and then bowed her head one more time before turning around and trotting out the room.
“I hope you find him!” Freya called out after her.
“Thanks, and good luck to you as well!” Fluttershy replied back. She didn’t hear a reply, because there wasn’t one. “Okay,” Fluttershy said to herself as she exited the main hall. “You can do this. Just like you dreamed of when you were a filly.”
As she made her way through the courtyard she saw that it was completely empty. She thought that they were probably outside the city walls. She stopped as she remembered the horses outside. Her path would take her directly past them and, well, they would all look at her in surprise, awe, or distaste. She didn’t want all of those horses looking at her as she walked by, so the pegasus decided to take the pegasi way out.
She trotted up the ramp up onto the battlements of the main fort, heading into the tallest tower along the wall, making it to the top and looking down below. She could see a large group of horses around an area of stools and shops; it seemed to be a market place of some sort. She giggled at the thought of what those horse’s faces might look like when she flew over them, but she didn’t care. This is what a pegasus was meant to do.
She jumped up on top of one of the merlons that surrounded the main tower, and took a deep breath. She would never tell Rainbow, or anypony this lest she be seen as a bragger. It was one of her biggest secrets and she loved every moment of it. She jumped off the merlon and dived nose first to the ground.
Before she could crash, however, she spread her wings and pulled up, scarcely clearing one of the rooftops. She couldn’t help to laugh as she looked down below to see gaping faces of the horses down below.
She picked up quite a speed as she sped past the main walls and out onto the plains, towards the mountains where Firewing could be. “If I get there by the afternoon,” she said aloud. “I could start looking around the area for this catacomb.” With a burst of speed she raced away from Castilian, leaving the city a speck in the distance and a clear course to the Ragged Mountains.
A few hours later, she was tired. Her tail was dirty as it dragged along behind her. Her mane had a few twigs in it from when she crashed into some bushes, and she could feel a blister coming on one of her hind legs.
If this is what adventuring was like, she would never want to go home again!
“Oh ain’t you the cutest little squirrel I have ever seen!” she squealed with pure delight as she watched a squirrel run from tree to tree. The animal in question was an amazing bright red colour with a white breast. “I’ve never seen a red squirrel before. I didn’t even know you existed, but this is just so incredibly wonderful.”
The pegasus had flown for a good two hours before having to land. She was still a few miles from the mountain range but she didn’t mind as much as she did when she left. As soon as she touched down (well, crashed is more the word), the first thing she saw was a deer with a reddish body and a grey face. Fluttershy approached the deer and managed to say hello. The deer stayed for a while before running off into the forest, leaving the pegasus alone to get moving, now that she had recovered from her crash landing.
She had found herself on the middle of a forest, where noises, from familiar and unfamiliar animals, were abundant. She managed to see the peaks of the mountains from the canopies of the trees and made her way towards them, flinching at nearly every sound that was alien to her. Since her landing, she had encountered a whole bunch of animals, from a golden eagle to the red squirrel; this place was the kind of environment that Fluttershy adored.
She eventually came across a small dirt path and followed it, always looking to the mountains that lumbered in the distance, always getting closer and closer with each hoof step. Fluttershy would be lying if she said they didn’t intimidate her.
The road soon came to an old stone cottage by the side of a river, which flowed rapidly. The cottage itself had a small stairway leading inside, while there were two doors that led to a cellar. Around the cottage, lines of moss hang around the sides, drawn together by thread of some sort by whoever owned this pretty place.
Fluttershy walked over to the riverside and brought her face down into the water to drink. The water was probably the freshest water she had ever tasted, it seemed to give her strength back too. She dived her head into it and washed away most of the dirt from her face.
She pulled back up and looked at herself in the water. As she sat there she wondered what her friends were doing right now. Twilight probably had her nose buried in some book; Rarity was starting to work on some new dress (es), she pictured Applejack was bucking some of those delicious apples that her family grew, Rainbow practicing a new trick and probably hurting herself in the process, and Pinkie just being Pinkie.
Her ears flattened at the thought of her friends, all smiling, and all laughing about something. She would give anything or everything to be normal again, so she could be at home with her animal friends, and her pony friends.
“Hello,” a voice called behind her, making her jump a good few feet. She turned around to see a young filly with a light cream coloured coat and a dark brown mane, and was around the same size as her. “Are you an angel?”
Fluttershy tilted her head to one side. “An angel?” It didn’t take long to realise what the filly meant. “Oh you mean the wings,” she said, spreading them out and flapping them. “No, not an angel, I’m a pegasus pony from Equestria. My name’s Fluttershy.” She walked up to the filly and reached out a hoof for her to shake. The filly backed away nervously. “What’s yours?”
The filly regained some confidence and gave the hoof an odd look. “You stretch out your hoof and we shake,” Fluttershy explained. The filly slowly reached a hoof out and touched Fluttershy’s, shaking it nervously.
“My name's Adrana,” the filly introduced herself. “What’s Equestria?”
“Well,” Fluttershy answered, “Equestria is a country full of ponies like me, and some have horns on their head that can do magical things with, and others that don’t have any of those things but are hardworking and strong. It borders Horsca to the south.”
Adrana nodded. “So why are you here? And not in Equestria?”
Fluttershy sat down on a rock, and patted a spot for Adrana to sit. “It’s okay,” she said softly with a comforting smile upon noticing her hesitance. “I won’t bite.” The filly slowly walked up and sat next to Fluttershy.
“I’m looking for another pony actually,” Fluttershy said. “A pegasus like me. I would doubt though if you’ve seen him if you’ve only met me.”
Adrana nodded. “So, where was he heading?”
“Into the mountains, looking for this catacomb or something like that,” the pegasus answered. The filly’s eyes widened.
“Many horses have come through here looking for that place, but they never came back,” she warned. “Don’t go if you want to go home!”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but be alarmed by the filly’s warnings. “But I can’t go home,” she shook her head. “It is important to me that I find him and see him about something that is wrong with me.”
Adrana stared at her then nodded her head. “I hope then you find him alive.”
“So,” Fluttershy said, quickly changing the subject, “where’s your family?”
“My father went to Castilian for some reason. Mother says she don’t know when he’ll be back though,” she answered dolefully. “And my mother is out picking food for dinner tonight.”
Fluttershy nodded. “What do you do here then?”
“I just sit around all day doing nothing,” she replied, surprisingly calm about it,
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Do you have any friends?” Fluttershy asked. Adrana shook her head.
“I’m too nervous to talk to new people,” she answered. Fluttershy could now see a part of her in this young horse, and it frightened her a little.
“Well, you can’t be too shy,” she said. “You talked to me just fine.”
The filly looked at the pegasus in shock and confusion. “I used to be a really shy filly,” Fluttershy explained. “I never talked to anyone first, too shy and nervous that I would say the wrong thing and they might get offended. Still am really. But I never let that stop me from having some of the best friends I thought I would never have. So don’t let that stop you.”
With that, Fluttershy jumped off the rock she sat on and moved back onto the main road, she looked back at the stunned filly and smiled. “Try to have what I missed out on in my childhood. Friends.” Without waiting for a reply she turned her head towards the mountains and galloped down the path.
Adrana smiled and whispered, “Thank you,” to the pegasus as she left. Fluttershy clearly heard it though and grinned.
Fluttershy’s eyes darted left and right; she flinched to every sound that emanated from the dark forest around her. It’s been two hours or so since she left Adrana and her cottage and around half an hour ago she entered the shadows of the Ragged Mountains. She looked up at the mountains and swore they were watching her with malice with whatever eyes they had.
She was now in a dark forest, following a small dirt road that led deeper and deeper through the thick trees. Although this wood was scary, it was nothing in comparison to the Everfree Forest at home. “Oh come on, Fluttershy, don’t be a scaredy pony,” she said to herself. “It’s just a slightly creepy wood with possibly lots of dangerous creatures that could eat you.”
She finally found her way out of the forest and into a clearing. She followed the path, humming a cheery tune to keep her spirits up, and they worked slightly, for she soon was trotting at a good pace and the sounds from around her didn’t bother her at all. As her path continued, she soon came to a boulder that was shaped roughly like an arrowhead. Curious, she walked up to it and noticed that it was pointing towards the mountains. She reared up and felt the top of the bolder, to her suspicions; the rock was smoothed down to a point where it wouldn’t be considered genuine.
She recalled back when she was a small filly, and in the orphanage back in Cloudsdale, she managed to get hold of the first books of the Daring Do adventure series. She remembered she couldn’t put the first one down, and would stay up all night under the duvets with a small light to illuminate it for her.
In her dreams she became a famous explorer, going on adventures like this and discovering lost places. She learnt survival skills from Daring, found a fascination with history, compass work and many other things. And she could tell from this rock that this was a remembrance piece – someone had placed it here long ago to remind whoever made this of where they put something.
She grinned and followed where the ‘arrow’ was pointing. Unbelieving the string of good luck she was having at the moment, she walked closer to the mountains. As she approached she saw something that only her good eyes could see from her distance.
A small gap in the mountain, so narrow only one horse could walk through it, became present when she got closer. She was soon walking down the path and her heart began to race. The passage was made up of twists and turns that made it seem like it would go on forever. She broke into a canter and quickly made her way out of the passage and arrived in a valley that dwelled between the mountains.
The air was cold and a slight chill made her coat stand up on end, but she ignored the cold and trotted on. She eventually found her way to the end of the valley and gasped at what was in front of her.
A massive arch stretched across the valley, dark stoned with roots growing at its bases. At the top was a giant dragon head, with its mouth wide and baring its teeth, it had two giant horns on its head that, unlike many dragons, who had horns stretching upwards, these ones stretched sideways and curved down towards the teeth, but not blocking out the creature’s vision, if it was real anyway.
Fluttershy gulped and quickly trotted under it, determined to get out of the creature’s frightful eyes. To her left and right, on giant pillars stood grotesques of different sizes, each with their claws resting on the edges, and each looked old with chips present on most of them. Ahead of her was a door, a good ten feet or so high which curved at the top. Carved on the front was a golden dragon, its head resembling the one on the arch, but with a body and tail, which was covered in horns and scales.
Fluttershy wondered why this place had an obsession with dragons. That was when it hit her. “This could be a dragons’ tomb!” she screeched. She started to run back but stopped suddenly. “No!” she yelled, stomping her hoof on the ground. “I’m going to go in there and I’m going to find Firewing! And no dead dragon or whatever’s in there is going to stop me!” She walked up to the door and found the doorknob; she placed the ring in her teeth and pulled the door open.
With a complaining groan the door heaved, eventually coming to a point where she could get through. She spat it out of her mouth and slowly walked inside. Whilst unbeknown to her, a figure watched her enter.