The Seven Tribes

by Scootaloo-009

Arc 1: The Machine

        “Father?” the pure white filly called as she walked out onto the balcony; her tri-colored mane hung limply from her head. The other pony present was vastly different: a towering red figure with a fiery orange mane that moved on its own.

        He didn’t reply, so she stood beside him. She had to rear up and support herself with the balcony railing to see anything. Together, the two gazed out at the city below. From their high vantage point high on the mountain, they could see all of Alicornia, the most regal pony city in existence.

        “Father, where are they going?” she asked, pointing to the figures flying over head. Their wings beated furiously,and their horns glowed, ready to unleash horrific magic on whatever their target was.

        Finally, the larger figure spoke. “They are going... to their deaths.”

        The filly blinked and looked away. Her brow furrowed.

        “They do not... intend to die, but I do not see them winning the fight ahead of them,” the larger pony said.

        “But Father! This is Alicornia... We’ve never lost a... war, not—not once,” the filly studdered.

        “This is one enemy that cannot be defeated,” her father replied

        “Who?”

        “Discord.”

        “Who?” the filly repeated.

        “Discord is a being of terrible power. He has slain nearly every king that has come before me, and we have yet to stop him. Every victory was just a false one. Discord returned every single time. He simply cannot be defeated. He killed your grandfather on this very spot, four thousand, three hundred, and twenty nine years ago.”

        “Why? Why would somepony do that?” the filly cried.

        “I think he’s simply insane. As far as I know he has no reason.”

        “So... what do we do?”

        “We fight to the last pony standing. Our armies are only fighting to slow him down. Very soon he will come here. I’ll face him again, but this time, I will be ready. I won’t be a little foal. I’ll fight him.”

        “And I’ll fight with you!” the filly declared.

        “No, you will not, my dear Celestia. You and your sister will not be here when Discord arrives.”

        “But Father, I want to fight! I’m three hundred and fifty! I’m old enough to protect my home!”

        “You are still a foal and you have a sister to take care of. I have already made arrangements for you and Luna to be taken out of the city tonight. Your deaths’ will be faked. We’ll use the Dynamo so Discord will never know the truth.”

        “But... Father...” the filly said, her eyes watering.

He lowered his head and nuzzled her. “Please, Celestia. You and your sister have to stay alive. You have to survive this, or everypony dies. Without you two, there is no hope. Discord will destroy the Dynamo, and with it, any hope the world has. It can never be replaced or repaired, all the terra ponies have vanished. You and Luna have to live. For me. For your mother. For your home, your country, your tribe; for every being that has ever and will ever live.

        “Please, my Celestia. You and Luna have to survive. You must keep hope alive, or all of this will be for nothing.”

        She looked into his eyes. His face was just as wet as hers now.

        “Promise me that once you leave today, you won’t come back. That you’ll stay far away from here. From Discord.”

        “I-I-”

        “Promise, you’ll keep your sister safe.”

        “I promise, Father,” Celestia said.

        “King Sol,” came a voice. They turned and saw a blue-colored unicorn servant with a light blue mane in the doorway. “The preparations are ready.”

        “Thank you, Presto,” the larger alicorn said. “Come, Celestia. It is time to go.”

        “Can you tell me where we’re going?” Celestia asked.

        “Presto can tell you,” King Sol replied.

        “You will be living with a very nice earth pony family. They have a rather large apple orchard just south of here,” Presto said, smiling. “I’m afraid you’ll have to leave your things behind, lest anypony get suspicious of their absence.”

        “Okay...”

        “Remember. Stay safe, stay hidden. Do not let anypony know who you are. And always protect your sister.”

        “I will, father,” Celestia said.

        “Good girl. Presto, I leave my daughters in your care. I must get ready for my performance.”

        “Come, Princess. The orchard is waiting,” Presto said. Celestia took one last look at her father before following.

        “Princess, the orchard needs your ruling.”

        Princess Celestia shook her head, trying to let the painful memory go.

        “Princess, are you alright?” the yellow and white dragon asked.

        “Yes, Nova, I am alright. Just... daydreaming. What was the problem again?” she asked.

        “Hoofington is experiencing a rather severe drought and the crops are doing poorly. They are asking for leniency on their taxes this year.”

        “Why are the local weather ponies not helping?”

        “They are on strike, Princess, demanding better wages,” Nova answered.

        “Right. And all weather ponies have the same pay rates all over Equestria. Please send a letter reminding them of this. As for the famers, they shall have their request. Ask if they will have any food shortages.”

        “Yes, Princess.”

        “What are you doing?”

        “Let us out!”

        “Somepony help us!”

        Three ponies cried in terror. The horrible noises had started again, only the three were at the source. All around them, machinery howled; Gears turned. Bolts of varying light flew through the air, illuminating the room for a split second, the colors creating an effect not unlike a rave. But there was no dancing, no happiness.

Only a pony and his work. Hunched over a control panel, the pony worked hard, pressing one button, then another. Occasionally turning a dial or flipping a switch. The flashing light would have blinded him if he weren't already wearing goggles. He didn’t appear to hear their cries, or if he did, he ignored them.

Surrounding the pony was a mass of wires, cables, and tubing. The rest of the room was much the same. Pipes jutting out of the walls at odd angles, wires hastily taped in place. Just to get to the control panel, somepony would have to navigate a labyrinth of metal. The holes punched in the walls where the pipes fed through were proof enough of that. It wasn't just messy, but dangerous as well. The pipes appeared covered in frost despite the summer weather. Electricity arched through the air every few feet.

Dominating the room, however was the massive machine in the center. Like the room it stood in, it too looked like it was built without any plans. Every inch seemed to have a different exposed wire, loose screw or pipe. Nothing was remotely orderly or symmetrical except for three chambers inside the machine. Each was spaced evenly apart around the somewhat circular machine. Heavy iron bars closed each of the chambers off from the outside and were thick enough to keep anypony inside no matter how strong they were. They were empty now.

At the base of this monstrosity of metal was a fourth chamber below the others. A plexiglass door protected it from the chaos outside. This chamber was the only thing the pony at the controls would look at other than metal panel before him. Another bolt of light illuminated his expressionless face. The bolts seemed to be hitting the machine at various points and coalescing in the chamber at the bottom. A ball of light formed there.

And the noise. How could anypony stand being around this noise? One couldn't hear the pony next to them, even if they yelled right into their ear. Everything added to the din. The gears ground, sparks arcing from exposed wires, the monotonous sound of spinning fans unseen within.

The pony looked up again. The light was intense enough now to brighten up the entire room, casting shadows everywhere. Quickly he returned to his labors, hitting buttons and flipping switches. After several minutes a readout on the control panel changed. The pony looked at it. His face broke its stony appearance when the corners of his mouth curved up. Turning back to the controls, he adjusted some dials and hit some buttons.

The noise quieted. The gears slowed down and eventually stopped. The bolts of light had long since died down. The quieter sounds became audible. The gentle sound of fluids being forced through the frozen pipes. Even the breathing of the pony at the heart of all this could be heard though not through his protective ear plugs.

He stared at the chamber at the bottom of the machine. Where the bright light had been, now stood a four legged figure. The pony's smile widened as he pulled a lever. The glass door retracted into the machine's interior. The pony stepped around the controls to get a better look at the figure.

"Well, Come out," the pony finally said, breaking the silence. The figure just stared ahead. A trouble maker. He knew how to deal with troublemakers. The pony reached into his lab saddle and produced a small instrument, but kept it inactive in his hoof.

"I said come out!" he repeated. This time he got a response. The figure lurched forward, like it was uncertain if it could walk. It was right. The creature fell down and lay on the ground pathetically in front of the pony.

"Discord damn it!" the pony swore eying the creature over. Like him it had four legs. From its back sprouted two feathered wings and on its head was a single twisted horn; both traits the earth pony standing before it lacked. The creature looked back at him; Its eyes were not shining and colorful like a pony's eyes should be. They were dim and didn't seem to even reflect the ambient light in the room. It was solid black, too, something that would have unnerved anypony. But not this particular pony.

"Speak, if you can," the pony commanded. The creature looked back vacantly. This was not even remotely a normal pony. One wing was oversized while the other could have belonged to a filly. Its horn was short and blunt. The reason it couldn't walk was obvious: its torso was bulky, and its thin legs couldn't support its own weight. Its coat and mane were a patchwork of hair of different lengths and colors giving the appearance of a rag doll made from quilts.

"I ordered you to speak!" the earth pony repeated. It pulled the instrument in his hoof forward and pressed the only button on its surface. It was just a small rectangular box with horns at one end. When he pressed the button, electricity sparked between the horns. He leaned in and pressed the horns to the creature's skin. The creature shuddered and twitched from the assault but didn't make a sound.

"Speak!" the earth pony shouted before pressing the button again and shocking the creature a second time. This time he got results, but instead of language, the creature began to wail nonsensically. It started quietly but steadily rose in volume rivaling the din of the machine it had just tumbled out of. It wasn't a cry so much as the thing just made a noise to voice its unhappiness. The earth pony's smile had long faded and he looked away in disgust.

"Rot, Gore, get over here!" he said walking away from the machine. Two figures emerged from the shadows. The two new arrivals and the pony removed their protective headgear, and the earth pony put the electrocuting device away. "Rot," the earth pony said again, addressing a diamond dog. "This one was a failure as well. You need to bring me ponies that are more compatible."

"I'm ssorry, bosss," the canine replied, hissing a bit on the s's. "The poniess sseem so alike to me."

"I don't want excuses. Go out and bring be another batch, and this time try to grab all three at once. If they're together they should be close enough for it to work. And make sure they are all the same size and sex this time," the pony ordered.

"You got it, boss." Rot bowed before turning and walking away.

"Gore, I need this failure disposed of in the usual way," the pony said, turning to the remaining being. This creature was almost as odd as the wailing thing on the floor. Its front half was feathered, while the back was covered in gray fur. It stood out because its front talons were red around the claws while the rest was the normal yellow. Upon its back stretched two large dark brown feathered wings.

"Boss, I told you my name is not 'Gore', it's 'Greg'," the griffon stated.

"Greg doesn't sound dangerous enough. How do you expect me to be feared when one of my henchmen is named 'Greg'?" the earth pony replied. "Gore sounds threatening."

"Whatever. I'll just go take care of that then," Greg said. He walked over, and grabbed the still wailing creature. He threw it unceremoniously onto his back and left the room. The earth pony reached into his saddle again and pulled out a small recording device.

"Test 7 a failure. Creature not in harmony with itself. The subjects need to be all the same size as this test showed. It was too heavy to support itself and the rest of it suffered similar problems. Test 7 was incapable of both speech and higher brain functions. Test 7, terminated."

I’m home? What am I doing in the club house? The filly looked around, confused. Hadn't she just been somewhere else? She gazed about looking for some indication of what was going on. In the corner sat her blankets, all neatly folded as always. Posters of Cutie Mark Crusader plans were over the walls. But something was still off.

"Scootaloo," came a voice from behind her. Startled, she reeled around to see her teacher standing there. What was Ms. Cheerilee doing at Sweet Apple Acres? "Scootaloo, it's class time not nap time," Ms. Cheerilee said sternly. Then it all made sense, and she woke up.

"Sorry," the filly mumbled, rubbing her eyes. The teacher eyed her sternly but began class without chiding her further.

"So, class, can anyone tell me how many kinds of ponies there are?" a magenta colored mare asked, addressing a room of young fillies and colts. Immediately several hooves shot into the air. Most watched attentively, eager to listen. The teacher pointed to a pink earth pony in the front. "Yes Diamond Tiara?"

"Three, Ms. Cheerilee," the pony said matter-of-factually.

"I'm sorry, that's wrong," Cheerilee replied. Diamond Tiara looked dumbfounded, but nopony laughed. Most of the hooves went down, but one remained. "Yes, Apple Bloom?"

"Four, includin' zebras," the yellow-colored earth pony with a red mane said, in a heavy accent.

"Wrong again," Cheerilee said. "It is more than three, but zebras aren't technically ponies, just like donkeys aren't either."

The class looked around at each other, but no hooves were raised anymore.

"I guess nopony knows," Cheerilee said, but there was no hint of disappointment in her voice. "I'm not surprised. There are in fact five types of ponies around today. You all know the three in this room, the unicorns, the pegasi and the earth ponies. Can anyone guess what the others might be?"

Five? The class murmured amongst themselves.

"The Princesseses," said a brown colored green maned unicorn in the back of the room. Some of the class laughed at his pronunciation.

"It's Princess, and that's not a race, simpleton," Diamond Tiara said to him, smirking.

"Diamond Tiara, watch your language!" Cheerilee warned.

"Sorry, Ms. Cheerilee."

"And Snails, you are partly right," Cheerilee continued to say.

On the chalkboard she began drawing a set of ponies and lines connecting them. Two were at the top with a line connecting them with three lines pointing down to a trio of ponies. From those she made one line from each at wide angles except the middle one which remained alone. The five pony drawings were easily identifiable to any in the room, but the teacher proceeded to label them anyway.  At the top was one marked old earth pony, and something called an alicorn. Below that were ponies labeled unicorn, new earth pony, and pegasus. When she had finished, she turned back to the class and continued the lecture.

"The Princesses are members of a tribe of ponies that had the wings of a pegasus, the horn of a Unicorn, and the strength of an earth pony, and they were known as the alicorns."

"So how come we never see more of them?" Apple Bloom asked.

"During Discord's reign, ponies were met with suffering greater than anything we have ever experienced. While the history is vague, and mostly missing, we do know that the only remaining alicorns are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Cheerilee explained. "As far as we know the rest are gone."

"What about Princess Cadence?" asked Apple Bloom.

"She is what is known as a winged unicorn. While they look like alicorns, they do not live as long, and are more similar to us. They aren't a tribe because they are exceedingly rare," Cheerilee answered.

"How come earth ponies are on there twice?" asked a small orange pegasus with a fuchsia mane filly in the middle of the class.

"Good question, Scootaloo," the teacher praised, glad the pony hadn't fallen back asleep. "This is why I am so excited to share this lesson with you, as I only learned about it at the last teachers convention in Canterlot. Canterlot scientists recently discovered that rather than the three tribes we know today, originally there were just alicorns and earth ponies. But they're not exactly like earth ponies of today. Every pony has at least some ability to manipulate magic. Pegasi can walk on clouds, and earth ponies can use the ambient magic of the world for crops, and we all know unicorns can actively control it. Old earth ponies couldn't do that, which is what made them different from today's earth ponies. However they went extinct before the alicorns. Recent studies have found that all modern ponies are actually descendants of the alicorns and earth ponies.

"But as I said, there are only five around today, and we have seven up here now," Cheerilee continued. She turned to the board, and put a big X through the old earth ponies. "Anyone want to guess what the remaining two are?"

The class sat silently still absorbing what they had just heard. None of them had any idea anyway. So Ms Cheerilee went back to the board, and drew another pony figure to the side of the unicorn.

"That looks like Rarity when she had those wings Twilight gave her!" a soft spoken white unicorn with a pink and purple mane spoke up.

"Good eye, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee said happily. She pointed to the pony a line away from the unicorns. "A long time ago some unicorns focused only on magic and nothing else."

"Like Twilight?" asked the only non pony in the room. A small purple and green dragon sat in the middle of the room looking slightly bored.

"Even more so, Spike," the teacher answered, "over many generations their bodies weakened and shrank. Soon they were a whole new tribe of pony called the fairy ponies. They were no bigger than a grown up unicorn's horn, but several times more magical. The wings were a byproduct of all the magic they cast on themselves. However,"

Cheerilee paused and made an X through that drawing as well.

"After Discord's rise to power, none were seen again. It is unknown what happened but they, like the alicorns are simply gone."

"I heard that Discord couldn't mess with them like he could to regular ponies, so he turned them into parasprites," Scootaloo stated, without raising her hoof.

"That is a theory, but has yet to be proven or disproven," Cheerilee responded. She pointed to the last empty spot. "Now the last kind of pony is still around today, but I doubt any of you have seen one."

"Wait, I think I know this one," Spike said out loud.

"Raise your hoof spike. I mean, claw," Cheerilee said, trying to instill a rule everypony seemed intent on breaking today. He did so, earning a chuckle from most of the class. "Yes?"

"I remember the Princess talking about them once back in Canterlot. They were..." the dragon paused, thinking hard. "Cee ponies?"

"Correct, Spike. The last one is sea ponies," Cheerilee said, as she filled the last hole with a drawing. It looked very strange indeed. Its head was shaped like a pony's, but its body had no legs, just two front fins and two larger ones on its back, and its body ended in a long winding tail. "Sea ponies are still around today, but we never see them because of Equestria's relatively small oceanfront. Rest assured they are out there in the big blue. Unlike the four tribes here in Equestria, the sea ponies left and formed their own homeland.

"It is believed that they were once a small group of pegasi who took up residence by the ocean.Then they adapted to live first near water, then in it, and finally under it. If you ever meet one, remember that they can only live in the ocean."

Spike spoke up. "I remember now. Princess Celestia wanted to set up a trade agreement for the pearls they had, but she couldn't find anything the sea ponies wanted in exchange. She offered to speak to their King, pony to pony, but couldn't because he wouldn't leave his palace, and she couldn't find a spell to breath underwater long enough."

"That's very interesting, Spike. I didn't know we were still in diplomatic communications with them."
   
"It was awhile ago," Spike replied while shrugging.

"Ms. Cheerilee, what about bat ponies?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh you mean Princess Luna's guards. The bat pegasi aren't quite a tribe yet because we're not sure if they're a whole other tribe, or just a variation of normal pegasi. We're not even sure where they came from exactly. The common theory is they are what is left of the Lunar Republic, and that they hid away underground during Nightmare Moon's exile."

"Huh," Scootaloo said, sounding disappointed.

        “What about crystal ponies? My sister wouldn’t stop talking about them last fall,” Sweetie Belle asked.

        “We’re not quite sure. Like bat pegasi, they’re relatively new and we have to work out where they fit. It is likely they are a subset of earth ponies.

“The reason this is important is it shows that all ponies today started at the same place. It also means that ponies are so well mixed that any pony can come from any other kind of pony." A loud bell rang out and on cue, all the ponies in the class grabbed for their things or began talking with friends. "Quiet down class," she said trying to restore order. Eventually they settled down. "Have a good vacation everypony, and remember show and tell is on the Monday we get back."

The foals raced out the door, excited to be free of school for nine whole days. The now infamous trio set out together.

"That was cool. I didn't know there used to be actual fairies," Sweetie Belle said to her friends.

"Yeah, and who knew there are actual ponies living underwater. How weird is that?" added Scootaloo.

"Ah think y'all are both forgetting the best part. How earth ponies have been round the longest," added Apple Bloom.

"She said old earth ponies and alicrons!" Scootaloo responded.

"It's alicorns!" Sweetie Belle corrected.

"I'm telling you, your cutie mark should be a dictionary," Scootaloo retorted. "Speaking of which, I think we should spend the whole week getting our cutie marks so we can have them for show and tell!"

"Yeah!" the other two cheered in agreement.

"Oh wait, I can't," Sweetie Belle said, looking down. "I have to spend the week with my folks."

"Right," Scootaloo said, disappointment seeping into her voice.

"Ah forgot yah only stay in Ponyville tah go tah school," Apple Bloom added, "Actually Ah won't be here neither, Applejack is taking me tah see Uncle and Auntie Orange."

Scootaloo tried to hide her sadness as they left the school building. Rounding the corner, under the eaves sat a small blue scooter with a red wagon tied behind it. She reached into the wagon and pulled out a purple helmet. She donned it before stepping onto her most prized possession. Her friends followed suit, pulling out the blue and green helmets in the wagon before climbing into it. Once everypony was settled, Scootaloo beat her wings rapidly, propelling the scooter forward.

With well practiced ease, she navigated the winding streets of Ponyville at great speed. She startled ponies as she raced in front of them or turned suddenly but she made sure the ride was smooth for her passengers.

"Just cause we can't be here all week don't mean we can't go crusadin' today!" Apple Bloom said, trying to cheer up her friend.

"Yeah. Maybe you and your family can do something too next week," Sweetie Belle said, trying to be helpful. Scootaloo was glad they didn't see her stiffen at those words.

"I guess. What do you think we should try today?" Scootaloo said, trying to compose herself. Her friends didn't need to know. They couldn't know. She was not going back.

"I'm sure there’s something at the clubhouse we haven't done yet," Sweetie Bell suggested. "Why don't we go there?"

"Where did you think I was going?" Scootaloo asked rhetorically.

It wasn't long before the pegasus stopped her buzzing and stepped off the scooter. They had arrived at the clubhouse. It was just a small tree house big enough for their needs and they wouldn’t outgrow it for a few more years.

"We could try helpin' Berry Punch home today," Apple Bloom suggested.

"We could be Cutie Mark Crusaders Designated Drivers!" Sweetie Belle sang; walking up the ramp to the club house.

"Good idea, Apple Bloom. But she's usually up by now," Scootaloo pointed out, entering the tiny building. "Any more ideas?"

She waited for an answer, but when no response came, she looked back. Sweetie Belle stood there, looking back questioningly.

"Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo called. She expected her friend to pop inside, but the earth pony filly didn't come. Scootaloo called again.

"Did you get lost, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle joined in. When no response came the pair looked at each other. Nervously they ventured outside to locate their missing crusader.

"I'll look around to the left, and you look that way," Scootaloo directed. Sweetie Belle nodded, and began walking in the indicated direction.

Sweetie Belle moved aside the foliage, and looked high and low for a glimpse of anything yellow or red that would lead her to her friend.

"I'm not having any luck. How about you, Scoots?" she asked, after a minute of fruitless searching. When no response came she called louder. "Scoots!" she called again but there was still no reply. They must be playing a trick on her! She marched back to the clubhouse. "Alright come out!" she demanded. On cue something stepped out from behind a tree, but this was no pony. Sweetie Belle recognized it as a diamond dog. She’s seen pictures of them in her textbooks, but had never met one.

"Hi, mister. Have you seen a yellow or orange pony around?" Sweetie Belle asked trying to sound bigger than she was. The canine didn't respond right away, it just looked at her. Then with a movement faster than the young unicorn could see it swung at her with an arm and knocked her out with a sharp blow to the forehead.

He looked around to make sure nopony was watching. Then he grabbed the unconscious pony by the scruff of the neck and carried her to the tree where a cloth sack waited. He deposited her into the sack then lifted it over one shoulder. Before departing into the forest, he picked up the scooter and wagon and placed them inside the building, away from prying eyes.

"What have you done to The Great and Powerful Trixie?" the pony's latest creation growled. Like the last one, it too seemed pieced together.

"We may have finally made some progress this time," the pony said, ignoring the creature. "Now I want you to try flying."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie does not listen to noponies like you, and she is also not a pegasu, you fool," the creature replied.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear. I said fly," the pony said, pulling out the little instrument and charging it. Before he could use it on his latest victim, its wings flapped, and with a humph began slowly raising itself off the ground. After a couple seconds the wings gave out, and it came crashing back to the ground.

"Ow," the abomination groaned.

"Okay, flying distances is clearly out of the question. How about magic. Move something," the earth pony demanded, menacingly waving the device in his hoof. Almost immediately it began glowing a light blue before being thrown out of his hoof and landing several yards away. "Excellent. You might actually be of some use to me if we can do something about that mouth of yours."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie will have no part in anything you do!" the creation calling itself Trixie said defiantly.

"Gore take this to one of the holding cells," the pony said, ignoring the protests again. The griffon henchman walked forward and grabbed the primarily orange and brown pony in his front talons. It roared with rage at the contact and its horn began glowing. The griffon deftly clamped a metal collar around its neck, and the glow vanished.

"Magic blocking collar," the griffon said dully, jiggling it around. He carried the pony away with one arm, where it hung, limp and defeated without its magic.

"Test 8 is a partial success. I feel I am getting closer now. The body was alright, but the dominating personality of the unicorn shifted the balance in its favor. Its horn is fully sized but its wings and body are smaller than ideal. Its magic is strong so it may still be of some use. Test 8 moved to holding cells to be trained."

After navigating the maze of pipes and wires, the griffon and his captive came to a separate room with a row of large cages lining the walls. He opened one, tossed the pony inside and locked the door.

"Trixie demands to know what you have done to Trixie!" the creature stated. It got up and walked over to the cage door, its hooves clicking loudly on the metal floor.

"The professor's trying to take over the world with super ponies, or something. I don't really care–a paycheck is a paycheck. Don't bother escaping, the bars are strong enough to hold any earth pony in, and that collar is staying on," the griffon explained. "And my name is Greg, not Gore. I really hate that he keeps calling me that."

"Take over the- but- oh my head," the creature stammered, rubbing its temples.

"Here, I'm sure the professor wants you alive," Greg said, thrusting a couple talon-fulls of old hay into the cage.

"I am not hungry," the creature said turning its nose up at the food, but its stomach said otherwise. "Fine," it said munching away at the hay.

"Make sure you do what the professor tells you to do if you want to stay alive, Ms. Pony. He doesn't take kindly to defiant ponies. Even though you're the first to come out sane, he'll still feed you to the timberwolves if he gets mad."

"I'll try to keep that in mind, Gore," the pony said, looking away, frustration in its eyes.

"Greg, Ms. Pony," he corrected.

"Trixie. Just Trixie," the pony responded.

"Well if you work out or not I'll see you anyway, Trixie," Greg said, leaving The Great and Powerful Alicorn alone.

Miles away, a violet unicorn could be found in her home, if one could see past the mountain of books around her. Feverishly, she scanned book after book but nothing caught her eye. Finishing another, she placed it to her left and grabbed another from her right. Her concentration was broken by a knock on the door.

"Spike, could you get that?" the unicorn asked, not looking up.

"Sure thing, Twilight," came the reply from another room. Her young, similarly-hued draconian assistant dropped the duster he was carrying and ran downstairs to answer. Twilight could hear the voices, but it was too far away to understand. Steadily the voices grew louder, and promptly her assistant walked in, tailed by a familiar orange earth pony wearing a brown stetson hat.

"Hi there, Applejack. Sorry about the mess, but I've noticed something strange with my magic the past few days, and I've been trying to look into what could be happening," the unicorn said looking at her friend, but not getting up out of fear of knocking the books over and ruining her system.

"No problem Twahlight," the earth pony replied in her heavy southern accent, "Ah was just comin' by tah see if you've seen Apple Bloom or her friends around."

"I haven't seen anypony all day," Twilight replied.

"Ah figured that when Ah saw all this," Applejack said, waving a hoof at the piles of books. "Rarity hasn't seen them all day neither. They weren't at the club house neither. Ah know they're probably out crusadin' or somethin', but yah know what kind of trouble they can get themselves into."

"Applejack, I'm sure they're fine and safe. If they got into trouble there are plenty of ponies around to help."

"Yeah but Ah'd still like to know where they are, Twi. Spike, did they say anythin’ at school?"

"Nope," Spike said, having returned to his cleaning. "I don't even know why I have to go to school anyway. I already know most of that stuff from you, Twilight."

"It's important for a young dragon to spend time socializing with beings their own age, and since there aren't many baby dragons around, pony school is the next best thing," Twilight explained. Her tone was very to the point, with the irritation of repeating herself coming through

"Ah suppose yer right and Ah shouldn’t worry so much, but ah can't help it. She's mah sister," Applejack said frowning.

"They may be at Scootaloo's house, you know," Twilight suggested. "Maybe they're going to stay the night there. I know both you and Apple Bloom are headed to visit family, and Sweetie Belle is headed home for the week, so they're probably getting the most out of the time together."

"That makes sense, Ah guess. Ah'll have to give her an earful later for not telling me bahfore."

"Say are you busy today? I could use some help with these books. I'm trying to look up magical afflictions that cause you to lose your magic for a short period of time."

"You saying yer magic's been on the fritz?" Applejack asked. "Rarity said something about that earlier. Said she was working on sewing somethin' when it was like her magic got sucked out."

"That's what I felt!" Twilight exclaimed, jumping up suddenly, knocking over several stacks of books, confirming her earlier concern. "And if it's not just me, it must be some phenomenon causing it. Spike can you put these books away?"

"Yeah, yeah," Spike grumbled.

"Thank you, Spike," she said smiling at him. "I'm going to have to look up tracking and locating spells. Maybe I can figure out what's causing this. And if the girls do go missing in the future, I'll know the spells to figure out where they are."

"Ah'll leave you to that, Twi. Books just ain't mah thing," Applejack said excusing herself.

"Okay then, see you later." Twilight immediately went to the books; scanning the shelves. "Ah ha! 'Tracking and Trapping'... no that's not even close."

"Boss, I got you the next subjects," Rot said as he approached his pony boss.

"Excellent," the pony said, not looking up from the mess of papers before him. The canine placed the sack on the floor. "A bit small," he noted.

"Yeah but like you said, I got three that were the same size and they were all together when I got them," Rot replied.

"That may work. The last batch you brought me turned out better than expected, even though that mouthy unicorn stole the show, and her influence corrupted the end product. Still it's the first one to come out talking," the pony said, before opening the sack and examining the three unconscious figures within. "Get them prepped. The Blender still has to cool down a bit, but you might as well get them ready."

"Yes, sir," Rot said saluting. He scooped up the sack and carried it over to the machine dominating the room. Roughly, he took out each of the three fillies in turn and placed each in one of the three chambers and closed the bars, pausing only to remove the hair ribbon from one and toss it aside. Clothing would interfere with the process. "Anything else you need boss?"

"Nothing right now. You can do whatever you want, but be back when I turn it on. Don't go so far so you can't hear it."

"Okay, boss," Rot replied. He was feeling rather hungry. Perhaps he'd have some more of Test 7 for a snack.

A cyan pegasus lounged on a cloud, enjoying the sunset. A large creature landed next to her and sat down.

"Hey dad," the pegasus said, without opening her eyes.

"I have something I wish to discuss with you," her father said. At once the pegasus opened her eyes and looked over at the feathered and beaked face looking back. "As you know by now, next week Gilda comes of age, and will be marked."

"Of course I know that," the pegasus said.

"How would you like to join her?" the large griffon said simply. At once the pegasus sat straight up.

"You want me to join the clan!?" the pegasus exclaimed.

"Yes. I think you would make a fine member, if you accept my offer."

"Of course I will!" the pegasus said, smiling widely.

"I am–"

"Rainbow Dash!" came a voice, interrupting everything. The world faded to black and the pegasus woke up.

"What is it, Rarity?" shouted a rainbow maned pegasus in an annoyed tone while peeking over the edge of a cloud.

"I was just wondering if you had seen Sweetie Belle or her friends," the indigo maned, white unicorn called up.

"Haven't seen them all day. Why don't you ask Applejack?" the cyan pegasus, better known as Rainbow Dash, suggested.

"She asked me first. They don't seem to be anywhere," Rarity replied.

"Did you check with Scootaloo's folks?"

"I've never met them. I don't know who they are. Do you?"

"Why would I know?"

"She's your number one fan. You must have seen her with them at some point."

"Well I don't know who they are either. I'll keep an eye out for the girls," Rainbow Dash said, saluting.

"Could they be in Cloudsdale?" Rarity wondered out loud.

"What, the Crusaders?"

"No, Scootaloo's parents. It would explain why we've never met them."

"If they lived in Cloudsdale, why would she go to school here? They have their own schools," Rainbow Dash answered.

"Well, Sweetie Belle just stays with me to go to school here," Rarity said, reminded her.

"Yeah, but if that were the case, Scoots would be with relatives here and we're back to finding them."

"Hmmm. I'll have to insist on meeting them some time. Let me know if you see them and send Sweetie home. I want her packed and ready to go by tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said before returning to her nap. "They're big girls. They can handle themselves."

Apple Bloom slowly opened her eyes. The throbbing pain in her head threatened to knock her back out again, but she fought to stay conscious. The cold wasn't helping either. It was really cold. Shivering, she looked around. The last thing she remembered was getting to the clubhouse and something hitting her from behind.

The yellow filly tried standing, but a wave of pain crippled her efforts, and she lay back down. Deciding that figuring out where she was more important, she looked around. She found herself in a cold metal box with bars on the only side that looked out. On the opposite side was some strange metal disk with all sorts of lights and things she didn't recognize sticking out of it.

Looking outside didn't yield any more answers. All she could see from her position were some pipes passing by the chamber and some of the machinery beyond. Was this one of those foalophiles her sister had warned her about? She sure hoped not. Just then she heard a groan. Eyes wide she got up and trotted to the barred side, ignoring her body's cries to stay still. Peering out didn't offer much more of a view. She was sure the sound had been close by.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

"Apple Bloom is that you?" came a reply just as quiet.

"Yeah it's me. Is Scoots with yah?"

"No," Sweetie Belle answered worriedly from somewhere to Apple Bloom’s right.

A groaning from her left answered her question.

"Any idea where we are?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Nnnope," Apple Bloom said sounding very much like her brother. There was a violent thump that rang out from her left.

"Ow..." Scootaloo groaned rubbing her shoulder. "I can't get the bars to budge."

"I already tried my magic but I can't find the lock to pick it," Sweetie Belle added.

"Well girls, there's a reason we earth ponies have done just fine without wings or magic and that's pure strength," Apple Bloom said. She turned her back on the metal bars standing obliviously between her and freedom. Marshaling all the strength in her tiny body, and channeling generations of apple bucking, she kicked at the bars. They didn't even bend. The kick did however create a loud noise. The three captives fell silent.

"Ah you've woken up then," a calm voice spoke. None of them could see the source. "I guess we can begin soon."

Quick readers guide.

When you see this:

It means the following scene is taking place in the present.

When you see this:

It means the following scene is either a memory, a dream, or something that happened at some point in the past.

        If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:

        My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.
        Forever a Changeling, my new story starring Rainbow Dash as a changeling.
        Samurai Applejack, a drastically different kind of story. It’s rated mature for violence and some suggestive lines.
        Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s my most popular. It’s just one chapter long.