//------------------------------// // Arc 5: The Flight of the Pink // Story: The Seven Tribes // by Scootaloo-009 //------------------------------// The Seven Tribes by Scootaloo-009, a.k.a. Mechsrule1 My Little Pony and related names, images, and scenarios are property of Hasbro Inc. Arc 5: Traitor Chapter 12 "Hi girls, it's good to see you all again," Twilight Sparkle said, seeing all her friends inside the Ponyville Library, waiting for her return. "Now off to school, Spike." "Yeah, yeah," Spike grumbled, walking off. "Did yah have a good time in Canterlot?" Applejack asked. "How did it go with Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy asked. "Did you learn a lot?" Rarity asked. “I learned.... a lot," Twilight replied. "I know you have a lot you want to ask, but the Princess sent me back with an assignment that must be completed right away." "What kind of assignment?" Applejack asked. "She want us to search Ponyville for any enemy agents," Twilight replied. "Why would she want that? Everypony knows everypony else here," Pinkie Pie said. "And how are we supposed to do that anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It's simple. Since all ponies have a mana gland except terra ponies, and they look just like earth ponies, all we have to do is round up all the hornless and wingless ponies in town, then I can scan them with my magic," Twilight explained. "What are you going to do if you find any?" Pinkie asked. "We'll probably take them to Canterlot and see what Celestia wants done. She didn't say what to do with them," Twilight replied. "She'll probably throw them in jail," Rainbow Dash suggested. "Or execute the varmints," Applejack growled. "That's what Ah'd do after what they did tah Apple Bloom." "That's for the Princess to decide," Twilight interrupted. "Okay, but how do we round 'em up?" Applejack asked. "We can't just say a dead tribe is hiding amongst us. Folks'll panic." "We could say they're sick," Fluttershy suggested. "We could say we're checking for infected ponies." "And it only affects earth ponies. That could work," Rarity went on. "Sounds like a plan. Girls, go spread the word. I want every earth pony in Ponyville by the town hall by noon," Twilight ordered. The other elements of harmony saluted. "Applejack you can keep your family at home. You're already cleared thanks to Apple Bloom." "Right," Applejack replied. With that the six split off. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Okay, class, I want everypony to welcome back Apple Bloom,” Ms. Sunweed said. The class turned to the door to see the still bandaged filly being floated in on a small cloud. She was finally able to leave the hospital just in time. Much longer, and she would have missed some classes, which would have meant staying back a year. As it was, she was a bit late arriving. Her wounds were still there, but had healed enough that the doctors allowed her to attend classes, though she did have to spend the rest of the time in the hospital. She looked worse then she was; the bandages were mostly there to keep the wounds clean and to keep the sight from shocking other ponies. She had Sweetie Belle’s magic to thank for her quick recovery. “Hi, everypony!” she greeted cheerfully. Cloud travel was more comfortable for her, and having friends around to push made it far easier then a wheelchair. At the moment Scootaloo was pushing her forwards with a small breeze. “Now I want you all to leave her alone, and not bother her with a lot of questions about what happened to her,” Ms. Sunweed told them. “Apple Bloom, you can share your story with the class in your own time.” “That's okay, Ms. Sunweed. Ah don't mind tellin' yah now,” Apple Bloom told her. “Ah was attacked by a shark while we were visitin' the sea ponies over the summer.” “Oh my, a shark!” Ms. Sunweed gasped. “Yeah. But Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle saved me!” “Sounds like quite the tale!” Ms. Sunweed said, smiling a bit. “That's all there is to it,” Apple Bloom said. Better not mention Ah died after what Applejack said. “Then I guess we can go ahead with the class if you'll take your - um... seat.” “Okay,” Apple Bloom replied. Scootaloo manually pushed the cloud through the room and stopped it by three empty desks. Apple Bloom carefully dismounted and sat in one chair while her friends took the other two. Scootaloo moved the cloud to the side of the room. Ms. Sunweed then began class. “I'm so sorry to hear about you three,” Diamond Tiara said smirking. “We're okay,” Apple Bloom replied. “Since when have you cared?” Scootaloo asked, suspicious of the earth pony's friendly behavior. “Well you can't be the blank flank club if two of you have cutie marks,” Silver Spoon replied. “Now that you have your cutie marks, you can hang out with us now,” Diamond Tiara said to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo “You can't be serious,” Sweetie Belle snorted. “We are,” Silver Spoon replied. “Do you really think we would leave Apple Bloom to hang out with you? You must be dumber than you look,” Scootaloo said, frowning. "Any ideas on what we can do today?" Apple Bloom whispered. "I can't go crusading today. I'm busy," Scootaloo whispered back. "What have you been doing anyway? You've been busy all week," Sweetie Belle asked. "I'm practicing for a cloudboarding competition next month," Scootaloo replied. "It is my special talent after all." "What is all the talking about?"  Ms Sunweed demanded, snapping them all to attention. "Uh..." Apple Bloom stammered. "We were just talking about how interesting the lesson was," Scootaloo lied. "Is that so?" Ms. Sunweed said frowning. "Why don't you explain what is so interesting about hoofing out textbooks?" "Because learning is fun!" Sweetie Belle replied. The teacher rolled her eyes and continued passing out the books. "I have to ask your sisters if you can go with me to Blood Crest for the competition," Scootaloo said once the teacher wasn't watching. "Where's that?" Sweetie Belle asked. "In griffon territory. I'm not sure where," Scootaloo replied. "Isn't that dangerous?" Apple Bloom asked. "No," Scootaloo replied, "griffons are pretty cool." "Ahem." “Sorry," Scootaloo apologized, quieting down. "I'll tell you later," she whispered. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Is this everypony?" Twilight asked. "Ah think so," Applejack replied. Normally Spike would do the head count, but he was in school at the moment. Every earth pony in town now stood before them, looking a bit worried and confused. "We missed the school though." "It's okay. They're foals, so their parents are in town. I'll check the teachers later," Twilight replied. "It's okay everypony. There's just a bit of a bug going around Equestria," Twilight announced to the crowd. "It's nothing severe, but we just want to make sure Ponyville is completely clean. If you'll all stay still for a couple moments I'll give you all a quick check up and you can go back to what you were doing." Before waiting for the crowd, she got her horn glowing. A green light bathed the earth ponies for a full minute then vanished. "Okay everypony here is perfectly fine. Thank you everypony," Twilight announced, smiling broadly. The crowd quickly dispersed as the ponies went back to their daily tasks. "Well that's a relief," Rarity said. "Not everypony," Applejack corrected. "Who did we forget?" Twilight asked. "Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy informed her. True, the pink pony had not been in the crowd. "I don't think any of the Elements of Harmony could be bad," Rarity said bluntly. "Princess Celestia said to check everypony, so that's what we're going to do," Twilight said. "Okay, do Pinkie and we can tell the Princess Ponyville is clear," Rainbow Dash said. Twilight walked over to the oddly silent pink party pony. Her friends didn't notice her normally poofy hair had deflated and hung limply. "Hold still," Twilight said. She began summoning up her magic. Her earth pony friend stopped obeying the order to stay still, and ran. "Where ya'll goin'?" Applejack called, but Pinkie Pie seemed not to hear them. "Is she...?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I'm not sure, I didn't get a good scan, but running like that...” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "They know, they know, they know!" the terrified pink pony thought to herself as she raced through the crowded streets. With surprising ease, she maneuvered around anypony that got in her way. She had never run this fast or hard in her life. Screeching to a halt, she rushed into her destination: Sugarcube Corner. "Bye Mr. and Mrs. Cake, I'm going home for a while!" she shouted to the two baker ponies. “Huh?" Mr. Cake said. "What?" Mrs. Cake asked, but the portly pony was too late. The pink blur was already upstairs. They heard a loud crash as the ball of sugar barreled into her attic bedroom. “No time to pack!" she muttered to herself. She simply grabbed her pet alligator and pulled down the ladder to the second attic, where she kept most of her stuff. She climbed the ladder and shut it behind her. She looked up at the finished ceiling and spotted a big red button labeled "EMERGENCY ESCAPE". She pounded the button with her free hoof. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Two figures wrapped in cloaks entered a strange and secluded town. Nestled between some high mountains, it seemed to have escaped Discord's notice. Everything seemed... chaos free. "I don't like this," the darker figure said, pulling her hood back, revealing a dark blue equine head with a horn on top. A very short mane ran down the back of her head. Around her neck was a black necklace, partly hidden by the cloak. "It's a nice change from itching powder pollen," the other figure replied, also removing her hood. This figure was much the same but pure white and had a mane of green, pink, and blue, all pastels. She had a golden necklace. Together the two walked through the strange town but there didn't seem to be anypony around. The silence was deafening. It seemed like a normal town, but something put the darker of the two on edge. Something felt very wrong. As they reached the end of a block, they turned and saw a pony standing around. "Father?" the white pony exclaimed. "What?" the blue pony cried. The pony turned. There in the middle of the street stood a large alicornian figure. Royal garb hung in tatters around his strong frame. Soot marred his red coat, and his orange-red mane seemed unkempt. The two could not deny, that standing alone in this strange town, was none other then King Sol himself. "Father!" the white pony cheered. "Tia wait!" the blue pony called but the white one had already galloped off. "Luna, come on!" Tia shouted back. She ran up and skidded to a halt in front of the large pony. She looked up at him, tears pouring down her face. "Father!" "Child," her father returned, wrapping a leg around her. He gazed down affectionately. "I- how is this possible?" Luna asked confused. She walked over much more slowly. "Why are you here alone?" "I'm not alone Luna," King Sol said calmly. Some of the houses opened up and more alicorns stepped out, about two dozen total. Each was covered in guided armor, but were unarmed. Again, something unnerved the alicorn of the night but she couldn't put her hoof on it. "Father I'm so glad to see you," Tia said nuzzling the leg. "I am as well," Luna said but kept her distance. "I'm glad you two are safe," King Sol said kindly. "We saw Alicornia burning and ran. We... we thought you were dead," Tia whimpered. "It will take more than Discord to do me in." "Is mother here?" Tia asked. King Sol looked away. "She didn't make it out. I'm sorry Tia. We're the only ones who got away," King Sol said. Something clicked and Luna began scowling. "Father, we want to help defeat Discord," Tia announced. “He cannot be defeated," King Sol said shaking his head. "Even our army couldn't best him. Our only hope is to wait him out. That is why we are here, so far from others." "Okay, I'm done this this," Luna snapped, "get away from my sister." "Luna, what are you doing?" Tia cried. "Get away from my sister. I don't know or care what you are, but get your hoof off my sister!" Luna barked. "Luna, I am your father," King Sol growled. "You are not," Luna snapped back, "our father is dead. There is no other reason for our manes to move on their own." "Tia, what is wrong with your sister?" King Sol asked the alicorn at his feet. "What's her name?" Luna shouted. "I've had just about enough of your silliness," King Sol snarled. "I said, what is her name!" Luna shouted. "I just called her Tia, didn't I?" "You don't know do you?" Luna said with a smirk. "Of course you don't. I never used it. Father would never call her by a nickname." "Wait... that's right!" Tia said, her eyes wide with the realization. She wiggled away from the large alicorn and backed away. "Who are you?" she cried. "How dare you impersonate him!" "I know what he is. He's a changeling," Luna said, smiling but her eyes were full of anger. "They all are. Why else do they all look the same?" The alicorn guards began closing in. "Changelings can work off our memories, but you slipped up," Luna said baring down on their false father. "Father would have never left mother behind. He would never call us by a nickname, and he would never admit defeat. Plus, I can practically taste the illusion spells you're casting on this whole place. I'll bet there isn't a single real building here at all." "You could have been so happy here, but you had to go and ruin it," the fake King Sol said. His features began melting away. The red horn became black. The feathered wings became thin green membranes. His mane fell flat and turned blue-green and kept it's ragged appearance. All his red coat melted away, turning black. Even parts of his legs vanished into nothing. "I can't believe I just hugged that," Tia said, gagging. "What will you do now, Tia and Luna?" the large changeling snarled. The two looked around. The other alicorns had changed into creatures like the one before them. They were surrounded and badly outnumbered. The changelings closed in on them. As the got closer, the changelings began shifting their black bodies were replaced with duplicates of the true alicorns. Tia and Luna were now staring down a dozen of themselves. "Any ideas Luna?" Tia asked. "I only know about changelings, not how to fight them," Luna replied. "Get them!" one of the fake Tia's shouted. The rest pounced but in desperation Tia threw up a force field which they all bounced off of. The picked themselves back up and began throwing themselves at the magic dome to break it. "Think you can teleport us away?" Tia asked, focusing on maintaining the protection. "That was always your specialty," Luna replied. She tore off her cloak and began poking her necklace. "Come on! Do something!" she snarled. "What ever you're doing, hurry up! I can't keep this up forever!" Tia cried, as the changelings kept hammering at the bubble of magic. "Elements of Peace, activate! Go! Power up! Work!" Luna shouted in desperation. She was trying everything she could think of, even throwing raw magic into the gems but nothing got them to react. "Sister, you hold them off. I'll try something," Tia ordered. The other alicorn nodded and turned her power to the force field. At once she felt the drain of energy as blow after blow threatened to shatter the magic dome. Tia sat quietly and focused her magic into her necklace. At once something happened. The pink circle began glowing brightly. The other two in the gold band joined in. Then the ones on Luna's necklace glowed as well. The light blinded the changelings, but didn't bother the two alicorns. The magic bubble winked out, but no being noticed. Power surged through Tia. Many millions of times more magic then she had ever felt before, but it didn't hurt at all. It rushed through her veins. Luna looked over and saw her sister's eyes had turned bright white, and were giving off light as well from the extra energy. Now it just needed an outlet and it found it. From the two, a beam of colors shot out. It snaked its way through the air and encircled the changelings. The vile things were held tight by the rainbow band and they were gathered together. With a great motion the band thrust into the sky and sent the changelings soaring through the air into the distance. It's job done, the rainbow beam dissipated and the light coming from the Elements of Peace dimmed. The two looked around, blinking at what had just happened.The town had been replaced with a forest and the enemies were nowhere to be seen. "That was... interesting," Tia said plainly. "At least we know they work," Luna replied. "You're right. I think we could defeat Discord with these things," Tia stated. "So are you ready to march up and face him?" "We'd still be killed before we got a chance to use them. We'll need help," Tia answered, ignoring the jibe."That power was incredible. And how it all flowed together; it was like all these different elements were in perfect harmony." "That's a better name I think. Harmony instead of Peace," Luna commented. "Whatever we call them, I think this one is the key," Tia said, pointing to the pink circle on her neck. "This one activates the rest." "Probably power I'd guess." "Yes, I'd have to agree with that." Tia added. "I think we should leave quickly. They'll probably be back soon." Luna nodded and once more dawned her cloak and the pair rushed off. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meanwhile, the gang had raced after Pinkie Pie. "Are you sure?" Rainbow Dash asked. “I told you, I didn't get a good scan.” "The way she was actin', she knew she's one a them," Applejack said. "I can't believe we have a traitor amongst us," Rarity exclaimed. The group was nearing Sugarcube Corner now. "So what do we do? We can't just arrest our friend and hoof her over to Princess Celestia," Fluttershy protested. "Yeah, what has Pinkie ever done to hurt anypony?" Rainbow Dash agreed. "I'd like to believe she's a good pony," Twilight agreed, "but she ran. She wouldn't have run if she was innocent." As they debated, a loud explosion rang out. They turned to see the roof of Sugarcube corner crumbling apart, showering the streets with debris resembling parts of a cupcake. Through the rubble, a balloon rose, supporting a basket. It wasn't like Pinkie's normal balloon. This one was oblong in shape, and larger. The basket seemed heavier too, and not just from the twin propellers mounted to one end. The craft rose quickly into the air away from Ponyville. A pink head popped over the side. "I'm sorry!" Pinkie shouted down to them. The propellers started turning, and the aircraft began moving away. There was a sudden lurch and the basket swayed awkwardly. "Pinkie do you really think you can outrun me in a balloon?" Rainbow Dash asked, perched on the edge of the basket with a bored look on her face. "Sorry, Dashie," Pinkie said, looking away. Then she picked up a metal cylinder, and pointed one end at her pegasus friend. Closing one eye, she took aim then pulled a lever on it. Out of the far end, a net flew out, ensnaring Rainbow Dash. "Woah!" she cried as she toppled off the edge of the basket and to the ground below. Twilight saw her fall ,and caught her friend with her magic. "Help me out of this thing!" "You won't catch me. Please don't follow me," Pinkie shouted down to them. She did something they couldn't see, that caused the propellers to fall off, crashing to the ground below. Luckily they didn't hit anypony when they landed. To replace them, a pair of chemical rockets popped out of the basket, and fired. "Bye!" Pinkie called faintly. She was out of sight in seconds. "Well, now what?" Applejack asked. "We follow her, that's what!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You can't be serious. We have no idea where she is headed. She could be headed for a terra pony base for all we know," Rarity pointed out. "Then we have to follow her," Twilight said. "If we can find one, that might be the break we need to stop them for good." “I could probably follow her myself, but you couldn't keep up with me," Rainbow Dash stated. "Maybe we can," Twilight said slyly. “Are you thinking the other balloon?" Fluttershy asked. "No, I have a better idea," Twilight told her. "I need you and Rarity to search Pinkie's room for something we can use to track her, then meet me at my house. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, meet me at the library! I have to go grab Spike." "Sure!" Rainbow Dash saluted. "We'll do our best," Fluttershy said, following her friend into the damaged bakery. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Hello?" The gray pony opened his workshop door to find two bat pegasi in royal guard armor. He was quite shocked that they were there. It was the middle of the day. "Gearbox?" one asked. "How can I help you?" he replied. "The Princess has requested your presence at the palace immediately," the other informed him. Did she know? Have I been found out? "What would Princess Celestia want with a simple earth pony inventor such as myself?" "Princess Luna," the first guard said, emphasizing the distinction, "has heard of your magic amplifier and wishes to see it for herself." "Oh. Sure. I'll just get my things," Gearbox said. Was that really it? He went back inside and gathered some things in a saddle: the amplifier prototype, a few other odd inventions, a magic inhibiting collar, and a firehoof. Just to be safe. "I'm ready," he announced, closing the door and locking it behind him. "So how are we doing this?" "Chariot," one guard said simply, pointing a hoof toward the black platform. Gearbox got onto it and the two guards got into the yolks. With a flap of their leathery wings, they were off. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Sorry, Ms. Sunweed," Twilight said, barging into the classroom. "I need Spike home right away." "Is it really more important then lessons?" The teacher asked. "Yes. Spike we're doing a field test. Now," Twilight informed the young dragon, happy to be leaving the boring class. "What? Already?" Spike said, shocked. "We don’t have a choice. Get on," Twilight ordered, but didn't wait, and simply levitated Spike onto her back, and galloped off. "Some ponies just don't understand the importance of education," Ms. Sunweed grumbled before returning to what she had been doing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Twilight burst into the library at full gallop, nearly crashing into her friends. Without stopping, she let Spike down and turned to her friends. "This way girls." Twilight pointed to the basement door. They followed, but stopped in the doorway. "You didn't," Rainbow Dash said, mouth wide. "Ah don't believe it," Applejack said, stunned. Before them stood a pile of machinery they had seen all too well before. The once organized laboratory was now a mess of pipes and wires going every which way. Spike at once stood behind a control panel, like he knew what he was doing. The device dominated the tiny room. "Girls, this is the Pony Blender Mark V," Twilight announced. They already knew what it was at a glance, but looking it over, they could tell Twilight had been hard at work. Panels were lying on the ground next to open circuit boards. It looked distinctly different from the one they had been put inside in the Everfree Forest, but close enough to bring chills to their spines. "Whah is this in yer basement Twi?" Applejack asked, not wanting to hear the answer. "It was you that made me decide to make it," Twilight told her. She omitted their other friend who had suggested actually building it. "Me?" "You pointed out that if there was a book on how to make these there might be more. So I thought if there are more, then we would need our own to cure ponies put into one," Twilight explained. "After building it according to the book, I began working on improvements to the reversal process and various other aspects. I wasn't able to reduce the magic consumption much however. “Anyway, the Mark V is much better. It cools more rapidly, so we can use it every two hours instead of six. It also pulls ponies apart more reliably. I didn't know how lucky we got with the girls until I read more. It was sheer luck they were close enough in size that it didn't mess them up anymore then it did." "So whah are you showing us this?" Applejack asked. "One of the new features I designed myself," Twilight went on, "is something I call merger memory." "I don't get it," Rainbow Dash said. “It basically means that when it blends three ponies together, it makes a recording of what they were like before. That way, when you activate the reverse function, the ponies come out exactly the way they went in with no side effects," Twilight elaborated. "Ya'll are gunna ask us to get in there, ain't cha?" Applejack grumbled. "Yes. I think it's the only way we can catch up to Pinkie Pie, and fight off any of her terra pony friends," Twilight said. "Are you sure this thing will get us apart?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I like you guys, but I don't want to be stuck in the same body with you forever." "And no side effects?" Applejack asked. "What Apple Bloom can do is nice and all, but it ain't fer me." "I'm sure it will work. Merger memory will get us back to how we are now. What happened with the girls was sheer chance, nothing more. It won't happen with this version," Twilight said confidently. "Just look," She pointed. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked and from where they stood they could see two familiar gems. "The elements?" Applejack asked. "Yes. It seems the energies of the elements of harmony stabilize the combination process, so no matter what ponies go in, they will be mixed evenly. Before the ponies had to be in harmony with each other and themselves. If one pony was stronger or egotistical, that would affect the end result, like how Trixie was all different colors but clearly held dominance," Twilight explained. "This way we'll all have equal control, like we saw with the girls." "If it's the only way, count me in," Applejack said. "Let's do this," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Spike, you know what to do." Twilight nodded to her assistant who gave her a thumbs up. The three ponies marched over to the machine. "Just step into the compartments. No bars this time. Oh, and no hats." "Right," Applejack said, removing it. They did as they were told. Steps in front of the chambers made it easier to get in. On the side of the room Spike donned some protective eye and ear gear. Twilight had made him practice this several times, and he had the guide if he needed it. He gave Twilight one last wave and started the machine. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Oh no," Rarity said, standing bolt upright. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked, dropping the rubble she was moving. Trying to locate anything that was Pinkie's was nearly impossible in the ruins of her room. Most of what had been the ceiling had been pulled away, leaving behind a room filled with toys and wooden boards. At least the rest of the building was undamaged and structurally sound. "Something nearby is siphoning my magic," Rarity told her. "Just like-" "Yes," Rarity nodded. "We should tell Twilight," Fluttershy said. "I'm sure she's aware," Rarity said. "Let's focus on finding something for now." "Okay," Fluttershy said, returning to trying to move the piece of wood. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The machine stopped and the noise quieted. Nervously, Spike pulled the lever that opened the central chamber door. Out stepped a large figure. "Did it work?" Spike asked. "It certainly did," Twilight spoke. "This is so cool!" Rainbow Dash said, making them smile. "This feels really weird," Applejack said, scratching their head. "Wow, so that's what they looked like," Spike said, looking over his friends melded form.     Tentatively, the artificial alicorn made a step forward. The hoof jerked about before settling. Then another step. Then two hooves tried moving. They lost their balance, and fell over. "Ow!" they uttered together. "This is harder than it looked," Twilight mumbled. "They made it look so easy," Applejack agreed. "I wish we had actually talked with them. Maybe we'd have a better idea on how to do this," Twilight stated. "What if just one of us moves at a time? Applejack since they are your, legs why don't you try getting up?" "Okay," Applejack said. While the earth pony moved their legs, the other two focused on relaxing. Slowly they righted themselves. "Now let's go upstairs," Twilight declared. They moved slowly at first, getting a feel for sharing control over one body. They had it mostly down by the time they reached the main floor. Getting through the door had been a challenge in itself, but with some clever manipulation of their wings, they managed to fit. "Now to wait until Rarity and Fluttershy get here," Twilight said as Applejack sat them down. The wings on their back were very heavy, and the sensation of having them was very odd to two thirds of them. So was an irritating sensation coming from them. "I got this," Rainbow Dash told them. "Some of my feathers got ruffled up when we fell." She leaned over and began preening instinctively. Applejack and Twilight fell silent. It felt odd having feathers run through their teeth, but the irritation went away. She had finished her work just as Spike came upstairs. “Spike, could you bring the mirror from my room?” Twilight asked. She was well aware she was too large to fit through her bedroom door at the moment. “Huh?” Spike asked. “Could you get the mirror from my room?” Twilight repeated. “What?” Spike asked. Twilight almost laughed before levitating off the earmuffs he was wearing. “Could you get the mirror from my room?” Twilight said a third time. “Oh. Sure thing,” he said. He quickly raced out of the room and returned with the a full length mirror. He gently propped it up against the wall. Taking control, Twilight stood them up and examined their new look. None of them had gotten a good look at the fillies' mixed form, but is seemed close. Their head and chest belonged to Twilight, while the legs and back end where all orange. The wings and midriff were cyan. Their cutie marks had merged into one; the cloud from Rainbow Dash with Twilight's large star sticking out of it, with Apples surrounding it instead of smaller stars. Twilight couldn't be sure, but she thought they might be as tall if not taller than both of the Princesses. Her horn was much longer than normal too, just like her mentor's. Her mane did not flow in a non existent wind however. “Wow,” Rainbow Dash said as she stretched their wings out. “These are way bigger than mine.” “And we look like we could buck a tree in half,” Applejack said, testing out a leg. Their combined actions caused their collective body to tip over, and they fell to the ground. “Girls we have to work together!” Twilight reminded them. “Sorry,” Applejack and Rainbow Dash said at once. The sound of both their voices coming from the same source was very strange. Spike couldn't help but laugh. “What's so funny?” Applejack said grumbling. “You're having an argument with yourself,” Spike said giggling. The artificial alicorn frowned at him. “Hey Twi', I've been thinkin',” Applejack said. “Yes?” “If yah built that thing to counter other fake alicorns, what good is it if yah have to bring them here first? Can't yah make something portable or somethin'?” “I thought about doing that, but it's just not possible.” “Twilight, if anypony can do it, it's you,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to encourage her. “Well, I tried making a model you could just carry, but it gives off too much heat when it runs. It would be single use only at best, and would melt apart when you used it.” “Uh, melt?” Applejack asked nervously. “Just how hot is that thing getting? “The coolant is liquid helium. There is absolutely nothing colder. Even with that it, takes two hours to cool down to safe levels. If I ran it sooner, it would melt the machine,” Twilight explained. “Plus we don't have the technology yet to make the components any smaller, so it's still pretty big. I made a prototype, but it was so heavy I couldn't get it outside, and it melted to the floor when I tried using it. That's what happened with the Mark IV.” “Keep tryin' sugarcube. You'll figure it out.” Applejack told her. “I'm sorry girls, but Equestrian technology is too far behind. This thing is the most advanced thing I've ever seen. Just trying to reverse engineer the parts was almost impossible. We would need actual terra pony technicians to get any farther, and I don't see them helping us,” Twilight said sadly. “Let’s talk about something else, okay?” “So, uh, how was Canterlot? Did Ah already ask that?” Applejack asked. “It was... interesting. I learned a lot.” “It must have been cool, learning to fight from Princess Celestia!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “It was really hard. We were fighting all the time,” Twilight replied. “Fighitin’?” “Sparring. Basically the most common way of fight training,” Rainbow Dash explained. “So, did you ever beat her?” “Just once. The rest of the time she pretty much knocked me around.”         “Sounds mighty painful.”         “I still learned a lot,” Twilight said.         “I learned a lot too!” Spike declared. “I-” Suddenly there was a knock at the door. “Spike?” “On it,” Spike said, answering it. “Hello, Spike,” Rarity greeted, entering. “Oh my,” Fluttershy said, following. “Hey girls,” Twilight greeted, trying to sound nonchalant. “My, you look just like Princess Celestia,” Rarity said. "If she had fallen into some paint and got a mane cut." “That might be a good way to get out of town without attracting too much attention,” Twilight thought out loud. “We don't want anypony thinking there's a fourth princess or something.” “We found some of Pinkie's things,” Fluttershy announced, dropping an assortment of gag items and costume pieces onto the floor. “Perfect!” Twilight said. She leaned over and performed the tracking spell. “So what's with the new um... look?” Fluttershy asked. “We need to find Pinkie and fast. She might lead us to a terra pony base for all we know, and we need to be strong enough to take them on,” Twilight explained. “Twahlight here built her very own alicorn machine in the basement,” Applejack added. “Then improved it so we can get apart again.” “So what does it feel like?” Flutteshy asked. “Not that different. It's just like being me, then they'll move and I have to remember why my leg is moving on it's own,” Rainbow Dash explained. “But it still feels like all my body.” “Girls, we're wasting time,” Twilight said, taking charge again. “Anything we can do?” Rarity asked. “Not really. If you have any questions, you can ask Spike,” Twilight said. “Now everypony be quiet, illusion spells are not my specialty,” she said. She pulled forth her magic and let it blanket their single body. “Now you really do look like Celestia!” Rarity exclaimed when the spell was over. “That's the idea,” the facsimile of Celestia said in Twilight's voice. It opened the door and stepped outside. “Alright Rainbow Dash, you fly, I'll point the way.” With a flap of their wings, they were in the air. “Woah nelly!” Applejack cried, hooves flailing. “Stay still!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We're called earth ponies for a reason, Rainbow,” Applejack retorted, but let their legs go slack. Rainbow Dash took over. Turn to the left,” Twilight ordered and they moved. When they were facing the right direction, towards some distant mountains, she shouted “Stop!” With a powerful stroke of their wings, they shot forward. Rainbow Dash was loving it. Sure they were larger and heavier then she was used to, but the wings more than compensated. “I wonder how fast I can go,” she thought, pouring all she had into going faster and faster. Before they had cleared Ponyville completely a familiar sonic cone began to form around them. “Is that what Ah think it is?” Applejack wondered. She didn't dare talk, as their lungs were working heavily. With relative ease, Rainbow Dash surged them forward, piercing the cone. Behind them ponies rushed into the streets to see the source of the loud bang. Looking up, they saw a sight that had not graced the skies over Ponyville in a while. “I had almost forgotten how marvelous those are,” Rarity said, looking up. “They must be really strong fliers,” Fluttershy stated. “Rainbow Dash has always needed to dive in order to pull one off before.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Was that Princess Celestia?" a mint colored unicorn with cream flanks asked. "Doing a sonic rainboom?" her cream colored earth pony with minty flanks companion continued. The two looked at each other with equally confused expressions. "Bon Bon, was Ponyville always this weird, or did it only get this way after I moved here from Canterlot?" the unicorn asked. The earth pony stared blankly at the unicorn who was lying on her back in a very unpony like fashion. Then watched unsurprised as her companion stood up on two hooves to continue to watch the passing alicorn, shielding her eyes from the sun with a foreleg. "Weird. Right," Bon Bon replied, rolling her eyes. "Whatever you say, Lyra." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A small balloon set down on a gray rock farm miles from any major town. The ponies in the field turned to look. Pinkie Pie jumped from the basket. “Hi mommy, hi daddy,” she greeted the pair. “Pinkamena, what are you doing here?” her father asked. “Some of the others have been causing trouble. Princess Celestia was looking around for any terra ponies, and they nearly caught me, so I had to leave. I need somewhere to stay while I move somewhere new to live,” Pinkie said. Her mane had remained flat since she left. “Well you are always welcome here on the farm,” her mother said. “Were you followed?” her father asked seriously “No, I shook them off pretty easy.” Pinkie replied. “Well we're busy tending to the east field. Do you still remember how to do it?” “Of course, daddy,” Pinkie replied. "Hey, Pinkamena, what's that on your tail?" her mother asked. Pinkie looked and saw her pet clamped onto the end. "Oh that's Gummy, my pet alligator." Pinkie said prying the reptile off. "Isn't that dangerous?" her mother asked. "He's got no teeth, see!" Pinkie pointed out. Pinkie placed Gummy inside before joining the family in their labors. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “She's down there girls,” Twilight announced. Even as fast as Rainbow Dash had flown them, it was after sunset when they arrived. “Ah guess she really did grow up on a rock farm,” Applejack said, noting the terrain below them. “So do we nab her now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No, I think we should wait until morning. I don't know about you two, but I'm pretty tired,” Twilight said. “We're all tired Twi',” Applejack pointed out. Rainbow Dash maneuvered them to the ground. Taking over, Applejack walked them over to a secluded spot off of the farm where they could be hidden from sight. At once Rainbow Dash began preening, but Applejack forced their head back. "Do yah have tah do that now?" "Yes," Rainbow Dash responded. "You don't have wings so you don't have to take care of them, but I do." "Sort of like how unicorn horns can get overgrown if you don't file them down?" Twilight asked. "I guess," Rainbow Dash replied. "Well can it wait for a few minutes? I want to do some experiments," Twilight requested. They reluctantly nodded to themselves. Twilight summoned up her magic and levitated a rock from the ground. Then she crushed it into dust. "Hmm... I'd need to use a machine for more precise measurements, but I'm sure my magic is considerably stronger now." "Ah never seen yah do somethin' like that before," Applejack commented. "Next test." At once their horn began glowing brighter and brighter. The aura was massive, several times larger they they were even at their larger size. Once it couldn't get any stronger, Twilight pulled it back. "You're going to get us spotted!" Rainbow Dash hissed. "A necessary risk," Twilight replied, jotting down some mental notes. "I'd estimate a 140% increase in my magic limit, and at least a 50% increase in its strength. I bet I could teleport all the way back to Ponyville with all this magic." "And we're a lot faster," Rainbow Dash added. "That sonic rainboom was almost too easy. "Stronger too," Applejack pointed out again. She took control to test her earlier claim, and bucked a dead tree. It shattered apart in a burst of splinters. "Ah bet Ah could lift more with one hoof then Big Macintosh can with all of em." "This is great. If we could integrate this kind of power into the Equestrian military, we'd mop the floor with the terra ponies," Rainbow dash said, smirking. "Easy girls, it's not perfect yet. Remember there's only one that can separate us again. I'm sure I can improve the machine some more. 140% is good, but it should be 300% ideally. I'll keep working on it," Twilight replied. "But we could make hundreds more alicorns," Rainbow Dash pointed out. Twilight shook their head “I pretty sure we’re totally sterile right now. Anyway, we’re still not close enough genetically to be compatible with another alicorn, fertile or not. We’re closer to a winged unicorn than an alicorn. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are the only alicorns." The other girls got real quiet. "It's only in this state. Nothing to worry about after we're apart again. I wouldn’t have ever used it if it was a permanent effect." "Eh. I wasn't planning to have foals anyway," Rainbow Dash said. "Ya'll change yer mind when yah find that special somepony," Applejack replied. "I am not having a foal. Ever. I don't ever see myself wanting to squeeze a watermelon through my crotch," Rainbow Dash said, cringing at the thought. "Besides, the world has enough unwanted ponies as it is." "Rainbow...." Applejack said softly. "Don't try to tell me otherwise. I know it," Rainbow Dash said, sighing heavily. "I lived it." “Is there something you want to share with us?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash sighed. "No. But I will. I already told you Gilda was my sister, but I didn't exactly tell you why." "You were made part of her family," Twilight remembered. "Yeah. Because I was an orphan," Rainbow Dash said finally. "My parents died when I was about a year old. I ended up living at the flight school. Going home with Gilda was the greatest day of my life. Even better then when I got my cutie mark. I really mean that. I was never in an orphanage, but I know what it's like. "Before I came to Ponyville, I worked in the Cloudsdale foster care services. You know, give back to the community for what little it did for me. But I couldn't take it. Equestrian orphanages are dumps. Dirty and overcrowded. I spent my time either either made sure the orphanages met the codes, and they barely did most of the time, or I filed reports on how much they sucked." "Ah had no idea. Family's so important," Applejack said, wishing they were apart so she could give her friend a comforting hug. "I always had a family. They just weren't ponies is all," Rainbow Dash said confidently. "They were always there for me, like my parents wanted to be. It seems heartless, but I don't miss them that much. I was too young to really know them, and soon I had some griffons to fill the hole they left. " "Why didn't you tell us this before?" Twilight asked, surprised. "It wasn't any of your business. I don't need you girls acting like I need help or comfort. It's almost as annoying as the ones who teased me," Rainbow Dash responded dully. "Plus, I lost a lot of friends when I told them. Gilda was the only one who stuck by me when they found out." "That ain't right," Applejack grumbled. "We wouldn't a done that. That's just mean." They shrugged. "So why did you quit?" Twilight asked. "You could have done some good there." "I quit because I couldn't take it any more. I only did it for a few months but in that time..." Rainbow Dash trailed off. "I had to file reports for over forty local foal deaths." “That's terrible!" Twilight exclaimed. "How could so many ponies die so quick?" Applejack asked in disbelief. "The orphanages were, and still are overcrowded. Sometimes they got sick and couldn't afford treatment, sometimes a foster parent would abuse them to death," Rainbow Dash replied, "but the thing that really made me quit, was the number one cause of death." "Starvation?" Twilight asked remembering what Scootaloo had told her. "Fallin' off a cloud?" Applejack suggested. "You're way off," Rainbow Dash informed them. "Well that's disease, murder, accidental, and starvation. What else is there?" Twilight rattled off. "Drownin'?" "Wild animal attack?" "Birth defect?" "Poison?" They shook their head and paused before uttering one last word before the pegasus stayed silent for the rest of the night.     "Suicide." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Equestria wide, orphan suicide is the number one cause of death, responsible for the death in more than 70% of cases, with large cities having the worst numbers. Canterlot is the worst while Baltimare boasts the lowest. Orphans have more than twice the suicide rate of any other social group. 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.