//------------------------------// // Team One and Team B // Story: Dust: An Equestrian Tail // by Sylpheed Dashstep //------------------------------// Celestia waited for a total of twenty minutes after the first group had left, watching the Elements of Harmony and Luna's personal night guard create ruts in the throne room with pacing. After the time was up she got up and said, "Twilight, I need you and your friends to begin heading back to Ponyville and get your stuff ready to follow Discord and Luna, bring anything you think will be of use. I want you to bring Spike along with you and I want you to wait until you get too far to turn back before you reveal yourself, okay?" Twilight looked at Celestia as though she had grown a second head, her mentor suddenly turning deceptive on her giving her a bit of a startle. "Y-yes princess, we'll be right on it," Twilight responded, giving her mentor a nod. "Guards, prepare a cart to take them back to Ponyville immediately and if you see Discord and Luna and that creature then go around them and please try to stay low profile, give them a regular grade cart," Celestia said, waiting for the order to be obeyed and smiling a little as ten guards instantly rushed to obey her. "They're Team One and we're Team B," Pinkie said as they exited the throne room, surprising her companions with the sudden outburst. "Wouldn't we be Team Two then," Rainbow Dash asked. "Well they'll be expecting that," Pinkie countered, "the princess said not to reveal ourselves until we get too far, and if they hear about a Team B while they're Team One then they won't suspect a thing." "But sugarcube wouldn't they have to know they were Team One already to not suspect...nevermind, this is hurting mah head," Applejack said, grimacing as she tried to understand Pinkie's logic. "Just roll with it AJ," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes, "nopony'll ever understand Pinkie's logic." "Okay, so it looks like they're heading northwards, that means that they'll eventually hit the tundra, so I say once we hit the area where it starts to become barren is when we show ourselves, there won't be enough shops to supply us and by then we probably won't have enough food to make a trip back," Twilight said, talking more to herself than her friends. "Umm, quick question," Rarity spoke up, "if there's only enough food to get us there then how are we supposed to get back?" "That's easy, we use our magic," she replied. "So, we either succeed or d-die," Fluttershy said, quieting everyone. Twilight was silent, facing her five greatest friends in the world, knowing that this could very well be their final quest for the nation of Equestria. "No, this is just another mission to protect our loved ones, and we're not dying you got that? I'll carry you if I have to, but nopony is going to die on my watch." There was a dark and foreboding laugh that seemed to echo around the group of mares, making each one shiver in fear. "Words, words, words, saying something is simply one end of the deal, but will you hold up when it truly becomes time to hold up on your end of the deal?" The voice that was attached to the laugh had the same effect, but tenfold, making Fluttershy nearly burst into tears, and even making Rainbow Dash to weak in the knees. "I'll be seeing you again soon girls." And then it was gone, leaving a heavy feeling in the stomach of each mare. They each passed a look between the other, all of them wondering the same thing, but none of them willing to voice the question. Again? Before any of them could break the silence two carts rolled up to them. Three mares piled into each cart, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack getting in one and Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie getting into the other. They each began their journey to Ponyville. Team B1 Twilight opened her eyes to find the sky dark, the carriage bumping along a dirt road filled with potholes, a particularly large one having jolted her awake. She sat up immediately, sensing that something was amiss. They must have arrived by now, right, unless they'd caught up to Team One. Twilight rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and moved over to the window, pushing it up and sticking her head out, peering through the darkness to catch sight of where they were. She stared into the gloom for a good thirty seconds before catching sight of something white flash through the darkness, reflecting the moonlight into her eyes. She turned her head towards the front of the cart to try and track the movement, the reflecting light now a constant flashing in her eye. Her eyes ran over a figure cloaked in both shadows and iron, the two mixing and mingling to create an armour that made the creature hard to pinpoint, if not for the reflected light and dust clouds it was kicking up. It's face was cloaked from her view but there were slots for its ears, or what she assumed was it's ears. There were two crescent shapes coming up out of the hood, one on each side of it's head, and each seemed to be either scaled or ridged multiple times, the moonlight gliding gracefully across the appendages. It's hooves, or what she guessed was hooves due to her lack of sight, made no noise on the uneven ground and it appeared to have neither a mane nor a tail, the close fitting armour giving that away for her. The cart bounced once more and she slammed her head into the upper portion of the window, the purple mare biting her tongue and squeaking in pain. She pulled her head back into the cart to prevent getting caught but she knew it was too late the minute the cart started slowing. She quickly woke Rainbow Dash and Applejack up, silencing their questions and protests instantly and getting them ready to face the creature. The cart finally stopped, the creature drawing it out and giving them time to get ready to fight, and Twilight didn't doubt that it was on purpose. Twilight frantically looked around the cabin for something to fight with and also watched as Rainbow Dash and Applejack lined themselves up on either side of the door, their rumps facing the center of the cart, preparing to buck the creature into oblivion. Then the window exploded inwards, the creature coming in right behind the glass and grabbing Twilight, sweeping her off into the darkness before either of the other mares could respond. They immediately rushed for the window, Rainbow Dash flying high into the sky to try and catch sight of her while Applejack rushed straight into the darkness, hoping desperately to catch up to the creature that took her friend. Neither of them caught sight of the dark creature or even a hint of Twilight. She was gone and they were lost, alone and afraid in the dark. Groggy That was the first thing that Twilight felt when she woke up, her eyes opening in a fruitless attempt to bat away the darkness. But too bad for her she was swimming in darkness and shadows, so thick and undisturbed it was almost tangible, and so close to simply suffocating her, cutting one of the many needed elements of survival. Luckily for her though the darkness embraces all, even those who despise and fear it. "No need to fear now sweet Twilight," a voice hissed right beside her head, "you'll be perfectly safe now." Twilight didn't hesitate, swinging her head away from the voice and bringing it back as hard as she could, bracing for an impact, but only finding the feeling of something curling around her face, as though caressing it but also as though it wasn't there. "Shh, it will all be okay now, just sleep." Twilight felt her eyelids growing heavy and knew there was nothing she could do, at least in the condition she was in now. And so she slept. Team B2 Fluttershy was gazing out the window, simply watching as the scenery passed by in a dull shift, her attention peaking when a dark shape passed by the window in a blur, much faster than the rest of the scenery. She leaned forward against the window, smushing her snout against it in an attempt to see the figure once more. "Did either of you see that," she asked, turning back to Rarity and Pinkie. "See what dear," Rarity asked. "There was...something," Fluttershy answered sheepishly. "There's always something," Pinkie replied with a smile. "Yeah but this was...different," she said, growing quiet as she noticed that they had gone back to their own devices. It was another thirty minutes before she saw the creature again, this time further away from the trail but still somewhat visible. It was too dark to make out an particular details but she got the feeling that it wasn't there to be friends. "Girls, there's really something out there," Fluttershy said, her voice wavering a bit. This got the attention of the other two and they slid over to the window, peering out along with her. "Just wait for it," Fluttershy whispered. They didn't have to wait long, in fact it was only about a ten minute wait before the figure flew last, two more of them in tow. Rarity was the first to react, making her way over to the door and throwing it open, leaning out to yell something to the guard driving them, only getting out a small sound before being snatched away into the opposite direction the cart was driving. Things were silent for all of ten seconds, Pinkie beginning to move towards the door to close it before something got in but only making it halfway before the cart tipped onto its side, slamming down onto the side with the window and throwing Pinkie back into Fluttershy, knocking the wind out of her and causing a small cracking sound from the window. There was a sharp yell outside the carriage but neither of the mares dared move, simply sitting there and trying to calm their racing heartbeats, waiting for the next moment to bring something even worse than the last, but nothing else happened and all was silent as the sun began to set. "Do you think the-" Fluttershy began, being cut off abruptly as the side of the cart with the door was ripped off, filling the room with light and giving Fluttershy just enough time to see the party canon in Pinkie's hooves before it blew, nearly destroying Fluttershy's ear drums in the small space. Fluttershy lay there for a good five minutes as she waited for her hearing to return, waiting for the white noise to disappear so she could actually achieve something. Her hearing did return, and just in time to hear Pinkie return from somewhere, peering over the edge of the overturned carriage down at her friend. "Come on Fluttershy, we have a long walk to Ponyville," she said, waiting patiently for her friend to flap her way out. "What was that," Fluttershy asked. "We'll probably find out eventually, for now we just have to get to Ponyville and get Spike, and Gummy too," Pinkie replied. "Alright then," Fluttershy replied, stepping up beside Pinkie, gazing around at the darkness falling and gulping. "Lets please hurry." "Ah, I was wondering when you would wake up," a voice greeted Rarity, the same voice from the courtyard in Canterlot. "Your other...Alicorn friend has woken up already, although she's asleep now. It's funny, she wasn't an alicorn when we last faced against each other. Then again I didn't have all this power last time we faced." Rarity slowly opened her eyes to find her surroundings completely black. She shifted around a bit and came to the conclusion that she was tied to a chair, and in a rather uncomfortable position as well, sitting completely upright with her hooves tied together behind her. "Don't bother trying to escape, it's no use," the voice hissed, sounding so close but so far away at the same time. "Ah, so you are more reserved than your friend, that will do just fine, little miss Rarity. Oh yes, I know exactly who you are, I have prime sources, and they tell me that you've actually let yourself be influenced by the darkness once before. Why not try just one more time?" Rarity felt her willpower being bent, turning against her will. And then she sensed a break in the pressure forcing her will to bend, quickly grappling onto that release and forcing her way away from the pressure, the battle of wills causing her to begin breathing heavily and sweat, the beads forming on her brow and dripping down, and then it was gone, leaving her leaning away from the chair, the bonds the only thing holding her up. "Ah, so you've a strong will, I shall respect that for now, after all, I have all the time I wish now, after all, now that I have two of the elements I'm guaranteed not to be defeated," the voice said with a smug sound to it. "Wh-who are you," Rarity asked. "Ah-ah, too soon for names, we haven't even spent all of ten minutes together yet, and I'm very picky with my close ones," the voice whispered right in her ear, making her shiver. "For now though, I have things to deal with, more elements to steal, and world domination to plan, goodbye for now Rarity, I'll let you fall asleep on your own this time, you're not too far away." And then she sensed that she was finally alone in the darkness. Completely and utterly alone. She began to silently cry, her tears drying up long before she fell asleep.