//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Plans // Story: Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Once again, the sun hung high in the air, a testament to one of the Water Nation's few mistakes. Flowerbloom, however, couldn't deny liking it. It was nice being able to travel outside without having her flank nearly frozen off. Not having to rotate working in the fields to make sure the crops didn't freeze, not having to spend all night burning wood until her hooves were covered in splinters and all she could smell was smoke. Not to mention the trip she was now taking would have required an entire caravan just to make sure nopony froze to death, and they could get through the snow. They'd have still been on the road in such cold weather. Now it was just her and her father, Cherry Fizzy, and they were wearing light cloaks designed to keep them cool, not warm. Even if the Water Nation did eventually find all the pockets of resistance, she hoped they'd allow the fire benders to keep raising the sun. Not that she'd admit it, such thoughts could be seen as treason. Sadly, the capital wasn't exactly close. They first headed to Cherry Bloom Rise, where they had found voyage and were now traveling across the sea towards the capital. The ship under her hooves was new, but still familiar. Even though she didn't really like the constant rising and falling that separated it from a sky ship, it was more a mild annoyance than anything horrible. Her father, on the other hoof, had spent the majority of the voyage bent over the side of the ship, unleashing the vengeance of his upset stomach upon the denizens of the deep. Flowerbloom was a little grateful for his suffering. As it was, he'd been unable to focus on the strange acceptance Nightmare Moon had granted them. Her highness wasn't known for great kindnesses, nor involving herself in affairs that she didn't have a personal stake in. It was possible that Sweetie had asked her mother to approve and grant them protections, but she doubted it. On the other hoof, it was likely her highness just wanted Fizzy out in those lands. He had been a great commander, one of the few earth ponies allowed to retire with honors. Though she hated to admit it, what worried her the most was that this could be their ruler's plan to remove her father from retirement and put him to work. It was just the kind of thing that unicorn would do. The nation was short hoofed enough. She glanced back and chuckled. “Father, didn't yah used to ride airships all the time?” “Ughhhh...” the green faced pony said with a groan. “N-not... not o-often... I-it's different, too. Ughhhh...” “It feels almost exactly the same to me,” Flowerbloom said with a sigh, before walking over and gently rubbing his back. “Yah poor dear. If yah want, when we make land yah can go home. The air ship will probably be a lot--” “N-never...” the stallion said, before leaning forward to unleash into the sea once again. “By the stars though, ah think ah'd rather swim to the capital.” “It'll be okay, pa...” she mumbled while rubbing his back. “Ah can do this on mah own. Ah don't--” “Ah know yah can. But that doesn't mean yah should have tah,” the stallion said as firmly as he could muster. “It's mah fault yah even have tah go through it an' ah'll be dead 'fore ah let a coupla waves tear...” He was forced to pause once again as he dry heaved, his stomach now too empty to release. He retched for a couple moments before dropping onto the deck and whimpering. “W-waves... t-tear me apart from mah... l-lil girl. A-ah started this with yah, a-an' ah intend tah... tah finish it...” Flowerbloom nodded and gently rubbing his back. “Wanna try makin' another run to the hammocks? The captain said they should help.” “Ah... ah think so...” He dry heaved a few more times before she helped him to his hooves. “Ah don't think ah got anythin' left tah lose...” “Ah'll bring a bucket, just in case,” Flowerbloom said before snatching one up in her mouth, then helping him wobble through the ship. Internally she chuckled. If this was all Nightmare Moon's plot to get her father back into battle, then the old mare would be in for a big surprise when she saw the weak husk of a pony that came with her. The mare hoped it would be enough to deter the ruler of whatever her plans were. ------ Fluttershy gulped and slowly nodded. “O-okay. I... I'm ready.” “Are you sure about this?” Rainbow asked nervously. “I mean, this is... kinda a bit rough. You don't have to--” “J-just do it!” the pegasus cried. “W-while I still have the courage to. It has to be done!” Rainbow gulped before slowly nodding. With a single swipe, she slashed the blade across the mare's side. It wasn't a deep wound, but it bled heavily. The pegasus quickly bound it up. “There, done. That should be--” “Rainbow...” the yellow mare trailed off. “Y-you know you can't heal these instantly anymore, right? I-I don't think--” “I... I have to look like I survived a battle. I can't fly in fresh as a daisy. Just d-do it...” Fluttershy said softly, though it took all she had to not burst into tears from the pain of the first blow. It had to be done, she knew it, they knew it, but nopony wanted it. It took far longer than any of them wanted, but soon the mare had three separate wounds across her body, each bandaged and slightly soaked through with blood. Even her wing, one of the most sensitive parts on her body, had a pierce and tight bandage around it. Applejack had to do that one, as Rainbow couldn't bring herself to stab a wing. With the bruise on her face, the mare was complete. “H-how... do I look?” Fluttershy asked, smiling weakly to her friends before spreading her wings out. The armor looked as damaged and worn as she did, with a few cuts and marks across it. “You look like you just got the wrong end of a fight,” Rainbow said with a huff. “Are you sure you want to do this? We could just take them! There are four, we--” “I-I'm already hurt, t-the rest is easy,” the yellow pegasus said. “Just... t-take out the pegasus when he goes flying. From there, it'll be fine. I'll keep them distracted long enough, so just sneak in and get them.” She glanced to Twilight. “Remember, the landing will probably be unlocked. I'll keep one of them with me. You and Rainbow have to take them out, fast!” Twilight nodded slowly. “We will. Don't worry. Will you be--” “I'll be fine,” Fluttershy said with a confidence she didn't feel. “Let's... let's do this.” The mare spread her wings and took to the air, though each flap sent pain through them. She had to be careful, flying up behind the cover of the hills and mountains before finally flying out from behind them towards the tower. She grit her teeth and tried to glide when she could, but she could feel the blood soaking through the fabric as the extra exertion made the wound worse. Sweat coated her body and she struggled to maintain her flight, occasionally falling a few feet as she went. As she flew over the lake, she began to worry her wings would finally give out before she could make it across. That worry quickly faded, to be replaced with full dread as her slick wing gave out and she lost a few more feet. At her current pace she WOULDN'T make it across! She was going to drop into the poison! She flapped her wings wildly and stared below, but all that did was make the wound more painful and loosen the bandages. Her altitude continued to drop as she struggled to get across, willing her body higher and faster. She was about to scream for Rainbow, when suddenly a pair of hooves wrapped around her and yanked her up, back into the air. “Hold on, I've got yah.” She recognized the voice as Rosewing's and let out a sigh of relief, before being towed back to shore and dropped, less than ceremoniously onto the dirt. Fluttershy slowly raised her head and gulped. Three unicorns stood before her and, though their armor was lopsided and obviously just thrown on, they were still from the Water Nation. She backed up and cowered slightly. “Pegasus, what are you doing here? Did you abandon your post?” One of them asked, a green unicorn with yellow hooves. She remembered his voice as Lilyhoof's. “Hold on, captain,” Rosewing said, seconds before pain shot through her wing. He cringed. “Holy... goes clear through the wing! How were you still flying? Soaked through...” She whimpered as the bandage was peeled off. “We need a healer for this. You're lucky we saw you out here.” “N-no time...” Fluttershy said as she felt the tears coming down her cheeks, though she tried her best to stop them. The unicorns were starting to look as uncomfortable as she was scared. “T-there was an attack, I-I came from the coast and, p-pirates. Lots of them, they--” “Easy,” Lilyhoof finally said before motioning her to be silent. “You're hurt, come in with us.” “B-but we need help, n-no. I, I was told to come here. I-I need to get to Breachpass and--” “There'll be time for that.” He paused for a moment before narrowing his eyes on her. “You're not a native of the Water Nation, are you?” She gulped and slowly shook her head, her hooves trembling. Did he already see through her disguise? Was she already busted? He stared at her for a few moments before sighing and shaking his head. “Earth kingdom, right? Or one of the Fire Tribes? Been filling all our ranks with ponies who don't know the lay of the land...” He gave a knowing glance to a brown unicorn. “There's nothing wrong with being from earth kingdom,” the unicorn grumbled before looking down at her. “We should...” He quickly looked away. “Treat her wounds.” “She could be a spy,” the last unicorn said, an orange pony. All three ponies turned to glare into Fluttershy's eyes as she just trembled and whimpered, a few tears going down her cheeks. They looked away quickly. “Captain, this is definitely a blade wound. Spy or not, she's hurt, bad,” Rosewing snapped. “She's bleeding all over herself, we can't just leave her out here.” “P-please,” Fluttershy said with a soft sob. “T-they need help. T-there are fillies a-and colts there. T-they'll all be killed!” The pain flowing through her body, along with the fear of discovery, filling her voice with all the despair she needed. Lilyhoof cursed and kicked the ground, before sighing. “Fine. Rosewing, head to Breachpass. Tell them there's been a large assault on Icebreak Docks. How many ships were there?” “I-I saw at l-least five,” Fluttershy whimpered. “Times like this I wish the air benders, not the earth benders, had joined us. If they've dedicated five ships, that's a major assault. We--” He stopped when Fluttershy fell over, dizziness overcoming her for a second. “S-sorry... just...” She shook her head, trying to see straight. Her legs felt weak and wobbly. When they helped her up, she was forced to lean on Gravel in order to stop from falling over. She smiled to Rosewing who, now that she could see him in the daylight, she realized had a white coat with red wings. “Just... a little light headed...” She worried that maybe the wounds were a little deeper than she'd meant them to be. “Rosewing, go warn Breachpass. I'll expect you back here the moment you're done,” Lilyhoof said with a shake of his head. “Miss, come with us. We'll tend to your wounds.” “O-okay...” she whispered, though she glanced up when the pegasus flew off north-east. She then let them carry her inside, internally cheering since her plan was working. She knew the wounds would help! Now she just had to keep them from asking questions until the others arrived. She closed her eyes and rested against the stallion, her consciousness wavering again. Hopefully they were good enough with their medical treatment to keep her from regretting this choice. ------ Rarity groaned when there was a knock on her door. She had yet another difficult night, though she'd finally managed to collapse into her bed and enjoy a dreamless sleep. Alas, the pounding on her door shattered her well earned rest and forced her to glare at the door. “Who is it?” she yelled out. “It's me!” Sweetie called. With another groan, Rarity slowly unlocked the door and pulled it open. Sweetie quickly galloped inside and slammed the door behind her. She had a large brown bag on her back, which she spilled out on the floor, revealing Spike. The little dragon gasped for breath. “I-it's way too stuffy and hot in there...” the dragon groaned. “Didn't you tell me you bathed in lava?” Sweetie asked with a cocked eye. “Yeah, so?” The two princesses looked at each other before rolling their eyes. “So, what brings you to my--” “You're wearing the necklace!” Sweetie interrupted with delight, staring at her sister's throat. Rarity reached up and stroked the gem. “O-oh. Yes, I am. I didn't want to take it off after all you did.” She paused for a moment and shook her head. “Though next time I think I'll take it off when I sleep.” She could feel the outline of the gold dug into her throat. “Though you haven't answered my question, what brings you to my room?” “Oh, my room was kind of a mess and I had to let them clean it,” Sweetie said with a shrug. “Mom has a bunch of tasks for me today, too. I thought it might be better for you to take care of him now.” “I-I can take care of myself!” Spike said defiantly. “Of course you can,” Rarity said before plucking him up with her magic and pulling him to her side, letting him nestle against her. “My little Spikey-wikey is just an independent dragon who knows how to do whatever he needs,” she said in her sweetest voice. “Mmmm hmmm,” Spike mumbled as she gently pulled the blankets up over his stomach and he quickly fell back asleep. She wished she could so easily. “Thank you for watching him, Sweetie,” the unicorn said with a smile. “I'm happy I always have you to depend on.” The little princess preened at the complement, quickly nodding her head. “I'm always here whenever you need my help for anything.” The two smiled at each other, before Rarity finally coughed. “Errr, didn't mother need you for--” “Ahhh! I forgot!” Sweetie shrieked before galloping off, opening and slamming the door behind herself so hard it woke Spike. “Ahhh!” he shrieked, quickly sitting up. Rarity chuckled and patted his head. “There there, Spike. It's fine.” She softly nuzzled him before laying her head down. “We... need to talk. Has... Sweetie Belle talked with you about what... happened with the avatar?” The dragon froze for a moment, before nestling up closer and trying to make himself seem smaller. “No... I... I haven't talked about it with anyone.” Rarity sighed and nodded. That wasn't surprising, since she and Sweetie were the only ones to come in contact with him. No matter how callous her sister had become, she doubted even she would brag about killing the dragon's caretaker. That made things easier, at least. “Then she didn't tell you that... I was the one who killed her.” While not technically true, it was close enough. If her plan succeeded, it definitely would be true. The dragon froze once again, though this time he didn't start moving again. “Spike? Honey?” She gently nudged him, but he didn't move. “Darling, are you--” “Y-you're... you're kidding, right?” She could feel the dragon quivering, his little body pushing against her side. “No. I... I'm not.” “Was it... a-an accident?” he asked, his voice hopeful. She chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds, before shaking her head. “No. It wasn't. I had every intention of killing her when I did it. I... I had to. You see, if I didn't I could never return home. If I ever wanted to--” Spike lashed out, his claw's raking across her face fierce enough to draw blood. She pulled back, confusion enveloping her. It took a few seconds for the blood and pain to register, at which point she let out a yelp. “S-Spike, what are you--” “How could you?!” the dragon screamed, tears welling up in his eyes as he pulled away from her. She tried moving closer, but he held up his claws in warning. “S-stay away from me!” “S-spikey, please, listen to me,” She said as soothingly as she could, though her burning, cut cheek made the words difficult. “I had to, she--” “She was trying to save the world!” he hissed. “The world YOU ponies tried to destroy! Still are trying to destroy! I never should have trusted you! You're... you're just like all the other ponies here. All you care about is yourself!” Tears formed in the dragon's eyes and he turned to run. As his hands locked around the doorknob, her magic wrapped around him and pulled him back. “Let me go!” he yelled. She wrapped her blanket around him, finally covering his mouth. He thrashed and tore, his eyes burning with hatred for her. “Spike, I'm sorry. But please, listen to me. If you run out there, you'll be killed. If my mother finds out that one of your kind still lives, she'll kill you.” The dragon kept struggling, staring at her with unforgiving rage and hatred. The moment she let him go, he'd run screaming out into the hall, she knew it. Though she hated to use it again, she pulled her case out from under the bed and drew out the small vial of poison she'd used once before. She forced it inside him the moment she unbound his mouth and he tried screaming. Within seconds all sounds left him, his eyes closed and he collapsed. She placed him back in the cage he had come from and covered it as best she could, even making sure to freeze the joints so there would be no way for him to escape. It only took a few seconds, but the entire ordeal left her shaking and covered in a nervous sweat. With the task done, she opened the door and found herself staring into the eyes of two of the castle guards. “Your highness, we heard screaming and-- were you attacked?” the soldier asked, worry spreading across his face. “No. I had an accident while performing a bending art,” she said with an angry growl. “You will both escort me to the healers.” “But--” “That was not a request,” she said in the harshest tone she could, masking her hurt and sorrow with anger and rage. The pain from the dragon's hatred hurt far more than the small damage his claws did and she was thankful to have an excuse to leave. The two guards gulped nervously, but nodded. As she walked, she hoped their fear of her family would keep them from risking investigation of her room. If they did, and found the poor baby dragon, she didn't want to think of what would happen. All she knew is she'd have to decide which was worth more. Spike's life, or the life of one of her soldiers. ------ Fluttershy pretended to be exhausted, though it wasn't much of a leap. Her wings were bound tight and ointments had been placed over all the wounds. The soldiers were giving her far more attention than she'd expected. Daisyeye and Gravel were both hovering around her bed, making sure she had plenty to drink, and Lilyhoof was making her something to eat. They were practically crawling over themselves to serve her. They hadn't asked her many questions and even the ones they'd asked were simple. She'd gotten what info she could on the units and such from Rainbow before setting the plan into action, so she was easily able to answer most and those she couldn't they let drop if she feigned a sudden bout of exhaustion. She rolled over a little, eliciting a concerned gasp from one of them, she wasn't sure which. “Are you okay?” Daisyeye asked. “Do you need a drink?” “I-I'm fine...” she mumbled softly. “I'd l-like some water...” The stallion gently hovered a small cup, one of many, which she took in her hooves and drank quickly. Funny, the water felt quite sweet and she had obviously been more thirsty than she'd thought. After she finished it, she gulped. “I ummm... t-thanks. I ummm... t-thank you. I had heard most water benders were... well...” “It's not all true,” Daisyeye said firmly. “Well, some of it is, but not all of it.” He glanced to Gravel and shrugged. “It's part of the reason we're out here now, rather than in the capital. But hey, that's just your good luck, right? Trust me, I have no problem with pegasi.” She nodded softly. “Y-yeah, my good luck...” She longed to ask more, but she didn't dare get too nosy. Instead, she tried sitting up, before letting out a pained yelp and being forced back down by a hoof on her chest. “Easy! You're going to open your wounds again.” His hooves moved down to her sides and made her blush. “Hey!” She squeaked. The stallion instantly pulled back, face red. “I was just trying to, I mean, I didn't mean to, I... I-I'll go check on the captain,” he muttered pathetically, his head lowered as he backed away. He nearly toppled down the stairs, barely managing to catch himself before galloping down. She sighed and closed her eyes. “Thanks...” Gravel shrugged and gently prodded the floor. “It's fine. To be honest, it's nice having company here. Well, company that doesn't want to... kill us.” “Kill you?” “Oh, right. You were a bit out of it when you were flying. Did you notice the platform in the middle of the lake?” “Yes...” she said warily, trying desperately to suppress her urge to beg for more information. “Those were the prisoners being trapped here. It's a pretty effective prison, for earth benders. Just a little metal to keep it going, and only a few benders to keep it in order.” “And if they get rowdy, just drown them?” She tried to suppress the bitterness in her voice, but she couldn't. “Yeah... I suppose sometimes that happens,” the stallion muttered. “I... won't deny. That's one of the reasons I was sent out here, that and... nevermind. They thought another earth kingdom pony, even if I'm a unicorn, would keep them controlled. You're from the Fire Nation colonies, right?” She slowly nodded. “Then you know all about how things are out there. Some of the ponies in power would be all too happy to just drown all the ponies here. As it is, we're the only thing keeping them from being executed. If they were smart, they'd surrender and work for the Water Nation. It's too late to fight now, they've already won. All that's left now is for them to finish eliminating all the little factions that remain.” He paused for a moment. “Well, you've seen it. Is life under the Water Nation's rule really bad enough to die for?” Fluttershy slowly nodded. “Would... the commander do that? I mean... d-drown them all?” The stallion slowly lowered his eyes. “If he had to, yes. Listen, I know you're new to the way things work here, but don't let his position fool you into thinking he's any less loyal to his country than any other water bender. It's not like the colonies here. He'd be happy if they all just gave up and swore loyalty to the Water Nation, but that doesn't mean he won't kill them if he has to. You haven't been on the war front very long, have you?” She slowly shook her head. “Well, it's tartarus out here. Given half a chance, those benders on that island would bury us under so much rock that, even if it didn't kill you, you'd soon wish you were dead. I've seen it before. I can think of a few prisons that were wiped out because the guard didn't do what needed to be done, when it needed to be done.” Fluttershy slowly nodded as he spoke, though her ears twitched slightly. She had heard a few creaks from above and wondered if that was her friends. Or just hopefulness. “That's if you're lucky. I've heard stories about what some of these prisoners do to captured--” “Here,” Lilyhoof's voice came from below, interrupting the talk, as the pony slowly trotted up the stairs. A small, steaming bowl was held in his magic. He brought it to her with a smile, gently placing it on her tummy and making her gulp. It was mostly a thin broth, but she could see a few pieces of potatoes and carrots chopped into it, and a small clump of hard bread was resting on top. “Sorry it's not much, but we don't have any to spare at the moment. Even this requires us to cut into our rations a bit more than we'd like.” “It's fine,” Fluttershy whispered as she gripped the bread in her hoof and took a bite. It nearly cracked a tooth and she yelped. “Easy there. We aren't near a town or anything, so our portions are far from fresh,” the stallion said with a chuckle. “Soak it in the soup before eating.” He paused and then glanced to the other two. “You two, upstairs. Go play with cards or something, I need to speak with our guest.” The two stallions made whining noises, but slowly departed as they were ordered. She nervously smiled at the commander when they were alone, occasionally taking bites of her near flavorless food. Once they were gone his smile turned into a frown and he glanced down at her with a look she found quite disturbing. His hoof gently reached out and stroked her arm. “You know... you're quite a pretty young thing. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we haven't had many mares around here in a very long time. Well, ones on our side.” He paused and pulled his hoof back. “Though, the way my men have been practically crawling over each other to take care of you probably told you well enough.” She gulped nervously and nodded, fear gripping her. She tried to suppress it, but she couldn't stop shaking. “Don't be afraid, I wouldn't harm you. I'd just like to... make a little request.” His hoof gently reached out to stroke her cheek again. “We have to have a pegasus here, but I doubt anyone would mind if you and Rosewing switched places. He's not required, like us unicorns.” She gulped nervously. “I... I don't know. I--” “You don't have to answer right away. Just think about it, that's all I ask. It would really help morale around here if you stayed. It tends to give the stallions something worth--” He was cut off by a loud crash from above, making his head shoot up. “Daisyeye! Gravel! Keep it down up there!” He shook his head and sighed. “You'd be safe, I swear. I wouldn't require you to... do anything. Your presence alone would be enough. We could...” He frowned and trailed off, before turning his head towards the stairs. “W-what is it?” Fluttershy asked softly, her entire body trembling. “They didn't yell back. Keep resting,” he ordered before his horn glowed and the water flowed up and out of a nearby cup. “I'll be right back.” He turned and started trotting up the stairs. She gulped and waited, though she didn't have to for long. He came galloping down the steps, nearly tripping over himself in the process and splashing water across the wall. “Girl, run! It's, it's the avatar! She's here, she's alive! She's HERE!” She let out a sigh of relief, unable to catch it in time. Lilyhoof stared at her, before his eyes widened. “You're... no. Impossible, you... you knew? You're a traitor? You're on--” He yelped and jumped across the room, forming the water from another cup into a blade of ice and thrusting it near her throat. Her entire body locked up and her eyes widened, the fear returning a second later. “How could you? We tended to your wounds, fed you, did all we could to help you!” he growled. He moved so he was still facing the stairs, though he could still keep an eye on her. The blade didn't move, forcing her to lay as still as possible. The hot bowl of soup suddenly felt intolerable, as if it was burning her skin. There was a clatter from the stairs as Applejack and Twilight stormed down. They stopped the moment they saw Fluttershy. “Let her go,” the earth pony said with a growl. “Why are you here?” Lilyhoof asked, his voice high and fearful. “It's impossible, you're supposed to be dead! There are accounts, ponies saw you die. You can't possibly be alive!” “I... I was hurt,” Twilight said softly. “But I got better. Let her go, we don't want to hurt any of you, we just want to release those ponies. No pony has to be killed.” “Just knocked out, like you did with my men?” Applejack tried taking a step forward. “I said back off!” The stallion yelled before the blade dug in slightly to the pegasus' throat. “Don't think I won't kill your little... your little spy! I can't let those ponies go. Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I lost an entire prison of earth benders? I'd be lucky just to be executed!” “I'm going to fix everything,” Twilight said softly. “There's no need to be afraid. By the time anypony found you, Nightmare Moon will be defeated and I'll set everything right.” “Everything right?” Lilyhoof asked angrily, before reaching out with his hooves and pulling Fluttershy from the bed, eliciting a pained cry and scattering the hot soup across the floor. “Everything is fine now! It's just not good for YOU! Here's what's going to happen. You're... you're going to surrender, avatar. Your little earth pony friend is going on the platform and... and I'm going to put you in a cell or something. I don't know, I'll figure it out as I go!” His breathing was getting faster and he struggled to maintain his composure. “Do it, or I'll kill your little friend!” He gulped and motioned towards the stairs. “Start going up them! I'm... I'm going outside. If you try to stop me, I'll cut her throat!” Twilight slowly backed away, with Applejack beside her. Their eyes never left the stallion though. He tried walking to the stairs, but he couldn't. Fluttershy refused to move. “Move it,” he said with a growl. “N-no,” the pegasus said softly. She dug her hooves into the ground as firmly as she could. “Move! Do you want to die?” he said angrily. “N-no, I don't.” She took a deep breath and stared him in the eye, making him freeze. “But... if I g-go with you, you'll win. If... if you go outside, y-you can hurt those ponies outside. They... they're helpless. I-I'd rather die than let m-more ponies suffer like that! So... so kill me if you have to! T-Twilight, don't let him go! Even if you have to through me!” She screamed and closed her eyes, awaiting the blade to slash across her throat. The blade stood still, pressed against her throat. “I...” Lilyhoof said gently. “D-damn you. Do you think I'm bluffing? Don't you know what will happen if I don't stop you?” Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no, not exactly. But... I-I know what will happen if we let you stop us. I-I won't allow that. Even if I have to die for it, that's just what I have to do.” The stallion growled before finally sighing. He gave her a fierce push, shoving her into the side of the bed and knocking her off her hooves. He then galloped towards the stairs and made it two steps down before running into a rapid blue blur coming up the other end. Rainbow kept her hooves on his chest and slammed him back into the wall, knocking the air out from him. A second blow to the head dropped him in a heap. Twilight galloped forward and wrapped her hooves around her friend. “Okay, that's it. We're never, ever doing a plan like this again! Are you okay? Did they treat you badly? Did they hurt you? How are your wings? Is your throat okay?” “I-it's fine. He didn't dig very deep,” she whispered softly. “How are the others? Did you get all of them?” “Easy peasy,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “That pegasus never knew what hit him. Was out like a light before the tower was outta sight.” Applejack nodded. “An' we didn't have much trouble with the other two. Took 'em by surprise when they came up the stairs. Accidentally knocked over the table, but all in all didn't have much tah worry about. Yah were in a heckova lot more danger than any of us were. How yah feelin'?” “A bit nauseous, but good,” Fluttershy whispered. “We need to... we need to go get everypony out of there. Somewhere safe and--” “You aren't going anywhere,” Twilight said firmly, before pushing the mare back into the bed. “What? But--” “Rainbow and Applejack can handle it. Me, you and Pinkie are going to keep an eye on these ponies. Well, Pinkie and I are. You're going to rest in bed for a little bit.” “But your hoof--” “My hoof is mostly fine. Pinkie will do most of the lifting and I'll help with my magic. You're a lot more hurt than I am, and you've lost... a lot more blood than you should have. You've done quite a bit more than anypony could ever have asked of you, so it's time you got some rest.” “But--” “No buts!” Twilight snapped before looking around. “Now, where is Pinkie, anyway?” ------ The retrieval of the ponies was a long, slow process. When the last pony was finally on the ground, the sun had already long set and they worked by candlelight. The four prisoners had also awoken and now laid out, bound besides each other. Everypony gathered outside to speak. Twilight's appearance had the ponies in awe, causing them to mutter and talk excitedly of not only being saved, but having been saved by the avatar of all ponies. Unfortunately, the mere sight of their captors nearly caused a riot, forcing Applejack and Rainbow to send the ponies scattering back, away from the new prisoners. The ponies wasted no time regathering themselves and yelling at their saviors, venom as toxic as the lake coming from their lips. “Toss them into the lake! Let them suffer like we had to!” “Chop off their horns and wings and let them know how it feels to be helpless surrounded by poisons!” “Tie them out in the sun! Let them burn and smolder like we had to!” “Just kill the lot of them! It's the least they deserve after the evil they did!” “Now hold on,” Twilight said quickly, trying her hardest to keep the ponies calm. “While I know these ponies had you imprisoned, they are helpless now. Killing them like this would be--” “They had no problem killing us when we were helpless!” one of the ponies yelled and stepped forward. He stomped a hoof and rocks thrust up from behind him, before flying at the ponies, though Applejack quickly knocked them aside. “S-stop!” Fluttershy screamed. She slowly got up and shook her head. Her bandages had been replaced again, though each movement still sent pain through her body. “There's been enough killing! These ponies are defenseless and soon it won't matter at all. Once we defeat Nightmare Moon and--” “What?” one of the mare's yelled. “Our friends will magically return? My brother died in that lake, he fell in and drowned, screaming! How will defeating Nightmare Moon help him?” Twilight gulped. “It... those ponies are gone, it's horrible but--” “Who cares if these ponies die? Enough of us have died already!” another pony yelled and the crowd threatened to surge forward. Applejack steadied herself, readying for an assault. Laughter suddenly burst from Lilyhoof and he sat up. “You ponies are hilarious. Fighting amongst yourselves. See, this is why I made sure to keep your portions so small. It was always so much fun to watch you try to kill each other for scraps.” “Captain--” Rosewing started, but was silenced by a hard shove from the tied unicorn. “Shut up, pegasus.” Lilyhoof narrowed his eyes on the earth ponies, matching their angry stares with his own contempt. “What's a matter? I'm tied up, you'll never get a better chance than this. Are you afraid I'll poison you?” He snickered softly. “Well?” “Commander, stop it,” Gravel said angrily. “Oh, shut up, earth sympathizer. I should have ignored your begging and just tossed all of them into the lake to begin with!” Lilyhoof growled. “You hear that earth ponies? I would have killed you in a moments notice, if not for these soft hearted ponies. I should have, too! Then I wouldn't be listening to you--” The last words were drowned out as the earth ponies surged forward, their fury unrestrained and focused on the commander. Applejack and Rainbow tried to hold them back, but were knocked aside by the tide. ------ Scootaloo groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She felt nauseous, overheated and weak. Her blanket was almost soaked through with sweat and she barely had the energy to crawl/fall out of her hammock and onto the wooden floor. With a heavy groan, the pegasus grudgingly made her way through the ship and into the galley, where she yanked one of the metal cups, filled it with water and chugged it down in moments. She did it again and again and, gradually, the sensation began to pass. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and slowly straightened up, shaking her head. She hauled herself to one of the tables and dropped into the chair, sighing. “You okay, Lady Scootaloo?” Grimset's voice came from behind her. “Yeah,” she mumbled, not looking up. “Just a little dehydrated. Get's a little hot up here.” He smiled. “Ah, my apologies. We've lowered considerably in preparations for our arrival. It does tend to get quite a bit warmer in these parts, I would have warned you if I'd remembered.” He gently put his hoof over hers. “My deepest apologies, m'lady.” The stallion sat besides her and smiled. She looked up with an annoyed glower. “I'm fine. I've been in plenty of hot places before.” She sighed and took another sip of her water. It didn't feel that much warmer than before, and she'd been through much hotter places plenty of times. She wondered if it was the shifting altitudes that were affecting her. She perked up. “Wait, lowered? We're almost to the city?” She glanced out the window. “Is it dawn?” “It will be soon. Did you want to--” His words were cut off when she yanked her hoof free and galloped out to the deck. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky had taken on a light purple color in preparation. The wind was much calmer now, though that was unsurprising. They were barely two average sized tree lengths above the ground now, easily low enough they could make out ponies on the roads, even in the still quite dim light. At least, if there had been any ponies they could have. They were flying almost silently over wide fields of produce. She was too far away to make out what any of it was, but she imagined it was primarily fruit trees. Ponies certainly loved their fruit. She could also make out barns and homes, many of which had small glows from the windows. She imagined the fields would be alive with working ponies within the hour. She scanned the area, her wings flapping a few times as she considered jumping and trying again. She'd probably break something, but she could at least dampen her fall enough to not die. If she didn't fly. However, a few days being tended by a healer over such a childish notion would have infuriated her superiors, and she was no fool. Instead, she just leaned against the rail and watched the world below, a grin on her face. “It's beautiful, isn't it?” Grimset asked, finally joining her. He put a hoof over hers, but she quickly pulled it away. “I guess,” she mumbled. The breeze was slightly warm, nothing like the cold she was used to. She'd have to get used to sleeping without a blanket if the nights stayed like this, no wonder she'd been so sweaty. Though she still wondered why she had over heated to such an extreme. “Where's the city?” “Manehatten? Right there.” Grimset held out a hoof and motioned ahead. She stared and narrowed her eyes, trying her best to see it. Then, finally, just on the edge of the horizon, she could make out a few small lights. She sighed and shook her head. “Wow. Totally breathtaking,” she said while rolling her eyes. “Oh, it is,” Grimset said with a chuckle. “Sadly, it's almost dawn so you can't see. However, if the sun was still below the horizon and we could only see the darkness, the lights from the city would be seen from twice this distance. Even though the fire benders no longer exist, the city still maintains many of its great features. Well, rebuilt ones.” “Rebuilt?” “Indeed. Many cities were destroyed when the stars fell. However, over time many of their great wonders were rebuilt. Decorations were reset, statues returned, the entire city became a glorious blaze for all to see. I hear during the hundred years, the city could be seen at all times from even the farthest colonies.” He paused for a moment and shook his head. “Though, that was probably just a myth. The light only extends for so long before even it is lost. But truly, the city is a glory to behold in the night.” “Well, now it just looks like a slightly bright speck in the distance, so I guess I'll have to take your word for it,” Scootaloo mumbled. She glanced to the sky and hummed a little. The skies were completely clear, not a cloud in them. She wondered how the pegasi here handled the weather. For the most part, they let the weather take care of itself back in the Water Nation. When it got too dry in one place, water benders would make clouds and the pegasi would move them. Or when it got too rainy and fierce, the pegasi had to deal with that, as well. The more of this land the sun revealed though, the less likely it seemed that could work. This land, outside of the farmlands, seemed barren and dry. Dirt, rock and sand as far as the eye could see. There were a few long dead trees sticking out from the ground, but not enough to make it look healthy in the slightest. “It seems quite dry,” she said softly. “Oh, it is. Before the hundred years of darkness, these lands were so scorched and abused only the Fire Tribes could tend to them. Don't let it fool you, however. The land may look dead and barren, but there is still plenty of life out there. There are dozens of oasis’s across the land, now surrounded by abandoned cities. The ground is rich with nutrients and filled with life.” He snickered softly. “The fire tribes used to traditionally leave their dead in the sand. Giving back the nutrients they used, or so they said.” “Interesting...” She blinked a few times as the sun rose and the light reflected off the sand, making her blink blearily. “I've heard of the wars here. The sand must have been blood soaked in the end.” He sighed and shrugged. “There is a lot of sand here, enough to soak up the blood of a hundred wars. We flew, but on hoof a pony could head out here and disappear, swallowed in the sands and never seen again. I imagine that's why the city glows so much in the night. To bring the lost back.” She nodded slowly and looked down again at the sands. She could almost imagine a hundred years ago, the moon hanging high in the sky while the stars fell across the land, destroying homes, dragons and everything in between. The devastation they caused had been so intense that the fire benders had all but surrendered to the encroaching force. By the time they realized what surrender entailed, it had already been too late. “I always imagined there would be more bones.” “Bones, m'lady?” “Of the dragons. I heard that a hundred years ago, there were dragons the size of the palace, who could swallow an entire airship in one gulp.” He chuckled. “Perhaps, though doubtful. I've seen a few bones and, while they were enormous by our standards, they were nowhere near that size. They could eat a few ponies in one gulp, but I doubt they could swallow the Darkwing.” She nodded again and sighed. “And aside from the Great Dragon, they are no more.” “Indeed,” Grimset said with a shake of his head. “Once the tribes fell, they... well, we can discuss that later. Perhaps tonight, over dinner. In the mean time, look.” He motioned again and she turned her head. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. “Wow...” she whispered. Manehatten was finally within sight, and it nearly took her breath away. The city was truly massive, rivaling even Fillydelphia. Perhaps even larger. Though, that was hardly surprising considering it now held the majority of the country's remaining forces. She tensed when she saw dragons sitting throughout the city, surrounded by buildings with their open mouths aimed towards the sky. However, it only took her a moment to realize they were massive statues. Dim flames flickered along the edges, giving a soft glow. “At night, the flames blaze twenty, even thirty feet in the air,” Grimset said softly. “Even during the hundred years of darkness no pony in this city ever froze to death.” “How about other places in the country?” He shook his head and sighed. “Not everypony was so lucky. No matter how large they built the city, it could only hold so many. They still fared better than most the nations, however. After all, they just had to focus on survival, the others had to focus on war.” Scootaloo nodded and looked around. Many of the buildings were four to five stories tall, only just shorter than the dragons themselves. There wasn't a single domed or pointed roof amongst them, with every building flat topped and holding things, though from this distance she couldn't see what was on them. Everything was put in rows and crowded as close to the dragons as possible, with only the occasional open area between buildings. As little space as possible was taken up. As the ship came ever closer and the sun rose higher, she could make out more details of the city. The dragons formed a ring, and there were at least twelve she could see. As such, the city seemed to form a massive circle both within and outside the ring. She wondered what Nightmare Moon would have said if she knew such statues existed. She shook her head and decided there was no reason to tell the ruler of such insignificant architecture. Despite the early hour, she could make out dozens of ponies walking through the streets, setting up shops and going about their business. It looked like any other city, filled with life and movement. “You could hardly tell they're all prisoners,” she mumbled. “That's because most of them aren't, at least how many would see it. So long as they obey the Water Nation, they receive no punishments. They are even allowed to rally and complain in the streets, so long as they don't interfere with the work of others.” “Rally in the streets?” Scootaloo asked, cocking an eye. “Oh, you'll see soon enough. I doubt you'll make it to your new home without it. Now where is it... there.” He gestured again. She looked and tried to pick it out, but there didn't seem to be anything of note. Finally, after about ten seconds she finally saw it. “Wait, the slightly bigger tower?” “Yep.” As towers went, it was hardly impressive. It stuck out from all the other buildings, but only one floor taller, at most. It shared the same box like architecture and a covered roof like all the others. “It's a little... simple. I expected more.” “Not much room for grandeur here, m'lady. The ponies must work with what they have.” She nodded slowly and then frowned. The ship was continuously lowering and, while they weren't quite to the city yet, they would slam into a few of the buildings at this rate. “We're sinking quite fast. Where are we landing?” “Ah, of course. The city is quite cramped. No room for anywhere to land. Right there is where we'll go.” he gestured to the ground, less than a mile from the city. A large patch of dirt had been cleared out in a single square and only a few ponies milled about. “It's about as impressive as the headquarters,” Scootaloo mumbled. “It's new. They haven't exactly been gifted with many airship visits in the last hundred years. Most they tended to get were pegasi messages. Even those were few and far between.” She sighed and nodded. “I'd imagine they had to get a few.” “No pony of importance. Until your friends and you--” The stallion choked and his eyes widened when they came closer to the landing. “Why would they send him...” “Who?” Scootaloo looked around at the ponies, but she could only barely make them out and saw nothing of concern. “Him,” he pointed out a pony standing outside a carriage. He was still too far away to make out, other than his red coat. “Who is that?” “Hornclipper. I don't know his real name. Probably one of the sickest, twisted pegasi in this country.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to see more details as they came closer. “Why? What he do?” “When a pony is old enough to survive the removal of their horn, he's the one who does it. He's the only one who does it. I hear a pony once tried to take over and do it in his place, he nearly killed them. I've never seen a pony so focused on their blades.” “Why is he here then?” “Probably your escort. Don't trust him,” Grimset ground a hoof into the ground. “He works directly under the commander here, but he's as untrustworthy as they come. He'd attack Nightmare Moon herself if he thought he could get away with it.” She nodded slowly, before finally making out some details of Hornclipper. His coat was a bloodred and his mane was a dark purple. He didn't look very intimidating, no different from any other soldier she'd ever seen before. Aside from the two blades strapped onto his wings, so large that the feathers couldn't be seen beneath. She doubted the pony could possibly fly with them. The ship came in for a landing and ponies rushed to set up a ramp. She stepped towards it and then glanced to Grimset. “Aren't you coming?” “I have things to attend to before I can join you. However, I will see you tonight.” He leaned forward to take her hoof, pulling it to his lips and giving it a kiss, despite the roll of her eyes. “I would be honored if you would join me for dinner again.” “We'll see.” She pulled away and trotted down the ramp. By the time she made it to the bottom, Hornclipper stood there watching her. His blood red eyes were narrowed slightly, seeming to pierce through her and make her wince. She swore she saw his wing blades twitch, though he slowly bowed his head. “Envoy of the Shadowbolts?” he asked slowly. She nodded. “We have been awaiting your presence. I will escort you to your lodgings.” He raised his eyes and looked over her again, before staring into her eyes. This time she didn't wince, instead she glared back defiantly. “Good. It's been a long trip and I wish to get started immediately. You are?” “Hornclipper. Come along,” he said before turning towards the large wooden carriage. Four earth ponies pulled it. At least, that's what she'd thought. A quick second look revealed that all of the ponies had bandages covering their foreheads and their gazes lowered to the ground. She frowned but didn't comment, instead sliding into the carriage and lounging on one of the soft, cushy seats. “Sooo... I haven't been here before. What's there to see?” “I wouldn't know,” the stallion said as he climbed inside. He closed the door behind himself and the carriage took off. “Don't you live here?” “Yes.” “Do you know where most the places are? Places to eat, sleep, trade, relax?” “Yes.” “Suggestions?” “No.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. It was hardly the first time she'd dealt with such behavior. The pony seemed on edge, his eyes never leaving one of the few windows in the carriage, as if he expected an attack at any moment. Though, she doubted any pony would be crazy enough to attack her. “So, where will I be staying?” “Quarters have been prepared in the Queen's Tower.” That made her blink a few times. “The Queen's tower? I've never heard of--” “It was once known as the Avatar's Tower, but renamed. At the time, there was some confusion as to what the ruler was titled as, so Queen's Tower was chosen. It has never been renamed.” She nodded and sighed. “Do you live there?” “Yes.” “Aren't very talkative, are you?” “I'm here to tell you anything you need to know, Shadowbolt. And to keep you safe.” She sighed and leaned against the door, looking at the city as they went. It was going to be a long, long morning. She could feel it. ------ Twilight gently rubbed the back of her upset friend, doing her best to comfort the distraught Fluttershy. “There was nothing we could do,” she whispered gently. “It was... there was nothing we could do.” The pegasus just trembled and shook her head. Lilyhoof was no more, his body swallowed up in the lake of poison, likely never to be seen again. The execution had been violent, bloody and quick, with the avatar and her friends unable to stop them. However, once their vengeance had been fulfilled the fires of rage and anger had burned themselves out. The ponies were now free, but they still didn't feel it. Countless friends and family members had been lost in that lake. When push came to shove, they had fought and beaten each other. Distrust ran rampant and they had been forced to split themselves up into smaller, more manageable groups, lest they risk a new battle. Some had run away, disappearing into the hills, either in anger, shame or just distrust. A few groups still remained, though their night had been spent in mourning. The remaining prisoners had managed to avoid the burning flames of rage from the released ponies, though only barely. Lilyhoof's words had driven the earth ponies into a bloodlust and with the target helpless before them, they had nearly forgotten about the other smaller targets. Rainbow and Applejack had moved quick to get the rest hidden back in the tower, until the ponies could be reasoned with. Watching the ponies tear into each other, fight amongst themselves, accusations fly and the torture of the soldier had been too much for Fluttershy. The others had spent the night attempting to calm her, but there was no soothing the pain the mare felt. She refused to see it as anything but her failure. “We can't save everypony. There was too much anger and hatred for us to stop them, no matter how we tried. They wouldn't listen until—” “It's like a horrible infection...” “Huh?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side. “This... all of this. This entire country,” she whispered softly. “I... I can't cure it. No healer can. I can't even try to stem the tides anymore.” She held up her hooves. “The entire country, it's so... infected. It spreads out, grabbing all ponies in their wake.” “What? Fluttershy, you're just one pony, you can't have done--” “Those ponies. You heard them fight, heard them scream at each other. Many of them had probably been friends before this, fought side by side,” Fluttershy said as more tears threatened to fall from her eyes, though she suppressed them. “Today they were almost willing to toss each other into the lake, even though they were freed. If they could, I think most of them would have killed each other.” “They were hurt and scared, they--” “It's like an infection, Twilight,” Fluttershy said softly, before poking her hooves together. “And it's spreading. Good ponies, bad ponies, it doesn't matter any more. It'll change them all, until every pony ends up like... like... like Trixie. Or... or any of the other ponies we've had to fight.” She slowly stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I... I'm done.” “Fluttershy, you can't give up, we--” “No,” the pegasus said with a shake of her head. “I... I don't mean that. I'm done crying. I'm done cowering. I'm done... I'm done making excuses. I... I can't heal any more, but that's fine. I can still fight. I can still work. I can still do whatever has to be done.” She ground a hoof into the ground. “This... this country doesn't need the wound to be healed anymore. It's too severe. The infection needs to be removed. We're the only ponies who can do it...” Twilight stared for a few moments, but slowly a smile spread across her face. She reached out and hugged her friend, nodding slowly. “I... I think I understand. I know what you mean. I know it must be hard to think that way, but I know you can do it. You've always stood up and did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. I know this time won't be any different.” Fluttershy nodded and hugged back, but after a few moments the tears began to fall again. “Why... why do ponies have to be like this, Twilight? Why can't they all just get along and be happy? All they're doing is hurting each other.” The alicorn sighed and shook her head. “I... I don't know. I wish I did, but I really don't.” She glanced back to the few mourning groups of ponies. “I doubt any of my ancestors would know the answer either, it would probably take a hundred thousand lives to figure it out, if we could.” The pegasus tried to suppress the tears, her body still shaking. “Are... are they going to help us? When it's... when it's time?” “Some of them. Others said they're just going to go home,” Twilight mumbled before shaking her head. “Not as many ponies as I'd like, but everyone will matter in the end. Here's hoping they can make a difference.” “And the prisoners?” The alicorn locked up for a moment and looked away. “We can't take them with us. I wish we could, but we can't. We'll have to trust some of these ponies to watch over them.” Fluttershy gasped. “We can't, they already--” “They've experienced enough blood shed to last them a while. Their target is gone and we can't leave those ponies here alone, unguarded. They'll get reinforcements and let everypony know I'm still here. We don't have any choice. We have to trust that the earth benders will just leave them alone.” Fluttershy whimpered a little bit. “Do... you think they will?” Twilight slowly nodded. “I think they will. The angriest of them are already gone. I don't think the remaining ones want to shed blood any more than we want to.” She let out another soft sigh. “Anyway, I think it's time we go. We still have a long way to go, a lot to do and nowhere near enough time to do it.” The pegasus nodded and the two began trotting away. For a moment the mare considered running back to say good bye, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to even look at those ponies, not now. Instead, she smiled to her friend. “I... so ummm... how... how is your leg?” The alicorn held it up and flexed it out, before smiling. “It actually feels a lot better. Rainbow and Applejack are already talking about having me get back to training.” ------ “We're here,” Flowerbloom said, motioning off the deck of their ship. Off in the distance, so small it seemed like a model, stood the capital of the Water Nation, Canterlot. Over a dozen ships were docked at the pier and the short, domed buildings that filled the city could just barely be made out. Fizzy didn't look up, still hanging over the end of the ship. “N-not here... e-enough,” he groaned, before dry heaving again. “Why did yah even come out of your room?” his daughter asked with a roll of her eyes. “Ah could have come got yah when we arrived.” “Ah... Ah'm fine...” the stallion groaned, his face a sickly green color. He was wearing the dark blue armor of a commander of the Water Nation, though his quivering, sweaty and nauseous form ruined any illusion of impressiveness it could have crafted. “Ah... ah must be on deck when we arrive. If... oh by the stars—” A moment later his stomach finally found something it could expel and he nearly collapsed when he was finished. “Are yah sure you'll be okay on an airship?” Flowerbloom asked with a sigh. “A-ah'll be fine,” Fizzy groaned, breathing as deep as he could. “J-just tell me when we arrive...” Flowerbloom rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. If nothing else, at least he was dedicated. She just hope he'd show such commitment when it came to finding her family. The ship slowly pulled into port, though her father refused to wait. The moment the pier was within reach, he jumped from the side of the ship, landing in a pained, clumsy pile on the wood and laid there, completely still. She chuckled and slowly made her way down a ramp once they stopped. She froze for a moment once she felt the pier under her. The feeling of steady ground was disorienting, making her body wobble for a few seconds in compensation as she tried to regain her land legs. When she could finally walk again, she trotted to her father who had managed to regain his composure. Normal colors were once again returning to his face. “Feelin' better?” “Much. How about we get something to eat before we--” “There will be food on the ship. Let's go,” Flowerbloom said firmly before trotting past him. He sighed, but followed after her. She didn't wait for their escort, instead moving through the streets with her father in tow. What she saw caused anxiety to spread all the way down to her hooves. The streets were filled with ponies, all of them unicorns. It made her shiver whenever eyes fell on them. They were the only earth ponies she could see, every building and street corner lined with unicorns talking amongst themselves. “It wasn't like this last time ah was here...” “No, it wasn't,” Fizzy muttered as he scanned the crowds. “Where are the earth ponies? The pegasi?” “Ah don't know,” he whispered. Even the stalls, the few there were, had unicorns tending to them. Eventually, the skyport came within view and the young earth pony let out a sigh of relief. The airship waiting was suspended by eight reinforced balloons and had two side sails. It was painted sky blue, likely to hide its presence during the day. Though, she quickly realized she'd never seen a ship with that color. Did this mean Nightmare Moon was finally accepting the return of the day? Her relief came from what she saw working around the ship. Pegasi. Even though they weren't earth ponies, it was calming to see some non-unicorns. She quickened her pace. The guards of the port only gave them a cursory glance, before allowing them in. They quickly trotted towards the ship and, a few yards from it, a new voice boomed out. “So. You're Cherry Fizzy and Flowerbloom?” a haughty, annoyed voice said. The two looked up to see a golden coated unicorn, with a silver mane standing above them. His lips were curved in an angry scowl. “I'd say you look raggedy, but I expected as much from earth ponies.” Flowerbloom glared. “Who exactly are yah?” “Mwa? I am Creme. De la Creme. It is my ship, the Empty Sky, that will be taking you on your little... trip,” he spat the word out as if it was disgusting. “Do not make any mistake. You may have special permission from her highness, but on my ship I am in command.” His eyes narrowed. “As a member of the True Canterlot Nobility, I will not stand by--” “Oh, blow it out your horn yah wind bag,” Fizzy said with a roll of his eyes and shake of his head. “Yah might be a water bender, but yah know as well as ah do what Nightmare Moon says, goes. That means you're taking us where ever we say, when we say.” He trotted up the ramp leading to the deck and walked up to the stallion, who was now staring with mouth agape and eyes wide. The earth pony glared into the unicorn's eyes until he was forced to look away. “Ah've been dealing with your sort all mah life, and ah'm not about tah take any lip from a wet behind the ears brat who got his title and position from daddy. Do ah make mahself clear?” The stallion stared, his jaw slowly closing and opening as he tried to think of something to say. “Well... I... I'm a unicorn! You can't talk to me like that! I--” “You're what? Unicorn or not, your orders are tah take us where we want tah go. If yah wanna go off about how that little horn on your head makes yah too good tah follow orders, go right ahead.” He moved in closer and narrowed his eyes. “But ah'm only gonna warn yah once. Ah've spent mah entire life slammin' benders like yah into the ground an' once yah don't got no bendin' tah fall back on, yah break jus' like everypony else. Do ah make mahself clear?” The unicorn slowly nodded, taking a few steps back. The pegasi working on preparing the ship had stopped to watch the confrontation, soon giggling as the unicorn stormed off. “Get back to work before I have your wings!” Creme yelled, before going below deck and slamming the door. “That seemed a lil harsh,” Flowerbloom said with a snicker as she trotted onto the deck. “Wish ah coulda done it.” He chuckled. “Ah've met more than mah fair share of ponies like that. Especially here in Canterlot...” He frowned and looked over the city. “Though, ah've never seen the population shift so heavily in the favor of his kind. This doesn't bode well...” Flowerbloom nodded. “Ah gotta agree. Canterlot has always been a bit of a... a...” “Magic heavy zone?” “Eeyup. If they were plannin' anything, ah'd have thought Sweetie woulda told me.” Fizzy nodded and sighed. “Hopefully whatever it is her highness has planned, is best for everypony...” He glanced towards the pegasi and yelled out. “Whoever is in charge of getting this bucket of self importance into the air, take us up. We're heading north.” “Aye aye, sir!” one of them yelled and, within a few moments, the ship lifted high into the air and began its slow, gentle glide over the capital. ------ Rarity stared in the mirror, a hoof gently stroking along her face. The cuts were completely gone, as if they had never existed in the first place. Unfortunately, the pain in her heart was not so easily healed. Spike was still in his cage and, while he hadn't tried to run away, he refused to speak or even look at her. She'd left some gemstones by his cage and even left the door unlocked, but he just laid there, his back to her. She almost preferred the anger and slashing. She'd tried to get mad at him as well. After all, the avatar HAD to fall! Her future depended on the death of that accursed mare! It was the only way to regain her home, to have any chance of finding a way to fix her sister and mother. But she'd made no progress on that, not that she'd tried. She glanced down at the paperwork she'd been burying herself in and sighed. She was happy to be home, but that's all she'd done. Been home. She hadn't tried to fix anything, had manage to alienate the poor dragon and was nowhere near saving anypony. “Spike, would you like some rubies? Maybe some diamonds?” She, unsurprisingly, received nothing but silence. At least he was eating and not starving himself. She'd considered trying to find which jewels he disliked and feeding him nothing but those until he spoke, but she couldn't bring herself to try. The poor dear had suffered enough and she would never try to make it worse. Alas, she was trapped. She knew nothing about Discord aside from what her aunt had told her. Her eyes widened softly and she looked back in the mirror. She face hoofed and shook her head. “How could I be so stupid? Of course!” She'd go to her aunt! Surely the aged mare would give all the advice she needed. Especially after she'd betrayed her and let her be captured. And left her alone in a cell for months. Without even a single visit. She sighed and sunk into her chair and glanced back to Spike. She didn't know if she could take rejection from another pony right now. But she didn't think she could sit in here much longer without going crazy. With a soft groan she got to her hooves. “Spike I... I'm going out. I'll bring you back some more gems when I return. As always, don't try going anywhere.” The dragon didn't respond, so she just shook her head and trotted out, closing the door behind her. She let out a deep sigh and looked down the hall. “I'm going out,” she told the guard. “If anypony comes searching for me, tell them I'll return in a few hours. No pony is to go into my room and disturb my work, understand?” “Yes ma'am,” the guard said, his eyes focused straight ahead and unflinching. The princess shook her head and turned about. Each step made her hooves feel heavier and heavier, as if a great weight was being added. She prayed her aunt would be willing, perhaps even happy to see her. She doubted it, though. She wasn't even happy to be around herself, how could anypony else? ------ “What do you think they'll do to us?” Rosewing asked nervously. He and the other two surviving prisoners were now in a cave, with stone bars blocking them into a corner. They had no way of knowing if it was day or night, as the tunnels twisted out in the distance and left them in darkness. “Kill us, probably,” Daisyeye muttered. “You saw what they did to the commander.” “He set them off on purpose,” Gravel said sadly. “To save our sorry hides.” “Not ours, yours,” the pegasus said with a hint of annoyance. “How long do you think we've been left here now? An hour?” “Who knows, possibly,” Daisyeye mumbled. “Lilyhoof isn't here anymore, but I'm sure he'd consider this enough of an emergency. Gravel, we'll keep an--” “No bucking way!” the unicorn hissed. “Without my tools, that would be suicide! Who knows what I might get?” “If you don't, we're good as dead,” the water bender hissed. “Would you rather wait until they start asking questions? If they find out why we have a non-water bending unicorn out here, you're as good as dead. Me and Rosewing are too. We need reinforcements, badly.” “They'll probably just think I was here because I was from the same country. They--” “When they start going through those crates and find out they aren't all food, they're going to have a lot of questions. They'll go through the oldest packages first, then what do you think will happen? If you're lucky, they won't know what that stuff is for. IF. They still might kill us anyway.” “Lilyhoof was the only pony able to authorize the--” “Lilyhoof is dead! That makes me the commanding officer, and I'm giving you a strict order.” He sighed softly. “Besides. The avatar was here. They have to know. That information alone will make them send an army to save us. Now do it.” Gravel growled, but slowly conceded. “Buck it. If this goes badly, it's on your head.” “Whatever, just do it.” The unicorn growled, but soon his horn began to glow. He kept his eyes closed for a few moments until he felt as if the world suddenly fell out from under him. When he opened them, the world was a strange mixture of wild colors, ranging from bright neon pink to dark purple. If he truly had eyes while like this, he was certain they'd hurt. After a second, sounds as wild and erratic as the colors began to surround him, making him let out a groan. “G-gotta hurry...” While he wasn't quite in the spirit realm, he was close. As close as most ponies would ever be able to get. It allowed them to send messages to other ponies with the right ability, but it had certain risks. Namely, once inside it would be easy for things from the spirit world to see him. Even though he couldn't see them. Before the avatar's disappearance, such communications had supposedly been common place, but now they were forbidden in all but the most pressing of situations. Pegasi may have been slower, but they were far less dangerous and more efficient. Even Nightmare Moon didn't object to the delays flights could have. However, in a situation like this, he had no choice. He tried to block out the sights and sounds and form the message in his mind. “Avatar alive. Left Sunbake Isle. Earth benders escape.” The words seemed to form their own shape and form as they left him, until he held the 'message' in his hooves. “Now, I just need to--” The words caught in his throat when he looked up. Two green eyes, surrounded in a purple flame and housing red irises, stared back at him. “Avataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar.”