//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Heart of Loyalty // by PonyAmorous //------------------------------// Days passed, in which Twilight Sparkle became intimately familiar with the primary feature of all surveillance work. Boredom. The vast majority of the time, there was simply nothing happening. Even when there was, it was usually just irrelevant chatter, guards checking in for their shifts, updates to duty rosters, etc. Every once in a while, an inter-station communication would pop up, usually a request for additional supplies and/or maintenance, sometimes a notice of an upcoming inspection or personnel transfer, occasionally a reminder to be on the lookout for her and report any new information immediately. Only about half of the messages were coded, and even then it was a joke. The cryptographers were slacking. They were clearly unconcerned about any potential eavesdropping, and likely thought their job a pointless formality, given that the rest of the world was unaware such communication methods even existed. Twilight filled the long stretches of empty silence (and the irrelevant daily check ins ) with exercise and practice. When she did finally locate Dash, it likely wouldn't be easy to retrieve her without some fighting involved. When that time came, she'd want her barriers strong, her reflexes sharp, and her endurance, both magical and physical, as high as possible. She made use of the pond outside, standing on the water's surface as she remembered the meditation techniques Zecora had taught her in preparation for her duel with Trixie. She practiced flinging heavy rocks into the air, then trying to support them with her shield barriers as long as she could. She bucked at trees, dodging and shooting at the leaves as they fell. Then there was the less glamorous, but ever important running. Lots of running. Whether she was fleeing or fighting, all her skill wouldn't matter if she was winded after two minutes. Cardio was rule number one. It was strenuous to say the least, especially given how little sleep she got each night. Bad dreams continued to plague her. Sometimes she got a few hours, sometimes none at all, forcing her to make do with occasional ten minute cat naps throughout the day. She flipped through a book on lucid dreaming, but failed to make any significant progress with it. She hoped the nightmares would stop once she had Dash back, but nothing ever turned up on the network. Not a single clue to Dash's location. If this kept up much longer, she might have to start taking riskier action. *** Fluttershy stared up at her bedroom ceiling, blowing an errant strand of pink mane out of her eyes with a sigh. Her limbs sprawled wide across the mattress, the sheets tangled and twisted from countless futile attempts to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. The constant thrum of crickets wafted gently with the cool breeze through her partially open window, but even her favorite source of white noise did little to settle her mind. Actually, that's a misnomer. 'White noise' has a specific definition in signal processing, and refers to a random signal with a constant power spectral density. You're thinking of 'ambient noise' she could hear Twilight's voice correcting her in her mind. Fluttershy sighed again. It had been the same every night for the past two weeks, ever since Princess Celestia had broken the news to them in the library. The news that had flipped the world on its head. Twilight's entire relationship with Rainbow Dash had been a result of forbidden mind affecting magic. Twilight was now a wanted fugitive, and nopony knew where she or Rainbow Dash were. Even after several days, Fluttershy still hadn't been able to sort through how exactly she felt about it all. Beyond the initial surprise of the revelation, there had been a small surge of...perverse relief? As irrational as she knew it was, she had been carrying around a tiny seed of jealous resentment towards Rainbow Dash for 'stealing' Twilight from her. The knowledge that Rainbow Dash had been under the effect of an enchantment had briefly shaken that seed loose. Rainbow Dash was just an innocent victim in all this. Of course, that strange sense of relief had only lasted a fraction of a second until the context of just who had placed that enchantment came in. That was where things got muddled. Fluttershy knew that casting a spell like that was wrong. It wasn't a small wrong either, like telling a lie or ruining a friend's favorite dress. This wasn't the sort of thing that would be made better by an apology and a hug. Even if she ignored the fact (which she couldn't) that the victim in this case was her oldest and dearest friend, it was clear that anypony who would use such a spell was a bad pony who needed to be stopped. That they had used it on the second most important mare in her life meant that she should hate them, or at least really really really dislike them. Unfortunately, that pony was Twilight, and Twilight couldn't be a bad pony. It was a contradiction in terms, like 'dry water' or 'carnivorous herbivore'. Twilight wasn't perfect. She could become stressed and obsessive over small things, and was capable of making mistakes just like anypony else, but she was definitely a good pony. But this wasn't a simple mistake, and it certainly wasn't something most would consider compatible with calling somepony 'good'. The next logical conclusion was that it couldn't be true. That there had to be some kind of misunderstanding that explained away the apparent paradox. Twilight was innocent. She had to be if the thought that she would commit such a crime was simply unthinkable. Unfortunately, it really wasn't. To her disappointment, Fluttershy found she could think it quite easily. It was apparent that Twilight had been holding onto unrequited feelings for Rainbow Dash for quite some time. She recalled when she and Twilight had first started dating, how Twilight had told her plainly that there was another pony she had feelings for but couldn't be with for unspecified reasons. How those feelings were still there when their relationship had ended (and apparently long after). It was no large stretch of the imagination to place herself in Twilight's hooves, suffering the agony of unrequited love day after day. That constant dull ache that followed her everywhere, punctuated by occasional sharp searing stabs whenever she had to see or hear that particular pony. Being kept up at night by the crushing, suffocating pressure that would build when left alone too long with her thoughts. The exhausting battle every morning to pull herself out of bed and face another day of the same. Fluttershy was intimately familiar with all of it. What she wasn't, was a talented unicorn mage with an alternative. If I was...if I could..? Fluttershy turned and pressed a pillow over her head, suppressing a shudder. That was the most terrifying part. She really didn't know. She wanted to say no. That of course she would never do such a thing. Never! But that was an easy stance to take when she couldn't. When it was simply impossible. But if she could? If it was suddenly a real option? She still desperately wanted to say that she wouldn't, that she would be strong enough to resist and do the right thing, but she was far from certain. She didn't like what this self-reflectance was revealing. Does that make me a bad pony? A good pony wouldn't have to think about it right? I mean, I know it's wrong, but I can understand why she did it. And what about Rainbow Dash? Does that make me a bad friend if I empathize with Twilight? She's my friend too. It was always a difficult friendship problem when two friends were in conflict, but this wasn't a disagreement over where to go for lunch. There was very clearly a right and wrong side to this. Then why were most of her thoughts caught up in concern over Twlight's safety first, and Rainbow Dash's second? Part of her secretly wanted Twilight to escape and remain free so they could run off together, Twilight having somehow moved on from Rainbow Dash (cured and also somehow undamaged by the experience) to rediscover a love for her. And while she was working on that level of plausibility, she might as well throw in the part where everypony just forgot about the whole thing and she and Twilight became alicorn princesses and lived in a giant crystal castle. What do I even want? ... I want to see Twilight. Talk to her. And say what? Do what? Help her? Arrest her? Yell at her and leave? I don't know. I just...I've got to find her. I'll think of something then. I just can't sit here and wait. Now certain she wouldn't be able to get to sleep anytime soon, Fluttershy rolled out of bed and walked over to her writing desk. She grabbed a quill between her teeth, dipped it in the inkwell, and started writing a list of supplies. *** *Thwack!* A great tremor rippled up the trunk of the tree, dislodging the bright red fruit to fall into the waiting baskets below. *Thwack!* Another tree yielded after a single savage strike, surrendering its bounty of fruit like its defeated brothers before it. *Thwack!* *Thwack!* *Thwack!* Powerful orange legs struck without mercy. New trees were struck before the fruit from the last had even finished falling, filling the air with a constant hail of apples. Only when the surrounding area was cleared, and all the baskets filled, did Applejack stop to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She tried not to grumble in annoyance as she moved to gather and empty the baskets, a necessary step before she could get back to filling more. Sweet Apple Acres had seen a surge in productivity. So much so, that they were actually ahead of schedule for once. Part of it was just the benefit of a good year. There hadn't been any major infestations or disasters to cause setbacks. No world threatening crisis forcing her to take time out to go fight monsters or wield ancient magical artifacts. But another, not insubstantial part, was the fervor with which Applejack had attacked the trees in recent days. The numerous extra shifts she had taken had been enough to swell their stores to the point that it was all Applebloom and Granny could do to keep up with the sorting. Heh. Well we'll certainly have plenty of cider this year. That should at least make Rainbow Dash hap- *Thwack!* There was a splintering sound. Applejack turned and frowned as she saw the cracked hoof print imbedded in the tree, bits of sap rising up from the center of the fresh wound. She winced apologetically. The tree didn't deserve that. She turned and resumed her task of dragging the baskets to the cart. As it had many times before, the scene at the library replayed itself in her mind, Celestia's shocking announcement ringing in her ears. Each of the others had been some combination of shocked, scandalized, confused, or in denial, but Applejack's mind had been preoccupied with one burning question. Painful memories of her and Rainbow Dash breaking things off came flooding back. Was that Twilight's fault too?! Is she the reason things didn't work out?! The simple answer was no. It was a two way street. She had been just as responsible for that outcome as Dash had been, and she doubted they had both been enchanted. Besides, the timing was all wrong. Unless lying low and keeping the spell dormant for over a year was all part of Twilight's master plan, she could be fairly certain there was nothing magically induced about their break up. Probably. Even with that fear addressed and dismissed, it did little to dampen the rising tide of anger that had stuck with her over the past two weeks, maintaining a constant simmer. Anger was a perfectly valid response to news of a crime. It was natural to feel angry on behalf of the victim. But she wasn't just angry for Rainbow Dash. Something about it felt personal, and Applejack had been devoting a great deal of thought to trying to figure out why. Jealousy? Do I still have feelings for Dash? Do I think Twilight stole my chance to get back together? She'd be lying if she said she felt absolutely nothing for Rainbow Dash, or that she had never briefly entertained the thought of getting back together again, especially when the wounds were still fresh. There had been a few days where she would have seriously considered it if Dash had shown similar interest, but she knew that it would only be a matter of time before they started fighting again and ended up right back where they started. It was only the occasional moment of weakness that made it seem like it might be worth the eventual pain. No. She missed it, but they had broken things off for good reason. She knew it had been the right choice. Hearing the news of Twilight and Rainbow Dash getting together had briefly dug up some bittersweet memories, but she had been genuinely happy for the new couple. Glad to see concrete proof that Rainbow Dash was moving on, and at the same time, bringing joy to another one of her friends. She had gone to Pinkie's party. Danced and sang, and made toasts to the glowing couple. Showered them with cheers and well wishes. And she had meant every word of it. And it had all been a lie. And that was what really rubbed at her like a burr in a boot. The whole thing had been an elaborate farce, and Twilight had dragged them all into it. Made them all complicit in her enormous lie. Every congratulation, every idle comment made about the happy couple, it was all built on a foundation of falseness and deceit. All a charade to conceal a despicable crime. A charade she, however unwittingly, had been made a part of. Twilight had made a liar out of her. Hind legs kicked out once again, but sailed through empty air, providing no satisfying impact. They did, however, elicit a startled "eep!" from the space behind her. Applejack turned to see Fluttershy huddled on the ground, having ducked and narrowly avoided a sudden facial restructuring. "AH! Sorry Fluttershy! I didn't mean to-I just-sorry. Guess I got a bit lost in my thoughts there." "N-No problem. I'm fine." Fluttershy replied as she shakily got to her hooves. There was no need to ask what she had been so busy thinking about. "So!" Applejack pushed on, eager to leave this moment of embarrassment behind them. "What can I do for you?" "Um, well, I was hoping to get a couple jars of jam." "Sure thing! We've got the best apple jam in Equestria. Travels well, keeps good for ages, and tastes great with just about anything. Anything else?' "Well..." Fluttershy hid behind her mane as she chewed on her lower lip. "Do you still have that tent around? The one from your camping trip to Rainbow Falls?" One of Applejack's eyebrows floated up in curiosity. "Planning some camping of your own?" "S-Something like that, yes. I'm, uh, birdwatching? Yes. I'm looking to find a very rare and exotic bird. And-uh-um-it could take days, maybe weeks!" Contrary to the uninformed assumptions of some ponies, Applejack's element didn't give her magical lie detecting abilities. She had simply developed, with a great deal of experience, a knack for reading ponies. It was a talent that had served her well in more than one business dealing, but it hardly took her level of skill to see that something was off in this situation. Not only did Fluttershy have a poker face like a polished mirror, but if other ponies sent subtle signals with their body language, Fluttershy kicked in your door with a singing telegram. "I see. And this bird...would it happen to be bright purple, flightless, featherless, and magical? With a horn sticking out of its forehead and a star pattern on its backside?" Fluttershy's eyes went wide with fear before she threw her gaze down to her hooves. "Please don't tell anypony! I know Princess Celestia said to wait here and let her and Princess Luna handle it, but I can't! I can't just sit around and do nothing!" She cringed, expecting some kind of harsh reprimand for even considering disobeying the Princesses. Applejack simply stared in bemusement. "So, what? You were planning to venture alone into the Everfree Forest to track down Twilight yourself?" Fluttershy's knees shook at the thought. "P-Pretty much, yeah. I mean, it's really scary. Really, really scary! But I can't stand just waiting around, and I know a lot about the flora and fauna, so I think I could avoid some of the nastier predators if I'm careful. I learned a lot from Zecora too." "Mm-hm. Have you ever set up a tent before?" "What?" " Have you ever set up or taken down a tent? Or a firepit?" "Well...no. But I'm pretty sure I saw Rainbow Dash once-" "What with Everfree weather being unpredictable, you don't want your tent flooding after the first light rain. Ever dig a drainage trench?" "No." Fluttershy stared down at her hooves. "Ever pack and carry a tent plus several days worth of supplies? it ain't light." "Well I was thinking I could get a cart and-" "Ever pull one through rough terrain? Tree roots, mud, that kinda stuff?" "No." Fluttershy gave a deflated sigh of defeat. "I know. It was stupid. I just...I wanted to do something. Anything. But you're right. I can't help anypony." She turned her back as a tear fell and splattered against the ground. "I'm just...useless." "I didn't say that." "But I am! I can't do any of those things you said!" "Lucky for you, you don't have to. " "What?" Fluttershy turned back around in confusion. "I've hauled pie carts through a fire swamp while fighting of chimeras...on multiple occasions. An unkempt forest trail won't be much of a problem. I can get a campfire going like nopony's business, and could setup and break down that two pony tent in my sleep. And I reckon I can help...dissuade most anything you can't politely ask to move along." There was a moment of silence as Fluttershy tried to make sense of what Applejack was saying. "You-you want to come with me? But what about the farm?" "We're way ahead of schedule as it is. They'll be fine without me for a while. Shoot. By this time of the year, I expect to be running off on some damn fool adventure or top secret mission or something anyway. Worked it into the calendar and everything. I can even have Big Macintosh check in on your critters while we're gone. He knows the drill. Knows how to be discreet too." "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Applejack's neck and pulled her in for a pillowy soft wing hug. "No problem." Applejack replied as she carefully extricated herself from the mass of limbs. "You head on home and get your affairs in order. Don't worry. I'll take care of packing up the food and supplies. We can be ready to go as soon as tomorrow morning. I'll meet you at your place." As Fluttershy flew off, filled with renewed energy, Applejack turned back to the apple cart, preparing to drop off her last load of apples before starting packing. She hadn't mentioned it, but the waiting had been driving her mad as well. She had been on the verge of setting off on her own. Of course, she didn't have the slightest clue where to start looking, but if Fluttershy was serious about this, maybe she actually had a lead? A lead she either just discovered/remembered, or one that she kept hidden from the Princesses. It was hard to guess what Fluttershy's plan was in the event their little search succeeded. She doubted Fluttershy had much idea herself. Her own plans might be a bit fuzzy on specific details, but her goals were clear. 1.) If they found Rainbow Dash, do whatever it took to bring her home and help her recover. 2.) If they found Twilight, get some answers, and depending on her response (at this point it had better be the mother of all good explanations to justify all this), see justice done if she had to hogtie her and drag her back to Canterlot herself. Applejack emptied the cart inside the storage barn, undid the harness, and started on a path to one of the utility sheds. She was going to need more rope. *** The chains weighed heavily around Twilight's limbs as she sat beneath the withering glares of the courtroom. She could see her former friends in the audience. Fluttershy sat sobbing between Rarity and Applejack, who were both giving her looks of lethal disgust and barely restrained anger. A flat maned Pinkie sat beside them, pointedly refusing to even look at her. There was still no sign of her parents. Rumor had it that they had been too ashamed of her to even show their faces in public for the last several days. Twilight looked out into the sea of angry ponies. Friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, old professors and classmates, all staring at her. Some sat in silence, some hissed and booed, while others whispered to each other about how they always knew there was something wrong with her. That she had always been dangerously unstable, a disaster waiting to happen. As terrible as it was, it was still infinitely less painful than looking at the pony on the witness stand. "And then she made me kiss her!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she slammed a hoof on the railing and gave a spit of disgust. "It was horrible! I wanted to kick her in the face, or throw up, or both. I wanted to yell and scream, but all I could do was smile and say I loved her!" She gave a derisive snort, making it perfectly clear how ridiculous she found the notion. "As if I'd ever love a pony like her!" The murmurs of the crowd momentarily rose to a roar as Twilight winced and tried to hold in a sob, far past the point of trying to stop her eyes from leaking. Dash's furious tirade had been going on for a good five minutes now. "And that's just the start! She made me do all kinds of...things. She's into some pretty sick stuff." Twilight tried to sink into her seat as she listened to a graphic retelling of some of her most treasured intimate moments with Dash, now spun as shocking and lurid tales of rape and abuse. The perverse crimes of a power mad, egomaniacal monster. "That's enough Rainbow Dash", Celestia mercifully cut in at last. "Thank you for your testimony. You may now return to your seat" Rainbow Dash shot one last look of pure hatred at the defendant's chair as she walked back to her spot next to Applejack, who wrapped a comforting foreleg of support around her shoulders. In a twist that surprised almost nopony, the perfect couple was back together again. Dash had flown straight into her arms almost as soon as the spell had been lifted. Apparently, they had been on the verge of patching things up, and would have done so months earlier if not for Twilight's interference. Now Applejack was invaluable in helping Dash deal with the lingering trauma, offering a patient ear and a shoulder to cry on whenever Dash woke up screaming in the middle of the night. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE." Twilight followed the booming Canterlot voice and looked up at the podium that seemed to tower hundreds of feet above her, where Princess Celestia looked down in judgement. "IN THE FACE OF THESE MOST HEINOUS ALLEGATIONS, AND THE SHOCKING AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE PRESENTED HERE TODAY, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING AT ALL TO SAY IN YOUR OWN DEFENSE?" Twilight tried to speak. Tried to desperately explain that she had meant well and had never intended to hurt anypony. That she wasn't the heartless monster they thought she was. She had only wanted love! She tried to explain, but the words caught in her throat. "VERY WELL THEN. TWILIGHT SPARKLE. IN LIGHT OF THE SEVERITY OF YOUR CRIMES AGAINST PONYKIND, I AM LEFT WITH NO CHOICE BUT TO APPLY THE HARSHEST OF SENTENCES. FORTHWITH AND INDEFINITELY, YOU ARE BANISHED TO THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF TARTARUS! The sound of a slammed gavel echoed throughout the courtroom as a pitch black hole opened in the floor beneath Twilight. She screamed as she desperately grabbed for the edge, her chair falling away beneath her into the dark abyss, and the heavy chains still draped around her threatening to pull her in after it. Her front hooves gripped tenuously at the hardwood floor as she tried to pull herself up, while her back legs kicked wildly in the endless void below. The ponies in the stands cheered. Some threw popcorn. Amidst all this, a single pony approached. Twilight looked up to see Rainbow Dash staring blankly down at her. No tears, no shouting, no eyes filled with compassion, rage, or pity. Just a completely neutral expression. "Dash!...I...I'm sorry!...I...I just...! Rainbow Dash said nothing as she slowly raised a hoof, placed it on Twilight's forehead, and pushed. Twilight screamed as she tumbled through the endless darkness. Falling. She was falling forever. Time became disjointed. Sometimes she was falling, sometimes running (though directions and surfaces were meaningless), but always it was confusion and terror in the suffocating darkness. Twilight felt it again. The prickly feeling in her spine that meant she had to run. Had to run or it would find her. She didn't know what it was, had never seen it, but she knew she couldn't let it catch her. From the intensity of the feeling, she knew it was close, mere feet behind her. Don't look! Don't look! Don't look! Don't look! Don't look! Finally, out of a combination of insatiable curiosity and panicked terror, Twilight spun around to face her pursuer. A gigantic teal green eye, wreathed in dark smoke, stared back at her. The tall, reptilian, slit pupil constricted as it focused on her, and an unnaturally deep voice rang out in her head. I SEE YOU Twilight screamed as she bolted upright in her bed, pouring sweat. The eye was gone, the other details of the horrible nightmare already beginning to fade, but one thing remained. Something that pushed her to throw off her sheets and grab for her bags. A singular thought that gripped the whole of her mind. RUN! *** Luna opened her eyes, a tight grin spreading across her face. At last. We have found thee. The princess of the night stepped out onto her moon bathed private balcony, taking a moment to enjoy the cool night air as she shook off the lingering haze of her dream walking trance. She looked up at the stars. Ponies had forgotten much about the old ways. A thousand years ago, her duties had consisted of more than simply raising and lowering the moon. It fell upon her to safeguard the night and protect the slumbering population from nocturnal threat. Often this meant leading hunting parties on regular excursions to drive back the manticores, owlbears, and countless bloodthirsty beasts that stalked the borders of pony civilization. Likewise, internal threats were neutralized with equal prejudice. Any criminal that dared to threaten the harmony of Equestrian society would learn to fear the night. They would be hunted relentlessly, given no quarter, even in sleep, until they were finally brought to justice. Even today, the phrase 'no rest for the wicked' remained in common parlance, though precious few remembered its origin. With Celestia having grown soft over the centuries, now unwilling or unable to do what had to be done in order to apprehend her precious student, the responsibility would have to fall to her if justice were to be served. It was time for a hunt. "There, out in the darkness. A fugitive running. Fallen from grace. Stars be my witness, I never shall yield till we come face to face." The ancient words of the ritual oath, not spoken in over a millennium, came naturally to her lips. "Stars in your multitudes, scarce to be counted, filing the darkness with order and light. I am your sentinel, silent and sure, keeping watch in the night. This I swear by the stars." Her oath complete, she fired a green flare of magic up into the air, a signal for her guards to assemble. Already seeing several dark, bat winged forms rising from the streets below, she spread her wings and leaped from the edge of the balcony, soaring up into the night sky. Prepare thyself Twilight Sparkle. Justice comes for thee on swift wing. This sordid affair ends tonight. *** Faster! Faster! We've got to go! Twilight scrambled about the cave in a mad flurry of packing, thankful that she kept most everything prepacked and ready for a hasty exit. Though her first instinct was to bolt out the door and run, she forced herself to linger long enough to do things right. With practiced speed and precision, she disassembled her base. Food, first aid kit, tent, rope, shovel, hatchet, maps, and other 'Class A' necessities all levitated themselves into a pair of saddle bags she had enchanted to hold many times their outer volume, with an additional gravity spell to negate most of the weight. Valuable, but less essential items, such as miscellaneous books and furniture were grouped together and teleported down several meters to a sealed off hollow cavity in the underlying rock. With any luck, she might be able to retrieve them some time in the future. She didn't know what was coming for her, or when it would arrive. Whatever it was, she didn't want to leave anything for it to find. Nothing that would give a clue about her plans or available resources. At the very top of that list was anything relating to her tapping of the crystal communication network. Twilight rapidly disassembled the recording system, packing away the crystal and antenna while she burned several reels of audiotape, before crushing the charred metal frames into unrecognizable scrap. A small part of her protested that she was foolishly overreacting to a half-remembered dream. There was no reason other than her own paranoia to believe that anything at all was coming. Another part of her quickly pointed out that paranoid instinct had served her phenomenally well so far. Finally, the ashes of her small fire pit dispersed into the pond outside, the cave was as bare as she had found it. Strapping her bags on tight, Twilight stepped out of the cave, and was immediately greeted by the soft thuds of several objects dropping out of the sky to land in the wet grass. She strained to make out the shadowy outlines that blended in with the darkness. For a moment she thought she could make out a leathery wing. Her observation was confirmed a moment later in the bright flash of light that followed one of the figures pulling out a small crystal and hurling it at the ground. Twilight felt the aether shift and warp around her as a temporary interdiction field went up, blocking the teleport she had been about to cast. The effect of a pre-charged, disposable spell crystal was generally fairly weak. The field would likely only last for a few minutes, but a few minutes would be all they needed. That’s certainly not standard issue! Looks like somepony in command is getting serious if they're outfitting special strike teams now. Twilight took a defensive crouch. The interdiction field would only have a range of 50 to 60 meters. If she could get that far, she would be free. However, that wasn't going to be an easy task, given the five night guards now slowly advancing on her in a semicircle. Fortunately, she still had another trick up her metaphorical sleeve. Twilight took a cautious step backward, and carefully watched as the guards advanced, moving in closer to the mouth of the cave. Little more. Little more. Not too much. We don't want anypony seriously injured. Almost there! Twilight stopped and planted her hooves firmly in the ground. She conjured a shield behind her as the guards moved in until they were almost within striking distance. There! With a quick pulse of magic, Twilight activated the charges she had embedded into the walls. The idea had been that she could incinerate any evidence in the event that she had to leave immediately, without time to pack or clean up. In retrospect, this HAD in fact been one of those situations, but there was no use dwelling on that now. The interior of the cave turned to fire. Twilight braced herself as the explosion sent a wave of heat and force out the mouth of the cave, crashing into the back of her shield, and knocking the guards off their hooves She sprung into a gallop, racing past the stunned, but not seriously injured guards. Flinging hastily aimed sleep spells as she ran, she managed to hit two of them as she made a straight line for the outer boundaries of the inhibiting field. One lucky guard, having been hit with the least amount of force at the back of the formation, had managed to right himself in midair and was already shaking off the dizziness and ringing in his ears to pursue. Twilight ducked, narrowly dodging an alarmingly quick dive, and reflexively brought up a forward shield just in time to stop a back hoof inches from her head. Having missed his target, the guard had expertly flipped and redirected the rest of his momentum into a spinning back kick. The shield shuddered under the force of the blow, but held. Springing off the barrier with a single wing flap, he flipped and twisted again to rain down more blows against her defenses. Twilight fired a quick stun spell, missing her agile target, but succeeding in buying a little bit of breathing room as he jumped back into the air. It was a short lived reprieve, as the guard immediately made for another dive run, but Twilight was ready. As the guard dove, she leaped out of the way. Normally, it would be trivially easy for the guard to correct his course to intercept an evasive target, but as she jumped aside, she cast a spell. Though visibly unchanged, a tall, thick, cylindrical volume of space around her previous position now had its gravitational constant raised by a factor of five. Unable to pull up or adjust to the split second change, he slammed into the ground. The ground flexed slightly where Twilight had altered the elasticity. It was still plenty firm enough to leave him bruised and sore for a week, maybe with a cracked rib at worst, but nothing seriously threatening. She didn't know if he was still conscious, but as he sprung back up in a small bounce, she turned the gravitational field sideways, sending him rocketing backward and into the other two guards who were starting to pick themselves back up from the blast. With the remaining guards clustered together and briefly stunned, Twilight quickly raised a wave of wet mud from the bank of the pond. She swept it over them, forming it into a thick dome, and started hitting it with as much ice magic as she could. After several seconds, the wet mud had been turned into a cocoon of frozen earth, more than capable of trapping its occupants for several minutes. Twilight spun on her hooves and resumed galloping. She could feel the field weakening as she approached the border. Escape was a just a few dozen meters away. Almost there! Come on hooves! Her progress was suddenly blocked by a much larger dark figure dropping out of the sky to land in front of her. Twilight skidded to a halt and looked up to see Princess Luna, Goddess of the Night and Diarch of Equestria. Shiiit! Luna stood with wings spread, radiating unquestionable authority as she glared down at Twilight. "The game is over Twilight Sparkle. You will return with me to Canterlot immediately." Twilight desperately looked around for any avenue of escape. If she could just make it a little farther to the edge of the field! It was so close! But being on the other side of an alicorn, it may as well have been on the other side of Equestria. Luna frowned with impatience. "That was not a request." Realizing that the only way out was forward, Twilight nervously swallowed and began charging her horn. Luna's eyes narrowed. "Resistance shall yield you nothing. You WILL be coming with me, and I suggest you think carefully before you lower your horn against your princess." Twilight stood in silence, shaking slightly in anticipation of the monumental act of sheer idiocy she was about to attempt. 3... Twilight cracked her neck twice and flexed her knees. 2... She inhaled deeply as her horn continued to glow brighter. 1... She steadily exhaled and tensed her back legs. GO! She launched forward into a gallop, charging straight towards Luna, just as she had done years ago against Nightmare Moon. Just as she saw Luna preparing to move in response, Twilight released her built up magic in a blinding flare of light and jumped. With assistance from a brief pulse of an angled gravity spell, she vaulted herself up into the air, narrowly missing a wide spread attack from a temporarily blinded Luna. What she had originally envisioned as a graceful, magically assisted power jump, was closer in reality to being launched by a catapult. Twilight's heart pounded in her ears as she was thrown over Luna, spinning and tumbling like a kicked hoofball. A moment later she felt herself pass beyond the border of the interdiction field. Rolling to her hooves as she hit the ground, Twilight paused just long enough to determine which way was up before disappearing in a flash of purple light. "No." Luna flatly stated to the empty night air. There was another bright flash. Twilight reappeared with an expression of shock and was thrown to the ground. She gasped for air, winded from being suddenly gripped around the midsection by a tendril of magic and ripped back through subspace. She felt her coat prickle as another larger and more enduring interdiction field went up. She was still trying to catch her breath when a light blue aura enveloped her and lifted her off the ground. She pushed and struggled, but to no effect. She tried to cast magic, but couldn't get it out of her horn. However hard she pushed, the aura pushed back and kept it trapped. "A fine attempt, but ultimately fruitless. As I said, you WILL be coming with me." Luna's eyes drifted to Twilight's horn, still glowing and pulsing against her magical grip. "Cease your efforts Twilight Sparkle. You know that as long as I retain my hold on you, there is nothing you can do. You have lost." Twilight stopped squirming, but the magical buildup in her horn continued to throb. She quietly mumbled something. "Sorry about this." "What was that?" Luna levitated her closer. "I said, I'm sorry about this." "About wha-?" Without warning, Twilight lashed out with a hind leg, delivering a swift kick to the princess's horn. The magical grip temporarily broken by the disruption, Twilight released the massive buildup of energy into a powerful beam, directed point blank into Luna's face. The princess was blasted backward in a blazing path of destruction that left a trail of smashed and incinerated trees before hitting a rocky outcrop and exploding, resulting in a small avalanche of pulverized rock. Twilight landed on her hooves, shaking off the slight dizziness that accompanied such a rapid release of power. She only had a brief moment to begin considering what she had just done before a second explosion rang out. Small pieces of gravel flew through the air. At their point of origin stood Luna, eyes glowing white with fury, a large burn on the side of her face shrinking rapidly as numerous cuts and abrasion knit themselves shut. There was a slight popping noise at what appeared to be a dislocated wing joint moving back into place. "SO BE IT! WE HAD INTENDED TO BE GENTLE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR SISTER, BUT WE SHALL DELIVER YOU MOSTLY UNHARMED IF WE HAVE TO!" Oh Crap! Oh Crap! Oh Crap! Now terrified out of her wits, Twilight threw the closest thing she could find, which happened to be a tree. The arboreal projectile halted midair as Luna caught it, tore it in half, and threw the two pieces aside before slamming her front hooves on the ground. A dark circle appeared on the ground, followed by a rapid upthrusting of jagged rock from its center, the circle having already faded and rapidly reappeared in another location. Twilight jumped away as it reappeared underneath her, narrowly dodging another rocky spike. By the time her hooves hit the ground, the circle had already reappeared for another strike. Twilight continued her frantic dodging, blasting away spikes as they came ever closer to hitting her. Finally, in the middle of another evasive jump, she managed to lance the ground around her landing spot with a beam of magic, distorting the patterns on the edges of the circle as it formed, and disrupting the spell. Twilight had no time to pat herself on the back as she looked up to see Luna flying high above her, surrounded by what appeared to be a dozen shadowy daggers that pulsated with a dark purple glow. Without warning, they came raining down at her. She quickly scooped up one of the recently created piles of rubble in her magic and flung it into the air, hoping to knock as many as she could off course while simultaneously raising a shield and trying to evade the rest. She was caught by surprise when most exploded on impact. One dagger made it through the cloud of debris to strike against her shield, but instead of exploding, it stuck like a dart. Dark veins immediately began to branch out from the point of impact like a spider web, infecting and spreading through her barrier like water through a dry tissue. Starting to feel her teeth go numb, and not eager to find out what the veins would do if they reached her, she dropped the barrier before the infection could spread any further and knocked the dagger away with a small wave of telekinetic force. Twilight looked back up to see Luna diving directly toward her. Panicking, she lashed out with another gravity spell. In her haste, she failed to specify a uniform direction, instead slapping wildly at the tensor field, randomizing the orientation and strength of gravity in each cubic centimeter of space. Though disorienting, this may not have provided a significant impediment if not for the fact that that space was still filled with air. The air swirled and churned chaotically as each molecule of gas was pulled in a random direction, unpredictable high and low pressure pockets forming and collapsing in an instant. Luna struck the massive ball of turbulence, which tossed her about like a paper bag, bashing her into some of the trees and adding leaves, twigs, and branches to the maelstrom. She dispelled the gravity field with a flash of her horn. The turbulence continued as the air attempted to settle itself, but Luna was finally thrown free, albeit without much dignity, into a row of nearby bushes. Twilight leaped at the opportunity and began pummeling the area with everything she could. Energy blasts, fireballs, lightning, large rocks, and even more trees. The time for restraint had passed. One didn't pull punches when fighting gods. As Twilight was considering making a break for it, a large wave of force rippled out and knocked her back. "ENOUGH!" All around her, the shadows began to coalesce into dark chains. Chains that quickly struck out at her like snakes. Twilight tried to avoid them and run, but more continued to appear out of the darkness. One wrapped around her back leg, causing her to trip. In an instant, the rest had pounced, wrapping her up to her neck in thick black chains marked with glowing arcane sigils. She could feel her energy being sapped by the second as Luna approached. "Impressive Twilight Sparke, but it is over now. As soon as my guards are retrieved, I shall personally deliver you to your private cell in the Canterlot dungeons." As Luna turned away and began tending to the numerous minor injuries spread across her body, Twilight struggled against the rising wave of fatigue. So tired....but I can't...let it end here...Still have to find Dash! Can't let it end like this! Luna felt something behind her as she finished closing up her last cut. She turned to see Twilight's eyes glowing bright white as the air began to crackle and spark around her, rippling her mane in the miniature storm. To her surprise, one of the top layers of mystic chains began to dissolve, melting back into shadow. "Hmm...most impressive" Luna commented before firing a blast of magic into Twilight's face, knocking her out cold. Luna breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her now unconscious prisoner. She turned and began the walk back to free her guards from their entombment, working to hide the slight trace of a limp. *** "-sorry your highness, but it is a matter of utmost urgency." "And as we have already made clear, we are currently occupied overseeing the transport of an extremely high priority and dangerous prisoner. What is it that Celestia considers so important?" The words of a clearly irritated Luna floated into Twilight's ears as she slowly began to come around. As feeling began to return to her body, the first sensation she was greeted with was a headache. She fuzzily recalled a dark blue beam of magic heading towards her face. She felt fairly confident in hypothesizing a causal connection between the two. The warm tingling of sunlight on her coat suggested it was morning. The strong, slightly chilly breeze and the gentle rocking beneath her suggested that she was in the air instead of on solid ground. The combination of the feeling of something clamped tightly around her horn, initial reports from memory on most recent activities, and her language center finally getting around to recognizing Luna's voice and the word 'prisoner' suggested.....that her plan to rescue Rainbow Dash was not going particularly well at the moment. She kept her eyes shut as she listened in on the conversation in progress. "I'm sorry, but she didn't specify" a shaky voice replied. "Princess Celestia only gave me the coordinates and told me to find you at once. She said there was no time to explain further, only that the fate of Equestria was at stake. " There was a brief pause, in which Twilight could imagine Luna hovering with an expression torn between annoyance and concern. "Very well then. Nightwing!" "Yes ma'am!" Another voice responded. "You are in command while we settle this matter. " "Yes ma'am!" "You," Twilight assumed she had turned once more to address the messenger. "You will fill our position in the escort and ensure that this prisoner is transferred to a maximum security holding cell." There was a slight jingle of keys being transferred. "And you!" Twilight was unsure who she was addressing now. "You, Twilight Sparkle, can stop pretending to be asleep. Do not think we did not notice your change in breathing, nor your ears straining at the mention of our sister." Twilight gave a disappointed sigh, releasing a breath she had been holding ever since 'fate of Equestria', and opened her eyes. As she had guessed, it was about mid-morning and she was far above the ground. She was being carried in what was essentially a large cage stuck on top of a chariot, being towed by two guards. Glancing up, she could see the base of the magical inhibitor clamped around her horn. She looked over to Luna and the solar guard now placing a large key ring around his neck. "Be careful lieutenant, and keep a close eye on her. She's dangerous, and not to be underestimated." Twilight could see him giving her a questioning glance. "Who me? No, I'm just Ponyville's librarian. I mean, my friends and I did take down Nightmare Moon and Discord, blow up King Sombra, and help thwart a changeling invasion (though most of that last one was my brother and Cadence). And I did once beat the chitin out of Queen Chrysalis in a fight. And then there's the Ursa incident. Oh, and one time I beat up a dragon, a hydra, a manticore, and a half dozen timber wolves in one day. But other than that, no, totally harmless." She could be a sardonic jerk if she wanted. It wasn't like she had anything to lose. She wasn't going to get more captured. Luna ignored her, giving a curt nod to the guard and taking off without a word. Twilight waved as she departed. "Bye! If you end up needing anything rainbow beamed in the face with friendship, you know where to find me!" As the new guard took his position at the forward left corner, they resumed moving, and Twilight sat down to examine her options. Okay. So. Captured. What do we do about it? Collapse into a crying heap of despair and self-pity? Tempting. Tempting. What else? Skip over that completely and get to the part where we formulate an escape plan? Let's go with that one. Twilight took stock of her situation True, she was in a cage, hundreds of feet above the ground, surrounded by guards, with a magic inhibitor around her horn, but there was at least one thing going for her. For the first time in what felt like forever, she had finally gotten some uninterrupted sleep. Now the world had to contend with a moderately well rested Twilight Sparkle. That raised a question of its own. Why weren't they in Canterlot already? It wasn't that long of a trip by air. Clearly there had been some kind of delay. Maybe an issue securing the transport to carry her in? Twilight examined the cage that surrounded her. Sturdy, but nothing particularly fancy. Other than some minor magical reinforcement for strength and durability, there didn't appear to be any sophisticated wards. Probably the best they could get on short notice that would still fly, and nothing she couldn't get through if she could use her magic. It looked like they were relying on the inhibitor and the presence of Princess Luna to keep her in check. With Luna temporarily gone, that just left the device clamped around horn as the major obstacle. Then she could decide whether it was better to attempt an escape from hundreds of feet in the air, or wait until they had landed in Canterlot. Either way, her chances of escape would dwindle once she was transferred to a proper cell, so the time to act was now. Looking up once again, Twilight could barely make out some thin protrusions tapering off to narrow points from the tip of her horn. She sent a small experimental pulse of magic to her horn and felt it instantly drain away, confirming her suspicion. It was a TL05 'Lightning Rod' model. Most inhibitors blocked the conduction of magic with strong insulation. Most of them could be brute forced through with enough raw power, just like any insulator could be broken down with enough voltage. The 'Lighting Rod' took a different approach. Much like how its namesake was used in weather training centers to prevent accidental lighting strikes by allowing charges to move and dissipate before they reached critical voltages, this device drained magic from the wearer's horn before any spell could be formed, and dissipated it into the air through the cluster of fine silver points on the end. It was theoretically possible to supply power faster than it could drain away and be able to cast something, but realistically, she'd be completely exhausted after several seconds. Hmm...I might be able to short circuit this thing. But I'd need some kind of conducting material to work with. Twilight looked around the barren cage. There was nothing. She ran a hoof through her mane as she tried to think of something else, and stopped when she felt something. Back when she had been searching the forest for Dash, she had found two of her feathers. She had kept them and tied them together into a kind of makeshift mane clip, wearing it as a reminder of what she was fighting for. Feathers. Feathers are made of keratin. Like hooves and horns. Used to channel innate pegasus magic for flight and weather manipulation. Flexible too. That should work! There was only one problem. She knew how to get the inhibitor off, but doing it without being seen by the guards was another matter entirely. Under Luna's orders, they were keeping a close eye on her, and would surely do something if they saw her trying to tamper with it. She'd have to wait for an opening. Some kind of distraction, or even just a lapse in attention. Unfortunately, her window was limited. Each minute brought them closer to Canterlot. "Captain, looks like we got company at two." Twilight looked up to see some winged shapes on the horizon, growing quickly as they approached. After a few seconds they began to resemble a group of gryphons. "I see them. Adjust course three degrees to the left and hold. Maybe they're just passing through." It quickly became apparent that they weren't when they changed course themselves to intercept. "Either they really want to ask us for directions, or they're looking for trouble. Get ready." The carriage slowed to a stop as the pack of gryphons moved into their path to block them, while the guards put on their best 'move along if you know what's good for you' face. The strangers remained unfazed as the apparent leader, a particularly large gryphon with a large scar on the side of his face, floated to the front. "Well well, look what we have here. Seems your information was good after all Squall." A shorter, dark feathered gryphon replied. "Yeah boss. Just like I said, it's that purple pony. The one with the bounty big enough to set us up for life!" "Aye, it certainly is. And all nice and prepackaged too. Today is definitely a good day." There was the sound of a throat being cleared from the captain known as Nightwing. "I'm sorry to rain on your parade gentlemen, but this fugitive has already been apprehended, and is currently being taken to Canterlot under the authority of Princess Luna herself. Now please move along." There was a brief pause, broken by the gryphon leader giving a single loud laugh. "Hah! Hear that boys? You all are 'gentlemen' now. Better polish up those table manners." There was a raucous round of laughter from the other gryphons behind him. "How's this instead? You please 'move along' and leave that purple pile of cash with us, and we don't rip off your wings and use them to upholster a sofa." He sneered as he drew the sword strapped to his back. The rest of his gang behind him quickly followed suit. The guards quickly drew their own weapons. "Well men, it looks like we found a bunch of bird brains actually stupid enough to attack her majesty's finest. Let's educate them shall we?" With a unified shout, both sides charged and fell together with a clashing of swords. Twilight was jolted off her hooves as the chariot suddenly dove, the two guards pulling it seeking to set her on the ground where she could be better defended, and so they could undo their harnesses to join the fight unimpeded. She reached for the feathers in her mane as she tried to regain her balance. This was just the kind of distraction she needed. The carriage settled on the ground and the two guards leaped up into the fray that was itself working its way downward as the gryphons pushed after their prize. Twilight grasped the two feathers in her hooves. She bent one around the top of the inhibitor, making sure it was in contact with all of the tapered points. She bent the lower one up, sliding the end into the narrow contact between the device and the base of her horn, and began to push out magic as hard as she could. The magic drained from her horn, up through the inhibitor, down through the feathers, and fed back into her horn again. She began to feel the circuit heating up. If she could keep this up a while longer, the inhibitor would crack. As long as this fight kept going for another minute, she would be free! Twilight looked up to check on the brawl and was greeted with something peculiar. Two figures were moving further and further away from the rest of the fighting, and closer to her. It was the dark feathered gryphon that the large one had called Squall, and the solar guard that had delivered the urgent message to Luna. They appeared to be fighting, but as they drew closer, she could see that they weren't trying particularly hard to actually hit one another. They stopped pretending completely when they landed next to the cage and the guard pulled out his set of keys. Twilight turned her head in an attempt to hide what she was doing. What's going on? Just a few more seconds! Come on! Twilight barely had time to hear the door swing open before she felt a pair of fangs sink into her neck, along with a quick pump of venom. She fell to the ground as her vision quickly began to fade. She felt herself being pulled up onto a back and was barely able to make out one of them speaking. "Hurry and get her back to the hive." Then everything went dark.