//------------------------------//
// Preparations 
// Story: One Last Mission 
// by Show Stopper 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 8: Preparations


"This is wrong," whispered Fluttershy, tears in her eyes. "This is very, very wrong."

"Very efficient, though," replied Show cheerfully.

After lunch, Show had led the girls to the warehouses to gather supplies for their trip. A list had appeared in front of Show at lunch in a swirl of dragonfire. Everypony had turned to look at Twilight, but the only reaction that she gave was to ask what Spike had sent.

The warehouses were huge, each one easily large enough to fit the old Apple Family barn inside. There was a single quartermaster in charge of each warehouse, but they were otherwise run by fillies and colts who were too young for combat. As with the servers in the mess hall, they had dead eyes and went about their work without a word. They barely glanced at Show and the girls as they walked in, immediately focusing back on their assigned tasks.

"Fillies and colts working like this," whimpered Fluttershy, "it's just wrong. They should be in school. Or playing outside with friends. Or, or anything but this."

"You're right," said the quartermaster, Ship Shape. He was a large unicorn stallion, his coat rust red and his mane a dark green. "They deserve better 'n this, but we need the laborers. Don' have the ponies to watch 'em while they play, neither. I tell ya, I wouldn' wish this on no foal o' mine, no siree. 'ts why lost o' couples don' have foals anymore; none o' 'em want t' force 'em to start work so young."

They quickly gathered their supplies, none of them really wanting to stay there for too long. The girls made a few requests for additions to their supplies: some extra rope for Applejack, a veterinary kit for Fluttershy, twelve rubber chickens for Pinkie. They could only find eight. Once their supplies were gathered and stored in their barracks, Show led the group back to the mess hall for dinner.

The hall was quite different this time around. For one thing, there was a tall platform standing in the back, easily visible from anywhere in the hall. The hall was packed almost to capacity, and a current of tension ran through the air. "What's going on?" asked Twilight. "Why's it so crowded all of a sudden?"

"Daily report," replied Show. "Every evening, one of the Generals gives a report on the war. You're lucky that it's General Doo tonight."

"Why's that?" asked Pinkie.

"Well," said Show, "nothing against General G, but she tends to get a little long-winded. As for Gen Cheer, she thinks it's necessary to list every casualty and injury from the last three days." All of the girls swallowed nervously, all grateful that they wouldn't have to hear a report from Cheerilee.

Soon after they reached the table which the Crusaders had saved for them, General Doo flew up to the platform. All talk immediately ceased and everyone's attention snapped to her. "Three items for the report today," she announced. "First, Private Lyra Heartstrings was captured today."

A loud groan rose from the crowds permeated by a few chuckles and an incredulous cry of "AGAIN?!"

Ditzy chuckled. "Yes, Private Bon Bon, again. She will likely escape soon and be back with us in a week. Second, Captain Sandy Shores and Captain Carrot Top have returned from their mission to the city of New Yoke. While they were not able to retake the city, they were able to reduce the enemy forces significantly. Not only that, but they were able to intercept a Utopian force headed towards Appleoosa, led by Colonel Vinyl Scratch. The force was defeated and Vinyl has been captured. She is with the restorers as we speak."

A great cheer rose from the crowd and Twilight leaned over to Show. "Restorers?" she asked.

"An elite group of unicorns," he replied. "Their job is to help captured Utopians to recognize and fight Discord's influence. 95% success rate."

"And the other five percent?" asked Rarity.

Show shrugged. "Given up in prisoner exchanges before we could treat them."

Ditzy waited for the cheering to calm down a little before raising a hoof for silence. "Finally, as some of you may have noticed, we have some guests tonight." Several sets of eyes shot over to the Bearers before going back to Ditzy. "It is my honor to announce that, after ten years bound by Discord's magic, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony have returned. Their mission to reclaim the Elements begins tomorrow. Let us take courage from the knowledge that this war is nearing its end! This concludes the daily report." With that, she jumped off of the platform and flew back to her table.

There were a many fewer lighthearted chats and a many more whispered conversations filling the hall now. Anyone who wasn't sneaking covert glances at the Bearers was staring at them outright. Fluttershy hid behind her bangs and made a point of not looking anywhere but at her gruel. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash tried to just ignore the stares and whispers and eat as if nothing had happened. Twilight adopted a noble air and began talking with Show and the Crusaders about the Restorers and their magic. Only Pinkie acknowledged the crowds, looking around and waving at anypony who made eye-contact, a few of whom waved back.

The night had one more surprise for the girls. As they settled down in their barracks later that night to start writing in their journals, a tongue of green fire shot through the window, condensing into a scroll in front of Twilight. She quickly opened and read it. "Spike says, 'hi'," she told the girls before going back to her journal.

The girls shared worried looks before Applejack pipped up. "Listen Sugarcube, I know you're tryin' to be strong, but pretendin' this ain't nothin' ain't goin' to help you deal with it for long."

Twilight looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not 'pretending' anything, Applejack. From my perspective, I saw him a few days ago."

Jaws dropped all around. "Twilight dear," said Rarity, "don't you think that that's a little, well, harsh? I know that it doesn't seem like so long to you, but for him it's been ten years."

Twilight was confused for a moment before comprehension dawned. "Oh, right. I guess I should explain. You all know about how dragons have much longer lifespans than ponies, right?" She got a collective nod. "Well, because of this, time seems to pass much more quickly for them. What's actually ten years feels like maybe a week to them. He missed me, and he's happy that we're back, but it really wasn't that long of a wait for him."

Rainbow wasn't buying it. "Oh yeah?" she challenged. "Then why don't you show us that letter and we'll see how long he really felt it was!"

Rather than object like Rainbow had expected, Twilight sighed and levitated the letter over to her. Rainbow quickly grabbed it and read it a few times, not believing what she was seeing.

Dear Twilight,

Sorry I couldn't come to see you myself, but I've been really busy these last few days. Well, these last few years, really. The Generals made me the Communications Chair about five years ago, and I've been swamped with work ever since. Heh, it kind of reminds me of the good old days back in Canterlot.

Anyway, I heard that you and the girls are back! I always knew you'd be alright, but it's still good to hear it for sure. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see you off tomorrow. The Generals are really cracking the whip to get our stock of dragonfire up. Good thing I can't feel it through my scales. Haha. Don't worry though, I'll make sure to take a day off when you get back.

Say "hi" to the others for me! Still your number one assistant,

Spike.

Rainbow shook her head as the letter was passed around. "No way. There's no way that Spike wrote this!"

"It's his handwriting, Rainbow," said Twilight, not even bothering to look up from her writing. "I told you it wasn't that long for him."

"But... but..." Rainbow shook her head one more time. "Dragons are weird," she muttered.

As if to prove her point, several more swirls of dragonfire spiraled into the room. These floated in front of Rarity before condensing into a dozen large scrolls, each of them easily five times the length of Twilight's. Raising a curious eyebrow, Rarity took the topmost scroll in her magic and unfurled it to begin reading.

Three seconds later, she hastily snapped the scroll shut, blushing deeply. Everypony else laughed as Rarity quickly shoved the large love letters under her bed.


________***________


Morning Glory always prided herself on being an early riser. Always up at six A.M. sharp, she had been the natural choice for the position of morning bugler. She took pride in the fact that she always arose on time and before anyone else.

A pride that was strained as she stepped out of her barracks to find a certain orange earth pony wandering around HQ looking for a good place from which to watch the sunrise. Sighing in slight irritation, she nevertheless grabbed her bugle and got ready to play Reveille.

Soon after the call ended, a bright flash illuminated a certain barracks. "Good morning Equestria!" called the most irritating pony in HQ. "And what a great morning it is! Not a cloud in the sky, no Utopians for miles around, and only three beautiful mares glaring at me instead of four. Where's Apple Tart this morning?"

"She went for a walk," explained Fluttershy, who had woken slightly before Applejack. Someone had to wake up their rooster after all. "She wanted to watch the sunrise."

"And to avoid getting blinded again," snapped Rainbow. "Seriously! Can't you just use the door like a normal pony?"

"But if I knocked on the door," explained Show slowly as if to a foal, "nopony would open it."

"I think that that's rather the point," muttered Rarity.

Show shrugged. "Anyway, let's get a move on, ponies! I want some breakfast before we embark on our grand adventure, so let's hurry up and get *urgh*!"

Applejack smirked from the doorway behind Show, one end of a rope tied around her tail, and the other end lassoed around Show's throat. "Let's you an' me have us a little chat outside, partner." She yanked him out by the neck, closing the door behind them.

"I wish I could say that it was nice knowing him," said Twilight as sounds of violence drifted through the window, "but I'm afraid I'd be lying."

"Oh dear," whispered Fluttershy. "I hope she doesn't hurt him too bad."

"Are you kidding?" laughed Rainbow. "I just hope she gets a few kicks in for me, too!"

A few minutes later, Applejack walked back in sporting a black eye. "Tch, too easy," she said, sounding disappointed. "I thought he'd be tougher than that."

"Really?" said Rarity, raising an eyebrow. "And I suppose that that eye is just for show?"

Applejack scoffed. "Pah, this ain't nothin'. Y'all should have seen how I looked after wrastlin' with Macky. This ain't nothin." She chuckled a bit and smiled sadly. "He sure could pack a wallop."

"So," said Rainbow quickly, "what'd you do with the jerk, anyhow?"

Applejack smirked. "Jus' taught him a little lesson about privacy. I don't think we'll have to worry about him bargin' in uninvited for a while." She turned and jerked her head towards the doorway. "Come on, I'll show y'all on the way to breakfast."

As the girls walked outside, Applejack pointed to a nearby flagpole. Hanging from the top, all four legs bound, gagged, and glaring at Applejack, was a severely irritated Show Stopper. Rainbow burst out laughing and started rolling on the ground, unable to control herself, while Twilight gave an approving nod. "Nice. How'd you get him all the way up there?"

Applejack shrugged. "What can I say?" she replied, leading the girls towards the wall. "I had some good rope."

"Um, shouldn't we let him down?" asked Fluttershy.

"Sure thing," Applejack replied, "after breakfast."

As the girls laughed and continued on, Fluttershy hesitated. With any other pony she'd have helped them in a heart-beat. But with it being Show Stopper...

She caught up just in time to hear Applejack say, "Eeyup. Made by gryphons. Can't so much as light his horn if it's even touching him."

"I'm not sure that I like all of this anti-magic stuff," said Twilight. "I mean, sure it's useful, but it just seems," she shuddered, "unnatural."

"I hear you, Sugarcube," said Applejack. "But if it gets us away from Drama King back there..."

Twilight chuckled. "Point taken."

The girls made it to breakfast without further incident, and were just finishing when Apple Bloom and Scootaloo showed up. "Hey, have you seen Show?" asked Scootaloo. "We've been looking for him all morning."

"Now that you mention it," said Rainbow, tapping her chin contemplatively, "I think we did see him, heh, hanging around our barracks."

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow as the girls shared a chuckle. "Why do I get the feelin' that y'all ain't tellin' us everythin'?"

"Because we ain't," said Applejack. "Why don't y'all come with us. We were just about to go an' get him anyway."

They walked back to the barracks, Scootaloo looking a little worried while Apple Bloom grinned in anticipation. "So," the later said as they reached the barracks, "where is he?"

Applejack chuckled and pointed to the top of the flagpole where Show was still hanging. A few seconds passed with both of the Crusaders just staring at him in disbelief. Finally, Apple Bloom fell over laughing while Scootaloo turned an appraising eye to Applejack. "Gryphonese anti-magic rope?"

"Eeyup."

"Nice. When were you planning on letting him down?"

Applejack walked up to the pole, turned, and gave it a solid buck. Show was knocked loose and came crashing down on his head. "Right about now."

Scootaloo winced. "And you weren't worried that he'd get hurt?"

"That's why I dropped him on his head," said Applejack cheerfully as Show started to untangle himself. "Figured he was already brain damaged an' maybe a good bump would set him right."

"You wish," muttered Show as he struggled with the rope around his neck. "Now let me out of this thing so I can go and get some breakfast!"

Applejack shrugged and walked over. With a few quick tugs, the knot around Show's neck came undone. As soon as the rope was gone, he teleported out.

"You do realize that he's not going to forget this, right?" asked Scootaloo.

"One," said Applejack, "he deserved it. Two, he knows he deserved it. An' three-"

"It was funnier than that time Big Mac wore one of Granny's girdles!" blurted out Apple Bloom.

Applejack smiled proudly at her sister. "Exactly!"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes but couldn't resist cracking a smile. "Well, you all had better get packing. Show will probably insist on leaving as soon as he gets back. Come on, Apple Bloom. Let's go check in on Sweetie Bell."

"Actually," piped up Rarity, "would you mind if I tagged along? I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't see her at least once before we left."

"Are you sure, Rarity?" asked Fluttershy, worried.

"That's a good idea, actually," said Rainbow. "Hey, AJ, why don't you go with her?"

Applejack and Rainbow shared a look and Applejack nodded. "Sure, why not?" she said. "I wanted to ask Bloom about the rest of the family anyway."

As the four ponies walked away, Twilight raised an eyebrow at Rainbow. "OK, I can understand having one of us there with Rarity, but wouldn't Fluttershy have been the better choice?"

Rainbow shook her head, still watching Rarity intently. "No offence, Fluttershy, but Rarity's going to need more than just a shoulder to cry on. Applejack's the only one of us who can really relate to her right now."

Fluttershy nodded. "I guess you're right. Do you think she's going to tell her about Sunshine?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Don't think so. It's not that bad. Applejack should be able to do fine on her own."

Pinkie and Twilight shared a confused look. "Who's Sunshine?" whispered Pinkie.

Twilight shook her head. "No idea."

It didn't take long for the girls to gather their things; all of their supplies were already packed, and Twilight quickly used a spell to shrink Spike's letters before packing them in Rarity's bags. None of them quite remembered where they were compared to the hospital, so they settled in for the wait. Soon there was a knock on the door. Fluttershy opened it to reveal a fully packed, and very annoyed, Show Stopper.

"Well," he said, "let's get a move on. The sooner we head out the sooner we can be in changeling country."

"Sorry to bust your cloud," said Rainbow, "but Rares and AJ went off to check on Sweetie Bell."

Show face-hoofed, groaning loudly. "Are you serious?"

"Nope!" Show looked up to see Rainbow grinning. "I'm not sorry at all."

Show glared before rolling his eyes. "Fine, where are their bags?" he asked. "I'll carry them to the hospital and we'll wait for them there." He closed his eyes and lit his horn.

"Oh no you don't!" In a flash of light, Show was hovering in the air along with Rarity and Applejack's saddlebags. "There's no way I'm letting you transform into me again," said Twilight, horn glowing as she glared at Show. "I'll carry the bags, and you if you can't behave."

Show's anger vanished, replaced immediately by cold fury. Everypony shivered as Show glared at Twilight with eyes that promised a fate worse than death. "You're making a grave mistake," he said, all traces of humor gone from his voice. "You don't want to duel me in magic. You may be the most naturally talented unicorn since Starswirl, but i can copy that talent and power in an instant. You may be Princess Celestia's star pupil, but I have been trained in actual combat. You can make all of the threats that you want, but I don't fear you, because you would never follow through. I have killed time and time again in the last seven years, and have no qualms about following through on any threat I make. Now let. Me. Down."

You could have cut the tension with a knife. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow were scared, and backing away. Twilight stood shocked for a moment before closing her eyes and breathing deeply. When she opened her eyes, they were just as cold as Show's. She slowly levitated him over until her mouth was right next to his ear. She whispered for a few moments, and as she did Show's face lost its hard edge and slowly paled. When she finally set him down, he just stared at her in shock as she walked to the door. "Well," she called over her shoulder, eyes light and warm again, "aren't you leading us to the hospital?"

Show shook his head vigorously to snap himself out of his shock. Immediately, his cocky grin was back in place as he followed Twilight outside. Not having much of a choice, the rest of the girls followed.

As they walked towards the hospital, Fluttershy struggled with her thoughts. She'd been the closest to Twilight when she'd whispered to Show, and she'd heard small snippets of what she'd said. "Nightmare", "memories", "banishment". That's all that I was able to hear, but with what Twilight told us about that mind-reading spell yesterday... She said that she'd studied Equestrian history straight from Luna's memories. Did she see her memories as Nightmare Moon? Even her banishment? I really hope I'm wrong.

They arrived at the hospital just as Applejack, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walked out. "How is she doing?" asked Fluttershy worriedly.

Realizing who Fluttershy was referring to, Scootaloo answered. "Rarity will be out in a bit. She said she wanted some time alone with her."

Rarity came walking out a few minutes later, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "You OK, Rares?" asked Rainbow.

Rarity nodded and smiled softly. "She's alright," she whispered. "That's all that matters." She looked up at Pinkie. "By the way, I saw your sister on the way out."

Pinkie's ears perked up as they began walking towards the wall. "Octy? You saw her? How's she doing?"

"She's doing well," Rarity replied. "Very well. So well in fact, that when I saw her the doctors were having to chain her to her bed to stop her from galloping off to, how did she put it, 'slap some sense into that irritating, arrogant, bull-headed, daughter-of-a-mule DJ'."

Everypony shared a good laugh, knowing full well about Octavia and Vinyl's pre-war relationship. "She must be happy to have her back," said Pinkie. "But, why's she in the hospital? Is she hurt?"

Rarity nodded. "Broken fore-leg, but that's not too much of a problem for her, is it?"

"You know," said Scootaloo, "I don't think I ever heard the story. How did Octavia learn to walk on her hind legs anyway?"

"Well," Pinkie began, "it all started back when she started to become more famous. Most cellists have to set their cellos in a stand to hold it up for them. Then they lean on it while they play. Octy started complaining about how much time it took to get the cello perfectly set up in the stand, especially since she was sometimes playing at several events in one day. She thought it would be easier to just learn to stand like that and hold it up herself."

"Was it?" asked Apple Bloom.

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "No, but if you've known her for the last few years then you know how stubborn she is."

Another round of laughter was shared. Pinkie continued to ask Scootaloo about the rest of her family while Applejack questioned Apple Bloom on theirs. They made it to the wall and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom bid them farewell, Apple Bloom and Applejack spending a little bit longer than the others. With final calls of "good luck" and a few waves, the Bearers and Show headed out.

As soon as the small door closed behind them, Show turned, grabbed Twilight with his magic, and slammed her into the wall. Everypony else gasped, but Show threw up a shield around himself and Twilight before they could intervene. "Let's get something straight before it becomes a problem," he said, advancing on Twilight as she slowly rose to her hooves. He grabbed her again and held her against the wall. "You may have been able to frighten the clown that I am in there, but out here the fool's mask comes off. You have no idea what the world outside this wall is like. I do." He put his face right up to hers, forcing her head to turn so she was looking him in the eye. "I don't know whether what you said in there was a bluff or not, but it doesn't matter. What matters is this." He looked over his shoulder to address the rest of the girls who were rooted to the spot with fear. "Outside of that wall, there is no infighting, no power struggle, and no questioning orders. Until we get back inside, I am not only your escort. I am your commanding officer. What I say, goes." He dropped Twilight and walked towards the rest of the girls, lowering his shield as he did so. "I will not give many direct orders. Hopefully I won't have to give any. But make no mistake; I am in charge." He looked back to where Twilight was glaring up at him. "So let's make a deal. I don't turn into you or your friends unless it's vitally necessary, and in return you don't use your magic on me. Deal?" He held out his hoof to Twilight and waited.

Twilight slowly stood, brushed herself off, and gave Show the same cold glare she'd given him back in the barracks. "That depends," she replied coolly. "What qualifies as 'vitally necessary'?"

Five jaws dropped as Show slowly lowered his hoof. The girls stared at Show, waiting to see what he would do.

"Well now," Show finally said, "Princess Celestia trained you well, didn't she? You've got that look down pat."

"What look?" asked Twilight, arching an eyebrow.

"You know what look," said Show, matching her glare and tone perfectly. "It's the, I'm-superior-to-you-and-I-don't-need-to-prove-it look." His face turned slightly impressed as he appraised her. "I must say, you pull it off well. Took me ten weeks to master the demeanor and tone. How long did it take you?"

Twilight didn't answer, so Show continued. "You know, even Princess Celestia took three months before she could pull it off consistently, but Luna only took three days. Now there's a talented actress. Did you know that she used to act?"

Seeing that Twilight still wasn't responding, Show rolled his eyes. "'Vitally necessary' means that if I don't do it, someone ends up dead or grievously injured. Now, do we have a deal?" He raised his hoof again.

Twilight slowly rose her hoof and shook his. "Deal," she said, dropping her look for one of irritation. She turned and began walking toward the mess hall.

"Sparkle!" called Show, pointing westward, "our path goes that way."

Twilight looked where he was pointing and her face took on a hint of fear. "Um, Show," she said, "that's the way to the Everfree Forest."

"Exactly," said Show. "Quickest path to changeling territory."

The girls' reactions ranged from Applejack's mild concern to Fluttershy's near panic. "Um, maybe you don't know this," said a nervously fidgeting Rainbow, "but the Everfree is really dangerous."

Show rolled his eyes and started walking, forcing the girls to follow. "More dangerous than an enemy's HQ?" he asked. "Trust me, between me and Sparkle we can handle anything this place can throw at us. Besides, we've got a local expert on our side, right Shy?"

"Oh, well, I'm not sure about 'expert'," said Fluttershy nervously. "I mean, I only knew a few of the animals in there personally, and most of them have probably died by now."

"But you know how to handle the rest, right?" asked Show.

"Well, I suppose-"

"And you know your way around?"

"Well, a little, but-"

"And you know what plants are and aren't safe?"

"Well, I don't know every-"

"That sounds like an expert to me," Show finished with a satisfied smirk. "If we try to go around the Everfree, it'll add almost two weeks to our trip each way. That's another month of war."

All of the girls winced. "Good point," conceded Twilight.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Rainbow. "How do you know so much about Fluttershy?"

"Because the Crusaders never stopped talking about her," he said, chuckling. "Every other story they told was about the Stare Master."

"What about you?" asked Applejack. "Since you know so much about us, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

"Sorry, Jack," he said, "but I don't do back-stories. Comes with the whole spy outfit. Don't worry, you'll hear plenty about me once we reach the changeling capital."

"And when will that be, exactly?" asked Rarity.

"Probably about a month."

"A MONTH?"

Show looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "We're walking through the Everfree Forest and halfway across a country. How long were you expecting?"

"Wait," said Twilight worriedly, "how long is this trip going to take?"

"Hard to say," said Show, looking forward again. "It'll take us about a month to get there, plus another month before we can get an audience with Queen Milkweed. Then it'll take three weeks to get to the deer woods. From there it gets tricky because we have to wait for them to approach us. Even if they make contact on the first day, it's still a month long treck along their paths. After that we have about a week of mountain climbing to get to the dragon cave we need. How we'll manage to convince him to relinquish the Element, I have no idea, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Then there's the trip back. So, assuming no delays, it should take us about seven and a half months all told. Factor in weather delays since we'll be hiking in late October and can expect snow, and we'll probably be back around late February or early March."

The group was silent as the girls contemplated an eight month trip through foreign lands. They soon reached the Everfree, and Show walked right in, not even breaking stride. Not having much of a choice, the girls hesitated for only a moment before following him in, each of them stealing one last glance at Equestria before the trees of the Everfree grew too thick behind them.