Pinkie Pie skipped along merrily through Ponyville to her home in Sugar Cube Corner. This was going to be a great day! There was a new arrival in Ponyville, and that meant a welcome party. Every party was welcome to Pinkie. Applejack and other new pony had gone before Pinkie got back with her welcome wagon, but that didn’t matter. She would bring out the wagon during the party! This was going to be a great day!
As she bounded along she heard someone call out her name. Pinkie turned and saw a white pony with a dark blue and pink curly mane standing a ways behind her. Pinkie grinned. “Oh, hello Bon Bon! How are you today?”
Bon Bon smiled back. “I’m doing great, Pinkie! But I need to ask you a few things.”
Pinkie walked up to her. “Well, ask away!”
Bon Bon bit her lip for a moment before asking, “Well first, I heard about a party you’re having. Are you going to be working on it all day?”
“Yep!” Pinkie beamed. “This one’s extra special since it’s for a new pony in town!”
Bon Bon looked at her curiously. “Really? That’s nice; it’s always great to have new citizens. Where is she now?”
Pinkie shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Last I saw she was with Applejack, but she didn’t say where they were going.”
Bon Bon sighed and thought for a moment before replying. “Hm, yes. Where exactly does Applejack live?”
Pinkie Pie cocked her head at her curiously. “Over at Sweet Apple Acres, of course. I thought you would know that.”
Bon Bon laughed nervously and shrugged. “Oh yeah, haha, silly me.” She cleared her throat and smiled warmly. “Well, I hope the party is fun!”
Pinkie Pie grinned again and bounced up and down. “Oh yes, my parties are always fun! You can come if you want to! No, wait, you have to come! I insist!”
Bon Bon scratched the back of her head and grinned apprehensively. “Well okay, if you insist.... But I gotta go see Applejack now. Bye!”
Pinkie waved goodbye as she bounded off. “Okie dokie loki! See ya later alligator!”
Bon Bon stood watching her go before turning and slinking down an alleyway. Dracona shuddered as she morphed back into her normal form and groaned softly as she changed into Pinkie Pie. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to stay in this form for too long; the bouncy pink cheeriness of it might kill her.
Applejack could not concentrate on her work. The deadly secret of Amethyst had been churning in her mind for the past few hours, making her distracted. Who exactly was she trying to warn them about? Was it robbers like Spike suggested? Or was it one of their old enemies like the Diamond Dogs or the Changlings or- She shuddered. Or Discord.
But it probably was nothing to worry about; maybe Amethyst was just crazy or really tired. Applejack knew what that was like. She sighed and went back to work, but her mind kept straying to the many horrible possibilities of what might come to pass.
She jumped nearly three feet in the air when she heard a bubbly voice call from behind her. “Hey there, Applejack!”
After landing on the ground and dusting herself off, AJ turned and saw Pinkie Pie standing by the barn door. “Oh, it’s you Pinkie. Sorry ‘bout that, I’m just kinda jumpy right now, heh.”
Pinkie grinned. “Oh, that’s alright. Hey, I’m having a party tonight for the new pony! Do you know where she is, cause I wanna invite her!”
Applejack hesitated; did she dare tell Pinkie where Amethyst was staying? She was liable to spread the word about her even more, and the last thing they needed was everypony in Ponyville hearing about Amethyst’s warnings. It would cause mass panic. It would cause... chaos.
Applejack shuddered visibly at the thought and replied, her voice tinged with nervousness. “Uh, I do know where she is, but uh.... I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
Pinkie Pie remained smiling cheerfully as she leaped over to Applejack, almost getting right up into her face, and causing AJ to step back slightly. Pinkie pleaded, “Oh please, Applejack! Pleeeeaaaase!?”
Applejack looked down at Pinkie’s faced, which was contorted into something akin to a smile while her eyes bulged and quivered like a wide-eyed puppy’s. Applejack bit her lip and stepped further back, “Uh, no can do, sugarcube. It’s a secret an’ I can’t tell anypony!”
For a horrifying moment, Pinkie’s face suddenly darkened. Her eyelids dropped into a vicious frown and her grin widened eerily, almost murderously. She whispered under her breath, “Oh really....?”
Applejack’s heart skipped a beat and she blinked in sudden horror, but as soon as she did, Pinkie’s face had reverted back to normal. A cheerful smile now lit up her features as she said, “I mean... Really? Why not? Can’t you tell your bestest of the best friend?! Huh, huh, can ya?”
Applejack had no idea of what to say. Pinkie Pie sure was acting strangely; just like that one time when nopony had showed up to her party... and Celestia forbid that should ever happen again. In a panic Applejack suddenly blurted out, “Twilight’s house! She’s at Twilight’s house. But she’s sleeping sound so don’t you dare wake her. Twilight will tell you what to do.”
Pinkie Pie sprung up and hugged Applejack. “Thank you Applejack! You can come to the party too if you want!”
Applejack laughed nervously and shrank back into the barn. “Oh eh, heheh, I’ll be there!”
Pinkie waved goodbye and bounced off joyfully.
Applejack sat down with a sigh and shuddered. Something really, really strange was going on. If only Amethyst would wake up soon and tell them what it was.
Hiding behind some shrubbery, Dracona glanced around and listened intently to hear if anypony was nearby. When all was silent she reverted back to her normal green form. She shuddered again and hissed. That was a close one. She had almost let her vicious dragon-like nature take the better of her and turn the happy Pinkie Pie into a savage torturer; like that would ever happen.
Dracona cracked her neck and flexed her legs and tail for a moment before taking on the likeness of Applejack. This honest, down-to-earth personality would be a whole lot easier to take on than the previous one. And hopefully it would be the last change before they had her, and everything they had planned for decades would be revealed at last. Now if she could just remember where this Twilight’s house was located....
Twilight. That name sounded so familiar.
Twilight Sparkle had finally put her worrying out of her mind and was ready to delve back into her books, when a knock came to the door. She jumped, startled, and went to the door. Spike had gone out to buy some more ink, so he wasn’t around to answer it. Twilight opened the door and smiled. “Hi there, Applejack. What are you here for?”
Applejack grinned back and shrugged. “Oh, I was just gonna check up on our guest. I made her an apple pie.” She motioned to a sack on her back.
Twilight frowned and scratched her leg. “Well, I don’t know if she’s awake right now. I haven’t checked myself, yet.”
Applejack trotted in. “Well I suppose I’ll check up on her then; if it’s alright with you.”
Twilight pondered for a moment. Applejack was the most trustworthy pony she knew, and the only one besides herself and Spike that knew of Amethyst. Besides, she had some study work to finish up. She shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. But be quiet and gentle; we don’t want to startle her.”
Applejack smiled and saluted. “Righty ho, sugarcube.” She proceeded to climb up the stairs and into Twilight’s bedroom.
Twilight sighed and turned to close the door. As she did, she saw Applebloom running by. Twilight waved cheerfully to her and the filly waved back, calling, “Howdy Twilight! Have you seen Applejack around?”
Twilight nodded and motioned inside. “Indeed I have, she’s in my house right now. Why do you ask?”
Applebloom was about to answer when she turned and shouted, “Oh, there she is! Hey Applejack!”
Twilight’s face went pale and her pupils dilated slightly when she saw Applejack come walking up the road towards her. No sack lay on her back, and instead of a cheerful expression she looked grim and worried. Twilight spun around and looked upstairs, calling, “AJ? You up there?”
There was no response. Twilight’s heart sank into her belly and her blood ran cold. Something terribly wrong had just happened.
Just as Applejack and Applebloom came up to the door, Twilight whirled around and tore up the stairs in a panic, her heart racing. She slammed open the door to her bedroom, but the moment she did, something long and scaly lashed out and struck her across the face, sending her hurtling back down the stairs. Applejack and Applebloom gasped when they saw her fall and ran to her side. Twilight groaned and Applejack pulled her up, asking worriedly, “What the hay just happened?!”
Twilight stared hard at her, her eyes telling everything. Applejack’s heart sank as well, knowing that something horrible had just happened involving Amethyst. They both raced up the stairs and leaped into the room, but it was empty.
Suddenly they heard a scream from outside and ran to the window. A large winged creature was flying away over town, carrying something in its claws. Somepony.
Twilight and Applejack ran back down the stairs and flew out the door, breathing hard. They tore through the streets in a mad rush, dodging and shoving confused ponies out of their way. They soon caught a good look at the creature; a green dragon-like animal with some definite pony features, flying fast towards the Everfree Forest; too fast for them to catch. Then out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw their last hope.
“Rainbow Dash!! Stop that dragon-thing! Now!!”
Dash had been flying casually by and glanced down at Twilight before looking up and seeing the dragon-pony. “I’m on it!” She took off like a streak, quickly bearing down on the creature.
Suddenly something smashed into her like lightning, knocking her off balance. She shook her head and stared at what it was. Voltspark hovered next to her, smiling wickedly.
“Sorry Dashie, but you’re not going anywhere near them.”
Rainbow ground her teeth in rage and charged him, but the cocky unicorn dodged easily and blasted a small bolt of electricity down at her, knocking her head over tail.
Twilight was running so hard that she could feel her legs about to give way. But she mustn’t stop. She had to save Amethyst. In her blind focus she tripped and sprawled on the road, covered in dust. Applejack ground to a halt and flung her onto her back, snorting. “Git up here, sugarcube. I’ll take you in close and you knock ‘em down with magic!”
Twilight grit her teeth and focused her mind on her magic as Applejack tore along down the path, carrying Twilight. The dragon was almost into the Forest. If she could only get there a little faster.... She yelled down to Applejack, “AJ! Buck me into the air!”
Applejack ground her teeth and heaved forward with all of her might, hurling Twilight high up through the open air. Twilight closed her eyes tight and her horn glowed. There was a burst of light and she was right next to the flying dragon. She grabbed hold of Amethyst and teleported again before the dragon-pony could make a move. All three hit the ground with a thud, just yards away from the edge of the Everfree Forest. Twilight coughed and rubbed her head, looking up at her surroundings. Dracona snarled in pain and clenched her dragon-like claws, turning to Twilight with eyes smoldering. Amethyst had landed right next to Twilight, and she quickly tried to scurry behind her, but Dracona’s long dragon-like tail snaked out and wrapped around her, pulling her back.
Twilight glared at her and snapped, “Give her back, monster!”
Dracona grinned, pulling Amethyst in close and shielding her with her wings. “Try and take her back, pony!”
Just as Twilight was about to leap forward, a bolt of blue and yellow lightning struck the ground in front of her. Voltspark smiled evilly at her and made an upward motion with his horn. A wall of electricity formed a shield around the three of them, completely surrounding them. Twilight fired a beam of energy at it, but it did little.
By this time, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and a crowd of ponies had gathered around, wondering what the excitement was about. Rainbow Dash and Voltspark glared daggers of hatred at each other from either side of the electric barrier. Twilight could see Amethyst’s frightened face and knew that she had to be rescued.
Twilight frowned in anger and shouted at Dracona. “Let go of Amethyst, now!”
Dracona’s eyes lit up and she grinned down at the dark unicorn. “So it’s Amethyst now, is it? How quaint. I suppose you never bothered to tell them your real story and real name, now, did you?”
Amethyst looked down at the grass, letting her dark mane cover her face in shame. As Twilight and the others looked on in confusion, Dracona looked back at them and sneered, “Amethyst is not her real name, but what her real name is you are not worthy to know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take my little sister back home. She’s been a very naughty girl.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Your sister?!”
Dracona smirked. “Yes, my sister. We are all three siblings, if you hadn’t noticed. But that is all you lowly creatures need to know.” She unfurled her leathery wings and grabbed the pony who was supposedly Amethyst in her wicked clawed hooves. An opening appeared in the force-field behind them, and she and Voltspark slipped out, soaring upward. Rainbow Dash leaped up to go after them, but Voltspark glared at her and flicked an arc of lightning off his horn. “I wouldn’t follow us if I were you, Dashie. You might get hurt.”
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the crowds of shocked ponies stared up in awe and horror as the three strange figures flew off over the trees of the Everfree Forest. AJ and Rainbow both looked despairingly at Twilight, who sat down in the dirt and stared up at the sky, tears brimming her eyes.
This was it. Those were the ones that Amethyst -or whatever her name really was- had tried to warn them about. But what was their plan? Why did they want her back? And why had she run away from them?
All she knew was that something very bad was going to happen very soon, and that Princess Celestia must be told immediately.