Mantles

by Ponky


10 - The Mantles We Don

CHAPTER TEN
THE MANTLES WE DON

Princess Sparkle stared at the ground.

Shining Armor cleared his throat. "Your... Majesty?"

Her breath was so slow that even the Captain's heart slowed down.

"Did you hear me? Cloudsdale, too. It's only been a month, and somepony already put on a mask in Cloudsdale."

"I heard you," the Princess said. Her multilayered voice carried the whisper through the entire hall.

He grit his teeth. “I’m not sure you’re taking this as seriously as you should, sister. First here in Canterlot, then that brute in Trottingham, and now Cloudsdale? These vigilantes are threatening your order. They will draw the ponies away from you. They don’t understand—”

You do not understand!” Twilight shouted. Her eyes did not leave the marble below. “I am well aware of the situation, Captain. I know what could come of this. The vigilantes do not go unnoticed and shall not go unpunished.”

Shining Armor shifted his stance and stood taller. “Then... your orders?"

Twilight's eyes were very dark when she looked up. Her horn glowed black and it seemed to suck the light of the setting Sun from the windows.

“Find them." She blinked. "Kill them."

(/\/\)

"Find them, Roots! What do you mean you just dropped them?”

Two stallions scrambled low in an alleyway, running their hooves along corners in the darkness.

“I dunno, something hit my hoof!” Roots whined, shaking it out. “I swear, I didn’t mean to!”

“That’s not gonna be enough for the boss,” his companion hissed in a gravelly voice. “He’s already lost too much product this month. I swear, it’s like the whole world turned on us at once…”

“Why don’t you just say it?” Roots suddenly yelled, leaping to his hooves. “You know what this is. We both do! She’s here!”

The other stallion’s eyes narrowed. “You shut up.”

“It was one of her… one of her little thingies!” He traced a shape in the air. “That’s what hit my hoof, Macaroni. She’s here! We’re doomed, we’re doomed…”

“You probably just got scared and dropped the stupid bag,” Macaroni growled. “Now stop panicking and find every capsule.”

“I swear, something hit me,” Roots sobbed, dropping back to his knees and running the edge of his hoof into the darkest spaces between discarded boxes and trash cans in the alleyway. “We haven’t found a single one. Where could they have gone?”

Macaroni made a face and stretched a leg behind a metal bin. His hoof fished around for a moment, then stopped on something smooth. He grinned. “Got ‘em,” he said, pulling. “You must have tossed the whole bag over here. Yeah, they all landed in this…”

A small, clear bag of greenish pills lay in the bottom of a large, upside down, purple, pointy—

“…hat.”

Whack! A thin hoof wrapped in indigo caught Macaroni’s neck from behind. The stallion dropped without a sound, muzzle-first into the packaged drugs. Roots could hardly breathe, let alone speak, as the attacker rose from the darkness, pushed Macaroni's face out of the hat, and lifted it squarely over her own masked head.

“Well, well, well,” she said slowly, tying Macaroni’s limp hooves together in an expert knot. “More Mangled Marks. I thought I’d seen the last of you in this part of town.”

“N-n-now you have!” Roots stammered, sweating above his smile. “I-I’ll go tell the boss right now, n-n-no more deals in the Cornstalk District.”

“No more deals in any District!” Mare Do Well roared. Her cape billowed around her as she leapt onto the terrified stallion, pushing him against the wall. “You say you can go straight to the boss? I find that hard to believe.”

“I-I-I’ll get the message to him!” Roots choked. Mare Do Well pushed harder on his sternum. “Oh, Luna! Oh, please, no!”

“You know what I can do.”

“Yes, yes, I know!” he screamed. “Oh, please, don’t break my ribs! I swear, we’ll never come back here!”

“I don’t need you to swear to me.” Mare Do Well kept one strong hoof on the center of his chest and reached below her cape with the other. “I need you to deliver for me.” She removed a stiff envelope. “You make sure this gets to your boss.”

“Yes, okay, I will,” Roots wheezed, starting to laugh. “I swear, I — er, I mean, yes, I’ll do it, I’ll do whatever you say!”

“Hmm.” Mare Do Well’s blank eyes seemed to narrow. “Very well.”

She moved to hit Roots in the face. He shrieked and closed his eyes. Suddenly the pressure on his chest was gone and, when he dared to check, so was Mare Do Well.

On Macaroni’s stirring body was the silver envelope. Roots swallowed hard and timidly moved to his fallen comrade. He picked up the paper — more like tin foil, really — and shivered at the insignia on its back, now so infamous to Canterlot’s criminals.

(/\/\)

“Hey, that’s mine!”

“Tough nuts, lady,” the hefty stallion said, ripping the saddlebag from Creamsicle’s dainty grip.

“Come back!” she yelled as the stallion tore away. The streets were dark and empty. “Somepony, stop him!”

As the robber passed under a tall streetlight, a dark shape dropped from the sky and landed squarely on his shoulders. “OOMF!” was all he got to say before a quick jab knocked him out cold. Creamsicle gasped excitedly as Mare Do Well tied the thief to the base of the light post with impressive speed. She snatched the saddlebag from its temporary spotlight and jumped back to Creamsicle in two flowing bounds.

“A mare would do well to stay in groups at night,” she said. “Be safe.”

Creamsicle beamed. “Thanks, Apple Bloom!”

Mare Do Well turned around and poised to leap. She froze in place. Only her head snapped back to the tall mare with a wildly green, short cropped mane. “What?”

Creamsicle giggled. “I said thanks for saving my bag, Apple Bloom.”

“How didja…” Apple Bloom looked around for listening ears. “How didju know it was me?” she asked in her normal voice.

“Ha! I could point out those red locks from a mile away,” Creamiscle said, reaching out to bounce a lock of Apple Bloom’s mane in her hoof. It had slipped out from her mask.

“Oh, gosh darn it!” Apple Bloom tucked the hair back into place. “That’s what I get fer takin’ on too much in one night.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony,” Creamsicle promised, resting a hoof over her heart. “And, just for the record, I think it’s wonderful what you’re doing here.”

“I’m surprised you even remember me,” Apple Bloom said, playing with the edges of her mask. “It’s been ages since the first day o’ school.”

“Has it? I haven’t really noticed.” She lifted her saddlebag over her body. “I don’t go the school, remember? I’m a hairdresser. Days and weeks sorta blend together for me. Just one mane after another.”

“Oh. Right.”

Creamsicle winked. “You could come in anytime. I’m on Oatmeal Street. I’ll give you a new cut to hide better in that mask.”

“Wouldn’t that be kinda suspicious?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Nah, everypony changes their do now and again,” Creamsicle chirped. “Well, drop in sometime, anyway. I’d like to see you without the getup. And if I can be of any help — y’know, to the cause of freedom or whatever — count me in! I want to see Canterlot cleaned up just as much as the next pony. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. “You sure? It’s pretty dangerous to get involved.”

“Oh, please! I’m a brave girl. A couple of crazy gangs don’t scare me.”

“I’m going for more than the gangs,” Apple Bloom said, facing the empty night of the mountainside metropolis. “The Princess of Dusk will fall to the nearing storm of justice.”

Creamsicle raised a thin eyebrow. “Uh huh. Whatever you say. Okay, bye!”

She waved cutely and trotted down the Moonlit street. Apple Bloom sighed, made sure her mane was tucked away, and hurried to the nearest fire escape. A few quick jumps and pulls brought her costumed body to the roof of a short building. She ran along its edge and leapt through the night, watching her shadow disappear and reappear with the rooftops below her. She bounded from building to taller building until she reached a vantage point of the Cornstalk District that proved to her the safety of its streets.

She breathed hard and sat on her haunches. “Lyra? Are you there?”

“Yes ma’am,” came the familiar voice. “And please don’t call me by my real name. You never know who’s listening.”

“Ugh!” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “It’d be easier if you had a codename cooler than Unsung.”

“It doesn’t get much lamer than Mare Do Well.”

“Hey! Mare Do Well is cool.”

The sound of slurping came to Apple Bloom’s mind. “Not with how many dumb puns you tie to it.”

“That’s my favorite part. What’re you drinkin’?”

“Latte. Almost finished.”

“Yeah, I can tell, yer slurping up the last molecules o’ that thing.”

“No, not with the drink. I’m almost done analyzing the data on those drugs.”

Apple Bloom sat up straighter. “Oh! It worked?”

“Yeah, while those pills were in the hat I got a pretty good reading.” She took another swig of her coffee. “This machine I… uh… borrowed from Doctor Whooves is almost done analyzing the stuff. It’s already come up with most of its composition.”

“What’s it made of? If we can find out what the ingredients are—”

“We can find out where it’s coming from and stop it at the source,” finished Lyra. “Right. Give me five more minutes. You should probably get home, Apple Bloom. You’ve been out there for hours. I nearly nodded off a few times. Not that you’re boring, it’s just late.”

“That’s the life of a superhero, I guess,” Apple Bloom said, stretching out her limbs. “Ooohh… those first stallions were strong.”

“You hurt?”

“Just a bit. I think my fetlocks are bruised.”

Lyra winced. “You’d better tend to that. You need those in this business.”

Apple Bloom laughed.

“But really, Bloom, I’m glad you’re in the mask and I’m in my room. I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to pain.”

“Well, you’ve been through quite enough of it for one good mare, Unsung.” She stood and gazed over her self-assigned jurisdiction. “Rest well. Tomorrow we—”

A blue blur slammed into her from the side. Apple Bloom slammed onto the roof and skidded to its far edge, rolling over another pony in her grasp.

“Apple Bloom!” Lyra cried. “What is that?”

“Mmrrgh!” Apple Bloom struggled against the pony’s strong grip. The Moon was directly behind her attacker’s head and the exposure hid its features.

“Who are you?” the pony asked in a scratchy voice.

“The Hope of Harmony.” She flexed her abdomen, pulling her hind legs nearly to her chest and kicking upward. Her assailant was sent flying—literally. Its impressive wings opened and pulled it in a tight circle. It kept its head low and barreled straight for Apple Bloom.

She acted fast, rolling to her left and plummeting off the side of the roof. “Unsung, where’s the Wishing Well?”

“It’s nowhere near you, Bloom, still by the cemetery!” She facehoofed. “And, once again, that’s a really stupid name!”

“Not a good time!” She pulled on the corners of her cape, sending her in a gentle spiral toward one of the shorter rooftops.

The pegasus dove past her, landing on the next roof down. Apple Bloom veered, diving into a narrow and dimly lit alley.

A pair of hooves wrapped around her belly from behind. “Huh?” she managed to say before—

WHOOSH! The pegasus flapped hard, pulling the duo skyward so fast that Apple Bloom’s hat fell off. She managed to catch it on the tip of a hind hoof and flick it into her forehooves. She squeezed it tight against the whipping air. Beneath them, a rainbow trail stretched alongside her own purple and indigo streaks.

Wait… rainbow?

“Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom asked.

The pony behind her let go and kicked her in the back. Apple Bloom shot forward and began to fall. The lights of the city below were barely bigger than stars. She pulled her hat over her head and screamed, “Unsung! We got a major emergency here!”

“What the… where are you?”

“About a thousand feet above Canterlot!”

“Jeez! What do you want me to do, exactly?”

“Ain’t there some kinda fancy gem in my bag that’ll turn into a trampoline on impact or somethin’?”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Hey, Mare Do Well!” came from above. Apple Bloom’s cape flapped around her in free fall, but taking off her hat and using it in her outstretched hoof, she managed to swivel and face the sky. Finally she looked the pegasus in the face. Sure enough, Rainbow Dash’s angry eyes glared down into her blank lenses. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

“Falling to my death!” She stretched out a tightly wrapped hoof. “Save me, Rainbow Dash!”

“Ha! Me? Save you? Well, isn’t it funny how the tables turn after all these years!”

“What are you talkin’ about? I ain’t got nothin’ to do with you!”

“Ha! Yeah, right!” She thrust a hoof dramatically. “You only exist because of me! If it weren’t for me, you’d be nothing but a—”

“Rainbow, please! Get a hold o’ yerself! I am fallin’ to my death!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Ugh! Okay, fine.” She angled her wings, swooped below Apple Bloom and, once again, caught her around the middle. Then, flapping with trained precision, she guided them to another rooftop. Apple Bloom’s quick eyes identified the area as the Skyport District, where ships from Cloudsdale often brought emergency weather supplies.

Rainbow dropped Apple Bloom onto her side. She rolled and crouched on padded hooves, her hat sliding to the edge. She locked in on Rainbow Dash hovering in front of her. “Rainbow, please! What’re you gettin’ at here?”

“Who are you?” Rainbow snapped, leaning forward. “Why Mare Do Well? Why not make up your own name and costume, huh? What is this about? You trying to get me in on this? Because I know better than to stand up to Twilight at this point.”

Apple Bloom’s mind whirled. “Whoa, what? Rainbow, this has nothin’ to do with you anymore. I’m just usin’ Mare Do Well to make a difference here.”

“Can it, Applejack!” Rainbow screeched, landing hard only inches from Apple Bloom. Moonlight glistened in a tear at the corner of her eye. “You can’t fool me! I know what’s going on here! You’re just tr-trying to make me feel guilty! To make me question whether or not I’m really the Element of Loyalty anymore!”

“Whoa, whoa, Rainbow! Calm down!” Apple Bloom reached up and pulled down her mask. “I’m not Applejack. It’s me, Apple Bloom.”

Rainbow’s ruby irises shrunk. Her jaw dropped with her haunches. “Huh? Apple Bloom? B-but I thought for sure…” Her head tilted. “Wait, then where’s Applejack?”

“Uhhh… Ponyville, I reckon,” Apple Bloom said. “Honestly I haven’t talked with her in a while.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not in Ponyville,” Rainbow Dash said. “She disappeared right around the same time Mare Do Well… er, you, I guess… got famous here in Canterlot. So I figured that, uh… y’know. She put the mask back on.”

Apple Bloom’s cheeks went cold. “She’s… gone? Where’d she go?”

“Well, heck if I know!” Rainbow took to the air again, hovering angrily over the roof. “Ugh, I don’t get any of this. I thought I had it all figured out, but… why the heck are you dressed up like Mare Do Well and beating up bad guys?”

Apple Bloom couldn’t speak. Her mouth opened and closed several times before any noise came out. “I’m… but, Applejack? What happened?”

“Okay, look,” Rainbow said, whacking the flat of her hoof against her forehead, “how about you just start at the beginning. Which is, uh… well, whenever you think the beginning would be. I’m sorta super out of the loop.”

“Uhh… well, I guess it all started when I moved to Canterlot. I got accepted to the School of Art with… Harper Heartstrings.”

“Lyra’s kid?” Rainbow dropped and curved her back like a cat, groaning. “Oh, jeez. You’ve gotten heavy, Bloom.”

Apple Bloom cracked a tiny smile. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” She twisted her neck with three sharp cracks. Flicking her tail out of the way, she sat and sighed. “Okay, tell me everything. What happened to you and Harper?”

Apple Bloom grit her teeth. “How much do you know about Canterlot these days?”

“I know Twilight snapped, took over, and sent Celestia and Luna to the Moon.” She sniffed. “Anything else I need to know?”

“Yeah. Her guards kill ponies that don’t like what she’s doin’, and crime has quadrupled since her reign up and started.”

(/\/\)

“Come on, you stupid pony, put the hat back on!” Lyra shouted. She threw the empty latte cup at the wall and opened her eyes. “Dang it! Oh, Bloom, what happened to you?”

There was a knock at her door. Lyra pursed her lips and galloped into her bathroom, brushing down her wild mane before approaching the front room. She glanced at the clock in the hall. It was three in the morning.

She cleared her throat at the front door. “Who is it?” she asked.

“Are you all right in there, Miss Heartstrings?” asked a young voice. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but… oh, this is Dinky Doo.”

Lyra opened the door. “Dinky? What are you doing out this late?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” She pawed at the ground outside Lyra’s house. “I have… bad dreams lately. Anyway, I was just prepping for tomorrow’s deliveries and I heard you yelling. Are you okay?”

“Oh… yeah.” Lyra blinked and rubbed her eyes. “Just, uh… bad dreams, too.”

“Is it about Harper?” Dinky asked.

A lump lodged in Lyra's throat. “Yeah. It is.”

Dinky nodded. “Mine are always about my mom.” She looked up. “Is it… is it true what they’re saying in town about Princess Twilight? And that Ponyville’s cut off from Equestria?”

Lyra sighed. “Well, I don’t know what’s true and what’s not true, Dinky, but I do know there’s something wrong out there.”

“I wish there was something we could do,” Dinky said.

“You’re doing plenty,” Lyra said with a grin.

Dinky blew through her snout. “Yeah, right. I’m just a village mailmare.”

“As good as your mother was. Better, actually, if you don’t mind me saying it.”

Dinky laughed. “Well, she had some complications.”

“And she overcame them. And she raised you. And she helped everypony in town.” Lyra tapped Dinky’s chest. “Now you’re doing the same. And that’s something, Dinky. Don’t you ever think it’s not.”

“Thanks, Lyra, but you know that’s not what I mean.” She looked at the distant Canterlot Mountain bathed in cold Moonlight. “Delivering Ponyville’s mail isn’t going to fix anything up there.”

“Sometimes its not about fixing things, you know,” Lyra said. “We just need to play our part. Sometimes it’s less about what we do, and more about the mantles we don. And who they come from.” She put a hoof on Dinky’s shoulder. “Thanks for checking on me, Dinky. It’s good to now somepony cares.”

Dinky smiled.

“Go on home and get some sleep,” Lyra continued. “I’ll try to do the same.”

Dinky nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Miss Heartstrings.”

“Sure thing, kid.”

She closed the door while Dinky trotted away, then raced to her bedroom and focused her magic on the distant enchanted hat. “Come on, Bloom, where are you?”

(/\/\)

“So you’ve already taken out nine of their posts?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, it’s not all that impressive, but it was enough to get their attention.” She wiped her brow. “I reckon they’ve got another fifty or so around the city. And they’re just one gang. There are three big names I’ve gotta deal with around here, all on top of the petty crimes happenin’ all over town: The Mangled Marks and their pills, Falcon the Griffon’s gang, and the Gonne, some Itailian mob all about pony traffickin’ and garbage like that.”

“That’s freakin’ awesome!” Rainbow yelled. “Apple Bloom, you’re a downright superhero!” She sighed. “Oh, that is such a relief. And I thought Silver Medal was out of his mind.”

“Who?”

“My little brother, Silver Medal,” Rainbow Dash said. “That’s why I came out here, see. I’ve known Mare Do Well was kicking flank in Canterlot for, like, a month now, and it always rubbed me the wrong way, but when my own little brother took up the vigilante thing in Cloudsdale? I thought I had to bring it all to an end.”

Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what did you say?”

“But now that I know it’s you doing all this, and that you’re doing such a good job… wow! Haha!” Rainbow did a quick backflip. “I’m all giddy or something! I haven’t been this pumped in years! You’re making a splash, Apple Bloom. You could really shake things up around here.”

“Did you say you have a little brother?” Apple Bloom asked. “I never knew that!”

“Really?” Rainbow frowned. “Oh, that’s too bad. I bet you would have been friends. He’s your age, or maybe a little younger.”

“What!?”

“He lives with my dad in Cloudsdale.” Rainbow grinned. “Oh gosh, this is so cool!” Her grin suddenly vanished and she leaned close to Apple Bloom. “But hold on, what’s the goal here, huh? What’s the big finale?”

Apple Bloom floundered for a moment. “I just wanna get to Twilight.”

“Soooo… what’s with bringing down the Mangy Marks and all that?”

“Mangled Marks. I can’t just burst into the castle and fight an Alicorn. I’m just an earth pony. I’m remindin’ Canterlot of what she used to be, what she still can be. I want the ponies themselves to stand up to Twilight. She’ll… she’ll change if the city does.”

Rainbow Dash squinted. “You sure about that?”

“Well, no.” Apple Bloom pulled her mask back up and tucked her mane away. “But I’m just doin’ what I can. I can’t make Twilight’s choices for her, but I can save innocent ponies from sufferin’ under her rule.”

Rainbow nodded. “That’s cool, Apple Bloom. I like that.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, fine, I’ll help. And I’ll get Silver Medal to come and help, too.”

“Huh?”

“Besides, if we’re being honest, he’s not nearly as cool as you are right now. So he could probably use a few superhero pointers.”

“No, Rainbow, I can’t—”

“First we’re gonna need a plan. No more of this post-by-post business. Nine a month won’t cut it. We gotta go straight to the top.”

Apple Bloom trotted to her hat. “Rainbow, I’ve already got a plan, and I don’t think you can—”

“Once we find out who’s running the Mangled Marks, we’ll take ‘em out and send ‘em packing! Then we’ll find that griffon dude and whamo! Show him what for!”

“Rainbow, I can do this by myse—”

Apple Bloom put on her hat and her mind was met with “—IF YOU DON’T ANSWER ME IN FIVE SECONDS I’M GONNA—”

“Gah! Lyra, calm down!” she yelled, grabbing her skull between her hooves.

Rainbow tilted her head. “Lyra? Lyra Heartstrings?”

Lyra gasped. “Bloom, you’re alive! Oh, thank Celestia!” Her voice instantly took on a much harsher tone. “What the hay happened? And what have I told you a thousand times about using my real name? Who is that? What the… is that Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, it’s Rainbow.”

“Huh? What’s me?”

“Wow, look at that! I haven’t seen Rainbow Dash in ages. She looks dang good, hasn’t aged a day. Hi, Rainbow!”

“She can’t hear you, Lyra.”

“Is Lyra here?” Rainbow looked around. “I’m confused.”

“Lyra’s talking to me in my head,” Apple Bloom said, tapping the top of her hat.

Rainbow blinked and backed away. “Okay, yeah… that’s not crazy at all.”

“No, I mean in my hat.” Apple Bloom groaned. “I mean, she put a spell on my hat so she can talk to me from Ponyville and see what I’m seein’ during these… crusades.” She couldn’t help but a smirk a little at the term.

“Oh, cool. Hi, Lyra!” Rainbow said, waving at Apple Bloom’s eyes. “Wow, I forget how cool magic is flying around with pegasi all the time.”

“Tell her hi,” Lyra said. “And to call me Unsung.”

“Lyra says hi,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Look, Rainbow, I’m glad you’re supportive of all this, but I can’t let you join in, and I certainly can’t let you send your little brother. If he wants to protect Cloudsdale, that’s his business, but…” She trailed off and her tail went limp. “Wait… Rainbow, what’s in like in Cloudsdale?”

“Uhh… pretty much like this,” she said, gesturing to the city below. “I mean, there’s a lot of differences, obviously, because of the whole ‘in the sky’ thing, but… there’s more crime there than I’ve seen in all my life. Ponies just don’t seem to care as much anymore. They don’t really talk to each other or trust each other. It’s all… I dunno, dark.”

Apple Bloom’s heart beat harder. “And other cities? Do you know anythin’ about, I dunno, Manehattan? Trottingham?”

“As far as I know, Apple Bloom, all of Equestria is like this now,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. “Ponies stopped looking for friendship and started looking for power.”

“Without harmony, the world turns to solos,” Lyra said. “Unfortunately, the loudest are often out of key.”

“I didn’t know,” Apple Bloom said. “I thought…”

Lyra shifted. Her face showed concern even as her eyes stayed closed. “Apple Bloom, listen—I just talked to Dinky Doo not too long ago. I told her she didn’t have to worry about anything out of her control. She just needs to do what she can, and she’ll—”

“You’re doing a great job here, Apple Bloom, but—”

“Shh, Rainbow, Lyra’s talkin’ to me,” Apple Bloom said, turning away.

“Oh, sorry.” Rainbow pulled in her lips.

“What I’m saying,” Lyra continued in a lower voice, “Is that all you can worry about is what’s in your control. Don’t think about Manehattan or Cloudsdale or anything else. If those cities need a hero, they’ll get one. I told Dinky, it’s not so much important how far we can reach, but what we do with the mantles we don.” She smiled. “Actually I said something different, but that sounds a lot better. You’ve chosen to protect Canterlot as Mare Do Well. Stick with that, and you’ll make a difference. You’ve already made a difference. I know it.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Thanks, Lyra. I’ll do my best.”

“You always do, kid.”

“She done?” Rainbow asked. “What did she say?”

“She told me not to worry about what’s not in my control,” she said. “All I can do is stick with my choice and protect Canterlot.”

“Bingo,” Rainbow said, grinning. “And all I can do is help.”

“You can’t—”

“Ah-ah-ah! No use, Bloom. I’m in now. You said you had a plan?”

“Look, Rainbow,” Apple Bloom started.

“The plan, Bloom! We don’t have all night!”

Apple Bloom laughed a sleepy laugh. “I’m done fer tonight, Rainbow. I’m headed home. You should do the same.” She turned to leap from the roof, but quickly said, “Meet me back here tomorrow night after Sunset. We’ll talk about the plan.”

“Aye aye!” Rainbow jumped into the air, saluted, and soared away. Apple Bloom jumped off the roof and pulled at her cape, gliding to an alley below.

“Looks like things are gonna get interesting,” Lyra said, yawning.

“That’s one way to put it,” Apple Bloom said. “All I know, if I know Rainbow Dash, is that things are about to get fast.”

(/\/\)

Roots quivered and kept his forehead pressed against the ground.

"And she just... gave it to you?" a hooded stallion asked. "Without hurting you at all?"

"Sh-she hurt my hoof a little bit—"

A sickly thin, dauntingly tall black pegasus smacked Roots over the back of the head.

He screamed and whimpered, shivers doubling. "She was gonna break my ribs! She just told me to deliver this to you and disappeared! I swear! She left it on Macaroni's body! That's it, that's all I know, that's all that happened, oh Luna please..."

The hooded pony stared at the silvery envelope in his grasp. He was quiet for a long moment and then tossed it on the floor in front of Roots. "You open it," he said.

"No!" Roots began to squirm away, but another kick from the black pegasus stopped him.

"Open it," his leader commanded. "If you're not dead then, you can hoof it to me."

"Please, please, I don't wanna—"

"Open the envelope or we will kill you ourselves," he said. His voice was calm around the terrifying words. "Your only chance to live is if the envelope is safe. In your favor, the mare has yet to kill anypony. Perhaps you'll be the first, but we both know it cannot be me."

Roots sobbed and nodded. He reached a trembling hoof forward and pulled the silver enveloped towards him as if it were poison. He slowly raised himself to his haunches and dared a glance at the brooding black pegasus waiting at his side. After another wave of shivers, Roots carefully used the edge of his hoof to peel open the lip of the envelope, clenching his teeth and turning his face away. In a quick motion, like ripping off a bandage, he screamed and opened the letter completely, letting a folded paper drop the floor. The hooded stallion and the black pegasus stepped back, but nothing else happened.

Roots looked down at the paper and began to giggle.

"Read it," his leader said.

Still laughing, Roots lifted the paper and unfolded it twice. His eyes scanned its words as his laughter only increased.

"Oh, shut him up," the leader growled. One punch to the jaw sent Roots silent to the ground, and the black pony lifted the note in his slender hooves. Without taking a glance at it, he hoofed the paper to his boss and watched with cold white eyes.

He took the paper in a white aura of magic and stared at it. "It's just a... drawing of the Canterlot Cemetery." He threw the paper to the ground and whipped around. His cloak billowed as he stormed to the far end of the room. "What is this? What is she trying to say? Is it a warning? Is that where I'm supposed to end up?"

He paused, then stared at the paper from a distance. "Or perhaps she's telling me where to find her." He began to chuckle and pulled the paper to him with his magic. "Ahhh... she's drawn the full Moon. She wants a meeting in the cemetery one week from now. Heheheh... how convenient. You won't need to go far to dispose of the body."