Chapter 6
It took a while but Sunset finally woke up again, she heard muffled noises and screams but couldn’t distinguish them and her eyes keep opening and closing over and over again. A louder scream soon wakes her up fully and makes her sit up a bit as she turned to see the other laying on the ground, apparently unconscious also. They all seemed to be surrounded by smoke, just like all the other citizens.
“Girls? Girls, wake up!” Sunset called out to them. Eventually they all began to slowly wake up one by one. Rarity raised her head to her.
“Sunset?” she asked.
“You’re alright!” Sunset said, relieved.
Rainbow groaned as she sat up again. “Ugh, barely.”
“Oh my poor head…” Rarity moaned. She then gasped. “Is my hair ok?”
“Your hair is fine, Rarity.” Applejack told her, annoyed as she got up. “By the way, we’re ok to.”
“Oh. Right… good to know!” Rarity said, sheepishly.
Pinkie then popped up, her eyes rolling around in her head. “Ooh… my head feels funny…” she said in a goofy manner before falling over. The others gazed down upon her.
“Ah, she’s fine, don’t worry.” Rainbow Dash said, nonchalantly,
“Um, are… are… we dead?” Fluttershy asked, nervously. “I can’t see anything…”
“I don’t think we are… ” Sunset Shimmer said, glancing around and noticing something. “The smoke… the smoke surrounding us… there all in perfect circles…”
“So?” Rainbow asked, not getting it.
“So how are we not…” Sunset began before she looked up and her eyes widened.
Above and the others, were the Princess of the Sun and the Moon themselves, their horns glowing brightly before finally fading as they floated to the ground and turned around to face everypony.
“Is everypony alright?” Princess Celestia asked, concerned.
“Princess Celestia! And Princess Luna” Sunset gasped, relieved as she and the others stood up. “It was you two! You saved us! With a shield!”
“Yes. However…” Princess Celestia said, grimly as she glanced toward the city. Sunset looked to where she was looking and gasped in shock.
In front of her she saw that most of Canterlot was destroyed, while all the inhabitants were unharmed thanks to the Princess’ shield, they’re homes were nearly rubble and had large towers of smoke rising out from them. Most of the ponies were sad, miserable and crying over what had just occurred to their beloved home.
“Our spell was only able to protect every living being in Canterlot, everything that was not… was destroyed.” Celestia said, regretfully.
The others then saw the destruction around them and their reactions were more or less exactly the same as Sunset’s Shimmer’s. Pinkie’s hair even fell flat.
“Oh no…” Fluttershy breathed.
“Good golly…” Applejack added, stunned.
“Canterlot… it’s been completely destroyed!” Rarity said, close to crying.
“How could this have happened!?” Rainbow exclaimed. “Why did that creep do this?”
Luna turned to Sunset Shimmer and narrowed her eyes.
“She hates you. So much that she’ll destroy everything to end you but her psychosis requires that you know she’s responsible.” Luna deduced.
“Princess, could somepony that deranged actually exist?” Rarity gasped.
The Princess of the Night turned to a destroyed picture of Nightmare Moon and looked at it regretfully. “Dear Rarity, you would be amazed by the monsters this world can create.”
“Princess… I’m so sorry… this is all my fault…” Sunset Shimmer said, depressed. “I should have never come back here…”
“No, you mustn’t blame yourself, there is no way you could have foreseen this coming.” Princess Celestia assured her. “There is no way any of us could have seen this.”
“Yeah… maybe…” Sunset said, unconvinced.
“How’d you get here so fast anyway?” Rainbow asked.
“We were the ones watching over the party, remember?” Luna reminded her.
“Oh yeah…” The Pegasus remembered.
“Yes. And we saw what was happening we tried to get out and help you, but whoever did this casted a spell that trapped us inside the castle.” Celestia explained.
“When we finally managed to escape the villain had already dropped her dark magical bomb upon us.” Princess Luna added. “We barely had enough time to cast a spell to protect all of the citizens.”
“Or save Twilight…” Celestia added, sadly.
“You know that she’s been taken?” Applejack asked her.
Princess Luna nodded. “Yes, we saw her disappear along with the masked stranger before Canterlot was destroyed.”
“Whoever this individual is, she possess unimaginable power, not to mention the greatest… the purest hatred I’ve ever seen.” Princess Celestia breathed. “Even I do not know who she is or why she is after you Sunset Shimmer…”
“Great! Now not only is Twilight gone but Canterlot is in ruins and we still don’t even know who this lady is!” Rainbow cried, frustrated. She turned to Sunset Shimmer. “This is all your fault!”
Sunset looked hurt by this.
“Rainbow! It wasn’t her fault!” Applejack scolded. “We all tried to save Twilight and we all failed. She tried her best, that’s all.”
“Thanks, Applejack.” Sunset Shimmer said. “But I could have done more…”
“We all could have…” Fluttershy added, lowering her head and looking depressed. The others did so as well. The Princess’ then approached them.
“My little ponies, this is no time for depression.” Celestia told them. “We still have a crisis on our hands.”
“Indeed, this Masked Woman has taken Twilight and if we do not make haste she could possibly absorb all her magic and gain even more power and that we cannot allow.” Princess Luna added, firmly.
The fiery haired unicorn nodded as she turned to the others. “She’s right, we can’t save Twilight if we keep obsessing over what could have been and what has happened,” she said. The others nodded.
“So… what should we do then? Should we give her the Elements?” Fluttershy wondered.
“No. We can’t give her what she wants, Twilight wouldn’t want that.” Sunset stated.
“And besides, I’m not sure if we really can.” Rarity added.
“Yeah, they’re locked in the Tree of Harmony, remember?” Rainbow Dash reminded them.
“Oh yeah…” Fluttershy remembered.
“But how does this lady know about the Elements?” Applejack questioned.
“I’m not sure, but she obviously does not know what has become of them in recent days.” Celestia deduced.
“So whoever that masked woman was, she was definitely from the other world.” Sunset said.
“But how is somepony from that world, here? I thought only people with magic in them could get through.” Applejack pointed out, confused.
“I don’t know, but whoever that is, she’s my responsibility.” Sunset Shimmer stated. “And to save Twilight, I need to stop her .”
She turned to the five mares and the dragon behind her.
“I could use a helping hoof.”
“Wait… you’re asking for our help?” Rainbow questioned. “You wanna take the lead?”
“If it means saving Twilight, yes. But I can’t do this without you, nor can I force you all to risk your lives for me, the choice is yours.” Sunset Shimmer stated.
“Well, if the mission is to save Twilight… then I’m with you!” Applejack declared, firmly. Sunset Shimmer smiled in response.
“I’m in too!” Fluttershy said.
“Me three!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “It wouldn’t be a party without yours truly, you know!”
The white unicorn in the back stepped forward as well, looking just as determined as the others.
“We’re all going.” Rarity stated.
“Thank you.” Sunset smiled. She and the others all glanced at Rainbow and stared at her until she finally gave in.
“Ugh! Stupid peer pressure… fine! But do we even know where to start looking?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “I mean… she and Twilight vanished into thin air, remember?”
“We do have a general idea of her location.” Luna voiced.
“It’s in an area just between Appleloosa and the Badlands, deep in the Macintosh Hills, it’s called ‘The Dark Tower’.” The Princess of the Sun said, grimly.
Pinkie gasped. “Not the Dark Tower!!!” she exclaimed, dramatically. She then whispered to the others. “I don’t actually know what that is.”
“Of course you don’t…” Rainbow said, slowly.
“Princess, what is the Dark Tower?” Rarity questioned, curiously.
“The Dark Tower is a forbidden place, filled with dark magic and evil spirits, very few ponies venture there.” Princess Luna said, gravely.
“Dark magic…?” Sunset echoed.
“Spirits…?” Fluttershy whimpered.
“You mean like ghosts or something?” Rainbow Dash asked, slowly.
“In a way.” Luna said. Pinkie and Fluttershy yelped and hide behind the others, shaking.
“I don’t care what’s lurking there, we’re going to do whatever it take to save Twilight.” Sunset Shimmer stated, firmly.
“My thoughts exactly!” Applejack nodded.
“Yeah! Let’s break some rules!” Rainbow cheered.
“Rainbow Dash…” Rarity said, sternly.
“What? She said ‘do whatever it takes’!” The Pegasus defended.
“Anything but that.” Applejack stated, flatly.
“Ugh… fine…” Rainbow Dash grumbled.
“Then it’s settled, we’ll go to the Dark Tower, but we go together.” Sunset declared. They all nod in agreement. “Now, Princess, where exactly is the Dark Tower?”
“Allow us to give you a Map.” Princess Celestia said as she conjured up a scroll with her horn and levitated it over to Sunset Shimmer, who unrolled it and looked it over. The spot where the Dark Tower was flashed over and over again.
“Thank you, Princess.” Sunset Shimmer said, gratefully. “I won’t let you down again.”
“I know you won’t.” Celestia smiled as she and Sunset hugged each other. Sunset then turned to the others.
“Alright girls, it’s time to go.” Sunset Shimmer declared.
“Right! Oh, by the way… Twilight said something about her before she was taken. She seemed to know who she was…” Applejack realized. She turned to the others. “I don’t suppose any of ya’ll know what she was gonna say do ya?”
They all shook their heads while Applejack glanced ahead, seriously. Sunset then changed the subject.
“Come on, we gotta hurry.” Sunset Shimmer told them. “Twilight might not have much time.”
“Right, come on girls. We got a Princess to save.” Applejack said as she began to head off, along with Sunset Shimmer.
“Wha-hoo! Road trip!” Pinkie cheered as she zipped on ahead.
“Hey, I’m coming too!” Rainbow exclaimed as she zoomed after them.
“Not so fast!” Rarity called out as she began to trot off. “Do you know what sweat could do to my coat?”
“Ah! Wait for me everypony!” Fluttershy cried as she struggled to keep up with the others while the Princess’ stayed behind and watched them all go off.
“You really believe Sunset Shimmer is up to the task of being a leader?” Luna questioned.
“I have faith in her.” Celestia said, firmly.
“Well, in any case we should try to make contact with Princess Cadance and inform her of the situation.” Princess Luna suggested. “We may need all the help we can get for this particular crisis.”
“I fear you may be right about that…” Princess Celestia confessed. “Let’s hope they’re all ready for the challenge that lies ahead for us all.”
“Indeed.” Luna agreed.
The two Princess continued to watch as the six heroes began to make their way toward the direction of the Dark Tower, where the Masked Woman waited with Twilight still held captive there. Can they find a way to work together with a new leader or are they walking into a trap?