A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, or so the old saying went. Twilight walked long into the night, trying to put as much distance between herself and Ponyville as possible. Once she got to Huffington, she would find the Crusader base there and gather some supplies. For the moment, however, she had to fend for herself without any shelter or food. Thankfully, if she ever got desperate, there were plenty of edible leaves and berries around to slake her hunger.
At about two or three in the morning (it was hard to read the moon's position through the trees) the lavender mare found a patch of bushes a fair way from the road to settle down in. It felt weird to be sleeping outdoors, without a tent or a sleeping bag, but this was how her ancestors had done things, so she could cope. ...then again, thinking on it, she did not technically have ancestors, and if she did, they mostly slept in castles.
That last thought did little to aid her attempts at sleep that night, since she could imagine a now free Eos lording it up in the castle, in Celestia's chambers. The thought enraged her more than she could ever say: however, her weariness caught up with her and allowed the gentle wisps of sleep to take hold. No dreams drifted across her unconscious mind, so her awakening happened in an instant, to woods suddenly saturated by light and sound.
Twilight yawned and stretched her legs before standing in the midst of the bushes. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she trotted over to the road and started walking along it. It was probably a bad idea to do so, but all she had was a rough direction of where she needed to go. Only then did it strike her how woefully unprepared she was to face the world, but she could not turn back.
In fact, the idea of being a wanted criminal (although she committed no crime that she was aware of) still had yet to fully register in her mind. It seemed so surreal: just like everything else going on around her. Her mind strained to process new information as it came to her, since everything was happening so fast. One minute, she was quietly translating a book, and the next she was thrust into this strange and perverse version of Equestria.
"I hate my life sometimes," Twilight sighed as she continued down the road. Judging from the occasional gaps in the canopy, it was nearly ten o'clock in the morning. Birds chirped happily in the trees, oblivious to any turmoil going on beneath them. In a way, she envied the birds: the ability to fly off in whatever direction they wanted without consequence. She wished she remembered how she had grown those magical Pegasus wings so she too could fly away.
"I'd hate to sound like I'm whining," she spoke to nopony, "But why am I always the one to get this sort of thing happen to her? Why am I the only one who can face the queen? Why does everything seem to revolve around me!? I'm no hero. I'm... I'm just a librarian: a well read pony who'd rather have her nose in a good book. This is getting really old, really fast."
No ears heard her complaining; only the ambient sounds of the forest echoing in indifferent reply. Thankfully, even the little voice in the back of her mind kept her nose out of things. The lavender mare did not think she could take much more of her taunting, unless she wanted to give herself a concussion by rapidly bashing her head against a tree. Being concussed would hardly help the quest she found herself thrust into, though, so that was probably why the voice was keeping quiet.
"I must be going crazy, if I'm talking to myself," she muttered as she passed into a larger clearing of trees. Strangely absent, however, was the sound of birds and other forest creatures in the trees. Indeed, even the path looked disused as weeds and daisies cropped up right in the middle. She could see no reason to explain this around her as she pressed on... until a flood of colour filled her vision.
Trees all around became coated in rainbow, as if someone spilled the sky on the tall, proud plants. Yet, the further she trekked, the less proud and regal they became. In short order, the trees became nothing but rainbow-dyed stakes in the ground. One side would be stained, while the other charred beyond recognition. In fact, shadows of the trees even appeared on the ground, just as charcoaled as the stumps.
Eventually, even the path became obscured, the ground painted by the rainbow radiation. However, it was not until she reached ground zero that her breath was stolen from her. A massive plain of tie-dye paint had splattered upon the ground and turned the brown dirt into a sickening mishmash of every colour know to ponykind and quite possibly a few yet to be discovered. The clearing spanned at least one thousand yards in radius with a small crater right at the epicentre. Twilight mused that the clearing could easily hold the entire town of Ponyville quite comfortably within the confines with room for future expansions!
Even a couple of mountains in the distance had rainbow painted on them! The sheer awe of the sight overrode any grief she might have felt as she looked upon the grave of a dear friend. Even the unicorn had to admit: Rainbow Dash chose an EPIC way to die. Then again, she would probably say that it was nice to be immortalized in rainbow radiation, but it would have to be about twenty percent cooler to meet her satisfaction; particularly if the crater was no bigger then the hoofprint of a small building.
The lavender mare felt a smirk upon her muzzle at the thought, but not quite full-on laughter. Her heart still ached. Scanning the horizon to the west, she could see a couple of buildings jut out from the tree line on the opposite side of the crater. It could only be Huffington in the distance, maybe ten or eleven miles away from where she stood. It would take a few hours of walking to get there though.
Since she knew what direction she needed to head in, the mare could easily find her way to the town with her good sense of direction. Of course, she did not exactly like the idea of going across the irradiated field, just in case her steps stirred up any dormant contaminants in the soil. So, she did the sensible thing (for a normal traveller, at least) and picked up the road once on the opposite side of the clearing. She gave the site one last glance and thought of her friend before pressing on.
~*///*///*///*~
Tailing her was not very hard. Not when she seemed to insist on sticking to the roads. Either the mare was incredibly stupid or overly confident in her powers to really care about the consequences. She had to admit that the possibility of the former was overwhelming. Still, she could not let her out of sight, or else it might take hours, or even days to find her again.
Of course, it was not that easy to track a pony when the sharpness of one's vision had been stolen. Over time, her other senses had heightened, which made her a very good pony to track down others. She missed her old job, but there was nothing she could do about it. She needed the money desperately, and with the amount this bounty called for, she could finally retire and live out the rest of her days comfortably.
It was no secret who the pony she tracked was, or who she associated with. A long time ago, she once saw her (and the other insidious rebels) upon the stage at a disastrous fashion show in Ponyville. One of those ponies was responsible for the event that made her this way, and she would get even in one way or another, the creators help her! Happily, she was not completely blind, but everything was a blur of hues to her which made reading hard, but not impossible: sadly, quick reading was kind of important in her previous line of work.
Mind in the present, the tracking pony kept her body low and off to the side of the road, doing her best to keep from hitting any stray bushes she passed. Given her disability, doing so was easier said than done, as she would occasionally hit one in a passing blow and silently curse. However, the lavender pony she tracked seemed to chalk it up to a woodland critter and keep moving. How naive.
Every once in a while, her quarry would stop and nibble on some branches or leaves, or leave the road to find a stream to drink. So many opportunities to pounce were presented to her, yet she stayed on the side of caution while she tried to figure out if the pony was inept, or simply baiting her. Thankfully, this gave her the chance to make sure it was the wanted criminal, since she could often mistake ponies due to her blurred vision.
At first, she was a little sceptical about her identity since it was just TOO easy. What kind of criminal keeps to the main roads when they know they are wanted, and for such an extraordinary amount? However, she could make out a horn, and a mark very similar to the one listed on the poster. Years of experience taught her how to put images together and cut through the fog, but it was still difficult.
It was not until the pony spoke, however, that she became completely sure that she was tracking the dangerous magician. Yes, it was strange to see a pony talking to themselves and complaining aloud about how the universe likes to pick on them, yet she could not deny the whispers of her memories. A smile crept upon the hunter's face: with them nearing Huffington, the time to strike would be soon, so she could deliver her and claim her reward without much fuss.
Seeing her slow down to eat again, the bounty hunter decided to make her move. Unlike others, she at least was sporting and liked to give her targets a chance to fight back or run: she loved the chase more than the take-down. "Twilight Sparkle," she spoke as she emerged from the bushes, her purple-tinted sunglasses and trademark smirk reflecting the rays of the slowly descending sun.
"Do I know you?" the purple pony asked, wheeling around to face the new (to her) pony in the clearing. "Although... you look awfully familiar, but I can't place my hoof on where."
"I'm not surprised," the white unicorn replied. "It was over ten years ago, and I wasn't exactly at the centre of the party that night. Perhaps this beat will remind you?" With a glow of her horn, the trees around seemed to pulsate as the music sounds, jazzy at first, but building up to a fusion of techno, rock and organ music, strangely enough. The purple mare concentrated, wracking her memory for the source of the track.
As she did, the pony with the two-tone mane of navy and electric blue bobbed her head to the beat, her smirk still quite present. "Oh, I remember now!" Twilight chirped with a smile on her face. "You're that pony Rarity hired to play the music for the... er... fashion show." She scuffed her hoof against the ground, still embarrassed at the memory. "What did she call you again? DJ...DJ Poon-three?"
"It was DJ P0N-3, Miss Sparkle. All the letters were capitals with a 'zero' instead of an 'o'. You can call me Vinyl Scratch though, since... well, let's just say music isn't exactly my tune these days. Nothing personal, but I need you to come with me."
Twilight blinked in curiosity. "Why do you want me to go with you?" she asked.
"That's not important. Either play the song on your own, or I'll have to do it for ya, filly."
"Where are you going to take me?"
"I'm not playin' Twenty Questions with you, so either play that music peacefully, or I'll drag your sorry hide like a downbeat!" The outburst seemed to startle the lavender mare, the DJ's grin becoming a dangerous scowl in frustration. She backed up a little from the white pony, obviously spooked and not willing to come along with her. "Fine, guess it'll have to be by force then. That's the tune you want to play? I've always been a softie for takin' requests, filly."
With a flick of her horn, the music stopped, and the saddle bags at her sides opened with a soft azure glow. Twilight gasped as she pulled out a small crossbow with thin, green-tipped bolts. "Relax, they aren't for killin' ponies... they're for catchin' them," Vinyl smirked as she loaded one into the weapon.
Fight or flight instinct roared to life inside the lavender mare. If it came down to a magic fight, she could probably win... but she might hurt the pony. She never wanted to hurt another pony again. In a flash, the librarian gave in to instinct, fleeing into the woods with all the speed her pony legs could take her. She could not hear the hunter chuckle before she sprinted right after her prey. The two ponies raced through the woods, Twilight still trying to reach Hoofington while trying to shake her pursuer. Vinyl quietly pondered her motives as they galloped: what could she possibly hope to do there? Pick up more ponies who'd want to sell her to the crown? Sure, it would mean competition, but she had been in the game for years!
Catching the blurred shape of lavender ahead, the musician almost let loose a bolt from her weapon, before the unicorn vanished from existence. Vinyl skidded to a halt, surprised that she could teleport away like that. Just as she was about to silently curse herself, there was a rustle in the bushes. "Clever girl," she smirked, knowing in an instant she simply made herself invisible.
She quietly snuck up on the bush the rustle came from, and pounced! There was screaming, howling, growls and grunts of effort as the two wrestled in the bushes, the other pony desperate to get away. However as the din died down, the former DJ got a good look at the shape she beat the horseapples out of. It was brown and canine in appearance, but she could not make it out for sure. "Perhaps a little cleverer then I gave her credit for," the white pony smirked, loving a good challenge. "Sorry, wolfy."
~*///*///*///*~
Twilight panted hard, having only just managed to get away from the hunter on her tail. Thankfully, she mistook the napping wolf she vaulted over for herself, so that would buy her some time. The lavender pony quickly (yet quietly) made her way for the deeper woods. She had never taken the threat of being on a wanted poster seriously until that point. Unfortunately, she did not know any spells to disguise her beyond invisibility. Hopefully the Crusader base in Huffington would provide some.
Although invisible, the mare decided to be cautious from then on, taking the woods parallel to the road, maintaining a fair distance away from any prying eyes. Still, new questions now bubbled in her mind's cauldron. How could a DJ as famous as her lose her job? Twilight hoped the fellow unicorn would take the hint and back off, but she seemed pretty eager to capture her.
She quietly sighed, straining her ears to listen, just in case the other unicorn was hot on her trail. That had been a close call: far too close for her liking. Twilight bit her lips as hundreds of terrible situations involving ponies out for her reward crossed her mind, until something snapped into place. Why did the queen want her for so much money, never mind the fact she was wanted alive specifically?
Would killing Eos mean killing herself? If she died, would she go with her? Question after question bobbed to the surface of her brain, distracting the invisible mare as she wandered out of the bush and into the dirty outer streets of Huffington. Her mind did not register her change of scenery until she ran into the side of a building.
"Oof!" she muttered in pain, rubbing her muzzle where it suddenly impacted the stone. Standing nearby was a stallion, who looked over his shoulder to find the source of the sudden noise. Thankfully, he made no move towards her, or he would have walked right into her. That would only bring confusion and uncomfortable questions: a scene best avoided by a pony wanting to remain hidden.
After a couple of minutes of dead silence, she slowly started her way onto the busier streets, where her hoofsteps would be drowned out by the ambient noise. She needed to look for the Crusader's symbol: a filly earth pony rearing in the centre of a circle. She had noticed the symbol on the outside of the bakery, but it was in a discrete place; somewhere you would not look unless you knew something was there.
So, Twilight did just that, examining every single building she could find: looking around every entrance for the elusive symbol. Although she was busy searching, she could not help but marvel at the architecture the city provided. It was similar to that of Ponyville, due to regional influence, but different. Instead of the pastel colours, the walls of Huffington were a little more subdued: blank whites and greys opposed to cheerful lilac, dusty rose and cyan.
As well, they seemed to prefer brick and stone to plaster as an exterior appearance, which made spotting the symbols a little harder since it would not contrast as well. Of course, as she concentrated, she ran the risk of being hit by a walking pony: Twilight had been nudged a couple of times, in fact. At most, a pony would look around before deciding they tripped on a loose cobblestone and resumed their normal activates.
Eventually, the sun began to grow orange as it reached the western horizon. On the one hoof, sneaking around in the dark would be easier. On the other hoof, this town probably had patrols too, and she did not have a guide who knew them like Dinky did. She bit her lower lip in trepidation, knowing she could not even count on time to be her ally. I need to find the base, and find it fast!
However, she did not count on her stomach beginning to growl as she walked down a quiet backstreet. She had not had a decent meal since yesterday, and even then it was a light snack of tea and cookies. The librarian never counted on being, more or less, kicked out of town due to her own inexperience in the twisted and dark world. Another quiver of hunger betrayed her position, thankful that nopony else was around.
Suddenly, two sets of hooves on the cobblestones met her ears, the last rays of the sun slowly dying behind her, painting the sky above in soft hues of orange and lavender as darkness set in. Twilight stopped dead in her tracks as two ponies in blue vests walked out from the intersection ahead. One of them was a Pegasus with a green coat and blue mane, while the other was an earth pony mare with a grey coat and silver mane. They were guards in the employ for the town's governor: she could tell by the crest they bore on the lapel.
At that moment, her stomach chose the inopportune time to gurgle again, reminding her of how empty she felt. The guards paused, looking down the street: directly at her. "You hear something?" asked the Pegasus stallion. "Sounds like it came from down there."
"I'll tell you what I hear," replied the mare with a roll of her eyes. "I hear a pony goin' crazy from hunger. Come on, our shift's up: it's not our responsibility." She sighed as the stallion disobeyed her, walking right up to Twilight with an expectant look in his eyes.
The wanted mare became rigid as stone, pleading to her stomach not to go off again, or else betray them both to the guards and be shipped off to who-knows-where! Her heart picked up speed the closer he got, his muzzle hanging low as his ears stood erect, trying to detect the slightest noise possible. Thankfully, after coming to her rough area, he decided to nose around the boxes and crates, trying to see if a pony hid in one of them.
"Damn it, Jack!" the mare pounded her front hooves into the dirt. "I've got a foal to get home to! I don't want to see my house destroyed by the tyke JUST because you decided to sniff around some musty old boxes!" Thankfully, her shouting drowned out another grumble from her stomach, causing her to silently thank the impatient mare.
"Okay, okay," the stallion sighed after a less thorough search of the area than he wanted. "Don't get your mane in a knot, Smokey." With that, he trotted back to his partner and continued along their way. Only when they were out of sight did Twilight breathe a sigh of relief, uttering a silent prayer to the creators.
However, the altercation only wasted more valuable time. The mare took off, throwing caution to the wind as she lightly trotted down the back streets, looking in desperation for the mark of the Crusaders. However, just as the last rays of the day ended, Twilight found herself at the very tip of a dead-end street. Abandoned buildings sat on both sides, which could serve as a good shelter from the patrols.
Walking up to the house on her right, she found the door sealed. Trying to use her magic to unlock the door proved fruitless, however, as a spell seemed to be jamming her magic. Curious, she looked around the door, just in case. She smiled invisibly as she turned her head to look at the mailbox. There, burned on the side was a rearing earth pony filly inside a circle: the mark of the Crusaders.
Gently placing a hoof against it, a spell clicked into place on the symbol, herself and the door. A clunk to her side told her that the door had unlocked itself, causing her to jump for joy. Using her magic, she cast the door open and walked into the dark hall. As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, candles sprang to life, illuminating the hall to her amethyst eyes.
Unlike the outside, the inside looked immaculate: solid wood walls and a royal red area carpet spread across the floor before a flight of stairs leading up. The tiles of the floor were white ceramic, cool to the touch of her hoof even in the warm weather. A large silver chandelier hung overhead, bathing the two-story room in a soft yellow glow. Overall, the lavender pony felt more like she was walking into an upper-class home than a rebel base.
"Hello?" called out the voice of a pony upstairs. "If you've come back to grovel, Hammer Strike, then I'm afraid nothing you say can convince me to... Hello?" Looking down on the foyer was a light blue Pegasus mare with a mane as dark as night itself. Her eyes were a shade of turquoise that reminded the lavender unicorn of Princess Luna. "As commander of the Huffington base, I DEMAND to know who is there! SHOW YOURSELF!" She flapped into the air authoritatively.
With a flash of her horn, the lavender unicorn appeared in the midst of the hallway, causing the pony to drop her jaw. "I'm sorry about that," Twilight apologized, "But I needed to remain hidden. Can I ask your name, commander?"
"C-commander Cloudjumper at your service, G-general Sparkle!" she saluted with a hoof to her face. The Pegasus fluttered down to the ground, her eyes wide in shock. "To what do we owe this incredible pleasure and honour?"
"I need supplies and a place to stay for the night. And please, just call me Twilight," she smiled, walking over to shake the shocked mare's hoof. "I'm impressed by the base here. I was expecting a hole under a building like in Ponyville. Dilapidation illusion to keep curious ponies away, right?"
"Y-yeah, Gen... I mean, Twilight: although, it has a habit of attracting homeless ponies. What sort of supplies do you require?"
"Oh, dried food, a tent, heating plates: I'll make out a proper list in the morning. Can I bother you for a place to eat and rest for the night first? I haven't had a proper meal since yesterday afternoon."
"Well, of course, you just follow me right to the kitchen," she smiled before leading her down to the end of the hall and into the kitchen. "If you need anything, just let me know. Sadly, the group is pretty small here in Huffington, so most of us stay at home unless there is a meeting." With that, the Pegasus left the unicorn to her devices after receiving her thanks, her mind still reeling from what she had just seen and heard.
Twilight Sparkle, THE Twilight Sparkle was in her base, of all places! This had to be a gift from the creators: they had heard her prayers and delivered the one mare that could help her most. Things were finally beginning to look up for the Pegasus as she happily trotted up to her room. It could wait for later, without a doubt, so in the meantime she would stay in her room and quietly celebrate. First, however, she had to pull out her address book and make a few calls.
~*///*///*///*~
For the first time in days, the unicorn known as Twilight Sparkle had a dream as she slept. Everything was dark, voices of her friends buzzing around her skull. She felt as if she were falling through an eternal void of blackness with only angered and arguing companions for company. She tried to call out to them: to ease their worries and soothe their anger, yet she could not find her voice.
The lavender mare woke up with a groan, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. Beyond the window in front of her, the sun began to gently rise up into the morning sky. With a sated hunger and plenty of bed rest, the mare felt more energized than she did the day before. With a yawn and a stretch of her limbs, she climbed wearily out of bed and into the hall, a question poised on the edge of her waking mind.
Now that she was in Huffington, where could she go? She had no clue where her beloved Spike could be, or even what direction he went. All she could do was hope Cloudjumper, or another one of the Huffington Crusaders had seen him. However, as she walked down the stairs, the tantalizing aroma of fresh pancakes almost pushed it out of her mind. "Good morning," she chirped to the Pegasus.
"Ah, good morning, General," she replied, prompting the lavender mare to roll her eyes as she sat at the table.
"Listen... I have a curious question..." Twilight trailed. "Have you ever seen a baby dragon in these parts?"
"Once, about nine years ago, curious enough. I mean, the chances of seeing a baby dragon around here are slim and none. Why do you ask?" She busied herself with the pancake batter, wanting everything to be just perfect for her special guest.
"Do you know what direction he headed from here? Did he say anything about where he was going? It's imperative to the future of Equestria that I find him!"
"In that case, I think he said something about the Outlands: dragon territory would be my guess since the border is about... fifty or sixty miles from here? Of course, travel time is a lot longer, since the Everfree is right in the path," she replied, flipping the pancakes with great skill. Twilight never knew how earth or Pegasus ponies could flip pancakes like that without magic. She would have to remind herself to ask Applejack to teach her when it was all over.
However, she could not help but note a change in the atmosphere around her as she set the pancake down on the table in front of her. It was tense, almost as if she was expecting something or wanted to say something of importance. Twilight shook her head at the suspicion, causing the Pegasus to quirk an eye at her. "Sorry, I just had something in my ear," she lied.
Levitating the fork and knife, the librarian dug into her pancakes, the Pegasus taking a couple off of the stack as well and began to eat. No words passed between them: the breakfast far too good to ignore and start conversation. However, when she finished, she decided to speak her mind. "I made that list of items that I will need: if you can please gather them together for me, I will be on my way a little after breakfast."
"No!" half shouted the Pegasus. "I mean... not until you've had another pancake." With a smile, the Pegasus plopped a couple more onto her plate, passing the syrup and butter with a smile. "I'm sorry. I just... spend a lot of time alone here. As commander, I have to be on-base all the time unless there is a mission. You're the first pony to stay overnight with me in seven months. Naturally, I'm pretty lonely almost all the time. I'll... I'll get the supplies while you eat."
Without another word, the Pegasus got up from the table and into the hall, leaving the lavender pony to her own devices. There was... an urging in her mind, as if something were not right about the situation. I don't like this at all, spoke the voice in the back of her mind. Did she not seem a little... terrified at the idea of us leaving so soon? I would not place too much trust in her.
"Keep your forked tongue in your mouth," Twilight growled at the voice. "Shouldn't you be in Canterlot, taking care of more important business like executing more of my friends?" With a tiny 'harrumph' the voice retreated back into her mind, obviously miffed at being found out. Still, it was a suspicion that the unicorn found she could not easily disregard.
Cloudjumper looked out the front windows, tail swishing from side to side impatiently. Luckily, the unicorn seemed hungry enough to eat those extra pancakes, but she would be pushing it to offer her more. True to her word, she had the list in hoof and gathered many of the items that Twilight requested, but she did not stray too far from the front door of the base, stealing glances out the windows when she could.
Suddenly, her heart jumped in her chest as six ponies walked down the street. The Pegasus rushed to the door, eager to meet her guests. She opened the door quietly, looking over the ponies at her doorstep. "Did you have any trouble?" she asked the discernible leader of the group.
"None at all," the stallion at the head answered in a deadpan tone before he and the rest of the group stepped into the threshold. "Where is she?"
"She's down the hall, in the kitchen," the Pegasus replied, standing off to the side as the contingent marched down and into the kitchen. Twilight sat at her chair, hearing the door open, followed by many hoofsteps. She assumed the rest of the Huffington Crusaders came to greet her.
"Twilight Sparkle," spoke the head of the group, causing her to turn her head. "By order of Her Grand Royal Highness, Queen Eos of Equestria, Ruler of Sun and Moon, I hereby place you under arrest. You may come quietly, but if you resist, you will be punished." Standing there were six members of the town guard, each sporting their blue vests and a smug smile upon their faces. All of them were unicorns, each with a dark blue ring at the ready. It could only be Mythril.
"I'm sorry," spoke Cloudjumper as she entered the room. "But I'm SICK of the stupid Crusaders. If it makes you feel better, the rest of the Huffington Crusaders are already in custody. Just come quietly, please." The lavender mare herself felt sick. Not only because she had been betrayed, but because, for once, she could not deny the voice in the back of her head was right: that she could not trust the Pegasus.
"NOW!" cried the commander of the squad. They all sprang forward, trying to take the unicorn by surprise, but they underestimated her. All she could think of was escape, and given the reaction time, she could only think of one place to go that was in range. Twilight appeared at the doorstep to the former base, nearly falling down the stoop. "OUTSIDE! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" cried the stallion once more.
For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, her fight-or-flight instinct kicked into overdrive. As much as she wanted to be hurt over the recent betrayal, the guards would be upon her in seconds. So, she did the sensible thing and ran, but in the direction she wanted to go in anyway. However, she was no athlete and the guards quickly began to catch up with her. Before too long, they were just a pony length behind her.
She hated doing so, especially at full gallop, but she had no choice. Looking ahead of her, she concentrated with all her magic and suddenly teleported to gain three hundred yards on the guards. "STOP HER!" the commander cried out. Running through the streets of town proved a difficult task, even at such an early hour. Already, the streets of Huffington were packed with ponies and more guards. It did not help that the ponies chasing her would yell her name and order her to halt.
More than a couple of times, she nearly ran into a guard in her flight, having snaked ahead in an attempt to cut her off. She would usually teleport ahead of them, but the strain was beginning to show on her mind. Everything was becoming blurry, her ears ringing a little more with each casting. Sure, she teleported a lot before, but that was before she knew how draining the spell could be.
"SHE'S HEADING FOR THE FOREST! STOP HER!" one of the guards noticed, much to her chagrin. However, by the time they noticed, it was already in sight. Charging up her horn, she cast the teleport spell just one more time, appearing within the confines of the wicked wood. "KEEP GOING! IF YOU LET HER GET AWAY, THE QUEEN WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WENT IN!"
The threat seemed to work, as Twilight could hear the hoofsteps of her pursuers. Sadly, the tightness of the trees did nothing to aid her escape, nor anything to slow down the guards. There had to be about a dozen of them on her tail by then. If they managed to surround her, she would have to stand and fight, potentially hurting innocent ponies in the process.
However, short, loud yelps filled her ears, the pursuing ponies either stumbling... or coming across some sort of creature. After about a dozen yelps, there was only silence in the woods aside from her panted breaths. Slowing down to a light trot, the lavender pony tried to catch her breath while keeping herself as alert in possible, just in case there were reinforcements.
"I really need a disguise," she sighed. Before she could elaborate on that thought, however, something suddenly wrapped around her back leg, hoisting her painfully into the air. She yelped in surprise, suddenly hanging upside-down from a thick tree branch by a strong vine. "Stupid... tree!" she cried out, flailing helplessly in the air as she tried to reach the rope.
However, a rustling in the bushes pushed away the idea of using magic to snap the vine, as a furry white rabbit with an annoyed glare hopped into the clearing, holding a tube of bamboo. "Angel?" Twilight asked before the fuzzy creature put the stem to his lips, shooting a dart that stuck into her neck. "Ow! What the hay was that for!?" As she tried to get at the rabbit to make him explain, the librarian felt her limbs go slack.
A fog filled her mind, rendering her mute, pupils dilated as she hung helplessly from the branch. Angel climbed the tree and started gnawing on the vine keeping her up. Twilight fell to the ground, not even a yelp able to pass her lips: all of her non-vital organs completely paralyzed. The little rabbit came up to her and waved his paw in front of her eyes. Satisfied that she could not track it, he closed her eyelids, bringing her world into darkness. She could hear only the rustle of undergrowth as she was dragged away.
~*///*///*///*~
After a short while of being dragged across the forest by the insidious rabbit, the mare found herself hefted onto something a little harder, but a lot smoother. Despite being completely paralyzed, she could still feel: a gurgling moan of pain escaped her lips from the scrapes on her side. Something seemed to notice and flipped her onto her opposite side, applying something that stung against her tender skin. After a few seconds it began to, thankfully, ease the pain.
Time passed in a haze as she was carried on the (what she assumed was a) cart, bumps in the forest floor flaring up the dull throb she felt above her ribs. It had to be from the countless rocks and sticks she was dragged over earlier. A strange echo filled her ears a while later, familiar, but too garbled to figure out. A moan of pain washed over her as she was placed roughly onto another smooth, solid surface before something warm slipped over her.
Another prick in her leg yielded a yelp from the unicorn as a tingle spread over her body. In a matter of minutes, she could open her eyes and move, not expecting the sight before her. She lay in a wooden room, vines and other plants seeping into the cracks. Various bottles of herbs and potions hung from the ceiling and sat on the shelves. She had to suppress the disturbing possibility that it was actually Zecora's house.
"Oh, good: you're moving," spoke a gentle voice from beyond a door of long grass. Stepping outside, the yellow Pegasus made her presence known, looking exactly as the unicorn remembered her. "I'm sorry about Angel-bunny paralyzing you, Twilight. He thought you wouldn't follow him on your own to my place, so he made you come along by force."
Twilight wiggled under the thatch blanket, getting herself a little more comfortable on the make-shift bed. Beyond, she could see nothing but blackness: quite some time having passed since she galloped into the forest. "Oh, it's fine. I'm just glad you're not going to try and take me to the queen," she replied groggily. "It's nice to see you, Fluttershy."
"It's nice to see you too, Twilight," she smiled pulling up a chair to face the resting unicorn. "I was concerned to see you with the Crusaders, I will admit. Are you... with them? I mean, are you officially in their group? Not that it matters if you are... because you'll always be my friend."
"What do you mean by that? They took me into their base and gave me food, shelter and some answers to what was going on. I mean, you left me and scared me when I saw your house and Rarity's shop abandoned. Not to mention what happened to AJ's farm." Again, she shuffled to get a little more comfortable.
"Oh, no, um..." she trailed. "I mean, did they tell you what they planned to do? I'm... I'm sure they told you what I and the others want to do to save Equestria."
"No," she replied simply. "They didn't tell me anything about their plans at all, now that I think about it."
"Yeah... I kind of figured they wouldn't," she sighed. "You see, they want to keep Parliament as it is, right? But... well... it's barbaric, Twilight! They want... they want a unicorn to steal Eos' divinity... and then... and then merge her soul with the universe... so no pony can raise the sun ever again!" Tears began to stream from her eyes. "They want to sacrifice a pony just to remove temptation!"
"But...how? I mean... they don't seem like they would do such a thing!"
"Trust me, Twilight," Fluttershy started. "A lot of ponies have died for this cause, not aware of it, of course. In fact, the girls... those sweet fillies... never told the rest of us about it. We had to find out for ourselves! That's what divided us, giving rise to the arguing! The only reason you were given the position of general is because... well, they want you to kill the queen. They don't even care if you die trying! They don't care how many die just to accomplish their goals!
"I'm going to be honest with you, Twilight," she spoke, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "We're all doing what we think is best for everypony; what will cost the least amount of lives in order to do so. Zecora and I... we both agreed that it would be best for everypony if we just... forgot about something as stupid and pointless as who controls the sun and moon."
"How can you expect me to believe all of this, Fluttershy?" the lavender unicorn asked, tears beginning to form in her own eyes. "I mean... these are AJ and Rarity's sisters and their friends! How could they ever think something like that would be okay? I'm... I don't believe you."
"War changes ponies, Twilight," she answered sadly. "You saw Pinkie at the meeting. Poor thing... she's given up and just wants to cause more pain and destruction. AJ is in open war against the army. The girls have covert operations everywhere: even in the queen's inner sanctum. Nopony... no pony cares about your leadership skills, or your advice on anything. Sure, in the beginning we all cared, but..."
Silence filled the room for several minutes, only the carious calls of nocturnal animals reaching their ears. It was then that Twilight noticed a small semi-circular stone on a table in the middle of the room: obviously the other end of that spell Dinky used. Yet, she refused to let her words sink in. None of it could possibly be true! If it was, then those sweet, innocent fillies... she did not want to think about it.
"In the beginning," she continued, "We did care about you and your opinions and we missed YOU a lot. Yet, as time passed on... we began to miss you less and... wished for your magic more. The girls... our friends... see you only as a tool to be used against the queen. It's... better you found out now; before you got hurt." With that, she stood up and strode to the door. "We have a lot to do tomorrow... and beyond. Sleep well, Twilight. Hissy and Sissy will make sure you're not alone."
Two snakes slithered into the room, resting at the base of the ledge where Twilight lay, hissing idly, although they scared the mare nonetheless. "Um... Fluttershy?" she asked, growing more fearful with each passing second. "Do you... Would you mind untying me?" She shuffled around again, struggling against her binds to emphasize her point.
"Oh, Twilight," she giggled. "If I did that, you'd just run away. Good night." With that, the room was plunged into darkness.