//------------------------------// // Act 5 Chapter 1 // Story: All the Trolls. ALL OF THEM. // by Alex Prior //------------------------------// Begin Act Five Chapter One The doors to Celestia’s Throne Room slammed open. As the occupants as one whirled around to look at the intruder, the breathless guard took a moment to compose himself. “Your Highness!” he panted. “It has returned. The Crystal Empire is back!” Naturally, the soon-to-be-scandalized guard took a moment to witness the rare sight of his Princess swearing her lips off. Oooh, that’s an amusing image. “Discord....” What? Oh. Right. Back to the... wait, no. Scene break! ----- Not everypony gets accepted into Princess Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns. It takes a brilliant, observant, and above all studious mind to perform such a feat. Even rarer are the cases in which Celestia takes on a student personally. Doing so requires a unicorn a cut above the rest. A personal student must be in constant calculation, observing everything around them and cross-referencing it with their presumably vast store of knowledge. A personal student must always be questioning, always checking for inconsistencies. A personal student must think. Twilight Sparkle was thinking. Again and again her thoughts wandered towards the changeling invasion. She recalled fighting side-by-side with the Trolls, and she frowned when her memories pointed towards their leader's sudden betrayal. Something about the incident simply didn’t sit right with her, and it wasn’t the betrayal in itself. No, there was definitely something fishy occurring behind the scenes. She recalled how he had acted before attacking her. He'd grabbed his head, and then exhibited stilted behavior. She wasn't entirely certain it was a change of mind. Rather, it had felt like... "Mind control." "Sorry?" Twilight shook herself out of her thoughts and looked straight into Rarity's concerned face. "What's this about mind control, Darling?" Twilight sighed. "I think I know why the trolls turned on us." Rarity blinked. "You think they were... mind-controlled?" Twilight nodded. "I do. Why else would they decimate the Changelings' forces, only to work with them a moment later? And if it was a clever ruse, then why sacrifice so much of their forces? It just doesn't make sense." “I… suppose you’re right, darling,” Rarity replied. “Odd though… you make it sound so obvious, and yet I never bothered to think of it myself. It was just so easy to accept what Princess Celestia said.” “I know,” Twilight said. “I never would’ve questioned something like this under different circumstances, but now… Well, it’s just too suspicious a situation for me to just accept that the trolls are evil just because Princess Celestia says they are.” “I understand what you mean,” Rarity said. “Celestia is a professional. She’s so much older and wiser than us that it seems ridiculous that she could make such a mistake as misjudging the trolls. I wonder if we should confront her about this, offer up this theory?” “No.” Both Rarity and Twilight’s heads spun towards the doorway, and they were shocked to see Fluttershy staring back at them. She winced at their sudden attention. “Sorry, I just sort of came by and heard you talking about the trolls.” “How long were you listening?” Twilight asked. “Since… about the beginning,” Fluttershy replied. “Sorry, it’s just… you didn’t look like you wanted to be interrupted. But so long as I am, uh… the Princess is waiting for us. The rest are already there.” “Oh. Um- OK then,” Twilight said, getting to her hooves. “I guess I’ll head over now.” The librarian trotted out of the room, followed closely by Rarity and Fluttershy. “So, Fluttershy, dear,” Rarity started as they walked. “What was that you were saying about not bringing our… theory to Princess Celestia’s attention?” “I didn’t mean that it would be bad,” Fluttershy explained. “Though I guess it might make her mad that we still doubt her. I meant more that it wouldn’t do any good.” At the sight of Rarity’s confused look, Fluttershy decided to elaborate. “It’s like this. Celestia’s kind of grasping at straws when it comes to making the trolls out to be bad guys. They’ve helped us out twice now, and even saved our lives. I know they’ve done bad things in the past, but they must’ve changed to be so kind now. Celestia obviously doesn’t want to believe this, probably because it so goes against her beliefs. I doubt something like a possible theory will sway her if she’s so set in stone already. We’d need solid, undeniable evidence of the trolls’ benign intentions, and… well… they aren’t exactly making that easy to come by.” “I see where you’re coming from,” Rarity said. “Though I disagree. After all, it never hurts to try. But Fluttershy, you must’ve put a lot of thought into this.” “Well- err- I’d really appreciate it if everypony could just just get along, I guess,” Fluttershy said. “I mean… that’s not a problem, right?” “No, of course not,” Rarity responded. “Personally, I find all this fighting dreadful, and though I don’t mind being an extended tennant in this marvelous castle, I do so miss my Carousel Boutique. It may not be as fancy, but it has charm. And… Sweetie Belle. I hope she’s doing alright with my parents.” “I miss my animals. I hope Spike doesn’t mind caring for them too much,” Fluttershy sighed. “I know he’ll do a good job, but it’s tough work.” A single word escaped Twilight’s lips, soaked in emotion. “Spike…” The enormous door to the great stained glass hall appeared at the end of the corridor, flanked on either side by too burly stallions. Rarity gave approving looks to both, which they discreetly returned. “I will not, however, get tired of that. Ever.” “There y’all are,” Applejack called as the doors opened. “We’ve been lookin’ everywhere for y’ah. Where y’ah been?” “Just, err, talking a little,” Twilight answered. The Element of Magic turned towards Princess Celestia. “Your majesty.” “Ah, Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student.” Celestia rose from her throne, walking towards the group. “I have a mission for you. The Crystal Empire has returned.” “The Crystal what?” Applejack asked. “I mean- sorry, Princess, I’ve never heard ‘a the Crystal Empire before.” “That’s not an issue,” Celestia said. “In reality, very few ponies are even aware of its existence.” She walked over to a large crystal standing on a pedestal near her throne. With a touch of her horn, the crystal projected a holographic image of an expansive city of diamond, all built around a huge tower of crystal in the city’s center. “Put simply, the Crystal Empire is a city-state to the snowy north. It is the home of the crystal ponies, a subspecies of more common ponies with a glimmering crystal coat. The Empire itself has the unique property of acting like an emotional broadcast network across the entire land of Equestria. If the Empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria. But if hatred and fear take hold…” Celestia’s horn lit with a bubbling black energy. Twilight’s eyes widened as Celestia gasped in pain, and managed to emit a beam of black energy, shrouding the holographic empire in darkness. “Bad things,” Rainbow Dash said. Smacking her hooves together, she asked, “So. What’s the mission?” “Your objective is two-fold,” Celestia said. “The Empire was ruled in the past by a vicious unicorn named King Sombra. He subjugated the entire city and its whole population, spreading darkness over all of Equestria. It was only with the interventions of my sister and I that he was reduced to shadow, and sealed away. However, he took with him the Crystal Empire itself, causing both to vanish into thin air, a thousand years ago. If the Empire has returned, then so has Sombra. The first part of your mission is to defend the Crystal Empire from the tyrant, with the aid of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, who are waiting for you there. Cadence has been projecting a shield spell to encircle the empire, but she cannot maintain it forever. In order to effectively defend the Empire and defeat Sombra, you must complete the second part of your mission: to find the Crystal Heart.” “Princess, what’s the Crystal Heart?” Twilight asked. “It’s the big shiny thing that’ll solve all the problems,” Pinkie whispered. “The Crystal Heart is an artifact powered by the love and joy of the crystal ponies,” Celestia said, ignoring Pinkie. “With it, you can effectively expel Sombra from the Empire permanently. I don’t know exactly where it’s hidden, but chances are you’ll be able to find more details once there.” “Aaaaaaaand got it,” Twilight said, making one final note on the clipboard she’d written all this down on. “Great. Here’s your clipboard back, Pinkie.” Twilight hoofed the board back to the eccentric baker, who stuffed it into her mane. Turning back to the princess, she gave a smile. “Don’t worry, Princess. Together, the six of us can stop any-” “No. Not just the six of you,” Celestia interjected. “Twilight, I want you to listen to me, and listen closely. This is the most important mission you’ve ever undertaken. If the Crystal Empire falls, Equestria falls with it. Sombra himself could conquer the weakened kingdom, or the opportunistic Doomed Gods. Seeing as this is such a vital endeavour, I have elected to supply a squadron of guards, for additional security.” Celestia’s mane lit, and a door opened. Into the hall walked four ponies in Royal Guard armor: two earth ponies, a pegasus, and a unicorn. Celestia went down the line. “May I introduce you to Private Bramble Scout,” Celestia said, gesturing to a grayish Earth Pony with green eyes. The guard saluted, his eyes wide. “G’day, mares.” “This is Private Cloud Cover,” Celestia pointed to the pegasus, whitish blue in color, with a darker mane. The guard saluted, smiling slyly. “Pleasure doin’ business.” “Here we have Private Rune Blaze,” Celestia pointed to the unicorn, who was a pale green, like a robin’s egg. The guard saluted, though his smile betrayed a bit of nervousness. “Salutations, everypony.” “And finally, Lieutenant Escutcheon,” Celestia gestured towards the last Earth Pony, a sturdy guard, rusty red in color. The guard gave a well-practiced salute. “Epsilon Squad, reporting for duty ma’am,” he said. “At ease, soldier,” Celestia replied. Turning back to the Elements, she said, “These four will accompany you throughout your journey. If you’re ever in a dangerous situation, they’ll have your back.” “Oh. Um, OK,” Twilight said, looking a little uneasy. Celestia took note of this. “Is something amiss, Twilight?” Celestia inquired. “No, it’s just… well, in the past my friends and I have always been the only ones to participate in this sort of thing. I guess I’m just not used to having an escort.” “Oh, calm down darling,” Rarity assured, giving Twilight a pat on the back. “I think it’s a marvelous idea. I personally feel much safer with professional accompaniment,” she grinned, flashing a look at the squad. Cloud Cover returned the look. Bramble Scout gave an earnest grin back, while Rune Blaze gave a meek grin and Escutcheon sighed. “I have a train waiting for you outside,” Celestia announced. “Good luck everypony. I know you’ll succeed.” Epsilon Squad lead the way from the castle, marching in practiced formation. The Elements trailed close behind. Applejack turned towards Twilight. “Hey, Twi- why didja seem so against the idea of a bit ‘a backup?” she asked. “Well, it’s… it’s silly,” Twilight said. “It’s just, Princess Celestia always sent us out alone on these missions. For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t send us backup. It was like she didn’t care if something really bad happened. But then I came to a realization: Princess Celestia trusts me. She thinks that no matter what happens out there, I can handle it. We can handle it. Now though… giving us this squad, I wonder if she’s somehow lost trust in me, and doesn’t think we can handle this by ourselves anymore.” “I don’t think that’s the case,” Applejack argued. “It’s just this- Celestia cares about y’ah, Twilight. She wants y’ah to be safe, and wants to make sure you come out ‘a this in one piece. If she’s sent us this squad ‘a guards, it must mean that this mission is a lot more dangerous than any before. Like- we need extra help if we’re t’ah succeed.” “Pssh. Can’t be that hard, can it?” Rainbow said as she floated by. “I mean, what’s so dangerous? Ask around, find some dusty old rock, and boom. Problem solved. Though I have to admit, it’ll be nice to have some backup. Not that I need it or anything.” “Rainbow, I think Applejack’s right,” Twilight said. “And if it really is going to be that difficult, I better get thinking right away on how we’re gonna deal with all this.” “I just hope the guards are an actual help,” Rainbow snarked. “I mean, I didn’t exactly see any of them stopping the changeling invasion.” Escutcheon spun around. “All due respect, Ma’am, let me get one thing straight.” He spoke at a volume just above normal conversation level, and in a tone like a rip tide, a calm sea hiding a vicious, seething current underneath. “The Royal Guard fought tooth and nail during the changeling invasion, and we did everything we could to protect the citizens. You may be my charges, but I will not have you speak so lightly of such a tragedy. This used to be a five pony squad, and many brave stallions died that day.” “I… sorry. Jeez,” Rainbow said. “Rainbow, that was out of line,” Applejack scolded. “Way out of line.” “OK, OK already!” Rainbow shouted. “I mean… I’m sorry. I-I’m really sorry. I didn’t know.” “... Very well,” Escutcheon replied. He returned to the head of his squad, the rest of whom had up until now been giving Rainbow Dash angry looks. Rainbow glanced awkwardly back at her friends, before hanging her head in shame. As Fluttershy moved to console her friend, Twilight returned to her thoughts. The aftermath of the changeling invasion had been anything but uplifting. As they made their way from the palace and towards the train station, Twilight could see construction crews repairing damaged buildings and streets, public workers scrubbing green resin from the sidewalks, and the passing ponies looking like they’d just came through a war. For all intents and purposes, they had. And with this looming mission ahead of them, Twilight found herself feeling just a little depressed. She realized just how much she could use a picker-upper about now. “Twilight!” The unicorn’s head flew towards the sound of the familiar voice, and the little friend peeking through the window of the resting train. A tear rolled free from her eye as the corners of her mouth curved away, stretching a loving smile across her face. “Spike!” ----- Equestria stretched out like a schoolboy’s diorama on Captor’s computer screen. The entire country was squeezed into his view: the central mountains of Canterlot, the southern deserts, the cloudy jungles to the west and lush forests to the east, and the dark, stormy icelands to the north. Wait… something wasn’t right in the northern mountains. A patch of blue light stood out amidst the swirling clouds, a speck of color in an otherwise colorless landscape. Captor frowned and, his curiosity piqued, he zoomed in on the anomaly. His eyes widened as he turned away from the screen. “Hey, everybody?” he called to the full room and all the trolls lounging around within it. “Thii2 ii2 probably iimportant.” “What the fuck is that?” Vantas asked as he leaned in closer to the monitor, surrounded by his fellow trolls. “It’s like… France? Made of diamond? In an upside-down goldfish bowl?” “Ooooooooh, place like that is pro8a8ly filled to the 8rim with treasures! What is it, though?” Serket voiced. “Err- was that there 8efore?” Nitram asked. “Beat2 me,” Captor said. “II don’t think so, though. II haven’t 2een anythiing liike that on any of my other check2 through Eque2triia. II only found iit whiile randomly 2earchiing through the whole place. Who know2 how long iit’2 been there.” Vantas turned away from the screen for a second, and caught sight of Pyrope turning away as well. “Hey Pyrope. What’re you up to?” Vantas asked. Pyrope didn’t answer. Instead, she turned and dashed towards the transportalizer. She leapt forwards and landed neatly on the pad, vanishing away. “Pyrope, what the fuck?” Vantas screeched, chasing after her. He too disappeared on the transportalizer. Megido made to follow until Serket grabbed her shoulder. “No. Let them go,” Serket advised. “What’re y0u talking ab0ut?” Megido cried. “She just ran 0ff like s0me0ne had accused her 0f murder. Whatever’s wr0ng, we need t0 help!” “No,” Serket said. “I think I just realized what that city is.” Jabbing a finger at the monitor, she said, “That’s the Crystal Empire. 8ig city 8uilt of crystal? Remem8er what Redglare said when we were all swapping stories? She’s got history there. Whatever issues she’s trying to work out there- that’s priv8. Her 8usiness; not ours.” “I still d0n’t think-” “Trust me,” Serket dismissed. “8esides- Vantas is there. He’ll keep her out of trou8le.” ----- “Hey, Chief,” Bramble Scout said to Escutcheon as the train rattled onwards through the dense forests. “You really tore into that Rainbow Dash. I get where you were coming from, but don’t you think that was maybe a little harsh?” “Was it? I dunno,” Escutcheon replied. “I just… I’m tired of everypony looking at the Royal Guard as a joke. I’m tired of them saying that just because we didn’t expect the unexpected, we’re failures. They didn’t go through our training. They don’t know how many disasters the Guard has actually stopped. They don’t live with the responsibility of being the pony other ponies look to in a time of need. They’ve got no grounds on which to disrespect us.” “Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Bramble Scout cheered. “I mean- who made sure the Emerald Spirit was safely delivered to Fillydelphia? Who stopped that thing that escaped the Deep Catacombs? Who patrols the streets in every city and catches thirty something changelings a day? We do, Chief!” “Heh. That’s the spirit,” Escutcheon chuckled. “I see you don’t seem too worried about this new mission, eh Private?” “Don’t worry, sir,” Rune Blaze interjected. “I assure you that he’s appropriately concerned over how this new mission will play out. In fact, he’s probably working carefully to balance the exact level of appropriate anticipation with a complementary sizing of bright-eyed enthusiasm.” “Aww, you know me so well, Doc,” Bramble Scout grinned. “Well, good to see the team getting together so well,” Escutcheon said. His expression became more serious, however, as he turned to Rune Blaze. “Alright, Private, I know that look. You’ve got something else on your mind, don’t you?” “Err- well, sir, if you’ll excuse me from saying this,” Rune Blaze started, “I’m of the opinion we do owe the citizens a bit more. Sure, everypony was caught off guard by the changeling invasion, but we were still much more flat-hoofed than we should’ve been. Why didn’t we respond as we should’ve, with immediate reaction and force? How did we let so many changelings infiltrate the guard in the first place? Should we’ve done more?” “Private, as much as I respect the questions- actually, I quite admire that you take your duty as a guard seriously enough to question when it’s not being fulfilled- thinking like that won’t do us any good in this case. It’s good to examine when we’ve failed and what went wrong, but I assure you that by now the higher ups have taken care of that. Our own questions aren’t going to add much- if anything, it’ll just decrease morale, and we wanna be alert for this mission.” “If you say so, sir,” Rune Blaze said, perhaps not too convincingly. Escutcheon gave a warm smile. “Hey, enough about the invasion, Doc,” Bramble Scout said. “How about those mares, eh? The legendary Elements of of Harmony and one of them thinks we can’t do a thing to help. Sad, eh?” “Yeah, I suppose,” Rune Blaze said. “Guess we oughta upgrade the PR.” “Shouldn’t be too bad, though,” Bramble Scout continued. “We’ll show them why they should respect us. Besides, we already deal with Chatter enough as it is.” “Is somepony talking about me?” Cloud Cover asked, entering the car through the rear door. “Private,” Escutcheon said. “How’re the Elements?” “They’re doing fine,” Cloud Cover replied. “The white and yellow ones are talking something about a fashion whatsit or other. The blue and orange ones are hoofwrestling- really going at it, too. Bet they could give even you a run for your bits, sir. The pink one’s talking to herself. I asked her friends about it, but they said it was becoming increasingly normal as of late.” “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” It means, Pinkie, that you really oughta watch what you say out loud. Anyways… “And the purple one is catching up with her dragon friend. A real swell guy he is, that little lizard. Telling the purple one how he’d missed her so much, or wondering what he could do to help on the mission. I wish my brother was that helpful. I hope he gets some real recognition later.” “You’re aware, Private, that there’s such a thing as too many details, right?” Escutcheon said.” “Sure thing, sir,” Cloud Cover replied. “I just seem to notice a lot, sir, and you know sometimes I have a problem figuring out what’s relevant information or not. For all we know, the charges’ specific moods could be mission critical information.” “I see. Well then, Private, what are the charges’ “specific moods?” “Oh, it’s intense in there,” Cloud Cover said. “This one time I was flying by the mountain and found myself caught in a mountain gust. Blew me right into a cumulonimbus. I was lucky to make it out unscorched. Anyways, that’s how it feels in there. The mares are all acting calm and ready on the surface, but the air is charged like a thunder cloud. They’ve got all their little cogs and gears turning away, calculating and anticipating this mission, and wondering what’ll happen. I gets me wondering what’d happen if the charge builds up enough, and lightning strikes.” “Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” Rune Blaze called out from by the window. He pointed towards the exterior of the train, drawing stares from the rest of the squad. The sky was snowing. ----- The train squealed to a stop amidst a valley shrouded in swirling snow. The Royal Guards marched into the biting cold and immediately regretted bringing only their armor to wear. The Elements of Harmony followed, looking uncomfortable in such a hostile environment. Rarity gave a particularly vicious shiver. “Ooh. It’s a good thing I packed warm clothing,” she said. “Oh Spike.” The young dragon struggled out of the train, balancing a swaying pile of suitcases in his stubby arms. Rarity grinned. “Oh, it’s good to have you back,” she said as she lifted the top suitcase off the tower with her telekinesis. Opening the case, she retrieved a long, bright pink scarf. “There we go. Warm and fashionable,” she said as she donned the length of wool. “Thank you, Spike,” she said, giving Spike an affectionate head rub. Spike blushed a little, and grinned in return. “Twilight!” a voice cut through the frigid air. The librarian in question turned eagerly to the sound of the voice. “Shining Armor?” she called back. To her delight, a unicorn emerged from the storm. Removing his goggles and lowering his scarf, Shining Armor ran to greet his little sister. The two met, embracing as family were meant to. “Captain Armor, sir,” Escutcheon addressed, saluting his commanding officer. “Epsilon Squad reporting for duty.” “At ease, Lieutenant,” Shining replied. “I run the Crystal guard now- or whatever part of it I can piece together. In any case, I’m no longer your Captain.” “All due respect sir,” Bramble Scout spoke up, “You will always be our Captain.” “Heh. Loyal to a fault,” Shining grinned. Turning to the Elements, his expression became a bit more grim. “We should go. There are things out here we really don’t want to run into after dark.” With those words, he set back off into the raging blizzard, Epsilon Squad obediently following after. The Elements shared a concerned glance, before they too trotted off into the storm. Or they would have, if a piercing screech didn’t suddenly fill the night air, like the alien wail of something in pain. Fluttershy gave a cry of fear. “That- that’s not what I think it is, is it?” Shining’s eyes narrowed. “We have to get to the Crystal Empire, now!” He screamed. And then, the train exploded. A huge shockwave and a blast of noise was sent rolling like thunder through the valley. Twilight turned and saw the remnants of a fireball fade away at the spot where the train had stood moments before. Already, black smoke poured from the machines twisted metal wreckage. Wait… no! As the smoke took shape, forming into a vague and imposing figure, Epsilon Squad assumed a battle formation, with Shining Armor in the lead. And as a pair of leering green eyes emerged from the smoggy presence, Twilight began glancing back towards the raging storm and wondering how fast that thing could run. “Twilight, go! Now!” Shining ordered as he fired a blast of magic at the creature before him, and succeeded in little more than cutting through air. “We can’t leave you to face that thing!” Twilight screamed back. The minute the words had left her lips, the smoke monster emitted a blast of black energy, laced with purple and green. The beam hit the ground just beyond Twilight and company, and a wall of enormous black crystals sprouted from the snow, effectively cutting off the Element’s paths. “Private Rune Blaze!” Escutcheon called as his hoof found the shaft of his spear. “Get rid of those crystals! We need you to secure the Elements an escape route!” “On it, sir,” Rune Blaze answered back, galloping towards the wall of crystal. Escutcheon watched him go for a couple seconds, before turning to Shining Armor. “We brought you your old spear, sir,” he said, hoofing the former Captain a worn, but still wickedly sharp lance. “Heh. Just like when I first got it,” Shining said with a hint of reminiscence. Glancing at the squad, and then at the creature of smoke, he smiled. “Let’s do this the old Guard way.” “Stand back, please,” Rune Blaze suggested. The Elements complied, taking a few steps away as the unicorn stepped up to the black crystal barrier impeding their escape. The royal guard emitted a searing beam of light from his horn, and cut a complex series of lines into the rock, forming an aggressive-looking symbol. “Fire in the hole!” he called, dashing away. Moments later, the rune erupted with a blast of fire, blowing away the imposing stone. When the smoke cleared, a large gap was left in the crystal wall. Rune Blaze’s head turned at the sound of Cloud Cover crying out in pain. He turned and saw his comrade ripped from the sky and slammed into the ground in an aura of purple and green. His eyes narrowed. “There’s your escape route,” he said. “Now I need to assist my team.” He dashed off towards the brawl, leaving the Elements alone. “Twilight, go!” Shining Armor called as, unsteadily, he rose from the ground. Glancing away from the fight, he screamed, “Go straight through the hole in the wall, and don’t stop running. The Empire isn’t far now!” Seeing the tears in his sister’s eyes, he gave a quick, confident smile. And as he was engulfed in smoke and shadow, he was glad to see Twilight turn away and gallop off into the blizzard. Twilight ran. With Spike hanging on for dear life on her back, Twilight ran for safety. She ran like she was near the finish line of a the Running of the Leaves. She ran like the Apple Family Cider was just put on sale. She ran like a voracious creature of shadows was chasing after her, intent on seeing her dead before it. And glancing to her sides, she saw her friends doing much of the same. Good. Over the horizon, she saw a flash of light, and as she ran closer, a dome of brilliant blue appeared, coming ever nearer. Twilight sprinted towards the great bubble, imagining she could feel the sting of shadows nipping at her hooves, until with a leap she passed through the threshold and landed inside the Empire’s grassy plains. The first thing she noticed was the spike in temperature. Inside the shield bubble, it felt to Twilight that she’d stepped into a meadow in summer, though a meadow that happened to be rife with plenty of colorful crystal spikes jutting from the ground. The second thing she noticed was how tired she was. Twilight collapsed to the ground, panting, gasping for breath. The sound of ponies hitting the ground told her that many of her friends were doing the same. Glancing around her, Twilight spotted Fluttershy and Rarity sucking up air like dogs. Pinkie Pie was to her left, her tongue hanging out as she panted. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed winded. And the little lump by her hooves was Spike, tired even though he’d hardly done any running. Poor guy. And that was when Twilight noticed a third thing. Glancing back out into the swirling snow, Twilight felt a deep, piercing pang stab right through her gut. Shining Armor was nowhere to be found. Twilight’s head fell towards the ground, her eyes swimming with tears as her mind was kicked into overdrive, imagining the countless horrible, despicable things that could be happening to Shining at this very moment, and hating herself for imagining them. She had ran, deserted her brother to a terrible fate, and now he could already be dead. A small hand patted against her side. “Twilight?” “Spike, what do you want to say?” Twilight groaned. “I don’t think it’s gonna help, but I could use some support.” “Huh, funny. So could that guy,” Spike said. Twilight turned and saw a white pony dashing away from the city, towards the edge of the shield bubble. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuugh!!!!!!” the pony screamed as he sprinted towards the group. Applejack stood up, and stopped the pony as he approached. “Alright, now, what’s the problem, sugarcube?” she asked. “It’s over. It’s all over. Please, let me by. Let me out of here!” the pony begged, pleading to Applejack with desperate eyes. “Uh, bad idea buddy,” Rainbow Dash said. “We just outran King Sombra, and he wasn’t looking too happy.” “Sombra? Sombra!? I’d gladly see Sombra! I’d throw myself in chains for another thousand years if it meant being farther away from her!” the pony shrieked. “Her?” Twilight asked between deep breaths. “Don’t you understand? It doesn’t matter now,” the pony screamed wildly. “We’ve already lost. Hehe! We’re all gonna hang. Hehehe! Resistance is futile! Ahehehehehe!!!” “Sir, I need you to give me a straight answer!” Twilight yelled. The pony ceased his mad laughter, as he adopted an expression of pure, unadulterated terror. “The L3g1sl4c3r4tor has returned. The gallows are open for business!” End of Chapter One.