Sunset Shimmer knocked on the door, expecting Dash to answer. But to her surprise, she was greeted with silence. The door was actually unlocked and she found the bedroom empty with the bed tidied up.
Opening up to Sunset Shimmer yesterday yielded a positive effect on Dash. Now in better spirit, she had gone to the courtyard early in the morning to test her fitness. After the last lap around the courtyard, Dash took a short break. Though tired and covered with sweat, it actually made her feel good, with all her calories getting burned. Having rested enough, she continued her exercise with fifty full push-ups.
“Working out, I see?” It was Sunset Shimmer.
Dash stopped her exercise and proceeded to greet the unicorn. “Hey, mornin’!”
“Morning to you too, Miss Dash.”
“Y’know what? Let’s cut the formalities. Call me Dash from now on, ‘kay?”
Sunset Shimmer smiled. “Hmmm, okay.”
“And yeah. Ever since I got here, I feel like I’m out of shape whenever I get off the bed.”
“So you’re a physical type of person,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Are you strong?”
There was a sort of smug look on Dash. “Heck yeah! Why ask?”
“Oh, nothing in particular,” Sunset Shimmer said. “It’s just that Prince Umbra and Lord Watterson mentioned how bravely you fought the other day. You even managed to disarm one of the creatures with your bare hands.”
“It’s a form a martial art I learned,” Dash told her. “Actually it’s not all about being strong.”
Dash stepped back and got into a combat-ready stance. She demonstrated a series of moves involving aggressive yet fluid series of punches, kicks and blocks (a martial arts exercise called kata).
“It’s a combination of speed, reaction and technique,” Dash said after finishing her last move.
“It that something they taught you in the air army?” Sunset Shimmer asked curiously.
“Uh-huh.”
“I see. If you’re done, why don’t you go clean up yourself then join me for breakfast?”
“Hay salad?” Yesterday’s dinner might have been considered a delicacy here but for a human like Dash…
Sunset Shimmer smiled jestingly. “Nope, we’re having hayburger.”
“Great,” Dash said in a mocked enthusiasm.
Giggling, Sunset Shimmer said, “Kidding! We’re having good old classic bread with butter and jam. How’s that sound?”
Normal food! That made Dash so happy. “Now you’re talkin’!”
As they walked through the hallway, Dash wanted to ask Sunset Shimmer, “Uh, hey Sunset. About…”
But the unicorn already knew what Dash was going to say. “Don’t worry, Dash. I remembered what I said last night. After I get some paperwork done, we’ll go after lunch time. Okay?”
“Thanks.”
Something outside the castle caught Dash’s intention. She stopped and looked through the window.
“Is that Zach?”
Sunset Shimmer’s eyes followed the same direction as Dash’s gaze. In the terraced gardens below, Zach was self-training in armed combat with a pair of batons, wielding them like swords.
“Oh, yeah,” the unicorn said. “Captain Discord witnessed him doing his self-training starting at dawn.”
“What kinda fighting style is that?” Dash wondered.
Abruptly, Discord bent over her shoulder, staring through the window with a serious look. “Yes, strange isn’t it?”
“Hey, where’d you come from!?”
“I’ve never seen technique that uses two swords at once and puts so much emphasis on slashing,” the captain gave his remark, ignoring Dash’s question. “Together with his unusual clothing and use of grammar, I’d almost say he’s not native in this land as well,”
He straightened up, his expression suddenly eases. “Welp, that’s just my opinion. If anypony needs me, I’ll be in the canteen, having my usual breakfast of candy popcorn,”
“Is he really that obsessed with popcorn?” Dash decided to ask Sunset Shimmer just as the captain was walking away with a carefree look.
“Well, uh… He’s, you know, eccentric. He’s a little eccentric. Then again…”
“What?”
“Many ponies in Equestria are.”
Dash rolled her eyes. Riiight…
Later at the workshop, the Flim and Flam unveiled to Zach and the captain their automatic firing artillery, modified from a bazooka. Mounted on wheeled platforms, it is fed from the ammunition barrel through a belt-fed system. In the firing trigger’s place is now a complex timing control mechanism wired to a mechanical alarm clock.
Flim pointed at the mechanism. “See this device here? All you need is to wind up the clock to a pre-set time. Once the countdown reaches zero, this baby’ll fire in rapid successions until all the ammunitions run out.”
Flam demonstrated how the artillery cannon’s angle of fire can be adjusted through a kickstand underneath the cannon.
“This kickstand here isn’t just propping it up. You can set the cannon at different angle by simply tilting the kickstand. We also made friction-resistant, just so you know.”
“Excellent work, you two,” said the captain, notably pleased with the brothers’ work.
“It’ll definitely give them hell-” Realized that he made a slip-up, Zach quickly corrected himself, “Hard! A hard time!”
Laughing nervously, he said, “Yeah, that’s-that’s what I meant...”
The term hell is non-existent in Equestria.
Zach stood beside Discord, facing the Reserves.
“Attention!” the captain called.
The Reserves stomped on the ground. Zach stepped forward.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something to them then stared at Discord puzzled. “Why am I here again?”
“They all need to be physically prepped, before moving on to their special training,” the captain explained.
“That still doesn’t explain why you want me here.”
“I believe you can be of assistance in one of their physical training, if you don't mind sparing a bit of your time.”
“Are you sure about this, captain? I mean, I don’t want to be meddler and all, you know.”
“Positive,” the captain said firmly.
“Okay then, let’s do this!” Zach raised his hands up high. “Let’s reach for the stars!”
Lighting Dust immediately raised her hoof.
“What?” Zach asked the pegasus.
“Yesterday you said ‘reach for the moon’,” Lighting Dust pointed out.
“Yes, that was yesterday. And since the stars are much further away than the moon, it's even better. It means today we’re aiming to achieve something even higher.”
The pegasus lowered her hoof.
“That actually make sense for once,” she said, satisfied with Zach’s explanation.
“Good.” Zach raised his hands up high again. “Now let’s reach for the stars!”
The Reserves responded Zach’s call with royal guard’s standard battle cry, “Ooo-rah!!!”
And so begins the rigorous physical training…
***
Lightning Dust get strapped onto the Dizzitron, a ‘spin-out simulator’ that looks like hypnotic a wheel with gears. The Dizzitron spun the pegasus around in circles at maximum speed. Discord activated a lever that releases Lighting Dust from the contraption. She spun out into the air for a while and then seemingly recovered. But instead of gliding back, she shot upwards through the clouds, only to come back half an hour later.
Ursa-Nova was doing a push up exercise in a laborious fashion due to Zach sitting cross-legged on his back. Apparently, changing into a strong animal does not actually make the changeling strong.
Flim and Flam struggled to keep up on the speeding treadmill but soon failed and both get thrown off it as a result.
Tirek mustered all his strength yet he struggled to lift the dumbbells. Given his skinny build, it was hardly surprising. He barely raised the dumbbells a few inches from the ground before giving up.
Lighting Dust was released from the Dizzitron. She spun out into the air for a while, then recovered and flew back towards Discord and passed him. She continued to fly in a straight line, past the castle walls and out into somewhere in the Canterlot suburbs…
Ursa-Nova failed miserably in his attempts to do pull ups. The best he could do was lifting his hind legs up to his lower torso. In the end, his arms could not take it longer. He let go of the bars and fell flat on his hips.
Tirek succeeded in lifting the barbell over his head. But soon enough his arm jerked and gave in to the weight, resulting in the barbell falling on top him. On the ground, the centaur could not move at all, with the barbell pinning him down on his chest.
Tirek, Flim and Flam were finally able to match their galloping speed with their treadmills...after a hundred fails.
All the Reserves raced each other around the field, pulling the Super Speedy Chaser 6000s chained to each of them. Lightning Dust fared better than the rest. Though her experience in Wonderbolts was not designed for such heavy labor, it still has a positive effect on her overall fitness. She was the first Reserve to cross the finishing line ahead of the others.
Discord watched calmly the Reserves attacking an unarmed Zach with batons and sticks. There were sounds of beating, grunts and groans for a while. Not long after, the Reserves got thrown right in front of the captain. None of them could hold a candle to Zach.
***
Noticed how tired Sunset Shimmer looked, Dash asked her, “Why don’t you ask Sir Blueblood to help you?”
“No, Dash. We have our fair share of the job. Really, it’s not like he’s delegating everything to me.”
“Yeah, but you look very tired sometimes.”
“It’s called work,” Sunset Shimmer pointed out. “That’s normal. And I am fine, as long as I take a short rest once in a while.”
Enough said, Dash decided to change topic. “So, do you get along with Blueblood?”
“We had our differences,” the unicorn said flatly.
“Like…the cover up thing?”
“Yeah. That really pissed me off. He can be a little selfish at times.”
“At least he didn’t usurp the throne and declared himself as ‘King Blueblood, the sole, undisputed ruler of Equestria!’, right?” Dash joked. “Like Trollestia did.”
“That’s…true,” Sunset Shimmer realized. “He never acted for once like he owns this castle. In fact, he’s the one who taught me the ins and outs of Equestria’s administrative system. We get along just fine because of it. I guess...I am immature.”
“But still,” Dash said, “why didn’t you just tell the truth yourself if you’re so eager?”
Sunset Shimmer was reluctant to answer the question. Fortunately for her, they ran into the Reserves, all exhausted and lightly bruised. The Reserves nodded politely as they passed by them. Sunset Shimmer gave a warm smile at Lightning Dust, which the pegasus returned.
Far behind, Nova hurried to catch up with Lighting Dust.
“Lighting Dust,” he called, “wait up!”
The changeling nodded to Sunset Shimmer in a gesticulated manner before skittering off to Lightning Dust. Then came Captain Discord and Zach. Catching sight of Dash staring awkwardly at him, Zach nodded curtly before walking off.
Dash turned her head over her shoulder, looking at Nova, who is chatting happily to Lightning Dust, then at Zach..
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Discord responded to Sunset Shimmer’s question regarding progress on the Reserve’s training. “I still have faith in them.”
He then walked off optimistically, leaving the two slightly baffled.
“Actually, that didn’t sound very encouraging, doesn’t it?” Dash remarked.
“I guess…” Sunset Shimmer said with uncertainty. “Say, have you asked Lord Watterson’s permission to go out?”
“Why the heck would I need his permission!?”
“I can see you don’t like him that much. But he did say that you’re under his custody. Listen, he’s just worried about your safety that’s all. So at least let him know.”
Dash then remembered the deal she had made with Zach, one she agreed out of desperation. Aw, man…
In the mess hall, Discord and the Reserves busied themselves with plates of apple tarts, fritters and candy popcorns served on the table.
Flim and Flam respectively complimented Tirek for the food.
“Hey, these apple tarts ain’t bad!”
“Really, Tirek! These are quite good!”
“Nova Elite gives his approval!” the changeling added.
Tirek grinned widely, feeling pleased at his comrade’s compliments. “You like? Then I will tell you the secret of its tastefulness! I put some vinegar in it. I just thought of the recipe a few days ago.”
Upon hearing that, Trixie put on a mock annoyance expression. “Tirek, I am so crossed with you!”
“What did I do?” asked the alarmed centaur.
“If you told me you were really this good at baking, I could’ve hired you as the royal caterer years ago.”
“Actually I did answer to that ad, but I ended up at the wrong part of the castle and got interviewed by the captain by mistake. I didn’t realize at the time it was a job interview for the royal army’s cook instead,” the centaur revealed.
Munching his popcorns, Discord said, “A decision I’ll never regret. Who else in Equestria knows how make twenty five different flavors of candy popcorn.”
Lucky, lucky you, captain, Trixie thought.
At this point, Dash was approaching Zach whose mind seemed to be preoccupied because he was using his fork to ‘play’ with his tarts instead of eating it. Dash greeted the feline with a simple “hey” as she sat right next to him.
“How’re you holding up?” Zach asked her.
“I’m…good. Thanks for asking.” Dash looked at his plate. “Y’know, if you’re not gonna eat that, I’ll be happy to take it off your hands.”
“Oh, want a taste?” Tirek said when he overheard Dash. “I’ll be more than happy to serve you some of my tarts!”
“Sure,” Dash smiled. “Has to be better than hayburger.”
“You take that back!” Lighting Dust gasped. “Hayburgers are the best!”
“We have to disagree, Lightning Dust,” Flam said. “Nothing’s better than apples. Or anything made out of apples for that matter. Like these apple tarts here.”
Flim nodded firmly. “Quite right, o’ brother of mine.”
Nova intervened in a show of support for the female pegasus. “Uh, I have to agree with Lightning Dust on this...”
Seemingly put off by the squabble, Discord slammed his hand lightly on the table. “Stand down, soldiers! Before this argument escalates into a chaotic food fight for which I will not tolerate!”
Silence fell over the Reserves.
The captain snapped his fingers and with a wide grin said, “After all, the greatest innovation in food is no other than candy popcorn.”
“Oh, captain!” the Reserves cried in unison.
As they quarreled playfully with each other, Dash gestured at her face to Zach. She picked up an empty tray and held it to reflect Zach’s fatigued face. He had slightly visible bags under his eyes.
“Huh, I look like I just came out of a wrestling match with an ursa major, don’t I?” he joked.
Discord slammed on the table, bursting with laughter. “That’s a good one, my friend!”
The Reserves laughed with him.
What on Earth is an ursa major...? Not understanding the joke, Dash ignored them.
“Listen,” Zach spoke to Dash in a low voice. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean that to happen to you,”
She responded with a smug look. “As you should, yeah.”
“But I’m not admitting any wrongdoing,” Zach continued. “Only that I probably should’ve been more patient and thoughtful before I act. But at least we now know your memories aren’t completely lost, just repressed. I do want to make it clear to you however that having your memory return to you is very, very crucial.”
“Why?” Dash asked with a frown.
“I should’ve recognized the clothes on you,” Zach said, “but I was too preoccupied then. That SHADE actually belonged to a comrade of mine, someone who is very important to me.”.
“Why don’t you ask whoever that is yourself?”
“I would, if I knew her current whereabouts.”
“She’s…missing?”
“That is definitely the right question to ask. Where is she now? And why are you here?”
Dash suddenly felt uneasy. Another mystery turned up and she was connected to it somehow.
“I don’t know anything,” she insisted.
“But you must’ve seen something. I want to help you. I do but you need to earn to my trust by helping me out first.”
As Dash tried to comprehend his statement, Zach asked her, “What brings you here, by the way?”
“I’m…heading to town Sunset Shimmer later on,” she answered awkwardly.
“Oh, cool,” Zach said jokingly. “Looks like you got a new friend.”
“She isn’t- Oh, forget it! Listen, I appreciate if you’re worried about me or anything. But I’m just letting you know where I’m going. It’s not like I’m asking for your permission or anything. So there!”
“Uh-huh.”
What, that’s it? Dash wondered. “Aren’t you gonna ask why I’m going out?”
“Just go,” Zach said casually, as if he did not care.
In truth, he already expected Dash to come to him after last night's eavesdropping.
At this point, Tirek returned with a tray of full of freshly-baked apple tarts. “Here you go, human Rainbow Dash! Fresh hot from the oven!”
“Oh, c’mon! It’s just Dash, okay!?” Dash stood up from her seat and shot everyone with a glare. “Now who else here thinks I’m Rainbow Dash!?”
“Maybe he has a valid point.” Zach lifted an apple tart from his plate and began eating it.
Dash glared wildly at the blue feline. “Not you too!?”
“It’s your eyes,” Zach said to her.
Dash offered an apple tart to Sunset Shimmer who was waiting outside the mess hall. The unicorn declined with a polite shake of her head.
“So how did it go?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“Let’s just say we’re still trying to work things out,” Dash sullenly said.
Lyra’s residence is located somewhere in the middle of the uptown’s residential area. Ever since the owner went missing, everywhere in the house has been gathering dusts, cobwebs and molds.
As Sunset Shimmer and Dash passed by a desk, the latter decided to take a closer look at the framed photos on the desk. In each of photo, Lyra is seen with a different pony, which Dash interpreted as the unicorn’s friends. Dash does not know them but their names are Minuette, Twinkleshine, Bon-Bon and Amethyst Star. Dash continued to scan the row until she came upon a photo of a pegasus. Strangely, a muffin was sitting atop the pegasus’ mane.
“Dash, Come on!” Sunset Shimmer called out. “It’s upstairs.”
“Sunset, who is this?” Dash asked her, eyes still on the photo.
Sunset Shimmer walked over to Dash and glanced over at the photo. “Oh, that’s Ditzy Doo. But she’s commonly called Derpy, due to her crossed-eye look.”
“Uh-huh, I can see that,” Dash said to her. “But why does she have a muffin on her head?”
“I don’t know,” Sunset Shimmer flatly said. “Maybe she likes muffins too much,”
Dash raised her eyebrows. Sunset Shimmer was right. The ponies here are definitely eccentric.
“I guess none of her friends ever come to visit here after she’s gone,” she remarked on the current state of the house.
“They’ve all disappeared around the same time with Lyra,” Sunset Shimmer revealed to her. “We assumed they all fell to Trollestia’s ‘pranks’.”
“At least they all remained together, right?” Dash joked absentmindedly. “As space ponies?”
“Is that supposed to be funny!?” Sunset Shimmer was notably displeased as she did not find the joke amusing at all.
Dash soon apologized. “Anyhow, thanks for doing this.”
“I have to admit,” Sunset Shimmer said, “I’m not entirely comfortable with trespassing into someone’s house. But I’m rather curious where this is all going. Who knows, if we do get lucky on finding the spell in one of his stories, it’ll be beneficial to me to as well.”
“How actually?” Dash asked.
Sunset Shimmer explained, “Assuming Star Swirl’s portal do exist, with more study and careful experiments, it might be possible modify the portal to open within a universe instead, turning it into something similar to a teleportation spell. I could use it help bring back Princess Luna and all the ponies trapped on the moon.”
“You think big,” Dash remarked.
Deciding that they should not be spending too much time talking, Sunset Shimmer motioned Dash to the stairs with her head before turning around. “Let’s go.”
Later in the bedroom, they busied themselves perusing Lyra’s hardcover books on the floor. Finish read books were piled in stacks around them.
After finished the book titled The Transformers, Dash rubbed her tired eyes using her palms. “Still nothin’?”
Sunset Shimmer shook her head as she placed a book, titled Reign of the Imperial Dalek, on top of a stack.
“I guess it’s still worth a try,” Dash sighed. “Take five?”
Sunset Shimmer agreed.
“Say, Sunset. Why did you wanna become a princess in the first place?” Dash was eager to know.
“When I was a filly,” Sunset Shimmer began explaining, “I always thought princesses are cool, having other ponies taking care of my every need, wearing fancy regalia, eat special foods, living in fancy places. Then when I get older, I started to put my mind into perspective. That’s when I dreamed of becoming something more.”
“What’s that?” Dash asked.
“Trixie, Lightning Dust, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are victim of circumstances that are beyond of their control. I know I said they’ve moved on, but once in a while when they look back into their pasts, I can still see a glimmer of regret in their faces. I can’t help them realize their dream as what I am now- an ordinary unicorn.”
“Then, how?”
“For starters, I’d hoped to become an Alicorn Princess like the Royal Sisters.”
Wait, something doesn’t add up here, Dash thought. “Sunset, could it be that they weren’t natural Alicorns?”
“Nopony is born an Alicorn, Dash. It has to be earned. Doesn’t matter if they are Earth pony, unicorns or pegasus, anypony can become as long as they’re deemed worthy enough.”
“Oh, okay.” Even as she said so, Dash still thought it was all strange.
“Alicorn Princess,” Sunset Shimmer continued, “both wise and highly knowledgeable in the field magic, that’s what I’m- was, aiming to be.”
She closed her eyes, purged the feeling of regret that was slowly building inside her before getting back to Dash. “Are you an avid reader, Dash?”
“Not really. Why?”
“If you’re willing to spare your time, there’s a book on Canterlot’s foundation in the reading chamber.”
“History ain’t exactly my thing,” Dash said with distaste.
“Yes, history can be boring,” Sunset Shimmer acknowledged. “Yet, it remains important part of our lives. How Canterlot came to what it is now was due to the efforts of the Royal Sisters. They change pony’s lives because they have another type of power, and it’s not related to magic.”
Dash realized what the unicorn was talking about, because Prince Umbra had mentioned it. “Authority.”
“Right,” Sunset Shimmer nodded. “Their influence reaches over every aspect of Equestria because they have unrestraint authority. With it, plus great wisdom and magic, imagine all sorts of good I can do for everypony.”
“Whoa...” Dash felt impressed by the unicorn’s talk. “I wasn’t kidding when I said you reminded me of my tormentor but in reality, you’re totally different. You're a good person-no, a good pony. What I mean is, you’ve got a good heart, y’know that?”
Sunset Shimmer felt uneasy by Dash’s praise. For her, it was unfair and underserving.
“It’s cool really,” Dash said. “Not the princess thing. But the way you said you wanna help your friends and others.”
“Dash, I’m not that such a good pony,” Sunset Shimmer insisted.
“No, seriously! What’s more, you're trying to make things right, even though it was all Princess Celestia’s fault to begin with, being such a jerk and all!”
It was then that Dash noticed Sunset Shimmer had suddenly become upset. Very upset.
“Sunset, what’s the matter?” she asked.
“Nothing! Nothing’s the matter!”
Sunset Shimmer’s reaction puzzled her. I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?
“Let’s continue,” the unicorn demanded.
“Y-yeah, ‘kay…”
Dash got up, walked over to a bookcase and began taking down several more books.
“I gotta tell ya,” she said in an attempt to lighten the mood, “this Star Swirl pony maybe ‘crazy’ as y’all put it but, fiction or not, his books are actually interesting. And this is coming from someone who’s not a terribly big reader herself. Y’all should really take this seriously, at least for the entertainment value.”
“Hmm, I guess,” Sunset Shimmer murmured.
Dash sat down again, placing all the books in a stack between her and Sunset Shimmer. She removed a book titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Leafing through the book, Dash shivered at the disturbing illustrations of various mythical creatures and cryptid on the pages. “Oh geez, this is so creepy on so many levels.”
Sunset Shimmer levitated the next book it before her so she could examine its cover. The title reads Final Fantasy.
Odd, she thought. Sounds like a clopfic title.
Dash stopped on a page about a creature she recognized: MBP. And, when Sunset Shimmer opened her book, several pieces of paper slipped out from the pages and glided to the floor. Recognition slapped Dash across the face at the sight of the illustrations. Drawn on each paper is Mithra in different outfits while brandishing an assortment of weapons.
“No way!” Dash cried.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sunset, th-these are the monsters that attacked me and Zach the other day!” Dash showed the unicorn the page containing MBP’s information. “See?”
Sunset Shimmer looked over at the page then at the papers on the floor. “You’re right. But, how is this possible? These things are supposed to be fictional. The product of Star Swirl’s overworked imagination.”
Dash picked up more books and leafed through each of them. She finally picked up a book that looks out of place among the other books. The ring-binded paperback has neither cover nor title.
“Looks like Lyra’s sketch book,” Sunset Shimmer said when she laid her eyes on it.
Dash leafed through several pages, finally stopping at a page with a sketch showing Dalek’s transformation from its initial mechanical pepper shaker-like appearance to its final design- the winged tank and its mecha form, along with the scribble: WHAT IF DALEK IS A TRANSFORMER?
Dash flipped another page. It showed a sketch of a white-haired, dark skinned human girl clad in a white bodysuit. The next page showed another sketch of the same figure with the addition of a chrome mask and rabbit-eared headband. Dash and Sunset Shimmer looked at each other curiously.
“Was Star Swirl right all along?” Sunset Shimmer wondered. “Could it be that these creatures were somehow brought in from a different universe?”
“I dunno,” Dash said, puzzled as well. “But Zach did refer them as constructs. ‘Cuz they didn’t die like normal living things. Instead they just dissolved into glowing dusts.”
Constructs? “Artificial beings,” Sunset Shimmer realized. “Of course!”
“Artificial?”
“Yeah. Animated beings created entirely from inanimate matter. Maybe Ragingheart used some kind of magic to bring up her army into existence. But then, why take in the appearance of mythical and made-up creatures from Lyra’s books?”
Dash flipped several pages then stopped. On the page is a sketch of Ragingheart’s robotic armor, but more human in appearance. The words ME AS A HUMAN-ALICORN WARRIOR speak volume.
“Err, Sunset, I hate to break it to ya but this Ragingheart character, she might be Lyra.”
Disbelief came over Sunset Shimmer. “It can’t be…” The pony who enslaved the entire Southern Kingdom and is rumored to invade Equestria next, is Lyra?
Dash and Sunset Shimmer stood at the curb, waiting for a chariot to pass by. The former felt uneasy with the staring and muttering from the ponies behind her. Being the only human being in this world, she sticks out like a sore thumb.
“You are gonna tell Blueblood, right?” Dash asked the unicorn.
“Yes. But still this isn’t definite proof that Lyra and Ragingheart is the same pony.”
After crossing to the other side of the street, they were urgently approached by Diamond Tiara.
“Sunset Shimmer! I didn’t expect to bump into you here. I was going to get Trixie-” It was then the Earth pony noticed Dash. “Oh, it’s you again.”
Dash smiled sheepishly, remembering the way she acted to the pony previously. “‘Sup…”
Diamond Tiara nodded curtly at Dash before looking back at Sunset Shimmer, obviously distressed.
“Tiara, what happened?” the unicorn immediately asked.
“It’s Doc Top,” Diamond Tiara said.
Sunset Shimmer thought she recognized that name. “From Ponyville, right? What about him?”
“I can’t really explain it,” Diamond Tiara said. “Come quickly to my store.”
The Earth pony hurriedly led them away from the area.
The heavily bandaged Doc Top stepped forward to meet the chancellor whom had just arrived at the castle’s entrance, together with Zach and Captain Discord.
“Sir Blueblood!” the doctor cried hysterically. “It was chaos! Chaos, I tell you!”
Displeased at the prospects of chaos happening in Equestria, Discord raised one arm in anger. “Chaos in Equestria!? Not on my watch!”
Blueblood was shocked to see Doc Top’s condition. “Faust Almighty! What happened to you, doctor?”
“Unknown creatures have taken over Ponyville!” the latter proclaimed. “They were led by a mare wearing an Alicorn-like armor! Mayor Mare and the police tried to put up a fight, but we”
“No, already!?” Blueblood cried in dismay. “Ragingheart will be here sooner than expected!”
The doctor continued, “It was chaos! Entire town areas were demolished! Ponies became prisoners in rock farms!-”
“Actually we know that part of the story already,” Blueblood immediately informed him.
“Oh, in that case, I’ll just drop now.” Doc Top dropped to the floor right in the muzzle, catching everyone by surprise.
“Is he...?” Discord took off his helmet to mourn for the doctor.
“Captain, he’s not dead,” Zach said. “Aren’t the bandages obvious?”
A snoring noise was then heard from the pony on the floor. Discord exchanged confused glances with Blueblood before quickly putting his helmet back on.
“Poor stallion,” Blueblood said sympathetically. “Galloping all the way from Ponyville was too much for his hooves.”
Diamond Tiara, feeling undignified for letting Doc Top lay on the floor, motioned Silver Spoon to help her carry the fainted doctor up to his hooves.
“Shouldn’t you help him or something?” Dash said to the chancellor.
Blueblood called out for Trixie. In response, she and two other castle servants came cantering down the hallway. They attended to Doc Top as soon as they saw the fainted pony.
“Sunset Shimmer, how did this happen?” Blueblood questioned the unicorn.
Diamond Tiara stepped forth. “It was me, sir. I have no clue to what’s going on. I just found him lying injured outside my boutique. After patching him up, he insisted he wants to see you right away.”
“That’s it!” Discord proclaimed, deciding that action. “If it’s a fight Ragingheart wants, then a fight she will get! But, first- Lightning Dust! Nova!”
“They aren’t here, captain,” Zach reminded him.
Covering his embarrassment, the captain snapped his fingers and flatly said, “Right, I will go and find them.”
He left in a hurry, almost immediately followed by Zach.
“There’s not much time left,” Blueblood urgently said. “We must declare a state of emergency. The citizens are to leave Canterlot in the event of a war. We too must leave. For without a full-blown army, we have no way to defend the castle properly.”
“But where to?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“That’s something you and I need to figure out,” Blueblood admitted.
Silver Spoon, initially hesitant, summoned her courage to speak up. “Actually…I know a place.”
Hopping down the street somewhere in Ponyville is a little white rabbit, past several patrolling Assault-White Bunnehs. He stared nervously at the MBPs whom are towing cages laden with prisoners. A boot suddenly blocked his path. Quivering with fear, the rabbit looked up. A White Bunneh was holding forth its grenade launcher directly at him. For a few seconds, the Assault-White Bunneh appeared to be examining the rabbit. Finally, it withdrew its grenade launcher and walked away, probably because it had determined the rabbit is not a threat. The poor creature sighed in relief.
In the meantime, Lighting Dust was circling over the town at an amazing speed, in such a way she goes unnoticed by Ragingheart’s forces below the whole time. An Archer-Mithra was observing the surrounding area from a rooftop when it detected a faint hissing sound from above. When it looked up to the sky, it sees nothing and the sound vanished simultaneously.
Sometime later, Lightning Dust glided down to a forested hill not far from Ponyville and then gently landed on all fours. The little white rabbit jumped out from a nearby bush in front of Lightning Dust then reverted to his normal changeling form.
“Did you see all that?” Nova said in utter disbelief. “They’re all over the place! And I can’t believe they destroyed the Kitchen! Where’re we supposed to have our Colts Night Out now?”
Lightning Dust looked at him surprised. “All the way in Ponyville?”
“Hey, Mulia Mild makes the best treats in Equestria,” Nova told her.
“Look!” Lightning Dust pointed towards a swarm appearing from the southern horizon.
They both gaped at the sight of seemingly infinite winged tanks coming over to Ponyville with speed that could match that of Lightning Dust. In their rapid descent, the tanks get into their mech form before touching down all over the town.
Lighting Dust caught sight of a distinct figure walking amongst the Mecha-Daleks- it was Ragingheart herself.
“Whoa, the Alicorn-wannabe does walk on two legs,” she said.
“And Lord Watterson wasn’t kidding when he said the tanks are fast flyers too,” Nova added.
“Horse apples!” Lightning Dust scoffed. “I bet they weren’t even fast enough to create a minor whirlwind.”
“That’s right,” Nova said, looking at the pegasus adoringly. “Nopony can beat you when it comes to speed. Not Soarin, not Spitfire, not even Gild-”
He stopped in horror in his Indiscretion. Lightning Dust’s face darkened, but only briefly.
She motioned Nova to hop on her back. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before they see us.”
Nova shapeshifted into his rabbit form again and did what he was told.
Lightning Dust looked over her shoulder and was puzzled by Nova’s expression.
“Why’re you smiling like that?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing,” the changeling lied, cheeks blushing.
Lightning Dust shrugged, oblivious to the fact that Nova actually enjoys holding on to her, like a pervert. After that, she shot off to the skies.