//------------------------------// // Act Six Chapter 2: Everything Goes To Hell // Story: All the Trolls. ALL OF THEM. // by Alex Prior //------------------------------// Begin Chapter Two Vantas strode toward the seadwellers’ room with a roll of his eyes. “You can’t be serious,” he groaned towards Ampora and Peixes. The fishy trolls pointed towards the window- Vantas’s gaze followed their gestures. “Holy asslicking fucksticks, you were actually serious.” “Yep. That’2 a pony, alriight. IIn god tiier robe2. Out2iide our wiindow,” Captor deadpanned as the rest of the trolls slowly filed into the room and caught sight of the prismatic alicorn floating outside their base. Rainbow Dash gave a series of knocks on the window. “... --- --..-- / .. ... / ... --- -- . .--. --- -. -.-- / --. --- -. -. .- / .-.. . - / -- . / .. -. / --- .-. / .-- .... .- - ..--..” “Uh… so, wwhat’re wwe gonna do about her?” Ampora asked. “I get that wwe havve this tenuous no killing rule… at least I think wwe do… But on the other fin, wwe kind of need to keep the moonbase a secret.” “We definitely need t0 keep this place a secret and all, but that’s n0 reas0n t0 kill anyb0dy!” Megido cried. “H0w ab0ut we invite her in and just s0rt 0f c0nvince her why she sh0uldn’t tell any0ne.” “I’m sorry, I’m still wondering how the fuck Rainbow became an alicorn!” Vantas grumbled. “.... . .-.. .-.. --- ..--.. / -.-. .- -. / .- -. -.-- .--. --- -. -.-- / .... . .-. . / -- . ..--..” Rainbow knocked. “Uh… guys?” Nitram called. “Pssh. You don’t just convince someone not to revveal vvital information,” Ampora scoffed. “It doesn’t wwork like that.” “And Why Shouldn’t It?” Maryam asked. “It’s Not As If Any Of Us Has Ever Considered We Give Armistice A Chance, Let Alone Proposed The Idea.” “No one but you, that is. I suppose that makes you better than us, eh?” Ampora snarked. “Guys,” Nitram yelled. “Hardly. You’re Simply Attempting To Discredit My Point By Implying That This Is A Matter Of Personal Pride And Not Pure Logistics,” Maryam replied dryly. “WWell, it’s not particularly difficult to settle this argument,” Ampora grinned. He turned toward the green-robed Seer of Mind. “Hey, Pyrope! WWhat’ll happen if wwe don’t kill Princess Dash?” “Wh4t? How 4m 1 suppos3d to know?” Pyrope questioned. “Howw are you- you’re the flippin Seer of Mind! You’re supposed to knoww this sorta stuff!” Ampora screamed. “My pow3rs r3volv3 4round us1ng som3on3’s d3c1s1on m4k1ng proc3ss to pr3d1ct th3m. ‘Pr1nc3ss D4sh’ 1s 4 compl3t3ly un3xp3ct3d f4ctor. How do you 3xp3ct m3 to d34l w1th th4t?” Pyrope clarified, an edge in her voice halfway between frustrated and unamused. “WWell… I-” “GUYS!” Nitram hailed. Finally, the arguing trolls turned towards the Page of Breath, whose face held an exasperated expression. “1f you’d shut up a moment, 1’d 8e a8le to tell you that Ra1n8ow’s try1ng to talk to us.” “What? How?” Ampora stammered. “-.-- --- ..- / - .-. --- .-.. .-.. ... / .- .-. . / ... .-.. --- .-- / .- ... / -- --- .-.. .- ... ... . ... .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / -.- -. --- .-- / - .... .- - ..--..” Rainbow knocked. “Well, there’s no call for you to 8e rude!” Nitram scolded the alicorn outside the window. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in response. “No call for- wait! You don’t mean...” Karkat groaned. “Yep,” Nitram replied. “Morse Code.” “Pssssssssh! You memorized Morse Code?” Serket laughed. “Nitram, you’re such a 8oy scout.” “Hey! 1t never hurts to 8e prepared,” Nitram countered. “.- .-.. .-. .. --. .... - --..-- / .. .----. ...- . / .... .- -.. / .- -... --- ..- - / . -. --- ..- --. .... .-.-.- / .. .----. -- / .--- ..- ... - / --. --- -. -. .- / - . .-.. . .--. --- .-. - / .. -. .-.-.-” Rainbow knocked. “Alright, Scout, what did she just say?” Serket challenged. “Work1ng on 1t,” Nitram shouted back. “Alr1ght- huh, that’s the f1rst word. Alr1ght, 1’ve... had enough… 1’m just gonna… teleport-” Not a second after Nitram had finished the word, a flash of light and accompanying sound effect signaled Rainbow’s entrance. The Alicorn shook herself a little, shivering. “About time I came in. You’d be surprised how cold it is out in the endless vacuum of space.” “WWha- howw did you get in here?” Eridan cried. “Um- I teleported. Pretty obvious,” Rainbow deadpanned. “No, but- howw did you find us in the first place?” “Almost didn’t actually,” Rainbow replied. She glanced towards Zahhak. “Your Voidy thing is working pretty well. It took me a little longer than expected to find you.” “:33< Oh! That’s great to hear!” Leijon grinned. “Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow said, mostly ignoring the Huntress. Maryam, on the other hand… “Hey, Maryam!” Rainbow called. “I meant to ask- can I borrow a lipstick?” “...Lipstick? I’m Sure There Is No Tube Of Lipstick Lying In My Pocket. There Is, However, A Chainsaw,” Maryam replied, her straight words hiding a sly smile. “Fine, can I borrow that then?” Rainbow groaned. Maryam tossed her the saw, which Rainbow captchalogued in her sylladex. “Wait a minute, how the hell do you have a sylladex?” Karkat cried. “And why the fuck are you even here? And when did you ascend to alicorndom?” “Alicorndom? Bro, is that even a word?” Makara’s voice faded in from the background. “0h c0me 0n Vantas! The answer is kind 0f 0bvi0us,” Megido smiled. “What? No it isn’t. I can’t for the life of me think of a way that Rainbow Dash somehow ascended to both God Tier and alicorndom, if that is in fact a word, in the span of time since we last saw her!” “1t 1s k1nd of obv1ous, 4ctu4lly,” Pyrope said. “1 m31n, th1nk 4bout 1t. V3rs1on of D4sh w1th knowl3dg3 sh3 shouldn’t h4v3, who’s 4pp4r3ntly sc4l3d th3 3ch3l4dd3r 1n 4 s33m1ngly m1nut3 p3r1od of t1m3? Th3r3’s r34lly only on3 4nsw3r.” Vantas’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean-” Rainbow grinned. “Yeah. To avoid confusion, you probably ought to call me Future Dash.” She then took a glance at her wrist. “Welp, would you look at the time, I oughta be getting back to Equus. And, uh, you better be coming with me.” “Wait, what?” Vantas asked. He got no reply- instead, a spiralling mix of colors flashed through the lab, filling everyone’s vision with spots. When the dazzling light faded away, the complex was deserted, save for an empty war map at an abandoned table. ----- With a flash of brilliant iridescence, Future Dash materialized in Luna’s room, twelve Doomed Gods appearing alongside her. “Hey. Sorry it took so long,” Dash apologized, rubbing the back of her head as her tagalongs glanced to and fro, surprised by the sudden change of location. “Err- you’ve only been gone about two minutes,” Twilight said, glancing at a clock on the wall. “...Right. Time shenanigans.” “Egads, Rainbow. Your prismatic entrance hath smote mine corneas,” Luna cried, lifting her shades to rub at her eyeballs. “Gah!” Vantas cried, stumbling backwards at the sight of the Princess of the Night. He fell to the floor, bringing up his arms to protect himself. Serket, on the other hand, sprang into action, dashing towards Luna, rushing to attack. “Woah! Hold it, there,” Dash interrupted, telekinetically grabbing Serket’s cape. “Hold it there!?” Serket cried, whirling around. “Fuck you! You just teleported us into a trap!” “Hey, no I didn’t!” Future Dash shouted back. “We’re all friends here. We’re all gonna sit down and I’ll do some expository thing and we’ll all be friends. Hear that?” “Oh for the love of gog, what the hell are you talking about, and what the fuck is she doing here!?” Vantas screamed, jabbing a finger in Luna’s direction. “Yeah, what he said! But with less swearing and general angriness!” Pinkie giggled. “No forget that! Let’s get out of here 8efore they can trick us anymore!” Serket ordered, struggling in Future Dash’s clutches. “Serket, I Don’t Believe That Our Host’s Intentions Are So Nearly Malignant, And I Think You’d Notice That if You’d Calm Down For But A Moment,” Maryam advised. “Uh, Twi? Were these twelve always so chaotic?” Applejack whispered, watching as the trolls’ argument regressed into a match of amplitude. “I… don’t think so?” Twilight replied. “Then again, the only times we’ve ever actually seen them is under stressing circumstances that demand unification. Maybe they’re dysfunctional unless they’re in a pinch?” “Twilight dear, I’d recommend you cover your ears,” Rarity piped up. “What? Why?” “Well, you see, I think Princess Luna is taking a deep breath.” “Wha- oh. OH.” Twilight’s eyes widened in understanding, and with a quick spell she conjured several pairs of earplugs. Just in time too- Luna took a step toward the trolls, and opened her mouth. The Royal Canterlot Voice is a relic of the past, and yet a fundamentally intriguing one. It plays into psychological aspects, views of authority and the power of volume. Many a being once prideful and feared has found itself cowed in the face of the overwhelming might of the Voice, and has then slunk off with its tail between its legs, perhaps under the effects of the familiar feeling of maternal scolding. The Voice is just so compelling, a blunt tool of manipulation nonetheless effective. Some have theorized that the very nature of the Voice contains manipulative spells woven into it, while others simply state that you usually listen to the loudest pony. Whatever the case, when Luna used the Voice it worked. “I Command Thee, Cease Your Petty Squabbles At Once. Important Matters Rise Ever Higher O’er The Horizon, And Thy Childish Fizgigs Shalt Not Be The Ones To Doom Us All!” Luna shouted. Mmm… no, shouted is nowhere near a strong enough word. Luna vocalized the equivalent of the population of Luxembourg all screaming at the top of their lungs an order to stop acting like a child and get to work. Needless to say, the trolls obeyed. “Thank you, Luna,” Future Dash said, gratefully. “And now that I think I have all your attention, I can start with the explanations.” “Yes. Please do,” Karkat snarked. One glance from Luna shut him up. “As I was saying, and as many of you have probably guess, I am from the future,” Future Dash said. “In order to differentiate between me and the version of me from this timeline, I’d like you to call me Future Dash.” “Original,” Serket snarked. Luna gave her a sour look. Serket returned it. “As I was saying,” Future Dash interrupted, her voice holding a frustrated tone, “I come from an alternate timeline. A doomed timeline. Here’s the thing, guys- in the future, shit goes down and you guys mess up. We were all supposed to rise to the occasion or whatever, but instead we all died.” A couple of the room’s occupants, ponies mostly, gave a short gasp at this. “A-are you joking?” Rainbow Dash (the indigenous one, that is,) interrupted, a little bit hesitantly. “I mean, how could any of us die? We’re far too awesome for that.” “Do I look like I’m joking?” Future Dash asked. Rainbow caught one look at her alternate self’s expression and froze. Then, a with a little bit of shame, she turned away. “I’m not. “ Future Dash clarified. “For a variety of reasons, in the future everything goes to hell and last I left it Pinkie and I were pretty much the only ones alive.” “Reasons? What sort of reasons?” Twilight asked. “I’m getting to that,” Future Dash replied. “But art thou sure you wish to share your futuristic knowledge with… them?” Luna asked, casting a disapproving glare in the direction of the trolls. “Don’t get cocky, Lulu,” Ampora replied, twirling his wand between his fingers. “As I recall, wwe mopped the floor wwith you last time.” “And We would most enjoy seeing you attempt it again,” Luna responded, laying a hoof on the handle of her sheathed katana. “We’ve been told not to attack you, as apparently you are valuable allies. This, of course, remains to be seen.” “Alright, hold up everpony!” Future Dash screeched. “All this arguing is exactly the reason that everything went to hell in the first place!”The arguing parties turned towards her, blushing a little at being called out. “Wh4t do you m34n ‘4ll th1s 4rgu1ng?’” Pyrope inquired. “I mean, one of the big reasons that we lost in the future was because nopony could agree on anything!” Future Dash shouted back. “Even after we all agreed that we had to work together, we were so discordant that barely any decisions were made. We couldn’t agree on plan of attack, our next step, heck, what to order for dinner! And don’t even get me started on what happened before we all agreed to team up.” “Why? What happened?” Rarity asked. “Well, there was that time Ampora killed Twilight in a hope-fueled rage,” Future Dash offered. The trolls closest to Ampora took a slow step away as the seadweller cast a nervous glance in Twilight’s direction. “Or the time that Applejack lynched Zahhak in a vengeance-fueled rampage.” Leijon gave a gasp, and Applejack turned a little green. “Oh, and there was the time Nitram and Fluttershy both went insane, killed a bunch of people, and were only stopped when they killed each other.” “OK, now I know you’re just making this all up,” Serket challenged. “Nope. That actually happened,” Future Dash responded. “And it wasn’t pretty.” Nitram glanced nervously at himself, while Fluttershy looked a little faint. “Yeah, needless to say we oughta dispel any notions of being enemies here and now,” Future Dash ordered. “Because there’s some serious events coming up and we’re gonna need the power of teamwork to pull through… shoot, that sounded really cheesy, didn’t it? Ah well.” “So, what exactly went wrong in your timeline?” Twilight asked. “Well… it was definitely a gradual degradation, but I suppose if you want to get specific it all started when that Hive Lord committed regicide…” ----- “This is a bright day for the Epsilon Squad!” Bramble Scout declared to no one in particular as he waltzed through the clouded streets. “A personal thanking from Princess Celestia herself, and a promotion! This sure is the high life!” “...I dunno. Is it really all that great?” Rune Blaze asked. “I feel like like I’m walking on a big ball of cotton.” “Yeah! And walking on cotton feels amazing!” Bramble Scout grinned. “You sure about that?” Rune Blaze challenged. “I mean- it’s all so flimsy and unsupportive! I feel like at any minute I’m about to fall to my death.” “Pssh. OK, Blaze, you’ve got to be joking,” Cloud Cover teased, hovering above the group. “Please don’t tell me that we got elected to the elite Cloudsdale guard and you still found something to complain about.” “Alright you three, calm down back there,” Escutcheon called from the head of the group. “I’d like to think that being promoted to the Cloudsdale guard should be a call for you to act more maturely.” “But sir-” “Private Rune Blaze, look at all these ponies!” Escutcheon lectured, pointing towards the multitude of pegasi perusing the sunny streets, drifting idly through the sky or racing around the buildings. “All these innocent lives are in constant danger! A criminal lurks could lurk around every corner, or worse, every corner! We are the shield that’s called upon to protect these ponies. This is a serious business, Privates, and you lot need to start acting like it.” “But sir, this cloudwalking spell itches,” Rune Blaze whined, trying to scratch beneath his armor. “You’re a smart pony, Private. Do something about it.” “Hey Team?” Bramble Scout interrupted, raising a hoof to gesture toward the sky. “What’s that?” A spot of black appeared on the horizon, gradually growing bigger as it approached. Escutcheon narrowed his eyes. “That,” he muttered darkly, “is trouble.” He raised his voice. “Squad! We have an unidentified flying object, approaching from east. Prepare for the first sign of attack!” The squad nodded, their hooves flying across the fluffy streets as the raced to meet the ever-approaching figure. The black object zoomed forwards, and slammed through a nearest house. As the squad scrambled away from the point of impact to get a better line of attack, it shook itself free from loose clouds. Rune Blaze’s eyes widened. He knew the shape, yet for the life of him he did not understand how had it happened. The form of High Lord Noir unfolded himself. Taking advantage of Narrative Causalty, he allowed for a shot as dramatic as possible. “Your subtlety truly knows no bounds.” Scratch, quit it. I’m in the middle of some drama here. “Exactly. Is this truly necessary?” ‘Course it is. Now stop hounding for my position. It’s not going to happen. He truly had changed since the Invasion. Metallic claws- “I was not finished.” Gah! Stop it! I am trying to tell a story here, and you are NOT helping! “You know why I’m doing this.” Because in some alternate future you had the honor? HA! You can’t narrate your way out of a paper bag! “Allow me to demonstrate. “The Hive Lord’s ascension had wrought great changes to his physique. Strong skeletal hooves had replaced the holed abominations; his insectile wings were given a backseat in favor of stronger, draconic ones. His-” Bah! You are boring, and worse! You’re biased at the magnificent creations of my people, that’s what! “I hold no bias. You know my stand.” Stand-schmand. Now can I PLEASE keep narrating? The Narrative Casualty has almost finished! Scratch that. It HAS finished. The action’s in full swing, how in Tartarus do you expect me to relay to the readers what’s been going on? “We shall speak again later.” About goddamn time he- Ouch! That had to hurt... ahem. Bramble Scout scrambled to his hooves, head still reeling from the Changeling’s blow. He charged forth, timing his jump with one of Escutcheon’s attacks. As he slammed into the spot the Hive Lord had stood moments before, he suddenly realized that this was it for him. The thought was punctuated by his squadmate’s attack drilling though his ears. Noir couldn’t help it; he laughed. “Ya just don’t get it, do ya?” He craned his neck forwards. “Ya lose. Red Miles.” Stringy, red tendrils unraveled from his horn. The crown affixed on his head flashed. With nary a thought, the Miles dug into every street, every building... every pony both inside the houses and panicking on the streets. The bloody tendrils tore Cloudsdale apart, scattering the clouds into drifting wisps of vapor, searing through buildings, impaling ponies left and right. The clouds, or those that remained, were stained with splotches of red, and what was left of the Epsilon Squad, caught in the midst of the attack, found the ground beneath them breaking up, and suddenly seemed so much more vulnerable to gravity. Several pegasi took to the skies, attempting to escape the blaze of death, only for a stray tendril to drive itself through them, leaving their bodies to fall away. The Wonderbolts darted towards Noir, simply blurs of color leaving trails of smoke as they jetted towards the creature. Noir grinned. “Ya still don’t get it. No matter what ya do, ya don’t live. Ya just can’t escape the miles!” Noir’s statement was followed with three cries of pain as a tendril skewered through the attacking pegasi. Noir grinned, and with the flap of his wings he rose, ascending to see the city in the clouds become nothing but a collection of wisps and vapors as the monument to pegasus ability crumbled and crackled with red. The lightshow was seen for, pardon the pun, miles. ----- Seeing the bloody flash that was his boss’s idea of a signal, Drone Director rolled his multifaceted eyes. “Right, lads. You got the go, let’s do this thing.” He gazed over his team. Both Hadean Batterer and Combustible Detonator were there, looking as they always did. The new fourth member he’d chosen after some deliberating from the former library. Boss didn’t like libraries. The new ‘ling was of the Scholar caste. He wasn’t as massive as HB, or as quick as CD. In fact, his build was quite similar to the boss, or what he’d been at any rate. It was a deciding factor. The other deciding factor was his intelligence. DD was loath to admit it, but none of the other guys in the team were exactly smart. And an intelligent company was what he craved. The ‘ling’s name was PD. All ‘lings, drones or not, had initials for names. It made much easier to add proper titles in accordance to their occupations. Since PD had been a library ‘ling, his title had been Pattern Decoder. It had also been evidenced by his clip-on spectacles, though now he’d switched them for thin sunglasses. DD supposed it was a Scholar thing. After some deliberation, he’d promoted the ‘ling to Pyral Detractor. He’d taken to it like fish to water. At yet another spike of the “Miles”, DD sent his wings to a whir and took into the air. He knew the team would be following, and the bulk of the forces behind them. They had a lot of work to do. ----- “...So when he caught the enormous ball of magic, instead of devouring it, he threw it back at us. It looked hopeless until Megido flew up and caught it in one of her timestop fields. But then the second guy came at her with a knife, and we were all to slow to react. It was Heroic because she’d been trying to save us. But yeah, that’s basically how you died,” Future Dash explained to the group. Megido, who had been holding her breath since the topic of her death came up, finally let it out. “It’s n0t as bad as I th0ught it w0uld be,” she said with a relieved sigh. “A her0ic death, pr0tecting my friends, is just what I w0uld’ve wanted.” “Yeah, you 2tiill probably want two try and prevent iit,” Captor said. “Agreed,” Future Dash added. “Who next… ah! Maryam!” “Hold a moment, Dash,” Luna interjected, placing a hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder. “I feel a great disturbance in the night, as if as if thousands of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.” “Huh? What’re you talking about?” Dash asked. “That’s not supposed to happen for another-” “Uh- guys?” Twilight asked from the window. “Why is there a spot of red on the horizon? It’s too early for Princess Celestia to raise the sun, right?” “It- it can’t have happened already,” Future Dash gasped, rushing to the window. “I- I thought we had time-” “Hey, what’re you talking about?” Vantas cried. “It’s too early for what?” Vantas’s answer was answered not a second later, as with a flash of light a scrap of paper appeared at Twilight’s hooves. The unicorn spent a moment or two just staring at the missive, before, with shaking hooves, she picked it up and unfurled it. “To The Elements of Harmony,” she read with a shuddering voice, struggling to read the shaky hoofwriting. “Cloudsdale… destroyed. No ordinary changeling… too much power. Send help. NOW.” “What!? Rainbow Dash cried. She turned to her future self, her eyes on the verge of tears. “I thought you said that this wasn’t supposed to happen for days!” “I thought it wasn’t,” Future Dash responded, looking towards the ground. “This is all happening too fast- too soon.” “Cloudsdale,” Rainbow breathed, glancing towards the dancing spot of red rising above the city buildings. “My family…” “Luna, you and I are the fastest,” Future Dash said. “If we get there quick enough, we should be able to catch him before he can escape.” “Agreed,” Luna replied, spreading her wings as she prepared for flight. “What’re you talking about!” Rainbow Dash screamed. “That’s my home under attack as well as yours. I’m coming with you!” “You won’t be able to keep up,” Future Dash responded. “Hah! Try me,” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Look, I’m not trying to be snarky here,” Future Dash growled, taking a step towards Rainbow Dash. “This isn’t the time for snark. This is the time for action, swift and devastating, and when I say you won’t be able to keep up I mean you’re not going to be able to keep up.” “But what if you’re not strong enough?” Fluttershy piped up. “You said that Noir had the power of two alicorns!” “Yeah. And look here,” Future Dash replied, gesturing to herself and Luna. “Two alicorns.” “I’m still coming,” Rainbow Dash stubbornly growled. “You’re still not!” Future Dash responded. “Guys!” Twilight interrupted, raising a hoof towards the window. The arguing parties turned to see a small trail of smoke spotted with specks of green, floating towards the Element of Magic. Twilight raised her hoof and caught the scroll that appeared in a poof of flame. As she opened it, she let out a small gasp. “Ponyville under attack,” she whispered. “Changelings. Send help. NOW.” ----- Spike lay curled in the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink, nestled in a niche between the plumbing. He’d sent his distress signal, but there wasn’t much more he could do to help. Now, he lay in hiding, hoping that none of the bugs would find him. It was all he could do to simply lie still and stay quiet as he his ears picked up the sound of hoofsteps, a tapping against the wooden floors of the library as the tree was searched. “Please, don’t come any closer,” Spike begged, praying to every deity he could think of that he’d stay hidden. “Please, go away, let me be safe in here.” “Spike?” a voice called as the cabinet was suddenly flooded with light. “Yaaahh!!!” Spike screeched in terror and surprise. Frantically, he tried to pull himself from the nest of pipes and valves in which he’d hid, but instead found himself tangled in the network of plumbing. He kept jerking his limbs, hoping to break free and escape, his eyes closed out of fear and panic. “Spike, quiet down!” the voice scolded as it enveloped the little dragon in a magical aura, untangling him from the nest of plumbing. “There’s no need to be afraid, it’s only Trixie.” “Oh. Phew,” Spike said in relief, opening his eyes to confirm that it was in fact the blue stage magician-turned-oddjobs pony. “For a moment there, I thought the changelings had found me.” “No. Not yet, at least,” Trixie said in a low voice. “Amethyst Star and I are working on the evacuation procedure- the first step being of course to spread the plan.” “OK then. What’s the plan?” Spike asked. “Woah woah woah. Discord, you cannot simply throw a character nopony expects into a story without there being an appropriate explanation for why she’s there.” I know that, Scratch, but this is a high tension moment. I added the little tag of “stage magician-turned-oddjobs pony” to imply that she’s come to Ponyville a more humble mare, and her behavior shows that she’s thoroughly on the side of good, but a full on paragraph of exposition would disrupt the flow of the situation! “Well, you can’t simply expect the audience to accept such a seemingly random edition without sufficient explanations.” Oh bollocks to that. You know what Scratch, seeing as this little interruption of yours has already derailed whatever pacing may have been there originally, why don’t you give us an explanation then? “With pleasure. So you see, on a lonely night a pony had wandered into the town where all her troubles had arisen. A failed performer, without even the wagon that had symbolized her success, she truly had hit rock bottom. In some mares that may create a drive of anger, a thirst for vengeance, and it likely would’ve to her had not she had an epiphany. She chose to attempt to make better on her misdeeds, in the hope that in turn, the misdeeds done to her would likewise be made better upon. Now, to begin with she tried to procure a spot as librarian, filling in a void that had been left by Twilight Sparkle’s unfortunate departure, but-” OK, you know, forget what I said. Don’t do exposition. Let’s just… try this again. “The changelings are probably going to try driving everypony into townsquare, rounding everyone up and such,” Trixie explained. “We’re getting some of the faster pegasi to distract them, drawing away as many changelings as they can and spreading the numbers thin. Meanwhile, All Aboard and Steamer are working on getting the Friendship Express up and running. If we can get everypony onto the train, we’ll be able to escape to Canterlot.” “All right then. How can I help?” Spike grinned, saluting the unicorn by raising a hand to his forehead. Trixie gave a little giggle. “Well, you can come with me and help spread the word,” Trixie informed. “You’ve gotta be sneaky though. No more crying out in surprise.” “You’ve got it!” Spike agreed. “Excellent. I need to go now. More ponies to warn,” Trixie said. She lit her horn, and with a flash of magenta, disappeared. Spike took a moment to wonder which house to try first, before making his decision. The little dragon scurried towards the door. Poking his head out and glancing to and fro, and spotting no signs of changelings, Spike proceeded to slip out of the library and into the streets. Keeping low to the side of the road, he slunk alongside the corner of the road, constantly on the look out for any insects. Luck was on his side, as the streets were more or less barren, and he made his way to Scootaloo’s house without incident. “I really hope you three had a sleepover last night,” Spike muttered to himself as he slowly opened the door. Slipping into the house, at first glance he found it abandoned. The rooms were deserted. Nopony was hiding under the beds, behind the curtains, or in the closets. “Girls?” Spike tentatively called, desperately hoping for an answer. A small noise, like the drop of a hat, echoed through the silent halls. Spike turned towards the source of the sound, and found himself facing the granite counters and wooden cabinets of the kitchen. “Oh, don’t tell me,” Spike muttered to himself. With a deadpan expression, he walked across the room and opened the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink. “Yaaaaaah!!!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders screamed as their hiding place flooded with light. As they frantically worked to free themselves from the plumbing, Spike’s palm met face as he gave a small sigh. ----- Silently, Spike lead the CMC out into the clear streets. The four slowly tiptoed through Ponyville’s back alleys, or at least the smaller streets that were the closest thing Ponyville had to back alleys. “Spike, are you sure this plan is gonna work?” Applebloom whispered. “It has to,” Spike whispered back. “It’s the only one we have, isn’t it?” “I’ve got a question,” Sweetie Belle said. “Where are we gonna meet all the other evacuees?” Spike stopped in his tracks. “I… don’t know,” he said. “Trixie never told me.” “Changeling!” Scootaloo quietly cried, spotting one of the bugs up ahead. Spike reacted quickly, dragging the fillies beneath a nearby bench as the changeling hovered by. After the insect passed, the four emerged from the hiding spot. “OK,” Spike said. “So, if we’re all going to be escaping via train, we must be meeting up somewhere close to it then, right?” “Yeah, that makes sense,” Sweetie Belle responded. “Then that’s where we’re going!” Spike announced. “To the station!” “Changeling!” Scootaloo cried again. The four of them ducked back under the bench as another of the insects passed by. Soon as the bug was out of sight, the children extricated themselves from beneath the bench. “Alright,” Spike said. “Now, to the station.” The four of them made slow progress. Scrambling for cover whenever a changeling appeared, it was at least thirty minutes before they found themselves at the train station. From all appearances, it seemed abandoned as ever. “Uh- Spike? Are you sure this is the right place?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Mmm- pretty sure it would be,” the dragon replied. “Let’s see here…” He glanced around the area. The station was at the very edge of Ponyville. A couple deserted shops lay close to the station, and a main road lead to the rest of Ponyville. Behind the station, there wasn’t much but fields and railroad tracks, save for a ditch and river running close by the terminal. Wait a minute… “Here!” Spike cried, dashing towards the river. He reached its edge, and peered down just in time to see the first ponies emerge from a great pipe jutting out into the gulley. “Spike!” Trixie cried as the she noticed the dragon above her. “Is it all clear up there?” “Roger that,” Spike answered, grinning as what seemed to be the entire population of Ponyville made their way out of hiding in the ditch, gathering quietly near the train. Trixie lead the way, Spike and the Crusaders at her side, while the pink Amethyst Star took up the rear of the group, guiding the ponies towards the station. “All Aboard?” Amethyst Star asked, stepping towards the Friendship Express as the last of the ponies filed into the square. “Is the train ready yet?” For a moment or two, there was simply silence. Then, a brown stallion emerged from within, leaping wildly from the train. “Get back!” All Aboard screamed. “It’s gonna-” He couldn’t finish his sentence as the train exploded. A wave of energy, and earsplitting boom that knocked over any pony too close to the vehicle, as a fireball rose into the sky. “No,” All Aboard whispered. “We’d just gotten it fixed.” The ponies as one turned back towards the town, intent on rushing away from the scene. Their route of escape was cut off, however, when the buildings nearest the station lit in unison, a blazing inferno springing up as if consciously trying to trap the ponies. From the street, flanked by fire on either side, came a dark figure, grinning like mad. “Yes, rush for the train,” PD mocked in a drawling sneer. “Such a wonderful plan. If you’d actually gotten to it, there’d be no way we could keep up, eh boss?” “Quite true, quite true,” DD responded, appearing suddenly next to a burning shop. “It’s just too bad, then, that we’re so good at thinking like ponies. Too bad indeed.” “Oh no,” Spike whispered, the Crusaders inching closer to the stunned Trixie. DD gave a wild laugh, and made some gesture of advancement. Slowly, the sky above filled with black spots, and the ponies realized for once that they were completely and utterly surrounded. ----- PD and CD were cackling in glee as they cut off yet another herd attempting to run, lobbing explosives and molotovs. HB was knocking out stallions that fit his, err, requirements, though a large red one was giving him particular trouble. DD did his best not to think about that one. He spotted an amethyst mare attempting to sneak away, and with a flash of green teleported into her path. “Now, where might you be going?” the Director grinned, hefting his ultra-violence cue stick. The mare freezed, before slowly beginning to back away. DD’s grin widened as he stepped closer. A bolt of violet magic struck the ground less than a meter before the Drone Director. He gave a growl, glancing towards the source, and found his vision filled with gray fist. Moments later Zahhak’s punch sent him flying into a building. “Despicable,” Twilight spat as she floated down from the air. The rest of the Elements of Harmony, as well as the trolls, floated down next to her, the Breeze that held them aloft now setting them gently on the ground. Already, those with wings took to the skies, batting changelings out of the air as the rest of the group worked on the ground. Nitram raised his hand, and a gust of wind extinguished the roaring fires by the buildings. “Twilight!” Spike cried with glee, rushing towards the unicorn. He gave the librarian a tight hug, wrapping his little arms around as much of her as he could reach. “I knew you’d come.” “I’m sorry it took so long,” Twilight replied. “There was a little bit of an argument, and-” Twilight was cut off as she noticed the CMC and a certain mare approach. “Trixie?” she gasped. “What are you doing here?” “It’s... a long story,” the ex-stage magician replied. “But I’m glad you showed up. Err- you brought some unusual help though,” “Yeah. The Trolls are… I barely even know what to think of them anymore actually,” Twilight said. “It’s… a long story.” “Over 100,000 words long in fact!” Pinkie giggled as she hopped by, delivering frosted justice to changelings everywhere. “Well, any help is appreciated,” Trixie said. “Now, what happened to that changeling with a suit?” “Hold 1t!” a voice cried. Pyrope, who had been passing by, froze and landed next to the ponies. “DD 1s h3r3? Wh3r3?” “Um- Zahhak knocked him into that building, I think,” Twilight answered, gesturing towards a wrecked shop. “1s h3 unconsc1ous? H3 h4s to b3 unconsc1ous! Th3 guy 1sn’t stup1d- 1f h3 s33s wh4t’s h4pp3n1ng, th3n h3’s go1ng to-” “Mages!” DD called as he emerged from the building. “Retreat! And that’s an order!” The changelings froze whatever they were doing to light their horns. The bulk of Ponyville, mostly still clustered near the wreckage of the Friendship Express, was caught in a brilliant green light. The Director turned towards Twilight and gave a smug tip of the hat just before he, his forces, and the entire population of Ponyville disappeared. “What! No!” Twilight cried at the now barren square. “No no no! How- how did they!” “Th3y t3l3port3d off,” Pyrope groaned. “W3 w3r3n’t f4st 3nough, 4nd now th3y got 4w4y w1th most of Ponyv1ll3.” “My family,” Applejack gasped, glancing with horror at the emptied square. “Applejack!” Applebloom cried, rushing towards her sister. Applejack turned, and at the sight of the filly, broke down crying, embracing the foal. Rarity did the same with Sweetie Belle. Rainbow and Scootaloo looked awkwardly at each other for a couple seconds, before they too hugged. “Thanks for rescuing the foals, Trixie,” Twilight said. “At least they weren’t taken.” “Yes,” Trixie replied. “Thank Celestia for that.” “We’ve got to go after those changelings,” Twilight said, turning to the group at large. “We need to rescue everypony.” “That’s not gonna happen anytime soon,” Vantas replied, downheartedly. “The Changelings probably teleported back to their hive. We don’t even know where that is, and a good raid would take planning and careful consideration, both things we don’t have time to do.” “W3ll, 1sn’t th1s just 4 bust,” Pyrope groaned to herself. “1 hop3 Lun4 4nd Futur3 D4sh 4r3 do1ng b3tt3r th4n w3 4r3.” At the mention of those two, the ponies and trolls instinctively swiveled their heads in the direction that Cloudsdale had once been. Now, all that was left in the spot were a few wisps of light clouds in the otherwise dark night sky. Over there, a ferocious battle was taking place, and the ponies could only hope that Luna and Dash would come out of it triumphant. Suddenly, a great burst of green light rose above the treelines, a spike of energy that singed the traces of vapor that were all that was left of Cloudsdale. “Um… that energy burst was Luna’s, right? Or Dash’s?” Vantas asked, an edge of desperation in his voice. “Oh No,” Maryam said, pointing upwards. The trolls followed her gesture to find stars streaking across the night sky, points of light becoming lines, flames clouding around the meteors as they entered the atmosphere. The astral projectiles zoomed one by one, arching towards the ground before crashing into the site of Luna and Noir’s battle, with a series of ferocious explosions. “What’s going on over there?” Twilight wondered aloud, her tone full of concern. “Oh no,” Pyrope gasped. “On no nono no no! How could 1 h4v3 b33n so bl1nd?” “Uh, 2hould II an2wer that, or-” Captor shut his mouth when he caught sight of Pyrope’s grim expression. “4 t1m3-tr4v3l3r from 4 doom3d t1m3l1n3,” Pyrope whispered. “4nd 4 pow3rful f1ght3r w1th 4 k4t4n4 4nd tr14ngul4r sh4d3s, str1f1ng 4 d3mon1c, 4sc3nd3d v3rs1on of J4ck No1r.” It took seconds for the trolls to get it. Then a gasp echoed through the crowd as a wave of fear and disbelief washed over them. “Nitram, do the windy thing,” Vantas ordered. “We need to get to Cloudsdale, now.” ----- The site looked less like a battlefield and more like a bomb-testing site. The earth was baked hard and crisp, blackened and scorched, like a big scar on what once had been a field of grass. Now there was nothing green for several kilometers. The ground was speckled with pits and dents where blasts of searing magic had scoured away the dirt. Hive Lord Noir was nowhere to be seen, and the site was almost silent… that is, except for the shuddering sobs of Future Dash, at the bottom of an enormous crater kilometers wide, as she draped herself over a body still recognizable even if it was bruised and charred, and even if the crescent moon had been cut and scorched, and even if it oozed with red where the sword it had owned in life had entered its chest and dug into the ground beneath. The night sky was empty of all light, save the moon- the stars were gone, just like the spark of life had left the corpse below, and Future Dash’s wails helped only to cement one unimaginable point. Princess Luna was dead. ----- … “Alright, so here’s how I would’ve written that better. See, to start with, you- hold on a moment, are you even listening to me?” ...Too soon, Scratch. Too soon. End of Chapter Two