All across the city people answered their phones, worried about what the next command from this crazy woman would be.
"I have learned unfortunate news. Somebody burned down the ONE PLACE I WANTED CLEANED!" She screeched, almost everyone recoiling from the shout. "You may think that this would have warranted immediate and irredeemable failure, and the crushing of your planet like an egg. Normally, you would be correct. Fortunately, I have a far, far better idea." Inapan approached the ship's control panel and began fiddling with the many, many switches. After a short while, Flash approached the comm.
"Uh, don't hang up, this might actua-" Before he could finish, a large green ray shot up into the sky and began forming a force field around the city. Many could only watch in awe as this happened, many tried to make a mad dash out of the city, and even more took this opportunity to crawl up into the fetal position. With one final thump, the green shield turned clear, and all the city was trapped.
"Now you know how serious this really is. This is a cloaking and deflecting shield. While it was redundant on my ship due to its design it proves far more useful on land, where many, many forces have tried to force their way in... and out."
"You now have two options to save your beloved planet: Clean ALL of the city by next week or Bring me a certain set of girls. You should know them by the names of Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. Bring them to me alive and I will leave your planet in peace."
"That wasn't part of the deal!" Flash gasped.
"You wanted me to alter the deal, pray I do not alter it further." Inapan laughed. "My sister and I shall still come to investigate your progress. Clean the city or give those girls who dared to be your saviors. You only have a week to decide! Make it count." The sound of her rudely hanging up echoed through the city.
The girls stared at their phones (well, the girls who still had their phones did at least), mortified. After the longest time there came a knock on each of their doors and they froze.
"Sweetie?" came the voice of all their mothers (or, in the case of Applejack, Granny Smith). All the crew were silent, not sure what to do. "We've been thinking about going... out tonight." They began. "You have our permission to go out as well, as long as your friends know and you don't get into trouble." It was clear she was trying to talk in double-speak, the announcement troublesome to her.
"She's right. You should go out tonight with your friends, have some fun. Maybe just go camping for the rest of the week?" Their fathers (or Big Mac in Applejack's case) chimed in. "Actually..." The male guardian's voice sounded shaky. "That's a command. You and your friends NEED to go out and have a fun time camping!" The girls were unsure how to respond. "RIGHT NOW!"
"...Yes." Each of them finally responded. "Give me some time to pack."
"If anyone asks, you already left." Their guardians replied.
"That was really nice of your parents, Twilight." Spike said. "And convenient too!" The girl didn't comment as she began grabbing what they needed, packing them into their bags, and fled. Each of the girls had packed quickly, knowing exactly why their guardians had told them that.
Twilight dialed Sunset Shimmer on her landline. "Shimmer w-"
"I know, I know, the others told me five times over. I'll meet you by the forest."
While the girls fled to the wilderness, their homes were being swarmed with people, all of them not wishing to suffer a horrible fate. They would find nothing, not even any valuables or heirlooms. The families were gone, having feared for their lives just as much as their family's. Despite the swarm of hundreds of angry, terrified people, and none of them were the teens from Canterlot High.
The City Council members stared out the window, astounded by what had just happened. Filthy set down his cell-phone and turned to the group.
"Well, it seems we have a far larger problem than anticipated."
Zecora was the next to come to. "Yes, this is quite a problem. I feel bad for those girls, to have this thrust upon them."
"What do we do? We can't just hand over a group of children to this loony!" Mayor Mare asked.
"We should!" Rich's wife said. "This is the needs of the many versus the needs of a few. Sacrifices have to be made!"
"You backpedaled really fast there man." Treehugger laughed. "Like, you wanted her head on a pike, and now you just want her to leave. This isn't even a choice, man. Just clean the environment, make the world a better place. She's just saying what we should've been hearing long ago, man."
"Wait, she just sealed us into a dome. And said nothing could get in or out of it, right?" Celestia asked.
"She more implied it." Mister Rich answered. "But we'll be fine. I've had my men calculate the likelihood of a riot ever taking place in the event of a tragedy and it's only a 45 percent. As long as nobody starts breaking the law, it will be fine. It's called the Broken Window effect."
"Why would you need to know that about the general population?" Treehugger asked. "And didn't you say you weren't that rich?"
"Everyone knows that during a sociological upheaval the first to go are politicians and the upper class. As a member of both of those parties, I figure it's best I stay ahead of the curve. Besides, we still have police, and all we have to do is make sure they do their duty for the remaining week."
"Right. In the face of the potential apocalypse we will have to start organizing and leading so that we can all get through this difficult time." Celestia nodded. "If those girls were smart they'd have gone into hiding by now, so finding them is a fool's errand. We just need to clean the city."
"It's decided then. I'll go to the station and give the boys a pep talk." Mayor Mare nodded.
"I'll get the students to start working on the city." Celestia chimed in.
"I'll provide rewards for those who prove most useful." Mister Rich said, standing up.
"I'll write up punishments for those who don't." His wife nodded.
"We will all need supplies to clean, I'll get to work like a machine." Zecora smiled.
"I'll rally the people, and try to keep them in control." Luna added.
"And I'll start a peaceful protest against... that lady. You know... the evil one." Treehugger began snickering as the group looked at her.
"Was she even elected?" Filthy's wife whispered, the business man shrugging in response.
While the citizens had begun doing their best to either clean their city or find those girls, other groups had begun their own agendas.
"Mister Armor, Missus Cadence. I trust you know why I called you both here." Principal Cinch's voice echoed through her ominous office.
"Unfortunately..." Shining began. "I-I mean, Totally! You want us to-"
"Find a way to talk with this... Princess." Principal Cinch got up from her seat. After the defeat of the Shadowbolts, Cinch had grown more bitter, more unpleasant, and just plain unhappier. While the students had nothing to fear, rebellion proving to be a far more "cool" alternative to winning, and the staff had no such luck. Without the students, Cinch had turned her weapons to those who were required to remain under her thumb.
"I still don't see why." Dean Cadence said, Cinch turning around to glare at her with her cold, steely eyes. "I-I meant, it would be nice if you told us why we should do this."
The employees did not fear being fired, Cinch had learned that the hard way after the events of the Friendship Games. What they had feared was discipline; forcing long, sleepless nights of paperwork and filing, and all of it often undone by the next poor soul who was given the job was but one punishment the staff would face.
"I want to know more about her. About what she does, what she has come from, and why she wants THOSE girls."
"That's crazy! You saw what she did to the city, who knows what she could do with you!" Cadence butt in.
"Why do you think I wanted to send you?" She retorted. "I will remind you, Cadence, that you and your boyfriend are on shaky enough ground as is." Shining coughed, realizing where this was going. "Go into those woods, find Inapan, and tell her I wish to speak. But if you refuse, I'm sure both of your families would not mind knowing a few things."
"You wouldn't dare..."
"I wouldn't need to. If a certain test result ended up on a certain newspaper editor's desk, it would just be an unfortunate coincidence."
"The school paper wouldn't print that. They hate you!"
"Who was talking about the school, Miss Cadence?" The two pseudo-faculty gulped and looked at one-another. "Good, we have an understanding. You go into the forest and find her, and I forget all about that test."
"How do you know she'll be in the forest?" Shining asked.
"The beam came from there. It isn't rocket science. And if isn't from the forest, then you had better find out WHERE it had come from."