//------------------------------// // The Victor Go the Spoils // Story: Direction // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// Applejack heard the rooster crowing, it was time to get up. Yawning, she rose from bed. After a few seconds, the sleepiness left her head and she ventured downstairs. On the way down, she ran into Apple Bloom going upstairs, happily skipping steps in her joy. “Careful there, little one,” Applejack said. “I know yer excited, but a fall down the stairs is gunna put yer cuteceañera on hold real quick.” The young filly grinned, then turned to display the single red apple on her flank for the hundredth time since she received it. “Isn’t it great, AJ? I thought I’d have to leave the farm, but I can stay right here an’ be a farmer with you an’ Big Mac!” Applejack ruffled the filly’s hair. “Like I said before, it’s great. Now you best finish gettin’ cleaned up, we’re due for guests really soon.” Apple Bloom smiled, then craned her head up to kiss her sister on the cheek. Then she scampered off. Applejack smiled, then headed downstairs. Ma and Pa were in the kitchen. They had spent the whole morning cooking, cleaning, and decorating. Through the window, Applejack could see the tables set up, balloons strung up on every seat. In a few minutes, Pinkie should arrive with their order of cakes and sweets for their youngest foal’s special day. Pa Apple laughed, pulling her daughter into a hug. “You’re up late today, AJ. Out late with your friends?” Applejack gave a small smile. “Yeah. Rare was askin’ me fer help on somethin’. Seems she wanted to get some dresses out that weren’t so frou-frou. Then Twi wanted to spend a few hours with me to figure out some things about Earth Pony magic.” Pa smirked. “That mare...” he shook her head. Ma chuckled. “She’s quite a catch. Too bad Big Mac’s already spoken for. Still, Cheerilee’s quite a mare too.” Then she gave a look to her middle child. “Speakin’ of which...” Applejack hid under her hat. “Ma...” “I’m just saying, you’re about that age...” “Look, can we just drop it? I swear, you’re worse than Rarity.” Pa chuckled. “That mare... I was worried you hangin’ ‘round with some frilly pony like that, but shoot me if it didn’t just make you happy.” Applejack didn’t answer, because she had snuck a piece of toast off a plate. As she bit down, her father kept going. “I’m glad you’ve been making more friends, AJ. And you’ve become a Bearer... we couldn’t be more proud of you.” The cowpony blushed, even though her father said it every day. Her mother said it every day. Her family loved her. Her family was here. “Um, hello?” Twilight peeked in through the open back door. The silly mare still was nervous about entering without knocking, long after she had been declared family. “Twi, what brings you around?” Twilight came in, levitating a tray of uncooked hayburgers behind her. “I just thought I’d bring these by early. Judging from how many ponies are attending, I thought you’d want a head start.” Ma took the tray while Applejack thanked her. “Thanks Twi. Say, as long as you're here, how ‘bout helpin’ me out with my chores? I need an extra hoof if I’m gonna get them done on time.” “AJ, when have I ever said no to that?” Rainbow Dash looked at the papers spread out on her desk. She had done the impossible, being launched up from trainee to leader of the Wonderbolts in a matter of weeks. Even Spitfire had to bow to her awesomeness. True, the role came with a lot of paperwork, but it was for a good cause. “Let’s see, Lightning Dust’s permanent ban... official. Speedy Delivery’s exile papers... official,” she stamped each paper with her hoof. She reached for her drink, only to find it was empty. “Hey, Hoops, refill!” Her former bully, now in a butler’s outfit, refilled her drink with a polite bow. Rainbow Dash was about to return to her papers when her door opened. She looked up to reprimand the recruit for bursting in, but an orange blur tackled her into a hug before she could speak. “Hey Mom,” Scootaloo said, wrapping her forelegs around her. “Oh, hey Scoots,” Rainbow Dash said, kissing her daughter on the forehead. “You just hold up, I’m almost done.” “You know, I could help you get done faster if I were a Wonderbolt too,” the filly said with wide eyes, being sure to turn so her cutie mark was visible. “You’re too young, kiddo. Besides, you owe me a few years of just being my little filly.” “Your little filly?” Soarin said, appearing in the doorway. “I thought she was our little filly.” Rainbow Dash still couldn’t help but feel the band across her hoof every time he saw him. “Hey, I saw her first,” she teased, as her husband crossed the room and kissed her. “Ew,” Scootaloo muttered. “Hey, get used to it, kiddo, you’ll be finding a colt of your own one day.” “Uh-uh, no way.” Dash just grinned. “Well, let me sign a few more papers and we can go. Your Aunt Fluttershy and Aunt Gilda will be meeting us for dinner.” “Cool!” Scootaloo said. “Yeah, but you’ve got to wash up.” “Okay Mom.” She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before retreating to the compound’s bathroom. Soarin grinned. “Speaking of which, I take it you got the papers ready?” Rainbow Dash nodded. It was hard trying to pick between which of her two childhood friends would win the honor of being Scootaloo’s godmother, but in the end, Fluttershy lived in Ponyville and could raise her in familiar surroundings. “I got it right here.” Soarin smiled and kissed her again. Everything was awesome in Rainbow Dash’s world. Trenderhoof took another sip of wine. “I must say, Rarity, your selection is simply divine.” He raised his glass. “Almost as divine as you yourself.” “Oh, you charmer,” Rarity said, sipping her own glass. A year ago, she would have never dreamed it could get this good this fast. But here she was, in Canterlot’s most exclusive club, sipping wine imported from Prance from the finest vineyards, sitting next to her fiancé. Spike was sitting across from them, but there was no longer that puppy dog look he had always given her. His eyes were on another pony. Sweetie stood on stage, wearing a dress that tastefully showed off the music note that made her cutie mark. She sang, the youngest pony ever to ever sing at this club. She finished, and the crowd politely clapped. Sweetie walked down the stage, sitting next to Spike. The two shared a kiss. Rarity smiled. She was grateful Spike’s crush had faded on its own. And she was especially pleased Sweetie had been his next. The dear boy was such a gentledrake, her sister deserved no less. Fancypants, Coloratura, and Sapphire Shores approached the table. “Rarity, I absolutely loved your sister’s performing.” He turned to Sweetie. “You will come perform at my next party, won’t you? There will be an invitation for your sister as well.” “And we simply must do a collaboration,” Coloratura said. “I’m sure Rarity can design the outfits...” “Oh, no, not before I have my chance,” Sapphire Shores said. “I can get you shot to number one on the charts.” “Please,” Sweetie said, “I can make time in my schedule for everypony... in about a few weeks. My sister and I have a previous engagement that cannot be broken.” Rarity smiled. That “previous engagement” was Ponyville Days Festival. They might have finally made it, but they weren’t going to forget Ponyville. Ever. She’d never turn her back on anypony like she had done twice before. She couldn’t wait. Twilight would likely be the Master of Ceremonies, Applejack would provide the food, and Rainbow Dash would have some prank planned that wouldn’t quite go the way she intended. Pinkie would laugh, and the trip would conclude with a spa date between Fluttershy and herself. “Oh, but you simply must make a date afterward,” Coloratura said. “I guarantee it will be good for you both.” Spike spoke up. “If you want Sweetie for anything, talk to me. I’m her manager.” The youngest filly nodded. “He’d know my schedule better than I do.” “Why don’t you all sit and we’ll discuss this further?” Rarity asked The three superstars sat. After a good thirty minute chat, the topic soon turned to current events. “I suppose you’ve heard about Prince Blueblood?” Fancypants asked. Sapphire Shores nodded. “I sure have. It’s about time that Princess Celestia gave that spoiled brat a reality check.” Rarity took another sip of wine to hide her grin. Celestia had formally stripped Prince Blueblood of his rank and had sent him to work in the farms as punishment for a particularly bad incident where he hit on the wrong ambassador. Maybe in a year or two, he would return to power, now with his ego deflated. “I must say, I agree.” Fancypants smiled. “I figured you would. It’s a shame the lineage of Clover the Clever produced that. Well, there have been weak links before.” Coloratura took another sip, always managing to keep the veil over her face. “It’s a shame. The lineage might die off here if the Prince doesn’t get his act together.” Rarity chuckled. “Perhaps... but the Princess has spoken to me about that.” The statement had the desired effect of getting everypony’s attention. “Over the last few months, I might have played matchmaker among the other Bearers. Each and every one now has a special somepony of their own. Even my friend Fluttershy, who I daresay was too shy to speak to a stallion, now has somepony to share it with. Seeing this, Princess Celestia has asked me, in a few years time, to find a special somepony for our... ‘good’ prince.” “Ah, marvelous,” Fancypants nodded. He lifted his wineglass. “A toast to you, Rarity, a genius in fashion and matchmaking.” “A toast,” the others repeated. Fluttershy threw more feed on the ground. The animals around her all sped to gobble it up. After watching the cute little things munch for a bit, she spoke up. “You want to leave about that amount. Getting too much and the animals will get stomachaches.” “Okay, Fluttershy,” Olive Branch said, taking the bag from her. “Start feeding the other sections of this garden, and of Garden 15.” “Of course, Fluttershy,” the Unicorn said, as he began his work. Fluttershy smiled at the Unicorn’s efforts. She took to the sky, looking upon her life’s work. She now had the single largest nature preserve in Equestria. Of course, that required ponies to run it, and she had no shortage. She surveyed her area. She saw the former King Sombra and Red Hoof feeding Harry and his fellow bears. She saw Lightning Dust instruct the birds on their singing. She saw Flim and Flam working on the patio of their headquarters, no doubt putting together the marketing campaign to get more tourists to visit. And in several areas, as he was always teleporting around, she saw Discord, tending the flora of her preserve. She smiled at her accomplishments. Not only had she created her dream sanctuary, she had proven her view correct. All it took was kindness from her and everypony who was cruel had melted away into an upright pony. Kindness would always triumph over cruelty. She looked over her sanctuary. She looked at Ponyville sitting next to it. It was difficult, but Everfree had been civilized. No more survival of the fittest, all could flourish under her care. “You’ve done good, Flutters.” Fluttershy looked to see Rainbow Dash flying next to her. “I’m glad you like it,” Fluttershy said, hugging her friend. “We’ve almost have everything made up for ponies to come in.” Rainbow Dash hugged back. “Derpy was delivering a letter to you. I offered to take it the rest of the way.” Fluttershy’s heart raced. Was this it? Was this what she had been waiting for? Rainbow Dash pulled out an envelope that was marked with the return address of the Canterlot Orphanage. It was it. She opened the envelope. As her eyes took in the words, her heart raced. “They approved me! I can go there tomorrow and take home a foal!” “Congratulations, Flutters,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re going to make a good mother.” There was a bright flash of light. As her vision started to come back, Pinkie looked around. She seemed to be in another part of the temple. This one had an opening that was letting light in. Wait... they had fallen, hadn’t they? were they at the bottom floor now? She looked around. As her vision cleared, she saw four vaguely pony figures. She blinked, trying to get her vision to come back into focus. She was trying not to panic. They had fallen a great distance, and the Changelings weren’t around. While Pinkie seemed like a pony with a short attention span, she could focus when she needed to. After all, she needed to focus in order to build her party canons and flying machines. Right now her mind was focused on one point. You need to figure out what’s going on before the Changelings find you. Panic will be bad. Stay calm. When her focus cleared, she saw it was indeed her friends. But they were standing still, their eyes focused on nothing. “Hey! Everypony! Rarity? Applejack? Fluttershy? Dashie?” No reaction. Pinkie waved her hoof over Applejack’s eyes. “Please, somepony answer me!” No reaction. Pinkie let out a gasp. “Rarity! There’s a pony wearing a hat that doesn’t match her coat!” No reaction. Pinkie started to fret. She searched around, looking for something that might help her. That’s when she noticed it. Above each and everypony’s heads was a bright glowing orb. Each was positioned over a singly pony in particular, focusing a beam of light on top of them. Pinkie pondered this. Shortly after they had defeated Trixie, Rainbow Dash had mentioned something about Scootaloo running into a crystal in the Castle of the Two Sisters that had trapped her in an illusion. Could this be something similar? At any rate, the orbs were certainly the cause of her friends’ silly behavior. She needed to destroy them now, before the Changelings showed up. Later, Pinkie would suspect that the some divine being in Paradise was watching and decided to have a little fun, because at that point two Changelings flew into the opening. Pinkie went still as the pair glanced over their captures. They smiled in contentment, until their eyes fell on Pinkie. For a few moments, time stood still, as both sides just stared at the other. Pinkie got over her shock first. She reached behind her. The Changelings began charging. Pinkie whipped out her party cannon. The Changelings stopped in surprise at the surreal nature of the move. But only for a moment. They ran forward. Pinkie fired her cannon. A large mass of glitter and confetti struck the pair, sending the Changelings flying out the door. She whipped around to her friends, eying the orbs above their heads. That had to be what was causing all this, and she had to stop it before those Changelings recovered and called for reinforcements. She aimed her party cannon at Applejack’s orb and fired. “We have all gathered here to honor the youngest in our family finding her path,” Pa said, gesturing to Apple Bloom. “On this day, she fully becomes a mare, and we couldn’t be happier.” Applejack smiled. Pa laid it on pretty thick, but that’s what she loved about him. Still, it made for a bit of a long winded speech. So she took to looking to the skies. Rainbow Dash made sure it would be a cloudless day, and the Sun floated high in the sky. And then the sun split apart. Applejack blinked, not sure if she was seeing correctly. The doubt only intensified when the sky fell apart around the now broken sun. Like glass, it all shattered around her, revealing a bright white underneath. Then, as it reached the horizon, the land broke apart. Faster than Applejack could see, the ground broke apart, all the way up to the gathering. “Look ou-” Her friends shattered. Her family shattered. “...and my daughter, Applejack, who I love deeply...” “No!” “Applejack? Applejack?” Applejack’s eyes returned to focus to see Pinkie stick her face right in front of her. “Oh, good, Applejack, you’re awake! Quick, you were trapped by a crystal... or orb, whatever you call it... that was putting you in an illusion, but I rescued you because you’re the strongest and I need your help...” “Ma! Pa!” Applejack’s eyes filled with tears. It was hard to render Pinkie speechless, but Applejack had done just that. “Wha? Applejack...” The Earth Pony collapsed in a blubbering fit. “Mah... mah parents.” Pinkie blinked. Her first thought was that she should comfort her friend. Then she remembered what was at stake, and knew she couldn’t. She needed the second strongest. She turned her party cannon on Rainbow Dash’s orb and fired. Rainbow Dash came out of her stooper with just as much shock. “Pinkie... wha... why is Applejack...” “Rainbow Dash! Orbs, illusion... Applejack had her heart...” “Wait... we were falling...” Rainbow Dash started to put the pieces together. “Oh no...” “Changelings are here! What do we do?! What do we do?!” Rainbow Dash looked around. “Okay, listen. Free Rarity next, she can use her magic to quickly clean us, if my feathers are clean I can fly, and we need that advantage. I’ll talk to AJ.” Pinkie nodded and turned her cannon on Rarity’s orb. Rainbow Dash got to Applejack and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Look, I know what that orb did. I know you, I know what you saw...” Pinkie fired, shattering the orb. “Ma...” “Look, I know. I’ll let you cry into me all you want when we’re back to base. But if you don’t move it now, then the Apple family is going to lose another member. Are you going to let that happen?” “Uh.. Rarity... why are you closing your eyes?” Pinkie asked. “You... you’re right, Rainbow. I... I need to get it togeth...” “Oh, Trenderhoof,” Rarity said, her voice dripping with lust. “Just nibble my neck a little higher... higher... high...” Rarity opened her eyes and froze as her three friends just gaped. Her face turned red. “Um... what’s going...” “Rarity, clean me,” Rainbow Dash said. “Then clean Fluttershy as soon as she’s free! We need flyers.” The embarrassed Unicorn needed no second bidding. Like at the Sisterhooves Social so long ago, Rarity lit up her horn, dispelling the mud on her, then did the same for Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy came out in a daze, then looked around. “Wh... what happened?” “No time!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Rarity, clean! Pinkie, I don’t know how you carried that all this way, but focus it on the door! Rarity, Applejack, help her if any more come in! Fluttershy, look at the back wall, there might be a secret way out.” Applejack, still looking visibly shaken, walked over to where Rarity stood. “Okay... what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked. “The last I remember is falling.” “It must have been a trap!” Rarity said. “I should have known. That whole thing seemed too convenient. The Changelings not being in this temple, there being the exact right number of plates for us to stand on. It worked way too well.” “Indeed.” The five ponies stopped dead. That was the last voice they had expected to hear. Discord stood in the entranceway, grinning a wicked grin. The five ponies recoiled in horror. The Spirit of Chaos gave a slow, sarcastic clap as he walked forward. “Well done, my little ponies. You managed to walk right into my trap. Celestia must be so proud of you.” He stopped. then he narrowed his eyes. “Maybe if you come quietly, I’ll only have a little fun with you, and...” “You’re not Discord.” Everypony and a single supposed draconequus looked at Pinkie. “Um... of course I am...” “You’re walking instead of floating, and you’re not even making any funny noises this time. Plus, you were able to just plow through Celestia’s defenses last time, why would you need information out of us now? Plus, we’re fighting shapeshifters, why wouldn’t we question what we see, Changeling?” ... “Well, look at the brain on you,” Discord said, now in a familiar voice. A flash of green flame revealed the Changeling Queen. “You,” Rainbow Dash said, looking at her with a death glare. “Yes, me, Rainbow. Still every bit the fool as the last time I met you.” “You uncouth beast,” Rarity growled. She actually growled, Rainbow Dash noted. There’s hope for her yet. “Oh, I’m uncouth? This coming from the mare who whored herself out to me for the chance to wear a frilly dress?” The five ponies looked at her for a moment. Then, they all burst out laughing. The Changeling Queen looked at them. “What do you find so amusing?” “I’m... I’m sorry,” Rarity said. “It’s just... I thought you’d be a little more creative here. You thought playing that card would work on us? It’s been a year!” “And you’ve buried your guilt so easily?” Rarity scoffed. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. Yes, the Wedding was a painful memory for all of us. I don’t think we’ll ever look back on them and be okay with how we acted. But we’ve let it inspire us to be better. We’ve grown from it, and we’ve been better to Twilight and everypony else because of it. We...” “Ah, do you ponies ever shut up?” the Queen said. “You sound like lines from a self-help book. Well, no matter. You’re still coming with me and my army. Don’t forget, I’m still the one who defeated Celestia...” “But you only beat her because you were powered up by Shining Armor’s love,” Pinkie said. “...I’m still powerful...” “Then why all the stealth?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Why not just attack us?” “....Get them!” In a flash Changelings started pouring in. It became a melee in seconds. Pinkie’s party cannon, Applejack and Rainbow Dash bucking every Changeling that got too close, Rarity both kicking and zapping, and Fluttershy pressing against the back wall, looking desperately for a way out. “I still have numbers, ponies, and it’s only a matter of time. So let’s see how long you last.” Chrysalis watched as her minions went at it. So what if she was severely weakened? They were too. No Twilight Sparkle, the freak, and without her, the rest would fall like a house of cards. Chryssy... Chrysalis froze. Discord? Chryssy, you know that every Changeling they take out is one you’ll have to carry with you. The Llamas know you’re here. Killing them will give us an advantage... See, Chryssy, this is why you were a waste of a transformation. They're already five normal ponies. Without Twilight and the Element of Magic, they’re just fools. Besides, they’ll be a lot of fun when I get free. No! I want them dead! There was a sigh. It’s like my buddy says: mortals need to learn how to party. Fine, but remember what happens if you fail. Fluttershy pressed along each brick, desperately searching for a way out. Luckily for her, the Changelings seemed to ignore her. They had remembered her poor performance at the wedding, and they had bigger fish to fry. She hoped Rainbow Dash was right, and something came out. Her hopes were answered when a single brick compressed at her push. She gave a nearly inaudible “yay” as a door slid open next to it. Contrary to popular belief, Fluttershy could be loud when needed. Sometimes animals responded well to such instructions. Putting a hoof to her mouth, she blew a whistle. Rainbow Dash recognized the whistle first. Thus, she was prepared for Chrysalis’ surprised “NO!” and was able to kick her speed into overdrive. Ricocheting like a pinball, she bounced around the room, knocking out Changelings, kicking up dust, and causing fast wind. The momentary blindness was enough when combined with the initial panic. The five ponies managed to get into the door without much trouble. The Changelings tried to follow, but they were one big group trying to get into a narrow doorway. A well-aimed blast from the party cannon was enough to keep them down. Following them, some well-aimed blast from Rarity sent more to the ground. Chrysalis fumed. They had a real advantage now. That narrow way was too easy to defend. Chryssy... you can still win, but it will take too long and cost too much. End it. Chrysalis sighed. For the Spirit of Chaos, you’re a surprisingly good planner. Uh, don’t remind me. I can’t wait to be free, and go back to good ol’-fashioned fun. Now, you’re on duty. Chrysalis spoke aloud. “Congratulations, Bearers, you’re officially no longer worth my time. I have what I came here for, so I’ll bid you all farewell.” The Bearers nearly stopped at that. They actually did when the Changelings flew away, like a large flock of birds that suddenly changed direction. “...This has to be a trick,” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, obviously, but what shall we do?” Rarity asked. Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack, but the farmpony still looked too dazed. “Get out the lanterns, we’ll go deeper." Applejack, still in a daze, pulled out her own lantern. The Changelings hadn’t taken their bags, thank goodness. While Pinkie watched the rear, they followed the hallway. After walking a few minutes, they came to it. It was a secret entrance to a large chamber, decorated in symbols. There were a few magical orbs on the ceiling, something they had recalled the Cutie Mark Crusaders talking about during their adventure in the Castle of the Two Sisters. An important chamber to have those. One side, across from what the ponies recognized must be the main entrance, was dominated by a large stand atop an elaborate staircase. With an image of the sun on the back, everypony guessed this was where the Sun Stone lay. Which is why they were distressed when they found it empty. “But... how?” Rainbow Dash asked. “The Changeling Queen!” Rarity said. “Remember? She said she had found what she was looking for here.” “So that’s it... we’re too late.” Applejack sighed. “The Changeling Queen got the Sun Stone. She won.” There was silence for a moment. “...No, wait,” Rainbow Dash said, flying over to one of the walls with symbols on it. “I recognize these symbols. They’re from a Daring Do book.” The others looked at her. “Rainbow, Darling, those books are fantasy...” “Maybe, but A. K. Yearling goes through a lot of trouble making sure her books are as accurate as possible. This is an old Llama language, she always uses this to write hidden messages in her books. This is just one word repeated over and over: fake.” Applejack blinked. “You tellin’ me you actually memorized the language?” Rainbow Dash blushed. “Uh, well...” The cowpony grinned. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell Twi about this.” The Pegasus grumbled, but couldn’t stay mad. She’s starting to get back to herself... that’s a good sign. “As I was saying, search the pedestal. It makes sense they wouldn’t just leave the Sun Stone laying out in the middle of a room with so much announcing it.” The other four ponies followed Rainbow Dash’s example. They reached the top of the stair and started pressing the pedestal at all sides, trying to find a switch of some kind. It was Applejack who found it. Searching the back, her hoof pressed on a hidden switch. Rainbow Dash, who was searching the front, was rewarded with a knock to the head as a front panel fell open. Grumbling, the cyan Pegasus looked with her friends to see it. There was solid stone under the panel, except one carved in hole where there rested the prize they had been looking for. “The Sun Stone,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s so pretty,” Fluttershy commented. “And shiny! And warm! And all-powerful!” Pinkie squealed. Indeed, the stone, now free, was emitting a warm glow that made the ponies feel safe and protected. For a full minute, they stood, bathing in its light. It was Rarity who snapped out of it first. “Um, perhaps we should get going before the Changelings realize they have a fake?” Applejack nodded, slipping the Stone onto her back. “All in all, I think we can call this a success.”