Equestria, Mareago Central Station, 03-21-05, 6:00 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
It was a pair of travel-weary mares that made their way off the Friendship Express.
Well, one of them was travel-weary at least; Rainbow Dash had long preferred her own wings for travel, as she was able to fly from point to point much faster than what a train could.
Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof, was bouncing on her hooves like an over-excited filly. “Oh my gosh, this is so exciting Rainbow Dash,” the purple-coated pony gushed in an exuberant manner far more suited to Pinkie Pie, “I never thought I’d be able to see Mareago! Did you know that this was the first city that was settled jointly by all of the pony tribes?! There’s even a few boroughs that have both zebra and donkey citizens living in them!”
“Yeah, you said that like, three times on the train ride here Twi,” the cyan pegacorn grumbled. Not only was she itching to fly after such a long time forced to sit, but something nearby was causing her mana to hum in a way that set her off.
Looking to the side, Rainbow saw something unusual; the exit from the station had some kind of archway stationed at it. She blinked; she had come here many times before with Papa Prism, and nothing like that had ever been there before. “Um, Twi, what’s that at the gate?” Rainbow asked, pointing at the object in question.
“Hmm? Oh, those things,” Twilight said. “It’s a new style of perception-scanning technology; Mareago has had some real trouble with smugglers and such.”
“Well, it’s giving me the willies for some reason,” Rainbow said, giving the archway an evil glare. “I don’t know why, but I don’t like or trust the thing.”
Twilight frowned. Eyes glowing softly, she used her alicorn mana to scan the device in question. “It’s more than just a perception-filter; it also has anti-changeling and anti-disguise spells woven into it,” she said, her frown deepening. “That’s not right at all; that’s totally illegal for that particular model, not to mention unnecessary.” She pointed to the side where a monitor was stationed. “That’s one of the monitors I recently developed; its designed to spot any changeling that isn’t either carrying a license or wearing the tagged bracelet.”
Rainbow shifted her glare at the stallion standing next to the archway. “Well, that stallion is giving me the creeps; I get the sense that he knows something.”
Twilight frowned as she saw how intensely the stallion- a member of the Equestrian Guard by the uniform -was staring at Rainbow Dash. “Keep your saddle on Rainbow Dash; even though the device is illegal, it doesn’t mean that he knows it,” Twilight said. Rainbow sighed as she nodded.
The two made their way towards the arch. Twilight passed through it confidently, even though her bags had several charms on them that would normally trip the sensors. She had no reason to worry; her version of the spell was designed to block such scans, a necessary evil for a travelling princess.
When Rainbow Dash passed through, however, the warning light lit up. The stallion stepped in front of her. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to follow me for a further scan,” he said officiously.
“No, she will not,” Twilight snapped. A bolt of mana flared from her horn. “I just summoned a local member of the Guard; a deeper scan can be done by them.” The stallion glared as he moved closer. “One more step, and I’ll knock you senseless with a stun-bolt; you have no authority while in the presence of royalty.” He submitted with a grumpy mumble.
After a few minutes, the local sergeant arrived. He took one look at the assembled ponies, and instead of scanning Rainbow Dash, he scanned the arch. He scowled, then scanned all of the other arches present. He then fired disabling bolts at every single one of the arches, then turned to the other stallion present. “I don’t know whether to be mad or to pity you; did you honestly think you could hide unlicensed rainbow-wave perception filters and photographic-matching filters?! Such things are only authorized to the Guard!”
“They wouldn’t be necessary if the Guard would do its job!” the other stallion said heatedly. “We’ve already gotten reports that this mare in question,” a hoof pointed at Rainbow Dash, “has been spotted near the scene of several recent break-ins.”
“Unconfirmed, unsubstantiated reports from known snitches in pay of the Polomares is what we have. What we don’t have is even probable cause to detain one of Equestria’s greatest citizens.” Shining Star motioned to the other Guards-ponies that had just shown up. “Please escort this trash- and his boss when he shows up -off these premises. I have enough probable cause now to fully block the Equestrian Guard from all public buildings in Mareago.”
He then turned towards the two mares. “Princess Twilight, Dame Rainbow Dash, I apologize for the delay, and the accusations.” Shining Star sighed gustily. “I should have had my boys sweep earlier, but we didn’t know that they’d go this far.”
Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight nodded. “Sergeant,” the alicorn said, “we were on our way to the hotel; however, the statements that colt said have me concerned. Would you be so kind as to lead both myself and Rainbow Dash to the Station House to get more answers?”
He sighed, but nodded. “I figured as much. In any case, I was asked to come get you tomorrow, once you had a chance to get settled. My captain thinks that Miss Dash here is likely to have a great deal of trouble outside of a Guard escort. Nothing dangerous; just that some of the rumors on the street have painted her in a bad light.”
The three ponies made their way to the Station House, in order to find out just what they had gotten themselves into. All but one of them was unaware that they were being followed from the shadows.
A few minutes later, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were waiting with Sergeant Shining Star at the local Station House. They had been informed that the Captain was held up dealing with the other Guard branches in Mareago.
The local Guard in Mareago was far different than in other jurisdictions. Though there were the standard Solar and Lunar divisions, they weren’t there to enforce laws. Mareago actually had three other divisions that shared the load of policing the territory.
The first was not one, but four battalions of the PPP. The first three were made up of Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies. The last one was a mixed company that included Nocturne, donkeys, caiman, zebra, and even a few gryphons. While it wasn’t strictly the job of the local PPP to patrol the streets, more than a few of its members did volunteer for watch-pony status to help with the strain.
The second division was one of the earliest versions of the Equestrian Guard. Up until recently, they had the unenviable task of patrolling the streets; however, because they were paid to do their jobs by both the moneyed nobles and bribed by the local crime syndicates, the Equestrian Guard was massively ineffective.
Naturally, this led to a third-- Mareago City Municipal Guard. This Guard division was supposed to work with the local Equestrian Guard in local law enforcement. Recently however, the MCMG had been taking on more and more of the actual grunt-work, leading to them becoming understaffed.
This is why the PPP was sending over volunteers. Most of those were from Mareago and its surrounding territories; naturally, they did what they could to help preserve the peace in Mareago.
Twilight was brought out of her musings by the arrival of the local Captain, a pegasus by the name of Silent Watch. She smiled happily as she saw him; after a moment, he did the same.
“Well, well, if it isn’t little Twily, all grown up! And with wings no less,” the stallion said in a teasing voice, making Twilight blush. Abandoning decorum, Twilight glomped the stallion in a big hug.
“Uncle Watch! I thought you retired! What in Hope’s name are you doing in Mareago of all places?” Twilight asked the pegasus. Silent Watch sighed.
“The Five Families is why I have yet to retire Twily; and I’m likely to die on the job anyway.” The stallion ran a hoof through his graying black mane. “I swear; I’ve spent half my life chasing after that insufferable organization.”
Twilight winced, nodding. “Yes, we’ve had more than a few run-ins with organized crime lately ourselves,” she said, nodding at Rainbow Dash. The disguised pegacorn had a questioning look in her eyes.
“Uncle Watch?” Rainbow asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me Twilight?” Twilight blushed a bit.
“I’m actually not any relation to Twily or her family,” the stallion said with a grin. “Her uncle and I Swore Brother-Oath when we were colts, so I’ve always considered myself a part of his extended family.” Rainbow nodded in understanding.
Rainbow then frowned. “The Five Families. I’ve heard something about them before, but I don’t know the full story. What’s that got to do with what happened to me earlier?”
Silent Watch sighed. “The Five Families are the founding groups behind the Mareago Crime Syndicate. While they don’t have the influence they once had, they’re still causing a great deal of problems; the biggest is that the Equestrian Guard is still in the pay of many of the businesses that are run by them.”
“What that means for you Miss Dash, is complicated. A number of unsubstantiated rumors have placed a pegasus matching your general description at the scene of several crimes.” The pegasus grinned sardonically. “What makes it complicated is that you were said to have been at two locations at the same time.”
“However, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re going to have difficulties. I’ve already received word that the hotel you placed your reservation at will have you arrested once you enter the premises. In addition, you may not even be able to enter the hotel period, as they’ve used perception-filtered shields to block access for undesirables in the past. You’ve been blacklisted at all of the others, so you’ll unlikely find a place to sleep anywhere within Mareago.”
Twilight grinned savagely. “Whoever decided to do that wasn’t counting on me; my family actually owns the land that that particular hotel is standing on.” If the grin on her muzzle could get any more disturbing it would as Twilight continued. “They’re likely banking on the fact that I’m too timid to do something as ethically gray as that; however, I’m within my legal right to do so. Especially since use of perception-filter based shielding is illegal anywhere else other than government facilities.”
“In fact, I’m not even sure that the Polomare family- who I know is behind this pile of horseapples -know that both the Sparkle and Armor families now own over forty percent of the hotels in this territory. My uncle started buying them up after his own hotel was burned down as a result of a racketeering job.”
Silent Watch chuckled evilly. “Oh, I see that you’re showing that Sparkle flair Twily; you do your grandfather proud.” He sighed. “However, that will only handle the hotel situation. You’re likely to have trouble with many of the local businesses.”
Rainbow scowled. “Okay, why me all of a sudden? Do they think I’m an easy target or something?”
The stallion shrugged. “I can’t say exactly; this generation isn’t as crafty as those that came before. I’d say that it’s your reputation, but you’re not the only one that’s been seen. I’ve gotten reports of sabotage at a local greenhouse by a yellow pegasus with pink hair, and several clothing factories have reported theft after a visit by an elegant white unicorn with a cutie mark of three diamonds. Whoever tried that one is as stupid as the rest of them; the diamonds were purple.”
“Do you have the reports?” Twilight asked. The stallion nodded; after a moment of searching in the saddlebags he was wearing, he handed a manilla folder to Twilight.
The purple alicorn perused the documents for a few minutes, frowning. She then tossed the file down in a huff. “Well, all of this is a deliberate attempt to cast suspicion on the Elements of Harmony. Anypony with sense can see that none of this is worth anything; the dates don’t match up. Besides, even with teleportation. There’s no way that Rarity could be at two different factories at the same time. Incidentally, both of those factories are owned by the Polomare family; more specifically, one certain mare by the name of Suri Polomare.”
Rainbow had picked up the folder herself, careful to do so with her wingtips. “Huh, they must be stupid. Then again, I think that’s the point; the thefts and sabotage are a front. Whoever’s doing this is after something else. Look at the list of items that have been stolen; some of these things only seem innocuous. However, they’re also things that are used in cloud generators.”
“I think they’ve been doing this as a way to attract us here; once we were actually present, they’d do whatever major job they were after in disguise, which would immediately discredit half of the Elements of Harmony. All of this is stupid; they’ve got their times mixed up, and none of the reasons they gave for the ‘visits’ survive more than a cursory examination.”
“Which is why you’re not under arrest at this point. The Mayor has dissolved the remainder of the Equestrian Guard; and let me tell you; you’re not going to win any popularity points because of that. Even though harassment is illegal, there’s a laundry list of technical reasons for refusal of service that they can use in this kind of situation.” The Captain sighed. “Getting those reasons either clarified or removed is on the books, but won’t be voted on until the next Assembly in three months’ time.”
“Yeah, we can’t wait that long.” Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. “You still want to end lease on them, don’t you Twi? Cause if it’s all the same, I’ll just fly up and build myself a small cloud house until we figure out whatever we’re supposed to do here.”
“There’s no cloud construction allowed here without a permit; that takes at bare minimum a year to grant. With those in the approval offices being in the pay of the Polomare family, you won’t get it at all.” Rainbow scowled at that as Twilight continued. “However, I think that whatever we’re supposed to do here is somehow linked to all of this. Some of the evidence May gave us linked some of the gangs found here in Mareago as being involved in the plan to level Ponyville. I think they were after the crystals; though there’s better crystal to be had elsewhere, the low-level harmonic energy that the crystal deposits showed to have is useful in a number of totally illegal applications. Also totally stupid; all an alicorn has to do is call Hope’s Law on anypony wearing a charm made from said crystal, and the harmonic energy will turn them into a crystal statue; and that’s despite any blocking enchantment they might have laid.”
“So not matter what, they want to make life miserable for me? Figures,” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“I’d like to see this done without refusing tenure; however, it’s likely to still be problematic. They may not own the land, but through legal hook, they still do own the hotel. Unless you think they were totally stupid to use compromised documents Twily,” Silent Watch replied.
“Actually Uncle, I’m counting on the fact that they likely did,” Twilight said softly; the grin on her muzzle was just as disturbing as the other she had worn earlier. The other two ponies chuckled.
“Well, I think we’ve been here long enough; I’ve already given my statement, and I’d like to get something to eat soon,” Rainbow said. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
Silent Watch and Twilight both laughed. The three made their way outside the Station House; the Captain was escorting them personally to at least stop some of the problems that were headed their way.
As they made their way to a waiting taxi, one of them once again noticed a shadow watching them from the alley off to the side. She smirked to herself as the shadow slipped away, knowing that things were definitely not going to be dull.
Equestria, Mareago, 03-21-05, 7:24 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
A very tense party of ponies waited just outside the Grand Equestrian Hotel in Mareago. The door-mare had blocked Rainbow Dash from entering, as predicted, though she blanched when a scowling purple princess had advanced on her with a glowing horn. All Twilight did though was to request that a pegasus courier be sent to retrieve the deeds to both the land and the hotel itself, once the poor door-mare had stated that refusal to Rainbow Dash was on the manager’s orders.
While they waited for the courier- another member of the MCMG -each pony passed the time as best they could. Twilight was reading one of her spell reference books. Silent Watch was taking the time to fill out some of the ever-present paperwork that all Guards-ponies have to deal with. Rainbow Dash was bouncing a small rubber ball around. The hapless door-mare was busy sweating; this was only her second week on the job.
What Rainbow Dash was doing was a bit odd, for her at least. Rainbow seldom went anywhere without flying. However, Twilight and Silent Watch had both stressed the fact that unlicensed visitors could only fly in designated areas. Though it seemed stupid, it was actually for safety reasons. It was also temporary; once the current phase of city-wide construction was completed, the ordinance would be lifted.
So Rainbow was dealing with her impatience in another fashion. Aside from being a way to alleviate boredom, the ball had another effect; one of training. She wasn’t actually bouncing the ball using her wings, but an application of her natural pegasus magic.
Of course, this magic was no longer pure pegasus magic; instead, it was now that of a fully awakened pegacorn. Most wouldn’t recognize the change, though a nearby unicorn was gazing at her strangely. The unicorn walked over, horn glowing softly as she scanned the flows Rainbow was using. The unicorn then snorted a bit before writing something on a piece of parchment that she then folded into an origami crane. The enchanted parchment fluttered over to Rainbow Dash as the mare walked away.
Curious, Rainbow unfolded the crane, her eyes widening as she read the contents;
Miss Rainbow Dash,
My name is Bright Knowledge. I am a magic teacher at Mareago University.
I am also an agent of EIS. I am not breaking cover; I was ordered to inform you that we are aware of the current difficulties you’ve been having, and have taken some not totally legal steps to ensure that you won’t have any beyond the hotel situation. We are aware that Princess Twilight has another method to deal with that, and believe that that is the best solution.
Best Regards.
Rainbow Dash turned the parchment over, noticing that there was another message as well as a small silver key.
*If you are able to see the rest of this and the key, it means that the enchantment has responded to the low level of pegacorn mana that you are currently giving off. Pegacorn anonymity is built into the framework of the EIS; that being said, there are those among my colleagues that will unfortunately inform the Diarchy should they discover it. However, since I have a relative that is also a pegacorn, I am sympathetic to your wish to remain anonymous. The key will open a small lockbox in the suite that Princess Twilight originally asked for. If you wish to remain secret, the book and scrolls you will find there will be of immeasurable help to you.*
Rainbow Dash hastily placed both the letter and the key into her saddlebags and continued to bounce her ball as if nothing had happened. Curiously, it didn’t seem as if anypony else had noticed anything unusual.
After a few minutes, the courier returned. As he did so, the manager of the hotel made his way to where the rest of them were standing.
Twilight took the locked deed case from the Guard-stallion’s telekinetic aura. She then reached into her saddlebags and removed a small golden key with the crest of House Armor upon it.
Unrolling the deed in question, Twilight nodded in satisfaction as it confirmed what she already knew. “As I suspected; the land and whatever stands on it is the property of House Armor and all of its Heirs.” She turned to the manager. “This means that you do not work for the Polomare family; you work for me. My rank as a Princess of Equestria takes precedence over any other member of my family.”
“With all due respect Princess, that document is a forgery. The real owners had the original documents sent to me,” the unicorn stallion said huffily. “We can prove this quite ably; a blocking shield tailored to all criminals on our watch list has recently been cast. If I’m correct in that you’ve cast something on that mare, it will shove her out anyway.”
“Putting aside for the moment that such shields are illegal for any business outside government establishments, I will be taking you up on that deal,” Twilight snapped in response. The party all moved through the double doors at the entrance.
Nothing of any worth happened to anyone except Rainbow Dash. While it did feel as though she was trying to swim through molasses, the shield didn’t impede her forward motion at all. The hotel manager scowled. “You’re bypassing it somehow! There’s no way you should be able to; I tested it myself!”
Twilight facehoofed as she scanned the shield. “Right, that’s three marks for being stupid. One, the shield is illegal on the grounds of this place being open to the public. Two, that it was cast without my express permission. Three, that you’ve just tried to willingly block a pony for crimes that she didn’t commit. That’s a fundamental violation of laws that go right back to before there even was a Diarchy. I declare this hotel open to all who have been blocked, and you and the other undersigned to be guilty of gross contractual violations.”
Several things happened all at once once Twilight finished. The deed she was holding glowed a bright bluish-purple; simultaneously, the other set flared in a flash of bright orange fire.
A radiant blast of opaque magic radiated from the ground itself, neutralizing all illegal enchantments. Scintillating bands surrounded the manager, forming metal bands that bound around his horn, cannons, and barrel. A sealing rune appeared around his cutie mark; runes travelled from the rune to his eyes, causing the protective cantrips held in his gaze to be burned out. The stallion collapsed in pain.
Twilight looked at him without any pity whatsoever. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse foal before; what kind of idiot agrees to an official document signing with a member of the High Council with the intent of doing something totally illegal? The bindings on said documents are exactly the same ones that protect the Founder’s Code, and that document is over fifteen hundred years old!”
Twilight turned to the assistant manager. “I suggest you think long and hard about who you now work for; if you say it’s him, you’ll get the same treatment.” The stallion shook his head; he’d never agreed with any of it, but was powerless to do anything to stop it. “Good, I need good ponies to improve the situation.” She then stalked off to the counter with Rainbow Dash in tow to collect the key to their suite.
Silent Watch gestured to the bound stallion. The MCMG officers that had just arrived escorted the bound pony out the door. Turning to his aid, the captain started giving orders. “Corporal, send word to the rest of the MCMG; tell them to go to these homes. There’s likely to be a few ponies that are bound in the same manner as this foal.” The stallion nodded as he trotted away. The captain followed him out the door, making his way back to the Station House.
Rainbow Dash just stood there. “Huh, no wonder Papa Prism said that no-pony with any kind of sense breaks an Original Contract. He was right.” Rainbow blinked before facehoofing. “Twi’s right; these guys are foals; none of the past generation would have been that stupid.” She then flew to catch up with Twilight, intending to see what the EIS agent had left for her.
Twilight was waiting for Rainbow Dash as she arrived at the very luxurious suite. Rainbow was turning her head from side to side as she looked at the various amenities. “As AJ would say, this room is swanky,” the cyan alicorn said. She then sighed as she sat down. “Twi, is it alright if I set it up so’s I can walk around without my disguise for a bit?” The alicorn shook her head in response.
“There was a letter on the table saying that we’re ‘under observation by some nasty undesirables’ at the moment; any high level magic will tip them off.” Twilight scowled. “I wish EIS would do more than just pass messages; we really could use their help in all of this.”
Rainbow Dash perked her head up at this statement. “EIS? They left a message? I got one earlier, but I didn’t know you were left one as well.” Rainbow Dash levitated the note and key out of her saddlebags. “Some mare by the name of Bright Knowledge gave me this earlier; she said something about it being able to help me. Are you sure that this all can be trusted?”
Twilight didn’t respond right away as she read the note. She huffed in aggravation. “Ugh, no wonder my feathers were itchy earlier; there was a perception-blocking filter nearby.” She then scanned the room. “There is something hidden here, but I can’t seem to find it.”
“Lemme try Twi,” Rainbow said. Her horn started to glow softly as she mimicked the spell Twilight had just cast. A flash in the corner revealed a locked chest. Twilight blinked in confusion; Rainbow’s spell was identical to her own in almost every way.
Rainbow Dash trotted over to the chest and unlocked it with the key. Once open, she found several things inside; a set of three books, an amulet, a large bag of some kind, and a set of scrolls. Rainbow Dash opened the bag and sniffed in shock. “This is an entire stock of Luna’s tea blend; there’s enough here for at least two months!”
Rainbow opened one of the books. She then set it down with a frown. “Okay, something’s going on here; this book says that it’s a brief history of pegacorns. It has my name on it and everything; somehow, the books are all attuned to my personal magic signature.”
Twilight blinked. “Hmm, I’m not sure what it means Rainbow Dash. This doesn’t sound like anything that has to do with EIS at all. I’m not sure what to make of it.” Both ponies jumped at a knock on the door.
Twilight opened it to see a unicorn waitress waiting to enter. Once inside, a flare of magic from the unicorn’s horn heralded a sealing spell that made Rainbow’s ears ring. The unicorn nodded, frowning. “I was not sure if you were close enough to be told about Rainbow Dash’s secret or not; I guess I was wrong.”
“A series of events made me realize what was happening. How did you figure it out?” Twilight asked. The other mare sighed.
“That answer is complicated. I cannot tell Miss Rainbow Dash with you present unless you swear on your honor as an alicorn. I am sorry Princess, but I have to protect myself; few in EIS even know the truth, and I would rather put off disappearing as long as possible.”
Twilight frowned, then nodded. “I do so swear, not just on my honor as an alicorn, but on the Tree of Harmony itself; any and all of your secrets will be safe with me.” As she finished speaking, the spell surrounding the room flared with scintillating bands of rainbow-hued mana.
Bright Knowledge- for that was who it was -smiled before fully dropping her disguise. Rainbow Dash and Twilight both blinked in shock as the unicorn was revealed to have wings as well as a horn.
The lilac pegacorn smirked. “Caught you flat-hoofed, did I not? Comes with the territory.” She walked over to where Rainbow Dash was standing. Lifting up one of the scrolls, she produced a quill and signed her name on the document that was revealed. She then rolled it up and bound it with a ribbon that had a seal that carried her cutie mark. A flare of greenish-gold flame reduced it to a cloud of green smoke which then flew out the window.
“I have just sent word to the Watchers that I have finally made contact with you Miss Dash. We have been following the trail since you left Hoofington. I think that is where you had your first major flare, correct?” Rainbow Dash nodded.
Bright Knowledge waved a hoof at the chest. “This chest is now bound to your magical signature. The scrolls you see are vouchers that can be used for various needs; for example, I have just sent word that I have made contact to a friend at a local bank. They will be giving you a small fund of bits from trusts set up for pegacorns to use.”
“The books you see there are a few basic things that every pegacorn needs to know, as well as being a basic primer for pegacorn-based magic. You need to learn how to better control it; there is an underground movement that targets pegacorns as undesirables; these ponies can and will make things quite unpleasant for you otherwise.”
“The amulet is special; it gives you a direct connection to Watcher Headquarters. You can use it to call sanctuary if needed, though there is a limit to how many times you can do so. It can also act as a focus for you for spells, and a way to store your mana.”
Bright Knowledge paused for a moment before continuing. “Now that I know that Princess Twilight is aware of your change, I can tell you that you should continue to receive as much magical training as she is willing to teach you. It will better help you focus your own magic.”
The mare sat down on her haunches as she finished. She levitated three peanut-coated donuts from the tray she had brought with her, handing two of them to the other mares. “Get in the habit of eating more protein; your body is going to crave it more now since your body is still overproducing alicorn.”
For the next few minutes, the lilac pegacorn gave Rainbow Dash a few pointers; a number of them gave her the knowledge she needed to take over the sealing spell. This allowed her to drop the perception filter disguise she’d been wearing since her horn came in.
“For somepony that was until recently a pegasus, you have a fine magic sense about you Miss Rainbow Dash. I will do my best to offer what assistance I can; I have used my connections in EIS to get permanently assigned to your case.” The lilac pegacorn then left after re-applying her own perception-filtering disguise.
For the next few minutes, Rainbow Dash sat in silence. Twilight was about to make her way to the lobby when the cyan pegacorn finally spoke. “I don’t know why, but just knowing that there are those out there like me that are on my side helps; I’m still scared, just not as bad.”
Twilight went with her impulse and gave Rainbow Dash a brief hug. “I understand that it’s scary Rainbow Dash. Just know that I’m here for you.” Rainbow Dash turned her face slightly so that Twilight couldn’t see the blush on her cheeks.
After Twilight left to get supper, Rainbow Dash made her way to the patio attached to the suite. She looked out at the evening sun, taking pleasure in the quiet.
Glancing down, Rainbow Dash happened to notice a shadow-within-a-shadow on a lower balcony in the building just across from the hotel. Without seeming to, she watched the shadow as a flash of dim light heralded the use of one of the relatively new crystal cameras from the Crystal Empire.
Turning her head, Rainbow Dash smirked slightly. I was right; we’re being followed. Looks like either tonight or tomorrow they’re gonna spring their trap. I’m not gonna tell Twilight; I think the MCMG has something planned, and I don’t wanna step on their hooves. But if they think I’m just gonna roll over and take whatever it is they’ve got planned, then they have another think coming.