//------------------------------// // Everfree Colony // Story: The Thousand Year Change // by Darthvalgaav //------------------------------// It was late at night, the sort of time where most ponies should be in bed. But in Luna’s castle that wasn’t the case. Most of the medical staff were up and about making sure everything was set in case there was an emergency teleport. Members of the science division were working overtime, making sure that if Operation: Umbrella was needed it would affect their technology as well as trying to figure out the long term effects on normal ponies. The Lunar Guard that remained was checking their gear in case they were needed for backup. Black suited agents of the LBI were hard at work, secretly looking for Twilight and the escaped criminals. And lastly, a lone filly walked down the halls, ignored by all as she made her way towards the medical wing.   This wasn’t the first time Dinky had had to stay the night at the castle. Sometimes both her parents had to work late so the princess had set aside a room for them so Dinky wouldn’t have to spend the night at her home all by herself. Tonight was such a night, but there was something more. Yes, both her parents had to work but the LBI weren’t letting anypony leave the castle. Even Dinky, who just wanted to go back to her Dome and pick up a few things was told by the suited ponies that she had to remain here until further notice.   Now, unable to sleep, Dinky was on her way to Scootaloo’s hospital room in the hope that the two of them could have some fun and have a sleep over. But when she got to Scootaloo’s room, she was greeted by a very concerning sight.   Scootaloo had taken out all the wires and tubes that connected her to the medical equipment with said equipment turned off so they would not alert the staff. She was standing on her hind legs with her forelegs pressed against the wall as she tried to reach an air duct above her bed. Due to her position, Dinky saw that Scootaloo’s wounds had healed up nicely with almost no sign that she was ever injured. Or at least that’s what it looked like to the naked eye for if she had completely healed then Scootaloo would have flown up to the air duct. That or she wasn’t that confident in her flying ability to get up there without making a noise.   After watching Scootaloo struggle for a moment or two, Dinky took a step forward and spoke up.   “What are you doing?” she asked causing Scootaloo to fall backwards onto the bed. Grumbling, the pegasus filly got up and glared in Dinky’s direction. But once she saw who it was Scootaloo’s eyes softened.   “Hey Dinky,” she said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. “Sorry about that. You kinda took me by surprise.”   Dinky gave her friend a nod and a small smile which she got back. “So, what’s going on?” she asked again.   “Oh,” said Scootaloo as her eyes widened in realization. She then turned to face the wall and placed her hooves against, returning to the position she was in when Dinky first entered the room. “Right. I’m trying to bust out of here and look for my mom.”   “What?” said a very confused Dinky. “But isn’t she just down the hallway?”   “No, she’s been ponynapped,” said Scootaloo as she struggled to reach her target.   Dinky stared at Scootaloo with her jaw hanging open. She stood like that for a solid minute before she shook her head wildly in order to snap herself out of that.   “A-Are you serious?” stammered the young unicorn filly. “Come on Scootaloo, y-you must have been dreaming. There’s no way that Twilight was p-ponynapped.”   “It’s true,” said Scootaloo, not even bothering to look at Dinky. “I heard Land Share and Gigawatt talking in the hallway. They said that Rainbow Dash and the others broke out and then ponynapped mom. And for some stupid reason they want to keep it a secret from Princess Luna. So they’re trying to find them before she gets back.”   Dinky stared at Scootaloo as the filly continued to try and reach the air vent, always seeming to be just a little too short of reaching her goal. The little unicorn had a hard time believing what she had just been told. In some ways, it made some sense. Or it at least explained why she couldn’t leave the castle or why there were so many LBI ponies milling about. But even Dinky had to wonder why none of the Lunar Guard was looking for her? Surely Shadow would pull every available pony in Dome Zero to look for Twilight as well as help assist in the capture of the escapee ponies. And if they were trying to do this quickly, wouldn’t having more ponies help? Or were they acting like dumb colt, believing that they shouldn’t tell too many ponies so that there would less chance of the parent (aka Luna) finding out. Or maybe they were just being dumb adults period.   Still, Dinky wasn’t too worried. After all, this was the LBI. Finding ponies was their job and everypony in the Republic knew that they did their job well. They had access to all sorts of tracking equipment and security systems.   “Scootaloo, I think you shouldn’t be doing this.” said Dinky, causing her friend to stop and glare at her. “Your mom’s going to be fine. The LBI will find those Equestrians and your mom before you know it. So I think you should just relax.”   “I CAN’T!” yelled Scootaloo. “You don’t understand what Twilight means to me.”   “Well I know she’s your mom.” began Dinky but stopped when she saw Scootaloo’s eyes begin to water.   “She and Shadow, they were the first two ponies who ever took care of me.” said Scootaloo as she wiped away some of her tears. “You don’t know what it’s like to be an orphan. Ponies pity you and that’s about it. The only ones who take care of you are the ones that are paid to do it so you don’t know if they love you or care about you or anything like that. And the older you get the less likely you are to be adopted because they all want foals! But Twilight…she and Shadow, ever since the moment we meet they were nice to me. They treated me like I belonged with them, noticing a problem that I didn’t even know I had and promising to fix it. They never asked for anything in return. Then they adopted me. It’s because of them that I have someplace to belong, someplace to call home. And if something were to happen to either of them I could never forgive myself. So I’m NOT going to just sit here in this bed while whoever took my mom does whatever! And don’t tell me Rainbow Dash did it because I know her. Not as well as Twilight, but I know she wouldn’t do this!”   With that said, Scootaloo turned back to face the wall to return to trying to escape through the air duct. Well, trying to reach it first. As she got on her hind legs she heard a sigh behind her before becoming enveloped in a magical aura and lifted into the air. Not very high, but just enough for Scootaloo to reach her target. As she worked on getting it open Scootaloo felt her body bob slightly causing her eyes to widen at the possibility that the magic holding her up could fade at any given moment. Working quickly she managed to open up the vent and get one hoof in before the magic faded allowing gravity to take hold.   Clinging by a single hoof, Scootaloo used her body weight to swing to the side so that her other hoof could get to the air vent. Once that was done the small filly used both her hooves to push herself upwards allowing her to crawl into the air vent which was thankfully pretty big with enough space for her to turn around. Looking out into her hospital room, Scootaloo saw the source of the magic that had helped her get up standing on the bed with a hoof reaching up towards her. Grinning Scootaloo reached down and managed to pull Dinky into the air vent.   “We are so going to get in trouble,” said Dinky with a slight smile.   -x-   Everypony looked up at the massive hydra with a clear look of shock and surprise. Nopony had ever heard a hydra speak before. Sure there were plenty of other monsters that could talk like sea serpents, chimeras, and dragons but creatures like hydras couldn’t. Especially not with a southern accent!   Yet there was one pony in the group that showed no surprise. In fact that pony, Jackal, looked more annoyed than anything else as he looked at the multi-headed monstrosity towering above them.   “Damn it Poisoned!” he barked while waving a hoof. “Where the buck did you get that ugly thing?”   The creature let out a noise, clearly offended by the remark. The middle head backed up a bit, narrowing its eyes at the bat pony while the other two head just turned to look at the one in the center. It shot forwards a bit but then a hard smack sounded and the head stopped dead in its tracks while its face seemed to scrunch up in pain.   “Hey now big fella, you know better than ta do somethin’ like that,” came the country accent once again. It was then that Cadence saw something on top of the middle head. Or rather some bat pony mare who took to the sky. She looked like a mare who had just recently entered adulthood with a dark brown coat and oddly a lighter brown mane that was braided into pigtails. Around her neck was an old red neckerchief and she had a few bandages around her torso. Cadence noted that she was also sporting an odd cutie mark; two snakes that were positioned to resemble a heart while their fangs pierced into an apple that separated the two.   As the mare flapped her bat wings to lower her to the ground, the middle head lunged at her. The mare, without turning around, bore a deadpanned expression on her face and let out a sigh. She folded her forelegs as the head came at her with great speed, its mouth open revealing its long monstrous fangs. Yet just as it was about to devour Poisoned she kicked one of her rear legs forwards allowing her to do a backflip before sending that same leg into the head of the monster. The other two heads winced as a large bump appeared on the middle one’s head. The middle head let out a whining noise before it snorted in rage, opening it mouth to bare its fangs once more. Only for it to get punched in the snout by the bat pony.   “No,” said Poisoned. “Bad Mr. Snuggles. Very bad. Ya’ll should know better than ta try an’ eat my kin by now.” All three of the hydra’s heads backed up a bit as tears began to form in all six eyes. “Ahh, there now sugar cube. Ah can’t stay mad at ya’ll for far too long.”   Cadence watched this display in utter disbelief. What she was seeing was something she couldn’t wrap her head around. It wasn’t because somepony had somehow managed to tame a hydra since she had heard of ponies taming monsters. Well, smaller monsters but there was probably a pony or two in history that could have tamed larger ones. Nor was it because of this pony’s dialect. No, something else baffled her to no end.   “She named it Mr. Snuggles?” whispered Cadence as Poisoned landed on the ground, a large fanged smile on the bat pony’s face as she did so.   Jackal still bore a frown. “What the hay is that thing doing here Poisoned?” he demanded, pointing a spear at the monster earning him a trio of hisses. “Shouldn’t you be helping with Lone Wolf’s stupid project?”   “Ah sure as sugar am.” said Poisoned proudly, lifting her head high as she did. “Lone Wolf wanted me ta put mah special talent ta good use. So all day ah’ve been collectin’ monsters left an’ right ta help us out. These here cutie is mah blue ribbon beast. Gonna be actin’ as security so no varmints get the drop on us like a fox in a hen house. Why ah even…got…” It was then that Poisoned lowered her head and finally took notice of the other ponies. Her gaze seemed to be locked onto Ruby, her jaw dropping slightly.   It was impossible for Ruby not to notice this. Looking very embarrassed, she waved to the other mare slightly and muttered a barely auditable “Hey Poisoned,” as she did so. Before Ruby could put her hoof down Poisoned dashed towards her and wrapped her hooves around the bat mare, putting her in what could have been a bone crushing hug if not for the armor.   “Oh mah stars!” cried out Poisoned happily. “Ruby, ya all came back safe an sound from Canterlot! Oh, I bet the so called fancy grub they serve up there must be the worse! Bet it had ya’ll running back to us as soon as ya saw it. An look at ya’ll, all gussied up in that…pink…armor.” It was at this point that Poisoned had noticed what Ruby and the other two bat ponies that had left with her were wearing. The gears turning in her brain, Poisoned Apple turned her head to finally take notice of the only non-bat pony in the group. Baring her fangs, the monster tamer released Ruby and jumped back. When she landed her fur stood on end like a cat’s as she let out a loud hiss.   “Listen,” said Ruby. “I know this looks-”   “TRAITOR!” roared Poison, that single word echoing all over the Everfree Forest. “Ya brought a princess here?! Did being a lap dog fer them high an mighty ponies make ya forget about us? Ah…we thought we knew ya’ll better.”   “Poisoned,” whispered Ruby as she reached out a hoof. However a hiss from the other mare caused her to flinch before lowering it to the ground.   “An ya,” said Poisoned as she spun around to glare at Jackal. “Why the sam pony hill did ya have ta bring them here for?”   “They wanted to see Lone Wolf,” said Jackal with a smile. “So they’ll see him before we kill them.”   Poisoned stared at Jackal, her mouth hanging open as all of her previous rage seemed to vanish. She just…stared at him. Out of the corner of her eye, Cadence noticed that all of the bat ponies around her looked nervous. Some were gulping as they looked around as if to find an escape route while others took a step back. The only pony other than the pink princess who appeared unworried was Jackal, still smiling at the mare.   Then it happened. Poisoned Apple began screaming at the top of her lungs, pacing back and forth as she did so. Now Cadence may have spent most of her life as royalty but that didn’t mean she had never heard a pony use foul language before. Most of the time it was from guards or members of the castle staff that used profane words when they thought nopony like Cadence was around. But the words and gestures coming from this bat pony put them all to shame. The pink princess felt like vomiting at some of them while others left her confused by their meaning. Even the hydra looked ill by some of Poisoned colorful words!   Eventually Poisoned had to pause in order to catch her breath, allowing Jackal to finally say something. “Are you done making a scene over nothing?” he asked, as if Poisoned had just been yelling at him for spilling milk while acting as if he had doomed all of Equestria.   “Y-Ya damned fool,” growled Poisoned. “Ah can not believe anypony would do somethin’ so foolish. Can’t ya see the danger ya put us in by doin’ this?”   Jackal smiled wider. “The only pony whose in danger is her and these traitors,” he replied.   Poisoned Apple facehoofed. “Ah…Ah give up,” she said. “Ya are just so think ya make a leather hide seem like wet paper.” She then sighed. “Ah’ll let ya tell Lone Wolf about these here ‘guests’.”   “That was my intention,” stated Jackal. “You can take them to one of the cells in that heap of a castle. Hopefully there are some still intact.”   Poisoned snorted. “Seems ta be the only thing in there that don’t need no fixin’,” she said. “Built ta last.”   With that said, Jackal spread his wings before taking to the night sky. He didn’t look back down at the group nor did he say anything else. He simply flew to the castle.   Poisoned let out a sigh before ordering everypony to follow her. Unlike Jackal, she didn’t spread her wings to fly. Instead she had them walk towards the castle. Perhaps she was afraid that Cadence and her guards would be able to survey the area or try to make a run for it. Or perhaps the mare just wanted them to walk. For whatever reason, Cadence did not question it. No, instead she was thankful because it would mean more time to get to know this odd bat pony.   “So,” began Cadence as they walked. “Your name is Poisoned Apple, right?”   “Well looky here, the princess was payin’ attention ta us gutter ponies,” said Poisoned in a mocking tone as she rolled her eyes.   “I’m sorry,” said Cadence gently. “It’s just that I met another pony who belongs to the Apple family. I was wondering if you’re a member.” As she said this, Cadence noticed a change in Poisoned. At the mention of the Apple family, the mare’s ears perked a bit and her movement slowed a tiny bit.   “Ah…was,” she said sadly as her head lowered.   “Perhaps you still are,” said Cadence. “From what I’ve heard, the Apple’s place a great deal of importance on family. I find it hard to believe that they would turn their back to one of their own.”   “That’s sorta it,” said the mare. “Ah wasn’t born an Apple. Gran and Gramps found me as a little foal no more than a few weeks old, half frozen in a river near their farm. Ah…wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t taken me in an raised like their own. It wa-” Poisoned suddenly shook head back and forth wildly. “Wait a second here now. Why the buck should ah be tellin’ ya’ll anything?!”   “I’m sorry,” said Cadence. “I just want to get to know you. To understand you and the rest of the bat ponies. So I can help you.”   “HA! Like you high an mighty ponies ever cared about us!” barked Poisoned Apple as they entered the castle. The walls looked ancient, perhaps several hundred years had passed since anypony had worked on them. Yet Cadence had no fear that they would collapse on them. She and those with her continued to follow the mare down a flight of stairs the led underneath the remains of the castle.   “It’s true,” said Cadence gently. “And if this Gran and Gramps hurt you in some way-”   “DON’T YA DARE TALK ABOUT THEM!” screamed Poisoned as she spun on the princess, her eyes watering. “THEY WERE THE ONLY PONIES WHO EVER GAVE A LICK ABOUT ME BEFORE AH CAME HERE! YA GOT NO RIGHT!”   Cadence looked at the mare who now had tears running down her eyes. Then, very slowly and carefully, said “I’m sorry.”   “Ya better be,” growled Poisoned. “Gran and Gramps…they always wanted the best fer me. Never listened ta what the others said about me. Even fought ta keep me in preschool. Teachers said they didn’t want mah kind mixin’ with the other foals. They lost an ended up home schoolin’ me as best they could. An every time somepony from town lost something, they would come ta blame me. Said ah had ta have stolen it. But Gran and Gramps even believed a word. Would chase them off their farm with whatever they could get their hooves on.   “But even why ah was a filly, ah knew ah was hurtin’ them something fierce because ah wasn’t a real Apple. Once ah heard them talkin’ late one night about how they couldn’t go ta a family reunion. Afraid how the other Apple’s might react ta me. Wanted ta keep me safe. Ah guess back then ah wanted ta prove ah was a real Apple an started helpin’ more around the farm. Little ol’ filly me trying ta get a farmin’ cutie mark with a big ol’ apple.   “Ah remember how ah got it. One day we began findin’ dead pigs in the pig pen. Scared Gran and Gramps something fierce. Told me ta stay close ta the farm just ta be safe. A few days later ah was tryin’ to apple buck some trees when a manticore came on by with a pig in its mouth. He dropped it an came after me. As he flew at me he growled an…ah could understand it. It was the weirdest thing of mah life. Ah never could understand the other animals, but for some reason ah could understand this monster. Ah bucked him as hard as ah could on the nose an told him no, that he was bein’ a bad monster…an it worked! He could understand me! That’s when this here cutie mark appeared, with an apple an everything. Ah ran back to tell Gran an Gramps the good news, that ah was a real apple. Ah remember them holdin’ me real tight, thankin’ the stars ah was alive while tellin’ me that even without the mark ah was an apple ta the core.”   As Poisoned paused to wipe away some new tears in her eyes, the group came to the lowest level of the castle: the dungeon. There were several barred cages along the walls, each a different size. Some looked like they could hold a dozen or so ponies each while a few other looked like they could barely fit one. Next to the stairway was a hook holding a key ring which Poisoned grabbed with her teeth.   “About a week or two later, that’s when it all came crashing’ down like a mountain of barrels at the rodeo,” continued Poisoned as she lead her captives to the largest cell. “Ah remember that night because Gramps was using some flash cards ta help with mah learnin’. Gran was settin’ the table when we heard the shoutin’. It was the townsponies. They…they said that all the bits in town hall had gone missin an that ah must of taken it. Gran and Gramps tried ta get them ta see reason, but they wouldn’t hear it. Gramps managed ta close the door. T-Then stuff came flying through the windows an then f-f-f-fire started ta spread. T-The door, they couldn’t open it. We ran upstairs an Gran opened a window an told me ta get. A-Ah d-didn’t want t-ta b-b-but they promised t-they’d be r-r-right behind. A-Ah waited in the orchard l-l-like they told me for a w-week. B-But-”   Poisoned couldn’t continue. Instead she slammed the door to the cell, locking Cadence as well as her friends inside. Without checking to make sure they were securely locked in, Poisoned took several deep breaths to calm her nerves.   “There was nothin’ left of my home,” said Poisoned quietly after she had composed herself. “Nothin’ but ash. Mah Gran an Gramp they were the seed that helped that town grow. They were the first ta settle there, helped it grow through the years. An what did they get in return? Nothin’ but hate because they wanted ta raise me like their own. Them rattlers never got punished neither. Celestia just keeps her flat flank sittin’ on that throne of hers up on high thinkin’ she’s some kinda god or the like. Never doin’ nothin’ an getting’ praised fer it. It ain’t right!”   “Poisoned,” whispered Ruby as she moved to the front of the cage. Once she was in front of Poisoned, she reached a hoof out to her but the country mare smacked the hoof away from her.   “Ah don’t need no pity from the likes of ya, TRAITOR!” screamed Poisoned. At the sound of her voice, Ruby’s ears flattened before taking a few step back. Her own eyes seemed to water a bit as she did.   None of this went unnoticed by Cadence. She saw the hurt look in Ruby’s eyes as well as she way she held the hoof that Poisoned had smacked. She also noticed the way Poisoned was glaring at Ruby now. Cadence could tell there was some history between them and that Ruby’s decision to become a member of the guard had shaken it. However, finding out that bit of history would come later.   “I’m sorry for the way you have suffered,” said Cadence gently as she took a step forwards. “And I know that these words won’t do anything to fix the pain you feel or get back everything you have lost. But know that I, from the depths of my heart, am truly sorry for what has happened to you. If I had known what was going on with the bat ponies I would have done something sooner.”   The only response Cadence got was Poisoned Apple snorting loudly and with enough force that it was visible. The bat mare then turned around and headed towards the stairway. But not before telling two of the other bat ponies who had helped bring Princess Cadence to the castle to remain here and keep watch. Then, without another word, Poisoned stormed up the stairs with the remaining bat ponies.   Ruby hung her head as she watched Poisoned leave. “Well, that could have gone better,” she said softly. Cadence slightly nodded in agreement as she looked around their cell. There was an old, almost decayed bucket in one corner that she hoped was empty. If it wasn’t, well, she didn’t want to think of what could be in there at this moment. On the other corner was a bed of straw that looked like it could fit a single pony. Cadence walked over to it and, with her magic, lifted Midnight off her back before setting her in the middle of the bed. This was done so gently that the little filly barely stirred from her slumber.   “So…what do we do know?” asked Darkwing as Cadence kissed the head of her filly.   “We do what we came here to do,” said Cadence. She moved to the front of the cage again, causing the two guards to visibly stiffen. Their eyes remained focused on Cadence’s horn so that they would be ready to attack the moment she tries to blast them with magic or the like. But instead Cadence smiled at them. “Could you please tell me your stories?” she asked them gently.   -x-   Lone Wolf stood in front of a small, round table he had found in the castle ruins. He had no idea who it once belonged to, what it used to be used for, or anything of that nature. For all he knew it could have been part of a filly’s play set (which it could have been seeing it still had some pink paint on it as well as flowers engraved into it). Behind him was the mural of the alicorn they believed to be Nightmare Moon as well as the two bat pony guards flanking her on both sides. The mural of Celestia had been covered up by piling junk in front of it.   Lone Wolf had chosen this spot to be a meeting place for the moment. Every once in awhile he would find himself staring at Nightmare Moon as well as the two bat ponies allowing his mind to wander a bit. Was this really the monster they called Nightmare Moon? Who were the two bat ponies who stood beside her with such pride in their eyes? What happened to them? What was their history? And above all: could they have the same thing?   Well, Lone Wolf was doing his best to answer ‘yes’ to that last question. Ever since they had found the mural, a fire had been lit inside of him. For the first time in so long he felt passion for what was to come as well as hope. He had ordered Jackal to fly to colony to colony in order to get supplies while the remaining bat ponies stayed to do their best and fix this castle up with what they had. All of them were working hard so that they could have the same thing as the ponies in Appleloosa, a more permanent home. A home for all the colonies, for all bat ponies! Here, in this forest teeming with monsters and dangers that kept the ponies that loved Celestia out, they could make a true home for themselves and finally be safe. And the princess on the wall, Lone Wolf could see all of his fellow bat ponies gathering around this spot and look upon her as hope filled their hearts like it had filled his.   Eventually, his hope was to see a town built around the castle. One of the younger bat ponies in his colony had spoken of building tree houses with wooden plank bridges connecting them. They could make their own market place, where bat ponies could trade the goods they made or the food they gathered. They could turn this old castle into a community center with a school and everything. It could even be used as an emergency shelter and the like. And it would stand here, bringing them hope for the future.   But that day was not today. No, today there was still much work that had to be done. On the desk in front of him were papers. Poorly made blueprints of the castle and lists of repairs that would have to be done. The first thing they needed to prioritize was living spaces and making sure they were safe. They also needed to make sure that the roof would stop leaking so they could begin to store various items for the future projects that this place would need. They would also need protection, but luckily Poisoned Apple was on that. Her special talent would be vital for their future.   Wolf’s ear twitched a bit as he heard hoofsteps coming towards him. Looking up from his work he saw Jackal approach him with a smile on his face.   “I take it you have good news?” asked Lone Wolf. “Have any of the other colonies offered supplies.”   “No,” said Jackal. “Not yet. Most are curious as to want we are doing right now.”   “They will find out once we make more headway,” said Lone Wolf as he waved a hoof at Jackal. “If they see this place before we make any real progress they might say that it’s a fool's dream or a waste of time.”   “Which it is,” commented Jackal unhelpfully.   Lone Wolf let out a sigh. “I am not having this argument with you Jackal,” he said sternly. “As Flight Master, it is my duty to look after the colony and to do what is best for it. And right now I believe that this will help us.”   “And I will be right at your side as reality crashes down on you,” said Jackal, still smiling.   “Well then, what’s got you in such a good mood?” asked Wolf as he raised an eyebrow. “Meet a nice filly on your travels?”   Jackal chuckled. “Oh, I met a filly alright,” he said darkly as his smile became wider. “Princess Cadence in fact. It seems like that a member of the Appleloosa colony brought her right to this pile of rubble along with Ruby and those other two traitors. I have them in the dungeon right now.”   When Lone Wolf heard Princess Cadence’s name, his whole body visibly paled. Yet as Jackal continued to speak, color returned. Particularly the color red. By the time Jackal had finished speaking, Wolf looked like he had been boiled alive and his body was visibly shaking with rage.   “H-How could you?!” demanded Lone Wolf as he flared his wings. “You young fool. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? How much danger you put us all in?”   Jackal waved him off. “Oh, you worry too much old stallion,” he said dismissively. “We just need to kill her and we’re good. All we need to decide is-”   “ARE YOU BUCKING INSANE?!!!!!!” roared Lone Wolf as he jumped in front of the younger stallion. “Not only did you bring her here to our doorstep, but you think we can just kill her and be done with it? Fool! Celestia might not give a bit about us, but I’m sure that she’ll tear Equestria apart looking for her niece. And sooner or later she’ll find out what we did to her and then every bat pony in Equestria will pay for your blood lust!”   “It’ll be worth it just to make her feel a fraction of our pain,” Jackal shot back, his wings flaring as well. “Besides, it’s not like it would have mattered. Darkwing of the Appleloosa colony brought her here. She would have found us eventually. All I did was speed things along.”   “You could have sent somepony ahead of you,” stated Wolf. “You could have kept low or stalled for time so we could have left, making it look like we were never here or something. Anything but bringing her directly here! What if she has back up like a squad or something made up of unicorns that are waiting just outside the forest? They’ll come in with horns blazing, ready to save their beloved princess no matter how many bat ponies they ‘have’ to kill. We have foals here!”   “That line of thinking makes you weak and unworthy to continue being Flight Master,” stated Jackal with a hiss as he moved to the side in an effort to move behind Wolf. However, Wolf saw this and the two began to circle each other as Jackal continued to speak. “You still think we should hide, living in fear that we might feel the wrath of the almighty Equestria. We’ve been doing that for hundreds of years and nothing has changed. Instead I say we should be out there with our fangs dripping with their blood. If they come here I will kill as many as I can before they take me down.”   “You narrow minded fool,” said Wolf, a low growl in his voice as he spoke. “Have you ever considered that because we hide the way we do that we are able to continue to live. We hide, we stay out of sight and we are ignored. We are safe. And the safety of this colony is my duty as Flight Master! I refuse to put their lives in danger to fight a battle we can’t win.”   “It’s not about winning,” snarled Jackal. “It’s about getting what’s been long over do. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A future for a future. They took our futures Lone Wolf. They cast us out of their society because we are different. They think us uncivil so that’s what I’ll give them! And since you don’t have what it takes then I’ll lead this colony after I-”   “After ya what?” came the voice of Poisoned Apple as she and several other bat ponies entered the room. “Ya think no pony will stand up ta ya after ya kill Lone Wolf? If that’s what ya think then ya got more screws loose than my Gramps’ shed.” Behind her a few of the other bat ponies slightly nodded their heads while the rest stared at Jackal.   Jackal snorted in frustration before he glared back at them. ‘Fools,’ he thought. ‘Can’t they see that murdering every last Equestrian is the only path for us? We have a golden opportunity hoofed over to us and they’re too scared to take it!’   “Jackal,” said Lone Wolf, getting the other stallions attention. “Know this, you will never lead this colony. Even if you try to take it by force you will be by yourself. Now get out of my sight and get some sleep.”   The scared bat pony let out a growl. He looked at Lone Wolf before turning to look at Poisoned with an angry gleam in his eyes. For a moment, everypony in the room thought he would attack one of them at any second. But Jackal just let out another growl as he walked out of the room. It was only then that everypony except for Lone Wolf let out a sigh of relief.   As for Lone Wolf, however, relief would not be coming his way anytime soon. As long as Cadence was here, the colony as well as his plans for the castle were in danger. But what to do with her? None of his options looked good, even as a short term solution.   There was also the matter of how Cadence had found out the location of the colony. According to Jackal, she had brought with her one of the Appleloosa bat ponies. Most likely she had meet with Weeping Willow, a Flight Master who should have known better than to give away their location. Even under the threat of death or torture, a Flight Master knows never to reveal the location of the other colonies. So…did Cadence use some kind of magic? That was a possibility. From what he had heard, Cadence was the alicorn of love. Perhaps she had used her magic to make the bat ponies fall in love with her! That would make sense. In fact, it would explain why Ruby and the other two didn’t try to stop her from seeking them out.   “Poisoned Apple,” he said, looking at her with his one good eye. “What do you make of the princess?”   Poisoned raised an eyebrow at this. “What in tarnation is this about?” she asked. “Ah hope ya ain’t thinkin’ about lettin’ her go or trustin’ her.”   “Of course not,” said Lone Wolf as he turned to look at the mural, hoping it would calm him down a bit and give him the strength needed to what needed to be done. “I just need to know if you’re still yourself.”   “Ah…what?” said Poisoned in utter confusion.   “Just answer me,” said Wolf as he turned to look at her. “What do you make of her?”   “Ah think she’s as naïve as a little filly,” said Poisoned. “Comes in here, sayin she wants ta get ta know us so she can help us. Thinkin’ that well just warm up ta her if she pretends like she cares.”   Lone Wolf let out a sigh of relief, happy to see that Cadence’s spell had not been cast on Poisoned. “Good,” he said. “Now then, we’re going to have to play our hooves carefully. I want you to get out there and tame as many monsters as you can as soon as you can. Sooner or later, ponies are going to come looking for Cadence so we’ll need to defend ourselves. But before you do that, I want you to get me that Appleloosa bat pony and Ruby. Also, make sure the ponies watching them are changed every half an hour and make sure their minds are right. If they start praising Cadence or anything like that, lock them up.”   -x-   Meanwhile, Jackal entered the room he had chosen for himself before slamming the door behind him. Said room was located at one of the highest locations still left in what he felt was a crumbling heap. In several spot on the floor were holes that a baby bear could fall through as well as holes in what passed as a ceiling here. It was a room much like most of the rest in the castle. The only reason he had picked this room over the others was because of the windows. Whatever this room had been used for in the past, the four large windows allowed him to see everything. This way if something ever came for them he could attack it right away or flee, depending on the situation.   There was no furniture in the room either, just a pile of leaves that he had gathered to sleep on instead of the hard floor. He knew that some of the others had found things scattered here and there. Bookcases, chairs, a lot of suits of armor, and even a few beds. But Jackal refused to take any of them. He didn’t want anything useless décor in his living space. Nothing that might get in the way if he needed to make a hasty escape or could be used against him should a fight break out in his room. The only thing he would accept as decorations would be the skulls of Celestia and the rest of her ponies lining the wall of his room.   Snarling to himself, Jackal walked over to the pile of leaves where he then laid down. Slowly he closed his eyes with the intent of getting some rest, but part of his brain was still running on rage. He couldn’t believe that everypony here was being so stupid! Letting those traitors live was bad enough, but an Equestrian? And a princess no less? It was downright madness!   ‘Wolf, have you forgotten what they are like,’ thought Jackal as he yawned out loud. ‘Those monsters should all be killed, one by one in the slowest most painful way imaginable. If we don’t we’ll all get…locked up.’ And with that, Jackal began to fall asleep.   However, what awaited Jackal in the dream world was not some abstract version of reality with hidden meanings nor was it some random fantasy. It was a nightmare and the worst kind that the bat pony could have conceived.   The first thing Jackal became aware of was that he was smaller. No, that wasn’t completely accurate. He was younger, about three or four and with his cutie mark. The scars on his thin, almost skeletal body were mostly gone while the ones that were there still stung from their freshness. Reaching up to his head he found, to his horror, that both his ears were intact.   Trembling, he looked around to see where he was hoping to whatever god or goddess above him that he wasn’t in that place again. That place forever burned into his memories. But sadly, it was as he had feared. He was in a cage, with thick bars that not even the strongest earth pony had a chance at bucking down. The inside of the cage was bare save two dog dishes that had been bare for far too long. Outside of the cage was a dimly lit room. Light was kept from shining inside due to the super think curtains, but the now young colt could see everything clearly. At one corner of the room was a pyramid of soft looking stuffed animal that had a layer of dust on them. Cobwebs decorated the ceiling as well as the toy blocks that lay scattered across the floor. There was also a crib that, to the colt’s knowledge, had never been used. Above it was a dusty banner that had words on it that the colt was unable to make out.   Seeing this place of pure nightmare caused Jackal to press his super thin body against the edge of the cage as he stared at the door directly in front of the cage. The colt pressed his eyes together, whispering in his head to wake up for he dared not say it out loud. Over and over he mentally chanted ‘Wake up. Please wake up’ as hard as he could.   Then his blood seemed to freeze as his stomach made a noise. It was more of a whine than anything, his body begging for food in order to stay alive. And it was all the noise needed to bring ‘him’ here.   As soon as the noise was made, hoofsteps could be heard storming towards him. The door then violently swung open revealing a large pegasus stallion. Who he was or what he looked like, Jackal could no longer remember. His entire body was dark, like it was being covered by an inky shadow that blocked all of his features except for the golden colored armor that he wore as well as the smell of hard cider.   “How dare you make a noise you little rat?” barked the stallion as he pulled out a cider bottle from behind his back and took a quick sip of it. “Don’t tell me you forgot the rules around here? Never make a sound. Can’t you remember that? Well? By Celestia why do I keep you around? You’re the bucking reason she left!” Jackal’s stomach choose that moment to make another noise, angering the stallion further. “Looks like I have to teach you some more!”   With that, the stallion smashed the bottle against the wall turning it into a weapon. Jackal watched in utter fear as the cage door opened and the stallion reached inside. The bat colt squirmed and did his best to avoid the large hoof but it latched onto his weak leg. Slowly he was dragged before the larger pony who held the jagged bottle in one hoof, poised to strike. Jackal screamed in horror as it came down…   And then he woke up, panting in fright while sweat covered his coat. His scars ached due to the memories of his youth. Quickly he looked around to make sure that he was in his room, only sighing in relief when he saw the crumbling walls of the castle and the windows that were wide open. For a second, a smile of relief appeared on his face. He was safe.   But then the smile vanished as his face hardened. ‘No,’ he thought. ‘None of us are safe. That…princess is still here. Still alive. But not for long.’   -x-   Hot Pants watched as all of the former ranked officers filed out the door, a small smile on her face. For the last several hours, she had been talking now stop as she outlined all of her plans and gave them all of the information she could give. Anything that she thought could help them better prepare for the battle in the morning, it was there with as much detail as she could muster.   She only wished that there could have been a bit more feedback. While she talked, they old officers just sat there and listened. Every once in a long while somepony would ask a question or make a small suggestion, but for the most part the accepted her ideas. It was something that made Hot Pants’ stomach feel uneasy. That they should have corrected her more or put out more idea’s. After all, they were experienced military minds while she had only been promoted due to her social standing.   Using her magic, Hot Pants grabbed all the charts and magic crystals she had brought. Effortlessly they moved through the air and into her saddle bag which closed once the last item was safely inside. While she did this Hot Pants remained focused on the things she had brought with her, making a mental checklist to ensure nothing got left behind. Because of this she failed to notice that the one remaining pony in the room was now in front of her. And when she looked up and saw Raging Storm in front of her Hot Pants gasped in shock.   “A-Ah sorry about that sir,” she stammered while placing a hoof over her heart. “You scared me a bit.”   Raging Storm didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he seemed to be examining her from head to tail in a way that made the young mare feel a little uneasy to say the least. That feeling only grow when Storm began to move, circling her like a carnivore circles its prey. By the time he was back in front of her Hot Pants could feel sweat appearing all over her body while adrenaline began to flow through her veins.   “You don’t deserve to be a Lieutenant,” he said after a bit.   Hot Pants felt her ears flatten against her head, unsure as how to feel about this. On one hoof she was glad that he wasn’t trying anything funny with her. On the other hoof, he wasn’t saying anything she hadn’t thought about herself already and didn’t feel like listening to it.   “You lack leadership,” he continued, his expression unreadable. “When you opened this meeting you were a mess, stuttering like a fool and showing everypony in the room how nervous you were. As for your presentation, it needed more focus as well as better organization. At one point you repeated something you had said earlier.”   “Oh,” said Hot Pants. “Well I-”   “But other than that the material was good,” interrupted Raging Storm as a smile crossed his face.   Hot Pants blinked. “What?” she asked in a dumbfounded tone.   “While there were some flaws in your presentation, the points made were well thought out,” he said. “The information you gave was useful as well the tips and strategies for how to deal with the enemy. Very impressive seeing how you were pressed for time and your level of inexperience.”   “I, uh, thank you sir,” said Hot Pants, unsure as to what was going on.   “But like I said, you don’t deserve to be a Lieutenant,” said Raging Storm. “Or, at least, not yet. What you lack right now is confidence and experience. Something that will need to be changed soon. So, once the princesses have returned and I get my post back, I will be putting in a request for you to be transferred under my commander and under my direct tutelage. I’m sure that within a year or so you will have all the experience needed to become a true Lieutenant. After that who knows. Perhaps in a few years you could become a Captain or even a part of Princess Celestia’s war council.”   Hot Pants stood there, wide eyed with her mouth hanging open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. One of the top Captains, besides the Captain of the Royal Guard, wanted train her. And at the eastern borders! She had heard that they actually fight pirates! What pony had never dreamed of fighting pirates?   “I don’t know what to say,” said Hot Pants after she took a loud gulp. Her face felt like it was burning up. “I-It’s an honor, r-really.”   Raging Storm nodded. “I assume that I might have to fight Lieutenant Aerial Ace to get you,” he said, a small amount of humor in his voice. “Knowing him, he won’t let go of such a promising pony like yourself. But I believe you’re worth any amount of trouble. I look forward to that day.” And with that, Raging Storm turned and walked out of the room leaving behind a thunderstruck Hot Pants. Once he was out of the room, the mare let out a squeal so loud that it could be heard all across Equestria.   -x-   Ruby looked around nervously as she stood next to Darkwing as the reality of just how much her life had changed. A few days ago she was living in a cave, stealing grain just to survive. Now she was standing in the Castle of the Royal Sisters, wearing the pink armor that Princess Cadence had given her, standing next to a member of the Appleloosa colony who now supported the pink princess, had recently been reunited with her long lost parents, and in front of her was Lone Wolf with a look of disappointment clearly written all over his face. Yeah, her life had become very complicated.   And no matter how she looked at it, this was going to be her hardest trial yet. She would have thought it would have been leaving the colony. Telling Lone Wolf, the stallion who found her then gave her a home like he had so many other bat ponies in the colony and had taught her how to survive in the wilds, that she was leaving to work for Princess Cadence had been a nerve racking experience. But she knew at the time it was the right call. She still believed that with all her heart especially seeing all the good they had done. She felt proud to be wearing her armor.   So why was this moment so much harder? Making her feel so…uneasy? Last time he had barely looked at her or the others when they told him they were leaving. And yet for some reason she would give anything for him to be giving her that same treatment right now. Anything had to be better than that look in his eye.   “I should have seen this coming,” he said after a long while, shaking his head as he did so. “I never should have let you leave for Canterlot.”   “Wolf, I-” began Ruby, but the elder pony held up a hoof to silence her.   “The freedom to leave the colony is the right of any pony,” he said in a solemn tone. “It…it was hard when you said you wanted to serve Cadence. I knew they would do something horrible to you, that they would try to break you. Get you to reveal where we were in order to gain some small bit of release from the pain. Getting you to confess to any crime they saw fit to accuse you with the promise that the pain would end. But I had some hope that you would escape before that. And now, looking at you, I see they have done something far worse.”   “Ahhhhhhh,” said Ruby as she tried her best to wrap her head around what Lone Wolf was saying. Some of it she got and understood. Nearly every bat pony knew what would happen to them if they got caught. There would be beatings, accusations, and so much more. She had known that it there was a high chance of that happening when she left for Canterlot. But that’s not what happened!   “Lone Wolf, I’m fine,” she said as she pointed a hoof to her armor. “Look at me, I’m in perfect health! They’re treating me just fine.”   Lone Wolf however shook his head again. “It must be worse than I thought,” he said as he put a hoof on her shoulder. “You honestly believe what you’re saying right now. How much does that mare have hold of your mind?”   “Ok, explain,” said Ruby as she brushed Wolf’s hoof off of her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Next to her, Darkwing flared his wings a bit as if he understood something that Ruby didn’t and didn’t like it one bit.   “You have both been brainwashed,” said Lone Wolf. “Your minds and emotions twisted into thinking that you love Cadence and that she cares for you.”   “That’s a lie!” shouted both Ruby and Darkwing at the same time.   “You poor fools,” said Wolf. “You can’t even see how much she has her claws in your hearts. That witch has managed to convince you that you should betray your own ponies if it would please her. Why else would either of you think that bringing her here would be a good thing? You are both pawns to her, not to be taken seriously. Ruby, why do you think she would put you in that forsaken armor? So that everypony would see you as a joke!”   Ruby rolled her eyes at this. She was so sick of everypony bringing up the color of her armor! But that was minor compared to the other things he was saying. She lifted up a hoof and pointed it at Lone Wolf, ready to tell him off but Darkwing spoke up first.   “Lone Wolf, I can assure you that our minds have not been altered,” he said simply. “We brought Princess Cadence here with the best of intentions.”   “Yeah, I’m sure you think that,” replied Wolf.   “It’s true,” said Darkwing as he spread his wings out to their full length. “Our colony faced a dire situation. Our allies, the buffalo, were being hurt by ponies and those same ponies wanted us out of the desert that they claimed for themselves. And so we fought. Together, bat pony and buffalo were able to defeat the ponies of Appleloosa to the point where we could have driven them out. Then Princess Cadence arrive, blocking us from the final push. But it wasn’t so that she could aid in the fight but to get both sides to find a more peaceful solution. She…she spoke out in our defense and even protected Ruby here when her sheriff assaulted her. The princess even listened to a bat pony’s ideas on how to solve the main problem between the ponies and the buffalo, giving her the credit!”   “She even began laying the groundwork so that the bat ponies can trade their stuff with the Appleloosa ponies,” added Ruby, her voice hard as stone.   “I know it sounds hard to believe,” continued Darkwing. “But it’s true. She even came to our colony and ate besides us. She didn’t complain about the food or wanting a better bed or anything like that. She was nothing but humble and understanding. If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes then I wouldn’t believe it myself!”   For a moment, Lone Wolf just looked at the younger stallion. His expression had shifted during Darkwing’s confession going from disappointed to a more neutral look. Like he was trying to mask something.   “I’m sure that’s what you think,” said Wolf with a rumble in his voice. “But has it occurred to you that she’s using you? Taking advantage of the situation, making it look like she’s on your side while infecting you with her magic so that she can get all of us at once? She got you to bring her here and-”   “Only after she heard that you were up to something,” said Darkwing in defense, puffing out his chest as he did so.   Lone Wolf narrowed his eyes. “So that’s what it takes to get their attention?” he asked. “Every time we get beaten, locked in a cell for something we didn’t do, or any of the other horrible things Celestia’s ‘precious’ little ponies do to us; it escapes their notice. But doing this? For one of us to build the foundation of an actual home for the bat ponies? A place where we can live like they do, with plenty of food instead of starving in a desert or having to steal just to get by?! In a forest that THEY DON’T WANT TO EVEN ENTER?”   “It was the fact that you were keeping it a secret,” began Darkwing, but stopped when he saw the look in Lone Wolf’s eyes. The coldness of them sent so many chills down his spine that not even the midday heat of the desert could have kept him from shivering.   “You two can’t see it,” raged Lone Wolf. “You’re both under that witch’s spell. I understand that more now than ever. That monster has turned you against your own kind. THAT PINK BITCH HAS-”   What happened next was like a blur. When it was over Lone Wolf found himself on the ground with his left cheek feeling bruised and there was the taste of blood in his mouth. Standing above him with tears in her eyes was Ruby, slowly lowering her hoof as she looked down at him.   “Don’t you ever say that about my princess!” cried out Ruby, tears running down her muzzle as she did. “I’ve seen how much she cares and if you spent anytime with her you’d know that she’s not like that. She’s stood up for us several times now, defended us in the castle and in the desert! And don’t you dare say that my mind is being altered because I know it isn’t because I hate the color of this armor. My princess hates it too but it was only color armor we could get on such short notice! SO DEAL WITH IT!”   Lone Wolf blinked at this, not sure how to respond. Darkwing gently placed a hoof on her shoulder causing her to whip her head in his direction with such speed that it could have snapped off. The look in her eyes softened a bit as he shook his head. Then Darkwing looked at Lone Wolf.   “I can see why you would think something like that,” said Darkwing. “I am no expert in magic, but it could be possible for the princess of love to alter our emotions. However, if that were the case, she would not have to put on grand displays to show that she cared for us. She would not have needed to solve the conflict between Appleloosa and the buffalo in order to get the bat ponies of my colony to show her where we hid. Also, if we were under her sway, we would have told her about our other hiding places and the other exits to our colony.”   Ruby opened her mouth so that she could say something else. Something that she was sure to help Lone Wolf see that her emotions hadn’t been altered. But a sudden screaming that filled the air beat her to it.   -x-   Princess Cadence let out a sigh as the bat pony guard finished his story. This had been the fifth one she had talked to since she had been put in this cell, each one telling her about their past with the ponies of Equestria. Ruby had been telling the truth when she had told her that hers was one of the nicer past’s. Most of the bat ponies here seemed to paint pictures of cruelty in some kind of fashion. They talked about starving, trying to find work without any luck, or just being ignored. To tell the truth, just listening to them had been emotionally draining for the mare. So much so that she turned around, walked past her remaining guards, and laid down next to Midnight until she either woke up or the next bat pony guard came in.   As she looked down at little Midnight, Cadence leaned down and kissed her forehead. It was thanks to this little one that she now knew about what was really going on in Equestria. And just how sheltered she had truly been. She had heard the rumors about them while she was growing up, but dismissed them as that thanks to what her Aunt had taught her. It wasn’t until she had seen what the guards were doing to this little one that opened her eyes to see that there was more to it than just what she had heard. There was hate. Blind, ugly hatred towards the bat ponies that allowed them to be seen as something less. To be treated like sub-ponies.   ‘Perhaps we were both kept in the dark to just how bad the situation was,’ thought Cadence sadly. ‘I’m sure if Aunt Celestia had known just how bad things were getting she would have done more. I can only guess that somepony, or someponies, thought that what was happening to these poor ponies was not worth the time or attention of a princess.’ Cadence did not want to dwell on those thoughts any further. She feared that, if she did, her thoughts would turn against those living in Canterlot. Including her own Aunt.   Now Cadence had to think about the future and how she would change it. Something that was looking much harder now. The bat ponies who had lived in the desert had been very different. There they had lived a majority of their lives away from others, interacting only with the buffalo and perhaps some other bat ponies. But these ponies, as well as the rest of the bat ponies living in Equestria, had not known that. Instead they lived each day in fear that they would be found and hurt. They lived their lives in hiding while struggling to survive. With that, how could Cadence ever hope to fix things?   Cadence’s ears twitched as she heard the sound of wings flapping. The others in the room heard it as well for they had all turned their heads to look at the stairway. The ponies that were watching over Cadence’s cell moved forwards a bit with their makeshift spears at the ready. However they there got the chance to use them as Jackal flew towards them, tackling them both to the ground. With savage fury he raised both his upper body and forelegs before bringing them down on his fellow bat ponies creating a horrible cracking noise. Three pairs of eyes stared in horror at the two fallen bat ponies while Jackal took one of the spears and placed it under his wing.   “Y-You killed them,” stammered a shocked Thunderclap as Jackal went over to take the keys.   “No,” whispered Dusk. “Listen, you can still hear their heartbeats. He might have just cracked their skulls or something. But their alive…for now.”   “But that pink sow won’t be for very much longer,” said Jackal as he put the key in the lock, glaring at the two remaining bat ponies as he did.   Jackal opened the door to the cell, only to have Thunderclap and Dusk charge at him. Seeing this, Jackal thrust the spear forwards only to have it break on the pink armor. Dusk got on his hind legs, waving his forelegs around wildly while flapping his wings. Jackal tried to move around him only to have Thunderclap to get in the way, hissing and biting the air in front of the stallion.   Cadence watched as the two caused Jackal to back up, stepping out of the cage as she did so. The two continued to do this with Jackal appearing as if he couldn’t get past his armored opponents. It was only when Cadence saw that they were pushing Jackal towards one of the far ends of the dungeon that she realize their plan. To corner Jackal and to allow her to escape. Nervously she looked at the three of them, then at the door, and then finally at Midnight who was beginning to stir from her slumber.   When she looked at the three bat ponies again, she saw that Jackal’s flank was pressed against the wall. Thunderclap had backed up a bit and looked as if he was preparing for a charge. Cadence knew this was it. So, acting quickly, she moved over to Midnight and picked her up with her hooves.   “What’s going on mommy?” asked a very sleepy Midnight.   “Nothing,” said Cadence super quickly as she played her daughter on her back and then hurriedly made her way out of the cell. “Don’t worry everything will be-” That was as far as she got before letting out a blood curtailing scream. While she had been grabbing Midnight, Dusk had gotten on his hind legs again only to have Jackal tackle him to the ground. Thunderclap had charged, but his opponent let it hit him. But once Thunderclap made impact Jackal used that moment to sink his fangs into the exposed part of his neck. Dusk tried to get up, but Jackal quickly stomped on his wing and then turned around to buck him so hard Dusk’s body flew into the wall.   Now the only bat pony standing was Jackal as he leered at Cadence, blood dripping from his fangs as he did. He took a step forwards and Cadence backed up. Her mind raced with her options.   “Jackal,” said Cadence as she took another step back. “You don’t have to do this.”   Instead of answering, Jackal opened his wings and flew towards the princess. Before she could react, his right hoof connected with her face causing her to fall to the floor. Midnight screamed and Cadence used her magic to teleport her back into the cage where she would be safe while Jackal pinned her down.   “Oh, but I want to do this,” Jackal said. “And you’re smart for a princess. You should have used your magic to stop me.”   Cadence looked him dead in the eyes, doing her best not to show any fear as he opened his jaw to bite her neck. However, before he could do so, the two heard a scream of rage right before Jackal was tackled off of Cadence. Blinking in confusion, Cadence noticed Darkwing next to her doing his best to help her up.   As the alicorn of love got onto her hooves, she saw that Lone Wolf was checking on the fallen ponies while Ruby was on top of Jackal punching him repeatedly with her hooves. Over and over again with a look of pure rage in her eyes Ruby looked like an unstoppable force.   “YOU! DO! NOT! TOUCH! MY! PRINCESS!” screamed Ruby in between blows. She then slowed down so that she pull one foreleg back to deal a final blow, sadly giving Jackal all the time he needed to grab Ruby’s head and deliver a head-butt that stunned her. Now he was the one in control, pressing his hoof against her neck and pressing down with a savage look on his face.   “Don’t worry, the bitch will join you soon,” said Jackal.   “ENOUGH!” roared Cadence as her eyes glowed white. “YOU WILL NOT HURT ANYMORE PONIES THIS NIGHT!” With that said, Jackal found himself being lifted above Ruby’s body. His limbs flaying about, the savage pony tried to get out of the magical grasp. However the only thing that happened was him being flung into one of the smaller, one pony cells. As his body hit the ground the door slammed shut.   “You think,” began Jackal but stopped in mid snarl as he realized where he was. His pupils shrank as he looked around the closed cell. His breathing quickened greatly as he began to press himself against the back of the cage.   Then true fear overtook him as a figure approached the cell. At first he thought it was Cadence. But as she neared, her pink coat vanished turning into an inky black as her horn vanished. Her size also increased as well becoming a giant that towered over him just like it did when he was a colt. And as the figure that would forever haunt him lifted its hoof Jackal let out a scream.   Cadence on the other hoof backed away as soon as Jackal began screaming like mad. After she had thrown him inside the cage she had quickly checked on all of the bat ponies who protected her. Ruby was alright as so was Dusk. Thunderclap, on the other hoof, was still bleeding badly. It looked serious, but not life threatening since Jackal had missed the major arteries. Once she had used her magic to cover the wound she had moved over to the cell. All she wanted to do was to speak with Jackal but the moment she got close he looked like he seen a ghost!   “STAY AWAY FROM ME!” screamed Jackal. “I’LL BE GOOD! I’LL BE GOOD! JUST PLEASE SOMEPONY HELP ME!”   Cadence blinked at this odd behavior. It was far different from just a moment ago when he was trying to kill her. Seeing this rapid change made her wonder what had happened to him, what he had seen and had done to him to make him the way he was. Yet that was something that would have to wait because at this moment Jackal had begun sweating blood and his heart was beating so fast she could see it against his chest. It was almost like he was being scared to death! Seeing no other options, Cadence used her magic once more. Slowly, Jackal’s screaming began to lessen as his eyelids grew heavy. Soon they closed completely before he fell into a calm, dreamless sleep where the nightmares of his past could not reach him.   Once Jackal was asleep, Cadence turned and headed back to her cell. As she did, Cadence picked up Thunderclap gently with her magic and laid him on the straw. Once they were all inside the pink alicorn closed the door behind her with Lone Wolf watching all of this from the stairway.   “You could have broken out anytime you wanted,” he said as he stepped into the room. It was more of a statement than an accusation. “We could never have hoped to keep you locked up. So why didn’t you escape or use that magic when you had the chance?”   Cadence turned and gave the older stallion a small smile. “Because,” she said as she moved in front of the door, “I had no desire to leave. I wanted to stay here and earn your trust. If I used magic and left whenever I pleased I doubt you would have taken me seriously. So I decided that I would only use my magic if the situation called for it.”   “Maybe next time you should use it a little sooner,” groaned Thunderclap as he tried to stand but was held down Ruby.   “Agreed,” said Dusk. “Next time you see us getting our flank kicked feel free to step in.”   As Cadence looked utterly embarrassed, Lone Wolf was doing his best to comprehend what he was hearing and seeing. Cadence hadn’t scolded her guards for their failure nor did she seem angry when talked to her like they were…equals. And the way Cadence refused to use her magic up until the last moment. Could it be that she was serious about this? That she truly wanted to talk to him and perhaps…   Lone Wolf shook his head. There was no way he was going to fall for this. It had to be a trick of some kind. An elaborate plot of hers to lower his guard so that he would trust her.   “I’m not falling for it,” said Lone Wolf said as he pointed an angry hoof at her. “I don’t know what your game is, but it’s not going to work.”   “All I want is to talk,” replied Cadence gently as Midnight moved to stand behind her mother. “And I am will to remain here for as long as possible. But, uh, if you had any bandages for Thunderclap we would really appreciate them.”   “Yes please,” moaned Thunderclap. “Or, you know, something to take the pain away.”   “I,” began Lone Wolf but stopped in surprise when he saw Midnight peeking out from behind Cadence. “What is a filly doing in there? Never mind, hoof her to me this instant!”   “She is my daughter,” stated Cadence in a firm tone.   “Come here little one,” said Lone Wolf as he lowered himself to the ground while ignoring Cadence. “Come with me and I’ll take you away from the big mean princess so-”   “No!” shouted Midnight as she continued to try and hide behind Cadence. “I’m staying with mommy!”   Lone Wolf stared at the filly, taken aback by what she had said for a moment. “I know that’s what you think,” said Lone Wolf slowly. “But it’s a lie. She’s a bad pony who doesn’t love you or any other bat pony.”   “Yes she does!” said Midnight as she jumped out and into the open. She then pointed an angry hoof at Lone Wolf. “Mommy saved me from mean ponies. She helped me get better. She feeds me and loves me and let me play with Mr. Shiny! She’s the nicest pony in the whole world! The only bad pony around here right now is you!” Despite the tears now appearing in her eyes, Midnight stuck out her tongue as she finished.   “It’s true,” said Ruby while Cadence took her daughter in her hooves. “She is Princess Midnight Blossom, adopted daughter of Princess Cadence.”   “And this little filly is the one who thought of the idea to help the buffalo in Appleloosa,” added Darkwing. “She is the future hope for all of our kind.”   Lone Wolf was only half listening to them, the majority of his focus was on the two princess. The look on their faces was something he had seen on so many other faces, both in and out of the colony. It was love. Pure, unconditional love for one another. It was so simple, so peaceful yet it caused Wolf to look away for he was not able to fully accept it. As he looked into the faces of Darkwing and Ruby, he saw something in their eyes as the two looked at the pair of princesses.   ‘Pride,’ thought Lone Wolf in amazement. ‘They have pride just like those bat ponies do on that wall. That’s what I want for my ponies, for all bat ponies. I want to help bring them pride like that princess did all those years ago. But…should I please my trust in this princess?’ Lone Wolf closed his eyes and took a deep breath.   “Princess, I am willing to talk,” he said.   And elsewhere, the eyes of a purple unicorn mare began to stir.