//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Sandworms, Assault Rifles, and the Merits of Extraneous Princesess // by GaPJaxie //------------------------------// It was a harrowing walk to the palace. All around Twilight, ponies fell to their knees, and a hush came over the crowd. Ponies dared only whisper, about wings and a horn and broad hooves. About prophesy and destiny and something called the Kwisatz Haderach, She Who Is Many Types Of Pony At Once. Mares and stallions shied away from her, like her touch might burn them. Colts and fillies came close, and stared until their parents dragged them away. Walls of bodies parted like water, as ponies got out of her way. One mare reached out, and brushed Twilight's wing, only to shriek: "She touched me!" and collapse back into the crowd in a faint. Twilight felt the whole situation was unnecessarily stressful for Fluttershy. Fluttershy thought Twilight was projecting. Applejack wished she's brought some paper bags for both of them to breathe into. Eventually, the dazzling walls of the golden palace came into sight, and the crowd slowly fell back. The entrance was a vast and impressive set of double doors, and though many ponies in armor guarded it, guards and doors alike parted just as easily as the crowd had. Within were floors of immaculate marble and carved stone, fountains of crystal and statues of brass. It was a grand entrance hall in true imperial style, and there in the middle of it all was a blue pegasus. Rainbow Dash, but not as Rainbow Dash normally seemed. She stood tall and proud, clad in a crisp military uniform of black and gold. Her wings were lifted from her side to show them off, and her head was raised just so, the perfect image of a young ruler in their prime. "Okay... okay..." Twilight shook herself out, and took a deep breath. "Okay, this is going to be hard to explain." Behind her, the doors shut with a loud bang. "Okay, my name is Twilight Sparkle. And you probably already know that! But I'm not the Twilight you know. I'm another Twilight from an alternate-" "I know, Twilight, it's me," Rainbow Dash said. "I just changed clothes." "Oh." Twilight and her friends hesitantly looked around at each other. "So, you know we're-" "Royalty? Yup." Rainbow fluttered over the group. "Barely set hoof in the palace before all these servants were, 'Oh thank goodness you're back! Princess Twilight is here early! Quick get ready,' then they made me put on this uniform." She tugged at the tight, high collar, which was adorned with golden laurels. "It's really tight, and kind of boyish, but I think it made my flanks look nice?" "Rainbow! Dear!" Rarity's horn glowed, and she reached up with her magic to straighten the collar. "Do not insult that work of art by reducing it to 'it makes my flanks look nice.' That uniform is a work of exquisite pride!" She paused. "Though it is a tad... masculine, I admit. For your tomboy looks I suppose." "I think we can worry about the clothes some other time," Applejack interjected quickly. "We got bigger fish to fry, if ponies think we're all royalty round these parts. I mean, if the real Princess Applejack shows up and-" "No no. Sorry." Rainbow shook her head. "Not all of us. Just, Twilight and me." "Oh." Fluttershy kicked a hoof at the ground, and lowered her voice. "Well that's fine. I didn't want to be a princess anyway." "Still." Applejack grunted. "The real..." She looked around slowly, checking to make sure all the guards were out of earshot. She wasn't sure if they were or not, but none of them seemed to be paying the little crowd the slightest bit of attention, resolutely staring straight ahead at their posts. After a moment, Applejack lowered her voice. "The real Princess Rainbow Dash will be back eventually. And how do you think she'll react to finding some other pony wearing her clothes and living in her house?" "Entertaining as it would be to explore this world further, I have to agree." Rarity nodded in Applejack's direction. "A case of mistaken identity might be explained away if this world's Twilight is as understanding as our own, but abusing it for your own benefit makes it less mistaken identity and more outright fraud, which ponies rarely take well." "Then it's agreed," Twilight nodded sharply. "Come on, Rainbow. We need to go." "Oh." Rainbow shrugged. "So, you don't want to check out the huge collection of spellbooks this world's Rainbow Dash got her Twilight Sparkle as a gift?" Rainbow reached up and clapped her hooves together, the sharp sound echoing off the hard stone. Behind them, a servant pulled a lever and one of the walls of the palace fell away, revealed to be nothing more then a paper facade. On the other side was a massive collection of what could only be called 'arcane tomes,' many of them glowing, floating, or sealed away in glass in the proper style. "Well, I, uh..." Twilight hesitated. "That's not, uh..." She paused. "Behold," Rainbow said, with the faintest smirk and up-turn of her muzzle. "Rainbow!" Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes. "I really expect better of you. Twilight! Stop drooling. Staying longer will only-" "And!" Rainbow lifted a hoof. "An entire floor of this palace is one massive spa, which includes a walk in closet larger than your house. Clothing styles from another universe, eh? Things nopony in Equestria has ever seen before? And the same with the kitchens. I bet Pinkie Pie could bring a few really neat tricks home that Ponyville would love." Rarity bit her lip. Pinkie Pie hovered on tip-hoof. "Cherry on top," Rainbow Dash finished. "There's a greenhouse full of adorable desert creatures for Fluttershy. And we'll be gone before the end of the day. Deal?" "Done," Twilight said, bolting towards the books. "Woo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie leapt away, towards the first poor servant to catch her eye. "Agreed," Rarity trotted off, up the elegant marble stairs. "Scorpions are surprisingly cute once you get to know them," Fluttershy said, slowly lifting into the air and following after Rarity. "Heh..." Applejack watched them all go, a begrudging smile on her face. "Well, I can't say this won't come back to bite us, but... I guess it's all in good fun. And you get to be royalty for a day, right, RD?" "Totally," Rainbow Dash buffed her uniform, and feigned examining her hoof. "You know, I'm kind of a big deal." "Right." Applejack chuckled. "So, what'd you get me?" "Huh?" Rainbow looked up. "You bribed everypony else to stay for the day. What'd you get me?" Applejack pressed, gesturing around the palace. "Oh, uh..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "I think there might be some apple farms at the edge of town or something?" "It's a desert!" Applejack snapped, momentarily at a loss, her mouth hanging open a few degrees. "I don't believe you! Acting all high and superior." "Come on, AJ. There's gotta be some farms around here or something." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Just go check it out." "And how in the heck am I supposed to navigate my way around a city we've never been in before?" AJ snorted, and sharply stamped a hoof. "Right, sure." Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves sharply. "Hey, you! Guard." At once, one of the guards who had thus far been standing motionless came to life, and bolted to Rainbow's side. He was a pegasus, dressed in a less regal version of the same black uniform Rainbow wore, a knife strapped to his left flank and a heavy wing-gun to his right. "Sir. Is this mare bothering you?" "Not at all," Rainbow said, with a magnanimous wave in Applejack's direction. AJ glowered and snorted again. "My commoner friend here just needs some help finding the edge of town. In fact," she gestured at the pegasai's wings. "Get a few strong ponies and sky chariot. Give her a chance to really see the countryside." "Understood, sir. We'll take care of it." The guard sharply saluted. Rainbow nodded, then turned back to Applejack. "Well, enjoy your tour, AJ. I think I'm gonna go explore the palace more. There's this airship parked out back? The Sky Iceberg. I think it's a reference to something and it looks crazy fast." "You do that," Applejack growled the words out. Staring at RD until she finally fluttered into the palace and out of sight. "Unbelievable. That mare's ego is bigger than-" Behind Applejack, somepony cleared their throat. Turning, she saw a half-dozen strong pegasai. One was carrying a set of chains, one was carrying a gag, one was carrying a black bag just large enough for a pony's head, and the rest were carrying cudgels or wearing heavy brass horseshoes. "Ah..." Applejack managed, speaking slowly. "Find your way to the edge of town. Right. I get it." "Indeed," the guard agreed. Before Applejack could react, one of the truncheons cracked her over the back of the head. She staggered, and in that uncertain moment, the rest of them were upon her. She tried to yell for help, but in a moment, she was gagged. Then the restraints found her hooves, and the black bag went over her head, and she felt herself being whisked away and tossed into a sky chariot. Overall, arriving at an apple farm was starting to seem less and less likely.