Fear Within

by VirtualCipher


Chapter 11 - Disguises

Along the dirt and muck, Twilight travelled with her three friends as they endured further away from their hometown Ponyville with Fluttershy and Rarity left behind. Despite her anxiety, Twilight remained calm and focused on the objective at hoof with Rainbow Dash hovering above her while Applejack steadily followed along with Pinkie Pie who was blissfully bouncing up and down without a care in the world. Today, Celestia's sun was oddly bright accompanied with a blanket of blue. It was natural and divine. It had been quite some time since they left their home and they were soon to approach the camp.

"How much longer?" Rainbow Dash whined. "It feels like we've been wandering for hours."

Applejack agreed. "Rainbow's right, Twilight. Are ya sure we're headin' the right way?"

Twilight responded. "I'm certain. Thanks to this tracking spell, my horn's sensing movement and it's strong."

As they continued, Twilight's horn began to blink on and off, indicating that they were close to their destination. The others took heed to Twilight's horn as well as her reaction.

"We're here, just over that hill, but stay low," Twilight warned.

Applejack acknowledged her command, as did Pinkie Pie who stopped her bouncing. Rainbow Dash slowly pushed herself back down onto the flat and dirty, natural land. With their mouths sealed, they ascended up the hill to gaze upon the camp in agitation. Their eyes inspected every bit of the camp that was before them. There were crates scattered around the campsite and there were a few good Diamond Dog's guards around the perimeter, but what caught their eyes the most were the two guards standing by the entrance and they appeared to be holding some weird stick.

"Psst." Pinkie Pie whispered. "What are those two holding?"

Twilight carefully analysed the two guard dogs and within their paws, they appeared to be holding a crossbow.

"I don't believe it." Twilight gasped. "They're crossbows, one of Equestria's deadliest weapons, they fire arrows which can lead to serious injuries which can be fatal. Princess Celestia and Luna outlawed every single one and had them destroyed."

"Then how come they have them?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"That's what we're going to find out." Twilight signalled her friends to descend down the hill, ready to start the transformation spell. "Are you girls ready?"

"This is gonna suck," Rainbow Dash growled.

"We're ready sugarcube," Applejack confirmed while Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Twilight said, her horn beginning to glow.

Without warning, the light purple aura around Twilight's horn expanded around Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie who were looking rather confused as her spell engulfed them. Slowly and without pain, their hooves slowly turned into paws; their fur became somewhat longer which acted perfectly as a coat; their sensing ability evolved which improved. Each tail began to grow a mind of its own as Pinkie Pie's started to wag furiously due to her excitement. As for their colours, they remained the same, as did their mane. A problem, however, rose as Twilight's horn remained on her head.

The transformation was complete and they looked... adorable?

"How is everypony feeling?" Twilight asked her friends.

Before her friends could respond, they took in their new appearance and the only thing that could describe such change was weird. They were all standing on their hind legs, like how the Diamond Dogs stand.

"This is really weird," Rainbow Dash commented as looked at her own paws.

"Ah gotta agree with Rainbow," Applejack said as she looked at her paws and then turning around to see her tail.

"Come on, girls," Pinkie Pie spoke. "It's not that... ruff." She giggled.

Twilight began to speak. "Alright, we're now Diamond Dogs, but we need to think of our approach. We can't just walk up to the camp and expect them to let us in. We need to think of something."

"Umm, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said. "Your horn's still showing."

Twilight's eyes darted upwards as she could still feel the magic within her. Of course, the horn would remain if the spell needed to be cancelled anytime soon, however, this was going to be a problem. There was no way she could just slip in there without some dog noticing her horn.

"My horn!" Twilight exclaimed. "This is bad, really, really bad! I can't go in there with this showing, they'll easily catch on to the fact that we're using a shapeshifting spell."

As Twilight continued to panic, Applejack calmly walked towards her. While Twilight continued to stress about the fact that her horn was visible, Applejack simply took off her hat and placed it on her horn, covering it; hiding if from sight.

"It's no invisibility spell, but am sure this will have to do for now," Applejack calmed her.

"Your hat. Wow, thanks, Applejack."

"Not a problem, sugarcube. Now how are we all gonna make our approach?" Applejack questioned.

"Well, we could always-" Twilight lost her words as her focus turned to Pinkie Pie who appeared to be digging like a dog with Rainbow Dash and Applejack watching her.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Jovial as always, Pinkie Pie lifted her head from the hole she had dug, but with diamonds and gems in her mouth. She spat them onto the ground before her friends.

"Look at what I found! We can give these to the dogs and they'll be sure to let us in."

"Of course!" Twilight exclaimed. "Diamond Dogs won't resist an offer like that. Good job, Pinkie."


"Well, this is boring." One of the guard dogs spoke. His voice was gruff.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." The other one said. His voice sounding croaky.

"Not that bad?! We've been standing here all morning and for what? There hasn't been anything in sight. Some guarding duty we're doing."

"Hey look!" He said, pointing his crossbow at the four approaching Diamond Dogs.

"Hey! What are you four doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the kingdom?"

"Umm, we were called upon by the leaders of the Diamond Dogs," Twilight answered, a little intimidated with the crossbow being shoved in her face.

"You mean Rover, Spot and Fido?" The guard turned to his partner with confusion while he responded with a shrug.

"This could be a trick." He growled. "We're not letting you in and that's-"

It appeared that the guard shut his mouth as Pinkie Pie pulled out a handful of diamonds. Their eyes targeted the shiny minerals as they glimmered and shined right in front of their hungry eyes.

"Will give you the whole lot if you let us in," Twilight negotiated.

"Deal." The two guards said in unison.

As Twilight and her undercovered friends entered the camp, the two dogs shoved the diamonds into their pockets.

"That was easy," Rainbow Dash commented.

"We're not done yet, Rainbow. We need to stay focused and find out where they're holding Spike." Applejack replied.

As the four disguised ponies endured further into the camp, most of the Diamond Dogs were seen with crossbows or transferring crates filled with gems. Despite their remarkable disguise, they still felt a little unsafe.

"Hey, Twilight. Look over there," Rainbow Dash pointed.

Within the centre of the camp was the three Diamond Dogs, Rover, Spot and Fido all behind one round table. On the other side were three dragons, Garble and two of his friends.

"It's those three teenage dragons from the Great Dragon Migration!" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"What are they doing?" Applejack asked.

"They must be the ones Shining Armour was talking about," Rainbow Dash quietly answered.

"It looks like they're making some sort of exchange," Twilight notified.

Our four disguised ponies began to lurk closer to the Diamond Dogs and dragons, eavesdropping on their conversation. They hid behind the crates that were close to them, hoping that they would give away any details they had. They listened carefully as Spot spoke first.

"Well, it's about time you showed your ugly faces." He insulted the dragons.

The three dragons showed their sharp teeth and growled in reply causing Spot to gulp, thinking twice about what he had just said. It's not such a good idea to insult a teenage dragon, let alone three of them.

"SPOT!" Rover snapped, slapping the little dog over the head. "Be nice to our... acquaintances." He smiled.

Fido slowly approached the table while holding a crate, placing it in the centre of the table. As he opened the crate with his rock like paws, inside revealed gems, diamonds, rubies and emeralds, all stolen from Manehatten. The dragons eyes grew into interest as they licked their scaley lips in hunger as they stared down at the open crate.

"And what about your part of the deal?" Rover reminded.

Garble narrowed his eyes and gave a small sigh, snapping his claws. The other dragon next to him pushed a crate onto the table. Rover opened the wooden box and inside contained iron gauntlets and helmets suitable for the Diamond Dogs.

"Excellent!" Rover said in astonishment as he placed the helmet over his head. "A perfect fit! With armour crafted from your kind, we'll be stronger than ever!"

Garble informed. "You have no idea how hard it was to make that stuff with the other dragons snooping around. We may hate ponies but we hate you just as much." He said with venom. "If Ember finds out we're making a trade then who knows what she'll do to us."

One of the other dragons spoke. "I certainly hope she doesn't involve her dad into this." He gulped.

"Relax," Rover cooed. "Don't you remember? Fright and the changelings have guaranteed our protection. Whatever we do, we can get away with. We're still roaming after vandalising Manehatten which means we're as good as safe. We have new weapons built by those twins, armour produced by your kind, an army of vicious soldiers and a maniac that knows how to threaten the land. Do you really think that a few pony guards are gonna be a match for the changelings and us?"

"Good point," Garble agreed. "We've all been informed on the next part of our plan, right? Ya know? 'The Breakout?'"

They all nodded.

Rudely, Fido joined in. "But what about Princess Twilight and her friends along with the other princesses?"

Rover placed an arm around his dumb friend, bringing him closer as he laughed. "No need to worry about them, Fido." He chuckled. "When the moon rises tonight, they'll be broken with fear."

"You're starting to sound like Fright," Garble commented, crossing his arms. "And what's that suppose to mean anyway?"

"Tonight, Fright's going to be doing another one of those announcements and it's involving that small dragon," Rover informed. "He's going to show the Princess of Friendship how she and her friends broke him."

Twilight's ears perked upwards, listening to every word. However, this information was quickly ruined with Garble laughing.

"He was already broken!" He chuckled. "A dragon living among ponies? That's stupid and ridiculous. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a pony himself." He continued to laugh. "He's weak, pathetic, small and worthless. I can see why Princess Twilight forgot about him."

The laughing was taunting Twilight, scratching her brain as they left marks of pain as she remembered his face, overcome with grief. She began to descend deeper into her thoughts, thinking of what they have done to Spike. She began to growl which caught the attention of her friends.

"Twilight?" Pinkie Pie whispered.

"ENOUGH!" Twilight roared.

Rover, Spot and Fido along with Garble and his two dragons friends targeted the female Diamond Dog.

"Twilight? What are you doing?!" Again, Pinkie Pie whispered in a worried tone.

"Just who in the Badlands are you?" Garble screeched.

"We don't have females in our security!" Spot exclaimed.

Twilight removed Applejack's hat, tossing it onto the floor and revealing her horn that was now surrounded by that same light purple aura. Her eyes narrowed down in anger as she produced a light, forcing the Diamond Dogs and Garble to fall. As this spell was produced, their deceiving disguises faded away, leaving Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to land back on their hooves. With Rover on the floor, confused and growling in pain, Twilight towered over him, pinning him down with her hooves. Her eyes narrowed and her face hardened.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Twilight roared.

The petrified Rover replied, just barely spitting out his words. "Wh-where's who?"

"You know who I'm talking about, smart alec!"

"If you're talking about your dragon friend we don't know! We only got to see him a few times. This whole time he's been with Fright."

Twilight growled. "Then I'll make this simple. Where's Fright?!"

Rover began to tremble as he stared into the intimidating eyes of Princess Twilight. He could see the fire building up inside her as if she was going to rage.

"Twilight?!" Applejack tried to grab her attention, picking up her hat on the floor.

Spot and Fido along with their guards targeted the four poines with their crossbows and sharp-pointed spears.

"Drop him, pony!" Fido ordered, targeting her with a crossbow as did the others.

More of the guards approached the four intruders, quickly heeding the call of their leader who was being interrogated. Just before they could intrude, they were stopped by Applejack and Rainbow Dash while Pinkie Pie did her best to distract them. Twilight wasn't cooperating and this lead to Grable's two dragon friends charging towards her. Despite her focus on Rover, she used her magic to push the two dragons back.

"I'm not asking again!" Twilight warned.

"I don't know! He's always moving, he has more than one hideout! He has one in the crystal mountains and that's all we know!" Rover spoke the truth.

"Don't lie to me!" Her words spilt with hate and venom.

"I'm not! I'm not! I swear!" He said, filling up with anxiety.

No pony before had ever seen this side of Twilight before. She was vicious and intimidating.

Quickly, two of the guards held down Twilight's wings, forcing her down so she couldn't move or get herself back up. Quickly, Rover backed away to his allies at a safe distance from the princess. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were overcome by the Diamond Dog's brute force as they were held down too.

"Get off!" Rainbow Dash struggled.

"Ow, hey! That tickles," Pinkie Pie couldn't help but giggle.

"Get your paws off me, ya dirty dogs," Applejack insulted.

Garble growled as he approached the four ponies. "Transformation spell, huh? That's clever, but not clever enough! You're gonna get it now!"

The four ponies were held captive, staring into the eyes of Garble as he was ready to engulf them in flames. There was no way out and they were in deep trouble.

"Nice job on handling things, Twilight," Rainbow Dash mocked.

Upon hearing this, Twilight only frowned in response to Rainbow's mocking.

With a few of the guards holding down Twilight and her friends, The Diamond Dogs and Garble need to discuss what they were going to do with them.

"What shall we do with them?" Spot asked rather exhilarated.

"We can take them to Fright and-" Rover was cut off as he was interrupted by Garble.

"Forget about Fright! Let's have our fun, I mean, we've been working hard lately and I think we deserve a reward for our efforts!" He snickered. "Let's burn their pretty little manes off." He grinned while looking at the four who all snarled at him.

"Good idea!" The Diamond Dogs laughed, thinking of them frantically screaming as Garble sets fire to their hair.

Garble set foot to the four ponies who were trying to break free from the guards who were holding them down. "You've been very troublesome and don't worry, this will only hurt a lot!" He laughed.

Just as Garble was about to produce his flames, his attention went towards a light that shined above the four ponies. The guards that were holding the four struggling ponies down quickly scattered due to the light's size increasing, however, it was just getting closer towards them.

"What the heck is that?" The Diamond Dogs asked in unison, completely overcome with shock.

The guards that were holding down the four ponies quickly scattered as they had no idea what the shining light was going to do. As the light made contact with the ground, a dark blue shield produced by magic raised over Twilight and her friends. Smoke had been produced causing everyone except Twilight and the others to start coughing like mad.

"Fire!" Rover commanded through his frantic coughs.

The Diamond Dogs began to fire their arrows at the dome-like shield in front of them as did the three dragons, shooting fire from their mouth. This, however, failed. The shield appeared to break the arrows and absorb the fire. The smoke cleared and standing in front of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Applejack was their Princess of the Night, Luna.

"The Princess of the Night?!" Garble growled.

"Uh oh..." Fido's voice died under his breath, resulting in a gulp.

As the four took in what was standing in front of them, they were relieved to see their Princess of the night coming to the rescue.

"Princess Luna?" Applejack spoke, her voice seeming relieved too.

Princess Luna growled at the vandals in front of her.

"FOCUS ALL FIRE ON THAT ALICORN!" Spot ordered.

Just before any of the guards acknowledged Garble's command, Luna's booming voice interrupted their fire, causing them all to cover their ears.

"ENOUGH!" She roared, lowering the shield as her horn charged, firing at Garble which caused the red dragon to be forced into a pile of crates, gems spilling out. She disrupted a shockwave that made her enemies collapse onto the ground.

"Princess Luna? How did you find us?" Twilight asked.

"No time for explanation, dearest Twilight." She said in a gentle tone.

Without any hesitation, two guards got up and targeted Luna with their crossbows. Before they could fire, Luna quickly fired a beam at the two guards which knocked them back. Applejack managed to lasso herself up a dog that was on the run. Rainbow Dash proceeded managed to whizz around three of the armed dog, making them feel nauseated and dizzy while Pinkie Pie set for a great distraction.

In pain and overcome with anger, Garble rose from the crates that engulfed him. His teeth chomped against each other due to frustration. He looked over to see the two of the Diamond Dogs' guards get pushed back by Luna's magic. His blood was beginning to boil all because the Princess of the Night intruded on his fun. He turned around to see the three Diamond Dog leaders who were also pushed back by her shockwave spell.

"You three!" He pointed his claw. "Get the gems, armour and weapons out of here. We need to leave this place." He finished.

"I'm on board with that!" Spot agreed to his command.

Rover quickly turned his head to Fido and commanded. "Grab any remaining gems you can find and then rendezvous with us by the mountains."

"Why me?!" Fido asked.

"Because I ordered you to! Now go!" He shouted as him and Fido left.

Fido began to shake his head like crazy, searching for anything that was of value to them. Quickly, the Diamond Dogs along with their guards began to retreat and the Garble's two dragon friends took flight which wasn't apparent to Luna. Within the command centre of the camp, only Garble remained as he faced off against Luna, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

"You ponies are infuriating, you know that?!" He asked with a hint of anger showing. They could tell that he was annoyed which was pretty obvious. "I couldn't care less if Fright wants you to be kept alive just so you can be afraid! You're all better off burnt to a crisp!" He snapped, inhaling and then breathing fire like crazy, setting the tents and anything around him on fire.

His two dragon friends zoomed past the tent, shooting fireballs from their mouth as if they were bombers. This outpost set up by the Diamond Dogs was now a spawn of flames, engulfed in fire.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Garble just laughed at the insult and spread his wings, shooting up into the air. "See you at the breakout." He shouted down to his enemies. He signalled his two dragon friends to come and fly away. They were retreating from the burning camp where the five ponies remained in trouble.

With the fire increasing around them, all passages seemed to be cut off with flames interrupting their escape.

"Where do we go?" Pinkie Pie asked with panic consuming her.

They all looked around them desperately.

Princess Luna quickly found an opening from the fire and spoke. "Follow me, and stay close." She alerted.

With Princess Luna, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie staying close to her side, they continued to hurry in one direction, dodging all structures that were burning or collapsing, staying on Luna's tail. They were in a single file and Applejack was behind all of them. She focused her attention on following her friends in front of her, but with no expectation whatsoever, it appeared Applejack had let her guard down. From out of nowhere, Fido leapt at her, tackling her to the ground and causing her to fall to her side with Fido holding her down.

"Remember me?" He growled.

Applejack stared at the dog with hate as she was tackled. "Get off!" She shouted, kicking Fido in the face.

"Gah!" He held his face in pain, however, he could see Applejack trying to make her escape. "Oh no, you don't!" He said, grabbing hold of her hind legs, preventing her from leaving the now flaming campsite.

Despite the fact that they were in danger, Twilight heard the sound of distress as did Luna. They turned their heads to see Applejack with a Diamond Dog holding her down.

"Applejack!" Twilight called out.

"You three get out," Luna commanded. "I'll get Applejack."

"But-"

"Now!" She ordered.

Twilight chose not to speak another word as did Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. The fire was increasing and so they obeyed her command and fled the scene as Luna went back for Applejack.

Fido continued to hold down Applejack, getting ready to drag her to the rendezvous point to meet with his fellow dogs.

"HALT!" Luna arrived.

"Princess!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Back away or the pony is burned," Fido threatened, thinking of throwing her into the nearest spawn of flames.

Against his threat, Luna in no way showed fear. She had a trick of her own to show. Her horn began to glow which caught Fido's attention. A beam shot directly towards him but no pain was inflicted. The spell Luna was casting was a sleep spell and it appeared to have been putting poor Fido into a deep sleep.

"Hush now... Close your eyes and sleep." She commanded.

Fido paid no attention to his surroundings, he was overcome by Luna's magic and he could feel his eyelids getting heavy. His ears were soothed by Luna's voice as she hushed him. Without any sort of resistance, Fido collapsed onto the ground and began to snore, unaware of the raging fire around him. Applejack rose from the ground.

"Come, Applejack, we must hurry." She said, levitating Fido onto her back.


Panic and alarmed, Twilight continued to run while Rainbow Dash followed her. Surprisingly, Pinkie Pie kept up with the two. They escaped the wreckage with Luna and Applejack following behind. As they reached a safe distance from the roaring fire, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked back the camp now collapsing in on itself. Luna and Applejack regrouped with them. Out of breath and relieved, Princess Luna looked down at the four ponies who almost died. What was Celestia thinking?

"Is everypony alright?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gave a simple nod.

"Am fine thanks to Luna here," Applejack said. "Thanks again." She thanked her Princess of the Night. "Wait a minute, how did ya find us to begin with?"

"After hearing about your newest assignment from my sister, I thought it'd be best if I'd help. You all risked your lives in Manehatten, you're all playing your part against our enemies and I have to do the same. I wish my sister could do the same." She muttered the last sentence quietly for no one to hear.

"That's very noble of you Luna," Twilight admired.

"I can say the same to you, Twilight. To all of you," Luna complimented.

"Umm, princess," Pinkie Pie spoke. "What's that on your back?"

Luna simply used her magic to levitate Fido off her back. She dropped him onto the floor, still sleeping deeply.

"This is one of the Diamond Dog leaders," Twilight stated.

"And he tackled me to the ground, tryin' to prevent me from gettin' away," Applejack growled at the sleeping dog.

"Tell me Twilight, did you uncover any secrets during your infiltration?" Luna asked.

The question triggered Twilight's mind to switch on like a light bulb. "Princess, it is most unfortunate that I must inform you that our enemies' strength is increasing," Twilight began to explain every detail on what the Diamond Dogs and dragons have been up to. She informed her about Flim and Flam manufacturing crossbows and supplying it to them. She told her about the armour the three dragons were crafting and sharing it to the Diamond Dogs. All this bad news seemed to have worried Luna, their alliance with Fright and the changelings was getting stronger, despite the fact that they all hate each other. She also mentioned the announcement Fright was going to make tonight which only made her and the rest of her friends troubled. Why? Becuase this apparent announcement Fright had prepared involves Spike. Against all of the bad news, Twilight managed to lift up hope for Luna by telling her about one of the hideouts they have secured in the Crystal Mountains. Once Twilight finished explaining, Luna looked as if she appreciated the information she had told her.

"This is most frightening news, I'm not going to lie, but with the Diamond Dogs' leader, we may have an advantage. When interrogating one of the Diamond Dogs you said that he revealed information on Fright having more than one hideout, correct?"

"Correct," Twilight answered. "The only hideout he knew about was the one in the Crystal Mountains."

"The Crystal Mountains is near to the Crystal Empire. Once I arrive back to Canterlot, I will alert my sister to have Cadence prepare her guards to make a search. These cowards won't hide any longer."

"But what about Mr Sleepyhead?" Pinkie Pie questioned, pointing to the sleeping dog.

"We are only aware of one hideout, but if this Diamond Dog is well informed in Fright's sick little game, then he may know his next move and other things," Luna predicted.

"Garble said something about a breakout?" Rainbow Dash recollected her memories. "Does anypony have an idea on what that means?"

"No," Luna answered. "But I bet he does." She said, looking over Fido. Gently, she levitated the dog back onto her back and stretched her wings. "I better report back to Canterlot. There, we will interrogate our guest. Once you arrive back to Ponyville, regroup with your friends and meet us at Canterlot. By then, we may have got information from this mutt."

"Understood. Thanks again, Luna," Twilight thanked.

Luna smiled in response and then taking flight. As the Princess of the Night began to fade behind the clouds, Twilight remained with her friends. Only silence stayed alongside them until Rainbow Dash spoke.

"She's so awesome." She commented.

Against the fact that she was safe, Applejack seemed troubled. Her eyes targeted Twilight with worriment flowing though her.

"Twilight?"

Twilight turned her head and responded. "Yes, Applejack?"

" Ah didn't wanna say this in front of the princess, but what happened back there? Ya went all berserk?"

"Oh, yeah... That..." She nervously let out a sorry excuse for a laugh. "I'm sorry for putting you girls in danger like that, but something came over me with anger and I just couldn't stand to hear any more of what that dragon had to say."

"I'll be honest with you, Twi," Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Beside you almost getting us into trouble, that was incredible! You made that dog spill the beans and you fought off two dragons!"

"You were like super mad," Pinkie Pie mentioned.

"Ah will admit ah was impressed on how you made him talk, but we need to stay calm. We can't take another risk like that. Spike needs us more than ever and we can't foolishly just throw ourselves away like that," Applejack reminded.

"You're right, Applejack! This won't happen again," Twilight thanked.

"Well, we should hurry on back to Ponyville," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Agreed!" Pinkie Pie said. "I wonder what Fluttershy and Rarity have been up to."