The Lost Kingdom

by Piece Bot

APPLEJACK!

Ten days later …

“Ugh. My head.” Rainbow Dash clutched her head. While she was doing that, she surveyed her surroundings and saw that she was in a dungeon. “Hello?” She called out.

“Dashie?”

“Pinkie!? You’re here as well?”

“It would seem that way.” Pinkie sounded extremely depressed.

“Ouch. What did I bang into?” Twilight spoke up and moaned.

“TWILIGHT!?” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Why so surprised?” Twilight chuckled a bit.

“How long have I been here?”

“Dunno. Princess Cadance and Princess Celestia are extremely worried about you. We lost contact with you and Princess Luna about five days ago but now I’m not so sure.”

“FIVE …” Twilight’s yell trailed off as she thought about it and what it would mean for Equestria now that Nightmare Moon was back. For good.

“Twilight, you okay?” Pinkie asked Twilight. She didn’t sound like her usual bubbly self.

“Yeah Pinkie.”

“I know what we need!” Pinkie immediately said. Rainbow Dash gave a start and wondered how … don’t bother, she thought to herself.

“PARTY CANNON!” She pulled it out of nowhere and a loud explosion was heard. It was accompanied by confetti and streamers. Dash looked to her right and saw that Pinkie’s Party Cannon didn’t work.

“Oh. Bummer.” Pinkie didn’t say anything else after her failed attempt at escaping the jail cell.

“Anyway … how did you get here Pinkie? At first I thought it was just me.”

“Oh that. Well you see … I was bouncing along, being my sort of happy-go-lucky self when I accidentally bounced into a hole that appeared out of nowhere.”

“That’s what happened to me.” Twilight said.

“Not me. I got caught by,” She shuddered, “Nightmare Moon.”

“So she was real! I thought she was just a figment of my imagination.” Rainbow had her mouth opened and she shook her head.

“Yeah, go on.”

“Anyway I slid down the hole and I banged into a wall. The wall was in a stone house. But then I walked around the city for a few hours. After that, Nightmare Moon came and bonked me on the head. I think I saw Discord as well. After that I woke up and started to you guys. Now we’re all caught up!” Pinkie was unbelievable. Rainbow and Twilight recounted their stories and in the middle of all the talking. They didn’t notice yet another one of their friends being dragged in, it was a Stetson-wearing cowpony.

About five hours ago …

“It’s now been ten days since we lost contact with both groups of ponies. I’m afraid that they’re lost forever.”

“No! Don’t say that! Ah know they’re still alive. Ah know it …” The farm pony broke down while Rarity tried to comfort her.
“Why did you say that?” Fluttershy looked like she was on the verge of tears as well. Cadance looked at the distressed ponies around her and ran out the door. Shining Armor went to go comfort his wife.

“Ah don’t care what she says. Ah’m going after them!” With that she headed off to the mist. Rarity didn’t even try to stop her because she knew how stubborn the Apple family was. When Applejack got inside the mist she couldn’t see a thing.
‘Consarn it! Ah can’t see a bloomin’ thing in all this mist.’ When the mist parted for a few minutes she could see a weird looking statue. It had a goat’s leg, a dragon’s leg, a lion’s paw and a few other odds and ends. She would know that statue anywhere. But why was the statue here? She slowly walked up to it and saw that it was just a statue.

“BOO!” Applejack screamed and ran in a completely direction to the one she had been heading in. Discord chuckled and chased after her. Eventually she could feel cobblestones under her feet, much like in Canterlot, but she couldn’t see anything thanks to the shifting mist.

“Ouch.” She rubbed her head and tried to feel in front of her. She didn’t feel anything so what had she run into? She looked around and still couldn’t see a thing. ‘Consarn it!’ A pony was walking towards her. “Luna?” She squinted so that she could try and see the mystery pony better but it was no use. When the pony came into view, however, it looked like she was in pain.

“Applejack … run …” Then Nightmare Moon took over once again and ran straight for the stunned mare. ‘How sweet, this pony still thinks I’m Luna.’

“Hello ignorant foal.” She quietly taunted Applejack and, realising what her situation was, started to run. It was too late though. Applejack ran straight into a waiting wall that wasn’t connected to anything. “Thanks again Discord.”

“No problem.” He then vanished and went somewhere. Nightmare Moon then picked up Applejack, put the unconscious mare on her back, and headed for Time Castle, which was now her home. She flung Applejack unceremoniously into a cell in the dungeon and proceeded to head to the newly-refurbished throne room. It was cozy. Not as majestic as the one in Canterlot but it will do. Nightmare Moon was still waiting for the day when she could take over Canterlot and bring eternal night. She trotted to the padded throne and sat down.

“How are things with the prisoners?” Discord asked.

“They’re fine.”

“Really, you don’t sound all that fine to me.”

“I SAID THEY’RE FINE!” She used the Royal Canterlot Voice on Discord but it just made him cackle.

“Oh, I know how to push all your buttons, don’t I?” Nightmare Moon didn’t say anything.

Back in the dungeon …

“Mah head.” Applejack clutched her head and she took stock of her surroundings. Directly in front of her was an empty cell. On the right was another empty cell. To the left of it, though, she saw

“Rainbow?” Applejack couldn’t believe it.

“AJ?” The raspy voice of Rainbow was like a sweet melody to her ears.

“Ah’m glad ya safe, have ya heard anything from Twi and Pinkie?”

“Yeah, they’re right next to me. OI! WAKE UP!” She yelled loud enough to wake the dead.

“Huh? Who that?” Pinkie mumbled. She couldn’t see Twi but she could hear her yawn.

“What is it Rainbow?”

“Listen to this.”

“Ah’m glad ya all right.” Applejack said.

“APPLEJACK!” They both yelled excitedly.

“How did you get here?” Rainbow asked. So Applejack told the tale of how she eventually got into the cell she was currently in now. She didn’t say anything about Luna though. She didn’t know why but Twilight began to cry.

“Twi, you okay?” Applejack asked.

“No. I’m not alright. I saw Nightmare physically take over my mother, how do you think I feel?” She just bawled her eyes out.

“Oh yeah, I tried to blast myself out with my Party Cannon but it didn’t work.” Pinkie randomly said.