The stench of hopelessness did not falter inside of the library.
Twilight could sense this in a multitude of ways--in the air, in her mind. Just by taking a brief look around could she see how plain it was. The unbridled misery that surrounded her and her friends, like a rainstorm had hung under each and every one of them. Boom. Thunderbolts and freezing, stabbing rain. Yet Twilight found herself outside of the clouds, the storm. She let the gloom make its way around her and whisk itself away with the wind.
Nothing. Nothing was going to bother her anymore. Not her past, not her friends’ pasts and mistakes. She knew, after all, that this was all going to be over soon. She knew what she had to do. There would be no more crying; only wet spots on the floor where their spirits once were. No more regrets and sorrow. No more withered bodies and emotions.
Soon, oh so soon, will Twilight teach them to hold their heads high. “Pride is what will destroy us all, in the end,” Twilight’s mother said, not too long ago. Twilight couldn’t remember what lead to this conversation, but she could hear her mother’s voice clearly. “But there are two kinds of pride: The vanity of boasting about your accomplishments and the things you own. The second being the act of standing up straight, a wide smile on your face, and admitting that you have learned from your experiences.”
She had never completely understood the sincerely of that quote until today.
A new day.
“I don’t understand,” Pinkie said. Twilight noticed that the more she explained, the more confused Pinkie actually became. “What do you mean?”
“What do you think I mean?” After a few milliseconds of contemplation, Twilight changed her tone. “We’re going to find out who did this, that’s what.”
Rainbow Dash, for the umpteeth time in the last thirty minutes, rolled her eyes disbelievingly. For some reason, she held back a crude remark. She had taken to the sky, flying in mid-air over her friends, as if she was some kind of Lieutenant. Her mouth was turned into a large, upside down “U” that didn’t seem like it would be going away anytime soon. Whenever Rainbow Dash heard one of her friends speak, her beating wings would churn faster.
“Darling,” Rarity said cautiously, like she knew what she was about to say wasn’t going to help the situation. “The population of Ponyville is fairly high..” Twilight already knew where she was going with this. She bit the inside of her lip.
“Yeah. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to go door to door interrogating the townsfolk,” Applejack muttered. When another thought crossed her mind, she perked up her ears, wearily, and gave Twilight the slightest of glances. “How do we even know if the culprit even lives in town, anyways?”
Twilight did not let this great point falter her. “Good thought. However, it’s simple,” she said. “That being the case is just highly unlikely. Unless this is some kind of gigantic conspiracy involving more than one pony-”
“Which is entirely possible,” Rarity chirped.
“...Er, right.” Twilight replied. “There is no way somepony outside of the town is responsible for this. Whoever is responsible for this has such a deep, ghastly hatred for Ponyville, as well as the Element’s of Harmony.” Twilight felt like she was some kind of stuttering record. The thought that someone had such a severe distaste for her and her friends jarred her thinking, and she felt a large lump form in her throat.
She had already put into mind a few suspects. A certain Draconequus, Changeling Queen, boisterous showmare, and Crystal King came to mind. But trying to imagine either of them behind something like this just didn’t fit into place like Twilight had hoped it would. Deep in her mind, she knew that they weren’t the cause of this. There was just no possible way. She tried to turn to the dark corners of her head, where she knew the answer would lie. She knew it was there. Hiding, waiting, laughing malevolently while Twilight struggled to reach it. However, it just continued to keep dancing out of her grasp, every time she thought she had gotten a little closer.
Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves together, the noise making a horrible cracking sound that ground against Twilight’s ears. “Lightning Dust!” She grunted. Twilight sighed. “It has to be her! She’s been out to get me ever since that so-called “tornado accident!”
There was an awkward silence, before Fluttershy--the last pony anyone expected to speak what everypony was thinking--opened her mouth. “Rainbow Dash… I-I’m not too sure about that…”
“Are you kidding me? She hates me! Did you see that look in her eye when that lead flyer’s badge was taken for her? She lost her position with our help. There’s no reason why she wouldn’t try and do this!” Rainbow Dash hovered in midair, her mouth upturned in a proud grin. Obviously, her ingenious mind has solved the mystery. The other five didn’t see it as such.
In the end, they all decided to ignore Rainbow’s hopeless and poorly thought out solution. When the mare in question realized this, she stuck out her lower lip and turned her gaze to the ceiling.
Twilight wondered to herself about Rainbow Dash, and what her real motives were. Did she really want to free the town from their sins, or did she just want to be the hero again? Twilight sure hoped not. Perhaps the mare just wanted her secret off her home, and that was all that mattered. Either way, Twilight was positive that her intentions were good. If they weren’t… well, that was just not the Rainbow she knew. If that was the case, then whoever had done this had succeeded. Twilight refused to let it come to that.
“Somepony hates us. Somepony wants us to suffer and pay, and for some reason, they tried to cover up their goal by involving the entire town.” Twilight sighed. Luckily for her, it was practically inaudible. She couldn’t show weakness--sadness. Her mere strength was the only thing she had, as well as her friends. Her brain was too strong to let her down now.
While the six of them talked, Twilight made her way back down the stairs. Getting to her library was her main objective now. Everything she needed to solve this fiasco was down there. Why she had not realized this earlier wasn’t exactly a mystery. Her friends followed absently, walking only so they could continue to hear Twilight’s voice. The voice of truth. The voice of answers and disclosure.
“Well, who?” Rarity asked. She bit the inside of her mouth. “Who did this, Twilight?”
Twilight truthfully didn’t expect the question. She didn’t answer for a moment. She was slightly busy. They had reached the book shelves quickly, and Twilight was scanning them intently. She knew it was in there, and because of it her horn was already aglow. She was lost in two different kinds of senses--her sight and her hearing.
Anyways, when Twilight didn’t answer immediately, Applejack grew inexplicably hostile. “Twi!” she hollered. “We’re waitin’!” Twilight resisted the urge to throw her a dirty glare, unsure of her initial motive. Twilight’s mind was becoming a little fuzzy, as her brain focused in on some of the key books on her shelves. It had to be around there somewhere. Meanwhile, she spoke absentmindedly.
“Whoever did this…” Twilight was speaking slowly, still focused on the books in front of her. “It’s strange. A magical spell like this takes an unhealthy amount of concentration and power. A fog spell, an irremovable paint spell--some kind of deep dark secret revealer spell. It’s very difficult for somepony to do this, as well as carry it out over the course of a day. Whoever did this is drawing a huge amount of magical energy.” Pinkie Pie maneuvered her position so that she was standing directly next to Twilight. The unicorn hadn’t noticed this until the pink mare had already spoken up.
“Do you think the Alicorn Amulet…?” Pinkie didn’t even bother finishing the sentence. Twilight was positive that she didn’t even know how to finish it anyways.
“Definately not. Remember last time a pony had it? Trixie went bonkers. It turns you evil, remember? Somepony who has that much power isn’t going to hide in the shadows.” Twilight’s eyes almost shone like her sin when she found what she was looking for: a large black tome. It was nothing but a dark rectangle. No title, no author. It reeked of ancientry and wisdom in a way that Twilight just couldn’t explain. She hid her inner excitement, even though she wanted to scream like a filly. It didn’t stop her from harboring a monstrous grin. “Somepony is hiding. Who ever did this… I cannot tell if they want to be caught or not. But they will soon. If somepony is hiding, and using that much magical energy, we should be able to trace it.”
For a split second, the room grew absolutely silent. The other five were listening on, frozen in place like a deer in front of a moving carriage. Maybe it was the shock of such an idea. Maybe it was the fear of actually finding the answers that they craved so badly. Fluttershy looked like she was ready to vomit, and sat down in a chair. The other three crowded around Pinkie and Twilight, who were skimming through the large tome already.
“S-so we’ll have t-to go… confront them? Face to face…?” Fluttershy asked, clutching her stomach for dear life. “But they’ve done all this magic… they might be d-dangerous.”
“True, but it’s the only way to make things right.” Twilight turned to the page where the instructions for a rather complicated looking spell were. She looked over to Applejack. “AJ, you know Winona, and her great sense of smell?”
For a moment, Applejack gave the slightest of grins. “Yep, why?”
“The spell works kind of like a dog’s sense of smell would. Whenever magic is used, it creates an invisible link between the magical creature and the object they are touching with their magic. Sort of like how I am holding this book.” She motioned from her horn, to the levitated book in front of them. “I’ve created a link. You just can’t see it. When I do this spell, I’ll be able to see them, and if we just follow the links, we’ll find out exactly where the magic is coming from.”
Rainbow Dash snickered. “Well? What’re ya waiting for! I’m ready to kick some butt!” She threw a hoof in the air, then another, repeatedly--as if she was boxing.
“Are you sure we should do this right now?” Rarity asked. “I still don’t think we’ve solved any of our problems. Specifically, the ones that should be dealt with immediately.” Twilight bit her lip when Rarity motioned towards the pony right next to her--Applejack. The mare in question didn’t hear--and if she did, she obviously didn’t think they were talking about her.
Twilight had been thinking about her, and honestly she didn’t know what to do. Applejack admitted that she didn’t care about Fluttershy and what she had done, when it was obviously a lie. Twilight could tell that Applejack was fuming at Fluttershy. The two haven’t shared eye contact ever since the farm pony read Fluttershy’s secret a few hours ago. Unfortunately, Twilight couldn’t solve that right now. She couldn’t stop everything just to have another sit-down session that wouldn’t work. The last one sure didn’t. The counseling would have to be saved for another better time.
In the end, Twilight ignored Rarity entirely.
“So… this is it?” Pinkie asked. Despite the joyful comment, she bore a creepily large frown. “After this, we’ll know who did it? We’ll know who hates us so badly?” Twilight nodded. Pinkie turned to the floor.
“B-But what are we going to do when we meet the pony that’s responsible?” Rarity asked. The fashionista was starting to confuse Twilight. Didn’t she want the secret wiped off her boutique? Twilight would have imagined that Rarity would be eager to heal her now-broken relationship with her sister. There was probably an underlying reason that Twilight just didn’t know of. Maybe Rarity was just afraid that it wouldn’t work, and it would all be for nothing. In the back of her mind, Twilight wondered if perhaps Rarity slightly felt better after having her secret shared with the town.
“Then we talk to them and sort all of this out. Surely, they know what they’re doing is wrong.” Twilight was getting distracted, and tuned out the other voices so she could concentrate. She focused her mind and soul, her entire being on this one little image in her mind. The picture that she dreamed for, longed for, and wanted to project to the heavens. Twilight closed her eyes. She let it warm and enter her. She needed this. Ponyville needed this.
Acceptance.
Twilight opened her eyes when she was sure that the spell had been properly casted. It was strange, the feeling she had. She felt like her mind was in another reality, and her eyes tingled with discomfort. Her entire vision almost shifted into that of water. Everything that was standing perfectly still in the room--including her friends--would move in a manner that mimicked floating in an ocean with rocking waves. It was suddenly getting increasingly difficult to balance, and she wobbled. To her, the earth below her hooves were moving.
Pinkie Pie caught the off-balance unicorn effortlessly. “Whoa… you okay, Twilight?” Twilight gave a small nod.
Twilight would have preferred to regain her bearing before anything was done. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash had a different idea. Using her wings to propel her, she flied from one end of the library to the other, and slammed into Pinkie Pie, eager to speak to Twilight now that the spell was clearly casted. Pinkie let out an “oomph!”. “It’s done? Do you see things now? Let’s go already!”
Rainbow stopped when a small “urk” was heard not even two steps away from her. Rainbow’s face turned so red, Applejack could have picked it off one of her trees. She promptly helped Pinkie back to her hooves. Twilight sighed. “Everything looks… weird. But I don’t see anything yet. Probably because whatever’s affecting outside isn’t specifically doing anything in the library… let’s go outside for a second…”
***
Twilight had done this spell once before. Unfortunately, it was on a very small scale. This time was much larger, and understandably more effective. Twilight didn’t know what to think, except that the only way from now on was up. She could feel it, the ending. She knew that the secrets would not be up for much longer as soon as she saw the colors. She needed to end this, and she lusted for it.
The moment Twilight wandered outside, everything was changed. The sky was colored in three very different types of hues and strange lines. It floated and tore across the sky like a demonic rainbow, and Twilight could barely see anything of the decadent night sky. Every house had letters, and two straight lines pointed to each and every one of everyponies secrets. They surrounded the letters, engulfing them in magic. One line was a dark blue that imitated the color of blueberries and violets. The second one was a bright pink, like that of a heart.
There was a huge sunflower-colored dome over all of Ponyville, shrouding Twilight and her friends in an indirect falsification of the sun. It chilled her, and hated her. She hated it back.
Yellow, pink and blue. Unicorns, with magic of this color. Twilight knew now that Rarity was correct. It was more than one pony who did this. In fact, there were three. Three unicorns. It just had to be. The lines all ran off east, towards the edge of town. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat.
“Well? Do ya see anything?” Applejack asked. Evidently, none of Twilight’s friends could see what Twilight was envisioning, and all the colors. They looked upon nothing but an eerily foggy night, complete with despair and embarrassment. Twilight hesitated to answer.
“I… yes…” Why Twilight was skeptical was beyond her. “The magic… all of it… it’s coming from the east side of town, near the edge it seems.”
As the words left Twilight’s lips, it felt like she was giving a silent order into insanity. She felt like she was leading a troop to war, even though this was definately not the case. But how was she supposed to know? She couldn’t read the future, but she could sure worry about it. It brought herself to ask the question “Which is more worrisome? The past or the future?”.
Twilight didn’t say another word. Applejack’s face hardened into that of pure determination and dedication, like she wanted to right the wrongs that have been brought upon her that fateful day, get back at those who wrote the message, rather than who let the secret play out in the first place.
Fluttershy’s face was frozen in fear, a frightened face for a frightened soul. She looked dead set on walking away, leaving, letting her sin broadcast to the rest of Equestria. She was shaking uncontrollably, but somehow, she stood strong.
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. One looked eager for vengeance, the other looked eager for resolution. The game had been the same--but they just went about it different ways. Twilight looked upon them with a frown, and then ultimately a sigh.
She knew what she had to do. “Come on. Let’s go end this, once and for all.” Twilight, not taking another look at her friends, followed the blue and pink lines in the sky. She heard the hoofsteps behind her. This was why Princess Celestia chose her, for her magical ability and her leadership prowess. She kept her face stoic and centered, ready to face what just could be one of her biggest enemies yet. But… nothing would make her happier than to do just that--to fix this.
They strode in absolute silence. The crickets chirped and jumped around as if they were doing the dance of death. The dying grass under their hooves crunched and bent, creating a noise that Twilight Sparkle quickly got annoyed with. Pinkie Pie would fade in and out of reality and hum a small tune every now and then. After ten minutes, she stopped entirely. Twilight could hear her sigh unhappily.
As the group began to reach the outskirts of town, the path widened out. The buildings that occupied Ponyville soon where that of the past. The area opened up to soft patches of grass and a dirt road. The air began to nip at them, like a puppy dog. The colors never seemed to falter, shining just as brightly. The bright pink, the exuberant yellow, the foreignly eerie blue.
Not too far in the outskirts of town, the lines came to a stop at a dinky little log cabin.
The windows were shot, and shards of glass made them look like monsters with missing sharp teeth. The grass surrounding was uncut, and came up to the group’s knees. The roof was covered with holes and missing shingles. There was nothing left from the chimney save for a few bricks scattered here and there. The wood on the cabin itself was dead and rotted, eaten away by various insects over the years. It looked like a horrid place to stay.
“This is the place?” Rarity asked. She stuck out her bottom lip. “Looks like your average fixer-upper, if you ask me…” The fashionista looked almost disturbed at the thought of having to go inside.
“Pffft!” Rainbow hovered in the air, a sick sneer on her face. “Good. At least we don’t have to worry about property damage.”
“Rainbow, quit it.” Twilight had been becoming increasingly annoyed with Rainbow’s threats, and she had just about had enough. The last thing she needed going in there, while trying to have a civil discussion, was Rainbow Dash flying in and trying to throw unnecessary punches. “Yes, this is the place,” she said. Twilight’s horn dimmed, and the effect of the spell washed away. Twilight was almost ecstatic when her vision returned to normal.
“Uhm… W-What’s the plan…?” Fluttershy asked. She was hiding at the back of the group with Pinkie Pie. Of course, that meant Applejack was near the front. The farmer was staring at the log cabin intently, like a predator.
“Why not just go in and talk to them?” Pinkie said. She gave a knowingly glace to Twilight.
“That’s what I was thinking.” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash specifically when she spoke. “We don’t know who we’re up against. I saw three beams of magic, so three unicorns…” Twilight trailed off a bit when a thought came into her mind. What if they weren’t even unicorns? As much as she wanted to scour her brain for other creatures with abilities like unicorns, she just didn’t have the time for it.
“Well, there’s six of us and three of them,” Rainbow groaned. She crossed her forelegs childishly. “Even if we don’t knock them silly, we’ll still have ‘em outnumbered. Hah!” Rainbow puffed out her chest, as if she had just come up with an ultimate strategy. Twilight had already thought of this, but decided to humor the pegasus and not say anything at all.
“Well, we need to do somethin’,” Applejack added. “Sittin’ here ain’t gonna do any good.”
“But...but…” Fluttershy started. The more everypony spoke, the more the mare shrunk closer and closer to the ground, timidly. At this point, she was lying on her belly.
“Girls. If we want answers, if we want acceptance for what we’ve done, we need to do it right. Whoever did this… they had their reasons. Just like how we had reasons for our secrets. The act doesn’t define the pony, it’s the intention that shines. We need to go in there-” Twilight threw her hoof over in the direction of the cabin not even fifty feet away, “-and act like adults and settle this.”
“Twilight’s right,” Pinkie exclaimed. She took a step forward. “In order to forgive ourselves, we need to forgive whoever it was that did this. Getting angry and hostile won’t solve anything. It’ll only make us feel worse in the end when nothing changes.” Pinkie, for once in her life, gave a genuine smile. One that showed no trace of the old Pinkie that she used to hide behind. The smile was truly hers.
“So what do you say, girls?” Twilight asked. “Let’s go and end this.”
With that, Twilight turned tail. She strutted up to the cabin door in a matter of a few seconds. Almost immediately, all five of her friends were at the door, by her side--through thick and thin. This was what friendship was and meant to her. It meant having your friends and those close to you at those times of suffering and depression. It meant having somepony to have your back in cases of strife. It meant having somepony who cared enough about you to look right past your faults and your past.
This was what Twilight believed when she knocked on the door.
It would have been a really touching moment, had somepony answered the door. Twilight cocked her head, and knocked one more time. Surely, whoever did this couldn’t be serious. Knock, knock.
Another minute passed by. Rainbow Dash was practically doing a dance in anticipation. The lights were on, and there was movement coming from inside. Even still, Pinkie begged to ask, “Do you think anypony’s home?”
Then the door opened. The door was fractured way more that Twilight had thought. It creaked and bent, and almost fell apart in the mares hooves when she pulled open the door. Three sets of eyes stared back at Twilight and her friend. Three ponies. Three unicorns.
Their horns were aglow. One was a mare with a white body and a pink mane. Her horn glowed coral. Her mane was long and curly, and she had a cutie mark consisting of three stars. This mare merely scoffed at the sight of them, and wandered back into the cabin of which she came. The other two stared the six of them down.
One mare was grinning, the mare with the horn that glowed yellow. Her body was that of soap, a light green. Perhaps even a turqoise. Twilight found it hard to decipher considering that the lighting was downright terrible. Her mane was a similar color--maybe a little lighter of a color--with a white streak going down the middle. Her cutie mark was a lyre.
The last mare was the one holding the door open. Her face was contorted into a disgusted grimace. Her mane was two colors: royal blue and white, and her body was the color of the everloving sky. Her cutie mark portrayed some kind of hourglass. For some reason, she stood tall and proud, like she knew exactly what she was doing. Her eyes bored into Twilight’s like a jackhammer.
Twilight had no time to react before Hourglass gave the six of them a quick, toothy grin. As if her attitude had just done a 180. “About time you all show up. We’ve been waiting all day.”
Lyra, sparkler & colgate?
That was not what I expected at all
WHOA, lyra, and colgate? Don't know who the third is, anyone know?
Hmm, by the colors of magic I thought it was Celestia (yellow), Shining Armor (pink) and Cadence (blue)... Or Luna (also blue) instead of Cadence... And they did it to teach Mane6, to help them overcome their issues, so they may use Elements more fully, to overpower even more powerful opponents, like Tirek...
Lyra, Minuette and Twinkleshine.
I kinda expected Lyra for some weird reason.
Whoa.... What?????
Guessing Twinkleshine, Lyra, and Colgate/Minuette.
Here are pictures of them for those who are interested.
First pony: Twinkleshine: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130125034623/mlp/images/5/53/Twinkleshine_ID_S1E6.png
Second pony: Lyra (most of us probably already know who she is and what she looks like, but here is a picture regardless): http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120924052019/mlp/images/1/1e/Lyra_about_to_cringe_crop_S02E25.png
Third pony: Minuette: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120507041959/mlp/images/5/5e/Minuette_id_S2E3.png
The bridesmaids from hell these three.
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/archive/8/8a/20121123082357!Minuette,_Lyra_Heartstrings_and_Twinkleshine_brainwashed_1_S2E26.png
Though shouldnt they be after Twi and Cadence more than the Elements?
Woah! That just threw out my idea of what was going on.
Yellow magic, Blue magic, and pink magic?
I was convinced 100% it was going to be Celestia, Luna, and Cadance in there.
Totally fooled me. Nice job!
Well, unless they can talk things out, the mane six are screwed.
Normally they wouldn't be. But in the case of fighting, they won't be able to organize like the Twinkleshine, Lyra, and Minuette will. I mean, Rainbow Dash would charge forward and immediately get knocked unconscious, Applejack would do the same, Fluttershy would either cower back or run away because she's facing mares and not animals, Pinkie would try to only act defensively but only to protect others like Twilight, Twilight would eventually try to out-magic them, and Rarity would try martial arts. So at most you'll have three ponies charging in and quickly dealt with, two non-combatants, and one powerful unicorn that will hesitate the few seconds it will take to use sleeping spells or whatever on her friends.
Twinkleshine, Lyra, and Minuette will have had all that time to do research on the ponies everypony knows everything about, and they had personal encounters too. They're also stuck together not out of obligation, but out of drive.
Really, the Mane Six's only viable option is to try and talk things out. (Even then, Pinkie Pie and Twilight are probably going to be the only ponies calm enough to do that.)
[youtube=kdhhQhqi_AE]
So, I think Luna, Cadence, Celestia, but Lyra, Colgate and Twinkleshine?!? Why?!
It's good to finally have another chapter, but there are a few spelling errors. It's definitely, not definately, and the past tense of cast is also cast, not casted.
I kind of want to see Mr and Mrs Cake's secrets.
How many lives have been ruined by this?
5039246 I was gonna say "What the fuck are those three ponies problems with Twilight and co.", but then you linked this pic and I'm thinking we all have some idea now. Nice detective work sir. Great chapter, hope you update again soon so we can all get some closure. Frankly, I will be surprised/disappointed if those three don't do some time for effectively tormenting an entire town.
Sorry, but...that's kinda where I stopped enjoying this chapter. Up until, it made perfect sense for everyone but Spike to be setting out, and I was totally okay with it because his participation was unnecessary. But with that emphasis on the qualities he shows more strongly than the other five ponies, it did little more than highlight his absence for me. I'm not a fan of stories where he has nothing to contribute and no conflict to deal with (while all six ponies do), but I could still appreciate this story's solid, effectual narrative. Although I haven't lost sight of its edgy and compelling qualities, a reminder that Spike has no purpose here (or in Twilight's life, most of the time) other than being a cute, innocent little helper half-kills my interest every time, in any story. No sense in complaining about it, though...there are obnoxious little issues in everything. Still looking forward to the next chapter with slightly detracted enthusiasm.
Seems that Lyra, Minuette, and Twinkleshine got really pissed after they woke up in some cave below Canterlot...
Oh, c'mon, Twi. They may as well hate Berry Punch and cover up their goal that way. The world doesn't revolve around you...
5039254
Same with me...
I fell ashamed in myself for only recognizing Lyra by description [kinda colgate/minuette but i was was really uncertain and was actually thinking I was wrong before confirmation from the rest of the comments] I fail as a brony and to rectify this i will study more background ponies and their fanon
I like this concept. If it happened IRL there wouldnt be enough surface area inside the homes of some people to even list half of the dirt they've been shoving under the rug.
At first I thought the reason they did this was because they were still possessed by Chrysalis's magic, but it is not stated that their magic is green. I wonder what their motives are...
Also, whatever happened to those three after the wedding?!
5039271 The main problem with that hypothesis is the sheer amount of power Twilight had stated being tied up in the fog, paint, and darkest secret spells. Sure, since each were cast by separate ponies rather than just one, they won't have used as much power individually, but even taken separately, each of the three parts represents a considerable investment of power. Power that they won't have recovered by this time.
So I highly doubt that the three are as fully capable of fighting the Mane Six even if they are more prepared for team combat. Even with the Mane Six most likely being initially uncoordinated, Rainbow Dash is fast, agile, and knows some form of pegasus martial art, Applejack is strong enough to buck over a fully grown tree three times taller and thicker than any apple tree in her orchard, and Twilight is a magical powerhouse. And all of that is without considering their connection to the elements of Harmony.
In fact, tactically speaking, the only advantage the three gain is the potential that the Mane Six won't be able to use the Elements. For a battle in which the Mane Six won't even need the Elements. so unless they have something else in store for the Mane Six, a fight is not particularly likely to go in their favor for very long unless the Big Reveal of their motive is shocking enough to take the wind out of Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
And even if they should somehow either win or escape, as soon as what they did becomes public knowledge, their will be an entire town's worth of ponies potentially seeking revenge. That's maybe a thousand or more ponies whose lives have been ruined. The best case scenario for the three is that Ponyville somehow pulls through and grows stronger as a community. The worst case scenario is that Ponyville breaks apart and the former residents scatter - because then there would be nowhere they could possibly go where they might not encounter somepony who hates them enough to retaliate in some fashion. Even if they left Equestria to get entirely knew lives living among the griffons or zebras, there will always be the possibility of somepony from Ponyville who also decided to try starting a new life that far away.
what
Wow so either those three are after someone else or they are so sick of the mane 6 messing up their lives that they decided to give a little payback. I think being kicked out the royal wedding when they were the bridemaides was the straw that broke the ponie's back. Bridemaides are usially the close friends and family of the bride and sometimes groom, so being replaced by those 5 (twilight was best mare ) would really piss me off. Oh yes those three are totally justified, but it doesn't make it right.
Twinkleshine, Lyra and Colgate? You're the bad guys?
What.
I was expecting the Princesses, truth be told (I made a pun). Each Princess could have been connected to each Mane 6 pair's lie themes; Luna for regrets, Cadence for obsession, and Celestia for sadness. Think about it, it could work. But I suppose it'll be fun this way to.
REVENGE OF THE BRIDESMAIDS!!!!!
Hmmm.... maybe they were playing with a spell and it went out of control, and now they can't stop it. Doesn't have to be nefarious.
I mean as for power, all three did attend the same school as Sunset Shimmer and Twilight so they have to possess some talent in magic.
comment before reading: this already looks depressing
5039663
No, they could just turn off their spells. And they've had plenty of time to take counter measures.
They're also complete unknowns. For all you know, some of them could be more powerful than Twilight. (And don't give me that, 'but nothing is more powerful than _' bullcrap, because that's the kind of overconfidence that gets you killed. )
Damn, I thought it was going to be Luna, Cadence and Celestia judging by the colors of the magic, but the 3 bridesmaids... yeah, you threw me off track there.
5039908
I suppose that it is possible that any of the three might be more powerful than Twilight, but it is very unlikely. Of the three, the most likely candidate for such raw power would be Sparkler, with Lyra most likely having an edge in precision and Colgate/Minuette most likely having an advantage in efficiency (and that's just based on their Cutie Marks).
And while I freely give you that they have had plenty of time to prepare for an encounter, I call bull on their having had enough time to recover the energy from the spells - unless they used some sort of enhancing agent such as a focus or potion. It has been shown again and again in the show that major spells cost effort and energy. It is not a case of "oh, I'll just cancel the spell and instantly get all my reserves back". Recovery from major spell casting has been shown to require time and rest.
Or, as mentioned above, some way to reduce the cost or speed up the recovery, such as a focusing agent or potion.
And since when has Twilight Sparkle ever been overconfident? She continuously underestimates herself. She also tends to get flustered during the first bit of combat, leading to forgetting that she can cast certain spells (or just not think to do so until after the fact). Can she shut down the fight at any point? Yes, I expect that she has both the raw power and the spells to do so. Will she be in the proper frame of mind to think of those spells when she needs them? Unlikely until she actually receives training in unicorn combat casting. Which we have seen no evidence of her having undergone.
As for Rainbow Dash and Applejack, I will admit that they also have things working against them. The main bit being Dash's impatience and Applejacks fury. Neither one is likely to be very rational, and the chances of them coordinating with each other or any other member of the Mane Six is rather slim at this point. But that's the only thing working in the trio's favor at this point as far as those two are concerned (well, that and the fact that the trio are all spell casters).
The problem is, both AJ and Dash are experienced fighters. Making them angry might diminish their teamwork and tactics, but both of them can cause more than just a significant amount of damage by themselves. And AJ is angry enough that she may very well forget to hold back. If she hits any of the three with even just the strength she uses while applebucking, let alone the strength she revealed when she broke a tree three times as tall and thick as any of the trees in her orchard, that's going to be a serious injury right there.
So, avoid getting hit by Applejack? Good luck with that if the fight takes place inside a small log cabin. Avoid getting hit by Rainbow Dash? If you are fighting her by herself, sure (Trixie did as much). Doing so while having to avoid up to four other ponies? Again, lots of luck.
Will any of this have occurred to the trio ahead of time and have been accounted for in their planning? I sincerely doubt that the trio even realize just how pissed off any of their victims might be, let alone how furious Applejack is. I get the impression that they've been waiting in the cabin from the moment they first cast the spells, so unless the Deepest Secrets or Permanent Paint spells automatically let them know just what secrets they are revealing to everyone, they most likely think that their victims are just going to be humbled or ashamed rather than potentially hippocidal.
You see, that is why I had said that the worst case scenario for the trio is if Ponyville dissolves as a community, rather than the Mane Six getting their act together. Because if the bad feelings run deep enough to break a formerly friendly town like Ponyville apart, then they run deep enough that a good number of those ponies will be highly likely to try to take their revenge on any or all of whoever is responsible (the trio) whenever or wherever the opportunity to do so arises.
If Ponyville stays together, then all Lyra, Sparkler, and Colgate/Minuettte have to do is leave town. If it dissolves, then the trio more to fear from the anonymous buck in the dark from any of a thousand or so average but vindictive ponies, any of which could be literally encountered anywhere else, than they do from the arguably more powerful Element Bearers.
5039721 They're sick of being background ponies! They want revenge! They want to be seem!....
Crazy mares
5040112
Lyra: "Twilight went to a world full of candy colored humans and didn't think to bring me even one of them!"
Colgate: "None of them have paid their dental bills!"
Sparkler: "I am angry for no easily identifiable reason!"
5040266 "If explosions haven't solved any of your problems, try bigger explosions!"
5040088
Well, you were doing good up until that point.
There is no evidence that Dash and AJ are experienced fighters. Sure, AJ had strong legs and goes to competitions, but none of that equals fighting. RD did some Kung-fu, but we've also only seen her fight as much as Rarity. Rarity is the only one that might have fighting experience as evidence of how she attempted to handle the manticore in the beginning, but we have no evidence she practiced afterwards.
And that whole problem with hesitation vs rushing in is all they would need. It would only ever be 3 vs 2, because real fights are over in an instant. And unicorns can do ranged attacks, so if they're thinking straight, they could win by just throwing rocks.
That goes for afterwards too. Unless they're met by an angry mob or actual trained fighters, they can pick off their enemies one by one. Additionally, they only have to worry if information gets out, and if they can't change their looks.
I know there's Colgate and Lyra, but I don't recognize the first mare.
5040286
Applejack apparently fights a tiger/goat/snake chimera regularly enough to have become quite proficient at it. On several occations she has bucked rocks and apples with both force and accuracy as ranged attacks. She also physically threw off at least ten Changlings that had dogpiled her during their invasion attempt in Canterlot. That is the evidence I'm speaking of on her part. The big thing against her in the potential fight against the Trio is that she is most likely pissed off enough to stop thinking tactically. The big thing against the trio is that she may be pissed off enough not to think of controlling her strikes.
Basically, pissing off AJ to this extent is a double edged sword. Sure, it may work against the Mane Six, but it may also work against the Trio. At the same time even.
Rainbow Dash has a belt in a martial art form, as demonstrated in one of the CMC episodes. So she has at least some combat training if not necessarily any actual direct combat experience. Her speed and agility should offset any inexperience she has, but the hurdle of her impatience remains.
If Ponyville dissolves, the reason for it will inevitably get out. And any unicorn, no matter how powerful, remains vulnerable to surprise attacks. Sure, some of the scattered former Ponyvillians may be more inclined towards open confrontation, but by a buck in the dark, I mean to refer to a brutal and savage surprise attack. It doesn't matter if the other pony had no ranged ability, or is weaker.
I'm not even saying who will win. I'm just pointing out that there is no guaranteed winner, and even if the trio defeats the Mane Six or gets away, they actually have more to fear from any one of a thousand or so perfectly average but potentially hippocidally vindictive ponies if the emotional pain the Trio put Ponyville through is enough to cause it to dissolve as a community.
5040131 Sparkler just wants to belong
5040324 Twinkleshine
5040523
I am unfamiliar with that pony. Who is she?
WAT
I just can't see a good reason on why they would be the culprit. If they did so as "revenge" for the mind control thing at the wedding, I'll shoot myself.
I thought it was going to be a representation of everyone's fear, an embodiment or something. Or maybe the culprits were themselves or some philosophical shit. I was wrong!
5040405
Whoops, completely forgot about AJs regular tiger fight.
Well of course there's no guaranteed winner. I was just betting that the three ponies had a better chance of winning. I still think that, even accepting your arguments, since the mane six are unlikely to be able to work together in a fight now. And since I don't know anything about the other team but they know about the mane six, I assume they're at least as experienced as the team I know, otherwise, why did they pick this fight now?
5040538 In the first episode, she, Lyra, and Colgate asked Twilight if she wanted to go to a party with them. She was also one of Cadance/Chrysalis' three original bridesmaids... along with Lyra and Colgate
5040627 Well, a) they got brainwashed, b) nobody seems to mention getting them out of the caves, c) assuming they were rescued, they still got replaced as bridesmaids by Twilight's friends. I'd be angry, too.
What?!
The explanation for this twist has to be good, otherwise this.
When you said yellow, blue, and pink, my mind immediately jumped to Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Then I realized how dumb that would've been.
5040021
It felt nearly obvious. Kind of disappointed that they were just unicorns.
Oh look, another twist. Eh, this story has sadly become more tiring because of that. At least hopefully there will be some answers next chapter.
If they manage to split the mane six, I'm calling this whole thing pointless. Stories where the good guys lose or are permanently changed for the worst are less than worthless for enjoyment. Sorry...
5040816
My thoughts exactly! I was quite surprised when it didn't pan out.
Can't wait to see where this is going!