Treasured Moon & Stars: Vol. 2 Treasures From Mirrors

by TigerSwirl448

Chapter 9: Reminisce

Chapter 9
Reminisce

25 Years Ago: 3 Months Before Earth Pony Rebellion

After the ordeal at the palace, Rarity was sitting in the couch wiping her eyes trying hard to protect her mascara. She looked horrible after the ordeal with the Princess, no the Queen. Twilight was taken away and was sentenced to house arrest in her own dorm room in the Celestial University. Then Rarity and Fluttershy were sent back to the cabin that they shared with their friends. Fluttershy was passing back and forth in the room wringing her hands, her wings fidgeting.

"Where is Rainbow?" She begged trying hard to keep from crying again. Rarity blinked for several second then sighed.

"Fluttershy darling, please, you must calm down."

"But where? They took Pinkie and Applejack and now Twilight, where's Rainbow?" Rarity looked pained staring at her feet.

"Fluttershy darling, please listen to me." She begged with caution warning in her voice. "Rainbow is in a place right now and I don't think she'll come back."

"Where is she?" Fluttershy asked staring deep into her friend's eyes. Rarity turned away. "You've seen her?"

"Regretfully so, but please dear don’t go after her. It'll be devastating, what you might find."

"What are you hiding from me?" Fluttershy asked with shock backing away from her friend. Rarity bit her lip lowering her hands to her hips clenching her fists.

"The horrible truth."

At that time, Fluttershy thought Rainbow as dead. Rarity quickly shook her head. "No, not like that darling, it is just best you stay here with me. We’ll wait until this blows over then we'll be back together again. Just sit down and rest."

Rarity reached and grabbed Fluttershy’s shoulder and carefully pushed her to the chair behind her. "Rest I'm begging you."

Fluttershy glared at her and pushed her away. "I'm going to my room to rest." Fluttershy walked up the stairs with anger floating around her like a stench. Rarity waited until she heard the door slam shut before she broke down again. She went down on her knees crying.

"What has happened to us?"

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Present Day: The Rock

"What has happened to us?" Rarity whimpered in her sleep. Scratch turned and quickly placed his hand on her shoulder to shake her awake. Rarity gasped sitting up grabbing his arm.

"Hey, Rarity it's me!" Scratch quickly spoke out as the mare was breathing hard from the scare. She sighed then started to cry covering her eyes with her dirty hands. Scratch felt a pang of guilt as he wrapped his arms around her letting her cry on his shoulder. Once she was silent to sniffling, Scratch dared himself to ask a question.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Rarity sniffed pulling back to sit down on the ground. "It was a nightmare I will ever forget. I was dreaming about the last time I saw my friend, Fluttershy. It was just me and her together. She was so distraught and upset, I just knew she would run away and find Rainbow." She covered her mouth to hide her sobs. Scratch blinked once thinking.

"Rainbow? What an interesting name."

Rarity sniffed. "She and Fluttershy were together." She sniffed again wiping her eyes with her torn sleeve. "And Rainbow Dash left to go find some way to release Applejack and Pinkie Pie from prison."

"Rainbow Dash? I met a Rainbow Dash recently." Scratch said with surprise. Rarity blinked looking at him with a look of shock.

"You better not be joking with me, sir. I don’t take jokes well."

Scratch quickly lifted up his hands. "No, I mean I know Rainbow Dash."

"Describe her." Rarity quickly snapped.

"Pegasus, rainbow mane and tail, Captain of the royal guards. Well, was."

Rarity stared at him for a long time leaning back against the wall hearing her chains clink and clank together as he moved. Scratch could tell by her disbelief that he just met the same mare she knew.

"She's alive?"

"Well alive and kicking the last time I saw her."

Rarity looked up at him with tears of joy as she smiled. "How was she, please tell me everything you know about her!" Rarity begged crawling to him. Scratch smiled feeling her excitement.

"Well she was subdued the whole time I was with her. She was a prisoner too."

"Prisoner?" Rarity asked surprised. "For what? Or, let me rephrase that, how did you meet her?"

Scratch sighed thinking. "I was taken form Manehattan estate to a pirate ship nearby and I was put into a cell with two other ponies. Royals. One was a prince the other was his guard. Rainbow Dash was the prince's guard."

Rarity gulped. "So who was this prince?" She asked disdainfully.

"His name is Tick Tock,"

"The Tick Tock?" Rarity asked with shock. "The father of the rumored dead Hybrid princess?"

Scratch nodded. "Aye that same prince. And Rainbow was his protector. From the talks I heard those two seem pretty close. He cares for her and she cares for him. That sort of deal. Until talk about that one mare popping up."

"What mare?" Rarity asked interested.

"Uh some mare with a strange accent I never heard before. But Rainbow knew her well. She had this cowpony hat on her head and this evil look in her eyes."

"Wait, a cowpony hat? A strange accent? Would it sound like this?" Rarity cleared her throat and did a horrible reenactment of that accent, "Howdy ya'll what have all ya’ll been doin'?"

Scratch blinked a couple of times then smiled. "Aye, that's the accent."

Rarity turned to the wall biting her lip. "Would her name be Applejack?"

That's impossible! Applejack's dead! She was fearful as she shut her eyes waiting for the answer.

"Uh, I remember Rainbow Dash saying that same name. You knew that mare?"

Rarity gasped opening her eyes looking at Scratch to see he was telling the truth. "Applejack's alive too? Sweet Celestia!" She cried covering her face again shaking her head. "I thought Rainbow would have been dead when she deserted the army and Applejack was killed in prison! How... What was she doing on a pirate ship?!" She asked crying again. Scratch shook his head shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I don't know that much." He paused to watch Rarity biting her nails and the tears flowing down her face. "But it seemed that you knew those two, very well,"

Rarity sniffed. "We were friends a lifetime ago. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were my dearest friends and we fought together in the war." She hiked up her legs to wrap her arms around them crying into her knees. "Bless the gods for delivering them to life and not death!" Scratch sighed softly as he wrapped his arm around Rarity again holding her as she cried with joy.

"I wish I could tell you more Rarity. Ease the pain you felt all these years."

"What will help is if I can see her face one more time." Rarity sniffed. Scratch didn't want her to elaborate, he just remained silent glaring at the wall.

"Soon, you will see her soon." He whispered kissed her on the head hoping to give her comfort in her dark moment.

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Daring sat in her room as she read through some books that Twilight packed for her a while ago. She sighed closing the book with a bored sniff. She turned hearing a sound and smiled seeing Twilight.

"Hello Twilight," Twilight smiled and hugged her friend.

"It's good to see you."

Daring chuckled. "Nice to see they are allowing you free reins."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fluttershy's method has been a little surprising."

Daring chuckled as Twilight take a seat on the rock bench. "Well Blossomforth and Raindrops are still being watched. It is rather silly seeing their wings tied to their backs."

Daring nodded with a small smile remembering seeing Blossomforth earlier with the thick rope tied around her body keeping her wings pinned. Blossom also had a zebra escort watching her every move. "Since they bore the same uniforms of the ponies that killed so many of their tribe they will take precaution until Fluttershy or the chieftain says for them to be offered free reins. It'll take them time before being accepted like you, me and the princess."

Twilight nodded with a sigh. Daring looked to her with worry. "Are you doing alright, Twilight?"

"Hmm? Why you ask that?" Twilight asked surprised. Daring shrugged.

"Well considering you just found one of your friends and learning that she has changed?"

Twilight blinked once then turned away her ears fell back on her head. "I don't know who she is. Sure I should have known that this whole rebellion changed us all. I mean Applejack is still Applejack and even Rainbow only a touch."

“A touch?"

Twilight blushed. "I mean she's... She's always keeping her guard up even in front of Applejack. She never does that. Other than Fluttershy, Applejack was the go to pony when she was going through emotional times during the war. She didn't even open up to her." Twilight sighed sadly shaking her head rubbing her forehead below her horn.

"Fluttershy is a complete stranger to me. She's not the sweet, innocent pegasus I grew to know and care for. She's like my sister. She and Rarity both were like my sisters and..." Daring nodded clearing her throat.

"No need to continue Twilight. I understand." Twilight sniffed and nodded.

"Thank you." Daring smiled sadly and turned away fiddling her fingers together. "How's Vinyl? I learned you got to see her the other day."

Daring nodded with a hard frown. "She's not doing well. Twilight, this infection is killing her. Fluttershy and Zecora are doing all they can for her right now."

"Octavia? Does she know?"

Daring nodded. "She's with Vinyl right now. She never left her side."

Twilight smiled. "That's good at least when Vinyl wakes up she'll see a familiar face."

Daring nodded with her worried frown still in place. "Something wrong professor?" Twilight asked seeing the frown.

"I'm just worried about those two right now."

Twilight was confused. "Why?"

Daring sighed slowly out of her mouth turning to Twilight. "Don’t you see it? The way they talked to each other, the way Vinyl left to save her?" Twilight blinked thinking with a blush.

"Well I was too busy trying to get the girls out of there. What's wrong with Vinyl running to save the princess?"

"Think of it this way. Have you ever been smitten over a stallion before?"

Twilight didn't respond.

Daring blinked and turned to see Twilight clenching her fist in her lap. Daring gulped realizing her mistake. "Ahem, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed looking up to her mentor to surprise her with a glare. "There are things I don't fantasize over Professor." Daring was shocked to hear such a dark tone from the young unicorn. Never in all the years Twilight worked with Daring that she heard that tone from her. Twilight stood up turning away.

"If there is nothing for me to do Professor..."

"No, nothing at all." Daring whispered silently feeling guilt. Twilight nodded and ran out of the room as fast a she could. Daring let out the breath she held rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

"Wow, Daring, what a fuck up that was." She groaned out loud. She blinked several times then sighed. "Perhaps Applejack might have some history to give me." Daring found her hat and placed it on her head and left to go find Applejack.

Daring found the cowpony in a large cavern teaching Apple Bloom how to hold a pistol. "Alright, an' aim for that bulls eye there." Daring turned to see three large archery targets hanging on the wall of the cavern. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Spike, and Raindrops were watching. Raindrops was showing Sweetie Belle how to hold a pistol and how to clean it as she used a dirty cloth to wipe the top of the pistol into a shine.

"Got your aim?" Applejack asked. Apple Bloom squinted with one eye down the sights nodding with grunt. "Good, take in a breath and pull the trigger," Applejack whispered into her ear. Apple Bloom took in a breath and pulled the trigger. There was a pop and the laser hit the outside ring of the target.

"Aw!" Apple Bloom yelled out as Scootaloo was laughing pointing at the target. Sweetie Belle, Spike and Raindrops looked up seeing Apple Bloom bowing her head with shame.

"I'll never be as great as you Applejack!" Applejack knelt down to poke her sister in the stomach.

"Hey, that ain't no way to talk now." She scolded softly. "It's alright if you missed the point you aimed for. But look at the target, where did you hit at?"

Apple Bloom sniffed folding Applejack's pointed finger to the target to see a burned hole at the edge ring. She sniffed again wiping her nose with her arm.

"The outer ring." Applejack pulled down Apple Bloom’s arm, pulling up her own sleeve to her fingertips, Applejack wiped off Apple Bloom's face and nose.

"See? You hit the target just not the bull’s eye. That's a good point. At least you hit the target. When I was your age, I missed the target completely."

Apple Bloom gasped. "Really? Where did the shots land."

Applejack chuckled warily scratching the back of her head tilting her hat forward. "Everywhere, even Old Bessy was hit by accident." Applejack chuckled as her sister gasped.

"You hit Bessy?!"

"It was an accident!" Applejack said defensively as Apple Bloom started to glare at her elder.

"Applejack," Applejack turned to see Daring smiling at them.

"Oh howdy there Professor." Applejack said standing up and pointed at Raindrops. "Hey partner, you mind helping Apple Bloom?”

"Sure," Raindrops answered standing up dusting the dirt off her pants. She walked over to Apple Bloom taking AJ's place in teaching Apple Bloom as the cowpony walked over to Daring.

"Howdy,"

"Howdy." Daring answered tipping her hat leaning against the wall watching Raindrops show Apple Bloom the correct stance. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran over to stand by Raindrops and Apple Bloom standing the same stance. Spike was busy cleaning the pistols. Applejack tipped back her hat looking at Daring.

"What's on yer mind?" Daring sighed.

"I want to ask you something personal."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow looking warily at the pegasus.

"Depends on the asking part."

"I understand, but it's not about you... It’s about Twilight." Daring said with a worried frown. Applejack seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Uh sure, but I don’t know what happened to Twilight after I went in prison."

Daring nodded. "Alright, this might be a longshot but... did Twilight had a love interest that you know of?"

Applejack gave her a look. Daring immediately blushed and shook her head. "Oh no, no, no, not like that!"

"Then why not you ask her yerself?" Applejack asked as she spat to the side. Daring sighed.

"I mentioned something about if she ever fell in love with a stallion before and she completely shut herself off from me. She spoke in a dark tone I never heard from her before so I knew I must have done something."

Applejack winced and nodded. "I see. After all these years she's still aching from him?"

"I guess but she never told me anything about this pony. Would you mind filling me in on this?"

Applejack sighed as Raindrops held up a pistol and fired a shot. Applejack gulped scratching her head.

"It was around perhaps three years into the war. And our first one as a group." Applejack mention sadly. "We were teamed up with some company for a while on a non-habitable planet we called the Trash Heap.” Applejack paused reaching into her pants pocket to find a cigarette box and pulled out a cigarette and held one up for Daring. Daring shook her head. Applejack shrugged and lit a match and set it before the cigarette and let out a sigh.

"Sorry, it helps me cope you know."

Daring shook her head. "That's completely fine."

"Thanks. Helps me think too."

After several seconds of hearing the pops from the pistols Applejack started the story.

"Well, let’s see there was this group we bunked with. They were mostly stallions so we made our boundaries. No stallion comes to our side and no mare goes to their side. During this time, Twilight was a new corporal then and I told her that she had guard duty alone since Fluttershy was shot in the leg and couldn’t stand without aid. Then one of the colts offered to stand watch with her, since he would be on watch anyways.

"Me and the Sarge on their side made an agreement." Applejack smiled. "Who would have thought though? Twilight was young and never knew what love was until she met with that stallion on watch."

"She fell in love?" Daring asked.

Applejack smirked. "Yeah, it took us a while to notice that when he goes off to watch and Twilight takes the pace of one of us on that same watch until I finally said fine, she'll take that watch rotation." Applejack took a draw of her cigarette with a sad frown.

"It was two months after their first time out that we all figured out that they were in love. I was busy planning an attack with the other commanders in the command tent when a stallion from squadron seventy-five came into the tent with Twilight hanging from her uniform from one of his hands while his other hand had that same colt. The scout said that these two weren't watching they were... You don't need me to tell you the details."

Daring blushed. "In war time?"

Applejack nodded with a grim frown. "Eeyep, I was more or less looked at as a fool for allowing my corporal to be off playing in a fox hole with a stallion while on watch. I gave her a good scolding like she was my own. In a way I looked at everypony in our group as a sister or in Twilight's case a daughter since she was so young, you know?"

Daring nodded. "I understand. I would have done the same thing in your position. I was in that war too."

Applejack nodded. "Good, somepony agrees with me. For the longest time, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity were telling me I was too harsh on her. But Rainbow seemed to be the only one who understood the danger those two lovebirds put us through. But it was after that when things went to Tartarus.

"The enemy made a surprise attack, sneaking in hundreds of soldiers after us. Of course we fought, I remember Pinkie got hit in the head by one of the enemy’s clubbed soldiers. She was lucky to not have anything worse than a concussion. We were able to get out of it alive. I remember Twilight was in distress the whole time since the stallions we bunked with were on the front lines while we were with a flank attack, trying to keep the goons from coming in on our left flank." Applejack shook her head.

"Many ponies died that first day. Even from the large company that took the flank. But then it ended with the enemy retreating. We cheered for victory that night but after that we had to bury our dead. I ordered Twilight to stay with Pinkie and Fluttershy as the rest of us went off to help with the cleanup. By the time we returned Twilight was gone and Fluttershy was sleeping against Pinkie Pie. I woke her up and asked where Twilight was." Applejack sighed.

"She answered that Twilight should be in her cot. But when she saw Twilight’s cot was empty she apologized countless times for it. I ran off to go search for her when I saw where she must have been."

"What do you mean?" Daring asked interrupting.

Applejack turned to her then looked down at the ground. "During the cleanup we found some surviving ponies and one of them was from the stallions' squad we were with. He was the only one left alive. Anyway he saw me running past him. He called to me and told me to go and stop Twilight before she got herself killed. I went back to grab Rainbow Dash and Rarity and we all left with several other ponies to go get her back. She might be looked at as a corporal but she was Celestia's student after all. And also she was my responsibility."

Applejack paused for a moment flicking her cigarette letting the ash fall to the ground, staring at the ground. "We searched forever until we found her being attacked by the enemy. Rainbow tried her best to distract them, Rarity used her magic to try and use the rocks around them to scare off the enemy soldiers. As our army chased them off I took the chance and ran for her." Applejack sighed deeply as if with difficulty as she leaned against the wall pulling off her hat looking at the ceiling.

"I never thought I would see her so… I don’t know what to say. Not mad or sad... perhaps it's both. But when I reached for her she gave me this dark look as if saying not to stop her. That was when I noticed the knife in her hand and the blood flowing from her arm. I grabbed the knife from her and she started to wrestle me to the ground. She tried to use her magic to stop me and back me off, but I was able to stop her before she hurt herself."

Daring blinked staring at the pony with shock. "She tried to commit suicide?"

Applejack nodded slowly biting her lip. "I remember when I finally got her under control she was crying and screaming for him. And I saw his body right there. The soldiers that killed him… mutilated him. Tore him apart as he still drew breath."

Daring shivered. "I heard about those soldiers. They were cannibals."

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, they were true monsters. I held her tightly to me letting her cry as I continued to stare at his body." Applejack shuddered. "I will never forget that image." Applejack dropped her cigarette and set her bot against it squishing out the flame and the bud as a whole.

"Twilight wasn't the same after that. I had to have Rarity try to do something to get Twilight from hurting herself again. It was a tough rest of the campaign for us. There were hardly any smiles. Even Pinkie was down and that was a new thing from her. I was happy I didn’t have to tell her that trying to get Twilight to smile will just make things worse. The survivor was able to be set back home to get better care and an honorable discharge for his bravery. I don't think he took his survival well. But that's just me."

Daring nodded feeling horrible now. She just reopened a scar that was meant to not be looked back upon. "What was his name?"

Applejack shrugged. "You know I don't really remember, all I remember was that he was a corporal too. A young pegasus I believe."

"Really?" Daring asked quite surprised.

Applejack grinned. "Eeyep, a pegasus buck. But I don't quite remember him well."

The two went silent even the room went silent. Daring turned to realize that the young ones eve Raindrops heard the story and were showing their sorrow through their stances and eyes. Apple Bloom ran over to hug Applejack around her waist burying her face into Applejacks' shirt. Applejack smiled and wrapped her around her sister.

"What should I do?" Daring asked.

"Leave her alone for a bit. She's not that distraught to try anything rash like she did when she was younger. Give her space. She'll probably come to you later."

Daring nodded. "I really do appreciate for that story Applejack. I never knew of it and I'm afraid I hurt her bad."

Applejack nodded. "If she doesn't come back in the morning, look for me. I'll search for her. I was there seeing him with her. I might be the only one that can help her."

Daring nodded. "Thank you," She sighed looking at the children, Spike and Raindrops. "I best be off, I have another chat with Zecora later. And I better check on Octavia as well."

"Tell Tavi we said hi." Sweetie Belle said smiling.

"I will." Daring said ruffling sweetie belle’s mane then patted Applejack on the shoulder. "Rest easy."

Applejack nodded thanking her for the kind words. Daring walked away, heading for the tunnel to the infirmary cavern. Applejack sighed placing her hat over Apple Bloom’s head hearing her giggle pushing it up.

"I'm happy you won't spare your life for war." Applejack whispered kissing Apple Bloom on the head. "I'm starving, let’s get some grub."

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫



Twilight gripped to her arms tightly as tears streamed down her face. She panted, biting into her hand to keep from making any sobs. She bit down so hard that she broke the skin. She started tasting her own blood as she continued to cry.

"I'm so sorry...I should have been there." She whispered shaking hard seeing flashes of memory of her colt friend's body. She remembered hearing his screams before approaching his last resting place. She remembered the laughter, the taunts of puling his limbs apart, even his blood curling screams. She grabbed her ears pulling down hard thinking that would stop the screams.

"Twilight?" Twilight gasped turning to see Blossomforth staring at her sadly. "What's wrong? What are you doing here by yourself?" Blossom kneeled down as Twilight turned away.

"It's nothing." She whispered not trusting her own voice as she continued to sniff. Blossom sat down next to the unicorn with her back against the wall. She turned to see Twilight biting her lip, blood and saliva slowly rolling down the side of her mouth to her chin. Blossom looked down to see Twilight's hand to see the bite marks all over her arm and hand. Blossom placed her hang gingerly on Twilight’s shoulder feeling her shake.

"Come here," She whispered. Twilight turned to see Blossom with concern on her face. Twilight thought for a moment hesitating. "I'll be the shoulder you can cry on." Blossom whispered soothingly, scooting closer to the unicorn. Twilight closed her eyes feeling Blossom's arm around her.

"Let it out, it's alright."

Twilight wrapped her arms around her and started to cry. Blossom smiled sadly rubbing her back as Twilight continued to cry into her embrace. Blossom didn't speak and didn't need to. Twilight just continued to cry grateful to finally let out the pain she held for years. Everything from his death to the loss of her friends and now the confusion of their predicament came out in tears.

Blossom held her until Twilight stopped to sniffling. Blossom pulled back to stroke Twilight's face to tell her she was fine. Twilight sniffed again looking up at her.

"Thank you, I never had a shoulder to cry on in a very long time." She whispered.

Blossom smiled. "You looked like you needed somepony to be with. I can't ignore that cry for help."

Twilight sniffed leaning against the wall. Blossom did likewise as the two continue to sit in silence. Twilight reached into her pocket to pull out handkerchief to wipe her eyes and nose.

"Why were you crying?" Blossom asked softly.

"Just horrible memories. From the war." Twilight whispered in response with a sigh. Blossom nodded.

"Alright," She whispered watching Twilight for a moment longer. She got ready to stand up. Twilight grabbed her sleeve to stop her. Blossom looked down at her with a cocked brow.

"Please... I don't want to be alone."

Blossom smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'll stay with you. I have nowhere else to be until I'm free of the ground."

Twilight smiled at the pout Blossom made.

"Thank you, for what you did for me." Twilight said blushing a touch.

Blossom smiled with a light blush of her own. "Just rest easy, it's pretty late."

Author's Note:

Hey I got Chapter 9 up! Yay! Big thanks to Xhoral1865 for the editing work.

Yes I know I said I wont be able to update stuff for a while, but I got a break after finishing my college work and decided to get this chapter up.

So here we go, what did you guys think of this chapter? Not only does Rainbow and Fluttershy have hard pasts, but so did Twilight. Alright can anyone guess who this pegasus stallion is? Don't worry though if you have no idea because the same stallion will be mentioned later in this story.

Just let me know if there are any mistakes. Until life gives me free time again, later!

EDIT: I added some extra lines to fix up the confusion I made earlier. I hope the addition I made helped.

Comments

[The Batmane of equestria]

I'm hoping the stallion was Flash Sentry so we know he won't be showing up.

[Kenshinryuu]

Well, twilight mentioned Raindrops and Blossom were still being locked up, but then Daring finds Raindrops helping teach the fillies how to shoot while Blissom appears out of nowhere to console Twilight... so how are they still being detained???

Other than that continuity confusion all I can say is ANGST ANGSTY CHAPTER!!! We need a happy chapter ASAP!!!

[TigerSwirl448]

4733824
Alrighty, (note to self read chapters before doing edits. Why do I not stress this enough with this story!! )

Sorry, I'll add something to fix the confusion when I get to a computer today before my class.

I did warn people that this story will be darker and more sad than the first story. There are times of happy moments later on though.

[Kenshinryuu]

4734656 I just hope we get Vinyl or Luna waking up soon, or a chapter just focusing on some light hearted antics of Spike and the Fillies. Just something happy to break up the sad.

[The Metallic Dash]

That sucks forr twiligt..... butt getting eaten alive.... thats scary