Act II: Chapter 6
Princess Luna landed gracefully before the town hall. “I have done what I could for them,” she said tiredly to her sister. “The dragon shows no improvement, nor does dear Fluttershy, in spite of my attempts to assuage her fears. Pinkie Pie sleeps too deeply; I will not know whether I managed to strip the false visions from her eyes until she wakes.”
Her elder sister sighed. “I was able to find and remove the false memories that plagued Applejack. We may never know whether they took the place of any true memories or if she had drunk too much to remember that night, but at least she is no longer misled.”
“Well done, sister.” Luna's horn began to glow with the cobalt blue of her magic. She spread her hooves and wings and looked up to the sky. “What of the culprit, and the missing Element-bearers?” she asked as her aura crept along the circumference of the moon. “Have my stallions not returned?”
“They have,” Celestia frowned. “They didn't manage to find anypony.”
Luna watched pensively as her moon fell from the sky. “We will need to expand our search beyond the forest,” she advised. “They could have marched as far as Appleloosa by now. The pegasi could be anywhere.”
“Perhaps.” Celestia's light gold aura surrounded her horn. The two alicorns watched as the sun rose from the eastern horizon and took its place at the sky's peak, sharing a moment of silence as the sky shifted from black to orange to blue. “I sent my guards to search along Ghastly Gorge and check all of the inns in Appleloosa half an hour ago,” Celestia said finally. “I'm sure they will find some sign of their passage.”
“I hope that they will,” Luna muttered. “I fear for all of Equestria if this situation cannot be resolved peacefully.”
“Me too, sister.” The elder alicorn stepped close to the younger and the pair tenderly crossed necks. “Me too.”
,',
Rainbow Dash glanced about, left into the canyon and right into the fields, forward and back along the road. “Do you think staying on the road is a good idea?” she asked. “This one goes the whole way to Las Pegasus. It's only a matter of time before somepony comes.”
Twilight smiled. “That's just what I'm waiting for.”
Rainbow cocked her head, her gaze as concerned as it was confused. “Why?”
The unicorn looked south and kept trotting. “Just tell me if you see anypony coming.”
Rainbow nodded her acceptance, but in spite of Twilight's confidence her nervousness only grew.
The road wound along the edge of Ghastly Gorge, far enough to avoid accidents but close enough to make a pony mindful of their speed. Twilight and Rainbow Dash cantered along at a brisk but manageable pace; after the numerous stops they'd made the day before for Twilight's sake, she was determined to pace herself to make their travels more optimal until their journey reached its end.
“How much farther?” Twilight asked suddenly.
Rainbow looked across the fields. “Huh?”
“How much farther south?”
Rainbow shrugged. “I don't know,” she admitted. “I think I'll know it when I see it.”
Twilight frowned. “Are you sure you don't remember anything at all?”
She twisted her neck around suspiciously. “I don't...” Rainbow's hooves faltered. “Huh.”
“What is it, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.
The pegasus nodded behind her. “Well, you were right...”
Twilight jerked and spun, staring backward along the path. There on the horizon was the dark dot that marked a single pony sprinting toward them. “Who is it?” she asked.
“I don't know.” Rainbow held a hoof to her brow and squinted at the dot. “I can't make them out from this far away.”
Twilight tugged at her friend's shoulder and sped from the path. “Come on,” she said as she dove into the brush. “Hide!”
Rainbow followed immediately. “They already saw us!” she said as they nestled toghether in the bushes. “What are we hiding for?”
Twilight peered between the branches and set her horn alight. “They know we're here, which might make them reckless,” she explained quietly. “Even an extra second could cost them everything, especially if I can strike them from behind!”
Rainbow smiled wickedly. “Okay, you hit them first and then I'll fly out and get them while they're distracted!”
“Quickly, though,” Twilight advised. “Hit them and run. I'll keep them off you, you keep them off me. Got it?”
“Loud and clear,” she whispered. “I'll wait for your signal.”
Twilight watched the path with one ear cocked. The sound of racing hoofbeats had grown louder and louder. “Three...” she breathed. “Two...”
The pounding slowed, then stopped.
Twilight bent her neck to try and see through the brush. “One,” she said hesitantly.
“I know you're out there!” Rarity shrieked.
Twilight's breath caught in her throat. She turned to Rainbow Dash, shocked to silence.
“We can't,” the pegasus mouthed. “Can we?” Twilight shook her head and stared through the leaves.
Rarity had walked into her line of sight and was glaring about much as Rainbow had been before. “You can't hide, Twilight Sparkle!” she yelled, bared teeth flashing in the sunlight. “I saw the two of you!”
“What do we do?” Rainbow hissed.
“I-I...” Twilight flinched as Rarity's eyes fell upon their cover, but they soon darted away as she took an uncertain step forward.
“Should we run for it?”
Twilight nodded. “Quietly,” she whispered. A hindleg stretched out behind her and touched down as gently as a snowflake landing upon a drift.
A twig crinkled beneath her hoof.
Rarity's head swiveled toward them. A flare of blue light like a torch in the darkness lashed out toward the brush surrounding them and chewed away each and every one of the leaves that hid them. Twilight and Rainbow Dash fell backward; Twilight lunged to cover the pegasus's hide with her own, but the flame died out before the mares were so much as scorched.
When they uncovered their eyes it was already too late. Rarity stood over them, staring down her nose with a wide smile and wider eyes. “There's nowhere to run, Twilight Sparkle,” she hissed. Her horn glowed a vicious blue, brighter than ever before.
“R-Rarity,” Twilight stammered, “please... Listen to me!”
She lowered her horn, sending sparks flying harmlessly into the grass. “Come back to Ponyville,” Rarity growled. “Now!”
“I can't!” she squeaked.
“You had best cooperate, Twilight,” she advised through gritted teeth. “If you ever want to see the sunlight again, you will cooperate. Things will only get worse once we find Zecora.”
“B-but she was already gone when we got there!” Rainbow shouted. “Whoever did this needed her out of the way.”
“Yes, I'm sure Miss Sparkle did!” Rarity exclaimed venomously.
Rainbow leaped upright and shielded her friend with her body. “Don't call her that!” she said angrily.
“Oh, now you want me to stop?” Rarity smirked. “It's too late to play innocent, Rainbow Dash.”
Sheltered behind her friend, Twilight held her hooves to her temples and rocked. “I know you're hurting, Rarity, but please,” Twilight begged, “calm down and think about this!”
Rarity fixed Rainbow Dash with a stare that would have staggered a weaker pony. “I've thought long and hard, Twilight. You are not acting the way an innocent pony acts. You wouldn't have fled from your prison cell if you'd thought the Princesses would believe you.”
“I only left because I was in danger!” she whined.
She chuckled. “You didn't leave quickly enough.”
“But I couldn't protect myself if the real cuplrit came for me in there and... and I can't prove my innocence if I'm locked away...”
“Stop.” Twilight's mouth snapped shut. A wall of blue force thrust Rainbow Dash to the side, presenting Rarity's prey to her. “I don't care anymore, Twilight,” Rarity said firmly. “Just be quiet and come with me or I will have to get violent.”
Rainbow pushed against the magic until it began to bend. “We can't!”
A manic glint appeared in the unicorn's eye. “I've already beaten you once, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity laughed, her voice shaky and soaring. “Best of three?” Rainbow's wings trembled violently with the urge to launch.
“Don't take the bait!” Twilight cried. “She's trying to separate us!”
“Nonsense,” she disagreed. “I'm only trying to help you, Rainbow Dash.” She turned a furious glare and an accusatory hoof on the other unicorn. “Your mistress is the one I take issue with!” Her twisted smile reappeared as she turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Help me help you, dear. Don't make me force you.”
“We have to keep going,” Rainbow insisted. “I know we'll find the answer if we keep heading south.”
Twilight stretched a hoof toward Rarity. “Come with us. You'll see!”
“No!” she barked. “You come with me!”
Sweat poured down her brow. “Rarity, please.” she said hopelessly.
Rarity spread her hooves. “You're coming whether you like it or not.”
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow sneered. “Says who?”
Rarity's upper lip peeled back as she spun to face the prismatic pegasus once more. The light of her horn flared ever brighter as she swung her head back and gathered the energy for a bolt of arcane fire. “Says justice!”
Twilight leaped. She collided with the unicorn's shoulder and together they disappeared into the ether.
Rainbow took to the air, her muzzle set in the grim frown of determination. A puff of smoke to the north spat the two unicorns into the grass. One tumbled onto the path and the other dove into another cloud only to reappear far to the south. Rarity rolled gracefully onto her hooves and transferred her momentum into a headlong sprint after her. “I tried, Miss Sparkle, but if she wants to do this...” Rainbow Dash growled as she dove into the fray. “Then let's do this!” she screamed.
Twilight called up a dome shield as she ran. She could feel Rarity's fire bounce off of it to strike the plantlife around them, scorching leaves and snapping stems. “Get back he– ugh!” Rainbow Dash bulldozed into her opponent's ribs and sent her rolling into the rough embrace of a stout bush. “You...” Stones and pebbles lifted from the earth, shining in the haze of Rarity's magic. “Take this, you ungrateful dolt!” A rain of sapphires ten yards across sailed upward toward the pegasus.
Rainbow spiraled higher but couldn't avoid half a dozen of the larger pieces. Smooth chunks of limestone threatened to bruise her wings and a piece of shale sliced her deeply beneath her left foreleg. She let out a moan and snarled down at her attacker. “You think that'll stop us?” she cried. “You've got to try harder than that, Rarity!”
The unicorn tore a shrub from the earth and hefted it like a club. “Oh, I will!” She spun to keep an eye on her target and only her swift reflexes saved her from a blow to the head.
Twilight's bludgeon, a hefty stone pulled from the canyon wall, drifted hesitantly to her side. “I don't want to do this, Rarity,” Twilight whimpered. “Just leave us alone and we'll be on our way.”
“Don't even try it!” she said harshly, “or you'll soon be on your way to the Great Beyond!”
Twilight's jaw dropped. “You can't mean that!”
Rarity narrowed her eyes. “I'll do whatever I must to protect Equestria from you.” She lashed out with her makeshift club; Twilight ducked away from the stinging branches only for the trunk to slam her to the earth.
Twilight's aura surrounded it and jerked it out of Rarity's grasp. It went sailing into the canyon. “I'm trying to protect Equestria too,” she insisted as she stood, “from the same madness you've fallen victim to!”
“No more tricks,” she barked roughly. “No more lies!”
Rainbow landed softly beside Twilight. “No more out of you,” she growled as she limped forward. A thin trail of sticky red stained her armpit.
The unicorn growled right back and sent bolt after bolt toward them, a feral snarl upon her muzzle.
Twilight's shield reappeared but days of malnutrition and sleepless nights were wearing on her. She could feel the shield bending and crackling with each blow from her friend's arcane fire. “Rainbow, we have to do something!”
“Like what?” she cried.
“I don't know,” Twilight panted as she retreated from her friend's onslaught. “I don't want to hurt her!”
“I could take her, but it might get messy...” Rainbow glanced behind her and flinched. “Twi, look out!” She'd backed them up against the mouth of the gorge.
“Now I've got you,” Rarity smiled. She finally stopped unleashing her bolts upon the two mares. “Surrender!”
Rainbow looked from one unicorn to another and snarled under her breath. “Don't make us hurt you, Rarity!” she shouted uncertainly.
“You couldn't if you tried,” Rarity exclaimed. “I have too much to lose to allow you to escape now! Good will always triumph over evil!”
Twilight shook her head and the pink dome around them faded. “You've given me no choice, Rarity,” she breathed. Her horn flared noisily and swallowed up the light with a supersonic whine. “Forgive me.”
A pink beam of crackling energy darted forth from Twilight's horn and punched into Rarity's chest. Rarity immediately collapsed into the dirt, convulsing in agony. Her cry rang out over the fields and echoed down into the depths of the canyon for a split second before her throat closed.
Twilight held the spell for a count of five seconds before she released it with a heavy heart. The writhing unicorn's tortured grunting continued for twice as long before it dwindled to sobs of pain.
Rainbow looked from the twitching unicorn to Twilight with mouth gaping open and chest heaving. “What was that?” she asked in amazement.
“S-self-defense,” she said quietly. She trembled from from tip to tail. “Nonlethal.”
Rainbow lifted her front and wrapped Twilight in a hug. After a long moment Twilight hugged her back, albeit half-heartedly. “You did what you had to,” Rainbow said firmly. “You didn't have a choice.”
“We have to go,” Twilight mumbled.
Rainbow nodded. “Come on,” she said with a duck of her head. She took a few steps south. “She'll be alright, won't she?”
A blue beam of force knocked Rainbow head over hooves. She rolled limply to the lip of the gorge, wings twitching.
“Rainbow, no!” Twilight yelped. She darted to her friend's side. Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled onto her left side. Twilight glared at the unicorn in the grass...
She wasn't in the grass. She was a yard away and moving fast.
Rarity's horn sparked fitfully, but she was out of juice. Magic wouldn't save her; magic wouldn't save her friends. There was only one thing she could do.
“For Equestria!” she wept. She leaped into the air.
Twilight ducked and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing a split second later at Rainbow's other side.
Rarity's eyes widened as she soared through the vapor. Three of her hooves landed heavily on the shale and skidded beneath her; her left foreleg dangled over the canyon. She reared, putting her weight onto her hindlegs, but her momentum was too great.
“No,” she whispered.
The canyon took her into its embrace. She didn't have time to scream.
Twilight stretched a hoof over the canyon. “Rarity!” she shrieked. Her friend reached toward her from yards and yards below as she slid down the sandstone slopes on her belly, her mouth frozen in a shrill yell, until the wall bucked beneath her and sent her tumbling head over hooves into the maw of the earth.
Twilight reached out a shaking hoof as Rainbow Dash writhed and rolled onto her hooves. “A-a...” She took a deep breath, vaulted upward and landed sidesaddle on Rainbow's sore back, one hoof on her shoulder and one on her flank. “After her!” she cried. Rainbow sprang into the air with a groan.
The pegasus dove faster than the eye could follow, her belly mere inches from the rough wall of the canyon. Twilight nearly swallowed her heart as the world turned sideways beneath her, but she swallowed her fear instead and kept her half-closed eyes on the tumbling unicorn below, white and purple and brown and red. Closer and closer they fell, faster and faster; Twilight cried out each time her friend slammed into the rough sandstone as if she herself was the one tumbling to her demise.
“Grab her!” Rainbow cried as they fell to her level.
Twilight swiped at Rarity's body but she was still a pace out of reach. “Closer!”
“I can't!” she screamed, panic evident in her voice. “I'd kill us both!”
The unicorn's hooves kneaded at her friend's taught muscles. “Rarity...” Twilight made up her mind. “Thank you, Dashie,” she whimpered. She pushed with both hooves and soared alone into the canyon.
“Miss Sparkle!”
Twilight glided slowly toward her friend as they plummeted toward the dried-up riverbed. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, Rarity...” She leveled out and stretched toward the other unicorn. “Don't leave me now...”
Her hoof brushed fur. Twilight closed her eyes and focused.
A faint cloud of smoke spread outward across the riverbed.
The two reappeared in midair just a few yards below the lip of the canyon. Rarity almost fell away from her as their descent was reversed into upward motion but Twilight pulled her closer into a tight and tender hug, a hug that spoke volumes; together they disappeared once more.
They tumbled into the brush beside the road to Las Pegasus. Rarity escaped Twilight's grasp and bounced away across the grass. Twilight skidded to a halt on her chin and knees just beside the road. She lay panting among the cool blades, tongue hanging from her mouth and chest heaving as the adrenaline coursed through her, and gasped out a little laugh – a survivor's laugh.
Rainbow's hooves lifted her head from the earth and began brushing the gravel out of the fur on her chin. “Jeez, Miss Sparkle! What were you thinking?” Twilight just groaned. “Well, hay. Good catch,” she cheered. “She's got to believe you now. I mean, you just saved her life!”
Twilight picked herself up and winced as her body told her brain of the three knees she'd scraped raw. She'd miscalculated when accounting for their momentum, but at least Rarity hadn't rolled far. “Is she okay?”
Rainbow gave a start. She hopped into the air and fluttered toward the other unicorn. “Um... She looks...” The pegasus froze. Her hoof reached out, retracted... She fell to her knees and crawled toward her old friend. “Rarity,” she breathed. Rainbow looked up at Twilight with pinched eyes. “She's... alive,” she said finally.
Twilight winced. It was never a good sign when even Rainbow couldn't make light of an injury. “How bad is it?”
“Um... It's bloody,” she said. Her voice was oddly flat. “Her eyes are bruising. Um... Scratch that; her everything's bruising. I think I can see a bone... um, yeah, her left foreleg is definitely broken.”
Twilight took a few tender steps forward.
“So's her left hindleg. Probably some ribs. Must've hit that side pretty hard...”
“How quickly is she losing blood?” Twilight interrupted.
Rainbow glanced up at her with a grim but determined frown. “She's okay for now, but...”
A band of pink magic wove tenderly around Rarity's snapped limbs and squeezed tightly. “My magic will act as a tourniquet.”
“But that won't do her any good,” Rainbow said sadly. “I don't think even you can help her now.”
“I know that!” Twilight snapped. “We need real medical supplies and a real doctor...” Twilight closed her eyes tight. “Rainbow, you have to get help,” she decided.
“What?” her friend exclaimed. “They'll find us!”
“I know,” she said glumly. “We don't have another option.”
Rainbow's frown carried the sorrow of a hundred ponies. “But Miss Sparkle, they won't wait for the Princesses this time.”
The unicorn showed no sign of having heard her. “I'll wait here. Fly back to Po... No. Fly east to Appleloosa as fast as you can and don't come back without a few more pairs of wings and enough rope to lessen the flow of blood to these limbs.”
Rainbow chewed her lip, but her wings carried her up and east in a blaze of color.
Twilight stared down at the prone unicorn lying at her hooves. Rarity was one of her best friends, no matter what she'd said and done, and Twilight was not going to lose her.
“Whatever it takes,” she declared. Her horn flared brightly.
,',
Rainbow lay curled around her unicorn beside the blazing bonfire. She thought it was probably safe to light one this far southwest of the town, and Twilight didn't seem to care one way or the other. “She'll be alright, Miss Sparkle,” Rainbow promised.
Twilight was unable to sleep despite the late hour. She was huddled into herself, nose to tail once again. Her muzzle was buried in her forelegs. “We nearly killed her,” she mumbled dully.
“Hey,” Rainbow said softly. “She knew what she was trying to do. If you hadn't teleported away it would have been both of you.”
“How could it have come to this?” Twilight moaned into her hooves. “First you, then Spike, and Applejack and Fluttershy and Pinkie...” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “And now Rarity. Nopony is safe. I'm the only one left. I'm next.”
“Don't worry, Twilight.” Her hoof ruffled the fur along the unicorn's spine. “I'll protect you.”
“I can't even cry over her,” Twilight said, sounding as exasperated as she did sad. “I don't have it in me. I feel like I've cried more in the last few days than I have since the day I came to Ponyville!”
“It won't be much longer,” Rainbow promised.
“How do you know?” she muttered petulantly.
“You know that pony you were waiting for?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “Well, I... I remember him. He'll help us.”
“Then where is he?” she asked tiredly.
“He's here.”
Twilight's eyes narrowed and her upper lip trembled with fury. “What?” she whispered.
“Hello, girls!” a bright and cheerful voice hailed them.
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4184098
Then I am so reading that when I get the free time to. Thank you very much for linking it *Gives a bro hoof*.
oh i do not have a good feeling about that guy. as i said hopefully rarity's injury is as far as it leads.
this story is getting rather interesting i do admit..............
\one problem. there is a universal way of getting rid of false memories. telepathic showing of imagery and memories in relation to the victim. that is how tiwlight broke discord's spell, and if it can destroy THAT level of magic it can destroy a lesser variant.
then again the regaql sisters might not be familiar enough with them to trigger their proper memories.
CliffHanger!
uh oh
4184317 Discord didn't alter their memories, the memory spell just reminded them of what they hadn't been thinking about.
AHHHHH! AHHHHHH! AHHHHH! CREEPY PONY APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! AHHHHH! AHHHHHHH! AHHHHHH!
Oh, and I was getting worried that you wouldn't update today. I'm glad you did. I've been bored all day long.
OH SHIT!
4184317 4184335 4184356 4184369 4184427
I'm glad everypony's enjoying it... and I don't feel bad about the cliffhanger. Not at all. img248.imageshack.us/img248/9056/liarjackvectorbykyrospa.png
Dun-dun-duuuun! It's Flash Sentry!
I couldn't stay away.
Well, I suppose I should hit the hay, shouldn't I? I have to be up for work in five hours, after all.
Oh, and...
4184317 4184368
Celestia wiped Applejack's false memories and, as she said, there's a good possibility that she was too wasted to remember anything about that night anyway! The others have much, much bigger issues, most of which are not related to false memories as far as we know, with the exception of Spike: Fluttershy's just perpetually terrified and Pinkie's tripping. So if you don't mind me asking, how is this a problem? I'm not trying to be a jerk here; I'm actually very interested to hear your thoughts.
Terrycloth's point is also valid, but even if you meant the alterations featured in 'Magical Mystery Cure' instead, my last paragraph still holds water.
Well, goodnight again, everypony, and I mean it this time!
I'll see you tomorrow.
4184570 You have work in five hours? Your gonna have such a headache...
4184570 i kinda base what happened in magical mystery cure as the reason why. it states something called the true self, something that none of the magic she used before, not even the one she used on discord, could fix.
it seems to hint that the true self is impossible to affect otherwise. not even discord could affect that part of a pony. if we think of it as, perhaps the soul, the core of a pony, then it seems to hint that magic like what discord used can be reversed without harming the victim because their true self is pretty much the hard copy of their memories and personality. and it is something not even discord could touch. if he could have, he would have.
that might be something of a headcanon thing there but the true self was refered to as some thing rather than a concept. so if the memory spell could not work then it means the hard copy got altered.
to my reasoning why that would work in this situation. all twilight seemed to do was communicate images and memory to her friends telepathically. it cause their true memories and personality to wake up and break the spell. set their brain right, or relatively right in pinkie pie's case.
since it broke a spell from someone as powerful as discord, it could be presumed that causing the natural memories and emotions of a victim of mind control or memory alteration, in mlp at least, to awaken and take over can cause them to break the spell, even ones cast by very powerful beings.
then again the problem would be getting someone with enough familiarity to the victims for that to work, and it seems only unicorns can do it. in this case, one is rogue and terrified, and the other is hospitalized and gone mad with rage and feelings of betrayal. as of right now the regal sisters cannot set their minds right, not yet. only other way would be to directly break the spell, and there could be psychological effects from it too.
4184802 ...Eh, For once I agree, but then again, Rarity is so OOC that even her most loving fans dont like her. So Imagoing to start calling her Ytirar because of it.
Still, even though I utterly despise OOC rarity, I love the story enough to forgive it. Still slightly disappointed you went from mystery mane
65 VS Twilight is she guilty/not guilty to Ytirar Bitch Vs Obviously not guilty Twilight. and expanded the story elsewhere...Still looking forward to more awesome chapter though!4185047
This was certainly a mystery fic, it was just less investigatey and rational than I would have liked.
Now that the Royal Sisters are both in Ponyville, what if they get brain washed like Twilight's friends? That would be a pretty scarry scenario if they ended up like Rarity... On the other hand, it could be a nice boon for Twilight if they end up like Rainbow. Either way, I would be very suprised if this villian doesn't try to take advantage of their close proximity.
Hope they don't eat or drink anything while there. Of course, it could be airborne as well.
Oh nooo... don't tell me it's that Cappuccino guy!
Seriously though, I hate OC villains.
...Since your story has been fantastic so far, I'll bite.
Edit: Apparently he's a background pony. But seriously: mastermind = obscure coffee making background pony. Well if their's a good explanation for his actions next chapter, then it doesn't really matter who the bad guy is, now does it?
And welcome to AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPALLOOSA!
Wow, such action.
And, maybe, just maybe, Rarity will come to her senses. Rainbow's been a great support for Twilight, despite her... condition. I hope she isn't working for the guy who did all this, though.
4185968
Cappucino is a background pony.
I should probably be pissed off at how much Rarity is antagonized in this (though I hope the readers are aware that, from her perspective, Twilight is the villain), but I'm too busy laughing at how insanely devoted she is to her cause...
Everyone is focused on her being a "bitch." How come no one applauds her for not being "the helpless damsel in distress" for once?
I absolutely love your fic so far!!! Lookin forward to the other chapters!!! Happy cuz you put your chapters in fast. LUV LUV LUV your fic!!!!
CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!!!!
4184573
I've gotten used to the exhaustion, fuzzy thoughts and chronic tension headaches. At this point I can push through almost anything!
4184662
And while some of Rainbow's bravado is just her personality, I think it's largely a front to hide her insecurities; I think wanting a coltfriend or fillyfriend to take care of her when she's low is right up her alley. Cappuccino didn't alter their true selves. He just made them listen and accept truths that they wouldn't have held before.
But even if the 'true self' is some kind of metaphysical soul-analogue and not simply Twilight's concise terminology for the rather complex idea of the origin, lifestyle, and fate a pony is destined to have, none of the ponies' true selves were altered. Applejack did what she did out of trust. Fluttershy's always been a panicky little filly at heart. Pinkie is... um... Pinkie. And hallucinating. Spike... Well, he stopped being a dick to his guardian.
Besides, if Discord couldn't affect it and Star Swirl the Bearded could, what does that say about the draconequus's nigh-unbeatable powers?
But in any case, I think you're saying that the same spell that fixed the discorded ponies would break the enchantment upon them now because their true self wasn't affected. I simply can't see why it should. The spells are two completely different forms of magic with two completely different sources and completely different results. Discord's spell warped them. Cappuccino's potion didn't make anypony act against their nature, necessarily; it merely made them accept an untruth and act accordingly.
4184802
I promise that if Rarity survives this, I'll try to keep their reunion as in-character as possible.
Now I want to do it just to see who blinks first.
4185047 4185380
I tried to keep her breakdown as believable as possible, but there's only so much one can do with a situation like that. I followed my idea of how Rarity would act in a darker universe like this, and I'm sorry if it disappoints but in even in hindsight I wouldn't change a thing.
I hope you still feel the same when it's all over.
I wouldn't say OOC so much as... well... batshit crazy.
Now I know you ponies aren't going to believe me, but I wasn't trying to write a mystery fic. I have a very good reason for writing the story the way I did, but it wasn't meant to be a whodunit or anything like that. Once again, all I can say is that it's all part of the plan.
Still, I'm glad you like it so much despite your misgivings, spymanx!
4185608
After dealing with the intrigues of court and aspiring nobility I'm sure the Princesses would know to check their food and drinks for any traces of mysterious potions and poisons in a situation like this. If one has ruled as long as they have, I'm sure one would become accustomed to assassination attempts.
4185968
He's a background pony, not an original character... That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 
Okay, I won't.
4186161
derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/10/10/118367__safe_meme_braeburn_sweetie+derelle_appaloosa_local+pride.jpg
4186204
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was just as worried about that as I was about my first shipping scene, if not more so. Intimacy I can understand, but violence? I've tried not to give it any thought for half a decade. I suppose I should be happy to hear I still have my old instincts.
You meant Rainbow, correct? I could see somepony asking about Rarity until the climax of chapter fourteen, but I hope I made Rarity's motives very clear with that scene. As for whether Rainbow is working for Cappuccino, I don't think she would consciously do that. That said, the question of how she knew to head south remains.
4186249
Thank you! Rarity has never been helpless. She's adept at martial arts if her battles with the changelings and discorded Applejack are any indication, and she manipulated the diamond dogs into freeing her with ease! I don't understand how somepony could see her as helpless.
4186356
Thanks, Melody! I'll do my best to post Sunday's chapter on schedule. Wish me luck; it's gonna be a doozy!
4186851
And after the two girls share a little song-and-dance number with Cheese Sandwich Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Michael Douglas pop out of a nearby cactus and the six of them have a grand old time in the desert.
4187011 Sadly I have not gotten used to that. ._.
4187012
I hope you never have to.
4187020 Considering my lifestyle I think that is inevitable.
4187011 .....would argue that is the exact same thing. it is alteration of someone's point of view. discord flipped their perception, as this potions alters perception as well. it is done for a different goal and through a different medium, but it is the same concept. making someone think and believe something else.
basically twilight broke the spells by circumventing them. in the end her memories allowed the mane six themselves to break free of the spell, as it empowered their wills rather than directly trying to break the spell of a draconequs.
....it was the elements that affected them, the spell caused the reaction. the elements are more powerful than discord after all and, most of all, had a supernatural connection to them. think the spell affected them through that bond. what it did was take what part of them represented the cutie marks and mixed them ujp, hurting their very persona and core. fortunately twiligth figured out how to override this; by having them experience the activities tht relate to their talents.
4187011 even still, as i said, they would need twilight or rarity to do that more than likely, and both are indisposed.
4187025
If you have a problem with your lifestyle, work to change it! If you think it's worth the consequences, though, then more power to you.
4187063
Many symptoms that seem identical on the surface must be treated in different ways due to different causes. Why would enthrallment be any different?
If the one problem you have with the story so far is that it doesn't match your headcanon, then I'm sorry to disappoint but there's nothing I can do about that without ruining the story! I hope it's not too big an issue.
4187049
Where's the fun without a bit of a challenge?
4187430 Right now it is worth the consequences.
Thank you for words of encouragement.
I wish I could write stories as fast as you can....
So, fight scene! Wow. And Rarity is best well-intentioned psycho.
I liked this so far. Well, except for the cliffhanger this chapter. You dastardly author, leaving us hanging like that. :P
I love action scenes, and this one was awesome. Although when Rarity jumped and fell into the gorge, what was she trying to do? Jump across? That part was a little confusing.
Who is this mysterious stallion at the end of the chapter? I guess the world may never- oh wait, we'll find out next chapter. Never mind.
4187470
And the same to you, Discord! Looks like I'll need the support now more than ever if I plan to post this chapter tomorrow.
4188544
The trick is to stop eating regularly, avoid your friends, and sacrifice virtually all of your free time every day! I wish I could write stories this fast without any harmful side-effects, haha. I think I'll need a short break once I get this one finished.
She'd run out of options. Rarity was unable to convince Twilight to come back to Ponyville with her and learned the hard way that she couldn't best her in magical combat. After being struck with Twilight's taser beam she decided that she wasn't going to get out of that fight alive, so she tried to do what she could to save Equestria from the threat of a mad Twilight Sparkle: She tried to take Twilight down with her.
I'm glad you liked the action scene aside from that little bit of confusion. It was my first time writing physical combat and I'm pleased to hear that my efforts paid off!
I hope he's not too mysterious after a lead-in like that!
An update on my progress: I think this will be my longest chapter yet. There's a very good chance I'll break five thousand words since I'm already at 3,746 and I think I'm only halfway done! I might need an extra day to finish it all... or I could pony up and get it done on time through sheer force of will!
But for now I'm gonna hit the hay. Six hours of sleep is better than five, I suppose. 
Wish me luck for tomorrow, everypony. I'll do my best.
4189037 Well I give my support. :|
4189037
I use most of my free time surfing YouTube. I guess writing is a little more productive than that.
That was sarcasm.
I guess stuff like that is kind of unclear over the internet.
o.o!
4189037 Can I take a guess and say that the scene after the ,', is when Rarity is delivered to a proper hospital and Twilight and RD moved out & set up some mini-camp somewhere "Southwest"? Is she still avoiding being discovered by somepony?
Thats a well written fight scene, although I felt Rarity was a little cheesy when she said "Says justice!" and "For Equestria". But I do admire her determination to stop Twilight at every cost. Like wow, if things turned out like she'd have wanted them to, she wouldn't have survived...she's out of juice. Basically her leap at Twilight was a suicide mission she was willing to take. (Such generosity. To everypony in Equestria 'cept Twilight, that is...)
If this guy, Cappuccino, turns out to be the main villein, I really hope you can pull out a good table of motives because I was hoping for some sort of mystery to solve (Like, maybe the Mayor...) where I can totally go "Wow, that was really well written! I never suspected her at all!" kinda thing. But either way I'm having a great time reading your story as it progresses, as always.
"Bright and cheerful" voice made a picture of Discord pop into my head. But it can't be, its a "pony [Twilight and RD] were waiting for" right...right?
4189141
Thanks. Remember how much I needed it earlier? Now I need it even more. Details below the fold.
4189401
That it is. Sorry!
4190427
into a 
! I hope the next chapter does it for you.
Let's turn that
4191101
Right. They're avoiding the possible threat of the Appleloosan authorities, but they're also heading south because it's their only lead.
I like to think that anything less would be OOC! Hay, considering the amount of romance and adventure novels she reads, she's surely fantasized about being a hero more than a few times and I bet this is just second nature to her.
Whether you think Cappuccino has a good one or not, I assure you that I, Adda, have a motive.
As were a lot of you, it seems. I think I gave everypony the wrong impression!
I'm sure I will try to write a mystery someday, but this isn't it.
So, um... So today is the day I plan to post chapter fifteen and I've just thrown half of it and half of chapter sixteen out the window.
I just revisited it for the first time since I started writing and it's... it's doubleplusungood. Luckily it's nothing I've put a lot of time into - just an outline, really - so I'm barely any further behind schedule than I already was! 
I hope this works out.
And shave off a little more... and a little more... and half of what I wrote yesterday... Well, I'm back up to 3,352 words. I think this chapter's going to be about as long as average after all, maybe a bit longer.
no. I am so sorry I almost put you through that. I was young! I didn't know any better! 
At least I'm improving - vastly improving - over the course of the story, right?
Oh... As for why I chose to alter it, I think you'll understand when I say "super-secret volcano lair".
iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/133372974307.gif
No. Big no. Just...
4192143 Wow. Your brain's gonna be mush.
4194144
It is! I can't even brain anymore. This story gave me the dumb. Well, I'm going to give it one more read-through. It's getting published tonight, no matter what!
4194317 I hope I'll still be awake by then.
4194324
Hay, I hope I will still be awake by then!
4194335 You got me there... *gives caffeinated beverage*
4194339
Well, wish me luck! I hope to see you when I'm finished.
Ah, if only.
4194345 Thank you
Oh, man.
BURN THAT BASTARD
But seriously, you've earned a like.
that's it! Twigs are evil, they are always doing this! Every. Single. Time.
So, did I miss something? It says that they got Rarity, but I don't remember it saying anything about her eyes being purple... Oh well. I'll just assume so until you tell me otherwise.
Why is it that everyone seems to assume Equestria is the size of Rhode Island? I was always left with the assumption that is was a big country, like on the scale of the U.S. You suggest that Twilight and Rainbow could reach Appleloosa in one night? By walking? I was left with the impression that the train ride would require at least two days, probably more. Am I the only one who finds it really odd to have desert become plains become frozen wasteland in the span of a three-day walk?
Man, Rarity can be a beast when she wants to, eh? I actually admire her level of determination. Too bad it's all based on a bunch of rapid-fire conlcusions.
What's this? Are we finally going to figure out who this Cappuccino bastard is?
4953174 i know its a late response buti assume that equesria is as big as the map of red dead redemption
.
4953174 I agree that Equestria is probably a lot bigger than rhode island, and it is a little unrealistic that they got so far in one night. But you also have to keep in mind that they're horses. Not just that, but they're magic talking horses. They can go much farther on foot than a human can.
4953174
To further elaborate on 5412884 's comment. The average walking / running speed of a human is 3 mph - 12 mph (short distances). While the average gait speed of a horse is 4 mph (walk); 8 mph (trot); 10 - 17 mph (canter); 25 - 30 mph (1 to 2 miles gallops distance at a time (usually). Taking that into account. A Horse can easily travel further and faster than a human.
Add into account that horses walk on average (in MLPverse) more than an average human is able to walk, and limited automobile technology (steam engine trains, and blimps). They can not only walk faster, but can do so further than ordinary humans. Thus making long distances less of a hassle. That's not even taking into consideration Wing Power (approx 19 mph per 1 wing power), Teleportation, and other magical means of transversing the landscape.