Thirteen Moons

by Silent_Witness

IV: Fortress

Chapter IV: Fortress

The next morning came. Rarity was awoken by the shrill sound of her alarm at 7:30, as she was every weekday morning. As she climbed out of her sleeping bag, she looked to the outfit she wore the day before, laid out on the tent floor beside her- it was stiff, crusted with dried blood and various other fluids she wasn’t sure she wanted to identify.

In other words, in was in no shape to be worn.

Rarity gingerly folded the outfit, wanting to touch as little of it as she could, and tucked it away in an isolated pocket of her bag, pondering what she should do. She most certainly couldn’t go forth in her underwear, but Ponyville was still some distance away, and she didn’t think to bring another change of clothes. But then, she remembered something- she still had the martial arts gi Pinkie had given her the day before. She took it out of her bag and looked at it, frowning in disapproval- it was a silly thing, the likes of which she hadn’t worn in several years now. But at the moment it was her only option.

A minute later, Rarity tied the gi’s belt around her waist, and looked down at herself- the gi clashed horribly with her boots, and the colors were completely wrong for this time of year. “…I can’t believe I’m actually going to wear this…” she muttered aloud. She had to admit though, the gi was rather comfortable- she simply had to ask Pinkie what material it was made from.

Rarity emerged from her tent. Only a few feet away, Applejack sat in front of their camp’s fire, talking on her cellphone: “…What was that? Twilight is somethin’ goin’ on over- Twi? Ya there?” Applejack then mumbled, “Darn,” and put away her cellphone.

Applejack must have noticed Rarity out of the corner of her eye however, as she turned to face her. “Rarity,” she said. “Yer wearin’ the thing Pinkie gave ya.”

“Well it certainly wasn’t by choice,” Rarity replied as she too took a seat in front of the fire, a short distance from Applejack. “It sounded like you were talking to Twilight.”

“Ah was. Ah was askin’ her why mah gun can shoot magic fire bullets.”

“And? What did she say?”

“She said it could be a couple a’ things. First, she said it could be that someone enchanted mah gun before Pinkie got ahold of it. She also said it could be something called a ‘focus.’”

“And what, pray tell, is that?”

Applejack shrugged. “Dunno. There was some kinda commotion and she hung up before she told me what it was.”

“A focus is Twilight’s term for an artifact that can amplify a person’s innate magic abilities,” Spike said, as he too emerged from his tent.

“Oh! Spike. You’re awake,” Rarity said.

“I’ve been awake for a while.” He sat down in front of the fire, on the opposite side from Applejack and Rarity. “Anyway, Twilight told me once that some people have innate magical talent, but they can’t use it the way normal spellcasters do. Some can only use their talent in specific circumstances; and for others, they have to channel their abilities through a special artifact first. Twilight called that kind of artifact a focus.”

“Is that right?” Applejack asked. She then drew her revolver and held it out to Spike, holding it by the barrel. “Ya think ya can tell me which it is?”

Spike shook his head. “Sorry, but I can’t. I can’t feel magic the way Twilight does. If she were here, she could tell you.” He handed the revolver back to Applejack. “I can tell you this, though- if your revolver’s enchanted, it won’t shoot anything other than fire bullets. But if it’s a focus, it’ll respond to your thoughts, and your bullets will have different effects.”

Applejack holstered her revolver once more. “Let me guess- somethin’ else ya picked up from Twilight?”

Before Spike could respond, there was the sound of a running zipper, and Fluttershy stepped out of her tent. “Good morning everyone,” she said.

“Good morning,” the others replied, before Spike asked her, “How are you feeling? Have you had any headaches or nosebleeds since yesterday?”

“No…” she replied hesitantly. “…Why do you ask?”

“I’m just want to be sure your magic use isn’t having any lingering side effects.” The others looked at Spike suspiciously. “…Twilight told me once that using magic can have unexpected side effects in certain people. Most aren't serious, but Twilight asked me to keep an eye out for them for her.”

There was silence for a moment, before Applejack stood up. “Well anyway, now that everyone’s awake, we should head out. Ah know that we got slowed down when we ran inta that pack a’ wild dogs yesterday, but Ponyville’s less than a mile away now, so there’s no excuse fer not reachin’ it before nine.”

The four packed up their tents and set out, walking along a road that cut through a sparsely wooded area. Eventually, Spike said, “I’ve never heard of this… Ponyville before. What can you tell me about it?”

“It’s Rarity and Applejack’s hometown,” Fluttershy replied. “I’ve only visited a few times, but it seems like a nice town from what I’ve seen.”

“Ponyville might not be as big as some of the other cities in Equestria,” Applejack added, “But Ah can guarantee ya won’t find a more honest or hardworkin’ people as Ponyvillians.”

“And perhaps if we’re lucky,” Rarity began, “some of those people would be willing to help us. Like some of the ranch hands at your farm, Applejack.”

Applejack looked back. “Ah wouldn’t get yer hopes up too much about that.” She then said, “…Ya know, Ah’ve been thinkin’…”

“About what?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, these weapons Pinkie Pie gave us are pretty high-quality, so Ah’m guessin’ she bought ‘em, rather than makin’ ‘em herself.”

Fluttershy pulled out her staff and examined it. “I guess that’s true…”

“So, if she bought ‘em, that means someone sold ‘em to her.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at Applejack. “…What are you getting at, dear?”

“Someone sold these-” Applejack motioned to her guns. “-to Pinkie Pie. Our Pinkie Pie.”

“I… see your point.” Rarity looked around. “…were there always this many trees on this road into Ponyville?”

At that moment, the trees rustled- everyone instinctively reached for their weapons, but after several moments, nothing emerged. Slowly, the group lowered its guard. “Well isn’t this just charming?” Rarity asked sarcastically. “After just a handful of monsters, all of us are jumping at shadows.”

“You should be jumpy,” Spike replied. “Nowadays, even the shadows themselves can be dangerous.”

The group resumed walking. But then, without warning, there was a rustling, and a child with red hair emerged from the underbrush. With incredible speed, she ran past the four, but she wasn’t fast enough for Applejack to not feel the girl slip her hand into her pocket and pull out her wallet.

“What the- h-Hey!” Applejack chased after the child, and the others raced to keep up. The child maneuvered through the trees with near-superhuman agility, but Applejack stayed right on her heels all the while. Applejack reached out, the girl just inches away…

But as she entered a clearing in the trees, Applejack skidded to a stop in the face of the sight before her, forgetting all about the child. After a moment, the others joined her in gawking.

“Whoa,” Fluttershy said, stunned. “What happened here?”

Before the group was a wall, roughly twelve feet high, made from sheets of metal, gleaming steel cables, gutted cars… seemingly anything sturdy enough to form a barricade. Behind the wall, they could see the roofs of houses just barely peeking up over the edge.

“Is this Ponyville?” Spike asked. “I have to admit, I thought it would be a little… nicer.”

“…I assure you…” Rarity began, “it wasn’t like this just a few weeks ago.”

At that moment the group heard a sound, not unlike the sound of an empty soda can being dropped on the ground. The four looked to its source- sure enough, a light blue can rolled toward them, stopping against the toe of Rarity’s boot. Rarity bent down and picked it up, noting its unusual weight, and the numerous tiny holes punched in its surface. “What in the world…?” she began.

Suddenly, the can exploded in a bright light. Rarity’s hand burned, her vision went white, and all went silent. She stumbled back, not hearing her own surprised cry, completely oblivious to the fact that the others were doing the same. Suddenly, each of the four felt someone grab them and wrestle them to the ground. As their hearing returned, they could hear numerous people shouting and barking orders to one another.

But all the myriad voices fell silent when another voice, the voice of young girl, began to shout, “Alright you bandits! We caught you!”

Rarity was stunned- a child leading all of these people? But there was something about the child’s voice, something that seemed… familiar. She struggled to look up- no small feat with people pinning her down- to see someone approaching her. The girl spoke again, her voice now closer: “Hold up just a minute. Let me see this one’s face.”

The pressure holding Rarity’s head down released itself. She looked up, and her jaw dropped when she found herself looking into the face of… Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle seemed just as surprised to see her. “…Rarity?” she asked, stunned. She then stood up straight. “It’s okay! Let ‘em all go!” And in an instant, the arms holding Rarity down released her.

Questions ran through Rarity’s mind as she rose to her feet: Why was Ponyville surrounded by a wall? Were monsters overrunning Ponyville as well? Did they welcome all of Ponyville’s visitors like this now? But as she got a good look at her little sister, the first one she asked was, “…Why are you wearing Apple Bloom’s overalls?”

“For protection,” she replied. “She lets me borrow them while I work on my projects.” Sweetie Belle then looked back over her shoulder and called, “Isn’t that right, Apple Bloom?”

“Yep!” A red-haired girl appeared and leapt down from the top of the wall. She was not much older than Sweetie Belle- in her hair she wore a large pink bow, and more worryingly, a pair of long knives hung from her belt.

“Wait, you’re that thief from before!” Spike said.

“Oh, oops.” She tossed the wallet back to Applejack. “Sorry. Ah thought you guys were bandits.”

Applejack put her hands on her hips and looked down at her sister. “Yer tellin’ me that ya can’t even recognize yer own sister?”

“It was… dark out!” Apple Bloom stammered.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her, unconvinced. “Uh-huh…”

“You guys can argue later,” Sweetie Belle said. “Right now, we should get inside before any monsters show up.” She turned. “Alright, open the gates!”

There was a tremendous groan as the section of wall in front of the group began to swing outward. As the wall opened, the town beyond was exposed, revealing the quaint buildings and narrow streets Applejack and Rarity were familiar with. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom began walking to the open gate- Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike followed, accompanied by their assailants, some of whom the former two recognized.

“Sorry about the welcoming committee,” Sweetie Belle said. “But last time we had visitors, they started shooting at everyone as soon as we opened the gate for them.”

Once the large group was inside the wall, the gate was pulled closed by a half-dozen people. The townspeople who ambushed the four began to disperse, leaving behind only them, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. “Things have changed a little since the last time you were here,” Sweetie Belle said. She then pointed at Spike. “And I’ve never seen you before. So I should show you all around.”

Thus, Sweetie Belle began to lead the others on a tour of Ponyville. As they walked however, Applejack and Rarity began to notice a small, but very unsettling detail about their fellow townspeople: Everyone who could carry a weapon had one. Even the children. Applejack had seen the knives on Apple Bloom’s belt. And on Sweetie Belle’s back hung a… a…

“Sweetie Belle, dear, what is that?” Rarity asked.

“What, this thing?” She pointed to the object hanging from her back. “I call it an Auto-Crossbow.” Indeed, upon closer inspection, the object resembled an oversized crossbow with multiple strings. “Big Macintosh helped me make it. You like it?”

“Um…” was all Rarity could say.

“I have some other stuff I’m building, but I haven’t worked on them ‘cause I’ve been busy helping with the walls.”

“About that…” Applejack began. “Are those walls meant ta keep monsters outta Ponyville?”

“Yep,” Apple Bloom replied. “Some of the hands ‘round the farm been seeing them out on the edge of the orchards ever since winter, but they’d always been alone- packs of monsters didn’t start showing up until about a month ago. That’s when Granny Smith called me home and everyone got started on the walls.” She looked back. “Is that why y’all came back to Ponyville? Did Canterlot get overrun with monsters too?”

“…Not exactly,” Fluttershy replied.

“So why did you come, then?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Spike intervened before anyone else could begin speaking, explaining how Twilight’s magical abilities suddenly manifested one day over a year earlier. How she spent months researching the return of magic, and how it tied to the sudden appearance of monsters. How she had traced the source of the magic to Canterlot, and how the two of them had traveled there to investigate. He told them of the chimera that attacked Sunset Shimmer, and how he and Twilight had slain it (while neglecting to mention that it had been they who had loosed it in the first place). And he told of how Twilight had recruited Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and the others to aid her in a mission of utmost importance- to seek out and activate four long-lost sites in order to restore balance to the flow of magic.

“Whoa…” Apple Bloom said. “That is awesome!”

“Can we help out?” Sweetie Belle asked eagerly.

“Sorry, but no,” Spike replied. “We’re under a time limit- bringing too many people with us will slow us down.”

“Oh…” Sweetie Belle looked down sadly.

“Well that’s too bad,” Apple Bloom said. Then, she stood. “Ah’d love to stay and chat, but Ah need ta get back ta work. Ah’ll be seein’ y’all.” She turned, but suddenly looked back. “Oh, and make sure ta stop by the farm, Applejack. Big Mac and Granny Smith’ve been worried sick about ya.” She looked away again and crouched down- then, she sprinted toward a nearby house, ran up its outer wall a few steps, and leapt back, to another house next to it. She jumped back and forth between the walls until she leapt up to the roof, and out of sight.

Applejack looked on after her, before asking, “...work?”

“Yeah. Apple Bloom has lookout duty, and she has to check all the roofs for monster nests,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Some of them can fly, you know.”

Sweetie Belle then led the four to a street lined with numerous market stalls. So much noise filled the air that it was almost impossible to hear one’s own thoughts, let alone one another’s words. They proceeded on, but after a few moments, a shout silenced the crowd:

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME!”

A wolf suddenly rounded a street corner ahead of the group and sprinted past them, weaving through the crowd; its fur was matted with blood, and it was covered in several deep gouges. It was pursued by a grey-skinned, silver-haired girl who was also covered in blood; she wore blue-framed glasses, and a wolf pelt was tied around her neck. She clutched a bloody axe in her hand, a wild, bloodthirsty look in her eyes.

But suddenly a blur shot past everyone and struck the wolf. It yelped in pain and fell, sliding down the street a short distance, a fresh arrow sticking out of its back.

The wild-eyed girl looked back, to the arrow’s source- standing at the intersection was another girl with pink skin, holding a bow in her hands. She wore a yellow jacket, a grey skirt, and a distinctive tiara-shaped clip in her hair.

“Diamond!” The wild-eyed girl stomped up to the archer. “I told you I had that one!”

“If that were true, you would’ve got it by now,” the archer replied. “And could you not yell so much, Silver Spoon? It makes you sound like a crazy person.” Then, the archer-Diamond- spotted Sweetie Belle. “Well look who it is,” she said in a condescending tone. “Weren’t you supposed to be finished with that wall by now? It’s your fault these monsters keep getting in, you know.”

Sweetie Belle crossed her arms and glared at Diamond. “Why don’t you focus on your job, and let me worry about mine? Besides, if you were any good at killing monsters, we wouldn’t need the wall in the first place.”

Diamond gritted her teeth and gripped her bow tightly, but the other girl- Silver Spoon- touched Diamond’s shoulder and said, “Forget them, Diamond. We have better things to do than waste time with this loser.” After a second, Diamond turned and began to walk away- Silver Spoon looked to the dead wolf sadly for a moment, before she hung her axe from her belt and followed.

Rarity crossed her arms and watched the girls disapprovingly. “A charming pair, those two.”

“It’s mostly Diamond Tiara,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Silver Spoon isn’t so bad when she’s not hunting monsters. Everyone around keeps an eye on her, though. She ­really likes killing stuff.”

Sweetie Belle resumed leading the four, pushing through the throngs as they continued on our way. As they walked, Fluttershy spotted someone that she recognized- he was a young man with orange hair, light red skin, and who wore a deep red jacket. A shotgun, uncocked, hung from his back. He stood in front of a stall lined with numerous bottles, filled with strange-looking multicolored liquids. The stall was manned by a pair of young women- the one with purple and magenta hair stirred a large cauldron, while the one with green and white hair strummed a tune on a small harp.

Fluttershy tapped Applejack on the shoulder and pointed the man out to her. “Is that-” she began.

“Big Macintosh!” Sweetie Belle called. The man turned to her, and she asked him, “You doing okay, Big Macintosh?”

He nodded. “Eeyup.”

“You’re patrolling out in the orchards tonight, aren’t you?”

He nodded again. “Eeyup.”

“Alright then. Be safe out there.” Big Macintosh continued on his way. Sweetie Belle said to the others, “Big Mac’s part of the City Watch. The Canterlot Police stopped answering calls a couple weeks ago, so the Mayor hired some guys to protect the town.”

“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity asked. “I’m glad to see that you and Apple Bloom are alright, but… where’s your friend, Scootaloo?”

“Close. She’s actually right in here.” Sweetie Belle suddenly stopped in front of a featureless, cube-shaped building at the very end of the stall-lined street. The sole feature of the otherwise blank grey wall facing them was a barred window set a few feet above the ground. Swettie Belle jumped up, grabbing the window’s ledge, and pulled herself up to look in. “Hey Scootaloo!”

A voice inside called back, “Who is it?”

“It’s Sweetie Belle! You got visitors!”

After a moment, a purple-haired girl wearing a black zip-up sweater appeared in the window. “Oh. Hey guys.” She looked at Spike. “Who’s that?”

“My name is Spike,” he replied.

Scootaloo leaned back and forth as she looked through the window, as if searching for something. “Is Rainbow Dash with you guys?”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy began, “but Rainbow Dash isn’t with us. She went east, to the Griffon Islands with Sunset Shimmer.”

“Why?”

“Everyone’s going on an adventure all around the world to save it from evil magic!” Sweetie Belle cried. “Isn’t that awesome!?”

“Yeah, sounds… pretty neat.” Scootaloo sounded less than impressed, before disappearing from sight. “Tell Rainbow to send me a text- I wanna be sure she’s okay.”

Applejack looked to Sweetie Belle after a moment. “What’s Scootaloo in jail fer? She get herself inta trouble?”

Sweetie Belle dropped back down. “No, she put herself in there.”

“Why?” Rarity asked.

“Well, a couple days ago, some monsters broke down part of the wall and got in. When they went after Scootaloo, she threw some kind of light up into the sky, and this big bird covered in fire came down and fought them.” Sweetie Belle reached into her pocket. “I took a picture. Look at this.” She held up her phone- the screen showed a massive bird, wreathed in flames, fighting off a large number of monsters.

The others looked at the image with curiosity, but it was Spike who spoke: “Interesting. Can you tell me more about the circumstance that led up to this creature appearing?”

“Nope, sorry.” Sweetie Belle put her phone away. “But we can worry about that later. Come on- you should probably introduce yourselves to the Mayor.”

Sweetie Belle resumed leading the group down the street, only for them to come to a stop just a few yards later. Up ahead, the street was closed off by a short fence. However, above the fence stretched a large bowl-shaped structure- seemingly made from chain link fences- that completely covered the town hall and a number of other nearby buildings.

“That’s ‘the Dome.’” Sweetie Belle explained. “We were supposed to put it over the whole town, to keep out the flying monsters. But we ran out of chain link fences, so we had to shrink it down until it got to the middle of town.” Sweetie Belle opened the gate set into the fence, and allowed the others to enter. “We put one over the school too, but it isn’t as big.”

There were people on the inside of “the Dome” as well, though not as many- mostly young children and their parents. Up ahead, the town hall towered over every other building in Ponyville. “There’s town hall,” Sweetie Belle said. “The front door’s on the other side. Let’s head around.”

The group did just that. But as they rounded the building, the five heard a woman shout, “Oh you can just go to hell!” A few moments later, a cellphone bounced and skittered across the ground in front of the group.

There was a sigh, and another woman’s voice said, “I’ll get it for you, ma’am.”

“No no, let me, Miss Ink Well.” There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and an older woman with grey hair and a dark grey suit passed by. She was followed by a mousy woman with black hair who wore a black suit and glasses.

Sweetie Belle approached the grey-haired woman. “Everything alright, Miss Mayor?” she asked.

“No,” the Mayor replied as she picked up her phone- Sweetie Belle and the others could see a large number of cracks scattered across its screen. “The governor denied my request to send the National Guard to Ponyville again. If he keeps it up, I’m going to go directly to the province Senator. And if that fails, then I’ll speak directly to the Consul.” She then shook her head. “But I’m sure you have more important things to worry about than political squabbles. How’s the wall coming along?”

“Excuse me,” Miss Ink Well interrupted. “But who exactly are these people with you?”

“That’s Applejack and Rarity- they live here,” Sweetie Belle replied as she pointed to each. “And those are their friends Fluttershy and Spike. They’re the bandits we spotted earlier.” She then said, “Anyway, we closed up the hole the monsters made in the east wall, and we’re nearly finished with the bridge over the lake on the south end. We won’t be able to put a fence under it though, since we used all the chain link to make the Dome.”

“I’ll ask the City Watch to double their patrols along the shore. And the west side of town?”

“Working on it. Granny Smith is insisting that I finish the wall around the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse first.”

“I’ll see if I can find anyone willing to lend you a hand. And in the meantime, I’ll ask the City Watch to increase patrols near the orchards as well. Keep up the good work.” With that, she turned, and entered the town hall, followed by Miss Ink Well.

“She seems stressed,” Rarity said, crossing her arms. “Much more so than usual, anyway.”

“Having monsters outside your town threatening its citizens is probably very stressful,” Spike replied. “And it only gets worse over time.”

Sweetie Belle turned. “Guess there’s only one place left to show you: my workshop. Come on, it’s this way.”

But Applejack said, “Sweetie Belle, do ya mind of we cut this tour short? Ah wanna check on Granny Smith and make sure she’s doin’ okay.”

“That’s fine. My workshop’s on the way there.” She started walking west. “Just keep an eye out on that side of town- the west wall’s not finished yet.” The others followed her.

As the group walked to the western edge of Ponyville, the houses became sparser, and the trees became more numerous. But as the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse came into view, something else grew in number- car after car sat along the sides of the dirt road, abandoned.

“Uh… Sweetie Belle?” Applejack asked. “Why’re there people dumpin’ cars on our property?”

“The gas station ran out of gas a couple days ago. See?” She pointed back, to the gas station sign rising up in the distance- sure enough, spelled out on the sign in big, blocky letters were the words “OUT OF GAS.” Sweetie Belle continued, “So people’ve been pushing them over here to try and keep the streets clear. But there not dumping them here- I asked people to bring them. I can get a lot of parts from them.”

“And people are okay with you just… taking their cars apart?” Spike asked.

“Yeah. No sense letting all the parts go to waste. And take three or four of them, rivet them together, bolt some metal over the windows and bang! Instant barricade. I mean it’s not like anyone can go anywhere without gas and with monsters running around everywhere.”

“How are Mom and Dad doing?” Rarity asked.

“They’re doing just fine,” she replied. “Dad does patrols down by the lake. We can go visit them later if you want.”

Soon, the five were walking up the small path leading to the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse- a half-finished wall surrounded the property’s far side. “Hey! Miss Smith!” Sweetie Belle called as she bounded up the porch steps.

“Just a minute, dearie…” Granny Smith said, as he picked up a rifle and looked carefully down its sights. She was still for a several moments, before she pulled the trigger- a deafening bang echoed across the farm, and some beast in the distance let out a pained yelp as the old woman’s bullet hit its mark. Granny Smith then set the rifle down and asked, “What can Ah do ya fer, Sweetie Belle?”

“You’ve got visitors,” Sweetie Belle replied.

Granny Smith looked past her. “Well call me a bushel! Applejack! Why didn’t ya tell me you were comin’ home?” She rose from her chair to embrace her granddaughter.

“Well it was a bit of a surprise fer me, too,” Applejack replied.

Granny Smith released Applejack and opened the front door. “Come on inside. Ah wasn’t expectin’ company, but Ah can make lunch for y’all.”

“That’s very kind of you, ma’am,” Spike replied as he stepped into the house.

The others followed him inside… save for Sweetie Belle. Granny Smith noticed. “Aren’t you comin’ in, Sweetie Belle?”

“Sorry, but I just came to get some supplies for the wall down by the lake. I’ll see you later, Miss Smith.” Sweetie Belle jumped off the porch and ran down the path she came from.

“Take care of yerself now!” Granny Smith called. “I’ll save some apple fritters fer ya!”

---

“This scheme of yours will not succeed, Flash Sentry,” Twilight said.

“Sure it will,” he replied.

“You’re trying to pick a lock with a switchblade,” Pinkie said.

“Hey, I’ve seen people do it before.”

“Where? TV? You can’t believe everything-”

A loud click sounded from the door. The knob turned, and Flash pushed to door open. “Believe that,” he said.

“And had we simply forced the door, we would already be resting comfortably inside,” Twilight said as the three stepped inside.

“We can’t just smash the door down- this is someone’s house!” Flash protested.

“And picking the lock is better?” Pinkie asked as the three walked down a narrow hall. As she walked, Pinkie noticed a light switch, and flipped it. But nothing happened. She flipped it several more times, but still, nothing happened. “Huh, the lights aren’t working,”

“Monsters have most likely disrupted power lines somewhere between this city and their origin,” Twilight replied. “Such is likely to be the case for many cities in Equestria. I strongly advise that you grow accustomed to living without amenities requiring electricity.”

Earlier that day, Twilight, Pinkie, and Flash had arrived in this small town nestled deep in the woods, named Shady Oaks. However, as they explored the town, it soon became apparent that it was entirely devoid of people- homes, businesses, all stood empty. As the sun set, the three gathered a small amount of supplies, before deciding to bed down in one of the vacant homes for the night.

The trio entered a room with a fireplace set into the far wall, and a couch and armchair surrounding a table in its center- presumably, a living room. “This is creepy,” Pinkie said, collapsing into the armchair. “Where’re all the people?”

“No idea,” Flash replied, as he sat on the couch. “Do you think the monsters got them?”

“Unlikely,” Twilight replied, sitting down next to Flash. “There is too little structural damage to the town’s buildings. And look at the mantle.”

Pinkie and Flash looked. It was empty. After a moment, Pinkie asked, “What about it?”

“Notice the lack of personal effects- these would still be present if the original occupants had been slain by monsters. And as it doesn’t appear anyone else entered this home before us, it is far more likely that after encountering the initial waves of monsters, the town’s inhabitants packed their belongings and fled to the protection of larger cities. Similar events occurred in my homeland.”

At that moment, Twilight became aware of a strange buzzing sound. She listened intently, but could not determine its point of origin. “Uh, Twilight?” Flash began. “…I think that call’s for you.”

Flash’s comment made her realize the buzzing was her cellphone. So she pulled it out and answered it, saying, “Identify yourself.”

“It’s Rarity,” the voice on the other end replied. “Spike says you’re an expert in magic, so I’d like to ask you a question.”

“Rarity,” Twilight said. “It was my understanding that you were to call yesterday. But I digress- ask your question.”

“I met a girl today who said that she can… call some sort of monster down from the sky. Would you happen to know about anything like that?”

Twilight leaned forward, intrigued. “Call down a monster, you say? Were you present when this event occurred? Can you describe the monster?”

“Well I didn’t see her call the monster in person, but someone did show me a picture of it- it looked like a giant, flaming bird.”

After a moment of thought, Twilight said, “A phoenix.”

“So you know what it is?”

“I do. The girl you encountered is most likely a summoner: an individual who can, in times of need, call forth entities of great power to aid them.”

“And what can you tell me about these entities?”

“Aside from the fact that they exist, very little, unfortunately- the biology and behaviors of these entities were not well understood, even by summoners themselves. However, all ancient magic-wielding civilizations acknowledged their existence, identifying them under different names- eidolons, aeons, espers… but modern scholarly nomenclature refers to them as ‘summoned entities,’ or simply as ‘summons.’ In addition, it is believed that all summoned entities were called from the same pool, as different civilizations often depict similar or identical entities, even if these depictions were made hundreds of years apart.” Twilight took a deep breath. “…Is that information sufficient?”

“One last thing: Are these… summons dangerous?”

“Indeed. Many of these entities are quite dangerous. But they are bound to their summoner’s will entirely- they will not attack anyone their summoner does not consider an enemy.”

“That’s a relief. I’m sure Scootaloo will be glad to hear that. Thank you, Twilight.”

“I am glad I could be of assistance. Safe travels to you.” Twilight pulled the phone away from her ear.

But Pinkie suddenly shouted “Wait, don’t hang up! I wanna talk to Rarity!” She leapt over the table, reaching for Twilight’s phone, but Twilight held her at bay with her free arm; all the while, Pinkie shouted, “Rarity! Rarity can you hear me? …Hi Rarity!” When Twilight hung up, she complained “Aw man, what’d you do that for? I wanted to talk to Rarity too.”

“Pinkie, you have a cellphone. You can call Rarity on your own,” Flash said.

“Oh yeah…” Pinkie replied as she sank back into her armchair.

As Pinkie pulled out her phone, Flash looked to Twilight and asked, “So what did Rarity want?”

“A query about a magic phenomenon she observed.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear Rarity and the others are alright.” Flash sank down into the couch. “I wonder if Sunset and Rainbow are okay.”

“I imagine that they are still alive. But if you are unwilling to take my word for it, you also possess means by which to contact them.” Twilight set her bag on the ground, along with her hat. “We rest here for tonight. But we must depart at first light tomorrow morning.”

“Why so early?” Flash asked.

“This town may be abandoned at present, but soon, monsters will come to claim it as their den. It would be wise to move one before they arrive.”

Pinkie pulled a lever on the side of her armchair, pushing it into a reclining position. “Yeah, I guess that’s fair.”

---

Rarity put away her phone. Although it was dark, Ponyville was still alive with activity- people sat on street corners playing games or musical instruments, a crowd had gathered near Berry Punch’s to watch the television, and townspeople bearing torches and flashlights patrolled the streets, bathed in the soft orange light of glowing street lamps.

However, Rarity’s interest did not lie with anyone on the streets. Rather, it laid with the occupant of a featureless grey building at the end of a street lined with empty market stalls. She looked up at the barred window set into the wall slightly above her head, and called, “Scootaloo? Are you awake?”

She heard Scootaloo moving inside the cell. “What? Who’s out there?”

“It’s Rarity. Sweetie Belle’s big sister?”

Scootaloo appeared in the window. “Oh. What’s up, Rarity?”

“I just got off the phone with a friend of mine.” Rarity leaned against the jail’s outer wall. “She’s very well-read in things related to magic, so I asked her about your abilities. And she said you’re most likely something called a summoner. From what she told me, these creatures you call are completely under your control- they won’t hurt anyone you don’t tell them to.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Rarity froze. “I… suppose you don’t. You’ll just have to take my word.”

“Listen,” Scootaloo began. “I know what you’re trying to do. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom did the same thing. And I’ll tell you what I told them: I’m not coming out of this cell. My… abilities… are too dangerous. It’s better for everyone that I stay in here.”

“That’s not true, dear.” Rarity pushed herself away from the wall. “The creature you summoned helped you, didn’t it? You can do the same for others. You shouldn’t be letting your abilities go to waste when there are others out there fighting with no special powers at all.” Her last few words had more than a small touch of jealously to them. Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy… everyone had seemingly gained some sort of exceptional talent. Except for her. All she had were her own two fists.

There was no reply from the window.

“A day might come where you’ll need to use your power,” Rarity continued. “To save your life. Or the life of one of your friends. And that day might come much sooner than you’d like. Remember that.”

Still, there was no answer.

Rarity sighed, but said no more. Instead, she turned away from the window, and began to walk home.

---

The next morning dawned over Ponyville. Sweetie Belle had gathered the four together in the Sweet Apple Acres barn, to show them all the things she had made over the last few weeks.

Applejack and Spike stood in front of one of several tables scattered throughout the barn- on its surface were scattered empty cans, small coils of wire, and a collection of strange, slimy, slightly squishy objects neither could identify. “What are all these things anyway?” Spike asked, picking up one of the squishy objects to inspect it more closely.

“Bomb cores,” Sweetie Belle replied. “I use them to make my flash grenades.”

Spike quickly put the object down.

Sweetie Belle noticed Spike’s action. “Oh don’t worry, they won’t go off without a primer.”

“Sweetie Belle, darling? When did you learn to make bombs?” Rarity asked

“The Internet, mostly.”

“And the rest?” Applejack asked.

She beamed. “Trial and error!”

The others merely stared at her in silence.

“What? It only took me six tries. And, I didn’t blow any of my fingers off!” She held up her hands to show that there were indeed still ten fingers attached.

Applejack turned her attention back to the bomb cores. “Ya seriously use these in yer flash grenades? They don’t look like any bomb parts Ah’ve ever seen.”

“You haven’t seen them yet, have you?”

“Seen what, dear?” Rarity asked.

“It’s one of the monster types that show up sometimes- they’re these weird fireball things that blow up if you hit them too much but don’t kill them. People around town started calling them “Bombs” because of it.”

“Really?” Spike asked. “In Albion, there were monsters that exploded if you attacked them as well. Are they fire-based?”

“I think so. Why?”

“Just curious.” He then muttered to himself, “The situation is worse than we thought. Those ‘Bombs’ are highly magical- they shouldn’t be appearing in a region with low magic concentration like this…”

His thoughts were interrupted when Applejack asked Sweetie Belle, “…And Granny Smith is okay with ya campin’ out in the barn?”

“Yeah. She says I can stay as long as I help keep the monsters out of the orchards. And I don’t camp out here- it’s just where I keep all my stuff ‘cause Mom and Dad say I can’t work on my projects at home anymore.”

Applejack approached one of the numerous workbenches, and looked down at the object resting on it. “…Is this what Ah think it is?”

Sweetie Belle looked back. “What?” Then she saw. “Oh. That. Pretty cool right?” She approached the worktable, picked up the object, and showed it to the others- it resembled a rifle, with a gas canister stuck to the side and a multi-pronged hook stuck in its barrel. “Grappling hook gun. This one I made all by myself. Check it out.” She aimed the grappling hook up at one of the barn’s rafter. A small, cocky smile crossed Sweetie Belle’s lips as she pulled the trigger.

The gun made a loud click, but nothing happened. Sweetie Belle pulled the trigger several more times, but other than several clicks, the gun did nothing.

Sweetie Belle checked the side of the gun. “Darn it. The compressed air tank’s empty again.” She set the gun back on its table. “It really does work though, I promise.” She turned. “It’s weird though…”

“What’s weird?” Fluttershy asked.

“You know that blonde girl with the funny eyes from school? She lives here, and the day after I showed this grappling hook gun to everyone, I saw her swinging around town with one of her own. And the day before that, she was casting some spells Miss Ink Well was practicing. And the day before that, I saw her fighting with a whole bunch of weapons I’d never seen her use before.” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Sorry, getting off topic.”

Fluttershy looked up at a massive, box-shaped thing, suspended from the barn’s ceiling by chains. “…And what’s this supposed to be?”

Sweetie Belle looked up to it as well. “No idea. I’ll let you know when I finish it.” Sweetie Belle approached yet another table- this one covered in a seemingly endless amount of papers. “But anyway, that’s all the stuff I’m working on right now. Now I need to finish mapping out the last part of the wall. Hopefully, Apple Bloom can help me scrounge up more materials before I run out again.”

“Well, Ah’m glad ta see everyone’s doin’ okay,” Applejack said. “But we gotta be headin’ out now. Keep Apple Bloom outta trouble.”

Sweetie Belle looked back. “I’ll try.” She then waved to everyone. “Be safe out there. And good luck with that thing you’re trying to do!” With that, she turned her attention back to her worktable.

“I’m glad to see Sweetie Belle is alright,” Rarity began as the group left the barn, “though I have to admit, I don’t approve of her working on such dangerous objects.”

“Everyone’s just trying to do what they can to survive,” Spike replied. “Weapons, magic, machines; however they do it, it doesn’t matter as long as it keeps them safe.” He then said. “But we have more important things to focus on.”

“Like what?” Fluttershy asked.

“We still haven’t decided who’ll go to the Cape of Storms and who’ll go to the Land of Fire.” Spike looked to Applejack. “I’m guessing you’re still going south?”

“Ah am,” she replied.

Spike then looked to Rarity and Fluttershy. “What about you two? Have you decided yet?”

The two were silent for a brief moment. “…Well, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this ‘Land of Fire,’” Rarity replied, “but it does sound like an interesting place. I think I’ll accompany you, Spike.”

Applejack looked to Fluttershy. “Sorry Fluttershy, but it looks like yer comin’ with me to the Cape of Storms.” Fluttershy looked worried. More so than usual. “Ya don’t have ta look so down- Ah promise Ah won’t let anythin’ happen ta ya.”

“The Cape of Storms is in the Zebra Nation, right Spike?” Rarity asked. He nodded, and she looked to Applejack and Fluttershy. “Well, you two should be able to ride a train down to the border at the very least. And we can take the westbound train to the coast.”

“The train station’s not far from here,” Applejack said. “We should stop by- maybe we’ll get lucky and the trains’ll still be runnin’.”

A few minutes later, the four climbed the small steps leading up to the train station platform. It was on the west side of town, in-between Sweet Apple Acres and the rest of the town. The wall had yet to reach the tracks, which stretched on to the northern and southern horizons. Rarity looked away from a sign posted at the edge of the platform. “You’re in luck, Applejack,” she said. “According to this schedule, a southbound train should be arriving in just a few minutes.”

“Alright,” she replied. “We’ll just hafta wait fer it.” So, the four sat down, and waited.

And waited.

Some time passed, but still, no train arrived. Eventually, Spike looked to the others and asked, “So… when is this train supposed to get here?”

At that moment, a lanky man with orange hair and wearing a baker’s uniform walked by the train platform. “Hello children,” he called to them.

“Hello, Mr. Cake,” Rarity replied. “How’s business?”

Mr. Cake scratched his neck. “Doing alright, all things considered. What are you kids doing here?”

“Waiting for a train,” Spike replied.

“Well I’m sorry to tell you this, but you might be waiting for a while.”

“Why’s that?” Applejack asked.

Mr. Cake looked down the tracks. “A train was supposed to come up from Appleloosa a few days ago, but it never showed. And with all the monsters around, no one’s volunteered to go looking for it.”

Rarity looked to her friends. “So, that means there’s a train sitting out somewhere blocking the tracks.”

“If that’s the case, it’s probably safe to assume all of the other trains have stopped as well,” Spike said.

“What should we do?” Fluttershy asked.

“The only thing we can do,” Applejack replied. “We go on foot.”

Suddenly, somewhere in the distance, a bell began to ring. It was followed by another, and another followed that one- soon, dozens of bells were ringing all over Ponyville, filling the air with a deafening racket.

“Mr. Cake, what’s happening!” Rarity shouted, barely able to hear her own words over the din.

But Mr. Cake didn’t answer. He was running towards the town hall, pulling an axe from his belt. Without delay, Spike jumped from the platform and followed- unwilling to abandon their ally, the others did the same.

The group followed Mr. Cake toward the east end of town. As they ran, others joined them- men, women, the young, the old… the only thing each had in common was that they wielded a weapon of some sort. The four were pushed by the crowd to the east edge of town, to a small park by the wall, near a gazebo. But before coming to a stop, they saw what everyone was running towards.

Before them was a massive creature, longer and wider than a bus. It stood on a pair of clawed feet, resting its massive wings against the ground. Its bladed tail flicked back and forth, and its mouth hung open, exposing rows of sharpened teeth. Its blue scales gleamed in the sunlight, and its elongated neck gave it a superior view of its enemies. It reared back, and let out a furious, piercing roar.

“Wyvern.” Spike whipped out his spear. “All of you stay back. This is not a fight for amateurs.”

“Like hell!” Applejack drew her guns. “I ain’t gonna let this thing come inta mah hometown and threaten mah family!”

“I must agree with Applejack,” Rarity said. “I too have family here that I must protect.”

The three looked back to Fluttershy. “It’s alright if ya don’t wanna stay, Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “Ah know getting’ roped inta somethin’ like this is the last thing ya’d want. So get yerself somewhere safe- don’t you worry ‘bout us.”

Fluttershy took a step back, seemingly prepared to take up Applejack’s offer. But then, she shook her head and said firmly, “No. I can’t let my friends get hurt while I run away. I’ll fight too.” Her words were brave, but the others could see the trembling in Fluttershy’s hands.

Spike turned toward the wyvern. “You’re afraid,” he said, crouching down. “It’s alright. …I’m afraid, too.”

The asphalt beneath his feet buckled as Spike jumped into the air. He rose ten, twenty feet into the air, and drew back his spear as he prepared a powerful strike. The wyvern looked to the sudden motion and drew back to strike, but it was too late- Spike swung his spear with all his might as he passed, leaving a deep gouge across the beast’s forehead.

The wyvern roared in pain. And as though it were a signal, everyone began to attack. Applejack began to fire her semiauto- Rarity charged, striking the beast’s side with powerful punches. Fluttershy stood behind them concentrating, a bright white light shining from the end of her staff, ready to heal her friends- or anyone else who might be injured- at a moment’s notice. And when Spike landed, he turned and stabbed his spear deep into the wyvern’s scales.

But by no means were the four alone. Silver Spoon charged and hacked at the wyvern’s side wildly, roaring in a bloodthirsty frenzy- her friend Diamond Tiara stood on a nearby rooftop, raining an endless stream of arrows down on the beast. Big Macintosh fired round after round from his shotgun, reloading after each shot. A blonde girl with eyes that pointed in different directions attacked the beast’s left side with magic and melee, alternating between swinging her sword and throwing long spears of ice. The Mayor stood back from the front line, firing an endless stream of bullets from her pistol, while her assistant Miss Ink Well rained lightning down on the beast. Seemingly every person in town aided in the battle against the titanic beast; even the harp player- whose song invigorated the tired muscles of all who heard it- and the potion-maker- who threw bottles of green liquid that scorched anything it splashed over.

The beast roared in pain again as it stumbled back, seemingly unable to decide which of the numerous targets before him to attack first. But then, it drew back its wing and batted aside the people attacking its front. Rarity tumbled across the ground, tucking in her limbs, before she righted herself and slid to a stop. Most of the others who had been knocked off their feet quickly rose as well.

“You okay Rarity!” Applejack called. She focused, and fired an electrified bullet from her revolver.

“Just fine, dear!” she called back. For a moment, Rarity was bathed in a white light, and the pain in her body was lessened- no doubt Fluttershy had just cast a healing spell on her. Rarity began to charge the wyvern, when Sweetie Belle stepped into her path.

“Hey!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “I’ve got something for you right here!” She pulled the massive crossbow from her back, aimed, and fired. The machine let out a loud thunk as a cloud of bolts shot out at the wyvern. Every one struck its mark- the beast snarled in pain, before glaring down at Sweetie Belle. It stomped over to her, ignoring the others attacking it, and batted Sweetie Belle aside- the crossbow flew from her hands as she tumbled across the ground.

“Sweetie Belle no!” Rarity rushed the wyvern, shouting, “Fluttershy, help Sweetie Belle! This one’s mine!” She drew her fists back as she prepared to strike with all of her strength.

The wyvern drew back its head and lunged at her. But Rarity held her ground; she swung her fist and struck the beast’s snout with a mighty blow, sending it reeling back. Rarity was far from finished however- she charged the wyvern again, and delivered a series of devastating punches to its face. As the beast was stunned, she drew back, and smashed into its snout with a crushing headbutt. Rarity then swung her leg up, bringing it down heel-first on the wyvern’s head with tremendous force. Finally, she ducked down and pulled her fist back in preparation for her final attack- a leaping uppercut.

In the brief moment when Rarity’s fist was still, a flash appeared within. And as she swung her fist, it was engulfed in a burst of fire.

Her fist struck the underside of the wyvern’s jaw, leaving fire in its wake. As she rose the great beast was thrown off of its feet. The wyvern tumbled through the air, before crashing back down on the gazebo, crushing it. Rarity landed- she could only look at the fallen wyvern, then down to her own fist, in utter disbelief.

For several moments, the wyvern laid still. But then, the beast stirred, and began to rise to its feet once again. “Oh come on!” Rarity shouted in protest. The wyvern focused its full attention on Rarity, slowly drawing back its tail. Spike saw what the beast was about to do- and with blinding speed he rushed toward her and shoved her out of the way, just as the wyvern began to swing its tail. The blow struck Spike dead-center and knocked him off his feet- he skipped across the ground twice, before crashing through the outer wall of the jail.

Scootaloo screamed and jolted in surprise as the wall of her cell suddenly exploded. She jumped off of her bed- through the dust, she could see someone clad in purple armor slumped against the wall, before he rose to his feet.

“Spike?” Scootaloo asked, incredulous. “Are you okay!?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, already striding out of the building- his armor was badly dented and scratched, but Spike himself appeared unharmed.

Scootaloo followed to the edge of the hole. Outside, she could see the other residents of Ponyville battling the wyvern. On instinct, she began running toward the wyvern before she stopped, remembering that she was unarmed. She stood motionless, wanting to do something, anything to assist, but was unsure what to do…

Until a shout snapped her out of it. “Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom dropped down next to her. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, but what’s going on out here?”

Apple Bloom pointed. “That!” The wyvern roared furiously as it swung its tail at another group of townspeople. “You gotta help us out, Scootaloo! Do that thing you did before!”

“What!? Apple Bloom I can’t-”

“Come on Scootaloo! We can’t handle this ourselves!”

Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom, then the wyvern. Then, she took a deep breath. “…alright.”

She rested a fist against her chest and closed her eyes. Vibrant swirls of red and green surrounded her, and a bright ball of green light appeared her fist. The, Scootaloo looked up, and threw the light into the sky overhead.

The ball of light shot up into the air like a flare- a blanket of thick clouds suddenly rolled overhead, swallowing the light. But only a moment later, the clouds parted to allow a blazing streak of fire passage. It dived toward the ground in a wild spiral, before flaring its wings, revealing itself to be a massive bird cloaked in flames.

The great flaming bird swooped down and landed next to Scootaloo, making the ground shake. Scootaloo reached out to it slowly, her hand shaking, but the bird spread its wings again and took flight before she made contact. Scootaloo then pointed to the wyvern, stammering, “…G… Go get it!”

The firebird flapped its wings and dived towards the wyvern. The beast lashed out, jaws wide, teeth bared, but the bird evaded the attack, and dug its talons into the wyvern’s neck. It thrashed and roared in pain as it attempted to dislodge the firebird, to no avail. Then the wyvern spread its wings and pushed itself into the air, and dropped down on its back- the firebird screeched as it impacted the ground, and finally released its hold. But the flaming bird took to the air once more, its wings engulfed in flames. It drew its wings back, and let forth another powerful flap, raining fire down on the wyvern. The wyvern again roared in pain as its scales shriveled and split open, revealing angry red flesh beneath. But the wyvern charged in spite of its wounds.

With a flap of its wings, the firebird lifted itself into the air, out of the wyvern’s reach. It drew back its head and opened its beak, a ball of brilliant red light forming within. Then, a bright beam shot from the firebird’s beak- it ran along the ground under the wyvern, great flames erupting in its wake. The wyvern screeched as its scales bubbled and melted away under the intense heat.

The wyvern collapsed- great chunks of blackened scales and flesh fell from its body and crumbled to ashes upon hitting the ground, exposing sinews and bone. Despite its wounds, the beast tried to drag itself toward the firebird, roaring and snapping its jaws furiously. But its wounds were simply too great- the great beast’s movements slowed, and with one last rattling breath, it fell forward, and fell silent.

The firebird looked down at its fallen opponent, before it reared back and let out a triumphant screech. Then it dived, landing next to Scootaloo once again. Slowly, she again reached out to the flaming bird. It did not retreat, nor did it make any sound at her movement- it simply stood, utterly still, watching her. Her hand came within inches- she drew it back slightly, but then rested her hand against the bird’s feathers. It was warm… but not uncomfortably so. Scootaloo stroked the firebird’s feathers, and the bird moved closer to her in response.

Rarity was the first to approach her. Applejack followed, as did Spike and Fluttershy. “Are you okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“…Philomena,” Scootaloo said.

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

Scootaloo looked back. “That’s her name. Philomena.”

“How do you know that?” Spike asked.

“Because she told me.” She looked back to the bird. “You should go.”

The bird seemed to nod to her. It then spread its wings, and flames erupted across its body. Scootaloo and the others stumbled back from the heat; but after several moments, the fire burned out, leaving nothing behind.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, someone shouted, “We did it!”

A deafening roar filled the air as the townspeople cheered and rattled their weapons, with a few gunshots punctuating their cheers. But the cheers died down as the Mayor began to shout, “Alright, alright! The town is safe for now, but that’s not an excuse to slack off! City Watch, resume patrols! Anyone with medical skills, tend to the wounded! Everyone else, start clearing out this body!”

Several people- presumably members of the City Watch- snapped to attention and shouted “Yes ma’am!” before dispersing. The others who remained began either tending to the fallen, or converged on the wyvern’s body.

The four looked on at the activity for several moments, before they turned to one another. “Well, now that that’s taken care of, Ah s’pose we should all be on our way,” Applejack said.

“I suppose you’re right,” Rarity replied. “We’ll try to stay in touch with you two as much as we can.”

“Keep an eye on Fluttershy, and your gun,” Spike said to Applejack. “If anything happens to them, let Twilight know right away.”

“Everyone, be safe,” Fluttershy said. “Please.”

“We will, dear,” Rarity replied. “Good luck, everyone.” She held out her hand. Applejack rested her own on top of it, followed by Fluttershy, and then by Spike.

“It’s strange,” Fluttershy said. “We just said goodbye to everyone already, and now here we are doing it all over again.”

“Don’t worry,” Applejack replied. “Like Ah said before: We’ll all turn on our sites, and we’ll all go home. Together.”

Spike pulled his hand away. One by one, the others did the same. Then, Applejack turned to the south. “No use standin’ around now. Let’s go Fluttershy.” She began to walk away, with Fluttershy hurrying to catch up.

“I believe that’s our cue,” Rarity said. Then, she and Spike turned, and began to walk away as well.

---

“Hi-yaaaah!” Rainbow threw her shuriken with all her strength. It ripped through the air, cutting clean through the black condor in front of her. It banked and returned- Rainbow jumped, slipping her fingers around the shuriken’s handle perfectly.

Rainbow landed and cheered, “Oh yeah! Getting better all the time!”

Only one foe remained before Sunset and Rainbow- a single rabid dog.

Sunset drew back her sword; but as she did, she saw something stuck to the dog’s fur. “Hold on, that one’s got something!” She looked to Rainbow. “Rainbow, think you can grab it?”

“Think? I know I can!” Rainbow crouched down, before charging the dog. It leapt at her in turn- Rainbow crouched, and leapt over the dog, plucking the object from the dog’s fur. When she landed, she shouted, “Let ‘em have it, Sunset!”

“No problem.” Sunset charged as well, turning her sword around and stabbing it through the dog’s neck. It yelped and snapped its teeth at her for a few moments, before it fell still.

Sunset pulled out her sword, letting the dog fall to the ground, and said to herself, “And then there were none.” She then looked to Rainbow. “So, what’d you get?”

Rainbow looked down at her prize- a small number of rumpled, slightly wet bit notes. “Aw man, it’s just some money.”

“Well, that’s not so bad.” Sunset sheathed her sword. “We’ll need as much cash as we can get if we’re gonna get a boat to the Griffon Islands.”

“I guess you’re right.” Rainbow and Sunset continued down the road- as they did, Rainbow reached into her pocket and pushed a pair of headphones into her ears.

Sunset asked, “What’re you listening to?”

“The news. With all the craziness that’s going on, it’s probably a good idea to ‘keep an ear to the ground,’ as Applejack would say.” She was silent for a few moments. “…You know, it’s a good thing we got out of Canterlot when we did.”

“Why’s that?”

“The National Guard just put up a perimeter around the whole city. No one can go in or out.”

“Guess that explains all the military trucks we saw yesterday.”

Comments

[00RaiserGundam]

This just gets better and better!

[Twilight_Shimmer]

Awesome update cannot wait to read more!

[djthomp]

Scootaloo can summon a phoenix as an attack move? That's reasonably awesome.

And Sweetie Belle seems to be a Spark. Neat.

Woah, and the phoenix is even named Philomena? It would be interesting if it's actually the Philomena from Equestria that is being summoned.

[Adam95F]

I believe Rarity just did a shurioken or at least some form of it and that's awesome.