Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 37: Storm

Twilight smiled as she gently wrapped the boards in her magic before lifting them up to the pegasus hammering above. She and Rarity would be hiding in and around the stage until their reveal, so they'd agreed to help set everything up. Her magic was proving to be quite useful and even the princess was managing to pull her weight, despite her objections of getting dirty from some of the less well maintained props. The pegasi were all too happy to accept the help.

The stage was being set up on the east side of the town on firmly packed dirt. It was dry and lifeless but it would do for now. It was set with its back to the city, allowing them to have all the space they needed for the audience, as well as allowing them to stay hidden from prying eyes when they had to open the curtains. The alicorn couldn't help but be impressed by how efficiently the ponies set the stage up. They moved like a well oiled machine, dodging and weaving through the air with the equipment. They must have done it a thousand times over the years. It took the two magic users only a few minutes to get into the groove and properly helping, but by then the stage had already been a third of the way completed. It was almost mind boggling how efficient and quick they were.

“I truly had no idea so much work went into setting up these stages,” Rarity said softly as she handed off another board.

“Normally they don't,” Pony Wu said as he trotted by, carrying a bucket of nails. “Plays are usually held inside and traveling performers don't normally bring a stage with them. But hey, we're firm believers in if you're going to go, go big or go home.” He passed off a few of the nails. “When I put this group together for this job, I made sure to find the best builders I could get my hooves on. Besides, we heard all the theatres in this city were taken down during the hundred years of night. How horrible must that be? Not a single place to find proper entertainment in the entire city! I, for one, would go completely mad. I can't even begin to imagine how these ponies have managed to maintain their sanity all this time.”

Rarity gave a slow, agreeable nod. “Indeed. However, I can't help but notice that not all of your costumes and props have so nicely survived the travel. Perhaps I could be of assistance?”

“Oh, don't worry about that,” the stallion said with a shake of his head. “Mending costumes and everything is easy. Our head of costume and design is an expert at those things. He'll fix everything in plenty of time.”

“R-really? But I really would like to offer my services. Perhaps I could just take a peek? It wouldn't be any trouble at all.”

“No no, you're helping plenty with--”

“LISTEN YOU AIR BAG!” Rarity growled as she grabbed the stallion, making him eek. “I've been on the road for days, weeks even! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been able to design ANYTHING? Let me help you or so help me I will--” She paused as she realized everypony was staring at her, wide eyed. “I-I mean, if it wouldn't be too much trouble...”

“N-not a-at all,” Pony Wu squeaked, staring at the mare with terrified eyes. “I-I'll get right on it! N-now that I think of it I'm sure he could use some help. J-just let me go and--” The moment he was released he ran off full gallop, dropping nails as he went.

“O-oh dear, I do believe I snapped a bit too much there,” Rarity said as she slowly followed, picking up the nails in her magic.

Twilight shook her head and chuckled. “A little bit. Maybe you should go apologize before--”

The curtain was blown open and a pegasus darted in. “Quick, cover, both of you! Hide!” she said quickly. “Get under the stage!”

“Why? What's going on?” Twilight asked, her body going on full alert.

“There's a group coming from Manehatten. Lots of guards and I think there was a unicorn with them. You need to hide, now.”

Twilight gave a swift nod before grabbing Rarity's hoof. They darted under the stage. It was filled with little devices and trapdoors, as well as some padding so nopony got hurt. On the right was a small little box that blended in with the wood almost perfectly, which the two quickly squeezed into. Pony Wu had shown her the box previously but had been extremely vague about what it was for, just saying 'things'.

Outside the stage the carriage came to a slow halt. Marble slowly pushed the door open and stepped out, looking the stage over.

“Ah! A pleasure to see you, sir,” Pony Wu said as he stepped forward, politely bowing. “I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting? I didn't know there were any unicorns still in the city. A water bender?”

“My name is Black Marble, commander of the forces here,” the unicorn said as he glanced the stage over. “You may call me Marble. I came down immediately once I heard what was going on down here. A play? I really must say it's quite impressive. You've traveled quite the distance.”

“We only wish to bring joy and pleasure to all who can hear our story,” the playwright said happily. “Will you be attending the play? I'm sure there will be plenty of space.”

“Unfortunately not,” the stallion said with a shake of his head. “I have quite a few matters these days that take up my time. However, I will have a representative coming to view your show.”

“Oh! That's fabulous!”

“Indeed. She has quite the passion for these things...” The unicorn trotted forward, looking around at the stage as he went. “She's read the script very closely.”

“She's already read the script?” the earth pony asked nervously.

“Indeed. After all, these are troubled times. We have to make sure that all paperwork is correct. It did pass her thorough inspection, so everything appears to be in order. She can hardly wait.”

“Oh, it will be truly a marvelous show,” Pony Wu said before motioning towards the clouds as he suppressed his panic. “You see, we've been doing our best to give the absolutely best possible show we can. We can barely believe the horror these poor ponies have been through, without having a theatre of their own? I cannot begin to imagine how they haven't gone stark mad!”

“Indeed,” the unicorn said as he looked down, under the stage. After a quick look he seemed satisfied. “I'll be having a small platoon of guards stationed around the show, I trust that won't be a problem? It's best to keep any problems from... springing up.”

“Not at all, though I doubt there is a call for such thing. We haven't had any riots from the show yet.”

“Better safe than sorry. A nice show of entertainment could be just what these ponies need to keep their minds off the current troubles. I do hope you'll make it worthwhile.”

“Of course. My team and I are second to none. They'll be speaking of this show for months to come. In fact, we plan to do quite a few of them while we're here, perhaps a few of our classics as well. Did you know I once did a--”

“That's all really quite fascinating, but I have a lot of work to get done. If you'll excuse me,” Marble said before trotting back to his carriage.

The earth pony pretended to go back to work, though he kept a careful eye on the carriage as it turned around and disappeared behind the stage. After a few minutes one of the pegasi popped up. “All clear!”

“Good,” Pony Wu said before galloping behind the stage and opening the door to the under layer. “Avatar, we have a problem!”

“What is it?” Twilight asked as she stepped out, stretching out a little. “That box is so small and smells funny. What do you store in there?”

“Just things we need. Now, we have a major problem. The commander of the city just arrived and--”

“He's going to come watch the show? That's wonderful! We can capture him quickly,” the alicorn said happily.

“No, he's not. But one of his workers are. A pony who has apparently read the script. She'll notice the moment we go off the story.”

Twilight shrugged. “So? Just say it's directors decision or something. What will she care?”

“It's not that simple, Twilight,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “Changing from an approved script to a... non-approved one can be devastating. Our country is very, very firm on what it will and will not allow and a play that changes things can find itself quickly shut down. In the midst of the scene, even. If this pony notices something wrong, they could call an end to the show immediately.”

The alicorn gave a slow, gentle nod. “I... I see. So what can we do then? We can't just cancel the show. We need ponies to see this.”

Rarity rubbed her chin and looked around. “The play is scheduled for tomorrow. If we could find this pony and discover where they were coming from, we could ambush them. But there's very little time and searching for her could draw a lot of attention.” She looked around and a smile formed on her lips. “Though, there may be a way. You'll have to trust me.”

“What do you have in mind?” Twilight asked softly.

The princess glanced to Pony Wu. “We'll need a special area set up for the mare. She'll likely be a pegasus or earth pony. We'll need water to be stored under it. I can quickly use the water to freeze them and we can hide them away, possibly sneaking in a double. So long as the pony doesn't raise any objections, the guards probably won't notice.”

“What if they're expecting trouble?”

“They shouldn't be. If they are, well... we go with plan B.”

“What's plan B?”

“Have you reveal yourself early and hope everything works out. It's not a very good plan, but it's the best we've got.” She glanced to Pony Wu. “We'll need your ponies to keep an eye out for the appearance of this pony. Will they be able to make what we need?”

“It shouldn't be too hard, I imagine,” the stallion said with a shrug. “We've set up small stands and the like before, though we might need a bit more wood for all that. We don't have the supplies for it here. We'll do our best though.”

“Good. Do what you can,” Rarity said before pausing. “I am... sorry about my earlier outburst.”

“Oh, err, no problem. Under a lot of stress and all, I'm sure. I'll get right on it. Bye.” The stallion quickly turned and walked off.

Twilight gave a nod and glanced back towards the city. “At least everything seems to be... not going too badly yet. I hope the others are doing okay.”

------

“Ah can't believe they have us workin' these blasted farms like this,” Applejack grumbled as she dug a small ditch. “Ah got a home tah take care of.”

The mare a few feet from her shrugged. “It's just for a little bit. Once everything is settled they'll send us all home, I'm sure.”

“Oh, sure they will,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Jus' as soon as they're tired of havin' us do all the dirty work for them. Ah can't help but notice there aren't any of the higher ups workin' these fields. If it's so important and food stores are so low, why isn't everypony chippin' in? Why they dumpin' everything on us? Ah had food back home an' mah own farm ah could work on. Ah didn't need this.”

The mare shrugged. “They're just scared of a coming rebellion or something. I'm sure it'll all be over soon.” Though she sounded unsure.

“Why they even bring us all together like this? Yah'd think the avatar had returned or somethin'.”

That made the mare pause for a moment before shaking her head. “N-no way. That's impossible. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical... listen, you just arrived in the city, right?”

Applejack gave a quick nod.

“Well, I'd advise keeping your mouth shut. Things aren't... what they used to be. We're crowded. There's so much going wrong right now and ponies are bound to snap. Things like the avatar might set them off and you'll get hurt.”

Applejack snorted. “Ah ain't scared of any ol' bully. Ah'm jus' tired of havin' tah break mah back for some pencil pusher. They make us grow all the food, then when it comes time for rations who gets the short end of the stick? Alla us! Make us do all the work then not give us anythin' but a firm how do yah do. Jus' ain't right ah tell yah.”

The mare shrugged. “I suppose. I really wouldn't know and just... can we talk about something else?” She looked nervously around. “I don't want to get in trouble...”

Applejack nodded and glanced to the mare's forehead. “Ah see yah used tah be one of the fire benders. Ain't that old, was it recent? Yah ask me, you've already been in plenty enough--” She had to duck as the other mare took a swing at her with a shovel.

“That is none of your business!” the mare raged, fire in her eyes.

“Sorry, sorry! Ah didn't mean any harm!”

“What's going on here?” a pegasus yelled as he flew towards them. He was garbed in the makeshift armor of the Water Nation.

“I... I was just...” The mare shook and looked down at the shovel fearfully. “I...”

“She stumbled, that's all. Ain't no trouble,” Applejack said quickly.

The guard looked them over for a moment before flying off. The mare sighed. “Thanks. I ummm...”

“It's fine. Ah didn't mean tah upset yah like that, ah should be the one tah apologize.” Applejack held out a hoof. “Mah names Plum. Yours?”

“Treasure,” the mare said sheepishly. “Little Treasure. My parents weren't... the best namers.”

“Ah understand.” She glanced around. “Is it just me, or are the guards awfully jumpy? Ah mean, even on the way here we passed a few ponies screamin' an' hollerin' about rebellin' an' stuff. They didn't seem tah notice them at all though.”

“There used to be a lot more,” the mare whispered nervously as she got to digging. “Not many ponies paid attention to them until, well...”

“Until what?”

“You hear about what happened at Boiling Rock?” Treasure whispered.

“No. All the news didn't travel so far south a lotta the time.”

The mare looked shocked. “R-really? But...” She shook her head. “Well, rumor is the Avatar came in and wiped it out. Officially they say that the place collapsed and killed everypony there, the little foals and all. But I know a pony who knows a pony who's cousin was in the group that investigated it. Says it was completely empty, everypony got out safe and sound. Since it happened, the rebel groups have been silent, which is pretty suspicious because they were destroying everything they could get their hooves on beforehoof. There's been a lot more talk of rebellions since and a lot of the ponies who've been doing the talking have been disappearing. So I'd do my best to keep any thoughts about the return of anypony like the avatar to yourself.”

Applejack gave a quick nod, though she couldn't help but hope Rainbow would be able to keep herself from causing any problems.

------

“Let me go! I'm one of you!” Rainbow yelled as she struggled against the bindings around her hooves. She'd been stripped of her armor and dragged deep into the city and into the tallest building she'd seen yet. The window across the room gave a glorious view of the rest of the city, at least it would have been if she could enjoy it. She now lay surrounded by guards wielding spears aimed at her. She'd been struggling and yelling for quite a while now, but the ponies had been ignoring her words.

“I do believe you are telling a lie,” a pony said as he trotted into the room. A unicorn. She felt her nerves go on end. “In fact, I believe I know exactly who you are.” He looked to the guards. “You may leave us.”

“But sir, she's--”

“She's just a pegasus, who's tied up,” the unicorn said with a shake of his head. “I am a bender. I will be fine.” He motioned to the small pots of water around the room. “Now leave.”

The guards, grudgingly, walked out the door. Once they were gone he closed and locked it with his magic, before turning to her. “Now then. I know exactly who you are. Don't try to deny it. You're a fool to think you could sneak into our guard posts like that.” He moved towards his desk and poured himself a small glass of water. “Your captain really should have sent a less obvious spy.”

“Captain?” Rainbow asked, mystified.

“Don't play coy with me, pirate. We've seen your ships flying through our lands the last week. Are you allying yourself with Twilight's Sunrise? I must admit, for a moment I believed you were a member of them. But even they would not be foalish enough to send a... pony like yourself into our units.” He paused for a second and looked her up and down. “Though, you did apparently know all of our procedures quite well. Perhaps you were a soldier who abandoned your post?”

“I-I don't have any idea what you're talking about, I'm just a soldier. I was on guard duty in one of the southern cities and--”

The unicorn scowled. “I told you not to play coy. I know who you are, pirate. I want to know why.” He then paused. “Or maybe I was wrong...” He rubbed his chin. “I think I see it now.”

“See? I told you, I'm just one of you.”

“Not at all. But we did just get those actors. A pony who has lived her life performing in plays should have no trouble performing off the stage, correct? Such colors could easily get you onto a stage.” He chuckled and shook his head, before drinking his water. “I've never much liked actors, to be honest. You can't trust a pony who makes a living pretending to be something they're not.” Water slowly rose from a nearby pot and formed a blade in the air. “For example, a guard who is no guard. You will talk for me, don't think you won't.”

Rainbow gulped and watched the blade. It suddenly drove itself forward, embedding itself into the ground by her ear.

“Pirate, actor, maybe one of the dozens of rebel groups? Think quickly, mare. My patience isn't infinite. I have very little time to find out what it is your plotting before I have to move onto other tasks. Tell me, who are you?”

The mare whimpered and closed her eyes. “I-I'm just a civilian, okay? I didn't want to work the fields so when the opportunity came I stole one of the uniforms and--” Her words were cut off by her scream as pain shot through her wing.

The ice was drawn back, red with blood, and the unicorn watched her with a cold, calculating glance. “Enough, pegasus. I won't deal with your lies. I've been betrayed by enough pegasi by now to know you're all pathetic, sniveling lots. If it was up to me I'd remove all your wings and...” A slow, cold grin formed on his lips. “Perhaps that's it.”

Rainbow whimpered and glanced at her wing. To her surprise, the wound was far less sever than she thought it had been. It had hurt horribly, but it hadn't even gone all the way through. Long, jagged lines were scratched across the skin and a few feathers were gone. It would hurt to fly, but she'd had far worse.

“Very well pegasus. Tell me, or I'll slice off your wings.”

“W-what?” she asked. Her focus shifted instantly from her hurt wing to his threat.

“Tell me who you are, or I'll cut off your wings.” Water began to flow out from containers to form blades. They sliced through the air, cutting the ropes on her hurt wings before one was placed near the base. “You pegasi care about them a lot, do you not? Now answer me!”

Rainbow gulped before slowly giving a nod. “F-fine. You win.” The knife withdrew slightly. “If you want to know so bad, I'll tell you who I am.” She flapped her wing once, sending bursts of wind through the room. Everything was hurtled back across the walls and he was slammed back into his window, his desk slamming into him with an oof. The window cracked, but didn't give.

The bindings around the unicorn snapped as her winds shredded through them, sending the hemp to the ground. Marble stared in horror. “Y-you're a bender, h-how, why would you allow yourself to be--”

His words were cut off as she flew straight at him. Her hooves caught him in the chest and the glass window shattered behind him. A bubble of air pushed out, sending the shards away from the two. It took the unicorn a few seconds to realize he was indeed screaming and he wasn't actually falling. The pegasus was carrying him. Survival instinct kicked in and he grabbed her hooves. “W-what are you doing? Y-you can't hope to escape! Y-you're in my city and--”

“Shut up,” Rainbow said with a growl. “You just threatened to cut off my wings. Do you have any idea how easy it would be to just send you hurtling to the ground now? They'd never catch you, you know. I could make sure of that.” Something in the mare's eyes made him believe those words and he let out a soft, pathetic whimper. “I am the most powerful air bender you'll likely EVER meet. So you still want to test your little water bending against me?”

“N-no,” he said softly, looking down at the ground. They were high. Higher than he'd ever been. The city, as massive as it was, looked almost like a prop, even though they hadn't even flown long. They were going straight up. There were clouds around and, for a split second, he considered trying to launch a counter attack. He could see his pegasi down below trying to follow them. Surely they'd catch him.

But another look at the mare made him shiver and decide against that course of action. He had a feeling it wouldn't stop her. Even with a wounded wing and carrying him she was out pacing the soldiers who were chasing her, and she was just going up. And up. And up. “W-what are you going to do to me?”

“Haven't decided yet. You're kind of a bastard so I'm weighing the pros and cons of just smearing you against the sand below. I bet I could make you hit it at faster than terminal velocity.”

“W-what?”

“Sorry, flier term. Let's see if they can keep up with this.”

“Keep up wi--” The words locked in the stallion's throat as she turned around. They two were pointed at the ground and, with a sudden burst of bending, they propelled at it like a rocket. Within a matter of seconds they zoomed past the pegasi blocking the way, sending them scattering. They weren't slowing. They were getting faster and faster, the air itself parting around them as they went. He couldn't breath, he didn't want to breath. She was going to smear them both against the sands. He was so terrified he couldn't even scream.

Then, he swore it was mere inches from the ground, she shifted directions. Hard. A rough ninety-degree turn and they were blazing through the desert, leaving the city behind.

–----

“Cover your faces!” Pony Wu yelled as the ponies ran around frantically. On the northern end of the city the tower of sand could be seen, forming far over the city. It was quickly becoming a wall as the lightning fast pegasus blazed her trail across the desert, scattering the sand up as she went.

“What's going on?” Rarity asked as she watched the sand spiraling about.

“Cover your face!” Twilight yelled as she grabbed a robe and face wrap, tossing it to the mare. She donned her own quickly.

“What? How? Why?” She looked up at the sand and paled. The sand was spreading out and going wider. She was suddenly deathly aware of just how windy the day already was and now there was all that sand, streaking through the air at them.

Twilight sighed and darted over to her side. “Here, just, give me that.”

“What? Hey? EEEK! DON'T TOUCH THAT!” Rarity shrieked, her face bright red. Within a few moments she was dressed and dragged to the stage. The face wrap made it hard to see but, within a few minutes, she was happy to have it. The sand descended on them and the rest of the city hard. The fine grains buffeted them from all sides, swirling around and making it impossible to see. Everypony stayed on the stage, huddled against it closely.

After a while, she had no idea how long, the winds began to die down. They left the ponies huddled and buried a few inches in the sand. It still hung heavily in the air, but nowhere near as thick as they started shaking it off their bodies. “Does Rainbow always do stuff like that?” Rarity asked in annoyance. “I have sand everywhere.” She could barely make out the city through the thick fog of sand.

“Well... sometimes? I don't know what could have compelled her to do that here, though it does give me an idea,” Twilight said softly.

“Unleashing a sand storm on the city could kill morale for both those who oppose and rejoice about you,” Rarity said quickly. A loud ringing echoed through the city, making them look up. “What's that?”

“I don't know,” Twilight said softly, frowning. “Some kind of emergency signal? They used to have them for sand storms, but it doesn't sound like one I recognize. The storm's over though, I don't see why they'd be warning us about it now.”

Pony Wu glanced towards the back of the stage. “I'll send one of the actors into the city to find out. It'll only take a moment.”

Rarity and Twilight nodded and soon watched one of the earth ponies galloping towards the city. Even through their face wraps they shared a concerned look before returning to work on the stage.

------

“Lock down,” Treasure said. She and all the other ponies working the fields had taken shelter in a small building they had stored the tools in. It was cramped, but at least they could breath.

“Lock down?” Applejack asked with a frown. “You mean we have tah wait in here? This place ain't big enough tah hold a foal for long. How we supposed tah--”

“We'll be escorted to our residential districts once the guards are settled,” the mare muttered. “Something big must be going down if they are putting the city in lock down. Maybe there's an attack?”

Applejack frowned and put a hoof against her face wrap. “Is this on right?”

“Well, yes, but you won't need it unl--” The mare was pushed aside as the earth pony galloped out into the weak, sandy winds. “What are you doing? If there's another one you could die!”

“Ah can't wait for anypony tah come pick me up! Ah gotta check on mah family!” Applejack called back before running around the building and disappearing from sight to those within. She looked around, but the sand was still hanging in the air, making it difficult to see too far ahead. On the up side, she could still easily see the city on her left, so she knew she was going the right way. She just had to find the others. She blushed a little as she realized she had meant those words, she did consider them family. A little bit. A very dysfunctional family though.

She found her first hint the hard way, by running into a pony that seemed to materialize from the sand itself. “Ow! Hey, watch it!” the stallion said before shaking his head.

“Sorry. Ah'm a lil lost. Yah see where a buncha ponies were settin' up a stage out here?” she asked quickly, looking around.

“What? Who wants to know? Why?” the pony asked defensively.

“Ah knew them. Ah saw the sand storm an' ah had tah make sure it...” She trailed off and leaned in. “Your voice sounds awfully familiar. Wait a moment... you're one ah them, ain'tcha?”

“What if I am?” he asked, shifting nervously from side to side.

“Jus' tell me where they are. The place is goin' into lock down and--”

“Wait, you know what's going on? Quick, follow me!” the stallion turned tail and galloped off.

With no other choice, she chased after him. Within a few moments the stage appeared through the sand. The stallion called out as they came closer. “I found a pony who knows what's going on! I'm bringing her in!”

Another pony moved to greet them, wrapped in another robe and face wrap. “Hello, welcome to our--”

“Hello, Wu. It's me, Applejack,” Applejack interrupted once she identified the voice. “Ah been workin' the fields. Heard all the commotion, decided ah had tah come make sure everything is okay. Apparently the city is goin' into lockdown.”

“Oh. It's just Applejack!” the playwright yelled back.

“Oh, wonderful,” Rarity called out as she stepped out from the sand. “Do you know what's going on?”

“There's some kind of lock down going into effect. The ponies at the farms are waitin' for soldiers to come gather 'em all up. Do yah know what caused this? There was this boom an' then everypony was in a full blown panic, tellin' us tah get into a buildin' an' wrappin' us in all these layers.”

“Rainbow,” Rarity said with a sigh. “I don't know what she did, but she did it big. This little storm is her doing. She blazed out of here.”

“Wonderful. Any idea why?”

“Not a one,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “We need information. Though, if they're going into lock down, they might be expecting an attack.” She looked around. “This could mean we won't be able to do the play.” She gave the earth bender a slow, traveling look. “How's your sand bending?”

“Not the best. Sand ain't like real, solid dirt. But ah can get by, why?”

“We may need it...” The princess rubbed her chin through the wrap, before glancing back at the pony who had led Applejack to them. “Please head back into the city and find out what you can.”

“What's yah got in mind?” Applejack asked.

“A plan. Our initial plan may have to be modified a bit, but I think it can still work. Even if they don't allow us to do the play, there are... other ways we may be able to do what we need to.” Rarity gave a soft, mischievous chuckle. “Oh yes. I think I have a plan forming already.”

“You know, I think I'm starting to see where your little sister gets it from,” Twilight said as she trotted up behind the mare. “How come you weren't doing anything like this when you were pursuing us?”

“I didn't have resources then,” Rarity said with another chuckle. “Now though, I have the avatar. A beacon. There is so many things I can do with this. So many plans. We could rule the... I mean. Err, save everypony. Now, I've got an idea forming that might help us. I'll play the villain and Twilight, you'll need to defeat me and--”

“No,” the alicorn said firmly.

“What? But if you defeat me you can--”

“It's one thing to hide you away,” Twilight said softly. “But I'm not going to have you running around like some kind of evil mastermind, terrifying ponies. If you're not my enemy any more, don't pretend to be.” She reached out and put a hoof on the pony's withers. “If you're going to be my friend, I'm not going to pretend you're not.”

“But... but I don't... I'm not...” Rarity mumbled as she looked down. “I-it's easier if I'm the villain. I can get everypony on your side by--”

“No. You're one of us now. That means you work besides me. Not pretending to be against me. I won't deceive everypony into thinking you're my enemy.” She gave a soft shake of her head. “It's not going to do anypony, especially you, any good pretending to be something you're not. You're one of us, okay?”

“Besides, you're pretty good at all this... manipulatin' an' morale stuff,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Kinda makes yah bein' on our side nice. Don't want yah fallin' back inta old habits, right?”

Rarity sighed and lowered her head. “Fine. I'll think of something else. We might be able to take care of this all in one single shot though.” She glanced towards the north. “Rainbow's... actions may be just what we needed. I wish I knew what she did though.”

------

“I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!”

“Relax and stop fidgeting! I've flown this fast plenty of times. You won't fall unless I decide to drop you.”

“... I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!”

------

“She'll probably try sneaking back here tonight,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Maybe. It could be hard, so we shouldn't depend on her arrival. I guess now we just have to wait for information.”

“Yes. In the mean time...” Rarity looked through the haze of sand. “We have a bit of cover. Applejack, would you mind helping me clear out an area in front of the stage? I think we'll need more than I originally planned. We might need the entire city.”

“If we're getting' the whole city, ah don't think your stage will be enough for everypony tah see,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Ain't flat enough, either. Only places like that are the fields in the south, an' they're already in use. Yah'd need tah surround the stage if yah wanted... well, a good chunk of them tah see. Even then it might not work.”

Rarity frowned and looked the stage up and down. “I suppose... I... think I've got a plan.” She took a deep breath, before coughing a few times. “Yes. A good plan. We'll need to take down the curtains though and move the stage further out. Also, Applejack, I'll need both yours and Twilight's help.”

“What yah got in mind?” the earth pony asked as she looked the stage over.

“Well... if lock down stops the play, I have a second idea. It may allow us to take down all of the Water Nation forces at once.” She paused again. “Or get us all killed. It really depends on just how organized they are. Also, on how badly everypony wants their freedom.”

“That doesn't answer mah question.”

Rarity turned towards the town and chuckled. “Well, my dear earth bending friend. I think it may be time for this city to meet their princess. Mwa ha ha ha ha!” She held a hoof up to her face as she laughed.

“... That still doesn't answer mah question. Also, you're bein' creepy again.”

“Ugh, fine! If you really must insist on abandoning any sense of style and poise, here is the plan...”

Comments

[GMZ_Casper]

Also, you're bein' creepy again.

Creepy Rarity...heheheheh, oh boy, it make you wonder if she might have inherited it from her mother. And, it seems someone had learned that it is a very bad idea to threaten a Pegasus of removing their wings...especially if said Pegasus is Rainbow Dash. Can’t wait to see what new plan Rarity is going to hatch…

C&Cs:
Well, rumor is the avatar came in and wiped it out.
...the return of anypony like the avatar to yourself.
Now though, I have the avatar.
> Capitalize ‘avatar’.
...because they were destroying everything they could get their hooves on before hoof.
> Combine ‘before’ and ‘hoof’, since it is equivalent of ‘beforehand’.
A very dis functional family though.
> Correction: ‘dysfunctional’.
“This could mean we won't be able to do they play.”
> Replace ‘they’ with ‘the’.

[eric-emanwu]

Well, this changes things a bit.

So, it seems that the leaders are helping out with the show, getting it all together, and touching on the difference between the fixed and traveling show. Also, it seems that Rarity the fashioneta is quite different from Zuko the Prince, in that she has freakouts over costumes and being unable to use clothes at all.

So, Black Marble? He must've replaced the 2 who got tangled up with Scootaloo. And he's sly, paranoid and determined to get his way with ponies. And the bit on the script creates an interest counterbalance to try and work out.

I also got a chuckle on Pony Wu's blatant lies about not getting any riots yet.

Meanwhile, AJ was doing some field reconnaissance. Working the desert fields. And finding out the "officical story" of what happened at boiling rock. Come to think of it, this episode shares some similarities to that. A secret mission to rescue prisoners of the water nation. Only on a city level rather than just a few prisoners. Also, the rebels have been acting under the radar? Very suspicious and interesting.

However, for the plans though, Rainbow ran into trouble. Picked out as a traitor. And thought to be a pirate. Like Lightning Dust? Though that bit on actors, Well, actors are seeking to portray greater truths about people by using a small lie in being someone they're not. Or just 1 aspect of who they are. Though, when she got her wings threatened, it was 1 step too far, and she couldn't keep up her trying to act as a soldier. So she let him know who she was: An airbender, who's putting you in so much trouble for threatening my flying.

So Black Marble was taken off the board, but it also added another element into the mix, with Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom causing a massive duststorm. It also lead to a lock down call, which would only lead to crackdown conditions. It was during this time, that AJ also realized that she finally had a family much bigger than just the apples. Now, the elements of harmony are part of the family as well. So, she ran into the actors, and got information on gathering up and the lockdown issue.

It's here though where I do have some...concern to rarity's "rule the world stuff. Is this discord's latent magic? Regardless, it seems that rarity the plotter is working on a new idea. Several ideas, one of which won't be allowed because it goes against the need to keep Rarity on the level as the hero rather than the villain. Though, I have to wonder...why so much use of the unspoken plan guarentee? Afraid discord's gonna mess up the story otherwise?

Well, let's see how the citywide performance goes with these new elements present.

[Pepperbrony]

“I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!”
“Relax and stop fidgeting! I've flown this fast plenty of times. You won't fall unless I decide to drop you.”
“... I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!”

Also, you're bein' creepy again.

Am I the only one who read that in Applejack's deadpan voice?

[DualKitsune]

Rarity is such a good evil mastermind.