What Came Before

by Rocket Blaze

What Came Before

Pinkie did not sleep well that night. How could she?

Fluttershy had not taken well to the news, and wept throughout the night. Even despite Pinkie's reassurances that they would bring her back, it was a vain effort to cheer her up. "Princess Celestia will know what to do, Fluttershy!" Pinkie urged. "She hasn't let us down yet, when we needed her."

But it was to no avail. Pinkie could understand why Fluttershy had taken this loss harder than she had. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been inseparable as fillies, and Rainbow had stood her ground to defend her friend's honor on many occasions. They'd only grown closer since moving in together, and Pinkie wondered if perhaps Fluttershy needed Rainbow Dash around almost as much as the reverse.

"Where is she now?" Fluttershy pleaded.

Where is she now? Pinkie wondered. She'd only seen Rainbow Dash in her nightmare - if it could even be called that. What if it was all just some trick concocted by Malice, and she was still back there waiting on her friends? What if she was hurt?

But Pinkie had seen the look in Rainbow's eyes. There was evil, sure, but there was also conflict. Surely Malice couldn't fake that. As painful as it was, Rainbow Dash had to be in his clutches, somewhere. But she'll be fighting back, Pinkie realized hopefully. She'd have to be; the spirit of Loyalty would not allow her to simply turn on her friends like that!

Pinkie elected for the honest answer. "I wish I knew, really."

"Oh, Dashie..." she squeaked, before being caught in the grips of another spell of tears. Her sobs carried through the night for a time, before Fluttershy eventually did fall asleep. It was well past midnight when she curled tenderly around herself, facing Pinkie as her eyelids lazily drifted shut. The pale moonlight glinted dimly off of her drying tears.

I hope she doesn't blame me, Pinkie reflected about her friend, who had wailed so loudly an hour before. She was certain the entire ward would awaken, and the disgruntled nursing staff would come to calm her. But nopony came, and they were alone with each other, and their thoughts.

In the morning, she would seek an audience with the princess. She was feeling well enough anyway! Whatever magic the doctors had cast on her leg, it was already feeling much better.

She peeled back the dressing on her wound to sneak a peek, then reeled at the grusome sight of the stitches holding together her torn flank. Oh well, she thought hopefully. At least it feels better than it looks.

Feeling bold, she decided to roll over onto her good side. She'd been laying on her back ever since she woke up in the hospital, and was starting to feel sore. That certainly didn't help salve her restlessness.

She glanced over her should at where Fluttershy rested, her chest rising and falling in time with the barely audible whimpers carried on each and every breath. "You deserved better," Pinkie whispered, mournfully. "I promise, I'll make it up to you."

***

The sun rose over Canterlot a few hours later. Pinkie awoke to the sound of bustling in the streets outside of the still-open window, but her fatigue betrayed just how little sleep she'd gotten that night. Pinkie rolled over onto her other side, cringing as she applied weight to the scar on her haunch. Fluttershy was awake, but motionless, gazing forlornly onto the ground at the foot of Pinkie's bed.

"Aren't you tired?" Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy remained silent.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Nothing.

"Fluttershy!" Her eyes darted to meet Pinkie's, but she remained still. It was a start. "We'll get her back. Okay?"

Fluttershy nodded imperceptibly. "Applejack, too?"

"Applejack, too," Pinkie agreed.

Fluttershy swallowed. "I... I still can't believe Applejack did those things."

Pinkie shot up in her bed. "It wasn't Applejack! She's under the same spell I was under... or something. She's not doing this!"

"Pinkie is quite right," affirmed an elegant voice from somewhere outside in the hallway. Multicolored hair poked through the open door, followed by the pristine white mare it was attached to.

Princess Celestia came accompanied by Twilight, standing just as regally at her mentor's side. "Hi, girls," she greeted awkwardly. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I could come visit you, Fluttershy. Are you feeling better?"

"Y-Yes. Quite a bit, actually. I'm just waiting for them to, um, let me out, I guess," Fluttershy replied humbly.

Pinkie, on the other hand, suddenly felt much more energetic. Bounding out of her bed, she ignored the throbbing in her flank and gave Twilight a great big hug. "I'm feeling much better too, Twilight. Thanks for asking!"

Twilight gave Pinkie an uncomfortable smile, "I was just about to ask-"

"-Princess! Princess!" Pinkie cried, giving her an equally generous hug. "I thought I was never gonna see you again. Wh-Why'd you come out here just to visit?"

The princess smiled as Pinkie let go. "My faithful student here told me of your condition, so I thought I'd drop in! I did not wish to disturb you yesterday, for you surely needed your rest."

Fluttershy slumped in her bed, and Twilight took notice. "Fluttershy? What's wrong?"

Pinkie took it upon herself to answer, suddenly feeling skittish in Celestia's regal presence. "That, uh... Well, I, um, might've told her about what happened to Applejack, and Dashie." She traced her hoof in circles on the ground beneath her, hoping that her friends wouldn't be angry at her for upsetting Fluttershy.

Princess Celestia nodded knowingly. "I could feel the tension from out in the hallway. Twilight has briefed me on your encounter at the farm. From the bottom of my heart, please accept my sincerest apologies. Had I known what I was sending you into, I would not have done so."

Twilight looked up to her mentor. "You didn't send us, Princess. I... I was the one who made the decision to follow Rainbow Dash out there."

"I must confess, I would have stopped you had I known. Malice is an evil spirit far older than I, but he is wily, and he is smart."

Pinkie's leg throbbed again as the princess mentioned that vile creature's name. Climbing back into bed helped, but something made her feel uneasy. "So... You knew him?"

"I'm afraid our paths have crossed in the past, but I could not know with certainty that it was him. In truth, I did not know he had returned - Not after all of these millenia."

"Millenia!?" the ponies chorused.

The princess bowed her head somberly. "Indeed, my little ponies. Some forget that I am very old. I've lived through long periods of peace and prosperity, but also war and violence. Over two thousand years ago, what happened to Applejack... It was not so uncommon.

Twilight scrunched her face, apparently working out some math in her head. "Princess. Two thousand years ago... There wasn't an Equestria back then, was there?"

"Very astute, Twilight; you have learned your history well. But you are correct. I was not always a princess, you see. Back in our younger days, my sister and I were adventurers, not unlike you. Perhaps we, too, were even a little reckess.

"We first encountered Malice a thousand years before Equestria was founded. We had learned of the uneasy peace that existed between earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus, which only masked the turmoil raging underneath. As alicorns, it was our responsibility to foster peace in this world. However, that peace was under attack by something we had never encountered before.

"In our travelings, my sister and I perchanced upon a town, where we discovered that one pony had taken the life of another. This was unprecented in those days, for peace was so widespread that the word 'murder' did not even exist in our lexicon.

"The council kept by Starswirl the Bearded convened for 15 days, and 15 nights before it was decided that the perpetrator be put to death. My sister and I urged against it, pleading the council to let us investigate further. If only we'd known what was behind it...

"Another body turned up three days after the public execution, and then another swiftly after that. The council declared more executions, and soon the entire town was placed under its authority. Overnight, shops were closed, curfews enforced, and only the barest of necessities allowed in or out of the town for trade.

"Before our eyes, we saw the town torn asunder by fear and doubt. Nopony trusted their neighbors, and soon the entire town had fallen into disrepair. Within a decade, every pony had either fled the town, or wasted away under the opressive fog of uncertainty that fell over it.

"Our investigation never turned up any leads."

Pinkie hugged the bunched up covers in front of her, as though to seek comfort in their warmth. "Is that... Is that what is going to happen? To Ponyville?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, Pinkie. It won't, because we're not going to let that happen!"

Fluttershy peeked out from behind the pillow she was hiding behind. "Um, Princess? Is there more?"

Celestia nodded. "Over the next century, we saw the same pattern occuring in towns all across the land. The council had begun to take our warnings seriously, even allowing us full access to the towns where violence and hate were spreading.

"However, we were unable to pinpoint the source. That was, until my sister began to have nightmares that matched descriptions we were hearing from the townsponies. Whatever force had grabbed a hold of them was also trying to take us. Ultimately, our magic was able to keep us safe against it for a time, but we discovered that it belonged to a tangible being. A spirit, who called itself Malice.

"We fought Malice over each and every town he tried to take, but he had grown too powerful in the time before we were able to react. You see, Malice has many hands, and can reach across all continents. Nopony was spared from the outbursts of violence and hatred that he would cause. Our magic was only just powerful enough to protect one town for a little while, and then he would attack another.

"This stalemate went on for almost five hundred years after that. Eventually, he had grown so powerful that my sister and I had to go into hiding. At that time, the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi of the land had grown used to the fear and distrust. This displeased Malice greatly, so he released the windigos - his pets - from the deepest bowels of Tartarus to feed off the excess negative energy, and fuel the unending cold which eventually fell across the land.

"The more ponies that suffered, the stronger his hold over the land grew. The songs we sing recall a quick resolution, but in reality it lasted another three hundred years. The Great Winter would have destroyed the pony race were it not for the will of Malice keeping it alive, that he might feed off of its despair."

Twilight raised her hoof to get Celestia's attention. "But, the Fire of Friendship-"

"-was a great victory for harmony in the world, ending the Great Winter and bringing hope to the downtrodden subjects under Malice's rule. But it did not stop him. However, the fact of its existence was an insult to him, which he took personally. In seeking to extinguish it, he made himself vulnerable.

"Sensing that the time was right, my sister and I confronted Malice at the gates of Tartarus itself. I had acquired a relic - a powerful amulet - in my travels, which greatly boosted my magical prowess. With it, I banished Malice deep into Tartarus where I hoped he would never see the light of day again."

"So," Twilight asked. "If we can find this amulet, we can use it to-"

"-I'm afraid not. You see, I would come to find that the amulet which served me so well in defeating him also weighed heavily on my soul. I soon found myself overcome with arrogance, greed, and lust for power. To spare me, my sister took the amulet from me and cast it away to where I would never find it.

"To this day, I know not where it is, or even if it still exists. Even if I did, I would have no desire to use it again."

A lengthy silence fell over the recovery room. Pinkie scanned her friends' faces to confirm that they were just as lost for words as she was. If Princess Celestia couldn't stop him, what hope do we have?

Twilight was the first to speak after several minutes. "Wha-What can we do, princess?"

This time, the princess merely shook her head. "I do not know for certain. We must continue our research. Perhaps discovering how he returned will yield a clue as to how we can defeat him."

"Um, Princess? What about the Elements of Harmony?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm afraid they would not be of use to us. Three of the elements are lost to us, and the rate of corruption is accelerating as Malice grows in power. I'm afraid the fourth will only fall faster if he is allowed to reach any of you."

The princess straightened with a steely resolve to make her next point as clear as possible. "That is why, from this point onward, you are each to be accompanied by one of my own personal guard when you venture outside the safety of Canterlot."

"A guard?" Pinkie gasped. "But, Princess... Is that really necessary? I don't think we're going anywhere soon." She shrugged her head in Fluttershy's direction. "And, I don't know if they'll let me go back to Ponyville, after everything."

Twilight answered before the princess. "I spoke to Doctor Steadyhooves. He said that both of you will be okay to go tomorrow. We'll discuss how to proceed then." She looked up to her mentor for a sign of agreement. "Princess?"

The princess responded with a nod, and a reassuring glance, before continuing. "If I could, I would not allow you to leave the safety of Canterlot again, but with so many things happening in Equestria, I may have need of you yet.

"The whereabouts of Applejack and Rainbow Dash are still unknown, and every second they are gone raises the chance that one of my subjects will fall victim to Malice by their hands. Every life they take will increase his hold on them, and make it easier for him to spread his will. We must bring them back to us as quickly as possible."

"Princess?" Pinkie asked. "What about Rarity? Where is she?"

The princess smiled. "Rarity went back to Ponyville yesterday to help rebuild. I have already discussed these measures with her, and she is safe in Day Break's company."

Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief, and she saw that she wasn't alone. "What do we do now, princess?"

"It is as my student says. Come tomorrow, find me in the Palace Sun Room. We will not be caught off guard again." With that, Princess Celestia bowed her head and retreated through the open door.

Twilight waved her goodbye to the princess, electing to stay with her friends. After making sure they were alone, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us, girls."

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "I think I'm good enough to fly, if that's what you need. But I don't know how to um... you know... fight?"

Pinkie clambered out of bed, testing the balance of her weight to see what hurt and what didn't. Carefully, she limped over to Fluttershy's bed and placed a hoof over hers. "It's okay, Fluttershy. I'unno anything about it either, but as long as we have each other I think we'll figure something out!"

Fluttershy smiled, spreading her wings as she kicked her hind legs over the side of the bed. "You're so right, Pinkie. I'll just have to be strong... for our friends who aren't here now."

Twilight closed in to complete the triangle. "I've been looking over some books, girls. The time the princess talked about wasn't very well documented, but there are some books in the really, really old book sections. Whenever I can, I will look through them to see if there are any clues as to how Malice came back from Tartarus. There's got to be a way to send him back there."

"And then we can all be happy again!" Pinkie cheered.

***

That evening, Fluttershy tested herself by flying up to the ceiling and hovering there for a few minutes. "Ow... My left wing still hurts a little bit. I hope it'll be okay."

Pinkie lay sprawled out over the top of her recently made bed. As she kicked her hind legs out repeatedly to try to alleviate the stiffness she was feeling, she watched admiringly at the pegasus as she batted her wings gracefully in the still air of their recovery room. "You're doing so swell, Fluttershy! Just don't let-" Oh gosh!

"-Woah, woah!" As soon as Pinkie had commented, Fluttershy had lost her balance and crashed face first into the stack of pillows on her bed. "Ow," groaned her muffled voice.

Pinkie hopped to and bounded over to her friend. "Fluttershy, wow! I didn't know you were an acrobat." She beamed with an intentionally stupid smile that made Fluttershy giggle as she straightened herself out.

"Well, I figure... Rainbow Dash isn't flying, and we aren't close enough to any other pegasi to ask them to help. I guess I should probably learn to fly better, since you might be needing me tomorrow."

Pinkie nodded. "I don't really know what we're gonna see tomorrow. I just hope that we aren't sitting around while Twilight and Princess Celestia do all the work. I wanna help, too!" Pinkie turned to head back to the bed, but a hoof placed on her shoulder told her not to go.

"Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked. "When you... When it..." Fluttershy squeaked as she tried to find the right words. "When Malice was... using you? Um. Were you able to fight it?"

Pinkie stared at the ground. She didn't want to think about those times, but she realized that she might very well have to given everything that was happening. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift back to the first instance she remembered not remembering.

What did it feel like? That time was a series of images, burned into her brain after it was all said and done. "I honestly don't remember feeling or thinking much. I guess I was not really noticing it." She paused to reflect. "The scariest part was the nightmares, when I could see everything I did. I could even feel it... But, they were nightmares. At least, I thought they were."

"So... While you were-"

Pinkie shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I was seeing it as it happened, but felt so helpless to do anything about it that I just thought I was dreaming. It was like I thought I was someplace else, when I wasn't..."

Fluttershy cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Pinkie skewed her face in concentration once more, trying to remember. "It's like I didn't feel like I was really me. Isn't that weird? But the nightmares felt real enough, and so was how I felt about them... I laughed them off at first, but when I realized what they meant... I just couldn't anymore."

"Could you, um... Stop it?"

Pinkie thought about it, but there was really no question. The only debate she had with herself was whether or not to lie about it, but she'd travelled that road before. She shook her head glumly. "But," she added, "I didn't know about it at the time. Neither did Applejack, but maybe Dashie is aware of it. Maybe she's fighting it!"

Fluttershy nodded hopefully. "I've been in this room for too long. I am ready to go find out for myself what's going on."

"Me too!" Pinkie agreed, climbing back under her covers for the night.