Twilight Then, Twilight now

by Paradise Oasis

chapter 22

chapter 22

Then...

The explosions rocked the city, drawing everypony's attention. Chaos soon erupted everywhere, with Ponies panicking and running in every direction. The Escapees, meanwhile, took every possible exit out of the city- the Flutter Ponies flew over the wall, and the sea ponies swam down the river. Many of the Twinkle-eyed ponies merely stole sunglasses from shops abandoned in the panic, slipped them on, and disappeared into the crowds.

AJ came galloping back to the infirmary, where she saw Twilight coming outside.

"Twi, what the hay happened?" AJ demanded. "There was that loud kaboom, then they whole city's actin crazier than a pony caught in a buffalo stampede!"

"I don't know!" She replied. "I just heard that noise, and came outside to see what all the commotion was!"

"Indeed, what was all that racket?" Booker then came trotting out. He looked over at Twilight, and she flashed him a look that said they'd talk later.

"That explosion came from the lab!" Avian exclaimed, as he and Fluttershy came out of the clinic. "Something must've happened over there!"

"Oh, my!" Fluttershy exclaimed, looking at the billowing smoke. "That looks positively horrible!"

"You're not kiddin'!" Rainbow Dash came in for a landing. "Sureshot and I were flyin' over the place- and everything's gone totally nuts!"

"The Mutant ponies have risen in rebellion!" Sureshot agreed, coming in for a landing beside her. "They've already killed several ponies, and are fleeing the city!"

"What!?!" Booker replied incredulously. "Why in Equestria would they-"

"Booker..." Slick came trotting up, with Rarity beside him. "I met one of the delirious lab techs who was brought into the infirmary a few minutes ago... babbling about a Flutter pony foal being put down, and Princess Celestia ordering the mutants exterminated."

"Now wait a minute!" Twilight Sparkle whinnied angrily. "My teacher would never do something like THAT!"

"I heard it too, darling." Rarity shook her mane. "Much as I don't want to believe it."

The six ponies all began arguing amongst themselves, except Booker.

"The only one who had that kind of access to the lab was.." The wheels in his head turned quickly... he remembered the disguise spell a certain unicorn had been researching in the lab... and all the pieces fell into place. "Oh no, Midnight...but why would he...."

"Everypony! STOP FIGHTING!" Booker yelled. "Celestia didn't doing anything, this whole thing is a set up!"

"Wait, how can you be sure of that?" Twilight asked him.

"I'll explain later!" Booker told her. "Avian! Sureshot! Take to skies! Help the other Pegasus round up those flutter ponies!"

"You got it!" The two Pegasus stallion replied in unison, heading for the skies.

"If this is a crisis, and Shureshot's going up..." Rainbow Dash flew upwards. "I'm going with 'em!"

"Avian! Wait for me!" Fluttershy flew up beside him. "I want to make sure you'll be careful!" The four Pegasus vanished into the clouds.

"She's already starting to mother him, like she does her critters." AJ said with a laugh.

Booker looked to Slick. "Go find Midnight and Bronco, I have a feeling that those two have a hoof in this!"

"Wait...Midnight?" Twilight looked confused. "The unicorn researcher from the University? Who wrote the treatise on the Penna?"

"Hey! Ah know him!" Applejack said in surprise. "He lived in Ponyville before y'all came, Twi! He's Ditzy Doo's feller!"

"He's been working here at the labs for the past few years." Booker explained. "The rest of us have always been suspicious of him."

Twilight turned to Aj and Rarity. "You two go with him. Find those two rotten stallions."

The two mares nodded, and the three of them galloped off.

"What about Pinkie Pie?" Booker asked.

"She won't leave Hopper's side, until he can stand up again." Twilight replied. "Those two are safer in there, anyway."

Booker nodded. "Then I'm heading towards the labs. There are too many dangerous artifacts there that could fall into less than noble hands!"

He started off at a gallop, and heard Twilight coming up behind him. "Booker, I'm coming with you, I can help!"

He merely nodded, and the two of them galloped off towards the laboratory.

...

High in the Skies, the Pegasus guard units closed in on the fleeing Flutter ponies. Rainbow Dash and Sureshot raced out in front of the herd, shooting straight towards the mutant runaways.

"Hey, get back here, you Flutterbrains!" Rainbow Dash said, closing in on them.

"Rosedust! They're gaining on us!" Dragonfly yelled up at his mate.

"That's what they think!" Rosedust replied, turning to face the oncoming Pegasus. "Time to show them our secret weapon!"

At Rosedust's signal, all of the Flutter ponies turned to face there pursuers in midair.

"Hey wait!" Sureshot asked, puzzled. "What are they doing?"

"SHIFT TO UTTER FLUTTER!" Rosedust whinnied loudly. The flutter ponies wings began to flap at super speed.

"Utter Flutter?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What the heck is-"

BOOM! A wave of sheer force, a thousand times as powerful as a sonic rainboom, flew out from the flutter ponies wings. It hit all of the Pegasus, including Rainbow Dash and Sureshot, and sent them slamming back into the ground.

"Ahh Avian!" Fluttershy wailed, as the force sent her downward.

"Fluttershy!" He yelled back, diving to catch her. Unable to stop either of their descents, he positioned himself underneath her, to absorb the burnt of the impact.

"Avian, no!" She shrieked

KABOOM! The blast hit the ground in full force, sending a shockwave across the city. Windows were blasted out of buildings, and ponies's eardrums were blown out, causing them to grab their bleeding ears in pain.

"They'll keep them off our tails." The satisfied Queen Rosedust smirked. Seeing two of her flutter ponies carrying the Sunstone, which they had stolen from the lab, she motioned for all of her subjects to follow her.

"To the south, my Flutter Ponies!" She Whinnied triumphantly. "With the power of the Sunstone, we shall find an uninhabited valley to remake into a paradise!"

The Flutter Ponies cheered, and followed their queen up and away from Tambelon, leaving their ties to the rest of Ponykind behind them.

On the streets below, lay the unconscious forms of dozens of downed Pegasus- Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and their stallions among them.

...

On a hill above the Town, Grogar and Midnight watched the chaos in the city unfolded.

"Your time has come, my lord!" Midnight told the giant goat. "You must strike, quickly and decisively!"

"Excellent work, Midnight!" Grogar hissed, turning towards his band of followers. "Trolls! Goblins! Forward! Lay waste to the twenty thousand ponies of Tambelon!"

The monstrous hordes poured down on the unsuspecting city, bent on wetting their blades with equine blood.

...

"Ohhh... my head..."

Slick, Applejack, and Rarity were pulling themselves back up on their hooves, having been knocked down by the sheer force of the blast. They had been running thought the crowded streets, searching for their quarry, when the blast had knocked all three of them to the ground.

"Are you two ladies all right?" Slick asked the girls, shaking the dust out of his mane.

"I'm all right, darling." Rarity straightened her mane out. "Though my hair will never be the same."

"Looks like somethin' knocked everypony down." The earth pony noticed several other ponies pulling themselves back up, and shaking their manes. "We should make sure all these other ponies are all raight!"

Suddenly, Slick's ears perked up. "Wait, what's that sound?"

The other two listened, and quickly heard the sound of a growing rumble, as the ground began to shake.

"Something's coming...." Rarity said quietly, as she felt both her and Slick's tension rising.

Everything was silent for a few seconds, before the city's wall suddenly exploded inward. A swarm of goblins and Trolls poured through the opening, and began spilling out all over the streets.

"Everpony, Run!" Rarity shrieked,

Every equine that could stand, began fleeing in every direction. Bringing their blades and arrows to bear, the monsters began to hack, stab and cut down every pony in their path. Blood and limbs flew in every direction, and many foals barely had time to scream before they died. One screaming Pegasus was picked up by a troll, and had her head bitten off.

The two unicorns and one earth pony galloped as fast as their hooves could carry them. Slowed down by the fleeing herd of terrified equines, a troll managed to catch up with them.

"Rarity, look out!" Slick Styles whinnied, as the troll scooped her up. Slick charged at the beast's leg, only to be lifted by his hind legs, and swung around."Aieee!"

"Put my beau down this instant, you savage brute!" Rarity shrieked. "Applejack! Help us!"

AJ galloped towards the troll, only to have a stallion step into her way.

"Ah wouldn't do that, little darlin!" An earth pony in a cowboy hat snorted. "Now jest surrender, if Ya'll don't want them ta get hurt!"

"Bronco, you slimy..." Applejack snorted, while two goblins rushed forward with hoof manacles.

"Awww, ponyfeathers." She grumbled to herself, as she stood down.

...

"Booker, keep running!" Twilight whinnied. "These goblins are everywhere!"

Twilight and Booker had been racing towards the lab, when the swarm of monsters poured onto the street from nowhere. The two of them dodged this way and that, trying to avoid goblin blades. But they soon found themselves surrounded on all sides.

"Twilight!" Booker yelled, charging up a telekinesis spell. "Let's give these uglies a push in the right direction!"

Nodding, Twilight turned, and the two of them sent a powerful telekinetic blast at their pursuers. The goblins were sent flying backwards, buying the two unicorns some time to hide behind a crumbled wall. The two laid low, as the goblin patrol stood up, and ran off in search of their quarry.

"This is terrible!" Booker moaned, looked out from behind the ruins of the city. "Midnight's betrayal has brought this city to ruin!"

"But we can still make a difference!" Twilight Sparkle said, looking towards the ruins of the lab. "If we can get back there, I'm sure we could find something to drive these monsters back into their holes!"

"What about our friends?" Booker asked. "They’re scattered throughout the city.They could be hurt!"

"If there's one thing I know about my friends, it's that they can take care of themselves." Twilight smirked. "And personally, I don't think your buddies are slouches in that department, either."

Booker nodded, but as Twilight started to trot out of hiding, he spoke.

"Twi? Listen... I'm sorry about the way I acted. You were absolutely right to report what you found to the Princess." He sighed. "If Celestia doesn't have me imprisoned for life... I would be honored to join you in Ponyville."

She smiled at him, blushing. "Thank you, Booker, I..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say. Even though Twilight had read hundreds of books about romance, she had never thought about what she's say or do in a situation like this. Neither did Booker, for that matter. Two eggheads with very little actual social experience, simply stared at each other for several minutes....

Until Booker acting entirely on impulse... leaned forward, and kissed her.

Twilight Sparkle felt like a warm current shot through her, electrifying her entire body. It was followed by a wash of emotions she had never felt before, including the sensation she was walking on air. It took the unicorn several moments to pull herself back to reality.

"Ummm.... we'd better get on towards the lab..." She said nervously, stepping out of hiding into the now-empty street.

"What? Oh, yeah." Booker replied sheepishly, following her out of hiding.

It was at that point, as they trotted along stealthily, that Twilight noticed she could feel Booker's concern for her in her mind. Looking over at him, she could see the unicorn stallion grinning at her. She smiled back, thinking of the future they would share together...

...if they got out this thing alive.

Comments

[mbpony 512]

Intersting update as it seems that the past and the present are coming together as fast as this storyline goes. As it seems that the future Flutterponies fates are finally bieng discovered within this chapter.

Now I wonder what will Celestia think when she learns of the troll attack on the city ?

Please do keep up the good work upon such a great storyline like this one.

[Leave a Whisper]

This is very bad news.