The Hitlist

by TopWanted

Silk (No. 25) Part 2

Silk (No. 25) Part 2

Celestia set down outside a large stone covered cave. She wrapped her hoof against the boulder covering it in a specific pattern. One knock. Pause. Two knocks. Pause. One knock. The boulder began go roll to the side revealing a small group of changelings pushing the enormous rock. One broke off from the others and turned to face her. “Our queen awaits you.”
Celestia furrowed her brow, surprised at the nonchalance of her midnight visit. Something felt off. Before she could enter the changeling halted her and pointed to the Pegasus guards at her side. “They cannot enter. Only you.”

The guards were about to protest with their swords but Celestia merely raised a hoof to stop them. “I understand. You will wait here for me.” The guards didn’t look happy about it but nodded their approval. The changeling bowed slightly as the princess entered the cave, the small group of changelings pushing the boulder into position once more.

Celestia walked confidently and quickly down the tunnel, having been there before. The changeling eventually trailed behind her. She weaved her way through the dark dimly lit corridors, strange glowing globules of green mucus hanging from stalactites above. As she walked deeper in, more hive clusters appeared. Tall honeycombed waxy secretions covering the walls. Inside each little cubby and hole was a small barely formed changeling. Larvae forms of the black insectoid she saw around her. Several worked tirelessly to tend to the larvae, their segmented eyes showing signs of fatigue and wear. She could feel the hopelessness emanating off of them. An entire species brought to the brink like this. Surely Luna saw why she couldn’t let their death be on her hooves.

She approached the end of the large tunnel, a large mass of wax and other various materials were constructed to resemble a large throne. The familiar fanged face of Chrysalis sat on it. “Hello again, princess,” the changeling queen greeted snidely. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Celestia stopped in front of the throne. “Then I take it you already know of your sister’s presence?”

Chrysalis’ smirk faded. “Yes. Silk has never been too quiet when it comes to lauding her accomplishments over me.” The changeling queen seemed to hesitate to continue. She rose from her throne and nodded for Celestia to follow her. Celestia followed without pause. Despite her surroundings, Chrysalis and her changelings were in a weakened state and Celestia was… well the princess of the sun. She would not have any love to power her and use against her like the wedding.

“I need to know what we can do to stop her,” Celestia said. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes as they walked down the tunnel. “I know what it’s like to move against a sister, but if there’s anything you can tell me that would help. Many ponies’ lives are on the line.”

Chrysalis spoke up as they entered a new wing of the tunnel, going deeper into the mountain. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was in that position,” she mused. “I never did thank you.” Celestia’s face showed genuine surprise and Chrysalis chuckled. “Yes, even I would never have believed myself to say those words before last year. I was so angry, so desperate. I tried to think like my sister in order get what my changeling’s needed. But in the end, even though it is a fundamental part of me, I was not fit for deception.” She stopped and turned to Celestia. “All I want is for my kind to live. And you have given me that chance, though I gave you no kindness in return.” She placed her hole ridden hoof on a large stone door carved into the rock. “My sister believes me and my children are free from your detection right now. That is why she entrusted this to me. But now I entrust him to you.”

She pushed the door open and Celestia breathed in a gasp. Hanging from the ceiling of the large room was a blue cocoon, inside of which was an unconscious Shining Armor.

---

Rarity and Barrel hid behind a large outcropping as they finally caught up with the fleeing changeling. They peered over the edge as they saw the blood trail lead into a small hole in the side of the mountain near the base. Barrel did a quick scan of the area and then waved his hoof. “Let’s go.”

Rarity followed close behind as the two ponies squeezed into the hole. At first everything was dark, the first thought being that the changeling had just decided to crawl into a hole to nurse his wounds. Then Rarity stepped in something. “EEEEeeeeeeeEEee!” she eeped out. Barrel threw his hoof over her mouth and shushed her before looking down to see what she had stepped in. He raised his hoof back and scowled at the green slime. Now that they noticed, it seemed to coat the walls. Going deeper the slime began to glow as well until the small hole emptied out into a large cavernous area. Rarity held her voice back as she looked up at the hive of a changeling nest.

“W-What are all these doing here?” she whispered. “There’s been an entire changeling nest hidden inside Equestria?”

Barrel surveyed the flying and buzzing changelings, noticing something off. “Hey, wasn’t the changeling we were following blue?”

Rarity looked around too. Sure enough, the changeling’s they had dealt with back in Baltimare had all had blue fins and tails. While these ones all were green. The same color as the one’s that invaded Canterlot during the wedding. “So then where’s our one?”

A commotion drew the two’s attention as a different colored changeling pushed it’s way through the crowds on the other end of the large open area. It held its leg, a small trickle of green blood running down it, as it ducked into a corridor. “Right over there,” Barrel whispered.

---

“Great sister,” Celestia and Chrysalis turned with surprise as a bleeding blue changeling entered the room they were in. “I bring bad news. The mare in Baltimare has…” It stopped as it finally noticed Celestia. Its eyes grew wide with fury and recognition.

“Child,” Chrysalis warned. “Don’t even think-”

“You have betrayed us!” the blue changeling shouted angrily. “You are not worthy of the title of Great Sister or Queen!”

Celestia was about to move but Chrysalis did first. She rammed into the changeling and hung him against the wall. “I am your Queen! It is Silk that is not worthy! Why can’t you understand that? All I want is to protect you!”

The changeling’s eyes began to glow. “Almighty Silk said you were weak. Your will will never match the strength of Silk!”

Celestia saw what the changeling was about to do and pushed Chrysalis out of the way. “Look out!” The blue changeling gave one last cry as it’s glowing eyes reached their maximum brightness. Suddenly the bug exploded in blue flame. Chrysalis and Celestia watched as the remains of the changeling scattered, a thin blue vapor wisping away.

“I suppose I owe you another debt,” Chrysalis said with a smile.

Celestia shook her head. “Think nothing of it. Now help me get him down.” They both turned their attention back to Shining Armor’s suspended body.

Outside the room the two rulers were in a thin blue vapor traveled down the hall. A passing changeling saw it but thought nothing of it as the vapor passed by. It ended up breathing a bit in and it dropped to the floor, shaking violently. The fins and tail on its back began to change color, becoming an iridescent blue. It stood once more as the transformation was completed. Another changeling crossing its path. The now blue changeling turned it’s head to the other and regurgitated a bluish goo into its face. Suddenly that changeling dropped to the floor as well.

---

Luna walked through the doors to the sublevel cell. She was escorted by several changelings, their fangs bared and horns drawn to Luna’s neck. The princess of the night narrowed her eyes at the blue changeling queen before her, Silk reciprocating her gaze with a fiendish smile. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you in pony, princess. At least pony to pony anyway.”

“You were posing as a pony in CRO,” Luna retorted with a harsh voice. She glanced around. “Where is Shining Armor? What have you done with…” Silk’s smile hit her like a freight train. Luna grit her teeth and slapped her face with a hoof. “Mother of Faust, I’m an idiot.”

“Oh, don’t be so sad, princess,” Silk said mockingly. “I tricked everypony here. Unlike my sister who barely ever leaves the nest to even begin to understand the eccentricities of disguise, I have lived my entire life in the shadows. I know how to study and I know how to exploit weakness.” She brought a hoof under Luna’s chin and smirked at her. “And I know how to win.”

Luna scowled and wrenched her face away. “Let’s just get this over with. Let somepony go. Now. Before I renege on our deal and simply drop you where you stand.”

Silk backed off, but kept her triumphant smile. “You,” she pointed to a green earth pony, “get going.” Luna turned around to see the pony point to himself in disbelief before a changeling picked him up by the shoulder and escorted him to the door. The pony looked relieved, but more interestingly he looked back to the prisoner with a wink. Luna looked to Redwood in his cage and saw the stallion give a slight smile at this. Had something happened?

Silk didn’t seem to notice any of this as she pushed Luna to the cage. “Now get cracking.”

Luna stopped in front and looked up at Redwood on the other end of the glass. “I can honestly say that I didn’t expect to meet each other again under such circumstances,” Luna muttered with an angry glare.

“Perhaps you’d like it if we met at a café. A know a nice latte in Prance that’s lovely this time of year.”

Luna let a small smile slip out. “Misdirection and jokes. A pathetic display of cowardice for a criminal.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Redwood smirked. Luna narrowed her eyes and leaned closer.

“What did you do?” Before Redwood could reply Silk slammed her hoof in the glass next to her head.

“Either you tell me what your whispering about or get on with it!” she screamed. Luna looked into Silk’s eyes again. They were definitely the eyes of a somepony far gone. Whatever she had been through had made her sole purpose revenge. She seriously didn’t care about the fate that surely awaited her after this.

“You’ll keep your promise, correct?” she asked.

Silk rolled her eyes. “Yes! Now open it!” Luna took a small breath as her horn began to glow. A pulse of magic erupted from it and began to encase the glass. This continued for a full minute until Silk grew impatient. “What’s the hold up!?”

A bead of sweat dripped down Luna’s side. She was putting all she had into the spell. “I don’t understand. It should open. I performed the spell as she…” Luna’s eyes widened. “No…”

Silk grabbed a pony from the line up and plowed her head into the floor. The pony sputtered out a faint cry as her head was pushed like a vice between the hard floor and the changeling queen’s hoof. “Open it now or this one dies!”

Luna looked on in shock. “I… I can’t! My sister gave me the wrong spell! B-But just give me some time! I can find a way with-”

She was cut off by the same wet sound she had previously heard over the shell. The sound of something wet cracking and splattering. Luna’s eyes widened further as she turned to the changeling now stepping in a pool of viscera and blood. She raised her hoof and wiped it off with a rag. “You have twenty minutes,” she hissed.

Luna clenched her teeth so hard she could feel blood. Her wings erupted from her sides and her eyes began to glow. Just as she took a step forward a loud sound shattered her concentration.

“Princess!” Redwood shouted as he slammed his hoof on the glass. She turned and to her surprise saw the glass break slightly from his blow. However, the spell merely knit it back together in an instant. “Remember where you are.”

Luna’s glow died down and she turned to the still hostage ponies. The changelings were now holding them up to their horns by their necks, threatening to slice them open. Silk chuckled. “I have no doubt you can destroy me, princess. But you seem like the type who would wager her own life in exchange for her subjects.” Her demeanor changed again in a blink becoming venomous. “Fix this. Find the right spell. Open it. Otherwise…” she threw the bloodied rag she’d used to wipe the blood off at Luna. She caught it in her magic. “Splat.”

Luna looked to the rag, a rage still boiling inside her. Redwood placed his hoof on the glass freeing her from her concentration again. “You’ll get her,” he said. “Just be patient. You’ll have your revenge.”

Luna could only nod numbly. She had so much anger and right now it wasn’t pointed toward him or Silk.

---

Rarity and Barrel snuck their way through the hive of changelings, staying in the shadows and only running out to get to another hiding spot. They’d crossed about half the length of the enormous honeycombed dome before something appeared out the way their target had come.

“What in the world?” Rarity whispered.

Two blue changelings ran from the tunnel one had gone down. All of a sudden they began to spit up an acrid blue liquid onto other changelings passing them. Any changeling touched by this collapsed in a fit and raised back up with a blue tint to their previously green fins and tails. It didn’t take long for the entire hive to realize this and panic soon followed.

“Get down!” Barrel shouted as a swarm of changelings flew down from above and nearly clipped their heads off as they ran out through the tunnel. By now close to fifty changelings had been affected by the blue infection, each one baring their fangs menacingly.

“Warn the queen!” a green changeling shouted before he was sprayed with blue. “Kill the queen!” he then said.

“Kill the queen?” Rarity asked. Barrel looked just as confused as she did.

---

Celestia and Chrysalis wiped the goo from Shining Armor as the prince groaned on the floor. “Is he alright?” Celestia asked.

Chrysalis nodded. “He should awake within the hour.”

Celestia shook her head in disbelief at herself. “I’m such a fool. Once again I was tricked by somepony close to me.”

Chrysalis gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. My sister far surpasses me in the art of cloaking. If I didn’t hold more magical power, then I am sure that she would have won the right to be queen.”

A commotion started up from outside the room. Celestia turned her head to the door as the sounds of screaming and fighting grew louder. “What in the world?” Chrysalis’ eyes grew wide as a sudden shock hit her chest. She grabbed it and fell to a knee. “Chrysalis!”

Celestia grabbed her by the shoulder and steadied her. Chrysalis panted heavily. “I… I’m fine. But my children. I can feel them disappearing!”

Celestia was about to say something when a barrage of blue magical blasts shot from the corridor. Suddenly two familiar ponies ran into the room. The larger of the two quickly closing and barricading the door. “Congratulations!” Rarity shouted. “Now we’re stuck even deeper in this place with those things!”

“Rarity?” Celestia asked with a shock.

Rarity turned to the princess. “Princess Celestia?!”

“What are you doing here!?” they both shouted.

---

The zebra and Vinyl’s battle had gone on longer than anypony could have guessed. Yet still they seemed to fly through the air with their kicks and the rain bounced and rebounded against their punches and defense. Fluttershy and Octavia watched in awe as the two’s battle seemed almost like a dance without music. But finally after so long Vinyl made a mistake.

While landing from a kick the unicorn’s back hoof slipped in the mud making her fall forward. The zebra took this opportunity to lunge forward and slid behind her. She clasped Vinyl’s neck from behind and put her in a lock. The white unicorn, her coat now dirty brown, flailed in response but she was pinned to the ground. The two onlookers watched as Vinyl struggled to breathe, her face beginning to turn purple.

Fluttershy didn’t notice as Octavia rushed from her hiding place and into the fray. The gray mare ran right up to the two and slid in the mud before stopping. “Stop!!” she shouted through tears.

Her voice echoed off the empty street silencing the struggles of the two fighters. The zebra’s hold loosened and Vinyl instinctively took advantage. The white unicorn threw her head back and slammed it into her opponent’s muzzle, freeing her. She was about to spin back around and finish the job when a pair of hooves wrapped around her from behind. Vinyl angrily spun around again to deliver a punch but she stopped just inches away from Octavia’s face. “Please, stop, Vinyl,” she whimpered.

“Vinyl?” Fluttershy murmured from the alleyway.

Vinyl’s eyes finally seemed to refocus on her surroundings. Her bloodlust dissipated. She looked around at the zebra mare on the ground and her roommate with her hooves around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before collapsing into a heap. Octavia made sure that she didn’t completely fall into the mud, though it was clear that the mare was heavy in her arms. She eyed the zebra as she got up and wiped the mud from her black jacket. “You’re not a changeling are you?” Octavia asked wearily. The zebra didn’t respond, simply opting to stare at Octavia scrutinizing her. “If… If you’re somepony from her past, then get out!” she shouted. “She doesn’t want anything to do with you. You have no idea the amount of pain she’s been through.” She began to stroke Vinyl’s mane as the unicorn breathed softly beside her. “Go tell that to whoever else might want her.” When she looked back up the zebra was gone. Octavia let out a small sigh and tried to lift Vinyl up. She was having trouble when another set of hooves joined her from the other side. Fluttershy looked to Octavia with a small smile. “Please don’t tell anypony about this.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I understand. But we need to get her some medical attention.”

“Fluttershy!” Twilight and Applejack rushed in from the end of the street having finally spotted their friend. Twilight was about to throw her arms around her when the sight finally registered. “What happened?”

“She was attacked by those changelings,” Octavia lied. “Please, help me get her to the hospital!”

Twilight nodded. Applejack moved to take Fluttershy’s position in carrying the unconscious mare. “Hoo boy, she’s actually pretty darn heavy.” Octavia gave her a frown. “Um, no offense.”

As the three left Twilight turned back to Fluttershy with a hug. “We were so worried about you!”

“I’m fine, Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her. “I’m just worried about everypony else.”

Twilight shook her head. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Thanks to Cloudy’s quick thinking we rounded up a lot of them. There weren’t a lot to begin with. But that’s not the point!” She grabbed her friend’s shoulders anxiously. “This was all a distraction! The real attack was on Canterlot! They’ve taken my brother, Redwood and all the other ponies hostage!”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped. “W-What are we going to do?”

Twilight bit her lip. “That’s just it, I don’t know.”

From atop a rooftop, the zebra mare heard every word spoken. She cursed herself for being so clueless and wasting so much time. Of course this had been a distraction. She fished in her pocket and pulled out a small wooden coin handed off to her by her employer. She thought of where she needed to go and with a flash of light the coin translocated her there.

---

Seek took in a gulp of fresh air as he left the academy. He honestly thought he was done for. Vice Captain Trigger Finger came to greet him. “What happened in there!?”

“No time!” Seek shouted in a panic. “Where’s Princess Celestia?”

“She left on a secret mission about an hour or two ago,” Trigger Finger replied.

“Really?” Seek asked disbelievingly. “Y’know what, never mind!” He pulled the dragon lighter from his mane and ushered to the guards. “Get me some paper and a quill!”

The guards rushed to acquiesce bringing over a small scroll and inkwell. Seek dropped to the floor and began to write furiously. “Just what is going on in there?” Trigger Finger asked.

“It’s about to be hell,” Seek replied. “Princess Luna is pretending to know the spell to disarm the cage! When Silk finds out she’s lying she’ll kill everypony in there!”

“But Celestia told her the spell,” Trigger Finger replied.

Seek looked up confused. “What? But the spell gets reset every week. We haven’t had time to notify her of the new…” A cold wave washed over him. Shining Armor was gone. Celestia didn’t know the new spell. And Luna was probably realizing right now that the spell she had received was wrong. Ever since Twilight had requested him to let out Redwood during the Summit Seek had made sure to stay on top of the spells used for the cage. He was the only pony who could open it, and he had just left. “Mother of Faust.”

A flash of light erupted nearby and everypony turned to see a zebra mare adorned in a soaking wet black leather jacket. She turned to Seek directly and grabbed him by the collar. The guards all pointed their spears at her but Seek raised a hoof. “It’s okay! It’s okay!” He gulped a bit but nodded to the mare. “Y-You work with Redwood, right?” The mare raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Yeah, I guessed from the jacket. Which means you probably know me?” The zebra nodded again. “Good. You want to save him right?” She nodded again. “Alright…” he was silent as he looked down noticing he was still being lifted off the ground. “Um… if you put me down I can tell you how save him.” The zebra took a moment but shrugged and lowered him down. Seek brushed himself off. “Okay, listen, I can give you the code but you need to promise not to hurt anypony.”

“Is this wise?” Trigger Finger interjected but the zebra merely lifted a hoof to silence him. She narrowed her eyes at Seek.

“… At least not Luna or the others,” Seek finally sided. The zebra nodded in agreement. “Alright, here’s what you do…”

---

“Explain what you are doing here, Rarity,” Celestia demanded.

“I… What are you doing here?” the unicorn retorted.

Celestia looked just as dumbfounded. “Well, uh…”

“Oh for the love of…” Chrysalis muttered while gripping her still pained chest. “She’s been helping me rebuild my hive. Happy? Now if you don’t mind we are now in the middle of a crisis!” She winced as she grabbed her chest tighter.

“Hate to agree with the bug lady,” Barrel said as he leaned against the door. “But she’s right. There are probably eighty of those things out there now. Any idea how to handle them, queeny?”

Chrysalis gave Barrel a stern gaze before kneeling again in pain. “They’ve been infected with my sister’s essence. A queen is connected to her hive on an empathic and even somewhat telepathic level. Every bit of agony they experience I experience as well. My sister perverted that age old system. In order to dominate her will over her minions she imposed her feelings and will over all of them. Whatever she feels, they will as well. It is one of the ways she keeps them in check.”

“So what do we do?” Celestia asked. “Those are still your changelings out there, correct?”

“Yes, but my sister’s will is very strong,” Chrysalis winced again. “And she’s causing too much pain within the hive for me to concentrate.”

“So to recap,” Barrel chuckled nervously from the door as the changelings surged against it on the other side. “We’ve got a princess who shouldn’t be here. A prince who’s unconscious. A queen who’s completely useless. And about a hundred zombie changelings battering our door down. Great.”

“Can’t you just go out there and blast them away?” Rarity asked Celestia.

“No!” Chrysalis shouted. “Those are still my children. Even if they are under my sister’s thrall.”

Rarity turned to the prone body of Shining Armor. “And what is Shining Armor doing here?”

“He was captured and replaced by Silk weeks ago,” Celestia admitted. “I only just found him here as well.”

“Awesome,” Barrel yelled nervously as a section of the door caved in to reveal a bunch of angry black hole ridden hooves pushing in. “So we’re stuck here and not able to do anything!”

“Not necessarily,” Celestia said. “I just need some way to contact Luna.” The others gave her a confused look. “If Luna manages to incapacitate Silk then the changelings outside will all pass out as well, right? Freeing you to take control again?”

Chrysalis furrowed her brow in concentration as she fought through the pain. “Y-Yes. That could work. But in case you haven’t noticed my children and I don’t exactly have a use for ink or scrolls.”

The mood shifted again as the door was slammed once more sending Barrel flying off. Everypony began to back up as the door was pushed in again and again, more and more bits of rock and plaster falling off. Celestia set herself and stepped forward. “Do not worry, my little ponies. I will protect you.” Her horn began to glow as a golden barrier erected itself around them. She turned to Rarity. “Despite our current circumstances I am glad to see you are well, Rarity. When I heard news of how you were being chased I was scared for your safety.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you knew?”

Celestia nodded. “The Baltimare police was searching for you and your friend. We learned about you after investigating a boat explosion in the port.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide. She turned to Barrel next to her. The stallion had turned his head away, clearly hiding something, though she already knew what it probably was. She was just about to reach out to him when his head perked up. “Wait! Princess, when you investigated the scene did you find anything?”

“Oh, Barrel,” Rarity muttered as she believed him to be asking about his brothers.

“Anything like what?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

Barrel reached into his saddlebag and pulled out small pink shell. “Like this!”

“Huh?” Rarity said.

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Where did you-”

“No time! Did you find one and is it at CRO now?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, but if I remember correctly there are two. One inside with Silk and the other outside with Luna.”

Barrel cursed under his breath. “This thing projects from all the shells. If we send a message out there’s no doubt that Silk will hear it too.”

Suddenly the door finally burst open and the wave of blue changelings swarmed inside. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take!” Chrysalis shouted as she grabbed the shell from Barrel.

---

Silk chuckled to herself as Luna worked on the spell. “What’s so funny?” Redwood asked from behind the glass.

Silk gave him a sinister smirk. “My sister, that’s what. I can feel my influence inside her stronghold growing by the minute. She was a fool to try to betray me.” She wrapped a hoof around Luna’s shoulder. “Just like you will if you disobey.”

“You sadistic monster,” Luna muttered angrily. “So you don’t even care for your own kind?”

Silk let go and began to walk over to her own changelings. “On the contrary, every being in this miserable world is born with the capacity for love. Mine just comes in a different flavor.” She placed a hoof in front of two of her own. “Kneel.” The changelings immediately fell to the floor and began to kiss her hoof. She laughed triumphantly. “I learned to survive off of the fear and respect given by my underlings. They in turn survive off of the ponies I offer to them. At this point they’re like trained piranhas. You should actually stick around after you open that. It’s going to be quite a show watching them flay the bones from Rayleigh here.”

Redwood chuckled a little which drew both mares’ attentions. “You were always so full of yourself. Never realized the capabilities that came from trust and loyalty.”

Silk’s grin diminished. “Who are you to talk about trust and loyalty?! You never cared about a pony in your life!” She stopped and smiled as she corrected herself. “Of course, maybe I speak to hastily.” She walked back to the two, a small swagger in her step. “I’ve been wondering just what exactly brought you back here, to Equestria. You’ve convinced everypony else that it’s because you want to protect that Twilight mare, but what relation do you even have with her? She means nothing to you. I see no value in her to anything you’ve got going on right now, and believe me Rayleigh I know a lot about your operations. No…” she narrowed her eyes at him, “you came here because your afraid of something. Don’t try to deny it. I am a changeling after all. Master of emotions. I don’t need to smell it on you to read it on your face. This little bounty on Sparkle has put something in danger. Something you hold in high regard. Perhaps even something you love.”

Luna looked between the two and was surprised. For the first time since meeting the stallion, Redwood let them see his angry side. His red eyes were fixed into a deep scowl while his hooves dug so much into the floor that cracks began to grow from them. “Ooh, looks like I hit the nail on the head,” Silk laughed. “So what is it, Rayleigh? A family member? A child? A wife?”

With that last word Rayleigh’s eyes snapped wide and he threw himself on the glass with a roar. His first slam bent the strong glass and sprayed a rain of glass splinters down outside. Luna actually had to step back as she could feel the anger emanating from the stallion even from out here. The glass immediately began to reknit itself but Redwood continued to slam into it not giving it a chance. Luna could even swear that a strange red aura was coming off of him. He continued to scream and roar with the ferocity of a dragon before a secondary spell kicked in. A small hose popped out of the floor and sprayed Redwood with a steady stream of water. The stallion was stopped short as he tore himself away from the repairing glass and covered his face. When the water finally stopped Redwood was breathing heavily. Steam trailed off of his body and within seconds he was dry again. His eyes were still wide as if he was having trouble bringing his heartrate down so he knelt to his knees. Luna and Silk as well as everypony else in the room watched in awed silence.

“Oh, Rayleigh,” Silk muttered with a slight grin. “Just what have you done?”

Redwood turned his head weakly to Silk and then Luna. Luna looked straight into his eyes. Just what was this stallion?

“Can you hear me!” a feminine voice appeared in the room. Silk and Luna turned to the hostages.

“Who said that?” Silk demanded.

“Somepony answer!” the voice demanded. Silk looked to the changeling that had the pink shell. The changeling offered it to her.

“Yes, I can hear you!” another pony, this one male, spoke up on the other side.

“Who are you?” the feminine voice demanded before a sound of muffling came and another female voice came on.

“Seek is that you?”

“Y-Yes!” the male replied. “Princess?”

Luna’s eyes narrowed, but Redwood’s ears perked up. Silk remained silent. “I need to talk to Luna, is she there?”

“Uh… N-No. She already went in.”

“Then she can probably already hear this.”

“And so can my sister,” the first female voice muttered.

Silk grinned and brought the shell to her mouth. “I thought that voice sounded familiar. I should have known you would betray me, dear sister.”

“Yes, you should have.” Everypony could hear the grin in her voice over the line.

“Family troubles?” Redwood remarked with his dry wit as he finally caught his breath.

“Do you ever know when to shut up?” Luna hissed at him.

“Luna is that you?” Celestia shouted over the shell.

“P-Princess, there’s something I need to tell both of you!” Seek interjected.

Silk groaned and rolled her eyes. “Since when did this become a conference call?” A loud smashing sound echoed over the line and she smiled again. “Sounds like you’ve got your hooves full anyway. We should talk after.”

“Wait! I have the code!” Seek shouted.

For a moment all three sides were silent. Celestia was the first to speak, the ruckus on her end still prevalent. “What do you mean? I gave the code to Luna!”

“That was last week’s code,” Seek muttered quietly. “It most likely didn’t work.”

“It didn’t,” Luna interrupted irritably. “And it cost somepony their life.”

Celestia was quiet. “I’m sorry, Luna. Had I known…”

“Well, you didn’t,” she angrily replied. “Just tell me the real code now.”

“No, Seek, wait a moment!” Celestia shouted. “Luna, please, I’m sorry for everything. All the lies I’ve told. The secrets I’ve kept. And there are more, trust me when I say there are so much more. I want to come back and tell you everything. I really do. I don’t want to end up bitter and spiteful to each other. We’ve lived long enough for both of us to know that all this animosity will lead nowhere. Remember when we were young? There was that Ursa Minor that lived a few miles from home. Both of us kept daring one another to go wake the bear, but in the end I ended up pushing you too far. I almost lost you with our goading each other. If it weren’t for mother putting the bear to sleep both of us wouldn’t be alive. So please, don’t be mad. I’m just asking you to TRY and have a little faith in me.”

Luna looked at the shell in Silk’s hooves, her expression confused but thoughtful. Silk merely rolled her eyes again. “That’s a nice story and all but I hardly see what it has to do with the situation at hoof.”

“It doesn’t,” Luna said with a small smile. Her eyes began to glow and in a brief second a blue wave of magic erupted from her. Silk couldn’t move in time as she was hit full force with it making her fall to the ground unconscious. Miraculously every other changeling in the room fell as well as the CRO ponies. Redwood shielded his eyes as the spell faded and Luna’s eyes returned to normal. “What was that?” he asked.

Luna looked around stunned as she began to breathe heavily. “Our mother didn’t put the Ursa to sleep. I did. It was one of the first major spells I used and how I earned my cutie mark as well. My sister would never forget something so important so she must have been trying to hide something in her words. I assumed she meant to try the sleep spell.”

Redwood smiled. “You had that much trust in her?”

Luna looked down at the fallen Silk. She let a small smile slip out. “I suppose I do.”

---

Celestia backed away from the shell as she waited to see if her sister had taken the hint. “It doesn’t.” Luna’s voice carried over and everypony heard the sound of bodies falling. Suddenly as if on cue the changelings attacking Celestia’s barrier all began to fall over unconscious. She let out a small sigh and smiled. “Thank you, Luna.”

Chrysalis let out a sharp gasp of relief as she let go of her chest. “I can finally think straight!”

“Can you take back control?” Barrel asked.

“Yes, I just need a minute to… Aaah!” She went to her chest again and crumpled to the floor.

Celestia ran to her side but a new sound uttered from the shell.

---

Luna reached down to grab the shell but her hoof was stopped by a black chitonous hoof. Silk raised her head weakly and glared at the princess. “You think… this is over? You just doomed everypony here.”

Luna backed away as she saw the changelings around her begin to regain consciousness again as well. She grit her teeth and began to blast them away before they could reach anypony. But there were too many for her as she was now. That last spell had drained a lot of her magic.

Silk shakily raised one hoof up and then the other. “I am Silk! Queen of Legion! Mistress of all changelings! I am power! I am Legion!” Luna barely registered it as Silk brought her hoof up and stomped down on the shell shattering it.

Luna blasted away as fast as she could but she was quickly running out of magic reserves. The changelings in the room were too numerous and there were too many ponies to protect. So Luna did not notice as Silk came up behind her and punched her behind the head. Luna stumbled forward, her vision a blur. She got one last look at Redwood, who held an expression of concern, before Silk was back in her face. She screamed and delivered another punch to her muzzle. In her weakened state, Luna lost consciousness and fell over. Silk stood above her and triumphantly laughed, though it was clear that her legs were wobbly and she was having trouble keeping her balance.

“Fine, so I don’t get to you, Rayleigh,” she laughed with her swaying head. “But at least in death I’ll be the only one in thousands of years to claim to have killed an alicorn!” She brought her hoof up to bring down on Luna’s head, a wicked fanged smile on her face. Suddenly something black and white flew past her making a loud thumping sound behind. “Whuh?” Silk didn’t even have time to turn around in shock before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped to the floor beside Luna. All the other changelings fell as well.

Redwood looked through the glass with one part surprise, one part delight and one part his trademark smirk. “What took you so long?” he asked. A zebra mare in a black jacket and earrings stood before the cage. A small smile on her face. She did the proper actions needed to open the cage and the magic surrounding the glass fell. Redwood took a hesitant step out of the cage as the glass door opened. However, in his slightly weakened state he tripped over himself and the mare caught him. “Thank you,” he said and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I mean it.” The zebra mare nodded to the exit. “I know. I know. Probably never coming to this place again.” The mare gave him a stern look. “Yes, I realize it was my idea to come here. I… I thought I could handle it. But the enemy is stronger than I thought.” She wrapped a hoof around his shoulder and helped to carry him out of the warehouse, out of CRO and out of Canterlot. Rayleigh Redwood was in the wind.

---

Rarity let out a breath of relief as the changelings that had fallen over got up and then fell over again. “Just what is going on over there?” she asked nopony in particular.

“I’m not sure,” Celestia replied. “But I’m just glad it’s over.”

“Yes,” Chrysalis sighed as she drew to her full height. “My sister’s influence has been silenced. I can take back control now.” Celestia let her barrier dissipate and the ponies watched as the changeling’s colors began to change again.

“Well, this has been… an interesting night,” Rarity commented. “What do we do now?” She turned to Barrel but found that the tall stallion was no longer there. “Barrel? Barrel!” She looked around the room but besides an unconscious Shining Armor there was no stallion there.

“I did not see him leave,” Chrysalis said. “Though I was quite busy at the time.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow. “I can’t sense him, but he was an earth pony so it’s not unreasonable to believe that he does not have a magical trail to follow.”

Rarity’s eyes were wide and beginning to fill with tears. “B-But why would he leave?”

Celestia looked to the white mare, a small pang going through her heart as she saw her face. “He protected you, correct?” Rarity nodded. “And you knew that he worked for Redwood?” Rarity nodded again. The princess closed her eyes and gave her a small smile. “Perhaps he simply realized that you were now in safe hooves and didn’t want me to bring him in. After all, if he works for Redwood then you will probably meet each other again.” She gave Rarity a wink.

The unicorn smiled and cleared her throat before wiping her eyes. “Um, yes! Of course we will! It’s not like I want to see him or anything.” Her cheeks began to turn red and Celestia chuckled.

“Excuse me, Princess?” a voice spoke over the shell and Celestia picked it up.

“Good work, Luna. And you too, Seek.”

“Actually, I think it’s just me,” Seek replied. “There was a lot of noise down there and I haven’t heard word from Princess Luna yet.”

Celestia frowned. “That’s odd. She should have won by now.” She looked at all the unconscious changleings around her. “Trust me I know.”

“Then should we move in?”

Celestia nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes, move in.” The sound of troops filing up could be heard over the shell and Celestia turned to Rarity and Chrysalis again. “I trust you’ll keep this between us for the moment, Rarity?”

The Element of Generosity looked between the two royals and shrugged. “I suppose if Chrysalis is no longer a threat, then I have no reason to worry. However, Twilight might want to know.”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, I will tell all of you about it soon. Is that alright, Chrysalis?”

The changeling queen nodded. “That is fine, as long as our presence remains a secret.”

“And will you want Silk?” Celestia asked.

Chrysalis waved a dismissive hoof. “No! In fact, if you could take her as far away from this place as possible I would be eternally grateful.”

Celestia smiled warmly. “Consider it done.”

“Princess?” Seek’s voice reappeared over the shell. “We might have a problem.”

Celestia raised the shell. “What is it? Is Luna okay?”

“Princess Luna is fine. Silk is incapacitated. There were two casualties at most.” Celestia bowed her head for a moment for the deceased. “However, that’s not the problem…”

---

“I take full responsibility, your majesty!” Seek cried as he fell at Celestia’s hooves. The pair of her and Rarity had traveled back from the Foal Mountains in less than an hour. Now they stood in the remains of what was once CRO. Rarity stared wide eyed before her at the large glass cage set up to hold one of Equestria’s greatest criminals.

Celestia waved a hoof and smiled. “It’s really alright, Seek. I understand the position you were in. Besides, I don’t blame Redwood for running.” She narrowed her eyes. “I do, however, blame him for those ponies’ deaths.” She stomped her hoof and a small wave of smoke erupted from it. She turned and walked to Rarity revealing a small ashen outline of her hoof in the floor. Seek gulped and backed away out of the room.

“In a few hours it will be morning,” Celestia said. “We can take you back to Ponyville then.”

Rarity tore herself away from the cage and smiled to Celestia. “Oh, right.” She yawned. “It has been a long night.”

Celestia wrapped a wing around her and led her out. “You should get some sleep before you leave.”

Celestia walked Rarity to the room she had used while visiting so many times before. The white mare slipped into her covers without preparing or dressing down. After the night she had she simply wanted to sleep. She wearily closed her eyes. The events of the past few days playing through her mind. The changelings. Chrysalis. Meeting Barrel. Avid. Avid? “AVID!!!” Rarity shouted as she shot out of bed. “The interview! What am I going to do?!” All signs of tiredness disappeared as Rarity looked around the room. Thank Faust this place still had all her acoutrments. She pulled out a dozen spools and rolls of cloth as well as her sewing machine. Then she sat on her stool and fixed them on. She was about to start the machine when something else hit her. “Sweetie Belle.”

If she succeeded in her interview with Avid, then she would leave home. All her friends and her sister. Her own story to Barrel came to mind. Barrel had lost his siblings. Ponies he had been close to since foalhood. Every joke he made, every wisecrack and grin only made her realize how hurt he was inside. To be separated from the ponies that loved her, could she handle that? Rarity bit her lip, then set to work at her station.

---

Celestia stood above Luna in her bed. She brushed a hoof through her sleeping sister’s mane. “Wake up soon, Lulu. We have a lot to talk about. And a lot you need to brought up to speed on.”

---

“Hello?” Pinkie looked around at her surroundings. Just a moment ago she was in Zecora’s hut. Then Zecora told her in order to feel better she needed to drink some random potionmajig. Pinkie looked around but all she saw was white. “I swear, if all that did was kill me I’m gonna haunt that mare so hard.”

“Not if I haunt her first.” The voice was directly behind her. Pinkie turned around just as another her, this one with a poofy mane and smile, turned as well. Both moving simultaneously like a mirror. “Hello!”

“Oh, it’s you again,” Pinkie muttered. “So I guess I have to talk to you?”

“What’s to talk about?” the reflection replied with a confused expression. “You want to be happy, be happy!”

Pinkie frowned. “But I’m not happy.”

“I can fix that!” The reflection suddenly increased in size. “All we have to do,” it grew taller, “is squeeze and squeeze,” and taller, “until all that mopey dopey stuff goes away.” Pinkie covered her hooves over her face just as the reflection brought its giant hoof down on her. A loud thud echoed throughout the white room. “And no more sad!” The reflection giggled and lifted it’s hoof. “Okay, problem solved! Let’s go back!” Nothing happened. “Helllllooooo?”

“That’s not going to work.” The reflection turned to the straight maned mare who did not seem flattened in the least. Her smile faded and she began to shrink in size until they were equal again.

“B-B-But smiles always work! We’re Pinkie Pie! We’re always happy!”

“Not right now,” Pinkie replied sadly and turned her back. “You know I actually wanted you to squash me. End all these unfunny icky feelings in my heart. But you can’t can you?” The happy Pinkie gave her a concerned look.

“You can’t because these feelings are always going to be there.” Pinkie placed a hoof on her chest. “‘Accept your feelings both dark and light,’” she repeated Zecora’s words. “You said it didn’t you? ‘We’re’ Pinkie. Not you and not me. But both of us. I can hide my pain for my friends all I want but it doesn’t help me in the slightest.” A small smile crossed her lips. “But that’s what friends are for.”

A slow clap sounded from behind the two and they turned. “That’s a nice speech and all but does that really change the truth?”

Pinkie looked at the new Pinkie, this one looked a lot like the fake with a blood red mane and dripping blood down her forehead. “Who are you? You’re not a part of me!”

“Aren’t I?” the fake asked with an evil smile. “I’m what the Cakes think of you. I’m what they see. And because of that I’m what you see.”

Pinkie turned to her bright and bubbly self but that one had begun to fade, her smile falling. “But you’re not me! You’re some weirdo who tried to steal my life!”

“Yes!” the fake shouted. “I am aren’t I? Then why am I here? Why am I in your head?”

The fake’s body now began to grow darker as a red pool of dark liquid gushed forth from below it. The liquid quickly spread and began to cover the seemingly endless room drawing Pinkie to the edge. “I-I don’t know!”

“Think, Pinkie!” The fake’s body now began bleed profusely, her voice taking a deeper deadlier edge.

Pinkie closed her eyes fearfully as the red liquid pooled around her feet. She squirmed and drew back in disgust. “You’re here because I think you’re my punishment!” The liquid stopped. Pinkie opened one eye and saw that the fake had stopped moving as well, raising an eyebrow. “I… have always known that I’m different than other ponies.” Her voice was now low and cracked a few times through tears. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be accepted. To have somepony smile because of something I did. And I wanted all that because in my mind I was desperate for attention. No matter the form.” The fake’s blood began to recede and her features became less dark, the liquid receding as well. “So I made friends with everypony I could meet. But in the end there was always that one little piece of me in the back of my mind saying ‘do I really care for my friends?’”

The liquid finally receded and the fake stepped back, it’s form fading away. At last Pinkie thought she was alone, until she heard a small, almost indistinct cry. She took a sharp ragged breath and turned around to see a small pink filly sobbing to herself. The filly stopped crying long enough to look up at her with big blue eyes, tears in them. “Am I a good pony?” she asked.

Pinkie felt tears pour from her own eyes as she leaned down to hug the filly. “Of course, you are. And don’t let anypony say any different.”

“Yeah!” The bubbly Pinkie from before popped up and hugged them both. “Everything we do isn’t just for us. It’s for everypony we meet!”

“That’s correctamundo!” Another Pinkie, this one in a hawaiian shirt and shades entered. “You’ve forgotten the meaning of a party Pinkie. It’s a celebration!”

“And celebration means to mark one or multiple ponies’ pleasure by engaging in a joyous event,” another Pinkie appeared with half lens librarian glasses, her mother’s mane do, and a calm demeanor.

“And sugar!!!!” Another Pinkie with a manic grin, wide skewed eyes, and a frazzled mane appeared.

The little filly Pinkie looked around and smiled before sniffling and wiping her nose. Pinkie smiled around her as well as more Pinkies showed up. Finally when nearly fifty different Pinkies were present she turned and saw the dark figure of the fake staring at her. Pinkie smiled triumphantly. “I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again. And I don’t know if I’ll ever know why you thought you were anything like me. Because I can say with all certainty now that you aren’t.” She motioned to all the Pinkies around her. “Because this is the best party I could ever throw, and you will never be on the guest list!”

The fake smirked and turned away, fading into the void. Pinkie watched as the rest of her surroundings faded along with her.

------------

“Is she okay?” Scootaloo asked.

“She looks pretty out of it,” Apple Bloom added.

Pinkie immediately shot up in bed scaring the three fillies back. Zecora looked over from her cauldron and smiled. “So tell me my dear friend, has your crisis come to an end?”

Pinkie was expressionless for a moment, then her mane sprang to life with a boing sound. She smiled ear to ear. “What do you think?”

---

The sun was just peeking up over the horizon. Rainbow Dash busily hummed as she wiped down her foyer for the tenth time. How did she know that room was called a foyer? Because she’d now read the dictionary one her bookshelf, a gift from Twilight, eight times through. After barricading herself in her house and feeling depressed for a couple days, the rainbow maned mare quickly realized that she didn’t have a lot to keep her attention. Every time she tried to venture outside a wave of nausea would sweep over her and she’d end up back in her bedroom again. Pretty soon she had read all of her old Daring Do novels eight times over, way past her usual five times a month. She was quickly running out of things to do. So Rainbow started to clean… and clean… and clean.

Rainbow blew a piece of lint off the bannister and stepped back to admire her work. “Yup, nothing like a nice clean house.” Her place now looked nothing like it did when Twilight visited. Everything sparkled with a glossy shine, which was difficult considering everything was made of clouds. Rainbow grinned widely to herself. “Yup, nice and clean.” Her left eye ticked.

“What the hay am I doing!?” She angrily threw down her rag and cried to the ceiling. “It’s one bucking step!” She glared at her door and tried to will her legs to move toward it. They moved and she gulped. She honestly wasn’t expecting her body to listen. The door came closer and she reached a tentative hoof to it, then pulled back. With her other hoof she rubbed her head angrily. “Get it together. Get it together,” she mumbled. She reached out again, her hoof hanging in midair at the knob. Then it dropped in defeat at her side. She grit her teeth in frustration and kicked herself. “Freaking coward,” she chided.

Suddenly a knock came at the door. Rainbow’s eyes widened and she jumped from the door hovering in the air. “W-Who’s there?”

“Open up, Dashie!” a peppy voice came from the other side.

“Pinkie?” Rainbow replied. Her mind drifted to the last time she’d seen Pinkie, or rather two of her. “How do I know you’re the real Pinkie?”

“Either open the door or I’ll find a way in!” Pinkie replied.

“Ha, I’d like to see you try!” Rainbow shot back.

“Wow, this place is really clean!” Pinkie said from behind her. Rainbow spun around in shock to see her friend walking out of the kitchen.

“B-But… Wh-What… How did you get in?!”

Pinkie gave her a funny look. “It’s a cloud.” She pointed over her shoulder to show that she’d made a hole in the wall of the kitchen. Rainbow deadpanned.

“I just spent five days cleaning that room!”

“Well, it’s worked wonders,” Pinkie noted as she sat on her couch. Rainbow rubbed her forehead in frustration. Only the real Pinkie could be this annoying.

“Fine, so your real. What do you want?”

“Well, first an apology,” Pinkie said bluntly.

Rainbow’s eyes widened. She had kind of ran off before she could apologize to the mare for her outburst. However, she never would have expected Pinkie to just come out and demand an apology. She sat herself down. “I… um… you’re right I owe you an apology, Pinkie. I was out of line. I was angry. I shouldn’t have said those things to you.”

Pinkie’s face was stoic, a sight Rainbow had rarely ever seen. Then her smile returned. “Apology accepted. There. Now both of us feel better.”

Rainbow smiled a little. “I appreciate you accepting my apology, Pinkie. But I’ve got a lot more problems than just that.” She lowered her head and furrowed her brow. “I can’t even step hoof outside. I’ve been stuck inside here so long I’ve started to read the ingredients labels on the boxes of food in pantry! I’m… messed up.”

Pinkie watched her from the opposite couch for a moment. Rainbow kind of expected the mare to simply try to cheer her up by throwing her a party or maybe even singing a song. But Pinkie did something she didn’t expect. She got up calmly and walked over, placing her hooves around Rainbow and embraced her in a normal, not crushing, hug. It wasn’t squeezing too hard and it wasn’t too soft. Rainbow could seriously feel the care and love in it. “I may not be in your shoes, but I can still give you my support.” She pulled away and looked her in the eyes. “Because I’m your friend and nothing you say or do can change that.” Then her face went rigid and she adopted a strong deep baritone. “For I am Pinkamena Diane Pie, Party Princess!!”

Rainbow was with her until the last part. “You okay, Pinkie?”

The pink mare returned to normal and giggled. “Sorry, Zecora has this awesome stuff in her hut you’ve gotta try. I had an epipen!”

It took Rainbow a moment to realize what she meant. “You mean ‘epiphany’?” she asked. Damn dictionary.

“Right! Anyway I brought somepony with me that’s been wanting to say hello too.” She strolled to the front door and Rainbow raised her hooves.

“Pinkie, I’m glad we got to make up and all but I seriously don’t think I’m ready to see any of the others yet.” Pinkie ignored her and swung the door open. Sitting in the basket of a hot air balloon was a small orange filly with a purple mane. Her eyes lit up as she noticed her.

“Rainbow!”

“Scoots!?” Scootaloo jumped from the balloon and beat her tiny wings as hard as she could to make it across the gap to her door. She almost didn’t make it but Rainbow plunged forward with a hoof to grab her. “Woah! I gotcha!” Scootaloo gave a sigh of relief and climbed up the blue mare’s leg until she was in the house.

Pinkie gave her a grin as Rainbow closed the door. “Looks like you took your first step.”

Rainbow perked up and studied her hoof then the door she just closed. A small smile crossing her face. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

Scootaloo ran up to her, a broad smile on her face. “Everyone’s been saying that you’re not feeling well. So Pinkie offered me a lift up in her balloon! You’re looking a lot better!”

Rainbow chuckled and rubbed Scootaloo’s mane. “I am feeling better, squirt. It’s good to see you. Really.” She stopped and turned her head. “But I haven’t been well for a while, they’re right about that.”

Scootaloo frowned. “So you’re not sick, right?”

“No.”

“So, it’s more of a head thing?”

Rainbow chuckled at the wording but nodded. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” She took a deep shuddering breath. It felt incredibly hard to bring this up to her biggest fan and little sister. “I’ve… been afraid for a while. And it’s not getting any better.”

Scootaloo’s face was unreadable for a moment then she began to laugh. “If you’re scared then that’s okay.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Scootaloo’s laugh devolved into a chuckle. “I mean, it’s just like you said to me once. We all get scared at some point. But eventually we learn to overcome it.”

Rainbow briefly remembered her own words, but the fact remained the same. “Scoots, I really don’t think you could understand the severity of what I encountered.” Scootaloo cocked her head in confusion. Damn dictionary. “I mean, I was beaten. Pretty bad. Twice. And it left something behind. Something I can’t seem to get rid of.”

Scootaloo frowned for a moment but then smiled and placed a reassuring hoof on Rainbow’s leg. “Well, this isn’t the place to get rid of it, I can tell you that. The Rainbow I know wouldn’t take a loss lying down. Beat that ‘getting beat’ spirit with what you do best. What makes you the best pony in Ponyville.” She pointed to the door. “Get out there and fly!”

Rainbow turned to the door then to Pinkie and Scootaloo. Both urged her on by waving their hooves. Rainbow took a deep breath and closed her eyes reaching out her hoof. She turned the knob and the door opened. She gulped as she peered over the side. Huh, was she always that high off the ground? Her knees began to wobble but a strong hoof on her right and a smaller hoof on her left steadied her. She looked at the two ponies by her side and smiled at them, her rushing heartbeat slowing down. Rainbow’s face looked determined as she crouched down into a takeoff stance, but then she stopped. Instead she stood up straight and spread her wings outward. A small breeze blew through the house from the hole Pinkie had made. The breeze whistled past her outstretched wings and slowly but surely her hooves were lifted off the floor. She felt her body moving forward as she now glided stationary above her doorstep. She was outside. She turned to Scootaloo who merely urged her on with a hoof bump in the air. Rainbow’s smile grew wider as she flapped her wings and soared into the sky she’d been away from for so long.

---

Avid paced back and forth in his studio. It had long since passed the time for the interview and he had already talked to and judged the two other designers. He looked at the clock and his assistant sitting in a chair by the window sighed. “I don’t think she’s coming.”

Avid frowned. “But she seemed so enthusiastic!” He sighed as well. “I was honestly hoping to see her designs one more time.”

His assistant waved a hoof. “Well, Ripple Effect was a natural when it came to lace and her background in photography also helps. I think she’d be a perfect choice.”

Avid sighed again and leaned on his desk. “You just don’t understand. Rarity’s designs had… an underlining to them. A story that you could almost read through the fibers. I guess I was hoping to see that one more time.”

A knock came to his door and he perked up. A mailmare stuck her head in and he sagged. “Package for Avid Allure?”

“That’s me,” he sighed and walked over.

“Sign here please.” Avid raised his hoof and planted it on the clipboard in the pegasus’ hooves. “You must’ve needed this pretty quickly. Super Same Day Delivery.”

Avid frowned as the door closed behind the mare. “I didn’t order anything. Did you?” His assistant shook her head. Avid opened the package to see a sealed envelope stuck to a large cardboard box. He placed the box on his desk and opened the letter first.

Dear Mr. Allure (or Avid as you told me to call you),

I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity you have given me. And do not take this letter as a simple refusal, believe me when I say that if I had reached this stage on my own and were given the chance to work beside you I would take it in a heartbeat. But, I do not owe my success or the fulfillment of my dreams to myself alone. They belong to everypony I love. They are my inspirations and to leave them would diminish me as an artist and a pony. I will always be thankful for the kindness and respect you have shown me and I hope to impress you further in the future. While I cannot be there to speak to you in pony, I hope that my gift reflects my feelings.

Generously yours,

Rarity Belle

Avid’s assistant opened the box first and a small glow of light shined in her eyes. The lid dropped to the side as light poured from the box. Her eyes began to grow wide and her mouth hung open. Avid turned his attention from the letter to the box and looked in.

“It’s… It’s beautiful,” his assistant muttered with a single tear down her cheek. Avid simply smiled happily and closed the lid on it once more. “Hey, what…”

Avid put the box under his arm and walked to the door. “Are you just going to stand there are or are we going to model this?” His assistant’s face lit up and she giddily ran over to him.

---

Ponies yelled and argued with each other in the Town Hall’s meeting area. Many were bruised or bandaged, a result of last night’s debacle. Mayor Mare hesitantly took the stage as ponies began to shout at her. “Alright everypony settle down!” she yelled. “I know we’re all a little banged up, but calling this emergency meeting seems like going a little overboard, right?”

“I don’t think so!” a blue unicorn in the back shouted. “Ever since those girls became the Elements of Harmony more and more stuff happens to this town. It’s just gotten worse in the last few months! Last night was the last straw!” A roar of agreements echoed through the small area.

Mayor Mare raised her hooves. “Okay! Okay! I hear your complaints and I’ll bring them up with Princess Twilight.”

“You don’t seem to understand, Mayor!” another pony shouted out. “We want them gone!”

Mayor Mare rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s just not going to happen.”

“Then at least that princess!” another pony shouted. More ponies shouted in agreement. “This town was just fine until she came around!”

“Yeah! She arrives and the very same day Nightmare Moon crashes the Summer Sun Celebration? What’s up with that?”

“I still get tummy aches from the amount of dry wall Discord made me eat!”

“Don’t even get me started on that Tirek guy!”

“Really?!” Mayor Mare shouted angrily. “You’re blaming the appearance of these villains on Twilight?”

“Gotta blame somepony!”

“Besides, Mayor, Tirek’s attack cost the city over a million bits in damages! And some of that was Twilight’s fault!”

Mayor Mare bit her lip in remembrance. Twilight and Tirek had engaged in an epic magic battle all those months ago and the city was just starting to return to normal. “Look, I understand your concerns-”

“I say we put it to a vote!” One pony shouted and the rest echoed their agreement. Mayor Mare rubbed her forehead, half in frustration, half to wipe the sweat from her brow. This was not going to be good.

In the middle of the crowd a disproportionate couple sat with their twins in their laps. The foals held expressions of confusion and sadness, while the parents’ faces weren’t all that different. “What should we do?” Cup asked.

Carrot looked around nervously at the hooves flying into the air for the vote. “I don’t know.”

---

Redwood stood atop a small hill and tapped his hoof patiently his breath beginning to come out in plumes of steam because of the cold. A taller yellow stallion in a wool knit hat walked up beside him. Redwood looked to his side at the stallion and eyed him with a smile. “Where’d you get the hat?”

“Bought it in town,” Barrel replied with a grin.

“You keep your head down?”

“Yup.”

They were silent for a minute. “I’m sorry for your brothers. And Crimson Rush, she was a good soldier.” Barrel was silent. “You’re going to work directly under me now, got it?”

Barrel nodded his head, both stallions still looking straight at the town before them. “Yessir.”

“Then are you ready to enter the Lion’s Den?” he asked. Barrel nodded. “Good.” The both of them walked forward passing the bright colorful sign. ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ it said.

Comments

[Journeyman]

6857671

it's hard to come up with horse related names or puns

For the love of all that is holy, don't put in puns for the sake of having puns, especially in swearing. It's a terrible idea. There's nothing wrong with playing it straight, and saying 'buck' instead of 'fuck' just looks ridiculous. Terms like con man are already understood words the readers understand and changing such things to puns is appealing to the lowest denominator.

[Starlight Nova]

Care to tell me more about The Blacklist?

[TopWanted]

6990515

So in case you haven't seen the show. It's about a young FBI profiler named Elizabeth Keane who gets swept up into a vast network of conspiracies by an ex- high ranking US Navy officer turned criminal named Raymond Reddington. The story mostly focuses episode to episode with the two main characters working together to bring down super intelligent criminals that even the FBI had no leads on. Reddington serves as Elizabeth's CI (Confidential Informant) having basically released himself to her custody and the FBI's. The mystery stems from his reasons for doing so and what his relationship with her is.