Homecoming
Pinkie Pie nervously paced back and forth in her family’s apartment, her straight tail slightly swinging side to side as she walked. Marble Pie was huddled in the corner, and Limestone Pie was sulking as she lay on the floor near her. Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz sat together on the couch as the latter quietly cried onto the shoulder of the former. At length, there was a knock at the door. Pinkie, who was closest, called out “Who is it?”
“It’s Sunburst and Rarity.” Pinkie galloped to the door and let her friends in.
Pinkie Pie grabbed the pair and hugged them tighter than was probably healthy for them. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here! Have you heard about Maud?”
“We came as—soon as we—heard, darling,” Rarity said.
At last, Pinkie mercifully released the unicorns from her grip. The three stepped farther into the room, making Marble Pie noticeably uncomfortable. She somehow pressed herself farther into the corner she was sitting in. “Pinkie, wh—who are they?”
“These are my friends, Sunburst and Rarity.”
“How do we know they’re not like—like Maud?”
“Marble, it’s ok. We have our face paint on,” Sunburst said.
“So did Maud! Right up until the moment when they came and gave her real face paint! Right before they took her away!” Marble broke down and began crying deliriously. Pinkie rushed to her twin’s side while Limestone crossed the room, retrieving an earthen jar from the table on the way.
“Great. You came in here and made my little sister cry. The least you could do is put some fresh paint on so she doesn’t have to spend the rest of the day a blubbering mess!”
“Terribly sorry, dear,” Rarity said, trying her most innocent smile on Limestone. She reached her hoof into the jar and approached Marble. “Marble, listen darling. Everything is going to be alright from here on out. I’m not a changeling, see?” She smeared a fresh streak of green under each eye. “Now, listen. We’re here to comfort you, not make you feel worse than you did already. Believe me, losing a sister is something I should very much like to avoid if at all possible. Sunburst, the others, and I are going to help you and your family find Maud. The real Maud.” Marble had at least made an attempt to stop crying while Rarity had been talking to her. However, she now looked like she was about to begin anew, albeit now with a smile on her face. “Oh, come here, Marble,” Rarity coaxed, offering her a hug. Marble gladly accepted, and Rarity found that she hugged much gentler than her twin sister.
“I’ve got my eye on you,” Limestone threatened, placing a hoof squarely in the middle of Sunburst’s chest, despite the fact that he had already applied fresh paint.
“Of—of course!” Sunburst nervously replied. Limestone backed away, still eyeing the stallion. “So, how was the changeling able to pose as Maud if he had changeling paint on?”
“The changeling knew what the paint did because—well, I kind of told him because I thought he was Maud,” said Pinkie. “None of us actually ever saw him put the paint on. ‘Maud’ would go into the bathroom to do it or just say she’d done it when we weren’t looking.”
“When was the last time you definitely know Maud was with you?” asked Sunburst.
Igneous Rock Pie answered. “The second-born of our daughters didst leave our rock farm to inform Pinkamena Diane Pie of the perils besetting us round about. For in those times, changelings from Canterlot, which lay to the north of us, did oft raid the countryside, laying hooves on many an unfortunate wayfarer and traveler. We thought it not at all safe to reside in the country, nor in the small towns, but made our pilgrimage unto the city of Manehattan to seek sanctuary there.”
“So, Maud went to Ponyville to tell Pinkie Pie that you all were moving from your rock farm, and you think that’s when you last saw her?”
“Thou hast spoken truly.”
“Do you think the ‘Maud’ who met you in Ponyville was actually a changeling, Pinkie?”
“I don’t know. I mean, she smiled at me really big when I first saw her. Well, really big for Maud, anyways. And she wrote poems about love instead of rocks, but I didn’t think anything of it. I thought she’d finally met her special somepony while she was off getting her rocktorate.”
“Then it’s most likely that Maud was intercepted en route to Ponyville, and the ‘Maud’ that actually got there was a changeling.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, girls,” Rarity said.
“Do you think she’s ok?” asked Pinkie.
“Considering what happened to Applejack, I think she may still be alive,” said Sunburst.
“But—but Applejack’s a changeling,” Marble stated. “Do you—Do you mean Maud’s a changeling, too?!” She began hyperventilating as hysteria set in. “No. No! No, no, no, no, no! She’s not a changeling! She’s not a changeling!” She collapsed to the ground, assumed the fetal position, and began grievously, hysterically sobbing.
Limestone Pie rushed to Marble’s side. “What did I tell you about making her cry? Why don’t you two just leave! You’re doing more harm than help here!”
“I’m so sorry you have to see us like this,” Pinkie apologized. “I think we should take the conversation outside.” Sunburst and Rarity nodded in agreement, and Pinkie followed them out, shutting the door after her. “Do you really think Maud was a changeling when she got to Ponyville? I mean, when we talked to Applejack in Canterlot via the Elements, she sounded like herself even though she said she was a changeling. But when the paint morphed the changeling that was taking Maud’s place back into his changeling form, he talked with a different voice then Maud.”
Sunburst stroked his goatee. “Hmmm. I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Sweetie Drops about that. I can’t say for certain, but there may be more information out there. From what you just said, I don’t think this changeling was once Maud. I’ll see about getting a group together to follow her trail backwards from Ponyville.”
“Oh, thank you, Sunburst,” Pinkie said, initiating another embrace. “It would mean the world to me to know where Maud is, and to know that she’s not a changeling.”
Dragonbane levitated a machete in front of her, hacking through the dense black vines in the Everfree Forest. “Keep a sharp eye. We’re gettin’ closer to the Queen.” Near a half dozen changelings similarly armed cleared away more vines from their path.
One of the changelings approached Dragonbane and whispered, “Something moved in the bushes over there, ma’am.”
Dragonbane scoffed. “This is the Everfree Forest. Things are constantly movin’ around in here.”
“This one seemed bigger, like a group of creatures, or something large.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for it.”
“Oh, you go ahead and do that. It won’t save you,” called a voice with no discernable source.
“I reckon I know that voice.”
“Oh, do you? Then say her name,” the voice demanded.
“The Weak and Insignificant Trixie,” Dragonbane growled.
The voice cackled villainously. “Perhaps at one time, you might have called me that.” A swirling black cloud formed around the band of changelings. “But now, you may call me the Dark and Malevolent Trixie!” The shadows gathered themselves together at a point in the trail which had already been cleared, and with a flash of green energy, Trixie appeared, clad in a black robe and wizard’s hat.
“Attack!” shouted Dragonbane.
“Oh, you don’t want to do that. Trixie has you outnumbered and surrounded!”
Just over a dozen armored crystal ponies emerged from the undergrowth, encircling the changelings. Dragonbane scowled. “So, you’re workin’ with Sombra.”
“King Sombra promised to train Trixie in dark magic so she could get her revenge on Sunburst for utterly humiliating her in Ponyville!”
“I understand whatcha mean. I’d do just about anything to get back at him for how he abandoned me!”
Trixie squinted at the changeling. “Applejack?”
“Dragonbane. Queen Chrysalis changed my name when I drowned Sunburst’s dragon.”
“You drowned his—Ha! Trixie wishes she could seen that.”
“Then it seems we’re after the same thing.”
“Trixie wouldn’t go as far as that. She still has a task to perform.”
“And that is?”
“Early this morning, a number of these vines came and abducted Trixie’s King. Now, she has come to free him and rid Equestria of these vines.”
“Then our tasks are the same, too. We’re here to get my Queen outta the same sticky situation.”
Trixie only laughed. “Let me guess. You want Trixie to work together with you? Have you forgotten how the changelings’ incompetence led to the evacuation of Ponyville? King Sombra’s plans were significantly delayed because you lot made a huge tactical blunder. Trixie was told that you personally played a part in the evacuation.”
“Now hold up just a second. I wasn’t then who I am now.”
“Either way, Trixie refuses to work with you changelings. Shackle them and make them march with us as prisoners of war as they watch us free our King.”
“Yes, Acolyte Trixie!”
Dragonbane scowled at the blue unicorn, but made no further attempts to resist.
Rainbow Dash watched the royal guards and the new recruits as they performed their drills. Shining Armor walked out of the makeshift barracks and stood next to her. “Hey, Shining! Looking better every day!”
“I know. I wasn’t much more than skin and bones when you broke me out of the dungeon.”
“What exactly happened, anyways? Just before we left, Chrysalis seemed to want to keep us all alive. She even kept us fed pretty well.”
“After you six liberated Ponyville, conditions down there started getting progressively worse. Of course there’s a comradery among the guards, but we’re guards first and friends second. Maybe if we were more squad-based, Chrysalis could have had something to work with, but that wasn’t the case. As it was, she wasn’t able to drain much love from anypony without resorting to mind control. She began giving less and less effort towards keeping us taken care of. When we took roll last week, we were missing several names, and a lot more still haven’t been cleared by the doctors to train with the others.”
Shining looked past his guards and the accompanying rag-tag militia towards the vibrant red, orange, and yellow trees in the repurposed park which served as the academy courtyard. Although the courtyard wall was nearly complete by now, the thrown-together military complex was still nothing like the Canterlot Academy. “It will be winter soon, and our ability to fight will be hindered significantly. We may not be able to make our first big move until the spring.”
Rainbow shook her head. “We can’t wait that long. We have to hit the enemy before they hit us. If we keep them on the defensive, then we also keep them off the offensive. And that means we keep Manehattan safe.”
“Our troops can’t win battles if they’re freezing to death or catching cold and hypothermia. Fighting a war on two fronts is hard enough; I’d rather not fight the elements, too.”
“Then we strike them before winter.”
“With what army? Almost all the new recruits have never held a spear or sword before, and most of the troops are still getting used to the wartime armor. That flashy ceremonial armor we wore was a lot easier to move around in; this new gear is designed with war in mind, and even though it provides better protection, it’s a bit bulkier and heavier.”
Rainbow’s countenance fell. “How much longer before they’re ready?”
Shining Armor’s gaze remained resolute. “I don’t know. They’re improving with each day that passes, but it’s hard to tell.” He sighed and turned towards Rainbow. “I know you’re impatient to get out there and take back what’s ours, but if we go in like this, there’s no way we’ll win short of a miracle.”
Rainbow crossed her forelegs and leaned on the ledge in front of her. “I guess I just hate not seeing progress. I’d rather be doing something.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Captain!” a guard called.
Shining Armor turned his head. “What is it?”
“Sir, I think you’ll want to see who just arrived. You should come as well, ma’am,” he said to Rainbow. The three entered the building which served as the command post and found a number of pegasi clad in blue and yellow outfits. Green paint marked their muzzles, ears, and wings, all of which protruded from their suits. Those in uniform as reserves or trainees had paint on their legs, faces, and back halves of their bodies as well. A yellow pegasus with orange hair, presumably their captain, stood out of line in front of the rest. Upon seeing Shining and Rainbow, she stood at attention.
“Captain Spitfire reporting for duty. The Wonderbolts are at your command, Rainbow Dash.” She raised a hoof to salute, and Shining quickly mirrored her. Rainbow awkwardly copied Shining a moment later.
“At—my command?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“You are the leader of the rebellion against Queen Chrysalis, right? We’ve heard about your raid from the Manehattan Times.”
“Yeah, but… you’re the Wonderbolts! I should be taking orders from you!”
“Either way, it’s an honor to have you fighting alongside us,” Shining Armor added.
“So, which one of you is in charge here?” asked Spitfire.
“Technically, I’m still just a civilian,” Rainbow declared. “Shining is the Captain of the Guard, and he’s had years of military experience.”
“Still, I only served during peacetime. When Nightmare Moon returned, the threat was over in less than 24 hours. We barely had time to get a plan of attack together, and the main force never even made it out to Ponyville. Pockets of resistance against Chrysalis lasted only four days, and I was under the Queen’s spell for the duration of the fighting. Rainbow, on the other hoof, organized and carried out both the evacuation of Ponyville and the raid on Canterlot.
“I guess you could say it’s kind of a joint command,” Rainbow offered.
“Very well. Cloudsdale and the Wonderbolts are with you.”
“Any news from home? Is everything ok in Cloudsdale?” asked Rainbow.
“Cloudsdale is doing just fine. Slight threat from changelings, but nothing we can’t handle. However, I must inform you that on our way in, we couldn’t help but notice that the banner of King Sombra flies over Fillydelphia to the south.”
“That’s a little close to home,” Shining stated.
“That’s why we need to engage them!” said Rainbow Dash.
“The troops aren’t ready.”
“We can’t just sit here and wait for them to make the first move!”
“Any attack we throw together right now would end in disaster! I’ve already run war game scenarios with my advisors over a strategic map! The casualties would be between twenty-five and fifty percent of our army!”
Casualties. Rainbow recoiled at that word and tilted her head slightly downward as if in thought. One of the Wonderbolts spoke up. “But if we recapture Fillydelphia and make Manehattan safer, won’t the losses be worth it? I mean, sometimes you have to sacrifice some pawns.”
“Lightning Dust!” blurted Spitfire. “You will not speak unless spoken to!”
“S—sorry, ma’am!”
“Please excuse her interjection. She’s in the newest batch of reserve members. We’ve nearly tripled our ranks and promoted former trainees to full members recently due to a small changeling presence around Cloudsdale.”
“That would explain why there’s so many new faces," Rainbow said. "I recognize several of the full members even though I stopped keeping up with the Wonderbolts years ago. Still, I think Shining Armor is right.” Rainbow approached Lightning Dust. “Pawns on a chess board all have one thing in common: They’re nameless, faceless, and expendable. But in real life, pawns have names. Names like Cheerilee, Applejack, Spike, even names like Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust. As one of the newest trainees, what chess piece do you really think you are?”
Lightning Dust smirked. “I was inducted into the Wonderbolts at the top of my class, ma’am! I set a number of academy records! I’d say I’m at least a rook!”
Rainbow scowled as her analogy was turned against her. “That’s not the point! Even if it was, the Equestrian side of the board has already lost, not one, but three queens!” Lightning's smile disappeared as Rainbow Dash returned to Shining Armor's side.
“Rainbow Dash, Captain Shining Armor, what are your orders?” asked Spitfire.
“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t planning on you all coming,” Shining admitted. “I’ll show you to a vacant section of the barracks where you can settle in. You can meet with me, Rainbow Dash, and the rest of the Element bearers in the mess hall at 1800 hours, then tomorrow we’ll see if you can’t help the pegasus soldiers with their drills.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Trixie walked behind the changelings, a crystal pony on either side of her. Suddenly, the formation stopped. “Why are we stopping? Trixie did not order you to stop!”
“There’s a fork in the road.” Trixie raised a black crystal out of the ground underneath her to get a better vantage point. Neither way looked more or less appealing than the other.
“Hmmm,” said Dragonbane. “I think this is right near that timberwolf den Spike stumbled into a while back. You’re gonna wanna turn left.”
Trixie glared at her. “Trixie says we will go right. You are attempting to deceive us.”
“You’re makin’ a mistake!”
“Trixie will not be manipulated! Forward! Take the right path!” The group trudged onward down the right path. A few hundred meters in, the group was met with an ambush. Several timberwolves leapt onto the path ahead, while three more attacked from the rear.
“I tried to warn you! You’ll need a guide if you’re gonna make it through these woods!”
Trixie shot a blast of dark magic at one of the timberwolves. “Could it wait? Trixie is a little busy!” The skirmish ended with five inanimate piles of wood, the rest of the beasts having fled, and two injured crystal ponies.
“So, like I was sayin’—”
“Very well! Perhaps Trixie does need a guide. But if you cross her…” she finished by dragging a hoof across her neck.
“I understand.”
“Good. Dragonbane is to be released from her shackles.” At Trixie’s word, the crystal soldiers sprang into action. “You will walk in front of us as our guide. Why in front? Because if we find any more trouble, you’re the first one who’s going to get it.”
Dragonbane asked for a machete and called for an about-face and led the group down the left path. She navigated the forest and eventually arrived at a crystalline tree partially enveloped by the same black vines they had been cutting through most of the day. At the foot of the tree sat two balls of black vines.
“That must be the King!” said Trixie.
“And the Queen!” seconded Dragonbane.
Dragonbane rushed to cut the vines off the larger object, and Trixie set to work on the smaller one. Upon cutting off the first few vines, the rest appeared to become angered, and grabbed onto Trixie and Dragonbane. With a flick of her horn, Dragonbane’s machete severed the vines attacking her, while Trixie morphed into shadow form to escape. The rest of the crystal ponies rushed to aid the King and the changelings began freeing themselves. The vines retaliated in full force, negating any and all resistance to their control. Trixie re-emerged and took out several vines, but she was quickly overwhelmed.
“Running out of ideas here!”
“Well, seein’ as these vines are plants, they’ve gotta have a root. Get rid of the root, and the vine problem goes away.”
Trixie smiled and swapped to her shadow stance just long enough to make contact with the ground. Soon, black crystals raced across the ground and presumably underneath it as well. One by one, the vines fell limp onto the ground until there were no more vines left. The King and Queen then freed themselves with the help of their respective faction.
“Are you alright, my Queen?”
“I’ve been better.”
“My King, are you ok?”
“Hmph. Of course.”
The two monarchs turned and noticed each other, and exchanged hateful glares. Dragonbane spoke up first. “Your Highness, I think it’s best that we leave this place.”
“Trixie concurs, my King.”
“Why are the changelings so eager to leave?” asked King Sombra. “Are you afraid of losing again, Chrysalis?”
“I didn’t lose, Sombra. You just got lucky!”
The King lit his horn. “And I’ll do it again!”
The Queen retaliated in kind. “I’d like to see you try!”
Dragonbane stepped between the two in an attempt to defuse the situation. “Now hold on, everybody. It’s been a long day, and we all want to get back to our respective homes. It does us no good to wear ourselves down and then have to march back through the Everfree Forest.”
“For once, the changeling is correct,” added Trixie. “Our forces are already weary, and some of them wounded. The advantage we once held over the changelings has been somewhat compromised.”
The two royals kept their guard up, but each let the glow around their horn fade. “Very well,” said Sombra. “We shall leave here and have no more dealings with the changelings.”
“And we shall not attempt to stop you, so long as you do not attempt to stop us.”
The two groups went their separate ways, yet Applejack felt Dragonbane use her faculties to pull Trixie aside. “If you get to Sunburst before I do,” Dragonbane said, “Make sure and give him a piece of my mind!”
“Trixie won’t hold back,” she said with a smile.
Rainbow Dash set her tray on the table, securing a seat next to Shining Armor and across from Lightning Dust. Shining Armor was seated across from Spitfire and next to Sunburst. Across from Sunburst was Bon Bon in her standard cream earth pony disguise, and next to him was Rarity. Rarity sat next to Pinkie Pie and across from Big Mac. The rest of the Wonderbolts trickled in on either side. Lightning Dust was the first to speak up. “So, Captain Shining Armor, what happened to your right eye?”
“My mom told me not to gallop with scissors and I did anyways,” he calmly replied before sipping his glass of water. He looked up after he had swallowed to see a very confused turquoise pegasus. “No matter how many times I say it, that face never gets old! Seriously, though…” He cleared his throat and began. “It all happened back when I was a colt in Canterlot with my sister, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Oh my goodness! Is he going to talk about me?” asked Twilight. “I haven’t seen what happened to myself in any of these alternate worlds!” Twilight was now listening more raptly than anypony at the table.
“One day, we were playing outside together, when all of a sudden, there was this rainbow shockwave in the distance.”
“Yes?” Twilight eagerly said.
“I can’t explain it, but suddenly Twilight’s horn and eyes started glowing and she began levitating.”
“Yes?” Twilight nervously said.
“I called her name, and she looked at me, her horn glowing brighter and brighter. A flash of light filled my vision… and that was the last thing I ever saw with my right eye.”
Twilight’s mouth fell agape.
“I collapsed to the ground. My parents rushed me to the hospital, but there wasn’t much the doctors could do. As for my sister, well, she was so horrified and traumatized that she ran away and we never saw her again.”
“No,” Twilight said, fighting back tears. “I shot my Big Brother Best Friend Forever in the face?!”
“Gee, that sounds familiar,” said Spike. “A colt and filly who were best friends, but then got separated because of an act of magic. Wonder who could have caused that?” Starlight glared at Spike. Spike glared back just as hard, and Starlight dropped her gaze.
“I can relate to that, Shining,” said Sunburst. Starlight looked back up, her eyes filling with tears. “My parents enrolled me in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns when I got my cutie mark, but it came at a price. I never saw my best friend, Starlight Glimmer, again.” He hung his head. “I probably should have tried to keep in touch with her better. I made a few friends in Canterlot, but it just wasn’t the same. I wonder whatever happened to her.”
“I’m sure she’s doing great things,” Shining reassured.
That was it. The dam broke, and Starlight began to weep. As the two stallions looked up at each other, Starlight stepped between them, giving the illusion that Sunburst was looking at her. Sunburst’s smile rose a notch, causing the emotion to reflect on Starlight’s face. She then hugged the air where Sunburst was supposed to be, and though he wasn’t real, she felt a little better inside. She felt a little more complete. The hurt deep inside seemed to heal a little bit.
Rainbow Dash spoke up next. “Sorry for breaking up the sappiness, but now that we’re all in the same place, what do you think our next move should be?”
“Pinkie Pie’s been worried sick about Maud the past few days,” Rarity said. “She was last seen on her way to Ponyville, but that’s about all we know. As you’ve probably heard, the ‘Maud’ that got on the train with us when we evacuated Ponyville was one of Chrysalis’s changelings.” She gave Pinkie a hug as the straight-haired party pony stared at her plate of untouched food.
“The army isn’t prepared for war yet,” Shining reminded.
“We could give you air support,” Spitfire offered.
“Actually,” Bon Bon said, “I’ve asked the other Blue Changelings, and our intel says Ponyville is unoccupied. There’s been severe damage throughout the city, but neither faction gained control of the town.”
“Does that mean we’re going to go look for my sister?” asked Pinkie.
“That’s what we’re here to discuss. I propose we get a group together and scout out Ponyville for any trace of Maud Pie. If we fail to pick up her trail there, then we’ll backtrack until we get to the Pie Family’s rock farm.”
“Then let’s vote on it,” said Rainbow Dash. “All in favor of going to Ponyville to look for Maud Pie.” There were five aye’s and one eeyup. “Then it’s settled. We’re going to look for Maud.”
“You don’t have much time left,” Shining warned. “Winter is almost here, and your ability to find any trace of Maud will greatly decrease.”
“You’re right. We’d better leave as soon as possible.”
“Do you think it would be possible to retrieve some things from our homes?” asked Sunburst. “There’s some things from home I’d very much want to have with me.”
“Many of the buildings have been structurally compromised. Unless you’re keen on digging through rubble, or you’re able to fit in really small places, you may not find much,” said Bon Bon.
“What if I brought along Shard and Sidi?” asked Rarity.
“You really want to endanger them, too?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“I’ll ask them first, of course. I’m not going to make them come along if they don’t want to.”
“Then it’s settled. The six of us will go, and the dragons will come if they want. How does a week from now sound?”
“That works.”
“Abso-tively!”
“That’s perfect, darling.”
“Sure!”
“Eeyup.”
“Then a week from now it is!”
The date had been set, the hour had come, and now was the time to put plan into action. Twilight, Starlight, and Spike watched both dragons and the six alternate Element Bearers prepare to depart.
“You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister, Rainbow Dash,” said Scootaloo. “I want you to know that I want to be just like you when I grow up.”
“I hope you don’t end up like me. I hope you don’t make the same mistakes I did. I want to see you succeed where I failed, and I’m sure you will. I just hope I’m there to see it.” The two pegasi shared a tearful hug, after which a jet black dragon approached Scootaloo. Without a word, Sidi threw her arms around Scootaloo’s neck.
“You’re my best friend, Scootaloo. I’m going to miss you while I’m gone.”
“I’m going to miss you, too.” Tears filled Sidi’s blue eyes as the two girls drew out of the embrace. Sidi noticed that Scootaloo had begun crying as well.
“I’ll be back, I promise.”
“Soon?”
“Soon,” Sidi affirmed as she walked over to her sister.
“Rarity, be careful in Ponyville,” said Sweetie Belle as she helped Rarity get her saddlebags on.
“Don’t worry, darling. I’ll be alright, you’ll see. Now be good for Mom and Dad, ok?”
Sweetie sighed. “Yes, Rarity.”
“I love you, little sister.”
“I love you, big sister.” The two sisters hugged, then Sweetie approached Shard and Sidi.
“Keep the other orphans company while we’re gone, Sweetie,” Shard urged.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they’re ok. You two be careful. It sounds like you’ll be crawling into really tight spaces. Please try not to get hurt. You two have been like sisters to me.”
“Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle,” said Sidi. “We’ll be fine.”
“I’ll make sure to keep my sister’s spirit of adventure in check,” said Shard.
“Oh, yeah? Well I’ll be sure to keep your spirit of not having any fun in check!" The two sisters smiled and shared a hug with Sweetie Belle. Twilight, Starlight, and Spike's attention turned to Pinkie and her family next.
“When thou goest into town, walk circumspectly," said Cloudy Quartz. "Guard thy path, that thou fall not into divers traps; for our enemy is cunning, and their craft is great.”
“I will, Mom. I love you.”
“Pinkamena Diane Pie, I love thee with an everlasting love. As thy sisters sayeth, ‘I love thee five-ever; for even longer than forever is five-ever.’”
“Awww. Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t get yourself into anything you can’t get yourself out of,” added Limestone Pie. “And when you find the changelings that took Maud, give ‘em one for me!”
“Will do, Limey!”
Marble Pie said nothing. She only stared at Pinkie briefly before breaking into tears and embracing her. “Do—do you really have to go, Pinkie?”
“I have to find Maud and bring her home. You know that.”
“Pl—please come back,” she begged as she cried.
“I’ll make it home, don’t worry. And I’ll bring Maud, too. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
Granny Smith and Sunburst watched as Big Macintosh attempted fruitlessly to pry Apple Bloom off his leg. “I told you the young’un wouldn’t listen. She says if her brother can’t stay, then she won’t stay neither.”
Sunburst sighed. “Apple Bloom, listen—”
“No! You listen! Y’all already took my big sister from me! You cain’t have my big brother too!”
“Apple Bloom, we did not take your sister; the changelings did.”
“It don’t matter now! I ain’t got a sister anymore! I ain’t losin’ my brother, too!”
“Apple Bloom, you can’t come!” declared Big Macintosh. The filly, still latched onto his leg, stuck out her trembling lower lip, laid her ears flat against her head, and looked up at him with eyes as big as wagon wheels. Big Mac rolled his eyes.
“Apple Bloom, we have to leave!” said Sunburst.
“He ain’t leavin’ unless I come with!”
“We’ll see about that.” Sunburst surrounded Apple Bloom in a yellow aura and began to pull. “Apple Bloom—let—go!”
“I ain’t—gonna!”
“Ow,” protested Big Mac.
“I said—let!—Go!”
“Ow!”
“And I said—that I ain’t—gonna!”
“Ow!”
Sunburst gave one final tug, causing Apple Bloom to lose her grip. She fumbled with all her extremities, making contact with her mouth. “OW! No bitin’!” Big Mac put his free hoof on his sister’s forehead and began pushing.
“On three,” said Sunburst. “One, two, three!” Apple Bloom flew towards Sunburst, who caught her in his waiting grip. “Gotcha!”
“Big Mac!” the filly cried. “Granny, make ‘em take me to Ponyville with ‘em!”
Granny Smith walked towards the filly, a scowl on her face. “Now listen here, little filly. I’ve had enough of yer shenanigans to last a month! Yer comin’ home with yer Granny!” Apple Bloom nearly teared up again, but in a sudden fit of rebellion, she wrapped all four limbs around Sunburst’s leg.
“Now what are you doing?”
“You’re goin’ to Ponyville too, Sunburst, same as Big Macintosh! As long as I hold on to one of you, you’ve gotta take me, too!” Big Mac put a hoof to his face while Sunburst gave the filly an aggravated stare. “I don’t wanna lose my brother, Sunburst!”
“At least you still have somepony to lose,” a silhouetted mare said flatly as she leaned her back against a wall. She uncrossed her front legs, dropped to all fours, and walked forward, letting the light fall on her cream coat and pink and blue hair. Bon Bon then addressed the filly again. “I know you don’t want to lose your brother, but just as much as you love him, your grandmother loves you and doesn’t want to lose you.” Apple Bloom’s grip loosened slightly as genuine tears came to her eyes. “Besides, we’ve already decided that Sweetie Belle can’t go. It wouldn’t be fair to her if we let you come and left her.”
“Well it ain’t fair that you’re takin’ my brother either!” She cried. “Besides, Shard and Sidi are goin’! And they ain’t much older than me!”
“Shard and Sidi are coming along because we need someone who can get in and out of collapsed buildings, and that means they’ll need to be smaller than us.”
“Then that’s all the more reason to bring me along!”
“Whatever we’re deciding, we need to get on the road soon!” Rainbow reminded. “We’ve only got so many hours of daylight!”
Bon Bon sighed. “Fine. If it’s ok with Granny Smith, you can—”
“Can I, Granny Smith? Can I? Huh? Huh? Can I?”
“Sure ya can. If ya don’t mind bein’ grounded fer a month!”
“So, that’s a yes?” Granny scowled, but made no further protest.
Six ponies, two dragons, and a changeling crested a hill and gasped when they saw what was left of Ponyville. Burned-out houses and heaps of rubble lined the streets of what used to be a town. There was hardly a building left untouched. The roads were dotted with changeling-sized craters which—
“Alright already! You’ve described Ponyville the same exact way four times now!”
Right. Sorry, Pinkie.
“What happened?” asked Sunburst.
“Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra attacked each other. Ponyville took massive amounts of collateral damage,” replied Bon Bon.
“That’s quite the understatement, darling.”
“What’re we gonna do now that we’re here?” asked Apple Bloom.
“We’re going to divide up into three groups. Group One will be Me, Pinkie Pie, and Sidi.”
“Yay! I’m in Dashie’s group!” the party pony cheered as she bounced in place.
“We’re going to be working the east side of town. Group Two is Sunburst, Rarity, and Shard. You three have central Ponyville.”
“Of course,” Rarity said as she reached out a hoof for Sunburst’s.
“That leaves Sweetie Drops and Big Macintosh in Group Three. You’ll be going to the west side of town. We weren’t planning on you coming, Apple Bloom, but I’m assuming you’ll want to go with your brother’s group.”
“Of course! That’s the whole reason I came!”
“Alright. Split up and meet back here by sundown. We'll set up camp and travel back in the morning.”
“So, you don’t talk much, do you?” asked Bon Bon.
“Nnope.”
“He doesn’t have to. We do all the talkin’ for him. Well, I do all the talkin’ for him now.”
“And that’s just the way it’s been all these years?”
“Eeyup.”
A brief silence ensued as the group walked towards Sweet Apple Acres. Before long, a look of confusion crossed Bon Bon’s face. “I thought you were the oldest. Your sisters couldn’t have talked for you all your life.” Having been caught in his lie, Big Mac’s countenance dropped. “Do you not want to talk about it?” The stallion shook his head, ushering in another long pause. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“That’s ok.”
Soon, the Apple family farm came into view. The barn was caving in on itself, many of the apple trees were burnt and dead, most of the other buildings and fences were in general disrepair. The two Apples were moved to tears at the sight of it.
“Mah home…” lamented Apple Bloom.
“Come on. Let’s see what we can find,” Bon Bon called. The three walked past the pile of rubble where the chicken coop used to be. They entered their home through the doorway, though the door itself was lying on the porch. The stairs up to the second floor were missing entirely; in their place was a large black crystal about the same size as the hole in the roof.
“Hope there’s nothin’ we need in my sister’s old room.”
“Or mine,” seconded Big Mac.
“I’ll check up there,” said Bon Bon. Her wings buzzed briefly as she spanned the gap where the stairs had been destroyed.
“Oh, right. Forgot you had wings,” Apple Bloom said flatly.
The Apples progressed into the living room to find practically nothing had changed. Big Mac noticed one of the few things that had changed, and galloped over to where it had fallen, face-down. He picked up the picture and stared at it, deep in thought and lost in memory. He stepped over the broken glass on the floor to remove another picture from beside it. Apple Bloom pried loose a floorboard and retrieved a large bag of coins. As the two stood in their ruined home, reminiscing, Bon Bon returned, her saddlebags bulging more than they had a moment ago. “Any sign of Maud?”
“Nothin’” said Apple Bloom.
“Are you ready to go then?”
“I need a moment,” said Big Mac, his back turned towards the changeling. His body language failed, however, to hide from the changeling’s sixth sense his outpouring of love for whatever it was he was holding. Bon Bon approached and put a foreleg over his withers. He turned his tear-stained face towards her just before she glanced down to the picture he was holding. The picture portrayed a yellow-coated mare and a stallion with a paler yellow coat.
“Your… parents?” Bon Bon ventured. The stallion nodded. “I’m so sorry.”
“Taken before their time in—farm accident—” he stuttered before breaking down completely. “I saw ‘em… Nurses came—put ‘em in a cart—took ‘em away…”
“And never came back,” Bon Bon finished. Big Mac nodded again, sobbing uncontrollably. She hugged the stallion a little tighter, and he reciprocated. Apple Bloom nuzzled her brother’s other front leg, being too short for much else.
“I wish I could have met them,” said Bon Bon.
“Ya mean it?”
“They raised a strong, confident, able son—a real gentlestallion—as well as two wonderful daughters. They would be so proud of you.”
“Granny did most of raisin’ me,” Apple Bloom corrected. “I was real young when it happened.”
After a moderately long break in the conversation, Bon Bon spoke up. “I hate to end this moment, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover. We should probably get going.”
“You’re right,” Big Mac agreed. He placed the pictures in his saddlebags and proceeded out the back door, the other two right behind him.
Just then, a brown and white dog crested a hill not too far away. “It’s Winona!” shouted Apple Bloom. She galloped out to meet the collie, and was tackled by the beloved family dog before being given a thorough face-licking. Big Mac galloped over to the pair and hugged the dog as well. Bon Bon smiled at them from the porch as she leaned against the railing. Without warning, Winona escaped Big Mac’s grip and ran towards her doghouse. She returned dragging a tattered brown Stetson hat, the sight of which brought bittersweet tears to the faces of the Apples. With dog in tow, the three departed the farm to head for Bon Bon’s place.
When they arrived, they found naught but charred ruins. Bon Bon rummaged around in the ashes, lifting twisted pieces of metal and charred debris with her horn as she searched for anything of value that the fire somehow missed.
Apple Bloom began to crawl under a collapsed wall. "Be careful, Apple Bloom," Big Mac urged.
"I will," she called back, oblivious to the potential dangers of crawling into a collapsed building.
"Everything's gone. Not a trace of my friendship with Lyra survived the fire," Bon Bon said in shock and sadness.
“Bon Bon, I found somethin’!” Apple Bloom called. She dragged a small lockbox out from under the collapsed wall. “Did I help you find somethin’ valuable?”
Bon Bon’s hooves began to quiver as she accepted the box. She used her magic to open the lock, and proceeded to empty several photo albums and trinkets of little extrinsic value into her saddlebags. At the very bottom, she recovered a small, not quite cubic box. She opened the hinged lid and levitated out a golden necklace with a golden lyre on it. “I was going to give this to Lyra,” she lamented. “Thank you, Apple Bloom,” she said as tears came to her solid blue eyes and ran down her black, chitinous face. “Thank you so much.”
"She was your best friend, wasn't she?" asked Apple Bloom.
"And so much more."
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Did you like... like her?" Bon Bon nodded. "But you're a changeling, and she's a pony. How's that gonna work?"
"The rules are different for changelings. We form symbiotic relationships to feed, regardless of species. We're not like Chrysalis. We're not predators. Besides, changelings outside the monarch caste don't have... well... let's say 'compatible anatomy.'"
"Compact-a-bubble what now?"
"When you're older, Apple Bloom," Big Mac blurted.
"This necklace means a lot to me. Thank you." She reached down and hugged the filly just as the eyes of the trio from the present flashed white.
The building standing before Rarity possessed three walls, one on the back and one on each side. The two-story building had no windows left, nor did it have a roof. A giant pile of rubble filled the interior of the building. Rarity stared at it and cried, while Shard solemnly looked at the ground, unable to look up at her ravaged home. Sunburst hugged Rarity from the side, holding her close against his own side. “That—that was everything!” Rarity whimpered. “Everything I ever had! My home, my orphanage, my livelihood, a home for Shard, Sidi, and Scootaloo—”
“Shhh, Rarity, it’s only the building. All the orphans are safe in Manehattan. Well, all but the dragon sisters, but you know what I mean.”
“I don’t even know where to begin looking,” said Shard. “It’s been destroyed so… completely.”
“So, we’re just going to write off Open Hearts Orphanage as a total loss? There’s got to be something,” Sunburst protested.
“Most of the orphans didn’t have much,” Shard said. “Come to think of it, Rarity didn’t have all that much either. She embodied the Element of Generosity to the T.”
“Awww! You really mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
“I’m sorry, Rarity,” Sunburst said.
“It wasn’t your fault, Sunburst. Come on. Let’s leave this place behind us. Your library shouldn’t be too far.”
The three walked to the end of the street and made a left turn. It was now Sunburst’s turn to stand and gawk at the glaring lack of a structure where one had been before. “My library… No.” It was shock that overcame him first, not sorrow, as he went and stood in the trunk of the tree and was met with the unnatural feeling of seeing the sky where there was supposed to be a ceiling. The ground floor was all that was left, and what little had been left of that had been weathered by months of exposure to the elements.
“What’s that?” asked Shard. “That doesn’t look natural.” She pointed at what appeared to be a short, small, shoddily-constructed shelter made of bits of debris. Even with its thrown-together appearance, the crude cave stood out, as it appeared strikingly more organized than the carnage all around it.
“No, it doesn’t,” seconded Sunburst. As he approached the structure and looked inside, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Spike?!”
Shard, Rarity, and the three from the present ran to the opening and peered in. “Sunburst,” Spike growled from within. The dragon lay with his back towards the entrance of the alcove. “I’ve got some questions I need you to answer.” He rose to his feet, and the others backed away from the entrance to give him some space. Sunburst wore an expression of nervousness on his face.
“Spike, listen. I—”
“You promised!” Spike shouted. “You promised me you’d come back! Why didn’t you?”
“Spike, I’m sorry. We were in Ponyville, and the changelings were going to take over, and—we figured the changelings wouldn’t be able to hurt you! Your dragon scales—”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Well, I guess I can give you some credit. I thought you’d abandoned me to the death Chrysalis almost gave me. So you cared about me enough to not let me die, but not enough to actually keep your promise!”
“Spike, I—the death Chrysalis almost gave you?”
“She tried to drown me, Sunburst!” The stallion lowered his gaze. “I used my fire to burn through the ropes. I think the bubbles from the fire fooled Chrysalis and Applejack, because they haven’t come looking for me. I floated downstream on my back until I got to Ponyville.”
“Spike, I’m so sorry for everything. Please forgive me. Please come back with me. I promise I won’t abandon you again. I was wrong for doing it the first time, I see that now. I just want you safe with me again.”
Spike eyed Sunburst warily. “I don’t know if I can trust another one of your ‘promises.’” Sunburst flinched as if the emotional pain he felt was also physical.
“Spikey, I’ve missed you,” Shard said. “I thought you were dead! Please come back.”
“After all they’ve put me through, you still trust them?”
“Rarity was the one who told us to get to the train back in Canterlot. My sister was helping with Applejack’s baked goods and I was making the punch. If Rarity hadn’t come into the kitchen, we’d have been left behind, too.”
“Well, gee, that’s convenient. Guess we know who’s important around here.”
“Spike, it’s not like that,” Sunburst protested. “I told you and the flowerfillies to get to the—”
“Easy for them! In case you haven’t noticed, dragons are a lot slower than ponies! You galloped off to get the Elements while Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo galloped off the other direction, and I had to fight my way through a panicked crowd of adult ponies while trying not to get trampled! I couldn’t make it to the door before the shield broke and the changelings locked down the room!”
“Spikey, Sunburst did his best to warn you. He didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“C’mon, Shard. I know you’re smarter than that. Sunburst was leaving the room to get the Elements; he could have taken me with him instead of leaving me to fend for myself! That’s twice that he abandoned me in favor of ‘the greater good,’” he said, drawing air quotes. “What if there had been a lot more ponies in the kitchen? Or what if the changelings had stopped you? Then you’d have been stuck in Canterlot with me and everyone else. I know you're smart enough to figure out what that would mean. They’d have thrown you and Sidi in the river too!”
Shard looked deep into Spike’s eyes for several seconds. She turned and faced Rarity, then back to Spike, then back to Rarity, as if in a state of indecision.
“Shard, darling, what are you thinking about? Tell me,” Rarity pleaded.
“Well, if you weren’t able to save Spike, then what about me and my little sister?” Tears came to the corners of her eyes as she asked her question.
“Shard! You and Obsidian are both like little sisters to me! I would never intentionally put you in harm’s way!”
Spike crossed his arms. “Sunburst abandoned me, Rarity! It’s not about if we get in harm’s way, it’s about when!”
“Spike, I said I was sorry. I had to choose between saving you and saving all of Ponyville.”
Shard had now hung her head and turned her back towards the unicorns. “And he wasn’t worth it,” she said in a dejected tone. Simultaneously, Spike shouted a phrase which was exactly the same, save for the pronoun. The two dragons looked into each other’s faces, and without another word, Shard crossed over and stood by Spike.
“Shard, I say we move on. Go somewhere they won’t find us.” Spike began walking away, and after a single teary-eyed glance back at Rarity, Shard followed suit.
“Spike, please don’t go! I’m sorry!”
“Liar!”
“Shard, darling, please come back! I love you!”
“I wish there were a way I could know for sure that was true.”
“Then give me a chance!”
“You want to put your so-called ‘sister’ in a life-threatening situation?!” Spike shouted.
“Yes—No! I—Shard, darling, pull-ease don’t walk away from me like this!” Rarity half said, half cried.
“I’m sorry, Rarity. Maybe someday you’ll understand.”
Rarity was now laying on her belly, crying hysterically, while Sunburst stood next to her, his sorrow finally catching with his shock. He fell back on his haunches and joined her in mourning the loss of their dragon siblings.
Through teary eyes, the three from the present saw a flash of light once again.
“I still can’t believe my whole house just—just melted!” Rainbow lamented.
“I didn’t even know clouds could melt,” Pinkie added.
“Those were construction-grade clouds. They’re denser than normal clouds. That’s why we pegasi use them for our buildings. Unfortunately, they have a lower melting point.”
“Wow. You really know a lot about clouds, Rainbow Dash,” Sidi said.
“Well, I am—was—the Ponyville Weather Manager. It was my job to know everything about clouds.”
A long pause ensued as the three from the present continued following Group One. All at once, Pinkie stopped, one hoof still in the air, and turned her head to the side. “Hey Dashie? Do you ever get the feeling…” She whriled around and leapt, sticking her muzzle literally in Twilight’s face. “…like you’re being watched!”
Twilight, Starlight, and Spike gasped. “Twilight, I thought you said they didn’t know we were here!” Starlight blurted. Pinkie glared in Starlight’s direction.
“I didn’t think they did!” Twilight responded.
Pinkie looked down at Spike, who yelped and hid behind Twilight’s front legs like a colt under his mother.
Rainbow Dash put her hoof up to her face. “Pinkie, there’s no time for goofing around. We’ve got to get to Sugarcube Corner and back out of town before the sun sets.”
Pinkie glanced at Rainbow Dash, then back towards the trio from the present. As she backed away, she pointed first to her eye, then in Twilight’s direction.
“So, can they see us or not?” asked Starlight.
“I don’t think so based on how Rainbow Dash reacted. Maybe something is triggering her Pinkie Sense? But that’s assuming her Pinkie Sense even works cross-dimensionally…”
“Her what sense?”
“It’s a long story, trust me. Been there, done that. Never going back.”
The six continued in silence the rest of the way. Sugarcube Corner was in a comparably well-preserved section of town. Still, there was a modest hole in the side wall, some minor external damage to decorative parts, and several smashed windows. Perhaps most glaring, however, was the wide-open front door.
“Did the Cakes leave their door open?” Rainbow asked.
“I can’t remember,” Pinkie answered. “I guess they might have forgotten because they left in such a hurry.” The party pony entered first and gasped when she saw the building’s interior. The others filed in behind her and witnessed the carnage within. The display cases’ glass had been shattered, the cash register overturned, tables and ladders thrown out of place, and containers of every conceivable type, both broken and unbroken, strewn about the main room. “They’ve looted Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie mourned.
“What would changelings or crystal ponies want with cupcakes and candy?” asked Rainbow Dash. The two groups of three progressed into the kitchen to find similar carnage. Pots and pans were strewn about, drawers had been opened and their contents dumped. But perhaps the room’s most menacing feature was a picture of the Pie sisters pinned against the wall with a knife. Pink frosting x’s had been drawn over all eight of their eyes.
“Someone’s really got it out for you, Pinkie,” Sidi said.
“I don’t like it in here anymore!” Pinkie cried. “Let’s get up to my room and then get out of here!”
“Pinkie, don’t panic! That’s what they want!” Rainbow warned. “We’ll take it slow and steady, room by room, and we definitely won’t go running off one at a time! What if they’re still here? I’m not losing anypony else! That was the whole point of going in groups instead of as individuals,” she said as she wedged a knife under her saddlebags.
Pinkie took a deep breath. “You’re right, Rainbow. Let’s stick together.” The group went back to the main room and started up the stairs. “Sugarcube Corner is supposed to be the funnest, happiest place in Ponyville, not some haunted house of horror,” Pinkie lamented.
The rest of the house was similarly ransacked, not the least of which included Pinkie’s room. The bed was overturned, the dressers were opened, her closet was open and half its contents lay on the floor, her record player was lying on its side next to the end table it was supposed to be on top of, and her mirror and windows had been smashed. Pinkie sorrowfully walked through her former living quarters, soaking in all the mindless destruction around her.
“Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow said. “You said a moment ago this was supposed to be the happiest place in Ponyville, right.”
“Yeah, it’s supposed to be.”
“Do you think the changelings did this?”
“Either them or the crystal ponies.”
“Well, yeah, but one of the things the changelings were after was love. They didn’t get any love from Ponyville, and on top of that, they had to look at this place with its happy, cheerful look to it.”
“And you think that they wanted to make it less happy?” Pinkie thought for a moment. “But King Sombra’s, like, the king of hate. Wouldn’t he want to do the same thing to Sugarcube Corner?”
Rainbow sighed as Pinkie walked over to a window. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I was hoping we could at least try to pick up Maud’s trail from here. But if we can’t narrow it down to the changelings—”
Pinkie’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. “No. It was the changelings. I’m sure of it.”
“Huh? Pinkie, how can you—”
“Follow me!” The party pony darted downstairs, only touching every third step. She ran through the main room on the ground floor and burst out the back door. The others caught up to her a moment later. Along the back of the house lay two complete sets of changeling exoskeletons underneath some dead shrubbery just to the left of the back door. The bushes had previously hidden their forms, but when the plants died from lack of water, their withered form revealed the bodies.
“Good eye, Pinkie!” Rainbow said.
“There’s another one over here,” Sidi called out from the right side of the door. Sure enough, Pinkie and Rainbow found another exoskeleton.
“There’s something else back there,” Rainbow cryptically announced. She pointed at an equine skeleton partially draped in a rust-stained garment.
Pinkie cautiously approached. “Oh, please please please don’t tell me—”
“Don’t tell you what, Pinkie?” asked Sidi.
Pinkie reached into the pocket of the skeleton’s garment, and produced a small, smooth rock. She drew it ever closer towards her face, becoming visibly distraught at the sight of the stone. As her hair became perfectly straight, she sat back on her haunches and stroked the stone with her other hoof.
“Pinkie, what is it?” Rainbow asked. She looked over Pinkie’s shoulder and immediately put a hoof over her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. Pinkie, I’m so sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Sidi.
“It—it’s Boulder,” Pinkie choked out. “Which means the—the skeleton is—Maud.” She held Boulder close against her chest and began to sob.
Rainbow put a front leg around her shoulder in an attempt to console the grieving Element of Laughter.
Twilight, Starlight, and Spike soon found themselves back at the campsite just as the sun was setting.
“My sister did what?!” Sidi shouted.
“Sidi, I’m sorry,” Rarity replied. “There was nothing we could do.”
“You didn’t even try to stop her?!”
“If we had tried to follow, she’d have probably frozen us in place,” Sunburst protested. “And Spike, well, he was so mad at me… I don’t know what he would have done.”
“Rarity, where is she?!”
“That’s quite enough out of all of you!” Rainbow shouted, hovering above the conflict. “Look, emotions are high tonight, and I’d prefer that none of us do anything we’re going to regret. Let’s make use of this time to hit the hay early.” Sidi stormed off to a small tent next to Rarity’s. Sunburst and Rarity hugged, nuzzled, and said their good-night’s and I-love-you’s before settling into their separate tents
As Rainbow made her rounds she noticed Apple Bloom’s tent was empty. So, she opened Big Mac’s tent to ask about her. “Big Mac, have you seen—” She stopped short when she saw a small yellow mass curled up next to Big Mac’s head, and a brown-and-white figure lying against the yellow one. She smiled and left the trio to each other’s company.
Bon Bon was lying in her open tent, admiring the sun’s last glint on the golden lyre necklace. “You gonna be ok?”
The undisguised changeling sighed. “It’s like sitting down at a table, but all that’s there is an empty plate,” she said as she looked up. “Rainbow Dash, we’re friends, right?”
Rainbow sat down and put a hoof over one of Bon Bon’s. “Of course we are, Sweetie Drops.” All at once, the mare’s eyes glowed blue and a smile formed on her lips, and Rainbow felt a warmth and a lightness in her heart. It was an unsettling, almost magical feeling, yet something within encouraged her to resist the instinct to pull away from the changeling.
“Thank you,” Bon Bon replied.
“What was that?” Rainbow asked, not accusingly, but of her own curiosity.
Bon Bon dropped her gaze, and Rainbow felt her heart abruptly cease from sensing the warm, magical presence. “I—I’m sorry. It’s just that changelings are adapted for interspecies dependence, and it’s a lot more ethical to feed from a willing host. But ever since Lyra left me...”
“You must be half-starved,” Rainbow said, casting a quick glance at the changeling's dull blue wings. Bon Bon looked back at her with pleading, hurting eyes. “I’m not sure I can love you exactly like she loved you, but I’m not about to let a friend go hungry.”
Sweetie Drops smiled. “I guess that’s why you’re the Element of Loyalty.”
The pegasus smiled and stood up to continue checking on the others. Pinkie’s tent was empty. “Hey, Bon Bon, do you know where Pinkie is?”
“Over there,” she said, pointing to a silhouette of an equine sitting on a hill just to the west. Rainbow began walking towards her, and when she got close, she heard Pinkie talking.
“How long were you there?” she said before a pause. “You left with Maud five months ago, three weeks after the changelings took Canterlot, right?” She paused again. “Aw. We were almost in Ponyville at the same time, then. … Yeah, I knew Maud was strong, but three changelings! … So then they threw you two in the bushes? … Four months and three weeks? All alone? Aww, poor Boulder. And poor, poor Maud.” Rainbow walked up next to Pinkie and gave her a wing hug. Pinkie turned her head, revealing to Rainbow Dash her tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes. She appeared self-conscious for talking to a rock and tried to put it into her saddlebags, but Rainbow reached out for Pinkie’s hoof with one of her own.
“Shhh. It’s ok, Pinkie. It’s ok to talk it out. I—I actually have a friend I talk to a lot.”
“Really?” she said with a sniffle.
“Yeah. Her name is Fluttershy.”
“That’s a pretty name. What was she like?”
“She was really introverted, but she was the nicest filly I’d ever met. She was a straight A student, except the flight classes. She was great with the theory, but she wasn’t a very strong flyer. The other kids made fun of her for it.”
“What happened to her?”
“The police report was inconclusive. We still don’t know if she had a flight accident or if she jumped from a cloud because of the bullying.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry, Dashie.”
“But I do know one thing. She sure can fly now,” she said as a shooting star darted across the newly-darkened sky. “C’mon, Pinkie. Let’s get some sleep.” The two from the past and three from the present began walking back towards their tents, but only Twilight noticed that Sidi’s tent was empty.
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Before I read it, What is the Dark and Gore tag for ?
7842907
NicLove asked me why HL was tagged for Gore and Dark, and while I realize this is a response to NicLove, I also am aware that more than just NicLove is going to be reading this comment. There is one minor spoiler for Chapter 4, which I have clearly marked. All other spoiler tags are only relevant for those who wish to read completely blind.
As this is a fallen timeline fanfic, you can expect to see a much more detailed version of one of Starlight's canon fallen timelines from the show. I approached the Season 5 finale very logically, asking myself how the fallen worlds came to be. For writing purposes, I decided it would be easiest just to create my own world, thus I had to have Starlight disrupt the Rainboom in a manner unique to any of the ways she prevented it from happening in the show. This gave me a unique set of results for the characters involved. For instance, ***Minor story spoiler ahead: Chapter 4*** Rainbow may not have a prosthetic wing, but by early to mid-Chapter 4, she's blaming herself for things out of her control. As such, she's stricken with grief and regret to the point that her character has been fundamentally altered. ***End spoilers*** As indicated by the cover art, Starlight and Twilight use the alicorn potion to go back in time, "for viewing purposes only," if you will. As expected, Twilight attempts to get Starlight to see the error of her ways.
Moderate gore: I try to be subtle with my descriptions where possible. Several characters won't make it to the end of the story, I'm afraid. Believe it or not, I try to keep as many characters alive as possible. Occasionally, I'll plan to have a character meet their end, but some deaths, for instance the one in Chapter 1, came from me writing myself into a corner. Again, I approached this story very logically, and it broke my heart that the first character to go was my favorite.
Dark tag: Described by FimFiction as "stories contain[ing] aspects that deal with grim situations where hope seems to be lost or the ‘good guys’ have lost the battle or are losing it with horrifying consequences. Tyranny, torture, war and death are common themes for these type of stories. While the tag doesn’t mean necessarily that evil ultimately prevails, it does heavily imply that it is for the most part winning. This tag may also apply to stories with particularly unsettling concepts, such as a character’s descent into insanity." The bold parts are relevant. If I had to rank them by order of appearance, it would be 1) generalized sense of hopelessness, 2) war/threat of war, and death, in that order, 3) mild tyranny, and 4) very mild descent into insanity by a single character (it's a subplot I gave a non-main character). I might add in "moral dilemmas" to that list as well, as I can think of one big one just off the top of my head.
7842907 Did that explanation clear the tags up for you?
Nice to know that the Pie family hasn't changed much...and that Pinkie's ability to nreak the walls of reality is still somewhat intact.
Twilight you forgot to buy the T-shirt
The most unrealistic part of this story is that the changelings were actually able to ambush Maud Pie! If we're just to go off of Maud's appearances in canonical episodes up to Season 5, she would be powerful enough to kill changelings easily. They'd basically have to knock her out before she had a chance to react, with something like gas or whatever.
Way for Spike to lay it on. I wonder who's masquerading as Spike, since unless I missed some clever wording, the real Spike is dead.
Why the heck would they all blame them just because another dragon is making random accusations especially if they were previously saved by them?!