• Published 10th Jan 2017
  • 1,613 Views, 61 Comments

Past Actions, Future Consequences - Rill



Forced to run for his life, a young colt finds himself simply trying to survive while on the run and soon finds himself in the last place he ever wanted to be: Equestria.

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Ch.9 Survivors

Applejack sighed as she lowered her head, resting her chin on the side of the bed. In front of her, Apple Bloom lay silently, her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept. For a while, the farm mare watched her sister sleep, focusing on the her sister’s breathing despite the minor background noise from the room’s monitors and the chainsaw-like snoring coming from the bed behind her. As she watched, Applejack felt some of the weight that had been crushing her slowly disappear. How close had she come to losing her sister? She had known that her sister and her friends were going crusading that day, but what possible cutie mark could they earn in the Everfree? At the first whiff of smoke, her first thought had been about Apple Bloom. When she saw that light signal from the Everfree and heard Rarity shout her sister’s name, Applejack’s heart had nearly stopped.

Looking behind her, the mare watched Scootaloo sleep, the filly’s mouth hanging down as she snored. Around her head, the magic bubble glowed as a steady stream of black… something, snaked out of the filly’s mouth like smoke from a dragon’s snout, only to disappear as it hit the bubble’s walls. Turning back to her sister, Applejack stopped at the sight of her sister’s bow. The simple piece of ribbon that was as readily associated with her as a scooter was with a certain pegasus filly had seen better days. The pink bow had been blackened by ash, and numerous holes had been burned into the fabric by ash and debris. Setting her chin back down, Applejack couldn’t help but think about their parents. Though she hadn’t been much older than Apple Bloom was now when they had died, she couldn’t help but think about that day, about how she had found out.

That one day had nearly crushed her. She barely ate or slept for weeks afterward, only leaving her room when she had to, otherwise spending her time staring out her window or curled up on her bed crying. She had only survived thanks to her family and friends. If something had happened to Apple Bloom… Applejack shuddered at the thought. Being honest with herself, if her sister had been hurt or worse, the mare didn’t know how she’d recover, or if she even would. She knew her friends and family would be there for her, but would that be enough? The farmer silently shook her head. Grinding her teeth as she clamped her eyes shut, Applejack knew losing her sister would have crushed her more easily than an eggshell under a cart’s wheel. Wiping the tears from her eyes, the rodeo-mare watched as small clouds of whatever her sister had breathed in during the fire vanished against the bubble’s walls. She knew that from the outside her sister was fine, but what about inside? Could all that smoke and ash have done something to her lungs? Her mind?

Applejack felt a few tears roll down her cheek at the thought. Inside, her chest felt like it was going to explode from all the stress. Whipping her head around as she felt something brush against her back, Applejack barely felt the blanket settle itself around her shoulders as she looked up at the tired smile on Rarity’s face as the mare settled into a chair next to Sweetie Belle’s bed. “Thanks.”

“Think nothing of it, darling” Rarity said, setting the steaming cup of coffee on the nightstand next to her. “You looked like you could use it.” The two sisters fell silent as they watched their siblings sleep. “How are you doing?”

Applejack shook her head as she wiped a few rebellious tears away. How could she answer her friend, if she herself didn’t know the answer? “Ah don’t know” She said after a while. “Ah keep going over today and what happened, asking mahself what in tarnation they were doing in the Everfree.” Applejack looked over at her sister. “We nearly lost our sisters today, and ah don’t know if ah could have handled that.”

“But we didn’t” The blond maned mare looked up at the fashion designer across the room. “While I can’t imagine what I’d do if I lost Sweetie Belle, I don’t have to, and neither do you with Apple Bloom, thanks to Princess Celestia.” The white and purple mare took a sip from the cup hovering next to her “The doctor said that our sisters will be fine, and I have to believe him. Otherwise I’d be tying myself into knots thinking about the what-ifs. Then I’d be useless to everypony, especially my sister when she needs me the most.”

Applejack shook her head at the truth and wisdom of her friend’s words. “Since when are you the level headed one of our group” The farmer asked as a smile slowly grew on her lips, “Ah thought that was mah job.”

Rarity chuckled at the remark as she stirred her cup, ignoring a couple rebellious strands of hair that hung from her mane. “I guess we’ve been friends for so long that you’ve started to rub off on me.” Draining the rest of her coffee in one go, she set the empty cup in the waste basket next to the nightstand, “You know; you could go home for the night if you want. I’m not going anywhere.” The look on Applejack's face made Rarity feel as if, despite the distance between them, she had just slapped the rodeo mare.

“Ah ain’t abandoning mah sister.”

Before she could say anything, Rarity felt her sister shift in her bed. Moving closer, she grabbed one of Sweetie Belle’s hooves as the filly’s eyes slowly opened, slowly scanning the dimly lit room “Rarity?”

“I’m here, Sweetie” Rarity said as her sister’s eyes finally found her. “How do you feel?”

“Sore” Sweetie Belle croaked as she rubbed her eyes, “and thirsty.” Within a few seconds, the filly found a cup hovering in front of her. Grabbing the straw with her lips, she drained the cup in a heartbeat. “Thanks. Where’re Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?”

“Sleeping over here, sugar cube” Apple Jack said; waving to the crusader as the filly looked.

“What happened, Sweetie?” Rarity asked as she refilled her sister’s cup.

“We were crusading for our cutie marks. I wanted to try our hooves at baking, but Scootaloo and Apple Bloom out voted me.” Sweetie Belle shook her head as the memories of the day started to come back. “We barely had any warning. One moment everything was quiet, and then we were nearly run over by a stampede of animals. We had barely gotten to our hooves when we saw the flames. We tried to follow the animals, but we couldn’t keep up.” The pink and purple maned filly sucked greedily on the straw. “Before we knew it, the smoke was so thick we could barely see five feet in front of us. I don’t know how long it was before we found the river. By the time we reached the shore, the trees around us were on fire. Apple Bloom was the first to spot them.”

“Them? Who?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I don’t know. There were creatures in the flames. They saw us and started chasing us. Out of nowhere, these two colts appeared and sent the fire creatures running after hitting one of them with water from the river. Before we could catch our breath, more of those creatures appeared. I don’t know what we did, but if those colts hadn’t been there…” Sweetie Belle shivered at what was left unsaid. “Then Rainbow Dash crashed and one of the colts threw himself in front of a fireball.” Sitting up suddenly, the filly frantically looked around the room, “Where are they? Where’s Rainbow Dash? Where are the colts?”

Rarity put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, gently forcing her to lay back down. “Rainbow Dash broke her wing in the crash and is in another room. The colt is here as well.”

“What about the other one?”

“Princess Celestia only brought one back. If there was another colt, she would have brought him back too.”

Sweetie Belle covered her eyes with a leg as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Not knowing what to say, Rarity gently hugged her sister, stroking her mane until the filly had cried herself to sleep. Looking up, she watched Applejack move a chair next to hers. For a while, the two sisters sat silently, taking comfort in each other’s presence as they watched the three fillies sleep. “About earlier-”

“Forget about it, sugar cube” Applejack said, interrupting her friend. “Ah ain’t abandoning you or mah sister, not now.”
"I wasn't suggesting that, darling. All I'm saying is at least go home and let them know what's going on. We know that Celestia sent Spike to tell them what happened, but they're probably still up, waiting for you, and while you're at home, you can get a few things to make your stay a little more comfortable." Applejack sat back, considering the mare’s words. As she did, she mentally kicked herself, knowing how true they were. Having run off to find Apple Bloom when she saw the smoke, she could only imagine how Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were doing, wondering how she and her sister were. Looking up, the farmer felt a small smile grow on her face as she saw her friend’s tired smile. “Go.”

Nodding silently, Applejack slowly stood, finally feeling the effects of all the running and sitting she had done that day. Stopping by her sister’s bed, the mare gently kissed her sister’s head before letting herself out, making sure the door closed silently behind her.



Stepping outside, the first thing that Applejack noticed was the chill in the air. After several months without rain, the sudden cool down left the farm mare shivering in the sudden chill. Taking a deep breath, the mare smiled at how everything suddenly smelled fresh and new. Trotting down the hospital’s front steps, the feeling of wet gravel under hoof nearly added a spring to her step, until she remembered why she was there in the first place. Looking up as she walked toward Ponyville, Applejack let her eyes follow the dark shape of a Lunar Guard as it flew in front of the full moon. Following the flyer, the mare could see clouds pouring from the rebuilt weather factory, flashes of light among the new clouds leaving no doubt about their purpose.

As the sound of crunching gravel accompanied her, Applejack surveyed the small town’s center. Despite the chaos from earlier, other than a few chariots parked near the central fountain and a couple vacant tents, nothing seemed out of place. Nodding to a pair of Solar Guards as they walked by, the farm mare soon found herself walking by the spot where town’s former library had once stood. Despite the fact that it had been a shadow of its former self, no pony in town had wanted it gone. Most, Applejack included, had grown up with the tree being a constant and inviting landmark, making any suggestion of the tree’s removal at the town council meetings a sure way to earn a cold shoulder from everypony in the room, which had made it all that much trickier when she and her friends had talked to the mayor about what they wanted to do with the tree.

Looking up, Applejack found herself standing in front of Ponyville’s new library, the facets of the tree’s crystals glinting gently in the moon’s light. Knocking on the castle’s doors, the mare’s ears perked at the sound of a yelp moments before the doors opened. “Evening, Twi.”

The young alicorn mare looked up at her friend “Applejack! What are you doing here?” The young Princess said; confusion etched on her face as she trotted over to the farmer. “I thought you’d be at the hospital.”

“Ah just stepped out to get some fresh air and a few things from home.”

“How are they?” Twilight asked, draping a wing over her friend as she led the mare inside.

“Asleep. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are out cold. Ah don’t know what spell the doctor used to clear their lungs, but all three are making more smoke than the Manehattan Cannonball.”

Twilight snerked slightly at the description; even though it had been out of service for years, the Manehattan Cannonball was still legendary. Originally meant to carry mail and passengers non-stop between Canterlot and Manehattan, the train had quickly earned a reputation for how much smoke it put out. It was said that, even if a pony had never seen it before, they could still recognize the Cannonball by its smoke trail. Having traveled on the train herself several times, Twilight could attest to the famed train’s speed and smoke.

Stopping for a moment, Twilight picked up a nearby book with her magic. Opening it to where it had been bookmarked, the alicorn showed the spell to her friend. While she knew her friend occasionally snarked about there being a spell for even the easiest tasks, Twilight could see some of the tension in Applejack’s stance vanish, as she read what the book said. While medicine and technology were starting to catch up, there was still nothing better for removing smoke from lungs than this spell.

“Better?” Twilight asked after a while. Seeing her friend nod, the mare guided her over to a nearby sofa. Teleporting to the kitchen, the former student of Celestia reappeared a moment later, two steaming mugs of coffee hovering nearby. Giving one to Applejack, she watched as her friend relax as the farmer downed half the mug in one go. “How are you doing?”

Applejack lowered the mug, feeling herself wake up as the caffeine hit her system. “Better.” The mare replied. “Ah’ve spent the last few hours next to mah sister, watching her sleep, praying that she’d ignore what the doctor said and open her eyes, even for a moment.” Applejack slowly shook her head. “As ah sat there, ah couldn’t stop thinking about our parents. If anything happened to Apple Bloom…” The farmer hitched at the thought. Shaking her head as if to clear away the thought, the farmer took another sip from her mug, “Sweetie Belle woke up for a little bit a while ago.”

“How is she?”

“Much better than she coulda been. She doesn’t remember why they were in the Everfree, but she said they saw creatures in the fire.”

“Creatures?”

Applejack nodded. “She wasn’t long on a description, but from what she said, they were none too friendly. She said they were saved by a pair of colts, but that one of them took an attack meant for the crusaders and RD.” The farmer thought about it for a moment. “Could that have been another clone?”

“It’s certainly possible” Twilight said as she set her empty mug down. “There’s no telling how many he created and if any more survived the fire.”

“How is he doing?”

Twilight sighed as she recalled the surgeon’s report. “He’s alive, which is more than anypony could have expected given his injuries. They have him in Intensive Care at the moment, though they aren’t sure if or when he’ll wake up.”

“Damn.”

Twilight nodded. “Rainbow got out of surgery a few hours ago, though they’re keeping her sedated until tomorrow so her body has a chance to start healing. She’ll need some therapy for her wing, but the doctor is confident she’ll be back to normal in a few months.”

The room grew quiet as the two friends lapsed into silence. “How are you doing, sugar cube?” Applejack asked, eventually breaking the silence.

Twilight groaned, not sure how to answer her friend’s question. How did she feel? “I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment, yet at the same time, I could stay awake until tomorrow evening.” The youngest princess sighed as her friend chuckled. “At the end of our meeting, Celestia left me in charge of the colt’s saddlebag and vest.” Twilight pointed to the two items on a nearby table. “I’ve been trying to get the bag open for the last few hours, but whatever spell he put on it won’t let me in.” As if to emphasize her point, the alicorn pointed to her horn, which was now blackened and singed around the tip.

“Are you sure that’s a wise idea Twi? Ah mean; if what Sweetie Belle said is true, then he nearly got killed defending them.”

“I know what you mean AJ, but other than a name, we know next to nothing about him. No pony knows where he’s from, how old he is, or if he has any family. The princesses think he might be an orphan, but if he isn't and I can find something that tells us where he's from…”
Applejack thought over what Twilight said. While she was uncomfortable about going through his bags, if doing so got them the name of a family member… "Why don't you ask the clone?"

Twilight sighed. "If I thought it would help, I would. He's clearly scared of Celestia for some reason, and nearly screamed when he saw my wings in the ER. Plus, I don't know if I could trust anything he said. He said he was from the Crystal Empire, but his accent says different, and if he was, why isn't he all… well, shiny?" Twilight shook her head. “On top of that, he and Zecora are down in the basement working on potions for Shadow.”

“Shadow?”

“The colt that Celestia saved; his full name is Shadow Dancer, but that’s pretty much all we know about him and his clone won’t say anything else when asked.”

“Can’t you just blast his bag with a spell or something?”

Twilight shook her head. “That was the second thing I tried. Whatever spell he put on his bag redirects any magic used against it back to the caster. On top of that, I can’t just analyze the spell, because I’d have to get past it first.” The purple alicorn grumbled as a few sparks shot out of her horn.

Chuckling at her friend’s predicament, Ponyville’s head apple farmer slowly got to her hooves. “Ah’d stay and help, but ah don’t know much about magic and ah have to get going.” Waving as Twilight closed the door behind her, Applejack broke into a trot. Quickly passing through the small town, the mare felt her heart start to race as she reached the edge of town, the Everfree’s skeletal remains smoking in the distance. Despite how little danger the forest now posed, the mare still felt a shiver of fear race along her spine at the sight of the burned trees. Walking along the road that led to her farm, Applejack looked up as something overhead caught her attention. Above her, a Lunar Guard slowly paced her, tossing a casual salute as she looked at him. Feeling her nerves calm down, the blond-maned mare quietly followed the dirt road back home. Looking up as she reached the nationally famous farm, Applejack waved to her escort, who waved back before silently flying back to Ponyville.

Allowing herself a moment to smell the apple trees, the lone mare walked past the quiet barn. Ahead of her, she could see two ponies sitting by the only lit window in the farmhouse. Pushing the front door open a few minutes later, Applejack found herself being soaked by the tongue of her beloved border collie. Scratching the dog behind her ear, the mare looked up to find her brother watching her with a mix of worry and relief on his face that only those who knew him would be able to spot. Feeling the weight of the day crashing down on her, Applejack threw herself into her brother’s embrace.


Twilight glared at the lone saddlebag. What kind of protective spell had been cast on it? Picking the bag off the floor, the young alicorn slowly rotated it in the air before her. Before she could react, a small bolt of electricity leaped from the bag, arcing through the air and into the tip of her horn before she could blink. Hearing the accursed object hit the ground as her magic gave out, the princess sat down heavily as she felt the discharge play across her coat and mane. Glaring at the bag, she could feel it recharging and she knew that there was nothing she could do about it. It was well known that Twilight could be obsessive when it came to solving a problem. As she sat in the middle of the room watching the bag, she could feel that side of her starting to well up inside her. If only she knew what spell the colt had put on the bag.

Before she could try opening the bag again, Twilight’s ears turned as she heard somepony knocking on the door. Taking the interruption to stretch, the former unicorn yawned as she turned her back to the source of her current problems. Ahead of her, the castle’s doors slowly opened under her magic, revealing the lone white and purple mare outside. Teleporting across the short distance between them, Twilight embraced her fashion-conscious friend in a hug. “What are you doing here Rarity? I thought you’d be with Sweetie Belle?”

Rarity smiled as she stepped inside. “I am, darling. Applejack came back a few minutes ago and since my sister and her friends are sound asleep, I thought I’d get some fresh air.”

Leading her friend to the nearby sofa, Twilight ignited her horn, a pair of steaming tea cups flashing into existence a moment later. Letting herself get comfortable, Twilight watched her friend for a moment. “How are you doing?”

For a while, the town’s rising fashion star didn’t say anything, opting instead to stare at her tea while absently stirring it. “I don’t know” She said after a few minutes. “I keep going over what happened today, wondering if there were any signs that something might happen.” The purple-maned unicorn sighed as she took a sip from her cup. “I keep thinking about everything we’ve gone through together, Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, and how none of them scared me more than the sight of Sweetie Belle’s signal.” Twilight nodded, deciding that silence on her part for the moment would be better. “She was so proud of being able to do that simple spell that she rushed over after school just to show me.” Rarity shuddered. “I never thought she’d have to use it.” Twilight could recall learning that emergency spell when she was Sweetie Belle’s age, and how excited she had been when she showed her own parents. “Then Rainbow Dash was over the Everfree before I could take a step.” Rarity sighed as she let her head rest against the padding behind her, “Now all four of them are in the hospital.”

“And they are going to be alright, Rarity.” Twilight said, setting her now empty cup aside. “Applejack said that Sweetie woke up a while ago?” Rarity nodded. As her friend told her what the filly had said, Twilight felt her stomach sink as her friend mentioned the creatures Sweetie Belle had seen. Could they have been Sprites? If so, why would they go after the crusaders?

“… Sweetie eventually cried herself to sleep over the colt she saw get hit.” Rarity said, setting her cup next to Twilight’s, “Another clone?”

“Probably” Twilight said.

“I’ve never heard of such a spell, but magic isn’t exactly my forte. I’m surprised you haven’t used this spell yet, Twilight. Imagine how much you could get done with a few more yous running around.”

“Honestly? Until today, I had never heard of such a spell. I wouldn’t even know where to begin if I wanted to create such a spell.”

“Could they just be illusions? We’ve both seen those plenty of times.”

Twilight shook her head. “These aren’t illusions. Illusions are just light and magic; they can’t interact with their environment.” To make her point, the town’s only conscious alicorn’s horn glowed, a small blue ball glowing into existence in front of her a moment later. Gently lobbing the ball at her friend, both mares watched as it hit Rarity’s chest and disappeared as it went through her. "This clone can. I was watching it, and while its sinking into the cushion could have been an illusion, its shield wasn't. I could feel the shield's magic. No illusion, no matter how good, could use magic. Plus, it reacted to unexpected events like a real pony would, like how its shield went opaque when that clap of thunder startled it. I saw that happen at school, growing up. It's happened to me." Twilight shook her head, “Whatever spell Shadow used to create it, that clone is no illusion.”

“Why don’t you ask the clone? I’m sure he would know more.”

“It and Zecora are down in the basement right now, and I don’t want to disturb them.” Twilight left out the fact that the clone was afraid of her and likely wouldn’t answer any questions she asked.

“Then I guess you have a mystery to solve, darling.”

“I’ll add it to the list.” Twilight snarked as she teleported the pair of tea cups into the kitchen sink.

“What do you mean?”

Tilting her head, Celestia’s former student led her friend to where the lone saddlebag sat on the floor. “Celestia left me in charge of Shadow’s things, and I’ve been trying to get into his saddlebag for the last few hours. I would love to analyze the spell protecting his bag, but I can’t until I get his bag open, and I can’t get it open because I can’t get past the spell.”

“Are you sure that’s a wise idea, Twilight?”

“Applejack asked the same thing, and up to that point, I was. Now…” Twilight looked up at her singed horn.

Following her friend’s eyes, Rarity finally noticed the blackness that coated the top half of Twilight’s horn. “What happened?”

“The spell attacks anypony who tries to open the bag. I don’t know what it would do to an earth pony or a pegasus, but apparently it likes to throw miniature lightning bolts at unicorn horns.”

Walking over to the slightly faded red bag, the fashionista waved her friend’s words of caution off as she approached the bag. While its construction was the same rather basic design of most saddlebags, something about the bag caught her attention, though she couldn’t quite tell what. Bracing herself as she gently lifted the bag by a corner, both mares were surprised as Rarity set it down on the nearby table without getting zapped. Sighing in relief, Rarity inched closer to the bag, silently wishing she had her glasses with her. Feeling the fabric with a hoof, she felt her heart skip a beat as she realized that she had felt the strange texture before. Bringing her eyes up close to the bag, Rarity felt her stomach churn “Twilight?”

“Yeah, Rarity?”

“This bag is made of dragon hide” Rarity whispered, turning to her friend, “and not the fake kind, either.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight whispered back as she stood next to her friend, eyeing the bag with unease. Her thought had originally been dragon hide, but she had dismissed it as synthetic, since no pony in their right mind would make a saddlebag out of the hide of another creature.

“Positive.”

Twilight rubbed the bridge of her nose as a small headache formed. Where had this colt gotten the dragon hide for the bag? How had he gotten it? While she had seen the report on the Tranquility from Luna, Twilight knew he couldn’t have gotten the hide on his own. As she thought about it, the young Princess could feel a few puzzle pieces falling into place. Whether he knew it or not, by combining his spell with a bag made of dragon hide, which was naturally highly resistant to magic, Shadow had created a bag that nopony short of the Royal Sisters could possibly open. Grabbing a scrap sheet of paper, Twilight quickly wrote down what she had found.

“Is this everything?”

Twilight looked up, shaking her head “He was also wearing this when Princess Celestia rescued him” she said, picking up the tattered remains of Shadow’s vest.

Grabbing the vest in her magic, Rarity felt her heart sink as she inspected its remains. Despite the burns and singing, she could see in her mind how it must have looked in its prime. Inspecting the fabric, the mare nodded in approval at the choice, knowing from experience how durable it was. While it wouldn’t have met her standards, she could tell that both sets of stitching would have been more than adequate. Both sets? Eying the vest closely, she could see where somepony had replaced part of the back end with newer material, using a different stitch and thread than what was used elsewhere. Letting the vest float in front of her, Rarity felt a sense of sorrow as she manipulated the scrap, seeing how one side all but ceased to exist after a certain point. “What happened to him?” Rarity asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” Twilight said, silently examining the vest as well. “All we know for sure is what the doctors had to fix, and that is a list I don’t want to go over again.” Twilight shuddered, knowing that the sprites almost certainly caused the damage she was seeing. “We can only hope he eventually wakes up.”

Rarity nodded silently as she evaluated the vest. “Is there any chance I could borrow this, darling?”

“Sure, but why?”

“While not even I could repair this kind of damage, I’m sure our little hero wouldn’t mind waking up to a new vest or two.” Plus, with a few modifications, this could become the newest trend. Rarity thought as she folded the vests remains. Looking at a nearby clock, Rarity groaned at the time. “I’m sorry to run out on you so soon, Twilight, but I have to get back to the hospital and I have to stop by the boutique first.”

“Not a problem, Rarity.” Twilight said as she opened the door for her friend, “and say hi to Sweetie for me.”

“Of course, darling” Rarity replied, hugging her friend before leaving.

Closing the door behind her friend, Twilight glared at Shadow’s saddlebag. With a burst of magic, a pink shield surrounded the table and the bag. Satisfied, Twilight slowly walked up the stairs to her room. She’d deal with that bag in the morning but for now, she’d earned her rest.



Settling into the chair next to her sister’s bed, Rarity watched Sweetie’s chest gently rise and fall as she slept. Alongside Apple Bloom’s bed, Applejack was curled up on a bed roll, her ubiquitous hat on the nightstand next to her. Satisfied that everything was fine for the moment, Rarity picked up a pad of paper and a pencil with her magic. Looking down at the burned wreck of a vest next to her, the mare gently picked it up with her magic. Now that she had more time to study it, she could pick out details that had previously gone unnoticed, like how most of the stitching was uneven, yet mostly straight, telling the fashionista that it had been had most likely been hoof or wing stitched, since a machine stitch would be evenly spaced and straight, while a horn stitch would have only been slightly less so. Turning the vest over, Rarity noted the pocket inside, her mind puzzling at its purpose until she noticed the pocket’s shape. Why would he hide his wings? Shaking her head, the mare dismissed the question. The why didn’t matter to her, so much as the fact that it was there in the first place. Glancing up, Rarity watched as Scootaloo slept in the bed next to Sweetie Belle’s. I wonder if her parents know she’s here Rarity thought as she watched a stream of crud disappear against the bubble around the young filly’s head. Scootaloo’s parents had gone on a business trip to Trottingham, while leaving their daughter with Rumble and his family while they were gone. Resolving to talk with Twilight in the morning, the older unicorn found herself wondering if she could get Scootaloo to model for her, if only for Shadow’s new vest. They were about the same size after all… As she thought about it, she could feel the ideas competing for her attention in her mind, but before she got to them, there was a young colt who needed a new vest.


Twilight slowly walked down the hallway, the sound of her hooves echoing slightly off the walls of the otherwise silent corridor. Yawning as her body protested the lack of sleep, Twilight found herself silently wishing she could let somethings go unsolved for a while. Despite her resolve earlier that morning, she had spent about an hour tossing and turning in her bed, her mind refusing to go to sleep as it tried to figure out the spell on Shadow’s saddlebag. Resigning herself to the lack of sleep, she had spent the next few hours studying the bag under the few machines she had been able to salvage from her old home’s basement. Even her machines, as delicate and sensitive as they were, couldn’t tell her anything about the bag except that it was a bag and that there was a spell attached to it. It was only as the sun slowly began to rise that she had finally given up on getting any answers from the bag on her own.

As soon as it was light enough outside to see, Twilight had set out for the hospital, the mysterious saddlebag strapped around her waist. Stopping mid stride, the young princess looked back at the bag hanging next to her own. Why hadn’t it zapped her yet? Refusing to take the bait, Twilight mentally filed the question away for later as she stepped into the nearby elevator, pressing the button with Intensive Care printed next to it. Feeling herself nod off at the bland music softly playing overhead, Twilight shook her head, trying to resist the siren call of sleep. Stepping out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, the first thing that the young alicorn noticed was the sheer silence of the floor. Unlike the other floor which anypony would have considered to be quiet, the silence here was so intense that if somepony dropped a pin, Twilight was almost certain she’d have heard it from the other side of the unit. Taking a deep breath, the princess forced herself to take one step after another, every step sounding like a stomp to her as she left the comfort of the elevator.

Rounding a corner, Twilight came to a halt mid-step. On a bench just down the hall, the clone sat in front of the room Shadow was in, the clone’s attention focused on something sitting on a nearby table. Suddenly aware of just how quiet it was, Equestria’s newest Princess gently put one hoof in front of the other, the distance between her and the clone slowly vanishing as she approached. Twilight held her breath as she saw the clone’s ear turn toward her, its head following a moment later. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for the purple alicorn as the clone stared at her. “Hello” Twilight said, letting out the pent up breath as her brain reminded her to breath. The clone said nothing, its stance unchanged as it watched her. Slowly moving forward, the princess watched as the clone’s horn slowly started to glow, its brightness increasing as she approached. “How are you doing?” The clone’s face gave nothing away as its owner remained silent. Coming to a stop a few feet from the clone, Twilight slowly ignited her horn, the clone’s attention never once leaving her as she very deliberately unbuckled the strap of Shadow’s saddlebag.

Gently bringing the bag around her, Twilight found herself taking an involuntary step back as her magic around the bag was suddenly replaced by the clone’s. The clone held the bag in the air, spinning it as it inspected it. Bringing the spinning bag to a halt, the clone glanced at Twilight, “How long did it take for you to give up?”

“What makes you think I –” Twilight stopped mid-sentence at the clone’s raised eyebrow. Without a word, the clone tapped its own horn in response. Twilight groaned to herself for forgetting something so obvious. “Six times” She replied.

“Everypony else gave up after the first try” The clone looked over the bag once more before setting it down on the bench. “Though count yourself lucky you didn’t get it open.”

“Why?”

“It would have exploded” The clone said, its eyes never leaving Twilight’s. “It would have taken out anything within two meters, and since you need to be touching it to open it…”

Twilight felt her stomach sink as an image of it exploding with her next to it invaded her mind. Shaking her head to clear the mental image, Twilight turned back to the clone only to find herself alone. Not seeing it nearby, Twilight looked through the glass wall between her and Shadow’s room. Inside, she watched the clone gently set the bag down on the floor before turning to its creator. If she hadn’t known it already, Twilight would have found herself hard pressed to believe that the mass of tubes, wires and bandages floating in the middle of the room was a pony, let alone another alicorn. The clone stopped at what Twilight assumed was Shadow’s head. Through the window, the young Princess could see the clone’s lips move briefly, before it turned to leave. The elder alicorn took a few steps back in shock as the clone, completely ignoring the room’s door, walked through the glass wall and bench like neither were even there. Jumping back onto the bench, the clone got settled before turning back to Twilight.

"… and if you're going to ask me to open it for you, forget it. The only pony on Equus who can open that thing is over there" The clone added, pointing to its unconscious creator before turning its attention back to the coloring book.