Virtues of Harmony

by SkylertKlaw

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A prelude to...

Hundreds of miles away from Equestria, the injured, but mostly annoyed, Storm Rider flies to a dark castle. His eyes full of anger, but that anger dies down as he lands down in a large throne room. The alicorn's wings fold onto his body, slowly walking by ten collums as he reaches a throne. The small fight that he started in Ponyville was more than enough for him to confirm what he expected.

"...I know you are there, my right hand." He says dryly, his stormy grey eyes darkening.

A figure obscured by shadows comes forward. Dark red eyes glow under his hood as he kneeled to his master.

"I see you have found him, my lord."

"It was not just him," Storm Rider says, his horn dancing dangerously with electric sparks, "It seems my suspicions were correct. In little Ponyville, lie the key to my prision..."

"You felt it then? The six of Harmony?"

Storm Rider's face turns into a dark sneer as he turns to the figured in the shadows. "No, it was more than them...remember the ancient battle?"

"...Ah, yes." The figure chuckles, "So, they have resurfaced at last. Do we have any clues as to their Bearers?"

"Not all of them," His eyes narrow dangerously, "But there is one that I can confirm bears the second most powerful of them...but his morale has been shot ever since his failure in Rainyville." Storm Rider releases a dark chuckle, "I trust you made his lover suffer?"

The figure laughs darkly, memories from the events in Rainyville still coursing through his dark mind. The scent of her blood still fresh on the knife he used to kill her.

"Of course. Even now, she struggles in vain." The figure then sighs, "Of course, she is as headstrong as ever. Her...will makes her the weakest of the six, I'm afraid."

"It does not matter." Storm Rider says, "As long as she does her job, she is an extension to our plans." He looks down towards the ground, "By now, fair Celestia is probably heading to Ponyville now." A dark smile appears on his face, "Not even that foolish and bratty Discord, can match up to the power I possess..."

"Shall I arrange our scouts to search out the remaining five, my lord?"

"Yes...but if I know those useless goblins, they will screw up." He glances back to his servant, "Accompany them, and make SURE they do not ruin everything."

"As you command, my lord."

The figure bows, and as he vanishes, he thinks triumphantly to himself how everything is coming together. After the setback in Rainyville, he had begun to secretly have doubts, but now he and his master had discerned the location of what they sought, and they had only to find them.

He figured that the Shamaness in the Everfree Forest would be a good start...

XxXxX

"Everypony, please relax!" The Mayor said, trying to keep the citizens from running out of control, "The Princesses are on their way to address this problem. I just need you all to relax until they do!"

Twilight sighed as the citizens of Ponyville continued to ramble on to each other about what had happened nearly minutes ago. It was clear in their eyes that each one of them was scared. She couldn't blame them for it. Storm Rider was thought to be a mere legend by most ponies, even more than the original legend of Nightmare Moon.

"Twilight?" Spike asked, walking up beside her, "You ok?"

Twilight blinked and turned her head to Spike, a small smile grew on her face as she looked down at her young ward.

"I'm fine, Spike." She said, letting out a sigh, "In the end, no pony lost a house or was injured to an extent."

"Tell that to Rainbow," Applejack said as she walked up to the two, "she and Billy took Sky Fire back to her place awhile back and she still refuses to come back here."

Rarity frowns as she walks up to the group now. It was obvious to tell that she was feeling concerned for the two pegasai as well.

"That ruffian could have killed anyone in this town, not just Sky Fire!" She said, giving a small huff in disapproval, "What kind of pony would go and do that to another?"

"He's nothing but a meaniehead!" Pinkie Pie says, hopping over to her friends, "Not even Discord tried something like that!"

Twilight shuddered at the mention of his name. It was true that Discord gave them one of their bigger challenges before Sky Fire returned, but it was plain to see that Storm Rider was not out to cause disharmony among ponies. He was after something else. Something personal...

"Speaking of Sky Fire," Spike said, "do you think he'll be ok? He took kind of a beating there."

"As long as Billy remembers that tonic that he learned, he should be fine." Fluttershy said, dragging her hoof across the ground, "Though I probably should have gone with them..."

"If you left the animals would have stampeded through Ponyville due to all the thunder that went off." Applejack pointed out, "Besides, Rainbow bolted out of here with him the moment she got the chance."

"Think that Sky Fire will enjoy being put out of action?" Rarity asks.

"Odds are, Rarity, no." Applejack bluntly puts it.

XxXxX

"The tonic's ready." Billy says, walking out from Rainbow's kitchen with a small bottle.

"Good." Rainbow said, taking the bottle from him before pouring it into a special glass.

She glanced over to Sky Fire, who was just starting to wake up from laying on the couch. His entire body was covered in cuts and bruises. But thanks to the quick thinking of Twilight, was covered in many bandages. He grunted some as he opened his eyes, flinching at the bright lights. Rainbow chuckled before turning back to the special glass. Once it was half full she brought it over to him, placing it at a spot where he could drink from.

"Here. It'l likely taste awful, but it should help speed up the recovery." She said, though her tone wasn't any different than it usually is.

Sky Fire looks at the tonic briefly. Slowly he takes a quick sniff of it. Once the smell enter his nose he made a face at it.

"And apparently it smells bad as well." He said, trying to reach the glass so he could drink out of it. Rainbow sighed as she took the glass and motioned for him to open his mouth. Reluctantly he did.

"What's in this stuff anywa-" He began to ask, but as soon as the liquid was poured down his throat he began to make a gagging noise from it. "UGH! It tastes like fish oil!"

Billy gave a small chuckle at Sky Fire's displeasure. That chuckle came to an end though when Rainbow gave him a slight glare. He coughed a bit before Sky Fire reluctantly finished drinking the last bit of the tonic.

"As hard as it may be to believe, the taste wasn't my fault." He said, "Coach said it's suppose to taste that way due to the ingredients."

"You'd think medicine designed to make ponies feel better wouldn't have such a nasty after taste." Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

"That's what I said." Billy laughed, looking over the damage that Sky Fire went through. "But man, I am amazed that you lasted as long as you did. Any other pony would be in the ER with these kind of injuries."

Sky Fire rolled his eyes in annoyance. As much as he liked the fact that he was still cared for by everypony for his well being, he was getting really tired of them being amazed at how he was able to survive. Still, he was somewhat glad that he got out of the scrap with Storm Rider alive, if not barely.

"Had to adapt," He said finally, "The first time I fought that bastard I nearly died. If there's one thing I learned in Rainyville real quickly, it was to always avoid any kind of electric attack."

"Whoa whoa, WAIT." Rainbow said, putting one hoof on his mouth. "You actually FOUGHT that lunatic before? Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew how you would react," Sky Fire answered her, looking back some, "I'd...I'd rather not talk about it now, if that was all right with you."

Rainbow blinked as she noticed his change in attitude. Normally he would have given his reasons for why and start a debate with her about said reasons. This was a side of him that she was not used to seeing, and it quite honestly bothered her.

XxXxX

"Mayor!" A guard pony runs up to the stage, "The Princesses have arrived! They'll be addressing the issue to everyone at the town hall!"

"Good." The mayor turns to all of Ponyville's citizens, "Everypony, make way for the rulers of Equestria!"

Ponyville's citizens began to get in line with each other at long last to make sure that they looked orderly for their princesses. Applejack helped organize the order of the earth ponies while Fluttershy and Rarity helped organize the order of the pegasai and unicorns Twilight turned to Spike as the rest of the ponies began to form single file lines to await the arrival of their rulers.

"Get ready to take some notes, Spike. This might be a lot bigger than we thought it was if both of them are coming."

Spike nodded as he went to grab a quill and a couple pieces of parchment. While he was doing so, a grand light went off at the front of the Town Hall's entrance. From the light, Princesses Celestia and Luna appeared. Every pony in the hall bowed their heads out of respect for their rulers as they began walking down the hall. Twilight noticed that the friendly expression Celestia usually had was now replaced by a serious look, one that she only expressed when Discord was set free. Luna on the other hand, wore a worried expression.

Twilight didn't need anymore proof from either of them that the threat they were dealing with now was much greater than both Nightmare Moon and Discord combined. The very thought of such an enemy made Twilight's entire body quiver.

The two princesses reached the podium and stood by each other's side. Celestia cleared her throat first, then began to speak.

"Good citizens of Ponyville, we are in a major crisis here. As you know, a strange pegasus unicorn attacked Ponyville several hours ago. However, what some of you may not know is that the assailant was none other than Storm Rider, former leader of Rainyville and..." She hesitated on her words at first, then continued, "And close friend of Luna and myself. But according to reports I've received, he is now a power mad tyrant and criminal."

Celestia stepped away from the podium. Luna nodded at her older sister as she began to address them this time.

"Some of you may recall how, several years ago the city of Rainyville suffered a massive crime wave of the worst kind. Assault, extortion, kidnappings, even murder and destruction...and it was eventually found to all be linked to Storm Rider himself."

This statement caused half of the ponies to begin conversing amongst themselves at the shock of this news. Twilight frowned, the news was incredibly upsetting to everypony. Celestia took the podium again, regaining the citizens' attention as she cleared her voice.

"Since then, we have taken every step to ensure that he is captured and brought to justice for his crimes. We cannot risk the lives of citizens. It pains me to do this, but until further notice Ponyville must remain on lockdown. No pony will be able to enter or leave without clearance."

Before any of the ponies could begin conversing amongst themselves again at the news that no pony would be allowed to leave Ponyville, Luna stepped forward again. At first she gave her sister a unsure expression. But when Celestia just nodded, her younger sister regained her courage to speak.

"As per my sister's recommendation, I shall remain in Ponyville with a retinue of guards to help defend the town." She said.

Twilight let out a sight of relief. To have at least one of the Princesses remain in Ponyville to help defend their town was enough for her to feel somewhat better. Every other pony though began to talk amongst themselves. Rarity was the one who expressed her concerns the most though.

"But how will we be able to trade effectively?" She asked, "We can't be on lock down!"

Twilight blinked at Rarity's question. It was true that Ponyville was one of the main towns in Equestria that relied heavily on trade with outer towns and cities. She approached her teacher, bowing out of respect to her when she was in reach of both Princesses.

"Excuse me, Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? If it would not be too much trouble, why not send a small team to find Storm Rider?" She suggested, "That way Ponyville won't be on lockdown and trade could flow normally?"

Celestia put a hoof to her chin. She considered the option for awhile, then let out a soft sigh.

"...Twilight Sparkle, what you propose is a risky action. I...I knew Storm Rider before he...became what he is. At first he was full of honor and respect, but now he is merciless and pitiless. He will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals."

Before Twilight could continue their conversation, Luna stepped forward.

"Then send me. I'll remain in Ponyville with a retinue of guards and route out Spark's lair."

"What? I could never put you in such danger." Celestia argued, concern for her sister now fully shown in her eyes. Luna however just kept a determined look.

"PLEASE, sister! This is my chance to atone for my own transgressions. I do not fear Storm Rider, even without my armor."

Celestia remained silent for five seconds. Eventually, she shook her head a couple of times before turning back to her younger sister. A soft smile was now on her face."

"Very well...and I retract the lockdown, but as the Mayor said, it is best that everypony remain inside unless the need is great." She turned to the audience in front of them, "Thank you all, and fear not. As Princess, I promise you that Storm Rider will not profit from his actions."

The meeting ends, the large audience slowly breaking apart and heading back to their homes. Luna turns to the group, a small frown now replacing the confident look she held earlier.

"I apologize for Celestia's brashness." She said, "Storm's betrayal struck her deeply."

The mane cast blinked in confusion at those words. For as long as they knew their head princess, they had never expected her to let something get to her in such a way.

"It did?" How long have you two known him anyway?" Twilight asked, watching her teacher carefully.

Celestia sighed at her student's question. A small smile just grew on her face.

"To answer your question without going too far into the past, we shared a bond like you and your friends do, my faithful student." Celestia answered. Twilight decided not to press the issue on her anymore and turned to Luna.

"Princess Luna, are you sure that you want to do this alone? You're powerful, but he might have grown even stronger..." She expressed her concern. Luna shook her head.

"Twilight Sparkle, your concern is appreciated, but Storm Rider's power is deadly, on par with mine and my sister's. Are you certain you wish to become involved in this?"

Twilight gave an uncharacteristic smile at Luna, slightly bowing her head towards her.

"With all due respect, Princess, I have a feeling that the Elements of Harmony will be a great help to battling Storm Rider." Twilight says, "Though I think it would be best if we waited for Sky Fire's recovery, he's fought with Storm Rider before and-"

She noticed the frowns growing on her friends' faces. Twilight sighed as she turned her attention to them.

"I know, its hard to ask him that, but we do need someone who is a qualified for leadership, right? ...Right?"

The others were quiet for a moment. But then Pinkie quirked an eyebrow at Twilight.

"I thought YOU were the leader of our group?"

Everyone gave a slight laugh at Pinkie's question. Deep down, Twilight knew that Pinkie was well aware that she meant to have Sky Fire help them in their new battle. Fluttershy turned to them, her giggles dying down first.

"She has a point though. Sky and Storm Rider obviously have a history between them. We could use his knowledge." She said. Spike turned to Celestia and Luna, quickly bowing to both of them.

"Yeah, and besides, even if we didn't acknowledge that, Rainbow would probably force us to take him along." Everypony was quiet at that point. Applejack coughs some as she scratches the back of her head.

"That's actually a good point." She said, remembering how forceful Rainbow could be when it comes to convincing someone to help them.

Luna smiled softly as she turned back to Twilight. It was nice to see the younger sister smile more often after the events with both Nightmare Moon and Discord.

"Its good to see you've formed such a tight knit group, Twilight Sparkle. If it is your wish, I will postpone my search until your friend recovers."

"T-Thank you, Princess." Twilight smiled, "If it helps, I suggest we go see Zecora together. She might have a possible answer for what we should do."

Luna nodded and turned to her big sister. Celestia gave a smile again, no words were needed to show that she approved. Twilight smiled as she turned back to Spike and the others.

"We'll be back soon, everypony get ready for quite possibly our biggest adventure yet."

Twilight turned around to converse with Luna about where Zecora was living. As the two of them talked, Applejack pulled Spike aside to have a small talk with him. Pinkie Pie went back to the bakery to prepare some cakes to eat. Rarity went to start creating journey scarfs for her friends and Fluttershy flew into the air to head to Rainbow's house.

However, as they each went their separate ways, they were unaware that they were being watched from the shadows. A pair of dark red eyes gleamed in the bushes, waiting for the right moment to begin his attack. He had but one objective for his master, find the other Bearers in Ponyville and confirm their status.

The rest were nothing more than just minor annoyances.

To be continued...