CRISIS: Equestria

by GanonFLCL

CRISIS: Equestria - Chapter Thirty-five

CRISIS: Equestria

Chapter Thirty-five: Inconceivable

With a bright flash and a pop, a blue unicorn stallion clad in resplendent silver armor appeared in the center of a small plateau atop a large, rocky hill. Half an instant later, three other ponies appeared at his side. Two of them, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, stumbled away before recovering. The third, Fireburst, slumped to the ground and heaved.

“Y’all okay there, Fireburst?” Applejack asked with a chuckle. She walked over behind the sickened unicorn to pat her on the back. “Ya look like ya just got off a rollercoaster.”

Fireburst wiped her mouth and laughed nervously. “Sorry ‘bout that. This here’s my first time teleportin’. Is it natural fer everythin’ ta taste like a color? ‘Cause everythin’ tastes pink right now. Maybe red, I dunno. Not a real, uh… color connoisseur.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go with red. Ta be fair, I’m used to Twilight’s teleports, which almost taste the same. They kinda taste... purple, I guess.”

“With a hint of periwinkle,” Pinkie added. She licked her lips. “Mmm… periwinkle…”

Fireburst huffed. “Yeah, well, it’s weird that teleportin’ makes ya taste colors. Don’t that get old?”

Pinkie giggled. “I’m getting used to what all the colors taste like, thanks to all this teleporting. I love tasting new flavors! Now, if only I could figure out how to make cupcakes taste like colors. With a little work, I could make rainbow-flavored cupcakes! I bet Dashie would get a kick outta those!”

Applejack shook her head. “There she goes, thinkin’ ‘bout dessert again. It ain’t even lunch time yet.” She sighed and turned to face the stallion that had accompanied them, whose stony expression showed no cracks. “Thanks again fer the teleport Mister—er, Sir Leaf,” she said, reaching out to shake his hoof. “Y’all saved us a heap o’ time gettin’ here.”

“De rien,” the stallion replied, accepting Applejack’s hoof. The unicorn’s firm hoofshake surprised Applejack. “You will meet votre connaissance at zee bottom of zee hill”—he pointed behind Applejack—“pas loin d’ici—not far from here.” He then turned and stepped to the edge of the plateau. “Maintenant, I must bid you adieu, as I ‘ave ozer clients waiting pour moi.” He bowed. “Au revoir, mesdames.”

He lit up his horn and disappeared in a flash, leaving the three mares alone on the plateau.

Applejack took a deep breath. “Well, time ta get movin’, I s’pose.” She turned towards where the stallion had directed her. “We got somepony ta… meet. Whoa, golly… would ya look at that.”

Her eyes widened. Below her was an immense canyon that stretched far beyond the horizon. The entire city of Deepgrove was built into the canyon walls from the top to the bottom far below. Each building used the canyon as its foundation, as though the earth had been molded into the desired shape. The array of buildings were connected by a series of walkways, stairwells, and pulley-operated elevators that criss-crossed the canyon, all of them made of stone and wood. It gave the city a charming, old-fashioned appeal that reminded Applejack of Appleloosa or Dodge Junction, if they were built into cliffs.

“Hoo doggy, ain’t that a sight? So this is yer hometown, huh?” Applejack asked Fireburst.

Fireburst, getting over her dizziness, smiled and replied, “Sure is, AJ. Ain’t it somethin’?”

“Well, I sure ain’t gonna say ‘no’ ta that! Y’all got a real connection ta th’ earth here, an’ that’s real swell. My kind o’ ponies.” Applejack shook her head in disbelief. “Looks like all this here was built by hoof.”

“Down ta the last outhouse,” Fireburst said, puffing out her chest. “We Deepgrove folk take real pride in workin’ with our hooves. We got our fair share o’ unicorns, o’ course—yours truly amongst ‘em—but we only use our magic for gemcuttin’ ‘n’ appraisin’, since magic’s more exact that way.” She scuffed her hoof on the ground. “Well, ‘cept fer yours truly. Busted horn ‘n’ all.”

Pinkie sprung ahead of the pair and pointed down the trail ahead. “Ooh! Ooh! Look! Somepony’s coming!”

Applejack and Fireburst glanced down the trail, which twisted around the hill towards the city entrance. Sure enough, a pony dressed in the Harmony Guard armor was approaching. The pony, a light pink earth pony stallion with a bright blue mane and tail, circled up the path before coming to the mares, and bowed low in greeting.

“Bonjour, mesdames. I am Sir Sherbet,” said the stallion. He rose and looked between the mares. “Ladies Pie and Applejack, n’est-ce pas?” he said, addressing Pinkie and Applejack. He raised an eyebrow at Fireburst. “And ‘oo is zis troisième jument? I was only told to expect deux juments.”

“This here is Fireburst,” Applejack said, draping her hoof over the unicorn’s shoulder. “She’s our friend, an’ she said she’d like ta come along with us an’ help, seein’ as Deepgrove is her home an’ all.”

Fireburst nodded enthusiastically and offered her hoof for the stallion to shake. “Howdy! Sure is an interestin’ experience, meetin’ all you Harmony Guard ponies. I never really talked ta y’all before. Can’t understand a word y’all say, if’n ya don’t mind me sayin’.”

“Je vois,” Sir Sherbet replied. “Romantique is not an easy language to learn, en effet.”

“Well, now that y’all’re here, we can get started,” Applejack said. “We got the easy job, so this shouldn’t take long. We’re just here ta pick up this here... uh…” She turned to Pinkie. “What was it called again?”

“The Eternal Eye!” Pinkie said with a bounce. “Ohh, all the magical gems have such cool names! This is straight outta my fourth edition rulebook!”

“Right, that. We were told y’all were supposed ta have it ready for us when we got here. All we had ta do was pick it up, then head on out.”

“Oui, zat is correct,” Sir Sherbet agreed. Then, he sighed. “Malheureusement, zere ‘as been un retard in zee plans. A delay.”

Applejack frowned. “A delay? What sort o’ delay?”

“Zee worst kind.” Sir Sherbet turned and started back towards the city. “Allez. Come.”

Applejack turned to the other two mares and shrugged, then followed the knight. Pinkie and Fireburst followed close behind.

“I ‘ave been told zat you ‘ave puissante magie, so you may be able to ‘elp,” Sir Sherbet said as they circled their way down the hill. “If you want zee Eternal Eye, zen any ‘elp you can offer would be merveilleux.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Help? Help how?”

Sir Sherbet tilted his head back to address Fireburst. “Mademoiselle, you know of zee araignées de verre, oui?”

Fireburst blinked. “The... what-now? I told ya, I don’t understand fancy-speak.”

“Pardonnez-moi. Zee, euh… glass spiders.”

“Yeah, everypony in Deepgrove knows ‘bout those.”

“Zen you understand zee gravity of zee situation when I say zat zere is somezing wrong wiz zee spider in zee A-level mine. She ‘as been acting étrangement all afternoon, and zee miners are terribly worried. Zere ‘ave already been some injuries.”

“Oh dear.”

“What’s a glass spider?” Applejack asked.

“Is it a spider made out of glass?” Pinkie asked. “Because that would be weird.”

“Well, it’s... a spider,” Fireburst replied, “an’ it’s big enough that it can hurt ponies pretty bad if she were gettin’ all ornery. They ain’t made o’ glass, though. The miners ‘round here would get right upset if there was somethin’ wrong.” She turned back to Sir Sherbet. “What’s wrong that’s got everypony all worried, though?”

“She ‘as been acting aggressive. Violent,” Sherbet said, shaking his head. “She attacked many of zee miners ‘oo went down to ‘arvest your gem today.

“Zee spider of zee A-grade mine, she is zee only one zat makes Eternal Eyes, and she ‘as one big enough for zee mission zat zee Warden ‘as assigned.”

Fireburst sighed. “They’re normally right docile, so havin’ one bein’ all aggressive-like ain’t good. Miners can’t get ta her nest ta harvest gems, see? We kinda have a thing goin’, like a... a... cymbalonic... no, stimbionic.... uh...”

“Symbiotic?” Pinkie offered.

“Yeah, that. They make them gems down there, and we’re allowed ta harvest ‘em ‘cause we give ‘em the food that they use ta make the gems in the first place. Nice lil’ system, huh?”

“You feed them?” Pinkie asked. “What do glass spiders eat, anyway? Because regular spider eat bugs and stuff, so—” She gasped. “It’s not ponies, is it?!”

Fireburst blinked. “Uh... no? Why would we feed them with ourselves? That don’t make no sense, hun.”

“Glass spiders eat gems of a lower quality zan zose zey make,” Sherbet answered, giving Pinkie a reassuring smile. “Do not fear, Lady Pie. You will not be nourriture pour zee spider today.”

“Wait, y’all said glass spider thing... makes gems?” Applejack asked, perplexed. “How’s that possible?”

“Well, like Sir Sherbet here said, they eat low-quality gems,” Fireburst said. “Then, they turn them low-quality gems inta higher quality ones. The better the gems they eat, the better the gems ya get. Neat, huh?”

Applejack curled her lip in disgust. “If they turn ‘em inta better gems the way it sounds like they do, uh... that’s… kinda nasty.”

“Nasty? I don’t follow.”

Pinkie giggled. “Fireburst, you’re harvesting spider poop.”

Fireburst paused to think, then shrugged it off. “Meh. I ain’t got no problem with that. Them spiders are what makes Deepgrove the richest city in Utopia. Ya tend ta ignore the nitty gritty details of how the gems’re made when y’all’re holdin’ a ruby the size o’ yer head in yer hooves.”

“Uh-huh. Head-sized ruby or not, spider poop is still spider poop.”

Sir Sherbet cleared his throat. “En tout cas, zis is most chanceux!” he declared, turning to Fireburst. “Mademoiselle Fireburst, if you know so much, you must be un miner, non? If you are friends wiz Ladies Applejack and Pie, zen per’aps you can guide zem in zee mines? Zee ozer miners are refusing to go inside.”

“Can’t y’all accompany us?” Applejack asked.

He shook his head. “I do not know zee layout of zee mines. I am just un soldat.”

“Well, I don’t rightly know how much help I can be, ta be honest,” Fireburst replied with a sheepish grin. “See, I might be a unicorn, but I’m... not exactly the greatest spellcaster, y’see, so I can’t rightly work in the high-grade mines. I’m down at X-grade, and those mines ain’t particularly complex. I mean, I’m sure I can help a lil’ bit. Layout can’t be that difficult ta figure out.”

“Well, every lil’ bit helps!” Applejack said, patting Fireburst on the shoulder. “We’d be glad ta have ya, if ya wanna tag along.”

“Yeah, the more the merrier!” Pinkie cheered, wrapping Fireburst and Applejack up in a hug.

“Y’all’re sure ya want me along?” Fireburst asked.

“O’ ‘course we’re sure!” Applejack said. “Y’all’ve been a real good friend, Fireburst. Ya kept me company when I was lonely ‘n’ helped me get through... a lot of depressin’ stuff. I’m more’n glad ta have y’all along.”

Fireburst smiled. “I’m glad ta hear that. Ta tell the truth, I was worried about what y’all thought ‘bout me when that royal friend o’ yers gave me that grillin’ session earlier. I ain’t never been asked so many weird questions before ‘bout things I don’t usually give much thought to, y’know?”

“Aw, don’t mind Queen Blackburn none. That’s just how she is. She gave us all the same hardball questionin’ treatment when we all met.”

Applejack looked around the city as they walked along, trying to get an idea of the folks and lifestyles in Deepgrove. After all, Fireburst was just one pony, and Applejack knew that judging an entire city’s society on one pony was silly. Rarity couldn’t be considered a representation for Ponyville any more than Rainbow, or Fluttershy, or even Applejack herself.

The city walls, at least at the level they were on, were lined with shops loaded with gemstones of different sizes and cuts; were Rarity here, she certainly would have been critiquing each and every one. Some of the gems were even comparable to the ones Applejack remembered from Goldridge Pass. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and breeds bartered, traded, bought, and sold gems at a rapid pace; it reminded Applejack of the farmers’ market in Appleoosa. She never imagined that ponies could sell gems the same way they could sell crops, but here they were.

Then again, it made perfect sense. Fireburst had described the gem-growing and harvesting process in much the same way that Applejack would describe growing crops. The miners here were essentially farmers, tending to their crops and selling their excess, and were likely plagued by similar drought seasons and infestations that required careful attention. Fireburst had, of course, neglected to mention this “glass spider” factor, so Applejack was curious how such a creature lived in such harmony with the miners. She was even more curious how such a creature even lived in the first place; it seemed so strange.

The group entered the mining district of the city. While the trading district was alive with the hustle and bustle of business, the sounds of hard labor filled the mining district was filled. A crew of ponies worked to break apart an empty section of the canyon wall large enough that she could watch them from almost any point in the district. Earth ponies, hanging along the wall via suspension cables, planted explosives in the rock below. Unicorns contained the force of the blasts and the sprays of rock that followed.

“What’re they doin’ down there?” Applejack asked.

“Une nouvelle mine,” Sherbet said. “Zey construct a new set every year. Zis is zee last in zee set. Zen, zey will move zee spider eggs into zee proper mines.”

“Huh, kinda like tillin’ a new field.”

Applejack noticed that a crowd had gathered on the opposite wall; hoots and hollers erupted with each explosion. Every pony was covered in dirt; they must have come out just to observe the explosive displays. Perhaps it was timed to coincide with the happenings at the problematic mine. She asked Sir Sherbet as much.

“Oui. Zis is a new A-grade mine, to replace zee mine you are to go down today. Zee miners came out to rush because it is, ‘ow you say, ‘a rush job’? Normally, zee diggers actually dig wiz shovels and picks, not explosives, but zee mine needs to be replaced quickly.”

“Replace? Ya mean, after we’re done here, they’re closin’ this mine down?” Fireburst asked.

“Bien sûr! Zee miners do not ‘esitate to close down a mine zat is of no use to zem. If you were not ‘ere today, zee mine would already be closed.”

“Right… yeah, o’ course,” Fireburst grumbled. “Finally get ta go in an A-grade mine and it’s gettin’ collapsed tomorrow. Probably already cleaned out all the good stuff…”

Sherbet pointed down the pathway just ahead. “Ah! Mesdames, we are ‘ere. A-grade mine, numéro un.”

The group rounded a bend and came to the grand mine entrance, larger than any that Applejack had seen along the canyon wall, with a big number one above the entry arch. Mining equipment lay abandoned at the opening.

Sherbet turned to the trio of mares and bowed low. “I will not be accompanying you into zee mine, so zis is where je dois partir. Mademoiselle Fireburst should be a great ‘elp to you, so I am glad to leave you in ‘er capable ‘ooves. I will be waiting up ‘ere for you to return. Soyez prudentes.”

Fireburst stomped a hoof on the ground and beamed. “Well, shoot, guess the pressure’s on me then, ain’t it? Well, don’t you worry, gals. I’ll getcha in ‘n’ out o’ here in no time at all.” She started into the mine entrance, a certain pep in her step.

“Thanks for the escort, then, Sir Sherbet,” Applejack said. She beckoned for Pinkie to follow. “C’mon, Pinkie, let’s mosey on down. We got us a gem ta find.”

“Roger!” Pinkie said with a salute.

Applejack was eager to see just how hardy these Deepgrove ponies were, and to get a feel for how the mine shaft was constructed. The stone walls of the cavern were smoothed into polished rock and lacked features one might use to get their bearings, other than the occasional wooden beam. Small lanterns hung above the pathway every ten paces, and they shook as the cavern rumbled around them.

The cavern around her now felt like it had a serious itch that desperately needed to be scratched. Applejack figured that the glass spider was responsible for the minor tremors, but it didn’t take much guessing. The earth itself spoke to her, telling her that some massive creature was far, far below, and that it was the source of its irritation. It was an odd sensation, feeling the earth beneath her as though it were a living, breathing thing.

Ever since Applejack had admitted her feelings to Flathoof and why she’d been so cross with him lately, her powers seemed to come more naturally to her. The grasslands she’d crossed to reach Utopia sang to her, happy and healthy as a bird in the spring, and that brought with it an elation within herself to match, as though she and the earth shared an emotional bond.

In order to find what she and Pinkie were looking for, they’d have to somehow deal with that “itch”. She wished the earth could focus itself for a moment to help her find her way. The trio had just rounded the same corner for the third time in ten minutes. Or at least, she thought it was the same corner. All the twists and turns looked the same, and she had lost track of where she was. They were descending into the earth, at least, but without any way to tell where they were going, she wasn’t confident they were getting anywhere. The throbbing in her head and the earth wasn’t making it easy to concentrate.

“Y’all sure ya know where y’all’re goin’?” she asked, addressing Fireburst.

“I told ya, AJ, I ain’t never been in an A-grade mine before,” Fireburst grunted. “I’m just goin’ on my intuition here, from what I know of what my mine looks like. The mines’re s’posed ta be pretty uniform, but the higher-grade mines might be different. I don’t rightly know for sure.”

“We should be drawing a map as we go,” Pinkie suggested. “Adventurers are supposed to keep a map updated whenever they’re exploring a dungeon.”

Applejack sighed. “A map, yeah. Y’know, we could really use Tick Tock’s map right now… if it would even be of any help. I figure this mine ain’t even old enough for the map to know what its layout was before today.” She shook her head. “Any idea what we’re lookin’ for, Fireburst? Like, is there some kinda sign that we’re gettin’ close?”

“Webs, o’ course,” Fireburst replied. “The closer ya get to the spider’s lair, the more webs you’ll see.”

“Well, since the spider doesn’t eat ponies, I don’t suppose it’d be draping skeletons of its prey over its web, in weeks creating a macabre shrine of remains,” Pinkie suggested.

Applejack and Fireburst both stared at Pinkie, confused and disturbed. “What in the hay brings that on, Pinkie? That’s mighty grim, comin’ from y’all.”

“Hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t write the song.”

“Song? What song?”

“Glass Spider. Duh.”

“There ain’t no song ‘bout no glass spiders, Pinkie.” Applejack paused and turned to Fireburst. “Uh… is there?”

Fireburst shook her head. “Nope. Not that I’ve heard.”

Pinkie sighed. “Never mind.” Then, she pointed ahead of the trio with great enthusiasm. “Ooh, ooh! There! Up ahead!”

Applejack turned to see what Pinkie was pointing at, and caught sight of thin strands of white thread stretched across the cavern. They were thicker than any spider webs she’d ever seen before, easily as thick as healthy celery stalks. What really piqued Applejack’s curiosity were the gem shards laced throughout the webs, each thread cluster with its own unique color. The shards were tiny, no bigger than an apple seed at their largest.

“Golly, I’d bet all my bits that Rarity would do anythin’ ta get her hooves on this here thread.” Applejack stepped up to a strand, and ran her hoof along it. It felt silky smooth and was not sticky in the least; the gems were so ingrained in the material that the texture was unchanged. “She’d make a dress outta this stuff so fast it’d make yer head spin.”

“We’re gettin’ close,” Fireburst said, keeping her voice low. “Y’all feel that too, right? The tremors, I mean.”

“Yeah, I feel ‘em,” Applejack replied. “They’ve been gettin’ stronger the deeper we go. This spider must be pretty dang big ta make the earth shake this much. How do y’all handle one o’ these things?”

“Very carefully.” Fireburst chuckled at her own joke. “Like Sir Sherbet said, they’re not normally violent, but they’re big ‘n’ strong, so they’re dangerous. We don’t need ta worry ‘bout her sneakin’ up on us, but we still better be careful movin’ forward.”

“Right…”

The trio continued down through the mine shaft, passing more and more of the silky threads. The tremors grew stronger as they descended; the mine walls shuddered, shaking loose dust and dirt and creating a wobbling cacophony of vibrating gem strands.

At the end of the corridor, the mine opened up into a massive chamber large enough to house a small village. Gemstones of every color covered the wall, giving the cavern a bright rainbow glimmer even in the dim glow of the few lanterns that dotted the ceiling high above. The similarity to Goldridge was so strong that Applejack wondered if a glass spider had been responsible for that as well

The tremors in this chamber were the strongest they’d been yet. Light bounced erratically around the room as the lanterns shook; Fireburst and Pinkie could barely keep their balance. Gems and rocks jostled about in the walls, some coming loose and falling to the floor.

“This must be near the spider’s lair,” Applejack said.

“As close as we’re probably gonna wanna get,” Fireburst agreed. “This here looks ta be a major gem horde, though, so this is probably where she eats. Probably why there’re so many different kinds o’ gems; she probably has ta eat a specific combination or somethin’. If we’re lucky, she deposited—"

“Pooped,” Pinkie corrected.

Fireburst rolled her eyes. “Deposited the gem in here, and we won’t have ta go searchin’ much deeper.”

Applejack stepped out into the chamber. “Well, c’mon, let’s find this here gemstone we’re lookin’ for. Harmonia’s Warden said it’s a teeny-tiny pink thing that sparkles like a star. If ya think ya found it, give it a spin, ‘cause it’s supposed ta make noise. An’ make it snappy, ‘cause we wanna get moseyin’ on out before that there spider gets back.”

Fireburst pointed along the chamber walls. “The way this here collection is organized, most o’ the gems she’d have deposited are spread along the walls. So, we’ll comb the walls. AJ, you wanna come with me along this way?” she asked, pointing along the left side of the chamber.

Applejack nodded. “Sure.” She turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, y’all head along the other side.”

Pinkie saluted, clanking her hoof against her helmet. “Roger that, AJ! I’ll find that gem in a jiffy!”

“An’ remember, as soon as y’all find anythin’, just holler and we’ll meet back here. I wanna get outta here before—"

A fierce rumble knocked everypony off-balance.

“Aw, horseapples.”

The floor in the center of the chamber burst apart as a massive arachnid crashed through from below, sending rock and shattered gemstones spraying around the room. A thin, greasy mucus covered the spider’s body, giving its armored exoskeleton and bristling fur a sheen so clear that it reflected the spider’s surroundings like a mirror.

The spider hoisted itself out of the hole it had created and clamored about before it finally came to a stop. It slowly turned its head until its gaze fell on Applejack and Fireburst; Applejack noticed its movements were twitchy, as though it weren’t entirely stable. It let out a shrill screech, spewing gem flakes, saliva, and blood in their direction.

Applejack leaned over to Fireburst, and whispered. “Y’all stay behind me, y’hear? An’ the second ya see an openin’, make a break for it and get yer butt back ta the surface.”

“B-but what about you?” Fireburst asked.

“We’ll handle it. Trust me, this ain’t the biggest thing we’ve ever fought.”

The great spider stood still for a long while, just staring at Applejack and Fireburst. After several tense moments, it finally turned its head again, shifting its gaze towards the other side of the room until it fell upon Pinkie Pie. Pinkie didn’t flinch when the beast roared at her; she just leveled her forehoof at the creature’s face, charged up her repulsor, and lowered her face shield.

“Bring it, Shelob,” Pinkie said.

The spider moved with a speed unbecoming of such a large creature, and slammed its four forelegs into the rock around Pinkie with astounding force. The earth beneath Pinkie crumbled, and both went tumbling through the gaping hole in the floor.

“Pinkie!” Applejack yelled, rushing to the hole the spider had torn into the floor. She desperately searched the darkness for any sign of Pinkie, but the hole was too deep. “We gotta help her,” she said, turning to Fireburst.

To her surprise, Fireburst was splayed out on the ground, covering her head with her hooves. “Applejack help!” she screamed. “Somethin’s hitin’ me!”

Applejack’s eyes widened; Fireburst lurched unnaturally on the ground as if something, or somepony, had delivered a swift kick to her gut. There wasn’t anypony else in the room, Applejack thought, but Fireburst was under attack. She only knew one pony capable of such a thing.

“Hold on sugarcube, I’m comin’.”

Applejack charged Fireburst’s position, covering herself in a layer of rock. She passed through nothing but air.

“Fireburst, are you alright?” she asked, helping the unicorn up.

“I’ve been better,” Fireburst said, brushing herself off. Her cheek was already swollen from where she’d been hit. “What in tarnation just happened?”

“Remember when I told ya that me ‘n’ my friends were bein’ chased by a bunch o’ no-good mares?”

“Yeah?”

“This here looks like the work o’ one of ‘em. Curaçao’s her name, an’ she’s a sneaky lil’ thing that can turn all see-through.”

“She can turn invisible?” Fireburst asked, bewildered. “I thought y’all said she was an earth pony. Turnin’ invisible is unicorn magic.”

“Ain’t any harder ta believe than me havin’ this here earth magic, is it?”

Fireburst paused, then nodded. “Good point. Okay, so… how’re we gonna deal with this? We can’t see her, so we don’t know where she’s comin’ from.”

Applejack frowned and took a few steps away, scanning the chamber for any possible sign of Curaçao. “I should be able ta sense her. Every time she puts her hooves on the ground, the ground should be tellin’ me where she is. She may have caught me off guard this time, but now that I know she’s here there ain’t no chance of that.”

Fireburst raised an eyebrow. “Y’all can do that? Well, what’s the ground tellin’ ya now?”

“That there ain’t nopony in here but you ‘n’ me.” Applejack gave Fireburst a reassuring smile. “Now, if you’re okay to move, we still need ta get down ta help Pinkie; if Curaçao’s here, that means some o’ her sisters might be, an’ Pinkie’s got a big problem ta deal with as it is.”

“I’ll see if I can find a path that leads further down—"

“No time for any o’ that,” Applejack said, shaking her head. She trotted back to the edge of the hole and rolled her shoulders. “Just grab onta me an’ I can ask the earth ta slide us on down. Piece o’ cake.”

Fireburst shifted in place. “I dunno… that sounds awful dangerous.”

“Trust me, we’ll be fine. I can ask the rock here ta take us down all safe-like.”

Fireburst gulped. “R-right. Okay, Applejack.”

While Applejack focused on forming a slide down, something swept Fireburst’s legs out from under her. She gasped for air and grasped at her throat. A pained gasp escaped her lips: “H-help!”

“Dagnabit!” Applejack abandoned her slide and charged at Fireburst’s attacker, but again, she met nothing but air.

Fireburst took a deep breath of air and rubbed her throat. “W-what happened?” she asked, trembling. “I thought you were supposed to sense her comin’ or somethin’?”

“I know, I know,” Applejack huffed. “I should, but I don’t feel anypony here but you ‘n’ me.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do? She could come from anywhere!”

Applejack took a deep breath. “We’re gonna do the only things we can do: stick together, and keep movin’. Sittin’ ‘round here waitin’ ta get attacked ain’t doin’ us any good. We need ta find Pinkie, find that there gem, ‘n’ get the hay out of here.”

“And what do we do about Curaçao?”

“You just leave her to me sugarcube. Curaçao’s a coward,” Applejack spat, loud enough that she hoped the invisible pony would hear, “plain ‘n’ simple. She ain’t never tried ta take on more’n one of us at a time, and she ain’t never tried ta go after me.”

Fireburst nodded, and her trembling ceased. She met Applejack’s gaze for just a moment before speaking. “Let’s just get outta here in one piece, okay?”

Applejack smiled. “We will, an’ that’s the honest truth.”

Applejack trailed close behind Fireburst as they headed for the passage leading deeper into the mine, keeping her wits about her and looking every which way for any sign of Curaçao. She knew this would take longer than just sliding down, so she just hoped that Pinkie could handle herself until they arrived.

The tunnels felt more foreboding than before: narrow, cramped, and growing dimmer the deeper they went. Curaçao could be lurking in any dancing shadow, around any corner, behind any rock. For that matter, she could be right in front of Applejack, for all she could see. So, she focused on what she could see. Signs of the mine’s former activity littered the passage, eerie reminders that ponies had been working here just that morning: displaced mining equipment; a trampled picture of a young colt next to a hard hat; the remnants of an unfinished meal amongst an equally unfinished game of poker.

An eerie silence had formed between Applejack and Fireburst as they walked, amplifying every little sound the mine could throw at them. A hoof—no telling who's—sent a pebble skittering along the ground, and Applejack burst into action. She sealed the passage behind them with a massive sheet of solid rock; a resounding boom echoed through the passage.

Fireburst jumped at the sound and backed herself up against the wall, grabbing a nearby pickaxe to defend herself. After realizing there was no danger, she groaned and stamped her hoof. “Dagnabit, AJ, ya scared me half to death! What’d ya do that for?”

Applejack let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, and turned to Fireburst. “Sorry. I’m just a lil’ worked up, y’know?”

“That don’t mean ya need ta go sealin’ up every tunnel we pass through. For all you know ya could’ve caused a dang cave-in!”

“Well it’s better than doin’ nothing,” Applejack spat back. “Who knows, I might’ve sealed her behind us, an’ now she can’t follow us. Or… she could still be ahead of us… and I just put us in a right pickle.”

Fireburst sighed, and took the lead down the passage again, shaking her head as she went. “What have I gotten myself into? I tell ya, if I’d have known I’d be gettin’ hunted down by an invisible killer just for meetin’ ya, AJ, I might’ve taken a different route ta Utopia.”

“Sorry ta get y’all involved in all this, Fireburst. I don’t even know how these mares got down south in the first place.”

“Why’s she goin’ after me anyway? Why is she tryin’ ta kill me? I don’t even know this mare.”

“I reckon y’all don’t fall under her ‘non-lethal’ orders,” Applejack murmured. “She’s probably worried y’all’d be able ta help me find her, even with your… uh…”

“Handicap,” Fireburst whispered, glancing up at her horn for a moment. “Well, even if I was able ta use magic, I don’t know how much help I’d be. You can feel ponies trottin’ around with your earth magic, and you can’t even find that mare. You don’t think she’s got some sort o’ power y’all don’t know about, do ya?”

Applejack pondered a moment. “I don’t think so, but I can’t really think of anythin’ else that could let her do this. Unless she could fly or somethin’...”

“Maybe she’s got some sort o’ ghost power. She’s already got the invisibility, so who’s ta say she can’t pass through walls and stuff, too.” Fireburst paused at an intersection in the tunnel for a moment, then beared a left.

“I don’t even want to think about somethin’ like that,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Besides, if she could do that, why would she hide it? That kind o’ thing would give her all kinds of advantages in a fight.”

Fireburst shrugged. “It gives her more of an advantage to hide it until she needs it. If ya don’t know what yer opponent is capable of, ya can’t defend against it until it’s too late.”

“Ya sure know a lot about fightin’ fer somepony that ain’t ever got in a fight,” Applejack said.

“It ain’t just a fightin’ tactic, it’s a business tactic. Fer example, if my mine suddenly started producin’ better quality gems, why would I advertise that before I could make the best profit from it? The higher-grade mines are serviced by more than one miner, so they split profits; if I sold the same gems, I keep it all ta myself.

“Same deal here. She’s got this unknown power that we know nothin’ about, so she can bide her time until she’s got the perfect time to strike. Then, BAM!”

Applejack flinched.

Fireburst took a breath. “It’s off with our heads. Or something like that.” Fireburst took a long breath to calm herself. “What I’m sayin’ is, I hope you have some tricks up your sleeve, too.” She leaned in for a whisper. “Like, for example, makin’ your coat somethin’ stronger than rock. Any one o’ these minin’ tools could crack right through that. Can ya make your coat inta metal or somethin’?”

Applejack whispered back, “No can do. My magic only works on whatever natural material I’m touchin’, so unless there’s natural metal down here that ain’t been crafted inta somethin’ else, I’m stuck with just rock.”

Fireburst sighed. “As the Harmony Guard say, ‘Say lovey’.”

The pair continued through the passageways down towards the mine bottom, unmolested by their unseen stalker. The shaking below had stopped as well; Applejack wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. After what seemed like an age of walking, the pair came across a metal gate blocking the entrance to a much larger chamber.

Fireburst gestured towards the chamber on the other side. “That chamber’s got an elevator system that leads inta the glass spider’s nest. That’s our fastest way down.”

“Why’d they block it all up? That spider can plow through rock. It’d make quick work o’ this here blockage,” Applejack said.

“Maybe so, but ya haven’t seen any gems in a while, have ya? That’s ‘cause the spider never comes this way. This is only fer the mine’s forepony, who uses it ta tend ta the spider, so he or she’s the only one with the keys.”

“Keys? We don’t need no stinkin’ keys.” Applejack smirked and took the lead. “Y’all just stand back now, ‘cause I’m gonna bust this here wide open.”

Fireburst dropped back a few paces. Once she was clear, Applejack reared up on her hind legs and slammed her hooves to the ground; the rock around the gate shook. The passage itself crushed the gate, dropping it into the chamber beyond before returning to its normal state.

As soon as they way was clear, Fireburst made a sudden mad dash into the chamber.

“Fireburst? Hey! Where’re ya goin’?!” Applejack exclaimed.

She rushed after her into the chamber and looked everywhere, but couldn’t see her friend. Then, she sensed movement to her side. She turned to see the glint of metal. There was a sharp pain in her skull.

Everything went black.

***

Pinkie slammed into the floor, and though her armor absorbed the brunt of the impact, she still felt extreme pain. She did not take the time to take in her surroundings or recover from the landing; she needed to move to avoid the massive arachnid barrelling down on her from the abyss above. She propelled herself off the ground, avoiding the great creature as it crashed into the ground where she’d been.

She snapped her hoof up to aim her repulsor at the spider, just as it turned its head in her direction. It let loose a shrieking roar and stormed towards her; she popped off a single shot that struck it directly between its two centermost eyes.

The spider didn’t react in the slightest, and speared a leg towards her. She leapt aside to avoid it as it pierced through the rock below, and popped off a few more shots at the joint connecting the leg parts together. The bursts fizzled harmlessly against the spider’s thick exoskeleton.

“What’s this thing made of, indestructium?” Pinkie muttered as she slid back against a nearby wall.

To Pinkie’s confusion, the spider was having trouble dislodging its leg from the floor, so she took a moment to examine the cavern around her, trying to find where she could move to get some sort of advantage. The cavern was expansive, such that she couldn’t see the wall on the other end, and blanketed with gem-laden strands of spider silk.

The spider screeched, finally having freed itself, and rushed at Pinkie again. She leapt aside to avoid it; it crashed into the wall behind her, crushing rock like tissue paper. Pinkie was dismayed at how creature moved abnormally fast for its size; however, she was confused that it didn’t have much balance, moving with erratic, exaggerated movements, giving it the bizarre appearance of something not totally in control of its actions.

The spider turned towards Pinkie again, then lumbered forward, but its former speed was inexplicably gone. Pinkie readied herself and leveled her hoof cannon again, then fired another shot between the spider’s central eyes. This time, the shot had an effect; the spider screeched in pain and staggered away, collapsing to the floor like a limp noodle.

With a loud squelch, the spider’s entire body contorted unnaturally; it let out a loud squeal of pain. A great bulge popped up upon its back, and slid along its abdomen up to its head, then lingered there a moment, bubbling away like a festering boil. Then, the bulge burst outwards in a spray of bright green ichor; Pinkie shifted to avoid the mess.

A pony-shaped figure sprung from the massive rupture left behind in the spider’s head.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” shouted Red Velvet, her legs raised up in triumph as she landed on the cold stone floor.

The great spider, its eyes dim and lifeless, crumbled flat on the floor, dead. A great torrent of visceral fluids streamed forth from its great wound, as well as from many others that appeared across its body. They flowed in Velvet’s direction, curled about her like a snake, then slid up along her spine and entered her body. She shivered as they did so.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Velvet said, a wide smile on her face. “Long time no see! Nice costume.”

Pinkie nodded. “Red.”

Velvet smirked. “Aww... you don’t look happy to see me.”

“The last time I saw you, you tried to kill one of my friends, scared the living daylights out of everypony, and were all ready to try and kill the rest of us before Dashie showed up. So, no, I’m not happy to see you.” She lifted both forehooves and aimed her repulsors at the other pony, charging up a burst in each. “Besides, I know you’re not just here to chat. Let’s get this over with.”

“Ooh... I kinda like it when you’re all serious,” Velvet tittered. “Sure beats the whole goofball-moron routine. What gives?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Source material dictates that while I may be a genius billionaire playcolt philanthropist, I take my work very seriously.” She leveled her hoof cannons again. “So c’mon, let’s go. This oughta be fun! See if you can keep up with me this time.”

“I think I’ll manage.” Velvet chuckled and slicked her mane back with some of the spider’s lingering blood. “So, we both know the drill here. Where’s your fancy little toy that plays your tunes?”

Pinkie tapped the side of her helmet, and an upbeat tune flowed into the air, filling the cavern with echoing sound. “Let’s do this.”

“Yes. Let’s.”

Velvet unleashed a series of tendrils from her back and snapped them at Pinkie with lightning speed; Pinkie propelled herself to the side with a brief spurt from her repulsors to avoid them, then popped off her charged shots.

Velvet pooled her blood together to form a shield, deflecting the blasts easily. One blast reflected upwards and struck the ceiling above Pinkie, knocking loose chunks of rock; Pinkie dodged backwards with another repulsor burst.

In the instant Pinkie was distracted, Velvet lowered her shield and sprinted forward, brandishing a large blood spike and guiding it with her foreleg. She leapt into the air and thrust it down at her target.

Pinkie jetted forward, narrowly avoiding the strike; she swung herself around to slam her iron-clad hoof into Velvet’s jaw.

Velvet staggered back, but shook off the blow. She swung a pair of blades in a narrow arc.

Pinkie jumped to avoid the first, but did not avoid the second and was knocked off balance, falling to the floor.

Velvet pounced on Pinkie, blade poised to strike, but Pinkie fired a powerful burst from her rear repulsors, propelling herself out from under Velvet before the other pony could slice her apart. Velvet growled, and pursued.

Pinkie rose to her hooves, and deployed a small, shoulder-mounted cannon, then fired a tiny missile directly at the charging pink maniac coming towards her.

Velvet’s eyes widened. “Oh sh—"

The explosion sent Velvet hurtling into the cavern wall and tumbling to the floor. She struggled to her hooves, disoriented, and staggered in place for a moment. Then, she leered at Pinkie, a strange smile on her face.

“You okay there, Red?” Pinkie asked, eyebrow raised.

“If this is really the best you have to offer, Pinkie, you’re in for a world of hurt,” Velvet said. She healed her bruises as easily and quickly as one would flip a switch, looking none the worse for wear. “I’ve taken worse hits from more talented ponies. You’re gonna have to bring more than a few wussy potshots to take me down.”

“Is that so? Well then, maybe a little genre shift is in order.”

The music in the air came to a screeching halt.

Pinkie’s suit clinked and clanked, opening up to allow its occupant to step out. Pinkie’s clothes underneath the armor changed, and she now wore a bright orange martial arts uniform with a blue shirt underneath, kept tight around her waist by a blue belt. She also stood firm on only her hind legs, upon which she wore a pair of blue boots. A tiny white emblem with black writing was emblazoned on the left of Pinkie’s chest, and a matching emblem took up the entire back. Also, the armor vanished into thin air behind her, as though it had never existed.

“Oh, this is rich,” Velvet chortled, hoof over her mouth. “You look ridiculous. Then again, you always look ridiculous. What are you supposed to be this time, huh?”

Pinkie maintained a firm expression of unflappable determination. “I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things who cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth.” She jabbed her hoof in Velvet’s direction. “Ally to good, nightmare to you!”

Velvet smirked. “Nightmare, huh? Sweetie, your cute little spiel might sound intimidating to some ponies, but you forget who you’re talking to. I am nightmares incarnate.” She laughed and bared her sharp teeth. “I may have lost my ability to see into your darkest dreams, to feed off of what you fear most... but I still know more about what brings terror than you could ever hope to imagine. No matter how tough you think you are, I am not afraid of you. And do you know why?”

She turned and gestured to her side. Pinkie followed the gesture, and for the first time she took notice of the large wound in Velvet’s midsection; she wasn’t sure how she’d missed such a huge injury. For a fleeting second, Pinkie worried that she’d been the cause of it; no matter what Velvet did or who she hurt, Pinkie’s intent had never been to cause her any lasting harm.

“You know where I got this?” Velvet asked. “Hope’s Point. My sisters and I fought against some of the soldiers there when they decided to be… less than cooperative. They used guns, like those stupid robot soldiers do. Funny thing about their weapons though, compared to the ones I’ve seen you use? They actually do damage.”

“You might know nightmares, but I know funny, and that’s not funny at all,” Pinkie said.

“Maybe not to a nicey-nice wimp like you, but it’s funny to me. I’ve fought you a few times now, and each time I do, I get tossed around, blown up, shot, punched and kicked with flaming hooves, electrocuted, and so on and so forth. While I may be more resilient than the average pony, some of these things should be near-lethal to even ponies like me.” Velvet shrugged. “And yet, I just get back up like nothing ever happened, with nothing more than a bruise or a bloody nose.”

She chuckled, and stroked her hoof along the wound with pride. “At first, I thought it was because I was invincible! This gutshot here proved me wrong... but it showed me the truth about you. Your weapons hurt just a little bit, because you’re only trying to keep me occupied.”

“Well, duh,” Pinkie snorted. “I’m not trying to kill you, Red. I know you’re a violent, scary meanypants, but that’s just not my way of handling things. I figured if I can just knock a little sense into you, maybe we can go back to being friends.”

Velvet let out a great, roaring laugh. “Friends? Ha! Ha ha ha! Okay, now that was funny. We were never friends, Pinkie, and we never will be.” She snarled and drew her tendrils around her. “I’ve always wanted to see you dead, ever since the day I was ‘born’.”

“You make it sound like you’re some sort of—" Pinkie paused, and held her hoof up high in realization. “Ohhh, I get it now. This is like one of those clichéd science fiction dealies where I have to face my evil twin!”

“I am not a cliché!” Velvet spat. “I’m not your stupid ‘evil twin’, this is totally different!”

Pinkie put her hoof to her head. “It all makes sense now! I mean wow, I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out before. You look almost exactly like me, you sound almost exactly like me, you act almost exactly like me, but all it just has a liiittle evil twist to it.” She shook her head and chuckled. “And now the evil twin wants to kill the original. Cliché. What’s the deal here? Do you want to replace me or something?”

“Replace you? Ha! Why in Equestria would I want to replace you? You and I are going to become one, in a manner of speaking.” Velvet grinned, bearing a mouthful of fangs. “See, I’m not going to just kill you... I’m going to eat you. I’m going to devour you, body and soul. Just because I can.”

“Ooh, scary.” Pinkie settled into a fighting stance. “Not gonna happen, Red. Nopony’s eating anypony.”

“We’ll just see about that. Bon appetit!”

***

Applejack awoke when she felt herself abruptly heaved through the air, as though tossed out of bed. She groaned and shook her head, and immediately regretted it; her head ached something fierce. When she attempted to move, she found herself unable to, and the sound of rattling chains filled her ears. Her eyes sprang open in panic. She could see the mine floor yards beneath her; thick chains wrapped around her, and she was suspended by a large hook.

“What the hay is goin’ on?” she growled. She struggled in vain to break her bonds, but they held tight. “Curaçao, when I get my hooves on you!”

“No need for any more threats now, AJ,” said a voice from below—Fireburst’s, to be exact. She stepped away from a large panel of mechanical instruments and clicked her tongue. “Ain’t no way y’all can carry ‘em out anyway.”

“Fireburst, what in the hay are you talking about? Get me down from here!”

Fireburst merely shook her head. “What’s the matter, hun? I thought y’all had those strong earth powers ‘n’ all that jazz. Can’t ya break out on yer own? I think I’m just gonna leave ya hangin’ ‘round up there ‘til I decide what ta do with ya.”

“Decide what to… why you-! I think I should’ve left ya hangin’ from that dang ol’ vine!” Applejack spat, spinning in place. “I thought we were friends Fireburst, but you’re just in cahoots with Curaçao and her sisters, ain’t ya?”

“Cahoots with Curaçao and her sisters?” Fireburst tapped her chin. “Hmm… close. Very close.”

Applejack grunted. “But that don’t make any sense. They couldn’t have known anypony ‘round here before we did. What in the hay’s goin’ on, here?”

“C’mon, now, y’all can figure it out. It ain’t that hard.”

“Well, if’n they did somehow meet ya before ya met me, then I just got one question: are y’all really working for them, or are they holdin’ somethin’ over your head?”

“What?”

“Whatever it is, just tell me, and I can help ya. I promise.”

Fireburst rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Holy smokes, you’re dense. The only thing being held above my head is you, AJ.” She shrugged. “Do I really have ta explain it to ya?”

“I reckon ya do, ‘cause right now I ain’t got any idea why my ‘friend’ would suddenly knock me out, tie me up, an’ string me up in the air like some sort of piñata.”

“I guess bein’ an honest pony like yerself just makes ya trustin’, don’t it?” Fireburst shook her head and sighed. “Listenin’ ta y’all talk ‘bout how bad Curaçao ‘n’ her sisters were, I figured y’all would be less willin’ ta trust somepony so quick-like. I can’t believe how easy y’all made it. You even told me how ta keep you from using them fancy powers o’ yers. Bless your heart, hun.”

“Fireburst, you little snake! Let me down!” Applejack snapped, spinning around again and rocking back and forth—anything she could do to free herself. “I bet you’ve been working for them the whole… time...” Applejack’s jaw clenched in terror. Fireburst had been treated as a friend and made privy to all of the goings-on. She knew everything she’d need to know to help plan this ambush: who was going where, with who, and why.

Fireburst chuckled. “It sounds like ya almost got it all figured out. You’re so close, but y’all’re missin’ just one little detail.”

Applejack glared at Fireburst, her mouth contorted into a vicious snarl. “No,” she said, “I see everything as clear as day. I trusted ya… I considered y’all a friend… and now, thanks ta that, my friends—the only thing I’ve got in this blasted world o’ yers—are in danger! It’s all because of you! You ‘n’ them other no-good mares! Well I ain’t gonna sit here ‘n’ wait while those mares capture my friends and do Celestia knows what to em’.” She swung herself a little bit towards the nearest wall, but didn’t get far. “Y’all get Curaçao in here right now, so I can put ya both in a hole so deep you’ll never see the sun again!”

“Goodness gracious, hun,” Fireburst sighed, “I knew y’all were dense, but I didn’t think I’d have to explain everythin’ to ya like teachin’ a filly ta read. But, if y’all want Curaçao out here so badly…” She took a deep breath, and gave a sly grin. “D’accord.”

She stood in place and lifted a hoof into the air. A soft glow enveloped her, and her body morphed in place. The changes were minor, but enough to make Fireburst look like a completely different pony. Her horn shrunk into her head until it vanished; her body became less robust and more lithe, and she grew about an inch or so taller; her mane and tail shortened immensely; her vest melted away into a full-body jumpsuit.

The glow subsided, and the pony that was Fireburst was no more. Standing in her place was—

“C-Curaçao?!” Applejack choked. “What- how- you- no.” Applejack writhed in her chains. She simply couldn’t process what was going on any more. All she knew was that the object of her rage was standing right there below her.

Curaçao ran a hoof through her mane and smoothed her headband across her forehead, then let out a single small laugh, like the chirp of a triumphant bird. “Oui, c’est moi! I would say it ‘as been a while, but obviously, zat is not zee case.”

“Y’all can change shape?!”

“As I said earlier, ‘iding it gives me un avantage, n’est-ce pas? If you do not know what I can do, en ‘ow can you defend yourself? C’est simple: I ‘ave magic, just as you do, Applejack. While you control zee terre, I control mon apparence. I was ta copine Fireburst zis ‘ole time.”

Applejack’s response was a blank stare. “No,” she growled through clenched teeth. “You rotten snake! When I get my hooves on you!” She swung herself towards the wall again, but it was still much too far out of reach

“Ah, so eager pour combattre.” Curaçao shook her head. “But, tu as tort about why I am ‘ere, and what I ‘ave come ‘ere to do.”

Applejack stayed quiet and continued her attempts to reach the wall.

“Toi et tes amies will be quite safe after all of zis is over wiz, Applejack. You do not to worry about zeir safety.”

“Liar!” Applejack spat, shifting her weight once more. Each time she did, the distance from the rocky mine wall was just that much shorter.

Curaçao smirked. “Ah, oui, c’est vrai. I do lie. Frequently. Wiz enviable perfection, tu ne crois pas—wouldn’t you agree? But je m’éloigne! I do not lie tout le temps—all zee time. Sometimes, Applejack… telling zee vérité is the best way to take advantage of zee situation.”

“Ha! Real rich,” Applejack grunted. “The second I get outta this pickle, I’m gonna bury that no-good lyin’ mouth o’ yours under two tons of dirt, you hear me?! And when I’m done, I’ll find Pinkie and do the same thing ta whichever o’ yer sisters is after her!”

“Applejack, you refuse to understand, and zis distresses me. I always zought zat you were plus raisonnable zan zis. Per’aps if I make zis clearer pour toi, you will listen.” Curaçao cleared her throat. “You want to ‘elp Pinkie Pie, non? You are ‘elping ‘er, by being ‘ere wiz me. And, you are also ‘elping Red Velvet. So long as you stay ‘ere, everypony wins. Hourra, n’est-ce pas? As for why I tied you up…” She shrugged. “Je suis désolée. I did zink you would trust me enough to stay put.”

“Oh, so tyin’ me up was your plan to get me to trust you? Real genius work there.”

Curaçao sighed; Applejack drew closer to the wall of the mine with every swing. Still, she stood firm and continued to speak. “Applejack, crois-moi, I want to ‘elp toi et tes amies to complete your tasks. I ‘ave nozing to gain wiz sabotage, and everyzing to gain if tes amies are victorieuses. As a token of bonne foi, I ‘ave ‘ad Red Velvet collect zis.” She reached into an unseen pocket on her jumpsuit and pulled out a tiny pink gem. “Zee Eternal Eye. Small, pink, and it makes an ‘igh-pitched wail when it is spun, just as it was described. You may take it when we are done.”

Applejack blinked in disbelief, then shook her head. “Yeah, right. If my friends winnin’ were to yer benefit, y’all’d let me down right now.”

“Tes amies can only do what needs to be done if zey are alone. You must ‘ave confiance—faiz—in zem. You do, don’t you?” Curaçao frowned. “I know zat… I do.”

“Don’t y’all lecture me about faith,” Applejack said with a sneer. “Y’all’re a lyin’, cheatin’, no-good sneak! Y’all ain’t got no faith in nothin’ or nopony, and that’s the truth!”

Curaçao flinched. “I am afraid I must disagree, Applejack. I most definitely ‘ave confiance zat if mes sœurs continue wiz zeir plan, we all lose.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and continued to swing towards the wall. She was nearly there, just a few hooves’ reach away.

“I see you need clarification. Fort bien. Per’aps, Applejack, you remember a certain conversation wiz your copine, Rarity? It was quite some time ago, just after we all first met.”

Curaçao’s form melted away and reshaped itself into that of a familiar white unicorn, complete with fancy dress. “I believe we had a little discussion about the ramifications of your crush on dear Captain Flathoof, darling,” she said in a perfect imitation of Rarity’s voice. “If I recall, your brother was also involved in our discussion. I have never met the gentlecolt, but what you told me of him was enough to make the connection, and that was all I needed to instill uncertainty in your feelings. The bit about Tick Tock, however, was entirely a fabrication.”

Applejack sputtered, and she completely forgot swinging towards the wall, blinded with rage. “It was you! Y’all’re the one that made me doubt myself and distrust Flathoof! It’s your fault I treated him like dirt for all that time!”

Curaçao shook her head as her form melted back into her normal self. “No, Applejack, zat was all you. Everyzing you did after zat conversation was your own doing. All I did was manipulate tes pensées. You stopped trusting Flathoof. You treated ‘im like dirt. You lied to yourself!” Her mouth curled in a tiny grin. “All I did was plant zee idée in your ‘ead. Zat was zee original plan: to corrupt toi et tes amies. And it worked. Parfaitement.”

Curaçao sighed and continued, “What you did not know is… zee reverse was also true. As moi et mes sœurs spent more time wiz toi et tes amies… we grew closer. We began to see each other as a real family… despite our tenuous status as real ponies.” She laughed once. “When we found out we were nozing more zan clones, we ‘eld on to zat fact. Wizout it… I doubt any of mes sœurs would ‘ave enough motivation to even live, let alone scheme to destroy toi et tes amies.”

Applejack shook her head, confused. “Ya lost me. Y’all’re… clones? Like, copies?” She growled. “Wait, y’all just said you ‘n’ your sisters are tryin’ ta kill us! Ha! Y’all are lyin’!”

“Everyzing I am telling you is la vérité, Applejack,” Curaçao said with a small smile. She shook her head. “But, I came to une conclusion not long after mes sœurs came up wiz zis plan: zey would not be heureuses wiz all zee killing. Oui, zey would be for a short while—seconds, hours, days—but it would not last. And when zey were no longer pleased wiz zat… zen what? What would zey do? I’ll tell you: zey would kill again. And again. And again. Zey would not stop, because zey would zink zat zee only zing that gives zem bonheur is killing, because we were born wiz great evil inside us.”

Applejack grunted. “Yeah, that part I figured out.” She swung just a little closer to the wall. She could almost touch it; just a few more swings.

“Mes sœurs ‘ave already shown me what zee darkness wizin zem will lead to. In ‘ope’s Point… mes sœurs killed many ponies, Applejack. Some in self-defense, but most, not so. Zey were so focused on zeir pursuit of toi et tes amies zat zey killed everypony zat stood in zeir way.” Curaçao shuddered. “I tried to limit zee bodycount, but…”

She paused, and took a breath. “Did you know, Applejack, zat evil magic resists even zee concept of good? I did not, not until I began to consider stopping mes sœurs. Every step I ‘ave taken to stop zem causes me pain. Mon cœur—my ‘eart—is in severe pain even now, as I ‘ave zis honnête conversation wiz toi. It is zat pain that keeps my mind clear. It is zat pain that distracts me from my nature, and my desire to destroy you.” She sighed. “Zat is ‘ow I know zat, if my sisters killed toi et tes amies, it would do nozing but fuel zee darkness inside zem. Zey would be lost to zeir own madness, never truly heureuses.

“Do you see, Applejack? My plan is not to ambush tes amies to kill zem. My plan is for tes amies to do what we tried to do to you, but in reverse. Tes amies would fight mes sœurs, oui, but I ‘ave confiance zat zey will be safe. Mes sœurs want to convince zemselves zat zeir way of zinking is right, because zose ‘oo are unaware zey are walking in darkness shall never seek zee light. Zey will not kill tes amies until zey ‘ave ‘ad zat opportunity. And when zey try… tes amies will convince zem zat zey are the ones ‘oo are wrong!”

Applejack remained silent and wound back one last swing. She was sure she could make it to the wall this time.

Curaçao’s face lit up, and she smiled brightly. “Mes sœurs are already close to zee light, because zey know love. Zey just need to know that they know it, to know that our love for one anozer can make us heureuses. Tes amies shall provide it for zem. Je suis désolée—I am sorry if you do not like all zis, but it was necessary. Everyzing I ‘ave done, I ‘ave done for the eventual bonheur of mes sœurs!” She laughed triumphantly. “Ma famille will be redeemed! Zey will be freed from zeir inner darkness, and toi et tes amies will be free to go ‘ome. In zee end, everypony is ‘appy, and everypony wins, n’est-ce pas?”

“Wrong!”

Applejack’s swing brought her close enough to tap the very tip of her hoof on the mine wall, and that was she needed. In that split second, Applejack’s skin and coat hardened into rock and expanded enough to shatter her bindings. She dropped and cratered the mine floor. As the dust cleared, she settled her gaze on Curaçao, glaring daggers at the other earth pony. With a thought, she asked the earth to seal the room; the earth complied, and the only tunnel out caved in.

Curaçao steeled under Applejack’s gaze. “I would razer not get mes sabots dirty, but it seems I must.” She shrugged, then settled into a defensive stance. “Ces’t la vie. Just another sacrifice I must make for the greater good. Pardonez-moi if I bring you any ‘arm, Applejack.”

***

Velvet lashed tendrils out in all directions; Pinkie charged forward under the barrage, then swung her hind leg at Velvet’s head; Velvet blocked it with a tendril.

Pinkie drew her leg back and kicked again, and again, and again; she kicked so rapidly that Velvet should barely have been able to see the kicks coming. Still, Velvet blocked each and every one.

“What’s wrong Pinkie?” Velvet taunted. “Is this all you’ve got?!”

Velvet coated her hoof in a blood spike and slashed at Pinkie’s throat. Pinkie blocked the attack, but the blow was enough to knock her off balance. Velvet used this opportunity to lunge forward and launch an assault of her own.

Pinkie dodged most of the attacks, but was forced to block the few she couldn’t. Velvet was, to her surprise, moving much faster than she was accustomed to. Until now, Velvet had always been a brute force opponent with little defense against Pinkie’s speed.

“I’ve seen you so much more, so why not now?” Velvet shouted as she rapidly jabbed her tendrils in Pinkie’s direction. “Are you scared, Pinkie? Let’s see what you have to offer!”

Velvet gathered up a group of tendrils and bashed them into the side of Pinkie’s head, knocking Pinkie flying. Pinkie rebounded in the air in order to land safely on her hooves.

“You wanna see what I can really do?” Pinkie asked, a big smile on her face. “Fine then.”

Pinkie took a deep breath and dug her boots into the ground, drawing her forehooves to her side. She let out the breath she was holding and focused all of her energy into her center. Her body began to shimmer; white at first, then rainbow-colored. A second later, her body erupted with burning energy that expanded outwards into a pink glow.

Pinkied smirked, and drew one hoof back. “Kaio-ken!”

“Kaio-what?” Velvet blurted.

Pinkie thrust her hoof forward. Velvet flinched back in time to avoid the ground from under her being torn apart by an unseen force.

Velvet staggered back and attempted to ready herself before Pinkie could move in, but Pinkie’s hoof was already right in her face. The punch knocked Velvet reeling enough that Pinkie was able to rush in and deliver another rapid series of punches to Velvet’s midsection before she could even hit the ground.

With one final punch, Velvet was sent flying through the cavern.

Pinkie made to capitalize on it, flying to meet Velvet in midair. Velvet sneered and flipped herself upright in time to meet Pinkie head-on with a powerful blood-coated kick to the chin. She rebounded off the kick and landed gracefully on the ground; Pinkie, despite having just been kicked in the face, landed just as gracefully several yards away.

“Is this still all you’ve got?” Velvet taunted.

Pinkie took a deep breath again, and wiped her mouth to clean it of the faint taste of blood.

So this is what she’s like when she’s not worried about killing me, huh?

“I guess you’re all talk, then, aren’t you?” Velvet continued. She lazily pushed her blood-drenched mane out of her face. “In that case, let me give you some motivation. You realize that my sisters are going after your friends, don’t you? If you figured out what my relation to you is, then you surely know that my sisters are the same.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and settled into her fighting stance. She knew in her heart that Velvet’s words were true, but she was not about to let that worry give Velvet an opening again.

Velvet smirked. “No reaction then? Guess you’ve just accepted your fate.” She rolled her shoulders. “Time to die!”

Velvet lunged forward again and thrust her blood spike at Pinkie with such speed that Pinkie barely had time to block. The blow struck her hard and sent her flying, but she spun around to recover. She slid along the ground before coming to a stop, and when she looked up, Velvet was already barreling down on her.

“Kaio-ken... times two!” Pinkie shouted.

Her aura doubled in intensity, and with it her speed and power increased; so, when Velvet was within hoof’s reach, Pinkie as able to swing her leg around to slam Velvet in the face.

Velvet bounced back, then flipped and sprung back at Pinkie, swinging blood tendrils all around her. Pinkie blocked each strike, though she did so with great effort. Velvet feinted left, and Pinkie went to block it; but, Velvet swung her tendrils right, and slammed Pinkie in the side, knocking her sliding along the cavern floor.

Pinkie regained her footing and came to a stop. She prepared herself for another attack, but Velvet remained still and glanced over at Pinkie, a cocky smirk on her face.

“You’re made of tougher stuff than I thought,” Velvet said. She snickered, and twirled her tendrils about her again. “I’m actually enjoying this!”

“You’re enjoying me kicking your butt, huh?” Pinkie chuckled. She glanced to her side and noticed her shirt had been torn, so she tore the rest of it off, leaving only her hind legs and flank covered. “Good. So am I.”

Despite her taunting, Pinkie knew she was in trouble. Velvet was holding back, something Pinkie wasn’t used to seeing, but at the same time was giving her a rough time. She had to wonder if Velvet was just toying with her—playing with her food, in a manner of speaking.

I’m going to need to push myself further. I just hope my body can take it.

“Do you have more tricks up your sleeve, Pinkie? If you do, now’s the time to whip them out. Because, if you don’t…”

Pinkie smiled, and brought her forehooves in to her sides, taking a deep breath as she did so. She grunted, and her body pulsed with energy.

“All right, here goes nothing! Kaio-ken… times three!”

Pinkie’s body erupted with pink light again, overheating the water vapor in the air around her and turning it into steam. The rocks around her burst apart, and the entire cavern rumbled around her.

Velvet quirked an eyebrow. “Ooh... now this is impressive.”

Pinkie burst forward at Velvet. Velvet raised her blades to block, but Pinkie was already in her face, her hoof drawn back in a ridiculously-telegraphed punch. Even so, Velvet could not react in time to block it, and Pinkie’s colossal attack struck her in the jaw and knocked her flying.

Velvet bounced along the floor like a skipping stone; Pinkie shot off after her, and overtook her before she could react. Pinkie swung her leg and kicked Velvet in the back, sending her flying towards the ceiling.

Velvet snarled, and flipped herself around in the air just as Pinkie was approaching. She swung her blades down, and missed; Pinkie had swerved around her so fast that Velvet couldn’t react. She turned to try and block again, but Pinkie had already struck her hard with both legs, firing her towards the floor.

Velvet slammed through a massive boulder and then crashed into the cavern wall, tearing a hole straight through it. Velvet’s blood-curdling scream echoed through the cavern, and the wall around the hole exploded outwards. Velvet burst out of the rubble, her blood spraying about her and shredding rocks apart like paper. Her eyes were red with bloodlust.

Pinkie raced at Velvet, forehooves at her sides in preparation for an attack, and ducked around Velvet’s side. Velvet snarled, and twisted around to try and meet her, but Pinkie was easily able to swerve around again, and punched Velvet in the back of the head, knocking her sailing through the cavern.

Velvet roared and spun around, slid along the cavern floor to a stop, then charged at Pinkie as Pinkie approached. She focused all of her blood into one massive blade, and swung it as Pinkie drew close.

Pinkie dodged just below the swing, and brought her hoof up in a fierce uppercut to Velvet’s stomach.

Velvet grit her teeth so hard they threatened to shatter. She then staggered back, grasping her stomach. She was gasping for air. Blood and saliva dripped from her open mouth. She coughed several times before she caught her breath. She glared daggers at Pinkie.

She bounded away, landing on a small boulder. Pinkie remained where she was, breathing heavily. That last series of blows had taken a great deal out of her; her whole body was on fire.

Velvet hissed, and leapt at Pinkie, her hoof coated with a bloody spike. Pinkie raised a hoof to block it, and did so easily, then swung her hoof up into Velvet’s chin, knocking her reeling.

Before Velvet could recover, Pinkie rushed up and kicked her in the stomach, then grabbed her hind legs and slammed her into the ground. She then slammed down on Velvet’s back, grabbed her and threw her into the air, then punched her the rest of the way into the ceiling. Velvet tumbled to the floor and landed in a heap.

Pinkie staggered back, reeling from exhaustion. She winced as her shoulder shuddered with pain; the last attack had been more draining than she thought.

Velvet dragged herself to her hooves, gasping for breath. “You... where did you get so strong? Where was this power... the last time we fought?”

What in Equestria is she made of? She just won’t give up. Well... neither will I, then. Come on body, don’t fail me now...

Pinkie took a deep breath. “I bring all the power I need to bring, Red. You weren’t this much of a challenge before, either.”

Velvet snarled, and glared at Pinkie. “Are you mocking me?! You pathetic pink piece of garbage!”

She screamed and charged at Pinkie, blood blades flailing through the air, tearing apart the entire cavern floor around her. The cave rumbled as its very foundation was torn apart; at this rate, Pinkie knew they’d both be crushed.

Pinkie winced as her body’s intense pain set in further. I can’t keep this up much longer... my body’s worn out! My only chance... is to hit her so hard she can’t get up! Now or never!

“Kaio-ken times three!” she shouted, screaming more out of pain than anything.

Pinkie’s body erupted with pink flame again. She pushed both hooves together in front of her, then drew them around to one side and cupped them together. Velvet was closing in, fast, her eyes red with anger, her enraged scream filling the cavern.

“Kaaa... meee...”

The ground around Pinkie shuddered, and nearby rocks burst apart under the intense pressure. The air around her crackled with energy.

“Haaa!”

“Die, Pinkie! Die, die, die, die, die!” Velvet screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Meee!”

Pinkie’s aura exploded outwards at nearly three times its prior size, engulfing rocks and vaporizing them.

Velvet lashed out with hundreds of blades and spikes at once. “DIIIEEE!!”

“HAAA!”

Pinkie’s aura suddenly turned bright blue, and she thrust her hooves forward. A powerful explosion ripped through the air between them, firing a massive energy blast at Velvet. It tore through rock and dirt as it traveled. Velvet’s spikes and blades met it halfway, and it burned its way through them like a wildfire. As the blast approached Velvet, she drew her blood in and raised it in front of her as a shield; the impact struck her sliding back along the ground.

Velvet came to a stop several yards back, then, to Pinkie’s horror, she began pushing back. Not just pushing back, but rushing back. Velvet was running straight through the blast with her blood shield in front, and as she got closer to Pinkie, her blood began to seep outwards along the beam’s trail.

Pinkie screamed as the pain from all the energy she was expending ripped through her body. But, she did not let up.

I’ve got to take it further.

“KAIO-KEEEN—" Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs. “TIMES—" Her body shined with a powerful glow. “FOOOUUURRR!”

The energy beam expanded and exploded forwards, blowing apart Velvet’s blood shield, colliding with her, and exploding. There was a great flash of light, so bright that Pinkie had close her eyes lest she be blinded. The cavern shook like never before, as the blast tore apart a great swath of rock and dirt. Massive clouds of dust blanketed the air.

When the dust settled at last, Pinkie opened her eyes. Her entire body cried out in agony, but she moved anyway. She needed to make sure Velvet was not only down for the count, but would stay down for the count, at least for now. She lumbered forward, forcing her legs to take her to the great crater she’d created. Velvet lay in the center, unmoving but still breathing, even if just barely.

Pinkie slid down into the crater, grunting and groaning all the while. She dragged herself the rest of the way to Velvet’s limp form. Once there, she stood tall over her defeated opponent. Velvet’s body lay in a pool of her own blood, and was covered with scorch marks; were it not for Velvet’s endurance and affinity for the visceral fluids, Pinkie would have been worried.

She took a deep breath. “Whew... that took a lot out of me...” she breathed, letting her limbs fall slack. “Thank goodness that’s finally—"

Velvet snapped up and thrust a single blood spike straight into Pinkie’s chest. “Game over!”

The pain was beyond anything Pinkie had ever experienced before. She could not register anything else besides the intense burning in her chest. She staggered backwards several paces before losing her balance. Her hoof absently crawled to her chest, then pulled away at the terrifying wetness that should not have been there. When she glanced at her hoof, she saw it was covered with blood.

Her blood.

“Yes... yes!” Velvet cackled, stomping towards Pinkie with great, broad steps. “I did it! I did it!” She began to dance about in celebration. “I win! Yes, yes, yes! Ha ha ha! Who’s laughing now, moron?!”

She’s laughing, but… this isn’t funny.

“Okay, Red, calm yourself,” Velvet muttered. She took a breath, then let out a squeal. “Oh, I just can’t hold it in! Muahaha!”

This isn’t funny… at all…

“Man, I kinda wish I had a camera right about now. This is a picture perfect moment.”

Unless...

Pinkie reeled back, clutching her chest. “Urgh… you… you got me…”

“Yes! I did! I got you good. Right in the heart!” Velvet snickered and licked her hooves clean. “Tasty, tasty, tasty.”

“Everything is… getting dark…” Pinkie coughed and teetered to the floor. “I don’t want to die…”

“Yes, well, you should’ve thought of that before you messed with me, you great, pink buffoon.” Velvet trotted over to Pinkie and kicked her in the stomach. “I could just eat you now, buuut, this is too good. You have no idea how long I’ve waited to see you die.”

“Hold me, Red… I’m so cold…”

Velvet blinked. “Hmmm… y’know, just seeing you die would be great, but getting to feel you go limp might be a neat experience. Sure, why not?” She bent down and cradled Pinkie in her hooves. “Okay, you may continue dying now.”

Pinkie turned her head and coughed. “Red… tell Auntie Pie to let Old Yeller out…”

“Uh… okay…?”

Pinkie turned her head and coughed again. “And tell little Pip that… I won’t be coming home for Hearth’s Warming Eve…”

“Sure… uh, right…”

Pinkie turned her head, then turned back and coughed in Velvet’s face. “And tell Rainbow Dash… she still owes me thirty bits…”

“I… wait, what?”

Pinkie convulsed, and went limp in Velvet’s hooves.

“Geez, finally,” Velvet huffed, dropping Pinkie to the floor. “Way to take the fun out of it, jerk.” She stood up and trotted away. “Now, to find out where Curaçao—"

Pinkie coughed, loudly.

Velvet’s ear twitched. “No… no, that’s quite normal. Dead ponies cough all the time.” She turned. Pinkie had risen to her hooves and was staggering about. “And… get up and walk about. Completely normal.”

“Ohhh… the agony!” Pinkie wailed, pastern of her hoof upon her forehead. “The paaain! Oh, woe is me! Please, Red! Put me out of my misery!”

Velvet stared at Pinkie in disbelief. “Oh, come on already! That’s it, I’m putting an end to this. Dead ponies should stay dead.”

She stepped over to Pinkie, loosing one bladed tendril as she went, and brought the blade down. Pinkie raised her legs to defend herself; her legs lopped off and fell to the floor.

Velvet stared in awe at the bloodless carnage. “What the—"

Pinkie stared at her the empty space her limbs once occupied, then glanced up at Velvet. “Uh... can you lend me a hoof here?”

Velvet chuckled. “Okay, that was—" She stopped herself. “Stop it! Stop! Let me kill you, dammit!”

“So are you gonna help me or not? Come on, shake a leg.”

Velvet swung her blade down. Pinkie didn’t even bother to roll out of the way. Her head came clean off, and rolled forward to bump Velvet’s leg.

Velvet snarled and picked Pinkie’s head up. She shook it violently. “Why?! Why won’t you just die?!”

“Whoa! Hey! Chill out!” Pinkie blurted in between shakes. “No need to lose your head!”

Velvet chuckled again, then shook her head—her own, that is—and gave Pinkie a stern look. “You should be dead! I’m better than you! I’m stronger, faster, more lethal!”

Pinkie’s body shrugged. At least, it attempted to with half its limbs missing. “Guess I just know how to pull ahead of the competition.”

Velvet sputtered, then started laughing. Big, genuine laughs that actually surprised Pinkie with how real they were. She didn’t think anypony shared her sense of humor, least of all Red Velvet.

Then, to Pinkie’s surprise, another tendril of blood oozed from out of Velvet’s spine. It took shape, creating a face complete with top hat and monocle. The face glared at Velvet’s laughing fit, and reached out a tendril of its own to smack her in the back of the head.

“Hey!” Velvet blurted. She shot the tendril-face-thing a glare and rubbed her head. “Clottles, that’s not very nice!”

The tendril open its mouth and began to speak, though Pinkie could see that it was actually Velvet speaking in a terribly bad attempt at a dignified gentlecolt’s voice.

“My dear, aren’t you supposed to be trying to murder this pathetic pink putz?”

Velvet shrugged. “Well, yeah... I’m getting around to it. I’ll admit, she’s funny.”

The face—Clottles—rolled its eyes. “Funny? Those jokes are simply horrible! Such incredibly trite puns!”

“Hey, they’re not that bad,” Pinkie said. “Go easy on me, you’re making me lose face.”

Velvet snickered.

“They’re terrible!” Clottles spat.

“Sheesh, no need to bite my head off.”

Velvet had to cover her mouth with her hoof to keep from laughing too hard.

Clottles groaned turned back to Velvet. “My lady, I must insist you finish killing this cretin.”

Velvet held up a hoof. “Now, hold on, I fully plan to do that, but... can’t I wait and see what else she’s got? This is actually pretty fun.”

“Fun? Fun?!” Clottles shouted.

Velvet and Pinkie each quirked an eyebrow. Clottles had spoken in a voice very much unlike Velvet’s poor ventriloquism. Velvet herself hadn’t even moved her mouth. This new voice was much more imposing, almost sinister, full of equal parts hate and rage, and with a slight feminine touch. It was almost like talking to another creature entirely.

“You’re not supposed to be having fun, you miserable dreck!” Clottles bellowed, loud enough to shake the walls. “Kill her! Kill her now!”

“Clottles, what has gotten into you?” Velvet asked, her hooves on her hips. “You don’t get to talk to me that way. That’s very rude.”

“I’ll talk to you however I please, wretch! KILL HER!”

Velvet snorted. “If you’re going to be such a jerk, maybe I won’t.”

Clottles seethed, and his tendril began to grow black in color. His monocle and top hat dissolved into the rest of him “You... are refusing to kill her?”

“For now, anyway,” Velvet said. “I’ll just keep her around until you’re ready to apologize to me for being rude. Though maybe I won’t. I dunno... she’s actually kinda funny. I know the jokes are lame—"

“Heyyy,” Pinkie interjected.

“But something about it seems... right. It’s weird, but like, I suddenly just don’t feel motivated.”

Clottles continued to blacken. The color spread throughout more and more of Velvet’s blood. “Kill her.”

“No.”

“Kill her now.”

“No.”

Clottles snarled. His black color now fully spread throughout all of Velvet’s other tendrils. “So be it.”

The black mass that was Clottles abruptly retreated back into Velvet’s body.

“Clottles? Hey, what’re you doing?” Velvet asked, perplexed and annoyed. “Get back out here this instant, I wasn’t done talking to—"

Velvet screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, dropping Pinkie in the process. Pinkie watched wide-eyed as Velvet clutched her sides; her body distended and rippled, as though something within her was writhing through every inch of her insides. Pinkie pulled herself together, but hesitated to approach; Velvet was obviously in severe pain, but then again, this could be another trick.

Velvet finally ceased thrashing about, and the chamber became calm, undisturbed by her anguished cries. She slowly stood, though she kept her head down; her breathing was labored, and her knees were shaky.

Pinkie warily rose to her hooves and backed away, unsure what to make of the whole thing. “Red? Are… you okay?”

Velvet brought her head up and opened her eyes; they were now totally black. She smiled, showing off full rows of fangs. Then, in a voice that sent a fierce shiver down Pinkie’s spine, she said, “This body belongs to Red Velvet no more, mortal.”

***

Applejack called out to the earth again. Curaçao bolted aside just as the ground beneath her hooves gave way; she landed gracefully on the edge of the new sinkhole.

“Ha! What a joke y’all are,” Applejack said.

The ground under Curaçao rose towards the ceiling at an alarming pace.

“Why do you laugh? You, of all ponies, ‘ave no right to laugh at moi,” Curaçao huffed. She jumped off the rising pillar of stone and dove straight at Applejack.

Applejack formed a stone dome to protect herself. It shattered like an egg on impact; Curaçao had crashed right through, unharmed, and unleashed a flurry of punches. She raised her hooves to block, only to find her stone armor crumbling under the furious assault. Somehow, Curaçao’s hooves and much of her body had been encased in a hard sheathe of metal where her jumpsuit had once been. She tensed her muscles and called more rock to replenish her armor.

“You talk of honesty,” she snarled. With a strong push, she heaved Curaçao off of her and into the air. “You talk of sacrifice.” She swung her tail as hard as she could, batting Curaçao away like a rag doll. “You talk of family!”

Curaçao twisted her body in midair and landed on her hooves, none the worse for wear. “Oui… and ‘ow is zis funny to you?”

“Because all I see is a sad little filly who don’t know the meanin’ of any o’ those words. All you’re doin’ is hurtin’ everypony around ya!”

Curaçao snorted, dusted herself off, and vanished from sight; Applejack was able to sense her movements, but she leapt about such that they were erratic and difficult to predict.

“I will concede zat somepony may get injured,” she said, “but physical pain est momentanée. Tes amies ‘ave proved zemselves strong enough to put up a fight, and zey are not zee type to kill anypony. So, what are a few bruises compared to moi et mes sœurs breaking free from zee chains of darkness?”

Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her thoughts. With a jolt, she swung her tail around to block Curaçao’s strike. Curaçao wrapped her leg around Applejack’s tail and used her leverage to pull Applejack into a chokehold.

“Some sister y’all are,” Applejack snarled as she struggled to free herself of Curaçao’s hold. “Sendin’ your family into a fight an’ expectin’ ‘em ta lose. Y’all don’t care about ‘em one bit.”

“I do care Applejack, more zan you know,” Curaçao grunted.

She pushed all of her weight into Applejack’s back. Applejack sucked in her breath, and her rock armor burst outwards, throwing Curaçao off of her.

Curaçao twirled and skidded on the ground, then vanished once again. “Everyzing I’ve done, I’ve done for zem. Do you zink it’s easy sending mes sœurs off to lose? Zey will feel zee same pain I do when zey consider les mots de tes amies, and I would not wish zat pain on anypony, but it is zee only way!”

Applejack concentrated on finding Curaçao again, but the other pony was moving too fast to track easily. She struck with her tail again where she suspected Curaçao might be, but her blow hit nothing but air.

Curaçao capitalized on the miss and pummeled Applejack mercilessly, her hooves moving fast as lightning. Applejack relented under the assault; whatever the metal was that had replaced the other mare’s jumpsuit, it allowed her to crack Applejack’s own armor and inflict intense pain. She sunk beneath the earth like it was water and swam to safety to bide her time and replenish her strength.

She was not about to give Curaçao the same luxury. The cavern shook violently. The ground heaved and shook, crumbling beneath Curaçao's hooves. Rocks rained down from the ceiling as they were broken loose by the cavern's shuddering. No steady purchase was left; no place was safe from falling rock. Applejack made sure of it.

Curaçao evaded every projectile that came her way, big or small, with all the grace of a ballerina. Those she could not avoid, she shattered with a stiff hoof.

Eventually, Applejack saw her opening, and sprung from the earth. She tackled Curaçao in mid-air, and the pair crashed into the nearest wall.

***

Velvet raised a hoof up to her own face, examined it, and frowned. “This form ill suits me. It lacks a certain panache,” she said. Her voice was distorted with an odd echo, and it didn’t sound entirely like her own. “A pity that she was the only one to be tempted, if even for a moment; I’d have much preferred the body of Starlight Shadow.” She extended a blade of blood from her hoof and examined it. “This one does have some value to it in terms of power, though, even if not Starlight Shadow’s equal by any means. Not a complete loss… but a change will be in order soon.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes; this wasn’t Red Velvet talking, and whoever it was had done something to the other mare. “Who are you?” she asked. “What did you do to Red?”

Velvet—rather, whoever was speaking through her—turned to Pinkie and looked at her as though she were a bug. “What concern is it of yours, mortal? Red Velvet was not your friend. Your compassion is unwarranted, and unwelcome.”

“Even if Red was a violent meanypants, that doesn’t mean she deserves… whatever it is you’re doing,” Pinkie huffed. “Who are you?”

“That is of no concern to you, mortal. You will be dead soon, so worry yourself not on such trivial matters.”

“As if.”

Velvet ignored Pinkie and continued to examine her various blood appendages. “The element of surprise may give me an advantage. That traitorous whelp will not live long enough to rue the day he betrayed me. Though… it may be wise to attempt to persuade this one’s ilk to assist me. I am unsure if this guise could destroy him efficiently, what with his ascension.”

“Hey, don’t ignore me!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Silence, mortal!” Velvet snapped. “These precious moments you have left should be used less foolishly. I grant you now with a rare kindness in not killing you immediately, like I should have with you and your worthless friends the moment you arrived in my realm.”

Pinkie blinked. “Huh?” She stopped a second to think, then, it clicked. “Hang on a sec, I’m getting some weird vibes here. You call me a mortal, which would make you immortal; you talk about us arriving in your realm, up north; and, you want to kill us now, but you didn’t before. Mister Gilderoy told us Red Velvet and her sisters were servants of Nihila, the immortal goddess that ruled the north. You’re her… aren’t you? You’re Nihila.”

Nihila sneered. “If you wish to address me, you will refer to me with respect, mortal. My counterpart may put on a pretense of modesty, but I demand acknowledgement of my power and authority.” She snorted. “But what does it matter to you who or what I am? Cease talking, fool. I wish to evaluate this mortal body’s capabilities in silence.”

“So, you really are Nihila, then?” Pinkie shifted into a fighting stance. “If you’re Nihila, then that means you’re trying to stop me and my friends from getting home, and now you’re trying to kill us. If you think I’m just gonna keep quiet and let you, you don’t know me very well, do you?”

Nihila narrowed her eyes. “I sense anger within you, mortal. You wish to stop me, do you?” She brandished a full arsenal of blood-crafted blades, spikes, tendrils, and other lethal weaponry. “Conveniently, I had wished to test the capabilities of this body anyway. If you wish to throw yourself into the slaughter so eagerly, then you will be my first test subject.”

“Bring it on! Kaio-ken!”

Pinkie’s body burst with energy, and with a sharp lunge, she punched Nihila in the face.

Nihila stood her ground, barely even affected by the punch. She turned her head back towards Pinkie, and grinned. “Unlike my daughter, I gain no enjoyment from limiting myself. Now, allow me to demonstrate the full power this body possesses.”

She swung a tendril around and bashed Pinkie in the stomach, sending her flying across the room. Pinkie hit the wall hard enough to make a Pinkie-shaped indent before falling to the floor.

Pinkie rose to her hooves and shook off the dizziness. Without a second thought, she cupped her hooves at her side. “Kame hame—"

Nihila smashed Pinkie in the face with another tendril, cutting her off and knocking her over. “Cease this silly game, mortal. My power exceeds yours.”

Pinkie rose again, and lifted her forehooves high into the air, standing on just her hind legs. A ball of light appeared near the ceiling of the cavern. “We’ll see… about that! Spirit Bomb!”

Nihila noticed the light, and laughed, then turned back to Pinkie. “An attempt at collecting what little Light energy there is in this chamber. A simple gesture from a simple mare.” She lashed out one tendril at the ball, and swatted it away; it fizzled out. “With but a small fraction of this body’s might, I can crush you like a grape. Your blood will flow like wine when I am finished with you, mortal.”

Pinkie slumped to her knees. “No way… that ball was made of one hundred percent positive energy. It should hurt somepony with as much hate and evil as you have.” She shook her head. “Shoot, I knew I should have charged it for another three chapters. Episodes. Or whatever.”

“Fool!” Nihila shouted. “You think your feeble strength is enough to defeat me?” She smashed Pinkie in the face with a blunt tendril. “I am the very embodiment of war!” She wrapped the tendril around Pinkie’s leg. “Bloodshed!” She cratered Pinkie into the floor. “Destruction!” She crushed Pinkie against the wall. “Death!” She tossed Pinkie across the room through a boulder, then moved towards her upon a hundred legs made of blood. “These things are all under my dominion; one cannot hope to wield them against me! Your worthless attempts to fight against my daughter failed, even while she was in control!”

Pinkie paused, and thought for a moment. In a way, it was true, insofar as Pinkie didn’t actually “defeat” Velvet. Then again, “winning” involved keeping Velvet away from her friends, which is exactly what she did. Velvet, however, was definitely not lacking in toughness, and it took everything Pinkie had just to keep her at bay. No matter how hard Pinkie struck, Velvet would always get back up, angrier than ever but without so much as a scratch. The only time Velvet’s bloodlust ever seemed to falter was—

When she laughed. She couldn’t keep her composure when I made her laugh before. Maybe… hmmm…

“I see you have accepted your fate, mortal,” Nihila cooed. She manifested a plethora of bloody blades and strode in Pinkie’s direction. “You shall be the first to fall before I ascend back to my rightful place as the true power of Darkness in this world.”

“Not just yet!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’ve got one last trick up my sleeve. Or mane, rather!”

She reached into her mane and yanked out a bright blue cannon on magenta and pink wheels adorned with white flowers. In the process of taking out the cannon, she ditched her martial arts uniform, and dressed herself in something a little more unique: a green propeller cap that did not mesh with a black denim jacket with the collar popped much too high, which did not work together with the bright, gaudy yellow t-shirt she wore underneath that had printed on it the logo from a children’s program. She wore red roller skates too, which did not help complete her ensemble in any possible way. It felt like it had been ages since she’d worn it.

Nihila chuckled at the sight of the cannon and Pinkie’s new ensemble. “Another change, is it? I know not how you are able to summon such whimsical contraptions, but such knowledge will be irrelevant once your demise is at hoof.”

“It’s my Party Cannon!” Pinkie explained, a wide smile on her face. She lit the fuse. “I never leave home without it!” She put her hooves over her ears.

“One last attempt to destroy me, then? Very well. It would be fitting to kill somepony that so clings to life that they would attempt to succeed against insurmountable odds. Despair in the face of—”

The Party Cannon fired.

Nihila balked when the pastry projectile struck her in the face. She licked her face to clean off the mess of flaky crust and gooey yellow filling. “What… what manner of weapon is this, that fires edible ammunition?”

“Oh, I’m awfully sorry,” Pinkie chirped as she zipped over. She frantically wiped Nihila’s face clean with a napkin. “Ooh, I’ve made a terrible mistake. You wanted”—she smashed another pie in Nihila’s face—”cherry pie!”

Nihila seethed. “Why you, you imbecilic—" She paused, and her mouth curled up in a tiny smile, and her eyes regained their normal, bright blue color for just the briefest moment.

Pinkie grinned.

Bingo.

Nihila shook her head. “Your will pay for your insolence, whelp!”

“♫My name is Pinkie Pie,” sang Pinkie,

“I worked on a Merry-Go-Round,

The job was swell

I did quite well

Till the Merry-go-round broke down.

Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo-hoo!”

Nihila drew back her blades. “Die!”

Pinkie bounced in place. “Hoo hoo! Hoo hoo!”

And like lightning, Pinkie was gone. Nihila’s strike missed; Pinkie was halfway across the cavern.

“Run while you can, coward!” Nihila shouted, giving chase. “You cannot escape me!”

Pinkie stopped when she came to the opposite canyon wall, and hurriedly yanked a bucket of paint out of her mane. In a flash, she coated a section of the wall to give it the appearance of a train tunnel, and, with Nihila close behind her, she hopped through it.

Nihila, however, slammed straight into the wall. She staggered away, then glared at the wall, her eyes alight with fire. “What manner of illusion is—"

A train whistle resounded from the wall, and a bright light appeared in the painted patch. The light drew closer every second, and the sound grew with it. Just as the approaching light drew closest, Nihila put a shield of blood in front of her to deflect whatever object was approaching from beyond the wall.

Nothing happened, save for a tiny gust of wind brushing against Nihila’s face, no stronger than a breath.

Nihila blinked in confusion. “A ruse? Cursed ignoramus! Cease these foolish tricks!”

Pinkie tapped on Nihila’s shoulder, and chomped loudly on a carrot right in her ear. “Ehh, what’s up, doc?”

Nihila turned and growled. “I tire of these shenanigans.”

As she took a step towards Pinkie, she slipped on a banana peel that Pinkie had dropped, and landed hard on her back. As she tried to get up, she let out a small giggle, and her eyes returned to normal for a moment.

“♫The guy that worked with me,” sang Pinkie,

“Was a horse with a lavender eye,

Around in whirls, we winked at girls

Till the Merry-go-round broke down.”

Pinkie whipped a flute out of her mane and played a little ditty for a brief moment, before tossing the flute away and offering her hoof to help Nihila up, without saying a word.

Nihila—or Velvet, as she seemed to be in some modicum of control at the moment—reached up and took Pinkie’s hoof, only to be shocked by Pinkie’s potent hoof buzzer.

“Meep meep!” Pinkie bolted off again, leaving Nihila reeling from the shock.

Nihila seethed. “Stand still you—heh—great lummox! I—hee hee—will not be—" She stopped to let out a loud laugh, then shook her head. “Enough games! I tire of this!” She shrouded herself in blood, taking off after Pinkie with blazing speed. “I am death! Your soul is mine!”

She caught up with Pinkie and swung one blade at her prey; just as she did, she fell into a pitfall that had just appeared beneath her. She grumbled—and laughed—as she crawled out of the hole, then resumed her chase.

“♫Up and down and round we sped,” sang Pinkie,

“That dizzy pace soon went to my head.

Now you know why I'm dizzy

And do the things I do

I am a screw, and you'd be too

If the Merry-go-round broke down.

Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo!”

Pinkie took a deep breath.

“♫If the Merry-go-round brrroookkkeee ♫

down.”

Nihila finally cornered Pinkie a moment later. “I have you now, mortal! No more games!”

“You sure do!” Pinkie chirped. “Here, hold this.”

She handed Nihila a comically-oversized slingshot, took hold of the rubber ends, then rapidly backpedaled into the corner before placing a large boulder into her end and letting go; the boulder crashed into Nihila’s face and burst into a thousand pieces.

Nihila shook off the impact. She laughed, snarled, giggled, and screamed all in quick succession. Between each outburst, she struck at Pinkie with a thick, spiked tendril; each strike missed, impacting and becoming embedded in the wall behind Pinkie.

Pinkie then delivered the coup de grâce: tickling her opponent’s hooves with a feather. “Coochie coochie coo!”

Nihila let out a raucous burst of laughter for several minutes, even after Pinkie had stopped tickling her. When she stopped laughing, her eyes had returned to normal, and tears—real tears—were streaming down her face.

“Man, I haven’t laughed like that in, well… ever!” Velvet breathed. “That felt… good.” She frowned. “Why did it feel good? That’s… that’s weird.”

“Laughter is good for the soul,” Pinkie said with a smile.

Velvet shook her head. “It just feels… wrong, somehow. I’ve got a icky feeling in my stomach, like I ate some bad meat.”

“Huh… well, glad to have you back, Red. Better than the alternative.”

“What happened to me? Last thing I remember was arguing with Clottles, then it all went dark.”

“Clottles… kind of took over for a minute there,” Pinkie said. “Or rather… Nihila did.”

“Mom—er, Nihila? Pfft, yeah, right. My dad blew her to pieces a week ago; she’s long gone. Clottles must’ve been playing a trick on you or something.” Velvet shrugged. “Well, whatever, glad that’s over with. Now we can get back to what we were doing before.”

Pinkie paused. “And what, exactly, were we doing?”

Velvet scratched her chin. “I dunno, exactly. I was gonna kill you, but all of a sudden, I just… didn’t want to. I don’t know why I don’t… and that bothers me.”

“It’s because I made you laugh. Like this, see.” Pinkie yanked her head off her shoulders and dribbled it around like a basketball.

Velvet snickered, then suddenly stopped and shook her head. “S-stop! Don’t… don’t do that. Laughing… it feels good, but… it hurts.”

“It… hurts? And feels good? That don’t make no sense, Red.”

“I need to get out of here—away from you,” Velvet said, her eyes darting around the room. “I gotta find my sisters. They’ll know what’s going on.” She made to leave, but couldn’t remove her tendrils from the wall. “Hey, what gives?” She struggled to detach herself, and panicked when she couldn’t. “What’s going on here?!”

“Red… you okay?”

The slit along Velvet’s spine tore itself open, and a single, thick tendril of black blood reared itself out of her body.

“Uh… what’s that?” Pinkie asked, backing away.

Velvet turned around and raised an eyebrow. “I… I have no—"

The tendril let loose a shrill hiss. “I am Nihila! My will be done!”

It then exploded in a shower of visceral fluids; Velvet’s other tendrils followed suit, spraying blood everywhere and over everything. Velvet screamed in agony as each appendage burst. Most of the blood evaporated away into a fine, black mist; what didn’t remained splattered about. Velvet collapsed to the floor.

Pinkie panicked, and scrambled to the other pink pony’s side. “Red? Red!”

Velvet gurgled in response. Blood oozed from her mouth, ears, nose—every orifice, in fact. Here pupils were dilated, and she trembled erratically; she’d gone into shock.

“Red! Snap out of it! You gotta heal yourself!” Pinkie shouted, holding Velvet close. The other pony didn’t respond; she only continued to bleed. “What’s going on?! Red! Oooh, this wasn’t supposed to happen!”

A flash and a pop behind Pinkie drew her attention. Her eyes widened; she certainly didn’t expect to see who’d just appeared behind her.

“Sister!” Starlight shouted. She glared at Pinkie. “What did you do to her?!”

Pinkie raised a hoof in defense. “I… I didn’t do this, I swear! That weird Clottles… Nihila… whatever did, I promise!”

Starlight winced as she stepped forward; Pinkie noticed that Starlight was seriously out-of-sorts, though she didn’t seem injured. Velvet must have been telling the truth about her sisters battling Pinkie’s friends. “Let her go.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I said ‘let her go’,” Starlight repeated. “She needs help. You cannot help her.”

Pinkie hesitated, then stepped away from Velvet. In a flash, both she and Starlight were gone. Pinkie shook her head in disbelief. “Man, today sure is weird.” Then, she gasped. “Wait, if Red was here to fight me, and Starlight was fighting somepony else—probably Twilight—then that means… Applejack! She’s in danger!”

Without a second thought, Pinkie rushed off into the darkness of the cavern, searching for a way to the surface.

***

Curaçao slowly picked herself up out of the debris. She breathed heavily, her eyes darting about in search of her opponent. With no sign of Applejack in sight, she made to lift her hoof to wipe her brow, only to find she could not move. The dust and dirt around her hooves gathered and solidified until she was completely trapped.

“I’ve had enough of yer fancy hoof-fu,” Applejack said as she rose out of the dirt in front of Curaçao. She, too, breathed heavily; every one of Curaçao’s punches had left an impact, a burning pain unlike any Applejack had felt in a long while. How the other mare could shatter her stone armor was beyond her. Havocwing at least had the power of explosive force behind her punches, but Curaçao shouldn’t have had any such strength. “This ends now.”

Curaçao smirked. “Applejack, if you really want zis to end, you would end it. Yet, you don’t. Pourquoi pas?”

Applejack sneered. “Listen here, missy. Y’all say ya wanna break ponies, is that it? Are ya really so eager to see the only family you’ve got shattered because of yer actions? D’ya really think y’all can pick up the pieces?” She shook her head. “Ya say this is all for yer sisters’ happiness, but ya could’ve fooled me.”

“What do you know about being broken, Applejack?” Curaçao asked with a scowl. “We were created to be used as tools. Our purpose was served, and so we ‘ave been told zat our lives no longer ‘ave any meaning. I ‘ave already seen mes sœurs broken, but zey ‘ave been given a false ‘ope by zee evil in zeir souls. Zat ‘ope must be broken, too. It is zee only way to fix zem!”

Applejack shook her head. ”Broken ponies don’t make it for very long Curaçao, I know that much. They give up on their hopes ‘n’ dreams. They give up on their friends ‘n’ family. They give up on life. If yer sisters become as broken as you want them ta be… d’ya even have any idea what they might do?”

Curaçao scrunched up her nose. “So be it.”

Applejack balked. “Beg pardon?”

“J’ai dit, ‘so be it’!” Curaçao snapped. “If zey continue along zee way set before zem now, zen zey are better off dead!”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “If that’s what y’all think… then ya ain’t got any right ta call those mares yer family...” She shook her head in disgust. “If anypony needs somepony to talk some sense inta them, it ain’t yer sisters. It’s you. This little scheme o’ yers… it ain’t right. Y’all think you’re doin’ good, but y’all ain’t got any idea how wrong y’all are.

“Y’all talk about family, but like I said, y’all don’t know what that word even means. Family don’t treat family like tools, like means ta an end. Family don’t try ta break one another just ‘cause that’s what they think is right. Most of all, family don’t wish one another dead, no matter how awful they may be. What y’all’re doin’ ta yer sisters ain’t love, Curaçao, it’s betrayal.”

Curaçao snarled. “You talk about knowing what it’s like to be broken, Applejack. You can’t know what moi et mes sœurs ‘ave been through. ‘ow can you lecture me on what family means when you ‘ave never seen your family reach zese lows?”

Applejack paused a moment in consideration. Then, she let out a sigh. “I know what it’s like, Curaçao. I know what y’all ‘n’ yer sisters are goin’ through.” She turned away from Curaçao and stared at the ceiling, eyes closed, deep in thought. “It was after lil’ Applebloom was born. Fightin’ broke out durin’ a border dispute with the gryphons. Stallions everywhere got drafted ta serve in the Royal Guard. My pa was one of ‘em. Lots o’ ponies ‘n’ gryphons died. It weren’t a long war, and at the end o’ the day, the borders stayed just like they always had been.

“My pa returned, but he’d… changed. The fightin’ left him a shell o’ what he once was. He’d wake up with nightmares about what had happened out there, about what he’d done. One night, he woke up, went out ta the barn… my ma found him that mornin’ when she went out ta milk the cows.” Applejack shook her head and fought back tears. “We was devastated, but nopony was more devastated than my ma. She wouldn’t eat or sleep for days. She just… lost the will ta live. Nothin’ we did could knock her out of it. She passed three months after my pa. Just gave up on life.

“So let’s say y’all’re right,” she said, turning her attention fully back to Curaçao. “Let’s say yer sisters do lose ta my friends, like ya think they will, an’ my friends talk ‘em outta doin’ evil. Let’s say they see the light, and they realize that everythin’ they’ve done and tried ta do was wrong. Will they be strong enough ta decide ta keep on livin’? Or will they regret what they did so much that they decide they don’t deserve livin’? Maybe not the next day, or the day after that, but sometime far in the future. Will that make y’all or them happy then?”

Curaçao remained silent, but narrowed her eyes; they were alight with anger, but Applejack paid it no heed.

“I thought not,” Applejack snorted. “The sad thing is, I’m sure if you ‘n’ yer sisters truly love each other as much as ya say y’all do, and ya told ‘em what y’all were doin’ an’ why… yeah, they might be mad at first. But in the end, they’d forgive ya, because y’all treated ‘em like family.” She shook her head. “But no, y’all don’t even plan on takin’ any responsibility for it. Ya think that whatever happens, happens, and that y’all’re justified in what y’all’re doin’. Ya know why? ‘cause y’all know that if ya told yer sisters what y’all had done, they’d hate ya for it.”

“Tais-toi!” Curaçao screamed.

She shattered the earthen prison around her hooves with a sharp jerk of her legs, and with an equally sharp jab, she smashed her hoof into Applejack’s forehead, throat, and chest in rapid succession. Applejack’s stone armor shattered beneath each strike, exposing her soft, furry coat; she gasped for air and crumbled to the floor.

Curaçao pressed her hoof against the back of Applejack’s neck, shoving Applejack’s face into the dirt floor. “You zink you know me?! You know nozing! Everyzing I do, I do for zee good of mes sœurs! Quand ça sera fini, everypony will zank me for what I ‘ave done! Toi! Tes amies! Mes sœurs! Zis is for zee good of everypony!”

There was a flash and a pop. Curaçao turned from Applejack to see Starlight Shadow and arrived. Applejack was able to just barely see for herself that Starlight did not look at all well; she was pale, sweaty, and off-balance.

“Sister!” Starlight called, collapsing to her knees. “We need your help!”

Curaçao made to speak, but fumbled with her words. She shot a glance at Applejack, and shook her head. “I… euh, oui. I am just finishing—"

“No time for that, this cannot wait!” Starlight said as she stumbled forward. “We need to go, now!”

Curaçao frowned, and nodded. “Fort bien, let us go.” She stepped off of Applejack and over to her sister. Without another word, they vanished in a flash.

Applejack grunted and pulled herself out of the dirt and brushed herself off. She glanced to the side, to where Curaçao had placed the gem she’d taken from her pocket earlier, and stepped over to it. She took it in her hoof, and gave it a spin, eliciting a high-pitched wail that echoed throughout cavern. It was the right gem, that was for certain. Curaçao had been telling the truth.

She shook her head and placed the gem in her shirt pocket, then turned to the elevator shaft in the center of the room. If Pinkie was alright, she was down there, somewhere. She leapt over the railing and latched onto the side of the shaft, and began her trek down into the darkness.

***

Havocwing let out a low groan and rolled over on her back. The soft grass was suitable enough to rest on, but it didn’t do much to alleviate her pain. A fierce chill had gripped her heart and doused her flame, so now everything felt deathly cold from the second she considered Fluttershy’s words and how much her sisters meant to her. She couldn’t ignite a spark, no matter how hard she tried. It felt as though something inside her had been damaged the instant she diverged from her path of blind, unfeeling anger towards the other mare, and that frightened her. Was she dying? Of what? Kindness? Could you die from that?

Havocwing glanced off to the side at the sound of a loud wretch. Insipid didn’t appear to be in any better shape than Havocwing was, though she hadn’t been dealt any sort of physical injuries. Nonetheless, she hadn’t stopped vomiting for more than a few seconds at a time; said vomit was a nasty black substance that definitely wasn’t normal, and couldn’t possibly be healthy. She could barely even get a word out in between all the heaving, and while typically that would be something Havocwing considered a blessing, now, it worried her.

Ever since Havocwing had arrived in the clear meadow that Starlight had taken her to, nothing seemed to add up. How had Insipid even been placed into such a position? What had Rarity done to her? In fact, could Rarity have even done anything like this in the first place? It didn’t seem to be her style, and she probably lacked the power to do it if it was. This seemed more like the sort of thing Twilight would or could do.

Speaking of Twilight, what had she done to Starlight? Havocwing had noticed her sister’s odd state after she’d caught her and teleported her here to the clearing. Like Insipid, Starlight was physically unharmed. Mentally, though, she seemed completely out of sorts, and didn’t quite sound like herself. For one thing, Havocwing could understand every word she said. She also seemed terribly drained of energy. She didn’t seem to be in the same state Twilight had left her in after their first battle together—she could still use her full magic, after all, and was just as accurate and focused with it as ever. So what was wrong with her?

Havocwing’s thoughts were dashed by a fearsome whoosh overhead, as though a jet had been flying too close to the ground.

“Havoc! Insipid!” Grayscale called. She crash-landed beside her two sisters, much to Havocwing’s shock and dismay; Grayscale was never a graceful flier, but she wasn’t inept. When she stumbled out of the crater she’d made, Havocwing noticed she was crying. “Phew... thank the stars... you two made it. Where’s... everypony else? Are they okay?”

“Star’s off getting Red and Curaçao, but she looked like shit,” Havocwing muttered. “Still looked better than me and Insipid here, at least. I don’t know how the others are, only that they’re alive.” She shook her head. “What about you, though? You don’t look so hot.”

“Me? Don’t worry… about me. All that matters… is that all of you are okay. I was worried… I wouldn’t find this place… without… Star...”

Without warning, Grayscale crumbled to the floor, exhausted.

“Gray? Gray!” Havocwing exclaimed. Grayscale didn’t respond. “Shit…”

A flash and a weak pop drew her attention; Starlight was back, and she’d brought somepony with her.

Unfortunately, said somepony was not in the best of shape.

“Red!” Havocwing blurted. She ignored the severe pain caused by standing up to scramble over to her younger sister.

Havocwing thought she was in terrible shape, but Red Velvet was even worse. She was bleeding from just about everywhere; her coat, mane, and tail were completely soaked with thick, dark blood. Her pupils were dilated, and she was shaking erratically, as though gripped by a fierce chill. The slit along her spine that normally dispensed her blood tendrils was torn open, as though something inside her had exploded violently outwards, exposing muscle and bone.

“What the hell happened?!” Havocwing asked.

“I do not know,” Starlight said, shaking her head. Her breaths were labored, and Havocwing noticed her horn was giving off erratic sparks “I found her like this... when I arrived.”

“What did Pinkie do to her?”

“Pinkie Pie denied responsibility. I… believe her. This seems unlike anything she would do.” Starlight sighed. “I... do not know what we can do, and I do not know what is happening. But... Curaçao was nearest to her, so she may have some idea... either for how to help, or of what happened. I will return... shortly.” She lit her horn again, though doing so seemed to cause her great pain.

“Star, we have to do something here!” Havocwing pleaded, stopping her sister’s retreat. She wrapped Velvet in a hug, not at all concerned about getting blood all over herself. “She’s gonna bleed out if we don’t do something!”

Starlight stopped her spell and thought a moment. “Perhaps... you could cauterize the wound?” she suggested.

Havocwing frowned and shook her head. “I… I can’t feel any heat inside me. I can’t make any fire, Star.” She buried her face in Velvet’s mane. “I can’t help her…”

“Then… I see no solution we can provide.” Starlight frowned. “This… is distressing. I must fetch Curaçao... immediately.”

She vanished in a flash.

“Shit, this is bad,” Havocwing muttered. She cradled Velvet in her hooves, holding her tight. “You’re gonna be okay, Red. You hear me? You’re gonna be okay.”

Velvet’s only response was the blood gurgling in her throat.

Starlight returned seconds later, Curaçao by her side. Havocwing was pleased to see that Curaçao hadn’t been injured in any way whatsoever. She was less pleased to see that Starlight could barely stand on her own anymore.

Curaçao’s eyes widened, and she swept over to the huddled mares in a flash. She shook her head, putting a hoof to her lips. “Quelle horreur! Zis… c’est terrible! Zis was not supposed to ‘appen.”

Havocwing stared up at her elder sister but did not release Velvet from her embrace. “Curaçao! What do we do?! Red’s gonna bleed out if we don’t do something quick!”

Curaçao remained silent and shook her head, her face distraught.

Havocwing blinked. “Curaçao? Hello? Hey! Snap out of it!”

“Sister? Please... speak to us,” Starlight said, limping up alongside Curaçao, out of breath. “We… we need to do something quickly, or Havocwing... will be correct, and... our sister will bleed out. She needs help, but… but I know not what to do. I am... not confident in using healing magic, and Insipid... is in no shape to lend any help.”

Insipid confirmed this with a loud dry heave.

Curaçao gulped. “Per’aps… you could try your ‘ealing magic. It is zee only zing zat I can zink of.”

Havocwing nodded. “Yeah! C’mon, Star, just… just give it a shot.”

Starlight frowned. “B-but… I have no idea what to do. I have never used this sort of spell before.”

“If Insipid can do it, so can you!” Havocwing exclaimed. She took a deep breath; the chill in her heart was overpowering, and she could barely stave off the pain. “Please… please, Star. It’s our only hope at… keeping Red alive. You’ve gotta try.”

Starlight paused, and she took a deep breath. “Okay. I will try.” She lit up her horn, gritting her teeth in pain. She could not even cast her spell before succumbing to whatever agony using her magic was causing her; her horn dimmed, and she stumbled to the ground.

Havocwing hung her head. “No… that was our only shot.”

Starlight whimpered. “My magic... failed. I failed. What else... can we do?”

“I dunno… maybe we need to get her to a… a doctor or... something.” Havocwing winced and bit her lip; the pain was impossible to ignore at this point. “I think we... all need a doctor…”

A still silence hung over the mares.

Curaçao shook her head and backed away. “Zis… was not supposed to ‘appen. Zee effects of defying your inner natures should not ‘ave been zis severe…”

Havocwing raised an eyebrow. “You keep saying that, but what’s it supposed to mean? And how’s it supposed to help?”

“Zis was not supposed to ‘appen… it was not supposed to be zis bad,” Curaçao muttered, continuing to back away.

“Sister... what are you talking about?” Starlight asked, weakly drawing herself upright.

“Zis was not supposed to be zis way!” Curaçao snapped.

Havocwing flinched away. “Whoa, sis, what’s gotten into you? You’re acting… kinda weird.”

Velvet gasped weakly, and coughed spurts of blood on Havocwing’s chest.

Havocwing shook her head and tightened her embrace on Velvet. “Forgot all that! We need to help Red! Think of something, anything!”

Curaçao slumped to the ground. “What ‘ave I done? It was not supposed to be zis way.” She clutched at her heart. “Zis… zis is my fault…”

“Curaçao! Get a hold of yourself and get over here!”

“Sister, please,” Starlight pleaded, kneeling down beside her eldest sister. “We are out of time... and options. I do not know... what to do.”

“Zere is nozing you can do!” Curaçao snapped. “I did not account for zis! It was only supposed to be une douleur minimale. Some scrapes, maybe some bruises, but no more. No broken bones. No damaged ‘orns. No videment de sang!”

“What are you talking about? You are speaking nonsense.”

Curaçao grabbed Starlight’s face. “Zis is my fault!”

Then, without warning, Curaçao clutched her heart and snarled in pain, collapsing to the ground.

“Sister!” Starlight wrapped her hooves around Curaçao’s shoulders. “What is wrong? Are you hurt? Did Applejack hurt you?”

Havocwing looked from Velvet, to Curaçao, back to Velvet. “Why is this happening to us?!” she shouted up into the sky.

“Please, sister, you must get up,” Starlight pleaded, attempting to pull Curaçao to her hooves, and failing; her own lack of strength only made things worse as she collapsed on top of Curaçao. “Our sisters... need your leadership.”

Curaçao took a deep breath. “My leadership… I did zis. I manipulated you all… into zis. Zee Elements of ‘armony… zey were to convince you… zat what you were doing… was wrong. Zat what would make you heureuses… was famille.” She bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood. “I did zis… it is my fault zat… ma sœur is dying. My fault zat you all got ‘urt…”

Starlight paused, and shook her head. “You… manipulated us? Why? How?”

“Because… I zought… it was zee best zing to do. Zee best way… to save you… from zee fate zat we were destined for.” Curaçao’s breaths became rapid and strained. “I... should ‘ave told you… in… zee first place. But I did not zink… zat anypony would listen. So, I sent you… against your targets… face-à-face. I knew you… would tell zem… everyzing. I knew zey would… try to talk some sense into you. And when zey did, Nihila would resist… just as she is wizin… me.” She laughed. “La vérité fait mal—zee truz ‘urts.”

Suddenly, Havocwing’s sisters howled out in pain, one by one, creating a cacophony of earsplitting anguish. She wanted to call out to them, to find out what was wrong, but her words caught in her throat like foul-tasting mud. Her sisters doubled over, their eyes wide open and filled with a horrifying, soul-crushing darkness. She could feel an energy radiating from them that sapped what remaining heat she had left in her body. All of it, in an instant.

Then, Havocwing clenched at her own heart, and her senses became overwhelmed with an agonizing, terrifying sensation, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Her body felt as though it were being torn apart from the inside out; everything screamed in pain from her skin to her bones, her muscles down to her blood. An impenetrable black void flooded her vision, though as her agony grew, it melted into a blinding, burning light. The taste of fresh blood flowed across her tongue, followed by the taste of darkness itself. Burning fur and flesh singed her nostrils. She could only hear the anguished screams of her sisters.

Then, there was nothing.

Comments

[-Pinkamena_Pie-]

Oh my god... That's horrible...

[So_Many_Wonders]

I have no words

[Zauber Junge]

I wonder if this is just more safeguards put in place by Silvertounge or if Nihila is going to fuse the clone 6 into a new body to get some semblance of power and normalcy back.

I also really enjoy Nihila being Clottles. That was one of those reveals that just clicks so well.

[Teraunce]

Please live Dark Six. Also Clottles being Nihilia makes sense in hindsight. As another Fic once put it: there's more than one way to express kindness or any of the other Elements.
Edit:Wooooo! They live!

[My name is R]

With a little work, I could make rainbow-flavored cupcakes! I bet Dashie would get a kick outta those!

Hmm. I honestly don't know if that's a Cupcakes reference or not. Wouldn't be surprised either way.

Hmm. I wonder what's got the spider so worked up? Sabotage from Curie and Velvet, just bad timing, or something else.

Applejack noticed its movements were twitchy, as though it weren’t entirely stable. It let out a shrill screech, spewing gem flakes, saliva, and blood in their direction.

Spewing blood? That's interesting. Twitchy movements, I wonder if there’s some significance there.
It went after Pinkie. Say, if a creature is large enough could Velvet use her hemothuergy to puppet it like a mech? 'Cause that's my guess as ta what's going goin' on here.

As soon as they way was clear, Fireburst made a sudden mad dash into the chamber.
“Fireburst? Hey! Where’re ya goin’?!” Applejack exclaimed.
She rushed after her into the chamber and looked everywhere, but couldn’t see her friend. Then, she sensed movement to her side. She turned to see the glint of metal. There was a sharp pain in her skull.
Everything went black.

...What just happened? Did Fireburst get swapped when we weren't looking? No, we haven’t looked away. Was she Curie the whole time after all? No, that doesn’t make any sense, she knew way too much about the mines, that seems like more than gathering information in another town would have given her if it made the guard assume she was a minor.
Mind control ain't somethin' in Curie's repertoire. Nope, I got nuthin.

“And now the evil twin wants to kill the original. Cliché. What’s the deal here? Do you want to replace me or something?”

Nah, that's Insipid's plan. Velvet just wants ta kill ya. And a lot of other ponies, but yer at the top of 'er list.

Fireburst merely shook her head. “What’s the matter, hun? I thought y’all had those strong earth powers ‘n’ all that jazz. Can’t ya break out on yer own? I think I’m just gonna leave ya hangin’ ‘round up there ‘til I decide what ta do with ya.”

What!? It is her?! But, but I was so sure. You already had her alone, were you already separated from yer sisters? But then how did Velvet know to be here... Fireburst said she had business in town and went her own way. And that's probably when she researched Deepgrove, since that was her cover story's background. But why didn't your group take AJ way back when, it still don't make a lick o' sense!
Fireburst, I trusted you! I knew there was a shapeshifter about, and I still trusted you.

“I guess bein’ an honest pony like yerself just makes ya trustin’, don’t it?” Fireburst shook her head and sighed.

And now yer insultin' mah intelligence! Why of all the low down rotten... It ain't niave, yer just really good you no good traitor!
...I don't know whether ta hate ya or applaud ya, because unlike AJ I can appreciate a good misdirection, but this was still a major breech a trust. I'm about ready ta go after you with my hoe while simultanously cursing ya and admittin' that was pretty clever.
Tell ya what, teach me and I'll let it slide this once.

“Tes amies can only do what needs to be done if zey are alone. You must ‘ave confiance—faiz—in zem. You do, don’t you?” Curaçao frowned. “I know zat… I do.”

Wait. Are you saying that... you know about the shifts? That you're working to bring them about? Hmm. It is possible... Very well, I am listening. Make your case well.
You made the gem that Havoc ate, didn’t you? I'll have to double check later, it's been awhile.

Curaçao’s face lit up, and she smiled brightly. “Mes sœurs are already close to zee light, because zey know love. Zey just need to know that they know it, to know that our love for one anozer can make us heureuses. Tes amies shall provide it for zem. Je suis désolée—I am sorry if you do not like all zis, but it was necessary. Everyzing I ‘ave done, I ‘ave done for the eventual bonheur of mes sœurs!” She laughed triumphantly. “Ma famille will be redeemed! Zey will be freed from zeir inner darkness, and toi et tes amies will be free to go ‘ome. In zee end, everypony is ‘appy, and everypony wins, n’est-ce pas?”

Well, that's settled then. I trust her.
Come ta think of it, this helps explain why she went through all the trouble of Fireburst instead of her and her sisters getting right into it. She wasn't working entirely with them.

Velvet and Pinkie each quirked an eyebrow. Clottles had spoken in a voice very much unlike Velvet’s poor ventriloquism. Velvet herself hadn’t even moved her mouth. This new voice was much more imposing, almost sinister, full of equal parts hate and rage, and with a slight feminine touch. It was almost like talking to another creature entirely.

Well. Has Clottles always been more than madness, or is this new?

“Some sister y’all are,” Applejack snarled as she struggled to free herself of Curaçao’s hold. “Sendin’ your family into a fight an’ expectin’ ‘em ta lose. Y’all don’t care about ‘em one bit.”

Actually, I'm with Curie on this one. Sometimes lessons hurt, but must be learned lest much worse hurt come later. She is trying to help her sisters, and if we only consider her sisters well-being than I believe that this is the correct course of action.
The problem is when we consider the dangers to Applejack's friends.

Applejack relented under the assault; whatever the metal was that had replaced the other mare’s jumpsuit, it allowed her to crack Applejack’s own armor and inflict intense pain. She sunk beneath the earth like it was water and swam to safety to bide her time and replenish her strength.
She was not about to give Curaçao the same luxury. The cavern shook violently. The ground heaved and shook, crumbling beneath Curaçao's hooves. Rocks rained down from the ceiling as they were broken loose by the cavern's shuddering. No steady purchase was left; no place was safe from falling rock. Applejack made sure of it.

And you call Curie and Grayscale cowards and cheaters? Shameful hypocrisy. As soon as you start losing you retreat out of range and start an artillery barrage. It's a fine tactic, but not an honorable one.

the sounds of hard labor filled the mining district was filled.

As the Harmony Guard say, ‘Say lovey’.

Is Say lovey supposed to mean somethin' specific? Cause I ain't gettin' anything from Google Translate.nothing.

but all it just has a liiittle evil twist to it.

it all

“Kaio-ken times three!” she shouted, screaming more out of pain than anything.
Pinkie’s body erupted with pink flame again.

Wait, wait, wait. She already did three. Wouldn't this be four? Or is she just reiterating where she already is?