Kindness and the Heart of Shadow

by Raven-Flight

News from Pony Express

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stood in a circle, and Starlight sat in the center. When she powered her horn, four white beams of light stretched radially from it and connected with the foreheads of each of the friends surrounding her. Then spurts of color flashed up the beams back into Starlight and an image of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark appeared above her head. The symbol floated over the map-table and then swung in pendulum-esque motions until it finally settled into one spot. Starlight released the spell and the image remained.

Twilight sauntered up to the map-table. “It looks like our friend flew to Whinnyapolis.”

---

Rainbow Dash was napping on a cloud, recovering from her long flight. Her dreams were disturbed by a bit of commotion from the city below, but she didn’t wake until something cold and hard sliced across her back.

“Woah!” She leaped awake and cringed against the fresh pain. A massive black crystal had pierced through her cloud from below and grazed Rainbow Dash’s skin on its ascent. The thought that she very easily could have been impaled instead invaded her mind, but the pegasus quickly pushed it aside. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

Peering over the side of the cloud, Rainbow Dash observed a wall of these crystals rising up to encircle Whinnyapolis. “Sombra. Of course,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Good to know my nose for danger still works.” As she took in the sight of the smoking, crumbling city below her, Rainbow Dash hastily assessed that she shouldn’t try to face the enemy alone. She instead dove down into the city and kept herself as hidden as she could among all the rubble. Any information she gathered about Sombra’s offensive could be useful to Twilight.

But as Rainbow Dash roamed among the destruction, she could find nothing of interest. She helped out a few trapped or injured ponies, but when the growth of the evil crystals around the city at last ceased, the pegasus realized she’d better make her escape while she could. Nearby, a flock of pegasi were flying straight up, apparently aiming to get over the wall. Rainbow Dash saw her chance and took it, flying up into the center of the group to keep herself concealed.

Then all motion suddenly halted. She was trapped with the whole flock in a yellow magic aura. Collectively, they were carried back down and then flung into a huge abandoned warehouse.

---

There was a muffled shout from outside the castle. It almost sounded like “Twilight!”

Then there was a thunderous CRASH, and Rainbow Dash landed in a heap on the map-table among the shards of what a few seconds ago had been a stained-glass window.

“Good heavens, dear! Are you alright?” Rarity immediately began levitating glass pieces out of Rainbow Dash’s skin.

“Never better. Twilight!”

“You’re back almost eight hours earlier than expected,” responded the Princess. “What happened to you?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t even pause to boast about her fast flying. “I was in Whinnyapolis, and—“

“We know! The spell worked perfectly!”

“Okay, but it’s gone! The city was attacked and all its inhabitants are being rounded up as we speak!”

“What?” There was a general gasp from everypony in the room.

“It was Sombra and Chrysalis!” Rainbow Dash then launched into her story, telling how she was accidentally slashed by a black crystal and how she ended up in a storeroom where innocent ponies were being trapped and piled in a mound of green changeling goo.

“How’d ya get out of there?” Applejack’s faced looked as stunned as everypony else’s.

“Fortunately, I landed at the bottom of the flock of pegasi I was with. Chrysalis didn’t notice me, but I could see her pick up the top pony in her magic and drain his love! She was distracted by the feeding, so I zoomed around to the back of the pile of gooey ponies, out of sight. Then, as soon as I saw another group of ponies being flung into the room, I dashed out through a window on the opposite side, and I flew over the nearest wall real quick. I managed to get to the other side just before Sombra could nab me in his magic again, and then I flew straight here nonstop! Thanks,” Rainbow Dash took the glass of water Starlight brought and drank it all in one go. Rarity had just removed the last of the glass, and Applejack was applying first aid to all the cuts and scratches.

“Oh my goodness!” Pinkie Pie piped. “You must be so, so, so, so, so tired! I’ll be right back!” There was a pink blur as the pony sped out of the room. The remaining group watched her go and then turned back toward each other.

“So they’re working together,” Twilight processed verbally, wonder and terror mixed in her voice. “That might explain why the attacks we’ve observed hadn’t seemed to fit either one of their individual styles. Rainbow, do you know what they were doing in Whinnyapolis?”

“Well, I don’t know why they had picked Whinnyapolis specifically for their attack, but it looked like they were trying to capture all the citizens alive. I mean, Chrysalis was draining some of their love, but she was still leaving them mostly unharmed. My guess is that once they’d rounded everypony up in that room, Sombra was gonna go in and brainwash ‘em to make an army!”

The pink blur returned. “Here you go!” Pinkie Pie set down a tray of fresh cupcakes in front of Rainbow Dash. The flavor looked ambiguous, but they were colorful and appealing. “Something to restore your spirit, and your body! I made them with a special protein formula I whipped up just for you!”

“Oh, thanks!” Rainbow Dash tore through two cupcakes before she blurted around her mouthful “These are really good!”

“Of course they are, silly! I tailored them exactly to your specific needs and tastes!”

“...Not gonna ask how you did that.”

“Pinkie,” interjected Twilight, “you might need to make a batch of those for each of us. We’ve got to get to Canterlot right away, and since the train lines are down, it looks like we’ll be traveling by hoof!”

“On it!”

As Pinkie Pie baked and everypony hastily packed their bags, Twilight scribbled a quick note.

Discord—
I know you’re in a terrible position after Fluttershy was taken from us, but I just learned of an alliance between King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis, and the danger to all of us grows greater by the day. Please, if there is anything you would be willing to do to help us, we need it. And wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, be safe. I don’t want to find out another of my friends has been taken hostage or hurt.
If you need us, we will be in Canterlot.
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle

Not knowing where Discord might be, Twilight did her best to channel chaos in her magic and then sent the note at random when her mind was at its most confused. After all, she had begun to learn from the unruly draconequus that she could put her trust in chaos, and more often than she would have expected, it would work in her favor.

---

“Then it is as I feared,” Celestia responded to Twilight’s explanation of events. “I had been informed about the attack on Whinnyapolis and I received a tip that the villains will strike in either Foaledo or Chicoltgo next.”

“Who told you that?”

“A townspony who was near the city when it was taken. He said a filly who’d escaped heard it from King Sombra himself. Twilight, my sister and I are each going to take what remains of our Royal Guards and each defend one of the targeted cities. I need you and your friends here to watch over Canterlot.”

“Certainly, Princess, but what if—“

“Your brother and Princess Cadence are on their way with as many volunteers from the Crystal Empire as they could gather. They’ve agreed to back up the capitol city while their own Guard stays behind to protect their home. It is our hope that since the Crystal Empire is so remote, our enemies will not plan an offensive against it yet. I just wish more of our cries for aid would be answered...”

“What do you mean, Princess?” Twilight was beginning to realize that Celestia and Luna had not been as idle in response to the threats as she had thought.

“I mean I have sent out many messages to our allies outside of Equestria. The hippogryphs, the changelings, the dragons, I’ve even tried the gryphons. No creature has responded. You say you all ran here because the train line was down. I have gotten many reports of trains down from massive crystalline growths in the tracks or sudden natural disasters. The weather has been so volatile across the Kingdom that whenever we send up even a single balloon or chariot all must soon make emergency landings, and every brave pegasus who has volunteered to carry a message solo seems to have vanished.”

“But how can just two villains orchestrate such a thorough attack? They must be everywhere at once!”

“My dear Twilight, I am beyond suspecting there are only two villains in league against us.”

Comments

[kurusagi16]

Yes! The girls are starting to see the bigger picture of Grogar's plan.