Filly Fantasy VI - The Return of Magic

by The Wyld Stallynz

In Which Liberation Begins

Applejack looked back at the line of ponies following her lead. Many of them carried heavier saddlebags than normal, a consequence of all the supplies the group had purchased for their journey. “Y’all doing okay back there?” A series of affirmatives called back to her. “Okay. Just checkin’!”

She nodded and faced forward again, keeping a steady pace even as she dragged a small wooden wagon loaded with provisions. Between all the supplies in the wagon and the extra that the adult ponies carried, Applejack figured they had plenty to reach their destination. The city of Mareanda was the farthest settlement from Vectorlot so they needed to be sure they had enough to reach it by hoof. So far, traveling through the countryside of the Empire had been a pleasant experience. Given all that Applejack and the others had been through just to get to this point, it was a welcome change of pace.

The sound of hooves trotting up to her gained her attention. Shining Armor caught up to her and matched Applejack’s speed. “So, still think heading all the way out here will help our chances?”

“I do,” Applejack said, nodding. “You saw what it was like in Albuck. That town’s just too crowded with soldiers to go askin’ the townsfolk to fight against the Empire. We’d probably be ratted out in a day.”

“And Mareanda will be different?”

“Accordin’ to what Rarity found out, it should. It’s far enough that the Empire doesn’t send many troops there so we should be able to find ponies willin’ to join us.”

Shining Armor let out a small sigh. “Let’s hope so. We’re not going to get anywhere with just the four of us.”

Applejack gave an affirmative grunt. The pair continued on in silence for several miles, each occupied with their own thoughts. Behind them, Rarity and Derpy could be heard discussing the merits of wearing capes versus not wearing them, with Spotter chiming in every now and then. With just a little imagination, Applejack could pretend they were all on a road trip, off to meet a far off relative. It was a pleasant daydream to lose herself in, forgetting that they were on a journey to topple an army bent on global domination. If only Big Macintosh were here then it would complete the fantasy.

She interrupted her thoughts, her eyes widening in remembrance. “Oh, I meant to ask you. What was with ya in wanting to leave Albuck so quickly?”

The stallion blinked and shook his head, his mind snapping back to reality. “Huh, what? What did you say?”

“I said, you were in an awful big hurry to get out of Albuck. What was up with that?”

“Oh… yeah.” Shining Armor looked away, hiding the color rising in his cheeks.

.o.O.o.

Shining Armor let out a long sigh as he stepped into the bar closest to the Albuck port. After the day he had, loading and unloading cargo, he desperately needed to take a load off himself. The gil he earned would go a long way to replenishing the supplies they would need to cross the continent, but the stallion could only do so much before he needed a break.

Upon entering the bar, loud music and raucous laughter greeted his ears. A quick glance around the main room revealed that it was packed with ponies in Imperial armor either drinking, playing cards, or just being loud and obnoxious. Shining Armor kept his head low as he made his way to the counter, doing his best not to bump into any of the other patrons. Applejack, Rarity, Derpy, and himself learned quickly that if they went about their business and didn’t raise a fuss, the local garrison left them alone. The soldiers stationed here had better things to do than waste their time on drifters with hardly any gil to their name. He made it to the barkeep without incident and ordered a hard cider. A minute later his drink arrived and Shining Armor wasted no time in downing half the contents of the mug in one swig.

“My, my. That’s an impressive amount in just one gulp.”

Shining Armor nearly spewed his drink at the sultry female voice coming from right behind his ear. With a massive force of will, he swallowed the cider and coughed at the burning sensation it left in his throat.

“Well, good to see I can still get a reaction like that.”

Once he had his breathing under control, Shining Armor turned his head. A light apple green unicorn mare with a raspberry, orange, and amber streaked mane stood next to him, her half-lidded blue eyes roving over his form. “Um, can I help you… miss?” Shining Armor said, edging away to gain a little space.

The mare batted her eyes, her smile widening as she leaned forward and purred out, “Funny, I was going to ask you the same question.”

Shining Armor gulped, sweat beginning to run down his forehead. “Uh, come again?”

“Oh, don’t play coy. Sailors like yourself are terrible at it.” She pressed closer, her muzzle filling Shining Armor’s vision. “Now, let’s skip the foreplay and get straight to the action. It’s not often I get to hang out with a guy who’s not a sold—”

“I’m widowed,” he blurted and ran for the exit, leaving a blinking and perplexed barmaid behind.

.o.O.o.

“Nothing. Just forget about it.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Okaaaaaay.” She shrugged and fell silent again.

They continued on, welcoming the peace and quiet after all the work and running around that resulted in Albuck. The tranquil scene shattered when yelling could be heard further ahead. The group looked to each other, their expressions turning grim, and charged forward. Cresting a small hill revealed a caravan of Imperial soldiers surrounding magitek equipment on long flatbed trailers. Pulling the trailers, being yelled and whipped at to move faster, were a dozen chocobos. The large birds strained against their harnesses, visibly struggling to keep moving to avoid a lash from the numerous unicorn guards trotting beside them.

Applejack motioned for the others to stay low, watching the spectacle with a deep frown. “I’m getting a might tired of seeing these Impies push others around.”

“I agree, Applejack,” Rarity said, keeping her voice low. “But what would you have us do? It’s not like we can just go down there and free—”

“That’s exactly what we’re gonna do!”

Rarity blinked. “Beg your pardon?”

Applejack turned, meeting the eye of each pony. “This is our chance to start hittin’ the Empire where it hurts. If we can free those chocobos, then they can’t move their stuff as fast. And iffen we can free more, think how much that’ll slow them down.”

“Death by a thousand cuts?” Rarity said, smirking.

“Right. So let’s get down there and start bucking them down like a dead apple tree.” Applejack faced the convoy again, her muscles tensed to spring into action.

A white hoof pressed down on her back, keeping her immobile. “Hold on there,” Shining Armor said. “If we’re going to do this, we need to be smart. Charging in only works when there’s an advantage. We don’t know what they have for weapons.”

Applejack huffed. “Then whaddya suggest?”

Her answer came from the most unlikely source. “Oh! Oh! I know!” Derpy spoke up, raising her hoof in the air. “I’ve seen trap-door spiders hide in these nests and when an insect comes around, SNAP! They spring out and grab them!”

“Oooh, an ambush,” Rarity said, nodding her head. “Marvelous, dear.”

“We gotta get ahead of them,” Derpy continued. “Then we’ll hide ourselves like those spiders and SNAP them up when they go by.”

“Sounds good,” Applejack said, a wide grin on her muzzle. “Let’s hide our stuff and do this.”

.o.O.o.

Sergeant Oversight sighed as he looked up at the sun. The celestial body was nearing its highest point in the sky and they weren’t even at the halfway point to Vectorlot yet. “This is pathetic.” He lengthened his stride, coming alongside a pair of chocobos pulling a covered trolley. “C’mon, I know you guys can pick up the pace.” He received a dismissive grunt in return. “Hey, think of it this way. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can rest and eat.” Oversight motioned his head towards one of the guards carrying a whip. “Or we can do it the hard way. So what do you want, the gysahl or the stick?” Neither chocobo responded, though Oversight noticed that their long legs began to move faster. “Good boys.”

Satisfied that his point had been made, Sergeant Oversight trotted over to another set of chocobos and gave the same ultimatum as the others. He worked his way through the ranks, egging on with a soft voice while carrying the proverbial stick. Soon, the caravan as a whole moved through the plains at an acceptable rate. Oversight smirked at his ingenuity. The schedule would be kept and nochoco would be hurt.

That was when a flatbed near the center of the caravan fell into the ground.

“Oh, ponyfeathers!” Oversight exclaimed, running over to the stuck flatbed. The rest of the Imperials joined him, circling around the disabled carrier and murmuring to each other on what to do. “We must have passed over a chickenlip den. Pegasi! Get up in the air and watch for any ground movement.” Two pegasi saluted and took to the sky. Sergeant Oversight turned to the rest of his troops. “The rest of us will need to strap ourselves to this thing and pull it—”

A meaty thwack, followed by a pony body crashing to the ground interrupted him. Oversight whirled around in shock, only for a pair of orange, horseshoe clad hooves to fill his vision. They connected solidly under his chin and he knew no more.

.o.O.o.

Applejack twisted around the moment the pony she bucked in the muzzle went down, her attention now on the nearby group of soldiers packed together with stunned faces. She didn’t give them the time to react. In seconds she charged into them, her hind legs blurring as she pummeled her way through.

Through the corner of her eye, she could see the others doing their part. Shining Armor slashed through any soldier unfortunate enough to be in his path. Rarity, decked out in her Mare Do Well costume, spun a threaded needle through the air, tying up any Imperials taken out of the fight. A thud of a pony impacting against the ground alerted Applejack that Derpy had finished the second pegasus.

In less than a minute, the dozen soldiers making up the caravan were laid out upon the plain. Applejack and Shining Armor quickly rounded up each Imperial into tight groups, allowing Rarity to finish tying them up unimpeded. None of the soldiers had been killed, but many would be sporting bruises and cuts for days.

“Well, I gotta say that worked out a heck of a lot better than I thought it would,” Applejack said. She pushed a struggling soldier next to his comrades, giving him a wrap to the head with a hoof. “Simmer down, feller. You don lost so sit still.”

“You’re mad!” the Imperial roared. Any further words he meant to say were cut off as Rarity gagged him with a strip of cloth.

“Hardly. Just very determined.” With the soldiers dealt with, Applejack turned her attention to the shocked and wide eyed faces of the chocobos still strapped in their harnesses. “Now to get these guys loose.”

One of the chocobos, his feathers colored a light blue, started frantically shaking his head. He strained his beak against his harness, but the straps around it kept it tightly shut.

Rarity walked up to him, cocking her head. “Um, so you don’t want us to free you?”

The chocobo sighed and shook his head. Using a talon, he began scratching a message into the dirt.

“Don’t… take… off… booby… trapped…” Rarity read aloud. “Oh. Oh dear.”

Applejack snorted and stomped a hoof. “Dangnabbit! We make this ambush work and now we can’t even get ya loose.”

“We can’t stay long,” Shining Armor said, scanning the horizon. “These guys will go missing soon and then we’ll have a lot more Imperials to deal with.” His eyes caught movement from where they left their supplies. He groaned as Spotter galloped up to him, the little colt’s eyes wide in excitement. “Spot—Excalipur, you were supposed to stay with our stuff.”

Spotter gaged upon hearing his pseudonym and replied, “But you took care of them all and I was bored. What’s taking so long?”

Shining Armor pointed at the bound chocobos. “We’re trying to figure out how to get them free without setting off some sort of trap. But we’re running low on time. Hey, where are you going?”

Spotter had stopped listening, walking closer to a pair of chocobos watching nearby. Unseen by anypony else, his small horn emitted little pearl motes of power, followed by his eyes turning completely white. He stood still as his eyes traced over the bindings keeping the chocobos strapped to the trolley they were pulling. Finally, he lifted a hoof and pointed at a spot just below the nearest chocobo’s wing. “There.”

Everypony looked to where Spotter pointed. A metal chain wrapped around the body of the chocobo with a single metallic loop securing the chain to the trolley. “Take that off,” he said, indicating the loop.

Shining Armor pulled Spotter away and pushed him in the direction he had come from. “Um, son, we really shouldn’t be messing with that. Who knows what will happen.”

“I know what will happen,” Spotter said, pushing back against his dad. “That’s the weak spot. Take that off and they’ll be free.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I… I’m… not sure. It just looks funny.” Spotter looked up, his eyes no longer white, and gave Shining Armor the most sincere expression he could. “Trust me, please!”

Shining Armor sighed. He turned to the others, who looked just as confused as he did. He shook his head. “We can’t risk it. We’ll have to think of something else…” He trailed off as a pure white chocobo attached to the stuck flatbed whistled and stomped her talons. Shining Armor pointed at himself and the chocobo rapidly nodded her head. He walked up to her and asked, “You… want me to try it?” She nodded again. “You’re sure? I don’t know what’s going to happen.” The chocobo rolled her eyes and nodded vigorously. “All right.”

Swallowing, Shining Armor levitated his sword and took aim for the metal loop Spotter had pointed out. He slowed his breathing, focusing all his attention on his target, and slashed. There came a high pitched ring and the loop split in half.

Seconds later, the entire series of chains and straps surrounding the chocobo fell away, pooling in a cluttered heap on the ground. The chocobo immediately spread her wings and gave a long sigh of relief. “Oh! I haven’t been able to do this in days.”

“Huh,” Derpy said, cocking her head to the side. “It worked.”

The rest of the chocobos blinked, staring at the pile of bondage gear that recently held one of their own, then loudly began beating their talons or jumping up and down.

“I think they want to be set free too,” the female chocobo said with a chuckle.

Shining Armor nodded and trotted up to the next bound chocobo. “Alright, hold your horses… or… feathers… whatever.” He struck the same loop with his sword and gave a satisfied smirk as that released the harness as well.

As Shining Armor worked on freeing the rest of the chocobos, Rarity and Applejack trotted up to Spotter, giving the colt unsure looks. “Um, Excalipur?” Rarity said. “Just… how did you know how to do that?”

Spotter gave the answer that made the most sense to him. He shrugged. “Idunno.”

Applejack rubbed her chin, her gaze settling on Spotter’s flank where his new mark was covered by his traveling cloak. “I reckon it’s something to do with that cutie whatsits ya got. That little filly said she got weird powers when she got one.”

“Yes, quite so,” Rarity murmured. “But how did he get his?”

“I wish I knew.”

Any further discussion was interrupted as Shining Armor finished his work and all the free chocobos gave a whoop of delight. The next few minutes saw hugs being given and many thank yous passed around. Once the merriment died down, Applejack gave a sharp whistle, drawing everychoco’s attention to her. “Y’all are very welcome. It was our pleasure to help. But we need to leave before these fellers here,” she pointed at the tied up soldiers, “start to go missin’. Let’s all make some tracks before we discuss anything.”

Everyone quickly agreed. Pausing for a minute for Rarity to blindfold the soldiers, they took off, heading west. Ten miles passed before anyone dared to raise their voice. “Alright, we ain’t exactly in the clear, but we should be okay for now,” Applejack said to the group at large.

A male yellow chocobo stepped up and walked beside her. “Not that we aren’t grateful, but why’d you stick your necks out for us?”

“Well, this might take some explainin’, but have ya ever heard of the Returners?”

The chocobo nodded, his eyebrows raised. “The Empire talks about them from time to time. They say they’re some kind of terrorist group.”

“A load of horse apples that is,” Applejack said with a snort. “We’re fightin’ to stop the Empire from taking over the world and doin’ what they please.”

“I can imagine,” the chocobo replied, unconsciously fluffing his wings. “I’m Willowgale by the way.”

“Nice to meet ya. I’m…” Applejack hesitated. “Aw, ponyfeathers, I’m Applejack. We go by different names here in the Empire, but I need to be honest with ya. We could really use your help and lyin’ isn’t going to make you trust us none.”

“Our help?” Willowgale said, giving Applejack an incredulous stare. “Just what are you going to do? You can’t seriously think to take on the Empire all by yourselves.”

“There’s more of us than you realize, sugarcube. And I can’t just sit by like a lump on a log and not do somethin’. Even if all I can do is tweak their nose, at least it’s something.”

Willowgale made a disgusted noise in the back of this throat and stomped his talons. “I mean no offense but I wish you blasted ponies would just keep this war to yourselves and leave us out of it.”

Applejack sighed and looked away. “I wish there wasn’t a war to begin with, but we don’t always get what we want.” She shook her head, lifting up and revealing a bright smile. “But I can’t let that git me down. I’ve got friends counting on me. So, think you got what it takes to help us? You wouldn’t be the only chocobos in the Returners. This one feller, uh, Stardust I think his name was, he’s doin’ what he can to help.”

Willowgale didn’t respond, continuing his walk in silence. After a minute, he sighed and said, “I don’t recognize that name. And I really don’t want to get involved. I just want to go back to tilling my fields.”

“If that’s your choice, I’m not gonna force ya,” Applejack replied. She glanced back at the others bringing up the rear, giving them an encouraging smile. Spotter and Derpy gave a hearty wave back to her before she returned her attention back to Willowgale. “You’re welcome to come with us to Mareanda or just run off right now. It’s up to you.”

“What are you going to do in Mareanda?”

“Well, we hear that the forces there are lighter than in other towns. I’m hopin’ to get a few others to help us, maybe stir up some trouble.”

The chocobo groaned, shaking his head. “You’re something else, you know that?” Before Applejack could respond, he continued, “At the pace we’re going, it’ll be a few days before we reach Mareanda. Let me… talk to the others. I’ll give you an answer then.”

Applejack tipped her hat to him. “Much obliged. Take all the time ya need.” She watched as Willowgale grunted and headed back to the other chocobos. A small smile graced her muzzle and stayed there for the rest of the day.

.o.O.o.

Later that night, when all the ponies and chocobos settled in for a much needed rest, Shining Armor found Spotter staring intently at two pieces of cloth.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”

“Spot… what are you doing?”

Spotter gave his father a cross look. “Great. Now I’ve got two names I hate.”

Shining Armor chuckled and ruffled his son’s mane. “It builds character. So, what are you doing?”

Spotter turned back to the two pieces of cloth. “I’m trying to do that thing I did with the chocobos today. Rarity’s helping me. She said she’s hidden something under one of these clothes things and I need to figure out which one without touching them.”

“I see,” Shining Armor said, frowning. He sat down next to Spotter, quietly watching his son concentrate. Minutes passed, with nothing but Spotter’s frustrated grunts filling the silent night. “I'm going to be blunt here, Spotter,” Shining Armor said at last. “I’m really nervous about these changes you’re going through. We don’t know how you got them or what they mean. So… do me a favor. If you feel anything strange, anything at all, just tell me. Alright?”

“Yes, Dad,” Spotter huffed. “Don’t worry, alright? Nothing bad is going to happen to me.”

Shining Armor wrapped a foreleg around Spotter and pulled him close. “I’m your dad. It’s my job to worry about you.”

Spotter groaned but didn’t pull away. He continued staring at the pieces of cloth with Shining Armor watching over him. The two stayed that way until both grew too tired and fell asleep.

.o.O.o.

A curious sight came to the group of travelers as they spotted Mareanda in the distance. One particular unicorn mare literally trotted on the tips of her hooves and beamed the most glorious smile to have ever graced pony lips.

It was seriously starting to creep Applejack out. “What in the hay has got you all worked up, Rarity?”

The equine in question giggled like a school filly and sighed dreamily. “We are about to step hoof in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.” Rarity thrust a hoof in the air, as though she were pointing out the obvious. “The glamor.” She swept her hoof across the sky. “The sophistication.” The hoof met ground again, allowing Rarity to pose, nose tilted up and chest thrust forward. “The most spectacular designs to have ever graced this world!”

Applejack blinked. “I… uh, didn’t know you were into that kinda stuff.”

“Just because I earn my living through unscrupulous means,” Rarity said, giving Applejack an annoyed look, “does not mean I can’t appreciate the more artistic flair that ponies can aspire to. Mareanda is known for being the jewel of the west, and not some hollow mockery like Jidhoof.” She tittered again, nearly bouncing in her excitement. “And I’ll finally be able to see it!”

Derpy landed next to Rarity, her expression just as eager as Rarity’s. “Rarity has been telling me all about it since we left. This is going to be awesome!”

“Well… that’s good… I guess,” Applejack replied. She smiled, an extra spring in her step. “Ya know, you’ve got me looking forward to this too.”

While Rarity and Derpy continued to gush about Mareanda, the light sound of steps came from behind and soon Willowgale walked beside her. “Excuse me, Applejack. Can I speak to you?”

“Sure can, big fella,” Applejack said, tuning out Rarity and Derpy. “You guys come to a decision yet?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, yes.” Willowgale paused, swallowing through a dry throat. “I’ve talked it over with everychoco and… we’re kinda divided. We’re grateful for you freeing us, and we’d like to help, but… a lot of us don’t want to get caught again. You saw what they did.”

Sighing, Applejack nodded. “Yep. And if you get caught again you can expect more of that. So, that mean you’re leavin’?”

“I’m not sure. There aren’t a lot of places for us to go. Not unless we can get on a ship.”

“Not likely,” Applejack said, a note of exasperation in her voice. “We were at Albuck not too long ago and the Empire has that place more secure than a sandray’s den.”

Willowgale drooped his head, giving a moan of frustration.

“Look, if ya need more time, there are plenty of forests you can hide in. Once we’re done with our business in Mareanda, you can decide then.”

“... Thank you,” Willowgale replied. “Sorry to be such a pain.”

“Naw, you’re good. Bein’ on the good side ain’t easy.”

“I’ll let the others know. Farewell till then.” With that, Willowgale swiveled around and headed back to the band of chocobos behind him. Moments later, everypony heard the stomp of their talons as they headed further south.

With Willowgale gone, Rarity’s voice once again rang loud and clear. Beside her, Derpy nodded along with each point she made. “Oh, I am so going to wander through the Elysian Gardens, change my coiffure at the Mane Attraction, experience BY THE SUN!”

The whole party screeched to a halt, Rarity’s outburst shocking them to an abrupt stop. Shining Armor and Applejack raced to her side in an instant, Shining Armor’s sword at the ready. “What?! What is it?” he said, scanning the horizon for threats.

Rarity slowly raised a shaking hoof, pointing at the town.

The others followed her hoof and gasped at the sight. Mareanda lay before them, but the beautiful buildings and magnificent greenery that Rarity gushed about were not to be found. Several buildings were nothing more than burnt husks, their support beams sticking out like blackened ribs. More homes and structures further down the pock marked streets could be seen, many having suffered the same fate. Rows of flower gardens and trees had been trampled over, leaving nothing more than mud filled patches on the ground.

Tears began to build in Rarity’s eyes as she looked over the devastation. “How… ? Why would… This is…”

A grey wing wrapped around Rarity’s shoulder, pulling her close to Derpy’s side. “I’m sorry, Rarity.”

“So it’s true, then,” came Shining Armor’s voice, low and monotone. “The Empire burned the city.” He turned away, closing his eyes and sighing. “Such a waste.”

Minutes passed, the ponies remaining still and quiet save for Rarity’s sniffling. The moment stretched on, nopony willing to move.

“Um, excuse me, but what are you all doing standing around?”

Five pairs of eyes lifted to see a magenta earth pony mare with a two toned pink mane and tail looking at them with a curious expression. “Are one of you hurt? Do you need help?”

Rarity roughly rubbed her hoof across her eyes, wiping away the streaks of tears that had run down her cheeks. “No. No, I’m alright. Sorry, I just got a little emotional there.”

“Oh, then pardon me for interrupting,” the mare said, dipping her head down. She raised it back up and gave a gentle smile. “I don’t mean to pry, but are you travelers?”

Applejack stepped forward, offering her own smile. “Yeah. We came here to get a little country air. The heart of the Empire is a little stuffy for my tastes.”

The mare’s smile grew wider. “Ah, I know exactly what you mean. It might be a little boring out in these parts but nothing can compare to the natural land around us.” She giggled, a sound like a bell that seemed to lift the gloom surrounding them. “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Cheerilee. What are your names?”

“I’m Gilgamesh,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. She pointed to the others in turn, introducing each pony by their pseudonyms. “As you can see, we’re new around here. You wouldn’t have any lodgings available, would ya?”

Cheerilee tapped her chin with a hoof and gave a thoughtful grunt. “Well, there isn’t much I’m afraid. The inn got torn down due to fire damage and since we get so few visitors here there hasn’t been much need to build another one. But follow me and I’ll see what I can find.”

“Much obliged.”

The group readied their gear and followed Cheerilee into the city proper. It didn’t take long to see that the damage seen from the outer limits of Mareanda continued the further they went. If anything, the wreckage became worse, with several rows of houses burned to cinders and the streets littered with debris. The ponies were forced to clear a path several times, throwing stone and wooden beams aside. They encountered few ponies. Those they did see gave them a single glance and went on their way. A noticeable detail in this Empire-controlled town quickly became apparent.

“There aren’t many soldiers here,” Shining Armor noted. Only two had been spotted so far and neither had seemed interested in the newcomers. “The other towns we’ve been to were crawling with them.”

“There’s not much need for that here,” Cheerilee said. Her upbeat attitude up to now drained away, leaving a heavy frown on her muzzle. “When the Empire came, they took most of our stallions. Now’s there’s mostly mares, foals, and the elderly.”

Rarity gave a unladylike snort, her eyes narrowing the longer Cheerilee spoke. “What a terrible fate. If I ever find the ones responsible, they will wish they had never been born.”

“Well, I don’t care so much about who’s responsible,” Cheerilee replied. Her gaze grew long, as though she were looking at a scene only she could see. “I worry more about the young ones that were taken. I’ve been sending out carrier pigeons to keep in touch with as many as I can, but… well, I haven’t been receiving as many letters back lately. The last letter I got was from these two little rascals named Snips and Snails and that was months ago.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “I hope they are okay.”

Conversation ended there, nopony sure how to respond. Cheerilee continued leading them, heading for a two story building that only had moderate flame damage. She walked up to the door and unlocked it, ushering the others in. “This is my home. I live alone so there’s plenty of room for all of you.”

“Um…” Applejack bit her lower lip, giving Cheerilee an unsure look. “Ya sure about that? We’re mighty obliged, don’t get me wrong, but we only just met.”

“It’s fine,” Cheerilee said, smiling wide once again. “I have a good feeling about all of you. I think I can trust you.”

Rarity trotted up, smiled, and hoofed over a sack of gil. “Thank you, dear. It’s nice to see that you can be so generous even after everything that has happened. It makes me glad I came here even though it wasn’t what I was expecting.”

Cheerilee eyed the bag of bits in confusion. “What’s this for?”

“That should cover our stay until we find a place of our own. Don’t let it be said that we can’t express our generosity as well.” Cheerilee began to speak but Rarity’s hoof quickly covered her mouth. “Don’t argue. Just accept it.”

“Well… okay then. Thank you.” She smirked and gestured towards the door. “Make yourselves at home.”

Before long, the group found themselves lounging in Cheerilee’s modestly furnished living room. The house had a cozy, welcoming feel to it, setting the travelers quickly at ease. Several bird cages filled with pigeons hung from the ceiling. Cheerilee offered them rations of oats and water and engaged in idle chat as they ate. She talked about how the city had managed to get by with the occupation, with the citizens focusing on tearing down unstable buildings and replanting gardens. The Imperials stationed here were often of the sort that had displeased their superiors. Mareanda was not the place to be if a soldier had aspirations of promotion. As such, the soldiers were often bored and frustrated. This led to a lot of misbehavior and questionable activities, the most popular being dog fighting. The citizens learned quickly to let the soldiers have their fun as it kept the Imperials busy and left them alone. It made for an uneasy living arrangement, one that kept Mareandarites on edge.

“Wow,” Derpy said once Cheerilee wound down her story. “That really stinks.”

“It’s not ideal, but I can’t sit around and mope,” Cheerilee replied, taking a sip of water. “There are too many ponies that need help here and I’d be doing them a great disservice if I stopped doing anything.” She offered a brave smile, a look of contentment and satisfaction.

Applejack shared a glance with Rarity and Shining Armor, a quiet exchange passing between them. Applejack cleared her throat, gaining Cheerilee’s attention. “That’s wonderful that you feel that way. How would you like to do even more?”

Cheerilee cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“We’re Returners.”

Recognition flashed through Cheerilee’s eyes. And a hint of fear. “I’ve heard of you. The Empire calls you terrorists.”

“Yeah, we know,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. “We’re doing what we can to stop the Empire from having its way. It’s been tough, but like ya said, we can’t just lay down and take it.

“So, whaddya say to joining us?”

Cheerilee shrank in her seat, away from the expectant stares of everypony in the room. “You… you expect me to fight? But… but I can’t do anything like that!”

“No, no! Nothing like that!” Applejack quickly responded, waving her legs in a placating manner. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt, I swear.”

“What Applejack, that’s her real name, is trying to say,” Rarity interceded, “is that you have a wonderful gift to connect to other ponies. It would help us immensely if you could let us borrow that talent.”

“What do you mean by that?” Cheerilee said.

Rarity pointed at the cages surrounding them. “Your birds. They can get the message across that we are looking for anypony willing to help our cause. This battle can’t be won by a few ponies alone. If you ever want to see Mareanda restored to its former glory, then the more help we get the quicker that will come about.”

Cheerilee blinked and looked away, letting what Applejack and Rarity said sink in. Some time passed before Cheerilee turned back to the group. “I’m uh, not sure about this. It’s all so sudden.”

“Take all the time that you need,” Applejack said. “I know that this isn’t what ya expected when you met us. Heck, even the chocobos that we saved on the way here aren’t sure they want to help and they have more reason than anyone.”

“You saved chocobos? As in, fought off Imperial soldiers?”

“Sure did!” Derpy exclaimed, raising into the air and spreading her legs wide. The pigeons around her began to chitter and tweet, filling the room with nervous chirping. Derpy grinned sheepishly. “Oops. Sorry to scare you, little guys.”

Cheerilee took a moment to calm her birds, giving them extra bird seed and water. Once they all settled down she sighed and hung her head. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll be caught? The Empire won’t let something like that slide.”

“It’s a risk I’ll gladly take,” Applejack said. “For the sake of my orchard and my family, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”

“I see.” Cheerilee sat down and bit her lower lip, her ears folded back. “I… need some time to think about this. Do you mind?”

“Nope. By all means, sleep on it. If ya decide not to help, we’ll leave and you won’t have to worry about us no more.”

Cheerilee nodded and rose from her seat. “Then why don’t you all get some sleep yourselves? This room may be a little crowded, but you’re welcome to stay.”

A long, loud yawn from Spotter prompted a round of giggles. It didn’t take long for the yawn to become infectious and spread through to the others. Saying their goodnights, the group spread out on the floor and quickly dozed off.

Hours later, after everpony was sound asleep, a window connected to Cheerilee’s bedroom opened. Moments later, a white pigeon flew out, heading east, a small message cylinder attached to its talon.

Comments

[Dirty Bit]

This is gonna be more and more interesting, and yet I'm pondering on who shall be the Strago and Relm of the group. The Relm may be a given depending on where the story goes, but all I can do is wait

[touileasaso]

I'm glad to see how the people that they are offering to join their cause are so hesitant, because I think that's how most people would react realistically. Keep up the good work.

[Fury of the Tempest]

Oh no... Cheerilee just sold them out, didn't she?

[ledezma25]

rip snips snails

[avidreader07]

I meant to mention this earlier, but I like what you’re doing with cutie marks. Since I started reading the FF IV crossover, I’ve had some idle thoughts about how I might write a Final Fantasy crossover, and I eventually decided it would be the CMC plus Babs, and that they’d get their cutie marks from Bahamut--Spike or Torch--to indicate the class upgrade.

[Yoshifan30]

“Well, I don’t care so much about who’s responsible,” Cheerilee replied. Her gaze grew long, as though she were looking at a scene only she could see. “I worry more about the young ones that were taken. I’ve been sending out carrier pigeons to keep in touch with as many as I can, but… well, I haven’t been receiving as many letters back lately. The last letter I got was from these two little rascals named Snips and Snails and that was months ago.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “I hope they are okay.”

Yeeeaaah about that......😥

[Yoshifan30]

Wow okay then so Applejack and the others finally made out of the the town and heading for the next town and apparently Shining Armor had a little trouble at the bar which I'm sure he doesn't want to talk about but then they saw the Imperial soldier with a bunch of chocobos so they decided to free them but first they had to get off the chain but they didn't want to set up a trap but it looks like spotter uses magic to find a location of the the button or whatever to disarm the Trap that's pretty impressive with that the other chocobos are free but Applejack wanted to ask him if he wants to join in but the chocobos doesn't want to get involved which that's the decision so they went to the Separate Ways they finally made it to the town but it looks like there was damage going on then they meet up with this pony named Cheerilee she even wanted to let them stay at her house which Applejack told her the truth that they are the returners it was pretty surprised up this reveal and she doesn't know what to do so what that they decided to take a rest until tomorrow but what did Cheerilee send the mail to I guess we'll find out