Wherein The Empire Strikes Back
Applejack slowly, ever so slowly, edged her head around the corner of a building. Her eyes, barely creeping past the wall, still managed to track a pair of Imperials lounging in front of a convenience store. They spoke to each other in bored tones, lamenting their posts and how nothing interesting ever happened in Mareanda. Their helmets lay next to them, revealing themselves as unicorns. Each of their horns were alight as they occasionally levitated a cigarette to their mouths, took a drag, then lowered them to continue their conversation.
“What do you see, Appleja—?”
Derpy Hooves’ mouth became intimately acquainted with the bottom of Applejack’s hoof.
“SHHHH!”
Applejack snapped her attention back to the soldiers. She sighed softly in relief. Neither noticed them. Their cover remained intact.
Pushing Derpy further back in the alleyway they stood in, Applejack gave the pegasus a stern look. “Now lookie, hon. If this here ambush is going to work, ya can’t be yappin’ your mouth off. Got it?”
Smiling around the hoof still shoved in her mouth, Derpy nodded. “Goff ef!”
Applejack sighed, removing her hoof. “Look, once we start this, there ain’t any going back. We have to work fast and take out as many of these guys as we can. So, let me hear ya repeat your part again.”
Derpy nodded again, her mouth now a thin line. “I go up to them, distract them any way I can, and then you come up from behind and tie them up.” She blinked, cocking her head. “Did I get it right?”
“Yep! Good job, Derpy.” Now sporting a smile, Applejack adjust her hat, making sure it fit snugly against her head. “Then we’ll need to get to the next set. Cheerilee’s mapped them out to the best of her knowledge, so we hafta be quick.” Applejack peeked around the corner, confirming that the soldiers were still in place. “Okay, ya ready?”
Derpy snapped a hoof up in salute. “Ready and waiting.”
“Well then, let’s do this. Good luck.”
Clearing her throat, Derpy trotted out of the alley and headed straight for the soldiers. The two Imperials immediately saw the pegasus heading their way, but, besides raising an eyebrow, didn’t react. They continued smoking their cigarettes and giving bored looks.
“Hi!” Derpy said, stopping in front of them and waving a hoof. “Nice day, isn’t it?”
The two soldiers glanced at each other, then back at Derpy. “I suppose,” one of them answered.
The other let out a long stream of smoke, watching it as it slowly dissipated into the air. “What do you want, miss?”
“Oh, sorry. You guys are unicorns, right?”
On reflex, the pair looked up at the horns protruding from their foreheads. “Yeah, what about it?” the first one said.
“Well…” Derpy extended a wing, holding it out for the soldiers to see. “I’m having a little trouble here. There’s a feather out of place and it’s really bugging me. I can’t seem to reach it though and was wondering if one of you guys could pluck it out for me. With your horns, I mean.” She paused, scrunching up her face, and gasped. “I mean, not with your horns! I mean that sparkling stuff that comes out of them. It’s a… it’s…”
“Magic?” the second guard finished.
“Yeah! That’s it!” She twisted, fanning the affected wing before them. “So, could you?”
The soldiers looked at each other again. The first one shrugged, gesturing a hoof towards Derpy. The second one sighed, dropping his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. He walked forward and inspected the wing. “Which feather was it?”
An impact and a cry of pain from behind interrupted further scrutiny. The second guard whirled around just in time to receive a pair of hind hooves to the face. He collapsed to the ground, out cold.
Applejack quickly began tying up the two unconscious soldiers up. Once done, she pulled their bodies into the alley and covered them up with a black tarp. Giving a nod of satisfaction, she returned to where Derpy still stood. “Good work, hon. That went a lot better than I thought. Your little fib there with your wing was perfect. C’mon, we gotta get movin’.” She turned, heading for the next mark on her map.
“Um, Applejack?”
Applejack stopped at hearing Derpy’s distressed call. She galloped back. “What? Are ya hurt?”
“Um, kinda. You see, I wasn’t lying about the feather…” Derpy lifted her wing, pointing out a feather that was bent at an odd angle. “You took out those guys before they could help. Could you pull it out for me?”
Applejack facehoofed.
.o.O.o.
“Okay, darling. Time to get this show started.”
Spotter nodded, taking his position next to a raised brick well. Rarity, sans her Mare Do Well costume, trotted onto a wide boulevard littered with blasted out pockmarks and magitek armor hoofprints. Within seconds, she found a patrol of soldiers marching down from the opposite end of the street. She smirked.
“Sirs! Sirs!” she cried, galloping up to them. The Imperials came to a halt, Rarity running up to the pony in the front. “Sir, you have got to help me! My son, my poor son!”
“Whoa there, ma’am,” the lead Imperial said, raising a placating hoof. “What’s the problem?”
“My son fell down a well and I can’t reach him.” Rarity grabbed the Imperial by his drab uniform, tears running down her face. “You have to save him! Please!”
“Okay, okay!” The soldier pried Rarity off of him, taking a moment to smooth down his rumpled uniform. “Where is this well?”
Rarity ran off, calling over her shoulder, “Over here! Quickly!”
The Imperials chased after her, catching up to her once she stopped at a stone well. Their ears caught the distant sounds of distress coming from the well.
“He’s down there!” Rarity cried. “Please, do something!”
“All right, lady. Hold your horses,” the lead soldier said. “Sergeant, see if your horn can light up the well. I want a pegasus on either end ready to lower a rope and bucket. Hop to it!”
The ponies took their positions. The unicorn leaned over the side with two pegasi hovering next to him. The rest stood nearby, ready to act if necessary. The unicorn bent down and lit up his horn.
He received a sword pommel to the muzzle for his trouble.
The unicorn fell back with a cry of pain, clutching a broken nose. Shining Armor burst out of the well, knocking the two pegasus ponies aside and cleaved through the rest of the Imperials. Thoroughly taken off guard, the remaining soldiers stood dumbfounded even after Shining Armor stopped just past the last one. With calm and poise, Shining Armor clopped his forehooves together, once.
With synchronized timing, the Imperials fell to the ground, unconscious.
“And that was with my sword sheathed,” Shining Armor said.
“Show-off,” Rarity grumbled as she began tying up the soldiers with cloth. She smacked one of the disoriented pegasus in the head, sending him into dreamland. Opalescence pushed a loose well brick on the other.
Spotter bounded from behind the well, looking over his father’s work. “Awesome! I’ve only seen you do that to training dummies.
“Hey, did I do good with my noises, huh? Huh? Huh?”
“Yes bud, you did great,” Shining Armor said. He began dragging the bound ponies over to a discarded apple cart. Once all the Imperials were together, he tipped the cart over them, hiding them from sight.
“We better get going,” Rarity called, heading away from the scene. “There are plenty more where that came from and not much time to do it.”
“You heard the lady,” Shining Armor said, following after her. “We’ve still got chores to do.”
Spotter ran to catch up, a wide smile on his face. “I never thought chores could be this much fun!”
.o.O.o.
“We’re doing good, Derpy. A little more and we’ll be done.”
From Derpy’s perspective, she could see a noticeable spring in Applejack’s trot each time they brought down an Imperial. Who knew that smacking around ponies wearing tin cans for armor could produce such a reaction? It made her wonder what she’d do if they took down a magitek armor next. Dance, perhaps?
As they headed to their next destination, doors and windows creaked open, revealing the curious faces of Mareanda’s citizens. The citizens watched the two mares trot down the street, not a single Imperial soldier in sight. Blinking, some started leaving their homes and wander the city. Many hadn’t casually strode through the streets since the Imperial occupation. Gradually, more and more ponies began to roam about, lending Mareanda a sense of livelihood not seen in years.
Derpy smiled and waved at a couple fillies frolicking around a dilapidated flower bed, receiving a giggle and wave in return. She turned back to Applejack who now sported a undeniable grin on her muzzle. “What’s got you so happy?”
The earth pony blushed, looking away. “Ah, it’s nothin’.”
“Nothing?” Derpy flapped her wings and hovered in front of Applejack, flying backwards. Despite not being able to see where she was going, Derpy did not bump her rump into anything. “C’mon, tell me.”
“Well… it’s just… it makes me feel good to see these ponies get their town back. I’ve been under the hoof of the Empire and it ain’t pleasant. Being free to do what ya want is the best feeling in the world.”
“Oh. That’s nice, I guess. I’ve always been free to do what I want. The zebras would let me leave their village all the time! I don’t think they ever tried to force me to stay.”
Applejack nodded, nudging Derpy aside so she could see ahead more clearly. “That’s great, sugarcube. I’m hoping the ponies here will get to do that too. Once we finish rounding up the rest of the soldiers here we can tell ‘em to start rebuilding their city.”
They left a side street, heading towards their final destination; a single brick building near the center of town. It didn’t display the careful attention to detail that other buildings around it did, nor did it have any visible scorch marks. It likely had been built right after the city had been taken. If Shining Armor and Rarity had done their job, the last of the Imperials in Mareanda would be in there.
“Okay Derpy,” Applejack said, moving behind a large piece of roofing that had fallen off a building behind them. “Once we get the signal, we charge in. Hopefully we can take them by surprise before they know what hit them.”
Derpy landed next to her, poking her head over their makeshift cover. “Um, sure. But I think that last part might have failed already.”
“Why?”
“Because that zebra over there is waving at us.”
Applejack blinked and looked in the direction Derpy indicated. All color drained from Applejack’s face. “Oh, horseapples…”
.o.O.o.
“There’s their headquarters,” Shining Armor said, taking in the sight of the brick building ahead. He unsheathed his sword, holding it at the ready with his magic. “I’ll give the signal, then we—”
“Hold up,” Rarity interrupted. She nudged forward from their concealment behind a wooden fence that had once bordered a small pond. The water had long since drained out due to a large gouge dug out by a magitek armor’s hoof, giving the group ample room to hide in. “Something’s not right.”
“What is it?”
Rarity raised a hoof. “Her.”
Following the hoof, Shining Armor caught sight of an equine. He quickly noticed the black and white stripes covering the equine’s coat and a mohawk for a mane. “What’s a zebra doing here?”
“You don’t know? That’s Zecora, one of the Empire’s top generals. Applejack and I saw her just before they invaded your castle.”
“I see.” He stood up, revealing himself completely.
“What are you doing?” Rarity hissed.
Shining Armor didn’t answer, instead striding forward towards Zecora. “Spotter,” he called back, “stay with her. Don’t come out until I say so.”
Spotter looked up from his spot next to Rarity. “Huh, wha?”
“You heard me.” With that, he galloped off.
“That idiot,” Rarity said. She began rummaging through her saddlebag, pulling out her Mare Do Well costume.
“What are you going to do?” Spotter asked, his wide eyes tracking his retreating father.
“Not sure yet, darling. But I need to be ready, just in case.”
.o.O.o.
Applejack and Derpy left their cover and made their way towards the waiting zebra. Derpy smiled and took to the air, flying fowards—
—and fell flat on her face. She sat up, her pupils rolling comically, and shook her head. Once her eyes had realigned (mostly) she glared back at the hoof holder her tail down. “Hey! What’s the big idea?!”
“She ain’t one of your zebra friends, hon,” Applejack said, lifting her hoof off Derpy’s tail. “That there’s Zecora, a general. She ain’t going to be like the rest. We have to deal with this carefully.”
“Zecora!” came a roar from the other end of the plaza.
Applejack facehoofed. “Or we could just charge right in.”
Zecora turned and faced the newcomer. Shining Armor stopped a dozen hooves away from her, his muzzle twisted in a snarl. “You’re the one responsible for my kingdom. You led the attack on Domare. You poisoned everypony! You killed my wife!”
The zebra closed her eyes and lowered her head. “What you say is true. Except I did not pour that brew. It was Gilda who poisoned your folk, and for that it makes me want to choke.” She raised herself back up, meeting Shining Armor’s piercing gaze with her own. “I am sorry for your loss, but I am still under orders from my boss. Come quietly back to Vectorlot for prosecution and cease this deadly revolution.”
“You think I’m going to lay down and let you win?” Shining Armor shifted his levitating sword, pointing the tip at Zecora’s chest. “No. I’m going to avenge my people by getting rid of you. Then I’ll deal with Gilda and your emperor. Prepare yourself!”
Zecora sighed. She reached to her side, grabbed the pommel of her sword with her teeth, and pulled. Out came a transparent blade with stylized sun symbols hewn into it. She held it forth, speaking past the handle, “Let us begin, but be warned as this is a fight you cannot win.”
“Feh, is that thing made out of glass? You don’t stand a chance.” Shouting a battle cry, Shining Armor lunged.
In one swift motion, Zecora turned aside the thrust to her heart with the flat of her blade, twisted, and bucked Shining Armor in the side of his head. Both stallion and his sword fell to the ground with a thud. Groaning, he made to push himself up but the feel of something sharp against his neck stopped him.
Zecora stood over him, her sword held under his jaw. “It is not glass that this weapon is made. Sharpened crystal forms my blade.”
Pivoting sharply, Zecora dodged out of the way of two orange hooves crashing down where she had once stood. Applejack swiveled, her tail lashing out at such high speed that it created a blade of air that sped towards the zebra. Zecora flattened herself to the ground, letting the air blade pass over her. Seconds later, a few strands of black and grey hair drifted down past her eyes. Brushing the errant strands away, Zecora faced her new opponent.
Applejack stood between her and Shining Armor. The stallion managed to get back on his hooves, but trying to pick up his sword with his magic caused him to wince. “Step… aside, Applejack. She’s my foe.”
“Sugarcube, she’s all of our foe,” she said, not taking her eyes off of Zecora.
On Zecora’s left side, Derpy touched down. The pegasus frowned at the zebra, her face scrunched up in distaste. “Hey, how come you’re on the evil side? None of the zebras in the Veldt are like you.”
“None of you are in the light of what is wrong and what is right,” Zecora responded. “I fight for my cause and will never stumble or pause.”
“Uh, that didn’t really answer my question…”
“Forget it, Derpy,” a voice from behind Zecora said. Mare Do Well strode up, three needles levitating before her. “I doubt she’d give you a straight answer.”
Zecora swiveled her gaze. Applejack in front of her, Shining Armor taking up position on her right with Derpy on her left, and the masked pony behind her. All points of attack were covered.
“Give it up, Zecora,” Applejack said, her hooves planted in the dirt, giving her a firm stance. “We have ya outnumbered. This town belongs to its citizens and we’re going to make sure they get it back.”
Zecora closed her eyes and thrust her sword in the dirt. She rested a hoof over the pommel and said, “You make it sound like you have already won. I will determine when we are done.”
Applejack sighed. “So be it.” She reared back, letting out a “Yeehaw!” and charged forward. Shining Armor, Mare Do Well, and Derpy closed in, each reading an attack.
The Imperial general remained perfectly still as the Returners closed in on her. Applejack reached her first, thrusting a hoof to her head. Zecora snapped open her eyes, ducked her head just enough for the hoof to pass by. She grabbed her sword in her mouth and flung it into the air before Applejack could follow up. The sword spun like a windmill high above the combatants. Just as it reached its apex, the sun glinted off the crystal blade. The next second, a blinding red flash surrounded them all.
Applejack and the others felt the hairs on their coats stand on end seconds before a blistering heat washed over them. Applejack heard a scream. It may have been hers. She didn’t know. All she knew was the burning, agonizing red of Zecora's attack filling her vision.
.o.O.o.
Seconds later, it was over. A ring of wilted grass over a dozen hoof lengths in diameter circled around Zecora. Within this circle, four ponies lay, their bodies coated in a slick sheen of sweat. None of them moved, save for the occasional grunt or moan.
A heavy thunk was heard as the crystal sword fell back to the earth, the blade embedding itself into the ground in front of its owner. Zecora reached forward and yanked the sword out. A quick wipe with a rag removed the dirt from the blade, allowing Zecora to slip it into its sheath with ease.
The zebra casually trotted towards Applejack, casting a shadow over the earth pony. She lay in a heap of scorched grass, her body perspiring in a desperate attempt to keep her cool. Applejack cracked an eyelid open, the whites of her eye bloodshot. “Uh… wha… t… you…”
“The earth may be low on magic but the sun is not so tragic,” Zecora said, standing tall. “It was a shock, was it not? And now I have you in a spot.” Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A small white colt rushed to where Shining Armor had fallen, repeatedly crying “Daddy!” over and over again.
More movement, this time coming from a larger pony, diverted her interest. A magenta coated earth mare slowly picked her way through the battlefield. She stopped in front of Zecora, ears lowered and eyes glistening.
“Chee… ril… ee,” Applejack croaked.
Cheerilee swallowed. “You’re… not going to kill them, right?”
Zecora shook her head. “That is not for me to decide. They will be taken to court, where the Emperor presides.”
“Oh.”
“You did well in alerting me of these spies. I'll ensure you are given an appropriate prize.”
A sound between a choke and a sob came from behind. Cheerilee swiveled her head at Applejack and immediately looked away. “D-Don’t look at me like that. It’s best for Mareanda this way. You and your friends would have only brought more trouble. I’m sorry.” Without another word, she ran away.
Zecora placed a hoof to her mouth and blew, creating a shrill whistle. Soldiers poured out of the command building with mythril chains dangling from their mouths. Soon, all of the Returners and Spotter were chained up and dragged into a waiting mythril cage attached to a cart. As the sun set on the once beautiful town of Mareanda, five ponies who dared stand up to the Empire’s forces were hauled to the east.
From her second story window, Cheerilee watched the prisoners until they disappeared over the horizon. She sighed, closed the window, and went back downstairs to her occupied life.
.o.O.o.
“Ya know, this place isn’t what I expected it to be.”
Applejack suppressed a groan, pulling her hat over her face and settled more deeply into her bedding. As long as she didn’t respond, then an answer wouldn’t be forthcoming.
“And what did you expect, dear?” came Rarity’s voice.
Horseapples.
“I’m not sure, but it sure wasn’t this,” Derpy said. She flittered to one end of her cell to the other, tapping her hoof against the bars, the ceiling, the floor, and the walls. “When zebras want to punish someone, they don’t put them in a room. They just throw them out of the village for a few days.” Though nopony could see it, Derpy loop-de-looped, a wide grin on her muzzle. “I loved it when that happened! I’d spend all that time with him so he wouldn’t be lonely. We’d travel all over the Veldt, I’d make sure the weather was nice, and we would talk the whole time!” She set down on the floor and gave a content sigh. “I never did see the same zebra banished twice. They must have learned their lesson.”
“Can’t imagine why,” Applejack groused.
“I wonder how that will work for us,” Derpy continued. “I mean, if they let us out, we’ll just go back to what we were doing before.”
Down the hall of the cell block, Shining Armor stood up from a meditative stance, stretching out his joints. “I doubt that will happen. Them letting us out, I mean. We’re probably on the top of the list of Returners to capture.”
“You mean we’re at the bottom of the list since they got us,” Applejack said.
Rarity walked up to her cell and poked her nose out as far as she could between the bars. “Applejack? You okay? You’ve been rather… snippy lately.”
The earth pony didn’t answer.
“Applejack? Darling? What’s the matter?”
Underneath her hat, Applejack rolled her eyes. “Do you really have to ask?”
Rarity let out a huff. “I can make an educated guess. But why don’t you tell me yourself.”
“Ya want an answer? Fine.” Applejack hopped off her prison bed and began stomping in circles within her cell. “We’re trapped here by our greatest enemy, with who knows what kind of plan they have for us. I have friends on the other side of the world who might be in danger, and I have no way to know if they’re okay. We were this close to getting a town free, but then had to get stomped by that darned zebra.” She stopped her circling, closing her eyes and lowering her head. “But I can deal with all that. It’s Cheerilee that’s got me bugged.”
“Why’s that?” Derpy asked.
Applejack sat back down on her mattress, her hooves fiddling with her hat. She let out a sigh and said, “It’s just… I just don’t rightly understand, I guess. She helped us, even let us into her home. But when we said we were Returners, she tattled on us. Doesn’t she want her town back? I can’t stand the thought of the Empire gettin’ hold of my orchard.”
“She was probably scared somepony would get hurt,” Rarity said. “Maybe she thought things were best the way they currently are.”
“Maybe. It just grinds my apples to think somepony isn’t willing to fight for what’s rightfully theirs. How are we gonna win with an attitude like that?”
The clang of a heavy metal lock moving out of position echoed from down the hall, halting further conversation. Seconds later, Gilda strode down the hall, inspecting each prisoner in turn. “Hey, lamos. Long time, no see.”
There came a slam of hooves on mithril bars as Shining Armor jumped up against them. “Gilda! Where’s my son?! If you’ve done anything to him, you’re dead. I swear it!”
“Yeah, yeah, join the club,” Gilda said, waving a talon in the air as she passed by him and ignoring further threats to her life. “He’s being looked after by the doctor. He’ll give that kid of yours a thorough inspection.” She casually walked up to the cell opposite Applejack’s, rose to her hind legs, and leaned against the bars. Crossing her talons, she smirked as best she could with a beak for a mouth. “Ah, Applejack. Bet ya wish you didn’t betray us now, huh? You could have been boozing with the Emperor right now if ya’d just givin me Twilight when I asked.”
“I’d rather be dead than break bread with that oaf,” Applejack replied, facing away from Gilda.
“Heh, I’m with ya on that one. Well, except for the whole dying part.”
“You here for a reason, or just like to hear yourself talk?”
“Hey now, no need to be so grumpy.” Gilda dropped down to all fours and approached Applejack’s cell. “Otherwise I won’t tell you all the juicy details about Neighshe.” Applejack’s ears perking up and swiveling towards her gave Gilda all the incentive she needed to continue. “Heh, I see that got your attention. So yeah, we went in, kicked some tail, and brought back that esper. It’s sitting in our research center now. Once Doctor Whooves gets it thawed out, it’ll be a nice addition to our collection.
“As for Neighshe, well, those twerps put up a decent fight but nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Applejack stood still, her mouth a thin, tight line.
“Couldn’t tell ya what the kill count was. I was kinda in a hurry. Met that Rainbow pal of yours though, and had fun with her for a while.”
The earth pony whirled, thrusting her hoof through the bars on a direct course for Gilda’s head.
A surge of wind knocked Applejack back against the opposite cell wall. She winced and dropped to her stomach, gasping for breath.
“Yeah, it went something like that,” Gilda said. She chuckled and made her way towards the exit. “You lamos be good now. We got a lot to talk about tomorrow, starting with those chocobos you let loose.” Her cackling laughter rang through the prison and only stopped when the prison door slammed shut.
Applejack lay where she fell long after she had recovered. She stared forward, an empty look in her eyes as tears began falling to the floor. No sound reached her ears. How long she lay there, she neither knew nor cared.
.o.O.o.
In a brightly lit lab, strapped to a metal table, Spotter woke up. He blinked away his grogginess, slowly adjusting to the glare from the overhead lights. Once his eyes adjusted, he twisted his head around, gaping at all the blinking lights, machines with functions at which he could only guess, and a table full of bubbling test tubes and bunsen burners.
“Ah, I see the young lad is awake.”
Spotter twisted his head towards a stallion walking into the lab through a grey metal door. He wore a yellow lab jacket over a light brown coat with a hood attached to the jacket that lay over his dark, spiked hair. No horn or wings could be seen.
“Good day, young sir,” the earth pony said. “I am Doctor Whooves and I’ll be looking you over in a few minutes.”
“Where am I?” Spotter asked, struggling against his bindings. “Where’s my daddy?”
“All in good time.” Doctor Whooves picked up a syringe with his teeth and walked towards the bound colt. “But first, I need to find out where that cutie mark of yours came from. I know I didn’t put it there. It’s such a mystery.” He pointed the needle of the syringe at Spotter’s rump, aiming for the middle of his cutie mark. “Now hold still. This will sting.”
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Damn...Such a chapter filled with hopelessness and strife. But it's a good update nonetheless
1. Checks fimfiction
2. Sees a single notification for feed
3. Casually clicks on feed, not expecting much
4. Immediately clicks on update of this story
Bloody Nora, it's been forever! Anyhoof, nice chapter. Can't wait to see what's up with the esper and what's gonna happen at the theater. I also must be too much of a Whoofian, because I was a bit disappointed that Doctor Who loves didn't tell Spotter to just call him "the Doctor."
5003496
Thanks for sticking with us!
5003534
Yeah, I know.
This Summer was busier than I anticipated. But, we're working on getting these things out in a more timely manner.
Stay tuned!
5003624 it's taken you until the end of summer vacation to update, and now you'll have to contend with school/work in trying to update? This is the same thing that's happened with another story I'm following, The Unexpected Love Life of Dusk Shine Continues.
Good to see this story back!
Yeesh, looks like the Returners got their behinds handed to them by Zecora. Now it's up to the others to save them, unless they manage to escape somehow.
5003645 To be fair, it's actually only me going back to school. The other parts of our team aren't, so it's only the re-writing that's going to be going slow.
5003860 yeah, the main writer just PMed me about it. Well, time to sit back and wait for the next chapter of this epic saga, maybe reread some chapters for nostalgia's sake.
5004041 Yeah, about those first chapters... Kweheheh... KWEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!!!
Called it... damnit.
Pinkie Pie. Gilda. Zecora. Now Doctor Whooves. This place has turned so many good ponies bad. T.T
6860785 What, no mention of Daring Do?
Will the Kaiser Dragon appear in this story?
Derpy landed next to her, poking her head over their makeshift cover. “Um, sure. But I think that last part might have failed already.”
“Why?”
“Because that zebra over there is waving at us.”
Applejack blinked and looked in the direction Derpy indicated. All color drained from Applejack’s face. “Oh, horseapples…”
Oops they got caught
Battle time
how could you do this to us Cheerilee
Man that suck poor Applejack 😔
Things were doing okay when they try to sneak inside the Empire but everything went downhill when Zecora found them so they all prepare to attack her but apparently she use her sword magic whatever that was and defeated the team without breaking a sweat after the battle is over Applejack and the others lost and the reason why she knew about this is because of Cheerilee she told them about the returners now they're in jail and Applejack felt like she failed everything meanwhile spotter is in the lab being tested by Doctor Whooves this is really not good for Applejack and her team