Ode to a Monster

by Tekkonair

Chapter 4 - Ponyville

“Oh, that comes next, little pony.”

Dash jerked awake, phantom pains lancing through her momentarily. She groaned, rubbing her eyes, aching all over. Oww… What… Did any of that actually happen..? Blinking rapidly, she squinted as her eyes focused on the grey stone floor, recognising the floor of the shrine. Still here then… But what about..? She raised her head, frowning as she saw a domed shield surrounding her, armoured ponies stood outside it. Who are they? What did Marabas..? “Hey! Lemme out of here!” She shouted, getting to her hooves and growling as she punched the shield, before freezing as she saw her left hoof. Or, rather, what used to be a hoof. Instead of sky-blue fur, rough, dark grey scales replaced the fur from the elbow down, her hoof replaced with a four-clawed foot. Wickedly sharp talons tipping each toe, the innermost claws curling in like Spike’s thumbs. Her eyes widened as her heart rate skyrocketed, falling back on her haunches as she stared, throat finally loosening enough for her to scream.

Unable to tear her eyes away from her twisted limb, Dash sat in mute horror as she trembled, her screams now dying in her throat. At length, she became aware of a voice shouting. “-ainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” Her ear flicked in the direction of the voice, blinking once. “Rainbow, please! It’s Shield!”

Shield. Dash blinked again, finally tearing her eyes away and looking out of the barrier again. Her throat clenched again as she saw Shield, bandaged and sat in a bed by the barrier. He looked scared, or worried, she couldn’t tell which. “S… Sh… Shield..?” She croaked out, her voice raw.

“You still remember, thank the stars.” Shield’s shoulders sagged as he relaxed a fraction. “We… We were worried you wouldn’t remember after Marabas…”

“Shield…” Dash repeated with wide eyes.

“Yes..?” He frowned.

“Shield… W-what… What happened to me?” The stallion winced, biting his lip.

“I… Marabas broke free. She did something to you. I tried to stop her, but she beat me, and left me to the shades.” He swallowed. “We… We would both be dead if the Order hadn’t arrived in time.” He gestured with his good hoof to the armoured ponies standing nearby.

“Did something… What… What did she do?” She asked with an audible gulp, tasting bile. Shield chewed his lip again, looking to a stern, blue unicorn. “What did she do?”

“We don’t fully know.” Rainbow’s head snapped to the midnight blue unicorn stood beside Shield’s bed. “We know she’s responsible for the claw, and for fixing your wounds. What else she’s done, we have no way of telling at the moment. What we know about Marabas is that she takes deep pleasure in torment and corruption, so it’s possible that there will be more changes in the future, but we can’t be sure.”

“M-more changes? N-no. T-this can’t be real…” She shook her head, eyes watering. “Th-this is a nightmare. I… This can't be happening.” She looked desperately to the stern unicorn and Shield. “T-tell me I’m dreaming. O-or hallucinating.” Master sighed, shaking his head sadly.

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Dash.”

“No! This isn’t real!” She shouted, lashing out the ground and carving furrows in it with her claw. “It can’t be real! P-please!” She fell to the ground as she pleaded.

“The Order will help you, I promise you that. We’ll help you get back on your hooves in any way we can.”

“N-no… P-please…” She begged, tears falling from her eyes as she trembled. The unicorn sighed, and nodded to another pony. Rainbow’s eyes rolled back before closing as she passed out, a spell putting her to sleep.

“That should help her…” Master shook his head. “Poor mare…” He turned to Shield who had all-but collapsed. “She’ll be alright, lad. You said she was an Element?”

“Yes…” He shook himself, lifting his head to meet Master’s eyes. “She told me herself.”

“Hmph.” Master turned to an earth pony stallion. “There’s a gap in our network. We missed something as big as the identities of the Element Bearers. Find out why we missed this.” The stallion nodded, trotting away to talk to another pony as Master turned back to Shield. “Why was she here?”

“Like I said, she crash landed here. She was part of the weather team trying to break up the storm.”

“Did she say where she came from?” Shield nodded.

“Ponyville.”

“Ponyville… Small town next to the Everfree, about a day’s travel from here. If she’s from there, then it’s likely the other Element Bearers are as well. Shield, I have new orders for you.” Shield’s ears perked up. “The Elements of Harmony are one of the most powerful tools in the defence of the New World. Regardless of what Marabas has done to Ms. Dash, we cannot allow the Elements to lose their connection. Especially not with Marabas on the loose. You are not in any condition to protect this shrine, and with its captive free, it no longer requires a Guardian. Instead, you and a small team of ponies from the Order will accompany Ms. Dash back to Ponyville and ensure her reintegration back into, at the very least, the Element Bearers. You are permitted to tell the other Bearers what is necessary to explain why Ms. Dash has changed, but nothing more.” Shield ducked his head in a nod.

“I understand, Master.”

“I’m not finished.” Shield blanched a little, keeping his head ducked. “Ms. Dash has garnered Marabas’ attention. This means it is very likely others will be looking for her. With any luck, they will not, but if other groups of interest find her, we may have to come in from the cold.” Shield’s head snapped back up.

“But Master, the Celestial Sisters…”

“I know. The Sun is unlikely to… Approve of our methods, and the Moon is still an unknown quantity. However, we may not have much choice. My hope is that we are able to locate and imprison Marabas once again, and undo whatever happened to Ms. Dash before the Celestial Sisters find out. Keeping this situation contained is of vital importance, we cannot let the populace find out about the horrors of the old world. If absolutely necessary, detain the Element Bearers to prevent knowledge spreading.”

“Understood, Master. We die in the dark…”

“So that others may live in the light.” He nodded. “Good.” A rare smile crossed his face. “You’ve impressed me today, Shield. It is no fault of your own that Marabas realised your intentions. And given what we know about her, not many in the Order could have survived for that long against her, let alone damaged her like that. We found her wing; that was a good cut. No doubt she’ll regenerate, but regardless, fine work.”

“It still wasn’t enough,” Shield said, remorse colouring his tone. Master sighed, and put a hoof on Shield’s good shoulder.

“No, you are right it wasn’t. We’ll have to address our security at the other shrines after this; we may have to increase recruitment. That will strain our secrecy, but we may not have any other choice.”

“Does the rest of the Order know?”

“Yes, the message has been sent. They’re on their guard and are sending us additional forces. We’ll be using this shrine as the operations centre for hunting down Marabas.” Shield nodded, looking at Rainbow with clear concern. “Something on your mind?”

“She mentioned a filly, somepony named Scootaloo…” Master grimaced, running through the various possibilities.

“That could complicate things. Depending on the situation, you can tell her the same as the Bearers, and detain her if necessary. But exercise your discretion, Shield, the fewer creatures that know, the better.”

“Yes Master.”

“You’ll also have to train the Bearers to protect themselves if they don’t already know.” Shield’s head jerked back up.

“Master?”

“One of the Bearers has already been targeted. Others may target the rest. The Elements must survive, that supersedes all other directives.”

“I understand, Master. I will do as the Order commands.” Master gave him an encouraging smile after a moment.

“I’m sure you will. And, of course, make sure you get enough rest. The ponies assigned to you will take orders from you; they will do the leg work. We need as many Guardians as we can manage in fighting shape.”

---

Day had broken by the time Rainbow woke up again. She didn’t move immediately, several minutes spent with her eyes screwed shut, silently pleading that it had all just been a nightmare. Taking a shaky breath to steady herself, she opened her eyes slowly, looking down to her hooves. A sob caught in her throat as she once again saw her new claws. She started slightly as a weight settled next to her, and she looked over to see a pegasus mare in armour like Shield’s laying next to her. “So you’re awake then?” When Rainbow didn’t respond, she turned to face her. Dash recoiled slightly; the white mare’s face was marred by a large scar across her left eye, trailing down her cheek. The red mane prevented her from seeing how far up it went, and an eyepatch covered the socket itself, leaving a single blue eye to meet Rainbow’s eyes. A chunk had been cut out of her right ear, leaving it as a rough white triangle. “Not a pretty picture, hm?”

“Umm…” Dash’s ears went back, flat against her skull, afraid she’d insulted the mare. “Just not used to seeing injuries like that…”

“I suppose that makes sense, Equestria has been largely peaceful.” She nodded. Rainbow nodded, sniffing. “Master thought it would be best for me to talk to you, as someone else maimed by our little war in the shadows.” The mare’s wings moved under her cape, emerging to show her right wing had been replaced with a metal construct, runes glowing on its surface, the hiss of metal sliding smoothly against metal accompanying each action. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she saw the mass of scar tissue at the base of the wing.

“W-what happened?” She squeaked out.

“A monster, same one that took my eye. I got reckless, pressed my attack too hard and wasn’t watching for any incoming attack. It gouged out my eye, and then it ripped my wing off.” Rainbow shivered, looking ill. The thought of losing her wings terrified her just as it terrified any pegasus.

Thank Celestia I didn’t lose a wing in the crash… Rainbow nodded after a moment, tearing her eyes from the metal wing. “What kind of monster?”

“How best to describe it… Imagine a timberwolf and a bear merged together, the wood bits turned to bone, and make it twice as large and five times as angry.” Rainbow’s eyes widened as she pictured it.

“And you fought something like that?”

“I killed something like that. The intention had always been to kill it before it attacked an innocent, but it taking my wing and eye made it personal. The socket still itches sometimes.” Rainbow nodded slowly as the mare rubbed the eyepatch.

“So, you and Shield are in the same group? He talked about monsters as well.”

“We are, yes.” She held up a hoof to halt the follow up question. “I believe Shield wants to wait to tell you and your friends at once, instead of repeating the same story multiple times. You will have your answers, as many as we can provide in any case.”

“Right, makes sense I guess… W-wait!” Her eyes widened. “I can’t see my friends like this!”

“Unfortunately, Rainbow, you have to. If it were anyone else, then perhaps, but… You’re an Element of Harmony. We can’t allow the bond between the Elements to break. I’m sorry, but we don’t have another option here.”

“But… My hoof, I can’t!”

“You can, you must, and you will, even if I have to drag you there.” The single blue eye narrowed. “The world needs the Elements, everything else is secondary to that.” Dash gulped, lowering her head as she realised her point. “However, I’m not going to simply deposit you in the middle of Ponyville for all to see.” Dash’s head snapped back up. “If you have a preferred way to go about it that doesn’t involve the entire town, then we’re all ears. A preferred order to contact your friends, perhaps?”

“Applejack first. She’s the Element of Honesty, the others will trust her if she tells them we’re not lying… Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy last. Pinkie is… a lot, and Flutters is scared of new ponies.” She swallowed, looking around the room. “Oh, I didn’t catch your name?”

“You did not. I’m Desert Skies, most people just call me Skies.”

“And, what do you do? Shield said he was the protector of this place…”

“No harm in telling you now, I suppose. Shield is what we call a Guardian, somepony trained to defend locations like this, often on their own. I, on the other hand, am a hunter. I stay much more mobile, tracking and killing monsters that threaten the populace. We’ve also been acting as Shield’s supply line, he may have mentioned us.”

“So are you a better fighter than him?” She tilted her head as Skies laughed.

“Better than Shield? Stars, no.” She shook her head. “Under most circumstances, assuming we’re both in full fighting form, Shield beats me every time. He’s stronger than me, even without his magic, and on the ground he’s just as fast.”

“What about in the air?”

“He can teleport, very rapidly actually, and if I’m in the air he doesn’t have to worry about collateral resulting from his area of effect spells. And even if he doesn’t engage me whilst I’m in the air, his barriers will stop my arrows, usually. Plus I’d have to come back down to engage him in hoof-to-hoof, and given that Shield is an exceptional defensive fighter…”

“Right, right. So, how would you beat him?”

“Make sure he’s exhausted his magic reserve if possible, and most importantly make sure he doesn’t see me coming. If he’s not in his armour, there’s nothing he can do to stop an arrow if he doesn’t know it’s coming. Guardians are powerful, but they’re not invincible.” Rainbow nodded, looking around the chamber at the other ponies.

“Are the rest of them hunters as well?”

“Most of them, with a few exceptions. That there is Tender Care, one of our healers, that’s Star Flash, an arcanist, and that’s Peppermint, our historian.”

“Wait, you have historians?” Skies smirked.

“You’d be surprised just how useful they are in our line of work. And finally, the boss pony there,” she pointed at the blue unicorn, “is Master. He’s our fearless leader.”

“Some of you have strange names. ‘Shield’ and ‘Master’.”

“For Guardians and our commanders, it’s important they sever ties to their former lives. A Guardian might abandon their post if our enemies find out who their family is and threaten them, same with our leaders. It’s to make sure they stay the course, and to protect their former families. It’s better this way.” Rainbow nodded slowly, looking back to Skies.

“And what about you?” Skies gave her a sardonic grin.

“Mum thinks I packed up and left to join a mercenary outfit in the Gryphon Kingdoms. She doesn’t exactly approve, as you might imagine. I still write them, sometimes, let them know I’m still alive, and I send money to get my baby brother through school.”

“That’s rough…”

“It is, but it’s better than telling them the truth and seeing them get hurt because of it. Besides, if I ever do see them again, mercenary work’s a good excuse for this.” She tapped her eyepatch and flicked her right ear.

“What about the wing?”

“There’s a glamour spell imprinted into it that I can activate, making it look like a normal wing. I don’t bother with it unless I need to be discreet.”

“Why not?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head.

“The spell drains my own reserves. Not much, but in this line of work… It’s like flying around with a few bricks in your saddlebags. Normally, not a problem, but if you need to go fast it’s going to slow you down a bit, and even a little bit of wasted magical energy can be the difference.” Rainbow nodded, getting that part at least.

“Can’t they do the same for your eye?”

“Not really. Making a long-term illusion that mimics my other eye perfectly is difficult from what I understand. I’d more than likely end up with a fake eye that wanders all over the place. Plus, I like to think the eyepatch makes me look roguish.” She gave Dash a grin, chuckling. Dash gave a small laugh after a moment, warming up to this mare. “Right, we’ll be leaving soon. Shield’s ready to move again, he’s just packing up what he’ll need. The old plan of going via Manehattan isn’t going to happen now, so we’re trekking through the Everfree.” Dash paled, swallowing. “Oh don’t give me that look, you’ll be fine. You’ll have Shield and four hunters with you, including myself. True, Shield’s injured but still, what’s the worst that could happen?”

---

“You just had to bucking say it!” Screamed Rainbow as they fled through the forest, Shield held in another unicorn’s magic.

“Oh shut up and keep running! Hydras are territorial; it’ll stop chasing us soon!” Skies shouted back, dropping to the floor as she slid under a fallen log before running again.

“I thought you guys were monster hunters! You guys can’t take on a hydra?!”

“We can, but we’ve got one injured pony and one Element Bearer to look after! Not worth risking either of you just to prove we can!” Rainbow nodded, crying out in alarm as she leapt over a tree that fell in her path.

“How much further?!”

“It shouldn’t chase us past this river!” Skies nodded ahead as the river came into view, a churning current crashing between jagged, broken rocks.

“Wait, that river?! That’s too wide to jump, and you can’t swim that! How are the non-pegasi going to get across?!” Skies grinned at her before whistling.

“Oi! Hooves, you’re up!” The earth pony with the group nodded, lowering his head and charging forwards with a low bellow, straight towards a tree by the river. Slamming his fore hooves down at the last moment, he twisted his back end around and kicked out, transferring the momentum of his charge into a savage buck. The tree cracked under the kick, and with a thunderous crash the tree fell across the river. “Across the bridge, move it ponies!” Skies flapped her wings, launching herself across the river with Rainbow and the other pegasus in the group, whilst the earth pony and unicorn raced across the log. The hydra burst from the treeline behind them, coming to a stop at the bank of the river with a roar, pacing back and forth with a snarl briefly before turning back into the forest. Safe from the hydra, the ponies took a moment to catch their breath, Shield gently placed back on his hooves.

“If… That’s the same hydra, then we’re not far from Ponyville…” Dash panted, sucking down air.

“Same hydra?” Skies looked at Rainbow. “You’ve had a run-in with it before?”

“Once. We were lucky to get away last time.”

“And you didn’t think to tell us there was a hydra?” She asked flatly.

“I don’t know the Everfree that well! And the last time we saw it was at the Froggy Bottom Bog!” Skies frowned, and looked at the earth pony, a tan furred stallion with a dark green mane.

“Hooves? Froggy Bottom.” The pony frowned, looking up at the sky, then at the trees, before pointing south.

“’bout three miles that way I’d reckon. Outer fringes of the territory for a hydra that size, not unreasonable though.” Skies nodded.

“Definitely getting close then. Do you know of anywhere private we could bring your friends to inform them?” Dash swallowed, still terrified at the idea of meeting her friends like this.

“There’s a farm, Sweet Apple Acres. That’s where Applejack works, there’s some hills that nopony goes. We could bring her there to see me, and after that we could use the barn if she’s happy with that…” Skies nodded again.

“I think I know the hills.” Said ‘Hooves’, tapping his chin. “Little fir trees growing nearby?”

“Yea. How’d you know that?”

“Grew up in Ponyville ‘fore joining the Order. Decided fighting monsters sounded more interesting than working a stall in the market.” He smirked, standing and trotting onwards into the forest, the others following.

“Huh…” Rainbow looked to Skies. “And what about you, Skies?” Up ahead, Hooves and the unicorn shared a laugh. “Something funny?”

“Those two find my story funny.” Skies rolled her eyes, chuckling. “I picked a fight with a hunter in a tavern after having too much to drink, and we knocked the lights out of each other. After that, he came back the next night and bet that I couldn’t take on a timberwolf. After proving him wrong, he offered me a job.”

“For the record,” the other pegasus, an orange stallion with a black mane, interjected. “I was winning until you bucked that table into me.”

“And I then proceeded to put you through that table.” Skies grinned back at him and winked her one eye with a jerk of her head. Rainbow looked between the two of them before giggling. “That was back in a little border town called Rocky Falls, near the Gryphon Kingdoms. Nice place, if a bit rough around the edges.”

“Right.” Dash nodded, frowning. “You never told me how you lost half an ear.”

“Didn’t I? Huh, must have slipped my mind. Nothing really special, I was fighting a pony with an axe. They aimed for my neck, missed, and clipped my ear instead. I dealt with him before he could recover.” She shrugged as Dash’s eyes widened.

“W-wait, you fight ponies? I thought you were monster hunters?”

“Sometimes ponies are the monsters. Not everything in this world is smiles and sunshine, Rainbow Dash, and not everypony is a good pony."

“What about you?” Dash paused, watching Skies carefully. “Are you a good pony?”

“Hmm… That’s an interesting question. I don’t consider myself a good or a bad pony, just a pony who does bad things for a good reason. Ultimately, hunters are ponies that spend a great deal of time actively looking for a fight. I don’t think anyone who looks for fights like that can really call themselves ‘good’, but that’s just my view. I know not everyone agrees with me on that.” She shrugged. “Philosophy isn’t really my thing. Leave that to rich ponies with nothing better to do with their time except pass judgement. I prefer to spend my free time drinking, gambling and breaking things.” Rainbow nodded slowly, hurrying to catch up again.

“Skies, Ponyville’s just up ahead here,” Hooves shouted back. Rainbow looked over at Shield, limping along with the help of the other unicorn. He’d been silent for the trip, eyes narrowed in concentration. She looked back to Skies as she spoke again.

“Hooves, you know the location?” The stallion nodded. “Take the others and go there. Rainbow, you said Applejack works at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“She does, yeah, but… Wait, it’s Sunday right? She’ll probably be at the market, running the stall.” Skies blinked, then sighed.

“That complicates matters. Right, what does she look like?”

“She’s an orange earth pony, blonde mane, green eyes. She’s always wearing a Stetson.” Skies nodded.

“I’ll go into town and find her. Anything I can tell her to make her trust me and get her to follow me?” She turned to Rainbow.

“Well, she’s the Element of Honesty, so lying won’t work. Just… Tell her that you’re with me, and that I need to meet her privately.” Skies nodded.

“Right then, see you good ponies later.”

“Err, Skies? The armour?” Skies blinked, looking down before facehoofing, muttering an ‘ow’ as she smacked herself in the face with a gauntlet. She sighed, taking her cloak off, revealing her armour. It was lighter than Shield’s armour, the metal plates limited to plates on her flanks, shoulders and chest, along with greaves and gauntlets on her legs, and metal along the leading edge of her organic wing, the gaps filled in with thick cloth, chainmail, and leather that Rainbow hoped was made of plant-matter. An unstrung bow poked out of a quiver across her back, with a sword and scabbard at her waist, an assortment of pouches, daggers and hoof-axes. Skies removed her armour and weapons with practiced ease, rolling her shoulders and stretching before throwing her cloak back on after activating the glamour on her wing, the metal wing now apparently flesh and bone, the knot of scar tissue at the shoulder disappearing. She slipped one of her daggers and an axe back under her cloak, and donned some saddlebags. Rainbow watched, primarily interested in the armour, and noted that Skies looked strong. Sleek muscle lined her body, the white fur doing little to hide her toned physique. Or the scars that dotted her body. Rainbow winced, not daring to imagine what could have caused them all. The last thing to catch her eye was the mare’s cutie-mark, three claw marks overlaid with an arrow.

“Better?” She asked, looking to Hooves with a raised eyebrow.

“Cloak’s still going to draw attention,” he replied flatly.

“So’s a single mare walking out of the Everfree. Any of us going in is going to raise a few eyebrows, and ponies are less likely to bother the scary, scarred mare. Just stick to the plan.” She looked to Rainbow. “You going to be ok?”

“I hope so.” She swallowed.

“Good. Hooves? Over here quickly.” She jerked her head over as she walked a short distance away. Hooves trotted over casually. “So you knew about the hydra?”

“I did.” He nodded slowly. “Well, figured we were near its territory.”

“And you neglected to tell anyone because..?”

“If we didn’t run into it, no problem. If we did, wouldn’t be too dangerous to us, plus it’d distract the blue one. Best to keep her thinking about things that aren’t what happened at the shrine, I figure.” Skies nodded after a moment, sighing.

“Makes sense. But next time, tell me if there’s a bucking hydra, alright?” She cuffed him over the back of the head lightly. “Right, see you all in a bit!” She called over, before trotting off as Hooves rubbed the back of his head.

“What was that about?” Asked Dash.

“I was the tracker for this leg of the trip, and I missed the signs of a hydra’s territory. Skies was making sure it doesn’t happen again.” He nodded, putting his hoof down again.

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“Yes. Now, let’s move. Skies isn’t going to be happy if we’re not there when she arrives. Oh, and put this on.” Hooves threw Dash a cloak. “We don’t want you to be seen by any random pegasus.”

---

Trotting out of the Everfree at a leisurely pace, Skies looked around at the town before her. Huh, so this is Ponyville? Cute place. Shrugging, she trotted down the path into the town, eyeing up the pegasi flying around near the Everfree. Could be search parties. That’s a problem. Frowning slightly, she picked up the pace a little, before entering the town proper. Quaint thatched buildings lined the street in an assortment of random colours, most featuring window planters, picket fences and well-tended front gardens. There were a few ponies out and about at this end of town, most of whom eyed the newcomer with curiosity and suspicion.

“Mummy, why does that mare have an eyepatch?” Skies suppressed a chuckle as she heard a foal quietly ask, before being shushed and hurried along by the mother. A few mutters followed her deeper into the town, her eye flickering around to take in her surroundings. Over there a sea-green unicorn mare with a cream earth pony mare, Skies momentarily distracted by the… Unusual way the unicorn was sat on the bench. She tore her eye away after a moment, spotting an earth pony mare with a dull pink coat and straight hair sat looking forlorn at a table with a white unicorn mare. Her ears flicked towards a grey pegasus mare wearing a mailpony hat being scolded by another pegasus, looking sheepishly at the dropped crate next to her.

Skies smirked at the little scenes of life here, before her ears flicked over at the sound of a very loud gasp off to her left. Looking over, she recoiled as her vision was filled with pink. Blinking, she realised the pink was in fact a blue-eyed pony with curly pink hair and a very large smile. Wait, didn’t she have straight hair a second ago? Hang on, she’s talking to me.

“Ohmygoshanewpony!” She shouted excitedly. “Hi, welcome to Ponyville! I’m Pinkie Pie, Ponyville Party Planner Extraordinaire! Are you new?! You must be new because I know eeeeeeeeveryone in town and I don’t know you so you must be new!” Skies slowly leant back, one hoof held limply in the air as the pink pony babbled on, eye wide as she lost track of precisely what was happening. Eventually the pony shouted something about a party before leaping into the air and zooming away. Skies was silent, still leaning back and blinking rapidly as the white unicorn approached her.

“Are you alright, dear?” Skies’ ear twitched at the refined voice, flicking towards the unicorn.

“I… Pink?” Skies asked, looking towards the voice to see the white unicorn from earlier smiling at her. The smile was slightly strained, and all the makeup in the world couldn’t totally hide the bags under her eyes.

“That would be Pinkie Pie. She’s… A bit much when she gets like this, I must admit. I hope she didn’t scare you too much.”

“Uhhhhh…” She slowly lowered her hoof and fell to her haunches, blinking as she watched the pink pony bounce off down the street. “What just…”

“Pinkie Pie is very… enthusiastic when it comes to meeting new people. I must admit, it’s nice to see her smiling again, she’s been taking it rather hard… Oh, where are my manners?” She forced a wider smile. “I’m Rarity.”

Right, Rainbow mentioned Pinkie. And Rarity. “Desert Skies. Taking what hard?” She asked after regaining control of her jaw.

“One of our friends is missing, she disappeared over the Everfree in a storm last week.” Rarity frowned, looking between the mare, her cloak and the forest. “Have you just come from the Everfree?”

“I have, yes.”

“Have you seen her? A blue pegasus mare, rainbow mane?” Rarity asked, a tiny shred of hope entering her voice.

“Sorry, I haven’t.” I hate lying like this… Skies adopted a concerned expression. “I’ll keep an eye out for her, though. I guess that’s what the pegasi are doing over the forest?”

“You will? Oh, thank you.” She smiled again. “And yes, we’ve been hunting high and low for her. There’s not a lot us unicorns and earth ponies can do now, we’ve searched what we can but it’s too dangerous for us to trek further than we’ve already gone.” Her smile dropped, replaced with tired concern before she blinked. “Wait, keep an eye out… You’re going back out there?”

“Err, yeah. I’m something of an explorer. I like wild places.” Rarity nodded, giving Skies an appraising look.

“That certainly explains the um…" She caught herself. "Well, thank you. Oh and we must do something about that cloak.” Skies tensed as Rarity’s magic tugged at the hem, Skies gripping it.

“Leave the cloak.” She said sternly, biting back to urge to snap.

“But darling, it’s simply filthy! I simply must replace it, I can’t bear the thought of allowing somepony to walk around wearing something like that.” Skies didn’t relent, narrowing her eye.

“It has sentimental value.” She said in a low voice, eye locked on Rarity’s. Rarity blinked first, and sighed, releasing the cloak.

“Well, if it is sentimental then I suppose it’s acceptable. Regardless, I insist that you stop by Carousel Boutique later to make you something more appealing to the eye, and to patch up that cloak of yours. It’s no trouble at all, I promise.” Rarity smiled kindly, before pausing. “Ah, yes, and in case you didn’t catch it amongst Pinkie Pie’s… enthusiasm, the party is planned for half past seven tonight.”

“Wait, party?” Skies blinked, tilting her head.

“Pinkie Pie likes to throw a party for every pony new to town. It’s… Really better if you attend. She gets quite upset if the guest of honour doesn’t attend. And given the fact that Rainbow is missing, well, I think everyone could do with at least a little relaxation. Besides, it’s not like the search can continue after dark.”

So much for trying to keep a low profile. “I see.” Skies glanced around for a clock tower, frowning as she spotted it. “Half past four already? Later than I thought.” She frowned. She turned back to Rarity. “I don’t suppose I could ask a small favour?”

“Of course, ask away.”

“I need to stock up on supplies, and I’ve got a serious craving for apples. Haven’t had a good apple in months.”

“I think I may be able to help with that. My friend Applejack runs the apple stall, I’ll introduce you. The market’s this way.” Rarity turned, making sure Skies was following before trotting towards the centre of town. “Do you mind if I ask where you’ve come from?”

“Not at all. And nowhere in particular, really. I just like to travel, lend a hand to earn enough bits to keep moving on.”

“You did mention being an explorer.” Rarity said with a nod.

“I guess? If a place feels right I might settle down for a little longer, but I always move on.” Rarity nodded after a moment, gears turning in her head.

“I see. Well, welcome to the Ponyville market.” Given the hour, things were starting to wind down at the market, but there were still plenty of ponies, customers slowly making their way between the stalls and sellers trying to offload the last of the stock for the day. A few eyes turned to look at the stranger, but suspicious glances faded after seeing Rarity with her. “I apologise for the cool reception, but ponies distrust the Everfree, and, well, you do look particularly roguish.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Skies grinned at Rarity, following her through the marketplace. Rarity nodded and greeted ponies as she passed, heading for the furthest stall, where an orange pony in a Stetson was loudly selling apples. Joining the back of the queue, Skies waited patiently as the line moved forwards in fits and starts. As they got closer to the front, Skies studied the mare behind the cart. The bravado of the farmer seemed a bit forced, and Skies could spot the bags beneath her eyes, the too-earnest smile. Something was clearly on this mare’s mind. Rainbow, in all likelihood.

“Well howdy Rarity. Heard Pinkie shoutin’ somethin’ about a new ‘pirate friend’, didn’t think she was bein’ serious.” Rarity chuckled tiredly.

“That’s our Pinkie. Applejack, meet Desert Skies. Skies, Applejack.”

“Nice to meet you Applejack.” She held out a hoof to shake, before digging in her hind legs as the proffered leg was shaken violently by Applejack.

“It’s a right pleasure to meet ya, Skies. Strong hoof you got there.” She eventually released Skies’ hoof, the pegasus blinking as she recovered, gingerly placing her hoof back down.

“Pleasure to meet you too, Applejack.”

“Skies was looking to buy some apples. Poor dear hasn’t had one in months, she says.” Applejack’s eyes widened in horror.

“Whu- No apples for months?!” Her jaw dropped, looking at Skies with a mixture of shock and sympathy.

“I’ve been on the move for a while now.” Skies offered by way of explanation.

“Well you’re in luck! The Apple family grows the best apples in all of Equestria, yes siree! Here, first one’s for free, need to shift the lot before the end of the day anyway.” She passed Skies a shining, deep red apple. Skies took the apple, her stomach growling loudly, causing the mare to blush a little.

“Sorry, haven’t had anything to eat since dawn.” She explained.

“I don’t imagine the Everfree would give much opportunity to stop for lunch. Sorry to cut this short, but I must return to the Boutique, I have some orders to finish before Pinkie’s party. See you both there!” Rarity smiled before trotting away.

“Bye Rares.” Applejack turned back to Skies. “Well? Go ahead if you’re starvin’!” Skies nodded, biting into the apple, her eyes widening.

Oh stars that’s delicious. At her stomach’s urging, she quickly devoured the rest of it, core and all. Licking her lips, she sheepishly looked at Applejack. “Heh, sorry. I was just really hungry.”

“Don’t sweat it, partner. So, Pinkie’s throwin’ you a party? It’ll be good to raise ponies’ spirits at least a little.” Skies nodded.

“Rarity stressed that it was important I attend, so…” She shrugged.

“Sounds like her alright. Anythin’ else ah can get ya?” Skies looked back to the cart thoughtfully.

“Hmm… Two bushels of apples, and one apple pie please.” Applejack nodded, collecting the items as Skies looked around. She nodded, seeing the two were alone. “And, I have some news about Rainbow Dash.” Applejack froze, slowly turning to Skies.

“Ya do?! Where- Wait.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What do ya know?”

“That Rainbow Dash is alive. We found her after her crash.”

“Who’s we?” She asked, voice tinged with suspicion.

“My travelling companions. Rainbow Dash is safe, my friends are with her at the moment. Something happened in the Everfree, and she wants to see you before seeing anypony else.” Applejack stared at her for a while.

“Well, ya aint lyin’. But why’s Rainbow want to see me first?”

“She said something about trust and some of the others being a bit much? Whatever her reason, she wants to see you first. She was very clear about that.”

“Hmph, ya aint tellin’ me everythin’.” Applejack squinted at Skies, eying her up, causing her to sigh.

“No, I’m not, but I promise you that my intention isn’t to hurt you, or put you in a position to be harmed. We just want to help, but we have to be careful. The sooner we can go to her, the better.” She passed her eyes over the cart “And don’t worry about the rest of your stock, my friends are just as hungry as I am, we’ll buy the lot.” Reaching into her cloak, Skies dropped a pouch of bits onto the cart. “Should be enough in there, plus extra.” Applejack slowly took the pouch and hefted it in hoof before nodding.

“Alright partner, where are we meetin’ her?”

“Rainbow mentioned some hills near your farm, near a copse of fir trees?”

“Ah know the place. Mind givin’ me a hoof packin’ all this up?”

“Of course, just tell me what to do.”

---

By five o’clock, the two mares were heading up the trail towards Sweet Apple Acres, Skies carrying some very over-full saddle bags as Applejack towed the cart. “Ah’ll just need to put the cart in the barn, ya don’t mind keepin’ some of what you bought there for now?”

“Not at all, we’re not planning on leaving yet.” Applejack nodded.

“So, Rainbow..?”

“As I said, she is alive and uninjured. I won’t lie to you, and I doubt I could successfully, it’s… Something happened out there, but you need to see it for yourself.” Applejack frowned, concerned for her friend. Waiting for them at the farmhouse were two other ponies, a gigantic red stallion silently listening to a much smaller yellow filly bouncing around in a circle. As they got closer, the two ponies noticed Applejack and Skies.

“Big sis! You’re back early!” The filly shouted, rushing over whilst the big stallion nailed Skies with a suspicious look.

“Howdy Apple Bloom. Yup, Desert Skies here bought everythin’ that was left.” The filly blinked, just now noticing the cloaked pegasus.

“Woah… Are you a pirate?” Skies blinked, before looking at Applejack.

“Why does everypony default to pirate?”

“The eyepatch, ah think. And the ear.”

“Right, right.” Skies smiled, looking down at Apple Bloom. “Nope, not a pirate.”

“Then why’d ya wear an eyepatch?” The filly tilted her head in confusion, her large pink bow bobbing as she did.

“Hmm.” She mused as she thought over a foal-appropriate explanation. “Your big sister ever warn you about places like the Everfree?”

“Uh huh.” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Listen to them. Trust me, it’s not a place for little fillies to go.” Apple Bloom blinked, not getting it immediately, before her eyes widened.

“… Oh.” She nodded rapidly. “Got it miss!” Applejack gave Skies a slightly reproachful look.

“What? I was under the impression you Apples liked honesty.” Skies protested.

“Still, she’s just a filly.” Applejack sighed. “Can’t be helped now. Big Mac, give us a hoof with the barn?” The red stallion nodded, eying Skies before walking over to the barn, opening the doors for Applejack.

“So ya bought all the apples?” Skies looked down to see Apple Bloom still looking up curiously.

“Well, what was left, yes.” At the filly’s incredulous look, Skies continued. “I’m a very hungry pony, and my friends need food as well.”

“Do your friends have eyepatches as well?”

“Nope, they’re all smarter than I am.” She looked back up as Applejack trotted out of the barn. “Ready to go?”

“Yup.” She turned to see Big Mac looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Big Mac, Apple Bloom, ah just need to talk to Skies about a coupla things privately. Might be a while. Apple Bloom, you help your big brother and granny with dinner, alright? Pinkie’s throwing a party tonight for Skies, so ah’ll be eatin’ there.”

“Ok Applejack!” Apple Bloom nodded, dashing into the house. Big Mac watched her leave, before turning back to Applejack, then looking at Skies again.

“Big Mac, ah’ll be fine, promise. Skies just needs to talk to me about a few thin’s is all, promise.” Big Mac didn’t take his eyes off Skies, chewing the stalk in his mouth in silence before nodding.

“Eeyup.” He turned and walked back into the farmhouse.

“Sorry about Bic Mac. ‘e’s not much for talkin’, and ‘e’s a mite protective.”

“I understand. I believe you know the way?” Applejack nodded, trotting out into the orchards.

“I take it your friends will be waitin’?”

“They will be. One earth pony, two unicorns and a pegasus.” Applejack nodded, glancing over to Skies.

“Yer a strange pony, Skies. Just ‘ow long were you in the Everfree?” Skies took a moment to answer before remembering the futility of trying to lie to her.

“Before today it’s been eight months since I last left the Everfree, and that was just a resupply trip to Manehattan.” Applejack stopped to gape at Skies.

“Eight months? Ah know Zecora lives there but she aint exactly deep in the forest. Just what are y’all doin’ stayin’ in a place like that?”

“That’s a question better answered when the rest of Rainbow’s friends are all together, rather than telling the same story six different times. Rainbow’s already asked, and we gave her the same answer.” Applejack nodded, and picked up the pace.

“Right, right. The place is just over this hill.” Skies nodded.

“Make sure you’re ready for anything, Applejack. Rainbow’s fragile right now, emotionally. She needs her friends more than ever.”

“I get it, Skies. I’ve been friends with Dash for years now.” Skies nodded as they crested the hill.

---

“Shield, two contacts.” Shield looked up from the small campsite they’d set up, looking over at Hooves. “It’s Skies and an earth pony mare, orange fur, blonde mane.”

“That’s Applejack.” Said Rainbow, pulling her cloak closer around herself. Shield nodded, standing with a wince. “Are you alright? You’ve been limping since we set off…”

“I’ve had worse, Rainbow. Marabas got me good, is all, and the shades didn’t help.” She nodded, looking guilty. “Come on, you’ve got a friend to meet. This one’s the Element of Honesty you said?” Rainbow nodded. “Right. No lies then, ponies.” A chorus of affirmatives sounded off as he nodded.

“Skies, over here!” Hooves called, waving a hoof.

“There they are, Applejack.” Shield smiled as he heard Skies’ voice. “Come on, Rainbow’s with them.” The two ponies crested the hill, Hooves staying in his sentry post.

“Rainbow..?” Applejack asked hesitantly, spotting the sky-blue mare wrapped in a cloak.

“H-hey Applejack.” Her scratchy voice hitched as tears started to form. “S-sorry for scaring you all…”

“Sugar ah can’t tell you how good it is to see you.” Applejack grinned at her, sniffing.

“I-it’s great to see you too.” Rainbow sniffled with her. “I um, how much did Skies tell you?”

“Not much, just that somethin’ bad happened.”

“Th-that’s one way of putting it. It… It’s probably best if I just show you.” Rainbow took a shaky breath, before discarding the cloak. Applejack’s eyes went wide as she saw Dash’s former hoof. “P-please don’t run away.” Applejack just stood frozen in place, her eyes flicking around, brain slowly processing exactly what she was seeing.

“D-Dash… W-what in tarnation happened..?”

“I… L-long story, but these ponies saved me.” She swallowed, a tear falling. Applejack nodded after a moment, her eyes returning to Rainbow’s face, just now registering how terrified she looked. Swallowing, she took a single step forward.

“C’mere Dash.” Dash ran forwards, the two ponies hugging as they cried. “W-we were so worried!”

“I-I’m sorry! T-the storm, I-I got hit by lightning and I couldn’t get out of the forest!” Skies and Shield looked at each other awkwardly, embarrassed to watch the emotional display.

“Err, Shield. A word?” Asked Skies, walking a short distance, waiting for Shield to limp after her. “We’ve got a situation. Some of the other Elements saw me, and the one known as Pinkie Pie is expecting Applejack and I to attend a… Party.”

“… A party?” Shield sat flatly, staring at Skies.

“Yes. A party. And I’ve been warned that it wouldn’t be a good move to simply bail on it.” Shield sighed, dragging his hoof down his face.

“That complicates things.”

“It does. However, the one known as Rarity seemed to expect that Applejack would be in attendance, and indicated that she would be there as well. It’s not unreasonable to assume that the rest of the Bearers would be at the party. It would be a good opportunity to bring them to Dash as a single group, and it would give me time to gather more information on the other Bearers.” Shield nodded, thinking the matter over.

“Alright. Go to the party. Will you be bringing anypony with you?”

“No. Apparently this Pinkie Pie knows everypony in Ponyville, more unfamiliar faces would bring more suspicion, and the only ones that currently know there’s more than just myself are Applejack and two of her family members, who would have found out anyway if we end up using their barn.”

“Alright, we’ll talk it over with Rainbow and Applejack.” He looked over to the two tearful mares, as Rainbow haltingly filled Applejack in. “When is this party?”

“Half past seven, so a couple of hours from now. Best if I leave weapons here.”

“How’s the glamour holding up?” She lifted her cloak and gave her wing a flap.

“Still going strong, not in any risk of failing.”

“Good. And the cloak?”

“It’d be odd to wear it for the whole party, so I’ll go without it.”

“That’ll raise questions.”

“I’ll handle it. Let the mare who’s actually had social interaction in the last ten years do this.” She smirked.

“Alright, social butterfly you.” Shield teased. “Enjoy the party, Skies, we don’t get to relax very often.” She nods.

“I’ll see if I can grab some drinks for you lot.”

“Thanks. Now come on, we need to talk to those two about the party and the other Bearers.”

Author's Note:

Sorry about the late upload on this one. I got Total War: Warhammer 2 a couple of days before this chapter was supposed to go live and I completely forgot to upload this. That game is really fun.

Anyway, the chapter itself. I'm a little concerned I've been overblowing Dash's (and other people's) reaction to the claw, but they're also in emotionally vulnerable places right now so... I find it hard to judge exactly how much of a reaction is appropriate for a character. Let me know what you think!

Also, yeah, long chapter. Couldn't figure out how to break it up to my satisfaction.