Leader of the Pack (Book 3/3)

by AdrianJNovelle

Chapter 6 - Confrontation

The day after Twilight left her hut, Zecora went on her trip to Ponyville, Twilight's message to her friends still on her mind. She wandered through the streets, bought the goods she needed, and before turning home, she waltzed into Sugarcube Corner, where Twilight's five friends were hanging out and having lunch of various meals.

"Good afternoon, young ponyfolk," she greeted. "Twilight's absence is no joke."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"What's happened t' Twilight?" Applejack inquired directly to Zecora.

"Twilight Sparkle is now a resident, in a location most unpleasant. She has become a leader of a pack. We not have much time to act!"

"Leader of a pack?" Fluttershy inquired.

"Is she in trouble?" asked Rarity.

"I cannot say this action can bring her much good. I would help her if I could."

"Sounds like she's in trouble!" Pinkie Pie exclaiming, hopping to the front of Sugarcube Corner. "C'mon, everypony! Let's see what Twilight's up to and help her before she gets into any trouble!"

Everypony nodded.

"Zecora, where is Twilight?"

"She is in the Everfree Forest-"

"Let's go!"

Pinkie Pie led the hurry out of Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity right behind her. Zecora remained stationary until the coast was clear. "Hey, I did not get to finish my rhyme!" she protested. "I shall do so another time."

---

The girls trotted as fast as their hooves could carry them to the Everfree Forest. When they arrived, Fluttershy suddenly started cowaring. Then she remembered what Twilight said on their way to Zecora's hut when it was just her, Twilight and Pinkie Pie back when King Sombra was in reign: if there was anything scary in the Everfree Forest, they wouldn't emerge until nightfall. So she swallowed her fear, and galloped on.

It was long stroll through the thick woods of the Forest. And with no sense of directional intention at hoof, they were essentially wandering through the trees and bushes and shrubs blind. They simply kept walking in the same direction, and eventually hit the Ferals' campground, which now looked like a well-established pony village. Several of the Ferals had already begun the construction of Twilight's fortress, the foundation of which was centered between the mountain with the cave where Twilight and Dawn slept, and another nearby mountain.

The girls hid their faces in the bush at the entrance to the campground as they eavesdropped on a conversation between Twilight and Dawn.

"Are you sure about this?" Dawn asked while painting the Alicorn Amulet logo on Twilight's forehead as Twilight kept her mane out of his way in the process.

"Sure about what?" she asked calmly.

"That it's okay to just abandon our old lives and live here forever? I mean, I may not be a professional painter anymore, but I certainly don't think that's worth leaving everything of ours behind for these ponies."

"If we abandon these ponies," Twilight began. "They'll die. And if they die, their blood will be on my hooves. And I could never live with myself if that were to happen."

"I don't think that's the case," Dawn protested. "These ponies may be...disabled, but they're not stupid. Just quiet. I'm sure that if Bones had left them and you had just walked away - or never shown up - they would simply survive on their own. They may not thrive on your leadership, no, but I hardly think they would die."

"If you say so," Twilight remarked. "I just know in my heart that we belong here with them. They love me. They love you. And they love the guidance and leadership we give them. They will thrive and prosper in a society of their own creation, as I promised them when I gave them my speech. It will be hard, since we have virtually no contact with the outside world, but we don't need contact with the outside world. Those who are the best of warriors survive independently."

"What the heck is Twilight talking about?" Pinkie Pie whispered to Rarity, who was standing next to her.

"I don't know," Rarity answered. "But it sounds like Twilight's been put in charge of these ponies. Like she's their leader."

"Leader? But isn't she supposed to be our leader?"

"Not necessarily. But that doesn't change the fact that she looks completely ridiculous. Look at all that paint on her body!" Rarity groaned quietly. "She looks like an exploded tube of paint with hooves!"

"What's the deal with these ponies, anyway?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "I mean, what separates them from us?"

"It looks like all those ponies are earth- no, wait...they're...damaged," Rarity concluded. "Look at those few over there: they're clearly pegasi. But they're acting like earth ponies. Their wings looked pretty bruised to me."

"So that's it! She's in charge of a bunch of disabled ponies!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with the upmost quietness. "That's probably because she and, uh, what's his name? Oh, yeah, Dawn. She and Dawn lost their real horns."

"But that still doesn't explain why she's so...so...painted," Rarity whined.

"Do you hear something?" Twilight asked Dawn after he finished up.

"Nothing other than the construction around us and the sound of your voice," he replied.

"No, not that. It sounds like...whispers." Twilight rose to her two back hooves and picked up a sharp spear which looked like she fiendishly sharpened from a long, thin plank of bark. "Who goes there?" she asked, approaching the bush where her friends were hiding. They made not a sound and disguised themselves as thoroughly as possible to avoid being caught. "Show yourselves!" she barked. No movement. She got closer to the bush and saw the unmistakable lightness of Rarity's coat. "Ah-hah! Intruders!" she hissed. She brought her spear through the plants. "Come out or I will use this!"

A high-pitched squeal came from the vocal chords of a yellow, pink-maned pegasus, who bolted from the thicket and took a nose-dive towards the ground at the front of the Ferals' campground. Twilight's attention from the other four was adverted from Fluttershy's flee. She cowarded at the sight of seeing Twilight tower over her with the pointy spear in her hooves, which Twilight brought dangerously close to her. A heavy wind picked up.

"Who are you?" she inquired, as if she had not remembered.

The other four slowly crept out of the thicket behind Twilight's back.

Fluttershy trembled with fear. "M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-my name's F-F-F-F-F-F-Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy, huh? You're pretty cute. But cuteness doesn't win the war!"

Fluttershy's ears dropped as she covered her eyes with her hooves.

"State your purpose! Why are you trespassing into Feral territory?"

"I-I-I-I-I-I don't know!" Fluttershy squealed with fright.

"Answer me!" Twilight boomed, poking Fluttershy with the spear.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Rainbow Dash hissed, flying up into the air, her trio of friends beneath her.

Twilight turned around. "And she brought company. Interesting," Twilight stood her spear upright, and then drew it again. "State your purposes! Why are you trespassing into Feral territory?"

"Hey, watch where you're pointing that!" Rainbow Dash beat Twilight's spear away with her hoof. "And we're not trespassing: we're here to rescue you."

"Rescue me?" Twilight lowered her spear. "But I am in no danger. At least, not at the moment."

"Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Zecora told us that y-y-y-y-y-y-you were h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-here, and she s-s-s-s-s-s-s-said that you're-"

"I'm what?!"

"I-I-I-I-..."

"Look, Twilight: Zecora came to us while she was in town, and she said that your absence from Ponyville was intentional, so we came here to see what's up, why you're gone, and ask if you're interested in coming back."

Twilight almost seemed moved. "You're just visit me?" she asked.

"Not exactly," Rarity said. "More like bring you back to your senses and bring you and Dawn home."

Twilight became fiendish again. She drew her spear. "I am at my senses!" she roared. "It is you who are crazy! You who trespass into forbidden territory and, you who think that I will leave my Feral nation just to return to crummy ol' Ponyville. My home - our home - is here now! And I will give these poor ponies the leadership and safety they deserve!"

"At your senses? Please, only a total lunatic would wear that much paint!"

Twilight brought the spear so close to Rarity's face, it nearly touched her nose. "Do not insult the Feral Mistress!" she hissed. "You have five seconds to apologize, or be thrown into the dungeon to be tortured and/or executed!"

"Apologize? Please! You should apologize to my eyes for having them look at such a hideous-"

"Guards!"

Two large ponies, both Feral, rushed to Twilight's side.

"Take her away! Take them all away!"

The guards nodded, grabbed ahold of Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash.

"Mmmhr?" one asked, pointing to the cowaring pony on the ground.

"Yes. Her too."

Fluttershy was dragged along with the rest and thrown into a dark cave which dug into the second mountain at the other end of the fortress. A sturdy gate was erected in front of the prisoners as the guards stood by abreast to one another.

Twilight had followed behind, and was present for the imprisonment of her friends.

"A few days in here outta teach you a lesson," she smirked devilishly. "Go ahead! Call me ugly! Call the Great Mistress of the Feral Ponies ugly! It will only buy you more time behind those bars!"

"Twilight, please!" Pinkie Pie whined, sticking her head through a hole in the gate. "This isn't like you! You're not a Great Mistress of anything! You're not insane! And you're not uh, uh..."

"A what?" barked the Feral Mistress.

"A Nub!"

That word echoed all through the cave, and bounced off of each wall until it reached the outside, where nearly every Feral pony working heard that word once again. Dark clouds loomed overhead as the breeze picked up. At first, Twilight said nothing. She simply stood there in horror, her pupils shrunken in her large eyes. Never before had she been so sensitive to such a foul and heinous word. But now, it seemed that her heart had been broken by it. It shattered in her breast. Her face grew dark. Her eyes sharpened. A fire raged in her eyes.

"Your execution will be in the morning," was all she said before she walked out of the cave on her two hind hooves.