Harmony Arisen

by Panoramic Toast

Chapter 15: Strange Lands

Chapter 15: Strange Lands

Twilight Sparkle shifted back and forth between consciousness as the sun’s rays began to pierce through her eyelids. Steadily, her eyes fluttered open. What happened?

Slowly, she stood on all fours, stumbling as she adjusted to the pain in her legs. She paused and began rubbing circles against her forehead as she closed her eyes. Her mind was in a haze. Siegfried. Star Dust. Crystal Shard. She slowly pressed her hooves into the soft soil, ruffling the grass. Grass? Her eyes opened wide. She wasn’t in the snowy landscapes of East Lunaria...no, she was somewhere else. She looked down where the lush mass of green rolled steadily to form a hill. Where am I?

Her body twisted in panic as her eyes darted from place to place. In her confusion, she stumbled against the grass and crashed her sides against a tree. Pain shot through her body as she stifled a scream. Pink petals poured down, landing against her mane and crawling across her face.

“Ugh...what...happened?”

Twilight jumped back, concentrating magic into her horn. She released it as she recognized the grey coated unicorn. “Star Dust!” she shouted. “Are you alright?” Her short purple mane was in knots, and her eyes wandered uneasily as she began to stand.

“Twilight, is that you?” she mumbled as she shook her legs about. Behind her, Big Mac stood in a similar state of confusion, cringing as his eyes slowly opened.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, it’s me. Are you guys okay?” They nodded.

“Where are we?” Star Dust asked as she turned to face the others.

Twilight set her eyes on the horizon, past the green hills. The land cut off in a series of delicate curves, transitioning to a dark body of water, the sunlight glimmering against the sea’s waves. "I don't know, but this definitely isn’t East Lunaria."

Star Dust walked between Twilight and Big Mac as she stared at the tree above them. From it’s tops, pink petals floated away in the breeze. With her magic, Star Dust grabbed one and carefully lowered it it closer to her face. Her eyebrows furrowed as she leaned in closer, examining its edges.

With a weary frown, she released the leaf and faced Twilight. “These flowers...are a special type of cherry blossom.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “These particular ones only grow in one part of the world: Neighpon.”

“That’s impossible!” Twilight shouted. “Neighpon has a protective barrier around the entire country! How could a simple teleportation spell break though such advanced defensive magic?”

“I don’t know!” Star Dust shouted back. “It was weird, one second we were being chased by those soldiers, next thing that crystal...the crystal!”

Star Dust jumped and began running along the ground as she searched through the grass. She stopped moments later as she scooped up a small red shard in her telekinetic grip. “It was the crystal,” she said, her eyes gazing at the shimmering fragment. “It’s the only explanation.” She looked up and her eyes wandered from Big Macintosh to Twilight.

“But how?” Twilight argued.

“Your magic,” Star Dust said. “Think about it; you were attempting to complete a teleportation spell at the time weren’t you?”

“Yes,” Twilight admitted. “But I only planned to teleport us to the outskirts of the mountain, not here! Unless…unless the crystal somehow altered the effects of my spell.” It was all beginning to make sense now. The gears in her head clicked as she connected the pieces. “Yes. The shard is obviously the remains of a red crystal. Although they are largely untested in terms of what they are, we do know that they can store magic to an extent. It is possible that they can also change the effects of a spell if the crystal is unstable, perhaps even giving it an artificial boost.”

Star Dust nodded. “Meaning that since you teleported while holding the fragment, the magic within it reacted to your spell and increased its effects,” she said confidently. “It’s beginning to make sense now.”

Twilight paused uncomfortably. “However, there’s still one thing that’s bothering me, Star Dust. That machine that was holding the crystal...why did it react to your touch?”

That mysterious set of gears and triggers. For some reason it was only by Star Dust’s hoof that it opened up, allowing them access to that mysterious crystal fragment. Star Dust seemed to ponder it for moment, raising her hoof to her chin where Twilight glimpsed the faint scar around her right foreleg. “I don’t know,” she said, “but I plan on finding out once we get back.”

“Umm,” Big Macintosh interrupted, pointed a hoof over the horizon.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, her eyes following his hoof to the edge of the hill. As she squinted, she could make out the faint outlines of a square. Within it, tendrils of smoke rose by the dozen.

“A village,” Twilight observed. “It could be dangerous. If anyone finds out who we are, we’ll be as good as dead. We’re the enemy after all.”

Star Dust nodded. “True.” Star Dust raised her chin, towards the sunlight as a sudden breeze smacked the three of them, forcing Twilight to shiver. “It’s midday. And it’s winter to top it all off. We need to find a shelter before it gets dark out here. That village may be our best bet. Plus, we might find out information on a way to get out of here.”

Twilight bit her lip. “I guess we don’t really have much of a choice.”

Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Good. Now that that’s decided, we better start heading there,” Star Dust said as she began removing her armor, still levitating the crystal shard.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Take a look at yourself,” she said, pointing a hoof at her. “We look like we just got out of a warzone. We’re trying to blend in, not raise an alarm.”

Twilight had forgotten about her armor. Though all the chaos and confusion, she had bonded with the weight of the metal, donning it like one would a simple shirt. As she removed her chestplate and under armour, she felt oddly naked. It was only then that she noticed the blood that coated the armor, splashed violently across like a sort of war paint.

She had come within an inch of her life numerous times during that battle. It was only by the skin of her teeth that she made it this far with only a few cuts and bruises, notably the scapes along her legs from the constant running and falling. As she laid her bloody sword against the grassy hill, she came to a conclusion that made her shudder.

This isn’t my blood.

The sword’s edge was drenched in a dark shade of red. She shook as she remembered that unicorn mare. She had a black coat, she remembered. A white mane. She could remember every moment as her blade cut through her chest. The sound of flesh being ripped apart by steel. The sound of the final ounces of breath leaving her lungs. The crunch of snow as her lifeless body hit the ground.

She began to shake. Her vision blurred as she stared at her bloody chestplate and the crimson covered sword that lay beside it. What if she had a family? She must have. What about her parents? Siblings? Spouses? The final thought bashed against her mind as she struggled to contemplate the meaning. What is she had a child?

What if she had deprived a child of her mother forever? Was she a monster? The sound of gunfire pelted pounded against her head. Daddy! Daddy! What happened? Are Mommy and Big Brother okay?

“Twilight?” Star Dust said, breaking her fixation on the armor. Twilight’s eyes snapped up. Star Dust and Big Macintosh were already undressed, wearing only small backpacks that they had worn under their armor. “Are you alright?” Star Dust asked with a concerned look about her.

“Yeah,” she said. “Sorry about that.

Star Dust seemed very hesitant to respond as she continued to give Twilight an odd look. “Okay. We better get going then. It looks like it will take about an hour to get there if we head straight.”

Twilight nodded as she followed Star Dust and Big Macintosh down the hill, heading towards the strange village in the distance.

Applejack shuddered as the winter’s deathly chills invaded through the cracks of the van. She tried to curl into a ball, nearly forgetting about the chains that tied her front and back hooves together. She gently raised her head from the ground, wincing in pain from the cold hard metal that her body had adjusted to. In seconds, she could feel the jagged metal scratching against the skin under her fur little by little.

Still, even past the constant vibrations she could see Applebloom and Granny Smith sleeping against the corner, near the back and as far as possible from the tightly locked doors. They too had been chained up like some sort of wild animals. What damage could a little filly and an old mare do? Was this what Germaneigh and Queen Trixie was so afraid of?

She fought to suppress her anger. At first, she cursed Queen Trixie, the armored soldiers, and even that towns pony that had insulted her right before the attack on Waltana. Her anger soon dissipated as she looked at the shackles around her hooves.

She had made so many promises that everything would work out. She had journeyed across two countries, and the end of their troubles was finally in sight. She had gotten so far, yet in the end, it was nothing but delaying the inevitable.

Time went on as Applejack simply laid against the rumbling ground, never uttering a single word. It must have been hours before she had heard the truck come to a stop.

The doors creaked open, releasing the invading sunlight from the breaking dawn. Applejack squinted as the shapes that opened the door became visible. Two soldiers clad in lavender with a hoof-gun strapped to their forelegs. “Down here,” one of them called out. Applejack rose, cringing at the kink in her neck. She fought against the resistance from the shackles and helped her grandmother and Applebloom rise from their brief slumber.

After they had began to move, Applejack trotted in front, walking off the van as her hooves made contact with the gravel. Applejack raised her head and her eyes gazed past the soldiers. They were near a mountain range from what she could tell. Far ahead, rock and gravel paved the way, reaching deep into the heavens.

As Applejack’s hooves reached deep into the rock and into the layer of soil, she remembered the tales that Granny Smith told of the earth pony warriors of the past. They were powerful fighters capable of bending the very earth to their will using only their innate earth pony magic. For the briefest moment, Applejack imagined herself as one of them. The soldiers around her cowered and fled as Applejack rose with her family atop a rising mountain of rock and dirt. What she would give for that kind of power.

Her thoughts were shattered as the barrell of a hoof-gun poked her neck. “Move.” Applejack looked ahead, using her peripherals to see the blur of yellow and green before she began her walk.

One hoof in front of the other, she walked. Past the van and around it, the shouts and cries of other ponies became readily apparent. Nearly a hundred ponies had gathered into an unorganized mass, closed in by a wall of armored ponies. In it, old ponies, young ponies, and others like herself stood. Beside the crowd was a large, rusted cargo train laying against a set of aged tracks. The soldiers were carefully guiding ponies by gunpoint as they entered the various open freight cars.

“Stop.”

Applejack stopped in her tracks as she felt the shackles around her hooves begin to vibrate. She felt a breeze around all four legs as the shackles came off, now hanging by a unicorn soldier's magical grip. Behind her, the same thing happened to Granny Smith and Applebloom as their cuffs were levitated away.

One of the soldiers walked beside Applejack and leaned into her ear. “If you run, they die,” he said calmly. Applejack froze as her vision blurred. Her legs wobbled under her own weight, and she felt as if she needed to vomit. “Walk,” he spoke, not changing his inflection.

She walked. Towards the droves of ponies that had gathered like cattle, she walked. She continued on her path and was shoved into the crowd by an armored guard, nearly tumbling into the ground. She regained her balance and waited as her family came after her. Granny Smith was the first to walk through, wearing a blank look about her wrinkled face. Applebloom came next, fearfully taking her place beside Applejack. Instinctively, Applejack wrapped her hooves around the frightened filly. She was shaking. As her hoof reached around Applebloom’s head, she could feel that her cheeks were damp. Granny Smith stood beside her, pale and frozen. Everytime she moved, it felt forced, almost robotic.

Applejack released the hug and moved deeper into the crowd and closer to the trains until she heard a familiar voice.

“Applejack!”

Applejack turned around to find the source of the sound. Moments later, she was knocked to the ground as a pair of pink hooves wrapped around her shoulders. She nearly cried out in pain as the rocks below began to dig into her skin.

“Applejack!” Pinkie Pie cried out once more as she nuzzled against her shoulders. Applejack calmly attempted to stand, balancing herself along with Pinkie Pie, who held firmly onto her. Applejack stopped when she heard Pinkie beginning to sob.

“I’m so sorry,” Pinkie Pie said, her voice beginning to crack. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around her as she stood firmly against the ground, supporting Pinkie’s weight. Applejack’s felt a warmth reach across her shoulders as Granny Smith reached out to hug her. Even Applebloom managed to join in, her hooves only reaching up to Pinkie’s waist.

“I’m so sorry,” she continued to say in decreasing volume until it had become nothing but incoherent sobs. Slowly, the two of them backed off as Granny Smith gave a final nuzzle against Pinkie’s exposed neck.

“It’s okay,” Applejack calmly said. “We’re all safe. We’re all alive.”

Applejack nearly jumped back as the barrel of another hoof-gun found its way into her neck. “Forward.”

Applejack raised her head from Pinkie and faced the open freight car in front. It was nearly empty with only a handful of ponies beginning to crowd into it so far. For the briefest second, she thought about running.

If you run, they die.

Those thoughts dissipated as she walked forward, still holding onto Pinkie. Her eyes darted to her sides. Applebloom and Granny Smith followed beside her, terrified looks etched across their faces as they walked closer to the freight train’s open doors.

As she stepped onto the train, ponies parted to allow Applejack and her family entrance. Applejack kept a calm demeanor as she looked around, spotting an empty corner of the train.

Calmly, she walked past the ponies that had already made their seat on the filthy metallic floor. She tried to look forward but couldn’t help gazing at them. They looked dead, all of them. As she looked in their eyes, she saw the same hollow expression.

Stoically as she could appear, she moved past them and sat down, gently helping Pinkie Pie to the ground as she continued to sob against her shoulder.

She moved against the corner, allowing her family room as Granny Smith sat down next to a shivering Applebloom. Soon, Pinkie’s sobbing had died down to a simple, silent cry. She looked down at her. She was filthier than Applejack had initially noticed. Her poofy mane was wet and filled with dirt. Her coat was tattered and muddy. What happened to her, Applejack wondered. She had been separated from them, but why? Was it because of her family name? If so, then why is she still here?

Right now, she’s not too fit for questions, she observed as she continued to hug her friend. Whatever happened, she would have to find out later. Applejack simply sat back and continued to comfort her as the open doors let in more of the cold winter air and more ponies began to fill the car.

As Applebloom and Granny Smith continued to shiver and hold each other tight, Applejack held her head high as the final set of ponies began to board the train. She could recognize a few faces in the crowding train. She recognized the old pony that had once been a Ponish shopkeeper from back home. There was an old mare that had once been Applebloom’s schoolteacher, leaving Waltana some time after the initial German invasion. Whatever happened at the docks must have happened all across the country, she concluded. The information of the Pie family’s involvement had been leaked somehow, that much was apparent.

As the train doors were beginning to close, she saw one more pony push through, a mare with a light aquamarine coat, her mane swapping between a shade of grayish cyan and white. Against her flank was a harp. As she walked aboard, she wore the same hollow expression through her golden eyes that was present in all of them. Applejack’s eyes widened when she came to recognize the pony.

Lyra Heartstring?

She had known the pony briefly from her visits to Ponland when she had visited her friend, BonBon. She was a famous author and native Ponland pony, but was that why they were taking her?

Her attention was brought back to the present as the train began to shake and the horn blared. Quickly, Lyra found a seat on the end of train, opposite of them while Applejack moved closer to Applebloom and Granny Smith. It was soon after that the train began to move, the ground vibrating violently as it moved against the rickety tracks.

Some began to weep as the train gained speed. Mares. Stallions. Fillies. Everyone else simply sat in silence, listening only to the shaking metal. It seemed like an eternity as the trian continued to move. Applejack could only sit in silence, occasionally looking down to see Pinkie Pie asleep against her shoulders. She began to nod off and her eyes grew heavier. As she began to doze off, she could hear a faint humming from one of the passengers. It sounded like the singing of an older stallion.

Her eyes snapped wide open as she faced the stallion. He was surrounded by two other elder ponies. One by one, they joined in his singing.

Applejack began shaking and her skin grew pale. “It’s….that’s...no…” she said under her breath before it was violently snatched away. She could see their tears now as they sung and the lyrics began to slow their pace as their voices cracked.

It was the song. That same song that had haunted her dreams. She turned her head to face the other passengers. Some had began staring at the group. It was real.

She sat forward and continued to listen It was being sung in some sort of ancient Ponish dialect, she now knew. She felt her chest clench as the pieces in her head fit together.

The barbed wire fence. The soldiers. The crying voices. Another thought raced in her head as she slowly turned to see her sister and grandmother. They were sleeping now, huddling for warmth.

A pony hidden under a cloth. Her silhouette crying over it. She looked back to Pinkie and once again to her family.

For the first time since she was a little filly, she began to cry.

Swords clanged against metal, and pistols rang in the distance as the fierce winds of winter roared, carrying the scent of gunpowder across Camp Unita. Rarity traversed the camp’s stone walkway, nearly being forced to duck as a trio of pegasi dived towards the ground, landing gracefully just moments before they were about to collide with the ground. They walked past Rarity, hoof-blades on their wrist and light armor strapped to their chests. It was a typical day at the Alliance headquarters and makeshift training grounds. Only one thing was different, something that couldn’t escape Rarity’s eyes.

It was present in the diving pegasus’ eyes just as much as it was present in all the armored ponys’ eyes. It was the same fear that had struck her when she saw the numbers. The battle over New Buttsdale had provided a victory for the alliance, forcing Neighpon and Germaneigh to flea. However, it also signalled the start of something new. With this victory would come a cost. Nearly 60,000 to be precise. Around 90,000 from both sides. In time, these numbers would seem miniscule compared to the numbers that would surely come as the battles raged across East Lunaria.

Still, she had to move on. She was their leader and as such, had to maintain the poise and composure befitting one. Just as those soldiers had their duties, she had hers.

She continued along the stone walkway, facing a dome-like structure that stretched across a large chunk of the camp. At nearly 3 miles in diameter and 10 stories in height, the central headquarters of Camp Unita towered over near everything, with the exception of the steel walls that encased the camp. Rarity walked closer, stepping onto the pale stairway that led up, towards the entrance of this massive building.

Rarity paused at the sight of a familiar face that stood along the stairway. “Rarity,” Time Turner said with a warm smile.

“Good evening,” she said before frowning in disdain as the sun’s rays exposed his mane, distraught and tangled. His tail was in a similar state of disarray, knotted and frizzy. All that he wore was a torn, tan coat and a black, dusty tie.

“Darling, you look awful!” she nearly shouted.

He laughed. “It’s nothing. I haven’t been able to get much sleep unfortunately, let alone get in time for grooming.”

“Dear, there’s always time for grooming,” scolded Rarity.

He sighed. “Anyway, you seem pleasant. I don’t see a bottle of wine on you; what’s the occasion?”

“General Trot didn’t think drinking in the presence of world leaders would set a very good impression.”

“That’s great, Rarity! I-”

“That’s why I drank beforehand!” she exclaimed rather proudly. “Celestia knows I would never attend those meeting completely sober.”

Time Turner’s initial enthusiasm suddenly turned into disappointment. “Anyways. I’ve received word from my ponies in East Lunaria about the situation over there. First off, Major Rainbow Dash, our Lunarian representative. She’s in critical condition, as of yesterday. Apparently, she took out three of Colonel Sharp’s best soldiers.”

Rarity frowned as her thoughts wandered to the brutish pegasus. “Well, that happens when you assume that you’re invincible. We have good medics. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” she said with a hint of annoyance. Maybe they’ll take her back to Lunaria while they’re at it.

Everything about that pegasus got on her nerves from the short time that she was at the headquarters: her smug attitude, her rude demeanor, her brash personality, and worst of all, her absolute lack of respect and formality. She didn’t expect her to bow for her or anything so serious, just a small amount of respect.

Time Turner’s eyes saw through her silence. “Don’t hold too much against her, Rarity.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked with a fake smile as she opened the metal doors to the headquarters, stepping onto the marble floors of the lobby.

Time Turner followed Rarity forwards and towards a set of armored guards clad in silver as she brandished her identification. The guards nodded and led them past the lobby and down a narrow corridor, the soldiers in silver walking by their side. “Rainbow Dash is a pure Lunarian soldier at heart,” Time Turner spoke as they walked. “They’re not known for their fondness of politicians. Even their president is a soldier. They have a certain...disposition towards those who aren’t from Lunaria and those who haven’t taken up arms.”

“Yes. Yes. I’m well aware of Lunarian cultural and isolationist policies, dear. I understand that there’s a lack of trust at the moment, but still, we need to work together and put aside our differences if we want to have any hope of stopping Trixie from whatever hair-brained scheme she’s come up with.”

“You say that, yet you act just the same as Rainbow Dash; unwilling to understand your differences,” Time Turner said with a grin.

Rarity gave an exasperated sigh as the guards approached a metal door and opened it, revealing a spiral staircase.

As she walked down the spiral staircase, her eyes veered to the soldiers’ glimmering silver armor. “Is there any word of Captain Shining Armor?” she asked as she walked. “I do hope that the poor dear is okay. If it wasn’t for him, I doubt either of us would be standing here right now.”

Time Turner nodded. “He was wounded in the battle, but is in the process of recovery. He should be arriving here very soon, though I doubt he’ll be in any shape to fight for quite some time.”

“I’d imagine so,” Rarity said. “I can’t believe that he managed to survive an encounter with Siegfried, of all ponies. He’s lucky to be breathing.”

As she reached the end of the spiral staircase, the armored ponies in front approached a wooden door. One of the guards, a unicorn, trickled a small red beam from his horn. The magic poured against the door, revealing a purple light that ran against the outlines of the door as the protective barrier was made visible.

Slowly, the purple barrier faded away, the red eating away the magic until only the door remained.

With the barrier dissolved, the guards pushed the doors open, revealing a square room filled with the shouting and scrambling of ponies as they ran about the room carrying pieces of paper while others sat at small desks with typewriters, shouting orders through headsets.

Rarity and Time Turner walked past them and turned right, the guards opening the door to the war room. Inside, their eyes met King Filthy Rich as he stood over the round, metallic table, a thoughtful look drawn about his face.

Filthy Rich looked over and smiled, “Good, you’ve arrived.”

President Spitfire sat across from Filthy Rich, barely glancing at her before turning back to the table, no visible change in her expression. “You’re late,” she simply said.

“My apologies,” Rarity said with a frown. “I had some matters that needed to be taken care of.” I doubt they’d forgive me if I told them drinking and grooming were matters that preceded the importance this meeting. Time Turner followed closely behind, giving a smile and a nod.

Rarity looked past Filthy Rich and Spitfire to see many other familiar faces: Her uncle, General Trot; Lieutenant-General Fleetfoot of Lunaria; and several generals and commanding officers from the countries belonging to the Alliance.

“The princesses aren’t here,” Rarity observed.

“They’re both being tutored right now,” Filthy Rich said. He sighed. “They must understand their studies if they are to be future leaders.”

“Back in my day, leaders were bred from experience on the front lines,” Spitfire scoffed. “Weren't you already trained in the basics of combat and strategy by Diamond Tiara’s age? I heard that your father put you through some pretty harsh training.”

He scowled. “I am nothing like my father, and how I raise my child is none of your business.”

She frowned. “A leader should know what his or her ponies go through. Until they know war, how will a soldier be able to respect their leadership?”

“I am not sending a little filly off to war!” he shouted. “As for Cadence, she would rather expand her mind and knowledge so she can avoid a disaster like this in the first place! ”

He was breathing heavily now, anger flashing in his eyes. He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about that, President Spitfire. However, my point still stands.”

Spitfire gave him an annoyed glance. Before she could speak another word, General Trot spoke up. “Rarity.”

She looked over. “Have you been brought up to speed about Germaneigh’s resurgence in the east?” General Trot asked.

She nodded. “I’m aware that they’ve begun striking harder amongst the smaller villages. I assume they’re trying to reach the capital.”

“Stalliongrad,” Spitfire said with a somber tone. “If they take it, they’ll have full control of East Lunarian territory. If that happens, we’ll be backed into a corner.”

She paused for a moment as General Fleetfoot walked around the table, pointing a hoof at the map. His hoof tapped against the mass of East Lunaria and shifted to the right. “It appears that Siegfried is leading the bulk of the attacks from the northern front while Major General Spades and Major General Von Baronwright and are leading from the south. It appears they’re trying to lead a pincer movement against the capitol in an attempt to attack them from both sides.”

“What of Neighpon?” Rarity asked.

“It appears that the bulk of their forces are heading back to Neighpon,” Fleetfoot said, “while a small chunk is staying behind to aid in Germaneigh’s conquest. It appears to be orders directly from General Gold Moon, Neighpon’s top general.”

“What reason would they have to turn back now?” Rarity asked. “Surely it would make more sense for them to attack as a full group.”

Time Turner’s voice cut through. “That’s true. However, neither country has made very logical decisions over the past few weeks, wouldn’t you agree? Why would they attack New Buttsdale when it lies so far to the south? New Buttsdale is too far from Baronwright and Spade’s forces. Where does that fit in Trixie’s big plan? You know about the report sent from the soldier over the mountainside, don’t you?”

General Trot sighed. “We’ve gone over the report. Three Alliance soldiers flying over the mountainside, only to conveniently go missing after the battle. It seems too farfetched to be true. However, we were able to find the location that they supposedly went to. Old ruins burrowed inside of a mountain. I’m not quite sure what to make of it.”

“That report might be the clue that we’ve been looking for,” Time Turner said. “Trixie was never stable, but she’s not an idiot. She turned Germaneigh against the Apples and every other undesirable, but why? She made those policies long after already taking the throne so it’s not like she was using it as a means of gathering a following. She’s attacked New Buttsdale even though it holds no strategical value. Why? I’m betting that there was something in those ruins that those three found. Whatever it is, I have no doubt that it’s what Trixie’s after.”

King Filthy Rich nodded. “Whatever it is that has caught Trixie’s eyes, it can’t be good. However, there are still immediate matters that must be tended to,” he said with a weary look. “We’ve received reports that ravagers are once again in use by Germaneigh. We’ve already lost two villages to them. They are the only ship capable to actively using magic as a defensive and offensive mechanism. Although, we emulated it during the Battle for Britannia, it took too long and inefficient. We need a stronger solution.”

The visions of that horrific battle floated to her mind. The explosions violently tearing apart Aegis from the inside as Rarity watched Colonel Blindside’s body hanging lifelessly. The pictures of those black, spiked ships had long been etched into her memory. “Red crystals,” she found herself saying. “That’s how Germaneigh can do it. Unfortunately for us, red crystals are found only in the areas surrounding central Germaneigh.”

“Perhaps we can replicate the process,” Time Turner said with certainty. “We’re already reverse engineering the remnants of red crystal recovered from the Battle of Britannia. It’ll take time, but if we make it our priority, we can do it.”

“He’s right,” Filthy Rich conceded. “Right now, we have to deal with the problem of the ravagers before it gets out of hand.”

Spitfire gave a hesitant look at Filthy Rich. “Very well. As long as it saves my ponies.”

Rarity agreed to the idea as well. They continued on, speaking of East Lunarian routes and even trailing to the topic of training new recruits. It only an hour after that when they finally called the meeting to an end. By the time it was over, Rarity’s legs had began to feel numb and her belly devoid of alcohol. As she was leaving, she spotted Time Turner walking past her with a concerned look drawn about his face.

Rarity stayed behind and let the worried stallion leave before she reached the exit and the stairway of Camp Unita’s headquarters, where a slick maned stallion stood in wait.

“Madam Prime Minister,” Pencil Pusher said with an unusual smile.

“Good evening, darling,” Rarity said as she began walking. Pencil Pusher followed beside her, keeping stride.

“How have you been feeling?” Rarity asked. “I heard that you had been sick yesterday. I do hope you’re feeling better.”

He nodded. “Yes, Madam Rarity,” he said with a smile. “Thank you for your concern.”

He’s rather upbeat today, she noted. “Anyway, you sounded urgent when you said that you needed to meet with me earlier.”

He nodded, his tone becoming rather serious. “Yes, it’s about Time Turner. I think that he might not be who he says he is.”

Twilight Sparkle continued down the hillside, Star Dust leading in front while Big Macintosh followed closely behind the two of them. From the hillside, her eyes became drawn to the wooden village. A square wall made of stone encased the village. Inside of it, ponies the size of ants ran around square wooden buildings with slanted roofs.

Carefully,they drew closer, following carefully behind Star Dust’s confident stride. Eventually, she could feel the grass leave her hooves as she stepped onto the dirt and rough soil outside the immense stone wall. She looked upward, facing the stone wall as she noticed the vines growing from it. Aged.

She looked across the tops of the wall where cracks had began to form, noticing nopony overhead. Her eyes lowered to the unguarded entrance, a simple opening that led into the village. From it, the voices of ponies rang out clearly to them. Old ponies. Young ponies. Shouting. The creaking of wood. Laughter.

It was a chorus of confusion as Twilight walked through it, eying a large stone statue that rested beside the wall. It appeared to be of a mare and stallion, both middle aged. On the stallion’s head was a large pointed crown, and both of them wore some sort of cloak.

Star Dust walked past the statue, giving it a small glance. Carefully, she walked forward, noting a crowd of ponies gathering as they walked past the wooden houses. Star Dust veered from her path and joined the crowd. Twilight and Big Macintosh followed her inconspicuously as Twilight carefully examined the ponies. Though most of them had chosen to go without clothing, the others that had chosen to stay dressed wore simple loose fitting rags. Most of them were female, she noted. The few males that she spotted were either very young or very old.

On their heads, Twilight noticed tight knots on the tops of the stallions and the older females. Most of the younger mares, on the other hand, simply let their manes flow down their shoulders or kept it neatly to the side.

Twilight increased her pace and walked beside Star Dust. “What now?” Twilight whispered, careful to look forward and monitor the crowd’s movement.

“No idea,” she said, simply staring forward as they walked. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Just blend in and we’ll make it up as we go.”

Hesitantly, she nodded and continued walking beside her as the crowd turned. Her thoughts turned to worry. What is she was discovered? What if they were caught? Would they they be executed?

So many thoughts raced through her mind and were instantly shattered as her eyes scanned the crowd and paused upon examining something odd. In the crowd of ponies was a yellow coated mare hidden by a gray cloak and cowl, her cerulean eyes shimmering against the sunlight under a pair of thick eyelashes. Although the cowl obscured most of her head, it could not hold back the thick curls of pink that cleared through the top, parting at her forehead into a heart-like shape.

The heart shaped mane.

Her eyes were now drawn to her back, where she could barely make out the outlines of a pair of wings.

A pegasus as well. Can it really be….her?

Twilight continued to stare as her legs moved her forward, edging away from Star Dust.

The music. The heart maned pegasus. The fires of Baltimare.

It was her, she now knew. But why her? Why could she see her then. Why could she hear that music then? So many questions burrowed their way into her mind as she continued to veer from the crowd, making eye contact with the mysterious yellow pegasus. Her blue eyes widened as she took a step back.

Despite the inner voice of logic and reasoning that told her to step away and blend in, Twilight stepped forward.

In seconds, the pegasus was off, sprinting away as fast as her hooves would carry her. Twilight ignored Star Dust’s shouting as her instincts took over, and she began running after the cloaked pegasus.

Comments

[Tali_The_Lamia]

Ok, even though its been 5 years since an update, I`m gonna guess who is who:
A librarian in search of her purpose=Twilight
A politician who dreams of peace=Rarity
A struggling farmer=Applejack
A hyperactive philanthropist=Pinkie
A battle scarred soldier=Rainbow
A Pegasus shrouded in darkness=Fluttershy

I`m pretty sure everyone could guess this though.