Chapter 8: MANE 3
Twilight awoke to the sound of the storm. To her still-ringing ears, it was impossible to tell whether the pattering she heard was raindrops on a nearby window or a haze of auditory static. She was in no shape to investigate. Her body felt frozen, yet she couldn’t stop shivering. Her eyes were stiff as they shuddered open, soaking in muted sunlight as a luminescent glow.
As disoriented as she was, the girl could feel someone’s arms cradling her head and back. She could feel the man’s heartbeat pulsing through his veins as he gently rocked from side to side. A jacket had been draped over her body, its stiff fabric warm and comforting. Twilight looked up towards the ceiling. A familiar face was watching over her.
“Twilight?” the man whispered. His naturally-firm voice had softened in tone. He freed his hand to brush her hair back behind her ear, his rugged skin brushing against hers. “Can you hear me?”
Another pained groan was interrupted by a series of coughs, but she recognized that voice. It felt like ages since she had last heard it. Twilight reached her out her hand towards the man’s face, her eyes half-lidded and her vision still blurred. “Spike?” her weak voice called, “Spike, is that you? How did you find me?”
Despite his relief and confusion, the older man’s face remained as stiff as a statue. “No, Twilight. It’s me-.“ His words stopped mid-sentence. After a moment of decision, he flatly said, “It’s me.”
The girl rubbed the weariness from her eyes. Instead of the bright emerald spheres she had hoped for, two hazel eyes glimmered faintly back to her from the darkness. She barely knew him beyond his name and role, but his aged, angled face always struck her as familiar. “Captain Light?” she realized, and she began to regret her mistake. “I’m… sorry. I thought you were someone else for a minute. Still… I’m glad to see a friendly face.”
‘Friendly’ may not have been the right word given the man’s permanently stern disposition. As Twilight began to sit up, fabric of her clothes began to scratch at the freshly-sealed scars. Pain shot through her arms, and Twilight barely managed to stifle her own screams. Captain Light held her tight to his chest, shushing as he did so. “Shhh, careful. Don’t try to move. You have a number of lacerations and cuts on your body. Some of them have scarred, but you will need medical attention as soon as we can find it.”
Twilight took in her surroundings to distract herself from the dulling pain. The room was too dark to see entirely, but there wasn’t much to be seen. It was cold, dirty, and unwelcoming, a far cry from her cozy quarters in the Royal Palace. Sitting at a booth in some abandoned building only made her yearn for her downy bed and abundant bookshelf even more.
As if to make her feel more at home, a young guardsman made his way to the captain’s side. The black-haired man kneeled beside the two with something in his hand, a plastic tube filled with liquid. The sound of snapping plastic accompanied a bursting white glow from between his fingers, revealing the streaks of cobalt hair and the relieved man’s grin. After years of standing guard outside her door, Shining Armor’s face was unmistakable to Twilight, but seeing him smile was a pleasant surprise. “Hey, I’m glad to see you’re awake. How do you feel?”
Needle-like stings encompassed every inch of her skin. Her head still reeling, Twilight shut her eyes as her agony began to subside. “It hurts… everywhere.”
“Just take it easy. You’re with us now, so just try to relax.”
The captain’s voice returned to its authentic tone, “We’re working to get you out of here, don’t worry. But you’ll have to hold on a little longer.”
“Hear the chaos outside?” Shining Armor paused. The torrent of rain and a well-timed lightning strike were impossible to ignore. “That storm’s throwing around an abnormal amount of electrical inference. It’s knocked out our GPS, and our mobile comms can’t even find a signal. The electronic escort vehicle was supposed to prevent anything like that, but after the ambush…” The warmth from his face drained as he began to remember. Before he could go any further, he retreated from the topic. “…truth be told, I don’t know how Captain Light and I got out of that in one piece. Maybe we were just lucky.”
As shattered as her memory was, some of the broken pieces began to fit back together like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle. The convoy. The ambush. The sun-blocked clouds. The thunder rolls, the lighting strikes. And the image of a woman, her pitch-black shadow spread jagged across the floor. Twilight cringed at the thought of the woman’s face, but she couldn’t remember why.
Shining Armor continued, “We came back to look for any other survivors, but there was no one left. They were most likely captured, or worse. We were about to pull out when we found you. Guess that makes you lucky too. I’m glad Sledge managed to keep you safe.”
The late guardsman’s name made Twilight recall his agony. He had been writhing on the ground, blood weeping from his wounds and into the cracks of the concrete road. “Get home safely,” they had whispered in somber unison. She could still see his broken body in the rear view mirror of the SUV as they made their escape. “Condition Sundown… Condition Sundown.”
Twilight hung her head, the iron-rich scent of blood wafting through her nose. Her throat felt numb as she delivered the news. “Sledge... he wasn’t so lucky, though.”
The news had been expected, but difficult nonetheless. The guardsmen understood. Together, the three of them hung their heads in mourning. Each of them crafted a final message to their fallen comrade in the quiet that followed. Their words would never find voice, but they were far from speechless. In silent prayer, they respected Sledge’s passing and honored his memory, before saying a final goodbye. Perhaps, somewhere beyond the physical realm, Sledge would hear their messages, and he will know that his life was well lived. For the followers of the Illuminatus, this was their time-honored tradition, one final farewell to the dearly departed. Someday, they will be mourned for as well.
Captain Light was the last to finish his prayer, but he was also the first to speak. After letting out a wistful sigh, his hushed words meshed with the reverent quiet. “Over the many years we served together, Sledge proved himself to be one of the most dependable guardsmen I had the honor of calling a friend. He had always devoted himself towards upholding the creeds of the Guard to the letter, and his dedication was absolute. Sledge had personally volunteered for the mission, and for that task of being your escort.” He laid a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “He died doing his duty, just as every guardsman should expect. And considering that you, Twilight, are still breathing… his sacrifice was not in vain.”
Twilight’s head hung a little lower; as Sledge had requested, she refused to let herself cry. Her thoughts soon turned to another man who had sacrificed himself. He was no soldier; he was just a boy. He didn’t deserve this. The way his voice cracked as he cried out to her. The fear in his emerald eyes as he begged her to run. “Run,” she thought to herself, “run from what?” The answer lied in the black, broken void in her memories.
The thoughts alone implored her to move, despite her body’s aching protests. Using Light’s shoulder as a crutch, she pulled herself upright. The darkness was close enough to suffocate on; beyond the glowstick’s sphere of light, there was only a veil of black. “Where are we?” she asked, “How in the heck did you find me? And how’d we get… here?”
The voice that answered came from the shadows. The southern drawl echoed ominously like a crash of thunder. “Well now, the answer to that’s really quite simple…”
Twilight’s heart froze as a sudden snap burned back the darkness. A soft white glow pierced through the shadows. An elegant set of fingers held the glowstick overhead, casting a spotlight down upon the three figures standing there. Their features hidden by their own shadows, the mysterious women revealed themselves one by one.
“Those two didn’t find you,” the woman continued as she stepped into the light, “We did.”
A terror fell upon Twilight, who recoiled against Captain Light in shock. Her eyes raced to take in the woman’s unexpected appearance. She stuttered out the question, “W-w-who are you?”
The large-framed woman removed her leather hat and introduced politely herself. “Howdy-doo, Miss Twilight. Glad to finally meet you. “ As she offered a sun-tanned hand to shake, her leaf-green eyes shimmered under the white light. She was clearly comfortable in her orange-plaid shirt, well-worn jeans, and her favorite pair of boots, but the pistol holstered on her thigh made Twilight uncomfortable.
As their meeting hands shook, the cowgirl nodded politely, her blonde ponytail swaying like a rope on the back of her military jacket. “The name’s Applejack.” That certainly wasn’t her real name.
“Applejack is a part of a team called MANE 3,” Captain Light answered. “Sometime after the attack, they found you on the road- injured- and they brought you here. They aren’t one of us, but they are here to help.”
“Or so they claim.” There was a palpable suspicion in Armor’s words.
A raspy voice replied in protest, “Hey! We don’t call her Honesty for nothin’. She said that’s what happened, and that’s exactly what happened.”
As the woman stepped into the light, Twilight was captivated by her remarkable appearance. The brash woman’s hair boasted a literal rainbow of colors upon the short, disheveled strands. Her body was tall and lean, but by no means weak. The cotton tank-top and running shorts suggested she was an athlete at heart, but the holster on her belt proved she prefers running with wolves. She wore the same military jacket as her peer, unbuttoned and trimmed to suit her slim figure.
Standing beside her friend, she crossed her arms and looked down at Twilight, daring her to try something stupid. “By the way, the name’s Rainbow Dash. Be sure to remember that the next time I have to catch you.”
The third woman stepped in to oppose such hostility, her honeyed voice marked by a peculiar Trans-Atlantic accent. “Rainbow, darling, there’s no need for such rudeness. No one doubts your abilities, but we needn’t brandish them either. We are all friends here.”
While Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s appearances marked them as soldiers, the last woman’s appearance marked her as something infinitely more refined. Her cream-colored complexion was complimentary to her now-sleeveless blouse, and her silken dress pants were painstakingly handmade to hug her luscious waist. And to top off the day’s ensemble, a beautifully ornate diamond necklace adorned her swan-like neck, the shine of the gems only surpassed by those of her deep-cerulean eyes. With her flawless skin, lush violet curls, and voluptuous curves, she could have just walked off the cover of a posh magazine. But the military jacket draped around her arm that proved she was more than just a pretty face.
The woman bowed slightly as she introduced herself. “I am Rarity. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Twilight.” With her right hand preoccupied with the glowstick, the woman offered her left hand. As the two shook hands, Rarity’s discerning eyes noticed something affixed to Twilight’s left wrist. “That’s a most interesting bracelet you have there, dear.”
Rarity’s comment went unnoticed as her brash friend cut in. “So now that she’s awake and we’ve all said hi, does the suit and tie brigade care to tell us what the heck is going on?”
The athlete’s comment was purely sarcastic, but Armor took it as an insult. “We don’t answer to you,” he replied indignantly, “And even if we did, why should we trust you, or any of you?”
Now it was Dash’s turn to be insulted. “We did just weather this storm to save your little friend. I’d expect a little cooperation, or at least a ‘thank you’.” She crossed her arms and grinned as she primed her next remark. “If this is how you boys repay your favors, no wonder you have so many enemies.”
Shining Armor’s professionalism began to dissolve as his temper began to rise. The veins in his temples bulged and his face flushed a bright red. Struggling to keep calm behind the gnashing teeth, he refused to be insulted by someone of Rainbow Dash’s stature. She was an outsider, undisciplined, uneducated, and dishonorable. How could someone so lowly even consider saying such a thing? How dare she degrade a guardsman’s sacrifice. To disrespect the noble dead who had yet to be buried? Disgusting. Sledge had been right all along: they were the last bastion of decency in a world gone mad.
Before the dogs could put their bared fangs to use, their handlers pulled back their chains.
Light commanded his subordinate with the vocal firmness of a proper Captain. “Stand down, Knight Armor. If you start that fight, you’re no better than her.”
Applejack applied the necessary hands-on approach, holding her friend back before she could dive at her target and pummel him as hard as her skinny arms would allow. “Dangit Rainbow, keep your danged head about yah. I ain’t looking for a fight nearly as hard as you are, but if you cross that line, I will make you regret it. I don’t want to lose any more friends, and we don’t need any more enemies. So buck up and stand down.”
The two of them scuffled in protest, neither side willing to give up so easily. But after glaring at the other intently for an excruciating moment, both sides eased their tempers. Captain Light acknowledged that Armor was doing so out of training and discipline; Applejack knew Rainbow Dash was trying to beat her opponent in a race to be the bigger person. In the end, the guardsman and the athlete shrugged off the altercation with a forced sense of indifference before returning to their corners.
After the dust settled, both leaders were able to breathe a little easier. Apologies were not necessary, but neither side was willing to admit defeat. This fight was water under the bridge, but the next one may be the breaking point. Light and Applejack dismissed their subordinates. Each group separated from the other, leaving the team leaders alone in the center of the room. Huddled over the diner counter, the two were eager to discuss their current situation. They both held same goal in mind: find their way home.
Shining Armor stood guard over Twilight as she sat down in a booth. The two of them had tucked themselves away in the corner of the diner, separate from the others. As fragmented as her memories may have been, Twilight had recovered enough to piece together a tapestry of the events, leading from the ambush to the manor to the present day. She started telling her story to the attentive guardsman, fearful that her memory could betray her at any moment.
Twilight spared no detail on the few she could remember. The ambush. Sledge. The foreboding serenity of the Selenic Manor. Manticore. The reflecting pool of tears. Midnight. The night that would last forever. Nightmare. Her failure. Spike. And the escape down the mountain.
When there was nothing left to tell, the two sat in silence brooding over the facts. It was impossible to tell what the young man was thinking just by looking at him. “The Umbra betrayed us,” was all he said. Shining Armor repeated those words a few more times, each utterance sounding more disbelieving than before. “I guess Captain Light was right, then,” he eventually said. “They resented us enough to rebel sixteen years ago, and here we are again. I thought they learned their lesson when they lost the war… unless they have something we don’t know of yet. Otherwise, why else would they do this again?” He lowered his head, shaking the last ounces of disbelief from his mind. “As much as I hate to say it, the Umbra always have been too cunning for our own good.”
Twilight said nothing as Shining Armor racked his brain with questions. As the rain beat down on the window beside her, she tugged at the lapels of Light’s jacket. The cloth wrapped tightly around her shoulders when something brushed against her wrist. She looked down. It was half of a handcuff, Kevlar-lined and severed at the cord. More importantly, the student remembered what it had been attached to.
“Cell told me something before we left,” the student uttered to herself, her hand brushing over the Kevlar material. “‘You must keep it out of the wrong hands. You now hold the most powerful element in your hand… never let go of it.’”
“That black case that Cell gave you,” Armor correctly assumed.
“Nightmare called it Project Harmony. She talked about it like a weapon, something she’d use to overpower Cell and conquer the Network, perhaps even the world. It was a weapon, something that Cell trusted me with.” Twilight stared at the severed cord, which seemed to long for its other half. She bit her lip, but the confession felt no less painful. “She trusted me... and I lost it. I failed her. I failed. I failed. I failed-“
Shining couldn’t bear to hear the girl beat herself up. “Hey, hey, cut that out. You might have lost that case, but you didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter. You’re not a failure, and we haven’t lost yet. We still have a chance to make things right.”
“What chance do we have?” Twilight’s question was rhetorical, but a part of her still begged for an answer. “I put the gun in Nightmare’s hands, and she’s aiming it squarely at us. We can’t run, we can’t fight, we don’t have a chance.”
Shining Armor understood the cynicism, but surrender was never an option for him. The very implication coming from Twilight’s mouth upset him. His chest swelled with breath as he channeled his Royal Guard mentality into a convincing argument. “She might have the gun, but we won’t give her a chance to fire it. Once we’re able to reach someone at the Institute, we can mobilize the rest of the Guard. We’ll counter-attack before Nightmare even has a chance to use it. So long as we’re all still alive, we still have a chance at stopping her.” Shining Armor’s reassurances were earnest, but Twilight didn’t feel she deserved such hope; she was a failure.
A flash of lightning caught the duo’s attention as the burst of light lit up the room. Huddled over the diner’s central counter, Captain Light and Applejack discussed their situation. Both of their expressions were intense with contemplation, but their words being too quiet to hear. A part of Twilight was glad for the distraction, but she was no less apprehensive. “Those three… do you think they work for Nightmare?”
The guardsman’s posture straightened as he caught the rainbow-haired woman staring at him from across the room. His eyes narrowed menacingly to return her suspicious gaze. “I wouldn’t rule it out. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those three outsiders just happened to be all the way out here. With you unconscious, no less.”
The student began to gingerly rub her wounds to ease their stings. As she did so, her fingers ran over the silk bandages, bloodstained but still soft. “Do you think we can trust them?”
The question wasn’t an easy one to answer. He had his doubts. Shining Armor only knew that the others would be dealt with, sooner or later. “The captain and I will worry about them. For now, you just remember the rules that Sledge told you.”
Say nothing. Do nothing. Trust no one. Do your job. And get home safely.
Twilight agreed, the handcuff heavy on her wrist.
Rainbow Dash sat alone in a corner, the colors of her hair rim-lit by the rain-splashed window. She had taken it upon herself to provide overwatch for Applejack while cowgirl wasted her time talking to that other suit. If the two tuxes proved that they don’t act as nice as they dress, she’d be fast enough to stop them. After all, she could draw a bead on a target faster than anyone in the team, faster than anyone she’s ever met. That’s why she’s the best. That’s why she’s here.
At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. In truth, her focus on AJ and the captain began to wane shortly after the talking had started. Spitting words wasn’t nearly as exciting as spitting bullets. And while she was certainly fast on her feet, Rainbow Dash was accustomed to nailing targets at 700 meters, not seven.
The athlete shoved her doubts aside, aiming her attention at two new targets. The older man and that one girl had tucked themselves away in the opposite corner of the diner. They were sulking in the shadows. They were talking in hushed tones. And they weren’t too willing to return her eagle-eyed gaze. Something about the way their eyes would dart away from hers drew her suspicion. What are the planning?
A snap of light broke the Dash’s concentration. A lingering glowstick hovered over her head, held by a set of manicured fingers. Rarity placed the light source upon the table before taking a seat at the booth. “My heavens, Rainbow. Aren’t you freezing?”
Dash didn’t appreciate the interruption, but it was probably for the better. Conversation would help put her at ease. Leaning back against the upholstery, she let loose an indifferent shrug, “Nah, I’m good. Back home got way worse than this.”
“Really, now? You’re used to weathering this howling wind and the freezing rain in little more than running shorts and a jacket?”
“Hey, it’ll take more than a little storm to slow me down. Besides, I think I run better in the rain.”
Rarity folded her hands inquisitively on the tabletop. “Is that so? Is that why your moniker is ‘Rainbow Dash’?”
It was surprising that no one had thought of that before. The impressed athlete cracked an earnest smile, “Clever, but not quite. It’s a long story, so I’ll have to tell you some other time. Maybe in return, you can tell me why you chose, ‘Rarity’.”
The lady shrugged, “Maybe… maybe…”
The conversation was short-lived, and Rainbow Dash’s eyes began to wander in idleness. Naturally, they returned to her targets. After noticing her friend’s focus into the distance, Rarity turned to see the two she was staring at.
“You think we can trust these guys?”
“No,” Rarity answered bluntly, still staring at the man across the room, “but we mustn’t let that stop us. Besides, they seem as lost as we are, perhaps moreso. Whether they’ll admit to it or not, they need our help. And it is only proper of us to extend the invitation.”
Her friend was less than convinced. “Yeah? Well, between the distress call, that girl, and now those two, I’m starting to think that we wandered into a party we weren’t invited to.”
Rarity dismissed such a brazen accusation with a wave of her hand. “Please, darling. You’re beginning to sound as apprehensive as Applejack.”
Sometimes Applejack has a point, Rainbow Dash thought to herself.
Captain Light had explained everything he needed to share, and nothing else. As far as MANE 3 knew, Knight Shining Armor and himself were ambushed by an unnamed enemy force. After escaping the attack, they had begun searching for Twilight. They had noticed the flare on the side of the road and decided to investigate the diner, which lead to their introductions at gunpoint. Of course, the truth was more complicated, as the bullet-dented SUV outside could attest. The Network, the Umbra, their mission: there were more than a few details that he chose to skip.
Applejack may have been raised on her family’s farm, but she was sharper than most give her credit for. She might not be able to do fancy mathematics or solve a funny colored cube, but she could read the writing on the wall. The captain appeared confident, strong, and unmoved by his current situation, but that strong-man straightness was just the starch in his collar. It was the way he’d close his eyes and take one long, meditative breath before saying something new. He was worried. He had something to lose. But he certainly had nothing else he’d be willing to share. After suits like him had the gall to come to her farm and tear her away from her family again, Applejack took a guilty pleasure in watching him squirm.
“Well, we sure didn’t attack you. Your boy over there said it himself, sir,” she reassured the elder guardsman. “But then do you have any idea who’d done it?”
Light was hesitant to answer. “It doesn’t matter. But whoever they may be, if they strike us again, my team will do whatever we must to survive.”
“From the sound of it, they hit your boys hard. While I don’t doubt your abilities, captain, I think we can all agree that an escort wouldn’t hurt.”
Captain Light’s dismissed such an idea with a negatory grunt. Guardsman doctrine disallowed collaboration with outside civilians, lest they become a vulnerability or a distraction. Not only would it be illegal by the creed of the royal guard, but it was also unnecessary in his tactical opinion. “The offer is noted, but unneeded. A single-vehicle formation allow us to more effectively evade any search parties or ambushes we may face.”
“Search parties? Forgive me for speakin’ freely, sir, but I doubt those folks’re looking for you now. If they are, this diner’d be a whole lot busier than it is now. Given what you all’ve said, I’d say that they completed their mission and probably already RTB’ed.”
The captain was less than convinced of Applejack’s analysis. “Are you suggesting that the same hostile force that organized an ambush against us would just let us walk away?”
But Applejack stood her ground. “We heard a broadcast over the radio, Mr. Light. ‘Condition Sundown’ mean anything to you?”
Captain Light couldn’t hide his surprise fast enough behind a suspicious, narrow glare. “How do you know about-“
“Before we hit the storm wall, we heard it bouncing around our short band frequencies. We sure didn’t know what it’s supposed to mean, and quite frankly it don’t matter to us. But it certainly sounded like trouble, so we went to check it out. No blood, no bodies, no wrecks or gunfire or anyone there to tell us the story, but there was enough to know that you ain’t lying. But if I were them, I wouldn’t just let three civilians walk through a half-cleaned crash site if I still had loose ends to tie up.”
As much as he hated to admit it, Light couldn’t find a flaw in her rationale. Indeed, he was rather impressed. “I take it you’ve seen your fair share of ambushes?”
“Yes sir. Usually on the wrong end of them, though.”
The captain’s approving grunt sounded an awful lot like an honest chuckle. It was odd hearing such a large man laugh without moving a single muscle in his stoic face. Who would have thought such a starch-collared suit could have a sense of humor?
“Just so you know,” Applejack continued, “the offer for that escort still stands, sir. There’s only one road in and out of this forest, so we’d be going along the same route anyways. We exfil together, and my team can escort you wherever you need to go.”
“As I stated before, your offer is unnecessary-“
Doubt stopped the captain’s tongue. Lost in thought, his hazel eyes bounced between the counter and the woman in front of him. He was a captain in the royal Illuminatus guard, a loyal servant to Cell, the Illuminatus, and the Network. Under oath, he swore to protect the Illuminatus and uphold its creeds to the letter. It was his duty to accomplish any task given to him. And it was his mission to get his people home.
Reality struck as he laid his eyes upon the man and the girl, both huddled in their dark little corner. Their faces were masked by shadows, but he could see the exhaustion in their reddened eyes. The noble Knight, who had been confident and eager to join the mission, looked as miserable as his mud-stained uniform. Armor knew that the captain was staring at him, but that didn’t stop him from slouching over the table and wrapping his arms around his head, peering out only to shoot incredulous looks at the table of women across the room. Twilight looked just as pitiful. Her impeccable school uniform, which she had worn with pride, could barely be considered wearable clothing. The number of slashes and the breadth of the bloodstains along its cloth were a testament to what their wearer had to endure. As quietly as she could, she sniffled and groaned to distract herself from the gnawing pain. It sounded like she was crying; she certainly felt like starting.
There wasn’t anything that the old guardsman wouldn’t do for his unit, for those two. Under normal circumstances, collaborating with outside civilians would lead to his immediate dishonorable discharge from the Guard for endangering his unit, his mission, and the Network. But this was not a normal circumstance. Nor were Applejack and her team normal civilians. And to him, this unit was more important than anything else.
Despite the sign that escaped him, Captain Light spoke with absolute confidence. “…but you’ve made your point. I accept your offer of assistance with extraction, Applejack. I’d rather have your support than not.”
Relief sweeping over her, Applejack cracked a reassuring smile. She may not feel the most confidence in him, but she certainly had a good feeling about this. “Hey, if it makes you feel any better, no one’s stupid enough to be caught out in a torrent like this.”
“No one except us.”
A map of the state was laid out on the counter, its curling corners pinned by ketchup bottles and salt shakers atop the aged counter. Flashlights and fingers scanned over parks names and city limits, gently pressing the creases from the dusty page. It was nothing short of miraculous that one of the few items the diner’s owners had left behind was the map they all needed. Six people stood around the table. On one side stood two men and one woman, each looking beaten from the storm they had weathered only hours ago. On the other stood three women, each of them eager to finish their job. Despite an agreement to work together, the map formed the border between the two parties.
The cowgirl ran her stub of a pencil across the strewn out map. Her family had always been good at getting lost: Big Mac wouldn’t ask for directions, Applebloom couldn’t read a map, and Granny Smith shouldn’t be trusted to do either task. Thus it always came down to Applejack to keep the trail, and she always did prefer old-fashioned pen and paper.
Starting from the oblong circle that marked their current position, Applejack began to trace the fastest route. She followed the miles of winding road ahead of them, gently pressing her tongue between her teeth in thought, before beginning the briefing. “The nearest open road is Taconic State Parkway, after which we’ll be able to move about freely. However, getting there won’t be a walk in the park. Quite simply, there ain’t no easy way in or outta here, and the whole road is prime ambush territory.”
Shining Armor answered, “We’re well aware of the risks. How far are we from this road of yours?”
“Five miles, give or take. This storm won’t make the drive any shorter, though.”
“Five miles makes for one long kill-zone,” Armor muttered to himself.
Captain Light instructed his team. “Applejack believes that the enemy does not intend to strike civilians. Thus, the best chance of survival is to remain covert among civilian cars. At least they'll hesitate before firing.”
Applejack could see the questions pop into peoples’ minds. Despite the Knight’s protest, she stressed her confidence with the plan. “These people may have been able to ambush you here in the middle of nowhere, but they would have to be very brave, very confident, or very stupid to draw attention to themselves in public. Once we’re out of the forest, it should be safe for you folks to head home.”
“Yeah? And what’s the best way to do that?”
Applejack tapped her pencil against the map. “See this big road right here? That’s an interstate, and it’ll take you wherever you came from. Assuming you boys aren’t from around here, odds are you took one to get here. You’d best be taking interstate I-87 over here, and following that through I-287, I-78, and I-81. After that, you’ll all be home free.”
“I like the sound of that,” Shining Armor added.
“As for us…” Applejack began, referring to her team as she stood upright. The ponytailed woman gestured her free hand towards Twilight, “I figure that so long as she’s safe with you boys, we can call it, ‘mission accomplished.’ We’ll take you to the interstate, say our goodbyes, and then we’ll all go our separate ways.”
“I like the sound of that,” Rainbow Dash added, shooting a wry smile towards Shining Armor.
Rarity was quick to cover her friend’s comment, “Yes, that plan does sound quite adequate, doesn’t it?” She quickly cleared her throat in in a lady-like manner to set the tone for her next question. “However, I do believe there’s still another matter that needs to be discussed.”
“What else could be the mat-“Twilight’s eagerness to get home was rewarded by a bout of coughs that pummeled her chest. Despite her best resistance, the girl’s injuries were beginning to take a deeper toll beyond merely pain and suffering. She felt her brain swelling with blood, weighing heavily despite her light-headed sensation. Her eyes felt heavy as they begged for sleep. She surely would have felt nauseous were she not so hungry. It took a second for her to realize that the continued silence was not a few seconds of deafness. As she peeled her eyes up to the faces of those around her, she realized they were all staring at her.
“Darling, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a most ghastly shade of white. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“And one infection is all it’ll take to turn her into one,” Applejack added unceremoniously. She scanned the map once more, and called for her teammates’ attention with several loud raps of her finger against the table. “There’s a hospital to the south of us, not much further from here. We can take her there-”
Rarity’s interruption continued Applejack’s suggestion seamlessly, “But if you’re evading the authorities, I wouldn’t advise it. Especially with their suits, guns, and general demeanor, the local authorities will surely have a lot of questions. Plus, were I searching for an enemy who’s likely injured, a hospital would be the first place I’d look. If you wish to lay low, you need a doctor who can keep quiet and a safe house that’s properly stocked.”
“Pardon me, Rarity,” Applejack politely chimed in, “but if you haven’t noticed, we lack either of those things.”
Before Rarity could defend her inquisitive abilities, a skinny finger swiftly shot into the air. “Actually… that’s not entirely true.”
This caught her friends’ attention. The brash woman wasn’t known for her conversational timing nor her tactical input, making her offer of insight rather surprising. Applejack was genuinely curious to hear what she had to say. “Rainbow, care to explain what’s on your mind?”
“Pleasantville,” she answered, tapping her finger against the name on the map. “A quaint little town from what I’m told. It’s close to here, it’s near the interstate, and it’s on the way anyways. I know someone there who can help.”
“A doctor?” Shining Armor asked with equal parts surprise and suspicion.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Can he provide us with a safe place to stay?”
“’She’”, Rainbow corrected, “and maybe. I’d have to call in a favor… unless you don’t mind paying rent, that is.”
“And you trust this doctor of yours?”
She didn’t hesitate to answer, “And she trusts me, without a doubt. That’s what friends do.”
The members of MANE 3 muttered amongst themselves in agreement. “It sounds like our best bet,” Rarity noted.
“It sounds like our only bet,” Applejack concurred.
Twilight was less than convinced. As deathly as she felt, there was no telling what those three had planned. She refused to take part in it. “No-please... I’m fine.” The girl fought to stand up straight to prove her resilience, but another round of coughing shattered the illusion of fortitude. Her voice still trembling, she still insisted, “I… I can make it, really.”
Shining Armor stepped in for her defense. “She might be a bookworm, but Twilight’s tougher than she looks. She doesn’t need your pity, she just needs time to rest.”
Rainbow Dash was quick to disagree. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, but she’s had plenty of that. It seems to me that she doesn’t need time, she needs a doctor. Time is something she’s running out of.” The blatancy of the message only made the girl’s stomach sink lower.
The young guardsman was prepared to fight tooth and nail to defend her. But before a second argument could break out between the brash and the proud, the captain stepped in. “No,” he told Shining Armor, his hazel eyes steeled with confident resolve. “They’re right. I won’t risk Twilight’s life for the sake of time or pride.” He turned towards the girl in question. His voice turned deep and reflective, hesitant to say what needed to be said but said them anyways, “Even if we aren’t ambushed out there, there’s a good chance your wounds will become infected. And if that happens… you may not make it back to the Institute. Finding medical attention is our new priority.”
“But… really, I’m fine-“
“Captain, I don’t agree with your assessment. Regardless of her wounds, the enemy may be searching for us. If we leave now-“
Light turned towards the two people beside him, addressing each speaker with the decisive tone a father takes with his two misbehaving children. “Twilight: this is not a matter of debate. Knight Armor: that is an order.” When their reactions became one of disciplined obedience, the older man understood that his message was clear and understood.
He turned towards MANE 3, who seemed quietly impressed with the performance. “We don’t have any more time to waste,” Captain Light demanded. “Pleasantville. Let’s move out.”
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A new chapter? I will have to catch up on everything first.
WOO! Another update!
2587430
ohai
I've been following this story for I believe more than a year.
2587430
Funny (or not so) that you had to mention that. One of the very first criticisms that this story ever got was that it followed the pilot episode too closely, and it dawned on me that it was true. So I revised, rewrote, and reworked everything to incorporate more and different things, while still remaining within the pilot's framework. You'll begin to see stronger similarities in the chapters to follow.
After the events of Red Thrush High School's removal from this site, and the subsequent humanized-writers freaking out whether their story was relevant enough, I started panicking about whether this story, meant to reinterpret the episodes we know and love, was accurate enough to be considered relevant (and thus stay published). I hastily considered adding in magic, a fictional country of Equestria, humans with horns/wings, and having the world ruled by two deities; at the extreme, I honestly considered cancelling this story altogether. But I let tempers cool and tossed a comment to Poultron, and he said this story was acceptable enough to stay. I was relieved.
Before, I had trouble translating scene after scene directly from each episode; now I have to toe the line between staying faithful to the show while putting my own spin on things. It requires many more trains of thinking, but I feel that it produces a more enjoyable story to read and write.
2587438
If memory serves me correctly, you was one of the first 10 people to Track/Favorite the story.
And for the record, the // mark is used in coding languages denoting an author's comments within the code. I used it in the (now defunct) "// A Note for Previous Readers" chapter to denote that that chapter was not a part of the actual story, and was essentially a page of author's notes.
2587709
Can't say I know much about the Halo lore. A quick read-through of the wiki page leads me to claim, "yes, some similarities are there, but they're more different than they are similar." However, I based the function of the Institute of Military Academics for Guiding the International Community off of a method of conscription from the Ottoman Empire. I hope to get more into the role of the Institute, and of the Network as a whole, in later chapters.
2589138
Was this back when it was the 'Track' button?
Well, this story has certainly caught my eye...and your storytelling has gotten me more then just a little hooked on it. Even after my hesitation and initial, negative opinion that was based solely on the fact that your story was a 'Humanized' one. This story of yours has shown me to give Humanized stories a chance lest I pass up great stories (like this one) due to ignorance. That said, I'm really looking forward to seeing where you take this story whenever you're able to update!
2589138
Wait, Twilight lost the case to Nightmare? I though she had it after escaping the manor. She had it when she hitted AJ with it!
Shit's getting tense and incredible.
Also... What does it say about me that I used to live and use a highway known as I-81?
~Skeeter The Lurker