> The Empire of Discord
>  by themultiversewatcher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earth, 2030. Hyannis, MA.
I can't believe it's only been ten years here. For us, it's been a lot longer. I take a deep breath, and knock on the door to the condo. After what seems like an eternity, the door hesitantly opens, as though time is rejecting the meeting about to happen. A slightly wrinkled face peeps out from the house, fearful of what is waiting just outside. With a gasp, the owner of the face faints. I turn to face the others.
"That could have gone better," I say to Dusty, who just glares at me, "What?"
She says nothing, and simply sighs. Suddenly, the door opens, revealing an old man in his seventies, slightly balding. I am very familiar with that face. Dad. He stares at us with unbelieving eyes, totally unsure of what he is seeing. After a moment, he shakes his head, and reaches for the nearest object he can find. An old lamp, sitting on the counter next to the door.
"I don't know who you are," he shouts menacingly, raising the lamp, "but I don't want you anywhere near my wife!"
I stand my ground, while Rose cowers in fear, understandably. Before the lamp handle strikes me, I try to reason with the clearly confused and angry husband in front of me. "Wait," I say, "Don't hit me. I'm your son, um...uh...Sean!"
The words hit him harder than I was expecting. He visibly stumbles, dropping the lamp, which shatters. "No," he whimpers, "It can't be. My son died ten years ago. It was on the news. You can't be him, and you can't be real. All I have of him are a letter and a journal, neither of which make any sense," he curls up into a ball, and starts crying. I rush over to give him a hug, the type of hug only a son would give his father.
"It's really me," I say as he starts to relax, "The letter and the journal are telling the truth. I wrote both of them. Me, Dusty, Rose, and Chase. We just wanted you to know the truth. I can't think about how much it hurts to believe your son and daughter are both dead. But, here we are."
I break the embrace. Dad looks at me funny. He smiles a small smile. "It really is you, isn't it," he remarks, "Come in."
We enter the house, still not completely sure what is supposed to happen. Looking around, I see that Dad moved Mom, the owner of the fainting face, to one of the big chairs in the living room. We all gather there, Dusty and me on the floor, Rose and Chase on the couch. We sit in an awkward silence, until Chase speaks up. "Well, what are we waitin' for? We came here to tell them what happened while we were gone, so let's do it already!"
I chuckle, Rose and Dusty groan, my dad looks at us curiously, and my mom starts to wake up. Looking at us wide-eyed, she looks about to scream. Dad walks over and puts his hand gently on hers and looks into her eyes. "It's okay, Cindy, I think that they are Sean and Sara. Something about them seems very familiar."
Seemingly placated for the time being, she calms herself down.
"Now, I need to know," I begin, "Does the TV have an HDMI cable? It is important that I know, so that I can connect the computer to it. Then, I can show you what we've been doing."
"Yeah, it does," Dad answers, "The cable is attached to the DVD player. So, where is this computer of yours? I didn't see you come in with one."
"It's right here, Dad," I say, opening up the cover on my leg, revealing a keyboard and a set of ports. Opening up the cabinet, I take the cable and detach it from the player. Snaking the chord back out from behind the TV, I attach it to the port labeled HDMI. Dad turns on the TV, and switches it to HDMI 2. Typing in a code, I bring up the recording of our adventure that the multiverse created*, and it appears on the screen.
"Now we can get started," I say. 
I press play, and the screen goes black... 
> Adventure Through Tartarus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	In a dark room, four forms began to stir. Treble Clef, Lightning Dust, Roseluck and Nightchaser, after traveling through the portal from Earth, looked around themselves. The room, dimly lit with a red light, contained skulls and bones, all slightly burned, as though put through a furnace before settling to their rest. An ominous atmosphere surrounded the place, and the stench of rotting flesh and burned hair wafted through the large opening that served as the entrance to the dank chamber.
"Wow, this place smells bad," commented Nightchaser, or Chase as his friends referred to him as, "And it's absolutely filthy in here. Yo, Treble, where, exactly, are we? It's clearly not Equestria."
"I don't know," Treble admitted, "But, if I had to guess, I'd say a dragon's lair."
"But don't their caves usually have large amounts of treasure in them?" asked Lightning Dust.
"Yeah," answered Roseluck, "I think so. Hey, Dusty, where do you think we are?"
"Well, my guess would be Tartarus. It is, after all, canon that that place exists."
"Guys," Treble said, "If we're gonna get to Equestria, staying here won't help."
The four friends started to move towards the exit. Once outside, they found themselves surrounded by brimstone and piles of foul decay lay all over the ground. Further up, they could see a tree with no leaves, and hanging from said tree were ponies with their heads in nooses. A pained groan sounded from the grizzly sight, begging for a death that was never coming. They ran up the path towards the tree in order to try to help the poor pony. Once arriving, they could see a brown stallion with a yellow mane and tail swinging from a branch.
"Hey," said Treble, to catch the hanging pony's attention, "Are you all right?"
"Do I look all right to you?" the stallion responded, "I'm hanging from a tree, and all you can do is ask if I'm all right?"
"I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. Here, let me help you."
"Haha....you can't. I'm permanently stuck here. I'm being punished for killing myself. I couldn't take the horrible world created by Discord, not that this is much better. By the way, what are ponies like you doing in a place like this? You're clearly not being punished."
"We came here from another universe."
"Another universe? Don't make me laugh."
"He's serious," Dusty piped up, "We really did. How do you think we ended up here?"
"I don't know, missy, you could have stumbled from one of the entrances* and wound up stuck."
"One of the entrances?" asked Chase, "You mean there's more than one? I thought it only had one entrance, guarded by Cerberus."
"Yeah. Ponies die all over the world. How do you think they find their way here? They're certainly not gonna search the whole planet for the entrance."
"Wait wait wait," Treble said confusedly, "I thought Tartarus was this world's version of hell. Y'know, like, the place for eternal punishment? Why would every single dead pony end up here?"
"Hey, man," the stallion said, "I don't have all the answers. I do, however, know where the closest entrance to here. The next level should have an entrance, but first, you have to get past the guardian. I wish you good luck with that! Hahahahaha!"
With that, the stallion stopped talking. The group looked at each other questioningly, the stallion laughing hysterically all the while. With a silent nod between the four of them, they moved slowly away. Eventually, the pony disappeared from sight. Slowly, the ground began to incline, while the sea of brimstone, blood and corpses slowly began to transform into a dark and damp swampland, somehow not running into the area behind them. When the group stepped into the water, they noticed one eerie detail: the swamp was deathly silent. Not a single sound echoed throughout the vast cavernous space they found themselves in. Then, suddenly, the faint sounds of battle could be heard. As the friends stood there, the sound began to get louder.
"Um, guys," says Chase, pointing towards the source of the sound, "I think we'd better run! I don't want to be caught in that!"
Glancing in the direction indicated by Chase's hoof, they could see a massive battle, a war, really, sprawling out over the dark waters. It was all it took. Running or flying as fast as they could away from the chaos, the group was not looking where they were going. All of a sudden, Rose tripped over something in the water with a yelp. Treble took a glance back just in time to see what had happened. Under the water, staring back at the two ponies, was a ghostly white mare with a spectral green mane and tail. She simply stared at the travelers, as if waiting for their next move. Treble wasted no time in grabbing the mare, pulling her out of the muck. Slowed down by the added weight, the two armies were steadily gaining.
"Rose," he cried, "Help me!"
Shaking her head clear of all other thoughts, Rose quickly ran to Treble's side, picking up the mare's rear legs, and promptly restarted their flight. With the help of the alleviation of the mare, the threesome made quick progress. Chancing a look back, Treble noticed that the battle had started to move in a different direction. Panting, they caught up with the other two members of their little gang. They were in a small island of dead grass surrounded by small trees. Vultures sat in the scraggly, leafless branches, watching the five ponies, as if waiting for a potential meal. After what seemed like an eternity, the mysterious mare spoke up, her voice a rasping whisper.
"Why did you help me?" she asked slowly, "Nopony around here ever helps out. They're too busy fighting."
"I wasn't going to just leave you there," Treble replied, his voice kind and gentle, "You'd have gotten trampled."
"Yes. That is what happens. Either you fight, or you sink. There is no in between."
"That's horrible!" Rose gasped, "Why would anypony do that?"
"It's the way things are and have always been. I started in the upper levels, but found my way down here. This place is where all the angry ponies go. They call this place the Swamp of Fury."
"Huh," grunted Chase, "Good name. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know the way out, would you?"
Suddenly, the mare's voice became shrill, and her eyes widened, "You want to get out?!? Nopony ever gets out!" Her voice dropped into a dangerous hiss, "They say that the creature at the entrance is vicious. More powerful than the ponies here. If you are going towards the exit, I don't want to be a part of it. It's suicide."
"I don't care," Treble stated loudly, "We don't belong here, and we have to get out to stop Discord. You don't have to come with us, but if you could be so kind, please point the way."
The mare stared at Treble for a few seconds, clearly thinking about how crazy he and his friends were. She sighed.
"It's that way," she pointed in the direction they were going, "I really think you should reconsider, but maybe you'll get out. Thanks for pulling me out of there. I'm going back up, where it's nicer."
The group stared after the mare until she disappeared from sight. Once more looking between the four of them, the set out in the direction indicated. After a few minutes of travel, they noticed that the area around them seemed to brighten. Cool air blew in their faces, and warm light filtered through. The trees around them began to take on a lusher, greener color. Presently, the foursome found themselves looking at what appeared to be the entrance to a cave. Sunlight warmed their faces, and the atmosphere changed from gloomy to full of life.
"Finally!" Dusty exclaimed, "This must be the place."
The band sat down in the now-green grass, closing their eyes and enjoying the moment. Unexpectedly, one of the trees shook, as if being rocked by a large animal. The noise immediately set the friend on guard. They could feel something was hiding, something large and deadly. Silence reigned for a moment, time seeming to stand still. Then, everything happened at once.
A large animal burst from the trees, scaring the lot of them. The creature let out a bone-chilling roar, freezing the terrified ponies in place. The beast stood on four legs, its hairless body a dark greyish brown. Its gruesome face was set in a snarl, large fangs hanging from its mouth. Its back was covered in sharp spines, and its clawed paws were large enough to break a deer's neck with ease. It stared the group down, as if trying to decide which one to attack first. Finally deciding, the monster lunged straight at Rose, the weakest of the group. This spurred both Treble and Dusty into action.
Treble grabbed the petrified Rose with out a moment's hesitation, while Dusty started trying to beat it on its head. The thing snapped and clawed at the aquamarine pegasus, trying to force her downwards towards the ground where she wouldn't have the advantage of flight. She skillfully dodged its attacks, while watching Chase charge up an offensive spell. The spell shot off into the creature's open maw, causing the beast to shriek in agony. Spitting out its own blood, it turned swiftly towards the midnight blue unicorn. Chase jumped to the side, letting the animal ram its head into the tree directly behind him. Taking this moment's opportunity, the four ponies darted into the entrance, running as the thing recovered. They didn't stop until the entrance to Tartarus was far behind them. Finally, they collapsed onto the dusty ground, panting heavily due to the near-death encounter.
> Dodge Junction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After catching their breaths, Treble, Rose, Dusty and Chase took the time to look around themselves. They noticed that they were in the middle of a red rock canyon, with the walls rising into the sky. Behind them, they could see buttes standing tall and proud, although not as high as the canyon. Beneath their hooves, the dusty ground was a lighter brown color, giving the impression of a road running thorough the area. The road stretched on behind them for miles, while in front of them, it ran into a small pass between the cliff faces.
Silence held in the air as the group entered the narrow passageway. Suddenly, Treble doubled over in pain.
"Oh my gosh," cried Rose, "Treble, are you all right?"
The only thing the amber pegasus could do was wheeze. As soon as it had begun, the pain subsided, and Treble collapsed on the ground.
"What on earth was that?" asked Treble. He felt like he knew the answer, and it wasn't good, "It felt like someone was squeezing my heart, trying to make it stop beating."
"It was Discord," Chase said ominously, his face set in a grimace, "And since he stopped, I can only assume he has better things to do than to mess with us."
"That's not good. C'mon, guys, let's get moving."
"Wait," Dusty interrupted, "Does the air feel different to you?"
"Now that I think about it, yeah," Treble replied. He pointed upwards. The others followed his gaze up into the sky. Above them, dark clouds had formed, while a few feet behind them, the sun shone downwards, making the sky look like it had been split in two, "I suspect that is also Discord's doing."
The thought was disconcerting enough, and with possibly one of the most powerful beings in Equestria having caused it, it didn't make any of them feel any easier about the situation. The feeling of being watched pushed the travelers into moving forwards a little faster.
Once on the other side of the pass, the four of them came to a standstill. There, stretched out before them, was the remains of a town. Some of the buildings had scorch marks and charred holes in them, as if fire was thrown at them at one point or another. Others had been completely demolished, leaving only the foundations as a silent reminder that there were once families living there at all. Still others were completely untouched, standing silent guard over the windswept desert village, looking for all the world like the families had disappeared overnight. Behind the town stood an orchard of trees that looked as though an inferno had wiped them all out. The charred remains of the plants surrounded a large building that looked vaguely like a factory building. As the wind blew through the trees, it gave off an eerie moan, accompanied by the sounds of branches clacking together.
"What happened here?" Rose wondered aloud, "It looks like the town hasn't been inhabited for years. Who could have done such damage?"
"I don't know," Dusty answered. She shuddered slightly and began to lean on Rose's side, "I'm not sure I want to find out."
"It was the military that did this," came a voice from the factory, "They were quite ruthless."
From the shadows of the doorway walked a light yellow earth pony mare with a two-toned red mane and tail, with green eyes and a very noticeable mole on the left side of her face. Her cutie mark looked like a pair of cherries.
"Who are you?" Rose asked.
"I'm known as Cherry Jubilee, Queen of the Cherry Hill Orchards," answered the mare, "Or I was, before they came through here. Now I'm just Cherry Jubilee. I watch over this old town, keeping it safe for when the land recovers. Sorry there isn't much to see. Why don't you two and those two fellas you have with you come over to my place. I promise it's better than any of these old, decrepit houses."
"We'd love to," Dusty replied, feeling happy that she didn't have to stick around the old village too much longer, "Hey, Treble, Chase! Come on, we're going someplace we can stay!"
"Coming," the two stallions answered, breaking away from what they were doing to follow the girls and Cherry.
The small group followed the kind mare to a large ranch house. The building was well kept, despite it's surroundings. They could make out the tops of trees in the distance, assuming it was a reserve orchard, and probably Cherry's gardens. The pony in question opened the large entrance doors, motioning for the others to enter before her. Everyone gasped when they entered the building. The walls, floors, and ceilings were clean as can be, contrasting heavily with the rest of the town. They were led into a large room with a wooden table near the center. The four guests sat down around the table as Cherry entered the kitchen to get refreshments. Moments later, she came back carrying a large pitcher of cherry juice and five cups, setting them around the table.
"So," the hostess began, "What are you all doing hanging around here? You're the first visitors I've had in five years."
"We just came back from...very far away," Treble began, "Things have changed so much around here, it's almost unnatural."
"Almost isn't the word I'd use. Equestria is a very different place than it was when I was young. It used to be a place of happiness and friendship, but now...nopony wants to come here anymore. Ever since that Discord took over thirty years ago, it's become a very dangerous place to live. I know I'd like to leave, but Discord's magic makes crossing the borders impossible. Five years ago, when the ponies that disappeared came back, everypony was so excited, but...things changed. The resistance was crushed easily. Not even the Elements of Harmony could do anything to stop Discord. All I know for certain is that, five years ago, the Chaos Guard nearly doubled in size. They came in here, and demanded that a huge tribute be paid every year. I am the only one of the townsfolk that can afford that kind of fee, but, alas, not enough to save the town.
"As you've noticed," Cherry continued, "The town is completely derelict now. The Guard came back for the tributes, and those that could not pay were either executed on the spot, or enslaved to work in one of the massive Chaos Armories. Some ponies could pay the tribute, but could not afford to pay it for more than a few years. Those that were smart packed their things and left in a hurry. Those who stayed to fight had their houses burned. Finally, the last neighbor I had left moved away last year. I'm the only one left here now, though I can't last forever. I've gone through my funds, and found that I could only pay for three more years before I, too, have to leave for parts unknown. Alright, that's enough depressing thoughts. Who here is hungry?" Everyone present raised their hooves. "Great, I'll go make sandwiches. For dessert, I've got some of my famous cherry pie I've been saving for just such an occasion."
Cherry took that cue to leave and went into the kitchen once more. Treble clenched his jaw once more in determination. The others had the same expression on their faces. Cherry Jubilee's story just gave them all another reason to hate Discord. If nothing else, his cruelty was something that none of them could stand. Shortly thereafter, Cherry came back with food and dessert. The small and humble meal was, for the weary travelers, one of the best meals they had ever had. The cherry pie made the party smile in bliss, the warm gooey tartness of the cherries got along very well with the sweetness of the cinnamon sugar that lay on top of the dessert.
They chatted long into the night, mostly about their respective families and what they were probably up to at this point in time. Eventually, though, the five ponies bid each other goodnight. Cherry's house was large enough for them to fit comfortably, Treble and Chase in one room and Dusty and Rose in the other. That night they slept without dreams, a deep, quiet, and restful sleep. They didn't know it yet, but they would have to use all of their collective wits to survive the ordeal they were set to be in.
> Parting Ways: To Appleoosa and the Mysterious Mare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was already ten o'clock when the four travelers awoke. They stretched out their sore muscles and, in Nightchaser's case, a small magical exercise that included levitating the heavy vase set on top of the unused dresser.
"Careful not to drop it," warned Treble, playfully, "Cherry was kind enough to let us stay in her house, and it would be incredibly rude to break something, not to say that you would break it, I was just-" His annoying rambling suddenly became muffled thanks to the new vase sitting on top of his face.
"Shut up, dude," Chase replied, a small hint of smugness hidden in his voice, "Nobody likes you ramblin' on in their ears while they're tryin' to concentrate."
As Treble was busy trying to pull his head out of the tight neck of the vase that had taken up residence there, Dusty entered the room. After a few second of stunned silence, she suddenly burst out laughing.
"Bwahahahaha! You look ridiculous with that thing on your head! Hey, Rose, you've got to see this! Heeheehee!"
Slowly, Rose emerged from the doorway. She was busily trying to get her hair brushed, something she had not done since that fateful day. Momentarily looking up, she noticed the awkward situation that had befallen her friend.
"For shame, Lightning Dust, for shame. I thought you were better than that. Here, Treble, let me help you with that." Getting down on the floor in front of the poor stallion, she put her hooves on the sides of the vase, and began pulling. With an audible pop, the messy-maned Treble's face emerged, a look of pure bashfulness etched into it. Slowly, oh so slowly, he turned around and walked into the bathroom, closing the door silently. The others in the room heard the shower being turned on. Rose looked at the two troublemakers in the room with a look of disappointment. Dusty's tail retracted between her legs and a look of guilt flashed on her face. Chase, on the other hand, was busy making himself as small as possible. "Now, when Treble gets out of the bathroom, you two are going to apologize to him, and then you are going to try your hardest to never do this again. Are we clear?" The two ashamed ponies nodded their heads slowly. "Good. Now, go wash up, we've got a lot to do today."
As they got busy getting ready, Rose descended the stairs. Walking into the kitchen, she found Cherry Jubilee humming to herself.
"Good morning, Miss Jubilee."
"Good morning Rose," Cherry answered, "You know, you can call me Cherry. Calling me Miss makes me feel old. I trust you slept well?"
"Yes, very. Thank you again for your hospitality. You've been so kind to us."
"It's the least I could do. You know, you could stay another day, it's been so long since I've had company."
"I'd love to," Rose said, regret evident in her voice, "But we've got so much to do. It's been so nice being with you, and I hope we'll be back again when this whole Discord thing is over and done. It's time somepony did something about it."
"Oh, all right," Cherry conceded, "But, please promise me that you'll be safe? I don't want you to have to worry about you. By the way, I heard something going on upstairs. What happened?"
"Oh, well the boys were messing around, and that old vase got stuck on Treble's head. Dusty walked in, and, instead of being the good sister I know she is, she simply laughed at that poor stallion. I came in and fixed the problem, and made those two promise not to humiliate Treble that way."
"Well, it sounds like you've got quite the thing for that colt. Ah, to be young and in love."
Rose's face blushed beet red, "Oh...uh...well, we're not...that's not..."
"Would you look at that," Cherry cooed, "She doesn't even know she's in love. Aw, that's adorable."
As Rose stood there babbling, the other three members of the party arrived.
"We're all set, Cherry," Treble said, over the extreme embarrassment from the situation earlier, "All that's left is breakfast."
"Everything is already on the table," Cherry told them, "While you four eat, I'll get some food packed for the lot of you. It'll be easy as cherry pie."
Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs and hay bacon, with a small Equish muffin on the side. After they were done eating, the group went back to the kitchen to find four boxes full of food. Cherry informed them that all the food in the boxes were meant to last for a long time. The food consisted of trail mix and an assortment of dried fruits from her personal garden. With sad goodbyes, the four ponies set out on their journey.
"All right," started Treble, "We've got a lot of ground to cover. I want to be able to search for the Elements of Harmony first, so I think it might be best to split into two teams. We're going to draw straws to see who goes with whom. Here are four straws, two long and two short. I want the three of you to pick one straw, and the long straws go with each other and vise versa. Okay, ready? One, two, three."
The group picked their straws. Looking at them, the groups were set up as Treble and Rose in one, and Chase and Dusty in the other.
"According to Cherry, there are two paths to take. One path travels upwards towards the Diamond Dog's territory, while the other follows the train tracks to Appleoosa. I think the best idea is to meet up in Ponyville in order to corroborate with each other. I believe that you should be able to choose where you go. Rose and I will take the opposite route."
"All right," spoke up Chase, "Dusty and I agreed that we should take the route to the Diamond Dog area."
"Very well. We'll see each other in Ponyville. Dusty, keep safe. I love you."
"Love you too, Trebs," Dusty replied, "You also stay safe."
With that the two parties split ways, one heading northwards, the other west.

















As they waved goodbye to Dusty and Chase, they could feel the uneasy tension in the air. Treble and Rose began moving once the others were out of sight. Silently, they contemplated individual thoughts while on the move. The going was slow and quiet, not even the birds were singing. It was as if the whole world watched the two companions trudge along at a snails pace. For some reason, they couldn't bring themselves to talk to each other. With Dodge Junction far in the distance, the two friend chanced a look up.
There, sitting in the middle of the tracks was a beat up, rusty old train, no doubt the Friendship Express. Despite what it had looked like in the human world, the train was not, in fact, extremely colorful. The dark red with black highlights had sort of an old-timey feel. The old coal-fire train was not in inoperable condition, though. It looked as though it could still run.
"Hey, Rose," Treble said, "We'd move much faster if we took this!"
"Are you sure?" Rose asked, "Do you even know how to drive a train?"
"No, not really. But, hey, how hard can it be? We just need to shovel coal into the furnace, and the train should move itself forwards. If we need to stop, we just pull the break leaver, and the train will stop. Easy as cherry pie, right?"
"Okay...it's not like I don't trust you or anything, but I really don't like the idea of being in a train without someone who knows what they are doing."
"Hush," Treble insisted, "Come on, haven't you ever wanted to drive a train before? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!"
"Fine, fine," Rose sighed, giving in, "Just don't blame me if something bad happens. If it does, it's all your fault."
Once inside the cab, they found a large pile of coal next to a pair of iron curtains. Opening the curtains, they found that the area inside was as dry as a desert. Smiling, Treble looked around, setting his eyes on the fire starter. He quickly began heating up the coal, which soon caught fire. The train began to lurch forward, starting out slowly, rust creaking as the ancient machine moved. Eventually, the train was moving at a slow, yet steady pace.
"See," said Treble happily, "Nice and steady. Easy as she goes."
Rose was too busy shoveling coal to notice. Treble, realizing he was being ignored, stopped chatting, and began looking where the train was going. The tracks lay stretched out ahead, with no visible sign of anything wrong. The area seemed clear for miles. Very slowly, he began to make out a faint outline on the tracks ahead. As the train kept moving forward, the outline became clearer. The shape slowly materialized as a passed out ocean blue mare with a seaweed colored mane and tail. Reaching over, Treble pulled on the horn chain. The train let out a loud, foghorn like sound. Still, the mare did not move. Thinking quickly, Treble pulled on the emergency brake. The two passengers were shot forwards, landing in a heap.
"A little warning, next time," grunted Rose. She got up uninjured, partially thanks to a nice, soft Treble cushion, "Why'd you do that?"
"I'm sorry I'm trying to save a mare's life right now," Treble said, "Just being safe."
"What about a mare?"
"There's a mare on the tracks. I think she might be hurt!"
"Or dense. Doesn't she know she shouldn't be on the track?"
Not wanting to argue with his bitter companion, Treble instead rushed off the train and to the mare's side. Looking carefully, he flipped her over. There, on her side, was a massive gash. The blood soaked into the grass and Treble's coat. Horrified, yet fascinated, Treble picked up the pony. He quickly flew over to the train and placed her gently into the cabin, and into the waiting hooves of Rose, who quickly began to stitch the area with the sewing needle and thread she found in the first-aid kit. When she had finished with that, she put bandages around the mare's torso, holding the stitching in place.
"Treble," said Rose, urgently, "We've got to get her to a doctor. Someone who actually knows about pony anatomy. I don't think I did a good job."
"We've got to get to Appleoosa as fast as we can," said a worried Treble, "For her sake."
He began frantically shoveling coal into the matchbox, and the train began to move much faster than it had before. Soon, Treble felt he no longer needed to shovel coal, and ran to the young mare's side. Keeping a lookout behind himself, he felt that she needed his attention. Taking a quick glance, Treble noticed that the tracks forked in two directions. He also noticed that he was going to be headed in the wrong direction. Thinking quickly, he saw the signal for turning, and, just as quickly, used the shovel to switch the tracks in favor of Appleoosa.
After a few more minutes, the train station became clearly evident in the distance, and closing fast. Grabbing the break, Treble started bringing the speed down to zero, just in time to touch the end of the tracks. Opening the cab doors, Treble and Rose quickly grabbed the mare between them. There to greet them was the hardest stare they had ever seen. Flanked by what the twosome could only think of as the Chaos Guard, stood Applejack, the Element of Honesty. She was wearing the official Guard uniform, which consisted of black, steel plated mail and helmet. On her hooves were black boots of the same material.
"Please state yer name and business," the farm girl turned military elite stated. She simply oozed command and respect, and was certainly not the pony Treble remembered. "And tell me, what the hell are ya doin' pilotin' a decommissioned train?"
> Parting Ways: The Diamond Dogs and the Filly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As they waved goodbye to Treble and Rose, the twosome of Dusty and Chase moved slowly away. Eventually, they left the two friends far behind. Moving past the burnt orchard, the pair found the path that lead to the Diamond Valley, the home of the Diamond Dogs. The long, winding path meandered through the desert land, a bridge over a river visible in the distance. Beyond the bridge, barely discernible, rose Rambling Rock Ridge, which surrounded the Valley. The relatively flat land between the pair and their destination created an easily traversable landscape.
"This'll be a piece of cake," said Chase, nonchalantly, "We just have to get there from here, right?"
"Yeah," agreed Dusty, "We might as well take our time, seeing as we have it. My brother would probably try to rush us there, as he does with everything else."
"How'd he get so uptight, anyway? He looks like if you poked him, he'd jump three feet in the air."
"I don't know," said Dusty, more to herself than to her partner. Louder, she added, "It's probably this whole situation. He's never really been good at dealing with change, so he tends to lash out. Personally, I don't blame him, this was pretty hard on the both of us. You don't seem to be bothered that much, though. Why is that?"
"Well," Chase began, "When I was little, and I lived in Texas, I was always bein' bullied because of the way I spoke. You know, like kids are. I had to adapt to it pretty quickly. Then, when we moved to Connecticut, I was new to the school. I had to make new friends, deal with different teachers, the normal stuff. Then, my mother passed away, so I also had to deal with that. A few years later, my dad got a girlfriend, and left me alone a lot. I had a sort of fallin' out with him, sad to say. Finally, I moved out to East Hartford, and my dad and I stopped talkin'. Basically, what it boils down to, is that I had to deal with change all my life, so even somethin' as big as turnin' into some freak of nature doesn't bother me at all."
"Wow, sounds hard. Yeah, we've lived in Tolland our entire lives. Our parents are just your typical mother and father, and we were both just your normal, average kids. Well, almost normal. I was always the stronger of us, both emotionally and physically. He, however, was the smart one, though mostly with useless information. He once told me that the Daddy Long Legs are actually crustaceans, not spiders. I don't even know where he learned that, or what use I have for it."
Both ponies laughed at that. As they had been talking, they approached the bridge. The small structure looked a little out of place in the middle of nowhere, but, nonetheless, it was a sturdy bridge. As the friends crossed it, they could see a small line of trees sheltering the path. The ridge towered over the line, looking somewhat menacing. As the two ponies advanced toward the trees, they could hear the faint sounds of an attack. More cautiously, they crept forward, always on the lookout for any immanent danger. Exiting the strip of forest, they witnessed a small filly trying to avoid being hit by three large dogs. Acting quickly, Dusty flew out and slammed her hoof into the middle dog's face.
"Don't you know it's not nice to team up against a defenseless little girl!" she cried, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The two other dogs looked to their fallen comrade, then to the angry mare standing in front of them. Immediately, they began to size her up. The largest dog, a slate grey animal wearing a collar studded with diamonds, lunged forwards, attempting to punch Dusty in the face. Deftly dodging, she slammed her right front leg into his giant stomach, leaving a very noticeable hoofprint in the very center. Coughing and spluttering, the dog keeled over, winded by the sheer ferocity of the punch. Turning to the third dog, a smaller creature with a light brown coat, she towered over him. He could sense that he could not win the fight at that moment, grabbed his two partners and ran away.
Looking behind her, she saw the filly, a small, orange unicorn with a light blue mane and tail, lying on the ground, Chase standing right next to her. Rushing over to the girl, she picked her up and placed her on her back.
"We need to find someplace nearby," Dusty said quickly, "I don't know what they did to her, but I intend to find out. Then, I'll teach those monsters a few lessons about proper respect."
Chase, not wanting to anger the athlete any further, simply nodded his understanding. Now moving with urgency, the pair ran along the face of the ridge, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Soon, they found a cave that appeared uninhabited. As fast as they saw it, they entered. The interior was barren, except for a small table-like rock in the center. Placing the filly gently on the slab, Dusty began to do a thorough check of any injuries the girl may have obtained. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she sat back, sliding down onto the floor, relief written on her face.
"Whew," she said, "Thank God that she's alright. She doesn't have any injuries as far as I can tell. She probably just fainted because of the exertion of avoiding those brutes."
"You can tell all that?" Chase asked, slightly incredulous about the examination, "Are you sure?"
"I took horseback riding lessons when I was a little girl. They taught us about proper care of the animals, including how to check for injuries. I'm a little rusty, but I assure you, I'm definitely good enough for that."
Slowly, the small pony began to stir from her sleep. Opening her eyes and looking around, she took in all her surroundings, including the two strangers taking care of her. Looking between the two of them, the filly shrunk back a little, still unsure of what to make of the situation. One moment she was being attacked by humungous Diamond Dogs, the next, she was in a cave with ponies she had never met.
"Don't be shy," Dusty said gently, "We're not going to hurt you. I'm Lightning Dust, and the stallion's name is Nightchaser. What's yours?"
"I-I'm Orange Popsicle," the girl said quietly, "Wh-where am I? What happened to the dog things?"
"You're in a cave, close to where we found you. I chased the scary dogs away, they won't be bothering you too much now that I'm here."
Orange's eyes widened, "Wow, really? You must be crazy strong! Thank you for saving me Miss Dust, Mister Chaser."
"Heh, no problem," said Chase, "What are you doing so far away from home?"
"I'm not far from home, I live here! At least, near here. Besides, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself...though I disobeyed Mom."
"Why don't we take you home?" Dusty asked, "I think that you need to let your mother know you're all right."
Orange thought about this proposition for a small while. Soon enough, she nodded her head. Leaving the cave, the three ponies began walking down the side of the ridge once more. Eventually, they came across a large cavern, much bigger than the hole in the wall they had just left. The inside of this one looked more like a home than the other, with pictures on the walls and furnishings around the room. At the back of the cave, a fire roared, throwing its flickering orange light across the large space. Sitting in one of the chairs, a lone mare, orange in color, like Orange, but with a hot pink and brown streaked mane and tail, watched the trio entering.
"Orange Popsicle!" the mare exclaimed, "What were you thinking?" she left her chair, marching straight towards her daughter and enveloping her in a tight embrace, "Please, please don't do that again. You had me scared half to death! I thought for sure those nasty Diamond Dogs took you away from me," Peering up at the two other ponies, she asked a simple question, "Were you the ones who saved my precious daughter?"
"Yes," Dusty answered, "We found her being attacked by those dogs you were just talking about. After I sent them packing, we checked to make sure she was not hurt, then we escorted her back here."
"You don't know how grateful I am to you. Why don't you come in, what's mine is yours. By the way, my name is Tangerine Delight, but you can call me Tangie."
"I'm Lightning Dust, or Dusty, if you prefer."
"And I'm Nightchaser. Call me Chase. Thank you for your hospitality."
"It was my pleasure," Tangie answered.
The group moved further back into the cavernous space. Sitting in the wooden chairs, they settled down for a while. In the fire, a large pot sat, filled to the brim with a stew of some kind. The delightful smell of cooking greens and cheese wafted throughout the room. Chase's stomach took the opportunity to growl very loudly. Blushing, he looked around, trying to focus his attention on something other than the food. Eventually, his eyes rested on the clock, which showed three o'clock.
"Oh my gosh!" he said, shocked, "We missed lunch! And Cherry worked so hard to make us somethin'."
"Heh," Dusty chuckled, "Chase, she gave us rations for when we're on the road. It's not going anywhere. Besides, I don't need you stuffing it down your big mouth."
"Not to worry, dear," Tangie added, "I've got something just as good, and I think it's ready!"
Rising from her spot in the living area, she walked over to the large pot, opening it up. She ladled four bowls of the stew, and passed them around the room.
"This is my special Veggie-Cheese Stew, guaranteed to put a smile on your face, a bulge in your tummy, and warmth throughout your body. Careful, though, it's hot."
The party started chowing down. The stew's creamy, yet chunky, texture slid down their throats with ease, warming them up on its way down. The blend of vegetables and cheese complemented each other so well, they could tell each and every flavor that went into it, yet it all felt like the ingredients were one and the same.
"That's really good," Chase complimented, "I wish I could have that more often."
"You can," Tangie reminded him, "There's plenty to go around, so help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do."
"Excuse me, Tangie," said Dusty, "I couldn't help but notice that Orange's father isn't here. Why is that?"
Tangie's face fell, "Well..."
"If it's a touchy subject, then you don't have to tell us. Forget I said anything."
"No...I'll tell you. It was five years ago," Tangie began, "I was pregnant with Orange at the time, and I was living in Ponyville. My husband worked as a policepony in the local sheriff's office. The office is right across from the Chaos Guard relay station, where they send and receive messages. We moved out here due to the Incident. A few days later, Cold came home carrying a message. Turns out that he was called to Canterlot to be promoted. We didn't know what that meant at the time. He went there by himself, as ordered, and came back home to tell me that he had been recruited into the Guard as one of Lord Discord's personal bodyguards. We were so happy, because it was a special privilege to be called for that duty. It was fine for a little while. Eventually, though, my husband was accused of treason because he said something in private that went against Discord. They didn't have any solid evidence to use against him, but they found him guilty anyway. The last thing I heard from him was that he was forced to work in the Crystal Caverns beneath Canterlot. That very day, Orange was born and lost a father. I've been raising her alone ever since."
With the last sentence, Tangerine broke down into tears. Dusty didn't say anything. Instead, she got up from her chair, walked over to the weeping mare, and gave her a big, comforting hug, enveloping the unicorn with her wings, like a shield. A shield from the cruelness of her world. Orange joined in, wedging herself under a wing. Slowly, Tangie stopped crying. Only when she was completely out of tears did Dusty remove herself. Chase had watched the whole thing in silence, letting the mares figure out their feelings, stewing in his own thoughts. Placing the bowl down, he walked up to Dusty.
"I'm sorry to leave you so suddenly," he said to Tangie, "But we've spent long enough here. I don't want you to bring up any more sorrow. However, I promise that, no matter what, we'll find your husband and return him here. I also promise that Discord's going to pay for what he's done."
Tangie simply nodded. The pair thanked her for the meal, and went on their way. Quietly contemplating their thoughts, neither spoke a word. Unfortunately for them, the peace would not last.
"Halt there, ponies!" yelled a voice, "You think you can attack me and get away scot-free?"
Looking up, they saw the Diamond Dogs they saw earlier. The leader, a dark grey dog with a red jacket, was surrounded by a large group of about a dozen armed and armored dogs. Glancing at each other, the duo broke into a full gallop towards the woods on the far side of the valley.
"Come back here, ponies!" screamed the leader dog behind them, "You will not get away from dogs!"
This spurred the two to run even faster. Finally, they entered the tree line, only then taking a cautionary peek backwards. The dogs had almost made it to the woods when the pair found themselves on the outskirts of Ponyville. Suddenly, the Diamond Dogs turned around, sprinting away and screaming until they disappeared from sight.
"That was weird," Chase said, speaking the thought on both their minds, "I wonder why they turned tail and ran?"
"Maybe that's why," Dusty said, pointing behind Chase's head. There, marching towards them, were a group of Chaos Guards. In the forefront stood a yellow pegasus with a short-cropped, light pink mane and tail.
"Excuse me," she said, sounding rather quiet, "But you may want to stay within Ponyville unless you have a Guard escort. I'm Commander Fluttershy. Please come to the relay office so we can identify you. It would be appreciated."
> Appleoosa and Applejack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"State yer name and business," Applejack repeated.
"My name is Treble Clef, and this is Roseluck," Treble answered, "We're here to get medical treatment for this mare. We found her in the middle of the tracks."
Applejack looked between the two conscious ponies and the passed out mare. Taking a moment, she contemplated what to do with the strangers. She knew the protocol and procedure she had to take to ensure the peace and safety of the town placed under her command. Dealing with the injured mare took priority, but having two possibly unregistered ponies in her midst was urgent, as they had to be registered to be legally there. Choosing the best option she could, she made her decision.
"Alright," she said, "Stallions, take this mare to the sick bay fer magical treatment, STAT."
"Yes, Ma'am," the Guards in question answered.
"You two, Ah need ya to come with me."
With that, she turned around and began her march back to the relay station. Taking a glance behind her, she saw that the strangers were right there. Reaching the building that used to be Sheriff Silver Star's jailhouse, she motioned for the other two ponies to enter.
"Please wait a moment while we contact Ponyville. They will patch us through to the Registrar's office. There, we will either find yer names in the Registry, or we will process yer names. Until then, ya'll're required to stay in here."
Turning around, Applejack picked up the line, dialing in a number. The line rang for a minute or so before a voice could be heard on the other end.
"Ponyville Relay, please state the reason for your call."
"This is Commander Applejack. Ah request that ya patch me through to the Registrar's office."
"One moment please..."
The phone rang for a minute more.	 Finally, they could here a new voice.
"Census Paper here. Please state your business."
"Yes, this is Commander Applejack, Appleoosa Branch, Earth Forces. Ah have two unidentified ponies here. One Treble Clef, and one Roseluck."
"Please wait while we check our information..." The phone switched to static. A few minutes later, the line was picked back up again, "We have no information on any ponies by those names."
Applejack sighed. If there was one thing she hated, it was paperwork. Now she had to fill out registry forms and send them, by Dragon Mail, to the Registrar's office. The dragons supplied by the government always smelled bad and had tempers. Sometimes, she wished that she could have just one dragon smart enough to speak that would be happy to send messages back and forth.
"Thank ya fer yer time," she said dryly, and hung up, "Alrighty then, Ah'm gonna need ya both to sign this form. When yer done with that, yer free to go about town, but not the country. When the forms are all done, then ya may leave."
After filling out the forms, the travelers left Applejack alone with her thoughts. Sometimes she wished she could have an easy life. It always sounded like a nice idea to work on an apple farm in a small town. For the life of her, she could not tell why her cutie mark was three apples. She shook her head. Now was certainly not the time to be thinking such thoughts, there was work to be done. Paperwork. Ugh.















After leaving the Guard station, Treble and Rose decided it would be a good time to get some lunch. The excitement from earlier had made them forget just how hungry they were. By the time they realized it, it was already three o'clock. Finding a small restaurant nearby, the pair sat down. Soon, a waiter arrived to take their orders. Treble decided on a hay and daisy sandwich, while Rose wanted the rose and petunia salad. The waiter left them alone again.
"So," Treble began, awkwardly, "Uh...that incident on the train was interesting, wasn't it?"
"I guess you could say that," Rose concurred, "I just hope she'll be alright. That injury was pretty bad, after all. I wonder what could have done that?"
"I'm not sure. I am sure, though, that from what we've seen, the Guard would have killed her. Besides, they seemed to be willing to help her out. What bothers me is what Applejack is doing in Discord's Guard. I know they were defeated, but not that they were willing to work with him."
"Maybe they weren't. I don't know much about this world, but it sounds to me like this Discord is able to corrupt others. Am I right?"
"Yeah, but...but if you're Discorded, you turn grey, and your personality switches. That didn't look like it happened to her. Oh, here comes our lunch."
The waiter placed their meals in front of them. They started eating rather slowly, as they were still wondering what was going on in this Equestria. The food didn't taste bad. After they finished, they were handed their check. Lucky for them, Cherry had given Treble and Chase a bag of bits for their journey. Once they paid, the two of them left the restaurant. Between them, the twosome decided that they should see how the injured mare was getting along. They approached the building. Upon entering, they were stopped by a doctor.
"Hello," he said, "You must be the new ponies. I'm Doctor Big Needle, and I'm taking care of your friend. She is currently recovering from magically-accelerated healing. The rest of the process must be done naturally. Which one of you stitched her wound?"
"I did," Rose answered.
"Well, you did a good job. That's a little surprising considering your obviously gardening-related cutie mark. Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Um...well...I worked as a veterinarian back home for some time, but not long enough to actually get good at it."
"It shows. Well done. So, anyways, the rest of the healing process will take one night. The wound was deep, and some vital organs were damaged. If you two hadn't found her when you did, she certainly would be dead by now. Thank you for taking your time to see me."
With that, Dr. Needle left the two friends alone again. Deciding it was not worth worrying over, the pair left the building. Down the street was a motel with rooms open. The two ponies agreed that it was the best place to stay for a night. However, it was still bright day outside. Treble didn't know what to expect, but normal weather patterns and the sun and moon in a regular order certainly wasn't it. He expected the day-night cycle to be messed up, and bad storms ravaging random parts of the kingdom. It was almost as if this Discord wasn't interested in chaos so much as he was interested in world domination. The thought did nothing to soothe his troubled mind.
"Treble," Rose said, breaking him from his thoughts, "See that building over there?" she pointed straight down the street to a building with guards surrounding it.
"Yeah," Treble answered, "What about it?"
"Have you noticed something strange here?"
"No, not really...wait...none of the guards are holding weapons. What are they doing without weapons?"
"Exactly," Rose said with a smile that made Treble feel a little uneasy, "I think that that building is housing the Guard's weaponry, but not one of them seems to be trying to get inside. Maybe they're afraid of something."
"Alright, Rose, what are you up to?"
"Oh, nothing. I thought it was just interesting."
Treble didn't know what to make of Rose's strange behavior. He hoped it wasn't something too bad, something that would get the two of them arrested. Looking up from his thoughts, he noticed that she was not standing next to him, but rather, she was talking to one of the guards around the armory
"Excuse me, sir," she began, "I can't help but notice that you don't have weapons, and you're surrounding this shed."
"What of it?" the stallion retorted, "It's none of your business, girl."
"You're not even going to think about it?" she asked innocently, all the while trying her hardest to be cute, "Aww, come on, big boy, tell me!"
"Will you leave me alone if I tell you?" Rose nodded her head. The guard continued, "Somepony thought that it was a good idea to lock herself into the weapons storage vault. Now she's saying that she won't come out until she talks to the Commander."
"Ohhhh," Rose said, "Can I try talking to her? I just want to know what's up."
The guard sighed, "I'm going to get in big trouble for letting you do that," he grumbled, "Sure, go ahead."
Walking up to the door, Rose leaned her head on it.
"Hello," she called, "Is anypony in there?"
"You're not Applejack," came a female voice.
"No, I'm not. My name is Rose. I was just curious, why'd you lock yourself in there? You could have seen her anytime. It's not like she's super busy or anything."
"You don't understand. I want justice for what happened to my brother."
"What happened," Rose asked, genuinely curious.
"He was killed by that awful Commander. She just up and attacked him."
"Ah did not!" came an indignant response. Turning around, Rose found herself face to face with Applejack, "Ah don't kill ponies without rhyme or reason. Yer brother must have charged me when Ah came to get the payment. Now, come out of there, we can talk in private."
A few seconds of pregnant silence filled the air. Finally, the door to the armory opened, and out stepped a mint green mare with a lighter green and white mane and tail. Silently, she followed the Commander back into the relay center. The Guard dispersed, each member grabbing a spear. Rose made her way back to Treble. She knew that she was onto something with the conversation she had just had. Deciding not to worry about it too much, she met up with the stallion.
"Want to call it a night?" Treble asked.
"Yeah, sure," was Rose's reply. Silently, they went into the motel for the night.















"Okay, now, what were ya talkin' 'bout there?" Applejack asked, "Yer...Lyra Heartstrings, right?" The mare nodded her head, but remained silent. "Ya've got to tell me something. That's why you wanted to see me, isn't it?"
"You killed my brother," she began, "Neon didn't do anything to you."
"Alright, alright. Let's calm down here. When, exactly, did Ah do this alleged murder?"
"Three years ago, during one of the Guard raids. He stood there, watching the Guard move in and slaughter ponies. That's when you showed up."
"Now we're gettin' somewhere. Please, continue."
"He saw you standing there, and he turned around and ran. You chased after him. When he reached our house, he picked up a piece of wood from the next house over. He was going to use it to defend himself. You then bucked the board, and one of the pieces flew into his throat, killing him. I remember it like it was yesterday."
"Whoa, slow down there, missy," Applejack explained, "What happened that day was mere coincidence. If it weren't for that board, he'd still be alive."
"But, you're the one who broke the board," Lyra said sadly, "Therefore, it's your fault."
"Ah can't deny that Ah did break it, but after that, Ah had no control over that shard. Ah remember this incident well. Ya probably didn't see the whole thing, though. After that happened, Ah panicked. Something like that hadn't happened to me before. Ah remember being told not to remove something stabbed through the throat, or the victim will bleed out. Standard procedure is to bring him to the nearest hospital. He died on my back on the way over there. Lyra, Ah'm truly sorry for your loss. Ah wish Ah could've done more, but Ah couldn't. Please, forgive me. Ah can't bring him back, only mourn his loss and move on. And so should you."
The mare sniffled, clearly taken aback by the honesty of the Chaos Guard Commander in front of her. Soon enough, she broke down crying. Applejack's battle-hardened face softened, and she stood from her seat to comfort the poor girl.















The morning came swiftly enough, sending a bright ray of sunshine through the open window of the motel room and into Rose's eyes. Fluttering them open, she looked around herself. The small bedroom for two was a blur to the cream colored pony. Dust motes floated in the air, and the small bed felt like laying on a cloud. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed that Treble was not where he was the night before. Getting up, Rose slowly moved towards the door. Once outside, she made her way downwards into the breakfast room. There, in the corner seat near the window, sat her friend. He was busy eating oatmeal and staring at the beautiful clear sky with a smile on his face. It was apparent that he was definitely remembering something fondly. She sat down and ordered her own bowl of oatmeal, before turning in Treble's direction.
"Whatcha thinking about?" she asked, once more breaking his concentration.
"I was just thinking about a family outing I once had," he answered wistfully.
"Oh, and what happened?"
"Well, we were backpacking, that's my dad, Dusty and me, and it had become late. We were at the top, overlooking a large cliff. Thankfully, when we pitched our tent, the ground was loose enough for the stakes. So, anyways, when we woke up, we left to see that there was a beautiful sunrise. We were in awe. This morning, I woke up to see the same type of dawn. The hills surrounding the town gave off such a brilliant red color, which complemented the sky. It brought back a lot of good memories."
Rose looked away and quietly thought about what her own family was doing at that moment. Probably mourning her disappearance. She mentally chuckled morbidly at that. If they weren't doing that, then she didn't quite know what they would be doing. Both her parents were retired and living somewhere. Florida, maybe. She really never had the time to go down there to see them, though they took time to visit her every now and again. Her brother had a family and a wonderful job at Microsoft, working on their new computer systems. Lots of other thoughts filled her mind, until it was Treble's turn to wake her from memory lane.
"Let's go see how our friend is doing."
"Hey, I haven't eaten yet!" Rose protested, "At least wait until I finish first."
"Alright, but only if you like eating cold, congealed oatmeal."
Looking down, she noticed that her bowl of oatmeal had indeed become a gross, dry and cold mess. Grinning sheepishly, she pushed the food away from herself, her appetite now sufficiently ruined. Getting up, the pair made their way towards the hospital. Entering, they saw the mare they had saved checking herself out of the sickbay.
"Seems like your rescuers are here," said the receptionist, pointing to the entrance.
The mare turned around and stared at the newcomers. Rushing over to them, she smiled a large smile.
"You're the ones who saved me? Thank you!"
"You"re very welcome," Treble answered, "What happened?"
"Well, I was wandering around the tracks, seeing if I could find things to sell, when, suddenly a scythe weasel came and attacked me. It left in a hurry, though. I passed out shortly after it disappeared. Next thing I know, I'm lying in a hospital bed."
Rose thought she saw a look of unease on Treble's face, but it left as soon as it arrived.
"I'm just glad you're awake," Rose said, deciding that the look was just her imagination, "So, what's your name?"
"I'm Ocean Breeze. How about yours? I would like to know the names of my saviors."
"I'm Rose, and the stallion is Treble."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. Why don't we go out to eat? I'm starving."
The three ponies left the hospital, making a beeline for the closest place to eat, the Salt Lick. The building, looking just like an old western saloon, had begun serving food once Applejack's Guard detail had arrived. The watering hole was packed, even in the morning. The many off-duty Chaos Guard soldiers mingled with the sparse number of actual citizens. The owner, known to the town as Braeburn, was also one of the founding members of Appleoosa. Running the orchard was also his job, and he made sure that the hard apple cider the town was known for was always in stock.
"What can I get fer ya?" Braeburn, who also ran the bar in the mornings, asked.
"Could I get...some of your famous apple pie?" Ocean answered
"Apple pie? For breakfast?!?" Treble and Rose asked in unison.
"What, you've never eaten pie for breakfast?"
"No," Rose answered, "Apple pie is dessert. You only eat it after dinner, or lunch, if you're hungry. But for breakfast? Apple pie, are you crazy?"
"Hah, that'll be a story you'll tell your friends one day. Come on, since you've clearly never lived, you can try it now. That will be three pies, please."
A few minutes later, the pies arrived. Pausing to look at Ocean again, the two companions took tentative bites out of their pies. The flavor exploded in Rose's mouth, causing her to remember that she hadn't eaten anything that day. Soon, she was tearing through the pie at a speed that would make a professional speed-eater jealous. Treble gave her a look that told her that he thought she was just as crazy as their friend. His slow and steady chewing contrasted Rose's bestial fury. The whole watering hole had stopped what they were doing to watch the hungry mare rip her pie to shreds.
"I like it," she cried as she finished her food, "Another!"
The second pie came quick as you like, and she finished it off in the same fashion as her last one. Ocean gave her a look of pure amazement, clearly wondering just how much the pony next to her was going to eat. When she had finished, Rose sat back with a sigh, slowly taking a look around the room. Just as quickly as she ate her pies, her face turned a light shade of pink, revealing her embarrassment to the room.
"Uh...sorry," she finished meekly.
Suddenly, the room erupted in applause. Glancing about, Rose wondered what exactly she had done to receive praise. All she did was eat the food really quickly. Ocean and Treble had finished their own pies in due time, and the trio left the bar, having no real reason to remain standing there. As they neared the door to the motel to grab their things, Treble and Rose were about to say goodbye to Ocean and leave her to herself, when they were stopped by the Chaos Guard.
"Yer under arrest," came a voice they had both come to familiarize with Applejack, "Under special protocol, due to yer similar connection to two other unidentified ponies who infiltrated the Ponyville Library, and being suspected of collaborating with rebel forces, Ah hereby take you into my custody, and you will be dealt with until further notice. Should ya be found guilty, you will be sentenced to death by public execution."















Earlier that day
Applejack sighed. She had been enjoying a peaceful dream, in which she and the other commanders were having a picnic, when a loud noise woke her. As it turned out, the sound was caused by her night-time stand-in, Night Owl, trying to get her up for her shift. Sliding out of bed, she opened the door, making sure her look of unhappiness didn't go unnoticed by the moonlight silver mare on the other side. Owl smiled apologetically, making her intentions known.
"I'm sorry for waking you," she said, "It's just time to go to work. Six o'clock, every morning."
"Ah know," grumbled the orange mare, "Ah just wish that Ah could catch my eight hours sometimes. These beds aren't the most comfortable pieces of furniture, after all. You are dismissed, Sergeant Owl."
Owl smiled a wide smile. Saluting quickly, she ran out the door and into the town. Applejack let a smile play across her face at the sight of the happy young mare. The energy of the newer soldiers never ceased to make her jealous, for she never got the chance to simply enjoy life. Sighing once more, she put on her armor and headed for the station. She just knew it would be a dull day. After all, nothing ever happened on Saturday. Ever.
Moving quickly into the Command Center, Applejack sat down at her large wooden desk. The special escape- and magic-proof cells sat on the other side of the room. The unique structures looked somewhat like bird cages, and the locking mechanism was located at the very top. The only way to open the cells was from the outside, and it required wings to even unlock them. Due to being part of the Earth Forces branch of the Chaos Guard, they only had two pegasi on the team, and only because it was necessary to be able to open the cells when needed. In fact, the only real member of the Earth Forces was Fluttershy, and she was a special case. Being a weak flyer had prevented her from qualifying for the Air Forces, and she preferred to keep grounded most of the time.
Reading the clock at seven thirty, Applejack moved to the kitchen the station had been supplied with. She retrieved the apples that she had picked the night before and cut them into slices. Opening the cupboard, she picked up and opened the cinnamon sugar, pouring some into a bowl. She then proceeded to dip the slices into the sugar. Taking a bite of the apple slice with cinnamon, she moaned softly. Nothing tasted better in the morning than apples and cinnamon, because the apples were juicy enough to pick up the cinnamon, and the sweet and sour flavor combined with the crunchy texture was like taking a bite of heaven. After ten minutes of savoring the taste, she washed the bowl out into the sink.
Returning to the desk, Applejack pulled out the stack of papers she had been avoiding since arriving. Most of them were requests by citizens who were concerned with the bison population. They stated that the raids caused by the ones who shared the land were unsettling and needed to be dealt with accordingly. Frowning slightly, she picked up one of the other forms. This particular one was from a bison cow named Little Strongheart. It referred to a time when the ponies and bison got along, and stated a wish to meet with Applejack, asking for provisions and medical aid. It also said that the bison would be willing to negotiate a peace agreement between the two races that would allow for shared habitation and resources. Listed in the supplies the bison herd were willing to trade were such things as turquoise, a special bean and corn soup, and even requesting to help in picking apples. Following the document was a letter, specifically addressed to Applejack. She opened the envelope, and began to read.
"Greetings Commander Applejack," the letter began, "I am Little Strongheart, current chief of the Southern Bison tribe. It has come to my attention that we have been at odds with the ponies of Appleoosa for some time now. Unfortunately, this means that my people starve and get sick due to the lack of resources available to us. I have sent this letter to ask you directly, and reinforce the attached document, figuring it will help you help us in the future. It would be great if we could be friends again, especially considering what happened all those years ago. Please respond when you have the time. With great respect, Chief Little Strongheart."
Applejack stared at the piece of paper, reading the second to last line multiple times. It confused her to no end. She didn't know Strongheart personally, did she? She couldn't remember her life before five years ago. The accident that caused her to forget most of her life was a blur. When she came to, though, Lord Discord showed concern for her well-being. He was the one to remind her that she was a member of the Guard, and gave her all the necessary resources to relearn how to fight. She knew that he couldn't have been lying, and she knew because he gave her the evidence of her graduation of the Guard boot camp. Regardless of how she came to this point, she knew she had never met Strongheart, nor had anything to do with the bison.
She took out a piece of paper and wrote down her reply. She agreed to the terms and conditions, and set up a meeting for Monday in the station. Folding the letter, she sealed it with the official Chaos Guard seal. Placing it in the mail to deliver pile, she turned back to the stack of forms. She was about to shuffle through the next batch, when the phone rang. Picking it up, she began her response.
"This is the Appleoosa relay station, Commander Applejack speaking. State yer name and business."
"I am Commander Fluttershy, Ponyville branch, Earth Forces, requesting the arrest of the ponies known as Treble Clef and Roseluck."
"And what is the reason for the arrest?"
"They are in violation of Section 342a. They are suspected of working with the rebel forces, and are to be considered threats to national security."
"Please state the grounds for suspicion. You know the rules, Flutters," Applejack warned sternly.
"Oh, sorry," Fluttershy answered with a quiet squeak, "Ahem. We have reason to believe that they are affiliated with two previously unidentified ponies who have broken into the Ponyville Library's magical research lab. This is considered an attack on a government facility and is an act of rebellion."
"Understood," Applejack finished, "Over and out."
Hanging up, she moved towards the door. She grimaced, aware that her duty came before her emotions. Execution was never something anypony wanted, least of all Applejack. Seeing the two at the motel, she made her move.















Ocean watched in silence as the Chaos Guard Commander took the nice ponies away. Sometimes she felt that life never gave her a chance to enjoy such things as friends. While she thought about all the good the two were doing, she also thought there could be no way they were connected to the rebel forces. It didn't look like they were resisting, only like they were newcomers in Equestria who didn't know what was going on. As much as she wanted to, though, she knew she could not overcome the Guard by herself, and was forced to just look on. Her opponents would be trained soldiers, while she was just an ordinary pony from a remote village in Horseshoe Bay.
However, she couldn't sit and do nothing as innocent ponies were going to be put to death for crimes they didn't commit. Deciding to do whatever she could to save them from a horrible fate, she entered the motel. Walking to the counter, she rung the bell. Soon, the receptionist approached her.
"Hello," he said, "What can I do for you?"
"Yes, hi," Ocean responded, trying to sound as authoritative as possible, "I'm here to pick up the luggage of Treble and Rose."
"Ah, yes, of course. Right this way, please." The receptionist led her to the last door to the right, and opened it. "If you need anything, just call."
Entering the room, she walked around the beds, picking up the saddlebags holding the food boxes at the two end tables. It appeared that her rescuers were packing lightly, and she couldn't blame them. Especially considering she herself never carried more than saddlebags on one of her little escapades. There was more than one time when she hadn't counted on being out as long as she had been, and her supplies had run dangerously low. Sometimes, it was hard to be a wanderer, and sometimes she found herself facing dangerous creatures. She may not have been the strongest pony, but she certainly was good at thinking on her hooves. Unfortunately, even with all her experience, the last beast caught her off guard. Now that the ponies that saved her were in trouble, and she would be damned before she let them get killed. Even if it meant that she would be considered a threat to the Empire.
Taking a deep breath, and psyching herself up, Ocean removed herself from the building and across the town. Sneaking into a back alley, she quickly made her way towards the rear entrance to the relay station and prison. Flattening herself against the wall, she put her ear to the door, in order to listen in on any conversation that was taking place. Hearing nothing, she took a cautionary glance around to make sure nopony saw her. Now confident she was all alone, she opened the old, forgotten door.
Stealthily moving behind piles of boxes filled with paperwork, she peeped out from behind the mountain of forms. Once again, seeing nothing, Ocean left the safety of the storage space. Sitting in one corner was a large wooden desk, covered with papers that probably came in on the morning mail delivery. In the other corner sat very large, and very familiar cages, containing within them the magically sedated forms of Treble and Rose. Suddenly, Ocean was hit by a flashback.



	The facility was dark, probably too dark for the young mare. Why had she been thrown in here? Why didn't her brother come find her? Where was she? These thoughts and more flashed through her mind. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself stuck in a bird cage. Looking to her left, she noticed a pegasus who was in the same predicament as her. The winged pony lifted his head to watch her try to orient herself in the prison. Then, he spoke.
"Well well well, the filly awakens. What's your name, girl."
"I-I'm Ocean Breeze. Where am I? How did I get here? Where's my brother?"
"Slow down, please. First of all, you're in the Baltimare Federal Penitentiary, which is now the Horseshoe Bay Chaos Guard Relay Station. Second, you were thrown in here while a stallion screamed your name. I assume that answers the third question."
"Wh-what? I'm in jail? I didn't do anything wrong. We just wanted to make some money! The Guard can't do that! HEY, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! I'M INNOCENT!!!"
"Hush!" the stallion warned, his voice filled with anger. It then turned gentle, "Don't worry, I'm going to get us out of here. I've been here for a while now, and I think I found a weak point in the so-called escape-proof cells. Observe."



"O-ocean, is that you?" said a voice, breaking her from her memories. Looking over, Ocean could see that it came from Treble.
"Yeah, it's me," she answered, "Hey, how are you feeling? Can you fly?"
"Ugh...yeah, I think I can do that. Why?"
"I want you to follow my directions to the letter. No questions, just do it. First, fly up to the top of the cage. Good. Now, I want you to find the locking mechanism. See it? It should look like a large bar in an unusual place. Found it yet? Alright, now turn around and give it a good, solid buck. One more time. Wonderful!"
The huge cage door swung open with a loud clang, and the locking bar broke off to fly through the air. Realizing they had to move quickly, Ocean told Treble he had to get Rose out of her cage. He complied, flying to the top of the other cell and pulling the large metal bar. The door swung open with ease.
"The noise came from the station!" yelled the voice of one of the guards.
"Hey," Ocean ordered, "Get Rose, and follow me. We're getting out of here, and fast."
Without waiting for a response, the ocean blue mare marched back to the rear entrance. Glancing behind her, she made sure the other two were following her. Once she confirmed it, she threw open the door. Ushering them out of the building, she urged them to move quickly to the waiting train. Once she stoked the engine, she set it to reverse, having prior knowledge of how to use it. It was already too late when the Chaos Guard realized that their quarry was escaping as the train disappeared into the distance.
> The Ponyville Rebels
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Ponyville relay station was the largest building in the town, covered in intersecting wires coming from all directions. It was quite clearly the central hub for communication from around Equestria. Workers and Guard members were in a constant flow in and out, and there was rarely a quiet moment. Dusty and Chase followed Fluttershy through the large doors and into a round lobby area. In the middle were several telephones that were marked for public use, while behind them were large windows with service ponies. To each side stood tall wooden doors, each leading into the rest of the command center. Moving through the doors to the right, most of the Guards dispersed to their own personal rooms for the day, leaving only Dusty, Chase and Fluttershy. They were led into the last room before the wall.
The large room was filled with lines for private orders and other things of that nature. Fluttershy stopped next to the center-most line in the room.
"Excuse me for a moment," she told the two strangers. Dialing a number, she waited for the other end to pick up. It took a minute before someone answered.
"Census Paper. State your business."
"Commander Fluttershy, Ponyville Branch, Earth Forces here. I have two unidentified ponies here. They are...shoot. Excuse me, what were your names?"
"Lightning Dust and Nightchaser," Dusty responded, a little annoyed.
"Sorry," Fluttershy apologized, "Lightning Dust and Nightchaser."
"Huh," Census said thoughtfully, "Another two unidentified ponies? We don't have them on record, either. Please fill out the proper forms."
"Of course. Right away."
The line went dead as Census hung up. Grabbing the papers, Fluttershy handed them to the two newcomers.
"Please sign the forms, and I will take care of the rest."
After filling their names in, Dusty and Chase returned the forms. Fluttershy thanked them and sent them on their way. Alone at last, she slumped down in the chair. Breathing a deep sigh, she thought about her position. Being a commander was definitely not on the list of things she would like to do, but, of course, duty came first. As the leader of the Ponyville Guard and the calmest member of the entire army, she definitely had the disposition for leadership. Or, at least, she would, if she weren't so unsure of herself. It certainly didn't help that she failed the flying course, the only pegasus to actually do so in the entire thirty-year reign of Lord Discord.
Thinking about these things was never a good idea, though. Fluttershy thought about what she was good at, interrogation. For some reason, if somepony knew something they weren't telling, her calm disposition unnerved them enough to reveal all they knew. She and Applejack made the best team, with the other commander being able to tell when somepony was lying a mile away. However, Applejack's temperament was barely suited for the grilling room, as she had a propensity for annoyance and would often overreact if things didn't go exactly according to procedure.
Slowly filling out the rest of the papers, she lost herself deeper and deeper into thought. Fluttershy thought about what life would be like after she was done with her duty. Perhaps she would move into the Everfree Forest and become a hermit, taking care of animals while avoiding all contact with ponykind. It obviously would be a lot less glamorous than being a commander, but that was something she liked about the idea. Being the center of attention was not something she wanted, and with her current position, she was tired of it. Hearing a door open, she snapped her head in the sound's direction. Standing in the doorway was a slightly older stallion, a big red male appropriately named Big Mac, Applejack's older brother.
"Ah, Mac, just the one I wanted to see," Fluttershy said, looking at him intently, "Finished with your rounds, are you?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac answered.
"Did you see anything out of the ordinary?"
"Nope."
"Well then, I think you should go home and take care of Applebloom now. She needs you, you know. First, though, can you send these to Census by Dragon Mail, please?"
"Eeyup," Mac replied in his usual one syllable style.
Fluttershy watched him leave, smiling slightly. Big Mac was always dependable. His shy demeanor fit her really well, and he was brave on top. He was also a devoted brother, always sure to keep an eye on his little sisters to make sure they didn't get into trouble, an attribute she had always admired. He was a breath of fresh air from the usual staleness that surrounded the Empire.
Getting up from her position, she left her room. If anyone wanted to reach her, they knew where to find her. Once in the hallway, she noticed a pony rushing to greet her, a look of discomfort on his face.
"Commander Fluttershy," he said breathlessly, "The prisoner is acting up again. We need your assistance."
Taking a deep breath, she nodded, following the stallion to the prison section on the other side of the station.













Outside, Dusty and Chase found themselves with nothing to do. They had already eaten, and they weren't tired. Looking between themselves, they tried to collaborate.
"Well, we're here now," said Dusty, "We need to figure out what we're going to do."
"I think that we should try to find someplace to stay," Chase said, "It wouldn't be a very good idea to just stay out all night. Besides, we could drop off our things at the hotel."
"It's settled, then. Let's find ourselves a place to stay."
The two friends began their self-guided tour of Ponyville, searching for the best place to stay. The fairly small town was easy to trek through, granted half the town worked with or for the Guard. Searching through the area, they eventually came across a small inn, the Sleeping Mare. Walking through the entrance, they were greeted by the receptionist's smiling face.
"Welcome to the Sleeping Mare," she said cheerfully, "I'm Goodnight, the owner. What can I do for you?"
"We'd like to rent a room, please," said Chase.
"A room for two. Got it. It's rare to see a couple like yourselves in a small place like this. Ponyville isn't exactly a sightseeing destination."
"Couple?" Dusty asked, "We're really just friends passing through. We'd like separate beds, if at all possible."
"Oh...well that's too bad. Sure. Here's your room key. It's room 105. Please, enjoy your stay, and don't be afraid to ask me for anything at all. Oh, before I go, I'm going to need your names."
"I'm Lightning Dust and this is Nightchaser."
"There we go. All set! Once again, enjoy your stay."
Turning around, Goodnight left the two alone again. Sharing a glance, they laughed before moving towards their room. It was located at the end of the hall, just before the stairs. Entering, they found themselves in a mid-size room with two beds in close proximity. Placing their gear down, the companions sat on the beds. The soft, plush material felt great on their coats.
"Hey, Dusty?" Chase asked, "Do you feel like explorin' a little more? I have a feelin' that there is somethin' we didn't notice here."
"You too, huh?" Dusty answered, "It felt like there was something in the lobby we didn't see, like a tingling sensation, right?"
"Yeah. Come on, I think I might know what it is."
Leaving their room, the two of them quickly returned to the foyer. The strange sensation they felt earlier was still there. However, as they looked about themselves, they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Staring intently at the wall next to the counter, Chase began to see the faint outline of a doorway right where the wall should have been. Moving slowly, not taking his eyes off the opening, he tentatively reached out a hoof. Reaching forward, he watched as his hoof went through the wall and into a secret passageway. Dusty watched the whole thing, not quite believing her eyes as Chase disappeared from sight. Following right behind him, she took one more cursory look behind her before taking the plunge.
The passage was well lit. It was clear that the entrance was not meant to be found by anyone who may have glanced in. At the end of the hall, stairs descended downwards and into a large open space filled with ponies. They were sitting around tables, chatting and feasting merrily, while lively ragtime music played in the background, contrasting the depressing world outside. The two newcomers scanned the room, awe written on their faces. If there was one thing they weren't expecting, it was for there to be such a large group in the town.
"Cool, ain't it," came a voice behind them. They turned around to find themselves facing Goodnight. "Not many know how to find this place. Welcome to the rebel hideout! Since you aren't Chaos Guards, you're welcome to share in all we have."
"Wow," said Dusty, her voice filled with wonder, "This place is huge! How'd you do all this? Wouldn't the Guard find out?"
"We are very careful. Thanks to some unicorns, soundproofing spells, and a barrier that can't be detected by anything affected by chaos magic, we were able to excavate without any outsiders knowing anything. Quite ingenious, you might say." The three ponies moved to a table. Goodnight ordered them a round of drinks, which were quickly delivered. "Now, you said you were passing through. Would you mind telling me about it? I'd love to hear it."
Looking between each other, Dusty and Chase mentally agreed to tell the hostess about their mission. After all, it didn't hurt to have a little bit of outside help, considering they didn't know where they were going.
"Okay," Chase agreed, "We're travelin' to find the locations of all the commanders. We're tryin' to fight Discord, and it's probably good to know just how far his influence reaches."
"Well, now. What a coincidence that you found just the right ponies to help you out with that. Our bases are everywhere, and we have informants in all major Chaos Guard controlled cities. I'm sure you'd like to know just where the next commander is, am I right?" The two travelers nodded. "The closest city run by one of the leaders is Cloudsdale, where Rainbow Dash runs the Chaos Armory for all Air Force division troops. However, Nightchaser, you might have trouble moving around up there."
"I think I may know the answer," Dusty said suddenly, causing the two others at the table to jump, "If I remember correctly, the library has a book with a spell that allows for non-pegasi to walk on clouds. That's what we need. One of us is going to have to break in and steal that book."
"I'll do it," Chase said, "Let's face it, Dusty, you'd be too noticeable, while I can teleport. I can sneak in, find the book, and leave without being noticed."
"Alright, then," Goodnight said with finality, "It sounds like you're all set. Be careful, though. I've heard that the Guard watches that place very closely. I wouldn't be surprised if it has a magical perimeter alarm."
Chase stood up, ready for his mission. After thanking Goodnight, he started to leave. Dusty, however, stopped him before he got too far.
"Chase," she said, "Don't get caught, okay? I don't think I could go on this adventure alone. Besides, Treble and Rose expect us to come back together. We can't let them down."
"Of course," Chase replied with a wink, "I'll be back before you know it."
With those last words, he left the two mares alone, making his way through the passage and out the hotel doors. Taking a deep breath, he turned in the direction of the library, which he and Dusty passed on the way. Moving down the street, trying to act like he knew where he was going, Chase approached the big building. The brick walls looked imposing, the red color dulled due to the dark night. In the shadows of the walls, Chase felt rather insignificant. Glancing towards the large doors, he noticed a Guard standing at the ready, ushering passing ponies along. The fact that what looked to be a public library was closed off was rather strange. It was as if it held some secret the government didn't want to be leaked.
Through the windows, Chase could see rows upon rows of shelved books. Steeling himself, he readied the teleportation spell. With a bright flash, he found himself within the library. Peering about, he concluded he was quite alone. Walking along the shelves, he read the spines of the books. There were tomes of everything, from dangerous beasts to advanced spells. Carefully examining each one, he came upon a small book with the title Terrain Spells. Picking the book up, he opened to the table of contents. Reading through them, he eventually came upon his quarry. Reading carefully, he studied how the spell worked. Once he was done, he placed it in his saddlebags, which he had carried into the rebel's hideout.
While his initial quest was finished, Chase thought it better to search the library more. Returning the way he came, he picked up several books along the way, mostly the ones dealing with combat magic. It seemed like a good idea to learn how to fight better, should he need to. Moving towards the back, he kept up his activities. Along the back walls were many new-looking books. Some of them had never been touched. However, one single book stood out. It was well worn, as though the owner had a soft spot for it. Enveloping it in his magic, Chase attempted to lift it from its position. The book refused leave the shelf, staying stubbornly in place. Suddenly, he had an idea. Still using his magic, he tried pushing it deeper into place.
An audible click sounded through the room, causing the unicorn to flinch. After a loud grinding sound, a bookcase shifted from its location, sliding to the side, revealing a long staircase leading down into darkness. Nearing the opening, Chase peered downwards into the abyss. As soon as he looked down, the torches that lined the walls lit up. Taking cautious steps, he began his decent. Eventually, he reached the bottom. Laid out in front of him was a large pillar of wood, looking for all the world like the trunk of a tree. Surrounding the column were scientific instruments of all kinds. The room was large enough to fit equipment he had never seen before. Strewn about the floor were notes on experimental magic enhancers, no doubt made for the Chaos Guards.
Backing slowly up, he bumped into something soft. Turning around, he had to turn his gaze upwards, only to find a red stallion standing right in front of him. Without warning, the stallion lashed out, slamming his large hoof into Chase's face, causing him to black out.













Commander Fluttershy slowly entered the prison section, ready for anything. On the far side, she could hear the smug sound of the rebel stallion they had captured a few days ago. Shivering a little, she moved towards the sounds. Outside the cage stood her subordinate, Gleaming Shield, who wore a nervous expression on her face. Gleaming had been a student of Commander Twilight's brother, General Shining Armor, the head of the Chaos Guard and Discord's personal military second in command. She had been a great asset to the military, having captured thirty rebels, including three of their leaders. Inside the cage opposite the mare was one of those leaders, a stallion by the name Cold Shoulder. He was currently harassing the poor girl, smiling slightly all the while.
"Ah, Commander," he said, "Just the mare I wanted to see. By the way, Lieutenant Commander Gleaming Shield, why don't you just run along and let the two adults talk things out."
Gleaming turned to leave, relief flooding her expression. Brushing past the commander, she made her way straight towards the doors at the end of the hall. Fluttershy stared after her before turning to Cold.
"I wish you wouldn't torment the young ones," she stated flatly, "It's not befitting a stallion of your standing. If you don't mind, that is."
"Sometimes, I wonder if you're too soft, Commander. We are, after all, enemies. That one day was enough to change my views of the world. You know, I was only captured because I let myself be caught."
"You made me aware several times already. Also, I believe that all ponies, whether they be criminals such as yourself, or keepers of peace like Gleaming Shield, have the right to have somepony be kind to them. So, why did you wish to see me?"
"I just wanted to see you, that's all. Oh, and to tell you that tomorrow, I'm getting out of here. I've learned all I wanted to, and now it's time to go."
"You're escaping? And you're telling me, why?"
"Because you've been so kind to me. That, and I know you won't be able to stop me."
"We'll see about that. Anyhow, I've wasted enough time here. Excuse me, but I'm going to bed."
When all was said and done, Fluttershy left the stallion all alone. Once outside, she breathed a large sigh of relief. Ordering extra guards to be posted, she stepped out into the cold nighttime air. Moving quickly towards her cottage, she couldn't help but think back on what the rebel leader had to say. He sounded like he was serious about escaping. However, with her troop's diligence, there was no way he could leave without her knowing.
Chancing a look at the library, she witnessed Big Mac entering the building. While she wanted to know what he was doing, she was way too tired to do so. Deciding it could wait until the morning, she continued on her way. Once she reached her house on the edge of town, she went inside. There to greet her was a small white rabbit. He was lying on the floor, fast asleep. The creature, named Angel Bunny III, was one of her pets, named after her original rabbit. Smiling sweetly, she scooped up the small animal and made her way up the stairs to her room. Laying him down gently on his little bed in the corner, she thought back on times passed.
Fluttershy thought about the first Angel, and what happened when she came back that first day, five years ago. He was laying in the corner, old and grey, having lived way longer than any little bunny should have. He slowly stood, making his way shakily over to her. He hugged her hoof tightly, and died right there. Her heart was struck with a sadness that enveloped her entire being. Sniffling, she turned away and climbed into bed. Slowly and quietly, she cried herself to sleep.













It had been several hours since Chase had left for his mission. The whole while, Dusty paced away, practically drilling a hole in the floor. What was taking so long, she wondered worriedly. It was bad enough she knew he went on a dangerous outing, but for her to hear nothing was disconcerting.
"Calm down," Goodnight said, "He's fine."
"You want me to calm down?" the athlete asked, "For all I know, he could be dead! I told him to be safe, and he must not have listened."
"I'm highly doubtful that he died. If anything, he was captured, where he'll stay until the commander arrives."
"How can you be so calm!" Dusty exclaimed, frustrated at the other mare, "Even if that's true, won't he be killed for rebelling in the morning, once they get the information they are after? I don't want anything to happen to him. He's my responsibility, you know."
"I can be calm," Goodnight said serenely, "Because we're going to rescue him tomorrow. You see, one of our leaders is also in prison. We planned several weeks ago for him to be captured, so that he can have surveillance on the activities of the Chaos Guard. The operation begins at eight sharp, and will be quick. It's just an in-and-out extraction. There should be no casualties on either side, and we can use the cover to escape. How would you like to become an official part of our rebellion and save your friend?"
"I would absolutely love to help out," Dusty agreed, "It will help us in our own fight against Discord."
"All right, here's the plan..."













Fluttershy's eyes fluttered opened, the bright light of day streaming through the window. Looking to the side, she read the clock. Seven o'clock. Realizing she had to move quickly, she ran down the stairs. Within minutes, she had made her breakfast of Honey Clusters with Oats. Eating as though her life depended on it, she choked halfway through. Grabbing a glass of water, she washed down the offending lump, and resumed shoving her food into her mouth. Once she was done, she offhoofedly made Angel III his breakfast, apologizing to the small white rabbit, who thudded his large hind foot on the ground. Once more saying sorry, she threw on her uniform, and galloped into town.
Panting hard, she made her way into her office, where she slumped down hard into her chair. Mulling over the mad dash, she suddenly thought of many things she had forgotten to do. Glancing at the time pasted in large digital numbers on the console in front of her, she saw that it was now seven thirty. Luckily, she had made great time, considering how far away her cottage was from the station. Normally, she would have gotten up faithfully at six, but the return of the sad memories the night before had taken their toll on her stamina. While her shift was supposed to begin at seven, she was allowed a certain amount of leeway in the time she could arrive at work, given her position. She had just barely made it in time. A knock sounded from the door, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Please, come in," she said, "It's open."
The door swung open, revealing Big Mac on the other side. Walking inside, he sat down across the desk.
"What do you have to report from your library visit last night," she asked, assuming that was the reason he was there.
"Somepony broke into the Library," he said simply.
"What did they do there?"
"They found it."
The news shocked Fluttershy. In the five years she had memory of, no one had ever broken into the library. That wasn't the surprising part. The astonishing thing was that they had found the laboratory. She would have to contact Twilight immediately.
"Who was it?" she asked, curious to find out.
"The new stallion," came the reply.
With all the information she had obtained, she dismissed the red stallion. She would have to deal with the threat as soon as she had finished her contact with Arch-mage Twilight.













Eight o'clock came charging in like a bull. Nightchaser's eyes snapped open, and he found himself in a prison cell. Looking around, he saw an ice blue unicorn stallion lying in one of the cages next to him. Suddenly, he felt a massive headache. Glancing upwards, he noticed a huge welt surrounding his horn. The events of the previous night rushed back, and he remembered being knocked out by a massive red stallion. Figuring that the assailant was a Chaos Guard, and that he seemed to be in a round prison, he realized that he had to be in the Ponyville relay station.
"So, you're finally awake," came a voice that must have come from the stallion in the adjacent cage, "You know, you're lucky. I overheard the guards talking about somepony breaking into the library. The only reason you are alive is so that they can figure out why you were there. It's an act of rebellion, after all, though I'm not completely certain why."
"You knew?" Chase said, surprised, "Hey, why are you in here?"
"Oh, I'm one of the rebellion's leaders. The name's Cold Shoulder. Today is your lucky day, my friend! I'm waiting to be released from imprisonment as we speak. I'll make sure you are also taken care of. Shhhh, here comes the Commander, right on schedule."
Looking towards the door at the end of the circular hallway, Chase watched as Commander Fluttershy entered the space. Marching straight up to his cage, she sat down, a hard look set on her face.
"Nightchaser," she said, her voice cold as ice, "I just received a report from one of my subordinates that you were caught in the Ponyville Library. You are being charged with breaking and entering a restricted building. Not only that, but you also trespassed on a top secret military research area. Now, I would like you to tell me why you decided to commit these crimes."
Chase found himself unable to speak, the mare's piercing gaze paralyzing him, the cold, quiet, calculating tone of her voice only causing him to shrink more and more towards the back of the cage. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words would spring forth. Cold watched with amusement at the display in front of him. As it was apparent that the dark blue unicorn would be unable to give his reasons, he spoke in his place.
"If I were to guess, he is part of the rebel troops, although I've never seen him before. It's obvious that your infamous stare has rendered him mute."
"Thank you for your input, Cold," Fluttershy responded frigidly, "Although I don't remember asking for you to speak. However, you seem to be right in one aspect. He is clearly in no position to answer to anypony, least of all me. Very well, I'll continue this later. Mark my words, though, I will find my answers, one way or another."
Taking her leave, the commander moved off. Finding his voice again, Chase turned to the rebel leader, "What was that? What happened to me?"
"That was her stare," Cold said, "It apparently is supposed to instill fear and unease. I've heard she only uses it when she's serious about something. You must have found something extremely dangerous to national security in that library."
"She said it was a restricted area. It's a public library, right?"
"It used to be. Five years ago, it became some sort of base of operations, and now the only way to enter is by the permission of the Guard. Basically, you need to either be somepony important, or a member of the Guard. That's all I know about it, really."
Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the building. The sound came from the Guard quarters. Glancing around in a panic, Chase began to wonder what went wrong. Cold Shoulder, however, just remained calm, smiling widely. A smaller explosion, barely loud enough to echo through the prison, blasted a hole in the large wall. Through the opening came a pegasus mare. Fixing his gaze, Chase let out a happy gasp, glad to see a familiar face.
"I thought I told you not to get caught," Dusty scolded, a smile belying her tone, "We're here to get you out of here."
Flying up to the large bolt holding the cage closed, she released it, causing the door to swing open. Once she opened Cold's cell, she landed by the opening. Out of nowhere, Chase tackled her in a large bear hug. Without skipping a beat, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. Needless to say, she was taken aback by the unexpected kiss.
"You don't know how happy I am to see you!"
Blushing furiously, Dusty stammered, "Y-yeah. It-it was nothing. C-come on, let's just get out of here."
Smiling giddily, Chase followed the embarrassed mare and the rebel stallion out of the prison. Once outside, they were greeted by a small group of ponies from the rebel base. Silently, the crew made a swift escape, but not in the direction of Goodnight's hotel. Instead, they made their way to the Whitetail Woods. Now fully recovered from her shocking experience, Dusty returned to Chase's side. Only when Ponyville was lost from sight did the group begin to slow down.
"Well, so much for the books I gathered," said Chase, disappointment clear in his voice, "And I worked so hard to get them, too."
"You mean these books?" Dusty said smugly, pointing to the second saddlebag strapped to her back, "You were too busy glomping me to notice, weren't you."
Smiling sheepishly, Chase answered, "Yeah. Thanks again. You're a real friend."
"Well, now," came a female voice, "If it isn't the two not-lovebirds." Striding up to the pair was Goodnight, who had a huge grin on her face, "I thought you were 'just friends'. Nudge nudge, wink wink."
"That was spur of the moment," Dusty replied a little too quickly, "He was just happy to see me. It didn't mean anything."
"Yeah, yeah, I've used that before. What do you say, Nightchaser?"
"First of all, you can call me Chase. Second...uh, yeah...what she said," Chase responded, a faint look of disappointment present on his face.
"We're here," called Cold, "Welcome to our headquarters. Please, watch your step, it's a small opening."
One by one, the group filed into a hole in the side of a cliff and down a long hallway.













Fluttershy stared at the small hole and the opened cages. She had been bested. While her guards were busy putting out the fire from the large explosion, the prisoners had escaped. Gritting her teeth, she let out a quiet scream of frustration. After all the work her subordinates had put into the rounding up of these rebels, only for them to slip away, unnoticed was infuriating. Kicking herself mentally, she returned to her office to write up her unfortunate report. She knew failure was punished, and she had to be prepared for the consequences.
> Life in the Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The train sat quietly on the tracks, on the outskirts of the encroaching Everfree Forest. Treble, Rose and Ocean sat around the warm coals still in the furnace, eating their lunch. The food consisted of the dried snacks Cherry had given Treble and Rose, while Ocean supplied berries from bushes on the outskirts of the dark forest. The calm atmosphere relaxed the trio as they enjoyed each others company.
"Hey, Ocean," Treble began, "You've been around, right?"
"Yeah," the mare replied, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, Rose and I only just arrived here. Things are definitely different here than they should be. I was wondering if you could tell us about what has happened since Discord took over."
"I only know so much. Sure, you pick up a few things here and there, but not everything. I wish I could help you more."
"That's okay," Rose said kindly, "Why don't you tell us about your experiences. Every little bit counts."
"Sure. I was born twenty five years ago, in a small village called Fisherton, on Horseshoe Bay, opposite Baltimare. I was ten years old when the Guard arrived…"













Meanwhile
The group of rebels made their way down into the dark passageway. After moving down some stairs, they eventually came to a large wooden door. Standing guard was a brown stallion wearing a green tie.
"Well, if it isn't Cold Shoulder," the stallion said, a cheerful grin displayed on his face, "I was wondering when you'd be back. Oh, I see you brought some friends, too."
"Time Turner," Cold replied, sharing in the warm smile, "Been a while. You know, no matter how many times I see you, you never seem to change. How's Derpy? I hope she's well."
"Never better. We can talk more inside."
Turner opened the door, revealing a wide open space with monitors in the center. The atmosphere was akin to the tavern beneath Goodnight's hotel, as it was very jovial. The mare in question had left the group not long before, remarking that she only wanted to make sure the band was safe, as it would have been suspicious had she been gone for too long. Turner and Cold stood to the side, catching each other up on the various goings-on. From out of nowhere, a bright pink pony popped out from a chair in front of one of the monitors.
"Hey," she shouts, bouncing over to the two new arrivals, "I've never seen you before. That means you're new! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! How silly of me, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Pinkie Pie. What's yours?"
Nightchaser was the first to answer, "I'm Nightchaser, or Chase, if you prefer,"
"I'm Lightning Dust," Dusty replied, taking a step back, "Um...aren't you one of the commanders?"
"Oh, that," the bubbly pink mare said back, eyes shifting back and forth, as though making sure no one was listening, "That's my cover. Shhh, it's a secret. Don't tell Discord! Just because my friends are evil doesn't mean I am, you know. Hey, how 'bout I play you the welcome song! Here's your complementary cupcakes and apple cider!"
Out of nowhere, the crazy pony pulled out two cupcakes, freshly baked, and two mugs of cider, still warm from an invisible stove top. Dumbfounded, the two others grabbed their treats, sharing a glance.
Pinkie gasped loudly, and began to sing a loud song, accompanied by a strange machine that had trumpets sticking out, "Welcome welcome welcome~, a fine welcome to you~! Welcome welcome welcome~, I say 'how do you do?'~! Welcome welcome welcome~, I say 'hip-hip hooray'~! Welcome welcome welcome~, to our base today~! Wait for it...." out of an oven on the machine shot a blast of confetti, comically covering the surprised ponies, as well as the rest of the room behind them.
"Alright, Pinkie," Cold Shoulder said, putting a hoof on her shoulder, "That's quite enough of that. Don't you have something to report?"
"I almost forgot! Silly me. Yeah, to the south, two ponies were captured by Commander Applejack. Their names were Treble Clef and Roseluck."
Chase and Dusty shared a look of horror. Hopefully, they were okay. There was nothing either of them could do at the moment, and by the time they reached Appleoosa, they would probably be dead.
"However, a pony by the name of Ocean Breeze rescued them, and they escaped on one of the old trains. All in all, a victory for the Rebels. Poor AJ, though, Lord Discord isn't the type to take failure lightly. Welp, that's about all I can say. Oh my gosh! Look at the time," Pinkie looked at the non-existent watch on her fetlock, "I've gotta run! I'm expected in Las Pegasus to run a troop rally! Seeya!"
With that, the odd mare left, choosing to simply disintegrate into nothingness. After a few minutes of stunned silence, Chase and Dusty turned to Cold, who was standing there with a wide grin on his face.
"Don't let her get to you," he said, "That's just Pinkie being Pinkie. For her, it's normal to coalesce into and dissipate out of existence sometimes."
"Wait a second," Dusty exclaimed, "What was one of the commanders doing in the rebel base! I thought they were the enemy!"
"Calm down, Miss Dust, we're not bedfellows with that group of murderers. Pinkie Pie is undercover as one of the Chaos Guard. She boosts their morale, as well as ours, while giving us all the information on Discord's agenda. The Incident affected every one of her friends except for her."
"The Incident?" Chase said questioningly, "That's the second time I've heard about that."
"What do you mean, second time? Everypony knows about the Incident."
"Well, we just arrived in Equestria. Give us a break."
"Then where did you hear about it?"
"By a mare called Tangerine Delight, just before coming to Ponyville. She said she moved out into the Diamond Valley just afterwards."
Cold was visibly shaken up. Looking pleadingly at Chase, he asked a simple question, "Is she all right?"
"Is who all right?"
"Tangie! My wife! Is she okay?!?"
Chase moved forward slowly, helping Cold regain his balance. "She's your wife? You mean, you're that Cold?" said Chase, his voice slowly becoming louder, "You know, she's worried about you! What happened to you after being enslaved? Why haven't you contacted her? And what is this Incident? You had better tell us everything!"
"Yes, very well," Cold said, "Five years ago…"













15 years ago, Fisherton
(Ocean)
The bright sky shone over the small, peaceful town of Fisherton. The town, being located in a remote area of Equestria, was closed off from the rest of the world by Horseshoe Bay on one side and the Hayseed Swamps on the other. The fishing village was quiet. Too quiet for the ocean blue filly's liking. It was times like this that made the girl wish for something interesting to happen. Ocean Breeze sat on the small dock overlooking the sea, watching the little fish swim by lazily as the fishing boat in the distance caught it's payload. While unusual for ponies to eat fish, the town had no other real way of surviving, as the swamps to the west were too thick to provide anything of sustenance, and the ground lacked the necessary nutrients needed for farming.
The sea had always fascinated Ocean, with its ability to support a huge variety of fish and other animals. She knew everything about the subject, as displayed by her oceanology cutie mark. Quietly, a dark form snuck closer and closer to the unsuspecting filly. Suddenly, the form reached out and began tickling poor Ocean. Laughing hysterically, she didn't notice she was getting dangerously close to the edge. With a tremendous splash, she landed hard in the water. Unfortunately, preoccupied with her laughter, she took in a mouthful of salty seawater. Coughing and spluttering, she thrashed about, trying to orient herself in the water, and failing. Thinking quickly, the form grabbed a flotation device and threw it, catching the struggling filly and helping her regain her composure.
"*Cough cough* Stormy!" shouted Ocean to her brother, a dark blue stallion with a storm cloud grey mane, "You meanie! How could you?"
"Calm down, Ocean," replied Stormy Waters, "It was all in good fun. Heh heh, except that last part. You're all right, though, aren't you? Suck it up!"
"How would you like it if I tickled you into the water, and you almost drowned!"
"Oh, so you want to see if you can get the drop on me, huh?"
"Yeah, I do!" Ocean retorted, sticking out her tongue.
Stormy shook his head as he dragged his little sister back to shore. As soon as she was on dry land, she tackled him, returning the tickles tenfold. Eventually she stopped, and helped him stand. Panting, the two siblings grinned.
"Come on, Mom's waiting for us," said Stormy, ushering Ocean towards the rest of the village.
Walking up to a small thatched-roof cottage, he opened the door. Out of the house came the sweet aroma of seaweed and the oily smell of cooking fish. Breathing in the wonderful fumes, the pair entered, finding a small wooden table all set with food and drinks. From the kitchen came their mother, Summer Sun, a mare the color of a sunny summer day.
"Oh, Ocean!" she exclaimed, "You're soaking wet! Come, let's get you dried off before you eat."
Taking her daughter into the laundry room, Summer grabbed a towel and began rubbing Ocean dry. Once she was certain she was dry, the caring mother led her daughter back into the room. Sitting down at the table, the mother and children began eating the delicious food. After finishing, they all breathed a happy sigh. Nothing could ruin the perfect day. Or so they thought. Without warning, there was a huge explosion from the bay. Scrambling, the family rushed outside to see what was happening. Out of the sky came a pegasus stallion, his dark purple and gold armor glistening in the sunlight.
"I am Commander Typhoon of the Chaos Guard," he stated loudly, "By the decree of Lord Discord, you are to be charged ten thousand bits per adult and five thousand per child! If you cannot pay, then you are to be executed on the spot for high treason!"
"We don't have any money," cried a stallion, "Why choose now to arrive?"
"Silence!" roared the commander, "Since you cannot pay, then you are all hereby labeled rebels, and your town is to be razed to the ground!" Rising into the sky, Typhoon turned towards his men, "Open fire! Leave nothing standing!"
On his orders, the rest of the squad began to release explosives, raining them upon the villagers.
"Listen carefully, you two," Summer said, turning to face her children, her voice hollow and her eyes filled with tears, "Run. Run as far away as you can, and don't look back. Can you promise me that?" The two of them nodded sadly. "All right, the-aaaah!"
Behind the mare, a bomb exploded, fatally crippling her and singeing off her tail. Ocean and Stormy watched the whole thing fearfully. Stormy turned around. Ocean, however, ran to her mother.
"Go, little one," Summer said, her voice failing her, "As long as you can get away, I can rest easy. Remember, I'll always be with you. No matter what. As long as the sun still burns, I'll be with you."
With those last words, the mare died, a smile creasing her mouth. Ocean began to cry. Quickly, her brother herded her away from their mother's lifeless body.
"Come on, Ocean," he said, "Mom wanted us to go. Come on."
Taking one last longing look towards the now burning village, the pair plunged into the swamplands, never to return home again.













5 Years Ago, Ponyville, Day of the Incident
(Cold Shoulder)
It was late afternoon in Ponyville. The Guard building was still a bustling center of activity. The townsponies were trotting to and fro. Throughout the day, the patrols wandered the streets, making sure there was no rebel activity. Near the town hall stood the Ponyville Police Station, a small building that housed those that broke the law but weren't important enough for the Guard to care about. Running the station, the police chief, who was also the only police pony in Ponyville, Sheriff Cold Shoulder made sure that they spent the necessary amount of time right where they belonged, in prison. However, he was about to close up for the night. Exiting and locking the door, he made his way back to his home near the Carousel Boutique. Arriving at his destination, he entered.
"Tangie!" he shouted, "I'm home!"
"Cold, dear," came Tangerine's voice, "Come in, I made dinner."
Trotting into the dining room, Cold looked at the small dinner. It consisted of bread, a salad, and some cheese.
"Looks lovely," he commented, "How was your day?"
"Fine. I did some cleaning and made dinner. That's pretty much my day. How about yours?"
"Boring. The Guard takes most of the inmates that I make the effort to catch. Hopefully my job request is granted, because then we can finally make enough money to raise our family."
Both Cold and his wife settled down to eat their meals, all the while making small talk. When they had finished, they went into the living room to read. Making themselves comfortable, the couple began to enjoy their books. Out of nowhere, a huge vibration could be felt, running through the two unicorn's horns. It had the characteristic tingle of chaos magic. Scrambling, Cold ran to one of their windows overlooking the old Boutique. What he saw amazed him. Where once stood a building now lay a pile of rubble. Visible within the dust was a shimmering portal surrounded by unconscious ponies that weren't there before.
Racing out the door, Cold noticed something that made his blood run cold. There, standing before the ruins, stood the King of Chaos himself. Lord Discord's commanding presence caused the sheriff to become paralyzed. Laughing insanely, the Mad King began striding towards one of the concussed ponies, a lavendar mare with a dark purple mane with a light purple and pink stripe down the middle. As soon as it had begun, the Lord had ceased his laughter, instead opting to stroke the mare's mane. The pony opened her eyes, staring into the face of the ruler of Equestria.
"Where am I?" asked the mare, "Who are you?"
"My dear Twilight Sparkle," Discord began, "You're in Ponyville. C'mon, don't you remember your old master? Oh dear, oh dear, it seems you have lost your memories. Not to worry, my dear, I'll take care of you. Why don't you be a good girl, and go wait in the chariot for me. Thank you."
The mare, whose name was apparently Twilight, nodded her head. Looking around, she spied a golden chariot in the shape of Discord's head. Curiously, she moved towards it. Once inside, she sat down, seemingly wondering about what had happened to her. Meanwhile, Discord moved methodically around, one by one waking unconscious ponies, whose memories had been erased by the large explosion of chaos magic, and convincing them to take his side. As he did this, the portal that had spat them all up kept churning out ponies, who were systematically taken by the Chaos Guard and thrown into their custody. After the last pony arrived, the portal closed, collapsing in on itself.
After all was finished, Discord made an announcement, his voice amplified by his magic, "These select few, these elite soldiers of the Chaos Guard, were, are, and always will be your leaders. Now, sleep. Sleep, and their existence shall be etched into your memories."
As he heard it, Cold suddenly felt very tired. He returned to his home, and, as if in a trance, went upstairs, got into bed, and went to sleep.













10 Years Ago, Baltimare
(Ocean Breeze)
Five years had passed since the destruction of Fisherton. Since that day, Ocean Breeze and Stormy Waters had survived within the depths of the Hayseed Swamps, hiding from the Chaos Guard and avoiding the rest of the Empire. However, the swamplands were gradually intruded upon, flushing the two fugitives out and into the grimy streets and back alleys of Baltimare, where those that were unable to pay the high price of living were exiled to. Since arriving, the siblings had been forced to live off the leftovers of the Guard and the remaining citizens, scrounging for scraps and small change. Sometimes, those ponies with enough money to still be called nobles, came into these dirty areas simply to look upon the squalor the poor ponies had to live in.
Today, however, was different. One of the residents had found a box full of jewelery that had been tossed for some reason into one of the alley dumpsters. In a rare moment of generosity, he had distributed some of the pricey artifacts to the others in his street, still keeping most of the quarry to himself. Ocean and Stormy both received a small bit of this fortune, as luck would have it, and had decided on selling it to a local jewelery store for a rather substantial sum. The bell above the door tinkled their arrival. The cashier looked up from her newspaper and walked up to the counter.
"Excuse me," Stormy began, "We'd like to sell some jewelery."
"Okay, please place it on the counter, if you would," she said.
Reaching up, Stormy placed his and Ocean's valuables on the counter. Slowly pulling his hoof away, the siblings waited while the jeweler looked over the items. As they watched, the cashier's face went from a smile to a pensive frown. Looking between the relatives and the precious objects, her frown increased. Glancing between each other, the brother and sister silently agreed to back out of the store. Halfway to the door, Ocean bumped into something solid. Peering cautiously backwards, she saw the large, dark form of a Chaos Guard.
"Where are you two off to in such a hurry?" said the soldier.
"We were just...um...," Ocean said hesitantly, "We're...uh...late for something."
"They brought these in," the mare behind the counter spoke up, "I found something interesting."
Walking up to the counter, the Guard pony leaned over, while the mare whispered something in his ear. Turning slowly, the stallion faced the pair.
"I'd like you two to come with me, please," he said, glaring at them, paralyzing them, "There's something we need to talk about back at the station."
Ocean and Stormy shared one last look before the Chaos Guard member dragged the two of them away.



The facility was dark, probably too dark for the young mare. Why had she been thrown in here? Why didn't her brother come find her? Where was she? These thoughts and more flashed through her mind. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself stuck in a bird cage. Looking to her left, she noticed a pegasus who was in the same predicament as her. The winged pony lifted his head to watch her try to orient herself in the prison. Then, he spoke.
"Well well well, the filly awakens. What's your name, girl."
"I-I'm Ocean Breeze. Where am I? How did I get here? Where's my brother?"
"Slow down, please. First of all, you're in the Baltimare Federal Penitentiary, which is now the Horseshoe Bay Chaos Guard Relay Station. Second, you were thrown in here while a stallion screamed your name. I assume that answers the third question."
"Wh-what? I'm in jail? I didn't do anything wrong. We just wanted to make some money! The Guard can't do that! HEY, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! I'M INNOCENT!!!"
"Hush!" the stallion warned, his voice filled with anger. It then turned gentle, "Don't worry, I'm going to get us out of here. I've been here for a while now, and I think I found a weak point in the so-called escape-proof cells. Observe."
Flying upwards, he positioned himself near the locking mechanism. Turning around, he slammed his hind hooves hard into the door of the cage. With a loud noise, the bar holding the prison cell closed snapped, burying itself into the opposite wall. Moving quickly, the stallion rushed over to Ocean's cage and opened the door.
"Quietly now, the guards are surely on their way," the mysterious stallion whispered, ushering the mare through the entrance, "Once we make it outside, let's make a run for it. Whatever you do, don't stop or look back until you escape the city. Understand?"
Nodding, she followed him down the narrow hallway. Turning the corner, they spotted their exit. However, just as they thought they were home free, a Chaos Guard leaped in front of the double doors.
"Halt!" shouted the Guard, "Or I will be forced to kill you!"
"Ocean, remember what I told you!" the mystery stallion called out, "Don't look back, and don't stop! I'll hold him here!"
Ocean bobbed her head in acknowledgement. She watched as he tackled the Guard, pinning him down. She took that moment to break through the doors, and took off at full speed down the street. Following the stallion's instructions, not once did she look behind her. Charging forward, she eventually made it to the city limits. Only when she was certain she was out of sight of the city did she stop. After catching her breath, she wandered farther and farther away from Baltimare, tired, sad, and, for the first time in her life, truly alone.













3 Years Ago, Canterlot
(Cold Shoulder)
Cold Shoulder had been promoted shortly after the Incident. He was noted as "doing a great service" on that day. He, however, had some reservations about what exactly he did. Nevertheless, he and his wife were elated. He had been asked to become a personal guard to Lord Discord himself. So, after moving to Diamond Valley to get away from Ponyville, packing up and leaving his wife behind, Cold went to train himself. Two years later, he found himself standing guard within Canterlot Castle. Standing in the warped hallway was definitely a strange sensation, but he eventually got used to it.
Today had started out so well. Now, he was looking at having his rank stripped and at risk of being thrown into the Crystal Caverns to dig his way into the fabled lost city of wonders, the Crystal Empire. He thought back on what had transpired to make his future seem so bleak.



It was dark when he awoke. Of course it was dark. Lord Discord relied on the Chaos Guards to cause his havoc around Equestria. However, here within Canterlot, he had made a bubble of chaos magic that warped reality to suit his needs. This caused the cycle of day and night to act erratically, and this caused Cold some discomfort and confusion. Eventually, though, he got used to it, and now it really didn't bother him at all.
Sliding out of bed, he glanced at his clock, reading seven o'clock in the morning. Giving a sigh, he gathered his armor and put it on. The red and gold Discord Guard armor fit snugly, but not uncomfortably, around his barrel. On his head, the helm, which held the Crest of Chaos above the head, fitted like a glove. His boots, which had elaborate designs on the soles, clopped loudly upon the marble floor as he made his way to the breakfast room. Inside, his colleague, Rock Solid was making his coffee, smiling smugly to himself.
"Hey, Rock," Cold called out as he began getting his meal together, "What's so great?"
"It's nothing," Rock replied, "Just thinking about something. So, how is your wife and foal?"
"I...don't know. I...haven't heard from them in a while. I've never even seen my daughter. I hear she's adorable, though. You have a family, right? Hear from them often?"
"Yeah. Just yesterday, my son sent me a picture of his old man in Discord's Guard. Like to see?" Rock Solid pulled out a crude drawing of him in his armor, heroically blocking dragonfire with the shield he didn't really have, saving Discord from being severely injured.
"He does know we're just for show right?" Cold said sarcastically, "Lord Discord is strong enough to protect himself. Besides, the only reason we're here at all is because we wanted the prestige that comes with it. I just wanted the honor of being his direct subordinate without having to go through the system and become like General Shining."
"Heh. True enough. Oh, look at the time. We're off to stand for four hours before lunch. Come on."



Four hours later, and Cold's hooves hurt from standing. Unfortunately for him, however, he had standing orders to go and check on the prisoners. While not usually his job, as they had their own guards, there was an unwelcome situation in the Crystal Caverns that needed his attention. Marching down the stairs, he eventually came upon the entrance to the caverns. Listening carefully, Cold could hear the faint sound of whimpering. Trotting down the hall, he watched as the chocolate walls turned to steel and finally into crystals. At the large portal into the mining grounds, he passed through a pulsing wall of dark-colored chaos magic, signaling the end of Discord's bubble.
The ledge in front of Cold overlooked the rest of the cave. Down below, the Guards were subduing the prisoners, linking them up to their carts. Moving down the dug out ramp that lead to the main floor, he approached the head jailer, Hard Time.
"What happened?" Cold asked.
"Well," Hard replied, "One of the detainees managed to rush one of my men. That emboldened the others to try a revolt. Nothing we couldn't handle."
"Do you mind if I see this prisoner?"
"No, of course not. But you're not going to get much out of him. He's in here because of his high rank in the rebel army we crushed three years ago."
"I won't be long."
Cold wandered over to a large crystal cage. Inside, a brown stallion wearing a green tie was sitting on a bench. Across from him sat a wall-eyed gray mare, who stared half at the stallion and half at Cold.
"You're the attacker, aren't you?" Cold asked.
"Yes, I am," he replied, "My name's Time Turner, and this is Derpy Hooves. What can I help you with? I've never seen you before."
"I'm a member of Discord's Guard. I just wanted to see you, nothing more, nothing less. I heard you were with the Ponyville rebels, the ones arrested at the scene of the Incident. I was there, as a police pony. I saw the destruction, but I don't think you caused it. Just before the explosion, I felt chaos magic."
"Of course. That was Discord. That building was blown up by him, in order to stop the influx of ponies that would have surely disrupted any plan to keep others like you under his tyrannical rule."
"Discord, a tyrant?" Cold laughed, "You've got to be kidding me."
"It's true," Time answered, as Cold turned to leave, "If you don't believe me, then look into it yourself. We're only here because you don't realize the truth!"
By this time, however, Cold Shoulder was out of earshot. He returned to the passageway only to find his path blocked by a group of guards. Looking behind himself, he found himself surrounded.
"What's going on?" he said questioningly.
"Cold Shoulder," one of the stallions answered, "You are now under arrest for conspiring with a known rebel."
"Conspiring? What do you mean?"
"No questions. You are now dead to rights. Give yourself up, or force will be used."
Bewildered, Cold Shoulder sat down and quietly waited for his inevitable arrest.



So, that's what had happened. Sighing quietly, he stared out of his cell into the dark hallway. All he wanted to do was to see who the prisoner was. Why didn't anyone believe him? He told them the honest truth, but they wouldn't have any of it. They said that the inmate never talks to anypony, let alone a member of the Chaos Guard, and he spoke to Cold. All that meant to them was that he was the enemy. Feeling the weight of the events that transpired sat on his eyelids. Yawning, he fell into a fitful sleep.













5 Years Ago, Van Hoover, Day of the Incident
(Ocean Breeze)
It's been five years since Ocean Breeze had escaped Baltimare. Alone and afraid, she wandered the Empire aimlessly, stumbling through the remains of small towns and villages. Eventually, though, she entered the town of Dodge Junction, meeting the kind soul of Cherry Jubilee, who she asked to help point her to the farthest place away from Baltimare. Cherry explained that the farthest city she knew of was Vanhoover, all the way on the west coast. Pulling out a map, she pointed out Ocean's next destination. After thanking the kind mare, she left town. Once again traveling thorough the country, she met many different ponies, some good, some bad. Sometimes she was forced to run away from the Chaos Guard, and sometimes she made the acquaintance of a pony that would label themselves as rebels. Ocean knew, however, that hanging with such ponies for more than a few days was an invitation to trouble.
Finally, she reached her destination, the city of Vanhoover. The setting sun lit the buildings in hues of red and gold, giving the metropolis the impression of being gilded. The high reaching towers gave her little warmth, though, for she knew of the dark recesses of it's bright facade all too well. After searching, she eventually received a job as a waitress at a local bar. After she made enough money, she found a place of her own, a small apartment not far from the tavern. The remaining three and a half years were somewhat uneventful, and she settled into an enjoyable routine. Unfortunately, her relatively peaceful life would come to a sudden end, when she found a reason to leave on her journey once more.



"Ocean Breeze!" screamed her boss, Bar Tap, "Three hard apple ciders for table thirteen! Get moving!"
Picking up the drinks, Ocean carried them over to the table. Putting them down, she smiled, and walked away. This was her first job, and already she'd served more Chaos Guards than she would have liked. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the only other job that would have hired her without any education would be becoming a call mare, something she hated the thought of doing. After all, why should a pretty girl like her give out sexual favors to strange stallions she didn't know?
Moving swiftly between the tables, she collected the tips from other patrons she serviced. While she was doing this, she looked towards the clock, and noticed that she was on her last table for the day. Working the day shift meant that she could avoid the strange crowds that came out at night. It was safer to go home to sleep anyways, as the darkness also brought out the less upstanding members of society. Having lived in a city before, she knew all too well the dangers associated with the characters after dark, having had to be protected by her brother on more than one occasion.
Just thinking about Stormy made Ocean tear up. However much she hated crying, she knew it was the easiest way to get herself calmed down in this crapsack world she called home. The mystery of what had happened to him still tugged at the back of her mind. Just what had happened that day? What had the jeweler said that had made the Guard pony arrest her and her brother? These questions floated around in her mind, giving her a pause. Snapping herself out of it, she wandered into the kitchen. There, standing by the grill, making hay fries, was Bar Tap. The slightly obese stallion was hard at work, his greasy brown mane flopping into his eyes. His greyish coat was wet with sweat, making him appear to glisten in the dim light.
"Finish up your table," said he, "We'll start early in the morning, so make sure you're on time. No more late starts, got it?"
"Yeah, sure," Ocean replied, "Can't you just let that go? It was one time!"
"No, I can't. Go on, your table's empty."
Glancing out the window where she picked up orders, she noticed that Bar was right. How does he do that? she thought, he didn't even look! Shaking her head, she dismissed the question. Moving back into the dining room, she made her way back. Picking up the bill, she looked to count the tip they left. Grunting, she was furious to find that they didn't leave her one. The one thing she couldn't stand was when her patrons never left her a tip. Stalking over to the counter, she placed the money inside the register. Before she left, she was stopped one last time by Bar Tap.
"I almost forgot," he said, "Here's your paycheck. Don't spend it all in one place, you hear?"
Nodding, Ocean exited the glass doors. While her life could be better, she at least had a place to stay and call home, even if she had to stoop low enough to serve the Chaos Guard every day. That wasn't to say that she hadn't met good Guard ponies, but they were few and far between.
As she made her way down the street, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise a little. Suddenly, an odd shiver coursed through her body, starting at the frogs of her hooves and traveling upwards through the top of her head. Pausing in the street, she gazed southeast towards Canterlot. She had the strangest feeling that something was wrong, but she didn't know exactly what it was. Then, it hit her. While she may have been an earth pony, she knew what this was. This particular feeling was one that she remembered feeling before. Chaos magic. The last time she felt this effect was in Baltimare, and before that, when her village was destroyed.
Forgetting what she was just about to do, she felt pulled towards the epicenter of the surge. Ignoring the world around her, she was entranced, moving forward slowly. To the outside observer, it looked as though she had been possessed. Loudly, and without warning, a voice sounded boomingly overhead.
"These select few, these elite soldiers of the Chaos Guard, were, are, and always will be your leaders," the voice, clearly Lord Discord's, said, "Now sleep. Sleep, and their existence shall be etched into your memories."
Unsteadily, Ocean snapped out of her daze. Wobbling a bit, she looked around as the ponies of the night collapsed, sound asleep. Shaking, she continued her advance, seemingly less affected by the memory and sleep spells than others. Slowly but surely, she felt her legs turn to lead and her eyelids become heavy. Finally, she, too, blacked out, lying in the street, just feet away from the outskirts of the city.













1 Year Ago, Crystal Caverns Beneath Canterlot
(Cold Shoulder)
Two years after his arrest and subsequent trial, Cold Shoulder found himself tied to a cart, beaten, and forced into a life very different than the comfortable existence he had enjoyed for the previous two years. In his time having been incarcerated and forced to work as a slave, he had come to learn much from Time Turner, the rebel stallion he had been arrested for talking to. He learned of prisoners who had been spirited away, never to be seen or heard from again. Since they had been brought to the Crystal Caverns, the reports had been coming in on a regular basis. According to the rumors, before the Incident this strange phenomenon hadn't happened. Some speculated that the two were interconnected, while others hadn't taken stock in rumors.
It was on one of these so called "schedules," that Cold learned the truth behind the disappearances.



"Get up!" screamed Vice Warden Jailhouse, "Fall in for roll call!"
Cold Shoulder woke with a start and found himself rushed out of bed. Mornings were always a problem for the inmates, mostly because the jailers were all rather rough. They didn't like sluggishness, and they made sure to make it well known. Today was no different. One of the prisoners, a grey, yellow and brown pegasus stallion newcomer named Thunderclap, had made the rookie mistake, and would undoubtedly never lay in bed too long again.
"Newbie!" one of the other guards called, "You are to be up when we tell you! Get your ass in gear!"
Thunder only nodded, too frightened to say anything. He scrambled to his feet from where he fell, getting into line. Shaken, he looked at his hooves.
"All right, ladies!" the Vice Warden shouted, "Remember, no talking! One word or complaint, and you'll feel the whips! Get moving!"
With that, Jailhouse turned around. As he stood there, the whole line of detainees shuffled to their positions without protest. Some were linked to carts, some where sent to blast through the crystals, and some gathered them and put them in the carts. It was Cold's turn to gather crystals with Time and Thunderclap. The three of them worked for hours, collecting many shards and sharing meaningful glances.
Thunder may have been a newcomer, but he was definitely not stupid. According to himself, he was a member of the rebel faction. He had shown up to take stock of the situation. The fear he had shown earlier had been a facade, and a very effective one at that. Time knew Thunder from sometime before the Incident, though he had never really mentioned where he knew him from. When Thunder had arrived, he and Time spent the first night sharing memories and going over the movements of the rebel armies. Thunder had noted that they had a mysterious helper, who was clad in Chaos Guard armor. The reports of such a pony were unproven thus far, and had been only rumor.
When lunchtime rolled around, the three friends gathered together, out of earshot of the Guards. The lunch only consisted of slices of bread and small bowls of water, but they made the most of it.
"Today's the day," Thunder said, "I wonder who the victims of the spirits will be today?"
"Come on," Time said, smiling, "You know those events are just a rumor, right? There's no such things as spirits."
"Well," Cold put in, "What happened to Quartz Crystal and Bright Shine? I haven't seen them for days. I overheard the guards talking. They said that they have no idea about where they went either. It's curious. What happened to them? Clearly, there might be something to these events. After all, rumors have to come from somewhere."
"Yeah," answered Thunder, "Ever think of that, Time?"
"Of course I have," Time Turner said, sounding slightly offended, "However, there has to be a logical explanation for this. You know, like somepony is actually trying to help us out here. Maybe they've come to save us."
"Uh huh, right," Thunder retorted sarcastically, "And my wings are for show only. Nopony is searching for us. You know that. Giving false hope like that is never going to change things."
"Um," said Cold questioningly, "Did you get yourself caught with no way to escape? You came here to observe, right? You have a team for extraction, right?"
"Well, we...uh...I...didn't think I'd get this far, really," Thunderclap chuckled, embarrassed, "I suppose I forgot about that."
Cold stared intensely at Thunder, who backed away slowly. Maybe the pegasus wasn't there simply to take stock of the situation. Still, the three friends were on to something, they could feel it.
"Very interesting, Captain Thunder," came a voice, "You came in...without a plan. Teeheehee, that's funny."
Cold, Thunder, and Time nodded at the source, a pink pony in Earth Guard armor, and turned back to continue their conversation. Just as quickly, they made a double-take. Thunder, who had just taken a sip from his drink, make a spit-take straight into the pony's face. She sat there, smiling broadly, her mane dripping water onto the cold crystal floor.
"Who are you," Cold exclaimed, "And where did you come from?"
"I'm Pinkie Pie," the mysterious pony answered, "I'm here to save you. More specifically, I came to take you out of here and into our little hideout. Trust me, it'll be fun!"
Glancing between themselves, the three comrades slowly followed Pinkie around a corner and down a small hole concealed behind some loose crystals. Warily, they kept following the mare until they reached the edge of the crystals and began crawling through the dirt and into a large cavern.
"There, all safe," Pinkie said with finality, "They'll never find us in here! So, anyway, you all look rather surprised. Should I take that as a good thing, or a bad thing?"
"Aren't you with the Chaos Guard?" asked Cold, "I know you! You must be the famous Commander Pinkie Pie!"
"Yep, that's me! The one and only. You must be former Captain Cold Shoulder of the Discord Guard. I've heard so much about you," she turned to Time Turner, "It's been a long time, Doctor! So nice to see you again!" she faced Thunderclap, "And finally, we have the famous Thunderclap. I heard you helped destroy three different Chaos Factories! It's soooo cool to meet you. Same for the two of you. Am I moving too fast? Twilight always says I move too fast. Really, though, it's the author's fault."
"What author?" asked Time, bewildered.
"The author writing this story, silly! Don't worry though, all will be explained in due time. I hope," said Pinkie, looking towards the ceiling, as though there were a window only she could see through.
"Before we get too comfortable," said Time urgently, "We need to go and save my friend!"
"Your friend?" Pinkie asked, "I thought these were your friends."
"There's one more. Her name is Derpy, and I won't leave without her!"
"I'm up here," said a voice from the ceiling, "I got stuck, and I can't get down!"
Looking up at the corner of the room, out of Pinkie's view, the four ponies noticed a wall-eyed grey mare with her rump stuck in a small dent where the roof met the wall.
"Derpy!" Time exclaimed, "How'd you get there?"
"Well, I was just on my way to get lunch, when I bumped into the wall near that hole. I sorta tumbled down here, and caused some crystals to fall from the ceiling and disguise the doorway. After that, I tried to get my bearings, but you know I have navigational difficulties, and I ran into the wall, and here I am," Derpy explained quickly, smiling sheepishly when she was done.
"Well, fancy that," Time said with surprise, "Just one more victory for the bubbly buns of steel! Whoo!"
The entire room looked at the stallion oddly. Slowly, his joyful yell became uncomfortable. At that point, he looked to the ground in embarrassment. The whole room laughed at his shamed expression.
"Well, this is great!" Pinkie said animatedly, "Looks like everyone is here! All right," she continued, becoming suddenly serious, "All right, let's get some rest and give you real food. After that, I'll show you all the way out. Go see my colleagues, who should be nearby. There, they will assign you your positions and posts. Cold Shoulder, they already know about your prior service to Discord. You may get an increased standing seeing as you probably know more about the Chaos Guard maneuvers than most other rebels."
"What about you?" asked Cold.
"Me? I'm supposedly a loyal member of the Guard, so I'm not always around. You, on the other hoof, are not."
"Since I'm getting out, do you think I can see my family?"
"No. That would just endanger their lives. You're a rebel now, and their families are usually executed if a connection is known."
"Oh," said Cold dejectedly, "I just want to see my precious daughter."
"The Guard doesn't care. Just trust me on this one, okay?"
Cold Shoulder didn't say another word, and began eating the food on the table. He thought fondly about his wife and daughter, hoping that, when peace had returned, he'd be with his little girl, the same one whom he hadn't met yet. It was certainly going to be a long time until then.













One Day Ago, Ghastly Gorge
(Ocean Breeze)
After giving her notice and quitting her job, Ocean Breeze made her way across Equestria for five more years, stopping in many towns across the land. She first traveled to Ponyville, where she was sure that she felt the chaos magic blast. There, she found the scorched remains of a building with the all to familiar feeling of Discord's power. A complication with the Chaos Guards unfortunately forced her to clear out of the town. Sustaining a few small injuries, she wandered to the southwest, eventually reaching the city of Las Pegasus, which was famous for its casinos. However, Ocean had become wary of large cities, knowing they had too many untrustworthy ponies living in them, so she quickly bought some supplies and left. Eventually, she wound up in the growing town of Phoenix, near Ghastly Gorge. There she stayed for a couple years, living off the money she made in Van Hoover.
On the anniversary of her mother's death, she left the town, feeling that she had stayed for longer than she was comfortable.



The wide chasm of Ghastly Gorge yawned before her. She had heard of a pony that lived in solitude at the bottom of the ravine. While such rumors were not necessarily founded, she had it on a rather good authority that it was true. Phoenix may have been a small town in the San Palomino Desert, but it hid its dark side very well. While she was very perceptive, it still took her two years to figure it out. The Chaos Guard in the town was corrupt, or at least more so than normal, and during the night, gangs could be seen making deals and committing crimes. She left the place out of fear for her life.
Sliding down the steep walls, Ocean Breeze glanced around herself. The morning sunlight became shrouded in mist, and her visibility dropped. Trotting down the narrow floor of the gorge, she swept her head left and right, making sure she hadn't missed anything. Above her, the quarray eels slept soundly in their nests, not yet awakened by the dawn light. She continued to wander through the canyon, carrying on her search for this mysterious pony.
Ahead of her lay the hardest obstacle to pass, the bramble bushes. The spiked branches criss-crossed each other, creating a thorny wall between Ocean and the other side. Glancing about for a way by, she spotted a hole bored straight through the rocks next to the bushes. Smiling to herself, she trotted over to the hole. Inside, she could see the exposed roots of the plants sprouting out of the walls. Some stretched across the tunnel, clearly marking the fact that it hadn't been used for quite a while. Frowning slightly, she made her way forward, eating through the exposed lattice. Eventually, she reached the other side. Looking back, she was glad she didn't have to traverse the dangerous landscape.
Continuing on her way, she noticed the beginnings of a river. Sighing, she began walking along the water's edge, making slow progress. Unfortunately, the space before her got narrower. While most ponies would have turned around in situations like this, Ocean was born near the water. She had grown up swimming, and it was something she excelled at. Hopping into the water with a splash, she continued forwards, never giving up on looking for the possibly non-existent occupant. As she swam, it became less and less likely that the rumors were true. After an exhausting journey, she finally made it to the opposite side.
Above the mare was the tracks for the trains that used to run, while to her right was another hole. This one, in contrast with the last, had signs of life. Smiling proudly once again, she walked up to the small cave. Peering inside, her heart fell. Where she expected to find a living pony, she instead found the corpse of a pegasus mare, freshly dead from starvation. The body showed signs of injury, the left wing having been torn to shreds, most likely due to the bramble bushes. The mare must have been living here all alone for weeks, barely getting by. It was not uncommon for ponies to be ousted from their homes by the Chaos Guard, only to die in some forsaken area. This one clearly had fared no better. Sadly, Ocean dragged the body out of the cave, where she began using a shovel she found in the cave to dig a hole into the ground. Luckily, she had chosen a spot far enough away from the shoreline that water did not fill up the grave. Placing the pegasus in the grave, she filled it back up, saying a small prayer for the safe journey to Elysium, the part of Tartarus where ponies that were pure of heart ended up.
Sniffling, she turned away. Glancing around, she found there was only one way up, and that was through climbing a steep incline. It was clear to Ocean that, even when she was alive, the mare would not have been able to climb out of the ravine. Ocean, however, was still strong. Taking one last look at the makeshift burial site, she began climbing. After a long, excruciating hike, she made it to the top. Once she caught her breath, she checked her saddlebags for some food. Rifling through the pouches, she could find nothing to eat. What was she thinking? She had forgotten to buy food before leaving in a rush. Silently cursing, she continued on her way.
Wandering along the tracks, she wound her way onwards, heading for a town she knew of. Grinning to herself, Ocean broke into a gallop. If she moved fast enough, she would reach Dodge Junction in no time. She didn't quite know exactly how far it was, but she knew that Cherry Jubilee would be there, waiting for her to come back as she had promised she would. Not watching where she was going, she ran into a large and soft body. She bounced off, landing in a heap upon the ground. Shaking her head, she raised it, staring straight into the sharp eyes of a giant red weasel. The huge animal had red fur on its back and a white underbelly. In its left paw was a huge scythe. While Ocean wasn't an expert on land animals, she had heard about these giants. The claims had started just after the Incident, and no one knew of where it came from. Until five years ago, no such animal had existed in Equestria before. It was as if the creature had simply appeared out of nowhere.
The Scythe Weasel, as it had been dubbed, stared at her for a few seconds before lunging. Ocean dodged to the left as the weasel swung its huge scythe, barely grazing her. She retaliated by giving its head a whack. By that time though, it was already too late. Before she noticed, the creature slashed her in the side. Screaming in agony, she collapsed upon the ground, where she writhed in pain. Suddenly, the weasel ran off after hearing the sounds of a train in the distance. Before she could lift her head, Ocean blacked out.













One month ago, Ponyville
(Cold Shoulder)
After escaping thanks to Pinkie, Time Turner, Derpy Hooves, and Cold Shoulder were separated from Thunderclap, who went back to his old post. Cold had been set as one of the commanding officers due to his knowledge of the inner workings of the Chaos Guard. Time and Derpy were assigned together to work under him, and to be his advisers. Several months had passed, and Cold decided he needed to freshen up a bit on the language of the Guard, as he had been separated from them for a while. One day, he came up to Time with his plan.



"So," Cold finished, "What do you think?"
"Well," Time answered, "I think you're crazy."
"Hey, it worked for Thunderclap, right? Who's to say it won't work with me?"
"Well, he came into the Crystal Caverns by complete accident. I'm not judging you, but what if something goes wrong?"
"Don't worry," Cold reassured, "I have an escape plan. I've already contacted Goodnight, and it seems she's on board. All I need now is your support."
"Fine," Time gave in, "However, if anything goes wrong, I want to be able to step in and clean up after your mess. Good luck, you'll need it."
The two friends continued to stare at each other for a while longer. The looks between them were intense, as though they both were looking for a slip up in the other's composure. Eventually, Time's eyes winced. Cold wasted no time in declaring his superiority.
"Well, Time," he bragged, "Looks like I win again. Come on, let's get this party started!"
"Did somepony just say 'party'!" piped up a high-pitched voice, belonging to none other than Commander Pinkie Pie.
"Yeah, I beat Time in a battle of wills!"
"Oooo, sounds exciting!"
"If you two would," grumbled Time, "Let's get a move on, before I change my mind on this plan."
The loud pair immediately dropped their comical facade, becoming serious in an instant. The trio left the building, passing through the hidden doorway and into the foyer of Goodnight's hotel. Pinkie split off to the relay station, while Cold and Time moved towards the Ponyville library. Eventually, the two of them split, too. Time hid himself in an alleyway, while Cold approached the brick building. Acting quickly, he began to graffiti the side of the building. When the Guard at the entrance noticed, he immediately became infuriated.
"Stop that at once!" he yelled.
Cold Shoulder, however, simply continued on. Marching up to him, the armor clad stallion lashed out. Cold grabbed his foreleg, and, with little effort, dispatched him quickly. As he did this, he became surrounded by more members. Out of the crowd stepped a mare. She was clearly in charge of the troops, and advanced toward the graffiti stallion.
"I'm Lieutenant Commander Gleaming Shield, and you're under arrest for defacing government property," she barked. When Cold ignored her, she raised a hoof, slamming it into his face, "Don't ignore me! Wait, I know you, you're Cold Shoulder, one of the rebel leaders. Commander Pinkie told me that this is where I'd find you. You are also under arrest for working with the rebels. You'll be lucky if you stay alive."
Grabbing the stallion, she slammed his face into the ground, knocking him out. As he was carried off, Time could have sworn he saw Cold smile.



"You are sentenced to three months of prison time in here," said Commander Pinkie, "You'll be lucky to see the light of day after that term is up, upon which time, you will be sent back to the Crystal Caverns where you belong. That is all. Take him away and out of my sight."
Cold was dragged away to the holding cell. He smiled slyly to himself, "They bought it, hook, line, and sinker. Haha, one month, and I'll be out again."
> Into the Everfree
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	 "...And that's the last thing I remember," Ocean finished. The coals had long since died down, leaving the three friends enjoying the cool springtime air. Packing away the remains of their meals, they sat in a circle, listening carefully as the ocean blue mare recounted her story.
"Wow," breathed Rose, "Sounds like you've led a tough life. Well, now we have to make sure that nopony else has to have that kind of misfortune."
"We're certainly not gonna do that sitting here," Ocean said. Looking over, she notice a pensive frown on Treble's face, "What's wrong, Treble?"
"That Scythe Weasel thing is bothering me," he replied, "Your description, it sounds like something I've seen before, but I can't place it. Something is definitely not right here. I don't like not knowing."
"Regardless, the Guard is probably looking for us. We can't stay here, we have to move. The question is where."
"How about the Everfree Forest. They wouldn't look for us in a place like that, it's too dangerous."
"Is that so? Where do you plan on going when you get in there?"
"The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."
"Oh, no no no," Ocean said quickly, "That's the one place we shouldn't go."
"And why not," asked Treble confusedly, "It's near by, right?"
"That's not the point. I've heard that the place is haunted by the embodiment of nightmares, Nightmare Moon. She's an evil being that wanders the halls, and those that enter the ruins of the castle never come out. Ever. We'd be better taking our chances with the monsters."
"Where would you suggest? That's the only place I'm sure is still here after all these years."
"There are rumors," Ocean answered, "That there is a witch that helps those that wander into the forest, as long as they're not members of the Chaos Guard. Because the forest is so dangerous, the Guardponies have not been able to move in force to take her out. Now, usually, I don't take stock in rumors, but I personally know somepony who was helped by this witch. I met her when I investigated the incident site. I don't quite remember her name, though, we haven't been in contact for some years. The witch lives on the northeast corner of the forest. It's quite a walk, but if we're careful, we shouldn't be attacked."
"Sounds interesting," Treble said, lost in thought, "But, don't want to take the risk of such a long journey for a rumor, whether or not you have a semi-viable source."
"Could I say something?" Rose asked, causing the other ponies to turn to her, "I agree with Treble. It'd be better to go directly through to the castle. Like you said, Ocean, we shouldn't take stock in rumors. However, I also agree with Ocean. We should seek out this witch, whether or not she exists. We don't know if her existence is true, but it'd be good to check it out. I propose, then, that we should use the castle as a base of operations in the forest. Then, we're just that much closer to the witch. Do you both agree?"
"Sure," Treble responded, satisfied.
"Yup," Ocean also said.
The three friends packed their things, and exited the train cabin. The forest loomed above them, menacingly. Taking deep breaths, the trio took the plunge.













The interior of the Everfree Forest was dark. The thick canopy blocked out the late afternoon's rays. The going was hard and the foliage simply got in the way. The three companions traversed the undergrowth slowly, sending only small glances to one another to make sure that no one was left behind. In the corners of their eyes, they could see the denizens of the forest lurking almost out of sight in the gloom. The uneasy silence made the tension in the air so thick, one could cut it with a knife. Finally, Treble's voice broke the stillness.
"So, how far do you think it is?" he asked inquisitively.
"We should reach a clearing soon, I believe," Ocean replied, "They say that if you follow the path from there, you'll eventually reach the castle."
"Can we rest when we reach this clearing?" Rose asked hopefully, "We've been walking for hours, my hooves are tired, and we should probably get our bearings."
As if to answer, a loud rustling noise caught the group's attention. There was something on the move. Something big. Hunkering down, the three travelers made themselves as still and quiet as possible. Out of the bushes, directly in front, the huge form of a manticore stuck it's nose in the air. After sniffing around a bit, the beast began moving again. Luckily, it ignored the helpless ponies, even after it had looked straight at Treble. The animal must have been blind, as it would have been impossible for it to have not noticed them otherwise. After it disappeared form earshot, the trio rose from their positions. Taking a look around, they noticed that the creatures that had been following them had disappeared.
"Whew," Ocean exclaimed, "That's why we can't stay in one place for too long. That thing is probably the master of the forest, seeing as all the other creatures ran off when it arrived."
"Fine," Rose sighed.
Silence resumed as they fell back into line. Not too much later, they came to the clearing. The small open space looked to have been much larger in times past. However, due to the lack of travelers, it had become overgrown, blocking out most of the once wide area.
"Here we are," Ocean said, "Now, we just follow that path," she pointed to a thin trail hidden in the brambles, "And we'll eventually reach our destination. It shouldn't be too much farther now."
The threesome wandered down the almost non-existent path. Gradually, the dim forest became dark enough that it was almost impossible for any of the ponies to see their hooves in front of their faces. Stumbling blindly, they continued their march forward, sometimes bumping into each other, sometimes into trees. Eventually, they passed through this and came out on the other side, only to be faced with a river blocking their way. Lying in the water, though, was the corpse of a huge river dragon. The once quite handsome creature now lay shriveled and old in front of them. They could see huge bite marks on its face, indicating an immensely large and powerful beast, much larger in size than the blind manticore they saw a while back. The marks closely resembled a bear, but many times larger. The three friends decided that, whatever the thing that brought down the large creature was, they didn't want to meet it.
Luckily for them, the dragon's body lay stretched out across the river, making fording a breeze. Once on the other side, they continued their sojourn. Following the path once more, they finally reached their last obstacle, a wide ravine. Across the gorge a bridge extended. The aging ropes still appeared strong enough to hold one pony at a time. Flying across, Treble motioned for the girls to follow him. Cautiously, Ocean made her way forward. The bridge wobbled a bit, but did not break. Once across, she let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding. Finally, Rose crept across, careful not to even disturb the structure, lest the ropes snap or a board fall out of place. Eventually, she reached the opposite side.
With the castle in sight, they rushed to the relative safety of its walls. Collapsing in a heap, they all let out tired sighs. Finally, after a long afternoon of travel, they found their rest at last. Thanking their lucky stars, none of them noticed they were being watched from the shadows. Like the wind, a breathy voice called out to them.
"Leave this place..."
"Did either of you say something?" Treble inquired. Both mares shook their heads.	
"Leave this place if you want to live," the voice said again.
"I heard it that time," Ocean said, "That wasn't one of us."
"D-didn't you say this place is...h-haunted," Rose gulped.
The three companions rose as quickly as they had sat down, tensed and ready to leave in case they ran into something dangerous. Out of the shadows loomed a large, horse-like form. It's frame dwarfed anything they had ever seen. The whole thing was enveloped with a blue light that seemed to come from its stomach.
"Oh. My. God," breathed Ocean, "What the hell is that?"
"I have no idea," Rose said, clinging to the other mare like cellophane, "Whatever it is, it's angry. We should leave."
As the two girls shrunk back, Treble crept closer. He was moving his head around, as though searching for something.
"Smell that?" he asked unexpectedly.
"Smell what?" Rose asked, bewildered, "Don't you think you have something better to do then smell things? Like running?"
"It smells like rotten eggs. It's sulfur, and it's coming from this thing."
"Leave me alone!" the voice shouted. However, the visitors could tell that the sound didn't come from the thing, but from behind it.
Reaching out, Treble grabbed something made out of cloth. Yanking it off, he revealed a contraption made of wood, vines, and a jar with a bright flame burning inside.
"See," he said, "Nothing to worry about."
"Except that," Ocean said, pointing behind the machine. Standing on a balcony was a shadowy creature. Realizing it had been spotted, the shape darted down the corridor behind it.
"I'll chase it down stairs, you two cut it off. We'll surround it on all sides so it can't escape! Quickly!" Treble darted down the hallway, hot on the heels of whatever was living in the castle.
Rose and Ocean galloped down one of the lower level hallways. Turning corners as fast as they could, they surrounded the only staircase they could find. After a few seconds, the same figure from before came barreling down the stairs like a runaway train. It slammed into the wall, losing its balance and falling over. Just behind it, Treble swooped downward, landing in a tangle of legs with their target.
"All right," he said, extricating himself from the mystery pony, "Now, who are you?"
Reaching down, he pulled off the veil, revealing the very familiar unconscious form of a dark blue alicorn mare with a mane like the starry sky.
"Princess Luna?" the three ponies said in unison, all taking a step back.













"Princess, what are you doing here?" Treble inquired.
The group had carried the unconscious princess from the hall into the entrance hallway. It had taken a while, but eventually she awoke, finding three concerned ponies gathered around her. Since then, the question that the pegasus had asked had hung in the air.
"Don't call me that," said Luna, rather sharply, "I have no right to be called a princess. I abandoned my little ponies to Discord's rule. I failed in my duties to protect the kingdom and all it's inhabitants, for the second time now...I am ashamed of myself and the position I put my subjects through. I am a coward."
"What happened?" Rose asked, curious.
"I don't really want to relive that experience," she answered, "It was thirty years ago. Celestia had an emergency, and left with Discord. I am nocturnal, so naturally I was too weary to stay awake for very long. When I awoke to the sound of insane laughter, I looked out the window to find that the city was under attack by the very being my sister and I had believed to be reformed. He was making important figures disappear into nothingness. If they weren't a threat to him, he either put them under some sort of mind-control spell, or made them also disappear. Unfortunately, that was in the middle of the day, when my powers are at their weakest, and all the turmoil he caused had increased his power tenfold. Eventually, he came for me. He laughed in my face, told me that he had eliminated Celestia, and that I was next. What had surprised me was that he gave me an ultimatum. Either be 'eliminated' like my sister, or abandon my duties and never show my face in Equestria again. I took the easy way out. I ran. I ran like my life depended on it. In my flight, I found myself drawn here, where I first became Nightmare Moon, and where that nightmare had eventually reached it's conclusion."
"It's not cowardice to retreat when you don't have any other options," Ocean reassured, "At least when Discord falls, the ponies of Equestria will have somepony with the capacity to lead them. It may not seem like it now, but that decision may have saved the country from mourning the loss of its other ruler. Trust me, I've been through the same thing. Now look at me, I'm helping restore peace with these two and their friends."
"You've been through the same thing? You have no idea of the pain I've endured. Discord holds the throne and I am powerless to stop him. My subjects live their lives in fear of each and every day. Discord's rule a thousand years ago was nothing compared to what it is now. He's dropped all pretense of his childish enjoyment in chaos and become something much more dangerous. I fear that the longer he is holds the throne, the closer he comes to absolute power. He's waiting for something, but I don't know what it is. That scares me."
"I'm sorry, Luna," Rose said solemnly, "I wish there was something more we could do. You're right, we have no idea about how you feel, but we do know that what we're doing will set things right."
Once more, a pregnant silence fell over the room. All the gathered ponies stared at the ground, letting Luna's words sink in. Finally, Luna broke the unease in the air.
"That's enough about our problems. Come, you must be hungry. It's almost dinnertime, after all. Tonight, I'm going to give you all a treat as I lower the sun and raise the moon, much like my sister."
The trio followed Luna down the long hallway Rose and Ocean had run down earlier. After passing many branching corridors, they entered the throne room. Still moving farther down, the group reached what appeared to be a roundtable. Sequestered in the corner was what appeared to be the portal to the kitchen area. Motioning for the friends to sit down, Luna made her way into the kitchens. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, she returned to the room carrying several dishes. Placing them around the table, she set out plates and fine silverware.
"There you go," she said with a kindness that the others had heard only a few times, "These are special dishes that my mother used to make for me and Tia. Please, enjoy."
Digging into the food, the group found themselves surrounded by a long-awaited amiable silence, save for the tinkling of salad forks and soup spoons. After finishing the delicious meal, Luna led them out and into the throne room. At the end stood two majestic thrones, each with a tapestry depicting the symbols of the rightful heirs to the kingdom. One had a depiction of a beautiful night sky, with a small planet surrounded by rings just above some hills. The other was looked like a bright day, accompanied by golden clouds and tall yellow mountains. The thrones themselves were a midnight blue and a golden yellow. Looking up, they could see the late afternoon sky through several large holes in the ceiling.
"All right, it looks like it's time," Luna stated. Suddenly, her horn light up with a sparkly blue aura. Slowly, the sun began to set, with Luna panting heavily. The strain that it put on her looked to be enormous, and she began to show droplets of sweat on her forehead. With a huge sigh, she released her hold on the sun. A minute passed as the exiled princess let her magic restore itself and for her to catch her breath. Finally relaxed again, she once more began using her magic. Much more quickly than the setting sun, the moon rose, huge and white in the darker night sky. When this was said and done, there was a bright flash and the sky lit up with more stars than the others had seen since they had arrived. "This, my little ponies, is your gift. I have one more thing planned that I think you'll all like. Just give me a few minutes rest."
While Luna went to her throne to rest, the three friends sat down to discuss what had happened thus far. Soon, the former co-ruler of Equestria approached the trio, looking rested and ready for whatever she was about to show them. Smiling, she lit her horn up, shooting a beam of magic into the sky. After disappearing into the air, the night sky was once again illuminated by brilliant light streaking into the thick foliage. The meteor shower slowly became more intense as time went on. The incredible light show made the air crackle with electric energy, the source unknown. The group watched in awe at the magnificence of what they had just witnessed. As the breathtaking event drew to its conclusion, the meteors began to explode like fireworks, spreading booms and fiery debris of many different colors throughout the sky. In the finale, large groups of meteors exploded all at once before dying out completely. Stunned silence filled the air, before being broken by laughter and merriment. The meteor shower gave the three friends and one princess much to talk about. One by one, the conversation stopped as the present company drifted off into a happy, dream filled sleep, with the exception of Luna, who retained a constant vigil over the sleeping forms of her new friends.













Bright morning sunlight washed over the sleeping forms, bathing them in a blanket of golden yellow. Slowly, there began to be signs of movement from the pile of bodies. Among the first to awaken to the new day was the cream and red Roseluck. Glancing about, she noticed the distinct absence of Luna. Standing up, she stepped over Treble's splayed body, moving towards the dining room they had dinner at the night before. Entering quietly, so as not to awaken the others, she could hear the sounds of breakfast being made in the kitchen. As she moved towards the door, she could hear the occupant humming a solemn song. Rose couldn't recognize the sweet music by name, but she felt like she had heard it before. Pushing the old wooden door open, she crept inside. Luna stood just beyond the threshold, completely unaware that she had company. In front of her, eggs and hash browns sizzled on the old wood-fire stove top. On the counter beside the large structure stood a magnificent salad of ingredients that Rose had never seen before. Standing silently, Rose waited for Luna to turn to her. Behind her, the door closed shut with a quiet thump. Turning around, Luna smiled as she beheld Rose within the small kitchen.
"Good morning, Rose," Luna said cheerfully, "I trust you've had a good sleep?"
"Yes, I did, thank you," Rose answered. Looking around at the cramped space, she inquired, "I thought a castle kitchen would be much bigger? Why is this one so tiny?"
Still smiling, Luna responded, "Oh, this is just the auxiliary kitchen. This is where extra food would have been made if there was supposed to be a large feast, or where food would be made if the castle had no need for the larger one. I am usually the only one here, so this is really all I need. With you three, I still don't need anything larger than this. Besides, I keep all the ingredients in this room, so it's really more convenient. That round table outside is for war meetings or as an extra dining space." Behind her, a ding sounded, signalling that the food was completed. Turning once more, Luna asked, "Could you go tell the others? Breakfast is ready."
Nodding, Rose retraced her steps into the main hallway. She found her two friends awake and chatting. After informing them about the morning meal, the three of them returned to the dining room. As they all sat down to eat, Luna called their attention, "Now that you're all here, I would like to first thank you for what you plan to do. However, I would like to put forward the fact that it is going to be very dangerous. Discord and his subordinates are going to be armed, well trained, and cautious. I fear that all of you are going in way over your heads. Therefore, I would like to give you equipment from the armory to give you protection. When we're done here, I would like you to follow me. That is all."
Half an hour passed as the group ate in companionable silence. When each of them was finished, they all stood up. Silently, they followed Luna back through the throne room and down a descending hallway. Eventually, the floor leveled out, leading into a hall full of pony statues wearing armor. Passing this, they entered a large corridor. At one end was an enormous pipe organ, while at the other stood two large iron doors. The ancient alicorn slid open the doors with a loud creak, revealing a huge chamber filled with armor and weapons. The gallery was so extensive, one could not see the back wall. Leading the trio into the vault, Luna smiled, turning around and motioning to the rest of the room.
"Here is the armory," she said, "This is where we keep the armor and weapons that ponies would wear during times of conflict, back when Equestria was in its infancy. We were besieged by many dangers, and persevered through it all. Much of what you see dates all the way back to the time of Commander Hurricane and Princess Platinum. It is all enchanted to last forever without signs of wear and tear. For all of you, I believe that I have the perfect equipment. Since you are planning on traveling far, I would suggest manticore-leather armor. The process used to make it makes the hide stronger than dragon scales while being half as heavy. It is distinguishable by its yellowish color. Along with the armor, I'll give you your choice of weapon, for all the good it will do for somepony not trained to use it."
After Luna had finished her expository speech, the visitors glanced around in awe at the array of different styles of armor and weapons available to them. After wandering through the vast space for a while, each of them found suitable armor for themselves. The leather was a tough material, yet it bent and moved with its wearer. Despite being positively ancient, the armor felt soft and supple, in stark contrast to the rough look to the material.
Once they had their body armor, it was time for them to find weapons that suited the individual pony best. While Rose and Treble were having a hard time finding something, Ocean was able to choose quickly. She immediately went up to a bow and arrows, due to having had to live on her own for a while, she had learned how to use the weapon to catch fish and fend off dangerous animals.
Eventually, Treble was able to locate what seemed like a sword for a pegasus' wings. The whole weapon looked like a wing of blades, with each blade being a sharpened plate. The metal apparatus was hollow in the middle, allowing the wing to be inserted and prevent damage to the feathery, finger-like extensions of the wing. The weapon was strongly built, yet lightweight enough not to hinder in flying. When he placed the wing blade against his body, he noticed that each of the plates prevented him from damaging his body, allowing him to safely tuck his wing away without hurting himself.
Rose, on the other hand, was having the most difficult time of finding something suitable. She was unsure of what to choose as she didn't know the first thing about fighting. When she was younger, she had abhorred violence of any kind, and never watched anything about weaponry, as Treble had in his youth. Feeling disappointed, she approached the former Princess Luna for advice. Luna, in turn, suggested that she try using daggers, as Rose had had experience using knives. She explained that the two bladed items were similar in that both were used to cut things, yet that one was meant to be used on vegetables, while the other was meant for combat.
Finally armed and protected, the three now combat ready ponies gathered in front of the vault doors. Luna was the last to exit, closing the doors behind her. Leading them back to the surface, she allowed them to adjust to the bright sunlight, with the sun rising steadily. It was time for the trio to head out for adventure again, but not before a final good-bye.
"Looks like you're all set here," Luna stated, "I trust you can find your way out, right? Do you know where you're going?"
"Well," Ocean spoke up, "We were hoping to use the castle as a base of operations, but, now that we're ready to go, we may not be back this way again. We were actually going to go see the witch that supposedly lives in this forest. By the way, I would like to know, do you know her?"
"I do, indeed. She's lived in this forest for a lot longer than I have. She's one of the few creatures that still remembers the days before Discord. She used to live much closer to Ponyville, but, unfortunately, she was driven away from her home by the Chaos Guard. These days, she lives by herself on the northernmost reaches of the forest. I would suggest following the second branch of the path. It should lead you straight to her cave."
"One more thing, what is she like?"
"Well," Luna said thoughtfully, "She is a kind soul to those who are kind to her. Suffice it to say, I respect her greatly. She's also very good company, though her speech pattern can be quite frustrating at times. Heh, I guess that's one thing we have in common."
"What do you mean?" Ocean asked, "You speak perfectly well."
"I do now," Luna replied with a laugh, "But you should have seen me on my first Nightmare Night. I scared all the ponies that interacted with me, although that was just an act. With the help of one of the Elements of Harmony, I was able to break through my social awkwardness and finally make some friends."
"Well, thank you for your hospitality."
"Yeah," Treble added, "You've certainly done more for us than we expected you to."
"I agree completely," Rose put in.
"It's great to know the fate of the world is in your hooves," Luna responded with pride, "Take this with you," Luna's magic glowed, bringing out a small flute-like item, "This is a very special whistle. It is specifically tied to my magic signature. If you blow on the end, you can call me from anywhere at any time, as long as you're not within a chaos bubble, which will disrupt the signal and instead alert Discord. Use it only in an emergency. Farewell, friends, and safe travels."
With that, the former Princess of the Night disappeared into the depths of the castle. Giving one last glance toward the large structure, the three friends marched straight back into the forest.













Rose, Ocean and Treble found it to be much easier to return the way they came. Not even the darkest part of the forest was so hard to navigate as it was the first time. As they got farther and farther away from the old castle, they noticed for the first time how beautiful the Everfree looked. The sun that Luna had made so bright illuminated the wood so much that they were able to discern the animals that called the place home. In addition to the fauna, the flora took on a brighter green hue, as opposed to the darker bluish color that had occurred from the waning light. Eventually, the group found themselves back in the narrow clearing. Upon closer inspection of the area, it became apparent that there was more than one path branching off. This time, the trail led off into the northern area, just as Luna had promised.
After entering the hoofpath, the wanderers found that the space widened considerably, revealing that the path was well-worn in comparison to the castle branch, or even in the direction of what was presumably Ponyville. The extra space allowed for the companions to spread out a little more, as it allowed them to walk side by side. It was still obvious that they were within the forest limits, and in fact moving deeper into it because the foliage on the sides of the trail had thickened to the point that they couldn't see more than a few feet into the underbrush. Through the canopy, the sky was still visible, except that the huge wall of a mountain was coming into view. It was only a matter of time until they reached the witch's cave, where they would learn a little more of how they were going to get away from the Chaos Guard.
Without warning, a loud roar sounded behind the intrepid explorers. The sheer volume of the sound made the ground shake and the friends' ears ring. Slowly, the three ponies turned to face the huge form of the blind manticore they had seen the other day. The hulking brute towered over the cowering forms of the trio, sniffing the air and staring straight at them with the sightless, milky-white orbs that were its eyes. As the group backed away from the beast, it started to paw at the ground. Turning around, Treble breathed a single word: "run." Making a 180 degree turn as quickly as they could, the three terrorized ponies galloped away, with the creature breathing down their necks. Thinking fast, Treble stretched out his bladed wing, neatly cleaving a tree in twain. The massive trunk began to tilt wildly into the path, coming down with a crash in front of the monster manticore, though it did little to slow the beast down. Turning a corner, they scrambled wildly, trying to lose their pursuer. Suddenly, Ocean skidded to a halt, causing the other two to crash into her.
"Ocean," cried Rose, "Keep moving!"
"I can't," came Ocean's reply, "Do you know what's in front of us? It's poison joke!"
In the middle of the path lay a patch large blue flowers. The field filled the trail completely, making it impassable. Meanwhile, the huge manticore was close on their tails, making the three ponies panic. Despite the danger of running into the strange plants, Ocean and Rose were forced to venture into the weeds, while Treble stayed in the air, avoiding the toxic flowers.
"Hey, guys," Treble said, "I have an idea. We may be able to take advantage of the manticore."
"How do we do that?" Ocean asked.
"Just leave it to me. Hey! Why don't you come and get us? Afraid of a little flower, huh? Come on, scaredy cat, come and get us!"
Sufficiently provoked to forgo the danger posed by the plants, the manticore let its instinctual urge to feed overpower its fear of the poison joke. With one final roar, the beast leaped into the air, flapping its wings to keep it above the flowers. However, with one quick swoop towards the behemoth, Treble managed to tear one of its wings, bringing the creature down with a crash. Slowly, the massive form rose from where it had landed, once more striking terror into its prey, before the manticore vanished completely, leaving in its wake a small white kitten. After extricating themselves from the poison joke, the group heaved a sigh of relief.
"For us," Ocean said, "The poison joke probably won't affect us unless we give it a reason to pull a fast one on us. Either that, or it will wait until tomorrow morning."
"Well, that's a relief," said Rose, still panting from the adrenaline rush from earlier.
The three friends shared a laugh before standing up.
"Only a little farther to go," Treble reminded them, "Then we can finally meet this witch."
"If it's the witch you're looking for," came a voice from farther down the path, "Then, may you look no more."
Seemingly appearing from nowhere, a cloaked form strode forth. Pulling down the hood revealed an old zebra, adorned with golden rings around her neck and front left leg, and two large golden hoop earrings. Her deep cyan eyes sparkled with a sagely brilliance, and her mouth was pulled in a large smile. The black in her striped coat had faded to grey, yet they retained their definition. 
"Zecora is my name," said the zebra, "I'm a shaman, that's my game. I'm not a witch, that was made up, by a once lost little pup. You came a long way, I trust, off to my home, or bust. Please, would you follow me? I'll help you, for free."
The three traveling companions looked around between themselves. The one they were looking for just ended up appearing right in front of them, and all of a sudden, she was inviting them to her home without expecting anything from them. It was really rather strange for her to even bring up that her services were 'free'. As Zecora was walking away, the ponies had decided that is was in their best interests to see where this zebra was leading them. After all, Luna had brought up the fact that the two of them were, in fact, friends, so it was probably safe for them to follow in her footsteps. After the shaman glanced behind her, she continued down the pathway past the poison joke patch. Peering about, they noticed that the animals of the forest had stopped following them altogether.
As they neared the now huge wall of a mountain, they passed through a line in the path. When crossing, they noticed that there was an invisible bubble of magical energy. It felt as though they passed through an electrical field. After their coats had stopped feeling like they were standing on end, they approached a large cave entrance. So large, in fact, that they had a hard time trying to find where the ends of the cave stood. Within this cavern was a fully-furnished living area, complete with tables, chairs, a bed, and even a large pot boiling in the center. It was quite clear that they had reached their destination.
"Welcome to my abode," Zecora said, "Feel free to lighten your load."
Placing their saddlebags down, the group gathered around the cauldron full of boiling green liquid. The shaman walked up to the pot with small pink crystals. Pouring the brew into three wooden cups, she brought the vessels to the gathered ponies.
"Drink this brew," she said calmly, "It'll heal you. It will stop the plant's prank, 'cause the joke is quite rank. So, who are you three, whom I see before me?"
"Well," Treble said, "I'm Treble Clef, this is Ocean Breeze, and this is Roseluck. We're just passing through, trying to avoid the Chaos Guard. We figured, if anyone can guide us out of here unnoticed, it would be you."
"Hmm, your assumption is correct, but the route is not direct. There is a path in the back, but there may be an attack. The tunnels are filled with diamond dogs, they are harder to get through than bogs. Why don't you rest a bit, 'till you feel travel fit. What's mine is yours."
"That...didn't have a rhyme," pointed out Ocean.
"Well, being alone has its bores."
"That didn't make any sense."
"It wouldn't hurt to stay here," said Rose, "It seems like we simply move from place to place without taking a moment to breathe. I know we don't have a lot of time, and I'm sure that the others are having the same problem, but everything moves so fast."
"I'm with Rose on this one," Treble said, "How about you, Ocean?"
"Yeah, I guess," Ocean answered, "I know what my friend said, and I know what Luna said, but I think that this Zecora is a little suspicious. She arrives out of nowhere and immediately decides to trust us. I don't buy it."
"Let me tell you, Ocean Breeze," the zebra in question said, "I know you are good ponies. From Luna, I got a letter, and now you can trust me better. I just want to assuage your fears, just know that you can trust your ears. I can even show you the paper, so you can let your anger taper. Here is the parchment that you seek, and now my word is not as weak."
Zecora brought out a small piece of paper from a small drawer in the corner of the cave. Unfurling it, she gave the roll to Ocean, who inspected it. With a relenting sigh, she settled in. As she relaxed, she noticed how comfortable the large space actually was. Even as wide as it was, the heat from the fire in the center spread throughout. The sides glowed a rainbow of colors, as the walls were wet. However, the floor was dry, as was the ceiling. It truly was a cozy space, and it was well hidden from the rest of the forest by the forest itself.
As the day wore on, the group fell into a relaxed state. They had lunch, conversed, and rested. The safety and quiet they experienced was refreshing. Even when they were with Luna, they felt as though they had to stay alert. After all, the field they had passed through was, according to Zecora, protecting them from the denizens of the forest. They had learned that the cave was once home to an Ursa Major and her cub, but that they had since left the cavern in search of food. The river dragon the three friends had passed was, in fact, a victim of these huge creatures and their voracious appetites. The ponies felt shivers running down their spines, glad that they had not run into the grizzly creatures.
As the day wore on, they realized that they had to get a move on. Thanking the zebra for kindly letting them rest, they retrieved their bags and secured provisions supplied to them by the generous shaman.
"A list of remedies, I have here," Zecora said, "To heal those you hold dear. I also have many a cure, for any situation you'll endure," she gave Rose the book and several bottles, "Remember, I care about your safety, and I don't want you to be hasty. Good luck, don't get stuck. If you are in trouble, just buck."
After the words of encouragement, the team set out once more. Within the depths of the cave, a door stood, leading to Luna-knows-where. With one last thank you, and a heartfelt hug from Ocean, they resumed their journey into the deepest reaches of the mountain, unaware they were being followed from the get-go.