Mud and Murk is everywhere! Worst of all, it looks like scooping it out won't work! The Froggy Bottom Bogg is spreading and Ponyville's citizens look to the local Princess for answers as Mayor Mare works tirelessly to fix it.
Mud and Murk is everywhere! Worst of all, it looks like scooping it out won't work! The Froggy Bottom Bogg is spreading and Ponyville's citizens look to the local Princess for answers as Mayor Mare works tirelessly to fix it. With Fillies and Foals trapped indoors and any untrained Pegasai having difficulty flying anywhere, how are they going to go on living there! More importantly... what's causing it?
"Princess Twilight!" Mayor Mare yelled as she beat on the librarian turned demigod's door. She waited a few moments, her hooves soaking in the dark waters that had brought her here. "We need your help!" She heard a hoof steps on the other side of the door and held it closed. A force tugged on it but the Mayor would not let it open.
"I think my door is stuck!" She heard Twilight call from inside.
"No! That would be me, fly out your balcony to see me!" She shouted through the door. There were a few seconds of silence before she heard a gasp above her.
"What happened!?" The Princess guffawed as she took in the sight that was Ponyville.
"Froggy Bottom Bogg happened." The Mayor sighed as she turned to view the destruction once more. Murky water, over a foot deep in some places, coated the entire town, any opened door led to the interior being flooded as well. The stench was overwhelming and the mud thick. It had taken her an hour to walk the short distance from the town hall to the Library, even though it was only a block away! Carts were stuck in the middle of the road, Fillies and Foals were trapped indoors and bubbles of Gases made flying a dangerous and difficult prospect.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Twilight asked, hovering slightly above the muck.
"Never... I've never heard of it happening either. Our records indicate the bog has remained the same size for generations." She sighed, "I was hoping you'd know what was happening." The Mayor looked up hopfully.
"I'll check my books." The Princess promised as she flew back inside.
The Mayor looked around at the mess. Tough times were ahead. She trudged towards the pony she knew she had to see.
It would have taken her all day to reach Sweet Apple Acres if she hadn't bumped into Thunderlane who flew her there at great peril to himself.
"Thank you Thunderlane. Could you stick around? I will probably need some help getting back." The Mayor asked.
"Of course! We need to get this taken care of as soon as possible. Rumble can't even leave the house!" Thunderlane laughed, "He's practically bouncing off the walls."
"I will do my best to get this sorted out." She promised as they arrived. They saw the entire Apple family with shovels attempting to clear out their yard. "Applejack!" She called out right before Thunderlane dropped her off next to the orange mare.
"Mayor Mare!" Applejack said relieved, "What in the hay is goin' on?"
"I wish I knew Applejack, I wish I knew. It seems the Froggy Bottom Bogg has overflowed! I'd like to ask you and your family to assist in cleaning up the town. More specifically, I was hoping you could call upon your extended family. We need as many strong hooves as we can get."
"We can try, but it's gettin' a might close to harvest time and they have their own livelihoods to think about." Applejack informed her.
Mayor Mare looked at the farm... it was just as damaged as the rest of the town, she couldn't force them away from trying to save their home first. She sighed and looked at the hills... And saw something strange. "Thunderlane, Applejack... look at those hills." She pointed.
"Yeah, it seems like everywhere is covered." Thunderlane noticed.
"No worse than over here." Applejack shrugged.
"Exactly." The Mayor breathed.
"What do ya mean by "exactly"?" Applejack asked.
"Look here." The Mayor pulled out a bottle of grey hair dye. Hearing the other two giggle she smiled. After the Cutie Mark Crusaders had revealed she dyes her hair it had become a bit of a joke. "Yeah very funny. Well, this dye requires I add water to use it properly otherwise it is far too thick." She poured some on her hoof. "See the consistency? Wouldn't you say it is similar to this mud?" The two nodded. "Applejack may I borrow your hat for a little demonstration?"
"Uh, sure I guess." She tossed the hat over.
"It doesn't stain fabric trust me." The Mayor pour some of the dye onto the top of the hat. It flowed down from the top and pooled at the bottom of the bill. "Now, look at the hat, notice how it flows."
"No offense Mayor, but what does this have to do with..." Thunderlane began before it clicked.
The hat had most of the dye at the bottom, but the hills... they had an even coating... top to bottom. "Sweet Celestia that mud ain't natural." Applejack breathed. "Why isn't it pooling?"
"Thunderlane, take me to Twilight. I must tell her of this new development." She tossed the hat to Applejack. "By the way, how long have you been at this?" She gestured to the mud.
"Since dawn." Applejack admitted.
The Mayor looked at the progress before telling Applejack, "Stop wasting your time and energy, it must be magic." As she flew off she saw Applejack watch as the mud flowed up from under her shovel, to form a nice... even coating.
***
Rarity was just exiting the train from Cantorlot when she saw it. Her worst nightmare. Mud... Everywhere! She looked at her luggage, all filled with the finest fashions and fabrics fresh from Cantorlot... "What is going on!?" She screamed.
"It's been like this since early this morning apparently." Rainbow yawned as she flew overhead.
"Oh thank Celestia you're here Rainbowdash! Could you be a dear and help me ferry my luggage to the boutique?" Rarity begged.
"Fine..." Rainbow grumbled before she saw just how much there was. "Oh come on!"
"What? I went to Cantorlot to pick up the latest trends after all." Rarity explained.
"But twelve boxes!? I don't think I can safely take more than two at a time!" Rainbow complained.
"Please?" Rarity pleaded.
"Fine... but you owe me big time!"
"I'll make you an aerodynamic suit for your next big race!" She smiled.
"Deal!" Rainbow laughed as she picked up all the bags at once and flew quickly into a bubble of gas, causing her to crash into a nearby building, Rarity caught the three bags that fell with her magic before they splashed down.
"Careful!" Rarity scolded her before Rainbow dashed off again. "This is going to be a long day..." She mumbled.
Mayor Mare watched in horror as not only did the mud rise an extra foot before her very eyes, but the gas bubbles doubled in the air. Thunderlane wouldn't be able to fly her places much longer...
"We need to find a new way to get around town Thunderlane." The Mayor pointed out.
"Yeah... it's starting to get harder to dodge all these bubbles." He flew towards the Library.
The flew over a bubble and Mayor Mare saw something she did not expect, a Filly out doors... Jumping from roof to roof with a scooter!
"Thunderlane land next to her!" She commanded.
"Yes Ma'am!" Thunderlane nodded before entering his decent. He flew in front of the orange filly and landed just far enough ahead for her to hit the brakes.
"Scootaloo is it?" Mayor Mare asked in her dealing with children voice. "I believe you represented Ponyville as a flag carrier during the Equestrian Games!"
"Yep that's me!" Scootaloo bowed with pride.
"I just have a few questions is all, and then you can be on your way." The Mayor smiled.
"Alright!" Scootaloo nodded, eager to get into details about the games.
"For starters, why are you outside? It's very dangerous out here right now." She asked concerned.
"Oh." The Filly sighed, thinking she was in trouble, "It was just getting so stuffy in my house..."
Mayor Mare understood how boredom could influence her to go to these dangerous lengths, she'd watched this particular filly and her friends do some crazy things in the past and going out in this mess was far from surprising.
"I think I can help you there!" The Mayor smiled. "I'm trying to get this all cleaned up, but I can't leave you out here. Care to tag along?" She offered.
"I would love to!" Scootaloo hovered slightly at the idea.
"Are you okay with this Thunderlane?" She asked her impromptu taxi.
"Of course, can't leave her out here after all." He nodded.
"So Scootaloo," The Mayor began to ask as they continued to fly to the Library. "Us adults are having difficulty finding a way to get around, do you have any ideas?"
Scootaloo cocked her head to the side, was the Mayor actually asking for her opinion? Adults never did that! "Well, I'm used to not flying so I've been using my scooter..."
"I saw! It looks like fun but I don't think we can get Everypony to do that. Not to mention most Earth Ponies probably can't get fast enough on those to clear the gaps between buildings."
"I guess so." Scootaloo sighed, disappointed her plan wouldn't work out.
Mayor Mare noticed Scootaloo's demeanor change and comforted her, "Come on Scootaloo! That was only idea number one! I've had plenty of idea number ones fail at first. Maybe we just need another angle." She said, and idea forming in her mind. "Sometimes when I have a problem, I get stuck and can't come up with an answer. I then focus on another problem and often the answer comes to me then. We have no shortage of problems. For instance, the mud seems to be rising and we can't get rid of it. Soon some ponies may not be able to stay in their houses! How can we help them?"
The Mayor thought fondly back to her vacation in the Sea Pony village of Vineince. It was a beautiful city situated in a lake, with canals rather than roads. Earth pony and Unicorn tourists would get around using gondolas. She knew she could make boats strong enough to survive a the murk but before she got to Twilight's there was no rush to tell anypony her plan.
"Well..." Scootaloo furrowed her brow in thought. "We could get Everypony onto their roofs... Or maybe..." Her eyes lit up. "I remember seeing these big boats with houses on them when those Cantorlot nobles had that big yacht races! Maybe we could make some of those! we could even use smaller boats to move around!"
"What an excellent idea!" The Mayor congratulated her. "You see! I knew you could do it!" The Mayor was glad she had asked, she had thought of the boats, but house boats would keep them safe from the weather. Which she was sure would get out of hoof as flying got harder and harder.
They arrived at Twilights and saw her number one assistant Spike the dragon waving them down. Mayor Mare remembered when Celestia had first written to her about having Twilight and Spike living in the Library. She had been so worried about a Dragon living in Ponyville... Seemed silly now, after how many times they'd saved Ponyville. Still, she was never quite comfortable with it after Spike grew up for a day and destroyed half the town, but he seemed in control and was a good person.
"Twilight's downstairs researching. Oh, hi Scootaloo! What are you doing with the Mayor?" Spike asked.
"Just helping out! How've things been over here? Any luck?" The inquisitive little filly asked.
"I haven't found anything but Twilight's gone through dozens of books. She probably has found at least a hint." He led them inside. "Twilight the Mayor is here!"
"Good! Send her down!" The pretty purple pony princess of platonic relations called from below.
It had been awhile since the Mayor had actually looked around the library. She sighed, it used to be one of her favorite places to unwind in the quite of the books. But ever since Twilight moved in she had avoided it so as to not intrude. Not to mention how busy her schedule had been! It seemed like every other day there was some major disaster that required tons of paperwork. It had gotten so bad ponies hardly ever get to see her anymore! She remembered that one time Pinkamena Diane Pie had cloned herself and the town had rushed to the Princess's protégé rather than her. That had hurt, but she understood. She just wasn't around as often.
"Please give me good news Twilight." The Mayor hoped as she trotted down the staircase.
"Mayor you may want to sit down for this one." The Princess began as she hovered a book over to the Mayor. She was about to explain when she saw Scootaloo behind the Mayor. "Oh! Hello Scootaloo!" She smiled, glad to see the Filly was safe.
"Hey Twilight! I'm helping the Mayor!" Scootaloo smiled. "I'm guessing Twilight time is canceled?"
"For now I'm afraid, Scootaloo, could you wait outside for a little bit?" Twilight nervously asked.
"But... Okay," Scootaloo frowned as she made herself absent.
"Well Twilight what have you found, and why have you handed me a magical bestiary?" The Mayor asked as she flipped it open.
"Page one hundred and seventy three." She sighed, "You're not going to like this." Twilight added grimly.
"Hydras?" The Mayor read on. "I heard reports we have one in the bog..." Her voice caught as she read a line Twilight had highlighted. "Oh no..."
"What is it?" Thunderlane asked.
The Mayor read aloud from the book, "When a hydra is by itself too long, it can begin to believe itself as the last of its kind, these Hydras a very dangerous. To attempt to save its species a Hydra will split into smaller Hydras equal to the amount of heads it has using a powerful innate magic. This same magic will cause the environment it lives in to expand greatly to compensate for the increased population..." She read on silently before saying, "We have four Hydras running around, and the bog will only continue to rise for weeks. According to this... the mud won't stop until it reaches eight feet deep. The bubbles will fill the air, eventually popping and leaving behind clouds of toxic gases that drain the magic used in flight." She turned to Thunderlane and Twilight,
"We need to evacuate, immediately!" She ordered, her face grim. They turned as they heard a splash outside.
***
"RAINBOW!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Rarity screamed as she was torn through the air towards her home by the tired Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, yeah I see it!" Rainbow muttered as she deftly avoided the bubble of gas in her way. They landed on the roof of the boutique where SweetieBelle was loading Rarity's bag into the attic.
"Ooof!" Rarity huffed as she was dropped unceremoniously on her roof. "Thank you Rainbow, I'm sorry for all the hassle."
"It was no big deal, just me being awesome as usual!" Rainbow bragged. "Hey squirt." Rainbow greeted Sweetie as she trotted up to great her Sister and her friend.
"Hi Rainbow Dash! Rarity how was Cantorlot?" The overly energetic Sweetie asked eagerly.
"Look around you!" Rarity laughed, "With all this going on you want to hear about Cantorlot?"
"The excitement wore off after I couldn't leave hours ago." Sweetie complained. "So... Cantorlot?" She smiled.
Rarity and Rainbow laughed before Rarity began putting Rainbow to sleep with tales of fashion shows and famous ponies.
The Mayor rushed outside followed by the others, "What was that!?" She looked at the edge of the balcony and saw wheels... the wheels from Scootaloo's scooter. "No..." She saw the remains of a small wake trail disappearing around the corner of a nearby building. Without thinking twice she hopped down onto the library's sign and leapt as far as she could towards the wake. She grimaced through the murk as she charged through, cutting through it faster than she had thought possible. She heard a strange buzzing sound as she followed the trail.
Bugs flew all around her and bit, but they were a mild irritation compared to what she was going to do that Hydra if it had even touched a feather of Scootaloo's. She was so determined on following she didn't notice the bubble that had formed in the mud in front of her. It popped the moment she touched it and she coughed as the fumes surrounded her. She slipped and fell into the muck. Fighting with all her might she tore herself free and continued. The trail was getting smaller and harder to follow, but it seemed to be looping back to the Library. Trudging onwards exhaustion was beginning to drag at her.
She slipped once more, but this time the mud held fast and she could not rise. She reached out for anything to grip onto. She was running out of air and her lungs cried out. She tried to hold her mouth shut but her body rejected her commands and she breathed in the dirt and filth of the swamp. She struggled against the weight of the mud but to no avail. Suddenly there was no weight. Only the pain in her throat, and hide. Her eyes opened and she saw a purple light, flickering before her eyes. She fell heavily on a rough surface and the light disappeared. Before her eyes she saw a bedraggled Scootaloo...
Had she died? Were Scootaloo and her about to face judgment together? She coughed up mud and mustered her strength to murmur, "I'm sorry..." She heard muted voices all around her.
"Stay awake Mayor! Stay with us!" A feminine voice commanded.
"Can't your magic help?" A more masculine voice asked.
"Not if she falls asleep!" The voice retorted on the edge of panic. "Mayor open your mouth again! I need you to open your airways!"
She didn't want to, but she thought she recognized the voice... it was somepony she trusted. She opened her mouth and almost immediately regretted it as her lungs emptied themselves. Mud tore from her throat and splattered on the ground before her. Then bliss as air returned. Slowly she got up and got her bearings. She was back on the Library Balcony. She shook mud free from her coat and cleared her head. She saw Thunderlane, Twilight, Spike... and Scootaloo! She broke down crying. She pulled the filly into a hug. She saw behind the filly a scooter, the wheels had been removed and the bottom was caked in mud. It did not take long for the Mayor to realize what had happened.
"Don't you ever do that again!" She cried. For a moment she almost thought she was looking at... No he was gone.
"I'm sorry!" Scootaloo, cried traumatized. "I just thought it was a good idea..."
The Mayor saw how the filly was reacting and steadied herself so as not to make the situation worse. "Scootaloo, you need to keep coming up with ideas like this, but please tell others about it before you try them out. And no, I don't mean your friends. I mean one of us. You'd be surprised just how much danger you can get into if you don't. We are a little bit older, and sometimes..." She wiped a tear off Scootaloo's cheek with her muddy hoof, leaving a streak of it, "Can be a stick in the mud, but it's because we get worried and don't want you to get hurt, understand?"
"I'm sorry." Scootaloo sighed. "I guess you're right. It's just... when you wanted me to leave I thought... well I thought you didn't want me to help anymore but I still wanted to help! I thought if I had shown you how useful I was you'd let me know what was going on."
Mayor Mare smiled, "Silly Scoots. When we send you out, it's so we can iron it all out and tell you all the important stuff. That way you don't have to deal with all the boring stuff that doesn't matter."
"I'm sure there's nothing boring about what you do!" Scootaloo smiled.
The Mayor frowned and said in a very serious tone, "Scootaloo. Everything I do is boring." She laughed. "Come on now, we have a boring town to save."
"Twilight, we need to start evacuating the outer homes, the more isolated they are the bigger targets they are. We need to start with the furthest so I think Fluttershy's cottage, then The Pie Family, followed by Sweet Apple Acres. We'll prioritize from there. I'll need you to compile that list and figure out how long it will take to evacuate all of Ponyville. I have a completed census on my desk in town hall. Thunderlane, we need to get boats constructed, visit I need you to go to city hall and pick up the list of city contractors and round them up. Scootaloo, to get you caught up, the mud is rising and we have four single headed Hydra's running around. Spike, send a letter to Celestia for me. Explain the situation and ask her to send as much help as she can. Use my seal, you'll find it in my bag down in the Library. I will be inside finding out everything I can about Hydras. Scootaloo please come with me" She sighed.
They all nodded and left to do their tasks, Mayor Mare stopped Twilight before she took off and asked, "Do you have any headache medicine?"
The day dragged on as Scootaloo flew from shelf to shelf grabbing book after book for the Mayor to read over. She was beginning to understand what they were up against and it seemed fighting was not an option. Hydras were determined beasts and only gave up on prey that escaped, they would not run from anything just because they were afraid of it. They were truly remarkable creatures! Each head was intelligent and controlled its own movements, but for the main body to move each head had to agree. Yet they remained swift a deadly predators. Able to move silently if need be! They were similar to government, everypony had to agree, or at least most ponies had to agree, or nothing would get done.
A purple nimbus flashed for a moment and in its place stood Twilight. "I have good news, if everything works without any hiccups and we work around the clock for three days we should be able to get everypony out!"
"Never assume there won't be hiccups." The Mayor smiled. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the fact that the Mayor hadn't taken time to clean herself off after the incident with the mud.
The Mayor continued, "Twilight... I have a favor to ask of you and your friends, but I wish I didn't have to ask it."
Twilight bowed, "Anything you need, Mayor."
"You and your friends have protected Ponyville, and Equestria from many evils. Ranging from a jealous unicorn with an amulet to the return of the Avatar of Chaos itself! I need you to help us again... Could you and your friends delay the Hydras? I doubt they'll wait three days before coming to Ponyville otherwise." Her head drooped partly from the weight of her request and partly out of exhaustion.
"Of course Mayor. I will speak to the others and get their help." Twilight promised as she disappeared in a flash of purple light.
"Scootaloo, I understand your friends are sisters with the Elements of Harmony." The Mayor sat next to the filly.
"Yep! Applebloom's sister is Applejack and Sweetie's sister is Rarity. Rainbow Dash adopted me as a sister!" She smiled.
It brought joy to the Mayor's heart to know the Filly had a mentor in Rainbow Dash, but then a tear rolled down her cheek.
"What's wrong Mayor?" Scootaloo asked.
"I'm sorry Scootaloo. I sent them to fend off the Hydras. I'm so sorry." Her head dropped.
Scootaloo pushed the Mayor's muzzle up and wiped a tear off, spreading the mud, "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash won't be a stick in the mud." The Mayor smiled and they laughed as the mud rose.
***
They all sat there on Fluttershy's cottage, the Elements of Harmony and several animals as Twilight explained the situation.
"...the Hydras need to be stopped from entering Ponyville at all cost. Fluttershy, how do you think we should precede?" Twilight focused and used her magic to teleport another weasel to the relative safety of the edge of the murk.
"Well... they're predatory animals that hunt by ambushing then chasing. If we manage to find them and convince them we don't know they're there, they'd chase us. Then we could lead them away."
Rainbow Dash cut in with, "And just how do you think we are gonna do that? I can hardly fly through this mess, and according to Twilight it's only going to get worse!"
"Well, didn't Twilight just say the Mayor's makin' boats? If we can get one goin' fast enough we could outrun 'em that way." Applejack suggested.
Rarity sighed, "How can we get a boat going fast in that mud? I don't know about you but I don't think we can get going even half as fast as we would need to be using the poles they use in Vineice!"
"Actually, I think Scootaloo had the answer there." Twilight interjected.
"OH I HAVE AN IDEA TOO!!!!" Pinkie nearly exploded.
"Oh? And what idea is that Pinkie?" Twilight asked, having learned her lesson after the parasprite incident.
"We could make a miniature windmill and put it on the back of the boat, then get it going really fast! That way it would push us forward through the mud!" She smiled. "Like this!" She pulled out a propeller and spun it, which created a nice breeze.
"Well, only a unicorn can get one going fast enough. But I don't think only two boats will do it." Applejack sighed. "If one gets caught somewhere we'll need one to lead the Hydras away and one to rescue 'em. That's at least three!"
"Well, that works for me, because of Scootaloo's idea." Twilight smiled. "Using her scooter," She pulled out the scooter. "She managed to skim the surface, we could have one for you Rainbow and one for you Fluttershy. Then I can pilot a boat with Applejack in it, while Rarity pilots the one with Pinkie." She smiled.
"Why those combos? Don't you reckon It'd be best to have the better wrangler with the slower boat? And Pinkie's party canon with the faster one?" Applejack asked.
"Understand I mean this in the nicest way possible AJ and Rarity. My magic is more powerful than yours Rarity-"
"Well yes..." Rarity interrupted, a little stung.
"-and you AJ... well... with my magic making it more powerful we'd want Rarity to have the lighter boat..."
Everypony sat in awkward silence before Applejack asked the obvious question, "You callin' me fat?" She glared at Twilight.
"No! Your just more... muscular than Pinkie and muscle weighs more!" Twilight stammered.
"Wait... are you calling me fat?" Pinkie asked with big eyes and a trembling lip.
"NO I JUST-" Twilight began to defend herself before Pinkie interrupted.
"I'm kidding! I know I eat a lot of party cake! But seriously Twi," She scooted real close and whispered, "Don't say anything about Rarity's weight... EVER!!!!!!!" She ended on a scream.
Mayor Mare did not remember falling asleep, nor did she remember walking into Twilight's guest room. Her head ached as she got up. She slowly limped towards the door unable to put pressure on her left hind leg. She went to open the door but it wouldn't budge. She pressed all of her might against it and was rewarded with it opening only a crack, but that was enough for her to stop trying. On the other side of the door, mud waited. It had risen to the point it had broken through windows! She looked around the room for anything she could use to get help and discovered another door. It led to a bathroom and nothing else.
"Pony feathers..." She took stock of the room. Books lined the walls on shelves and a bed. That was all. The bathroom had toiletries but nothing she found useful. She uncovered her bag resting next to the bed and went through it. She had medical supplies, a whistle, a megaphone, emergency rations, a survival knife, some scrolls, ink, and quills. It was moments like this that made her wish she was a unicorn. If she had been she could teleport out, or at least contact somepony. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't want to do it. So she delayed. She moved all the books into the rest room and locked the door, no need for them to get damaged. She limped into the shower and cleaned herself off. It was at this point she discovered why she had been limping. Also why she had passed out.
"That... that doesn't look good." She had a long gash running down her leg... she must've gotten it when she jumped into the mud looking for Scootaloo. She felt woozy looking at the wound, obviously infected, and got her medicinal supplies. After taking a liberal amount of pain pills she poured some cleaning agent over it, to attempt to purify the wound. The pain was intense, but she went on and applied antibacterial ointment before wrapping it under multiple layers of bandages. Shakily she got up and steeled herself for what she had to do.
"What's that Time Turner is always saying? Allons Y!" She shouted as she threw on her bag and pried a few bolts out of the door before running back when she heard a creaking noise. The remaining bolts snapped and the door flew inwards, flooding the room with mud. The Mayor took a deep breath as the room filled and as soon as she could swam into the main library. She swam up to the balcony which was still, thankfully, above the mud and saw a very worried Scootaloo.
"Oh thank goodness your okay! After Twilight left you fell asleep so I carried you to the bed, then the mud come in through the windows and I tried to get you up here but you were to heavy! I put you back then I saw Thunderlane and I screamed for him to help, but then he flew into a bubble that came out of nowhere and the mud just kept coming!" The filly spouted in a matter of seconds.
"What happened to Thunderlane?" The Mayor asked worriedly.
"He crashed into that building over there." She pointed to a house across the street. "Second floor window." She pointed to a broken window pane.
"How long ago was this?"
"About an hour, I would have gone over to him, but..." Scootaloo looked embarrassed.
"No need to explain further, we just need to get over there and make sure he's alright!" The Mayor looked around for something, anything that could help her get over there. "This had better work... It looks like it's time for a party!" She called out. Nothing happened. "Drat, well I tried. Where's Spike?"
"He's making something over there. He said that Princess Celestia is coming as fast as she can, but we shouldn't wait." Scootaloo explained after pointing to the back room.
"I'll go see him, stand watch will you?" The Mayor gave Scootaloo her whistle, "If anypony comes by, get their attention with this. I cleaned it out yesterday so it won't be gross I promise. Can you handle that?" She asked playfully.
Scootaloo, never one to back down from any challenge responded with a resounding, "Of course!"
Mayor Mare limped over to the back room and saw Spike doing... something odd. "Spike? What are you doing?"
Spike turned away from his pile and saw the Mayor standing there. "Oh thank Celestia you're okay!" His voice was slightly deeper than usual.
"Yes I'm fine, but... what are you doing?" She asked totally confused by the Hodge Podge of items stacked before her.
"Thunderlane is in danger, but I'm too small to get to him. I'm..." He stared at her bags for a second before shaking his head, as if to clear it. "I'm trying to accelerate my growth again, through greed."
All of the chaos and destruction he had caused that day flashed in front of the Mayor's eyes. She shook out her doubts and looked at the idea with as little bias as possible. If he was able to control himself this time, he could save Thunderlane then change back! But if he lost control... he'd be lost to them. Best case scenario he could become a huge asset, worse case... more giant angry predators would only worsen an already bad situation. He'd destroy what little shelter ponies still had, and impede evacuations by stealing boats... Then the Mayor had a thought and smiled.
"Spike, do you believe you can control this?" The Mayor asked, before clarifying, "And I mean truly believe, not think, but in your heart believe?"
The dragon stared at his now larger claws and felt the tug of his darker side. "I... I don't know... But that doesn't matter does it? Thunderlane's life is in danger! I'm sure Twilight or Rarity will find a way to break me out of it, if necessary. I know, I believe I can control it long enough to get us all out of this library and back to wherever the construction crews are!" He nodded resolutely.
"Then please, do as you see fit. But if you feel yourself slipping, run towards the bog. You'll do less damage there." The Mayor also knew that was where the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were going to round up the Hydras.
Spike nodded and his eyes narrowed before he snatched her signature collar! She sighed and walked out to find Scootaloo watching the mud intently.
"Scootaloo..." The Mayor sat beside her. "We have a way to get to Thunderlane."
"Really? How?" Scootaloo asked, flabbergasted a solution had been found so quickly.
"Spike is willing to sacrifice his very mind in order to grow large enough to carry us all out of here."
"What?"
"I had Twilight explain a good deal to me after Spike grew to the monster that attacked us. Remember that?" The filly nodded, "Well... Dragons can accelerate their growth by practicing greed, it is magical and thus can be reversed thank Celestia, but they lose most of their mind in the process. It becomes harder for them to remember who they are, where they are, and even who they care about. He is intentionally practicing greed to attempt to grow large enough to carry us to safety."
"But... what if he doesn't recognize us?"
"I gave him a contingency should he feel his control slipping. He is to run into the Froggy Bottom Bogg. I told him he'd do less damage there. What I didn't tell him was that his friends will be there. They'll be able to turn him back, and if not... I bet a mighty dragon could best four measly little Hydras."
"I... I guess I shouldn't tell him, or he'd want to lose control to save us." Scootaloo reasoned.
"Now Scootaloo, that's very wise. Now take a moment and think about every time adults like me or your parents kept a secret from you. Now that you know why you are keeping this secret from Spike, do you understand why Twilight wanted you out of the room?"
"I guess that makes sense. She didn't want to scare me, or worse make me want to go out and get rid of the Hydras myself."
They heard a crashing sound behind them and saw a much larger Spike walking out of the room, his tail wrapped around a multitude of random items.
"I... I'm... Spike ready!" He growled as he picked up the Mayor and Scootaloo. He jumped into the mud, now several feet deep, and waded across.
"I hope this works!" Scootaloo squeaked.
The Mayor smiled and added cryptically, "Whether or not it does, we are in for one wild night."
***
Twilight sat at the helm of her and Applejack's boat looking through her binoculars.
"They should be somewhere near here..." She shifted her hat and swatted at the bugs that swarmed her.
"I can understand the binoculars, but why'd you and Rainbow Dash get the same hat?" Applejack asked.
"I got it to keep the sun out of my eyes and prevent heat stroke or something similar, such as heat exhaustion, Rainbow is wearing her Daring Do hat because she likes Daring Do."
"Are you sure that's not why yer wearin' it?" The Apple Equine smirked.
"Shh!" Twilight shushed her.
"You don't have to get defensive, I was just sayin'!"
"SHH!" Twilight stopped her and pointed towards the bog. Applejack could see the mud shifting as if something large lurked, just under its surface.
"Twilight... I reckon we should start runnin' right about now." Applejack shifted uncomfortably.
"It's not that close yet, it may not give chase!" Twilight focused her binoculars to get a better look at the mass.
Applejack looked from side to side, "It wasn't that one I was saying we should run from..." Twilight's eyes went wide as she slowly put down her binoculars and turned to see three long necks slowly rising from the mud.
"AAH!" They screamed as Twilight shot the boat forward, just before the beasts struck. Applejack grabbed her pony signal and shot it into the air, alerting the others.
*** "SoInevergotananswerfromApplejack!WhatdoyouthinkChimmyCherryorCherryChangaChimmyCherryorCherryChanga?Ireallylikebothandcan'tdecidebutyouknowhowitissometimesright?Youjustcan'tmakeupyourmindonthesethingsandtheybugyouforareallylongtimebutyouneverknowwhattherightthingtocallitissoyoujustkeeponwonderinganditkeepsyouupatnightandyouaskGummybuthedoesn'tknoweither!SowhatdoyouthinkRarity?" Pinkie went on and on and on and on...
"I think I know why Twilight chose the other boat..." Rarity dramatically fell back onto the boat. "Oh and Pinkie dear, Cherrychanga sounds better to me."
"Really Rarity! Thank you! Oh look it's Rainbow Dash! She going really fast..." Pinkie looked where Rainbow was going, "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Applejack's pony signal!" She pulled a bubble pipe out of thin air, "The game... is ahoof..."
Spike carefully put Mayor Mare next to the shattered window, who opened it carefully.
"Thunderlane? Are you okay?" She peered into the darkness and saw a shape moving towards her.
"Mayor Mare? Is that you?" Minuet asked as she lit a candle.
"Oh thank Celestia you're home Minuet! Thunderlane crashed in here, is he okay?"
"He's going to be fine, he chipped a tooth in the crash but I took care of it. I did an x-ray and he had no cranial damage I could see. Honestly it just looked like he ingested a toxin. I've been working it out of his system but he'll be down and out for a bit."
"Thank you Minuet! We've been trapped in the Golden Oak Library for hours and saw him crash here. But we really should evacuate."
"I'd like to, but how? Do you have a boat, and how are you standing outside my window? The mud isn't that high is it!?" It was at this moment Spike leaned down and peered through the window at the local dentist. Her eyes widened in terror before she screeched, "Mayor hurry! Jump in there's a dragon behind you!" She scrambled backwards in a panic.
"No Minuet! It's just Spike! He's how we escaped the Library and how we'll get you out!" The Mayor comforted her.
"Are... Are you sure?" Minuet nervously approached.
"Of course!" The Mayor hopped into the home. "Now let's get Thunderlane and out of here."
The two mares carried Thunderlane onto Spike's claw, at first Minuet refused to get on, but after a little encouragement Spike just grabbed her and they were off. They slowly collect more citizens until Spike's arms were full of citizens. He reached the town hall, which had a dock constructed around it. Construction Ponies had already finished several boats, but they were all filled by Spike. The Mayor got them leaving with a few of her only remaining city workers to set up a refugee camp. She sat down and looked at a supply list with her treasurer.
"We have plenty of wood... but we are running low on food... what happened to the storehouse?" The Mayor asked as she watched the sunset. It was beautiful still, even if a little late.
"The doors caved in under the mud before we could get to it. This was all we could salvage." Silver Shill sighed.
"We... We don't have enough to last a week." She whispered on the edge of panic. "We can't just expect all of Ponyville to graze for a few months. We need to do something!"
"There's nothing we can do. Everything that mud touches becomes inedible. We tried washing the food off, but some enchantment is bound to the mud."
"I know what we must do." The Mayor pulled out a quill and scroll. She scribed a quick note and trotted to Spike. "Spike!" The dragon turned, looking angry for a moment before shaking his head.
"Yes?" He slowly growled.
"Send this to Twilight. It's of vital importance!" The dragon picked up the tiny scrap, threw it into the air and incinerated it. A small cloud of smoke zoomed towards the Froggy Bottom Bogg.
"Spike... I have another favor to ask of you. I need you to take me to Sweet Apple Acres." The Mayor commanded.
"Alright..." He offered his claw and she hopped on.
***
Twilight and Applejack zoomed through the bog, narrowly avoiding trees and other obstacles. The Hydras were hot on their trail though! The passed a weak tree and Applejack tore it down with her rope. The Hydras just charged straight through barely even slowed. She tossed up two rocks and bucked them directly into the two closest Hydras striking one in the chest and the other in the eye. One did not care the other ran into a tree crying in pain. It stopped only for a few seconds before roaring and taking chase again. Rainbow Dash harassed the Hydras from the side by pulling cloud from her saddlebag and launching bolts of lightning at them. It seemed to slow them only a moment before they continued to charge on. Fluttershy was behind them, making sure none of the three branched off, while looking for the fourth. They seemed to be catching up to Twilight and Applejack in spite it all! That was until Rarity and Pinkie showed up. Pinkie's party cannon blinded the Hydras, causing them to stumble and fall, and Rarity was able to keep her in range while still effectively avoiding the pitfalls of the mud. They managed to lose the Hydras after leading them to the other side of their ever expanding murk. The four boats met up just out of Ponyville as the sun set.
"We were awesome!" Rainbow panted, lifting her mud scooter into Twilight's boat.
"Yea, we kinda were!" Applejack laughed as she tied her and Pinkie's boat together.
"We were amazing!" Pinkie jumped the gap and helped Fluttershy load up her mud scooter.
The two boat pilot/engines snored softly as the pegasi removed their goggles.
"It must've been hard on those two..." Fluttershy whispered.
"Yeah, I wonder how much energy magic actually takes!" Rainbow wondered. "I mean, I've seen Unicorns sweat while doing hard spells and all, but they don't move a muscle."
"Who knows? Maybe you should ask one of them when they wake up?" Applejack sighed as she chewed on an apple from her pack. At that moment a little wisp of smoke floated in and became a letter. It landed on Twilight, who brushed it off in her sleep. Applejack and Rainbow leapt up and tried to keep it from falling in the mud. Applejacks rope was faster.
"Ha! You lost that race Rainbow." Rainbow snorted in contempt as Applejack pulled the note to herself with a tug of her rope. "Probably from Spike." She looked at the label, "Nope, it's from the Mayor. Funny... it says it's for me! Why would the Mayor talk to me and not Twilight?"
Pinkie snatched the note and giggled, "I know how you can find out!" She opened the note and gave it to Applejack.
Applejack sat down and read it by the moonlight. She took another bite of her apple. "Seems like everythin' is goin' well in town..." She said through her chews, "Nevermind... Thunderlane got hurt and..." Her eyes widened and she dropped her apple. "WHAT!?" She screamed, which woke up Twilight and Rarity.
"What's going on? I wasn't asleep." Twilight swayed from side to side from exhaustion.
Rarity looked around dazed, seeing nothing interesting she went back to sleep, "I was, and am..." She sighed.
Applejack looked furious as she paced from one end of the boat to another. "That no good, rotten, pink maned, looter!"
"AJ? What's the matter?" Twilight yawned, trying to remain focused.
"The Mayor is raiding mah SILO!" Applejack stomped.
"What?" The four of her awake friends asked.
Applejack scooped up the note and read aloud in as prim and proper a voice she could muster, "I regret to inform you that due to food shortages we will be emptying all reserves of food on your property. We are sorry for this inconvenience." She sat down angry, "Malarkey! Everypony knows she has tons of food in storage outside town hall! She just doesn't want to go over budget! I've spent years drying apples for that Silo just in case we had a bad harvest! She can't just... take it... She didn't even ask! I just have to accept it!"
"AJ..." Twilight yawned, "Do you really think the Mayor..." She yawned again, "Do you really think the Mayor isn't going to pay you back?"
"Well no..."
"Do you really think she'd take your Apples if she had enough food for Ponyville?"
"I guess not... It's just... I don't know... I always thought that I'd open that Silo and save the Apple Family from a bad winter or somthin'..."
"Now before I go back to sleep, would you be this mad if you weren't exhausted?" Twilight slowly sank to the bottom of the boat and slept.
"I..." Applejack swayed from side to side, "Wow... I am tired." She collapsed right there.
Pinkie looked at Fluttershy and saw her asleep, then turned to see Rainbow with her eyes barely open. "Rainbow!" She slapped her friend.
"What!?" Rainbow angrily shook herself awake.
"I'm tired..." Pinkie swayed from side to side despite the boat remaining stagnant.
"So? We all did some tiring stuff today, you don't need to hit me!" She yelled.
"No! I AM TIRED! ME PINKIE!" Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs. "Think about it! All I did was shoot a canon! I can run all across Ponyville and only feel winded! Not to mention I just screamed and Fluttershy didn't move an inch!" She picked up and shook the yellow pony, who simply snored softly. "Oh that is adorable." Pinkie whispered before turning to Rainbow, "See!"
Rainbow swayed a bit and her vision blurred. "I... I think I understand..." She slowly walked to a bag and lit a candle. The air around them was a soft green and particles of... something could be seen floating around.
"Rainbow..." Pinkie yawned, "Get us out of here... We're in a bubble."
***
"Alright Spike, now please, can you lift that Silo?" The Mayor asked.
"It will... take... two... claws..." He struggled.
"I'll get on your back." The Mayor climbed the much larger Spike. She was truly getting worried for him. As she climbed her mane fell in front of her face, even through the mud she could see her dignified grey had faded, revealing her natural pink. She laughed as she thought aloud, "With all that is going on I still notice that..."
"Spike... WANT!" The Dragon grew another few feet and lifted the Silo from the ground. He turned and began running towards Ponyville. The Mayor bounced on his back, clinging to one of Spike's spikes. He made good time and they reached the town hall in before the moon reached its zenith.
"Now Spike, drop the Silo there!" She pointed next to the hall. "And keep it right side up!"
The Dragon growled. "No..."
"Spike?"
"No! Spike want!"
"Spike your losing yourself!"
The dragon shook his head and painfully slowly the Silo slipped from his claws with a grating sound. He picked the Mayor up by her bags and dropped her on the Town Hall.
"Spike... Go..." The dragon spun around and ran without another word.
"My hopes go with you my friend, best of luck." She then looked around and realized she was on the roof. "Pony feathers..."
The Mayor sat on the roof and waited for the construction team to get a tarp for her to jump into, she was over the bubble layer which had popped during the night making it a sinister cloud layer, and no Pegasi could make the trip up to get her. From what she could tell, the evacuation was going well. Without Spike she was having volunteers go from home to home picking up refugees before returning, and, unless her memory failed her, almost seventy-five percent of the populace had been evacuated, her team included. The sun rose over the horizon before the tarp was ready. Before she leapt down she looked towards Cantorlot and peered through the gases. Shapes glided through the mud... She recognized the Equestrian flag flapping proudly and her heart rejoiced. She closed her eyes, plugged her ears and held her breath as she fell through the cloud layer, her tattered bandage falling off and her skin smarted as the gas attacked her pores. The bug bites hurt. She fell into the tarp and was slowly laid down.
"Thank you sirs," She got up shakily. She felt angry for some reason, but years of political experience held her in check. "I have good news everypony!" She trotted towards the largest gathering of ponies she could immediately see. "I just spotted the Cantorlot relief team! Celestia's help will be here any minute!"
"YEAH!!" Bulk Biceps screamed in approval.
The Mayor cleared her throat to draw the attention back to her, furious at the interruption, "But! Just because we have help doesn't mean we should stop evacuating! I want to see those boats out again as soon as they get here! That means we will need to replace the drivers and oarponies! Do I have any volunteers for the next one?" She looked over the crowd and saw a few wary hooves. "Come on everypony! We need to give our friends a rest! Some of you have friends and family still out there!" More were raised. "Thank you! You five, Bulk, Time Turner, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Cherilee! You're on the next one." She trotted over to last month's census and read the names that had yet to be checked off. "You'll be heading to Southern Ponyville..." She made a list of ponies that lived there and their addresses. "Remember, don't be too hasty. They may be scared or asleep, so make sure you make your intentions clear and noticeable."
"Of course, Mayor." Cherilee smiled.
"Thank you all, now if you don't mind I'll need to be there to greet the relief team. Good luck if I don't see you before you leave." She smiled, for some reason Cherilee was really getting on her nerves. They were friends and have had their share of arguments, but for some reason... She sighed and trotted over to the dock. Her leg hurt, but she had other things to do.
The boats were making good progress towards the dock and she could see Princess Celestia standing at the helm, lighting the path. "It's about time..." The Mayor whispered. Her eyes widened... why had she said that!? The boat docked and the Princess got off, the Mayor slowly bowed, "Your Majesty, thank you for coming so far at such a short notice." She thanked her curtly.
Celestia immediately detected something wrong with the Mayor. "Hello Mayor Mare. Are you okay?" She asked, concerned for her subject.
"Oh yes of course! My town is just under seven feet of mud with Hydras running around! Couldn't be better!" The Mayor snapped. She shook her head to clear it and shot straight up. "Oh my... I'm so sorry, I... I don't know what came over me!"
Celestia noticed how forced the movements were, along with the bags under the mare's eyes. She looked at the bedraggled mare closer. The Mayor backed up a little as the Princess leaned in, but still Celestia got a close enough look. Her eyes were baggy, she was having difficulty standing, and the strange gas that filled the sky leaked from her back leg.
"Hold still please," The Princess ordered as she went to inspect the leg, as she circled she continued, "Mayor, you look exhausted, when is the last time you slept?"
"Well, about sixteen hours ago I woke up from a small... well it was a small coma really. I was under for a few hours." The Mayor shuffled a bit.
"You need to slee..." Celestia saw the gash. "Nix that... you need to see a doctor NOW." She ordered.
"Oh that? It'll be fine until everypony is evacuated, I'm sure." The Mayor rolled her eyes as the Princess looked at the wound like a concerned mother who's filly just got their first bruise. She yanked her leg away and complained, "Princess, I'm fine! Now we do have some bigger concerns." She gestured to the town.
"Mayor, it's infected! You are taking a boat out NOW! That's the end of it." The Princess ordered. "Luna's at the refugee camp, she'll take care of you."
The Mayor glared at the Princess. "Fine." She said coldly. "At least let me take my own crew, yours is too well trained. They'll be more useful here."
"Good. You can take whomever you feel like with you, get in that boat and I'll collect them. Who did you want?"
"I'll fetch them myself thank you." The Mayor said smugly before sauntering towards the group she had arranged previously. She got their attention and relayed unto them her version of Celestia's orders. "The Princess wants us to go check on Princess Twilight and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony, then to return to the refugee camp. She has supplied a boat. I recommend we depart immediately."
The others nodded or let out a healthy "YEAH" in agreement before galloping into the boat and getting ready.
The Mayor picked up the Census and gave it to Celestia, "These are the ponies that still need to be evacuated, I'm sorry for my insubordination earlier. I'm just so tired and angry at... the world I guess."
Celestia could tell something was up, but knew she couldn't spare the time or Ponies to ensure the Mayor followed her word. "It's fine, just please... try and get better. Ponyville will need you in the months to come." The Mayor smiled and slowly trotted to the boat. A guard next to her faked a cough. "Oh hush, I know she's not going to listen, but it's her choice and if I make her ponies will suffer."
"Sure."
"You know you're a guard right? I could replace you in a heartbeat." She scowled.
"Yep."
A few moments of palpable silence filled the air as she scowled at him. His expression did not change. "I'm going to keep you." She wrote a quick note and sent it to her captain of the guard, ordering the transfer of the guard from Cantorlot proper to the castle. He'd keep her honest.
***
Twilight used a spell that cleared the remaining poisonous fog from their systems. Her friends were no longer so aggressive and belligerent, nor as tired. Excluding Rainbow Dash and Pinkie who were down and out after dragging the boats through the swamp and out of the dangerous bubble. With any luck, they'd all get turns at sleeping before the Hydras came back to this part of the swamp. Still, she kept a wary eye out for the fourth as well as anything else dangerous. As the hours trailed by the bugs circling her got more and more annoying. She saw a large dark form moving through the fog. It was a while off, but was coming fast! It was huge! Taller than the town hall by the looks of it! The bugs immediately forgotten she pulled out her binoculars and focused all of her attention on the figure. It had spikes on its head... so it wasn't a hydra...
"Girls! Wake up! Something is out there!" She felt the boat dip slightly and all but Fluttershy stood next to her, staring straight ahead.
"Um... girls?" Fluttershy whispered.
"What do y'all reckon that thing is!?" Applejack leaned forward squinting.
"I dunno, I'll get a closer look!" Rainbow opened her wings.
"Girls!" Fluttershy stated in a panic finally reaching normal speaking volume.
"Don't fly silly! Those bubbles look ready to burst! Take the bog scooter!" Pinkie snorted.
"Girls!" Fluttershy yelled, tugging on Rarity's mane.
"Oh what is it de..." Rarity's voice died when she turned.
Behind them in striking position was the fourth Hydra. Larger than the others, it must've been the main head. The others turned just in time to jump out of the way of the first strike. Twilight hovered just under the fog, her wing tips grazing the surface of the mud. She watched in horror as the beast's head rose from the wreckage of their boats, anger in its eyes. She was snapped out of her trance by a tremendous roar and flew to Rarity's aid.
"Row faster!" The Mayor barked. She was frustrated, but did not know why, Bulk Biceps was rowing them so fast he was sweating! She ignored this and pushed them on anyways. "We have to get there as quickly as possible!"
"I don't know why." Bon Bon complained. "They've handled worse things before."
Mayor Mare bit back an insult that she was surprised she'd even considered saying and sighed, "I'm sorry for being so rude. I'm just worried about them is all. I also have a weird agitated feeling that I don't understand. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation, or something else. Please forgive me."
"It's alright." Lyra huffed, "But can we please slow down?"
"yeah..." Bulk heaved.
"Yes." The Mayor held back her unusual disappointment. She looked around, she saw movement in the upstairs of a small house, almost consumed by the bog. "Actually no."
"Ugh!" The five moaned angrily.
"Somepony is trapped in that house!" She gestured.
The five looked and nodded, their exhaustion forgotten with somepony's life on the line. The boat slowly listed until it bumped up to the edge of the home. Bulk Biceps got up and picked up a paddle.
"What are you doing?" The Mayor asked.
"I'm going to break the window open?" He told her, confused.
"The mud is halfway up the window, if you do that it'll flood the room." The Mayor pointed out. "And if there is a foal, or filly in there they'll get hurt. Even if there's a stallion or mare in there they might be hurt by a dresser falling over on them."
"Oh... yeah..." He sat back down.
"How do we get in?" Cherilee asked.
"If only I had my... oh nevermind, I don't have it, and it doesn't work on wood." Time Turner sighed.
"Mayor?" Lyra pointed at the roof. "There's a chimney."
"Good, um Bulk... Could you toss me up there?" The Mayor asked.
"YEAH!" He gently lifted her and tossed his elected official onto the roof.
The pain began the moment she landed. Her eyes flew wide, but strangely she could not see. She felt the thatch of the roof on her face, a puff of air escaped her lungs before her throat sealed from the shock. She began to slide down the roof as she rapidly in took breath. Her vision returned somewhat and she bit down on the straw of the roof, her weight pulling it from its tightly woven structure. She heard screams from below her. She bit down hard on the old, industrial, straw and stopped her decent by driving her forehooves into the roof. Slowly she arose and moved forward. Blinking away the blurriness in her eyes she saw a red streak on the roof. She couldn't put weight on her back leg. The pain returned, dulled by shock. She heard calls of "Sweet Celestia!" and "Oh my, are you alright!?" Ignoring them she shuffled up to the chimney. It was slow going. As she stood over the sooty hole a strong, yet soft hoof touched her shoulder.
"I cannot allow you to continue." A voice said. The Mayor turned to see a great glowing figure standing over her, mighty wings flapping, haloed by the high sun. The mane flowed regally. A blur of white, yellow, and red.
"Celestia?" The Mayor weakly murmured. She blinked away the visions and saw her rescuer clearly. Bulk Biceps. His piercing red eyes filled with concern. His white coat flecked with red, as was his golden mane. There was quite a bit of it actually.
"No." He frowned. "I need you to focus on me." She heard a crash of wood splintering and her head lolled to the side to see Time Turner had broken through the roof and was helping a small family out of the home. A hoof pushed her focus skyward.
"Focus. Stay awake." He reminded her.
The Mayor hissed as something pressured her leg.
"CAREFUL!" Bulk yelled at something out of her vision. "Stay awake. Focus on me."
"Um... Bulk? There's a strange smoke coming out of her leg wound!" A panicked voice near her leg screamed.
"Bind it! There are Doctors at town hall still!" Bulk commanded.
The pressure returned, but did not hurt as much. Her eyes closed a moment before she heard Bulk yell at her again, she opened them as she was lifted off the roof.
"Stay awake!" He told her.
She tried to listen, she kept her eyes fixed on him focusing as she was told. Her mind clouded with rage. The rage distracted her. Her eyes closed, she heard Bulk yell, she felt him shake her. Her eyelids were too heavy to lift. She heard a great roar in the distance. The voices around her seemed panicked. They were quieter than before...
***
Her head hurt. No... not just her head. Her mind hurt. Her body hurt. Everything hurt. She heard muffled movement. Something sharp pierced her mind. A thought... A sharp thought pierced through the haze. It was not her own. It glowed gold. It was radiant, it took over her bodily functions, she was breathing, but not of her own volition. Her blood pumped at another's command. It felt unnatural and wrong. A second thought slipped in through her subconscious, darker than the first. But no less radiant. It pulled her back to it. She was in... Ponyville! But not as it is, or was! She looked around, there was no trash on the ground, the buildings were clean, the sky spotless. Everything was perfect! Her mane fell in front of her face. It was pink! She smiled. Everything really was perfect. Her town was thriving, as was she! The hair told her so much. She swore she'd let it go natural once she no longer had to worry about reelection season. She sighed at the beauty of it.
"I see it hasn't changed much." A familiar voice coaxed her attention away from the surroundings.
The Mayor turned and saw Princess Luna. "Of course not, this is my dream, always has been, always will be."
"I'm not here to chat. You know that."
The Mayor thought back on her last few moments she could remember and the dream grew darker. The homes sagged, and the dirt road turned to mud.
"I... I know."
"Celestia is keeping you alive, while the Doctors attempt to heal you. I am here to try to keep you well. Also... to check on the damage to your mind."
The dream only grew darker, a storm was brewing, windows shattered, and mud rose.
"Why are you really here? You know I am of stalwart conviction." The mare challenged her nighttime intruder.
"This time has been traumatic for us all, and we found large quantities of the chemical in clouds, in your blood. It makes you angry, aggressive, and reckless. An easier target for the Hydra I supposed. I am here to evaluate the damage it may have caused to your mind. Or at least that's what I told my sister."
"Why are you really here?" She demanded.
"You are dead." Luna said, resolute, as if she had just asked her over for tea.
The Mayor panicked, homes erupted in flames, every monster the Mayor had seen, or even thought of lurked in the darkness. The storm began to lift Luna.
"What?" The Mayor half whispered.
"Your brain has told your organs to stop functioning, Celestia has literally taken over your body like a life support system. Without her you'd have died an hour ago."
The Mayor glared at the destruction, and forced back her fear, the homes repaired, the monsters gone, the storm subsided.
"You have yet to answer me, WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" The Mayor demanded.
"To give you the choice!" Luna blurted, unable to remain emotionless as she had promised herself she would.
"What choice?" The Mayor asked, rhetorically.
"Do you want to die, peacefully? Or live, maybe only a few more hours in pain, maybe a few years in pain, maybe even years fully healed. The physical damage was extensive, best case, your leg loses some functionality but you live normally after a few months. Worst case, extreme pain the rest of your life. I can end it from in here, nopony would know but me."
The Mayor looked down at her hooves. At perfect Ponyville, at an imagined life she'd never live to see, at the life she may be forced to suffer though. She turned to her intruder and gave her answer.
***
Thunderlane and Scootaloo stared at the medical tent, watching the two glows from within. The mud had sunk away as the Hydras had fled from Spike into the Everfree and through to the Badlands. They heard the celebration behind them as ponies chanted Spike, Princess Twilight, Fluttershy can really fly, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Party Time, or some other joyful praise of their heroes that got rid of the mud. But they did not turn, they could not. Before them they saw the real hero, fighting for her life. Scootaloo sniffled.
Thunderlane placed a hoof on her shoulder and shared a comforting look. "She'll pull through. I know she will." He lied to the little filly.
"How can they all do that? Celebrate while the Mayor is on her death bed?" Scootaloo spat.
"They do as they do Scootaloo." He sighed. "Because they were saved by their heroes."
"But Mayor Mare saved them! She organized the rescue teams! She gave those heroes the plan to distract the Hydras! She helped Spike know when to leave! Without her half of them wouldn't even be here! And now she'll be the only casualty!? She's there dying because she fought FOR THEM! AND THEY ARE PARTYING!? HOW IS THAT FAIR!?" Scootaloo sobbed.
Thunderlane shook his head and kneeled in front of Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, listen well. Mayor Mare is not the hero. The hero stands in front of the camera. The hero has the spotlight. They do what is necessary and do it well. In Batmare, do you know Batmare?"
"A little... from the movies..."
"Batmare is a hero. In the end everypony knows that. But do you remember Any Grace?"
"No..."
"Any Grace was the Mayor of Gotham, killed because she appointed the new DA and created tons of new laws that ended up helping Batmare. In fact, without Any Grace, many of the villains would have walked free within days of Batmare catching them. She risked more than Batmare in some ways. But do you remember her?"
Scootaloo did not answer out loud, she only stared downwards.
"Because she's not the hero. She's not meant to be. When the town hosts a party and everything goes well, everypony has fun and goes home. When it goes poorly, everypony complains that Mayor Mare is incompetent and should leave control of parties to Pinkie Pie! When we can't afford to fix town hall, everypony blames the Mayor for not spending smartly, but Celestia forbid she raise taxes or cancel a government funded program or celebration. It is a thankless job."
"Why?"
"It has to be. If politicians were treated like celebrities, the position would attract selfish ponies. Their job is to serve us, not the other way around. The Mayor knows this."
"It's not fair!" Scootaloo yelled.
A cyan pegasus bolted from the party upon hearing this and ruffled the little filly's mane. "What's the matter squirt?"
Scootaloo looked deep into the hero's eyes. "It's not fair..."
"What's not fair?" The Rainbow maned savant tilted her head.
"I... I don't want to talk about it." Scootaloo sat and stared at the tent.
Rainbow looked at her, she was not stupid. She knew what she really meant. She didn't want to talk to her. It hurt. "I... I'll be over there when you want to talk." She assured her.
Thunderlane was about to try to comfort Scootaloo when the tent's flaps fluttered open. Celestia trudged out, stumbling from exhaustion. Behind her Luna came, helping her sister. Then a doctor trudged out, wiping his brow. He had red on his gloves, and mud. Scootaloo's heart crashed. She heard a sound, similar to sharpening a knife, when metal slides against metal. A pole pushed aside the flap, and out limped Mayor Mare, leaning on a crutch. Flinching, but smiling.
Celestia slumped in a chair in the dark of town hall. She rubbed her forehead. Luna trotted up behind her, each careless hooffall pounding in Celestia's migraine.
"Could you please walk quieter?" She groaned.
"Oh sorry! Are you okay?" She placed a hoof on her sisters wing.
"I guess. Spike drove off the Hydras, the mud sank back into the earth, Twilight is safe. All is well." She sighed.
"You know as well as I it is not all well. Mayor Mare may never walk normally again, and don't even get me started on all the, discussions, we will be having with the Zebra delegates about the influx of Hydra in their land."
"For a moment there I thought my head ache was going to get better." Celestia groaned.
"Come on Sis, you have me, a dark tyrant set on ruling Equestria with eternal night, for your family. Your head ache never left."
"It did for a thousand years." Celestia grinned.
"Oooooh, low blow." Luna laughed.
"You know you are right. This is far from over. How much is this all gonna cost us?"
"Thousands, or hundreds of thousands." Luna shrugged.
"I wasn't just talking money Luna." Celestia cast a worried look at a photo on the desk in front of her. "I was talking about something far more important."
Luna's eyes grew tired and she blinked away tears at the sight of the picture. "She survived that, she'll survive this."