> If the Nightmare Came True
>  by Curious Mew
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash

********

I look out at the dark sky and shake myself to shrug of my weariness. I blink rapidly and roll over, groaning. Today I'm going to need to steal some more food for us. “Buck,” I mutter angrily as I look at the pale yellow pegasus who's still sleeping. I shake her softly and say, “Get up, Fluttershy.”

She opens her eyes and looks at me sleepy, “What time is it, Rainbow?”

I shake my head in irritation and ask, “How the hay am I supposed to know that? I wish there was some way to tell without a clock...”

Fluttershy yawned, “The old stories say there was a time when you could tell.”

I spread my wings and groan, “Not those again. Well, whatever. I'm gonna go out and get us some food. You just stay here, okay?”

She nods, and I fly out of our hole in the clouds on the verge of Cloudsdale. We had met when we were both in the Cloudsdale orphanage. I had been too young to even remember my parents, and Fluttershy doesn't like talking about hers. She's several years older than me, so she had taken care of me at first, but that quickly changed. She was too timid and kind to survive on her own, so I became her protector. The other foals had been especially cruel to both of us, so I had learned how to take care of myself, and Fluttershy, early on.

We had escaped from the orphanage several years ago, not that the administrators cared at all. Now we need to live off what I can steal and in a small hole we made in the clouds, but we're still luckier than a lot of ponies. The ground below Cloudsdale is fertile, and Earth ponies are forced to farm it while being allowed to eat only a small fraction of what they grow.

The city of Cloudsdale is built out of marble and cloud and is the most important pegasus city, and perhaps the most important city in all of Equestria after Canterlot. We live a fair distance away from it, as do other ponies like us who are criminals, too poor to afford proper housing, or both. I land on the cloud layer and slink past a statue of Nightmare Moon, our dictator. She's been in charge for as long as anypony can remember, and she's always ruled with an ironhoof. For whoever reason, it seems that statues of her have been built everywhere, even somewhere as isolated as here. I check the skies carefully before taking flight again. I'm confident that I can outfly any guards that see me, but my mane is too distinctive to risk being seen.

A no fly order was issued for Cloudsdale last week, not that I told Fluttershy. She'd tell me to stay home, but I need to get us food, and worrying her even more than usual wouldn't do any good. If an explanation about why it was issued was even given, I didn't hear it. Escaping from the orphanage was technically illegal, so Fluttershy and I both kept away from Cloudsdale as much as possible. I had just heard about it from one of the other ponies living in a hole in the clouds. Despite the order, I fly even though walking would still be an easy way for me to get to where I'm going. I have always loved flying, it's the one thing that's allowed me to feel some degree of... freedom? Is that the right word?

I shake my head to clear it and focus. I need to concentrate. A guard could spot me flying at any time. 

I head towards the center of Cloudsdale, hoping that I woke up earlier than most ponies. It's always hard enough to steal when the most of the city is still asleep, but it's another thing altogether when most ponies are going about their business.  

The sight of the center of the city always angers me. When I look at the perfectly carved, radiant white marble that's perfectly built into the cloud layer, I can never avoid comparing it with the outskirts of the city. Where I live with Fluttershy, ponies make do by making holes in the clouds and using anything they can find. Nightmare Moon claims that she cares about all of the citizens of Equestria, but that's a blatant lie, or else I wouldn't need to steal. I drop altitude and land on the clouds. I'm too close to the city center to risk flying. I walk normally at this point, after all it's not illegal to walk, yet. 

I walk around the corner of a marble building and swear, “Buck.” The city is alive with activity, and guards are everywhere. Whatever caused them to make Cloudsdale a no fly zone must be huge. Pegasi are walking quickly, heads lowered to avoid catching the eye of the guards. I join them and walk quickly towards the nearest store. Sculptures of Nightmare Moon leer down at me from all sides, I suppose to remind us who's in charge. My heart pounds as I make my way through the multicolored crowd. Even though I haven't done anything yet today, I'm always afraid that an investigation into one of my previous thefts will place me on the wanted list. I'm more concerned about what would happen to Fluttershy if I got caught. How would she survive without me? She'd have no idea what happened, and she'd be filled with so much fear if I never came back... At least it will be harder for anypony to get a clear view of me. Still, my mane is sort of hard to miss.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a saddlebag just lying on the base of a statue of Nightmare Moon. I make my way towards it quickly, and break out of the crowd. I lick my lips nervously and glance around quickly. Nopony, not even the guards, seems to be paying any attention to me. The sculpted Nightmare Moon glares down at me, as if asking, “And what do you think you're doing?”  

I hesitate for a moment before thinking, Get a grip, it's just a statue. So, I pick up the saddle bag and sling it over my back. I plod over a gap between two buildings and open the bag. I see a scrap of curled up paper and a large number of bits. I count them and grin. One hundred bits... with this we might be able to bribe somepony to find employment. And if I get caught trying to steal, I can just pay for the food. I decide to look at the paper later with Fluttershy, but it's probably nothing important anyway.

My mind races with the possibilities. Fluttershy and I had never been able to get a job because we are technically criminals. However, I bet somepony with access to the files on us would be willing to change that for even half of what I know had. The average salary for a government employee was what, twelve bits a month?  

Right, I can work on that later. But right now I need to get us some food.

I rejoin the crowd and glance up at the dark sky. Right now, clouds are blocking the moonlight, but countless streetlights line the cloud layer, glowing dimly. They provide enough light to see by, but like Fluttershy would say, there are stories about a time when even moonlight was considered dim. Yeah, something called the “sun”, whatever that's supposed to be. Even if the stories are true, what's the point? Things aren't like that now, and we just need to survive.

	I walk rapidly, elated by my good luck. I round a corner and give a start at what greets me. Two guards are positioned in front of the store I was planning on stealing from. The pony who owns it is probably the most unobservant pony in Equestria, and he never has much business. 

Should I risk it? The guards might not actually examine all the ponies who go into the store.

A green mare approaches the store, and the guards block her path with their bat wings. One of them examines her saddlebag while the other barks questions at her.

Okay then, never mind. I'll go somewhere else. I look around, debating my options. The amount of money I have would make the guards suspicious, perhaps enough to arrest me without knowing anything else. Besides, I'd rather avoid paying for the food if I can so I have a better chance of being able to bribe somepony. I know there's another store that sells food right next to the one I had planned on robbing, but I've had a few close calls there. But when I look, I see that there aren't any guards outside it. I glance around and see that the guards seem to positioned randomly outside buildings and near statues and sculptures.

Huh, I would have thought that they could cover the whole city if they wanted to. Then again, I have no idea what it is that they're trying to do, so maybe this is the best way to do it. Well, I guess I don't have much choice.

	I enter the store and look around inside. There are several ponies inside, but the owner, a large brown stallion, seems to be too busy to pay much attention to who's coming or going. I walk through the rows, looking for a variety of food. I slip some vegetables into my bag and then a loaf of bread. That should be enough for a while, if we only eat when we need to.

	I walk at a normal pace towards the door. I've learned that the key to success is staying calm and acting like you haven't done anything that deserves to be noticed. I'm almost at the door when I feel a hoof on my shoulder. I turn and see the owner glaring at me.

“I believe you put some food in your bag. Food that you haven't paid for,” he says with poorly concealed anger.

I yawn, “Oh, um, yeah. I'm really tired and I guess I just forgot, so I'll just pay now and –”

“No,” he interrupts. “I don't want your money. I can tell you're a thief, and you aren't tired at all. I saw how you were acting just moments ago.”

“Right then,” I reply nervously and look around. Everypony in the store is staring at me. Great, I'm not sure if even three hundred bits could clear this mess off my record. But I need to get out of this, for Fluttershy. I could never leave her hanging.

I slam into the stallion as hard as I can and take flight. I burst out of the store and rocket up into the sky, flying as fast as I can. But my confidence gets the best of me, and I look behind me to see where the guards are.

I'm not sure exactly how many there are, but a fair number of guards are flying after me with those weird bat wings of theirs. I heard that some of the ponies who join the Royal Guard undergo some sort of transformation spell cast by Nightmare Moon, but I don’t know if that’s true or just some rumor.  

The guards are quite a distance behind me, so I call out, “Hah! You'll never catch me, I'm the best flier in Equestria!” I begin to enjoy the flight, despite the fact that I really need to get away. I feel sheer exhilaration as the wind blows through my mane. The only problem is the way it stings my eyes. We pegasi have a protective membrane around our eyes, but even that isn't enough at really high speeds. I squint to help protect my eyes and continue flying.  

I shoot down towards the cloud layer, planning on breaking through and rocketing up again, hopefully just as the guards are passing through so they don't see me. Tears cloud my vision as the air stings my eyes, so I don't notice the marble arch I'm headed for until it's too late. I try to pull up, but I hear a sickening crack, and my left hind leg explodes in pain. I cry out in agony and drop to the clouds.

I curl up into a ball and try to force myself to get up. I hear a rough voice bark, “You're under arrest for theft and for breaking the no flying order!”

Two guards grab me and pull me up. “What's your name?” one of them asks harshly.

I just spit in his face and try to bock out the pain. I'm sorry, Fluttershy...

“Asking is just a formality,” he growls. “We have other ways of finding out, but believe me, it will be better for you if you cooperate.” He pulls the saddle bag off my back and rummages through it.

I close my eyes and breath slowly. I hear the crinkle of paper and realize that he must be looking at the folded paper in the bag. Oh, that, I think vaguely. It's so hard to concentrate with this pain. I wonder what it is. Too bad I didn't stop to look at it earlier...

	I hear the guard tell the other, “This is more serious than we thought. Get her to the jail right away while I go alert headquarters.”

“Why, what is it?” the other guard asks.

“Read this,” the first answers.

“Well that certainly does change things,” the second says ominously.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle

********

“Spike!” I call out in irritation. “Ugh! Where is he?” I begin to pace, turning the spell’s equation over and over in my head. I could use Riemane sums to approximate the thaumic output, but I know that the integral should be solvable. I know I’m forgetting something! I need that book. Of course, that brings me back to the current problem. Where is Spike?

I sigh and check the time. Good, at least I'm still on schedule. I still have half an our before I need to start my observations on the potential applications of long-range extra-equinal teleportation in a system of low- I jerk my head towards the door when I hear it open. “Finally!” I cry in exasperation when I see Spike standing in the doorway holding a book.

“You know, Twilight,” he mumbles, “Nightmare Moon said you didn't have to have this done until next week.”

I ignore him and use magic to pull the book out of his arms, and flip to the table of integration methods.  Of course! How could I forget about trigonometric substitution? I walk over to my desk and make some adjustments on the parchment. “I solved it!” I grin. “So, Spike, what took so long?”

“Oh, right!” he replies, a sheepish grin crossing his face. “Um, I ran into Nightmare Moon on the way to the library, and she says that you have a new assignment.”

“What is it? Something about developing a new magical method to reduce the risk of the side effects of long distance teleportation? I heard that there have been problems with the most recent spell, and I'm already doing some work in a related area. Or is it –”

He interrupts, “We're going to Cloudsdale to interrogate some pegasus they caught who has some connections with that incident a week ago.”

This honestly surprises me. Why does my teacher want me to lead an interrogation? Well, I suppose it could help round out my education. She has been giving me less work that's directly related to the study of magic recently... I resume my pacing for a while before I stand at a window and look out of my tower into the sky. “When do we leave?” I ask.

“She said to pack whatever you need and then head to the throne room immediately,” Spike answers me.

Let me think, maybe I should bring Principles of Interrogation and perhaps The Equestrian Psychological Society's Guide to Behavioral Analysis. I could also bring some of my textbooks to continue my other assignments if I get the chance.

I use magic to gather the necessary reading material, some parchment, ink, and a quill and pack them into my saddlebag. “Right then,” I say, “let's get going.” Spike hopes on my back, and I run out of my tower and head towards the main castle complex. I won't be able to properly formulate a new schedule until I get to Cloudsdale and meet with this pony they've caught.  I shake my head just thinking about it. How could anypony want to overthrow Nightmare Moon? All of the data I've reviewed indicates that the citizens of Equestria are the most prosperous of any nation. Luckily, it seemed that for the moment ponies like the one that had just been captured were only distributing propaganda at this point.

Last week, thousands of pamphlets that called for rebellion against the Equestrian government had been distributed throughout Cloudsdale. My understanding is that the threat was so severe that officials issued a no fly order for the whole city. Anypony that engages in such activity deserves to punished to the fullest extent of the law. But am I really the best pony to do this? What if I fail, what then? What if Nightmare Moon is so disappointed in me that she expels me?

These thoughts repeatedly cycle through my head despite my attempts to quell them. Due to this, I'm trembling by the time I arrive at the entrance to the throne room.

“What's wrong, Twilight?” Spike asks me.

“What if I f-fail?” I ask him in terror, looking back at him.

He rolls his eyes and responds, “It's not a test, you just need to relax.”

I enter the room, walk up to the throne, and bow down in front of my teacher. She greets me with a warm smile, her fangs flashing brightly against her pitch-black coat. I know some ponies find it intimidating; I’ve always found it regal. “Nightmare Moon, I'm ready to leave,” I say.

“Very good,” she responds. “Do you remember the spell that allows creatures that are not of the sky to walk on the clouds?”

“Yes,” I answer. “But, if I may ask, why are sending me to do this?”

“Because I trust that you can do what needs to be done. I am giving you the authority to take any actions you deem necessary as long as you report to me,” my mentor says. “When you return, we will have much to discuss regarding the future of your education. Now go, your brother will be waiting to see you off with our profile on the pegasus we've detained at the plaza where we keep the chariots.”

I bow again and leave the throne room. I can do this! I know I can, Nightmare Moon trusts me! But that voice in my head that whispers of failure remains.

My brother, Shining Armor, greets me, “Hey, Twilie. Looks like we both have jobs helping to protect Equestria now.”

“Yeah, but you're the captain of the Royal Guard, and I'm just somepony with I job that I have no idea how to do,” I respond sharply, channeling my anxiety into anger.

“Whoa there, kid,” he says, placing a hoof on my shoulder. “You're going to do great. Just look over this file, you'll be able to run circles around this pony mentally. And interrogations are just mind games. So cheer up. I'll see you soon.”

We hug, and I take the file on this pony who dares to oppose the Equestrian government. I break away from him and trot over to the waiting chariot. I climb into it and nod to the two guards who are harnessed to it. They take off, and I look back at Canterlot as fly away and towards Cloudsdale. Well, this is the first time I've been to Cloudsdale, or, well, anywhere besides Canterlot, really. Perhaps I'll have a chance to visit the weather factory. It's not magic, but understanding weather control could have massive benefits for my research.

“Spike,” I ask, a thought sudden thought crossing my mind, “can dragons walk on clouds? You are creatures of the sky, after all, but when you're grown, you're too big to fit on clouds. And you don't have wings.”

“I don't know,” he answers nervously. “Can't you just use the same spell you're going to cast on yourself on me?”

I pause and consider for a moment. It was designed for Earth ponies and unicorns, both of which are much more morphologically similar than dragons and any kind of pony. But the basic premise is just to make it so that clouds condense like solids when touched by the enchanted creature. I could make allowances for the bipedal nature of Spike as opposed to the quadrupedal nature of equines. “I suppose I can,” I finally answer, much to Spike's relief.

I turn to the file and begin to study it. So this pony's name is Rainbow Dash and she was caught with a note detailing plans to incite a riot and one hundred bits after robbing a store and breaking the no fly order. She escaped from the Cloudsdale orphanage around five years ago now with another pony named Fluttershy, whose current whereabouts are unknown. All indications are that she is not unintelligent, but she never showed strong academic aptitude, nor does she seem to be particularly remarkable in any way except for flying skills. Her survival up until this point seems to have centered on stealth, so she presumably has little to no experience dealing face to face with other ponies. In other words, she's within a normal range of intelligence and should not be able to resist a skilled interrogator. So why am I being sent? I have absolutely no experience interrogating ponies, but I’m certain the Cloudsdale Royal Guard is filled with ponies who do.

When we arrive, I cast the spell and my derivative of it on myself and Spike, respectively. I thank the guards who pulled the chariot, and Spike and I head towards the prison. I look around, noting that many of the pegasi appear to be somewhat underweight. Hmm, that's odd, all the data I've reviewed indicates that the pegasi of Cloudsdale should be especially well fed. Perhaps the recent anti-government activities have disrupted food distribution. Then I note something even more troubling: all of the pegasi seem to be afraid of the guards that are patrolling the streets. Maybe the guards are just acting more harshly than usual because of the elevated threat level, and the other pegasi don't know how to react. Yes, I'm sure that must be it.

A particularly large guard greets us outside of the jail. Most Royal Guards are taller than the general population, but this stallion is even larger than my brother, which is fairly surprising. Flying creatures, including among ponies, tend to be smaller than their flightless relatives since…

My thoughts trail off as he eyes me with slitted yellow eyes before saying in a voice halfway between a hiss and a growl, “Twilight Sparkle, I presume. Nightmare Moon informed my that you would be coming. I am Captain Nightstrike, the head of the Royal Guards stationed in Cloudsdale. Come with me.” He turns and briskly walks inside the building.

I look uneasily at Spike before following him. Something about this pony just seems a little... off. Inside, the jail is a hive of activity. Guards are rushing this way and that, calling out to each other in loud, anxious voices. I can only shake my head at the disorder. Somepony needs to organize this mess. How can the keep order if they aren't organized themselves?

As if reading my thoughts, Captain Nightstrike says, “I apologize for the chaos. Normally, we are much more organized than this. However, recent events have caused quite a stir. Our prisoner is not much further away now.”

We arrive at a cell in which a cyan pegasus with a a rainbow tail and mane is shackled to a chair. Her head is bowed down and her eyes are closed. I wince when I see that her left hind leg is sticking out at an odd angle. “What happened to her leg?” I ask.

“She crashed when trying to avoid being arrested,” Captain Nightstrike answers flatly.

I exclaim, “She needs medical attention! Get her a doctor, right away!”

He stares at me like I've said something in a language he doesn't understand and asks, “Why?”

“Just look at her leg!” I shout. “Besides, how do you expect to get answers out of her like this? At least give her some pain medication!”

Captain Nightstrike sighs, “There are some medical supplies in the cabinet down the hall. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work I need to do.”

I watch him go in disbelief before shaking my head and saying, “Spike, go get those medical supplies, I'll see what I can do.”

Spike salutes and runs down the hall while I look around for a key. Giving up in frustration, I force the lock open with my magic. “Um, hello, Rainbow Dash, I'm Twilight Sparkle,” I say uncertainly.

She looks up at me and opens her eyes. “You're a unicorn,” she mumbles and groans in pain.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I turn to see Spike holding up a medical kit. “Thank you,” I say and levitate the kit before me and open it. “Ah-ha!” I exclaim, “Here we go, a pain killer.” I address Rainbow Dash, “Take this, it's for the pain. Um, I'll make a splint for your leg, and then let's talk.”

I do so and wait around an hour brushing up on psychology and behavioral analysis while I wait for the medicine to take effect. 

“You're a unicorn,” Rainbow Dash says again in surprise.

“Oh,” I say, jerking my head up from my book. “Yes, I am. I'm Twilight Sparkle, a student of Nightmare Moon.”

She glares at me with such open hostility that I take a step back and shift my eyes away from hers. I never thought that magenta could be such a threatening color. “Um, I cast a spell that let's me walk on clouds,” I say hesitantly. Building a relationship with the pony you're interrogating is supposed to be a good way to begin, right? I know I read that in one of the guides to interrogations...

“I don't care,” Rainbow Dash responds in a hostile tone. “And if you're just going to ask me more about that piece of paper, for the last time, I don't even know what it says!”

I wasn't informed that she had already been interrogated... Well, she must be lying, or I wouldn't be here. Maybe I should try to sow some doubt in her mind, but first I should probably get her to admit to her other crimes. “But you're a thief and you broke the no fly order, right?” I ask.

“Well, duh,” she answers rolling her eyes.

“Why?” I ask as a follow up question.

Rainbow Dash looks at me like I'm an idiot before answering, “Well, I need to steal food just to keep u-myself alive, and, hmm, maybe I didn't want to get caught after I stole some food?”

I pause and consider. I think she was starting to say us there, but should I mention that first or the fact that she was caught with one hundred bits first? Or point out that if she had stayed in the orphanage in the first place, she would have food and probably a job by now? Really, it's her fault that she's in a position where she feels the government doesn't offer anything for her. Making up my mind, I ask, “Is this 'us' you and Fluttershy?”

“I said 'myself',” she retorts, glowering.

“Well, what about the one hundred bits you were caught with?” I demand. “Or did you not know about that, too?”

“I found that bag on a statue,” she says shortly, turning her head away from me.

“Why didn't you use it to buy some food?” I query. 

Rainbow Dash just ignores me.

Okay, I'm losing control... I need to do something quickly. “I know you're lying,” I say, causing her to turn and look at me quizzically. “Your friend, Fluttershy, turned you in,” I finish.

Rainbow Dash just laughs, “Now that's a lie! We haven't seen each other since we escaped from the orphanage, and besides, she's the nicest pony in all of Equestria.”

“And how would you know that if you haven't seen her since you ran away?” I ask triumphantly.

She replies, “Or at least she was when I knew her.”

After that, I can't get her to say anything, so I say, “Come on, Spike, let's go.” He hops back on my back and I leave the cell and lock it behind me. I need to create a plan to get her to talk. But what if she was telling the truth? She certainly didn't seem nervous, which is usually indicative of honesty... but how could she be so calm if she hadn't be trained for such situations? Besides, she clearly hates me because I'm a student of Nightmare Moon. Yes, I need to get her to talk more before I can decide. So how to do it...
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy

*******

Where could she be? Rainbow has never been gone this long before. She always comes back before it's time to go to bed again. What if she's hurt or captured? I should go look for her, but she told me to stay here... I flap my wings in uncertainty and look out of the hole in the cloud layer that serves as the entrance for our home. Whenever she's gone, I can't keep myself from worrying about her. And Rainbow Dash has always told me how dangerous it is for her to go out to Cloudsdale... but if she needs help, then I need to go look for her! But what if she comes back after I go to look for her?

I look around wildly, knowing that we don't have anything that I could use to write a message, but hoping otherwise. Oh Fluttershy, you're such a silly pony. You can just manipulate the clouds to write a message, I think when the obvious realization hits me. I carve out, “Rainbow Dash, if I'm not here when you see this, I've gone to look for you. I'll come back every now and then, so please just stay and wait for me.”

I start to tremble when it actually hits me that I'm about to go to Cloudsdale. I remember Rainbow telling me, “Fluttershy, don't ever go to Cloudsdale, it's just too dangerous!” whenever I told her that I could go to get us food. Somehow, she turned into my protector, even though I'm older than her. You were her protector once, though, and now she might need your help! She's always been there for you, so now you need to see if she needs you to help her!

Taking a deep breath, I fly slowly out of our home and head towards the city. I had hoped that I would never return to Cloudsdale after escaping from the orphanage with Rainbow Dash. But it was a selfish hope, because I let her return time and time again for me. I'm just a scared, selfish pony who relies on somepony else to just survive. Even now, fear courses through me as I fly towards the city.

I catch sight of two guards flying out of the corner of my eye. I drop to the cloud layer and cower down, hoping that they will just fly by without noticing me. Like everypony except for Rainbow Dash, I've always been afraid of the guards. They can arrest you for whatever they want to, even if it isn't really illegal. And it was illegal for us to run from the orphanage. That's why Rainbow always told me to stay away from Cloudsdale. What if they're still looking for us? I'm shaking violently and hyperventilating as the seconds crawl by. 

I let out a yelp of fright when I see that the guards have landed several feet in front of me, and attempt to hide myself in the clouds.

I hear a gruff voice bark, “You were flying, weren't you?”

I raise my head and drop it back quickly when I see the anger in the guards' eyes. “...yes,” I whisper fearfully.

“What was that?” the other guard yells. “I couldn't hear you!”

I force myself to answer more loudly, “Um, I was.”

“Don't you know about the no fly order?” one of the guards yells.

Rainbow Dash never mentioned anything about it. Maybe it was imposed today...

“It went into effect last week!” the other guard shouted. “Let's just arrest her now.”

I hold back tears when I hear this. Rainbow Dash thinks I'm too weak to know about something like that. But I am, and that makes it even worse.

The guards grab me, and one of them asks, “What's your name?”

I freeze in panic. Rainbow Dash was always reminding me how awful it would be if they knew what my name was. What should I do? I stare down at the cloud layer and mumble, “Um, I'm, um...”

“Wait a minute,” one of the guard says, recognition audible in his voice. “That other pony that was brought in a little while ago, didn't they suspect that she was living with an old friend? One whose description pretty much matches this pony's, if you adjust for the age difference?”

“Yeah, I can see that. Yellow coat, pink mane and tail, turquoise eyes, and three butterflies as a cutie mark,” the other responds. “Is your name Fluttershy?”

Oh no! They must have captured Rainbow Dash! And now I can't help her. I'm so weak... I begin to cry, which the guards seem to take as an affirmative.

They pull me along with me as they fly into Cloudsdale. I keep my head facing steadily downward as we move past other ponies. I'm absolutely terrified by what's happening to me. 

The guards drag me into a building where numerous other guards are milling about. I slump even lower to the ground and try to block out the barrage of sound and fear that assaults me. I'm not sur how long I'm there before I hear the sound of hooves on the tiled floor and look up in fear. I see a large Royal Guard and a purple unicorn with a baby dragon riding on her back. Oh, he's so cute!, I think, managing to distract myself from my terror for a second. But how is a unicorn in Cloudsdale? Only pegasus ponies can walk on clouds.

“It seems that my guards believe you are Fluttershy,” the guard says sharply. “And I have to say, I for once agree with their conclusion.” Turning to one of the guards that brought me in, he orders, “Bring her with us. There's somepony I believe she'll want to see.” An evil grin that sends shivers running down my spine crosses his face as he turns away.

They bring me to a jail cell where I see Rainbow Dash chained to a chair. “Rainbow Dash!” I cry out, both glad to see a friendly face and hoping to be able to offer her some comfort. “I'm so sorry, I should have listened to you, but I was so worried about you!” I notice that a splint is bound to her left hind leg and exclaim, “Oh, what happened to your leg?”

For a second, she seems angry at me, causing me to recoil in shock. She buries her face in her hooves before looking up at me and saying, “Don't worry about me, I'm fine.  I'm gonna get us out of this.”

“As sorry as I am to cut this touching reunion short,” the guard who seems to be in charge says, “we have some business that we must see to.”

The purple unicorn says with a satisfied tone, “So Rainbow Dash, you said you hadn't seen Fluttershy since you escaped from the orphanage? What else have you been lying about then?”

My heart falls when I hear this. Even after she was captured, Rainbow Dash had been trying to protect me, and I had thrown that all away. You're such a loudmouth, Fluttershy. Why couldn't you just not talk in front of these other ponies?

The head guard turns to the unicorn and says, “Twilight Sparkle, thank you, but I believe your services will no longer be necessary. You may go now.”

She objects, “Captain Nightstrike, Nightmare Moon put me in charge here. I'm not going anywhere.”

I let out a gasp of fear. This unicorn was sent here by Nightmare Moon? Whoever she is, she must be very dangerous.

“Very well,” he growls, but he seems surprised that somepony challenged his authority. Turning to Rainbow Dash, he spits, “Answer the question!”

“I've told you the truth!” she shouts back angrily. “You haven't even told me what you think I've done!”

Twilight Sparkle asks, “How do you expect us to believe that?”

Rainbow stares back at her and says slowly, “Because it's the truth, not that you care.”

She looks offended by this and retorts, “Our top priority is finding out the truth! You just haven't done anything that proves your honesty!”

Captain Nightstrike sighs, “I had hoped you'd be a bit more co-operative. Oh well, there are other ways to find out what we want.” His eyes land on me, and he moves closer to me, sinisterly whispering, “Other ways indeed.”

“Wait!” Rainbow Dash cries out. “I did it, but she wasn't involved!”

Something snaps inside me, and suddenly I'm no longer afraid. I angrily say, “No, you don't have to lie to protect me!” I look directly at Captain Nightstrike and tell him, “How dare you treat her like this! And how could you consider threatening a pony somepony cares about to get them to confess to something they didn't do? You ought to be ashamed of yourself!”

He backs up before breaking eye contact and taking a deep breath. “Get her inside that cell,” he orders. “Nopony except for me or Twilight Sparkle is to approach her. Am I understood?” 

He is visibly shaken by the way I just acted, and I myself am surprised. I never knew I could do anything like that. I glance at Rainbow Dash, whose jaw is hanging open. She shakes her head and closes it, regaining her composure.

The other guard gulps nervously and nods. He opens the cell door, pushes me past it, and slams and locks it before hurrying away.

I continue to stare at Captain Nightstrike, but he keeps his eyes averted. “Now then,” he says, struggling to regain his composure, “I'll give the two of you a moment to decide whether or not you want to tell us the truth. It will be easier for all of us if you just answer our questions honestly.” Turning to Twilight Sparkle, he says, “Come, I believe you expressed interest in the Weather Factory?”

She looks at the dragon on her back in surprise and confusion, glances back at us, and follows him as he walks away.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaims. “I can't believe that you stood up to him like that!”

“Oh, um,” I mumble, looking away. “How's your leg?”

She sighs and shakes her head before answering, “Honestly, I'm fine. I just had a small accident. But you should have stayed home!”

“I just wanted to help,” I say softly.

Her face softens and she says, “I know. Um, how did they catch you?”

I answer, “I was flying towards Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow hangs her head and mutters, “I'm sorry. I should have told you about the no fly order, but I didn't want to worry you.”

We fall silent after that, just hesitantly glance at each other every now and then. I need to think of something. This time, I'm going to help her. I just don't know how yet. Rainbow always tells me that the key to her success is observing what other ponies are doing around her. Captain Nightstrike and Twilight Sparkle don't seem to get along very well, which could be useful. I shiver slightly thinking about the unicorn. She hadn't seemed very threatening, but if Nightmare Moon sent her, then she must be capable of terrifying things. This is followed by a slight pang of guilt that I'm considering turning ponies against each other. Pull yourself together, Fluttershy. It's not like you're going to do anything really harmful to them, and it's just to get us out of here. But I have no idea how I can actually do anything.

I look over at Rainbow Dash and say, “I'm sorry...”

She looks back and answers, “You already apologized.”

“No,” I shake my head. “I mean for making you take care of me when it should have been the other way around.”

Rainbow sighs, “I never minded needing to get us food or protecting you. So, just don't worry about it. Things will work out. Besides, what you did today was incredibly brave.”

She smiles at me, but I can see that she's really afraid with no idea of what to do. Just like me.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle

********

After numerous interrogations and careful observation of the city of Cloudsdale, I have reached several irrefutable conclusions. First of all, the pegasi are certainly criminals, but they are not involved with the plot to overthrow Nightmare Moon. They don't even know why the no fly order was issued in the first place. The second conclusion that I have reached is that the data I've always seen doesn't add up when compared to the condition of the pegasi in Cloudsdale. Everything I read said that the city should be wealthy and the population healthy, but everywhere I look, I see malnourished ponies and run down buildings.

There has to be some reason for it, after all the data is gathered through countless studies ordered by Nightmare Moon herself. But I can't ignore what I see, that would be incredibly unscientific. One must always observe the facts without allowing previous bias to influence the conclusion. Everypony besides the Royal Guards and powerful members of society appear to be underweight and afraid. At first, I had thought that it was because of the no fly order and recent upheaval, but I now see that they are quite clearly afraid of the guards.

I look out of a window in the jail and turn my thoughts towards the two pegasi. Fluttershy certainly is an enigma. It is clear that she has a strong will inside, but so far at least, she only showed it when she was first brought in. Since then, whenever I've asked her anything, she's just cowered and whispered her answers. Although... it does seem like she's made several comments that were intended to make me angry with Captain Nightstrike. On the other hoof, Rainbow Dash shows overt contempt for me and the government. I believe that she would be willing to join an anti-government movement, but she seems too dedicated to Fluttershy to risk anything that doesn't directly benefit her. And, of course, they are both completely ignorant of the matter at hoof. 

“Spike,” I call, “Take a letter.”

He rushes to my side, scroll and quill in hand, ready to write. 

“Dear Nightmare Moon,” I say, “I have come to the conclusion that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are not involved in the plot to instigate rebellion against your rule. However, Rainbow Dash is a thief, and they are both guilty of running away from the Cloudsdale Orphanage. I believe that it is time to put them on trial and for me to return to my studies, as this case is closed.  Your Student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Turning to look at Spike, I tell him, “Get on my back. I want to talk to Captain Nightstrike, but Nightmare Moon could reply at any second.”

I find Captain Nightstrike staring intently at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. All three pegasi are completely silent when I approach them. Fluttershy seems nervous, but Rainbow Dash is glaring directly back at Captain Nightstrike.  I stand back in uncertainty, unsure of whether he's in the middle of an interrogation.

Without turning around, he breaks the silence by asking, “Yes, Twilight Sparkle, what is it?”

“Will you come with me for a moment?” I ask him in return.

He turns to face me, a hint of curiosity visible on his face. “Very well,” he responds. “We can talk in my office if you wish.” Without waiting for an answer, he turns and walks down the hall.

I look back at Spike, surprised by his answer. We've been here for almost a week, but we had never even learned the location of his office before. I follow him, and he pushes open an unmarked door several yards from the cell. I enter it, and look about, surprised by what I see.

Spike simply shrugs his shoulders and whispers, “That guy creeps me out.”

I can't deny that I share the feeling. He seems to take a rather hooves-on approach to leading the Cloudsdale Royal Guards, which could be why everypony is so afraid of them. In Canterlot, everypony seems secure when Royal Guards are around, probably because my brother is such a good captain.

Inside the room, there a two plain wooden seats, a desk, and numerous books. All of the walls are lined with shelving, and books from all genres written by authors both famous and obscure are arranged on them. Other books lie scattered and open across the desk, mixed with papers and files. I hear a rasping noise that sends shivers down my spine behind me and turn around, startled. I realize that Captain Nightstrike is laughing. The sound is not one that I would have ever associated with any kind of amusement without seeing for myself that it is indeed laughter.

“Yes, I enjoy reading, too,” he says, taking the seat farthest from the door. “Now, what did you want to discuss?” His yellow eyes seem to indicate a feeling that somehow contains both supreme interest and utter boredom.

“I don't think that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had anything to do with the ponies that distributed the anti-Nightmare Moon pamphlets,” I respond.

“I have to agree,” he responds tersely. “I reached that conclusion almost immediately.”

“So why are we still interrogating them?” I ask in surprise. I had thought that despite all of his shortcomings Captain Nightstrike would want to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. So why hasn't he arranged for a trial for the theft or simply dropped the charges?

“Because that is irrelevant,” he responds, a hint of surprise in his voice. “Surely you understand this?”

I shake my head slowly. What does he mean irrelevant? The whole point of the interrogations is to determine if they were innocent or guilty!

“I would have thought that you would have been aware of the situation,” he continues. “The ponies who are actually involved have not yet been detained, and the truth is we have almost no evidence to lead us to them. However, a fair number of ponies know why we imposed the no fly order. We need to show them what happens to ponies who oppose us, even if the ponies we punish are not actually in direct opposition to the government. Furthermore, these rebels may attempt to help them, in which case we have a chance to capture them. That possibility, however, is simply the best case scenario and not one I think is particularly likely.”

Suddenly, I hear a belching noise behind my head, and I smile. Good, there's Nightmare Moon's letter. Now we can clear this all up, I can return to Canterlot, and justice can take its course.

Spike clears his throat and reads, “'Twilight Sparkle, you need to get them to confess, even if they weren't actually involved. Then you can return to Canterlot. When you do, I will have a discussion with you that we probably should have had a long time ago.'”

I simply stand there in shock, unable to believe what I just heard. I use my magic to grab the letter from Spike and hold it in front of my face. I read it several times and then look up at Captain Nightsrike.

“You have your orders,” he says, eying me with an unreadable expression on his face. “I have several ideas as to how we can –”

I turn and run out of the room in shock and horror. How can this be? Equestria's judicial system has been the model for the whole world for centuries! How can they just turn their backs on it to prove a point? How can Nightmare Moon act like these? She cares for all of us, her subjects! She's told me that countless times! I feel like I don't know anything, like the ground, er clouds, have vanished from under me. I feel tears building up behind my eyes and I ask, “Spike, what should I do?”

He only answers, “I don't know.”

I look back at him and see that he's struggling the same way I am. As my assistant, he had frequently been with me during my lessons with Nightmare Moon. What's the right thing to do? I'm a scientist, not a philosopher! I deal with what can be quantified, not questions of morality! Although, I have read several books that do deal with ethics. But it's not like science, all the ponies have different opinions, there are no laws or scientific theories, only beliefs! What am I supposed to do?

I stop for a moment. Loyalty is often praised, but most of the philosophers I've read reject the idea of blind loyalty, and often advocate reason. Right, I can reason. I can do that pretty well. But reason isn't everything. Some of it is what's supposed to be what feels right, in terms of ethical activity, right? Either way, let’s start with logic. Just slow down and work this out like any sort of problem.

I begin to pace, trying to decide on a course of action. The punishment they'll get for being involved with the propaganda is far worse than what they would get for just being thieves and running away. I'm not sure I ever heard a definite punishment for them, but even if I had, could I trust it? Has everything I've learned about Equestrian society and law been a lie? But more pressingly, is it worse for ponies to not be punished at all or to be punished too harshly? What if they really had no choice and needed to escape the orphanage? I heard that it was a pleasant place, but what can I believe?!

An idea strikes me, and I stop. “I've got it Spike!” I exclaim. “I know what to do! Spike, I'll tell Nightmare Moon I'm going to release them and stick with them to gain their trust and get a confession, and then I'll let them escape me! But I'll cast a spell so I can locate them whenever I want. Then, I'll talk to Nightmare Moon about all of this to see if I should actually bring them in to be punished by finding out the truth about everything!”

Then the reality of the situation sinks in, and fear runs down my spine: I'm planning on trying to trick the ruler of the most powerful country in the world, a pony who also happens to be my teacher! I shake my head to clear it. This just feels... right. And it's not like I'll be letting them go if they really need to be punished. I'll always be able to track them down if I need to.

I have Spike send a letter and wait anxiously for a response.

This time, the Nightmare Moon's reply arrives almost immediately. Spike unfurls it and reads, “'Twilight Sparkle, I know I said I was giving you complete authority, but this is insane. Return to Canterlot at once.'”

“Now what do we do?” Spike asks me.

I stare at him, my mind racing. Now I'd be going against a direct order from Nightmare Moon herself! I might never be able to repair the damage this will cause! Oh, I wish I had never been sent here! I'm about to give up and say that we'll leave, when a little in the back of my head says, “Helping them is the right thing to do. They won't deserve whatever punishment they receive when Captain Nightstrike forces them to say they're guilty. And how do you think he'll go about getting a confession from them?”

The thought of what he would be willing to do, what he might do, makes me shudder in revulsion. I don't want to be involved with anypony that would do something like that. I've read history books, I'm not a foal when it comes to such things. But I never thought that they could happen in Equestria... Is that why everypony is afraid of the Royal Guards here and why Rainbow Dash hates me so much?

I look into Spike's eyes and answer, “We're going to help them.”

He nods slowly and says, “Okay, I'll stick with you.”

I walk down the hall towards the cell where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are held. Luckily, there's some sort of parade today, so only a couple of Royal Guards are in the building. My heart is pounding in my chest, but I force myself to breathe at a normal rate. I approach the cell and stand for a moment, immobilized by fear.

I notice Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are staring curiously at me, so I force myself to act. I say, “I’m going to get you out of here.”

Rainbow Dash laughs, “Yeah, right. Why the hay would you want to help us?”

“Because I know you're innocent!” I shout out desperately. Realizing my mistake, I look around quickly before turning back to her and saying more quietly, “And neither Captain Nightstrike nor Nightmare Moon cares. I just don't understand why, so I want to help you.”

Rainbow Dash is looking at me with open distrust and hate, but Fluttershy looks at her and says, “No, let's let her help us.”

Rainbow Dash looks at Fluttershy in surprise, examining her face for what feels like an eternity. 

They need to hurry up! Somepony could come along at any second!

Finally, Rainbow Dash says, “Fine, but I'll be watching you. If you try anything, well, just don't cross us.”

I nod and use my magic to break the lock and open the cell door, “Now come along with me queitly but quickly,” I whisper. “We could encounter a guard at any time.”

“Um,” I hear Spike say, his voice filled with fear.

I turn around slowly, coming face to face with Captain Nightstrike.

He looks at me before hissing, “This makes things much more interesting.”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash

********

I glare at the Royal Guard in front of us and growl, “Why don't you get out of our way?”

He looks back at me and hisses, “Why don't you get back in that cell before I show you what a Captain of the Royal Guard can do to one injured mare?” Turning back to Twilight Sparkle, he says, “I'm disappointed, I really am. I was excited when I heard that I would get to work with Nightmare Moon's most talented student, but you have proven yourself to be weak and foalish. Now, I don't want to see even a hint of magic, or things will become even more unpleasant for you than they already are.”

I take my eyes off Captain Nightstrike to look at Fluttershy. Absolute terror is visible in her eyes as she looks at the pony blocking our escape. I make up my mind in that moment, and launch myself at Captain Nightstrike, crying out quietly but urgently, “Get out of here, Fluttershy!”

He stumbles back for a second before grabbing hold of me and slamming me into the wall. I grunt in pain and struggle against his grip, but he's too strong. With a shove, I’m on the ground and I scream as my broken leg hits the ground.

“That was incredibly foolish,” he hisses. “Did you ever think that you could actually do anything to me?”

I'm about to respond when there's a sudden flash of purple light, causing me to shut my eyes. I feel Captain Nightstrike's grip loosen and then vanish completely. I open my eyes and see Twilight with her horn lowered looking at me. I glance down and see Captain Nightstrike lying motionless on the floor.

“Do you trust me yet?” she asks.

I pause for a second thinking. Since she attacked him, it seems unlikely that she really is working with him. I'm sure that there would have been an easier way to do... what, exactly? If she's still working with him, why would they want us to escape? Well, even if she isn't still working for the government, I'm sure there's something in it for her. If even a small part of Fluttershy's stories are true, then Nightmare Moon is just out for herself, and I'm sure any student of hers would act the same way. So I still need to be careful, especially because Fluttershy is with me.

“Let's just go,” I say, and fly down the hall. I prefer flying even under normal circumstances, but my leg is still broken, so I walking wouldn’t be a great idea even if I wanted to.

“That should keep him down for a while,” Twilight says, “but there are still a few other guards.”

I decide to just ask about what she wants, even though I doubt I'll get an honest answer. I glare at her distrustfully and ask, “Why are you helping us? What's in it for you?”

“I told you, I know both of you are innocent, but you were going to be punished anyway,” she answers.

The dragon on her back glares back at me and says, “We aren't getting anything out of this, you know. We're risking everything just to help you.”

Since when did anypony involved with Nightmare Moon care about innocence or helping others? But I don't respond because I can't risk attracting any attention. Not with Fluttershy here as well.

I stick my head around a corner and look out into the main room. There are only a few guards, and they all seem to be busy with paperwork. I turn back and look at Twilight Sparkle. I don't trust her, but she's more likely to know what to do than Fluttershy, if she's really helping us, that is. I hope.

“Should we just make a break for it?” I whisper.

She looks around and then glances at the dragon on her back before shaking her head. “I'll pretend that I need to move you somewhere else for more interrogations.” She motions for us to follow and walks out towards the guards. Her horn glows, and suddenly chains appear on my legs. 

I rear in surprise and am about to try to slam her against the wall when she whispers urgently, “Relax, it's just an illusion so the guards believe me!”

I settle down, cursing myself. I need to think before I do something like that again! What if I had just gotten Fluttershy captured again? Or myself, for that matter.

I look back at Fluttershy, who gives a small nod. “We'll be out of here in ten seconds flat,” I tell her in a reassuring tone before following Twilight.

The guards seem slightly skeptical of Twilight's claim, but one says, “Okay, go ahead.”

I let Fluttershy pass ahead of me and follow her out of the building, glancing over my shoulder. The guards have turned back to their work, so I catch up to Twilight and ask, “If you really want to help us, why the hay do you think that our escape has been so easy?” I glance down at my legs, noting that the illusion of the chains is no longer there.

“Because I'm a student of Nightmare Moon,” she answers. “They trust my authority.”

“And what was that spell that you used on the Captain?”

She replies, “It was just something to knock him out. He should remain unconscious for perhaps an hour.” She bites her lip nervously and says, “Let's just get out of here.”

The purple dragon on her back seems to be staring constantly over his shoulder, so I decide that it's safe to drop back and talk to Fluttershy. The street is pretty much empty, so I don't bother to keep my voice down when I say, “Look at that, we're free.” Then it sinks in: we still aren't safe. There's no way we can stay in Cloudsdale, and for all I know, we'll be wanted in every city in Equestria within a couple days. Where can we possibly go while being both safe and able to get food? Maybe some small town near the border? But there would still be Royal Guards, and it actually seems like there could be a higher chance of being caught in a smaller town...

I snap out of my thoughts when Fluttershy says, “I think we can trust her.”

“Who? Twilight Sparkle?” I ask in disbelief. “I don't know why she broke us out and hurt Captain Nightstrike, if she really hurt him, but she's a student of Nightmare Moon! We can't risk trusting her.”

She looks directly at me and states, “I think she really does want to help.”

I look at her for a few seconds before turning my head away and muttering, “I won't get into any fights with her, but I'm still going to keep an eye on her. But I think that we should just fly away now.”

“But we can't do that!” she exclaims. “We can't just leave her alone after she freed us.”

I look at her again and say, “You're too kind, Fluttershy.” I stop walking suddenly and ask, “Do you hear that?” I've learned to rely on my ears because you always need to hear somepony before they have a chance to see you to successfully steal something and get away, and I hear a flapping noise. I look up into the sky and see the silhouettes of several Royal Guards bearing down on us. 

A familiar voice calls out, “Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike, surrender now and we will arrest you unharmed. If, however, you resist, then we will be forced to do whatever is necessary to capture you.”

I motion to Fluttershy to follow me and begin to rocket upwards, but her voice calls me back.

“Rainbow Dash!” she shouts, “Twilight Sparkle can't fly!”

I groan, “I'm just trying to protect you. Fine, this way, then.” I fly towards Twilight and shout angrily, “I thought you said that that spell would keep Captain Nightstrike down for a while!”

As Fluttershy and I fly and she runs, she looks back at me and says, “It should have! Maybe the other guards went to check on him and woke him up!”

I see real fear in her eyes and realize that she really is risking everything to help us. I don't know if she has a plan to benefit from this, but I decide that just in case she really is helping us because she thinks it's the right thing to do, I'll do my best to help her and the dragon escape with us. But I still need to be careful, just in case, for Fluttershy's sake.

I look back and groan in exasperation. Fluttershy is trailing us and barely ahead of the Royal Guards. I fly back to her and grab onto one of her hooves and pull her along with me.

I hear Captain Nightstrike call out to me, “It really is a pity that you're a traitor and a thief, Rainbow Dash. We could use ponies like you with courage and loyalty.”

I call back angrily, “Is that some kind of cheap attempt to get me to join you or something?”

“No,” he answers flatly. “I was just making an observation. Part of what makes you worthy is that your loyalties won't change, and even if they would, you are a criminal, and criminals must be punished.”

I'm about to respond when Fluttershy stops me by whispering, “Save your breathe for flying, isn't that what you've always told me?”

I look back into her eyes and nod silently.

Twilight Sparkle shouts back, “Rainbow Dash, hurry up!”

I fly faster, pulling Fluttershy with me and catch up to her. The dragon is now sitting backward, keeping an eye on the guards, so I focus on what's ahead of us.

“You're a thief, so you know this city extremely well, right?” Twilight asks.

“Yeah,” I answer, “probably a lot better than them, at least.”

“I just wish I knew the area around Cloudsdale!” Twilight sighs.

“Why?” I ask, trying to determine exactly where we are. As a general rule, I try to avoid anywhere with a strong presence of Royal Guards, so I really don't know the area as well as I would like. “This way,” I say, cutting down a side street that I'm pretty sure leads to an almost maze-like portion of the city.

She glances at me and answers, “Because then I could teleport us out of here. Of course, actually seeing a spot is better than just a mental image, but that's irrelevant because I don't even know what the ground looks like to teleport to.”

I look at her and disbelief and say,”You mentioned that you're using a spell so you can walk on the clouds, right? I think you said that when you first interrogated me. You can stop using that spell, can't you? And Fluttershy and I can drop below the clouds on our own so you can see the ground and get us out of here.”

“But I... I've never actually tried to use the spell on other ponies before and trying to do it in a free fall..? It's too dangerous...” she says in a panic as I lead us through several winding streets, trying to disorient the Royal Guards.

“Hey, we'll catch you if you can't do it, right, Fluttershy?” I respond.

Fluttershy nods in agreement and I glance back at the Royal Guards. Buck, they're right behind us. Captain Nightstrike is only a few feet behind us now. It's hard to be certain in the dark, but his flight seems to be lazy, as if the whole thing is just a game to him. “We've got to do something!” I call out in desperation to Twilight.

“Alright. Spike, hold on tight,” she says feebly and I see hear plummet and let out a scream.

I pull Fluttershy down with me, hoping that Captain Nightstrike won't be as quick to follow. I fly us next to Twilight and grab hold of her, folding my wings against my side, making us fall rapidly. “Okay, cast that spell now, or they'll catch us!” I shout above the wind.

She squints her eyes and stares at the ground, her horn beginning to glow.

I glance over my shoulder and groan. Captain Nightstrike is plummeting towards us, followed closely by the other guards. I see the purple dragon begin to lose his grip around Twilight's neck, and then a sudden flash of light sears my eyes. I feel an odd jerking sensation and pressure on my entire body. 

And then I feel myself hit the ground and roll shakily to my hooves, doing my best to keep any weight off of my broken leg. I have mixed success there, so I quickly push into the air. I open my eyes and see Fluttershy, the dragon, I suppose he's Spike, and Twilight Sparkle sprawled around a small clearing in a patch of trees. I help Fluttershy to her hooves and look up at the sky. I can barely make out the shape of the clouds in the dark sky.

I let out a laugh of excitement and cheer, “We did it, Fluttershy! We're free!”

“But not really safe,” Twilight grumbles behind us.

I know that, I'm still working on what we should do next. I eye her and comment, “Ya know, I think I'm ready to believe that you really do want to help us, but I'm still not sure that there's nothing in it for you.”

“What could I possibly gain by betraying my teacher, the most powerful pony in Equestria?” she demands somewhat angrily.

“I don't know,” I admit, “but that doesn't matter. For now, at least, we're all working together, so I'll stick by you and help you if you get into any trouble.” But that will change if you try anything that could hurt Fluttershy. My thoughts go unspoken, but I think that Twilight realizes them anyway. 

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy says suddenly, “I think I might know where we are.”

“How?” I ask in surprise. “When have you ever been here?”

“When you're gone, I sometimes come down here to see the animals,” she says sheepishly. “And, um, I think I've been in this clearing before. It's fairly close to the edge of a small town near that farmland where all those Earth ponies work.”

I decide that it's pointless to say anything about her having not told me about this before, so I just shrug and say, “Then lead the way to someplace safe.”

Spike gets back on Twilight's back, and we follow Fluttershy through the trees. I just wish you had told me about this before, Fluttershy. How am I supposed to protect you if I don't even know where you are?
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack

********

I'm busy apple buckin' when I think I see somethin' out of the corner of my eye. I stop for a second and look over at the treeline. I don't see anythin', so I turn back to my work. Near every citizen in Ponyville has to put in some work for the apple trees 'cause of Nightmare Moon. Used to be that only some ponies would bother with the harvestin', ponies like me. 'Course, at that time, we also woulda been workin' for ourselves.

That bein' said, it certainly does help when more ponies put in some work for the harvest.

I normally don't waste this much time thinkin'. I need to get back to work.

I kick another tree, makin' all the apples fall into the baskets set up around it.

Then I freeze, certain that I'm hearin' somethin' unusual from the woodland behind me. I really should get back to apple buckin', I think as I turn slowly and walk toward the sound. I crouch in some bushes and stare in the direction I'm hearin' things from.

And then I see the strangest sight I've ever laid eyes upon. An actual dragon, although clearly a young 'un, is ridin' on a purple unicorn trottin' next to a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and behind another pegasus, a pale yellow one with a pink mane.

Seein' two pegasi is strange enough, most of 'em spend their time in Cloudsdale or other cities in the sky, but dragons haven't been seen in Equestria since the Pony-Dragon War, if I'm rememberin' my history correctly. They were supposed to have all been exiled or somethin' like that. More than all of that, what the hay would ponies be doin' in the woodlands around here? It's not common, but at times creatures from the Everfree wander into the surroundin' woodland and it's better to just avoid the risk, despite how uncommon it is for a pony with a lick of common sense to actually be in any real danger so close to town.

The blue pegasus suddenly turns her head and looks straight at the bushes I'm hidin' in before launchin' herself directly at me. I try to get out of the way, but the pegasus is a lot faster than me. She knocks me to the ground and stands over me, keepin' me pinned down.

“Who are you?” she demands aggressively. “Why were you spying on us?”

“My name's Applejack,” I respond indignantly. “I wasn't spyin' on ya, I was just workin' and I heard a noise. So I came over here to see what it was. Now get off me and tell me who ya are at what yer doin'.”

The pony looks behind her and seems to get a response that I'd like because she snorts and lets me up. “Just don't try anything funny,” she warns.

“Like what?” I snap, “Knockin' a pony to the ground for no good reason?”

She snorts, “Whatever, just don't make any sudden moves or anything like that.”

“So who are you ponies, anyway?” I ask.

The unicorn steps forward and begins, “My name is-”

“Stop!” the blue pegasus shouts angrily. “I still don't trust her! For all we know, she could be a spy!”

“I'm not a spy!” I shout back.

“She's not a spy,” the unicorn says.

The pegasus gives her a distrustful glare.

“Well, every spy needs to carry an enchanted object for identification, and I'd be able to tell if she had one,” the unicorn states defensively.

I shift uncomfortably. How would she know that? It sounds like somethin' an agent of Nightmare Moon would know, and I'd rather never need to meet one.

“As I was saying,” the unicorn says, turnin' to face me, “I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

“Great, just give her your name,” the blue pegasus says, rolling her eyes.

“And my name's Spike,” the dragon says.

“Whoah, Nelly!” I exclaim. “Dragons can speak Equestrian?”

“Of course we can,” he huffs and mutters somethin' else under his breath.

“Well, could she be anypony else we should be worried about?” the blue pegasus demands.

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle shifts uncomfortably. “Ah, yes, we are fugitives, so I suppose we should try to avoid any loyal subjects of Nightmare Moon.” Then her face lights up. “Or we could turn ourselves in and explain the situation! I'm sure everything is just one big misunderstanding.”

The pegasus looks at her like she's crazy. “You were sent to interrogate us before breaking us out of prison and now you want to turn yourself in to your teacher, who happens to be the most powerful pony in Equestria?”

I start sweatin' and begin to feel very uncomfortable. This pony is a student of Nightmare Moon? And now she's a fugitive with other these other ponies? What the hay have I gotten myself into? I nervously mutter, “Well, I guess I'll just be goin' now, iffen you don't mind.”

I turn to run away when the blue pegasus lands right in front of me. “Oh no you don't,” she says, a threat quite visible in her eyes. “You'll probably just run right off to turn us in to the closest Royal Guard.”

“No, I just want to get back to work and forget that all of this ever happened!” I yell. “I just want to have a nice and simple life without needin' to deal with criminals or guards!”

“That doesn't really seem very realistic,” Twilight Sparkle says slowly. “I'd imagine that anypony within a ten mile radius at the very least will be interrogated.”

“Well, I'm not very fond of Nightmare Moon,” I say, “but y'all have just made my life harder and more complicated than she ever did.”

“Why don't you like Nightmare Moon?” Twilight asks, soundin' a little hurt. “After all that she's done for you-”

The blue pegasus snorts.

“I'm serious, Rainbow Dash! I know that you and Fluttershy have had difficult lives, but most ponies are quite content!”

Rainbow snorts again. “Great, now she knows all our names.”

“Content, maybe,” I say, “but that don't have anythin' to do with Nightmare Moon. What has she ever done for us? And content might even be stretchin' it a bit.”

“Everything I know can't be a lie!” Twilight protests. “What about the emergency food supplies? Or the soldiers stationed to protect you from the Everfree Forest?”

“Sugarcube, I don't know what yer talkin' about,” I answer soothingly 'cause I can see that she's distressed, but I'm confused myself as to what she means. “There aren't any emergency food supplies, least not for us. Iffen there's a poor harvest, then we go hungry. And the Royal Guards do protect us, but they ain't exactly our friends.”

The blue pegasus, Rainbow Dash, I remind myself, looks at me and says, “Well, I don't think we can exactly let us go. After all, I doubt you'd lie to protect some ponies you don't even know, and Twilight –” she glares at the unicorn “– told you our names and story so you know exactly who we are.” 

“So yer takin' me hostage,” I state in disbelief.

“Not quite. You don't like Nightmare Moon and we, well Fluttershy and I anyway, don't either. So think of it as rebelling against her,” she replies.

I stare at her, unable to believe that she just said that. “But I have no interest in rebellin', either! I never wanted any of this,” I protest.

The other pegasus, I guess that would be Fluttershy, walks up to me and quietly says, “Then, um, you can go.”

Rainbow Dash sighs, “No, 'Shy, she really can't. It would be too risky.” She looks at me and continues, “For us and for her.”

“How would it be risky for me?” I ask with a sinkin' feelin'.

“Well, the guards will probably talk to you, and if you say you don't know anything. And, well, how good are you at lying?” she asks.

“Not very,” I answer. I've always been an honest pony by nature, and ponies seem to know on the rare occasions when I'm not tellin' the truth. And those ponies aren't even trained to detect lies.

“Then the guards we probably learn that you knew that we're fugitives. And that you didn't try to stop us,” she continues.

“Well, I could just go and tell the guards about you myself,” I reply uneasily.

“But I don't think you will,” Rainbow Dash states. “You've already made it clear that you don't want anything to do with this. But there is that risk, after all, it would be less of a hassle than becoming a criminal. But that's another reason that it's dangerous for us to let you go.”

Consarn it, why couldn't I have just kept my big mouth shut?

“But I have a job! And my family lives here!” I protest, already knowin' that it's in vain.

“Maybe you shouldn't have come over to see what you were hearing, then,” Rainbow Dash replies coldly.

Twilight Sparkle looks at her in shock. “Rainbow, aren't you being more than a bit forceful here?”

“Look, maybe you can get off with this if they catch you because you're Nightmare Moon's student and all that, but Fluttershy and I can't. We'll be punished for something we didn't do, and I don't even dare to imagine what that punishment might be. I don't want to force anypony to do anything, but I don't have a choice!” Rainbow Dash replies, yellin' by the end.

“About you bein' a student of Nightmare Moon,” I begin hesitantly.

“There's no need to worry about that,” Twilight states quickly. “No need at all. I'm just a citizen of Equestria who happens to be particularly talented in magic.”

“The fact that ya think that is what worries me,” I answer. “Equestrian society ain't exactly made up of equal citizens, sugarcube.”

“So I seem to be learning,” she replies, hanging her head slightly. “I just wish I knew why I've been lied to all this time.”

“Well, we're all taught that we're equals in school,” I say, “it's just that the reality don't exactly match up, and we all learn that pretty quickly. I guess yer just an exception. Where are ya from, anyway?”

“I'm from Canterlot,” she answers.

“That would explain why then, I guess,” I mutter. I say more loudly, “Sugarcube, Canterlot ain't exactly a normal city. It's where most of the Equestrian elite live, and my understandin' is that there are few normal ponies there, just the servants that try to stay out of the way.”

“Look, we've wasted way too much time already,” Rainbow Dash bursts out. “We need to get moving. Applejack, you really do need to come with us, there's no other option. Fluttershy thinks she knows the area well enough, but since you live here, you probably know it even better. So, could you be our guide? It doesn't matter where we go, it just needs to be away from here and all the guards.”

“Fine, y'all just wait here while I go say goodbye to my family,” I sigh, knowin' that I'll never be able to change Rainbow's mind and that I have no way of getting away from this group of ponies.

“That really isn't a good idea,” Rainbow Dash says. “It's better for your family if they don't know where you're going and doing, and what else would you tell them?”

“I can tell 'em,” I begin before realizin' that I can't think of anythin' I could say. And they'd know I was lyin', anyway. “Fine, I'll lead you away from here right now,” I sigh.

Twilight looks apologetic, but doesn't say anythin'. Neither does Spike. But Fluttershy comes right up to me and whispers, “Um, I'm sorry for the terrible inconvenience, but, um, thank you.”

Rainbow Dash simply says, “Look, I'm sorry, but you need to start leading us right now.”

“Alright, just come on,” I snap. “You could be more grateful.”

Rainbow's face softens and she says, “I'm sorry. I know it's hard, but there's really nothing else you or we can do.”

I nod. “I suppose that's right. Now come on and stick to the treeline.”

I head off, followed by these strange ponies and a dragon still without knowin' exactly what the hay is goin' on or what I should be doin'.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captain Nightstrike

********

My heart skips a beat when I watch the ponies I'm chasing drop below the cloud layer. With a unicorn and dragon with them, I had discounted the possibility. The pegasi would need to carry them if they did that, which would slow them down. Or so I had thought, so I had allowed us to move at a leisurely pace because it was only a matter of time. But I realize my miscalculation as soon as they drop. Unicorn magic includes teleportation. I shout in anger and drop below the clouds, just in time to see a flash of light.

I bucking hate unicorns.

I round on the Royal Guards hovering a few feet behind me and shout, “Get down to Ponyville this instant and alert the local forces there! We cannot allow them to escape.”

They salute me and take off as I speed back towards headquarters. It was just supposed to be a normal day. I allow myself to smile slightly. I might hate unicorns, but I hate normal days even more. It's been a long time since my job was in danger. I've grown too soft. And a student of Nightmare Moon herself... Things could get very interesting indeed if things go the way I hope that they do.

	I feel a sudden rush, and I find myself smiling despite, or rather because of, the danger. I do so hate feeling bored, and there’s nothing like fighting for my position and my life to make me feel alive.

I reach headquarters in no time and fly to my office. On the way, I order the pony at the desk to bring some guards out of the parade and to headquarters. When I reach my office, I close my door behind me and grab a piece of paper in my mouth and flatten it on a clear patch in my desk before grabbing a quill in my mouth. I quickly scribble a note:



Nightmare Moon,

		Your student and the others escaped from me and are now presumably somewhere in the 	    area surrounding Ponyville. I sent some guards to alert the local force.

					-Captain Nightstrike




I slide the letter into a slot in my desk and lean back. Despite my new-found hatred of unicorns, persistent magic does have its uses. A flash of green light later, and I know that my letter is on its way to Nightmare Moon. Two letters to her in one day, this is interesting. Of course, this one was more slapdash than the first in which I had alerted Nightmare Moon to her student's strange behavior and been ordered to keep a close eye on her. Oh well, need drove me to be hasty. I grab a book at random off my desk while I wait for a reply. The book turns out to be one detailing combat magic. Useless for a non-unicorn, unless said non-unicorn would be fighting unicorns.

I only have a minute or so to read before a letter shoots toward me from my desk. I grab it in my mouth as it flies through the air before I place it on the desk to read it.




Captain Nightstrike,

		An agent of mine was already on her way to Cloudsdale when I received your note. She 	      	    has been alerted of the new situation and has your new orders.

					-Nightmare Moon




I grin in anticipation as I wait for this new agent to arrive. I know now that I'm safe. I would have been ordered to come to Canterlot or Nightmare Moon would come herself if I were to be punished. Agents getting sent to a pony such as I meant only one thing: assignments. I turn back to my book. After all, I might need to fight a unicorn very soon. As before, I don't have very long to read before my office door is thrown open. I sigh in frustration and glare at the newcomer. I hate unicorns. Why couldn't I get another pony with wings?

Her coat is midnight blue and she wears black robes that hide her cutie mark and match her mane and tail. She glares right back at me with narrowed violet eyes. “Captain Nightstrike, I am Shadowmoon and –”

“Is that your real name?” I ask incredulously. 

“Asks the stallion named 'Nightstrike',” she retorts sharply. “I would watch your tongue around me. You might be the Captain of the Royal Guard in Cloudsdale, but I am an agent sent directly by Nightmare Moon to discuss your disappointing performance.”

I stare at her blankly. “Please, by all means, go on.”

She snorts and shakes her head before stating, “You allowed prisoners to escape from this very building.”

I nod. “I was there, you know.”

She clenches her teeth and asks, “Do you have a good reason for this?”

I nod again, this time with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Nightmare Moon's prized student was there. Surely a unicorn like you could best me in combat, so what was I to do against Twilight Sparkle?”

Shadowmoon hisses, venom dripping from every word, “You would do well to show some respect.”

“Why, milady?” I inquire sarcastically. “I know that you aren't here to punish me. Something of this magnitude would be above you.”

I notice her left back leg give a little stomp. Just as I thought.

I grin and proclaim, “You want to flay me alive, but you can't. You're here to give me an assignment.” I'm going to be in charge of the search for Twilight!

A grimace crosses the mare's face. She closes her eyes and breathes slowly. Her eyes snap open and she glares at me. The room's temperature drops a few degrees, but I'm not impressed. Her horn is glowing a faint blue. It's so faint that it’s almost invisible, but almost isn't good enough to fool me.

I glare back at her for a few minutes.

Finally, she breaks the silence and says, “You have been a loyal servant to Nightmare Moon for many years, so she is willing to give you another chance despite your failure. You are to lead the hunt for Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash no longer matter at this point, unless they are still with her when you capture her. In that case bring them in with her, them and anypony else who happens to be with her.”

“Anypony?” I ask innocently.

“That's what I said,” she answers irritably.

Things just got a lot more interesting. This little game of ours could go on for quite a while. Twilight Sparkle is smart and powerful, but she doesn't know anything about running from the law. On the other hoof, I know quite a bit about catching ponies who tried to. But this would give her another card, not that she knows it. Yet.

“So I am to be in charge of every police force in Equestria?” I inquire, just to make sure.

She nods with a pained expression on her face.

I flash her a smile and ask one more question. “Will Shining Armor be involved?”

Shadowmoon glares and answers, “He insists that Twilight being his sister will not prevent him from doing his job.”

I quickly turn my laugh into a cough. All of this is far too interesting; it's just like Hearth's Warming! Shining and I go way back, and that history doesn't involve the sort of spirit that led to that little holiday. I add another card to Twilight's desk.

“I will, of course, be supervising your actions,” Shadowmoon states flatly.

Another card goes to Twilight's deck, and I remove one from mine. That I did not want to happen. However, I should have seen it coming. This was a chance to prove my worth and not a holiday, after all. I grimace and say, “Then we might as well get to work. Can you do any tricks?”

Her nose crinkles and her glare becomes even more filled with hate. “What?”

“You know, magic tricks.” I speak slowly, like one would when explaining something to a small foal. “Something that would help us track down a unicorn.”

She draws herself up to her full height, which isn't all that impressive, and proclaims, “I'm the best magic tracker in Equestria. I can trace any spell to any unicorn if I know his or her magic signature and follow it like a dog tracking a pony in a traditional chase. And I know Twilight's signature very well.”

“Can you track a teleport from its start point to its end point?”

“Easily,” she answers with a smirk.

I suddenly find myself hating unicorns a lot less than I had just a moment before. I add a card to my deck. “Then give me a moment to organize some of my guards and let's go,” I say.

It takes only a few moments to assemble a small force and we head off to where I lost Twilight. I know the city like the back of my hoof, so it takes hardly any time to reach the exact location. I extend my wings and turn to Shadowmoon. I nod to my back and say, “Get on.”

Her reply is short and her voice is harsh. “No.”

I sigh. “Twilight Sparkle teleported away in the air a few feet below the cloud layer. If you want to track her, then you'll need to be in the air.” I shake my wings at her and continue, “And you don't have wings because you're a unicorn.”

She rolls her eyes at me and her horn begins to glow. I close my eyes as the space around her is pierced by a bright white light. I open my eyes and see that translucent sapphire, insectoid wings have sprouted from her back.

I bucking hate unicorns.

“You were saying?” she asks with a smug grin.

I shrug, concealing my growing hatred. “I guess we can finally get started, then. Twilight Sparkle is probably halfway out of Equestria by now.”

“She wouldn't be if somepony hadn't allowed her to escape,” Shadowmoon retorts with a glare.

I ignore her and dive beneath the cloud layer, followed closely by my guards and Shadowmoon. I take some satisfaction in noting that she trails behind as and moves awkwardly, like a foal struggling to swim. More awkwardly than most foals, in fact. I call back to her, “Can you feel the magic trace?”

“Of course,” she answers. “Twilight is a very powerful unicorn, and she forget to hide her magic. The air here is absolutely humming with energy.” Her horn glows and she closes her eyes. “She teleported four targets, herself and three others. They went to that area over there.” She jabs a hoof toward a forest area far below us.

“Are you sure?” I inquire. The last thing I need is for this stupid mule to mess up. I want to play this game, but I can't afford to lose it. Have your fun, but do this right in the end. Take risks that have potential gains that outweigh them, but avoid anything that just feels exciting with no possible payoff. Just like always.

Her answer is simply a glare.

“Let's go, then. Although, once we get there, will you be of any use if Twilight didn't cast any more spells?”

“I know how to track in a traditional manner.”

I snort. “So does everypony else here. We're Royal Guards, remember? It's part of what we do.”

“You're also supposed to guard prisoners, not let them escape.”

I ignore her again and turn to the other guards with me. “We have a unicorn to catch. I'm sure you all know what she looks like, but let me just refresh your memory. Her coat is purple, and so are her eyes. Her mane and tail have three colors: a deep blue, a purple, and a pink. Her cutie mark consists of a pink six-pointed star surrounded by five small six-pointed stars. The pink central star looks like it is placed on top of a rotated white star, so white points stick out between its points. She's a student of Nightmare Moon and her special talent is magic, so be careful. We want her and anypony with her captured alive, so be extra careful. If it's between your life and one of theirs, especially hers, choose them. Are there any questions?”

No hooves come up, so I say, “Then follow me.”

I take off toward the patch of trees followed by my guards and Shadowmoon. A grim smile flashes across my face because today had already turned out to be so much more than an ordinary day. Not that the word “day” meant much, of course. It was just a set of hours set aside for work. But still, it's always nice to have fun at work.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle

********

I really have no idea how long we’ve been walking, either before or after we met Applejack, but my hooves are starting to feel sore and I really wish I had something to eat. Applejack. I glance over at her, but she keeps looking ahead while she leads us. I really didn’t expect to end up practically kidnapping somepony as part of all of this. If I ever get a chance to clear things up with Nightmare Moon, I’ll make it up to her. Somehow.

I let out a sigh. If only.

	“So where exactly are you taking us?” Rainbow Dash asks.

	“There’s a clearin’ not too many ponies know about near here. I reckon we can figure out what in Equestria we’re gonna do next there. And maybe eat some grass or somethin’,” Applejack answers.

“So we’ll have to go deeper into the woods?” I ask.

“Yeah, but not far. We shouldn’t need to worry about monsters there,” she says.

Then, I think I hear something rustling through the forest in our direction. “Did you hear that?” I ask, staring into the trees.

“H-hear what? Did it s-sound d-dangerous?” Fluttershy asks.

“I don’t know. I hope not,” I reply, continuing my search and beginning to weave a spell just in case. And then I see them. Ponies,

Rainbow Dash lands in front of me, facing them in a crouch while Spike gasps.

“I must admit that I’m slightly disappointed,” Captain Nightstrike says as he steps forward, flanked by an unfamiliar unicorn. “I had expected more from Nightmare Moon’s personal student.” He sighs. “Oh well. Arrest them!”

I release the spell I had been preparing, throwing the first guards to respond to his orders backwards. “Run!” I shout and start to gallop in the opposite direction. As I pick up speed, Spike wraps his claws in my mane to keep himself from being thrown off.

A spell flies past me, and Applejack lets out a yelp as it misses her by a hair’s breadth.

I look behind me and send my own magical bolt hurling toward the unicorn. I don’t stop to see if it hits or not. I’m barely even aware of Applejack and Rainbow Dash ahead of me and Fluttershy beside me. All I can do is think about running faster than I’ve ever run before.

I’m breathing heaving now, and my heart is pounding. Pain shoots through my side from a stitch that’s developed and my legs ache. Just one hoof in front of the other.

As the scenery around us begins to change, the forest and farmlands behind us and more buildings coming into view, another part of me insists that that’s a mistake. Come on, think! We’re clearly getting closer to town. Why haven’t they caught us yet? Surely the guards are faster than me! And most of them can fly!

	A glance behind me confirms my suspicions. Most of our pursuers are moving at a relaxed pace, with some off to our sides running faster, ready to flank us. We’re being herded.

I don’t know the area around here well enough to teleport any real distance, and that didn’t keep them from finding us the first time anyway. As we reach Ponyville proper, I prepare another spell, one that will hopefully buy us a little bit of time.

Just as I expected, guards from the town are waiting for us. We’re surrounded.

My head starts to throb as I force more and more energy into my horn.

The guards behind us get closer.

My companions huddle around me.

“Twilight?” Spike asks. He sounds scared.

I bite my lip, sparks beginning to dance in front of my eyes from the strain. Come on, get closer.

“It’s over, Twilight Sparkle,” Captain Nightstrike says, motioning the guards forward. He continues, his voice magically amplified, “All of you are under arrest for treason!”

Finally! With a sound halfway between a shout and a sigh of relief, I unleash the spell. And, for the third time, I commit the crime of assaulting members of the Royal Guard. All around us, guards fall unconscious to the ground.

And then I feel my knees buckle and I collapse, my chest heaving. I taste blood. “I-I don’t know how… how long they’ll be out,” I wheeze. 

“Come on, Sugarcube,” Applejack says, helping me back to my hooves.

Gratefully, I lean against her and look around. Other than us and the sleeping guards, the twon seems empty. Maybe all the residents were ordered to stay inside?

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, slapping my back. “But where are we going to go now?”

I take a moment to allow my breathing to return to something at least approximating normal. “I’m really not sure, but we can’t stay here. Maybe we can cut through town and then lay low in the countryside?” 

“That’s as good a plan as any, I suppose,” Applejack says.

Before we’ve gone far, however, I hear a door open. I look toward it and pause. A white unicorn with a purple mane is waving frantically at us. “Um, Applejack, do you know who that is?”

Applejack blinks. “Uh, yeah, that’s Rarity.” She pauses. “I don’t rightly know what she wants.”

“Can we trust her?” Rainbow Dash glares at the mare, who is still trying to wave us over.

Applejack shrugs helplessly.

“If she just saw us overpower the entire town guard, then I doubt she’s planning to try to subdue us,” I say.

“Yeah, but she could want to keep us distracted until the guards wake up,” Rainbow Dash hisses. “Wait, Fluttershy, where are you going?”

The yellow mare, who had started to trot toward Rarity, turns around. “We have to trust in the kindness of others, Dashie. Not everypony is out to hurt us.” With that, she continues on her way.

Muttering under her breath, Rainbow Dash flies after her.

“I suppose we can at least see what it is that she wants,” I say hesitantly.

Applejack sighs, and we follow the others over to Rarity.

“Inside, hurry!” she whispers as we draw near. “You’ve wasted enough time as it is. Somepony is bound to see you if they haven’t already.”

I nod and enter the building, which seems to be a shop for clothing, based on the ponyquins lining the walls. Some of them seem to be studded with gems, and Spike hops off my back and runs over to investigate.

Rarity shuts the door behind us, and I hear a lock click into place. “My name is –”

“It’s Rarity,” Rainbow Dash interrupts. “Applejack told us.”

“And the rest of you are?”

“Why should we tell you?”

“I’m Fluttershy, and she’s Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy says.

“And my name is Twilight Sparkle.” Not much to be gained from trying to hide that now, I suppose.  

“Thank you.” Rarity nods. “Now then, darlings, would one of you be so kind as to tell me just what kind of trouble I’ve gotten myself into?”

“First things first! Why would you want to help us?” Rainbow Dash growls, stepping forward so that her muzzle is almost touching Rarity’s.

The unicorn sniffs. “Let us just say that I have had some less than pleasant interactions with the local guard. Besides, if Applejack is with you then, based on her reputation, I doubt anything you did before attacking the entire Ponyville guard was that serious, if you did anything at all. So the least I can do is give you a small bit of help.”

Applejack looks at the floor.

Rarity’s expression wavers slightly. “Am I wrong?”

Before she can answer, my stomach rumbles. Loudly.

“Oh my! I’m being a terrible host. You can explain what’s going while we eat. Please, this way.” Rarity gestures toward the back of the building.

“Come on, Spike,” I say. “We’re going to get food.”

He glances over at me, and then back toward the dress he was looking at. “R-right.” He doesn’t move.

If Rarity is surprised that he can talk, she doesn’t show it. “Is something wrong, darling? Or are you simply transfixed by the beauty of my craft?”

I sigh. “Dragons eat gems.”

“Oh.” She frowns. “Well… Spike, was it? I have some gems I can give you if you come along with us now.”

“Rarity, you don’t have to do that. He can eat other food. Gems are just his favorite, and tI imagine that would be quite an expensive meal. We really don’t want to be a burden,” I say.

Spike shoots me a look of betrayal.

Applejack coughs, and I wince.

Rarity briefly raises an eyebrow before shaking her head. “No, no. I insist. It really won’t be a problem.”

Spike leaps up to give her a hug. “Thank you!”

“Ah, yes, of course.” She extracts herself from his grip and gives him a smile before turning around and leading us into a small dining room. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be back momentarily,” she says as we take our seats around the table.

“She’s being awfully generous, isn’t she?” Rainbow Dash grumbles after she leaves. “Do you guys really trust her?”

Fluttershy nods, and Rainbow Dash glowers at her.

“She seems wonderful!” Spike says.

“I really don’t know what to think.” Applejack sighs. “When I got outta bed, I was just expectin’ to go to work. I don’t know anythin’ about who I oughta trust when I’m a fugitive.” She pulls her hat over her face and leans back in her chair.

Rainbow Dash glares at me. “Don’t youthink this whole thing is suspicious?”

I clear my throat. “We just have to be careful and ready to act if she tries anything.”

Dash snorts and looks away. “Whatever.”

We sit in an uncomfortable silence until Rarity comes back, floating a bowl of gems for Spike and salads for the rest of us. She hums as she sets them before us before taking her seat.

“Are these poisoned?” Rainbow Dash asks suddenly. “Or drugged to put us to sleep? Is that it?”

Rarity rolls her eyes and levitates some of Rainbow’s food her plate. Looking the pegasus dead in the eye, she eats it. “Are you satisfied?”

“Okay, fine. But I’ve got my eye on you!”

“Noted. Now then, who would like to tell me what’s going on?”

I sigh. “Rainbow Dash was arrested up in Cloudsdale for something she didn’t do, and Spike and I were sent there to interrogate her. While she was there, Fluttershy was also arrested when she went to find her. I was told to get them to confess anyway even though everypony else also knew they were innocent, so I helped them escape. And then we, er, ran into Applejack.”

“That’s one way to put it,” the orange mare grumbles.

“Sorry,” I say.

“I take it that Applejack’s presence is not entirely voluntary?” Rarity asks.

“Look, nopony here is happy about that. But Twilight knows nothing about running from the law! She just keeps telling everypony we meet the story of our lives and our names! Which is why we had to get Applejack to come with us, okay?” Rainbow Dash yells. “And now you do, too, so I guess we’ll have to figure something out there as well.”

Rarity looks at the pegasus for a moment. “I am quite skilled at lying to the Royal Guard, thank you very much. My parents were also arrested and served five years in prison for something they didn’t do, you see. Since then, I have not found myself feeling very cooperate when it comes to dealing with them, which is more often than I would like, quite frankly.” She smiles. “So a little treason is something I can support.”

I frown. The sad thing is, she might be right about that. No! What am I thinking? There just has to be some terrible misunderstanding! Pushing those thoughts aside, I say, “We appreciate it, but the guards from Cloudsdale are led by a certain Captain Nightstrike, and I think he might be a little more difficult to handle than the ones you normally deal with.”

Rarity waves a hoof. “Please, let me deal with that, darling. But if you’ll pardon my saying so, I don’t think that that’s all that’s bothering you. Something to do with you being sent to Clousdale, perhaps?”

I tap my hooves together nervously before I answer. “Before all of this, Nightmare Moon was my teacher, but everything feels like it’s been turned upside down! I thought Equestria was a just place, but now I just don’t know…” I feel tears begin to fall.

“Oh, Twilight,” Fluttershy says as she comes over and pulls me into a hug, stroking my mane. “It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.”

Spike hurries over and also joins the hug, though he remains silent.

I bury my face in Fluttershy’s coat and sob while the she gently rocks me back and forth. For some inexplicable reason, I feel safe and think that she might be right that everything will somehow work out, just like I did when my parents or Shining Armor would comfort me when I was a filly. I don’t know how long I cry, but I eventually stop and pull back. I let out a final sniff, rub my eyes, and clear my throat. “Thank you,” I say thickly and look around.

Applejack gives me a look that is at once both sympathetic and slightly accusing, and Rainbow Dash gives me an awkward smile.

Rarity, however, looks slightly unnerved for the first time since we met. “You… you were Nightmare Moon’s student?”

I nod. “But that wasn’t an act, and this isn’t some way to entrap you because we know about your feelings. Everything we said is true.”

The unicorn shoots Applejack a questioning glance.

She sighs. “As far as I know, they’re bein’ honest. I this was some plan to get ya, it’s the most elaborate one I’ve ever heard of.”

Rarity nods.

And then we all hear a loud banging at the front door. “Royal Guard! Open up!”





Rarity

********

I stiffen at the sound and slowly rise to my hooves. “You can enter the basement from the kitchen, and from there, you can exit the building.” I turn my head toward the entrance as the banging continues. “One second, please!”

As the others scramble out of the room, I walk toward the door, a lump in my throat. Hesitantly, I take the final few steps, and my mind goes back to that fateful day when my parents were arrested. 

Six years ago, I was really still a filly, albeit almost a mare. And then there had been a knock, just like this one, and my life had been torn apart. I am for once glad that my parents took Sweetie Belle back into their care when they were finally released. Even if she’s older now, she’s still a filly and I’m glad that she doesn’t have to see this again.

I take a deep breath to regain my composure and open the door.”How may I help you, sir?” I try to smile.

The guard at the door, one of those ponies with bat wings, sweeps past me, followed by several more and a unicorn, and I take an involuntary step back as his yellow eyes look me up and down. His grey coat looks silken and practically shines, verging on silver. Under any other circumstances, I would appreciate the fact that he obviously takes such good care of it. He’s large, especially for a pony that isn’t an Earth pony, but he carries himself with a catlike grace. 

He’s a predator, and I’m prey.

“I’m Captain Nightstrike, and I’m leading a ponyhunt for one Twilight Sparkle and anypony who might be with her.” He smiles, showing off his unnervingly sharp teeth. “And we heard an interesting story, Miss Rarity,” he continues, his voice dripping with faux politeness. “One of your neighbors told us that it looked like you let the ponies we’re looking for into this fine establishment.” He circles behind me and leans in close, his breath tickling my ear. “What do you have to say about that?”

Part of me wants to break down and confess, to tell him exactly where I sent them. If I do, I might one day see somewhere other than the inside of a prison cell before I die. Or maybe avoid execution. Instead, I turn to face him and put on my most winning smile and bat my eyelashes. “Oh, well, I’m sure this is all just a little mistake. I certainly don’t know any, what was her name again?”

He grins at me, and I am once again reminded not so much of a bat as of a cat. “Then I’m sure you won’t mind if we take a look around.”

Without waiting for an answer, he abruptly pivots and makes his way toward the back.

I close my eyes briefly and then look behind me. No escape, I think glumly as I look at the guards blocking the door. So I follow Captain Nightstrike, who makes his way into the dining room.

“Interesting. Who else is here?” he asks, his gaze sweeping from the table to me.

“Nopony. I was, um, expecting company before this whole unpleasantness with these fugitives.”

He rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Really? It looks as though some of this has been eaten. From multiple plates.”

“I knew my plans would have to be canceled with all the guards around, and I was nervous. I was pacing while I ate, taking a bite here and a bite there.”

He nods, but I see in his eyes that he’s about to go for the kill. “And the gems? They seem to have bite marks as well, but ponies don’t eat gems.” He leans in close. “But dragons do. And the pony I’m looking for has a dragon as an assistant.”

Slowly, I back into the kitchen. “B-bite marks? No, no. Those are… they’re gems that were mined or cut improperly. I was sorting through my inventory, discarding the ones with those flaws.”

“I really must ask you to do one small thing for me,” he begins softly before suddenly raising his voice. “Stop lying, Rarity! I promise you that your life will be over before the end of the year if the next thing out of your mouth is anything but the complete truth!”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash

********

The basement is where Rarity said it would be, and it’s lined with neatly arranged boxes that are probably full of clothes stuff. I frown as we walk through it. When we reach the door at the other end, I whisper, “Wait! There could be somepony outside waiting for us.”

Twilight nods slowly. “Good point. Applejack, would you mind opening the door as fast as you can on the count of three? I’ll be ready.” She lowers her horn and stares intently at the entrance.

When Applejack throws open the door, there’s a flash of light, and a soft thump outside. Twilight stumbles for a second, but stays upright this time. “Okay, wow, I really hope I don’t have to do that again.” She laughs nervously.

“Good work,” I say as I look behind me.

“Rainbow Dash, what are you waiting for?” Twilight asks. “We have to go.”

I look at her and then over my shoulder again. I make up my mind. “No, all of you have to get out of here, but I’m not leaving Rarity behind.”

“I thought you didn’t trust her.”

“Yeah, I didn’t. But does this look like a trap to you? Because it sure doesn’t to me. Only one guard out there? I was expecting them to come flooding in at us! I was wrong about her, and I’m not about to leave her to get arrested and thrown in prison for the rest of her life or worse.

“And besides, you’re the one who pointed out that Captain Nightstrike isn’t just you’re average guard from some random backwater! He’s the captain of the Royal Guard in Cloudsdale, the largest and most important pegasus city! There’s no way she’s prepared for him!” I stomp a hoof in frustration.

Twilight frowns, but her eyes soften.

And then Fluttershy tackles me in a hug. “I’m so proud of you!” She pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “Just promise me that you’ll be safe, Dashie.”

I give her the most confident smile that I can manage. “Of course, ‘Shy.”

She nods and gives me a nervous smile in reply before heading over to the doorway.

“Good luck, Rainbow,” Twilight says, holding out a hoof.

I take it, but roll my eyes. “Geez, you guys are all acting like I’m gonna die or something. I’ll be back before you know it.” With that, I’m hurtling back through the basement to the kitchen; I’ve wasted enough time as it is.

As I draw near, I hear Captain Nightstrike shout, “I promise you that your life will be over before the end of the year if the next thing out of your mouth is anything but the complete truth!”

I growl. Oh no you don’t. And then I’m bursting through the door, flying past Rarity and right toward him. “Get out of here, Rarity!” I shout as I pass her.

He reacts more quickly than I expected, though, and he’s ready when I collide. He lets out a small grunt, but he stays upright and wraps his front hooves around me. “Everypony, in here, now!” he barks.

I struggle, but his hold is too tight. There’s no way I can break out, and I can hear movement from outside the room. Sorry, Fluttershy.

	I shout in agony and tears spring to my eyes as he forces me out of the air and my broken leg hits the ground. That has got to stop happening.

And then there’s a thud and a yelp of pain, and his grip loosens just enough for me to get free.

As I back away from him, I notice that a cabinet near his head is open, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t before.

Nightstrike gives Rarity a murderous glare.”You’re going to pay for that.”

The room floods with a blue light so bright that I have to close my eyes as Rarity throws almost the entire kitchen at him. She tugs on my tail. “Come on!”

We rush into the basement, and she slams the door shut before levitating a bunch of boxes and shelves in front of it.

And then we’re out of the building and past the guard Twilight took out, and I let out a laugh. “That was really cool. Thanks, Rarity.”

“No, thank you, darling,” she says with a smile.

I smile back and then flex my wings and turn around. “Hop on.”

“What?”

“If we’re going to catch up to the others, we should fly. No more talking, let’s go.”

She does, holding tightly onto my mane.

As I lift off, I hear shouting and look behind me. Guards are pouring out of the building, led by Captain Nightstrike. He’s tough, I’ll give him that.

I shoot into the sky, thanking the stars that it’s cloudy. It will make finding Fluttershy and the others a little more difficult, but right now hiding is more important. I zip behind one and then begin my search, moving rapidly.

It doesn’t take long, though, before Rarity exclaims, “Look! Down there! Do you see them?” She’s points a hoof toward the ground and, sure enough, there they are.

I nod. “Get ready to land.”

This is only the second time I’ve carried another pony like this, and the first time I’ve ever actually landed with one. And I had to do it with three legs. So it maybe isn’t my best landing ever.

After Rarity staggers back to her hooves, she turns to face me. “T-thank you, Rainbow Dash, though I do think that I prefer my own hooves.”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”

Again, Fluttershy wraps me in a hug, and I hug her back.

And then promptly stiffen and jerk my head as I hear the shout. What the actual buck? Is it really not possible for us to get away? This time, though, it seems to be a lone guard calling for reinforcements.

Twilight drops him with that spell of hers again, but others are probably on the way. And she sways dangerously on her hooves until Applejack steadies her. I doubt she’s up for another fight.

I shoot into the air. “Go, now! I’ll distract them, and catch up to you after I lose them!”

Before any of the others can protest, I’m away, tearing through the sky. I hear more yelling, and I see guards rising into the air all round me. No arches to get in the way this time, so good luck catching me.

I grin as I fly faster and faster. The air rushes past my mane, and I narrow my eyes against its sting. There really is nothing like flying. The air in front of me pushes back, but I push harder. I can practically feel it narrowing into a cone before me. My broken leg aches from how fast I’m going, but I clench my teeth and fight past it.

It’s just like right after Fluttershy and I escaped from the orphanage. I had felt so happy, so full of life, that I had just flown, faster than I ever had before or since. And I had managed to pull off a Sonic Rainboom. Of course, that time, things had been tricky for the next few weeks with all the guards poking around since the last thing I had wanted was to draw attention to myself. At least I had gotten my Cutie Mark, and I guess it also helped Fluttershy get hers.

But this time, I want to be noticed.

I push through the final resistance the air provides, and the sky explodes with color.

I lose myself in the pure joy of flight and keep flying for Moon knows how long. Finally, I begin to slow, and I look behind me. My eyes widen as I realize my mistake.

Oh buck.

Ponyville is well behind me, and there’s no sign of any of the guards trying to pursue me. And my rainbow contrail is rapidly fading. They won’t be able to find me. I loop around and head back in the direction I came, hoping against all hope that the others are safe and that I’ll be able to find them.





Captain Nightstrike

********

I rub my left wing and groan. I really bucking hate unicorns. Twilight was one thing, but having this Rarity, this nopony, drop me with pots and pans? That’s a new low for me. My eyes scan thesky for Rainbow Dash and Rarity, but the clouds have allowed them to escape for the moment. I’ll have to trust my ponies to find them. They, at least, aren’t complete idiots.

I turn to look at the Earth pony stallion, the captain of the Ponyville Royal Guard. I don’t remember his name, and I don’t care. And then I look back at the guard lying on the ground in front of the basement. “Would you care to tell me why it is that when I told you to have your ponies surround the building it would seem that you only positioned one at the back?” I kick the pony in question, and he lets out a grunt and slowly blinks his eyes.

The Ponyville captain swallows. “Look, my ponies aren’t used to this kind of –”

“I don’t care!” I hiss. “Maybe learn to be competent!”

Shadowmoon smirks. “Having some difficulties? It must hurt your pride that you were beaten by a pony with a broken leg and a fashion designer.”

I glare at her. “Not the time.” And then I jerk my head up as one of my guards lands in front of me.

“Sir! They seem to be heading back toward the Everfree Forest!”

The Everfree Forest? Are they just disoriented and running blindly? That desperate? Brave? Stupid? I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. The first hoof my have gone in your favor, Twilight, but not this one.

	As I lead the guards in the direction that was indicated, I see an unnmistakable pegasus streaking through the air back in our direction, and shouts go up around me, several guards rising in the air to pursue her. “No!” I call after them. “Idiots! She’s clearly a distraction and no longer matters!”

Most of them don’t seem to hear me, so all I can do is glare after them. With a sigh and grunt of pain, I also take to the air and begin to circle, my Cloudsdale guards following me. At first, I don’t see anything, and I begin to wonder if they managed to slip into another building. From this height, I really should have no problem spotting them.

I circle out widen, and this time I see them. Sure enough, they’re racing toward the Everfree Forest. Well, this has been mildly amusing, Twilight Sparkle, but it’s time for me to get you. There’s a flash of light in the corner of my eye, and I turn my head to get a better look. There’s a rainbow in the sky, extending rapidly away from me. Hmm… was that you back then, Rainbow Dash? What a pity.

I turn away and quickly regain sight of my quarry before angling to intercept and beginning my dive. They got farther than I expected. I would have thought that Twilight would have slowed them down more; she must be exhausted after that little display of hers earlier. 

They don’t even notice me as I close the distance.

I land almost directly on top of Rarity and slam her into the ground before kicking her in the stomach as I flip toward Twilight. That’s for your kitchen, you rotten mule. This time, I’m ready for her attack, and I drop to the ground and flatten myself against it, that bucking spell of hers whizzing harmlessly over my head.

And then she topples to the ground. Not that surprising.

	I whirl around just in time to dodge the orange mare’s kick, and I sweep her legs from under her.

My guards land around us. As they chain up our prisoners, Fluttershy surrendering without a fight after I subdued her friends, one of them asks, “Where’d the dragon go?”

I look around and frown. Do I want this to end here and now, or do I want to see if that card of yours is worth anything, Twilight? Even if it is, I might be able to spin things to my benefit… And I really could use a bit more fun. Making up my mind, I say, “It doesn’t matter that much, but tell the Ponyville guards to continue the search for him.” Like they could find a rock if it hit them in the face. “Does anypony know where the Ponyville jail is?”

A guard jerks his head toward a building close to us. “It’s right there.”

I frown. Not the most secure location. Well, whatever. “Okay, get them in there, and alert the Ponyville guards that we have them. Let them guard their jail, and then the two of you” – I point to the closest two guards – “see if Rainbow Dash is still around, though she could be long gone by now. The rest of you should get back to Cloudsdale as fast as you can; we can’t afford to have that situation spiral out of control either, so we still need all hooves on deck. I’m going to inform Nightmare Moon that we captured them.”

I launch myself into the air, wincing at the ache in my wing. At least Rarity should be in a lot more pain than me. I grin at the thought and circle, landing in front of Shadowmoon when I spot her still lingering outside Rarity’s home. 

I shoot her a condescending smile. “I got them.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Even Rainbow Dash?”

I wave a hoof. “If she comes back, we’ll get her. Besides, she wasn’t with Twilight Sparkle when we caught her.”

Her eyes narrow. “That is playing dangerously close to violating the spirit of your orders.”

Oh, if you only knew how badly I’ve crossed that line. As the thought crosses my mind, the slightest tingle of fear runs down my mind. Hopefully Nightmare Moon will agree that the dragon isn’t that important since we have Twilight. But, on the other hoof, what’s life without a little danger? And besides, I technically didn’t abandon the search for him.

I shrug. “That determination is out of your hooves. Nightmare Moon is the only pony who outranks me on this, and you yourself told me that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash only mattered if they were still with Twilight when we caught her. And, speaking of Nightmare Moon, I need to alert her of Twilight’s capture. Can you send her a message, or does this place even have a dragonfire box?”

She glowers at me for a moment before smiling.

Uh-oh.

“You can tell her yourself.” Her horn begins to glow.

Buck.

There’s a flash of light, and the world spins wildly.