> Dark Frost
>  by BlueColton
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark Frost

One day, the night did last forever…

On the day the sun set over Ponyville, never to rise again, Twilight Sparkle and Spike were heading home after leaving a party at Sugercube Corner. Of course, the party was still going on. Pinkie went all out whenever a colt or filly obtained their cutie mark. Given that the hyper pink pony had achieved her cutie mark when threw her first bash ever, cutesiñeras held a special place in her heart.
“Tired, Spike?” Twilight asked her dragon protégé as he gently dozed on her back.
Hearing her voice, Spike jolted as if shocked. He blinked his eyes open, seemingly confused by where he was. Twilight had found him half-asleep beneath a table. Naturally, it had been the one where all the cupcakes had been. A veritable pile of crumbs littered the floor on which Spike had slept. Taking this as a cue that it was time to leave, Twilight thanked Pinkie for the invite, picked up Spike, and left quietly. The party was already winding down as ponies began to take their leave.
Spike’s reply to her question was a loud snort, which made Twilight chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She walked slowly so as to not disturb the dragon. “Don’t worry. We’ll be home soon.”
But Spike’s head was already plopped on the back of Twilight’s neck before she could finish. Snoring loudly, Spike had drifted off to whatever dreamland little dragons wandered off too. Instinctively, he snuggled into her, the rocking sway of her steps and her body heat lulling him into a slumber from which he never wanted to come out of.
Twilight yawned. In truth, she was tired as well. She just got back into town after attending a seminar in Canterlot. The seminar was fascinating, but it went over schedule and Twilight had to rush to catch the train to Ponyville if she wanted to be back on time to for the party. She could have stayed a little longer, but she had a busy day tomorrow and an alicorn princess required her beauty sleep.
One of the drawbacks of her new home was that it was situated at the far end of town. Twilight could have flown, but the jerky motion of her less than stellar flying technique would have no doubt woken Spike and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Besides, she was feeling lazy and a good walk through the pleasant town she now called home seemed more appealing.
Her eyelids were halfway down when she finally reached Friendship Palace. Closing the door as quietly as possible with her magic, Twilight immediately went to Spike’s room and placed the dragon in his bed. “Good night, Spike. See you in the morning.” Kissing him on the forehead, Twilight shut the door and proceeded to her private study. Sleep called, but duty required her attention first. Twilight Sparkle was many things, but she was never tardy.
Magical candles came to life upon her entering the study. Twilight paused long enough in the doorway to take in a deep breath. She loved the smell of books. Her eyes scanned the shelves of some of her favorite books: The Art of the To-Do List, Bygone Griffons of Old, The Migration Patterns of Wyverns, Legends of the Everfree Forest, How to Train Your Baby Dragon, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, If These Books Could Talk, How to Fly: For Dummies (the first and only book given to her by Rainbow Dash), The Secret of Neighm…the list went on and on.
At the far end of the expansive room was a solitary book which she opened up with her magic. Flipping to the last page, Twilight casually read the elegantly-written script, the words bringing a smile to her tired face. She quickly formulated a response, using her magic to dip the quill into the ink before writing back:

“Dear, Sunset Shimmer,

It seems like no matter where you are, Pinkie Pie is just a bundle of energy. I don’t know how she does it sometimes. Perhaps our destiny is the same in every universe. There seems to be something that connects us to our alternate selves. I mean, your version of Twilight’s an intellectual just like me. She loves books and reading and studying. Plus, she’s got an adorable sidekick! I just put mine to bed. He was so tired after the party. 
Oh by the way, there’s a new pony in town. She just had her cutesiñera and Pinkie invited us to Sugercube Corner to celebrate. Her name is Tater Tot. She and her family just moved to Ponyville a few days ago. She was so excited. Do you remember when you first got your cutie mark? Didn’t it make you feel like you were on top of the world? I’ll never forget the day Princess Celestia pointed mine out to me. It was the best day of my young life.
It still perplexes me how the creatures in your new home—humans, I think they’re called?—don’t have any cutie marks. How exactly do they mark a rite of passage into marehood? I swear there is still so much about them and their world I do not understand. One day, you have to give a class on their strange customs and rituals. I just came back from a seminar in Canterlot and I just know every pony would be fascinated to learn what you’ve discovered.
How’s Rainbow doing? Is she still sulking after spraining her leg in that hoof, I’m sorry, football match? I’m sure she’ll be fine. She just needs to stay in bed and recuperate. Have her take up a hobby in the meantime. When my Rainbow Dash got hurt, I introduced her to the magical world of reading. Now she’s a close-closet egg-head. Don’t tell any pony, okay? She’d kill me if it got out.
It’s getting late over here. I wanted to write to you first before turning in. I’m so glad things are working out for you at CHS. Just don’t forget that you’ve got family here as well. My friends ask about you all the time. Maybe someday, perhaps soon, they can all visit you and our Wondercolt friends. I know they’ll enjoy it.
Well, it’s time for me to hit the hay, as Applejack would say. Does yours say that? Anyway, good night, Sunset. I can’t wait to hear from you again.

Your friend,

Princess Twilight Sparkle”

Her message complete, Twilight placed the quill back in the ink bottle. Raising a hoof to stifle her yawn, Twilight closed the book and left the study. She didn’t remember walking to the bedroom or even climbing into bed. Her eyes shut the moment her head touched the pillow and sweet oblivion embraced her.



Twilight felt a familiar pair of claws shaking her. “Twilight. Twilight.” Spike’s voice was low but urgent. “Wake up, Twilight.”
Groaning, the Princess of Friendship slowly opened her eyes. “What is it?” Her vision blurred, she eventually focused on the tiny purple dragon whose eyes were wide and panicked.
“Twilight…there’s something wrong with the sky.” Spike could barely keep his voice steady. “I think…I think something’s happened to Princess Celestia.”
That brought Twilight out of her stupor. “What are you talking about?” She sat up, brushing her matted hair out of her face with a hoof. “Did something happen while I was asleep? Did the princess contact you?”
Spike shook his head. “It’s the opposite. I wrote a letter to Princess Celestia and…”
“Wait! You did what?” Twilight was out of bed now. “Spike, you know letters are only for official royal business. The princess can’t be bothered with mundane,”
He cut her off. “It’s not mundane.” Indignant, Spike grabbed Twilight by the wing and pulled her toward the window. Heavy silk drapes adorned the window, keeping the room in darkness. The only light was coming from the hallway where Spike had left the door open when he came in.
“Spike!” Twilight complained as he tugged at her wing, nearly pulling off several feathers. “What’s gotten into you?”
Spike grabbed the drapes. “This.” He pulled it open.
It was snowing.
Approaching the window, Twilight could see her confused face staring back at her, caught in the translucent reflection of the glass. From her viewpoint, all of Ponyville was covered in it. The houses, the bridges, the fields and everything beyond was a blanket of freshly-fallen snow.
“You see?” Spike said. “It’s snowing.”
“Hmm.” Twilight raised a hoof to her muzzle while in thought. “I don’t recall snow being in the weather schedule for this week. Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything.” Twilight opened the window. Cold air invaded the room, but she ignored while she looked up at the sky. “I don’t see any pegasi up there. Then again, I doubt she’d be up this early. You know how Rainbow loves to…”
“Twilight,” Spike cut her off, “it’s eight-thirty in the morning.”
“Like I said, it’s too early for…” She stopped, a sudden realization coming to her. They were in the middle of Spring. Glancing up at the clouds, Twilight searched frantically for… “The sun? Spike, where’s the sun?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you. Celestia hasn’t raised the sun. That’s why I tried to contact her before I woke you.”
“But why?” Twilight asked, truly flabbergasted. “In a thousand years, the princess has never been late.” Catching Spike shivering, Twilight quickly closed the window. She walked back to the middle of the room, concern and confusion plain on her face. “Has,” she shuttered to think, “has something happened to her?”
Spike came up beside her. The little dragon was silent, hoping that his teacher would figure things out on her own.
She looked to him and asked, “How long ago did you send the letter?”
“Not long. A few minutes, I guess.”
Twilight inhaled sharply. “And she hasn’t responded yet?”
Spike shook his head.
Glancing back out the window, Twilight felt a chill grip her, but it was not because of the cold. “Something’s not right. I know the princess. If there was something wrong she would have contacted me. No sun in the middle of spring followed by snowfall? This is unnatural.”
“Could it be a new bad guy?” Spike asked tentatively. “Someone out to get revenge or take over the world or something?” Spike tiredly rolled his eyes. “We never get a shortage of those.”
Twilight was only half-listening. “All the more reason for Celestia to have warned me.” She began pacing around the room, head lowered, eyes narrowed. She was in her analytical mode, her brilliant mind piecing together every part of the complex puzzle before her.
“Regardless, no matter how powerful the evil, there isn’t a force on this world that can prevent her from raising the sun. She’s the guardian of all ponydom!” Closing her eyes, Twilight took a deep steadying breath. It was part of the breathing exercises that Cadence had taught her, a means to settle the mind in times of duress. “We need to get the others, Spike. Ponyville, if not all of Equestria, is in terrible danger.”
Outside her window, the snow continued to fall.
> Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight need not have sent a message to her friends. In no time at all, she had the Elements of Harmony barging down her palace door. When they gathered in the throne room, Twilight hoped they would be able to discuss plausible solutions to Ponyville’s latest crisis in a civil and educated manner.
“What in the hay is goin’ on?”
Or not.
Applejack was hysterical, her normally calm demeanor shattered as she relayed the troubles besieging Sweet Apple Acres. “We’re losin’ all our crops! This snow’s gonna kill every last tree on the farm. Ah can’t even begin to t’ tell ya’ll how hard it was harvestin’ all those apples.” Tapping her hoof on the crystal table, the orange mare added, “If we don’t fix this soon, there ain’t gonna be any food for any pony.”
Twilight listened to Applejack’s woes like an attentive leader. She understood the severity of her situation. While Ponyville had other means of sustenance, Sweet Apple Acres was still its primary source of food production. In fact, Ponyville would not have even existed were it not for the Apple Family.
“I understand, Applejack. Rainbow,” Twilight turned to the cyan-colored pegasus. “Can you explain this climate change?”
Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry. “Pfft! How should I know? I’m a weather pony, not some stupid meatygist.”
“Meteorologist,” Twilight corrected.
“Whatever. Point is, I break clouds. I move clouds. I kick clouds. Check the cutie mark.” She stood up on her throne and raised her flank for all to see.
“Doesn’t alternating weather patterns fall under your field of specialty?” A cultured voice asked from across the table.
Rainbow sat down to glare at Rarity. “I don’t make the weather, Rarity. I just tell it what to do.”
“Well can’t ya make it so as t’ not kill every apple between here and Whitetail Woods?” Applejack asked. She sounded desperate. Every pony in the room knew how hard she and her family worked on that farm. “Can’t ya and the other pegasi do somethin’?”
“Hey, I came here just as soon as it started snowing like the rest of you. Once Twilight fills us in on what’s going on, I’m taking my team and hitting those clouds.” Rainbow turned towards the alicorn. “Well, princess?”
A high-pitched voice rang out. “Yeah, Twilight. What’s the deal-e-o?”
Twilight regarded Pinkie with regret. “I’m afraid I don’t know. Spike and I have tried getting a message to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but so far there’s been no response. We can’t seem to communicate with any pony outside of town.”
“Do you think perhaps they’ve been burdened with the same calamity as us?” Rarity asked. Wearing a deep-blue parka with a trio of diamond-studded tabs on the front left pocket, she gingerly sipped the hot cocoa that Spike had made.
Her face hidden behind a veil of hot pink hair, Fluttershy gently spoke up. “Do you think this is happening all over Equestria?”
“I should hope not, darling. My winter line won’t be ready for another six months.”
“Would ya forget about yer darn clothes, Rarity?” Applejack slammed her hoof down on the table, shaking it. Every pony visibly shook from the sound. “We need t’ figure out how t’ save our crops!”
“Applejack, I didn’t mean,”
But AJ cut Rarity off. “Look, ah don’t mean t’ sound selfish. Ah know ma family ain’t the only one hit hard by this. It’s just…all that hard work…fer nothin’.” Settling back in her throne, Applejack removed her hat and held it to her chest. “It breaks ma heart seein’ it all go t’ waste.”
Every pony offered her a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry,” Twilight started. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”
“Ah know, Twilight.” Applejack put her hat back on. Back in control of herself, the earth pony mare nodded her way. “So what’s the plan?”
“First of all, we need to assure every pony that we’re doing everything we can to reestablish contact with the outside world. Rainbow,” Twilight regarded the pegasus. “After you clear the skies I want you to send fliers to scout the area. Fluttershy had a point. We need to know just how far this goes. Then I want you to head to Canterlot and find out why the princesses haven’t responded to any of our messages.”
Rainbow saluted. “Can do.”
“Applejack,” Twilight pointed, “you’re going to round up enough ponies to help you and your family gather what apples they can. We need to build up our stores as quickly as possible and will need all the hooves we can get.”
“Much obliged.”
“Rarity, it’s going to get colder. Ponies will need something to keep them warm.”
Sipping her cocoa, Rarity raised a hoof into the air. “Say no more!” She sipped again. “My word, but this is divine!”
“Pinkie Pie, you’re going to have to keep morale up for the time being. We don’t need anything fancy just,”
There was a loud explosion and confetti rained down on the table. Wincing, Twilight gingerly poked her head out from beneath the table to find the exuberant pink mare sitting atop the largest party cannon she’d ever seen. Wearing a wide-brimmed bicorne, she looked around at each of her finds who were hunkering down in as much the same way as Twilight. “Too much?”
Twilight sighed. “I was thinking along the lines of checking up on every pony, making sure they have what they need, and assuring them that everything’s going to be okay.”
“Oh…I can do that. Sure!” Pinkie jumped into the barrel of the cannon which then sank magically behind her throne. Once it disappeared, Pinkie shot back up wearing the same bicorne hat. Realizing she still had it on, Pinkie immediately removed the furnishing and folded both hooves on the table, smiling.
Twilight pinched her muzzle and shook her head. “Okay. Fluttershy.” She looked at the buttery-yellow pegasus who was still shaking after Pinkie’s latest outburst. “This is going to sound strange, but I want you to keep an eye on the Everfree Forest.”
Large emerald-green eyes gazed at her. “The Everfree Forest? But why, Twilight?”
“Those woods are known for wild magic. Ever since Princess Celestia abandoned the Castle of the Two Sisters, it’s been a hotbed of paranormal activity. While there’s no proof that its directly responsible for what’s happening, I’d feel better knowing there was some pony watching over it. Are you up for it?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Of course. I can watch anything. I am the Stare Master, after all.”
Twilight nodded. “Good. In the meantime, I’m going to do what I do best.”
“Lecture?” Rainbow deadpanned.
“Research,” Twilight said, offering Rainbow a stern glare. “I’ll search my library for any information regarding sudden weather changes. I received a new shipment of books from Princess Cadence the other day. If there’s any alicorn familiar with strange weather phenomena, it’s the princess of the Crystal Empire.” Looking at each pony in turn, she offered them her most encouraging smile. “Are there any questions?”
“I have a question,” a voice rang out. Spike approached the table while washing his claws with a cloth. He’d been busy in the kitchen, the smell of breakfast food still clinging to his scales. “While you’re off saving the world, what am I supposed to be doing?” He asked generally, though the question was undoubtingly directed at Twilight.
“Why, assisting me of course,” Twilight said.
Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, Spike. Isn’t that what you always do?”
“I just heard the last part of your meeting,” Spike went on, ignoring Rainbow Dash. “Each of you has a special assignment. I want to do something special too.” Hopping onto his miniature crystal throne, Spike regarded each of the ponies. “I just don’t want to be cooped up in here making cocoa. This is my home and it’s in danger. I can’t stand the idea of being here where it’s safe while you’re all off risking your lives.”
“Spike, what you do is important,” Twilight said. “I need your help researching possible solutions.”
“Assisting you researching possible solutions,” Spike emphasized. “I want to do more than that, Twilight. I want to be out there, helping. It gets boring being stuck in here all the time.”
“It ain’t like we’re organizin’ a hoedown, Spike,” Applejack said across the table. “It’s dangerous out there.”
Nodding her head in agreement, Rarity said, “Especially for a baby dragon.”
Spike huffed. “I’m not a baby.” He then realized he was still wearing his apron, which showed a cute dragon in diapers with big kawaii eyes. Spike quickly took it off. “Look, I just want to add more to the group. You guys keep going off saving the world while I’m always stuck here, sweeping floors, cleaning toilets, and polishing windows. It’s not that I don’t like assisting you, Twilight,” he told his surrogate sister, “it’s just that the map never calls me to do anything. I don’t go off on any adventures or fix friendship problems. I’m always left behind doing chores.” Sighing, he slumped. “It gets boring.”
Fluttershy spoke up. “You can help me keep an eye on the Everfree Forest.”
Spike huffed. “Great. More assisting.”
Twilight scratched her muzzle. “Hmm. How about you serve as messenger dragon?” When he looked at her, she clarified, “You always kept me in contact with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I’ll need some pony to serve as a go-between with me and the mayor while we get organized. You can be our liaison. Does that sound good?”
Looking at her, one eyebrow raised, Spike said, “So…deliver messages without the dragonfire?”
Smiling sheepishly, Twilight said, “Uh…yes?”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Fine.” Hopping off his throne, Spike proceeded to the kitchen. “Beats sweeping floors, I guess.”
After he left, every pony felt awkward. “Did Spike seem a bit angsty to any pony?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Not more than usual,” Rarity said. “Though I have to admit, I’m not around him nearly enough to judge. Twilight, do you know what’s bothering him?”
Twilight shrugged. “Not really. I’ll have a talk with him later. Right now we need to get going. This snow isn’t going to stop itself.” All heads nodded in agreement. “Alright, girls. Let’s get started.”
> Crash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dang it was cold, Apple Bloom thought as she bucked her freezing legs against the solid tree. Only a hoof-full of apples plopped down to the ground, one of them right on her head. “Consarn it!” The little filly swore.
“Language, little missy!” Applejack was passing by, pulling a cart of apples behind her. Her strained breath fogged up before her. She’d been pulling her weight and more trying to safely harvest as many apples as plausible before the ice destroyed them all. That she’d taken time to rally as many ponies as could be hired on such short notice put her way behind schedule.
“Now what have ah told ya about watchin’ that mouth of yers?”
“Ah’m sorry,” Apple Bloom said. “But them apples hurt. Ah’m fine, by the way.”
Applejack’s face softened. “Ah’m sorry, Apple Bloom. Ah’m just worked up is all.” Glancing at the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, AJ watched as several ponies either bucked trees or carried carts toward the farmhouse. She was grateful for all the hard work her fellow ponies were putting into the task. These ponies were willing to leave the warmth and safety of their homes to ensure Sweet Apple Acres didn’t freeze over.
“Just be a little more careful from now on,” Applejack told her. “Ah don’t want ya gettin’ hurt on account of a swollen noggin.” She winked at Apple Bloom before trotting off, pulling the cart and its precious cargo.
Picking up the apple that had given her a splitting headache, Apple Bloom tossed it into the bucket and sighed. She looked up at the clouds and wondered if she’d ever see the sun again. Something about this weather was just so unnatural. It wasn’t just your average snowy, cloudy day. And the snow…Apple Bloom had never felt the powder so soft.
Catching a snowflake on the fall, Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue until the particle touched it. It didn’t even crunch as she chewed and swallowed. She grimaced. “Tastes kinda funny.” She peered up again. “Ah hope those pegasi get things cleared up somethin’ fierce.”



Rainbow Dash was having a bad day. “What do you mean they keep coming back?” She asked Thunderlane. 
The stark-black pegasus with a Mohawk haircut just glowered at her. “I told you, every time we break up a cloud, it just reforms. It’s like it doesn’t want to leave.”
“But it’s a cloud. You’re a pegasus. Show the darn thing who’s boss.” Rainbow punched a hoof into the other to emphasize her point.
Thunderlane smacked his forehead. “You’re not listening, Rainbow Dash. These clouds aren’t like the ones we’re used to. They don’t care what we are. We break ‘em, they come back. We move ‘em, more show up. And it doesn’t change the higher we go.”
Rainbow could attest to that. She’d been leading the pegasus weather teams in an all-out war against the skies, using wing, and hoof to clear as much of the cloud cover as they could. It’s like someone had pulled a blanket over the entire town.
“We have to keep trying. Ponyville is counting on us.” Rainbow glimpsed the town far below. It was all covered in white. The scene would have been ideal were it not for the fact that winter was months away. “Just a little longer. I’m sure the clouds will break if…”
“Rainbow Dash!” A gray mare with bubbles for a cutie mark came flapping up to her. She whirled, lost her equilibrium, and almost barreled into Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane who quickly moved out of the way. The mare crashed into a cloud, her tail and fanny waving in the air.
“Oh for Celestia’s sake.” Rainbow Dash quickly moved to release the mare from her self-made debacle. Grabbing her tale with her teeth, Rainbow pulled her free. She waited for the pegasus to sit herself up straight before saying, “What is it, Derpy?”
One eye always pointing in another direction, Derpy shook off her daze and reported. “You’ve got to come see this. It’s a big accident.”
“Slow down!” Rainbow urged. “What accident? Where?”
“It’s the train,” Derpy went on. “It’s fallen over. Ponies are hurt.”
That was all Rainbow needed to hear. “Thunderlane, you’re in charge until I get back. Derpy, let’s burn wing.” Rainbow blasted off, leaving Derpy blinking as she watched her leader fly away. A moment later, Rainbow blurred back into view. “Ugh! I meant show me the way, dummy!”
“Oh, right!” Now it was Derpy who took off, moving quite fast for a mare of her visual disability. Rainbow easily caught up and the two pegasi flew beyond the limits of the town proper, flying over what should be green countryside with rolling hills and plains, not miles of earth buried in snow.
“It’s over there,” Derpy pointed it out to Rainbow Dash.
She need not have bothered. Rainbow spotted the plume of smoke coming from behind a series of hills. The train tracks snaked their way around said hills and disappeared around the bend. Flying past Derpy, Rainbow had finally cleared the bend and gasped at what she saw. The Ponyville Express was turned over, its engine caught on fire and billowing smoke. Ponies had scrambled to get away but many of them were hurt. Rainbow saw the injured being tended to beneath hastily-erected lean-tos. These ponies had no doubt been caught out in the open when the weather changed and were now completely exposed to the weather. Any longer and they might well freeze over.
She spotted Flitter, the pegasus she’d earlier sent to accompany Derpy to scout the area, attending to a wounded earth pony, the conductor. Rainbow landed and quickly demanded an update.
“Oh, Rainbow! Thank the princesses you’re here.” The lilac-colored pegasus, her teeth chattering, said upon seeing her leader. “I sent Derpy to get you as soon as we found them. There are so many injruies. We have to get them to shelter before they freeze to death.”
“Slow down!” Rainbow said a little harsher than she should have. Flitter startled and Rainbow lowered her voice. “Take it easy, Flitter. I need a status report. Did the train derail?”
Flitter shook her head. “That’s just it. According to the conductor,” she tipped her head over to the wounded pony who was using his hat as a pillow, “the train just stopped. The conductor said it was like they ran into something, which caused the train to topple and the engine to explode.” As she said this, Rainbow glanced at the overturned train engine. It was a veritable fireplace now, burning high into the sky. Flitter went on, “Most of the ponies were able to escape unscathed, but a few were so baldy hurt that they couldn’t be moved. They’ve been huddling here ever since.”
Behind Rainbow, Derpy stated the obvious. “We have to help them, Rainbow Dash.”
“I know, Derpy. I know.” Rainbow quickly accessed the situation, falling back on her training at the Wonderbolt Academy. “First things first, we need to treat these injuries. Some of these ponies will need to see a medic before they can be safely moved to the hospital. Derpy, go back to Ponyville and…” Rainbow thought better of it. “On second thought, Flitter, you head back to Ponyville and let them know what happened. Tell them to send a team with stretchers and medical supplies, stat!”
“On my way!” Flitter took flight.
“Why didn’t you let me go back, Rainbow Dash?” Derpy asked, seemingly hurt. “I can deliver messages.”
“Delivering them? Yes. Delivering them clearly? Not so much. No offense, Derpy, but specifics are important in situations like this. Flitter has situational awareness and an eye for detail. It’s one of the reasons I sent her out with you to scout the area.”
“Oh…” Derpy lowered her gaze. She pawed at the snowy ground for a moment, then looked up. “What was the other reason?”
Rainbow considered her reply and thought better on it. “I’ll…tell you later. Right now I want you to keep an eye on these ponies. I’m going to check on something.”
“On what?” Derpy asked, but Rainbow was already flying away. She flew past the site of the crash and towards the train tracks. She landed near the tracks and began to investigate. There was no sign of damage, no tampering, or sabotage. Taking a few cautious steps, Rainbow Dash peered down to get a closer look at them.
“No sign of foul play.” She chuckled. “Listen to me, I sound like Egghead Twilight now.” Then she straightened up. Ponies were hurt and the town was in trouble. This was no time for laughter. Rainbow went around to look at the tracks from the other side when…
“Oof!” She bumped into something. Rubbing her head, Rainbow looked around. There was nothing there except the snowy vista. Except…something…was…
She raised a hoof and cautiously reached it out. Like a ripple in water, the vista before her shook as her hoof came in contact with it. “What in the name of Tartarus!” Rainbow cried and stepped back. Turning around, she quickly bucked at the visage with her hind legs. The vista rippled before steadying and, finally, going still.
Some kind of magic, Rainbow thought? The tracks went on in the distance, well into the mountains. On a clear day, one could see Canterlot situated atop the Canterhorn. Of course that magnificent city was shrouded by the thick clouds that permeated the horizon.
Frustrated, and more than a little curious, Rainbow Dash took flight. “Okay wall, or whatever you are, let’s just see how far you go.” With that, Rainbow Dash took off. Several feet off the ground she reached out, her hoof touching that same impenetrable visage that rippled before going still. Higher still, the same thing happened. Finally, Rainbow just kept climbing, and climbing, and climbing…she was well past the point where her weather teams had been trying to clear the cloud cover, disappearing into the fog-like cloud.
“This is crazy!” Rainbow Dash said. She built up speed, intent on blasting through the clouds. Maybe she might get lucky and see Celestia’s Sun. But the higher she went, the harder it was to breath. Now Rainbow was born in Cloudsdale, and like all pegasus she was used to living in a thin atmosphere with little oxygen. But there was something different about this air. It felt heavy, like smog clouding her lungs.
Rainbow began to cough. “Can’t…see…” Her eyes were watery and her vision blurred. “No! Got to…cough…keep…going…”
There was a loud crash and the sound of thunder. Rainbow’s wings failed her as she had all the breath knocked out of her body. She didn’t remember falling, she didn’t remember bursting through the cloud cover. All she knew as that she had lost all feeling in her body, save for the rush of wind through her mane as she plummeted to the earth.
Down below, she heard the startled cries of several ponies. One voice in particular cried out, “Rainbow Dash!” In a slightly whiny voice that Rainbow vaguely recognized. 
The ground rushed up at her. Her eyes closed.
Well that was stupid, she thought before losing consciousness.
	
> Suppositions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Ponyville General Hospital was full by the time Pinkie Pie came crashing in—literally.
A huge snowball came barreling in the front door, startling all those gathered in the lobby. For a moment, all eyes stared dumbfounded at the mammoth mound of snow in the room, fixated on the lone Hearth’s Warming hat at the top. A pink head exploded from beneath the hat, now wearing it.
“Rainbow Dash!” The ball exploded sending bits of snow everywhere. Pinkie was oblivious to the complaints of the patrons as she rushed toward the reception desk. “Ohmygoshohmygoshomygosh!” She said repeatedly. “Where’s Rainbow Dash? Is she okay? Is she DEAD?” From behind the counter, the red-haired reception pony cowered as as the pink mare leaned her head closer and closer, her neck extending like some crane until it was twice the length of her body.
“Miss Pie!” A commanding voice said. Pinkie’s neck retracted as Nurse Redheart trotted up to her. The nurse had clearly been busy, the fur on her forehead was matted with sweat. “Please calm yourself! This is a place of healing, not one of your insane parties!” Realizing she had been raising her voice, Nurse Redheart immediately calmed down and cleared her voice. “Now your friend was brought here with the rest of the train survivors. She’s in stable condition and if you wish to see her then I suggest,”
“Oh, oh!” Pinkie’s eyes widened as she spotted the patient list on the counter. “Room 9.” She sped off, creating a vortex that pulled Redheart’s hat right off her head. Pinkie’s elongated head stretched backward. “Thank you,” she said, before catching up with the rest of her body.
“I swear, sometimes I think we should lock that mare in the insanity ward,” Redheart complained as she went to pick up her hat.
Not ten seconds later, Pinkie was standing in the doorway of Room 9. She found Rainbow Dash, her head bandaged and leaning against a pillow, bored out of her mind as Derpy regaled her with tales from the muffin factory. “Some ponies prefer cranberry. But blueberries are an excellent source of anti-oxidants,” the gray pegasus went on. “They’re a great way to help build up an immunity system. I remember this one time I got sick, I ate blueberries for a whole day and wound up in the nurse’s clinic.”
Rainbow glanced awkwardly at Derpy. “How is that a good thing? I thought blueberries helped you stay healthy.”
“They do. I was in the clinic because of the stomach ache I got from eating too many blueberry muffins in one day.”
Rainbow Dash groaned.
“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She was almost in tears.
“Oh. Hi, Pinkie.”
“You’re alive!” The pink mare dashed toward the bed, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow’s head.
“Ow! Pinkie. That’s my head.”
Pinkie released her. “When I heard you fell from the sky I was like ‘What?!!’ So I ran over here as quickly as I could. Well, I actually tripped and rolled over so much that I collected a whole bunch of snow around me so when I got to the lobby it was like this HUGE snowball and every pony was like ‘Really?’”
Rainbow’s gaze shifted upward. “What’s with the hat?”
Pinkie chuckled. “Oh, I ran over an elf on the way over here. Funny that.”
“What’s an elf?” Derpy asked.
Rainbow looked at her and shrugged.
“But seriously, what happened?” Pinkie asked.
“I’m not sure,” Rainbow explained. “There was some kind of invisible wall where the train tracks ended. I tried to fly over it, through the clouds, and the next thing I know there was this loud crash and,”
“Wait!” Pinkie cut her off. Her eyebrow went up. “There was a wall?”
“Yes. Now I heard this crash…”
“You slammed into a wall?”
“No, Pinkie. I found a wall.”
“In the middle of the train tracks?”
“Yes.”
“What color was it?”
Rainbow was getting annoyed. “It had no color. It looked like the rest of the country. Like a mirror or something. I don’t know. Do you want to hear this story or not?”
Pinkie zipped her mouth shut.
“Okay. I heard this crash and the next thing I knew I was falling down. It was like something zapped me. I lost all strength in my wings and my body. I was starting to fall asleep, but luckily Derpy was there to catch me before I broke my neck.”
Derpy brightened up. “I saved her.”
“Don’t rub it in, Bubbles,” Rainbow said, using her nickname for her fellow pegasus. “Next thing I know I’m waking up in the hospital. Doc says I should be up and flying by tomorrow.”
“That’s good.” Then Pinkie said. “Wait. So how did you hurt your head? I thought you said Derpy caught you before you hit the ground.”
“She did.” Rainbow crossed her arms, glaring at Derpy. “Care to explain?”
Derpy became coy, pawing at the ground as she blushed and looked away.
“What happened?” Pinkie asked.
“According to witnesses, Bubbles over here caught me by the tail. She was so busy crying out for help that she knocked my head against several trees before putting me gently on the ground.”
“You were heavy,” Derpy said.
“You need to work out more.” Rainbow turned her attention toward the window. Outside, the snow was still falling. Rainbow felt her heart grow heavy. “Derpy filled me in. It looks like the weather teams haven’t been able to make a dent in the clouds. It’s like our pegasus magic isn’t working.” Her thoughts went back to the wall. “Or maybe it’s being stopped somehow. Like the train.”
“What are you saying?” Derpy asked her leader.
“I’m saying that whatever stopped the Ponyville Express from leaving might have something to with why we can’t part the clouds. I couldn’t even get high enough to see the sun. It’s like it didn’t want me to see something.”
“What didn’t want you to see something?” Pinkie asked.
“I don’t know, Pinkie.” Rainbow looked out the window again. “I don’t know.”



When news of what Rainbow Dash saw had reached Friendship Palace, Twilight Sparkle was flabbergasted. After visiting her friend in the hospital, the princess made her way over to the site of the train crash to see for herself. Accompanying her were members of the weather team, Flitter, Thunderlane, and Blossomforth, as well as Mayor Mare and her political entourage. Following Rainbow Dash’s description, Twilight found the supposed “wall” that stood between her and the rest of Equestria. Touching it, the wall shimmered, marking the point where the illusion started.
“What is it?” Mayor Mare, her cashmere scarf billowing in the wind, asked. “Some kind of dark magic?”
Twilight squinted as she studied the rippling effect. “I don’t think so.” Her horn glowed. A beam of light struck the wall, creating a sizzling sound as if to cut right through it. It wasn’t a very powerful beam. Twilight only meant to study the effects such an attempt would have on the supposed barrier. She couldn’t well go blasting it without knowing what that might do. Strange magic was unpredictable at the best of times.
Twilight shut off her beam, watching as the line of light she’d created against the barrier gradually reseal itself, like a tearing fabric only backwards. When it was done, the illusion of the horizon remained where it was, present but unreachable. “Well, that explains it.”
The ponies behind her leaned forth in anticipation.
“Ponyville is cut off from the rest of Equestria by some invisible force. The Ponyville Express, which left early in the morning on its way to the capital, no doubt crashed into the barrier, causing it to derail.”
“But what about the snow?” Blossomforth asked her.
“And what about the princesses?” Thunderlane added. “They’d send help for us, right?”
Twilight turned to them, deep in thought. “No doubt the princesses would do everything in their power to help us. Let us assume that word of our trouble hasn’t reached Canterlot as of yet. It’s only been a few hours since this “barrier” came up, so it will be some time before some pony on the outside alerted Canterlot.”
“Is there no way for us to get word to the outside?” The mayor asked.
“As of yet, no. We can’t leave Ponyville for obvious reasons and magical communication is out of the question as well. My assistant Spike tried reaching the princess earlier and failed. We should inform ponies to avoid communicating with the outside world until we know what we’re dealing with. Thunderlane?” Twilight regarded the pegasus. “I’d like to know just how far this barrier has spread around Ponyville. Do you think you could have your scouts establish a perimeter?”
“Sure,” he admitted. “But that means pulling ponies off of cloud-busting duty. We’ll be short-hoofed.”
“Can’t be helped. We need the Intel.”
“Consider it done.”
“But what about the snow?” Mayor Mare asked. “How do you explain that?”
Twilight thought on it a moment. “I’m not sure. The barrier obviously has us completely contained. Perhaps it entrapped a cold weather front when it was erected.”
“Fine,” the mayor said. Something in her voice told Twilight that she wasn’t fully pleased with her supposition. “But I have another question: who would do this, and why?”
One of her aides cleared his throat. “That’s two questions, mayor.”
She offered him a hard glare and he turned away.
“Right now, mayor, I’m more concerned with finding out how it’s being done. We find the source. We fix it. Ponyville is saved.”
“I hope you’re right, princess.” Mayor Mare spoke with a voice befitting a true politician: measured but with a hint of cynicism underling her words. “As the Princess of Friendship, your word carries great weight. But as the duly-elected representative of this glorious little hamlet, the citizens will look to me for leadership. I hope that that when they come looking for answers I will be able to do more than offer abstract conclusions.”
It was the closest thing to a belittling comment the mayor had ever offered to Twilight. As a young mare, she would have taken offense. However, Twilight had matured and she understood it for what it was. Mayor Mare was afraid. Her calm exterior hid a frightened pony who was out of her league. She was a politician whose field of expertise lied in negotiation and subterfuge, not magic and the supernatural. Her small jibe was a way of venting her frustration, of her inability to control the situation.
“Don’t worry, major,” Twilight said in as confidant a voice as she could muster. “We will figure this out. I promise you.”
Mare dipped her head and turned around, her entourage following her back to Ponyville. When they were gone, Twilight addressed the weather team. “Listen, Rainbow Dash told me what happened to her. Make sure you tell your ponies not to fly to high or else they might lose consciousness. The last thing we need is more pegasi dropping out of the sky.”
The trio nodded.
“Also,” Twilight paused a moment, looked up as if she heard something, then said, “Rainbow said she heard a loud crash just before she passed out. Keep an eye out and your ears open. If something struck Rainbow Dash, it could mean that something is watching us.”
At her words, all three pegasi looked up nervously, eyes scanning the clouds. Seeing how she unnerved them, Twilight quickly added. “Of course, it could be nothing at all. I’m just spit-balling here.”
“Twilight!” A distant voice called out to her. Looking up, she spotted a familiar purple dragon bounding through the snow.
“Spike?” Twilight moved to intercept, closing the distance faster than Spike’s little legs could ever hope to. He was panting. Twilight realized he must have run all the way from the palace. She waited for Spike to catch his breath before asking, “Spike, what is it?”
Gasping, Spike cleared his throat. “Y…You’ve got to…to…come back home.”
“Why?” Twilight became worried. “Is something wrong?”
“I…don’t know,” he said. “But I came…to find you…as soon as I saw it.”
“Saw what?” Twilight pressed.
“It’s Sunset Shimmer,” Spike blurted out. “She’s contacted you. There’s something wrong at CHS!”
	
> Message
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Twilight burst through the palace doors, Spike clinging to her mane as she flew like an unleashed arrow. “Twilight! Slow down!” Spike pleaded for his life. It was nice to have the mare fly him back the long distance to the palace, but Spike wanted to get there in one piece. In less than a fraction of the time it took him to find her all the way at the crash site, Spike was back where he’d started, in the palace study.
He hopped off just as soon as Twilight placed four hooves on the ground. Gasping, for he was more winded from the crazy flight over here than the jog to the site, Spike watched as Twilight’s head turned right, then left. “Where is it, Spike?” She asked, her voice high-pitched.
“Um…where you last left it.” Spike pointed to the stand where a book with a golden sun emblem was now shimmering. The emblem emitted a small whistling sound as it tried to get the reader’s attention. Both Twilight and Spike knew that sound to mean that a message from the human world had just come through. And there was only one pony who knew how to reach them.
Twilight’s face beamed. “This is great! Spike, do you know what this means?”
“That some pony out there is trying to reach us, maybe even help us with our situation.”
“It means…” Twilight paused, processing what Spike had just said. “Oh. Yeah.”
“This is why I came to get you. It just couldn’t wait until you got back.”
“Thank you, Spike.” Twilight opened the book, not even bothering to use her horn to flip to the last page. When she reached it, the princess quickly skimmed through the lettering that she immediately recognized as belonging to her good friend at CHS. Beaming at first, Twilight’s smile slowly evaporated. “Oh no.”
“What is it?” Spike rushed to her side.
“Sunset said that her town is covered in snow,” Twilight read the words off the pages. “She states that the snow hasn’t stopped and that they cannot communicate with anyplace outside their borders.”
“You mean…it’s not just Ponyville?”
“It sounds like it. Wait.” Twilight mumbled to herself as she read a passage. “She says there’s some kind of invisible barrier that keeps them from leaving the town. She’s asking if I have any idea as to what is going on.”
“Boy will she be bummed,” Spike added.
“Hey!” She glowered at him. “I’m working on it.” Picking up her quill, Twilight levitated it over the pages.

	“Dear Sunset Shimmer,

You won’t believe this but Ponyville is in the same predicament. It’s been snowing for hours and we can’t communicate with Canterlot or any other part of Equestria. Frankly, I’m amazed you were able to get a message through. Maybe communicating works differently between dimensions than it does in-world.
We’re doing everything we can to uncover the source of the barrier on our side. Rainbow Dash was stunned trying to fly over it, but she’s okay and recovering nicely. Whatever you do, don’t try go above the cloud cover. There’s something that doesn’t want us to leave. I know your new species doesn’t have wings but if your Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy decide to pony-up and fly, make sure they lay low. I don’t know how good human medicine is but I’d rather my CHS friends don’t wind up in a hospital.
I’ll contact you just as soon as we find out more.

Be safe,

Twilight Sparkle.”

Finished, Twilight turned to Spike. “This is good new, Spike. It means we’re not as cut off as I had feared. I can’t wait to tell the others.”
“But why?” Spike asked, stopping her in her tracks. “I mean, why would anyone want to trap both Ponyville and CHS?”
Twilight thought a moment. “Good question. Possibly someone with a grudge.”
“You mean the Dazzlings?” Spike gasped. “Or…Starlight Glimmer?”
“Doubtful on the first, maybe on the second. Only a being with immense power could do something like this.”
“Not to mention hate our guts.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Spike. “And with a penchant for making strange things happen out of the blue.”
Spike returned her gesture. “And just loves pushing your buttons.”
They both came to the same conclusion. “Discord.”
Growling, Twilight huffed loudly. “Hold down the fort, Spike. It’s time I paid Fluttershy a visit.”



Fluttershy’s cottage appeared like something out of a postcard. The quiet home was covered in snow and was welcoming and homey. The alicorn princess landed in front of the door, crunching snow loudly underneath her hooves. Taking a moment to dust the snowflakes from her wings, Twilight knocked on the door twice.
A friendly smile greeted her upon opening. “Twilight! It’s good to see you.” She stepped aside to admit her friend.
“Likewise.” Twilight glanced around the room suspiciously. Several of her animal friends were in the cottage. Most of them were warming themselves by the fireplace or drinking tea, sharing various forms of animal conversation. You wouldn’t think that the town was in a dire strait by the looks of this setting.
“Can I get you anything? We have crumb cakes.” Fluttershy quickly closed the door to keep the cold air out. “Or maybe some tea?”
“Some tea would be nice,” Twilight admitted. It had been a cold flight out here. Fluttershy went to get her tea while Twilight scanned the room. Most of the animals waved to her or ignored her altogether, not all that impressed by the presence of an alicorn in their midst. When Fluttershy returned carrying a tray of tea with honey, Twilight was sitting by the only unoccupied table. “How are things here?” She asked Fluttershy.
“Quiet. The Everfree Forest hasn’t moved to attack, I’m delighted to say.” She poured Twilight her tea and offered her a cup. Twilight sipped, relishing the warmth of the beverage as it traveled down her throat. “But you didn’t have to fly all the way out here just to ask me that. I would have reported any strange things to you as soon as I saw them.”
“I know that. Tea’s delicious by the way.” Twilight placed the cup down and said, “What I meant to ask is, have you seen Discord by any chance?”
“Discord? Why heavens no. Not since our last visit.” Lowering her voice, she asked, “Why? Did you hear something?”
“Read something is more like it.” Twilight’s voice became serious. “Fluttershy, earlier I received a message from Sunset Shimmer. She states that her world is also covered in snow and that there’s a barrier around it as well. I’ve tried to narrow down the list of potential culprits who could do something like this…”
“And you automatically blamed Discord?” Fluttershy finished, an edge to her voice. Glowering, she placed both hooves on her hips. “Now Twilight Sparkle, you know I don’t like it how you and the others feel about Discord. He’s a changed draconequus.”
“Look, I’m not saying he is responsible for all this. But he is powerful and more than capable of doing something this bizarre. And you have to admit, it is chaotic.”
“Not chaotic enough.”
“What?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“You don’t know his M.O. like I do. Floating buildings? Sure. Chocolate rainclouds? An oldie, but a goodie. Dancing flowers and five-minute day and night cycles? Of course! But just putting up a barrier around Ponyville and making it snow plain old snowflakes? That’s not Discord. It’s not Discord at all.” Fluttershy put her hooves on the table. “You may not realize this, but I considered Discord when this all started. I knew it was only a matter of time before either you or Rainbow or Applejack began blaming him for it. Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long to come to that conclusion. But it’s not him, Twilight. I promise you.”
“How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked, genuinely curious.
“I know my friends, Twilight. Can you imagine if I suddenly believed Spike was up to no good without any proof? Wouldn’t you be the first to defend him?”
Shamed, Twilight’s ears flattened against her head. “You’re right. I’m…I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”
But Fluttershy, true to her element and her nature, did not hold a grudge. “It’s okay. And like I said, I thought this might be Discord’s doing too at first. It helps to think on your suspicions before acting on them. I find it helps avoid awkward situations like this.”
“I know. It’s just…I don’t know what to do, Fluttershy. The mayor and every pony in this town are looking to me for solutions and I don’t even know where to begin.”
Placing a hoof on hers, Fluttershy smiled. “I know you’ll figure it out. You always do.”
Twilight felt her face warming up. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome. And don’t worry. If Discord suddenly pops into being with a hay burger in one claw and a stick of dynamite in the other, I’ll make sure to send him your way.”
“Thanks…I think?”
There was a knock at the door. “Goodness, now who could that be?” Fluttershy went to open it. “Applejack?”
The orange mare shivered as Fluttershy let her in. “Brrr. It’s colder than a witch’s muzzle out there.” Shaking the snow off, Applejack was surprised to see Twilight there. “Well howdy, Twilight. Listen, Ah’m glad yer here too. Apple Bloom and Ah were talkin’ and Ah had an idea. There’s only one varmint we know of that would get a kick out of this here predicament. Ah know who’s responsible.” Looking between the two, she jumped up as she said, “It’s Discord!”
Both Fluttershy and Twilight looked at each other, faces stoic.
“What?” Applejack asked. “Did ya’ll figure that out already?”
“I’ll put out two extra cups of tea,” Fluttershy said as she went back to the kitchen.
Applejack turned to Twilight in confusion. “Why two?”
Sipping her tea, Twilight answered. “We’re expecting Rainbow Dash at any moment.”



Back at the palace, Spike was dusting the various aisles in Twilight’s study. He was half hoping somebody, anybody, would burst through those doors with an urgent message for Twilight. Anything to break up the monotony of assistant work. Spike couldn’t help it. He was bored. He had voiced his frustration when the girls had gathered earlier that day and yet here he was, still playing the maid.
A strange noise caught his attention. Spike was halfway down the ladder after dusting the upper shelves when he looked to see the emblem of Princess Celestia’s book flashing. A new message from Sunset Shimmer!
Spike nearly jumped off the ladder, dropping his brush as she came up to the flashing book. He had to use a step ladder to reach the podium, which was higher than his little legs could reach. “I’m surprised she replied so quickly. I can’t wait for Twilight…” Then Spike said, “Or maybe I should read it and then tell her. After all, I am her assistant.” That, Spike thought, and he didn’t feel like running all the way to Fluttershy’s cottage just to deliver a message he could have upon Twilight’s return.
Turning to the last page in the book, Spike read aloud.

“Twilight!”

He paused. “Hm. That was informal.” He went on.

“The barrier is starting to break. I don’t know how but it’s real chaos over here. The ground is shaking and there’s a vortex in the sky. It’s sucking up everything that isn’t nailed down. We have to stay indoors. My friends and I are trapped inside Pinkie’s basement. We can’t get out. I think it had something to do with that experiment I performed. I was so stupid! I knew the risks and yet…Twilight…there’s something at the door. There’s not to supposed to be anybody outside.
Twilight…I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix what I’ve done. I don’t…

Spike stopped reading because there was nothing more to read. Sunset’s final words were lost in hastily-written ink. Now the dragon had wished he had waited for Twilight’s return.
Outside, the snow continued to fall.
	
> Restless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



“Twilight? Twilight darling, are you home?” Rarity’s sweet, seductive voice echoed off the crystalline walls of the palace. The illustrious white mare shivered as she closed the door behind her. She wore a pair of pink muffs over her ears and a sapphire-blue scarf over her neck. Having lived in Ponyville most of her life, Rarity was used to the cold weather and had little need of excessive attire, unless it was to show off, that is.
“Spike?” Rarity called out. Her hoof falls sounded like drums as she searched the halls. Outside, the night had fallen. Even without the sun, the absence of light was noticeable. The sky dimmed and it became impossible to see very far without artificial illumination. Rarity herself packed a small flashlight in her pink saddlebag which bore her cutie mark, a trio of beautiful blue diamonds arranged in a triangle.
Perhaps the reason her hooves sounded so loud, Rarity mused, was because the weather outside had become dreadful. The winter weather had become a storm, forcing all but the sturdiest ponies to take shelter. Rarity had no wish to leave her home, the Carousel Boutique, where she’d been busy sewing together warm clothes all day. Her fore hooves were sore from working with needles and she even had to put a bandage on a particularly nasty cut.
Now the cuts and the cold Rarity could deal with…but the isolation? Sweetie Belle was over at Scootaloo’s house, looking after her friend after the little filly had taken ill with the feather flu. That left Rarity all by her lonesome. Of course there was Opalescence, but Rarity was a social pony and when your only company was a feline whose only words were “meow” and “hiss” it became a dreadfully boring. She needed some pony to talk, preferably one with linguistic skills to rival her own.
Plus, she missed her Spikey Wikey.
She didn’t find anyone in the throne room or in the dining room. Rarity’s sharp nose picked up the scent of freshly-cut onions and vegetables and followed it up the stairs to where the living quarters were located. As she reached the top of the steps, Rarity heard voices talking. One was undoubtingly Twilight, the cultured mare’s Canterlot accent like music to her ears. The second was the cute tenor of her little Spike. Rarity followed them both to a room that she’d only heard about in passing: Twilight’s study.
Rarity considered herself a well-read mare, but even she couldn’t believe the amount of books Twilight possessed, and this wasn’t even the library. Books, scrolls, and reading material were scattered about the various tables and desks, reminding Rarity a bit of her own creative space back at the boutique. She appreciated and respected a pony’s personal space, and it felt sort of wrong walking in without being invited regardless of their friendship.
However, Spike and Twilight were in such heated debate that neither of them had heard Rarity’s entry, even when she knocked on the door.
“…she was talking about,” Twilight had just finished saying. She was leering over a large book that looked vaguely familiar to the white unicorn.
Standing next to her, and appearing quite agitated, was Spike. “You’re not going to figure it out tonight. Why don’t you go to bed and try again in the morning? Have you looked at yourself lately? You look like you’re going to pass out.”
“Sleep?” Twilight’s wings quivered. “How can you think of sleep at a time like this?”
“You mean evening? When ponies are supposed to be in bed?”
“I can’t sleep,” Twilight brushed off his suggestion. “Not until I figure out Sunset’s message.”
“You’ve been looking through her pages since you came back. How is staring at a bunch of letters that have nothing to do with our current problem going to help us?”
“There might be something I missed.”
“Twilight, Sunset wasn’t in trouble before.”
Twilight glowered at him. “But she’s in trouble now. She wrote to me asking for help and I wasn’t here.”
Spike raised his voice. “That’s because you were out there trying to help us.”
This sparked a heat of rage from the alicorn. She turned to Spike, wings spread. “Are you saying my friends at Canterlot High aren’t as important as us ponies?”
“I’m saying you’re not going to help any one, human or pony, if you don’t get some rest.” Spike’s words were true. Even from this distance, Rarity could see the bags under the alicorn’s eyes. She could barely keep her head up and her wings sagged.
“I can’t rest, Spike. Not yet.” She turned back to the book.
Spike groaned out loud and pulled at his face. “Fine! I’m going to bed.”
“What? You can’t!” Twilight grabbed him by the tail with an extended hoof. “I need your help.”
“I am trying to help you.” Reaching, Spike pulled his tail from her grasp. “You won’t listen.”
“But you can’t go to bed, Spike.” Raising her head, she said, “I order you not to go.”
“Excuse ME?”
“Ahem!” Both turned to the sound of the distraction. Rarity, now feeling smaller than ever, waved to them from the doorway. “Is this a bad time?”
Blushing, both Twilight and Spike turned away from each other.
“I see. Well then, I can take the hint. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait.” Spike motioned for her not to go. He walked up to her. “Don’t go. I’ll make some of that cocoa you like.” In passing, he lowered his voice and said in a whisper, “Maybe you can talk some sense into her. She won’t listen to me.”
When he left, Rarity winced as he shut the door, sealing her in with a very agitated alicorn princess—a very powerful agitated alicorn princess.
“Good evening, Twilight. How goes the research?”
Twilight pinched her muzzle. “Terrible.”
“How so?”
She told Rarity about the message she received from Sunset. Rarity gasped. “How terrible! Those poor ponies!”
“Humans,” Twilight corrected.
“Hu-mans. Right. I keep forgetting that.” How could she not? Neither she nor any of the other Elements had been to the human world and Twilight’s vague description of the creatures who populated it were hard to imagine other than short, hornless minotaurs with no muzzles. Rarity shivered on the inside. “Have you tried writing back to her?”
“Yes! I have!” Twilight snapped and Rarity winced. Seeing what she’d just done, Twilight softened her tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…Rarity,” her tone became defeatist. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
Rarity approached Twilight. “Come now, darling. You’re the Princess of Friendship. You’ll figure out something.”
“Fluttershy said the same thing to me today.” Twilight turned towards the window. The snowfall mocked her. “I wish I had your confidence. You guys make it sound so easy, like I’ll just have an epiphany and WHOOSH! Problem solved. But it’s never that simple.” Their reflections caught in the reflective glass, one tired, the other worried, the unicorns seemed otherworldly in the candlelight.
“I didn’t mean to imply that what you do is easy,” Rarity went on. “The reason we have such faith in you is because no matter what, you always figure things out in the end. It’s what you do.” She walked up beside Twilight and, placing a hoof around her friend, raised her other hoof toward the window. “What do you see out there?”
Twilight looked. “Snow. Lots of snow.”
Rarity smiled knowingly. “I see a problem. And do you know who’s great at fixing problems?” She pointed. “You are.” Rarity poked Twilight’s nose. “BOOP!”
“Stop.” Twilight chuckled, brushing her hoof away. “That tickles.”
“Well I’m glad some pony likes it. I try to do that to Opal and she gives me the dirtiest look.” Looking at Twilight, her hair all haggard and lines with worry, Rarity spoke in the most reasonable of voices. “Spike is right, sweetie. You need to rest. Promise me you’ll take a break.”
“But Sunset,”
“Is a strong, resourceful pony who lived on an alien world for several years all by herself. She was once Princess Celestia’s prized pupil and, according to you, was instrumental in defeating the Sirens. I believe she’ll be alright.”
Twilight inhaled slowly before letting out a breath. “Alright, Rarity. I’ll take a break.”
“And start fresh in the morning?”
“Early morning.”
“Good enough.” Placing a kiss on Twilight’s forehead, Rarity said, “Now off to bed you. All princesses need their beauty sleep.”
Twilight opened the door with her magic, her head drooping as she felt the hours of worry just weighing it down. She turned to Rarity. “Thank you, Rarity. Good night.” And then she trotted out.
Satisfied, Rarity walked up to the podium where Celestia’s old journal was located. She skimmed through a few pages, gradually working from the front to back. Twilight had indeed been hard at work looking over the words traded back and forth between her and Sunset, no doubt hoping to find a clue as to what was happening. She was reading a passage when the door opened and Spike walked in with a tray of steaming hot cocoa.
One quick look told him some pony was missing. “Where’s Twilight?”
“Off to bed like a good little princess.” She looked up and winked.
Spike was relieved. “Thanks. She never would have listened to me.”
“It was just a little girl talk, dearie. No biggie.” Rarity took the offered cup of cocoa with her magic, levitating it so as to have a sip. She shivered in ecstasy. “Spike, you are a culinary connoisseur.”
“Thanks. Whatever that means.” Spike placed the tray on the table and poured himself a cup. “She’s been real hard on herself, Rarity. She tries to do too much sometimes. That pony’s going to drop dead of exhaustion one day.”
“Hush now. So long as we’re here, that won’t happen.” Rarity turned the page. “Twilight is a perfectionist. I can relate.” She sipped her cocoa. “We don’t accept anything less than absolution.”
“Hey, I can understand doing your best. But it’s like talking to a wall sometimes.”
“If walls could speak, darling.” Rarity re-read a sentence before moving on. She skimmed through several pages.
“What would they say?”
“Hm?”
“You said if walls could speak. I asked ‘What would they say?’” Spike repeated.
“Oh it’s just a…saying.” Scrutinizing a passage, Rarity skimmed through several more until she reached the final page, the one where Sunset called out for help.
“What is it?” Spike asked.
“The words, they’re different.”
“What are you talking about? That’s Sunset Shimmer writing to Twilight.”
“It was Sunset Shimmer writing to Twilight,” Rarity cleared up. “The script is not the same. Oh it’s very slight, the curvature of the Ts, the upward curl at the end of the Rs, but it’s not the same.”
“How can you tell?” Spike stepped closer. “And what does that even mean?”
“I have an eye for detail. Comes with the territory. And to answer your second question, it means that whoever wrote this final passage wasn’t our dear prodigal pony, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Then who was it?”
Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Rarity said, “I have no idea.”
Outside, the storm bellowed.
	
> Attack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Rainbow Dash couldn’t have trotted out of that hospital fast enough. Ignoring the doctor’s advice to take another day’s rest when she got home, the cyan pegasus was up in the clouds the following morning. Rest? Ha! Rainbow would rest when Ponyville was safe and the storm vanquished. She took it like any challenge, head-on and with a gusto.
“Whoa,” Rainbow said, taking a moment to gather herself on a nearby cloud. Okay, maybe not with that much gusto. She still wasn’t at a hundred percent and wouldn’t be doing any Sonic Rainbooms in the foreseeable future.
“You okay?” Blossomforth asked. Like Rainbow, Blossomforth had multicolored hair, though hers was only two shades: pink and lime green. She had sky-blue eyes that widened with worry at seeing her leader so out of it. To think that just that other day Rainbow had been busting clouds like no pony’s business. Now she could hardly fly without wobbling.
“It’s cool, B. Just got to shake the cobwebs out.” Rainbow patted the side of her head for emphasize. In truth, her head injury hadn’t been that bad. No concussions, thank Celestia, though her vision did swim a little bit. Rainbow smiled at Blossomforth. “So how are things going here?”
The white pegasus, her wings flapping, motioned all around them. “Nothing’s changed. The storm’s let up since last night but we still can’t break through the cloud cover. Princess Twilight gave us strict instructions not to ascend or else…you know.”
“Boy do I ever.” Rainbow glanced upward, her eyes narrowing as if the clouds were mocking her, daring her to try again.
“Whatever we do, it isn’t working.” Blossomforth became worried. What are we going to do?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. Or at least Twilight will. I heard she sent a few of us to the outskirts, trying to figure out how far this barrier thing goes.”
Fortunately, Blossomforth had that report. “From what we can tell, the barrier extends outside the town limits in a five-mile radius. That includes parts of Whitetail Woods, the Everfree Forest, Lake Neighagra, and Sweet Apple Acres. Once our fliers couldn’t move any farther, they set up markers so that other ponies would know how far they could go.”
Rainbow smiled and nodded. She knew her ponies could take care of things without her. They were well-trained. “What about the crash site?”
“After we got all the injured back into town, we searched the train and brought back what little of value we could find. The snow put out the engine fire so, you know, yay for us. We can clean up the mess once this is over.”
“And what’s the status in the town?”
Blossomforth shrugged. “Unchanged. Ponies are trying to keep warm and shoveling as much snow as they can. The storm last night did some damage. Ripped off a few ceilings from Town Hall and caved in a couple roofs, nothing major. No injuries reported.”
“See,” Rainbow said in all confidence. “It could have been worse.”
“Help!”
She had to open her big mouth. The two ponies turned to find Derpy flapping her wings like mad. She nearly bowled into Blossomforth before catching herself, eyes darting directly toward Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash! There’s trouble.”
Trouble was her middle name. “Report, Derpy!”
“Timberwolves,” the frightened pegasus cried. “I spotted a pack near the Apple Farm.”
Applejack!
“How many?” Rainbow, now on her hooves, demanded to know.
“At least ten. Or maybe it was twenty. A lot!”
“That’s not how you give a report, Derpy!” Rainbow Dash was flying now. “Who’s on patrol over there?”
“Cloudchaser just finished her shift. I was heading over there when I spotted the pack and came back to get help,” Derpy quickly recounted.
Rainbow Dash knew there was no time to waste. “Blossomforth, you and Derpy gather as many ponies as you can and rendezvous at Sweet Apple Acres, ASAP!” Rainbow missed their salutes as she took off, intent on helping her friend’s besieged family.



“Get outta here ya varmit!” Applejack tossed a bucket and watched it shatter just inches from a timber wolf. The beast yelped and hopped back, but was unharmed and soon resumed its approach. Its fellows were attempting to surround Applejack. Already they’d formed a semi-circle that was gradually getting smaller. Glowing eyes narrowed as they eyed the beefy earth pony who seemed ready to take them all on herself.
“Applejack!” Apple Bloom’s tiny voice called out from somewhere behind. The wolves had come out of nowhere. Applejack almost hadn’t seen them until Wynona, beautiful Wynona, began barking her head off. Half-exhausted from hours of working through the snow from the day before, Applejack had just dropped her shovel when she spotted the glowing yellow eyes of the wolves in the distance. They had been keeping low and were sneaking up towards the farmhouse. Wynona’s bark alerted Applejack and she yelled for Apple Bloom to return to the house and warn the others.
Now it was just her and Wynona, mare and dog, against a ravenous pack of timber wolves at least a score in size.
“Get inside, Apple Bloom!” Applejack eyed her snow shovel, thinking of using it as a makeshift spear. She preferred not to get too close to that pack, especially one of that size, but she had no problems using whatever means at her disposal to protect her family.
Apple Bloom persisted. The little filly was watching the battle take place from the porch. Granny Smith was with her, the old mare glowering. “Applejack, ya get yer keester inside this instant, young lady!”
Applejack wanted to do nothing more. She had originally stayed behind to give Apple Bloom time to reach safety. Now, as the pack closed in around her and Wynona, she was being stubborn. This was Apple land! This was her home and she’ll be damned if she would let it be overrun by these monsters!
The wolf nearest to her lunged.
“Oh no ya,” turning, Applejack raised her hind legs, “don’t!” And bucked the wolf right in the jaw, half its face went flying a good forty feet into the air and the wolf crumbled to the ground. It seemed more dazed than hurt and she knew from experience how resilient these timber wolves can be. In mere moments it was shaking its head and getting back to its feet. Turning, the wolf glowered at her without a jaw.
“Get off ma land!” Applejack roared. Wynona barked like crazy, intent on standing or falling with her master.
The wolves salivated. One of them let out a monstrous howl that sent shivers down AJ’s spine.
“They’re gonna attack!” Apple Bloom wailed. “Get outta there!”
A thick rumbling shook the ground. It was accompanied by the sound of stomping hooves.
“Eyup!” Big Mac, like a stallion from legend, charged the line of timber wolves while carting a large wagon behind him. No sooner did he stop when he lurched, tossing the massive projectile over his body and flying right at the pack. The wolves scattered, though one of them was too slow and was crushed instantly, wooden bits flying everywhere.
One wolf was crazy enough to try Big Mac all for itself. A massive hoof crunched its head to the ground before it got anywhere near his throat. “Nope!”
Seeing her brother there made Applejack’s heart soar. “Eeeeehah! Let em have it, Big Mac!”
Another timer wolf leaped at Big Mac. The stallion ducked, receiving a tiny nip on the back of his neck for his trouble. The wolf turned and pulled back before Big Mac’s powerful hind legs could crush it. Three more moved in to surround him.
“A’hm comin, big brother!” Applejack charged in to help.
She didn’t see the wolf crouching in the snow until it was too late. Powerful jaws clamped onto Applejack’s left hoof. She cried out in agony. Falling to the earth, she grunted as she struggled to removed her hoof from those dreaded teeth. Somewhere, she heard Apple Bloom scream. “Get her inside, Granny, now!” Fighting for her life, Applejack spotted several wolves approaching from out of the corner of her eye. She was about to be surrounded and devoured.
The wolf her held on to her for dear life, knowing that if she broke free it would be bucked to death by the mare’s powerful legs. Blood seeped onto the new fallen snow, steaming in the cold. Applejack could see her own breath as well, fogging up before her. They were ragged breaths as she struggled to free herself.
Luckily, Wynona was there to help. The brave dog leaped onto the wolf’s back, biting hard. Still the wolf refused to release Applejack.
“Damn it all! Get outta here, Wynona! Protect the house!”
But Wynona refused to leave. The dog bit and scratched, doing everything possible to free her master.
Yelling, Applejack pulled, wincing as more blood fell to the snow, accompanied by the sound of tearing flesh. “Let go of me, ya bastard!”
Suddenly the wolf did let go. It let go of its head, its legs, everything, as it splattered to pieces. A pegasus had crushed the wolf under her own weight, splattering the timber wolf like a bug. Wynona flew away as well but bounded back as soon as she hit the ground. Free at last, Applejack pulled her bleeding hoof in close. She looked up. “R-Rainbow?” She stuttered.
Rainbow Dash was in full-hero mode. Her eyes flared, her wings extended, and her nostrils steamed. “Can you move?”
Applejack stood up on three wobbly legs. “Ah think so.”
“Then get to the barn. I’ll stall them.” Before Applejack could reply, Rainbow took flight, charging the entire line of wolves all by herself.
“That crazy pegasus,” Applejack said with a smile. Wynona bounded up to her. “Come on, Wynona.” Looking up, she spotted Big Mac fighting off three timber wolves at once. The big stallion was covered in scraps and bite-marks and still he fought on, grabbing a timber wolf with his teeth and tossing it clear across the field.
“Big Mac!” Applejack called. Seeing his sister’s condition, he quickly dislodged himself from the fight and rushed to help Applejack. Without missing a stride, Big Mac lowered his neck and hoisted Applejack over his broad shoulders like a crane. Once she was safely on his back, the stallion ran for the house where Granny and Apple Bloom waited, Wynona running right beside him.
Bouncing on her brother’s back, Applejack looked to where she last saw Rainbow Dash. Her friend was flying above the pack, zipping over their heads. The wolves snapped up at her, their jaws mere inches from catching one of her hooves. One of them leaped high up, its claws just raking Rainbow Dash enough to scratch a few feathers off her wing.
“Rainbow!” Then she noticed something that made her heart freeze. “Big Mac! Behind!” Big Mac twisted his head around. Two of the wolves he’d been fighting were giving chase. One of them leaped to tackle the fleeing stallion but Big Mac, in true Apple fashion, bucked his back legs at the right moment, sending the wolf skyrocketing. But that still left one.
“Get inside,” Applejack told her family on the porch. “There’s one right behind us!”
Granny rushed Apple Bloom through the door and waited just inside. Wynona rushed in first and then Big Mac. “The door!” Applejack said. But Granny was already on it. The old mare slammed the door shut just as the timber wolf leaped, its maw wide open with slobbering teeth. Granny closed the latch and kept her weight against the door.
“Are ya two awright?” she asked her grandchildren.
Applejack winced as Big Mac put her down. Seeing the blood dripping from her hoof, Apple Bloom began to cry “It’s…it’s not as bad as it looks,” she lied. Those teeth hurt.
“We need t’ get that disinfected. Apple Bloom, head upstairs and get the first aid kit.” When Apple Bloom didn’t move, Granny raised her voice. “Apple Bloom! Do as I say!” The filly snapped out of it and rushed up the stairs. Granny looked to Big Mac who was gasping and standing on wobbling legs. He’d taken the worst of the fight.
“Both of ya are as stubborn as yer parents Never knew when t’ pick their fights.” Granny grimaced as the wolf outside slammed against the door. “Take a hike, ya flea-bitten log!”
“Rainbow!” Applejack went towards the nearest window. Rainbow Dash was still distracting the wolves, buzzing their heads like some giant insect. The large pack growled and snapped at her but she was always just beyond their jaws. Still, Applejack did not like the idea of Rainbow facing off against a pack that size all by herself. “Ah should be out there. She needs help.”
“Ya need help, Applejack.” Granny motioned with her head. “And so does yer big brother.”
Big Mac collapsed on his backside, chest heaving.
“But she can’t distract them forever, Granny. There’s too many of em.” Then she thought, way too many. Where in tarnation did they all come from?
The timber wolf reared its ugly head outside the window, eyes hungry. Applejack felt a shiver go down her spine as the creature looked right at her. “Get lost!” She yelled. “Ya don’t belong here. Go back t’ the Everfree Forest before Ah turn ya into kindlin’!”
If the wolf was afraid, or even understood what she had said, it did not show it. It bared its teeth in a wicked smile.
Apple Bloom came running down the stairs with the first aid kit in her mouth. She gave it to Granny Smith. “Here ya go, Granny.” Spotting the timer wolf at the window, the filly began to shake. “Why’s it lookin’ at us like that?”
Applejack just glared at it. “Because it wants to get in and it ain’t gonna.”
From somewhere in the house there came a loud crash, followed shortly by the sound of growling. Applejack swore. “That came from the kitchen!” She quickly turned back to the wolf. Ya were a distraction, weren’t ya? Keepin’ us here while her friends snuck around the back!
As if reading her mind, the wolf bared its teeth in that same, gruesome smile.



Rainbow Dash glanced briefly to where the earth ponies were, seeing the door slam shut and the house secure. That brief distraction nearly cost her a leg. A wolf nipped at her hoof, sending a brief but jolting pain through her body. “Hey!” Rainbow spat at them. “You’re starting to piss me off.” She knew what she was doing. Rainbow would keep the pack busy until help arrived, but after seeing how many wolves were in the pack, and how intent they were on surrounding the Apple Farm, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this up.
At least Applejack and her family were safe, Rainbow Dash thought. When she heard the sound of a window breaking and a filly screaming, her hopes were completely dashed. “Crap!” She flew up high, beyond the reach of their jumps. “There’s more of you?”
Apparently so. Rainbow spotted at least half a dozen of the large canine creatures by the house. One of them was standing just outside the porch looking in while the others searched for ways inside the house. One of them must have found a way through because after the window breaking, two more bounded quickly around the house to where the sound originated.
“No!” Rainbow flew towards the house only to have the entire pack follow her. She stopped. They stopped. It suddenly hit her. “You were distracting me?” It seemed implausible but true. Timberwolves weren’t normally known for their brains, but this pack seemed to have a sense of strategy in them to formulate a plan. While they kept her busy, their fellows would assail the house where the only defenders were a filly, an old mare, and two wounded earth ponies. Rainbow Dash could go in to help, but that meant that the pack would follow her inside. She, Applejack, and Big Mac could deal with six or seven wolves. But eighteen? Twenty?
The house was a death trap.
Now Rainbow had to make a choice: either keep the large pack away from the house and hope her friends could hold out, or attempt to help them and bring the entire pack with her.



Ignoring Granny’s pleas to head upstairs, Applejack rushed toward the kitchen. A timber wolf, shaking loose glass from its snout, blinked once before zeroing in on her. It licked its lips. With one hoof still bleeding from the injury, Applejack seemed easy pickings for the ravenous carnivore.
It didn’t know Apples very well.
Grabbing the nearest thing she could reach, an eggbeater of all things, Applejack held it before her like a sword, her mouth griping the handle. The wolf made a sound similar to a laugh and charged. Its maw open, it clenched onto the tip of the eggbeater and yanked as hard as it could. 
Applejack refused to let go. From her periphery vision, she spotted another wolf poke its head over the broken windowsill. Edging itself over the edge, it was followed shortly by another. Applejack and the wolf struggled by the only entryway. She wanted to buy her family enough time to escape up the stairs. To do that, some pony had to stay behind and prevent the wolves from storming the living room.
With one injured hoof, Applejack found it difficult to grapple with the wolf, which was twice her size. Her earth pony strength was formidable and she managed to hold on tight to the eggbeater. Grunting with exertion, Applejack pulled to gain better leverage.
“Get upstairs,” she heard Granny say. Realizing what Applejack was doing, Granny ushered Apple Bloom up the stairs before turning to Big Mac. The stallion refused to abandon his sister even in his condition.
“Get goin!” Applejack cried, though with the handle in her mouth the message came out garbled. She had to buy her family some time. She wouldn’t let the wolves storm the house. She…
CRASH!
Another window broke, this time behind her.
Big Mac yelled as something snarled at him. Apple Bloom screamed as there was a rush of hooves retreating up the stairs. Wynona began barking like mad. Big Mac grunted, stomped, and a wolf’s whimper was quickly followed by a yelp of pain. Something howled.
Busy as she was, Applejack couldn’t afford to look back to see what was happening. There were three wolves now inside the kitchen with a fourth poking its head outside the window. Unable to join in the fight with Applejack blocking the way, they watched, faces eager, looking for an opening they could exploit.
Either the wolf she was fighting was too stupid to realize that by struggling with Applejack it was preventing its friends from joining the fight, or it just didn’t want to be hit upside the head with a stainless silver kitchen utensil, AJ didn’t know and didn’t care. She had to hold her position. Big Mac had to take care of himself.
This is our home. We wont’ let ya have it!
The smell of her blood leaking onto the floorboards sent the wolves into a fury. One of them tried to squeeze its large head in the space between its fellow and the counter, nipping at AJ’s leg. Applejack pulled and turned, slamming the wolf she’d been fighting with against its mate’s head. The animal yelped and pulled back, dazed.
“Applejack,” Granny exclaimed, “there’s two more in the living room!” Behind her, another window shattered. “Three!”
Big Mac’s voice thundered through the house. “AJ! Up the stairs! Now!”
Against her better wishes, Applejack complied. She waited until the wolf pulled before releasing the eggbeater. It crumbled against the wolf behind it, dropping the eggbeater as it fell on its bum. Applejack didn’t hesitate. She turned and made straight for the stairs, trotting on three hooves. Big Mac was holding the line against three timber wolves, one of which she recognized as the wolf who’s jaw she shattered, its long tongue lolling around.
The wolves in the kitchen, their path now clear, poured through the doorway. One of them nipped at Applejack’s tail as she brushed by her brother. She bucked, but the wolf ducked away just in time. Granny was halfway up the stairs with a terrified Apple Bloom crying at the top. At the bottom, Wynona was barking, half torn between standing her ground and running upstairs. “Let’s go, Big Mac!”
The powerful stallion stood his ground against the small pack, putting himself between the stairs and his family. He refused to budge. “Ah’ll hold em off. Get t’ a room and lock yerselves in.”
But Applejack protested. “Ah ain’t leavin’ ya, Big Mac!” She could feel hot tears in her eyes as she realized what her brother was doing.
“This ain’t open for debate. Ah’m yer big brother, now do as I say!” Big Mac kicked at a wolf that got too close. The pack was ravenous. They encircled the big stallion. “Ah’ll fight them every step if Ah have t’. But Ah need t’ know ya’ll are safe.”
No. Applejack couldn’t. She would not lose any member of her family again. “Shoot!” Looking up, she said, “Granny, get Apple Bloom inside and lock the door. Big Mac and Ah have got some pests that need squattin’.” And with that she bounded off the stairs to stand side by side with her brother. Seeing Applejack at the forefront, Wynona joined in, forming a trio of defenders against the horde.
“Dang it all!” Granny cried. “Ya’ll…ya’ll better survive this. Ah swear!” Crying, Granny rushed up the steps to usher Apple Bloom away. The filly struggled, but the old mare proved the stronger, urging her only other kin away from the scene.
With the wolves around them, Applejack felt a smile come to her face. “Ya should have left,” she heard Big Mac grumble.
“Ya should have realized Apples don’t abandon their own. Ain’t that right, Wynona?”
The dog barked.
Outside the shattered window, another wolf joined in the party. Outnumbered more than two to one, the defenders looked on grimly. Big Mac lowered his head like a bull about to charge. Snorting, his massive hoof stomped on the ground. “Well awright then!” Ears flattened against this skull, he offered Applejack a wink as if to say “thank you.”
Applejack nodded. Glancing sideways at Wynona, the dog wagged her tail in anticipation. Looking at the wolves, the one with the broken jaw at the forefront, Applejack smiled. “Come on.”



“Piss off!” Rainbow Dash spat, as if words could disperse the large pack. The wolves gathered beneath her, teeth bared and eyes full of hate. Yet they could make no move to harm the pegasus from where she flew. On the flip side, not one made a move towards the house, feeling their fellows had numbers sufficient enough to pacify the earth pony defenders.
Rainbow heard sounds of battle from all the way over here. Every fiber of her being demanded she got to her friend. She was the Element of Loyalty. Her place was by Applejack’s side. Yet she knew that AJ was tough, the toughest pony she’d ever met. She had to trust that she could keep her family safe while Rainbow kept the pack occupied.
Or was it the other way around?
From in the distance, Rainbow heard a whistle. She looked up to see several figures flying in her general direction, Blossomforth in the lead. The pegasus cavalry had arrived. She brought with her more than a dozen of their winged brethren and Rainbow Dash’s soul nearly leaped out of her body with joy. Behind them, a cloud of snow rising in the wind, Derpy led a host of earth ponies and unicorns as they charged down the road toward Sweet Apple Acres.
Seeing the pony host charging towards them, the wolf pack seemed to lose its nerve and began to disperse. They scrambled towards the woods as the pegasi harried them from the air. Blasts of unicorn magic and projectiles of snow hardened by the magic of earth ponies to deadly missiles, peppered them from a distance. It wasn’t long before the pack had disappeared into the trees.
“Sorry it took so long,” Blossomforth said. “It took a while to round up a posse. We tried to get as many,”
But Rainbow cut her off. “Save it for later. Right now we need to get into the house. Follow me.” With that, she led a group toward the Apple House and barreled down the door. The ponies filtered in behind her, ready to fight. What they saw took all the fight out of them.
Rainbow sighed. “No…”
	
> Worry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



For the second time in as many days, Rainbow Dash was back in the hospital. Only this time she wasn’t the patient. When news of the battle at Sweet Apple Acres had become public, Mayor Mare immediately ordered a state of emergency. That such a large pack of wolves was found so close to the town proper meant that their borders had to be watched. There was now a Town Watch and parents no longer allowed their children to wander outside.
Sitting in the hallway, Rainbow Dash sighed as she finished her eighth cup of water. She had to go to the bathroom something fierce but refused to leave, not until she learned of her friend’s condition. A chorus of hooves had her looking up in time to see her friends, all of them, rushing to her side.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight began. Taking a moment to look her over, the princess embraced her friend. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Rainbow said. “It’s not me you should be worrying about.”
Rarity covered her mouth, lips trembling. “How is she?”
“She just fought off a pack of timberwolves while one of her legs was bleeding to death. How do you think she’s feeling?”
“Hey!” Pinkie spoke up. “Just because you’re sad, that’s no reason to be mean!” She defended Rarity who was taken aback by Rainbow’s harsh tone.
“Pinkie’s right, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “We’re sorry we couldn’t have been there, but that’s no excuse.”
“Where were you anyway?” Rainbow stepped back, face hardened. “I was expecting you of all ponies to be leading the charge. Didn’t you hear the commotion?”
Twilight shook her head. “I wasn’t anywhere near a window when Derpy and Blossomforth returned to town. I was doing research…”
“Big surprise. Twilight does research.” Rainbow looked away from her. “There’s a world outside your books, you know.”
“Knock it off, Rainbow!” Pinkie snapped.
“Oh yeah? And where were you, Miss ‘I can appear anywhere at anytime except where my friends need me the most’? You’re the only earth pony I know that can keep up with me even when I fly, and yet you were nowhere near Sweet Apple Acres. What were you doing? Baking a cake?”
“That’s enough!” Fluttershy snapped. Every pony, Rainbow included, was startled by the quiet pegasus’ sharp tone. Stepping up, she glared at Rainbow. “I wasn’t there either. Are you going to blame me for what happened to Applejack too?”
Rainbow faltered under Fluttershy’s hard stare.
“I live right on the edge of the Everfree Forest. It could just as easily have been my cottage under attack. Who’s to say you or any pony else would have gotten there on time to help me if that had happened?” She puffed out her chest. “It’s a risk I live with every day because I want to live close to my animal friends. Applejack and her family live with risks too. We all try to be there for each other but when one friend doesn’t show up that doesn’t mean they don’t care. Twilight’s a princes and even she can’t be everywhere at once. I’d have zapped over there in a heartbeat if I knew what was happening. The same goes for Pinkie and Rarity. Don’t pretend we didn’t care because it’s not fair and it’s not right, Rainbow Dash.”
Humbled by Fluttershy’s words, Rainbow Dash dipped her head in shame. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight. And I’m sorry too, Fluttershy. It was just…hard to see her like that. All the scars. All the…blood.” Rainbow sniffed. “I wish I could have been there with her.”
Fluttershy wrapped her friend in a hug. “Shh. It’s okay.”
The adjacent door opened. Nurse Redheart, upon seeing them, slowly approached. “Hello,” her voice was somber.
Twilight spoke up first. “How is she?”
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Nurse Redheart reported. “We’ve managed to stabilize her condition but she needs a blood transfusion.”
“Take mine,” Rainbow offered up her arm.
The nurse shook her head. “After her family, you and your friends were my first choice, but her blood type is rare and I’m afraid that none of you are a match. I’ll have to check hospital records to find possible alternatives. Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s some pony out there who’d be more than willing to donate. I haven’t met a pony yet who didn’t like Applejack.”
“Can we see her?” Rarity asked.
“I’m afraid not. The Apples are in there with her right now and we only allow a few visitors at a time. Sorry, but family comes first.”
“We understand. Please let them know that we are here if they need anything,” Twilight informed the nurse.
“I will.” She smiled at them before taking her leave.
There was a long, anguished silence among the five friends. Even Pinkie was at a loss for words.
“There were so many of them, Twilight,” Rainbow began. “I’ve never seen a pack that big so close to Ponyville.”
Twilight nodded. “I had an idea on that.” She found every pony’s attention solely on her. “Timberwolves rarely venture so close to town. I’m thinking that several packs found themselves trapped behind the barrier with us, cutting them off from their usual hunting grounds. It was only a matter of time before hunger forced them to look for a new source of food.”
“Like us?” Pinkie asked.
She nodded. “That’s my theory anyway.”
“But it wasn’t just the size.” Rainbow went into detail, painting a picture before them. “These wolves were smart. The pack kept me busy while their buddies went around to attack the house. I couldn’t help the Apples without leading the whole pack inside and they knew it. I’m telling you they were like egghead wolves.”
Rarity groaned. “Intelligent timber wolves? What’s the world coming to?”
“That is odd,” Twilight admitted. “Perhaps they were being manipulated somehow.”
Rainbow asked, “You mean like, a spell?”
“Or the barrier is having some adverse affects on the wildlife. Fluttershy, have your animal friends been acting weird by any chance?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think so. Most have taken shelter in my cottage.” She paused to think. “Now that I think about it, they do seem more on edge than usual. It’s like they’re afraid of something. They are more in tune with nature than ponies and I think they sense how unnatural this weather is.”
“Fluttershy, you don’t need to have a sixth sense to know something’s wrong.” Rainbow Dash looked out the nearest window where the snow continued to fall. She stared at it for a moment before turning around. “Twilight, you said you were doing some research earlier. Was it about breaking through the barrier?”
“Among other things. Mostly, I was trying to figure out the message left to me by Sunset Shimmer.”
All eyes widened at that, all but Rarity’s.
“What?” Pinkie exclaimed. “Sunset Shimmer contacted you?”
“Yes. I mean, no. I mean…tell them, Rarity.”
Now the white unicorn was in the spotlight, exactly where she loved to be. “Gladly, darling. You see, I paid a visit to our princess last night and discovered that Sunset’s last message wasn’t written by her at all. In fact,” she paused for dramatic effect. “It was a fake!”
“What did it say?” Fluttershy asked.
“She mentioned a strange vortex in the sky and that she and her friends were huddled inside Pinkie’s basement.”
Pinkie jumped up, legs outstretched. “They are?” She sped away so fast that she left smoke in her wake. Not three seconds later, Pinkie appeared in the exact same spot with her legs spread out. “No they’re not.”
“I mean back in the human world, sweetie.” Rarity waited until Pinkie came back down before continuing. “She said something about a failed experiment that she’d performed. Whatever the cause of it, I knew by the writing that it wasn’t Sunset Shimmer. As an artist, I recognize patterns in all shape and form, and the words were written in a completely different script. Naturally, I’m sure Twilight would have figured this little tidbit out eventually, but she was too tired to recognize it for what it is, a farce.”
Twilight blushed. “She’s right. I took another look and came to the same conclusion. Whoever wrote that message wasn’t from Canterlot High.”
“Then who was it?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s what I was trying to figure out. It’s why I didn’t learn about the attack at Sweet Apple Acres until long after it happened.”
“Speaking of which,” Rarity turned, “Fluttershy, are you sure you want to remain at your cottage while those wolves are about? You know you are more than welcome to stay at the boutique with me until we get this whole situation sorted out.”
The pegasus smiled. “Thanks. But like I said, it’s a risk I’m willing to live with. Miss Badger is pregnant and we can’t afford moving her at this stage.”
“Regardless, I don’t like the idea of you being out there alone while that pack is on the lose.” Twilight had an idea. “Tell you what, I’ll erect a magical bubble around your cottage that no one but you can enter and leave. That should keep you safe and give the rest of us peace of mind.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely. Thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy beamed.
“Say, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight turned around. “I wanted…Rainbow? Hey, where are you going?” Twilight found her friend walking away from the group. “Rainbow Dash?”
“It’s nothing,” she said over her shoulder. “You got me thinking, Twilight, and I want to do some research of my own.”
“Really?” Twilight began to follow. “That’s great. You can always use my library if you,”
“Thanks,” Rainbow cut her off. “But that’s just not me.” With that, Rainbow opened up the window and flew off into the flurry. Twilight watched her go, concern splayed on her face.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”



Rainbow Dash didn’t look back as she put the hospital behind her. She was never one for second guessing herself and was not about to start now. While she trusted Twilight explicitly, Rainbow wasn’t about to lay on her laurels while she waited for the princess to come up with a plan. She’d nearly lost one friend and that was one close call too many.
Rainbow Dash, Pony of Action.
Looking up at the clouds, she hovered just above the town square. Normally such a place would have been lively and full of ponies. Now it was almost barren. She couldn’t stand to see it this way. Now in addition to the unnatural weather and the fact that they were cut off from the outside, there was now the threat of timberwolves.
This would not do. She would not allow it.
“Keep reading your books, Twi,” Rainbow said as she flew off toward the distance. “I’ll handle this my own way.”
	
> Blast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



A solemn mood permeated the once vibrant town. News that timberwolves may be on the prowl had every pony on edge. The Town Watch, commissioned by Mayor Mare and Princess Twilight to keep ponies safe, patrolled the streets at night. Units were stationed at every entry into the town proper, the roads and the bridges. These units consisted of two to three ponies, usually two earth ponies with a single unicorn between them. Whereas the earth ponies offered their strength in defense of the town, the unicorns could light up the night and use an array of spells to assist in case of attack.
High above, those pegasus ponies not on cloud duty were now patrolling the skies above Ponyville. With the temperature as low as it was, they now had to expand their patrols to the rivers, which had nearly frozen over. While it was unlikely that the timberwolves would attempt to cross, the ponies were ordered not to take any chances. Of course this diverted pegasi away from the weather teams which meant they were stretched thin. It couldn’t be helped. The town had to be defended.
Now as for the food the Apples had painstakingly stored in their barn house, a caravan had been hastily formed to bring that bounty into town. Fortunately, the food had been stored within the barn behind a pair of large, heavy doors. Signs that the wolves had attempted to break in were evident, giving credence to the theory that hunger and lack of game had forced them turn their hungry eyes toward Ponyville.
Naturally this caravan was heavily-guarded. With pegasi above them, earth ponies to the sides, and unicorn horns glowing to keep away the night, the ponies were able to pack their carts until they were overflowing. Now the only question was where to store the food. The town hall seemed the most likely place as it was the only building in town that was bigger than the barn. One by one, carts began to roll out, their progress made tedious by the new fallen snow.
A team of sturdy plow ponies formed the tip of the spear, creating a path for the caravan to follow with their snow plows. The going was slow and it seemed the wind itself wanted to slow them down. Teeth chattered and legs shook. Each pony bore their pain in silence, intent on getting this much-needed food to their families.
One of these ponies was Pinkie Pie. The bright pink mare wore a blue hoodie with a poof ball on top and a long scarf made for her by Rarity. It still wasn’t enough. Teeth chattering, she whimpered as the wind kicked up. “C-C-Come on, P-P-Pinkie. Think warm th-thoughts.” She shut her eyes. “S-Sitting by the fire. A d-day at the s-sauna. Sn-snuggling up with G-Gummy.” Beneath her hooves, snow began to evaporate as Pinkie’s body temperature went up. She smiled. “Tartarus! Oh yeah. That’s the stuff.”
With her eyes shut, Pinkie didn’t see the cart in front of her pull to a stop. She ran right into it. “Owie!” Rubbing her bruised nose, Pinkie heard the pony in front of her saying something before moving on. Her muzzle throbbing, she began to pull the cart again. That’s when a figure flew down to her.
“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie exclaimed, coming to a full stop. There was a jolt as the pony behind Pinkie slammed into her own cart. A voice cried out, “Owie!”
“Hey,” Pinkie looked back. “Were you thinking of hell too?”
Rainbow Dash wore her Wonderbolt goggles and a black blazer. “Keep moving, Pinkie. We need to talk.” Rainbow Dash joined her in the caravan. “Sorry about the sudden stop. It was hard to make out anyone in this snow and I accidentally distracted the pony in front of you.”
“That’s okay.” Pinkie eyed Rainbow’s attire. “Nice blazer.”
“Thanks. Rarity picked it out for me.”
“That girl’s got style.”
“Yeah. Listen, Pinkie. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“Yes.”
Rainbow Dash gawked. “But…you didn’t let me finish.”
“I know. I figure since I pretty much do anything anyway it’s best to skip the dialogue and head straight to the response. Which is yes, I will help you find El Dorado.”
Rainbow Dash glowered. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Awe, but I’d love to go on an adventure. It’s been days!”
Rainbow was about to say something, thought better of it, and shook her head. “Look, you still got that huge party canon you showed us back at the palace?”
“You mean Big Bertha? Sure! I think I’ve got it in my back pocket.”
“Pinkie, you’re not wearing any pants.”
Pinkie glanced back, looked at Rainbow Dash, and said, “I thought I felt a draft.”
Rainbow groaned. “Whatever. Look, after you’re done taking this food into town, can you meet me by my house?”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Well sure. But why…”
“I’ll tell you when you get there.” Rainbow Dash took flight. “And don’t forget Big Bertha.” She flew into the sky, which was growing darker by the hour.
“What is she up to, I wonder? Oh well.” Seeing Rainbow again brightened her day and Pinkie began to hop as the caravan crossed the first checkpoint into town.



Less than an hour later, Pinkie Pie came bounding up to Rainbow’s house, which is to say, she came bounding up beneath Rainbow’s house. Her friend’s abode was made out of clouds which floated gently upon the winds, fifty feet above the frozen earth. The rainbow falls which usually fell over the edges were frozen solid, creating a series of beautiful rings that arched around the home.
Still wearing her hat and scarf, Pinkie looked up. “Hey, Rainbow!” She called out. After a moment, a familiar rainbow streak flew out the door.
“Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow said as she came to a landing. “Did you bring Bertha?”
“Sure thing.” And with that, Pinkie reached into her non-existent pocket and produced the largest party cannon in existence. “But why did you want me to bring it?
“Because I need your help. I think I might have a way to break through the clouds and save Ponyville. But I can’t do it without your cannon.”
“Awww,” Pinkie cooed. “You’re helpless without me.”
Rainbow Dash glowered. “Yeah, whatever. Look, I’ve been thinking lately. There’s some kind of spell that’s keeping the sun from shining through, right? No pegasus can fly up high enough to see what’s up there. No pegasus, except me.”
“But didn’t you try only to wind up in the hospital?”
Rainbow sighed. “I didn’t know what to expect that time. Now I do. I’m going to break through the clouds, Pinkie,” she said, “with a Sonic Rainboom.” If she expected a huge outburst from the pine mare, then Rainbow was sorely disappointed. Pinkie just stared at Rainbow with a confused look. “What?”
“That’s not all that original.”
The pegasus scowled. “Yeah well like I told Twilight back at the hospital, she has her ways, I have mine.” Looking up at the skies, Rainbow added, “I think with my wings, Pinkie. And right now this pegasus has got to fly.”
“So fly.” Pinkie began examining her friend’s wings under a microscope. “Unless there’s something wrong with your wings.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my wings.” Rainbow pulled away. “I need you to fire me into the sky with your party cannon so that I can perform a Sonic Rainboom. The way I figure it, the blast will be enough to send those clouds packing, letting Celestia’s Sun shine through.”
Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “But why do you need me? Can’t you make one on your own?”
“I need to build up enough speed before it happens,” the pegasus explained. “I usually have gravity to help me out, but right now I need to go up, not down.” She pointed at Bertha. “Your cannon can give me the boost I need to create the Rainboom. It’ll be like firing the biggest cannonball in Equestrian history.”
But Pinkie didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know. You sure you thought this through?”
“Of course I did. My Rainboom will clear the sky in ten seconds flat!” Seeing her friend’s hesitation, Rainbow spoke in a calming manner. “Listen, Pinkie. Applejack got hurt and her family was forced to leave their home. The weather’s getting worse and we can’t wait around much longer for Princess Egghead to figure things out while we freeze to death.”
“But,”
Rainbow covered Pinkie’s mouth with her hoof. “I know it sounds risky. That’s because it is. Victory favors the bold. Do you know who said that?” Pinkie shook her head. “Colonel Purple Dart, one of history’s greatest fliers. He’d appreciate this plan because it favors action, not words.” Removing her hoof, she smiled. “I need your help. If we don’t do something soon then who knows who might get hurt next. Twilight. Rarity. Fluttershy. Me.”
“NOT FLUTTERSHY!”
“Me?” Rainbow said again.
“OH PLEASE OH PLEASE NOT TWILIGHT!”
“Me…”
“SWEET SWEET RARITY!”
Rainbow snorted. “Look, will you help me or not?”
Pinkie nodded her head so fast that it jingled.
“Great. So let’s get started.” 
With Rainbow’s lead, they moved Big Bertha to a spot in the middle of a snowbound field. The lines left by the cannon’s wheels were quickly covered over with snow, showing just how persistent the weather was. Once they were a safe enough distance that Rainbow was confident her house wouldn’t be caught in the blast radius, she motioned for them to stop. Then, with specific instructions to count to fifty, she flew up and gently slid herself into the cannon. Sliding down the shaft, she counted off inside her head, readying herself for the eventual blast.
“Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four…” Pinkie counted down.
Goggles strapped on tight, Rainbow readied herself.
“Forty-eight, forty-nine, FIFTY!”
Rainbow Dash rocketed up the shaft at a speed that frightened even her. Her face wriggled like jelly as she was propelled through the air, only just remembering to keep her wings folded behind her as she tried to build momentum. This was the first time she was doing something like this and the notion of fighting against gravity didn’t sit well with her. Pinkie’s excited squeal died beneath her as she went higher and higher. Feeling the molecules heat up around her, Rainbow Dash smiled inside her head.
Here we go!
Focusing on her innate magic, Rainbow gently spread her wings as she burst through the clouds. Her vision completely obscured, she focused the energy around her, harnessing it, creating a multi-colored field around her. The magic was permeable. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it. It was working.
She sped up, the rainbow colors of her hair lighting up. A sharp whistling filled her ears, the sound of something revving up as she built towards the eventual climax. She was doing it. This was higher than she had been when she had first been shot down, she was sure of it. The clouds enveloped her, or tried to. Rainbow was moving too fast for them to slow her down.
She had it!
With the air pressure burning all around her, Rainbow Dash let loose. “Eat this!” And with that, Rainbow exploded in a burst of color. Her Sonic Rainboom elevated her to new heights. Unable to help herself, Rainbow let out a whoop as she flew faster and faster, defying gravity, the world, and all manner of doubt. She was the greatest flier in all Equestria. She was a legend.
She had beaten the storm.
Then, after what seemed like minutes, Rainbow Dash appeared above the clouds, her Sonic Rainbow lighting up the sky beneath and around her. But there was no sun. Nothing but inky blackness awaited her. It was as if all the heavenly bodies, Celestia’ Sun, Luna’s Moon, and all the stars had disappeared.
With a sea of black clouds beneath her, Rainbow was the only star in existence. She paused, shining in all her brilliance. “What in the world is going on?” The dead sky loomed over her. The clouds below threatened to envelop her. For the first time since this started, Rainbow felt afraid. She felt so exposed up there in the darkness, so vulnerable.
And she wasn’t alone.
The sky opened up.
It was enormous, easily the size of a town or a city. It was massive and green, a sickly green that reminded Rainbow of disease and sickness. She felt herself shaking. “W-What are you?”
In response, the heavens shook and the darkness loomed in to take her. Rainbow Dash screamed.
> Lights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Okay. Let’s do this.
Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath as she prepared to do battle with the mysterious force containing Ponyville. Where magic and brute force had failed, logic would prevail. Arming herself with her years of study, which honed her mind to a razor’s edge, she refused to give in. She was a princess. A princess doesn’t quit. Her friends were counting on her. The whole town was counting on her.
En garde! She lit up her horn. In front of her, a collection of books, tomes, and scrolls opened up on her command. Paramount among them was Celestia’s Journal, the book she used to keep in contact with Sunset Shimmer in the human world. Rarity’s discovery of the imposter had only made Twilight more determined to succeed. If someone else had obtained possession of Sunset’s book, it could mean that her friends at CHS were in danger as well. That meant the fate of two worlds rested on Twilight’s slender shoulders.
With Spike’s assistance, she had collected every book in her library detailing inter-dimensional travel, storm barriers, magic-induced weather, dark magic, wild magic, mind control (for the timberwolves), and even changeling interference. If someone was indeed impersonating Sunset and using her journal, it had to be a being with both ties to Equestria and possessing certain magical properties. A changeling at CHS was unlikely but not impossible and right now Twilight wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
But there was always the slight chance that it truly had been Sunset Shimmer. Twilight had studied graphology in Canterlot, in which one was able to gauge the personality and intellect of the pony by reading their script. While Rarity’s sharp eye had caught the strange discrepancy between the passages of Celestia’s Journal, perhaps Sunset had been scared or injured, two factors that would explain why her writing would be so altered. That Sunset and her friends were hiding from some terrible tear in the sky would certainly interfere with one’s ability to keep the pen steady.
She tried writing back to “Sunset Shimmer” earlier in the day with no response. This got Twilight to wondering just what experiment the writer had been referring to. Had she tried to break through the barrier using magic? The girls at CHS had the ability to pony up, but Twilight doubted that they had enough energy between them to penetrate the barrier. Human technology, perhaps? Again, unlikely. Capable as those bipeds were, this was strange magic and it didn’t play by anyone’s rules but its own.
So entrapped was she in her musings that at first she didn’t notice the strange flashes coming from outside the window. Believing it to be a storm, Twilight didn’t blink until she spotted a multi-colored display of lights that radiated the heavens. “What in the world?” She sprang towards the nearest window. The black clouds were briefly but violently lit up with colors of the rainbow. The snowflakes, once pure white, came down in varying shades of blue, green, yellow, red, and even purple.
The door behind her opened up. “Twilight!”
“I know, Spike,” she said without looking back. “Let’s get out there.”
Both she and Spike were outside the palace in moments. Ponies from all over town, those on patrol, those in their homes, and those who had been fast asleep, now stood in their positions, doors, and windows, gawking at the display.
“What is this?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know. Pretty though.” Twilight scowled at the little dragon. “What? It is.”
“This is no time to take in the scenery, Spike. We’ve…”
“TWILIGHT!” Pinkie Pie came to a screeching halt, sending a hail of snow covering both alicorn and dragon. They dug themselves out to find Pinkie’s chest heaving so much that her head visibly grew and shrunk with each gasp.
“Pinkie? What’s wrong?”
Pinkie inhaled sharply. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!”
“What’s gotten into her?” Spike asked as he removed himself from the snow.
Twilight flapped her wings to loosen the snow. “Nothing more than usual. Except,” she looked at the sky, then to Pinkie, back to the sky and to Pinkie again. “Wait. Do you know what’s going on?”
“Ten bits she had a hoof in it,” Spike muttered to himself.
The pink mare rambled off so fast that she forgot to breathe, “Rainbow Dash wanted to use a Sonic Rainboom to break through the barrier and she asked if I could use Big Bertha to shoot her into the sky like a cannonball and she flew so fast that she did manage to make a Sonic Rainboom only after she did she didn’t come  back down and after that the sky started lighting up and there were all these pretty colored snowflakes and I ate one that tasted like grapes which was weird because it was red and grapes are purple but then I thought Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh Rainbow’s in trouble and I better got tell Twilight!”
Twilight blinked. “Huh?”
“Called it,” Spike said.
“Pinkie, could you explain that to me again? Slowly this time.” After she finished, Twilight turned into a multitude of colors herself, ending with a bright, hot red. “You did WHAT?”
Pinkie sighed. “Okay. Slower this time…R…a…i...n…b…o…w…D…a…s…h…”
Twilight was livid. “I specifically told that pony she wasn’t supposed to go above the cloud cover. Didn’t she learn her lesson last time when she almost broke her neck?”
“That’s what I said.”
Spike and Twilight glanced at her.
“Well maybe not, but I did try to dissuade her. You know how stubborn Rainbow Dash can be. She was like ‘Oh, we can’t wait for Miss Egghead to figure things out. I’ve got a plan that will clear the skies in ten seconds flat. Just shoot me into the sky with your party cannon and my Sonic Rainboom will take care of the rest.”
“That was very reckless of you, Pinkie,” Twilight scolded. “You should know better. I expect Rainbow Dash to do something this crazy. She never listens to me. But you?”
Pinkie’s face dropped and her hair deflated. She pawed at the grow nervously. “I know it was a stupid move, Twilight. But Rainbow Dash was really persuasive and, well, after what happened to Applejack, I just wanted this all to end as soon as possible.” The weight of what she did sat on her like a ton of bricks. She slumped to the ground and sobbed. “I didn’t stop to think what it might do to Rainbow Dash. I may have just helped kill my friend.” Hot tears steamed on the snow and Pinkie’s sobs fogged up the air.
Twilight’s demeanor softened. She reached out to console Pinkie when Spike called her attention. “Twilight, look!” She did, following his pointing talon to see a bright star permeate the clouds. It was radiant, the most beautiful star any pony had ever seen. For a moment, her heart lifted. Had Rainbow Dash done it? Had her Rainboom succeeded where hours of speculation had failed?
Pinkie looked up as well. Her hair frizzed up and her eyes bulged. “That’s Rainbow Dash!”
And she was right. The star winked and faded before the body of a cyan pegasus materialized from the radiance. She was plummeting to the earth like a falling stone, her wings bent and her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she spiraled out of the control. 
“No!” Twilight took flight, her mind quickly calculating a trajectory that would enable her to catch her falling friend. The princess reached out, her arms almost breaking with the force of the impact as she collided with Rainbow. Her large wings compensated, flapping wildly as she tried to slow their fall. They landed, ironically, in front of Sugercube Corner where Pinkie Pie and Spike were waiting. A host of worried onlookers had gathered as well, all of them, eyes wide with fear.
A weak breath left Rainbow’s mouth as her head fell to one side, a trail of blood seeping its way down her cranium. It hissed as it fell onto the snow. “Help!” Twilight said. “We need medical help right away!”
“I’m on it,” Spike said and moved to contact the hospital.
Pinkie Pie was ragged with guilt. She collapsed beside her friend, bawling, and pleading for Rainbow to wake up. “This is all my fault! I’m so sorry. Please open your eyes. Please!”
Twilight tried to tell her to hush up, that yelling at an unconscious Rainbow wasn’t going to do anything, but she couldn’t. She knelt there in the snow, tears falling freely, as her friend bled out beside her.



Outside Ponyville, a menagerie of animals were watching the celestial display above them with a mix of awe and fear. These forest critters were simple creatures, always respectful of nature and its power. They knew there was something unnatural about the weather, which is why so many of them took shelter in the one place they felt safe: a small cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest.
Chief among these animals was a small white rabbit. Strong, willful, and possessing an amazing amount of strength for a creature of his size, Angel Bunny was clearly the boss around here. Even his pegasus, and he called her that for he considered her the pet and not him, was often cowed by his assertiveness. He stood among the collection of forest creatures, one leg stomping nervously as he tried to figure out just what in the name of Frith was going on.
“What’s going on?” A soft voice asked behind him.
Angel Bunny didn’t turn around, didn’t even acknowledge the question. If his pegasus was too blind to see what was happening with her own eyes then who was he to tell her? Honestly, all she had to do was crane her head...
“Oh my!”
Finally!
His pegasus joined her friends out on the lawn. “The sky’s lit up. Did Twilight figure out a spell to clear the clouds?”
Angel said nothing. He felt his pegasus standing right next to him, her hooves trembling slightly at the sight above her. “Hmm…I don’t think it’s working.”
You think? Angel Bunny regarded her at last. Even among ponies she had a knack for pointing out the obvious. He could never understand their species sometimes. Powerful? Yes. Resourceful? Definitely. Smart? Not so much. They proved useful at times, such as when the purple one created the bubble spell that protected the cottage from intruders, namely those nasty timberwolves. Angel had sensed something was amiss long before the weather had taken a turn for the worse. He’d think that with all the magic at their disposal, the ponies would have at least bene somewhat prepared for something like this. The region was constantly at the epicenter of strange and hostile activity. Surely someone out there considered the possibility of readying themselves for a freak storm?
Now rabbits? They were always prepared. It came with centuries of being at the bottom of the food chain. They were always planning for every conceivable disaster be it floods, blizzards, carnivores, and droughts. Living among magical creatures like ponies, Angel had acquired a sixth sense, an Angel Sense, as it were, to combat magical disasters like this one. It was he who had rallied the other animals together, having them take shelter in the cottage long before the snow started to fall. He made sure they stocked up on food, placing them in sheltered boroughs throughout the property and like any decent warren, had sentries posted at key points throughout the area. When his pegasus came back from her meeting with her fellow ponies, the cottage was prepared for a siege without her knowing.
Higher species, his tail!
But despite all the preparation, Angel Bunny couldn’t help shake the feeling that he was in over his head. Like all rabbits, he knew they’d their stores would not last forever and that they would eventually need to leave the protection of their bubble to find more. With the timberwolves about, that made things more difficult. The snow would eventually kill whatever was edible and Angel had lived through enough shortages to know how messy that could end up.
“Maybe I should head into town,” his pegasus said aloud.
Yeah that’s right. Go towards where the potential danger is. Honestly, these ponies!
“Angel Bunny,” she said, “stay here and keep an eye on things while I’m gone.”
Angel fought the urge to roll his eyes. Like where was he going to go? Detrot?
“Stay safe. I’ll be back soon.” And she was off. The bubble shivered slightly as she passed through unharmed, making sure to fly well above the tree line.
Angel Bunny watched her for a while before turning back to the cottage. Now that she was gone he could get down to really preparing this place. Snapping his paws together, the rabbit began barking out orders to those around him. There was a lot of work to be done and not enough time to do it.
Had he been less intent on showing off his prowess as a leader and more on observing the area around him, Angel Bunny might have noticed a pair of eyes watching his pegasus’ departure. The eyes, a sickly green, blinked before receding into the forest, the darkness enveloping them.