Chapter 1

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"Really 'Shy, I don't see why you always help these dogs out." Rainbow Dash glared at the filthy slave in the corner. The only thing worse than the way they looked, was the way they smelled. "I mean, just look at them!"

"You didn't have to come with me," whispered Fluttershy as she splinted an earth pony's foreleg. "Now Butterscotch, remember to keep your weight off the leg alright? I know it'll be hard, but keep your head down and try not to talk back to Thunderlane alright?"

The cream earth pony immediately snatched the leg back and scrambled back into a dark corner of the room. There was no 'Thank you' or even a smile. Instead all Fluttershy got was a snarl from one of the other earth ponies as they glared at her and pressed their backs against the earthen wall.

Dash took a step forward and snarled, "What? You got something to sa-"

Fluttershy merely gave a small shake of her head.

"Fine, whatever." The cyan pegasus stepped back and leaned against the doorframe. "Just hurry it up will you? If we get caught again, I might not be able to save us like last time."

"Um... you know you don't have to do this, right?" Fluttershy pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and began applying it to a cut on a filly's leg. "That is, not that I'm saying you shouldn't- I mean I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but... um... oh dear... I mean, I know you dream of becoming a Wonderbolt and-"

"'Shy, shut up." Dash pushed a lock of mane out of her eyes and glared at an earth pony who got a bit too close to Fluttershy. "You're more important than the fucking Wonderbolts."

"I'm not, you know. Not really, you just say that... not that I'm calling you a liar or anything, but... um... how do I put this..." In the darkness of the dungeon, the only light source was the single candle Dash carried with her, making it difficult to figure out what Fluttershy was doing, but there was no doubt in Dash's mind that it was some medical stuff. "Um... Dash, do you think we could move their housing to somewhere less... damp? This is not good for their health and- Only if it won't get you in trouble of course!"

"Why? They're dirt, let them wallow in their own filth." A pair of blue eyes glared at Dash. "It was a joke! Ha, ha, ha...? Fine, I'll see what I can do. Probably try and bullshit my way through with some sort of 'Not being buried alive means they live longer, which means more food for us in the long term and less dangerous raids!' No promises though."

"Thank y-"

"And definitely no hugs," said Dash as she held her friend at bay. "Not until you've showered at least. Who knows what sort of diseases they carry. So you done here?"

"Um..."

"You're done here," said Dash firmly as she growled at the earth ponies. Disgusting bunch. "Pack your stuff up 'Shy and get out while I lock up."

"But-"

"No buts." The two stared at each other, but like always, Fluttershy hid behind her mane and began collecting her medical supplies. Once she was gone, Dash began walking forwards, a low growl in the back of her throat. "As for the rest of you, if any of you even thinks about telling, I will make their life so miserable, Tartarus will look like a blessing. And if I don't know who it was, you all suffer. Got that?"

None could meet her gaze.

"Good." Dash paused as she reached the door. "Oh, and don't think I can't do it even if I get in trouble. Turn on me and I will fuck you with a rusty spike."

The door slammed shut, leaving the slaves in total darkness and Dash took a second to gather up her nerves. Experiencing the whipping post once was one too many, she did not want to go through that again. Once she was sure her knees were no longer shaking and that her fur most certainly was not matted with sweat, she began the long journey out with a torch firmly in her mouth. Earthen walls pressed in on all sides, and no matter how many times she told herself they were not getting any closer, it did not reassure her in the slightest. Her breath misted before her and she tightened her scarf and put on her heavy duty parka. After a second of struggling, she forced her wings through the wing slits at the back and buttoned the entire thing off.

"Dash?" called Fluttershy from above.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Dash ran up the stairs two steps at a time as she threw on her goggles and made sure she was properly covered up. By the time she reached Fluttershy, Dash was covered in a layer of sweat in addition to all the layers of fabric. "You ready?"

"Y-Yes," replied Fluttershy.

Before either of them could open the door, the burst open. The two groups stared at each other before Dash noticed the lightning bolt with wings badge on his chest. Throwing a hasty salute, she immediately scrambled to the side of the passage to let him through while dragging Fluttershy along. With the barest of nods in acknowledgement, he stepped through and kicked the door shut. Off came the goggles and mask and the parka was unbuttoned revealing a male blue pegasus with green eyes and dark blue mane.

It was Soarin! Here! A Wonderbolt in the middle of nowhere! And that could only mean one thing. Some pegasus was about to be asked to join the Wonderbolts, and who better than Rainbow Dash? Sure, she was only a flight lieutenant, but who cares? Wonderbolt Soarin was here! And that meant Dash would finally be part of the specialist squadron. She'd be running the most dangerous missions, she'd have pegasi looking up to her, she'd have everything she'd ever wanted.

Rainbow Dash would not giggle though. She would not let any sense of just how awesome today was slip through. Okay, maybe a tiny giggle under her breath slipped out, but that was it!

Wait till Lightning Dust hears about this! She'll be sooooo jealous an-

Wait, what if Soarin was here for Lightning?

All that joy and excitement and giddiness fled and was replaced by jealousy and anger. A second later though, and she squished it like an earth pony. Even if Soarin was here for Lightning, and not the coolest pegasus ever, Dash had to admit that Lightning deserved the spot. She was good, almost as good as herself truth be told, and... well... Dash couldn't think of any pegasus else more worthy of being a Wonderbolt. Other than herself of course.

"Rainbow Dash, correct?" Though it was phrased as a question, it was clearly a statement and that giddiness was back. Soarin knew her name! "And Fluttershy. What are you two doing down here at this hour?"

A sense of dread washed over Dash, but she quickly recovered, "Checking on the slaves sir. This is a farming encampment, so the safety of the slaves is paramount. Without them our production would decrease to unacceptable levels."

"Rather than spending time on defense drills or making sure the area is adequately fortified against unicorn raids or monster attacks?"

"We're far enough from the border that I felt the slaves took priority over defenses," came the nervous reply. Please don't let this end in another whipping...

"Despite the recent hit on Outpost Farsight just north east of here?" A scowl touched Soarin's face. "That pink menace has been striking us all along the border on opposite ends. How she appears on one side and then the other in the space of a day is beyond frustrating." His eyes darted side to side before leaning in to speak in a hushed whisper, "Some say the souls of the fallen warm her hooves and that she killed a dragon with her bare hooves, but all we know is that she's pink. Disgustingly bright pink might I had."

Dash just blinked.

"Walk with me." Soarin merely nodded and began descending. After a second of tense silence he added, "The only thing that's always worthy of time is cooking. Baking specifically."

Dash traded a totally confused glance with Fluttershy, but Soarin continued with a serious look on his face, "Food is important for morale! Never forget that."

"Um... of course sir, thank you for the advice sir...?" Once more a confused expression was exchanged. "Fluttershy, return to base and prepare a room and meal. Inform Lightning Dust of our guest," ordered Dash once she had recovered.

"That won't be necessary, I will be leaving shortly," said Soarin without looking over his shoulder. "Return to base and forget I was ever here."

"Y-Yes sir," said Fluttershy as she made for the door.

"Actually, do you have pies?"

"P-Pies sir?" asked Fluttershy as she let her mane shield her face. "Um... I-I don't believe so... Sorry sir..."

"Ah, no worries then. I won't be staying for long in that case." He threw a goofy grin over to Dash. "Pies boost morale the most. Remember that."

"Ye-Yes sir." Dash made a shooing motion to Fluttershy before quickly following after Soarin. She knew he was a tad... off... ever since that Everfree mission, but that was just plain weird.

After a couple seconds of walking down the steps silently, he stopped and turned to face the blue pegasus. "Flight lieutenant, you are about to be briefed on your upcoming task, and we will not accept 'no' as an answer." Pause. "Though just between the two of us, that's only because Spitfire would totally kick my flank if you said 'no' and trust me, there's a reason why she's called that."

For a second Dash just stared at Soarin, before she remembered his rank and immediately snapped to attention. This was it, the test. She needed to pass this with flying colors or she could kiss all her dreams goodbye. Lowest ranking officer to get into the Wonderbolts was in her reach as long as she didn't fuck up. Deep breaths, and remember what Fluttershy always says, 'Think before you speak.'

"There is a single unicorn headed in your direction and will arrive shortly. You will not engage in combat, you will barter with her and see what information you can pull from her. As long as what she wants does not endanger any pegasi or reveal any secrets you are allowed to trade it. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" replied Dash with a salute, though in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder just what the fuck was going on. Trading with a unicorn? That was a death sentence for the lucky ones, and yet, here was a Wonderbolt telling her to do exactly that. Whatever, Dash didn't care about the politics or all that other crap, all she cared about was becoming a Wonderbolt and kicking flank.

"Good. Now as far as you're concerned, this conversation never took place and I was never here. Think of this as that one mission I ran back when I was green recruit as part of the Wonderbolts. You know, the one where we totally kicked those uni- Actually, that's classified. Forget I said anything."Once more with that goofy grin and Dash could only stare at him in surprise. "For my duration here I am merely another nameless recruit. You will lead myself and two other ponies out to confront this unicorn. You will handle the bargaining, but know this, I still have authority, so don't buck up. Heh, I should tell about the third Canterlot mission sometime. Have you ever seen a pink Spitfire in a dress? Best. Thing. Ever."

"Sir, yes sir!...?"

He nodded in approval. "Seems like that last whipping finally put some obedience into you. Now who will you take with us?"

"Lightning Dust and Fluttershy, sir," replied Dash without missing a beat.

"I see. Good choices soldier." Soarin began walking back up the steps. "Fluttershy... she's turning fourteen soon right?"

"Yes sir..." A sense of dread crawled up Dash's spine.

"Has she picked a mate yet?"

"N-Not that I'm aware of," a bit of concern crept into her voice before she hastily added, "Sir."

"A pretty little thing, isn't she?" His tone was oddly neutral and that just made Dash sweat even more. She knew there were rumors of her sexuality flying around despite her best efforts to squash them; she still caught whispers of it every so often. There were even rumors of her and Fluttershy being an item or her and Lightning Dust, and if there was ever a sentence worse than collaborating with the enemies, that was it.

"Sir, permission to speak freely."

"Of course! Er... I mean permission granted," he chuckled and winked.

"Fluttershy's not ready!" she blurted. "She can barely say 'sex' without fainting, let alone actually have sex with a male. She'd probably die or something! "

"You seem to care an awful lot." Though Dash couldn't see Soarin's face, she got the distinct impression that he was somewhat amused by her reaction.

"I care about every pegasus in my care. From Fluttershy to Thunderlane, and yes, even Cloud Kicker. They're under my care, they're my responsibility, and I care about every single last one of them! And I can tell you for a fact Fluttershy is not ready. She hasn't even shown interest in any of the stallions for fuck's sake!" In the following silence, her words echoed back to them and she added, "Sir."

"The law is the law and it cannot be broken, no matter how much we may wish otherwise," he said in a subdued tone of voice. "But regardless, the laws bend for no one. I suggest you find a stallion willing to play the part and leave it at that."

Easier said than done. All the stallions around here ever cared about was finding some hot mare to warm their beds at night. None of them actually cared about what they were actually like as ponies. As far as Dash was concerned, none of them even came close to deserving Fluttershy, and there was no way in Tartarus was going to let Fluttershy be pressured into something like that. A respectable stallion? Ha! As if such a thing exists.

Soarin must have taken Dash's silence for agreement or something for he began walking up the stairs once more and she was forced to trudge after him. Once more the heavy layers were thrown on and Dash no longer felt the giddiness from before. Sure, it was Soarin, but...

With a sigh, she shook her head. She'd tell Lightning Dust about it later, but right now she had a Wonderbolt to impress. One that had his eyes on Flutte-

"Wait, aren't you married to Spitfire!?" Soarin's head snapped back and Dash backpedaled away from the glare that was directed at her. "No offense sir. Sorry sir. Won't happen again sir."

"Make sure it doesn't Flight Lieutenant."

Dash gulped, nodding so fast she was afraid it'd pop right off. "Yes sir, of course sir, deeply sorry about that sir."

"Recruit?"

"Yes sir."

"Get me a pie and you're forgiven."

What.

Before Dash could even process that request, Soarin threw the door open and leapt into the freezing air as though it was the most natural thing to do in the world. It took five seconds before Dash managed to overcome her confusion and close the door before leaping up into the air after that insane pegasus. Despite the heavy layers, she could already feel the chill reaching her bones and she pushed herself just that bit harder.

All she could see was white. The white sky, the white barren ground, the white snow that fell in torrents. Though Dash hated wearing all those layers of clothing, she knew she'd die if she didn’t. But... every fiber of her body screamed at her to toss them off, to see just how fast she was without restrictions. She had so many tricks and ideas and plans in her mind, but every single one of them was impossible while bundled up so tight.

One day she'd say 'Fuck it' and shed all those useless layers. One day she'd take to the sky and perform those tricks. One day she'd actually be able to push her limits to the extremes.

One day...

Yeah, and maybe one day the mythical 'sun' would appear as well. As if. It was a stupid fillyhood dream and she knew it.

With a sigh she glided into the sky fortress. Instead of landing outside and walking in through, she gave a strong flap of her wings as she narrowed in on the entrance. Wings snapping shut at the last possible second, Dash zipped in without clipping anything. Hooves came out, wings flared open, and she skidded to a stop inches from the wall.

Perfect as always.

"Not bad, not bad." Dash glanced over her shoulder at Lightning Dash. "I'd give that a four out of ten."

"Is that so? That's four marks better than what you would have gotten." The two slapped wings followed by bumping hips. "How was training?"

"Boring. Dull. There are one or two decent new recruits in the bunch," replied Lightning with a shrug.

All it took was a quick glance over Lightning's shoulder and Dash ended up slamming her face into the cloud wall. "What did you do this time? They look like they just fought a dragon!" The new recruits were covered with cuts from head to toe and there was little doubt there were a couple of bruises hidden under all that clothing. One even looked as though he had sprained his wing. "Fluttershy! Some pegasus please get Fluttershy for me."

"Chill Dash. Seriously, it was just a bump here and bump there, nothing serious." Lightning took off her goggles. "Plus, if they don't push their limits, how are they meant to improve? It's not my fault they can't keep up with me. None of them even made it through the Whirlwind Maze course."

"Lightning Dust! Pushing is one thing, but the Whirlwind Maze? Really!? They could have been seriously injured!" Wings flared, Dash began advancing on her friend. "I've told you before to stop putting pegasi into unnecessary danger!"

"Geez Dash, have you forgotten what we went through when we came here? I was put in charge of breaking in the new recruits, not you, so get your flank out of my business." There wasn't even a hint of remorse in her tone. "I know what I'm doing so trust me. Haven't lost a pegasus yet."

"Tartarus knows how considering how hard you try," muttered Dash. "Fine, whatever. But seriously? Whirlwind Maze is off limits."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." With a wave of her hoof, she began trotting off, her flank swaying side to side in that seductive way of hers. "Recruits? Not bad. Go get some rest or whatever, I'm done for the day."

"Lightning Dust!" snapped Dash. "Get back here, I've got a mission for you."

"Really?" Dash reared back in surprise as Lightning pressed her muzzle so close they were almost kissing. "About damn time. What is it this time? Something awesome I hope. Hey, remember that time we created that tornado to clean out the avalanche? Totally. Awesome."

"Um... yeah..." Dash glanced over to the new recruits and snapped, "Didn't you hear? You're dismissed!" And just like that, they raced away. "Anyways, let's go to my room for some privacy."

"Oh, I see..." said Lightning with a smile, "Yes, I think that should be discussed in private."

"Stop joking around," said Dash even as her cheeks heated up. A quick glance over at Soarin revealed he was too busy talking to Fluttershy to have noticed that exchange. "That stallion over there? That's Soarin in disguise and he's given me a mission and I've picked you and Fluttershy to accompany. It's more secret than top secret. It's Wonderbolt level classified."

Lightning Dust whistled in surprise. "So is this...?"

"I don't know. But whatever the case, we're kicking flank tonight," whispered Dash before turning to Soarin and yelling, "You! Recruit! In my office, now! Fluttershy, I want you too."

"Yes ma'am!" With a smart salute Soarin immediately began following the two while Fluttershy meekly followed behind them all. A part of Dash hated ordering her friends around, but as the highest ranking officer in the compound, it was her duty. And then there was the matter of Fluttershy's upcoming birthday...

One thing at a time. Get through this alive first, then focus on that issue.

Thankfully it was a slow day and they managed to reach Dash's office in ten minutes. The look of dismay on Fluttershy and Soarin's faces made Dash laugh, but she managed to stifle it. Pieces of paper were everywhere, the bin was overflowing with junk and- Huh, so that's were breakfast went. So maybe bringing Soarin here wasn't the best idea after all. Though his expression was totally worth it. It was small, it was cramped, and they barely fit inside, but it was her room.

"So here's the deal," said Dash as she sat down in her chair. "This pegasus scout has spotted a unicorn in the woods and we are going to barter with it. This is top secret and word will not leave this room. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am!" they replied as one.

"Good." Dash grabbed the map from off the ground and laid it on the table. Soarin actually seemed surprised that she could find anything in the room while Lightning shared a smirk with the blue pegasus. She had been in my room often enough to know how my system of organization worked.

"She was spotted here, in the north western quadrant," said Soarin as he pointed at the spot on the map by the Gem Fields. "We believe she's been using the abandoned diamond dog cave system as shelter from the cold at night. We should move to the edge of the scrubland and wait for her there, as it's close to the emergency shelter while staying out of sight of the prying eyes. I left behind another scout who'll be keeping an eye on things and has agreed to rendezvous with us there. Heh, I can't wait to see him and his frozen butt again."

There was a moment of silences as Dash devoured that piece of news. "Okay...? We're leaving now so every pegasus gear up, grab a snack and meet me out front in five."

Fluttershy and Lightning Dust just stared at Dash while Soarin looked on in confusion.

"Dust, don't te-"

"Lightning! The name's Lightning, it sounds cooler."

"Which is why I call you Dust," chuckled Dash. "But seriously, don't tell me the shipment of gear hasn't come in."

"The shipment of gear has totally come in!" Dash let out a sigh of relief, but that was when Lightning added, "If by shipment you mean a letter telling us that there are higher priority areas that require the gear."

"Fucking Tartarus!" growled the chromatic pegasus as she ran a hoof through her mane. "Fine. Grab something to eat, go to the bathroom, whatever. We're leaving now."

"Um... should I, that is... I know you said there won't be any fighting, but, um, should I bring my first aid kit?" squeaked Fluttershy.

"Knowing this filly?" Dash jerked her head in the direction of Lightning. "Some pegasus will be injured by the end of the trip. Somehow."

"No pain, no gain!" Lightning declared with a snap of her wings. "Gotta push to be the best."

"Gotta live to be the best as well," replied Dash. "And I can still kick your flank despite landing in this desk job."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" Dash pressed her forehead against Lightning's, the two staring each other in the eye. "I can kick your flank so hard pegasi will still be talking about it ten years later. It'll go down in history as the most one sided battle ever!"

"Is that so?" Lightning grabbed the map and looked over it. "Race you there, loser is the slave for a day."

"Better dust off that col-"

"Mares, if I may interrupt, we've got a mission to go on," said Soarin politely as he suddenly found himself under the scrutiny of two very pissed off mares. "And we really should leave now, otherwise it might start getting dark before we can return and that's a death sentence."

"You clearly haven't seen how fast we can move then," said Dash with a cocky grin. "There and back in ten seconds flat."

"Too bad we've got these two dead weights with us," sighed Lightning. "Fine, we're racing tomorrow, so you better have some water ready to wash the taste of my dust out of your mouth."

"Keep dreaming." With a flick of her tail, Dash smacked Lightning the face as she walked past. "Now come, we've got to get going."

Lightning immediately rushed to walk beside Dash and whispered, "Hey Dash, think you can get Soarin wet?"

"Why?"

"I wanna see him without all those layers of clothing. Bet he looks absolutely delicious under all that and while I've seen pictures, there's nothing like that real deal."

"Wait, you have pictures?" hissed Dash. "And you never told me?"

"Win the race tomorrow and I might just share them," said Lightning.

"As if there was any doubt to begin with," said Dash.

The two shared a smirk as they snapped their goggles into place. They zipped up their clothes, slipped on some wingblades just in case, and grabbed a dagger and set of gauntlets each. A quick glance behind her told Dash that Soarin was sticking to whatever it was Wonderbolt's used and that Fluttershy was carrying a dagger as usual, despite never actually using it, and her medicine kit.

"Every pegasus ready?" asked Dash and at their nods she leapt into the sky. "Scout, take the lead."

With a salute, Soarin immediately zipped up front and began flying along at a leisurely pace. A quick glance over her shoulder told Dash that Fluttershy was keeping up without any real issue and it's not like either any of them was going to complain. After all, the slower flight meant more time admiring the view, though it would have been a lot better if there weren't so much clothing in the way. It was clear Lightning was annoyed at the slow pace, but just like Dash, the scenery was enough to cause her to bite her tongue.

Though Dash knew it would be there and that it wouldn't have moved or changed, she still looked to the north and saw the towering mass of swirling wind and ice that connected the land and sky. It was thousands, perhaps even millions of miles away, but it still dominated the entire skyline, making the mountain range behind it look tiny in comparison. It was a force of nature beyond all others.

It easily took three times as long to get to their destination as it normally would have and by the time they arrived, a pony wrapped in fur stood there waiting for them. The quartet quickly descended into the clearing and though Dash could not see the eyes of the unicorn, she could see how tense the other was from the way it stood.

"You're here," said the mare with a slight inclination of her head.

"You know, the polite thing is to say 'Hello' right?" said Soarin.

"Funny, I thought the polite thing was to arrive on time," she replied before adding, "and to introduce me to your companions. I do not believe I have met them before."

"Hey horned freak, watch it," growled Dash as she stepped forward. "Nothing insults my pegasi like that."

Instead of being intimidated like Dash had hoped, the unicorn merely looked at her before her gaze slid back to Soarin. The way it just seemed to slide off Dash as though she wasn't important sent a bolt of anger through her body.

"Really? That is a horrible way to start off a bargain," the unicorn said to Soarin.

"Hey!" Dash pushed herself between Soarin and the mysterious mare. "I'm the one in charge here, talk to me."

"And he's secretly a female right? Please, Soarin outranks you," replied the mare. "Also, it might help if I knew your name and if you stopped calling me 'horned freak' and addressed me as an equal."

"Well you haven't told us your name!" snapped Lightning.

There was a beat of silence, and to Dash there was a flash of amusement in the mare's eyes despite the thick goggles in the way. "Very well, my name is Twilight Sparkle." The amusement in her voice only fuelled Dash's annoyance.

"Flight Lieutenant Rainbow Dash," grunted the cyan mare before she gestured to those behind her, "Lightning Dust and Fluttershy."

"As I was saying, Soarin outranks you since he's a Wonderbolt and all," replied Twilight. "Also, you might want to call in Fleetfoot and Misty before they freeze their tails off. As flattered as I am by the close eye you have kept on me, I think they would appreciate being somewhere dry and warm."

"In this situation, the outpost is under Rainbow's command and as such it is her decision," growled Soarin.

"How curious..." This time, the unicorn actually spent time assessing Dash and her companions. "Very well then. Flight Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, I humbly request access to your library and all books in your possession."

"Books?" Dash glanced over at Soarin to make sure the mare wasn't just messing with her, but from the way he was acting, it was clear that this was totally serious. "Books. You want access to books. I think we've got some stashed away in the emergency firewood store."

"You what!?" Even through the thick lens, Dash could see the shock in Twilight's eyes and that merely served to warm her heart. "You- Those- I- But- Argh!"

"I think you broke her," whispered Soarin.

"Those books could contain the answer!" Twilight was suddenly in Dash's face. "You could have destroyed valuable information that could save everypony!"

"Wait, we're talking about books right? As in leafs of paper with words on it?" At Twilight's indigent nod, Dash broke out laughing. "Apart from being fuel to fire, they won't save any pegasus."

"And you're telling me she's in charge!?" Twilight stomped her hoof as she glared at Soarin who merely returned a sheepish smile. "That's it! I am going in there and saving those books." That announcement merely sent Lightning into a laughing fit and she soon joined Dash on the ground clutching her stomach.

"S-Silence!" Her attempts at an angry hoof stomp only made them laugh harder. "This is important!"

"Books are never important," replied Dash from the ground.

"Books contain knowledge, and knowledge is power." Twilight ripped off her goggles and Dash suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a very angry glare. "I am searching for a way of removing this eternal blizzard, and the answer may lie in those books that you so willing toss aside.

"Wait, what?" Dash blinked in surprise. "What are y-"

"That is confidential information," replied Soarin. "And I'd appreciate it if it was kept such."

The unicorn snorted. "Information and knowledge should never be censored. If it wasn't, my journey might already be over."

"This is neither the time nor the place for such discussions, and I still have nightmares over last time that happened," snapped Soarin. "Those should be held over a table of warm soup and fresh pies."

"You and your food," snorted Twilight in amusement. "Regardless, can we get out of the cold now?"

"No. Not until you give us something in return," Dash said as she glared at the unicorn.

"I will tell you where the unicorns are most likely to strike next," replied Twilight. "I don't know the exact location for obvious reasons, but I did overhear some interesting information about..."

Whatever else was said was lost to Dash's eyes narrowed and her hooves began to tremble. This- This mare would just toss her species out to die! Throw her fellow unicorns into the cold embrace of winter just for some books!? How many would die as a result of her actions? How many lives lost, enslaved, or ruined? The mere thought that the unicorn was willing to do such a monstrous act sent anger coursing through Dash's body. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to buck to the unicorn in the head, to draw a dagger across Twilight's throat while she slept.

Every pegasus knew unicorns were freaks of nature, possessing powers that they should not rightfully have, and that their hubris caused the constant snowfall. But this... this creature took it to all new heights. Twilight wasn't a pony, she wasn't even a female. As far as Dash was concerned, Twilight Sparkle was a thing. The pronoun 'she' could not be applied to this creature that stood before her right now.

Dash could only watch numbly as Soarin and Twilight shook on the deal.

Fuck.

Her eye was swollen and the cut along her flank burned, but Applejack kept the snarl on her face as she gazed at the white unicorn before her. Sure, the earth pony might have been beaten, tossed around and spat on, but there was no way she was going to just roll over and play dead like some sort of well-trained pet. She couldn't remember much of anything before this, before this humiliation and life, but she did remember a voice whispering in her ear. A soft, kind voice telling her to never give in, to never give up, to always fight.

And so, Applejack glared up at the unicorn, a growl rumbling in the back of her throat. With that silky coat, pristine purple mane, and lack of muscle, it was obvious this horned freak had never worked a day in her life. A disgusted snort escaped as Applejack pawed at the ground. The guard immediately went to smack her with the back of his spear, but the white mare held out a hoof.

"M'lady, are you certain?" The guard looked at the white mare curiously. "There are far better workers than this one. She is strong, yes, but she has been bought and sold more times than I can count. Every owner thinks they can break her,bu-"

"Bulwark darling, I am absolutely certain. This mare is essential for my next big project, so please be a dear and pay Nine Tails the required sum," replied the mare.

She took a single step into Applejack's cell and the earth pony lunged forward, aiming directly for that pretty face. A shimmering red barrier appeared at the last second, causing Applejack to slam into it head face and stumble back dazed.

"Lady Rarity, are you certain?" asked Bulwark as he pressed his spear against Applejack's throat to keep her down. "She is a danger to your life."

"Bulwark, please pay the owner of this mare the allocated amount, or need I raise my voice?"

As far as threats went, it was the worst Applejack had ever heard, but for whatever reason, Bulwark immediately backed off with a low bow and said, "As you command m'lady."

Once he was out of sight, the white unicorn turned to Applejack with a small smile on her face. "Terribly sorry about that darling, Bulwark means well, and he is a fabulous guard, but I'm afraid he doesn't understand some of the... finer points in life."

The slave stood up slowly, casting a curious and very cautious glance at Rarity who merely sat there in her cell as though she wasn't in any danger at all. Not only was she some prissy mare, but she was also an idiot. Or perhaps just naive, but in Applejack's mind, that was not an improvement.

From the silence, it was clear Rarity expected some sort of reply and when she didn't get one, her smile faltered just a bit. "I suppose your silence is not uncommon. You must have been rendered speechless by my divine grace and charm!"

Applejack merely cocked an eyebrow. Now things were starting to get weird.

"Fine, be that way," said Rarity as she turned around with a huff. "See if I care."

Silence.

Rarity's shoulders slumped and she walked out the door, gently closing it behind her, leaving Applejack in darkness with nothing to light up the room apart from some glowing moss in a particularly damp corner. Silently, she moved back into the corner of the room that she used for sleeping and lay down on the hard, cold ground. There were no furnishings, no color, nothing. Dirt as far as the eye could see. Even beyond the bars that served as her door, all she could see was dirt.

After a minute or two, a shadow passed over the door and it creaked open. Before Applejack could even react, she was violently thrown against the wall, light blue chains keeping her in place as a muzzle was placed over her face followed by chains to restrict her movement. Though she couldn't see anything, she could feel Nine Tails' hot breath against her neck.

"Goodbye my pretty, I'm going to miss you, you know." His hoof trailed along Applejack's cheek, and if it weren't for the muzzle, she would have bitten off the limb entirely. "Hopefully your new mistress will love you just as much as I did. If I didn't need the bits so badly, I would never let you go."

He took a single step to the side and tossed her out the door, causing Applejack to roll across the ground until she slammed into the wall. Groaning, Applejack shifted slightly and felt blood trickle through her fur as the wound on her thigh opened up. The pain barely registered as she stood up, a snarl on her face as she faced Nine Tails. The unicorn merely smiled sweetly as he began dragging her along the ground, deliberately binding her legs so that there was no way she'd be able to walk or fight back. Stones dug into her body, the dirt was smeared across her coat, and Applejack growled up a storm.

Eventually though, the ground changed to the smooth surface of polished marble and she found herself tossed across the ground yet again. Muscles tensed as she waited for that jolt of pain from her bones breaking on impact, but there was nothing. Her good eye cracked open, revealing a pair of pure white hooves as she felt herself being lowered onto the ground.

"Bulwark, be a dear and pay Nine Tails half of the agreed amount," said Rarity.

"What! You canno-"

"Can't I?" The pleasantness in Rarity's voice scared Applejack far more than any threat Nine Tails had ever made. "Tell me, what sort of buyer would pay for a slave in this condition? Especially since I last saw her healthy and fit, if a bit bruised. Mister Nine Tails, the cost of healing her and the time she cannot work will exceed my payment to you. So, I have a very simple offer to you, either take the half payment or take her back."

"How da-"

"Oh, I dare." Now there was an edge in Rarity's voice. "Now, I'm a busy mare Mister Nine Tails, so pick."

For the next ten seconds he spluttered in rage, and if not for the guard, there was little doubt he would have struck Rarity. With a final snarl of frustration, he spat out, "Half price then."

"Pleasure doing business with you. Bulwark, pay the good sir." The spells binding Applejack were shattered. "Come now dear, let us be off. Do you have any warm clothing? No? Well now, that won't do at all. Bulwark darling, please teleport us out."

Before Applejack could get a single sound out, she was blinded by a brilliant flash of red light and she found herself on some stone floor somewhere. Raising shakily onto her legs, the world around her spun and she collapsed back down onto the ground.

"Stitch! Quick Stitch, get down here, there's some pony that needs medical attention," called Rarity before turning to Bulwark. "Darling, if it's not too much hassle, could you please tell the guards about Nine Tail's mistreatment of his slaves? Be sure to mention that he has earth ponies and that they are a valuable commodity in the current climate."

Once more with that silent bow before teleporting away. A second later, heavy hoofbeats filled the air as a dark green unicorn stumbled into view with medical kit held in her magic. Though she tripped on the last step, Quick Stitch managed to catch herself and came to a skidding halt before Applejack.

"Really Rarity? You called me down to patch up this piece of filth?" she asked.

"Please be a dear and stitch up her leg and send her up to my workroom once you are done." Rarity paused at the steps and threw a smile over her shoulder. "I also hope Sweetie wasn't too much hassle to take care of."

"Of course not. Now do your work Rarity, you've got a lot of orders to fill by next week."

"Yes dear," chuckled the white mare as she vanished from sight.

"That filly, I swear she'll work herself to death one day," muttered Quick Stitch as she pulled out a needle and some thread. "Now, are you going to stay still and let me do what I need to, or will I have to tie you down?"

Applejack deliberately moved back in a show of defiance.

"Very well." With a dramatic sigh, Stitch's horn lit up and the earth pony suddenly found herself bound in magical chains. "Now this will hurt you a lot more than it does me."

The needle stabbed into Applejack's flank causing her wince in pain. Truth be told, it wasn't that painful, in fact, she barely felt it. But just seeing that needle go in again and again made her skin crawl. Within seconds the wound was sewn shut and the blood washed off while Stitch hummed a perky song.

"Now be a good filly and go see Rarity before she starts calling for you." When Applejack didn't move, Quick Stitch sighed. "Look, I don't like you at all. In fact, I wouldn't care if you ended up outside in the freezing cold and dead, so I suggest you do as I ask or I will use force to get you moving."

Once more with the deliberate move backwards.

And once more Applejack found herself bound up in magic. Instead of being dragged across the ground though, she hovered in mid-air behind Quick Stitch as they made their way up the steps and into the single messiest room she had ever laid eyes on. Fabric lay everywhere, paper littered the ground, objects that could only be described as things from Applejack's nightmares spun around in a miniature tornado, and at the center of it all was Rarity. Mane a mess and coat slick with sweat, her eyes darted between two sketches before her.

"Quick Sketch! I need that-"

The green unicorn coughed politely.

"Oh! Quick Sketch, there are you, and you have the earth pony with you? Perfect. Place her on the pedestal please." Without even glancing in their direction, Rarity rushed out the side door and came back a second later with a roll of light blue fabric.

For a split second, Applejack considered struggling, but what was the point? It's not as though she could have broken the hold or escaped, and it's not like she was in any immediate danger. So instead she let herself be manipulated and tied down to the small, round platform. Even before she had been fully secured, fabrics began wrapping around her body this way and that, while Rarity muttered under her breath.

A shudder passed through Applejack's body as she felt Rarity's chest brush up against her shoulder, and when the unicorn's hoof roamed over Applejack's flank to smooth down the fabric, her back hooves lashed out in a powerful buck. The only thing that stopped Rarity's head from being caved in were the magical tethers that prevented Applejack's legs from raising more than an inch off the ground. Completely oblivious to her near death experience, Rarity continued on with her work, smoothing out the fabric here and there. Every single last touch, no matter how light, sent disgust through her body, and more than once she tried to attack her new master.

Still, the white unicorn worked away. Eventually she stepped back to admire her work before her horn began glowing while it was pointed straight at Applejack. Fear immediately gripped the earth pony as she struggled against the bonds, trying her hardest to get out of the line of fire. If there was one thing she had learnt while being a slave, it was to never ever stand in front of a unicorn when they were using that much magic. Very bad things tended to happen, like missing limbs or a new hole appearing.

"Miss Rarity, perhaps removing the clothes first would be a good idea?" said Quick Stitch.

For a second, Rarity just stared at her helper as though she was some foreigner.

"Oh, right, how silly of me." The clothes were stripped off Applejack's sweat soaked body and Rarity laid them out on the table beside her. Once more her horn powered up and the clothes began glowing bright blue, burning weird symbols into the fabric. Whatever it was she was doing though, she seemed satisfied with it as she handed it over to Quick Stitch and drew out even more fabric.With a gulp, Applejack glanced over at Quick Stitch who merely replied with an all too sweet smile.

At least it was better than working in the freezing fields.

"Darling, you haven't even told me your name, I can't just keep calling you 'pony' after all. That'd be so terribly uncouth me of me," said Rarity.

A snort escaped from Applejack as she glared at the white mare. Did this unicorn really think she was that stupid? That was the first move any unicorn did when trying to win a slave's trust, and as the countless stories revealed, it was always a lie. Plus, her name was something her mother had given her. The only thing her mother had given her and this mare just expected her to give that up so easily?

No.

It was Applejack's and Applejack's alone. It was her treasure. It was the greatest treasure that ever existed, and it was not something she was going to give up so easily. It was something she would never give up willingly, especially not to some horned freak of nature.

After a full minute of silence, Rarity sighed and turned back to her work.

"A mute, Mistress?" asked Quick Fix with a frown. "I know you were looking for a model, but a mute dirt pony?"

A model? At those words, Applejack cocked an eyebrow at Rarity in surprise.

A soft chuckle escaped when Rarity noticed the confused expression from both ponies. "Muscular female earth ponies have a similar body shape and muscle mass to the guards, and considering the amount of orders I have to make for the army, I need a permanent model in store. As for being mute... well... that was unexpected, but not necessarily a bad thing."

"Reprieve from your dear sister?" chuckled Quick Stitch.

"Quite right, though another unic- pony to chat with would not be amiss." Rarity paused and eyed the earth pony critically. "Quick Stitch, please remind me to make a new collar for the mare and to clean her up. Just because she is an earthy pony does not mean she should stay dirty." A shudder passed through her thin frame. "I'd feel better if she were clean."

Rarity began trailing her hooves over Applejack's body again, seeing how the clothing fit and how it acted when she moved. At first, Applejack's growl was barely audible, but as the number of touches increased, so did the volume until it was impossible even for Rarity to ignore. A nervous giggle escaped her as she took a step back from the earth pony. For the next ten seconds, they regarded each other silently before Rarity sighed and put her tools down.

"Very well. Quick Stitch, please take..." She paused, waiting for Applejack to give a name, but when none came, she sighed yet again and continued, "Please take her to her room and ensure she knows where the bathroom is."

"Of course Lady Rarity." She gave a deep bow and picked the earth pony up with her magic. "Is it alright if I take the rest of the night off? My brother will be home from deployment tonight and I-"

"Oh! Of course." The glow around Applejack changed to Rarity's light blue aura. "You head on out and I'll take care of the latest addition to our household. And no arguments you hear? Go! Get."

Laughter echoed through the room as Quick Stitch was pushed out the door.

"As for you." Rarity whirled around to face Applejack. "A bath would do you a world of good and make you feel so much better. 'Tis a shame we only have enough water for one bath though. Ah well, on the morrow fair knight!"

Yet another flash of light, yet more dizziness, and it was only after a long minute that she realized she was sitting in a hole carved in stone that was full of water. A quick survey told Applejack that the white mare was nowhere in sight, and that it was probably the fanciest bathroom she had even seen. The mere fact that it had a door put it miles ahead of what she had access to in the past. For a brief second, she entertained the idea of just getting out without washing anything off, just to piss off that mare. Plus, it's not as though she wasn't used to being dirty for long periods of time.

But...

Just being there in a pool of warm water, letting it soak her fur and ease her joints was like Elysium itself and... there'd be time for rebelling later. For now though, she would soak in the bath for a little while, maybe wash out the some of the dirt if she felt like it. For now though, she was just going to lie in this very hard and uncomfortable pit full of very warm and perfect water while she absolutely did not wash the dirt out of her fur. And she most certainly did not enjoy every single last second of it either.

Though the water had grown cold and it had turned a dark brown color filled with dead bugs, Applejack continued to lounge in a completely uncomfortable position, doing an activity she most assuredly did not enjoy. It was only when the water was practically black and as cold as outside that she finally brought herself to get out and noticed the glowing blue shield around her wound. With a shrug, she began drying herself off before tossing the towel on the ground and stepping out.

As soon as the door was opened, Rarity stood there with an all too wide grin on her face. "Looks like some unico-pony enjoyed their bath." Her gaze raked over Applejack's body, almost as though she was drinking everything in. "And I must say, you clean up very nicely. Very nicely indeed. I will admit I was uncertain about buying a slave, but your body is exquisite. Almost perfectly in line with the average male warrior, though a tad too bulky for females."

For her part, Applejack merely cocked an eyebrow.

"Ah yes, that reminds me, your room!" Rarity began walking up the stairs and Applejack followed silently. "You shall be staying in the guest room beside my own. It's a bit on the small side, but it should be large enough for your needs."

The door swung open to reveal the largest bedroom the Applejack had ever seen. Four ponies long and four ponies wide, it was just large enough to fit a bed in there and it even had a small bedside table that looked as though it was going to fall apart at any second. Still, it had a door, and she wouldn't be sleeping on the ground, so it was well beyond what she was used to.

"Well my room is just across the hallway. Feel free to knock if you need anything." Once more with that pleasant smile, and once more she was ignored. "A-Alright then... Good night darling."

The door shut with a soft click and Applejack waited for the inevitable sound of the door being locked. When none came, she placed a hoof on the door handle and slowly turned it, blinking in surprise when it creaked open. The door was immediately shut as Applejack took in a deep breath. Was this a trick? A test? Yes, that was it, it was all a trick. Leave the door unlocked, so that when she stepped outside they'd have an excuse to whip her. Well she wasn't falling for that. In fact, the whole 'be nice' trick was so overdone and so blatant, it was rather insulting that they thought she'd fall for it. Sure, Applejack may not have been educated, but that did not make her an idiot.

As inviting the bed looked though, Applejack tore herself away and instead curled up on the ground. Sure it was cold and hard and the most uncomfortable ground she had ever slept on, but she was not about to sleep on the bed. A bath was where she drew the line and not one step further.

She shuffled and rolled and stretched and shifted, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not get comfortable. In the end though, after a minute, or maybe an hour, she finally fell into a deep slumber.

Chapter 2

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Some days Dash was proud to be in charge of this little outpost. Those days usually had everything go right. Days where no pegasi complained about Thunderlane hitting on them, the twins didn’t cause any accidents, and there were most certainly no kitchen disasters involving a certain cocky second in command thinking she could cook. At least Lightning Dust was caught before she could poison everypegasus like last time, so that was a plus. A quick glance at the report on Dash's desk also told her that none of the new recruits had any bones broken, yet, and that production was up. Not by much, but enough to keep the higher-ups off her back for a while longer.

Dash threw both hooves onto her desk and leaned back, a series of cracks echoing through the empty room as she stretched her limbs. A sigh escaped as the stiffness in her shoulders eased up, followed by a loud crack as Dash turned her head from side to side. With a deliberate slowness, she stood up and began pacing the room, stretching out her limbs and trying to work some warmth back into them. After a minute of pacing, there was a polite knock on the door and Dash immediately threw herself back into her seat and buried her face in her reports.

"Come in!" she called while trying to look busy. "Listen, if this is about Thunderlane, save it. I've already talked to him twice this morning, and he's promised to behave, alright?"

"Oh... um... tha-"

"Fluttershy!" With a flap of her wings, Dash shot across the room and slammed the door shut. "You're early, wasn't expecting you so soon." The cyan pegasus began brushing out her mane. "What are you doing here so soon? Aren't you meant to be helping out in the clinic right now?"

"Are you... are you alright? Something didn't go wrong I hope. Oh dear, please tell me Lightning didn't get into the kitchen again – not that she's bad at cooking or anything! It's just... um..." Whatever else Fluttershy was saying trailed off into soft squeaks.

"Don't worry, Dust didn't do anything too bad before we caught her," said Dash.

"You know she doesn't like being called that," replied Fluttershy in the soft, almost apologetic way of hers.

"Which is why I call her that." A cocky grin was thrown Shy's way, but it was clear they both knew it was strained. So the two sat there in complete silence, as Dash tried to work up the courage to confront her longtime friend. It wasn't that she was scared. After all, Rainbow Dash wasn't afraid of anything! But... this was emotions and stuff, and worst of all, it was Fluttershy. Though she'd never admit it out loud, Dash never pried into the folders of her friends and always let them make their own choices. Sure, maybe with a bit of input here and there just to make sure they didn't pick the wrong option, but this was totally different. This was – urgh – love.

A minute passed, then two, and as the third began ticking by, Fluttershy finally spoke up, "Um... Dash, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Dash took one last deep breath before tossing a folder before Fluttershy. "Your birthday is coming up and you haven't taken a mate." With both forelegs under the table and her wings wrapped tightly around her body, Dash hid her sweaty limbs.

"Well, no..."

"Have you picked somepegasus yet?"

"No..." Cheeks bright red, the shy pegasus hid behind her mane.

"Do you even think of any pegasi in that manner?"

All that could be heard was a squeak, though whether that came from Fluttershy or the chair was another matter entirely. From her down turned gaze, crimson cheeks, and overall body language though, it was clear to Dash that Fluttershy did not have a single pegasus in mind, and that all added up to an impossibly massive headache. But now was not the time for Dash to feel sorry for herself. All it took was a quick slap to her own face for everything to snap back into perspective, allowing her to focus on what truly mattered.

There was no way Dash was letting Fluttershy marry some colt, that much was certain. With her personality, she would not be able to say no, and that meant some sick bastard rubbing himself all over Shy. The mere thought was enough to send shudders down Dash's spine and make her want to puke. As far as Dash was concerned, males could not be trusted at all, give them an inch and they'd drug the drink, rape the filly and leave her in a ditch somewhere.

That left one, and only one, option.

Run.

They needed to run, to get away and find somewhere safe to stay for the rest of their lives. Sure, such a place probably didn't exist, but it'd still be better than hanging around in this dump or getting it on with some slimy stallion. Plus, if that horned freak could survive in the wild, then Rainbow Dash could as well. There was no doubt about that! Plus, they'd be able to nab some supplies and food from storage,and the abandoned Diamond Dog caves were nearby so they'd have some shelter as well.Yes, that was their only option and that was exactly how they were going to do things.

Dash grabbed a quill and began scribbling on a scrap bit of paper. "Okay, I want you to go to storage and grab all these items and bring them back here. If anyone asks, tell them it's for some secret mission or something. Drop them off in my room – you still have the keys right? Good. Drop them off there and then come see me in my room once everypegasus goes to sleep."

"Um..." For a brief second it looked as though Fluttershy was about to ask what was going on, but under Dash's intense gaze, she nodded meekly. "O-Okay."

"Great!" Back on her hooves, Dash began pushing Fluttershy out the door. "I promise to explain everything then, okay?"

"It's nothing brash right?" There was no accusation in her tone of voice, only concern. "You've thought this through... right? Not that I'm implying anything about you, but... um... you do tend to rush in without thinking and, oh dear. I mea-"

"Don't worry, I've got everything under control." All it took was a confident grin and everything was back to normal.

"Al-Alright," said Fluttershy as she stared down at the list. Before she had a chance to say anything further, Dash was already racing down the hall. There was too much to do, too much to plan for everything to go off without a hitch, and perhaps most importantly, she needed to come up with something to tell Lightning Dust. That one single fact almost had her want to call the entire thing off, but she steeled herself. After all, this was for Fluttershy,and that made it more important than anything else.

Taking the vertical corridor straight up, Dash quickly found one of the many entrances that led to the surface. She didn't bother slowing down as she buttoned up her heavy duty jacket before bursting out the door, sending snow in all directions. A quick shake removed all the snow as she began her lazy spiral upwards. It took less than a second for Dash to locate Lightning Dust. All she had to do was follow the sounds of pain and agony. Sometimes she still wondered if she was drunk when she named Lightning second in command and in charge of training the new recruits.

High above the land, Dash had a perfect vision of the recruits as they weaved through the forest of frozen trees while Lightning tossed snowballs from above. From the look of things, about a quarter were down either from exhaustion or getting hit, another third were injured, and the remaining few were driven on by nothing but primal fear. One was close to the finish li- Nope, got taken down by a snowball.Huh, still did better than most though.

Within the minute, the rest of the recruits were down and out for good. Most were reduced to moaning for their mother or groaning unintelligible things that probably had something to do with praying to the sun and moon or equally nonsensical things. Wings snapping shut, Dash plummeted straight down, blasting past Lightning with enough force to toss her aside. At the last possible second, Dash threw her wings open causing gale force winds to expand in all directions. Snow was thrown in all directions, giving her a nice flat platform to land on.Not to mention it drew every single eye to her awesomeness, but that was an unnecessary and totally accidental consequence that was not at all intended.

It was a shame all the recruits were unconscious or verging on it.

"Lightning Dust, what did I tell you about drilling them to death?" sighed Dash as she nudged a red pegasus.

"Oooooh, last name ultimatum, you going to spank me too?" Lightning landed next to Dash with a snowball in hoof. "It's not my fault this batch was so bad. I mean, come on! Last time, somepegasus actually managed to make it to the end."

"And Fluttershy had to confine him to bed for a week.”

"At least I didn't use lightning this time, so cut me some slack." At Dash's flat look, Lightning growled, "Hey, you made me the head trainer, so trust me, I know what I'm doing. So back off will you?"

"Alright, alright." Dash glanced over at the recruits. "Get them out of here, we need to talk."

"Is this about the... er..." The next word was spoken in a hushed whisper, "horned freak?"

It took all of Dash's willpower to not slam her head against the ground. All day she felt as though she had forgotten about something important, something that she had to do, but with all the complaints and reports, and that one thing she had to write to try to get the slaves moved to better quarters, and argh! Hopefully that monster hadn't done anything other than read some dusty, moldy books.

"Yes," replied Dash, keeping her voice neutral, "the Wonderbolt's discovered her hiding hole to the north of here and they want me to check it out. I'll be taking Fluttershy and some others with me on an expedition to see if we can find anything, so you'll probably be in charge for a while."

"Alright. I take it you don't want me to do a better job of running the place while you're gone?" smirked Lightning. "After all, don't want to be showing everypegasus what a lazy and bad leader you are, now would we?"

"More like you'd be afraid of showing just how much of an airhead you really are," replied Dash. "Plus, we both know that if you took charge for more than a week, they would start rebelling in order to take down the evil dictator who drills them to death on a daily basis."

"What are you talking about? They love me!"

"Suuuuuuuuure." After a brief pause, Dash sighed and placed a hoof on Lightning's shoulder. "Listen, I know I don't say this a lot, but you're a good friend, and... well... don't get yourself killed alright? I'd rather not go into Tartarus to drag your sorry flank back out."

"Please, we both know the first one dropping dead will be you, you old geezer."

"Old geezer!? I'm barely a month older than you." An easy grin appeared. "Plus, you know what they say, respect your elders."

"What's that? I can't hear you over all the praise I'm getting from doing your job better than you." All it took was a cocked eyebrow and a glance down at the half dead pegasus at Dash's feet for Lightning to get the message.

"Oh shut up," growled Lightning as she threw the snowball at Dash's face. "Hey losers! On your feet, one last run, and if you're the last one standing, you get a prize."

Like a band of zombies, the group shuffled onto their feet, or at least tried to, and began the long walk back to the starting line. With the amount of groaning, they even sounded like they were dead.

"Faster!" yelled Lightning and they immediately leapt into action, trudging along at a pace that was barely faster than a slave faking an injury. "By the sun, this batch of recruits sucks."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll bring it up in my next report," said Dash. "Remember, you'll be acting commander tonight, so get back early and make sure everything's run-"

"Yes mom." Another eye roll. "Seriously, can I go now or do you want to tell me to eat my vegetables as well?"

"Dust, eat your vegetables." Tilting her head to the side, Dash just managed to avoid getting a face full of snow. With a mighty flap of her wings, Dash took the sky, easily avoiding all the projectiles being tossed in her direction.

Just as Dash was about to start heading back through, Dust yelled from below, "Hey Dash! You better come back in one piece, I've still got to totally kick your ass in that race you promised me."

"Ha! As if!" Dash yelled in reply before rushing back to base. There was no smoke that she could see and there was no crater. So far the ground lacked any dead bodies, though there were plenty of dirt ponies working the frozen fields. From the outside, none of the ground had collapsed in, but this was a uni-whore she was dealing with,and that made things infinitely trickier. For all Dash knew, this could be some sort of illusion designed to make everything look fine, and as soon as she landed, she'd be impaled on an icicle or something.

After a deep breath, Dash snapped her wings shut, allowing herself to drop straight down through one of the many ventilation shafts that also acted as entrances. Once she reached the bottom most level, Dash can to a gentle stop before gliding along, her belly fur mere inches from the ground. Eyes narrowed, she focused on her job and why she was down there, rather than how close the walls were or how far underground she was. There was a reason her room and study had a small window where she could she see the sky, not that it had anything do with being afraid. After all, she was Rainbow Dash, and she most certainly wasn't afraid of anything.

Eventually she finally found herself staring into a dark and dusty room that smelt worse than Lightning's laundry. With her back to the door, hunched over a book was that purple mare, seemingly unconscious of the fact that her candle had burnt out a long time ago. Dash watched as the unicorn turned the page with a stiff hoof, her actions jerky and almost mechanical looking. As the unicorn continued, completely oblivious to Dash's presence, the cyan pegasusunsheathed the dagger she always kept on herself. It didn't matter if it was a horned freak or some piece of filth, a dagger between the shoulder blades would kill just fine. After all, that unicorn was a monster, a traitor, the worst sort of pony imaginable. That unicorn betrayed her own species, there was little doubt in that she'd betray the pegasi even faster.

Dash took a step forward, her grip on her dagger tightening as she eyed her target. The book suddenly slammed shut, causing Dash's wings to flare open as she instinctively dropped into a fighting pose. After a couple of seconds, her heartbeat began slowing down, but she could still feel the adrenaline pumping through her system as the unicorn continued her search through the moldy books.With one last deep breath to calm her nerves, Dash's eyes narrowed as she adjusted her grip on the knife. One shot was all it took and one shot was she had.

"Hey buster, layer a hoof and on her and I'll melt your face.”

The pegasus immediately skipped back, body tensed and eyes darting everywhere. She knew it! Dash fucking knew that slimy unicorn would sneak more unicorns in. How many where there already? Ten?Twenty? Fucking Tartarus! She was such a fucking idiot.

"Up here featherbrain." Dash began stepping backwards until her back touched the wall so she could keep the unicorn in her field of version as she glanced up. There, in a dark corner of the ceiling, a pair of green eyes staring down at her.

Fucking perfect.It wasn't another unicorn, of course not! That'd be far too easy for a mare like Rainbow Dash. No, up there was probably a demon from the pits of Tartarus, or maybe some mutant creature from nightmares, or maybe even some mechanical being fueled from the souls of dead foals. Despite everything, Dash couldn't help but smile at the new development. There were lots of ways to go out, but fighting some spawn of Tartarus in order to defend her base? Nothing could even come close to the awesomeness of that death.

"Oh yes, fight a dragon, what a brilliant plan," said the voice as Dash spread her wings. "Watch out folks, we're dealing with a real tactical genius here!"

"Spike! Spiiiiiiiiiiiike grab me that dark green book. The one with the faded titled and missing contents page," yelled Twilight.

There was a moment of silence before the creature sighed and drifted down from the ceiling. At first all that Dash could make out was that it had leather wings and four legs, but soon she could make out purple scales and green spikes. Finally entering the dim light, Dash could make out just how large the dragon was and laughter immediately burst forth. Hooves in the air, tears leaking down her cheek, Dash laughed harder than she had ever laughed before. Dragons were meant to be large and fierce, with the ability to destroy entire towns with a single blast of fire. But this dragon? Small enough to sit on her shoulder, and the best part was, it was being ordered around by a unicorn!

Wait.

If she could order around a dragon did that mean she was mind controlling it?

"Twilight," whined the miniature dragon.

"No but's mister. You said you'd he-" The unicorn finally turned around and blinked in surprise when she caught sight of Dash. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," snarled Dash. "Who the fuck said you could bring a bloody dragon in here? What else haven't you told me? What else are you hiding?"

"A parasprite in my pocket," replied Twilight.

"And a cockatrice in mine," chuckled the dragon, a bit of flame escaping.

"No flames around books, you know that. Also, what have I said about using sarcasm?" asked Twilight.

For a brief second it looked as though Spike was about to reply with some snarky comment, but the look in Twilight's eye stopped him. With a grumble, he settled himself on Twilight's shoulder, his gaze never once leaving Dash's. When the unicorn turned around to face Dash once more, the dragon pulled a claw across his throat and pointed at the cyan pegasus.

"Now what do you want?" asked Twilight again, this time with an edge in her voice.

"I want you to leave." Dash shifted her grip on the dagger, wishing that she was wearing her gauntlets instead. "Tonight."

"That was not our agreement." On her shoulder, the dragon snarled, green flames licking at the edges of his snout. "A week. A week in exchange for the information I gave and I've only been here for three days."

"An agreement you made with Soarin, and an agreement that did not include a dragon." The two ponies began circling each other. "You broke your side of the agreement, so you leave."

"You agreed to no harm, and you were about to attack Twilight," hissed Spike.

"She broke the agreement first!" yelled Dash.

"You didn-"

"Spike? Shut up." Even in the middle of a yelling match, Twilight managed to keep her tone neutral. "Tomorrow night. We'll leave then."

"Fuck you. I say you leave tonight, so you'll leave tonight." Dash took a step forward, wings unfurling. "This is my outpost. This is my responsibility. You will fucking leave tonight, but whether that's alive or dead is up to you."

"Alive of course," smirked Spike. "The only dead thing will be you."

"Someone's cocky. Want to put your hooves where your mouth is?"

"Ain't got no hooves sor-"

"Spike!" snapped Twilight. "Apologize now."

There was a pause as the two gazed at each other. After a couple of seconds, the dragon turned back to Dash and muttered something under his breath. Though it was clear it wasn't any sort of apology, it seemed to satisfy the unicorn.

"We'll leave at midnight," said Twilight.

Dash opened her mouth to argue further, only to slow close it again. As much as she wanted the freak out as soon as possible, arguing further would be pointless. It'd not only be a waste of time, but a waste of energy as well. Plus, Dash didn't want to breathe the same air as that monster a second longer. Just being in Twilight's general vicinity made Dash want to smash something to pieces – preferably that unicorn's face.

"Whatever." With her gaze locked on the duo, Dash began backing out of the room. "As long as you're gone by the time I check tomorrow morning."

The unicorn immediately turned back to whatever it was she was doing, but the dragon continued watching with those unnaturally green eyes of his. As soon as she was out of the room, Dash kicked the broken door shut and immediately leapt into the air, tearing through the subterranean corridors at speeds few could ever hope to achieve. The pegasus ignored all the startled cries and oaths as she zipped between pegasi with expert precision before skidding to a halt before her room. A hoof ran through her sweaty mane as she shifted her wings nervously and brushed some imaginary dirt off her jacket. After a deep breath, she pushed it open and quickly shut it behind her, making sure to lock it.

There, lying before her on the ground, were the supplies she had asked for. Two saddlepacks full of hay, some shoddy, but workable equipment, a medical kit, and most importantly, the warmest clothes they had in stock. It'd be enough for a couple days of travel, maybe a week if they really rationed everything, and the clothes would be enough as long as they had shelter, but even then Dash had her doubts. It was one thing to be nice and safe within an outpost, but out there? No walls, no food waiting for her, no nothing. One misstep, one single fuck up and they'd both be dead.

As much as she hated admitting it to herself, that thought scared Dash.

Here, in the safety and comfort of her base, Dash knew she could make mistakes. By Tartarus, she had made them in the past! But each and every time, there was some pegasus there to catch it. Some pegasus to notice and to fix it, and in the rare occasions when that didn't happen, they always managed to recover. Sure, things could get difficult if a supply delivery was delayed or if they had a particularly bad haul, but they always had reserves. But out there?With enough food to last seven days at the absolute most?

Worst of all, a single wrong move ended with Fluttershy’s dead body. Maybe they accidentally wandered into a manticore den, or maybe the diamond dogs hadn't left the cave system. Maybe a blizzard suddenly came up, or there was an avalanche. Maybe they run into some gryphons out hunting. Maybe...

No!

Dash shook her head and slapped herself. This was the wrong time to start second guessing herself, after all, she was Rainbow Dash! Coolest, fastest, awesomest pony ever. If anything, the weather should be afraid of crossing The Dash because if it did, The Dash would kick that weather's flank so hard it would stop snowing. Yeah, that was it. There was nothing to fear, as long as Dash was on the job, everything would turn out perfectly.

After all, how couldn't it? She was Rainbow-fucking-Dash.

"Oh darling, do you think this persian blue is better or this palatinate blue?" Rarity held up two pieces of cloth that were the exact same color. "Persian or palatinate? Palatinate or persian? Hmmm...maybe if I changed the ivory to floral white? What do you think?"

Applejack merely rolled her eyes in response. It had been two days since she ended up being stuck with the fussy unicorn, and already, the orange pony wanted to kill herself. Talk, talk, talk. Every single second of every single minute was filled with useless chatter about the most inane things,ranging from what some stupid unicorn was doing to some shade of blue that Applejack had never heard of before in her life, and would probably never hear of again. Why couldn't she have been born deaf?

"Idea!" said Rarity in a sing song voice. "I'll switch the ivory to honeydew, and use persian with a hint of maya blue. I dare say, I will never get the hang of crafting these tacky camouflage suits. Why, just think how magnificent this could look if I were allowed to let my creativity run free! Embellish the collar a bit, remove the back sleeves entirely, give it a bit more flow and form, and it'd be beautiful. "

A groan escaped as Applejack resisted the urge to slam her face against the nearest available object. She sent a prayer to the moon, sun, and stars in the hopes that it would somehow stop the unicorn from going on for a couple hours about how her talents were being wasted. And the tears. Dear sun and moon, please no tears. Once was enough to scar her for life, a second time would end with Applejack doing something she’d regret, like submitting to a makeover or something just to shut that mare up. To think a mare could be so weak and frivolous.

One minute. That was how long that unicorn would survive in the freezing fields. One damned minute. Actually, she'd last less than ten seconds in a slave pen, let alone actually doing work! Just look at her, those slim legs, firm body, without a hint of muscle anywhere her. Not to mention that all-too-frail frame and those delicate hooves would break as soon as a fight broke out for food. A day and she'd be dead, there was no doubt about that.

"Ah yes, before I forget darling, Bulwark has moved your belongings into my room." How Rarity managed to sound embarrassed over something most owners never bothered with to begin with was mind boggling. "I hope you do not mind, but I fear your bedroom is the only one that can be spared."

Great.

Applejack wanted to scream in frustration at that little tidbit of information. She had been biding her time, waiting until she could scrounge together enough food and fabric to survive outside before leaving, but now? Now that was a pipe dream. Then again, she could always kill the unicorn in her sleep.

Before Applejack could follow that particular line of reasoning any further, there was a flash of light out the corner of her eye. She turned her head only for Rarity to yank it back into position as she began wrapping some gauze like fabric around her neck and chest.

"Now, is that too tight? Too restricting? You can still move correct?"

Applejack merely glared at the fashionista.

"Right, can't talk." Next thing Applejack knew, her head was forced to turn this way and that as Rarity grabbed it in her magic. Out the corner of her eye, she noticed Bulwark standing there with his usual stoic expression.

"I suppose it will have to do for now," sighed Rarity. "Such a shame we do not have better fabrics. How much I would pay to get my hooves on some wool!"

"Miss Rarity, I fear your finances would not be able to handle another frivolous 'artistic binge' as you put it so aptly," said Bulwark.

"Ah, Bulwark darling, just the stallion I was looking for." All of a sudden, the stallion stood on the platform next to Applejack as Rarity forced him into an outfit she had created earlier that morning. "Hm... A bit tight across the chest, the back looks as though it could do with some loosening as well, though all the mares will have my flank if they heard me say that. What do you think..." Rarity paused, staring at Applejack, "...um... Orange? No, no, that will not do. It just won't do at all! 'Orange'! By the stars, what was I thinking? Come now, Rarity, you can do better than that. Of course, how silly of me.Golden. I shall refer to you as Golden."

All the response she got from that was a death glare.

"Right." Rarity gave a dainty little cough before turning to Bulwark, "How's your mobility, darling?"

After a couple of stretches and trots, Bulwark happily announced, "Worse than what the pegasi wear, but definitely warmer."

"Have they managed to identify the fabric yet? It looks smoother than silk and far softer than anything we have." Applejack slowly backed away as Rarity levitated needles and other sharp things around Bulwark. For their part, Bulwark looked as he always did and Rarity continued talking in that absentminded way of hers, "It's a shame they won't let us artists look at the thread, but I have heard such wonderful things about it. If we can figure out how they made it so light and flexible, it could revolutionize my garments! Just think of all the wondrous creations I could divine with such tools."

"Lady Rarity, if I may interrupt," said Bulwark though the mass of fabrics wrapped around his head, "but you told me to remind you that you've got a meeting with your mother today. Something about dinner I believe."

"Oh yes, of course darling, thank you for reminding me."

The two sane ponies exchanged a glance before looking back at Rarity who continued humming her tune while working away. After a second Bulwark cleared his throat and said, "You will need to leave now to arrive on time."

"Mmhm."

"Lady Rarity, are you even listening to a word I am saying?"

"Of course," she said without even blinking or pausing in her sewing.

"I think an olive green woul-"

"How dare you!" Fast as a snake, Rarity was on Bulwark, a murderous glint in her eyes. "No shade of green, especially not such a ghastly shade, shall ever touch this fa-" A second. Then three. Ten seconds passed before she finally figured out what happened. Great, not only was she weak, she was also an airhead.

"Well played Bulwark," remarked Rarity. With a sigh, she moved the fabrics back to their rightful place letting Applejack stretched out her limbs. "Very well, let us leave."

"Um..." Bulwark eyes flickered over to Applejack. "All three of us?"

"Of course, darling, surely you didn't think I'd leave her here all alone, did you?" asked Rarity as she checked her appearance in the pony length mirror. "I assure you, she will not pose a threat to mother or Sweetie Belle."

"Well at least I will be earning my pay.”

"Darling, you always earn your pay." Rarity touched the young stallion on the cheek before brushing past and walking out the door.

For a brief second, Bulwark stood there, mouth slightly open with a bright red tinge on his cheeks, but then he caught Applejack's look and quickly looked away. As long as they weren't loud, Applejack didn't give a damn what they did in private, but she needed her peace and quiet to plan. Actually, more noise would allow her to get around more easily.

Applejack eyed Bulwark curiously. Sure, he was a tad on the young side, but he was definitely attractive if Rarity was into that sort of thing. Muscular, polite, a tad distant, but with a bit of nudging here and there… And Applejack was certain she could help push the two together. Very risky, but the rewards would be beyond imagination.

For now though, Applejack would watch and wait. There was no reason to make a move and tip her hoof just yet, despite staying in the same room as Rarity. With luck, it would just be temporary, and the thought of being in the room while they did that sent shudders down the earth pony's spine. That was the stuff of nightmares.

"I'm sorry darling, but I fear you need to wear this." A collar was suddenly shoved in Applejack's face by Rarity, interrupting her thoughts. "I apologize for the tacky fuchsia red as well as how worn it is, but I fear it was all I had lying around, and it is regulation."

Eyes narrowed, Applejack took a deliberate step back.

"Darling, please." Rarity took a step forward and held out the collar pleadingly.

Another step back.

"Lady Rarity, we do not have time for this. Might I suggest we bind her and force the collar on her?"

At that comment a growl escaped Applejack's throat. And to think she had a plan that involved him getting laid! If anything, she was going to deliberately get in their way now. She was not going to be collared like some filthy animal. Nine Tails had to whip her till she was bloody and half dead before he could get the collar on her, and there was no way in Tartarus that anything less than that was going to work.Especially not when it was some prissy, airhead, stuck up unicorn bitch.

"No Bulwark, it is clear she does not wish to be collared and a fight would only dirty your fabulous coat. I take it you washed recently? And brushed it out too! My, my, who's the lucky mare?"

"Well... er... that is-"

Applejack very rudely shoved past the two unicorns, snatched the collar out of the air and then proceeded to stomp it into the ground before urinating on it. The look of absolute horror on Rarity's face almost caused the earth pony to burst out laughing, but she just managed to hold it in. As the seconds ticked by and the twitch in Rarity's eye grew worse, the collar suddenly burst in flames as did the surrounding ground.

Bulwark was the first to get over his shock, lunging forward with hooves outstretched, but Applejack simply skipped back out of reach. Just before her hooves touched the ground, a burst of magic slammed into her chest, throwing her back. Hitting the dirt floor, the earth pony rolled with the momentum, and was back on her hooves in seconds. Though her chest stung, she lunged forward only to have a blue barrier shove the two apart.

"You will both stop this brutish behavior at once or I shall be forced to take drastic measures." Rarity glared at Bulwark, "Do not think I won't, I do know your parents." Her gaze shifted to Applejack, " As for you, I have pink dye and I am not afraid to use it."

Out of all the possible threats should have made, that was the one she went with?

Applejack proceeded to slam her head against the wall.

"Well now, I don't know about you, but I think that settles the matter. Though if you truly hated the color so badly, you could have just said so." Rarity paused before turning to Bulwark. "Remind me to have the top ten inches of the floor removed when we get back... And to set it on fire."

"But the law says all slaves must be collared and leashed in public!"Applejack's eyes immediately narrowed, as she took an aggressive step towards Bulwark. For his part, Bulwark simply rolled his eyes and proceeded to ignore Applejack as he continued, "You should not be risking your career in such a manner."

"Please dear, I know you mean well, but who is going to inform the authorities about such a minor breach? My mother?" Even her snort was somehow delicate. "Don't be ridiculous, we will be perfectly safe. There's no need to worry."

"I'm taking you to your mother's house, where your sister is staying. I have every reason to be nervous.”

"How dare you speak about Sweetie Belle like that!" Rarity stomped her hoof and Applejack was forced to bite back a sad chuckle at how weak the unicorn was. "She is an absolute darling."

"You're not the one teaching her magic," he replied flatly.

"She is also my little sister." The glare from Rarity would have been impressive if she wasn't so weak. Wondering how Bulwark managed to get scared by that unicorn threatened to break Applejack's mind. "Now, shall we leave? I believe you were talking about how we were late."

"R-Right!" Bulwark scrambled forward to stand at the dead end next to Rarity.

For a brief moment Applejack hesitated before inching forward and standing next to Rarity, with Bulwark on the far side. This would be the first time she'd actually been outside of the house and not in the fields and Applejack intended to make the most out of it. Sure, slipping away would be hard, but Rarity seemed to trust her a bit, and Applejack fully intended to make the most out of her time outside.

The question was, how did they actually get out of this stink hole? No doubt it involved some sort of filthy magic and maybe a virgin sacrifice or two. After all, how else could Bulwark's fear of Rarity be explained? It'd also explain why she kept such a weak stallion around.

"Ready?" asked Bulwark.

"Ready," replied Rarity while Applejack snorted in frustration.

Was it some stairs? Would the roof open up and the platform rise up? Whatever it was, the sinking feeling in Applejack's stomach began growing as Bulwark powered up his horn. It definitely involved magic and if it involved magic, that meant she was stuck here. She knew all slave pens were kept isolated, but she figured the houses would be different! That there'd be stairs like normal ponies, but apparently that was too much to ask for from fucking unicorns. Bloody Tartarus, why couldn't things ever be easy?

The glow intensified until it was blinding them, almost as though she was standing in the middle of a snowstorm. Then, like a taut string being cut, the world snapped back and Applejack stumbled to the side before collapsing, her stomach threatening to rebel.

"Oh please, that was a mere teleport." A hoof connected with Applejack's side, forcing the air out of her lungs and onto her back. "Toughen up."

"Bulwark!"

"Yes Lady Rarity?" asked the stallion sweetly.

"Did you just kick Golden?" she snapped.

Applejack cracked an eye open and watched as Rarity stumbled slightly, her face green. With a hoof against the wall, the unicorn took a couple of deep breaths before straightening up and saying, "Bulwark, I am disappointed in you. I expect such brutish behavior from ruffians such as Nine Tails, but not from a colt from such a distinguished family."

"My apologies." Despite the bow he gave, Applejack could clearly see the glare he shot her from the corner of his eyes. "It was a mere slip of the hoof and it will not happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again." The edge in Rarity's voice was like nothing Applejack had ever heard before. "Now please be a dear and leave."

"But-"

"We will be fine. Leave," said Rarity, and like a worthless dog, Bulwark slinked away with his tail between his legs. "I'm terribly sorry about that dear."

The earth pony shrugged off the helping hoof, opting instead to examine the room she was in. If she thought the slave pens were a horrible, this place definitely gave them a run for their misery. The ground was uneven, the roof was crumbling, and the walls looked as though a strong sneeze would blow them apart. Were her parents slaves? It did happen, but...

Rarity walked on with all the grace and poise in the world, totally at ease with the rundown location. In fact, one hoof constantly trailed along the wall, and every so often she'd stop as though staring at something. But in the end, she'd always sigh and shake her head sadly before continuing on.

If this was a slave pen, where were the guards? And it wasn't set out like any slave pen Applejack had seen either. There were tables along the wall, a mirror, some paintings, and more importantly, no cells, moans of despair, or general feeling of hopelessness. Oh, and the blood stains, can't forget those now.

"Come now, we're already late, and it is so rude to arrive late," Rarity said as she picked up the pace.

Though Applejack considered staying back to explore where the stairs on the right went, without Bulwark around to distract Rarity it was far too risky. A single drop of water splashed on her head, causing her to look up at the leaky roof before sighing. Another quick survey, and a shudder ran through her body as unwanted memories rose to the surface. Images of kind, blue eyes, a foal's cries, and a whispered promise never kept. They pressed against Applejack's mind, demanding they be remembered, but she pushed them away like she always did.

"Rarity, Rarity!" A yellow and red blur shot around the corner, slamming into Rarity with enough force to send them both to the ground. "You're here! Mom, she's here!"

Wait, red and yellow blur? Applejack frowned as she stared at the white filly before her with the purple and pink mane. There was no trace of yellow or red, so where in the word had that come from?

"Oh Sweetie Belle, just look at you!" The squeal that came from Rarity only made the unicorn seem even less threatening, if that were possible. "Why, look at how much you've grown. Last I saw you, you were no taller than my knee and still in diapers."

"Rariiiiiiiiiity," whined Sweetie before breaking off into a hacking cough.

"A-Are you alright?" For once, the refined tone was lost, leaving behind a distinct lower class tinge.

"I'm fine, I'm not a filly anym-" Once more, the hacking coughs came, and this time, they shook her entire body.

"Sweetie!" Rarity immediately wrapped her sister up in a tight hug, laying a hoof on the filly's forehead. "You're burning up."

For her part, Applejack looked away, feeling uncomfortable at such blatant displays of love. It just felt... wrong. As though this was some private matter that she had no place in, let alone to view. A stain, a blot, a blizzard on an otherwise perfect landscape.

"Rarity, it's fine. Mom took me to the doctors last week and I've been taking medicine for the cough. It's nothing serious. Honest."

"Golden, please take care of Sweetie for me while I talk to mother."

"Rarity, please, it's fine," whined the filly, but to no avail.

And so, Applejack stared down at the filly, with absolutely no idea of what to do. After a second, she simply shrugged and began looking around again, figuring out just where she was and if she could get out. From the coldness and dripping roof, it seemed to be close the surface, but how close?

"Um... hi there," said the filly, looking down at the ground.

As much as Applejack wanted to ignore Sweetie, the way she looked up with those big round eyes was too hard to resist. Ruffling Sweetie's hair, Applejack walked past one of the tables, only for a picture to catch her eye. It was of an old mare with pink coat and purple mane, cradling a little Sweetie with Rarity looking over her shoulder. A hoof traced along the edge of the picture, and for a second, Applejack indulged herself in a bit of a fantasy, imaging her family there instead. Her and her mother and little Ap-

No. She wouldn't think of that, she promised herself she'd never think of that. As far as Applejack was concerned, that filly didn't have a name and didn't deserve a name. That foal took everything from her. So as far as Applejack cared, she didn't deserve a name, or to be remembered.

But...

A sudden weight on her back made Applejack look, blinking in surprise. There, with her forehooves draped over her back was Sweetie Belle, looking as innocent as can be. Applejack rolled her eyes and with a bump of her hips, tossed Sweetie up into the air, causing her to squeal in delight. The little filly landed on her back safe as can be, and without a backward look, the earth pony began walking down the hall, making sure to step over the rubble lying in the middle of the corridor.

"-lling you, everything is fine, you need to stop worrying." Applejack assumed the voice belonged to their mother.

"Please, mother, this environment is not conductive to you or Sweetie's well being."

"Rarity, I know you mean well, but-"

"No buts. Surely you're not willing to sacrifice Sweetie for whatever il-"

Despite being muffled by the door, the slap still sounded painful enough to make Applejack wince.

After a beat of silence, their mother hissed, "How dare you imply that!"

"Then why?"

"This place... it's special to me Rares. Please, don't take this away from me."

"Then I won't. My business is picking up and I've made enough money to last me for a long time. Come stay with me while I have the place renovated, nothing major mind you, but some heating spells, some color, and general cleaning."

"Rarity I co-"

"No. No arguments. Just take it. Please, for my sake and Sweetie’s, if you were to..."

It was only when the sniffling began that Applejack realized Sweetie was still on her back. Eyes wide, the earth pony quickly backed away from the door and nuzzled the filly lightly on the cheek. The dam broke and Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around Applejack's neck, saturating her fur within seconds. A hesitant hoof slowly stroked the filly's back, but soon Applejack did what came naturally to her and simply held the foal close, humming a soft tune under her breath.

Some part of her was disgusted. Disgusted at how she was helping the enemy, comforting those who made her life miserable, but another part, the dominant part, could only see a little foal. A foal who'd be about Sweetie's size if she had lived. A foal who had a red mane and brilliant yellow fur. A foal with clear orange eyes that could see into Applejack's very soul.

She hated those eyes with a passion. She loved those eyes with all her soul. Those eyes haunted every moment of her life, and no matter how hard Applejack tried to hide, those eyes saw everything. They judged every action despite already having passed judgment, and she knew that when she died, those eyes would greet her. Though whether it was as executioner or savior, she was afraid to find out.

"Darling! There you are." The irritating voice of that prissy mare drew Applejack back into the present. "Come in, come in, dinner is ready."

"Wheee!" The filly scrambled over Applejack's head and leapt onto the ground, dashing away faster than a pony could teleport.

With a bemused shake of her head, Applejack followed. The kitchen was as rundown as she expected, with a table with a missing leg and a chair made out of books greeting her. Her eyes immediately drifted down, looking for the bowl that'd no doubt be there for her to eat out of like some dog, but to her surprise none had was found. Instead, there was an empty seat with a bowl and cutlery set out for her to use.

Or was this a trick? Sure, Rarity never made her eat from a pet bowl, but that was definitely a trick to make Applejack open up. There was never a shred of doubt about that, it just never occurred to her that the horned freak would go so far in an attempt to sell it. With the fake rundown house and the fake sick sister and now this 'oh you're an equal' crap. Yeah right, as if that was going to work. She couldn't believe she fell for the whole sick sister thing to begin with!

Still, if this was the game they wanted to play, then she might as well play along with them. Applejack quickly took her seat like the polite earth pony that she was, and as soon as she had done so, wished she was eating out of a bowl on the ground. At least that would have been edible rather than this grey goop. If they were going to poison her, they could at least be subtle about it, but a glance over at Rarity told her that they all had the exact same food.

"Um... mother, did you cook this?" asked Rarity.

"Oh, of course not darling. Sweetie Belle was just so excited you were coming over for dinner that she just begged me to let her cook a little something special and here we are." The older mare ruffled Sweetie's mane. "It's the best thing I've had in such a long time. Why, she's practicallya prodigy when it comes to cooking! Try some, try some, you won't regret it."

The smile Rarity gave was so fake only the blind would miss it. Then, she picked up the spoon and bought it shakily to her lips, and after a moment of hesitation as well as a final pleading look at Applejack, the white mare swallowed the vile concoction. When she didn't immediately die, throw up, or lose consciousness, all eyes bore down on Applejack. As much as she wanted to ignore it and accidentally knock it off the table, those innocent green eyes caught her in a trap.

A futile look was cast to Rarity, but the unicorn merely smiled all too sweetly. Eyes darting back to the food, Applejack gulped and took a small sip of the mush, ready to spew it out at a second’s notice. But it wasn't disgusting. It just... was. There was no taste, no flavor, and as weird as it sounded, no texture. It just was. It existed, but it was like slurping down thick water without the coolness. It did have a bit of an ash-like aftertaste, but it wasn’t nearly as disgusting as it looked.

"Well?" With both hooves on the table, Sweetie gave the most sickeninglysweet smile Applejack had ever seen. It was so sweet that it left an ash-like aftertaste in her mouth.

Applejack bit her bottom lip and gave a weak smile, which made Sweetie squee in delight. With that disaster averted, both mares breathed a sigh of relief and poked at their dinner. Sure, she didn't feel sick and Rarity hadn't died yet, but that didn't reassure her.

"So Rarity, met any nice stallions yet?"

The spit take was truly glorious to behold. "M-Mother!"

"What? Is it wrong to ask for grandfoals?"

"I'm thirteen and a businessmare, an-"

"What happened to your Prince Charming."

"My... my what now?" Rarity gulped nervously and glanced over at the others. "You must have me confused with some other unicorn."

"I don't know about that. I seem to recall a little filly telling me all these stories about how her Prince Charming would sweep her off her hooves."

"Mother, this is neither the time nor place to talk about such things," there was a pause as Rarity looked down at her meal, "It is putting me off my appetite."

"Of course darling, of course."

"What about Mister Bulwark?" asked Sweetie, and this time both unicorn mares choked on their dinner. "He's so nice!"

"Um... yes Sweetie, that is an... interesting idea..." Rarity exchanged a nervous smile with her mother. "But, um, there are..."

"There are other stallions... aren't there," said Rarity's mother.

"Yes! There is another stallion that I, er, have my eyes on is all." An awkward silence descended. "So how was dinner? It was great! Wasn't it great? I thought it was great! Let me just grab these plates and I can wash up, don't worry mother, I can do it myself. No, I insist on it!Golden? Golden darling give me a hoofwill you?"

All too eagerly, Applejack scrambled after the horned freak, tossing her meal down the drain as soon as the door closed behind her. For a second, she considered washing her mouth out with the water, but when it turned out it was a murky brown, she decided against it. Water was water, and a rare thing for slaves, but she still knew better than to drink water that dirty. It was probably the first rule her mother had drilled into Applejack's brain, and she never forgot. She never forgot anything her mother taught her.

Laughter drifted in from the other room and a sigh escaped Applejack's lips. She could feel the tugs on her heartstrings, the way they were expertly plucked by the laughter and joy of this place.

Under the shadow cast by her long hair, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she never let them spill. To cry was to be weak, and the weak died. That was the law that governed all. It was the single law, the only law, and the one edict that Applejack never broke. Not while being whipped, not while being beaten, not while her hooves bled as she toiled in the frozen fields, leaving a trail of bloody hoofprints behind her. She didn't even cry when her mother died or when that filly starved to death and frozen solid.

Blinking away the tears, Applejack followed Rarity out the door and back into the dining room table where a card game had been set up. It was clear they expected her to join in, and as much as she hated it, Applejack did need to stay in their good graces until she could get an entire plan ready. With one last deep breath, Applejack held her head high and sat down at the table.

They could beat her bloody. They could rape her daily. They could make her happy then tear everything away in the blink of an eye. They could do all that and more, but no matter what they did, what vile plans they had in those minds of theirs, Applejack would not cry, no matter how much she wished to.

After all, a slave has nothing except their dignity.

Chapter 3

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With her back pressed against the wall, Rainbow Dash glanced down both sides of the corridor to make sure it was empty. Then, with slow, deliberate hoofsteps, she inched towards the door until it was just within reach. A quick look around the corner to make sure nopegasi were coming, and Dash slipped into the room, locking the door behind her. Apart from the small flickering candle, the room was pitch black and thick with the smell of mold.

Despite no pegasi being in the room and the walls being too thick to hear anything through them, Dash still moved as silently as possible. Each layer of clothing was stripped off, leaving her shivering and feeling all too exposed in the cold room. Breath misting before her, she quickly slipped into the scout armor that was no doubt ten years old or something. The cold leather sent a shiver down her spine, and the metal gauntlets burned to touch even with the fur lining. Both wingblades were slotted into place, but after a couple flexes, Dash took them off and began oiling the hinges. Once more they went on, and this time she nodded in satisfaction. Snapping the goggles over her eyes, Dash pulled up the hood before double-checking everything.

A soft click from behind was all the warning she needed. With a strong flap of her wings, she positioned herself above the door with her back against the roof, heart pounding away. The door slowly creaked open and a shadowy pegasus entered with cautious steps. After a couple seconds, the door clicked shut and with a flick of her wings, the wingblades popped out and were ready for use. It took a couple more seconds before the mare was in the light, but as soon as she was, Dash let out the breath she had been holding and dropped down onto the ground.

"Geez 'Shy, you scared me half to death." The sound of Dash's voice breaking the silence caused the yellow pegasus to fall over with a bleat. "Aaaaaand it looks like I just scared you to death."

"Oh, um, Rainbow Dash, you scared me," whispered Fluttershy as she scrambled onto her hooves. "What are we doing in this dark, enclosed, cave-in prone place?"

"Preparing." Dash picked up one of the bags and tossed it over to Fluttershy. "Get changed, we need to leave soon."

"Um..." Fluttershy glanced down at pile of clothes before she looked back up. "Could I, that is, if it's alright, could you leave the room please?" At Dash's flat look, the shy pegasus retreated behind her mane, cheeks completely red. "Um... could you turn around then?"

For a moment, Dash almost yelled at Fluttershy to just hurry the fuck up, but one look at that shy expression caused her to sigh. Sometimes, being friends with such a timid pegasus gave her a migraine so massive she wanted to bash her brains out. With a sigh, Dash turned around; and there on the wall before her was the shadow of Fluttershy undressing in all-too-graphic detail . Ripping her eyes from the sight, Dash began preening her wing, but every couple of seconds, she found her eyes drawn back to the sight before her. Sure, Fluttershy was no Soarin or Spitfire, heck, some of the pegasi around the outpost were hotter, but still, there was something alluring about the way Fluttershy moved.

A frustrated groan escaped as Dash slammed her head against the floor. Bloody fucking Tartarus, this was not the time to start having such thoughts. Dash closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and by the time she opened them again, Fluttershy was zipping up the front of her suit.

"Why are we wearing these anyways?" asked Fluttershy before quickly adding, "Not that you need to tell me or anything, it's just, um, kinda... oh dear, how should I put it?"

"It's a top secret mission," Dash said, "so we've got these cool outfits and we have to sneak out tonight."

"Oh." Fluttershy scuffed her hoof along the ground. "Um..."

"Why you?" Dash smirked and threw a hoof around her friend's shoulders. "Because you're awesome!"

"That's nice."

"Come on 'Shy, I wouldn't lie to you." Just for good measure, Dash nuzzled her. "Trust me when I say you're totally awesome. There's a reason why you're my third in command and in charge of all of the daily running of the place. Without you, I'd be totally lost."

A smile touched her lips, as she looked up at Dash with those innocent eyes of hers. "Really?"

"Yeah!" replied Dash and Fluttershy's mood immediately brightened. "Tough day?"

"Yeah..." Though her ears and wings drooped, the way her eyes shone told Dash that her cheering up routine had worked. "Those new recruits were a hoof-full, that's all."

"Don't worry, they'll come to respect you. Every pegasus does in the end. Plus, you're the best damn medic in the place."This time, Fluttershy's smile was neither strained nor small, and the slight fluttering in her wings told Dash just how happy she was. "So, you ready?"

"Um... I think so...?"

"Here, take this." Dash tossed a saddlepack to Fluttershy before grabbing one for herself. "It's got food and medicine and all that other important stuff, enough to last us a couple of days at least."

"Oh dear, you didn't put Lightning in charge did you? Not that she'd be a terrible leader or anything, but... she's rather impulsive." Sure, her face may have been hidden by the saddlepack as Fluttershy put it on, but Dash just knew that the yellow pegasus probably looked as though she had just tasted some of her own medicine.

"Don't sweat it, Dust knows what she's doing," replied Dash before silently adding, "hopefully."

"Oh... well... I suppose if you have confidence in her-"

"I do," snapped Dash. "Just like how I have faith in you and Thunderlane and every other pegasus in this place. Okay, maybe not Thunderlane , but you know what I mean!"

"That's nice." From any other pegasus, Dash would have bucked them in the face, but considering this was Fluttershy, the brash pegasus let it slide. "So, um, shall we go?"

"Of course, but not out that way." Dash walked over to one of the dark corners of the room and began sweeping the ground with her tail. Thanks to the goggles and mask, the dust didn't bother her and within seconds the ground had been cleared away leaving behind the clear markings of a trap door. Once more the wingblade was unsheathed as Dash slipped it into the crack. With a twist and flick, the door swung open revealing a dark tunnel that was far too narrow in Dash's opinion.

"There is a reason why I picked this room to meet in," smirked Dash.

"O-Oh... That does look really tight and small and dark," said Fluttershy. "Is this the only way?"

"Afraid so," said Dash before gulping. "Come on, the sooner we leave, the better. Got your saddlepack and medkit?"

"Yep. Should I bring the candle?"

"Yeah... It's meant to be straight line, but light would help."Dash began descending, each step creaking under her weight.With the walls pressing up against her on all sides, Dash could feel sweat dripping down her brow as she ruffled her wings uneasily. "And close the trap door behind you. There should be a piece of rope or something for you to pull."

"Um..."

"Oh, right." Dash turned around and took the candle from Fluttershy, their lips accidentally brushing against each other in the transfer.A second later, the door slammed shut, causing Dash to jump, her wings flaring open as her fight or flight response kicked into hyperdrive.

"Sorry... I'll try to close it softly next time," said Fluttershy.

"Startled me was all, it's not like I was afraid or anything."

"Of course not, I wouldn't dream of thinking that."

"G-Good."Satisfied that her awesomeness wasn't being questioned , Dash began walking down the dark, damp, all too narrow and enclosed corridor.

Did it have to be this narrow? If it was going to be used as an evacuation tunnel then it needed to be wider. At least two ponies wide so there was enough room to turn around without fear of getting stuck! Actually, five ponies wide—no, six. Six at a time meant faster evac after all. Make that ten. Also ten ponies high would be perfect so some could fly over the top. Why ten? Because ten was a nice round number, that's why. Ten was a large number, a big number, a number that'd give a bit more room to move in.

A shudder passed through Dash's body as her wings wrapped tighter around her. Stupid escape route, it wouldn't be this cold if it was larger.

"Dash, you okay?" In the silence of the darkness, even Fluttershy's whisper felt loud.

"Yeah, just wondering why they didn't bother making the place larger is all. It's kinda cramped in here, you know?"

"Oh I don't know, it's kinda cozy don't you think? With all these snug walls around me, I just feel so nice and safe, like I was wrapped in a blanket."

Pale and trembling ever so slightly, Dash tried to keep walking on as though nothing was the matter. "Fluttershy, I've said this a thousand times and I'm gonna keep saying it, but what is wrong with you? Timberwolves are not cute, baby dragons are not adorable, Fleetfoot is not hotter than Soarin or Spitfire, and this place is definitely not safe. It could collapse at any moment!"

"But Fleetfoot has that..." Whatever else she said trailed off into a squeak.

"Yeah, yeah, Fleetfoot has a kissable face and fine backside, I remember. Geez, 'Shy, there's a reason why Lightning and I don't let you drink you know ." A shudder passed through Dash's body. "Once was more than enough."

"Sorry..."

"Nah, don't apologize, it was amazing, even if it was terrifying."

The two lapsed into silence, and all too soon, Dash remembered exactly where she was, causing all that anxiety to come crashing back. Unconsciously, she began picking up the pace, turning the brisk trot into a gallop as she dashed through the underground corridor. It was no longer about getting to the destination or even getting Fluttershy to safety, instead all Dash cared about was seeing the cloud covered sky once more. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, there was a voice screaming at her to slow down, to pace herself and to stop wasting so much energy.

But she ignored it and kept running.

At first it was just a small dot off in the distance, no larger than a pinprick, but it was enough. With a burst of speed that surprised even Dash, she reached the exit within the minute. Sure she was panting hard, and sweat may have coated every inch of her body—causing her to shiver in the wind and squirm uncomfortably in her clothes, but it was totally worth it. Stepping back into the limited shelter of the cave, Dash began stretching out her legs and wings in order to prevent cramping. A couple minutes later, Fluttershy finally caught up and began following Dash's example.

"So... this is it then..." Dash gazed out over the frozen hills. "No turning back."

"Y-Yeah..." Fluttershy gulped and took half a step back. "You don't have to do this. I-I'm fine marrying and... you know... one of the ponies. It's fine, perfectly fine."

"No it's not. You know that and I know that, so you might as well stop pretending." After a deep breath, Dash took that first step out into the wide open world. "It's not as scary as it looks you know, it's just snow,and snow doesn't kill. It can't kill. Plus, you've got me, you know, the awesomest pegasus ever? Stick by me and you've got nothing to fear!"

A small giggle escaped, but Fluttershy was still hesitant, moving with trembling steps. "Your awesomeness will keep danger away?"

"Of course." Dash threw her long time friend her most cocky and self-assured grin she had. "And even if they didn't, one look at this and they better run or they'll get a face full of the Sublimely Magnificent Buccaneer Blaze Mark Three!"

"Is there... um... is there even a Mark One or Two?"

At that Dash merely smirked, her eyes never leaving the view before her. "Does it matter?It's not like I'll have to use it anyways, so quit your worrying. We'll be perfectly fine,nothing could touch this even if they tried."

"That's... that's nice..."

"Come on, gimme a bit of faith." Dash peered up at the sky. "There’s enough light for another hour or two of travel, and that should give us more than enough time to get to the abandoned mines."

"Alright." Fluttershy took a gulp of water before opening her wings. "I trust you, Dash."

"Glad to have you finally on board, Senior NCO Fluttershy," said Dash with a salute.

"Glad to be on board, Flight Captain Dash," she replied with an equally sharp salute.

Dash leapt into the sky and a glance behind told her that Fluttershy was easily keeping up and staying perfectly in Dash's slipstream. Winds buffeted them from all sides, but Dash wasn't concerned about that at all as she manipulated the airflow around her. As much as she wanted to do some tricks and just take off as fast as she could, Dash forced herself to keep that slow leisurely pace.

At first the snowfall was light and the wind no stronger than a stiff breeze, but with each second that passed it got worse and worse until it was impossible for Dash to see anything past her face. Raising a foreleg, Dash signaled for a landing and began plummeting straight down. With the storm though, it was impossible for her to make out what was ground and what was the sky until it was too late. Snow flew in all directions as she crashed into the ground at max speed, a sickening crack echoing through the air as her wing snapped. Biting back a scream of pain, Dash felt the chill permeate every last fiber of her being, dulling it until it was just an uncomfortable throb.

With careful movements, Dash pushed herself up onto all fours, ignoring the desire to look back over her shoulder. She didn't want to know what her wing looked like. She didn't want to see a bone sticking out or her wing bent at an awkward angle or—or...

Dash took a deep breath.

Exhaling slowly, she looked up at the sky, searching for a flash of yellow or pink. Seconds passed, then minutes, and Dash could feel panic building in her chest once more, but she squished it like how she'd squish a dirt pony. With a shake, Dash threw off all the snow and ignored the pain that coursed through her body. After another scan of the skies told her nothing, Dash looked down at the direction of her crash and began walking back the way she had come. Knowing Fluttershy, she probably bailed sooner, and staying out here in this weather was a death sentence. Thirty minutes? Forty? Dash doubted they even had that long before they were frozen solid.

With an eye to the sky and another to the ground, Dash began racing through the hilly landscape, looking for any sign of a living being. In the back of her mind, a voice kept telling her to give up and to just find shelter. That it was pure stupidity to even think she could find Fluttershy in this weather,especially since their outfits were blue and white, specifically designed to hide them from prying eyes. Then again, since when had she ever done the smart thing ?

"Fluttershy!" yelled Dash, only for her words to be swallowed by the storm.

She already couldn't feel her hooves and her wing tips were so cold they burned. She knew running was stupid, that it meant her body heat would be leeched away faster, but Dash didn't care about that. She didn't care about any of it. All she could see was an image of Fluttershy lying battered and bruised somewhere with a broken leg, or trapped under some rock crying for help. It was because of Dash that Fluttershy was out here, probably on the verge of death and most certainly scared out of her mind.

Though her muscles begged Dash to stop, she pushed on without a second thought and for once she found herself thanking the cold weather. She could not feel her limbs, she could not feel her wings, she could not feel a single thing. That also meant she could not feel just how sore her muscles were, allowing her to push on harder than ever, but all she could see was white. For all she knew, she could have already passed within inches of Fluttershy and not even know it.

A scream of frustration escaped as Dash collapsed, her legs finally giving out on her.

Hot tears threatened to spill over, but the pegasus gritted her teeth and forced herself back onto her hooves. Though they trembled, Dash took one step then another then another. All that mattered was keeping one hoof before the other. It didn't matter if it was a walk or a run or a crawl, as long as one hoof was being placed before the other, it was enough.

Just keep moving.

Always keep moving.

The first time Twilight heard it, she thought it was just the wind or a timberwolf. Even Spike shrugged it off and returned to cleaning his scales until they shined and could be used to refract light and illuminate an entire cave. Sometimes she really wondered about that dragon and his obsession with looking nice. Really, he should have been born a female or something the way he went on about it.

And then the sound came again and this time, Spike sat up, his head swiveling around trying to locate where it came from. It almost sounded like a scream, but Twilight merely shrugged and kept walking, casting a concerned look up to the sky as she did so. Everything had been perfectly normal a couple minutes ago, but now there was enough snow falling to bury her alive if she stopped for more than a few seconds and hypothermia would probably set in within the hour. With Spike resting on her back though, his heat was more than enough to keep her warm despite the frigid conditions.

"Um... Twilight, I think we should go check out-"

"No Spike, if we stay out here much longer we're going to freeze to death with or without you. We don't have time for wild chases, and remember what happened last time? We barely survived that encounter with the manticore."

"But Twi! That was a pony, she was screaming for help."

"Well if they're screaming for help, that probably means they're currently being slaughtered by something, and if I jump in, I'll die as well without saving anypony." Twilight pulled her cloak tighter around her body. "And if they're crying for help because they got caught out by the weather then they're idiots and deserve to die."

"Twilight!"

"What? Think about it logically. We've got zero visibility, we’re on a time limit. We need to get to shelter in about forty minutes or so otherwise we'll most probably die from hypothermia. With all those facts, the only logical conclusion is to continue on our current course of action, and any deviation will result in our death," replied Twilight with a shrug.

"Except I can hear her," said Spike.

"So instead of certain death, we have an extremely high probability of death," said Twilight. "And that's not even factoring in the probability of you being wrong, which is exceptionally high if we go from past experiences."

Spike sighed. "Fine."

"Good. Now-"

"Catch me if you can!" he yelled as he took off.

"Spike!"Lunging forward, Twilight's teeth just managed to brush along his smooth scales before closing on thin air. "Damn it, Spike!"

The unicorn immediately gave chase, racing after the wayward drake at full speed, easily skipping over stones and leaping over frozen logs. Without Spike on her back, the chill was suddenly everywhere at once, permeating through her entire body and she soon lost all feeling in her legs. Growling, Twilight forced herself to move just a bit faster, but no matter how fast she went, Spike was faster. That damn dragon was deliberately just staying out of reach, but within visibility by firing off bursts of green flame every couple of seconds.

"Spike! When I catch you, I'm gonna tan and wear you !" yelled Twilight, but her voice was muffled by the snowstorm.

And that's when she heard it. A cry for help that was barely above a whisper, but it was still a cry.Twilight still ignored it though and instead focused entirely on Spike as he circled in the air, sending off blast after blast of fire into the air. Making her way over the ledge, Twilight slid down the snowy bank and came to a rest beside a pony. No, wait, two ponies. There were two ponies there, one with a splint in her wing and the other collapsed underneath, barely breathing.

"Come on Twilight, we need to help them!" yelled Spike as he dropped down, slapping each of them across the face. "Wake up damn it. Wake. Up!"

"Leave them." Twilight turned away and began walking back the way she came. "We need shelter and we need it now. If we don't get it, then we're screwed and these two will only slow us down. Survival of the fittest, remember? Eat or be eaten. You taught me that!"

"Well maybe I was wrong!" he snapped back. "We need to help these two."

"Whatever. Help them if you want, but I'm leaving. Our mission is far more important than just two ponies and if we succeed, this pointless war will come to an end. That is what we're working for. If you want to simply toss it away, be my guest." With those parting words, Twilight stalked off.

Bloody Tartarus! If those two ponies were stupid enough to be caught out in the snowstorm, they deserved to die. Sure, it might have popped out of nowhere, but if there was one thing she had learned when travelling from place to place, it was to always to have a backup plan because things will go wrong.

There was little doubt she was doing the right thing, after all, the lives of many out weighted the lives of two and apparently she was the only one who cared about the mission they were on. Who cares about Spike and his stupid morals anyways? Good riddance! How many times had he said or done something to slow them down? One too many, that's how many! Always being forced to go out of her way to investigate some stupid sound made by some stupid thing that would stupidly think it could kill them.

A sigh escaped and Twilight turned around, beginning her trek back. Within seconds she found Spike again thanks to his purple and green scales, and to Twilight's eternal relief, he held off on saying anything snarky. Instead he fluttered off the two ponies and curled around her neck, nuzzling her cheek tenderly.

"Come on, let's get them somewhere safe then," grumbled Twilight as she began digging. "Think you can melt us a snow cave?"

"As long as you keep them warm with your body heat," replied Spike. "They're alive, but just."

"Fine, whatever." The unicorn laid herself over the two ponies, a shudder running through her body as she came in contact with their cold bodies. "Just hurry it up, I'd rather not die after surviving a manticore attack."

"Yeah, yeah, these things are hard to build you know," said Spike as he began blasting with his fire.

"Make it wider!"

"What? Wider? Did you gain weight again?"

"As soon as we're out of this mess, I am tanning your hide mister! Don't think I won't do it," yelled Twilight before muttering under her breath, "And I cannot believe I'm doing this. Damn it Spike, this will put us behind schedule."

A shudder ran through Twilight's body as she shifted the injured pony into the middle, so that she could get the body heat from two ponies. She immediately began rubbing the injured pony, trying desperately to work some heat into him or her. It'd give them a couple of minutes, no more than five if Twilight's mental calculations were correct, but considering over half the numbers were estimates at best, there was no guarantee of that either.

"Hurry it up back there!" yelled Twilight.

"I'm working on it, gimme a couple more secs!"

"Too late." Twilight grabbed the lighter one, shoving her down the hole head first before latching onto the injured one and dragging their fat flank over before kicking it down the hole. A second later, she followed and caved in the hole after her. The change in temperature was immediate, it was so hot it felt like she had been set on fire.

"Damn it Twilight! I said give me a second," said Spike as he finished enlarging the hole.

"Yeah well, I was freezing my tail off out there while you were nice and cozy in here." Ripping the hood off her face, Twilight began unzipping her heavy coat and shrugged off her cape. "I hate staying in these damn things."

"I remember. Also, we should strip them of weapons and tie them up in case they freak out when they wake up." Spike paused before adding, "And to, you know, stop them from dying of hyperthermia after we worked so hard to save them."

"Even better," muttered Twilight as began unzipping the first one, revealing bright yellow fur. "Mind helping here? Your claws would make things easier."

"Alright, alright."

He drifted over and began unclasping all the various weapons before moving onto the zippers so Twilight could tug them all off. With each layer of fabric that was removed, Twilight found the blush on her cheeks getting brighter until it was probably enough to keep them warm for a year . Averting her eyes, she focused solely on making sure they weren't hurt rather than what they looked like under all those clothes. It just felt wrong on every conceivable level.

"Hey, it's those two! You know, something-Dash and... er... the silent one," said Spike.

"Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy," replied Twilight as she shuffled back, eyeing the two mares. "I wonder what they're doing out here, I figured they were important pegasi."

"Whelp, saving their flanks probably means we get some extra karma next time we try to get into a pegasus outpost," said Spike. "So it looks like I was right after all."

"Spike, you're never right. Ever. Not on purpose anyways," replied Twilight as her stomach rumbled. "Great, I don't suppose we have some food on us?"

"Nope, we were meant to restock, but-"

"But our traps are at the abandoned mines and we didn't make it there in time because we just had to save these two."

"Heh... um... yes...?"

"One of these days I'm going to get so hungry that I'll be forced to eat you."

"Ponies are vegetarians, we both know that ."

"There's a first time for everything."

"Oh, oh dear, you wouldn't actually eat..." Whatever else was going to be said trailed off into mumbles as both Twilight and Spike looked at the yellow pegasus.

"You're awake." Twilight and Fluttershy stared at each other. "Whatever, I'm going to bed. Spike, you get first watch."

"Oh come on, you could at least say 'Hello' or something!" said Spike.

"Don’t care," replied Twilight as she curled up in a ball, using her cloak as a blanket. "Just don't let them kill me in my sleep."

"I think not." Spike grabbed her cloak and tugged it off her, making a quick escape to the other side of the room. "Up, up! It's not even dark yet."

"Spike, come back right this instant or you will regret it," growled Twilight as she stood up, only to bump her head against the ceiling. "And damn it, I thought I told you to make this place larger! I can barely stand up in here."

"Not my fault you're so fat ," he replied.

"F-Fat! Alright mister, that's it, I'm tanning your hide and making it into a hat." Twilight lunged forward only for the small dragon to dart over her head. "Get back here!"

"Rainbow Dash!" The duo stared at Fluttershy as though she had just grown a second head. "Um... sorry, I was just wondering, that is, if, you had- I mean... er..."

Twilight jerked her head at the still-unconscious pony and said, "She's there," before suddenly lunging forward, biting down on Spike's tail and dragging him towards her. "Gotcha you piece of vermin."

"Help! Fluttershy, help meeeeeeee," cried Spike. "Saaaaaaaaavemeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

"Oh no you don't buster." With one leg wrapped around Spike's torso, Twilight began wrestling the dragon to the ground. "You're so dead for that fat joke."

"Save yourself! Don't worry about me, just spread my name so all can remember the Mighty Spike the Thi-" Laughter interrupted his words as Twilight began running her hooves over his stomach. "S-Stop that!"

"Sorry, no can do, this is your punishment," laughed Twilight.

"N-no... no... St-Sto-Hahahahaha!" As hard as he tried to escape, Twilight easily kept up, pinning him down by the tail as she continued her relentless assault. Eventually though, they both stopped and Twilight rolled over onto her back, shrugging off yet another layer as she unzipped her inner most layer down to her navel, revealing a completely flat stomach and very obvious ribs.

"O-Oh my." Bright blush on her cheek, Fluttershy averted her eyes, but after a second they went back. "You really should, um, eat more, you know?"

"Nah, really? Thank you for that brilliant piece of insight. Unlike you, I wasn't born with a silver spoon shoved up my flank with everything hoofed to me, so I'm sorry if I'm a bit too scrawny for your tastes." Twilight brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes.

"Twilight!" snapped Spike.

"What." The two stared at each other, for a long while before Twilight looked away. "Whatever. Here's the deal pegasus, I didn't want to save you, and as far as I'm concerned, you haven't done anything to change that opinion, so stay the bloody Tartarus out of my way. You've put me behind schedule as is and I will not tolerate you slowing us down even more, so stay in your corner of this Tartarian cesspool or I will personally make you regret it."

Silence.

"Good. Now I'm going to sleep, and if you so much as twitch, I will know," finished Twilight as she turned over.

After a couple of minutes, Spike whispered into the silence, "Just ignore her. Most ponies are cranky in the morning, but Twilight is rawr when her schedule gets messed up. By the sun, I've told her enough times t-"

"Spike! Stop fraternizing with the enemy," said Twilight over her shoulder.

"I'll fraternize with whoever I like," he snapped back before smiling sweetly at Fluttershy. "And she's hungry, so excuse her manners. She's usually not this bad." Pause. "Okay, maybe she is, but she doesn't really ever mean any of it."

Fluttershy squeaked.

"Please don't do that, you sound like a rat when you do that and I am starving. I just suggest you ignore Twilight, after all, she did come back for you in the end." Spike blew out a puff of green flame. "Look, you might as well get some sleep. The storm will last for a while and it's not like we'll be going anywhere. Probably should dig a small breathing hole later as well so we don't suffocate... Anyways, sleep. You should sleep. Sleep is good."

"Um... that's alright, really."

Twilight sat up and glared at the pegasus. "Look, either go to sleep or shut up. I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm cranky, and I'd like a couple hours of undisturbed peace!"

Silence.

"Thank you." Twilight flopped back down.

A minute passed, then two, then three, then Spike opened his big mouth and whispered loudly, "I think it's that time of mo-" A jacket slammed into his face, sending him to the ground.

Once more silence reigned, but this time, it was broken by a soft, almost too cute giggle coming from Fluttershy.

For the tenth time that day, Applejack found herself wishing she was back in the slave pens with Nine Tails. Okay, maybe not back with Nine Tails, but definitely back in the slave pens, or even working the fields. Anything was better than this constant torture and abuse.

"Come now darling, you're just being silly now," said Rarity as she advanced slowly. "This is the last dress and then we can go out and stretch our legs a bit."

Eyes narrowed, Applejack feinted to the left before jumping over the table and skidding behind Sweetie Belle.

"Real mature, you're meant to be setting an example for Sweetie Belle. Honestly, it's like having another filly." The two slowly circled around Sweetie Belle, making it impossible for Rarity to use her magic for fear of collateral damage. "Now stop this uncouth behavior at once."

The earth pony merely shook her head while Sweetie giggled happily in the middle.

"Sweetie Belle, if you imitate this mare, I will ground you for a week."

"But sis~!" she whined.

"But if you help me catch her, I will ignore the next big thing you do," added Rarity.

Applejack's eyes widened as she quickly backed up, but it was already too late. The little filly lunged out of her seat, just managing to wrap both hooves around Applejack's neck, and as soon as Sweetie latched on, she was not letting go no matter how hard Applejack bucked. It didn't matter if she was swinging her head or shaking her body from side to side, that little filly was staying right where she was. And then a shadow fell over the earth pony and she looked up with horror in her eyes. Within seconds, Applejack found herself wrapped in the frilliest, laciest, pinkest thing she had ever seen in her life.

Yes, working in the fields flank-naked would be better than this. Anything would have been better than this. Except Nine Tails. A shudder passed through Applejack's frame. Though seeing him in this was second only to him being dead in terms of sheer joy she'd experience. Some ponies simply deserved to die.

After a long second, Rarity finally broke the silence with a, "Hm... not saucy enough."

S-Saucy !?

Choking on her own spit, Applejack's eyes bugged out as she began struggling out of the abomination she had on. She did not do saucy, she never did saucy, she did not even want to think about the 's' word if at all possible, and that horned freak threw her in one? Before it was just ugly, now it was a crime against nature.

"Out! Out! I will not have you tearing this masterpiece." Just as quickly as it had been forced on her, it was gone, but that did nothing to stop Applejack's death glare. "Oh stop acting so hurt, it was just some socks ."

That thing was not 'just some socks'. As far as Applejack was concerned, that thing was a monstrosity that should never have existed. Even now, she could still feel the horrible, horrible, clingy fabric all over her legs and rubbing against her in its disgusting manner. The mere thought sent shivers down her spine.

Wait, why was Rarity making them anyways? She said they were meant to be saucy, but as far as Applejack knew, Rarity wasn't seeing anyone. Unless she was seeing Bulwark now? Or perhaps some other pony. If she was, Applejack wasn't surprised considering how well groomed the unicorn always was, and despite the easy living, she did have a very toned body. A bit too lithe and curvy for the military or an honest day's work, but still pleasing to the eye.

Whatever. It's not like Applejack actually cared about what the unicorn was up to, as long as it didn't disrupt her plans to escape or anything. Sure, there was still the matter of actually getting out of the house, but with Sweetie Belle and her mother in the same house, it meant she could use a hostage. Not the best plan in the world, but it was still a plan and that was better than nothing.

"Now that we've finally finished that, we can finally go out." Rarity smiled over at her little sister. "I believe there was a little filly who wanted to come along and watch as well."

"Really!?" How anything could look that adorable was beyond Applejack. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do, now run along and tell mother while I put this away and grab my gear." After a flying tackle only fillies are capable of, Sweetie Belle ran off. Rarity immediately turned to face Applejack, "You'll also be coming along and looking after Sweetie. I know you dislike collars so I made you a high neck shirt and jacket that not only looks superb, but will also keep your neck out of sight."

Applejack merely rolled her eyes and jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen.

"Please, I hold no illusions about your view of unicorns and your distaste for us. You'll have to do a lot more before I will allow you to look after Sweetie by yourself or to prepare our meals," said Rarity as she made her way up to her workshop. "Now come along, you need to get into your new outfit, and don't worry, it's not pink. I went for a very tasteful vermilion with chestnut highlights. It's so rare for me to use such delightful reds, since all the military want is white and blue. I mean really, there's only so much white and blue a mare can handle before she bursts you realize. Ah ha! Here we are! Tell me what you think darling, and hold nothing back."

With an all too dramatic burst of light, Rarity revealed the outfit and some part of Applejack—just a small part, inconsequential over all if truth must be told—thought that it actually looked decent. Passable maybe if it had to be stretched. There were no frills, no extra bits or doodads, and it looked slick. Sleeves down to the hoof, zip along the underside with a flap of some kind to cover it up and a nice high collar up to the bottom of her muzzle. From the looks of things, the neck area was even padded to make it look like there was a collar underneath. The jacket slipped on snuggly, and even unzipped Applejack could already feel the heat building up.

"I've been trying to replicate that material they got from the pegasi and though I've had nothing but rumors to work from, I like to think I'm getting there. So...? What do you think?" she asked.

Applejack shrugged and trotted out the door with her new clothing.

"Well now, since you're not tossing it on the floor and... urinating..." A shudder ran through her body as she said that word, "on it, I suppose it has her seal of approval?"

All Rarity got in response was a flick of Applejack's tail. As far as she cared, anything was better than a collar and leash.

"Very well then, off we go," said Rarity as she brushed past with a large black bag on her back.

"She said yes!" yelled Sweetie as she jumped onto Rarity's back, hind hooves flailing as she struggled to get on.

"Sweetie Belle, I can't carry both you and my gear," said Rarity.

"Sorry!" The filly immediately dropped back onto the ground and fixed Applejack with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. At first she managed to resist the pull, but then Sweetie's bottom lip began to tremble and Applejack was forced onto her knees to let the filly climb on.

"Sweetie, what do we say?"

"Thank you, Golden!" said Sweetie as she hugged Applejack tight with her tiny hooves.

"Now come along, it's been far too long since I last stretched these hooves of mine," said Rarity as they made their way down the hall to the teleportation pad. "We'll be back in an hour or so mother!"

"Have fun and kick some flank!" came the reply.

"Mother! This is for exercise not some sort of brutish competition. This is a refined sport for mares, I'll have you know." With a stomp of her hoof, the familiar glow of teleportation sprung up around them. "Now mother, you're absolutely certain you'll be fine by yourself?"

"Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean I'm old! Now git, before I give you a good spanking for implying I'm old."

Applejack winced at that mental image. She would have rather gone hungry for a week than hear that one.

"M-Mother!" said Rarity while her little sister giggled.

With a sigh and shake of her head, Rarity finished the spell and the world blurred around them. A second later, they hit the ground hard and Applejack stumbled to the side, the entire world tilting around her. Finally collapsing on her knees, Applejack placed both hooves over her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from throwing up. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that Sweetie Belle wasn't doing much better and that even Rarity looked a bit green.

"Not my best teleport," she admitted weakly, "but a bit of practice will fix that right up."

There was a flash of green light and two unicorns popped up right beside them. One of them inclined her head to Rarity while the other gave her a polite wave and smile before they both trotted off.

"Well, shall we?" asked Rarity as she began trotting out the door, leading them to a large auditorium filled with ponies practicing archery to fencing to just straight up running tracks. Together they walked along the top to where stands were set up with a few boxes. "Now stay in the stands and out of the way, and don't antagonize anyone."

Unzipping her bag, Rarity drew out a piece of cloth that she wrapped around her forehead before tying her mane back and pulling out a rapier. A faint glow surrounded the blade and she poked herself with it a couple of times before nodding in satisfaction. All the while Applejack watched with a cocked eyebrow as she eyed the weapon. Sure, it looked as though she knew how to hold it, but it wasn't particularly hard to figure out. Pointy end goes into the enemy after all. No doubt Rarity was just some filly playing at some game, thinking she could protect her family if she so desired, but if she actually ever tried to use the weapon in a fight, it'd result in her own quick death. Probably by impaling herself by accident.

"Golden, please stay with Sweetie at all times, she's too young to be wandering around on her own."

"But sis," whined the filly.

"No Sweetie, stay with Golden. Also, if she tells you not to do something, please listen." Rarity glanced over at the earth pony. "As for you Golden, I expect you to exercise some common sense and stop Sweetie from doing anything cra-"

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"

Rarity immediately stiffened and turned around with a glare. "Trixie."

"That's Great and Powerful Trixie to you," said the blue mare, bandages wrapped all around her body. "Trixie sees you've finally decided to get a pet, took you long enough."

"And what are you doing here?" growled Rarity. "Last I heard you were stationed out at Fort Ironwood."

"Somehow that Pinkamina found out about the escape route, bypassed our magical defenses and stormed us from the inside," said Trixie with a pointed look. "Trixie dueled the monster atop a flaming tower, but in the end that cur managed to escape . Sadly, our dear beloved captain was killed in the battle, and thus it falls to Trixie to bring the news to the king."

"Oh yes, another fortuitous death for you. This is, what? The third such death that just happened to happen? First it was the training accident, and then it was the escort mission, and now this. Why, next thing we know, General Shining Armor will magically disappear late one night securing your position," said Rarity all too pleasantly.

"Watch your mouth or Trixie will show you exactly why she has the title of Great and Powerful." Trixie took a step forward. "How dare you imply Trixie would deliberately put her fellow soldiers in harm's way just for a promotion! That is a filthy rumor an-"

"Is it?"

For the next ten seconds, all Trixie could do was stare in absolute shock as her mouth opened and closed. Then, with a growl, she turned around and limped away, but not before she said, "Better be careful, Rarity, karma will bite back."

Despite the noisy auditorium, everything suddenly felt muted.

"Well now," said Rarity brightly, "I believe a certain filly wanted me to watch me kick some flank."

"Yes!" screamed Sweetie as she scrambled onto Applejack's head. "Kick some flank sis!"

"You can count on it." Her face suddenly lit up. "Ah, I believe that's Fleur down there. Perfect."

Rarity made her way down and tapped another unicorn on the shoulder. Though it was too far away for Applejack to hear what was going on, it was clear the two knew each and they seemed to be gossiping. After a couple minutes of complete boredom, they moved onto the field, each wielding a glowing rapier.

There was no bowing, no slow circling, instead Rarity just suddenly lunged forward, narrowly missing the other mare. What followed was a blur of blue and gold as they traded a quick series of thrusts and parries before finally disengaging. Now they began circling, throwing in the occasional poke or prod, but each one was skillfully blocked.Rarity feinted to the left, but instead of falling for it, Fleur slipped into Rarity's guard. Reacting far faster than Applejack thought possible, Rarity brought her blade back, using the guard to deflect the thrust. Add on a quick lean to the right and the rapier split some fur, but not any skin.

Rarity's hoof snapped out, only to be blocked by Fleur as she counted with a punch of her own, causing Rarity to stumble back. The only thing was, Applejack had seen enough 'poor me' ploys to immediately realize the trap was set. Just as expected, Fleur lunged in for the kill only too meet a quick deflect followed by thrust, the blade stopping a mere hair's width from her throat.

"Go Rarity!" screamed Sweetie at the top of lungs, which amounted to a very cute squeak.

As much as Applejack hated to admit it, that prissy, stuck up unicorn really did know how to fight. While she didn't win every single time, she put up a decent defense, and more than a couple bouts were close matches where a single mistake cost her the match. Could Applejack win though? If Rarity tried to stop the earth pony from escaping, who would win, and perhaps more important, if Sweetie was held hostage, would the prissy mare still fight back?

No.

Applejack shook her head and glared at the white unicorn. There was little doubt in her mind that she would win. Sure, Rarity may be graceful and light on her hooves, and each move may have been calculated, but she had never been placed in an actual fight. She had never experienced that eat or be eaten life firsthoof and until she had, Applejack would always come out on top. As far as the earth pony was concerned, Rarity was too spineless and weak to fight back. All it'd take was a bit of threatening and that mare would bow meekly to every single last demand.

Still not the best plan ever, but it was definitely something that could work, and if Trixie was high ranking enough, it could delay the search if Rarity went missing. That is if they even cared about things like that, with horned freaks it was hard to tell.

Soon.

For the first time in years, Applejack let herself smile.

Soon...

Chapter 4

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The first thing that entered Dash's mind was the throbbing pain along her wing. It was no more than a slow pulse, but somehow it managed to worm its way into her brain, forcing a low groan out of her as she tried to get back to sleep. Dimly, she was aware of a voice calling her name, but with some mumbled words and a wave of her hoof, she brushed it away. A couple of seconds later, the voice returned and she rolled away from it, only for pain to shoot through her system.

Dash just managed bite back her yell as she sat bolt upright, only to smash her head into the low ceiling. Rubbing her forehead, Dash ducked down and looked around with bleary eyes. Where... was she? Some part of her brain ticked away, nagging at her in that irritable voice of her old commander, but all she could think of was how much she could use a nice hot, bitter cup of whatever the Tartarus it was Fluttershy got her every morning. One sip of that woke her right up.

A chill breeze ran through her fur, causing a violent shudder to run down her spine, immediately waking her up. And not for the first time in her life, Rainbow Dash wondered just how much she'd had to drink last night, and hoped Lightning Dust did not have new blackmail material on her. One set of photos was enough, she did not need that pegasus getting her hooves on another set.

Seriously, what the buck happened last night?

So Dash did the only thing that came to her sleep addled mind—she shoved her head into the snow. The chill was instant, biting into her brain and snapping everything into perspective. Immediately pulling out, she shook off the excess snow and began getting dressed, blinking at the sight of her splinted wing.

"Fluttershy!" Despite her jacket being unzipped, and the complete lack of weapons or anything protecting her face, Dash scrambled out the small opening in the wall. "Fluttershy!"

How long had she been out? Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen. They were meant to get out, find somewhere safe to stay, and just live out the rest of their lives in safety without having to be pressured into anything. And now... now Fluttershy was probably lying somewhere, her cold, dead body feeding timberwolves or a manticore or-

No.

If she had survived somehow, then maybe Fluttershy had as well. Maybe she had found shelter, or simply been buried in the snow like Dash had, and somehow miraculously survived. It didn't matter how, but until Dash laid eyes on her friend's cold, dead body, she would continue to have hope. She would scour every single last inch of this area, digging a mile down if need be in order to find Fluttershy's body, and once it was found, Dash would give her the respect she deserved.

"Um... Rainb-" Whatever else Fluttershy was about to say was lost in an epic level squeak as she was glomped by an ecstatic blue pegasus. After a moment, Fluttershy returned the hug, completely ignoring how wet Dash's cheeks were. "Everything's fine, we're safe now. Now how about we get you properly dressed? You'll catch a cold if you stay like that."

"Heh... yeah..." Dash sniffled and cleared the dirt from her eyes. "Who else could have done the totally awesome splint on my wing?"

"Yeah."Fluttershy helped Dash's injured wing into her jacket before zipping it up. "Apparently, we almost didn't make it."

"Apparently?" Dash followed Fluttershy's gaze to the purple unicorn and drake on the hill, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat. "What are they doing here?"

"Dash, be nice-"

"Be nice!? They're fucking horned freaks!" Dash's yell echoed, causing Twilight glance back.

"-they saved us," finished Fluttershy with a flat look.

"Probably so they could extract our memories and secrets while we slept, " whispered Dash. "Or maybe they're planning on selling us to the dirt ponies in order to get their grubby hooves on some books."

Fluttershy didn't say a single word and instead just gave Dash The Look.

"Or... um... they could be helping out of the kindness of their hearts...?" Dash smiled meekly and at Fluttershy's nod, she breathed a sigh of relief. Being on the wrong end of that look chilled her more than being flank naked in the middle of a snowstorm.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Twilight's getting pissy," said Spike, not even bothering to look at Dash. "You coming or not?"

"Hey! What the buck am I? Invisible ?" growled Dash as she took a step forward.

"So? You coming?" Spike kept on ignoring her.

"Why you little-"

"Dash."

For a brief second, Dash considered ignoring the warning and lunging at the slithery freak, but then she saw that glint in its eyes and backed down. If she wasn't injured, then sure, Dash could totally take it on and win. That's not to say she couldn't win right now, but she didn't want to fight. After all, that'd humiliate the dragon too much. Just because they were enemies didn't mean Dash had to do that to it, even freaks like them deserve something better. Not by much, but a little bit—like instead of being buried alive, they should be set on fire to provide some much-needed warmth even in death. Or how instead of being executed, they should be made into slaves to help provide food for everypegasus.

"Are.You. Coming?" asked Spike. "And don't look at her, this isn't about what she wants, it's about what you want. If you want to come with us, just say so. Sure, Twilight may be a tad snappy, but like I said, she's hungry."

"Well... um..." Fluttershy still looked back at Dash. "I think, that is, if you're alright with it, I think we should go with them."

"W-What?" Dash stared at her longtime friend, trying to figure out where the sudden confidence came from, and whether or not Fluttershy had hit her head . "Are you crazy!? They-"

"They saved us," replied Fluttershy, and for the briefest of moments, she actually matched Dash's heated gaze before she looked away again. "Plus, they're going to the abandoned mines like us."

"What." It was impossible to tell who said it, but the dragon and brash pegasus stared at each other with equal amounts of disgust.

"You're kidding me," said Dash.

"And here I thought things couldn't possibly get worse," muttered Spike under his breath. "Whatever, come if you want, but we're leaving now."

"Good riddance," spat Dash as she turned away. "Come on 'Shy, let's get out of this place. The entire area stinks now thanks to them."

"But Dash-"

"But nothing. We are not travelling with them and that's final. They could backstab us at any moment, sell us off to slavers, whatever! Only two types of ponies roam this wasteland – those who were thrown out and those who ran away—probably because if they didn't, they'd have been executed."

“But… um… I hope you don’t mind, that is, if it’s alright, but we’re kind of running away, and we wouldn’t have been executed,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh yeah, death or forced to marry some douche. Guess which one I’d pick,” muttered Dash.

“But they could have, er, they could have run away for the exact same…” Fluttershy trailed off under Dash’s intense glare.

“Come on, we need to get moving, we’re losing light.” Unconsciously, Dash flexed her wings and winced in pain. “What did I do to my wing anyways?”

“You fractured it. Nothing too bad, about six weeks should be enough if you don’t move it too much or strain it in any shape or form.”

“What! Damn it, that’s at least a month without flying, you’ve got to be bucking me. Argh, fine, whatever, as long as I can get back into the air without losing any speed ,” grumbled Dash. “And can we please walk and talk at the same time?”

Fluttershy simply smiled and rolled her eyes at Dash’s hopping from hoof to hoof. “Alright, alright, but where to?The mines?”

“Buck that. I’m not going near that place,” spat Dash. “We go ahead, there’s a cave just to the east of there that I used as shelter once. It’s not as comfortable, but it was more than enough for me and Dust to hide out. It’ll be a long flight, but it’s definitely doable if we push ourselves.”

“Um… Dash… you can’t fly,” whispered Fluttershy.

“What do you mean I can’t fl- Oh… right…” Dash sighed and pulled out her map, using some snow to hold it down as she scanned it. “Come on, there must be some other place we can stay then.”

But no matter how hard she tried, there was one, and only one, cave marked as safe on the map. A part of her wanted to ignore it and take a chance, to strike out on their own and head along the mountain ridge in an attempt to find some undiscovered place of shelter, but all it took was one look at Fluttershy to cure her of that stupid idea. If she wanted to get them killed, there were far easier ways of doing that and it’d probably take less time and effort as well. Dash had no idea how that unicorn managed to make shelter out of only snow, but it no doubt involved some blood and some weird voodoo chanting stuff.

Eventually, Dash sighed and rubbed her temples. “We’re going to the mines.”

“But what about the unicorn?”

“I thought you wanted to go with them!”

“Um…” Fluttershy disappeared behind a lock of her mane. “No…?”

With a groan, Dash facehoofed, only to wince in pain as her muzzle slammed into her gauntlets. Ignoring Fluttershy’s soft giggles, Dash began gathering everything up, making sure to double check their supplies in case that freak stole anythin g. Satisfied that nothing had been taken, she tossed the bag over her shoulder, making sure to keep it from knocking against her injured wing. A quick glance over at Fluttershy to make sure they were both ready, and the two began trekking through the snow. Though they were headed in the same direction as the unicorn, the hoofprints had long since vanished under the heavy snowfall. As they finally made it over the small hill, the unicorn and dragon came into view, causing Dash let out a scream of frustration.

“Hello to you too,” snapped Twilight. “And trust me, this wasn’t my idea. If it was, we’d be long gone by now.”

“So why are you here?” growled Dash, her wings automatically opening, making her wince and pull them back in. “Why don’t you just fuck off?”

“Dash!” said Fluttershy before smiling shyly at the duo before her. “Sorry…”

“We’re here because you two look as though you could use the help.” Spike leveled a flat look at Twilight the entire time. “And because we’re both headed in the same direction and there’s safety in numbers.”

“Thanks but no thanks. If you haven’t noticed, we’re in Pegasus Territory and that means being seen with you equals kill on sight.” Dash shoved past them and Fluttershy followed with an apologetic smile. “So get lost.”

“Okay.” The unicorn sounded far too happy about that one. “Come on Spike, we made the offer just like you wanted and they declined. Time to go, no point in wasting time on a pointless argument.”

They walked side by side in total silence, neither side talking to the other. Every so often Fluttershyand Spike would share a look, but every time they did, Dash would glare at Fluttershy or Twilight would shift her body, causing them to break eye contact. Every couple of minutes, Dash would speed up in an attempt to outpace the others, but every single time she was forced to slow down after an hour to let Fluttershy catch up or Twilight would suddenly appear behind them and quickly catch up.

After five hours of straight walking, her muscles ached and her clothes were soaked in sweat, but Dash kept pushing on. Beside her, Twilight trudged on, matching Dash step for step, and the two shared a glare before picking up the pace yet again. A weary smile touched her lips as she noticed the way the horned freak was panting and the way its legs trembled ever so slightly. It was to be expected really, considering all unicorns where fragile little things that could be beaten with one hoof tied behind her back and with no wings.

"Just for the record," panted Dash, "you're totally following me."

For her part, the unicorn merely rolled her eyes and kept walking on, picking up the pace yet again. A quick glance over her shoulder told Dash that both Fluttershy and Spike had dropped back yet again. Her head snapped back to the unicorn and Dash narrowed her eyes, immediately breaking out into a trot to catch up. A second later, Twilight brushed past smirking, but once more Dash caught up. Again and again the two tried to lose each other until it broke out into a full-fledged gallop as the two raced against each other.

Hooves slamming into the snow, Dash found herself forced to move slower than she was used to thanks to how soft and uneven the ground was. Worst of all, she could see the stupid unicorn out of the corner of her eye, easily keeping up with her despite everything. A growl of frustration escaped, and when she tried to push herself just that bit further, she felt a hoof slip out from under her causing her to stumble, letting the unicorn burst ahead. Scrambling back onto her hooves, Dash pushed forward, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not catch up. All she could do was watch helplessly at that annoying swaying purple tail and those mocking looks the unicorn kept tossing back.

Fuck that. Dash had never given up in the past and she wasn't about to start now.

And then Twilight suddenly skidded to a stop, letting Dash blast past before she too slowed down to a stop. Glancing back, Dash watched as the unicorn's ears swiveled around, her head swinging left and right as she tried to locate something. As much as Dash hated that monster, if it stopped, there must have been a good reason for it, and rushing off by herself was sheer stupidity.

"What is it?" asked Dash in a hoarse whisper.

"Magic. Somepony's casting a lot of magic, I can feel it from here." Her eyes swung back to Dash as Twilight began walking forward once more, panting heavily the entire time. "They're pretty far away though, so we should be fine, but let's wait for the others."

"Good idea," said Dash before her eyes widened as she realized just exactly what she had said. She hated it, but it was a good idea in that it wasn't downright suicidal; and considering it was a unicorn, any non-suicidal idea was practically genius. So yeah, it was a good idea and Dash totally hadn't misspoken at all. The mere thought made her giggle, to think a unicorn could actually have a good idea!

"Hm... there aren't any outposts that I know of in the direction of the magic though, so what is going on?" said Twilight.

"Which direction?" Twilight immediately pointed in a south-southeast direction. "Yeah, there's nothing there. You sure?"

"No... There's always a lot of magical interference, so it's never entirely accurate, but..." Her frown deepened as she looked over her shoulder. "I do not like this. The others need to catch up and we need to find shelter."

"Better safe than sorry."

"Exactly. Perhaps it's raiders? Maybe a convoy interception?" A groan slipped out as Twilight rubbed the base of her horn. "Whatever it is, it's bad news."

The two trudged on in silence, and it took all of Dash's willpower to keep one hoof moving before the other. Each leg felt numb and leaden, as though she was trudging through waist high snow rather than the hard, compact stuff she was currently walking on. How the unicorn walked on so easily was beyond her, but as long as that freak of nature was still standing, so would Rainbow Dash.

After another hour of mind numbingly boring walking, Spike and Fluttershy glided in overhead and landed beside them.

"See? What'd I tell you? Still alive," chuckled Spike as he rested on Twilight's shoulder. "Though I thought you two would be at the cave by now with the way you two were fighting."

"We weren't fighting," snapped Twilight. "Also, there's some sort of-"

"Magical disturbance in the middle of nowhere? I know, I am a dragon after all," chuckled Spike. "Stop thinking I'm so useless, I have saved your flank on more than one occasion you know."

Twilight merely grunted in response and kept walking.

"Talkative, isn't she?" said Spike, earning him an ear flick from the unicorn.

"He didn't do anything to you, right?" whispered Dash. "Did he say anything? If he did I'll-"

"Rainbow, it's fine." Fluttershy peered at my injured wing. "And he was a perfect gentle-drake. Apparently they've been travelling together for ten years now, and they've been almost everywhere apart from the capitals and to the north." Unconsciously, both their eyes flicked over to the massive tornado that loomed over everything. "And there's this place where they think they saw bunnies. Bunnies! Oh Dash, can you imagine it? Little white fluffy things with bushy tails and long ears." Fluttershy giggled. "They sound so cuuuuuute."

"Yeah. Cute," said Dash.

As much as she wanted to burst Fluttershy's bubble and tell her that they were lying, Dash just couldn't bring herself to do that. For the first time, Fluttershy looked genuinely happy. She was bubbly, bouncing, and rambling on without a care in the world. Add on the spark in her eye and that dreamy sigh? Dash would do anything to keep that.

"Maybe we can find out where they saw the... bunnies... and we can go check them out for ourselves," said Dash.

"Really!?" Fluttershy practically tackled Dash in her excitement. "You really mean it?"

"Sure! I mean, it's not like we've got anywhere to go or anything to do, so we might as well go out and explore right? I mean, this Tartarian pit can't be the only place in the world." A small smile tugged at Dash's lips. "Personally? I want to the see the ocean and what lies beyond. After all, there must be something past all that water. Right?"

"Yeah, we can do that." Fluttershy leaned against her longtime friend. "I want to see it as well. I want to see all those animals and plants and cute critters. Maybe we'll find somewhere green and alive."

Dash chuckled. "There's dreaming and then there's that. I wonder if someplace warm exists..."

"If you're looking for green, we know a place," said the dragon.

"Spike!"

"What? She's nice," he replied with a shrug. "I think she'd fit right in."

"No." Twilight glared at the two pegasi. "Forget what he said, and if you tell anypony, I will personally hunt you down."

"Twi-"

"No. " Her glare swung back to the dragon. "You do not make that call, you have never made that call. It is a joint decision, and I would prefer it if you stopped trying to bring every stray we find back to base."

"Come on! If it wasn't for me, you'd never bring anypony back and you know it."

"The more ponies know about a secret, the less of a secret it is !"growled Twilight.

"Um... could we get somewhere safe first?" asked Fluttershy in a whisper.

For a second, it looked as though they would continue arguing, but in the end, they both huffed and looked away.

"Looks like there's trouble in paradise," whispered Dash.

"Dash, that is not funny," replied Fluttershy, though the barely contained laughter was obvious.

"If you say so," laughed Dash as she skipped along. "Now come on, I can see the mine entrance!"

Scrambling up the hill, Dash slipped between the rocks and felt a weight lift off her body as she slumped to the ground. Sure the walls were too close for comfort and the ceiling was far too low, but it was better than being outside where a sudden snow storm could mean instant death. If it wasn't for Fluttershy, Dash probably would have already been died in that last snow storm.

"Hey Twi, is it alright if I go hunting?" asked Spike. "I'm staaaaaarving."

"Sure. I need to check my traps anyways," replied the unicorn as it slipped off its bag.

"Traps?" Dash glared at Twilight. "Are you saying we could have gotten killed?"

"Only if you're blind and enjoy eating meat," said the unicorn with a shrug. "It's for trapping timberwolves, their sap is nutritious, full of energy and requires no preparation time. Most importantly, it's not meat, though you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find anything that can be easily hunted."

“For you maybe,” snorted Spike as he left.

“Snobby dragon,” said Twilight with a roll of her eyes. “I swear he gets arrogant the longer I know him.”

“Snobby unicorn,” muttered Dash under her breath before saying aloud, “Hey Fluttershy, mind passing over some food?”

“Um… sure…” she bought out a large apple, about the size of her eye and a pale pinkish red. “Er… would you like one too Twilight?”

As soon as that question left Fluttershy’s mouth, Dash tensed up, her entire mind screaming at her to jump the unicorn. For her part, Twilight merely stood there at the cave entrance, letting the question linger in the air. With her back to the pegasi, it was impossible to make out what she was thinking, but after a couple of seconds, Twilight simply walked out without even a backward look.

“Was… was it something I said?” whispered Fluttershy.

At that Dash, lost all control of her body and decided to greet the floor multiple times with her face while Fluttershy looked on in confusion. There were so many things that could be said, butnothing could express just how frustrated she was right then and there. As much as she wanted to yell at Fluttershy though, Dash just couldn’t bring herself to do it. After all, she was the one who dragged them away from the comfort of home, almost got them killed and now was probably screwed thanks to the unicorn.

“Look, Fluttershy, we don’t have a lot of food, so we need to ration it,” said Dash slowly even as her annoyance bubbled within her. “Handing out free food is not helping and she has her own food source so she’s fine.”

“But-“

“No buts. “

It almost looked like Fluttershy was going to argue further, but then her wings dropped and she nodded.

“Good.” Dash took a bite out of her apple and moaned in delight. Fruits were a rare thing, and this one actually had a bit of sweetness to it. It was mushy and a bit stale, but it was sweet and that was all that mattered. Better than the usual tasteless goop that they normally got at least.

“Wait.” Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy. “You stole these from the kitchen didn’t you? I don’t remember packing these.”

“Um…”

“Fluttershy! These were meant to be a treat for everypegasus for a job well done and a record haul. You don’t get to steal them just for ourselves. What the buck!”

“Well, you see, er… I figured that since we weren’t going to be there, and, well, the food was for everypony, that, maybe, it would be alright for us to take our share. You know?” She smiled that hopeful, innocent little smile of hers, making it impossible for Dash to actually be angry.

“Alright, alright, but I would have preferred it if you left it for them,” sighed Dash as she settled back down. “Not that I’m not glad for it, but they need it more. You know?”

They lapsed back into silence, eating the treat slowly in order to savor it for as long as possible. Every so often Dash would take a sip of her water in order to wash down the apple, but otherwise she happily snacked away without a worry in the world. With a hoof she began unzipping her jacket, letting some of that oppressive heat out even as sweat dripped down her brow.

It was only when everything began to darken that she realized just how stupid she was. Immediately on her hooves, she walked over to the entrance and looked out, scanning the sky and ground for any trace of living beings. Though she saw nothing, something itched at the back of her neck. A pressure, a chill, something that was impossible to explain, but it gripped her mind and kept her locked in place. The sky was clear and nothing could be seen except white as far as the eye could see.

“Dash?”

“How long have they been gone?” whispered Dash before she ran back to her backpack, tossing it on without a second thought.“An hour?Two? Damn it! Fluttershy, grab your stuff, we’re leaving now.”

“Wha-Why?”

“It’s a trap.”

“Please, if it was a trap you’d already be dead,” said Twilight as she came into view, a sticky yellow liquid coating her clothes and with a fresh scratch across her check that was still bleeding. “And moving out now is stupid, something that I thought you’d know Flight Commander.”

“Go fuck yourself,” snarled Dash.

“Biologically impossible,” said Twilight as she brushed past. “Spike still not back yet? I’m not surprised.”

“You don’t seem, that is, if it’s alright for me to say, but you don’t seem particularly concerned about his safety,” squeaked Fluttershy.

“He can take care of himself,” shrugged Twilight as she pulled out a bottle of yellow liquid, drinking it down messily as she grasped it in her mouth and simply tossed her head back. The disgust was written all over her face as she drank it down and threw it back into her bag. “Now, I’ll have first watch and you two can have third and fourth wi-“

“Hold up, who made you the leader?” growled Dash, taking an aggressive step forward. “We are not travelling together, we are not travelling as a group.”

“There is no point to double up on watch,” replied Twilight. “It is inefficient and a waste of energy.”

“Sorry, but I am not putting my life in the hooves of a monster,” said Dash.

“In that case you and your friend can watch all night long.” Twilight shrugged. “It’ll be nice to get a full night’s sleep for once.”

“Bu- I- Wha- That- Argh!” The worst part was, that unicorn had that annoying smirk plastered all over her face as she walked past with an arrogant sway of her hips.

This was reverse psychology, it had to be reverse psychology. Obviously the unicorn wanted to take a watch, therefore she was saying that to make Dash change her mind and give the freak what it wanted. But what if it was planning that? What if it knew that was what Dash would do, and instead wanted them to stay up all night so that they would be sleep deprived and allow the unicorn to do some sneaky backstabbing. But what if the unicorn knew that Dash would think that and wanted her to act that way so that she could do something sneaky at night? What if tha-

“Fine!” yelled Dash causing everypony to jump. “You get first watch, but I get second. Spike gets third and Fluttershy gets the last one.”

“Whatever you want,” said Twilight in that bored tone of hers. “Now if you’re done screaming, I’ve got some reading to do.”

A snort escaped as Dash curled up on the hard floor. “Whatever, I’m going to sleep.”

There was a moment of silence before Fluttershy said, “Y-Yeah, I should go to bed as well. Um… Night, Twilight…”

“Whatever, don’t care,” replied the unicorn as she flipped the page in the book.

“Stuck up unicorn,” muttered Dash under her breath as she closed her eyes. Sooner or later one of them was going to die even if it was from sheer anger and frustration. One night. That was all it took. One single night, and then Dash would never have to see that monster ever again, but even then, one night was far too long of a wait. For the first time in her life, Dash wished she was dealing with Thunderlane instead.

With one final sigh, Dash rolled over and prepared herself for one long night.

“Now remember darling, Sweetie Belle needs to be in bed in an hour, and make sure she does not eat anything other than dinner. Just between you and me, supporting both mother and Sweetie is putting a strain on the finances, but if everything goes well tonight, our troubles will be behind us.” Rarity tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Oh yes, please check on my mother before you sleep yourself. I know she dislikes being seen as a burden, but please make sure she has enough blankets, the doctors say that we need to ensure she’s warm at all times if she is to stay healthy, and that goes double for Sweetie. If there aren’t enough…”

And on and on and on she went. It was as though she didn’t have to breathe or something ! More than once Applejack found herself checking for a second set of lips that the unicorn could breathe through, but no matter where she looked, there was nothing. As far as Applejack was concerned, black magic was involved, as that was the only possible explanation.

“…nd do not let anypony in, especially Trixie. Actually, if Trixie shows up, you have permission to beat her senseless, and I will even feed you like royalty if you do.”

For her part, Applejack merely cocked an eyebrow at the unicorn. Sometimes, she just didn’t get how Rarity’s mind worked. Most of time she was a stupid airhead with no concept of reality, and then occasionally she’d say something brilliant like just then and Applejack found herself nodding along eagerly.It wasn't the first time she found herself agreeing with Rarity, but it didn't feel any less weird. There was just this feeling of disgust, as though she was going to throw up right there and then before crawling into some hole somewhere to curl up until morning.

"Got that?" finished Rarity.

Applejack merely rolled her eyes and began shoving the unicorn towards the exit.

"Alright, alright!" laughed Rarity as she swatted Applejack on the nose with her tail. "I'm going you pushy pony."

With one final shove, Rarity was pushed onto the teleport rune and the last thing Applejack saw was the unicorn tossing her mane to one side before she vanished in a flash of blue light. The earth pony let out a sigh of relief as she began walking back to the dining room, shaking out her mane and tail as she finally found herself relaxing for the first time in days. Standing around being a model didn't sound stressful, but when it involved standing in the middle of a cyclone of needles, it was a constant battle between fight and flight reflexes. It didn't help that she could be assaulted at any second of any day. Sure, she hadn't been dragged out of the bath yet, but it was only a matter of time. Having been woken up in the middle of the night more than once was more than enough to drill that into her mind.

As Applejack entered the kitchen, she immediately walked into a screen of smoke. Ducking down low, she began scrambling forward, shoving Sweetie and Pearl out of the way. When that didn't stop the cooking, she threw a bucket of water in Pearl's face, breaking the unicorn's concentration long enough for the pot to clatter to the ground and for the fire to go out. She immediately grabbed Sweetie and tossed her out before shoving Pearl out the kitchen and grabbing the leather fan in an attempt to disperse the smoke. Within seconds the entire place was back to normal thanks to whatever magic they used to keep the air flowing around here.

Without a second thought, she slammed the door in the unicorns' faces before turning back to the kitchen and the pile of black sludge on the ground.With a shrug, she stepped over it and began rifling through the cupboards for something that she could eat without dying. Sure, she probably should clean it up, but the mere thought of that uptight unicorn handling it brought a smile to her face.

Out came the dry grass, a pot of water, and some dandelions, followed by staring. A lot of staring.Maybe, just maybe, if she stared hard enough everything would start cooking itself and dinner would be done in a couple of seconds. When nothing happened, Applejack was forced to admit defeat so she opened the door, dragged Pearl in, then pointed at the pot. She seemed to understand because her horn began glowing and a minute later the pot was boiling along nice.

Now was it the dandelions first or the grass?

Pearl immediately reached for the grass, but Applejack slapped it out of her magic and tossed in the dandelions. Who cares if it was right or not, as long as it wasn't doing it by whatever sick method Rarity's mother thought up. Then in went the grass, off went the magic, and it was drained leaving behind a pile of mush.

"Are you sure that's edible?" asked Pearl causing Applejack to give her a flat look. "What? It looks as though it hasn't been cooked enough."

With a sigh of defeat, Applejack plated herself a helping before trotting out the door with her nose held high. If they wanted to burn the kitchen, they were welcome to—as long as she had some food in her belly, she wasn't about to complain about anything.Taking a bite out of her meal, the earth pony was forced to stop herself from gagging. It was bitter, had a slimy texture, and slid down her throat like a lump of dirt , and Applejack devoured it in seconds. It might not have been as good as Rarity's cooking, but it certainly beat anything she had ever been served while she was in the slave pens.

"This isn't bad you know, but it's not cooked enough," said Pearl as she began eating her own meal. "And it's not burnt enough. Charring it a little adds that smoky flavor ."

Applejack just rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that look missy, I provide healthy, nutritious meals for my girls. Why, just look at Rarity! She grew up into a fine mare that anypony would have happy to have as a wife. Nice foal bearing hips, a good future, respected in her field, and very nicely toned as well."

Sweetie giggled as Applejack made a variety of gagging gestures and pretended to strangle herself.

"Now that's enough of that," said Pearl as she smacked the earth pony across the muzzle. "I'll clean up while you get Sweetie into bed."

"But mooooooom."

"No buts little mare, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow so you need your sleep."

"B-But-"

"Now." Even though the look wasn't directed at her, Applejack still gulped and shrunk back.

"Yes mom..." The filly sulked away, her hooves dragging along the ground and just as she reached the steps, she tossed one final watery-eyed pout back at them and the sheer cute factor was enough to override the horrible aftertaste from dinner.

"Sweetie Belle." And just like that, the filly zipped off to her bedroom. "I swear, that filly is getting more manipulative each day."

All Applejack could do was nod slowly as her blood sugar tried to recover.

"And don't worry, I'll make sure she gets in bed. Sun knows how long you'd last once she decides to really crank up the water works. Why don't you get the dishes instead?"

With another nod, Applejack began walking back to the kitchen in a daze. She tossed the dishes into the sink, rubbed them with her hoof before just leaving them on the counter to dry off. Sure, it'd make a mess everywhere, but it's not like she had to be clean and prissy about everything like a certain white unicorn. Five seconds! Look, five seconds and the dishes were done. By the stars, look at how fast it was when there wasn't a prissy pony doing the job. Great, just thinking about the usual battle was giving her a headache. Making her way back into the living room, Applejack stretched herself out on the ground just in time for a familiar blue flash of light to come from down the corridor.

"Oh, Golden, have you eaten yet? Considering you're still alive I assume you haven't," said Rarity with a small chuckle.

Applejack pointed in at the plate of half eaten food on the counter that Pearl had left behind.

"Ah... um... did mother cook this?"

A shake of the head.

"Sweetie?"

Another shake.

"You cooked this?"

A nod.

"Well now, let's give it a try shall we? I don't believe you've ever cooked for me in the past." Sitting down next to the earth pony, she immediately took a cautious bite, chewing it slowly with her eyes closed before swallowing. "Well now, it's not bad, but it's definitely something you can improve on. I take it you added the dandelion first?"

Applejack blinked in surprise.

"How could I know that? The bitter taste. Either you added it first and allowed it to overcook, or you forgot to wash the pollen off first. Don't worry, next time I'll let you cook while I walk you through the steps. Who knows, maybe we can take turns cooking in the future, or when I'm particularly swamped with orders."

Either this mare was stupid, or she was the dumbest thing alive . Probably both now that Applejack thought about it. After all, only an idiot would let their slave cook a meal for them, let alone teach them how and then willingly eat everything that was cooked. Had she never heard of something called 'poison'?

"Regardless, that is not what I wanted to talk to you about," said Rarity as she took another bite, savoring the taste. "And this is really, really, really good for your first try."

All she got in response was a cocked eyebrow.

"Ah, right, yes." Out of her saddlepack came a leather bound box thing with brown sheets in between. "Since you cannot talk, I figured it'd be best if you could read and write."

This time, Applejack failed to resist the urge to facehoof. Turns out, not only was she not afraid of getting poisoned, she also wasn't afraid of getting blackmailed! Applejack wasn't certain if she should laugh hysterically from her obscene luck, or just lose all faith in the world for producing a mare this dumb.

Applejack immediately stood up to leave, but a light touch on her tail made her glance back. There was Rarity, a tentative hoof held out as she looked up at Applejack. “Look, I know reading and writing is useless, but please, just one night. One letter, that is all I ask for.”

Why though? Why did the unicorn want this so badly? There was a plot here, there had to be a plot here, but no matter how hard Applejack looked, she just couldn’t find it .

Rarity slowly opened the book to show two large symbols on the page. "This is the letter 'a' like 'Apple'."

Applejack's hoof immediately froze midstep, as a cold sweat broke out. It was a coincidence, it had to be a coincidence that she chose that particular example. She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, but as she did so, an image of her mother writing her name in the mud flashed before her mind and the ghost of a whisper saying ‘That’s you!’ That was all Applejack had left, a name and a face hidden in some corner of her memories, buried beneath the dust of time. It was the last gift that had never been given, all because that stupid brat decided to...

Applejack shook her head. No, she needed to stop thinking about that, she promised herself she would stop thinking about that.

“So...?” asked Rarity as she looked up hopefully.

It felt wrong, dirty even, but Applejack found herself sitting back down. It had been her mother’s last gift, one that had never been finished and though she felt it was something sacred that belonged only to her, it’s not like the unicorn would know the real reason behind everything. It’s not like the unicorn would be teaching her how to write her name. Plus, it was her name, it was the one thing, the only thing she got from her mother, and it was a matter of respect to finish what had been started.

Reaching out slowly with a trembling hoof, Applejack began tracing the first symbol, following the arrows on the page.

Could it be so simple? So straightforward? Was it even the right thing to do? Applejack had no clue, but something urged her to learn, to at least give it a shot.

A slow nod as she began tracing the left one. It was sort of like an arrow and all the straight lines meant it was easy to draw, but the one of the right... The one on the right was so weird and different. All curvy and flowery. It just didn't feel right.

She knew this was pointless, that there was no point in learning how to write or read, but... This symbol, this arrow-like thing represented the first letter of her name. It was hers, a part of her, it felt special and it was all she had of her mother.

Applejack stared longingly at the page before slowly looking up at Rarity's beaming face. There was laughter in her eyes, nothing patronizing there, instead all Applejack could see was happiness. Was this some elaborate trick? Was this whole thing one massive fancy flim-flam to get her to drop her guard, or was this unicorn really that stupid?

"Shall we continue then?" asked Rarity softly.

Looking down, Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, drawing her hoof back so that the page could be turned.

Whatever this was, it didn't matter. There was something here, something important, like a distant memory tugging on heartstrings.

"This is the letter 'b', please excuse the shakiness of the writing, I fear it wasn't my best attempt ever. I always found the capital so awkward to write," Rarity said.

Unconsciously, Applejack nodded and moved closer to the white mare, leaning in to get a better look at the symbol. Her first attempt at tracing the letter horrible, but Rarity gently placed her hoof over Applejack's and began guiding her along, letting her get a feel for the way her hoof was meant to move. Then Rarity let go and with a frown of deep concentration, Applejack began tracing it once more, trying to remember the way it moved just seconds earlier.

There was little doubt in her mind that tonight was going to be a long night. It meant spending time with the sec- no, third most hated unicorn in the world , but for once, Applejack didn't care. For once she found herself willingly close to the unicorn as she pored over each and every page, and once they got to the end of the book and Rarity made to put it away, Applejack reach out with a hoof to stop her. No words were said, no words were spoken, and with a small, almost quietsmile, the unicorn sat back down and turned back to the very first page.

Maybe tonight wouldn't be so long after all.

Chapter 5

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Something was wrong.

Though Dash still had her eyes closed and her entire body was still half asleep, her mind was alert. She didn’t know what woke her up or why, but there was something there, nagging at her. The only problem was, she couldn’t remember what. As she lay there in the dark with Fluttershy curled up beside her for warmth, all she could hear was the howling wind.

She sat up with a groan, shivering as the cold air wormed its way into her jacket. Immediately zipping it up, Dash glanced around the tunnel, even as her bleary eyes threatened to close every couple of seconds. Still, her instincts were screaming that something was wrong, and only an idiot ignored their instincts. Plus, it’s not like these tunnels were some great secret. Everything was silent, not a whisper was heard except for the wind, but that wasn’t anything unusual, so what wa-

The snoring. Where was the bloody snoring? Fluttershy was asleep, Spike was nowhere to be seen, and the horned freak was missing as well. Dash quickly checked her saddlepack, as well as Fluttershy’s, but nothing was missing and a quick sniff and lick of their remaining food didn’t turn up anything strange. Either they hadn’t gotten around to poisoning the food yet, or they were currently cooking it up.

A quick glance at their half of the cave revealed their equipment was still there, and Dash slipped over and began looking through it. There were a couple of vials, a very detailed map of safe places to stay at night, which Dash quickly copied, as well as two books.

Once everything was back in the bag, Dash paused, looking up and down the corridor. It was possible they had gone further into the cave system despite how dangerous it was, but if they had, she most likely would be able to hear them. Then again, considering she was talking about those two, it wasn’t really that much of a stretch by any means. Still, wandering off into the cave system alone was probably the dumbest thing any pegasus could do, though she was certain that a dirt pony could come up with something dumber somehow.

Walking as quietly as can be, Dash began sneaking towards the entrance, eyes constantly darting around in an attempt to spot the unicorn before she was noticed. As she turned the corner, two silhouettes stood by the entrance and Dash slipped back. When nothing happened, she cautiously poked her head out and watched as they sat there, the unicorn lightly stroking the dragon’s back as though he was some sort of pet.

As Dash crept closer, she could just make out words being spoken, but it was too hard to hear above the storm outside. Making sure she stayed within the shadows, she soon found herself hiding behind a boulder, ears straining to make out what was being said.

“-ink about them?” asked Spike.

“The yellow one seems alright, but the other one? Definitely not,” said Twilight. “What I really want to know is what they’re doing out here at all, by all accounts they’re the last ones to be on such a dangerous mission.”

“Perhaps they’re running away.”

“Everypony who’s out here is running away. Saying that is like saying the snow is white.”

“They deserve the chance.”

“I’ve given them plenty of chances, the answer is still no.”

Silence descended as the two kept watch in silence.

“What do you think Pinkie is up to?” asked Spike, finally breaking the silence.

“Knowing her? Something silly.”

“It’s for morale you know.”

“I know that, doesn’t mean I have to approve of it,” snapped the unicorn. After a moment her entire body seemed to sag and she whispered something too soft for Dash to hear. Whatever it was though, it caused Spike to nuzzle Twilight lightly, a gesture she happily returned.

“Where to next?” asked Spike.

“We keep going north-east, seeing which towns we can get into as we go, until we hit the border. From there we can get back to base relatively safely.”

“And the others?”

“Can do whatever they want. It’s no secret Rainbow Dash hates both of us.” For some reason Twilight laughed at that. Whatever Spike said in response though was lost in the rumble of thunder, but it caused Twilight to laugh even harder, though there seemed to be an almost bitter aftertaste to it.

Once more, Spike said something too soft to be heard and Twilight's laughter suddenly cut off with a sigh. After a couple seconds of her just tapping her hoof, she finally said, "Why do you hate the pegasus so much anyways?"

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah."

For once he was actually silent as he was forced to think, probably for the first time in his life.

"I don't hate her, but she's..."

"Everything 'great' about the pegasi?" supplied Twilight and Dash puffed out her chest.

"Yeah." There was a pause. "Actually, that's exactly it and that rubs me the wrong way."

Dash opened her mouth to say something, only to snap it shut when she remembered that she was meant to be silent. There was a reason why she sent others on scouting missions and sure, spying sounds so much fun, but the thought of sitting in a single spot for hours on end was enough to make her roll over and die. Even now, her legs were screaming at her to stand up and run around in circles or something. It didn't matter what, but she just needed to move, to get that blood pumping and heart pounding. Despite all that, she bit her lip in an attempt to ignore that instinct as she leaned in further in an attempt to hear their words better.

"Kind of hard to not be that way when that's how you were raised," said Spike.

"I'm not that way." Silence. "Alright, don't you dare say it, I know that was a stupid thing to say."

"Very stupid."

"Oh shut up." Twilight shoved the drake off her shoulder. "You might as well go and wake the others and tell them about the storm. If you don't, that pegasus will probably throw a tantrum and think we've secretly poisoned her food or something."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm go-"

Whatever else was said was lost as Dash scrambled back to camp, quickly shoving herself next to Fluttershy and closing her eyes. A couple seconds later, the sound of flapping could be heard followed by Spike landing somewhere to the right.

"You know, there are more subtle ways to eavesdrop," he said casually. "And considering we both dislike you, that was a really bad way to get into our good graces."

"Who says I want to get into your good graces?" snapped Dash as she opened her eyes.

"Just saying your sneaking sucks is all." He shrugged.

"Then how come that unicorn didn't hear me?"

"That unicorn has a name you know," he said. "And you forget, I'm a dragon, I hunt for my food."

"Yeah right, they probably die of laughter when they see you." Dash stood up and stretched out her legs, walking around the room to get rid of that annoying voice in the back of her head. "As if you could hunt anything."

The two stared at each other silently before Spike finally sighed and looked away, allowing Dash to give herself a pat on the back.

"I'm starting to think Twilight is right," he whispered.

"What's that?" Dash was suddenly in front of that stupid dragon. "What is she right about?"

"You. You're just... such a pegasus an-"

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Oh real funny. You want to know what I'm tired of? You telling me to use her fucking name when she doesn't even use mine! I'll give her my respect, but only after she earned it, and not a second earlier," growled Dash before muttering under her breath, "As if a unicorn could ever earn it to begin with."

"You see? That's exactly what I'm talking about!" said Spike, causing Dash to swear under her breath. "She saved you from dying out there, and that deserves respect."

"And I bet she was oh-so-willing to do that," spat Dash.

"Tha-That's not the point. The point is that she still saved your worthless flank, and at the very least, you should actually thank her for it."

"Whatever." Dash shoved past, sending the small drake tumbling through the air. "You want me to talk to her? Fine, I'll fucking talk to her!"

Each hoofbeat echoed through the cave as Dash stomped her way towards the entrance, a low rumbling in the back of her throat as she muttered curses under her breath in an attempt to not burst out screaming. By the time she reached the entrance, her wings here trembling with rage and her glare could have set snow on fire.

"You're up," said Twilight without even bothering to turn around.

"Yes, I'm up, and I have a bloody name you know," snarled Dash.

There was a pause before Twilight sighed and turned around. "What did Spike say this time? I swear that drake is purposefully trying to make my life worse than Tartarus."

Dash's one good wing flared open, preventing the unicorn from going anywhere. "Spike wants us to talk, so guess what? We're going to talk."

"Oh, is that so?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow before she turned around and sat down. "Very well, what must we talk about?"

"Apparently I need to 'thank you' for saving me, but we both know you didn't want to, and that Fluttershy did most of the work," said Dash.

"You would be correct, but it had nothing to do with you being a pegasus." She gestured at the white expanse before them. "Any second lost is a second closer to death out there, and for all I knew, you could have been attacked by a manticore or something. It was less than ideal for me to take that risk."

That caused Dash to blink in surprise. "So you don't want me to... you know..."

"What would the point be? I did not save you, as you so logically pointed out. If anything, you should be thanking Spike for forcing my hoof."

"Good, well that jerk isn't getting one anyways," said Dash as she turned to walk away.

"Wait." Dash stopped, but didn't bother looking backwards. "Why are you two out here anyways?"

"That's none of your business.”

"True, but I am more curious as to where you are going. Life out here is not easy, and unless you've got a plan, you're as good as dead."

"What's that to you?"

"I may dislike you, but Spike seems to like Fluttershy and it would make life more pleasant if she didn’t end up dying needlessly."

"You say that as though I'd willing put her in danger," hissed Dash.

"You're bringing her out here aren't you?"

"Less danger than what she'd be if she had stayed behind."

"Ah..." The unicorn nodded as though it understood. "Regardless, I suggest you tone down the aggression for her sake."

"You don't get to 'suggest' anything, and what the fuck is that last part supposed to mean anyways!? It's not like we'll be travelling together once this storm passes," said Dash, their backs still facing each other.

"Are you really willing to put her life on the line?" she whispered. "Think about it, one wrong more and she's dead. Neither of you have any experience living out here, and I can assure you, things will go wrong."

"Tha-That's not the point!" yelled Dash as she finally turned around to face the unicorn.

"Isn't it?" replied Twilight with a small smile.

Rainbow Dash immediately looked away, unable to meet Twilight's eyes. As much as she wanted to argue, even she knew it was pointless and that no one would be convinced either way. The only reason she was there, the only reason why she wasn't safe and sound back at base was because of Fluttershy. If it wasn't for Fluttershy, everything would be fine and safe and normal. If Fluttershy died then what would the point be?

If her friend died, Dash would never be able to forgive herself, no matter what happened. It didn't matter if it was a freak snow storm or a dragon descending from the sky—if something happened to Fluttershy, Dash would blame herself for it. After all, she promised to always protect Fluttershy, and Rainbow Bucking Dash never broke a promise.

"Let's face it, we hate each other, but Spike's going to be a massive jerk about it, and if Fluttershy ever manages to grow a spine, she'll probably insist on it as well considering how much they enjoy each other's company." Her frown darkened. " I don't like it any more than you do."

"At least we agree on something then," said Dash with a nod. "Fine, we travel together for now, but we are not allies and we are not friends. If a dragon decides to eat you, I ain't saving you."

"Wish I could say the same thing, but I have no doubt Spike would force me to," muttered Twilight.

“Please, I’ve been in far more dangerous situations, I can handle myself just fine. Anything is better than being saved by a horned freak, even death.”

“Maybe your pride and arrogance is important for you, but to me, all that matters is ending this bloody weather."

"Keep dreaming."

"It's not. It can't be, I can feel it." Dash snorted, but Twilight's eyes narrowed. "No, I literally mean it, I can feel something magical in the storm and if there's a magical element to it, there must be a way to dispel it and once it's gone there'll be less of a reason for everypony to fight each other."

"If it was that simple, why haven't the unicorns done it yet?" asked Dash.

"How am I supposed to know? Does it look like I'm welcome to waltz into some meeting and hear all the forbidden details?" Twilight blew a lock of mane out of her eyes. "And I need to get my mane cut."

"Whatever." Out the corner of her eye, Dash watched as the unicorn fiddled with her hair, trying to keep it back. "So what you're saying is that if you dispel the magic, the storm will go away? But why would that stop everypeg- everypony from fighting?"

"Because we fight over resources!" Twilight flopped back. "Mainly food and firewood, but if it stopped snowing, we could grow food properly and trees would grow again and animals would come out and..." A sigh. "And I want to see the sun. Don't you? The sun and moon and stars and sky. I want to see it all."

"Typical," muttered Dash.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey! So you're allowed to say I'm a typical pegasus, but I'm not allowed to call you a typical unicorn? You're arrogant, think you know what's best, antisocial, loves useless things like books-"

"They're not useless!"

"-and you've got your head so far up your flank that all you can see are the roses," finished Dash. "Like I said, unicorn."

"Still better than being a stereotypical pegasus," she snapped back. "Hard headed, never thinks ahead, believes in dying in the most 'awesome' manner possible rather than living, constantly got their heads in the clouds, and are so stupid they wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a book and a rock!"

"Hey, pegasi are not dirt ponies."

"Earth ponies are not stupid," said Twilight.

"Coulda fooled me."

Twilight snorted in amusement. "Your racism knows no bounds."

"Whatever." Dash stood up and stretched out her limbs. "We should be getting back anyways."

"Good idea, otherwise they might think we've killed each other."

"Don't tempt me, I'm still undecided on that one," said Dash over her shoulder.

"I'd like to see you try," smirked Twilight.

"Oh, is that a challenge." Dash cracked her neck as she began circling Twilight. "I've been looking for an excuse to beat you up. Doubt it'll be a challenge, but it'll certainly be a good warm up."

"A warm up indeed. I doubt a five second fight will actually count as exercise." The two circled around each other slowly. "At least you aren't crossing your legs, otherwise I'd have to downgrade you from ‘warm up’ to ‘what not to do’."

"That insult was horrible, but you're right, this will last less than five seconds, and at the end, I will be the one still standing."

Twilight merely smirked as she suddenly lunged, her hooves lashing out with three quick strikes. Blocking each one, Dash slipped into the unicorn’s guard and just missed the hook punch as Twilight twisted out of the way. Just a second slower and that unicorn would have had a broken rib, and that would mean no more annoying smirk. Faster than Dash thought possible, the unicorn swung around, forcing her to skip back as the horn missed her eye. The two separated and regarded each other silently as they went back to circling.

“That was horrible,” said Dash, “you over-extended on the last hit.”

“Your blow was too high and would have missed the kidney completely, which would have allowed me to counter and kill you,” replied Twilight.

“Please, my aim was perfect, you obviously have no idea what you’re talking about, just like a typical unicorn.” After all, why go for the kidney when a strong enough blow to the ribs could break a couple of bones, make breathing difficult and hopefully puncture a lung?

“And just like a pegasus, you’re too hard-headed to admit you’ve made a mistake until it kills you.”

“Of course, I leave you two alone for a minute and you’re already trying to kill each other,” sighed Spike as he glided into view.

“Um…” Fluttershy peaked out from around the corner. “Are they finished yet?”

“For now,” said Twilight.

Dash nodded in agreement. “We’re so finishing this later.”

“Great, now we’ve got two foals to look after,” sighed Spike yet again. “Why are we travelling together again?”

“Who said we’re travelling together,” snapped Dash. “We just happen to be travelling in the same direction.”

“W-We are?” asked Fluttershy causing Dash to groan and facehoof. “O-Oh! Of course we are.”

“Yes, we are,” said Dash, “but we are not friends, we are not companions, and if you do anything stupid we won’t come and save you.”

“Bu-“

“No buts,” growled Dash. “They’re still unicorns and I still don’t trust them. Plus, it’s not like they’ll come after us if we wind up in trouble.”

“It’s true,” said Twilight with a shrug. “Our mission is more important than risking our lives for others.”

“Twilight,” growled Spike.

“No Spike, this detour has cost us enough time as is, we are not losing any more.” The unicorn glared at the two pegasi. “Keep up or fall behind.”

“Ha! You try and keep up,” said Dash. “Ain’t no pegasus faster than me.”

“Good thing I’m not a pegasus then,” smirked Twilight. “Plus, I seem to recall you being out like a light last night.”

“Do I look like I’m sore though? I’m as fit as ever and I will totally kick your flank.” This time, Dash was the one smirking. “Even if I was half dead, I would still win.”

"Willing to put a bet on tha-"

"Break it up you two," said Spike as he hovered between the two. "As amusing as this is, we all know it'll only end with one of you dead, and I'm sure we'd like everypony to stay alive."

"Maybe you would," muttered Dash with a glare at the unicorn.

"At any rate," said Spike, his irritation barely hidden, "we should be getting a move on. The storm doesn't seem as though it's going to stop any time soon and we need to keep going."

"Through the tunnels then?"

"Through the tunnels."

Dash merely blinked at the two. "You two are fucking insane, you know that right?" A huge grin suddenly appeared. "Fuck it! Through the tunnels we go!"

"I-Is that a good idea? I mean, that is, it's so dark and tight and scary and, well, what if there's a cave in or we run into diamond dogs?" asked Fluttershy, causing Dash to gulp.

"Y-Yeah. I'm all for insane plans, but isn't that a bit too crazy?" said the chromatic pegasus.

A grin slowly made its way across Twilight's face. "Oh, is the poor wittle pegasus scared of the dark?"

"Y-Yes?"

"No!"

The two pegasi stared at each other.

"Well, looks like you'll be staying behind then." Twilight began walking down the tunnel. "Come on Spike, we've lost enough time, and you heard them, they're merely travelling in the same direction as us, not with us."

"Shut up!" yelled Dash at Twilight's mocking tone. "Come on Fluttershy, let's show these two why the pegasi are currently kicking everypony's flanks."

"Okay..." Fluttershy obediently followed behind Dash as she shoved past the unicorn.

Within seconds everything was packed and slung over their backs and Dash walking down the small tunnel with Fluttershy right behind her. The ceiling was nice and high, the walls weren't too close, and there weren't any forks. All was going well until Dash suddenly found herself in a chamber with three tunnels before them.

There was no doubt one of them would lead in the right direction, but Dash had no idea which one, and she was not about to admit that. The worst part was, Spike was standing there with that annoying smile of his, just waiting for her to make a choice and then mock her. Stupid drake, always talking about treating the unicorn right then turning aroundand pulling crap like this, well the joke was on him.

Dash began surveying the place, looking for anything that looked out of place or could be some secret clue. After all, they must have marked out the route so they could follow it easily without fear of getting lost, the mere thought of the possibility was enough to make her shudder. Taking a deep breath, Dash began going over every single last detail from the rocks to the scratches on the walls to the moss that was growing everywhere.

Actually… Dash narrowed her eyes as she began going over the moss on the rocks. Sure, there wasn’t anything that out of place, but something just felt off about the tunnel on the left. There was just this subtle difference, as though th- Of course! It looked as though a couple of the stones had been moved or turned causing the moss to look off. It was a small thing, a subtle thing that would have been overlooked at a first glance, but to a pegasus as skilled and awesome as she was? All it took was a single glance to work out the solution. It was so typical of a unicorn to think something so obvious would fool anypegasi.

With confidence radiating out of her every pore, Dash took a single step towards the tunnel before freezing as she caught sight of the dragon’s self-satisfied grin. Was he just playing mind-games with her now, or was he legitimately happy? Had Dash made a mistake somewhere along the line and had not noticed? That was impossible and a second quick survey confirmed her original conclusion, but still that grin bugged her. It was a mind game, it had to be a mind game, he was just trying to get inside her head and mess her up.

Another step, but this time it was far more hesitant than before.

“We’re wasting too much time,” growled Twilight as she walked down the corridor opposite the one Dash had selected.

Of course, it made so much sense now. It’s not like they would make it so easy to follow and figure out, there would obviously be some sort of trick behind it all. Considering it was a unicorn who made the markings, it should be been the most obvious thing in the world since they could never win in a straight up fight. Without their trickery and deceit, there was no way they could have lasted as long as they had going up against the pegasi.

Another three forks, and by the time they reached the fourth one, Dash was rolling her eyes at how simple the trick was. If she had been given five minutes she could have figured it out without any difficulties. Eventually though, they came to a wide open cavern with a completely black pit underneath them and no bridge in sight. A glance to the left and right showed no ledges to walk along and there weren’t any real hoofholds for climbing. That left one and only one option open, jumping to the other side.

“No flying,” whispered Fluttershy even as she glanced over the ledge.

“Yeah, yeah.” Dash brushed it off with a hoof as she backed up, her hooves digging into the stone. “As if I need to fly to make it over this.”

Twilight suddenly burst past, leaping over the gap and landing with a roll on the other side, with Spike gliding along behind her. Without even waiting for them to get out of the way, Dash leapt out, easily sailing past their heads and skidding to a stop on the other side just before the wall.

"And that's how you do it," said the pegasus with a grin. "Come on 'Shy."

"C-Coming." Fluttershy glanced over the side once more before gulping and leaping over with a strong push her wings, making it without so much as a hitch, though her hind hooves did slip on the edge.

Instead of continuing down the tunnel as expected, Twilight dropped off the ledge onto a smaller platform below before leaping out of sight. Dash immediately followed, not even bothering to think about what she was doing as she jumped blindly. Landing on the small ledge, she immediately followed Twilight across the pillars that jutted out of the pit and over to the other side. With their flanks to the wall , they began inching along, taking care to not slip and plummet to their death.

More than once, the ledge crumbled beneath their hooves, causing Dash to slip and Fluttershy to come in and help brace her. On those rare occasions, not even Spike had something snarky to say, and when Twilight slipped, Dash merely grinned to herself, but kept silent. In the back of her mind, there was a constant tally of how many times they had each slipped, and while they were roughly even, there was no doubt in her mind that the unicorn was totally cheating by using magic.

Reaching the end of the ledge, Dash watched as the unicorn expertly swung herself down and began making her slow way down the cliff face. After a watching for a second to get a rough idea of how it was done, Dash quickly followed. It was beyond awkward and it strained muscles Dash didn't even know existed, but she found herself quickly getting a feel for the motions and which hoofholds were safe and which ones weren't. Soon the ledge above was swallowed by the darkness as they continued their descent, using Spike's flames for light. It was impossible to tell how long they descended or how far down they went; all Dash knew was that she had to keep up with the unicorn.

By the time they finally reached solid ground, Dash collapsed within seconds while she drew in deep, shuddering breaths. Beside her, Twilight didn't fare much better as she lay sprawled out on the ground with her jacket unzipped.

"I hate that climb," panted Twilight.

"You're telling me," said Dash as she stretched out her legs. "Where the fuck are we?"

"Look behind you."

"Behind me?" Dash rolled over onto her stomach and looked up. "Oh. Shit."

Off in the centre of the cavern was a pure white castle floating in mid-air, stretching higher than Dash could see. The gap was such that it would have been impossible to jump across, and even flying it would have taken a couple of minutes. Between that and the ledge than ran the whole way around the cavern were six metal chains, each one wide enough for ten ponies to walk side by side along. Below it was more darkness.

"We've tried getting in more than once, but no matter how long we walk along the chain or Spike flies, we never get closer. Once we spent a whole day just walking to no avail," said Twilight, a longing in her eyes. "I just know the solution to everything is in there, but we can't get in."

"So why bring us here? Aren't you afraid we'll bring some pegasi back and figure everything out?" asked Dash.

"Impossible. I doubt anypony could ever figure out how to get in," sighed Twilight.

"Um... What about those statues?" asked Fluttershy, "The ones by the door."

"Alicorns," said Twilight. "Wings of a pegasus, horn of a unicorn and the constitution of an earth pony. It's the only clue I've got and I've scoured almost every part of this forsaken land looking for the answer."

"Nothing?" said Fluttershy.

"Nothing I'm willing to share," replied the unicorn.

Dash opened her mouth, but Spike immediately cut in, "We should grab something to eat then keep going, it's about lunch time anyways."

"Alright." Twilight reached bag and immediately guzzled down her foul liquid while Dash and Fluttershy had a quick snack of mouldy bread. "Ready?"

Dash merely nodded and Twilight immediately began walking along the ledge. Taking the first tunnel, they began a slow upward climb, and though Dash's legs complained, she pushed on with grim determination. She would not lose to a unicorn, she would never lose to a unicorn. As long Twilight was walking, Dash would continue to push on. Unicorns were weak, filthy things. To lose to them was to be lesser than the. On her pride as a pegasus, Dash forced herself onwards.

Rarity's eyes flicked to the left than right before slowly scanning the crowd before her. All it took was a glance to figure out just exactly what was going on here and why she had been summoned to appear before the court.

There was Trixie, deliberately wearing clothes that showed off her scars, as well as a shoulder pad full of scratches, to remind everypony of who she was to garner support. There was Fancy Pants and Fleur, wearing their finely crafted clothes designed to be both stylish and practical as Fleur fluttered her eyelashes and strutted around in an attempt to get customers.

Even General Shining Armor was present, his hard gaze constantly roving over those present as he somehow silently moved around despite the heavy armour he had on. Stressed or on edge? It was impossible to tell with his neutral expression and his controlled body language. Reading him was like reading a blank slate.

All those present had two things in common, they were either high ranking military, or they were involved in fashion. Add in the recent rumours, and the reason for the gathering was blatantly obvious, so much so that Rarity found herself standing in a small corner of the room while everypony else was busily wondering what was going on in hushed whispers.

"I see you've already figured it out," said a voice to her right.

Light blue coat, silvery mane, and yellow eyes.

"General Laureate," bowed Rarity, "it is an honour."

"You didn't answer the question," he said flatly.

"I would never presume to know, but I have some ideas," said Rarity. "Military personnel and those involved in clothing. Two things that have much in common despite what some may believe, which leads me assume there will either be an increase in demand or some new fabric you wish us to use. However, neither of those explains the large number of military present. Perhaps our fabric was somehow leaked to the enemy? A possibility, but if so, I imagine it would be a more covert operation. Thus, the only plausible explanation is the rumour in the clothing industry about a certain rare fabric that the military managed to get their hooves on recently."

"Clever." He sounded almost bored as he watched the room. "What's your opinion of Captain Trixie?"

Rarity kept her breathing even as she glanced up at Laureate through her eyelashes. From all appearances, it seemed like an idle question—he didn't look down at her or shift his posture, but then again, he was a general.

"It is no secret that there is little love between Captain Trixie and I."

"Your opinion citizen."

"She seems overzealous in her training and attacks," replied Rarity slowly, making sure to think over every word that was being spoken, "and the circumstances surrounding her rise in the ranks is... odd to say the least. However, she does seem to be effective at what she does if the news is to be believed, as well as her personal... stories."

"You shouldn't always believe in rumors," he said. "Though on the topic of , I wonder if you have heard the latest one."

"I don’t believe I have, sir."

"It involves your parentage."

"Let me guess, my father was an earth pony," sighed Rarity with a dramatic flick of her mane. "It was a favorite of ponies when they were five, and I had rather hoped the public would be mature enough and smart enough to ignore such frivolous accusations."

"Of course," he said. "Merely illustrating how one shouldn't believe everything they hear."

"A lesson I shall have to take to heart," replied Rarity smoothly before looking at General Laureate out the corner of her eye, "General Shining Armor seems to have filled the vacant spot rather nicely from what I've heard."

"Yes. Yes he has," replied Laureate evenly, and it would have fooled her if his tapping hoof didn't skip a beat when he replied. The question now turned to what it was about the newest general that gave him such pause. Dissent amongst the ranks? Feeling threatened by the younger stallion? From the way others talked about Shining Armor, it was clear they would all happily mate with him even if that meant sharing or herding . Sometimes Rarity simply lost all faith in her gender.

"It has been a pleasure Lady Rarity," bowed Laureate.

"The pleasure was all mine, it was an honor to have been graced with your presence." Rarity returned the bow.

As he wandered off, she let out a sigh of relief, but stopped her body from sagging as the weight lifted. To do so was to alert anypony who had been watching about the amount of stress she had been under during that little chat. After another calming breath, Rarity walked over to the refreshments and took a small sip of water before slipping back to her spot by the wall. From the way the others gave her sidelong glances, and the subtle way they purposefully stood so that their backs were to her, it was clear that they were jealous over what had happened. A couple even tried to approach her, but a simple lack of eye contact and subtle shift of her body made it clear their advances were unwanted.

"If I may have your attention please." The room fell silent. "Thank you. For those who do not know, I am General Shining Armor, and you have all been gathered here for a specific purpose. If you have pressing engagements, family to look after, or similar demands for your time, leave now."

That set of murmurs in the crowd and Rarity had to fight the urge to slam her face into the wall. If he wanted to send out rumors of something big going on, he just found out the most effective way of doing so.

When nopony turned to leave, he continued, "Very well. Lock the doors and seal the room."

The room immediately began buzzing in anticipating and nervousness. More than one unicorn looked ready to bolt right then and there, almost as though they actually thought they were in trouble for whatever crime they had committed.

"I do not know how long you will be locked in this room, and frankly, I do not care." Shining Armor walked along the stage, his voice easily cutting through the babbling. "You are some of the best and brightest minds in the clothing and military, and together you will create a new fabric to be incorporated into our uniforms. One that is lighter, more durable, and stronger than anything we have seen thus far. No doubt you have heard about the pegasus outfit we managed to acquire, but what you do not know is that it is the fabric worn by the Wonderbolts themselves, and that shall be the basis for our garment. Work in groups or work alone, it matters not, but none of you will leave this room until this is done. Dismissed."

A brilliant flash of light blinded Rarity, and by the time her vision had returned, Shining Armor was nowhere in sight. While the rest of the ponies milled around and whispered amongst themselves, Rarity walked up to the nearest guard and immediately grabbed a scrap of cloth before retreating to her spot. It was smoother than silk and when she stretched it, it easily changed shape before snapping back to its original form. Even when held up against the light and pulled, it was impossible to see through and it was completely waterproof. In fact, when she poured her cup of water on it, it seemed to soak it up, but not get any heavier or feel cold to her touch. If anything, it seemed to stay perfectly constant.

"Rarity." Somehow, Trixie managed to turn that greeting into an insult.

"What do you want?"

"This is a joint effort."

"There are others for you to work with."

"The others are a gaggle of idiots. As much as Trixie hates you and would love for you to work the fields, at least she won't end up committing suicide from being near you for more than five seconds."

"Congratulations, that was the most backhoof compliment I have ever gotten in my life, and I live with a mute earth pony who can out-snark most unicorns."

"Thank you." Trixie sat down and examined the fabric for herself. "Your findings thus far? Assuming you've actually made any progress."

"I was about the analyze the fabrics and see if I can identify what was used. There is little doubt this is a mix of materials, though I am having difficulty imagining what was used to come up with such unique properties." Rarity's horn lit up and blue sparks danced along the cloth, and every so often, an individual thread pulsed with magic before dying down again.

"Any ideas?" said Trixie.

"I can identify all of the materials except one, something any of the other groups could have told you." Rarity looked up from her work. "So if you were hoping I'd solve this first, good luck. I suggest you find another group to carry you."

"Please, the others do not realize the majesty that is the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Fireworks exploded in all directions , illuminating their little corner of the room and drawing the attention of everypony around.

"Really? You're still doing that?" Rarity sighed and rubbed her temples.

"How else will every unicorn know about Trixie's magnificence?" The small upward curve of her lips was enough for Rarity to know the arrogant mare wasn't serious. "So the fabrics identified are?"

Rarity put down the fabric and looked Trixie straight in the eye, "You started the rumor about my parentage."

The unicorn didn't even flinch at the accusation. "I did no such thing. Any unicorn with eyes could figure it out on their own when the facts are placed before them so blatantly."

"Rumors like those get ponies killed."

"Unicorns. They getunicorns killed." Trixie's predatory grin sent shivers down Rarity's spine. "This is what Trixie is talking about, if you wish to keep your secret hidden, you need to be less blatant about your bias."

Rarity clenched her teeth and just managed to hiss out, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." Trixie leaned in and whispered, "And just for the record, you aren't the only one who can read body language."

"Shut. Up."

"Tell me, why do you think no unicorn has actively sought you out yet? You are an upcoming name, and yet here you are, working along with the most despised mare in the military." The chuckle echoed in Rarity's mind. "Rumors are powerful things, and they can destroy a mare. Something you've had plenty of experience with, if I recall correctly."

"I told you, that was an accident, it just slipped out," growled Rarity.

"And this just so happened to slip out as well." Trixie looked at the white unicorn with large, watery eyes. "Trixie is just sooooo sorry."

"I have a baby sister," said Rarity. "That doesn't work on me."

"It wasn't supposed to," replied Trixie. "Now, can we please get back to the task on hoof?"

"Fine," snapped Rarity. "But if anything happens to Sweetie or mother, I shall personal-"

"Personally what? You cannot defeat Trixie in combat and she outclasses you in magic. What will you do? Dress her up in frilly pink lace? Don't be so stupid, you cannot win so you might as well give up now. Trixie has won and you have lost."

"This is not a game!"

"Everything is a game. Life is a game. Those who win survive and those who lose die, it's as simple as that." Trixie levitated the scrap of cloth. "Now, can we get back on topic? Unlike you, Trixie would prefer it if there were more winners than losers in this little world of ours."

A growl rumbled in the back of Rarity's throat. "Just so you know, I have contacts and I have friends. If necessary, I can call of them and I can crush you without a second thought. You may dominate the battlefield out there, but in here, you're in my world. If any harm befalls my family, I will destroy you."

"See?" Trixie leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "Isn't it so much easier to not pretend we're actually friends?"

"You were the one who tossed it away."

"And you were the one who destroyed it."

Silence reigned as the two stared at each other, neither backing down.

After a long minute, Rarity took the fabric and began examining it once more. "Back to business then?" she said pleasantly.

"Back to business.”

“You know what I find truly amusing? The fact that we’ve apparently been playing for the last six years and I only found out about it now.” Rarity glanced up from her work in time to see Trixie stiffen. “One must wonder about your skills, and whether or not you’re... competent.”

“Focus on your work,” snapped Trixie.

“Oh, you mean like how this thread here is made of wool? And would you look at that, it matches your coat so beautifully too.” All it took was a bit of magic for the entire thing to burn.

Trixie’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s the matter, tongue tied by the web your spun for yourself?” The fabric was unravelled and woven into an exact replica of Trixie’s goddess mark. “I bet it feels so snug and tight around you. Or maybe your inexperience has left it too tight in spots, choking you and preventing movement. Such is the fate of novices.”

“If you must know, Trixie’s garment is very comfortable and fits her snuggly. In fact, it keeps her warm at night while others are left out in the cold, completely exposed to the elements.”

“Did you have a hoof in their clothes as well? I seem to recall you wanting to be a seamstress or model when you were younger, perhaps it was you who sold them their clothes.”

“And Trixie seems to recall a certain white mare wishing to be a hero on the battlefield, slipping behind enemy lines to sabotage their plans. So let Trixie ask you this, done any crusading recently?”

“Please, working these fabrics is enough of a battle to last me a lifetime.”

“And the battlefield is not as glamorous as it sounds,” replied Trixie and Rarity’s ears perked up. A subtle nod from Trixie was all the fashionista needed.

“I would have thought you’d enjoy it immensely considering your disposition towards theatrics and your wish to be remembered.”

“Sometimes allies desert when they are most needed, and enemies jump out of bushes in the middle of the night. Nowhere is safe, and no unicorn can be trusted. In the end, anything to bring about victory is justified.” The two shared a glance. “For example, Trixie mourns her recently lost commander, but that does not mean it has weakened us. He had grown sympathetic towards the earth ponies, and that became a liability.”

Unconsciously, Rarity’s eyes darted towards where Generals Laureate and Shining Armor had previously been standing.

“There are always winners and losers, in the end, all you can do is make sure you’re not caught in the crossfire,” finished Trixie.

“While fashion is nowhere near as complicated, getting the fabrics right can be a chore. Sometimes they behave and other times they need to be roughly handled to get into the correct shape.” Once more Rarity unravelled the fabric. “For example, this blue that fits you so nicely is so hard to incorporate into outfits I’ve found. It just doesn’t seem to want to work, no matter what color I put it with, and I was wondering what you think it’d go with.”

“Anything, but white.”

“Why?”

“White is like the snow, cold and deceptive.”

“And blue is somehow better? This has faded and is no longer what it once was, it has lost its shine, its lustre. This blue is dead and cold, clinging desperately to what it once was and could have been rather than moving on.”

Trixie flicked her mane to one side, and fell silent, but after a couple of seconds, she whispered, “But blue and white do complement each other.”

“That they do,” answered Rarity slowly.

“It is a shame then that both cannot co-exist peacefully then. Think of what could be achieved if they worked together.”

“Tis a shame indeed.”

Silence descended once more, and despite all the chatter that was happening around them, Rarity felt oddly isolated and alone as she stared Trixie dead in the eyes. Neither broke eye contact even as they worked the fabric with their magic, easily passing it back and forth as they analysed the mysterious material.

In the end, it was Trixie who broke the silence, “Only one may exist in this world.”

“I’ve yet to lose the game, and I’m not about to start now,” replied Rarity.

“Is that a threat?”

“That, my dear Trixie, is what we call a promise.”

There was no fear in her eyes, no surprise, no hesitation. Instead, Trixie nodded and held out her hoof. “May the best mare win.”

Reaching out, Rarity shook hooves with her rival. “May the best mare win.”

Chapter 6

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Fields of white as far as the eye could see.

After spending so long underground, Dash was tempted to throw herself on the ground and roll around for an hour or two. As much as she was sick and tired of snow, seeing something familiar just set her at ease. Well, as much as possible when travelling in the same direction as a unicorn who would willingly sell out her own kind for some useless books and her pet drake. Bloody Tartarus, if it wasn't for Fluttershy, Dash would have braved the world alone. Death would have been better than this mess.

And the worst part was the fresh layer of snow. Without her wings, Dash was forced to slowly trudge her way through the neck high crap, the chill easily passing through the clothes she had on as they became absolutely soaked through. The only real upside was that it numbed her limbs so she didn't have to feel that constant ache as she walked. It was a brief respite, but it let her keep up with the unicorn before her, and it's not like it was life threatening or anything. After all, if a unicorn could handle it, then so could Rainbow Daring Dash.

Sure, it was no longer snowing, but with that tornado off to the north and the black clouds above, Dash felt her heart thumping away—from the exertion of course! She wasn't afraid of anything and she never would be, not even the stupid weather or caves could scare her. It was just natural survival instincts, that's all, nothing weird or strange about that.

Another nervous glance at the sky assured her that Fluttershy was still alright, that she hadn't been blown off course or struck by lightning or eaten by Spike . Dash shifted her wings slightly as she pressed forward, following the path Twilight left with her fat flank. For a mare who was apparently travelling through the wasteland, her flank was seriously large. How was that even possible?

Muttering something unintelligible under her breath, Dash shook some of the snow off her body and bit down hard to stop her traitorous teeth from clattering away. It was like her body had decided to refuse her commands with the way they'd shake or threaten to buckle every couple of steps. Well Rainbow Dash wasn't going to have any of that! She was a Flight Lieutenant and that meant her word was law.

"Could you walk any slower?" said Twilight over her shoulder.

There just a hint of mockery in those words, but a hint was all Dash needed. A feral growl rumbled in the back of her throat as she threw herself forward, shoving past that arrogant mare to take the lead. A wall of snow immediately slammed into her, forcing her to lean into it and push forward with all her might. Slowly, grudgingly, it gave way, and after ten seconds, her hoof finally touched ground once more as she took a single step forward. Soon another followed and then another and another. Each step she took sent a twinge of pain through her wing as it rubbed against the snow around her.

"I don't like this," said Twilight as she glanced over her shoulder at the sky.

"Nah, really? Maybe it's got something to do with the black cloud hanging above us, threatening to kill us any minute," snapped Dash.

"And I'm telling you that it is unlikely to snow again and there are multiple shelters along this route," said Twilight.

"Ha! Trust a unicorn, real funny."

"At least you're not hiding your blatant racism anymore."

"Hey, you're the one who tried to stab my eye out," growled Rainbow Dash.

"A mere slip of the hoof." If it wasn't because Dash had gotten into a rhythm, she would have bucked the unicorn in the face. "I was actually aiming for your other eye."

"Typical unicorn, can't win a fight unless your opponent is blind," said Dash as she ruffled her feathers.

"Honor before reason, why am I not surprised?"

"Better tha-"

A purple blur shot past, causing Dash to immediately skip back and drop into a defensive stance. When she finally figured out it was Spike, she shifted into a more aggressive posture.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you hate me, blah, blah, blah. Normally I'd say something snarky, but there are some pegasi approaching fast from the west. We need to hide."

"Nah, really?" Dash glanced over her shoulder at the trail they had left in the snow. "Change of plans, you two hide and Fluttershy and I will handle this."

"You expect us to-"

"Spike, we don't have time to argue, and we don't have support this time around." Twilight spun around and began pawing at the snow. "Come on, we need to get a tunnel cut and covered."

"Alright, alright." He immediately dropped down, and with three quick blasts, had a tunnel wide enough for Twilight to wiggle into. As he worked on covering the top he glared up at Dash and said, "Say anything, and I will personally hunt you down."

"I'd like to see you try, tiny," Dash shot back, completely ignoring the flat look Fluttershy was giving her.

"Do you think they'll be alright in there? The hole looked so tiny and cramped. What if they suffocate!" As Fluttershy descended into her full blown 'care for everything' mode, Dash took a couple of deep breaths to compose herself. While it was unlikely it was a search party organised by Lightning, it was still best to be prepared.

After a minute of silent waiting, they finally came into view, flying high and travelling in a straight line. There were half a dozen of them, travelling slower than expected, and... Dash frowned, squinting as she tried to make out the dark shapes against the clouds. And they were larger than she expected. Far larger than any pegasus she had ever seen before, almost as though they were flying earth ponies. That thought made her snort, though her nerves stopped her from bursting out laughing entirely.

"They're not pegasi," whispered Fluttershy.

"What?" Dash's head snapped across. "What do you mean they're not pegasi? What else could they be?"

"Gr-Gryphons."

"Gryphons!?" Dash immediately dived onto the ground and began pawing at the spot Twilight was hiding in. "Change of plans, let us in!"

Glancing up nervously, Dash began digging faster, and within seconds, they uncovered the tunnel and Twilight hurled them in. In the darkness, it was a jumble of hooves and limbs in all the wrong places touching all the wrong things. At one point, Dash could have sworn she felt a face pressed against her flank, and she wished more than anything that it wasn't the unicorn's. In fact, she'd happily kiss an earth pony if it meant it wasn't Twilight's face. Anything, absolutely anything, was better than that.

Dimly, she was aware of footsteps above them and voices saying something. Somewhere in the dark, Fluttershy whimpered, and even Twilight seemed to be holding her breath. All was silent as they waited for that first flash of light that would signal their doom, but after a long minute huddled together as all sorts of noises echoed in their tight hiding spot, everything became silent. Unwilling to speak or move, they all stayed still, only breathing when absolutely necessary. It took another minute or two before Dash felt someone punch a hole in the ceiling, letting light flood in. She immediately raised a hoof to block out some of the light as she wiggled her way out, flopping onto the ground and panting heavily as she took in the fresh air.

"That was a close call," panted Twilight as she began stretching out her limbs.

"Beyond close," said Dash.

"Let's not do that again. I hear dragon meat is a delicacy for them, and with my tender flesh, I'm sure they'd find me irresistible."

Dash snorted and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"They seem to be heading in a straight line," said Twilight as she scanned the skies. "But what I really want to know is how they're in so deep to begin with. They're crossing the entirety of the Pegasopolis and not bothering to hide themselves."

"Agreed. There's far too few of them and it's far too deep for it to be a raid." Dash frowned as she stared at their retreating forms. "They couldn't have just finished a raid considering how little they were carrying."

"I don't like this, you pegasi are up to something," said Twilight as she took up her spot at the front yet again.

"Oh yeah sure, make a deal with those who eat us," said Dash as they began moving once more. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, and considering how I deal with dirt ponies every day, that's saying something."

"Earth ponies. They're called earth ponies," said Twilight.

"Earth, dirt. Whatever," Dash shrugged as she tried to get back into the rhythm that she had before.

"No, earth ponies," growled Twilight, "get it right."

"Yeah, yeah, dirt ponies, I hear yo-"

The only warning Dash got was a slight tense of the muscles before Twilight's hind hooves lashed out. Dash immediately ducked under the blow before lunging forward, ramming the unicorn with her shoulder just as Twilight turned. Before she could back off, Twilight was in Dash's face, landing a solid hook punch before following it up with a second to the throat and a knee to the stomach. Stumbling back with a hacking cough, Dash just managed to roll out of the way as Twilight's hooves stomped down. Flicking her good wing, she felt the wingblade snap out and she immediately swept it in front of her, forcing Twilight to leap back.

"Stop this at once!" Dash blinked in surprise as Fluttershy dropped between them, forcing them to separate. "I'm ashamed of how you two are acting! You're like two foals fighting over a slice of apple. Start behaving like responsible adults. I'm sick and tired of this constant fighting!"

"Bu-"

Fluttershy finally turned to face Dash and she immediately began backing up as the Stare barreled into her at full speed. All she could see were those cyan eyes, and no matter how much Dash wanted to look away, she couldn’t. The cold was gone, the anger, the desire to pound Twilight's face in—all of that was gone, and in its place, there was just disappointment. It was all she could think of, all she could remember, and all she wanted to do was whatever it took to please Fluttershy.

Even if that meant apologizing to that monster.

"She started it!" said Dash and a pressure began forming against her mind. It pushed at her, making her mouth open and she found herself speaking without meaning to. "S-Sorry."

"Now you," said Fluttershy as she turned her gaze towards the unicorn, causing Dash to stumble back with a hoof against her heart. It took all her willpower to not collapse right there and then.

"Yeah sure, sorry."

"Say it like you mean it," growled Fluttershy causing a shudder to run down Dash's spine.

"Sorry..." said Twilight meekly.

"Good, now kiss and make up," said Spike.

"Spike," said Fluttershy all too sweetly, "please stop egging them on."

The small dragon gulped and nodded repeatedly until it looked like his head was going to snap off and roll along the ground.

"Good." All of a sudden Fluttershy shrunk behind her mane. "O-Oh, I'm, that is... um..." She squeaked.

"W-We should keep going," said Twilight slowly, but even as she began walking again, her eyes kept flicking over to the shy pegasus. Even Spike was acting skittish around Fluttershy, opting to glide next to the unicorn rather than chat with Fluttershy as per usual.

Dash opened her mouth to yell at them only for a hoof to be placed on her shoulder.

"Please, it's fine," whispered Fluttershy. "I don't want t-"

"You don't want to cause conflict, I know that, but that doesn't mean they get to treat you like some monster. If anything, they're the monsters." Dash made sure to say that last bit louder so they could hear before she went back to a whisper, "You're the sweetest, kindest mare I've ever known, and they do not get to treat you like dirt."

"Bu-"

"No buts," said Dash.

The silence stretched on, and though Dash knew Fluttershy wasn't entirely convinced, Dash had absolutely no clue what she should say. Ever since they had met, Fluttershy was the one who dealt with the emotions, she was the one who made sure everyone was happy and content and not scared and...

Dash sighed and shook her head.

"There's smoke up ahead," said Spike, breaking the awkward silence.

Dash’s eyes narrowed. “In the direction the gryphons were travelling in?”

“Yes,” replied Spike.

“We’re going after them.” There was no hesitation in her voice as Dash began racing forward, finally finding some harder snow to move on. “This is pegasus territory so they either attacked a caravan or are planning on attacking a caravan, and I am not going to let that happen. We move in now, take them by surprise, and slaughter them.”

Spike blinked in surprise, but in the end, it was Twilight who replied, “No. We’re wasting too much time as is, and there were at least six of them. Six we may be able to deal with if we ambush them, but any more and we’re definitely dead.”

“Fine, you two can keep going then, but unlike you, we actually care about others .” Dash finally found herself no longer drowning in snow as she clawed her way out onto solid ground. “Come on Fluttershy, I’m sick and tired of hanging out with these monsters.”

“O-Oh right...” Fluttershy almost looked apologetic, if she had, Dash probably would have begun yelling in frustration.

“Wait!” Dash glanced over her shoulder and watched as Spike flew towards them. “I’m coming along.”

“Smartest decision you’ve made since ever,” snorted Dash. “Keep up because I ain’t waiting for you.”

Without waiting for a reply, Dash threw all caution to the wind and broke out into a gallop, tossing snow in all directions and leaving a track so obvious, even a dirt pony could follow it. To her surprise, Spike flew on ahead, guiding her towards the smoke and calling out pits in the ground and other dangerous spots. It was rather insulting that the dragon thought she couldn’t see things as obvious as fresh snow, but she had to admit that it made travelling easier. No doubt it was a habit he picked up from travelling with a lazy unicorn .

“There’s a small cliff up ahead,” said Spike, “the smoke is coming from just past it.”

Dash nodded and slowed down until she was inching forward, making sure to keep herself out of sight as she did so. Eventually she came to the ledge and peeked over, making sure to keep her hood drawn to hide her awesome mane. From her vantage point, she could see three gryphons just below her, two more searching the ruins of a caravan, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. The snow was stained red, entrails were spilled everywhere, and there was at least one severed head. Even with her eyes closed she could still see that look of terror ingrained on the dead’s face.

Worst of all, she could hear them. She could hear cruel laughter and the wet slurping and crunching as they feasted on the dead. A part of her swore she could hear sobbing and the faintest cries for help, but Dash blocked that out. It had to be her imagination, it just had to be. Gryphons were evil, but there was no way anything could be that evil. It just... it just couldn’t be real.

Dash licked her dry lips and took a deep breath.

“Fluttershy, I want you stay up here and stay safe. Spike, you’re with me. I need you to keep the other two off me while I deal with the three below us. And keep an eye out for extras, I don’t want to be ambushed.”

Instead of arguing like Dash thought he would, Spike merely nodded and a flicker of flames licked his lips.

“How do you want them? Burnt or crispy?” he asked.

“How about dead?” Dash hissed. “This is not a game, this is serious.”

“Fine,” sighed Spike.

“Um... are you certain you don-”

“Positive. You’re a medic so stay put. If we get injured, you can patch us up, but if you get taken down we’re screwed.” Dash glanced over at Spike. “You ready? Don’t make me regret trusting you.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid and we’ll be fine,” he shot back.

Another quick glance over the ledge to make sure the gryphons were in striking distance, and Dash leapt out. Sure, she could have made her around and down, maybe used the small ledges all along the ridge, but where was the fun in that? The wind rushed through her mane, the ground rushed up to meet her, and lucky for Dash, there was a gryphon to soften the landing.

Slamming down, a sharp crack echoed through the plains as its spine broke. Dash immediately rolled with the momentum, flicked her wing, and hamstringed the one beside her. Not losing any speed as she stood back up, her hoof snapped out, hitting the last gryphon in the windpipe. As he stumbled back gasping for breath, Dash spun around, letting her wingblade slit his throat as she bucked the disabled one, crushing his ribs under her gauntlets.

An arrow suddenly flew past her head, narrowing missing her. Immediately back onto all four, Dash dived for cover behind the charred remains of the caravan before glancing up at the direction of the shot. That fucking unicorn had a dirt pony crossbow in her hooves , no doubt hoping to kill her with that shot.

A second bolt was loosed, aimed so far off target that Dash was tempted to dance a jig just to mock her. And then she heard the sound of a body hitting the snow. Slowly turning around, Dash’s eyes widened as a third gryphon was brought down with an arrow through its forehead. Three dead gryphons, three perfect shots. Another two lay dead on the ground, their faces charred black and numerous claws marks all over their body.

"Oh..." said Dash before shaking her head and turning to look at Twilight, "What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you said it was a waste of time!"

"Saving your flanks obviously," replied Twilight as she made her way down the cliff. "Or rather, saving Spike’s as usual."

"I was perfectly fine," said Spike.

"Sure you were," said the unicorn. "Now can we please get a move on?"

"No can do, we need to honor the dead." If it wasn't such a serious subject, Dash would have smirked at how Twilight's right eye twitched.

"I can cremate them," said Spike.

"Cremate?"

"Burn them."

"Ah, do it." A sad smile touched Dash's lips as she closed the eyes of a dead mare. "They should at least be warm in death."

"Alright."

Spike began blowing out a thin stream of fire, easily igniting the caravan. It was slow work, dragging the bodies, finding all the limbs, tossing them into the fire. No one spoke, except Fluttershy who hovered just off the ground, her tender voice carrying on the wind as she spoke the final rites of peace and safety and warmth and love in Elysium. That they had died honorably, facing their end with all the dignity of a pegasus and how their ancestors would carry them to their final resting place.

It wasn't the first time Dash had heard it and it wouldn't be the last. As long as this war continued, there would always be death. That was simply a fact of life. As long as unicorns and earth ponies were around, there'd be fighting , it was just in their nature and...

Dash sighed and shook her head as the last of the flames died down.

"We should get moving, the smoke will attract attention," said Dash.

"Finally, some common sense. Spike, please scout out the most efficient path for us," said Twilight and the dragon leapt to obey.

"Come on Fluttershy, we should get going."

For a brief second, it felt as though she was going to stay, but then Fluttershy turned away from the funeral pyre and began walking.

"I'm so tired of this. Of ponies dying all the time. Isn’t there something we can do to help? To stop this?" she whispered.

"Of course there is." But even to her ears it sounded weak. "There has to be..."

Applejack lay on her back, breathing slowly as her ears strained to hear even the slightest of sounds. One hoof was behind her head and the other was raised to the ceiling, slowly tracing her name in the air. It wasn't the prettiest hoofwriting she had ever seen, but writing wasn't meant to be fancy, it was meant to be practical. All those fancy loops and twirls just made everything a headache, it was so much better to go for something straightforward and simple. Leave it to unicorns to over-complicate everything.

Her hoof froze in mid-air as she tried to remember how the letter ‘k’ went. It was such an awkward letter to write with weird loops and straight bits and... Wait, was that the capital ‘B’ she was thinking of? A sigh of frustration escaped as she rolled over and grabbed that book the horned freak had given her. All it took was a quick flick through the pages and Applejack went back to tracing her name in the air. It was a slow, painful process, but Applejack was positive she could write her name well enough now that it could be read. Though why she would ever want some pony to know her name was beyond her.

A quick double check to make sure that she had indeed spelt her name right, and Applejack rolled out of bed and stretched her legs. It still surprised her how simple the unicorn’s room was. There were no pins, no torture devices, not even a scrap of fabric. Instead it had a bed, a desk, and was barely large enough to fit both of them in it. Of course, the horned freak wasn’t in right now, and Applejack couldn’t help but smile as she imagined Rarity’s reaction at seeing what a mess she had made of the bed.

Gently nudging open the door, she poked her head out, ears twitching for the slightest sound. When nothing could be heard, she began creeping forward, making sure to place her hooves with the softest possible touch as she walked along the dark corridor. Sure, Rarity could return at any moment, but it had already been three days since she left and no word had been received apart from her being ‘busy.’ As far as Applejack was concerned, she had waited long enough.

The sound of coughing made her freeze mid-step, her eyes darting to the nearby door as her muscles tensed. When no other sounds could be heard, she let out a ragged breath and began her cautious descent down the stairs. All was silent apart from her thumping heartbeat that echoed through her mind. Each step was placed with expert precision and care, and though it took forever to reach the workspace, she eventually got there. Taking a deep breath, she immediately pushed open the door, ears straining to hear for the slightest hint of movement as it creaked open. When no hoofsteps came, she let out the breath she had been holding and slipped into the room.

Grabbing the saddlepack that rested against the wall, she made her way towards the various outfits that hung up on the wall. Having spent hours listening to that insane pony rant on about fabrics and being forced to wear the obscene things, Applejack knew exactly which one she wanted. The white and blue outfit was pulled off the wall and slipped on within seconds, despite the annoying zipper in the back that almost broke her neck when she tried to grab it with her teeth. Bloody unicorns and their stupid magic. Once the clothes were finally on, she scrambled out and began her slow journey to the kitchen.

A whisper filled the air and Applejack froze. A couple seconds later, hoofbeats followed and she quickly dived behind the living room table. Looking out from behind the chair legs, she saw Sweetie Belle walkout of her room, past the stairs, past Applejack, and into the bathroom. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours and the whole time, Applejack felt her heart beating away faster than a slave with a whip at her heels.

Then the door creaked open, Sweetie stumbled out, and with her eyes half closed, went back to the room she shared with Pearl. It took another minute before Applejack’s hooves stopped shaking enough for her to actually stand up, and it took another minute before she started walking once more. It took far longer than necessary, but in the end, she reached the kitchen and slipped in, silently shutting the door behind her. Within seconds the place was ransacked, and her bag filled with food. Making sure to grab a couple of the kitchen knives on the way out, Applejack made straight for the bedroom. Now was not the time for subtlety, she was going to escape and she was going to escape now.

Stopping at the door, Applejack took a deep breath before pushing it open and slipping inside. There on the bed lay Sweetie, curled up in her mother's protective embrace. It was so easy, all she had to do was step past that door frame, but something stopped her. As much as she wanted to, it was just so hard. Something tugged at her heart, telling her it was the wrong thing to do. But it was her freedom, it was her chance to finally escape this Tartarian pit and actually do something because she wanted to do it, not because someone told her to. Surely there was nothing wrong with that.

She glanced back at the two ponies and for a brief second, it wasn't two unicorns, but two earth ponies. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shook her head before opening them once more and letting out a shaky breath. The first step was the hardest thing Applejack had ever done. There was just so much that weighed her down, held her back, so many memories from a time and place that no longer belonged in reality. That one step, that first step, was all she needed to finally break free and leave everything behind.

The first step to freedom.

The sound of that first step echoed through her skull, shattering whatever it was that held her back before. Now she walked with a purpose, without hesitation. She no longer bothered to be stealthy, for her mind was made up, and fear no longer plagued her. Stopping by the edge of the bed, Applejack reached into the backpack and drew out the knife she had taken from the kitchen. In the dim light of the pyreflies, Sweetie's coat almost looked yellow, but Applejack no longer cared. With the blade gripped tight in her mouth, she reached out, gently brushing Pearl's hoof so she no longer held the filly in her gasp. Then, with a tender hoof, Applejack brushed Sweetie's mane back as she bit down on the knife, trying to get a good grip on it.

With a far steadier grip than she should have had, Applejack plucked the sleeping filly out from her mother's grasp and held her close to chest before dipping the knife down so it bit into Sweetie's neck. A shudder ran through her frail body and the filly immediately snuggled closer to Applejack in an attempt to get warm no doubt.

It was such a simple matter now. Keep the knife there, wake up Pearl, get them to teleport her out. From there she had enough food and thick enough clothing to survive for days—if not weeks—before she’d need to stock up again. And it's not like Pearl would do anything when Applejack had a knife to Sweetie's throat so it was a win-win scenario.

Right?

Right.

Steeling her resolve, Applejack made to reach out with a hoof, only to stop when she saw a pair of blue eyes staring up at her.

"Please... not my daughter, please..." begged Pearl.

"Please don't take her! Please! I'll do anything just... just not my daughter..."

Applejack shook the voice from her head and bit down harder on the knife. Her or them, freedom or slavery. They were the ones who started this little war, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to fight back. This was her last chance at escape, and she was not going to let it slip through her hooves. Maybe if Pearl hadn't woken up there would have still been a chance to go back, but now? Now it was all in, if she didn't carry through, she'd be dead by morning.

"My baby. My darling Applejack, don't worry, mommy's here. I'll protect you from anything."

No! Things were different, this was different. Tha-That monster on the bed was nothing like her mother! Why now? Why these memories? She just wanted to be left alone, to forget about all that and just survive. Was that too much to ask for? All of that was in the past now, it should be buried and forgotten. What was the point of the past if it got you killed!

What was the difference between that and being a slave? Of leaving everything behind, with nothing left to define who she was except some animalistic sense of survival. How was that better than being some mindless slave, willing to do whatever her master said, even if that meant spreading her legs and begging to be rutted? If escaping meant throwing everything away, leaving everything behind and turning her back on all her memories, was it really worth it?

She had nothing in this world, no family, no possessions, no... nothing. All she had were her memories, and as hazy as they were, they were all that separated her from a dumb beast. From all those other slaves who had given up. A life like that was not one worth living.

"I love you honey, I'll never leave you. I promise."

Could she do this? Threaten another mother's child when her own mother fought so hard to keep her safe. To help her remember who she was and what she could be. What it meant to be an earth pony and to care for others. Her mother taught her so much and yet here she was, about to go against all of it.

In the end, was it really worth it?

"Please... Not my foal, take me instead..."

Was that a memory, or Pearl actually speaking? It was so hard to tell with the way everything blended together. Freedom was so close, it was within her hooves, but to do this to another mother, to put her through that pain.

A part of Applejack wanted to claim it was poetic justice, to make them feel what her mother must have felt all those years ago. But that was a lie and even she knew that. This family hadn't done anything to her, this family hadn't beaten her or whipped her or... or...

Applejack squeezed her eyes shut as pictures danced across her mind, where the words of her mother came to her in the form of the same letters she had been learning.

It wasn't until the sound of metal hitting stone reached her ears that Applejack realized she had dropped the knife. With barely muffled sobs, Pearl snatched Sweetie back, cradling the little filly close as she was smothered in kisses. Turning away, Applejack simply walked out the room, a sense of dread looming over her.

At least she didn't sink to their level. It was a small victory, a minor one in the grand scheme of things, and maybe, just maybe, it cost her the freedom she dreamed off. Was it worth it though?

Applejack glanced back at the sleepy filly wondering why her mother was crying.

Maybe...

Maybe.

Chapter 7

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The room was eerily silent as Applejack sat in her seat, poking at the sludge the unicorns had cooked up. This time, she was completely and utterly positive that the thing was poisoned, and even if it wasn’t, it would probably still end up killing her by accident. But for once, she didn’t care. She simply ate it without a second thought, and within seconds, the entire bowl was empty, though she could not remember tasting any of it. So she just sat there, staring into the empty bowl, wondering if the small bits of uneaten grass at the bottom had some clue as to what her future held. One of the clumps did look like a timberwolf, but she doubted that meant anything except getting chewed out and gutted by one when Rarity got back.

That is, if she was lucky.

What had she been thinking? If she had just ponied up and gotten the damn thing done she would have been free, wandering the land above, enjoying that chilly fresh air as she exercised her freedom for the first time in years. And it had all been so close! It was right there, within her grasp, and she let it slip away? For what? What in the damned world had she been thinking about to make her do such a stupid thing! There was absolutely nothing more important than freedom, and she just tossed it aside as though a second chance would magically appear out of thin air.

And now? Now she was dead. There was no doubt about that. All day she had been alone, left to her own devices. The only thing she knew was the note on the table, saying they had gone out shopping, but that was such a blatant lie that even a pegasus could see through it . With a sigh, Applejack slipped off her seat and walked towards the workroom, hooves dragging along the ground with each step.

For a split second, she paused at the bag and crumpled outfit before picking it up and tossing it over her back as she continued her sluggish journey. Nudging the door open, Applejack slipped into the workroom and crawled past the many outfits that hung up on the wall. Some were crafted around her, some in the dead of night in a mad frenzy, but they all stared down at her, following her every move with a malice that not even Nine Tails possessed. With her eyes on the ground, she made it to the empty spot on the wall and hung up the outfit before making a quick escape.

The door closed with a soft click behind her, but no matter how quiet it was, it still managed to echo through the house. Yet another sigh escaped as she made her slow way up the stairs, her hoof knocking against each step. Eventually she made it to the bathroom, and after closing the door, she began filling the bathtub with the hottest water that could come out of the pipes. She was dead either way, so she might as well enjoy her last day.

Taking the time to slip out of her clothes, she threw them on the ground and quickly scrambled into the tub as the chill immediately reached her bones. Within minutes, the water was up to Applejack’s neck, and she leaned back, a happy sigh escaping as the heat seeped in. When was the last time she had been this warm? It felt as though her skin was going to be burnt right off, leaving behind nothing but the muscle underneath. So she just lounged there, the steam quickly filling up the room, making it impossible to see beyond her face, but she didn’t care. Never had she felt this relaxed in her life as muscles she didn’t know existed unknotted. Head dipping under the water, the scalding heat was like the most divine massage, but all too soon, she had to come back to the surface for air.

Brushing the wet mane from her eyes, Applejack flopped back, splashing water everywhere as she just soaked up all that heat. With her eyes closed, she could just imagine herself somewhere warm, where the fabled sun shone, and water could be found instead of ice. Where there were no clouds and ponies pranced under... under... under whatever it would be like in a world without clouds. Where snow did not exist, and she didn’t have to wear so many layers of clothing just to survive. Well, she’d end up there soon enough, all it really took was for Pearl to come back.

Ah well, death was better than being a slave anyways, so it wasn’t like she’d be missing out on much.

There came a soft knock on the door, and Applejack opened a bleary eye only to stare into a pair of orange ones. Whatever calmness she had was driven out of her as she sat bolt up, heart racing as she looked through the fog, trying to find the pony. All she could see, though, was nothing. After a calming breath, she settled back down, only to catch something flickering in the corner of her eye. Head snapping over, once more she found nothing as the steam obscured everything from sight. This time though, she eased herself out of the bathtub and began walking through the room, her eyes and ears on high alert. One walk around the room revealed nothing, and after a second round, Applejack was content to go back to her bath. Within seconds, any chill she might have felt was gone as her entire body relaxed again.

Once more the knocking came, but the earth pony simply ignored it. No doubt it was the dripping faucet or something making it sound as though it was knocking. There was absolutely no reason to open her eyes or even care about the sound, it wasn't important at all.

"Golden?" Applejack’s eyes widened at Rarity's voice. "Golden is that you in there? Don't use all the hot water please, I've had a very long day and a nice long soak sounds absolutely divine right now."

A dozen different thoughts flashed through Applejack's mind, and moving as though Nine Tails was out to get her, she dried off, got dressed, and was out of the bathroom in record time.

"Golden wha-" A yelp escaped as Applejack slipped behind the fussy unicorn and began shoving her towards the stairs. "What has gotten into you?"

Instead of replying, Applejack began pushing even harder and faster, forcing Rarity to pick up the pace or fall down the stairs.

"Alright, alright! What is wrong with you? Did something happen?" Panic crept into her voice, "Did something happen to Sweetie Belle!?"

A simple nod. After all, something did happen to Sweetie, even if Applejack was the one who technically did everything.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Taking off at a gallop, Rarity raced down towards the entrance. "Where have they gone?"

Crap. Um... Applejack dug through her mind, trying to figure out some kind of likely place they would go to, but the only places she could think of were the market place and the arena. When she continued to stare blankly at the unicorn though, Rarity facehoofed.

"The hospital!Of course! I am such an idiot." All of sudden, Applejack found she was the one being dragged along. "Now hang on darling, this is going to be a bumpy ride."

Before Applejack had a chance to respond, it felt as though her entire body was being pulled in opposite directions and then squished together into a ball. Then there was a pop, and she found herself on the ground, the world spinning around her like crazy. Both hooves clamped over her muzzle in an attempt to not throw up, beside her, Rarity wasn't faring much better, leaning against the wall and breathing shuddering breaths. A couple of unicorns looked at them weirdly, but otherwise they were left alone, though one did spit in their direction. If Rarity noticed, she didn’t show it and immediately raced off down the corridor, completely forgetting about the earth pony.

Applejack immediately raised her hood and fluffed up her collar so that it looked like she had a collar underneath before she glanced around, looking for some unicorn to attach herself to. Making sure to keep her head down low, she slipped out of the entrance hall and began trailing a random unicorn who looked drugged. With a bit of luck, the horned freaks would think she was with the stallion and leave her alone long enough for her to somehow find a way to slip out.

Somehow.

Maybe if she had a knife she could grab some sick and battered pony and make them teleport out, but there was no reason to believe they wouldn’t teleport her to some prison somewhere. Then again, it’s not like she had anything to lose. To play it safe was to be content with this non-existent life. There was always a risk, and there would always be a risk, but to someone who had nothing left to lose, it was the simplest choice she had ever made.

Slipping down a side corridor, Applejack grabbed a wheelchair and began pushing it along. Though a doctor paused mid-step and frowned at her, the unicorn made no move to actually stop her. For the first time in her life, Applejack grinned at being invisible. After all, who cares about some dirt pony slave? Nopony bothers to remember what they look like or what their names are, and it was this very mentality that put a bounce in her step. Perhaps things weren’t as hard as she thought and she could get out of this frozen lake she found herself in. Hopefully in one piece, but it was important to be realistic.

For a while, Applejack just wandered aimlessly. Always walking quickly to make it look as though she had been ordered to do something, but keeping her head down to avoid any and all eye contact. Eventually though, she came to an empty corridor and she immediately slipped into the first unlocked room, breathing out a sigh of relief before freezing where she stood. Rows and rows of makeshift beds greeted her. Every single one was filled with a unicorn, and more than one looked dead or was completely wrapped up in gauze.

It was so weird. She was used to seeing unicorns rushing around, but in this room, everything was completely still and silent. Nothing moved except the flow of air, and it almost felt as though making any sound would result in an execution or something.

“Water... please...” groaned a voice from her right. Glancing over, Applejack had to fight the urge to throw up. The unicorn’s horn had been broken in half, and the entire left side of his (her?) face been burnt so badly it looked as though it was melting.

“Here you go,” whispered a voice as a glass of water floated over. “Now drink it slowly, that’s it. Feel better?”

A weak nod from the patient.

“Trixie will ask the nurse to mix in some more painkillers in your next meal,” said Trixie as she put the cup away.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Then, his eyes slowly drifted closed and all breathing stopped. With a sigh, Trixie lifted the bed sheet so that it covered his face before turning away and washing the glass. Applejack's eyes flicked between the dead unicorn and the mare before her, slowly easing back towards the door, hoping to make it out before she was noticed.

"Take one more step and Trixie will remove your head," said the blue mare as she began wringing out a cloth. "Now, take this and put it on Dancer's forehead. Then come over here and help Trixie change Midnight's bandages."

Applejack blinked in surprise, considering just ignoring everything and leaving, but one look at Trixie and she knew that it was no idle threat. Last time Nine Tails had that look, a slave ended up beaten to death, and while she didn't know if Trixie would actually act, Applejack wasn't about to take that chance. From what little she had managed to gather from Rarity's ranting, Trixie was born from the very pits of Tartarus and should be killed in the most gruesome way imaginable. That was easy enough to pull off, all that needed to be done was to pass Trixie over to Nine Tails. Simple.

As much as she hated it, Applejack did as ordered and simply threw the cloth on the horned freak's head before going back and helping out with the bandages. Apparently, helping out meant standing around like a rack so bloody cloths could be draped over her. Still better than acting as a model for Rarity though. The best part was the quiet. Not a single word left Trixie's lips as she worked away, a pleasant change from the usual non-stop chatter that Applejack was usually subject to.

"No doubt your simple mind is trying to comprehend the complexity of Trixie's plan."

So much for silence.

"It's rather simple, the Great and Powerful Trixie is going to reveal the true nature of that scum known as Rarity. While Trixie does not need your help, any information you can provide will greatly speed up the process."

Applejack merely cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you gain out of this? Simple, help Trixie out and you may find yourself guarded by two inept guards who can't tell their horns from their flanks."

If Applejack thought Rarity was an idiot, this horned freak really took the cake. Saying something like that in front of who knows how many unicorns all listening in and she expected to not get charged with helping out an earth pony? Pure stupidity. That one mare who gave extra food to a slave got whipped a dozen times at least, and here this idiot was, actively plotting with an earth pony. With that horn sticking out of their heads, it was obvious they'd suffer some brain damage, but this much?

"All of these unicorns are going to die, so it doesn't matter if they hear," said Trixie. "A day, maybe two, but that's about it. We bring them here so they can at least rest in comfort, it's not much, but Trixie likes to think it's enough. Now enough about trivial matters, information on the earth pony sympathizer please."

Wait, what? Applejack just stared at Trixie, trying to understand what had just been said. She knew the words, understood what each one meant individually, but when it was put all together in that sentence, it turned into nonsense.

"Never noticed it? Think about how she treats you, lets you get away with not wearing a collar, and probably gave you your own room or something." Trixie flicked a hoof dismissively. "Tell Trixie where she can find some clues as to Rarity's misdeeds, and the Great and Powerful Trixie will help you."

Silence hung in the air, just waiting to be shattered by the softest of whispers, and yet it did not come. Breathing was optional, moving was not required, and talking was completely out of the question.Applejack raised a hoof, about to hold it out to shake on it, only to stop before she could complete the motion. There was no guarantee here that Trixie would follow through with her promise, there was absolutely no reason to trust her at all. She was a horned freak who made a living from killing earth ponies, there was little doubt this was another one of those traps.

But... what if it wasn't a trap? It could mean escape, or at least, a chance of escape. She was already a dead mare walking, so another chance, even if it might never come, was better than doing nothing. Even if she didn't escape, she would take down as many monsters as possible on her way out, and that would be worth her life any day. In fact, she'd trade her afterlife just to get a solid crack at Nine Tails, preferably with something that involved burning him alive.

Despite all that though, she just couldn't bring herself to shake on the deal. It was one thing to not kill a unicorn, but quite another to make a deal with one. And...well... if what Trixie said about Rarity was true, why would Applejack spill anything? Not that there was anything to spill, but even if there was, why would she help that arrogant mare anyways?If anything, she should be trying to screw over Trixie!

Still, there was that little voice in the back of Applejack's mind, telling her to shake hooves with the monster. It was a little voice, but that voice was one she was intimately familiar with. It spoke to her at night, telling her how she could escape and be free. It comforted her after being whipped, painting pictures of perfect fields full of snow. It was hope, and not once had it ever led her wrong, but now... now Applejack was beginning to doubt. Rarity wasn't... bad, if the fact that she was a horned freak was ignored, but that wasn't to say Applejack was content with her life.

"So?" asked Trixie, contempt sneaking into her voice.

Do or die. Take the chance and ruin some mare's life, or keep going and hope for escape. If last night wasn't test enough, today forced Applejack to her limits and she found herself staring at the floor. If she did this, Rarity would probably be killed or worse and then... Against her will, the image of Sweetie came to Applejack's mind and she shook it away, only for it to replaced by an all-too-familiar filly with yellow coat and red mane.

With a sigh, Applejack simply stepped back and shook her head. If she couldn't even threaten a filly without even meaning to carry it through, there was little doubt she could go through with this. After all, to destroy Rarity was to destroy the entire family and all close friends all at the same time, and she just couldn't bring herself to do that. No matter how she justified it, no matter how she argued, if she died and met her mother again, she wouldn't be able to do so with her head held high.

She was an earth pony, and she would not stoop to unicorn levels to achieve her goal.

"You see, here's the fascinating thing about slaves, most would jump at the chance to do their masters in." Trixie examined a hoof. "So that makes Trixie wonder, what could possibly possess a slave to actually defend them? Trixie knows all about you, and you are not the broken slave, the lack of collar is indication enough. So tell Trixie, what could possess you to protect that bloody mare? Could it be that she's secretly an earth pony sympathiser?"

The unicorn took a predatory step forward, and Applejack took half a step back before holding her ground.

"Check and mate." She inclined her head to the side and the door opened, revealing two guards. "Tell your mistress that Trixie will be gloating from the front row of seats at her execution."

Eyes closing, Applejack's entire body went slack as the guards restrained her limbs, making it impossible for her to run, let alone escape. There wasn't even any point in struggling now, it's not like she'd actually be able to get away or do any damage, and if she did fight back, there was no telling what they'd do to her. She had her escape in her hooves, and she let it slip away from her. Twice!

No.

She would not give up, not now. It'd be difficult with the restraints, but if she could knock out the two guards, then the spell would drop. The hard part was getting out once that was done, but Applejack wasn't worried, planning was useless in a situation like this. A small smile tugged at her lips as she kept her body relaxed as though she had given up.

"Nothing to say? A shame. Take her to kennel while Trixie deals with Rarity," she said as she walked out the door.

"Come along now." Applejack suddenly found a collar around her neck and a leash extending out to the guard on the right. "Be a good girl and we'll be sure to give you a treat."

Nodding meekly, Applejack began walking forward before suddenly ramming the guard on the right with her shoulder, slamming him into the wall. A second later, her hind hooves shot out and she had the satisfaction of hearing ribs crack. Her bonds flickered and faded and her front hoof immediately lashed out, punching the unicorn before her for good measure before she kicked the one on the ground just to make sure they were both unconscious.

Typical.

Both were tossed in a bed and covered with a sheet before Applejack quickly slipped out. Making sure to walk just fast enough to look busy, but not fast enough to draw attention, she made her way back to the entrance. If her legs were shaking, she tried not to show it, and she had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder every single second. She had to walk around meekly, but also walk as though she was going somewhere important. Any second, a spell could slam into the back of her head, splattering her brains all over the floor and that thought made her gulp. An execution was fine, an execution had a set date, but this? This could come at any time and she had no way of knowing.

Taking a deep breath in order to calm herself down, she kept walking, but her legs would not stop shaking. They trembled uncontrollably, and she could feel a cold sweat breaking out, making her want to unzip her jacket. It was only a matter of time before the two guards were found, and then she was dead, if she was lucky. If not, she'd end up in the breeding pens and... A shudder ran down her spine.

As she turned the corner, Rarity came into view, and at the other end of the corridor was Trixie. Racing forward, Applejack grabbed the white mare by the shoulder and began dragging her towards the entrance. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Trixie shoving past a pair of nurses, screaming something at the top of her lungs, but the pounding of blood drowned everything out.

"G-Golden? What are you doing! Answer me at-" Applejack jerked her head back and Rarity followed her gaze, eyes narrowing at the sight of Trixie. "I should have known."

There was a flash of light and two guards in full combat gear appeared before them. Before either could say anything, Applejack rammed one and followed up with two quick blows to the stomach and head. Though he tried to block, she simply powered through his feeble defense, the muscle she had gained from years of working the fields finally paying off as he hit the ground unconscious. Rarity immediately scooped up the fallen sword, parrying the blow from the remaining guard before slipping in and smashing his face in with the pommel. As he stumbled back, Rarity bucked him into some bystanders before they ran off towards the exit. At the last second, a shimmering blue shield sealed it off, forcing them to come to a stop.

"And to think Trixie needed evidence for your filthy, dirt pony sympathizer ways." She walked down the corridor with a confident swagger. "So easy to manipulate, both of you. Did you really think what Trixie said was enough to convict your mistress? Please, you played right into my hooves. Now, Trixie suggest both of you come quietly, but truth be told, she wants you to struggle. Struggle and let Trixie show you why she's so great and powerful. Struggle like the worthless worms that you are. Struggle so that Trixie can finally beat you into a bloody pulp."

"Does your vindictiveness know no bounds? Must you go so far for revenge?"

"You destroyed Trixie's family, it's about time she returned the favor."

Typical horned freak melodrama . Why couldn't they ever just do something instead of spending five years talking about it before forgetting why they were talking about it to begin with? As they continued going on about whatever it was they were going on about, Applejack spread her legs to brace herself before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Muscles gained from years of working the fields bunched together, tensing, readying themselves for an explosive release.

Crack!

All talking stopped as the two unicorns stared at Applejack who simply smirked back. Hind hooves lashed out once more, and this time, the entire shield shattered like ice and Trixie visibly crumpled.

Rarity tackled Applejack through the door even as her horn lit up. Out the corner of her eye, a blue bolt raced towards them, and even though it was still ten pony-lengths away, Applejack could feel her hairs standing on end. Closer and closer it approached, the scent of burning fur filling the air as she felt the heat searing her to the bones. And just as escape seemed impossible, there was the distinctive pop and Applejack found herself staring up at the cloudy sky.

Freedom.

A huge grin split her face as she scrambled onto her hooves, a cry of pure joy escaping as she threw herself back down to wallow in the snow.

Freedom was finally hers.

They watched silently as the caravan approached. Before each trailer were four earth ponies in tattered clothes, forced to drag them along while the unicorns sat in the warmth and safety inside or walked alongside in proper warm clothing. It sickened Pinkamina to her core, and it was only the knowledge of what was to come that stopped her from jumping down there and slaughtering every single last one of them. Beside her, a pegasus trembled in barely contained rage, but a light touch on his shoulder was enough to hold him in place. While it was always great to get eager new recruits, it had cost them a mission more than once and Pinkie knew that they could not afford to mess this one up.

Each pony waited silently as their mark passed underneath, then, with a raise of her hoof, there was a deafening crack as rocks slid down the cliff and trapped the caravan. Without missing a beat, Pinkie leapt off the ledge, as did a dozen other ponies. A couple of unicorns were dumb enough to step out and immediately found themselves used as pincushions, and those that threw up shields found them blasted from all directions by magic. Hitting the ground, Pinkie rolled with the momentum and as she came onto her hind hooves, she flicked her forehooves and felt the blades slide out of her gauntlets.

She moved on two legs, rushing towards the first poor, brainwashed earth pony. A quick flick of her left hoof to parry the spear thrust and she was within his guard. Elbow connected with his throat, causing him to gasp for breath. Without breaking her stride, the flat of her blade struck his temple, knocking him unconscious as she ran past.

Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch.

As she ran past the first trailer, the door burst open, narrowly missing Pinkamina as she leapt out of the way. Dropping down low, she felt the air crackle as a spell narrowly missed, and as she scrambled onto her hooves, the unicorn dropped dead with an arrow through her head.

Itchy neck.

She immediately spun around, one hoof moving high to block while the second dropped low for a horizontal slice. The unicorn slipped past both and drew a shallow cut across Pinkie's chest, a second strike going for her throat. Skipping back, the two exchanged a rapid series of blows before a fireball from behind sealed the deal.

All around her, ponies fought each other, but Pinkie simply ran past them. Occasionally, she'd hamstring an earth pony or help take down a unicorn, but otherwise she kept moving. Mentally, she kept count of the trailers as she ran past until she got to the eighth one. Leaping forward, she kicked off the wall and flipped herself onto the roof. As she landed, she slammed one bladed hoof through the roof before forcing the second through. Ripping both free, she retracted the blades and stomped the roof in.

"Alrighty everypony, time to get outta there!" Pinkie yelled down as she began pulling the ceiling apart. "The foals first, and if there's any injured ponies in there, just hang on for a bit longer and we'll get you all out. Okay?"

More faces than there were numbers stared up at her in complete and utter confusion.

Double twitch, ear flop.

"Oopsie, gimme a sec." Rolling to the left, she bought both hooves up just in time to block a thrust at her head. "You know, it's bad manners to interrupt somepony who's talking, right? I'm going to have to punish you for that."

He smirked down at her, "Sounds kinky."

Pinkie's hind hoof snapped out, but the unicorn had already disengaged and stood at the rear of the carriage. Never taking his eyes off her, he gave her a polite bow before brandishing his two short swords. Slowly rising onto her hooves, Pinkie snapped her blades into place and returned the bow before settling into a defensive stance.

The two began circling even as the wood creaked and threatened to buckle. A quick slash followed by a second more powerful one was tossed at Pinkie, but she easily deflected both before leaping forward. One blade came crashing down on his head while she effortlessly flipped over the unicorn and landed on the other side. The low sweep was blocked and Pinkie suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a flurry of strikes. Two blocks, a sidestep, parry, counter, thrust, and skip back later, Pinkie found her hooves trembling as the blood began soaking through her clothes.

The unicorn charged in, but instead of blocking or evading, Pinkie let herself drop back. His sword slipped past, leaving a nasty gash across her shoulder while she reached out and grabbed him. Off the edge they went. Hoof snaking out, she pulled the unicorn's face in for a sloppy kiss, and the stunned reaction was all she needed to twist them around so he hit the ground first. A sickening crack cut through the fighting as he landed on the rocks below. Rolling off, Pinkie rolled off with a groan before the shallow breathing of her opponent caught her attention.

"Sorry kiddo, but that's got to be one heck of a way to die." Pinkie leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his lips even as she slid a blade through his chest.

She stumbled back, limping back towards the caravan even as her wounds left a trail of red behind her. Already she could feel the cold seeping through the holes in her clothes, numbing the pain even as the high of combat drained out of her system. She climbed onto the seat at the front before scrambling up onto the roof, grunting in pain as she was forced to use her injured limb. The burn was barely noticeable as she limped towards the hole.

"General, want me to take care of that for you?"

With weary eyes, Pinkie looked to her left at the white pegasus who hovered there. "Sure, Blossom, anything I need to check up on before I get fixed up?"

"Eh, nothing that I saw. Maybe check in with Lyra? Last I saw she was busy taking down caravans nine and ten." Blossomforth looked behind her and yelled, "Move it slow pokes! We've got a massive load of ponies in here that need rescuing!"

The two exchanged a nod before Pinkie leapt off the roof, landing without any issues. A couple of the ponies gave her a salute as she walked past while others waved, but no matter what they did, Pinkie returned the gesture with a smile. As she passed a dead unicorn, she ripped off some cloth, not bothering to slow down as she tied it around her injured leg. Eventually a green mare came into view, and Pinkie ignored the pain and she bounced over, tackling Lyra with a glomp of doom.

"Pinkie! How many times have I told you to not surprise me like that? I almost shot you through the head." She rubbed her temples, and for once, did not try to pry Pinkie off. "And you're getting blood all over me."

"Oh come on, you used to be fun! What happened to the funny, cutesy, hyper little filly I used to know?"

"Not only am I older than you, but we only met two months ago. Can we please focus on the subject at hand?"

"At hoo f," supplied a random soldier, only to be instantly shushed and hidden away by everypony else.

Lyra's eye twitched and a forced smile appeared on her face. "So, Pinkamina, what can I do for you? And seriously, stop bleeding all over me."

"Bah! Blood is all natural and anything natural is gooooooood ," sung Pinkie as she gathered some blood on her hoof and drew streaks over her own cheeks.

"What. Do. You. Want."

"You're no fun anymore." Pinkie rolled her eyes and brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes. "Just dropping by to see if there was anything I needed to sort out."

"Not really. A couple decided to join, but the rest hightailed it out of hereand are heading to the nearest settlement with enough food and clothing to last them the trip." Lyra sighed and flopped down. "I can't wait to get back to base."

"So you can talk with Bon-Bon?"

"W-What? No! Of course not, I mean-" The bright blush on her cheek was enough to make Pinkie chuckle. "Oh shut up."

"I didn't say anything," Pinkie replied sweetly. "It's nice to see you smiling again though."

"Yeah..." A sigh escaped as Lyra stared off into the distance. "Does... does it ever get easier?"

"Ask me again next year," whispered Pinkie as she the unicorn. "It hurts less, but I don't think it'll ever stop hurting."

"Good, I don't want it to," came the quiet reply.

"You disgusting piece of filth!" yelled a voice causing them to break apart and glance over at the brown earth pony stomping towards them. "She's a fucking horned freak ! You should be ripping out her spine and beating her to death with it . Do you know what they've done? What they continue to do to us?"

Pinkie merely gazed at the slave without a shred of compassion. "Say something like that again about anypony under my command, and you'll be the one missing a spine. Got that?"

"Y-You're actually defending it? You're defending this fre-"

The blow sent him onto the ground, and when he tried to stand back up, he stumbled.

"Look around you. Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, and every single last one of them worked their flanks off to save your useless hide. Either join us or get lost," snarled Pinkie.

"You're wrong! They're monsters, they're all monsters, and they should be wiped off the face of the world. Pegasi and unicorns and gryphons! Every single last one of-"

The rest of his words were lost as he choked on his own blood.

"What we don't need are ponies like you who are trapped in their own delusions. What we don't need are ponies who are blinded by hate and anguish. This is a group founded on harmony, and ponies like you do not deserve to live." With a deliberate slowness, Pinkie drew her blade out of the body. "Ponies like you disgust me, and it doesn't matter if you're a pegasus or a unicorn or an earth pony. Ponies like you deserve to die."

She looked away from the dead body, but none of the others made a move to argue. Instead they watched on in silence, most nodding in agreement, while others simply didn't care. There was one pony who threw up, but he was new to the job. Given enough time, he'd get used to it, and if he didn't, he could be left at base.

As Pinkie walked away, Lyra jumped onto the nearby caravan and yelled, "Alright everypony, time to move out! I want Teams One through Four on salvage duty, Five and Six to help to the slaves who've joined us, and for Seven to scout out the area and make sure we're secure. I do not want to be ambushed while we're cleaning up. We did a good job everypony!"

Their cheers were subdued, but full of pride as they all split off to do their tasks. For her part, Pinkie made her way towards those who had wished to stick around. Though most thanked her and tried to make small talk, Pinkie brushed them all off. Instead, she moved through the crowd, eyes constantly scanning for that one long face that was always present. Maybe it was because their parents died during the trip, or their lover didn't want to stick around, or some close friend died in the rescue mission. It didn't matter what the excuse was, there was always one, and this time was no different.

There, off in the distance was a single little filly by herself. All the others actively sat away from her, looked away from her, and none of them approached either. With a barely contained growl, Pinkie trotted up to the filly and sat down. No words were said, they simply gazed off into the distance together. Sometimes, words didn't have to be spoken. Sometimes, all anypony ever wanted was some company on some lonely night. Sometimes, talking was simply too awkward.

Whatever the case, they sat together, just enjoying the view and relaxing while Pinkie washed out and bandaged her wounds. Though the filly looked at her curiously, they soon returned to gazing at the snow covered hills. It was only when a new recruit ran to get her that Pinkie finally stood up and began limping away. As she did so, the tiniest of voices reached her ears, one that was scratchy from misuse, but still strong.

"Thank you..."

Chapter 8

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"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Oh please, calm down, you make it sound like I'm asking you to eat meat or something," sighed Twilight as she rubbed her temple. "It's very simple, either you go along with it or you go on alone and fend for yourselves. Then again, considering we're merely travelling in the same direction and not actually travelling together, I'm sure you'll be fine with that."

"Shut up," snapped Dash as she grabbed a packet of the unicorn's foul food and gulped it down without a second thought. Immediately afterwards, she drowned an entire bottle of water and wiped her mouth. "That is horrible. How can you eat that?"

"Don't eat and I die, pretty simple really," shrugged Twilight as she grabbed her saddlepack.

"Or you could try meat and gems," said Spike causing everypony present to gag. "Hey, it's better than that crap."

"Language mister."

"I'm older than you."

Dash burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but there is no way you're older than her. You're freaking tiny! I mean, just look at you, there's no way you're older than her."

"Well... um... actually, if it's alright, dragons live a long time so they grow a lot slower and, um..." Fluttershy smiled sheepishly from behind her mane. "I've, um, I've talked to Spike a lot on the subject and, well, I guess I picked some things up?"

"Don't see the point unless you're gonna kill one," muttered Dash under her breath. "But seriously, the answer is no. There is no fucking way I'm gonna help you get inside a pegasus compound. Just no. I'd rather die than do that."

The two freaks exchanged a look, but it was the unicorn who spoke. "Look, we're going in there one way or another. We can either sneak in or try to bluff our way in, and I do not intend to die today, so if I get caught, I will fight my way out. If you help, there's less chance of that happening, so one last chance, you coming with me or not?"

Dash glared at the unicorn, but said nothing. As much as she wanted to walk away right then and there, she knew that there was no way that was going to happen. She needed that bloody unicorn to stay alive, to keep Fluttershy alive. There was some place out there that was safe and hidden away from war and death, and Dash was willing to do anything to make sure her fillyhood friend got there. And these other pegasi, she might not have known them, but they were still pegasi, and that was enough for her. She was not about to let them die on her watch.

"Fine, whatever, but you're my slave," said Dash.

"Excuse me?" Twilight's eye twitched. "You did not just say what I think you said."

"Yeah well, the way I see it is that you need my help to get in and out safely, which means you need me. So guess what? You're gonna have to work for it." Dash's grin was almost predatory. "Take it or leave it, but that's my offer."

"We don't ne-"

"Spike, leave it," sighed Twilight, "Plus, it would give us a good cover to work from."

"You can't be serious!"

"Spike, relax. It's not like they'll be able to keep me in a cell even if they tried." Dash snorted in amusement at that comment."Very well, I agree to your terms"

What.

She's joking. That unicorn had to be joking. There was no way in Tartarus anypony was that stupid, not even a horned freak. But from the way she slipped off her bow, undid her gauntlets, and took out some of the crap from her backpack, it was clear she was indeed serious. Torn between smiling like a maniac and slamming her face into the ground, Dash never got the chance to do either as the combined stare of Fluttershy and Spike was enough to give her pause. That lasted a second before a huge grin split her face. To think, a day or two of that unicorn completely under her control. Two days of being forced to do whatever Dash ordered. The possibilities were endless.

"Alright then." Dash walked forward in an almost predatory fashion. "Looks like it's just the two of us, slave."

"Yes Master." Twilight’s sultry whisper caused Dash to scramble back and gag.

"No. Just... just no. By the sun, I think I need to throw up." On trembling legs, Dash walked away, her face ashen. "Don't ever do that again."

"Then don't call me slave unless it's for our cover," said Twilight.

"You sure about this?" Spike landed on Twilight's shoulder, the two sharing a light nuzzle. "I can come along if you want."

"No, stay here and make sure our gear is safe, especially my backpack. There are important documents in there, and they must not be lost or damaged."

"Alright..." Spike slipped off her shoulder and floated over to Fluttershy. "Looks like it's just the two of us then."

"Mmhm." Fluttershy turned to Dash. "That alright with you?"

Dash glanced between her longtime friend and Twilight, trying to figure out where to go or what to say. As much as she needed to go with the horned freak to make sure nothing bad happened, if that meant leaving Fluttershy alone, Dash wasn't sure if it was worth it. All it'd take was for Spike to slip out one night, throw some sort of signal into the sky, and next thing you know, unicorns everywhere with those slimy hooves of theirs.

"Dash... I'll be alright." Despite how meek her smile was, there was an edge in her eyes."I am a Senior NCO you know, and I didn't get there by being your friend."

If there was one thing Dash had learnt from being a recruit, it was to never ever question a female in charge. Especially if they got that look in their eyes. To do so was death, though in Fluttershy's case, it would probably be a disappointed look, which was ten times worse. Ponies died all the time, but that look? It was made Dash want to crawl off into a hole somewhere with her tail between her legs.

"A-Alright." Dash nodded slowly and turned to face Twilight. "Looks like we're going in then. Don't do anything stupid, or I will turn you in."

"Don't do anything stupid and I won't have to destroy the base," she shot back.

Eyes locked, the two began walking down the slope, their gaze never leaving each other. Each step was perfectly in time with each other, somehow managing to avoid the trees and fallen branches that littered the ground. In the end, it was Twilight who looked away first, snorting in either frustration or amusement.

"Should have expected such foal-like behavior from you," said Twilight with a toss of her mane.

"What is that supposed to mean?" growled Dash, taking an aggressive step forward.

"Oh, nothing. Now, you coming or not? We've both roles to play, and if you blow this, I will be most displeased." Twilight glanced over her shoulder at the pegasus, " I have a collar in my bag as well as a magic inhibitor ring, put them both on me, but if you so much as even think about ordering me around in private, I will remove your wings."

"Fine, but you need to act submissive in public. Head bowed, always answer 'Yes master' or 'No master' unless asked a direct question, and absolutely no walking in front of me. Whatever you do reflects on me, and since you're my only slave, you've got to play this perfectly." Dash grabbed Twilight's mane and yanked her head back so they were face to face once more. "Got that?"

"Fine," snarled Twilight. "Neither of us likes this, so the sooner we get this done the better."

Dash nodded and ruffled through the bag, drawing out the ring and collar. With a bit of fiddling, she managed to get both onto the horned freak with minimal contact. As far as Dash was concerned, once they hit the fort and got inside, she was going to take the hottest shower possible for as long as possible. Who knows what sort of bugs that unicorn had.

"Just so you know, this ring doesn't actually do anything, so no funny business." Twilight took a step forward only for Dash to pull her back once more. "What?"

"Pegasus in front remember?" said Dash as she took the lead. "Head down, and no speaking, got that?"

A glare was shot at Dash.

"No glaring either. No emotions. Actually, scratch that. If what Lightning tells me is true, then be submissive, but smile and sound happy. Do everything as though it makes you happy when I'm happy. Or something like that. I dunno, never saw the point of actually owning a slave, but I hear that those slaves fetch the most money. Well, other than the sex slaves, but let's admit it, there's no way you could pass as one of those."

"I don't know whether I should be insulted or thankful," muttered Twilight under her breath.

"How about both?" Dash threw a grin over her shoulder. "Now get into character, you are not messing this up."

"Yes, master," replied Twilight in a silky smooth voice that sent shudders down Dash's spine. Some things were simply never meant to be heard.

Still, she had to admit that the horned freak did manage to do a good job , especially with the way her hooves dragged along the ground and how her head was tilted down. In fact, the way she held herself had completely changed. Her shoulders were slumped, her tail had shifted up slightly, and her head was held to let her mane just cover her eyes. All in all, she looked like the perfect picture of a submissive slave. Probably because all unicorns were good for was being ordered around and so there was some inherent slave attitude in them. Because, let's admit it, there was no way a unicorn was that good of an actor.

"Good. How far away is the encampment?"

"Just over the ridge, master."

Geez, it was creepy how good she was at the whole voice thing.

"Very well then, come pet."

Dash began trotting forward, making sure to hold her head up high, throwing in a bit of a strut as she did. Arrogance was always a nice way to open up communications, make it seem as though she actually had the power behind the attitude. As they came over the ridge, a party of pegasi was there already waiting for them. Some had crossbows, others had wingblades and gauntlets, but all were armed.

The two groups stood three feet apart, gazing at each other silently as a single pegasus glided in from the fort behind them. Snow was tossed in all directions as he landed and Dash inclined her head politely towards Flight Commander West Wind.

"Flight Commander Rainbow Dash," he said neutrally.

"West." That earned her a glare from his pegasi though the corner of his lips twitched slightly. "It's been a while."

"That it has. It’s a miracle you made it to Flight Commander at all considering your record with following orders." With a flick of his hoof, the others immediately began moving back to the base in perfect unison. "I'm surprised, I thought you hated slaves."

"I do." The silence and complete unison from the soldiers made Dash's spine crawl. "I'm here on business."

"Curious. Last I heard you had gone missing along with what's-her-name, leaving your base to Lightning Dust." The ground before them opened up and the group swooped down the vertical tunnel. "We have not yet installed a way for slaves to enter, so we'll have to carry you down."

"Lovely," muttered Dash as she glared at Twilight over her shoulder. "You heard him, get over here."

Nodding meekly, Twilight approached, and some pegasus grabbed her and held her to his chest while Dash slipped onto West's back. With how close they were, Dash could seethe unicorn breathing faster. Afraid of heights? Good to know.

"And you never answered me." The edge in West Wind's voice immediately caught Dash's attention. "Where have you been these past couple of days?"

"Mission. It's super hush-hush so I can't really say much on it," lied Dash, ignoring the tightness in her chest.

"Good thing we've got a Wonderbolt around so we can verify that."

Dash resisted the urge to gulp or show any outward sign, but she could see Twilight tense up.

"Oh, is that so?" said Dash as casually as possible. "Great. I needed to report in anyways."

"Very well, follow me then." West banked to the right, going down a diagonal tunnel.

"I have to admit, the wide tunnels are really nice. I might need to make the same changes when I get back," said Dash, hoping the idle chatter would distract West, but he merely grunted in response. "Geez, what has you so uptight?"

"I'll tell you later." Once more he veered off, this time going straight up.

"Some pegasus’ secretive."

"In here." Dash frowned at the tone, but did what was asked. "Meet Captain Spitfire."

Dash's eyes snapped up and her jaw dropped. "S-Spitfire!?"

Did her voice crack? Please say her voice did not crack, that'd be beyond embarrassing.

"Captain!" said Dash with a smart salute.

"Rainbow Dash?" Dash was forced to smother her giggle at the fact that Spitfire—Captain Spitfire—knew her name. "What are you doing here?"

"Ma'am, she claims she's on a secret mission. Considering your clearance, I figured you would be able to verify her claim," said West.

Spitfire's eyes darted over to Twilight, and Dash felt a cold sweat break out. They were dead. They were so dead. Right then and there, she was totally dead. Best case scenario? Wings cut off and sent to the breeding pens like some filthy earth pony. No doubt the horned freak would enjoy that, it'd be the only way any pony would ever fuck her anyways.

"Very well," said Spitfire. "West Wind, you may leave."

"Yes ma'am!" Another smart salute and they was out the door.

Spitfire turned to face us with a frown. "What. The. Fuck. Seriously, what the fuck? I should send both of you to the breeding pens! What in the fucking world do you think you're doing? You've got a job that you left unattended just so you could go on a wild hunt? You are an idiot!"

"B-"

"No. Don't you dare say a thing." The glare Spitfire gave Dash was enough to make her whimper. "What? Did you think we don’t watch her? That we would let a clearly dangerous mare wander around aimlessly?"

"W-"

"No. No talking. Shut up." Though Spitfire was no longer yelling, that just served to chill Dash to her core. "Do you realize who much you've just complicated matters? Of course you don't. You’d have to think first."

This time Dash decided to keep silent.

"Good. It seems you can learn. Now listen, and I swear, if you even get one word wrong, I will personally find you and feed you to the manticores. Got that?" hissed Spitfire. "You two will stay one night and one night only. If you stay even one second too long, it will not be pleasant, and I will not cover for you. Second, you're going to march yourself right out of Pegasopolis without any delay or any more involvement with any of the towns or cities or forts. Lastly, if I see either of you again before the month is out, I will skin you. Probably alive, but I'm not picky, I'll take whatever it is I can get at this point."

Silence.

"Now get out!"

Dash immediate sprinted out of the room only for a flying purple pony to slam into her from behind, sending them tumbling downwards.For a split second, she considered being a second too slow, maybe 'accidentally' kick her rescuer in the face. Mistime a twist or angle slightly too far to the right when West came in for the catch. All it would take was a subtle shift and they'd be forced to focus on catching her, leaving the unicorn to be smashed flat against the floor. It’d be such a horrible accident. There'd be tears and some speech about- Oh who was she kidding? The night that the horned freak died would be a night she'd never forget. It’d be years before they sobered up from that celebration.

But Fluttershy would have that sad look on her face, maybe a tear or two, and the mere thought was enough to make Dash shudder. The last time Fluttershy had that look on her face, the entire base had leapt to do her bidding in an attempt to cheer her up, and Dash doubted that even a direct order from Spitfire could have made them change their minds. Dealing with that by herself? Without any backup? With a sad sigh, Dash grabbed West's hoof and expertly swung herself onto his back while the other one grabbed Twilight.

"So where to?" asked West as they hovered in mid air.

"Wherever you keep your books," replied Dash.

"Books? You? Don't make me laugh." That earned him a smack on the back of his head. "Alright, alright! Geez. Talk about anger issues."

"I can and will hit you again," growled Dash.

"And I'm the one carrying you."

"I've got Spitfire on my side."

"After she threw you out?"

"Hey, she only threw me out. Remember that."

"Whatever." West began veering to the left and Dash held on as they rapidly descended to the bottom-most floor. "Just go along the corridor to the end. When should I send pegasi to pick you up?"

"Tomorrow morning," said Dash. "We can sleep down here."

"Sure? It is ra-"

"I said, we can sleep down here." The two stared at each other, neither moving an inch, but in the end, West backed down. "Don’t bother with feeding us, I've got enough food as is."

"And your slave?" asked West.

"What about her? She’s a slave."

He blinked in surprise, eyes darting between Dash and the unicorn before he simply shrugged. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you have a slave at all. I thought you said they were for the weak and lazy."

"They are, but it's helpful to have somepony distract timberwolves and manticores while I take them out from behind." Out the corner of her eyes, Dash could see Twilight roll her eyes.

"Of course," said West as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Regardless, I will return to my duties now. Come, Resolute, let us leave Flight Commander Dash to her... reading."

"Hey, I can so read!" yelled Dash as the two pegasi flew off. "Bloody West."

Twilight merely grunted in response.

"And stay in character," hissed Dash, earning her an eye roll from the horned freak.

"There's no one else around, but if you insist, Master."

"Do you have to say it in that tone of voice?" growled Dash.

"Of course Master, how else would I say it?" she asked innocently.

"Oh shut up," snapped Dash.

The two walked in silence, neither willing to look or speak to the other. Every so often, a faint moan would echo down the corridor, and the two would glance at each other with haunted eyes. Unconsciously, Dash wrapped her wings around herself tighter, trying to ignore those sounds. More than once they passed a door with shadows lurking behind it. Sometimes there were cries of pain, other times begging, and more than once a string of oaths that made Dash blush as some mare was fucked senseless.

"Why are the books located down here?" sighed Twilight. "Do pegasi not know how to treat books properly?"

"Does no unicorn know how utterly pointless books are? I mean, oh yeah, I'm going to read some crap about some stupid thing that no pegasus cares about, like how to dance or something stupid."

"You know, there are books on things like hoof to hoof combat and using wingblades," said Twilight.

Dash's ears perked up at that, but they quickly flattened against her skull as she scowled. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

"And who knows, maybe you would use that brain of yours for once."

"Real funny. Also stop talking or you're going to break our cover."

"I think I've even got such a book back in my backpack," said Twilight with a grin.

"Shut it," but it was obvious her heart just wasn't in it. After all, there were apparently books on wingblade duels, and there was absolutely nothing cooler than that. Plus, at this point she was willing to take whatever help she could get if it meant being able to beat Lightning. Even if it came from a horned freak.

Once more they descended into silence, but that meant letting all those Tartarian sounds fill her mind. The air was just so damp and heavy, making it impossible to breathe and causing the clothes stick to her body. All those cries of pain and despair and utter hopelessness. They were nothing more than dirt though. Nothing more than the very ground that she walked on. They weren't beings, they weren't even alive. They were just things to be used and tossed aside when they broke.

"So, are you proud?" asked Twilight.

"They're maggots," Dash whispered. "They're dirt. They just make sounds the same way a dog barks. Nothing more, nothing less. Why care about dirt?"

"They're no-"

"Yes they are!" screamed Dash. "They're dirt, you're dirt, everything's bucking dirt! It doesn't matter if you're an earth pony or a unicorn, it's all dirt! Things to be used then tossed aside. Pegasi are all that matter, and that's that. So just shut the fuck up!"

"They're not dirt! They're ponies! They have hopes and dreams and emotions an-"

The two stared at each other as Dash lowered her hoof, flicking out her wing blade as she did so. Without a word, Twilight slipped into a defensive stance and spat some blood out. Slowly, the two began circling each other, each hoofbeat swallowed by the hollowness of everything.

"I was wondering when we'd finally get to this," said Twilight far too calmly.

"Just shut up and die," hissed Dash. "I'm sick of your words, of your magic, of your stupid face, and that fat flank of yours. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to crush your skull and rip out your spine and feed you to that stupid fucking dragon of yours!"

"I'd like to see you try. Do you know the amount of force you'd need to exert to literally rip somepony's spine out?"

The unicorn shuffled forward, throwing out two quick jabs. Both were blocked and a hoof snapped out, just missing Twilight's head before the pegasus moved low with an elbow to the stomach. With a grunt, Twilight stumbled back and spun to the side, narrowly avoiding Dash's wingblade. A single lock of mane drifted towards the ground.

"I don't care how hard it'll be, I'll enjoy every last second of it," said Dash as they began circling once more. "You can't win. You're a unicorn. A slimy, useless, weak unicorn."

"And you're an idiotic pegasus. You win not by brute strength, but by outsmarting yo-"

This time Dash moved in first with a series of rapid punches and kicks. Each one forced Twilight back just that bit further. With each passing hit, the unicorn slipped a little more, falling behind the rhythm. Dash smirked as she kept the pressure on, forcing her limbs to move that slight bit faster. No matter how hard she pushed though, that horned freak kept ducking and blocking. A growl of frustration slipped out as she went straight for the throat.

A sudden, searing hot pain went through her and Dash stumbled back, clutching her stomach. A sickening crack echoed through the hall as she was bucked in the head. Slamming into the ground, Dash rolled with the momentum and just managed to block the downward stomp. Her knee rammed itself into Twilight's stomach and Dash threw her weight backwards, tossing the freak over her head and into the nearby wall.

Scrambling onto her hooves, Dash wiped the blood from her eye and gasped in pain when she turned her head to track the unicorn's movements. Whatever that bitch had done, it left a stinging pain in her neck. No doubt some voodoo poison or something. No matter, let that freak cheat, she was Rainbow Dash, and she would never lose to a horned bitch.

She moved past the pain and threw herself forward once more. At the very last second, Dash flapped her one good wing, suddenly tossing herself to the side while letting the blade cut deep into that horned freak. Skidding to a stop, Dash glanced over her shoulder, smirking at the blood on the blade and Twilight's crumpled form. Then slowly, gradually, the unicorn stood back up and turned around with a limp.

"Not bad, but not good enough." Dash spat some blood out and faced her opponent. "I've won and you know it."

"More like you've evened the field."

Once more they began circling. They moved slowly, but even then Dash winced with every step she took. One slice. That was all it took. One well placed cut and the unicorn would be dead. Dash licked her dry lips before darting in, but Twilight merely backed up out of reach. Fear. That's what that look was . It had bugged Dash ever since the start of the fight, but now that she knew, it filled her with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Then again, if the unicorn knew to be scared, maybe she wasn't as stupid as Dash had originally thought.

Nah, who was she kidding? Even a dumb animal knew when to be scared.

Both rushed forward at the same time. There was no time to think, to plan the next move. It was just act and react. Punch, block, counter, sidestep, repeat. Again and again they went at it, both throwing their all into it. Sweat dripped down her brow, blood left her right side exposed, and her neck was a constant distraction. One that the bloody unicorn kept taking advantage of. Back and forth they went, each vying for dominance and the upper hoof. Slowly, but surely, the unicorn began slowing down, dragging her hooves and panting a bit more. Every so often a hoof would slip past. A hit here, a hit there. Nothing that did a lot of damage, but it slowed the unicorn down.

Ducking under a punch, Dash rammed her shoulder into Twilight. A quick one-two punch to follow up before she bought her wing forward in a downward arch towards the unicorn's throat. Metal scraped against metal and Dash's eyes widened before darting down to the blade at her throat. Twilight on the other hoof found herself pinned against the wall with a hoof threatening to crush her windpipe.

"So, there I was, thinking about what's the worst that could happen with you two working together. After all, if I've dealt with Soarin and Rapidfire, there's no reason why I wouldn't be able to deal with you two." Spitfire glared at each of them in turn. "That is, until I realized neither of them wants to fucking kill the other one!"

Spitfire sighed and rubbed her temple with her one free hoof. "I should just have you both executed for being complete idiots. Rainbow Dash, I order you to not kill, maim, harm, or put this unicorn in harm's way. Got that?"

"Wh-what!? But Cap-"

"No. Buts. Get it through that stupidly thick skull of yours! She is important. She has information. She has intel we need to win this fucking war, so don't you fucking do anything or I will have you fucking skinned alive!" Spitfire sighed and withdrew her wing. "Listen kid, war ain't pretty, and sometimes we need to work with the enemy to get out on top. Alright? So just tolerate her. You don't need to help her, you just need to keep an eye on her. Got that?"

"I- I think so." Dash saluted. "I'll do my best Captain."

"Good." Spitfire looked over at Twilight. "As for you, stop provoking her, or do I need to talk to Spike again ?"

"Fine," spat Twilight as she walked away.

"I swear, I have no idea how that dragon can stand that mare sometimes." Spitfire ran a hoof through her mane before she took to the air and vanished.

Dash wiped the blood from her eyes and walked after the limping mare, unconsciously drawing and sheathing her wingblade. All it would take was one little cut. One slice along the neck and then that monster would be dead. Sure, she had a direct order from Spitfire to keep Twilight alive, but Dash was running away anyways. What did it matter if she followed orders or not? A quick flick and then the world would be a better place.

Licking her dry lips, Dash followed the unicorn into the room and shut the door behind them. Wingblade still unsheathed she began walking forward, stalking the oblivious unicorn as it wandered through the shelves of books, a look of ecstasy on her face.

But... Spitfire had said the mare had intel. That was the deal right? Books in exchange for information. Sure, they would win either way, but how many would die? How much longer would the war drag on?

As much as Dash hated that mare and everything she stood for, the pegasus was forced to admit that the horned freak had to live.

For now at least.

"We have to go back for them!" yelled Rarity. "Who knows what horrible things they are doing to poor Sweetie and mother right now. And it's all your fault!"

Applejack merely rolled her eyes and tried to block out that annoying mare. Again. It's not like she asked that horned freak to stay around or anything. She could have left at any point, gone home, gotten lost in some woods and died, or any stupid thing to get her killed.

"I should have let them take you in! I should have stepped aside and shown everypony just how insane Trixie is. Idiot! And you, don't think I've forgotten about you! I've got half a mind to throw you out into the storm and let it kill you. I gave-"

Whatever. Applejack didn't particularly care. She just let that drama queen rant on about whatever it was. If that horned freak really wanted go back so badly, she could walk right out there and try to survive. Applejack didn't care. She was free and that was all that mattered. Let the unicorn act all pissy. In fact, if she kept going on, Applejack was tempted to buck her out into the cold and leave her there. Seriously, that mare's voice was grating.

"-ok at me when I'm talking to you!"

Applejack simply cocked an eyebrow at Rarity before going to back to gazing at her fire. It was a good fire. It wasn't the largest one Applejack had ever seen, but it was warm and yellow and bright. That was enough for her. Sure it wasn’t much, but it was still better than what she had to endure in the slave pens. Something that the unicorn had absolutely no experience in. With those dainty hooves and perfect mane, there was no doubt in Applejack's mind that Rarity had never experienced a day of hard work in her life. A day, maybe two, and then that bitch would be dead in a hole somewhere and the world would be brighter because of it.

"Listen here, if you do not ta-"

Applejack's hoof flew out, sending Rarity to the ground, and for the first time ever, that damned mare actually stopped talking. At first it was just a small snicker that she tried to hold back, but soon it dissolved into all-out laughter as she stood above her master. Oh that felt glorious.

A gasp of pain echoed through the cave as Applejack's hoof connected with that soft, squishy stomach. She couldn't say she wasn't surprised. With how little the mare actually worked out, it made sense she'd be all fat and no muscle. But just that sound. It was the most divine thing Applejack had ever heard and it left such a sweet aftertaste on her lips. Was this what an apple tasted like?

Her legs trembled as she raised a hoof above Rarity's face. The grin on her face was so wide it hurt, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop. Not that she wanted to. That fear. That fear and confusion and horror was so delicious. It warmed her soul and filled her with a desire to- to- to... It didn't matter what she wanted to do! But it left her feeling more alive than ever before.

Where was a whip when one was needed? A good whip, maybe a collar and leash, or a red hot poker. Let's see how this horned freak liked being a slave. Forced to work the fields, forced to bend over a bench, forced to-

A snarl escaped as Applejack's hoof came down, shattering the stone beside Rarity's face. Every single fiber of her being trembled with barely suppressed rage. She wanted to smash that freak’s face in. Break her horn like they ripped off the wings of pegasi. Break her legs like they broke the legs of disobedient earth ponies. Break her soul, her spirit. Break her down until she was nothing more than a hollow wreck willing to do anything to please her masters, just like how they had tried to break Applejack.

But she wouldn't stoop that low. She was an earth pony, and that meant she was better than them. As much as she wanted to kill that unicorn, she knew that Rarity wasn't responsible for what had happened to her. Hurting an innocent, even if they were a horned freak, simply rubbed her the wrong way. As Applejack turned away, her hind hoof lashed out, catching the unicorn as she tried to get back up. Well, seriously hurt that freak anyway.

With a satisfied nod, she sat back down by her fire to bask in its warmth. A happy sigh escaped as Applejack held her hoof towards the flames. Even if she died tonight with a dagger in her throat, she'd be happy. Out the corner of her eye, Rarity slunk around the side, nursing her stomach as she sat down by the fire. The two stared at each other, neither breaking the gaze even as the flames danced between them. Then, with something that could almost be called a smile, Rarity looked away, causing Applejack to frown. Had it just been a trick of the light or had that mare actually smiled? Was there something behind her? Or was it merely a trick to make her look away so Rarity could attack?

Wiggling back out of reach, Applejack threw a quick glance over her shoulder before turning back to the unicorn. Nothing. No monsters behind her, no sudden attack from the front. It was eerie how passive the unicorn was being. No magic, no sudden moves, no-

It was almost as though Applejack was being treated like a wounded and cornered animal. In fact, that was exactly how she was being treated. Even now, even when she was free, she still had to deal with this shit. How easy it would be to crush that mare's skull. To snap that horn in half and then stab her to death with it.

She was a pony damn it! She was a fucking pony and deserved to be treated like one! She had emotions and hopes and dreams and bled red blood just like the rest of them. She wasn't an animal! The only animal here was that fucking horned freak. She was the animal, the monster, the creature that didn't deserve to be alive. She was th-

They were plunged into darkness as the fire went out.

"G-Golden?" There was that fear again and it sent shivers down Applejack's spine. A second later, light flooded the cave as Rarity's horn lit up. "Oh, there you are. I was afraid that..." She shook her head. "T'was a silly thought."

Right, as though she was that stupid. Regardless, Applejack jerked her head down at the timber and Rarity must have gotten the message for she tried to relight the firewood. It flared up for a brief second, but the wind immediately blew it out.

"I'm going to give it one more try," said Rarity as the wood burst into flames once more. And once again it was immediately extinguished. "I'm sorry darling, but I fear this isn't going to work. I can set it alight, but without something to block the wind, I fear it shall be in vain."

Though Applejack said nothing, she still swore under her breath. That heat was the one thing that would have kept them alive and now it was gone. By the bloody stars, she didn't escape to die to the stupid weather! Being killed by a unicorn she could handle, but the weather? That was just wrong. She just got her freedom damn it, and she was going to use it!

Reaching out with a hoof, she grabbed that useless unicorn and pulled her close. As much as Applejack hated it, as much as she wanted to throw up from being so close to that stinking mare, this was the only thing that'd help, and even then, it wasn't guaranteed. Though the freak was tense and Applejack could feel that heart thumping away faster than ever, she could feel the unicorn slowly relaxing into her grip.Soon enough, they were lying on the warm embers, their hooves around each other as they tried to keep whatever meager warmth they had left between them. But even then, the chilly wind would breeze through, ripping away whatever semblance of warmth they had managed to gather.

Again and again it would come. Stripping them down to their fur, and even with the hot embers against her back, Applejack shivered under the constant assault. Above her, Rarity's teeth chattered away, forcing the unicorn to move closer to Applejack.Together the two lay, every so often trying to move away from each other only to be driven back by the cold. She could feel that heartbeat and the heavy breathing on her neck.

"Let us never talk about this ever again," hissed Rarity, a concept Applejack found herself eagerly agreeing to.

As the seconds passed and the minutes dragged on, the chill seeped in. It was impossible to tell the time, impossible to know how long they had been lying there, huddled for warmth. All they knew was the impossible cold, freezing their very core. The lightest touch and they'd shatter. There was no escape from this deathly embrace, nowhere to run, nowhere to possibly hide. With the night still to come, their death was a good as guaranteed. Maybe if they had clothes designed for travel it'd be a different matter, but with what they had on, there was no way they'd survive. Hope was one thing, but this was a delusion.

Of all the times for there to be a fucking snow storm.

Well with her back to the floor and the unicorn above her, the one who'd die first was that horned freak. She'd still have a decent chance of survival. Maybe. It really depended on when the freak died and became a lump of frozen meat, but with a bit of luck, all that fat would help to keep her alive longer. Rarity being alive longer meant more heat, and that meant survival. Or at least a better chance at it.

One minute a slave, next minute a frozen pony.

Fuck her life.

Chapter 9

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There was something so crazy about that place. Maybe it was the darkness, or how cramped it was, or the smell of old, musty books. Whatever it was though, it was messing with Dash's mind, making her see things and hear things that weren't there. It made her more skittish than Fluttershy, jumping at the slightest sound. It didn't help that that bloody horned freak was so calm about the whole thing. In fact, she looked as though she was off in her very own little fantasy world with the way books were piled all around her into a little fort.

With yet another sigh, Dash went back to pacing the room, trying her hardest to keep those infernal sounds out of her mind. It had kept her up all last night, and it was keeping her awake now, causing all sorts of disgusting nightmares to fill her as her addled mind tried to focus. Not that she was planning on sleeping anyways, considering the possibility of being stabbed at any second, but resting with her eyes closed would have been lovely. More than once Dash had been tempted to just walk out there, find the offending ponies, and break their necks, but each time she had to remind herself that horned freaks and dirt ponies were less than the ground she walked on. That they were no better than a blade of grass, and considering grass could be eaten, probably not even that.

There was a polite cough from the door and Dash whirled around, only to immediately salute at the sight of Spitfire. Instead of returning it however, she jerked her head towards the door and stepped out of sight. A quick glance over her shoulder to make sure the horned freak wasn't paying attention, and Dash slipped out without a sound.

"Here's the deal Flight Lieutenant, if you follow my next orders perfectly, you will rise in the ranks. Fail and you will die." Despite how ominous it sounded, Dash found a grin splitting her face. "That's the attitude I like. Now tell me exactly what you've found so far from our unicorn friend."

"She travels with a dragon called Spi-"

"We know that. Does she use magic at all?"

"Y- Wait, no." Dash frowned, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "In fact, she uses a dirt pony crossbow in combat. A good marksmare, but she had both a height and surprise advantage."

"Also known. So, no magic at all, you're sure about this?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hm..." Spitfire began pacing, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Anything interesting to report?"

"She's currently looking in alicor-"

Spitfire's ears perked up and her hoof was immediately against Dash's lips. "Never, ever say that word out loud. It's a state secret, got that?"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" replied Dash, gulping at the intense look in Spitfire's eyes. She had always shrugged off the rumors that the Wonderbolt's captain could control fire itself, but in that brief moment, Dash saw flames in those eyes.

"What does she know specifically about them?"

"Not much except for a castle she found underground." At the questioning look, Dash continued, "It was this super weird, floating castle with statues of the... er... you know, all around it, and apparently she had no idea how to get in."

"Magical barrier?"

"Magical something alright. Apparently, no matter how long you walk along the path, you never get closer."

Spitfire immediately rolled out a map from her backpack, as well as a quill. "Where?"

Dash immediately circled the cave in question. "It’s a maze down there." Without waiting for a response she began writing notes on how to get through the place. "This will lead you to a ledge. From there you'll have to drop down the cliff face. There is another path out that leads to here, but I'm unsure of the actual path that was taken, and I have no doubt this is how she travels from location to location. It seems to be connected to the diamond dog tunnels."

"We knew she used the tunnels, but are you certain they're as extensive as you say they are?"

"Even if they’re not, look at how far it took us. We went from the safe zone all the way out to the border in a couple of days. With a forced marc-"

"I know the tactical benefits of this information recruit," said Spitfire, causing Dash to shrink back.

Silence descended as the Wonderbolt went back to looking over the map, writing down notes as she went. After a couple more seconds, Spitfire rolled everything up, put it back into her bag and unfurled her wings.

"Before I forget." Spitfire tossed a badge on the ground before Dash's hooves. "Show this to any commander or high ranking official and they'll know you've got information for me."

All Dash could do was stare in awe as Spitfire flew off, waiting until she was out of sight before bursting out in a squee so loud, it masked everything else. A happy little giggle escaped as she hopped from hoof to hoof in a little dance before scooping up the badge and pinning it to the inside of her heavy jacket. Flipping the collar up to make sure it was hidden from sight, Dash zipped up her jacket before running a hoof through her mane.

Cool, calm and collected. She needed to act as though nothing had happened, that she did not just get a badge from Spitfire that basically verified her as being a Wonderbolt recruit. It was just a piece of metal with some paint on it, that they only gave to pegasi that they had their eyes on and were totally full of pure awesomeness and ra-

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Dash's head snapped across just in time to see the book fort explode as Twilight come galloping out, slamming the book on the table as a map rolled out next to it. "I found it!"

"Found what?" Slowly, cautiously, Dash approached, muscles tensed just in case this was a setup for an ambush.

"The answer. An answer. Or rather, if you want to get specific about it, a location housing a potential answer, but it's the best lead I've found yet. " The frenzied look in Twilight's eye was enough to set Dash on edge. "According to this journal by an explorer called Daring Doo, she came across the ruins of twin temples dedicated to the sun and moon. From the way it's described, it sounds like the temple dedicated to love I explored once, and if it's the same, there's a wealth of information there just waiting to be discovered."

"Temple... to love. What." Dash's eye twitched. Who would be stupid enough to make a temple to such a stupid thing‽

"It was really small and run down, but it’s where I first found out about the term 'alicorn,' as well as a wealth of spell books." Twilight's eyes were glued to the page, the pages flipping along faster than a pony would freeze while naked. "But this definitely sounds accurate."

"Will there be anything left?" asked Dash, a hoof running along the bump where the badge was. "I mean, with raiders, it could have been stripped clean by now."

"Perhaps, but how many ponies care about books? How many ponies would dig through this just for some obscure scrap of information? Especially since she was a pegasus. I doubt any of you cared enough to actually look for it." The book slammed shut and Dash quickly took note of what it looked like. "Alright, time to go, I've got all the information I need."

"Finally," growled Dash, "I'll go grab us our transport. I'm certain Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire will love us finally getting out of here."

"What time is it? If it's night th-"

"Our cave is a five minute slow walk away. We can make it there before we freeze to death." Dash glanced over her shoulder as a low moan echoed down the tunnel. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Won’t it look weird leaving me in here with all this knowledge?"

"You're a slave, your job is to clean up," said Dash with an eye roll.

It was only once Dash was out of the room that she remembered that with their tainted magic, as soon as it touched something it would be cursed forever and there was no way to purify it. Ever. Not even fire worked, and fire always worked. Then again, it was all books, so it's not like any of it actually mattered.

Once she was out of sight, Dash broke out into a gallop and ran to the end of the hall and began ringing the bell. It's not like that bitch would have been able to hear it anyways with that giant horn sticking out of her head. Or did horns affect sight? Whatever, it wasn't really that important.

"What?" growled a West as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "I had a long night writing reports, something you know absolutely nothing about."

"Hey, watch it," snapped Dash as flicked her collar and West immediately leapt to attention. "I need to talk to Spitfire."

"Yes ma'am!" With a smart salute, he shot off into the darkness and Dash let out another squee. Just giving that order, and having West leap to obey, and, by the stars! It was such a rush, almost as great as that time she faced down that pack of timberwolves with Lightning Dust.

Within seconds, Spitfire hit the ground and skidded to a stop leaving a trail of flames behind her causing Dash's jaw to drop. There was awesome, and then there was that.

"This had better be good recruit."

Dash was immediately at attention. "The horned freak found a book detailing the location of two temples relevant to the... er... you know, ma'am! It was a journal written by Daring Doo and according to her, it's got a wealth of information; there were apparently spell books in the last temple she visited."

"Well done." Spitfire placed a hoof on Dash's shoulder and it took all her willpower to not start babbling on uselessly. "Listen recruit, you didn't hear it from me, but a space may be opening up soon. Keep this up and we'll see."

Biting her bottom lip until she tasted blood, Dash simply nodded once.

"Good." Spitfire slipped off her flight goggles and raked her eyes across Dash's body, making the younger mare shiver. "Nice physique, good tone. Definitely extremely healthy. Yes, you would be a fine addition to our group, I feel."

Once again a single nod.

"Relax recruit," chuckled Spitfire, causing Dash's ears to burn. "You have permission to gush."

"That wouldn't b-be profess-profe-pro- Bloody fucking buck yeah! You hear that Lightning Dust? Dash is kicking your flank!" Her cheer was loud enough that the echo back hurt her very ears. Clearing her throat, Dash immediately straightened up and stood once more at attention. "Thank you for your compliment ma'am, I will show you that your faith is not misplaced."

"See to it, recruit, or I will be most displeased." The sudden spark in Spitfire's eyes made Dash gulp. "Then again, if you fail, I can think of some truly interesting punishments, and I think you could handle them. Maybe."

"M-Ma'am?"

"Dismissed!" yelled Spitfire and Dash scrambled away as fast as she could, not stopping until she was back in the room with that horned freak.

Was it just her, or were all the Wonderbolt's insane? Hot, but totally insane.

"You're back." Somehow she managed to sound annoyed despite being completely monotone. "I take it our ride is here?"

"Yep." Dash smiled sheepishly, hoof automatically moving up to her collar to make sure the badge was hidden. "I can't wait to get out of here."

"Well I've got my notes Master, time to leave." Twilight swung the bag onto her back.

"So where are these temples anyways?" She felt a cold sweat start breaking out when she saw the unicorn frown.

"Why so interested?"

"Hey, I gotta know if we're travelling in the same direction," said Dash with what she hoped was a natural and easy going smile.

"Of course," snorted Twilight, "because you're not travelling with us, merely in the same direction as us."

"Exactly, and don't you forget it," said Dash.

"Whatever you say." Twilight brushed past only to be yanked back by Rainbow. "At any rate, I'm not going to tell you. After all, you might tell the pegasi, and I am afraid I cannot allow that to happen."

Dash smirked, but kept it hidden behind a lock of mane. A little something she had learned from Fluttershy a long time ago, but never got around to using. That horned freak thought she was so smart, but little did she know, Dash had already gone ahead and told Spitfire. It didn't matter how fast they travelled, the pegasi were always faster. Just more proof of their superiority.

"You ready?" asked West as they exited the musty old room.

"Yep." Dash climbed onto his back while the other pegasus merely grabbed the unicorn and lifted her off the ground. Once again, Dash felt that grin creep onto her face at that freak’s gulp of fear. A second later she felt that familiar rush of air through her mane as they took off. If she closed her eyes and spread her wings, she could almost pretend to be flying. Almost. It wasn't the same, but it eased that itch on the back of her neck. All too soon, they reached the exit.

As Dash turned to leave, a bag was tossed at her feet.

"A parting gift," said West. "Some clothes, and a bit of food for wherever it is you're going. Good luck, Dash, and try not to get hit by lightning again."

"Oh go fuck yourself," chuckled Dash as she threw the new bag on her back. "And thanks. Try not blow up the bathroom again."

West cleared his throat, an obvious blush staining his cheeks.

Laughing at his reaction, Dash walked off with a lax salute, something he returned waaaaay too seriously. Within seconds, the entrance was lost in a field of white and the two shivered in the biting cold night. They had less than ten minutes to get to shelter, but that was more than enough time to get to where they needed to be. Scrambling up the snow mound, they slid down the other side only to freeze. The cliff wall was there before them, but the tunnel was nowhere in sight. All that could be seen was a wall of white.

"Oh f-fuck," swore Dash as her teeth clattered uncontrollably.

"I knew this was a bad idea," groaned Twilight as she began running forward. "Spike!Spiiiiiiiike!"

A burst of flame narrowed missed Dash's face, causing her to drop to the ground while muttering profanities. Three more blasts quickly followed the first and soon the cave entrance was open, letting them scramble in.

"Are you crazy? It's the middle of the fucking night, you could have frozen out there!" screamed Spike.

"B-B-But we di-did-didn't." Dash scrambled in, trying to rub warmth into her limbs as she pressed up against the sleeping Fluttershy. Stupid unicorn and her stupid idea, last time Dash trusted a mare with a bone sticking out of her head.

"A-And I f-found it Spike!" How that mare could sound so lively was beyond Dash. "We found the last two temples. Three alicorns, three temples, one castle beneath the world. We found it."

"Really!?" All anger and frustration was gone from Spike's face as he perked up. "Where?"

"The only place no ponies dare venture of course, the Crystal Forest at the center of the land." Twilight snorted and rolled out her map, pointing dead center of the continent, just below the Canterlot Mountain. "Almost clichéd when you think about it, but I suppose there is no better place to hide such valuable ruins."

"There's insane and then there's this," said Dash as she walked over. "That was pegasus territory, but the unicorns have moved in and set up a base of operations near there. We let them have it since it's on the border and useless, and it offers no real tactical benefit considering all the monsters roaming around in there."

"And yet they wanted it so badly," mused Twilight. "Those temples contain a wealth of information, if they know about it-"

"And they probably do," added Spike.

"Then that could be disastrous," finished Dash with a nod. "So where was the temple?"

"The journal was unclear, but Daring Doo entered from the north, using the frozen river to stay on track. But the third day into her journey, she was forced to abandon the river when she ran into a pack of timberwolves and a manticore having a territorial dispute." Twilight closed her eyes and frowned. "From there she lost her way, but eventually found a deep chasm where she was forced to seek shelter in a cave where she found stories carved into the wall. Inscriptions, words, symbols.Things that she did not understand, nor had she ever seen before. Some were copied into her diary, and they are exactly the same ones as we found in the other temple."

"Hm... a chasm? That sounds like the tail end of Ghastly Gorge." Dash pored over the map, humming softly to herself. "The easiest way may be to swing south into earth pony territory , then shift north, using the gorge as a landmark."

"What's gotten you so interested all of a sudden?" There was no malice in Spike’s words.

"There's information there. Magical spells, powerful spells. The pegasi are winning, but if unicorns manage to get this information?" Dash shook her head. "I cannot allow that to happen. I will do anything it takes to prevent pegasi from dying."

Spike gazed at her curiously, but stayed silent.

"That won't work. We'd spend too much time circling the area." Twilight took a deep breath. "Here’s what we do. We stop by our base to restock on supplies then we do what Daring did. We strike straight down the middle, using the river and Canterlot Mountain as a guide. With three fliers, we should be able to spot the gorge from above and get in easily enough."

"That's stupid, with a plan like that you'll get us killed," growled Dash.

"We can't go around. That'd add at least three days travel to get there and we don't even know where “there” is!"

"And your plan would have us wander around blindly in the most dangerous place ever! It could take days before we find the damned place. If you're so eager to get there quickly, we should go around. Who knows, we might just survive as well!"

Both sets of eyes fell on Spike while simply stared back blankly. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no." He darted out into the frozen night air. "I am not getting involved in this one. I'll be back in the morning, and I'll follow whoever's alive."

"Traitor," snarled Twilight.

"Survival instincts," he shot back before vanishing into the night.

"So..." Twilight stood up and stepped back. "Will I need to beat you into a pulp again?"

Dash grit her teeth and stood up. As much as she wanted to slam that horned freak’s face in, as much as she wanted to keep pummeling until all that was left was a bloody mess, she restrained herself. Her legs shook and a bare contained growl rumbled in the back of her throat, but Dash managed to stop herself despite every fiber of her body screaming at her. After all, she had orders from Spitfire, and as long as those did not change, Dash was not about to do anything stupid.

Then again, a couple bruises here and there weren't against the rules.

"Sounds you forgot how I totally kicked your flank last time," said Dash,eyeing the cut along Twilight's side. "You won't be able to fight with that."

The freak feinted to the right and Dash's head moved to follow, only for a bolt of pain to make her wince. "And you can't fight with that," smirked Twilight.

Instead of replying with words, Dash merely snarled.

"It looks like we're at an impasse, so why don't you just listen to me and do as I say before I blow you up with magic."

No surprises there, how else could a horned freak win an honorable duel?

"There's just one problem with that, you can't use magic." A small grin formed on Dash's face as she caught that slight flicker in Twilight's eyes. "If you could, you would use it to flip pages. If you could, you would use a unicorn bow rather than an earth pony crossbow. If you could, you would have used when we fought. So just admit it, you can't use magic, can you? What'd you do? Helped some dirty pony? Refused to spread your legs for some high ranking official? Com' on, we both know you did something to end up out here by yourself. No doubt that also made them cut off your magic. Quite frankly, I'm sur-"

"Shut. Up." Dash blinked in surprise at the pure venom in Twilight's voice. "Shut up or I will rip those wings off your back and force you to eat them."

The pegasus merely smirked as she backed down. That was one piece of valuable information at least, and something Dash would have to bring up next time she saw Spitfire. If this freak did have some sort of run in with the unicorns, then it'd be a nice simple way to get rid of her without having to deal with any mess. Sure, she'd be tossed somewhere, probably executed, maybe thrown into the breeding pens, but she was just dirt, so why did that matter? It's not like it bugged Dash or anything.

"Whatever," spat Dash. "I still say doing it your way is a death sentence. Going around is safer."

"Sometime you need to take a risk to survive," replied Twilight.

"I'm all for risks, but this is suicide. I led an entire fucking complex of pegasi, I know what I'm talking about."

"And I've lived out here for years! I know how to move, how to survive and how to fight. Trust me, when I sa-"

"But I have no reason to trust you!" The two were mere inches from each other. "I have no fucking reason to trust you."

"Then leave. You can leave now, you can leave whenever. You can go around and do things that way. Why are you so concerned with me? Where's that racism? That 'pegasi are so much better than you' attitude?" Twilight's eyes narrowed. "You're working for Spitfire aren't you? I'm not surprised."

Dash snorted in amusement. "You wish. It's like I said before, ifIf there's knowledge there, knowledge that could help the unicorns win this war, I'm not going to let them have it. Even if it means working with shit like you, I'll do it. I'll do anything to keep my pegasi safe."

"Your pegasi? Don't make me laugh."

"Yes, my pegasi," growled Dash causing that horned freak to blink in surprise. "If saving them meant being branded as a traitor and put to work as a breeding slave, I'd happily do it. If being tortured for the rest of my life meant not a single pegasus would ever have to suffer ever again, I'd do it. Because unlike you, my race actually means something to me.Loyalty means something. Not that you'd ever understand that."

"You're loyal to them, but are they loyal to you?" Typical unicorn, playing mind games. "There's a filly I know called Scootaloo. You should talk to her sometime."

"Why would I care what some filthy horned freak has to say?"

"There we go, there's the racism I had missed so much." Twilight chuckled softly and shook her head. "Scoot's is a pegasus, tough as ice and just as brittle."

"Probably brainwashed then."

"One day your convictions will shatter, leaving you with nothing." Twilight turned away, walking back to her map. "Regardless, I am going straight through the forest whether you want to or not. Either follow or go around, it matters not, but in the end we both know what your decision will be."

"Fuck you too." Jaw clenched, Dash sat down and peered at the map. "We come in from the north and use the river. Spike will have to scout since a pegasus in the air would cause alarms, and we'll have to do the whole snow tunnel thing to survive. Since there are so many blank spots, we'll probably want to use some of that timberwolf crap to mask our scent, if it works like timberwolf urine." Dash paused. "Actually... I wonder how well dragon urine works."

Twilight made a gagging noise. "I am not letting Spike piss on me."

"Hey, it'd stop animals from jumping us."

"If it works, it works. You can thank Fluttershy for figuring that one out. Ever seen timberwolves being milked for their piss? Not. Pretty." A hoof on the page, Dash traced the Ghastly Gorge. "With how dense things are, I doubt we'll be able to see anything from the air, but it's worth a shot. And then there's the unicorns. The most probable base they can set up is along this ridge on the north-eastern side. It's close to the frozen river, it's got a cave system, and while it's rather deep in the forest, it's defensible enough."

"Personal experience?"

"Mmhm. I was part of the group that scouted it out to see if it could be us-" Dash shook her head at how close she came to giving away important information. "It’s viable as long as there's a constant stream of supplies coming in, if extremely dangerous. Hm... if we could somehow disrupt that supply line, it could give us an opening to slip in."

"I can organize that," said Twilight.

For such a smart pony, she sure was an idiot.

"Okay, so they strike at the supply line, cut off those unicorns so they can all starve and be eaten by monsters. That should hopefully give us some extra time to get in and get out." Dash sighed and rubbed her temples. There was so much here that Spitfire needed to know, but there was no way she could get the information out. Damn. "Assuming of course you can find the damned place, get in and then get out again without getting found."

"We cut off the supply line and then wait two days before going in. If they're all dead it won't matter."

Bile rose in Dash's throat, and for a brief moment she entertained the idea of killing the unicorn right then and there. Her wing was certainly in range, and she could certainly move faster than that fat unicorn, but what if that caused them to lose the war? What if that monster had information that would prove to be the decisive blow the pegasi had been looking for ever since they took out Fort Vanguard.

But... if that meant working with such a monster...

Dash's entire body shook as she just stared at the oblivious mare before her. War was one thing, but that? To starve them out, let them freeze to death, to be eaten by the creatures in the forest. That was not how war was meant to waged. That was not how wars were meant to be won. Even in this sun forsaken land, that monster did not deserve to live. She should not live. And yet here she was, looking over the map as Dash's wings shook uncontrollably.

"Alright, that'll be our course of action. We grab some support then hit their supply base." That freak rolled the map up and stored it in her bag. "We'll want to get an early start tomorrow to sneak past the base without getting spotted."

Did Spitfire know how insane this unicorn was? How dangerous she was? She couldn't. If she did, there was no way she'd tolerate even being in the same room as that freak. That was another piece of information Dash needed to get out there. Maybe once she did, she could finally get rid of that monster once and for all.

For now though, she'd trust Spitfire. After all, she was a war hero, she took on an entire battalion of unicorns by herself, single hoofedly took down Outpost Far Sight, and was secondly only to High Commander Hurricane. If Spitfire said it was fine, then it was fine. For now, that freak would live.

For now at least.

The caravan bounced along and Pinkamina glanced over at the others. All were silent, all were in collars, and all had cuffs around their legs. A small smile touched Pinkie's lips, expertly hidden behind her mane as a guard trotted past. As the carriage rolled to a stop and the door was thrown open, the stallion beside her began trembling uncontrollably. As long as he didn't start wetting himself, everything would be fine.

"Alight you fucking pieces of shit, start moving!" screamed the guard before grabbing Lyra by the horn and dragging her away. "Not you, we reserve a special place in the guard barracks for traitors like you. The guards sure got a work out chasing you down, and now you're gonna provide them with some relief, whether you like it or not."

Out the corner of her eye, Pinkie watched Blossom tense up, but all it took was a small shake of her head and the pegasus backed down. As the hoof connected with Blossom's stomach, the fire never left her eyes. If anything, it burned brighter than before, and with each resounding crack, it only grew. Play with fire and you get burned, and none burned quite as hot as she did. All around them unicorn guards swarmed, picking out the unicorns for whatever special punishment they had reserved. The earth ponies were herded together, while the pegasi were kicked and beaten before being tossed aside.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," called the captain. "Let's get this fresh batch inside and someone contact General Shining Armor, I'm sure he'll be most pleased." Trotting over, he grabbed Pinkie's mane and jerked it upwards, causing pain to dance along her entire body. The cool touch of metal against her throat brought her back reality though and the stallion leaned close, whispering in her ear, "To think I caught the Pink Menace. Who knew a frail thing like you gave Trixie such problems. Ha! It's laughable, that's what it is."

Without waiting for a reply, he flung Pinkie onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her. And to think she had a perfect comeback as well. Ah well, some other time then.

"Get up bitch," snarled a guard as hoof connected with her unprotected stomach.

Biting back a yelp of pain, she rolled with the momentum and crawled shakily onto her hooves. Sure it hurt, and every breath sent bolts of pain through her body, but it was still better than that one time she got a hook through her shoulder. Just remember, eyes downcast, body slack, nice and meek. Try to look broken, try to look tired, try to look as though living is pointless. The familiar warmth of a teleport enveloped her, and after a bright flash of green light, she found herself underground with cells and cages on all sides.

Bingo.

Rearing onto her hind legs, Pinkie’s elbow slammed into the captain’s stomach. A quick pivot and she was behind him with the chains wrapped snugly around his throat. Beside her, one of the guards spun around, killing another guard before any magic could be cast. Tossing the dead weight to the side, Pinkie shoved that scared stallion out of the way, a blast of magic narrowly missing them both. Quick lunge forward, two strikes to distract, and he dropped dead from a bolt to the back of the head. All around them fights broke out, but with guards killing guards, it was over in the blink of an eye.

"Alright, I want all those injured in the center, Squad One, start breaking out the slaves. Unicorns, remove those filthy things, I don't want you to be attacked by accident." The unicorn at Pinkie's hooves groaned weakly and that earned him a stomp, crushing his windpipe. "Squad Two, make sure all the guards are down, I do not want to be backstabbed. Mirage, you got the weapons?"

"Right here General," yelled a yellow unicorn as she tossed down swords, bows, gauntlets, wingblades, and even Pinkie's own weapons.

"Alright everypony, suit up!" Slipping on her personal gauntlets, she flicked them, shivering at the sound of the blades sliding out. "Remember, get the slaves, get our crew, get out."

"General, the floor two pens are completely empty!" yelled a voice from above.

"As are the floor three pens!"

"Ditto on floor four!"

Silence.

"Fuck!" Pinkie stabbed a blade through the dead unicorn before her and that wimpy stallion threw up. "Alright, change of plans, we kill everything. If they're not one of us, they die. They want to fuck with us? Fine, let's see if they can handle us then. Sergeant Mirage, get me a map!"

"Ma'am!"

And just like that a map was before her.

"Sergeant Eclipse, front and center, we need three strike teams. One to hit their supplies and raid what we can, a second to hit the barracks and remove all reinforcements, and a third to remove their communications." Pinkamina grinned up at them. "I'll lead a forth into the heart of the compound, where all the fun is. It's been a while since I've hosted a party this big, I hope they're ready for me."

"No one is ever ready for you," he replied flatly.

"What about the other unicorns? The rest of our sq-"

"They knew what they were volunteering for," snapped Pinkie, glaring at Mirage. "Their sacrifice will not be in vain, but I will not lose what precious few ponies we have on a suicide mission."

"Don't they mean anything to you!?"

"Sentimentalities once we’re off the field. Emotions cloud judgments, and that gets ponies killed." Pinkie stood up. "Sergeant Eclipse?"

"Squad One with me, Two with Mirage, Three with Apple Seed, and Four with General Pinkamina. Squad Five, I want you to secure this location as a temporary base of options. All other ponies not part of this operation can either stay here or get lost. Remember, this is a raid so gather supplies, kill unicorns, and get out."

Ponies leapt into action, scrambling to do everything, and to Pinkie's surprise, that weak stallion actually picked up a crossbow.

"You know how to use that?"

"The sharp end goes into the enemy," he said flatly as he slipped a quiver over a shoulder.

"You're not suited for war." Her eyes raked over his thin and broken body. "Stay here and help the medics."

"No. It's about time I got some revenge. I don't care that you work with pegasi, I don't care that you work with unicorns, they aren't the ones who took everything from me. But these horned freaks? The ones who live here and breathe this foul air? They're dead." The crossbow was strapped to his leg and he saluted Pinkie. "Orange Slice, reporting for duty."

"That's better than nothing I suppose," sighed Pinkie. "Quill! Quill, get over here and teach this idiot how to fire the damn thing!"

A blue and white pegasus glided over and landed. Though anger flashed in the eyes of the earth pony, he didn't say a word as Quill began the giving a quick explanation of how everything worked. Though Orange Slice leaned away from every touch and more than visibly recoiled, he listened to what was said, nodding every so often.

"New recruit?" whispered Eclipse.

"Maybe. He's not exactly harmonious, but he's not yelling, screaming, swearing, or attacking just yet." Pinkie shrugged and brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes. "We'll see. I'm not convinced, but getting rid of racist ponies is easy, finding recruits is hard. I'm willing to give it a shot, but I want a pony on him at all times ."

"Got it."

"Anything to report?"

"We believe the slaves were recently moved out. The bedding was still out, bowls of water were still present, and we even found some half eaten hay on the ground, so they must be close by."

"Unless the reports on long range teleportation were true, in which case they could be on the other side of the territory by now. I'm more concerned about this spy though. I swear, if I find out who it is, I'll make them sing." A small chuckle escaped. "I may not play the lyre, but I can play the pony better than anyone ."

"I recall," he replied.

"Why are all my captains so downy-frowny all the time?" she huffed. "Come on! Smile for once."

"I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I'm killing some poor fool."

"That's the spirit! Remember, the more you kill, the better place you're making the world. Plus, smiling unnervesthem and it keeps you nice and bouncy on your hooves, and you know that that meeeeeaaaaaaans~!"

"Bouncy hooves make for quick reflexes," he quoted dutifully.

"Yeeeeepperino!"

Eclipse rolled his eyes and sighed before immediately perking up. "Ah, the squads are set and armed. Time to roll out I believe."

"Party pooper."

"Merely doing my duty, ma'am."

"Don't you ‘ma'am’ me! I'm younger than you!"

That got her a flat look. "You're two years older than me."

"Details." With a wave of her hoof to dismiss the claim, Pinkie bounced along to her squad. "Alright everypony, time to get moving! I want archers at front for a clear volley. Unicorns get a shield ready in case of return fire. Pegasi and earth ponies, with me. We’re going after the commander’s office, apparently there’s important information in there, so no magic once we’re in. Also, try not to kill him. Hurt him, maybe make him sing, but I want him alive. Got that? Good. Now let's give them a time of their lives!"

"A pleasure," replied Blaze as the familiar tingling and warmth spread through Pinkie's hooves. "Hang on everyuni-pony, this may be a bit rough."

There was a stretch, squish, then snap, and Pinkie found herself popping into existence in a tunnel. Translucent shields immediately appeared before her and though some stumbled, the majority of archers were at the front with their bows drawn. As the seconds slowly ticked past with only silence keeping them company, the shields dropped down one by one. Pinkie signaled them to stand down as she began inching forward, both blades drawn and a smile on her face.

If they wanted to play hide and seek, let them play. It was just a shame Pinkie was the current ruling champion though. Forty-three consecutive grand champion at that. Every year they held the competition, and every year Pinkie dominated. They could hide, but not for long, and most certainly not forever.

And yet, with each step they took, with each corner they turned, with each door that was thrown open, all they ever found was empty air. No slaves, no unicorns, and most certainly no fun.

"Do you hear that?" asked a pegasus.

"Hear wha-" A low rumbling echoed through the hall and Pinkie's tail went into overdrive. "Shields, above us!"

Diving to the side, a boulder crashed where she had been standing. The first shield went up only to immediately shatter under the weight of the roof caving in. There was no time to think, Pinkie did as her body told her, skipping from side to side, weaving through the tunnel and shoving ponies to safety.

"Help!"

Head snapping back, Pinkie's eyes narrowed. One pony trapped under rubble, a second trying to help her out. Loose rock littered the floor, and the shield above them threatening to buckle. Ten seconds to get in then out, optimal path undetermined, Pinkie Sense working overdrive. Sure, there wasn't any blood, music, or cries of ecstasy, but this? This would be fun.

Leaping forward, her hooves connected with the wall and bounced off it. With a flip and twist, she landed next to the couple with a blade drawn.

"Leg or life."

"What?"

"Leg or life!" yelled Pinkie as her eyes darted up to the flickering shield.

"L-Le-" A scream was torn from her throat as Pinkie's blade sliced through the limb. A small smile touched her lips as she felt the warm blood splatter all over her face. Reaching down, Pinkie swung that useless stallion onto her back began racing back to the rest of the group. The pebbles made it impossible to the run, and beside her, the other stallion stumbled. A pegasus immediately darted forward and dragged him to safety just as the shield collapsed.

"Blaze, I need you do the whole fire thing to clean and close the wound."

Once more the screams came, except this time sobs were mixed in, and all that did was set Pinkie's heart alight. This was the price they paid for freedom, this was what they were willing to give up. Life, limbs, love. None of that mattered if meanness and monsters won.

"It was a trap. We need to fall back and regroup."

She ignored the groans of pain as she walked past those with broken bones, cracked skulls, and lame limbs. As far as she was concerned, they were alive, and as long as they were alive, they could still function. Once they got back to base, they could rest, but until then, every second that passed was another second for the enemy to get closer. For another trap to be set, another death just waiting to occur.

So somepony thought they could ambush her? Threaten her ponies, harm them, and cause them this suffering and pain? Cause those tears they cried? Well then, they better pray to the sun and moon and stars and sky, because once she got her hooves on them, they were going to sing the most glorious of songs. Once that happened, they'd be playing her game, and the only way to win that was to die.

Good thing Pinkie rarely let them win.

Chapter 10

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A groan escaped as Applejack rolled over. Everything hurt. Her legs, her neck, even the mere act of breathing caused lancesof pain to shootthrough her head. Opening her eyes, a second groan escaped as the light stung her eyes, forcing her to snap them shut once more. Slowly, tenderly, she cracked open an eye, squinting against the light to let her vision adjust.

It was warm. That was the oddest thing. It was such an alien feeling, so weird and... slimy? No, not slimy exactly, it was like water. If it was thicker and lighter. Yeah, that was it, it was like being submerged in water, with how the warmth flowed over her and swirled around her body. It caressed her from all sides, reminding her of easier times, of faint memories that should have been lost long ago.

As her eyes finally adjusted, she blinked in surprise at her surroundings. Where were the chains, and torture devices, and blood, and urine? Everythingsmelledso weird without the overwhelming scent of perfume or the combination of urine, blood, and sex. Everything just smelledso... nothing. It smelledlike nothing, just like how Sweetie's dinner tasted like nothing. It felt wrong somehow.

The entire scenario felt wrong. She was in a bed, there was a bedside table, there was a thick blanket over her, and the room looked nice. Like, super nice. Clean, roomy, and there was even a lock on the inside of the door. This was a trick of some sort, it had to be. There was no way a unicorn would eve-

The door creaked open and Applejack immediately closed her eyes, trying her best to be look as though she was asleep. Heavy footsteps echoed through the room and panic began setting in. No doubt it was a male, and all males were exactly the same. Whoever it was, they stopped by the bed and she felt her muscles tense up, hindhooves just waiting for him to try to get into the bed so she could crush his ribs with a single buck.

As the seconds ticked by, Applejack felt a sense of dread overcoming her. Was he waiting for his friends to come along? She had heard of such things in the past, and even seen it once or twice when Nine Tails decided to rent out some of the mares, but none had dare come to her. Why? Was she not good enough for them? Stupid stallions.

"Ah know you're awake."

There was something in his voice that felt familiar. It pulled on something, a memory, an emotion. Something. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was something important.

Opening an eye, she stared up at a massive red stallion with blonde mane and tail. Familiar, yes, he was definitely familiar. But why? Was this a trick of the unicorns though? Some sort of mind magic to get her secrets in an attempt to control her. It was certainly sneaky enough for a unicorn to come up with.

"Just who are ya?" asked the stallion.

Applejack merely cocked an eyebrow.

"Silence." He snorted. "Then again, Ah can't say Ah'm surprised. Been working under that bitch of a mare all ya life no doubt. Well don't worry about that, she'll never harm ya again."

A frown creased her brow before her eyes darted up and she blinked in surprise. Where was the horn?

"Surprised? We earth ponies may be few, but we still fight. Ah ain't giving up, not after they took my family from me."

A curious tilt of the head.

"Ya silent on purpose or ya mute?" he asked.

That got a shrug in response.

"Ah am not surprised." He stood up and walked away. "Listen, you're with earth ponies now, no one here will harm ya. The doors are unlocked, and feel free to walk around if ya feel up to it."

Without a second though, Applejack struggled out of bed and onto her hooves. The stallion made to move closer, but all it took was a single glare for him to step back. Despite her hooves shaking under her, she took a single step forward, then a second, and then a third. Though she stumbled slightly and was forced to move slowly, she could walk of her own free will. A small bark of laughter escaped as she began trotting forward, the mere ability to walk freely giving her the strength that she needed.

He whistled in surprise. "Ya sure are a tough one. Most stay in bed for a couple of days after what you went through."

Ah, that explained the pain then.

"We were half tempted ta leave the horned freak, but captain said she might have valuable information." He spat on the ground. "As far as Ah'm concerned, they all deserve to die for what they've done."

Oh, he was one of those ponies. The ones who felt everything was personal, that everything was about them and that only their pain mattered. These ponies were the worst ones, only ever focused on themselves and nothing else. What about every other pony who lost someone close to them? What about her? Surely she deserved revenge just as much as him. After all, she had no pony left, no father, no mother, not even the memory of a childhood. Everything had been taken from her, and if anypony deserved revenge, it was her.

"Ya think you're fine enough to be walking around?"

A very flat, and very unamused glare.

"Very well." He turned around and led the way to the door. "Name's MacIntosh. Commander MacIntosh."

Now what was a commander doing here talking to her? Something was definitely off. Regardless, she kept her eyes open and her ears perked for the slightest hint of weirdness. If a unicorn was running this fake reality, then there would eventually be some weird flicker or something that simply didn't make sense. As soon as that happened, Applejack was going to shatter this stupid place with a single buck.

Stepping out into the hallway, Applejack blinked in surprise at how roomy it was, and at the sheer number of rooms that went all the way along. There were a dozen in view and probably even more around the corner.

"Oh hey, you're awake!" Applejack reared back as a face was suddenly shoved in her face. "Oops! Sorry, heh, anyways, you looked half dead when we dragged you in and I suppose you were half dead weren't you? Aaaaaaanyways, welcome to the land of living, where we have parties and food and, oh, oh! Counter Weight, Counter Weight! Hey, are you running from me! Stop running from me~!"

And just like that, the purple pony was gone.

The two earth ponies exchanged a confused look before they continued onward silently.

"Don't mind her, we all think she's slightly wrong in the head," said a passing earth pony. "Good to see you up, the commander was really concerned about you."

That... was weird. She was used to unicorns walking around with their noses in the air and not even paying attention to what was going on around them. The only time they cared was when it came to sucking up. But here? Here, everypony actually cared. It was just so obvious in the way they talked and in that slight sparkle in their eyes.

Eventually, they reached the end of the corridor and took aleft,entering a massive hall full of ponies. As soon as she stepped through the door, a massive cheer rang out and Applejack flattened her ears to stop the ringing. A second later, a loud rumble drowned everything else and a flush crept over her cheeks, and though laughter followed, there was no malice in it. In fact, the pony closest to her shuffled to the side and patted aseat as another pushed a bowl of fresh hay towards her.

Oh by the stars, that smelt delicious. It was just sweet and so... so...

Applejack's eyes closed as she savored the taste. Just that crunch and burst of flavor.Wa-was that basil she tasted? And...apple!? This was a dream, this had to be dream, but if it was, Applejack seriously considered never leaving. This was an apple. Fresh apple. They even put fresh apple in with thei- Oooooooh, by the sun, she could feel the juices trickling down her throat.

She stared down at the empty bowl, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. It wasn't meant to be like this, it wasn't meant to end. For those brief seconds it took for her to wolf down the food, she was in Elysium and knew the meaning of true bliss.

"Don't worry, eat up," said some mare. "We're all earth ponies here, there's more than enough to go around."

She had to be joking. Only the richest of the richest could afford something like this, and she doubted that even General Shining Armor could get a bowl this massive of such high quality food.

"Oh right! You're new here.There is a reason why the other races get us to work the frozen fields you know-" She rolled her eyes at the rumbling from the other ponies. "As I was saying, when you have a village of earth ponies who work together and want to do well, you get a lot more done. This, this is a bad harvest for us."

Applejack's jaw dropped.

"So what's your name?" asked a green stallion.

"Can't talk," replied MacIntosh.

"That unicorn bitch do that to you?" he snarled. "If so just say the word and we can give her something she'll never forget."

A part of her was tempted to nod her head just to punish that horned freak. To show her the pain that Applejack had been forced to endure. All those whippings, all those broken bones, all those frostbitten hooves and impossibly cold nights.Let that bitch suffer for everything that. For every single scar Applejack had gotten at the hooves of those monsters, she could inflict them back tenfold with a single nod of her head.

But revenge would be so much sweeter if it was with her own hoof.

A simple shake of her head and the stallion backed down. Maybe later, maybe at some point she'd ask, but for now, she was happy to just drown her sorrows in another bowl of that delicious hay. Something the other earth ponies were all too happy to provide, and Applejack was more than happy to eat everything placed before her until all she could do was lie there in a stupor.

Eventually though, she climbed back onto her hooves, using the table as a brace and simply nodded to MacIntosh. He, in turn, returned the nod and began trotting off while she limped after him. Along the way, earth ponies waved at her and she awkwardly waved back before making it out the other side. Taking a left, they went down a flight of stairs and arrived at another large, open hall, except this one was full off training dummies and ponies sparring.

No words were spoken as he simply inclined his head before backing out and going back up the stairs and down the right hoof path. Stopping at the base of the stairs, he tilted his head at the corridor off to the left, "No access."

Applejack nodded in understanding and MacIntosh began trotting down the main corridor. Walking past all the doors, he stopped at the end of the rundown, dirt corridor and entered, holding the door open for her. Once more he got that look and with what could almost be called a sheepish smile, he let the door swing shutbefore Applejack opened it herself and stepped through, panting slightly.

"Shouldn't exert yourself."

With a glare, Applejack leaned against the chair for support, but did not sit down. If this was a trap of some kind, she wanted to be ready. Sure they were earth ponies, but she had seen one too many raised by unicorns into serving them faithfully and without question. For all she knew, this was some elaborate trick to get her to play along and help out. Or she could be in some weird dream thing where they could break her down without harming her. That one had always sounded like a paranoid rumor inthe slave pens, but now that she was here in this weird place, it seemed like a real possibility.

"Ah know ya from somewhere," he finally said.

Maybe, maybe not. If she had ever met an earth pony this massive in the past, she would have remembered, but she just couldn't shake that feeling of knowing him from somewhere. There was something that sparked a memory, a thought, a dream. There was something when she looked out the corner of her eye, but when she stared straight ahead at him, there was nothing. Not even afaint glimmer of familiarity. But if he was being honest, if this wasn't some trick, then he felt the same way. There was something there, something both of them recognized and remembered, but neither knew what.

"A spy?" AJ's blood froze at those words. It didn't matter if it was true or not, if they believed it was, she would face a fate worse than death. MacIntosh stared at Applejack with those unblinking eyes of his. "Nah, not a spy."

A sigh of relief escaped.

"So where do Ah know ya?" A blow suddenly struck her on the side of the head, sending her reeling to the side into a wall, causing some dirt to crumble off. "Not a unicorn, unless a really powerful one..."

Shaking her head, Applejack got back onto her hooves only to sway to the side and collapse again. For such a large stallion, he moved ridiculously fast.

"So just who are ya?" he mused.

Applejack glared up at him from the floor, but he ignored it as he continued staring down at her in confusion. Eventually, he snorted and walked off, sitting down at the massive table. Slowly, Applejack climbed back onto her hooves once more,usingthe wall as support. A single step forward and she stumbled yet again, this time straight into the bookshelf. A shelf collapsed from the impact, dropping some books and papers onto the ground.

Shaking head to clear it, the world spun around her, forcing her eyes to close as she rested her head against the ground. Slowly, her eyes opened and she found herself staring at the picture. There was no way, there was no possible way. And yet...

A red hoof blocked her vision, scooping the picture away.

"That, is private," grumbled MacIntosh.

"That, is my mother," hissed Applejack as she lunged forward, slamming him into the wall and pinning him there with a hoof against his throat. "Where did ya get her picture?"

He just stared down at her in shock before their positions were suddenly reversed and Applejack found herself choking for air.

"My mother died in a unicorn raid, as did the rest of my family, including my sister."

Knee to the stomach followed by a hook punch and Applejack was once more on top.

"Ya better not be suggesting what Ah think ya're suggesting. If so, the unicorn running this little illusion should be hanged for making it so obvious."

"Funny, Ah was just about to say the same thing."

The two stared at each other in silence, neither daredmoving an inch.

"What's my name then?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, he whispered, "Applejack."

Sucking air through clenched teeth, she stumbled back like he had bucked her in the face. She stared at him, that name echoing through her mind, and overlaid on top of it was her mother's soothing voice, whispering her name in that tender way of hers. This had to be a trick, there was no way anypony could know her name. There was no- no way. They had all died, they told her so, they told her that every last earth pony had been slaughtered. All the mares raped, all the stallions killed, and all the foals taken, raised to be nothing more than slaves. There had to some explanation, something, anything!

There- there had to be something. Anything! She had gone so long without any hope, without a shred of dreams to guide her, and yet here he was,standing there, looking at her with that stupid face of his, and she was meant to just believe him? To just think that h- he-

Tears were not leaking down her face! Tha- That was just the roof dripping water, there was nothing wrong with her. Dust. That was all. Nothing more. Damn the sun! Damn the sun and moon and stars. Damn everything! This was a lie, this had to be a lie. She had not wasted so much of her life when there was something more for her. All those hours toiling in the field, wishing for death, but always too cowardly to carry through.All that time there was something more, something to push her on.Anger, frustration, hate. They had sustained her for so long, and now it was all gone. All that was left was a hollowness, a deadness.

Then she was crushed in a hug. Squeezed until her eyes popped and her ribs cracked and her heart burst. Struggle. Fight or die. There was no running, no escape, if she was going to godown she was going to ta-

Somethingdripped onto the top of her head, tricking through her mane and fur. For a couple of seconds, she just stood there, completely uncomprehending before she found herself just laying her head on the those broad shoulders, her very own tears prickling the edge of her eyes. But she blinked them back and hidthem away. She had promised to be strong, and she never broke a promise.

But...

Surely once didn't matter, right? Just this one time? Surely mother would understand, surely she would... she would...

Tears began staining MacIntosh's fur and soon Applejack was hugging him back just as hard as he held her, and for a brief moment, she felt safe. For that brief moment, she felt something that she thought she had lost forever. Something that had been confined to dreams and wishes, to be held out there, away from her heart just in case it was true. And now that it was she here, her heart felt like it was being ripped in two.

Eventually though, the two pulled apart and MacIntosh held her at hoofs length.

"What about ma? What happened to..." Applejack turned away and he placed a hesitant of her shoulder. "Did she die or is she a... a..."

"Dead."

"And the foal?"

"Dead," she snarled.

He blinked in surprise. "Wha-What?"

"Better dead than a slave," she growled. "If she survived, she would have been raised as a pet, to do everything she was told with a smile. To spread her legs, bend over with her tail nice and high and then to beg for more once they were done. Death is a blessing in that place."

He nodded slowly, but there was no doubt in her mind that he did not understand. There was no point in describing that place, of even talking about it to someone who did not realize how things worked, how things truly were. It would be easier to convince a unicorn the world would be a better place if they would all simply commit suicide.

"Ah'll take yerword for it then," he said into the silence. "Ah've never been a slave, but some of the things Ah've seen rescuing slaves... Ah don't doubt ya one bit."

"Good." Applejack limped back to the chair and slumped down. "Can Ah... that is..." She gestured at the picture in his hooves.

"O-Of course." But even as he said that, his hoof hovered there, unwilling to move. Then, quick as a lunging wyvern, the picture was down on the ground and his hoof was by his side. Still his eyes lingered though, and when Applejack reached out, his body twitched ever so slightly. Muscles bulged and tensed, but he stayed stock still.

Slowly, Applejack picked up the drawing and turned it around so that it was the right way around. Even then, she couldn't bear to look at it, instead she gazed at that all too interesting mark on the table just to the left of it. Sure, she caught a glimpse before, a clear stare, but this was different, this was somehow more intimate. More private.More... something. It was hard to put into words, maybe impossible, but there was something there, something that tugged at her heart, tugged at the very thing that made her who she was. To look was to see something, to gain something back, and yet, it felt so much like a loss. As though she was giving up something precious.

Memories.

She was giving up her memories. She could only recall the vaguest of ideas of what her mother looked like, but that didn't stop her from building an image in her mind. One of a strong pony, one that looked confident andself-assured, but gentle and nurturing all at the same time. There already was an image in her mind of what her mother looked like, what she should look like, and to gaze on this picture now, to really look at it and take it all in. That would shatter her illusions, her memories, her dreams, the thing that kept her alive and walking for so long. How many nights had she spent replying those scenes in her mind? How many times had she imagined being held by her mother, of that loving caress and tender kiss?

With a deliberate slowness born out of fear, she let her gaze drift across, and there lay her mother. Features all too plain, all too unremarkable, and all too frail. There was nothing special, nothing unique or strong or caring. It might as well have been any other pony staring back at her, but there was asense of rightness. That click, that vivid image in her mind's eye. She could hear her mother's voice echoing in her mind, see how she moved with that natural grace.

There was nothing special about her mother, and yet that felt right.

"Thank you," whispered Applejack as she passed the picture back.

He slipped it into this desk drawer and they sat there silently. Neither of them moved, there was no need. The silence was an old one, something that came from the past, the ghost of a memory, an echo destined to repeat itself again and again as long as they lived. Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, they simply clicked together, and that was enough for her.

"When that unicorn wakes up, Ah want to be there," said Applejack and for over a minute, they just stared at each other, neither willing to give an inch. "She was my owner. If anypony deserves to be there, it's me," hissed Applejack.

"It's torture."

"Ah'm used to it."

Those words hung in the air.

"Very well."

"Thank you," whispered Applejack as she followed after her brother.

Already, a thousand different thoughts filled her mind. Already she could see all the ways she could make that horned freak scream. All the ways she could slowly break that bitch down, to return all that pain and anger and hopelessness that she had felt for so many years. This was it, this was what she had dreamed of since forever. If she had concerns about her mother's approval, it was washed away with the vindictiveness in MacIntosh's eyes. If he could do it, if he was willing to do it, then she could as well.

If he could do it, then she could as well...

Rainbow Dash stomped down as hard as she could, and was rewarded with the satisfying crunch of breaking bones. Spitting to the side, she wiped the blood from her face before giving that damned stallion an extra kick just for good measure. Nopony had the right to be so damned hard to kill unless they were a Wonderbolt, and considering this was just some dirt pony bastard, it should have been over in ten seconds flat. But no, he just wouldn't fucking fight fair.

After yet another kick, Dash limped away, muttering curses under her breath. Ignoring the dead bodies littering the ground, she trotted over to Twilight and slammed the horned freak against the caravan.

"What the fuck!? We could have gotten away without having to fight!" yelled Dash.

"You were the one who said we should come and investigate. Both you and Spike." She sounded far too calm about everything. "If you had listened to me, then we never would have come in this direction to begin with. With was it you said? Ah yes, 'It could be pegasi in danger and so we have to help out,' I believe it was."

"And when we found it wasn't, we should have left. Not fire a bloody fucking arrow into that slut's head! What in the sky were you thinking!? Oh wait, you weren't!" screamed Dash in Twilight's face.

The unicorn calmly wiped the spit off her face. "We were here, ponies were in trouble, so I helped. In fact, we even managed to save some."

"What." Enough venom dripped from that single word to kill an entire battalion. "Are you telling me, we just saved some horned freaks?"

"Yes."

"What. The. Fuck!" Dash reared back and punched a hole in the wall right by Twilight's face. "Alright, that's it, I'm gonna slaughter every single last one of them. Where are they?"

"Already gone." The monster dusted herself off. "I figured you would have this type of reaction, and planned accordingly. As far as I'm concerned, they were slaves and needed to be freed."

"I should rip your head off and make you eat it," snarled Dash as she stalked away. "They're horned freaks!"

"And you're a feathered freak, and that dead body over there is a dirt pony." Twilight followed with an eye roll. "Stopthisfoalish behavior and get over yourself."

"Why you little-"

"Rainbow Dash," whispered Fluttershy.

With a snarl of frustration, Dash walked away. If the other two decided to follow, she didn't know and she didn't care. If she saw another stupid living thing, she was going to rip them limb from limb and feed them to the timberwolves. Sure, she could hear the whispering behind her, and sure, it could have been about her, but at this point, she was beyond caring. As long as they weren't in sight, they did not exist.

"You're a real hypocrite, you know that?" Dash clenched her teeth, hoping that the stupid drake would go away. "Save the pegasi, but not the earth ponies or unicorns. Typical really, not sure why I'm even surprised."

Go away, go away, go away, go away, go aw-

"You know, ignoring me won't work."

Fuck.

"What do you want then?" growled Dash as she turned her head to glare at Spike.

"Just to talk," he said.

"Well you can suck it."

"I'm just curious how far you'd go to save the pegasi." He triedto land on her back, but a simple buck stopped him from doing that. "Would you die for them?"

"Of course." Dash snorted in amusement. What a stupid question, then again, she really shouldn't have been surprised. It wasn't his fault he was raised by that freak.

"How long would you last under torture until you gave up information?"

"Until I died."

"And if you never died?"

"Then forever. I'd cut out my own tongue to stop myself if it came to that, just to make sure I wouldn't say anything. Chop off my hooves and gouge out my eyes. Whatever it took to stop myself."

Spike snorted in amusement. "You make it sound so easy. It's one thing to say it, another to actually do it."

"I've dived into a pack of timberwolves to save my pegasi. I've jumped into frozen waters and injured my wing saving my pegasi. I will do anything it takes to keep them safe. Something you and that horned freak obviously do not understand."

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" He sounded almost smug about it. "Tell me, if a shipment of food had been poisoned, and you overhead some pegasi talking about it, some high ranking pegasus who would never do such a thing. And let's say that whoever you told just scoffed and brushed it off, or they did some investigation but came up empty. And then that same pegasus, that same scumbag, came to you and bragged about it. Let me ask you this, you could either act and be branded a traitor, or you can ignore it. One or the other, no third option. No heroic pardon as everyone realizes the truth. Traitor or turn a blind eye. Which one would you choose?"

"Traitor." There wasn't even a hint of hesitation. "They can think all they want, but I'll know the truth, and that's all that matters. I saved pegasi, nothing more needs to be said."

"What if you were trapped in a cave with some slaves. Your pegasi are injured, the slaves are injured and you've only got a day to get help before everypony dies from the cold. The only other uninjured pony is a unicorn, would you-"

"Work with them? If that's what it took to save my pegasi, then yes."

"How curious." Dash glanced back at Spike, but his expression was oddly neutral. "You must really hate Twilight."

"She has tossed aside everything it means to be a unicorn!" yelled Dash as she spun around. "She's tossed aside her magic, tossed aside her tribe, tossed aside her family and friends and everything! What kind of pony does that? What kind of monster?"

"Why should she be loyal to those who tossed her aside?" hissed Spike, flames flickering past his muzzle. "Why be loyal to those who don't deserve it?"

"Wha-what?"

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"No!" Lunging forward, she clamped down on his tail before he could fly off. "Tell. Me."

"Her entire family died. Her entire home was burned to the ground. Nopony was spared." Spike looked Dash straight in the eyes, and she saw something in there. Pain, sorrow, perhaps even anger. "They knew about it too. They knew the attack was coming and they did nothing. So let me ask you this, why should she be loyal to the unicorns? The pegasi killed her family, the unicorns let it happen, and the earth ponies... well... they're basically extinct by now anyways. At least, free earth ponies are. So I ask again, who should she be loyal to? A bunch of horned freaks who'd stab her in the back just as fast as you would, just because she has a horn?"

Dash opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing would come out. What if that happened to her? Who would she be loyal to? Dash shook her head. No, that was just a stupid question. A silly question, a question that should never have entered her head to begin with.After all, she was a pegasus, and none of them would ever betray her like that. None of them would even think about passing information to the enemy. Spitfire, and Lightning Dust, and High Commander Hurricane, and every single last pegasuswas loyal to the bitter end. Twilight being betrayed? That was just the result of her being with the unicorns and nothing more.

Even if that did happen to her, there would be a good reason. Maybe pegasi were needed elsewhere,or it was to lure the enemy into a false sense of security. Whatever it was, Dash was positive there'd be a reason, and it'd be far above her clearance level.

"That's what I thought." Spike shook his head. "Forget I told you anything, it was not my place to tell you, but loyalty-" He snorted in amusement. "-loyalty is nice in theory, but in this damned world? It's not enough."

"Well I'd still be loyal to them," Dash finally said.

"Of course you would," he chuckled. "But back to our original discussion. Did you ever think that what she does is actually to save everypony?"

"Yeah, sure. And I'm actually Spitfire in disguise."

"If she's right, if she can stop this blasted weather and bring the sun back, is that not worth it? You'd be branded a traitor for working with her, you'd be forced to work with a unicorn, but ultimately, you'd be saving your pegasi."

"Yeah, if she's right."

Plus, who even cares about that? When the pegasi won this little war, they'd have everything they needed anyways, so why bother sharing it at all? And once they won, they could go through those musty, useless books and find whatever it was that freak was looking for. With the slaves they'd have, it’dbe so simple. Far simpler than learning how to fly or how to breathe.

For a brief second, it looked as though Spike was about to say something, but in the end he simply sighed and shook his head. Angling ever so slight to the right, he circled back to the other two mares who were deep in conversation about something. Whatever it was, Dash was positive Fluttershy was smart enough to separate lies from truth. Unicorns could be sneaky and devious, but Fluttershy was smarter. Far smarter than most pegasi.If anyone could smell out a unicorn lie, it was her.

That dragon with his oh so smart words and tricky logical... trick-things.They thought she was so stupid, that just because Rainbow Dash wasn't afraid of anything she must be an idiot. Well fuck them! They could try as hard as they liked, they could tie her down and torture her, but in the end, she would come out on top. The pegasi would come out on top.

Screw that monster and everything itstood for. As soon as Spitfire no longer needed that freak, Dash was going to break that monster's neck. Sure, it could be used in the breeding pens, but anything that came out would be twisted beyond recognition. It'd look normal, look like a perfectly healthy slave, but Dash knew better.

Oh, she knew better alright.

Chapter 11

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“Mama, mama, tell me the story about the pegasi!”

“No!” The pegasus foal was shoved down as an earth pony leapt onto his head. “The one about earth ponies! We heard the stupid pegasus story last time.”

“Nah uh.”

“Yeah uh.”

“Nah uh!”

“Yea-”

“Can we hear about the unicorns instead, mommy?” said another filly, looking up at Pinkie with wide, innocent eyes.

“Now, now, stop fighting.” With a tender hoof, Pinkie pushed the two fighting foals apart. “Miss Twilight actually told me a really interesting story last time she was here. A story about where unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies came from.”

“Really?” All three chorused as one, and under their combined adorableness, even Pinkie had no choice but to cave in.

“Yes, really. Now gather around Auntie Pinkie-” One of the passing soldiers snorted, but a glare silenced him. “-and she’ll tell you the story that’ll really surprise you.”

All the foals scrambled before her, sitting down and staring up at her in rapt attention. All around them ponies walked, chatted to each other, or sat down to eat, but in this little corner of the massive mess hall, in this one spot where the grass and flowers grew without any earth pony help, all was silent.

“Now let’s see if I recall. Hm... ah yes, I believe it went something like this. No one knows when this happened, or where, only that it did indeed occur. There were two beings, regal and majestic, with fair manes and soft coats. This was back before snow, back when the sun was still with us, the moon still graced us, and grass grew naturally all around us. These two beings had the wings of the pegasi, the horn of the unicorns, and the strength of the earth ponies. But they were alone.”

“Like me?” asked one earth pony foal.

“Even more alone. You have us, and while we may not be related by blood, we are still a family.” At those words, a unicorn hugged the filly and it soon descended into a ball of fur and hooves and manes. With a small chuckle, Pinkie shook her head and turned to the others who were still listening in rapt attention. “No, these two only had each other, and for the longest time, it was enough. But as the days passed, the seasons turned, and years bled away, they sought something more.”

By now the tussling had ended and the three foals lay in a pile in the middle, their limbs tangled together in a way that must have been uncomfortable. But they stayed completely still and silent, listening intently as Pinkie continued her story.

“The younger pulled a feather from her wing an-”

“General Pinkie.”

With a sigh, she turned around and faced Windrunner. “What? I am in the middle of something.”

“Twilight has been spotted approaching from the north west, and she has two pegasi with her.”

“Bloody Twilight, always the worst timings. Fine.” Standing up, all the fillies let out a collective cry of despair and Pinkie threw a smile over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll finish the story at midnight, but for now, Windrunner has volunteered to teach you all how to fight.”

“I wha-” She never got to finish that sentence as she was suddenly swarmed by a horde of foals, easily dragging her to the ground before being carried off in the direction of the training hall.

“Poor Wind, she will be missed,” said Eclipse. “Did you have to send her off to her death like that? She was a promising recruit.”

“She interrupted story time with my foals, and that’s the only time I’m not dealing with party poopers like you,” said Pinkie as she stretched out her legs. “How far away are they?”

“They should have hit the entrance by the time we get there,” he replied. “I’ve already ordered the entrance covered, and to cordon off the area. If she’s as dangerous as you say she is, I am not taking any chances.”

“She’s dangerous, I know that much, but how dangerous? That’s another matter entirely,” growled Pinkie.

"Yes ma'am," replied Eclipse as they made it into the entrance hall. The balcony on the second floor had five archers and mages each, and along the ground was an array of soldiers, each with their weapons drawn and ready for combat.

"Lyra, you should be in hospital," sighed Eclipse.

"Ha! As if, I totally smashed those unicorns in that trap, and I'm going to smash this unicorn now."

"You can barely stand!" yelled Eclipse before muttering under his breath, "Sometimes, she scares me more than you."

"Hm...? What was that?" And just for good measure, Pinkie threw a grin. "Did you say something bad about wittle ol' me?"

"Of course not," he replied flatly.

"I dunno about that! It sounded to me like you did. Can you behave, or will Auntie Pinkie be forced to spank you?"

A blush tinged his cheeks, but he simply shook his head. "That won't be necessary ma'am."

"You sure?" smirked Pinkie. "Why do-"

"The unicorn is at the entrance!" yelled a pegasus and everypony immediately tensed up.

"Eclipse with me, everypony else, fire on my command," said Pinkie as she strolled forward, stopping in the middle of the room.

A second later, the door clicked open and in stepped Twilight alongside two pegasi. While the yellow one shrunk back, the blue one immediately shifted into a combat stance and flicked her wingblade out. For her part, Twilight merely stood there with that self-arrogant smirk of hers, totally at ease despite being surrounded.

"I thought you said this place was safe," hissed the blue one.

"It is." Twilight glanced over at Pinkie. "As much as I enjoy the welcoming committee, I'm here on business. Can we talk in private?"

"Weapons," replied Pinkie.

With a shrug, the unicorn unstrapped her crossbow and tossed it onto the ground and soon two daggers joined it. The pegasus though just stood there unmoving, a growl rumbling in the back of her throat.

"And the pegasus," said Pinkie.

"Make me," she snapped.

Out the corner of her eye, one of the unicorns twitched, and Pinkie immediately held out a hoof before the twitch happy stallion blew them up. "Either you surrender your weapons, or you can leave."

"Well you can go f-"

"Dash!" snapped Twilight. "Give them your wingblades."

For a split second, it seemed as though Dash was about to argue, but then she slowly lowered her wings and stepped back. "I'll stay here, thanks. You two can talk over whatever it is you want to talk over. Fluttershy, keep an eye on them."

"O-Okay..."

"That work for you?" asked Twilight.

"Sure. Eclipse, take her to the spare room and keep an eye on her. Twilight and... Fluttershy, was it? Come with me," said Pinkie as she turned around. "We can talk in my office."

"Spike, stay with Rainbow, I'd rather not return to a room full of bodies and blood," said Twilight.

"Are y... Actually, that's a good idea." Spike peeled off and settled on one of the upper balconies, looking down at them. "I'm just gonna stay here and totally not egg her on."

"Spike..."

"Alright, alright, geez." He rolled his eyes.

"He must really hate her," whispered Pinkie.

"I really don't know. He seems convinced there's some worth in her worthless hide," replied Twilight just as softly.

"So what? She's-"

"Racist beyond belief and a fanatic. Pegasi are the best, can never do wrong, an-"

"And you bought her here!?" hissed Pinkie, spinning around, but Twilight caught her before she could storm back. "Let go of me. A pony like that deserves to die, not to contaminate this place with her disgusting attitude."

"Leave her, she's not a threat to you or anypony. Too stupid for that," replied Twilight.

"She still deserves to be k-"

"Spike says otherwise," she snapped.

Out the corner of Pinkie's eye, she could see Fluttershy looked over at them curiously. "For now then. But one wrong move and she's gone. Got that?"

"Um..." Fluttershy glanced between the two mares. "Y-Yes?"

"She's good," said Twilight as they entered the main mess hall.

Instead of shrinking back like Pinkie had expected, Fluttershy just stood there with her mouth hanging open as she stared at the mass of ponies before her. From unicorns, to pegasi, to earth ponies, they all moved around each other, chatting happily and easily, laughter echoing through every corner of the room.

"This... this is amazing," whispered Fluttershy as she took a tentative step forward.

"She definitely belongs," said Pinkie with a happy nod.

"You want to stay here while we discuss things?" asked Twilight.

"Um..." Fluttershy glanced back at them before her eyes were drawn back to some fillies play fighting off in one corner. "I-I think I should come with you."

The two looked at each other yet again before Twilight shrugged. "Very well, come on then. I take it your office is still in the same place as last time?"

"Yeppers peppers!" said Pinkie as she began bouncing along.

"Don't worry, she's always like this," said Twilight as she followed. After a moment's hesitation, Fluttershy took up the rear.

"Aaaaaaaanyways, I'm Pinkamina Diane Pie, Pinkie Pie for short!" The bouncing pony led them through the maze of tables and chairs, waving happily at ponies, but never stopping. "How'd you meet Twilight here?"

"Well, um, she saved us when we got caught out in a snow storm."

"Yeah right. More like Spike forced her to save you two." The sudden change of tone caused Fluttershy to blink and Twilight to roll her eyes. "And don't you deny it, that has always been the story."

"I'd prefer it if you stopped pretending to know me," said Twilight.

"The only problem with that is, I do know you," Pinkie shot back.

"Whatever. Can we just get on with this?" said Twilight.

"Yes." Pinkie resumed her bouncing path, anger seething just below the surface, and she hated herself for it. It was one thing to hate a pony because they were racist, stupid, and a poopy pants. It was another thing to just hate another pony. Well, maybe not hate, maybe that was a bit too strong, but that cocky unicorn just rubbed her the wrong way. And that wasn't even getting into her whole stupid 'I work alone' thing! Ponies weren't meant to be alone. If they were, they'd be like manticores, living in caves and fighting for survival.

Never in her life had any pony ever annoyed her as much as that unicorn. But she did owe something to Twilight and that meant she had to help out that stinking unicorn. No. Bad pony. Deep breaths Pinkie, deep breaths. No racism allowed, not even from herself. No hypocrisy, no racism, no fighting, no yelling, and always, always, always have fun.

Eventually, they made it to the stairs and they began heading up. A quick glance behind her told her that Fluttershy was still in shock and Twilight was still as indifferent as ever. Up here, there were no ponies, and everything was still. It was calming in an odd sort of way. There was no need to keep smiling, no need to put on the act and pretend everything was fine. Up here she could be herself, and worry and relax with a cup of mead, and not be totally happy beyond belief.

Stepping into her room, Pinkie sat down in her chair and threw her hind hooves onto the table. "So what do you want?"

Twilight kicked the door shut. "There's a unicorn encampment in the Everfree Forest, and we're going to destroy it and we need your help."

"There's something you're not telling me," Pinkie immediately shot back. "There is no way you'd go out of your way to take down a single encampment. There's either something there or it'll benefit you elsewhere."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Twilight with a shrug. "I'm merely informing you of a base that's technically within your territory."

Pinkie scowled and turned to Fluttershy. "Well? Is she telling the truth or not?"

"Um... I don't know...?" Fluttershy flinched back at the stare Pinkie gave her. "They, um, talked about it while I was asleep."

"Really now." Pinkie's stare turned back to Twilight. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure." Pinkie folded her hooves. "Tell me, or you get no help."

"Alright.May we stay the night before leaving tomorrow morning?" asked Twilight as she turned around.

"No problem, but that blue one will need to stay under guard."

"She'll be so pleased about that," muttered Twilight under her breath. "Very well, come on the Fluttershy, time to leave."

"Um... bye..." She gave a shy wave before following Twilight out.

Leaning back in her seat, Pinkie began counting to ten, and just as she hit eight, the door slammed open and Twilight stomped in with a growl. "Fine! I'll tell you, but only if you promise to help."

"Depends."

"No, that's not how it's going to work. You promise to help and then I'll tell you," said Twilight.

"From the looks of things, you're the one who needs me." Pinkie grabbed one of the files on her desk and began reading it. "So either tell me or get out."

"I hate you so much," growled Twilight.

"Hate you too," chuckled Pinkie.

"There's a ruin in the Everfree, I think it holds the information I want. Unfortunately the unicorns know of it,and their base is set up at the edge of the forest as part of their main supply chain into other territories. We take it out, and we can search the ruins without fear of being stumbled upon."

Pinkie cocked an eyebrow. "I may act all happy and crap, but that doesn't mean I’m an idiot. Attacking them will just alert them to our presence, and I know you realize that. So I ask again, why do you need our help?"

From the way Twilight was grinding her teeth together, Pinkie wondered if she'd have any teeth left or if they'd be ground to powder.

"There is a temple in the Everfree," growled Twilight, "and we believe the unicorns know about it, and we need you to cut off their supply chain."

"A temple. The same type of the temple as the one you found that held a wealth of information? The same temple as the one full of magic and weapons and history? The same temple you won't tell anyone the location of!?" Pinkie's face was inches from Twilight's, her entire body trembling with barely contained rage. "If you gave us that information, we could have won by now!"

"This has nothing to do with winning," hissed Twilight, "this has everything to do with bringing back the sun."

"And that's where you're wrong! Even if you do bring back the sun, the war will keep going. The fighting will continue. Ponies will still hate each other. You're living in a dream if you believe bringing back something that might never have existed to begin with will somehow end decades, if not centuries, of racism!"

"It's still better than killing every single living thing!"

"Better to be realistic than live with your head in the clouds."

"Better to have hope."

"And yet I am now in charge of this little operation and not you."

Twilight flinched as though she had been hit.

"Sorry," sighed Pinkie as she looked away. "Look, I know I owe you a lot, but I'm the leader of this operation and I can't just put my little ponies in harm’s way just for you. That was something you taught me."

"I'm sorry, but either you help, or I go in with Rainbow Dash and Spike," sighed Twilight. "I cannot allow this information to get into the wrong hooves."

"Twilight..."

"It's good seeing you again, Pinks." Twilight turned to leave once more. "Oh, and I still hate you."

That got a small, bitter laugh. "The feeling's mutual." She couldn’t just let that insane unicorn rush off to her death, could she? Not after everything Twilight had done for them. "Wait."

The unicorn paused at the door, looking back over her shoulder curiously, "Yes?"

"I will allow volunteers, but nothing more."

"Thanks." She paused. "Is Scoots around? If so, have her talk to Dash about her past, but please keep guards close by. If Spike is right, if anyone can break through to the idiot, she can."

"Al...right..." Pinkie flopped back into her seat. "Sometimes I wonder how many plans you've got going on and how far your strings stretch."

"Keep wondering," said Twilight as she walked out.

With a shake of her head, Pinkie bought her hooves off the table and brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes. That mare... As much as she hated to admit it, she had a network of spies better than any she’d seen. Then again, considering the original design was Twilight’s, that wasn’t a surprise, but it still irked Pinkie no end that the purple mare managed to sneak spies into her own network. Or rather, Twilight’s old network.

Whatever.

Stupid unicorn. Pinkie shook her head and cracked open the top file on her desk. She tried to focus on it, tried to get through it all and actually start planning what supplies needed to go where, what targets to hit and whose flank to kick for messing up that last raid. But all she could focus on was Twilight. How long had it been since they last saw each other? A year? Two? She hadn’t changed at all. The exact same attitude that had her kicked out of this place was still there stronger than ever.

Did she deserve to be tossed out into the cold like that? Probably not, but that had been Twilight’s choice. She had been given the option of staying, of being a part of the group, but she had focused on her books. Her bloody books. They could have done so much, helped so much, given them the upper hoof in this endless war, but instead she decided to hide it because it was too dangerous. She was their leader! She should have given it to them, told them its secrets so that they could win. How many ponies had died thanks to her inaction? How many of Pinkie’s comrades had fallen because of ignorance? How much longer had this useless war dragged out for Twilight’s stupid ideals!?

The file slammed shut and Pinkie rubbed her temples. And to think everything was going so well before Twilight showed up again. Bloody, Tartarus.Of all the times for her to show up again.

Slipping out of her chair, Pinkie threw open the door and made her way back down to the main dining room. She stood in the shadows by the stairs, eyes scanning the room for one of the more trustworthy recruits. A number of ponies passed her, some noticing, others completely oblivious, but still Pinkie kept watch. This had to be the right pony, pick the wrong one and things would be fucked beyond belief. At least Twilight as nowhere in sight, and that meant less drama.

And then she saw Lyra. Not the best pick, but still a decent pony. One of the better options, but was it good enough? Pinkie’s eyes scanned the masses yet again, but came up empty. Sighing in frustration, she slipped out of the shadows and began moving through the crowd towards the table. She ignored her rumbling stomach, those mouthwatering scents, and instead sat down beside Lyra as casually as she could manage.

“We need to talk,” said Pinkie without looking at her.

“Another mission?”

“Twilight’s back.”

Lyra immediately tensed up, her magic flickering slightly before she put it down slowly and turned to face Pinkie. “And what does she want?”

“Volunteers to take out a unicorn base in the Everfree.”

Lyra snorted and shook her head. “If there was a base anywhere near here, we would know about it.”

“She seemed convinced, and you have to remember who it is we’re talking about here. She helped create the spy network we have, and she no doubt still has ponies loyal to her.” Pinkie grabbed a plate of food and began eating. “I need someone I trust to go in, survive, and report back. There’s something she’s not telling me, and I want to know what it is.”

“I thought you two were friends.”

“Were being the important word.” Pinkie shrugged and took another bite out of the bread. “Is she competent and dangerous? Yes. Would I trust her to keep this base and my ponies safe? No.”

“Very well. I take it you want me to find these ‘volunteers’ as well?” asked Lyra.

“Another five ponies would be perfect. The rest of the group can be actual volunteers just to make sure she’s not suspicious, but yes, some ‘volunteers’ would be perfect.”

“On one condition.” Lyra leaned back in her seat and put both hooves onto the table. “I get a month off. A full month. First I get used as bait and almost raped, and now this.”

“Don’t remind me,” Pinkie grumbled as she rubbed her jaw. “I swear I have never come across somepony with such a strong right hook before.”

“Your own fault.”

“That’s not fair! I gave you a room of stallions to have fun with, and admit it, you had fun. I know I would have had fun.” Pinkie licked her lips. “That was as good as a break. Better even!”

“Only you would ever think that,” muttered Lyra.

“So you’ll do it?”

“If I must,” sighed Lyra.

“Goodie.” Pinkie picked up a second loaf and swallowed it in one bite. “Gotta go, places to be, things to do!”

Pinkie zipped away, easily slipping through the crowd and slinked along the outside of the room, making sure to stay out of sight. This was not the time to be dragged off on some stupid issue that could have been solved by anypony with half a brain. Whether it was luck or skill, it was impossible to tell, but Pinkie to make it all the backroom that was used to keep ponies under observation and there was Eclipse and Dash, busy glaring at each other.

“Do I even want to know who started popping balloons first?” sighed Pinkie as she closed the door behind her.

“What?” Dash looked at Pinkie as though she was insane.

“Which one was being the poopy pants, the downy frowny one, the silly-billy, the s-”

“We get it,” sighed Eclipse. “And it was a mere disagreement of ideals, nothing more and nothing less.”

“He was the stupid one,” said Dash with a shrug.

“Regardless, Eclipse, a word please.”

“Stay. Put,” growled the unicorn before he followed Pinkie out, making sure to lock the door behind him. “So what do you want to know?”

“What is she like?” asked Pinkie.

“Racist, aggressive, annoying.”

Silence.

“That’s it?” Pinkie blinked in surprise.

“Yes. She’s a very simple pegasus with very simple motivations. Admittedly, she’s trying not to be racist. Kinda. I think. Trust me, she’s simple and not a threat at all.”

“You’re certain of this,” said Pinkie.

“Positive.”

“Very well, but keep an eye on her,” said Pinkie as she walked away.

Was Eclipse one of Twilight’s spies? It seemed unlikely—she had long since left before he arrived, but just the way he talked about it was odd. It was far too similar to how Twilight had talked about all of it, and the entire thing reeked of being a setup.

Pinkie shook her head.

Perhaps this was Twilight’s plan, or perhaps it was nothing more than paranoia. Whatever the case, that pegasus need to be watched closely. Not only had she arrived with Twilight, but she was also a racist, and that made things everything worse. And infinitely more complex. Normally, Pinkie would just cut Dash’s throat and be done with it, but considering how much the pink mare owed Twilight, killing her friend seemed wrong. It was one thing to hinder Twilight’s plan, and another completely crush them by killing a friend, or at least an acquaintance.

It was days like this, Pinkie absolutely hated being in charge.

Applejack stumbled out into the bathroom, collapsing onto the ground and dry heaving. She had long since emptied her stomach, but still her stomach rebelled. Even now, days after everything had occurred, she could smell blood clinging to everything. She feared closing her eyes, terrified of what she’d see. Even with her eyes open, she could still remember that look of vindictiveness in MacIntosh’s eyes. That look of pure hatred. It was a look that appeared on Nine Tail’s all too often. She thought she had gotten away from that look, from the chill and fear that accompanied it, and yet here it was.

Just the mere thought made her dry heave again. If this went on for much longer, she was going to end up throwing up her stomach all over the floor. Maybe her heart as well. That stallion could not be her brother. There was no way they could be related, absolutely none. Her brother would never get that look on his face, he would not enjoy doing what he had done to Rarity.

Unicorns were the evil ones! They were the ones who took pleasure in pain and suffering and... and... earth ponies were meant to be different, damn it! Crawling over to the basin, Applejack splashed water in her face, but that didn’t help at all. She wiped the water off with a cloth and tossed it onto her back before looking down once more, cradling her head. As the ripples died down and she saw her reflection, bile rose in her mouth once more, and once more nothing came up when she heaved. If anything, she tasted blood in the back of her throat and that just bought more memories to her mind.

For once she was glad no one else was around. She was glad that there was no pony looking out for her, making sure she was alright, holding her close and comforting her. The one thing she dreamed of while a slave was now the one thing she wanted to get away from the most. Right now, if some pony touched her, they’d be leaving with at least one broken bone.

Just all that blood, and the sadistic smile, and those screams, that begging and... and...

It was like watching Nine Tails in another body.

The sound of heavy, pained breathing drew her out of her thoughts and it came as no surprise that Applejack found herself before the cell Rarity was held in. The scent of blood made her entire body tremble, and as much as she wanted to back away, her hooves were locked in place. Through the metal bars, she could see the faint outline of the unicorn tied to the table, breathing slowly as though asleep. With shaking hooves, Applejack placed her hoof on the door, unlocked it, and pushed it open. Even then, she just stood there, staring at the threshold blankly as she tried to find the willpower to step forward.

She had already come this far, hadn’t she? She had already done so much, and maybe... maybe she could do the right thing for once. She had her freedom now, and what was the point of having that if she couldn’t use it to do something right. That’s what her mother would have wanted. Right?

Her first step splashed something everywhere. Something. Applejack did not want to know what that something was. She did not want to look down and see... see...

This time when Applejack heaved, she coughed up blood. All those cuts, all those marks over Rarity’s body. Her once white fur had long since turned pink, and though it was impossible to make out what was dripping off her body, she knew all the same.

Each step made Applejack wince as whatever it was splashed everywhere. She wrinkled her nose against the smell, and even breathing through the mouth, she wanted to run out and just pretend she was never here. But no, she had to do this, to make up for everything. She thought... she thought...

All those screams and sobbing. To see the unicorn so broken an-

No. Now was not the time. She had to make up for what she had done, what she had witnessed. She had to do something. The horned freak had always enjoyed her perfumes and combing and cleanliness and... Reaching back, Applejack picked up the rag in her teeth then hesitated for a brief second before she leaned forward and ran it across Rarity’s right side. Despite being asleep and bound, she flinched away, and Applejack tried yet again, moving gentler than before. This time the horned freak stayed in place as she was washed, and with each passing second, Applejack came closer and closer to throwing up. Not because of the scent of blood, or even the blood soaked rag in her mouth, instead it was just from how much they had hurt her. Even if she recovered, even if they never touched her again, she’d keep those marks for the rest of her life.

She could see the jagged ridge where the knife had plunged in, the way it was puffy and swollen. She could smell that sharp, acidic bite as she slowly cleaned the puss out from a wound that went far too deep. Underneath her, the unicorn tensed and groaned, trying to wiggle away, but the bounds held her firmly in place. She watched as the whip marks revealed themselves to her as the blood dripped off, each one as deep as the last, crisscrossing their way all over her sides. Even as she cleaned, blood flowed freely from them, and more than once, Applejack was forced to skip patches of skin, fearing the slightest touch would open a wound.

And then there was the brand. Just seeing it made Applejack want to throw up. Just the way the skin smelled rotten and dead, looking almost yellow in its appearance. Even now, days after, she could still the scent of burning flesh lingering in the air, how it smelt like week old shit and urine left rotting in a cell. Not even breathing through her mouth helped.

Pushing Rarity’s mane to the side, it revealed a red band all the way around where the fur had been rubbed off, and the skin rubbed raw. Slowly, tenderly, Applejack began working on her neck, making sure to wash behind the ears. Then she began moving down, along the muscles running down the unicorn’s back. Wringing out the towel yet again, she began running it over Rarity’s flank, making sure to catch every splotch of blood. Though her hooves constantly squished in the half-congealed blood beneath them, Applejack worked diligently.

The seconds passed into minutes, maybe even hours. So deep in the depths of the earth, it was impossible to tell what time it was and she didn’t care. There was a job before her, it needed to be done and nothing was going to stop her from completing it. Eventually though, she stepped back and wiped the sweat from her brow. The unicorn’s fur was white once more, and her mane was back to its familiar purple coloration. While it wasn’t perfect, and no doubt Applejack would get an earful of it when Rarity woke up, it was still better than what it was before.

It... It wasn’t much, but it was something. It was a step in the right direction.

And that was when she noticed a pair of blue eyes staring back at her and her entire body froze. There was confusion there, confusion and hate and disgust and hurt and- So many emotions, all conflicting with each other and demanding to be acknowledged. Needing to be acknowledged.

“Why?”

It was a single word. A simple word even, but it caused Applejack to take a step back. Not out of fear, never out of fear, but there was something powerful there in that look and word. It sent tremors through her body, holding her in place and making it impossible to think of anything else. In the end, it took every last scrap of willpower for Applejack to break eye contact and look away.

Why? Because it was the right thing to do, the proper thing to do, the moral thing to do. It was what she needed to do to forgive herself. After all, her anger and hatred was not directed at this particular horned freak, but at Nine Tails and the others who had ripped her away from her family. This unicorn did not deserve the pain and suffering that had been inflicted on her.

And if this unicorn could not understand that, could not figure that out for herself, then she was an idiot and deserved to die. There were just some things not even horned freaks should be subjected to.

With a curt nod to Rarity, Applejack turned around and walked out of the room, the blood squishing under her hooves no longer troubling her like it once had. Sure, the scent still lingered in the air and the taste danced on her tongue, but it didn’t bother her, not as much as it used to at least. Though the images still weighed heavily in her mind and the sound of those sobs would echo into the night, she found it a bit easier to live with herself. She had made her first step. A step that her mother would hopefully be proud of.

But a step was not enough. Not now, not ever. More needed to be done, to be said. She had dreamed of a place where earth ponies were equal, but if that required being as monstrous as the horned freaks? That was not worth it. That would never and could never be worth it. Earth ponies were better than that, stronger than that. They would not stoop to such levels to make their dreams a reality. And most importantly, she was above that.

Applejack dreamed of paradise, but if that had to be built on the unnecessary suffering of others, it would be nothing more than a mockery. That dream had kept her alive, that dream and fueled her for so long and given her hope. Now that she was free to do as she liked, to do as she willed, she was not about to give it all up.

She stopped by the metal door and glanced back at Rarity, who had watched her silently with pleading eyes.

Perhaps, there’d even be room for the freaks.

Perhaps. But for now, she had other things to do, important things. A step was the beginning, now it was time to see things through. With a slight tilt of the head towards the bound unicorn, Applejack left, not even bothering to lock the door behind her as she made her way down the earthen stairs before taking a couple of corners and slipping down yet another flight of stairs. Eventually she made it to the end of the hallway and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” yelled MacIntosh, and Applejack stepped through, closing the door behind her. “What is it?” he asked without even bothering to look up.

“Tha’ unicorn, ya get anything from her?” she asked.

“She says she was working on some clothes with new fabrics, but Ah think there’s more to the story.” Not once did MacIntosh’s eyes leave the paper he was reading.

“Ah want her.”

“What?” That made his eyes snap up.

“She was my master, Ah say it’s time for some payback.” Her grin was almost sadistic. “Ah want revenge. Ya got ya information from her, now Ah want to play with her a bit.”

“But-”

“She hurt me!” snarled Applejack. “Ah can make her scream like ya can only dream of. Give. Her.To. Me.”

Very slowly, almost hesitantly, MacIntosh tossed the key onto the desk. “Ya’ll tell me if she says anything?”

“Of course.” Turning around, she trotted out the door, hiding the grin until she was well out of sight. Within minutes she was back in the same room as Rarity, staring down at the pitiful horned freak.

Slowly she approached, each step placed with a deliberate forcefulness. She could see the fear in Rarity’s eyes, that moment of realization as a slave was dragged off to the breeding pens. A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips as Applejack stopped before the horned freak. She raised her hoof and the unicorn flinched back, and once more that thrill of power flowed through her system, but she squashed it without a second thought.

Each shackle was undone, falling away to leave behind a ring of bleeding flesh. Though Applejack held out a hoof to help, Rarity just lay there, staring up at her with those blue eyes. Cautiousness, uncertainty, anger, fear, hope - so many emotions, all vying for attention.

“If ya want to live, come with me,” whispered Applejack.

Rarity’s eyes widened, but she did not say a word. She knew and she understood. Slowly, weakly, she reached out and placed hers on top of Applejack’s, and with a mighty haul, she was on her hooves with one limb wrapped around Applejack’s broad frame. The first step almost sent Rarity to her knees, but with Applejack there for support, Rarity rose back onto her shaky hooves.

“Why?”

Applejack glanced across and a small smirk touched her lips.

‘Why’ indeed.

Chapter 12

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They were so cute and adorable. Sure, she was no stranger to foals, but they had always been pegasus foals and she'd never seen a unicorn or earth pony foal before! Just look at them with their round faces and wittle looks of confusion and- Oooooooh, so soft and snuggly, just like how she always imagined. They really were like adult ponies shrunk down weren't they?

Why, the unicorn foal even had a horn! It was kinda stubbly looking, but it was so cuuuuuute. And was that magic!? They knew how to do magic. Oh look at her with her wittle horn and look at her struggle. Come on little filly, just a bit more, just a bit more. Any second now aaaaaaaaand... Yes! She did-

"Um, excuse me ma'am."

With a small meep, Fluttershy hid behind her mane before her eyes widened as she stared at the earth pony before her. He spoke. He actually spoke. What else could they do? Could they write? Could- could they make things? Like tools? Could they use tools? Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, ple-

"Ma'am?" replied the stallion.

"S-Sorry," whispered Fluttershy.

"It's fine, ma'am, I was just wondering if you wanted some apples." At Fluttershy's look of shock, he continued, "Don't worry, they're not as rare here as they are elsewhere. I Pinkie Promise."

And they were so polite as well. How long did it take to teach them that? A week? A month? Surely not a year, after all, Fluttershy had managed to get timberwolves to shake paws with her in a year. A very long year of very hard work, but still, it had been done in a year, and surely earth ponies weren't as stupid as timberwolves. Were they?

"S-Sure," whispered Fluttershy as she took the bowl. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, ma'am." He began walking away only to stop mid-step and tilt his head politely. "The name's Orange Peel, feel free to ask for me if you need help settling in."

Fluttershy watched in silent astonishment as he walked away, leaving behind a bowl of the most delicious salad she had ever seen. And that's when she noticed the unicorn one table over using a spoon. A spoon! Like a civilized creature. Who taught them these tricks, and how long did it take? It was a miracle, it had to be a miracle. If they could use spoons, could timberwolves? It certainly seemed possible.

Leaning forward, Fluttershy began to nibble on the food, shivers of delight flowing down her spine at just how delicious it was. Was this cooked by a unicorn as well? Maybe an earth pony? Regardless, the mere thought that they could learn to cook… they were smart enough and had the mental capabilities for such complex thoughts and actions was such a dream come true. They were intelligent, smart even. Far smarter than any pet Fluttershy had ever had or wanted for that matter.

"You must be new here." Fluttershy's head snapped across and stared at the unicorn talking to her. "Name's Lyra, and don't worry, once you're here long enough, you can pick out who's new and who's not."

"Um... Fluttershy..." she squeaked.

"Hey, no need to be so shy! It's not like I'm one of those humans who munch on pony bones and the like." Lyra threw her hooves around Fluttershy's shoulders. "Anyways, eat up, we've got the best grub around! Probably because there's nothing else around, but shhhhh, I didn't say that."

"I think I just lost my lunch," moaned a pegasus next to them. "Lyra? Acting happy? Excuse me while I throw up."

"Oh har, har, real funny, now shut up before I decide that you're my new training partner," snapped Lyra before grinning at Fluttershy. "Don't worry, it's just some harmless fun."

The pegasus snorted. "Says the pony who spars like a human. All those cheap, dirty tactics and nothing but brute force."

"Hey, humans are cool!"

Fluttershy gulped and shrunk back, looking at Lyra through her mane. This unicorn liked humans? Those meat eating, bone crunching, filthy creatures from mythology? Who- Who could like such a thing! They were worse than gryphons if the stories were true.

“Plus, admit it, you’ve wanted to crunch on a pony bone before.” At the combined looks of disgust, Lyra blinked in surprise. “No? Just me? Come on, there must be some pony out there you hate that much.”

“N-No, not really,” said Fluttershy, trying her hardest to not imagine the scene.

“And I have no idea why you’d want to eat the pony you hate. Also, eating them? Ew. Seriously.” The mare pushed her bowl of food away from her. “I think I just lost my appetite.”

Looking down at her own bowl, Fluttershy had to try to not throw up right there and then. With how red the apples looked and the way Lyra happily crunched away, it just sent shudders down her spine. And then there were the juices dripping down Lyra’s chin and the way she happily slurped away. It was almost like she was deliberately eating with her mouth open, making a show out of it, and it turned Fluttershy’s stomach inside out.

“Hey, you alright?” The pegasus mare looked down at her in concern. “You’re looking a little green there.”

“Y-Yeah.” Fluttershy swallowed and stood up, only to stumble slightly.

“Whoa there!” The mare was immediately beside her. “You don’t look fine. You just got in right? Hey Lyra, I’m gonna take Fluttershy here to the infirmary and have her checked up. You know how it is with new recruits, always thinking they’re not good enough or that they don’t deserve it, and they come in half starving, unwilling to eat anything to save rations and stuff.”

“N-No it-”

“It’s no bother!” The pegasus began nudging Fluttershy along, dragging the shy mare along. “Also, the name’s Winter Breeze. Winter for short.”

“I’m fine you know,” muttered Fluttershy under her breath.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing!” Once more she retreated behind her mane.

"Huh, I thought you said something." With a shrug, Winter turned away, and Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "Anyways, it's down this way. Hopefully they won't be too busy with injuries. I swear, we get more injuries from colts play fighting and training than actually out in the field."

"D-Do you need medics?" asked Fluttershy.

"You're a medic?" Fluttershy scowled at how surprised Winter sounded, but with her face hidden, it's not as if Winter would have been able to see it. "If you are, that'd be a blessing from the Sun itself. Everyone wants to be on the front lines and we're starved of medics right now."

"Well I, um, can help out in the medic bay." Fluttershy rubbed the back of her foreleg. It was times like these that she actually missed having Dash around to explain just who she was. "I've, er, got experience."

"That's better than most," sighed Winter as she lead Fluttershy down an earthen corridor. Even though they hadn't reached the door yet, the familiar scent of puss and blood made itself known, and Fluttershy took a deep breath, savoring the smell . After so long on the road, with the fear of being caught and killed constantly looming over her, something so familiar and comforting.

A happy sigh escaped, and ignoring the weird look she got, Fluttershy half skipped, half glided over to the door, threw it open and stepped through without even batting an eye. Outside, in all that snow and ice, that was Rainbow Dash's domain. That was where she was at ease, where she was in her element, but here?

Her eyes drifted over the room, over all the ponies lying in beds, groaning in pain and looking up with hollow eyes. All those bloody bandages and screams as arrows were cut free and wounds sown shut. Even now, she could see two ponies who would die soon, another six that could go either way, and a couple with broken bones. Beds stacked on beds, with trolleys everywhere and soiled bandages along the wall. Now this was a real hospital, not the tiny room Fluttershy was forced to work in back at the base. There was more than enough room here to contain a couple dozen ponies at a time.

In here, with all this suffering and pain, where one wrong call could kill a pony? This was where she thrived. This was where she was in her element. Dash had her battlefield, but this was where the battle truly mattered. All these ponies counted on her, and she was going to earn that trust.

Without waiting for permission, Fluttershy strolled up to the nearest bed and immediately began changing the bandages. As each layer came off, the smell of puss became stronger, and as the last layer came off, bile rose in her throat, but she kept it down. It wasn't the worst wound she had ever seen, and even if it was, there'd be worse out there. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it. Grabbing a bottle of water, she crawled on top the earth pony, pinning him down as she began squirting water into the wound to clean it out. Though he yelled and tried to get away, with her wings for balance, Fluttershy easily kept him locked down until the wound was clean.

Ignoring his sweaty frame and panting body, she hopped off, placed the bottle back where it belonged and began wrapping up his wound, making sure to use fresh towels that had been heated by the fire. Within seconds, everything was covered up and he was one step closer to actually staying alive.

"So... you kinda have experience you say?" Fluttershy leapt back, shrinking back into the ground as Winter's face was suddenly inches from hers. "You shouldn't be so modest, you know. Most ponies wouldn't have been able to do that by themselves."

"Well... um... you see-"

"Nah, don't sweat it, just surprised me was all." Winter slung a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulder causing a small whimper to escape the shy mare's lips. "Here I was thinking it was stuff like hoofing bandages around or cleaning stuff, not, you know, that. That was awesome by the way. Brutal, but awesome."

"Oh, well, um, I didn't-"

"Winter!" Both their heads snapped across as a unicorn stallion approached. "Who is this filly and where the fuck did you find her?"

"She found us apparently," replied Winter with a shrug.

"Well now, is that so? A frail thing like you braving the outside alone?" Behind her mane, Fluttershy scowled once more. "Then again, considering how you handled that whiny little bastard, you could do it. Name's Bleeding Heart, and you're the pegasus we've been looking for."

"I-I am?"

"Yes you are. Here's the deal, we're low on medics, but more than that, we need somepony to teach this rabble how to do shit. Now, I can teach the unicorns all I know and I can teach the pegasi, but they ain't got magic and they have wings." He peered down at her. "Wings that you used to balance yourself while restraining him, which is something I cannot teach. We need a pegasus like you to teach this rabble how to be proper medics. You up for the challenge?"

"Well, um..." Fluttershy licked her dry lips, eye running over the rows upon rows of ponies.

It was warm here, and it was clean despite being underground, and it looked like they actually cared. It didn't matter if it was an earth pony or a pegasus or a unicorn, they all cared for each other. Compared to how hard she had to push and whine and force Dash to just move the slaves, this was a miracle. Of course, there were issues with treating pets and ponies in the same place, but that could be easily fixed. Not to men-

Wait, a unicorn doctor? This pony before her, the pony who was offering her this job was a unicorn. A horned freak. They- they could learn how to treat other ponies!? No doubt it wouldn't be anything too great or sophisticated, but the mere thought of all the ideas, concepts, things that they could grasp—had to grasp in order to be a medic was just staggering. The implications it would have were just...

She wanted to see how far they could go. How much they could learn, how deep their thoughts ran. Back at the fort, she had been forced to sneak around, to go behind every pegasi's back, even Dash's, but here? Here she had free rein, she could figure out everything she had ever wanted to know. Sure, Twilight had been useful, giving Fluttershy far more information than she could have dreamed, but not enough. All the stories talked about earth ponies as fallen pegasi, too cowardly to fight, and unicorns as those who had rebelled against the sun and lost. They had lost their wings, their minds and their souls in one single moment in history, and yet here they were. Degenerate beasts who had relearned the ability to talk and more?

"Well?" asked Bleeding Heart.

"Y-Yes." Fluttershy took a deep breath looked the stallion straight in the eye. "Yes, I'd like to help out."

"Great! Now we've got this-"

Winter coughed politely. "Sorry to interrupt your love story, but I bought Fluttershy here for a checkup."

"Do you need a checkup?" asked Bleeding, glancing over at Fluttershy. "And don't think about lying to me missy."

"Not really," whispered Fluttershy.

"Good enough for me! First rule about medics, if they know what they're doing, they can look after themselves," said Bleeding and behind him, Winter rolled her eyes while mouthing something. "Anyways, there's this pegasus that's injured her wing, and I need you to tell me how to fix it up. I've got some idea, but none of us have enough experience with pegasi."

"Broken wing or strained?" asked Fluttershy.

"Wing was cut up pretty badly. It's common enough since our armor isn't that great. Not very deep, but there must be a way to stop the blood loss and patch it up quicker. He's in here." He opened the door and Fluttershy blinked in surprise. They actually had separate rooms for serious injuries? How long had she bugged Dash for that only to be constantly told they couldn't sacrifice earth ponies to dig out the areas?

Stepping through, Fluttershy looked down at the sleeping pegasus, eyes running over his toned body and along those broad wings. Even though she wasn't the strongest flyer ever, even she felt her wings tighten around her body at the sight of all those scars and cuts. From all the bloody bandages, it was obvious one of the major arteries had been cut and it looked as though one of the muscles was strained as well.

"Is it alright if I-" Before she had even finished speaking, the pegasus nodded.

With a tender hoof, she lightly pulled the wing open, watching as the muscles flexed and the way he tensed up under hoof. When she moved onto the right wing, the stallion gasped in pain, but after a couple of seconds, it seemed to die down slightly. She gently nudged the wing up, watching how the muscles moved before turning to Bleeding Heart.

"This muscle along here, that runs down the back? That's strained, you can tell by the way they're moving and bunching up wrong. If you lift the other wing—thank you— look see? It's a lot... smoother, I suppose you could call it. More fluid. If it's severed then it's very distinct."

"This one along here?"

Fluttershy caught his hoof just before it could touch the patients back. "No touching the wings without permission, that includes the back muscles. Medics can get away with it, but don't do it too much. It's, well-" A blush stained her cheeks. "Just don't."

He nodded slowly before pulling his hoof back and tracing the muscle in the air. "But it's that strand there. Correct?"

"Yes." Fluttershy put the wing down before undoing the bandages. "From the looks of things, he cut his major artery that runs along the wing. This method of bandaging does work, but it's not the best. What you want to do is something lighter and more breathable, and definitely not as restrictive. The wing is a very fragile thing despite how sturdy it is and it needs to breathe. You cannot wrap it up like this."

"Gotcha."

"Hm..." Fluttershy stepped back and peered at the injury. "Also, you'll want them to keep off their wing for a long while. Roughly fifty to one hundred percent longer than a similar injury to another limb. And do not let them fly. Depending on the wound, they can stretch it and move it around, but no flying. Like I said the-"

"They're fragile things. I see," chuckled Bleeding Heart. "I fear we've been treating them too much like legs. But surely you need to exercise them?"

"Weights. There are weights designed for pegasus wings, right?"

"Oh. Oh!" There was a light in his eyes. "Of course! I see now, yes, the pegasi had been wanting those, but with how tight resources are, we couldn't make them, but if it's got medical benefits..."

"And one more thing. There's a spot here on the back that's just slightly off to the side near where the wings join." Fluttershy pointed at the spot. "This is a major artery, and it is also where the wing muscles and leg muscles overlap slightly. A deep enough wound here could sever both. I've never seen it happen, but..."

"And that's why that area is so well plated."

"Rainbow Dash would know better than me, but I assume so."

"So what's the diagnosis, doc?"

"He seems healthy enough. I mean, his injuries look bad, but now I've had a better look at it, give him a couple more days, a week max, then discharge him. Don't use the wing for a fortnight, and don't give me that look, I will chain your wings to your body if I have to, mister, don't think I won't. Be stern. Telling a pegasus not to fly is like..." Her eyes were naturally drawn to the horn on his head. "Is like telling a unicorn not to use magic. They'll want to use it. Just tell them if they do, they might never fly again and they'll comply. Won't you?"

The pegasus nodded all to quickly for her liking.

"Good." Suddenly remembering where she was, Fluttershy shrank back behind her mane with a small meep.

Bleeding Heart looked at her curiously. "Very well, how about we do a round of the area and I can tell you about unicorns and you can tell me about pegasi."

"I um, that is, I thought you'd have more pegasus medics," whispered Fluttershy as they left the room.

"Eh. Pegasi are a tough bunch, fanatically loyal to High Commander Hurricane, I mean, I doubt we have more than forty or so pegasi in this entire place, and we've probably got three, maybe four hundred ponies in here? Yeah, something like that. Like I said, fanatically loyal."

"Oh, well, um, sorry?"

"No need to apologize! You’re here aren't you? Now we've finally got a medic in this place, the few pegasi we do have won't be dying on us as easily. Now come on, time to make the rounds and teach these worthless sods what a real doctor is!"

"Um... yay?" asked Fluttershy at his expectant look.

"Ha! We'll slam some liveliness into you yet." The pat on her back sent her stumbling forward and left a sting, but he was just being polite. "Now hop along, we've got a lot of patients to go through and I won't slow down just for you."

Now what would Rainbow Dash say in a situation like this?

"Um... Try to keep up then? If, that's no-"

The rest of her words were cut off as Bleeding Heart guffawed. "You're on missy. You.Are. On."

"Come on Scoots, you can do it!"

"Yeah Scoots! Go, go, go, don't let that meanie nab ya!"

"Left! Go left! No your other le-"

An orange blur slammed into the wall at breakneck speeds, just barely managing to stop herself from running into the other fillies. With a hoof on the dirt wall, she panted heavily, sweat dripping down her brow.

"I thought you were a goner," said Red as he patted Scoots on the shoulder. "One-on-one with Trumpet there? Few could have won."

"But if anypony could beat him, it'd be Scoots though," said Dew Drops with a nod. "But still, that was really damn close."

"T...Thanks," panted Scoots as she wiped her brow before taking a large gulp from her water flask. "Alright, Trumpet, who's next?Ready for another flank kicking?"

He simply rolled his eyes and ran his eyes over those present. "Hm... How about, all those older than me?"

Dew Drops groaned. "Oh come on! I'm the only one here that's older than you. You rotten little cheat."

"Rules are rules." He grinned and flexed his wings, causing sparks of resentment in Scoots. "Come on Dew Drops, you and me."

"Fine," she mumbled as she stretched out her legs.

Strolling along the wall, she made a couple of feints, but not once did Trumpet fall for it. Instead, he just yawned and looked at her flatly.

"Oh, that's it." With a glare, she began charging forward, immediately feinting to the left before skipping to the right and around Trumpet.

"Go, go, go!" screamed Orion.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Trumpet as he suddenly dived forward, just managing to latch onto Dew's hind legs.

"I can't watch."

"Come Dew, you can do it!"

"Buck! Buck like you've never bucked before!"

"Just a bit more, you're almost home free!" added Scoots.

But the two slammed into the ground, tossing and turning in the dirt as Dew tried to free herself. No matter how hard she twisted, Trumpet was right there, hooves and wings working overtime to keep her pinned down. In the end though, Dew was pinned to the ground and that was that. Panting hard, Trumpet got up and helped Dew onto her feet, and the two of them stood there, leaning against each other for support.

"So... who's our next victim?" asked Dew.

"I dunno, I'd rather not take on Scoots again if that's alright with you."

"Hm... all... the... males!"

A collective groan went up.

"Come on Orion, you and me buddy," grinned Dew. "You got me last time, now it's time for payback."

"Looks like it's us two Red," sighed Orion.

"Good luck boys," chuckled Scoots. "Don't let Dew Drops kick your flanks like yesterday."

"Har, har. If I get caught, you're next Scoots. Three against one? We'd win and you know it," said Red.

"Less talk, more running!" said Trumpet with a grin.

"Oh, you're on!" Orion grinned over at Red. "Plan Alpha?"

"Plan Alpha," he replied with a nod.

"What in the world is Plan Alpha?" asked Dew.

"Who cares, they're going down either way," replied Trumpet.

"This!" Orion charged forward, and just as he was about to reach them, he suddenly dropped down into a low skid while Red leapt over the top, using his wings to get a bit of extra height. Both attackers were left fumbling as the two males sailed past harmlessly and blitzed the rest of the distance.

"Damn, that was pretty damn awesome," whistled Moonshine.

"Y-Yeah," said Scoots before clearing her throat. "But I could so do that myself."

"Oh, is that so?" smirked Dew. "Care to walk the walk?"

"Piece.Of.Cake."

"As much as I'd like to see Scoots kick all your flanks, I'm afraid I need to talk to her," said Pinkie as she came up the stairs.

"Auntie Pinkie!" they all screamed as they rushed towards the older mare, swamping her in hugs.

"Heya kiddo." She leaned down and ruffled all of their manes one by one. "You all been playing safe? Being careful not to hurt each other."

"Yes Auntie," they chorused.

"Goodie! That's what Auntie Pinkie likes to hear ." She grinned down at Scoots and the filly found herself smiling back. "Aaaaaaaaaaanyways, I just need to borrow Scoots for a bit if that's alright."

"Sure!" Scoots skipped after Pinkie as they made their way down out of the large underground playing field and up the stairs. "What do you need me for?"

"A super-secret awesome mission. Think you're up to it?"

"Buck yeah!"

"Alright, but Scoots listen to me." Pinkie knelt down before the filly, holding her head so that they stared each other in the eye. "Listen to me alright? This is dangerous, right? I-I wouldn't normally ask this of a filly, but Twil-"

"Twilight's here!?"

"Yes, yes she is and you can visit her afterwards, but..." Pinkie sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. "Look, I need you to talk to somepony and, well, she's..."

"A feath-"

"Scootaloo!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, a pegasus then. She's a fucking pegasus."

"Yes." Pinkie groaned and closed her eyes. "Look, if it was up to me, I wouldn't put you within a mile of that racist bitch, but... for whatever reason, Twilight thinks it's a good idea."

"Well if Twilight thinks it's a good idea, it probably is," mumbled Scoots.

"As much as I hate to say it, you're probably right." Pinkie sighed yet again as they moved into the corridor. "Just... call out if you need me, alright?"

Despite everything, Scoots grinned and licked her lips in anticipation. "Don't worry, Eclipse has been teaching us how to fight."

"Scoots," growled Pinkie.

"Alright, alright, geez, you're worse than Twilight." Scoots ran a hoof through her mane. "Where is this fea- pegasus?"

"Where else?" replied Pinkie as she turned the corner and went down another set of stairs. Eventually they came to a corridor where the doors were reinforced, locks were on the outside, and everything was dark and damp. "She's in here, and I'm being serious, you don't have to do this."

"I'll be fine." Scoots gave Pinkie the most reassuring grin she could manage. "I'm tough you know."

"Yeah... yeah you are..." Pinkie ruffled Scoots' mane, a sad smile on her face. "Toughest filly around."

"Hey..." Scoots balanced awkwardly on her hind hooves and hugged Pinkie close. "It's fine. Everything's fine. I've got you, and Twilight, and everypony else right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"I'll be fine, you'll see." Scoots gave her the traditional cocky grin. "Nothing can keep me down."

"Maybe I should go in first an-"

"Pinkie, I'm fine, you can't protect me forever." Scoots smiled up at the older mare. "One day, I'll be the one to protect you. And Twilight. And every pony in this place. Just watch, I'll be the one to protect you all."

"Scoots..."

"Don't worry, you'll see, I'll make you proud." Stepping back, Scoots unlocked the door and grinned up at Pinkie. "I'll make you all proud."

Then she stepped into the room, and the last thing she saw before it closed was Pinkie's tear stained smile. No matter how many times she caught that look on Pinkie's face, it always felt as weird as the first time. There was just something so sad about it, it would just tug at her heartstrings and make her want to hug Pinkie as hard as possible. Every so often she'd catch that look, it almost reminded her of how Lyra had looked after she had her heart broken. That longing, sadness and... it was just so weird.

With a sigh, Scoots shook her head and turned around, ready to face the worthless feathered freak before her. And there, on the bed, lay a pegasus with chromatic mane, lazily bouncing a ball against the wall.

Opening her mouth, Scoots tried to think of something to say, something to get that freak’s attention, but nothing would come out. Instead, all she could feel was a rolling anger that bubbled away in the pit of her stomach.

"Get lost kid," said the pegasus into the silence.

"You make it sound like I want to be here," spat Scoots, pure venom lacing every single last word.

"Then get lost, I'd rather not waste time talking to a dirt pony."

A red haze descended and Scoots could feel her limbs shaking. This pegasus, this freak, this bloody monster stood for everything she hated. Everything she despised and loathed and wanted to kill. It was pegasi like her that had done this. If being a pegasus meant being like the monster before her, then Scoots would rather be an earth pony any day.

"Better than being a feathered freak," she shot back.

"What did you say?" Dash was on her hooves and inches from Scoot's face. "You think you're better than us?"

"I know it." Scoots took a step forward, pressing her snout against Dash's even as a growl rumbled in the back of her throat. "At least they don't make up stupid excuses as to why they're better."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean. All that stupid shit about the earth ponies and unicorns being punished for not fighting or for rebelling against the sun and moon. You're so scared that you have to make up crap to make yourself seem tougher and better than everypony," snarled Scootaloo, "when you're the dumb ones. The stupid ones.The ones who are weak."

Just like her mother. Just like her father. Just like all those pegasi from back then. Fuck them all to Tartarus.

"It's. The.Truth."

"It's a lie. You're the monsters, you're the ones who have no idea what the fuck is going on, you're th-"

Scootaloo was thrown to the ground as Dash backhoofed her. Though pain laced its way through her, all it did was serve to clear her mind. She could see clearer than she ever had.

Standing up, Scoots spat to the side and glared at Dash. "You see? This is what I'm talking about. Every time somepony says something that you don't agree with, you attack them. Beat them. Crush them. Whoever has the power has the right to rule. Survival of the strongest. Trample all others underhoof. Toss out the weak into the cold and see if they survive."

"You have no fucking clue what you're talking about. Now get lost before I decide to kill you."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, or have you forgotten training already? Every morning we'd thank the sun for blessing us, for giving us High General Hurricane to lead us to victory, to give us the strength to win, to trample all others underhoof. We'd be drilled until we dropped and then drilled some more, and the ones who dropped first were always the ones punished. It wasn't about keeping your pegasi safe, it was about coming first, winning no matter what it took. Everypegasus wanted to be next Spitfire, to do that one all-in move that was super high risk, but super high reward. They wanted another Battle of Castle Snowfall."

Dash frowned and stared at the filly. "How do y-"

"How do I know that?" Scoots shook her head. "Let's just say I'd prefer to have been born an earth pony and leave it at that."

"You fucking traitor!" screamed Dash and Scoots found herself pinned against the wall. "I should fucking kill you now and sa-"

"Traitor? I'm the traitor?" She couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice. Trust a stupid feathered freak to come up with some lame excuse like that. "They betrayed me and if it wasn't for Pinkie, I'd be dead by now. Food for the timberwolves, no doubt, since I wasn't even fit for the breeding pens."

"Oh shut you trap, anything you sa-"

"Will be a lie? Let me go then and I'll show you exactly what they did to me." Dash snorted, but Scoots continued, "No tricks, no weird stuff, all you need to do is look."

Silence descended as the two regarded each other.

"Fine, whatever. As if anything you say or do could change my opinion of how worthless you are," said Dash as she stepped back.

Scoots rolled her eyes and turned around so that her back was to Dash. The sound of a zipper being undone could be heard and the jacket began slipping off Scootaloo's shoulder. Soon the under layer followed, and as more of her back was revealed, that stupid pegasus turned green, no doubt trying to tear her eyes away, but finding it impossible. Scoots could see how that freak wrapped her wings around her tighter, probably reminding herself that they were there. So what if she had one wing instead of two? So what if all that was left was some measly stump that was red and covered with scar tissue?

Already she could feel the tears prickling the edges of her eyes, but Scoots held them back. She wouldn't cry, not in front of this monster. This freak.This thing that stood for everything that she hated. She would not show weakness, she would not cry, she would stare the monster straight in the face and spit in its eye.

And then the stump was completely revealed and Dash was forced to look away, looking as though she was about to throw up. All red and covered with scar tissue. A misshapen lump on her back instead of a gorgeous wing like the other one. Two wings, she was meant to have two beautiful wings, perfect for sharp turns and quick darts and...

Even though she had never flown, she always felt the call of the sky.

"My parents cut it off."

That pegasus blinked in surprise, mouthing opening to say something, only to close again after a couple of seconds.

"I was five years old and I couldn't fly. My wings were too small or something, I don't know, but they said I was obviously one of those pegasi. You know, the ones that should have been an earth pony, but somehow managed to be reborn as a pegasus. They said I was tainted, wrong, vile. That if I stayed it'd spread and that..." Scoots took a deep breath and zipped up her clothes. "So you know what? Fuck them. Fuck the pegasi. Who needs them!?"

"Look, kid, they must had a good reason t-"

"A good reason!?" she screamed, as the tears finally broke out and she hated herself for it. Oh how she hated herself for it. Twilight never cried. Neither did Pinkie. And yet here she was, brawling her eyes out like a foal. She needed to be strong, damn it! "I was a foal! What reason could they have possibly had!? Some obscure piece of fucking religion no one gives two shits about? I-I was fine. I was happy. Bleeding Heart says if they hadn't cut it off, I could have flown and they took that from me. So tell me now, Rainbow Dash, who's the fucking traitor? Me, or them?"

"I- That is- It's obviously more complicated than... that..."

Even that monster knew how weak that was with the way her voice trailed off. The uncertainty could be seen in her eyes, the confusion and fear.

"There has to be an explanation. A reason! Anything to explain why!" yelled Dash.

"Then give me one?" Scoots sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Tell me why they'd do this."

But there was nothing. All Dash could do was stare blankly at the filly, mouth working uselessly as she tried to come up with something.

"Exactly. Now fuck off," growled Scoots as she opened the door.

"Wait!"

Scoots stopped for a split second before trotting out and slamming the door shut.

"Hey, you alright?" Pinkie laid a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

"Yeah... I-I'll be fine." Scoots sniffed and rubbed her puffy eyes. "After all, I've got everypony here, right?"

Pinkie could only nod mutely.

"I... I'm not ashamed of it. I may not be able to fly, but..." She smiled up at Pinkie. "I've got all my friends, and that's better than flying any day. Better than being able to do magic, or books, but don't tell Twilight I said that last one."

A small hiccup and giggle escaped Pinkie as she rubbed her eyes. "Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Thanks Pinkie. For everything."

"You're welcome kiddo."

As the final bandages were rolled around the bleeding hoof, Applejack stepped back to admire her work. While it wasn't the best she had ever done, at least the wound on Rarity's leg was no longer bleeding everywhere. If anything, the mare looked peaceful now with the way she had her eyes closed and how she was breathing slowly. It was so weird, so... wrong almost, to be taking care of a horned freak like this, but at the same time, it was right. She had done this, and now she had to make up for it, after all, Rarity wasn't responsible for what had happened to her.

Taking care of one unicorn wasn't enough though. She had seen the evil in her brother, that vindictiveness and brutality. That glee at being able to hurt another being, to make them beg and scream and cry. There was a darkness there, the same darkness that made the ancestors of the pegasi and unicorns seek powers beyond their comprehension. A sickness of the soul, a desire to be more powerful than they ought to be, an arrogance of the highest order. Was she the only one who remembered the teachings? The stories?The hymns? Perhaps it was because she had so little of her mother left that she clung to every single last scrap she could remember.

The sickness ran so deep here, to the point that if she stuck a horn on MacIntosh's head, it would not have seemed out of place. If she really wanted paradise, if she really wanted a place where she could live in peace, ponies like him needed to be eliminated. They all needed to be eliminated so the world could start anew. Ponies like him were the monsters and she wouldn't let something as flimsy as family stand in her way.

Standing up, Applejack made for the door, but a light touch on her back stopped her mid-step. Blue eyes met green as Rarity stared up at her with pleading eyes.

"Please don't go," she whispered and Applejack found something lodged in her throat.

She knew that look, she knew that voice as well. It was the exact same one she had used so long ago, except back then, she had her mother still. She had someone she trusted and knew and loved. But this horned freak? She had nothing, she was trapped in a world of somepony else's making, and it terrified her. Applejack knew that look and feeling all too well.

With a small nod, Applejack stepped back and sat down next to the bed. She had caused this suffering, this pain, and it was up to her to mend it somehow. To think that this mare would trust her, would reach out to Applejack after everything. If their situations had been reversed, Applejack knew without a shred of doubt that she'd be attacking and hissing right now.

"Thank you," whispered Rarity as she closed her eyes once more.

A very weird mare indeed. Then again, who else did she know in this forsaken place? Better an enemy you know than an enemy you don't, she supposed. Still, something about the entire thing rubbed her the wrong way, it felt too easy in a way. Where was the fear? The cautiousness?The anger?

"I'm still curious as to 'why' you know," said Rarity, her eyes still closed. "I assume it was your conscious finally getting the better of you, but that has never stopped anypony, has it darling?"

Perhaps she wasn't such an idiot after all. Instead of replying though, Applejack merely shrugged and looked away.

"Ah, back to the silent treatment I see." Rarity opened an eye and grinned up at the earth pony, looking all too amused for her own good.

Applejack rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Very well, whatever you wish dear." Rarity sighed and gazed off into the distance. "I do hope Sweetie and mother are alright."

"Sorry."

"My, my, so that wasn't a dream after all, you had me worried there for a second," chuckled Rarity. "Tis fine, going back would have ensured my own death after all." She sighed and touched the collar around her neck. "Though, did you have to pick such a ghastly color? Green does not suit me at all, I fear."

That got an amused eye roll out of Applejack.

"I should have known you would select this color just to annoy me," scowled Rarity before she sighed again and closed her eyes.

It was only when the silence returned that Applejack found herself frowning. Why had things been so easy just then? They had slipped back into their old roles just like that, with Rarity talking about something useless, and her replying with actions rather than words. It just felt so... simple. So right.

This horned freak... whatever spell had been cast on her must still have been lingering. It was obvious now in hindsight, but it made no difference. Not really. All it meant was that she had to keep a close eye on her own emotions, keep them bottled up and out of the way. If anything, that spell helped her see the truth, helped her see what was truly important and revealed the true nature of MacIntosh to her. Perhaps, if she were to be honest with herself, perhaps she even owed that horned freak something. The thought was definitely an odd one, but Applejack didn't mind, after all, saving that mare had already paid back the debt.

Shaking her head, Applejack stood up and made her way towards the door, and this time, Rarity did not stop her. Despite herself, a small smile touched her lips as she glanced back at the sleeping unicorn. Then, with soft hoofsteps, she slipped out of the room and locked it behind her with her key. As she strolled down the corridor, she nodded politely to the other ponies, but otherwise kept to herself. Though a couple tried to approach, a simple glare or small shake of her head convinced them to go elsewhere.

As she turned the corner and entered the huge dining hall, Applejack made her way along the wall, keeping out of sight. Her eyes constantly moved, darting from place to place, looking for that familiar black pony with the light blue mane. Ignoring all the scents around her, she slipped from table to table, using everything she had learnt as a slave to look as uninteresting as possible.

And there he was, sitting at a table off in one of the corners, munching away while ponies joked all around him. Instead of approaching, Applejack found herself a nice spot off to the side, watching silently as she grabbed some food herself. Eventually though, that stallion stood up and left, and Applejack was immediately hot on his hooves.

Instead of grabbing his attention though, she trailed him until they made it into the corridor with all the bedrooms before calling out, "Hey, wait up!"

He immediately stopped and glanced around, before his eyes landed on Applejack. "You're that new mare, right? Look, I'm sorry, but I'm really tired an-"

"Ah'm here to talk about what happened with the horned freak," said Applejack and his face immediately went green. "Look, it ain't anything bad, but Ah saw the way ya looked at MacIntosh. Can we talk? Somewhere private."

For a brief second, it looked as though he was going to refuse, before he sighed, "Sure, we can use my room, it should be empty."

Together, the two made their way down a side corridor and into a room that could barely fit three ponies and yet still somehow managed to hold four beds and a single table. Closing the door behind him, he flopped onto one of the beds and looked at Applejack.

"So what do you want?"

"Ah noticed that look ya gave MacIntosh, ya're scared of him, ain't ya?"

"Of course not! He-"

"It's fine sugarcube. Relax. Personally, Ah think he enjoyed what happened too much, and Ah think ya think the same."

He opened his mouth to say something, but Applejack held up a hoof for silence.

"That look he had, it reminded me of my ol' slave master, how he'd beat us for looking at him funny and he'd enjoy every last second of it." She took a deep, shuddering breathing. "Ah think, and correct me if Ah'm wrong, but Ah think if we're going to win this war, we cannot stoop to their levels. To enjoy it as he did, that is to be a monster, an' we're better than that. Ain't we sugarcube?"

He nodded slowly and licked his lips. "Suppose I agree with you, what then?"

"We find other ponies who think the same. Other ponies who ain't willing to give up everything to win." A smirk appeared on Applejack's lips. "And then, once we have enough, we force change. We get them to change. We convince them that we're better than that."

"You're talking about a coup!" he hissed.

"Ah don't care if MacIntosh stays in charge or not, what Ah care about is winning the right way. Ah refuse to be a monster to defeat them, and Ah think ya feel the same way."

He hesitated before looking away, unable to meet her gaze.

"Listen, Ah'm in the room at the end of the main corridor, if ya change ya mind, feel free to knock." Applejack inclined her head politely before she opened the door.

"Wait!"

Applejack glanced back at the stallion.

"I think... you're right, but..."

Applejack merely smiled and nodded slowly before closing the door behind her. He would come around. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he would eventually come around. She saw how sick he was, disgusted and troubled by what had happened to Rarity. All she needed to do was plant that seed, and now that it was in, all that was left was to cultivate it. Change would come, one way or another, and there was nothing anypony could do to stop it.

They were going to win the war, but they'd win it the right way. The proper way. Applejack was going to make sure of that.

Chapter 13

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Dash yawned yet again and rubbed her eyes, not for the first time that day and not certainly the last. And just like every single time before, Twilight glanced at the pegasus out the corner of her eye. It wasn't hard to imagine what Scoots had said to Dash, but still, to see her so tired and rundown was just strange. It almost seemed cruel to do that to such a proud pegasus, but it had to be done.

With a shrug, Twilight grabbed the bag with the dried berries in it and began munching away, watching everything that happened around her with a careful eye. There was a spy among the ranks, there was no doubt about that, unless Pinkie really was as naive as she wanted everypony to think. But who? Lyra? Possibly, but unlikely considering she had been Twilight's most stout defender way back when. So who then? Eclipse? Far more likely, but considering all the other volunteers were unknown to Twilight, any of them could be the spy and that made her job infinitely harder.

"You should talk to her, you know," said Spike as he looked up from his slab of meat, blood dripping from his chin.

"Who?"

"Rainbow Dash." He jerked his head towards the pegasus who was poking at her food. "You need to talk to her."

"Why? It was your idea." That got a glare from the drake. "I'm being serious, it was your idea, if you're not happy with the aftermath, you deal with it."

"Twilight," growled Spike, "do it or I will-"

"Very well, if you insist," sighed Twilight as she stood up and trotted over to Dash who was still just staring at her food. Sitting down next to the pegasus, Twilight couldn't help but notice how messy her wings were, with feathers sticking every which way. Add on the bags under Dash's eyes and Twilight felt a pang of guilt, but a small shake of her head cleared that out.

Twilight sat there eating in silence , waiting for that inevitable racist comment, but when none came, a frown creased her brow. Perhaps using Scoots was a tad too much after all. She opened her mouth to say something, to start the conversation, but nothing came to mind. How do you approach such a pegasus? What could even be said when they hated each other as much as they did?

The mission. Of course. The mission was paramount.

"You good enough for the mission?" asked Twilight.

Dash's head snapped up, her eyes bleary and unfocused before they narrowed. "Of course I am, we're fucking up some unicorns, right? Nothing's going to keep me out of that."

"No." She needed a way to get this through Dash's thick skull. "This is a mission. A small group taking out an entire supply camp. You need to be on your game. Come on, Flight Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, would you send anyone into a dangerous situation if they weren't on their game?"

Despite the scowl on her face, Dash looked away. "I'll be fine, alright?"

"Says the pony who hasn't been eating." Twilight pushed the food towards Dash. "Seriously, as much as I hate you, we need you. This is a small group and every single pony matters. Everypony needs to pull their weight, and if even one of us is caught out, we're fucked. So, are you up to this? This is a mission and you need to functioning, if you're not, get lost. Seriously. You are endangering this mission just b-"

"I'll be fine. Just give me some time to wake up and I'll give them the good ol' Rainbow Dash one-two buck." That cocky grin was back, but even that was strained. "Like you said, I'm Flight Lieutenant, I know my limits and I know I'm good for this."

"Very well." Twilight began eating once more, but kept watch on Dash out the corner of her eye.

For a brief second, it looked as though Dash was going to say something, but then she shut her mouth and began eating as well. Silence descended in their little corner, while the other ponies chatted away, waiting for the scouts to come back. This was good, this was favorable, silence was what they always had when left alone, but still, there was something off about everything. She could feel it, itching in the back of her mind, just waiting to be teased out, but there was nothing.

"Was she telling the truth?" The question was so quiet Twilight thought she imagined it at first, and then she noticed the almost pleading look directed at her. "What the filly said about her family, was it true?"

"That they cut off her wing? Yeah, it's true."

"Who are they?" growled Dash.

"What?"

"Who. Are. They? I want to know who they are so I can fucking murder them."

"General Storm and Commander Hail."

Dash's jaw dropped.

"Why else do you think they used such a stupid excuse? It was to save face and nothing more. The daughter of two high ranking officials unable to fly, they needed a way out, and what better than some bit of mythology that nopony actually cares about?"

Dash's mouth slammed shut and a growl filled the silence. "I am going to fucking kill them."

"And be branded a traitor?" asked Twilight, cocking an eyebrow at the pegasus.

"Well... um..." She shook her head, and when their eyes met, all Twilight could see was fierce determination. "They are in charge, they have a duty, an obligation to those under them to not throw them to the manticores. They don't deserve their titles, and to do that to their own blood? They deserve to die."

"Something we finally agree on it seems." And something that racist pegasus got right for once. "Regardless, we can hunt them down later, right now we've got other things to deal with."

"Huh? Oh! Right, yeah, that." Dash yawned and began nibbling on her food. "Eh, I'll let you take charge on this one."

Wait, what? Twilight frowned at the pegasus, trying to figure out what the heck was going on in that brain of hers. Nothing was making sense, absolutely nothing was making any sense at all. A change was to be expected, wanted even, but this much, this fast? There was no way this could have happened so quickly. This was a trick, this had to be a trick, it was the only way anything made sense.

"After all, I'm compromised like you said," said Dash with a shrug. "Though I'd probably still make better decisions than a horned freak like you."

"There we go, and here I was starting to think your brain had been killed by Scoots," sighed Twilight.

"Ha, as if! You're gonna have to try better than that to trick me," she shot back, and though her usual conviction was in it, it just wasn't as convincing as it had been in the past.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," replied Twilight.

"At least tell me you sent someone competent to scout an-"

"And not a dirt pony or horned freak?

"Exactly." Dash's head slumped forward before she jerked awake again. "Can we seriously start doing something now? I'm about to die of boredom here."

"Because that's why you're so tired."

"Of course it is!" snapped Dash.

"Of course," replied Twilight with a smirk.

A growl rumbled in the back of Dash's throat and that only made Twilight smirk deepen.

"Give me one good reason why I should smash your worthless skull in." Dash took a menacing step forwards, but with how sunken her eyes looked, it was impossible to take her seriously.

"I'd like to see you try," chuckled Twilight as she stood up, stretching out her legs. "One on one, no wings and no magic. Sound fair to you?"

"Why not make it a challenge and have one of your friends help out," said Dash as she began circling.

"Oh, did I forget to mention I'll even tie a hoof behind my back?" That got a snarl out of the pegasus. "I don't need help to beat you."

"You're too overconfident!" yelled Dash as she leapt forward.

Even as Twilight skipped back, a lime green glow surrounded Dash, holding her in midair.

"This is a serious operation," snapped Lyra as she stepped between them. "And I expect both of you to behave. Got that?"

"Please, we are merely working out and making sure we're in shape for the upcoming ambush," said Twilight with an eye roll.

"I'm pretty sure she just wants to murder you," said Lyra.

"I'm pretty sure I just want to murder her," said Dash. "But then again, with that horn sticking out of your head, I'm not surprised that you couldn't figure that out."

"What did you just say?" said Lyra innocently as the magical bonds intensified, causing Dash to wince. "It's generally a bad idea to insult a unicorn when they've got their dirty little hands all over you. Why, I could lose control and something bad would happen."

"That's assuming she's even got brains," muttered Twilight under her breath.

"I could so take you on if you weren't allowed to use magic," said Dash, "and you know it too, which is why you rely on these stupid tricks of yours."

"Oh really?" singed Lyra as the bonds vanished. "Well once we get back to base, we can have a one on one matchup and I'll gladly kick your flank so hard, you'll be launched into next week."

"I'd like to see you try," growled Dash, her muzzle inches from Lyra's.

"Break it up ladies, break it up, no need to fight over m-" Dash immediately spun around and punched the pegasus in the face. He stumbled back, clutching his muzzle. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Obviously she's not a fan of being hit on," said Lyra as she smacked him across the back of the head.

For her part, Dash merely blinked in surprise before a sheepish smile appeared. "Oh... sorry, I thought you were Thunderlane. He always blocks that."

"Oh har, har," he muttered as he rubbed his snout. "Geez, that hurt, damn it. What the fuck? Am I bleeding? Tell me I'm not bleeding." He paused, head tilted to one side. "Actually, will I get a scar from that? Chicks dig scars."

"Oh great, another Thunderlane," moaned Dash, "Excuse me while I bash my head against the nearest wall before I decide to kill him."

"Hey!"

"It's true," said Lyra, getting a couple of nodding heads and chuckles. "You drive everyone insane."

"That's like a bolt to my heart!"

Ignoring them all, Twilight picked up her crossbow, loaded it, and aimed it straight at the stallion. "Lightning Streak, you better have some damn good information for me, or I will literally give you a bolt through the heart."

"Twilight, babe, don't be li- Fucking Tartarus!" He stared at the bolt that was embedded in the wall right by his face. "Geez, alright, alright, I forgot how insane you are, just calm down."

"Very well." She put the crossbow away and crossed her hooves. "Also, who's been letting Lightning Streak get out of hoof? I swear, you're worse than you used to be."

"I can assure you, I am much better than I-" He yelped and scrambled behind the pegasus who came in after him. "Protect me from the insane mare!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course, where there's one Streak, the other is never far away. Hello, Fire Streak, keeping your brother out of trouble as usual?"

"Somepony had to take over once you left." His eyes darted over to the bolt in the wall before he sighed and facehoofed. "You tried hitting on Twilight already? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"But... but..." The younger stared up at the older with wide, innocent eyes. "It was a misunderstanding."

Dash snorted in amusement and even Lyra rolled her eyes.

"Just like how my bolt was an 'accident'," replied Twilight. "Now, back to business, do you have information or not?"

"Yes, mother," sighed Fire Streak as he gave a lazy salute. "We found the base, but we couldn't get close. There were two guards at the entrance, probably another two nearby if they're using the standard unicorn deployment, but considering how this is super hush-hush, we estimate there will be about eight. We left Dust Gale behind with Berry Tart so they could defuse some of the magical sensors that are littering the place. Seriously, you couldn't take three steps without bumping into something."

Yeah right, the amount of magic needed for that would be far beyond the abilities of practically every single unicorn that has ever and will ever live. Well, almost every unicorn, the ones that could do anything near that scale... was...

Twilight's eyes widened.

He was here. He had to be here. If Fire Streak wasn't exaggerating like normal, th-

"Twilight..." whispered Spike.

"I'm fine," she hissed back before saying in a louder voice, "Alright, we're moving out. Lyra, is this location still secure enough for us to leave unnecessary gear here?"

"If it's not, I'll find the pony responsible," said Lyra as she flicked her hoof, examining the blade before retracting it again. "And trust me, I've been taking lessons from humans."

"Humans are overrated," said Twilight as she brushed past.

"What?" The chill in Lyra's voice made everypony pull away, even Dash.

For her part, Twilight merely smirked back. "You heard me, humans are all nice and well, but they're extinct now, are they not? So therefore, they must not be as great as you think they are."

"Don't you dare try and use your fancy logic on me!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Twilight inclined her head towards the exit. "Shall we?"

Lyra nodded and trotted over to Twilight, the two walking out side by side, making their way down the treacherous path. It was clear that Lyra had something to say, but with all the prying eyes and loose rocks everywhere, Twilight was entirely focused on the path before her. More than once she slipped and more than once snow tumbled its way down the side of the mountain as they slid their way down. By the time they reached the bottom, the only ones who weren’t panting heavy were the pegasi.

"Score: one-nill," said Dash as she glided past causing both unicorns to roll their eyes.

"Is she always thi-

"Bitchy? Racist? Stupid?" supplied Twilight. "Yes."

"Twilight," growled Spike.

"Okay, okay, we've just used the largest blunt force instrument we could find to smash her brain in, so she may be getting better," said Twilight. "Time will tell."

"Scoots?"

"Of course, know any instrument that's blunter?"

Lyra frowned. "You shouldn't talk about her like that. You know she looks up to you."

"Yeah." Twilight sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. "Old habits are hard to break, I suppose."

"Pegasi, twelve o'clock!" yelled Pauldron and everypony immediately dived under the cover of the nearest dead tree.

Pegasi? Here? Twilight glanced over at Dash, but she looked just as surprised and confused as she was. It was possible, but highly improbable . Plus, there was no point in time that she was unobserved, so it's not like she could have given anything away. Even if she did, Twilight had made certain to keep the important information to herself until the very end.

Reaching behind her, Twilight drew out her crossbow and cocked it. Beside her, Lyra's blade slid free and she used it to shield the magic glow of her horn. All around them, ponies drew their weapons, bodies tense and magic ready. Through the thick crisscross of frozen limbs, dark shapes passed overhead.

A tense silence followed, and it was only once the heavy wing flaps were out of hearing range did Twilight let out the breath she had been holding. Glancing over at the others, she blinked in surprise at the sight of Dash standing in the tree, eyes watching where the shadows had disappeared to and ears twitching.

Body still tensed, she glanced down at Twilight with troubled eyes. "They weren't pegasi."

"More gryphons?"

She nodded as she jumped down. "Yeah, seemed like it. Wing beats were too heavy."

Blaze Streak frowned, mulling it over before he nodded slowly. "Yeah, something sounded off, but gryphons? There's no way they could have made it this deep in pony territory."

"That's what we thought until we ran into them in the middle of pegasus territory," said Twilight. "This is bad. There is definitely something odd going on here."

"Too late to worry about that now," said Dash, "we might as well kill the unicorns first then come back for the gryphons."

Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but Twilight quickly cut her off, "Blaze, how far are we from the base?"

"We're close, they somehow managed to sneak it in under our noses without us knowing," said Blaze. "Then again, we haven't really used that outpost in a long time and we've had no reason to move in this direction, so..."

"Very well, lead on," said Twilight.

Silence descended once more as they weaved through the trees, ears perked for the slightest sound. She felt it before she could see anything. It was subtle, a light buzzing in the back of her mind, a small prickling sensation along her neck, but it was enough. There was magic here, a lot of it, and it called out to her, teased her, caressed her body, all while whispering seductive words in her ear. But she would not give in.

"Spike, scout ahead," said Twilight.

"I don't think-"

"Spike, scout ahead," repeated Twilight and for a brief second it looked as though he was going to ignore the command, but then he sighed and took off.

A unicorn was here, a powerful one, and that could only mean he was here. Trixie? A possibility. A minor, inconsequential possibility, but one nonetheless, though Twilight refused to spend more thought on that arrogant mare than absolutely necessary. Perhaps one of the other Generals? More likely and perhaps it was even Laurel...

A steel grim determination set over Twilight.

It mattered not who it was, it was someone powerful, and that meant it had to be one of the generals or Trixie, and as long as it wasn't Trixie, Twilight was going to enjoy the next couple of hours. Especially if she managed to get some time alone with them.

"This way," said Blaze, "and walk where I walk. I don't know if there are traps elsewhere, but this is the path we cleared earlier."

"There are none," said Twilight with a shrug. "There's magical residue here, but no traps." She frowned. "Not even any perimeter sensors. Odd."

"Perhaps they thought the forest was good enough protection," said Pauldron.

"Regardless, the probability of beasts wandering in is high enough that they should have some sort of perimeter set up," said Twilight. "Unless the others already diffused it?"

"Perhaps," replied Lyra. "Only one way to find out. Blaze, if you will."

"Yes ma'am."

Slipping into single file, they began making their way up the small crest and off to the left, going around a fallen tree that looked more crystal than frozen wood, then down the bank into a small dip in the snow. There sat two ponies, a unicorn and a pegasus, huddled together for warmth around a small glowing orb.

Lyra coughed politely and the two jumped apart, blushes on their cheeks.

"Ma'am!" they said at the same time with a salute.

"At ease," said Lyra and they relaxed. "Is the path clear?"

"Yes ma'am," said Berry, "though there weren't nearly as many as I thought and some were already tripped."

"Wild beasts or..." Twilight's gaze found itself drawn away from the two ponies before her.

"We don't know," replied Berry.

Moving up to the crest, Twilight glanced out at the cave entrance opposite them. "Any movement?"

"None," said Dust.

"Rainbow, what do you think?"

That wiped the half dead look off her face. "What?"

"What do you think?" Twilight jerked her head in the direction of the cave entrance. "You're probably more knowledgeable about unicorn tactics than any of us. Or, at least, the theoretical aspects of it."

Though she frowned, the chromatic pegasus wiggled her way up and glanced over the edge. After a couple seconds of silent contemplation, she turned to Twilight and asked, "How much magic is there?"

"Enough residue, but not enough actual traps," Twilight replied.

"Sounds about right," said Berry. "I think I found about five traps or so and just three perimeter sensors in total? So definitely not a lot considering how secretive and dangerous this place is."

"Those guards at the entrance, have they moved at all?"

"Not that I've noticed," replied Dust.

"Well I'd say they're either dead or asleep then," said Dash. "There is no way horned freaks would be able to stand that still for so long without moving, they're not well trained enough. Plus, the wind is coming straight into the entrance, they'd have to move to not freeze to death."

Twilight blinked in surprise and Dash smirked.

"What can I say? I'm a pegasus, gotta pay attention to the wind, and I can tell you, they'd either have to use magic to keep warm or freeze to death and even then, they'd have to move, it's just the way things are." Dash shrugged and slid back down into the small dip. "Now, can we please kick some unicorn flank already?"

"Dust? Streak? Does that sound right to you?" asked Twilight.

"Hey, I said that is the case, and that is the case," snapped Dash. "Either trust me or stop asking me to do random shit, alright?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and tilted her head towards the pegasi present. "So?"

"Wind direction sounds right, but as for the magic thing? Eh, I'm not a unicorn," said Blaze.

"They could always be cuddling to stay warm," offered Lightning. "Though they could certainly be doing..." He trailed off and gulped at the look Twilight and Dash gave him. "Okay, okay, geez, and to think I was glad to hear you were back."

"Dead then?" asked Twilight.

"Most likely," said Dash.

"So what, we just rush in thinking they're dead and that's that? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," said Lyra.

"Of course we're not going to rush in. We keep to the trees and slip in silently like we had planned." Twilight frowned and glanced over at the base. "Though considering they've cleared out some of the surrounding trees, making it in unseen will be hard. Even with invisibility, we'll leave hoofprints, and they may have aerial wards in place to spot pegasi so that's out."

"They don't." All eyes turned to Spike as she landed on Twilight's shoulder. "Or if they did, I just tripped them all and got no response. Something fishy is definitely going on here and I don't like it."

"Playing the part of a stupid drake just flying by?" asked Lyra.

"The old ploys are the best ploys," grinned Spike.

"The gryphons?" said Pauldron.

"Perhaps, but why make it look like it's guarded? They'd have ransacked the place, raped everything that moved, killed them, and then eaten them all, hopefully in that order because raping the dead is just sick," said Lyra getting odd looks from everypony. "What? Even I have my limits you know! Plus, humans didn't do that, they just ate the dead."

"Yeeeeeaaaaah, not helping your case, but that's alright, I don't mind some crazy in the sa-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll remove your head, and I'm not talking about the one on your shoulders," said Lyra causing Lightning Streak to gulp.

"You're positive about this?" asked Twilight, completely ignoring the other two. "You tripped the alarms and nopony responded."

"Assuming there were alarms set up? Yes. Want me to fly in and see if they're alive or not?"

Twilight nodded. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Of course." He took off and circled off to the right and out of sight.

"Alright everypony, time to hunker down and wait," said Twilight, "but be on the lookout for anything suspicious."

They all nodded and began doing whatever it was they wanted to do. Some talked, others just lay down and relaxed, while some actually seemed to be keeping a lookout or keeping their bodies warm by practicing their blade work. Regardless, things settled down despite the tenseness of the situation.

"You know, we may be walking into a trap right?" whispered Dash. "You horned freaks are known for doing all sorts of sneaky things because you can't win a straight up fight, and this smells like a trap."

"But using dead ponies? That's a bit too much, even for unicorns," replied Twilight.

"Who said they had to be dead, they just need to look like ponies. I mean, think about it, why stand in such an open place? Dig some tunnels and have hidden slots all throughout to keep watch, some boiling pitch, traps along the ground, anything. Even just making it seem like the place and then ambushing would be a better plan than how obvious this stupid thing is." Dash groaned and facehoofed. "They must think we're idiots or something. We must be idiots or something for the pegasi to not have won the war already."

"Or unicorns aren't as stupid as you think they are," said Twilight.

Dash snorted and shook her head. "Real amusing, you could tell jokes and maybe not be killed when you're captured."

Twilight just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to entrance, watching silently as a small dark shape landed and poked its head in. Spike no doubt. She watched nervously as he disappeared into the hole and unconsciously, she began counting the seconds as they passed.

"You know, there's no need to worry so much, if you trust him, then you'll know he'll survive without any issues," said Dash as she leaned back, staring up at the sky. "You really need to learn to relax."

"Seriously?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her. "And I'm meant to take your word on this because?"

"Well unlike you, I know something about loyalty," she replied with a shrug. "And sure, loyalty means keeping an eye on others, but it also means trusting them and their abilities."

"You're certain you're alright?" asked Twilight. "I cannot have this operation compromised in any way or form."

"If I kick your flank will you stop asking me that?" asked Dash in a bored tone of voice. "I swear, I can be half dead and fight better than all you losers anyways."

"I'll take you up on that offer once we get back to base," said Twilight as she glanced back cave entrance, wondering just where Spike had gotten off to.

"No wonder all you horned freaks are so anal, you cannot relax at all," said Dash.

"At least I care about others unlike you," snapped Twilight.

There was a sudden burst of flame from the cave entrance and everypony sat up.

"Alright folks, that's the signal, time to get moving," called Twilight as she stood up. "I want both Streaks to stay behind, as well as Pauldron and Berry. If they come at us from behind, I want to be prepared. Lyra, Rainbow, Dust, you three have the rear guard. You two, with me ."

Instead of waiting for a reply, Twilight scrambled up and over the ditch and began calmly walking through the forest and into the clearing. If Spike sent that signal, then all was well, all was safe. Dash wanted to see trust? This was trust. To her surprise, Dash was soon right next to her, keeping up step for step, a small smirk on her face.

"Can't let myself be shown up by a horned freak like you," she said.

"And here I was expecting a comment on how stupid unicorns were," replied Twilight.

"You are stupid, but hey, I'm not going to seem more cowardly than a horned freak." She gave a bitter bark of laughter. "Plus, if you're gonna die, I want to be close by."

"Of course." Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. And to think she had actually be concerned about Dash's wellbeing earlier. A part of her was amused at how Dash flinched at the slightest sound and the way her entire body was tensed, her wings ruffling continuously.

A quick glance over her shoulder told her the others all felt the same with how slowly they moved. How cautious and nervous they seemed. Ignoring it along with her instincts that were screaming at her to take cover, Twilight began climbing the cliff face. Beside her, Dash struggled to find good hoofholds, but even then, quick reactions saved her falling on her ass more than once. Within the minute, they were on the ledge and Spike looked down at them patiently.

"They're all dead," he said. "Throats slit."

Twilight nodded and began edging into the cave and once more she found Dash beside her.

"I thought I told you to take the rear guard," she hissed.

"Firstly, I don't take orders from you. Secondly, the action is going to be up here, and I'm going to be a part of the action no matter what," replied Dash.

"Very well, though I find it difficult to think of worse partners in this venture," said Twilight as she began walked past the dead bodies.

To her surprise, as Dash moved past, she plucked one of her feathers for each of the dead pegasi and placed it in their clothes, just poking out of the top. Though her mouth moved, it was impossible to hear what she said, and once she was done, she simply nodded to Twilight.

"Very well, come along then." Twilight glanced over at Spike. "How far have you explored in?"

"Pretty far, but it's completely dead in here."

"Any idea who attacked?"

"Pegasi, duh," said Lyra. "Earth ponies are practically all dead or slaves and we saw no hoofprints outside. Plus, this cut? Looks like it's from a wing blade."

"Pegasi huh?" Out the corner of her eye, Twilight watched Dash, but all she could see was Dash's back, making it impossible to judge anything. It was still unlikely, but she had been surprised by lower probabilities in the past and she hadn't survived this long through luck. If it was a possibility, it was a possibility and would be taken into account.

"Regardless, we need to mo-" A pulse of magic rippled through the air and Twilight's eyes widened at just how much there was. Even the others felt it! The ones that weren't unicorns, even, and that could only mean one thing. Whatever had been cast, it was massive, something huge and terrifying, and that only served to excite Twilight. "Change of plans, you can explore the place, grab anything that looks important!"

Before any of them could react, she raced down the corridor, following the already fading trace that lingered in the air. Behind her, she could hear the yells and cries of frustration as well as hoofbeats, but she ignored them all. Taking turn after turn, they were soon lost in the labyrinth and Twilight found herself alone in the darkness and dampness of the cave. But that didn't matter, she was here, and beyond this rusted, simple, wooden door was her revenge.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped past the broken door and walked into the room, ignoring the scent of burning flesh as she did so. Her hooves splashed in blood, but she ignored that too. Instead, she focused everything on the stallion before her. Out came the crossbow, and as he cut down the final pegasus, Twilight cocked it and fired, only for the bolt to glance harmlessly off the magical shield that leapt up.

He vanished in the unmistakable flash of a teleport and his ethereal blade clashed against Twilight's own shield. A grim smile touched her lips at his shocked expression and in that split second of recognition, Twilight shoved him back with her magic.

"Surprised brother?" she spat as a wave of fire followed, but that passed by another shield harmlessly. "Surprised that your dear little sister is alive?"

"T-Twilight?"

"Oh, so you remember me." Twilight walked through the flames as they died down, the stone beneath her hooves still red hot. "I'm going to kill you, you know. And I'm going to make sure you suffer, like our parents suffered. You remember them right? How you killed them?"

"Listen, there were-"

"Don't you dare!" She stomped the ground, and with all the raw magic, the stone beneath her feet cracked. "I read your reports, I read your orders. They were our parents and you let them die!"

"You can't win," said Shining calmly. "You don't have the training."

"But I’ve got the power, don’t I?” Electricity cracked around her as she raised her crossbow once more.

“Power with no control is not power at all!”

The two circled slowly, walking over the still-glowing ground without a hint of discomfort. Both horns hummed with unmatched power, their hoofsteps mirroring each other perfectly, their poses exactly the same.

“Your first mistake was to care about control at all. So what if I can’t control my magic, look at it already, sparking away, crackling away, just waiting to blow your brains out. All it needs is to be directed!”

Arcs of pink lightning flashed out in all directions, most tearing chunks out of the wall and melting the floor, but some made their way towards Shining. Even with his skill, his power, he was flung backwards, bouncing off the wall before he parried the bolts with expert precision. Gritting her teeth, Twilight forced another volley out, but this time it shot out to the right, blasting a hole in the wall and flinging her to the side from the explosion.

Rolling with the blast, she came onto her hooves and fired three quick bolts at the spot Shining had been a second ago. With a growl of frustration, she came back onto her hooves and reloaded her crossbow, eyes scanning the room. Where was he?

"Come out, come out, wherever you are,” sung Twilight as she began walking moving through the dust. “Fee fie foe fum, I smell the blood of a unicorn foal.”

“You can’t win.” A blast of magic narrowly missed Twilight’s head, leaving behind a trail of singed fur. “The next shot won’t miss.”

“You won’t get a chance for another shot!” yelled Twilight as she unleashed her magic once more, only for the feedback to send her to her knees, screaming pain as her horn burned hotter than dragon fire.

“This is pathetic. Come on, sis, come with me and we can actually show you how to use that magic of yours.” Shining held out a hoof. “There’s no need to live your life like an earth pony. We can show you how to use that magic, how to harness it and to create with it. Come with me, trust your big bro like you used to.”

Twilight staggered back onto her hooves, her vision colored red from the blood running down her face. With shaky hooves, she picked up her crossbow and aimed it at Shining. Even with both hooves to keep the blasted thing steady, it shook uncontrollably. And as she pulled the trigger, Shining merely stood there, not even flinching as the bolt flew wide, missing him by two pony lengths.

“I didn’t want to do this, but I’ll take you in by force if I have to. You’re too powerful to let fall into the wrong hooves,” he said as he walked towards Twilight. “Don’t worry, once you get back to the capital, you can forget about this nightmare entirely. You’ll see.”

“You never cared about me, you never cared about mother or father, it was always about your career.” The world around her spun and Twilight’s hooves buckled under her as the magical feedback continued wreaking havoc on everything. “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to slaughter you, I’m going to make you scream for the sweet release of death, and then I’m going to torture you some more!”

Lunging forward, Twilight flicked her wrist and a small blade popped out of her gauntlet. It was a small thing, no more than a hoof length, but it was more than enough to puncture Shining’s breastplate and go straight into his chest. A look of shock overcame his features as she bucked him off and rolled to the side, throwing up as the pain from her horn finally began dying down.

Loading yet another bolt, Twilight aimed it at Shining, and despite the shaky hoof, this time it flew true. It flew straight for his chest, straight for his heart, a one shot kill, and with this kill, she could finally lay her past to rest and forget about it. But at the last second, the very last bloody second, there was a flash of light and the bolt bounced harmlessly off the wall behind him.

All Twilight could do was stare at the now empty spot, her eye twitching as she grit her teeth.

"That coward!" she screamed. "That bloody coward!"

It should have been obvious, she should have expected him to just teleport away when things weren't going his way, and she should have come up with some plan to prevent him doing just that. But now it was too late. No doubt he was already halfway back to Unicornia by now with his tail between his legs, and hopefully he'd make up some fantastical story rather than reveal the truth. The last thing she needed right now was to have the unicorn territories cut off to her.

"What... happened here?" asked Dash as she stepped through the door, her voice echoing back to her.

"A minor disagreement," replied Twilight with a shrug as she brushed past, ignoring the look of fear Lyra was giving her. "Nothing to worry about. Did you find anything?"

"A-A minor disagreement!? Does that look like a minor disagreement to you?"

Twilight glanced around at all the holes in the ceiling, the half melted wall, the right wall that had been blown to bits, and her vomit on the ground.

"Considering the weapon they were building exploded when I shot it with my crossbow? Yes, a minor disagreement." Twilight shrugged and stumbled back onto her hooves. "It seems as though they were attempting to create a three dimensional crystal array with a feedback loop to help sustain power. Turns out, three dimensional power arrays are very unstable and under no circumstances should you ever shoot one, or else that happens."

"And you survived," said Lyra, her voice flat.

"Yes. I must have been exceptionally lucky to not have been vaporised."

"Why did you shoot it?" hissed an earth pony Twilight did not recognize. "We could have used it! We could have figured out how it worked, made it better and then used it against them! It could have won us the war!"

"Because it's unique. One of a kind. No weapon will ever match it," said Lyra as she glanced at Twilight. "Isn't that right?"

"Who knows?" Twilight trotted down the corridor, leaning into Spike as he landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her tenderly. "So, did we find anything interesting or not?"

"We got a map," said Berry.

"And it was pegasi," added Pauldron. "We found some bodies further in. It looks like they came in at night and killed as many as possible, but the alarm eventually went off."

"Pegasi..." whispered Twilight, a frown on her face.

Had Rainbow Dash actually managed to get the information out? If so, how? There was no such thing as coincidence, not in a place like this. Everything had a place, everything was a move on the board, and everything occurred because there was a greater goal. She needed more data before she could make a final judgment, but for now, the possibility of Dash revealing the location was in play. A low probability, but a probability nonetheless, and to discount it was just asking to be backstabbed.

And then there were the gryphons. In all her travels, they had never been this active, this obvious. An artifact of sampling perhaps? Maybe their paths had never crossed, or perhaps they were starting to be dragged into this war as well. Perhaps they thought the pony races were weak and that now was the opportune moment to strike and take all three down in one fell swoop. Or, perhaps, an alliance had been called. A deal with monsters, but still a deal, and a powerful one at that.

There were too many pieces in play. Too many ponies pulling strings and orchestrating everything.

Never had Twilight felt so alive.

A gasp was torn from Rarity's throat as she sat bolt upright in bed, only for pain to lace its way through her stomach and back, causing her to collapse back down with a weak groan. Every nerve in her body felt as though they were on fire just from that one simple movement, and not for the first time, Rarity found herself relishing in the pain. She simply let it wash over her, let it consume her mind and wash away the dream, the memory. It mattered not what it was called, as long as it no longer existed, even for a second, it would be enough for her.

As she lay there, swimming in the pain that accompanied each gulp of air, she could forget. She could pretend everything was alright, that nothing was wrong and that she most certainly did not wake up in a cold sweat yet again. But as with everything, that too soon came to an end and she found herself in a silent room, her fur matted down in the most unsightly of manners.

As she stepped out of the bed, a bolt of pain ran through her body. Despite everything Golden had done to help her recover, her entire body still felt sore, and more than once she would find herself gasping in pain as she stretched a hoof a bit too far or turned around a bit too quickly. As much as she wanted to believe that Golden had changed, it was impossible to get past that memory, that whisper of suspicion in the back of her mind.

No matter how hard she tried to forget and forgive, every single time she closed her eyes she could see him. The way he stood up above her, that sadistic grin plastered all over his face as he brought the knife the down, or the whip, or the white hot iron poker. As much as she tried to forget, every single damn time she closed her eyes, she could taste the blood on her lips, feel the tears staining her cheeks, hear the pitiful noises she had made. She could remember it all in painstaking detail no matter how much she wished to forget.

How much sleep had she gotten since then? It almost reminded her of when she was forced to work late nights in order to support her family, but even then, when sleep claimed her it was a peaceful thing that left her mildly refreshed the next day.

A yawn escaped as she trudged towards the bathroom, her hoof scraping across the ground as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. It was only once she reached the door that she remembered what lay beyond and that gave her pause. As much as a warm bath would help right now, as much as she wanted to soak up that warmth and just forget, she couldn't bring herself to open that door and step through.

Eyes closed and forehead against the door, Rarity let out a long sigh. She could feel the dirt and dust cling to her body as well that as grimy sweat that just fouled everything up. She wanted a bath, she needed a bath. There were still patches of dried blood in her fur and she felt absolutely disgusting, all sticky and filthy and... and-

A shudder ran through her body.

But no matter how much she wanted to go through and clean herself off, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Even with her hoof on the handle, ready to turn and step through, something stopped her. She just couldn't bring herself to do it, she just couldn't find the whatever it was that was preventing her from stepping through.

Slowly, the hoof dropped away and Rarity turned away. She could take a shower later, at same point when it wasn’t the middle of the night and beyond freezing. Even with all her layers of clothes, the chill still managed to seep through her clothes and she found herself missing the warmth of home.

Home...

Yet another sigh escaped as she squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the tears from flowing before they could even start. She could not, would not think about that right now. Not about Sweetie, not about mother, not about Trixie. She couldn't afford to think about any of that, she needed to focus on the here and now. This sudden change in disposition, this sudden tenderness displayed by Golden was so startling, so random that there must be some deeper ploy at work. Such sudden changes simply were not in pony nature.

Well... unicorn nature, but surely earth ponies and unicorns were not that far apart. They had the same triggers, the same responses, the same emotions. Push the right buttons and get the right results, or at least that's what she had always suspected. All it would take was a bit of manipulation, a bit of prediction, and soon she'd able to push all the right buttons to get the right results.

Then again, she had seen Golden's face for a brief second during her... captivity as it were. Just a brief glimpse though, half hidden by shadows and moving bodies, but she saw it. And on that face was etched in painstaking detail a look of horror and disgust. Perhaps that was the one thing that haunted her dreams the most, not the pain or the suffering, but the look on Golden's face. It was as though something important had been stripped from her, as though some hoof had reached into some special place and taken away her innocence.

It was hard to hate somepony when they had that look on their face and when they were trying so hard to make up for what had happened. At least, that's what Rarity assumed Golden was doing, rather than trying to become her friend so that she could find out all the dirty secrets Rarity knew. As much as she hated to even consider that possibility, it was there and even thinking about it felt as though she was spitting in the face of her mother... and father.

She had shown Golden love and affection. Treated her like an actual pony rather than some lesser being or some vile thing that needed to be purified. If she had done that out of her own freewill, then surely Golden could be returning the favor now.

Even in her mind that sounded weak. Still, she had to have hope, she needed to hold onto that possibility, no matter how small. After all, she had made a promise to her mother to always believe in earth ponies, to always give them the benefit of the doubt and to see good in them no matter how bleak things may seem. Perhaps... perhaps keeping that promise would lead to her death, to her staying here and dying a slave, but sometimes, some things were worth the risk. She had to know the truth. She had to know if the stories were true or if she had been living a lie all her life.

She glanced over at the sleeping mare and found a pair of green eyes watching her curiously. There was no malice in there, no accusation or mistrust. Just... curiosity. Slowly, Golden stood up and walked over. Each step was deliberate and placed with expert care, almost as though any sudden movements would cause her to flee. Still, Rarity stood her ground, watching just as curiously as she curbed that instinct to flinch. Gradually, almost tenderly, Golden raised a hoof and lightly took hold of Rarity's hoof. Together, they reached out, turned the handle and pushed that door open.

Once more with those light steps as Golden stepped into the bathroom, their hooves still touching as they stood on opposite sides of the door.

The message was obvious, the choice lay before her, but still she was... scared. Yes, that was the right word, even though it didn't seem to quite fit. She was scared of stepping through and, well, and what exactly? What was she scared off? She didn't know and she didn't even want to find out, but still, the option was there before her. The door was open.

And then she saw those green eyes. It wasn't caring, it wasn't loving, it wasn't even friendly, but it was... inviting. No, not inviting exactly, it was there, but there was also something more, something deeper.

Understanding.

That was it. Golden understood. Of course she did, she had to understand, after all, she had gone through the same thing herself. She understood and now she was here, willing to help Rarity move past what had happened. All it required, all it needed, was a bit of trust.

So easy on paper, but in practice?

Rarity took a deep breath and pulled her hoof back. For a brief second, disappointment flashed across Golden's face, but then Rarity placed her hoof down on the other side of the doorframe. Legs trembling, and with her heart racing away faster than a dragon’s wings, she looked up at Golden. There she found something beautiful, something innocent, like a virgin glade of apple trees. Sure, it was only a smile, but something about it just sung to Rarity’s soul and she found herself returning it. It just felt so natural, so right. Despite everything that had happened, despite all the reasons she had to mistrust an earth pony, this could work. They could work. As weird as it sounded, it was true, they could work together and help each other.

Taking a deep breath, she took a second step, then a third and then a forth. With each step, she came closer to the edge of the bath, but even then, she couldn't bear to look down. What horrors lay down there in the inky depths? For a brief second, fear gripped her as Golden glanced down before she shook her head and simply smiled. Though the tub was small, Golden removed her boots, stepped in, and held out a hoof.

Hesitance.

Rarity's head dipped down slightly, moving towards her reflection in the water, but Golden's hoof was immediately there, tilting her head back up. Once more Rarity found herself enthralled by those green eyes and that tender smile. The message was clear though, one thing at a time, the first step was getting clean. Once that was done, and only once that was done, would they consider the next step. Plus, wounds would heal, scars would fade, and maybe in a week or so, she'd actually look like what she used to.

A small smile tugged at her lips as Rarity cocked an eyebrow at Golden. "Well darling? Aren't you going to turn around?"

Golden merely rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.

Rarity reached up to the zipper and began pulling it down, only to stop midway. Already she could see the gauze covering her wounds, already she could see the blood and the merest hint of a scar. Even with her eyes closed, trying to bring up the courage to see what had been done to her, she could still see those wounds and those eyes. She needed to do this, she needed to move past this.

As bitter tears leaked down her cheek, she felt a hoof on top of hers, slowly, gently, drawing it down and the zip with it. And when she went to open her eyes, she found herself look at Golden's hoof, completely blocking her sight from everything. Once more the message was clear and once more she found herself following along, going by the script somepony else had written. So she closed her eyes and reached up, pushing Golden's hoof away from her eyes. There was a brief moment of hesitance from the earth pony, a brief moment where Rarity no longer felt the other’s presence. There was just a void where Golden once was, a lack of warmth that left Rarity so vulnerable and so exposed that left her heart fluttering.

With something that could almost be called tenderness, Golden began peeling the outer jacket off her body. Then the heavy woolen sweater, followed by the boots and outer most pants. The turning of the taps could be heard as the water was turned on and hot steam began filling the air. And then it was back. That course fur rubbing along her own sleek coat. Those rough hooves running along her frail frame, drinking in every single last inch, memorizing every curve and dip in her body . With expert care, Golden gently eased her out of the rest of her clothes, guiding her hooves so she could step out of them and into the tub without any issues.

Despite the chill, as soon as her hoof touched the water, she bit her bottom lip. It was hot, painfully so, and as her hoof was forced under, it felt like it was searing her straight to the bone. But... it was what she needed. She needed this pain, this warmth, and this heat. As she stepped into the bath and lay down while Golden removed the bandages, she could feel everything being burnt right off of her. It was painful, but exquisitely so.

A small gasp was drawn from her lips as she felt one of the wounds in her side open yet again and for a brief second her eyes fluttered open. And in that second she could see the water, and a rich wine red that slowly spread over its surface, and though no details could be made out through the ripples, she could see a pair of bright green eyes reflected back up at her.

Taking a deep breath, she dipped her head under the water, letting that heat sear straight through to her brain before she pulled it out again. In that split second as the cold air rushed in to meet her face, she understood why the water was so hot, why it needed to be so hot. It felt like she had walked through fire and come out the other side completely clean with all the imperfections burnt off.

"Why?" That one single question echoed through the room as Rarity opened her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

Silence.

"Well regardless, thank you." Rarity closed her eyes once more before she could be tempted to look down at her own reflection. "Thank you."

"For what? Ah took ya away from your family. Ah took away your freedom, your life. Ah took everything away, so why are ya thanking me?"

"For doing the right thing now," whispered Rarity as she reclined in the bath. "And for proving to me my mother was right. That there is good in the other races, that they are ponies and not monsters, that they are deserving of trust and love. Maybe you're doing this for the wrong reasons, but you're still doing it, so thank you for that."

Silence descended once more and Rarity closed her eyes, relaxed in the water with a content smile on her lips. Things were not perfect, far from it, but at least now she knew mother did not lie. There are earth ponies out there worthy of being called a pony. Earth ponies that could be friends given enough time and enough trust. Maybe even an earth pony that could be loved like how her mother had loved father.

Maybe her life hadn't been a lie, and maybe it wasn't worthless after all. Maybe there was a purpose behind everything she had been doing all these years.

Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out alright in the end.

Chapter 14

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"Wake up!"

Dash's eyes snapped open and she was immediately on her hooves, wing spread and blade poised at the ready. Opposite her, Twilight grinned in amusement, but didn't say anything. Instead she jerked her head towards the cave entrance and began walking away. Dash tossed a quick glance over her shoulder at all the sleeping ponies before shrugging and following. Better an enemy you knew than one you didn’t, or something like that.

With a shrug, Dash followed the horned freak, "I take it, it's our turn on the nightshift?"

Twilight snorted and shook her head. "As if they'd trust you to do a nightshift."

"As if they'd trust you," replied Dash with an eye roll. "I've seen the way some of them look at you, they're not your ponies to command, they don't even like you, they're just here to keep an eye on you."

"I know," whispered Twilight as she stopped by the entrance, her mane billowing in the chill breeze as she raised the fluffy hood of her jacket. "Which is why we're leaving now."

"What?" Dash glanced out into the night at the bleak landscape. She had heard insanity in the past, she had been part of some of the insanity with Lightning Dust before, but this was suicide, pure and simple. "Okay, that's it, I'm going back to sleep."

"You really should trust us you know," said Spike as he hovered in the air, blocking off the route back in.

"You just suggested going out there at night wearing this crap," said Dash, "and that is a death sentence. There is no way anypegasus would be able to survive out there for more than ten minutes, and that's being generous."

"You're right, but we're not pegasi," smirked Twilight.

Dash's eyes immediately went up to her horn. Could she actually do magic? Was this all an act to make them lower their defenses so she could take them by surprise? It was definitely a tactic horned freaks loved, all that deception and trickery in order to gain the upper hoof. She really shouldn't be as surprised as she felt. Sure, Twilight may be different from others, but she was still a horned freak, and some things would never change.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her nerves down and steeled her resolve. Spitfire gave her orders to figure out what this mare was up to. The pegasus race was counting her to follow this crazy mare into certain death to gather the information necessary for their eventual victory. If she backed out now, would she be able to look Spitfire in the eye? Would she be able to look herself in the eye knowing she let a horned freak of all things be braver than her?

But why was she even being dragged along? It'd be so simple for that horned freak to just leave her behind and walk out into the night. Surely there was a trick here, a ploy, something that would explain why she was being allowed to tag along. Even if it was, though, did that change anything? Even if it was a trap, could she take that risk? Plus, pegasi had raided that unicorn base, which mean there were pegasi close and if that was the case, then she had a chance of survival even if she was stabbed in the back. And there was always the possibility that it wasn't a trap, in which case she'd hate herself for the rest of her life.

Stupid pride always getting in the way. With a sigh, Dash nodded and put up her hood as well and made sure to tie it down before she tucked her wings under the wingflaps. Even before she had finished tying those down, her wings were already itching for her to stretch them out. Everything just itched and was crumpled up uncomfortably and what idiot designed this thing?

"You're gonna have to loosen the front of your jacket," said Twilight as she stepped out into the snow, shudders immediately running through her body. "I've already warmed and now it's your turn."

"What?" Dash frowned and stared at them in confusion.

"Just put your hoof on me," said Spike, and after a brief bit of hesitation, she complied and blinked in surprise at how hot he was. It was like holding her hoof against a fire or dipping it in hot water. "This is how we survive in the night. I need to slip into your jacket and warm you up then swap over to Twilight. If we keep swapping and give you five minutes each, you’ll be fine."

"Let me get this straight, you want me to put a drake down the front of my shirt." Dash groaned and rubbed her temples. "Fine, whatever, give him here."

"What?" Spike glanced at Twilight before turning his attention back to Dash. "You're certain? No complaining no whining, no-"

He suddenly found himself stuffed down the front of Dash's and the heat immediately flowed out. Within seconds Dash felt as though she was submerged in a hot bath with the warmth swirling around her in all directions. Breathing out, she quickly ran after Twilight.

"So where to?" asked Dash.

"Southwest, once we reach Ghastly Gorge, we follow it north," said Twilight through chattering teeth. "We should hurry, Lyra won't stay knocked out forever."

Dash cocked an eyebrow at that, but before she could say anything, Twilight just jumped off the edge of the ledge and began sliding down the side. Typical insane horned freak plan. A bark of laughter escaped as Dash leapt right after her, grinning like a maniac the entire time as the wind whipped through her mane.

Hitting the bottom, Dash found herself launched over the edge and she hit the ground with a roll. The grunt of pain from Spike only made her smile wider as she began racing through the snow, following that bit of purple tail before her as they weaved through the frozen trees. She skipped over fallen logs, slid under low hanging branches and raced into the night. This wasn't flying, this wasn't even close, but just that wind whipping through her mane, the breathless pants and straining limbs were so familiar that she could just pretend. This wasn't some aimless trot in the snow and some sneaking mission, this was the full blow explosion of speed that she lived for.

Throw in the night air, the yellow eyes just out of sight and the howls that echoed through the forest, and Dash felt her heart pumping faster than it ever had. When was the last time she felt this thrill? This potential for death around every corner? Not since the sky had been taken from her, that's for certain, but now that she had a taste of it again, she found herself yearning for more. A couple more days and she could stretch her wings once more, and then she was going to show that horned freak just how weak she really was.

Spike wiggled around in her shirt and a second later he popped out and glided over to Twilight, leaving a void where he once was. As the cold flooded in, a shudder ran down her spine as she realized just how cold it truly was. In that one second, it felt like her fur had been frozen solid, and if she shook her mane, she wouldn't be surprised to see icicles drop out. Gritting her teeth, Dash pushed on, focusing on stopping her legs from trembling so she could get a proper footing and not slip.

If that horned freak could do it, then she could.

Grim determination settled over her and Dash began racing forward at an even faster pace, easily catching up to Twilight and maintaining her speed. More than once her hoof slipped, and more than once she recovered without breaking her stride or pace. Every time there was a rustling of leaves or a low growl, her ears would twitch and Dash's eyes would glance off to the side. There was something following them, she was certain of that. A dark shape constantly moved just beyond her vision, slipping in and out of range, almost taunting in its movements.

"Ignore them," Spike said, causing Dash to stumble slightly. "They won't attack, at least not yet, and when they do, I'll deal with them."

Teeth chattering and limbs all too frozen, Dash simply pushed on and ignored his comments as well as him wiggling back under her jacket. Warmth immediately flooded her system and within seconds she could feel her limbs once more. This was important information, vital even, and it required Spitfire’s immediate attention. It explained so much about this mare's movements, how she could move from location to location so easily. But most importantly, if they could find and tame drakes of their own, it could bolster their mobility immensely. Just the mere possibility of night flights sent shivers of delight down her spine.

Back and forth he went, keeping the two ponies warm as they ran head long into the night. With sweat dripping down her brow, she forced her leaden legs to move, to keep pace, to keep up with the others. Each breath came in short pants, and the worst part was, that unicorn wasn't slowing down. Eventually though, she slowed to a stop and Dash found herself smirking despite everything. She knew it. She knew that horned freak could not be as fit her.

And then her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

The ground simply vanished, dropping miles straight down, so far down in fact, that even with her eyes, she couldn't make out what lay at the bottom. Caves littered the entire cliff face and when she tried to see across to the other side, all she could see was the inky darkness. As they stood there, panting, their breaths misting and swirling in the air before them, Dash turned to Twilight found an equally adrenaline fueled grin on her lips.

"Where to now?" panted Dash.

"Down, we find a cave and send Spike scouting," said Twilight as she peered over the edge.

All it took was a gently push. One simple, accidental nudge and then they'd both tumble to their death and the world would be a brighter place. A better place.

"Damn it, looks like I owe Spitz a pie." Dash spun around, wingblade at the ready, only to blink in surprise at the sight of Soarin hovering just behind them. "Come, we have camp set up just down this ledge."

"Should have known the Wonderbolts were involved," sighed Twilight. "How did you know we were here?"

"You didn’t particularly hide your approach. Considering the mare I'm talking to, that is a surprise to say the least," he replied.

"Considering the size of the gorge, I did not believe there was a high probably of us running into each other." Twilight leapt out and was immediately caught by Soarin. "Her wings are still injured so-"

"That's fine." Soarin gave a piercing whistle and a second later, something landed behind and Dash once more spun around, muscles tensed and ready to fight back.

"Hey, long time no see."

Dash blinked and then her jaw dropped. "Lightning Dust? What are you doing here!?" Removing her goggles, Dash rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things before she whistled in appreciation. "Damn, a Wonderbolt already? Nice job."

They slapped wings before bumping hips. "Told you I'd totally beat your fat flank into the Wonderbolts."

"Ha! You wish." Dash glanced back to make sure Twilight was out of sight before turning her collar out to reveal the badge. "Suck it."

Lightning's eye twitched before she groaned in frustration. "Damn it! When did you get that?"

"A while ago. Spitfire could give you an accurate time frame. Like I said, I'm the fastest and awesomest thing around, and there ain't no party like a Rainbow Dash party!"

"Sure, sure." Lightning rolled her eyes. "But can we get a move on? I'm freezing my flank off here."

"That'd probably help shrink it."

"Still sexier than yours," she shot back.

"As if." Dash hopped onto Lightning's back and she jumped off the edge of the cliff, circling downwards. "Also, that horned freak bears the cold better than you."

"Because she has a drake stuffed down the front of her shirt," muttered Lightning as they glided into the cave. Almost immediately, they raced over to the fire and pressed their hooves up against it, sighing happily. "And damn that feels nice."

"Tell me about it." Dash zipped her jacket up nice and tight before letting her one good wing out to be heated up by the fire. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Spitfire give her the barest hint of a nod in approval before turning back to Fleetfoot. "So what, you're a full-fledged Wonderbolt now? How'd that happen?"

"Well, not yet, I'm like you, get this mission right and I'm in the clear," replied Lightning as she ran a hoof through her mane. "By the way, are you...?" She tilted her head towards Twilight who was busy talking with Soarin and Rapidfire.

"Am I what?"

She glanced around all too obviously before leaning in close and whispering, "You know, is she your assignment?"

Dash simply nodded in reply and Lightning gave a low whistle at that. "Damn, I don't envy you at all. You really got the short end of the stick there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Dash as she shook out her mane.

"Whoa, calm down, it's just she's kinda infamous for having a stick permanently shoved up her ass," she replied.

"Sounds about right," replied Dash with a shrug. "She's a horned freak, what more needs to b- Captain Spitfire!" She went for salute, only to stop half way and scratch the back of her neck instead. She needed to maintain her cover at all costs.

"Rainbow Dash." Spitfire sat down by the fire. "Recruit Lightning Dust, please report to Fleetfoot."

"Yes ma'am!" Lightning immediately saluted and walked off.

"Anything to report?" said Spitfire in a hushed tone.

"I know the location of The Pink Menace's base."

Spitfire's eyes widened. "You're certain?"

"Not the exact location, but I can direct you to it. It helps that they think I'm an idiot." Dash smirked and brushed some snow off her shoulder. "They let too much slip and I managed to catch a glimpse of the map they were using when travelling over the snow. There was enough there for me to figure out roughly where it is despite them blindfolding me when we went in and out."

"If you manage to pull this off, consider yourself a Wonderbolt."

"Thank you, ma'am." Dash hesitated before asking, "Did you find any weapons in the unicorn base?"

"Unfortunately, we're not in charge of that operation, we're here specifically for the temple."

Dash swallowed nervously, but at the same time, she felt energy flood her system. The mere fact that she was now working with the Wonderbolts meant she probably had the same clearance as the generals. Her dream was finally becoming a reality, it was finally happening, she was finally in a position to do something, to make something happen, to actually be on the front lines contributing and actually have an impact in this forsaken war.

And yet... Dash glanced over at Lightning. Was what they said true? Lightning wasn't the most... level headed of pegasi at the best of times, and more than once her desire to go faster, be greater, do more, had gotten other pegasi injured. No, that was just a trick, a ploy run by Twilight in an attempt to get inside her mind. That couldn't be the case, and right here, right now, she could prove it.

"Actually, Commander, does the name 'Scootaloo' mean anything to you?"

Spitfire frowned. "Sounds familiar, daughter to General Storm and Commander Hail, correct?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Any particular reason why you're so interested?" Spitfire turned her piercing gaze to Dash and she suddenly found herself very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

"Some of the pegasi that defected cited her as the main reason why," lied Dash. "If we can prove them wrong, that would undermine their ability to recruit. "

Spitfire nodded. "I see. Unfortunately, I was in the field when that particular incident took place, but once we meet up with the bulk of our force, I shall personally investigate."

"Thanks," said Dash as she glanced over at Twilight who was watching them. " I think she's starting to get suspicious."

"That's not important right now," said Spitfire as she stood up. "Don’t mention any of this to anypony else, got that? You’re not supposed to know about some of this information; I can tell you that the only other pony who even comes close to being qualified is Soarin, and even then I need to run it past my superiors."

Dash could only stare in shock as Spitfire walked off, settling down next to Soarin so that he could drape a wing over her shoulders. She knew she was on an important mission, that it was critical even, but to have clearance like that? Just who was this unicorn and why were they so interested in her? Sure, the information she was pursuing was important, war changing even, but for her to be such a priority target just did not make sense. There was something more here, there had to be something more at work, but what was it?

"Okay, I'm officially scared, Rainbow Dash is thinking. Actually thinking." Lightning flopped down beside her. "The world is about to end, I just know it is."

"Har, har, go suck yourself," said Dash.

"Geez, a week without me and you're already boring." Dash leaned to the side, easily avoiding Lightning's attempt to ruffle her mane. "See? Booooooooring."

"More like tired and sore," said Dash flatly. "Look, it's great seeing you again, but all I want is to relax and sleep."

"I forgot how grumpy you are when tired," muttered Lightning. "Fine, whatev's."

"Thanks." Dash tossed her backpack on the ground and curled up on the floor next to the fire. "We can talk in the morning, alright?"

Lightning merely rolled her eyes and pulled out a blanket from her bag as she settled down next to Dash. "Yeah, yeah. And seriously, no blanket?"

"Not all of us can afford to travel in luxury."

"What can I say? The benefits of being in the Wonderbolts."

"You wish you were a Wonderbolt."

"Just because I get a totally awesome outfit and you don't."

That got yet another eye roll. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Night."

"Night, Dash..."

It was meant to be a simple and straightforward thing. Grab a needle, grab some thread, patch up her clothes so that she could actually sleep without shivering half to death. But as soon as she had stepped through that door with that bundle of supplies, she had been mauled by that stupid unicorn, and the next thing she knew, she was standing on the spot while Rarity measured away .

And the constant chatter was back.

A couple days of silence, that was all she had managed to get. Barely a week of minimal talk, and now? Now it was all back, and Applejack was reminded of just how much she hated that mare and her constant talking. Maybe she could get one of those muzzles they had tried to make her wear and shove it on the mare. Although it had only been a couple minutes of bleeding ears and now she was resting nice and quietly on her bed, watching the unicorn work away.

It was freaky how perky Rarity got at the sight of those supplies. She was bouncing, humming, dancing and swaying to some unknown music as she worked away. Despite the complete lack of magic, she was surprisingly quick. There was no fumbling of her hooves, no uncertainty in her actions, instead she worked away just as confidently as she had in the past. Maybe a bit slower now, but she was still working away far too comfortably for a horned freak.

It was a curious little thing, another piece of the puzzle that made up this mare, and Applejack was determined to figure out what made her tick. A horned freak did not act the way she did, they were not kind and they did not treat earth ponies nicely. Nor did they trust so easily, there was always a hint of doubt in their eyes, that life of backstab or be backstabbed. But this one, this one was different. It took the bath three nights ago to realize that, but now that she had, she was convinced there was something wrong about her. Perhaps not wrong exactly, perhaps it would be more accurate to say there was something right about her. In the same way MacIntosh acted in a way unfitting for an earth pony, Rarity acted in a way that was different from how unicorns normally acted.

A sigh escaped and Applejack closed her eyes, just listening to the sound of Rarity's humming and her hooves against the ground. There was something nice about this. Everything was just so simple and straightforward and, not quiet exactly, more like calming. Yeah, it was calming in this little room, her own personal retreat where she could go to get away from everypony and everything.

There was a polite knock on the door and she glanced across at Rarity, who seemed completely oblivious. With a small shrug, she trotted over to the door and opened it just a crack to peek out and there stood a familiar earth pony, but from where?

"I was wondering if we could, um, talk? About that thing we discussed last time," he said.

Recognition dawned in Applejack's eye and she nodded. Instead of letting him in though, she slipped out and locked the door behind her. While it wasn't exactly a secret a unicorn was sharing a room with her, that didn't mean the other earth ponies were happy about it. After all, when your entire race was a slave race, slavery was generally frowned on, and Applejack did not want to take any chances.

"My room again?" he asked nervous.

Another nod.

"A-Alright, come on." He trotted off, and not for the first time, Applejack wondered what his name was. Then again, it's not like that actually mattered.

Though they got some curious looks and more than one pony jumped to conclusions if their hushed whispering was any indication, nopony actually stopped them. A small flush may have touched her cheeks, but it was nothing she wasn't used. If they wanted to talk, let them talk. She had endured servitude under Nine Tails, and if she could withstand that, she could withstand anything. Words had no weight, words could not harm, let them talk.

Eventually, they reached his room and they slipped in, locking the door as they did so. They stood there in an awkward silence, staring at each other, neither speaking, as Applejack waited for him to speak first.

"I... um... I think you're right about the whole torture thing and MacIntosh, but..." He licked his lips and looked away. "I can't join without knowing what you want to do."

"Ah want... Ah want a place where monsters like him don't exist." Applejack closed her eyes and she could see Rarity in her mind's eye. "Ah've realized something, something I didn't know until I saw MacIntosh doing that. There are good and bad ponies, and they are not in line with race. MacIntosh? He's a bad pony, but maybe he can change." She let out a long slow breath. "Ah hope he can change."

"So what, just kill him if he can't?" He took a step forward, but Applejack merely chuckled at his attempt to look aggressive.

"Sugarcube, he's my brother." Not that blood relations had stopped her in the past, but he didn't know that. "Even if he ain't gonna change, as long as we can convince him to not take so much pleasure in it or to let somepony else do the dirty work, Ah ain't fussed. As long as he tries to be good, Ah'm content."

"And if he can't?" he pressed.

"Then we ask him to step down." Applejack's eyes hardened and when she took a step forward, he took one back. "And no, Ah will not be the one in charge, Ah don't want to be in charge, but Ah will not allow us to stoop to the level of those horned and feathered freaks. Ah will not let us become monsters in order to defeat monsters."

"I agree, but..." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, fine, there are a couple of ponies I know who are interested as well, if you want, we can meet them now."

Applejack nodded. "Ah'm hungry anyways, might as well talk it over some lunch."

"Is that really the smartest thing to do considering the nature of our conversation?"

"Ah doubt anypony will overhear in that noisy place." She paused at the door and grinned back at him. "And Ah ain't so stupid as to not consider this could be a trap, something ya ought to have thought of yaself."

He just blinked and nodded slowly before following her out.

"So what's ya name, sugarcube?"

"Fertile Soil." Short, sharp, straight to the point and no waffle about what his friends called him. Better than the nervous talk from before.

With a simple nod, they walked into the barracks and Applejack simply inclined her head. For a brief second, he looked at her quizzically before understanding dawned and he began walking off to the side. Already she could feel her stomach rumbling away at those heavenly scents, but she restrained herself. However, she did make a mental note to take some of those apples back to Rarity, she absolutely loved them and just couldn't get enough of them.

Eventually they sat down at a table in the corner opposite two mares and a stallion.

"The two mares are Snowy and Lemon Drops, the stallion is Red River." Applejack snorted at the names. Easy enough to remember since they matched up with their coat colors, but talk about unimaginative. "This is Ap-"

"Golden," Applejack snapped. "My name is Golden."

That got a curious look, but Fertile nodded. "Very well, this is Golden, the mare I was talking about."

"MacIntosh's sister, right?" asked Snowy. "Makes me wonder why you're the one wanting this to begin with."

"Ah just want what's best for my family," replied Applejack.

"And that means killing them?" she pressed.

"Would you rather be dead or a slave ?" replied Applejack.

That got a pause out of her. When she went to say more though, Red simply placed a hoof on her shoulder and shook his head. Almost immediately her mouth snapped shut, though it looked like she wanted to say more.

"So what's the plan?" asked Lemon Drops.

"Wait, you're just jumping on board with this?" hissed Fertile, "We don't even know what her end goal is."

"A place without monsters right?" Lemon removed her thick hood to reveal a half chewed off ear. "Unlike you, some of us have actually been slaves, and we know exactly what Golden's thinking without having to hear it. MacIntosh... he's a good leader, a strong leader, but some of us aren't ready to sell our souls to Discord just yet."

"That's because some of you were slaves and don't know how bad the situation is!" snapped Snowy. "You haven't seen base after base demolished. You haven't fought through blood and tears only for everything to be worthless. You haven't seen our territory shrink until this base, this single base, is the only real place for earth ponies. This is it. Look around you! Count the earth ponies, because there won't be many more free ones other than the ones you see right now."

"Well yo-" Lemon blinked as Applejack stood up. "Where are you going?"

"It's clear ya haven't made up your mind. Fertile knows where my room is, come see me once you've decided." Grabbing a plate of apples, she tossed it onto her back and trotted out, ignoring the looks she was getting from those around her.

Before she had even taken five steps, Lemon was right there beside her, her hood up once more. "I'm with you. As long as you don't start torturing, I'm with you and I'll stick by you. I'll talk to some of the other ex-slaves, but I should warn you, all they care about is revenge."

"We were slaves and now we're not, if we can see the light, they can too," said Applejack. "Just be discrete, ya hear?"

She nodded and peeled off, heading off towards another table as Applejack made her way out of the room. With the plate on her back, it took a couple minutes to get back to her room, but she was just glad the halls were empty. Unlocking her door, she stepped through and closed it behind her, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watched Rarity sewing. Probably didn't even know she had left and so caught up in the fantasy world of hers that she wouldn't eat unless forced.

Typical unicorn behavior.

With a huff, Applejack slipped the plate onto the nearby table and took a bite out of an apple, shivering in delight at the crisp crunch that echoed through the room. Still no reaction. Without a second thought, she began chewing loudly, and almost immediately, Rarity's head snapped across, her eyes narrowed.

"How many times have I told to not chew with your mouth open!" she demanded before the fog cleared from her eyes. "Are those apples?" With something like foalish glee, she trotted over and began chowing into the first one. "Oh these are absolutely divine. I cannot believe how you get such good food so easily, I swear I must have died and gone to Elysium." She paused and glanced around her at the messy room. "Well half way there at least. Really, Golden, you need to clean up your room."

Applejack merely shrugged began chewing normally while looking over her old clothes. She had expected a simple patch up job, just sewing some fabric over the hole, but this was just crazy. That insane horned freak had completely altered the collar and fit of the thing, even going so far as to use a combination of light blue and white to make it more camouflaged as well as some fur around the hood and cuffs. The broken zipper was gone, replaced with a new one, buttons were added to cuffs, and was that extra lining on the inside? There were even extra pockets lining the inside as well. This wasn't a patch up job, this was an entirely new outfit, a high quality one at that.

Slipping a hoof into the jacket, she began pulling it on, zipping it on at the front and blinked in surprise. It fit perfectly. The sleeves were the perfect length, the jacket hugged her snugly, and though it ended a tad higher than she liked, even she had admit the thing fit her perfectly. It was just... perfect. Pulling the hood up, she blinked in surprise at the fabric that dropped out and with a bit of fiddling, she managed to get it around her muzzle and buttoned it up on the other side. Mere seconds into wearing it, she could already feel sweet breaking out across her brow.

"I dare say, it's not very polite to try on your new clothes before they are done."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow at Rarity.

"Oh don't worry, it's nothing serious, it's just the pants are half done. Now out, out I say! I must continue before my muse flees at the sight of such a fashion atrocity. Blue and white jacket with brown dirty pants? I think I may just go blind. Now out!"

Despite the stupid drama, Applejack slipped it off. Just like that, it was snapped away and Rarity went back to her work, occasionally munching away on her apple, but otherwise completely wrapped up in her crazy little world. But Applejack didn't mind, not really. When the real world was as brutal and disgusting as it was, perhaps a bit of insanity was what she needed to get through everything, and considering how happy Rarity seemed in her crazy little world, it surely couldn't be any worse than how things were now.

Silently, Applejack lay down on her bed, just watching the mare work away. That song she was humming... it sounded so familiar, and when Applejack closed her eyes, she could almost remember something. Something important, something significant, but no matter how hard she reached for it, her hooves would always come back empty.

It was... it was... it was the song her mother sung to her when she couldn't sleep. That song, when was the last time she had heard it? It had been so long, too long, and her heart ached for more. This horned freak, this monster didn't have the right to know that song, to sing that song, and yet Applejack couldn't bring herself to stop her. If she closed her eyes and pretended the voice was a bit lower, she could escape from reality and return to that place of comfort and safety that had been ripped from her. Something that she only found in the sweetest dreams, and even then, there was that constant whisper of doubt in the back of her mind. But here and now, all she had to do was ignore that voice and she could hide. For a couple of seconds, maybe even a minute, she could just relax and feel safe.

And as she lay there, getting lulled away by the sweetest of voices, words began forming in her mind. At first they were fuzzy and hidden, half formed things that made more sense, but as the song repeated for the second time, they solidified in her mind until she could remember some of the words. Not all of them, but it was enough.

My little pony

Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh...

Chapter 15

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"Come on, let's go."

Dash groaned and rubbed her eyes, blinking wearily up at the unicorn, and sighed. Yet again, she found herself ripped out of her dream, and yet again, she had to stop herself from punching that horned freak in the face. Rolling over, Dash stretched out her limbs and cracked her neck, relief flowing through her entire body.

"Really? Middle of the night again?" yawned Dash as she untangled herself from Lightning Dust's wing, shivering as the warmth fled immediately. "Fine, whatever, but we'll be scouted out by the Wonderbolts before we're even three steps out."

"Considering their lookout is fast asleep? Highly unlikely," smirked Twilight as she brushed past. "Now come on, and try not to make too much noise."

"Wait, they're asleep?" hissed Dash. "What the fuck are they doing sleeping?"

"It probably had something to do with the sleeping drought I put in Soarin's food. That stallion cannot say no to food apparently," chuckled Twilight.

"You poisoned him!?"

"Shhhhh, geez, it's like you want us to get caught. And it's not that big of a deal, it merely makes them fall into a really deep slumber. It's not actually poisonous, you know." Twilight looked out the cave entrance and leapt down and out of sight.

For a brief second, she considered waking Spitfire, but then Dash caught sight of a pair of yellow eyes gazing unblinkingly at her. Swearing under her breath, she quickly followed Twilight onto the outcropping, and Spike came swooping down after her. With their flanks against the wall, they began edging across the ledge. Dash was no stranger to heights, in fact she loved them, but as she slowly made her way along the cliff face, along the all too narrow and crumbling ledge, she felt something like panic grip her. It wasn't fear though, of course not! After all, only useless pegasi feared heights.

If that horned freak could stroll along the edge as though she was walking through a field of snow, then so could Dash. Eyes narrowed, Dash took a deep breath and began moving forward once more. The ledge beneath her hoof crumbled, but with the reflexes only a pegasus could have, she leapt forward. A quick glance behind her revealed the entire section had dropped away and she felt her heart leap to her throat. She looked over the edge, just in time to see the stone hit an outcropping and shatter into a million pieces before continuing out of sight.

Gulping, she got back onto her shaky hooves and shook the image from her mind. She was a pegasus. She was not afraid of falling, she was not scared of heights. Her shaking hooves was because of the adrenaline and nothing more. There was no need to read into it.

"Twilight, this is too risky," said Spike.

"It's the only way." She stopped and began looking around. After a couple of seconds she turned and tried to climb up the mountain side only for the hoofhold to break, sending her back down. "Damn it! Spike, help me look for a way across."

"Twilight, there’s no way across from here."

"Then find one," she snapped.

"And leave you two to freeze?" As if to emphasize his point, he slipped out of Twilight's shirt and flew over to Dash, slipping under her jacket. "I think not."

"Spike..." she said warningly and Dash rolled her eyes.

"Look, how far away is the temple?" Dash craned her neck out and looked down the canyon. "I can probably do some light gliding so if you've got some rope, I can hop across to that ledge down there and set it up."

"Very well." Twilight reached into her bag and drew out a bundle of rope. "As long as you think your wing can take the strain."

"Of course they can. " With a bit of shuffling around, Dash managed to get her good wing out, but her injured one stayed firmly stuck inside her jacket. With a growl of frustration, she bit down on the fabric and pulled hard, straining it at the seams.

"Here, let me help."

"I don't need your help!" yelled Dash and the sound of rumbling could be heard in the distance.

"Keep your voice down," hissed Twilight as she began fiddling with the button. After a second it popped open. "Spike, can you help me with these bandages?"

"Sure." Spike slipped out, leaving Dash shivering uncontrollably as he began working on the bandages. After a minute of silence she heard a growl. "Damn it, how does a pony get bandages on so tight without claws?"

"Meet Fluttershy," smirked Dash, "the best damn medic you'll ever find, and Sun help you if you find yourself on the receiving end of her care."

"Until you've seen Pinkie playing medic, you don't know what fear is," muttered Twilight under her breath.

Before Dash could ask what she meant by that, she felt the bandages loosen and she immediately threw her wings open, shivering in delight as the wind ran through her feathers. With a manic grin, she leapt off the ledge, completely ignoring the yells of the horned freak as she caught the wind under her wings. A spike of pain ran through her back, causing her wings to falter and drop her a couple meters in the air. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to flap once to regain height. Even then, her hooves only just clipped the ledge and she crashed head first into the ground. Groaning, she rolled onto her back, and shook the snow off her body before climbing back onto her hooves.

"You forgot these," said Spike as he tossed the bundle of rope down to her. "And nice landing."

"Oh suck it," snarled Dash as she grabbed the rope. "There's nowhere to tie it down to."

"Think you can hold onto it long enough for her to swing across and climb up?" he asked.

"Do you trust me enough to do that?"

"When she gets like this? Nothing will convince her otherwise, and for once, I'm forced to agree with her. We need to get there before the Wonderbolts, and considering they can fly? Every second counts." Spike sighed and shook his head. "Look, just... hold onto it and try not to slip alright? And I'll get this over and up to the Twilight."

"Whatever." Biting down on the rope, she stepped back from the ledge and dug in her hooves. A couple seconds later there was a gout of flame from the opposite side, and Dash flared open her wings, too. After a second of stillness, the horned freak jumped off the clip, the rope went taut, and Dash felt her neck being ripped out of its socket.

Snarling, Dash pulled back and began dragging the rope with her. Just how fat was this horned freak She wrapped the rope around a hoof and moved onto her hind legs, leaning backwards in an attempt to balance the weight out. Muscles straining, she took one step, then a second, then third, and as she took the fourth, a purple hoof appeared over the edge. A second later, Twilight crawled up, sweat dripping down her brow, the air before her misting over as she panted heavily.

No comments were made, nothing was said. Instead, Dash collected up the rope and hung it around her neck as she brushed past. With a shrug, Dash followed and this time, when they reached the end of their little outcropping, there were enough hoofholds to make it up to the next ledge.

In total silence, they moved through the night, leaping from ledge to ledge with practiced ease. More than once Dash had to fly ahead, but not once did she drop that horned freak, after all, she still had a mission to complete. This unicorn obviously knew more than she let on, and if the temples were trapped, then the best chance of surviving them came from that freak. But it would have been so simple, too simply let the rope 'slip,' and let the unicorn plummet to her death. And if she used magic to survive? Well, that meant she could use magic, and that was a piece of crucial information.

As the sky began lighting up, they found themselves huddled inside a small indent in the cliff face, hidden from the wind as Spike scouted ahead.

"Where is he? He's been gone for hours now," said Dash as she tried to rub some warmth back into her legs.

"I imagine he's found something and is getting a good overview."

"Or we went the wrong way and now we're fucked," muttered Dash.

"Regardless, we should give him the benefit of the doubt. He has not failed me yet, and I do not expect him to start anytime soon." Like the insane freak that she was, Twilight actually stuck her head out into the wind without her hood on. "Actually, come take a look at this. Your eyes are better than mine."

Rolling her eyes, Dash trotted over, but stayed out of the wind. "What do you want me to look at?"

"The hurricane to the north, is it larger than before?"

"What?" Frowning, Dash put her hood up and glanced her eyeing the mass of swirling clouds and the mountain range behind it. "It looks the same size. "

"Exactly. And we're further south than before, which means it should be smaller, but it's not." For the first time since Dash had met her, Twilight actually seemed worried. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"It's just some hurricane," snorted Dash.

"And did you forget about how it's always been there? How it’s inseparably entwined with magic? Whatever's hidden behind there, the unicorns want it. Whatever's behind there, the pegasi desire it. The only reason why the earth ponies haven't fought over it as well is because their territory is in the south!" Twilight groaned and rubbed her temples. "Something like that should not exist, and yet it does."

"And how do you know all this?"

"I've got my sources."

"As if."

"Believe what you will, but I'm telling you, that hurricane is important. I just don't know how or why."

No doubt that was a lie for her to report to Spitfire. If that hurricane was important, she surely would have heard about it by now. There was no way something that big, that insane, that important, could be hidden for so long without it leaking out.

Before she could retort though, Spike dived in and shook the snow from his body. "Okay, I've found the temple, and it looks like they're all still there."

Twilight swore under her breath. "Any way for us to sneak in undetected?"

"Unlikely. From what I overheard, supplies were meant to arrive this morning but never did, so they're on high alert. It could just be timberwolves, but better safe than sorry," said Spike.

"Anything flammable?" asked Dash. "We can always smoke 'em out."

"And let them know something is up? That's pure stupidity," said Twilight. "What we should do is slip in now and get to the temple before most of the guard is awake."

"A bit too late for that. With the missing supplies, all the guards are already awake," said Spike.

"Did you at least get an overview of where everything is?" asked Twilight.

"Couldn't get inside, but from the look of things, it's two temples on opposite sides of the canyon. They've built a bridge linking the two, or fixed it up, not sure which. At either end, it's just a simple tunnel into what I assume to be the main temple. If it's anything like the other one we found, there'll be some sort of trial we need to get through in order to actually get in, and once we're in, it'll probably be a singular chamber. "

"So where's their base then?" asked Twilight.

"There's a cave just to the side of one of the temples. It's large enough to store supplies and sleep in, so that's what they've been using."

A grin began forming on Dash's face. "Say, Spike, how easy would it be for you to get in there and, I dunno, accidentally set their supplies on fire?"

"What is it with you and fire?" said Twilight.

"Actually, that's a pretty interesting idea. If it’s like the other temple, all we really need to do is touch the door," said Spike.

"That's a very big 'if' and consider their placement relative to each other and what they symbolize. The sun and moon. If the legends are to be believed, there's some sort of duality there and that means we probably have to do both simultaneously, " said Twilight.

So that was it. That was why she hadn’t been left behind in that cesspool. The freak needed somepony for the other half of the trial, and better an enemy you know than one you don’t. Everything had been calculated, strings had been pulled, and now Dash found herself grinding her teeth together in frustration. No doubt that horned freak also knew about her connection with Spitfire, and deliberately took her along so that if she failed, nothing would get back to the Wonderbolts. The worst part was, they needed this bitch and as long as that was the case, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

"What if we got into position, had Spike start a fire, and then slipped in?" asked Dash.

"You'd still have to get to the other side, and there's no way to get across that bridge without being seen," said Spike.

"So in other words, we're fucked," said Dash with a groan. "You know what would have been easier? Just sticking with the Wonderbolts. At least that way we would’ve had help taking the place down."

"Actually..." Twilight trailed off, gazing off into the distance. "Maybe we could still use that. When the Wonderbolts strike, we can cross in the confusion."

"Better idea," said Dash as she grinned at Twilight. "I beat you up a bit, you grab what supplies we have left, and stumble in with some story about being attacked. I wait on this side, you get led to the other side. Spike starts the fire and we slip in."

There was a beat of silence as the horned freak and drake both stared at Dash.

"That's... actually a good plan," said Spike.

"It might work," said Twilight slowly, "but if it fails, it will fail spectacularly. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of choice in the matter. Alright, so here's the plan: Spike will keep an eye on me while I bluff my way in. Dash, you’ll stay on this side and wait for the guards to come out. Once you think it's safe, run inside. If it's like the other temple, just go up to the door and put your hoof on it."

"Well, it's not really a door," said Spike."It's more of a portal thingie. Don't worry, you'll know it when you see it."

"Right." Dash stretched out her wings and grinned. "Just make sure you don’t mess up."

"Dash," growled Twilight, "safe means no killing."

"Pffft, maybe for a horned freak like you, but a bit of blood never hurt anypony," said Dash. "Plus, it's not like they'll be able to take me down anyway."

"That overconfidence will get you killed someday," said Spike.

"Why do you care?" she snapped back. "Can we get on with this? We know what we're doing, we know how we're doing this, and I thought we were in a hurry."

Spike opened his mouth to answer, but Twilight merely shook her head and said, "Very well. Spike, you're with me and Dash? Try not to get yourself killed."

"Go suck yourself."

"No doubt you'd love to watch that," replied Twilight as she walked back out and threw her hood up against the cold. "You coming or not?"

Muttering curses under her breath, Dash followed then out, making sure to keep far enough back that she'd get a chance to hide if another horned freak popped up out of nowhere. Still, this plan was better than anything the freak could have come up with. There was probably some evidence on how the horn made them dumber. After all, it was a horn sticking out of their freaking head and that definitely had to have consequences.

This time, it took barely an hour before the bridge Spike had seen came into view. It hung suspended in the air, just below them, but it was so far up that when she looked down, all she could see was swirling white mist. On the near side of the bridge, there was a set of even more rickety looking scaffolds that led up to the cave entrance.

Together they settled down, barely hidden behind a small outcropping of rock. Even in the chill cold of pre-dawn, there were already horned freaks swarming the entire area.

"Over there is the entrance," said Spike pointing to a ledge a good couple hundred meters away. "If you move up to that ledge up there, you can swing down with a rope."

Dash looked over the gorge and for the first time, she could actually make out the other side. It was blurry, it was tiny, and even with her expert vision, she couldn't make out a single thing about the other side, not even if there was a scaffold over there.

"You stay here. Once we go a bit further, Twilight will signal the unicorns, they'll come along and investigate. Once we get to the other side, wait for the smoke and flames."

"Burn the bridge," said Twilight after a second. "Split up their forces and prevent them from responding in time."

"Are... you certain?" Spike frowned, but relented when Twilight nodded. "Very well."

"That good for you?" asked Twilight.

"It's passable," replied Dash. No doubt with a bit more time and a map, she could come up with a flawless plan, or at least one that was cooler and awesomer than this lame thing. Fire was good and all, but it also attracted attention.

"Alright, stay out of sight then." Before Dash could respond, Twilight leapt down, disappearing into the mist. A second later, she reemerged later down the path as she climbed up onto another small outcropping. As she watched the unicorn jump from ledge to ledge, dipping in and out the mist, Dash found herself growing bored.

Unbidden, she turned around and gazed back along their path. A part of her wished for the Wonderbolts to come into view, for something, anything to happen so that she could get out of this death sentence. Another part, though, wished they wouldn't, because if they did, they might end up proving Scoots right. After all, Lightning Dust, a Wonderbolt? Not that she wasn't glad to see her friend get in, but... there were few pegasi more reckless than her. Everything came down to being the best, being the coolest, showing every other pegasi just how awesome she was and that wasn't leadership material. Lightning was a good pony, a great one even, but she was far too reckless to be a Wonderbolt! She was willing to take too many risks, to have a plan with too many if's and too willing to put others in harm's way just so she could stand out.

And if Lightning got in, wouldn’t that be true for all of them? Would every single last Wonderbolt be willing to rush headlong into a suicide mission without a second thought? She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't believe it and she didn't want to take that chance to be proven wrong. Hoof slamming into the ground, Dash let out a growl of frustration, biting back a scream just in time.

She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Slowly, she exhaled and opened them, returning her gaze to Twilight. Three guards had surrounded her, and though Dash was too far away to know what was being said, she could guess. Probably some stupid excuse that wouldn’t fly past the most brain-dead pegasus, but the unicorn guards seemed to be swallowing whole.

She immediately began analyzing the situation before her. Each unicorn was numbered, tracked, and their role identified. Twenty guards in total; six roaming the bridge, ten guarding the actual entrance, and another four on lookout in the scaffolding in an attempt to get vision no doubt. There were a couple more horned freaks walking around, probably egghead types sent in to examine the temple. Not that it'd do anything considering how stupid they were, but their flailing around was worth a good laugh.

Sighing, she began inching forward, keeping an eye on the guards on the scaffold. With the height advantage and her distinctive tail, all it would take was one quick glimpse and she was done. Licking her dry lips, Dash reached out for the first hoofhold and tested its stability. With a satisfied nod, she began climbing up, and though some loose rock crumbled beneath her weight, her superior pegasus reflexes allowed her recover without a problem. She ignored the sweat that stung her eyes and the burning of her limbs as she pulled herself up and over. Rolling over onto a ledge, she allowed herself a couple deep gulps of air before climbing back to her hooves.

It was only once she was above the scaffolding did she finally relax and stretch out her wings. A quick glance over at the other side of the chasm revealed no flames, no panicking, no signal that Twilight was ready. Her eyes darted back to the guards and though one was looking in her direction, there was no tension in his frame or anything to indicate he had noticed she was there. Nonetheless, she moved slowly, each step placed with expert care. He could look all he wanted, but as long as her mane and tail were hidden, there was no way he'd be able to see a thing. Typical blind horned freak, really.

She had expected it to be subtle. She had expected it to start off as some smoke and maybe a slow response from the guards. What she was not expecting was a sudden gout of flame that exploded from the cliff wall, sending unicorns screaming in all directions. As guards rushed over to help out, the trap was sprung. Just as the majority of them were on the bridge, one end was freed, sending countless horned freaks to their deaths. A sneak attack was one thing, but this was outright slaughter. In one move, that monster had killed off at least half the horned freaks. Sure, she didn't feel any love for them, but to do something like this, even to a bunch of traitors, left a pit in Dash's stomach and it took all her willpower to not throw up right there and then.

Gritting her teeth, Dash raced forward, leaping off the ledge and throwing her wings open. She tried to ignore the screams and cries for help as the unicorns fell to their deaths, but even with the rush of wind and the adrenaline, their voices kept echoing her in mind. Why did she care how they died? They were horned freaks, they were the bloody enemy, every single last death was a good thing, every one killed made the world a better place.

She slammed down onto one of the guards, instantly snapping his neck. Rolling with the momentum, she came right up into the second guards face, but he immediately teleported back. Typical freak cowardice. Rushing forward, she sidestepped the downward slice and slid in under his guard. Two quick punches followed by a low sweep sent him tumbling down the side of the cliff.

All the warning was a flash of light behind her, but with her superior reflexes, that was all Dash needed. She flung herself off the side, using her wings to angle herself towards the scaffolding. Skidding to a stop, she skipped back, dodging two blades coming straight her before slipping off once more onto the level below her. Like an idiot, the unicorn before her began powering up a spell and Dash moved in. A quick strike to the chest to throw him off balance, followed by a blow to the base of the horn, easily cracking it off and sending the spell out of control.

He screamed in pain, the smell of burning flesh filled the air as sparks flew in all directions. Dash leapt off, grabbing hold of a net dangling off the edge. Bolts of lightning struck the wooden structure again and again, sending the entire thing crumbling to the ground before an all-consuming explosion sent Dash flailing through the air towards the cliff face. Twisting in midair, she landed with a roll and dusted herself off. Useless freaks. When they couldn’t just blow everything up with their magic at long range, they were useless.

She ignored the screams, the pleading, the freaks on fire and simply began making her way up the cliff face once more. She ignored the unconscious bodies on the ground, not even bothering to kick them as she entered the cave. Once more she returned to her cautious walk, eyes constantly darting around as she stepped with light hooves. If they were smart—a big ‘if’—then there'd be some guards posted inside the cave.

And yet there was nothing, just an empty room with a weird, shimmering portal at the end. It looked like a mirror, standing as tall as the large double doors of the palace in Cloudsdale, and was even classier, with golden leave s and pictures of the sun etched around the entire frame. When she stepped fully into the room, it felt as though she had walked into a hot bath. Everything was just so hot, unbearably so, and she was forced to open the front of her jacket or be melted.

Walking far more cautiously than she probably needed to, she approached the weird thing, wings half-unfurled. Slowly, she reached out with her hoof and touched the surface, blinking surprise at how cool it was. Ripples moved outwards and she pulled back in surprise. Or at least, she tried to. Instead, she found her hoof stuck to the mirror, unable to move as it began drawing her in. Panic flooded her as she struggled against the pull, but it was useless. She was drawn, in inch by inch.

And then the pulling stopped. Sure, she was shoulder-deep in the blasted thing, but at least it stopped. Taking a deep breath, she pressed her free foreleg against the frame, but just as she was about to begin pulling out, there was a hard tug and she went stumbling through head first.

Slamming into the ground, a groan escaped and she lay there, trying to fight the pain away and get back onto her hooves. For all she knew there could be horned freaks all around her waiting to attack. But when she went to move, her limbs would not respond. She could feel them, and they felt unrestrained, but they simply would not respond.

She turned to look to the side, or at least, she tried to. She willed her head to turn, forced it to turn, put every single last shred of willpower she had into turning her head, but even that didn't work. Had... had she broken her neck or something?

She looked around, but all she could see was inky darkness. At least her eyes could move. It had to be magic, there was no other explanation, some horned monster must have found her on the other side of the portal and done this to her. Some sick, twisted experiment no doubt.

"Well now, this is interesting."

Dash blinked. "T-Twilight?"

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah, where are you?"

"I don't know, it's completely dark," she replied. "I'm on the floor, floating almost and I can't move any of my limbs."

"Same. Where's Spike?"

"Outside, providing our distraction."

"I take it this didn't happen last time?"

"No. This wasn't expected at all."

Silence descended.

"We're fucked, aren't we?" asked Dash, her voice swallowed whole by the darkness.

"Perhaps. Can you see anything useful?"

"Can't move, remember?"

"Still, there must be som- Wait, I think I see something. You're... you're below me?"

"What?" Dash looked down and just managed to catch the barest hint of purple before her. It almost looked like a muzzle, but it was impossible to tell with the position she was in. In fact it almost looked as though... "We're reflections of one another. I walked through a mirror-like thingie and now we're reflecting each other."

"Reflections you say? Yes, I can see that now." Twilight fell silent for a couple of seconds. "I want to try something, I need you to slowly move your head to the right."

"Okay?" As much as she hated doing it, she followed that monster's instructions, and to her surprise, her head actually moved. Not as fast as she wanted it to go, but it still moved. In many ways, it felt like she was dragging her head through sludge. "I actually moved. I moved!"

"It's just as I feared, then."

"What?"

"We're mirror reflections of each other and that means for me to move, you have move in the exact same manner."

Dash frowned. "So for me to move my head to right, you had to move your head to the left."

"Exactly. When I imagined teamwork, I was not imagining this."

"You're telling me," muttered Dash.

"I don't know about you, but this position is killing my back. How about we get out of it?"

Typical horned freak, complaining about useless things. Still, maybe she had a point, it wasn't painful or anything, but now that she had mentioned it, Dash did feel a bit of a strain along her back, particularly around where her wings were.

"Fine," spat Dash, "how do you suggest we do this then?"

"Slide your right foreleg out, then the left, then we'll push up fast," said Twilight.

If she could move her head, she would have nodded. Slowly, as though she was moving through sludge, Dash began sliding her hoof out. Some of it felt natural, but sometimes it felt as though something was fighting against her. It was almost painfully slow progress, but as long as they wouldn’t die from the cold, time was meaningless and this place was warm as could be. It reminded her of being snuggled in bed with the fire roaring away beside her.

"Hindlegs now," said Twilight, "same as before."

"I'm not an idiot, you know," Dash growled, even as she did what was asked of her and soon they were standing up. "Now what?"

"I... don't know."

"Surprise, surprise," muttered Dash and this time, she felt a slight tugging sensation on her head. Instead of fighting it though, she turned with it and found herself scanning her surroundings. "I'm just glad we're not hearing each other's thoughts."

Though it wasn't her body that shuddered, Dash could still feel it. "Don't say things like that. I swear, that'll be a fate worse than Tartarus."

"Agreed." Dash blinked, eyes snapping down to look at the horned freak. "Wait, what is that supposed to mean!?" She looked down at the horned fre- Dash's eyes widened further. "Wait, you're missing your horn!"

"And you're missing your wings," Twilight replied dryly.

"I'm what!?" Dash tried to look backwards, but she could feel Twilight resisting her. "Come on! This is important! No pony, and I mean no pony, messes with my wings!"

"Fine, if you insist," sighed Twilight.

Together their heads turned around and Dash stared at the empty spot on her back. "My... my wings. My beautiful wings..." She grit her teeth. "Alright, that's it, I'm kicking the flank of whoever took my wings and I better get them back or I'll make that bitch suffer."

"Stop acting like a foal and help me!" yelled Twilight and Dash allowed her head to snap across, momentarily letting Twilight take the reins. "There must be a way out of here, a path or something."

"Well, might as well start walking." It felt so dirty, so wrong to actually work together with that monster, but there was no other way to survive this, and, most importantly, find out what was being protected. Sure, Dash was no horned freak, but she knew strong magic when she saw it and this? This was well beyond the reports they had of what unicorns were capable of.

And as they took that first step, a ripple rang out from the point of contact, and in its wake glass was formed. There was no wind, not even the barest hint of magic as a small platform appeared beneath their very hooves and before them lay a single narrow corridor. A quick glanced behind them, a quick look to the sides and they found themselves forced to walk this singular path. It was weird. Neither really wanted to take the lead. Sure, they both needed to want to move, but felt so natural to drop into leader-follower roles. One pony to set the pace and moved the limb, and the other passively let it happen. Of course, Dash needed to want it to happen as well, but it was far more passive than before.

It just felt wrong to force someone out of their own mind, their own body, even if it was a horned freak. It felt too... demeaning. Was that the word she was looking for? Fluttershy had used it once, and it seemed to fit now. Maybe.

"So what, we just keep walking?" asked Dash, finally breaking the silence.

"Seems like it."

Dash began looking around, and felt Twilight following along with her actions. "You're the horned freak, what's going on in here?"

"I do not know, this is far beyond anyt-" The sound of shattering glass could be heard. "Did you just hear what I think I heard?"

Slowly, the two looked behind them, and their eyes widened. The platform had shattered into a million pieces and the walkway was collapsing at an alarming rate. Five, maybe six seconds, and they'd be falling off the edge to their doom. Both reacted simultaneously, both tried to run and in that split second, their limbs froze as they fought each other in panic.

"Right leg!" yelled Twilight and Dash immediately began moving her right leg. "Other right! My right, your left!"

The glass fell away from their hind hooves and they stumbled, searing hot pain flooding Dash's senses as the glass cut her leg. Reacting far faster than that freak could have, Dash found herself in charge as they leapt forward, just managing to get back onto solid land. Ignoring the pain, she began limping forward as fast as possible. As the ground before them dropped away, she felt Twilight getting ready for the jump and Dash immediately stepped back, letting that freak make the leap. Hitting the ground on the other side, she t ucked themselves into a ball, rolling with the momentum.

The walkway before them shifted, splitting up into a series of small platforms, spaced out all over the black void at varying heights.

"Oh fuck me," grumbled Dash as they made the next leap. "I can get us through this if you let me."

"I was about to say the same thing." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Very well, you have free rein for now, you’re a pegasus, after all."

"Damn right I am! And when I get my wings back, I’m going to kill whoever took them away."

Leaping down to the platform below, Twilight passed through her, sending a jolt through her. For a brief second, she saw somepony, a unicorn, with white coat and blue mane, and with it, Dash felt a flash of anger. But as quickly as that image appeared, it vanished, and she found herself hitting the platform below far harder than anticipated. Gritting her teeth against the ground shock, she forced herself forward, taking the turn at reckless speeds before blasting down the corridor, leaping forward, letting her hooves slam into the vertical panel on the left. One, two, three steps, then she left off and landed on the other side.

Hitting the spiral staircase, she took the steps two at a time, and once more she found herself passing through Twilight on the way up. This time, though, she saw something else, a ruined room. She saw ash coating the ground and armor lying in heaps. Even as the image slowly faded away, a sense of sadness, numbness and disgust remained.

As they hit the top of the steps, they found themselves on a wide circular platform with a single mirror at its center, a perfect replica of the one she walked through to begin with. She made to walk towards it, but the horned freak stopped her.

"Wait. This feels like a trap. Think about it, if it was this simple, the unicorns would have managed to get through as well." Twilight frowned, and they looked around. "There must be something more."

"Maybe it's just a portal to the next challenge," replied Dash, trying to shrug. "We've got nowhere to go, so we might as well go forward."

"I suppose you're right, but I do not like this. Not one bit."

A sigh escaped and Dash felt Twilight give in, letting them walk forward. Now that the adrenaline had drained away, the throbbing came back in full force, and Dash found herself limping forward. Each step caused another stab of pain, but she grit her teeth and kept going. There was no way she was going to let that horned freak see her in pain.

"Did you... did you see anything?" asked Twilight as they stopped before the mirror. "When we passed through each other, did you see anything?"

"...No. No I didn't, why?"

"No reason. Must have been a trick of the light," she replied and before Dash could react, their hooves were pressed up against the portal and a blinding white light filled her vision.

"A-Are you sure?" Fluttershy winced at the sound of something slamming into the wall. "You, um, want me to go in there?"

"Yes." That was it. No further explanation, no reassurances, nothing. Just one simple word as Eclipse knocked on the door, ignoring the whimper that came from Fluttershy. "General, I've got the pegasus you wanted."

The door clicked open and Fluttershy immediately slipped behind Eclipse, easily hiding behind his larger frame. They might have been animals, highly intelligent ones at that, but once they were that angry, very little could be done. It was best to just stay out of the way, keep them isolated until the anger wore off and everything calmed down. A cornered beast was the most dangerous kind of beast, after all. Or... or maybe she had been asked to come here to calm the beast down? That certainly made a lot of sense, though she wasn't quite sure how one went about calming down an enraged earth pony or unicorn. If they were anything like timberwolves, and they probably were, then perhaps a calm voice with small gestures would be best? Yes, that made sense. After all, despite the ability to talk, the art and their intelligence, they were still beasts on the inside.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy emerged from behind Eclipse and reached for the doorknob.

"That's not a good idea, the General doesn-"

"I'm sure I'll be fine," replied Fluttershy with a small smile. "After all, she did ask for me."

Before he could say another word, she turned the handle and stepped through. The first thing she saw was an upturned desk and a snarling pink pony pinning a mint green unicorn against the wall. But where was the pegasus? Where was the general? Had... had something happened to her?

"Um... Excuse me," said Fluttershy and she immediately mentally chastised herself. She had to be firm with creatures like these. It took a firm voice a long with a strong, but gentle hoof to get the message across to these creatures. "Look here missy, you will put that mare down right this instant!"

Both mares just stared at her.

"Please?" squeaked Fluttershy.

The pink mare turned to the unicorn. "This her?"

"Y-Yes!"

The earth pony stepped back, letting the unicorn slump to the ground, gasping for breath as she rubbed her throat.

"General Pinkie Pie, I suppose you could say I'm the one in charge of this place," said the pink mare and Fluttershy found her mouth dropping open.

This... this was an earth pony! In charge! How did that make sense? Surely one of the pegasi here would make a better commander. Any of them would have made a better commander! They wouldn't have that inherent aggression or cowardly attitude that the earth ponies or unicorns had, and pegasi were naturally superior. With their reflexes, eyesight, and so much more, surely there had to be a pegasus here who was just as qualified, if not more so. The mere fact that there were pegasi here meant there was a pony more qualified!

"And I'm Lyra, second in command!" The unicorn waved a hoof from her upside down position on the floor. "And we've been waiting for you!"

S-Second in command? What was wrong with this place!? To have these two animals in charge when there were perfectly healthy pegasus out there who were more than capable of doing it? There was no way these two foals were more competent than pegasi. Even Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust would have been more competent!

"Yeppers peppers we have!" Fluttershy shrunk back at Pinkie booped her nose. "We've looked high and low, low and high, high and low for you, and now here you are! I can tell we're just going to get along marvelously!"

"Um... well, that is... er..." Fluttershy looked back at Eclipse helplessly, but he was already gone. "What can I help you with...?"

"Your friends, Rainbow Dash and Twilight, do you know where they're going?" asked Pinkie.

"Where... they're going?" Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. "No, I assumed we'd be staying here, for a while longer at least."

"And you're telling the truth?" asked Pinkie as Lyra's horn lit up.

"O-Of course!" At their flat stares, Fluttershy stumbled back towards the door, only to find it shut tight behind her. "Why, did something happen?"

"They've gone missing, and you're telling me you know absolutely nothing about it?" snarled Pinkie and all of a sudden, Fluttershy found herself pinned up against the wall, a blade at her throat. "What do I look like, an idiot?"

"N-No!" Fluttershy gulped and glanced down at the blade, seeing her own fearful eyes in the reflection. "I don't know anything! None of them told me anything! Spike didn't say a word about whatever their mission was, and Dash would never leave me behind."

There was a pause as the Lyra and Pinkie exchanged a look.

"She seems to be telling the truth," said Lyra with a shrug. "Of course, I've been wrong in the past."

"Should we go with something more... aggressive?" asked Pinkie, causing Fluttershy to shrink back further. The aggression was expected, but coming from the earth pony? That was a surprise indeed. After all, earth ponies were really pegasi that lost their wings due to their cowardice, so for her to be so aggressive, so forward, was concerning to say the least.

Or maybe... maybe it was for the best. If they regained their courage, maybe they'd get their wings back, and if that happened, there would be no more fighting. She wouldn't have to hold their hooves as they passed away, she wouldn't have to say the rites or burn their bodies. She wouldn't be the only one who cared that they were dead.

Lyra was suddenly in her face too, peering down at Fluttershy curiously. "So you're saying you've got no clue where they are."

Eyes flickering up to the glowing horn, Fluttershy swallowed nervously. "Y-Yes!"

"Yes, what?" hissed Lyra and Fluttershy felt something slimy slide around her neck.

"I don't know where they are!"

"Have they said anything? Plans or whatever?"

"N-No."

The grip suddenly tightened, causing her to gasp for breath, her heart hammering away even faster as her hind hooves flailed uselessly in the air.

"Think. Carefully," growled Lyra.

"No! No plans, not even the faintest idea where they could be!"

The grip tightened and though she tried to scream, nothing came out. Her breaths came in short gasps, desperately trying to draw in air, but she found it impossible, and soon the corners of her vision began blurring. She tried to move her hooves, to fight back, to push this insane mare off her, but they were held down, pinned to the wall as though she was nothing but a weak filly.

Just as the edges of her vision began darkening, the magic vanished and Fluttershy collapsed onto the ground. On her knees, she drew in ragged gasps of air, her lungs burning each and every single time.

"She's telling the truth," said Lyra.

"Useless," snorted Pinkie as they righted the table and laid out a map on top of it. "And you're certain this site marked out is fake?"

"Definitely. If it wasn’t, Twilight wouldn't have left the map behind."

"Perhaps she left them behind knowing you'd think that."

"That's why I sent the Blaze brothers to scout out the site just in case. They're the fastest I have, and they're competent enough to not get killed or eaten."

"Mind if, um, mind if I take it look at the map?" whispered Fluttershy, who suddenly found herself on the receiving end of two glares.

"Well, it's not like it's our map," said Lyra. "There's nothing important marked on it."

"Very well, I suppose it couldn't hurt nd it might jog your memory." Pinkie placed the map on the ground so Fluttershy could see it. "Anything at all jump out at you?"

The pegasus frowned and let her gaze wander across the map, from the Crystal Forest, to Canterlot Mountain, and down to Ghastly Gorge. "I think they said something about the valley?"

"That valley extends through the entire forest, almost into earthpony territory," growled Lyra.

"But it's a smaller area to search," said Pinkie, "and they only took enough supplies for two days. They either need to restock, or they can only travel one day out."

"Rainbow Dash is injured, so she can't fly," added Fluttershy. "But Spike can hunt and they can eat timberwolf sap."

"And they can just burrow under the snow at night," added Pinkie.

"Not really. The forest is known for dangerous creatures and from my studies on timbrewolves, they have excellent smell and digging powers. I'm uncertain about manticores, since I haven't been able to capture one alive, but the various reports I've gotten suggest they have acute hearing. As for dragons, well, Spike can apparently see body heat so hiding under snow is definitely out of the question," said Fluttershy absent-mindedly as she looked over the map. "That means they can travel for one day, maximum unless they refuel. Given timberwolves travel in packs of six at a minimum, that's too many for two ponies and a drake to take on."

The two ponies just stared at Fluttershy with their jaws hanging open.

"That is, if, you know, um..." she trailed off before squeaking and hiding behind her mane.

"And how do you know all this?" asked Lyra.

"Well... um..." Fluttershy looked away and scuffed her hoof against the floor, the rest of her words trailing off.

"Okay...?" Shaking her head to clear it, Pinkie returned her gaze to the map. "So we know it's a unicorn encampment, they probably have supplies there meaning they'll probably steal some. That means they probably have a two day maximum radius, three if they really push it." She drew a circle on the map. "So they must be in this area somewhere and since they marked out this northern place as the site, we can assume the actual site is actually in the south."

"Alright, I can get a group and get down there within a co-"

"Ma'am!" There came an urgent knock on the door. "Smoke has been spotted to the southwest."

"Or they can just burn down the entire forest," sighed Pinkie. "What is with that mare and fire? Alright, Lyra, gather up some ponies and get down there. You're in charge of this one, so show me what you can do."

"Righty-o! You can count on me, Oh Unbeatable General!"

Pinkie rolled her eyes and shoved Lyra towards the door. "Just get out there and do your thing."

"Well I'll make sure to have a blast of a time. Keeps the limbs nice and limber, from what I've heard."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Pinkie's lips. "Live life like a party: don’t regret a thing."

"Exactly!"Lyra opened the door and gave a mock salute. "Live fast, party hard!"

"And enjoy everything you do because if you're not enjoying it, it's not worth doing," chuckled Pinkie. "Get out of here before I start tripping down memory lane with you."

"Is that an order?"

"Nope, but I do order you to live, you crazy mare!" yelled Pinkie as Lyra finally vanished out the door. "I swear, she's more insane than I am."

"Ah..." Fluttershy licked her dry lips, unsure of how to respond to that comment.

"But more importantly-" The pegasus suddenly found herself on the wrong end of the blade yet again. "-I'm curious as to why you're helping us. After all, this is your friend we're talking about here."

And then, Fluttershy did something she had not done in a long time. She looked up from the ground, and stared Pinkie straight in the eye. Almost immediately, the earth pony froze, limbs trembling slightly as she was forced to stare back.

"I'm not doing this for her, and I'm not doing this you. I'm doing this for me," said Fluttershy, deliberately talking slowly so her words would sink through that thick earth pony skull. "I want to see how close earth ponies and unicorns are. I want to see if things can be reversed, and healed. And if it can then... then perhaps we can all get along. "

Pinkie nodded slowly and lowered her sword.

And if they can be cured of their afflictions, of the curse that had been placed on them, then perhaps they could return to the pegasi race. Maybe not this generation, maybe not even the next, but in time, they would all return to the pegasus race. If the unicorns could be cured of their arrogance and lust for power, if the earth ponies could be cured of their cowardice and inability to fight, then, and only then, would they return. And then this war could finally be over.

This place, this would become her experiment. Here she could continue her studies and maybe, just maybe, bring the end of the war in sight.

Chapter 16

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Dash groaned and rolled over, clutching her head as it throbbed and burned. Rolling to the side, bile rose in her throat and she threw up all over the floor. With another groan, she slumped back into the bed, wincing at the harsh light hitting her eyes.

“About time you woke up!” yelled a voice, sending a spike of pain through her head. “Geez, you actually had us worried there for a sec, but don’t worry. I told them my awesomeness would keep you alive. After all, every hero needs a sidekick, and congratulations, you’re my side kick!”

“As if!” snapped Dash, ignoring the way the world spun around her. “I’m the hero here. If I died, the lack of awesomeness would probably cause an explosion or something! The world would destroy itself because my awesomeness was not holding everything together.”

“Lightning Dust, stand down,” said Spitfire, and Dash immediately sat up in bed, giving a smart salute. “Wonderbolt Dash, nice job back there.”

“W-W-W-Won-” A massive squee filled the air as Dash bounced in place.

“I take it our newest recruit is awake?” Soarin poked his head in and grinned. “Time for some food!”

“Boosting morale, right?” smirked Dash.

“Exactly! Watch out Cap’n, she’s gonna replace you soon if she keeps learning at this pace,” he called with a chuckle.

A sharp pain laced through Dash’s head and she pressed a hoof to her temple.

“You alright there?” asked Spitfire with a frown.

“Y-Yeah.” Dash frowned and shook her head. “What happened? I remember going into the temple and the first trial and then... nothing.”

“We were hoping you could tell us, actually,” said Spitfire. “When we arrived, you were lying outside the portal, completely unconscious.”

“And that horned freak?” asked Dash.

“In the breeding pits,” smirked Lightning Dust. “You should have heard her begging. Music to my ears. She was practically singing, telling us exactly where the Pink Bitch’s base is. Damn, you should have seen that fight. We crushed them, and now? Now they’re being tortured for information. And after that, they’ll be playthings for the guards.”

Dash threw up again and gratefully took the water from Lightning’s hooves, but found it impossible to look her in the eyes. What she had said... that was what she would expect from a freak, not from a pegasus. Sure, the other races were beneath them, but that didn’t mean you took pleasure from that. There were limits, after all, and to so gleefully wallow in... in...

Once more Dash felt bile rise in the back of her throat.

There was something wrong here. There had to be something wrong here. They were the pegasi, the most noble of races, the ones who would win because they weren’t absolute monsters, and yet here was Lightning Dust saying those things. Her friend had always been on the bloodthirsty side, but to this degree? No, that was impossible.

“This is a trial,” whispered Dash.

“What?” Spitfire frowned and stared at Dash like she was insane. “What are you talking about?”

“This is the second trial isn’t it? There’s no way pegasi can be so...” She gestured at Lightning Dust.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re bloodthirsty, you just want to show off, be cool, be the highest ranked officer. You don’t actually care about those under your command,” hissed Dash. “That mare? Twilight? She’s got guts. Enough guts to be a pegasi. She’s... a monster, but she’s got balls.”

“You’re sounding an awful lot like a sympathizer right now,” growled Lightning as she took an aggressive step forwards. “Captain, maybe we should interrogate Dash to make sure she’s not a unicorn in disguise, or under the influence of some sort of mind magic.”

“Oh yeah?” snarled Dash, her wings unfurling. “I’d say you’re the one acting like you’re under a spell!”

“Wonderbolt, stand down!” yelled Spitfire.

Dash immediately recoiled and sighed, "Yeah, sorry. I... I don't know what came over me. Maybe you should screen me after all. I'd rather not end up giving up secrets."

"Hey." A light hoof was placed on Dash's shoulder, and she found herself staring up at her friend and rival. "Don't talk like that. All you need is a couple days of R&R to shake off whatever that weird temple did to you."

"Y-Yeah." Dash pressed a hoof to her brow, ignoring the throbbing pain. "Wait, where's Fluttershy?"

They exchanged a look, but it was Spitfire who spoke up, "I'm sorry Dash, but she's de-"

"No. No!" The tray of food before her went flying, narrowly missing Spitfire before slamming into the wall. "Shut up! You're wrong. I-It's not real! It can't be real!"

Not after everything they had gone through. Everything she had done to get her to safety. It just wasn't fair! She had always played it so safe, so carefully, and she had always been so nice to everypony, even the slaves, and for her to die first... It just wasn't right!

A tender wing wrapped around her shoulders, but Dash immediately shoved it away, glaring at Lightning Dust.

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. Come on Dash, let me in," she pleaded, "I'm your friend too, you know. Talk to me for once! I may not have been that fond of Fluttershy, but she was my friend as well!"

"Look, Lightning, I'm sorry, but I just need some time alone."

"No! I know Fluttershy was your oldest friend, but I'm the one who gets you! She didn’t have the drive to push herself, to be the best she could be, to protect Pegasopolis. She didn’t get that, but I do!"

"But she does get me! She doesn't have to be all those things because she already understands me. She's been my friend since forever and-"

"Dash," said Spitfire calmly, completely cutting off the rant, "you're a Wonderbolt now and that means we're your family as well. If you need to talk, talk to us. It might surprise you, but we've all lost somepegasus close, and... well... we all have our ways to dealing with it." She laid a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "But in all honesty? Talking always helps, and every single last one of us is willing to lend an ear, no matter how busy we may be. Remember that."

Dash swallowed and nodded, "Th-Thanks. Could you just... you know, give me a minute? Alone?"

At first, it looked as though she was going to refuse, but then Spitfire nodded and jerked her head towards the door. With a sigh, Lightning trotted off, glancing back with a pleading, almost begging look, but Dash found it impossible to meet her eyes, to look at her the way she used to. Those words, that glee over Twilight's suffering, everything about it was just so... so wrong. That wasn't the Lightning Dust she knew, that wasn't her crazy—well, let’s face it: completely and utterly insane—second in command! She was never cruel or hateful and wouldn’t wish that sort of punishment on anypony. Had her time with the Wonderbolts already changed her? As much as Dash wanted to deny it, there simply wasn't any other explanation.

Unless... unless this was another part of the trial.

Dash frowned. Was that even possible? She slapped herself, wincing in pain before grabbing an apple and taking a bite out of it. The crisp crunch sent shivers down her spine. It tasted real, that was for certain.

A sigh escaped as she looked down at her half eaten apple. Maybe... maybe being with that horned freak had finally done her mind in, maybe it had made her insane and warped all her thoughts and senses. But surely feeling that way towards the freaks, that unrestrained joy at seeing them suffer in such a gruesome manner, was wrong. It had to be wrong. They were pegasi! They were the most noble and regal race. They would never ever stoop to finding joy in such torture. It was just wrong. They only did it because they had no choice!

This was a trial. It had to be a trial. She knew her friends and she knew Lightning was not like that.

But... but what if she was wrong? What if this was reality? She'd be throwing everything away. She finally got into the Wonderbolts, finally found that piece of information that'd win them the war. If she acted now, if she rushed out there and if it turned out she was wrong, then...

Dash gulped and stared at the dirt wall

Then she'd be dead. Probably sent to the breeding pits or something.

And yet if this was reality, it only meant that the Wonderbolts really were monsters. Maybe not as bad as that horned freak, but monsters all the same. There are some things that you simply do not do, and employing a monster who took pleasure in these types of things? It was up there. Stooping to their level to win the war? Dash would have no part of it. Loyalty was one thing, but blind loyalty was another. They might need earth pony slaves to raise crops, but at least Dash always treated them well. They might need breeding pens to keep the population up, but Dash took no joy in condemning a traitor to them.

If this was the true face of the empire she served, then she wanted no part in it.

Slipping out of bed, Dash reached out for the Wonderbolt uniform Spitfire had left. Her Wonderbolt uniform.She could feel that silky smoothness under her hoof, and the longer she stared at it, the more it called out to her. This was what she had wanted all her life, this was what she had desired and dreamed of. Now it was within her grasp, and she was about to toss it all away. And then Lightning’s voice returned, that glee, that laughter, that vileness. This jacket was made from the finest fabrics ever devised, but under her hoof, it felt slimy and disgusting.

Turning away, she grabbed her own jacket. The one her mother wore, the one her father had given her as a gift when they were dating. It was worn, it was patched, and more than once Lightning had tried to throw it out, only for Dash to steal it back. A tender hoof slipped down the front, smoothing out the wrinkles. And then she saw the Wonderbolts badge that was still pinned to the inside of the collar. To think she had been happy when she first got that. She ripped it free and tossed it away.

Once she was dressed, she moved towards the door, ignoring the spikes of pain that accompanied each step. She peeked out left and right, noting the two guards that flanked her door. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that there was no other way out of the room.

How easy would it be to just step back into the room, lie down in bed, close her eyes, and forget about all of this? She could live out her dream life without a second thought. She had everything she wanted and now that they had the temple’s secrets, they were probably going to win the war as well. It was all she had ever dreamed of, so why was she about to throw it all away? Because something Lightning said didn’t sit well with Dash? It wasn’t like that was the first time Lightning had said something Dash disagreed with.

And yet...

Deep breaths, deep breaths. It was now or never. To go forward was to never return. All she had to go on was a hunch, and yet the first thing she had ever been taught about flying was to trust those hunches. When it told you to pull out, you pulled out. When it told you that it was too dangerous, it was too dangerous. More than once that feeling had saved her life, and she had never had a reason to doubt it.

“You should have her sing...”

“...they’ll be playthings for the guards...”

Gritting her teeth, Dash leapt forward, striking the right guard in the back of the head, sending him to the ground in an unconscious heap. As the other guard turned around, she was already in his face, grabbing a wing and dislocating it. As he screamed in pain, Dash swept his legs out from under him before going straight for the throat. He, too, slumped to the ground.

Without missing a beat, she raced down the hall, following the single corridor towards the light at the end. A guard leapt out of a room on the right, and Dash skidded right under his outstretched hooves. Coming back to her hooves, she lashed out with her hind legs, catching him just as he landed. Spinning around, she slammed him up against the wall and head-butted him. Just like the other two, he dropped to the ground.

Every so often, a guard would jump out in some lame attempt to tackle her, but they were no match. She was Rainbow-motherfuckin’-Dash! With the adrenaline pumping through her system, she all but forgot about her injures as she ducked and weaved through to the end of the hall.

And just as she reached the end of the tunnel, just as she burst into the light, Spitfire stood there completely calm and collected. There wasn’t even a frown on her face as she regarded Dash coolly.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

“I’m leaving,” replied Dash. “I don’t know how you can live with yourself. How you can keep on calling yourself a pegasus when you revel in the sort of shit Lightning told me about. But if you really can, then you can all just go fuck yourselves.”

Spitfire’s wings flared open and she shifted into an aggressive stance. “Now you’re going to be a good girl and go back to your room, and we might just forget this ever happened.”

“No.” Dash mirrored Spitfire’s stance. “I’ve already come too far, seen too much. What they did to Scoots... it’s true, isn’t it? Every single last word of it is true. And you helped them cover it up, brush it under the snow so that nopegasus would ever know.”

“Lightning has always had her concerns about you. You and Fluttershy.” The two circled each other slowly, each movement perfectly mirrored. “Always too willing to help the dirt ponies, too willing to treat their wounds and make sure they were comfortable. Even going so far as to punish those who you thought were ‘misusing’ them. Oh yes, we knew about all that, and more.”

“They’re not toys! They may be lower than us, but nothing deserves that sort of treatment!”

Dash lunged forward, but Spitfire was faster. Far faster. She shuffled to the right, landing two solid blows to Dash’s side. Blood filled her mouth. Stumbling back, Dash spat out to the side and dove back in. This time Spitfire met her head on, easily parrying each attack before slamming a hoof into Dash’s chest. Pain exploded through her body as a sickening crack echoed through the canyon.

She dropped to her knees. Each gasp caused a fresh wave of pain, making her eyes water. Spitfire loomed above her, wings completely spread wide as she gazed dispassionately at Dash. Breathing shakily, Dash tried to get back up on her hooves, only for the Wonderbolt to lash out with a hoof, catching Dash in the cheek and sending her sprawling like a rag doll.

“Last chance. Give up, and we’ll take you back. Keep fighting, and you’ll be condemned to the breeding pits. A mare like you will produce strong foals.”

It was hard to breathe. So very hard. Every time she tried to say something she only spat out blood. Still, she didn’t need words to convey her thoughts. All she needed was a single look of utter contempt.

“Very well then. Rainbow Dash, you stand accused of High Treason against the Empire of Pegasopolis. You are hereby stripped of the rank of Wonderbolt and any and all privileges therein. Your sentence is forced breeding, with a lifetime duration.”

“Screw.You.”

“And congratulations, my little pony.” Eyes snapping up once more, Dash found herself staring at a white… creature… instead of Spitfire. “For a while there you had me worried.”

Dash’s mouth worked uselessly. This... this thing before her had wings and a horn. Wings. And. A horn. None of this made sense! How could such a thing exist? Statues were one thing, but this... this was insanity!

In the end, insane laughter rang out as Dash clutched at her stomach. It was a trial. It was all a trial! She wasn’t going to be sent to the breeding pens, she still had her shot at becoming a Wonderbolt! Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued to laugh.

“Go, my little pony, seek my niece at the center of the world, and may she have mercy on your soul.”

The world around her faded, along with the strange creature, leaving behind another swirling portal. Slowly, gingerly, Dash stood up. There was no pain, no blood, not even a bit of soreness. Wiping away the tears, she stepped forward on trembling limbs and touched the portal, filling the world around her with bright, white light.

"By the sun, that hurt," groaned Twilight as she cradled her head.

Everything hurt. From head to hoof, every last part of her felt like it was on fire, especially her eyes. Even now, they still burned from the brilliant flash of light that had engulfed her seconds ago. Or was it minutes? It was impossible to tell in this place.

Lifting her eyes, the world around her spun and Twilight was forced to clamp a hoof over her muzzle before she could throw up everywhere. Once it all settled down, she slowly stood up and blinked in surprise. That familiar tug-of-war was gone. A quick glance down at her reflection revealed that it was indeed her own, and not that of a certain racist pegasus.

"Despite how racist she is, she's still better than you." Twilight's head snapped up, eyes scanning the void around her for the voice. "You keep going on and on and on about how racist she is. How there's no hope. Blah, blah, blah. You bore me."

Twilightswiveled her ears around, trying to figure out just exactly where the voice was coming from, but there was only the same darkness as before. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, not even a hidden corner to curl up in. There was only nothingness.

"Come on, let's be honest here, even if she killed off every pony in Pinkie’s base, right down the very last foal, she'd still be better than you."

Biting back a response, Twilight focused on the task ahead of her. No doubt the voice was meant to sound like Rainbow Dash's thoughts, or perhaps it was a warped version of Rainbow’s real thoughts. In the last trial they had been forced to work together, to do what the other wished, perhaps to test their selflessness and willingness to put their lives in the hooves of the other. This test though, this was designed to sow distrust and make her doubt her companion. To drive a wedge between them so that they would fail.

"Oh please, as if I'd be that unoriginal."

Shock coursed through Twilight's system and she froze mid-step.

"That got your attention, didn't it? My, my, you are a clever one, aren’t you? But then again, that was to be expected."

Perhaps there was a second layer to the spell,one designed to read her own thoughtsand confuse her further.

Maybe.

Certainly a clever trap, for somepony that wasn’t Twilight Sparkle. But if Twilight could hear Dash’s thoughts, then that almost certainly meant that Dash could hear her thoughts, and Dash was probably stupid enough to-

"Ah, there we go, trotting out your own intelligence as though you're the smartest thing around. It's rather depressing, really. Maybe what all the earth ponies say is true: all that the unicorns value is their superiority."

This time Twilight actually had to put effort into stopping herself from saying anything. It probably was exactly what Dash thought, but that didn't mean she had to acknowledge it. Itwasn’t like they were friends, or even partners. They were merely two ponies using each other to get what they wanted, nothing more.

"Come now, Twily, don't b-"

A growl rumbled in the back of Twilight's throat.

"Oh dear, it looks like I’ve struck a nerve. What’chagonnado? Lose control and burn everything to a crisp again?"

"Shut. Up!" yelled Twilight, forcing back tears.

"There we go! Finally, a response! And here I thought you were going to give me the silent treatment all day long."

"Where are you, you son of a bitch?" screamed Twilight, spinning around, magic sparking in all directions. "Come out so I can-"

"So you can what? Kill me like you killed your parents?"

Twilight's mouth dropped open before a primal growl rumbled through her entire body. Her magic flared to new heights, sending electricity in all directions. It slammed up against the magical defenses holding her, but just as they began buckling, the magical feedback hit like a fireball to the face. Twilight stumbled back, clutching her head as her horn burned, searing straight through her skull. Despite all that pain, all that desire to just stab a blade through her heart and end her own suffering, she somehow found the willpower to stay standing on her trembling legs.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up!" she yelled into the darkness. "You don't know anything! Shining killed them! He knew the attack was coming and he didn't do anything to stop it. No guards were ordered to reinforce the town! They didn’t even have a single sun-damned warning in advance! He left us to rot!"

Insane laughter filled the air. "Please, don't pull the whole 'I'm so innocent' act, we're smarter than that."

Biting her tongue, Twilight began walking forward. This thing was just trying to throw her off, make her question herself, break her down until she wasn't even sure who she was anymore. It was boring really, and rather depressing. After the ingenuity of the first trial, she had been expecting something... more.

"Back to the silent treatment, Twily?"

Twilight merely bit down harder until she drew blood, using the pain to keep her mind focused. She could kill the pony responsible for all this at a later date, but right now she needed to remember why she had come here to begin with. Getting angry and yelling at the voice, no matter how obnoxious it was, was not going to help anything. Taking a deep breath, she began scanning the area for the way out, but there was no use. There simply was nowhere for her to go to, and that meant one thing: the voice was part of the trial. "You're involved somehow, aren't you?"

"So you finally get it." The sound of slow clapping filled the air. "Took you long enough."

Ears flat against her skull, Twilight tried to ignore the mocking voice, but it continued on, "Well guess what? We're gonna spend a lot of quality time together, Twily. Doesn't that sound wonderful? No?"

Twilight frowned and stared straight up. "I need to do something with you to make the path open up."But what?

"What indeed," chuckled the voice. "Would you like a tiny-winy, itsy-bitsy little hint?"

Twilight grunted in response.

"Come on, say the magic word."

"The... magic word...?" Twilight's right eye began twitching. "You're not serious."

"A kiss would be even better. Preferably somewhere lower down,if you know what I mean."

Gritting her teeth, Twilight felt her anger and magic mix together, threatening to explode at the slightest touch.”How ‘bout I put a bolt through your brain? Or perhaps somewhere lower down, if you know what I mean?”

"Temper, temper!That's what got your family killed," tsked the voice.

Twilight loosed a wave of raw magic, warping the world around her.

"Oh dear. Hit a sore spot, did I?"

"Tell me," growled Twilight, her limbs trembling in anger.

"Say the magic word~!"

"Screw.You."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, need I wash out that dirty mouth of yours?"

"Fuck you with a rusty spear!"

"Oh dear, maybe I should just leave you trapped here for all eternity. Sure, you won’t freeze, but at least you'll still starve to death."

Clenching her jar until it hurt, she finally ground out a, "Please."

"Please, what?"

Instead of replying, Twilight glared into the darkness.

"Awwwwww, you're so cute when you're glaring like that." A wolf whistle ran out. "Hey babe, down here!Shake that flank of yours!"

"When I get my hooves on you..." A blast of magic fired into the empty sky as she stomped her hoof.

"Bow chika bow wow! I love 'em feisty, gives them that extra kick in the sack, you know? Like Spitfire, for example. Totally an eleven out of ten, would buck again, totally hot bod. I mean, have you seen her flank? Yeowch! Oh wait, of course you have, you've fucked h-"

"I have done no such thing!"

"Oh reeeeeaaaally? Have you already forgotten about last month? When you came across her in the frozen lake down south, just to the west of the last real earth pony base? You know, that place just off from the pegasus border? 'Cause I remember it, and damn, girl, you sure know how to treat a mare right!"

Twilight's mouth worked uselessly as she tried to come up with something, anything, to say, but all she could find was a blushing red stammer as her tongue worked uselessly in her mouth.

"Those things you did with your mouth, I wouldn't mind it if you did them to me. And that thing Spitfire did with her wings? Beyond delicious! Do you think she'd be up for a threeso-"

“Shut up!” screamed Twilight. “Get out here so I can rip your limbs off and fuck you with them!”

“Sounds kinky!”

The resulting sound that emerged from Twilight’s mouth was like a mix between the bodily functions of the vilest creature in Tartarus and a demonic summoning ritual involving sacrificial foals.

This time, the laughter that rang out was neither insane, nor evil, instead it was genuine. Laughter that wouldn’t sound out of place coming from Pinkie, or even Lyra. It felt familiar. If anything, it served to unnerve her even more.

“Just tell me,” growled Twilight.

“The magic woooooord~!”

Twilight looked around and felt hopelessness crash down around her. Gritting her teeth until it hurt, she spat on the ground and finally managed to growl out, “Give me a hint, please.”

“Shake your flank at me and we have a deal.” Twilight opened her mouth, but before she could make a single sound, the voice continued.“Just joking, geez, loosen up a bit, will ya? But seriously, look down, show me that cute face of yours.”

That got a facehoofout of Twilight. Of course. With a sigh, she looked down and stumbled back in surprise at the sight of her own face being pressed up against the floor from the other side.

“Heeeeey there, cutie!” called Mirror Twilight with a whistle. “Mind turning around again? And this time, raise your tail a bit higher. Come on, show me the goods, no need to be modest. It’s not like you’re modest when you’re alone with Spitfire, an- Whoa! Watch where you’re shooting those fireballs!”

“The. Clue.”

“This is the clue!” Her reflection turned around, raising her tail and looking backwards. “Dammit, how can I admire my fine flank if you won’t play along? Come on, this is the one chance I get to do the admiring, so shake that flank, baby!”

“You’re... the clue...” Twilight frowned, ignoring the groan that came from below. This was her reflection, a living reflection that snarked back at her and tha-

“Oh please, we’re smarter than that. Need I spell it out for you?” said her reflection. “I’m you and you’re me. Simple, really.”

“Not funny.” At the flat stare Twilight got in response, she blinked in surprise. “Wait, you’re being serious? You’re not me!”

“What are you talking about? I’m totally you. I look like you, I smell like you, I taste like you—seriously, feel free to give me a lick if you don’t believe me. Joking, joking! Please don’t blow me up. But come on, you’re totally a slut. Think about how many ponies you sleep with for information. You enjoy sex, you enjoy flaunting your body, and you’re a complete monster. If Shining killed your parents, then think about how many ponies you’ve killed. Heck, how many ponies did you kill today? Twenty?Thirty?More? I mean, that bridge trap was sick, but damn, girl, talk about heartless!”

“It had to be done,” replied Twilight a shrug.“I couldn’t let the information fall into the wrong hooves, and time was of the essence.”

“And yet Dash’s plan didn’t involve killing so many. Distract them, get in, get out. You were the one who decided to kill them all. Look at your hooves, little filly, they’re so steeped in blood that they might as well as be red.”

“You know nothing,” hissed Twilight.

“I know everything!” Her reflection’s head shoved through the ground, pressing up against Twilight and forcing her back. “I know your secrets, I know your desires, I know everything about you because Iamyou.”

“You’re not me!” yelled Twilight. “I am not a slut. I am not a monster, I don’t like murder and arson and slaughter an-”

“I never said you delighted in any of those things,” chuckled the mare as she pulled herself out of the ground. “But you are all that, and more. You hate Shining with such a passion, with such fire, only because you see yourself reflected in his eyes. You see yourself standing there, selling out your ‘partners’ one by one. Oh, who am I kidding? You’ve already sold out most of those ‘lesser’ ones anyway.”

“I am not racist,” ground Twilight as she took an aggressive step forward.

“Oh, I never said that.” Her reflection looked almost... bored. “Lesser doesn’t mean earth pony or pegasus. They’re all stupid to you, aren’t they? They were going to die one way or another and they’re inconsequential to the overall plan, so who cares? Toss them to the manticores, get some extra info from their noble sacrifice and all that. Or, you know, get rid of those pesky ones who are a bit too powerful and would interfere.”

“I see nothing wrong with that.”

“You see- You- I- That- Argh!” Twilight was treated to the amusing sight of her mirror self stomping around, muttering obscenities and acting like a foal. “Surely we’re not that stupid!”

“It’s simple, you’re trying to guilt trip me into believing I’m somehow equal to Shining Armor. In the same way he’s killed my parents, I’m killing other ponies, but seriously? There’s a difference between murder and patricide.” Twilight shrugged and began looking around once more, trying to see if anything had changed. “An important one, might I add, so please, keep your warped thoughts to yourself.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that...” Her mirror image began picking at her ear before flicking it to the side. “You’d totally sell out your parents for your ideals…”

“Shut up! I would never do that! Don’t talk to me as though you know what I’d do!”

“Please, you’ve sold out mares that you said you loved. You’ve sold out as many peaceful settlements as you havemilitary garrisons. You’ve even sold out some of the earth ponies’ last safe havens! They trusted you and you betrayed them. If you could do that, you can do anything!”

“You’re delusional,” said Twilight with a shrug.

“I’m delusional?” Laughter rang out and the image followed, whispering seductively in her ear. “Let’s try some hypotheticals, shall we? Say somepony is offering you game-changing information, something that would let you destroy the Pegasi. All you have to do is give them the location of Fort Nightingale. Now, if you tell them, they’re gonna go kill every last pony in the base… including your parents. You get to walk away with that war-winning information, but they die. Would you do it?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but no sounds came out. This... was a trick, a trap specifically designed to catch her out. The very premise meant that there was no right action. It was specifically designed to trap her, force her to-

“To sell out your parents?” The grin was sadistic. “Of course. You’d sell them out in the blink of an eye,even.”

“Y-You’re wrong, I would never sell them out. Never!”

“So you’d let the pegasi stomp over everything? Show no mercy, slaughter all the males and turn all the females into breeding slaves?”

“Of course not! This is a trick question! There is no right choice.”

“No, you’re wrong. You’d sell out your parents, just like Shiny did. Don’t you get it? You act so high and mighty, as though you’re so much better than him, but really, you’d sell them out just as easily.”

“He didn’t sell them out at all. He just let them die!”

“Oh yes, he’d just let an entire town get ransacked just to kill his entire family. Whom he loved, and asked forgiveness from in his prayers to Celestia and Luna. So obviously it was some evil master plan,” said the image with an eye roll.

“S-Shut up!”

“Face it. You’re a whore and a monster willing to sell out anything and anypony just to get ahead! Yo-”

“Shut up! You’re wrong! You don’t know me, you don’t kn-”

“-u’re a monster of the worst kind. You tell yourself that you’re good, you believe you’re good with your entire being, because if you don’t, you’d never be able sleep ever again!”

“-ow me! You're not me!”

A burst of black wind blasted out in all directions, throwing Twilight back, slamming her into the floor and knocking the wind out of her. Rolling with the hit, she came up onto her elbows, ignoring the pain as she tried desperatelyto get air into her lungs. As the black smoke settled and drifted away, Twilight found herself staring down at a perfectly polished marble floor.

A dark purple hoof slammed on the ground next to her head, cracking the stone. Chips flew through the air, drawing blood as they sliced through her fur.

“I am your Nightmare, your true self. Let me show what a monster truly is, my delicious pet!”

Insane laughter echoed through the room. The only warning Twilight got was a sudden pressure on her head, and she immediately rolled away from the wall. Before she even had a chance to blink, a beam of raw magic blasted down the hall, scorching the ground. She could feel the crackle of electricity in the air, the smell of ozone and the magical flux in its wake almost sending her into a feedback loop on its own. Stumbling to her hooves, Twilight dived behind a pillar, only for the entire thing to disintegrate into dust.

“You can’t win. There’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, my little pet.” A mad little giggle filled the air. “But please, keep running! I find this so... exhilarating.”

“Shut. U-” Twilight was forced to dive to the side again as multiple bolts slammed into the wall behind her. The scent of burning mane filled the air as debris showered her from behind. Stumbling from the aftershock, she hit the ground and rolled, just managing to dodge a black lance that parted her mane. Again she was forced to scramble as more rained down from the ceiling, slicing her flanks and sides open, but never getting close enough to pin her down or kill her.

Skidding around a corner, she finally got far enough out of the wake to use her own magic. Without a second thought, she gathered up all the magic she had and simply tossed it backwardsthrough the narrow corridors. It slammed into the wall, exploding in a shower of shards and tossing Twilight backwards.

Screams filled the air, and Twilight found herself smiling despite everything. She knew that scream. That was the sound of a pony on fire, and the sound of that stupid Nightmare dying. To think all it took was-

A burning filly stumbled around the corner, thrashing about before finally collapsing.

“She was called Sunset Rose, a sweet little filly who dreamed of protecting her family.”

Twilight spun around, drawing her crossbow and firing it in one smooth motion. Instead of hitting the Nightmare, though, the bolt embedded itself in a pegasus,who crumpled to the ground.

“And he was Freefall, about to be married to his sweetheart once he got back from his mission, but you decided to kill him. Just ‘cause.”

As much as Twilight wanted to look away, she couldn’t. All she could do was stare into those eyes as the life drained out of them.

She slid another bolt into place and fired it off, aiming straight for the Nightmare’s head, but that too,embedded itself into another pony, a mare this time. Her mane had long since turned white and her skin sagged. Another bolt was loaded and fired, this time killing a soldier. Another bolt, another death. Foals, babies, teenagers, elderly,slaves, whores, everypony. With every single shot another would die.

“Mommy, mommy, please wake up mommy!” Twilight’s eyes widened as she watched a foal covered in her mother’s blood nudge the dead body. “Mommy, I promise not to play in the kitchen. Mommy...?”

Without a second thought, Twilight turned and ran away. She threw herself through the door and slammed it shut behind her. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she slumped to the ground and slid her last bolt into her crossbow. Or at least, she tried to. With how badly her hooves were shaking, it was impossible to load properly. The bolt clattered to the ground. Those images were nothing more than a trick, something pulled out of thin air, a lie. Sh-She wasn’t like that. She wasn’t the monster, she wasn’t even close. Her brother, Dash… they were the monsters. They... they... they were the ones who were monsters!

Twilight screamed as a fire suddenly burst into life, engulfing the room. Turning around, she raced for the door, only to slam snout first into a brick wall. With a groan, she stumbled back and gulped, trying her hardest not to turn around, which left her staring at the shadows on the wall. All those ponies strung up with hooks in their eye sockets, intestines hanging out, piles of dead being set alight, hooves splashing in blood. Even though she could not see any of it, she knew it was there.

“This is just a fraction of those you’ve killed. Isn’t it delicious?” whispered the Nightmare before levitating a severed head over. “I’m particularly fond of this one. Remember her? Blue Moon was her name. Had that delicious flank and could do that thing with her tongue that’d make us melt. Shame we had to kill her, though, would have loved to keep her around as a pet.”

Calling her magic to her, Twilight discharged a spell, not caring where it went, and managed to blast a hole in the wall behind her. Launching head first into the blood, Twilight stumbled up and blindly ran out, trying her hardest to ignore that metallic taste that overwhelmed her senses and washed away everything else. Wiping the blood from her eyes, she found herself in yet another room, this time painfully empty. No furniture, no bodies, not even a sound.

The stillness did not relieve Twilight in any way, shape, or form.

Something was coming, there was no doubt about that. That sadistic Nightmare would not let her off that easily. If things weren’t so dire, Twilight would have smiled. Instead, she found herself slumped in the corner, staring at her hooves and willing them to stop shaking. Even her breathing was out of control. She just… she just needed to focus on what was going on. She needed to concentrate and calm down. She needed those lies to stop echoing in her mind!

A scream of frustration escaped as she bucked the wall behind her, only for a bolt of pain to run all the way up her sides. Groaning, she limped away and began pacing. There had to be a way to kill the Nightmare, there just had to be. Once she had killed it, the path would open and she’d be able to get out. But how? Every single time she’d tried, some pony would just appear and block the shot. It didn’t help that she only had one... bolt... le...

Oh fuck her.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she stared at her empty crossbow and quiver. The bolt was gone. Where had it gone? It was there a second ago! She was sure she had it when she entered this sun-forsaken room. Okay, alright, calm down, just... just relax and think things through. These trials are about duality and mirroring. First with Dash and now with this thing. Last time they got through by working together, but this time the image was aggressive. Killing it had to be the solution, right? It seemed like the only option, but wh-

The wall beside her exploded into a million pieces and Twilight found herself scrambling away once more, only to freeze mid step and gulp. All those stone shards just hung in the air, completely motionless, and slowly rotated around until they were all pointing at her. As soon as she began readying her magic to deflect at least some of them, the shards flew inwards. Scream after scream was torn from Twilight’s lips as they sliced into her skin, cutting to the bone and sending her to her knees.

Forcing herself back up, she tried to ignore the pain, but that was impossible. Each step was like another bolt to the body, another whip to the back, and she stumbled along in a half-drunken haze. Even with the wall for support, she slipped and stumbled, leaving a trail of blood behind her as she went. Before she even managed to get five steps, she collapsed on the ground, eyes closed and breathing heavily.

“Oh come on, I hope you’re not done already.” Twilight felt a hoof nudge her side, sending a wave of pain through her system. “Come on, get up, we haven’t even gotten to the really good part yet.”

“Why?” croaked Twilight as she cracked open an eye.

“Why? More like why not? You act so high and mighty, as though you’re the only ethical being in this forsaken land, when in actuality you’re the biggest monster around. You get information here, information there, and then you sell it off, getting ponies killed. Getting good ponies killed. How far have you extended this war? How much bloodier have you made it?”

That’s it, keep talking, you bitch.

“You’re the monster. You keep trying to deny it, keep trying to run away from it, but there is no escape.” Her reflection stood above her, a blade of purple flames raised and poised to strike. “I am your judge, your jury, and your executioner, and I can say with full confidence that the world will be a better place without you.”

“What... what are you?”

“Me? Like I said, I am you. I am your Nightmare, a shadow of your true self.”

“Shadow... of the truth self... a Nightmare,” whispered Twilight, trying to open her eyes. Those words… they sounded familiar, but it was so hard to focus, to concentrate to... to...

A sickly groan escaped.

“It’s a shame really, you could have been something great, something truly worthy of the title of ‘Hero’, but you di-”

“Acceptance.”

It was so soft, so quiet that it might as well had been the wind, but the Nightmare heard it and blinked.

“Duality. Two from one. The abject, the repressed that comes back. I forced her to see, see the truth, see reality, see...” Twilight trailed off. “I forced her to see, and now I see.”

“What?”

From somewhere deep within her, somewhere that she never knew existed,some way, somehow, she struggled on to her hooves. For all of one full second, Twilight managed to stay on her hooves before collapsing once more to the ground.

“Yo- You... You’re me... What I threw away, what I... what I’m afraid to face. You’re not just any nightmare.” Her breath wheezed out, eyes half closed. “You’re my nightmare.”

They stared at each other silently.

“You’re...” Twilight hesitated before whispering, “me...”

The Nightmare blinked, the blade slowly fizzing out of existence.

“I’m... a monster… but I’m not sorry.” Twilight raised her head and stared the Nightmare straight in the eyes. “I did what I had to and if that makes me a monster, then so be it.”

There was a moment of silence before laughter rang out once more.

“Well said! Well said indeed.” The Nightmare leaned down and before Twilight could react, it pressed its lips against her. She struggled against it at first, but the blood loss made it impossible for Twilight to get away. Her lips were pried apart and a tongue slipped in, exploring her mouth with abandon. It was just aggressive, so dominant, so... Spitfire, that Twilight found herself submitting and kissing back hungrily. With her eyes closed, it might as well have been Spitfire above her with that playful smirk, those flared wings, the light that just filtered through those perfectly preened feathers. That toned, delicious flank perfect for sinking her teeth into an-

The lips pulled away, and Twilight’s eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring up at a blue unicorn, with stars in her mane that swirled and moved despite the lack of wind. She stood taller, more regal than any pony Twilight had ever seen.

“Congratulations, my little pony. Embrace thy fears, thy darkness, thyself. Do this and thou wilt have no need to fear the shadows or the nightmares.” The mare turned away and Twilight’s eyes widened at the sight of her wings. “Go forth, Warrior of Harmony. Find our niece in the center of the world.”

“Wait!” yelled Twilight as the mare began fading, but it was already too late. The alicorn was gone, leaving behind another shimmering portal. Leaping to her hooves, she raced across to where the alicornhadstood, but found nothing except residual magic. “A memory projection. Typical, no doubt triggered by passing the test.”

Swearing under her breath, Twilight breathed out and rubbed her temple. “Let’s just hope that stupid pegasus passed the test. Otherwise I’m probably screwed. I knew I should have brought Spike along instead.”

Sighing, she pressed her hoof against the portal, and once more she was swallowed whole.

"Really, darling, get that ridiculous thing off your head and behave!" said Rarity, desperately trying to hide her smile behind a hoof. "Such uncouth antics! Why, you're giving your fellow earth ponies such a bad reputation."

For her part, Applejack merely rolled her eyes before flicking her snout up, sending the apple that was balanced there into the air. Head snapping forward, she caught it in her mouth and bit down.

"So barbaric," sighed Rarity as she reached out with a napkin, attempting to wipe Applejack's chin, only for her to dance away. "Golden, get back here this instant!"

Grinning, Applejack shook her head and darted to the other side of Rarity's workbench before repeating the act.

"Golden!" yelled the prissy mare as she held up a hoof to block the spray of juices. "Stop it this instant. You're going to ruin all my hard work!"

For a brief second, Applejack considered riling her up a bit more, but at the glare she decided to stop. As much fun as it was, they still had their horns, and while it was relatively easy to snap, it could still inflict some serious wounds. Rolling her eyes yet again, Applejack stepped away from the fabric-laden table and resumed eating the apple like a normal pony. Well, almost like a normal pony. She just had to chew with her mouth wide open to show it all to Rarity.

Rarity's eye twitched and she opened her mouth to say something, only to close it after a second. She ran a hoof through her mane and glared at Applejack. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a bath and wash all this off of me."

Taking a step forward, Applejack made to follow, but Rarity held up a hoof and tsk'ed at her. "And where do you think you're going? A lady bathes in private."

That got a cocked eyebrow at out Applejack.

"S-Shut up," said Rarity as she slammed the bathroom door shut. Before she vanished from view,Applejack caught sight of the blush on her cheeks, and she smirked at the horned freak’s discomfort.

Chuckling under her breath, Applejack went back to her dinner, only for the door slam open without so much as a knock.

"We need to talk," growled MacIntosh from the door way.

Instead of replying, Applejack continued munching away, not even sparing a glance toward the towering earth pony.

"Now!" He slammed his hoof onto the table, causing all the plates to jump, spilling some the food onto the clothes Rarity had been working on.

Gritting her teeth, Applejack glared up at MacIntosh. "What do you want?"

He followed her gaze to the soiled clothes, and when his eyes met hers once more, there was an all-consuming anger in them. "And here Ah thought ya were meant to get information out of her."

"And here Ah thought ya were smart," replied Applejack. "If ya torture them, they just say whatever it takes for the pain to end. Ya get them to trust ya and they'll tell ya the truth."

"Obviously," he said flatly as he kicked the door shut behind him. "And how do yaexplain the coup?"

"What coup?"

For a pony that size, he moved surprisingly quick, slamming into Applejack and pinning her against the wall with a single hoof. "Don't play stupid with me. Ya think you're so smart, ya think ya've tricked everyone with ya 'poor slave' act. But you’rewrong."

"What. Coup," growled Applejack.

The hoof slid up over her throat, cutting off her air. Instead of thrashing or clawing at the limb, Applejack just kept her eyes focused on MacIntosh, daring him to keep going. The corners of her vision began blurring and her lungs burned, but neither of them stopped staring at each other, still as statues. In the end, it was MacIntosh who gave in first, stepping back and letting Applejack drop to the ground, gasping for air.

"It doesn't matter, not really. We have Lemon Drops, and she'll talk. Eventually."

Eyes narrowed, Applejack got back toher hooves and took an aggressive step towards MacIntosh. "You’re willing to torture ya own kind?"

"Ah'm willing to do everything necessary to keep our dream alive."

"Your dream?" snapped Applejack. “Your dream!?A dream of what?A place where we torture innocent ponies?"

"A world where we're free," he hissed back.

"Ya mean a world where ya can live out your power fantasy."

Applejack's hoof lashed out, only for MacIntosh to block it. With a deft twist, he forced it behind her back, and she found herself against the wall again, a sharp pain running down her foreleg.

"Ah want us to survive," replied MacIntosh evenly, "and Ah'm willing to do whatever’s necessary to make sure of that."

"You’re willing to become a monster?"

"If that's what it takes."

Shifting her weight, Applejack tried to slip out of his hold, only for a knee to slam into her back. Gasping out in pain, she found herself pinned down, unable to move. She felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. For a brief second, panic rose up in her chest. Surely he wouldn't do that to his own sister, would he?

The mere thought threatened to make her scream right there and then.

"Ah refuse to become a monster to defeat a monster. We're meant to be above that!"

"If we don't fight like 'em, we'll never get anywhere." He almost sounded sad. Almost. "There's no point playing nice if we ain't around at the end."

"You're wrong," replied Applejack, "we can win without becoming monsters."

"We can't. Ah've been fighting this war ever since mother an' father were taken from us, and Ah know for a fact that we cannot win, not by playing nice. Ah tried, AJ. Ah tried so hard. For the first few years I tried to be somepony they could be proud of, but Ah couldn't do it. Ah did what Ah had to do to win."

"You're not my brother." It wasn't spoken in anger, it wasn't spoken in sadness. It wasn't a question, it was a declaration. It was fact. The truth.And so, she spoke in perfectly even tones, much like how one would comment that there was an apple on the table, or that the sky was blue.

"Appleja-"

"No. Leave."

"App-"

"Leave."

Silence.

A sigh escaped and MacIntosh let go. Hollow footsteps echoed through the room before the door creaked open and slammed shut.

Breathing out slowly, Applejack limped over to her rack of clothes and slipped on the gauntlets, strapping them on and giving a couple quick jabs before nodding in satisfaction. Raising her hood, she walked out the door, making sure to lock it behind her before trotting down the hall. It took all her willpower to not race through the hall yelling for the others, but somehow, someway, she managed to keep her head on straight and focus on what needed to be done.

Keeping to the shadows, she slipped through the great hall and down the corridor at the end. Taking a sharp right, she broke into a run as she took the steps two at a time. Once she was at the top, she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself before brushing a lock of mane out of her eyes. Now came the tricky part.

Walking with slow,casual movements, she stepped around the corner and made her way down the wall, smiling at the guard McIntosh had appointed. At the sight of her, the guard regarded her with a flat look, muscles tensed and ready for action.

“Howdy, partner,” said Applejack.

“Sorry, but MacIntosh left orders that you’re not to be allowed down here. Please leave at once,” he said stiffly.

“Now, now, don’t be like that,hon.” She gave him a sultry little smile as she stepped in nice and close. “Actually, Ah’mreallyhere for you.”

His eyes hardened and he leaned back slightly. “Ma’am, please leave.”

“What’s the matter, don’t like what y-” Applejack’s hoof lashed out, catching him square on the jaw, and he stumbled back. Before he could react, a second hoof slammed into his face and he went down with a thud.

Stepping over his body, she raced down the hall, checking each room as she went, looking for Lemon Drops. At first she could just hear a muffled sound, no louder than Rarity’s soft snores, but it sounded wrong. It sent shudders down her spine, and just like that, she was back in the slave pens with Nine Tails.

Shaking the image from her mind, she began running down the hall once more, moving at a slower pace this time. Now that she was closer, she could hear heavy breathing and the sound of voices. Gritting her teeth, she eased forward and peeked into what felt like the hundredth room and blinked in surprise. There was Lemon Drops, chained down to the table. Over her stood another guard, mocking her and taunting her while he pissed all over her face.

A deep rolling anger filled Applejack, and without a second thought, she charged into the room. By the time the door slammed open and the guard realizedthat something wrong, it was already too late. She was in his face, both hindhooves snapping up and catching him straight in the chest. Bones cracked underhoof, but she didn’t care. She dropped down, turned around, and punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” said Applejack as she began undoing the bonds.

“Th-thanks.” Standing on shaky hooves, Lemon Drops shook the piss from her mane before kicking the downed guard between the hind legs. “But you shouldn’t have come for me. Once they find out I’m gone, they’ll-”

“Then we better get moving,” replied Applejack as she took off her jacket. “Here, get into this and try to sneak out, Ah saw a half-filled water bow one room over. Clean yourself off and get to my room, the key’s in the right pocket. Ah’ll gather everypony and we’ll strike out.”

“W-What? You’re not thinking of-”

“Ah am. It’s clear to me that this place is just as bad as the slave pens Ah left behind. We leave, immediately. Y’all should have some sort of map with safe havens marked out, right?”

“Y-Yeah. I think Autumn Night may have that.”

“An’ a way to get into the armory?”

She nodded, looking dazed.

“Alright. We do that and then we get out,” said Applejack as she trotted out the room. “This place disgusts me.”

Chapter 17

View Online

The first thing Dash noticed was the white walls. Each one was impossibly polished, so much so that she could see her own blurry reflection. Columns stretched upwards, taller even than the ones she’d seen in Pegasopolis, and when she looked up, there was nothing but the empty sky. Clear, blue sky. No clouds in sight, and her jaw dropped at the view. There, above her, hanging in the sky just like the stories of old, was a yellow ball of light. It hurt so much to look at, but still Dash stared. She couldn’t help it. It was... it was...

Her hoof reached out, stretching towards the sky, and it was only once a soft pitter-patter echoed through the massive hall that she realized tears were rolling down her cheek. It was wrong, it should have been wrong to show such weakness, but she just didn’t care. Not anymore. Hoof trailing to her zipper, she began drawing it down, shrugging off her thick jacket. The boots came off next, quickly followed by the lower layers underneath, until she wore absolutely nothing.

A small whimper escaped as she felt a tender breeze run through her fur and mane. Against her will, her eyes closed and she took a deep breath, savoring that sweet scent. Wings slowly unfurled as Dash stretched them out, shivering as the wind caressed them. With her eyes still closed, she took a step forward and felt the warmth wrap around her body. With a single mighty beat of her wings, Dash took to the air.

“Oh yeah!” she yelled as she did a roll and a flip. A shiver ran down her spine as she twisted and turned in the air, testing out her wings without all that heavy baggage. “Eat your heart out Lightning! Rainbow Dash is in the house and she’s gonna kick your flank. Move to the side Spitfire, a new captain is coming through. The one! The only! R-Danger-Dash!”

“It’s times like these I wish there was a way to record things so I never forget.” Dash’s head snapped down, and there stood the horned freak with a smirk on her face. “I see you survived.”

Glaring at the unicorn, Dash rolled onto her back while still in the air. “And you’re rather banged up. What happened? Got your flank kicked?”

“You could say that.” The chuckle and easy shrug of her shoulders only caused Dash to grind her teeth together. “I take it your trial was easier than mine.”

“Eh, stupid freaky mind-reading magic trying to make me think an illusion was reality,” shrugged Dash. “Very bad magic, might I add, took me less than a second to realize what was up and figure it out. Makes me wonder how you freaks have lasted so long.”

“Of course,” sighed Twilight, “why am I not surprised?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Silence descended as the two stared at each other.

“It’s night where I am, you know,” whispered Twilight as she looked up. “It’s night and it’s not cold. I look up and instead of clouds, I see stars. Stars! Small, white twinkling things that sparkle like... like... I don’t know like what, but it’s beautiful beyond belief. And then there’s the moon.” Her hoof stretched out into the air almost as though she was trying to grasp something. “It’s so... small. I thought it’d be larger, but this just feels right. Proper. Like it balances everything out. I’ve seen pictures you know, stained glassand tapestries, but this is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Dash swallowed and landed. “It’s day here and the sun, it’s so... big and there, you know? Like, it’s taking up everything, dominating everything. You can’t help but notice it. It’s just... there.” Looking up, she squinted against the light, feeling a weight settle on her shoulders before she looked down, a small smile on her lips. “And there’s this green stuff under my hoof.”

“It’s grass,” said Twilight as she scuffed her hoof against the floor. “I’m positive that wasn’t there earlier, but do you feel it? The grass and mud?”

“G-Grass?” Leaning down, Dash took a bite only to come up empty. Beside her, Twilight burst out laughing. “Oh shut up!”

“I’m sorry, but it’s magic! Did you actually expect anything?” giggled Twilight as she flopped back, rolling around on the grass. “This is what I fight for, this is what I want. Too bad it just feels like rolling on stone ground.”

“So what now?” asked Dash as she looked around, the marble walls gone, leaving behind fields of grass and rolling hills.

“I... don’t know. Last time it was just a simple chamber, not this,” said Twilight as she looked around.

“Another illusion?”

“Perhaps. Things often comes in threes, after all. Three alicorns, three temples, three trials. It would make sense.” Twilight sighed and looked around. “There must be something we’re missing.”

“You’re not missing anything.”

Both heads snapped across and there sat two alicorns. The white one from before, and a dark blue one next to her. Behind them was a lake, the surface as smooth as glass even as wind rippled through the clearing. On all sides were trees, impossibly tall trees that stretched up the sky and blotted out everything. Trees that were green and brown and... and... alive. Not those frozen husks. They just looked... right. There was no other way to describe it. It just felt right, and that was that.

“Thou performed... decently,” said the younger one, the darker one, the colder one.

“By all rights you should not be here at all,” said the older, lighter, warmer one. “But we are desperate.”

Twilight frowned. “I thought you were triggered memory spells.”

“Thou art correct, but we are more than that, we are thoughts with a will. We know what our real selves know, and we have waited for so long.”

“Too long.”

“Aye, sister, too long. We turned so many away, waiting for the warriors we needed to come along when it was not about what we needed.”

“It was about what this land needed,” finished the white one. “We dreamed for a white knight, but all we received were charlatans and deceivers. There was no Harmony in their souls, and very rarely would there be a Spark, but what is a spark without tinder?”

“Other times we received naught but dry tinder. They had the potential, but lacked the Spark.”

“And yet here two stand, dearest sister, one with the Spark and one with the tinder. ”

“Thou art indeed correct, sister dearest.”

“Hey! Stop talking like we’re not here,” snapped Dash.

The darker one chuckled. “Correction, we hath both spark and tinder in this one, just the wrong type of spark. Fiery, isn’t she?”

“Hm... and if what you told me is correct, then our little Spark enjoys a bit of fieriness.”

Twilight took a step towards the two alicorns with a death glare, “For once, I agree with Rainbow Dash, stop talking at us like we’re idiots.”

“Please, calm down my little ponies, we mean no harm, we merely wish to get to know you better. Let us begin anew.” The landscaped shifted and changed so that they were sitting on a cloud, staring down at green pasture below, as far as the eye could see. “I am Celestia, and this is my sister Luna.”

“And your niece is in the centre of the world,” whispered Twilight. “That’s the floating castle, isn’t it?”

“Correct.” Luna’s horn began to glow, and for a brief second a mark could be seen on the side of Twilight’s neck before it faded from sight. “Now thou bear our mark. Enter the castle, speak with our niece, and fin-”

“Oh no.” Dash began backing away, eyes locked on Celestia’s horn. “You’re not casting anything on me and you’re definitely not marking me. I’m not some slave for you to brand.”

“It is a shame you do not have a choice in the matter.” Dash dodged to the side, but she still felt warmth on her neck that slowly spread through her body, like the sweetest drug, and warmed her to her very soul. “And it is done. Worry not; nopony will ever know you have it.”

Stumbling back to her hooves, Dash glared at Celestia. “That’s not the point! You don’t just go ar-”

Black tendrils wrapped themselves around her muzzle and her head was jerked in Luna’s direction. “Silence knave, thy opinions mean naught. What we do, we do in service of this land, and thy petty wishes are beneath us. Thou have a mission. Carry it out.”

“Luna.” There was no change from the perfectly serene voice Celestia had used throughout the conversation, but that single word carried with it a power that forced even Dash to shrink back.

“We are right, dear sister, these two may be the closest we have to weakening the Windigos’ grasp on this land. If something is not done soon then We fe-”

“Luna, they are still mortals and they are still beings under our care, we cannot force them to do anything.”

“And yet you were the one who cast the spell without permission,” said Twilight, crossbow loaded and aimed at Celestia. “That is something that should never be done.”

“I gave her the key to unlock her destiny; she has no need to follow through if she does not desire to. Come, you are a unicorn, see for yourself, the mark leaves no trace,” said Celestia, not even looking the least bit put off by the weapon aimed at her. “We know you will go, Twilight Sparkle, but you are not enough, one pony will never be enough. Two is... improbable at best."

“So even with two, we’ll fail,” muttered Twilight as she frowned.

“More than likely, but we have no choice.” Celestia sighed and dipped a hoof into the cloud, creating a small ball. “We can’t hold on much longer you know, this is our final gambit unless a miracle happens.”

“Celly...” Luna nuzzled her sister tenderly. “Thou need to have hope.”

“You were always the dreamer,” Celestia chuckled as she wrapped a wing around her sister before turning her attention back to Twilight. “With two in Harmony, it would be difficult. With you two though?” She shook her head sadly. “I... I will be honest.”

“Celly,th-”

“No, they deserve to know.” Celestia breathed out slowly. “Though many tried and failed, a select few made it through, and we sent them to their deaths. Sometimes willingly, sometimes without their knowledge, and though it pained us to do so, it was necessary. They were buying us time, buying the world time, but it wasn’t enough and soon things will cascade out of control. We will reach a tipping point, and once crossed, there will be no way to save this world. You two will die, but like those before you, your deaths will buy more time.”

Dash swallowed and closed her eyes before saying, “I don’t know about you, but I’m going.”

“Dash?”

Eyes open once more, the pegasus smiled at Twilight. “The world’s going to end soon right? It’s my duty to protect the pegasi, to be loyal to them no matter what, and sometimes that loyalty demands sacrifices. If that means dying, then I will gladly face my death head-on. Something you obviously do not get yourself.”

That got a snort out of Twilight. “I’m loyal, but not to ponies. My loyalty is to this.” She swept her hoof out around her, gesturing at the green pastures. “Look at this. My loyalty is to a dream, this dream. To return the land to this state, where there’s no snow and where there’s food enough for all, where the sun and moon shine in the sky. This is where my loyalty lies, and I am willing to do anything to achieve this. Fighting my own race, fighting my own brother, it matters not. I will become a monster if a monster is what is necessary to achieve my goals.”

“You’re wrong,” whispered Dash, her wings unfurling, “I refuse to let the pegasi become monsters to win. We are better than that.”

“Better for me to be a monster than anyone else,” replied Twilight with a shrug. “The ultimate sacrifice, remember?”

Dash was forced to bite her tongue and glare at the unicorn. Trust a freak like her to use logic like that.

“So you’ll both go,” said Celestia, relief evident in her voice. “Thank you.”

“I’m not doing it for you,” snapped Dash.

That got a chuckle out of both alicorns, and the world around them began fading away. It was like a painting being washed clean, with the way all the colors ran together. It swirled around their hooves, flowing down some invisible sinkhole before the infinite whiteness all around them shattered like glass, leaving both of them in the ruins of some temple. The walls were cracked, snow drifted through a hole in the roof, and a fallen tree had cut the entire place in half. Beside her stood Twilight, looking around just as curiously.

"I suppose it's time to get moving then," said Twilight as she raised her hood.

"Back to the base?"

The unicorn merely shook her head. "We go straight to the centre of the earth."

Dash found her voice caught in her throat. She had orders to follow Twilight, she needed to follow Twilight, to figure out what was going on and to bring that information back to Spitfire. They were counting on her. She was the eyes and ears of the Pegasus Empire and that meant there was no way for her to go back and get Fluttershy before rushing after Twilight.

But... was that really an issue? After all, Dash just wanted Fluttershy somewhere safe, and sure, it wasn't exactly an ideal location; the entire place was crawling with horned freaks and dirt ponies, but it was better than nothing. And, well, Fluttershy just wasn't a pony made for hard travel. As much as it pained Dash to admit it. Maybe... maybe it'd be better to leave Fluttershy behind. She was a smart filly, she knew the difference between pegasi and those lesser races and wouldn't fall into the silly little traps the unicorns loved so much.

Fluttershy would be alright. She'd be fine. She'd survive and wouldn't have to worry about being forced into a relationship against her will. For all the faults of unicorns and earth ponies, they at least seemed to respect that. This whole thing, before it spiraled out of control, had always been about Fluttershy. Getting her to safety and now that she had found someplace that was decently safe, surely Dash was meant to leave her there.

With a sigh, Dash rolled her shoulders and nodded. "Let’s go then."

That got a cocked eyebrow from Twilight.

"You heard what they said, we do this or we die. If we can buysome time, even another year, it'll be worth it." Dash shrugged and began moving towards the door. "You coming or what?"

"And Fluttershy?" asked Twilight as she walked beside Dash.

"I could ask you about Spike."

That got a brief second of hesitation before Twilight looked away and said, "This is dangerous enough as is."

"Exactly. If only we have to die, why drag others into it?"

"For once I agree with you." Together, they stepped back out into the chilly air, their breathmisting. "We need to head west from here. We need supplies before we can move out."

"Lead the way then."

"Okay, seriously, what is wrong with you?" said Twilight. "This is too... amicable."

"Ami-what now?" frowned Dash.

"You're being too nice."

"Screw you," snapped Dash.

"There we go, you had me worried."

"Go suck yourself."

"Wouldn’t you rather do that for me?"

Dash's eyes bulged and her mouth worked uselessly. In the end, she just yelled, "You don't have a cock!"

Smirking, Twilight brushed past and took the lead, moving through the forest without a care in the world. Dash muttered a string of obscenities under her breath, but followed, keeping an eye on the sky. She needed to get her information to Spitfire somehow. If that freak was going to be as aggressive as she had been in the past, she'd probably waltz in and burn everything to ashes.

Actually... did they even need that horned freak anymore? Dash had been marked, and that meant she could get into the castle that was below her hooves. It was so tempting to just bash that freak in the back of the head right now, to crack her skull in and let her bleed out on the ground. But as much as she wanted to, those two… alicorns? Yes, Twilight had called them alicorns. Those two alicorns had said that both of them were needed. That she had to work with Twilight and that only together they would be able to do something important, maybe even great. The two of them, working together! If the entire thing wasn't so serious, Dash would have thought it was some sick joke.

Shaking her head, Dash focused on following Twilight. There would be time to think this all through later. Right now though, she needed to concentrate on what was important. And yet, if Twilight could get through, then surely the Wonderbolts could as well.

A small smile began spreading across her lips as she gazed at Twilight, completely oblivious to her thoughts. It would simplicity itself to knock the mare unconscious, drag her to the Wonderbolts, help them through the trial and then go to the center of the earth. No doubt she’d have better luck with a pegasus for a partner instead of that horned freak. With Spitfire and Soarin and the rest of them by her side, they'd easily be able to get through the trials and save the world.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Dash glanced upwards yet again, praying for a brief hint of some pegasi in the air. Not even the slightest hint of mane or tail could be seen, but she could see smoke billowing into the sky in the north.

Dash frowned.

"Where we entered... it's not to the north is it?" asked Dash.

"No, why do you ask?" Twilight's head came up and her eyes widened. "That's where Pinkie’s base is!"

One second she was on her hooves, and the next, Dash found herself on the ground with a very pissed-off unicorn on top of her. She tried to struggle, but Twilight just lowered her head so that her horn was pressed against Dash's throat. Gulping nervously, Dash immediately froze. The last thing she wanted was for Twilight to turn her blood to fire or something.

"You told them," hissed Twilight, "I don't know how you figured out where the base was, but you told them. I should kill you right now for what you’ve done.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Dash’s hindhoof snapped up, slamming into Twilight’s stomach and sending the unicorn flying over her head as she rolled backwards onto her hooves. “I’ve been with you the whole bloody time! At no point was I out of your sight or able to talk to any of them privately!”

“Lies,” hissed Twilight as she loaded a bolt, aiming it directly at Dash. “You sold them out. You sold out the only place where flowers grew, where there was no snow, and where everypony was happy. You sold them out and now I’m going to fucking tear your intestines out!”

Wings flaring open, Dash took an aggressive stance and grinned. “About fucking time. I’ve been wanting to kill you for ages now. You’re a freak and a monster and you don’t deserve to live!”

With a strong pump of her wings, Dash threw herself forward. The crossbow fired, but with a deft twist, she corkscrewed and the bolt just grazedalong her stomach. A second later she slammed into that bitch. Together they smashed into a tree, shattering it and sending shards of ice in all directions. The horn flared to life and Dashwas forced to kick the freak down while she disengaged.

A bolt of magic ripped through the air with enough force to send Dash tumbling end over end. Before she could recover,pain laced through her body as a bolt found her thigh. Gritting her teeth, she put on a sudden burst of speed, zipping straight for a tree. Flipping at the very last second, all four hooves connected with the solid surface and she kicked off with enough force to crack the wood, launching herself at Twilight once more.

Twilight dove to the side and Dash tucked herself into a ball. Hooves hitting the ground, she skidded for a dozen feet, leaving behind twin lines of melted snow. Ducking down, a bolt whizzed past her head, and she quickly sidestepped as another grazed her cheek. Moving with quickside-to-side motions, Dash closed the distance, easily dodging each bolt fired. Feinting to the right, she came around from the left with her wing blade, leaving a deep cut in Twilight’s chest. Without missing a beat, Dash pressed her advantage, going in for a quick one-two punch and constantly threatening with her wings.

Instead of backing up, Twilight discharged a burst of magic in all directions, throwing Dash back. Hitting a tree, she tried to roll out of the way, but magic continued to dance across her fur, locking her muscles in place. Each gasp of breath was laced with pain, but Dash forced herself toher hooves just as a crossbow bolt pierced her flank. Stumbling, Dash managed to stay on her hooves, but just barely.

Ignoring the pain, Dash dove to the side, slipping behind a tree just as bolts thudded into the ground where she had been standing. She ran from tree to tree, moving closer with every passing second, but Twilight stood firm, waiting patiently.

Back against a tree, Dash took deep gulps of air even as her injured leg shook under her, threatening to give out. Blood seeped into her clothes, turning the fabric a deep red. Already she could feel the limbgoing numb, butthat just caused Dash smile.

Licking her lips, Dash leapt out and dropped low, racing towards that horned freak. Without any pain to slow her down, not that pain could slow her down, she slammed into Twilight at maximum speed, sending them both to the ground and flinging the crossbow away. Together they hit the ice, sliding uncontrollably as they tumbled over one another. A hoof here, a knee there, a head-butt thrown in for good measure.Two animals fighting for survival, biting, growling, and snarling as they tried to get the upper hoof.

Slamming a knee into the horned freak’s stomach, Dash finally got the upper hoof. A sickening crack echoed through the silence and the unicorn fell unconscious beneath her. Heavy pants filled the air as Dash loomed above Twilight, asteady drip of blood sliding down her cheek. A single hoof was raised into the air, aimed straight at the freak’s head, but something stopped her. It felt too easy, too straightforward. For all that anger and frustration and hate, to end that thing with one simple motion felt too... dull. Sure, they had fought, but neither of them had gone all out, or pushed themselves beyond their limits. That horned freak barely even used her magic!

This would not do, this would not do at all. With a snort, Dash rolled her shoulder and nudged the freak with a hoof. Typical horned freak, even in death she was worthless. Not that she was dead. Yet.

With a sigh, Dash lowered her hoof. A quick death, one without pain or suffering, was better than that monster deserved. Out here, alone, without Spike, she would quickly succumb to the cold or her wounds, and she'd suffer. Slowly, surely, she'd suffer, and that was what Dash desired.

Turning back, Dash spat on Twilight before limping away.

A wall of white greeted them.

"Ya know, it's not too late to change your mind."

Applejack didn’t take a single look backwards as she took her first step into the wilderness. A deep, biting chill settled into place, but Applejack shook it off with a shrug of her shoulders. She glanced over her shoulder at the earth ponies standing there, a disappointed look etched onto her face as she surveyed those that stood with MacIntosh. So many... too many... Could they not see?

A light hoof was placed on her shoulder. "It'll be fine darling, you can't save those who do not wish to be saved."

A snort came from her right. "As much as I hate to say it, the horned freak's right. They're blind and deaf, leading each other around in circles with false promises and false praise."

"My, my, my, an earth pony with an eloquent tongue, color me surprised," smirked Rarity.

"And a unicorn with common sense." Reaching past Applejack, they shook hooves. "Call me Serpent."

"My, how melodramatic. Let me guess, you pi-"

"Another time please," sighed Applejack as she turned away, walking forward once more. Almost as one, the small group she had with her fell in line, following her into the wilderness. "Sharp Shooter, Ah need recon. Drifter, plan our route. Sunny, check on Lemon Drops and the foals."

"I'd rather check on Lemon Drops if that's alright..." said Drifter, glancing towards the caravan they had managed to wrangle out of MacIntosh.

"Ya're the one most familiar with the area."

Sighing, he nodded and gave a piercing whistle. A couple sharp shouts and hoof gestures later, he had a small group around him. After a couple minutes of deep conversation, he turned to Sharp Shooter and said, "Can you scout out the ridge to the north? If we can get over it then that'll cut travel time down."

"My, my, look who's suddenly in charge," chuckled Rarity, "and to think you were doubting yourself."

"Ah'm still doubting myself," sighed Applejack, speaking in a whisper so she couldn't be overheard, "but I have to stay strong. For all of them. They look to me and follow me into this insanity."

"Because they trust you and believe in you," said Serpent. "You better not disappoint. I'm planning on recording everything that happens so that foals in the future will be able to look back at this and be proud."

That got a small smile out of Applejack.

"And on that note, first thing I have to know is what your relationship with this... er... mare is," asked Serpent.

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Leave."

"Come on, it's just a si-" A yelp escaped and he ducked under Applejack's kick, quickly scrambling off.

"You really shouldn't do that darling. You have to be fair and patient and ignore comments like those. Ponies will talk, whether you like it or not," whispered Rarity.

"Ah know, but damn it! Ah ain't some horn lover." Her eyes widened. "Not that ya're not beautiful. For a horned freak! Ah mean-" She facehoofed. "Kill me now."

"I'd rather not, I have grown rather fond of your antics. Why, without you around, who would keep me entertained at night?"

Applejack gagged.

"Real amusing dear, but such antics are so uncouth.” Rarity tossed her mane to one side before moving closer to Applejack when she got a glare from one of the nearby earth ponies. “But in all seriousness, could I perhaps sleep close to you tonight? I do not think your… acquaintances like me very much.”

“Ah wonder why,” remarked Applejack, “but Ah agree, Ah’llhav’ta ta-”

“Golden! Golden!” A light blue earth pony skidded to a stop before her, panting heavily. “Sharp wants you to see something.”

“Lead the way then.” Applejack began walking forward, only to stop mid step and glance back at Rarity. “Ya coming or what?”

“Oh, what’s this? Now I’m allowed in your inner circle?” With a cocked brow, she sauntered past. “Very well then, we better make haste.”

“Well, ya are our expert on unicorns and all things magic.”

“You… you can’t be serious!” panted the messenger, “She’s a-”

“She an ally.” The temperature around them dropped as Applejack glared at him. “And Ah won’t hear ya say otherwise.”

Nodding until his head was about to fly off, he quickly scrambled before them. Every so often, he looked like he wanted to glance back, but each and every single time, he stopped mid turn and kept trudging on.

“That was a bad idea you know,” whispered Rarity. “You need them to follow you willingly. Address their concerns, make them feel wanted and needed, don’t shut down the conversation like that, especially not around this topic.”

That got a surprised look out of Applejack.

“I used to… dabble... in politics, I suppose you could say. In Unicornia, politics is often deadlier than the battlefield.” Jumping onto a fallen tree, they were forced to walk along it to cross achasm and into the dense forest. “Leadership is an art, requiring perfect understanding of the audience, yourself, and your message. One single word can move a nation and you need to learn it. Lead not with fear, but with passion.”

Applejack nodded slowly before opening her mouth. After a couple seconds of searching for the right word, she finally said, “Can ya teach me?”

“I can try, but-” Rarity held up a hoof. “-you cannot make it obvious that I am. Act normally and when somepony asks you something, reply as you would. Do not glance over at me, do not see if I approve. If they find out I’m teaching you, well…”

Bile rose in her throat.

“Why are ya helping me?” she croaked, though perhaps a better question would have been why she had asked for it to begin with.

“Bec-”

“Golden!” Their eyes moved up and saw Sharp sitting at the top of atree. “There you are, we were afraid Rover there got you lost. Come on, get up here.”

After a couple seconds glancing around, Applejack quickly found a hoofhold and began climbing up. Scrambling from branch to branch, she shook snow from the leaves in the bucketful, and by the time she reached the top, she was panting heavily.

“Somepony needs more exercise.”

Unable to respond, Applejack merely glared at the older stallion.

“Alright, alright. Now look out there,” he said, pointing to the northwest at a plume of smoke. “That’s coming from the Everfree Forest and it’s in the direction we’re travelling. There’s also heavy hoof traffic in that direction. Whatever is going on up there, it’s huge, and I don’t want to be any part of it.”

“Can we go anywhere else?” asked Applejack.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.” Pulling out his map, he pinned it to the tree with a knife. “We can strike out north-northeast and aim for this cave here, but that’ll put us dangerously close to nightfall and with foals…”

“So either we go northeast an’ risk freezing to death, or we go northwest like planned an’ walk into something.” Applejack sighed and rubbed her temples. “What do ya suggest?”

“We go northwest. The tracks are fresh, but if there’s fighting up there, they’ll be too busy to bother us. From there we strike out east to this camp, then northeast and circle around that way. It’ll take longer, but we should survive with the supplies we have.”

“It’ll be close.” Applejack closed her eyes, the map still imprinted in her memory. “Ah think ya right though. Unless we get bogged down by a blizzard for three days, we should be fine.”

“Whenever anypony ever says that, there’s a blizzard.” He gave Applejack a flat look.

“Ya found a way around yet?” She jerked her head back to the ridge.

“Yep. I’ve already sent Ballad and Waltz back to find a way around. It’s only a slight detour. Star Song has gone ahead with a small group towards the cave to make sure everything's fine.” He drew on the map with a hoof. "That work for you?"

Applejack simply nodded. "Whatever ya think is best. Ah was a slave, not a scout so Ah'mtrustingya to keep our snouts clean."

"Great," he muttered, running a hoof through his mane. “Way to lay the pressure on me."

"You’rewelcome," chuckled Applejack, "but for what it's worth, Ah know about what the pony body can stand and looking at ya plan? It works if ya timing is right."

"I'm giving it three hours leeway." He glanced up at the cloudy sky. "As long it's not a massive blizzard like the one three years back, we should be fine."

"Alright." Applejack swung down and landed with a roll next to the unicorn. "Come on, we better check on the caravan."

Rarity nodded and followed until they were out of earshot before whispering, "Much better. You showed you were willing to take advice from others, but still took the lead. In the end, it was you who made the choice, you who verified that the plan was good and you who reassured him as well."

"Ah ain't an entire idiot," replied Applejack with a smile.

"No, no you're not." Rarity flushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's something I have to keep reminding myself, though."

How often had this horned freak used those same tactics on her? Perfect words chosen for every scenario, designed to make Applejack feel exactly what Rarity wanted her to feel. Had her entire time with Rarity been one big show? Dancing on puppet strings without even knowing it, lead along from this to that, making links and feeling emotions due to some fancy word trick? The mere possibility chilled Applejack to the bone, and yet...

If that was the case, why teach these skills to her? Gain more trust? Maybe, but that just felt wrong. That was like some slimy stallion trying to bed her. Despite everything, despite being a unicorn, this mare had something more. There was something special, important, maybe even... earthpony-ish about her.

"Wait," whispered Applejack.

"Yes?"

"Hold still." Stepping forward, Applejack slowly reached out, wrapping her lips around the ring on Rarity's head before giving it a hard twist and pull. Spitting it onto the ground, grabbed a second ring, completely identical and slipped it on. "Don't let anypony find out about this."

Rarity just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Ah ain't doing this for ya. If we run into a manticore..." Applejack shook her head. "We're gonna need all the help we can get. Now come."

She had no idea why she had done that. What vile spell had overtaken her in that single moment of weakness? But at the same time she walked away with her head held high. It just felt right. After all, she had been a slave for so long and to subject that to another pony, even a horned freak, that was just wrong. Now she could sleep easy at night.

Now she'd no longer be haunted by the orange eyes in her dreams.

Chapter 18

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"Hey!" Rainbow Dash jumped up, waving her hoof in the air. "Down here! Come on you dumb ass featherbrain, look down!"

Ignoring the pain in her wing, she leapt up, grabbing onto the branch and scrambling up. A sharp crack echoed through the forest as the branch broke under her weight, sending her crashing to the ground. Landing on her bad wing, a sharp jolt of pain forced a cry of pain from her lips and tears sprung to her eyes. With a growl, she rolled onto her hooves, taking deep shaky breaths.

The soft thump of hooves hitting snow could be heard and when she looked up, a pair of blue eyes gazed back at her. The stallion turned and looked over at his companion, "Captain, we've got another traitor here."

"Traitor!? I've been working with the Wonderbolts!" snapped Dash as flicked out her collar to show the pin. "I've got news, important news. Big news. I just came from the temple and we need to move out. Now."

The two exchanged a look as more pegasi landed.

"Captain?" asked the stallion.

After a long pause, she said, "You heard the mare, she's got important information. We need to escort her to see General Storm."

Dash's ears perked up. Maybe now she could finally get an answer and spit on that useless story that they had concocted. To think she had actually been worried over that stupid story ! If she didn't have such important information, and if she wasn't looking after Fluttershy, she'd actually be half tempted to turn herself in to the Inquisition . It wasn't anything serious, but she’d feel better once the doubt purged from her mind.

"Flight Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, commander of Farm Nightingale," s aid Dash with a smart salute.

All the pegasi exchanged confused looks, but like any good leader, all it took was a single hoof wave to make them all snap to attention. That earned an impressed whistle from Dash. "Damn, you've got them whipped."

The captain chuckled and took off her helmet, revealing a dark blue mane with a silver streak down the middle. "Captain East End, we're a roaming bunch. Going where we're needed, doing what needs to be done. So what's this super important news you've got?"

"Sorry, but Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire said that it was highly classified." Dash shrugged. "Better safe than sorry, you know?"

"Of course, of course." East End jerked her head and one of the stallions stepped forward. "Climb on his back, it'll make travel faster."

Dash eyed the stallion, but ended up nodding. He looked trustworthy at least, and considering a mare was in charge of everything, there was no chance of anything dodgy happening. Climbing onto his back, Dash wrapped her hooves around his neck while another secured her loosely with some rope. She felt those muscles tense, and anticipation filled her very soul. Sure, she wasn't the one flying, but damn. Just feeling those coils of raw power tense up, readying to take off—it sent shudders down her spine.

Wings snapped down in a powerful kickoff than sent Dash rocking back. Wings stretched out and eyes closed, for a split second it actually felt like she was the one flying. Of course, there was a constant nagging in the back of her mind, reminding her that it wasn't the case, but she didn't care. For once, she just wanted to forget any of this had happened, that she was still back in her fort taking care of all her underlings, dealing with Thunderlane and Lightning Dust...

Yeah, now that she thought about it, the crap she had put up with over these past weeks was definitely better. She could almost consider it a vacation.

"So how'd the fight with the Pink Menace go?" asked Dash and the pegasus she was on almost dropped out of the sky. "Um... was I not meant to know that?"

"Only those directly involved know, and even then, most think was some traitor's base." East End eyed Dash critically. "So how do you know?"

"I was going to inform Captain Spitfire of the location, but it seems like some pegasi bet me to it."

"Beat you to it is right. Didn't catch her name, but totally hot babe, new recruit too for the Wonderb-" He yelped. "Hey! What was that for?"

Dash glared at the stallion next to her. "That's Lightning Dust, and she was my second in command."

"Damn." He gave her a lopsided smile. "Farm Nightingale right? Hey Cap'n, next time we're free, can we visit that place? Seems as though they have super-hot mares."

"Velocity," growled East End, "need I report you? Again?"

"Alright, alright, geez, still can't take a joke I see. Thought you'd be less of a tight-ass after we got married , if you know what I mean." He nudged his partner. "Huh? Huh? Get it?"

"Don't drag me into this, I ain't getting caught up in your mess. I still have nightmares about that one time you convinced me to go out drinking with you."

"That was two years ago!"

"That's the point."

Velocity huffed and pouted.

"Velocit y, stop it," sighed East. "Why did I marry you again?"

"My impossibly roughish charms and good looks?"

The only pony who didn't snort in amusement was Dash, who simply looked confused. It felt so weird, wrong almost, to be here, in this almost intimate situation. They were so close, the six of them, and it was clear that Velocity and East weren't the only couple in the group.

As the gorge came into view, Dash made out numerous ponies scrambling about. The remains of the unicorn encampment was all, but gone and new structures could be seen in place. Nothing too large or fancy, just piles of boxes outside of each cave entrance. Her eyes drifted over to the two cave entrances leading to the temples and a small shudder ran down her spine, a hoof touching her neck where she had been branded like some slave.

Not a single word was said as they began spiraling down. If some sort of signal was given, Dash didn’t see it, but the pegasi below scrambled out of the way as they touched down with a soft thump. Slipping off her transport, Dash stretched out her wings, sighing in relief as the joints popped. It was only when she shook out her mane that she realized every last pegasus was staring at her.

"What?" snapped Dash.

"Whoa, cool it." East placed a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "This is a secret operation and all the pegasi know each other. Seeing you around is... concerning. Now come on, we need to see General Storm."

Just who was this mare and what was this group? All the ponies stepped out of their way as they walked through the crowd. She didn't notice it before, but now, among all these pegasi, Dash could feel it. Respect, admiration, even fear.As they approached the cave entrance, all the guards saluted, not even bothering to ask what their business was. These ponies were important enough to waltz right in to see General Storm and yet she had never heard of them before. Just who were they?

The sound of muffled voices could be heard as they entered, and as their hoofbeats echoed through the cave, the voices died down to a small murmur until the words stopped completely. Stepping around the corner, Dash found the familiar sight of the portal as well as three pegasi sitting around a table, and her jaw dropped. It was one thing to walk in on General Storm, but General Storm and Commander Hail and High Commander Hurricane!? They were going to be killed, placed on the rack, sent to the breeding grounds, given to the guards as a reward, made to fight in the coliseum, an- and-

"Ah, East End, you're back, and I see you bought a friend." Rainbow's knees turned weak at High Commander Hurricane's impossibly smooth voice. To think she was here! In the presence of the High Commander himself. It was just, oh by the sun, he looked even hotter in person. Move aside Soarin, somepegasus else just took that spot. Just look at him! Perfectly preened feathers, messy yellow mane, sleek smoky blue coat, muscular in all the right ways and all the right places...

She was drooling and she didn't care.

"My, my, you are a pretty one aren't you?" he asked and once again, she felt that shudder run down her spine. "What's your name?"

"R-Rainbow Dash, sir, Flight Lieutenant in charge of Farm Nightingale." Dash snapped to a smart salute.

"Well now Flight Lieutenant, how ab-"

"Hurricane," sighed Commander Hail causing Dash's eyes to bulge out of her head. Did she just refer to the High Commander by his first name!? "We do not have time for your ways. I'm sure East End has important information involving this mare, otherwise she would not have bought Flight Lieutenant Rainbow Dash to us."

"Agreed," General Storm rested both hooves on the table. "We do not long how long the horned freaks were here, for all we know, they have all the secrets. We must act with all haste if we are to figure out what is behind that portal."

" I've already been through there, not really that hard you know." All of a sudden, Dash found everypegasus staring at her and she gulped. "Um... sir..."

"You've been through there?" demanded General Storm.

"Yes sir!"

"And how did that occur? This location is top secret, and we only arrived on site today." There was a pause and all of a sudden the warmth fled from High Commander Hurricane's eyes. "You were here before us. You were the ones who launched the pre-emptive attack. Who gave the order?"

"N-No one, sir. I was involved in another mission ordered by Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire. I had no idea a second operation was taking place here."

"Explain." One single word spoken in a perfectly level tone, and yet it felt like a blow to her chest.

"Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire ordered me to keep an eye on a purple unicorn known as Twilight and to report back to her. I followed the unicorn to the Pink Menace's base, but before I could pass the details to Spitfire, the unicorn departed to attack here. We activated the portals, made it through the trials and I was marked at the end to let me into the floating castle beneath the earth."

There was a pause as they all stared at Dash.

"Flight Lieutenant, please start at the beginning and tell us everything," said Commander Hail.

Taking a deep breath, Dash began recounting her entire story, leaving out the real reason to leave, but otherwise keeping everything else truthful. Well, mostly truthful. She might have fudged things here and there, making sure to cast Fluttershy in the lime light just in case they found her in their raid. She wasn't really concerned though, she was a pegasus and she knew how to handle herself. All it'd take was one look from one of the officials and they'd know she was on their side.

By the time she finished, they were all staring at her from behind masks of indifference. Not once had their expression changed throughout the story and as the silence stretched on, it took all of herself-restraint to not start fidgeting on the spot. It was worse than inspection back when she was a recruit and it left her even more uncomfortable. Stories of how High Commander Hurricane could smell a lie a mile away and how one look from his piercing eyes was enough to smite a heretic filled Dash's mind and she gulped nervously.

After a long minute of silence, High Commander Hurricane leaned back in his seat and slowly breathed out. "I don't know if you're telling the truth or not and the entire thing sounds far too crazy to be real, but it does verify our suspicions."

Dash bit down on her tongue, waiting for him to elaborate.

"East, show Dash out."

"Wait!" Everypegasi froze at Dash's yell. "What about Fluttershy ? She's no-"

"She's pending investigation, as are you," replied High Commander Hurricane coolly. "She is currently in the prisons with the rest of the freaks, and will be thoroughly examined later. If she corroborates your story, you will both be free to go and her future needs secured by themilitary. If she fails to corroborate your story, then a lifetime of scars and a lack of wings will be the least of her concerns."

Rainbow's heart stopped as she just stared at Hurricane. Had he just... Did he- No. No, she had just misheard. He obviously didn't mean that, that horned freak must have twisted her mind while they were together. There was no way the High Commander would suggest torturing Fluttershy. Based on some... some... she didn't know what, but based on some feeling!

"Why?" whispered Dash, but none of them seemed to hear, not even East who was busy leading her out. "Why!"

Silence.

"Because you just admitted to consorting with a traitor ." Though he spoke in a completely even tone, Dash found herself shrinking away from Hurricane, completely filled with ice. "For the longest time we have suspected Spitfire has been..."

All words faded away as his voice echoed in her mind. Spitfire... a traitor? No! That was impossible! That was... that was... that.... Dash shook her head, trying to clear away those voices, but no matter how hard she tried, that image of Twilight chatting away with the Wonderbolts popped to mind. They were so close, so at ease, almost as though they were long term friends.

"...erbolt Captain East End, escort Miss Dash to a tent and ensure she does not leave."

But it couldn't be true, and even if there was, there had to be some sort of explanation. They should have been able to see that Fluttershy was a pegasus. A loyal pegasus. Not one of those traitors, one of those mockeries of everything pegasi stood for.

And then there was Spitfire and the Wonderbolts. Sure, she had only spent a single night with them, but in that time, she had seen something special. A side of them that was never there when they were on parade or on duty. They were cooler, more relaxed, calmer. It was like hanging out with Lightning Dust and Fluttershy after a hard day's work, just enjoying some drinks.

Finally, there was herself. She was loyal. Sure, she didn't do everything by the book and she may have made things more comfortable for the slaves, but that was so they could produce more. And it worked! The documents she kept proved that, so why didn't they believe her? She knew their history, their legends, their creeds. She knew why the unicorns had horns and why dirt ponies lacked wings. She could recite the Pegasus Code backwards if need be. She was as loyal as they came! So why did they doubt her? Why did they look at her and doubt her word, doubt her loyalties, doubt what the pegasi meant to her?

"Sun damn it!" screamed Dash.

East punched her , sending Dash to the ground. "Shut it."

Glaring up at East , Dash kept her mouth shut as they continued walking. The chill air bit into her body, slamming into her and leaving her breathless. All around her, she could see pegasi standing and staring at her, and with nothing more than a glare, she got back onto her hooves and spat on the ground. As she walked past, all she could feel was a deep rolling anger burning in her, threatening to explode out.

All these pegasi, all of them had been hoof picked for this secret mission and yet when she looked at them, she saw nothing worthy of praise. All those ballads she had memorized, all those stories depicting past battles and fallen heroes, all of them were worthless. Gazing on this rabble, all Dash felt was contempt and sadness. Look at their sunken eyes, the way they nursed their wounds like rabid manticores, look at how they growled at one another and snapped at the slightest touch. Look at them.

Making her way into the cave, she held her head up high, ignoring the looks she got before shoving herself into the small make shift tent . Dash didn't know if East followed her, and she didn't care, at this point, they were all the same.

To do that to Fluttershy. Fluttershy! Dash ground her teeth together and punched the pillow before her. This wasn't the empire she served. This wasn't the empire she wanted to serve . She had been bought up believing all the ideals, all the virtues a pegasus should have and not a single one of them included torturing an innocent on a hunch . A hunch of all things!

They were... they were...

Tears leaked down her cheek and her entire body burned. Breaths came in short gasps, pants that didn't draw in nearly enough air. On trembling legs, she took a step forward only to collapse onto the ground. The worst part was, this wasn't a trial, this was real life. This was how Hurricane thought and acted. Bloodthirsty, relentless, despicable monsters. What happened to the pillar of truth and mercy and justice ? What happened to the real Hurricane?

Dash squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to stop, but it was no use. A scream of pure frustration was ripped from her throat as she pounded the pillow, shredding it to pieces. If she gave in now, she'd be admitting defeat, and Rainbow Fucking Dash never gave in. She'd never say die, she fight to the bitter end on wings of thunder and hooves of hail. These pegasi... they were not the pegasi she had vowed to protect. These were not the pegasi she had vowed to serve. These pegasi were no better than the monsters that she had spent her life fighting against.

Standing tall, she brushed the tears away and took a deep breath. Their mistake was targeting Fluttershy. As soon as they did, as soon as they showed they lacked trust in those below them, lacked loyalty to them, as soon as that happened, they made themselves a new enemy. Wings ruffling against her side, Dash closed her eyes and tried to recall what the gorge looked like and where things were most likely to be located. Despite everything that happened, she found a small smile tug at her lips. To think that old nag South Star had actually taught her something useful!

Sure, she hadn't really seen the lay of the land properly, and when she had been escorted around, she hadn't really been paying attention, but that didn't matter. The freaks wouldn't be kept in either cave, to do so was pure stupidity . With the amount of pegasi around, they needed all the room they could get and even then, Dash had doubts of whether or not they could support everything. And to give that precious room and warmth to some freaks and traitors? Ha! As if. No, they'd be outside, probably digging their own graves to sleep in at night. The lucky ones would freeze to death quickly, the unlucky ones would be brought inside for the soldiers.

Dash cracked her neck.

Loyalty. Ha! They weren't loyal to anything, but themselves. If they were truly loyal, they'd look after the freaks, making sure every single last one of them would survive so that they could be taken to the farms. Resources were low , dangerously so, and if the public found out just how bad things actually were, riots would break out. Now, more than ever, they need freaks in the farms.

And...no pony deserved to be treated like that. To be nothing more than a slab of meat to be used and abused. If it wasn't because she hadn't eaten recently, she would have thrown up right there and then at the mere thought.

First things first though, where was Fluttershy? With the other prisoners, but where was that? Somewhere close by, easy to keep an eye on and make sure the guards didn't hurt them too much before the torture.

Dash grit her teeth and a growl escaped. If they even laid a single hoof on Fluttershy, they were going to pay for it with a limb or two. No pony, absolutely no pony hurt Fluttershy or any of her friends.

No, focus.

Where would they logically hold traitors?

Dash's eyes drifted to the button still pinned her on jacket collar .

Of course, they'd be with East End. Where else could they be? And East was no doubt in the other cave, well away from where she was placed and away from the majority of the force. Dash sat down and frowned. Where was Lightning when you needed her?

Lightning! She was still all right. Right? They hadn't mentioned her specifically, but they did say the Wonderbolts were labeled traitors, but Lightning had just joined! Surely that wouldn't...

Dash shook her head. No. One thing at a time. First, Fluttershy. Once that was done, she could focus on Lightning, though Dash wasn't really that concerned. Lightning knew how to fight and wasn't totally useless by herself in the wild. No, she would rescue Fluttershy and only Fluttershy. She would not release the freaks to cause a diversion or kill any of the guards. They might have been monsters, but who knows? Maybe that was only because of the leaders.

For now they'd live.

For now Dash would stay in this tent, content to dance to this little tune of theirs, but at the first opportunity, she was going. There was no way they managed to catch all those ponies hiding away with Pinkie, which meant if they were even ponies they would come back and try to free their friends. Dash needed to be ready.

But... they were freaks, they wouldn't come . They weren't loyal, they'd rather let their friends die than risk a single hair on that precious hide of theirs. No, if Dash was going to act, it had to be tonight. After all, only an idiot would venture into the wasteland at night with no pet dragon to keep warm.

Dash smirked and cracked her neck.

Good thing she's been marked to be a Wonderbolt then.

The first thing Twilight noticed was the pounding headache threatening to split her skull in two. The second thing she noticed was that it was warm. Far too warm to be outside or even in a cave. There was a fire here, somewhere close. With her eyes still closed, Twilight focused on the sounds around her, searching for any hint of activity, but there was nothing. The crackling flames didn’t help, and toss in the howling wind and she might as well have been blind. Slowly, a hoof crept along the ground, testing the area around her for any signs of bars.

"If you keep going in that direction, your hoof will end up in the fire," said a raspy voice.

"Spitfire!?" Twilight was immediately on her hooves, groaning as the world spun around her from the sudden movement.

"Whoa, easy there." A gentle hoof was placed on her shoulder, pushing her back down. "You were pretty hurt when we found you and you've been out for almost an entire day."

"Come on Spitz , just give her some food like I said and she'll be as good as new ," yelled Soarin from his lounging position in the corner. "Actually, gimme some food, I'm staaaaarving."

"You're always starving," snapped Fleetfoot, smacking Soarin on the back of the head with a wing.

"Ow! What was that fo-"

"Can you two just get a room and buck each other already?" said Spitfire.

"Or not get a room." Rapidfire looked at her commander innocently. "What? Some of us enjoy a good show ."

Twilight's hoof went to her back, but instead of the familiar feel of her crossbow, she only found empty air.

"Here," Spitfire tossed it over to her along with a full quiver. "Don't kill them too quickly."

"With pleasure." The first bolt slid into place and Twilight aimed it at Soarin before switching over to Rapidfire, then back again. "So, who's first?"

"Um... captain?" Soarin backed away. "Good joke, got us. Now can you, um, please tell the insane unicorn to put down the deadly weapon?" A beat. "Or at least point it at Rapid."

"What!?" Faster than any bolt could fly, Rapid smacked Soarin across the back of the head. "Soarin, how could you? I thought we had something special."

"Wh-What?"

"Did last night mean nothing to you?" Hooves to his eyes, Rapid began pretending to cry. "You horrible monster, taking advantage of me like that when I'm at my most vulnerable. I-"A bolt thudded into the wall, narrowly missing his head, but Rapidfire didn't even blink. "-gave you everything. A night in the freezing cold, two stallions all alone with no mare in si-"

This time he yelped as the arrow parted him mane, embedding itself into the wall.

"Somepony better start telling me what the fuck is going on or I'll stop missing," growled Twilight as she reloaded her crossbow.

"Turns out they've known about our little... arrangement for a while now," said Spitfire as she ran a hoof through her mane, "and Lightning Dust was placed in our group to act as a mole. Admittedly, we were already looking at her as a potential recruit, but we were outplayed. As simple as that really."

The grip on her crossbow faltered for a split second, but she managed to catch it before it slipped from her hooves. No, not now. She had no time to give in to her emotions, she had come too far and done too much to get teary eyed over the destruction of some base. Of her base.

She shook her head.

No, not her base, not any longer, not after... She grit her jaw and snorted, slamming her emotions into a box. Now, more than ever, she needed to keep her cool and get things moving. Things needed to be salvageable, they had to be.

"How compromised are we talking about here?" asked Twilight, as she took a deep breath.

"We think it's just us," replied Spitfire.

Alright, that was okay, things weren't as bad as they could have been. Plans began forming in her mind, new moves being made. If the base could be created once, it could be created again, getting all those resources though was another issue entirely. Mayb-

"And thanks for asking how we are," muttered Fleetfoot.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, biting back a growl. "You're all here aren't you? You’re the best of the best; I'm not surprised you all got out alright."

"Yes, well, shut up," snapped Fleetfoot as she turned over, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

For a brief moment Twilight just gazed at Fleetfoot before simply shrugging. If that mare was so distraught over being a labeled a traitor, she had more than enough opportunities to sell them out. Turning back to Spitfire, Twilight put her crossbow away and began rummaging through the Spitfire's bag to draw out a map of the surrounding area.

"How's the situation?" she asked.

"How's the situation? How's the situation!?" Fleetfoot was suddenly in Twilight's face, pinning the unicorn against the cave wall. "It's fucked, that's the situation! We trusted you and look at where that got us! Just what the fuck have we accomplished working with you? Huh!? Nothing, that's what! W-"

"Fleetfoot, stand down!" yelled Spitfire.

"No! Tell me! What. Have. We. Accomplished!"

"Nothing if you keep acting like a filly." There wasn't even a hint of waver in Twilight's voice. "What we have done is created a place that’s green. Where all three races can li-"

"Shut up! We both know you did jack shit. That was Pinkie, that was all Pinkie and it will always be Pinkie. She was the one who held it all together, made it all work, and kept everypony's hopes up. You... You did nothing."

Their eyes were inches apart, the stench of Fleetfoot's breath choking Twilight, but she kept her eyes focused on what lay before her. "I am going to save this dying world."

Pain exploded behind her eyes and Twilight found herself on the ground, blood filling her mouth. Spitting to one side, she rose up on shaking legs and shrugged her shoulders.

"Fleetfoot, I told you to..."

All it took was a small shake of her head and Spitfire trailed off.

"I made it through that sun forsaken portal the unicorns found and the pegasi stole. I have been marked by the alicorns themselves to rid the ice from this world." She paused, her lips forming a thin line as she glanced out the cave into the snow. "And most importantly, I'm going to teach those pegasi that they royally fucked up going after Pinkie. No pony, absolutely no bloody pony, attacks my base and gets away with it."

"That's nice and all, but have you seen them? It's an entire army," said Fleetfoot. "What you're talking about is suicide."

"I hate to say it, but Fleetfoot's right." Soarin sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "There is no way we'll be able to even get close to the camp without being killed."

"Good thing I'm not asking any of you to come with me then."

"Twilight..."

"No Spitz, this is me and only me. Don't worry, I've been in worse positions before ." Though she smiled, Spitfire's expression darkened. "Don't worry," leaning forward, Twilight pecked Spitfire on the lips, leaving her stunned and with a tingling sensation on her lips, "I'll be back for you."

"Bu- I- You... What...?"

With a playful lick to Spitfire's snout, Twilight began walking towards the entrance. " I've got this in the bag."

"I don't suppose you two could use tongue while I watch?" A yelp escaped from Rapidfire as a bolt parted his feathers. "Bloody heck, those are delicate!"

"Next one's going through your brain," growled Twilight. She put the crossbow away and limped out into the snow, hood up as she scanned the sky. Lips puckered, a shrill whistle cut through the air and the barest hint of light could be seen in the air. A second whistle pierced the air and once more, there was a burst of flames, closer this time.

"Wait!"

Twilight's pace didn't slow as she slid down the side of the hill.

"I said wait, damn it!" Spitfire landed before her, sending snow in all directions. "You can't just kiss me in front of everypony and then walk out! And you are not going in there alone!"

"My mother is dead so you can't be her, and last I checked, I'm not a pegasus, so you can't order me around." Twilight looked over her shoulder. “Look, if you come with me, you’re going to be killed.”

“And you’re not? Come on Sparks , we’ve been through loads of shit together, we can get through this too. You and me, just like old times.”

Twilight shook her head as Spike landed on her shoulder . “Sorry, but this is for me and me alone. Spike, I want you to stay with Spitfire and the Wonderbolts, make sure they stay safe. See if you can find any stragglers who managed to escape and gather them up. Stay at the entrance to the Diamond Dog mines, and if I don’t come back after a day, take them down to the castle.”

“Twilight?” The confusion and worry in his voice was like a dagger to her heart.

“Please, Spike, do this for me.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes and he nodded slowly. “O-Okay. Just stay safe, you hear?”

“What? Spike?” For once in her life, Twilight saw fear in Spitfire’s eyes. “Tell me you’re not just going to let her go off alone.”

“It has to be alone ,” whispered Twilight. After a second of contemplation she took off her crossbow and handed it over to Spitfire. “Take it.”

“W-What?”

“Take it.” She took a deep breath and the lie rolled off her tongue, as easy as her name. “It was my father’s and … well… at least you know I’ll be back for it.”

“But then you won’t have a weapon!”

With a shrug, Twilight forced herself to let go and Spitfire lunged forward to catch it before it hit the ground. Without that familiar weight on her back, it felt so awkward, so wrong, to be walking about. Like she was naked, vulnerable, lacking that important something that made her whole. At the same time though, it was as though something had been lifted off her shoulders. As though the pressure on her chest was gone and she could finally breathe easy for once in her life.

“You forgot I’m a unicorn.” A small smile appeared. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Magic that you never use!” snapped Spitfire. Then, just as sudden as the outburst began, she deflated. “Please, don’t go. I’ve lost so many good ponies already… Killed so many… Just… please. Don’t do this. I don’t want to lose another.”

“You’re not ordering anypony to do anything.” A sigh escaped as Twilight looked up at the sky. “Look, Spitfire, I can’t let them get away with this, and if you come with me, I’m just as likely to hurt you as I am to hurt them.”

“No, you’re wrong, you’ll never be able to hurt me.”

A small shake of her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Trust me. Please.”

Spitfire opened her mouth, but after a second of thought, she closed it again and shook her head. “Sorry, no can do. I will not let yo-”

Shock barely had time to register before Spitfire slumped over unconscious. Behind her stood Soarin, his face twisted and haunted, a branch clutched between his teeth. Neither pony nor drake said anything as he gathered up Spitfire and draped her over his back. Nothing needed to be said. All it took was a simple little nod and a silent promise.

"Take care, Hurricane is there along with two Cardinals ."

"Who?"

"West and East."

"Shit." Twilight sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. "That complicates matters a bit, but I'll be fine. Look after her for me."

"Yes ma'am!" Soarin threw a salute, the tip of his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth. "And don't worry, she'll still be nice and fit by the time you get back. Not rolly-polly at all. Scout’s honor."

"You were never a scout."

"Well fancy that."

Before Twilight could reply, Soarin took to the sky and just like that they were gone.

Alone once more.

There was a lightness to her step, but also a sort of finality to it, like reaching the end of a book and seeing that final full stop . With her head held high, Twilight began her journey back to the temple.

Chapter 19

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Last chance Dash, this is your last chance. Just take a step back, take a step away from the edge of the tent, lie back down on the bed and everything will be perfectly fine. It was so simple, so easy, so straightforward. Step back, step away, and just pretend everything was normal, that she had never left to begin with.

But... everything wasn’t normal, not with Fluttershy in trouble, and Rainbow Dash could not bring herself to pretend. That would be turning her back on everything she had been taught, everything in the Great Tempest. The stories of Snowstorm and Hail and Pansy, how they stormed Unicornia by themselves to rescue Hurricane. How it was their loyalty to Hurricane, to each other, that allowed them to win, and in that single act, they managed to turn the tide of the war. Or how Slipstream braved the frozen wasteland by himself to find the sacred moonflower in order to cure Hurricane who had been poisoned by a unicorn assassin?

Without that loyalty, they would not be on the edge of victory. A single push was all that was needed and right now, loyalty was needed more than ever.

Loyalty to friends, or loyalty to a nation?

No.

A hoof stomped the ground and Dash grit her teeth. Now was not the time for such thoughts. She had a goal, she knew what she had to do, and if she was willing to give up Fluttershy, to throw her to the timberwolves, then what next? To take that first step...

No.

No pegasus left behind, not this time. Breathing out slowly, Dash stretched out her wings and began walking forwards, only to pause with one hoof raised, touching the tent fabric. Then, with a tentative hoof, she zipped up her jacket, threw up her hood and stuck her head out the tent flap.

"Yo, is there a bathroom I can use?" The two guards glared down at Dash, both of them easily towering over her and covered in heavy plate armor. "I'm serious, I'm busting here. Come on!"

"That tent can fit two pegasi, use it," growled the red one on the right.

Dash grit her teeth. "Are you serious?"

A death glare.From both of them.

A small shudder ran down her spine and Dash found her mouth moving of its own accord, "Look, I'd rather not sleep in the same place I shit. If you do this for me, I'll keep you two warm tonight. Inside." Forcing the bile back down, she forced herself to smile at the two guards and bat her eyelids before adding, "If you know what I mean."

The white one opened his mouth to reply, but a sharp shake of the head from his partner stopped him. The two stepped away, out of earshot and with their mouths hidden behind hooves. From the looks directed at her, the roaming eyes and slimy smiles, she knew she had won, but it left a cold pit in the bottom of her stomach. With a shake of her head, she steeled herself. After all, it's not like she would actually have to go through with any of it, and by the time they realized that little detail, she'd long be gone.

The two males approached and the red one jerked his head to the side. "Come on then, and don't go trying anything."

"I should be the ones saying that to you," snapped Dash as she walked out, and it was only once she was five steps past them that she remembered to sway her hips.

"You know, we've already agr- oof!" A glare was shared between the two before the white one smiled hesitantly while rubbing his side. "Name's Snowdrop." That got him another smack over the back the head. "What?"

"Look, I don't care about names. I need to use a bathroom, and I need a thorough fucking, and hey, do a good enough job and maybe I'll come looking for you two again." Though the words came easily, it felt like she was eating the shit from her time in training all over again.

"Don't mind him, just keep swaying those hips."

Stallions.

In the end, they were all the same. If she didn’t need them right now, they'd be dead.Flanked on either side by the burly guards, no pegasi dared approach, though more than one spat on the ground she walked. A couple looked completely murderous and one even tried to approach, but with a stern glare and hushed whispers, the mare left.

Turning the corner, they stepped out into the snow and there, dangling from ropes, were pegasi. Pegasi missing wings, with no clothes, frozen solid an-

The sound of pained moans echoed in Dash's ears and her head snapped to the side, looking down a smaller cave. As soon as she did, she looked away, throwing up all over the ground. Though she could not see any details, it was clear what was happening. The sounds, the motions in the darkness, the...

A shudder ran down her back and she looked up at the dead pegasi. Now that she looked a second time, she noticed the pool of frozen fluids beneath them and how they looked as though they had just had a bath. Gritting her teeth and wiping her mouth, Dash walked away, trying her hardest to ignore everything she had just seen and heard.

Screw them, screw them all. Torturing pegasi, using them like that, stringing them up like dolls to be used and abused. Fuck them all. Nothing deserved that. Nothing! Not dirtponies, not horned freaks, and most certainly not pegasi. Not even that purple monster.

Okay, maybe that purple monster.

Dash sighed, the image dancing across her eyes for a brief moment before bile rose in her throat once more. Biting down until blood filled her mouth, Dash allowed herself to be shoved along by Snowdrop. The three of them walked down a side ledge, moving in single file in order to fit on the narrow path. As they slowly descended into the fog, the stench of urine and shit filled her nose and Dash gagged only to immediately close her mouth.

In that split second of her mouth being open, she could taste everything, and bile immediately rose in her mouth. Collapsed on the ground, Dash dry heaved for all she was worth, but with each shaky breath she only got a better taste of the foul air.

"So here's your bathroom." Though Dash could not see him, she could hear that smugness in his voice. "Enjoy."

Gritting her teeth, Dash stepped back and turned to the face the two guards. "Real funny guys. Look, take us somewhere nice and I'll let you fuck my ass."

That perked them up and they immediately began nudging her along further down the ledge. Typical males. Still it gave her a chance to check out what equipment they had, and damn, they were packing. High-end wing blades designed to slice through the air as though it didn't exist, top notch gauntlets with claws and super sick chain mail.

"You know, if you wanted to stare, you could have just asked," said Snowdrop.

Dash let her eyes drift over his equipment and forced herself to smile. "I don't suppose there's somewhere... private, around here, is there?"

The two exchanged a look, but it was the red one who replied, "I may know a place."

"Then let's go." After a brief second of hesitation, Dash licked her lips and fluttered her eyes at the duo. It took all her power not to gag yet again or to just throw herself onto a sword, but somehow she managed to keep her cool. "And the faster we get there, the longer we have before we need to leave again..."

That got them moving.

A minute later, they found themselves in an empty cave, fully sheltered and far enough from the main encampment that they probably wouldn't be overheard. Both stallions stood at the entrance, boxing Dash in, slimy smiles on their faces which Dash returned just as readily. Just as greedily, hungrily and full of lust. Turning around, she planted a kiss on one of the stallion’s lips, worming her tongue into his mouth as she trailed a hoof down his chest. Beneath her, Snowdrop fought back, his tongue pressing up against his and hooves wrapping her neck. With a smirk, Dash wormed a hoof beneath his chainmail, her freezing horseshoes pressed against exposed skin, causing him to hiss.

Without warning, a hoof grabbed her mane, wrenching her off as a new set of lips were mashed against hers. Tongue forced into her mouth, Dash had no choice but to submit, and as she did so, she let out the most feminine, lust filled moan she could manage without gagging. Shoved up against the wall, she could feel that slimy hoof trailing along her front, down her sides, and to her flank. A small growl escaped at that, but that merely seemed to spur the stallion on, becoming more aggressive in his kisses and gropes.

Out the corner of her eye, she could see Snowdrop remove his chainmail, and it hit the ground with a hollow thud. Flicking off her horseshoes, she ran a hoof along the red stallion's flanks then up and under his chainmail, drawing it off as her hooves moved. Their kiss broke long enough for it to be tossed to one side, before the stallion dove in once more. Next thing Dash knew, a second pair of lips was brushing along her neck, nipping and kissing the skin there, and it took every single last ounce of her willpower to keep moaning like some slut. If it wasn't because of Fluttershy, these two would already be missing their tongues at least.

And the worst part was, she could feel them rubbing against her thigh. The slow steady pulsing as they ground their hips against her body, trailing fluids wherever they went. A small smile danced on Dash's lips as she felt them really starting to get into it, shedding their armor as their lips and hooves roamed all over her body, sear-

A yelp escaped as she felt a hoof brush along her inner thigh, not even bothering to be subtle about where it was going. Eyes narrowing, Dash's hind hoof lashed out, catching the red one right between his legs. Before Snowdrop could even think about reaction, Dash made sure the he did not feel left out. Both males crumpled to the ground in a pained squeal and sure, Dash could have let that be that, but not today. Instead she gave them both a solid kick to stomach followed by one straight to the face. No doubt these two took part in defiling the bodies that had been strung up outside like some sort of barbaric dirt pony voodoo shit.

Spitting on their unconscious faces, she began stripping them of their clothes. Though they were larger than she would have liked and sticky beyond belief, she slipped a uniform on and tightened it up. It'd make any sort of flying or fighting difficult, but with a bit of luck, she'd get out of there before they realized what had happened. After a brief moment of hesitation, Dash walked out with hood up and tail tucked.

If those two died, they deserved it and if they didn't, she'd be back for them.

As she trudged through the snow, her eyes scanned the sky, watching pegasi move from ledge to ledge. None paid her any attention as she went back up the ramp and began weaving through the cages that were out in the open. More than one freak was frozen solid, beaten and broken with a brutality that bought bile to her mouth.The worst part was, when she walked past them, they looked back at her, begging for death with their eyes. Well, those who hadn't already given up.

Making a silent promise to come back and end their misery, Dash kept walking, easily slipping into the cave she came from. She wasn't certain what she expected; maybe a bit of a challenge, but it was just so simple and straightforward. There was cave, it was heavily guarded, and no pegasi slept inside. Either it was the where Hurricane was staying, in which case she was dead, or it was where they were keeping the more important prisoners.

Stepping behind an outcropping of rock, Dash stretched out her limbs, casually letting her eyes wander through the encampment. The important traitors, the ones who had information, they would be kept safe, out of sight, and out of the harsh weather, and that meant it would be the best guarded cave around. Well, best guarded after the two temple entrances and where Hurricane was staying. The only thing was, all the caves she could were pretty casual, even the one she had been forced to stay in, and that meant they were on the other side of the gorge.

Stepping back into the shadows, she glanced down at the bridge, quickly taking in the guards, their stations, how everything was set up, and a sigh immediately escaped. The entire place was sealed up tighter than the Wonderbolt's headquarters and with her distinctive trail, there was no way she'd be able to just fly across.

Unless...

Dash's eyes trailed down to the mist that obscured the bottom of the gorge from view before drifting to the guards on the bridge. It was a good twenty meters between where she was and the mist below, and while she could get there fast enough, what lay underneath was another matter entirely. The large briars that rose out of the mists, with thorns as thick as her body did not make the decision any easier.

Not that she really had a choice in the matter. With a sigh, she leapt off the ledge, one hoof on her hood to keep it up as she plummeted straight down. The mist hit her like melting snow, and for a split second, she might as well have been in a blizzard. White enveloped her on all sides, and before she knew what happened, a bolt of pain laced through her side. A second later, a frozen vine appeared before her face and she flared her wings while tucking her legs in, hitting it with enough force to make her hiss in pain. She stood on the vine, looking about, but was unable to see anything. Even her hooves weren't visible.

Bloody, fucking lovely.

Each wingbeat drew a tortured gasp from her lips and she could feel the blood seeping through the fabric. Despite only grazing the damn thing, it had sliced clean through. Peeking her head above mist, Dash quickly oriented herself before dropping back down, narrowly missing another thorn on the way down. Now with a sense of direction, she began edging forward, limping along the vine.Each step was taken with the upmost care, and she was forced to duck and weave around thorns, the burning cold leaving her gasping for breath. Every so often, she would fly back up to make sure she was travelling in the right direction and to check on the guards. With the way they sat on the ground, chatting away while watching the cliff face, it was clear they hadn't noticed anything. Then again, it could all be a trick of some kind.

Well, there was nopoint in worrying about it now.

Dropping back under the mist, Dash began gliding forward only to throw herself to the side in order to avoid a thorn pointed straight at her head. She hit another frozen vine and bounced off, barely managing to land on her hooves. She immediately slipped onto one knee, clutching at her side while gasping in pain. After a second, or maybe it was a minute, she rose to her hooves again and began easing forward, a dull throb accompanying each step.Using the thorns as hoofholds, she began climbing upwards, her lithe body easily slipping through narrow passages.

Eventually, she found herself emerging from the mist and stumbling onto solid ground. With heavy pants, she crawled forward, leaning heavily against the wall for support. Despite how tired she was, she could hear South Star nagging at her to always keep an eye on the sky and on the horizon. More than once that old hag had ambushed her after a long day of training and despite being dead, Dash just knew that one day South would jump her as a ghost.

Plus, Fluttershy needed her, and Dash wasn't about to give up on her friend over a bit of spilled blood, even if it was her own. Slipping into a small crevice, Dash ripped a bit of her sleeve off and pressed it over her wound before poking a head out. So far so good at least, no pegasi were on alert.

Taking a deep breath, Dash stepped out and zipped across the open ground, skidding to a stop behind another outcropping of rock. Another glance, and another mad dash for safety. It was only once she got to a small cave that she finally allowed herself to catch her breath and plan the next move. From her position, it was hard to make out all the caves.

Her eyes drifted over back to the bridge and she watched as two pegasi pulled a cart of crystals housed in two large barrels across the bridge. Light blue, designed to blend into the environment, and there seemed to be some sort of marking on the side. Dark blue markings.There was something familiar about it, but she couldn't quite remember where she had seen it bef-

Those weren't barrels, those were fuel cells!And two of them in one place.She had been trying for years to get one cell, one small, tiny, miniscule fuel cell, and every time, she had been told that Fort Nightingale wasn't important enough. Two of them! They were bloody mammoth class fuel cells and one was enough to warm an entire fort for a year. The last time a new one had been bought to the capital, festivities were held for three days and here were two new ones.

Dash's eyes narrowed as she craned her neck, trying to get see if they were new or were almost out of juice. After a couple seconds of trying, she quickly ducked back under cover and sighed. Okay, so now there were two highly explosive items being carted into a cave entrance. That could not be a good thing, but it would make for a good distrac-

No!

That is something that horned freak would do, and she was not about to sink to those depths. All she needed was five bloody seconds to think and the solution would be obvious, it had to be. A shudder ran down her spine as a particularly chill gust of wind slipped through all the layers she had on.But then again, who said she needed a distraction at all? She wasn't some filthy, useless horned freak with no education. She was a Flight Commander. She was one of the youngest pegasi with an actual command. She had been top of her class! If anypegasus could think of a plan, it was her.

Damn it! This was meant to be the easy part.

Just... just calm down.Getting worked up over something as simple as this was just going to fry her brains further. Focus on the basics, forget everything else. She needed to find Fluttershy, but she didn't know which cave she was in. Somewhere safe, that much was obvious, but not too safe. After all, they'd want those traitors to suffer. Unless there was some new technique involving fuel cells, there was no way they'd store them in the same cave as Fluttershy. So that left five potential caves. It wouldn't be the largest one, or the smallest, and it'd be well guarded.

That left just one final cave. See? Not hard at all. Unless there were other caves she couldn't see, but that was no way to think. Had to be positive in situations like these, the alternative was to admit defeat. Stay positive, but keep it realistic.

Now, how to get in? Three guards from the lo- Nope, four now.Four guards in full ceramic armor with steel wingblades and gaunt- clawed gauntlets? Huh, had they already figured how to make them for ponies already? It'd definitely give them the edge needed to win the war, but they looked beyond awkward to walk in let, alone to run in.

Actually... now there's a thought.All she needed now was a distraction—one that did not involve hurting the soldiers. After all, they were just doing their jobs; they didn't know better, didn't know what evils were taking place behind those stone walls. They- They didn't know. They couldn't know. They mustn't know. Even if they were hoof picked for the mission, even if- even if...

Dash squeezed her eyes shut, but she that just intensified the images in her mind. The sounds and scents from the other cave. That mare strapped down, legs forced open, groping hooves everywhere, pressing down and...

No. She had to have faith. She had to believe in something.

Struggling onto her hooves, Dash began walking forward, a sharp intake of breath accompanying each step. One step at a time, that's all it took, a single step at a single bucking time.A sudden yell came from the direction of the bridge and Dash immediately dived to the side, a gasp escaping as pain laced down her side. Panting heavily and with a hoof pressed against her bleeding side, Dash risked a quick glance out from her hiding spot and swore under her breath. Sure, no pegasi were racing in her direction, but from the frantic running around, things were not looking up.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. If she was not gone soon, she was gonna be fucked by a frozen thorn. Repeatedly. Throwing, all caution into the wind, Dash leapt up into the air, rocketing towards the ledge above her before landing with a dull thud. Her back was immediately up against the wall as she crept forwards, peering out from around the corner at the bridge once more. Whatever news it was, it had spread quickly and pegasi were racing in all directions, and yet the guards before the cave did nothing. They stood there, obviously curious as to what was going on, but something kept them firmly stuck where they were.

Loyalty. That's what she wanted to believe, but there was that whisper in the back of her mind, a constant buzz that was impossible to understand. It wasn't words, it wasn't even the growling of timberwolves, it was something more primal than that. Something animalistic that called to her, making it impossible for her to ignore. A hoof drifted up to touch her neck and a shudder ran down her spine.

A small shake of her head cleared away those thoughts and Dash began inching forward once more. Instead of flying up, she decided to climb the cliff face, but by the time she reached the top, she collapsed on the ground, panting heavily and eyes squeezed shut. Seconds passed, then minutes and it was only once her wounds were numb that she climbed back onto her hooves. She'd pay for it later, but later wasn’t important. Right now she had an opening, a small opening, but it was probably the best one she was going to get.

Once more, a cry drew her attention and she watched as two guards approached the cave entrance. Hushed whispers were exchanged and they moved off as a group, leaving just one pegasus to guard the entrance while the rest went to guard the cave with the fuel cells. Dash frowned, but after another couple minutes of watching, she shrugged her shoulders and began walking forward. A dumb enemy was a gift from the sun and should never, ever be questioned. At least, that's what South Star always told her, and for once, Dash could see why. If they wanted to leave one pegasus to guard the prisoners then so be it, all that meant was that it'd be easier for her.

Climbing up yet again, Dash slipped along the ledge until she was above the lone guard. A quick survey of the situation to make sure none were watching before she dropped down, slamming into the guard from above. Together they tumbled into the snow, but with his heavy armor and unwieldy gauntlets, Dash recovered first.Darting in, she landed a blow to his chest, throwing him off balance and followed up with a solid buck to his face. Down he went, and with it, a sense of disappointment welled up within Dash. But no time for that now, she had more important things to focus on. Dragging his body into the cave, she shoved it out of sight.

Five minutes. Already she could feel her heart thumping away as she licked her lips in anticipation for what was to come. A quick glance backwards to make sure no one had noticed and then Dash raced down the tunnel.

"Fluttershy!" she yelled in the darkness, her words bouncing back to her.

Silence.

Fuck! This was no-

"D-Dash?" It was a mere whisper, the sound of a pony whose throat had been abused one too many times, but it sliced through the silence.

"Don't worry 'Shy, we're gonna get you out of here in ten second flat!" said Dash as she took the left hand turn only to skid to a stop before Lightning Dust who was in full Wonderbolt uniform.

"Dash..." Lightning Dust spoke slowly, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times before she sighed and whispered, "Please... just leave. Turn around and walk away, I won't tell them you were here."

Behind her, Fluttershy cowered in a corner of her cage. "P-Please Dash, don't throw everything away for me, I'm not wor-"

"Fluttershy, shut up." Dash backed up and settled down into an aggressive fighting stance. "And Dust, get out of my way, and I won't be forced to kick your ass."

Amber eyes darted to Fluttershy before Lightning returned her gaze to Dash. "Why? Does Fluttershy mean that much to you?"

"She's my friend," snapped Dash. "Something you obviously do not understand."

Lightning's jaw clenched as she pawed at the ground. "I know all about friendship, and wh-"

"Then how can you let this happen!" screamed Dash with a sweep of her hoof. "This isn't friendship, this isn't loyalty, this is cruel. We pegasi are above this, we have to be above this otherwise when we win it'll be meaningless. I will not let us sink to the same depraved depths as the horned freaks and dirt ponies! "

"So you'd just rather let those soldiers die? You'd rather send thousands to be slaughtered rather than give up what? Some stupid self-entitled belief? They have families and friends, some were even drafted into the army against their will!" Lightning Dust mirrored Dash's stance. "I thought you were cool, but I was obviously wrong."

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing." The two circled each other slowly. "I am loyal to my friends. I am loyal to what it means to be a pegasus. I am loyal to my dreams."

Dash darted in, throwing two quick punches to Lightning's face, but she blocked both blows. Shuffling forward, Lightning went for a hook punch, only to miss as Dash twisted to the side. Neither side gave an inch and both moved towards each other, throwing out a series of rapid kicks and punches. Each blow made Dash wince, each duck and weave left her side burning, but they eventually separated and began circling once more.

"Then what about me?" whispered Lightning. "What about Thunderlane? What about Cloud? What about all the ponies who depended on you in Nightingale!?"

Dash was forced to scramble to one side, but before she could even recover, a second punch caught her in the stomach. Hitting the ground, she rolled with blow, narrowly evading the hoof stomp that cracked the rock. Lightning was on her, throwing two jabs to Dash's face followed by one to her stomach, and then an elbow to the face. Barely fending off each blow, Dash ducked under the last one. The gasp of pain was like music to her ears as her hoof sunk into Lightning's unprotected stomach. Stepping forward, Dash threw all of her weight into her next shot.

The crunch echoed through the room.Collapsing into a heap on the ground, Lightning rolled with the blow. In a split second, she was back on her hooves and she spat some blood onto the ground.

"Loyalty? You call this loyalty!?"

Lightning dashed forward, throwing a quick one-two punch. This time, both hits landed, causing Dash to stumble backwards. Weaving to the side, she followed up a backhoof blow into an open hoof strike to Dash's throat. Coughing and spluttering curses, Dash hit the wall with Lightning above her, pinning her down.

"You weren't loyal to me. You weren't loyal to your soldiers. You weren't loyal to anypegasus except yourself!" Spitting in her face, Lightning kneed Dash in the gut before throwing her onto the ground. "All you ever cared about was yourself! Your glory, your awesomeness, your desires. Did you even bother asking if Fluttershy wanted to run?"

"She... she's my friend. I didn't need to as-"

A hoof connected with Dash's stomach, sending her sprawling across the ground in a heap. A red trail stained the ground and all she could do was groan weakly. On shaky hooves, she stood back up. She looked Lightning straight in the eyes, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat as she half unfurled her wings and settled back into an aggressive stance.

"Damn it Dash, you didn't even ask me!" Tears spilled over the edges of Lightning's eyes. "I'm your friend, what about loyalty to me? Y-You just upped and left with no word. I thought you had died!"

"I needed to save Flutters-"

Dash didn't even see the blow that hit her. She didn't even see Lightning Dust move. One second her rival was on the other side of the room and the next second, Dash found herself pinned up against the wall, a foreleg over her throat. Each breath was a desperate gasp for air as she pawed uselessly at Lightning's torso.

"Save Fluttershy!? Are you even listening to yourself right now? You're the one who always talks about how strong she is, that she doesn't need us to foalsit her all the time."

"I- I had to..." Dash forced a hoof up, trying to shove Lightning away from her, but it was no use. The more she struggled, the harder it became to focus on anything.

"What about..." Whatever else Lightning said was lost as Dash's vision began to darken.

W-Why?

"Don't worry Rainbow Dash, I won't kill you. I've got the power you know, I'm a Wonderbolt now." Leaning forward, Lightning Dust patted Dash on the head, "You'll live, I promise you that."

The edges of Dash's vision faded to black and her hoof fell limply to her side.

"After all, that's what friends do, isn't it? That's... loyalty."

"Golden! We've got a group of earthponies coming from the north." Drifter skidded to a stop before Applejack. "Sharp Shooter has taken a group of ponies around the ridge to the west in case they're hostile."

"They are earth ponies, it seems unlikely they will actively seek to do us harm," said Serpent.

"They've got pegasi and unicorns with them," panted Drifter. "Not collared, but neither are the earth ponies."

"How curious, one would think they were feather fuckers or horn riders." Serpent shrugged. "I fail to see why we should bo-"

"They're earth ponies like us, so ya better keep ya trap shut." Applejack peered up at him from under the rim of her hood. "They may be allies and we need as many allies as we need right now."

"You would have us associate with horned freaks and the like?" said Serpent.

"Drifter, please inform Sharp that Ah order him to make first contact. Do not attack unless provoked or if the earth ponies are slaves, we need allies right now. Ah will join him shortly." For a brief second, he hesitated, but at Applejack's level gaze he ran off. Once he was out of sight, Applejack turned back to Serpent. "Look, Ah know ya distrust winged and horned freaks, but right now we need allies. We're just a small group and if we're to get anything done, we need to work together."

"Well..." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I still don't like it, and if they cause trouble, I want them out."

"Only if they weren't provoked."

"You're starting to sound like a horn lover."

"Ah'm being realistic and Ah refuse to become consumed by hate. Ah don’t trust them, not fully, but they should not be hated for what they are. It's not like they had a choice after all." Applejack's eyes hardened. "Ya ain't the only one who doubts the other races, but Ah would ask ya to try and not cause any fights."

"Only if they behave themselves."

A groan escaped. "Just try to behave. Please.Ah'd rather not have a fight breaking out in the middle of our encampment."

"Very well, if that is your command, fearless leader." He gave a quick mock salute before making his way into the neighboring cave where everyone else was.

Applejack rubbed her temples before making her way out, taking the path on the right that curved behind some rocky outcroppings and frozen trees. While out of sight, she took the opportunity to just shake out her limbs and breathe out slowly before trotting along the dirt path.Breath misting in the air before her, she eventually came to a stop at a small ledge overlooking the frozen forest before her. There, just below here, was a group of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns in ragged clothing, but they seemed to be healthy. All of them, which meant the slaves were at least well cared for. If the earth ponies were in charge, that already put them miles ahead of the monster she left behind.

Wait.

They had weapons. All of them. There were bows, gauntlets, wing blades, magic, and everything in between. This group of ponies, what were they? Were they feather fuckers and horn riders after all?The thought made her gag, but if that's what they were into, they'd just have to pay the price. The freaks probably stole the soul for themselves.

Though they were tense, a fight hadn't broken out yet and up front, five ponies were gathered. Applejack's frown deepened as she focused on the leaders chatting in between the two groups. Sharp was there, that was to be expected, but Rarity as well? Along with a pegasus, a unicorn and an earth pony.

Breaking out into a gallop, Applejack raced down the ramp, weaving through the scouting squad Sharp had sent out. The first couple of ponies yelped in surprise when they were shoved to the side, but the rest quickly parted before her, giving Applejack a straight line to where the action was taking place.

"A- Golden, darling, how nice of you to join us," said Rarity without turning around. "I have the pleasure of introducing Lyra, Blue Skiesand our stand-in Braeburn."

"A pleasure," said Applejack dryly. "Ah'm more curious as to what y'all are doing."

"Regrouping before we kill those bastards and get our friends back," growled Lyra.

"And Ah told ya to that ain't happening. Ya've got responsibility to the survivors and what ya're suggesting is a suicide mission," replied Braeburn.

"And I have enough patients to take care of right now without adding any more. Without Fluttershy and Bleeding Heart, the responsibility has fallen to me, so I'm telling you right now, we don't have the supplies to keep everypony healthy and we cannot keep travelling like this. We need to rest and heal up." The only one to not step back from the intensity of Blue Skies glare was Sharp, who merely stood there with an amused look on his face. "I am a medic, not a leader, I don't even know why I was dragged here to begin with. Now, I need to return to my patients before some well-meaning, but completely incompetent pony kills another one."

There was absolute silence as she walked away.

Braeburn let out a groan and began slamming his head against the snow. "Am Ah the only sane one here?"

"Of course not, you're just a little bitch," chuckled Lyra. "Toughen up, girly boy, and take it like a stallion."

"Lyra? Ya're the only one with experience so please take it seriously. Ah've never done this before s-"

"Ya never done this before?" Applejack tilted her head to the side. "Then why are ya here?"

"Because Ah'm the only one who was willing." He stared Applejack straight in the eye. "If yer with MacIntosh, we're leaving immediately."

That got a snort out of AJ, but it was Rarity who replied, "Please darling, as though we could stand being around that brute for more than a day. We just left that filthy place and are looking for a place to settle down in."

"Hold up, who is this MacIntosh?" Lyra's eyes narrowed. "You've been hiding information from us again, haven't you?"

Braeburn snorted. "Lyra, Ah'm trusting ya to not get into any fights. For now, Ah'mgonna go let the others know what's going on."

"H-Hey! Wait, get back here you piece of shit, don't leave me alone with these earth ponies!"

Braeburn merely gave a wave over his shoulder.

"Bloody Braeburn. Look, here's the deal, we need a place to stay since our last base was wrecked. Can we stay here? And don't even think about attacking us." With a flick of her hoof, a blade snapped out causing everypony to take a step back and take a defensive stance. "While we have foals and injured with us, you will not find us easy to take down. Got that?"

"That... is an earth pony weapon ," said Sharp slowly.

"So? A blade through the back kills just as easily as a spell to the face." Lyra retracted the blade. "We won't attack if you don't, but if you do you will die. Got that?"

"We haven't agreed on anything yet," growled Applejack.

The way Lyra's eyes drifted down Applejack's body then back up, made the earth pony's skin crawl.

"From what Rarity was telling us, I was expecting something... more." Lyra turned to Sharp and Rarity. "This is your leader? She leaves something to be desired."

"Excuse me?" said Rarity with a slight edge in her voice.

"All I'm saying is that Golden here lacks a commanding presence. She's here, but she doesn't dominate the area, doesn't make herself seem larger than life, as though she can make the impossible possible. I'm sure she is a capable leader, but tell me, have you ever been in a large scale organized raid?" Lyra smirked. "I thought not. Like I said, you lack presence."

"And Ah take it ya've got it?"

"Of course not, don't be stupid. I'm not in charge of this band of misfits, even if I am the temporary leader." Though a smile appeared on her face, it sent a chill down Applejack's spine. "Ever tried screwing a pegasus with a rusty fork? No? Well I'm going to find out what happens."

"And are there any earth ponies captured?" asked Sharp.

"Why? Would it make a difference?" snapped Lyra. "Of course it would, I forgot who I was talking to."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" said Rarity.

"Nothing." Lyra turned to Applejack. "So we good or what?"

"Explain," said Applejack, causing Lyra's jaw to clench.

"There is only one unicorn among you." Lyra pointed to the mass of ponies behind her. "We have earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. There's your answer."

"What kind of an-"

"The only one you'll be getting," snapped Lyra. "So we good or not?"

"Not." Applejack took an aggressive step forwards. "Explain or you can leave."

The two glared at each other, neither backing down.

"We are those who left," growled Lyra. "Sick of the war, sick of the hate, sick of everything."

"And yet you fight," said Sharp.

"So they don't have to," snapped Lyra. "Final chance, we good or not?"

A tense silence filled the air.

"Sharp, your thoughts on this?"Applejack eventually asked and out the corner of her eye, she could see Rarity glaring at the unicorn.

"Bloodthirsty little thing, but I see no reason to distrust her." He faced Lyra and his eyes narrowed. "But if you even think about double crossing us, you will end up with a bolt through your head. I will split that horn of yours in two, right down the middle from one hundred paces while blindfolded."

"I'd like to see you try."

Before Sharp Shoot could say anything, Applejack quickly stepped in, "Very well, there are a couple of caves along the western edge thatya can use, but tell ya ponies not to provoke anything."

"Understood. I'll have Braeburn pass the word along as long as you tell your ponies the same thing."

"Of course. Sharp Shooter, please begin spreading the word and place some ponies to stand guard," said Applejack before whispering, "If a pony called Serpent talks to any of your ponies, don't believe a word he says, or at least take it with a grain of salt. He does not trust unicorns and pegasi at all, so take care. He has a dark green coat, yellow mane, and blue eyes."

"I'll tell the guards that." After a moment of silence, Lyra turned to Rarity, "I would actually like to talk to you some more. Perhaps later tonight?"

"Of course darling, I've been away from unicorn society for far too long and I'm rather interested in the political climate as of late. There was one House in particular, a disgraced House, what was it again?" Rarity tilted her head to the side with a thoughtful frown. "Oh yes, House of Belle."

Applejack's heart caught in her throat and she stared at Rarity, but there was nothing in Rarity's body language that gave anything away. She just stood there as prissy as ever with her back straight, perfect poise and a small smile on her face. There was no sadness there, no concern, nothing. If anything, it was the perfect face of curiosity.

A growing pit of ice formed in Applejack's stomach as she watched the two unicorns talk. What if this was the master plan all along? Worm her way into Applejack's good graces, gather up all the information she could then sell it back to horned freaks in exchange for being taken back in. It was so obvious now, how did she miss it before? Stupid!

"Golden, dear?" asked Rarity with a frown. "Are you alright? You're looking decidedly sick."

"Fine!Perfectly fine. Ah musta ate something off at lunch, been feeling weird all day." Applejack gave a nervous chuckle, glancing away at Sharp before looking back to Rarity. "It has been a rather long day and Ah've dealt with one too many complaints."

"Of course, I'm sure Sharp and Lemon Drop and the rest of them will be able to take care of everything while you rest." Rarity turned Applejack around and began leading her back to the camp. "You need to learn to delegate responsibility."

Like to a certain horned freak perhaps?

"Perhaps." Applejack immediately took the lead. "Sharp, spread the news, if they have an issue they can come and find me. Ah'm going to scope them out."

"And I'm going to come with you," said Rarity."After all, they may be more receptive if they see you with a unicorn."

"True, and the more information we have, the better off we will be," added Sharp.

Gritting her teeth until it hurt, Applejack just managed to get a small nod before walking towards the new group.As they trudged through the snow in silence, she felt a hoof being placed on her shoulder and her entire body went rigid. Slowly, she twisted around to look Rarity in the eye, totally silent and a neutral expression on her face.

"Darling, is something the matter? You've been acting oddly all day." The concern on her face was almost convincing.

"Ah'm fine." Applejack stopped in the middle of the field. "Ah think ya're better off with them."

"Wh-What? Why would you thin-"

"Ah said, ya're better off with them," said Applejack, looking Rarity straight in the eye. "Understood?"

Silence.

The first to break eye contact was Rarity, mumbling something under her breath. With a nod of satisfaction, Applejack began walking away, not even bothering to look over her shoulder or give a parting word as she made her way back to camp.

Who needed that horned freak anyways?

Silence.

How long had it been since she truly experience total silence? Not since she found Spike for certain. To think she used to love this... this... state of being. It definitely had its charm and allure, there was no doubt about that, but it felt so foreign to her now. Almost as though she was meeting an old friend for the first time in years, changed beyond recognition by the years, but with the ghost of a memory hidden just beneath the surface.

A sigh escaped as Twilight stretched out her limbs, trying to work some warmth back into them. Joints cracked and muscles strained, and by the end of it, she was nice and limber again. Still, that didn’t stop the shaking when she gazed out the cave.Tonight she would rest and tomorrow...

She shook her head and sighed yet again. After a couple seconds of staring into the white expanse, she reached into her saddlepack and pulled out a single red apple and bit into it. It was stale, and probably worse than the bile she ate most days. Still, when was the last time she had one of these? It may have tasted like crap, but it was still an apple.

Turning back to the flame behind her, she watched it with disinterest. Slowly, tenderly, she reached within in herself, cupping the well of magic that resided within her. She could feel it lashing out, striking at her again and again in an attempt to wiggle free. For a brief second, she let it go, just a small trickle, but even then she left as though as she was drowning. It wrapped around her, dragging her down, filling her up, making the world waver.

The flames flared up brighter.

The magic sung to her, drawing her in. Eyes closed, Twilight leaned towards the flames, feeling the way magic moved around and through her. A single hoof rose into the air and plucked the magic, feeling it vibrate and warp everything around her. A second hoof rose into the air and together, they began plucking the chords, her entire body swaying as she played. Back and forth she went, her hooves a blur. There was a hum in the air, a tension, thick and heady, an-

A yelp escaped and Twilight scrambled back, her hoof throbbing in pain. Rushing to the entrance, she shoved her hoof into the snow, and it hissed where she touched it. She pulled it back out and examined the burn, before sighing and shaking her head. A quick glance back over her shoulder showed that the fire had gone out completely, but not before leaving scorch marks all over the ceiling and ground. She pressed a wet hoof against her horn, trying to dull the pain, but to no avail. It kept throbbing away,as though it was on fire.

"Damn it, Twilight, focus!" she muttered to herself as she settled back down.

She grabbed her flint, striking it in an attempt to get the fire starting again. A small voice kept whispering in her ear, telling her to just use magic, to just let go and let it all out. A drop, a stream, a torrent, just let it all out and really heat this place up.Clutching the flint tighter in her jaw, she struck it once more, flinching away as the small bits of tinder she had left burst into flames. A quick pat down of her muzzle to make sure it wasn't on fire before she settled back down. This time though, she kept her mind on the job and did not let it wander.

If tomorrow was going to work, she would need every last scrap of magic she had. She was going to make those pegasi pay for what they had done. They destroyed the one patch of green in this damned land,and that could not be forgiven. They wanted power, they desired power. Power to crush their enemies, to remake the world in their image, and rule with an iron hoof.

They thought they knew power.

Holding out a hoof, Twilight released a drop of magic and lightning began sparking across her hoof. With a simple flick, the lightning lanced off, striking the wall opposite her. By the time the dust had cleared, there was fresh hole in the wall and a pile of rubble on the ground.

They knew nothing of power.

Chapter 20

View Online

Screams echoed off the stone wall.

"I will not ask again, what are the freaks planning?"

Though she tried to speak, all that came out was a strangled sound. One more fitting some rabid beast than a pegasus, it was even beneath a dirt pony, if that was possible. It wasn't a whimper, nor was it a plead for mercy—no, Rainbow Dash would never do that. Never give them the satisfaction of he-

Pain exploded and screams were torn from her throat. She tried to jerk away, to wiggle out of the bonds that held her down, but they were too strong. The smell of burning flesh and fur filled the air, but it barely registered through the haze. All she knew, all she understood, was pain.

Eventually, the sizzling stopped and a small sob escaped. The wound still burned, and she could burnt the burnt flesh on her tongue mixing with blood. It throbbed, spreading out in pulsing waves and even though she could not see the brand, she knew what it was, a single broken wing. The brand of a traitor, right where her goddess mark would be, if she had one that is.

"Why do you protect them?"

Rainbow's eyes turned up, looking through the blood. There was no pleading, no begging or fear.

"Do you owe them... loyalty?"

Something cold and sharp trailed down her back, sending shudders down her back. Every so often there'd be a slight sting. In the past she might have winced, maybe even taken a sharp intake of breath, but now? Now, she just lay there, unmoving as she took the time to catch her breath and moisten her lips.

"Loyalty for what? What have they done for you?"

The blade ran along the base of her tail, making Dash breathe in sharply. She tried to clamp her legs shut, but with how sore she was and how tired, it barely tugged at her restraints. As the blade trailed lower, the last threads of her willpower vanished and with it, renewed strength. She tugged, pulled struggled, twisted in the binds, trying to get as far away from that blade as possible.

Laughter filled the air.

The pressure left her back and a second later, she felt a hoof grab her wing, prying it open. Body completely still, heart hammering away, Dash resisted the urge to fight back. One wrong move, one wrong twist and her wings would snap like a twig, and if that were to happen, there was no way they'd be caught providing medical help to her. If anything they would probably use it force information out of her. Information she didn't have to begin with.

"Magic, loyalty to those freaks, kindness to them..." A hammer was held just above her wing, glinting in the candlelight. "What has any of that done for you?"

It came down, slamming against the table with enough force to make the entire thing jump.

"Nothing."

Don't move, don't move, don't move, don't move, don't move, don't move, don't move, don't move, don't mo-

"So I ask one final time, what are the freaks planning?"

"Sne-" Whatever else she tried to say dissolved into hacking coughs.

"Water," said the pegasus and a bowl was immediately shoved into her face. Forced to lap it up like some animal, Dash still drank her full, ignoring the foul taste. "Good. Now answer."

"Ambush at dawn," croaked Dash.

"What direction?"

"N-North."

Silence.

"Lying will get you nowhere."

A sickening crack echoed through the room as the hammer came down. Dash could only stare as it easily smashed through the outer most bones in her wings. It was alright, everything was alright. It was just a broken bone, a single broken bone. That could be healed. Broken bones were common, with a bit of attention and she'd be fine in a couple of months. She could fly, she could still fly, she co-

Crack!

Okay, so it was two bones. Still fine. Fluttershy had healed worse in the past. It'd take longer to heal, but there was nothing to worry about. She still had her sky, as long as she had that she'd b-

Crack!

Th-Three was fine. No need to wor-

Crack!

"S-Stop, please stop... I'll... I'll tell you anything, just please sto-"

Crack!

"-p. Please! Not my wings, anything but my wings, p-please. I'll-"

Crack!

A sob.

Crack, crack, cra-

She sobbed. Not in pain, not after the whips, the brands, the spikes and metal rods. She cried in fear and horror, tears leaking down her cheek even as she held stock still, trembles running through her body.

"S-Stop! Please, stop. I'll do anything, I'll-"

The hammer came down one more time, splitting the humerus in two. Then, it was placed on her broken wing. Pain pulsing through her body, cold sweat mixed with dried blood, her entire body shaking as she lay there. Gone was the fatigue, the defiance, the attitude and all that was left, was a trembling filly.

Pathetic.

She needed to... needed to... Stand up, spit in his face, fight back, push them away, teach them their place like she had back in training. She was not some coward, some dirt pony or horned freak. She was a pegasus! She was strong, powerful, graceful! She would not break down when challenged, she would rise to the occasion and prove all the doubters wrong. She was Rainbow fucking Dash and she did not cry. She was a pegasus!

Or... at least she was...

What was a pegasus without wings? Unable to feel the wind through her mane, to see the battlefield from the highest vantage point, to travel at speeds other creatures could only dream of. All of that, everything that made her who she was, what made her special was now ripped from her. She was not smart, she was not the best fighter, she wasn't even a good leader. All that she had to her name was speed.

And now? Now Fluttershy could win a race against her.

"You know, your friend begged us to have mercy on you." His breath tickled the back of her neck. "So we'll just take one wing, you should be thankful."

Muscles locked in place, unmoving, unchanging. Still as a statue, Rainbow Dash kept staring ahead, taking small, shallow breaths as she felt that weight shift behind her. Something wet and slimy ran along the back of her ear and a second later, she felt teeth clamp down. Small nibbles ran along the edge of her ear and though Dash's hindleg twitched slightly, she grit her teeth and stayed completely still.

A minute passed, then two, then three. Roaming hooves and mouth, running along her body, squeezing and groping as it went. Eventually, she felt the weight leave her back and the cool air touched her body once more. Shivers wracked her body, moving the broken wing, causing pained whimpers to spill out.

"Thank me."

Dash looked up, blood and tears making it impossible to make out who was before her. Eyes pleading, begging, seeking something.Compassion? Mercy? Explanation?

"I said, thank me."

No, she wouldn't thank them. She would never thank them. She was strong, she was Rainbow Dash, she never gave in. She fought off a pack of timberwolves alongside Lightning Dust, she commanded a fort, she was part of the Wonderbolts. She... she...

She was flightless.

"Th- Tha..." A hacking cough rocked Dash's body, sending more pain snaking through her abused body. "Thank... you..."

"Good girl." The hammer was removed from her broken wing, and Dash drew in ragged breath after ragged breath as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Fix her up, they want her alive."

A hoof found its way into her mane and all of a sudden, her head was pulled back. There was no screaming, no struggling, there was no point in it anymore. She was tired, so bloody tired. And so she looked up, mouth slightly open, fresh tears matting her cheeks as she accepted it.

What was the point in fighting? It's not like she'll ever be able to fly again. Without her wings, she was no better than a filthy dirt pony. She was nothing.

How dare they.

Twilight gazed down at the encampment, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. She was going to kill them all, every single last one of them. Her eyes swept from the cages to the stakes that lined the ledges before finally settling on the cave where the... festivities were taking place. How many times had she walked away in the past? Such a large force, so many pegasi, there was no way she could slip in and out without being detected, let alone take them all down.

All those other ponies she had left behind? They were strangers, and so it was easy to just turn around and walk away without a care in the world. Just block out Spike's begging, Spitfire's arguments and simply walk away. It was the logical thing to do. The right thing to do.

But now? Now it was personal.

Already the lid on her magic was threatening to explode, strands of power reaching out for her, sensing her emotions. They jumped to her call, like how they had done so long ago when her family had been murdered. The more she saw, the more it whipped the magic into a frenzy. A hurricane with a single-minded purpose, threatening to explode out in all directions.

Not yet, but soon. Very soon.

A smile tugged on her lips as she scanned the gorge one last time. So how did she want to play it? Small and subtle, striking just when they realize how badly they had fucked themselves or simply walk through the front gate? Once more she found her eyes being drawn towards pegasi reveling in their bestial nature and her jaws clenched.

No, not the subtle approach, that was too much of a blessing for monsters like them. They would see death approaching and know it was impossible to escape. To lie there in pain and in fear, struggling to run away, watching their comrades being cut down before their eyes. Limbs torn off one by one, of being thrown to the timberwolves while others laughed in sadistic glee. They would see judgment riding down upon them and they would understand what true despair was. They would finally understand what it was they did to their prisoners.

Lifting a hoof, she clapped. Magic leapt to the call, infusing the act, amplifying the sound, causing it to echo through the gorge. Below her, all sound stopped. Each step was placed with the upmost care, echoing off the cliff face around them and through the frozen trees. In her wake was a trail of melted snow, purple dust drifting off her body and fading into the wind.

All it took was a touch of magic and a bit of willpower and the world around her shifted. There was sudden lurch as Twilight hit the ground in a burst of light. The ground cracked beneath her, throwing earthen shards in all directions. They sliced through her clothing and skin as though nothing was there, blood flowing freely. Those around her were shredded to pieces, the shards piercing through the toughest hides. Those that did not immediately die lay in pools of their own blood, drowning in their sin.

Ignoring the pain, Twilight rose and began walking forward, leaving bloody hoofprints behind her. Whatever spell held the pegasi in place was suddenly broken and two guards immediately charged her, swords drawn. It was pathetic really, how easily they went down. A single thought, a flick of the wrist, and a wave of fire rolled out before her. Flames scorched her hoof, but she ignored the pain, their flailing, their screams, their burning bodies, and kept limping forward.

The air around her crackled, purple sparks flying in all directions. She heard orders being given,saw pegasi running to their stations and bows being raised. The whistling of arrows was barely audible above the crackling magic, and with another flick of her wrist, a gust of frozen air spilled out. The muddy ground froze over, crates and arrows were blown aside, and ice crystals formed all over her body, chilling her to the core. Those who did not leap away in time were turned into living statues to be shattered as she walked past. Not at the head though, never at the head, instead it was a leg here, a wing there. If they somehow survived being frozen alive, they would not live for long afterwards and with a bit of luck, they would hopefully be able to feel everything. The bones snapping, the muscles being torn apart, the chill seeping in, slowly feasting on their flesh.

Eyes drifting over the encampment, something nipped her right shoulder and glancing over, Twilight cocked an eyebrow at the sword digging into her shoulder. Her magic spilled over, blasting the attacker back before ripping the sword free and stabbing the pegasus with his own weapon. As she walked away, a bolt of magic rained down from the sky, striking the sword and a scream of pain echoed through the hills.

Pegasi approached her cautiously, fanning out to surround her with weapons drawn and wings spread. Above her, even more circled, waiting to swoop down. A smirk appeared as Twilight settled down into a stance she had seen unicorns take many times in battle.

"Give up little filly and we'll even treat you right," said one.

"How about you just die?" She plunged head first into the well of magic within her and a small giggle escaped. Raising her hoof, she stomped it once, sending a shockwave out in all directions. They leapt into the air and dived for her, but her magic was faster. It was so easy, so fluid and straightforward. All she had to do was think about it and her magic would lash out, forming translucent tentacles that wrapped around various limbs.

Their screams only served to broaden Twilight's grin.

This time, she didn't even have to will anything to happen. The one who spoke was simply ripped apart, a wing tossed over the cliff while a leg was thrown onto the bridge, and the rest of the body went somewhere. Then slowly, one by one, she ripped them apart, deliberating tossing the parts over to their friends.

Some were foolish enough to try to stop her, throwing themselves at her with tear stained eyes. It didn't even require thinking about anymore. Some were frozen, some were burnt alive, others were thrown off the cliff or cut in half or ripped apart.

"Please..."

Soon her fur was a dark red, a trail of melted snow behind her. Those who fled were dragged back, swords of pure magic spearing their bodies. Their screams sent shivers down her spine, but she couldn't stop grinning. It was about time those bastards got what they deserved!

It took some time, extermination always did , but soon she arrived at the bridge. Or rather, what was left of it. Those cowards thought something so simple would stop her?

Purple lightning fell from the sky, and when the dust cleared, she was nowhere in sight. A second bolt struck on the opposite side of the gorge, electricity exploding outwards. Those who were fortunate enough to be close immediately collapsed, convulsing uncontrollably. Rising onto her hooves, a jolt of pain ran down her left hind leg. Huh, broken, probably on re-entry when she hit the ground, but she wouldn't let that slow her down.

"M-Mercy, please. I'll do anything, j-just stop pl-"

She wasn't sure how it happened or why, but her hooves lifted into the air, hovering just above the ground. Suspended in her own magic, she began drifting forward, her magic reaching out on its own accord, destroying everything that lay near. Swords were melted, arrows blew away and armor shattered.

An arrow slammed into the ground before her as a pegasus in a red cloak calmly walked towards her. He tossed the bow and quiver behind him and said, "I, High Commander Hurricane, challenge you to a duel." The smirk on his face made Twilight growl."Unless, you are too much of a coward to accept."

Her magic answered the challenge, forcing Hurricane to leap into the air. Twisting in midair, he used his wings to throw his body to the side before landing ten feet back with his wings spread. Shallow cuts littered his body, blood seeping from the wounds, but he seemed unconcerned. If anything, his smirk deepened.

"I see, all power and no control."

He darted forward, weaving from side to side with the odd hop thrown in, making it impossible to hit him. Spell after spell slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and splitting the earth.

With a growl of frustration, she planted all four hooves and fired a single burst of magic in a wide arc. Over three dozen bolts were fired simultaneously, the recoil throwing Twilight backwards. She came back onto her hooves, eyes constantly darting from side to side as she waited for the dust to settle.

A sudden burst of wind threw the dust into her face. Stumbling back, Twilight threw her magic out blindly. The grunt of pain was music to her ears, but before she could celebrate, something slammed into her shoulder. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she teleported backwards only to land on her broken leg and collapsed onto one knee.

Blinking rapidly, Twilight's eyes refocused just in time and dive to one side. She could feel his hoof part her mane as it slammed into the ground, cracking the ground. Gathering her magic, she threw it out, forcing the two of them apart, both slamming into a wall on opposite ends of the cave . Hitting the ground in a dull heap, he struggled back onto his hooves, swaying as he did so. Scorch marks littered his body, his clothing was almost as red as the cloak he wore and his wings drooped slightly as he panted heavily.

Ignoring the pain, blood, and pounding in her head, Twilight followed suit. Though her leg made it difficult to focus, she kept her eyes locked on Hurricane, jaws clenched and magic at the ready. Her blood soaked clothing stuck to her body, rubbing against her wounds in all the wrong ways.

The two regarded each other coolly.

"And all I see is a weak pegasus who desires power without knowing what it is." Twilight conjured a translucent blade before her and pointed it at Hurricane. "Give up now and I'll give you a swift death, which is far more than you deserve."

"Why don't you give up and I won't torture you for fun."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow and ran her eyes over his broken and battered body. "How much blood have you already lost? How long do you have left? I've won."

"Wrong!" He lunged forward only for Twilight to catch him in her magic and slam him into the ceiling, pinning him there.

"I was hoping you would fight back." She readied her blade. "I know who you are, High Commander Hurricane, and I sentence you to death for your crimes against Harmony ."

"And you are the Purple Mare, a constant thorn in my side."

Blinding pain exploded behind her eyes and the sound of bone hitting the ground echoed through the cave. Crying out, she dropped to her knees, vision obscured by a river of red. Like white hot pokers, the pain forced itself into her brain, but somehow she worked past the agony, reaching out for her magic. As soon as she touched the font of power, she cried out in pain once more.

A sickening crack filled the air as a hoof connected with Twilight's chest, sending her flying backwards. A second later, a hoof was pressed on her throat, forcing her to gasp for breath. No matter how much she struggled, how badly she clawed at the hoof pinning her down, it would not budge. Once more she reached for her magic, throwing it out, but all she got was an explosion of pain that felt like she was being eaten alive.

She couldn't think. She couldn't talk. She couldn't even feel anything beyond the pounding of her head. Her entire body burned as though it was on fire as the edges of her vision blurred. Through the red haze, she could just make out the silhouette of a pegasus approaching, bow drawn.

"East, I want you to rally all survivors to me. We need to fortify this position and I need to boost morale. Leave all prisoners except the blue one, she may still have valuable information." Hurricane turned back to Twilight. "As for you, I'm going to enjoy breaking you. By the time I'm done, you'll be a toy to be passed around the guard barracks to help ease lonely nights."

Yells drifted in from outside, and another pegasus burst in. "Cardinal, High Commander, a force of about fifty has entered the valley. Spitfire has been sighted, apparently leading the-" The entire cave shook as explosions echoed throughout the cave.

"Ballistae? That's impossible, we would have sig-" Before East could finished, a second explosion knocked everypony to the ground giving, Twilight the opportunity to gasp in air. She needed... she needed to get out. Find Spitfire, yell at her for an hour, and then drag her off for being such an idiot.

"Unicorns!" yelled a voice from outside.

"Hail, how bad is the situation?" snapped Hurricane.

"We've already lost over half our force. Depending on the number of unicorns and their power, we may be able to hold out, but not without significant casualties."

Wiping the blood from her eyes, Twilight looked around the room searching for something, anything that she could use. Eventually her eyes settled on the discarded bow on the ground and with a quick glance over to the trio to make sure they weren't focused on her, she began crawling towards it.

"East, take the Wonderbolts and buy us time. Hail, order a full retreat, ignore all prisoners except the Purple... Shit!"

Diving for the bow, Twilight grasped it in both hooves and rolled over. With shaking hooves she notched the arrow, but when she tried to draw the bowstring, her limbs shook uncontrollably. Unable to pull it even half way, let alone aim, it was ripped from her grasp by East.

The last thing she saw was a hoof approaching her face.

"About time you guys arrived! And here I was, thinking to myself 'Well Pinkie, there are all these ponies just waiting for a good time, but none of my friends are here,' and that got me all sad and blue, which is totally silly since I'm pink, not blue!" Pinkie's grinned as she ripped her sword out of the pegasus before her. "Well, pink and a bit of red. Maybe. But now that you're all here, let's get this party started!"

Racing ahead, she leapt off the ledge, twisted in midair to give a playful salute to the completely shocked Lyra and the rest of her crew. Curling up into the ball, she hit the ground and rolled, blades already unsheathed. Her eyes constantly moved, taking in the battle and looking for her next dance partner.

"Pinkie!" A thud came from behind her as Lyra landed. "Damn it Pinkie, we're here to rescue you, how the fuck did you get out to begin with!?"

"Twilight, duh. Oh! He looks hot." Before Lyra could get another word in, Pinkie rushed off to the side, tackling a pegasus to the ground. Recovering far faster than any pony had the right to, she kicked him in the stomach before slashing his throat. "But definitely not enough stamina.Seriously. Come on! Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods? Something, something, something, something, something.Um... Ah, right! I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need. I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero till th-"

"Pinkie!" roared Lyra. "Twilight's here?"

"Of course, that's what I said wasn't it? I was gonna say 'Hi' and give her a cake, but she was all downy frowny. And she totally ripped all those ponies apart, and sure, it looked like fun if it wasn't for the whole death thing." Pinkie leaned close and whispered, "Especially with those magical poles. Rwar, who knew she was so kinky."

For her part, Lyra fell flat on her flank. "T-Twilight did that?"

"Yep! Wavy tentacles eeeeeeeverywhere." Pinkie leaned in close and whispered huskily, "And I do mean everywhere."

Turning away, Lyra promptly threw up all over the ground.

"I see you still have much to learn, young grasshopper. Now, let Auntie Pinkie see..." She watched as the rest of the group took the boring way down. "Well folks, Twilight did most of the heavy lifting for us already, as you can no doubt see. Pegasi stay grounded. They have superior numbers in the air. Earth ponies, get your crossbows out, let's clip some wings. Unicorns, reserve your magic for the real fight. Crossroads, Lyra, take five ponies each and start rescuing the prisoners. Loot the bodies for weapons and clothing. Medics, set up camp on the ridge and start tending wounds. Rest of you, with me. It's time to paaaaaaarty!"

"Um... Pinkie... they cut the bridge on their side, we can't cross," said Cinnamon.

"Silly filly, think outside the box! Let your sanity run free and embrace the truly mad, but not too insane, they don't like cake and what kind of monster doesn't like cake!" Pinkie turned to the rest of the party. "Change of plans, I want half the earth ponies on covering fire, the other half ready a charge. Unicorns, prepare teleportation spells, if you can’t I want you to prepare shield spells. Pegasi, rope up the bridge. As soon as it's up, I want the unicorns to take an advance party to hold the line. Earth ponies charge, pegasi, minimal time in the air. They outnumber you and we will not be able to fire if you get into aerial combat. I want five unicorns to stay back, once the bridge is up for some siege action. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" the group chorused as one.

There was a pause before Pinkie groaned loudly. "Damn it Eclipse, you and your fun-sucking has sucked all the fun out of everypony. When I find you I'm gonna inject some smiles up your fucking ass, you hear me?"

Silence.

"Alright, everypony, move out!"

The pegasi immediately leapt into action, launching themselves off the cliff. Instead of swooping in blindly, seven stayed back to fan the mist out of the way while the rest went in, slowly navigating the maze of thorns and vines. A tense silence filled the air as they watched the sky for pegasi. They could hear the screams and cries coming from the other side, and though the words were impossible to make out, she didn't need to. The sound alone was enough to send tremors through her body, and beside her, Emerald Beacon turned green.

"Pegasi, five o'clock!" yelled Eagle Eyes and over a dozen crossbows snapped across, watching as they approached.

Moving far faster than any pegasus had the right to fly, they quickly closed the distance. Raising a hoof, Pinkie held it, eyes narrowed as she watched them approach. As it snapped down, the first volley of arrows were fired and one pegasus dipped down and corkscrewed in midair. Every single last bolt was deflected with a wave of wind and as the pegasus rose to enter the pack, it did a small loop, as though tying a knot.

A small smile touched Pinkie lips as she held up a hoof once more. "Eyes forward everypony, they're friends. Moonshine, signal them to land."

The unicorn lit up her horn, sending small colored sparks into the air. Two pulses green, one pulse yellow, repeat. After the third cycle, the pegasi veered down for them.

"Commander, they're Wonderbolts!" yelled Eagle and almost immediately seven bows were raised.

"Lower your weapons, they're with us," sighed Pinkie.

"But they're-"

"With us," said Pinkie and though she did not change her tone of voice, Eagle sunk back as though physically struck. "Keep your eyes forward, I don't want to be ambushed while you're all gawking."

Reaching up, Pinkie snapped her stolen goggles down and those around her followed suit. Those who did not were blinded when the Wonderbolts landed, throwing up dirt and mud in all directions. Wiping the grime away, Pinkie walked forward and held out a hoof.

A pair of orange eyes regarded her silently. In the end, Spitfire merely inclined her head and said, "Pinkie. It's been a while."

Pinkie ran a hoof through her mane as she sighed. "You here for Twilight?"

"Of course. Know where she is?"

"No clue, somewhere over there," said Pinkie with a vague hoof wave.

"Alright, Spike? Scout for us please. Soarin, you're the advance party. Pinkie? I'm taking command of the pegasi."

"What!" Eclipse shoved his way to the front, a bandage over his right eye. "I don't care if you are a fucking Wonderbolt, we don't divide things along racial lines, something you obviously don't understand."

"Eclipse, stand down!" snapped Pinkie.

"She... never told you, did she?" Spitfire glanced over to Lyra who was propping Eclipse up. "Pinkie, just what have you done?"

"I did what was necessary." The pink pony shoved past, and walked onto the fixed bridge. "I made sacrifices while you two kept galloping around like fillies in love."

"Don't you dare-" Before Spitfire could even finish taking her step forward, a dozen arrows and swords were pointed in her direction. Beside her, all the Wonderbolts tensed up, wings unfurling slightly. "You lot, stand down or I'll feed you to the gryphons!"

"With all due respect, your judgment is compromised," said Soarin. "We'll stand down if they do."

"Eclipse, shut the fuck up or you'll be dueling me for a week, and the rest of you, stand down. That's an order!" yelled Pinkie and the rest of the group hesitantly lowered their weapons, though crossbows were still cocked and swords still unsheathed. "Why are you all still standing around? The bridge is up. Get over there and party already! And Eclipse, stop being an idiot and get to the medics tent. Lyra, I want a status report."

"We found sixty-four alive. Six who are touch and go, twenty-three with severe injuries, a further sixteen out of action, leaving us with nineteen who can actually function," said Lyra.

Pinkie jaw clenched as she ran the numbers through her head. Over a hundred and sixty dead. They were going to pay. She would make them pay. She'd host the biggest party ever and once it was all done, it'd make Twilight's slaughter look boring. The only way the enemy was going to leave, was in pieces and castrated.

"Spitfire, we can discuss this later. Right now, I'm going to turn this place into Tartarus. You with me?"

The Wonderbolt captain grinned. "Only if West is mine."

"Deal." They shook hooves and began walking down the bridge side by side. "Thoughts?"

"Bombard the cliff, pegasus up top to cut off their escape route, earth ponies up front to act as the vanguard. You'll want the unicorns to switch to supporting fire once we're close in and the pegasi can help out wherever they're needed."

"Think we've got enough ponies for that?"

Spitfire glanced over her shoulder at the dead bodies and blood. "No, but they don't have enough either. It'll work."

"Squad One, bombard the cliff. Squad Two, I want supporting fire for the air. Three and Four, you're in the air with the Wonderbolts, Five to Seven, you're the advance guard. Rest of you, hang back and protect the medics. Eclipse, that includes you," said Pinkie.

"But Co..." He trailed off at the glare and sighed. "Fine."

"Well?" Pinkie gave the rest of her army a pointed look and they immediately leapt into action.

Puckering her lips, Spitfire gave a shrill whistle followed by circular hoof motion in the air. The Wonderbolts leapt into the air in unison, taking the front as they covered the bridge from above. Above them, balls of magic sailed past, slamming into the cliff face with enough force to send rock and snow tumbling off the side. Among the enemy, cries of alarm were heard and a couple took to the air. Those that did ran straight into the iron hoof of the Wonderbolts. Moving far faster and with far greater co-ordination than any other soldiers, the Wonderbolts darted into and out of combat. Wingblades flashing in the light, they carved through pegasus after pegasus, and something that should have taken at least twenty ponies to do was done by ten.

And that's when the counter attack came.

A hail of arrows rained down on the bridge, only to be deflected by shimmering barriers. A couple pegasi tried to cut the ropes once more, but the Wonderbolts stopped them, throwing snow in all directions. Charging across the wooden bridge, Pinkie threw herself into fray. Leaping over two Wonderbolts, she sliced a pegasus across the back before hitting the ground. Rolling past, she came onto her hooves behind the enemy line and immediately got to work. Or rather, she would have if not for their infernal reaction time. Sparks flew as her blade glanced off a gauntlet and as a second pegasus turned around to face her, Pinkie was forced to skip back out of range.

A flash of light appeared on her right and Lyra charged forward. Together, the two of them clashed with the pegasi, steel clanging off steel as blades blurred in the air. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded, the pegasi were holding well. More than once a hoof connected with her chest, and more than once, Pinkie hissed out in pain.

But they were surrounded and they were outnumbered, so it was only a matter of time. Taking far more hits than necessary, the enemy was eventually worn down, leaving them in pools of blood and missing a limb. Or two. Alright, four limbs, but that was it! Still, it was depressing how little blood and screaming there was, they were meant to beg for it, damn it. Ah well, if it was always that simple, she'd never improve, would she?

Wiping the blood from her lips, she spat on a dying pegasus as she walked past. Above her the bombardment continued and lifting a hoof into the air, she gave it a flick. Her pegasi leapt into the air, while the earth ponies drew their crossbows. Barriers were quickly constructed out of the snow, reinforced with magic and spit. Behind her, the rest of her party approached, taking up a defensive position with bows ready.

As the seconds ticked and no more pegasi came out to face them, nervous glances were exchanged. They could see somepony moving on the ledges above them, and every so often, an arrow would sail down. Every single time, it was aimed at someone who stuck their head out a bit too far. None died, but there were a couple close calls.

"So, any ideas?" asked Lyra.

Pinkie glanced back at the unicorns before studying the cliff face. After a couple of seconds, she looked up at the dueling pegasi in air and frowned. "Barrier up front, half of us storms the ledge to take down those archers while the rest secures the bridge." She glanced over the Spitfire. "What are you doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be up top?"

"I'm waiting for Spike," replied Spitfire as she watched the sky. "And I trust Soarin to handle anything that comes up-" Eyes narrowing, Spitfire hissed, "West!"

Her entire body tensed up, wings unfurled and muscles coiled, ready to launch into the middle of the fray, and yet she did not leap into the air. She stayed there, body tense, watching as West cleaved through their small army without breaking a sweat. Not even the Wonderbolts escaped unscathed, a couple forced to drop back.

"If you find her, you'll save her, right?" Though it was a mere whisper, Pinkie could hear every syllable with absolute clarity.

There was no hesitation as Pinkie laid a hoof on Spitfire's shoulder. "Of course, you have my word."

"Good. Don't make me regret it."

All that coiled energy was released in a single explosive burst, launching Spitfire into the air with enough force to throw Pinkie back and crack their snow wall. Resembling a flaming arrow more than a pony, Spitfire cut through the center of the enemy force, only to stop in the air above the aerial battle. She simply hovered there, waiting, and a couple seconds later, a lone figure drifted up.

What happened next was too fast for Pinkie to follow, but one second they were a hundred feet apart, and the next they had clashed together. All it took was a blink and then they were apart, slowly circling. Again and again they zipped past each other, wingblades glinting in the gloom.

A thud echoed through the valley as a dead pegasus fell from the sky, hitting the ground five paces to her right.

"Pinkie?" asked Lyra, shaking her light on the shoulder. "We're awaiting your command."

"Right." Shaking her head, Pinkie glanced back at her gathered crew, at the scars and blood and injuries that littered their bodies. "With me then, let's get this party started!"

With a deafening cry, they charged out, barriers of all colors protecting them from the rain of arrows. Up the ramp they went and around a corner, only to come face to face with a wall chest high. Without a second thought, she leapt over it, the familiar golden glow of Lyra's magic forming a bubble around her as she slammed head first into the enemy line.

Even before she had landed, her blades were arcing downwards, the spray of blood warming her soul like nothing else. Rolling with the momentum, she came up in a half crouch and dove to the side. A second later, two ponies slammed into the spot Pinkie vacated and together, the three held the ground. The enemy turned, watching Pinkie and her group, and in that split second of distraction, the main brunt of Pinkie's force hit. Dropping the magical barriers, the unicorns blasted the wall to pieces. Shrapnel flew in all directions, shredding any exposed into bloody strips. Those who weren't so lucky were thrown to the ground as the unicorns burst through in a wave of fire.

The enemy immediately leapt into the air and as soon as they did so, the earth ponies shot them back down. From there, it was a foal's play to kill them all. It was pathetic really, the way they ran like little fillies. They should have embraced the fire! Become one with it! Let it slowly burn them to a crisp while screaming in agony so she could savor every last second of it.

"Pinkie!" yelled a voice from above and her head snapped up, watching as Spike wheeled down, hovering before her. "Where's Spitfire? I found Twilight."

"Where?" yelled Pinkie.

He hesitated for a brief second.

"Come on! She's my friend too, and I made a promise to Spitfire!"

"Follow me. It's the right-most tunnel on the third tier."

"Lyra, you're in charge!" said Pinkie as she raced off.

The entire place was eerily quiet. Not a single pony could be seen as she raced through the narrow ledges and the half caved in tunnels. The bombardment had long since stopped out of fear of friendly fire, but even then, enough had been done to collapse entire sections, makes paths impassable and opening up new routes.

Together, they raced up the ramp, only for Spike to slow down to a crawl and make a shushing motion. As they shuffled along though, she began hearing words, faint and too hard to make out, but there was something there. Just as they approached the entrance, ten or so pegasi burst out. Flattening herself against the wall, Pinkie watched as they raced past, not bothering to take to the sky. Each of them wore camouflage, and on the back of one was a purple unicorn, causing Pinkie's blood to run cold.

"They have Twilight," hissed Spike.

Nodding slowly, Pinkie clenched her jaw and glanced down at the rest of her crew. This place... there was no doubt there was something important here, something that they were all vying over, which meant they had to keep it locked down. She needed to go after Twilight, she had promised, but with the way things stood, it would be beyond stupid to try.

"Pinkie, I defended you before, but if you don't get off your flank and help me rescue Twilight right now, consider this friendship over."

Her heart stopped and as she gazed into those green eyes of his, they were as hard as ice.

She opened her mouth, only to hesitate. He was just one creature, not even a pony, and Twilight... Twilight had lost that right so long ago. She had an army now; ponies who counted on her and needed her to stay strong, to do the right thing regardless of the cost. One pony, no matter how important, was not worth losing so much. Sure, she didn't know just how important this gorge was, but it had to be important.

Even if Twilight was the one who helped start everything, the one who gathered information, took all the risks, ran headlong into battle without batting an eye. Without Twilight, where would Pinkie be right now? In some farm, slaving away in the cold and snow, forced to be some unicorn's bitch and probably loving every single last second of it.

Why did life have to be so complicated?

"Pinkie," growled Spike, and she could make out the barest hint of flames licking his lips.

"She is just one unicorn," snarled the pink pony. "Just like how Silent Night, Raspberry, Crimson Sky and all the rest of them were ponies. Inconsequential. So you're telling me, she's allowed to sacrifice as many as she likes, but I have to jump to her rescue every single fucking time!? One pony cannot change the fate of the world!"

"One pony started this, the same war you took over," growled Spike.

"One pony started it, but it took all of us to get it to where it is now."

"I don't have time for this," spat Spike as he threw himself into the sky. Breathing a gout of fire into the sky, the Wonderbolts immediately broke off and went after him.

"Pinkie?" Lyra placed a hoof on her shoulder. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine." Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to her ponies. "How's the situation?"

"They've retreated."

"Very well, take care of the wounded, and examine each cave, there's something important here and I want to know what it is."

"Aye, aye, cap'n."

Pinkie merely rolled her eyes before turning away, watching Spike and the Wonderbolts' retreating silhouette. It was only once they were out of view, did she finally look away and trudge back down to the rest of her crew.

There was no room for promises in war.

Chapter 21

View Online

"Where is she?" A simple question spoken in completely level tones, but the ponies before her quaked in their boots. "Well?"

Pinkie swept her gaze over the assembled ponies. There was no frowning, for frowning was bad. There was no anger; that too was bad. She ran a tight caravan after all. Cool, calm and collected, the three C's necessary for every leader to excel. Too bad she couldn't think of three A's, it was first in the alphabet, which made it instantly better than every other letter except for 'S'.

"I was told that rainbow-maned pegasus was caught." Each word was slowed down so they could follow every single last letter. "Where. Is. She?"

"Pinkie, I don-"

"That's 'Commander' to you!" Pinkie snapped back, blade unsheathed and pointed at the insolent foal. "I don't have time for games, so tell me where she is right this instant."

Looking over her shoulder, Pinkie watched as more dead were thrown into the pit. She could see their names and their faces, the way they walked and talked, the sound of their laughter echoing through the midnight breeze. So many voices silenced in one cruel act, who was that rainbow slut to say who lived and died?

No pony should ever have that power. Not Twilight, not Hurricane, not MacIntosh, and most certainly not some random pegasus. She probably sat there, laughing her ass off while ponies—good ponies—were raped and killed. She was probably the one who urinated in their bowls, telling them to drink up because it was all the food they were going to get. If she was lucky, that sick little fucker was going to end up with a something very sharp and very large in her cunt before the night was out. If she was unlucky, well... there was a reason why Pinkie had two blades instead of one.

"Last chance," growled Pinkie as she took a step forward.

"Stop terrorizing the poor souls. I told them not to tell you because I knew you'd be out for blood." Pinkie's eyes narrowed as she watched Lyra lean casually against the cliff face. "The rest of you can go. Eclipse needs some help deciphering the notes we gathered, the medics can always use another competent hoof, and there are some prisoners that need guarding. Guarding mind you. Not throwing rocks, not taunting, not acting like racist freaks. Got that? I can, and will, deal with anypony who disobeys that last order."

"But feel free to sit around their cage, eating all the tasty fruit and vegies," said Pinkie. "Oh! Wind Chill, give Sandy a nice, long, sloppy kiss. Let them wrap their minds around that!"

That got a round of laughter from all those gathered, and a pair of blushing ponies. Still, it drained the tension out of the air as easily as a pie would, and with a gentle nudge, the crowd slowly dispersed. All the while, a pair of disapproving eyes pricked the back of Pinkie's neck.

Once they were out of earshot of everypony, she spun around and hissed, "What?"

"You need to calm down," said Lyra. "I know why you want to talk to Rainbow Das-"

"Oh, so we're on first name basis with that traitor now?" Their faces were inches apart, a barely contained snarl marring Pinkie's face. "She led the pegasi right to us. She got Bon-Bon killed. Remember her? Earth pony, purple and pink mane, had a cu-"

She never saw the blow coming. One second she was standing up, the next second she was on her back in the show, spitting out blood. She expected Lyra to say something, to spit on her or growl in that impossibly cold voice of hers. Instead, she turned and walked away in total silence.

Getting back onto her hooves, Pinkie followed Lyra along the cliff face and down a tunnel. It twisted and turned, and the entire place smell of blood and musk. The stone was stained, bodies littered the ground, and more than once, they came across a room full of instruments that made Pinkie squeal in delight while simultaneously bringing bile to her throat.

She wasn't that surprised that they were deep in the bowels of favorite pass time of the pegasi. Or was that second favorite? It was so hard to keep track of these with how they jumped between rape and torture. Sure, blood was fascinating with how vivid it was against snow, the way it trailed through fur, staining everything it touched. And the taste! By the stars, the taste was probably the best thing about it right behind how thick and creamy it was. That wasn't even consi-

"Though here." Lyra paused outside a hole that led down into the darkness. "Try not to break her even more."

"Even more?" A huge grin split Pinkie's face as she threw a hoof around Lyra's shoulder. "Oh Lyra, I knew that you loved me. Let that inner demon out! Rawr."

This time, Pinkie got a slap. Not hard enough to hurt, but it still stung and made her eyes water.

"Love you too, babe." Skipping out of reach, Pinkie blew Lyra a kiss before disappearing around the corner and down the tunnel.

At first the smell was relaxing, reminding her of better times where she was free to indulge in her various tastes. But with each step she took, the smell strengthened until she was forced to breathe through her mouth, gagging at how thick the stench of blood was. It felt like she was drowning, lost in a delirium that never ended, that she never wanted to end.

It was in that same haze that she stumbled into the final chamber, peering at her target through bleary eyes. There she stood, half hidden by the darkness, back towards Pinkie. Her breathing was shallow, labored, and somewhere, dripping water could be heard.

"You." Though Pinkie spoke clearly, her words were swallowed whole by the stench that filled the room. "I'm going to kill you."

Nothing. No sudden turning around, no tensing of the shoulders, or flaring of the wings. Rainbow Dash didn't even bother looking back as she answered, "Join the line."

"Ha!" The bark of laugher escaped before she could stop it, and Dash's shoulders tensed in response. "I'll murder the entire line and then slowly kill you."

"I'd like to see you try," she said, but with the way words were eaten whole, they sounded flat.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. There'll be a party and cake. The biggest, bestest cake you've even eaten." Pause. "Oh dear, if you get cake, I can't really do what I want. Oh well! Improvising is the spice of life, I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something."

Silence.

"Whatever," muttered Dash as she limped forward.

In the blink of an eye, Pinkie was between Dash and the table, weapon drawn. "And where do you think you're going?"

Magenta eyes met blue, weary beyond belief and dim in the oppressive gloom. It was impossible to make out the specific features, but there was something there. Something half hidden, almost as though Dash was looking past her, looking at something only she could see. A second later, the look was gone and Dash was in her face, snout to snout, a growl rumbling in the back of her throat.

"What's it to you?"

"Get out of my face." Pinkie shoved Dash back, sending the pegasus to the ground before resting a hoof against her chest and a blade against her throat. "I'm here to make you pay for what you did."

"Well then, get on with it. What are you, afraid?" Dash smirked up at Pinkie. "That's it, isn't it? Oh, it's so easy on the battlefield, to slaughter pegasi as though they're animals , but sun forbid you kill a defenseless pegasus like me."

"Shut. Up!" Down went the blade, digging into her throat, drawing blood. "I'm going to make you suffer first, I'm going t-"

A hoof slammed into her knee and Pinkie hit the ground. Rolling to the side, she came up just in time to duck under two wild swings. It was pathetic really, all it took was a solid hook punch to the gut and Dash stumbled back. Her wings unfurled, the right one barely managing to open before she squeezed her eyes shut. Pained gasps escaped as she dropped onto one knee.

"That's the best you've got?" Dash brushed her mane to the side, causing Pinkie to frown. "Well?"

Pinkie stepped forward, causing Dash to skip back out of reach. Or at least, that's what she assumed. With the way Dash flailed around, stumbling over her own hooves, it was impossible to tell.

Darting forwards, Pinkie feinted to the right before slamming a hoof into Dash's jaw. Pressing the advantage, she added two quick jabs to the sternum before her elbow slammed into the all-too smug blue face, sending Dash to the ground. Flicking her right wrist, the blade came free and she stabbed it through Dash's right shoulder while she pinned the left shoulder with her remaining foreleg.

"Sorry, but I ain't into mares," growled Rainbow Dash.

Ignoring her comment, Pinkie brushed Dash's mane to the side, revealing a blackened eye. She ripped her blade free and sliced down in quick strokes, and when she was done, Dash's clothing lay in tatters on the floor.

"Should have known a sick freak like you would be into blood," said Dash.

Instead of commenting, Pinkie let her gaze roam over Dash's body, drinking in the sight of the fresh wounds and bruises. A particularly nasty one along her right shoulder had even opened up, seeping out blood. Everywhere she looked, there was a wound of some kind; not a single inch of her body had been spared. Pinkie frowned and slammed a knee into Dash's stomach. While she was curled up and gasping for breath, Pinkie flipped her over and pinned her down once more, this time examining her back.

"Get off me, you bitch!" Showing far more strength than Pinkie expected, Dash twisted and threw Pinkie off her body.

But in that split second, Pinkie had already seen far more than she wished. A single red wound at the base of her wing, no longer than her hoof width, and the stitching poorly done. A wing hanging limp at her side, bandages that once held it to snug against Dash's body were cut to shreds. She had seen that wound before, almost always on a dead pegasus, and those who weren't dead, died shortly afterwards by their own hooves.

This... this wasn't a trick. As much as she wanted to kill this pegasus, to rip her limb from limb and make her suffer like her ponies had suffered, Dash wasn't the one to blame. Sure, she was a bitch, racist and deserved to die, but not torture. A quick death, that was what she deserved, even if that was probably too good for a racist like her.

"Weak. Look at you, it'd it hilarious if it wasn't so depressing. The Pink Menace, the bane of unicorns and pegasi alike, the one and only thing that both sides agree on is that you should be killed. Your family raped. Your friends slaughtered." Dash stalked forward, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat. "What's the matter? Timberwolf got your tongue?"

For her part, Pinkie didn't react. Well, didn't react with violence, despite how tempting it was to take a knife and etch that smug grin into Dash's face. Let's see how much she enjoyed giving that smug smile then!

"You should be glad it was Lightning Dust who sold you out. If she had been a day late, I would have made sure every single last one of you were caught, raped, an-"

Pinkie's blade came down, cutting into Dash's chest. Before that little piece of shit could move again, the sword dug in, cutting through skin and muscle. Again and again, each cut faster than the last. Each cut designed to cause pain, but not kill, not maim. Not yet.

Slowly, she approached the bleeding pegasus. She ignored the shallow breathing, the numerous fresh cuts and the way Dash shivered without her clothes on. With a kick, she forced Dash onto her belly and stood over the pegasus. Placing one hoof on her back, a second stomped down on her good wing, forcing it open.

"Oh, I see, can't even pony up and kill me, like those whimpering cowards." Somehow, Dash managed to twist her head around to glare up at Pinkie. "You’re pathetic..."

Whatever else was said was lost as those words echoed in Pinkie's brain. She wasn't like them, she was nothing like them! This, this pegasus was just trying to get inside her head, freak her out and break her down. Well it wasn't going to work! She was nothing like them. She didn't enslave ponies, rape them or torture them . All she did was fight the enemy, what else could she do? They didn't listen to reason, to logic. They were so caught up in their own fantasy world that they couldn't see the truth. Like rabid manticores, caught up in their own delusions with no escape except death .

"Kill me already, you bitch! Pony up for once and do what you want!" Dash slowly stood up, forcing Pinkie's blade to sink into her flesh, before collapsing back down.

Silence.

"You should have heard them." Pinkie's eyes snapped down, jaws clenching until it hurt. "They begged the guards to stop at first, but it was a lie. I mean, you should have seen them as they were dragged out of the cells. The longest one lasted... how long was it? A minute or something? Before she was begging them to go faster, begging for another coc-"

The blade slammed down, but there was no scream, only small gasp of pain as Dash clenched her eyes shut. Seconds ticked by, then minutes, the constant echo of dripping blood was the only companionship Pinkie had. Then slowly, with trembling limbs, Pinkie pulled her sword out and sheathed it once more. Dropping back onto all fours, she walked away, pausing at the entrance to the room.

"I am nothing like that."

And with those words, she walked out, ignoring the screams. About how her ponies had begged, pleaded, willingly gave up their bodies, minds and soul. The words floated through her and washed away the anger. Stepping back into the light, Pinkie brushed past Lyra and said, "Rainbow Dash will need a medic and new clothing, see to it that she gets them."

"Aye, aye Cap'n!" Lyra gave a mock salute, though her grin didn't quite reach her eyes. "You keeping her alive then?"

"Of course, some things are worse than death."

"Spitfire, you need to rest."

Silence.

"At least eat something." Soarin nudged Spitfire lightly, but she did not budge from her position beside the makeshift bed. "You'll be no use if y-"

"Why? Because food makes everything better?" Spitfire spun around, sweeping the tray onto the ground. "Do you think food will make Twilight better? Well!?"

"Yes." Soarin ducked under the Spitfire's punch before pinning her to the ground. "Because when she wakes up, and yes, I said 'when' and not 'if'—when she wakes up, she'll need you. Even now, she needs you to help take care of her, especially since you're being an idiot and not letting us take her to Pinkie where there are actual medics."

"Fleetfoot is a good enough me-"

"And Fleetfoot is pissed at you right now."

With a sigh, Soarin slipped off and held out a hoof. For a brief second, it seemed as though Spitfire was going to slap it away, but after a moment's hesitation, she accepted it and was dragged onto her hooves.

"That food is for Twilight," mumbled Spitfire causing Soarin to cock his eyebrow. "Don't give me that look! She needs to get her strength up, with... you know..."

They both glanced down at the bedridden unicorn, focusing on her horn. The top inch had been broken off completely and a long fracture ran down the side. Dried blood caked the side of her face, but without more water, there wasn't much they could do about it. A small sigh escaped as she brushed Twilight's mane to one side, watching as the unicorn tossed and turned.

"She needs to get to a proper medic," sighed Soarin before hastily adding, "I know Fleetfoot is trained, but she's a combat medic and even she said that we don’t have enough to treat all of Twilight's wounds."

"And where do you suggest we go?" yelled Spitfire. "Pinkie? She'd sell us out at the first opportunity! You saw her, left Twilight to ro-"

"Spitfire, if you can't keep your voice down, get the fuck out." Though Spike spoke in completely even tones, it carried to the weight of a disapproving general behind it and Spitfire found herself smiling sheepishly despite herself.

"She left Twilight to those monsters," continued Spitfire in a low growl, "I am not letting her anywhere near Pinkie and I most certainly am not putting her in Pinkie's care."

The two pegasi glared at each other, neither blinking, or even breathing.

"Sooooooaaaaarin~" Rapidfire's singsong voice echoed down the tunnel. "Where are you, my precious?"

"Shit!" Soarin bolted for the exit, taking the time to say, "I wasn't here, got that?" before he vanished from sight.

A couple seconds later, Rapidfire stuck his head around the corner and gave Spitfire a playful wink. "Don't worry captain, I'll keep that big softie occupied and away from here. Just make sure Twilight recovers, alright?"

"Of course." Spitfire tore her gaze away from Twilight long enough to smile at him. "Thanks Rapid."

"Anytime!" He hesitated for a brief second before asking, "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

"You know you don't have to ask."

"Old habit." Rapidfire licked his lips. "Promise you won't kill me either?"

That got a raised eyebrow out of Spitfire.

"It's just... I think Soarin might be right." He quickly scrambled around the corner, poking his head out after a couple seconds of silence.

"Am I really that scary?" Spitfire cocked an eyebrow at Spike who simply shrugged in response before he went back to snuggling against Twilight's side. "Rapidfire, get back in here, I'm not going to kill you with my bare hooves ."

"I'll stay out here thanks," he replied.

Pressing a hoof to her temple, Spitfire waved a hoof for him to continue.

"Look, Fleetfoot hates Twilight right now, and even if she didn't, we don't have enough food or medical supplies to last us much longer. There's no one else out there that'd take us in, and you know it." Rapidfire ran a hoof through his mane. "Look, I don't like it any more than you, but we have no choice. Twilight's still a bit touch and go, and Hurricane may be still looking for us."

"I know, I know damn it!" Her hoof slammed into the wall, the bang echoing through the tunnels. "Look, we've dealt with this before, we need to stay here right now so that she can rest, moving her now is a bad idea."

"Al-Alright." Rapidfire closed her eyes and breathed out slowly before snapping open. "Wait, this has happened before?"

"Once." With a tender hoof, Spitfire turned Twilight's head to the side, showing a small, faded scar.

"Spitfire." Spike shook his head sadly. "That is not your story to tell."

"It kinda is though, I mean, that was when we first met." Despite everything, a small smile graced her lips. "When I first saw her, I thought she was going to murder me in my sleep. She almost did, even though she could barely stand."

"Um... Captain? If that's why you love her, please get your head checked out."

"Are you saying you don't like somepony fiery?" She pressed a hoof to her chin, a sly smile on her face. "That's odd considering you've been with Blaze and Silver Lining an-"

"Ye- No- I mean..." Cheeks almost red, Rapidfire settled for a glare on glaring at her. "Oh shut up!"

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but the mirth quickly drained away as she sighed yet again. "Maybe some other time, but I just want to spend time with Twilight."

"Great! In that case, it's time to harass Soarin some more." Rapidfire disappeared around the corner, his voice echoing through their makeshift base, "Soooooaaaarin~! Soarin my dear, where are you my snuggly, wuggly pie? It's so cold and lonely without you."

"...Are you sure he wasn't dropped on his head as a foal?" asked Spike.

That got a snort out of Spitfire, but she just shook her head. "Nah, he does that to annoy Soarin. Rapid's an 'anything that moves' type of guy. I swear, if it wasn't because Twilight scares him so much, he'd hit on me."

Spike cocked an eyebrow. "I'm certain she learnt how to be that scary from you."

"Yeah..." Spitfire settled back down, lying next to Twilight, using her wing as an extra blanket to keep the unicorn warm. With a hoof, she caressed a scar that ran across Twilight's chest. "Is it wrong of me to want to tie her down somewhere and keep her safe?"

"Sometimes, but we both know that once Twilight wants to do something, there's nothing either of us can say to change her mind."

"And she's doing a lot of good. If we hadn't rescued those ponies, this war would be lost. We’ll need some heavy recruiting to get anywhere near back up to full strength, but we survived. The only good thing is that we did some serious damage to both the pegasi and unicorns, and we managed to secure one of their fuel cells." Spitfire nuzzled Twilight's neck lightly, and the unicorn snuggled into her. "Still, I hate it. I'm a fucking Wonderbolt, but Twilight's the one on the front lines, the one with the most dangerous missions, and- Agh! Have you heard what Pinkie's been telling them all!?"

"Um... no...?"

"Nothing! That's what! Not a single one of them knows what we sacrificed. They think I'm just some random pegasus, some Wonderbolt who... who..." Once more her hoof slammed into the ground, a growl escaping as she blinked away the tears. "We sacrificed so much and they don't know. Especially Twilight, she lost everything."

"You knew the risks when y-"

"That's not the bloody point!" Drawing in heaving breaths, Spitfire clenched her eyes shut before breathing out slowly. "They think Pinkie is the one who started their little rebellion. They think Pinkie is the one with the ideas, the plans, the spies, the every-fucking-thing; when we're the ones doing all that shit while she sits in her comfy room doing nothing !"

Spike shook his head sadly. "You know what Twilight would say."

"That it'll be worth it in the end and that it's not about being heroes and blah, blah, blah." Blowing a strand of mane out of her eyes, Spitfire smiled fondly down at Twilight. "Doesn't mean I have to like it. She deserves some sort of recognition. You know?"

"It's also how Twilights wants it."

"Yeah..."

Silence descended, two pairs of eyes gazing down at the sleeping unicorn.

"Spitfire?"

"Hm?"

"If you hurt Twilight, I'll eat you."

"That's nice." Not once did her hoof stop brushing Twilight's mane. "Why the 'Big Brother' act now?"

"Because she's unconscious." The barest hint of laughter could be heard. "We both know that if she was awake, I'd have a crossbow pointed at me right now."

A pained whimper came from Twilight as she rolled over and Spitfire's attention immediately snapped down. Rubbing behind her ears, Spitfire began whispering sweet nothings with the occasional nuzzle thrown in. After a couple of seconds, the unicorn settled back down, body relaxing once more into the layers of clothing they had piled together for her bed.

"They're right you know," whispered Spike, causing Spitfire to groan. "Unless you know someplace else we can go, our only option is Pinkie."

"Is this before or after we kill her?"

"Before," he replied, making Spitfire feel stupid for even having to ask. "We need to her to save Twilight first, you know."

Once more silence descended, Spitfire on one side, Spike on the other, and Twilight nice and snug between them. Both listened to her soft breathing, tenderly brushing her mane and coat, ignoring the insanity coming from outside. When did things go so wrong? Despite her best efforts, Hurricane had caught on, and Twilight had nearly paid the price. Burying her muzzle in Twilight's neck, Spitfire took a deep breath.

Things would get better though, things always got better.

"Mmmm... Spitfire...?"

Eyes snapping open, Spitfire scrambled to her hooves, grabbing the cup of water and the bowl of food while Spike placed a claw on Twilight's chest.

"Here, drink some of this." Tilting her head up, Spitfire poured a bit of water into Twilight's mouth, making sure not to drown her before offering some hay. "Slowly now, gentle does it, you're really beaten up."

"H-How-" Coughs wracked her body and Spitfire was immediately there with the water. Taking a couple of gulps, Twilight cleared her throat and tried again in a raspy voice, "How bad is it?"

Spike and Spitfire exchanged a glance.

"That bad?" Once more with the coughing, but this time she waved away the water. "I'm not missing a leg I hope."

"No... it's just..." Once more Spitfire glanced over at Spike before sighing. "You're horn is cracked. Completely."

"Oh... Well, good thing I never really used my magic then. Hey Spike, can you pass the orange please?"

Silence.

"What?" Twilight looked up at them questioningly. "You both know I have zero control over my magic."

"But... But... Magic and wings and pegasi and unicorns and- and..." Spitfire looked over at Spike, mouth working uselessly.

"My magic is not who I am, it is just another part of me." Twilight shrugged and began munching through the hay. "Imagine a pegasus who could never fly and kept her wings. She always had them, didn't particularly hate or love them and then one day, they get taken away from her."

"So a less angry Scootaloo?"

"Something like that." Closing her eyes, Twilight snuggled down into her makeshift bed. "Now either shut up and get down here or get lost."

"How did I resist your charm before now?" chuckled Spitfire as she settled back down next to Twilight, draping a wing over the unicorn. "Oof!" She rubbed stomach. "For someone who's injured, you sure pack a punch."

"Less talk, or I grab Fleetfoot as a replacement."

Another hoof to the stomach and this time, Spitfire stayed silent. Above her, Spike made a whipping motion with his tail while mouthing words at her. Resisting the urge to growl and get another hoof to the stomach, Spitfire was content to stick her tongue out and glare at him.

The minutes ticked by, neither side saying anything as they watched Twilight drift to sleep once more. In the end, it was Spitfire who broke the stalemate when she tried to get out of Twilight's hooves. Tried. Every single time she retracted a wing, Twilight would pull it back over her. If she tried to slide out from between those toned hooves, Twilight would just tighten her hold and snuggle closer. The gentlest nudge was met with the cutest grumbles and mumbles that had no right existing.

Ignoring the increasingly amused looks Spike directed at her, Spitfire returned to tending to Twilight. Not that there was actually all that much to do, thanks to the whole 'being pinned by an all too adorable unicorn' thing. Not that she was complaining! There were worse ways to spend an afternoon. Or night.

"Spike?"

"What."

"Could you shift Twilight's hind leg? My leg is falling asleep."

Chapter 22

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"They enslaved us, ya know."

Braeburn glanced over his shoulder at Applejack before returning his gaze to those before him. Together they watched the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies wander around the camp, chatting and milling about as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Some were hugging each other, though they were few and far between. In the massive cavern, their voices echoed back and forth making the entire thing feel busier than it truly was. It was a welcome distraction.

"So why are ya so chummy with 'em now?"

He simply shrugged and kept on watching from his vantage point. With barely hidden scowl, Applejack followed his gaze, watching them mill about as they stood side by side. Out the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of white and purple, but when she went to take a closer look, that unicorn was nowhere in sight. With a sigh and shake of her head, she turned back to Braeburn.

"Ya're not gonna answer me, are ya?"

Braeburn looked back, his mouth opening slightly before he simply shook his head and closed his mouth. The seconds dragged out, trickling into minutes before he simply said, "Ah used to be like ya once. Like MacIn-"

"Don't ya dare," growled Applejack. "Ah am nothing like him."

"Maybe ya're not like him now, but some day? Yeah, you'd fit that role. Ya hate them. Ya want to kill 'em all so that they will never be able to hurt anypony else."

"And what's wrong with that? They enslave and rape and murder us. To them, we're nothing more than animals, slabs of meat!" A hoof was jabbed at Braeburn, causing him to wince. "And yet here ya are, being friends with them."

"You think MacIntosh was born the way he was? When his family was killed and taken away from him, he said he wasn't gonna let another earth pony suffer. No more families torn apart, no more slaves taken, no more." Braeburn sighed and shook his head. "Ah was right there beside him, promising the exact same thing." A bitter chuckle escaped. "To think Ah was once his right hoof stallion."

That got an incredulous look from Applejack.

"Ah was creative and handy with a pair of blades." He shrugged and brushed a lock of mane out of his eyes. "Not all battles are fought on the battlefield."

"So ya're just like them."

"No. Ah used to be like them, just like how Ah used to be like you." He turned and began walking away. "Come, we should find somewhere more private."

After a second of hesitation, Applejack followed him into the tunnel.

"Everything starts out in anger, ya know. First ya hate the unicorns that enslaved ya, so ya kill 'em, and good on ya! But then ya come across some more unicorns beating up an earth pony so ya kill them. And then some just don't look at ya right so ya kill them too. Soon, ya're convinced all unicorns are evil, that they're all monsters." The entire time Applejack watched where they were going, the paths they took and the turns they made. Who knows, maybe this was some elaborate trap, and she was going to make sure that if worst came to worst, she knew how to get out. "But the thing is, they're not all like that."

That got a snort of amusement out of Applejack.

"That mare ya were with, Rarity Ah believe her name is?" The pounding in her heart increased at the name of that unicorn. "You should give her a chance, she's a good girl, got her head on right."

"Ah ain't into mares." Good, her voice didn't betray any emotions. "And Ah would prefer it if ya kept such gossip to yaself in the future."

"Ah never said ya were, just saying that maybe ya should consider being her frien-"

"Fuck off." Drawing to her full height, Applejack fixed Braeburn with a flat look. "Ah don't have time for this, Ah have a group to return to."

"Pinkie and Twilight, they were like sisters ya know."

"Those names mean nothing to me," spat Applejack as she turned away.

"An earth pony and a unicorn, the ones who started this all, they were like sisters."

"That... means nothing to me." Without a backwards glance, she walked away. Who cares if unicorns and earth ponies could be friends with each other. No doubt this 'Pinkie' was a monster like MacIntosh, living in her own fantasy world. At best, she would be completely and utterly insane.

All these pegasi and unicorns and earth ponies, did they really think friendship was possible? Their friends murdered each other, their families enslaved by the other's hooves. Did they really think all of that could be washed away by a couple of words and smiles? The unicorns took away her family, took away her foalhood, took away everything. To ask her to smile and forget all that, to become friends with them was asking for far too much. Monsters existed in all races, MacIntosh proved that, but that did not mean she had to like the others.

It was disgusting, that's what it was. Pegasi and unicorns enslaved her race, killed them, treated them like dirt. They... they did nothing to stop it, they just ran away, hiding in their fantasy world where all three races could live happily ever after.

They were wrong.

She would never forgive them for what they had done. She wo-

"Applejack." She stiffened at the sound of that voice. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Ah told ya, my name is Golden," Applejack ground out.

"Interesting that you keep a name a filthy unicorn gave you." It took all of Applejack's willpower not to turn around and smack that smirk off of Rarity's face. "Regardless, I am here to... thank you, I suppose is the correct term, though the moon knows why I even bother."

"Thank me for what?" spat Applejack as she finally turned around to glare at the unicorn.

"In your own roundabout fashion, you have proven what I always wanted to know, or rather, you bought me here, and it is here I found the truth. Oh dear, I am being awfully cryptic, aren't I darling?"

"Ah'm not anypony's darling and Ah'm most certainly not yours!"

"Regardless, I have merely come to thank you and to inform you I will no longer be travelling with you," continued Rarity as though Applejack had not interrupted her at all. "Thank you for your time and input, but our paths will not cross again."

"Ah knew it." Applejack stalked forward, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat. "Ya followed me 'cause ya're a spy . Stealin-"

Laughter echoed through the empty tunnel.

"Please darling, as if you had anything I would want to steal. No, this was personal interest. My mother told me stories about my father when I was a filly, and I wanted to see if they were true or not." There was a pause as Rarity looked at Applejack expectantly, but when there was no response, she sighed. "I suppose I should not be surprised. Goodbye Applejack."

And with those words, Rarity simply began walking away.

"Hey, get back here!" The unicorn suddenly found her path blocked off by Applejack. "What are ya talking about? Tell me! Ya owe metr-"

"I owe you nothing," hissed Rarity. "You killed my family so you could escape, if anything, you owe me." Slammed up against the wall, all Applejack could do was struggle uselessly as Rarity's magic held her in place. "Be glad I haven't taken the 'horned freak' route and killed you in your sleep. You forget, my dear Applejack, I used to be in politics, and there is nothing more cutthroat than that."

With one last disgusted look, Rarity let go and Applejack slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.

"And yet, despite all that, I forgive you," continued Rarity as she walked away. "After all, you were nothing more than a slave, looking for a way out, and I can understand that."

"Don't lie," coughed Applejack as she got back onto shaking hooves. "Ya play the victim card, but really, ya don't care, do ya?"

"What did you say?" Her voice was almost as rigid and cold as her body.

"Yer family is dead, maybe worse, and ya haven't tried to go back and save them. Seems to me, ya're nothing more than a cold hearted bitch who-"

"How dare you," whispered Rarity as her body trembled. "I love my family, they were all I had, but I'm not so stupid as to think me rushing back there by myself would do anything. "

"Ah would have gone back."

"Then that makes you a fool. As long as I am alive, at least one pony will remember them and carry on their legacy."

"Are ya even listening to yourself?Ah wouldn't want a monster like ya to carry on my legacy even if the other choice was the unicorn who enslaved me to begin with!" Applejack glared as she spat on the ground. "Family is the most important thing and ya're willing to just toss it aside. Ya would rather let them be tortured than risk a single hair on that precious hide of yours."

"How dare you!" Rarity's slap missed by a hoof width as Applejack scrambled back. "I am keeping their memories alive, their dreams and wishes will continue on as long as I do. I cannot bury them nor did I get a chance to say 'goodbye'. "

"And yet ya don't grieve. Ya don't cry, ya don't even think about going back there for 'em. Ya're a cold hearted one alright."

"Crying won't save them. Begging won't bring them back. I fail to see what the point in participating in such fruitless endeavors is. Instead of wasting my energy on something that's impossible, I decided to focus on something that was just as important."

"Just as important?" The thinly veiled growl actually made Rarity take half a step back in surprise. "What could possibly be just as important!? Keeping your mane brushed out? Pretending to be nice?Ensla-"

"My father. I wanted to know if what mother said about father was accurate, if it could be real." Applejack squirmed under Rarity's look. "And I'm starting to believe..."

Believe what?

There was something missing here, something obvious. It was on the tip of her tongue, but no matter how hard she tried, it just stayed out of reach. It was about her father, a father Applejack had never met. Was he dead? If so, why? No doubt fighting in the war, but then what did that have to do with earth ponies?

And their house. It was so run down, so filthy and disgusting, how could they be part of a noble house? Unless that unicorn was mistaken, but no, she had seen Rarity's reaction, that narrowing of the eyes. There was something there, something that had happened, that her father had done? Regarding earth ponies? Was he... was he a sympathizer? That would explain how she had been treated despite being a sla-

No, don't think about it. Applejack shook her head, ignoring the tightening of her chest and a pair of round filly eyes staring up at her. That had been a trick, to make her drop her guard an-

"An earth pony," whispered Applejack.

"Took you long enough." The unicorn said it all so casually, not even trying to hide it, almost as though it was the most simple and straightforward thing in the world. "The heir to the great House of Belle, falling in love with a dirt pony! She told me about how kind he was, how generous, how loyal and honest, and how meeting him was so magical ." She stomped the ground, electricity sparking out across the ground. "I hated her for so long, but the more she talked about him the more curious I became. Was it possible, was it even probable for a dirty pony to be those things. To be more than some slobbering animal running on nothing more than some bestial impulses."

"More likely ya mother forced herself on him," snorted Applejack.

"And just what would that accomplish? She was the heir to a great House, had her pick of suitors and could get anything she wanted. No matter how you look at it, it had to be love, nothing else makes sense. " Rarity sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. "And so, I had to be sure. I had to be certain."

"That changes nothing. Ya still left yer family behind to find something only ya cared about! Father? Dead. Dead and left out in the fields to rot no doubt. Ya're chasing ghosts when ya've got the something important right now, right in front of ya." Leg trembling, Applejack glared at Rarity. "And ya're throwing it all away for nothing!"

"What do you know about family?"

There was no time to think. To contemplate, to even process what was happening. One second they were inches apart, the next, Applejack had that fucking bitch shoved up against the wall, one hoof over her throat and the other posed to break that pretty little horn if she so much as attempted to cast a spell.

"More than ya apparently," spat Applejack before shoving Rarity to the ground. "Ya disgust me."

"At least I'm not like MacIntosh."

Applejack froze mid-step. "What did ya just say?"

"You heard me, Applejack, you might be able to talk to a unicorn or pegasus, but you cannot trust them. You cannot talk to them politely without being passive aggressive. You see all these ponies here? All these pegasi and unicorn and earth ponies? They're here because they had enough, because they wanted to change things, because they fell in love like my mother did." The hoof that jabbed Applejack's chest felt like a sword. "You can't even give them a chance, you’re the same as MacIntosh ."

"Ya're wrong!"

"Then prove it!"

Silence.

Without a single word being spoken, Applejack turned around and walked away. There were some ponies she needed to talk to back in camp.

"I said, stay. Still!"

Fluttershy forced that earth pony back down, one foreleg across his throat, another pinning him down while she gripped the dagger and ripped it out. Spitting it out, she ignored the spray of blood over her face as she grabbed a cloth and began cleaning the wound. Beneath her, the earth pony whimpered and cried out in pain causing Fluttershy to roll her eyes. As intelligent as these beasts were, sometimes they just didn't know what was best for them.

Though it took a bit more wrestling to make sure he didn't get away or twist around and injure himself, Fluttershy eventually managed to bandage him up. Sure, she probably could have used some antiseptic or even some painkillers, but there was so little of it left that she needed to save it for the pegasi. Hopping off his body, she picked up the bloody towel and cleaned the blood off her face, before trotting away. All around her, ponies moaned and cried out in pain, begging for relief, but she ignored them all. If it wasn't because she had been ordered to help them, she wouldn't have even bothered. There were pegasi out there that were injured!

A growl of frustration escaped as she threw the towel to the ground, skipping past whoever it was that was in her way. It made sense though, Bleeding Heart was a unicorn and even stupid animals know to look after their own.As she turned the final corner, she froze at the sight of the empty bed and the complete lack of Rainbow Dash.

Spinning around, she looked down at the unicorn in the bed next to Dash's. "Where'd she go?"

"I dunno, limped out mumbling to herself about some unicorn or something."

"And you didn't stop her? Are you insane, did you see the injuries she had?"

The unicorn glanced down at her bandaged torso and broken leg before looking back up and cocking an eyebrow. "Even if I could have stopped her, I wouldn't want to. You saw her wings, better to just let her go."

"You-!" She was forced to bite back a scream as she ran out the room on trembling legs. Rainbow Dash, she had to find Rainbow Dash. Who knew what that reckless pegasus would get up to without her around to rein her in. Worse yet, she had looked so broken, and the fire in her eyes was gone.

Fluttershy ran through the corridors at the brisk walk, not too fast though, after all, she didn’t want to hurt any pegasi. No, she merely walked, constantly stopping to ask pegasi if they had seen Rainbow as she navigated the maze of their impromptu camp. She even passed an earth pony and unicorn dueling, yelling about some things that she didn't even bother paying attention to. Something about a unicorn and earth pony breeding to produce a foal, it didn't really matter and it's not as though she'd never done crossbreeding programs of her own .

"Hey, watch where you're going!" snapped a pegasus.

"Oh, um, sorry, I, that is, oh dear." Fluttershy slipped behind her mane, peeking out to see who it was that she had offended, only for her eyes to widen. S-Spitfire!? What was she doing here? Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This wasn't good. They were going to come under attack again and so many pegasi would die and there'd be blood everywhere and there wasn't enough poultices and potions to being with an-

"Wow, calm down, deep breaths." Spitfire placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, causing her to shrink back. "Okay, no touching... But seriously, just relax, I know I'm kinda a big deal, but don't sweat it, I'm one of the good guys. Anyways, I'm looking for a unicorn. Purple coat and mane, cracked horn, goes by the name 'Twilight'. You seen her?"

Fluttershy just mutely shook her head.

"Damn it. Where in the world could she be? Ugh." Rubbing her temples, she began walking away. "Spike! Spike!"

"W-Wait!" Those orange eyes were suddenly on her and Fluttershy shrunk back. "If, um, if you see Spike, can you ask him if he knows where Rainbow Dash is?"

"Su-"

"I found her!" Spike skidded to a stop. "Twilight's with Rainbow Dash."

All three of them exchanged a nervous glance before rushing off as one. The lack of screaming and explosion was a good sign, right? It had to be, with those two together and Dash's attitude... she'd be dead. Dead in a heartbeat. She'd say something stupid like 'Unicorn's aren't as cute as earth ponies' and they'd get into a fight and she'd get blown up just. Like. That.

And yet, as they approached wherever it was they were going, there were no sounds of fighting, and as they turned the corner, there were Dash and Twilight out in the snow in the gloom. Side by side, almost looking like companions. Neither spoke, nor did they look at each other. They merely sat, staring out into the frozen mountains of the north, and the tornado that seemed larger than ever. Had it grown? It sounded so impossible and yet, even from this distance, it felt as though it loomed above her.

"About time you guys arrived." Pinkie gestured for them to side next to her. "I've been watching them, with those two, you can never be too careful."

"Pinkamina," said Spitfire stiffly as she sat down away from her with Spike in tow.

"Um..." Fluttershy looked between the two before taking her place next to Spitfire. "Are... are they alright? I mean, they hate each other and well, that is, I..."

"They've just been sitting there." Pinkie shrugged. "They haven't said anything, or done anything."

"Do you think I should...?" said Spitfire, but Spike merely shook his head.

"No, they need this," he replied. "Something happened during the trials, something only they know and it brought them closer. And now? Now they're broken." He turned to look at Spitfire. "I expect you to be there for her every step of the way, and if you're not..." A small growl and a bit of fire escaped his muzzle. "Got that?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Then, to the surprise of all, Rainbow Dash turned and said something to Twilight. If the unicorn replied, it was impossible to tell, but Dash continued. Against the dull stormy clouds, two silhouettes spoke in hushed tones. There was no anger there, no sadness or even any emotions. It merely was.

"What do you think they're talking about?" said Pinkie.

"Does it matter? They're not killing each other, which is better than I expected," replied Spike.

"Whatever. I've got better stuff to do than sit around watching those two all day." Pinkie got up and walked away.

"Good riddance," spat Spitfire.

"You don't get it!" yelled Dash, causing all eyes to snap back to the duo.

Twilight continued speaking in a hushed tone, hooves making a cutting motion to emphasize whatever it was she was saying.

"You're wrong, just admit it."

Another shake of the head, more things being said. The entire time, Twilight sat calmly, facing down the righteous hurricane that bore down on her. Out the corner of Fluttershy's eye, she noticed Spike shifting his weight from leg to leg, eyes narrowing occasionally, but he made no move to interfere.

Whatever was said next made Dash take half a step back, and for the first time in her life, Fluttershy actually saw fear in Dash's eyes. The conversation continued, not as softly as it had originally been, but also not loud enough for them to distinguish the words. Still, from the way Dash winced and the awkward shuffling of her... her wing, it was clear something was up, but every time she moved to comfort Dash, Spike would glanced over in her direction. No words were said, but that look was enough.

Far faster than she expected, Dash settled back down, staring out at the snow plains once more. No more words were exchanged, they didn't even look at each other as they simply sat there. The seconds ticked by, soon becoming minutes, but they didn't even twitch. Two statues, gazing into the endless expanse.

Eventually the pair stood up and turned to face each other. A rapid exchange took place, both speaking at the same time, barely pausing to let the other get a word in before a reply was given. Without warning, they turned as one and began walking towards the group.

"Spike, we're leaving tonight," said Twilight as she brushed past.

"I'm coming with you," said Spitfire.

The two stared at each other, no words were spoken, just glares that made Fluttershy tremble.

"Hey, we don't have time for this shit, we need to get ready and prepare for whatever those insane alicorns have planned for us," snapped Dash as she shoved past. "Plus, another pegasus around will make sure you keep your end of the deal."

That got a snort out of Twilight. "I always keep my word."

"No doubt when it suits you and your goals," replied Dash causing Twilight to flinch. "Thought so."

"I don't care, Spitfire is not comin-"

"Excuse me?" Spitfire sounded far too polite. "I am coming along and that is final. Last time you went off on your own you cracked your horn, and I am not letting anything else happen to you."

"Doesn't matter. Where we're going, only Dash and I can enter anyways so it's a moot point," replied Twilight.

"Well then, you won't object to me following as far as possible to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"I've got Spike."

"Spike?"

The drake looked like a bunny surrounded by timberwolves.

"I'm coming and that's final. Either I tag along or I stalk you," said Spitfire.

Twilight sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine. We'll be travelling fast and light, so bring what you need and nothing else."

"Alright, leaving after dinner?"

"Yes. We'll meet back here." Twilight turned to face Dash. "Get what you need and don't be late."

"Whatever." Dash limped over to Fluttershy and sat down gingerly. "Look, Fluttershy, I want you to stay here with that insane bi- with Pinkie. You'll be safe here."

"But I-"

"No buts. I mean it." All the yellow pegasus could do was nod. "Good. I'm already babysitting a unicorn, I don't need more on my plate."

"What if-"

"No." That single word fell through the silence like a boulder. How many times had she heard Dash use that voice? Three times, maybe four at most, and like every time, Fluttershy stiffened. "I left to get you to safety and I've done that. Now?" The faraway look she got was so alien on Dash's face. "Now I have something I need to do."

There was the Dash she remembered. That fire was back, not as bright as it had been, but it was there, the embers glowing as they waited for something. She had a goal, and as long as she had that and could stay focused on it, she'd be alright. Or, at least, Fluttershy hoped she would. There was just something off about Dash. Maybe it was the way she stood, maybe it was the way she talked, but...

A part of her wanted to reach out, to lay a hoof on Dash's shoulder and tell her everything would be alright. The other part of her was afraid that such a light touch would shatter her entirely. She needed to say something, anything! Dash... Dash was her friend and that meant she had a duty to do something to help her, but every time she tried, her hoof would stay firmly glued to her side.

Eventually, Dash gave a small nod and walked away, trailing behind Twilight, Spitfire and Spike.All Fluttershy could do was sit by her lonesome, staring after their retreating backs. She wasn't useless like a unicorn! If they got injured, she could help them. Bandage them up, make sure they weren't going to bleed out or something, anything!

She- She wasn't useless.

She wasn't...

Chapter 23

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Never before had the castle filled her with such fear. It loomed in the chasm, almost as though it was absorbing the light from the torches, dominating everything else. Before, it was all curiosity and fascination, an enigma just begging to be answered, but now that she had the answers, they did not comfort her at all. There was something past those chains and that gate. Something that was either going to save the world, or kill them.

"You ready?" Twilight's words were swallowed by the darkness along with the trembling.

"I was born ready." There was no waver in her voice, no hesitation in her step as Dash took that first step onto the chains. "Either I live long enough to see the end, orI die trying to save the sun forsaken world. Doesn't matter which happens, I still win."

Win what though? The pegasus had been distant the past two days, never saying a word, staring out into the frozen wasteland. She pushed herself harder than the rest of them, moving with a ferocity that was reminiscent of Pinkie going after her old 'master'. If it wasn't because it suited her needs perfectly, Twilight would have been worried, but as it was, all she did was sit back and let things run their course. Both of them were needed for whatever this was, and if all it took was a lie or two and a couple of deaths, it would be better than most of the missions she undertook. All she had to do now was just to ignore the voice in the back of her mind.

As Twilight took that first step, a hoof was placed on her shoulder. "Be careful, alright? Don't make me come busting in through the front gate to rescue your flank like back in Forstmourn."

"I promise." A light peck on Spitfire's cheek to seal the deal. "I-"

A hoof was suddenly wrapped her neck, drawing her down into a heated kiss full of tongue and need and desire. Her lips were too hot, the air too cold, the world was a swirl of yellow and red, and the scent of sweat filled her senses. Just as quickly as she had been lost, Spitfire released her, leaving her panting and trembling, a hoof touching her lips.

"No promises. You will come back," said Spitfire.

It wasn't a question, or even a statement, it was a declaration of fact. It was the same tone that she used when she was Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire, the pegasus that single-hoofedly took out a unicorn encampment, survived a week in the wild 'alone' and made speeches to the approval of roaring soldiers. When she spoke like this, things either went her way or she'd make them go her way.

"Look, Spitfire, th-"

"No. Don't 'Look, Spitfire' me. You're coming back even if it means charging in there, ripping the door off its hinges and dragging you out by your sun forsaken flank. You. Will. Come. Back." The last four words were emphasized by a jab of the hoof. "And if you're worried about me being injured, well, that's just extra incentive for you to not do something stupid."

If it wasn't because her hooves were too busy shaking, Twilight would have taken half a step back. Instead, she merely stared at Spitfire, her mouth working silently as she tried to think something, anything to say.

"Just... just go." Spitfire's wings sagged as she slumped down to the ground. "I'll be waiting here, like always, wondering if you'll make it back from your latest stunt."

"Spitfire..." A hoof reached out, tilting Spitfire's head up so they were staring into each other's eyes. "I'm s-"

"Yo, love birds, we doing this today or not!" yelled Dash from up the path. "I thought this was some 'save the world' type of deal that we needed to do immediately, so can we get a fucking move on?"

The glare Twilight gave could have melted stone, but Dash returned it with a bored expression on her face. In the end, Dash was the first to look away as she turned around and continued on, the soft tinkering of metal accompanying each step. A sigh escaped and Twilight turned back to Spitfire, only to find her marefriend staring at Dash.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," whispered Twilight as she turned away. "And we'll continue this discussion later."

"Thanks, and..." Spitfire sighed and rubbed her temple. "Sorry, I suppose...It's just we're finally together and I'm still stuck on the sidelines."

"Do you want to know why I don't fear for you every single second of my life despite knowing one wrong move could have you clipped and reduced to a breeding slave?" Twilight turned away, Spitfire's look of confusion and hurt still hovering in her mind's eye. "It's because I trust you and know you. You're careful, strong, great at improvising, and so you survive. So trust me. Trust me to do what's right, what needs to be done. Please."

"I do trust you! It's just..." she sighed. "You have to admit, you do a lot of reckless things that could get you seriously injured."

"And yet that rarely happens. I know I do dangerous stuff, but it's necessary. They're calculated risks, it's not like I'm running in there blind and making crap up on the fly and..." Twilight licked her dry lips. "Sometimes, things need to be done no matter how dangerous they are, and unlike Pinkie, I don't feel comfortable telling others to do it."

Sometimes you had to put yourself in the line of fire to get things done, but Spitfire didn't have to know that, not yet at least. For now she could stay in blissful ignorance, unaware of just what exactly she’d done in the past to get them this far. She’d rather die than let have Spitfire find out. She needed... Whatever, not like it mattered anyway.

"Twilight..." Spitfire glided around so they were face to face once more. "I love you and don't want you to die. I'm afraid of you being hurt and losing you forever, so just be careful and... and..." She shook her head and wrapped her forehooves around Twilight's neck. "Just stay safe."

"I'll try, I promise."

Without another word, Twilight disentangled herself began walking towards Dash.Her whole body screamed at her to turn around and run back to Spitfire, to say 'Fuck the world' and just be happy. She couldn't though, they needed her, everypony needed her. One last mission, and once that was done, she could finally have her happy ending. Maybe it wasn't an ending somepony like her deserved, but it was what she wanted.

"Took you long enough."

Twilight shoved past, stepping onto the next chain in the link and the castle actually got closer. She could feel a pulsing warmth on the side of her neck that slowly spread through her body. Just like before, things became uncomfortably hot, forcing her to unzip her jacket, letting it flap in the breeze. By the time they reached the castle, sweat was dripping from their brows as though a fire had been lit under their hooves, and she was panting up a storm. Beside her, Dash looked like a drowned timberwolf as she examined the statue of Celestia and Luna that arched over the main steps up.

It was weird, she had been expecting trees and grass and green everywhere, or at least the illusion of life without snow, and yet, something brown crunched underfoot. The trees were not lush like the books had always said, instead they were brown and gnarled, twisted upon themselves again and again with thorny vines wrapped around their trunks. The air around them misted over making it impossible to see anything beyond a few feet before them.

"Come on." Twilight ran up the stairs with Dash right behind her. Though the brand on their necks began glowing, what vision it provided was stripped away by the heavy mist and a chill began seeping into their coats forcing them to zip back up.

"You better be right about me getting my wings back," growled Dash as they reached the heavy double doors.

"The books did say alicorns can do anything." A hoof was pressed against the door and a flash of light blinded Twilight. By the time she could see again, she found themselves in an empty courtyard with the door behind her. Down the far end was a pair of stone doors leading into the castle keep, but between them and it was a single crystalline tree.

Dash and Twilight exchanged a nervous glance before walking forward as one. They were here, this was the beginning of the end, whatever secrets that were held in this place would be revealed and then they would go on and remove the winter once and for all. To experience the other seasons, to feel the sun on her face and back, watch as the leaves turned from green to gold – her dreams would finally become a reality. No more war, no more death.

Her legs shook as they approached.

Six different coloredcrystal shards littered the ground, but most of them had be ground up into a fine dust that coated the ground. With the fading mist and light reflecting off the dust, it should have been beautiful. It would have been beautiful if it wasn't for the tree that loomed over them all. There were no leaves on the tree and its limbs were twisted and frail. A single crack that ran from the base of the tree all the way up its trunk, almost as though split by lightning, and instead of been a deep brown it was the color of ash.

"You are..."

That voice. It drew Twilight in, her hooves moving of their own accord towards that melodious voice. At the same time though, just hearing it caused her heart to break like the crystals that littered the ground. There was something in the way she spoke those two words, like a doctor giving bad news after an operation.

"You are too late." A pink alicorn stepped out from behind the tree, a hoof trailing along the trunk in a caress. "Harmony is dead."

"What d-" Dash was silenced with a single look. There was no malice in that glance, no anger, nor condemnation, only weariness.

"Windigos rule the land, feeding off the disharmony to bring about this unnatural winter." The alicorn gestured at dust they stood on. "They were the Elements of Harmony, born from the Tree of Harmony, and we had hoped that ponies would come with the potential to harness their power. With it, you could have taken on the windigos and won, but..."

Twilight glanced down at the fine dust that coated her hooves. "Now it's too late."

"Harmony is dead, but hope never dies." Twilight's eyes snapped up in surprise and what she saw reflected in Cadence's face was a grim determination that reminded her so much of Dash. "I was placed here to guard the Tree, as that is no longer needed, it is time to rejoin my aunts. We will either defeat the Windigos or die trying. Gather your friends and family, bring them here where they will be safe. There is still food in the castle, and given enough love, perhaps you could even grow your own food." She turned her head, a beam of blue striking the stone just above the entrance to the inner castle. When the light faded, a single blue clock hung in the air, slowly ticking away. "Once the clock turns green, leave this place and the world outside will hopefully have rejuvenated itself."

"Wait!" Dash ran forward, disrupting whatever spell the alicorn was going to cast. "Can... can you restore my wings?"

Don't kill the dream. Please, do not kill her dream. As long as she had that hope, as long as she believed there was the possibility of her getting her wings back, she'd be a nice, docile little pegasus, willing to do anything that was suggested.

Cadence glanced down at the pegasus. "I cannot, but perhaps my aunts can. What I lack is knowledge, not power and they have been around since the dawn of time."

"Then I'm coming with you." Sometimes it was impossible to tell if she was just that stupid, or just straight up insane. "I don't care what you say, but you need all the help you can get."

Twilight blinked and even the alicorn did a small double take. How long had she spent arguing, pleading, bribing that stubborn mare with the possibility of restoring her wings and here she was, willing to charge straight into the thick of things without a second thought. Despite everything, a grin spread across Twilight's face and she walked forward to stand next to Dash.

"She's right you know, you need all the help you can get."

But what about Spitfire? What about her promise to come back in one piece? These... Windigos bought about winter, kept it alive for generations upon generations, and stood against two alicorns . Just how powerful were these beasts?

No. She couldn't think likethat. She had come so far already, she was going to see it through to the end and if her death can help. If her death can end the winter or bring them one step closer to finishing everything then it'd be worth it.

"We do need help, and this is your fault as much as it is ours, but have you ever had someone try to tag along with you? Someone who means well, but will be horribly outclassed by even the weakest enemy and you'll spend more time worrying over and protecting that silly pony than focusing on the fight." Her gaze swept over the two of them and Twilight couldn't meet that gaze. "You're both soldiers, you understand what I am saying, you must understand why you need to stay behind."

Cadence brushed past, a simple sweep of a hoof opening the two massive stone doors.

"But there must be something we can do!" She would not let herself stop now. Not when she had come so far, done so much, sacrificed everything in the name of ending this winter. "Please..."

"I'm afraid there is nothing you can do beyond ensuring your species survives." Cadence strolled past and flared open her wings. "We can only buy you so much time though an-" She gasped, dropping to one knee and clutching her chest.

Both of them were immediately there, one on each side, helping brace and stabilize the alicorn. Was it the wings that bought out Dash's sense of compassion rather than scorn, or had the pegasus really changed that much? Despite everything, a small chuckle escaped when a look of disgust appeared on Dash's face as she quickly stepped back to distance herself from the 'horned filth'. It was nice to see some things never changed.

"It seems as though your fellow ponies do not share your ideals." After a couple deep breaths that shook Cadence's entire frame, she shrugged off Twilight and stood up on shaky legs. "I understand now. Putting me here was to protect me as much as it was to help the future. So much hatred, so much pain and suffering..." Her eyes closed and her horn lit up. "Somewhere to the north, by the Crystal Mountains where the- No!Those foals!"

The speed of her takeoff sent Twilight stumbling backwards and even Dash slid away from the sheer force. Neither of them said anything as they raced off after the rogue alicorn, running across the chains as though they were slabs of stone that weren't creaking and weren't threatening to buckle with each step.

"Guys, what's going on?" yelled Spitfire as they raced past.

"No time to talk, follow the pink blur." Before she had even finished the sentence, Spitfire was in front, managing to outpace Twilight and keep up with Rainbow Dash. Within seconds though, they had lost track of Cadence, but considering the direction she had been moving in, there was only one place she could have been running to, the surface.

Without warning, Spitfire skidded to a stop causing Twilight to slam into her from behind. Together they stumbled into Dash, tumbling to the ground in a tangle of hooves and tails. Pain ran all along her right side as she landed on her injured leg and beneath her, Dash gave a pained gasp. When they finally managed to untangle themselves from each other, Dash was panting, sweat coating her body as she stood on shaking legs.

An impossibly strong gust of wind slammed into them, throwing them off their hooves and onto the ground. Snow swamped over her, chilling her to the core as she began digging out. A foot of snow, maybe more, was forced out of her way before Twilight managed to push her head out of the snow, taking in deep gulps of air. Beside her, she watched Spitfire and Dash crawl out, sending snow in all directions as they shook it off.

And that's when she saw it. Light, brighter than anything she had ever seen before in her life. It filled up the entire sky for a brief second before slowly fading only for a second flash, then a third, then a fourth.They were miles away, spells being flung with wild abandon above the Crystal Mountains. Every time one struck solid ground, a scar was left in its wake and a shockwave ran out in all directions. High above them, the clouds opened up, but there was no sun, no light. Instead it formed a spiral, looking like a tornado that went up into the sky and when she squinted, she could just make out three pale blue shapes.

"When did this-"

"The tornado," whispered Spike. "That's where the tornado was!"

"And the alicorn is heading straight there," added Dash, pointing at the pink blur that was already half way there. "Come on, if we push it, we could be there in a few days."

Twilight merely stood there, watching as Dash took that first step on the next journey. Idiot! Even if she had control over her magic and her horn wasn't cracked, the raw power being thrown around made her feel like a little filly, and even Shining would have been nothing more than a fly to them. Yet this pegasus, this stupid, arrogant, annoying, racist pegasus, wanted to just waltz right in?

They were given another mission, to catch up to Pinkie once more and to drag them back to the castle in preparation for the end of the world. That was what was important, that was what had the highest chance of success. She had come so far, done so fucking much and now it's all for nothing. Now, all she could do was stand back and watch and pray and hope.

Damn it!

"Twilight?" Spitfire reached out, but the unicorn shrugged it off. "Come on, talk to me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. We should get going, we need to bring Pinkie and the group back here, apparently that castle should be relatively safe," replied Twilight.

"Wait, we're not going to help out?" said Spitfire.

"Look at that!" Twilight gestured at the carnage that dominated the sky. "How are we supposed to help? All the unicorns alive wouldn't be able to produce enough magic for a single spell like that and you think we'll be able to do something? A grounded pegasus, a unicorn who can't cast magic, a young dragon, and a Wonderbolt."

"We have to-"

"No. If we go there, we die. That's it. This way, we can at least still save some ponies. Certain failure versus potential success. The choice is obvious."

"I don't care, I'm going," said Dash as she kept going. "You cowards can stay here and lose your wings, but I'm not going to wait for my death."

"Neither will I, but I'm not going to throw it away for nothing," snapped Twilight. "Come on, let's get going, we can probably catch up to Pinkie by tomorrow if we hurry."

"No."

"W-What?" Twilight looked over at Spitfire. "What do you mean?"

"We may be outclassed in every possible way, but this is what we've been working towards for years. This is our world we're talking about, everything we know, everything we have, and it's about to be taken from us." Spitfire's eyes hardened. "I will not go down without a fight."

"But we don't have to go down at all! Go to the castle, ride out the blizzard, and then-"

"And then what?" asked Spitfire. "How long will that take? And what sort of world will we come back to? I'm a pegasus, Twilight, I need the skies, that freedom, and we won't be able to get that locked up underground."

"But you've seen the cavern, how large it is, there's more than eno-"

"Twilight, I'm sorry, but I agree with Rainbow Dash. It might be the dumbest thing to do, but it needs to be done. This is our world, one I have fought so hard to protect and keep alive, and I will not stop now."

"Even if it means getting in the way?"

That caused Spitfire to hesitate before replying, "Even then. I can’t just sit on my flank twiddling my hooves while a fight that'll determine the fate of the world is going on. Somethings are worth dying for." She turned away and began trudging off in the direction Dash went in. "I'm sorry."

No... This… She needed to- Pinkie and the ponies, and there was Spitfire. She had to go the others, tell them about the castle, lead them to safety. That was the logical thing to do, the only thing that even had a remote chance of some ponies surviving. She knew it was the right thing to do, it was the logical thing to do, so why couldn't she move her fucking legs and walk away?

"Go," whispered Spike. "Go with them, I'll find Pinkie and lead them back."

"What? But-"

"No buts. You'll have to move slower, more carefully, travel by day, but you'll manage." A light peck found its way onto Twilight's cheek, cutting off what she was about to say. "Come on, we've done solo missions before, it'll be fine."

"But what if-"

"Hey, don't think like that, just trust in yourself and those around you. Well, probably not Rainbow, but you know what I mean."

"Bu-"

"No. We'll see each other again. Neither of us will die, I promise." The corner of his lips turned upwards. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a dagger in my eye."

A snort escaped from Twilight. "It's a promise then. What’s another couple of days after everything we’ve been through?"

"Exactly!"

They smiled at each other, though both could see the uncertainty and fear reflected back at them.

"But if we don't," whispered Twilight, "I want you to know tha-"

"I know, and I love you too." With a flurry of snow, Spike launched himself into the air. "Now go, before they break their necks jumping down a cliff or something."

Though tears pricked the edges of her eyes, Twilight turned away and ran after Spitfire. She'd see him again, he had promised and Spike never broke his promises.

Never...

Chapter 24

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Thunder and lightning. Normally, she'd be basking in it, but all Dash did was draw her clothes tighter around her. She never thought she'd miss the sight of snow – that white, cold, stupid, thing – and yet here she was, knee deep in brown junk. Ugh. It reminded her of the bathroom when she was a mere cadet.

Who wanted to end winter now! Get rid of all that snow and leave behind this crap to deal with. What happened to green grass and brown trees and all those bloody great things that fucking stupid unicorn kept going on about? Another flash of light lit the sky and a second later, a blast of hot air slammed into them, searing them to the bone, feeling as though their very fur was being scorched off their body. She didn't glance up, there was no point, all she'd see was blinding yellow light, maybe some extra bursts of magic and shapes flying in all directions. If she had her wings, she'd go up there and show them how a real pegasus did things.
Not that she was even a pegasus anymore... but once she got her wings back! Once she got them back she was gonna beat Hurricane into a pulp, rips his wings off and then force feed them to him. They weren't pegasi, they were mockeries of what they should be and she was going to show the world that. Loyalty. What did those bastards know about loyalty anyways? Bloody fucking bit-

A bolt of pure magic slammed into the ground a mile to the right, but despite that distance, she was forced to look away and brace herself. A second later, there was no way to tell up from down from left from right, not with the ringing in her ears and the spots that danced across her vision. She was dimly aware of a body being pressed up against her, and for a brief second she leaned into it, enjoying the warmth the contact bought with it, but then she remembered who it was and shoved her off. It didn't matter if it was the unicorn or Spitfire, she was not about to accept their charity even if she couldn't feel her legs anymore. Not that it mattered, she couldn't feel them since two hours ago, and what was another limb? Not much really. Heh, maybe it'd even help even her out.

Out the corner of her eye, she watched as somepony turned to her, yelled something and then gestured forward with a limb. Whatever, it's not like what was being said was actually useful in any way, shape or form. It was always some useless crap about needing to go somewhere to do some pointless thing that only served to delay everything by a couple of days. If it was her choice, they'd be marching through the night and ignoring the stupid weather so they could get to their destination three fucking days earlier!
Sun blasted stupid unicorns.

A second burst of blinding light struck the hill to their left. There was no wind, no explosion of raw power, instead one second there was a hill and the next second, there was a frozen tomb. She simply ignored it and kept walking on despite her shaking legs. Spells rained down all around them, tossing them around, slamming her into trees and into the ground again and again. There was no pain, the cold had made certain of that. Was there blood? Maybe, it was impossible to tell with how drenched her clothes were, but the cold probably froze the wound over anyways, so it's not like she was going to bleed out anytime soon.

Stepping forward, her hoof slipped in the mud, sending her to the ground once more.

"-ash!" Bleary eyes looked up at Twilight, just in time to receive a punch to the face. "Wa... up!"

Dash's hoof immediately snapped out, smashing Twilight straight in the face causing the unicorn to stumble back. Damn it, if it wasn't for the cold, that unicorn would totally be on her flank right now. Stumbling back onto her hooves, Dash just managed to stay standing long enough to take a step forward before falling back onto her knees.
If Twilight said anything, Dash didn't hear it, but she did feel that annoying thing prop her up like she was worthless. She was a pegasus! She was strong, she bowed to nopony, especially not a bit of wind and water. Wing or no wing, she was a fucking pegasus and they ruled the skies , she was not about to bow to something that was beneath her!

She struggled back onto her hooves, shrugging off the other two as she began walking forward once more. West Wind, Hurricane, Spitfire, it didn't matter who it was or what their position was, she was going to show them all that she was still a pegasus. She was... she wasn't...

Her entire body slumped forward, collapsing onto her forehooves as sweat dripped from her brow.

"Get up!" Hooves wrapped around her waist, hauling Dash to her hooves. A second later, another body was pressed up against her on the other side, and together, they braced her, slowly driving her forward and over the crest of the hill.

"I can take care of myself," snapped Dash, but it came out like a mew.

"Don't give a shit. We're in this together, and we're getting out of this together. Wings or not, you're a pegasus and-"

It no longer mattered what Spitfire had left to say, all that mattered was that Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts still thought of a wingless thing like her to be a pegasus. A pegasus, not an earth pony, not a unicorn, but a pegasus. Nothing had changed, but everything had changed, if she never got- No, don't think about that, but if, if it was true, then maybe there was something left for her.

"Um... guys? Two things. One, keep your hooves off my mare or I'll gut you, and two, are you seeing this or am I just going insane?"

Ugh. Oh by the stars, was that puke in her mouth? It certainly tasted like it. Dash really, really, really didn't need that image in her mind, thank you very much, and somehow, it made everything Spitfire just said worthless. After all, how much could a horn licker know about being a pegasi? They'd rather gag on a big juicy horn, probably shove it up their- Okay, stop. Just... just stop.

"You're already in...sane...?" Spitfire's jaw dropped.

Focus on something else, focus on something that wasn't that. Just... oh look, trees. Frozen trees. Everywhere. Let's count those! Yeah, always need to know how many of those there are. Or the... frozen... battle... field...

"Fuck."

Unicorns and pegasi caught in mid swing, blades still crossed with snarls on their face. Arrows littered the ground, ponies lay on the verge of death, frozen blood formed frozen lakes that dominated the entire scene. There was no wind here, no snow or rain or explosions. As they slide down the hill and walked through the frozen field, nothing dared move. They weren't bulky with excess ice dripping off their bodies, instead they were wrapped in a layer of ice that clung to their body like wet fabric. Frozen tombs, killed by the weather like some slave.

As far as the eye could see, statues saluted the dead.

"Every pegasus must be here," whispered Spitfire in awe, her voice immediately swallowed by the emptiness.

"And every unicorn," said Twilight, brushing past the first frozen pony without so much as a bat of her eye. " 'Harmony is dead' after all, it seems."

The two pegasi exchanged a glance before following after Twilight. As they passed the first pony, Dash could only watch in morbid fascination as her reflection warped across the surface, momentarily taking over the snarling pegasus and then it was gone and she was left staring into the murderous eyes of a unicorn. With a snort and shake of her head, Dash slipped past, ducking under a pair of crossed swords as she did so.

"Do you think they're dead?" said Spitfire.

"Of course, they're encased in ice, they'd be dead within seconds." Twilight kept walking, not even bothering to lower her voice as she gestured at a random statue. "Magic or not, that's ice and that means death within seconds."

Dash bite down on her tongue, glaring at the unicorn from behind as she continued to ramble on about magic this and magic that. These ponies were dead! Didn't she know anything about respecting the dead and not saying ill of them? And the worst part was, they didn't even go out fighting with a sword in their shoulder or an arrow through an eye or with a spell melting their faces off. No, they were stabbed from behind by an enemy they could not see before they could even react. This was not how a warrior went down, this was not a good death, this was the death of the slaves who tilled the fields. This... this was...

How dare she disrespect them like this? They had already suffered so much and now even the awesome death they should have had was denied to them and this unicorn was just trampling over all of that without a second thought. Gritting her teeth, Dash stopped before the nearest pegasus and gave a smart salute. After a bit of hesitation, she turned and did the same for the unicorn. They may still be lesser creatures, but she had to admit, to face a superior force straight on took guts. A snort escaped as Dash shook her head and turned away. Whatever, they were worthy opponents.

They continued through the frozen field, weaving their way between weapons and bodies. More than once they came across the shattered remains of a pegasus who fell from the sky, a leg here, half a wing there, and every time Dash wrapped her wings tighter around herself. Or at least, she tried to. That sharp jolt of pain, like a knife in the back would wind its way through her body making her eyes water, forcing her to relax.

"They've stopped," said Twilight, not even looking up at the sky. "That is not good news."

"How can you tell? Maybe they wo-"

"Always plan for the worst," snapped Twilight as she threw her hood up as she stepped onto the lake of frozen blood. "Though in this case, in the worst case scenario we might as lie down and wait to die."

"Pessimist," said Spitfire as she slid past, skating on the ice as easy as flying.

"Optimist." Twilight raced after the pegasus, trying to catch up, but failing miserably just as expected.

Rolling her eyes, Dash joined them on the ice, her wings opening out of habit before the pain bought her back to her senses. With a hesitant push of her hind leg, she felt herself sliding forward and a small smile tugged at her lips. This wasn't so hard after all, should have known. With an awkward push of her other leg, she felt the ice slide out from underneath her and the next thing she knew, she was on the ice, gasping desperately for air with her head spinning.

"Not used to skating without using your wings?" Spitfire took advantage of the situation and forcibly dragged Dash onto her legs. "Yeah, I was the same starting out, but Twilight insisted on a no wings policy."

"Because it's cheating," said the unicorn from in front.

"Look, just hold on an-"

"I can still move, I don't need your he-"

"Cut the crap. As far as I'm concerned, you're still a soldier and Wonderbolt material, but if you keep this up I may change my mind."

"Not like it matters much, you're not even a Wonderbolt anymore." With a shrug of her shoulders, Dash freed herself from Spitfire's grasp and floundered across the ice. She could feel Spitfire's eyes boring into the back of her head, but she ignored it as she finally got to the opposite bank and clambered out. Dash shoved past Twilight, gritting her teeth against the shocks that ran down her limbs with each step only to stop when she came face to face with Hurricane.

She reached out, running a hoof down his cheek before drawing it back, winding up for a punch. How easy would it be to shatter him right here and now. Break off a limb, cut off his dick, break his wings into a million pieces then slowly defrost him. To watch his eyes as he woke up from that deep slumber only to feel that pain and realize what had happened as he slowly bled out while begging for his life.

"If you don't do it, I will," said Twilight as she came to a stop next to Dash. "He's the smuggest bastard I've ever come across and only idiots will miss him once he's gone."

"No."

"No?"

"No." Dash lowered her hoof and continued on her journey. "If he's still alive after being defrosted, I'm going kill him on my own terms. I want him to watch, I want everypony to watch as I beat this worthless excuse for a pegasus into a bloody pulp and make him eat his own cock. That is a promise."

"In that case, let me know beforehand, I want to watch." Twilight easily fell in step beside Dash. "I've been itching to kill him every since I met him face to face four years ago."
"Well sorry to disappoint, but I'm getting the first and only shot. But, feel free to blow up his corpse or something, string it up, I don't know. Whatever it is you freaking unicorns do in your spare time." Dash spat at Hurricane's hooves. "I'm coming back for you. Come on, let's get going."

"You know I'm actually proud of you," said Spitfire as she walked next to Dash. "Though I'd have killed him right there and then. There is a reason why he's th-"
"There's a reason why you're a horn licker too."

"Aaaaaaaand, not proud of you anymore."

"I know." Dash smirked and pushed forward once more, eyes scanning the sky for any sign of movement, but all was still. "And talking about horns... Twilight! That horn of yours telling you anything about what's going on up there?"

"Nothing. The fighting has stopped, I think." The three of them exchanged a nervous look before Twilight pushed on, taking that first step onto the rocky climb up the mountain. "We should hurry, if they needed our help, it'd be now."

"If they were foals, then perhaps you could help."

Dash spun around, gritting her teeth against the pain as her wings instinctively flared open into a defensive stance. Her eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice, but it was like a blizzard, all frigid and hollow that encompassed her from all directions. She took half a step back, rump bumping against the others as they formed a defensive circle. To think she'd end up having her back protected by a unicorn and a horn licker, maybe she should just throw in the towel now. Then again, she didn't want the fight to be too easy, now did she?

"Help? Too small, too weak. Inconsequential."

The voices bounced around in her head, each word being pounded into her head like a hoof to the face. Even with her ears laid flat against her skull, the words continued to echo all around her, making it impossible to figure out where it was coming from. Damn magic tricks, they're worse than a bloody unicorn running for their life.

"Dearest brothers, stop playing and kill them."

Dash could feel it, whatever 'it' was. There was just this force that came from all sides, something that shook her to her very core, as though the very sky had opened up and was now speaking to her. If lightning could speak, this was the voice.

There was no warning, no sudden explosion of light or magic and cold. One minute they were staring at the icy wasteland and the next, three stallions stood before them. They towered above her, larger than any pony she had ever met, even easily dwarfing the impressive stature of Hurricane. They stood still as ice, neither mane or tail moving in the wind, body too perfect to be natural. Every muscle, every hair, every inch carved with a care that was mind-boggling.

"To play, or to kill, why not do both?"

"Shit! Twilight, can you-"

A scream split the air.

"Twilight!"

Dash stood her ground, staring at the stallion before her, teeth bared at the stallion before her. As much as she wanted to turn around and know what was going on, there was no way she could do so. To turn her back on this thing was a death sentence. Always, always, always keep an eye on the enemy. Slowly she raised a leg to step to the side, but she felt nothing. Eyes darting down, they widened at the sight of ice encasing her legs all the way up to the elbow and in that split second look, it had easily grown an extra inch. Her head immediately snapped back up, staring into those impassive eyes as the chill began seeping in. With a snarl, Dash threw her entire body into breaking her prison, but she didn't even get a creak out of it. A second snarl escaped as she thrashed and bucked and wrenched her hooves with all her might.
All the while, the stallion looked on with emotionless eyes.

She could feel the ice crawl along her body, coiling around her torso, chilling her to her core. With each laboured breath, ice filled her lungs and her breath stopped misting in the air before her. She could hear something happening behind her, words being spoken, jaws being broken, it didn't matter what it was, she couldn't hear anything. All she knew was a constant muted buzz like a long night of drinking after a successful raid.

"Enough."

Ice shattered and Dash fell to her knees, drawing in shaky gasps. Dimly she was aware of a pony stepping past her, all regal and graceful as though the damn thing owned the entire earth. Well fuck them! Dash forced herself back onto her hooves, legs shaking uncontrollably as she took that first step forward before dropping to one knee again.

"Get out of here." Dash looked up and froze in place. Wings and a horn, brimming with a raw power that made it impossible to look straight at her. She could feel the heat rolling off the alicorn, steam clouding her vision as the snow just evaporated leaving behind dry ground. "Go to the mountains and hide, we shall take care of everything."

It wasn't a suggestion, it wasn't even a command. It was something more, something deeper, it didn't just compel her to run, it forced her to run. Dimly she was aware of a black alicorn rising out of the shadows, and a battered Cadence appearing in a flash of light. The others ran with her, tripping over their hooves and cold air seeping through their clothes as they climbed higher. Eventually they collapsed, sweat dripping from their brow as their breaths came in pained gasps.

"C-Come on, we can't stop now." Spitfire hauled herself onto her hooves and began limping forward. "There's a cave up there, we can hole up over there."

"We should be down there," snapped Dash before sighing. "Sun damn it, we're meant to be helping ..."

Together, they dragged themselves into the cave and immediately collapsed in a heap. How much time had even passed? It had been day, she was certain of that, it had been fucking day! And now, now the sky was pitch black as the clouds twisted and turned on itself, red lightning dancing between them.

"How fucked are we?" whispered Spitfire.

"More than you can possibly know. I knew they were powerful, but they're warping the very world around them." Twilight rubbed her temple as she struggled back onto her hooves. "I told you this was a stupid idea."

"I'm so-"

"No." Dash glared at the unicorn. "Coming here was the right idea, we had to know."

Silence greeted her words.

"Exactly," said Dash.

"No, she's right," said Spitfire. "We should never have come here. Certain failure versus potential failure, the choice was logical."

"No!" Pain laced through her entire body as Dash tried to flare open both wings, but she ignored it. The humiliation, the tears that threatened the spill over, the look of horror on Spitfire's face – Dash ignored it all. "Screw your bloody logic! Nothing is ever pure logic and you need to get that through your thick skull for once in your life. Going after Pinkie, rescuing everypony, that wasn’t the logical thing to do and yet you did it. So don’t, just don’t, give me this bullshit now. Sometimes there are things that need to be despite how stupid they are.”

“And this is one of those times?” Twilight took an aggressive step forward, the barest of glows surrounding her fractured horn. “We could be saving ponies right now! Bringing them to safety, ensuring they’d survive, that we would survive, but no, yo-”

“You came with us, you followed us like a bitch in heat an-”

“Stop it!” Spitfire was suddenly between them, forcing their muzzles apart and glaring at both of them. “Both of you, just stop it. Fighting now will not make anything better, we need to focus on working together.”

“To do what?” Even Dash recoiled at the snarl in Twilight’s voice. “There’s nothing we can do. Maybe if we hadn’t come here to begin with, we could actually do something productive instead of huddling in this cave like fillies!”

“Oh, so you’re saying it’s my fault now?” said Dash.

“I couldn’t care less if you died screaming for your mommy while having your intestines ripped out by a pack of rabid timbrewolves,” said Twilight and out the corner of her eye, Dash could see Spitfire recoiling as though slapped. “I should have let you be killed by the pegasi you love so much.”

“And I shou-”

One second they were standing up, the next Dash found herself face first in the dirt, a scream being ripped from her throat. She immediately rolled over, trying desperately to block out sensation of the skin on her wings being flayed off. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she snapped her wings shut, the world around her going hazy for a split second as everything around her spun out of control. Then, on trembling legs, Dash stood up, knees threatening to buckle for the lightest breeze, but she stood up and stayed standing. And there before the mouth of the cave, lay a single pink alicorn, chest barely rising with each brea- Wait, that wasn’t a pink alicorn. Eyes wide, Dash raced over, shoving Twilight and Spitfire out of the way before skidding to a stop.

Blood.

It had soaked through her fur, turning it from white to pale red. Cuts littered her body, a wing completely ripped from its socket and who knows what else lay underneath the ice that encased parts of her body.

“Come on, we need to get her inside,” said Dash as she knelt down, gingerly taking on injured foreleg and wrapping it around her neck. “Stop staring and start helping!”

She could hear the cogs turning in their head, the silent question that was being asked, and they were idiots for even thinking about it to begin with. This alicorn, this pegasus with a freakish horn, she was her only ticket to getting her wings back, to getting the sky back. One of them had to live if she was to get her reward. And… well…

Respect.

It was really as simple as that. This thing fought for her, for all the peagsi, for everypony. She wasn’t going to gain anything, find anything, be rewarded for her actions, and before they had even turned up, if the alicorn had died, she wouldn’t even had been honored for her sacrifice. Death without acknowledgement. A small shudder ran down Dash’s back at that thought. Now this was a pony Dash could respect.

Twilight was the first to react, grabbing the other foreleg while Spitfire moved around help brace the torso. Together they began dragging the unconscious alicorn back to the cave, but before they even got halfway, a black bolt slammed into the cliff above their heads. All three of them threw themselves on top of the alicorn, shielding the body as bits of debris rained down around them. Then, out of the dust, a lone black alicorn tumbled out, hitting the ground with a sickening crack.

“No… Luna…” It was faint, barely audible above the howling breeze, but Dash could see the pain in the alicorn’s eyes.

The very next second, Dash found herself being flung back into the cave, a blue bubble wrapped around her as she bounced harmlessly along the ground. The last thing she saw before the cave entrance was sealed by ice was Candence standing above her fallen comrades, shards of ice pressing down on all sides as her shield flickered and wavered.

Then, there was only darkness as the cave entrance froze over.

It started off with a small flicker. Barely brighter than a burnt out candle, but it was there and it grew until it was a dull magenta glow. It was impossible to make out faces or shapes, but it was enough to tell the others were there with her. Trapped with those two or trapped alone, it was hard to say which was the worse fate.

“Twilight…” All that worry and tenderness, it made Dash sick.

“It’s fine, I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about,” replied Twilight, but even Dash could hear the strain in her voice.

They just sat there in silence, dull explosions pounding against their skulls as the fight continued outside. A part of Dash wanted to be sick at the way Spitfire and Twilight were leaning against each other, but for once, she just didn’t have the energy. Plus, they were all going to die soon, if that’s how they wanted it to remembered, then go for it, but herself? She wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, doing what was right and now that was denied to her. First her wings and now this.

Her hoof slammed into the ground, startling the others, but Dash didn’t care. She was so close too! So fucking close. A place under her command, sure it was a small place, but it was on a map at least and the Wonderbolts already had an eye on her. All it took was another month, maybe two and she would have had it all. But no, she had to throw it all away. For what?

The worst part is, she’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

“Dash? I’m...” There was concern in Twilight’s voice, actual concern. “I’m so-”

“Finish that sentence and I will kill you.”

“Rainbow Dash, please, just…” Spitfire sighed. “I’d rather not have my last minute on this tartarian pit be an argument.”

“Whatever.”

Silence descended once more, awkward tension filling the air. The explosions outside stilled, tremors barely felt as the light from beyond the ice wall finally died down.

Spitfire was the one to voice what they were all thinking, “Do you think…?”

“That we won?” Twilight snorted and stood up, leaning heavily against Spitfire. “Since when has our life ever been easy?”

“An easy battle is one not worth fighting,” added Dash as she followed suite with a wince. “I suppose it time for us to kick some flank.”

There was a beat before Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “Sometimes, I can’t tell if you’re stupid or just insane.” Her grin suddenly turned feral. “Let’s do it.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but how do you expect to get out?” asked Spitfire from the ground.

“Um…” Twilight and Dash exchanged a look.

“That’s what I thought.” Despite everything, a small smile appeared on Spitfire’s face and from the way Twilight stiffened beside her, it was clear they both recognised that smile. Southern Star had given her that exact same smile as she lay on snow, arrow through the chest, drowning in her own blood even as Dash begged for her to stay.

Dash wasn’t an idiot, she knew what that look meant even if she never got it. Why would you give up on your life that easily? Fight for it! It was- To just give up, to welcome it like an old friend, well what about the actual friends? The ones who were alive, waiting for you to come back, to keep your promises!? Whether her leg was trembling from rage or weariness, it was anypony’s guess, but Dash stood there with her teeth clenched.

“Look, I’ve seen a lot, done a lot, and let’s be honest here, every other week we’re going on some dangerous mission. Sure, I’d prefer it if Rainbow Dash here was out and we were alone-” Dash gagged at that mental image. “-but there are worse ways to go. Come on, sit down.”

“Spitfire…”

“I’ll even tell you the story of the Battle of Blood River, it’s odd-”

“Oh yeah, I love that one, but I’m totally telling it,” said Dash. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? You’re looking at me, right? It’s kinda hard to tell in the dim light.”

“It’s a story about accepting death!”

“What? No it’s not, it’s about being totally awesome, kicking flank, and then going down in a blaze of glory. Crimson Skies was a total badass up to the last second and look at her now, remembered forever. She’s a celebration of everything right with the pegasi.”

“She’s a tool used to delude fools like you.” Spitfire sighed and shook her head. “Just like how the Wonderbolts and I were nothing more than tools to trick the public.”

“You’re a pony,” whispered Twilight.

“I know that now, but back then? Back then, I had my head in the clouds, riding the high of being the youngest Wonderbolt ever. Ha! I’m glad you set me straight.”

“All it took was the two of us almost dying.” Even though it wasn’t directed at her, the warmth in Twilight’s voice pushed the cold away. “You know, I came this close to killing you in your sleep on the first night. Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire, heavily wounded and falling asleep. It was like the sun had delivered your head to me on a platter.”

“Well, if I was alone with you, I’d have totally killed you,” said Dash before blinking at the scowls she got. “What? It’s a compliment!”

“How is that- Actually, I don’t even want to know,” said Twilight.

“Pegasus culture. One on one duels, front on assaults, no underhoofed tactics. To do anything less was to be a unicorn, for all pegasi are honorable.” Spitfire gave a bitter laugh. “If they’re willing to backstab you, kill you in your sleep or take you out from behind in the middle of a duel? Congratulations, they either completely hate you, or you’re that big of a threat.”

Twilight touched her horn. “Lucky me.”

“The unicorns are just as bad,” muttered Dash under her breath, but the others didn’t seem the hear. “But seriously, come on! You’re a bloody pegasus yourself.”

“Well mayb-” Whatever Spitfire was about to say was cut off as the sound of cracking ice echoed through the cave. “Okay, what was that?”

“Give me a sec-”

“Don’t you dare!”

But it was already too late. For a split second, light flood the room before Twilight screamed out in pain and collapsed clutching her head. Spitfire was immediately by her side, but it was pointless really. That fraction of a seconds was enough for Dash to see the frozen walls and ice that frozen ground. They wouldn’t die from starvation, they wouldn’t even die to suffocation. No, they’d die to the cold, frozen alive in blocks of ice just like the fighters outside at the base of the mountain.

“You stupid, stupid mare,” whispered Spitfire. “Why would you do that?”

All the response she got was a weak whimper.

“Shhhh… It’s fine, everything’s fine. Don’t worry, I’m here and I won’t leave, promise.” Dash laid her ears back, trying to block out whatever was being said and being done in the darkness, but it was impossible. “Would you like to hear a story? Would that help?”

Another pained whimper.

“Alright, well did I ever tell you about how Soarin and I got accepted into the Wonderbolts?” Despite everything, Dash found her ears perking up. “Sun knows why he was picked, but we were friends even back then and this happened on the day a blizzard hit - not that we knew that at the time. Anyways, this particular story started on a windy day with a blizzard just on the horizon and…”

“Come on, it’s just a bit further!” Spike landed on Applejack shoulder, yelling into her ear while using a wing to gesture what he hoped to be the ridge. “We need to hurry.”

“It’s too late sugarcube! We need to-” Whatever else she was said was drowned out by the blizzard, but Spike didn’t need her to finish that sentence. She wanted to turn back, to find shelter, to get out of the cold before they froze into solid popsicles. As much as he hated to admit it, even he was starting to feel the cold as it seeped through his scales, but he pushed it aside. His fire would burn for as long as it was needed.

A green flame shot into the air, casting light in all directions and through the thick snowfall, all they saw was empty fields. For a brief second there was silence before commotion broke out as orders rang through the air. They needed to go back - no, press forward - throw their hooves into the air and pray for a miracle?

Something within Spike snapped. He threw himself into the sky, air flooding his lungs before a roar exploded along with a gout of flame. Instant silence, not even an echo as the winds drowned out everything. He ignored the fear that rolled off of some of them as he wheeled around above them, getting a rough idea of how many there were. The answer? Far too many, and even if there was shelter in sight, there was no way they’d get there in time.

“Here’s the plan,” said Spike as he landed on Lyra’s shoulder. “Get all the unicorns who can cast fire magic, we need to carve out a cave in the snow.”

“What? That’s stu-”

“Do it,” hissed Spike, letting a hint of flames spark past his muzzle. “Either we die out there, or we get the slimmest chance of winning down there. Do you see any shelter anywhere near here? So start. Giving. Orders.”

The two stared at each other while those within earshot held their breath, but in the end, it was Lyra who backed down first. Turning around, she began yelling out orders and while there was a bit of hesitation at first, it was a very bad idea to try to out stare an unblinking dragon capable of burning a pony’s face off in less than a second.

“You’ll also need to have support beams every so often so don’t carve out enti-”

“Look dragon, I know what I’m doing, I’ve helped earth ponies build structures before, so why don’t you get lost before all the unicorns and I decide to rip your wings off,” snarled Lyra.

Spike took it all with an impassive face. “If we had immediately left instead of discussing it, we wouldn’t be in this predicament to begin with.” He turned to face Eclipse. “Forget the injured, forget the old, forget the young, get the adults in first.”

“...I’m sorry, but I cannot comply with that order.” It was almost like gazing into a warped mirror, the way Eclipse’s expression was emotionless and unreadable. “We are better than those monsters. We are better than animals. We have come this far without giving up our ideals, our morals, our dreams. I will not let us give up on those now.”

“If we don’t give them up then you’ll all die!”

“Then let us die. Some of us fought in wars, some of us have even been tortured, but we’ve all seen what evils desperate ponies are capable of committing. I won’t let us descend to their levels. The young and the old go in first along with the injured, then and only then, do we follow.” Eclipse broke his gaze away from Spike and swept it over those around them. “Got that?”

Though a couple looked like they wanted to argue, none of them so much as breathed in Eclipse’s direction. Finally, his gaze came back to Spike, and in them the drake found sadness.

“You know, I used to think you were what kept Twilight from crossing that line. Now? Now, I’m not so sure.” Dozen different replies jumped to mind, but as Spike opened his mouth to say them, they all died. In the end, Eclipse just turned away, barking orders like the drill sergeant he was.

Blowing a puff of fire out of his muzzle, Spike took the air once more, letting the wind toss him around as he went with the flow. The world twisted and turned around him, as he let that cold flow over him and sink into his scales. Normally he wouldn’t even feel it, but today it was a constant itch that he could not scratch, like a rock trapped between trapped between two shoulder scales. No matter how he flew, how he went with the wind, the knot would not unwind and with one final sigh, he plummeted back towards the earth.

He watched as they worked away, horns constantly aglow even through the snow as they carved out an underground cavern. Already ponies were being moved in, the injured gingerly being lowered into the rooms with the young being ushered in, trailing after promises of their favourite stories. Coming in at a gentle glide, he hit the ground with a stumble, ignoring the glares that were directed at him as they scrambled about to get everything done before they froze to death.

Already there were ponies collapsing to the ground, stumbling around as the cold took them under her wing. They were among the first to be taken to safety while the rest of them toiled away, waiting for there to be enough room below ground. It started off slow, barely audible over the howling wind, the faintest of hums that flowed through his scales like liquid fire.

I set my sail;
Fly, the wind it will take me
Back, to my home, sweet home

A couple of pegasi, no more than a dozen sung, but it quickly spread through the crowd, the tune picked up by the other pegasi and as Spike dropped down into the entrance, he watched as a couple of unicorns perk up at the tune. A couple even paused, head cocked to the side as they hummed along with it and then the one beside Spike raised her head and joined in even as they continued their work.

Lie on my back Lie on my back
Clouds are making way for me Clouds are making way for me
Back, to my home, sweet home Back, to my home, sweet home

Spike could only stare, eyes blinking as he watched these ponies sing. Just… sing. They worked, they sang, they hummed, and all the while the injured kept coming in. The young, the old, the lovers and the crippled. Dimly, he was aware of sobbing as another pony passed away, unable to take the cold any more, but he felt his wings locked in place, legs glued to the ground.

“You don’t get it, do you?”

Spike looked up questioningly at Eclipse.

“We’re ponies.”

It was as though he expected that to explain everything. ‘We’re ponies’. What kind of answer was that! And yet… Even he had to admit there was something here, something different, something he would not have been able to comprehend no matter how long he lived. Would dragons have ever done this? Would gryphons? Singing in the face of death, singing in defiance. An amused snort escaped.

I see your star, Build that wall and I see your star,
You left it burning for me; Build it strong, cause You left it burning for me;
Mother, I’m here We’ll be there before too long Mother, I’m here

“Bloody ponies indeed,” muttered Spike.

Eyes open wide, Eyes open wide, I dig my hole, you build a wall
Feel your heart and it's glowing Feel your heart and it's glowing I dig my hole, you build a wall
I'm welcome home, sweet home I'm welcome home, sweet home One day that wall is gonna fall

I take your hand, I take your hand, Gonna build that wall up to the sky
Now you'll never be lonely Now you'll never be lonely Gonna build that wall up to the sky
Not when I'm home, sweet home Not when I'm home, sweet One day your bird is gonna fly

Epilogue

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“-ister!” Stinging pain laced through Celestia’s head. “Wake up!”

“L-Luna? Wha-” A hacking cough racked her body, the taste and scent of blood flooding her senses. Her head throbbed, her body was numb, and though she tried to open her eyes, all she could see was murky half shapes. “What happened?” she finally croaked out.

“We… We won, somehow. Cadence went down, one wing sliced off and then you were struck from behind when you tried to catch her.” Luna closed her eyes and sighed. “I thought you had died.”

“You defeated them?”

“No, not I, no matter how much I wish to claim that title. There was an explosion from the cave the ponies vanished into and a couple further a field, tall pillars of flame that even you would struggle to produce. It burnt holes in the clouds, clearing them away in a matter of seconds. The Windegoes, they went to investigate, but all I heard were their screams.” Luna slipped under Celestia’s foreleg. “Come sister, it is time to raise the sun.”

Celestia blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus on Luna, but no matter how hard she tried, all she could see was a blur. Closing her eyes, she turned to where Luna’s voice came from. “They got my eyes, didn’t they?”

“...Yes. I am sorry, sister.”

“No, we all came into this knowing there was no way we’d be able to get out in one piece. This was to be expected, if unwanted.” Slowly, Celestia unfurled her wings, biting back the hiss of pain as she draped it over Luna’s back. “Come, I think it was time we raised the sun.”

“Are… are you certain?”

“Of course.” Celestia took a shaky step forward, almost collapsing under her own weight before Luna caught her. “Do I look like I can do it by myself? I need your help, just like how I’ve always needed you.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Be my eyes, guide my magic with yours. We must do this slowly, gently warm the world so we do not turn the ground to mud and flood the plains.” Celestia reached out with her magic, feeling the familiar warmth of the sun and coaxing it to life. A second later, she felt the hesitant touch of Luna, cooler than the evening breeze and far more gentle. “Come now, a firm grip. This is the sun, a fickle and disobedient thing, unlike your moon.”

“The moon is no less fickle, it mere requires guile instead of brute strength.” Nonetheless, Luna’s grip tightened and together they slowly raised the sun. It felt lethargic, as though it was sunk in quicksand and they were dragging it back out. Even with her natural affinity towards it, Celestia found herself gritting her teeth and dimly she was aware of Luna’s panting. “Nor is the moon so heavy.”

“Merely a matter of magical affinity, nothing more,” said Celestia as she gathered all her magic into a single ball, sending it into the sun as a single burst. “Did that restart the sun?”

“Afraid not.”

Swearing under her breath, Celestia pulled her magic once more. “I’m going to give it the initial shock, as soon as I do that, I want you to slowly fuel it until it becomes self sustaining.”

“Understood.” With Luna’s magic so tightly intermingled with hers, Celestia could feel the crackling raw power that Luna held at her disposal and how focused it was. A single point like a rapier just waiting to thrust in, unlike her crude blunt force method. “I am ready when you are.”

There was no need for words. With how long they had fought together and how fast magic travelled, sound would have been meaningless. It was all action and reaction, one second the sun was dull and near death, the next it burst back to life as it reignited. Taking a couple seconds to catch her breath, Celestia slowly took the reins from Luna, easing the magic into it while Luna stepped back, offering a nudge here or there to keep the sun on course.

“About half the usual intensity, I think. We can increase it slowly over the coming weeks,” said Celestia.

“Too much energy wasted as light currently, dim it a bit and bump up the heat,” said Luna.

“Not yet, I’ll do it over the day. The sun is burning now and I’d rather keep some magical reserves in case I need it.”

“For what? We have won, we should be celebrating!”

“And yet I do not hear the voices of the three ponies who vanished into the cave.” When Luna did not comment, Celestia smiled sadly. “I may be near blind, but I am not deaf. They are dead, aren’t they?”

Only the whistling wind answered her.

“We gave them our marks, we gave them a mission and like all those before them, they died for our sins. If only we had defied mother earlier then-”

“There is no point in thinking in terms of what could have been. We need to focus on what is, and what will be. Learn from your past, sister, but do not be consumed by them for we cannot change them.”

Celestia sighed and her wings slumped. “You are correct, as usual. At least we can give them a pro-”

“I would not enter if I were you. I know not how, but the bodies of the Windegoes have vanished and all that remains is a single crystal heart.” Celestia felt a hoof being placed on her shoulder. “It radiates magic like I’ve never felt before, and it is an exact replicate of Cadence’s cutie mark. I believe it is for her, and her alone to unlock its secrets.”

“Then we shall help her, guide her, as we have always done and shall continue to do. Also, where is she now?”

“Headed out to those pillars of light we saw. She wishes to bring them together, to build a nation of harmony here in the mountains and I agree with her. Strong leadership is needed, a firm guiding hoof to make ensure something like this never happens again. Som-”

Celestia didn’t even bother to wait for Luna to finish her sentence before cutting in with a simple, “No.”

“And yet you must.”

Celestia turned away, limping towards the edge of the cliff. Even with her ruined eyes, she could make out the glowing blur of her sun, feel the warmth on her face and chest as she forced her wings open despite the pain. It helped clear her mind, focus her, remind her of everything she had done to get this far to begin with, and how much more pain lay on the road before her.

“I can’t do it alone,” whispered Celestia.

“Who said you would be alone? You have Cadence, and you have me. We have come this far, we cannot give up now, not when we are so close to creating a land of harmony. This is the moment we have dreamt of for so long, so come! Together we can build it, the three of us.”

“I…” Celestia licked her lips. “Do you really think we can do it? Lead them? Do you think they’ll follow?”

“We were created t-”

“We can make our own destinies, our own path in this new world! If we followed the will of Mother, the Windegos would have gone opposed, another death and rebirth in pursuit of the perfect, orderly world.”

“They need us though, they need something, a symbol, anything to keep them unified, to remind them that they are on the same side.”

“They have come this far without us and if they can do that, they can do anything.” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “They do not need us to survive, it would just make things easier on them.”

“Is that not worth it then?”

“Is freedom not worth it?” She didn’t even need her eyes to know Luna was making a puzzled expression, no doubt with her head tilted slightly to one side. “When you rule, you are at the behest of the citizens. You are chained to a place, to a nation, everything you do is to better that nation and you, yourself, are lost. Of course, he went on to say that in that losing, you find yourself anew, but he was a mere philosopher, not a king. Leadership is not nearly so idealistic or easy.”

“And yet you know it, you understand it, you have lead in the past and you can lead now. Why do you hesitate? We won, we achieved our goal, and now, we are on the cusp of a new dawn, one we just heralded together. You talk about creating a new path? How about creating a path together, for them.” Luna pressed a hoof to Celestia’s lips, silencing any complaints she could have had. “And, we only have to do it until they are back on their hooves and can take care of themselves.”

A sigh escaped. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“What do you think?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Sis-”

“I said, I’ll think about it. For now, can we just mourn those who died and celebrate the future?”

“Very well,” said Luna.

Celestia ignored the guarded tone and sighed. Leadership. She had thought she had left that particular role behind all those centuries ago after it came crashing down around her, but apparently not. Such a simple word it was too, nothing too complex about it, even a foal knew what it was and what it meant to have it. She could still remember the way-

No, now was not the time. Now it was time to relax and to celebrate and to mourn and to forget. To remember those who had heeded her call, who had willingly come to their deaths in the slightest chance of ending the eternal winter. For just one night she’d allow herself to cry and then?

Maybe a kingdom.

Maybe nothing more than the endless sea and the cloak on her back.

Maybe… well…anything was possible.

The Pale Land

by OrphiusOlyandra

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue