Shadows of the Past Chapter I: The Preparations Ponyville, 1018 ALB (After Luna’s Banishment) Twilight settled down onto her recliner on the balcony of her library. Next to her was her tall, cool glass of lemonade, and a nice book to read. She glanced at the sun, and guessed she still had about an hour to read before the big party started. She sighed. Having sixty-eight ponies with the same birthday did give Pinkie one hell of an excuse to throw a super-humongous party – and each year had to be bigger than the previous. Not that Pinkie really needed an excuse to throw a big party. Of course, in previous years, they had more ponies for these super parties, just six days before Longest Day. Distantly, she heard music playing. It was some classical music she hadn’t heard before. Curious, she got up, and went to the railing, and looked across town to a park not far away. There, on a small stage, where four ponies; two unicorns, a Pegasus, and an earth pony, and they were playing their instruments. She knew who they all were, even from this distance. The gray earth pony was Octavia, leader of their little quartet of musical instruments. Lyra, one of the unicorns with a turquoise colored coat and grayish mane, was there as well, and the two youngest members: the multi-colored Pegasus Sweet Tart and the chocolate and white Cello, the other unicorn. She couldn’t make out their cutie marks from here, but any pony could guess they were musical in nature; and indeed, Octavia’s was a treble clef, Lyra was a lyre, Sweet Tart had a flute, and Cello had, well, a cello. The song they were playing was kind of sad, but the crowd in front of them listened with rapt attention. The sweetly sad music drifted across the field, and more than a few ponies stopped what they were doing, and listened. If nothing else, those four ponies could captivate anypony with their music. For a moment, she stared at Cello, the chocolate and white unicorn with the caramel colored mane and tail – more than once Pinkie threatened to eat him! He now sat on a stool, with his namesake in front of him, somehow making the most beautiful music. She had worked with him from time to time, helping him practice his magic. He seemed to be able to manipulate small items better than anypony she knew, and to manipulate more than three or four items at a time. He, along with Sweet Tart, were two of the ponies celebrating their birthday today. Twilight’s gaze shifted downward as she heard the front door to her library close softly. A moment later, another unicorn, one of her assistants, Star Chaser, floated out of the front doors, heading for the park. For some reason, his legs didn’t work. So, instead of staying in some kind of chariot, he worked on perfecting the art of levitating himself. He was, in his way, stronger than any other pony. He could keep himself up for hours on end. It wasn’t exactly flying, of course, but it was the closest any unicorn would get. His telescope cutie mark showed his interest in all things astronomical. She watched as Star Chaser headed for the stage in which Cello and the others played on. The two of them spent almost all their spare time together. And, like all those having their birthday today, they all shared a unique past. Curious, Twilight looked around, and soon spotted the pegasi, hard at work on the training field. Rainbow Dash was giving the young pegasi their last instructions, drilling them in the art of weather shaping, in aerial-batics, and who knows what else. They all looked pretty dogged from the constant pressure Rainbow was putting them under – she would have to speak to her about that. Well, not all of them were looking dogged. A yellow Pegasus with a brown and blue streaked mane and tail was following instructions perfectly. This was Wind Blaster, another friend of Cello and Star Chaser. He was, next to Rainbow Dash, of course, the fastest of the Pegasus, and his cutie mark, lines denoting a gust of wind, showed that. Their fourth friend could be seen on the ground, looking fairly worn out. Catseye, a teal colored Pegasus, with a light violet and purple mane, was weaker than many of the other Pegasus. It took her the longest to learn to fly, and she never got very good at it. Perhaps naturally enough, she made friends with Fluttershy, and helped her with the animals, which, it turned out, she had a talent for, as her cat silhouette cutie symbol suggested. After a quick search, she saw Cloud Dreamer, the green Pegasus with dark green mane. She was another friend of the group, although she didn’t always seem to get along with them, especially Cello. She had heard Rainbow Dash complain the most about her. She spent her time resting on the clouds, doing her work in quick bursts of speed. Twilight commented that sounded very much like a rainbow colored Pegasus she knew, and Dash gave her a stony look, but didn’t complain about her again. And with a cloud for a cutie mark, perhaps her lazy, drifting way of life made some sense. Cello and Star Chaser were the two she talked to the most, but they didn’t say what the problem was, only that it would take care of itself. Since they didn’t seem worried, Twilight wasn’t worried. Twilight heard the squeak of wheels, and turned to see several carts being pulled into town by the earth ponies, with Applejack at their lead. A little ways behind her, she saw Truffles, another of Cello’s friends. She was – a colorful pony. Red body, black stripes similar to Zecora’s, and a rainbow colored mane and tail. No other pony could seem to resist staring at her at first; now, they were almost used to her bright colors, and her odd, cake-like cutie mark. She worked with Pinkie Pie quite a bit, making chocolate treats that took an honored position with a certain pink ponies famous pastries. It was a bit odd seeing her with Applejack – she rarely went out to the farms. And not far behind was Wheat Chaff. She was, perhaps, equally stunning as Truffles, having an unusual green and blue spotted coat, with brown mane and tail, and, of course, a wheat stalk cutie mark. Twilight saw they were bringing in food, heading for the large pavilion Pinkie had set up for what she called, “The ultimate super-duper-luper party to end all parties for-ever!” Twelve years since their arrival. A day she would never forget. The music ended. Everypony clomped their feet in approval, some even jumping up and down with excitement and pleasure. Twilight saw Star Chaser and Catseye approaching Cello as he put away his instrument. She had to admit, she was curious as to what they thought of this day. Well, that wasn’t too personal – maybe she could ask. “Mama?” said a voice from inside. “I’m done cleaning. May I go outside?” Twilight turned, and saw a light pink unicorn, with white and purple mane and tail, looking at her from inside. “Of coarse, Tenderheart,” she said to her son. “In fact, I think I’ll join you.” “I thought you wanted to stay up here and read for a while?” He sounded a little disappointed. Twilight chuckled, and said, “I think I’ll just read in the park. You can still have fun with your friends, don’t worry. I won’t be hovering over you.” Tenderheart smiled, blushing slightly. He didn’t realize how easily read he could be. Twilight gathered her stuff up, and headed out. *** *** *** “Hello, Cello,” Star Chaser said as he floated towards him. “Hello Star,” Cello replied. “You finally off work?” “For now, yes,” he replied. “Here’s Catseye.” It almost sounded like a warning, and, in a way, it was. The past between the two was – complicated. Octavia came over, and said, “Cello? Are you still going to be available for the three o’clock show? Or is something up?” “I’ll be here,” Cello said, as Catseye landed nearby. “Good landing,” Star Chaser said. Catseye just smiled wistfully. “At least I’m not hurting myself or others, now.” “You only hurt that one pony,” Cello said. “And that was at least ninety percent his own fault. When you’re watching a young Pegasus show, you should always keep away from the landing and take-off field.” “Still,” Catseye said, “if I had been a better flyer . . .” “Let’s not get into this again,” Star Chaser said. “Sorry,” Catseye said. Star Chaser looked a bit cross, but before he could say anything, a yellow blur flashed by, just over their heads. Everypony, not just the three friends, but everypony around, turned, and watched as the blur zoomed seven or eight feet above the ground, then turned up sharply, doing several zig-zags, and then a loop-de-loop, all at high speed. “Huh. Show off.” Star Chaser, Cello, and Catseye turned in surprise to find Cloud Dreamer standing there. No one had heard her fly up and land. “Just ‘cause you can’t do a loop-de-loop!” Wind Blaster called out. “I can to!” Cloud Dreamer insisted. The others looked at her skeptically, and she added, “It just makes me a little sick, that’s all.” “You never did have a strong stomach,” Cello said. Cloud Dreamer just ignored him. “I can’t believe Octavia’s going to make you play during your own party,” Wind Blaster said, swooping in for a landing and making everyone flinch. “Just a couple of songs for the party,” Cello said. “Got some new music to try out.” “On that big guitar of yours?” Cello rolled his eyes. He knew Wind Blaster was just trying to get his goat, but after a while, that joke old. “No, I thought I’d just bang some rocks together,” Cello replied. “What’s up, Cat?” Cloud Dreamer asked, noting her staring in the distance. “Oh, just looking at the Pavilion Pinkie is putting up. Should be some party.” “Aren’t they always?” Wind Blaster asked. “If Truffles was here, she might be able to give us a hint what’s going on.” “Does it really matter?” Star Chaser asked. “We know it’s going to be a blast.” “Hey, speaking of Truffles . . .” Cello nodded behind them, where not only Truffle was walking towards them, but so was Wheat Chaff. “Was I mistaken, or did I see Truffles helping with the farm ponies?” Wind Blaster asked as she approached. Wheat Chaff gave him a critical look, and Truffles said, “It’s not so bad – you might want to try a little work yourself. Might help you burn off that baby fat of yours.” Wind Blaster frowned, glancing over himself, and said, “What fat? This is a one hundred percent mean, lean, flying machine!” “I think she was referring more to your ‘mean’ aspect,” Chello said. Everyone chuckled, including Wind Blaster. For a moment, Cello gazed out amongst his friends, and found himself at an odd loss of words. “Something wrong, Cello?” Wheat Chaff asked. “What could be wrong? We live in a wonderful place, we have wonderful, healthy bodies, and we’re twelve years old again. Anyone think of that? How does it feel to be twelve again?” “Very different than last time,” Cloud Dreamer said. “Not nearly so much trouble.” “I know,” Cello said. “I agree. And I know we’ve had our differences over this, but I hope that you, like myself, feel it was all worth it.” “No crime, no violence, no anger – or little enough so’s not to notice – able to eat all the sugar you want and not suffer ill effects . . .” Catseye interrupted Wheat Chaff, saying, “That sounds like something Wind Blaster would say.” “Ah, I still miss booze,” he replied. “Of course.” Cloud Dreamer rolled her eyes. “There’s alcohol here,” Cello said. “Octavia’s let me have some.” “What? That apple cider stuff? Weak.” Cello looked a little surprised, and said, “Wait a minute, don’t tell me-! You haven’t discovered-?!” “Quit talking in half sentences,” Wind Blaster said. “What are you talking about?” “Well,” Cello said, with a slight smile, “unless I guess my Pinkie Pie wrong, you may find out about their equivalent of beer today.” “Beer . . .” Wind Blaster said, eyes wide, drool appearing in the corner of his mouth. “I miss microwaves,” Cloud Dreamer said. “And television – well, sometimes.” “My computer,” Catseye said. “Yeah, computers,” Cloud Dreamer agreed. “And Malls, and cars, and central air, and – well, fingers!” Everypony looked at their hooves, and nodded somberly. “Fingers, sure,” Wheat Chaff said. “But Malls? Cars?! C’mon . . . you’re kidding me, right?” “Well,” Cloud Dreamer said, “it’s only sometimes. Besides, there’s nothing we can do about it now.” Star Chaser and Cello exchanged glances, but said nothing. “And meat,” Cloud Dreamer suddenly said. “I know we sometimes eat that protein fortified vegetable stuff, but I would love to have a real hamburger, or steak! Vegetarianism is fine, but it took me the longest time to eat grass and hay.” “Why?” Star Chaser said. “It’s just food – nutrition your body needs.” “I thought we needed protein?!” Cloud Dreamer demanded. “Our old bodies did,” Star Chaser said. “These bodies . . . well, it’s complicated. They need protein, but we get enough from plants and the spam.” “Spam?!” Wheat Chaff said. “How long have you been using that term?!” “Couple of years now,” Star Chaser said. “Geez! I was wondering where they picked that up! I heard some of them starting to call it spam a while back, and was wondering. I should have known it was one of us.” “Yeah. You should have,” Cello said. “Heck, just living in a larger town would be nice!” Cloud Dreamer went on. “Does this town even have a thousand ponies yet?” “No,” Star Chaser said. “Based on last census and projections, I’d say there are about seven hundred and fifty ponies here.” “Mostly earth ponies,” Wheat Chaff added. “Well, earth ponies did found this town, about forty years ago now, and –“ “Uh-oh! You done it now!” Everyone turned at the new voice, and was only a little surprised to see Twilight approaching them. “You’ve got Star Chaser talking history, one of his favorite subjects.” “All subjects are his favorite subjects,” Cello said good naturedly. “Good afternoon, Mayor.” “Good afternoon, Mayor,” all the others said. “Oh, please! If you can’t call me Twilight, then who can?” “Sorry – just trying to be polite,” Cello said with a smile. “So. Twelve years old today. Must be exciting – you’re the only ponies I’ve known to celebrate that twice.” “Technically,” Star Chaser said, “you can’t quite say that – you never knew us the first time we turned twelve, so you only have our word to go on that we’ve been twelve before.” Twilight shook her head slightly, and said, “There’s more than just your word – there’s the way you act and talk – not like foals at all. And there’s Celestia’s word. I trust her above all else.” “That’s another thing I miss,” Cloud Dreamer said. “Elected officials.” “Dreamer!” Wheat Chaff said. Twilight just chuckled, and said, “I’m elected – remember? As for Celestia, well, what can I say?” Cloud Dreamer seemed about to speak, when Wheat Chaff clamped her hoof on her mouth. Twilight looked a little upset, and said, “Don’t tell me you regret your decision?” Wheat Chaff removed her hoof, and just looked at Cloud Dreamer. She looked a little sullen, but sighed, and opened her mouth to speak. Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a cry of “Mayor! Mayor!” Coming from the large Pavilion, a light purple unicorn with a yellow mane came trotting up. “Well, hello, Dinky,” Twilight said. “Hi,” she replied, a little shyly. She glanced nervously at Star Chaser, and then said to Cello, “I liked your music.” “Thank you,” Cello replied. Dinky stared for a moment, then Twilight cleared her throat. “Oh! Sorry,” she said, turning pinkish with embarrassment. “Pinkie Pie is looking for you. She has some questions, I think, about drinks.” “BEER!” Wind Blaster said, punching a hoof in the air. Twilight gave him a strange look, and said, “Alright, I’ll be right there.” Dinky didn’t leave right away, glancing instead at Cello, before Twilight cleared her throat. Dinky blushed again, and said, “Right,” and left. “Looks like somepony has a crush,” Twilight commented. Cello looked busy checking on his instrument. “I know, she’s, what? Five or six years older? That’s not too bad, is it?” Twilight looked on in puzzlement, as Cello refused to meet her look. Then she noticed the others were looking between him and Catseye. Twilight frowned, and said, “I know you two were married before, but I understand you don’t even live together now. Is there some other problem?” “It’s complicated,” Star Chaser said. Twilight frowned again, and said, “There’s some things I’ll never understand, I guess. Well, I better see what Pinkie wants.” She sighed theatrically as she trotted towards the Pavilion. No one spoke for a moment, until Cloud Dreamer said in a dramatic voice, “Well-! That was close!” “Oh, shut up,” Cello muttered. “Hmm,” Wind Blaster said. “I guess she thinks you two aren’t together anymore. I have to say, I did wonder why you slept apart and all. You were married before, I don’t think coming here changed that . . . I guess . . .” “You, my good friend, have the sensitivity of a rhino,” Truffles said. “What?” Wind Blaster said, annoyed. “In case you haven’t noticed, the ponies are quite – eh, friendly.” “That is one of the amazing things here,” Star Chaser said. “Jealousy is hardly known, and rarely rears its ugly head. Although I would hesitate to use the ‘friends with benefits’ term, as ponies don’t sleep with their friends – just ponies they, well, ‘like.’” “That is kind of funny,” Truffles said. “If I slept with some earth pony at the farm, no one would think twice – even if it was another female. But if I slept with one of you – well, that would be very shocking!” Cello looked a little surprised, and said, “Really? Huh. I wonder what they think of us, then? I mean, myself and Catseye.” “I don’t think they think you’re married,” Wheat Chaff said. “For two reasons – one, most ponies think you’re too young to get married, and two – well, I should think that’s obvious.” She looked between Cello and Catseye for a moment, not quite sure what to add. “I know – we live apart, and spend little time together,” Cello said. An uncomfortable silence fell on the group. Star Chaser, sensing a change in subject was needed, asked a question. “So, what are you people going to do? I know I’m going to stay on and work in the library for a while longer. If Twilight ever retires, I might get to run it. And Cello, of course, will play his music for the ponies to their heart’s content. Although, if you ever teach Pinkie another pop song, I will hunt you down!” They all laughed at that. A few years ago, Cello had started singing some pop tunes from home, and Pinkie had latched onto one called, “Girls just wanna’ have fun!,” and sang it for about thirteen days straight. “Well,” Truffles said, “speaking of Pinkie, she’s offered me a spot in her bakery, doing chocolates to her pastries. We should be giving all of Equestria cavities in no time at all.” “I’m going to help on the farm,” Wheat Chaff said with a sigh. “Who’d think it? The citified country girl going back to the country.” “Dash is going to put a word in for me to try out for the Wonderbolts – she thinks I’m good enough,” Wind Blaster said. “Until then, I guess I’ll be helping with the weather around here.” “I’ll be helping Fluttershy for now,” Catseye said. “Beyond that, I don’t know. I’d like to stay in town.” She glanced a bit nervously at Cello, who didn’t return the look. “Not me,” Cloud Dreamer said. “I put in for work at Canterlot. It won’t be anything glamorous – probably just pulling the chariot for dignitaries and what have you – but at least it won’t be this little podunk town.” The others frowned at her a bit, but only Cello said anything. “You know, Octavia’s from there.” “Yes, I do,” Dreamer replied. “I tried to ask her questions about it, but she keeps putting me off.” “That’s because she’s not very happy about the city anymore. She was born there, along with her sister Lyra, but she said the city wasn’t like it used to be. She didn’t like it anymore.” “Well, after this place, it can’t be any worse than back home,” Dreamer said. “Looks like some ponies are heading for the Pavilion,” Truffles said, pointing a hoof at the big, brightly colored tent with thousands of balloons and streamers. “Ah, well,” Cello said. “It’s time for the big show.” Wheat Chaff sighed. “I wonder if we’ll survive it.” “I think so,” Star Chaser said with a smile. As the ponies began trotting away, Cello noticed Star Chaser still laying on the ground. “You alright?” he asked. “Oh, yeah,” Star Chaser said. “Just resting a bit. I’ll be right there.” Cello nodded, giving him a smile. Star Chaser smiled back, but then it faded as the others trotted away. “We survive Pinkie’s parties just fine,” he said to himself, “but we seem to loose our ponies when they’re alone.” After a moment, he floated up, and rejoined his friends, forcing a smile to stay in place. Shadows of the Past Chapter II: The Party The party started early, but that was mostly because Pinkie couldn’t contain herself. When the seven friends entered the pavilion, they were greeted by loud music, long tables of food, lots of them sweets, endless bowls of drinks, and about five hundred ponies dancing, playing games, or just hanging out talking. “My word!” Cello said. “Is the whole town here?” “I think so,” Truffles said. “At least, that was the plan.” “The whole town? Seriously?” Catseye asked. “Of course,” Truffles replied. “It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t.” “Ah, well, I better get with Octavia,” Cello said. “Hey, home come we can’t hear this noise from outside?” Cloud Dreamer asked as Cello walked away. “Magic,” Star Chaser said. At that moment, a brown Pegasus with a green mane suddenly fluttered over to them. “Hey! Wind Blaster!” “Oh, hey, Lotus,” Wind Blaster said. “Uh, everyone, this is Lotus Bloom, the second best Pegasus at school. She’s a year ahead of me, actually – graduated last year.” Lotus chuckled, and said, “You say that to everypony.” “Well, everypony is second best to me,” Wind Blaster said with a smile. “Except Rainbow Dash, I mean.” She turned slightly, and said, “Hello, Cloud Dreamer, Catseye.” “Hello,” they both said. “Oh, uh, Lotus,” Wind Blaster said, “these are my friends – Star Chaser, Truffles, and Wheat Chaff.” They exchanged greetings, and then Lotus said, “Let’s dance!” Not waiting for an answer, Lotus grabbed him, and pulled him onto the dance floor. The others watched, a little bemused, and then Cloud Dreamer said, “Well, may as well join in. It is for us, after all.” She took a little leap, and glided to a table stacked with food. “For some pony that doesn’t like hay and grass,” Truffles commented, “she sure does eat a lot.” Wheat Chaff chuckled, and said, “C’mon, we better make sure Applejack doesn’t need our help.” Star Chaser and Catseye found themselves alone together. “Well?” Star Chaser said after a moment. “Aren’t you going to have some fun?” “I guess,” she replied. “What about you?” “Well, I can’t dance,” he said, making a gesture with his muzzle at his neatly folded legs under him. “And games kind of bore me, and I’m not hungry. I think I’ll just sit here, and talk to other ponies.” Catseye seemed to hesitate for a moment, then suddenly blurted, “You think I’m terrible for what I’ve done to Cello, don’t you?” Star Chaser didn’t look surprised by this change of topic. He just looked back at her, and said, “That’s between you and him. I don’t judge.” “You must have some opinion,” she replied, flustered. Star Chaser seemed to weigh something in his mind, and said, “I do. But again – it’s not my place.” “I . . . just . . .” Catseye trailed off. Star Chaser waited a moment, then said, “You just what?” “Never mind,” Catseye said with a sigh. “This isn’t the place. I’m sorry I brought it up.” Star Chaser shrugged, or rather, his version of a shrug, since his legs from the shoulder and hip down didn’t work, which amounted to a quick tilt of his head. “It’s obviously bothering you. If you want, after the party, we can talk.” “I’d like that,” she said. “Hey, Star Chaser!” Star Chaser turned, and saw three unicorns walking towards him. In the lead was a gray pony, with black stripes, and a dark yellow and teal stripped tail and mane. “If you’ll excuse me,” Star Chaser said, inclining his head towards Catseye. Catseye looked a little disappointed, but said, “Of course.” A short time later, the town’s musicians came onto the stage and sang some songs. During a break, Cello spotted Truffles watching him in the audience, and came down to visit with her a bit, while Octavia sang. Truffles listened in bemusement for a couple of minutes, then turned to Cello, saying, “I can’t believe they love the Beatles so much here. Isn’t that All the Lonely People?” Cello chuckled, and said, “Yeah, except it’s All the Lonely Ponies, of course.” Truffles listened a bit more, and said, “And you put Octavia instead of Eleanor Rigby into it?” “Whoever heard of a pony named Eleanor Rigby?” Cello pointed out. Truffles could just shake her head. “What else did you do to them?” “Well, Strawberry Field hasn’t changed much, and maybe if you ask nicely, Sweet Note will do her rendition of Dashie in the Sky with Rainbooms.” Truffles stared for a moment in utter shock. “What?” “Well, she’s got a bit of a crush on her, and when I started bringing in Beatles songs, she came up with that.” Truffles just stared for a moment, then said, “I need some punch.” “Just as well,” Cello said. “I have to get ready.” Cello went backstage, and got ready. As promised, Cello had an unusual solo in which he played not only his cello, but a trumpet and saxophone as well! He used magic to control the cello and trumpet, and attended to the saxophone personally. All the ponies were impressed, the unicorns a little more-so, for they knew how difficult it was to manipulate two items separately, while using a third would be even more complex! Even Star Chaser, normally reserved for these events, thumped his braided tail on the ground – the closest he could come to stomping his feet. He also made a mental note to ask how Cello “blew” on the trumpet. Then, after the song, Cello put away all his instruments, and nodded to the back stage. A moment later, Lyra and Octavia came out, with their instruments. They posed themselves behind Cello. “This party is for those of us that have turned twelve today, which is an unusually high number of ponies, or so I’m told.” Cheers and laughter greeted Cello’s words. When they died down, Cello continued, “We were orphans, from far away, and you took us into your town, your homes, your families – you made us part of the family.” He paused a moment, obviously trying to control his emotions. A couple of sniffles could be heard. “For those of you with families, you can’t imagine what it’s like to loose your family, to loose all that you love. To feel alone in the world. And more alone than others because – you don’t quite fit in. But that never seemed to matter to any of you. You accepted us as if we were your long lost brothers and sisters. I expected, at the best, to be treated like some cousins that you didn’t know you had – friendly, but distant. I was very happy to see that wasn’t true. And, I’m glad I can call everypony here a friend.” There was some applause to that. “And before I get too mushy, perhaps I better do this song. Don’t worry, it’s not sad or anything, at least not too much, but, uh, yeah . . . I’ll just sing.” Polite clopping greeted this, and Cello looked around, spoke briefly to Octavia, who shrugged in response. Cello then quickly went behind the curtain, and a moment later, came out with another earth pony: pale green body, with black spots all over, and a sea green mane and tail. He sat nervously beside Lyra and Octavia, with an instrument that caused a slight murmur to ripple through the crowd. “Everyone, you all know Bongo, I believe,” Cello said. “This is his first public performance, so go a little easy on him.” The instrument resembled a small drum, but could easily be held between the hooves. It was, although nopony in Ponyville knew, his namesake. Cello started singing a cappella, much to the surprise of the crowd. About half-way through the first verse, the bongos came in, followed by the lyre, and finally by Octavia’s double bass. He sang a verse to each of the Mane Six, as they were known – the heroes of Equestria more times over than most ponies could count. In the last seventeen years, they had fought off all sorts of terrors from outside. Then, apparently a bit to the surprise of his instrument players, he started up some new verses, including one to Octavia that made her stop playing for a fraction of a second. When he finished, everyone cheered wildly. “Man, you are so lucky!” Lotus said to Wind Blaster. “I can’t believe that’s your friend.” “Best friend,” Wind Blaster pointed out. “And, yeah, he’s pretty cool. If he could fly, he’d be even cooler!” Lotus smiled and said, “About twenty percent cooler?” They both chuckled at that. “Are you two having fun?!” They both jumped at Pinkie Pie’s sudden appearance next to them. “Uh, yeah, Pinkie,” Wind Blaster said. “This is the best party ever!” “Yeah!” Lotus agreed. “Good!” Pinkie said, and suddenly produced a punch bowl. “This is for you, Wind Blaster! Cello seemed to think you’d like it!” “Really?” He cautiously sniffed it, then looked at Pinkie in surprise. “Yep!” she cried out, thrusting the punch bowl at him, and bouncing off. “What is it?” Lotus asked. “Beer . . .” A short distance away, Star Chaser was alone again. The unicorns had a couple of simple questions about some schoolwork, and he answered them quickly, without any of his usual meandering. As strange as it seemed, he wanted to be alone in this party. Something was itching his horn, and that usually meant magic was at work. He had already dismissed the minor magic of the Pavilion itself, and of course, he was used to the magic that was Pinkie’s cupcakes. This was something else. He floated around, stopping and talking to various unicorns, but none of them seemed to have something up their sleeves – so to speak. As time went on, he started to become anxious. He wanted to talk to Cello, but he was busy getting congratulations from the crowd, and talking to just about everyone – and he seemed to be enjoying it. Star Chaser turned away in annoyance. Cello certainly seemed to like his celebrity – but perhaps that was being unfair. Before, he wasn’t popular at all, except to a small group of people. Here, just about everypony loved him and his work. He hadn’t produced a bad song yet. That was something to think about – later. “Ooo! Twitchy-twitchy! Watch out, something’s going to fall!” Star Chaser turned, and saw Pinkie was holding on to her tail as it spastically twitched about. She was stroking it, trying to calm it down like it was another pony. He had some doubts early on about her Pinkie Sense, but time and again, she was shown to be accurate. She did go through periods when her Pinkie Sense didn’t seem to operate – she claimed it would need a rest from time to time – but when it did, you could bet your last coin on what it would say. Star Chaser looked up, wondering if that’s where his anxiety was coming from, but he could sense nothing bad up in the rafters. . . . Not in the rafters – but above? Something up there made his horn itch even more. “Ooh!” Pinkie suddenly cried out. Star Chaser turned, and saw Pinkie having a full attack of the Pinkie Sense. He had cataloged everything, and knew it by heart, but what she was doing now was none of the ones he knew. Her whole body jerked and twisted. Her legs shot sideways, causing her to fall down. Then she rolled around, scooted sideways, and her head shot up and down. “Ah!” Pinkie cried out. “What’s going on?!” Her normally cheerful voice sounded concerned – even a bit fearful. Star Chaser suddenly noticed a yellow pony with red mane and tail, standing nearby and watching Pinkie with some concern. “Apple Bloom,” Star Chaser called out. She tore her eyes away from Pinkie, and then brightened. “Hi, Star Chaser. Is Pinkie going to be alright?” Star Chaser glanced at Pinkie, just as her twitching legs caused her to bang her hooves on the floor – painfully so, judging from her expression. “I don’t know,” Star Chaser admitted. Apple Bloom suddenly looked nervous. If Star Chaser didn’t have an answer, then who did? “Try and help her,” Star Chaser said. “Is your nephew around?” “What? Somewhere. Applejack’s just over there, you can ask her. But, Star Chaser – what am I supposed to do?” “Just hold her and try to comfort her,” Star Chaser said, and headed off in the direction Apple Bloom said. Behind him, he heard Apple Bloom try to speak soothingly to Pinkie. “Applejack!” Star Chaser yelled when he spotted the orange earth pony. She turned at her name, and said with a big smile, “Oh, hi, Star Chaser! Enjoyin’ yer party?” “Not really,” he said. “Huh? Why?” she asked, both confused and concerned. Star Chaser gave Applejack a brief rundown of events. Then he added, “Where’s Orion?” At this Applejack furrowed her brow in anger, and said, “What do you want with my son?! Ain’t we been over this enough already?” When Applejack’s son had been born, she surprised everyone by naming him Orion. This puzzled Star Chaser, so he did some research, and learned that long ago, there was a might pony warrior – one of the few in Equestrian history – who was named Orion. It seemed strange to give a pony such a war-like name, and ponies said as much. But, the ‘Naming Urge,’ as they called it, did not explain itself – it simply urged the parent to give a particular name. Star Chaser had tried to understand it, and had been asking new mothers to help him. All helped as best they could – except Applejack, who seemed annoyed whenever he asked about Orion. After a while, he just gave up, but Applejack still seemed touchy about it. “Think about it,” Star Chaser said, suddenly piecing it together in his own mind. “Pinkie Sense going crazy, a sense of great magic nearby – coming from above us. Does that say anything?” Applejack thought, and said, “Another attack? The Griffins again?!” A few years ago, the Griffins suddenly started waging war on Equestria. It was all a misunderstanding, of course, but for several months, ponies were afraid to go out in the open. “Or worse,” Star Chaser said. He was thinking that perhaps a stray dragon was too close. Applejack blanched, and then said, “What does this have to do with Orion?” Star Chaser started to leave, but paused long enough to say, “What do you think?” Then, he moved away. Now that he had some idea what was going on, he had to warn people. But in this party, that wasn’t going to be easy. He decided to go to the stage. Octavia and Lyra were still onstage, and now Bon-bon had joined them, talking casually and drinking punch. They looked surprised as Star Chaser floated up, and suddenly started talking in a loud voice. “Everypony! Listen up! Twilight? Can you come up here?” “What is it?” Octavia asked. “Is something wrong?” Bon-bon asked. Star Chaser considered a moment. Bon-bon was a little flighty, and might panic is he said there was something wrong – but, there was something wrong. And Octavia and Lyra could keep her calm . . . hopefully. “Yes,” Star Chaser finally said. “I think we’re about to be attacked by Griffins.” “Again?!” Lyra cried out. “Calm down, sister,” Octavia said. “Now’s not the time – we better get ready.” The three of them, including Bon-bon, all left the stage, and started quietly spreading the word. Star Chaser nodded in pleasant surprise. These ponies still had it in them, it seemed. “What’s going on?” Star Chaser looked down, and saw Cello at his feet. He lowered himself to talk with him. “Something’s wrong. I’m sensing great magic above us, and Pinkie’s going berserk with her Pinkie Sense.” “What?” Cello said, looking around. He suddenly spotted the knot of people that marked where Pinkie was at. “Star Chaser, what’re you doin’ up here?” Both of them turned, and saw Wind Blaster and Lotus floating towards them. They looked a little hazy. “Oh, great! Pinkie gave it to you!” Cello said. “Ishn’t that what you wanted?” Wind Blaster slurred. “Yeah, it was going to be a gift to you . . . but we got problems now.” “Problemsh?” “What’s wrong Star Chaser? I came as soon as I could – I was in the back, talking with some ponies about – is that Pinkie? What’s wrong with her?” Twilight started to change direction, and headed towards Pinkie. “She’s having a massive Pinkie Sense overload,” Star Chaser said. This got the attention of everypony that was nearby. They instantly started shushing people, until the silence spread outward, ripple fashion. “Everypony!” Star Chaser called out into the ensuing silence. “I think we need to get the foals out of here! I suspect there may be another attack.” Instantly, cries of “The Griffins!” and “How dare they?” went out. “We can figure out why later!” Star Chaser said, almost angrily. “Right now, we need to-“ Star Chaser broke off and the buzzing around his horn traveled over his skull, and down his spine to his tail. It made him involuntarily shudder. “What is it?!” cried several ponies nearby. “They’re here-!” Star Chaser said, his voice a raspy whisper. At the same moment, the top of the tent ripped open, and a dark cloud poured in. A second later, more dark clouds poured in from the entrances. “What the heck is that?!” Octavia cried out. “It’s not griffins, that’s for sure,” Lyra said. Cello suddenly saw they were out in the open on the stage, and in danger. He leaped at the three ponies next to him, knocking them down. “Hey! What-?!” Lyra cried out. Just at that second, a stream of black buzzed by over them. If they had been standing, it would have taken them out. Lyra looked embarrassed, and Octavia said, “Thanks, Cello. We need to get to Star Chaser, though.” She nodded in his direction, and Cello said, “Get off the stage – I’ll get him.” Octavia became alarmed when Cello started moving towards him, and said, “Just use your magic!” “Can’t,” was all Cello said, and slid across the stage towards Star Chaser. Nearby, Twilight had thrown her body across Pinkie as well. Somehow, the – things – seemed to know Pinkie was in distress, and were trying to dive bomb her. Apple Bloom squirmed out from under Twilight, and took a deep breath, then gave a squeak of shock as one of the forms brushed right past her, knocking her on the floor. Luckily, Rainbow Dash had taught her some martial art moves, and she knew how to roll with a punch, and Scootaloo had taught her some fancy moves as well. She flipped, and landed on her rear hooves just as one of the dark shapes dived straight for her. She stepped back as it nearly hit her, then lunged forward, grabbing it as it flew past. It probably wasn’t her best idea. She was swept up into the air, high over the heads of everypony about. She vaguely heard Applejack cry out her name, but didn’t have time to worry about it. All these years of training with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, and now she could finally use it. Strange how calm she felt. Her presence dragged the creature she was hanging on, and it couldn’t gain elevation or speed as fast as its companions. While she was still pretty high up, she wasn’t even close to half way to the roof. She tried kicking, but couldn’t quite reach. So she did something that wasn’t in the training – she bit the creature. The creature screamed, and turned just enough to try and get at Apple Bloom. She used the opportunity to spin her legs, and spin them both around. Something blunt hit her in the withers, but she ignored the pain, and kept twist them around. She caught sight of the ground about two seconds before they hit. Luckily, she had twisted enough so she landed on top of her attacker. Whatever it was cried out in pain at the impact, and fell still. She stood up, and looked down at her assailant. “That was great!” said a voice that Apple Bloom recognized as Rainbow Dash. “That was amazing! You’re at least twenty percent cooler now, Apple Bloom!” “Rainbow! Now’s not the time!” Apple Bloom chastised. “Look!” She pointed at the figure on the ground, which now that it was still, could be seen plainly. Rainbow Dash, perhaps for the first time in her life, was speechless. There, on the ground before them, unconscious, was a black Pegasus pony. Shadows of the Past Chapter III: The Battle Wind Blaster’s head was buzzing, and he felt sick. What a terrible time to discover beer! Or rather, what a terrible time to be attacked! “Wha – what’s goin’ on?” Lotus said, trying to focus. “We’re un’er attack!” Wind Blaster said. “This – this isn’t some Pinkie thing?” Lotus asked. “No.” “So – what d’we do?” Wind Blaster looked at Lotus. She didn’t look too bad. “Can you fly?” “Uh . . .” Lotus took a couple of wobbly steps, flapping her wings. “In a straight line?” Wind Blaster looked at the crowd flying overhead. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” “Then, yeah,” Lotus said. Wind Blaster nodded, and said, “Good. Le’s go.” He launched himself into the air, followed a moment later by Lotus. “Now what?” Lotus called to him as they swooped crazily through the cloud of black shapes. “I don’ know,” Wind Blaster said irritably. “I’m making this up as I go along!” Lotus’ eye went wide. But she was committed. The only thing she could do was fly as best she could, and wonder what she was doing here. *** *** *** “Move! Quickly, please!” Catseye was trying to get people out the main door, but they seemed hesitant to move. “Catseye! Wait!” She looked to her right, and saw Rarity galloping towards her. “They can’t get out that way! Those – things – are coming in through the door!” Catseye looked up, annoyed at herself. Rarity was right – the doorway wasn’t quite blocked by them flying in, but if a pony were to stand up straight, he might just get hit. Catseye looked around, and saw all the entrances were blocked in a similar fashion. What to do?! “Rarity!” Catseye called out, a sudden idea hitting her. “Cut the tent open!” Rarity paused a moment, then nodded, and rushed to the tent wall, some ways from the entrance. “Follow Rarity, everypony!” Catseye said. They all turned, and did as instructed. We need more exits, Catseye thought, and went in search of something to cut the tent. *** *** *** Rainbow Dash could only stare in shock for the first few seconds of the attack. These were all black ponies? And what were they doing? They didn’t seem to be attacking, at least, not directly. They were making people very nervous, and they would probably start to panic soon if something wasn’t done. “Everypony! Calm down! Keep low, and head for the-“ Rainbow Dash was interrupted by one of the shapes swooping down, and hitting her in the back of her head. “Ow! Hey, what the-?!” Dash got up as fast as she could, but it was impossible to say who had hit her. And then another shape swooped down, and hit her in the back of the head. “OW! That does it!” Dash leaped into the air, and instantly regretted it. It looked bad from the ground, but once in the air only her skills kept her in flight. The shapes were rushing by at high speeds, causing winds to blow one way, then the other, threatening to spin her out of control. She tried to get a better look at the situation from above, but the black figures – the ponies, she had to remind herself – were moving to fast, and they were too tightly packed. It was almost like one long snake-like creature. She found a calm pocket, and paused a moment. This was not a time to be hot headed; she had to think of a plan. She had to disrupt their pattern somehow, and that way, all the flyers could get in the air and hopefully drive them off. She had to smile at herself. Looks like her time as leader of the Wonderbolts is paying off. She then started to fly in a climbing circle, gaining speed, until she could dive at them at high speeds. That worked a few times. The snake pattern started to break up, the black ponies started to scatter. But then they caught on, and just parted enough for Dash to pass through them, without disrupting them. Rainbow Dash stopped after the third failed try, and reconsidered. There was only one thing she could think of doing. She looked up, and saw a clear path. She put on a burst of speed, and flew towards the tent top – and then through it, punching a neat hole in it. She continued to climb as fast as she could. *** *** *** “How is she?” Applejack asked, rushing up with Apple Bloom. “She’s calmed down a bit, but she doesn’t look well,” Twilight said. “Twilight! You won’t believe what they are!” Apple Bloom said. Twilight looked up from Pinkie, and said, “What what are?” “The black shapes,” Applejack said. “They’re ponies!” “What?! Ponies are attacking us?!” Twilight said disbelieving. She looked up at the crowd flying overhead. Now, they sort of looked like ponies – maybe a hundred or more, all flying in unison around them. She caught site of two ponies suddenly launching themselves into the crowd above, flying a little erratically. A moment later, she spotted Rainbow Dash zipping through the crowd, trying to disrupt them. “Good ol’ Dashie,” she said, mostly to herself. “Is that crazy pony up there?!” Applejack asked, surprised. “Looks like it,” she replied. “So what are we going to do?” “We need to get Pinkie someplace safe,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “Right,” Twilight agreed, and gently levitated her up. “I’ll get her out of here. Try and get people out of here, Applejack. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” A flash of light, and Twilight and Pinkie were gone. “Great,” muttered Applejack. “Now what?” Apple Bloom asked. “Now we help these ponies first,” Applejack said. “Then we fight back.” *** *** *** “C’mon, you – let’s go,” Cello said. Star Chaser looked a little dazed, but he blinked, and focused on Cello. “Something’s very wrong here,” he said. “Yeah, no kidding,” Cello said. “It looks like we’re being attacked by Cthulhu or something.” Star Chaser looked a little annoyed. He always did when Cello mentioned something from their past; their other life. Then Star Chaser smiled. “Trying to get me motivated, huh?” “Something like that,” Cello agreed – anything to get him moving. “Are you two coming?” Cello and Star Chaser both turned, and saw Bongo was still on the stage. “Bongo! Get do-“ Cello didn’t even have time to finish. The shadow things swept in, and slammed into Bongo, sending him flying backwards through the back wall of the stage. They heard a scream of pain, and then – silence. “Aw, crap,” Cello said, sensing what had happened. “Time to fight back,” Star Chaser said as his horn began to glow a dark purple color. Cello watched a moment, unsure what he was doing. He couldn’t see anything happening for a moment, then looked up, and saw a section of tent ripping away. “Help me spread this out,” Star Chaser said. Cello’s horn glowed a deep brown color, and he added his magic to Star Chaser, and held it steady as the last section was ripped away. “OK, now hold it,” Star Chaser said. “Wait until I give the word.” “Ready when you are,” Cello replied. He rarely used his magic for such a large object, he was used to small instruments. Although he could manipulate several instruments at once, this wasn’t quite the same thing. “Now, we’re going to control its fall,” Star Chaser explained. “We can’t just let it fall – ponies could get hurt.” “Right.” Cello spared a look around the tent, then said, “Chaser, the main entrance.” Star Chaser looked, and saw there was a group of shapes – they appeared to be ponies – floating in the doorway. They appeared to be the shapeless black mass that the rest were, but these were definitely ponies. “Are we fighting other ponies?” Star Chaser said. “Huh? What?” Cello said. “What do you mean? I was thinking that would be a good way to toss them out. There’s nothing but the cloud there – the other ponies are escaping through a hole in the wall.” Star Chaser raised an eyebrow, and muttered, “Curious.” Louder, he said, “Right. Sweep the tent flap down, and then sideways out the door.” “Got it,” Cello said excitedly. The large tent flap came swooping down. It was heavy, and gained speed quickly. Several of the shapes – which Star Chaser could now see were, indeed, Pegasus ponies – were captured in the tent. Still fairly high off the ground, the tent flap suddenly turned sideways, scooping up more of the ponies, and then Star Chaser wrapped up the open end. “Can you get something to tie it up?” Star Chaser asked, struggling to hold the new bag together. “Let me find-“ Cello was surprised for a moment when a rope appeared to come out of nowhere, and neatly tie itself around the open end, sealing them inside. “Thanks, Applejack!” they called out at once. “Just get them varmints out of here!” she said. Gathering their strength, they tossed the bag out the main opening, and hurled it as far as they could. Star Chaser watched as the group guarding the entrance scattered, and Cello exclaimed in surprise. “We broke it! We broke the shadow! We can see out, now!” “Yes,” Star Chaser said, quietly. “Some can see better than others.” Without another word, he floated himself towards Applejack; Cello right behind him. *** *** *** Twilight was having her own problems. Getting Pinkie to the hospital wasn’t hard – but Nurse Redheart wasn’t there. As she recalled, she was back in the tent along with Nurse Caringheart, just in case some pony ate too much cake. But where were Nurse Loveheart and Sweetheart? Shouldn’t some one be here at all times? After a minute, Twilight could hear the screams coming from the tent, and realized what must have happened: Loveheart and Sweetheart heard the cries, and rushed for the tent. She stamped her foot and growled in frustration. She didn’t want to leave Pinkie here alone, but she didn’t want to leave her ponies in trouble. “Mom?” “Tender! What are you doing here?” He was still too young to actually be working here alone! “Uh, got a cut on my flank,” he said, pointing at his cutie mark of a heart with his nose, Twilight saw a small cut just below it. “Oh! Is it bad? Does it hurt?” He sighed, and said, “Mom! It’s no big deal!” “Alright, alright!” She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and added, “I’m glad your safe. Can – you watch Pinkie?” “What?” Tenderheart said, limping out to the main room where Pinkie lay in a bed. “What happened to her?” “She’s exhausted,” Twilight explained. “She had a massive Pinkie Sense attack. I think she’ll be alright, though. I just didn’t want to leave her alone.” “Mama,” Tender suddenly said quietly. “What’s going on out there? I hear screaming-!” “It’s – “ She sighed. She wanted to tell him it was alright, but that would be too much of a lie. “We’re under attack. I’m not sure by who or what, but there’s lots of them, so I want you to stay here and take care of Pinkie, alright?” He looked a bit disappointed, but said, “Alright.” “That’s a good boy,” Twilight said, and kissed the top of his head, then she blinked out. Tenderheart gave a sigh of disappointment, and trotted over to Pinkie, who was laying very still on her bed, looking a much paler shade of pink than normal. “Well,” Tenderheart said, “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, Pinkie, but my mom says that when I was very sick a couple of years ago, she just sat at my side, and held my hoof and talked to me.” He sat on a chair, and took Pinkie’s hoof in his own. “Let me tell you about this crazy pony I know named Pinkie . . .” *** *** *** Applejack was pulling in her rope after helping Star Chaser and Cello, who now made their way towards them. She only noticed peripherally; she was focused on trying to catch one of those ponies, but they were moving fast. She could lasso one of them, but she would need to focus every bit of her mind. “I don’t understand,” Fluttershy said, flying low to the ground. “What did we do? Was it something I said?” Applejack sighed, and looked at Fluttershy. She wasn’t going to get that chance to focus quite yet. “No, Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom said. “These are just bad ponies! They hurt Pinkie!” “What?” Fluttershy said, shocked. “WHAT?!” “Uh-oh,” Applejack said. “Ya done it now.” “How Dare they?!” Fluttershy shot skyward. “How DARE they?!” “Great. She’s gonna’ talk ‘em to death.” “What’s she doing?!” Cello asked, looking at Fluttershy. “She’s doing what Fluttershy does,” Applejack said. Then she shrugged. “Maybe it’ll work.” “What – what does – Fluttershy do?” Star Chaser asked. “Jus’ watch,” Applejack said. Far above, Fluttershy stopped, and hovered in place. “HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIEND!” she yelled. “Listen you! Just because there’s more of you, does not give you the right to-“ She didn’t get to finish. One of the Pegasus darted out of the main crowd, and struck her in the back, knocking her air out of the air. She plummeted to the ground. “Fluttershy!” Applejack cried out, and rushed towards her. On her way down, another stream of the ponies swung out, striking her as she fell. She was also forced away from where Applejack was headed. Applejack had to stop almost instantly, and start running in a different direction. And, with Fluttershy closer to the ground, she had to run faster than before. She just barely made it. She didn’t think she would, and leaped at the last second, just catching Fluttershy on her back. They landed with a crash, and rolled across the floor, hitting a table full of cupcakes that spread all over the place. Neither Applejack nor Fluttershy moved. *** *** *** “Don’t you know you shouldn’t run with scissors?” Catseye skidded to a halt, and looked a bit surprised at Cloud Dreamer, lounging on a table and eating some pastry. “Dreamer – what are you - ?” Words failed Catseye as she stared at the green Pegasus. “What am I doing?” Cloud Dreamer said, popping the last of the pastry into her mouth. “Just watching now. Doesn’t this feel strangely familiar to you? It sure does to me.” “I – no, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Oh, you don’t? I thought you might.” Catseye stared for a moment in shock. “What are you insinuating?!” “Hmm? Oh, nothing – nothing much. But somehow, I don’t think we’re supposed to be afraid.” “They’re hurting ponies!” “I know,” Dreamer said, glancing up at the cloud of dark ponies above them. “That’s why I said we have nothing to fear – not them.” For a moment, Catseye was a bit puzzled, then her eyes widened in shock for a moment. She turned away from Cloud Dreamer, and ran to the wall, still carrying the scissors she found, and searching for any ponies that were trapped. She could cut a tear in the tent to let ponies out. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She didn’t want to think about what Cloud Dreamer said, and how she lied, saying she didn’t know what she was talking about. She did know. Celestia help her, she did know now. *** *** *** A flash of light, and suddenly Twilight was standing in the tent. It was largely empty now. Twilight was shocked, however, to see a number of ponies still stuck inside, huddled under tables, and a few more, laying on the ground, not moving. Some distance away, she thought three of them looked a bit familiar. She rushed towards them, finding Applejack and Fluttershy laying on the ground, and Apple Bloom frantically trying to wake them. “Twilight!” Apple Bloom cried as she arrived. “They’re hurt! I can’t – can’t wake - !” Twilight placed her hoof on Apple Bloom’s withers, and said, “They’re alive, but hurt. Let me take a look at them.” She kneeled down next to Applejack, and heard her even breathing. A quick look over her body didn’t show any obvious signs of injury. “Applejack?” she whispered in her ear. “Uhn . . . apples need picking . . .” she groaned. Smiling, Twilight looked at Apple Bloom, and said, “I think your sister’s going to be fine.” She quickly trotted over to Fluttershy, but her attention was diverted by a sudden yelling from above. “EAT SCOOTER, ROAD APPLE BREATH!” She looked up, and saw a fuchsia and purple Pegasus on a scooter flying through the air. “Scootaloo!” she cried out. Scootaloo wasn’t listening, however. He was flying through the air, using her old scooter as weapon, swinging it around. She hit several before they got organized enough to start avoiding her. While looking up, she noticed two other pegasus’s – a gray one, and a yellow one. They seemed to be flying erratically, but trying their best to fight the dark shapes above them. Strangely, Twilight couldn’t see Rainbow Dash anywhere. She thought that pony would be in the middle of all this. As she reached Fluttershy, she glanced at her, and almost instantly became alarmed. There was a small blood stain on her back. Closer inspection revealed a small hole, just to one side of her back. Twilight let out a sigh of relief that it didn’t go through her spine. But it was still dangerously close. One thing could help, however. “How – how is she?” Twilight turned slightly as Applejack came up beside her. Normally, she’d scold her, and tell her to rest, but years of being her friend told her that would do no good. She’d just have to let her limp along. “Unconscious, and she has some kind of puncture wound on her back. Her breathing’s good, so I don’t think it went through her lung.” Applejack laughed, then grimaced. “I guess having a medically inclined son helps you with that sort o’ stuff, huh?” “Yeah, what about you, though? Where does it hurt?” “Legs, mostly,” Applejack responded. “Fluttershy’s heavier than I thought. Oh, and mah back hurts somehin’ awful. Think I pulled a muscle or thirty.” Twilight had to smile. If Applejack could joke, she wasn’t too bad off. “I’m going to use them, Applejack. It will help us heal, and it will help ward off – them.” “They’re ponies,” Applejack said, then did a double take at Twilight. “But you already know that, don’t you?” “I suspected,” she replied. “I don’t know where Rainbow and Rarity are, but are you ready for me to activate the Elements of Harmony?” Applejack said, “Of course,” without any hesitation. “We all are.” Twilight nodded, and her horn began glowing a light purple. She pressed the mental trigger for her tiara, and felt the magic begin to flow in and through her, and out to her dear friends. It was only then she felt Rainbow Dash, and saw what she had in mind. She quirked an eyebrow up, thinking this was going to be interesting. Applejack saw that eyebrow moving upward, even as she felt the power roll through her. She had time to wonder if that was a good thing or not, before the magic swept over her. *** *** *** Rainbow Dash was breathing hard by the time she got high enough. She puzzled about that for a second – why was she breathing hard? It never took that much effort before. She couldn’t be getting old – could she? Well, no time for that now, she thought to herself. Have to focus on making a sonic rainboom. She dived, adding her own speed to that which gravity granted her. In seconds, she was traveling faster than she could, flying horizontally. In twenty seconds, the bow wave of the sonic rainboom formed in front of her. She could feel it fighting her, resisting her drive to go faster. She focused her concentration ever so sharply, just like Twilight taught her, and pressed on. The tent was zooming up close to her. If she couldn’t break the sonic barrier, she might have a problem. She shrugged the doubt off, pushed even harder, felt the barrier warp into the proper shape around her, and then- BOOM! The noise rocked Ponyville, shattering windows all over town, shaking buildings, and knocking over stands and anything lighter. Rainbow smashed through the tent just as she passed the barrier. At the same moment, she realized Twilight activated the Elements of Harmony, and her sonic rainboom came off even stronger than before. She dived closer to the ground, the world seemingly slowing around her. She could see each individual black pony now. They were getting tossed about by her shock wave. Feeling more completely in control of things at this very second than she had ever before, she decided to do something she’d never tried before. She started to zigzag in the tent, bowling over every dark pony in the air – and, unfortunately, three Pegasus that were friendly. Well, Rainbow Dash was certain that Scootaloo, Wind Blaster, and Lotus would forgive her – in time. After zigzagging about the tent, she bolted out the side, leaving a rainbow behind her. She started to slow down, and glanced down at the glowing rainbow lighting bolt jewelry around her neck. *** *** *** Applejack felt the magic flow through her body, healing all of her minor injuries. She didn’t want to admit it to Twilight, at least, not right now, but she was hurt pretty bad. She saw a faint glow surround Fluttershy, and a moment later, she blinked her eyes open, and looked around, a little puzzled. The she spared a look around the tent, and saw Rainbow Dash – or, more accurately, the rainbow Rainbow Dash left behind, for she was already gone from the tent, making a new exit on the far side. Three pegaus’s were tumbling from the sky, but one of them – Scootaloo – neatly twisted around, caught himself at the last second, and zoomed along the ground inches above it. The other two, however, crashed onto a table about twenty feet away. She quickly galloped over to them, even as she noticed the shadow ponies were scattering and leaving them alone. When she reached them, she saw one of them was Wheat Chaff’s friend, Wind Blaster she thought his name was. The other she didn’t recognize. Wind Blaster was on the bottom, and the unknown Pegasus was on top of him. “Are you alright?” she asked. “Never better,” Wind Blaster said. “Mmm, this feels nice.” He wrapped his legs around the mare on top of him, and she giggled. Applejack looked at them in some surprise, and said, “Are you two drunk?” Wind Blaster just laughed, and the mare on top of him said, “Would I be flyin’ ‘round like that if I weren’t?” Applejack just shook her head.
