Fluttershy (Edited 11/2/2013)

Chapter 1 - Fluttershy

"Oh, oh no, I couldn't," a soft voice insisted as a prismatic-maned pegasus pressed a request.
"Aw c'mon Fluttershy! It'll be good for you! You've got to improve your flying!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The two had been on the subject of Fluttershy's weak flying since the cyan mare had met her yellow friend earlier that morning.
"B-b-but Rainbow Dash…" Fluttershy feebly protested, her friend beginning to become annoyed at the pink-maned pony's lack of determination. Ever since Rainbow Dash had won the Young Flier Competition, she had become more aware of her friends. She was perfectly content hanging around with Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie, but she became slightly irritable when she was with Fluttershy. The hermit was rarely seen in town, mostly being found at her cottage in the forest, and irregularly appearing in the market square, if only to get food for the multitude of animals that she watched over. Rainbow Dash often held herself high with her 'coolness', 'radicalism', and 'awesome factor', but Fluttershy was, in essence, the complete opposite.

Applejack was known throughout Ponyville for being honest and hard working, never being without her signature hat, her patience and her caring nature. Twilight Sparkle was known as the town's native egghead (at least, according to Dash), the unicorn with strong magical powers, the librarian, the organizer, and the somewhat oblivious. Rarity was known as the fashionista, the refined, the dressmaker, and the spa addict. Pinkie Pie, what was she known for? Summed up in one word, parties. Rainbow Dash had no issues being seen in public with those four ponies, but whenever she was with Fluttershy, she kept hearing voices in her head; other ponies gossiping about her.
Look at her, why is she hanging out with a loser?
No class at all.
What a foolish pony, associating with the helpless!
Thoughts and phrases that Rainbow Dash expected to hear in Canterlot plagued the back of her mind when seen with Fluttershy. She knew that she shouldn't be bothered by it, but being the tomboyish and energetic pony that she was, the cyan pegasus became increasingly annoyed at Fluttershy's weak performance.

"Fluttershy! You've got to keep trying! Do you know how many times I hear people talking about you in town? They're like, like… Well, forget about that. The point is that you've got to try!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, waving her hooves frantically in the air and startling some squirrels in a nearby tree. Acting on impulse, Fluttershy darted over to the squirrels' tree home and cooed them out, assuring them that everything was fine. Rainbow Dash could only sigh knowing that her attempt would be a lost cause.
"You know what, forget it. Just forget it Fluttershy," she huffed, turning around and zooming off before the yellow pegasus had a chance to speak. Rainbow Dash soared through the skies, soon resting on a cloud where nopony could see her, before flopping on her back, sighing in frustration. She was irked by Fluttershy's meek attitude and at herself for being so irritated by something so stupid as what other ponies thought of her. Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance as she tossed and turned on her soft pillow, trying to calm her mind before finally deciding she'd go and fly to Cloudsdale General to visit her mother.

Fluttershy trotted through town, her conversation with Rainbow Dash still pestering her. With all of her animal duties completed for the day, the pink-maned pony was contemplating what to do with the remainder of the day.
"Maybe I could visit Twilight, she could use a break from her studies… But then she'd be behind. Oh, I couldn't possibly do that," Fluttershy thought, turning to walk away from the library. The yellow mare continued to slowly trot through Ponyville, suddenly coming across the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three fillies were bouncing up and down with their usual energy and discussing odd ideas as to how they could obtain their Cutie Marks.
"Oh! Hey there Fluttershy!" Sweetie Belle greeted, spotting the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy smiled gently at the three foals.
"Hello, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom. How are you three today?" Fluttershy asked tentatively.
"We're doing just fine!” Apple Bloom responded.
“We're getting ready to go do sky diving so we can earn our Cutie Marks!" Scootaloo replied thunderously. After taking a moment to make sure she could still hear, Fluttershy smiled confusingly at the girls, then warned them to be careful before sending them on their way.

Continuing her wandering through town, Fluttershy soon bumped into an alabaster unicorn hurriedly leaving Carousel Boutique.
"Oh, hello Rarity. Are you free today? I mean, it's okay if you're not, but-" Fluttershy began before Rarity quickly turned to face her.
"Oh I'm so sorry, dear Fluttershy! I have just received a huge order from Canterlot and I simply MUST finish it on time!" Rarity apologized, weaving into the mass of bodies behind her. Fluttershy quickly lost Rarity in the sea of ponies, not getting a chance to respond. Sighing sorrowfully, Fluttershy checked Rarity and Twilight off of her mental list of ponies to spend the rest of the day with. Thinking about Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy remembered what happened on her last attempt at spending time with Pinkie Pie. Memories of a party cannon misfiring along with forks and knives being flung towards her flooded her mind. Shuddering in fearful anticipation, Fluttershy decided to check Pinkie Pie off the list as well. She loved Pinkie Pie to pieces, but sometimes she was just a little too much to handle.

"Oh! Applejack! I think she said that she wouldn't be busy today since Applebuck season is over," Fluttershy thought giddily. For some reason, she always felt comfortable around the farm girl; Applejack was, in the pegasus' mind, a more confident version of her. She was always patient with the timid mare, no matter what happened, best seen from the time her and her friends had been asked to force a dragon to leave a mountain. Recalling how Applejack took it upon herself to drag her around the entire structure without complaining a bit made Fluttershy smile and feel sorry for Applejack. She soon began to daydream of how she longed to be like her orange-maned friend, or even any of her friends. Pleased with the fact that she would have a friend to spend time with for the rest of the day, Fluttershy snapped out of her daydreams and cantered down to Sweet Apple Acres.

Meanwhile, in Cloudsdale General Hospital, Rainbow Dash had been catching up with her mother, the two ponies talking about each-other's lives. Since Fluttershy was the only other pony that Rainbow's mother knew well, the topic slowly drifted towards her.
"So, how's Fluttershy doing? Is she still shy as ever?" her mother asked. Dash was startled by the jarring question.
"Well, yeah. It's kind of irritating. I try to get her to do awesome things to build her confidence to more awesome levels, but she's too scared to do anything about it. I'm starting to think that it's a lost cause to even try," she sighed with frustration. However, what surprised the prismatic mare the most was that her mother's expression darkened momentarily.
"I see, so she's still not over that time…" her mother murmured.

"What? What happened?" Dash asked, morbidly curious about what happened to Fluttershy. Ever since she had met the timid pegasus in flight school, the speedy filly often protected her from bullies or anyone who was looking to pick on her. Rainbow Dash would often consider herself as Fluttershy's adopted sister.
"It's not my place to say, seeing as she's still a patient h-," Rainbow Dash's mother replied, quickly covering her mouth with her hooves after she cut herself off.
"Still... a patient? Mom! What happened to Fluttershy?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, now getting very irritated with her mother and worried about Fluttershy.
"I'm sorry, Dashie, I'm not allowed to reveal anything but basic information about our patients. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to work, I've taken a longer break than I should have," Rainbow Dash's mother mulled distraughtly, excusing herself before going back to work. And just like that, Dash was left fluttering in the air of the white hallways.

Alone.

"Still a patient… Past trauma... Shy and timid… Fluttershy, what happened to you, and why won't you tell me?" Rainbow Dash wondered aloud.

Fluttershy finally reached Sweet Apple Acres, the shy pony spotting Big Macintosh walking around the apple orchard. The red stallion spotted the yellow pegasus and waved at her.
"Oh, um, hello Big Macintosh, is Applejack here?" Fluttershy asked, smiling friendlily at the red stallion. Applejack aside, Big Macintosh was the Apple that she was most comfortable to be with. She had spent a few days with the Apples – more specifically, Big Macintosh. Fluttershy was trying to help out the Apple family by bucking the trees for the apples to fall out. Big Macintosh was assigned to help her seeing how Fluttershy could barely stir a branch with her kick. The two would later laugh about it when the moment arose. Banishing her memories from her mind, Fluttershy continued searching for Applejack.
"Nope," Big Macintosh replied, his usual one word responses.
"Huh? Uh, do you know where she is?" Fluttershy asked, Big Macintosh trying to think about the whereabouts of his sister.
"I think she went into town for ingredients for a pie," Big Macintosh replied, Fluttershy stunned that Big Macintosh spoke in a full sentence for once.

"Oh… So she's not free today?" Fluttershy asked sadly, Big Macintosh shook his head. Sighing, the mare turned to leave, telling Big Macintosh that, if Applejack came back and was free later, she'd be at Zecora's woodland hut.
"But... That's in the Everfree Forest..." Big Macintosh murmured, as he watched the pink-maned pegasus make her way into the Everfree Forest. Usually Fluttershy was scared witless of the nearby woods, despite living near them. However, she felt much more comfortable during the day. She had decided to go to Zecora's for a cup the zebra's tea to soothe her mind. Despite how uncomfortable she felt in the zebra's hut, she enjoyed her many exotic brews and the aroma of her house.

"Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out, bursting through the door of the library. The lavender mare looked up from a book she was reading on Star Swirl the Bearded.
"Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash. After the next volume of Daring Do?" Twilight asked, trotting over to the cyan pegasus.
"Nope, do you know any way I could, possibly, maybe, get some, uh, information about somepony?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously, the topic awkward for even somepony of her ego. The bookish unicorn looked at her friend curiously.
"What do you mean?" she asked, thinking deeply of all she knew about famous ponies throughout Equestrian history.
"It's not something you c-can find in a book per se… You see… I need information on... I need information on Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash stuttered, analyzing Twilight's face to see any changes.
"What exactly do you need information on?" Twilight asked, now suspicious about Rainbow Dash's intentions.

Hurriedly describing the conversation that she had had with her mother at the hospital, the lavender mare slowly began to comprehend what it was that Rainbow Dash was looking for.
"I see… I don't have any books on Fluttershy… but why are you asking me? I don't work at Ponyville General, I'm Princess Celestia's prize student, and am most certainly not a doctor, for pony's sake!" Twilight reminded the prismatic-maned pegasus angrily.
"Well, that's just it… I need help getting those files," she whispered. Twilight's eyes widened. She knew that Rainbow Dash could be reckless at times, but what she was suggesting in this case was simply idiotic.
"Are you suggesting we break into Cloudsdale Hospital?" the studious unicorn asked carefully. Rainbow Dash nodded, trying to persuade Twilight that the risk was worth it.
"So what d'ya say? Are you gonna help me, Twilight? Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" Rainbow Dash begged, eying her friend with her best smile. Twilight looked around the room, her eyes slowly gliding from one book to another before turning to face Rainbow Dash. Slowly, her lips curled into a smile before she spoke.

"No."
"What?!"
"No. It's illegal - it's breaking the law."
"But Twilight! What if something horrible happened to our Fluttershy! Shouldn't we find out what it was to make sure it doesn't happen again?"
"Well…"
"What if her family was murdered or something? She never talks about her parents at all! If that was the case, think about how she'd react during Mother's Day if somepony asks her about her mom!"
"Um…"
"Or what if she was abused as a filly? Think about it, could that be the reason why she lives in the forest and not in town?"
"Well… I…"
"Or what if she-"
"OKAY! I GET IT! I'LL HELP YOU!"

Rainbow Dash grinned widely, thanking Twilight profusely before rapidly leaving the library to discover if she could get her other friends to help her.

Fluttershy was wandering through the Everfree Forest with Zecora. The zebra had asked if she could help her search for an ingredient she needed for a potion the zebra was concocting.
"So we're looking for a Blue Leopard Root?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes glancing around the forest. Zecora responded with her usual mystic rhymes and word play whilst she too began looking around.
"And what exactly does this root do?" Fluttershy asked. Zecora smiled, about to explain the purpose of the herb before she suddenly spotted something in front of Fluttershy. Before she could warn Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus stepped on…
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't see it in front of me, oh I am sorry Zecora!" Fluttershy apologized, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Zecora smiled warmly at the innocence of the pony before her.
"Young one, you should not fret! For there are more roots that I could get!" she laughed. Fluttershy smiled and giggled softly at Zecora's statement.

"Come now, let us return! Back to my home before the tea burns! For you young one love the taste! Quick - hurry now, not much time to waste!" Zecora continued. The zebra often enjoyed Fluttershy's company, the timid pegasus often keeping her company or talking with her over tea. The two slowly turned to return to the Zecora's house before Fluttershy froze in her tracks as a cloaked shadowy figure emerged from the thick bushes.
"N-n-n-n-nooooooooooo!" she screamed, sprinting past the silhouette and retreating into Zecora's house.
"Halt there! How do you fair? Why did you cause Fluttershy, to become upset and cry? Did you hurt her in the past? This shall be your last!" Zecora yelled, assuming an aggressive stance. The shadowy pony remained silent, suddenly vanishing into thin air. Confused and worried, Zecora rushed back to her home where she found a frightened Fluttershy hiding beneath a pile of her masks. Sighing with a soft smile, Zecora began coaxing Fluttershy from her hiding place before the yellow Pegasus eventually came out.
"Hehehe… Sorry."

Time passed rapidly, and night soon fell over Ponyville. Fluttershy realized that she may have slightly overstayed her visit at Zecora's and was about to leave before the zebra offered that the pegasus stay the night. After assuring her that 'it was no problem at all', the yellow mare agreed to spend the night at the zebra's house. An hour passed by and Zecora had fallen asleep, her mind drifting to memories of her homeland.
"Oh… I wasted her time today by stepping on that root… I should find a way to make it up to her. I know! I'll go and find one of those roots!" Fluttershy excitedly whispered. Glancing over at the page describing how to identify the root, she equipped her saddlebag and silently left Zecora's house, leaving nothing but a note explaining her whereabouts.

Rainbow Dash had just left Carousel Boutique after finally obtaining the alabaster unicorn's allegiance. Unbeknownst to most ponies, Rarity had a huge soft spot for her friends. Rainbow Dash recollected her talk with Rarity: 'If anypony harms dear Fluttershy or of course any of you, I'll see to it that they're castrated, then burned, then nailed to a tree whilst said tree sails down a river and over a waterfall, then aligns with a sawmill to split the b**** in half while their entire family watches!' Dash wasn't sure if the unicorn was bluffing, but then again, it was Rarity… the rainbow-maned pegasus was sure that Rarity would do the same if somepony burned down her store. Rarity had offered that the speed demon spend the night at her boutique until morning, but Rainbow had to decline knowing that she had to watch over Tank, her pet tortoise. Soaring through the sky and into her cloud mansion, she spotted a tuft of pink hair bobbing into the Everfree Forest.

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash wondered, the cyan pegasus silently floating above her friend as she entered the forest. It was miraculous that the shy and timid Fluttershy would even think of entering the Everfree Forest, yet alone during the night.
"What's she up to?" she pondered, watching her friend wander through the thick shrubbery and eventually stop at a bog. She saw the yellow pegasus look at a piece of paper before cautiously walking through the mud, her hooves getting stuck now and then.
"She's getting braver… I guess I can leave her on her own for now," Rainbow Dash thought aloud, turning about and racing back to her fluffy cloud home.

Fluttershy was slowly having a more difficult time lifting her hooves as the mud sucked them down. It was as if it had performed the act many times before in an attempt to claim the lives of other innocent ponies.
"Um… according to Zecora's book… the root is supposed to be, uh, somewhere in a swampy area…" she murmured, lifting her front hoof. However, somewhere in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie was shivering uncontrollably. The party pony's eyes went wide, the sudden shivering something she was not used to as a sign. Without hesitation, she ran out of Sugarcube Corner to gather her friends.

Fluttershy found herself getting stuck in the mud, her struggling causing her to sink deeper until she couldn't even move her hooves.
"Oh, oh no…" she sighed sadly. Before she even had a chance to attempt to think of a solution, Fluttershy felt scales beneath her hooves. With no warning, the head of a hydra erupted from the mud, it's loud roar awakening Zecora from her slumber. The zebra glanced around her house, searching for the pink-maned pegasus. Her eyes suddenly locked onto the note that Fluttershy had left behind.
"The fool!" she gasped, running out of her house to search for Fluttershy. Said pony was still stuck in place, the hydra's head but three feet away from her own face. Three more heads abruptly appeared from the mud, all of them roaring their terrible roar. By this point, Fluttershy was quivering in fear, and the hydra was looking at her and licking its lips.

"Oh no… oh no, oh no, oh no," Fluttershy stuttered. As the hydra began to open its mouth in order to take a bite out of the timid pony, Zecora's chants began to echo from the gloom. The hydra's heads spun around, searching for the origin of the voice before its eyes widened and it shrunk back into the mud. Fluttershy glanced around for Zecora before spotting the zebra wearing a mask and holding a vial of potion. Waving with her wings, she noticed the zebra and promptly made her way to the bank of the mud lake.
"I found you my child; what luck! But it appears that you are unfortunately stuck!" Zecora exclaimed, attempting to assess Fluttershy's situation.
"Try not to move for they roam in packs! And your motions are sure to cause them to attack!" Zecora called out.
"What? Attacks? Where?" Fluttershy replied, her body starting to violently shake in fear.
"Timberwolves," Zecora whispered, the sudden howling of the creatures scaring Fluttershy senseless. In her panic, she began to flap her wings rapidly, slowly lifting herself out of the mud.

Despite her efforts, she was rising far too slowly. Thinking of Angel Bunny and her other animals waiting for her to return to her cottage, she began to flap her wings even harder, increasing her wingpower tenfold. She soon found herself rising out of the mud, although mud was still attached to her hooves. Due to her panicking, she hadn't noticed Zecora's warning not to panic. Fluttershy rapidly continued to beat her wings, her hooves suddenly breaking free of the swamp and sending the pegasus soaring through the air towards Ponyville. Unfortunately for her, the mud splashed onto her wings, rendering her flightless. As she sailed through the air, she did the only thing she could think of: scream.

"Ok, so you're 100% sure that this violent shivering is something that you haven't experienced before?" Twilight asked a concerned Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie had gathered only Twilight and Rarity, as Applejack's farm was too far to go to and she assumed that Rainbow Dash was fast asleep. Twilight had quickly welcomed Pinkie Pie and Rarity into the library, no longer doubting Pinkie Pie's predictions.
"I'm sure! This is completely new to me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her shivering increasing greatly and sending the party pony bouncing across the floor like a jackhammer.
"What does that mean? It's gotten more intense!" Twilight asked, now worried.
"I think it means that whatever's in danger is getting closer!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Before anyone could ask another question, Fluttershy's scream penetrated their ears before a loud crash sounded throughout the town. By now, Pinkie Pie had stopped shaking, her eyes widening with realization and fear, and her hair flopping downwards.
"It was Fluttershy!" she gasped.

All the ponies of Ponyville had left their homes, wandering into the central square. Each one of them had been awoken by the scream that streaked through the sky before the loud crash echoed throughout the streets of Ponyville. Mayor Mare, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack pushed their way to the front of the commotion. A circle had formed around an impact crater.
"What is the cause of all this commotion?!" the mayor exclaimed, glaring around, obviously upset about being woken up in the middle of the night.
"Sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, leaping into the dusty crater, vanishing into the cloud of thick dust.
"Applejack!?" Rarity called, trying to see through the smoke. A few of the local pegasi began to beat their wings, ripping the dust cloud apart. While there was a thin layer of dust still lingering in the air, the ponies could make out two figures – Applejack, and somepony else.

"What in tarnation are ya'll doin' up there?! Help me! Fluttershy's got a broken wing an' she's bleeding real bad!" Applejack's voice pierced the dust as Twilight and Pinkie rushed in to help. The three ponies soon exited the dust cloud, the citizens of Ponyville gasping at the local caretaker's condition. Fluttershy's right wing was crushed while her left legs were obviously broken. Cuts and bruises were scattered all over her body whilst her bag was ripped and almost completely covered in mud stains. More mud discolored her mane and tail.
"Hold on sugarcube, we're outta he- Wait a darn second, what's that?" Applejack asked, motioning towards something sticking out of Fluttershy's barely existing bag. Twilight pulled out what appeared to be some kind of root, the movement of the item stirring Fluttershy slightly. When the yellow pegasus spotted the floating object, she could only whimper softly and weakly lift her hoof.
"Give it… Zecora…" she gasped before passing out.
"Th-there, there, sugarcube. We're gonna g-get ya f-fixed up lickety split," Applejack assured, worry laced in her voice as Fluttershy was lain across her back like a towel.
"Twi, go give this here herb to Zecora, an' Rarity, you come with me," Applejack ordered. Twilight was surprised that Applejack was assuming authority for once, then remembered that she works on a farm and has to be in charge there too. Leaving a gentle kiss on Fluttershy's forehead, Twilight took the root and dashed off towards the Everfree Forest.
"The rest of ya'll, git outta my way!" Applejack yelled as she and Rarity charged through the crowd, making their way towards Ponyville General Hospital.

Twilight cantered through the Everfree Forest, hunting for the mysterious zebra. She quickly found her home and rushed in, finding the zebra pacing back and forth with a worried expression plastered on her face.
“Uh... Zecora! Fluttershy wanted me to give this to you," Twilight said, holding out the strange root she had retrieved from Fluttershy's saddlebag. Zecora's eyes widened and soon began to water up.
"Blue Leopard Root…" she whimpered softly, suddenly hugging Twilight.
"Whoa! Calm down, tell me what happened," Twilight exclaimed, gently prying the zebra's strong grip from her. Taking a deep breath, she told Twilight about her encounter with Fluttershy earlier that day. Twilight listened carefully and attempted to figure out a way to gently break the news of Fluttershy's fate to Zecora. As everypony knew, the pegasus was practically her sister - she'd help her out around the house, go on herb hunts with her and even learn some of Zecora's potion recipes.

"Okay… well… Fluttershy is being... checked into a hospital," Twilight carefully said, watching for Zecora's reaction. The zebra remained calm, her eyes fixated on the lavender unicorn's mouth as she spoke.
"Aaaand… she's badly injured. With two broken legs," Twilight continued, noticing Zecora's eye twitch.
"A broken wing, and possible internal damage," Twilight finished, seeing Zecora begin to sweat and shake.
"Oh no! This deep tragedy is so sad! She did it for me, and now I feel bad!" Zecora cried softly. Twilight did her best to comfort the zebra, asking if she wanted to accompany her to the Ponyville General Hospital. She nodded vigorously and the two took off, dashing down the dirt track towards the brightly lit hospital.

Rainbow Dash had heard all the commotion occurring below her cloud home, though couldn't be bothered to get up and see what was happening. She did hear screaming and yelling but simply dismissed it as some minor dispute between two ponies over something ridiculous.
"Just… Rragh! I'm tired and I wanna sleep," she moaned, blocking her ears with bits of cloud before drifting off to sleep on her bed.

"Is she gon' be okay, doc?" Applejack asked, worried about Fluttershy's status. The doctor continued to stare at his clipboard, his brow beginning to drip with sweat.
"Well, doctor? What in Equestria is the matter? Is she going to be alright or not?" Rarity exclaimed, not even bothering to cover up her worry for her friend.
"Well girls, I have the results right here…" the doctor announced, Twilight and Zecora barging into the room just as he explained Fluttershy's situation.
"She's in a coma."

Watchful Eye (Edited 11/5/2013)

Chapter 2 - Watchful Eye

Well girls, I have the results right here. She's in a coma.
The doctor's words rang through Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Zecora's minds. Fluttershy? Their innocent, shy, timid little Fluttershy? In a coma? No, this had to be a dream. That was, at least, what they all hoped and tried to believe.
"I understand that this must be hard for you all to accept but I do have some good news," the doctor continued, his eyes skimming over his clipboard of illegible writings and scribbles. The four mares stiffened as the doctor checked his clipboard for the third time before facing them.
"If all goes well, Fluttershy here should be up and about like normal within two weeks. Now don't worry, we've got our best staff working on her. I, as your pink friend would say, Pinkie Swear. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey- AGH!" the doctor exclaimed, poking himself in the eye with his hoof.

"So she'll be alright, doc?" Applejack asked. A minute passed and the doctor did not reply.
"Uh, hello?" Twilight asked cautiously, her eyes scanning the doctor to see if he was trembling or just standing really still.
"Twilight, dear, why isn't that clock moving?" Rarity questioned quietly, pointing up at the large round clock that hung over Fluttershy's bed. Sure enough, the hands had stopped moving, completely frozen in place.
"It's probably just a dead battery or something," Twilight assured, walking over to the clock to try and check the batteries.
“Eh... Ya'll may wanna see this," Applejack's voice trembled softly as she waved a hoof towards the other three mares whilst standing out in the checkered hallway. Poking their heads out, they all gasped; everything was frozen in place.
"Land sakes! What in tarnation is goin' on here?!" Applejack exclaimed, waving her hoof up and down in front of a passing by nurse.

"They're completely frozen… but what magic is this?" Twilight wondered aloud. The sound of hooves softly approaching down the hallway drew the foursome's attention towards a pair of double doors. Slowly, the doors were pushed aside to reveal a shadowed pony, it's head covered with a black hood and it's mane hidden from sight. The hood was attached to what appeared to be black cloak which covered most of the pony's body and tail. Despite this pony being the very same that Zecora and Fluttershy had encountered in the Everfree Forest, the zebra decided to remain quiet. The pony walked past the four girls and stepped into Fluttershy's room. Walking over to the unconscious mare, a visible tear slowly slipped down the pony's face as a hoof caressed Fluttershy's cheek.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry… For everything…" a husky voice floated from the shadows of the veil before something shiny was placed on Fluttershy's chest. Turning around, the pony met the stares of the four girls. Calmly, the pony walked past them, turning to Twilight only at the last second.
"She'll be awake within the next hour or two. When she regains consciousness, make sure she sees what I left and let her know that... That I was here," the pony said before slowly disintegrating into a pile of ash. Before Twilight or the others could ask who the pony was, time resumed its normal flow, doctors and nurses busily galloping from room to room. Twilight turned towards the others, and they all made their way to Fluttershy's side. And all were staring at the object that was lain on her chest: an oddly shaped iron pendant.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Rainbow finally awoke from her slumber, mostly due to the constant shouts from Pinkie Pie.
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Wake up! This is super luper duper important!" the party pony yelled, her voice full of worry. Normally Rainbow Dash would just stuff her ears with some clouds to block out Pinkie Pie but upon hearing the worry in the pink pony's voice, Rainbow Dash knew something was wrong. Quickly rolling off the cloud, the cyan pegasus floated in the air before Pinkie Pie.
"What? What's wrong? Is there a tornado? Another dragon that we need to kick out?" the cyan pegasus asked, eager for some action. The next sentence Pinkie Pie spoke nearly caused the action loving pegasus to shut down completely.
"Fluttershy has been hospitapitapit- put in hospital!"

--------------------XXX--------------------

"What do ya'll reckon it means?" Applejack asked. Twilight and Zecora had been looking over the necklace that the mysterious pony had left on Fluttershy's chest. It was an iron pendant in the shape of a head. The once proudly shining metal had deteriorated and was in a rustic state, while the 'eye' of the pony remained a sweet lavender color. Across the eye appeared to be an cross that was etched in violently and roughly by some sort of item, the grooves filled in with what appeared to be a dark red paint.
"I don't know, I've never seen this symbol before. For all I know, it could simply be something that that pony picked up at a shop or something," Twilight sighed, her mind finally admitting defeat. Zecora nodded in agreement, the potion creator knowing nothing of the symbol whatsoever.

"Ya'll think it could be some sorta prank or what?" Applejack asked, shifting worriedly in place while Twilight and Zecora continued to think.
"That's highly improbable. Didn't you see what happened to the doctors and nurses? They froze completely in place, like time had come to a halt suddenly," Twilight reminded, Rarity nodding in agreement. Before Rarity could agree, however, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came barreling in through the door, nearly trampling said unicorn in the process.
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted, cantering over to her friend's side. Searching for a pulse, she was reassured to find out that her friend was at least alive, but still remained in the dark on what Fluttershy's condition was. Zecora hurriedly explained the events that had led up to Fluttershy's current state. She did not, however, mention the strange pony that came into the room. Pinkie was quivering, worried sick for her dear friend.

A soft cough suddenly brought deafening silence to the room. Another cough. And then another. Soon Fluttershy's eyes began to open, blinking quickly as she tried to adjust to the light that brightly shone down upon her.
"Wha… what happened?" the timid pegasus whimpered softly.
"Oh my child, what a relief! It is good to see that your sleep was brief!" Zecora sighed, hugging the mare before excusing herself. Twilight slowly approached Fluttershy with the pendant in hoof. Gently placing it down before Fluttershy, she asked a simple question.
"Do you know what this means?"

Fluttershy's eyes widened and her body began to tense and shiver. She shut her eyes, so tight that tears slowly began to form in the corners. Twilight wanted to stop but she just couldn't let the issue lay at rest until she had answers.
"A pony covered in a cloak and hood came in. It told me to tell you, "I was here,". Does that ring a bell?" Twilight asked calmly. By now Fluttershy was nearing her breaking point as memories began slamming into her mind left and right. She could hear the teasing from flight school, the laughing from other fillies and colts at her timid nature, and worse, she could remember THOSE times.
"Fluttershy, I just want to-" Twilight began before the unbelievable happened.
SMACK!
Twilight stood frozen in place, her head turned to the side while a light red hoof mark began to appear on her cheek: Fluttershy had slapped her.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" the frightened mare screamed, tears gushing from her eyes while she slowly began to curl up into a ball. Twilight was still stunned by the sudden slap that Rarity had to quickly take over and began to stroke the sobbing mare's mane while gently singing a lullaby to calm her.

Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed
Drifting, off to sleep
Exciting day behind you
Drifting, off to sleep
Let the joy of dreamland find you

The white unicorn continued to sing gently while stroking Fluttershy's mane until the sobbing pegasus slowly calmed down and drifted off to sleep. Turning to Twilight, Rarity motioned for her to step into the hallway with her. At first, Twilight didn't understand what Rarity wanted until the sophisticated unicorn flat out spoke:
"Outside, I need to talk to you."

As soon as the two ponies were outside, Rarity closed the door and turned to Twilight before tears slowly began to leak from her eyes.
"Oh Celestia, I can't believe I'm about to do this…" Rarity whimpered, distress evident in her voice.
"Do what?" Twilight asked, curious and afraid of what the fashionista was about to do. Rarity took a deep breath before regaining her composure. She exhaled slowly and faced the curious and slightly scared unicorn before speaking.
"I'm about to break a Pinkie Promise."

--------------------XXX--------------------

It had been two days since Fluttershy was released from the hospital, and the shy mare had taken refuge in her cottage. She cared for her animals in the morning before going upstairs and lying in bed for the rest of the day. Even Angel Bunny was starting to grow worried about his owner's state of mind and heart, so worried that one day he snuck out during the middle of the night to find Twilight. The studious mare's attention was ripped away from the pages of her book by rapid thumping on the door.
"Who could that be?" she wondered curiously, trotting over to the door to reveal the small bunny.
"Angel! What are you doing here?! Does Fluttershy know that you're gone?" Twilight exclaimed, worried now. He soon began to wave his paws in front of him, trying to communicate with the confused lavender unicorn. Twilight sighed mentally, knowing she would be here a while…

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Good morning, my friends," Fluttershy whispered softly, her voice void of emotion and life as she slowly descended the stairs. She was greeted by the concerned glances of the furry woodland critters that inhabited her cottage. Slowly, she made her way to the kitchen and brought out everyones respective food. Only then did she realize that Angel wasn't present. Worry suddenly shot through Fluttershy, the mare making a dash for her door, throwing it open before suddenly freezing. The eating animals stopped, their eyes now fixed on the yellow pegasus who was now shaking violently.
"I… I… I… I'm sorry Angel… I can't go out… Not when… They're out there… especially when he's still out there…" Fluttershy cried, slowly closing the door before retreating to her bed where she began to sob uncontrollably.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Now wait just one minute, are you saying that our Fluttershy is depressed?!" Rarity exclaimed. After the events that had occurred the previous night, Twilight had called for a meeting with all her friends (minus Fluttershy) to discuss what Angel Bunny had told her, the white rabbit sleeping soundly in her bed.
"According to Angel, she rarely leaves her cottage, not even for food. She's lethargic, terrified of the outside world, and petrified by moving shadowy figures. And it all happened when she brought that pendant inside her house," Twilight replied, "so no, this isn't depression - something else has frightened Fluttershy, and we need to find out what." The other ponies nodded in agreement.
"Couldn't we just toss that pendant out?" Applejack asked, not seeing why such a simple solution as that couldn't solve the problem.
"Angel told me that he tried that before but it made Fluttershy's reactions even worse so he brought it back," Twilight replied.

"I've searched through hundreds of books for that pendant's meaning but couldn't find anything. That leads me to a simple conclusion," Twilight spoke, all eyes falling on the lavender unicorn.
"That pendant must hold some sort of traumatic past experience for Fluttershy," she stated, the other ponies nodding in agreement.
"So what you're saying is that some punk is out to hurt Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash growled angrily. She had stuck by with Fluttershy through flight school, protecting the timid mare as if she were her own sister.
"I'm not saying that, but there's something about that pendant that holds traumatic memories for Fluttershy. We just need to coax the information out of her," Twilight replied, trying to calm Rainbow Dash.

"Well what do you think we should do then?" Pinkie asked. Twilight shrugged, as she was completely out of ideas or knowledge on how to handle the situation.
"I reckon we go about our daily lives… Ya know, let Fluttershy handle this," Applejack replied.
"How can you say that?! She's our friend!" Rainbow Dash yelled in response.
"I think what Applejack is trying to say is that we go on with our lives for now but observe Fluttershy as we do so," Rarity said, sensing tension between the farm girl and the daredevil. Applejack sighed sadly before promptly leaving, giving a quick goodbye to her friends before trotting back to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash could only glare at the farm girl as she left, huffing before turning her attention back to issue at hand.
"Well, what are we gonna do? Fluttershy isn't gonna get better on her own!" Rainbow Dash shouted in annoyance, clearly frustrated at her friends' lack of ideas.

"First thing's first, we have to figure out what that pendant means," Twilight said, Rainbow Dash looking at her friend before grabbing the lavender unicorn by the hooves and shaking her around.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE, THIS IS NO TIME FOR SOME CELESTIA-DAMNED RESEARCH PROJECT!" the cyan pegasus exclaimed, releasing Twilight as Rarity and Pinkie Pie attempted to pull her off. Still angry, Rainbow Dash flew out of the library, headed straight for Cloudsdale to some answers from her mother about what happened to Fluttershy in the past. Twilight only sighed as she watched the prismatic blur zoom into the distance.
"Spike, take a letter please. I think it's time we informed the Princess about this."

--------------------XXX--------------------

"MOM! I NEED TO KNOW!" Rainbow Dash yelled, she had confronted her mother in the parking lot, spotting the mare trying to leave the hospital quickly.
"Dashie, you know I can-" Rainbow Dash's mother began before she found herself pinned against the hospital wall.
"FLUTTERSHY WAS HOSPITALIZED A FEW DAYS AGO, AND NOW SHE'S DEPRESSED. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER SO I CAN HELP!" Rainbow Dash screamed, tears threatening to break from her eyes. Her mother sighed.
"Dashie, you know I can't tell you anything. Besides, we have some of the top therapists and psychologists in all of Equestria coming to help her," the irritated mare replied. Rainbow Dash could only glare at her mother before letting her go, spitting at her hooves before speaking.
"You know… those therapists? They're crap, all of them. Sure they can help ponies out once in a while, but sometimes it takes a friend to help a friend," Rainbow Dash scowled before flying back to Ponyville. Her mother could only stand there and absorb what her own daughter had said before slowly trotting away.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Fluttershy? Sugarcube? Hon', I know you're in there," Applejack sighed, knocking on the cottage door. Slowly, the door creaked open, a pillar of light striking the yellow mare's face as she peered out at her friend.
"Yes?" Fluttershy asked, a slight tremble in her voice that did not go unnoticed by the sharp farm girl.
"Sugarcube, can I come in? We need to talk," Applejack asked, trying to put on a friendly smile despite her immense worry. Fluttershy nodded, allowing the earth pony to step into her warm cottage before shutting the door behind her. Applejack took a minute to absorb the scenery of the interior, squirrels and bunnies ran across the floor playing with each other whilst birds chirped in the air as they flew freely throughout the house. Fluttershy allowed a blue-jay to land on her mane and sing it's sweet song before flying off.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Fluttershy asked, curious about why Applejack decided to visit.

"Look, 'Shy, we're worried about you. Nopony has seen you in days!" Applejack replied, as Fluttershy suddenly found her front hooves rather interesting to look at.
"I c-can't go out there… He's here…" Fluttershy whimpered softly, shivering as she did so. Applejack frowned slightly before pulling Fluttershy into a hug, the yellow mare wrapping her hooves around Applejack before sobbing softly.
"There, there sugar, just let it all out," Applejack whispered softly, stroking Fluttershy's mane while the pegasus cried. A minute soon passed and Fluttershy seemed to have calmed down. Breaking the embrace, Fluttershy motioned for her to come upstairs to her room. Following, Applejack slowly climbed the wooden stairs, her hooves clip-clopping softly. There she found Fluttershy, sitting on her bed, staring out of her window into the clouds.

"Hon'?" Applejack spoke softly.
"It's been five years…" Fluttershy spoke, her voice so soft it barely registered as a whisper. Applejack slowly made her way to the pink-maned pegasus before sitting down next to her. She took off her hat and placed it behind her before turning to Fluttershy.
"Five years since what?" Applejack asked cautiously, unsure of how touchy Fluttershy was on this subject. Fluttershy remained silent, her eyes still fixed on the clouds outside.
"Sugarcube, five years since what?" Applejack asked again, still being careful and attempting to keep her voice calm and steady. The pegasus turned to Applejack, a soft smile on her face and tears leaking from her eyes before she spoke.
"Since I ran into the Stalkers."

--------------------XXX--------------------

My faithful student Twilight,

The emblem that you claim to have seen belongs to an old organization that goes by the name STALKERS. The group's origins date back all the way to the founding of Equestria and before my reign. All that is known to the Canterlot records is the aliases of three ponies in the organization, all of them dead now since time has passed: Iron Hoof, Dragon Scale, and Hydra. The reason you do not have any information on the group is because their work is so covert and professionally covered up, that there are little to no books at all written on them. While this may not help you, there was (according to the archive scrolls) a rumor within Canterlot that there once were books written on them - but they assassinated the authors and burned them. Whatever connection that Element of Kindness Fluttershy has with them is most likely not good. The fact that one of the visited her in person probably means she has dealt with them in the past. Please send her to Canterlot immediately, I wish to ask her some questions regarding her connections and affiliations with the organization. I can only hope that Fluttershy will be safe. You and the other Elements may join her for I believe that the rest of you have a right to know about what is occurring.

Her Royal Highness,

Princess Celestia of Equestria,
Ordo Equitum Solis

"That's the letter," Spike reported, taking back the scroll before filing it away with the other scrolls that Princess Celestia had sent to Twilight.
"We can't refuse the Princess' orders. Spike, take care of the library while we're gone," Twilight ordered, the small purple dragon saluting before scurrying off to finish the rest of his chores. Twilight began to pack her saddlebags before trotting out the door and making her way to Carousel Boutique.

--------------------XXX--------------------

A shadowy figure slipped out of sight, perched on the rooftops as the lavender unicorn trotted out of the library.
"Interesting," the pony muttered before silently leaving to it's next target.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Bring Fluttershy to Canterlot? Good heavens! Whatever for?" Rarity gasped, beginning to pack her own saddlebags. Twilight quickly informed Rarity of the contents of Celestia's letter. Rarity bit her lip, her mind imagining what kind of trouble or situation Fluttershy was in before Sweetie Belle gently poked her hind leg.
"Is Fluttershy alright?" the filly asked, concern in her eyes and voice. Rarity threw a glance to Twilight who subtly shrugged back. Putting on a reassuring smile, Rarity turned back to her little sister.
"My dear, Fluttershy is quite alright, she's just having a little problem trying to deal with an issue that came up a few days ago," Rarity assured, her words seeming to calm Sweetie Belle down before the filly trotted off to her room. Turning to Twilight, Rarity nodded.
"Alright. For Fluttershy."

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Done!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bursting out of Sugarcube Corner. Twilight and Rarity only stared back at the pink pony with her saddlebags already packed and prepared.
"How do you do that?" Twilight asked, still amazed at Pinkie Pie's ability to predict the future and even prepare for it.
"I just do! Now let's go get Applejack!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, the trio galloping off the Sweet Apple Acres.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Thanks for listening…" Fluttershy whimpered, wiping a few tears away from her eyes as she led the farmer down the stairs towards the door.
"Don't think nothin' of it sugarcube. I'm worried about ya. We all are," Applejack assured, giving Fluttershy a quick peck on the forehead before turning and slowly trotting out the door.
"I'll see you around, 'Shy!" Applejack yelled, soon breaking into a full-on sprint. Fluttershy softly smiled before turning around to hear an all too familiar voice.
"It's been a long time, Fluttershy."

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Howdy, ya'll! Where are ya' galloping off to?" Applejack greeted, finding her friends talking to Big Macintosh as she returned to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight quickly filled Applejack on the situation, the orange pony's eyes widening before nodding in agreement to come along, though for her own reasons.
"Poor 'Shy, I hope she'll be alright," Applejack thought, Apple Bloom dropping two bottles of apple cider into her saddlebags before waving goodbye to her big sister.
"Who's left? Hmpf, Rainbow Dash…" Twilight sighed, knowing how protective the cyan pegasus was over Fluttershy.
"Well, we might as well get this over with now," Twilight relented, the four ponies making their way to Rainbow's cloud palace.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Rainbow Dash was sitting in her sitting room, looking through an old album. Inside were pictures of her as a filly, playing and laughing with her parents. As Rainbow Dash went further into the album, a small shy yellow pegasus soon began to appear frequently, often playing with Rainbow Dash. A slow smile crept up along Rainbow Dash's face, but suddenly a small wet spot appeared on the picture. Rainbow Dash slowly lifted a hoof to her face, feeling tears slowly dripping from her eyes. Glancing back down at the pictures of her and Fluttershy together, Rainbow Dash began to cry.
"Oh Fluttershy…" she sobbed softly, her crying cut short by Pinkie Pie's voice and the blast of the party cannon. Slowly dragging herself to the edge of her cloud, the cyan pegasus peered over the edge, finding Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack all looking up at her.

"Rainbow! Pack a pair of saddlebags! We've got to get Fluttershy to Canterlot, orders from Princess Celestia!" Twilight yelled, Rainbow nodding before turning around to pack up some food and items. Before leaving, Rainbow stopped, her eyes locking onto the album she was looking through. She quickly grabbed a picture and flew down to her friends.
"What took ya so long?" Applejack asked, curious as to why Rainbow Dash was slower than usual.
"Oh you know, just wanted to make sure I have everything," Rainbow Dash lied. Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash suspiciously before shrugging it off and galloping with the rest of her friends to Fluttershy's cottage. Glancing over her shoulder at her saddlebags, she remembered the last thing she had packed before leaving: A picture of Fluttershy and her sleeping together.

ShadowHawks (Edited 11/7/2013)

Chapter 3 - ShadowHawk

"Stop! Let me go! Somepony! Help me!" Fluttershy screamed. The shadowy pony had grabbed her and was holding her down. Fluttershy tried screaming and kicking but to no avail - the other pony was simply too strong.
"Fluttershy! Shut up and let me talk!" the pony roared suddenly. Fluttershy instantly grew silent and her eyes began to water as she visibly shook with fear. The pony slowly got off Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus being left on the ground. Removing the dark hood, the stallion allowed his long black mane to fall down next to his light gray body. His emerald eyes met Fluttershy's and he began to talk.
"It's me… Kozak the unicorn. Remember? I saved you from some timberwolves a few years ago," the pony asked. Fluttershy stopped shaking momentarily to try and recall whatever event Kozak was trying to remind her of. Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she slowly rose to her hooves.
"Kozak? Kozak? As in, Kozak the Shadow?" Fluttershy asked softly. Kozak sighed and nodded as he slowly approached Fluttershy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should've recognized that pendant sooner. It's been so long that I can barely remember a thing," Fluttershy lied, making her way towards the kitchen to brew some tea. Truth be told, she was still frightened of Kozak, despite the fact that the pony had shown her compassion and sympathy in their past encounter, almost entirely due to the unicorn's profession. Kozak followed, sitting down in one of the many wooden chairs.
"It really has… How has life in Ponyville been treating you?" Kozak asked, closing his eyes and resting momentarily before a plate was hurled at his head, the disc shatter upon impact. Looking down, Kozak spotted a white bunny with an angry look on its face.
"ANGEL!" Fluttershy screamed. The white rabbit froze in fear.
"THAT WAS INCREDIBLY RUDE! APOLOGIZE NOW!" Fluttershy yelled, giving her pet the Stare before pointing at Kozak. Angel hopped over and gave Kozak his sad eyes before Kozak patted the bunny on the head.
"It's fine Fluttershy, I've had worse, remember?" Kozak sighed, suddenly falling asleep on the table. Fluttershy looked at the stallion who had fallen asleep in a beam of sunlight that shone through her stained glass window. She smiled gently before placing a blanket over Kozak's shoulders.

A knock at the door tore Fluttershy's attention away from her guest just in time for him to slip away through one of the kitchen windows. Understanding that Kozak preferred to be unseen, Fluttershy trotted over to her door, gently opening it to find her friends staring at her.
"Um… is something the matter?" Fluttershy asked, slightly nervous by the gaze that Twilight was giving her.
"Uh… is this about the slapping thing? I'm sorry Twilight… I didn't mean to," Fluttershy apologized, the gazes of her friends not leaving her for a second. The shy mare was starting to get uncomfortable before the door suddenly slammed shut and locked. A shrill scream echoed through the house.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash yelled, trying to ram the door down only to be flung back by some sort of magical force field. Twilight tried her hoof at it with her own magic but alas her attempt was in vain. The ponies could hear Fluttershy's screams from inside along with the sounds of things breaking and being smashed to bits.
"Hold on Shy! We're doin' our best!" Applejack yelled, bucking the door with all her might and receiving the same results as Rainbow Dash.
"Move it!" a gruff voice yelled. Eyes fell backwards as Kozak was charging a spell with his horn. Soon a black orb crackling with purple electricity formed before Kozak. With a loud roar, the stallion hurled the ball towards the door, smashing it down. The other ponies quickly rushed inside, searching for the source of harm but found nothing.

The inside of Fluttershy's cottage looked like a natural disaster had ripped through. Her couch was flipped over, pictures were broken, tables and chairs laid in pieces on the floor while shards of glass added a painful glitter to the already destructive scene. To the yellow pegasus's friends horror, blood was also present, the black liquid oozing down the wooden walls or splattered on the floor and staining glass.
"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash yelled, quickly zooming upstairs to search for her friend. Twilight and Rarity began using their magic to turn over furniture or move the debris while Pinkie Pie and Applejack continued searching the rest of the cottage.
"Guys! I found her!" Applejack yelled, her voice echoing from the darkness of Fluttershy's cellar.

Flocking down to the cold lower level, the other ponies searched for Applejack in the darkness. Unable to see, Twilight and Rarity began using their magic as a makeshift lantern to guide the other ponies. To everypony's surprise, Fluttershy's cellar was massive, though the majority of it being used to store food for her animal friends along with medical supplies.
"Shy!" Rainbow Dash yelled, her eyes darting around what limited visibility she had.
"Over here ya'll! Hurry! I can't see a darn thing in front of me!" Applejack hollered, the sound of her hooves clopping against the tiled floor. Twilight strained her magic, trying to increase the overall radius of light her horn was emitting, but to no avail, the cellar seemed to have some sort of magic suppressant.
"Why does her cellar make me strain to use magic? That can't be Fluttershy's doing… unless…" Twilight wondered before images of the pony who broke down the door flashed through her mind.

"Twilight! I found them!" Rarity yelled, snapping the lavender unicorn out of her thoughts. Rarity had found Applejack and Fluttershy in a corner, the orange farm girl holding the yellow pegasus close while gently singing to calm the frightened mare. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie quickly ran over, Rainbow Dash glaring through the darkness in case anything or anypony else tried to harm Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was also guarding Fluttershy, though she decided to take it a step further by bringing out her party cannon and threatening to blast anypony who tried to deal further damage. Rarity and Twilight galloped towards their friends, Rarity gently pulling Applejack aside while Twilight assessed Fluttershy's injuries.

"Her right wing is broken, there's shards of glass embedded into her body, it looks like she sprained her back left hoof, her right front hoof is obviously broken!" Twilight gasped. Rainbow Dash turned, worry and hurt in her magenta eyes as they fell upon the whimpering yellow pegasus. Twilight continued to examine Fluttershy's injuries, now using her magic to determine whether or not her condition was critical. A moment passed before Twilight's eyes widened.
"HURRY! WE'VE GOT TO GET HER TO A HOSPITAL!" she yelled, Rarity running ahead to light the way while Applejack barreled through any obstacle in her path. Pinkie Pie gently placed the injured pegasus on Rainbow Dash's back, the flier galloping towards Rarity's light. Twilight quickly followed suite, Pinkie Pie in the back with her party cannon in case anypony tried to attack them.

"What's going on Twilight?" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"She has internal bleeding! Her lungs have been punctured!" Twilight hollered, the lavender mare picking up speed before her horn began to glow brightly.
"What are you going to do Twilight?" Rarity exclaimed, noticing the unicorn's glowing horn. Before Twilight could respond, a bright light engulfed the six ponies. Fluttershy had regained conscious momentarily from being bounced up and down and the voices yelling around her. Her eyes cracked open just long enough to see a bright white light and the yells of her friends. Looking behind the cyan pegasus, she saw a shadow move in the darkness.
"Kozak…" she murmured, feeling herself beginning to lose conscious once again. Before she fell into the black void a lone voice echoed in her ear, crystal clear.
"I'm right here."

--------------------XXX--------------------

Fluttershy woke up, violently shivering and coughing harshly. Looking around, expecting to see her friends, she could only see the clear blue skies and the fluffy white clouds that she stood upon.
"What? Where am I?" she whimpered, her eyes darting around in search of another life form. Turning her attention down towards the fluffy cloud, she began to try to dig through only to have it spring back at her.
"Hello?!" Fluttershy yelled, her voice echoing in the distance, only to be heard by her. A minute passed. Then five more. Soon an hour. Where was everypony? Suddenly, a deep voice boomed through the sky, startling the yellow mare.
"FLUTTERSHY, ELEMENT OF KINDNESS, I HAVE SUMMONED YOU HERE FOR A REASON," the voice roared. By now, the animal caretaker had taken refuge behind her own hooves, not very useful against whoever was calling her.
"WAR IS COMING TO EQUESTRIA, EVEN AS WE SPEAK." Fluttershy peeked between her hooves, the thought of war terrifying her more than a cockatrice, a manticore, or even a dragon.

"W-w-war?" she squeaked, now standing on all four hooves.
"YES. EVEN NOW, THE CHANGELING ARMIES ARE AMASSING IN THE WEST. CELESTIA REMAINS OBLIVIOUS TO THE IMPEDING DISASTER. THE PEGASI WILL BE HELPLESS AGAINST THE HOARD AND PONY BLOOD WILL FLOOD THE ONCE BEAUTIFUL PLAINS OF EQUESTRIA."
"B-b-b-but why tell me this?" Fluttershy asked, worried and scared about the fate of her and everypony she loved.
"CELESTIA HAS ALMOST COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE STALKER ORGANIZATION. THOSE WHO REMAIN ARE THE ONLY HOPE FOR VICTORY. AND SHE SHALL CONTINUE HER SLAUGHTER WITH KOZAK OR, AS ONLY HE AND CELESTIA KNOW HIM AS, SVEN THE CURSED ONE. BE WARY, FOR OTHERS ARE FORBIDDEN TO UTTER HIS TRUE NAME."

"His true name?" Fluttershy asked, seriously confused if the voice was talking about a different pony.
"SVEN WAS ONCE A PONY OF CANTERLOT, REPORTED KIA DURING A SKIRMISH WITH THE CHANGELING ARMY MANY YEARS AGO. HE WAS LATER REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN VARIOUS CITIES SUCH AS MANEHATTAN AND DETROT. FALSE RUMORS WERE SPREAD OF HIM BEING A TRAITOR TO THE THRONE AND CELESTIA WANTED HIM BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. HE WAS RUNNING FROM A PATROL OF GUARDS WHEN HE FELL INTO A HOLE IN THE FORESTS OF TROTTINGHAM. WHEN HE CAME TWO HE FOUND HIMSELF TIED TO A CHAIR WITH STALKERS INTEROGATING HIM. AFTER HEARING HIS STORY, THEY ALLOWED HIM TO JOIN, AFTER HE SWORE AN OATH TO ABANDON THE THRONE'S PUPPETRY," the voice boomed.

Fluttershy was frozen in shock. Sven, or Kozak, was reported to be KIA? He was hunted by Princess Celestia, all because of some dumb rumor? He swore an oath just like that to a group of ponies that he didn't even know? Fluttershy quickly snapped out of her thoughts as the voice continued to talk.
"CONFRONT CELESTIA WHEN YOU AWAKEN, SHE WILL REFUSE AT FIRST BUT PRESS HER. ONCE SHE CAVES, CALL SVEN TO THE THRONE."
"But you said that Celestia will kill Sven!" Fluttershy protested, now extremely confused whether or not the booming voice wanted Sven to live or die.

"SVEN HAS HIS OWN PERSONAL TEAM, KNOWN ONLY TO THE ROYALITY OF CANTERLOT AS SHADOWHAWK. UNKNOWN TO MOST CANTERLOT AND EQUESTRIAN PONIES, THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR EASING TENSIONS AND CRUSHING REVOLUTIONS IN THE DRAGON KINGDOM. BARRIERS WERE RISING BETWEEN EQUESTRIA AND THE DRAGON KINGDOM, THE DRAGON KING VAAL DUROTHIL BEING TOLD THAT PONIES WERE THE CAUSE OF A BREWING UPRISING IN HIS KINGDOM. THE SHADOWHAWKS WERE DISPATCHED TO SHOW A SIGN OF PEACE AND TO ASSURE VAAL THAT PONIES WERE NOT THE CAUSE OF THE UPRISING AND THAT THEY WOULD PUT DOWN THEIR OWN TO PROVE IT. NOW, DEMAND SAFETY FOR THEM AND ONCE GIVEN, SUMMON SVEN TO YOUR SIDE AND ORDER HIM TO CALL THE SHADOWHAWK."

"And what happens if Celestia goes back on her promise?" Fluttershy asked, worried about the out come. A shining crystal, emitting emerald green light suddenly floated down from the sky and hovered before the mare.
"GIVE HER THIS AND IT WILL REVEAL THE OUTCOME OF SHE CHOOSES TO ELIMINATE THE STALKERS. FOR THEY HAVE POSSESSION OF A FORBIDDEN MAGIC THAT CAN TURN THE TIDE OF WAR," the voice boomed, now beginning to fade away in the distance.
"Wait! I still don't know what's going on!" Fluttershy cried out, galloping blindly atop of the clouds.

"MY CHILD, TELL CELESTIA THAT STAR SWIRL THE BEARDED SENDS HIS REGARDS." Fluttershy came screeching to a halt, the voice lost and the sound of her heartbeat echoing across the clouds. Silence hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity before the clouds suddenly vanished. Looking down in fright, Fluttershy saw the war torn lands of Equestria, the ground soaked in blood and the bodies of dead innocent ponies scattered about. Her eyes suddenly locked onto the bodies of a lavender bookworm, a cyan pegasus, an orange farm girl, a pink party animal, and an alabaster fashionista, their bodies soaked in blood. The five slowly struggled to their hooves, Changelings surrounding them and closing in.

With a final roar, the cyan pegasus flew into the Changelings, the black little demons leaping on top of her and beginning to cut her up. The pegasus screamed in pain before a razor sharp set of claws ripped across her throat, killing her while the others began to feast on her corpse. The alabaster fashionista was grabbed from behind, dragged to her fate beneath a shady tree as her screams rang through the air and blood flew freely, pooling into puddles on the once green field. The farm girl was making a stand, bucking her hind legs as fast as she could at the rapidly approaching Changelings before they jumped on her, pinning her to the ground before clawing at her sides and hooves. The lavender bookworm was struggling to fire off her magic, not noticing three Changelings sneaking up behind her when all of a sudden, two leapt on her, gouging her eyes, as the third smashed its claws into her neck. The party animal was aiming a cannon, firing as quickly as possible before she was forcefully picked up and pinned to the front of the cannon. A Changeling ran to the back, lighting the fuse and blowing the pink pony's head clean off.

"No… no… no… Noooo!" Fluttershy screamed, noting how rapidly the ground was getting closer. She saw the Changelings look up and grin at her, blood dripping from their teeth. To her horror, the black demons suddenly began to congeal and connect together, a giant head of a Changeling staring her down before opening it's colossal mouth, rows of razor sharp teeth awaiting the yellow mare. Fluttershy felt a sharp pain, heard a snap, then everything went black.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"You think she'll be okay?"
"I don't know dear, I hope so."
"Why, I got everything in my right mind set on kickin' the stuffing outta whoever in tarnation did this!"
"Applejack, I don't think violence will help Fluttershy. We just have to hope that she'll pull through."
"Oh! A party when she wakes up!"
"NO!"

Fluttershy could hear the voices of her friends. She could hear the voices of her friends! She wasn't dead! Her eyes struggled to open, but slowly and surely, they did.
"She's awake!" Rainbow Dash yelled, tears of happiness flowing freely.
"Oh, 'Shy, I was so worried!" Applejack sighed in relief, hugging Fluttershy gently.
"Dear! Are you alright?" Rarity asked, worry still in her eyes but a soft smile on her lips.
"PARRRRTAY!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, Twilight quickly stepping in to stop her.
"Hehe. Hey Fluttershy, you feeling any better?" Twilight asked, smiling at the yellow mare. Fluttershy's eyes darted around, quickly observing her surroundings. She found herself lying on a silk white mattress with warm cotton blankets. To her left was a cardiac monitor and in her left hoof was a needle feeding something through an IV tube. A bright white light hung over the bed, while silhouettes of ponies walking back and forth appeared on a tinted door.
"Where am I?" Fluttershy asked, trying to sit up only to have Rarity gently push her back down.

"You're in Canterlot's Royal Hospital, usually used for wounded guards and reconnaissance teams," Twilight informed, Shining Armor suddenly making an appearance.
"Hey! Fluttershy you're awake! Good to see you, your friends were so worried about you that they refused to leave your side all this time!" Shining Armor smiled.
"I'll go get the Princess," he added, turning and leaving the room.
"What did he mean by 'all this time'? How long have I been out?" Fluttershy asked.
"Sugarcube, you've been out cold for about six days," Applejack spoke, expecting to see panic in the animal caregiver's eyes. She knew how much Fluttershy cared for her animal friends and would be worried sick knowing that they were unattended to for so long. Sure enough, Fluttershy began to panic.
"Calm down Shy! The Princess sent some of her personal animal caretakers to watch over them for you," Rainbow Dash assured, slightly calming Fluttershy.

"Dearie, what in the name of Luna is that?" Rarity asked, pointing to something resting on Fluttershy's chest. Looking down, Fluttershy slowly picked up the green crystal that was given to her in her dream. Before she had a chance to reply, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna made their appearance.
"Fluttershy," Princess Luna greeted, bowing her head before turning to her sister.
"Ah, Element of Kindness Fluttershy! So good to see that you're awake finally. I assure you, we're hunting down the savages who harmed you as we speak," Celestia spoke, her eyes never leaving Fluttershy's.
"Um… Princess, I actually wanted to tell you something…" Fluttershy stuttered, Princess Luna and Celestia raising an eyebrow.
"I have a Stalker friend," Fluttershy finally spoke.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Aachoo!" Sven sneezed, shaking the branch that he had been resting on.
"Hmm… I feel like somepony is talking about me…"

--------------------XXX--------------------

"A Stalker… FRIEND?!" Celestia yelled, the news not surprising her but anger still flaring in her eyes. Fluttershy cowered at the sight of Princess Celestia genuinely angry. It took both Princess Luna and Twilight about five minutes to calm down the enraged princess before she took a deep breath and turned to Fluttershy.
"Now Fluttershy, I assure you, Stalkers are bad news and you'll only end up getting hurt by them," Princess Celestia scolded. To her surprise, Fluttershy stood her ground.
"I need your word that if I summon him that he will not be harmed nor persecuted!" Fluttershy demanded.
"What?!" Princess Celestia gasped, the mentioning of a Stalker, yet alone the thought of a Stalker in her castle shocking the princess.
"Star Swirl the Bearded spoke to me in a vision. War is brewing between Equestria and the Changelings and the Stalkers are the only ones who can save us! If you kill them all the Equestria will fall!" Fluttershy yelled, suddenly feeling courage welling up in her heart. She rose from her bed, staring Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the eye.
"I need your word! If you don't believe me, here! Star Swirl the Bearded gave it to me through my vision. Please! Trust me!" Fluttershy exclaimed, thrusting the green crystal towards the princesses.

The two did nothing, not one of them even raising a hoof to touch the crystal.
"FOR BUCKS SAKE! I NEED YOUR WORD AND THIS IS PROOF THAT I'M NOT CRAZY!" the yellow mare yelled, her cheeks flushed red and anger burning in her eyes. Hesitantly, Princess Luna extended her hoof, touching the crystal only to have what Fluttershy saw flash through her mind. She quickly retracted her hoof, screaming in horror before running out of the room. Princess Celestia now was even more sure that she should have Fluttershy locked up or even exiled. She sighed, touching the emerald and receiving the same result that Fluttershy and her sister experienced. She gasped, her eyes now locked on the stone and on Fluttershy.
"Well?" Fluttershy asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Call your friend. We've got work to do," Princess Celestia replied, turning and leaving the room.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Sven rested comfortably in one of the many trees that resided in the Everfree Forest, listening to the sound of wind blowing through the branches and leaves. The smell of nature filled his nose while a calm and serene feeling washed over him.
"Life is good," he muttered, flipping his hood down to let the sun shine on his face.
"No conflict, no assassinations, nothing but rest, a beautiful day, and an encounter with an old friend," Sven sighed, a soft smile slowly growing on his lips. His bliss was cut short as a familiar sound floated through the wind. A soft voice whispered through the leaves and gently shook the trees.
"Fluttershy?" Sven wondered aloud, the songs of birds changing dramatically, their sweet melodies suddenly turning sad. Turning his gaze up towards the mountains, Sven's eyes could only stare at the once welcoming city of Canterlot.
"Well buck…"

--------------------XXX--------------------

"I'm confused," Twilight muttered, "so what you're saying is that this voice in your head told you that war is coming and that we should put our trust in a group of rogues?" Fluttershy sighed in frustration, Twilight seemed to always have a way of making situations and solutions sound negative.
"Um, Twilight. I know you don't trust them, but you have to trust me on this. I know them. They're not something you can look up in a textbook or research through ancient scripts and scrolls. They're ponies just like you and I but they serve a different purpose," the yellow mare replied, her voice full of confidence. Twilight sighed, it seemed that she was the only one in the group who had doubts about these Stalker ponies and was the only one who cared to consider the liability that they would turn or in fact just be planning to overthrow her mentor.
"Come on Twilight! She's explained this about a thousand times by now!" Rainbow Dash groaned in exhaustion.
"Actually only about fifteen…" Fluttershy corrected, hiding behind her mane.
"Whatever!" the cyan mare gasped, exasperated with the lavender unicorn's investigation.

"Alright sugarcube, we'll give this Stalker fellow a chance. But if he harms you, I swear I'll whoop his behind lickety split!" Applejack assured.
"So, where is this Kozak?" Rarity asked, Fluttershy looking around.
"He's probably on his way. Either that or he's here now. He hates Canterlot, always told me that it was too stuck up for his taste. As he would say, "Who the buck wants to hear about your bucking trip the art museum?!"" Fluttershy giggled, her friends staring at her for swearing, even if it was just quoting somepony.
"Well, you got one part right," Sven chuckled, slowly walking into the throne room, his hooves barely making an audible sound as he proceeded on the marble floor.
"Kozak!" Fluttershy squealed, remembering what Star Swirl the bearded had told her about uttering his true name as she galloped over to give the stallion a hug. After a few minutes of hugging and catching up. Sven's attention turned to the five ponies behind his yellow mare friend.
"And these are?" he asked, curious of all five ponies who stared back at him with equal interest.

"These are my best friends. This is Twilight Sparkle, she's Celestia's protégée. This is Rarity, she's Ponyville's fashionista and an amazing designer. This is Rainbow Dash, my only friend from flight school, she's a daredevil and the fastest flier I know. This is Applejack, she works at Sweet Apple Acres and is a great friend to go to for comforting. And this is Pinkie Pie, she's the local party pony, throwing the best parties and always bringing a smile to everypony's face!" Fluttershy exclaimed, looking at her friends with a proud smile.
"I see," Sven replied, a soft smile forming behind his hood.
"As do I Stalker," Princess Celestia's voice boomed from behind the throne's doors. The bright red doors flew open and fifty royal guards poured into the brightly lit room. Their gold armor shone brightly while their spears glimmered with the sun's rays. The guards surrounded Sven, their spears pointed aggressively.
"You promised!" Fluttershy yelled, trying to push through the circle only to receive an aggressive bash to her side from the butt of a spear. The caretaker dropped to momentarily, coughing while the feel of pain raced through her body.

"'Shy!" Sven roared, vanishing suddenly and reappearing next to Fluttershy. Fluttershy coughed harshly, the blow doing a considerable amount of damage to her fragile body.
"What the hay do you want?" Sven growled, glaring directly at Princess Celestia.
"I see… Royal Guards, stand down," Princess Celestia ordered, the guards lowering their spears. Sven still remained on guard, his eyes never leaving Princess Celestia's gaze.
"Stalker! Your acquaintance Fluttershy, Element of Kindness, has vouched for your loyalty. I would assume that you with your knowledge would know about the predicament that is looming over all of Equestria?" Princess Celestia asked, mockery and sarcasm laced in her words.
"Depends. Are we talking about the soup being too cold, or are we talking about somepony's dress not matching their tiara?" Sven replied venomously. Princess Celestia frowned, anger beginning to boil within her but recalling her promise to Fluttershy, she regained her composure.

"I know we didn't end up on good terms the last time we met, but we need the Stalker's help, and especially the ShadowHawks," Princess Celestia sighed.
"Yeah, we really didn't. Why would royalty such as yourself require a scoundrel's help? Aren't the royal guards enough to protect Canterlot?" Sven asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. Princess Celestia shook her head.
"Sadly, information from Star Swirl the Bearded, via Fluttershy, tells us that our guards are not enough. The army is vast but they are still vulnerable. While I cannot send any soldiers out of Equestria for the fear of starting the war early, we need an army that has no affiliations but works on their own," Princess Celestia explained, leading Sven on the six mares to the royal council room.
"But Celestia, you've wiped out most of the Stalkers, excluding my squad and a few others. And I have many doubts that the other Stalkers will listen to your request after our previous discourse," Sven spoke, Princess Celestia's eyes widening slightly.

"I assume that is true… But your squad, they'll listen to you. You can convince them, can you not?" Princess Celestia asked hopefully. Sven and Princess Celestia continued discussing the issues between the Equestrian Army and the dwindling Stalker organization, their subjects ranging from issues such as mass slaughter to precision assassination. The six mares continued to listen to the two, though there was something that was still bothering Rainbow Dash; Fluttershy. Her arguments with her mother still echoed in her conscious and the fact that Sven had reappeared and Fluttershy's secret friendship with the pony continued to gnaw at Rainbow Dash until she finally couldn't restrain herself.

"Now wait just a minute! I understand that this is all important and stuff, but there's something I think we all want to know," Rainbow Dash suddenly interrupted. Princess Celestia and Sven's conversation halted, their attention now turned towards the cyan pegasus whose attention was focused on Fluttershy.
"'Shy, I've known you since flight school and I've stuck with you through thick and thin. But before this guy came along, you were just dandy trotting around and chatting it up with a squirrel or a bunny. But since you found that pendant on your chest in the hospital room, you went back to being a scared filly like in flight school. And I think I speak for all the other ponies here when I ask, what happened to you?" Rainbow Dash spoke softly, hoping not to scare the shy pegasus.

"As much as I would love to hear this story Rainbow Dash, I believe we have more pressing matters at hand," Princess Celestia sighed, surprised at Fluttershy suddenly taking initiative and holding up a hoof.
"No… they're right. They deserve to know something," she sighed, shaking slightly. Sven placed a comforting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder while the yellow mare took a deep breath. However, her speech was cut short as a royal guard burst into the room, galloping towards Princess Celestia.
"Princess! Princess! Four… Stalkers… Canterlot…" the guard gasped, struggling for breath. Princess Celestia's eyes widened, her gaze turned towards Sven who moved towards the window, his eyes scanning the streets for any signs of the claimed assailants. His eyes suddenly locked onto four other ponies walking casually towards the castle, all cloaked in black like himself. A single word slipped from the stallion's lips as the four ponies turned their attention towards the window where Sven stood.
"ShadowHawks…"

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Let us in."
"No."
"Let us in."
"No!"
"Let us in."
"NO!"
"Let us in."
"SHUT THE BUCK UP!"

The yelling between the guards and monotone voices of the ShadowHawks echoed through the royal chambers, Princess Celestia, the Elements of Harmony, and Sven galloping towards the source.
"What are they doing here?" Sven grumbled, catching Rainbow Dash's attention.
"The more the merrier?" she chuckled, receiving a glare from Sven.
"That only works when the odds are against us," he spat, picking up speed and roaring past Rainbow Dash. Eventually Sven reached the main gates, ordering the guards to open the red doors to reveal the four ponies.
"Kozak."
"I see."
"Situation has changed drastically hasn't it?"
"Hungry."
"Hello to you too," Sven chuckled, leading the four ponies inside, just as Princess Celestia and the others caught up.
"Princess."
"Banished."
"Betrayal."
"Hungry."
"Oh shut up!" Sven groaned, facehoofing in mild frustration.

"I see, well why don't we all get lunch then?" Princess Celestia asked, trying to be friendly despite the hidden stares of the new four ponies. The four turned to Sven who nodded; they followed suite. The ponies made their way to the dinning room, a deathly silence hung in the air. Princess Celestia could still feel the stares of the new four ponies on her at all times, even after the chefs had delivered the food.
"You must have traveled far. Speak in the common tongue now, allow our hosts knowledge to what we speak," Sven ordered, the other four nodding.
"Indeed, all of us traveled far when our scouts reported your departure to Canterlot," one of the ponies spoke.
"State aliases and show faces, hide marks," Sven ordered, the ponies obeying.
"Aurora," the first pony announced, removing her hood to reveal her warm amber yellow eyes which presented well with her yellow mane and light grey coat.
"A unicorn," Twilight made a mental note upon noticing Aurora's horn.
"Strings," the second pony spoke, revealing his sharp grey eyes, short dark brown mane and light brown coat. Rainbow Dash was doing her best not to laugh at the stallion's name while observing the black violin case that was balanced on his back.
"Archimedes," the third pony reported, removing his hood to show his bored emerald eye, long silky black mane and grey coat. Applejack took a mental note of the long scar that streaked across his right eye and the black eye patch that covered it. She also noted a black hat, similar to her own, hanging over the pony's side.
"Vex," the final pony stated, exposing her light blue eyes, dark purple mane and snow white coat. Turning to face Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. The four ponies bowed their heads.
"ShadowHawks at your service."

On Three (Edited 11/7/2013)

Chapter 4 - On Three

"So where exactly are we going?" Vex asked, she and the rest of the ShadowHawks along with the mane six following Princess Celestia's Royal Guards through the castle. Luna's Moon had risen quickly in the time that the ponies had eaten lunch and Celestia suggested that they rest for the night. Agreeing to the thought, the ShadowHawks and the mane six were escorted to their sleeping quarters, Princess Celestia summoning a squad of guards to escort them.
"Our chambers," Strings replied as he trotted down the marble halls. Soon the ponies left the safe walls of the castle and stood outside, looking up at a majestic white tower.
"You'll all be staying up in the towers," one of the guard informed, gesturing towards the spiral stairs that led up to the royal suites.
"I like it!" Rainbow Dash laughed, quickly zooming into the air and up to the suite.
"Honestly, the princess allowing us to stay in such a marvelous place!" Rarity awed, her eyes darting back and forth to admire the décor.

"Mares on the left and stallions on the right," the guard ordered, the ponies obeying and splitting up.
"Well, we've got a lot of room," Strings smiled, looking around the room, Sven making his way to the restroom quickly. Deciding not to look into what his leader was doing, Strings quickly settled himself on one of the three beds in the room, resting his violin case on the soft mattress. Glancing to his right, he found Archimedes already drifting off to sleep underneath the red silky covers.
"Typical Archimedes," Strings chuckled, reaching inside his cloak, and pulling out a silver heart shaped locket, gently fondling the item before opening the piece and staring at the picture inside. Soft music began to play from the opened locket and a small tear gently traveled down his light brown coat. Sighing, Strings picked up his violin and slowly made his way towards the large window. Perching himself upon the black railing, his soft grey eyes surveyed Equestria before hooves made their way to a bow.
"Typical me," Strings sighed, his bow beginning to slide across the violin's strings. His symphony began to echo softly through the marble halls.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Meanwhile, inside the mare's room, the Elements of Harmony and the two other ShadowHawks were getting settled in.
"Are we really staying in here with them?" Rainbow Dash whispered, Twilight's nervous gaze slowly turning towards Vex and Aurora. The two ponies had already gotten their beds and were busying themselves with what appeared to be sleeping while sitting up.
"Looks like it, let's just try and keep things calm and not anger them," Twilight whispered, not noticing that Vex had suddenly began to make her way towards the group.
"Fluttershy," Vex spoke, her voice heavy and angry. The yellow mare was frozen in place, her eyes hidden behind her pink mane. Vex's light blue eyes stared sharply back at the scared pegasus, remaining silent.
"Y-y-yes?" Fluttershy stuttered, Rarity and Applejack slowly making their way between her and Vex. A moment of silence suddenly fell before Vex smiled softly and hugged the yellow mare.
"Hey, how have you been?" she asked, smiling, the yellow mare giggling softly.

"I've been doing fine, Ponyville has been keeping me busy. I take care of the animals there," Fluttershy giggled, Aurora now joining the two.
"Well you've certainly changed then since we last met. Still got no pet?" the unicorn chuckled, Fluttershy shaking her head and telling the two about Angel.
"Well, we have missed a few things then haven't we?" Vex chuckled, leaning on Aurora who suddenly vanished and appeared above a collapsed Vex.
"You suck."

While the three mares were laughing and apparently catching up on old times, the other five quietly gathered to the side.
"So… They're all friendly with Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused at the sudden personality change of Vex and Aurora.
"So it would seem. They don't seem that bad though," Rarity commented, giving a nervous friendly smile as Vex waved.
"Well I reckon' if they're friendly with 'Shy, then I'll extend my hoof out for civil talk," Applejack spoke, trotting over to the three mares, Rarity in tow.
"I don't know, Twi, I still say these Stalkers are bad news," Rainbow Dash growled, eyeing Vex and Aurora.
"I know Rainbow, but all we can do now is keep watch over them, make sure Fluttershy doesn't get hurt or worse," Twilight whispered.
"You never did help me break in…" Rainbow Dash muttered.
"I didn't think you were being serious!" Twilight exclaimed, surprised that Rainbow Dash even remembered the conversation.

"Twilight dear, you must come over here! We're giving Vex a make over!" Rarity giggled, Vex obviously not amused as Aurora held her down with her magic.
"This is mutiny!" Vex yelled playfully, Aurora laughing before Applejack popped an apple into Vex's mouth, surprising the mare. She then spat the apple out of her mouth, landing the fruit on the brim of Applejack's hat.
"Applejack dear, please fetch my makeup bag!" Rarity called, Vex's eyes widening in mock horror.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Make up?" Archimedes asked, removing his hood and cloak while searching the room for a mirror. The pony had issues sleeping in a new environment, and the fact that it was in Canterlot did not comfort him any more.
"What else?" String's replied, still playing his violin.
"You miss her?" Archimedes asked, cracking his joints and looking at himself in a mirror hung above a mahogany wardrobe. His eye instantly shot to his eye patch, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"Of course I still miss her, I loved her," Strings replied, his bow missing a chord before quickly recovering.
"Loved? Past tense," Sven muttered, his tone flat and his expression blank as he made his way to the balcony.
"Now, don't be so cold hearted Sven. I'm sure you're still in love with-"
"Quiet," Sven snapped, glaring at the violinist. Strings sighed, and resumed playing, watching Sven pick up his own locket. The corroded silver and the multiple scratches on the engraving - it was definitely Sven's. The sound of the gears opening and the soft music box music playing indicated that the item was opened. Throwing a quick gaze, Strings saw a single tear fall from Sven's emerald eye before the locket was closed.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Back in the mares room, the girls had had a blast, doing makeovers (Vex and Applejack being the two exceptions), pillow fights, and gossiping. Despite the activities, Vex and Aurora both seemed to keep their cloaks on, though their hoods flew freely in the air. Eventually, the mares decided on playing the game truth or dare, Rainbow Dash producing a glass bottle from her saddlebag and placing it in the middle of the circle of mares. Laughs and blushes of embarrassment were exchanged along with some more 'interesting' dares thanks to Rainbow Dash.
"Alright! Fluttershy! I dare you to…" Rainbow Dash grinned, her eyes darting around the room for something embarrassing for Fluttershy to do. Eventually, her magenta eyes landed on Vex and Applejack.
"...make out with Vex and Applejack for two whole minutes!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly with a smug grin. The three mares' eyes widened, Applejack staring at Rainbow Dash with a hint of anger and embarrassment while Fluttershy let out a soft squeak and hid behind her mane, despite her rosy cheeks revealing her embarrassment. Vex on the other hand gave a slight shrug, her eyes almost asking, "Is that all you've got?"

Fluttershy's body shook violently, her eyes threatening to burst into tears as she slowly made her way towards Applejack and Vex. Applejack was blushing deeply while trying to avert her gaze to the yellow mare's sky blue eyes while Vex just stared at Fluttershy, giving her a playful wink. What happened next was, putting it simply, interesting. Fluttershy let out a loud gasp of air, pulling away from Applejack's lips, her cheeks flushed red. Vex smiled and pecked the already embarrassed mare on the lips before turning to Aurora, smiling.
"O-o-o-o-o-ok… I'll spin now…" Fluttershy whispered, weakly spinning the glass bottle, which eventually landed at Twilight.
"Truth," Twilight spoke, fearing whatever Fluttershy may have chosen as a dare. It wasn't necessarily Fluttershy's dares that she was worried about, it was Rainbow Dash giving Fluttershy an idea for a dare.
"Ok. Why don't you trust Kozak?"

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Aachoo!" Sven sneezed, his eyes fixated on the night sky that dowsed Equestria in a calm dark blanket.
"Seriously? Why me? Talk about Strings or something," Sven muttered, Strings suddenly sneezing and missing a large proportion of the piece he was playing.
"That's better."

--------------------XXX--------------------

"Well… I guess I don't trust him mostly because I feel like he has so much power but he's hiding it from us," Twilight explained.
"What about Celestia, I'm sure she's hiding her full power from you but you seem to trust her," Vex pointed out, Aurora nodding in agreement.
"But she'd never use her power to harm anypony!" Twilight protested, shocked and almost insulted that the ShadowHawk brought her mentor into the discussion.
"And what makes you think Kozak would? We've been with him for years and he's never used his power to harm anypony," Aurora countered. Twilight searched for an argument but only silence came out of her mouth. Defeated, she sighed.
"Fine. But I still don't trust him. Why else would Celestia have banished him from Canterlot?" Twilight pointed out, Vex's and Aurora's eyes falling suddenly.
"That's… that's not in our jurisdiction to say," Vex whispered, her voice saddened by the memory, Aurora nodding in agreement.
"Vex…" Twilight spoke softly, now feeling guilty.
"It's fine. It's not in our position to talk about Kozak's past, that's his job," Aurora assured, her eyes motioning to the bottle. Hesitantly, Twilight spun the bottle, the object stopping at Vex.
"Truth," Vex spoke confidently.

"So, Vex! How'd you get into the ShadowHawks?" Twilight asked, her five friends staring at the unicorn as if she had just asked if the princess was pregnant. To their surprise, Vex appeared to chuckle, Aurora smiling and resting her head on Vex's shoulder.
"To be honest, I was born into the ShadowHawks," Vex replied, a soft smile on her face. Noticing the confused expressions on the ponies faces, she decided to continue.
"You see, Aurora and I are foals of a Stalker, Fallenfeather. Our father was also a Stalker, by the name of Raven. We don't know what happened to father, but Fallenfeather was the mare who raised us and taught us the skills that we know and use today," Vex explained.

"And what kind of skills would these be?" Twilight asked, Aurora smiling in response.
"Ah, ah, ah! If we told you, it wouldn't be much fun now would it?" she chuckled, closing her eyes and resting on her sister's hind legs.
"Mother sent us to a special academy in the Stalker organization. It was there that we met Strings - that stallion can be frightening," Aurora shuddered.
"What about Kozak? When did he come into the picture?" Rarity asked.
"Kozak stumbled into a Stalker den a few years later. He was wounded and had a certain mare with him when he fell," Vex replied, her eyes fixating on Fluttershy.
"Yeah, he fell pretty hard but recovered insanely quick. At the time, Strings, Vex and I surrounded him and that mare he was with, but then he-" Aurora began before Vex shot her a glare.
"Quickly assumed a fighting stance, showing pure aggression but at the same time, giving off a passive yet intimidating vibe," Aurora finished. While the other mares didn't catch the glare Vex threw, Twilight's perceptive eyes detected the look, making a note of how Aurora quickly changed her tone and what she said.

"I'm going to assume that that mare was Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash suddenly asked, turning around to stare at her pegasus friend only to find that the yellow mare was gone.
"'Shy? Where'd she go?!" the pegasus yelled, worry now in her eyes.
"She's meeting Kozak obviously," String answered, his voice coming from the balcony. The mares turned their eyes towards the open glass doors to find Strings sitting on the railing, his violin and bow in hoof. Next to him, Archimedes stood quietly, a toothpick in his mouth while his hat covered his eyes in shadows.
"Vex, Aurora. We've got things to discuss, let's go," Archimedes whispered, falling backwards off the railing, Strings following suit. Vex and Aurora quickly got up on their hooves and galloped towards the railing, both leaping off and pummeling to the ground below. The Elements rushed to the balcony, watching Vex and Aurora laugh as the wind blew through their manes, the ground approaching quickly.
'Vex! Aurora!" Twilight yelled, the two ponies suddenly vanishing into a puff of smoke.
"What in tarnation? Where'd they go?!" Applejack exclaimed, her eyes darting from left to right in hopes of spotting the two.

"Not very bright are they?" Archimedes muttered, watching their pursuers search for them while they stood in a darkened alleyway on the streets below.
"Well we are in the shadows, our element," Vex pointed out, Archimedes huffing.
"Fair enough," he muttered, turning around and vanishing into the shadows.

--------------------XXX--------------------

"So… um… Fluttershy," Sven stuttered, trying to find the right words but nothing came to mind. The two were sitting quietly outside of a twenty-four hour restaurant, waiting for their food to be served.
"Ummm… How've things been since we last met?" Sven muttered, trying to avert his eyes from Fluttershy's gaze.
"Well… Uhh… I take care of the animals in Ponyville," Fluttershy stuttered, trying her best to keep the conversation alive. It had been years since she saw Sven and she was genuinely curious in what the stallion had been up to.
"Haha, you told me that. And I do believe I met Angel and his disc of fury," Sven chuckled softly, Fluttershy giggling as she remembered. A moment of silence passed before Fluttershy finally spoke.
"So… how have things been for you?" she asked, nervously playing with her hooves.
"Things have been fine, business is still going well. We're still a family of five," Sven sighed, sadness in his voice that did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy.

"Something wrong?" she asked, curious and concerned for Sven.
"I'm in love…" Sven muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
"What?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm in love…" Sven repeated, feeling his cheeks starting to warm up.
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Fluttershy apologized.
"I'M IN LOVE!" Sven yelled, startling the mare and anyone else who heard him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," Sven apologized, "I'll be right back." Sven left quickly, making his way towards the restroom, not noticing that his locket had fallen out of his cloak pocket. The trinket clattered on the floor before Fluttershy who curiously scooped it up in her hooves.
"That's his scent…" Fluttershy thought, her cheeks bursting into crimson blushes when she realized that she knew Sven's scent. Fumbling with the item for a minute, she accidentally opened it, the soft music echoing in the air. Her eyes widened as she stared at the picture. Dropping the locket onto the black metal table, Fluttershy raised her hooves to her mouth, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. Her mouth opened, struggling to speak but was only able to choke out two words.
"No way."

--------------------XXX--------------------

The silhouettes of four ponies hung on the stone walls of the crystal caverns beneath Canterlot Castle. Archimedes, Strings, Vex, and Aurora all stood around a crystal table, a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink resting on the colorful transparent surface. Moonlight shone through a hole in the ceiling while the wind blew gently, whistling softly in the dark caverns. Strings had summoned the four to discuss a topic that had been on all four of their minds for a long time.

"So that's the case… What do you think the boss will think about it?" Vex asked, Aurora's eyes glancing over the map that Strings had laid out before them.
"It's for the best… we've been doing this for too long," Archimedes muttered, his eyes hidden by his hat.
"As much as I hate to say, I would have to agree, with no one knowing our real names, we should be able to settle in quiet easily," Strings spoke, placing his violin down.
"What about us?" Aurora asked, eyes turning to her.
"What do you mean sis?" Vex asked, leaning her head against Aurora's shoulder.
"Will we keep in touch? I mean, I don't know about you three, but you guys are basically all that Vex and I have as family. I don't want to lose that," Aurora replied.

"Well I know where I'm going," Archimedes announced, "Ponyville. Sounds like a nice quiet place where Rayne and I can relax."
"What a coincidence, I planned to stay there too, I hear that the cliffs overlooking other parts of Equestria are quite a sight to see," Strings chuckled.
"We've always wanted to start a business in clothing designs," Vex admitted, blushing softly as Archimedes and Strings stared at her. A moment of silence fell over the four ponies before they all burst into laughter.
"Well looks like we're going to be family nonetheless," Strings laughed, smiling warmly.
"While I'd hate to break up this touching moment, would somepony please tell me who will be responsible for writing Sven that letter?" Archimedes coughed, his eyes falling on the parchment of paper before the four. The laughter stopped and stern expressions were shared.

"Now wait just a minute, should we be doing this just as war is brewing? Shouldn't we wait a bit longer?" Aurora asked.
"She does have a point," Vex added, Strings nodding in agreement.
"It's not our war, it's theirs," Archimedes spoke, his tone flat but a slight hint of venom laced in his words.
"What's your problem, Arc? You've been acting more hostile than usual," Vex asked, curious about her teammate's actions.
"It's nothing," Archimedes replied, turning away from the group.
"By your will or not, I'm out," he spoke quietly, whistling softly before a phoenix appeared before him.
"Hey girl, let's go," Archimedes cooed, bursting into flames and then vanishing into the darkness.

Vex and Aurora turned to Strings, hoping to see sympathy in the old stallion's eyes. The stallion smiled picking up his violin case before turning to the girls.
"I'm old. Too old for war. I'm sorry," he smiled gently, closing his eyes before vanishing into a puff of smoke. Vex and Aurora stared at the sheet of paper before them the sisters looking at each other before hugging.
"On three?" Aurora asked, Vex nodding.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
Dead silence.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Sven finally returned, his eyes locking onto a shy yellow pegasus who's eyes were fixated on her daffodil daisy sandwich.
"Something wrong?" Sven asked, sitting down only to spot a silver locket in the center of the table. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed crimson.
"Ummm," Sven stuttered, Fluttershy's cheeks had turned to a rosy pink hue.
"So… yeah that's the deal," Sven muttered, his eyes finding his salad quite interesting.
"Kozak?" Fluttershy squeaked, Sven's eyes slowly looking up.
"I… um… I want to give it a try. N-n-not because I pity you or anything… but… because I want to too," Fluttershy stuttered, her face turning as red as Big Macintosh's coat. Sven's eyes widened, not expecting Fluttershy to actually want to give him a try.
"O-o-o-ok," the stallion stuttered, Fluttershy giggling at Sven's stutter, it was cute to her. Sven heard the yellow mare laughing at him and his embarrassment increased tenfold.
"Now who's the shy one?" Fluttershy teased softly, Sven squirming uncomfortably in his seat.
"Well… that'd still be you… Flutters," Sven replied, chuckling at Fluttershy's sudden blush at the nickname.

Unknown to the two, a black flame flew through the sky, red eyes locking onto the two ponies with pin point accuracy. The flame turned around, flying straight back towards the Canterlot Castle before landing on Archimedes back. The bird cawed and Archimedes trotted towards the balcony, his eye locking onto a small glow in the distant Canterlot. A bittersweet smile slowly spread onto his lips while a lone tear trailed down his cheek. Turning to Rayne, Archimedes stroked her head gently.
"Ready?" he asked softly, the bird nodding its head.
"Goodbye…" the stallion murmured, his body and Rayne slowly vanishing into the night's air, a black and green orb floating in his place.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Strings watched from a crack in the bathroom as Archimedes vanished from the balcony.
"So he left…" he sighed, glancing down at his violin. He slowly trotted towards the balcony where his friend once stood before gently drawing the bow across the strings of the violin, producing a melancholy melody that floated down to the streets of Canterlot.
"I'm sorry… but I'm too old," he cried softly, tears staining the wood of his violin before his body was slowly consumed by smoke. The melody stopped, the smoke cleared, Strings was gone, and a light grey orb floated in his place.

--------------------XXX--------------------

Vex and Aurora sat upright in their beds, watching as the other ponies slept soundly. The two mares smiled as they observed each mare's sleeping habits. Applejack snored softly with her hat covering her face. Rarity seemed to sleep like a princess, her blanket barely ruffled and her posture still elegant. Twilight had fallen asleep with a book covering her face, a soft snore emitting from the mare's lips. Pinkie Pie had fallen asleep upside down with a party horn still held securely in her mouth, her soft snores unwinding the paper. Rainbow Dash's bed was an absolute mess, the flier tossing and turning, muttering something about Soarin while a goofy smile rested on her lips.

"They seem… so happy…" Aurora sighed, "They have no burden of persecution, danger, torment. It's not fair." Vex climbed out of her bed, slipping beneath the covers of her sister's bed and hugging her.
"It's ok Aurora, they live in their world and we live in ours…" Vex assured, stroking Aurora's mane. The mare smiled and nuzzled into Vex, a smile spreading on her lips.
"I know… but I… I… I want to live like that. Carefree… Find love… Raise a family… You know," Aurora sighed, a tear trailing down her cheek. Shock took over Vex, her sister had never told her this before, all the years the two had worked together, she seemed content with living the life of a Stalker.
"I know… Because I still want that life…" Vex sobbed softly, feeling Aurora's hooves wrap around her gently.
"Maybe… maybe we should…" Aurora asked, a tone of hopefulness in her voice. Vex remained silent, contemplating the morals and possible outcomes of whatever decision she chose.

"Vex?" Aurora asked. Vex snapped out of her thoughts, turning to her sister, determination in her eyes.
"I swore to mom that I'd make sure you were safe and were happy… And that's what I'm going to do. On three?" Vex whispered. Aurora's eyes widened, shock and surprise flooding her mind. Her sister was willing to give up the life she had always lived just to make her happy. She felt tears coming to her eyes, Vex quickly wiping them away.
"On three," Aurora smiled, Vex nodding and closing her eyes, hugging her sister tightly.
"One."
"Two."
"Vex?" Aurora suddenly spoke. Vex opened her eyes, looking down at her sister before she felt Aurora's lips peck hers gently.
"I love you," she smiled, gently nuzzling into Vex's mane.
"I love you too," Vex smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Aurora's forehead. The two sister's looked into each other's eyes, knowing deep down that they'd always be there for each other, helping each other through thick and thin. The two closed their eyes slowly, a soft smile spreading on both of their lips before they uttered a single word.
"Three."

Author's Notes:

Edited by Helloman892

Who Are You?

Chapter 5 - Who Are You?

Morning dawned on Canterlot, Celestia's Sun shining it's warm rays of light over all of Equestria. Princess Celestia slowly awoke from her slumber, yawning before making her way to her bathroom to groom herself. After applying her crown and her royal hoof guards, she stepped outside, summoning two Royal Guards.
"Awake the others and bring them down for breakfast," she ordered, the two stallions bowing in respect and trotting off to fulfill their task. Casually trotting down the hallway, Princess Celestia soon reached her sister's room, gently knocking on her door.
"Luna?" she called, no response.
"Luna?"" she tried once more. Getting irritated by her sister's lack of response, Princess Celestia tried a new approach.
"Lulu!" she exclaimed, the door flying open and an irritated Luna glared back at the sun princess.
"Good to see you're up. Get ready, we'll be meeting with the others today," Princess Celestia informed, trotting away only to find the two guards she sent running towards her.
"Princess! They're gone! The four are gone!"

Kozak groaned, his head throbbing while his memory of last night remained fuzzy. Slowly rising from his bed, Kozak began to gently massage his temples. Suddenly memory of Fluttershy's discovery of his locket flooded into his conscious. Slowly Kozak blushed as he remembered the events that happened last night.
"Could it have just been a dream?" he muttered, feeling his chest for the beaten up locket. Sure enough, he felt the item secured firmly around his neck and resting against his coat. He sighed, remembering that he had tossed the locket aside into one of the drawers in whatever room he was in.
"I guess it was too good to be true… Where the hell am I?" he muttered, his eyes glancing around. A single room, no roommates or anything. The drapes were open, allowing the warm rays of light to hit the silky green sheets that he lay beneath. Two large fluffy white pillows lay on the bed while a thin silk royal red velvet was drawn around the upper frame of the bed.

"Ok, did I break into here or something?" he groaned, feeling more stiff than usual. Groaning, Kozak fell onto his back, letting the cloud like mattress to envelope his body. A pair of hooves suddenly wrapped themselves around Kozak's waist, pulling him closer to another pony. The fragrance of strawberries filled his nose while a soft whine rang through his ears. Slowly lowering his gaze, his eyes picked up two things: a pink mane and a yellow coat. Soon baby blue eyes opened and a gentle kiss was pressed against his lips.
"Good morning Sven," Fluttershy giggled, nuzzling into his coat.
"Thank Celestia last night wasn't a dream… Wait… Sven?!" Kozak thought, trying to remember if he ever brought that name up. Realization hit him when he remembered uttering, "I, Sven, swear to protect you Fluttershy. I love you," before falling asleep last night. He didn't expect the yellow pegasus to be awake since she was supposedly sleeping next to him. Thinking about denying the name, he mentally sighed and decided to allow it. It had been a long time since he was called his actual name. And as long it was Fluttershy calling him Sven, then he was okay with it.

"Good morning Flutters. Sleep well?" Sven smiled, kissing Fluttershy gently on the lips, the yellow mare blushing. Fluttershy nodded her head, holding Sven tightly, Sven pulling the yellow mare closer to him.
"Where are we?" he asked, remembering the first question that came to his mind upon awakening.
"Oh, I requested a private room and the guards gave us one," Fluttershy blushed. Sven smiled and pulled her down with him beneath the covers.
"Well, I'm going to assume a special mare had a good night's sleep?" he teased, gently poking Fluttershy in the nose. The yellow pegasus yelped in surprise before bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, so you want to play that way?" Fluttershy grinned, her gaze sending a chill down Sven's spine. Slowly, Fluttershy traced her hoof down Sven's chest, stopping as she drew near to his lower region. Looking up, A massive blush had exploded across Sven's face, Fluttershy softly laughing at the stallion's embarrassment.

"Where did you learn that?!" Sven exclaimed, surprised at Fluttershy's boldness.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash told me how to do that onetime when she went on a date. Said something about stallion's loved it," Fluttershy smiled.
"She really is innocent… Fluttershy, stay innocent forever," Sven mentally prayed.
"Well… did you enjoy that?" Fluttershy asked, her voice suddenly laced with worry. Sven nodded, his gaze turned from Fluttershy to try and hide the streak of crimson on his cheeks. However, his efforts were in vain, Fluttershy squealing in delight and turning his head to kiss him.
"Wow, you're blushing a lot… you're almost as red as Big Mac!" Fluttershy giggled, Sven blushing even harder.
"Oh now you're gonna get it," he playfully growled. All that could be heard from outside the door were the sounds of giggles and laughter.

"Those traitors! I knew they couldn't be trusted!" Princess Celestia yelled. Both she and Princess Luna were standing in their private study, Princess Celestia fuming at the disappearance of the four ShadowHawks.
"Well the guards reported that Kozak and Fluttershy checked in last night. At least he holds his honor," Princess Luna spoke.
"Then bring him in here! I don't care if you have to cut his legs off but bring him in here now!" Princess Celestia yelled, six Royal Guards nodding and quickly departing.
"Honestly… the nerve to abandon Equestria when war is brewing…" Princess Celestia spat, anger.
"My dear sister, wasn't it you who banished them though? IF you think about it, it doesn't really surprise anyone that they left. Though why Kozak stayed behind is still quite a mystery since you hated him the most," Princess Luna spoke, Princess Celestia shooting her a glare. A loud bang suddenly echoed through the room, all but one of the mane six bursting into the room, Twilight leading them all.
"Princess! Vex and Aurora! They're gone!" she exclaimed, panting to catch her breath.
"I know, Twilight, I know. I've also been told that Archimedes and Strings have vanished as well. Only Kozak remains," Princess Celestia replied, anger still laced in her voice.

"Well, we also can't find dear Fluttershy either!" Rarity exclaimed, worry plastered on her face. This seemed to intrigue Princess Celestia, the princess pondering a thought before smiling.
"I see. So only he stays because of love," she chuckled, the other mares in the room gasping in shock.
"Wait, are you saying that creep Kozak is in love with OUR Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"It would seem that way, Shinning Armor? Retrieve the two," Twilights brother nodding and trotting off with four Royal Guards. The mares began to chat amongst one another, idle talk being the main subject of their conversation as to avoid the subject of war. A few minutes later, Sven and Fluttershy were brought into the room, Sven covered in his cloak and Fluttershy giggling as she wore his detachable hood.
"You summoned me?" Sven spoke, bowing to both princesses.

"I would assume you are aware your teammates left you last night?" Princess Celestia asked, surprise taking over when Sven's face showed shock.
"What?! When? How?" Sven demanded, his mind still in shock. The ponies that he had fought along side with and vouched for abandoned him.
"Shining Armor, present the evidence," Princess Celestia ordered, the pony hovering a red box towards Sven. Slowly opening the box, Sven's eyes widened when they fell upon the four orbs that rested inside. He quickly rushed towards the window, throwing it open and desperately yelling out his teammates names. Alas, his efforts were in vain as silence was all that returned to him.

Anger welled up within the pony's heart, his teeth were clenched tightly and his heartbeat increased. Fluttershy rested her hoof over his back, nuzzling gently beneath his head to try and calm him. Sven slowly calmed down, nuzzling back and moved to place a gentle kiss on Fluttershy's lips, only to find Rainbow Dash had suddenly pushed him away.
"Get away from her! You monster!" the rainbow mane mare yelled, her eyes glaring at Sven. Applejack and Rarity quickly stepped in between Sven and Fluttershy, blocking his path. Sven glared at the mares, noticing Twilight's gaze before muttering something beneath his breath. Turning to Celestia, he spoke.

"I will assume you know where to find me," he growled, suddenly vanishing in a puff of smoke. Fluttershy had broken past Rainbow Dash, her eyes darting around the room searching for Sven. Angrily, she turned to her friends, giving them the stare before running out of the room.
"Shy!" Rainbow Dash yelled, beginning to take off before Princess Celestia's magic held her back.
"My little ponies… don't you think you were a bit harsh towards him?" she calmly asked.
"Why are you suddenly defending him? Weren't you snapping at him and getting angry yesterday?" Twilight asked, confused by her mentor's actions.
"I was, yes. But if any of you had realized, he stuck around. Doesn't that make him loyal?" Princess Celestia asked.
"And what about Fluttershy? If she loves him, do you have the right to intervene with her love?" Princess Luna asked, her eyes fixated on the door where Fluttershy had ran out earlier. Guilt soon washed over the faces of the mane six mares.

"You ponies should be ashamed of yourselves," Shinning Armor glared at them, his sister in particularly. Sighing, the excused himself to return to his duties.
"Anyway, the situation will be discussed later. Twilight, keep the others informed with the letters I will send you. You may return to Ponyville now," Princess Celestia sighed, her horn glowing and a bright light engulfing the mares. In a matter of seconds, they were gone, Princess Luna turned to her sister.
"Do you really trust him?" she asked, resting on the floor. Princess Celestia sighed, her eyes wandering towards the open window of their study.
"I see no choice…" she muttered, turning her attention to the stack of papers that were pilled high on her desk.
"And what happens if we win? What will be his fate?" Princess Luna asked, walking towards the door to leave.
"I don't know... he is still a wanted criminal…" Princess Celestia sighed, looking up to find her sister had vanished.

"Honestly Rainbow Dash dear, acting so brashly," Rarity scolded, the flier swamped with guilt.
"Well, I thought…" Rainbow Dash began, being cut off by Twilight.
"Why did you suddenly push him away? He was just going to… actually what was he going to do?" Twilight asked, Applejack whispering into her ear what would've happened.
"Wait… Rainbow… do you… like mares?" Twilight asked cautiously, the pegasus blushing profusely at the question.
"N-n-no!" Rainbow Dash yelled, obviously flustered at the question, but now Pinkie Pie pressed the subject.
"Dashie… do you like Fluttershy?" the pink mare asked, Rainbow Dash's face lighting up brighter than a tomato.
"You do! You do like Fluttershy! Oh dearie I'm so happy for you!" Rarity squealed with glee, Twilight and Pinkie Pie nodding in agreement with sincere smiles.
"Now wait just a darn tootin' minute here. Ya'll tellin' me that Rainbow here's a fillyfooler?" Applejack asked, the others shocked that she'd use such a derogatory word.

"Applejack!" Rarity gasped, noticing Rainbow's ashamed gaze to the ground.
"Now, now. I ain't sayin' that I disapprove, I'm just shocked that's all. Why, I reckon you and Shy' may get something going!" Applejack clarified, smiling at her friend.
"Rainbow, this is nothing to be ashamed of, sure others may not look at this as natural or approving, but your friends do and that's what matters right?" Twilight assured, patting Rainbow Dash on the back. The pegasus turned her gaze to her four friends who smiled back her before a goofy grin spread across her lips.
"Yeah! That's right! Who cares what others think! I'm in love with Fluttershy and I'm proud of it!" the pegasus laughed, flying into the skies to her cloud home to relax.
"Well… I reckon' we should all get back to our daily routines. Twi, promise you'll keep us up to date?" Applejack asked, the scholar nodding before trotting off to the library. The rest of the mares dispersed, still with the morning's events at Canterlot weighing on their minds.

"Oh my! Dear Rainbow Dash is in love! I simply must make her a dress to wear so she can take Fluttershy out!" Rarity giggled giddily as she trotted down the street. Making her way towards the various shops, she picked up fabric, thread, accessories, and many other supplies that she needed. As she was heading back, she heard a soft voice from in between the buildings.
"Spare bits? Please? My sister and I have nowhere else to go. Spare bits? Please?" the voice begged. Rarity began searching for the source of the voice before her eyes fell upon a pair of sorrowful light blue eyes, a dark purple mane, and a dirty white coat wrapped up in torn and beaten up garbs of street cloth. Lying next to her, coughing was another pony, her soft amber yellow eyes looking back at Rarity with hope and pain while bits of dust and dirt laced within the hairs of her yellow mane and light grey coat.
"Vex… Aurora…" Rarity gasped, dropping her bags, the two ponies cowering and slowly retreating back from the fashionista.
"W-w-who are you?" Aurora whimpered, Vex hiding behind her.
"What happened to you…" Rarity murmured.

"Howdy sis! Did ya'll fix whatever needed fixing in Canterlot?" Applebloom greeted, galloping with all her might to greet her returning sister. Big Macintosh waved from the orchard, Applejack returning the gesture before hugging her sister.
"Haha, yup!" she smiled, sending the filly back into the house before joining her brother out in the orchard.
"We bucking as usual?" Applejack asked, noticing the multitude of wooden barrels scattered beneath the trees.
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied, kicking a tree and sending the golden apples down into the bucket. Applejack chuckled at her brother's usual one word replies before heading out to kick some trees as well. Twenty minutes passed and Applejack was barely breaking a sweat. However, on her way to another tree, she found three apple cores lying on the ground, the bite marks fresh.

"Varmints!" the farm girl cursed, galloping off to a small clearing where she found…
"There you go Rayne, eat up… we've got to leave soon anyway and find a place to stay. This place has no cover against rain or winds," a soft voice cooed as a bird cawed in return. Applejack peered around one of the trees to find a stallion sitting in the clearing, a small pile of apple cores surrounding him and what appeared to be a black phoenix.
"Wait just a minute…" Applejack thought, observing the stallion.
"Emerald eye, black eye patch, scar across the right eye, black hat like mine, long black mane, grey coat… Archimedes!" Applejack mentally gasped, stepping into the clearing and startling the two.
"Who are you?" the stallion gasped, Rayne flying into the air and landing on his back, cawing at Applejack.
"Archimedes! What in tarnation are you doing here on my farm?" Applejack asked shocked when she saw the pony's confused gaze.

"Archimedes? Are you talking to me?" the pony asked, confusion in his visible eye.
"Archimedes… it's me, Applejack. Remember? We met in Canterlot," the farm girl replied, seriously confused about what was happening. The stallion thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I've never been to Canterlot. I don't have any money to do anything there anyway," the pony replied.
"You're kidding right? You assassinate ponies for a living!" Applejack exclaimed, shock filling the stallion's face.
"I could never!" the pony gasped, horror in his eye. Applejack sighed in frustration, something wasn't right here.
"Look, stop playing dumb, I'm getting annoyed," she growled.
"I'm sorry but I really don't know who you are. And sorry for trespassing, come on Rayne, let's go," the stallion sighed, the bird cawing as its owner began to slowly trot away.

"Wait just a minute!" Applejack yelled, the stallion freezing in place.
"What are you doing AJ…" the farm girl mentally thought.
"Look, ya'll can stay here in the barn, I don't mind and I'm sure as Spring that Big Mac or Applebloom won't mind either," Applejack spoke, a look of hope spreading on the stallion's face.
"You sure? It's not big deal… we can just leave and find another place to stay," the pony replied, Applejack shook her head.
"Naw, I reckon here may be the best place for you two anyway. C'mon, I'll take you to the barn," the farm girl smiled, trotting away with the stallion and Rayne in tail.
"What in tarnation am I doing…" she thought to herself, her gaze slowly turning to the pony in tail.
"What's going on here. He's as clueless as, well, him," she thought, the barn slowly coming into view.

"Hey! Welcome back Twilight!" Spike greeted, smiling as his adopted sister slowly trotted into the library.
"Hey Spike, if any letters from Princess Celestia come through, come get me immediately please," Twilight smiled, patting Spike on the head before making her way to the kitchen.
"Spike, are we out of lettuce?" Twilight called out, the purple dragon thinking for a moment before responding.
"I think so, sorry about that," he apologized.
"It's fine, I think I may eat out actually instead," the lavender unicorn replied, trotting out the door and making her way to the restaurants of Ponyville.

Trotting through Ponyville, Twilight took in the familiar surroundings of her home. She found it strange that while in Canterlot, it felt like she was gone for months or years. Brushing the thought aside, she recalled that a new restaurant had opened up recently. Deciding on that particular restaurant, she changed course and made her way to the center of town. While walking, she suddenly heard the sweet melody of a violin floating through the air. She noticed that there was a small crowd of ponies that surrounded the source of music. Curiosity took over and Twilight gently made her way to the front of the crowd to find a lone stallion standing up right and playing the violin. His coat was light grey while his mane was short and dark brown. Sharp grey eyes stared calmly at the strings of his instrument while his hoof drew the bow gently back and forth.

"Strings? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, anger suddenly beginning to bubble within her. The violinists stopped playing, the crowd cheering before tossing bits into the open violin case at the stallion's hooves.
"I don't follow. Are you talking to me young lady?" the stallion asked, packing up his violin and slowly limping along the road, Twilight following.
"Yes! What are you doing here in Ponyville? You were supposed to be in Canterlot earlier today!" Twilight exclaimed, surprised as the stallion looked at her confused.
"Canterlot? Why, I've never been to that place. Always wanted to go though, even when I was a young filly," the stallion chuckled. Twilight looked at the stallion, now officially confused by what was going on.

"You… don't remember anything?" Twilight asked.
"I'm sorry young lady but I think you've mistaken me as someone else. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go," the stallion excused himself before trotting off, leaving Twilight standing in place, stumped.
"What?"

"W-w-where are we?" Vex stuttered, holding onto Aurora tightly as the two mares were led into Carousel Boutique.
"You're at Carousel Boutique! My own personal shop and my home!" Rarity replied proudly, noticing Vex's fascination with the variety of dresses while Aurora's eyes were fixated on the drawing designs that littered the trash bins or were hung on the walls.
"Why did you bring us here?" Aurora asked, holding Vex close to her.
"Well I couldn't possibly let two mares live on the streets now could I?" Rarity replied, smiling brightly at the two.
"But won't we get in your way?" Vex asked, now feeling courageous enough to venture out from behind her sister and admire the dresses up close.
"Oh no! I take care of my sister after all so it's no worry," Rarity smiled, calling Sweetie Bell to the main entrance to introduce her. The tiny filly bounced down the stairs, making her way towards Rarity.

"Hi Rarity! Who are these?" she asked, eyeing Vex and Aurora, Vex who had now taken refuge once again behind Aurora.
"Sweetie Belle dear, these are two of my friends, Vex and Aurora," Rarity explained, Sweetie Belle nodding before bouncing around the two mares.
"Hey! I'm Sweetie Bell! I'm still trying to get my Cutie Mark! Oh! How'd you two get yours? I'm sure it must've been doing something super awesome!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, unaware of how loud she was being. Rarity spotted Vex had constantly began to hide behind Aurora to avoid Sweetie Bell's persistent questioning.
"Sweetie Belle dear, can't you see you're making our guests nervous?" Rarity scolded, the younger pony stopping her bouncing.
"Now, go along and play with your friends," Rarity spoke, smiling sweetly as her sister's eyes widened and a goofy smile spread across her lips. Rarity waved goodbye as Sweetie Belle galloped out the door.

Now turning her attention to Vex and Aurora, she gently smiled at the two mares.
"Now come along, let's find you a place to sleep," Rarity announced, motioning for the two mares to follow her. Leading Vex and Aurora upstairs, Rarity used her magic to pull a latch to drop a hidden staircase.
"Up here is the attic and believe it or not, it's actually two rooms!" Rarity explained proudly, showing off the pristine décor and design of the room. Aurora and Vex awed at how beautifully designed the rooms were. In both rooms, there was a queen sized bed with a red silky blanket and two fluffy white pillows. Both rooms shared a bathroom with a toilet, shower, and a bathtub.
"You two will be staying up here. Feel free to come get me if you need anything," Rarity smiled, suddenly feeling Vex's hooves wrapping around her.
"Thank you. We thought that you'd just give up a bit or two and be on your way but you've shown us the most compassion we've ever seen. You gave us a roof and a bed, two things we never had," Aurora thanked, bowing to the white unicorn. Rarity blushed, not used to being bowed to.

A soft squeak came from Vex's lips as she tried to properly thank Rarity like her sister.
"T-t-t-thank you miss," she stuttered, her body shaking lightly before going limp and collapsing.
"Vex!" Aurora gasped, rushing to her sisters side only to collapse to the floor as well.
"Darlings?!" Rarity gasped, checking the pulses of both ponies. A soft smile suddenly spread across the fashionista's lips.
"They're both exhausted… time for bed!" she giggled, using her magic to lift Aurora and tuck her into bed, bringing the sheets up to her neck. Rarity began to float Vex to the other room before she came to a realization. Smiling, she turned around and tucked Vex into Aurora's bed, watching as the white mare wrapped her hooves around Aurora's waist and pull her closer.
"Well this warms my heart!" Rarity giggled gleefully, watching as Aurora turned over and wrapped her hooves around Vex.

"But I still can't help but wonder. Why can't they remember anything?" Rarity wondered, trotting downstairs to finish an order that came in two days ago.

"You sure about this miss? This is too kind of you."
"I insist. Ain't no way I'm gonna let a stallion and his bird or anypony without a home wander around without shelter and food!"
"You're too kind. Say thank you Rayne."
"Caw!"
"If ya'll need anything, just come on into the house, I'll be inside in the late afternoon."
"Ok.. Once again, thank you miss."
"Just call me Applejack hon'."

Applejack trotted out of the barn, turning and waving at the pony who was once Archimedes and the black phoenix Rayne.
"What in tarnation is going on here? That's Archimedes alright but why can't he remember me or anything?" Applejack wondered, trotting into her house where Applebloom and Granny Smith were busying themselves with making dinner.
"Howdy ya'll! I'm here to help!" Applejack smiled, relieving her grandmother from her position and taking over.
"So what're we making?" Applejack asked, Applebloom pointing to the cookbook that rested in a pile of dough.
"Apple Fritters? For dinner?" Applejack asked, confused.
"Well I don't know, Big Mac said something about it so I thought that's what we were doing," Applebloom replied, Applejack facehoofing.
"Big Mac!" she yelled, the older stallion slowly coming down the stairs.
"Eeyup," he replied, in his usual tone.

"Why are we doing Apple Fritters for dinner?" Applejack asked, eye her older brother suspiciously.
"Well I reckon' since you got that new pony in the barn," Big Macintosh replied, trotting off, "I reckon you could take him on a nice date."
"Date?! My sister's got a coltfriend?" Applebloom giggled, eye Applejack.
"What?! No! I-I-I don't got no coltfriend! Big Mac!" Applejack yelled.
"Now, don't let your hat fall off your pretty little head," Granny Smith smiled, patting Applejack on the back.
"Aw, thanks Granny Smi-" Applejack began before Granny Smith suddenly burst out into laughter.

"Let your coltfriend do it when you to make me grandfoals!"
"Granny!"
"Grandfoals?!"
"Applebloom!"
"Eeyup."
"Big Mac!"
"PINKIE PIE!"
"WHO LET YOU IN?!"

Rainbow Dash

Chapter 6 - Rainbow Dash

"Sven? Are you here?" Fluttershy called out, the canary yellow pegasus slowly walking back into her cottage. Angel Bunny bounced over to his owner, urgently thumping on her leg while making gestures towards the basement. The frightened chirps of birds and scared faces of bunnies and other furry creatures alerted Fluttershy to the presence of somepony in her home. Scared, she reached for a broom, carefully making her way to towards the basement door, a frightening aura emitting from behind the wooden barrier. Angel Bunny had grabbed a wooden spoon and a small pot cover and took his position on Fluttershy's back.
"H-h-h-hello?" Fluttershy weakly squeaked, poking his head into the basement, her eyes fixated on the darkness at the bottom of the creaky stairs.

Feeling slight bolder than usual, Fluttershy began to descend the steps, her hooves making quiet creaks on the old wooden stairs. The door slamming shut behind her suddenly broke whatever boldness she had accumulated, making the mare shriek in fear before falling down the stairs. A minute passed before Fluttershy opened her eyes again, a dim light in the far corner of the basement catching her attention. Carefully, she trotted closer, feeling something stick on the bottom of her hooves. Ignoring the unpleasant feeling, the yellow mare drew closer and closer until she finally was able to make out the rough outline of a stallion sleeping. Coming closer, she found Sven fast asleep on the stone floor, his cloak serving as his blanket and his head resting partially on a bag of bird seed.

Fluttershy began to move closer to awake Sven only to suddenly feel something wet beneath her hooves. Still unable to see clearly, she quietly whispered for Angel Bunny to go open the blinds to let light in. As Angel Bunny climbed up to the smaller windows and pulled the blinds, sunlight flooded the room, washing over the tiles and bags that occupied the basement. Fluttershy glanced down, her eyes widening. Then she screamed.

Rarity trotted upstairs, her work completed and nighttime starting to draw closer.
"They've been quiet for quiet awhile now, I guess it would be proper to bring them something t to eat," Rarity thought aloud as she ascended the stairs to the two mare's room. Quietly peering inside, she found Aurora fast asleep on the floor, a piece of crumpled up scrap paper that she used to draw up a design for a dress. Curious, she quietly moved over towards Aurora, gasping at the eloquent design that she had drawn up.
"Oh my! This is simply marvelous! Beautiful! So sophisticated!" Rarity gasped, her eyes switching from Aurora to the piece of paper.
"She has such potential! I must recruit her!" Rarity mentally thought, her eyes now searching for Vex, finding her slouched over a table, fast asleep with a bent needle in one hoof and what appeared to be an unfinished piece in her other hoof. Quietly trotting over, Rarity notice that Vex was making the same dress that Aurora had drawn.

"These two. They have so much talent!" Rarity mused, using her magic to put both mares back into bed and tucking them in. She smiled as she watched vex snuggle up to her sister like a scared filly during a thunderstorm.
"They really aren't bad ponies… They were just born into the wrong setting," she sighed happily, placing a motherly kiss on both ponies' foreheads.
"Sleep well my little ponies, I'll bring something up soon," she smiled gently before quietly descending the steps and heading towards the kitchen.

Applejack was still shaken up by the teasing from Big Macintosh, Applebloom, and Granny Smith. Sighing in frustration, the farmer tossed and turned in her bed, trying to go to sleep but to no avail.
"Horse feathers, this is their fault!" she muttered, trotting outside and to the orchard. Walking through the apple orchard always seemed to calm the farmer down easily. However tonight was different, the words 'grandfoals' and 'coltfriend' constantly running through her head.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered, kicking an apple core across the ground. Wait. An apple core? Applejack suddenly began running through the orchard, looking for any thieves who were stealing her apples.
The sounds of hooves galloping away alerted her to the presence of a thief, Applejack running faster and grabbing a hidden lasso. Soon she spotted a dark figure running away, an apple being held with magic.

"Oh no you don't!" Applejack yelled, twirling the lasso over head and throwing it towards the thief.
"Ah!" the stallion crashed to the ground, the apple bouncing away. Before he had a chance to get back up, Applejack tackled the stallion to the ground, pinning him before turning him over.
"Archimedes?! What in tarnation are you doing?" Applejack exclaimed.
"I don't know who you're talking about! Don't hurt me! I just wanted something to eat, but you and your family were sleeping so I came out here to get an apple and-" the stallion exclaimed, Applejack placing a hoof on his lips.
"Hon' I ain't mad atcha'. Didn't I tell ya that if ya'll needed something, just come and get me?" Applejack chuckled, helping the stallion to his hooves.

"C'mon, let's head back inside, I'll whip us something up," Applejack laughed, motioning for the stallion to follow. The two quietly snuck into the kitchen, Applejack rummaging through the refrigerator before she produced a small basket of Apple Fritters.
"Wow, these look good," the stallion smiled, drooling almost as his eye scanned the basket.
"Eat up, I'm hungry too," Applejack laughed, picking one up and taking a large bite out of it, Archimedes following suite and eating eagerly.
The two soon began about idle issues, more or less, Applejack talked and the stallion listened. Applejack suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness sweep over her, though she fought on to continue her conversation with Archimedes. However, within a few minutes, the farm girl had fallen asleep on the table, snoring softly. The stallion sitting across from her smiled at the sight, removing his hat and placing it atop of Applejacks before fetching a blanket from the couch in the living room.

Carefully, he draped the cloth over Applejack, smiling warmly at her before putting the food back into the fridge and making his way back to the barn. Upon entering, Rayne swooped down and cawed, landing on the stallion's head.
"Haha, alright, let's go back to bed," the stallion smiled, trotting up the wooden stairs to the hay stacks that resided in the upper levels.
"Goodnight Rayne."
"Caw!"

Celestia's Sun rose as usual, it's warm rays waking up all of Equestria. However, in a certain library in Ponyville, there was a unicorn who was more than awake.
"Strings here in Ponyville… but why?" Twilight muttered. She had spent most of the day pacing back and forth contemplating why Strings would be in Ponyville. However it wasn't String's appearance that confused Twilight, it was the fact that he apparently didn't know who she was yet alone remember his trip to Canterlot.
"Something happened… and Kozak knows. But how to get information out of him…" Twilight muttered, not noticing Rainbow Dash quietly fly into the library, hovering over her unicorn friend.
"Hey Twilight! You have that new edition of Daring Do?" Rainbow Dash yelled, startling Twilight to jump into the air and crash into a wooden bust of Princess Celestia.
"Rainbow! Warn me next time you come in!" Twilight snapped, anger laced in her words.
"Sheesh! What's got your horn in a blender?" Rainbow Dash muttered, landing next to her friend. Twilight sighed, apologizing for her snappish behavior.

"Well, you see… I saw Strings," Twilight sighed, Spike bringing the two mares some biscuits and water.
"Well of course you did, I did too! We all did in Canterlot," Rainbow Dash laughed, somewhat confused at what Twilight was getting at.
"No, I mean. Here. I saw him HERE in PONYVILLE."

"Alright young ones, come now, let's go play elsewhere," a warm voice cooed through Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was busy working on new parts for her party cannon when the voice rang in her ears. Peering out of her room into the halls, her eyes widened as she spotted Strings with the Cakes' babies, the fillies climbing all over the stallion and laughing.
"Come now, let's go see what mommy and daddy are up to," the stallion smiled, ushering the two fillies along to the master bedroom where Mr. and Mrs. Cake slept. The two fillies ran into the room, waking their parents who greeted them with a smile and laugh.
"Oh thank you so much for taking care of them Mr.…" Mrs. Cake began, unsure of what to call Strings. Strings only looked back at her confused, not understanding why she was pausing.
"Mr.?" Mr. Cake asked, confused as well.
"Pardon me for asking, but what exactly is your name?" Mrs. Cake asked with a friendly smile. Strings' eyes widened, the question catching him off guard. What was his name? He didn't remember.

"I… I'm sorry, but I don't actually even know what my name is," he replied sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Cake looking at him apathetically.
"How did you get them to settle down for nap time anyway?" Mr. Cake asked, curious about the stallion's technique. Strings smiled as he produced his violin.
"Music," he replied with a warm smile.
"Oh! Well, would you care to stay for lunch?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"I'm sorry, but I must go, I feel like I'm forgetting something," Strings replied, bowing politely before trotting out of the store, muttering something beneath his breath. Pinkie Pie leaned against her door, thoughts rushing through her mind.
"He doesn't know his name? How can that be?" she wondered, turning to her window and watching the stallion vanish into the busy streets.

"So you're saying that Strings doesn't remember a thing? Like he doesn’t even know who we are?" Rainbow Dash asked, Twilight nodding.
"Hey Twilight, I was just thinking about something, remember when Kozak and all showed up and Fluttershy froze stiff?" Rainbow Dash asked, Twilight nodding.
"Do you suppose something happened between Fluttershy and them? It has to be the reason why she's all fidgety around them, well except now," Rainbow Dash suggested. Twilight began to shift nervously in her place, this was exactly what Rarity had warned her of, that Rainbow Dash would dig in deep and find out.
"Well… Um… Ahaha…" Twilight chuckled nervously, catching Rainbow Dash's attention.
"Wait… you knew? You knew?! And you didn't tell us?!" the pegasus roared, anger suddenly filling her heart as she glared at the lavender unicorn. Twilight was about to explain before Rainbow Dash slapped her.

"Why didn't you tell us?! We love her! I LOVE HER! Why?! Why Twilight?!" the cyan mare yelled, her ability to restrain her sudden rage failing.
"I PINKIE PROMISED OKAY?! I PINKIE PROMISED TO RARITY!" Twilight yelled, Rainbow Dash's rage suddenly calming down, understanding the seriousness of a Pinkie Promise.
"Why? Why did you Pinkie Promise?" she asked.
"Rarity broke her Pinkie Promise to tell me! She said that if anyone would not overreact, it would be me! You're too brash! Pinkie Pie is too hyperactive! Applejack is to stubborn! I was the only logical one!" Twilight yelled. Rainbow Dash froze in place, her mouth agape before she flew out of the library in search of Rarity.
"Rainbow!" Twilight called out in vane, only to watch a rainbow streak across the sky towards Carousel Boutique.

"Rainbow! What in all of Equestria possessed you to break down my door?!" Rarity gasped, anger in her voice as she stepped over the splintered pieces of what used to be her door. Rainbow Dash stood in the threshold, panting and trying to catch her breath.
"What… did Fluttershy… tell you… about… her past? What… hasn't she… told me…" Rainbow Dash panted, Rarity's eyes widening as the pegasus soon regained her breath and stared down the white unicorn.
"I know you know, I forced the information out of Twilight and I'll do the same thing to you if I have to!" Rainbow Dash threatened, her usual passive kindness suddenly vanishing and being replaced with hostility.
"R-R-Rainbow dear! I can't say anything anymore! It's bad enough that I broke a Pinkie Promise without Pinkie Pie knowing but to betray Fluttershy's trust? I will most certainly not!" Rarity protested, standing her ground, glaring back at the angry mare.

"Come to think of it, why are you demanding information from ME? If anything this is your fault for not knowing!" Rarity yelled, her anger beginning to win over her sense of serenity and restraint. Rainbow Dash glared back at Rarity, angry that she would even accuse her of anything that harmed Fluttershy.
"How dare you! I stuck by with her since Flight School!" Rainbow Dash shouted, drawing closer to Rarity.
"How dare I?! How dare YOU! You selfish pegasus! All YOU do is brag and brag! Have YOU ever even considered asking Fluttershy if anything was bothering her?! Have YOU even made an attempt to visit her weekly to catch up with your so called good friend?! Have you?!" Rarity screamed, her magic suddenly engulfing her body and producing a terrifying aura that sent shivers and shivers through Rainbow Dash's body. Rainbow Dash was about to fire back but was quickly stopped as a tendril of magic slammed into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

"How about you start taking your foolish pride and bragging and shoving it down your bucking throat! Show some care for once and visit Fluttershy! All of you! Am I the only one who visits her weekly?! Honestly! You know she'd rather endure any discomfort than express a complaint! And yet you all are either oblivious to this or just don't care! It sickens me!" Rarity roared, her magic growing larger and flaring more widely. Rainbow Dash was now cowering in place, she had never seen Rarity get this made. To her, it made Queen Chrysalis's attack on Canterlot's wedding between Shining Armor and Candace as a tiny spider threatening to crawl into your soup. All around Rarity, objects began to float or shake wildly, threatening to be thrown or batter the cyan pegasus.
"Do you even know what's happening at her cottage at the moment?! Did you make an effort to go visit her today?!" Rarity yelled, her glare so intense, it put Fluttershy's famous Stare to shame.
"Did you?" Rainbow Dash weakly shot back only to be forced to the ground by a sudden fury of magic.
"NO BUT I SEE HER A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN YOU DO YOU SELF ABSORBED MARE!" Rarity screamed, her magic continuing to expand.

The sound of hooves galloping at breakneck speed pierced Rainbow Dash's ears. Turning around, she found Twilight and Pinkie Pie staring in horror at the sight of Rarity's anger.
"Rarity! Calm down!" Twilight yelled, only angering Rarity even further.
"Why?! So you and I can break another promise?!" the unicorn yelled, suddenly feeling a pair of hooves gently wrap around her neck. Turning, she found Vex holding on to her, fear in her eye but doing her best to look confident.
"P-p-p-p-please calm down?" she stuttered, squeaking gently at the end. Rarity's rage melted instantly at the sight, turning around and hugging the mare gently.
"I'm sorry dear, I just got a little angry," she cooed gently, Vex slowly falling asleep in her hooves. Using her magic, she floated the sleeping pony over to a makeshift bed of pillows and blankets. Trotting over, she placed a gently kiss on the sleeping mare's head before returning to the three frightened ponies.

"Now… RAINBOW DASH, where were we…" Rarity growled only to have Twilight and Pinkie Pie rush ahead in case the unicorn lost her cool once again.
"You're right Rarity… I'm selfish… I'm full of myself… I'm a terrible friend… and I don't even deserve Fluttershy's love… but I can change! Yeah… I can change. I just have to start with fillysteps, one hoof at a time. And I think I'll take the first step today! Rarity! I'm going to visit Fluttershy, and I'm going to start doing it weekly!" Rainbow Dash announced proudly, her signature goofy grin spreading across her lips as she took the skies, giggling giddily speeding toward Fluttershy's cottage.

"Hey! Applejack! Applejack! Wake up! There's some stranger in the barn!"
Applejack's eyes shot open instantly, jumping out of the chair that she had fallen asleep in and galloping towards the barn. However, the instant she left the house, her mind kicked her hard, reminding her it was Archimedes, or at least that's what she knew him as. She smiled to herself, suddenly realizing that there was blanket on her along with a black hat atop her head. Smiling gently, she trotted towards the barn.
"Wonder what that stallion's up to," she murmured, peering inside. The floor was empty, only hay and other boxes of memorabilia and trinkets scattered about.
"Maybe he's on the second floor," she thought aloud, quietly trotting upstairs to find said stallion fast asleep in a beam of sunlight. The warm rays shone through the opening at the front of the barn, enveloping the pony in a warm blanket. Looking to her right, she found a black phoenix snoring softly while perched on a support.

The farm girl giggled, making her way over towards the sleeping stallion and laying the blanket over him and placing his hat next to his head. She watched as the stallion slowly turned towards her, still snoring quietly before wrapping his hooves around the blanket and snuggling up to it. A minute passed, a tiny voice speaking in the back of Applejack's mind.
"Lie with him."
"What? No! He'll miss interpret it!" Applejack thought, the mere suggestion causing her cheeks to go pink.
"Then explain to him when he wakes up. You were just tired, that's all and decided to lie down for a bit."
"Well… if you put it that way… but it still don't feel right!" Applejack's mind yelled.
"Why are you so against it? He is kind of cute anyways, just look at him. C'mon AJ, as an added bonus, he looks cool too. A hat like yours, a scar and an eye patch. A PHOENIX as a pet?"

"Well… I reckon I could use a small nap before getting back to work," Applejack murmured, giving in to her thoughts. Carefully, the orange mare slipped into the covers, scooting back gently before she felt a hoof drape over her and pull her closer. Warmth soon surged through Applejack's back, the heat emitting from Archimedes chest generously sharing the comforting feeling with the farm girl.
"Well… it's mighty comfortable…" Applejack mused before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

"So you both broke a Pinkie Promise? I can't believe you two!" Pinkie Pie yelled, angry with her friends. Rarity had confessed to telling Twilight a secret she had Pinkie Promised to never tell and Twilight confessed giving Rainbow Dash a hint of the secret when the cyan mare confronted her. Pinkie Pie could only sigh, she was truly disappointed with her friends but she understood that Rainbow Dash could easily force information out of somepony when she wanted.
"Alright, I'll forgive you two since you guy are my bestest friends," Pinkie Pie smiled, resuming her usual bouncy behavior. Twilight and Rarity mentally sighed in relief before a soft squeak pierced their ears. Looking around, Twilight quickly spotted Vex making her way towards Rarity. Rarity smiled warmly at the frightened pony, allowing her to nuzzle up to the fashionista before glancing at Twilight and Pinkie Pie.
"Who are they?" she asked quietly. Twilight was shocked, was everypony like this?
"First Strings doesn't remember who he is and now Vex is a frightened as a filly trying to run from a manticore! What's going on here?" Twilight wondered, watching Vex begin to hid behind Rarity in fear of her stare.

"Vex, dear, these are my two friends, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie," Rarity smiled, Vex slowly coming closer to the two ponies who stared back at her.
"H-h-hi," she stuttered, Pinkie Pie suddenly zooming forward.
"Wow! You're almost as shy as Fluttershy now! Well actually, I didn't know you before so you could've been like that any way! But that's beside the point, you're really really shy! Hey do you like parties?!" Pinkie Pie began her rambling, startling Vex who resumed hiding behind Rarity.
"Umm excuse me?" Vex whispered softly gently nudging Rarity's flank. The unicorn turned around, curious what the mare wanted.
"Ummm I think my sister is a bit sick… Do you have any medicine that we can use? If not, that's fine, I can go look for something then," Vex spoke, seeming worried that the fashionista would deny them medicine. Rarity smiled and trotted over to a nearby cabinet rummaging through to eventually produce a first aid kit.

"Here you go darling, there's something in there that will help your sister I'm sure. I'll be up in a minute or two," Rarity smiled, motioning for the pony to ascend the steps. Vex smiled weakly before quickly leaving.
"They're staying here?" Twilight questioned, sure that Vex was gone.
"Well more or less. I found them yesterday, both of them in rags and begging for bits on the streets. I couldn't leave them there. They seemed so… so… helpless… and… afraid," Rarity explained. Twilight nodded, soaking in the information before revealing her encounter with Strings.
"I saw him too! Apparently he was taking care of the Cakes' fillies earlier. He doesn't remember a thing either, not even his own name!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, Twilight and Rarity absorbing the information.
"I would say it's safe to say that Fluttershy is housing Kozak?" Twilight spoke, Rarity nodding.
"And seeing how Dashie didn't bring up the subject at all, maybe Archimedes is being housed at Sweet Apple Acres," Pinkie Pie added, the two unicorns nodding in agreement.
"I would say it's also safe to say that Archimedes doesn't remember anything at all," Twilight sighed, the two other mares nodding in agreement.

"Maybe you can check on Applejack then, I've got to take care of these two mares," Rarity smiled, waving goodbye to her friends before trotting upstairs.

"Applejack?!"
"Wow! She looks so comfortable!"
"Not that Pinkie! Look!"
"Wowzers! We should throw a party! Applejack's got a coltfriend!" Pinkie Pie giggled gleefully. Applejack stirred gently, the voices of her friends slowly dragging her out of her peaceful slumber. Groaning softly, the orange mare slowly opened her eyes, noticing a hoof draped over her and holding her tight. Gently turning, she found Archimedes, still fast asleep and snoring gently. Rayne had been woken up by the noise from the mares and stretched her wings, cawing softly before staring at the intruders.

"Well Applejack, I didn't expect you to try and grab a stallion just yet!" Rarity giggled gleefully, clapping her hooves together in excitement.
"Now wait just a darn minute. I wasn't sleeping with him! I was just… uh… just… just tired and thought I could take a quick nap!" Applejack protested, blushing heavily as Archimedes nuzzled into her neck, still asleep.
"Well, it still looks like you two are getting along just fine," Twilight teased, giggling at Applejack's blush. The farmer sighed, soon explaining how she found Archimedes in her orchard with no recollection of who he, she, or what happened earlier. Twilight and Rarity quickly explained their encounters with Strings and Vex and Aurora, the farm girl nodding in understanding.
"So we all agree then that Kozak is at Shy's?" Applejack asked, the other mares nodding. Slowly and gently, Applejack began to slip out of Archimedes hug. Eventually she managed to be free, leaving a soft kiss on the stallion's cheek before galloping off with the rest of her friends.

"Hey Shy! Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash yelled, as she approached the pegasus' cottage. When no reply came at first, she thought Fluttershy just didn't hear her. But then something hit her, something was missing, and it definitely couldn't symbolize anything good. The usual animals that would scamper about the outside of her cottage, the usual chirping of birds who rested in trees, the rabbits that would hop up and down beneath the mare; none were present as the pegasus drew closer and closer. Worry soon took over Rainbow Dash's mind as she sped up, nearly crashing through the door. Ramming the door open, the pegasus galloped inside, yelling for her friend only to be greeted with silence. Looking down at her hooves, Rainbow Dash screamed. A long wet, stick, warm trail of blood stained the floor, weaving around the house and eventually down to the basement. Fearing the worst, Rainbow Dash rushed down the steps, the chilling feeling of her first time in the basement bringing back unpleasant memories.

Ignoring the shivers and chills that shot up her spine, the pegasus began yelling for her friend. When silence and the echo of her voice was all that returned to her, she began to panic. Her cries drew Fluttershy's woodland critters to the door, all of them watching the cyan mare screaming in vain for her friend. Eventually a ferret scampered down the steps, a piece of paper held securely in it's tiny jaws. Rainbow Dash spotted the animal and quickly snatched the paper.

I'm at the Cloudsdale General Hospital with Kozak. I found him injured badly beyond my medical skills and the doctors at Ponyville General Hospital say they do not know how to treat his wounds. I'll be back soon, I promise. Oh, and if this is you Rarity who is reading this, I may not be able to make it to our weekly meeting. I'm sorry.

Love,
Fluttershy

"Cloudsdale. Mom, you're not getting away this time. I'll force it out of you if I have to," Rainbow Dash growled, dropping the piece of paper and flying towards Cloudsdale.

"Was that Rainbow?" Twilight asked, noticing a cyan streak zoom into the sky from Fluttershy's cottage.
"Yep, I reckon she actually kept her word and visited Shy," Applejack replied, watching Rainbow Dash vanish into the clouds.
"I wonder why she left in such a hurry," Pinkie Pie thought aloud.
"Well I guess we can ask Fluttershy…" Rarity began trailing off as her eyes locked onto the open door, the bloody trail and the open door to the basement. The four mares froze in place, their eyes darting from the bloody mess to the cyan mare that had vanished into the cloudy city above.

"Sugarcube? You in there?" Applejack called out, her voice shaky and laced with fear. No reply.
"Fluttershy? It's us, we just wanted to apologize," Twilight weakly yelled, still faced with the silence that hung grimly around the cottage.
"Dearie? It's Rarity, are you here?" Rarity tried to reach Fluttershy but had no luck.
"Fluttershy! One of the birdhouses is on fire!" Pinkie Pie yelled, trying to sound convincing but having no luck. Deathly silence filled the ears of the four mares before they slowly began to back away from the open door, a sickly feeling beginning to pour out from the dark threshold.
"As much as I care about Fluttershy, maybe we should notify the Princess about this?" Twilight suggested before Spike came barreling towards the group.
"Spike? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked curiously, the purple dragon holding up a claw and struggling to catch his breath. The next five words he uttered sent chills and fear through the mares' hearts and minds.
"Celestia… Letter… War… Stalkers… Vanished…"

"Okay, just try and calm down Fluttershy, we've been through this before and I'll help you get through it once again," a soft voice cooed gently while hooves wrapped themselves around a sobbing mare. Rainbow Dash's mother had been assigned to Fluttershy's case once again since she had dealt with helping the shy pony in the past even as a filly. Unknown to Rainbow Dash, even though she was the one who primarily got physical with the other fillies who picked on Fluttershy and her, Fluttershy often had other dealings with the fillies. While Rainbow Dash would get into fights during the mornings, Fluttershy would plead the other ponies to not harm her only friend and instead they could do whatever they wanted to her. So while Rainbow Dash would come back into their dorm room, often covered in fresh bruises or light cuts, Fluttershy would dreadfully wander to the back of their school in the afternoon where the fillies would get physical with her. Instead of going back to their dorm room, she would often limp or drag herself over to Cloudsdale General Hospital to seek healing.

"Oh I know Colormane but seeing him like reminds me so much of Flight School and I… I… I," Fluttershy sobbed, feeling Colormane's hooves gently stroke her back.
"There, there dear. Flight School is now in the past and those ponies can't hurt you anymore," Colormane assured, holding Fluttershy close.
"I know you didn't have the greatest fillyhood dear and that must have been horrible. And I know that your experience at Flight School was less than stellar, with those horrible fillies constantly beat you up when Dashie was asleep in your dorm, but they can no longer hurt you. They've moved on and grew up. And believe me or not but it still pains me deeply that you come in weekly for some more patching up. Remember what I told you Fluttershy? I'm here to listen and help you but you've got to stop cutting yourself open with old wounds," the mare frowned, remembering the first time Fluttershy had limped into the hospital.
"Well, that and my kitchen knives," Fluttershy weakly laughed, Colormane unsure on how to react but smiled weakly.

"And then there was that time when I came in after running into Sven…" Fluttershy sighed, her eyes drifting over towards the hospitalized Sven. Confusion soon swirled through Colormane's mind. Sven? She thought the pony was called Kozak! However, before she even had a chance to speak, a frail whisper hit her ears, sending fear up her back and through her feathers. Turning around, she found her daughter staring at the two, horror and shock in her magenta eyes at what had been revealed. While her lips moved but made no sound, Colormane could easily decipher what her daughter was uttering: Fluttershy…

Thanks For Her Memories

Chapter 7 - Thanks For Her Memories

Rainbow Dash stood in the threshold, staring at her life long friend in shock and horror. A million thoughts were racing through the pegasus's head and her mother's stare and Fluttershy's red puffy eyes didn't help.
"Shy…" Rainbow Dash choked, feeling tears well up in her own eyes before her gaze fell on her mother, anger suddenly surging through the mare.
"Why didn't you tell me mom…" Rainbow Dash whispered softly, her voice frightening Colormane as she sensed the rage behind her calm mask.
"I made her promise Dashie. It's my fault," Fluttershy sobbed quietly, Colormane holding the yellow pegasus close while she stroked her mane.
"But why Shy?! Why?! Why did you put yourself through that?!" Rainbow Dash nearly screamed at the already frightened pony.

"You had enough injuries for a day… and it was all my fault! If I hadn't..." Fluttershy trailed off as tears poured from her eyes once more.
"That wasn't your fault though! It was… … mutual…" Rainbow Dash blushed softly at the memory. Fluttershy continued to cry as she began to remember what happened to her.
"It was Dashie… it was. It was my fault that our years at Flight School were so horrible. If it wasn't for me you could've gone on and graduated with flying colors! You could've been a Wonderbolt by now! But instead I threw your future out the window," Fluttershy yelled weakly, Colormane and Rainbow Dash could only stare and listen as the pegasus continued.
"I deserved everything those ponies did to me. Every hit, every insult, every threat, every time they touched me…" Fluttershy sobbed, Rainbow Dash's eyes widening at the last statement and turning to her mother who simply looked away, a guilt expression on her face.
"Wait, Fluttershy… are you saying they… ra-" Rainbow Dash tried to speak before Fluttershy cut her off, continuing her list.

"Every cut, every bruise, every broken bone, every black eye, every thrown stone, every -" Fluttershy continued before Rainbow Dash pressed her lips against Fluttershy's.
"Shut up Fluttershy! Just shut up! Please… just shut up…" the cyan pegasus sobbed, holding onto her crush tightly. The once confident mare that everyone knew Rainbow Dash to be slumped to the floor, her hooves still wrapped around her neck while she bawled like a newborn foal.
"Just stop it Fluttershy… stop it…" Rainbow Dash sobbed, passing out before the yellow mare.
"Looks like she cried herself to exhaustion. Poor Dashie. I'll set her up in the other bed in the room. Would you like a bed to sleep in? Consider that is if you're staying the night," Colormane asked, Fluttershy nodding.

Smiling softly, the nurse called in for another bed. Carefully, Fluttershy and Colormane lifted Rainbow Dash and tucked her into the bed on the other side of the separating curtain. A nurse soon came into the room, wheeling in an extra bed and placing it right next to Sven's.
"I'll bring you three dinner. Just take a nap or something, rest," Colormane smiled gently before placing a gentle kiss on Fluttershy's forehead. Still teary eyed, Fluttershy nodded, allowing herself to be taken by the warmth of the blankets and the softness of the pillow. Glancing to her left, she spotted one of Sven's hooves lying outside of the blanket. Slowly, she took his hoof in hers and began to drift off to the world of dreams.

"Ugh… what happened?" Rainbow Dash muttered slowly coming to. Glancing around, she found herself tucked into a warm hospital bed, a light green curtain to her right and the basic white wall to her left. Realizing she must have passed out she quickly leapt out of bed, searching for Fluttershy. Her search was cut short when she heard a familiar whimper to her right. Quickly rushing around the curtain she found her friend and Kozak, Fluttershy's hoof still holding the stallion's. Tears were gently streaming down Fluttershy's face, whimpers slipping from her lips and her free hoof batting at the air pathetically. Rainbow Dash could not help but give a bittersweet smile, her friend and crush just looked so vulnerable, so scared, so innocent.
"And she blames herself…" Rainbow Dash muttered, cursing beneath her breath. Rainbow Dash's mind began to recall everything that Fluttershy had said before she cut her off. Slowly, Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof to her lips, gingerly touching them before blushing softly as she stared down at the sleeping pegasus who had captured her heart.

Her magenta eyes soon turned to the stallion lying next to Fluttershy.
"Now what happened to you?" Rainbow Dash wondered aloud, looking at the clipboard hung on Sven's bed. Amongst the paragraphs of illegible scribbles, Rainbow Dash was able to make out a few words: self mutilation, attempted suicide, minor internal bleeding, Rainbow Dash looked at Sven and then back at the clipboard.
"Well…" she muttered, placing the clipboard back. Rainbow Dash's attention soon turned to Fluttershy, the mare still crying in her sleep. A bright light suddenly appeared behind her, Princess Luna slowly making her way to the bedside.
"Princess! What are you doing here? I thought you and Celestia would be discussing ways to fight back against the Changelings," Rainbow Dash gasped, bowing respectfully.
"I have come here to answer a question of yours. What happened to Fluttershy in the past," Princess Luna informed, ignoring the pegasus's question.

"What? Why? And how?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.
"Fluttershy was the only one of you to spend time with me, become my first best friend," Luna explained, "It is thanks to her that I've become much more friendly and accepted today. I must repay her kindness and since she always talks about you, I assumed that if I help you, then she would be most pleased." Rainbow Dash stared at the princess, confused by what she was proposing but decided to roll with the idea.
"So what are you going to do?" she asked, watching as Princess Luna's horn began to glow. Dark blue magic soon surrounded Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, raising both pegasus' higher into the air.
"What's going on?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, struggling to get down.
"I will allow you to see her memories," Princess Luna replied before everything around Rainbow Dash went black.

"FLUTTERCRY! FLUTTERCRY! FLUTTERCRY CAN HARDLY FLY!"

The loud chants of the other fillies echoed in a younger Fluttershy's ears, tears pouring from her eyes as she shook with fear, covering her ears with her hooves and hiding behind her mane. The pegasus had been cornered in the locker room after another failed flight practice class.
"Stop it! Please stop it! I can fly!" Fluttershy cried, curling up even tighter into her ball to try and shut out the constant teasing that she endured daily. A tall stallion soon emerged to the front of the group. He had a dark grey coat, light blue mane that was shaped into a mohawk, amber eyes, and a storm cloud with a lightning bolt as a Cutie Mark. His name was Thunderlane, and he was responsible for the constant torment that Fluttershy had to face daily.
"And why don't you make us? Or is the failed pegasus and fillyfooler too wimpy to even speak now?" Thunderlane sneered, flashing his wings out, startling the scared mare.
"See? She can't even speak!" Thunderlane laughed, suddenly shoving Fluttershy into her locker and slamming the storage unit shut.

"Hey! L-l-let me out!" Fluttershy screamed, pounding on the metal door. Thunderlane laughed loudly, kicking the locker before casually walking out of the locker room, the rest of the fillies laughing at Fluttershy's cries.
"No! Please! Someone!" Fluttershy sobbed, her beatings on the locker door growing weaker until she used all her energy. She leaned against the cold metal door, sobbing, fearing that she wouldn't get home and that nobody would ever look for her.
"Well… it's not like I had a home anyway…" Fluttershy muttered, trying to lighten the mood with some dark humor only to break down into tears again.
"Hey! Is someone still in here?" a familiar voice yelled, the sound of hooves trotting along the tiled floors echoing in Fluttershy's ear.
"Just me…" she replied weakly, the sound of her locker rattling before a magenta eye peered through the four slits.

A soft gasp was heard before the locker was thrown open, Fluttershy falling out and collapsing onto the floor, her eyes still red and tears still staining her coat.
"What happened to you?" a younger Rainbow Dash asked, concern in her voice as she picked up Fluttershy, making her way to the nurse.
"Nothing unusual… just the usual…" Fluttershy sobbed softly, Rainbow Dash looking sadly at the mare.
"Well what about your friends? Surely they stick up for you!" Rainbow Dash asked, confused why the mare's friends didn't bother to stand up for her.
"I don't have any friends, all the other fillies pick on me because I'm such a worthless flier… Maybe they're right… Maybe I'd just be better off if I clipped my wings or just kill myself," Fluttershy sobbed, Rainbow Dash now shocked to hear such atrocious thoughts and horrible jokes that the other fillies made towards the yellow pegasus.

"Well they don't know what they're talking about, not every pegasus learns to fly at the same time as others, you just have to take your time!" Rainbow Dash assured, smiling gently at Fluttershy.
"And you know what? Do you want to be friends? You seem like a nice pegasus," Rainbow Dash smiled, flashing her signature goofy grin. Fluttershy smiled gently at Rainbow Dash, suddenly bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Sure. I've heard about you, you're Rainbow Dash, the fast flier in the school! But…" Fluttershy trailed off, her happy mood suddenly deteriorating and falling back to her sad state.
"But what?" Rainbow Dash asked, curious about what had suddenly brought her new friend down.
"But do you really want to hang out with me? I mean, look at me. I can't fly for my life and I'm a nobody. You, you're the school idol and popular amongst everyone!" Fluttershy cried, the two mares reaching the nurse's office.

Pushing open the door, a white pegasus with a red mane and a red cross as a Cutie Mark came trotting up to the two.
"Ah Fluttershy, welcome back, do you need to rest again?" the nurse smiled warmly at the yellow mare. Fluttershy nodded, weakly limping away from Rainbow Dash before being assisted into the soft bed in the room and tucked in. Rainbow Dash watched as her eyes slowly began to close and she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. The nurse sighed, turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash.
"Oh poor dearie, she often comes in here, every time either bawling or with fresh injuries. Say, you're popular aren't you? Can you be her friend? I know this is sudden but she doesn't have any friends," the nurse asked.
"I asked her but she basically said she doesn't want to ruin my reputation," Rainbow Dash sighed.
"She's always too worried about everyone else and never herself. I never will understand how ponies can bully such a kind and loving filly like her," the nurse sighed, Rainbow Dash looking down.

"I'll start hanging out with her, maybe that'll help her," Rainbow Dash spoke with determination, the nurse smiled.
"Thank you dear, now you better hurry along to class. Wouldn't want to be late," the nurse smiled as she watched Rainbow Dash quickly zoom out of the room.

A few hours later, Rainbow Dash burst from the door of her last class.
"FREEDOM!" she cried out loudly, the teacher throwing her a disapproving glance while the other fillies laughed.
"Hey Rainbow! I hear there's going to be a fight later today, you game to watch?" a filly whispered to the pegasus.
"A fight?! Of course! I'm always game for some action!" Rainbow Dash laughed, following her friend. The filly led Rainbow Dash into the gymnasium, where a circle had formed around two ponies. Making their way to the front, Rainbow Dash froze as she saw the competitors.

"AHAHA! Take that!" Thunderlane yelled, his hoof colliding with Fluttershy's snout, sending the weak filly to the ground, blood dripping from her mouth and nose.
"What's the matter? You seemed so energetic when confronting me but now it looks like you've lost all motivation! You cryfilly!" Thunderlane laughed, kicking Fluttershy in the stomach.
"Ooooh, it's that pegasus," Rainbow Dash's ex-friend chuckled before the rainbow mare ran into the center, pushing Thunderlane away.
"What the? Hey! What gives Rainbow Dash?!" the stallion yelled, obviously upset that the mare had ruined his fun. Ignoring the stallion's protest, Rainbow Dash quickly made her way to Fluttershy, helping the mare back up to her hooves.
"You okay?" she asked, looking over Fluttershy. She was covered in bruises with a few shallow cuts, she had a black eye and there was blood dripping from her mouth.

"What's the matter with you all?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, angrily glaring at the ponies who now stared back at her.
"Rainbow…" Fluttershy weakly whimpered, Thunderlane moving in to try and hit her again before Rainbow Dash moved in his way.
"Rainbow… move… Just let them…" Fluttershy coughed, Rainbow Dash spun around, grabbing the yellow pegasus and staring her in the eye.
"How about no Fluttershy! Look, this isn't right and there's no reason why you should let them do this to you! I'm your friend! And friend's help each other," Rainbow Dash yelled, the group of fillies that surrounded the two gasping. Tears began to well up in Fluttershy's eyes.
"Why…" Fluttershy spoke, her voice barely registering as a whisper.
"Why what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Why are you doing this?! I'm a nopony! An outcast! If I died later today nopony would care tomorrow!" Fluttershy screamed, the tears had stopped flowing but it was evident that she was struggling to hold back freshly brewed ones.

"Because I care about you Shy," Rainbow Dash replied, smiling at her, Fluttershy's eyes tearing up once again.
"And I ca-" Rainbow Dash began before Fluttershy pressed her lips against the other mare's. A wave of disgust shot through the crowd before yells of anger rang through both mares' ears.
"Fillyfoolers!"
"Disgusting!"
"Get them!"
Rainbow Dash suddenly felt herself being beaten, hooves striking her from every angle and bruises beginning to form. Her magenta eyes pierced throw the crowd of angry fillies who were hitting her left and right until she spotted Thunderlane leading the lashings on Fluttershy.

"Fillyfooler!" he spat, throwing his hoof at Fluttershy's face. Droplets of blood flew into the air and splattered onto the floor beneath the yellow mare.
"Disgusting!" Thunderlane yelled, bucking Fluttershy in her gut with his hind legs, the pegasus' eyes widening drastically as she began to cough and struggle to regain her breath. Rainbow Dash had also now noticed how a few other fillies were holding Fluttershy up so Thunderlane could continue to deal punishment.
"You sicken me…" Thunderlane growled, suddenly ripping Fluttershy out of the other fillies hands and throwing her to the floor. As the yellow mare began to pick herself up, the grey pegasus leapt into the air, landing on Fluttershy's wing. A sickening snap rang through the gymnasium and a bloodcurdling scream emitted from Fluttershy's mouth as she collapsed to the floor in pain. The other ponies quickly dispersed as the sounds and voices of teachers' hooves and voices drew closer rapidly. The doors were thrown open and the nurse rushed in, gasping at the sigh of the two beaten mares.

Fluttershy lay on the floor, unconscious from the sudden pain. Blood droplets were splattered all over the floor while purple bruises began to form on her. Her black eye was more swollen than earlier and her cuts had been ripped open once again. Limping over to her was a beaten up Rainbow Dash, her mane was a mess, she had bruises all over her body and a few shallow cuts.
"Nurse… they… they… they broke her wing!" Rainbow Dash sobbed.
"Who? Who broke her wing? I'll have them expelled!" the principle bellowed furiously. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak before she heard a soft whimper from Fluttershy, the yellow mare shaking her head weakly before passing out once again. Clenching her teeth, Rainbow Dash stared at the floor.
"I didn't see."

The flashback was cut short abruptly, Princess Luna appearing before Rainbow Dash, the two mares floating in a black void.
"That day… I'll never forgive Thunderlane! And to think he and I work together to clear the clouds!" Rainbow Dash yelled, anger burning in her eyes.
"The memories are not over yet, next to come are those days…" Princess Luna spoke sadly as she began to disappear and a bright light engulfed Rainbow Dash once again.

"Hi Rainbow, I'm back from Chemistry, Beaker was going to bore us all to death!" Fluttershy called out as she stepped through the threshold of her dorm room. Rainbow Dash looked up from her newest issue of Teen Pony and smiled.
"Hey Shy! Sounds like Beaker, I swear, I find it amazing that the stallion is married!" Rainbow Dash laughed, Fluttershy giggling too.
"Well, it's finally the weekend, do you have any plans?" Fluttershy asked, making her way towards her bed. However, Rainbow Dash noticed something as she moved; she was limping.
"Shy, you okay? You're limping," Rainbow Dash asked, putting down her magazine and facing her friend. Fluttershy flinched as Rainbow Dash pointed out her limp.
"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine," she smiled; she was a terrible liar.

"Shy, have they been bullying you again?" Rainbow Dash growled, approaching Fluttershy, the later tripping and falling back onto her bed.
"N-n-no, I just tripped down the stairs," Fluttershy stuttered, Rainbow Dash sighed, somehow falling for Fluttershy's lie.
"Shy, you've gotta be more careful! So what caught your attention? Another bird?" Rainbow Dash teased.
"No, it was Soarin'!" Fluttershy teased back, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.
"SOARIN'?! HE'S HERE?!" the pegasus squealed giddily.
"No Dashie, I was just kidding," Fluttershy smiled, suddenly feeling guilty when she saw Rainbow Dash's expression of disappointment.
"Oh… Um… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- Eek!" Fluttershy squeaked as Rainbow Dash tackled the pegasus onto her bed, mounting her and looking at her with a mischievous grin.
"Tickle time!" she laughed.
"NOOOOO!" Fluttershy screamed, tears leaking from her eyes as Rainbow Dash relentlessly tickled her.

An hour passed and both mares had fallen onto the bed, panting and giggling gleefully.
"Oh Dashie, I'm so glad we're friends," Fluttershy smiled, resting her head on the cyan pegasus' chest.
"Yeah, same here. Speaking of which, I just remembered that my parents are going to be in town, wanna join us? We'll be off campus though," Rainbow Dash asked, excited and hopeful that her friend would join her.
"Oh… I'm so sorry Dashie, but I told Quill that I'd help him over the weekend in the library, sorting the books," Fluttershy frowned, looking down. She felt horrible, she had just let down her friend who was so excited about the weekend.
"It's okay Shy, maybe another time," Rainbow Dash smiled, mussing Fluttershy's mane.
"Dashie!" Fluttershy whined, combing her mane back to normal.

A knock on the door drew the cyan pegasus up from the bed and scurrying over. Throwing the door open, Colormane smiled brightly at her daughter while her father, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane hugged Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash's parent's soon spotted Fluttershy on her bed and waved.
"Hello Fluttershy," the stallion waved.
"Good afternoon Mr. Lightning Chaser," Fluttershy greeted, waving sheepishly back.
"Oh dearie, we told you don't have to be so formal with us, remember?" Colormane smiled. Fluttershy nodded, quickly apologizing and earning a chuckle from Lightning Chaser.
"Nothing to apologize for dear, are you joining us this weekend?" he asked, Rainbow Dash informing him on Fluttershy's situation.
"I see, that's too bad. Perhaps another time then?" Colormane asked, Fluttershy nodding happily.
"Splendid! Well, are you packed Dashie?" Colormane asked, her daughter nodding proudly.
"Fluttershy probably reminded you," Lightning Chaser teased, Rainbow Dash nodding with a soft blush of embarrassment.
"Typical. Well, let's go!" Colormane smiled, she, Lightning Chaser, and Rainbow Dash leaving the room, Rainbow Dash waving goodbye.

Fluttershy watched as the three flew away and sighed. She had always wished she could do something like that with her parents but her situation was quite different. Sighing, she quickly reached beneath her bed, grabbing a cluster of used bloody Band-Aids and antibacterial pads. She often used these on Rainbow Dash whenever she came back from fighting Thunderlane and his gang. Even though it had been years since the teasing had started, Thunderlane and his gang always seemed to take time to make sure that Fluttershy's and Rainbow Dash's lives were miserable. While Rainbow Dash would not stand for anyone bullying Fluttershy, she had no problem with getting physical with anypony who provoked her.

Unknown to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy would often go out in the afternoon when Rainbow Dash would take her daily afternoon four hour nap and head to the back of the school. There she would meet Thunderlane and his gang and allowed them to do whatever they wanted to her, whether it be beating her up, throwing rocks at her, cutting her with shards of glass, spat at her, insulted her, or even breaking her bones. This would often last for three hours on average, Fluttershy would often leave a note on her bed telling Rainbow Dash she went out to check up on a sick relative or to visit a pet shop. After her beatings, the injured mare would often drag herself to Cloudsdale General Hospital to look for Colormane who would often tend to her injuries or mend broken bones with the help of her assistant. And near midnight when Luna's Moon was almost fully raised, Fluttershy would sneak back into her dorm room, slipping beneath the covers and softly crying herself to sleep.

"Fluttershy…" Rainbow Dash choked on tears as the flashback ended. Princess Luna appeared from the darkness of the black void where the pegasus stood.
"No more… please no more…" Rainbow Dash sobbed, Princess Luna's stoic expression remaining firm.
"There are more memories that you must see to understand the repressed pain that your friend hides," Princess Luna spoke, vanishing once again while a white light flashed and more memories flashed before Rainbow Dashes eyes. Memories of Fluttershy attempting to kill herself through overdosing, cutting, or even hanging herself whizzed past Rainbow Dash's eyes. Other memories of Thunderlane and his gang or other ponies constantly beating up the poor mare, breaking her bones or cutting her up, also whipped by. By now, the cyan pegasus was in tears, the salty liquid pouring from her eyes freely.

More memories were revealed to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy secretly drinking to repress her pain, the months she spent in therapy, the time she was violated by Thunderlane and his gang during their final year at Flight School, Fluttershy constantly blacking out at as memories of her experience at Flight School began to reemerge in her subconscious, and even her father's funeral, the audience consisting of only her and Princess Celestia. The memory of when Fluttershy met Sven in the Everfree Forest soon began to play. However, before the memory could continue, Princess Luna stepped in, cutting the memory off and returning Rainbow Dash back to the real world.
"Now you know the pain she carries in her heart and mind. Give her my love when she wakes up," Princess Luna spoke, opening the window and leaping out, taking the skies and making her way to Canterlot.

Tears stained Rainbow Dash's coat as she tore her eyes from the window and stared at Fluttershy. She rested her head on her chest and sobbed. Seconds past, soon minutes, and eventually hours as Rainbow Dash poured her eyes out, her tears soaking the white sheets that Fluttershy slept beneath.
"How does she do that…" she sobbed quietly, her magenta eyes looking at the tortured expression on her sleeping crush's face.
"Why did you hide it away… Why Shy… Why…" Rainbow Dash sobbed, exhaustion taking over once again as she continued to cry before passing out, her hooves wrapped around her sleeping friend as she drifted off to a restless sleep.

Princess Luna landed back in her room in the Canterlot Castle. Quickly, she raised her moon and trotted to her thinking room. Climbing the spiral stairs to the top tower of the castle, Princess Luna opened the locked iron door to reveal the now clean room. once dusty and covered in cobwebs, the room was now spick and span with a near shine to everything. Princess Luna smiled, remembering the times that she had invited Fluttershy over help her and spend the night. She sat down and remember her first official slumber party with the yellow pegasus and how their game of truth or dare became quiet interesting. A wave of peace seemed to suddenly wash into the room, Princess Luna glancing around at the boxes of trinkets or old scrolls that rested comfortable atop one another. Rising to her hooves, the princess of the night made her way to the balcony, glancing up at the stars.

"Oh Fluttershy, how I wish things were better for you," she sighed sadly. She looked to her right, an empty spot that was once filled in by a yellow pegasus. Princess Luna blushed gently as she also recalled this spot being where she shared her first kiss with the mare. A gentle tear rolled down her cheek and stained her dark navy blue coat.
"I miss her," she cried softly.

"I do too dear sister," Princess Celestia spoke, emerging from the shadows and proceeding to make her way towards her sister.
"Celly! When did you get here?" Princess Luna gasped, quickly wiping away her tear.
"I just got here Lulu, you seemed bothered earlier today. I came to see if everything was resolved now," Princess Celestia spoke, standing next to her younger sister.
"Indeed it is, I have just only begun to repay Fluttershy for her kindness towards me," Princess Luna replied, filling her sister in on her earlier adventure to Cloudsdale General Hospital.
"I see, and what did Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, say after you showed her Fluttershy's, Element of Kindness, memories?" Princess Celestia asked, watching her younger sister's gaze turn towards the sleeping city of Cloudsdale. A brief moment of silence passed between the two rulers before Princess Luna finally spoke.
"Thanks for her memories."

Four Days Past

Chapter 8 - Four Days Past

"What do you mean the Stalkers have vanished?" Twilight asked. The mares had returned to the familiar library and were huddling around a magic portal that Twilight had summoned. On the other side, Princess Celestia stood behind a desk, glancing over papers while Princess Luna was in the background talking with the guards and pointing at a map that hung on the wall.
"We have received word from out scouts that Stalker hideouts have been abandoned, appearing to be either ransacked or quickly evacuated. They left no traces and no indications of where they were headed to," Princess Celestia sighed, a scowl on her lips.
"We believe that they have gone into hiding,
"Well, what are we going to do?" Twilight asked, panicking now.
"For now, we can only hope that we can raise our defenses higher," Princess Celestia sighed.
"Speaking of which, have you encountered the other ShadowHawks? We know that Kozak will be holed up in Fluttershy's cottage but the others have evaded us," the princess groaned, massaging her temples with her hooves.

"No, we haven't," Rarity answered, Applejack quickly stepping in too.
"I reckon they might have left Canterlot and went to one of them fancy folk cities," she chimed in.
"Yeah! Where the parties are amazing!" Pinkie Pie added. Twilight looked at her friends, confused as to why they were holding information from the princess.
"Fair enough, well, if they should appear, Twilight please notify me immediately," Princess Celestia instructed, the lavender unicorn nodding before the portal closed.
"What's wrong you ponies? Why'd you lie to the princess?" Twilight asked, turning around and staring at her friends.
"Sugarcube, they didn't do nothin' wrong. I mean, you saw them. They're more clueless and shy or frightened like a rabbit in a snake pen," Applejack replied.
"Yes, I have to agree with Applejack! And besides, they're not harming anypony now are they? I mean look at Vex and Aurora! They often stay upstairs and cuddle or do work quietly so they don't disturb me, it's kind of cute actually," Rarity chimed in.
"And Strings is practically now just a foalsitter! I've even heard that he's living with Zecora out in the Everfree Forest," Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Twilight sighed, as much as she hated to agree with her friends and not reveal information to the princess, they did have a point. None of the ShadowHawks were posing a threat to the security of Equestria nor did they pose a threat to the princess.
"Fine, but what are we going to do about Fluttershy and Kozak? We know they're in Cloudsdale according to the letter she left… but then again Rainbow Dash and Rarity, do you think it's a good idea to go up there now? Consider what happened earlier," Twilight asked, Rarity blushing in embarrassment for losing her cool.
"But she's our bestest friend! Shouldn't we visit her? And I'm sure both Rarity and Rainbow Dash have already made up and are super duper bestest friends again!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"As little as I know of what's going on with you six, perhaps it would be best to give Rainbow and Fluttershy some room?" Spike suggested, opening the door while carrying a few boxes. The mares gave Spike's word a thought before sighing in defeat.
"Perhaps he's right, let's just… let things settle down for a while before confronting them," Twilight sighed, Rarity placing a hoof on her shoulder. The mares trotted out of the library, each one heading out into their own direction. Pinkie Pie had to return to her work, Twilight had to go and get more quills, and Rarity and Applejack had to go back to work and also check on their new guests.

Four days had passed, Fluttershy never leaving Sven's side and Rainbow Dash visiting everyday after her weather patrol duties were completed. It had been thirty minutes since Fluttershy had fallen asleep, her hoof still holding Sven's. The afternoon sun's rays shone warmly on the sleeping stallion, his eyes soon fluttering open before examining the sleeping mare lying next to him. A soft smile spread on his lips before he gently began to shake her.

"Flutters? Flutters. Hey, wake up Flutters," Sven's voice rang in Fluttershy's ears, the canary yellow mare slowly rising, yawning softly before meeting Sven's eyes.
"Sven! You're awake!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily, the stallion staring back at her with tired eyes and a frail smile.
"Looks like your friend is slowly waking up too," Sven replied, his eyes aiming towards a now rising Rainbow Dash.
"Dashie!" Fluttershy smiled, hugging her friend tightly, Rainbow Dash taking a moment to realize what was going on before returning the embrace.
"Shy… why did you do all of that? And keep it hidden from me?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Why did you let Thunderlane and his gang do… that… to you? Why'd you let those other ponies hurt you like that?" Rainbow Dash asked, a tear rolling down her cyan coat.
"H-h-h-how'd you know that?" Fluttershy stuttered, shocked that Rainbow Dash knew.

"Luna sends her love," Rainbow Dash simply replied, Fluttershy's cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Her mind began to race for an excuse or some other explanation but nothing seemed to come to her. Sighing in defeat she decided it would be best to try and explain why she did what she did. A sudden breeze striking the back of her mane caused both mares' attentions to adjust to the empty bed where Sven once laid. A note was all that remained in his place.
"I'll be in the basement."
Rainbow Dash soon turned to Fluttershy, tears still in her eyes.
"Please… Shy tell me everything… Please… I can't stand to see you in pain," Rainbow Dash cried softly, pulling the yellow mare close to her and holding her tightly. Stroking the sobbing pegasus' back, Fluttershy allowed some of her own tears to fall freely.
"Okay Dashie, I'll tell you everything."

Sven had teleported to the basement of Fluttershy's cottage, his sudden appearance startling the creatures that ran about while their caretaker was out. Collapsing out of exhaustion, he felt the cold stone floor welcome his belly. Groaning at the pain in his gut, Sven cursed softly beneath his breath before slowly rising and searching for a comfortable place to rest. Finding another bag of bird seed, he began to search for a makeshift blanket, his cloak serving as the sheets. Unable to find anything, the stallion just decided to skip it and go to sleep. However, his desired nap was interrupted when Angel Bunny hopped on top of him, thumping his head heavily.
"What's your problem?" Sven muttered, rising feeling pain in his chest. The white rabbit only glared at the stallion before waving its paws angrily in front of Sven's eyes. Sven shot up, throwing the rabbit off of his chest, glaring at Angel Bunny.

"What do you want?!" he yelled, the white rabbit now frozen in place.
"Why do you ke- Aaaah!" Sven yelled, suddenly dropping to the floor, his hooves pressing against his head.
"The voices… make them stop! Please… No more…" he strained to yell, Angel Bunny suddenly panicking at the stallion's sudden burst of pain.
"Stop… just… stop…" Sven moaned, passing out on the ground. Not knowing what to do or where his owner was, Angel Bunny quickly bounced out of the cottage, making his way to the only pony who he knew he could trust.

BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Who in the name of Celestia could that be?" Twilight muttered, putting down her book, On the Origin of Crystal Ponies. This had been the fourth time someone had decided to disturb her. Spike was out at the moment, getting some groceries to make dinner with. Sighing, Twilight put her book down, trotting to the door to find Angel Bunny bouncing up and down, motioning for her to follow him.
"It's urgent isn't it?" Twilight asked, Angel Bunny throwing a tiny pebble at Twilight's head, angrily motioning for her to follow him. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Twilight picked up Angel Bunny with her magic, galloping out of the library and towards Fluttershy's cottage.

"Vex dear? Dinner is ready!" Rarity called, the mare slowly trotting down the stairs, smiling shyly at the fashionista. Despite Rarity's hospitality towards her and her sister, Vex still remained shy. Aurora on the other hand was now often helping Rarity draw up designs or brainstorm new possible styles for specific seasons or events. Meanwhile, Vex would stand in a corner, watching her sister and Rarity discuss thoughts and ideas before being handed a drawn up sketch in which she would take the design and begin to sew the dress together.
"O-o-ok Ms. Rarity," Vex stuttered, following the unicorn to the common space where Aurora and Sweetie Belle were setting up the table. Rarity smiled at her guest's shyness and at her sister's work ethic ever since the two mares moved in. Thinking back to the last four days, Rarity realized how much she had learned about Vex and Aurora.

The first surprise that came to Rarity was when she discovered that Vex was a pegasus. The younger sister had failed to have locked the door when in the shower. Sweetie Belle was playing hide and seek with Rarity, choosing to hide in the bathroom just as Vex had turned off the water. Rarity was just passing by the door when she heard the sound of the shower curtain moving followed by Sweetie Belle screaming in fright before running out. Peering inside, Rarity found Vex trying to hid beneath a towel draped over her head, her wings spread out widely. Rarity took a mental note that she would have a pegasus model to test and fit her designs on. Glancing at her flank, Rarity noticed that her Cutie Mark was a pair of transparent wings. Smiling and waving, Rarity slowly closed the door.

Two days later, Rarity found Aurora staring at Opal, the white cat hissing at her. Thinking nothing of it but a cute encounter, Rarity quietly gasped when she saw Aurora engulf herself with a faint aura before the magic engulfed her completely, floating now in the air as a small ball. The ball lowered to the floor before molding into a familiar shape before another Opal sat before the original. Opal looked at the doppelganger, confused and trying to see if she was looking into a mirror. The doppelganger suddenly shifted back to Aurora, startling Opal into running away, meowing wildly. Smiling weakly, Aurora struggled back up to her hooves, suddenly collapsing in a heap, her breathing ragged and heavy.
"I keep… forgetting… the toll…" she groaned, dragging herself over to a collection of pillows that Rarity had laid out for Vex to sleep on when needed.

Rarity also noted that Aurora's magic was very weak, she could hardly carry a crate of supplies. It appeared that at most she could carry some of Rarity's bags with her when she went shopping. Rarity had also learned, from Sweetie Belle, that Vex had a very weak immune system and a frail body, almost like Fluttershy. Rarity almost found it darkly humorous, the two former assassins now reduced to simple ponies, both who were weaker than nearly all ponies. Rarity had gratefully learned that Vex's cuteness through her shyness could often be a great way to soften a deal for supplies if the timid unicorn went shopping with Rarity. The fashionista still felt a little guilty for exploiting Vex like that. Her guilt was later removed when Aurora simply told her not to worry.

"Come now dear, did I say you could just call me Rarity?" the unicorn smiled, the shy pegasus nodding before sitting down at the table. Aurora and Sweetie Belle brought forth mashed potatoes, diced carrots, and chicken noodle soup.
"Classics! They never get old!" Rarity giggled, taking a sip of her soup. Her eyes moved to Vex, the pegasus quietly and slowly eating her mashed potatoes. Remembering how she would let her guests wander through town freely since Aurora seemed to have memorized the layout quickly, Rarity decided to see if she could strike up a conversation.
"So! Vex, Aurora, did you have fun in town today?" Rarity asked, Aurora nodding politely while Vex squeaked in confirmation.

"Really! Do tell where you two went if you don't mind me asking," Rarity asked, intrigued by the mare's social lives outside of Carousel Boutique.
"We went to the market mostly, Vex wanted to buy some flowers but came up a few bits short. So we decided to see what the center of town was like. Poor Vex here got lost and freaked out. I found her later at some kind of bakery with a HUGE stallion with her," Aurora smiled, looking at her younger sister. Purple eyes turned as Rarity looked at Vex, watching the mare blush.
"Oh? Was he a handsome Vex?" Rarity asked, genuinely curious about said stallion. Vex shyly nodded, Sweetie Belle now focused on the conversation rather than building her Cutie Mark Crusaders spoon catapult.
"So sis, what was the lucky stallion's name?" Aurora teased, smiling as Vex squeaked and hid behind her hooves. Her lips moved softly, though any words that she was trying to communicate failed to get across to the other three mares' ears.

"Excuse me?" Rarity asked, not hearing the shy mare. Vex tried raising her voice but still no luck.
"I can't hear her," Sweetie Belle piped up, nearly falling out of her chair when Vex quietly screamed.
"MAC!" the embarrassed pony blushed furiously as she spoke, burying her face in her hooves, crying quietly. A pang of guilt shot through Rarity's heart, the unicorn walking over to the crying pegasus and stroking her back.
"I'm sorry dearie, I didn't mean to make you upset. If all else, if this stallion has caught your eye, you should go for him! Maybe he feels the same," Rarity assured, Vex looking up at Rarity, a huge blush still on her face.
"Wait… are you saying that you're in love with Big Macintosh?" Sweetie Belle asked, oblivious to Vex's embarrassment. Rarity glared at her sister, the later quickly silencing herself.

"Oh, come now dear, it's nothing to be embarrassed about! Big Macintosh is quite the stallion! He's hard working and quite handsome too!" Rarity giggled giddily. Vex's cheeks flushed once again, her encounter with the red stallion playing through her head.
"I… I… I… Oh!" she cried out, pushing past Rarity and running out of Carousel Boutique.
"Sis!" Aurora yelled, running to the open door, searching for her sister. With her sister nowhere in sight, began to run outside only to quickly dash back in as a loud crack boomed through the night sky. Soon rain began to pour from dark skies, the droplets pounding the dirt roads of Ponyville.
"Vex!" Aurora yelled, the pouring rain and thunder drowning her voice out. Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"She'll be alright dearie. Ponyville is a safe place, even during a thunderstorm like this. No doubt she'll run into somepony," Rarity assured, Aurora looking at her with worry in her eyes.
"Oh… I should be out there…" Aurora moaned, another crack of lighting emitting a cry from the sister.

"Dearie, are you scared of thunder?" Rarity asked, the unicorn looking down at the ground in shame.
"Yes, ever since I was a filly it frightened me. And now it's the only thing stopping me from finding my sister," Aurora sobbed softly, Rarity hugging the unicorn in attempt to comfort her, another crack of thunder frightening the unicorn. Despite having the two mares living with her, Rarity still found it shocking how much their present selves contrasted their past selves. Sighing, Rarity led Aurora back upstairs and to her room where she watched the saddened unicorn crawl beneath the blankets and cry herself to sleep. Rarity felt pain's cold hand slowly wrap its fingers around her heart as she watched Aurora sob. Closing the door, the white unicorn made her way back down to the kitchen where Sweetie Belle was putting her dishes away.
"What's wrong sis? Is Vex coming back?" Sweetie Belle asked, worry laced in her words. Rarity turned her gaze towards the small window above the sink, watching the rain pound heavily against the ground while the wind blew wildly.
"I don't know Sweetie Belle. Just… just finish cleaning up here and go to bed,"

"Kozak? Kozak? Please wake up Kozak." A soft voice floated through Sven's ears. Slowly, the stallion groaned, his eyes opening quickly before shutting tightly as to avoid the bright light that shone down upon him. Sven soon felt a pair of hooves gently lift him up, propping his back up against a soft pillow. Opening his eyes cautiously once again, Sven discovered that he was lying on Fluttershy's bed, being propped up against the bed frame with one of the many soft pillows that belonged to the yellow pegasus.
"Kozak, you're awake!" Twilight's eyes suddenly closed in on Sven's emeralds.
"What happened? How'd I get up here?" he groaned, a sharp pain emitting from his chest, causing the stallion to cough harshly. Twilight quickly retrieved a glass of water, Sven eagerly accepting it and gulping the soothing liquid down.

"What happened to you? Angel here came barreling to the library banging on the door frantically. He looked worried so I followed him here," Twilight explained. Sven looked down at the white bunny who was fast asleep in a small basket next to the bed.
"So what happened to YOU though?" Twilight asked. Sven strained to remember, his mind suddenly sending sharp jolts of pain through his body.
"Ah!" he groaned, feeling a more intense dose of pain shoot through his body.
"Are you ok?" Twilight asked, concern clearly showing on her face.
"I don't know… my mind… it keeps sending jolts of pain when I try to remember whatever happened," Sven groaned, massaging his temples. His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed a pile of equipment and other scientific looking machines, more memories starting to flood into his mind causing more jolts of pain.
"Ok, well I'm going to run some tests on yo-" Twilight began before her machines were suddenly engulfed in a purple green flame.
"NO! I will NOT be another experiment!" Sven roared, leaping out of the bed and pushing Twilight down. Before Twilight had a chance to protest, Sven had already galloped out of the front door.

"Hey! Kozak!" Twilight yelled, rushing to the front door in hopes to find Sven still running in the distance. The rain however cloaked Sven perfectly while the darkness covered his body in a natural shroud. Sighing in defeat, Twilight teleported back to the library, wondering why she didn't do that before. Upon her arrival, she heard Rarity's voice outside her door.
"Twilight! Dearie please open up! It's urgent!" Rarity yelled over the thunder and the rain. Rushing to the door as to not keep Rarity waiting outside in the horrible weather, Twilight quickly ushered the white unicorn in, handing her a towel to dry off.
"What brings you out here in this weather?" Twilight asked, brewing a pot of warm tea for her cold guest. Following Twilight into the kitchen, Rarity quickly embraced the warmth of the roaring fire.
"Rarity?" Twilight asked, pouring two cups of tea.
"It's Vex! She's ran away!" Rarity cried softly, taking a long sip of the warm elixir that soothed her throat and warmed her body.

Nearly spitting her tea out, Twilight looked at Rarity, bewilderment in her eyes.
"What do you mean 'ran away'? I thought she was staying with you," Twilight asked. Rarity sighed, quickly explaining the events that led up to Vex's departure. Twilight listened closely, constantly refilling their tea cups before Rarity finished.
"And that's that," Rarity sighed, guilt grasping her heart once again. Twilight explained what happened to Sven, Rarity taking a mental note of Sven's reactions to Twilight's equipment.
"You don't suppose he was used as an experiment by Princess Celestia do you?" Rarity asked, Twilight shaking her head, the thought of her mentor using another pony for a test subject just seemed to immoral.

"Well what do you think made him react like that?" the white unicorn asked. Twilight sighed, unable to come up with a reasonable answer.
"I don't know Rarity. But I know he's still hiding something. And there's only one pony that he'll most likely reveal that information to," Twilight sighed, her eyes drifting up to the skies.

"Let me go! Somepony help me!" Vex screamed, her voice muffled by a hoof placed over her mouth while another stallion hit her hard in the belly, knocking the wind out of the mare. Collapsing to the muddy ground beneath her, Vex struggled to regain her breath, feeling herself being yanked back up onto her hooves by a rough tug on her mane. Yelping in pain, she felt a rough pair of lips press harshly against hers.
"Stop!" she screamed once more, her voice now being drowned out by the beating rain and crack of thunder. Vex was shoved to the ground, a hoof soon making contact with her back, pinning the mare to the ground.
"Well, well. What's a pretty mare like you doing walking through the forest alone?" a husky voice mocked. Vex was too frightened to answer, earning a chuckle from the ring leader of her assailants.
"C'mon boys, lets have some fun," the ringleader chuckled, the three stallions forcing Vex's hind legs apart, the mare crying out in protest only to feel something prod against her marehood. Tears welled up in Vex's eyes and a scream escaped her lips as the ringleader roughly forced his way inside.

Vex could feel everything go numb, from below her chest. Her eyes continued to pour tears while her lips continued to scream in protest only to have another stallion mount her, silencing her quickly with his own thrusts. Vex's eyes widened, the stallion's thrusts causing her to almost choke. The rain beat her body roughly, it's cold droplets making her dilemma even less pleasant. Feeling herself being flipped over, she felt something else prod her. Her eyes widened and a whimper rang in her throat. Her protests were in vain.

Sven continued to run through the rain, his mind still flooding with memories of Canterlot and the doctors who waited for him there. The rain soaked through his cloak, sending shivers through his body. His mane was drenched and covered his face, the stallion's eyes barely being able to see out from the black curtain that shrouded him. His breath was jagged and strained while cuts from branches and other obstacles riddled his legs. He wanted to forget it, he wanted to forget everything. But then he'd forget her, and he simply couldn't just do that that simply. Gritting his teeth, Sven cursed loudly before tripping over a rut in the road, splashing into a puddle of mud. Lying there, Sven cried. For the first time in years he cried. Tears poured down his cheeks, blending in with the rain that continued to batter and soak his body. His shivers grew worse and he could feel his strength leaving him quickly. His eyes slowly began to close before a scream hit his ears. A moment passed before his mind suddenly snapped in realization of who's voice he had heard. And it sounded like she was in pain and danger.

Galloping at breakneck speed, Sven began to search for the source, finally coming into a clearing, his eyes widening at the scene. He felt darkness slowly fill his heart. His mind began to slowly vanish, all sense of civility and logic vanishing with it. He felt his heart slowly slow down before coming to a slow and faint beat. A dark void soon filled Sven's body, the stallion closing his eyes and drowning out all sound. The wind and rain, he felt nothing as he remained in place, his eyes closed. Another scream caused his eyes to fly open. The dark void that occupied his body was soon replaced with a green flame. Sven's once emerald eyes slowly changed to a blood red color, now glaring at the three stallions violating Vex. A sadistic grin spread on his lips before he moved silently like a shadow.

"Hey boss, how long have we been bucking this mare?" one of the assailants asked, finishing for the fourth time. Vex's body had nearly gone completely limp, the feeling of being bucked almost settling in as something natural. Her eyes were glossy, the fear that once inhabited them gone and an empty void replacing them. She had become a sex toy, something for other stallions to relieve stress or just have fun with when they wanted. She imagined how her sister would react to the news, the look of disgust and disappointment on her face. Vex's thoughts soon drifted to what her new mom would think… … … Wait, did she just refer to Rarity as her mother? A loud roar suddenly rang through the air, snapping Vex out of her thoughts. A black shadow zipped towards the ponies, suddenly consuming one of the stallions holding Vex down.

A bloodcurdling scream rang through the air as blood splashed on the wet ground below, trickling off with the small streams and puddles. Another assailant turned to search for his friend's executioner only to feel excruciating pain across his face as claw marks ripped through his skin, badly disfiguring his face. Crying in pain, the assailant felt a heavy kick to his chest, sending him flying backwards into a tree and knocking him out. The mocking ringleader who once towered over Vex now stood cowering in place.
"Show yourself! I'll take you on one on one!" he yelled, trying to remain in his tough persona but failing greatly when a sickening laugh rang in his left ear. Turning quickly, the last thing he spotted was a rock rocketing towards the side of his head and a glowing red eye staring at him. Blood soaked the ground beneath Vex, the mare sobbing uncontrollably as she lay there, her body and mind broken.

Two thuds were heard, the stallion and the rock hitting the ground, the blood trickling away. Vex slowly looked up, expecting to be forced once again by the new stallion. Instead, the once fearful red eyes changed, turning to a soft emerald color.
"Vex… why'd you do it…" a cracked voice escaped the stallion's lips before he was slowly engulfed in a shadowy mist, vanishing. Vex let loose a weak cry, trying to call for help but found herself slowly loosing conscious, a raging headache starting to come on as well. Whimpering, she tried to drag herself back to Carousel Boutique but found no strength to move. The hours that the other three stallions had spent raping her had drained her completely.

"Sis… help me… please…" Vex whimpered, her head falling in a shallow puddle of muddy water. The rain continued to batter her body while the wind sent shivers through her body while Vex fought a losing battle against unconsciousness. She could feel her body beginning shut down. In one final attempt she let lose one more weak cry for help. Silence.

Morning dawned over Equestria, Princess Celestia gracefully raising her sun, bringing warmth to all those who gazed upon it or basked in its rays. Applejack rose slowly, trotting out of bed and tiptoeing downstairs to the kitchen. There she reached into the fridge, producing two bottles of cider and some apple fritters. Chuckling softly, the orange mare made her way to the barn, trotting up to the loft where Archimedes and Rayne slept soundly. Applejack felt her cheeks blush softly at Archimedes sleeping, lying on his side while his hooves gently moved up and down as if he was running. A goofy grin soon spread on his face while he muttered something about a griffon and a dragon. Applejack giggled softly, turning her attention towards Rayne who also slept soundly, the bird strangely hanging upside down from a beam. Choosing not to ponder why, how, or if it was healthy, Applejack quietly made her way to Archimedes, gently shaking the stallion.
"Sugarcube.. Sugarcube wake up. I brought breakfast," Applejack cooed gently, Archimedes slowly stirring before letting loose a small yawn and sitting up. Rayne also slowly began to come to from her peaceful slumber, the bird giving a soft caw before flapping her wings and perching herself on Applejack's hat.

Applejack smiled and produced a basket with the items she snagged from the kitchen. Smiling, Archimedes brushed the hay out of his hair and politely accepted a bottle from the orange mare, the two laughing softly over trivial things before the sound of hooves reached their ears.
"Sis? Are ya in here? You promised you'd take me and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders into town today for some supplies," Applebloom's voice echoed. Turning to Archimedes, Applejack gave an apologetic smile, Archimedes smiling back and assuring her it was fine. Sighing some what disappointingly, Applejack packed up the remaining food and drinks before descending the stairs to her energetic little sister.
"Alright, alright. Let's go and get Sweetie Belle," Applejack chuckled, mussing her sister's mane. The two trotted off, Applejack throwing a glance back at the loft where Archimedes stood, waving goodbye. Applejack smiled back before returning her attention to Applebloom, the filly seemed to be frozen in place.

"What in tarnation got ya'll frozen stiff? I haven't seen ya stay this still si-" Applejack began before her eyes locked onto the scene before her. A bloody stone, red dirt, red mud, red ponies, an unconscious Vex.

Love, Hate, and Concern

Chapter 9 - Love, Hate, and Concern

"Vex! Oh my goodness dearie are you okay?!" Rarity gasped, rushing into Ponyville General Hospital. Word spread quickly through the town and the rape of a mare exploded like wildfire. Aurora and Rarity were the first to appear in the hospital, Twilight and Pinkie Pie galloping closely behind.
"Sis!" Aurora gasped, rushing to her unconscious sister's side. The doctors carefully trotted in, understanding how much the mares cared for their friends.
"Well, it looks like your sister here, Mrs…" the doctor began, looking at Aurora.
"Aurora," Rarity answered, holding Vex's hoof tightly.
"Mrs. Aurora, your sister, as you know her, has been raped by three stallions last night. You're good friend here Applejack brought her in as fast as possible. From the tests that we've run, there is no danger of her being pregnant. However, her emotional shock has sent her into a coma like state. She's very distant so communication with her might be hard," the doctor explained. Aurora looked at the doctor then at her sleeping sister.

Pressing her ear to Vex's chest, Aurora sobbed as she heard the faint heart beat.
"Sugarcube… I'm so sorry… I got her here as quick as I could, I promise," Applejack spoke, placing her hoof on Aurora's shoulder.
"It's fine… it's not your fault. I just hope those stallions get what coming to them…" Aurora cried, the doctor clearing his throat to gather the mares' attention.
"Well, that's the other thing... your sister is under investigation by local authorities. We found the three rapists lying dead around her, each one gruesomely killed. I'm not saying I believe that your sister did this but I'm just following the law," the doctor explained. The Elements of Harmony gasped at this new piece of information.
"Vex…" Aurora continue to sob, burying her face into her sister's neck.

The doctor and mares watched as Aurora continued to sob, trembling as she held her sister tightly. Their hearts were filled with sorrow as the scene continued to play out before them, Pinkie Pie being the most affected of the Elements of Harmony.
"Speaking of hospitalization, why isn't Fluttershy back? I know we've been caring for her animals but I think they really miss her!" Pinkie Pie quietly whispered to Twilight.
"I don't know Pinkie, it's a good point though, it has been five days now," Twilight replied, her eyes still fixed on Vex.
"Do you think Rainbow confessed?" Applejack asked, motioning for her friends to leave the two sisters alone. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Twilight all stepped out of the room, Rarity telling Aurora that she could come back whenever she wanted and to take her time. The white unicorn soon rejoined her friends, a sad look on her face.
"What should we do? Poor Aurora is distraught!" Rarity cried softly.
"We seem to be asking ourselves that question quite often nowadays," Applejack muttered.

"Rarity, why don't you stay here with Aurora? Applejack, go check on Archimedes. Pinkie Pie, you go and find Strings at Zecora's. I'll write a letter to the princess to inform her of the current situation," Twilight instructed, the ponies nodding and galloping off. Turning to the doctor, Twilight began to ask a few questions of her own.
"Doctor, is there anyway you can keep Vex's room locked down? It is important that she's not transferred anywhere without my clearance," Twilight asked.
"I don't think so… I'm bound to the law as well," the doctor replied, his eyes still watching Aurora shake while holding Vex in her hooves.
"Is there anyway? There has to be some way! Like a sealed off room or something," Twilight begged.
"Well… there is the basement floor…" the doctor replied, Twilights eyes sparkling brightly.
"Keep her there, and bring her sister. Those two are all they have to family," Twilight ordered, the doctor nodding and calling in some staff.
"Thanks," Twilight replied.
"Think nothing of it. I know what she must be going through. And that's why I became a doctor," the doctor smiled warmly, trotting off to attend to another patient. Twilight smiled before leaving, stepping outside of the hospital and teleporting back to the library.

Unknown to the other Elements of Harmony, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been camping out at the prismatic mare's home, her parents offering the yellow Pegasus the guest room. After a few minutes of coaxing and assuring that everything was fine, the yellow pegasus soon moved in. At first, the main worry for Fluttershy was her animals down at her cottage, Rainbow Dash assuring that they would be looked after by their friends. Despite her recollection of Spike's first attempt to watch over them, Fluttershy gradually settled down. After the second day with no signs of fire or chaos coming from her cottage along with Applejack visiting everyday to feed her animals, Fluttershy calmed down, accepting the last few days that Rainbow Dash suggested she take to wind down after recent events.

On the third night, Rainbow Dash found herself unable to sleep. Grumbling as she rose from her Wonderbolts bed, she glanced around her old room, sighing happily at all the merchandise she had purchased as a young filly and continued to purchase even now. climbing out of her bed, Rainbow Dash decided to go and make herself a small bowl of soup. Quietly trotting down the hall, she noticed a soft light emitting from the guest room. Curiosity getting the best of her, the mare peered inside to find Fluttershy fast asleep on the bed, the nightlight her parents placed in the room glowing warmly. Smiling at the foal-like nature of her friend, Rainbow Dash tiptoed inside, gently closing the door behind her. Upon closing the door, a strong scent hit Rainbow Dash heavily. Her eyes soon turned to Fluttershy, watching her face contort into faces of pleasure.
"Aw no way…" Rainbow Dash chuckled, trotting over to her sleeping friend, the scent growing stronger.

The cyan mare watched as Fluttershy moaned softly while she continued to dream, tossing and turning slightly to reveal her now rosy red cheeks and pleading expression. Rainbow Dash looked away, feeling somewhat ashamed of spying on her friend like this.
"Oooooooh," Fluttershy moaned, causing Rainbow Dash to blush. Her blush intensified greatly when Fluttershy's hoof slowly trailed down South.
"She's… touching herself…" Rainbow Dash gasped, watching her childhood friend moan as her hoof slid up and down along her slit. By now, the scent that was emitting from Fluttershy was becoming unbearable, Rainbow Dash was at her breaking point of restraint. A shudder ran through Fluttershy's body followed by her wings slowly unfolding. A shrill cry and trembled moan echoed in the room. Rainbow Dash had done her best to restrain herself… but now she was broken.

Fluttershy was dreaming. She was dreaming that she was in a field of flowers that stretched on forever. Her animal friends were happily playing while her friends laughed and played next to her.
"Come join us Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie yelled energetically, bouncing up and down.
"Yeah sugarcube! We're having more fun than a pig in a mud bath!" Applejack smiled. Giggling gleefully, Fluttershy turned to run towards her friends, suddenly spotting Sven sleeping soundly in the middle of a field of violets.
"I'll be right there girls!" Fluttershy called out, her friends smiling and nodding before returning to playing. Galloping towards Sven, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in her heart. The stallion rose to his hooves, his emeralds shining brightly at her. A bright smile spread across his lips as he started to gallop towards Fluttershy.

A sudden surge of pleasure shot through Fluttershy's nether region, the canary yellow mare suddenly collapsing into the field of flowers. Jolts of excitement sent shivers down her spine while her wings suddenly burst open. She let out a moan of pleasure, feeling something wet starting to leak slowly from her nether region. A shrill cry of excitement rang through the air as Fluttershy began to cry out in pleasure. The world around her suddenly began to spiral and shrink much like a whirlpool in the bathtub. However, the pegasus was too caught up in her pleasure to notice before a soft voice rang in her ears.
"Oh Fluttershy… you sound so cute when you moan."
"Dashie?"

Fluttershy's eyes shot open, taking in the hospital ceiling that hung above her. Pleasure shot through her once again rapidly, the mare gasping and moaning. Slowly trailing her eyes down, she found Rainbow Dash between her hind legs, her tongue working furiously on Fluttershy's marehood. Fluttershy tried to protest but found her words being caught in a knot. She could only utter the pegasus' name.
"R-R-Rain- AH! - Rainbow! Don't stop! P-p-please don't!" Fluttershy moaned, her hooves grasping the prismatic mare's mane and nearly pushing it closer to her wet entrance. Rainbow continued her heavy assault, now prodding her tongue inside of Fluttershy, tasting the moist walls. A heavy moan escaped the shy pegasus' lips, pleasing the mare between her legs. A shiver shot through her body before her walls tightened around Rainbow Dash's tongue, a bittersweet liquid spewing into her mouth.

Licking her lips, Rainbow Dash eagerly lapped up the fluids, climbing up onto the bed and mounting Fluttershy.
"I love you so much Shy…" Rainbow Dash whispered, kissing the yellow mare, her vaginal juices mixing with her saliva. Fluttershy's tongue sloppily danced with Rainbow Dash's, the mare moaning and pulling the cyan pegasus' body to hers, pressing their lower regions together. Rainbow Dash let out a soft gasp, blushing softly as her own wings unfurled.
"Please Dashie… lick me down there…" Fluttershy squeaked, her cheeks blushing. Rainbow Dash grinned, suddenly turning around while still mounting Fluttershy, her own entrance beginning to drip.
"How about you help me too?" she giggled, suddenly assaulting Fluttershy's marehood once again. A sharp gasp escaped the yellow mare's lips before she too began to lick at the prismatic mare's wet entrance.

The two mares moaned and groaned, each one lapping up the others juices.
"Dashie! I'm going to… AAAAH!" Fluttershy squeaked, climaxing once again into Rainbow Dash's mouth. The mare licked up the juices once again, turning around and kissing Fluttershy heavily, letting her taste herself. Fluttershy eagerly accepted the gesture, panting heavily as Rainbow Dash pulled away.
"Dashie…" she moaned, watching the mare trot over to a closet and rummage around inside before producing an item. Fluttershy's eyes wandered around the item, trying to figure out what it was made for.
"Why do you have a rubber part of a stallion? Isn't that a bit wei--- Aaaah!" Fluttershy screamed, Rainbow Dash suddenly thrusting the object into her.
"It's… called… a… strap…on.. Shy!" Rainbow Dash gasped, bucking her childhood friend like there was no tomorrow. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around the other pegasus, kissing her heavily. Rainbow Dash gladly accepted Fluttershy's love, forcing her tongue into the animal caretaker's mouth.

Rainbow Dash could hear Fluttershy's rhythmic whimpers as she kept rhythm with her thrusts. Giving a hard thrust, she heard Fluttershy scream in her mouth. Quickly pulling out, Rainbow Dash trotted back over to the closet, the strap-on dripping with Fluttershy's juices. Rainbow Dash returned once again, this time with some rope and two plastic stallion part. Fluttershy could only moan and play with herself before Rainbow Dash flipped her over, hogtieing the pegasus before mounting her once again.
"Rainbow… please… I need it…" Fluttershy whimpered, her eyes gazing into Rainbow Dash's magenta orbs. Nodding, Rainbow Dash produced one of the plastic stallion parts, slipping it into Fluttershy's vagina, the item suddenly roaring with life. Gasps and shivers soon began to pour from Fluttershy's mouth and body. Smiling at the reaction, Rainbow Dash slipped another one into Fluttershy's flank, listing as the mare squeaked in slight pain before trembling with pleasure. Rainbow Dash glanced back once again at the yellow mare, noting the unquenchable lust in her eyes.

Carefully, she lifted Fluttershy's head upwards, prodding her lips with the strap-on. Fluttershy eagerly took the rubber replica in her mouth, bobbing her head forward and back quickly. Her juices still soaked the rubber but were quickly being replaced by her saliva. She looked up at Rainbow Dash, the pegasus moaning before suddenly pulling out of Fluttershy's mouth, taking off the strap-on and sucking it herself. Rainbow trotted over to the closet once again, this time producing a two double sided rubber stallion parts, replacing the plastic ones in Fluttershy's private areas with them. Fluttershy was still swamped in ecstasy, unaware of what Rainbow Dash was doing before she watched the cyan mare slip the other ends into herself, screaming in pleasure as she did. Gently rocking back and fourth, Fluttershy felt the rubber pumping in and out of her, eliciting a loud moan and groan of pleasure. Without warning, the canary yellow pegasus found herself free from her bonds and now upside down, her flank in the air and her head resting on the bed. Rainbow Dash was now pumping the two sex toys up and down while bending forward and kissing Fluttershy, the actions causing the toys to slip in deeper into the two mares.

Fluttershy screamed once again, tears starting to pour from her eyes as she kissed Rainbow Dash, the other mare's soft lips nullifying the pain she was feeling. Rainbow Dash pumped harder and harder, not stopping for a minute before both mares screamed in pleasure, their juices mixing with one another and spraying on the other mare's coat. Rainbow Dash collapsed, breathing heavily before she felt Fluttershy's tongue inside of her, causing her to choke suddenly. Looking down, she found Fluttershy now sucking on the double ended toy that dangled from her vagina. To her surprise, the other pegasus was forcing the item deep into her throat, nearly choking herself. Rainbow Dash watched as mare left a thick trail of saliva as she pulled off before going down deep once again. Grabbing Fluttershy's shoulders and the other toy that dangled from her flank, the cyan mare turned Fluttershy around before roughly forcing the toy inside the pegasus' marehood and mimicked her friend's actions. A squeak emitted from the soft lips of the pegasus on top of her but was quickly replaced with moans and groans of pleasure.

An hour passed and the two pegasi finally began to settle down, Fluttershy's body trembling rapidly while whimpers, groans, moans, and coughs escaped her lips. She was doused in sweat and her and Rainbow Dash's juices. Her mouth was agape and her eyes showed signs of pure sex and lust. Rainbow Dash placed a gentle kiss on the mare's nose before cuddling closer to the mare before a small blinking red light caught her attention in the closet. Wearily dragging herself out of bed, the pegasus staggered towards the closet, pulling out a video camera. Noticing a mechanism that switched the camera on to record, Rainbow spotted that it was triggered when she first opened the closet. Gasping, she quickly began to search the memory until she found the video she desired. Her hoof quickly moved to hit the delete button before she noticed another option: COPY AND COMPRESS.

"Archimedes! You here?" Applejack hollered, running into the barn. Silence greeted farm pony. Worry began to slowly take over before she quickly ascended to the loft to gasp at the sight. The once neat area where Archimedes slept now looked like a small skirmish, parts of the wood were splintered while other areas just had large parts missing. Hay and cloth were scattered about and there was even some blood splatters. In the center of the room was a beaten and unconscious Archimedes, his cloak torn to shreds. Blood trickled down the side of his coat and seeped from his belly.
"Help… me…" he groaned, extending a shaky hoof towards Applejack before he passed out.
"Sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, rushing over to check for a pulse. To her relief, the pulse was still present and fair.
"BIG MAC! APPLEBLOOM! HELP!" Applejack screamed, the called ponies quickly galloping to their sister before staring at Archimedes.
"Help me! Applebloom! Call an ambulance wagon! Big Mac! Help me get him down from here!" Applejack yelled, Big Macintosh and Applebloom quickly springing into action. Like the Apples they were, Applebloom had already called for the ambulance wagon just as Big Macintosh had quickly descended from the loft with Archimedes, Applejack carrying his signature hat and Rayne on her back, the Phoenix cawing sadly.
"What in tarnation happened to you," Applejack sighed sadly, boarding the ambulance wagon as the medics loaded Archimedes inside.

Meanwhile, back in the loft, Applejack had failed to notice something of great importance that would reveal what happened: four pairs of crystal blue eyes that stared from the dark shadows.

"Zecora! Zecora! Are you here?" Pinkie Pie yelled, bouncing through the Everfree Forest. When the desired zebra did not make an appearance, the party pony bounced inside the cozy hut, hearing a soft snore from the bedroom of the foreigner. Peering inside, Pinkie Pie gasped as she saw Zecora lying comfortably with Strings, her hooves wrapped around the stallion's waist while a blissful smile was spread across her lips. Zecora's eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times before nuzzling into Strings.
"Afternoon Zecora," Strings smiled warmly kissing the Zebra softly.
"Afternoon to you, how do you do? Perhaps you'd be up, for a round two?" Zecora giggled, Strings smiling and pulling the covers over the two. Pinkie Pie's eyes widened as she watched Zecora trace her hoof down String's chest. Pinkie Pie's attention now shifted to a growing structure beneath the blanket. Unfortunately, she was so focused, on the stallion's growing member that she failed to keep her balance, falling through the door.

"Pinkie Pie?!" Zecora gasped, quickly retracting her hoof.
"Um... hi?" Pinkie Pie replied nervously, looking at Zecora's un-amused stare.
"I remember you, you were at the Cake's place, Pinkie Pie, correct?" Strings asked, the party pony nodding.
"I was sent to check on you since… something happened earlier and we just wanted to make sure everypony was okay," Pinkie Pie explained nervously, her eyes turning to Zecora.
"And every zebra," she smiled, her nervousness vanishing as Zecora's understanding smile came upon her lips.
"No need to fret, nothing bad has happened yet," Zecora smiled.
"Okie Doki Loki!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily, bouncing out of the hut. Zecora turned to Strings, the stallion looking back at her.
"So, shall we continue?" he asked, Zecora smiling deviously before Strings suddenly leapt on top of her, pinning her to the bed.
"I'll lead this time."

--------------------XXX--------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have recently discovered that my friends have encountered the ShadowHawks Vex, Aurora, Strings, and Archimedes. However according to them, the four ShadowHawks have no memory of who they are or anything that happened at Canterlot. They don't remember who we are or where they are. Archimedes at least remembers Rayne, his Phoenix but other than that, he's as clueless of who he is or what he once was just like the others. All four have different personalities, excluding Strings. Vex is as shy as Fluttershy while Aurora is a tad bit like Rainbow Dash in terms of her teasing. Archimedes is as shy as Big Macintosh, though he talks more than the Apple does. From what my friends have told me, each one is housing a ShadowHawk, Rarity housing Vex and Aurora since Vex seems to be absolutely petrified with fear when her sister isn't with her. Applejack is housing Archimedes while Zecora is housing Strings according to Pinkie Pie.

Today we received so horrible news from Applejack. Last night, Vex was raped by three stallions when she ran from Carousel Boutique, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Aurora teasing her a bit too much. Applejack said that she found her little sister frozen in place when they were on the way to pick up Sweetie Belle to play. The doctors say that she's in some sort of shock induced coma. According to the two, the bodies of the rapists were found brutally maimed around Vex's body, though according to local authorities, Vex wasn't involved in their demise. Vex is also currently under arrest while she recovers in the hospital for being involved in the stallions' deaths.

In other news, Fluttershy still hasn't returned from Cloudsdale Hospital since Kozak was hospitalized. Come to think of it, Rainbow Dash hasn't returned either. Either way, we're still hoping that everything is alright.

Spike has also brought it to my attention that the remaining Stalkers have vanished. What do you plan to do with the impending army of Changelings amassing? Whatever you do, I have faith that you'll make the right choice.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

"Alright Spike, you can send the letter now," Twilight said, the purple dragon opening the window and belching the green flames that engulfed the parchment, sending it towards Canterlot.
"So Twilight, is everything okay with Vex? I heard about her and was thinking that maybe we should all do something, you know, when she wakes up," Spike asked, re-shelving another misplaced book.
"That's a wonderful idea Spike, I'll talk it over with the others," Twilight smiled, trotting out the door. The purple dragon smiled, happy that his adopted sister was feeling happy, even if it was for a moment. He had noticed that his purple unicorn sister had been acting like something was bothering her recently and was glad to see that she could take a moment to enjoy herself.

Sighing, he was still depressed over the news of Vex. Even though Spike didn't know the pegasus very well or much at all, he still felt a connection to all ponies, as if all of them were friends. Staring firmly at the list of chores placed before him, Spike made up his mind.
"Alright, I'll finish these chores quickly, make lunch for Twilight and I, and then ask if there's anything I can do or make for when Vex wakes up," he exclaimed to nopony in particular. Owlicious simply hooted at the dragon's determination from his perch in Twilight's room.

"Sven…" a silky voice whispered gently. Sven's eyes slowly opened, taking in the clear blue skies. Slowly rising, Sven began to rise slowly only to have a canary yellow hoof gently push him back down. Upon resting his back on the ground, Sven discovered that he was lying in a field of flowers, the beautiful colors swaying gently in the wind. A pair of soft lips gently pressed themselves up against Sven's, startling the stallion.
"Fluttershy," Sven sighed, a smile spreading on his lips, his eyes meeting the crystal baby blue eyes of the yellow pegasus.
"I love you," he whispered softly, Fluttershy lying on her belly and resting her head on Sven's chest. A moment of bliss soon settled before Sven felt tears stain his coat.
"I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry Sven," Fluttershy cried softly.
"What do you mean love?" Sven asked, confused as to why his marefriend was crying.
"She's referring to me," a cocky voice rang throughout the air, a prismatic pegasus suddenly landing next to the two.

"What?" Sven asked, confused. Fluttershy slowly rose to her hooves, Rainbow Dash wrapping her wing around the yellow pegasus before pulling her in for a rough kiss.
"She's with me now, you got that? So take a hint and take a hike!" Rainbow Dash laughed, turning to leave. Fluttershy stared at the grassy plain, her eyes avoiding meeting Sven's.
"Why Fluttershy? Why? You mean to tell me that you've been lying to me this entire time?!" Sven asked, feeling anger and pain rise within him.
"N-n-no. I… I just," Fluttershy whimpered.
"I knew it… I knew you just pitied me…" Sven growled, feeling hatred and rage suddenly begin to take over. Fluttershy was about to speak before Sven cut her off once again, this time, his anger getting the best of him.
"You're just like the others. Just humoring me so that they can get something or who the buck knows whatever they wanted," Sven yelled, tears welling up in Fluttershy's eyes. Sven quickly snapped out of his anger, hugging Fluttershy and letting the tears of the mare soak his coat.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean it… but please. Don't leave me. I love you," Sven begged, kissing Fluttershy gently on the lips. The pegasus pulled away gently, tears falling from her eyes.
"I'm sorry Sven. But I can't…" she sobbed, flying away.
"Fluttershy!" Sven yelled but the pegasus was far out of sight. Tears slowly began to well up in Sven's eyes before anger began to well up in his heart once again. His body began to tremble softly before breaking out into a violent shake. Letting loose a loud roar Sven felt the fires of his suppressed rage begin to emit from his body. A minute passed before he finished roaring. Looking back at what was once the luscious plain of flowers, he gasped as he saw fire. Fire had engulfed the entire plain, the plants burning to a crisp and being blown away by the wind as ash. Looking up the sky had changed from the serene blue to amber red while dark clouds rolled in slowly, throwing lightning bolts freely.

Sven began to panic, searching for something to put out the flames before his eyes met a shadowy pony who stood amongst the chaos. A demonic grin suddenly donned upon the mysterious pony's mouth before it slowly began to approach.
"Remember me?" a raspy voice hissed as the pony continued to make its way towards Sven.
"No… not you… go away!" Sven yelled, firing off magical bolts towards the approaching pony. A sickening cackle escaped the cracked lips of the shadowy pony.
"You can't get rid of me Sven. No matter how hard you try and suppress me, I'm always with you. And now it's my turn to play," the pony laughed, suddenly appearing in front of Sven before stabbing a knife into his chest. Sven yelled in pain, ripping the dagger from his chest and kicking the pony in the face. The other pony growled, claws suddenly appearing where its hooves once were.

"You shouldn't have done that Sven," the pony growled lunging at blinding speed towards Sven. Before the ShadowHawk had a chance to raise his guard, he felt an icy cold grip slowly close around his neck. Being lifted into the air, Sven felt his body fly through the air, suddenly smashing into the ground, his head striking against a rock. The icy cold grip closed tighter around his neck, the shadowy pony cackling as it drew closer.
"Choke Sven, choke to death. It'll be fun. Just like old times," the shadow pony laughed, plunging its claws deep into Sven's right hind leg.
"Aaaah!" Sven cried out in pain, the claws digging deeper into his flesh, tearing muscle and scraping against bone.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" the pony laughed, ripping his claws across Sven's chest and face in a fury.
"Did it?! Did it?! You bucking idiot!" the pony suddenly roared, anger burning in his words. Sven could hardly cry out in pain, mainly due to the fear of having his entire mouth eviscerated.

"Die you! Die!" the pony yelled, ripping his claws across Sven's throat. Blood began to pour from the stallion's neck, Sven choking now on his own blood. He felt the grip around his neck relax and he fell to the burnt ground, the fire coming closer and closer. The pony stood above him spat.
"This isn't over. Your just lucky," he growled, kicking Sven in the head and knocking the stallion out.

Author's Notes:

Yeah, clop. I suck at it. Get over it.

Straining The Bonds of Friendship

Chapter 10 - Straining The Bonds of Friendship

"Archimedes? Hon'? You awake? Please wake up sugarcube," Applejack sighed sadly, resting her head on the chest of the unconscious stallion that lay in the white hospital bed. It was early morning, Applejack had arrived at the hospital quickly after she woke up. With her big brother noticing that something was bothering the orange mare, he told her to take the day off to relax and that he'd take care of her share. Not wanting to argue, Applejack rushed out of the door, her mind fixated on the scene she saw in the loft and the pony in the center of it all.
"Applejack? What are you doing here so early?" a familiar voice asked, the sound of hooves trotting towards her.
"What happened to him?" Pinkie Pie asked, pointing towards the bandaged stallion. Applejack retold what she saw in the loft.
"That's worry some Applejack. From what you told us, it sounds like we need to send another letter to the princess," Twilight said, taking in the information.

"How's Rarity and Aurora doing with Vex?" Applejack asked, walking out of Archimedes' room, smiling at the nurse who trotted inside.
"Not good, Rarity said that Aurora hasn't eaten anything since the event and she can barely focus when drawing dresses," Twilight sighed, Pinkie Pie's ears drooping significantly.
"Poor dear has been so distant lately!" Rarity sighed, stepping out of Vex's room, "She's not sleeping at night either nor is she taking care of herself." The other ponies looked down at the tiled floor, sadness washing over them.
"And we still don't know what happened to Kozak," Twilight sighed, recalling her last encounter with the pony.
"What happened with Kozak?" a familiar soft voice asked. The four mares turned around, a big smile spreading on Pinkie Pie's lips.
"Fluttershy! Dashie! You're back!" she exclaimed happily, bouncing around the two pegasi. Fluttershy smiled softly while Rainbow Dash did her best from shoving her hoof into Pinkie Pie's mouth to shut the pink mare up.

Twilight quickly filled Fluttershy in on what happened when Angel Bunny came bouncing over to the library that night. Gasping, Fluttershy began asking questions.
"Is he alright? Have you seen him lately? He's not hurt is he?" the canary yellow mare asked, worried. Unknown to Pinkie Pie or Applejack, both Twilight and Rarity caught a glimpse of anger and jealousy in Rainbow Dash's eyes as soon as Fluttershy began asking Twilight questions.
"So what were y'all doing that took you so darn long to get back to Ponyville?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy blushed furiously, hiding behind her pink mane. However, Rainbow Dash had other plans.
"She stayed at my place and I had sex with her for hours. Simple as that," the prismatic mare replied, a flat expression on her face. The others gasped while Fluttershy squeaked with embarrassment. A sharp gasp suddenly rang in Fluttershy's ears, the pegasus turning around to find Sven standing at the end of the hallway.
"Sven!" Fluttershy gasped, galloping over to the stallion before he held up a hoof.

"Stop… just stop…" he muttered, turning around to slowly walking away.
"Wait! Sven! Come back! Please!" Fluttershy begged, tears starting to well in her eyes. Her mind began to swirl with thoughts blaming her for whatever was happening to the stallion. She draped a hoof over Sven's back only to have Sven freeze in place and turn to face her.
"Just drop it. Face it, you never loved me… Never did, never will. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving. I won't get in your way anymore," Sven muttered, choking back his own tears before gently pushing Fluttershy's hoof off his shoulder and now galloping out of the hospital. Fluttershy sank to her flank, staring at the double doors where Sven had ran out. Behind her, she could faintly hear the other mares whispering amongst one another.
"Fluttershy, hon', don't take this the wrong way. But… when was the last time you were in heat?" Applejack asked, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.

"Last month… around yesterday or so…" Fluttershy weakly replied, her eyes now falling to the floor, though not with embarrassment, but with sadness. Eyes slowly turned to Rainbow Dash, the daredevil never breaking her gaze from the yellow pegasus before her. Applejack was the first to speak.
"Rainbow… did you know that she was in heat?" Applejack asked slowly, silence coming from the cyan mare.
"You did… didn't you…" Applejack gasped, anger suddenly beginning to well up.
"And you took advantage of our dear Fluttershy like that?!" Rarity exclaimed, anger starting interweave itself within her words. Rainbow Dash cringed, fearing that Rarity would get angry at her again and loose her cool like she did at the boutique.
"Dashie… how could you do that? Taking advantage of poor Fluttershy like that?" Pinkie Pie asked, her usual cheerful tone now replaced with anger.

"…"
"What was that?"
"…"
"Speak up hon' we can't hear you."
"BECAUSE I BUCKING LOVE HER!" Rainbow Dash yelled, whipping around to face the girls. The four elements were take aback by her sudden outburst but quickly recovered.
"Still! That's no reason to take advantage of her when she's in heat! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Twilight exclaimed.
"She said she loved me…" Rainbow Dash muttered, Applejack suddenly grabbing her and shaking the pegasus violently.
"That's 'cause she's in heat dangnabbit!" she yelled. Breaking free of Applejack's grasp, Rainbow Dash flew ahead and landed in front of Fluttershy, using the butter yellow mare as a barrier between her and the other girls.
"She wanted it! You should've seen the look in her eyes! And you know what? Here's a copy to prove it!" Rainbow Dash yelled, suddenly producing what looked like a magical blinking red orb.
"You recorded it?!" Twilight yelled, furious now at Rainbow Dash's actions.

"Watch it Twilight, it'll prove it!" Rainbow Dash yelled, tossing the orb to the lavender mare. Lavender magic engulfed the orb before eyes fell to Rainbow Dash once again, anger and disgust on the mares' faces.
"Tell them Shy. Tell them that you love me," Rainbow Dash urged, nuzzling Fluttershy's neck gently.
"Please… just… not now Rainbow… Just…" Fluttershy began before the other pegasus slapped her. Gasps were heard from the other Elements before Rainbow Dash grabbed Fluttershy and flew away, roaring through the skies before vanishing into the clouds.
"Fluttershy!"

Sven continued running, pushing past the various ponies who occupied the market stalls. Soon he came to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Continuing his gallop, he weaved in and out between the trees before finally tripping over a series of roots and crashing into the ground. Lying on the floor, he let tears freely fall. His cries softly echoed through the dark woods, floating through the trees and rustling the leaves. Soon, the voices came back to him, tormenting him.

"She never loved you."
"Shut up."
"She just needed you for show."
"Quiet, you don't know what you're talking about."
"You're nothing more than a lab test. Even Twilight confirmed that."
"You're hated."
"Nopony will ever love you."
"Not even Luna."
"Exile."
"Freak."
"Forbidden magic."
"Killer."

Voices continued to ring through Sven's head. the stallion now screaming with insanity and anger. His cries did not go unheard by six Royal Guards who were flying overhead, on their way to Twilight's abode. Four of them flew to the ground, quickly seizing Sven, throwing a bag over his head and kicking him hard in the gut. Sven collapsed to the ground, the voices in his head still ringing and a pain in his gut knocking him out. After seeing that Sven was not responding, the guards slowly removed the bag.
"Sweet Celestia, he looks horrible," one of the guards muttered, looking at Sven's face.
"Let's get him back to the main camp," another guard spoke, the others nodding in agreement before they grabbed Sven and took off.

"Rainbow! No! Let go of me!" Fluttershy cried, trying to break free of her childhood friend's aggressive hold. Rainbow Dash had taken Fluttershy to a secret cloud where she would often spend her time thinking up new tricks. It was a secluded place, located a quarter way from Ponyville to Baltimare.
"Be quiet Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash snapped, slapping the other pegasus who whimpered in fear. She had never been hit by Rainbow Dash before and to have it happen now was frightening. Rainbow Dash had donned a crazy look upon her face, her eyes twitching while she was high strung and quick to strike. Turning around to face the pegasus, Rainbow Dash giggled before tackling Fluttershy, placing butterfly kisses up and down her neck. A low moan escaped Fluttershy's lips while she weakly tried to push Rainbow Dash away. Growling, Rainbow Dash suddenly began to choke the pegasus, growling as she watched Fluttershy now fight for her life.

"When you're scared like this… it really turns me on…" Rainbow Dash chuckled, suddenly roughly rubbing her hoof against Fluttershy's slit. A squeak slipped through Fluttershy's lips, Rainbow Dash pressing her lips against the captive pegasus'.
"No… stop…" Fluttershy whimpered before being struck once again. Seeing how Rainbow Dash had released her throat, Fluttershy began to scramble to her hooves to begin flying away, only to have Rainbow Dash grab her flank and bring her marehood to her lips, her tongue now working away. Fluttershy screamed in pleasure, crashing into the cloud once again and shivering. Fluttershy let loose a gasp as she felt Rainbow Dash wrap her hind legs around her neck and pull her head down straight towards her own slit.
"Lick it," Rainbow Dash gasped, returning to licking and sucking Fluttershy's marehood. Gasping in pleasure, Fluttershy quickly did as she was commanded, licking furiously while Rainbow Dash did the same.

Magenta eyes turned to a blinking red dot, a sly smile spreading on her lips.

"Dashie! B-buck me h-h-harder! Please! I need it!"

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all sat around in Twilight's basement, watching the recording that Rainbow Dash had given them. Heavy blushes were evident on the mares' faces, watching Rainbow Dash slip a strap on into a tied up Fluttershy's vagina.
"How long has this been going on?" Pinkie Pie asked quietly.
"Twenty five minutes," Twilight answered, her eyes fixated on Fluttershy's expressions as Rainbow Dash continued to ravish her.
"How long did Dashie say she… had sex with Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Vaguely she said hours," Rarity answered, watching Fluttershy's body language as she was essentially raped.
"Is anypony else getting slightly turned on in a sickening way?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Yeah…" the other three mares replied, blushing heavier.

"Um Twilight, there are two Royal Guards here… to… see…" Spike stuttered, noticing what the mares were watching. Twilight quickly turned around and covered Spike's eyes, leading the stuttering dragon out of the room while Rarity froze the evidence with her magic.
"Well… I must be going now… I need to check on Vex and Aurora," the white unicorn excused herself before quickly trotting out of the room.
"Hold on Rarity, I'll join you. I gotta check on Archimedes," Applejack called out, galloping out to catch up with her friend. Pinkie Pie bounced along, making her way back to Sugarcube Corner. All three mares thought the same thing:
"That was arousing."

"Can I help you two?" Twilight asked, putting Spike to bed for an early nap before turning her attention to the two large stallions that stood before her.
"Yes, come with us. We have matters to discuss in private," the guards ordered, turning and trotting out the door. Quickly leaving a note to Spike and her friends, Twilight galloped after two. Catching up, she noticed that they were entering the Everfree Forest. Choosing not to question their choice of location, Twilight continued to follow the two stallions. Soon, the three were deep in the forest, the stallions stopping and turning to face Twilight.
"Now to discuss business. Are you aware that the Changelings are amassing?" one of the guards asked.
"Yes, my friend Fluttershy told us about it," Twilight replied, confused why the guard would be bringing up slightly old news. The guards looked at each other, nodding before turning around.
"Take her away," they spoke in unison.
"What? What do you me- AAAAAH!" Twilight screamed, Changelings leaping out of the trees and tackling her to the ground, beating her until she was unconscious. The two guards soon began to change, their bodies morphing until they changed back to two Changelings. The two turned and glared at Twilight, kicking her unconscious body before lifting her up and placing her on the backs of two other Changelings.
"Lets go. Our queen will surely want to 'chat' with Celestia's protégée," one of them spoke. A bright light engulfed the group before vanishing. A scorch mark was all that was left.

"Rarity! Rarity! She's finally awake! She's awake!" Aurora cried happily, hugging the white unicorn in her hooves. Applejack and Rarity smiled at each other before stroking Aurora's mane.
"I told you dear, you had nothing to fear," Rarity smiled, placing a motherly kiss on Aurora's horn. Aurora blushed before nuzzling into Rarity's neck.
"What about the investigation though?" Applejack whispered, Rarity's eyes widening.
"I've taken care of that, the investigation has been called off thanks to the DNA samples that the doctor sent us," a policestallion reported, trotting up to the three.
"Your sister is now officially proven innocent and is free to go as she pleases," the policestallion smiled, tipping his hat to the three mares before trotting off.
"Aurora… Mom?" a weak voice squeaked from the other side of the door. Rarity and Aurora quickly ran in, finding Vex with her eyes open and a weak smile on her face.
"Hi," she whispered softly, soon finding herself in a group hug.

"Vex! You're alright! I was so worried!" Aurora sobbed, holding her sister tightly. Rarity excused herself from the hug, deciding to let the sisters have a moment together. Upon her exit, she saw Applejack sitting next to Archimedes.
"How's he doing dearie?" Rarity asked, pulling up a seat next to Applejack.
"He still ain't budging. Shucks Rarity, I'm worried sicker than a lion who ate a dead cat," Applejack sighed, her ears drooping dramatically.
"I hope you're not referring to Opalescence," Rarity spoke, not catching Applejack's expression.
"I mean I'm really worried about him. I leave for a few hours and I come back to what looks like a battlefield!" Applejack exclaimed, leaning on Rarity unconsciously.
"He'll pull through dearie. He's a ShadowHawk after all," Rarity assured, "Now would you mind if I asked you a question?" Apple jack looked at the white unicorn, confusion in her eyes.

"Do you have any feelings for anypony?"
"What are you getting at Rarity?"
"Just answer the question."
"I… I… I don't know."
"I think you do."
"I don't."
"Archimedes."
"!!!"
"See? You're blushing."
"Shut up!"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of dearie, besides, he's cute."
"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"You do. You're in love with Archimedes."
"I am not!"
"Now, now Applejack. No need to stamp your hooves. You're in love. You just don't know it yet."

Rarity smiled before trotting out of the room and making her way to Aurora. Telling her that she needed to return to the boutique to complete a few orders, Rarity placed a gently kiss on Vex's head before trotting away. Applejack was left sitting alone in the white room, her eyes now fixated on the sleeping Archimedes.
"DO I love him?"

"You again?"

Applejack sighed, massaging her temples with her hooves. She knew that today was going to be a long day.

Spike slowly awoke from his nap, noticing that Twilight was gone. Reading over the note she left, Spike decided to go grab some sweets. Walking down to Sugarcube Corner, he ran into Pinkie Pie, the party pony selling her signature cupcakes.
"Hi Spike! What brings you here? Oh! Want a cupcake?" Pinkie Pie asked, thrusting the pink frosted treat in front of the purple dragon. Accepting the treat, Spike walked with Pinkie Pie back into the bakery.
"So Pinkie Pie. I was actually hoping I could ask you something," Spike spoke, nervously shifting around.
"What is it?" Pinkie Pie asked, curious as to why Spike had suddenly gotten nervous.
"What were you all watching earlier… with Rainbow and Fluttershy?" Spike asked. Pinkie Pie's cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson pink before she cleared her throat.

"Why don't we find a place to sit Spike. This is going to take a while."

"Dashie… that… was…" Fluttershy whimpered, beads of sweat dripping from her head and body. Rainbow Dash mounted the butter yellow mare and kissed her passionately.
"Shhhh. Not another word Shy. I love you… and you'll be mine," Rainbow Dash whispered gently, nibbling Fluttershy's ear, emitting another whimper from the mare.
"You're so cute," Rainbow Dash giggled, tightening the bond she had placed on the hooves of the yellow mare. Fluttershy weakly struggled, but her efforts were in vain.
"This is… kind of… k-k-kinky," Fluttershy whined.
"Oh trust me Shy," I can get much more kinky," Rainbow Dash smiled, slowly tracing her tongue down Fluttershy's neck. Weak kicks showed Rainbow Dash a sign of protest. Sighing, she sat up.
"Why don't you love me Shy?" the cyan mare pouted, staring into Fluttershy's baby blue eyes.
"I just don't feel the same way you do towards me. Well, actually, I don't know HOW I feel yet," Fluttershy replied, tugging at the ropes that held her down.

Rainbow Dash knew that if she didn't untie Fluttershy, the rest of the Elements of Harmony would be even more furious with her than they currently were. Sighing, she undid Fluttershy's bonds and watched as the pegasus flew away quickly, most likely expecting that she[d be chased for more forced sex. Rainbow Dash watched as Fluttershy slowly vanished in the distance, a tear rolling down her eye.
"I just want you to love me."

"Coming!" Rarity sang, trotting down the stairs to her door. It had been an interesting day and the unicorn decided to relieve some stress by making dresses for a new order. Her talk with Applejack earlier had yielded no results as the orange mare galloped out of the room in embarrassment. On the way back to her boutique, it had begun to rain, the fashionista humming a pegasus tale about rain being tears of the pegasi. The rain quickly picked up and the fashionista began to gallop back. Smiling and giggling at her reactions earlier today, Rarity smiled, soon reaching her door. A soft squeak and a quiet sneeze instantly snapped her mind into worry and panic.

"Fluttershy! Dearie get in quick!" Rarity exclaimed, finding the yellow pegasus outside her door. Dragging Fluttershy up to her room, Rarity placed her on her bed before telling her to remain put. Galloping out of Carousel Boutique, Rarity did not forget her little details, the most important being closing the shop. In a matter of minutes, Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack had returned with the white unicorn, all of them running up to the fashionista's room.
"Hey sugarcube, you alright?" Applejack quickly asked.
"Fluttershy! I heard about what happened between you and Rainbow! Are you ok?" Spike asked, concern in his voice.

"Girls, I'm fine. Thank you for your con-" Fluttershy began before suddenly passing out.
"Fluttershy!" the other mares exclaimed, rushing to her side. Fluttershy was now lying flat on her back, a pained expression on her back, her hoof clutching her chest while cries and whimpers slowly slipped through her soft lips. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes while her breathing became ragged.
"I don't know what to do! She says she loves but forces herself on me but at the same time I don't know if I love her or not!" Fluttershy wailed, sobbing heavily into her hooves. The group looked at each other nervously, unsure of handle the situation. Knowing how sensitive Fluttershy was often meant that in times like these, there was a limited amount of things a pony could do to calm her.

"Fluttershy dear… This isn't your fault! This is all Rainbow's fault for thrusting you into this sit-" Rarity began before a wail slipped passed Fluttershy's lips.
"She forced herself on me again!" the butter yellow pegasus sobbed, grabbing Rarity and holding her tightly. The unicorn felt anger rising within her once again, thoughts of Rainbow Dash forcefully putting Fluttershy in sexual situations was simply something she would not tolerate. The others seemed to be able to pick up on Rarity's anger, Applejack seeming to be the only one to try and calm her down.
"Rarity? Hon' calm down. Getting angry is probably not the best thing to do around poor Shy at the moment," Applejack said calmly, though she also wanted to have a few choice words with the prismatic pegasus whenever she showed her face.

"I can hear the voices again," Fluttershy cried softly, starting to slowly lose conscious.
"Voices? What voices dear?" Rarity asked, concerned for Fluttershy's mental health. The pegasus had opened up a lot to her during their spa dates, talking about her past and whatever was happening to her during the current time. Fluttershy didn't hear Rarity, nor did she hear her friends gathering around her a calling to her in fright as she slipped from Rarity's warm embrace and hitting the floor. All she knew was that she could hear the voices in her head, the plaguing voices.

"You're a fillyfooler."
"You're straight."
"You liked being dominated."
"You're a slut."
"You're a victim."
"She's coming to get you."
"FlutterCRY can't even stand up for herself."
"She'll get you."

Upon the last voice whispering in her mind, Fluttershy felt her body go limp, her eyes closing and her heart stopping. The last thing that flashed in her conscious was Rainbow Dash slowly trotting to her, rope and gag in hoof while a twisted smile of passion rested on her lips. Her mane was mussed up and her eyes were bloodshot. The cyan pegasus began to whisper softly as she suddenly began to multiply, each copy whispering the same thing as they enclosed on Fluttershy.
"You'll love me."

"Fluttershy?! Fluttershy! Fluttershy! No!" Rainbow Dash woke up in a furry of sweat and tears, her nightmare plaguing her mind. Sighing, the mare trotted over to her kitchen to see if she could whip something up to eat. Upon arriving, she found a stallion sitting in one of her chairs, eating a leaf of lettuce. He had a snow white coat similar to Rarity's, light grey eyes, and his mane was an interesting combination of black with silver patterns. His Cutie Mark remained hidden however by a black cloak, similar to the ones that the other ShadowHawks wore when the Elements of Harmony first met them in Canterlot.

Noticing that the host was up, the stallion turned and waved.
"Sup?"
"Who're you and what're you doing in my home?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, assuming an aggressive stance as she glared at the intruder.
"Now, now, no need to yell. I'm a friend of Sven," the stallion chuckled, slowly rising and cleaning his lips.
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked, confusion in her eyes, though not dropping her stance.
"Oh, the poor stallion still goes by that name… Kozak. Does that sound more familiar?" the stallion sighed, massaging his temples.
"Yeah… how come he didn't just use his real name," the cyan mare asked, now slowly dropping her stance, feeling slightly more comfortable that the stallion was a friend of Sven's.

"Irrelevant. You may call me… Silver Wings. While it's not my real name, that remains irrelevant," Silver Wings replied.
"Okay… Silver Wings? What're you doing in my home?" Rainbow Dash asked, slowly moving to the chair across from Silver Wings.
"Just getting some food. I'll probably go for a night fly before retiring for the morning. Anyway, I hear that the other ShadowHawks are here?" the stallion asked.
"Well… yeah, but they don't remember anything at all. Wait, what am I telling you this?" Rainbow Dash replied, curious as to where Silver Wings was going with the conversation.
"I see… so they gave that up hm? In that case, Ms. Dash, I will leave you now. Adieu," Silver Wings smiled, suddenly engulfing himself in a vortex of silver feathers, the wind nearly sending Rainbow Dash flying backwards. As the wind died down, only a silver feather remained on the unfinished leaf of lettuce with a small note:
My brother may visit you sometime. I'd advise having a salad. He's much more… aggressive, than I. ~S.W

A small drizzle of feathers rained gently for a few seconds upon the carpeted floor of Bon Bon and Lyra's home. The two mares screamed, though their voices still remained unheard due to the gags in their mouths.
"You're back. And you changed your eye color again, stupid," a gruff voice muttered, as a stallion trotted out from a dark corner in the room.
"Well yes brother, did you expect me to leave like we did to the ShadowHawks?" Silver Wings smiled gently. A muttered curse word was his response.
"Oh come now, no need to be rude. Besides, I have good news, the others are here," Silver Wings chuckled, trotting over and breathing down Bon Bon's neck, earning a moan of pleasure from his victim and a muffled yell of anger from Lyra.
"Says you. I got bored enough that I let the blue and pink mane one go before tying her back up again. This is getting boring."
"Well no need to fret, we'll be leaving soon. I was hoping to find Vex. Always did like her," Silver Wings sighed.
"Then why didn't you go?" the hidden stallion asked, confused why his brother did not go and seek the mare he crushed on.

Sighing, Silver Wings trotted over to a window, letting the moonlight bask his coat and mane. Lifting his light grey eyes to the moon, the colors began to shift and warp until they settled on a sky blue color.
"Because she's forgotten."

Snap

Chapter 11 - Breakdown

Is he even alive?"
"I don't know, he hasn't moved in hours."
"Poke him."
"Like hell I will! I don't want my leg torn off!"

Voices echoed in Sven's ears, the stallion slowly coming too.
"Ugh… where am I? Did anyone get the number of that cart that hit me?" he groaned, rubbing his temples. Opening his eyes, he found twelve Changelings surrounding him.
"Well… Either I had too much Cider or I can't remember anything from last night," he muttered, sniffing his breath.
"Yeah, it's the second."

"Well look who's finally awake," a familiar voice chuckled from behind the Changelings.
"Horsefeathers," Sven groaned, rising to all fours, "You still angry at me?" Chrysalis slowly made her way through the guards and stood before Sven, a scowl on her face.
"I'll take that as a yes," Sven sighed. Chrysalis growled stepping forth and slapping Sven across the face.
"Yeah, you're angry," Sven muttered.
"I take it that he's still inside your mind. How's Cruelty doing?" Chrysalis sneered, earning a growl from Sven.
"Why are you asking me? You're the one who cursed me with him anyway," he spat, glaring at the Changeling queen.
"Guard! Bring it here!" Chrysalis yelled, a Changeling quickly rushing to the queen's side with what appeared to be a red and black orb.
"What are you up to…" Sven muttered, slowly backing off before Chrysalis thrust the orb into Sven's face. Sven froze, eyes widening suddenly before dropping to the floor yelling in pain. The Changeling guards looked at each other confused before grinning at the realization that this hurt Sven. Smiling, Chrysalis watched as Sven tried to move but fell to the dirt beneath him, being crushed beneath mental weight coming from his mind. Laughing, she placed the orb two feet out of his reach, ordering the guards to watch him until she returned. Sven's cry could be heard throughout the entire encampment.

Twilight let loose a weak groan, slowly opening her eyes to find a black canvas above her. Slowly she raised her head to find that she had been tied down to a table of some sort. The fabric seemed to wrap around her hooves, restricting her movement. Using her magic, she slowly began to undo the bonds before Chrysalis appeared before her.
"Welcome to my army's camp. Are you enjoying yourself?" the black queen chuckled, using her own magic to restore Twilight's bonds.
"Let me go Chrysalis, what do you even want with me?" Twilight growled, trying to use her magic once again only to have Chrysalis shoot her with a bolt of her own magic.
"Can you hear that?" Chrysalis asked, Twilight listening closely until a faint cry hit her ears. It sounded familiar. It sounded like…
"Kozak!" Twilight gasped, Chrysalis chuckling.
"No, not Kozak. SVEN. Sven. That's his real name. He's lied to you. And that yellow wimpy pegasus lied to you too. She knows," Chrysalis smiled.

"Leave Fluttershy out of this!" Twilight snapped.
"Feisty are we? Hmmm, I wonder what Celestia would think if she learned I had her protégée in my custody," Chrysalis smiled, a rumbling roar ripping the smile off of her face. A Changeling guard ran into the room.
"He's broken free! He's loose! Cruelty i-" the guard cried before five razor sharp jagged blades shot through the guards neck and lower jaw. Sputtering and spewing blood, the guard fell, Sven standing behind the now deceased guard.
"How did you br-" Chrysalis started before she was swatted out of the tent. It was only now that Twilight was able to get a good look at Sven. His coat was still covered by his cloak, though the article was flaring up and flowing wildly. Glancing quickly, Twilight spotted Sven's Cutie Mark, a black and red moon, almost identical in design to Princess Luna's. Sven's eyes had changed color, the emeralds now turned to a sapphire left eye and a ruby red right eye. His coat was a surprisingly calm light grey however, despite his appearance everywhere else. Sven's mane was pitch black, the hairs flowing freely as his magic flared wildly. A pair of razor sharp claws extended from his forehooves, Changeling blood dripping from the tips. What seemed to shock Twilight the most was the fact that Sven was now standing up right on his hind legs, slouching over to balance himself and using his forehooves to attack the Changelings.

Sven's eyes shot to Twilight, the lavender mare gulping in fear before he slashed her bonds and roared at her. Not waiting another minute, Twilight quickly teleported herself back to Ponyville, leaving Sven to rampage through the camp.

"Twilight! Oh my goodness! Are you okay?!" Rarity exclaimed, rushing over to a fallen Twilight. Twilight's teleportation spell didn't go as planned, making the mare appear ten feet in the air before crashing to the dirt beneath her. Rarity was on her way to her boutique after finishing some shopping for soup, something that Vex seemed to enjoy enthusiastically ever since her release from the hospital. Along the way, she witnessed a bright light appear before her before Twilight came falling to the ground.
"No… I'm not… I have to contact the prin…cess…" Twilight groaned before passing out. Rarity strained her magic to carry Twilight along with her groceries before galloping back to her home. Upon arrival, Sweetie Belle came bouncing towards her older sister, suddenly noticing Twilight.
"Is she alright sis?" Sweetie Belle asked, bags of groceries being shoved into her face.
"Take these darling and give them to Vex and Aurora, they'll know how to cook it. I've got to get Twilight back to the library quickly!" Rarity exclaimed, turning around to find Applebloom and Scootaloo.

"You two! Get the others please? Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie. But leave poor Fluttershy out of this, she's going through a hard time already," Rarity ordered, the other two fillies sensing the seriousness in her voice and dashing off. Rarity galloped to the library at breakneck speed, barging through the door and startling Spike.
"Hey! Rarity! Why'd you bre- TWILIGHT! OH NO! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Spike yelled, rushing over to Rarity's side, the white unicorn galloping up to Twilight's room and placing her into her bed.
"Spike, do you know how Twilight does that portal thing to talk to the princess?" Rarity asked, Spike nodded and dashed off, returning with what appeared to be a small container full of a mystical orange substance.
"Just remove the cap and make a circle with the liquid," Spike informed, Rarity quickly doing so to the wall in front of Twilight's bed. At this point, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash came roaring into the library, Applejack glaring at Rainbow Dash.

"I still don't fully forgive you for what you did to poor Shy," the farm girl glared.
"Put that aside, Twilight's in danger!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, noticing Spike beckoning for them to come upstairs. Upon entry into the bookworm's room the three mares found Rarity standing before a portal revealing Princess Celestia.
"Hello Rarity, how did you figure out ho- Twilight?! Oh no!" Princess Celestia gasped, noticing her protégée beaten up and lying in bed.
"I don't know what happened to her! I was on my way back to the boutique when she appeared out of the sky!" Rarity replied.
"Princess! I saw another ShadowHawk!" Rainbow Dash suddenly blurted out. The mares turned their attention to the prismatic pegasus.
"What did you say?" Princess Celestia asked, not sure she heard right.
"I saw another ShadowHawk! He said he knew Kozak, who's real name is Sven for some reason, and he asked if the other ShadowHawks were here," Rainbow Dash informed.
"Did you tell him?" Rarity asked, worried mainly for Vex's safety for the time being.

"Yeah. He seemed interested in them and had the same cloak like they did so I assumed he was one of them. He said to call him Silver Wings and wouldn't tell me his real name. He also left me this note," Rainbow Dash replied pulling out the note that the stallion left her, showing it to Princess Celestia.
"Silver Wings? And he has a brother? This is serious then, two more have entered the board," Princess Celestia muttered, thinking deeply on the current situation. A weak groan was heard from behind the mares, all eyes turning around to find Twilight weakly turning in her bed.
"Twi!" Applejack gasped, rushing to the now waking unicorn's side.
"Appleja- AAAAH!" Twilight screamed, her eyes squeezing tight before a moss green light began to emit from her chest. Slowly, an emblem of a jagged horn came into sight, glowing the sickening green color before it projected what appeared to be the head of Chrysalis.

"Hello ponies. I suppose you're wondering about what's wrong with your dear friend here?" Chrysalis smirked, growls and protests of anger coming from the mares.
"What have you done to Twilight?!" Rarity yelled, Chrysalis smiling at the unicorn's anger.
"Well, your little protégée here my dear Celestia bears my mark. And if anything, your dear Stalker friends should know what that means. After all Celestia, wasn't it YOU who decided to send them out so you could observe the effects of my marks on them?" Chrysalis smiled, a collective gasp emitting from the shocked mares as eyes turned to Princess Celestia.
"How many did you send? One hundred? Two? Dare I even say three?" Chrysalis mocked, "And how many did you restrict from using their magic with your so called 'protective' spell? Oh that's right! All of them!" Chrysalis cackled.

"And now guess- AAAAH!" Chrysalis screamed as she suddenly appeared to be swatted away before Sven appeared in the image, still as possessed as he was before. Roaring, he swiped his claws at the ponies, severing communication between them. Eyes turned to Princess Celestia and then to the unconscious Twilight.
"Princess, what does she mean?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Quite, what did she mean by implying that you knew what it meant?" Rarity asked.
"Is Twi gonna be alright?" Applejack asked.
"What haven't you told us?" Rainbow Dash asked. Princess Celestia looked at the Elements of Harmony before gazing at Twilight.
"Princess!" Rainbow Dash yelled, snapping Princess Celestia out of her trance.
"Her mark. It's known as the Jagged Decay. It means that Twilight will endure excruciating and unimaginable pain for long periods of time before having a small moments of rest and recovery before it starts back up again," Princess Celestia whispered softly.

"Buuuuuut she'll get better right? The doctors or unicorn magic could help her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed hopefully.
"Eventually the pain will begin to affect her heart," Princess Celestia murmured quietly.
"Her heart?! Oh goodness me!" Rarity gasped, shocked by the continuation of her friend's pain.
"But she'll be alright right? She ain't gonna get hospitalized or whither away like some old apple right?" Applejack asked, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. In the back of her mind, she began to envision the worst. Princess Celestia remained silent, her eyes now fixated on her protégée who appeared to be in great pain.
"Princess?" Rainbow Dash asked cautiously.
"She'll die. Just like every other pony who has been cursed with the Jagged Decay"
Silence in the library.

"Where'd he go?!"
"I don't know but find him! The queen demands it!"
"But we've been searching for almost an hour!"
"It's either hours or the queen personally punishes you."
"Moving!"

Sven panted heavily, his chest throbbed as an excruciating pain plagued his hooves and chest. Coughing into his hooves, he found blood stains.
"Shit," he spat, leaving a trail of bloody saliva trickling down the bark of a tree before continue his painful gallop through the dark forests.
"What happened to me back there?" he wondered to himself.
"You lived"
"Oh not you again… I told you to go away!"
"You really think it's that easy to get rid of me? I'm almost insulted."
"Well then be insulted and banish yourself to the moon."
"Not without you."
A sickening voice spoke constantly in Sven's mind as he ran. Every step he took he could feel the pain and pressure increase on his mind.

"Leave me alone!"
"Now there's no need to snap at ME. I'm just your true element. Hey, remember when we were with that mare Fluttershy? When we were running from the alpha male Timberwolf? We fell into that pit where the other Stalkers were and the-"
"Shut up! I don't want to remember anything! I just want to get help! I feel like I'm dying!"
"But you are… deep down you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Nope, I'll leave you alone for now… but just remember, you got lucky this time…"

The voice in Sven's mind finally silenced itself, leaving the stallion and his bleeding self to figure out where he was. The yells and shouts of the guards had died down and Sven found himself quite lost in what he assumed was the Everfree Forest.
"Well… It can't get worse than this…" he muttered, the roars of Timberwolves immediately negating his statement.
"Ah horsefeathers."

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
"I'm okay Angel… really I'm fine. I just need more sleep," Fluttershy whispered softly as her white bunny continued to thump on her door. It had been a whole day and none of her critters had even caught a glimpse of their yellow pegasus caretaker. While Angel Bunny was able to take over for food duties and small medical duties, he was starting to get aggravated and worried about his owner. Usually when a problem occurred, the yellow mare would hide away for an hour or two before Angel Bunny's constant thumping on the door would draw her out and force her to confront her problems. But today, he had been thumping for what felt like hours and the pegasus did not budge at all. Sighing in defeat, he began to hop away before a loud crash was heard from the entrance to the cozy cottage. Hurrying down, he found Sven covered in blood and barely breathing. The bloody stallion caught glimpse of Angel Bunny, weakly lifting a hoof to the white rabbit before uttering Fluttershy's name.

Nodding frantically as the stallion closed his eyes, Angel Bunny hopped into the kitchen grabbing a spoon from the drawers and returning to Fluttershy's door, wailing on the wood with the metal utensil.
"Angel, I said I was al-" Fluttershy whispered softly, cracking the door open to glare softly at her pet before the spoon was shoved into the gap and forced the door open. Angel Bunny began jumping up and down frantically, pointing downstairs to the living room. Unsure of what had her pet in such a riled manner, Fluttershy sighed and slowly descended the steps. Finding Sven, Fluttershy froze a mixture of relief and fear washing over her.
"Angel, go get the nurses from the hospital, I'll do my best to stop his bleeding," Fluttershy ordered, pushing Angel outside.

Fluttershy soon turned her attention to Sven, rushing to find her first aid kit. Upon return, she found the stallion slowly rising to his hooves.
"Chrysalis…" he grunted, struggling to stand on his own. Fluttershy tried to help him but was gently pushed away.
"She's here…." he muttered, taking his first step forwards before collapsing once again.
"Don't move! You're bleeding badly!" Fluttershy begged, gently rolling Sven over on his back so she could examine him for any wounds. Using a damp cloth, Fluttershy quickly began to wash off the blood that covered Sven's body. In a matter of minutes, she had nearly gotten rid of it all.

"You were covered in blood… but I don't see any wounds," she mused.
"Don't worry… it's not mine," Sven weakly chuckled, Fluttershy gasping.
"I lost it… and killed them… so many of them…" Sven sighed, closing his eyes.
"It's not my fault. I didn't ask for this. Any of this. I-" Sven began before he felt a pair of soft lips press against his. Opening his eyes, he found a teary eyed Fluttershy hold him tightly. Suppressing a sob, Sven wrapped his hooves around Fluttershy, the yellow mare breaking the kiss and holding him tightly.
"It's not your fault. Whatever it was, it wasn't your fault," Fluttershy cried.
"Well look at this, you made her cry! You really are a monster."
"Go to hell," Sven mentally growled.
"Now that's harsh, it's not MY fault that you gave me an opening to escape momentarily."

"Quiet. I didn't have any choice."
"BUT you LOVED the feeling. You loved the feeling of your claws ripping through their flesh. You loved the smell of their blood on your coat. You loved slaughtering them."
"I didn't. YOU did."
"You, me. Me, you. Same thing in the end. Face it, you missed that adrenaline, that rush."
"I'm just going to stop acknowledging you."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"…"
"Fluttershy wants to have sex with you."
"!!!"
"Got you."

"How long does she have princess?" Applejack asked, holding Twilight's hoof in hers.
"At her rate? Maybe from a few weeks to three months," Princess Celestia sighed. A sudden scream of pain from Twilight startled all the mares, worry glowing in their eyes.
"Twilight!" Spike gasped, rushing to his adopted sister's side. Twilight began to scream, thrashing around violently as she tried to cope with the excruciating pain that was surging through her.
"Make it stop! Please!" she cried, shaking violently.
"Twilight! Please calm down! Applejack! Help me hold her down!" Rainbow Dash yelled, holding Twilight's hind legs, Applejack rushing over and holding down the lavender unicorn's forehooves. Princess Celestia watched from the portal a knot forming in her throat. After a few minutes of restraining Twilight, the unicorn passed out.

"What happened to the other Stalkers? Did they go the same way?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"All of them, the same way Twilight will go. It'll be the longest weeks or months of her life. And with each passing second, she'll wish that somepony murder her quickly rather than this long and torturous death," Princess Celestia cried, "I never meant for any of this to happen to her." A shrill scream and shouts from other residents of Ponyville brought the other mare's attention to what was happening outside.
"The boutique! Someone's robbing the boutique! Where's Rarity?!" a voice yelled.
"Help! The hospital's being attacked!"
"Fire in the Everfree!"

"My boutique! Vex! Aurora!" Rarity gasped.
"Hospital? Archimedes!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Strings is in the Everfree!" Pinkie Pie gasped. All three mares rushed out of the library, each going to their respective location. Rainbow Dash and Spike were left alone with Twilight, the unicorn crying and thrashing around in her sleep.
"Twilight…" Spike sobbed.
"Rainbow Dash, you need to find Sven. This is of the utmost importance," Princess Celestia spoke solemnly.
"Why? So you can put another mark or whatever on him?!" Rainbow Dash accused angrily, Princess Celestia shaking her head.
"No, because if Twilight has been marked, then that means Changelings are coming and they'll be hunting for Sven," she replied.

"Why would they want him?" Spike asked. Princess Celestia sighed, seeming to be troubled with finding a way to easily explain. A minute passed before Princess Celestia finally found the most simple words she could think of.
"Because… he's not a normal pony."

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack gasped barging into the hospital to find growing fires spreading throughout the building. Firefighting ponies were pouring water into the flames but it was taking too long. Noticing a particularly large fire coming from a room down the east wing, Applejack quickly realized which room it was. Galloping as fast as she could without trampling anypony, she kicked the door in, finding Archimedes' bed empty. To Applejack's shock, it appeared as if the fire started FROM Archimedes' bed and spread its flames throughout the hospital.
"You! You were with him earlier! Please try and calm him down!" a nurse suddenly screamed at Applejack, grabbing her hoof and dragging her away to another room.

In the center of the once white room were multiple scorch marks, in the center, Archimedes appeared to be struggling with a internal conflict, something plaguing his mind while he yelled angrily at himself. However, what stunned Applejack was the fact that the pony appeared to be on fire, engulfed in a black and red flame. Rayne was circling around Archimedes cawing wildly at the stallion, but her attempts to get his attention fell on deaf ears.
"Archimedes!" Applejack yelled, the stallion turning and staring at the orange mare. His eyes glowed brightly, the emeralds being replaced with an orange yellow flame that seemed to burrow through Applejack's flesh. Cringing slightly at his stare, Applejack tried to hold her ground.
"Sugarcube! It's me! Applejack!" Applejack yelled, the fires flaring slightly.
"Apple…jack?" Archimedes spoke slowly, his voice distorted by the flames.
"Yes hon', it's Applejack! The mare whose barn you stay in! Remember? I found you in our orchard!" Applejack yelled, the fires slowly starting to die down.

"Barn…" Archimedes murmured, his eyes closing halfway while the flames became more calm, their flickering dropping to a minimum.
"Yes, remember? We ate apple fritters late at night when I found out outside again," Applejack reminded, feeling bolder and moving closer. The flames were nearly gone, Archimedes had sunk to his belly.
"Fritters…"
"Keep trying to remember!"
"Big Macintosh…"
"You're doing good!"
"Shower…"
"Wait what?"
"ARGHHHHH!"

A bright light engulfed Archimedes, Rayne cawed and flew out of the light's reach. The fires seemed to suddenly race back to the source, vanishing into the light. The light slowly faded away before all that remained was an unconscious Archimedes, a confused Rayne who perched herself on his side, and a small candle. A small candle whose flame flickered weakly in the darkness of the room.

"That's weird, the fire died out on its own!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed to nopony in particular. Continuing her bouncing to Zecora's hut, Pinkie Pie found the ground around the abode singed. To Pinkie Pie's surprise, she also found the remains of multiple Timberwolves around the cozy home. A loud roar soon drew Pinkie Pie's attention to a Timberwolf that towered over her.
"Eep!" the party pony gasped before thing silver strings appeared to lace themselves around the body of the Timberwolf. In a split second, the strings shot back, behind the wolf and the animal exploded into a barrage of splinters and logs. Strings stood behind the destroyed Timberwolf, his eyes glowing white while his cloak flapped wildly while magic surrounded him.
"But he's not even a unicorn! He's an Earth Pony!" Pinkie Pie thought aloud. A wide grin spread across his lips before he turned his attention to Pinkie Pie.

"Such a flat tune! You must be fixed!" he roared, aiming a hoof at Pinkie Pie, the thing silver strings slowly slithering towards the baker.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! It's me! Pinkie Pie! I live with the Cakes! At Sugarcube Corner! Anything ringing a bell?!" Pinkie Pie yelled, feeling the strings slowly starting to dig into her skin.
"Stop delaying the inevitable! I will complete this symphony of screams!" Strings laughed, his eyes now glaring at Pinkie Pie.
"The foals! You foalsat the Cakes' foals! Pound Cake! Pumpkin Cake! Remember them?!" Pinkie Pie yelled, the strings suddenly slipping from her body. Strings sat on his flank, his eyes now fixated on the ground as the magic that surrounded his body slowly began to float away.
"Pound… Cake? Pumpkin… Cake?" he murmured aloud, the white light in his eyes beginning to flicker wildly. Letting loose a wild cry, Strings suddenly flung himself to the ground, grasping his head and began to thrash wildly.

"Strings!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, rushing over to the downed stallion. The stallion suddenly froze, his body relaxing and his hooves dropping to the ground before a warm smile spread across his face. Pinkie Pie smiled, watching the unconscious stallion sleep before Zecora came galloping towards them, accepting Pinkie Pie's help and carrying Strings back to her hut.

"Aurora?! Vex?! Sweetie Belle?!" Rarity cried out, bursting into her boutique. To her partial relief, none of her materials or dresses were destroyed in the short lived fire.
"Up here sis! Hurry!" Sweetie Belle cried out, the white unicorn quickly making her way up to the attic. Upon entry, she gasped, finding Sweetie Belle struggling to prop up the unconscious sisters. Around the three, objects and other materials were scattered about the floor, either toppled over or even broken. Using her magic, Rarity hovered both mares to their bed, tucking the two of them in. As soon as she was sure that both mares were safe and sound, she quickly began to put things back in their original places. Sweetie Belle offered to help but her request was promptly declined.

Despite the filly's pout, Rarity quickly finished organizing the chaos and then turned to Sweetie Belle.
"What happened?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know! First there was this freaky sudden fire that just seemed to seep through the cracks of the door! Then suddenly I heard those two screaming in agony or something upstairs and rushed up there to see what was happening. They were possessed or something! Things were flying around and what not, some of them going invisible too, I swear! Then some of those things started to look familiar! It looked like a bunch of Opals! But then they turned back to whatever they originally were! It was so freaky!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, Rarity trying to comprehend the thought that the shy sweetheart Vex and tomboyish Aurora had a mental snap and caused all the chaos. However, seeing how Sweetie Belle's magic wasn't strong enough to cause such a mess, she had to accept the fact that the two ponies were indeed responsible. Glancing back at the two sleeping mares, Rarity gave an exasperated sigh.
"What ever is happening around here? What's happening to you two? What's going on?" she muttered, ushering Sweetie Belle downstairs to her room before throwing a final glance at the sisters. Shaking her head sadly, Rarity flicked the light switch. Darkness filled the room.

Sven's Past (Part I)

Chapter 12 - Sven's Past (Part I)

"What do you mean he's not a 'normal' pony? He's just a unicorn isn't he?" Rainbow Dash asked. Princess Celestia sighed, stepping through the portal and into Twilight's room. Spike and the cyan pegasus bowed before returning their attention to the subject at hand.
"It's hard enough to explain to you in words, perhaps a visual is required instead," Princess Celestia replied, her horn glowing brightly. A white orb soon engulfed Rainbow Dash and Spike.
"What's going on?!" Spike exclaimed.
"I'm going to take you back to the past. To see how Sven became how he is today," Princess Celestia explained.
"What about the others?! The chaos in Ponyville right now?" Spike asked, worried about the other ShadowHawks and his friends.
"I have Luna watching over them at the moment. She'll intervene if things get out of hand but I sense everything is settling down," Princess Celestia replied, Spike and Rainbow Dash hesitantly accepting the thought that everything would be fine.

"Now, let us watch Sven's past to understand his present. Let us go back, to when he was first born into this world. As an older brother. As a foal. As a normal colt," Princess Celestia spoke solemnly, white panels of Sven's past suddenly whirling around the three before one solid image was presented before them. A spectral pony created from pure light soon stepped forth, the three forced to shield their eyes from the intensity. In a booming flat voice, the entity spoke.
"Let us begin."

A silver white mare trotted through a kitchen, making her way to the sink to pour herself a glass of water. Her hooves clopped softly on the tiled floor while an afternoon breeze floated through an open window. Her name was Silk Dancer, a unicorn who had made her living in Canterlot as a dancer at a popular bar, The Ink & Parchment. She had a silky smooth black mane that blew freely with the simplest breeze. Her eyes were a warm amber yellow color that enchanted all who gazed upon her. On her flank, her Cutie Mark showed a strand of red silk that wove freely around. Upon hearing the smooth voice of his wife, a unicorn stallion trotted into the kitchen. Brushing his wild messy electric blue mane out from his calming ruby red eyes, he smiled at his wife. His name was Frost, a courier for the Canterlot Royal Court.

Frost had spotted Silk Dancer at The Ink & Parchment a few years ago and instantly fell in love with the mare. After a few weeks, he finally worked up the courage to ask the mare out on a dinner date after her work shift. Four dates later and the two unicorns had openly declared themselves a couple. Six months later, Frost had finally decided pop the question, proposing to Silk Dancer during her shift by requesting a song to one of the musicians. Two months later, they were married in the eyes of Princess Celestia. Nine months later, they gave birth to two foals, one a mare and the other a colt. They named the mare Silver Flare for her beauty, as Frost would say, "she's almost as beautiful as her mother." However, the colt was given the name Sven, rather than a traditional pony name as requested by Silk Dancer.

"Why name him Sven? I thought you'd name him with a traditional pony name," Frost asked, perplexed by his wife's choice.
"Well, you see I met this fortune teller and she told me grave things about our son's future. So I thought, maybe something unconventional would be best. You know? Best let him feel slightly different now rather than later. Don't get me wrong, we're still going to love him with all our hearts," Silk Dancer explained, receiving a soft kiss from her husband.
"Of course we will. And Sven is a wonderful name, quite interesting as well," Frost chuckled, looking at the bawling foal.
"He'll grow up to be a strong as his father," Silk Dancer smiled, Frost blushing lightly at the compliment. The two parents glanced lovingly down at their two foals, drawing up bright futures for both of them… well, one of them.

Six years had passed and the little foals soon became fillies. Learning to walk and talk. Silver Flare was the first to learn how to use her magic, her discovering coming from reaching for the cookie jar that Silk Dancer hid atop of the refrigerator. Sven had yet to discover how to use his magic. It was a lazy Sunday morning when Frost returned to his small house, his wife smiling at him but soon looking at him with concern.
"What's wrong dear?" Silk Dancer asked, Frost floating a letter from his day pack to his wife before sitting down at the kitchen table, his eyes never leaving the oak surface. Confused, Silk Dancer opened the letter and began to read the contents.

Frost The Courier,

As you are aware, this upcoming month is the time for experimental tests to create superior ponies. All citizens and residents of Equestria are noted in a ballot and your number has been drawn as of today. You have a month left before four Royal Guards will escort you to the labs. We do not expect you to show up to work for the time being until the month is over. Spend the rest of the month with your loved ones.

Please understand that I am very sorry for your situation, being just married recently and raising your fillies. Please know that your mortgage will be covered by the Royal Court, courtesy of Princess Celestia of Equestria herself as well as double your salary being delivered to your wife Silk Dancer. I can only image the pain that you are experiencing at the moment for I have fillies of my own. Please understand that your sacrifice will benefit future generations of ponies, perhaps even your own fillies. Thank you for your cooperation.

Signed,
Quill, Pony Genetics CEO

Approved By,
Princess Celestia of Equestria

Silk Dancer looked at the letter and then at her husband who was gazing out the window and then back to the letter.
"No… No! This can't be true! There has to be something we can do!" Silk Dancer screamed, throwing the letter aside and rushing to her husband's side.
"There's nothing I can do… It was in my contact when I took the job as one of the Royal Couriers. I have no way out of this," Frost sighed, using his magic to float him a wine glass and some red wine.
"Horsefeathers there isn't something you can do! You have to try! What about Silver Flare?! What about Sven?! What about me?!" Silk Dancer cried, holding Frost tightly.
"What do you suggest? That I kill them?" Frost snapped.
"No… I just… I just don't know what I'll do without you…" Silk Dancer sobbed, holding Frost tightly. Tears began to leak from the couples eyes before Frost picked his wife up and carried her to bed.

"Hey mom! Is it okay if I go out with Cloud Chaser? We're going to meet up with Dusty and Buttersnaps to go to the movies," Silver Flare called out. The mare had grown considerably within the past six years. Already in middle school and top in her class along with Sven, Silver Flare truly did make Silk Dancer feel proud.
"Okay dear, just be back before it gets too dark please!" Silk Dancer replied from the living room of their home. Upon hearing the sound of the door shutting, Silk Dancer sighed, glancing towards a pair of stairs she could hear the heavy beats coming from Sven's room. Trotting up stairs she knocked gently on the door before opening the door to find Sven shadow boxing. The colt had learned how to stand on his hind legs, though it seemed to come almost as natural as standing on all four hooves. Being ridiculed and teased for this by his peers, Sven often kept to himself, rarely ever reaching out to make friends or socialize like his sister. He was often picked on for being the outcast of the school along with still not having his Cutie Mark. However recently he had began to make some friends, specifically one mare, Vinyl Scratch.

Silk Dancer smiled as she remembered how Sven had returned from school one day, his cheeks flushed red and his breathing heavy. Before Silk Dancer had a chance to ask what happened, Silver Flare soon came gliding into the room, teasing Sven.
"Sven and Vinyl sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” she sang while playfully poking Sven in the shoulder.
"Quiet," Sven replied before hurrying to his room and locking the door behind him.
"What happened?" Silk Dancer asked, directing her question to Silver Flare.
"You won't believe this, so Sven was getting shoved about again in the halls and then Vinyl came in, pushing the other colts away yelling at them. When one of the bullies asked why she was getting in the way, she yelled, and I quote, "Because I bucking love him!" before turning around and kissing Sven!" Silver Flare giggled.
"Oh! My little Sven is in love! So precious!" Silk Dancer cheered happily, "He's never been to social so this is just so exciting! What happened next?"

"Well, one of the bullies pushed Vinyl into a locker, hurting her shoulder and then Sven knocked him out with a single punch. Then Octavia came over and reported the bullies to one of the teachers," Silver Flare sighed. She loved her brother with all her heart but sometimes she hated how he often resorted to physical aggression. Silk Dancer sighed at the same thought too, but her sadness was replaced with happiness that Sven had found someone to love. Dismissing Silver Flare, Silk Dancer watched as the mare trotted up to her room, closing the door behind her. Turning around, she glanced at a portrait of her and Frost when they got married. A tear trailed down her eye as memories flooded her mind.
"Oh Frost… how I miss you. If only you could see how much Sven and Silver Flare have grown. Sven's even found a special somepony already!" Silk Dancer sighed. Pushing the memory out of her mind, Silk Dancer now turned her attention to her son and the present.

"Sven, dear. How are you doing?" Silk Dancer asked, the colt stopping his barrage of punches and turning to face his mother.
"Fine," he replied flatly.
"Have you finished your homework?" Silk Dancer asked, trying to keep a conversation going, seeing how ever since Frost had been taken away, Sven rarely ever spoke to her. According to reports from his school, he was distant and often seemed to be in his own world, despite the fact that he was in the top ten of his class, his sister being number two.
"Yeah," Sven replied, turning back to his punches and evasion steps.
"Is Vinyl coming over?" Silk Dancer asked, noticing a faint blush on Sven's cheeks.
"Later tonight, yeah," Sven murmured, now hiding behind his mane.
"Don't you think that you should cut your mane? It's kind of long, almost like a mare's," Silk Dancer chuckled.

"I like it the way it is," Sven growled, now revealing a bruise beneath his right cheek.
"Sven! Did you get into another fight?" Silk Dancer asked, starting to move towards the colt only to have him turn and glare at her.
"Is there anything else you wish to discuss? I'm busy," Sven growled, his emerald eyes piercing through his mother's heart.
"N-n-no, that's all. I love you son," Silk Dancer quickly replied before closing the door and leaving Sven alone. Inside, Sven resumed his punching and evasion moves before hearing a plink at his window. Glancing outside, he spotted a white mare with an electric blue mane.
"Vinyl!" he chuckled, opening his window and throwing a rope down, said mare climbing up to his room.

"Sup babe? Ready for some new mixes?" Vinyl chuckled, kissing Sven gently on the lips. Sven blushed, still trying to get used to the feeling of a kiss from another mare.
"Of course, I've fixed your equipment too and enhanced your subwoofers," Sven smiled, pointing to a corner.
"Thanks babe! So.. I was thinkin' care to head to my place for once? Not that I mind coming here but I just kinda want you to meet my folks," Vinyl asked, shuffling nervously in place.
"Sure, I'll just let Silk know that I'll be out," Sven smiled, kissing Vinyl's horn before trotting out downstairs.
"Hey, mother? I'm going to go over to Vinyl's. I'll be back later tonight," Sven informed, Silk Dancer nodding before handing him a few bits in case they would order pizza.

Trotting back upstairs, Sven found Vinyl lying on his bed, looking over a few drawn up designs that Sven had created during class.
"These are really good! Ever consider being a graphic artist?" Vinyl complimented.
"Not really, it was more or less something to keep me entertained," Sven chuckled, helping Vinyl out the window again. Using her magic, Vinyl was able to transfer some of the equipment down to the ground, Sven picking up a few other pieces and placing them in his day pack and trotting downstairs.
"Have fun," Silk Dancer called out as Sven closed the door.

Sven and Vinyl soon began to trot down the streets, soon arriving at Vinyl's house. Noticing a note on the door, Vinyl quickly levitated towards her with her magic and read over the contents.
"Huh, looks like my folks aren't gonna be her tonight after all, something about an important meeting today," Vinyl murmured, her eyes suddenly donning a mischievous glow. This did not go unnoticed by Sven.
"What are you thinking?" Sven asked. Vinyl pulled Sven inside, quickly dropping her equipment before pressing him up against he door, kissing him passionately. Sven responded with the same gesture, pulling Vinyl close to him. Vinyl began to lead Sven to her room, shutting the door behind her before pushing Sven down on her bed. Rummaging through her dressers, she pulled out a familiar item, a circular shaped object wrapped up in a heavy duty plastic packet. With a mischievous grin on her
"So… wanna give it a shot?""

"Hey Vinyl! I heard that you and Sven broke up! Why?!" Octavia frantically asked. It had been a week since the DJ's and outcast's breakup, both growing considerably over the past four years. Vinyl smiled sadly at hearing her ex-coltfriend's name.
"We kinda decided that it wouldn't work out the way we wanted too. You know? I'm going to become a famous DJ and he's going to join the Royal Guard. It just wouldn't work out," Vinyl cried softly, hearing the sound of said stallion trotting down the halls.
"Hey Sven! How's daddy doing? Oh yeah! He's dead!" one of the hoofball players laughed, receiving Sven's signature glare. Spotting Vinyl at the end of the hall, Sven quickly made a detour to the lounge, finding a corner, sitting down, and putting on his headphones.
"Hey! Vinyl! Octy!" Silver Flare called out, trotting over to the two mares.
"Have you seen my brother today? I can't find him! I've got to give him a piece of my mind for joining the Royal Guard!" Silver Flare growled.

"He's in the lounge, but I don't think he really wants to talk to anypony," Octavia replied, Silver Flare ignoring her warning and quickly making her way towards Sven's location. Trotting into the busy lounge, Silver Flare quickly spotted her brother, smoking to her shock.
"Sven!" Silver Flare yelled, smacking the cigarette out of Sven's magical grasp.
"I wasn't finished with that," Sven muttered, his emerald eyes staring up at his sister.
"What's gotten into you?! Joining the Royal Guard?! What about mom?! What about me?!" Silver Flare screamed, drawing the attention of other ponies.
"You can take care of mom, you've always been more successful than I anyway. Besides, I doubt Canterlot will miss their signature freak if he dies anyway. Might as well speed up the process," Sven grumbled, pushing past his sister and making his way to his classroom. Silver Flare was frozen in shock. Did her brother really think of himself in that way?

It had been a year since Sven joined the Royal Guard. Vinyl Scratch would often write to him, still good friends with the stallion. Within the year, she had began to date Octavia, Sven smiled softly as he remembered when Vinyl admitted she may be a fillyfooler, how nervous she was. Training life for Sven had been tedious and annoying, all of the
"Hey! Blank Flank! Commander wants to see you in his tent stat!" one of the many captains of the Royal Guards yelled in the mess hall. Knowing who he was referring to Sven slowly got out of his seat and trotting out of the room.
"What is it this time?" Sven muttered to himself, knocking on the wooden door that read: COMMANDER RAIN RUNNER.
"You wanted to see me sir?" Sven asked, Rain Runner motioning for Sven to take a seat in a chair. As Sven sat down, Rain Runner produced two envelopes.
"One contains bad news, the other good news. It's up to you to chose which one you read first," Rain Runner spoke gravely, trotting over to Sven and placing a hoof on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry son."

After Rain Runner had left, Sven glanced at the two envelopes, one addressed from Princess Celestia herself and the other addressed from his mother. Deciding to go with royalty first, Sven tore open the envelope, reading the letter.

Royal Scout Sven,

As you are aware, this upcoming month is the time for experimental tests to create superior ponies. All citizens and residents of Equestria are noted in a ballot and your number has been drawn as of today. You have a month left before four Royal Guards will escort you to the labs. We have spoken to Commander Rain Runner and he given you an honorable discharge. Your family has not been informed of this change because we feel like this is something that you should inform them of. Enjoy a month with your family and loved ones. We are truly sorry for the way things have turned out. Thank you for your cooperation.

Signed,
Quill, Pony Genetics CEO

Approved By,
Princess Celestia of Equestria

Sven held the letter in his hooves, trembling gently before taking a deep breath and placing the letter down before opening up the envelope from his mother.

Sven,

Hi, how are you doing lately? You rarely write back home. Have you forgotten us here?  I should hope not! Anyway, when can you come back home? We miss you, your sister and I. Silver Flare says hi. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and remind you that we love you. Vinyl came back with Octavia. It was quite nice of you to give up your room so both of them could live there after their parents kicked them out for loving each other. Love you son.

Love,
Silk Dancer

Sven's mind was racing with emotions, unsure of how to handle the situation. He was going to break the news to his mother by coming back and showing her the letter. However, now he was even more unsure about returning home. Rain Runner trotted back into the room.
"I've informed your captains and team. They understand the situation and have pooled together to give you this," Rain Runner informed, handing Sven a bag of bits.
"There's one hundred and twenty seven bits in there, mine included. It should cover train fair and any other luxuries you wish to have before the month is over. You were one of my best scouts and I hate to see you go," Rain Runner spoke.
"You've got four hours to say goodbye here and pack your things. Attention!"

"Sven! You're back! Vinyl! Octavia! Silver Flare! Sven's back!" Silk Dancer exclaimed happily, hugging her son.
"Hey mom," Sven weakly chuckled.
"I think this is the first time you've ever called me mom rather than mother," Silk Dancer smiled, mussing up Sven's mane.
"SVEN YOUR BACK!" Vinyl screeched happily as she tackled said stallion to the ground, Sven laughing while he mussed up Vinyl's mane.
"Welcome back Sven, how's the Scout life treating you?" Octavia asked politely, slowly trotting down.
"It's okay I suppose. It can get rough," Sven replied, now spotting his sister.
"Hey sis'" Sven smiled, Silver Flare leaping atop of Sven and Vinyl laughing.
"Sven! You're back! Why didn't you reply to mom's letter?!" she giggled, helping Vinyl up.

"Actually… there's something I need to tell you all," Sven sighed, trotting over to the kitchen table, the mares in tail. As soon as he was sure that everyone was seated, he pulled out the letter from Quill and Princess Celestia and placed it the center of the table. Vinyl and Octavia were oblivious to what the letter meant but to Silver Flare and Silk Dancer on the other hand…
"No! No! Not my son! I lost your father to the same ballot and I won't lose you too Sven!" Silk Dancer screamed throwing the letter aside and slamming her hooves on the table.
"Sven, you have to leave Canterlot! There's no way I'm letting them take you too!" Silver flare yelled.
"Mother, they'll just hunt me down like an animal," Sven replied calmly, his eyes still fixated on the old oak table.

"Wait, what's going on?" Vinyl asked, greatly worried now by Silk Dancer's reaction. Silk Dancer explained to Octavia and Vinyl what happened to Frost and that it was the same letter that Sven had received.
"No! Sven you can't go! You're our friend!" Vinyl yelled, tears leaking from her magenta eyes. Octavia held her marefriend's hoof tightly.
"I agree, there must be some way out of this. Perhaps a request or something to the princess," Octavia suggested.
"No use… I've got a month and I might as well live it out the way I've wanted to," Sven sighed, leaving the table and walking out the front door, leaving Vinyl, Octavia, Silver Flare, and Silk Dancer shocked and crying.
"Damn it," Sven growled.

"Today's the day Sven… Just… go with it and it'll be over quickly," Sven muttered, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. Outside, Vinyl, Octavia, Silver Flare and Silk Dancer were waiting for him, four Royal Guards standing next to the four. Sven soon exited the bathroom, looking at the guards dead in the eyes.
"Sven… please… don't. I don't want you to go…" Vinyl sobbed, hugging Sven tightly, Octavia joining in the hug.
"I still say there must be something we can do. Some sort of formal request to the princess to make her reconsider this," Octavia whispered, holding back her own tears. She had to be strong for Vinyl. Breaking the hug, Vinyl placed a soft kiss on Sven's lips.
"That's to remember me by," she smiled weakly.
"Sven… I know we never really did get along to well. Me being too social and never actually spending time with you. But I just wanted to let you know that I love you," Silver Flare smiled, hugging Sven tightly as tears leaked from her eyes.

"Thanks sis'. I regret not being a s social as you and never really spending time with you too," Sven assured, hugging his sister back. Soon Silk Dancer stepped forth.
"I've lost my husband to this Quill person and now I'm about to lose you too. I love you so much Sven. It's going to be a bit more lonely around here now but I'm sure once Silver Flare gets a coltfriend, it'll be a tad bit more lively. It just won't be the same," Silk Dancer sobbed, pulling Sven into a bone crushing hug.
"Can't… breathe…" Sven coughed, Silk Dancer lightening up on her grasp.
"Thanks mom," Sven smiled, feeling the light pull of two of the Royal Guards.
"It's time to go Sven," they spoke in unison, bowing to the four mare who watched Sven go, as a former lover, a son, a brother, and a friend.

Four months had passed since Sven was taken away by the Royal Guards. Vinyl and Octavia had finally settled in with jobs to help Silk Dancer around the house and to help pay for Silver Flare's tuition. Both mares had landed their dream jobs, Vinyl becoming a professional DJ and Octavia landing a spot in the Canterlot Royal Orchestra as the cellist. Silk Dancer had aged considerably, suffering from a serious back injury when she slipped off stage. Her manager had given her a few months to get surgery and recover and Silk Dancer was in her recovery stage.
"Silk Dancer, we're back!" Vinyl called out from the threshold of the front door as she and Octavia entered their home.
"Welcome back!" Silk Dancer replied, greeting the two mares.
"Here's the paper," Octavia smiled warmly, trotting to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea. Smiling, Silk Dancer opened the paper and gasped.
"Vinyl! Octavia! Come here quickly!"

Meanwhile, Silver Flare had just finished her afternoon classes trotting out of her last class with a yell of happiness.
"Finally! We're done for the day!" she exclaimed happily.
"Yeah, no kidding! I thought Iron Mane would never let us out of gym!" Dusty laughed, catching up to Silver Flare.
"Hey! Silver! Principal wants to see you immediately!" one of the many teachers called out from the teachers lounge. Sighing in frustration, Silver Flare waved goodbye to her friend before trotting over the principal's office. Upon arrival , she noticed two Royal Guards standing outside, both of them looking intensely at her. Extending their wings outwards, they blocked Silver Flare's path to the office.
"Who goes there?" one of them asked.
"Silver Flare, I'm supposed to report here," Silver Flare replied nervously, the guards permitting her to pass.

Upon entry into the office, Silver Flare found Princess Celestia and her principal talking quietly, four Royal Guards at each corner of the room.
"What's going on here? Why is Princess Celestia here? Did I do something wrong?" Silver Flare asked, her voice full of worry now.
"No Silver Flare, you see, something has come up that Princess Celestia thought should be brought to your attention and I think you'd be quite happy with the news," the principal smiled, motioning for Silver Flare to turn her attention to Princess Celestia. Smiling, the sun goddess motioned for one of her guards to bring her something, an envelope. Levitating the envelope with her magic, she pushed the item towards Silver Flare, a warm smile on her lips.
"How would you like to see your brother again?"

Sven's Past (Part II)

Chapter 13 - Sven's Past (Part II)

"My brother?! I can see him again?!" Silver Flare screamed giddily, quickly recovering her composure. Princess Celestia smiled at the sibling's excitement.
"Yes, he was the only successful stallion to complete our tests and has been allowed to reintegrate with the rest of Equestrian society," Princess Celestia explained. From outside the office, a few loud murmurs could be heard.
"I thought this was a private meeting?" Princess Celestia asked, turning her attention to the principal who quickly trotted outside to shoo away eavesdroppers.
"The thing is though that some side effects may occur due to the result of tests but other than that he should be the same stallion that he was when he left. Apparently the press already got a hold of the info and was preparing to release it until one of my guards intercepted the editor. The information will only be released through a special issue to your home. Your mother should've gotten it by now," Princess Celestia smiled, watching the mare jump up and down in excitement.

"That's all, you don't want to keep your family waiting now do you?" Princess Celestia smiled, waving goodbye to Silver Flare.
"I just hope everything goes okay after this," she mused, motioning for her guards to follow her as she left the office.

"Mom! I heard Sven's coming home!" Silver Flare screamed, bursting into the living room of her home. Silk Dancer, Octavia, and Vinyl smiled.
"We know! It's so epic! I've got to mix a track for him. I'm sure that whatever tests he was doing it was probably some lame classical music or something," Vinyl exclaimed, quickly turning to Octavia and giving her exception.
"I'll have to make his favorite egg omelets," Silk Dancer laughed quietly.
"I'll make that special brew of tea for him," Octavia smiled softly.
"I guess… I guess I owe him those four bits from two years ago…" Silver Flare sighed.

"Sven? That you? Hey! By Celestia's beard it is you! Hey! Sven's back from the dead!" a Royal Guard laughed, yelling for his friends. Sven had stepped off the carriage from the testing facility, finally arriving in Canterlot. His first stop was the Royal Guards Training Academy where his studies and training were abruptly cut short four months ago.
"Sven! Good to see you? Are you here to enlist once again? Or has all that testing made you soft?" Rain Runner chuckled, trotting over to his former trainee.
"Send your best at me and find out," Sven growled, suddenly feeling threatened. Oblivious to Sven's aggression, Rain Runner ordered seven of his best stallions to surround Sven.
"Attack!" Rain Runner ordered before a bright light engulfed the entire camp. As the light faded, the other recruits and officers gasped at the sight. Six of the stallions lay on the ground unconscious, bruises slowly forming on them while the seventh was being choked by Sven and held above the ground. Seeing how the stallion had passed out, Sven dropped him, his body making a heavy thud as it made contact with the earth.

"Got anymore?" he growled, Rain Runner significantly impressed.
"Sven, say goodbye to the Royal Scout Corps, and say hello to Celestia's Black Wing Recon Squad. Report here in a week. I assume that you'd want to catch up with your family and friends," Rain Runner chuckled, watching as the stallion left the encampment. As soon as he was sure that Sven was out of earshot, he turned to one of the captains.
"Inform Princess Celestia immediately."

"Where is he? He should've been home a while ago!" Vinyl complained. Luna's moon had risen already and the mares who awaited Sven's return were getting restless, Vinyl particularly.
"He probably got a bit lost. Who knows? Four months being tested, I know I'd probably forget a bit," Silver Flare assured, though nervousness laced her words.
"Octavia, you can stop playing the cello, just… come sit with us," Silk Dancer smiled softly, fighting against sleepiness.
"Why don't you just go to sleep Silk Dancer? We'll wake you up when he gets back," Octavia smiled warmly, handing the mare a cup of tea.
"Well…" Silk Dancer hesitated, not wanting to miss the moment of her reunion with her son.
"Mom, we'll take care of it, you need your rest anyway," Silver Flare assured.

Sighing in defeat, Silk Dancer trotted upstairs, placing a motherly kiss on the three mare's foreheads before closing her door shut.
"And now we wait some more," Vinyl sighed.

"Mmm… more pancakes please…" Vinyl drooled, slowly coming to from her pleasant dream. Blinking her eyes wildly, the white unicorn slowly rose to her hooves. It was morning, Vinyl had fallen asleep nuzzling up to Octavia on the warm rug while Silver Flare had passed out in one of the comfy chairs that resided in the living room. The smell of food being cooked wafted through the room, pancakes and blueberry muffins.
"Hey Vinyl! How do you like your pancakes? Plain? Chocolate chip? Blueberry? Strawberry?" a familiar voice called from the kitchen. Her magenta eyes widened as she met soft crystal emeralds that stared back at her. A long black mane blew gently in the breeze from the open windows. A small grin spread on the stallion's face.
"Well? Which one?" he chuckled, motioning to a platter of blueberry, chocolate chip, strawberry, and plain pancakes.
"SVEN!" Vinyl screamed, waking up the three other mares in the home. Without warning, Vinyl rushed towards the Sven, tackling him to the ground and laughing.
"Haha! You bonehead! When'd you get here?! We were waiting all night for you!" Vinyl laughed, tears of happiness leaking from her eyes as she nuzzled into stallion's neck.

"Vinyl, don't be so loud," Octavia yawned, trotting into the kitchen and freezing at the sight of her old friend lying on the floor with Vinyl a top of him. Chuckling softly, Octavia trotted over to the two, helping Sven up before hugging him tightly.
"Welcome home Sven," Octavia smiled warmly, Vinyl joining in on the hug.
"Girls… what's going o- SVEN! YOU'RE BACK!" Silver Flare screamed, leaping on her brother's back and wrapping her hooves around his neck.
"Girls? What's got you all so excit…" Silk Dancer questioned curiously before stopping midsentence as her eyes landed on her son in the midst of a group hug.
"Hey mom," Sven smiled warmly, the mares releasing him from their grasp and allowing the stallion to slowly make his way over to his mother.
"My son… my son is back!" Silk Dancer sobbed, throwing her hooves around Sven and burying her face into his chest.
"Yep, I'm back. Looks like I was the only one who passed," Sven chuckled, breaking the hug with his mother. Feeling like she should question what exactly Sven had to do, Silk Dancer decided to hold her tongue and simply smile at her son.

"Well? What are we waiting for? I made enough pancakes for everypony!" Sven smiled, trotting back to the kitchen to retrieve the food. The four mares simply smiled and followed Sven, all caught up in their moment of bliss to have the stallion back home.

"And that's what happened," Rain Runner reported, standing at attention before Princess Celestia. The white alicorn nodded, pondering the thought of what to do with this new piece of information.
"And you're throwing your vote in for him to join the B.W.R.S?" Princess Celestia asked.
"That's correct your highness," Rain Runner replied.
"I see. I'll allow it, but I'm trusting you to know when to terminate Sven if he gets out of control. The tests that were performed on him have most likely altered his genetic makeup and he'll most likely react more aggressively. If the situation calls for it, by your judgment, I want him terminated. Understood?" Princess Celestia asked, her eyes now burrowing holes through the commander.
"U-understood your highness," Rain Runner replied.
"That is all, you are dismissed," Princess Celestia murmured, thinking deep into the possible side effects of tinkering with Sven's genetic makeup. Bowing deeply, Rain Runner turned and trotted out of the room, leaving Princess Celestia to her thoughts.

"Well how does it feel to be back?" Octavia asked, trotting along side with Sven, Vinyl, Silver Flare and Silk Dancer. The five had decided to go out to lunch in celebration of Sven's return.
"It feels really nice actually. I hated those stupid white walls back at the lab," Sven replied, cracking his neck to relieve some built up tension.
"So Vinyl, how's my favorite DJ doing?" Sven teased, mussing up Vinyl's already messy mane.
"Oh you know, living the good life with my awesome marefriend and being ranked top DJ in Canterlot!" Vinyl laughed, Octavia cracking a smile.
"Should've expected as much. What about you Octavia? How's the orchestra doing?" Sven asked. Despite the fact that he was locked up for testing, he was often informed of what was going on with his loved ones or any other news that he wished to know, provided it wasn't something that was to remain private or secret.

"We're doing quite well actually, we've got another performance a week from now, I hope you'll come," Octavia smiled, pointing out a restaurant for the five to go to, Celestial Stars and Lunar Skies. The five made their reservation and began to wait to be seated.
"What about you sis? How's school?" Sven asked, curious to how his sister was doing academically.
"Things are going good, still ranking top in my class and I expect you to too!" Silver Flare smiled, playfully punching Sven in the shoulder. Sven smiled, suddenly noticing a Royal Guard approaching the group.
"Octavia? Take the girls to the restroom, just say it's for some girl talk or something," Sven whispered, the cellist looking at him confused before her eyes noticed the Royal Guard.

"Girl talk in the bathroom!" Octavia suddenly exclaimed, receiving strange looks from the other mares at the table.
"Girl talk? Since when have you ever been into girl talk?" Vinyl chuckled, suddenly being hoisted out of her seat and dragged off to the bathroom, Silk Dancer and Silver Flare following curiously. As soon as the mares were out of sight, Sven turned his attention to the Royal Guard who now sat across from him.
"You're a hard stallion to find," the guard stated flatly.
"Yes, I tend to like it that way, covert," Sven replied, "What do you want?"
"You've been drafted," the guard replied.
"By who's orders?" Sven questioned, his interest piqued. He had barely just arrived back home and was now being told that he'd be shipped out again! What would his family think?

"Her Majesty, Princess Celestia," the guard replied, his eyes locking onto three other guards who were approaching. Sven noticed this and glared at the guard.
"And you're just going to drag me away now? I'm in the middle of something called 'reunion with my family after four months apart since I was dragged away by you four'. Sound familiar?" Sven growled.
"Orders are orders. Don't refuse her request. That and Rain Runner cast his vote in for you," the guard replied.
"My ex-commander? What the hell was he doing talking to the princess?" Sven questioned.
"Classified. You are to be deployed into Princess Celestia's Black Wing Recon Squad. You have a week before we'll come to collect you," the guard replied, sliding a letter forward.
"What's this?" Sven questioned, eying the letter.
"Her official orders," the guard replied, trotting off with the other three.

The restaurant fell into a state of silence, all eyes on Sven. Growling, Sven signaled for a waiter to ask if she could check on his friends in the restroom. Within a matter of minutes, the four mares trotted out, their food being served to them. Smiles and laughs were exchanged between the five as the day carried on. However, Octavia could still not shake the unpleasant feeling that Sven was hiding more bad news from them. Deciding to ignore the feeling, Octavia let herself get lost in the happiness of the moment. Her friend had finally come back home and she was going to enjoy the time she had with him.

"What is this shit?!" Vinyl screamed, her eyes tearing up as she glanced over the letter that the guard had given to Sven. The four mares sat around the wooden table, the overhead light shinning on all of them. It had been a day since Sven was taken away in the middle of the night by eight Royal Guards, four of the eight restraining the mares.
"It's not fair… he was supposed to stay with us. And then they took him again," Silk Dancer cried heavily, holding Silver Flare tightly, recalling the that night…

BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Who could that be?" Octavia wondered aloud, trotting over to the door. Opening the door, the cellist saw eight tall bodies before she suddenly felt herself being grabbed and a hoof placed over her mouth. Struggling, she kicked her hind leg backwards, striking the assailant in the knee before galloping into the house, screaming.
"Vinyl! Silver Flare! There's int-" Octavia screamed before she was grabbed by her mane and slammed into the ground. Vinyl was the first to rush down stairs. Seeing her lover forced on the ground by a shadowy stallion angered her greatly.
"Hey! Let go of he-" Vinyl yelled before she felt a great amount of weight on her back and a leg wrap around her neck, choking her. Silver Flare and Silk Dancer ran downstairs to find their friends being held captive. Silver Flare screamed as one of the eight stallions grabbed her and pressed her against the wall. Silk Dancer felt a kick to her back, sending sharp pains through her body. Crying out in pain, she suddenly found herself pinned to the ground by another stallion.

The remaining four stallions approached the basement door, one of them knocking the wooden barrier down.
"We know you're in there Sven! Come out immediately," one of the stallions bellowed. When silence answered the four, one stallion slowly began his trek down the steps before a chair collided with his face. Sven leapt through the threshold, flipping backwards and smashing his hind legs into the faces of two other stallions, the fourth suddenly leapt back, pointing his hoof at the four mares who were being subdued.
"Come with us NOW! Or they'll suffer," the stallion ordered.
"Who the hell are you?" Sven growled, noticing the other three stallions rising to their hooves again.
"You had a week and you ignored it. And now we're here to collect. After all, you've been drafted," the stallion chuckled, the three stallions behind Sven suddenly jumping him. Pinning Sven to the ground, the fourth kicked Sven in the face, knocking him out. As they began to drag the unconscious stallion out of the house, the other four who held the mares rounded them up into a corner.

"Sven! No!" Silver Flare screamed.
"Give me my son back!" Silk Dancer yelled. Vinyl, still full of rage, tried rushing past the guards only to be kicked harshly in the chest.
"Give… him… back you bastards!" the DJ yelled, coughing harshly from the kick. Octavia tried to approach Vinyl only to be slapped by one of the stallions.
"If you know what's good for you. You'll all forget about him. Forget he ever existed. Forget he was ever here. Goodbye," the stallion spoke, suddenly throwing a small pouch onto the ground. The bag exploded, creating a thick white smoke that separated the mares from the stallions. As the smoke cleared, the stallions and Sven had vanished.
"Dammit!" Vinyl yelled, rushing back to the basement and then to the front door.
"They… they took my boy again…" Silk Dancer stuttered, her eyes fixated at the open front door. "Why… why did they do it?" Octavia sobbed, Vinyl quickly rushing to her side and comforting her. Sobs echoed throughout the house for the rest of the night.

"Sven! Soldier get suited up. We've got our assignments already, let's get moving!" a dark grey stallion yelled. Sven blinked, ripping his eyes from steamy mirror in the bathroom. It had been a year since Sven was taken away from his family once again and the stallion still held great resentment to the other ponies he worked with.
"Whatever," he muttered, trotting over and donning his black hooded cloak and grabbing his sword. Being the only stallion who could fight on his hind legs, Sven was specially equipped with a sword, courtesy of Princess Celestia. He refused the offer at first but was soon 'encouraged' to accept and use the weapon.

During his time in Celestia's Black Wing Recon Squad, Sven had received no letters from his family or friends. At first it was understandable, he could imagine how upset they would've been. However, after four months, he began to worry, though he kept it to himself. By the sixth month, some of his squad mates could tell that something was bothering him. The first member to ask him received a quick flip and a knockout kick to the head before Sven went back to pondering in his bunk. After that incident, most of the squad members tended to leave the stallion to himself. Sven sighed, looking at the letter he had just wrote to Vinyl, knowing that she'd never reply back to him again. Crumpling the piece of paper up, he tossed it onto his bunk before trotting out to the main camp grounds.

Luna's moon washed over each individual squad mate, giving them a mystic appeal in the dim lighting.
"Alright, listen up. Princess Celestia's Royal Scouts have reported an encampment of Changelings to the East. It's our job to sneak in and figure out what's going on. If you fall behind, you're on your own," the commander barked, "Any questions?"
"Yeah, when do I get to slit some throats?" one of the members chuckled.
"Stow it Water Drop! Alright! Move out!"
harbinger "What do we have here?" Sven wondered, watching a Changeling enter a massive tent. While the rest of his squad had slipped into the northern or western side of the Changeling encampment, Sven decided to take the south entrance. After slipping by some guards, a particular conversation caught his attention, resulting in him tailing a certain Changeling.
"You think the queen's plan will work?"
"It's got to. Those dumb ponies are probably too dumb to realize what's happening."
"Fair point. I'm going to go report back before she wonders what's taking me so long."
"Alright, see you later."

"Queen huh? This sounds big," Sven muttered, using his magic to quietly slip inside the tent. He made a mental thank you to the scientists who taught him how to use his magic before staring straight at the moss green eyes of the Changeling queen.
"Get him," she ordered, pointing a hoof at Sven. Before the stallion could react, six Changelings tackled him to the ground, ripping off his cloak and stripping him of his sword.
"How'd you see me? Hey! Give those back!" Sven yelled, angrily.
"Silence in the presence of Queen Chrysalis!" one of the Changelings yelled, kicking Sven in the side of the head. Chrysalis approached Sven, smirking.
"So it's just you hm? Nopony else?" Chrysalis laughed, extending her wings to attempt to intimidate Sven. Growling, Sven simply spat at Chrysalis's hooves, angering her.
"Such a barbaric action! I'll have fun razing Canterlot to the ground. And your loved ones too!" Chrysalis growled. Sven froze, his mind drawing up vivid situations where Vinyl, Octavia, Silver Flare, and Silk Dancer were killed during a Canterlot raid.

"So! Since you've eagerly volunteered yourself, I'll allow you to be the harbinger of destruction to Canterlot. Minions! Bring forth the crystal!" Chrysalis yelled, two Changelings approaching carrying a black and red crystal on a red pillow.
"And what's this? the jewel to your tiara?" Sven chuckled.
"No, just a little friend to keep you company and to occupy that little mind of yours," Chrysalis smirked, using her magic to press the crystal firmly against Sven's head. At first nothing happened. Sven grinned.
"Looks like your little trinket didn't wo-AH!" Sven roared, feeling pain surging through his body. Black and red strands of magic were violently flowing freely from the crystal, all of them attaching to Sven's body.
"This is Cruelty, call him an Element of… Disharmony if you will. He'll keep you company! That and probably cause you to break out into a violent rage whenever it deems necessary," Chrysalis laughed.

Anger suddenly began to surge through his veins, a sharp pain now chipping away at his heart and mind. He could feel something pumping through his legs and head. His eyes widened before everything slowly began to dim…

"Take him down! Take him down!"
"But sir! We can't get close enough to him! Those claws are ripping us apart!"
"I don't care! Find some way to kill him!"
The shouts and yells of Sven's squad mates and commander rang in his ears. Slowly coming too, Sven glanced around, finding the dismembered or mutilated bodies of his squad mates surrounding him.
"What happened?" Sven groaned, moving towards one of the frightened stallions A thrust from a spear quickly caused Sven to move back.
"What happened? Why are you all trying to kill me?!" Sven yelled, confused by the sudden hostility from his squad mates. Sure he didn't like them and he was sure that they didn't like him but he never tried to kill one of them.

Glancing down at his hooves, he found that they were soaked in blood.
"What? What happened?" Sven yelled, slightly frightened on the issue that he was soaked in blood. Four stallions slowly began to close in on them, their spears aimed at Sven's head.
"That's not very neighborly," Sven muttered, suddenly feeling a surge of rage flow through his body.
"Wait! What's happening to me?! AAAAAAAH!" Sven screamed before he slowly began to black out ounce again, the sounds of yelling and cries from his teammates filling his ears before everything slipped into a black void.

It had been two years since Sven lost control and unconsciously slaughtered the majority of Celestia's Black Wing Recon Squad. Ever since that incident, he was labeled a threat to Equestria and accused of committing treason towards the throne. For the past two years, he had been traveling from city to city, town to town, and even region to region. He had even snuck back into Canterlot under the cloak of night. Quietly trotting through the brightly lit streets, he found his home, some lights still on. Morbidly curious he trotted over to the kitchen window, peering inside to find Silver Flare sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea and reading a book.
"Still an egghead," Sven quietly smiled, softly now noticing his mother trotting into the kitchen to join Silver Flare.

Sven soon snuck around to the back of the house, quietly climbing up to the second floor to find Vinyl fast asleep in his bed. He noted how much his old room had changed since he gave it to Vinyl and Octavia. Smiling, he quietly opened the window and slipped inside. He was about to take a good look at Vinyl again before the door creaked open. A soft gasp was heard before Sven quickly grabbed the mare and covered her mouth.
"Shhh, they can't know I'm here. You understand right Octavia? I'm innocent, I swear," Sven whispered quietly, gently releasing Octavia's mouth.
"I don't know what happened, I felt something well up inside of me and then… well I blacked out. And this all happened after Chrysalis hit me with this strange crystal," Sven whispered, Octavia leading him to the bathroom so they could talk.

"I understand. Are you afraid that your mother and sister will react negatively to you?" Octavia asked, Sven shook his head.
"No, I just… I just don't think they're ready to see me yet. Not in this state and with this status that is," Sven replied sadly, glancing out the bathroom window.
"I understand. Well, it's good to see you again though. I've missed you, Vinyl has too," Octavia smiled, hugging Sven gently.
"Thanks, I've missed all of you. How's mother doing?" Sven asked.
"She's still doing well, not dancing as much as she used to. Age and all," Octavia smiled warmly.
"Understandable. How about Silver Flare?" Sven asked.
"Top THREE of her class," Octavia smiled.
"As expected," Sven chuckled, turning his attention to Octavia.

"And what about Vinyl?" he asked.
"She's coping still. She get's pretty sensitive whenever somepony brings up you or talks about you. I had to pull her out of a restaurant once because somepony was saying less than stellar things about you," Octavia replied.
"So basically nearly everypony in Canterlot hates me because of Celestia and that stupid incident where I was completely innocent," Sven muttered, Octavia sighing before nodding.
"Sadly, that's the case," Octavia replied.
"How about you? How've you been?" Sven asked.
"I've been coping as well. I miss you and wish you were back with us again," Octavia replied, hugging Sven.
"I know. But I can't come back to Canterlot, yet alone most of Equestria without Royal Guards patrolling around looking for me," Sven growled, glancing out the window to find four Royal Guards checking each house.

A knock on the door alerted Octavia and Sven, both ponies listening closely as the door opened and words were exchanged. Soon heavy hoofsteps began to sound throughout the house. Octavia turned to Sven, a look of worry on her face.
"I'll leave through the bathroom window, stall them as long as you can," Sven spoke flatly, quickly turning his attention the window and starting to crawl through it. At that moment, the door to Vinyl's and Octavia's room was thrown open, Vinyl yelping in surprise and turning to find the Royal Guards staring at her.
"What the buck do you bastards want now?" she spat hatefully, the Royal Guards ignoring her profanity and beginning to search the room. Octavia quickly came out of the bathroom, noticing that there were only two guards.

"Why are you here again? Come to take somepony else who's close to us away? Who is it this time? Myself? My marefriend Vinyl? Maybe you're after the studious Silver Flare or the beautiful Silk Dancer? What business does your kind have here?" Octavia venomously spat. The guards cringed at the coldness of her words before returning to the task at hand.
"Horsefeathers," Sven muttered from the bathroom, his cloak snagging a small part of the window and ripping. The noise was enough to make the guards quickly rush into the bathroom only to find an empty room. One of the guards trotted over to the window, glancing outside but seeing nothing. Returning to his partner the two left the room and returned to their search in other homes along with the other two stallions. Octavia sighed and trotted back to the bathroom, looking out the window. With no sign of Sven, she sighed sadly before her eyes noticed a piece of torn black cloth. Vinyl soon trotted into the room to find her lover looking at the corner of the window.

"What are you looking at Tavi?" Vinyl asked, curiously trying to see what her lover was staring at. Soon, she caught sight of the torn piece of cloth. A bittersweet smile spread across the DJ's lips.
"That idiot," she chuckled, leaning against Octavia, the cellist smiling before kissing her lover gently.
"Well, we still love him anyway," Octavia mused.
"Yeah, we still do," Vinyl smiled, leading Octavia back to their bed where the two of them fell asleep, pleasant dreams of the five being together once again.

"Hey there sugar, what's a stallion like you doing in a place like this?" Sven looked up from the his drink. An orange mare with an auburn mane and strawberry red eyes was smiling at Sven from behind the counter.
"Just passing through, looking for a nice place to settle down," Sven replied, keeping his face hidden by the shadows of his cloak.
"Well, Appleloosa is a nice place to start. My name's Golden Shimmer, but you can just call me G, babe. Speaking of which, what's your name cutie?" Golden Shimmer asked.
"Kozak. Just left Fillydelphia a week ago and just arrived here yesterday night," Sven replied.
"Kozak hm? Well, you're welcome to stay at my place if you don't have anywhere to bunk," Golden Shimmer smiled.
"Sure, why not?" Sven chuckled, downing the rest of his drink and reminiscing on the memories he made with his family.

Sven's Past (Final)

Chapter 14 - Sven's Past (Final)

"Welcome home sugar," Golden Shimmer smiled, opening the door to her cozy apartment for Sven. The brightly lit lamps brought a warm glow to the interior, revealing various pictures of flowers and landscapes. There were three rooms, a bed room, a common room, and a kitchen, fairly large for an apartment. In the common room, there was a small bookshelf, a green couch, a pink throw rug, two lamps, and a coffee table. The two windows allowed the moonlight to wash the interior and the suns rays to warm up the space. Sven smiled mentally at the image, a very cozy place indeed.

"Thanks again for letting me stay. How much do I owe you?" Sven asked, trotting inside and yawning softly. Golden Shimmer giggled at his action before shaking her head.
"You don't owe me anything. I've been in your position before, no home and all and I won't stand to let anypony, especially a handsome stallion like you, go through it," Golden Shimmer spoke firmly, winking at Sven, causing him to blush.
"Well, honestly, I've been wandering around for about more than two years now. I guess I can say this is my first actually home resting place for a night," Sven sighed.
"Really?! Oh now that's just not right!" Golden Shimmer exclaimed, trotting over to her little kitchen and pouring herself a glass of red wine.
"Want some?" she asked, taking a small sip, Sven shook his head.

"Actually if you don't mind, I'd like to go to sleep. Haven't had a good rest since four months ago," Sven yawned, his eyes drooping and his legs becoming slightly wobbly.
"I've only got one bed though. I can ta-" Golden Shimmer began before Sven cut her off.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll take the couch, I'm more used to harder surfaces so I'll be fine," he assured, trotting over to the couch and collapsing, instantly falling asleep. Golden Shimmer smiled at Sven, taking note of all his features.
"I wonder if he's got a marefriend," she thought, finishing her glass of wine before trotting over to her bedroom and falling asleep under the warm cozy covers.

A month had passed since Sven moved in with Golden Shimmer, the stallion helping her at the bar and earning a few bits for himself. One night, the two of them returned to Golden Shimmer's apartment to find that the place had been ransacked.
"Oh no!" Golden Shimmer screamed, running to the rooms to see what was stolen. Sven quickly rushed to the window, spotting a stallion running away.
"G! Get the police! I'm going for the thief!" Sven yelled, leaping out the window and crashing into a pile of cardboard boxes bellow. Quickly recovering, Sven began to chase after the runaway, weaving through the alleyways before cornering him at a dead end.
"Just you and me now buddy," Sven growled, the other stallion looking for a way out. Seeing a quick opening, Sven fired a bolt of his magic and struck the stallion in the head, knocking him out cold. Smiling at his work, he levitated the thief in the air and trotted back to Golden Shimmer, tying the stallion down firmly to a chair in the apartment.

"Aw, thanks sugar, but it looks like he hid the bits well," Golden Shimmer sighed sadly, trotting over to Sven and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Sven's mind however wasn't focused on the lack of bits or the kiss, it was focused on his biggest mistake that day.
"G, I have to leave tonight. And I don't think I'll be coming back," Sven whispered softly. Golden Shimmer looked at Sven incredulously.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused by Sven's statement.
"I have to leave before the police arrive, please. All I'll say is that I was framed. I should've told you this sooner… but I was afraid that you'd throw me out and call the Royal Guards on me," Sven admitted. Golden Shimmer took a step back, worried now.
"You're a convict?" she gasped.
"No… you see, Kozak isn't my real name. It's Sven," Sven sighed. Trotting to the window and opening it again.

I hid some bits beneath the couch, hopefully it'll make up for the lie I lived while staying here. I'm sorry," Sven mused, suddenly feeling a pair of warm hooves wrapping around his waist.
"It's okay darling. I had a hunch that you were hiding something from me but from what I've seen for the past month, you're nothing like the cold killer that everypony describes you as. You're loving, compassionate, caring, courageous, and inspiring. And that's what I love about you," Golden Shimmer smiled warmly, hugging Sven tightly.
"But, I lied… for so long," Sven replied, baffled by the easy forgiveness.
"We all do now and then sugar. You see, I've got a secret too. I'm… part of the Black Wing Recon Squad. I was stationed here in Appleloosa to keep an eye out for you. I haven't reported anything yet but I understand. Your usage of magic on the that stallion over there will cause the Royal Guards to search for you here," Golden Shimmer spoke softly, Sven looking at the mare in shock.

"You're not a bad stallion Sven, you've just been put into bad situations," Golden Shimmer spoke, the sounds of hoofsteps approaching the door catching both pony's attentions. Gently nudging Sven out the window, Golden Shimmer smiled warmly.
"Go, there's a town called Ponyville. Go there, from what I know, there are no Royal Guards stationed there. Just be careful though," Golden Shimmer whispered softly before planting gently kiss on Sven's lips. Sven blushed lightly and looked at Golden Shimmer.
"I was going to confess my love to you tomorrow but looks like that didn't go as planned," she giggled nervously, "I'll tell the boss that you had a family emergency and had to leave." Sven paused, his brain trying to process all the information that was suddenly thrown at him before smiling.
"Thanks G. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime, hopefully under better circumstances," Sven smiled, the sound of hooves knocking at the door drawing his attention.

"Definitely, drinks are on me," Golden Shimmer smiled warmly, trotting to the door. A soft breeze blew through her mane. As she opened the door and let the officers into the room to take the stallion away, she knew in the back of her mind that Sven had left. The convict that she fell in love with had fled, running from a crime that he couldn't control and was being framed for. And she had helped him escape. A question ran through her mind: was she an accomplice? Smiling warmly and letting a single tear roll down her cheek, she shook her head and turned around to stare out the empty window at the night sky.
"No, I'm just a friend. A good friend."

"Trottingham… something tells me I made a wrong turn…" Sven grumbled, strolling down the cobblestone streets. A few ponies were up and about despite the fact that Celestia's Sun hadn't even shone a single ray over the hills.
"At least they're hard working," Sven chuckled, waving at a pony who tipped his hat to him. Trotting down the road, he eventually made his way to a small bed and breakfast, the unicorn mare behind the front desk smiling friendly at him.
"Welcome, I haven't seen you around here. New to Trottingham?" the mare asked, using her magic to levitate a guestbook forwards towards Sven. Signing his name as Kozak, Sven pushed the book back towards the mare.
"Kozak? Huh, strange name. But who am I to judge?" the mare smiled, levitating a key towards Sven.
"How long are you planning to stay?" the unicorn asked, curious.
"Not sure, maybe a day or to two to gather more supplies before heading out," Sven replied, checking his room number.

"Supplies? Out on a long journey are we? Hope you don't mind me asking but where are you heading?" the mare asked, letting her co-worker take her post for a while.
"Ponyville, was told that it's a nice place to settle down. Nice and quiet," Sven answered.
"Yeah, I was told it's a good place to go. I'm still saving up to find a nice house to settle down there," the unicorn replied.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, where are my manners? My name is Blue Star but my friends just call me Star," the unicorn spoke kindly.
"Kozak, just Kozak," Sven lied through white teeth
"Well, welcome to the Stallion's Resting, I hope you have a good stay for however long you plan to stay," Blue Star smiled, waving goodbye to Sven as the stallion trotted upstairs to his room. After entering his new temporary home, Sven sighed heavily, dropping his saddlebag against a wall and flopping onto a soft, comfy, white bed.

"Guess I better start figuring out where to gather some supplies. With my luck, there's a few Royal Guards here," Sven muttered, turning his eyes towards the open window, listening to the sounds of Trottingham slowly beginning to wake up. Soon the sounds of hooves trotting down the streets and the chatting of ponies slowly began to float into the room. Celestia's sun slowly rose, it's rays falling onto Sven's eyes, causing the stallion to grumble before slowly rising from the bed and make his way to the door.
"Let's get this over with," he sighed, trotting outside. As Sven trotted through the front lobby, he waved to Blue Star, the mare smiling sweetly and waving back as she watched Sven leave. As soon as Sven was outside and the doors were closed, Blue Star pulled out a piece of paper and began writing.
He's here.

Sven groaned, he had just gotten lost once again on his journey to Ponyville. He was quite upset with himself for not asking for a map or anything to the many trader ponies that he passed. Then again, he had no bits so how could he afford a map anyway? Resting by a shore of a lake, Sven took in his surroundings.
"Hmm… Trees. Seen a lot of these. Where the buck am I anyway?" he grumbled, trying to figure out where he was. A cold breeze blew gently through his coat and he shivered.
"How long has this stupid wind been going?" he muttered to nopony, "with my luck, I'm in the mountains." Spotting an easily climbable tree, Sven began his ascension. As he emerged from the top of the green pines, he glanced around before yelling in frustration.
"OH COME ON!"

Sven groaned, he had began his descent down the mountain range that he had unfortunately found himself on earlier that morning. However, his results were less than stellar with an accidental slip due to loose rocks which resulted in him tumbling down the rocky slopes. As Luna's Moon slowly began to rise, Sven decided that he should camp for the night. Rummaging through his saddlebag, he found two apples, two loaves of bread, and two bottles of water.
"Damn, I've got to find a place to get food," Sven grumbled, taking a small bite out of an apple. Continuing his journey down the mountain slope, he spotted faint lights in the far distance.
"Could that be Ponyville?" he wondered aloud, his stomach grumbling. Glancing down, he chuckled.
"For the sake of my stomach, it better be!"

"Timberwolves… I hate Timberwolves," Sven growled, using his magic to tend to a small wound he received in a minor clash with a lone Timberwolf. Now on ground level, Sven was unable to see how far he was from the assumed Ponyville. The sun was slowly beginning to set and Sven knew he had to find a place to sleep where he'd be safe.
"Well, I could double time my pace… or I could find a tree to sleep in," Sven thought. Glancing around at the trees, Sven noticed how low the branches were. Sighing, he began to break out into a steady gallop.
"This better be the right place, or I'm going to burn this damn forest to the ground," Sven growled, a small branch swiping across his face, cutting his cheek lightly. The thunder of paws striking the earth behind him caught his attention quickly. Glancing behind him, he spotted two Timberwolves chasing after him.
"You're kidding right?!" Sven yelled. As if Princess Celestia was chasing him herself, seven more Timberwolves joined the chase.
"I'm loving this day so much!" the stallion yelled angrily, picking up his pace and racing through the trees.

"Okay Mr. Mouse, just wait here, I'll find your Mrs. Mouse," Fluttershy calming assured, watching as the small grey mouse finally calmed down and nodded in agreement before fidgeting in place. Smiling sweetly, the yellow mare trotted into the Everfree Forest, knowing she had to be brave for her furry friend. Trotting along the beaten paths treaded by Zecora, Fluttershy soon began calling out for the mouse.
"Mrs. Mouse! Mrs. Mouse! Please come out! Mr. Mouse is really sorry he snapped at you! He didn't mean it!" Fluttershy yelled. Her ears picked up the faint sound of hooves pounding against the dirt before a stallion tackled her to the ground. Screaming in fright, Fluttershy instantly began to beat the stallion on the head, trying to get him off her.
"Ow! Hey! HOLD IT!" the stallion yelled, quickly rising to his hooves and grabbing Fluttershy and pulling her along.

"Let me go! Where are you taking me?!" Fluttershy yelled.
"TIMBERWOLVES! CHASING! RUN!" the stallion yelled, weaving Fluttershy and himself between the branches and trees. The roars of Timberwolves soon hit Fluttershy's ears while the stench of their breath began to assault her nose, they were close.
"EEP!" Fluttershy softly yelped, the roars growing louder.
"KEEP RUNNING!" Sven yelled, "BY THE WAY, NAME'S KOZAK. JUST INCASE WE DIE!"
"FLUTTERSHY!" Fluttershy yelled back, adrenaline rushing through her. The snarls and howls of the Timberwolves grew louder and louder, the creatures trying to keep up with the fleeing ponies.
"WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Fluttershy cried, Sven pausing for a moment.
"I DON'T KNOW BUT ANYWHERE BUT HERE!" he yelled back, suddenly tripping over a rut and throwing Fluttershy into the air.

"Eep!" Fluttershy screamed before crashing into the ground. The Timberwolves had gained considerable ground as Sven recovered and grabbed Fluttershy.
"Can you run?" he asked worriedly. Struggling to stand, Fluttershy winced as a sharp pain shot through her right front hoof.
"I think I sprained my hoof," she cried. In a flash, Sven quickly picked the pegasus up with his magic, continuing his run and waving himself and the mare between the branches and trees.
"There's a hole there!" Fluttershy yelled, "We can hide there!" Searching quickly, Sven found said safe haven and dove towards the open entrance, bouncing down a rocky slope before landing on his head, unaware of Fluttershy's landing.

Fluttershy had landed a few feet in front of Sven, slowly rising to her hooves. Glancing around, she discovered that the hole had lead them to a cave, the Timberwolves howling outside.
"Kozak? Kozak?!" the pegasus yelled, searching for the stallion before spotting him unconscious.
"Oh no!" Fluttershy cried, limping over to Sven. Checking his pulse, she heaved a sigh of relief, he was alive at least. Before she had a chance to continue checking to see if he was alright or check for any other injury, a heavy blow to the back of her head knocked her out.

"Hit her again, maybe she'll tell the truth," a ruff voice muttered. The sound of a hoof striking a pony followed by a mare crying out in pain reached Sven's ears.
"Please! I told you everything! Just let me go! I don't know what's going on!" Fluttershy's voice pleaded. Sven slowly opened his eyes, finding himself chained to rocky ground. Fluttershy was tied to a chair, blood, bruises and light cuts scattered across her body. Struggling against the chains, Sven began to draw attention. A stallion with sharp grey eyes, a short dark brown mane and a light brown coat soon approached Sven.
"Well, somepony's awake finally. I was afraid that by the time you came to, your dear friend here would be dead," the stallion spoke, his voice calm and warm but laced with coldness. Sven growled, struggling against the chains even harder, emitting chuckles from four other ponies

"And who the hell are you?" Sven spat.
"Us? We're simple ponies like you. Though we've been quite interested in you. However, you spared us the effort and came to us before we had to come to you," the same stallion spoke.
"I don't understand. Who are you?" Sven growled, his eyes focused on Fluttershy. Another stallion struck Fluttershy again, emitting a growl from Sven and a whimper from Fluttershy.
"We are Stalkers, I'm sure you've been briefed on us before," the stallion chuckled, grabbing Fluttershy's face roughly and squeezing tightly.
"I've heard of you. No affiliation to the Royal Throne and no judiciary boundaries," Sven spoke, almost sounding like he was praising the group.

"So you have heard of us. Nonetheless, we're more of an outcast group, shunned by our own organization for our… less than protocol approaches towards our missions," the stallion chuckled.
"Please… let me go…" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Oh I'm sorry dear, you see, we're not after you, we're after your friend here. Eliminate her," the stallion in front of Sven spoke casually. The stallion holding Fluttershy's head grinned before turning to her. A bright flash suddenly caught the Stalker's attention before Sven punched the Stalker who held Fluttershy in the face. Staggering back, the Stalker noticed that Sven had freed himself from his chains and now stood between Fluttershy and the rest of the Stalkers.
"Fluttershy, I'm getting you out of here," Sven growled, his horn glowing brightly. Before the mare had a chance to protest, a bright light engulfed her. As the light faded, she was gone.

"Well, that settles the first point of business. Now, moving on. I do believe you have misinterpreted us," the calm Stalker spoke. Sven still stood his ground, holding an aggressive stance.
"You see, we do not wish to kill or harm you. We wish for you to become our new leader," the Stalker spoke.
"What do you mean?" Sven asked, confused but still never dropping his guard for a moment.
"We know all about you Sven," a mare spoke, as she slowly approached Sven, "Your ex-marefriend Vinyl Scratch and her current marefriend and your friend Octavia Phiharmonica. Your sister Silver Flare and your mother Silk Dancer. Even your deceased father who was taken away for experiments by Quill and the authorization of Celestia, Frost. We know about your occupation as a Royal Scout and later being taken away for experiments like your father. You survived and were drafted into Celestia's Black Wing Reconnaissance Squad and your incident with Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings."

"We can go on and on about you and your whereabouts or we can get to the main point. Will you, or will you not, join us as our new leader?" the calm stalker spoke once again. Sven slowly began to lower his defense, his eyes still focused on the six ponies before him.
"What do I have to do?" he asked cautiously.
"Swear an oath that you no longer hold any allegiance towards the Royal Throne and Princess Celestia. You're your own stallion and you'd do anything for your comrades. Simple," the calm stalker replied.
"Something isn't right though, what aren't you telling me?" Sven questioned.
"You'll do assassinations, protection missions, or extortion to whomever pays the most," another Stalker spoke. Sven pondered the thought.
"Think about it, Celestia is essential responsible for everything bad that's happened to you. Your father being taken away, you being taken away, the incident with Chrysalis, even your notoriety," the mare Stalker spoke once again.

"Tell me this, what good has come from Celestia to you?" the calm Stalker spoke. Sven was silent for a moment before finally dropping his guard completely.
"I'm in."

The bright light surrounding Rainbow Dash and Spike faded, the two standing in the same place as they were before. Princess Celestia was standing over the unconscious Twilight.
"How long have we been out?!" Rainbow Dash gasped in worry.
"Only a mere three seconds," Princess Celestia replied, walking back through the portal.
"Go, rest. I fear that more conflicts and trouble will arise. Keep a good watch on Twilight for me," Princess Celestia ordered, the portal closing and her image vanishing. Rainbow Dash turned and looked at Spike, the purple dragon shrugging and returning his attention to Twilight. Sighing, Rainbow Dash placed a gently kiss on Twilight's horn before soaring into the night sky, retiring to her home.

Morning dawned on a shocked Ponyville, the residents still shaken from the events that had occurred last night. The hospital had placed Archimedes in the basement level of the building, his room's walls and door reinforced with steel while two nurses were always present. Sweetie Belle kept her distance from Vex and Aurora, cautious of the two. Zecora stayed inside her hut all morning, brewing new concoctions to help Strings who laid unconscious in her bed. Sven slowly stirred, the smell of muffins wafting in the air. Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself staring at a wooden ceiling, a few birds fluttering outside a circular window above the soft white bed that he laid on.
"I feel like I've woken up here more than once," he muttered, slowly rising to his hooves, noticing the basket full of bloody bandages that rested next to the bed.

"Well at least none of that was mine," Sven chuckled, slowly slipping out of Fluttershy's bed and trotting downstairs.
"Flutters? You here?" he softly called, soon spotting the pegasus asleep on her comfy couch. Smiling at the sight, Sven drew the warm quilt up higher before kissing Fluttershy gently on the lips.
"What should I do now?" he wondered softly, now making his way to the kitchen.
"Breakfast would be a start," he smiled, searching through Fluttershy's fridge for ingredients. Angel Bunny soon bounced into the kitchen, spotting the stallion. Before he had a chance to throw something, he felt a carrot being placed gently into his paws.
"Eat up buddy, I'm making that salad you'd ask for," Sven chuckled, hovering a cookbook over to Angel Bunny. The white rabbit looked at the carrot, then the cookbook, then Sven. Eventually he bounced off, eating his carrot happily.

Returning to his cooking duties, Sven decided that maybe pasta would be a good choice. Rummaging around the pantry, he eventually found the pots and the noodles required. Sighing, he levitated the pot to the sink, filling it up to the appropriate amount before placing it onto a stove. While waiting for the water to boil, he glanced into the calm liquid, looking at his reflection on the surface.
"Look at you… you've come quite a long way from Canterlot now haven't you?" a voice echoed in his mind.
"Go away already. Can't I ever get a moment to myself?" Sven thought angrily.
"Oh come now lad, you can't say that you haven't. It almost makes ME curious on how your sister and mother would think of the path you've chosen. Heck, I even wonder what Vinyl would think. Octavia knows that you're wanted but she has no clue about the ShadowHawk part I believe," the voice chuckled.

"You don't ever speak of them again! You don't know them," Sven roared mentally.
"Now, now Sven. Think about it this way, you could just happen to be in Canterlot and just happen to stumble upon your old home. Perhaps maybe… today?" the voice chuckled. Sven was prepared to lash back at the comment before his mind suddenly clicked. He felt his rage slowly disperse and a grin slowly spread on his lips.
"That's a good idea actually… And today seems like a good day too," Sven chuckled, putting in the pasta noodles.
"Wait what? You're actually agreeing with me? That's a first," the voice spoke, surprised.
"First time for everything, didn't you teach me that during the years after you were forced into my mind?" Sven chuckled.
"Fair point. You win this round, but don't expect any future victories," the voice laughed, slowly vanishing.

Sven smiled as the voice vanished. Turning off the stove, Sven began to strain the pasta, whistling happily to himself.
"Today's the day then."

"My Queen, what is it that you request of me?" a Changeling asked, bowing deeply towards the queen.
"Prepare your armies, we're going to start moving," Chrysalis ordered, trotting over to a large map of Equestria.
"With the ShadowHawks out of the way, we should have nearly no significant resistance. And then finally, Equestria will be mine!" the Changeling queen shouted, slamming her front hoof down fiercely on the rotting wood table before her.
"What of Sven?" the Changeling asked.
"Sven can't take on entire armies alone. He will fall," Chrysalis assured, the Changeling bowing deeply before trotting off to assemble his commanders.

Chrysalis turned and looked at an old wardrobe in the far corner of the room. Slowly walking over to the two rotting doors, Chrysalis slowly opened them, staring at a small chest inside. The chest was beaten, the metal parts rusted or rusting while the wood was slowly beginning to rot. Carefully, she levitated the chest to the table, brushing aside papers and other materials. Slowly opening the chest, Chrysalis brushed through a few items before she came upon an old photograph. Looking at the picture, she smiled as she glanced over the image. It was a picture of her and her brother standing side by side when they were younger.
"Oh Karthrax, if only you were here… we could finally finish our dream. Our own kingdom, in a land without drought or animals. I will avenge you. And I'll make Celestia pay!"

"Silver," a rough voice grunted from the corner of a dark, dank cave. Silver Wings turned around to meet his brother's gaze.
"Ah, Ruby Hammer, so good of you to join me, have you finished the preparations?" Silver Wings smiled, his brother nodding.
"Once the war begins, we'll make our move. After all, it is just good business isn't it?" Ruby Hammer grinned, slowly reaching behind him. Before he had a chance to move again, three silver feathers impaled themselves into his neck. Shock took over Ruby Hammer's body before he collapsed, gurgling his own blood. Silver Wings smiled.
"Agreed dear brother, it is just good business… to you," Silver Wings chuckled, allowing his wings to slowly regenerate three new feathers before launching two more to the rocky ceiling. Boulders fell on Ruby Hammer's body, obliterating it into a pile of gory parts. Silver Wings trotted towards the cave entrance, his eyes fixated on Celestia's sun.
Silver Wings chuckled, putting his hood back on before taking to the skies.

As he continued to soar through the ocean blue skies and snow white clouds, he laughed loudly, yelling two words before vanishing above the clouds.
"Knight to C3. Your move."

Author's Notes:

Not one of my best but this chapter had been lying unfinished for a while and I just wanted to complete it. By the way, it's 2:07:19a.m. here... I'm out

Back Home

Chapter 15 - Back Home

"Goodbye sir!" Nurse Redheart called as she waved to Archimedes and Applejack, the farm girl allowing the stallion to lean on her while they walked.
"Still a bit out of it hon'?" Applejack smiled warmly, Archimedes only nodding and nearly poking his other eye out on Applejack's ear. Rayne flew overhead, cawing happily at the sight of her owner and landed on Applejack's back, curiously looking at Archimedes' current state.
"There, there hon'. How about we go to Sugarcube Corner first? Get you some hoof licking good chow!" Applejack asked, Archimedes nodding wearily, his eyes struggling to stay open. The two ponies approached the bakery, Pinkie Pie spotting them from a distance behind her counter of assorted pastries. As the two ponies approached the front door, Derpy happily trotted out and bumped into Archimedes, dropping her muffin.
"Whoa there! Sorry about that Derpy, didn't see you there," Applejack exclaimed, not noticing the destroyed muffin on the ground.
"My muffin…" Derpy cried before Archimedes pulled out a new muffin from beneath his hat. Applejack and Pinkie Pie just stared.

"Yay! Muffin!" Derpy exclaimed happily, kissing Archimedes on the cheek before trotting off happily, humming to herself. Applejack felt her heart clench tightly for a spilt second, her body twitching slightly and the notions not going unnoticed by Pinkie Pie.
"Hey Applejack! Hi Archie! C'mon in! I've got some new pastries!" Pinkie Pie smiled happily, pulling the two inside and sitting them down at a private booth.
"Hey Archie! Do you mind if I borrow Applejack for a moment?" Pinkie Pie asked, Archimedes face planting in the table while a stream of incoherent mutters and words past his lips. Taking the gesture as a go ahead, Pinkie Pie dragged Applejack away from the table, taking her to the kitchen where she sat her down on a stool.
"Pinkie, what in tarnation are you up to?" Applejack questioned, the baker smiling.
"Well Applejack, I just couldn't help but notice your relation to when Derpy kissed Archie, that look in your eyes!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

Applejack's cheeks blushed heavily as she realized what Pinkie Pie was getting at.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Applejack exclaimed, trying to hid her blush.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of Applejack! He's a perfect match for you anyway!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily, clapping her hooves together.
"I told you that I don't have any feelings for him! He's just a friend, that's all," Applejack protested, Pinkie Pie smiling deviously.
"So I suppose then you wouldn't mind if I asked him out on a date then?" she grinned, Applejack quickly leaping out of her seat.
"No!" she yelled, quickly covering her mouth in realization of her slip.
"See? You do feel for him! I was just kidding anyway, Archie isn't really my type. Now! Go out there and get that stallion!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly, pushing Applejack back out to her seat where Archimedes struggled to keep himself awake.

As Applejack turned back to face the pink mare, she found two deliciously looking cupcakes trusted into her face. Unable to resist the aroma that drifted up from the warm pastry, she sighed, accepting the two and placing one in front of Archimedes.
"Today's going to be a long day," she thought to herself.

Whispers, murmurs, glares and thrown objects greeted Sven as he trotted down the streets of Canterlot. Taking a safe precaution, he had written a note to Fluttershy, saying that he was going out for a moment to speak with an anonymous pony.
"Somepony call the Royal Guards!" a mare shrieked, galloping down the cobblestone streets. Other citizens of Canterlot scowled and spat as the stallion passed them while others would whisper or yell at him and throw things. Using his magic to deflect all the weakly thrown projectiles, Sven sighed, passing two Royal Guards who only glared at him. Ever since the ShadowHawks arrival in Canterlot, Princess Celestia had ordered her Royal Guards to leave them alone and not harass them unless they were seen violating the law, public uproar caused by their presence not being one of the violations.

Eventually, Sven reached a familiar sight, a wooden door that stood between him, and a home. Pressing his ear against the door, he listened carefully, hearing the laughter and chatter of three mares. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hoof and knocked on the door. A moment passed before the door was opened.
"Hello? How can we hel…" Silver Flare began before her words got caught in her throat. Sven stared blankly back at his sister, his heart pounding heavily and his blood pressure rising.
"Is this the residence of Silk Dancer and Silver Flare?" Sven asked. Silver Flare trotted forward slowly and wrapped her hooves around Sven.
"I've missed you… so much," she whispered, her lips trembling and tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. Sven wrapped his hooves around his sister, hugging her back before allowing her to bring him inside.

Silk Dancer soon trotted into the clearing. The years had been fairly generous to her. While she still maintained her figure, signs of her aging were evident, her hair slowly turning silver white while wrinkles were starting to slowly form on her face.
"Silver Flare? Darling? Who was… at… the.." Silk Dancer asked before she spotted Sven.
"Hi mom. I'm back?" Sven spoke, unsure of his own words. Silk Dancer could only slowly trot over to Sven and hug him tightly, Silver Flare trotting towards the kitchen.
"Are you really back now? No more recruitments?" Silk Dancer asked.
"Well, you see… there's a threat against Equestria and apparently my team and I are the only ones who can turn the tides in favor of Equestria. That is before me team decided to erase their memories and leave me to fight alone," Sven muttered. Silk Dancer looked at her son with tears in her eyes.
"Don't worry mom, I'm not that easy to kill," Sven chuckled, kissing Silk Dancer gently on the head before noticing Octavia.

"I'll agree to the part about you not being easy to kill, I won't agree to the part about you fighting alone against whatever force it is that threatens Equestria," the cellist spoke firmly.
"Changeling army, what can you do?" Sven asked, allowing Octavia to peck him gently on the cheek before hugging him tightly.
"Army or not, you have friends who'll help you. Speaking of friends, just wait till Vinyl gets back. She'll be so surprised," Octavia smiled. Sven smiled at the thought of the DJ flipping out at his return.
"How long would that take?" Sven asked, Octavia glancing up to an oak clock that hung above a fireplace.
"Five minutes, why don't you wait in our room? Or should I say, YOUR room," Octavia smiled, Sven agreeing to the idea and slowly slipping out of his mother's embrace. Silk Dancer and Silver Flare watched as Sven trotted upstairs to wait for Vinyl to return.
"I can't believe he's alive, yet alone back with us," Silk Dancer smiled happily, "I'd better go and prepare dinner, I should make his favorite salad!"

"Hey Silk Dancer. It's me, Vinyl. I'm back from work," Vinyl called out as she stepped through the open door.
"Welcome back love," Octavia smiled, kissing Vinyl gently on the lips.
"Hey babe, I'm going to go and wash up. I'm exhausted. See you upstairs soon?" Vinyl asked as she began to ascend the stairs.
"Depends if you suddenly become occupied," Octavia smiled as she trotted into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Vinyl pushed open the wooden door, not bothering to turn on the lights to the room before she threw her equipment onto the soft bed, missing Sven's sleeping figure by mere inches. She soon made her way to the bathroom, flicking on the lights and began to wash her face. As she wiped the water from her eyes, she spotted a lump in the bed. A soft snore drew her attention even closer. Her eyes widened as she slowly approached the lump. Octavia soon trotted into the room, spotting Sven fast asleep in their bed.
"Poor dear, he must've been tired walking all the way here," the cellist sighed, pulling the covers up higher over Sven.

"Tavi? You knew he was coming? And you didn't tell me?" Vinyl asked, slightly hurt that her marefriend would hide such important information from her.
"I didn't know that he'd be coming, he just… showed up today," Octavia replied, trotting over next to Vinyl.
"Still feeling tired?" she chuckled, Vinyl shaking her head as she wiped away tears.
"No, I'm just really happy now," she replied, kissing Octavia. Silver Flare and Silk Dancer soon appeared at the door, spotting Sven fast asleep.
"I guess we'll wait for dinner then?" Silk Dancer asked, the three mares nodding.
"Octavia, Vinyl, why don't you two take my bed tonight?" I'll pull out the couch bed," Silk Dancer insisted.
"Oh we couldn't!" Vinyl replied.
"Nonsense dearie, just take it, that bed downstairs is still just as comfortable as my bed," Silk Dancer assured. The four mares turned their attention back to Sven, the stallion looking so happy to be sleeping in his home once again. As each mare turned to leave him to his rest, they quietly welcomed him back again.
"Welcome back son."
"Good to have you back Sven."
"Absolutely fantastic to have you back."
"Knucklehead, could've told us in advance."

"Hang in there Twilight, please. Be strong," Spike cried softly. He had awoken earlier to Twilight's screams of agony. Rushing into the room, he found her sprawled out on the floor, the Jagged Decay symbol burning brightly on her chest. She had thrown up a few times and her tears soaked her coat and the wood floor. Thinking that he'd need an extra hand around the library and with taking care of Twilight, Spike ran out in search for the other Elements of Harmony. He had first ran to find Rarity but the fashionista was busy dealing with a strange pain that ailed Aurora. Thinking about who else he could find, Spike turned towards Applejack's farm, only to find that cowpony hard at work bucking trees. Sighing in frustration, he sprinted to Fluttershy's cottage, though no response came from his knocking. Thinking about going to ask Rainbow Dash, he was still upset with her for forcing herself on Fluttershy.

"Hi Spike!" Pinkie Pie's voice suddenly rang in the purple dragon's ears, causing him to jump. Initially upset with the sudden shock, Spike suddenly realized that if Pinkie Pie was out and about, she should be able to help him.
"Pinkie Pie! I need your help with Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, Pinkie Pie's attitude suddenly turning serious before she nodded and bounced over to the library with Spike in tail. The two arrived just in time as a pony was looking for somepony to check her book out. Spike pointed Pinkie Pie in the direction of Twilight's room before attending to the mare with her book. Pinkie Pie bounced up the steps and slowly trotted into Twilight's room, finding Twilight in the same position that Spike did earlier.
"Twilight…" Pinkie Pie sighed heavily, cleaning up the vomit and lifting Twilight back into her bed. Pulling up a chair, Pinkie Pie sat down, wiping Twilight's brow or redirecting her head when she appeared to have the need to throw up.

Spike soon entered, looking at Pinkie Pie then Twilight.
"So… how's she doing?" he asked nervously.
"Still in pain but at least she's out cold at the moment," Pinkie Pie replied sadly. Spike sighed, placing his hand on Twilight's forehead, feeling the heat and her twitching in pain. It was a sight that pained him, the thought of her dying was worse than anything that he could imagine.
"What about you? How are you doing Spike?" Pinkie Pie asked, worried for the baby dragon's mental state.
"I'm doing alright I guess, still trying to cope with Twilight's current condition," Spike replied, sighing heavily and sitting down next to Pinkie Pie. The baker placed her hoof around the dragon's shoulder.
"Well all of us are still worried about her. We don't want to lose her and you don't either Spike. After all, she's the one who brought us all together as best friends. Now how many ponies can you think of that can do that with our little group?" Pinkie Pie smiled. Spike shook his head.
"Nopony."

Rainbow Dash sat on her bed in her cloud home, her mind a tornado of thoughts and replays of events that had occurred recently. Sven and the ShadowHawks, her and Fluttershy, Twilight's curse, Sven's past, war for Equestria. Everything just seemed to over whelming for the cyan daredevil. Lost in her thoughts she was completely unaware of the stallion that stood before her.
"I assume that I should just help myself like last time?" Silver Wings spoke coyly.
"What are you doing back here?! When DID you even get in here?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, completely caught off guard. Silver Wings smiled before sitting next to Rainbow Dash.
"So what's bothering you? The recent events seem to be having a significant toll on you but I sense that there's something else. What is it?" Silver Wings asked.
"Why do you care?" Rainbow Dash groaned, flopping backwards onto her pillow.
"Hm, good question actually. Why does Silver Wings who lies about his lie on his true name care?" Silver Wings spoke.

"Wait, your lie about your lie? So your real name IS Silver Wings!" Rainbow Dash gasped, confusion quickly spreading over the mare's face. Silver Wings chuckled.
"Well of course. I told you my real name knowing that you'd think it was false," Silver Wings smiled warmly, watching Rainbow Dash rub her temples.
"But… but how?" she asked.
"Simple, you asked for the truth and received the truth," Silver Wings replied, unsure where Rainbow Dash was going with the conversation.
"But I mean like how did you know that I wouldn't believe you?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I mean I could've demanded no lies and you still could've lied!"
"Well of course I could've lied! Unless, of course, the stallion in question knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you," Silver Wings chuckled, the cyan pegasus just looking at the stallion in utter confusion.

"Don't worry about it. But back to my main point, what's bothering you Rainbow Dash," Silver Wings questioned. Sighing and knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to hide anything from the pegasus, Rainbow Dash told him of the events that had occurred up to that very moment. Silver Wings sighed.
"I see, so war is brewing after all," he sighed, "And Sven probably doesn't want to see my face. Nor does Vex… if she even remembers me anymore."
"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, curious.
"Well you see Rainbow my dear, before Vex became a ShadowHawk, I was in love with her. I was going to confess my feelings to her on the day that she decided to split with Strings, Aurora, and Archimedes. So I never got the chance nor was I able to easily locate her and the others. Originally I had found Sven as was accepted by him personally into the group but my brother and I ditched at the last second, I being to afraid to tell Vex how I felt and my brother for monetary reasons," Silver Wings explained.

"So you just gave up on her?" Rainbow Dash asked, shocked at the stallion's drop in interest of the mare.
"It's not that simple, you see. Through more research and investigations, I discovered that Vex is… a fillyfooler. So she could have no feelings for me whatsoever asides a friend. Granted a friend is a wonderful position to have, yes, but I wish it could be more," Silver Wings continued. Rainbow Dash looked at the pegasus, listening intently on his story seeing how it could almost be somewhat related with hers in her dealings with Fluttershy.
"However, I shall not force myself upon her. That would be most rude and quite… uncharacteristic of myself. I'm more than happy to have my heart broken just so she can be happy," Silver Wings sighed. Guilt hit Rainbow Dash hard in the gut. While Silver Wings was willing to put aside his feelings in respect for Vex, Rainbow Dash had violently forced herself upon Fluttershy at least twice. What kind of friend was she. What kind of Element of Loyalty was she.

"So you've forced yourself on her twice hm? Must say I'm a tad disappointed in you," Silver Wings sighed, Rainbow Dash looking at the ground in shame.
"Though I can understand the temptation so, to me, it's understandable," the pegasus explained, Rainbow Dash looking up at him.
"Why do you only visit me?" Rainbow Dash suddenly asked, Silver Wings flinching suddenly, not expecting this question.
"Why do you think?" Silver Wings replied, hoping that the pegasus wouldn't be able to figure it out. Unfortunately for him, the cyan mare was able to have a quick moment of intelligence.
"Do… do you like me?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You hardly even know me though, I mean asides from apparently stalking I suppose is what it's called."
"Well, yes I do like you. You seem to attract me for reasons I don't even know. Needless to say, my feelings are present but I will most likely repress them until this war is over. After all, I still have to avenge my brother," Silver Wings replied.

"Your brother? What happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I had to put him down. His lust for money was too much and he was being corrupted," Silver Wings sighed sadly.
"Needless to say, Chrysalis and I now have a score to settle," Silver Wings finished, suddenly feeling Rainbow Dash's breath on his neck.
"What are you doing?" he asked, blushing slightly. Rainbow Dash grinned, slowly dragging her tongue slowly up the stallion's neck. Silver Wings shivered in pleasure, earning a satisfied chuckle from the mare pegasus. In a quick motion, Rainbow Dash had toppled Silver Wings, using her hind leg to gently rub against Silver Wing's crotch.
"Aaaah…" Silver Wings moaned, his wings slowly unfurling. Using her tongue, Rainbow Dash slowly began to lick down to Silver Wing's growing member. Looking back up at the panting stallion, Rainbow Dash grinned.
"C'mon big boy, show me some moves."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in!" Rarity called out, her eyes not leaving her sewing machine as she continued her work.
"Um… Hi Rarity," a meek voice squeaked. Rarity instantly stopped her work and turned around, smiling brightly at Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy! Darling! So good to see you!" Rarity exclaimed happily, hugging the yellow pegasus.
"What brings you here today? Do you need something fixed? Care to catch up?" Rarity asked, curious to her best friend's appearance.
"Um… well I just wanted… um…" Fluttershy stuttered.
"What ever is it dear?" Rarity asked, curious to her friend's sudden nervousness.
"I want to ask Sven out on a date… but I don't know anything about how to. I tried going to Twilight's for a book but I couldn't seem to find her. And I was too embarrassed to ask anypony else… especially after…" Fluttershy shivered as her mind slowly began to drift back to the sex that Rainbow Dash had forced upon her.

Her thoughts were cut short by Rarity's warm embrace.
"Now Fluttershy dear, don't you think that what Rainbow did was your fault. It was not nor will it ever be your fault. Rainbow Dash is just… well, I wouldn't say a rapist… but I guess she's also very confused with her feelings. But let's put that aside for now! Now how to help you ask Sven on a date! I'll admit, he's quite the looker too. Where do you plan to take him?" Rarity asked.
"Well, he left a note saying that he was meeting with an anonymous acquaintance so…" Fluttershy began before Rarity's eyes lit up.
"I think I know just how to find him!" she exclaimed happily, grabbing Fluttershy and dashing out of her boutique.
"Rarity!"

Sven slowly awoke to the soft prodding of a hoof to his cheek. Slowly opening his eyes, he found Octavia smiling sweetly at him. Rising up from beneath the warm covers he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.
"Sorry about that. How long was I out?" Sven asked, stretching his front hooves.
"A few hours, nothing to big. Your mother has prepared your favorite dinner apparently," Octavia replied, helping the stallion out of bed. Trotting downstairs, Vinyl surprised Sven by leaping on his back, wrapping her hooves around his eyes and laughing.
"Guess who knucklehead!" she giggled, Sven grinning and feeling her horn.
"Vinyl Scratch?" he chuckled, the DJ climbing off her friend and smiling widely.
"The one and only!" she laughed, pecking him gently on the cheek and smiling brightly.
"It's good to have you back. You are back right? No more Royal Guards busting in and dragging you off? If so, I'm going to kill you," Vinyl asked, Sven shaking his head.

"Nope, just war that's brewing and apparently my team has wiped their memory so it's just me now," Sven muttered.
"Well… that's depressing," Vinyl sighed, Silk Dancer trotting into the room.
"Dinner time!" she called, the three younger ponies making their way to the kitchen where the smell of delicious home cooked food wafted through the air.
"Smells absolutely fantastic," Octavia smiled, helping Silk Dancer set the table. Trotting over to the kitchen counter, picking up the food with his magic and placing it on the table. Soon all five ponies sat around the wooden table, each one of them smiling at the fact that they were once again together. Unknown to them, their activities were being closely monitored by two Royal Guards who watched from a distance, peering through a telescope so they could observe Sven.
"What should we do? We've got our orders to not harass him unless he visibly breaks Canterlot law," one of the stallions spoke.
"We'll report this to the princesses, they'll probably want to know about his appearance in Canterlot," the other stallion replied, trotting off with his partner.

"Excuse me! Fancy Pants!" Rarity called out, the highly respected stallion turning around to find his dear friend waving towards him.
"Ah! Rarity! Jolly good to see you again! I say, who is your shy friend here?" Fancy Pants asked, noticing Fluttershy hiding behind Rarity.
"Oh? This is Fluttershy! We're actually hoping you could help us out by pointing us in the direction of certain stallion that my dear friend wants to ask on a date!" Rarity replied happily, Fluttershy blushing in embarrassment.
"R-R-Rarity! You said you wouldn't tell anypony!" she squeaked, Fancy Pants chuckled.
"I see! Of course I can help my dear friend! Besides any friend of Rarity is a friend of mine! Now who's this stallion you're dear friend is looking for?" Fancy Pants asked.
"Well he would've arrived just today. He used to live here I believe his name is Kozak?" Rarity replied, unsure of the information herself.

What happened next shocked the alabaster mare; Fancy Pants' once happy face and smile soon twisted into a look of disgust and hatred.
"Oh… you mean Sven. The abomination is now disguising his name?" Fancy Pants spat, "Rarity, I care for you my dear and I should advise you and your friend to not look for this stallion. He's cursed and will only cause harm to you. I must sadly apologize that I cannot assist you in this request. Have a good day you two," Fancy Pants bowed politely before trotting off.
"Sven? But he said his name was Kozak… he was lying? I wonder what else that stallion hasn't told us now…" Rarity murmured, Fluttershy shifting uncomfortably.
"Lets just go look for him?" the pegasus suggested, Rarity nodding in agreement.

The two mares began to wander around the streets of Canterlot, Rarity asking various ponies if they could point them in the direction of Sven's home. However, her question yielded the same reaction as Fancy Pants, disgust and hatred. Confused as to what Sven had done to have gained such infamy in Canterlot, Rarity was even more determined to find Sven, if not for Fluttershy's sake anymore than for her own curiosity.
"Rarity… let's just go home. I'm… sacred," Fluttershy whimpered, noticing the glares that the Canterlot ponies were giving her. Rarity soon realized how uncomfortable her friend was and quickly agreed, the two trotting back down towards the train station. However, along their way, they overheard a conversation between two Royal Guards.
"So Sven's back at home hm? Wait till the princesses hear about this. I'll bet they'll be visiting him very soon," one of the guards chuckled.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Do you know where we can find Sven? We wish to speak to him," Rarity asked. The two guards looked at her, surprised that she and her friend would want to find Sven.
"Why do you two wish to speak to Sven, with all due respect Element of Generosity and Kindness," one of the guards asked.
"It's a private matter concerning my friend Fluttershy here," Rarity replied. Not wanting to upset or deny information that could be crucial to the two Elements of Generosity's investigation, the guard pointed Rarity and Fluttershy in the direction of Sven's house, explaining that they'd probably have to knock a couple of times since it was late evening. Thanking the two, Rarity returned to Fluttershy, grinning before explaining what had happened. A wave of relief and fear washed over Fluttershy but she eventually agreed to follow Rarity once again through the city that threw dirty looks at her.

After a few more minutes of trotting along, the two mares arrived at Sven's house, the warm lights casting shadows of the ponies inside on the drawn curtains.
"Wow, he lives in a pretty fancy place!" Rarity thought aloud.
"Well we know where he lives, let's go back now," Fluttershy spoke quickly turning around only to have Rarity's magic hold her in place.
"Now, now dear Fluttershy. We came here so you could ask Sven on a date and we're going to do such. Now go and get him!" Rarity exclaimed giddily, floating Fluttershy to the door. Hesitantly, Fluttershy reached forwards towards the wooden barrier before knocking three times. At first silence greeted her before the sound of hooves approaching the door echoed in her ears.
"Hey! Sup?" Vinyl smiled, noticing Fluttershy and Rarity.
"Wow, no Royal Guards this time!" she laughed, motioning for the mares to enter before closing the door.
"Vinyl dear, who was at the door? Oh? Rarity! What brings you here? Yet alone, how did you find here?" Octavia asked, happy to see her dressmaker.

"Octavia! Darling! It's been too long!" Rarity smiled, greeting her past customer and friend, "Actually, we're here looking for a Sven, I believe that's his actual name." Vinyl's ears perked up and she soon donned a suspicious look.
"Why do you two want to see Sven? Come to harass him or something?" Vinyl asked protectively.
"Why in Equestria would we want to do that?" Rarity asked, confused and somewhat insulted by Vinyl's suggestion.
"You'll have to excuse her. Sven isn't… to welcomed in Canterlot. Though that's not our story to tell. On another note, Vinyl was Sven's first marefriend when we were in school," Octavia explained, Fluttershy and Rarity nodding. Before any of the mares could ask another question, the sound of hooves trotting on the hardwood floor inside reached their ears.
"Vinyl? Octavia? Who's at the…" Sven began before he spotted Rarity.
"Rarity?" Sven uttered in surprise, suddenly noticing Fluttershy peering out from behind Rarity. Sven felt his heart clench and slight anger beginning to boil within him.

"And why pray tell is Fluttershy here?" Sven asked, his voice seeming to be curious but hinted a slight hint of anger.
"Just hear me out Sven! Please! It wasn't what it seemed like!" Fluttershy pleaded, Sven's blank expression not even faltering.
"She's right dear, it was Rainbow who forced herself on Fluttershy during her heat cycle," Rarity vouched. Sven's expression fell, his face now showing curiosity and understanding.
"Please, come in, I'll put some tea on," Sven smiled warmly, his eyes never leaving Fluttershy's gaze before he turned around and trotted towards the kitchen. A single thought ran through his mind after Rarity had explained what had happened.
"I may still have a chance."

Outnumbered and Oblivious

Chapter 16 - Outnumbered and Oblivious

"Your Highness! Scouts have reported large camps of Changelings setting up around Equestria!" Shining Armor exclaimed, bursting into Princess Celestia's private study.
"How many camps have been reported?" Princess Celestia asked, using her magic to pull down a giant map of Equestria.
"At least twenty seven; each camp consisting at least three hundred Changelings, all classes. The camps have been reported to be located around the summits of the Unicorn Range, Ghastly Gorge, the Ruins, the Foal Mountains, the Neighagra Falls, and near the Rambling Rock Ridge. A scout reported an attack a few weeks ago on Sweet Apple Acres, resulting in ShadowHawk Archimedes' hospitalization. We've covered the evidence from the residents of Ponyville but it's no doubt that was a Changeling attack," Shining Armor replied. Princess Celestia furrowed her brow, a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head as she began to mark the camp locations that Shining Armor reported on her map.

"We're at a disadvantage here, they've got multiple sides. How many available guards to we have?" Princess Celestia asked.
"Available and ready to fight, we've got about three thousand at the ready; pegasus, unicorn, and earth," Shining Armor replied.
"How are our current defenses? Any allies we can call upon?" Princess Celestia asked.
"Unfortunately, our only allies were the newly acquired Stalkers and ShadowHawks. With the Stalkers gone and the ShadowHawks unable to fight, we're alone in this fight. Our current defenses are moderate but under a heavy siege, we'll loose the outer defenses. Cadence and I can protect Canterlot with our own personal shield but other than that we can't expand to other towns." Shining Armor replied, "They seem dead set on attacking Canterlot and Ponyville, Cloudsdale doesn't seem to a problem at the moment but we're sending Royal Guards up to begin immediate training for all able bodied pegasi."

Princess Celestia groaned, her head pounding due to the pressure of the situation.
"Give me a report on the soldiers ,what do we've got? How many unicorn? Pegasus? Earth? What weapons do we have at the moment?" Princess Celestia asked, motioning for a servant to fetch her military advisors.
"At the moment we have approximately one thousand of each. Weapon wise, we have approximately two thousand five hundred arrows, eight hundred bows, and two thousand four hundred spears. But only the earth and pegasus ponies are formally trained to use the spears while the unicorn's magic are used for the bows and arrows," Shining Armor replied. Princess Celestia paused for a moment, thinking about her past decisions and choices and then about the current situation.
"Tell me, how many would we have if the Stalkers were still here?" Princess Celestia asked.
"Approximately three thousand as well, not counting ShadowHawks," Shining Armor reported.

"And with the ShadowHawks?" Princess Celestia inquired, her military advisors arriving and taking their places while the maid answered any questions directed towards Princess Celestia.
"Not counting Sven and his smaller team, we'd have maybe another three thousand plus," Shining Armor reported.
"Three thousand plus?" Princess Celestia asked, bewildered by the large number for such a small team.
"Yes dear sister," Princess Luna spoke, entering the room.
"Luna? Shouldn't you be resting?" Princess Celestia asked, confused why her sister would be up and about. Usually she would play around in her room, messing with her magic and creating mini constellations before destroying them with a will.

"I spoke with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Sven through dream and reality. According to Sven, they've done some dealings with the Dragon Kingdom when tensions were high. The Stalkers had called upon their exiled group of ShadowHawks to ease tensions and they did. This secured a good relationship with the king Vaal Durothil. They could technically call them to fulfill their favor and fly into battle," Princess Luna spoke solemnly.
"And why would we trust these outcasts? Obviously he-who-shall-not-be-named was exiled from Canterlot and hunted for a purpose! The fact that he's reemerged and yet alone allowed to walk freely is already causing an uproar in Canterlot!" one of the military advisors scoffed.
"Which is why he and his crew probably settled down in Ponyville," Silver Wings chuckled, suddenly emerging from a dark corner of the room.
"How rude of me, my name is Silver Wings, at your service. Now, please hold your guards back for I have no intention on causing harm to anypony today," Silver Wings smiled, Princess Celestia motioning for her Royal Guards to lower their weapons.

"Ah! One of the foul creatures themselves!" another military advisor scoffed and laughed. Silver Wings smiled before suddenly flinging a silver feather through the stallion's mane, slicing off a large chunk.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I forget that these are just one of the many things that us Hawks and Stalkers use to make sure Equestria remains safe," Silver Wings smiled, though venom was easily detected behind his smile. The military advisor trembled in his seat before slowly nodding and lowering his head.
"Now my dear Celestia, I do believe that Equestria requires additional hooves to call to battle?" Silver Wings asked, Princess Celestia nodding, fuming in hidden anger that Silver Wings was talking down to her.
"Allow me to assist perhaps? While I may appear to be a single pegasus, I can hold off the skies for a long while, given proper… motivation," Silver Wings chuckled his eyes focusing on a small pouch of bits.

"Absolutely not!" Princess Celestia yelled, slamming her hoof down on the table.
"Have it your way. I'll be off now. Ta ta," Silver Wings chuckled, flying away.
"Dear sister, we need to make peace with Sven," Princess Luna spoke, Princess Celestia and the military advisors looking at her in shock that she uttered the once forbidden name. Princess Celestia looked towards Shining Armor, the white stallion hesitantly nodding in agreement.
"We're outnumbered and already in a bad position for defense. And if those ShadowHawks are even better than the Stalkers, they could vanish as well. Perhaps we should try and mend the bridges between us and them," Shining Armor spoke.
"We're letting him walk freely now aren't we?" Princess Celestia replied.
"I mean extend a hoof out to him. You know that what happened before wasn't his fault," Shining Armor spoke, Princess Celestia glaring at him.
"I'm sorry. I overstepped my bounds," the stallion apologized and bowed.

Within a matter of seconds, argument broke out between the military advisors, various ones debating on whether or not they should ally with Sven and his ShadowHawks. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia watched as chaos broke out within their private study. The sisters looked at each other before turning to Shining Armor.
"Where is Sven currently?" Princess Celestia asked.
"Royal Guards report that he's back at his old home, visiting his family and catching up," Shining Armor answered.
"I'll go and retrieve him," Princess Luna spoke.
"Are you sure dear sister? We could always send some Royal Guards," Princess Celestia replied, surprised at her sister's imitative.
"And how do you think they'd react at the sight of more Royal Guards at their house?" Princess Luna spoke solemnly. Shining Armor nodding in agreement.
"I see, well then go, retrieve Sven. Hopefully he and his family will not misinterpret," Princess Celestia sighed, turning her attention back to the military crisis that had presented itself. Nodding in understanding, Princess Luna opened a nearby window and took to the skies, beating her wings quickly to speed up her arrival.

"I see, so that's what happened," Sven mused after listening to Rarity. The stallion had been pulled aside by the unicorn to talk in private about what happened between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash earlier upon the two mare's arrival.
"There you see? She still loves you. She's just too shy to ask," Rarity assured, Sven nodding in understanding.
"Well what do you suppose I do?" Sven asked, unsure of how to approach the new situation. Rarity pondered for a moment before a heavy knock on the front door drew their attention.
"I'll get it," Octavia called out, the mare trotting over and opening the door to find.
"Princess Luna?!" Vinyl exclaimed.
"Luna!" Fluttershy smiled and waved, the alicorn returning the gesture.
"May I enter?" Princess Luna asked, Vinyl and Octavia nodding, allowing the princess into the living room.
"Where is Sven? I wish to speak to him of important matters," Princess Luna asked.

"Over here," Sven called, slowly trotting into the room, his eyes scanning the area for any hidden Royal Guards.
"At ease, ShadowHawk. There are no Royal Guards with me," Princess Luna assured. Sven continued to look around skeptically before hesitantly taking a seat on one of the couches in the room. By now, the other mares had all gathered in the living room, family behind Sven, Fluttershy and Rarity to the side, and Princess Luna across from Sven.
"I have not come to take your son away, I have come to inform him of the new crisis that has raised in the positions of the Changeling armies," Princess Luna spoke. Sven's interest was instantly piqued.
"What's going on?" he asked before a soft whisper was heard.
"My son is a what?" Silk Dancer gasped. Eyes turned to the elderly mare.
"Oh horsefeathers," Sven muttered, Octavia throwing him a nervous glance.

"You mean you haven't told them?" Princess Luna asked, looking at Sven, surprised. Growling angrily, Sven motioned for Princess Luna to follow him outside.
"Don't know when I'll be back, just keep a window open or something okay Octavia?" Sven muttered, Octavia nodding. Princess Luna and Sven promptly left, a small crowd quickly dispersing from outside of Sven's home.
"She wasn't supposed to know," Sven murmured, his eyes staring at the cobblestone ground.
"You think she'll react badly?" Princess Luna asked, Sven nodded.
"I'm sure she'll understand. Your friends Octavia Phiharmonica and Vinyl Scratch don't seem to mind. They still see you as the pony that you were and are," Princess Luna assured. Sven sighed heavily.
"Something tells me that when my mother hears that her son is the leader of the outcast group who assassinates other ponies, she isn't going to take it lightly," Sven muttered.

"Exactly what do you plan to do then?" Princess Luna ask, curious at the stallion's thoughts on how to handle the situation.
"Can we just drop this? What's the deal with the Changelings?" Sven asked.
"Oh, yes. Well here is the report, copied by Shining Armor himself and a map to point out where the location of the current known camps," Princess Luna replied, handing Sven a field report and a small map of Equestria with multiple markings. Sven's eyes widened as he read over the numbers and positions.
"This isn't good… we're completely outnumbered," Sven groaned, "And their in better strategic positions… With my team out too… we're outnumbered. If Shining Armor and Cadence use their shield, only Canterlot will be protected… that means Ponyville would have to rely on the defense of the Elements of Harmony and myself." Princess Luna nodded.
"Well, there's only one problem," Princess Luna mused, Sven raising an eyebrow.
"Once Twilight Sparkle hears about this, she'll most likely come to Canterlot with the rest of the Elements."

"What? Why?! She lives in Ponyville!" Sven exclaimed.
"Her parents are here along with her own mentor. Together plus the other elements, their power will be strong enough or even stronger than the Changeling army. Strong enough to hold their ground firmly at Canterlot," Princess Luna replied.
"That's so bucking stupid…" Sven growled, "Ponyville would be left defensive! I have family in Canterlot too but I'm sorry, I'll still be staying at Ponyville even if it means that I'll die there!" Sven yelled.
"It's a savage town anyway, nothing lost," a upper class mare scoffed as she passed by.
"I hope you burn in the fires of Tartarus," Sven growled, glaring at the mare and sending her screaming and galloping down the streets.
"Wow, may I ask why such a hostile reaction was called for?" Princess Luna asked.
"It's not a town of savages, it's a place just like Canterlot, though not everypony has as much bits as the snobbish aristocrats here. It's a place where ponies live and play. Laugh and learn. Cry and comfort. IT'S NOT A TOWN OF SAVAGES!" Sven yelled, his anger getting the best of him

"Please calm down, I understand this makes you angry but don't loose it here in public," Princess Luna admonished. Sven slowly began to calm down before a soft voice came from the doorway.
"Sven?" Fluttershy meekly called out. Sven turned around, meeting her eyes before quickly turning around, a light blush on his face which was quickly noticed by Princess Luna. The smirk on the princess's face didn't help him too much.
"Oh? Is that all?" she giggled.
"She lives there," Sven muttered, Princess Luna smiling widely at the young love.
"Does she know you love her?" she asked.
"Well there was that one incident with Rainbow Dash and her. And I kinda… overreacted," Sven groaned, facehoofing in frustration.
"Care to tell me about it?" Princess Luna asked.
"Shouldn't we be focusing on the situation? If you haven't noticed, though I know you have, we're kind outnumbered by a lot." Sven muttered, "How exactly do you and Celestia propose we defend Ponyville, Canterlot, and Cloudsdale?"

"According to scouts, the Changelings aren't interested in Cloudsdale, only Canterlot and Ponyville. My personal guess is it's because Celestia and I are in Canterlot while the Elements of Harmony live in Ponyville," Princess Luna answered.
"Lucky pegasi," Sven muttered, looking back at the map.
"And I think my sister might try and gather all ponies into Canterlot and hold out there with all the guards," Princess Luna admitted, Sven could only stare.
"Let my mind try and comprehend how stupid that idea is," he muttered, massaging his temples with his hooves.
"Why are we running?! We can stand and fight!" Sven protested, "Give me time or something! I can retrain my team! I can at least give them the basic knowledge they had!" Princess Luna looked at the stallion sadly.
"Sven, it's time to come to terms. Your team… isn't your team anymore. They wiped their memories," Princess Luna spoke firmly, looking at the distressed Sven with sympathetic eyes.
"This reminds me, another Stalker appeared in our private chambers today during the discuss on the course of action. A Silver Wings? Are you familiar of him?" Princess Luna asked.

"Silver Wings?! He's still kicking around huh?" Sven smiled as he looked to the skies, "Yeah. I know him, a good pegasus. He may work mainly for bits but he's a good pony." Princess Luna nodded, noting down Sven's vouching for the pegasus.
"If this is the case, what do you think you'll do?" Princess Luna asked.
"I'm going back to Ponyville. Now. I need to at least try," Sven replied. It was only now that Fluttershy realized that Sven was about to leave again. Hesitantly, she took a deep breath and approached the unicorn.
"Wait!" she squeaked, Sven and Princess Luna turning and looking at her, causing the pegasus to hide behind her mane.
"Oh… I'm sorry. I was just… wondering if you'd…" Fluttershy began before a voice from inside the house completed the sentence.
"GO ON A DATE?! With Sven?! AHAHAHA! That's priceless! I'll tell you!" Vinyl shrieked, laughing heavily while Octavia tried to calm the laughing DJ down. Rarity could only throw Fluttershy an apologetic look and shrug lightly.

"It's okay if you don't want to!" Fluttershy squeaked, turning around to run away before she felt a warm embrace.
"I'd love to," Sven smiled.
"But what about the other ShadowHawks?" Fluttershy asked, still worried she had placed Sven in an inconvenient situation. Turning to Princess Luna, the alicorn motioned for the pegasus to go with the unicorn.
"It's fine, I can leave tomorrow. In the meantime, let's go grab dinner perhaps? My treat," Sven smiled warmly. From inside, Fluttershy could see Vinyl's jaw hit the ground while Octavia was struggling to hold back her laughter. Rarity only smiled warmly at her and winked at her before motioning for her to nuzzle. Slowly, Fluttershy nuzzled her head underneath Sven's jaw, causing the unicorn to let loose a pleasurable whine before looking away in embarrassment. This time, it was the laughter of both Octavia and Vinyl that caused an even heavier blush to appear on Sven's face.

"I'm so sorry Sven! It's just… I've never seen your face get that red before!" Octavia laughed. Vinyl spared no effort in displaying the humor that was presented to her; falling on the ground and rolling around while grasping her stomach.
"Thanks…" Sven muttered, kissing Fluttershy on the brim of her nose, resulting in a squeak of embarrassment and the mare hiding behind her mane.
"Come on Flutters. Let's go find a nice place to eat," Sven smiled warmly as he gently took Fluttershy's hoof in his and led her down the cobblestone streets. Princess Luna could only smile as she watched the two disappear. Knowing that her work was done, the alicorn swiftly returned to her castle, trotting towards her and her sister's private study.
"Dear sister, what is our solution?" Princess Luna asked, Princess Celestia was looking over multiple pieces of paper, each with a multitude of solutions.
"We pull them back. Everypony in Canterlot. We can then use all the guards and utilize our shields to the most effective capability," Princess Celestia replied, rising from her seat and trotting towards the giant map of Equestria.

"And leave Ponyville open for destruction?" Princess Luna asked, baffled by the solution.
"It's a sacrifice we'll have to make. We can rebuild though, crops, houses, schools, stores, everything," Princess Celestia assured.
"And anypony who would rather stay and fight to the death?" Princess Luna asked.
"Sven?" Princess Celestia asked, her sister nodding.
"I feel like he still feels betrayed by the city and therefore sees no need to waste his life protecting Canterlot. He'd rather die in Ponyville trying to protect his new home. And the home of his lover," Princess Luna spoke.
"His lover hm? Fluttershy. That's still interesting. I hear she's here in Canterlot," Princess Celestia spoke, her sister nodding.
"I see. Well, If it's Sven's will to die in Ponyville, then I can't stop him. But we stand a better chance holding our ground in Canterlot than we do in Ponyville," Princess Celestia muttered.

"What about Applejack? Her family lives in Ponyville, they're entire way of life is there. The orchard, the barn, the house," Princess Luna asked.
"They can… cope," Princess Celestia replied, her sister shocked by the cold reply.
"Granny Smith can hardly walk quickly to Canterlot, yet alone make it to the train on time!" Princess Luna protested.
"Big Mac," Princess Celestia replied, her eyes not faltering form the map.
"If that is what you think is best, then I shall not question your judgment, I do have my doubts still. Goodbye dear sister, I shall retire to my chambers till night," Princess Luna spoke, bowing before leaving.

"Vex? Aurora? Dinner's ready!" Rarity called from the bottom of the stairs. When silence was the answer, Rarity began to grow curious. Gently trotting up the steps, Rarity soon reached the two mares' room. Carefully entering she glanced around the dark room until her eyes landed on two figures in bed, one on top of the other.
"Aurora…" Vex whimpered, feeling her sister's lips gently brush against her neck.
"We shouldn't…" the pegasus weakly protested, but her moans showed more desire for continuation than stopping. Rarity's gasp drew both mare's attention to the doorway. A silence fell over the room before Vex slowly pushed her sister off and quickly ran out of the door and downstairs. Aurora stared at Rarity, slowly trotting out of the room and making her way downstairs as well.
"Wait… WHAT?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Archimedes? Hon' you in here?" Applejack called out, trotting into her room. Ever since he had been released form the hospital, Applejack had been insisting that the stallion sleep with her in her room. While there was protests from the stallion in question and Big Macintosh, the two eventually gave in under the agreement that Archimedes wouldn't touch Applejack inappropriately. While Big Macintosh's threat was intimidating, Archimedes found himself cringing more when Granny Smith whacking him on the head with a cane.
"Archi- Aaaw, would you look at that," Applejack smiled. Lying on the right side of the bed was Archimedes, all curled up beneath the covers and with a blissful smile on his face. Rayne was perched on a nearby chair, the black phoenix snoring softly.
"Ain't that cute?" Applebloom spoke, startling her sister.
"Yeah, it is… Wait, why are you here? Shouldn't ya'll be out crusading with your friends?" Applejack asked.
"Well I told them what happened and they were pretty concerned so they asked if they could pay a visit," Applebloom answered, motioning towards the other to CMC members who waved from the end of the hall.

"Well that's mighty fine of ya'll to do so, but I reckon he's still fast asleep," Applejack replied, waving at the other CMC members.
"But look sis, he's waking up!" Applebloom pointed out, the other CMC members coming closer to witness Archimedes' awakening. Yawning softly and stretching his forehooves Archimedes stretched. Rayne woke up at the same time, cawing before quickly preening her feathers and noticing her owner was awake. Circling around, the phoenix soon landed on the bedpost closest to Archimedes' head, cawing happily.
"Hey girl. Hello Applejack," Archimedes waved towards the farm girl and her sister.
"I don't think I recall your name little one, nor your friends," Archimedes smiled, slowly slipping out of bed.
"My name's Applebloom! And these are my friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle," Applebloom exclaimed proudly.

"I see. So Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom. Pray tell why your friends are wearing those capes?" Archimedes asked, Rayne picking up his hat from a nearby chair and plopping it on his head.
"I wouldn't ask that if I were yo-" Applejack began before…
"WE'RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! WE'RE ON A CRUSADE TO GET OUR CUTIE MARKS!" the trio of fillies bellowed excitedly. Rayne took a quick moment to make sure she wasn't deaf while Archimedes and Applejack tried to regain their hearing quickly.
"I… see? So may I ask why you four have paid me a visit?" Archimedes asked.
"Well I came to see if you were awake yet. You passed out after we left Sugarcube Corner. Big Mac was nearby so I had him carry you back to the barn. You've been out for a few hours now," Applejack answered.
"I heard that you weren't doing too good so my friends and I wanted to pay you a visit!" Applebloom answered.

"The innocence of a filly, got to live it," Archimedes thought.
"Well! Much appreciated Applejack. Where can I find your brother? I have to thank him too," Archimedes asked.
"Oh! We can take you! Cutie Mark Crusaders Escort Service!" the three fillies yelled happily.
"Innocence… Just stay innocent," Archimedes thought, Applejack throwing him a confused and nervous look. Archimedes smiled wearily before three pairs of hooves grabbed him and pulled him along. Applejack turned her head, watching as Archimedes was being dragged away before sighing.
"Good luck sugarcube. It was supposed to just be me… So I could tell you…"

"Alright soldiers! The princess has given us specific orders and we must not fail! Equestria could fall if we fail our task!" Shining Armor barked. Standing before him were twenty of his most trusted generals, each one reading over the orders that Princess Celestia had given Shining Armor.
"Sir… we're to hold within the shielded area of Canterlot?" one of the generals asked.
"What about Ponyville? According to the orders, we're leaving pulling everypony out of Ponyville and herding them here. Won't that cause a class warfare?" another general asked. Shining Armor sighed.
"I don't think it's the best plan either but it's the princess's orders and we must obey," Shining Armor replied.
"Permission to speak sir?" one general asked, Shining Armor giving him the go ahead.
"What about the Elements of Harmony? Couldn't they essentially hold the line at Ponyville with a few additional supporting troops?" the general asked.
"Would you like to question the princess's plan to her face? I'm the one who has to ask her whatever suggestions are given to me," Shining Armor snapped.

"Forgive me captain," the general apologized.
"No, forgive me. I've been under a lot of stress lately and also knowing my sister lives in Ponyville… well it's just hard for me to think what she'll say. She loves it there and I'm sure she'll do anything to defend it," Shining Armor sighed.
"Wait you don't know?" Silver Wings chuckled, appearing behind Shining Armor. The generals and soldiers in the room quickly drew their weapons and pointed them towards Silver Wings.
"Why is it every time I appear I'm threatened?" Silver Wings chuckled.
"As I was saying, you mean you don't know your sister's current condition? She'll die somewhere between a few weeks to three months," Silver Wings smirked. Shining Armor snapped. Grabbing Silver Wings by the neck, he began to choke the pegasus.
"Don't believe me? Ask Celestia about Jagged Decay. Chrysalis' mark," Silver Wings chuckled before he bucked Shining Armor off of him and vanished.

"Captain! Are you okay?" one of the generals asked, Shining Armor nodding before getting back up on his hooves.
"Pardon me, I need to speak with the princess," the unicorn spoke before leaving the room.
"You trust the Stalker's word?" one of the generals called out.
"They've been right about nearly everything so far…" Shining Armor muttered.

Stand or Flee

Chapter 17 - Stand or Flee

"Twilight? Oh please Twilight hang in there!"
Spike's voice rang in Twilight's ears, the lavender unicorn slowly come to. Her head was throbbing and it felt like a manticore had pierced through her chest and was slowly contorting her insides. Groaning in pain, Twilight felt a relaxing cold sensation on her forehead. Slowly opening her eyes, she found Spike and Pinkie Pie hovering over her, worried expressions on their faces.
"Wha… How long have I been out?" Twilight asked.
"About a day and a half," Spike replied, picking up a warm bowl of soup that Pinkie Pie had made earlier. Feeling quite hungry and parched, Twilight eagerly accepted the food, not even protesting when Spike began to feed her.
"How are you feeling Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, concerned for her friend's current state of mind and health. Twilight cringed, a sharp pain shooting through her body as she slowly tried to sit up.

"Horrible. I feel like somepony is slowly twisting my internals with an eggbeater," Twilight moaned, suddenly lurching forward. Acting quick, Spike grabbed a nearby trash bin and handed it to Twilight, allowing the unicorn to throw up. Pinkie Pie shuddered at the sight before looking at Twilight with sympathy.
"How much longer do you think I have?" Twilight asked, all hope gone from her voice.
"Twilight Sparkle! You can't be thinking like that! Never give up hope! Think about what we still have to do! The fate of Equestria lies in our hooves!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, shocked and saddened by her friend's depression.
"It lies in YOUR hooves now," Twilight sighed, Pinkie Pie's ears drooped.
"Twilight, this isn't like you. You never give up hope!" Spike protested, the unicorn ignoring the dragon's protest.
"If your so dead set on the thought that you're going to die, then why not make the best out of the remaining time? Help save Equestria," Silver Wings spoke, stepping out from the shadows of one of the corners Twilight's bedroom.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked, feeling her stomach begin to churn again.
"The name is Silver Wings. And I am quite aware of your current predicament," Silver Wings replied.
"As we speak now, Sven, Fluttershy, and Rarity are making their way back to Ponyville after a less than stellar reuniting with Sven's mother. Fact of the matter is that during this war, Celestia will require all ponies to take refuge in Canterlot, leaving Ponyville defenseless. You'll have to choose. Follow the orders of your teacher or stand and fight for Ponyville. All I can say is that from my observations, the citizens will flee to Canterlot. Applejack will stay behind with Big Mac. Rarity will be torn so you'll have to convince her. Pinkie Pie will most definitely stay behind just like Fluttershy," Silver Wings spoke gravely. Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie were shocked.
"Wait, how do you know this?" Twilight asked.
"I was there in your mentor's study, I offered help but apparently paying me isn't the most honorable thing," Silver Wings replied, shrugging before trotting over to a window.

"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie will stay behind. Rarity will need coaxing. And you have your own choice. There is a good chance that you could persuade your friends to flee with you and rebuild after the battle. You can flee to Canterlot under the orders of your mentor or you can stand and fight along side Sven," Silver Wings spoke softly, flying out the window. Eyes turned to Twilight.
"What does he mean?" Spike asked, suddenly belching and a letter appearing in his small claws.
"Princess Celestia?" Twilight muttered aloud as she noticed the royal seal.
"What does it say Spike?" Pinkie Pie asked, her curiosity growing rapidly. Clearing his throat, Spike unrolled the scroll and began to read:

My Faithful Student Twilight,

As you are aware, war is brewing quickly with the Changelings. Unfortunately for us, our time is counting down very quickly. Your brother has reported the positions of various Changeling camps that surround Canterlot and Ponyville. With our current resources and soldiers available, we will not be able to withstand a full frontal assault by the Changelings. It is with great regret that I will call all the citizens of Ponyville to retreat to Canterlot where Shining Armor will hold his protective shield spell over the city while our guards defend various points. The mayor of Ponyville has been informed and I will be sending a small squadron of Royal Guards to help with the evacuation. I am truly sorry for this decision but my military advisors and I agreed it was the most effective solution. Ponyville will be able to rebuild after the battle but I would like to try and avoid as many casualties as possible.

Her Royal Highness,
Princess Celestia of Equestria

Twilight and Pinkie Pie looked at each other, shocked by the princess's decision.
"I won't leave Ponyville," Pinkie Pie said firmly, determination in her eyes.
"But Pinkie, we have to go, it's Princess Celestia's orders," Twilight weakly protested.
"Twilight, Pinkie's family and home is here, it's quite understandable why she'd want to stay behind," Spike piped up, Pinkie Pie nodding in agreement.
"I won't sit back idly and watch as my home gets destroyed, nor the homes of any other pony," Pinkie Pie spoke. The sound of a carriage landing drew Twilight's attention towards the window, Rarity being dropped off while Fluttershy and Sven landed softly.
"Does Fluttershy know? She should know about this," Pinkie Pie murmured, Spike nodding in agreement. Twilight could feel the pain in her chest slowly begin to increase once again.
"Spike, why don't you go tell Fluttershy, I'm sure Pinkie Pie can handle me for a while," Twilight groaned, flopping back into her bed and cringing slightly.

Spike was about to protest before a pink hoof was raised in front of him. Pinkie Pie looked at Spike with an assuring smile and motioned for him to go. Reluctantly, the purple dragon finally left the library, the sounds of his sister in pain still ringing in ears while the sounds of Pinkie Pie's bouncing around the room to fetch various supplies was easily heard by all.
"Fluttershy! Wait! I need to tell you something! It's important!" Spike cried out, noticing Fluttershy and Sven slowly trotting away. The duo stopped and turned to find the dragon panting to quickly catch his breath after sprinting. Rarity had also overheard the commotion and joined the hearing. Spike quickly filled the three in on Princess Celestia's plan and the evacuation of Ponyville, watching carefully for Fluttershy's and Rarity's reactions.
"Evacuate Ponyville?! What in Equestria possessed her to come up with that solution?!" Rarity exclaimed, obviously not happy with Princess Celestia's plan.
"But…but my babies are here! They'll be defenseless if I leave them! What if they get sick? Or hurt? Or even worse!" Fluttershy exclaimed, fearing for her animal friends' lives.

"My thoughts exactly," Sven grunted, trudging off towards Fluttershy's cottage.
"Spike, is there anyway you can tell Twilight that all of us need to have a meeting? Please?" Fluttershy asked, the purple dragon nodding before sprinting off back to the library. Rarity turned to Fluttershy, worry filling her eyes.
"Dear Fluttershy! What are we going to do? I can't possibly leave the boutique nor Ponyville knowing that it'll be destroyed! And I'm quite sure you can't either!" Rarity exclaimed, the canary yellow pegasus nodding in agreement.
"Oh, but the rest of the town, we can't defend everything," Fluttershy sniffed, saddened by the thought.
"Well Spike said he'd talk to Twilight about setting up a meeting with the others so we can express our dissatisfaction with Celestia's plan there!" Rarity replied, giving Fluttershy a reassuring hug. The two mares parted ways, both waiting for the meeting to be called and their own fate to be decided.

"What?!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash both yelled incredulously after hearing the letter Princess Celestia sent to Twilight. The mane six had gathered once again in the library after hours to discuss their plan of action. While a few ponies had already been evacuated, more would leave the next day.
"There's no bucking way I'm leaving Ponyville abandoned! This is my home!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily.
"I agree with RD! Ain't no way I'm going to let my farm get ravished without a fight!" Applejack agreed, slamming her hoof on the ground firmly. Twilight was mentally keeping her shock suppressed. She knew that her friends would be against the plan but she didn't think they'd react this intensely.
"Fluttershy, what do you think about all this nonsense?" Applejack asked, her emerald eyes turning to Fluttershy.
"I…I don't want to leave my babies alone. They'll be defenseless," the pegasus weakly squeaked, her eyes now turning to Rarity.
"I'll send Sweetie Belle to Canterlot but I'm not going to let my home be destroyed by some ruffians," Rarity spoke, keeping her cool nature but suppressing her own anger; Rainbow Dash slowly moved behind Applejack just in case though.

"And me too! I'm not going to abandon Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie Pie added. Spike suddenly re-entered the library, Vex, Aurora, Archimedes, Strings, and Sven trailing behind him.
"I brought them, I thought it'd be best for them to know too," Spike informed, walking into the kitchen to get drinks and food for the guests.
"I'm staying," Archimedes immediately spoke, eyes turned to the eye-patch and hat wearing stallion.
"Sugarcube, you don't have to-" Applejack began before she was cut off.
"The farm is important to you Applejack, it's your home. It's starting to slowly feel like a place I might hopefully consider a place of safe haven. And I'll stay and fight," Archimedes replied determinedly.
"I'd like to stay behind as well, I may not be that great at combat but I'm potent with healing thanks to Zecora," Strings spoke, "I can heal and treat wounds to anypony." Twilight was unsure of how to even try and persuade her friends and the ShadowHawks to flee with her to Canterlot, their determination would make her request sound so inconsiderate. Perhaps logic was on her side?

"W-w-we're going to stay too," Vex weakly spoke, Rarity approaching the mare with concern.
"Darling, you don't have to stay, you could be safe in Canterlot," Rarity assured. Vex shook her head.
"N-n-no Rarity, you showed my sister and I great generosity by taking us in and caring for us. Now it's our turn to repay you," the pegasus replied.
"You know my answer, I'm staying and fighting. Just like tradition," Sven muttered, cracking his neck.
"What tradition?" Archimedes asked, eyes now falling on Sven.
"It's nothing. Just a silly little thing I follow," Sven quickly replied, averting his eyes, now focusing on Fluttershy.
"I don't like the thought of abandoning Ponyville as much as any of you but I seriously think that we should consider holding up in Canterlot," Twilight spoke cautiously, aware of the passively restrained anger that was emitting from Rainbow Dash and Applejack..

"Why in tarnation would you want to flee?!" Applejack yelled.
"I'm just saying that even if all of us stay and fight, there's an ARMY that's going to swamp through Ponyville to get to Canterlot! It's eleven versus who knows how many," Twilight replied.
"Sorry Twi, but I ain't budging," Applejack snapped.
"She's right Twilight! And I'm staying too, forget trying to convince me!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Twilight's attention turned to Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy, you've got to see that if you stay behind, you'll be killed! We could move your animal friends to Canterlot too, there's plenty of room in the garden," Twilight weakly tried to convince.
"But we can't possibly get ALL of them. I couldn't live with myself knowing that one of them got left behind," Fluttershy whimpered, "I'm sorry Twilight, I'm going to have to stay behind too."
"Rarity…" Twilight began.
"Send Sweetie Belle to Canterlot first. I'm still not so sure yet," the alabaster unicorn spoke, massaging her temples with her hooves.

"Twi, you've got to realize that the majority of us aren't going to abandon Ponyville. This is our home and where we were raised. It's too hard on us to abandon it," Applejack sighed, placing a hoof over Twilight's shoulder. Twilight was about to speak before a sharp pain rushed through her body, causing her to collapse and cring.
"Spike! Get the bucket!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, the purple dragon quickly running over with the metal can.
"It's okay, I'm not going to throw up this time," Twilight assured, pushing the bucket away gently before standing up again.
"Twilight, out of all of us, YOU'D better go to Canterlot. Not just because you're the most talented unicorn we know and Celestia's most faithful student, but because YOU'RE DYING. I'm sure your parents would absolutely love to see you, yet alone know about your current predicament," Rarity spoke. A knock on the door soon drew the attentions of the ponies inside the library.
"Come in, it's open!" Twilight called out, the door creaking open and Silver Wings trotting inside.

"You again!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, Silver Wings smiled before turning his attention to Sven.
"Well, well, well. We meet again," Silver Wings smiled, bowing his head courteously, Sven following suit.
"So it seems Silver. What brings you here now? Shouldn't you be looting or treasure hunting somewhere else?" Sven asked, anger hidden in his words.
"Well after war here, there might be some profit. But nonetheless, I have come for you actually. Do you really think you can hold against the Changeling army?" Silver Wings asked, "Your team doesn't even remember anything and will easily be killed." Sven nodded, understanding the likely outcome of the actions of him and his ex-team.
"I believe we know the cost of our decisions. As tradition, I will fight. What about you? Will you flee?" Sven growled, turning his head away from Silver Wings.
"Of course not. I came to ask if you wanted a fighting partner," Silver Wings smiled. Sven's eyes widened as he whipped around, staring at the pegasus.

"Why would you want to fight along side me?" Sven asked.
"Well, I haven't had an adrenaline rush like the battles we fought in ever since I left with my brother, who is now dead. I figured that as long as I wanted that rush back, I'll fight along side my old leader," Silver Wings chuckled, extending a hoof towards Sven. Grinning widely, Sven shook Silver Wings' hoof.
"Hope you've been practicing. Can't have any squad member new OR ex being out of shape. Not on my watch!" Sven laughed, Silver Wings smiled.
"We'll have to wait and see. Hopefully YOU can catch up," the pegasus grinned, "By the way, don't you think you should spend a rather 'pleasurable" night with a certain mare in this room?" Sven blushed widely as his eyes quickly shot to Fluttershy and then back to Silver Wings.
"I knew it."

"How many have been evacuated?" Princess Celestia asked, four royal guards approaching the Sun Goddess.
"Almost half of Ponyville has been evacuated. The Elements of Harmony and the ShadowHawks appear to be waiting for the last civilian to leave," one of the guards reported. Princess Celestia nodded, her eyes now falling onto the map of the battlefield that was spread across her desk.
"Your Majesty, permission to speak freely?" the third guard asked, Princess Celestia granted him the request.
"What if the Elements of Harmony choose to stay behind? I think all of the guards and Royal Guards know that the ShadowHawks are most likely to stay behind and fight, but what of the mares? What if they choose to stay as well?" the guard asked. Princess Celestia sighed and slowly made her way to her balcony, looking at Ponyville.
"If they refuse to move… take them by force," she spoke firmly.
"By force?" another guard asked.
"We can't afford to lose the Elements of Harmony at a crucial time like this. As much as it pains me to imagine, take them by force, conscious or unconscious and by any method necessary," Princess Celestia ordered. The guards bowed and left.

The mane six had split up, the mares and their guests returning to their homes.

Rarity trotted slowly back to the boutique, Vex and Aurora in tail. The thoughts that swirled around the unicorn's mind as a result of the meeting was giving the dress maker a harsh headache.
"Something wrong?" Aurora asked.
"Nothing dear, just a small headache. All that talk about abandonment and fleeing, you know how I over think sometimes," Rarity replied with an assuring smile.
"I can make dinner if you want to rest," Vex weakly offered.
"That… I might actually take you up on that offer," Rarity sighed, massaging her temples as the trio reached the fashionable boutique. Opening the door, Rarity and the two sisters gasped in horror. Furniture laid broken and scattered across the floor, mirrors were shattered, mannequins were thrown across the room while scraps of fabrics and strings littered the place.
"We've been robbed!" Rarity screamed.
"I got it!" Sweetie Belle's voice rang through the room, the filly running past the door while chasing a feral Opalescence.

"So it was the cat?" Vex wondered aloud, Rarity simply face hoofed and trotting inside.
"Opal dear! Calm down!" Rarity yelled, the cat suddenly stopping and walking over to her bed.
"Well! Since when did she ever listen to me like that?" Rarity wondered aloud, baffled by the outcome. Sighing heavily, the unicorn looked at her boutique and the huge mess.
"We can take care of this, go and rest in the tub or something perhaps. Vex will call you when dinner is ready," Aurora assured, nudging Rarity towards the stairs. Sweetie Belle was about to offer her assistance before the dress maker picked her up with her magic and dragged her away. Giggling at the sight, the two sisters turned around, looking at the mess before beginning their job.

"What do you mean I got to go to Canterlot?! I wanna stay too!" Applebloom pouted.
"Applebloom, there's no time for you to start protesting. Go and pack your things now!" Applejack yelled, she had been arguing with her sister for the past ten minutes and her patience was hanging by a thread. Frightened by her sister's sudden rage caused the filly to scamper up to her room and quickly begin packing her belongings. She had seen what Applejack looked like when she was angry and she definitely didn't want to see that again. Sighing heavily, Applejack turned to her brother, Big Macintosh.
"Big Mac, you got to make sure Granny Smith and Applebloom make it to Canterlot safely. Okay? I don't want to hear any nonsense about you staying behind too," Applejack spoke firmly, causing her bigger brother to nod in agreement quickly.
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied, slowly trotting upstairs to get Granny Smith. Sighing heavily , Applejack sank her flank down into the soft green cushions of a nearby sofa. Tossing her Stetson aside, the orange mare begin to wonder how her older brother would even break the news that she'd been killed by Changelings to Applebloom after this whole ordeal was over.
"I can't think like that! There's a possibility that it won't happen! … Aw shucks, who am I kidding…"

"SWEETIE BELLE, PACK YOUR THINGS IMMEDIATELY!" Rarity screamed, scaring her sister so much that she began to cry as she ran to her room. Huffing heavily, Rarity massaged her temples, the migraine she had obtained during the meeting at Twilight's library was getting worse and Sweetie Belle's protests and complaints of not wanting to leave and stay instead were driving her insane.
"Rarity? Is everything alright?" Aurora called from downstairs. Sighing and sinking lower into the warm waters of her bathtub, Rarity called out and insisted that she was fine, just a little argument with her sister. Vex soon trotted inside, still embarrassed for seeing Rarity in the tub.
"Um… W-w-would you like some h-h-help washing your b-back?" she stuttered, her wings slowly beginning to unfurl.
"Sure dearie, that'd be lovely!" Rarity exclaimed, somewhat happy at the thought before motioning for Vex to join her in the tub. Still blushing, Vex slowly approached Rarity, slipping into the tub and allowing the warmth of the water to send a pleasing sensation through her.

Nearly slipping, Vex used her wings to help push her back up. Moving gently behind Rarity, she began to rub the alabaster's back with the lavender soap.
"Wow Rarity, your skin is so soft!" Vex gasped in amazement.
"Thank you dearie! I always make sure I use the best of products and tips for my skin!" Rarity smiled warmly.
"Rarity… I feel light headed…" Vex suddenly began to swoon, the unicorn quickly grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Rarity asked, concern in her voice.
"I think it may just be the heat… I'm not that good with dealing hot temperatures," Vex replied ashamed.
"That's okay darling! Here, I can add some colder water to counter the warmth," Rarity smiled, reaching for the knob.
"Oh no! What about your warm bath though?" Vex asked.
"It's nothing darling, I can take these anytime! I just want to make sure you're okay for now," Rarity smiled. Nodding hesitantly, Vex allowed the colder water to mix with the warmth, soon resulting in a calming lukewarm water.

It was only now that Rarity noticed Vex slowly starting to fall asleep, most likely due to the temperature. Smiling, she watched as the pegasus soon fell asleep, leaning her head against the wooden walls while the water moved gently at every small movement she made. Using her magic, Rarity lifted the mare out of the tub and dried her off before taking her up to her bed.
"Such a sweet mare. I can only wonder when she learns the truth…" Rarity thought, letting the idea and scenario play out in her mind. Shaking her head, the mare turned and trotted out the door, gently closing it shut.

"What are you going to do?" Sven asked, sitting across from Fluttershy at a mahogany wood table. The two had been sitting in silence for the past twenty minutes, Fluttershy's animal friends watching from the threshold of the kitchen.
"I don't know. I don't want to leave them all behind," Fluttershy sighed, resting her head on the table.
"There's bound to be casualties, not all of them will survive. I mean, not all of them will be safe, especially the larger animals," Sven spoke solemnly.
"I know, but I just can't bring myself to leave them," Fluttershy whimpered.
"Maybe you can request something to Princess Celestia?" Sven suggested, Fluttershy's eyes widened while a grin spread on her lips.
"That's a great idea Sven! I'll go talk to Twilight!" Fluttershy squealed happily, flying towards the door. Sven smiled as he watched the pegasus happily float away before sighing. Turning his eyes to the burning candle in the center of the table, he closed his eyes. Breathing in heavily, he exhaled slowly, the flickering flame threatening to die.
"Fluttershy… if we stay, we'll all die."

"Spike? Are you here?" Fluttershy called out quietly as she softly pushed the library door open. The purple dragon soon emerged from the kitchen, a ruby cupcake in hand and waved.
"Hey Fluttershy, how are you?" Spike asked, motioning for his guest to follow him inside.
"I'm doing fine, thank you. How about yourself?" Fluttershy replied, slowly following the dragon.
"Still working on taking care of Twilight, it really worries me. Water?" Spike asked, Fluttershy shaking her head.
"Oh my. I'm sorry. Actually I came because I was wondering if you could send a letter for me," Fluttershy spoke. Explaining her thoughts to Spike, the purple dragon nodded, quickly writing the message down and sending it away in a puff of green flame.
"Oh thank you Spike! How about I watch out for Twilight for a while? You can take a break and stretch out," Fluttershy suggested, the dragon nodding in agreement before saying goodbye. Fluttershy watched as the dragon left the library before trotting upstairs to check on the unicorn.

"Twilight? Are you here?" Fluttershy called out quietly, poking her head into the lavender unicorn's room. Spotting the lump that rested quietly in the bed, the pegasus quietly flew up next to her friend. Looking at the beads of sweat that trickled down the mare's face, Fluttershy sighed and reached for a nearby cloth before a hoof touched her wing. Turning around, Fluttershy found Twilight weakly breathing, with a dazed expression as she weakly pulled on the pegasus' wing.
"Fluttershy… please tell me you'll go… I don't… want to see anypony… hurt… or worse…" Twilight panted before passing out her hoof limply drooping off the side of her bed. Fluttershy let Twilight's words stir in her mind for a moment before quietly repositioning Twilight and wiping her forehead.
"Okay Twilight. I will."

"You're staying Pinkie?!" Mr. and Mrs. Cake exclaimed in shock. The energetic pink pony bounced up and down, nodding vigorously.
"Yep! This is my home and I'll stay behind to defend it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, suddenly producing a camouflaged army helmet and war paint out of thin air.
"But what about the kids? They need someone to make them smile during this war. If hope is lost and happiness fades… then we've already lost," Mr. Cake spoke. Pinkie Pie froze, she hadn't thought about that yet. While she was all caught up in her stand against the Changelings, she forgot about the joy and happiness she brought others, something she'd be throwing away for her own foolish and selfish desire. Sighing, Pinkie Pie took off her helmet.
"I didn't think about that. How foolish of me… I've made up my mind! If morale is what we need, then I'll go to Canterlot with everypony! Smiles everypony! Smiles!"

Rainbow Dash sat on her cloud bed, glancing around her home. The white fluffy clouds that kept her cool during the summer and fairly warm during the winter was comforting to her. Her pictures of the Wonderbolts and old drawings as a filly were still plastered around the place, though her pictures drawn as a filly were hidden in a box. Her Best Young Flyer award rested in a glass frame. A picture of her and her best friends hung over her bed. Sighing, the pegasus sank deeply into her bed.
"All this. This is all probably going to be lost. Stupid war," Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. Deciding that she wanted a bite to eat, the cyan mare made her way to her kitchen, finding Silver Wings sitting in the same chair and drinking some water.
"Hello," the stallion greeted nonchalantly. Rainbow Dash only stared at the stallion, her eye twitching on the fact that he had once again got into her home and was eating or drinking.
"How do you keep getting in here?" Rainbow Dash asked, trotting over to her fridge and rummaging around.
"You leave a window open all the time, didn't you realize?" Silver Wings smiled, pointing to an open circular window that resided above the sink.

"Oh… I should fix that," Rainbow Dash muttered, mentally slapping herself.
"Nah, you're fine. How else am I going to get back in here anyway? By the way, you're running low on cereal and muffins," Silver Wings informed. Rainbow Dash turned to her cabinets, sure enough, she was running out.
"Jeez, I wonder how THAT happened," she muttered.
"I have no clue. So back to the more important topic, I assume I'll see you in the skies?" Silver Wings replied.
"I'm not backing down from this fight. I'm Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly, almost as if she was insulted that her loyalty and dedication to protect her home was being questioned.
"No need to get your wings in a twist Rainbow, it was just an honest question," Silver Wings smiled, trotting over to the mare. Extending his hoof, a competitive grin spread across his face.
"Bet you I can take down more than you can before going down."
"You're on!"

Editing Notes

Hey dudes! So all the other chapters I am aware have errors whether they be grammatical or something just plain stupid. Thanks to Helloman892 for helping me edit the previous chapters! I'm going to be uploading the newly edited chapters as quick as I can, mainly because there's been some... incidents... in my suite and we're all being pulled into the punishment. T_T. Once again, updates will be slower and new chapters will be updated later. Last time, shout out to Helloman892 for helping. Thanks dude!

Repo Ponies

Chapter 18 - Repo Ponies

NOTICE - I'm really tired. The past few weeks have been hell, staying up till 5:30 to study and write papers... This chapter... will probably not be good. Just a warning

"Twilight Sparkle?" a deep voice called out from the entrance of the library. Hearing the strange voice, Spike quickly peered from a crack in Twilight's bedroom door to try and identify the source; a Royal Guard. Reporting back to the ailed unicorn, Twilight simply told him to see what the pegasus wanted before passing out again. Scurrying down the wooden steps, Spike quickly met the stallion at the front.
"Yes? Can I help you?" Spike questioned.
"I'm here to retrieve Twilight Sparkle by the orders of Princess Celestia. We have a carriage waiting to take her to the court," the Royal Guard replied. Nodding in understanding, Spike motioned for the pegasus to enter the library, closing and locking the door behind him. Hurrying upstairs, the purple dragon woke the unicorn once again, informing her of the stallion's purpose. Slowly nodding in understanding, she told Spike to bring the guard up to her room. Unsure of why Twilight needed the guard to be in her room, he approached the guard.

"Twilight wants to talk to you but unfortunately because of Chrysalis, she can't leave her bed without practically collapsing. Follow me please," Spike spoke, motioning for the pegasus to follow him up the steps. As soon as the guard entered the mare's room, Twilight asked Spike to leave, much to the little dragon's surprise. As soon as the door was closed, Twilight directed her attention towards the guard.
"Have you talked to my friends?" Twilight meekly asked, coughing harshly. The guard shook his head in reply, explaining that she was first on the list according to Princess Celestia before attention was directed to the other Elements of Harmony.
"But they'll be evacuated right? I couldn't live with myself knowing that they're down here while we're secure in Canterlot.
"My orders are to retrieve you and bring you to Princess Celestia for a discussion. There are others who are evacuating other ponies here and I'm sure that your friends are being evacuated as well," the guard explained.

"What about the ShadowHawks?" the unicorn questioned, receiving the same answer from the stallion. Nodding in approval, Twilight called for Spike. When the little dragon poked his head inside the room, Twilight smiled.
"Spike, pack your things. We're heading to Canterlot."

"Rarity?" Vex weakly called out, peering into a dark room. Inside, she caught a glimpse of the alabaster mare sitting on her bed, talking to herself.
"Um… Rarity?" Vex asked, approaching the unicorn slowly. As she drew near, she could barely make out the incoherent stream of words and spoken thoughts.
"Leave…. but then…. Sweetie Belle….Boutique….other hoof….the…. worst…
Changelings….friends…. Ponyville…."
Slowly closing the door, Vex quietly trotted away back to the kitchen where she was making some warm soup. Her sister, fast asleep upstairs was unaware of her younger sister's exploration. While Vex continued her cooking, she failed to notice four white stallions approaching the boutique's entrance. A loud bang brought her attention towards the front door.

"Who's there?" Vex asked quietly.
"Royal Guards, we're here to retrieve Rarity Belle, Element of Generosity. Orders of Princess Celestia herself," a booming voice replied. Unsure of what to do, Vex slowly cracked the door open only to meet the intense eyes of two Royal Guards. Squeaking in fear, she slammed the door shut and ran away. Outside, the Royal Guards looked at each other, confused by the mare's reaction. A few moments later, Rarity appeared at the door, her mane messy and small bags beneath her eyes.
"How can I help you?" she asked, her voice hinting sleepiness.
"Rarity Belle, we're here to take you to Canterlot, orders of Princess Celestia herself," one of the Royal Guards replied. Nodding in understanding Rarity stared at the stallions.
"Take my sister first, then I'll consider coming with you," the mare spoke. Nodding, the Royal Guards accepted a confused young mare.
"Wait, Rarity! Where am I going?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused.
"You're going to Canterlot, don't make this difficult," Rarity replied, giving her sister an assuring nudge out the door. After watching Sweetie Belle depart safely to the sophisticated city, Rarity eventually agreed to be taken away.

However, before she took a step out of her boutique, she turned towards the guards.
"What of my friends? Vex and Aurora," she asked, worried for her guests.
"We're just here to get you. I'm sure that others will come by to pick up your ShadowHawk friend," one of the guards replied, keeping a strong poker face. Still slightly unsure, Rarity allowed the Royal Guards to escort her away. Turning around as she stepped onto the pegasus carriage, she took a longing look at her boutique.
"Goodbye… hopefully we'll see each other again," she whispered softly, a tear sliding down her cheek. Vex poked her head outside watching Rarity be taken away. Sudden overcome with fear, she rapidly began to chase after the ascending carriage.
"Wait! Rarity! Please don't leave us!" she cried out. The alabaster mare had to take deep breaths, struggling not to cry and turn to see Vex running after her, like a filly to their mother.

"Mom!"
Rarity's eyes shot open, tears pouring from the purple orbs as she turned around, and trying to reach out to Vex.
"Vex!" she cried out now trying to leap out of the carriage.
"Hold her!" one of the Royal Guards ordered, one of the stallions grabbing Rarity and holding her in place as the carriage began to gain altitude
"Let me go you ruffian!" Rarity yelled, struggling to break free while keeping eye contact with Vex.
"Get the other one!" the Royal Guard ordered, two of the pegasi stallions flying back and striking Vex in the chest, knocking her over and into the dirt.
"No!" Rarity screamed, watching the guards knock Vex out with two heavy kicks, one to the side of the temple and another to her chest. After the two pegasi guards were sure that the ShadowHawk was unconscious they laughed and kicked her off the road before zipping back to the carriage.

Rarity now lay limp in one of the guard's hooves, sobbing profusely.
"You monsters!" she cried, weakly hitting the stallion that held her firmly in his grasp. Looking at his comrades, he nodded solemnly before wrapping his hooves around Rarity's neck. Feeling the sudden aggressive motion, Rarity began to kick and fight. However, her efforts were in vain as two other stallions grabbed her hind hooves and her vision slowly began to go black as the choker's grip tightened.

"This one's going to be difficult. The Princess has already received her request for her animals but from what I've heard from the others, she'll be easy, yet hard," a Royal Guard spoke to three of his squad mates, the four of them standing outside of Fluttershy's cottage.
"What do you mean?" One of the stallions asked.
"She's a push over but when it comes to her animals…" the leader began before the wood door slowly opened. A sweet yellow pegasus stood nervously in the threshold while an angry looking white rabbit sat on her back.
"I-I-I-I'm ready…"

"Big Mac, you take care of those two," Applejack called out ,watching Big Macintosh, Applebloom and Granny Smith being carried away in the pegasus carriage to Canterlot. Turning her attention to the remaining three Royal Guards, she smiled politely at them.
"Sorry fellas but I ain't budging from here. Ya'll can go and get some other pony," Applejack spoke, turning to leave before a hoof was placed on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Element of Honesty, but our orders are to evacuate the Elements of Harmony by any means possible. You'll HAVE to come with us to Canterlot," the stallion explained. Glaring back at the stallion, Applejack brushed the hoof off her shoulder.
"Sorry, I told ya'll that I ain't budging. Goodbye now," Applejack firmly replied.
"Get her," one of the Royal Guards spoke, two of the stallion's suddenly grabbing Applejack. Surprised at the sudden lunge, Applejack began to kick wildly.
"What in tarnation?! Let go of me!" she yelled, kicking as hard as she could. Her efforts were in vain, the three stronger stallion's quickly overpowering her and pinning her to the ground before bringing over some rope to bind her. Screaming wildly, Applejack tried to get somepony's attention.

"Help!" she cried out, her voice reaching nopony while her hooves being bound together while she continued to kick violently.
"Put me down and untie me ya varmints!" she yelled angrily, tears starting to slowly drip from the corners of her apple green eyes.
"Forgive us Element of Honesty, we must follow our orders," the lead stallion apologized, receiving a harsh glare from Applejack.
"Apology not accepted!" she yelled, still kicking violently in hopes of breaking her bonds. Sighing, the stallions picked up the struggling mare and began making their way to an empty carriage.
"No! Put me down! No! No!" Applejack screamed, thrashing around even more violently. Despite all her efforts, her energy was starting to drain quickly and her strength began to leave her.
"Put me down gosh darn it! I want to stay and protect my home!" she cried out. The carriage door was closed locked. The wooden wheels began to turn. The farm became as quiet as a graveyard.

Another group of four Royal Guards had arrived outside of Sugarcube Corner.
"Alright, our target is the Element of Laughter. She's very energetic and may have surprises planned for us. Be ready to retrieve by force," the leader spoke firmly.
"Ready!" Pinkie Pie's voice suddenly boomed from behind the four. Whipping around, the stallions found the energetic pink party pony all packed and bouncing up and down in the carriage.
"How did she do that?!" one of the Royal Guards exclaimed.
"Ours is not to question why, ours is but to… I have no clue how she did it and now that's starting to bother me too. Good job," the leader muttered, two of the guards hopping in on both sides of the carriage, sandwiching Pinkie Pie while the leader hooked the himself and the fourth Royal Guard up to the carriage and began to trot away.

Meanwhile in Everfree Forest, Silver Wings had brought Sven and Archimedes to a familiar cave.
"Huh, never thought I'd be back here," Sven chuckled, glancing about and the rock structure and the small pools of muddy water on the ground. Trotting over to a large carved stone table, he slowly brushed his hoof over the surface.
"It's been some time," Sven chuckled.
"What is this place?" Archimedes asked, curious as he began to look around as well. Sven turned to Silver Wings.
"So what's the plan? Why'd you bring us here?" Sven asked, trotting back over towards Silver Wings. The pegasus glanced around the dimly lit cave before smiling.
"Well, I figured that we should at least reminisce a little before we all go out," Silver Wings chuckled. Grinning, Sven chuckled at the thought.
"Fair point. I haven't looked at this place ever since I became leader. It's more pretty than I last remember," Sven smiled.

"Perhaps that would be because last time you were here, they were torturing Fluttershy and threatening to kill her," Silver Wings grimly smiled, "After all, that's the famous story of how their leader came to be."
"Wait, this went public? Why wasn't I informed of that?!" Sven exclaimed.
"Who knows, explains why you didn't get many new members," Silver Wings smirked.
"Yeah, yeah, shut up. So anyway, what's our plan of attack?" Sven asked. Pulling out a map of Ponyville, Silver Wings spread the paper across the large stone table. Curious, the other former ShadowHawks trotted over to listen.
"I see. So they're positioned there. The skies are open to you, Rayne, and Rainbow Dash. The ground however is the main place for defense," Sven muttered.
"While it would've been helpful to have Archimedes in the sky with me, I feel like we'd need him more on the ground. If he was able to fuse with Rayne again…" Silver Wings began before Sven cut him off.
"No. Remember what happened last time? We almost lost him. Even if he still remembered, I refuse to let that happen," Sven flatly stated. Nodding in understanding, Silver Wings suddenly diverted his attention to Sven.

"What about you? I understand Cruelty has been still with you in your mind. Perhaps a slip might be good in this case?" Silver Wings asked. Growling Sven shook his head.
"Black Wing Reconnaissance Squad. Didn't work out to well. I think I'll pass on the offer," Sven muttered.
"Fair enough. Well in that case we'll have to rely on your unique fighting style, standing on your back hooves was it?" Silver Wings asked, Sven nodding.
"What weapon would you have? Being a unicorn you have options don't you?" Silver Wings asked.
"I just want something to finish Chrysalis off," Sven growled.
"What about a sword? You had one before yes? Either that or the a Royal Guard spear?" Silver Wings asked. Sven thought for a moment before finally speaking.
"Both. You and I can use them to our advantage. Spears for you in the sky and a sword for swooping down. I can take the sword and some spears to hold a small line somewhere," Sven replied, pointing to various places on the map of Ponyville.

"Hey wait just a second, what about us? We want to help to!" Archimedes asked, Sven smirking at the outburst before turning to face the stallion.
"Hope you're good with killing things. Get ready for some up close and personal combat!" Sven laughed, suddenly rushing Archimedes and throwing a pulled punch to the stallion's face. Almost instinctively, Archimedes leaned back, grabbing Sven's hoof and pulling him forward before throwing a heavy kick with his back legs to Sven's gut, sending the unicorn back. Freezing in place he slowly rose back to his hooves.
"How did I do that?" he wondered aloud, looking at his own hooves. Silver Wings turned to Sven and smiled.
"Looks like we've got some work to do."

"Aw yeah, soon I'll be kicking some Changeling butt!" Rainbow Dash yelled proudly, thrusting her chest out while looking at herself in the mirror. Trotting around her cloud home, she chuckled, knowing that her naïve nature was only something to cover up for the horror that would befall her and the others who stayed behind. Sitting down on her bed, she pulled a framed picture of Fluttershy and her off the cloudy wall. Fluttershy's bright smile brought warmth and comfort to her heart.
"I can never undo what I did. And I don't deserve Shy," Rainbow sighed heavily. Suddenly, thoughts of her and Silver Wings slowly began to enter her mind. Shaking her rainbow mane around wildly, Rainbow Dash hung the picture back up.
"Heck, I don't even deserve that stallion, great in bed as he may be," Rainbow Dash chuckled, turning around to find Silver Wings smiling back at her.
"Why I'm flattered," the pegasus smiled while Rainbow Dash blushed furiously.

"S-sh-shouldn't you be out there with Sven and stuff?" Rainbow Dash stuttered, trying to regain her composure. Chuckling, Silver Wings approached Rainbow Dash, a strange eagerness in his eyes that did not go unnoticed by Rainbow Dash.
"Wait… what are you doing?" the prismatic mare asked, slowly backing up before she felt a rough push. Toppling over, Rainbow Dash found herself pinned to her bed, a hungry stallion atop of her.
"Wait, this isn't like you! Let me go!" Rainbow Dash yelled, fighting against Silver Wings. Grinning madly, the pegasus' eyes twinkled a different crystal light blue… almost like.
Gasping, Rainbow Dash began to struggle fiercely, screaming for help before a hoof slammed into her cheek. Trembling in fear, the pegasus looked up to the imposter, the pegasus body beginning to slowly dissolve away revealing a black coat with many holes. Screaming in horror, Rainbow Dash began to buck wildly, trying to remove the towering Changeling. Grinning wickedly, the Changeling soon wrapped it's forehooves around the mare's neck, slowly applying pressure. Gasps and chokes escaped Rainbow Dash's mouth, the mare sputtering and struggling to remove the choking force.

The Changeling watched with a sickening smile as Rainbow's Dash struggles began to weaken, her strength slowly failing while her eyes began to slowly close. Just as Rainbow Dash's vision began to blacken there was a sickening crack and the sounds of hooves rushing towards her. Rainbow Dash could feel her body being lifted up and lain across a muscular back before she finally passed out.

"Well what do you think?" Silver Wings asked, catching his breath after doing aerial combat practice with Archimedes and Vex.
"As long as Rayne is with him, he'll be able to fight in the air too. Vex's combat needs work though," Sven replied, noting down the weak points that both ponies had.
"Ultimately, Archimedes would fight well on ground and in the air. Preferably, the air since his agility is greatly increased thanks to Rayne. Vex seems to be more of a support but we need as much air combat as possible," Sven muttered, still knowing that the chances for all of their survival was essentially zero.
"Agreed, aerial combat would be a key factor to fighting back. How did you do with Aurora and Strings?" Silver Wings asked.
"Aurora is aggressive with her magic, that's no doubt. She could be a valuable asset on the field," Sven informed, suddenly motioning for Silver Wings to follow him. Excusing himself from Vex and Archimedes, the pegasus followed the unicorn to a corner in the cave.

"So what's going on?" Silver Wings asked in a hushed tone.
"He's too old. He needs that violin and the cursed magic to make him capable of fighting. Without that, his agility and strength are quite low and will most likely result in instant death," Sven replied sadly.
"I see," Silver Wings murmured, clearly shocked, "What do you suggest we do then?"
"I don't know," Sven sighed heavily, looking back at the elderly stallion who casually conversed with Aurora.
"I'd hate to see him go. But what can we do? Let him die out there?" Sven thought aloud.
"Send him to Canterlot. He'll be safer there," Silver Wings suggested. Seeing Sven begin to ponder the thought, Silver Wings tried to press the idea.
"Think about it, he'll be inside a city with a giant shield with thousands of Royal Guards," Silver Wings assured. Biting his lip, Sven glanced towards Strings and then back to Silver Wings.

"Alright, we'll do that. But what do we tell the others?" Sven asked.
"He had to go otherwise he would die a long and torturous death at the hands of the Changeling army?" Silver Wings suggested.
"And what if they break through? They broke through before during the Canterlot Wedding. Surely you remember that? We watched from the sides. He'll meet the same fate," Sven snapped. Silver Wings nodded in remembrance of the event.
"Then we end him here? Where neither war nor pony can touch his body. Only nature will be here to claim him," Silver Wings spoke.

Nodding in approval, Sven trotted over to Strings, telling the elderly Earth Pony to follow him back to Silver Wings. Oblivious to the plan at hand, Strings excused himself and bid Aurora goodbye before following the unicorn.
"What did you want?" Strings asked, looking at both Sven and Silver Wings. The two stallions looked at each other before motioning for Silver Wings to follow them even further into the darker parts of the cave. Unsure of what they were planning, Strings followed cautiously. When the darkness enveloped him completely, he called out.
"Sven? Silver Wings? Where did you two go?" the stallion called out, suddenly spotting a light gray glow in the distance. Slowly approaching it, a flash occurred, the small glow suddenly rapidly approaching the violinist. A sharp pain shot through Strings' body, he groaned and thrashed before collapsing, his heart slowly beating. The sounds of hooves approaching him caught his attention.

Before he was able to call out for help, three feathers ripped past his throat, cutting the flesh easily and allowing blood to pour out. Gargling on his own blood, Strings' vision slowly began to blacken. A sudden impact to his ribs caused him to cough harshly, spitting his blood forward. More strikes began to land on the ribs of Strings, his blood splattering everywhere as his head flailed helplessly. Finally, a large rock slowly approached him, engulfed in light grey magic before it was released. Before the boulder came falling down on him, his eyes flashed brightly, Sven slowing down the descent of the rock.
"I remember now," Strings spoke warmly before he felt his nose shatter, and then nothing at all. Sven and Silver Wings looked down at the bloody corpse of the once proud ShadowHawk. Silver Wings noticed Sven's distraught expression and placed a feather over his comrade.
"It had to be done," Silver Wings spoke solemnly, Sven nodding.
"I know. But it still hurts. I've been with this pony for a while and he's saved my flank more times than I can count. Seems like such a shame that it ends like this," Sven spoke, resuming his stoic expression before turning around.

"I understand. I'll return to Archimedes and Vex now," Silver Wings spoke, turning his gaze to the fallen ShadowHawk and bowing before trotting off. Sven followed slowly, not once turning back to look at his old friend. Deep in his heart, he could see Strings and him fighting side by side. The elderly stallion's smile and the music he produced from his wooden violin. Remembering the instrument, Sven almost turned back but stopped quickly. Frozen in place, his mind began to swirl with conversations and memories with Strings before a small smile spread across his lips. Slowly resuming his trot back to Aurora, he began to whistle a classical tune. As he stepped out of the darkness he could feel the warm smile from the old Strings, the proud stallion who fought along side him. No, not just a stallion whom he fought with; his friend.

"My sister has WHAT?!" Shining Armor yelled in disbelief and fury. Having confronted Princess Celestia in private, the Captain of the Guard had asked about his sister, though not revealing that Silver Wings had told him about her. After Princess Celestia had cautiously told him of what happened with Chrysalis, she waited for Shining Armor's reaction. A brief moment of silence fell before Shining Armor lashed out.
"Jagged Decay, it means that Twilight will endure excruciating and unimaginable pain for long periods of time before having a small moments of rest and recovery before it starts back up again," Princess Celestia explained carefully. Shining Armor took a moment to try and absorb the information, Princess Cadence placing a caring hoof over his back.
"But she'll get better right? It's not a permanent thing?" Shining Armor asked hopefully.
"I feel like I've explained this before," Princess Celestia mentally mused before replying.
"Eventually the pain will begin to affect her heart," Princess Celestia began, watching as Shining Armor's eye twitched, a response noted well by the sun goddess.
"But she'll be alright right? You can easily fix her up with your magic right?" Shining Armor asked, Princess Celestia shaking her head. She knew that if she tried to fly around the issue, Shining Armor would only get more angry. While straight forward responses were not often her favorite option, she had no choice.
"She'll die. Just like every other pony who has been cursed with the Jagged Decay," she spoke solemnly.

Shining Armor sat on his haunches, taking in the information before exploding into a rage. All the guards outside of Princess Celestia's private chambers could hear was the yelling of a stallion and the calm voice of the princess.
"Hey, Bronze. Think we should tell him that she's in the tower?" one of the guards asked. His partner shook his head violently.
"No way Drizzle. You've seen him mad before. Imagine how he'll react when he learns that his little sister is here too," Bronze replied.
"Wonder how the other Elements of Harmony will react to the princess. They were technically forced to come here," Drizzle wondered aloud.
"I heard that the farmer went kicking and they had to tie her up," Bronze murmured, "She's a feisty one. Wouldn't mind being with her."
"Eh, she's alright, I'd go for either of the two pegasus' or the white unicorn. That yellow pegasus though, man she's freaking cute," Drizzle grinned.
"Thinking of kinky things? Didn't think you were into that," Bronze chuckled. Before Drizzle had a chance to reply, the doors burst open and Shining Armor stomped out, clearly furious. Turning to the two guards, Shining Armor glared fiercely at them.

"Bronze! Drizzle! Where are the Elements of Harmony? They're most likely with my sister," Shining Armor asked angrily.
"They should be in the castle towers I think. Or perhaps moved to the dungeon just in case anyone tries to make an attempt on their lives, they'll probably not think of going there," Bronze replied. Shining Armor nodded before stomping off. Drizzle turned to Bronze, the two stallions watching Shining Armor leave.
"Think he's gonna like what he sees?" Drizzle asked.
"I highly doubt it.

"Varmints! Let me go!" Applejack screamed, thrashing around in her bonds. After being brought to Canterlot in ropes, the farm pony found herself being forced onto a metal table and strapped down with leather straps in the dungeons.
"Anypony out there?! Let me go!" she screamed once again, fighting against the restraints. Behind a thick wooden door, a unicorn guard sighed in frustration. He had been stationed in the dungeons to check on the Elements of Harmony while they remained in Canterlot. Princess Celestia's explanation did make some sense to him, but at the same time, having the Elements of Harmony locked up in the dungeon with other dangerous convicts didn't seem to make much sense to the guard. Then again, it wasn't in his position to question the ruler of Equestria's orders.
"Um… hello? Can anypony hear me? Can you please let me go?" Fluttershy's meek voice echoed from another room.
"Shy?! You're here too? Are you hurt?" Rainbow Dash's voice echoed from another room.
"Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?" Rarity's voice echoed from another room.
"Are we all here?!" Applejack yelled, the sounds of her struggling against her bonds echoing loudly.

"Um, Applejack? Are you tied up or something?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to figure out which room her friends were in.
"Ya darn tootin' I am! Those soldier stallions tied me up and dragged me away from the farm!" Applejack yelled angrily.
"Oh… my…" Fluttershy gasped, her cheeks going red. Rainbow Dash could sense Fluttershy's reaction and was tempted to bring up some of the bondage that they did but refrained, telling herself that she forced herself on her and didn't deserve her.
"Arrival in Canterlot Dungeon Party!" Pinkie Pie's energetic voice booming loudly through the dungeon.
"Pinkie Pie! Not now! We've got to figure out how to free Applejack!" Rainbow Dash barked. The unicorn guard sighed.
"Um… Excuse me? Mr. Guard sir?" Fluttershy meekly squeaked. The unicorn guard trotted down to her cell and peered through the cast iron gates, smiling warmly at the shy pegasus.
"What is it Element of Kindness?" the guard asked, noticing Fluttershy's uncomfortable shifting.
"Oh! Please forgive me," the guard apologized, quickly opening the door to allow Fluttershy to step out.

In a quick movement, Fluttershy spun around and kicked the unicorn in the shins, sending a small shock of pain through the stallion. Quickly flying behind him, she delivered a strong kick and sent him flying into the cell, dropping the keys outside. Slamming the door shut, the guard began to yell furiously.
"You'll pay for this! Guards! Guards! Prisoner escaping!" the unicorn yelled.
"I'm so sorry," Fluttershy apologized, bowing her head quickly before grabbing the keys and flying over to Applejack's cell and searching for the right set of keys. Before she had a chance to test any of the keys, a strong force shoved her forward, smacking her face into the metal door.
"Shy! You bastards! Let her go!" Rainbow Dash yelled furiously, her wings flaring as the sounds of Fluttershy struggling against the guards. Her cries of pain as hooves collided with her body rang in the other Elements' ears, often resulting in shouts of anger and rage. Eventually the sound of a body crashing to the floor sounded before the sounds of dragging hooves and the slamming of a door echoed through the dark dungeon.

Updates And Such

So so sorry about lack of updates (Wouldn't be surprised if you're gone and stuff) but college has gotten SUPER stressful that piled up with my part time, training, managing the budget for one club, acting as the President for the other, working as a secretary for the final club and a butt load of 300 and 200 classes (Did I mention I suck at school in a sense?). Trying to move things as best as I can but things keep getting in the way (which is why I've been downing tea and coffee recently) and I'm trying to get back to writing here and there. Hope ya'll can understand!