“Oh!”

Rarity gave a start at Fluttershy’s unexpected squeal. “What’s the matter, darling?” she questioned as she turned around and peered over a stack of old linens. “Fall into another box?”

Fluttershy was indeed buried up to her flanks in a shipping crate. The rim was so high that she had to perch on the tips of her hooves to keep her footing, making her balance precarious enough as it was. Now all Rarity could see was a set of yellow hind quarters kicking at the open air.

Just as Rarity started to pick herself up to rescue her friend, Fluttershy extricated herself with a few flaps of her wings. In her mouth, she gripped a large sheet of yellow paper, then transferred it to her hooves once she was in the open air again. That was when Rarity made it out properly.

In Fluttershy’s hooves was a large sheet of canvas covered in a drawing only a foal could have come up with. Up in one corner was a big happy sun with a smiley face, a straight stick of brown with a mess of green scribbled above it that could only be a tree, and a large, three-story house with unusually black windows.

The designer in Rarity’s mind couldn’t help but cringe at the uneven lines and barely-filled colored spaces. It was most definitely the product of a very young pony’s mind, probably younger than even Sweetie Belle. Of course, that made it particularly hard to be critical, and she was quick to shame the critique in the back of her head into silence.

A group of ponies sat in what she assumed was the foreground. One was small, pink, and sported a pair of crescents on either side of its body. They had no other distinguishing features, but judging by their placement, they could only have been wings. The tiny pony had a very, very big smile, and directly beneath it was an inexpertly scrawled ‘ME’.

“Aw,” Rarity cooed as she approached. “This must be one of Cadance’s fillyhood drawings.”

“It’s so cute,” Fluttershy giggled. “She must have been so little.”

Rarity stifled her laughter. “Oh, she will be absolutely mortified when she finds out we found this! I wonder why she hung on to it…”

Fluttershy giggled again, and the pair turned their attention towards the other figures drawn on either side of Cadance.

On the little filly’s right sat two ponies, neither very distinguishable from each other. They were drawn with dark colors; the paper was wrinkled slightly where the crayon had been pressed in hard and scribbled vigorously. Compared to the bright colors of the rest of the drawing – the bright yellow sun, the vibrant green tree, the pink of the little Cadance drawing – the dark contrast of those two was particularly eye-catching. More-so when she saw the names beneath them.

“Those are Cadance’s parents?” she mused aloud.

“They don’t seem very… happy, do they?” Fluttershy questioned, a slight look of apprehension on her face.

“Not at all,” Rarity agreed with a frown. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever met Cadance’s family. Or… heard her mention them at all, for that matter.”

“Me either…”

Both of them eyed the pair of drawn ponies for a few seconds more, each trying to make sense of them. The space between them and the filly Cadance, the humorless, dark facades… Rarity was starting to get the feeling that that design choice wasn’t just by chance, and that in turn was making her feel uncomfortable.

Then, their gazes shifted to the drawn Cadance’s other side.

Another pony sat there as well, looking slightly amorphous but still distinct enough. It immediately caught Rarity’s attention, as it sat directly next to Cadance, closer than anypony else. Whoever it was, they were towering, easily as huge as the tree behind them all. The figure was bright red, and very carefully filled in. A long curtain of purple flowed down one side of its body, all the way to the floor. A mane, Rarity supposed.

The strangest thing about it, however, was the lack of a name, despite being more painstakingly drawn than any other feature on the canvas. Right where one should have been, there was a mass of roughly scribbled red, like somepony had hastily and harshly scratched something out, to the point that the paper had started to rip in places.

“And… who’s this?” Rarity inquired, frowning now. “A foalsitter, perhaps? Or… relative?”

“Maybe,” Fluttershy mumbled, then turned her eyes towards the writing underneath it. “I wonder why the name is scratched out,” she added, and she sounded as troubled as Rarity felt.

Rarity agreed; it was very strange. Everything about it didn’t fit, and it roused still more questions in her mind. As if she didn’t have enough already.

At this point, Rarity was starting to get a distinct feeling that this wasn’t just some innocent fillyhood drawing. A part of her wanted to replace the drawing in its box and pretend they’d never found it. Just looking at it gave her the unpleasant feeling that she was snooping in on some very private matters indeed.

“I can’t say,” Rarity responded. Something was really bothering her now, a feeling she just couldn’t dismiss. And it was all stemming from that single figure drawn by a filly a long, long time ago. “I’m starting to suspect that there is a lot she hasn’t mentioned.”

When the front door was opened, Applejack half expected it to complain loudly. It would have fit with the foreboding air of the mansion she stood in front of. Instead, it issued a single squeak and gave without further comment.

Beyond the door was a grand foyer. Two sets of staircases wound up the left and right-hand walls, rising up to a landing higher up. The bannister on the stairs and the balustrade on the balcony above were both made of a smooth, opaque blue crystal so seamlessly joined together it seemed to be a single piece.

Marble tiled the floor and steps. Lavender papered the walls. Everywhere, there was heart-shaped iconography; blue, crystalline hearts in the floor tiles, heart-shaped spaces between the columns on the railings, and the chandelier was decorated with long strands of heart-shaped crystals that sparkled even in the low light.

But the first thing Applejack noticed was that every lamp was off. Only natural light from the bloody sky outside intruded on the foyer. The silence of the mansion gave Applejack pause as well. She’d been here just months before, but it felt so totally different now, like it’d been abandoned for ages.

“Landsakes,” she mumbled. “Ah know Ah’ve only been here once or twice, but Ah sure don’t recall this place bein’ so downright spooky.”

Twilight stepped in silently behind her. She looked around as well, noting the worn outlines of where paintings and coats of arms once hung from the walls. Somewhere deep in the mansion, the wind was moaning through an opening. The sound carried through the whole of the darkened mansion like some forlorn ghost, never to be located.

She had so many fond memories of this place from her fillyhood; though it wasn’t regular, there were still a number of times when Cadance would foalsit her here, and they’d play amongst the beautiful gardens out back, or read astronomy books together in her room, or any number of things.

Her parents never liked leaving her at home alone, and they were always so busy. She almost always beat Shining Armor home, too, despite his best efforts. And after she'd become Celestia's student, her schedule only became more irregular. So, Cadance’s place had become a familiar sanctuary to her. And the staff! Mrs. Poppy Seed, the chef, who always had a fresh jam-stuffed muffin waiting with a nice tall glass of milk for good little fillies, and fretted to no end over how skrawny Twilight was. And Mr. Dapper, the most faithful butler a pony could hope for, willing to endulge his charge in whatever she did. And Ms. Jasmine, the maid, and Morning Glory, the gardener, and so many more faces she would never forget…

Gone.

Twilight had known and accepted that Cadance had moved out when she and Shining took up stewardship of the Crystal Empire. But she had not known that her entire family had apparently gone with her. To see such a cherished place from her youth so thoroughly abandoned now left a lump in her throat. The dark, empty halls… for a moment, she didn’t even recognize it.

There were a lot of things running around her head and heart at that moment. But the only thing she wanted on her mind was the existence of this very address in a long gone changeling queen’s diary, and every single question that sprouted from that singular point. That, and the looming shadow of Applejack's... departure.

Applejack turned to look at her, and she could see the conflict brewing in Twilight. It wasn’t that hard to see, and she wasn’t a fool enough to wonder why. The same questions were rattling around her own head, but she could only imagine what they were doing to her friend.

“Twi’?” she spoke up softly. “You alright?”

Twilight jumped – literally leaped an inch off the tiled floor – and turned to her. “Oh, er… yes. Sorry, I was… just thinking how much this place has changed.”

She turned to look up the lightless stairs. Only the red sky from a window above the entryway provided any light, and even with the sun still up, the shadows were growing.

Cadance used to greet her here whenever she came to visit. She’d descend those steps, and they’d play at being royalty; an exchange of curtsies, some playful pomp and circumstance, and then they would immediately devolve into fits of giggles.

Cadance had always been open with her, even when she was little. They’d shared everything! She’d never kept secrets. Never.

Why was she here? Why had the clues brought her here? Something must be wrong… She must have missed something, deciphered something wrong. There had to be a perfectly sound, perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. Right?

A hoof touched Twilight’s shoulder. She stiffened and looked around, and found Applejack giving her a sympathetic look.

“Twi’… Ah know ya probably got questions runnin’ ‘round yer head like a herd of spooked cattle, but Ah could really use yer smarts right about now if Ah'm ever gonna get ta the bottom of this.”

Right. Applejack didn’t have the time for her to just stand around toying with questions she had no way of answering right now. She was just as confused as Twilight was, no doubt. And being relied on… well, it helped establish a sense of priorities. Applejack's situation needed all of her attention, not something beyond her control.

“R-right,” Twilight mumbled. “Sorry.”

Applejack cracked half a grin. “The only way we’re gonna figure this out is by trackin’ down the answers ourselves. So let’s get to it.”

Twilight looked her over, then let out a breath. “You’re right. And… I might have an idea where to start. Come on; I’ll lead the way.”

Applejack smiled bigger, and stepped out of her way.

Twilight took a moment to take a deep breath, steeling her nerves. Deep down, she made a vow: no matter what, she wasn’t leaving until she got to the bottom of this mystery. No matter what, she would prove this suspicion wrong.

The estate owned by Cadance’s family had stood in Canterlot for as long as anypony could remember. Even Celestia herself could barely recall a time when the estate’s land had been bare.

What had once been a summer home for one of the many noble families of the Crystal Empire became a permanent residence with the kingdom’s fall, and a shelter for one of the few families to escape the horrors at all. It had stood the test of time, harboring the royal refugees for decades. Renovations, restorations and centuries of additions meant that what was once a quaint vacation home slowly evolved into a grand abode, complete with all the fineries high society demanded.

And now it stood like an abandoned butterfly’s cocoon. Empty, hollow, and devoid of purpose.

Everything that wasn’t nailed down or too big to fit through doors had been ripped from every room and hall. It left a sense of distaste in Twilight whenever she looked into the familiar rooms or turned down a familiar hall and found it stripped bare.

Old landmarks, like the painting of the fat stallion with the most magnificent moustache she’d ever seen hanging over the staircase to the western wing, were gone. Only wear lines where their frames had hung for generations remained.

The old ballroom – a masterpiece of gold fineries and crystal inlays – looked dark and vacant, the bay windows shuttered. The exquisite dining hall, now simply a hall. The music room – one of Cadance’s favorite places – was also empty, save for the sad shape of an abandoned grand piano left behind in a corner.

The mansion was so still, so quiet. All of it felt wrong.

“Ah wonder why Cadance’s family moved out,” Applejack pondered aloud. In the quiet, her voice echoed off the walls of the corridor like a gunshot. “Seems like they had a pretty good thing here.”

“Once the Crystal Empire was reclaimed, they must’ve not seen any need for it,” Twilight hypothesized absently. She was sneaking a peek into the old family library as they passed, hoping beyond hope. Not a single book or scrap of parchment remained in the wall-to-wall bookshelves, much to her dismay. "Shoot. Nothing here... well then, maybe..."

“Nobles just givin’ up property? That’d be a first,” Applejack commented dryly as they continued on. “Ah don’t know how many hoops Ah had ta jump through ta get the rights ta a couple acres of land for the changeling district, but it weren’t just one or two. And nopony was even usin’ that land.”

“Oh come on,” Twilight chided, rolling her eyes, “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical reason behind it. Maybe her family decided to… move to the Crystal Empire full time!”

Applejack glanced towards her. There was a lot that Twilight just said that sounded about as plausible as Rarity fancying plaid, but she let it go. It wasn't like she had a better explanation, anyway. “Cadance’s folks would have ta be some pretty die-hard Crystal Empire ponies,” she commented. Then she paused. “Now that Ah think about it, Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever met her family.”

Twilight pursed her lips in response. “I’ve met them a few times. They never really stopped to talk to me whenever Cadance was foalsitting me, though. They always seemed to be on their way out the door whenever I saw them. It was usually just us and the house staff.”

Applejack didn’t comment further on the matter. She seemed to lose herself in thought.

As they reached another closed door, Twilight drew to a stop. It was the old study, she realized, a place she’d only been a few times. Cadance's father usually left explicit orders to leave his study undisturbed. So, naturally, they snuck in on occasion. In Twilight's mind, there was no better place to find a family secret than a forbidden room, and the place had been filled with all manner of magnificent and mystical artifacts.

Of course, in days past, the study was marked by flanking suits of armor and a family crest hanging over the doorway. Twilight had very nearly walked straight passed it without ever suspecting it.

"This is it," Twilight said. Her voice was barely higher than a whisper, but it was loud enough to catch Applejack's attention and pull her to a halt. Twilight's horn started to glow, and the door knob twisted in her telekinetic grip. Carefully, she pried the door open.

It wasn't even fully open before Twilight's heart started to sink. The study, just like every room they'd come across so far, was stripped bare. Only blank walls and floorboards remained. The only thing that confirmed she was indeed in the right room was the large, wrap-around bay windows on the far side of the room that stretched from floor to ceiling, filling the room with bloody sunlight.

"No, no," Twilight mumbled under her breath, stepping into the room. She looked around, trying not to feel pangs of desperation. " No, no no! Not here, too..."

But everything was gone. Shelves of keepsakes and heirlooms. Ancient books, scrolls, and all manner of exotic belongings she'd only glimpsed from afar. Even the wallpaper had been stripped out. The carpet, as well, including...

Wait…

Applejack stood in the doorway, her gaze wandering blankly from wall to wall. She didn't know what Twilight had been expecting. If there was something left here, it wasn't going to be something obvious like a book or piece of furniture.

She was just considering turning and leaving when Twilight's voice drew her to a halt.

“Applejack,” she said. Her tone alone got Applejack’s full attention. “Come look at this.”

Frowning, Applejack turned and cast a curious look in Twilight's direction. She was standing only a short way in front of her, but now that she was paying attention, she noticed that Twilight's full attention was centered on something on the far end of the room from them.

At first glance, though, Applejack’s frown only grew; nothing jumped out and grabbed her attention.

Before she could say anything, Twilight started forward. Her eyes remained fixed on something on the far side of the room, near ground level. So, Applejack followed and kept her thoughts respectfully to herself. She knew Twilight’s intuition well enough by now to not second guess it… right away, anyway. But her patience was a little on the lacking side, today.

It was halfway across the room that Applejack finally noticed something very out of place, something a pony familiar with the place would’ve picked up on immediately.

In the shadow of the large arched windows, right where the wall met the floor, was a void. Floorboards had been pried up, some of them roughly, and placed in loosely organized piles on either side of the gaping hole in the floor.

As Applejack drew nearer, she could see the cross beams underneath the floor, and found herself looking down into a hole nearly big enough for a pony to fit into carved through stone foundation and down all the way into compacted dirt beneath the house itself.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack muttered to herself.

Twilight silently trotted up to the edge of the hole, a grim scowl on her face. She ignited her horn and, using its light, peered down into the darkness.

“Nothing,” she stated, straightening up. “Unless whoever did this was looking for the water table.”

Applejack stopped beside her and peered down into the hole. Sure enough, on the bottom, beyond the cross beams and stone masonry was a small, circular pool of muddy water. There was nothing else to indicate any other occupant, past or present. It was just a hole, simply put, telling of only the digger's tenacity.

She turned her head slightly, catching Twilight’s eye. “Ah'm gonna venture a guess and say this ain't normally here,” she commented sarcastically.

Twilight nodded. “Somepony else has been through here. And they’re looking for something.”

Princess Celestia was used to stressful situations. She’d lived through things that would give normal ponies a mental breakdown, and she’d lived through enough of them to build up a sort of tolerance, or at least methods for dealing with them.

A lesser pony would have lost their head after having their home rather casually invaded. But Celestia was calm, collected, and very organized.

She sat in her private study, a place atop the highest tower in the castle. It was a place she normally retreated to in order to gather her thoughts or spend a little alone time away from everypony else. As such, it was furnished less like a place of business, and more like one of leisure; couches, lounge cushions among many other amenities might lead one to believe that this was a place to blow off some steam. Yet, this was the place where she did some of her best work, where she could actually sit down for a spare few private moments and think without unwanted intrusions.

At present, though, she was not alone. Arrayed in front of her were some of the most powerful ponies at her disposal; shakers and movers all, ready to be delegated their share of work.

“Has the report from the front gate investigation been delivered yet?” she inquired from her seat.

When she spoke, a stately mare in a bow tie stepped forward. “The investigation is still underway,” she reported in a clipped, business-like manner. “However, currently our efforts have been focused on containment."

At Celestia's raised, questioning eyebrow, she went on while regarding a sheet of paper. "A preliminary investigation into the nature of the weapon used to breach the checkpoint have revealed it to be, and I am quoting from the report here, "freaky plant things". Whatever it is, it has already begun to germinate. At present, all measures are being taken to ensure the invasive flora does not spread to the rest of the city, and so far our efforts are proving successful."

The mare's immediate neighbor -- a weedy-looking stallion with bifocals as thick as plate glass -- let out a clearly audible huff. She soundly ignored it. She, along with everypony else in the room, had a very good idea what the opinion the head of the Royal Botany Society would have regarding unknown and exotic sources of knowledge. Celestia was just thankful that the comment hadn't devolved into another argument.

"And the damage?" Celestia inquired.

"Extensive. Without additional complications-"

Another sigh.

"-we would be looking at a few days to make sure the infestation has been dealt with, at the least, then several months after that before the gate could be reopened," she finished. "There are worries that the blast may have fractured the mortar. Given the structure's age, a thorough evaluation of its condition will have to be performed, top to bottom, to ensure it is still structurally sound."

Celestia withheld a sigh. Instead, she nodded. “Very well. Continue to have all new arrivals diverted through the east gate for the foreseeable future and instruct the railroad to divert all trains away from the main platform. We will just have to make due with the east and west stations for the time being. "

The mare bowed. “Consider it done, Your Highness.”

"And have a sample delivered to the Botany Society, as well," she added. "The sooner we understand what we are dealing with, the quicker we can protect the populace."

The bespecled stallion perked up at that. The mare showed only professionalism in her nod. "Understood."

For a moment, a thought flashed through Celestia's mind, there and gone again but destined to pester her again in a few minutes, like it had been for some time now.

A barn set ablaze, emerald fire roaring inside a dome of violet light, visible for miles in every direction...

Celestia frowned to herself. Deja vu? Or something a little more... intentional? She shook her head minutely, casting aside the ominous feeling.

She then turned to the stallion standing on the mare's other side; a well-built navy blue unicorn clad in silver and blue armor. Canterlot’s standing Captain of the Guard in Shining Armor’s absence.

“Sergeant Buck,” Celestia said with a kind smile. “Have you concluded your search?”

“We have, Your Highness,” Buck spoke up gruffly. He was an old hand, seasoned by many years of unremarkable service, but finding himself as the Captain of the Guard in Canterlot? Standing before and taking orders directly from Princess Celestia herself? This was all very new to him, and admittedly, he felt very out of his element.

“The trail of the changeling queen went cold inside the Crystal Caves. Magical interference from the deep earth ley-line, we suspect. Threw off our tracking spells too much."

Celestia nodded. The changeling would know about the energies buried deep beneath Canterlot; a freak geological feature born from multiple ley lines converging beneath the Canterhorn. Even miles below the surface, the energies were potent enough to turn solid rock to crystals humming with wild magics. Chrysalis herself had taken advantage of the intense ambient magic down in the crystal caves to hide Cadance before, even from her. But to warp in and out with so much magical interference, too much for any sane pony to attempt the same thing... changeling magic kept catching her by surprise.

It was a known security risk - by both sides - and addressing it was an ongoing challenge. But for the time being, figuring out how to deal with it was not at the top of Celestia's staggering to-do list.

"I have units of out-of-uniform troops spread out across the city, so as not to raise public concerns," Sergeant Buck went on. "As of yet, no pony has spotted the suspect, and our detection spells are not picking up anything unusual inside the city. It is too early to say officially, but there is every indication that she has gone to ground."

“I agree,” Celestia noted. “It seems highly unlikely that Queen Aconita has remained in Canterlot, which is perhaps even more worrying."

Her attendants all glanced between each other, looking slightly uneasy. After Equestria's last experience with an antagonistic changeling queen, having one on the loose could only mean trouble.

"Notify every division in Equestria," Celestia instructed. "Keep them on high alert for the time being, until we can say with absolute certainty that the threat as passed. I do not know what Aconita's next move will be, but we must expect that further incidents will happen in the future. If you can, though, instruct the Captains to be as discreet as possible. Tensions are high enough after the incident in Ponyville; we don't need to make things worse by declaring martial law. And... have a dispatch sent to the Crystal Empire as well. Shining Armor will want to know about our adversary's peculiar behavior, I suspect."

Buck nodded and bowed. “Yes Ma’am—I mean, yes, Your Majesty.”

Celestia smiled. While Buck privately chastised himself, she turned her attention to the next of her attendants. "Miss Sunshine, I would like to address the masses soon. Has any information about Queen Aconita's breach-"

An unexpected knock on the door cut her off.

All heads turned, a few incredulous eyebrows raised, towards the shut door. Celestia herself paused mid-sentence, her lips pursing slightly. "Enter," she prompted.

The door cracked open, admitting a stoic - though inwardly very self-conscious - Royal Guard. "A thousand apologies for the interruption, but there is a pony insisting he speak with you at once."

Sergeant Buck gave the guard a critical look, much to his discomfort. "We are in the middle of an important meeting and are not to be disturbed, corporal. If this is another aristocrat demanding an audience, tell them to wait their turn," he said shortly.

The guard quailed under his superior's glare, but did not back out of the room. "He says he is with the Royal Inquisition Department, sir. I can't just turn him away."

That took Sergeant Buck by surprise, cutting off anything he might have had to say. Instead, Celestia raised her voice to full the sudden silence.

"Please show him in," she instructed.

The guard nodded, then disappeared. Hushed words were exchanged beyond the door for a moment, and then they were pushed open wide to admit a single pony.

If the congregation had been caught off guard before, it was nothing compared to who they saw stride solemnly into the chamber. Even Celestia's eyes widened a little.

“Mister Sunbeam? This is unexpected," she said. "Do you have something to report?"

The pony known as 'Sunbeam' likely had parents with a terrible sense of humor, for he could not have been any further from his namesake. He was a cold, humorless fellow whose only two facial functions were blank, and scowling. But when one heads up a department charged with criminal investigations of an internal nature, 'humor' is not typically a part of the job description. He was rarely seen, but to those who knew him, he was usually the last pony one wanted to see approaching. When Sunbeam personally got involved, chances were that someone was about to have a bad day. For the rest of their lives. From behind iron bars.

"Your Highness," he said politely, and stepped forward. He presented a large envelope, and levitated it towards Celestia. "My team has concluded its investigation into yesterday's Ponyville incident. I thought you might like to see our findings yourself."

Celestia looked up towards him, a trace of curiosity in her eyes. "And... you felt the need to bring this yourself?"

"Indeed," he said without inflection. "I thought it might save you a future trip to my office for explanations."

Celestia's eyebrow went up just a fraction. The head of the department didn't play errand boy, not to Celestia's knowledge, and she could recall when he was but a recruit.

While the rest of the congregation watched with curious looks all round, she illuminated her horn and took hold of the large envelope. Inside, she found a number of sheets of paper; reports, diagrams, an album's worth of photos depicting various pieces of rubble and scorched earth, and a chart.

That chart was placed right on top, right where Celestia would see it first. She pulled it out, and immediately recognized it as an arcanograph; a reading, in excruciating detail, of a particular magical signature, broken down to its basest axiom values. In simpler terms, a spell, disassembled and evaluated bit by individual bit. To most ponies, it would look like a hectic mess of blots and bars resembling a psychological test instead of charted values, but Celestia had had literal lifetimes to familiarize herself with the process. At the top of the chart, the title "Trace scan #3440-B" was clearly visible.

But right away, Celestia noticed something very, very peculiar about the reading.

She looked up sharply and caught Sunbeam's eye, who met it squarely. "Is this accurate?" She inquired, her voice a little too level.

"Quadruble-checked, twice myself," he stated. "I had every test and analysis performed on the residual magic at the scene of the crime. There can be no doubt. While the traces left from the illusion spell were approximately a ninety-two-percent match to known changeling magic wavelengths, there was another trace buried beneath it from an earlier spell, likely one that triggered the initial explosion. As you can see, the two were not a match, not remotely. We almost didn't pick it up at all, actually; the fallout from the illusion spell nearly masked it completely. I am not at liberty to make a judgment at this time, but it seems likely that that was not a coincidence."

Celestia glanced quickly back to the report. She studied it, and studied it again, but try as she might, the familiar pattern on the graph did not change.

For a long time, the room remained tensely quiet. Those gathered glanced to one another, exchanging questioning looks. What had Celestia just been given?

"Sergeant Buck," Celestia spoke up, her tone unusually sharp.

"Your Majesty?"

"I have new orders. Take a detachment of your finest guards and head to this address with all due haste." As she spoke, she magicked a piece of paper into existence with a flick of her horn. The words on it weren't written with ink, but rather had been scorched in with intense heat.

Sergeant Buck reached out for it, and nearly dropped it; the heat it gave off caught him off guard, like it had been baking in the sun. But he did not falter long, and quickly snatched it out of the air before it drifted to the ground, then studied the message. After a moment, his eyebrow rose. "Sardar Way, Your Majesty? And... may I ask for nature of this mission?"

Celestia rose from her seat. "Search and rescue."

Twilight led the way through the abandoned corridors, her horn throwing back the dark gloom. They were on the dark side of the manor now, where the bloodying sunlight could not reach them directly. This made things all the darker, and all the more unsettling.

Immediately behind her was Applejack, who constantly kept her head on a swivel. It wasn't as quiet as it'd been previously, however.

"I knew something wasn’t right," Twilight muttered to herself. "There's something really weird going on here... Cadance's family wouldn't need to make a hole that big if they knew something was there. Whoever did that was taking a shot in the dark. For that matter, they should still be here! What the hay is going on here?"

"Glad we're on the same page," Applejack murmured. She glanced into another side room, but only found more empty space, nothing that might indicate they weren't alone in the sprawling mansion. The window on the far side of the room troubled her, though; the sky had changed to a spectacular shade of crimson. The sun would set soon, and for the last time before things got... complicated.

"Sugarcube, Ah don't mean ta push ya, but where exactly are we goin' now?" She inquired. "It feels like we've been wanderin' around forever."

Twilight's response wasn't immediate. She huffed, a sour look on her face. "I'm trying to find Cadance's room, but everything looks so different now! Okay, uh... we climbed two sets of stairs, we turned right... and a left... It should be..."

Twilight paused in front of a door just like the countless others before and after, grappling with uncertainty. Then, she took hold of the nob in her telekinetic grip, and twisted it. The door came open with a slight squeak-creak-pop, which made Twilight's expression light up with recognition. By the time the door was fully opened, she knew she'd picked right. "Here we are!"

Applejack peered around her friend's shoulder.

The chamber in front of her was... not what she'd been expecting. It was not particularly large, or particularly noteworthy in shape, either. True, it was too large for Applejack's humble tastes, but compared to the many other rooms she'd seen so far, it was actually rather plain.

Of course, it was entirely empty. Only a set of bookshelves around a dark and empty fireplace had been left behind, and likely only because they were secured to the wall in some fashion. A plush plum carpet muffled their hoof steps as they edged inside. The window across the room was bare, letting in plenty of bloody red sunlight. Beyond the window, Applejack could make out the far-off spires of Canterlot Castle silhouetted against a cloudless ruby sky. As they slowly walked into the room, Applejack noticed that the walls were papered with a flowery pink covering, unlike the rest of the mansion.

While Applejack looked around, Twilight continued on to the middle of the room. The whole way, she looked deeply troubled. Applejack only paid attention to her when she let out a loud, disparaging sound. "Oh no, not here, too!"

She turned, and immediately found what Twilight was referring to.

In one corner of the room, the carpet had been sliced apart and peeled back, the edges slightly burned from magic. The surgically removed section had been rolled back, exposing floorboards that had also been broken free and carefully stacked against the wall. When Applejack approached, she found the hole went all the way down to the hefty support beams, insulation roughly parted and spread about carelessly on the bedroom floor. The only reason the culprit had stopped digging, by the looks of it, was because they'd hit the slats on the roof of the room beneath them.

Applejack turned to regard Twilight, who looked somewhere between distraught and outraged, only to notice another roll of carved up carpet and floorboards in the other corner of the room.

"Do ya think maybe Cadance or her family..." Applejack started.

"No!" Twilight snapped back loudly. She pointed at the holes like they'd mortally offended her in some way. "Whoever made these didn't know where to look for something. It can only mean that somepony already beat us here!"

Applejack frowned. "Uh... who?"

Twilight threw her hooves up in the air. "I don't know! The Court, maybe? But how could they have known to look here? Ugh, none of this makes any sense! What the hay are they looking for?!"

Applejack glanced towards her friend. She opened her mouth to say something... then paused.

For a moment, she didn't really understand what had caught her attention. It was so faint, yet just substantial enough for her to pick up on. Like... ambient warmth, only... not. Like static electricity, only... not. She didn't understand what it was, simply because she didn't have a word for it. But something very strange was trying to get her attention; there was no other way to put it.

"Twi'?" She said, catching her friend's attention mid-tirade. When she turned, she found Applejack standing in place, her head cocked to one side as if listening for something. "Does somethin' feel... different in here ta you?"

Twilight paused, frowning at her. She cast her head around this way and that, eyes searching carefully, before returning to Applejack. "I don't feel anything," she said. "Why? Do you?"

Applejack frowned. What was this sensation? It nagged at her. It was just present enough for her to notice, but not enough for her to identify. It didn't tingle against her skin or in her nose or any sense she was used to. But it was there. Real. Right?

She took a step forward. The sensation became just a touch stronger. Now she knew she was on to something. But what?

Twilight watched with a mixture of fascination and trepidation as her friend carefully stepped forward, head down like a hound on the scent of something. "Applejack?"

She just held up a hoof, then kept going. She passed Twilight, meandering this way and that. She passed the holes without giving them a second look. She was trying to narrow down the source. But it was so indistinct...

She trotted all the way up to the window, aware only that the sensation was getting stronger, and seemed to be coming from that direction. Beyond that, she couldn't tell. She stepped up to the window sill, confused.

And suddenly it was behind her. Applejack paused, off-guard, and turned. The sensation was close, very close, yet still nothing more distinct than an echo. But she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"There's... somethin' over here," Applejack finally stated slowly. "Ah can't tell what, but..."

Twilight stepped closer, looking intrigued. "Like... magic?"

Applejack scratched her head. "Erm... maybe? Ah don't know; magic and Ah ain't typically on speakin' terms. Ya know... since Ah usually blow stuff up, instead."

Twilight frowned, but even in her curiosity, Applejack could see just a flicker of hope in her eyes. She started to trot over to her, and as she did, her horn lit up. She swept it from left to right, slowly, like a metal detector sweeping a beach. About three feet from Applejack, she paused. "Huh... What is that?" She murmured to herself.

Applejack glanced down at her hooves, the general area she thought the sensation was coming from. "Y'all feel it, too? Well that's a relief. But don't go askin' me what it is. Ah ain't got the foggiest clue."

"Well," Twilight said, looking her friend in the eye now as she straightened up, "you picked up on it long before I did. And... I never would've noticed it if you hadn't said anything. Hay, I don’t know if anypony would've noticed. It's not just faint, it's... I don't know... Like a reaction, not radiation..."

Applejack raised any eyebrow. "So...?"

Twilight shook her head, an uneasy look on her face. Instead of continuing, she asked,"Well... What does it feel like? Can you find the source?"

Applejack fidgeted uncomfortably. "Ah... don't know. Like a feelin'? Hey, don't give me that look, this is new territory fer me. But if Ah had ta venture a guess, Ah'd say it was comin' from right around..."

She paused, because as she gestured towards the floor in front of her, she noticed something. There, on the carpeted floor, were four divots spaced a foot apart from each other in a circle, like the imprints of the feet of some kind of stool, or stand.

"Twi'… Did somethin' used ta be here?" She asked, gesturing to the spot again.

Twilight looked down at it and frowned. "Um... just a table, I think. And a jewelry box, or... something. Cadance never let me see. She just said it was something... very old."

The two just stared at each other for a second, Applejack waiting for Twilight to go on while Twilight's eyes got big.

"Oh... ponyfeathers," Twilight breathed.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Uh, what?"

Abruptly, Twilight was walking away, shaking her head rapidly. "No no no no, that can't be right. Nope, nope, that doesn't make any sense whatsoever! I mean, everything about this whole situation makes zero sense, but this?! We have to be missing something. That's it! We're missing some clue, that's all!"

She finished with a slightly hysterical giggle, then whipped around to face Applejack, who flinched back a step.

"I guess I was wrong!" She beamed. "Stupid paranoia getting to me, ha! There's nothing here linking your mother to Cadance at all!"

"Uh... Twi? You... feelin' alright?"

"Yep! Great! Whew,that's a load off my shoulders! Guess we just missed a clue or something! Oh, but I guess that kinda leaves us back at square one. Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out! But boy did we dodge a bullet, huh? Now I feel kinda silly ever suspecting Cadance."

Applejack's eyebrow only went up higher. "Then why was the address ta this place in my Ma's diary?"

She knew Twilight wouldn't have an answer for that, and sure enough, Twilight waffled, looking unsure. "W-well, maybe it was... a mistake?"

The look Applejack gave her must have been a very skeptical one, because Twilight winced and averted her gaze. "And all the holes? How do ya explain that."

"errr... shawdy construction practices? Looters?"

"Look, Twi'," Applejack started, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Ah get ya don't want ta think Cadance is all wrapped up in this, but -"

"She's not!" Twilight burst out so loud Applejack fell quiet. Immediately, Twilight looked embarrassed; she bit her lip and turned away, flushing. "It's... it's just not possible. Think about it, Applejack; if Cadance knew anything, why wouldn't she come forward? If she knew your mother, shouldn't she feel obligated to tell you everything she knows?"

Applejack opened her mouth, then shut it. In truth, that possibility had been stewing around inside her head ever since she discovered this location, and it definitely didn't sit right with her. The only reason Cadance wouldn't tell her what she knew was if...

"If she knows, it means she's deliberately kept it from you," Twilight said. Just saying it looked like it made her sick. "The only other possibility is that she doesn't know anything, in which case we're wasting our time here, like Peony said."

Twilight started to walk away, and for a moment, it seemed like she was intending to leave that room completely. She stopped just a few steps from the door, almost reluctantly, and cast her gaze around. "None of this makes any sense. None of it has so far. I'm sorry, I just... I need a minute to think."

Applejack couldn't think of anything to say as Twilight stepped out of the room to be alone with her many, many confusing thoughts.

None of it made sense. None of it! Twilight scuffed her hoof on the marble tiles as hard as she could, but that didn't help.

Why was this house so empty? Why was this address in Carnation's book? If Cadance knew anything, why hadn't she told Applejack when she discovered her condition? There had to be a rational explanation. She just had to take a step back, clear her head, and sort through it all.

She took a deep breath, and drifted over to the opposite side of the hall, and propped herself up on the sill of a window.

Opposite Cadance's old room, the windows opened up on the rear of the manor, where the two main wings of the house shot out and away from the rest, making the estate resemble a blocky A from above.

The backyard gardens were extensive, perfect for entertaining guests or just getting away from it all. There were flower beds of intricate design, a three-tiered fountain pond full of lilies and usually colorful water birds, and a great big hedge maze in the back. The grounds couldn't have been neglected long, and yet...

Everything was so wrong. It was like she was in some sort of terrible nightmare.

Okay, think, Twilight... If Cadance is involved, why would she not tell us what she knew? Maybe... it was Carnation's wish? But she'd never leave Applejack without some sort of hint... The only other possibility is that she doesn't know. But that doesn't make sense... Why was Carnation coming here, then? Maybe... her parents? Could they know something?

Neither option seemed plausible. There was too much evidence that Cadance knew something, and yet not enough to prove she knew anything. The only solid, irrefutable bit of information they possessed was the address of this very estate in Carnation's diary. But that could mean anything.

Okay, okay... so that isn't getting me anywhere. Maybe... maybe a change of perspective?

Twilight physically backed up from the window a few paces, something she did when trying to, in a more metaphorical sense, take a step back from a situation. Little ticks like this helped her stay sane when working through advanced formula and theorems. Or deal with Pinkie Pie. Ironically, it'd been Cadance who'd taught her this little trick, something that occurred to her with no small amount of chagrin.

Okay... if I can't figure out why she was here, maybe I can figure out what she was looking for. Maybe Carnation was sneaking onto the property. Maybe Cadance didn't even know she was here! Yes, that might just... but I'm getting off track. Why target Cadance, or her family, specifically? What did they...?

A glint caught her eye. She winced, shielding her eyes. Peering between her hooves, she noticed the culprit.

Out in the backyard, straddling the grand fountain on spindly legs, stool a crystalline structure nearly two stories tall. The cause of the glare had come from the sun setting just enough to refract a beam of light straight into Twilight's eyes.

Something about the structure caught her attention, however. It was tall, slender, and fanned out near the base. Just like another crystal formation she'd seen before, only one infinitely larger than this. Just like...

"… wait a minute..."

Applejack wandered around Cadance's old room, not quite sure what to do. She could tell this whole endeavor was taking its toll on Twilight. It was taking a toll on both of them.

She knew she was close to something, but she couldn't figure out what that might be. The whole time she paced aimlessly, she was aware of that not-feeling sitting in the exact same spot by the window. It was the only thing of note even in the room, so after putting it off, she worked her way back to that same spot. Her gut told her that that had to have something to do with the key.

Something about that sensation just... wouldn't leave her alone. Like she should know what it was. But like an only half-remembered memory, it stayed infuriatingly beyond her recognition, but just close enough to taunt her.

Applejack took a seat in front of those four marks on the carpet and frowned down at them.

"What are ya...?" She murmured to herself, and extended a hoof. She traced the shapes of the divots, lost in thought. She lightly touched the contours of each one, one after the other, and pursed her lips.

It was on the fourth one - the one furthest from her - that it happened.

As she leaned forward slightly, she noticed something tingle, ever so slightly, against her shoulder. She paused, glancing down towards it. Nothing caught her eye, but she could feel it.

Perplexed, she leaned back, and raised her hoof slowly into the air. The feeling got stronger and stronger, the higher she raised it, until it was just about on eye level.

She was not expecting the spark, but it happened all the same.

With a pop, an emerald light struck her on the foreleg. Not hard, but hard enough to make her jump in surprise and feel every nerve from her hoof to her shoulder start buzzing.

Applejack jumped back, flying to her hooves. Her heart fluttered in her chest as her brain processed what had happened. It didn't take her long for her to comprehend what that had been.

Changeling magic... old, weak, but unmistakable.

What was more it was here, in Cadance's room. That certainly made for some condemning evidence, didn't it?

Applejack was still rubbing her hoof, frowning at it as she processed this development. So at first, she didn't notice the shimmer of light, not until it grew bright enough.

Floating in the air, roughly on eye level, was a dancing aurora of faint emerald light roughly the size of her hoof. At its heart was another color... a vaguely pink one. It held a peculiar shape, a defined shape, like some sort of circlet with radiating ends on top. Something about the shape seemed... familiar.

Applejack...

"What in tar-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the ball of hazy light shot over her shoulder, and in a blur of speed, slipped out the half-closed door. As if caught in the tailwind, the door slammed shut behind it.

The following silence was deafening. Applejack stood in place, unmoving, for the longest time. "Welp... this is new..."

"Applejack!"

She jumped in surprise and spun around towards the door. "Twilight? That you?" She shouted. The voice had been distant, muffled, but unmistakable.

"Applejack, come here!"

Applejack trotted towards the door, raising an eyebrow "Did y'all see that, too? Where'd it go?"

This time, there was no response. Now she was really getting confused. So, she pushed open the door and quickly trotted from the room, expecting to find Twilight just down the hall.

She didn't.

What she found was a hallway in total, pitch black darkness, darker than even a moonless night. She froze, a chill running down her spine, but before she could back out of the hall, the door to Cadance's bedroom slammed shut behind her - all on its own.

For many, many long seconds, Applejack couldn't see anything. It was so dark she couldn't see a single thing around her, not even her own muzzle or hoof. "Twilight? Hey, Twilight! Where are you?"

No response.

"Twilight, this ain't funny!" She tried one more time, but by now she had a sneaking suspicion that this was not her friend's doing. It would certainly be an odd time for her to develop a desire for pranks.

Her voice rang hollowly off the walls, the sole source of sound anywhere. Except... for a peculiar tapping on the other side of the hall.

A wave of panic started to creep up on her. Feeling around blindly, she turned around and edged back towards the bedroom door. She found its frame first, and after working up to about where the doorknob was supposed to be... she found nothing.

"Great," she grumbled to herself. "What in the hay is goin' on here?"

She turned back around, and sightlessly cast her eyes this way and that, looking for anything. She didn't see anything, of course, but the longer she stood there, the more her other senses began to pick up on things.

Across from her, something was drumming against glass. It was a light, intermittent sound, like a very light drizzling rain.

There was a scent in the air, one that instantly made her wrinkle her muzzle. It was like bad eggs, only worse.

Applejack scowled to herself. She didn't know what was going on, but in situations like this, she needed to prioritize essentials. And essential number one: light. She needed to see her surroundings. The longer she didn't, the more her skin crawled. It felt so much like she wasn't alone here...

But Applejack had only one option. Grumbling internally, she closed her eyes and changed. The hot air rolling up her body was comforting, but all too soon, it was gone, leaving the dark hallway somehow colder than before.

She opened her eyes, and cast her gaze around. Her changeling eyes were much more sensitive to darkness, but even with their aid, she could barely make out anything. It was just too dark. The only thing she could verify was that she was in a hallway-shaped area.

The only other option she had made her even more uneasy. She glanced up sightlessly in the direction of her sharp horn.

Ah... Ah don't need much... just a teensy little...

Applejack pursed her lips in concentration, and for one of the few times in her whole life, she intentionally lit her horn. Not much, for fear of what her rampant magic would do. Just a tiny, itsy bitsy amount.

What she got wasn't a deadly discharge, at least. But the angry humming her horn gave off was disquieting. She could feel the immense wall of pressure pushing against the back of her mind, a force she'd seldom had to deal with in her life, and the few times she did, she rarely resisted its demands for long.

But Applejack got what she wanted. It wasn't a spell, not even in the most abstract of terms. She simply managed to bring her horn to a glowing, hissing, spark-spitting candle-light level. But at least she could see her surroundings.

To Applejack's relief, she was still in the old mansion. Except...

To her confusion, there was a rich red carpet under her hooves now. And on the wall next to Cadance's bedroom door was a painting of... some kind. It wasn't that her light wasn't bright enough to reveal it, but rather that it made no sense. There was abstract, one of Rarity's favorites, and then there was... that. Something about it seemed almost... ethereal. Brush strokes didn't normally rithe languidly in their borders.

Skin crawling now, Applejack made her way carefully down the hall, looking this way and that. Right away, though, her eyes were drawn to the window next to her. Her assessment had been right; there was a light drizzle tapping against the window. Except, rain wasn't typically as black as tar.

"What in tarnation is goin' on?" She repeated apprehensively to herself.

"Applejack!"

The familiar voice of Twilight made Applejack give a start - and accidentally fire off a golf-ball-sized jet of emerald fire at the ceiling.

"Twilight?" Applejack shouted down the hall. "Where are ya?" It had been close; in the same hallway as her. But even with her horn lit, Applejack couldn't see far enough to find her friend. And that was worrying her.

"This way! Hurry!"

Applejack bit her lip. By the sounds of it, Twilight's voice was coming from the far end of the hall, far, far out of reach of her light. She was getting a very, very bad feeling about all of this, and her gut wasn't usually wrong when it came to these kinds of situations.

"Twilight, fer pete's sake, where are ya? What's goin' on?" She shouted.

"Come on! You're not going to believe what I found!"

Applejack chewed her lip. "Ah can't see a darn thing, Twi'! Can ya just come ta me?"

A pause. Her voice echoed back at her, once, twice, too many times. It was like the air was processing her request. Then...

Something wet flopped onto the floor in front of her, just out of eyesight. But she heard it. It shuffled, popping and cracking joints as it straightened up, taller and taller. And taller.

"Oh come on, Applejack," giggled Twilight voice from right in front of her, "that's not how the game is played."

The rain striking the windows grew louder, rising from a drone to a roar.

A wet, heavy step sounded, louder than seemed real. Applejack backed up. She couldn't see what was in front of her, not yet, but she could make out... something. Movement, mostly.

"I know!" Said Twilight's voice gleefully. "Let's play something else!"

And then, it leaned forward. Applejack took one look at its slimy, oily face, and felt all the blood run cold inside her.

The thing standing in front of her oozed and dribbled black tar. It rolled off of it in thick, viscous wads, like it was made of nothing but the stuff. Except, this walking, towering form had the most alarming smile of stained, dagger-like teeth.

It shambled forward on four long stilt-like legs, leaving a trail of discharged goo behind it. A long, oily mane hung matted and heavy off one shoulder. There were no traces of any eyes whatsoever, just a wrinkled fold in the tar on its face.

"How about," it said, miming Twilight's voice to a sickening degree. "Hide and seek? Ooo, that sounds fuuun, right?"

Applejack just stared at it, pale-faced.

"Okay! I'll count to one hundred, and if I catch you..." It giggled meaningfully, only this time, there was a very different tone buried underneath it, one that growled. "One... Two..."

Applejack backed up, too terrified to react properly. But at least she had time. She just needed to-

"… Skip a few, ninety-nine, one-hundred!"

And with a blood-curdling shriek, it lunged. It moved with terrifying, unnatural speed, going from the very brim of the pool of light to a scant few feet from Applejack herself in a terrifying blur of speed, even while wobbling like a marionette with half its strings tangled together. It moved too fast for Applejack to even react.

A sudden rush of heat and air whipped through the hall, passed over Applejack's shoulder, and with a roar, the hallway was filled with light so intense it blotted out everything. The monster let out another scream, but even its form was lost in the bright light.

Applejack recoiled, utterly blinded. The only sense of directionality she had came from hearing the sounds of the monster's real voice grating against her ears. That was plenty for her.

She turned her back on the monster, and sprinted as fast as she could in the other direction. The screaming faded behind her, but she forced herself on, just in case.

The light all around her unexpectedly condensed. Applejack slowed as the light collapsed in on itself, going from an all-encompassing nova to a small ball of illumination, one that shimmered like an aurora. It passed over Applejack's nose, then darted out of sight in a fraction of a second.

Applejack slowed to a halt. For a number of reasons.

She stood in front of a babbling fountain that gushed crystal clear water down a three-tiered set of basons, the lowest one being easily the size of a swimming pool.

The sun was out, warm and pleasant high in the sky. Not a cloud bothered it. When she tilted her head back to regard the sky with huge, confused eyes, a summer wind blew the scent of flowers over her.

"O...okay... What in tarnation is goin' on?" She mumbled, glancing around.

As if in answer, a giggle rang through the air. Applejack whipped around, half expecting that monster to have caught up with her… wherever she was. But when she spun around, two things immediately caught her attention.

Standing behind her, positively glowing in the sun, stood a familiar mansion, only from an angle she wasn’t familiar with. All around her stretched flower beds and low hedges, all lovingly maintained.

The second thing she saw, for just a split second, was a pink blur flitting passed her ankles.

Applejack wheeled around again, following the blur of motion, and found… not something she was expecting.

A small pegasus filly was sprinting away from her, mane and tail fluttering behind her as she went. Their colorations instantly caught her attention. Dark purple, pink, and yellow…

“…Cadance…” Applejack murmured under her breath.

This was not the Cadance she knew; instantly she could tell that. She was so small, easily younger than even Apple Bloom in appearance. And there was the telltale lack of a horn.

To Applejack’s complete surprise, the filly came to a screeching halt and abruptly turned around to beam straight at her.

“Come on!” She giggled, then sprinted off again.

Applejack blinked, completely nonplussed. By now she'd concluded that she was in some kind of spell. But that? That had been new.

Applejack was still trying to figure out what was going on. All the while, the strange incarnation of Cadance was sprinting away. She stopped some twenty feet away, then turned back to look at her expectantly. “Come on!” she hollered again, sounding slightly impatient now.

Applejack’s mouth worked soundlessly.

A sound next to her made up her mind for her.

The fountain gave an unusual bubbly belch, drawing Applejack’s attention. The water had stoppered up, except for a thin dribble of black ooze issuing from the top. Stone cracked, rotting away. Weeds grew in long, black brambly snarls.

MINE…..

Applejack sprinted as fast as she could in Cadance’s direction, who was still smiling obliviously at her, completely ignorant of the gushing tar filling her family’s fountain. Once Applejack drew closer, she turned and galloped away again, giggling. It was only at the last second that Applejack noticed, with a sinking feeling, that she was headed straight for a flowery hedge maze.

“This way! Come on!”

“Slow down, dagnabit! Where are ya takin’ me?”

“You’ll see. Hurry!”

Applejack clenched her jaw. Considering the last time something had wanted to show her something in recent memory, it’d tried to eat her face, she wasn’t exactly filled with a warm fuzzy feeling.

But on Cadance ran, somehow managing to match Applejack’s pace with such short little legs. Deeper and deeper into the hedge maze she ran, and the further she ran, the higher the walls became.

Applejack definitely didn’t have a warm fuzzy feeling. But what other choice did she have? Every time she glance over her shoulder, something or another would catch her eye. A withering stretch of hedge being strangled to death by jet black, thorny vines. Puddles of black ooze seeping up out of the ground. It was enough to keep her tailing after Cadance despite her reservations.

On and on they went until the hedges were as tall as skyscrapers and the gloom began to take hold. The encroaching darkness added still more urgency to Applejack’s stride, speeding her up.

She came whizzing around a corner, nearly lost her footing, and just caught a glimpse of Cadance’s tail vanishing around another turn. She barely had time to straighten out before she banked again and just barely cleared the corner.

But she didn’t find herself flying into yet another featureless corridor. What she found instead was a rather spacious garden the size of a small park situated right in the middle of the maze itself.

Flat stones made a winding walkway from the entrance, to a small pond to Applejack’s right, and off towards a stand of tall trees to her left. Standing right in the intersection, Cadance sat down and smiled at her. “Over there,” she said brightly, pointed a hoof off to the left, and shimmered out of existence.

Applejack blinked at the dissipating motes, then turned in the direction indicated.

Two ponies sat beneath the largest tree in the grove’s heart. One she could see clearly. The other, she could not.

As Applejack approached, she spotted a familiar filly; little Cadance, sitting in the shadow of the gigantic willow tree. Her eyes sparkled, her features the picture of childish energy. She was gesturing animatedly, all the while watching the one sitting next to her, smiling brightly. “And- and they say, it filled the sky with all sorts of pretty lights that could be seen all day! Even at night! It must’ve been amazing to see!”

Applejack frowned at her, perplexed. She approached, curious… and came to a complete and total halt.

Carnation sat on the other side of the tree. Not a pony. Applejack’s mother sat, gnarled horn, fluttering wings, holey limbs and all, while giving Cadance an indulging look.

Applejack stood in place, unable to react. She was just… there, sitting completely at ease. Applejack had only actually seen her once or twice, and yet, she’d never forget that appearance.

Her red mane shimmered in the sunlight, long and bushy. Her pink eyes twinkled with bemusement as she regarded Cadance while she told her story.

“That sounds incredible, Cadenza,” Carnation told her. She spoke slowly, taking her time to enunciate each word fully, just like she had in the memories Hyacinth had shown her six months ago.

Cadance settled down, but she continued to smile. “Well… it’s just a story. I haven’t ever seen it. But Mom and Dad say we will someday. They’re always so busy.” Her smile faltered, giving way to a frown.

Carnation gave her an understanding look.

…What am I supposed to tell her…?

Applejack jumped, her head quickly whipping around. That time, Cadance’s voice had come from right in her ear. Only… it wasn’t a filly’s voice. It had been much more mature, and… sad-sounding.

It had only been fleeting, and then it was replaced by Carnation’s silky voice. “Well then, I will simply have to keep you company in the meantime. How does that sound?”

She always knew what to say…

Cadance bounced happily, beaming brightest of all. “Okay!”

What am I supposed to tell her…? Would she even believe me?

Carnation lowered her head towards Cadance, still smiling. Only now she had a playfully conspiratorial look on her face. “So, did you get it?”

Cadance smiled bigger. “Yep!”

She turned, and from a bag lying next to her, she pulled out an ancient book. It’s spine and cover was cracked and peeling, the edges warped and discolored. Even so, Applejack could still make out the faintly blue coloration underneath a millennia of stains and wear.

Would she believe me that… the only reason I ever met her mother… was so that she could use me?

Carnation smiled the most genuine smile she could. A smile that did not affect her eyes at all. “Thank you, dear. You have no idea what this means to me.”

Cadance gave her an uncertain look. “You promise you’re just going to take a peek? Daddy will get really mad if he finds out I took it.”

Carnation smiled, and placed a hoof over the tomb. “I promise.”

She only wanted what my family knew… she didn’t care… She was just as heartless as the rest of them… At least… at first…

Applejack ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth. Her throat had gone dry. She watched, almost too afraid to look away, as Carnation pulled the tomb towards her, and cracked it open.

“Disappointing, isn’t it?”

Applejack’s breath caught in her lungs as Carnation’s wide eye whipped round to look at her without her head moving an inch. When she grinned, it exposed a mouth full of twisted, cracked fangs. “Poor Applejack, having to find out her mother was just as manipulative and cruel as the rest of us. Do you see? Not even your paragon of hope escapes me! NONE of you do! You are all MINE!”

Applejack backed up. “Shut up,” she breathed, then louder, “Shut up! She beat you!”

The twisted visage’s smile only grew. “But can you? Are you really as great as your mother?!”

“Ah told ya ta shut up!” Applejack bellowed.

All at once, with a flicker of motion, the figure of her mother was on her hooves and facing her. Her mane had turned oily, her hide glistening.

“Why? Afraid to confront what you already think? Are you really so desperate to delude yourself into thinking you aren’t trying to fill her horseshoes?!”

The figment’s shadow began to grow, until it drowned everything around Applejack in inky darkness. “Afraid that you won’t measure up to her expectations? THAT is why you refuse to acknowledge your birth right. You trick yourself into thinking it’s because you want your hive to treat you as an equal, but that’s not it at all – no no no! It’s all because you know you can’t possibly measure up to the great and mighty Queen Carnation!”

“SHUT UP!”

The magic roared out of her of its own volition, borne by a fiery wave of emotion. The wild emerald energy ripped from Applejack’s horn, full bore, and swallowed everything in front of her in annihilating light. The tree, the grove, the garden, and that taunting smile, all vanished in an arcane inferno that left only ash and embers behind.

As the magic died on her horn, Applejack panted, trembling. Everything in front of her, including a giant swath of the maze itself, lay in ruins. Smoke and fire and scorched earth was all that remained.

“Oh dear me,” cackled the voice in her ear. “Was it something I said?”

Applejack sprang away, only to be confront by… nothing. She was alone in the torched garden.

“Go ahead, my dear. Keep running from me. Keep fighting! It only pulls us closer. And when the final hour comes, oh don’t you fret.”

A crunch of gravel caught Applejack’s attention. She spun around, horn sparking.

A pair of empty amber eyes gazed back at her under a wild, fiery mane. The towering figure stared at her without emotion, without care.

“There won’t be enough left of you to care about all that. And there won’t be a thing you, your friends, or that wretched pegasus can do to stop it. And then, think of all the FUN we'll have!”

Applejack backed away from the towering mirror image, heart thundering in her chest. The monster stalked closer, expression deadened. Only an empty hunger dwelled in those eyes, and the sight of it disturbed her like nothing had before.

She kept backing up, and it kept following her, until she ran out of open ground to back up on. The hedge pushed against her, black brambles pricking and scratching her hide painfully. Still the twisted version of herself moved on her. And as it drew closer, it’s fanged maw fell open. Lips curled up, a sickly glow emanating from her mouth and horn.

With a sound of rushing wind, the ground split open. Auroral green and pink light erupted skyward, cleaving the garden in two, barring the monster’s path.

For the first time, its expression changed. It twisted up in unbridled fury, eyes burning with rage. “Not again, you wretch! How many times are you going to interfere!?”

The sound of cracking branches caught Applejack’s attention. She turned, just as the hedges ripped themselves open. Vibrant green vines held the way open, even as black brambles fought to crush the gap out of existence.

Hurry…!

Applejack didn’t need to be told twice. She turned and bolted, just making it through the opening before the hedge slammed shut behind her, drowning out the raging scream of her pursuer.

A red sun sat perched just on the horizon, preparing itself for another night. As it dipped lower and lower, birds and animals of all stripes and colors began to settle in for the night… only to be disturbed by a deafening explosion of sound echoing across the heavens.

Eyes turned to the sky, shooting looks of irritation and trepidation. None were quick enough to actually spot the perpetrator; only the prismatic streak she left in her wake, one that pointed towards the distant silhouette of Canterlot.

Author's Notes:

Tactical Rainbow, INCOMING!

So, when writing this chapter, this is approximately how it went down:

Me: "Alright! I've gotten through the first week of school without any incidents. The Appledash contest deadline is just around the corner, so I better put the kibosh on this last chapter for Pride or Joy!"
Inspiration: "Hey man, how's it hangin'? You in the middle of something?"
Me: "Oh hey Inspiration. I was just going to hammer out this chapter of Pride or-"
Inspiration: "Nah, nah, nah, homie, we ain't playin' with that ."
Me: "Wow Inspiration, you're one racist portrayal, aren't you?"
Inspiration: "Just shut the up and listen. I ain't feelin' this Pride or Joy boo-sheet, so here's what we gonna do..."

And then creepy slime monsters happened. The end.

Based on real life fictional events.