Chapter 3:

'The Greater Good'

The Cutie Mark Crusaders continued to run through the Everfree Forest, attempting to escape the Ponies they had encountered not too long ago. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle didn't stop to rest, knowing there was a possible chance that the Ponies were after them, they ran as fast as they could, not slowing down, not stopping, not until they were out of the Everfree Forest, not until they were back in Ponyville where it was safe. Scootaloo took a slight risk and managed to take a quick look behind her to see if they were still being pursued, they weren't. However, things changed in the blink of an eye when she saw two Ponies emerging from the distance, she was able to tell just by their colours that it was Kickback and Air Break, which meant that Rainbow Dash was probably dealing with Blitz Bolt.

"They're gaining on us! Go faster!" Scootaloo yelled as she tried to increase her pace.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took a quick look before running faster themselves.

Kickback and Air Break merely chuckled at their attempts to escape. "I have to admit, for a few mere fillies, they're pretty quick." Kickback said.

"How much further do you think we have left to go?!" Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple Bloom faced her friend and said, "Ah don't know! We'll jus' have ta keep runnin' until we find a way out!"

The three fillies managed to keep up their quick pace, dodging a few branches in the process, which thankfully slowed down their pursuers. Air Break forced his way through everything, unfazed by the sting of the branches, while Kickback squealed as he did his best to avoid being hit by them.

A good few long minutes went by, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were beginning to lose stamina, their legs were starting to ache and they were almost out of energy. However, knowing what would happen if they stopped now, the three fillies pushed themselves to keep going, refusing to give up, as they knew they giving up would be the worst thing to do. Scootaloo knew that Rainbow Dash would never give up, even if that Blitz Bolt jerk was fast and tough, Rainbow Dash wouldn't give up just because she was exhausted, she'd keep going until her last breath. The thought of the cyan Pegasus inspired Scootaloo to keep going. Apple Bloom knew that her big sister Applejack would never give up even in the toughest situations, like the time when Applejack tried to buck apples for Apple Harvesting Season by herself. Despite how tired and exhausted Applejack was back then, she continued to do it, refusing to stop until she got all of the apples, of course she did get them all eventually with the help of her friends, but it was that determination she showed that inspired Apple Bloom to keep going.

Sweetie Belle didn't need to dwell on her own sister, as she knew Rarity never gave up when it came to anything. If she ever tried to make a perfect dress and failed, she'd go back and do it again, and again, and again, no matter how many attempts it took, Rarity wouldn't give up until she succeeded in her attempts at making a perfect dress. That thought alone was enough to help Sweetie Belle stay on her hoofs.

Sure, the situation they were currently in was quite different, and more dangerous, but it was all about whether or not they had what it took to keep on going. The fillies knew that if they put their minds to it and never gave up, they could accomplish anything, and it looked like their hard work was paying off when they were finally losing the two stallions.

"Hey! Ah think we're nearly out!" Apple Bloom yelled out as she slowly made out a bright light up ahead.

Scootaloo panted and was starting to slow down, but a quick nudge from Sweetie Belle got her to focus again. The three fillies were finally almost out of the Everfree Forest, and they could only hope the two Ponies behind had given up their pursue.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash chased Blitz Bolt around the sky, the latter who used clouds to hide himself so he could catch the cyan Pegasus off guard. Rainbow slowed down so she could get a longer and better look at each of the clouds to see which one he was hiding in, but to no avail. She started wondering how the silver Pegasus could have hidden himself so quickly without her seeing, and assumed he was faster than she was led to believe. But of course, she still said to herself in her head that she was the 'fastest flier in Equestria' and didn't plan on stopping her search until she found him.

She started pondering on what to do when she finally got her hoofs on him. At first, she thought that she could beat him to a pulp, it was way more than he deserved for threatening the lives of three young fillies. Or, she could merely beat him within an inch of his life and hand him over to Princess Celestia, there would be no doubt that the Princess would throw him in the dungeon for the rest of his life after hearing about what he tried to do. Or she could...no...Rainbow Dash pushed the thought of killing out of her head, although she thought she could beat up anypony, she didn't want to bring herself down to the level Blitz Bolt was at.

The cyan Pegasus decided that a good beating was all Blitz Bolt needed, then she would hand him over to Princess Celestia so he would be thrown in the dungeon, that's if she ever found him of course.

However, Rainbow was so deep in thought that she failed to notice something hard colliding with her back. She grunted in pain as she started to fall, but quickly regained control and used her wings to keep herself in the air. She looked up and saw nothing, but knew without a doubt it was Blitz Bolt who attacked her, from behind no less.

"That wimp!" Rainbow said out loud before flying back up to the clouds.

Beginning her search again, Rainbow made sure to keep a closer eye on her surroundings this time in order to avoid more of the Blitz Bolt's surprise attacks. Unfortunately, she was fooled a second time, when she took one cautious look behind her for a long moment, she was hit from the front this time. She fell once more, rubbing her head with her hoofs before regaining control again.

She glared up at the clouds and let out a frustrated growl when she didn't catch sight of him. After her brief conversation with him back in the Everfree Forest below, she first assumed he was atleast tough enough to back up his words, but now she had seen everything. Blitz Bolt was nothing but a coward, hiding wherever he could and using hit and run tactics. Just thinking about that made Rainbow so angry, that an idea suddenly entered her mind.

With a grin, Rainbow flew faster, her speed increasing to the point that she started leaving a rainbow coloured trail behind her, which followed her everywhere she flew. The cyan Pegasus started clearing the clouds, at a very impressive speed, and more of the light blue sky was being revealed for every cloud she cleared.

Rainbow Dash finally got the lucky break she needed, as the next cloud she cleared turned out to be Blitz Bolt's hiding place. The silver Pegasus, shocked that his cover was cleared away, glared at Rainbow before flying off to hide behind another cloud. Rainbow however managed to keep her eyes on him long enough to find out which cloud he ran for.

Once again, she cleared the cloud that Blitz Bolt hid behind, forcing the silver Pegasus to run for another cloud. Rainbow Dash had him on the run now and continued to clear away every cloud that he tried to use as cover.

Only one cloud was left, Rainbow wasted now time and quickly cleared it away, revealing a stunned Blitz Bolt. The cyan  Pegasus looked back and smirked at him. Recovering from his shocked state, Blitz Bolt attempted to run and hide again, but realised there were literally no more clouds left in the sky, Rainbow Dash had cleared them all.

"Uh oh." Blitz Bolt flew off.

"Get back here!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew after him.

Blitz Bolt attempted to lose her by flying through the forest below, hoping she'd fly into a tree and lose track of him, however, he saw no sign of her chasing him and wondered if he had lost her already.

His curiosity was answered when he reached the end of the forest, as soon as he flew out into the open, floating there and waiting for him, was Rainbow Dash. "What?! How?!" He yelled in disbelief.

Rainbow folded her forelegs and smirked at him. "Like I said, I'm the fastest flier in all of Equestria."

"AH!" Blitz Bolt once again attempted to make a run for it, but this time Rainbow Dash was on his tail.

As soon as she was close enough, Rainbow flew right into Blitz Bolt, the two landed hard on the ground and ended rolling into the river.

It was nearly a minute before one of them came jumping out of the river. Blitz Bolt coughed heavily and spat out the water, he then slowly turned back to the river and smirked. "Too bad Rainbow Dash. Looks like you weren't as good as you thought."

Believing himself to be victorious, Blitz Bolt turned to leave, but stopped when he heard something jump out of the water. Just as he turned to look, Rainbow Dash flew right into him, the two struggled to overpower the other as they rolled across the ground.

Finally, Rainbow hit her hoof across Blitz Bolt's face, stunning him for a few seconds, which allowed her to stand back up and pin him under her two front hoofs before he could get away. "You're not getting away this time!" Rainbow said victoriously.

Blitz Bolt glared at her, clear hatred in his eyes. "You just got lucky! If I wasn't holding back, you'd be at the bottom of the river right now!"

"Oh really?" Rainbow Dash laughed a little. "Considering all you did was run away and attempt to attack me from behind, it's pretty funny how somepony like you can claim that you were holding back."

No reply came from the silver Pegasus, instead he just looked away, as if he was trying to think of what to say.

Rainbow Dash's smile suddenly lowered into a frown. "Now, I think it's time for you to get that beating you deserve for threatening Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo."

Blitz Bolt's eyes widened and shrieked as she raised a hoof. "AH! NO! NO WAIT! I-I was just following orders! I wasn't actually going to hurt them! I-I...I was just messing around with them that's all! What kind of Pony would be so sick and twisted enough to hurt a few young fillies?!"

Lowering her hoof, Rainbow said, "Following orders huh? From who? Tell me!" She said, stomping her hoof onto the ground, earning another shriek from the silver Pegasus.

"I can't tell you that! My master would most certainly have my head on a plate if I spilled such information!" Blitz Bolt said.

With a sigh, Rainbow raised her hoof again. "Well then, I guess I'll have to give you that beating after all. Once I'm done with you, you can explain yourself to Princess Celestia when I take you to Canterlot."

The silver Pegasus shrieked at her words and said, "NO! NOT PRINCESS CELESTIA! ANYPONY BUT HER!"

Rainbow Dash raised a brow and smirked at him. "Ok then...Princess Luna it is."

Once again, Blitz Bolt shrieked. "AH! NO! NOT PRINCESS LUNA! SHE'S MORE WORSE THAN HER SISTER!"

Upon hearing those words, Rainbow smacked her hoof across his face. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

Blitz Bolt rubbed his face with his hoof and glared at her. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, he smirked at Rainbow Dash. "Tell me, even if you beat me to within an inch of my life and take me to Celestia, do you really think that'll help your little filly friends?"

Rainbow's eyes widened. "W-What?" She said, taking a few steps back, releasing him from her hold.

"I mean, if you think about it..." Blitz Bolt said as he got to his hoofs. "You wasted your time going after me when you could have protected them. I'm willing to bet that my two friends Kickback and Air Break are already finishing off the last one even as we speak."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. Even if they ran away, and even if she did take care of Blitz Bolt, there was still the matter of those other two stallions. Rainbow Dash started to worry as horrifying images entered her mind. Did she really believe that three little fillies could outrun two stallions? She let out a quiet growl, realising the huge mistake she made, despite the fact that the three fillies had a head start, there was still a high possibility that the two stallions would have caught up to them.

There was only one way to find out, after giving Blitz Bolt a death glare, Rainbow Dash flew off back to the Everfree Forest, while Blitz Bolt laughed maniacally.

__________________________________________________________________________________

After running for what seemed like forever, the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally made it out of the Everfree Forest. They decided to rest for a moment to recover from their exhaustion, but before either of them had the chance, they heard something approaching from inside the forest, and fast.

"They're still after us!" Sweetie Belle said, clearly shocked that their pursuers hadn't given up despite how far behind they were.

Apple Bloom turned and ran on. "Keep runnin' you two! Ponyville's jus' up ahead!"

Not willing to give the two stallions a chance to catch up to them, the other two fillies followed Apple Bloom towards Ponyville.

Just as Ponyville came into sight, the three fillies saw three Ponies running towards them. As soon as they were close enough, they were able to make out that it was Twilight Sparkle, Apple Bloom's sister Applejack and Twilight's friend Starlight.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack called out to her sister.

"APPLEJACK! APPLEJACK!" When they finally reached the older Ponies, the three young fillies held onto them and cried. "APPLEJACK! AH'M SO GLAD YER HERE!"

Applejack looked down at her sister, confusion spread across her face. "Apple Bloom? What's wrong? Are ya okay?"

Scootaloo buried her face into Starlight's foreleg and said, "NO WE'RE NOT OKAY! THOSE MEAN STALLIONS HAVE BEEN CHASING US THROUGH THE WHOLE FOREST!"

Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened a little at the filly's words. "Mean...stallions?" She looked down at Sweetie Belle, who was holding onto her foreleg for dear life. "Sweetie Belle, what is she talking about?"

Sweetie Belle continued to sob as she said, "W-We...we were just watching those Ponies marching towards Canterlot...and...and as...as we were coming back..." She stopped and continued to cry.

Applejack gave her little sister a comforting hug and said, "Hey...it's ok Apple Bloom, it's ok, ah'm here now. Jus' take a deep breath 'n' tell me what happened." The Pony lowered herself until she and Apple Bloom were staring into each others eyes. After Apple Bloom finally calmed down, Applejack said, "That's good. Now tell us, what happened while you 'n' yer friends were out here?"

The filly rubbed her eyes and took another deep breath, she looked back at her sister and said, "Me 'n' the others were jus' watchin' the guards marchin' to Canterlot. When they were gone, we were headin' on back to Ponyville, but we were so busy talkin' about them, we realised too late that we were walkin' through the Everfree Forest! And then...and then..." Apple Bloom looked at the ground and yelled out, "And then these three Ponies came out of nowhere and said they were goin' to kill us!" She started crying again.

"WHAT?!" Twilight, Applejack and Starlight all said simultaneously.

Before either of them could reply, they heard something approaching from the same direction the three fillies came from. A large light blue Earth Pony and a shorter red Earth Pony.

"I gotta say...you're certainly givin' me a workout ya little pests!" The blue Pony said.

The red Pony panted heavily as he tried to catch his breath. "Just...just give me a moment..."

Applejack looked down at her little sister, only to notice that she, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were now hiding behind her and Twilight. She turned and glared at the two stallions in front of them and said, "So ah take it these are two of the Ponies that were chasin' ya Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom merely nodded. The red Pony chuckled and said, "Moi? Whatever do you mean? It was all in good fun, right Air Break?"

The large blue Pony, Air Break, turned to his friend and smirked. "Right...fun."

Applejack narrowed her eyes at the two Ponies and said, "What did you two try ta do ta mah little sis' 'n' her friends?!"

Air Break stomped his large hoof on the ground and then looked at it with a smug grin. "Nothin' much, we were just doin' what we were told, that's all. If it was anypony else, it wouldn't have been any different." He then set his yellow eyes on Applejack and said, "Unfortunately, it looks as if you'll have to be added to the list."

"You won't be harming anypony, whoever you are..." Twilight said as she took a step back. "If you even attempt to lay a hoof on my friends, I'll make you regret it."

Air Break and Kickback exchanged looks, Kickback turned back to Twilight and said, "The only thing we regret is not putting those three little fillies into the ground when we had the chance. Seriously, they're a lot more trouble than they're worth."

Before Twilight could unleash a retort, Starlight rushed towards the two stallions. "YOU BIG JERK!"

Just as the young stallion reached them, Kickback stepped to the side, dodging his attack. Starlight turned around and attempted to rush them again, but as soon as he was about to ram himself into Air Break, the large blue Pony lifted up his hoof and smacked him aside.

"Starlight!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rushed over to Starlight's side. "Starlight! Are you okay?!"

Rubbing his face with his hoof, Starlight opened his eyes and said, "Y-Yeah...I'm fine." With the two fillies help, he was able to stand.

"Hahaha! Don't try and act so tough little colt! Ya got no chance against me." Air Break said with a confident grin.

"Oh yeah?"

Hearing her voice, Air Break turned back to Applejack, only to be met with a kick to the face, forcing him back a few steps. "How's that fer tough?!" Applejack said.

Air Break wiped his mouth with his hoof and glared at her. "Cheap shot! Ya won't get lucky a second time!" He yelled as he rushed towards the smaller Pony.

He ran, and ran, but Air Break soon realised that he wasn't getting anywhere close to Applejack. Kickback growled and said, "It's the Unicorn's magic Air Break!"

The large blue Pony looked around himself and noticed there was a pinkish, purple magical aura surrounding his entire body, keeping him from moving. "What?!" He glared at Twilight, who's horn was glowing the same colour. "You Unicorn's and your magic!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Last I checked, you threatened three young fillies for no reason. You had better hope you can think of a way to explain this when I take you to Princess Celestia!" She used her magic and threw Air Break towards Kickback.

Seeing his partner flying towards him, Kickback shrieked and ducked, only for Air Break to land in a large puddle behind him, splashing the red Pony soaking wet. "AH! MY MANE! MY BEAUTIFUL MANE! AND MY TAIL! AND MY WONDERFUL COAT!" Kickback screamed as he looked at his soaking body.

Twilight raised a brow at him before turning to the three fillies, who were all now next to Applejack and Starlight. "They aren't going to hurt you anymore. Go on home, we'll catch up soon."

"Are ya sure?" Apple Bloom asked with a very concerned tone.

"I'm sure." Twilight said with her usual gentle smile.

Applejack gently nudged the three fillies and said, "Go on now, the three of ya have been through enough for one day ah'm ah right?"

"Y-Yeah...I guess...come on, let's go." Scootaloo replied. But just as the filly was about to turn and leave, she saw Air Break rushing towards them again. "A-Applejack! Watch out!"

Twilight and Applejack turned to face Air Break again, the large blue Pony growled as he got closer. "You're mine now ya little-" He was unable to finish, as he was knocked aside by a cyan Pegasus that flew in, followed by a rainbow coloured trail.

"RAINBOW DASH! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Scootaloo ran over to Rainbow Dash after she landed and hugged her foreleg.

"Of course I'm alright!" Rainbow said with a proud smirk, but her expression slowly changed into one of concern as she placed a hoof on Scootaloo's head. "What about you? Are you and the others okay?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah we're okay. We were lucky we ran into Applejack when we did, those jerks almost had us."

After exchanging looks with Twilight, Applejack and Starlight, Rainbow Dash turned back to the other two stallions. "Speaking of those jerks..." She watched as Air Break got back to his hoofs, while Kickback was busy rubbing and patting himself dry, much to her confusion and slight amusement.

"Rainbow Dash?! I thought you went after Blitz Bolt!" Kickback said, clearly shocked by her arrival.

"Well I did, and I made sure he got a good beating before I came back to make sure you didn't lay a hoof on Scootaloo and her friends." Rainbow said, clearly proud of her supposed victory over Blitz Bolt.

Twilight then spoke up. "We've had enough, now tell us, who are you?!" She used the magic of her horn to lift Air Break and Kickback into the air. "If you don't tell us, we'll just take you to Canterlot so you can explain yourself to Princess Celestia!"

Kickback and Air Break gave no reply and merely glared at Twilight Sparkle with expressions of frustration and anger. Twilight sighed. "Fine, have it your way..."

Just as she was about to use her magic to take them away, she felt her hold weakening. "W-What? What's going on?"

"What's wrong Twilight?" Starlight asked, giving her a concerned look.

Twilight looked back at the two stallions that were in her magical hold and noticed the pinkish aura around them was slowly changing into a dark blue colour. "Something's wrong! I can't control my hold over them anymore!" Twilight said in shock.

Kickback narrowed his eyes and smirked at them. "Ah...glad you decided to join us Vanisher."

"Vanisher?" Applejack repeated him,

"A-Applejack! Twilight!" Sweetie Belle yelled out their names.

The group of Ponies turned and saw another Pony standing not far from them. He was a Unicorn, that much they knew. He was a navy blue coloured Unicorn, he had a slightly long and tidy purple mane and a short purple tail. The most confusing feature though was that the Unicorn was wearing a dark grey blindfold around his eyes. His mouth however showed no expression or emotion, he looked completely blank.

"Who's that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Kickback smirked. "Vanisher, as you can see, me and Air Break have the situation completely under control, you can tell our master that-" Before Kickback could finish his sentence, he and Air Break just disappeared in a flash blue light.

The group of Ponies stared in shock at where the two stallions previously floated, and then turned back to the one called Vanisher. "What did you do?!" Starlight asked.

Vanisher said nothing and turned to leave.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Rainbow Dash flew towards him, but just as she about to collide with the Unicorn, she saw a blue flash that blinded her for a quick moment. The cyan Pegasus suddenly found herself flying into her friends instead.

"OW!"

"WHAT THE-"

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were thankfully able to avoid being hit and watched as all of the older Ponies struggled back to their hoofs.

"R-Rainbow...Dash...what just happened?" Twilight asked as she tried to stand back up.

The cyan Pegasus got back to her hoofs and said, "I-I don't know! One minute I was flying towards him! The next, I see a blue light and find myself behind all of you again!"

Twilight looked back at Vanisher, she could see a blue light around his horn. "I don't think I can recall such magic, it seems much similar to teleportation except..."

The navy blue Unicorn merely looked at them behind his blindfold for a moment before disappearing in a flash of blue light. Twilight however swore she thought his 'eyes' were on her.

"Who was that?" Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack shook her head. "Ah dunno little sis' but, ah think it's over fer now..."

Twilight looked up at the sky and noticed the sun was almost down, and soon the moon would be up. "It's almost night...I better get ready to head back to Canterlot." She said. Those words made Starlight wince.

Rainbow spoke up. "Hold it...before any of us go anywhere...I just figured it'd be a good idea to let you all know that that those jerks might be working for somepony. The one that I was dealing with blurted out something about following orders and a 'master' or something."

"Yeah! I remember they mentioned something like that earlier too!" Sweetie Belle said.

Twilight looked back at where Kickback and Air Break previously floated and said, "Kickback said something about a 'master' too so it's possible they're under orders."

Applejack sighed. "Well ah dunno who they are but if they're really workin' for somepony then we need to tell the Princess..." She stopped and looked at Twilight. "Uhh..."

Twilight giggled a little. "It's okay Applejack...I'll tell Princess Celestia when I get back to Canterlot." She flapped her wings open.

"Do you really have to go right now?" Starlight asked, upset that she had to leave again.

"Sorry Starlight..." Twilight said, giving him a sympathetic look. "But as soon as I'm done with my business in Canterlot, we can spend the rest of the night together, how does that sound?"

Despite the possibility that she would be unable to keep her word due to more royal business, Starlight nonetheless managed a smile and said. "Ok..."

With one more nod, Twilight flew off back to Canterlot.

Rainbow Dash put a foreleg around him and said, "Cheer up Starlight..."

Starlight slowly backed away out of her hold and walked back towards Ponyville. Applejack looked down at her sister and said, "Come on little sis', ah think we better be headin' back too."

Apple Bloom nodded and followed her sister back home. Rainbow merely shrugged and eventually followed, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo right behind her.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"I really hope they're okay..." Spike said as he looked out the window of Rarity's Boutique.

Rarity finished putting a completed dress on another mannequin and started using her magic to put all of her things away. "I'm sure they're fine..." She stopped for a moment and faced the young dragon. "Spike, could you take the garbage out?"

Deciding it would keep his mind off of the others for a bit, Spike agreed to her request and went into the kitchen. Rarity was right, wherever the fillies were, they would be fine, they always are no matter what they're up to. The dragon finished tying up the garbage bags to make sure nothing would fall out, he was about to take them outside but stopped when he heard Rarity speaking from the other room.

"Sweetie Belle?! What's the matter?!"

Upon hearing those words, Spike rushed back into the other room to find Rarity comforting a crying Sweetie Belle. "What happened Rarity?!" He asked as he rushed over to them, eventually facing Starlight when the red Pony entered. "Starlight! What happened?!"

Starlight sighed. "I...really don't know. There were these stallions and..." He stopped and looked down at Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, I think you'll be better at explaining this than me."

Trying to cease her crying, Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity and said. "We were...we were watching those Ponies from the North marching not far from here, that's all we were doing I swear!" She said out loud, tears continuously flowing down her face.

Rarity gave her a sympathetic look and put a foreleg around her. "Oh dear, please calm yourself Sweetie Belle...it's okay...big sister is here..." She said as she hugged the little filly.

Spike and Starlight watched in silence, the two exchanging looks before Rarity spoke up again. "Dry those tears now little sister. Come, sit down..." She led the filly over to a small stool and sat her down, she then used her magic to bring another stool over and sat down next to her. "Now...take your time...start from the beginning...tell me what happened."

After wiping her tears away, Sweetie Belle explained everything that had transpired in the Everfree Forest, not missing out a single detail. She explained again how she and the others were watching the guards from the North marching to Canterlot, and how they had accidentally went through the Everfree Forest. Sweetie Belle started to hesitate a little as she starting telling her sister about the three stallions she and the others met in the Forest and, as soon as she said that the three stallions tried to 'kill' them, Rarity's eyes widened. Spike figured it would be a good idea to write this all down in a scroll and send it to Princess Celestia as soon as he got the full story.

As Sweetie Belle continued, Spike and Starlight exchanged nervous glances when they noticed the angry expression on Rarity's face. It was only after Sweetie Belle finished that the two braced themselves for the white Unicorns raging outburst.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Night had come, the moon was high in the dark sky and Twilight had returned to Canterlot once more to finally find out what it was that Princess Celestia wanted to discuss with her. She remembered the letter the Princess had gotten, wondering what exactly was on it that made her so nervous, even though Princess Luna wasn't really nervous at all, the way Celestia spoke to her after reading it was enough to make Twilight nervous. Either way, whatever the situation was, Twilight Sparkle swore that she'd do everything she could to help.

As the newest Princess of Canterlot, she knew she would have to try and be more responsible and do her duty, attending to royal business whenever and wherever it was needed, especially if Celestia and Luna were busy themselves. Even though she was still getting used to being a Princess, she was nonetheless prepared for anything and, upon reaching the large doors to the throne room where Celestia and Luna resided, she took in a deep breath and entered.

As usual, standing on the podium at the end of the large room was the two Princesses, Celestia and Luna. Twilight Sparkle slowly approached them, noticing the concerned and worried look on Celestia's face, while Luna looked the same as always, glaring at Twilight.

Upon reaching the podium, the young Alicorn was about to speak but stopped. She remembered that she had to inform Celestia and Luna of the events that took place in the Everfree Forest. She wondered what Celestia's reaction would be, two stallions, or three as Apple Bloom stated, that threatened the lives of three young fillies. Twilight could only imagine how Celestia would react to such news, instead, she decided to wait and first figure out what it was that the white Alicorn wanted to talk to her about.

Celestia, after being silent for what seemed like forever, finally spoke. "Twilight Sparkle...I've put a lot of thought into this..."

Twilight just stared at her with a nervous look, Celestia noticed this and continued. "Me and Luna discussed it ourselves and while she agrees that it must be done, I admit that I've been having a much more difficult time making a decision."

"What...what do you mean Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

With a sigh, Celestia said, "Twilight Sparkle...we have known each other for a good long time, and, Princess or not, you always be my most faithful student. I hope that, no matter what decisions are made, we will always be close..." Celestia used her magic to bring a letter over to them. She levitated it in front of Twilight and said, "Please think about this for a moment before speaking your mind."

Twilight knew that it was the same letter Celestia had read before, the same that suddenly got the white Alicorn all worried. And considering how she was acting at the moment, Twilight Sparkle hesitated to take the letter and read it.

"Read it Twilight Sparkle." Luna said in a slightly demanding tone.

Unwilling to test the dark Alicorns patience, Twilight used her magic to take and hold the letter in front of her. She lowered it until she was able to make out it's contents.

All Celestia and Luna could do now was wait. They both watched in silence as Twilight's eyes slowly looked down the letter, her expression slowly changing, from confusion, to nervous, to worried, to horror.

Twilight stopped using her magic, the letter fell to the floor, barely causing a sound. The purple Alicorn continued to look at it with a shocked and scared expression on her face. There was no word in existence that could describe how she felt right now upon reading the letter.

"M-Marriage?" Twilight stuttered, her tone filled with fear and worry, earning a sympathetic look from Princess Celestia. Twilight looked at Celestia, hoping for an explanation, but none came, the white Alicorn was too emotionally hurt right now to speak to her former student.

Luna noticed this and spoke for her sister. "I will explain it to you Twilight Sparkle. Prince Dusk seeks a permanent and trustworthy alliance between us, but to ensure that, it needs to be formed by marriage so that neither Celestia, nor I, can betray him. Not that we would think to do such a thing..." She took in a deep breath before continuing. "I have already made my own decision and have agreed that you should marry..." She turned to Celestia. "My sister however wanted to know what your thoughts were on this before she made her own."

Twilight looked back at Celestia, noticing the sad look she was giving her, she said, "Princess Celestia...why didn't you just tell me as soon as you got the letter?"

The white Alicorn Princess looked away, unable to answer the younger Alicorn. Twilight looked at the floor and sighed, it made sense now why Celestia was so worried earlier. She was afraid of how Twilight would react to this unexpected news, and she didn't blame her, it was beyond shocking.

"I...Princess Celestia...why must I marry?" Twilight asked in a sad tone.

Finally, Celestia responded. "Because...Prince Dusk stated that this is the method he will stand by. But..." She looked at her sister for a moment before continuing. "The reason for the alliance is also to ensure our kingdom, our home, is kept safe from the forces that is said to be residing in the Frozen North, the same forces that have been rampaging throughout Dusk's kingdom. This is very important Twilight Sparkle, because if you refuse to marry Prince Dusk, he will recall his guards and forget all about the alliance."

Twilight's eyes widened at the Princess's words. Luna stepped forward and said, "Thus, we will be vulnerable to attack and we are at a major disadvantage because we know nothing about this unknown enemy. Simply put, Twilight Sparkle, the future of our kingdom and our home, aswell as Dusk's, depends on your decision."

This was probably the biggest pressure Twilight Sparkle ever had throughout her entire life. She had been in a lot of tough spots and had been pressured on many things before, but nothing even came close to comparing with this. If she were to marry Prince Dusk then he would help guarantee the safety of their kingdom, Ponyville and all other towns and cities alike. But if she were to refuse, she didn't even want to think about it, that's when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Princess Celestia...Princess Luna...you said that Prince Dusk's kingdom was being attacked by an unknown enemy right? And that this enemy may threaten our kingdom aswell?" Twilight asked.

Celestia and Luna both nodded, Twilight then recalled the earlier events that took place just outside the Everfree Forest and decided to bring it up. "Then I believe this enemy is already making their move."

This surprised the older Alicorns, Celestia merely exchanged looks with Luna before saying, "What makes you say that Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight went into as much detail as possible, trying to make sure she never left anything out as she explained to the two Princesses about what happened earlier during the day. She even made sure to include what Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo told her. After Twilight Sparkle finished explaining what happened, she wasn't surprised by the shocked expressions the two Princesses were giving her.

Celestia was about to reply but stopped when she saw ashes floating down to her. The ashes then materialized into a scroll. Twilight didn't need to guess where that came from, as she was all too familiar with it. "A letter from Spike...I'm willing to bet he was still with Rarity and Sweetie Belle told them what happened aswell."

Upon opening the scroll and reading it's contents, Celestia put it away with her magic and sighed. "I feared as much. What you say is indeed true Twilight Sparkle, Spike's letter said the exact same thing..."

Luna gave a slight sympathetic look at her sister before facing Twilight again. "Who exactly are these stallions that you encountered outside Everfree Forest?"

"I...I don't know...they just seemed like ordinary Ponies but...there was a Unicorn who arrived not long after and used some sort of new teleportation spell on them. He then disappeared before we had a chance to catch him." Twilight said.

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. "To threaten the lives of three young fillies. To try and kill them...how could anypony possibly resort to such a thing?"

Once again, Twilight could feel all of the pressure on her back. She knew that if she were to go through with this marriage, then everypony would be safe. Whoever they were, the stallions that attacked them would no longer be able to threaten anypony again as long as the alliance was in effect. Even if they were crazy, nopony would be insane enough to try and attack a village or a town with a large number of guards patrolling everywhere. But again, she didn't like the idea of marriage, and if she refused, then more of those attacks would come and more lives would be at risk. The young Princess was having a hard time making a decision, she did not want to marry Prince Dusk, she didn't even know what he looked like and from what she knew, he was the biggest jerk in all of Equestria, so much so that he made Discord look like a nice guy.

Celestia and Luna pondered on everything they had just recently learned and were trying to figure out a course of action should Twilight refuse to go through with the marriage. Celestia decided to let Twilight make the choice, she would never force anypony to do anything against their will. Even though she was allowing Twilight to decide, the white Alicorn Princess was still worried that her former student would refuse to go through with the marriage, not that she wanted her to.

After a long moment of silence however, Twilight Sparkle's next words shocked the two Princesses.

"I'll do it."