Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17k0SBpM4PfoMAgwzvWmh_qt5HSrDXhdkUb_FRndSf9Q/edit?usp=sharing

East to west. West to East. North to south. South to north. The sky above the homeland of the beast men had never been this busy before. It took an entire month, but at last, the number of rebels was increasing again. Scorpan quickly proved to be extremely helpful in maneuvering scouts and small troops to secure the landscape around them and after even Malice, the demon commander himself, failed to take down the rebellion, all attacks completely ceased. At least for now.

It was clear that The Right Hand of Nightmare Moon was regrouping his own troops and planning an attack. The rebels dreaded the possibility of a second Red Day. But Amber, who now officially took over the role as clairvoyant, assured that this would not be the case any time soon. She could not see any larger attacks on the new headquarters. To give them as much time as possible, Scorpan and a few other skilled magic users developed a spell to hide the location of the oasis and confuse anyone trying to enter against their will. It seemed to be effective, since every time a scout spotted a demon scouring through the wasteland, it was wandering around aimlessly in the distance until it eventually went back where it came from.

More often than anyone else, it was Fluttershy spotting these singular demons. Ever since they arrived, she spent a lot of time flying all over the wasteland, seemingly in search for something. Sometimes, she was even gone for days. None of her friends had noticed that the heart pin she was always carrying had been lost during their rescue and she herself kept quiet about this, acting as if she was just patrolling and being careful. If she weren’t a reaper, one could argue that she seemed desperate over the fact that she had lost the pin. It was all she had left of Obsidian Shards. Of all their mementos, this was the single most important one. As the replica of the Seven Sounds Bell stood for their friendship to Obsidian, the pin was symbolic for the love he and Fluttershy shared. The day he died, the day he returned this object of immense personal value to her, he symbolically entrusted her his heart. Therefore, having lost the pin was a disaster to Fluttershy. Something that seemed equivalent to her as a tremendous crime. Fluttershy already knew that, should the pin be lost for good now, she would not be able to ever forgive herself. No matter how much she needed to search, she would not stop looking for it until she would find it again.

While the unwelcome were fooled by the illusion, everyone who was invited seemed to have no trouble finding the oasis at all. Griffons, zebras, donkeys, minotaurs, cattle, diamond dogs, arabian ponies, even dragons gathered up over time and with the huge number of beast men supporting them, the rebellion finally returned to a respectable size. Each new recruit brought rumors from their own homeland. It seemed like no nation was willing to put up a fight against Blueblood anymore. Many had surrendered to him and those who didn’t were destroyed. Kingdoms that had existed for millennia were completely erased and the unruled land was simply added to Equestria’s ever growing size. The land Twilight grew up in had turned into an ever-growing tumour on the face of their world. A grotesque and disgusting mass of cruel religion, misleading rulership and unforgiving laws. Blueblood was getting to his goal of uniting the whole world under his reign, step by step. But would King Sombra follow this example? A question the leadership circle had been wondering for awhile now.

Like several times before, Twilight, Rarity, Luna, Celestia, Cadence, Shining Armor, Fluttershy and Derpy Hooves gathered at the highest room in the central stalagmit at the oasis to discuss the latest intel they received. Only Applejack could not come, because she had to see the doctor. After going through the regular process of making sure no intruders were present at this most secretive of meetings and confirming the identities of all leaders, Cadence opened the discussion.

“As it turned out, Sombra instantly jumped at Blueblood’s offer for an alliance, even though he and the brain-washed crystal ponies don’t take any actions,” she started speaking. “Sombra seems to be content just ruling over the Crystal Empire again… The crystal ponies themselves are in a miserable state. Their bodies are still dark and cracked, their eyes are constantly showing nothing but hate or fear. From what I gathered from some who could catch a glimpse on them, they are walking very weak and stumble a lot, as if every bit of their strength is being drained and poured in the still overcharging Crystal Heart.”

“Just what is Sombra doing? How much has he defiled this beautiful ancient artefact by now with forcing so much corrupted energy into it?” Rarity commented in a desperate frustration, showing with a bit of dramatism that she felt sorry for this gem.

“Even more importantly: How much more could it possibly take?” Luna added. “What is he waiting and aiming for? Could this be something Blueblood ordered?”

“Perhaps they are both trying to turn the entire empire into a massively oversized weapon, like Twilight did with the Crystal Heart and the Elements of Harmony,” Derpy figured.

“No information we gain is solid in that regard,” Shining Armor continued. “But with these grim speculations, it is obvious that taking back the Crystal Empire has to be the most important task for the rebellion now. We can’t allow whatever they are doing to be completed.”

“This is going to be a monumental effort and will require a lot of planning…” Twilight commented, rubbing her chin in thought. “While we have yet to figure out how to even tackle this task, we can at least start by going through different scenarios and come up with various plans. We have to be prepared when the opportunity presents itself.”

“I will take care of that,” Luna offered.

“Good. We also-”

Before the purple mare could finish her sentence, she heard knocking on the door. Out of reflex, both Fluttershy and Derpy summoned their scythes and charged in front of the door. Even with the illusion up, one could never be too careful. As the two reapers opened the door, they saw Applejack and Caramel. Being welcomed with drawn weapons and tense faces was something the orange mare was used to, though Caramel’s first instinct was to jump backwards. With a swift glance of reassurance, Applejack convinced him to enter the meeting room, the door closing directly behind them again through Twilight’s magic.

“Treadmill,” the purple mare spoke in an ordering tone.

“Cider,” Applejack replied casually, then turned to her stallion. “When was the first time we talked about mah scars?”

“Um… Oh! We were talking about Sassaflash and how much I missed her. I got angry at you when you said you could imagine what she would have wanted for me and I told you… well… that you didn’t know what it was like to lose somepony important to you. Then you told me what happened to your family…” Caramel summarized.

Instantly, the whole group started to relax and the reapers let their scythes vanish again.

“Glad you could come. I don’t mean to be rude, but… Is there a reason you brought Caramel with you?” Twilight wanted to know.

The country mare took her time, calmly turning back around and remaining silent for just a bit longer. Even without saying anything, her friends could already tell that she had something big and important to tell them. The expression she had was one they had never seen on her before. She seemed overjoyed, her eyes sparkling like never before, a gentle smile on her face and a slight blush adorning her cheeks.

“Oh my stars! Darling!” Rarity shouted out in as much excitement as her undead voice allowed her. “Don’t tell me. That look can only mean one thing! Could it be? You two are planning to get married?”

Within the fraction of a second, Caramel’s ears shot upright, his eyes went wide open and his entire face turned as red as a tomato. Applejack’s expression remained the same as she looked back to see him react to these words, chuckling a bit over how flustered he was.

“Well… that’s something we’re considerin’, alright,” Applejack explained as she turned around, immediately sitting down to be able to lift her front leg to prevent Rarity from freaking out. “But that’s not the actual reason why we’re here.”

“Then don’t torture us any longer! What’s the occasion?” Cadence demanded cheerfully.

“Well, uh… Ah don’t really know how to put it. Guess Ah’ll just say it straight out,” Applejack started, her blush growing stronger, getting up again and shyly crossing her hind legs while turning her head to the side. “Well Ah’m… Ah’m pregnant.”

Despite her condition, Rarity almost exploded with happiness and excitement. Having no fluids left in her body, her tears of joy failed to materialize, even though she was showing the expression as she rushed over to the orange mare and hugged her, then proceeding to hug Caramel just moments later, too. Cadence and Shining Armor as well were extremely happy to hear these news, getting up from their chairs to congratulate the couple. Twilight had a bit of a stunned expression, not actually having expected of her to go this far with him, especially during these times. But she quickly started smiling in approval as well. Even the constantly gloomy and absent-minded Celestia raised her head to stare at Applejack with wide open eyes. The reapers as well hugged and congratulated the couple. But of everyone present, Fluttershy was the only one not surprised of this outcome, having guarded the couple several times as they retreated late at night. It took Rarity several minutes to calm down again and let go of her friend, now simply holding her front leg.

“How far are you in?” she immediately wanted to know.

“About a month. Ah had mah suspicions, but Ah wanted to wait with the announcement until it was sure as sugar,” Applejack replied, still surprisingly shy about this.

“So that’s what the visit with the doctor was all about! My gosh, you lucky filly! I can’t believe it!” Rarity continued, still extremely excited.

“Definitely not a filly anymore now!” Applejack commented jokingly.

“It is great to hear of the next generation being on its way, but do you not think that this might be rather risky?” Luna wondered.

“Well…” Caramel started, suddenly regaining his courage, stepping next to Applejack and wrapping his left front leg around her back. “We had been talking about this for quite some time. We are aware of the risks and decided it would still be worth it. Now is as good of a time to start as any, we figured. I only agreed to this under the condition that AJ would be really careful from now on and not get herself involved in any fights anymore.”

“Eyup!” was all the orange mare said in response, proudly raising her head while still having a strong blush on her cheeks.

“I definitely have to agree with that notion,” Twilight responded with a calm, happy smile. “Don’t worry, AJ. We completely understand. From now on, you don’t have to worry about putting yourself in danger ever again. I’m very happy for you to finally get the opportunity to rebuild your family. I will do everything within my power to protect you, Caramel, Babs and your foal.”

“Thanks, Twi. Ah gotta admit, Ah still haven’t really wrapped mah own head around this. Ah’ll need some time comin’ to terms with the changes, but Ah definitely wanted to let y’all know,” Applejack responded, still grinning in joy.

“Of course. Take your time,” Cadence spoke, waving goodbye to the couple.

As quickly as they showed up, Caramel and Applejack left again. These news really changed the mood in the meeting room. Almost everypony was smiling now.

“I would never have thought!” Luna commented.

“Well, she did plan this for quite some time now. She just never got the chance,” Rarity explained as she walked back to her seat, still beaming with joy.

“I just find it incredible how strong love can blossom at even the darkest of times,” Cadence added with a cheerful expression.

“Anyway, what were you trying to say before, Twilight?” Derpy wondered.

“Ah, right. We need better ways of escorting survivors, refugees and escapees through the wasteland. So far, we don’t have any clear routes set up and I had to send out reapers to recover lost groups several times,” the purple mare resumed.

“I think we need more information from Scorpan and the beast men, then. After all, they know this landscape better than anyone else,” Shining Armor suggested.

“They may know the landscape, but they can’t distinguish between friend and foe very well,” an unfamiliar monotone voice commented suddenly.

Everyone became heavily startled. Someone had made it in! But how? The whole circle put a lot of effort into making sure they were not being eavesdropped! Of all present, Twilight was startled the most by this voice. She was the only one who heard it before.

A mere moment later, they spotted a pony laying on top of a bookshelf, glancing down to them. A gray earth pony mare with purple mane and tail, light blue eyes and a very dirty torn blue frock. Her expression was completely blank, almost soulless. Yet, the dark rings under her eyes gave away that she was actually very tired and exhausted. Twilight couldn’t help but flinch at her sight. Even now, after everything, she needed a moment to collect herself. The others were sitting on their chairs, looking at the intruder in big surprise, while Derpy and Fluttershy drew their weapons and stood ready to battle. Twilight got up, putting her front legs onto the table.

“How did you get in here, Maudenette Evangeline Pie?” she asked aloud, alarming everypony and causing them to instantly jump up from their seats.

“I walked through the door,” the mare replied casually.

“You have no business being here!” Luna shouted with anger written on her face, her horn starting to glow and standing ready to fight. “You should already consider yourself lucky that we have not yet decided to hunt you down, cannibal! Leave at once!”

Maud seemed unimpressed, her expression not changing even the slightest as she looked down to the group ready to pounce her should she make the wrong move.

“I haven’t harmed any of you. Neither did I harm any of your allies. On the contrary, I actually supported you all in the shadows by taking out threats when they were getting too close to your camps. I even put my own life at risk by warning you from a demon assault,” she spoke, still keeping her monotone voice. “If I wanted to, I could have killed at least one of you without any of you seeing it coming, but I didn’t. I openly revealed my presence and I come unarmed. How much more must I do to prove I’m not your enemy?”

Twilight’s expression remained being tense, but her body relaxed. She sat down on her chair and signaled the others to calm down. Luna was especially reluctant, but she as well sat down after even the reapers let their weapons disappear again. Maud took this as a signal that she could approach now and jumped down from the bookshelf. While she grabbed a chair and aimed to join them on the table, the purple mare looked around. Nopony else was present. Maud must have slipped through the door while they were being distracted with Applejack and Caramel, she figured. Before Maud sat down, Derpy and Fluttershy closely inspected her. She was telling the truth. There were no hidden weapons under her frock.

“Why are you here?” Twilight asked, her tone still a bit harsh and distrusting.

“I have no options left. There are no hiding places anymore anywhere. You are my last chance for survival. I have decided to officially join the rebellion,” the gray mare explained calmly.

Again, Luna became very tense and angry, openly showing her displeasure, even though she did not say a word. Maud immediately noticed, eyeing her up as well as the whole group while maintaining this blank expression. They all did not much care for the idea of a cannibal being amongst their allies, but Maud had been speaking the truth about her supportiveness. Not once had she ever been a threat to any member of the rebellion.

Twilight did not immediately pass any form of judgement. She allowed the tense, silent situation to be to her advantage, using the time to think. She still remembered both sides on Maud. The pony that saved her. The pony that killed and ate another pony before her eyes. The pony that smeared the blood of her victim on Twilight’s lips. The pony who explained cannibalism to her from the perspective of a cannibal. In all this time, Twilight did not get to see Maud’s face. Now that she could look at her, she saw something strangely familiar. As wicked and dangerous as Maud Pie, the last member of the Pie family may be, she was displaying an incredible amount of self-control. That monotone, calm voice. This blank, emotionless expression. She was at least as disciplined as some of Twilight’s best elder reapers.

“You said it yourself: Cannibalism is an addiction. How can we be sure you won’t suddenly turn on us?” the purple mare wanted to know, instantly getting the focus of all present for even considering to accept her.

“I don’t snap and even when I lose control, nopony gets harmed. You already know that. But yes, you are right. I am an addict and I need to eat ponies frequently. If you want to help me cope with the temptation of killing one of your allies, you will have to help me hunt your enemies. I don’t ask for much. I can go for weeks on a single cultist,” Maud spoke, taking a moment to observe the expressions of the circle members before finishing. “And so do the others.”

“The others?” Celestia inquired suddenly.

“Even I can’t eat all the cultists I killed for you. I lead a small group of highly skilled hunters who as well have no interest in joining the BloodClaw Cult. I personally trained them in self-control and close-combat. We have successfully been able to not only defeat reapers in the past, before the rebellion even began, but also managed to kill one of the cult’s own very skilled reaper hunters. I brought them here. They are currently hiding among your allies, waiting for feedback from me,” the cannibal mare explained.

“You did WHAT?!” Rarity shouted out, her voice cracking from being unable to handle such intensity anymore.

Instantly, Shining Armor got up again and stomped his front legs onto the table.

“If they kill just one rebel, I will personally make sure you and your friends are being executed. You got that?” he growled.

“They won’t. Before coming here, we gorged ourselves and stocked up. It will be at least a month before any of us will need to hunt again. More than enough time for you to make up your minds on how to handle us, I hope,” Maud assured.

“How many are you in total?” Derpy wanted to know.

“Eleven, including me. But I will not give away their identities, no matter what you do to me,” the cannibal mare responded immediately.

“So you want us to accept and protect you from the cult, as well as bringing you cultists to feed on. In return, you are offering to fight for us, which would basically give me eleven more warriors with skills equal to reapers?” Twilight summarized.

“I can offer you more: Information. While hunting in Equestria, we infiltrated some meetings of the cult and overheard some of their plans. I will tell you what I know, but only if you take us in,” Maud demanded.

“What value could this information possibly have that we should even consider accepting your terms?” Luna wanted to know, a bit more open about this now but still looking grim.

“You were planning to take back the Crystal Empire. I can serve it to you on a silver platter with this information. Something is happening within the next two months that, when you play out your cards right, will finally give you the upper hoof in this war,” the gray mare explained.

All eyes went wide again. Could it really be this simple? After receiving blow after blow and having everything taken from them, they would be getting a chance to turn things around? Just like that?

“How can we be sure you’re not just making this up?” Fluttershy wanted to know.

“I have evidence. This being the only ace up my sleeve, I double-checked to make absolutely sure,” Maud claimed.

A moment of silence followed. At this point, her offer was very tempting. Even if it turns out they couldn’t use her information, having some insight in Blueblood’s plans alone would help a lot, no matter what it is. All present kept looking at each other with thoughtful expressions, eyeing up Maud every now and then. Maud herself remained being completely calm with half closed eyes and a blank expression.

“Can we really trust you?” Twilight wondered.

“Can you afford not to?” Maud countered.

Sadly, she had a point. The rebellion may no longer be just a small group struggling to survive, but they were still in absolutely no position to make any moves. If they wanted to win against Blueblood, they needed the help. All eyes were resting on Twilight now, waiting for her. She, though, leaned back and rubbed her head shortly with closed eyes.

“I can’t make this decision alone. We need to vote on this,” she spoke, getting up again. “If you are for accepting them, raise your hoof.”

Shining Armor, Cadence, Derpy and Twilight herself raised their hooves. Rarity, Fluttershy, Celestia and Luna did not immediately choose, but kept looking at the others, each other and Maud. Celestia was too unsure about this, so her hoof remained down. Fluttershy’s distrust towards Maud was simply too big to be pushed aside so quickly, so she as well did not raise her hoof. Rarity, being completely grossed out from the idea of having active cannibals in the rebellion clearly was against this. Only Luna seemed to be wavering still. She kept on looking at Maud, trying to read her. Occasionally, her glance wandered to the ceiling. At last, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

“I cannot believe we are going there…” she commented as she raised her hoof.

“That’s five to three. It is decided. You and your friends are welcome in the rebellion, so long as you stick to your words,” Twilight spoke.

“Thank you. I need to tell the others, then. I will come back after that,” Maud explained and got up from her chair.

“Before you go… One last thing…” the purple mare started, causing Maud to stop walking and look at her. “What your family has done may be horrible, but having lost my own parents in this war, I know how much this hurts. Putting aside if they deserved it or not… I wanted you to know that… I’m sorry. And I’m also sorry you had to lose your last sister, too…”

“I put this long behind me, Twilight. I know now that what we did was wrong and what I am still doing is also wrong. I was brought up with the believe that eating ponies is okay as long as you don’t get caught doing it. I got hooked on pony flesh when I was still a little filly. The only reason I’m even alive today is because I left the family rock farm when I was still a teenager to pursue my own interests. My parents and my sisters were punished. One day, I know I as well will have to face punishment. Probably when Celestia is back on the throne. I just hope that by supporting you in any way I can, you will lower my punishment and let me live. Otherwise I will have to start running and hiding again and honestly, I am tired of running away,” Maud replied, completely lacking any emotion like before.

With these words, the first cannibal rebel left the meeting room. No one in the entire oasis aside of the leadership circle and the Cakes had any idea who she was. No one else had seen her face or heard her voice before and now that this deal had been sealed, the rebellion leaders would not make this secret public either, as well as ordering Carrot Cake and Cup Cake to do the same. After giving these events a moment to sink in, Rarity lifted her head.

“We have overthrown our standards with this… Did we really do the right thing?” she wondered.

“Only time can tell now. We should still be expecting of her to turn on us out of nowhere at the worst possible timing. But as for now, I believe she has done enough to prove herself,” Cadence commented.

“Judging from how she managed to sneak past us this easily and seeing how strong she is, being easily capable of tearing a full grown pony apart like it is nothing, we need to be really, really careful with her,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Maybe we should take a break. We all need to process this, I suppose,” Shining Armor requested.

With a confirming nod from all members, the meeting came to a halt with everyone leaving the room in silence.