Two large streaks of fire illuminate the dim pier, and two explosions rip apart the brick structures, shaking the earth and flinging fiery debris in every direction. Thick smoke chokes the sky and bleeds into the streets as debris crashes down, splashing into the water or breaking the ground.

Standing at one of the pier, with cuts and bruises marking her body is Applejack in her torn clothes. Her aura crackles, her boots have hooked her into the ground, and her palms are together and aimed at Discord. Applejack's eyes are wide and tears clean off streaks of grime, and her mouth hangs open in disbelief as her target remains perfectly fine. He is smiling like a fool with his cane in front of him and two burning trails flanking him, each ending at gutted buildings that are engulfed in flames.

“H-How?” stammers Applejack. “How are you still standing!”

Discord places his cane against his shoulder and strolls forward, and when Applejack tries firing another round at Discord nothing but a pitiful puff of orange smoke happens. She growls and tries again, but the same thing happens.

Again and again Applejack tries, but again and again she fails, and with each steps Discord takes towards her with his eyes flashing green she takes a step back. Very soon her growls turned to panicked breaths and when he is upon her, she takes a swing at him, but he pivots and grabs her wrist and when she tries to kick him he effortlessly deflects it and when she extends her other leg to balance he brings his fist down on her femur.

There is a loud crack and Applejack shrieks in pain and drops to her knee, sobbing and cussing through her teeth as her vision blurs from the tears drenching her bloodied face. Discord still holds on to her gauntlet, though, so she cannot hold her leg as she wishes. Instead, all she can do is clutch it with one hand try not to vomit from feeling her shattered bone moving against her flesh.

“Looks like you're out of aura,” says Discord calmly.

“You bastard!” sobs Applejack.

“I know.”

Discord squeezes the gauntlet and Applejack screams again as the metal is crushed and sparks and flames fly, burning her sleeve and hand. He throws her down to the ground and shakes his head as she holds her leg, weeping and trembling. He then looks at the others. Pinprick has yet to move, and his eyes stare at Discord, wide and dead; Pinkie Pie lays face first in the ground, soaked in blood and covered in a thin layer of debris; and Rarity is laying on her side, wheezing and face warped from the pain of her battered body and wet from blood, sweat and tears.

“Well, this has been fun, but I have to go, now,” says Discord. He aims his cane at the remains of a wall and shoots blue ball laced with red bolts. The ball splatters on impact and a portal with a sparking red and blue border opens up with a scream. He then hastily approaches it while waving to the two girls. “Tell Celly I said hi, would you? Thanks!”

Discord then enters the portal and when his body disappears from view the portal seals shut, leaving only desolation.

Applejack's vision is still hazy from the tears, and she flops her head on the ground, shaking and crying as she squeezes her leg.

“Applejack?” calls Rarity.

Applejack looks at Rarity and sees her using one hand to drag her forward. Her bangs are matted to her face from the bloody gash, and one eye is swollen shut. Her teeth grind against each other with every pull, and as much as Applejack wants to yell at her to stay put, she cannot speak. Her throat is tight and her lungs are starved for air, so all she can do is look at Rarity, trying to swallow what air she can between her whimpers.

When Rarity is next to Applejack, tears squeal and a white van swerves around the corner and skids to a stop next to Pinprick. The back door flies open and a group of six blond men in white suits jump out wearing thick, padded gloves with small computers strapped to their wrists. Four of them grab Pinprick and gently, yet quickly, slide him into the van while the other two keep watch with their hands on their holsters. After Pinprick is in, one of the men in white shouts in a foreign tongue and the other two jump inside, close the van, and the vehicle speeds off, leaving a trail of exhaust behind.

The two girls watch, flabbergasted at what they have seen, and when the vehicle is out of sight, Applejack yells and slams her fist on the ground.

“Faust-dammit! Really!?” cries Applejack. “We're dying here and they just drove off!”

Rarity winces and sits up, letting her arm hang limp, and with her good arm she guides Applejack so that her head lies on her lap, and she gently shushes her as her bloodied fingers rake her hair. Applejack closes her eyes and buries her face in Rarity's leg, her burnt hand gripping her teammate's leg while the other holds her leg, and her body shudders as she cries and chokes for air.

“Please be strong,” sniffles Rarity, her voice being drowned by Applejack's cries. She closes her eye and tilts her head down with tears falling off her cheeks. “I can't be strong for all of us. Please stay strong, just a little bit longer... Just a little bit... For them... For them...”

At the bus stop at the edge of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie has just finished hugging Cloudy Quartz and is now hugging Igneous. She is disappointed that her sisters are not with them to see her off, but she understands why, so she is not complaining. Vocally, anyway.

So, here she is, outside of the bus with Applejack patiently waiting, the bus driver not being patient, and Igneous hugging her tight. She feels a slight tremble in him, and when he pulls away he keeps a grip on her arms and looks her in the eyes.

“Remember, Pinkamena, thou dost or dost not. There is no try,” says Igneous.

Pinkie Pie smiles and nods. “I know.”

“Also, thou art forbidden from dating.”

“What? Oh, come on!”

Cloudy Quartz smiles and places her hand on Igneous' shoulder.

“Igneous, thou should not worry. A strainer has a better chance of holding water than Pinkie getting a special someone,” says Cloudy Quartz.

“Mom!” whines Pinkie Pie, her body sagging and face burning red.

Applejack snickers behind her, but she does not get a chance to look at her since Cloudy Quartz has taken a hold of her and is kissing her on her head.

“We love you, Pinkamena, always know that,” says Cloudy Quartz.

“I love you, too,” says Pinkie Pie, huffing. “Will you write me?”

“Of course,” says Igneous. “Now, go forth and repay your debt, and may Faust bless you.”

Beep. Boop.

Beep. Boop.

Beep. Boop.

Pinkie Pie's eyes peel open. Her eyes feel like they have been lit aflame by the lights above, and she groans and rubs her eyes. Doing this, she feels a tug on her arm and she finds a thin tube connecting her arm to a hanging blood bag. She also realizes that she is in a paper thin gown with her legs covered by a blue blanket and her cot is positioned so her body is up slightly. A quick observation also shows her that she is in a plain, white room and ha sensors hooked up to her that are constantly giving off vitals. So far everything looks stable.

Beep. Boop. Blink.

Pinkie Pie sees her Walkman on her lap, which is concerning for her since she knows she did not bring it with her. She winces and gingerly reaches for her device, trying not to disturb the blood bag too much.

Beep. Boop. Blink.

As Pinkie Pie pulls her Walkman towards her, her abdomen feels like it is splitting open from the two wounds that nearly ripped her in half. Every flex of every muscle is felt and Pinkie Pie looks ahead at the door, seeing nothing past it. However, the footsteps outside speed up when they are in her door's area.

Beep. Boop. Blink.

Pinkie Pie sees Rainbow Dash sitting on a chair next to her cot, eyes closed, arms folded across her chest and her head bowed with her legs outstretched. One of her arms is bandaged and a crumbled bag of Hearty's is nearby, plus a large cup is on a table that just happens to be nearby.

Seeing the cup, and the droplets of dew clinging to its smooth, plastic surface makes Pinkie Pie realize how dry she feels. Saliva pools in her mouth and her tongue runs along her dried lips, and after inspecting the length of the tube, she carefully extends her hand to the cup.

She cringes from the tug, but she perseveres. She grunts and squints her eyes as she grinds her teeth, but she freezes when Rainbow Dash giggles and shifts in her chair. Then, much to Pinkie Pie's amazement, she curls up tightly on the chair, tucking her legs to her chest and resting her head against her knees while her hands bunch up close to her chin.

Pinkie Pie remains frozen in place for a few seconds, watching Rainbow Dash intently. When she feels safe, she snatches the cup and starts drinking. Watered down soda had never tasted so good to her before, and her eyes roll up in bliss and she shudders with a smile.

In seconds the air suction scrapes at the bottom and she pulls the cup away with a wet pop and licks her lips, humming happily.

“Mmm, yum,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Not the peanut butter!” screams Rainbow Dash suddenly, jerking and falling off her seat with a loud thud.

Pinkie Pie jumps and yells, accidentally tossing the cup in the air, where it twirls and crashes to the floor. The door is then pushed open and a fully armored, gold plated guard slides in with his fist aimed straight ahead and the horn on his helmet and a pair of barrels on his wrist glowing.

The two girls stare at the guard, frozen solid, as he sweeps the room, but when he finds nothing interesting he retracts his weapon, nods and moves to exit. However, Pinkie Pie calls him, so he stops and looks at her.

“Where's my team? And why is she here? No offense,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Your team is stable and being held in separate locations, awaiting further interrogation about the incidents of the morning,” says the guard. “As for this one, she gave you blood and upon doctor's firm request she is to stay here until stated otherwise. That and apparently all the other rooms are filled. Any more questions?”

“Is Pinprick here?” asks Pinkie Pie, her hands wringing and her eyes hopeful despite the slimy ink feeling in her that is telling her otherwise.

“Who is Pinprick?”

“He's a tall guy-”

“No males were recovered at the site of your extraction.”

A smile grows and a light gasp escapes Pinkie Pie. “So he survived? He had to have survived! I mean, I saw him get whacked in the head and he got all gimpy and fell weird, but if he wasn't there then he must have walked away and will probably come back and see me any moment now, right? Right?”

Pinkie Pie's head snaps between the guard and Rainbow Dash, desperate to see the answers in their faces, but the full faced helmet only displays her reflection and Rainbow Dash is absolutely confused.

“Right?” asks Pinkie Pie again, her voice losing some of its cheer.

“Enjoy your rest while you can. Principal Celestia Faustsent will have a word with you when she is ready,” says the guard.

He then leaves the room and when the door closes Pinkie Pie's shoulders sag with a loud sigh and her eyelids droop as she looks at Rainbow Dash.

“I'm in serious trouble, aren't I?” says Pinkie Pie.

“Well, a whole building and pier were destroyed by you and your team, Trixie was shot by a black market weapon, Rarity's arm was busted to uselessness, Applejack's leg got shattered and you were basically dead, so, yeah, you're in hot water,” says Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie groans and slams her head against her pillow, using the arm without the bloodbag to cover her teary eyes. “Great. I just got the worst team leader of the year award. Now Applejack, Rarity and Trixie will hate me, my family will be bankrupt, and I'll be going to prison and probably become someone's prison bitch.”

Rainbow Dash yawns and sits on her chair. “Yeah, that's what Octavia said.”

Pinkie Pie sniffles. “That's not helping.”

“She also said prison is not too bad. All you need is friends, wits and a fighting spirit.”

“How would she know?”

“Apparently her father was sent to prison after he killed three guys with a pencil. He still writes to her and all that, but he is basically there for life without parole since they keep finding more murder cases tied to him.”

Pinkie Pie pulls her arm away to look at Rainbow Dash. “You're making that up.”

“I'm not, I swear,” says Rainbow Dash, grinning. She then leans forward and pats Pinkie Pie's arm. “But look on the bright side of all this. You survived a fight against a wanted maniac and basically forced yourself to stay alive even though you were drained of blood, so if anything, you'll make a harem of prison bitches dedicated to you since nobody will keep you down.”

“I guess so...” says Pinkie Pie slowly.

“Another thing, Flash said that you should claim self defense since they can't charge you for that and any further investigations will only expose more bad stuff for the other guys, so you just might get an award for helping uncovering an elaborate crime network!”

Pinkie Pie hums and strokes her chin. “That is insanely optimistic, but insanity is fun, so I'll take it!”

“Awesome!” says Rainbow Dash, giving Pinkie Pie a playful punch in the blood bag arm that makes the injured student cringe and grab the impact spot. However, Rainbow Dash ignores this reaction and grabs her cup, looking disappointed. “Huh, I thought there was more in here...”

Underneath the light of the morning sun, Luna stares at a cleared away segment of what was once the Flim Flam pawn shop. Her composure is disciplined, but her brain is smoking from how fast the gears are turning. Around her, investigators are collecting items ranging from weapons to leisure goods, and books to videos. They also found a safe and are now working on opening.

Next to Luna stands a stocky guard with cropped blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His tag reads: Lt. Falx.

“When we found this we wanted you and your sister to see it,” says Falx.

Luna says nothing, for her attention is solely on the cracks that have formed eight barbed arrows in a radial pattern inside a pentagon that is surrounded by a circle.

“What do you think it is?” says Falx.

Luna takes a deep breath and clenches her hands tight. “It means we have a problem.”

“Ma'am?”

Luna ignores him and pulls out her phone. She selects Celestia and in a flurry of motion she sends out a single message:

“Tia. Pinkamena is a Warper.”