Even as events unfolded outside Equestria's boundries troubles within the nation were still existent. And that was a fact that the small band of refugees in Ponyville were about to learn the hard way.

The trouble began not long after Twilight wrote her letter to Shining Armor and the others informing them that everyone was safe. "Twilight, come on!" Flash Sentry barked out to the unicorn! "We have to go, now! Tempest's forces will be here any minute!"

"Are you sure we can't just lose them in the castle? It's so huge that even I still get lost in it sometimes." Starlight protested.

"With a group this big at our disposal, I'm not taking any chances!" Flash firmly shook his head. Then he turned his attention back to Twilight. "Come on, we're waiting on you!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Twilight called and appeared in the main hallway but a moment later. "I was just sending a reply to Shining! Spike is with him, so at least now I can rest easy. Shining and the boys should be able to keep Spike out of danger. He may be getting older, but he's still my baby dragon. And if anything were to happen to him... well, I don't even wanna think about it."

"You really have an attachment to him, don't you?" Starlight quipped with a teasing smirk.

Twilight blushed. "I can't help it, part of me has always been drawn to him since the day I hatched him."

"Now isn't the time for small talk, ladies!" Flash interrupted! "We need to book it to the Everfree Forest! If this Zecora you speak of is really as friendly as ponies say she is, she should be able to hide us until this whole mess blows over. Is everyone accounted for?"

Sunburst nodded. "Fleur and Cheerilee already fled with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they'll be staying in Manehattan with the Apple family members who live there. It's just you, myself, Twilight, Starlight, Trixie, and of course little Furry Heart here." The baby alicorn gurgled as she played with her crystaller/foalsitter's mane. At least it helped to keep her distracted from those big scary meanies that had done something to her parents.

"Good, then let's go!" Flash shouted. "I'll scout the area from above to look for trouble. But I'll need some help when we reach the Everfree Forest, I ain't ever been there and I don't like flying blind."

The small group departed without further fanfare, making an immediate beeline for the entrance to the Everfree Forest and the promise of safety.

The Storm Guards weren't far behind, they had been given orders to capture any and all runaways by any means necessary. The only limit to their power was the order to keep all fugitives alive. That didn't extend to property though and they delighted in ransacking houses and destroying valuables as they attempted to track Flash's group's whereabouts.

All of a sudden one of them shouted! "Look, the runaways are making a break for it! Now's our chance!" And all turned their attention to the fleeing ponies that stood out amidst the chaos and carnage fast enveloping Ponyville.

"I can see the forest entrance!" Starlight panted. "We're going to make it! Freedom and safety are just around the bend!"

But mere seconds after Starlight had spoken that, disaster struck! Trixie had not all been prepared for running and her cape snagged on a rock. Before the magician had a chance to react and right herself, she stumbled to the ground! Luckily she wasn't hurt, but the delay in getting back up cost valuable seconds as the group was forced to halt.

"Trixie!" Starlight cried and teleported over to her friend's location (for the magician still couldn't teleport yet, despite the lessons she was getting from Starlight). "It's alright, I got you!"

Trixie shook her head. "Go on without Trixie, Starlight! It's too late for the Great and Powerful Trixie, but you can still make it to safety! No matter what, they won't extract any information out of Trixie! She will keep her great and powerful mouth shut!"

"Out of the question! We're not leaving you behind!" Starlight frantically panted as she felt her heart race a mile a minute. "I nearly lost you once before to the changelings, I won't let that happen again!" Her horn started to spark to life, but teleporting two ponies required a lot of stored up magic. All the while the Storm Guards drew only closer and closer.

Flash Sentry swooped down in front of the mares as the Storm Guards closed in on them, immediately he reared his hooves and delivered a flying kick to two of them! The guards recoiled as they were knocked backward! "Both of you go, get out of here!" He commanded! "Don't look back! Just make it to Zecora's and stay together!"

"But Flash, they'll capture you for sure!" Starlight protested.

"That's a risk I'll have to take!" Flash grit his teeth. "It's all part of being a royal guard. But I'll be fine, I promise. I'll join you as soon as I can. Now hurry up and go, I can't stall them for long!"

Twilight and Sunburst teleported over to Starlight and Trixie's location. "We can take 'em, Flash!" Twilight insisted. "Between Starlight and I, and your flying skills, we have all the power we need!"

"We couldn't even repel the ones from Canterlot, what makes you think we'll fare any better on home field?!" The pegasus protested with a shake of his head. He knocked two advancing Storm Guards away as he pleaded. "Forget about me and save yourselves! Captain Armor entrusted me with your well being, and I don't intend to disappoint him!"

"But Flash-" Sunburst pleaded.

"Go! Now!" The young lieutenant bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Flurry Heart began to quiver, Flash's loud yelling had upset her greatly. Sunburst being the experienced foalsitter he was knew what was going to happen as a result. "We need to go! Flurry Heart's getting fussy!" He said to the others. "I don't know if I can hold her back much longer, and I'm not about to explain to Shining Armor how I let his only daughter get foalnapped again!"

"We'll come back for you, Flash! I promise!" Starlight insisted even though she knew the odds of that happening were low. That was the last thing anyone said before she and the rest of the remaining group teleported away.

The pegasus stallion grit his teeth and dug in his hooves as the Storm Guards approached. "I'm in it now!" He thought to himself. But running away was not an option, it wasn't even in his vocabulary! Not only was he a royal guard (and a high ranking member to boot) but the safety of others relied on him being able to hold his own. No matter the odds he knew he'd have to fight to the very end. "Now I know how my distant Uncle Flash Magnus must've felt when he was facing down those dragons with Commander Ironhead." He thought as he recalled the legend passed down in his family line from generation to generation.

Author's Notes:

Yes, this is taking place considerably earlier in the timeline than most of the chapters so far, but it's necessary. Slight spoilers for the future: Shining Armor and Flash Sentry will meet up in Canterlot while Shining is in custody, and the subject will turn to what happened in Ponyville. I felt it was better to show than to just tell that it happened off-screen.

Interestingly, the Gameloft mobile app has events that imply the Cutie Mark Crusaders rescued Starlight and Trixie in Ponyville during the events of the movie. But considering they are apparently seen among the imprisoned in Canterlot later in on the film the events there appear to have been contradicted. Hence why here, I'm removing the CMC (and Fleur and Cheerilee) from the story for the time being.

Next chapter is going to be quite the important one, and rest assured that much like the pearl stealing and the argument on the beach, I will have a lot to talk about in regard to the events and what changed.