Rainbow Dash was not a happy pony.

Well, she wasn't quite a pony anymore technically, but that was hardly the point at the moment—or perhaps that was exactly the point now that the cyan pegasus thought about it. Whatever the case, she wasn't happy with the current situation she'd found herself in. She'd also never been a particularly patient pony either, and becoming a shapeshifting death machine hadn't changed that; if anything, it had made it worse somehow.

It also could've been a side effect of that sleeping consciousness in her mind, but she didn't really want to entertain the notion; besides that, its presence seemed to be getting quieter and quieter anyway over the last few days, so she felt there was no need. Instead she busied herself by throwing an occasional glare in the direction of the mare who'd been responsible for her unfavorable circumstances. Rarity, who happened to be the focus of those glares, had very much noticed Rainbow's dissatisfaction, but had opted to ignore it completely. Given the current circumstances, both she and Applejack had agreed that patience and subtlety were virtues that would serve the three of them.

In truth, Applejack was just as impatient and irritated as Rainbow Dash, but, unlike Rainbow Dash, she had enough sense to see the wisdom in Rarity's suggestion. After all, they'd all only just arrived in Equestrian territory roughly an hour or so ago and had no idea of the current situation. It had been a long and ceaseless flight through most of Griffonia and across the Celestial sea, and while the trio were never physically hampered in any way, they were all mentally exhausted by the sheer monotony.

Thankfully Applejack had finally managed to form herself a pair of wings somewhere along the way and, while she was happy to be a pony again, her being a pegasus was a strange experience for everypony involved. Though she'd gotten the hang of shifting forms, Applejack still would've preferred the ground to flight any day of the week. Aside from that, there'd been small talk here and there—attempts to break a boring and sometimes melancholy silence unbroken save for the constant howl of the wind in their ears—but it always seemed to devolve into the same conversation between the three friends, and it always ended the same way.

There was always talk of what they would all do once they reached Equestria, of who and what would be waiting for them after all these years away. There was always the same worry of what their loved ones would think of them now, assuming they were still around to judge. In the end, the discussion would always leave them feeling scared and morose, with no answers or assurances for their worries. At some point they simply stopped talking and just dealt with the grim silence and constant monotony of their long, long flight back home.

And then, just as they could finally see the beginnings of the familiar Equestrian city of Manehattan on the horizon, they encountered an airship that just happened to belong to the Equestrian Border Patrol. More specifically, the trio of viral ponies had found that it was a border patrol consisting mostly of griffons in uniform.

They'd realized this only after a pair of armed and armored griffons had flown out to meet them while they were gawking at the airship and wondering, or rather arguing, about how to proceed. The airship was only about a fourth the size of the one they'd all seen back at the labs where they'd woken up, but the familiar symbol of a crescent moon over the black splotch that represented the night sky was plain to see on the midnight blue envelope of the ship.

The griffons had apparently spotted a group of suspicious pegasi nearing the Manehattan shoreline and had gone to investigate. One would've assumed that any pony making their way into Equestria wouldn't require any kind of permit, passport, or anything else of the sort to enter, but as had been established several times for the mares, times had changed drastically. Things weren't as simple as they'd once been and now the three had a choice to make. Rainbow Dash had initially planned on slaughtering her way through the griffons and moving onto their next destination, but a few more griffons had come out to see what the commotion was about, and once the griffons had identified themselves as part of the Equestrian Border Patrol, Rarity was having none of it.

"I know it might be frustrating for you dear, and in a way I do share your sentiments," Rarity had explained to an indignant Rainbow as the three were hoofcuffed and carried to the airship, "but this is an opportunity I'd rather not waste. There's still quite a bit we don't know, and this may be our first chance to gain some insight into what we might see."

"Bah, now you sound like Twilight," Rainbow groused with a roll of her eyes, "if we need to 'gain some insight' we can just—"

"I'm well aware of what we can do, darling," Rarity interjected in a low but harsh whisper. She threw the small entourage of griffons a quick glance and saw that some were watching them warily and a couple eyed them with strange smirks and smiles that Rarity didn't like one bit. She frowned and turned back to Rainbow Dash, "...but I'd rather not cause a scene unless we have to. If we were to do anything... untoward to our captors then word might get around, and that would make things that much harder for us."

Rainbow opened her mouth to argue, but Applejack spoke first, her tone bitter, but resigned.

"Ah'm with ya, Rainbow, believe me," the cowpony said with a grim frown, "but ah think it's best we listen ta Rares fer now. If it turns out certain things need doin', we'll do 'em, but until then, let's just see where this goes."

Rainbow still wanted to argue, and was ready to, but then she stopped, taking note of the oddly strained tone of Applejack's voice. She frowned and took moment to observe the griffons that had surrounded them. Looking at a few of them, Rainbow could immediately tell something was off about them, but she could put her hoof on what. She returned her gaze to Applejack and saw that the orange mare was wearing that look. It was that same look she got when she knew somepony wasn't telling the truth. Even without the connection to her Element, Applejack could still sniff out dishonesty and deceit like nopony else.

Normally this would've set Rainbow off, and she would've acted despite the consequences, but something told her to wait—that if she waited, she'd find far more satisfaction. Reluctantly, and with an irritated snort, Rainbow acquiesced. She wasn't pleased with the outcome, but that was fine with Rarity, so long as the rash pegasus was willing to cooperate. And so it was that the three had found themselves blindfolded and thrown into a dark and dingy brig aboard the Halvmane. The blindfolds had been removed shortly after the trio had been contained, but the gaurds hadn't said a word, despite Rainbows antagonistic outbursts.

That all had been roughly five minutes ago and Rainbow was getting more impatient by the minute. The cell itself was essentially a closed dark grey metal box large enough for maybe one or two more ponies than were currently trapped in there. The door was much the same as the walls with a small slot for the guards to peer through and presumably deliver food if necessary. There hadn't been much to do while the three waited for whatever was to come other than talk, and talk they did.

"Somethin' ain't right," Applejack muttered, "Equestria ain't never had a 'border patrol' before, least as far as ah could tell—don't think we ever needed one."

"Well, a lot can change in sixteen years," Rarity replied with a weary sigh, "and war just by itself can cause quite a few changes..." she grimaced in displeasure, "...especially if you're on the losing side. Still, I do find it rather strange that we haven't at least been questioned about who we are."

"They just threw us in here, without a word! With blindfolds!" Rainbow growled, her wings twitching irritably, "just left us here while they go off and do who-knows-what! I agree with Applejack, those griffons are up to something," she snorted, "I'm pretty sure they're not who they say they are. I mean what kind of border patrol uses blindfolds and throws ponies into prisons no questions asked?"

Applejack gave Rarity a sidelong glance, her expression unreadable.

"Ah know ah agreed ta wait, but..."

"My reasons for waiting still stand, darling," Rarity finished, shaking her head, "even now more than ever. You saw Luna's cutie mark on the airship. Border patrol or not, these griffons are working for the crown—or what passes for the crown nowadays. We shouldn't get on their bad side just yet, lest we invite the wrath of the... ah... Queen and this King Sombra. We shouldn't pick a fight until we know more."

"Those are more or less my thoughts, little lady."

At the sound of the slightly accented voice, the girls snapped their gaze towards the metal door. They heard the sound of someone fumbling with keys, and a moment later there was a sudden click. The door slowly swung open to reveal two griffons on either side of one of the largest pegasi the three friends had ever seen. The stallion wore a crisp and vaguely militaristic double breasted uniform of dark blue, and while not as big as a draft pony like Big Mac, he was fairly close in size. His coat was a sandy brown color and his mane and tail were both a rusty red and short cut. The pegasus stepped into the cell wearing an amiable grin, but it didn't reach his hard green eyes—eyes that swept over the three mares with something like amusement.

Those green eyes fell upon three pegasi mares; the one to the far left had a deep red coat, a dark green windswept mane and tail, and pale orange eyes brimming with suspicion and distrust. To her right was a mulberry colored mare with a perfectly coiffed mane and tail the color of fresh snow, bright cerulean eyes, and a calm, even expression. The last mare had a forest green coat, a wild black mane and tail, and golden yellow eyes trained on his own. The glare she gave the stallion was as caustic as he'd ever seen, and the large pegasus had seen a lot of glares over the years. Satisfied with his observation, the stallion chuckled lightly.

"You know," he said after a long moment, "it would behoove the lot of you not to discuss possible motives so openly while your captors are within earshot, just a friendly word of advice."

"Pfft, like it matters," Rainbow shot back, switching her glare for a confident smirk, "It's not like you'll be able to do anything if we—"

"What my hotheaded and overly pugnacious friend means to say," Rarity cut in, giving Rainbow a disapproving scowl before smiling diplomatically at the stallion, "is that we're all just a bit upset at having been accosted and arrested without any proper context."

"Other than your unauthorized entry into Equestrian lands?" the stallion replied with a raise of his brow.

"You'll have to forgive us, darling," Rarity answered apologetically, "though we're originally natives of Equestria, we've... been away for quite some time, you see. My name is Rare Gemstone," she gestured to herself before sweeping a hoof over to Rainbow, "this rather bellicose mare is Sparkling Rainbow."

The stallion squinted at Rainbow Dash for a second, then gave Rarity a quizzical look that complemented the incredulous stare Rainbow herself gave her disguised friend.

"Sparkling Rainbow you say?" the stallion said in a slow, bemused voice, "I... don't see it."

"Yes, it doesn't seem to fit her looks or personality," Rarity replied with a light chuckle, "but I'm afraid it is what it is. Poor girl suffered terribly for the name back in school."

She shot Rainbow a pitying look, silently begging the disbelieving mare to play along. Apparently Rainbow got the message, as she huffed in indignation, but didn't say anything on the matter. Instead she returned to glaring at the uniformed stallion while Rarity introduced Applejack.

"And last but certainly not least," Rarity continued, placing a hoof around Applejack's withers, "this quiet mare is Brilliant Sunrise."

Applejack gave no response or reaction other than to give a curt nod to the stallion. Her frown deepened as the stallion gave one of the griffons behind him a significant glance. The griffon in question wrote something down on a clipboard he'd been carrying and gave a grim nod to the stallion a moment later. Applejack narrowed her eyes at the exchange, but maintained her silence.

"Charmed to meet you all, I'm sure," the stallion replied, turning back to the mares and nodding to each one of them in turn, "you may call me Shimmering Sands, the current head of our little patrol while our... boss is away," he gave Rarity an apologetic look, "forgive me for not being able to meet you under more... cordial circumstances, Miss Gemstone, but with times being as they are, it's generally easier and safer to detain first and ask questions later."

"Okay, I get that, and I get these," Rainbow chimed in, raising her cuffed hooves, "but what's the deal with the blindfolds?"

"Among patrolling Equestria's borders, we have many other responsibilities," Shimmering Sands replied smoothly, "some of those responsibilities require the handling of certain things that are not meant for civilian eyes. King's orders and all that I am afraid."

"Yeah, I'll just bet," Rainbow muttered.

"More importantly, I have some questions of my own if you don't mind," Shimmering Sands continued, turning back to the mare who seemed to be in charge, "Miss Gemstone, would you mind sharing with me the details of how and why you came to enter into Equestrian airspace with no passports, documentation, or any kind of permit?"

"Well, as I mentioned before, we've been away from Equestria for some time—years unfortunately," Rarity answered with a sorrowful sigh, "we're all sisters that were separated from our family during the war. Our parents helped us flee the country and we'd been living in Saddle Arabia up until recently. We only just now got the chance to return home, but back when we escaped, there was no border patrol, so all of this comes as a bit of shock you understand."

"I do," Shimmering Sands replied with a sympathetic smile, "and it must have been especially hard for you all when the King invaded Saddle Arabia three years ago."

Rarity blinked.

"P-Pardon?"

Shimmering Sands' smile widened slightly and he took a step closer to Rarity.

"Yes, you three must have the worst of luck, escaping one country at war, only for the land you thought a sanctuary to suffer the same fate. You have my condolences, truly," he stepped back and gave a sorrowful sigh of his own, "in truth, my own Saddle Arabian blood cries out for justice at what has become of my homeland, but I know better than to go against the King, and so here I am, though I do worry for my own family back home."

Both Applejack and Rainbow looked to Rarity, but Rarity could only return their looks with a concerned frown, the mare unsure of how to proceed. That, at the very least, explained the sheer size of the stallion.

"Well, it is a tragedy of course," Rarity finally replied, her tone now a bit more tentative than it had been before, "but through a few lucky coincidences, my sisters and I managed... to..."

Rarity trailed off and a sinking feeling rose in her gut as Shimmering Sands laughed. It was an amused, mocking sort of laugh that told the mare she'd made a mistake somewhere along the way—a feeling that became a certainty as the stallion spoke again.

"La tujad harb fi Saraj Alearabiat ya 'ahmaq!" the stallion exclaimed with a chuckle, "muhawalat jayidat, lakunani la 'ankhadie bisahula."

Rarity had no idea what to say to that, and it was clear from the looks on their faces that neither Applejack or Rainbow Dash did either. Though they didn't understand a word of what Shimmering Sands had said, they could all tell they'd been caught in the lie just by the tone of his voice.

"This has been an amusing distraction, really it has," Shimmering Sands continued after a beat. He was no longer laughing, but still smiled a cold smile, "but I am afraid I have other duties to attend to and must hurry this current business along."

Apparently this was taken a cue by the two uniformed griffons, because one of them smirked and brought a rifle strapped to his midnight blue armor to bear. The other stowed his clipboard away in a satchel and did the same as the the large stallion spoke once more.

"In all honesty I do not care where you come from or why you have entered Equestria," Shimmering Sands all but whispered, moving in and leaning uncomfortably close to Rarity. She grimaced at the stallion's leering face, but said nothing, "all that matters is that you have come bearing none of the proper documentation to enter this fine country," he stepped back straightened up before speaking in a louder voice, "and so you have two choices ladies..."

He took another few steps back until he was standing outside of the cell. The two griffons stepped in to replace him, their rifles raised and their claws on the trigger. To Rarity's disgust, one of them licked their beak in anticipation.

"...you can either earn your citizenship through back breaking labor, digging around beneath the ground like a lowly diamond dog," Shimmering Sands exclaimed, "or my two friends can put you all down in the name of protecting this great nation from malicious spies like yourselves. I don't think it is such a hard choice to make, do you?"

"Nope."

There was an odd sound and a brief flurry of movement, and a dark shadow passed over both griffon's eyes. Neither had any time to squawk in surprise before two massive black claws latched itself onto each of their gawping faces and squeezed. There was a grotesque mix of cracking and squelching and a second later the two griffons fell to the ground, their features nothing more than a pulpy mess of red, pink and grey from the neck up.

It had all happened in an instant, and the sudden burst of violence had been so outrageous and unexpected that Shimmering Sands could only stare in disbelief at the two very dead guards laid out before him. In the thick silence that followed, the stallion slowly raised his face to meet the three mares and he froze. His eyes locked onto one mare and gradually widened with horror at the twisted black limbs that had erupted from where her front hooves had once been. His mouth flapped uselessly for a few moments before he finally managed to choke something out in a hoarse whisper.

"Ealaa daw' alshams al'iilhi..."

"Ah got no clue what any o' that means," Applejack replied, pulling the ropy black claws back but keeping them out, "but ah made my choice."

Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash watched with resignation and surprise respectively as the mare shed her red coat in a mess of black tendrils and replaced it with a more familiar orange coat and stetson. Applejack looked at Rarity and snorted before glaring at the stunned and horrified stallion.

"Sorry, Rares, but it looks like certain things need doin' after all. Ah got a family ta find and ah ain't getting held up here."

Author's Notes:

To those who actually speak some form of Arabic, I apologize for the possibly poor translation. Google translate was all I had to work with. And yes, I'll come back to this in another chapter, so no worries there.