I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE

Chapter 9: Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.

Shining Armor popped into existence along with the Princesses in a crowd of guards and his wife.

“Shining, what's wrong? We got an omega alert, and- SHINING!” Cadance's question died on her lips when she saw the huge lance still lodged in her husband's chest.

Before she could do anything, he shouted, “Safe room, NOW!” and the guards snapped to life. Amongst the protests of all three Princesses, their ever-alert sentinels quickly and efficiently herded them into a room standing open behind the mares.

Celestia was in a panic. “No! We left Twilight and the Elements! Get them here, first!” she shouted, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

“SHINING!” Cadance shouted as she tried to reach him.

The Princess's husband stoically watched them as they were pushed into the safe room and the doors closed with a resounding BOOM.

Celestia was first to the heavy, steel lead-lined doors and pounded on them with her hooves until her shoes were dented and bent, falling to the ground, forgotten. ”NO! TWILIGHT!”

Cadance wasn't in any better shape, having collapsed to the floor in a sobbing heap. Luna went to her and nuzzled her gently. “We art sure thy love wilt be fine, Cadenza. Keep the faith.”

Looking around the room, Celestia sought another way out, all the while knowing that there wasn't. She should know, since she designed it as a last point of refuge, should something like this very thing happen. The steel, circular walls arched overhead to meet at a central point, and there were no windows to offer an ingress to attackers, but also no exit for its occupants. The walls themselves were lined with maps of Equestria and it's surrounding countries as well as racks of enchanted weapons and armor sized to meet Celestia and Luna's needs.

Standing before one of the weapon racks, the alabaster mare selected a halberd with her telekinesis, floating it up to her for inspection. Luna noticed this and looked distressed. “ 'Tia! Surely thou aren't-” Celestia sent a glance her way that silenced the night mare immediately. She reached a hoof up to her peytral, and Luna's eyes went wide. “Sister, no! Thou canst-”

Before another word could be uttered, Celestia ripped the peytral from her neck. Instantly, the room became unbearably bright and hot. Waves of light and heat could be seen emanating from the solar diarch, blinding and distorting everypony's vision. Her mane and tail were no longer their familiar pastel hues, but instead burned with the intensity of the sun's orange and yellow super-heated plasma. Flares and prominences roiled across the surface, and small, black spots lazily drifted within them. The alicorn's coat was a blinding yellow-white that shed light brighter than any earthly fire. Celestia's eyes were the sole spot of cool color, blazing with a blue fiery light that felt like they could burn the soul. Unnoticed, her crown and rear shoes melted into golden puddles upon the charring and cracking floor.

“Twilight's in danger,” she said, her voice devoid of any of her familiar warmth, but possessed a depth and gravitas it normally lacked in all but the most formal of occasions. The walls reverberated with each word, even though she didn't use the Royal Canterlot Voice. Luna shivered in fear. They had not used their true voices since shortly after discovering that normal ponies could not withstand it. “I made a promise, Luna. I won't let it happen all over again. I can't. As long as I draw breath, she will be safe. Even at the cost of my own life.”

Celestia pointed her horn at a wall and a small ball of light formed in front of the tip. Luna threw her wing over the distraught Cadance and erected a shield of energy. The blast was deafening in the small, steel room; the cloud of smoke, choking.

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“Careful,” the doctor said as he bound Shining's wound. “This is just temporary. Move too much, and the wound will reopen. What you need is bed rest.”

The unicorn shook his head. “Can't. Too much to do.” He looked to his lieutenant. “Any word yet from Plain Sight?”

“None yet, sir.”

“Then never mind. I'm going back to Ponyville myself along with the third battalion.” He pointed towards the lance, and the message etched into it. “If we can take what's written here at face value, then I'll be needed there.” Inscribed on the lance were the words, “We have the mare. If you want to see her alive again, you'll meet our demands. We'll be in touch. The United Creature Liberation Front.”

Shining kicked the lance with disgust and fear. He glanced back at his lieutenant, saying, “Have the troops-” Further instructions would have to wait as an explosion from the safe room in front of which they had gathered, knocked everypony on the ground off their hooves. Even the flying pegasi were thrown for a loop.

Shining Armor leapt to his hooves again and ran to the concealed button that opened the doors, frantically pressing it. A second, smaller boom had him scrabbling for balance, but he ran to the opening, anyway. He looked in, expecting to see his worst fear, but saw only Luna and Cadance lying side-by-side, huddled for protection, a gaping hole in the wall, and no Princess Celestia.

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Celestia sped along, faster than she had in centuries, her halberd floating beside in her telekinetic grip. She was flying so fast, that actual flapping would only have slowed her down. Her wings were out, but held behind her at an acute angle, feathers tamped down close to reduce drag. Her mane and tail bled into a streak of plasma behind her, leaving a weird, fiery contrail in the sky.

Faster. I have to get there before she's hurt. I can't let her be hurt like last time. This mantra kept urging her to pile on the speed. Without the inhibitor collar that kept her powers in check so that she didn't accidentally kill ponies on sight, she could actually turn herself into light, and be there even before she finished thinking about it, but she ran the risk of overshooting her goal and having to backtrack.

Had she been thinking clearly, she would have teleported, but her concern over Twilight and the Elements of Harmony, dashed all other concerns from her mind. Instead, she poured her magic into propelling her forward, heedless of the wind ripping and tearing at her skin, and prayed that she could make the normally three to four hour flight in record time.

Twilight! Celestia's deafening hypersonic boom destroyed further coherent thought from her mind.

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Ava only saw the pegasus at the last minute, and jinked to the right to avoid having her wing clipped from above. As it was, she lost a few primaries to the attack, but stayed aloft with her target. She could hear the sky blue stallion curse as he flew past, they were so close.

A second, lilac-gray pegasus mare with a spiky, white mane dived at her from behind and grabbed onto Ava's leonine tail. Squawking at the outrage, she kicked out with her rear legs, landing a solid blow to the mare's head. High Hide flew up to her and asked, “You okay, Cloudchaser?”

Cloudchaser shook her head to clear it, setting her eyes straight again. “Yeah, I'll live. Which way did she go?” she asked, looking everywhere.

“Dived back below the clouds. Come on!” he replied and stooped into a dive once again. They burst through the clouds again, only to find themselves in the middle of the dragon migration. The dragon's appeared too startled upon seeing them to do anything, and just flew around them.

Spotting a flash of color, Cloudchaser pointed with a hoof. “There!” and dived after their target.

The two pegasi slalomed around the dragons in pursuit of the griffoness, narrowly avoiding collision time after time. Burdened as she was with the solidly-built earth pony in her foreclaws, it didn't take long for the nimble pegasi to catch up to her again. High Hide shouted at her, “Land, now! You are in violation of Equestrian law! Surrender now, and-”

The stallion's cries were cut off as another griffoness tackled him from above, causing them both to tumble from the air. They fell from the sky together in a tangled ball of fur and feathers, hissing, biting, clawing, and even bucking at each other. Dragons swerved to keep clear of them, but when one is the length of a city block, maneuverability is a commodity that is difficult to come by.

An enormous green dragon barrel rolled to avoid hitting them, but the griffoness's wing was clipped by the dragon's spiked tail, narrowly escaping severance. She screeched as the bones broke, and with a last bit of effort, High Hide bucked her right in the chest, separating them at last. Both surprised the next dragon to come along, and struck him in opposite wings, tumbling end over end on them after a backbreaking impact with the leading edges. Unfortunately, between all the wounds inflicted on him, and the effort of freeing himself, he had no remaining energy, and he couldn't even gather enough vigor to spread his wings and slow his fall. He watched as his partner chased down the foalnapper and lost consciousness before he even hit the ground.

Cloudchaser was not having it any easier. Even without Cheerilee, Cloudchaser was the more nimble flyer, but she lacked the griffon's great endurance and wide, strong wings. She struggled to catch up after taking only a second to look back at High Hide, before remembering that her priority was the protection of that defenseless mare. She redoubled her efforts, but found that the griffon was slowly outdistancing her.

Tears of frustration leaked from her eyes and were blown off on the winds as she saw the griffon become a dot in the distance. Flying over the Everfree forest she paused to catch her breath and saw them disappear from view. Beyond exhausted, her left wing cramped into an odd pose, sending her spiraling out of control into the dreaded forest below.

The plainclothes guardian pierced the canopy, hitting what felt like every branch in the forest on the way down. She was almost knocked unconscious several times, but managed to keep her wits about her enough to roll with the roughest landing she had ever experienced. She spat out a mouthful of dirt and pounded her hoof at the ground.

Groaning as she rose, Cloudchaser inspected herself for damage. Discovering that half the feathers were missing from her left wing, she groaned again and facehoofed. She ceased all movement and sound, however, when she head the low growl coming from the bushes. That's when the smell of rotting plant matter and fouled magic hit her nostrils.

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Twilight stared at Big Macintosh, her jaw hanging loosely. “She's been WHAT?”

“Foal-” Big Mac's words were lost to the quintet roar of the baby hydra that was terrorizing the ponies.

Giving the hydra an annoyed look with her sensor, Twilight levitated the surprised creature up in a pink bubble of energy and launched towards Froggy Bottom Bog; not even sparing it another glance as it cleared the treeline. She turned back to the frightened stallion and said, “Now, what did you say?”

He nervously, but quickly went through what he experienced, and before the last word even left his mouth, she turned around to Spitfire. “Find my friends, gather them here, now.” The golden mare saluted and sped off. Twilight turned to Trixie who was just now approaching. “Trixie, Cheerilee's been foalnapped. I need your help in getting her back before something terrible happens to her.”

“F- foalnapped? Who would even do that?” she cried out.

“I don't know,” Twilight replied, “but I intend to make sure they're never in a position to do anything of the kind, ever again.” The cold tone of her voice sent a chill up the showmare's spine. Turning back to the farmpony, she said, “Big Mac, I need you to round up what guards of the Princesses' remain and help them to recapture all the wild creatures terrorizing the townsponies. Tell them I said to do so.”

The red stallion nodded and galloped off to find the nearest guardspony. Twilight turned to the sky just as Spitfire returned with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, each with one of their friends hanging from their hooves. “Good, you're all here. Here's what's going to happen,” she said before any of them could even open their mouth in greeting. “We're going to Big Mac's stall to see if we can pick up the trail before it goes cold or is trampled. Then, we're going to get her back, and make sure they never do this again. Any questions?”

“We're right b'hind yah, Twi. Lead th' way,” Applejack drawled.

As Twilight lead them to the scene of the crime, Pinkie asked, “You don't think it was that meanypants Gilda out for revenge, do you? I mean, she was a meanypants, but this is like extra-super-duper meanypants with a side of cheese fries.”

“I doubt it, Pinkie-Pie,” replied Spitfire. “From Twilight's description of Gilda, and Big Mac's description of the foalnapper, it sounds like two different griffons.”

Dash nodded with the golden pegasus. “Yeah. She may be a big, fat jerk these days, but she'd never do something like this. This goes way beyond any pranks we pulled in the past.”

They arrived on the scene, taking note of the Apple's kiosk right away. The canvas roof was ripped and torn, hanging loosely from the wooden poles. Apparently, Big Mac's weight proved to be too much for more than the single attempt he made.

Twilight examined the ground, her sensor turning pink. “I'm definitely picking up Cheerilee's pheromones, here.” She poked at a crushed and trampled pastry. “This must be the danish Big Mac sold her.”

Following the line with her sensor from the danish to the cart, Twilight turned around one hundred eighty degrees and saw the shooting range stall. Looking up, she could see the trail of pheromones go up into the air, but quickly lost track of it as it went through the dragon migration which was still going strong with no sign of stopping.

Twilight grimaced angrily at the turn in fortune. “Looks like we're going to have to fly after them, girls.” She turned to them, the same grim expression marring her features. “There's no time to set up my balloon to pursue them, so we're going to have to try something... experimental. You don't have to accept the spell, but if you don't you'll have to stay behind, I'm afraid.”

Applejack looked at her skeptically. “What're yah thinkin' sugarcube?”

“I'm going to give us wings and a spell to make us fly faster and farther,” the librarian replied. “If any of you want out, say so now. I won't think any less of you for staying, but we need to get going before the trail gets any colder than it already is.”

After a brief, worrying glance at each other, the earthbound ponies nodded. “Of course we're with you, Twilight,” Rarity said.

“To the hilt,” Affirmed Trixie.

“A chance to fly?” Pinkie-Pie shouted. “How could I not take you up on this?” The pink mare put her forelegs up like she was flying and made “whoosh” noises with her mouth.

“Ah reckon if there's a pony Ah could trust with magic,” Applejack said, “it's you, Twi. Ah'd foller yah to the gates of Tartarus.”

Twilight turned to Spitfire, who only said, “You don't even have to ask, Hon. I'd go to the edge of the world for any of you three, and beyond.”

Rainbow Dash jerked her head towards the other mares. “What they said.”

With a smile, Twilight's horn began glowing, enveloping all seven of them in a cocoon of light. They lifted off the ground as a faint hum that grew in pitch filled the area. Just as the sound reached the edge of pony hearing, the cocoons burst in a flash of light, leaving three alicorns and four pegasi. At least, that's what they looked like to the outside viewer.

As one, they took up an arrow formation behind the blindfolded unicorn and took to the skies with blinding speed.

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Big Macintosh felt like a total heel right now. One of his friends, who also happened to be the fillyfriend of another friend was taken right before his very eyes; and here he was, chasing down an ambulatory perambulator. If it weren't for the fact that Dinky Doo had climbed into the foal carriage to hide from a group of parasprites, he would be out there trying to set right the wrong he had let happen. But no, when an escaped mimic foalnaps a filly for Celestia knows what reason, one would surely find any decent pony trying to rescue said filly.

It helped that Dinky was trying to reach out to him as well, as the farmer chased down the runaway buggy. What didn't help was that the two guards that had been at his side helping, were distracted by a Dullahan pony chasing down frightened mares. He tried to tell them that this one was harmless, but that would have meant letting the mimic get away with its precious cargo.

So he kept up the chase, dodging around corners and ponies alike, slowly catching up to it. He was almost within grabbing distance of the handle, when he rounded a corner to find an empty alleyway. Big Mac only thought to look up when he heard the filly whimper, and saw her dangling from a weather vane that protruded from the house wall, rather than the roof where such a device belonged. He sighed with relief and plucked the cowering little unicorn from her precarious position with his teeth.

As he did so, the rooster of the weather vane turned towards him and began pecking at his face. The mimic let go of the wall to which it clung, and used the arms of the weather vane shape as tentacles to wrap itself around the stallion's head and continue pecking at him. Big Mac set Dinky on the ground and bashed his head against the wall in an attempt to stun the creature clinging there. Sadly for him, the creature could see this avenue of attack coming, and moved out of the way each time.

After the third attempt, the farmer was too dazed to do anything besides look at the stars swirling around him as he collapsed to the ground. He was saved from further pain when the creature ran to the shivering filly who was looking for something to which she could cling. Dinky found a stuffed pony doll amongst the litter and held it close.

The stallion looked over at her when his vision cleared, but could not find any sign of the runaway creature. Gently as could be, he picked up the filly in his teeth again, and setting her on his back, still clinging to the doll that looked remarkably like Twilight, then trotted back to where they left her mother. Today was just turning out weird.

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Ava landed in the clearing, gasping and wheezing. “How can... a pony... small as you... be so... HEAVY?” she rasped.

Cheerilee staggered away from her when she was released, and stumbled into a bush, before sliding down to the ground. She whimpered and tried to stand, but collapsed back to the ground when a jolt of pain shot up her leg. She looked back to her rear end and saw a large gash on her flank, a rivulet of blood trailing down to her hoof. She stared at the blood, shocked at the redness of the color and how much was coming from the wound and the various, smaller scratches.

“Tch.” Ava grunted in disgust at the softness of the mare. “You ponies always have it so good. Must be nice having your own goddesses ruling over you. No internal conflict, outside threats automatically cowed, benevolence from your masters. Feh!” She clawed up the ground before her. “You'll never really have to struggle. You'll never have to fight tooth and claw just to keep what's yours. You make me sick!” The griffoness spat on the mare's face, who was so engrossed with the sight of her own blood, did not react.

An eerie howl caught her attention, and she looked to the west. Ava grunted as she rose back to her feet and stretched her tired muscles. Looking back to her captive, she sneered at her passivity. “Come on, pony,” she said, making the word sound like an insult. “We're almost there. Then you can stare at your precious blood all you want.”

Ava roughly grabbed Cheerilee in her foreclaws and took to the air once again. Unseen behind her, a pair of eyes glinted from the shadows under a bush, then winked out.

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Twilight sped along at the head of the formation, dread forming a lead weight in her stomach. She didn't want to tell them just why she was able to track so well by pheromone sight. Telling them that she was essentially tracking Cheerilee's blood would do nopony any good, though it did impel her to fly faster than even she thought she could.

The trail went down into the forest; far deeper than anypony she knew of had ever been. They had apparently briefly stopped, before pushing on, and landing again about another half kilotrot further. Twilight landed on a cloud and waited for all of her group to land. When Fluttershy (who was trailing behind quite a ways) touched down, she said, “Alright, girls. I think we've tracked them down to their lair.”

“There's more than one?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight shrugged. “I haven't detected any other scents other than Cheerilee and one other; the griffon, I presume. However, it would not only be unusual for this to be the work of a lone individual, but also almost impossible to pull off.”

Spitfire nodded in ascent. “My thoughts exactly. A griffon would be easily noticed in Ponyville. She would have needed others to reconnoiter for her, at the very least.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “There's no telling what other mischief they got up to, so it's safe to assume there were others.”

A startled gasp escaped Pinkie-Pie's mouth. “You don't mean that there were... SPIES,” Somehow, she had managed to make the whisper sound like a shout at the same time. “do you?”

“Most likely,” Twilight said with a sad shake of her head. “I doubt they were pony spies, but one can never tell for sure.” She pointed towards a small rise and her sensor turned pink once more as it turned in the same direction. “It looks like they landed on or near that hoofhill. There's likely to be shelter of some sort, probably camouflaged.”

Indicating the cloud upon which they stood, Twilight explained, “We're going to take a hold of this cloud, and move it as inconspicuously as possible towards that hill. Fluttershy,” She pointed towards the yellow mare. “I want you in the center, watching the clouds above us for spotters. Trixie,” She pointed out the showmare. “You'll be guiding us in and watching the forest below for anything that might spot us in that direction. Everypony else, grab onto the cloud best you can and push. Understand?”

Nods met her directions. Spitfire walked past her as she said with a smile on her face and pride in her voice, “And you were wondering why we chose you as our alpha.”

Twilight just blushed a little as she formed the cloud into a low wall she could use to push. The final leg of their journey was quiet, and agonizingly slow. When the cloud was finally in position over the hill, Twilight took a good look over the edge. There was a small shack-like entrance to a mine. Two minotaurs stood guard over it, but no other creature was in sight. Neither minotaur looked to be very large, but they were armed with spears and shields.

Carefully examining them with her sensor, Twilight nodded and motioned the others close. “Alright, here's the plan. Rainbow, you and Fluttershy are gonna hang back at the entrance, while the rest of us go in-”

“What? You mean you don't want the most awesome pony in Equestria fighting at your side?” Dash asked in a vicious whisper.

Twilight calmed her down with a placating gesture. “I do, but Cheerilee may be hurt; and I'll want the fastest pony in Equestria and the best suited amongst us to care for her and take her to Ponyville General if that's the case.” Her sensor looked to the side and she blushed. “You see, she's pregnant, and I don't want to take any chances with our foal.”

Her friends' eyes widened at this news, except for Pinkie-Pie's. “Whoa, seriously?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yah shore didn' waste any time, did'ja?” Applejack put in.

Pinkie-Pie Danced in place. “IknewitIknewitIknewit!”

Twilight held out her hooves to ask for calmness. “Easy, girls. This is neither the time, nor the place. We can celebrate later. Right now, we have to rescue Cheerilee. Now, as I was saying,” she said with a sigh. “Rainbow and Fluttershy wait outside and follow us in two minutes later. I'll put marks on the walls so you can find the way. Spitfire, Trixie and I will take the point position, with the rest following closely. While we make a ruckus, you two sneak her out of there and get her to the hospital. Everypony know your jobs?” A chorus of nods greeted her. “Good. Now let's get down there and take care of those guards before they raise the alarm.”

As one, eight ponies fell through the cloud and spread their wings in a stoop on their prey. They silently fell upon the minotaurs, their surprise complete. Before they could even act, the ponies had laid them flat, without so much as a bruise raised amongst them. The attackers circled around, following the lavender winged unicorn's lead, and landed softly in front of the mine's entrance.

Twilight pointed towards Dash and Fluttershy, then tapped the ground twice. They nodded in reply, and the rest quietly trotted into the mine. Lighting proved to be no problem, as the tunnel was well lit, side passages left dark. Twilight led them on, but froze upon hearing a voice screaming.

“Answer me! You think your perfect Princess is going to rescue you? Well, I can tell you, it. Will. Not. HAPPEN!” Silence answered the tirade.

Twilight crept up and peeked around the corner. She saw two griffons and three minotaurs in a central hub. One of the minotaurs, the largest, was leaning against a table, smirking at the scene in the center of the carved cavern. A second minotaur and a griffon were off to the side as well, holding on to each other, looking very afraid. The last griffon, who matched Big Mac's description, and minotaur flanked either side of a lump on the ground.

The lump moved, and Twilight gasped quietly as Cheerilee sat up. Small scratches covered her body and face, and she sported a black eye. A small trickle of blood leaked from her mouth, but she reacted to none of that. She just stared straight ahead, a blank expression on her face.

Twilight trembled with rage. She shook so badly, that Spitfire leaned around. “What's wro-” she whispered, but stopped. Her face paled at the sight of the mare she had grown to like. How could someone do this to a pony so kind, so...

She was at a loss for words, but her surprise was complete when Twilight charged into the room, yelling at the top of her lungs. The captors turned to her in equal surprise, standing stock still. Bolts of energy sprayed the room from the unicorn's horn, striking all non-ponies at least once, sending them all sprawling. She stood over the still Cheerilee protectively as her assailants fell to the ground stunned.

She turned to her lover with her sensor, and reared back in surprise. This isn't Cheerilee! This is... Examining her more carefully, Twilight saw the lines of magic coursing through her, only these weren't the normal lines of magic that all earth ponies held; this was a strange, unknown magic. These spells are what one would use to... No!

“You MONSTERS!” Twilight roared at them, tears streaming down her face as they leaked from under her blindfold. As the foalnappers rose groggily, Twilight's horn glowed and enveloped her whole body in a lavender aura. Her eyes glowed white, burning away the blindfold in a torrent of energy. Her voice took on an unearthly tone and volume, echoing eerily in the cavern and giving her an odd, endless quality to it. Though her lips did not move, everyone could hear her clearly. “What have you done to her?” she shouted. “For the wrongs you have committed today, there can be no forgiveness. Accept your judgment!”

All five of the foalnappers' eyes met hers and they froze in fear. “You shall have eternity to ruminate over your crime! You shall beg for the release of death, but it will be denied! In time, I may forgive you; just pray that it is within my lifetime.” Four of the attackers tore their gazes away from her as they felt a stiffness spreading up from their lower extremities. Looking down, they saw their skin turning gray and rough. The petrification continued upward, until it reached their peaks, leaving behind contorted statues of the creatures they once were.

Twilight casually stepped over Cheerilee, as Spitfire and Trixie ran in. “Twilight, what's going on? The others are just standing there crying, and-” Trixie's question died in her throat as they took in the scene before them.

The librarian stepped before Ava, menace oozing from her every action. “Tell me what you've done to her, and I promise to send you to your imprisonment quickly.” She gestured with a nod towards the griffon's companions. “I speak from personal experience when I tell you, that petrification, when done slowly, is very painful.”

She stopped her advance when they were nose to beak. “Perhaps I'll begin the stoning process in your lungs. Would you like that? Not being able to breathe, the weight crushing the organs beneath them.” Twilight poked her in the chest, just above the breastbone. “Or perhaps with your heart, if there is such a shriveled thing in your foul body. I've read that it's like a heart attack, only much harder to recover from.” She circled around the griffon. “Or maybe I should just petrify your muscles, take you up to a great height and drop you? I'll even return your shattered muscles to flesh so that you can feel them afterward.”

Twilight stopped her pacing in front of the sweating griffoness. “I'll ask you only once; and if I don't like your answer, things will get... ugly. Where. Is. My. MARE?”

Ava, who had survived many conflicts, had clawed her way up from the bottom of one of the toughest griffon gangs around, sobbed. “She's right there! You walked right past her!”

Twilight pointed at the mare, shouting “That is not my Cheerilee!” Her horn glowed and she pulled apart the arcane matrix holding it together. “Cheerilee” stopped all pretenses of life. Her chest stopped moving with each breath, her eyes became dull and lifeless, and all color drained as she took on the hue of red clay.

Still pointing at the imposter, Twilight shrieked, “That is a clay golem! An automaton! A simulacrum! A base duplicate! A counterfeit sham! A construct designed to imitate life! That! Is not! My! CHEERILEE!” She stopped long enough to catch her breath, heedless of the spittle she had just sprayed on the whimpering griffon. “Now!” she said when she had regained a semblance of control, “You have precisely ten seconds to tell me what you did with her.”

“I don't know-”

“WRONG! ANSWER!” The light emanating from Twilight's eyes grew in intensity as her mind scoured Ava's for any sign of knowledge of what happened to the teacher. When she was satisfied that nothing more was to be learned there, she turned her to stone with a contemptuous wave of a hoof.

Her adrenaline spent, Twilight collapsed to the floor of the cavern and wept. Almost immediately, Trixie and Spitfire were at her side, cradling and whispering soothing words in her ears.

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The guards had rounded up the last of the escaped creatures, helping Aura to put the Manticore back into his cage. He walked in, calmly as you please, the aged griffoness petting his head, and uttering soothing words.

The guards took a headcount, doing what they could to help the doctors tend to the wounded. Everyone suddenly stopped when, with a fantastic BOOM, the sun decided to land in the middle of Ponyville Park.

Even the dragons scattered, and parted around the park, giving it a wide berth. Ponies flew to the corners, seeking cover from this new threat. The guards formed a large circle around this new arrival, which was burning the grass beneath it, a large polearm floating at the ready next to it. What surprised everypony, was that the guards faced away from this blindingly bright creature, rather than towards it. One stepped forward, though not too closely, and bowed low. “Your Highness.”

“Lieutenant,” came Celestia's voluminous, yet carefully modulated reply. “Where is she?”

At the first word, ponies dispersed, running for cover more substantial. The guards, who remained on station, were shaken by their diarch's tone. The stallion who first addressed her licked his quickly chapping lips. “We- we don't know, your Highness. She ordered a local pony to gather us and rescue the townsponies from the escaped creatures, then disappeared. None of us has seen her since.”

Celestia's eyes narrowed at he guard, who shifted around nervously. “Bring me the last pony to see her,” she said, her voice even more tightly modulated.

From behind a row of bleachers, Big Mac strode out, and walked towards the guard, but could not approach as closely from the intense waves of heat coming from the alicorn. Celestia regarded him, then softened her gaze just a little. “When and where did you last see her?” she asked in clipped tones.

Big Mac bowed to her and pointed at the ground at his hooves. “Right here, Your Highnessness. Ah told her th' foalnappin' happened at mah cart, yonder.” He pointed down the aisle towards the left. “Ah'm guessin' they went there to save 'er.” He would have resumed chewing his stalk of wheat, but found that it had charred, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

Celestia's eyes widened. “FOAL-” She stopped herself as her voice rose unexpectedly. I must be more careful. One slip-up, and this poor pony will be reduced to ashes. “Foalnapped?” she asked in a clipped voice.

Pulling his hooves away from his ears, Mac nodded. “Miz Cheer'lee, Your Grace. Stole by a griffon.”

Celestia's heart raced. Oh, no. This is all my- No. Now is not the time for recriminations. Rescue first; accept blame later. “Which way was she taken?”

The farmer pointed off in a direction directly towards the Everfree forest.

Why does every bad thing in our lives revolve around that blasted forest? Without another word, Celestia flapped once, rocketing off the ground. Another flap had her flying towards the forest, faster than all but the speediest of pegasi.

Author's Notes:

Man, it's been so long since I wrote action, that I forgot how much it can take it out of you if you don't pace yourself. This was exhausting because I was trying to keep up the pace throughout the whole week. That lasted about three days. :P I hope that every character is still... well, in character. Twilight, especially, I'm concerned over, since she never loses it like this in canon, but then again, in canon, she doesn't have her lover kidnapped and replaced with a counterfeit copy. If you feel like she's too far OoC, by all means, tell me. I ask this so that I might improve.

The usual disclaimers here. Everything but the arrangement of the words, High Hide, and Ava/Brute Strength's team belong to Hasbro and Lauren Faust. Those are mine; the rest is theirs, and I'm just borrowing them.