Chapter 2: Signs and Portents

...

The news spread quickly like a hot wind to all four corners of Ponyville and further beyond still to cities like Cloudsdale, Fillydelphia, Hoofington, and even as far as Manehattan and Appeloosa. However, the undisguised panic in Ponyville was especially severe given its close proximity to Canterlot it was the hardest affected. It was beginning to look as if everypony had forgotten all about the Summer Sun Festival as merchants closed up shops, parents were guiding their children home, and the rest were engaged in rampant gossip.

Most were not emotionally prepared to handle a situation like this. For them the memories of last year's events were still too fresh, too raw. That terrible night when Nightmare Moon had returned, kidnapped Celestia, and for the second time in a thousand years had nearly succeeded in plunging the world into a darkness from which it would never recover.

"Something frightful must have happened to Celestia." One pony said hauntingly.

"I betcha it's that terrible sister of hers who is responsible." Another agreed.

"Luna has always been a curse on these lands, Celestia should've kept her banished to the moon." A third pony spat venom at mentioning the moon princess' name.

Twilight was deeply ashamed overhearing hearing such horrible unquestioned rumors being spread about Luna. It was like a contagious flu, the more ponies who spoke about it the more it spread. Pretty soon ponies everywhere were talking about Luna as if she'd already been tried and sentenced before a court judge. Twilight felt the unmistakable burning of rage in her chest. She wanted to scream at them all for being so quick to jump to conclusions without any corroborative evidence to paint Luna as the perpetrator of this crime. Aside from the coincidental fact that today was the anniversary of Nightmare Moon.

Pinky Pie, on the other hand, ignored the ugly rumors as she felt a far more pressing concern at the moment. Being the resident cheer-meister she knew she's never forgive herself if she allowed a party to fail while she was on watch. If it meant pulling out all the stops and using every trick she had ever written in her 'Guide to Pinky Pie's Pretty Practical Party Pranks and Jokes' memoirs, then that is what she would do. She wasted no time and started to jump, twirl, skip, and bop her way around town. It was like she was suffering from an epileptic seizure multiplied by a sugar rush and raised to the umpteenth power. The fantastical display drew the attention of every pony and some began to forget about their troubles as they watched the uninhibited party animal stir up a cloud of happiness and goodwill followed up with a song.

Come on everypony, turn that frown upside down

Princess Celestia, is the one with the crown

She won't give up the chase, while a thief is loose

She'll hunt him down quick, and tie him with a noose

Till the thief is served, like a steaming hay bun,

We will continue on, so laugh, and have fun

Today is the day, to give thanks and share

So let's prance and dance, like you just don't care

Thanks to Pinky Pie's cheerful and infectious good nature along with a healthy dose of her little improvised ditty she was pleased to find that she'd had a noticeable impact. Ponies were beginning to come around, and again welcomed the feeling of celebration back into their hearts. Unfortunately, there were many others who just couldn't be consoled no matter how hard Pinky tried. The unfortunate among them were ponies that had recently found themselves stranded from home or separated from family.

Meanwhile Twilight and Spike came to the conclusion that the only real solution to the problem was to be found at the Mayor's office. They quickly made their way to the town hall, located conveniently across the street, and entered through the double door entrance. They were now in the gathering hall; a fairly small room constructed of interlocking wooden planks and beams, well lit, and smelling heavily of pine. It was only able to seat a few dozen individuals around a narrow stage with a single podium in the center where the mayor stood to address an assembled crowd. It was here where residents had the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns to the mayor during policy sessions or emergency meetings. Much to Twilight's surprise the room was alarmingly empty. If there was any better time to make use of this hall Twilight certainly was incapable of contemplating it.

"Can I help you?"

Twilight carefully turned to her right and saw that the voice had come from the Mayor's receptionist, Secret Cherry, who was seated at a table with a visitor registry, a mug that proudly stated, 'I Love Ponyville,' and a bowl filled with assorted candies. Behind her there was a single inviting door that led to the office quarters.

"Um, we'd like to see the mayor." Twilight said plainly, but pleasantly.

"Sure thing, one moment please." The receptionist smiled her official smile before briefly studying a form she had in front of her. Giving a nod of approval she looked back up at Twilight with another grin that was a bit more welcoming.

"Your in luck, the mayor has no appointments at this time. Please sign in while I tell her she has guests." The receptionist pushed a quill pen towards Twilight before disappearing through the door. Twilight quickly signed the visitor registry and dated it. She was about to put the pen down when Secret Cherry returned.

"The mayor will see you now. Her office is at the end of the hall."

"Thank you." Twilight said as she passed by with Spike giving a silent wave to Secret Cherry before grabbing a candy from the bowl. He popped it into his mouth and smiled broadly as he tasted the juicy red treat.

"Mmmmm…cherry punch."

Twilight and Spike followed the narrow undecorated hallway that circled around the outer wall of the building before arriving at the mayor's office. Which, if she had her bearings right, was at the very back of the town hall. She knocked three times before being greeted by an Earth-pony with a colored coat of khaki, a mane of curly light grey hair, and wearing a white collar with a green bowtie.

"Come on in Twilight, it is good to hear from you." The mayor spoke calmly, but urgently gestured for her visitors to enter.

"May I assume that you are here for information about the reward?" Her crystal blue eyes darted wildly to the sides as if she feared being overheard by shadows.

"Yes, I am." Twilight stepped into the office. "Anything you can tell us would be terrific." She saw that the office was comfortably spacious and sported a clean and tidy appearance with immaculately organized shelves and files. Even the wooden floor did not creak when they walked upon it. The Mayor's desk was a different, altogether frightening, story. It was completely buried in a mountain of papers and legal forms that Twilight was not familiar with. She suspected that several ponies could easily get lost inside that clutter and never be heard from again.

"Sorry about the mess." The Mayor closed the door behind them. "I'm afraid I don't have much to tell you." She returned to her desk to shuffle through a few papers. "Give me a moment the letter is in here somewhere."

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Mayor" Twilight had a right to be concerned. She'd seen the Mayor in some bad moods before, but this was beginning to get scary. The Mayor was a very dependable and stable pony, a good choice to run the day-to-day affairs of the town, but she had an unfortunate habit of getting very upset when things didn't run smoothly or according to plan. Right now she looked like an overstressed bundle of nerves ready to snap at the drop of a horseshoe.

"To be honest, the whole situation is like trying to pull teeth from an Ursa Minor. News out of Canterlot has been very hush-hush and I'm still waiting for a reply to my inquiries. At this point I'd rather have a meaningful conversation with an apple pie. Sure, not much would get accomplished, but at least I'd get something out of it." A look of humor mixed with anger settled on her aged face.

"But what about you?" At Twilight's question the Mayor regarded her critically and then began to rapidly pace the room. She let out an aggravated sigh before calming down enough to answer truthfully.

"In all my years of service to this community I've done my best to maintain a peaceful town and address everypony's concerns while keeping an organized timetable. But this…this!" She slammed a hoof down on the desk and glared at it with such an immense intensity that one was left to wonder how the whole thing didn't burst into flames right then and there.

"Each of them might as well have personally slapped me in the face. Ever since the news came down I have been continuously bombarded with unfair complaints, petty criticism, and dismissive letters from Canterlot that tell me nothing but trivia! I mean look at this desk;" she pointed at it angrily, "I can't find a thing on it, you know me, is this me?"

Twilight visibly recoiled from the Mayor's abnormal outburst. A pang of sympathy arose in her generous heart for she understood that being the Mayor of Ponyville was never an easy job even in the best of times. However, such feelings were snuffed out by a spark of indignation and anger at seeing the Mayor fall into such a panicked state of self-pity. This was not how a leader should act. The answer to the question was, yes. This was not the Mayor she knew and respected.

"Mrs. Mayor, like everypony here I have come to appreciate everything you go through." Her tender words were quick to turn cold. "I've only been here for a short time, so maybe I'm not the best to tell you this. Ponyville elected a mayor because they need somepony who will get things done; keep the trains running on time, so to say. But more than that they want a leader to be there for them. A leader to look up to and reassure them when the Princess can't."

"Uh, Twilight…" Spike tugged at her mane, afraid that she was being to harsh.

"They chose you!" Twilight pointed an accusing hoof. "Were they wrong?"

"I don't know." The Mayor shook her head, ashamed to make eye contact. "Nothing in my experience ever prepared me for this. What was she thinking closing down the whole city like that? I know it's no excuse for me to crumble to bits like a day old muffin." She collapsed down into her chair; tired and defeated.

"Maybe I'm just getting too old. Its just that…," the Mayor looked up, eyes filled with apprehension and fear, "I have a terrible feeling about all this."

"I understand," Twilight felt ashamed at snapping at the Mayor like that, but she had to finish what she wanted to say. "What I'm trying to say is that," Twilight leaned forward and stared straight in the Mayor's eyes, never flinching, "the ponies here need you, right now, no matter where this goes."

Twilight said her piece and watched as the Mayor sank into a deep morose silence. The room was as still as a statue, except for the tick-ticking of an ancient grandfather clock sitting forgotten in the corner. The awkward pause began to intensify until it seemed to weight down heavily on them. It reached a critical point, when the Mayor suddenly erupted upwards with a newfound vigor, scattering several papers to the floor.

"Your right Twilight, it is my responsibility to lead them and to make sure the Summer Sun Festival continues despite our hardships. I promise you, this year will be the best we've ever had, Celestia or not!"

"That's the spirit." Twilight smiled broadly, relieved at not having made the situation worse.

"Oh my, I do have a lot of work ahead of me." The Mayor stared at the pile as if seeing it for the first time and began to organize it into neat stacks.

"Um, Mrs. Mayor?"

"Oh yes, Twilight before I forget…" The mayor moved diligently amongst the desk clutter and soon found what was looking for. "About the description of the treasure, this is what all of Canterlot is worked up over." The Mayor handed over a single picture to Twilight.
Twilight examined the picture closely. It was very old and had been drawn by hoof, or by magic. Long before cameras had been invented if she ventured a guess. The parchment was dry and a sickly brown, Twilight was afraid it would disintegrate at her touch so she used her magic to gently levitate it in front of her.

"This is what they want so bad?" she asked skeptically. For some reason she had anticipated something much more dangerous, or at least more valuable, than a book. At the top of the picture was a single caption that read, 'Tome of the Marker' and below that a single symbol decorated the otherwise blank parchment.

The longer she looked at the unfamiliar symbol the more she felt a headache begin to grow. It was building to an unbearable intensity and followed up by a maddening ringing sound. The pain soon hit a horrendous level of intensity. It felt as if a great hand had reached inside her skull and was digging around, searching for something. She was certain of it, there was something alien inside her head and it wanted out. Sweat poured down her face as she desperately wanted to look away, to tear her eyes from the symbol, but some unseen force held her gaze firm. The ringing grew louder and louder still and words were starting to emerge from the white noise. She couldn't tell from where the words came from and at the same time it was as if they were being whispered directly into her ear.

When the blazing sun is gone

When the nothing shines upon

The words sang in a gentle yet uneasy rhythm from an ethereal voice. Twilight nearly screamed as she dropped the picture and instinctively jumped back in a surprised panic. Once eye contact was broken the headache immediately vanished and the voice became silent.

"Are you ok, Twilight?" Spike asked, concerned.

"Oh," Twilight struggled to bring her breathing under control, "it was nothing Spike." Twilight chuckled nervously, "Just thought I saw a spider on the page."

Spike picked up the picture and when he didn't see the offending arachnid decided to familiarize himself with the strange symbol. The alien symbol was a twisted image of two black monolithic spires that were attached at the base, intertwined around each other at the middle, before nearly touching their points at the top. It was also decorated on its exterior by other strange signs that looked to be letters of some unknown language. He had never seen anything like it and wasn't sure what meaning it had.

"What's a Marker?" He asked, but only received unknowing shrugs from the ponies.

…

As the three of them departed the town hall they were again witness to Pinky Pie's continuous crusade. She was still going full throttle and wielding a sledgehammer of righteousness against the diabolical forces of melancholy and fear, figuratively speaking of course.

"Hey Twilight, you didn't ask about the library." Spike reminded her with a whisper.

"I know Spike, but it can wait for another time." She gave him a reassuring smile, but she was still shaken up inside. Dismissing such feelings she departed the office to fight a more immediate battle

Twilight, Spike, and the Mayor had soon added their combined forces with Pinky Pie. Amongst their collective might they crashed down amongst the thresholds of ponyville, never surrendering, vanquishing doubt and trepidation in its citizens until the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival were again back on track.

In doing her part, Twilight had offering her guest room at the library to a stranded Canterlot unicorn. They were in the middle of the discussion when Twilight heard a familiar southern accent call out her name.

"Twilight?" an orange earth-pony wearing a fedora galloped up to her. "Tarnations girl, I've been lookin' all over fer ya." The pony's blonde mane was slick with sweat.

"Applejack!" Twilight brightened, grateful to see another of her good friends.. "How are you?"

"Fine, just dandy apples." Applejack replied unenthused, her normally indomitable spirit noticeably absent from work. The gloom bug was everywhere, it seemed and even Applejack appeared bitten. That seemed to be par for the course today, but Twilight hoped that the worst was already behind them.

"Twilight, I do hate to impose, but I was wonderin' if ya'll could do me a favor?"

"I'll gladly help any way I can." Twilight replied reassuringly. "I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't."

"Well its, ah, like this." Applejack fidgeted from side to side before she took a deep breath. "We at the farm had ourselves an unexpected bumper crop a few day back, a lot bigger then we'd been expectin'. So Granny Smith and I, we gets to thinkin' that we should sally forth and open another apple stall in Canterlot to sell off them extra apples and earn more coin." Applejack had broken the speed dial on her mouth and was rambling off faster than Twilight could follow.

"I think I'm beginning to see the problem" Twilight interrupted, hoping to stall for time while her brain caught up.

"Big Macintosh wanted to go as he dun never seen the big capital city before, but he needed sompony's help movin' all them apples, but we couldn't spare another farm hand. So I recon one of mah friends could help out and I remember thinkin' that it seemed like a good idea that the time, and…"

"Applejack," Twilight interrupted again before the southern belle fell over from asphyxiation, "What do you want to ask me?"

"Oh, uhh, well…" Applejack shook her head trying to reassemble her thoughts. "Tomorrow we have to trim the trees, cut down ah couple of dead ones, and plow the new fields. Normally Big Mac and I could handle the job ourselves, but with him gone I'm ah little short on help." Applejack smiled nervously. Twilight simply giggled at the farmer's comical display.

"Of course I'll help, Applejack. Did you ever think I wouldn't?"

"Not really, but with it being so last minute an all, I'd understand if you'd been busy with somethin' else." Applejack exhaled in relief. "Thank you Twilight, it's mighty fine of you, sugacube."

"No at all." Twilight replied. The two ponies shook hooves in recognition of their agreement and began to depart their separate ways when Twilight had a sudden revelation.

"Applejack?"

"Yeah, Twilight?"

"Out of curiosity, who did you ask to go with Big Mac?"

"Rainbow Dash." Applejack replied in as steady a voice as she could. Twilight stopped in mid trot only to turn around with at look of pure disbelief.

"Your kidding right?"

" 'Fraid not suga."

…

Back in Canterlot a small group of ponies had assembled in front of the royal castle in protest. They didn't dare to approach too close as the gates were guarded by a trio of guard ponies keeping watch over the portcullis with a half dozen more Pegasus guards on the parapet. Things had been chaotic all that morning with ponies running to and fro, stopping only to ask some questions before continuing on their way. They knew better than to challenge the Princess' royal guard. A few had tried in years past and the result was always a quick and harsh retribution from the guards before the perpetrators were faced with swift judgment before the Princess. However, they hadn't counted on the arrival of a certain cyan colored Pegasus pony, with rainbow hair, arriving with an over abundance of righteous irritation she was just dying to dish out.

"This is so stupid!" Shouted a most irate Rainbow Dash, as Canterlot seemed to shake at its very foundation from her wrath. The unfortunate victim of the verbal tongue-lashing was a guard that she had whimsically chosen at random. Doubtful he'd find any solace in that fact as he fought to retain his composure which had seemed so easy to do just minutes before.

"I flew here because out of the goodness of my heart I agreed to help some friends sell their apples. Now your telling me I can't leave? You should be out chasing the thief and not keeping us prisoner here!" She had trouble believing her rotten timing, on all the rotten days, had just managed to strand her in this city. Now it seemed she was condemned to miss out on the celebration with her friends. Not if she had any say in the matter. Yet it seemed near hopeless as she hadn't even managed to make one of the guards budge from his post despite a full solid ten minutes of her tortured screaming in his face.

"That is correct Ma'am," the guard replied while standing at attention like a living statue. "Princess' orders state nopony gets out or in without official permission or until a sound resolution to the current crisis is settled"

Dash wanted nothing more than to beat the guard's smug face right at that moment. She wasn't stupid though and knew that fighting the guards would have some unpleasant results. The least of which was facing Twilight and the rest of her friends and having to carefully explain to them whey she suddenly had a criminal record. It would also be a far worse fate if she attempted to ignore the lockdown and fly her way out of the city. Rainbow Dash was knowledgeable of some rather nasty tricks the guards had for bringing down unwanted flyers. Dash didn't want to risk it as she was just too attached to her wings.

It was at the moment that Rainbow Dash had found herself at an unpleasant crossroad and wasn't sure which direction to take. Then an idea struck her, she suddenly remembered something her friend, and occasional rival, Rarity had told her a while ago. It had something to do about stallions being unable to resist a mare's charms. Rarity had said something along the lines of, 'A real gentlecolt is nothing but putty in the hooves of a sophisticated and charming lady, darling.'

This was problematic as Rainbow Dash had to first admit that she wasn't exactly the model of sophisticated womanly wiles as Rarity was. Furthermore she wasn't exactly considered beautiful either, even by her close friends, pretty maybe, but not beautiful. In Dash's case a casual observer would probably offer a more accurate description of her as a brash, mischievous, and aggressive tompony. And ok, this wasn't the best tactic she felt at ease using or had that much experience in working with. She was willing to admit all of it, yet still felt that her plan was beyond flawless. She gritted her teeth in nervous expectation and forced her anger down into the dark pits of her being.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you." Rainbow Dash strained to channel her best impression of Rarity complete with a longing stare, the batting of eyelashes, and the shining of her best million-dollar smile. "I'm really desperate to get back home to my family. Can't you make an exception just for me, handsome?" In all likelihood she would've made Rarity proud by that sensual display of mare diplomacy, and against any other colt it might've succeeded. However she failed to take into account that the royal guards were trained to resist such advances.

"Princess' orders."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Rainbow Dash dropped the façade like a 16-ton weight and moved dangerously close to the guard. When he didn't react it only added fuel to her fire.

"I am Rainbow Dash, number one flyer in all of Ponyville and Cloudsdale, the future member of the Wonderbolts, and one of the ponies who saved Princess Luna." She raised her head in pride over her accomplishments, real and imagined. To her it was a vast mystery as to how this lowly guard wasn't bowed in awe before her. Unbeknownst to either of the two, a large crowd had begun to surround them in curiosity as to what all the commotion was about. The other two guards at the portcullis began to shuffle their way closer to the fight while the Pegasus on the parapet watched on with undisguised amusement.

"I'd rather eat my armor then dare to disobey Princess Celestia." The guard had yet to move, but his resolve, and more importantly his patience, was beginning to wane.

"That can be arranged! Care for some help?" Rainbow Dash approached even closer to the guard's face, their noses nearly touching. Normally he wore a neutral expression, yet he couldn't help but betray a scowl.

"Threats are not tolerated here, Ma'am."

"And I don't listen to ponies who try to tell me where I can or can't fly."

"I'm warning you, please back up and leave now!"

"Why don't you move out of my way?"

"Not happening!"

"Then maybe I'll make it happen!" Dash was about to poke the guard in the chest. Her hoof lifted but no sooner had she made her move then the other two guards ambushed her, one on each flank. They moved with a discipline that spoke of years of physical training. Their plan was simple as all they needed to do was knock Dash down and pin her under their combined strength. They easily had the muscle and size to do it, there was no way Dash would've been able to fight them off and they knew it. Unfortunately for them they didn't realize, or didn't care, that they were up against one of the fastest Pegasus alive.

Rainbow Dash wasn't really surprised when it happened. She was perfectly aware of her rising anger issues that seemed to get her in trouble all the time. Now was not the time for reflection, the checkered flag had been dropped and now it was time to dance. Dash quickly shifted her weight to the side and knocked one guard back with a savage rear kick. He was caught unprepared and flew through the air like a small rag doll before impacting the floor and rolling away. The second guard managed to grapple hooves with Dash taking advantage of his momentum and size to force her backwards. Dash would not go down so easily, but she allowed herself to be knocked onto her back as she used all four of her limps to ruthlessly work with the guard's inertia and flipped him up and over her head. She felt a smug satisfaction as the guard landed hard with a mighty crash. A groan was heard as the impact left him winded..

The assembled crowd let out a cheer of excitement and encouragement as the fight unfolded before them. They watched every move with baited breath grateful for an outlet for their own stress. One enterprising pony seized the opportunity to open a betting pool for the gamblers among the gathered. The coins began to flow like sweet wine, as the ponies laid their bets down on who would be the victor.

The beaten guards lifted them selves back into fighting positions and this time were joined by the third guard that had suffered through Dash's insults. Their pride was more wounded that their bodies and not from having been bested by a filly like Rainbow Dash, but because they had made the grave error of underestimating their opponent. It was a judgment they would not repeat twice. With patience and military pacing the three guards encircled Dash like a pack of sharks. They respected their opponent's strength and slowly, gradually, tightened the noose around her.

Dash knew for certain that she was deep trouble; even if she won the day their compatriots would surly join in or track her down to finish the job. But she would not run, she would fight until she was unable to continue. At random intervals a guard would launch a feign attack on her to try and draw her attention from an ambush to the rear. Dash was wise to this trick and kept her back legs ready for a good face bucking.

Time slowed to a molasses pace but the enthusiasm of the crowd continued on. To Dash it was just a background static, a hum of white noise. She continued to turn with the guards, keeping as many of them in her sights as possible. Just as things seemed to freeze at an impasse the guards launched a coordinated attack and all of them rushed in for the kill. If she'd been an Earth-pony she would've been done for right then and there, but she still had one possible avenue of escape left. Unfolding her wings she leapt into the air at the final moment. The guards collided with one another in an angry mess, like three freight trains at full speed. The whole scene was a terrible sight, but nopony could bring them selves to look away. Rainbow Dash lowered herself to the ground placing a triumphant hoof on the pile of guards before her as stars danced in their eyes..

"I came, I saw, I conquered." Rainbow Dash smiled for the crowd and declared her victory for all to see.

Her satisfaction was short lived, however. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the shimmering light of a magic spell being prepared on the tip of a unicorn's horn. She wanted to believe it was Twilight coming to help celebrate her glory with her; instead it was a unicorn guard on the offensive. She deftly maneuvered to the side, but it was too late, she had taken too long in celebrating. The spell shot through the air like a star bolt and struck Rainbow Dash on the side. The world lost equilibrium and shapes became blurry and indistinguishable at the same time as her eyelids felt like limp noodles. The cheer of the crowd slowed into a hum of low bellows as she fell over, her legs no longer possessing the strength to keep her up.

"I think I'll just lie down…for…a…minute." Dash mumbled between yawns and was soon fast asleep, snoring loudly and sprawled uninhibited atop of the guard pile she had once dominated over.

"Take her to the dungeon," The unicorn leader instructed his subordinates, "A night of solitary confinement in one of our plush cells aught to cool her wings."
…
Author's note: Yeah I know the Pinky song is really bad.