Chapter 7: Secrets and Lies

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The trip back to Ponyville passed in silence as the two mares carried the armored interloper. Time was of the essence as the sun was quickly rising, so they had run the entire way back as Spike struggled to keep up on his stubby little legs. By the time they reached Twilight’s house they were all panting and sweating heavily. Thankfully, the trip ended without further incident as most of the residents of the town were either fast asleep in their homes or still in attendance of the Summer Sun Celebration’s final climatic event; allowing Twilight and her friends to sneak into the library without rising undue suspicion or unwelcomed questioning.

Absconding into her home, Twilight took to the bathroom to clean the blood off of her. Meanwhile, Pinky Pie was tasked with using the water hose in the backyard to wash up Isaac as well as herself and she was having far too much fun doing it. Lacking any sense of urgency, Pinky spent more time chasing Spike with the hose than doing the cleaning. The poor dragon complained helplessly under the watery assault and Pinky’s endless giggling.

No pony was sure how to remove Isaac’s advanced suit so she had to settle on washing the gore off the suit while he was still wearing it. He was so worn out that the cold water failed to stir him out of his slumber. The party pony followed up with a quick Super Pinky Pie towel drying and buffeting before carrying him up to the guest room, armor practically shining in the morning sun. However, the suit didn’t look particularly comfortable to sleep in, so she made sure to gather a bunch of pillows, placing them around him for his own comfort. When she’d finished, Isaac had disappeared under a pile of white fluffy squares.

Twilight was in the lobby now being tended by a sopping wet Spike who had retrieved a first aid kit. The little dragon cleaned out her wounds and started applying bandages, along the way pointing out more lacerations on Twilight’s back and sides. He had had also found several pieces of shrapnel embedded in her skin. None of it was very serious, but it was uncomfortable for the unicorn while Spike set about his business of plucking metal shards and applying peroxide, which burned as it cleansed. To distract herself from the pain, she entertained herself by studying the helmet from Isaac’s suit.

Using telekinesis she held the helmet up and slowly rotated it while observing every little detail she could see and sense with her eyes and magic. Her scientist sensibilities were on fire as she studied the complex piece of alien technology. The front of the helmet had three visor openings, the middle one ran across the center of the user’s eyes, and a faceplate that protected the nose and mouth and reminded her very much of a surgeon’s mask, only more intimidating.

She also marveled at the realization that although the helmet looked like a single solid object it was actually composed of forty-two separate components that slid and interlocked into each other with deft machine precision. Furthermore, although she was no metalworker, she could also sense that the synthetic material alloy was far beyond anything the blacksmiths or magicsmiths in Ponyville, or maybe even all the smiths in Equestria, could hope to duplicate. She didn’t know much about humans, but their level technology and science simply blew her away.

“La, la, La, la, La,” a dry Pinky happily sang as she meandered into the room, “hey, Doctor Spike, how’s the patient?”

“OW!” Twilight jumped and dropped the helmet, “Spike! Be more careful.”

“I can’t do this if you keep moving. You need to stay still.” Spike argued while using a pair of tweezers to removing another sliver of metal from Twilight’s side and placed the offending material on the table.

“I still say you should see Nurse Redheart later, just in case.”

“I’ll be fine and besides that would just lead to all sorts of questions I don’t want to answer right now. Speaking of which, I’d still like to know how the two of you find me in the Everfree Forest.”

“Duh,” Pinky hooped like a spring to take her place by Twilight. “Pinky Pie sense, that’s how.” Pinky’s ears flopped about while Twilight just sighed and rested her head on the table.

“Of course.” She wondered when she’d ever learn to remember the pink pony’s uncanny ability to somehow foretell random future events.

“It was the oddest thing.” Pinky took on a suspenseful and bewildered tone, “First I got another hum-dinger of a doozie followed by my knee being pinchy, warning me of something scary. Then I felt a new combo telling me of things I’ve never felt before.”

“What sort of combo?” Twilight groaned in defeat while Pinky tried to demonstrate.

“Like a cold flash in my legs and a feeling of walking on pins and needles.” Pinky’s legs shivered and then she pranced about like she was walking on broken glass.

“Maybe your hooves just fell asleep.” Twilight modestly suggested.

“I was standing the whole time, Twilight. Actually I was dancing, and prancing, and movin’ to the grovin', and just when it hit me I was doing all the stuff you’re supposed to do at a party, but there was definitely standing involved.”

“Uh, yeah I guess that is pretty strange.” Twilight felt another prick, “Ow! Spike!”

“Less moving, more stilling.” the dragon protested while applying another bandage, “There, done.”

“Thank you, Spike.” Twilight said, grateful to have that ordeal out of the way.

“I also heard voices.” Pinky continued breathily, drawing Twilight’s curiosity.

“Voices?”

“Yeah,” the pink pony was pacing now, she seemed unusually disturbed, “normally I just sense that danger is coming and sometimes from where, but this time I heard creepy voices telling me to go to the Everfree Forest and saying you were in terrible danger.”

“You too Pinky? I’ve been hearing them too.” Twilight had thought she was the only one; it was nice to hear the contrary, yet at the same time she was growing more concerned. There was something else that played at the edges of her senses, beyond the voices, and she’d noticed it ever since coming back to the library. Where it had once been warm and inviting place of learning, it had grown cold and threatening. It had affected her friends too; Spike was still the same funny (but dependable) companion he’d always been and Pinky was still Pinky. Now they seemed….dull, as if their color had become muted slightly, less vibrant.

“For real? Really, really?” Pinky danced with relief.

“Yes,” now it was Twilight’s turn to pace, “I started hearing them at the Mayor’s Office when we talked about the stolen treasure. At first it was disjointed and hard to make out, but then I could hear full sentences. One sang me verses from ‘Twinkle Little Star,’ and another said I had a job to do and that I’d know what it was. I don’t know what any of it means, but it must have something to do with the Marker.”

“Sheesh, listen to yourselves,” Spike interrupted heatedly, “I’m very worried about the two of you; hearing voices, songs, warnings of danger, and all involving some sort of book about an ancient artifact of doom and destruction. I can believe in ghosts and zombies and Pinky’s twitchy tail, but this is just too farfetched to be true.” Twilight stomped a hoof in indignation.

“But Spike, it happens to be - um… possibly true.”

“Speaking of truth,” the dragon continued to assert himself, “didn’t you say you were leaving the Summer Sun Celebration early because Celestia wasn’t coming and you wanted to study instead? Then, lo and behold, Pinky and I find you in Everfree with Princess Luna, no less. What about the pony in the armor, though it’s very cool looking armor, but where did you pick him up and what does he have to do with anything?”

“Yeah, lying to your friends isn’t nice Twi.” Pinky gave the unicorn a narrow-eyed accusing glare.

“Hey! How did I become the bad pony here? I didn’t lie, I really was coming here to read. I didn’t know Princess Luna would be waiting for me. She said she needed a friend for the night and one thing led to another….”

“Twilight, you didn’t? In the forest… all three of you?” Pinky was absolutely mortified, “And I thought Dashy was the daring one!”

“No Pinky, not like that.” Twilight could not believe she had gotten herself into this mess. “We were actually; well, it’s complicated.”

“We’ve got time to spare,” Spike crossed his arms, “and I’d rather hear it from you before Celestia announces the wedding is tomorrow.”

“Uugh, you two are incorrigible.” Twilight shouted in frustration and a stomp of a hoof. Why couldn’t they understand that the situation was serious? She wished they would just shelve the jokes for just a little while.

“Thanks.” The mischievous pair said in unison, proud of their work.

“Look,” Twilight tried to regain a small ounce of control over the conversation, “it’s been a long day. I’ll tell you everything, but you have to promise me you’ll keep it a secret.”

“I promise.” Pinky get serious right away, raising her left hoof. Twilight gave her a dubious glare.

“Super Pinky promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” The magenta mare happily animated the rhyme. Nodding in satisfaction Twilight turned to her little assistant.

“What about you, Spike?”

“Y’know Pinky is the expert at keeping secrets and I’m not half bad myself.” Spike stated only the facts. “What about you, Twilight? I’m still a little miffed at you for spilling the gems about my secret crush on Rarity.”

“But everypony already knew about that.” Twilight couldn’t believe he was still hung up on that incident, it had happened months ago. In fact, it was amazing that Rarity still had not picked up on it. Spike may be mad at her slight slip of the tongue, but it wasn’t as if he was being any less subtle about it.

“Point is that you’re not very good at keeping secrets, Twilight.”

“Absolutely terrible!” Pinky chimed to the bookworm’s absolute annoyance.

“Point taken,” Twilight grumbled, “but leave me to worry about that, it is my secret after all. So do you promise?” Spike begrudgingly nodded, still unaware of the reality he was being swept up in.

“Alright, I promise.”

“Spiiiike.”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, yadda yadda yadda I’m a dragon guy.”

“Good enough for me.” Truthfully, Twilight already trusted both Pinky and Spike with her life and would’ve told them anyway since they had caught her red hoofed and red faced, literally. It had made her feel a lot better to hear them voice aloud their commitment to secrecy, so with a heavy heart she began to tell them about everything that had transpired that night. From Luna’s arrival, to Isaac, and the fight with the necromorphs. However, she decided it would be best to leave out the part where she died.

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“Ugh,” Dash groaned, having failed to muster the strength to further elaborate on her feelings. For the second time in as many days she found herself waking up in a strange place, head filled with fluff, and a mouth like a parched desert. All during the Summer Celebration she had vented her frustrations over several salt-licks as well as a couple jugs of the ‘special’ apple cider. It was a powerful combination of vices and had left her stumbling around Canterlot in a dehydrated stupor, making an absolute foal of herself. She couldn’t remember much about what had happened but there was a vague - very vague - memory about a hijacked desserts cart and her dive bombing ponies with frosted treats.

There was also something about an eggbeater, a safety cone, and her initials carved into the royal flower garden and also something about falling asleep in a very exposed, very embarrassing, position atop a statue of Celestia.
Dash could still feel the hoof-prints where Macintosh had been forced to hold her down while Zecora made her to drink a large container of water while under the supervision of several guards to make sure she didn’t cause further mischief. In the end, Mac and Zecora had used some of the money they’d earned gambling to rent a room for all of them. An act which Rainbow Dash was eternally grateful for, and decided she would have to make up to them sometime. It certainly beat going back to the Canterlot dungeon again.

Dash slowly examined the hotel room and quickly lost interest when she saw it looked absolutely average in every way, nothing but the bare necessities. Zecora was asleep on the second bed, while Big Mac snoozed on the floor like some great red beast. At least they’d been kind enough to let her use one of the beds, although it felt like a slab of stone; cold, hard, and relentless. Still, she wasn’t going to complain about it. Nope, no complaining to be heard here, that was for sure.

“Freakin’ penny-pinching traitors.” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.

A slow and firm knocking announced an arrival at the door. Dash took refuge under the pillow as the sound seemed to explode in her ears like a bomb.

“Mmmph, go away.” Dash pressed the pillow tighter around her head. The knocking came a second time, a little more rapt and impatient. She continued in a desperate attempt to ignore it, hiding under her blanket this time, but to no avail. The perpetrator was attacking the door with a strong pounding force that vibrated throughout the whole room.

“All right, all right,” Dash broadcasted her surrender, “hold your horses, I’m coming.” She then tumbled unceremoniously out of her bed, having become hopelessly entangled by the white sheets while she’d slept. As she fought in a life or death struggle against her linen foe, Big Macintosh stood up and cracked his neck a couple times before nonchalantly passing her by to greet their unknown guest.

“Howdy.” He greeted warmly while Dash was a whirling of color as she rolled her way to the door and crashed into the wall.

“What do YOU want?” She blurted when she saw the neutral and unfriendly face of another palace guard Pegasus. Dash often wondered how it was possible to tell one guard from another since they all looked the same in that golden centurion armor. She didn’t dwell on it long having seen enough of them already to last a lifetime. This one, however, sported a pair of messenger bags which clearly marked him as a courier of a sort.
“Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh, I presume.” The guard gave Big Mac a critical once-over, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge the red stallion.

“Who wants to know, chump?” Rainbow Dash challenged as the guard reached into a leg pouch to retrieve a scroll which he dismissively tossed at Dash, smacking her on the forehead, and regarded the colorful Pegasus as something offensive he had just scrapped off the bottom of his hoof.

“Her royal highness, ‘Princess’ Luna, is requesting the presence of one Rainbow Dash and one Big Macintosh in the council chambers at your earliest convenience.” The guard said with a slight air of antipathy. “I suggest you make haste right away.”

“What does Princess Luna want with us?” While Dash had never hid her distrust of the former Nightmare Moon, the way the guard had spit on Luna’s royal title made Dash’s blood boil. There was something about the guards nowadays that was eating at her nerves far too easily. They seemed to be getting meaner and more aggressive lately.

“It’s not my job to know, just to deliver the message.” The guard’s job completed he departed with nary a concern and glad to be done with it.

“Hostility towards Luna fills the ponies of this city, we should regard such mislead souls with great pity.” Zecora said, as she joined them.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac agreed.

“It just shocks me how shallow some ponies can be.” Dash wanted to give the braggart guard a piece of her mind and shove it right up his….

“I seem to recall a not too distant time, when your regard for me was less than prime.” Zecora interrupted.

“I know and I’ve said I’m sorry already, but this is different.” Dash opened the scroll to change the subject. Breaking the seal and spreading the rolled parchment she began to read the message. It wasn’t too long before her mouth creaked into a reluctant grin before reaching a fully formed smile.

“Whats gott’n you smilin’ bright’r than sunlight offa ripe apple’s skin?” Big Macintosh asked trying to read over Dash’s head. It was unnecessary as Dash was more than happy to read aloud the contents of the message.

“Dear Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh,

I know you have no reason to trust me given my sordid history, but I would like to extend to you both an olive branch of friendship. I have recently had the pleasure of speaking to your friend Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville and she asked me to grant the two of you permission to leave Canterlot in light of the recent lockdown. I want to show that there are no hard feelings between us and that I am eternally grateful to all the ponies who aided in freeing me from Nightmare Moon’s influence, as well as their friends and family. Therefore, I see it only fitting to grant Twilight’s request and I wish that the two of you will join me in the council chambers as soon as you can so that I might allow you safe passage back to home.

With all my thanks,

Princess Luna.”

“Do you hear that?” Rainbow Dash proclaimed in excitement, “We’re finally going to get out of here.”

“The two of you might find salvation, but will I be stuck in isolation?” Zecora asked sadly.

“No, of course not!” Dash answered with confidence, “Luna said friends and family were included, and since you are one of my friends I'll convince her to help you too!”

“Grateful I would be, to leave the city free, the herbs I buy spoil fast you see.” The zebra strapped on her saddlebags, eager to leave right away.

“I’m just grateful for the chance to make it up to you.” Dash placed a hoof on Zecora’s shoulder, “It was wrong of me to think you were a soul stealing witch who could cast curses on ponies, but hey, no pony's perfect”

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The trio of mare, stallion, and zebra departed the quaint little hotel and began their trek to the Canterlot Castle, a good hour’s trot from the residential quarter. Celestia’s sun infused the city with blanket of vitality that warmed and energized all the citizens. Despite the night’s long and exhaustive festival, most ponies were already awake and attending their jobs. Even Dash could feel her hangover quickly fading under the sun’s warmth.

Workers were cleaning the streets and depositing various articles of trash and discarded scraps of food into large dust bin carts, while shop keepers and merchants were busy carousing, purchasing, and moving supplies to restock their own shelves. Conspicuously absent were all the noble ponies, all the lords and ladies with positions in government had stayed in for some extra shuteye.

A mostly normal day in Canterlot; however, the presence of so many guards at almost every street corner, reminded everyone that the city was still locked down due to the unfortunate theft yesterday. It filled the city with an undercurrent of nervousness and mistrust and it showed on every single face. Yet everyone remained civil and seemed to be handling the situation surprisingly well, but there was no telling how long it would last if a solution didn’t present itself soon.

As the trio traveled down through the crowded streets their journey happened to take them past the Canterlot Central Post Office. It was a massive structure that put its counterpart in Ponyville to abject shame. The polished marble building was over two dozen floors high, with each floor dedicated to the sorting and distribution of the mail to a different providence of Equestria. A landing platform extended from each level to support the hundreds of mail Pegasus ponies that would arrive and depart to and from all four corners of Equestria.

On this day, however, the post office saw less than a trickle of its normal activity. Mail bags and packages were piled high outside the office doors and were growing by the second. Dash would not have taken notice of this special situation if it was not for her spotting a fellow resident of Ponyville, and one of her dearest friends, emerging from the building.

Ditzy Doo was the best mail pony in all Equestria, who sometimes went by the nickname ‘Derpy Hooves’ despite her hooves not being her most significant feature. The grey Pegasus mare had a bright blond mane and a cutie mark consisting of several bubbles, but what distinguished her most was her lazy yellow eyes which twirled about and seemed to look in two different directions at once. Most ponies thought Pinky Pie was the most random and eccentric pony in all Equestria, but that award went to Ditzy. Pinky lost out because of the sole fact that she was intelligible. Most of the time no one could possibly fathom what went on it Ditzy’s head.

“Hey Ditzy!” Dash called out excitedly.

“Hey, hay howdidly dee doo Dashy!” Ditzy replied in her overly special and perky manner, waving while happily jogging down the street with a wide smile of unrestrained ignorant happiness. She was carrying a pair of postal saddlebags hanging from her sides that were loaded down with various articles of mail and a single brown package secured to a special saddle on her back. For a pony that couldn’t focus her eyes straight forward, she was very deft at avoiding and colliding with anyone or anything meandering her way through the crowd, with an elegant grace that could challenge Rarity, towards Dash with not a care in the world.

“Ugh, do you guys hear that?” Dash suddenly heard a persistent ringing in her ears. It quickly grew beyond a simple background annoyance as the tone climbed to the point where it was now a high pitched whistle. The sound was so intense that it made it difficult to concentrate on anything else. She rubbed her ears in a hope that the sound would go away, but it was useless gesture.

“What’s with this noise? It’s driving me crazy.” When there was no reply from her companions, Dash checked to see what up with them. She failed to spot either of them behind her and her confusion only intensified when the ringing suddenly ceased. In fact was that she was the only pony left standing in the now empty streets. The cobbled roads were utterly devoid of life as if every living pony and animal had simply ceased to be, the silence deafening in its absolution.

“Hello?” she called out in futility looking for anypony at all. Yet, not the simple chirp of a bird or the welcomed sound of a gentle breeze dared to respond. Silence continued to be her sole companion until there came a resonating clopping of hooves on stone. It was coming for her and she turned back to face Ditzy Doo. Dash felt relieved to find the grey Pegasus was still here, but the mail carrier seemed to be moving in slow motion with each step echoing at an unnatural volume.

“Ditzy, are you okay? What’s wrong with you? Your... your wings…” Feathers were falling from Ditzy’s wings, a couple at first and then in large tufts. When the feathers touched the ground they burned under an invisible fire, curling up into piles of carbon ash. She was crying red tears and soon was bleeding from her nose and mouth as well, marking a crimson trail where she walked. Dash was unwillingly and utterly transfixed by the sight, unable to comprehend it. She felt a tight clenching desire to help her friend, hopelessness to stop it, and disgust at the horror of what Ditzy was becoming.

There was a sick crunching of bones as Ditzy started to shake violently, yet her innocent smile never left her face as she kept coming. Flesh fell from her body in pulpy clumps, exposing muscle and bone. Her wings give one final crack before rotating forward, the bone lengthening and become sharp spears, flexing, and more resembling deadly grasping fingers than wings now.

“Help me!”

“Ditzy!” Dash screamed, the tears cascading. Ditzy was a kind and gentle soul, why was this happening? She’d done nothing to deserve such a terrible fate. “Why is this happening? Ditzy who….who’s doing this? Why?”

No matter how fast Dash tried to retreat Ditzy continued to close the distance. Her gentle smile was a gaping maw of razor sharp teeth, the lower jaw bone had rotted away. Small wriggling tendrils were growing from every orifice; eyes, nose, mouth, and from in between her very muscle fibers. Dash couldn’t stand the sight any longer: she needed to escape, needed to get away. She jumped into the air, wings pumping with all her might, but she didn’t get far. She felt the creature below her grab her by the tail and harshly pull her down.

“Ghuu!” Dash sharply impacted the ground on her back, her spine snapping under the force - she was now paralyzed and helpless. She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.

“Wake UP!”

Rainbow Dash stared into the sky, suddenly her view was filled with red, white, and gray.

“Are you al’ right?” Big Mac’s voice reflected the worry on his face. He reached out a hoof and helped Dash onto her hooves.

“Dashy fall down, down. Go crash boom baa, make big noise.” Then there was Ditzy, just as crazy and random as ever, dancing around like nothing had happened; perfectly normal, for her at least. Without thinking Rainbow Dash reached out for Ditzy and embraced the mail Pegasus in a firm, distressed hug.

“Ditzy! Thank Celestia you’re okay.” Dash felt tears trying to break free again. She fought them back, however, and not so much out of a sense of pride.

“Dashy, you are strange. Are you okie?” Ditzy warmly returned the embrace deeply worried about her colorful friend.

“All of a’ sudden’ ya’ll stopped, swayed a bit, and then collapsed.” Big Mac recounted while placing an arm against Dash’s head, checking for fever, and looking into her eyes. Dash didn’t resist the examination, she was similarly concerned that there was something terribly wrong with her and hoped that it was just a side-effect from the sleeping spell or her hangover.

“I….I’m alright. I can’t seem to remember what just happened.” Dash shook her head and backed away, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks, “I thought I saw, I saw...” Dash stammered, not sure how to express herself. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to see you, that’s all.”

There was a glint of light that caught the corner of her eye, having come from a piece of elaborate jewelry around Ditzy’s neck. A silver collar was firmly clamped around her neck with a crescent shaped pendant swinging lazily from a short chain. Two alicorn figures, both facing each other, were pressed into the sides of the collar using polished platinum and there appeared to be cursive writing carved into the rest of the collar and pendant.

“Tell us young pony, before you depart. What is that badge you keep near your heart?” Zecora asked, clearly impressed.

“Oh, this little itty-bitty thangy-wangy?” Ditzy stood straight and proud, making sure everypony could see her badge of honor.

“Lovely Luna lent me this little license of limit leaving for a, um, special delivery.”

“You’re kidding?” Dash raised a curious eyebrow, “isn’t that a job better suited for the royal couriers?”

“I don’t know. The nice pony guy in black, with the boorish voice, said.”

“Sooo, you never actually saw the princess?” Ditzy just shook her head. That seemed totally unfair to Rainbow Dash since Luna had personally summoned her and Big Mac for an audience, but didn’t offer the same recognition for Ditzy.

“A ‘special delivery’ huh?” Dash reasoned that the postal mare must have been referring to the brown package on her saddle holster. The brown paper was expertly folded and the whole thing was tied up in golden thread, bearing the seal of Luna’s heritage on the sides. It all looked very official, but was that the package seemed wrong somehow. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, yet the more she looked at it the more it felt as if something was staring back. She had never felt anything like it before and it was unsettling to say the least. That horrible ringing sound was coming back as well.

“Dashy rainbow. You’re zoning crazy again.” Ditzy giggled and waved a hoof to get her attention.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Um, who did you say you’re delivering it to?” Dash shook her head to clear it, the ringing passed away.

“Oh, there is no namey, but I do know the address, I do. I’m taking it to Fluttershy’s place.”

“Fluttershy? I don’t think that’s a good idea.” A terrible idea in every way, Dash was confident of that. She didn’t know what Ditzy was carrying, but whatever it was it had no business being near the gentle, sensitive, and loving Fluttershy.

“I’m the bestest mail mare ever, I know my addresses I do.” Ditzy certainly didn’t lack for confidence and that was what Dash really admired about her.

“Ditzy, would you mind if I sneaked a peak inside the package?” The way Ditzy reacted to the question, Dash might as well have asked if she could

“Oh no, no, no, that would violate mail mare rule number 65,” Ditzy cleared her throat and then spoke with all the confidence of a general ordering his troops into battle, "when a delivery has no specific designated recipient then only those who are living at the intended address can be allowed to open the postal delivery, not their friends or any guests. Unless specific requests have been made in advance and approved by the general post manager. Failure to abide….”
“Ok Ditzy, a simple no would have been fine, but….”

“No buts, Dashy, no tubs, stubs, or subs either. Rules are rules and rulers.” Without another word Ditzy spread her wings and began to lift off, “I must go now, I’m nearly late for a very important date with a blueberry muffin.” With that Ditzy was airborne and speeding away at a clip that very few Pegasus could best, Rainbow Dash being one of the few exceptions; the Wonderbolts being the others.

With Ditzy’s words echoing in her ears, Dash was filled with a new sense of purpose. She could feel the machination of something sinister in the works. There was only one other time in her life when she’d felt this sensation before. This went beyond simple feeling though, the vision of Ditzy and the evil presence the mail mare carried. Who would send such a thing Fluttershy’s way, and did this have anything to do with the theft yesterday? Dash certainly felt the idea had merit, but before she could leave she needed to know who had given Ditzy the job.

“You guys go ahead without me,” Dash said to Zecora and Big Mac, handing the latter the royal letter from the princess, “I need to check this out. Something funny is going on around here.” Her companions only gave her mixed reactions. Clearly they didn’t share the same sense of urgency as she did.

“I mean funny-weird, not funny-haha.” Dash clarified, but it did little to clear the air.
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Author’s Note: Sorry for the long wait. I know I said this chapter would be quicker on the upload, but there were several shift openings at work. I volunteered for the overtime so I could have some extra spending money and there is not much time to work on this story when I’m working. Thank you for your patience.

I promise the next chapter will be more about Isaac. About his first day in Equestria and helping Twilight keep her promise to help Applejack on the farm.