"Is everypony ready?" Discord scanned the room for anything they might have neglected to retrieve before their departure.

"Ready."

"I'm r-ready when you are."

"Good to go!"

Angel gave him a curt nod.

"Then let us travel to the marvellous Dodge City!" He struck a dramatic pose with his paw held high, his fingers ready to snap. He abruptly lowered his paw and smiled sheepishly, "Just on the off-chance that this doesn't go as planned and one of you ends up left in the middle of the desert along the way, or only part of one of you gets teleported to our destination, I'd like to pre-emptively state that it's not my fault." He burst into a fit of laughter at their horrified expressions, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Though in all seriousness this will be quite taxing for me, what with running on only the chaos I make and all." He hummed in thought, "Anypony mind if I burn down Dodge when we next teleport? It would make the following journey a breeze!" Four disapproving scowls told him all he needed to know, "... Fine." He sagged slightly, "I swear, none of you appreciate how difficult this really is."

Discord snapped his fingers, and the five vanished with a bright flash. After a second or two a similar flash filled the area as the cave reverted back to its natural form.

Rainbow Dash shook her head in mid-flight, 'Nothing here either... Just have to keep searching.' She glanced downwards and saw the Neighagra Falls in the distance, quickly electing to search there before moving on to Manehatten. Whilst Applejack and Rarity had chosen to perform scrupulous searches of each individual area, Rainbow had instead chosen to play on her strengths and use what the others didn't have; wings, and speed. In only a week she had already performed a sweep-search over the majority of North-Western Equestria, and would have been proud of herself, if not for the dire circumstances. She felt the familiar burn in her wing joints as she pushed for another burst of speed, but ignored it, 'My friends are counting on me. Time is of the essence here.' Another furious push caused the sound barrier to shimmer around her, 'I won't give up! I'm Rainbow Dash! I'm a winner!' A multi-hued burst signalled the completion of the rainboom as Dash rocketed forwards towards her next target. She squinted against the rush of air with a look of determination, 'Because my friends turned me into one, and I'll be damned if I leave them when they need me the most!' She sped on.

Rarity inched the door open before entering quietly, as if worried about disturbing the silence of the lifeless building. It was dark inside, and it took her a moment to find the lights. Once the library was properly illuminated she couldn't help but sigh disappointedly despite herself, dust had accumulated on almost every surface. Even if it was only trace amounts in some cases, it was still enough to spot with her keen eyes, and definitely enough to make her shudder as she scanned the areas of highest concentration. "Focus, Rarity. There's a job to be done..." She began her task, trotting through the library and keeping an eye out for anything of note regarding her friends' current whereabouts. After five minutes of continuous searching she shook her head, "Nothing... Upstairs, perhaps?" The nigh-inaudible creak of each step filled her with inexplicable fear as she neared the top of the staircase. The library was usually a quiet place beforehand, but now it was an enclave of absolute silence.

Eerie silence... Tense silence... Dead silence.

The unicorn drew a deep breath, stoking up the courage to even make a sound, "R-Relax, Rarity... It's all in your head." Though she tried to clear her mind as she proceeded towards the door to Twilight's bedroom, she couldn't eradicate the incessant chant of her thoughts, 'I shouldn't be here.'

The door opened smoothly on its hinges, inviting Rarity to take a tentative step through the threshold. She stopped just inside the doorway, half-expecting the door to swing shut behind her. When it didn't she cast her eyes around the room and immediately noticed something out of place. Unlike the surroundings, the small object beside Twilight's bed was in completely pristine condition, with not a single speck of dust or grime upon it. She was so focused on examining it in detail that she only realised what it was as a whole after a few seconds. She felt tears sting at her eyes, "Spike..." As if entranced by the simple object, the seamstress trotted slowly towards it, outstretching a forehoof as she came closer.

Her scream echoed through the ghastly silence of the library as a bolt of lavender-hued electricity shot up her leg, making her recoil and tumble backwards in shock and pain.

She remained as still as possible for a couple of minutes as she composed herself, though the occasional involuntary twitch of her muscles made it difficult. When the convulsions finally stopped, she righted herself and examined the basket warily. Noticing nothing out if the ordinary other than what she had already observed, Rarity looked around, levitated a pencil from Twilight's desk and watched as it neared the basket. As it came close to the edge a spark shot out and repelled it, just like before. The - now slightly charred - pencil rolled across the floor by Rarity's hooves, but she paid it no heed, instead staring intently at the basket, 'Why, Twilight? Why trap something that means so much to all of us? What could this mean?' She remained there for quite some time as she tried to figure out the answer.

"A whole lotta' nothin'... Again!" Applejack stomped her hoof in frustration at the realisation that Appleloosa, like everywhere before it, held no information on the whereabouts of her friends.

Braeburn placed a hoof on her shoulder sympathetically, "What'll ya do now?"

She sighed and brought out the 'missing' poster - adorned with the faces of three of her best friends - from her saddlebags, "Ah'll keep searching. It's all Ah can do." She hung her head tiredly, "Ah guess Dodge City is next then..."

"Then let me come with ya. Ah'm not sayin' the folks in Dodge aren't good ponies, but there's one or two shady characters up around them parts."

Applejack smiled slightly at him, "Thanks for the thought, Ah appreciate it. But you've got things to get on with back here, an' Ah can handle myself pretty well in a fight if push comes to shove, ya know."

Braeburn shook his head, "APPLELOOSA tours can wait a day or two, easily. Besides, even if ya can keep yourself safe, helping ya's the least Ah can do if your friends are missin'. Family helps family."

She couldn't argue with his reasoning, and his final statement sealed the deal, "Alright, Ah'd appreciate all the help Ah can get then, thanks." She glanced up at the clocktower, "We'd best get goin'. Ah'll probably need to find somewhere to stay overnight again if we don't hurry and search it all today."

Braeburn nodded and ran off towards town, causing Applejack's eyes to widen in surprise. He called back over his shoulder, "Ah'm just gonna tell the sheriff where Ah'm goin' to! Meet me at the train station if ya like!"

Applejack watched him round the corner before smiling to herself as she set off for the train station, "Ah swear that stallion's got more energy than he knows what to do with..." Her smile disappeared as she regarded the poster in her hoof once again, a shadow falling over her face as she tipped the brim of her hat, "Ah don't care if y'all made a bad choice, Ah just want to know that y'all're safe." She placed the poster back into her saddlebags and continued trotting almost mechanically, "Please be safe..."

Discord watched with slightly widened eyes as Twilight fought the influence of her rampant emotions, as she had been doing for the past few hours. His reaction would have been more profound were it not for the fact that he was still getting over the last of the exertion their earlier teleportation had demanded, sitting comfortably against one of the walls, a cloud cushioning his head. The sparks in the air around her stopped ricocheting haphazardly, instead coming to a halt in mid-air and gravitating around her. Though her eyes still glowed crimson, her expression was one of calm and absolute concentration. It didn't last long. A shrill cry of anguish only a second later punctuated the explosion of her magic, and Discord found himself snapping his fingers to bring her untamed powers back under control whilst simultaneously draining the dangerous excess energies. 'Remarkable...'

Twilight hung her head and took deep breaths, wiping the sweat from her brow wearily, "I need... to rest..."

Discord dissipated the barrier around her and snapped his fingers, "You're not the only one." They were quickly whisked back to their underground hideout to the north-west of Dodge.

Indeed, the layout of the hideout was strikingly similar in design to the last one, save the fact that Discord had implemented a slope leading outside this time, as opposed to a door, for obvious reasons regarding using doors in a subterranean environment. Upon realising that the entrance would be blatantly obvious to anypony who happened to be nearby, Twilight had questioned Discord frantically on what he had done to prevent said ponies from noticing it. He was taking great pleasure in irritating her each time by simply responding, 'Magic.'

The two appeared before Pinkie, who was - unsurprisingly - directly in front of their new position. "Discy!"

Discord groaned. He was already tired beforehand, never mind having to teleport Twilight to and from their most recent training area, "I already told you-" He paused and put a claw to his head, "If I let you call me that, will you forget about the other nickname that you gave the two of us?"

Pinkie rubbed her chin with a hoof, "It's better than nothing, I guess... For now..."

"Close enough. You may refer to me as that occasionally, and only in private, provided you drop the other idea. If I so much as imagine you using that other nickname you'd better pray I feel merciful." He gave her a piercing squint, "Understood?"

"Okie dokie lokie!"

The others watched as the draconequus walked over to the sofa and fell onto it face-first, remaining still for several seconds before rolling onto his back and staring up at the little patch of sky that had previously been occupied by the roof. The other three all settled down, Twilight and Fluttershy finding their chairs. Pinkie bounced over to hers, but at the realisation that Angel was asleep in it, she simply shrugged and hopped onto Discord's currently vacant cloud.

And fell through it.

Pinkie stood and stared at it in silence before somehow grasping it with her hooves and pulling it to ground level; turning and sinking into it in the same fashion as one would sink into a particularly large cushion.

Discord appeared not to have noticed as he stared up at the artificial clouds and made them swirl and twist into shapes with his paw, "Any luck with Pinkamena yet, Pinkie?"

She shook her head, "She still hasn't said anything."

Discord recalled what Twilight had told him about it before they had begun training that morning and shrugged slightly, not taking his eyes off the clouds that had now taken the shape of a dragon, "Better than being given the punching-bag treatment, at least."

"Yeah, I guess... I just feel really bad about everything though. She didn't really deserve any of that." Pinkie's voice held a notable undertone of regret.

He turned his head slightly to look at her, "Well, I won't claim to be the expert on paying recompense for my sins, we all know how that usually turns out, and I'd prefer not to have a permanently stony expression, if at all pos-"

A sudden choking sound caused Pinkie and Discord to redirect their attention to the other two. Twilight was biting her bottom lip, and her top one was quivering noticeably despite her best efforts. Her chest convulsed at random intervals as she stared down at the floor with empty eyes. Fluttershy was beside her with a hoof draped over her shoulders, though her gaze was set on Discord as she stared at him with wide eyes, shaking her head and mouthing the same word repeatedly.

It took him a few moments to snap out of his confusion and realise what she was saying.

'Stop!'

Discord almost held his arms out wide in a 'what have I done!?' pose, but stopped himself as he glanced back up at his previous source of entertainment.

And the little dragon-shaped cloud that now had a hole in the centre where parts had drifted off.

Discord stared in absolute dismay at his own misfortune, 'Oh, you have got to be kidding me!' He quickly snapped his fingers, reverting the ceiling back to its usual, solid self, but the damage had already been done.

They watched for nearly three whole minutes as Twilight fought to maintain her composure before she finally stood, albeit shakily, "... I-I'm going out f-for a while..." She turned, grabbed her saddlebags and trotted to the exit without waiting for a response.

Discord flipped himself off the sofa, "That's not a good idea, Twilight!"

He prepared to swoop into her path as she began trotting up the tunnel that led outside, but Fluttershy interposed herself between them and shook her head at him disapprovingly, speaking quietly but firmly, "Let her go."

The draconequus took a deep breath, but released it slowly as he ground his teeth, "Fine, but I'm not taking any chances on being discovered." A snap of his fingers later he was gone.

Pinkie stared downcast at the floor, just as Twilight had, minus the potential tears, "We really should do something nice for her... She's still getting over it, isn't she?"

Fluttershy nodded, "Yes, she is, and we should. But it's hard right now. Maybe we'll be able to once things settle down?" Her voice held a hopeful tone.

"Maybe." Pinkie sighed pensively.

Twilight trotted away from the hideout towards Dodge in the distance with her head hung low. Discord appeared beside her with a flash, but held his tongue for a moment as a blade of guilt embedded itself into his chest. They had been in this position before, only this time there was no chocolate rain-cloud. He frowned and shook it off, "Twilight." She raised her head and gave him a sideways glance, but her pace didn't falter. He hovered alongside her, realising she wasn't going to respond, "I'm... I'm sorry, Twilight. That was... careless of me."

For a good few seconds she said nothing, but eventually gave a huff, "It's fine... I just need to go clear my head."

Discord glanced over at her apparent destination, "Well if you're making a return to civilisation so soon you're going to need a disguise."

She glared at him icily, "If it's going to piss me off, don't you dare!"

It took an unimaginable amount of self-restraint for Discord not to capitalise on the perfect opportunity to send her into meltdown. Once he had fought off the offending chaotic urges he snapped his fingers, materialising a hooded black cloak on the unicorn's form, "Make sure to keep your face hidden, who knows who's watching. You can thank me later." With that he disappeared.

Twilight waited a few seconds before turning to see if Discord was actually gone. Upon confirming such she looked back at where she had come from, only now noticing what Discord had meant when he had kept saying he had hidden their location with 'magic'. The entire area around the entrance had a slightly shimmering look to it, not too dissimilar from heat haze, and easily overlooked if one was not specifically looking for something. 'Illusion magic... Discord, if you weren't such an idiot all the time I might actually be capable of respecting your abilities...' She quickly examined herself and, satisfied her disguise wasn't some repugnant prank attempt, continued her slow trot towards Dodge City, once again recalling the image of her little brother, dying, with a gaping hole in his chest.

And experiencing a familiar wrenching pain in her own.

Twilight arrived on the dusty road just outside Dodge, and promptly folded the hood over her head. She conjured her hoof-mirror to ensure that it sufficiently hid her features and almost took a step back at how intimidating the pony staring back at her looked. Whether the cloak had magical properties, or whether it was just her angle in relation to the sun, she didn't know. But regardless of how, the shadow created by the hood masked her face perfectly. Her entire face above her mouth was completely obscured by the darkness, and the light that reached below that point was just enough to see her mouth moving as she spoke without revealing any defining features, "Well, I don't think anypony's in danger of recognising me any time soon, at least." She dispelled the mirror and smiled, "Even I wouldn't recognise me." The lapse in her depression was short-lived, and her mouth was drawn into a thin line almost immediately afterwards. With no real destination in mind, Twilight simply followed the road into Dodge with her head hung low, resolving to explore wherever she ended up.

A few polite greetings, or respectful tips of hats from the inhabitants were all Twilight received as she trotted along, to which she replied with a single nod each time, hesitant to speak for fear of somepony recognising her voice, despite how astronomical the odds were. Even if she weren't afraid of such, her current mood would most likely have kept her interactions to a bare minimum anyway. She passed several shop windows and salesponies, paying little attention to either as her memories continued to haunt her.

The unicorn-in-disguise came to an abrupt stop as she realised that the road now turned off to the left and right. Looking up, Twilight took in the name of the building that stood tall before her, 'The Weeping Alicorn'. She raised an eyebrow, and scanned until she saw the letters right above the door, clarifying the nature of the establishment, 'Saloon'. She considered her options for a moment. She'd never been one to drink much, not even socially, but right now it felt so tempting to find something, anything to take her mind off things, if only for a while. '... Just a few. I don't want to end up like Rainbow Dash did...' The added weight of remembering her friend gave her the final push she needed. She approached the doors resolutely, took a deep breath, and gave a push of her own as she entered.

Given that there were still a few hours left before sundown Twilight wasn't exceptionally surprised that the bar didn't have many patrons. The atmosphere was generally quiet, the low murmur of conversation from the tables where small groups of ponies were gambling, and the occasional sound of glasses clinking together both around Twilight and behind the bar the only sounds preventing the room from lapsing into silence. Twilight made sure to pull the brim of her hood as far down as it would go before trotting unsteadily to the bar. She could feel the stares of the odd pony or two that glanced at her from where they were sitting, but was grateful that the majority seemed not to have noticed her, or simply didn't care; she had half-expected the room to fall silent as soon as she entered and kicked herself for reading too many 'Western' novels.

Locating a stool with no customers occupying the space on either side of it was relatively easy, considering there was only one other pony sat on one, the rest of the customers had all opted to sit at tables and gamble. Twilight was grateful, she wasn't exactly in the mood to socialise.

She slumped into her stool, only to see the back of the barkeep as he trotted through the doorway at the rear of the bar into the storage area, most likely taking inventory for the night ahead. A weary sigh escaped her as she lowered her head, staring blankly at the polished wooden surface, her haunted thoughts and memories returning, '... The longer they stay with me, the worse things will get... How long until it happens all over again and I lose somepony else? I don't want any more of them to die... They're all precious to me... I just want them to go home and be safe! I don't want either of them to risk their-'

"Well, hello there..."

Twilight jolted, the voice having originated from directly behind her. It was definitely masculine, and it sounded... amused? The voice was filled with confidence, and character, and rumbled ever-so-slightly. Twilight felt her face heat up as she heard the voice again from directly beside her ear, "Ah couldn't help but notice ya sat here all on your lonesome... How about ya come along with me so Ah can... keep ya company, for a while, hmm?"

Twilight turned stiffly on her stool to face the earth pony that had previously been sitting further down the bar and felt herself blush a little more. His coat was hazel, with his mane a lighter shade, and his eyes a deep green. His lips were drawn into a self-assured smile, his eyebrows were raised a fraction, and his eyes held a distinct playful spark, giving Twilight a clear picture of what he meant by 'company'. She drew her head back, hoping he hadn't seen her face as she cleared her throat, "N-No thanks, I'm not inter-"

He chuckled, "Shy, Ah like that!" He tilted his head slightly, "Ah'm sure some of my confidence'll... rub off on ya. O'course, Ah'm gonna have to get a good look at ya, this cloak of yours doesn't really reveal much. Heck, Ah can't even see your face too well under that hood..."

Twilight didn't know whether to be grateful that the cloak concealed her identity properly, or disgusted at what this pony was suggesting. She quickly made up her mind as she saw him reach out for her cloak with a hoof, slapping it away with a frown he couldn't see, "No means no!" Twilight noticed the abrupt silence and scanned her peripheral vision. All eyes in the bar were currently on the two, and, from the looks of it, the owners of said eyes seemed very displeased about something.

The pony spoke up again, apparently undeterred, "See? There's that confidence Ah'm lookin' for! An hour with me an' Ah promise you'll be able to do much more... interesting things with it, hmm?"

Twilight was about to express her 'interesting confidence' and give the stallion the verbal beat-down of a lifetime, but a deep voice from behind her beat her to it, "Peace, what have Ah told ya about harassing my customers!?" Twilight turned to see the barkeep - a gray-toned earth pony - looking sternly at the pony, "The mare's obviously not interested! Now get!" He waved a hoof in a shooing motion.

Peace shook his head in amusement, not budging, "Of course she is! She just needs a little incentive is all..."

Twilight scowled and turned to face Peace, noticing his hoof reaching out to her once again. The barkeep brought a hoof down onto the bar, "Don't ya dare! You'll show some common decency whilst you're in my building or Ah'll ban ya! Ah'm sick of ya doin' this!"

Peace shrugged and made sure Twilight caught him raising his eyebrow as he turned to her, "Worth it."

Twilight's eyes widened in disgust and rage as he extended his hoof towards where she estimated her cutie mark was beneath her cloak.

The bartender began making his way around to deal with Peace, but never even got halfway before a flash of lavender light filled the room. One moment Peace was stood beside the bar, the next he was slumped against the wall by the doors, unconscious, head hung forwards, and a trickle of blood running from his nose.

Twilight huffed and prepared to leave before things got any worse, but stopped as something unexpected happened.

Somepony cheered. And another. And another. Soon enough, the entire room was filled with the applause and cheers of the twenty-or-so ponies who had bore witness to the event, the bartender included. Twilight glanced around in confusion before turning back to the barkeep, "Are... Are they cheering for me?"

He nodded, "Yup! It was about time a mare put him in his place! His name's Peace Maker, but don't let the name fool ya, he's a nasty piece of work. Not a respectable pony by any stretch." He glanced over at the fallen pony and sighed, "Anypony mind dragging him home? Don't wanna have to look at his mug any longer than necessary." He looked at Twilight and tipped his head slightly, "Speaking of, that's my name by the way, Frothy Mug." He extended a hoof, which Twilight shook bashfully.

Nopony else moved.

Mug rubbed his forehead with a hoof, "Whoever takes out the 'trash' gets a free drink."

Nopony moved.

Mug sighed in defeat, "Fine... Whoever takes out the 'trash' gets a free round for their table..."

A collective murmur arose between the room's occupants for a few seconds, followed by each group of friends prodding one specific member from their group. Eventually, a 'By Luna's Moon...' was heard as a blue pegasus dejectedly made his way over to Peace and threw him over his back before trotting outside, eliciting cheers from his friends.

Everything calmed down pretty quickly, though Twilight did gasp slightly as she remembered she had just used her normal voice before shrugging it off, nopony could recognise her anyway. She shook away her thoughts as the bartender trotted back to his position behind the bar, "S-Sorry about all that... It's just... he..."

Mug chuckled warmly, "Don't worry about it miss. If anything, you've done a lot of ponies a favour. Perhaps he'll think twice before he tries that on anypony else again." He brought out a glass and began cleaning it with a cloth, "So anyways, what can Ah get for ya? First one's on the house!"

Twilight gave a confused 'huh?' before recalling why she was there in the first place, "Oh, um... I'm not too sure, actually. I don't drink often, but I've got a lot on my mind... Anything you'd suggest?"

Mug smiled, "Certainly. Cider sound good?" Twilight nodded, "Best to start you off on something simple if ya don't drink often. Don't want you trottin' out of here sloshed with ponies like Peace about."

She nodded again, and watched as he poured the liquid with practised ease before gently sliding it to her with a hoof, "Thanks."

"That's quite alright, Miss... "

Twilight whipped her head up from her drink, "... Glow! N-Night Glow!"

"Then it's quite alright, Miss Glow." Mug tipped his head before reaching beneath the counter, "Just let me know if ya need anythin'."

Twilight smiled, though she was sure Mug couldn't see it, "Will do."

He trotted down the bar, leaving Twilight alone with her drink and her thoughts, which quickly reverted back to the dark state they had been in previously, '... I wasn't strong enough to save Spike... Even now, with all this new magic, I'm still too weak! I'm not learning fast enough! How can I hope to protect them if I can't even get the basics right? And that's in a safe place! Never mind if I have to use it in a fight! Am I not taking this seriously!? They could... They could die...' She lifted her drink with her magic and took a large sip, swallowing it quickly.

The results quickly became apparent as she almost choked. Her eyes watered slightly as she fought to clear her airways without drawing unwanted, embarrassing attention towards herself. She levitated the glass again, this time taking a smaller sip, with drastically improved results.

But it wasn't enough to distract her as her slightly warped, hooded reflection appeared in the glass, '... This is me now... I can't even show my face... What did I do wrong?'

Another sip, 'I lied to some of my best friends is what I did... I tried to deceive them... That was wrong... But I didn't have a choice! Celestia, she's worse! Much worse than me! I'm doing this for justice! She's just! She's just...'

Another sip, 'A monster... Spike... Mum, dad, Shining... I never wanted this... I never wanted to leave you behind... And my friends!' Her stomach lurched as the sleeping, tearful faces of Pinkie and Fluttershy worked their way to the forefront of her thoughts, 'I... They... I... What should I do!?' Another sip, 'And the others... We - no, I - just left them behind like dead weight! Am I really that cruel? To forget about my very best friends as soon as they don't agree with me? To just discard them without a second thought? Is what I've done any different to what she did?'

Another sip, 'Am I a monster too?' She dipped her head in melancholic thought, '... No, surely I'm not that bad? I mean, I know I've said and done some terrible things, but she... She's just evil! I'd sooner die myself than sacrifice somepony I love, the way she did!'

Another sip, 'I'd sooner die... I'd rather die... I'd rather have died... I might as well have, there won't be anything else left for me after she pays; just a lifetime of loneliness and anguish, and I don't want that... I don't want that... I don't want tears anymore, I just want things to go back to how they were... I just want him back, so much...'

Twilight lifted the glass to take another sip, only to realise that it was now empty. She waited patiently until Mug was trotting back her way before asking, "M-May I have another, please?"

Mug smiled sadly, "Of course. Though ya know miss, if ya don't mind me sayin', whatever your problem is, drinkin' ain't gonna make things any better." He slid the glass to her waiting hooves, "Trust me. Ya sound like a good pony, but Ah've seen a lotta good ponies do themselves in with drink over the years. It'd be a darn shame if ya went the same route. Whatever you're hidin' from, don't let it keep chasin' ya into places like this, or else you'll never want to leave eventually."

Twilight looked up at him, "Hiding?"

He nodded, "Not difficult to see. Ya know, the cloak, the hood, the way ya keep staring at the bar like it's your sole purpose. Ah won't pry, t'aint none of my business, but whatever it is Ah hope you'll find another source of strength, 'cause drink ain't your ally in times like these. Trust me, Ah know." He took out another glass and began wiping it, "Been workin' in bars ever since Ah was old enough to get into 'em - maybe even a little younger, but let's keep that between you an' me, eh?" Twilight managed to smile just a tad as he whispered that part, hiding his face behind his hoof in mock confidentially. "But after Ah've seen what drink does to some ponies, an' experienced how bad it can get myself, Ah swore Ah'd never taste a drop again. Been eleven years on the wagon next month."

Twilight felt a small flare of respect for Mug at his ability to resist the temptation to consume the substances he handled on a day-to-day basis; his willpower alone astounded her, and his sage-like advice seemed to have sunk in. She was about to ask how he had managed such a feat for so long when she heard hoofsteps, and a strangely familiar voice behind her.

"It's as good a place as any, Ah guess. Let's get askin'."

"Can do."

She couldn't place the second voice, but she was definitely familiar with the first, and it turned her blood to ice.

'No... No way! You have got to be fucking kidding me!' Twilight sat still and stared at the drink in her hooves, not daring to move an inch for fear of being discovered, even as the voice drew closer.

Applejack gave the room a cursory glance before settling on the bar and trotting to it, fishing the poster out of her saddlebags as she did so.

Mug looked up and smiled, "Afternoon, what can Ah get for the two of ya?"

Applejack rubbed a foreleg against the other, placing the poster onto the bar with her mouth, "Sorry, Ah know you're probably busy and all, but would ya mind takin' a look at this for us?"

Mug twisted the poster to face him, scanning over the faces of the three mares, "If ya don't mind me askin', what is it Ah'm lookin' at?"

Twilight almost released an audible gasp as she glanced across and saw her own face, as well as Fluttershy's and Pinkie's on the poster.

Applejack sighed dejectedly, "They're my friends, they went..." She pulled a sour expression, "... missin', a week ago. Me and my friends have been searchin' high and low for 'em, but we ain't found nothin' yet..."

Twilight cringed at the revelation, her heart pounding through her chest as Applejack stood right beside her.

Mug rubbed his chin in thought as he scanned the trio, "Ah can't say that Ah have, sorry..." He noticed Applejack's strange expression and looked her dead in the eye, "Ah don't mean to offend, miss, but it seems a bit strange that it's only the two of ya out here on this search. Wouldn't happen to have any proof on ya, would ya? Not like Ah'm accusin' ya of nothin, but there's always some less-than-pleasant ponies with less-than-pleasant intentions around Dodge, much as Ah hate to admit it."

Applejack looked up at the bartender and nodded, "This ain't just me and my cousin on our own, we got asked to do this by the Princesses, they've got guards searchin' high and low for 'em." Mug's eyes widened in scepticism, and Twilight had to resist the urge to scream in frustration and fire her glass at the nearest wall. Applejack deadpanned, "Ya don't believe me, do ya?"

Mug shook his head slowly, "Not in the slightest... Ah mean, ya don't look official or nothin', no offense."

Applejack went back into her saddlebags and brought out her Element necklace, setting it down gently on the bar, "Do ya know what that is?"

"Ah believe that is called a necklace, but Ah'm guessin' that ain't the answer you're lookin' for."

"It's an Element of Harmony. My Element of Harmony."

Mug leaned in and examined it scrupulously, "Wait... Seriously? So ya mean that you're?"

"Yup, its Bearer. And it's the Element of Honesty, so ya can rest assured Ah ain't gonna lie to ya."

Mug squinted at her slightly, trying to fathom why one of the Bearers would be all the way out in Dodge, in his bar, no less.

Braeburn nodded, "It's true! Cousin Applejack's helped defeat more monsters than Ah can even count on my hooves!" He looked down at his grand total of four hooves, then back up at Mug's questioning expression, "... Ya get what Ah mean."

Mug looked between the two of them for a few seconds longer before shaking his head in resignation, "Fine, Ah believe ya. Ah mean, nopony can just make that sort of thing up on the spot and keep a straight face." He scanned the poster again, "But either way, Ah ain't seen any of these three, sorry folks."

Applejack hung her head sadly, prompting Braeburn to drape a hoof over her shoulder. Mug turned the poster so it faced the ponies before him, and tapped it gently, "If ya don't mind me askin', why are the Princesses so interested in findin' these three?"

Applejack didn't respond, instead staring pensively at the floor. Braeburn took it upon himself to give an explanation, "Well, ya see, these three are all Bearers too."

"Really?"

"Yup. If Ah remember correctly, names are... Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight." He said, tapping a hoof on each face in turn.

Applejack sniffed slightly, nodding with each name, "Kindness, laughter, and magic..."

Twilight felt like she was having a heart-attack. Between the furious pace it had been beating at throughout the encounter, and the worsening emotional torment stabbing at her chest, it felt as though years were being deducted from her potential lifespan.

Mug rubbed the back of his neck apologetically, realising that he had inadvertently brought the farm pony close to tears through his questioning, "Ah'm sorry to hear that... It must be tough for ya, losing three friends in one week."

Applejack nodded fervently, pre-emptively stemming the flow of tears by scrunching her eyes shut, "It's just... Ah didn't just lose 'em, Ah let 'em go... If Ah would've tried harder to stop 'em from leavin', none of this would've happened. It's all my fault..." She reached over and placed the poster back into her saddlebags after taking a mournful look at it, "If Ah hadn't been so stubborn, and listened to what they said, maybe things would've turned out different... Though even now, Ah don't agree with what they did." She shook her head and looked up at Mug with anguish in her eyes, "But that don't even matter. They're all my friends, and Ah just wanna help 'em, and tell 'em Ah'm sorry for not being there when they needed me, and try and make things better again..." Her voice wavered slightly, and she took a second to compose herself before releasing a deep, calming breath, "Sorry ya had to hear that, it's just real hard to deal with, ya know?"

Mug waved a hoof, "Don't worry about it miss, Ah get it all the time from ponies less polite and more drunk, comes with the job."

Twilight had heard enough, her heart was aching to an unbelievable degree and she knew it wouldn't be long before her urge to comfort the farmer won her over. She fumbled around inside her cloak for a moment and dropped a hooffull of bits onto the counter, which had the unfortunate effect of drawing the attention of the other three. Unwilling to make eye-contact with her friend, Twilight quickly span from her stool and hastily made for the exit. As soon as she pushed through the doors her trot escalated into a full gallop back in the direction of the hideout.

Applejack stared at the spot where the mysterious patron had just been sat, her mouth slightly agape as her brain processed the information it had just been given. It had only been brief, but she was sure she hadn't imagined it. The spin. The flutter of the cloak. A glimpse of purple fur. A six-pronged star cutie mark...

She darted towards the doors without warning, bursting through them and leaving Braeburn follow suit after offering a hasty, "Thanks!" to the perplexed bartender.

Applejack glanced around, pulling the brim of her stetson down so as to shield her eyes from the intense sunlight. She spotted her target fleeing towards the plains to the north, and prepared to give chase right as Braeburn skidded to a halt beside her, "Applejack, what's goin' on!?"

She was already moving by the time he had finished speaking, "Ah've got everythin' under control, just go back to Appleloosa! Ah'll fill ya in later!"

Braeburn didn't know what to make of it, but accepted that he wouldn't be able to catch up to her even if he tried. With a bemused shrug he made his way towards the train station, but not without grumbling to himself in the process, "So much for takin' all the help you could get, eh cousin?"

Twilight tried to look back, but with every step she took another cloud of dust flew up behind her. So she kept running instead. Her lungs screamed for oxygen, her body for rest, her mind for time to stop and think; but she could indulge none of these requests, she needed to be as far away as possible from her friend, and she knew it. She kept running, fixing her eyes on the patch of earth in the distance that shimmered ever-so-slightly.

Despite the severity of the situation, Applejack gave a predatory smile as she chased her target. Years of tirelessly working on the farm had honed her muscular strength to a level most mares could only wish to achieve, and the results spoke for themselves. Twilight had been a fading silhouette when Applejack had seen her, but now she was quickly coming into focus through the intermittent dust clouds as the distance between them became less and less. She squinted her eyes and quickened her pace, 'This 'aint no Runnin' of the Leaves this time, Twilight!'

Twilight held her breath and put every last ounce of energy into a final burst of speed. The shimmering could be seen much more clearly as she approached and skidded into the centre of the area, hoping to find the entrance before she fell down it. It quickly became apparent that she had failed as she saw one of her forelegs pass through the floor beneath it, the rest of her following suit as her body toppled forwards, sending her tumbling halfway down the tunnel. She remained on the floor, panting heavily for nearly half a minute before shakily righting herself and brushing off the larger patches of dust with a hoof. She cursed to herself as she noticed a few cuts and scrapes, but she didn't give them much inspection, they were the least of her worries at the moment. Still catching her breath, she trotted unsteadily to the room where the others would be waiting.

Applejack didn't know what to make of it. One moment Twilight was stopping, the next she was falling through the ground. She currently stood beside the large, strange looking patch of earth, eyeing it curiously but not willing to take any chances with whatever was actually beneath, if anything at all. She stood, unsure of what to do, before taking a calming breath and thinking back. After a few seconds, she remembered what she had been told to do should she find any of her friends, and quickly did so, 'Princess, it's me! Ah think Ah've found 'em!'

The only sound Applejack heard was the whistling of the wind across the plains. Just as she was about to repeat herself, the hurried voice of Princess Celestia rang through her thoughts, 'You've found them!?'

'Yeah, Ah just saw Twilight! But then she went over and vanished into the floor right in front of me!'

Celestia's tone became all-business, 'Where are you?'

Applejack looked up at the setting sun, then back towards the city, 'Just to the north of Dodge, Princess.'

Celestia focused, her horn emitting a golden glow as she envisaged the location. A moment later, an image of the area appeared in the air before her. She scanned around before pinpointing Applejack's location and moving the viewing spell towards her. The ground beside the farmer was shimmering lightly in the sunlight, causing Celestia to nod to herself, 'That's an illusion. I think you've found the place, Applejack. Well done.'

Although Applejack was unaware that the Princess could see her she nodded anyway, 'What should Ah do, Princess?'

'Just wait where you are. Remember what I said when you and the others were here, we don't know what Discord might do if he knows we've found them.'

She kicked at the dirt softly, obviously anxious about the fates of her friends, 'Alright.'

'I won't be long. Stay put until I can tell Shining and the others.'

With that, Celestia's voice faded into nothingness, leaving Applejack to sit on her haunches and wait. She dug the poster and a flask of water from her saddlebags, taking deep gulps as she fixed the faces with a determined gaze, "Soon..."

Twilight staggered into the room where the others were all playing cards - despite the obvious difficulties Fluttershy and Angel were having holding them - and placed a hoof against one of the walls to steady herself.

Fluttershy and Pinkie both gasped and ran across to support her, Fluttershy speaking first as she brushed away some of Twilight's mane that was clinging to her face with sweat, "Twilight, what happened!?"

The unicorn made for one of the chairs, her friends helping her along until she dropped into it, "Applejack... was in Dodge..."

Pinkie and Fluttershy shared a troubled look, and even Discord and Angel - who had been taking advantage of the situation to look at the cards of the absent ponies - snapped their attention over to her. Discord was beside Twilight before she even saw him move, "Did she see you!?"

Twilight shook her head, "No, I don't think so... I saw her and ran all the way... back here. I don't think she would've... recognised me anyway..."

Discord put his paw to his forehead, "Of all the... There's the entirety of Equestria to search, and she nearly finds you in a week! Why am I not surprised? Chance hasn't really been our ally thus far, has it?"

Twilight shrugged, "No, but at least she didn't see my face, so that has to count for something, right?"

Discord frowned, "That wasn't chance, that was careful planning, several thousand years of villainous experience, and three stone imprisonments due to 'fair play' crying out at me to not take any risks."

Pinkie nudged him, "I wouldn't really call it 'fair play'. From what Fluttershy told us you cheated back in the maze that time!"

He shrugged, "What can I say? Fluttershy isn't as easily corrupted as the rest of you. Perhaps you should try and learn a thing or two from her shining example?"

Fluttershy backed away and blushed as Pinkie proceeded to debate the specifics of cheating with the draconequus. Twilight rolled her eyes and looked across to Angel, who held up his paws in a shrug that said 'I can't believe these two', which she promptly returned before heading to the bathroom to clean herself up.

"Applejack has found them. They're just to the north of Dodge City. Gather up your squad and make your way there, I'll guide you to the exact location."

Shining gave an affirmative grunt and teleported away without hesitation.

Celestia trotted away from Shining's suite, Luna stepping up beside her as she did so, "What about the others?"

"We'll make our way down to one of the empty ballrooms. I trust you still remember how to use a summoning circle?"

Luna furrowed her brow in thought for a moment then nodded, "I think so. But why should I need to?"

Celestia smiled as they descended a flight of stairs, "It's much easier than finding all three of them and teleporting them back here individually. We have the time to set one up, so I don't see why we shouldn't."

Luna shrugged, "I suppose you're right. What do you plan on doing when they get here? We can't honestly expect them to just go home after they've searched high and low for their friends, can we?"

The elder sister shook her head, "There shouldn't any need for that. I know Applejack's location, and she's very close to them right now, so I'll just set up a spell to view the area. She and the other two can stay and watch with us, if they want."

Luna nodded, and pushed the door before them open with her magic, revealing the grand interior of one of the ballrooms on the other side, "Sounds fair enough. When do you plan on doing it?"

"Right now. It'll take us a while to set this up, and every moment we waste is another that Applejack has the potential to take matters into her own hooves. It's not as if I don't trust her, but as I've already said, she's very close to her friends, I doubt it's easy for her to cope with knowing that she has to sit and wait when she's so close."

Celestia's horn glowed brightly, followed by Luna's, "Ready?"

"Ready."

They focused, watching the painstakingly slow process of the ancient runes inscribing themselves in a circular pattern on the floor between them.

Nearly an hour and a half later, it was finished. The runes pulsated with magical energy that moved from the edges of the circle and converged in the centre. Luna scowled at it as if it had tried to bite her, "In the time that took I could probably have searched the entirety of Equestria anyway!"

Celestia chuckled at her sister's impatience, but quickly refocused on her other spell, reaching out to the minds of the Bearers, 'Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack has found your friends.'

Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-air, 'She has!?'

Rarity looked away from the grave, 'Really?'

'Yes. All three of you need to hold still for a moment, understood?'

They did so, though similar states of confusion and worry became apparent despite their separate locations as Celestia heard them react to the white glow enveloping them.

"What the heck is this thing around me!?"

"W-What is this?"

"What in tarnation is goin' on!?"

Barely a split-second later, the three appeared on the circle with a flash, dizzy and slightly nauseous. Applejack fanned her face with her hat, "That certainly ain't a nice way to travel. At least warn us next time, Princess!"

They each got their bearings, realising they were in the castle. Rainbow looked around for the other three, then at Applejack when they were nowhere to be found, "I thought you'd found them!?"

Celestia took a step forward, getting their attention before Applejack could retort, "She did. Step over here, all of you, we'll see for ourselves soon enough. Shining and the others should be there soon, so we shouldn't have to wait much longer." She trotted towards the back of the room and pointed her horn at the wall. After a few seconds a distorted image - much like a reflection upon rippling water - appeared, and hovered in the air just before the wall.

The others all lined up beside Celestia to watch as the image slowly came into focus, though said Princess couldn't help but notice how Rarity had deliberately put as much distance between them as possible, waiting for the others to step forward before taking her own place at the very opposite end of the line; and how Applejack was repeatedly giving her wary sideways glances. She considered attempting to resolve the obvious trust issue whilst they had some time on their hooves, but quickly decided against it, 'If I'm to come anywhere near reconciling myself with them after what I've done, I'll need a lot more time...' She glanced over at them, taking particular note of how Rarity hadn't moved a fraction, keeping her eyes locked firmly on the image despite nothing being easily visible yet, 'That is, if they even forgive me at all...'

They waited, tensions slowly rising as the image of the area finally became clear, and Celestia and Luna began remotely talking through the specifics of the upcoming encounter with Shining and his guards.

Rainbow looked left to see the grim expressions of her friends. She wasn't faring much better herself, knowing full well that anything could happen to their friends if things took a turn for the worse. Regardless, she forced a neutral expression and a simple show of confidence that her friends could lean upon for emotional support, should they need it, "Don't worry guys, I'm sure Shining's got this down. There's no way he'd let that creep take Twilight and the others again, and he knows what to expect this time around!"

Applejack turned to her, fiddling with the brim of her hat nervously, "Ah hope you're right, Rainbow, Ah really do..."

Rainbow pulled a false grin, hoping being her usual self would be enough to calm them down a little, "Am I ever wrong?"

Applejack turned away, apparently not in any mood for her bravado. Rainbow leaned her head so she could see the unicorn on the other side of Applejack, "Rarity, Shining's got this, right?"

Rarity didn't move an inch.

Rainbow tapped her hoof on the floor twice, "Hello, Rarity? Thoughts? Anypony in there?"

The unicorn sighed to herself, but didn't so much as turn her gaze to her friend, "You want to know what I think?"

"Uh, yeah, that's sort of what I was asking, wasn't it?"

"I think you need to get a firm grasp on just how dire a situation our friends are about to be in. I think you need to stop trying to make us feel better because it blatantly isn't working. And I think you need to shut up. That's what I think." She still hadn't let her attentive stare drift from the image before her, but her words carried a hollowness, a coldness that told the other occupants of the room that she held no desire to speak further.

The others all regarded Rarity with differing levels of shock at her blunt tone, though Rainbow's was the most profound, her jaw hanging open slightly as she tried to retort defensively. Her words ultimately failing her, she kicked at the floor and lapsed into silence, the rest of the room following suit. Occasionally the odd set of important information would be shared between the Princesses and Shining, but as he and his guards drew closer and closer to their target the periods of silence gradually became longer, apprehension taking the place of conversation.

They watched, and waited.

Author's Notes:

Heh, weird, I actually don't have much to say this time around :D As always, you can see the latest chapter progress on my profile page if you're wondering, and here's their current location on the map:
I am not a link, do not click me, nothing will happen.