The sewer system below Ponyville consisted of walkways and corridors built of stone and bricks. Lining these corridors were the manure pits below the buildings and outhouses; always filling up with shit. The poop collectors routinely come down here and clean out the pits and load the crap into buckets and using a small wagon, drag them out to the nearest exit by the river or on the edge of town where the bigger poop cart is stationed.
And of course, it reeks so bad down here. It took the strongest-stomached ponies to work down here. Oftentimes ponies puked as the smell was almost unbearable. But without modern sewage flushing systems like in Canterlot or Manehattan, this is the system that worked to keep Ponyville clean, and provide good fertilizer for the farms beyond.

The walkways were lit by crystals containing bioluminescent fungi. Not only did it stink, but the air was damp and thick with shit-laden moisture. Using a torch, Promontory led his motley crew of town guards and fugitives through the passages. Orion, Quick Fix, and Rarity lit their own horns to provide light. Twilight Sparkle was still too burnt out to use her horn, and after frying the other unicorn, Applestar, to get her memories about the Flare, her head ached and throbbed. She was always one to catch migraines without proper rest. Now she had one and felt sick. Applestar, the only Apple unicorn for days* around; was still unable to cast magic due to having eaten the blood apples.

The two pegasi, Luftwing and Deep Blue felt extreme anxiety coming on as they felt like the walls were about to close in on them. It smelled like ass, and Luftwing puked twice already. Being pegasi, they were the most unadapted to confined spaces. And keeping their wings folded for long periods of time brought on discomfort. Crafty Crate was no fan of being stuck down here, but slogging through a half hoof of shit and piss was the only way out of the guardhouse.

But this labyrinth was confusing and it was easy for ponies to get lost down here. The poop crews carried string or rope to mark their way out. Twilight and Rarity were low on magic, so it was up to Orion to denote their path by putting little glowing stars in the air behind them. But there was growing anxiety in the group. Any time somepony could come down into the basement and find they broke out the unicorns and zebra and bailed into the sewers. And they knew the town guard would rush to cut off all exits, so they were on the move. Question was: where the hell to go?

The easy part was that bigger corridors brought them closer to the exits, but could still leave the gang trotting in circles underground. The layout of the entire labrynth was circular, with a cross of passageways cutting through it, leading to major exits by the river, the train station, and the farm land. In addition the four major exits, there were at least sixteen other entrances that hadn’t been used in decades...or centuries. See, this sewer way was not originally built for the purpose of cleaning out shit from the households, it was a huge underground shelter, meant to be used during a Pegasi attack or a tornado centuries ago. It was discovered when Ponyville was built, and incorporated into the city plan as the sewer system.

Eventually the group discovered one of the long straight passageways. There were three passageways that crossed each other at the center and lead to exits on each side, six in total in addition to the main four.

“Great. Now where do we go?” Promontory muttered.
“I’m good with any which way, I just want to get out of this stinkhole,” Rose added.
“What say you, Twilight?” Crafty added.

Twilight grunted. Sure they could get out of here now. 10 exits waited them at the end. But which were guarded by angry Apples?

“We can’t use the major exits,” she warned.

“What? Why not?” Luftwing demanded.

“Think about it, we’re trying to escape, remember? No doubt they know we’re out of there and sent ponies to wait at the exits,” Pro explained. “Hell, I don’t even know which direction is which down here.”

“Hold on,” Twilight said, and she fired up a new spell. Her horn glowed a dim golden color. It was an easy spell and didn’t fry her mind like she feared it would. Her horn glowing (and in pain), Twilight said, “We go west. Follow that tunnel there, and we’ll look for one of the old exits. Hopefully they haven’t all collapsed and disappeared already.”

“How do you know, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“Compass spell,” Twilight answered with a grin. “I can use it to base directions on where we are in relation to Canterlot...or even the North Star. That way is west. If my memory still serves me well, that should lead to the farm fields outside of town.”

Along Ponyville’s western border, the land sloped steeply upwards about two trots, or over 10 feet. It was a sharp small ridge that marked the border between Ponyville, and the farm fields to the immediate west. Fields that had been taken over by the Apples throughout the spring, and planted with blood apple trees. Not all the fields were converted into orchards, some of the original crops were still growing; and were to be harvested during the fall. Near the western edge of town lay a sprawling pumpkin patch. A patch home to a species of monster-sized pumpkins, each about the size of a car or small truck. The soil in this part of the county was extremely nourishing for pumpkins, and farmers made it big growing pumpkins out here. Aside from apples, carrots, potatoes, and wheat, pumpkins were among the biggest sources of income for Ponyvillians. Every spring and fall season, farmers hired other local ponies or passing drifters to plant seed and harvest and process pumpkins into various products. The master minds of this branch of the ‘pumpkin empire’ were the Citrouille ponies. However, since they weren’t nearly as large a clan as the Apples, they leased their properties out to farmers who in turn sent them a cut of the profits. Like franchisers, the Citrouilles made it big.

Sad part was the Apples eventually drove out the Citrouillian farmers, and took over the fields themselves. Unplanted fields went to the blood apples, while planted fields remained ‘pumpkin turf.’

The landscape out here was also dotted with remains of old secret exits from the tunnels below. Many of them were rusted or rotted out cellar doors, some already buried in dirt, mud, and debris. Some even crumbled and collapsed. These old exits were still connected to the poop tunnel system in Ponyville.

Out here, not much was happening. Until the rusted old cellar door just outside an old shack in one of the pumpkin patches began to creak, and squeak as it was pushed open.

Quick Fix and Orion applied their magic and slowly lifted the door, letting the searing, blinding Sunrays seep in, forcing the others to look away. Promontory got impatient, and pushed past the two unicorns, firmly planted himself under the rusty cellar door, and violently pushed upward. The door flipped open, and hit the dirt with a loud thump.

Since they were closest to the exit, Orion and Quick Fix cautiously stepped out and looked around. It was dead quiet out here.
“Well?” Crafty Crate snarled from in the ‘cellar’
“It’s clear. No ponies around,” Quick Fix replied.

“Good!” Crafty Crate said as he pushed past the others and galloped out into the open. He spread his wings and took to the air.
“Come back down here!” Rarity called. “They’ll see you for sure.”

“Ah shaddup,” Crafty grunted as he hovered in the air.

“Land already, that’s an order!” Pro barked.

Crafty shot him a hostile look and snarled and swore under his breath as he came down and landed. Luft Wing and Deep Blue were quick to get out of the stinking shit hole and eagerly stretched their wings. They inhaled deeply the warm dry summer air. The others slowly came out, sure that there would be no violent ambush, followed by Twilight and Rarity. All of them had to wait for their eyes to adjust to the bright Sunlight.

Real bright sunlight. And it was almost stifling hot out here. And there was not a single breeze. Twilight and Rarity exchanged glances. Unicorns also had abilities to sense weather, and those skilled like Twilight easily detected unnatural changes in the weather. It was really hot out, unlike just a few hours ago. The weather forecast was clouds and cool winds, but there was not a single cloud in the sky. And then they saw it. The thick plume of smoke rising out from the woods to the southwest, just adjacent to Sweet Apple Acres. And they saw more columns of smoke rising from the Apple property itself.

“Oh my Light. Not good.” Twilight said as she scanned the energy coming from-
And she found it. Immense, no colossal amounts of magic radiation coming from these fires. And she picked up several frequencies similar to those she sensed when the culprit who stole that spellbook massacred Fluttershy’s birds yesterday. She watched in despair as the other ponies climbed out of the sewer exit. Rarity joined her at her side. For a few minutes, Twilight remained silent. Zecora was the last one out. She sat at a distance from the others. Pro kept his eye on her. She had been locked up for days if not longer. And nopony even knew until she banged her hooves on the door. Guess was as good as any that the Apples captured her during her routine trip to the alchemist (who was also bagged and 'sent' away), then hauled off to jail in the dead of night). She looked like she had hardly eaten or slept since.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Rarity asked, coaxing an answer from Twilight.

“...everything,” Twilight groaned sadly. “Everything is wrong…”

Promontory looked around, and made sure each one of his crew was accounted for. “Allright, looks like we’re safe for now.” Then he turned to Twilight. “And you, care to tell us just what the hell’s going on? You seem to know more than you let on. Just what is all this about?”

Everypony turned to the lavender unicorn, and she felt embarassed and afraid.

“Well? Don’t just stand there, have at it!” Crafty Crate barked impatiently.

“Yeah, come on,” Orion complained, “the suspense is killing me.”

Still Twilight hesitated. For all she knew, these ponies would lynch her.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Pro grunted impatiently, “All of us just risked our lives to scrape you, her, and her off the floor and get you out of the guard house. We still have our necks stuck out for you. Anyone of us might face the chopping block if the Apples get their hooves on us. So the least you could do is tell us what’s happening, say why all that smoke coming out of Sweet Apple?”

“Okay...I’ll talk…”
And so Twilight Sparkle explained all that took place during the last 360¬¬°(24 hours). She told them about the spellbook she lost, and who got it and what she had to go through to find that all out, then her attempted escape from Ponyville on the train and her strongly expressed intent on getting to Canterlot and getting Princess Celestia’s help, then she explained the fire that destroyed the library, and her arrest by the Apples. The town guard crew sat, stunned by the whole thing.

“So...so you’re the reason some freak unicorn is on the loose and could wipe us all out at any second?” Pigpen demanded.

“I’m sorry, I really am-”
“Great, now because of that, the Apples are on the warpath,” Shortstack added, “They’re going door to door, checking all the unicorns, and interrogating them all. They even began arresting them, putting horn caps on them and locking them up in the guardhouse!”

“Just what we need. Nice going, Twilight!” Orion fumed. “That bitch Anna Pomme had her goon stallions lock me in a room and they shouted at me for 60° straight about the spellbook! And they arrested my sister!”
“Me too,” Quick Fix, “But...not the sister part. They threatened to chop our horns off, even if we didn't do it.”
“Yeah, some crap about ‘solving our magic problems,” Orion added. He was pissed.

“Again,” Twilight Sparkle said in a low voice, “I am very sorry for all they’ve been doing...I really am…”

“I’m calling pone-shit on that, right now!” Shamrock barked angrily. “Those buck-faced seed-shitters are out for blood! All because you let some freak take your book and go on a rampage!”

“I didn’t let them-”

“Doesn’t matter. Like he said, Applejack’s mob is out for blood. They began rounding up unicorns this morning. They set up a garrison at the train station and blocked every road in and out of Ponyville. They’re tying them up and throwing them in the slammer,” Welly explained. “Hey Applestar, you got more eardirt than the rest of us combined. Just what the hell’s going on? We ain’t seein’ many unicorns being dragged into the guardhouse.”

Applestar coughed and cleared her throat. Now all eyes were on her. She was afraid these ponies would lynch her any second. “...right…”

Applestar quickly summarized (and had to be told to speak slower) her last full day:

Anna Pomme declared a pone-hunt the evening those two explosions were heard, and the magic radiation detector, the Meiger counter, went off. The entire town guard was put on alert and ordered to find the culprit and they began asking, then demanding answers from the local unicorns, all of whom said had no idea. Then Anna Pomme phoned Applejack via the new phoneline they set up between the guardhouse and Sweet Apple Acres. And as requested, Applejack ordered most of the stallions to mobilize and search Ponyville for the suspect unicorn. (somehow they all missed Snapper Loo carrying Twilight Sparkle back to his house).

Into the night they all patrolled Ponyville and the surrounding area, and by dawn, (they still missed Twilight Sparkle when she walked with the Loos to the station), they assumed the danger was gone or at least out of Ponyville. Then shortly after sunrise, around 70° in the morning, the Goldenoaks Library suddenly went up in flames, forcing the local pegasi to act. As the fire was being out out, Anna Pomme ordered all the local unicorns to be rounded up, interrogated, questioned, detained, arrested, whatever. And she didn’t order the townguard and the Apples to lock them all up in the guard house. Instead, she ordered them to be locked up somewhere else. Applestar could only guess at that. So then, after Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were brought in, Anna Pomme went down to oversee her arrival. Applestar made her move, snatched the keys to the Flare, then galloped downstairs as the guards were locking up that Apple Jager foal. She went and hid in a closet.

“Whoa, this shit got real serious,” Peachy Cream breathed.

“Yeah, all thanks to her.” Quick Fix fumed, staring daggers at Twilight. “Thanks alot. Just what we need. Apples are breathing down our necks, and you go and buck up and make it ten thousand times worse! You’re no better than they are!”

Twilight recoiled when she heard those harsh words, and she felt tears coming on. She felt so guilty as it was and the other unicorns words stabbed her in the heart.

“Now you see here, mister!” Rarity growled, “How dare you speak to her like that! She didn’t do all that on purpose, and you know it! Twilight’s been very helpful all these years, and she falls into a rut and you treat her this way! Shame on you! Shame on all of you!”
Rarity put a hoof around Twilight who was sobbing. “And she helped us get out of the guard house, and out through that stinking hole! Which must be crawling with Apples right now! Look at her, she is almost out of commission, she’s injured, she is sick, and she still wants to go out and find the pony who used her spellbook and stop their murderous rampage, even to save those blasted Apples, mind you. If Snapper Loo had his way and I hadn’t showed up, Twilight would be long gone from here, and there’d be nopony to track down this dangerous fiend!”

Zecora spoke for the first time. “Listen to your friends, dear ponies, Twilight is holding off her ends, but she is no phony. She wants to help you, dear friends.”

“Aw shit…” Shortstack grumbled. He felt bad.
“You mean she wants to go out and take down this...whatever it is?” Rose asked.
Twilight nodded.
“Just who the hell is it?” Orion demanded.

“Probably one of them damn cutie mark crusaders, you know, them three crazed brats,” Crafty spat.

“You take that back this instant, you!” Rarity snapped, “How dare you speak of my Sweetie Belle that way!”

“What?” Crafty retorted, “Who’s to say she ain’t swiped that spellbook?”

“Yeah,” Clover Grassblade asked, “Twilight, you know who took it, don’t you?”

“Yes…” Twilight breathed, trying not to sob. “....Rarity...I am so sorry...it’s...it’s…”
“Come on dear, just breathe and let it out,” Rarity coaxed her. Twilight looked at her with tears in her eyes and started sobbing again, and Rarity wrapped her forehooves around her.

“Well?” Pro prompted her.

“It...it...it was Sweetie Belle!" Twilight cried. "She used the spellbook! Scootaloo found her, and I know this from her memories…”

Rarity gasped and pulled back. “By the light, Twilight, are you sure? My little Sweetie Belle? That’s simply can’t be true! Please tell me it’s not true!” Now Rarity began tearing up.

Twilight sobbed…”Yes...I’m so sorry...can you ever forgive me?” And she collapsed to the dirt.

“Hah! I knew it! I knew it was them damn crusaders! We oughtta string that little bitch up!”
“Shut the hell up!” Rarity screamed, and she charged at Crafty, who sprang into the air and dodged her attempted headbutt. “Bitch you ain’t got nuttin’ on me!”

“ENOUGH!” Pro roared, shocking them all into silence. “Enough of this yellin’ and hoof pointin’! I’m still in command here, so all of you shut the buck up! Crafty get your ass down here!”

Crafty landed and grumbled. Over half the crew looked at Twilight and Rarity with hostile looks in their eyes. But they said nothing.

“Alright. Rarity, sorry for your loss, but we got no time to gripe and cry about it. Your filly is on the rampage with killer powers, and so are the Apples. We need a game plan. We gotta figure out what to do and where to go. None of us are in any position to take on the Apples, rescue the unicorns or find Flamin’ Belle. Twilight, you want my opinion, you’ll die before you get anywhere near her. I suggest we all get the buck outta here, while we can. Who’s with me?”

Nearly all the ponies except for Zecora, Twilight, and Rarity put up their hooves. Pro looked at them. He still asserted his townguard command over them, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to let them go. Reasons were for their safety, and so the Apples couldn’t torture the information out of them on his and his crew’s whereabouts.

“Well then, it’s settled-”

“No,” Twilight stated. “I’m not leaving. I need to find Sweetie Belle.”

“Buck that shit, she’ll deep fry your ass!” Peachy Cream barked. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Yes,” Twilight said seriously. “I am out of my mind, and I’m going to find her. I can track her and get her location. And according to Scootaloo...and all that smoke over there, she is at the farm, wreaking havoc. I need to get in there and stop her madness.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up there, Twilight,” Clover Grassblade interrupted, “Even if you get close to her, and even if you manage to shut her down, the Apples will kill you both! You ain’t getting out of there alive! And...and what if you have to kill what’s-her-face to stop the magic shitstorm? It ain’t worth it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Twilight said softly. “I have to go and fix this.”

“Wait, Applestar,” Clover barked, “Any idea where they put that Flare machine?”

Applestar shook her head. “I have no idea. Nopony knows...except for Chief Anna Pomme.”

“Aw shit…” Deep Blue muttered. “I was really hoping we could light that thing off.”

“As if the Apples would let that happen,” Pro said. “But you, Twilight… it’s dangerous. That noob Clover-”
“Hey!”
“...isn’t talking out his ass this time. If Sweetie Belle doesn’t kill you before you take her out, Applejack sure as hell will. No question about it. I ain’t lookin to leave you to die out there.”

“Well,” Crafty muttered, “Seems we’re at a fork in the road here. Now what?”

Pro sighed. He didn’t want Twilight Sparkle going in, and he wasn’t about to send his crew to their deaths. The Apples or Sweetie Belle would slaughter them all. Problem was, Twilight was strongly against leaving Ponyville either. He didn’t like this. The odds stacked up against such a mission were colossal. Then there were the Apple Jagers…

“Alright, listen up everypony,” Pro ordered. “Looks like we’re doing this the hard way,” He glared at Twilight and Rarity. “Here’s what. Them two are short on magic. Quick Fix, Orion, Applestar, you’ll have to back them up-”

“No way!” Applestar gasped.
“Buck that shit!” Quick Fix retorted. “You gotta be kidding!”
“Hey, we’re not even in the guardhouse no more. What gives you the right to order us around?” Orion demanded.

“Well then,” Pro replied, “Go on, get out of here, you cowards. You forgot you all have teleport spells?”
The three unicorns looked at each other then at the ground.
“I...I still can’t cast magic…” Applestar said.
Pro jumped out at her about to tackle her, and she shrieked-
-Spoof!-
and teleported out of the way and instantly re-appeared behind the tree.

“Looks like them blood apples you had for breakfast wore off,” Crafty grunted.

“Aww poop…” Applestar said. She was terrified of Applejack.

“It’s okay, I wouldn't ask them to go in with us if I couldn’t get them out,” Twilight said. “All I need is their power. They give me magic, and I can use it to teleport us all out if need be-”

“Damn right, you will. Don’t you dare get yourself and them killed up there,” Pro threatened. “Y’all come back alive or I swear I’ll come looking for you in the next life and pound you good, you hear? And then I’ll pound you three if you let yourselves and her get killed.”

“But Twilight, how can you tele us all out?” Rarity asked.
“Celestia taught me a spell that could let me access the magic plane for a short period of time. I tap into that, get enough power, and beam us out of there if things get too bad. I just need enough power from them to use that spell.”

“You hear that,” Pro barked, “Y’all back her up and give her everything.”

“Hold up,” Quick Fix argued, “What gives you earth ponies and pegasi a free pass on this? If we’re gonna go and die up there, you can at least have the decency to join us!”

Pro looked at the three pegasi. Deep Blue, Luftwing, and Crafty. Deep and Lufty shook their heads. They weren’t going for it. Neither were Peachy and Rose. Typical ponies, always selfish and looking out only for themselves. Crafty, on the other hoof…

“Fine, I’ll join them. But only to kick those Apples’ asses. Wait till I get my hooves on Applejack, I’ll rip her friggin’ head off!”

“Damn, and I thought you hated her more than she,” Shamrock challenged him.

“Believe me, I do,” Crafty grunted, “But if it weren’t for all these Apple freaks, she would'a found that brat and pounded the magic right outta her already. So count me in. You, Captain Promontory, how about you show us some of them brass balls you got and lead us into battle, eh?”

“Is that a challenge?” Pro roared as he butted heads with Crafty.
“You’re damn right it is!” Crafty snarled, pushing back.
“Save your rage for them Apples. ‘cause I’ll pound your flank into the ground!”
“Boys! Easy on the barbarity!” Rarity called.

"Please, friends, put yourselves at ease!" Zecora pleaded, "So much anger here, I wonder if the Apples would even draw near."

"Shut up, zegro-"
"Crafty! What the buck? Now you're getting all racist on her?" Rose barked. "Mind your tongue, you."
"Says the earth pony," Crafty spat, "You got a lot of guts tellin' a pegasus what to do. What's she done for you anyway besides hex your-"
"She saved my sister's baby from a miscarriage, that's what! Gave her some strange herb and it worked!" Rose jumped to Zecora's side. "Buck, you're so dense, Crafty. And need I remind you of that special powder she gives you so you can even get it up when going after earth pony mares?"

Okay, a bunch of ponies chuckled and laughed at this.
"Aw mare, that's freaking gold," Clover laughed.
"Hehehe, Crafty...she schooled your ass, eh hehe" Pig Pen chuckled.
"Looks like your little secret's out, Crafty. Mind if you shut your trap now?" Pro demanded. He wasn't that amused.

"I bucking hate all of you..." Crafty seethed.

"The zebra is our ally," Pro grunted, "She's been more of an asset to this town guard and the entire town! Everypony has something to thank her for!"
"Tell them, Twilight," Rarity pleaded.
"It's true, Zecora's done alot for us all, so please Mr. Crate, don't be mean to her. She's been through a lot already," Twilight said.

"I thank you for your kind words, Twilight. I pray through these dark times, we'll seek the light," Zecora said. "If only I had my herbs, I'd make a potion for your illness to cure."

“Thank you for helping me, you have no idea how much I need it…” Twilight Sparkle was touched, but she felt incredibly guilty. She had no idea how she’d fare against Sweetie Belle or Applejack. It made her sad to know these ponies’ deaths would all be on her conscience.

“And we need you brutes to keep Twilight safe.” Pro said, looking at the earth ponies, Peachy, Rose, Pigpen, Shortstack, Clover...and Zecora.

“You know,” Peachy said, “I was all up for being in the town guard and all, but this shit is not town guard work. It’ll take the royal army to solve this problem. All of you can go on, play the heroes and get yourselves killed, but count me out. I’m not wasting my life on those Apples, and not even for her. As far as I’m concerned, you caused just as much trouble as the they did, Twilight. I never even trusted you to begin with. Bye.” And she turned to walk away.

“Hey, wait a minute, you!” Pro called. He ran up to her.
“What?” Peachy shouted back,” I’m not going to Sweet Apple Acres! Unlike you, I’m not feeling suicidal today!”

“Get the hell out of here if you must. We don’t want you here anyway if that’s how you feel,” Pro said, “All of you not coming with us, get out of here safely and discreetly. You pegasi, don’t you dare fly until you’ve reached the county line. Don’t forget, we’re all still in Apple territory. You earth ponies, hop the train and get as far away from here as possible. That’s an order...the last one I’ll expect you to follow. Get out alive, and find a new town guard you’ll hopefully serve better. Got it?”

Peachy nodded. There was an uncomfortable silence. Shamrock walked across to join Peachy. So did Rose.
“Really Shamrock?” Pro was disappointed.

“You remember Beef Oates?” Shamrock asked. “That old stallion always said to pick your battles wisely, and not just blindly charge into something you know you can’t win. That was before Big Brick Apple Stone smashed his head in. Look at her, she can hardly do jack, and what can those four do to beat all them Apples and that magic freak?
“Sorry Pro, I’m with her on this. You know what, why bother? Seriously, we are way in too deep over our heads here. This is the kind of shit only Princess Celestia and her armies can fix, okay. Not even the town guard can do anything about the magic or the Apples, or whatever. Hell, there isn’t even a town guard no more. It’s just us now. The rest are all now the Apple guard. Face it, we lost this round. To go any further, we’ll just get killed! We got a chance to escape. And you, Twilight, don’t go that way, how about get your sexy ass to Canterlot, send a letter to Celestia and tell her to get her big shining sunbutt back to work and blow these Apples back to where they all came from! And don’t waste your life, or theirs trying to do it alone! To me, that is not heroic or brave, it’s just plain stupid.”

Ponies gasped at his blasphemy.

“What about you?” Pro addressed Welly, Pigpin, Shortstack, and Clover.
“You coming or not? If you’re not, spare us your theatrical speech.”

“I’ll fight,” Shortstack said, “And him,” he pointed a hoof at Pigpen, “This guy’s a walking killer-stink factory, he’ll down anypony who gets too close to us.”

Pigpen looked at Rarity with a hostile glance, then he looked at Twilight. Twilight. The one pony who looked at him in this entire town and offered to help him out. He felt like he owed her his life.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Shortstack said, as he walked alongside Pigpen.

“Shortstack, you’re an idiot! You ain’t got shit on the Apples!” Crafty grunted, “Get outta here, go back to your midget pony town or wherever it is you came from!”

“Eat me, Crafty. For a pegasus who can’teven get it up, you sure talk a lot. The mares in town don’t wink and smile at me for nothing!”

“What’d you say to me you little bastard?”

Shortstack stared back and smirked. “Exactly! Hell, I’ll bet you 50 bits that Stinkass over here gets more flank than you!”
Pigpen chuckled. Crafty Crate grumbled. Shortstack was right. “What, Shorty, you gonna poon them Apple mares to death? Good luck tryin’ ta get close to them! Let’s see you get in on Applejack’s flank! Heh, let’s see you put that hick in her place!”

“Juuust watch me!” Shortstack said in his cocky voice. Some of the other ponies did a facehoof. Clover Grassblade laughed. He needed a good laugh.

“Bloody hell, you’re more disgusting than he is,” Rarity chided him.
“You know it, ma’am!”
“Eugh, keep away from me!”
“Heaven forbid one of those Jagers don’t gobble your ass in one bite,” Peachy called to him.

"Zecora, you sure about coming? You good at hoof to hoof combat?" Pro asked.
Zecora sighed, "Without my potions, I cannot fight, I'd be a sad sight, therefore I must yield. I'd be none more than as you'd say a useless meat shield."

"Fine then get. Go follow Rose. She and the others'll keep you safe," Pro said, not sure of his own words.

"I'm sorry," Zecora said, and she looked at Twilight and the others, "I do thank you for freeing me, and for you...I don't think I need to worry," she said with a smile before galloping off after Rose and the others.

“Well?” Pro asked Clover.
“Fine, I’ll go…” He walked slowly over to the Twilight’s side. The two groups of ponies looked at each other. Luftwing, Deep Blue, Shamrock, and Peachy Cream looked at all the others, shook their heads and walked off, and disappeared behind the giant pumpkins surrounding them all.

“Very well, Twilight, so how do we do this?” Pro asked.

Twilight, having constantly reviewed the maps of the farmland surrounding Sweet Apple Acres racked her brain. She had photo memories and was able to locate their exact spot. They were in the middle of the pumpkin patch, a good 3000 trots west of Ponyville’s western border. Sweet Apple Acres was a good 1600 trots to the south south east. However, the direct route was not safe. She knew (from Cheerilee) that Apples patrolled the roads around here, and the fields too. Fortunately, this pumpkin patch was not taken over by the Apples...yet. She had been checking the records, and it turned out the ponies who owned this field quickly sold it back to the Citrouelle clan before they fled. That kept it safe.
Twilight ran through her memories, then explained it to the crew:

“Allright, the direct route south is a bad idea. Goes right through Apple territory. Last time I checked, they’re building a base of some kind two fields south of here. Most of these fields have been converted to blood apple orchards. I think you all know that. Apples are jealously guarding the fields.”

“I know,” Applestar replied, “Me and Sundowner were on a few patrols out here when they were putting the trees in.”

“Right,” Twilight continued, “And it turns out the Apples have taken over all the fields between the tracks and the Everfree Forest, and some fields on the other side of the tracks as well. Over to the west, the Jager steads are enclosed by Sunset Ridge, that hilly row that seems to circle around them before it crosses into Everfree. It’s got trees, and the Jagers don’t have much use for the land on it. I propose this: We go westward, cutting through the pumpkin and cornfields, and the blood apple orchards, all the way to Sunset Ridge. We go south along the ridge to the Everfree border, then proceed east-

“Right through Jager territory? Forget it,” Orion barked. “Those ponies will come in hordes and butcher us! They’ll eat us alive!”
“Wait,” Pigpen interrupted, “If that magic killer’s already there, then you’d think the Apples out here must’ve all gone back to fight it…”
“Um, Twilight, alot of the smoke is coming from the Jagers’ farms over there. I don’t think-”

Twilight grunted. “Fine! We’ll go south. I only mentioned that detour to avoid most of them!”
“How about this,” Pro suggested. “See how many patrols we come accross, and if there’s too many, we’ll go the long way. But how do you know going along the border of the Jager land is safe?”

“I got Sundowner’s memories,” Twilight answered, “She’s been to the Jager farms, to help Applejack welcome those freaks and get them settled. There is a 50-trot wide patch of forest that hugs the Everfree border. We go along that route ‘till we get to the woods that separates those lowlands and the plateau that Sweet Apple Acres sits on. The western part of the Acres is sparsely occupied. I know from seeing aerial pictures taken by Derpy-”

“Derpy can use a camera?” Crafty chuckled. “That looney can actually do something!”

“Who do you think delivers all our mail?” Twilight challenged. She had a liking for Derpy as she had worked as a counselor for that pegasus for years. And last time she checked Derpy Hooves acquired a camera and made money on the side taking pictures of the land and selling them to the local map company, and eventually to the town guard when they hired her under the table for recon pictures of Sweet Apple Acres. Derpy was such a looney when the Apples saw her flying overhead, Applejack put it off and assured them she was no threat. And the cleverly disguised magic camera Twilight made for her failed to catch Applejack’s keen eyesight. Through Derpy, Twilight Sparkle secretly watched Sweet Apple grow, and mapped out Applejack’s expansion over the Spring. She found what Sundowner’s memories told her was Sangshine Blood Apple’s experimental farm, the massive importation and installation of blood apple trees, and the Jager steads.

“Allright, then!” Pro barked, “Let’s get on it! We haven’t got all day!”

“Holy shit! Somepony’s coming!” Applestar shrieked. They all looked and quickly ducked as the pegasus swooped in over them, narrowly missing Clover and Pigpen.

“Whoooaaa!” the pegasus hollered as she lost control and slammed right into one of the giant pumpkins. She slid down and hit the ground.

The group was briefly freaked out, then they all saw her cutie mark, the seven bubbles.

“Derpy?” Twilight said. This could get bad real fast. Derpy wasn’t known to be discreet.

Derpy shook her head as she came to her senses, then sprang to her hooves, and gathered her mailbag, which spilled her paperbag of muffins onto the ground. Typical Derpy.

“Ohai Twily!” Derpy said in her airy voice. Ponies swore she huffed helium down at the joke shop. But she looked frantic and worried.
“What are you doing here?” Twilight hissed.

“I can’t find Dinky Doo! I don’t know where she is! Can you help me find her? I’m scared! I’m scared...I’m scared those Apple ponies are gonna-”

“Calm down,” Twilight instructed her, “Listen to me: Dinky Doo is safe. Snapper and Lassy Loo took her on the train to their relatives out of town this morning. She is perfectly safe, I can assure you,”

Derpy paused, then looked at Twilight, then leaned in close and stared her down with her wide crooked eyed look. Then she circled Twilight and sniffed her, as if she was trying to sniff a lie...or sweat. “Are you sure?” Derpy demanded.

“Yes, Derpy, I would never-”

“Uncle Snapper got arrested and they put him up outside the guardhouse!” Derpy shrieked.
“Shhh! Keep it down! Apple ponies will hear us!” Twilight hissed.

“Where...where is she…” Derpy cried.

“Hey Derpy, you still got that camera of yours?” Pro asked.

“Oh yeah, right here!” Derpy pointed at her neck, and there it was, on a collar the perfeclty matched her silvery-gray fur. And the camera, a small pin-holed gem, also covered in grey fluff that matched Derpy’s coat. Derpy was able to activate it with her thoughts, and the gem could hold several thousand pictures.

“I...I saw the train..and she wasn't there!”

Twilight grunted and beamed her magic at the camera, instantly extracting the data. She ran the pictures through her mind, pulled up the ones Derpy took when she flew over the station.
“There,” Twilight said, beaming it onto Derpy’s eyes.

“Dinky Doo was covered up, that’s why you didn’t see her. She’s a unicorn, and Apple ponies don’t like unicorns. See, now she’s in the train you can see her through the window, okay. She left, she is safe and sound with Lassy Loo.”

“Oh...okay…” Derpy said, then she opened her wings-

“Wait!” Twilight hissed, “I need your help.”

“Help? What help?”

“I need you to fly around ahead of us, and take pictures. We need to sneak onto Sweet Apple and not be caught. Take pictures of anypony you see? We need to know where they are so we can avoid them. Can you do that for us?”

Derpy hesitated. “I wanna go see Dinky.”

“I’ll give you a special batch of rainbow muffins.”

“Oooooh okay then!” And Derpy launched herself into the sky and took off.

Twilight had the camera emitting a frequency she could detect, and she held her breath, waiting for it to disappear, meaning Derpy flying away, having forgotten all about helping them. But the signal remained strong, and Derpy flew over them, waving.

“Derpy, can you hear me?” Twilight said, waiting for a telepathic response from the looney pegasus. She heard Derpy’s voice in her brain. This required more magic, and it caused her brain to ache. She was burning up precious magic resources communicating with Derpy. Rarity came up to her and touched horns, applying some of her own magic, easing the strain on her.

“Alright, good. Listen, I want you to pretend you don’t know we are here, got it. Just fly around, do what you do and keep taking pictures. I will beam them from the camera every time you fly over us, got it?....good. And remember, don’t talk to anypony else. Fly high and avoid them. Thank you.”

“Well, looks like we got a brave one with us,” Pigpen commented.
“You idiot,” Crafty snarled, “That moron’s too dumb to be brave,”
“Or be scared,” Shortstack replied.

“At least she can fly over the Apples without rousing suspicion. I hate to insult her, but she certainly passes for a brainless ditz,” Rarity added.

“Let’s just hope she keeps it up long enough. Apples will leave her alone since most of them fear pegasi to begin with, and nopony can see her camera. And- oh shit! Derpy! Come in! Derpy! Can you hear me?....Okay listen carefully, if you see a white filly with a pink and purple- yes, that is Sweetie Belle- no! You must avoid her. I repeat, stay away from Sweetie Belle. She has dangerous magic and she is not in control of herself. She will shoot you out of the sky if you get to close. Stay away! ...No, she will not be nice for muffins! Do as I say!...Alright, thank you.”
"So Twilight, what do we do when we get there?" Rarity asked.

Twilight looked at her new team. Pro was the captain but it looked like she had to be the leader here. Dangerous territory she was to lead them into...all for the sake of getting her close to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle the Destroyer.

"Allright, listen up. I should explain this better. As Captain Pro said, Crafty, Clover, Shortstack, Pigpen, you're basically in charge of fighting off any Apple or hostile ponies or animals that we run into."

"And go full out. Just let them have it," Pro ordered, "Kill them if you have to. The unicorns' safety us our top objective. And you unicorns, help them out if you can. Zap or fry all enemies. And us earth ponies...we're pretty much here as a meat shield, so deal with it."

"And," Twilight continued, "Derpy's covering for us. She'll find any Apples close by and I'll point out their direction so you can go on and beat them up."

Crafty cracked his pasterns and wings. "With pleasure. I'll teach these earth ponies they ain't shit, not even here on the ground."

"Second," Twilight continued, "There's going to be a lot of fighting when we reach Sweet Apple Acres, so be ready. We might even have to occupy a spot and defend ourselves if need be. We'll keep away from the farmhouse and the new town that's sprouted up around it.

"Third, as Captain Pro said, we need to get to Sweetie Belle. You hold off the Apples as much as you can, unicorns, I'll need as much help as I can to subdue her. I want to take her down and cut off her magic power without killing her."

"Heh, good luck." Orion grunted, catching a death glare from Rarity. Still, he said, "I say just kill the freak and be done with it."

"Oh no," Twilight warned, "That is a very bad idea. Sweetie Belle has a colossal amount of magic within her, I can feel it. She is connected to the magic plane. She is literally a walking bomb. She dies, all that magic will be released, the explosion will incinerate the farm, most likely destroy Ponyville, and we will all die. Not to mention it will all be raw magic, which is extremely radioactive, and will render this whole area within half a day uninhabitable especially for anypony. So killing her is not an option. I couldn't care much about my own life, but I am not going to kill thousands of innocent ponies.

"And to make matters worse, she is connected to the magic plane. Think of it as a high pressure hose of magic linked to her and the magic plane. Additional powers and whatever are keeping all her magic from blowing her to smithereens. If she dies, there's the initial burst of raw magic, then there'll be a massive magic eruption, like that of a volcano. It will destroy everything in its path, and the gas plume will affect everything downwind. We're talking catastrophic magic pollution that will render this entire county dead and uninhabitable. And when the winds pick up, it will all be carried likely eastward over into Wooton County. And a magic eruption will not stop on its own. It will have to be stopped by powerful unicorns like those in Canterlot who are magical experts on the magical plane. So, bottom line, Sweetie Belle lives.

"Thirdly, and I know you're all concerned about this: this is not a suicide mission. I have enough dead ponies on my conscience, I'm not taking anymore. Apples get too dangerous, or we can't shut down Sweetie Belle, I'll teleport us all out of there. Teleport destination: Risette."

"Why Risette?" Rarity asked.

"It's as far as I can take us given the magic I can get from all of us. One of my emergency escape routes. I think it's a field just outside of town. I set the coordinates so its a trot up, above whatever crops that are growing. Not exactly a smooth landing. And look on the bright side, I panic, we all get an impromptu teleport anyway."
Twilight thought this all out under Pro's stern glare from earlier. She was not about to expend this team.

Twilight panted. “Alright, everypony, I think we're good to go...as per your orders...Pro.”

“You heard the unicorn, move out!” Pro commanded, and the group began to move.

After Applejack left the town guardhouse, things were uneventful for a while. Anna Apple Pomme continued on her paperwork in her office. Out in the back, Apple Turner was training a new contingent of Apple ponies who just joined the town guard. The clock rang. Lunch time.

Anna Pomme went to join Turner in the board room. She and Turner ran the town guard, and they both shared the position of chief. Both ponies got along quite well.
For lunch, Anna kept it simple: a salad and a bag of nuts.

“So, we got another problem with Applejack’s friends,” Apple Turner said as he sat down across the table from her.

“Oh? Which pony?” Anna asked. She remembered ordering the guard to take Pinkie Pie out of her cell and take her to Sweet Apple Acres. The pink moron was taken out, her cutie marks skinned off, then escorted (more like dragged) to Sweet Apple Acres. She was removed during the morning meetings. Almost nopony, other than the townguards who dragged her out of the cell and took her away, noticed. She had been canned here since Anna and Turner took over.

“That pegasus, Fluttershy.”

“Really?” Anna stopped chewing and looked at him. She didn’t really expect there to be problems with that yellow pegasus. “What could be so wrong about her?”

“She was caught beating a foal on the edge of town.”

Anna’s eyes widened. This was news to her. “Beating a foal? What for-how the hay did that come about?”

“Apparently she saw this colt and some friends tormenting some animal, like a cat or something, and from what witnesses said, she simply snapped and went after them. Town guards tried to arrest her but she took to the air and flew off.”

“Heh,” Anna Pomme mused. “That pegasus is best known for being skittish and timid. And then this. Seems everypony in this town has something to hide. Who were these foals that incurred her fury?”

“Noone important, just some unicorns.”

Anna scoffed. “Well then, they deserved it. I don’t see the need to have Fluttershy arrested, but she could use some anger management lessons. As for the unicorns, I’m sure they learned their lesson.”

“Heh,” Turner looked uneasy.

“What is it?” Anna inquired.
“Well,” Turner said, looking down and scratching his ear with a hoof, “Some ponies voiced concern over Fluttershy’s departure...I’ve heard an angered pegasus is never a good thing…”

Anna laughed. “Are you serious, Apple Turner? Angered pegasus is never a good thing? Who are these ponies who told you this?”

“Some unicorns, some earth ponies, and some Apples who witnessed the incident…”

Anna chuckled, amused by Turner’s fear, a typical pathological Apple fear. “My dear Turner, you can’t seriously think there’s going to be some big colossal apocalyptic reprisal from the Pegasi up above, all over some unicorn brats, and a cat or rabbit or whatever they were tormenting.”

“True...but...the attempt to arrest her, well…” Turner’s ears sank.

Anna continued to chuckle softly. “Believe me, it takes a lot more than that to really piss off the Pegasi. I have collected a file on Fluttershy. She is a ground resident, and has been for years. She immigrated to Ponyville from the Cloudlands before she was an adult. I’ve had our fellow Apples in the town guard monitor her, and as it turns up, she has no real connections to her homeland. Closest thing to that is the other pegasus, Rainbow Dash, and even Miss Dash is hardly involved up there anymore, give or take periodic trips. Fluttershy herself never goes to Cloudsdale. Hell, she flies no higher than the tree tops when she flies at all.

“Rainbow Dash was not even here when it happened, she and the air brigade, mind you they are all earth-born pegasi, have no affiliation with the Cloudland Pegasi whatsoever, so there goes any real risk of problems from her.

“Fluttershy is so skittish, anxious, depressed, passive, and guilt ridden, whenever she does throw a fit, or even assert herself, she routinely disappears. She’s one scared wimp of a pegasus, and avoids her race altogether. So please, dispense with your fears over such minor details.”

Turner grunted nervously. “What about Rainbow Dash? She didn’t look pleased about the arrest of Twilight Sparkle this morning.”

Anna was prepared. “Applejack’s got her in check. Turns out Rainbow Dash is in some trouble and owes some debts up above. A report from a peeping pony stated she told Applejack that at this time Cloudsdale is not exactly a safe place for her to be, unless she shows up with the money to pay her debts. Hell, Rainbow Dash isn’t even being paid for her job of keeping the weather down here, that’s how much trouble she seems to be in.

“She brags about being loyal, but apparently her fellow Pegasi don’t share the same love. Rainbow Dash’s income has been mainly coming from the Apples, give or take the odd bits from the town itself. She’s even been using her Mane Six stipends to pay off her debts or whatever problem she’s got up there. Apple money is going to her under the table, Seems the only way she’s getting by. So, in that regard, Rainbow Dash is being very loyal to the Apple family. In a sense, we’re protecting her. There’s even talk about housing her at Sweet Apple Acres, but that’s off the record.”

“Damn…” Apple Turner said. He was speechless. Applejack had Rainbow Dash in her hoofbasket. “Wait, Anna, wouldn’t that mean the Pegasi would send someone after her, and wreak havoc on anypony trying to hide her?”

“Yes, and no. Sure the Pegasi could send down their entire air guard, and tear this town apart, but as of yet, Rainbow Dash has no such warrant on her flank. She’s sending them money, so that’s keeping them happy. And she is in charge of an Element, therefore a subordinate to Princess Celestia, and given the long grim history of the Pegasi, they won’t dare incur Celestia’s wrath. Not that that fully guarantees Rainbow Dash’s safety. Wise ponies know accidents can always happen, and the Pegasi are skilled at making accidents happen, so Dashie’s good fortune is resting solely on Applejack. And to prove this, she even sold her a filly.”

“Wait, sold her a filly? Who?”

“That brat, Scootaloo, the one who can’t fly and tears through town on her wheel board or whatever that thing she built is. Applejack’s got her and is raising her right. Get this: she even told me she wanted to cut off the filly’s wings. Then she rambled on some crap about how doing so would protect her from the Pegasi and ‘purify’ her, and set her up for life as an earth pony farmer.”

Turner was wide-eyed. “Yeah...no. Doing that to any pegasus will bring down their-”

Anna Pomme silenced him with a look. “No they won’t. They don’t care about earthborn pegasi. Little Scootaloo’s origins are a mystery, even that asshole, Snapper, who found her and named her, has no idea where she is really from. I reckon she’s from the Cloudlands, and if she ended up down here, I’m sure the Pegasi up above couldn’t care less about her. Still, I told Applejack it was cruel thing to do, and it would be counter productive in the long run. If the brat can actually fly, she would be a great help for future apple harvests. I got Applejack to agree not to cut off her wings. Hell, Applejack’s got to keep Rainbow Dash from doing that, but given her mentality, she just might let Rainbow do the deed.”

Turner grunted. He was all for dehorning unicorns, but de-winging pegasi was a completely different story. He was heavily influenced by his beliefs in loyalty and worship of pegasi. But he didn’t want to add more. He already didn’t like how Applejack would do such a cruel thing to a pegasus filly. He was afraid it would bring about a curse on them all.

“Ah, seems the problems are already fixed,” Turner said. But Anna wasn’t finished yet.

“Tell me, Turner, why is there all this fear about the Pegasi? Applejack and the others, minus the Jagers, are always talking fearfully about them, or praising them, or worshipping them or whatever in their religious doctrines. They go on all they want about how much they hate unicorns, but when it comes to the Pegasi, everypony in our family is on the other end of the stick. They’re essentially terrified of them. Explain this to me.”

“Well, you see, the Pegasi are in charge of the weather,” Turner said uneasily, “They keep the weather stable so we get enough rain to grow all our food. If there are any problems, they will stop the rain, dry up the land, and either tear it apart with storms or freeze it over, pending seasons of course.”

“Typical,” Anna Pomme scoffed. “Fear, worship and feed the Pegasi so that we too might live. Even Applejack said that to me. As of the first apple harvest, Applejack’s began sending shipments to Cloudsdale, free of charge, but a huge loss in bits for her. She said she’d sell products to them as well, but wants to keep a free supply in exchange for good climatic fortune.”

“Ehrm, Anna, what does ‘climatic’ mean?”

Anna scoffed again. She found it hard not to be amused at the density of these rural relatives of hers. “Good weather, my fellow Apple. Even though Applejack provides plenty for the local pegasi here in town, it’s not enough to her. Dangerous game if you ask me. I do find your fears of the Pegasi amusing, but they are not to be trifled with. You offer free food to them, you better be prepared to keep up the supply. Most earth ponies not involved with the Pegasi do better to keep under the radar and mind their own business.

“I strongly advised Applejack against opening ventures with the Cloudland Pegasi, but she was so fear-driven she went and did it anyway. As far as Applejack and the others are concerned, the Pegasi are Celestia’s hench ponies, who will smite the hell out of anypony who pisses Her or even them off. Which is hilarious, because as history dictates, I doubt any local school books mention it, the Pegasi are at odds with Celestia and have been for thousands of years. She merely lets them live so they may fear her….and keep the weather I suppose.”

“Heh,” Turner muttered. He felt like an ignorant buffoon at this point.

“So there you have it, Fluttershy is a lonesome pansy, with no connections with home, Rainbow Dash is up to her neck in debt and relies on Applejack to even get by, and is thus extremely loyal to her, both have no authority to call down the wrath of the Pegasi, and in all, you have no need to fear what any local pegasus has to say. Almost forgot to tell you: local pegasi were either born down here or tossed out of the Cloudlands and are viewed as abominations and traitors. They go anywhere near a cloud city, they die. So please, put yourself at ease.”

“Heh, will do, Anna.” Turner said. He did feel relieved.

“By the way,” Anna continued between bites, “I have another fun fact for you. It’s about that pink moron.”

“...you mean Pinkie Pie, right?”

“Obviously,” Anna Pomme said, “You won’t believe what I found when I sifted through the old Apple family records spanning the last 100 years. We had the papers removed from the Ponyville archives and relocated to a new office on the farm. Being one of the ponies who helped move all those papers, I snooped around during some off time, and you won’t believe what I found.”

“What did you find?” Turner asked.

“Get this,” Anna Pomme said with a chuckle. “That idiot Pinkie is actually an Apple pony. The print was smudged, but from what I could read, she is a fourth cousin twice removed. I don’t know if Applejack even knows about it or if she simply just denies it. Either way, Pinkie will become an Apple pony, now that she’s at the farm. Applejack will straighten her out.”

Turner didn’t comment. In the months he had been in town, he despised Pinkie, and felt she should have been put down. “I rather Applejack not waste her time on that thing. Maybe let the Appleyards put it up for a sacrifice to the Pegasi.”

Anna scoffed. Appleyards. They were a massive clan, and known to sacrifice their own foals, or captured outsider ponies. She knew they had Pegasi visit them and the towns full of freaks which they partially occupied. These Pegasi came down and slaughtered or ate the sacrificial ponies right there on stage in the town square, or just carry them off. It was part of the highly toxic relationship between the fearful earth ponies and those Pegasi who abused and exploited them.

The phone rang, and Anna hit the button. “Anna Pomme here. What is it?”

\“We just arrested Snapper Loo. He’s the one who tried to smuggle Twilight Sparkle on the train this morning. We’re bringing him in now.”

“Hold that,” Anna said. “Put him in the pillory out front, and gag him. We need to set an example of what happens to earth ponies who aid dangerous unicorns.”

”Sure thing, Chief Pomme. Uhh there’s something else…”

“What is it?” Anna demanded.

”We found that fluffy pony. What should we do with it?”

“Bring her in and lock her up. We’ll put her on the next train. Send her back to where she came from or at least away from here.”

”Roger that.” And the line cut out.

“I always wondered, what is it with that one?” Turner asked.

Anna sighed. “Fluffle Puff is a strange pony, and not native to this part of Equestria. Ponies can’t communicate with her, she hardly speaks, she runs around and behaves like a filly, and has been the cause for complaints. However, she is no real criminal, but she just isn’t normal. So for the good of us all, I’m sending her away. Before Applejack puts her in the fire.”

Turner nodded. The phone rang again. Anna Pomme hit the button again. “Anna Pomme here.”

”Chief Pomme! We got situation down here...they’re all gone!”

“What? Who’s all gone?” Anna Pomme demanded.

”It’s Twilight Sparkle. She’s escaped! And she’s taken everypony with her!”

“What?!” Anna barked. “You better be bucking kidding me! Who is this?”

”Uhh...it’s me, Applebread. Me and Crumble got the fluffball freak. We were about to put her in a cell…”

“There were at least ten ponies down there watching Twilight Sparkle. I ordered Promontory to specifically guard her! Where the hell are they and how could she get out? That unicorn was tied up, gagged, and capped! Not to mention she’s in a lead cell. Explain this to me, dammit! Where the hell is Pro?”

”They escaped through the sewers. They pulled out the grate in the lavatory..The Everfree witch is gone too.”

Anna Pomme slammed a hoof on the button, then she pressed it and held, and shouted into the speaker, “Attention all town guards: we have an emergency. Twilight Sparkle has escaped, repeat, Twilight Sparkle has escaped, and is now in the sewer system. Locate all exits, and cut off her escape! Beware, the zebra witch has escaped too. Alert all town guards and seal the sewer exits. This is a top priority, get on it! And somepony get me Promontory!”

She was panting. One minute she was calm, collected, in control of everything and seemingly smug about it, now she was livid. Last thing anypony needed was Twilight Sparkle, the psychopath who burned down the library; her accomplice, the white unicorn, and that deranged zebra witch; all on the lam. As far as she was concerned, all of Ponyville was in danger.

“Ehh, Anna, I got a bad feeling about Pro," Turner stated.

“What bad feeling?” Anna demanded.

“There is no way Twilight Sparkle and her cronies could have gotten out without assistance. She and what’s-her-face were in lead cells, and lead blocks magic. Pro and his gang broke the unicorns out, and helped them to escape.”

Anna didn’t respond, then she flipped out and bashed her desk with both front hooves. “Damn you, Pro!”

Apple Turner said nothing. Anna paced around the room and seethed with rage. “Alright, alright. We still got this under control. Have Jeresey round up a posse and send them into the sewers. Tell him his is ponysonally responsible for kicking Pro’s ass and dragging him back here! I want no less than twenty ponies in there. Hell, get as many as you can and have them guard every major corridor down there. And go find Applestar and have her radio Applejack.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Turner barked, and just as he opened the door, another pony slammed into him. It was a young mare named Apple ‘Mussy’ Mustard. She collided into him and dropped her papers.

“Chief Pomme!” she panted, “Huge situation at Sweet Apple: All of the Apple Jager steads are on fire, and sporadic fires are popping up all over the Acres itself. Several destroyed buildings...and dead ponies….either burned up or just ripped apart!”

Anna’s blood ran cold. “You gotta be bucking kidding me-” How long had Twilight Sparkle been on the loose?

Mussy shook her head. “Look outside. There’s lots of smoke rising from the south west”

Anna Pomme pushed open the blinds and saw it. Above the buildings surrounding the guard house was the huge column of thick smoke. Her eyes widened with terror. Twilight Sparkle was on a rampage.

“Turner, forget my earlier orders. Send everypony to Sweet Apple, on the double! Find Twilight Sparkle! Find her, and kill her! Same with that other unicorn, and the zebra witch. Find them and kill them all!”

“Y-yessir!” Mussy said before galloping out of the room. Her hooves banged loudly on the hardwood floor.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to kill Sparkle,” Turner said.

“You idiot, she is murdering ponies as we speak! This is when she must be put down, and without hesitation! It’s what Celestia gets for using her elements on unicorns, and endangering us all! We have every right to defend ourselves, and I won’t sit on my flank while Celestia’s precious little protege burns down Ponyville and slaughters us all!”

Author's Notes:

*Clover Grassblade = my OC. Green earth pony, dark green short mane and tail, a ripped ear, and a cutie mark that consists of a 3-leaf clover over a small map.

EDIT: I forgot about Zecora >.< If you read, you might want to re-read...Craft Crate gets dissed big time.
I replaced 'snell' with smell.