Twilight Sparkle woke with a jolt, for one second she thought she must've been shocked by lightning: barely a minute ago she'd been traversing the twisted halls of her memory, the next her every nerve seemed to light on fire as a violent spasm shot throughout her back. She immediately sat up, her plum coat drenched in sweat, looking around in all directions in search of the source of her discomfort, but was merely greeted by an impenetrable darkness. Not daring to move a muscle, she listened attentively for any sign of sound or movement...
It had been a while since she'd camped out, having spent the last few days on a well prepared mattress aboard a luxurious cruise, but her senses were as keen as ever. She pulled herself into a standing position and straightened her ears, trying to pick up on the delicate whispers of nature. She could already make out the whistling of the wind as it passed through the trees surrounding her, the warm sea breeze ruffling her unkempt mane. Nearby she heard the soothing flow of a river, passing quietly through the forest, as if deliberately avoiding any unnecessary noises that might wake up its inhabitants. The thick blanket of sycamores creaked as one, as a strong wind blew through, scorching away all green from their salt burned leaves. She could hear everything, yet absolutely nothing at the same time. Even the ground seemed to refuse its secrets to her, as the dirt beneath her hooves lay perfectly still.
Her lungs throbbing with pain, Twilight let out an aggravated sigh. She'd been holding her breath the entire time. She focused her eyes on the tangled bodies around her, staring through the darkness at the dark mass that was spread along the clearing she was standing on. Her friends were still comfortably snoozing inside their sleeping bags, all except Pinkie Pie who had managed to free herself from hers, and lay sprawled over the rest of them. Not wanting to wake any of them, she quietly levitated herself a few inches from the ground and over their bodies (they had all insisted to sleep around her, as a protective measure) towards the edge of the clearing. With one final glance at her friends, she stepped into the woods when a whisper broke the silent spell of the night.
"Nightmare?"
The young mare wheeled around towards the source of the familiar voice to find a purple dragon behind her, rubbing his eyes morosely.
"Sorry Spike, didn't mean to wake you."
The young dragon stifled a huge yawn. "You didn't. Had the urge to use the bathroom. Where are you going?" Asked Spike with an inquisitive look.
"Dry throat. I heard a river nearby so I figured I might indulge myself," replied the filly, nodding towards the woods.
Spike's mouth stretched into its biggest yawn yet, revealing two rows of sharp fangs. "Alright then, be careful. I think I'm gonna hit the sack again... g'night," added the dragon, with a casual wave of his hand, dragging his feet back towards camp.
"G'night," replied Twilight as she watched her young apprentice slip back into his sleeping bag. She waited a few moments before she resumed her pacing, her ears trying to pinpoint the source of the water's flow. Her mind was still a little hazy from sleep, but she was sure she'd been dreaming something important. She remembered she'd once read that dreams were the manifestation of a pony's subconscious, trying to make sense of real life events, and that in order to preserve the memory of your dreams it was essential to focus and try to recall them right after you woke up, lest the memories slipped back into the subconscious. Albeit, it was easier said than done, as the harder she focused on it, the farther and farther away the memory seemed to elude her. She shook her head in irritation, it seemed like a fruitless effort to try and pry into her memory banks for answers that weren't there.
With the sound of the rushing water as her guide, Twilight made her way through a murky path, her attention still focused on her surroundings. Even if they were protected from prying eye of the Imperial Guard she knew better than to drop her guard: those ponies would stop at nothing to detain her, and her previous encounters with them had taught her that even rough terrain and natural occurring phenomena, such as fog, wouldn't deter their nerves. Sudden bathroom urges and dry throats had nothing to do with it, after two weeks on the run both Twilight and Spike had developed some kind of sixth sense allowing them to perceive impending danger, it had been such that had interrupted their sleep. She could still feel a knot in her stomach and a heightened feeling of uneasiness about the place, as if she were attuned with her enemies, able to read their very thoughts and intentions. Whatever they were planning couldn't be good, it would be best to depart at the crack of dawn.
******
It had been but a day after the violent bombing of the S.S. Concordia, and the disappearance of District Attorney Silver Tongue, but news of the incident had already reached Canterlot and it seemed like everypony had their own theory on the matter. Rumors broke out like wildfire concerning the sighting of the fugitive Twilight Sparkle and her involvement on the incident. All the way down Starswirl avenue ponies swapped their version of how she did it and speculation seemed to be the menu of the day. Most of it however, had to do with the methods or the motive behind Sparkle's individual war against pony society, and very little concerning the evidence presented against her. Still, despite all this, a very annoyed doughnut baker stubbornly maintained that both Twilight and Spike were one hundred percent innocent.
"I'm telling ya, ya mooks!" Insisted the khaki unicorn, slamming his hoof on the table for what seemed like the fiftieth time, "I've known both Spike and Twilight for ages, and they'd be incapable of such a thing!"
"Aye, that might be, but ponies change overtime and power can drive even the righteous to do insane things," pointed out an aged stallion scratching an Old Dutch style of beard that would've made a certain young dragon jealous. "In fact," he pressed on, adjusting a tartan Tam o' Shanter on his head, "hasn't it been known for ages that this here lass was one of the most magically talented unicorns Equestria's seen in over a century?"
"it's true!" Chimed in an old mare wearing a purple knitted hat, with a gaudy yellow flower, that might've been fashionable sixty years ago. "Why, I heard from one of my friends that conducted her entrance exam for Celestia's School that she once set a dragon on the Princess!"
"Right you are, Crochet my dear. Why, I even heard she would routinely turn her parents into potted plants whenever she got into a fit!" Offered her friend dramatically, sitting right next to her.
"No..." gasped a third mare from across the shop, "why that wicked little filly! She was a rotten apple from the very start! If she'd been my daughter I would've straightened out that dreadful personality of hers with a well placed cane on the flank!"
"She never did any such thing you old bats!" Countered the shopkeeper indignantly, "one of her spells went out of control during the examination and caused the egg she was hatching to age into a fully grown dragon! An innocent mistake any five year old filly might find themselves making!"
A cyan stallion couldn't help spitting out a torrent of strawberry milkshake all over the counter at these words. "SHE SET A DRAGON ON THE PRINCESS AT AGE FIVE?!" He spluttered, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull.
"No you idiot! She didn't set a dragon on anypony! She merely lost control of her magic due to nerves! Magical surges are something that comes and goes on young unicorns!" Retorted Pony Joe.
"Aye, but that still doesn't change the fact that she had the power to age a dragon to full size during her infancy. That's not a feat most unicorns, even grown ones, can easily do," pointed out the old stallion once more. "Just imagine what kind of power she's gotten herself now after years of study..." he concluded, widening his eyes into a significant look.
"What's your point Bag Pipe?" Asked the shopkeeper with harshness.
The old man made a retching sound and aimed for a nearby spittoon. "They say ol' Bag Pipe is becoming senile and paranoid, and you young'uns may be right, but let me tell ye one thing: explosions like that.... they're not the product of garden variety unicorn magic. No, that right there is the result of powerful magic of the highest level. None but the most talented unicorns could be able to pull off something like that, and s'far as I'm concerned the only pony matching such description just happened to be there at the moment of both explosions: on the altar and on the cruise. I know it's harsh lad, truth always is, but ye're gonna have to accept that this friend of yers, just isn't who ye knew anymore..." concluded the old stallion giving Pony Joe a sympathetic look.
A very nasty silence descended upon the place. Joe's heart sank, he had no retort for his words. No matter how much he might try and defend his friends the old stallion was right: it would've taken magic of the most advanced to cause such an explosion, and the only suspect capable of it had been sighted at the place and during the time of both bombings. It was like he'd hit a brick wall and was unable to move forward no matter what kind of reasoning he might use to try and circumvent this fact. The young stallion was deep in thought, trying to process all of this, when an interruption in the form of a magenta pegasus stormed into the shop.
"Have you guys heard the news?! The Parliament has declared Canterlot in State of Emergency, and the D.A's office is being brought under the jurisdiction of the military! They're even discussing the possibility of establishing martial law as a temporary precaution until Princess Luna returns!"
Pony Joe's indignant yell was drowned out by the sudden outburst of whispers throughout the shop. Never in Equestria's history had any part of the kingdom been declared in State of Emergency. He was just now starting to realize the severity of the crisis they were in. State of Emergency meant that all liberties regarding personal security, freedom of assembly, and even liberty of transit were hereby suspended until the Parliament deemed it prudent, or until the crisis had been overcome. The implications of this sudden measure were far more severe than anypony could imagine: seizures without warrant, violation of private property, and imposition of curfews were but a few the shopkeeper could name off the top of his head.
"This is an outrage! How could the Parliament just hand over control of the government to the military?!" Exclaimed the unicorn indignantly.
"The tabloids are all saying that Sparkle has joined in with her subordinates!" Replied the pegasus, chucking out a copy of the Equestria Enquirer on top of the counter, "It seems she's recruiting ponies all over Equestria in an attempt to overthrow the government! Apparently her true intentions were to blow up the cruise she was in once she arrived in New Saddle, to maximize the death toll, and then use the resulting confusion to lead a coup against the Princess! After hearing such news the Commander of the Imperial Guard decided they couldn't stall any longer and headed over to the Parliament to demand a closed-doors meeting with the parliamentarians."
"Hogwash is what it is!" Thundered the doughnut baker, "Twilight leading a subversive movement against the Princess is as ridiculous as Nightmare Moon stories! I bet you those thugs at the military just bullied the Parliament into surrendering their functions over to them!"
Nonetheless, nopony heard a single word the unicorn said, for they were all now badgering the pegasus with questions regarding the appointment of the new Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, as well as that of the new D.A. Before he had a chance to answer though, another stallion burst through the door.
"Hey everypony! It seems that the terrorists were just cornered in the outskirts of Fillydelphia! The Imperial Guard is giving chase as we speak!"
******
Several hours earlier
A female pegasus soared through the air, carrying a brown saddlebag on her side. Although she was flying at a low altitude she could feel a frigid breeze licking her sides beneath her wings and cutting roughly through her violet mane. Her eyelids seemed to become heavier with the blast of wind rushing at her face, as she struggled to keep them open. Clearly it had been a mistake to leave her goggles at home, but it was far too late to go back for them now, she had work to get done and her boss would kill her if she was late. The light gray filly let out a huge yawn, wondering if she'd be allowed to sleep once she was done with the task that had been entrusted to her. She shook herself awake and took a good look beneath her to find and extensive plain stretching out into the horizon. 'Finally!' She thought to herself triumphantly, after hours of flying over what seemed like an interminable forest, she could sight her destination.
With careful deliberation, the filly started slowly circling a landing patch on the ground. It was harder than she had imagined at first, for the weight of the saddlebag threw her off balance. She could feel a few of the envelopes it contained spilling out each time she wheeled around to slow her descent. After a few tentative tries however, she landed gracefully, in front of a silver-coated unicorn clad in golden armor.
"Well?" Prodded the stallion with slow, deep voice.
The filly snapped into what was unmistakeably a salute before replying. "General Hawk Eye sir! The message has been delivered as you instructed and we're reading to commence operations at your command!"
"Well done soldier," he returned, "were there any complications during your flight?" He asked, narrowing his eyes in concern.
The filly shook her head slightly, "none sir, I don't think I was sighted: the forest was too thick to see the floor. I assume the same can be said for anypony beneath trying to search the skies."
"Hmmm," he pondered out loud, scratching his jet black mane. "Very well then," he said adjusting his helmet, "give the signal. Let's smoke these weasels out of their hole."
******
Rainbow Dash was having a tough morning. It'd been hard enough for a pegasus, that had been accustomed to fluffy cloud beds, to sleep on the cold, hard ground. She also happened to be a fairly late riser, preferring to ignore the fickle mandates of her alarm clock and wisely save herself up for awakening when her body was ready for it. This, added to the fact that her house was suspended about a hundred feet in the air, thereby barring entrance to anypony who might try and disturb her, contributed to that blissful privilege only a few ponies could boast about, of being able to sleep as much as she wanted. Nevertheless, this morning was different.
The cyan colored filly had been jerked awake by (as Fluttershy would call it) "the harmonious melody of dawn". This was a matter of perspective though, as Rainbow was pretty sure that the earsplitting racket the birds around the clearing were making, didn't have a hint of harmony or melody in it. She'd repeatedly pelted the nuisances with rocks, all the while telling them to shut up, much to Fluttershy's displeasure. Yet for all her efforts the birds seemed to be having an enormous amount of fun in keeping her awake, and so they kept coming back every two minutes to harass the poor pegasus some more. After a relatively short lapse, in which Pinkie Pie learned at least three new swear words, the pegasus gave up and decided to have some breakfast. Or at least she tried to...
Anxious at the prospect of losing sight of their friend, they had left Stableside in such a hurry that they had completely forgotten to pack some food. They realized their mistake only too late the previous night, after the hungry ponies had devoured any leftover supplies Twilight and Nemo had been keeping for their travel. Normally she would've kept a civil tone even in the face of such adverse circumstances, but when she was denied the opportunity of a hot shower, having been pointed to a nearby river instead, she felt ready to buck civility out the window.
"This sucks! I wanna know who was the featherbrain that forgot the food back at the hotel!"
"Uhm... I'm sorry," murmured Fluttershy almost reflexively.
"Now, now... it aint your fault sugarcube," said Applejack, lightly patting her on the head.
"This is serious Applejack! We've got a long way ahead of us and I'm starving!" Persisted the pegasus.
"Well that may be so, but pointin' hooves at one another aint gonna make ya any less hungry," said the earth pony, adopting a firm stance.
"It'll make me feel better about it!" Persisted Rainbow Dash.
"If you two have the time to argue you might as well help us clean up camp!" Twilight all but yelled, knocking the both of them over with a magical barrage of sleeping bags.
"I've heard of 'hitting the sac' but I've neeeever heard of the sac hitting back," said Pinkie Pie before bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, good one Pinkie Pie, I really liked that one," joined in Fluttershy with a small chuckle.
Twilight didn't seem to find any amusement on the matter however, and she let her friends know with a rather exacerbated groan. "We don't have time for this! Pinkie Pie stop horsing around and pack your bag! We need to put as much distance as ponily possibly between us and Stableside. The Imperial Guard could be on our tracks at this very instant!"
"Uhm, Twilight..." interjected Rarity, "we were staying at Stableside for three days and we didn't even see a hint of the Imperial Guard. You yourself said that you lost them back at Drackenridge Mountains over a week ago. Are you sure you're not being a little bit paranoid?" Suggested the white filly.
"No, that was before they found out I was aboard that cruise, but High Tide said he knew who I was from the moment he saw me. He could have sent a message at any time during our trip to tell the Imperial Guard of my whereabouts!" Twilight pointed out.
"I'm inclined to agree," chimed in Nemo, "even if the military has been in a state of disarray over the nomination of the next Commander, odds are that they've been alerted of our presence. From my past dealings with them I'm sure they've arrived at Stableside by now and are looking for any sign of us, it's best to move on and keep our lead."
"Not that this running away business isn't fine and dandy with me," commented Applejack, "but shouldn't we be doin' somethin' about the princesses?! Ya said so yourself: Celestia's bein' poisoned and there's a plot to kill Luna! What are we supposed ta do about that?"
"We don't have a definite plan as of yet," Twilight admitted, "but I've been discussing this with Nemo and Rarity, and I think we've managed to come up with a few ideas. They all require us to get to Fillydelphia first though..."
"Oh gee, mind sharing with the rest of the class?" Asked Rainbow Dash sardonically.
"Well, we'd thought we could—"
Suddenly the forest around them seemed to erupt with noise as a thousand birds took off as one towards the sky, cawing angrily. Twilight felt the ground tremble beneath her hooves and watched with apprehension as squirrels, ferrets, and even deer zoomed past them as they burst from the bush, looking spooked. The group shuddered collectively as a strange prickling sensation traveled down their backs.
Spike raised his nose into the air and took a couple of tentative whiffs. "Do you guys smell something burning?"