> A Life For Two > by RedBlack > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > A Rocky Departure > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the questionable community of Klugetown, at its very edge, a simple tavern has been deemed the most famous place for the residents. The place had no name, yet every creature that lived there knew of it. In this establishment, there had been a mutual agreement for no weird or cowardly shenanigans. If you had a problem, fight it out. That had been the age-old rule ever since it was first opened. Right outside the tavern entrance, sat a filly on a wooden box. The filly had a light blue coat and a deeper shade of blue mane. A single horn stood tall with a few chips on the sides. A bored gaze as she slumped. She wore a cloak with the hood off as customers of the tavern flew by, either through the door or through the windows. Blood splattered as those who were thrown out were bleeding from several injuries as some never moved again. She patiently, albeit bored, waited as constant sounds of glass shattering and furniture being broken rang out from inside the tavern. Then it stopped. After a minute of silence, the entrance opened once again. This time, fully breaking it off its hinges. "Alright, let's get the hell outta here." An annoyed voice calls out as the owner stepped outside. The one who stepped out wore a grimace as a few shallow cuts were visible on his brown fur, likely going to leave more scars to his already damaged body. A long scar travelled across his right eye, reaching from his forehead to the edge of his mouth, not fully reaching the organ itself. His mane was a full black as it was splattered with blood of different colors, the same way his coat had been. He wore a full leather jacket, seemingly old as several stitches stood out, evidencing to it being fixed by hoof. He cracked his neck as wings stretched out through the holes in his jacket. One was a normal looking wing while the other was a metallic one, giving off steam as it moved while glowing with a blue hue. "Took you long enough. You getting rusty or something?" The filly said with a playful smirk as she levitated a simple cigarette in his mouth. "Bullshit, that fucker called in others since he knew I was taking this from him." He answered with an annoyed tone while pulling out a contraption of metals and wires as the cigarette was lit with a blue colored magic from the filly. Taking a long drag, he exhaled as a bunny jumped up on top of him. The bunny nestled itself into his messy hair, completely ignoring the blood on its white fur. The filly stretched before finally moving off the box. "So, that the last piece right?" He asked, adopting a grin as the metal contraption was taken by the filly. "Yeap." She answered excitedly as she took the rabbit as well. "Did you take long because you had a drink?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "No." "Bull-shit." She said while elongating it as she held the rabbit in the air. "Did he take long because he took a drink or is he a fucking liar?" She asked with an innocent voice. The pegasus laughed at her ridiculousness as they walked. "Fucking knew it." She proudly said before putting the rabbit on her head. "Yeah yeah, keep this shit up and you won't get a treat." He lightly threatened with a smile. "Fuck you, I'll be eating as much as I want when we reach civilization." They shared a chuckle at that. *BOOM* They looked back at the tavern, that has now imploded with wood splinters going everywhere and everything was on fire. Said fire started spreading to nearby buildings. The pegasus frowned, realizing something as he patted around his jacket pockets, then looked at the the bunny with an irritated expression. The bunny looked back with a nonchalant attitude, then shrugged, earning a giggle out of the filly. The pegasus tried to stay serious, but soon joined her laughter. "Alright, alright, let's get outta here before the entire town hunts us down." He said as they started walking again. The bunny victoriously grinned as they started moving. "Hasn't that always been the case?" The filly asked playfully. "It sure was." He replied with a reminiscing tone as he remembered their first day while throwing away the cigarette butt. "Yo!" The filly screamed at the top of her lungs as trio made their way inside a warehouse, her voice echoing back. "Do you really have to do that every time we come here, Bliss?" The pegasus asked lazily whilst locking the door with a dozen different locks. "Of course I do Maddie, gotta make sure everyone knows we're the owners of this place." She said while taking the rabbit on her head off with her magic. "You agree with me, don't you Daisy?" Maddie playfully rolls his eyes before moving towards a cabinet. Bliss heads to a wooden boat, roughly able to board 15 ponies, suspended in the air on a platform. Daisy decided to lounge on a nearby couch. "Better do it fast Bliss, monsters don't wait too long here." Maddie calmly said while moving random items such as clothes, weapons, all kinds of weird contraptions and toys towards the ship in boxes. "I know, just focus on not breaking my shit." She responded nonchalantly while focusing on the circuits inside the hull of the ship. *BANG* Three pairs of eyes widen as the banging on the door quickens. "SHIT!" Maddie exclaims as he started sprinting towards the ship with the last box. Bliss quickly attached the last wire to the contraption, slammed a metal cover on it and started screwing it shut. Maddie threw the last box on to the ship and stood near Bliss. A loud boom rang out as the entrance, along with the surrounding wall, exploded, revealing an angry mob. "TODAY IS THE DAY YOU DIE!" A bipedal fish with a big figure yelled while holding a pitchfork. Right as Bliss finished tightening one screw, Maddie threw her up, earning a startled yell from her. With one flap of his wings, he landed on the ship deck. Bliss was standing at a wheel, attached to a number of wires that ran through the ships interior. A loud startup noise flooded the warehouse as two large fans started spinning, blowing away those who tried to approach it. "HIT IT!" Maddie yelled, prompting Bliss to press one of the buttons on the wheel. The ship hovered as two large wings spread from the two sides of the ship. "SHIT'S TOO HEAVY!" Bliss yelled as she opened a compartment right under the steering wheel and stepped on a lever. Maddie ran towards the edges and looked down, spotting several hooks lodged into the hull. He simply pulled one off, the one who threw it screamed before splattering on the ground. Bliss waited while constantly tapping her hooves as she looked at a tube slowly getting filled with a green liquid. "Come on, come on, why the hell is physics so annoying sometimes." She silently complained as she worriedly looked around the deck while waiting for the tube. Maddie gave a heavy punch, knocking off another climber as more and more creatures started climbing on the ropes. He tried to pull off another hook, only for his organic wing to get snatched by another hook. As he fell, he roughly pulled it out, spraying blood into the air. Instead of flying, he gave a single flap and tucked them in as he turned into a sharp object. *THUD* He stomped down, breaking the face of whoever had pulled him down. With a grim frown, he stood tall as he looked around his surroundings. Giving out a beast like growl, he pounced towards the first one who approached him. Back on the deck, Bliss jumped back while throwing down multiple orbs from her robe which filled the area with smoke. "You think a little smoke would give you an edge? We're all blind here!" One of 7 different bipedal creatures yelled as he pulled out a sword. "Am I?" The childish voice asked with a taunting tone, shortly before a gurgling sound rang out. A singular thud told the six left that they were in danger. Slowly, bodies fell one by one as the only one who was left gained more and more fear with each, and every dull thud that rang out. He frantically looked around, trying to locate anything to help him, or at least where his initial target was. Then he spotted something. Three blue lights, far away in the smoke, slowly fading away. He took a step back, fearing what the lights were as they suddenly turned back on, brighter than ever as it rapidly approached. He hastily made a swing with his sword as the lights ducked low, fully dodging the attack before he felt a sharp pain in his stomach area. He looked down, noticing the knife with a weird edge. The edge started glowing with a blue light as he hastily looked towards his attacker, only to see the three dull lights, surrounded by a metal shape of a pony head. Bliss let out a relieved sigh as she took her mask off, the body with an opened ribcage fell on the floor with a thud. She quickly dragged the body and threw it overboard as the ship floated higher. "MADDIE! GET YOUR ASS UP HERE! WE'RE LEAVING!" She yelled before letting a small orb fall onto the deck. The orb opened up, revealing the insides as the signature blue shined brightly as the smoke was blown away. Maddie, on the other hoof, was having a hard time with the mob as he gave a quick punch for any who stepped closer. He was breathing heavily as a few bruises were shown on his body. With a spin, he knocked out one more before hearing the shout. While ducking lower, he tensed all four of his limbs as he prepared his wings. The mob noticed the pattern and jumped him, only to hit nothing but themselves as Maddie was already in the air. However, he couldn't make it. Just as he started to panic, the silhouette of Bliss appeared as she threw the rope down with all her strength. Maddie barely reached the edge, biting into it before his hooves slipped. Bliss hurriedly held the rope, only for it pull her forward, forcing her to use the edge of the ships fence as leverage. Struggling with the rope, she held it with one hoof and her mouth as she brought out a tool with two sharp ends and slammed it into the fence, holding the rope down tightly as the tool retracted, holding the rope tighter. Maddie, still dangling on the rope, slowly climbed up as he used his mouth and all four limbs to hold on tight. Then, he felt a pulling sensation on the rope and looked down, noticing the mob trying to climb up. He frantically looked up and down, weighing the options before finally deciding. "BLISS! TAKE OFF!" He yelled, loud enough for every creature to hear. Bliss, without even a second thought, instantly slammed the previous lever as the tube was emptied. The ship started to shake as the sound of the two fans became loud enough to deafen anyone near them. It sprouted out green fire as the ship instantly took off into the air, breaking through the crowd and burning the few who had stood behind it. With the ship in the air, Maddie peacefully started climbing up with a fast beating heart. Still under the ship, he looked forward rather than upward and noticed an armored bipedal dog quickly climbing up on a rope. The dog gave him a vicious grin before quickly going up. Maddie frowned heavily as he increased his speed, only to be slowed down as a sharp pain ran through one of his back legs. Quickly looking down, he saw the leader of the mob, piercing his hoof with a hook and tried to pull down, only for Maddie to lift his hoof, consequently the leader as well. Maddie gave a glare at the fish as he gave a sheepish grin before he fell from the sky with a dozen broken teeth and a broken nose. Finally reaching the deck, Maddie gave a quick look around, only for him to notice the dog holding a sword, about to swing down on Bliss. "BLISS! LOOK OUT!" He shouted as loud as he could as he ran towards the pair, being painfully slowed down by his injured limb. Bliss quickly turned around, spotting the sword high in the air. With adrenaline running through her body, she sidestepped without thinking, fully dodging the attack as she leaped away. The dog tried to give chase, only for a pissed off pegasus to jump onto him, knocking him to the ground. Maddie gave a him a pounding, morphing his face into a broken mess with a few punches. He tried to attack back with his sword, only for Maddie to swat it away with his metallic wing before finishing him off with a stomp. Breathing heavily, Maddie threw the corpse off the ship before slumping down at it. Bliss was at the wheel, pressing all kinds of buttons as a giant balloon appeared on top of the ship. She let out a relieved sigh as she walked towards one of the scattered boxes, pulling out a big blue box, decorated in stars. "Don't work too hard Bliss." Maddie said as Bliss opened the box, bringing out plenty of medical supplies. "Shut up dumbass, I ain't letting my big brother die like that." She said with a teasing smirk before applying alcohol on his injured hoof, earning a flinch from the stallion. "Baby" "Fuck you" The two stared at each other blankly before bursting into laughter. Tightly bandaging the wound, Bliss sat next to Maddie, leaning on him as they peacefully drifted through the clouds. "We're really making it out." Bliss mindlessly said as she let out a small yawn. "Yeah, it does feel like a dream, especially since we don't even know where we're headed" "Oh yeah." She mindlessly replied before pulling out a rather outdated map and a compass with a broken protective glass. "So, this says Klugetown and we're headed towards the N symbol" "North" "Mhmm." He nodded in response. "Then our first town would be 'Appleloosa', what you think?" "It's sandy, how about a greener area?" "Aight, going further we have 'Ponyville', though it's located behind, the Everfree, shit." He grumbled, remembering the book that talked about the forest and its uncertainties. "Oh come ON!" Bliss yelled in annoyance, pulling her face down with her hooves, knowing exactly why it was dangerous. The ship suddenly started shaking slightly. "Fuck, is the ship injured?" Maddie mumbled as the two stood up. A thud grabbed their attention as a bipedal bird creature ran out, burnt spots on various parts of his body. He held up his sword at the two as they tensed, preparing for an attack. But it never came as a familiar white bunny, now red as blood drenched off of her, appeared right behind the birds' neck before biting into his throat. The two watched with slight disgust as the little rabbit brutally ended the life of their enemy. Panting slightly, Daisy pointed to a door behind her. The two opened the door as a heavy scent of blood filled their noses. The room, which was supposed to be where they stored their stuff, was filled with over a dozen corpses of all kinds of species. "Guess that's what's shaking the ship." Bliss commented as Maddie moved to throw the corpses overboard. "Take your share." Bliss lazily said as he opened up a bag of jerky. "Savor it, it'll be a long time before we eat this again." Maddie joked as he put a piece in his mouth. Daisy just rolled her eyes as she munched on her piece. "Fuck no, I ain't ever eating this crap again" "Well, I'll probably miss it after a year or two, nostalgia and all" "I guess you're right, but I ain't liking it" Maddie simply chuckled at her attitude. Their small meal time was disrupted however as the ship rattled, though the trio weren't bothered. "Guess it's about time that ran out." Bliss commented as she approached the steering wheel and pressed a few buttons. The loud sound coming from the fans were lessened as the sails dropped down from a singular wooden pillar. "Uh, Maddie?" Bliss asked nervously. "Yeah?" He asked back with a full mouth as he stood next to Bliss. "So, we already passed the sandy area right?" "Yes?" "And now we're flying over green" "I, have noticed that, yes" "Well, since we ran out of that green juice, we'll be flying over Everfree with normal speed" "Oh, fuck. How far are we from Appleloosa, we could ride the train from there no?" "Alright, yeah, that makes sense" Just as they were about to solve their current issue, the ship rattles once more. And this time, it doesn't stop as smoke starts to rise from one of the sides of the ship. Bliss stayed to check up on the ships controls as Maddie ran towards the smoke, peered down to see the metal cover bent in half. "Fuck! Bliss, Daisy, we'll have to get off the ship." He said as he ran towards their stacked boxes. Pulling out a few essential items such as scraps of metal, a few white boxes wrapped in plastic, his secondary lighter and a bag of jerky. "Shit, can't believe I have to leave this stuff." Bliss complained as she grabbed a few small devices and put it into her cloak before finally grabbing a ball with a ring on it. "You blowing it?" Maddie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Hell yeah, not a single fucker apart from you two is touching my shit." She replied with a malicious smile as she pulled the ring off with her magic. As she tossed the ball into the box full of devices, Maddie grabbed both her and Daisy before jumping off the ship. A loud boom was heard as the ship was torn in half from the resulting explosion, slightly inconveniencing Maddie who was trying to control his gliding. "Hold tight you two, I'll try to glide straight to Ponyville, hopefully not getting knocked down over the Everfree." He told them as his wings straightened out, giving him more speed as he rode the air currents. "HYDRA!" Bliss yelled, prompting Maddie to look down as the distant three headed beast threw a boulder straight towards them. Maddie furled his wings, barely dodging the projectile as he and his passengers fell rapidly. Uncurling his wings once more, he groans in annoyance as he hears his metal wing creaking from the wind pressure. Now flying only a slight bit above the tree line, the three waited with bated breaths as their altitude lowered bit by bit as time passed. Time passed slowly, the trio tense as Bliss and Daisy carefully watched the ground in case something attacks. Even though they've traveled at a fast speed for a time that felt longer than it was, they still had not left the forest. "We'll have to stop for now, my wing is getting too tired" "Aight, land there, we can follow the river to Ponyville." Bliss responded as Maddie shifted his wings, leading them towards the river. "Hang on tight." He said with a grimace as he fully positioned his wings to stop his flight, yet they still went forward with a high speed as his hooves scraped against the ground. Leaving a long trail in the dirt ground, the trio finally stopped as they fell into the river. A series of grunts were heard as the three got fully submerged into the water. After a few seconds of silence, three distinct groans were heard as the three started climbing out of the river. "Damned physics." Bliss complained as she stretched her back, only to hear a painful crack, eliciting a high pitched squeal from her. Daisy simply jumped back in, though at a shallow part as she started to clean the blood off her body. "Oh for fuck's sake." Maddie said as he checked his metal wing. A few sparks of electricity sizzled out as the entire interior of the wing was exposed. Maddie felt around the base of the destroyed wing for a while before pulling it off entirely. A dozen different needles were extracted, leaving the area where his wing was supposed to be, filled with needle marks. As blood started to flow from the marks, Bliss wiped it off with a wet part of her cloak before putting a few band-aids on the bigger holes. While Bliss worked on his injuries, Maddie brought out a white box and ripped the plastic covering off with his mouth. He took out one cigarette with his mouth as he pulled out a lighter from his jacket pocket. "Ah, shit." He said as nothing but clicks came out from the lighter. "Oh what will you do without me?" Bliss said with a teasing voice as the cigarette was lit with magic. "Probably die from fighting the entirety of Klugetown." He said with a chuckle. "Dumbass." She responded with her own chuckle before she slapped his back. "Done" "Thanks." He said as he stood up, only to stumble slightly. Daisy finally came out of the river, fully regaining her white color and yawned slightly. "Actually, we should probably rest a bit." Maddie said while sitting down. "Cool! We're gonna camp out!" Bliss said excitedly before bringing out several spikes, all connected by strings as she started placing them around their area. Maddie chuckled at her excitement as he walked towards a few trees. "I guess I'll make the campfire" > Arrival > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the ever dangerous Everfee forest, smoke rose high to the sky the same time as the sun. Many beasts and creatures tried to approach, only for them to be greeted with an electrifying sensation. They fled. Sitting in a rather bizarre position for his species close to the source was a brown pegasus. His face was blank as his eyes were closed. His breathing was rhythmic, and his body twitched every now and then. His most notable feature being a giant scar on his right eye, or perhaps the fact that he only has one wing. On his lap, laid a small light blue filly, peacefully slumbering as the single wing of the pegasus, and an oversized jacket protected her from the sharp winds of the night. Laying right on top of the filly but under the wing, was a rabbit with a snow white fur, sleeping in a poised manner. As they continued to slumber in relaxing silence, the first rays of the morning light shone on the pegasus, awakening him with a rush of morning air. Daisy awoke almost instantly and scanned the area with her ruby eyes before leaving to do her business. Maddie just silently sat there, pondering whether to wake up Bliss or not. In the end, he slightly shook her while calling her name. "Wake up, sis, we gotta start moving" Rising slowly with a yawn as she rubbed her eye, Bliss held Maddie's wing and jacket tightly to her chest, trying to escape the cold bite of the morning wind. After a few seconds of sitting, she finally opened her eyes and looked straight at Maddie. As she continued to stare, Maddie only looked with expectation, fully knowing the outcome. In the end, Bliss just pouted before laying back down. Only chuckling at her attitude, Maddie carefully placed her on his back and covered her with his only wing as he stood up. Taking a deep breath, Maddie released it as a sigh as he moved to collect the spikes Bliss had planted the night prior, finding that a few of the strings looked a bit more strained than it should've been. "Guess I didn't need to stay awake after all." Maddie commented to himself as he put the last one in one of his many pockets. He calmly lit a cigarette, using the dying embers of the campfire. With Daisy climbing back on top of him, Maddie starts to follow the river downstream. "Oh shit, I think we actually found it." Bliss excitedly comments, still on top of Maddie but without the wing as they climb over a fence. "Fucking finally, I carried you for like 5 hours." Maddie said with a small smirk. "Oh please, you used to carry me the whole day" "Yeah, back when you were tiny as fuck, nowadays you're pretty heavy" "Maybe you're just weaker now" They shared a chuckle at their little exchange while Daisy just sighs at their stupidity. "Anyways, you know what the hell these things are?" Maddie asks as they stand in front of a tree. Quite a large number of red colored things were attached to the branches of the plant. Seeing something they've never seen before, Maddie lifts up Bliss, who cuts the stem of the new red thing and stores it inside her cloak. "Wonder what this thing does, and why someone would be growing such a ridiculous amount of it." Bliss comments as they stare at the distance, the entire field filled with similar trees. "Whatever the reason may be, we should probably leave fast, it's not smart to stay still after stealing after all." Maddie responds as he quickly climbs back over the fence to follow the edge. Walking for quite a while, they finally reach something that looked like an entrance, allowing them to gaze upon the town. Silently staring at Ponyville, the three just stand there, entranced by the peaceful nature of it. Daisy fully settles in Maddie's mane, laying comfortably. Bliss laid down on Maddie, hugging his neck with her hooves as she looked on with a serene expression. Maddie simply returns the hug with his wing as he calmly takes it all in. Slowly letting out a breath, Maddie was about to start moving. "Can Ah help y'all?" A heavy accented voice called out to them. Slowly turning back, Maddie gave a bright smile as his eyes closed. Bliss simply slipped her hoof in her coat, preparing to bring out her knife, just in case. Daisy simply stared, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The owner of the voice, a red earth pony with a yellow mane, flinched very slightly at the scene, now eyeing the trio suspiciously with his green eyes. "No, we're just new to town, thought we'd look around." Maddie answered, opening his eyes ever so slightly. The unknown pony just narrowed his eyes, already wary of them. "This here is private property, Ah'd suggest y'all leave." He spoke with a slightly threatening tone. Maddie nodded slightly before turning around to leave. As the trio slowly left his line of sight, the red pony just sighed before walking into the field. "Dang real estate agents, using foals tah try and gain sympathy." He muttered to himself before continuing his chores. "Clear." Bliss said after she looked back. "Good." Maddie said with a sigh. "You think he's suspicious of us?" "Definitely, and I don't know if I could've taken him, he's pretty big" "But you've beaten bigger" "Yeah, but he's also the same species as us. If anything, we might be on the weaker side." Maddie finished with a frown. "I guess that makes sense." Bliss accepted with a slight frown as well. As they calmly walked, a very distinct sound reminded them of a matter of extreme importance. "Maddie, I'm hungry" "I heard, we haven't eaten breakfast yet" "Soooo-" she nervously said. "Yes, we'll be eating in town, actual food too probably." Maddie answered with suppressed excitement. "YES!" Bliss celebrated loudly. Maddie chuckled at how excited she was, and he couldn't lie, he could barely hold himself back from sprinting into town at full speed. The thought of bringing too much attention did the most to keep him at bay. Arriving in Ponyville, the trio treaded carefully, watching around for any pickpockets and the like. After careful observation of their surroundings by remaining as inconspicuous as possible, they very quickly realized their first problem. "They don't use frags, why the fuck would they use frags." Bliss put her hoof to her face as she mumbled her complaints. "We'll have to try the other method." Maddie calmly said as they stayed near the shadows of buildings. "In broad daylight? Are you sure we can lose them?" She worriedly asked. "Don't worry, I have a plan" "Let's hear it" Right above the peaceful town of Ponyville, a light blue colored pegasus stayed high in the air, sleeping whilst snoring. Dreaming of random air stunts and such, she muttered of ponies praising her newest trick. Until, her instincts as the town's protector shouted for her to go do her job. "Something's wrong." She said as she awoke and stood tall in half a second, her rainbow colored mane and tail floating from the strong winds. With a flap of her wings, she took off as she started to circle the town, looking for any kind of trouble. And she found it. With her superior technique of multitasking, she calmly gazed over the town while flying, then she spotted a pony she didn't recognize. Or rather, she couldn't recognize as a small pony ran into Filthy Rich, then said something before running off. Then another pony she didn't know came out, stopped Filthy Rich to say something before sighing and walking off in the direction of the filly. "There is definitely something going on." She said before taking off. Landing right in front of Filthy, she stopped him. "Filthy, I need you to check your belongings" Filthy looked confused for a few seconds before asking. "Why, Ms. Rainbow Dash?" "UGH, just do it." She demanded with a serious face. Still confused, but complying, Filthy Rich opened a saddlebag he was carrying, only to realize that it's empty. "What!? How could this happen? I just made sure I had my bits on me. Rainbow only frowned and took off in the direction of the thieves. Said thieves were currently treading through the town, having changed directions multiple times, arrived at one of the only food establishments in Ponyville. "Ooh, Maddie, I need to eat something from there." Bliss said with stars in her eyes as she smelt the scent coming from the gingerbread house. "Sounds good." Maddie complied with a smile as they made their way inside. As the trio open the door, a small jingle plays, alerting the owners. "I'll be with you in just a sec dear." A feminine voice called out from behind the bar. "It's fine, we'll wait." Maddie replied absent-mindedly as he looked around. Staring with slight awe as she stepped off of Maddie, Bliss marveled at all the decorations and the different kinds of desserts stacked on random tables. Maddie wasn't that much better as he peered at the glass container, silently pondering if it's worth it to just take it all without the owners knowing. Even Daisy took peeks at all the different treats. "All done, how can I help you?" The owner called out as she stepped out of the kitchen. "Oh my, I don't think I've seen you two before." She said with a smile. Snapping back to reality, Maddie took the initiative whilst Bliss was still absorbed. "Yeah, we're just visiting, and thought it might be a good idea to eat something." He replied with a practiced smile. "Well then, I welcome you to Ponyville, I'm Cup Cake, but you can just call me Ms. Cake, everypony does." She said with a genuinely kind smile, one that made Maddie flinch, ever so slightly from surprise. "Well Ms. Cake, it's great to meet you, you can call me Maddie, that over excited filly over there is Snow Bliss, and this is Daisy." He said after quickly reorganizing himself. Daisy rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at having to wait. Ms. Cake took a peek at the bunny, only to chuckle at the similarity of another bunny she knew. Maddie stared with a raised eyebrow at her. "Oh don't worry dear, I just thought about how similar Daisy is to another bunny I know." She said with a chuckle. Maddie responded with his own chuckle, though a bit awkward. "Well, what would you like to order?" She asked, changing topics. "Oh, Uh, I'll, um." He frowned a bit, not knowing any of the names. "Maddie." Bliss called out, almost in a whisper as she stood with her front hooves on a table. Said table had a cake on top, stacking up three layers as it stood tall. Bliss was looking up to the very top, before she turned her head to Maddie with shining eyes, full of desire. Maddie stared, slightly shocked at the scene before cracking a smile and chuckled a bit. "We'll take a cake like that, and three drinks to go with it please." He told as he turned to Ms. Cake, who was giving an amused smile, prompting her to take the order and move towards the back to bring out a stored one. Placing the three layered cake, she added three tall glasses, filled with chocolate shake, that was topped off with cream, sprinkles and one strawberry and straw each. "On the house." Ms. Cake said as Maddie was taking out a stolen pouch. "What?" He asked with a confused face. "It means it's free hun, first time customers get a free order." She finished with a smile. "But, that's, extremely unprofitable isn't it?" She let out a few chuckles at the question. "It's fine dear, Equestria is in its most longest period of harmony in recent years, save a few hiccups, so it's fine to do these things once in a while." She explained with a happy smile. "I, see." He replied, albeit shocked at the random act of kindness. A random sound of a bell came from the kitchen, prompting Ms. Cake to excuse herself. "Yo, Maddie, you eating?" Bliss asked from a table, the cake and drinks already placed there. "Y-yeah, I'm coming." He mindlessly replied as he went to take a seat. "You alright?" Bliss asked after looking at Maddie's rigid movements. "I'm, fine, let's just eat first" Bliss stared worriedly for a few seconds, before finally dropping it. "Alright, by the way, since we actually paid, we don't need to worry much right?" She asked as she struggled on how to eat the cake. "Yes, your knife, though, no, we didn't pay." He replied as he sliced the cake into manageable pieces. "What?" Bliss froze as she asked. "So she just, gave it to us?" She asked with an incredulous expression. "Yeah, I don't think she messed with it either." He said as he grabbed a slice. "If you say so." Bliss mumbled, a bit confused as she grabbed a piece with her hoof. Daisy, in the same state as them, just decided to ignore the feeling and try the cake. Eyes widening in disbelief, they all froze from euphoria at the sweet sensation in their mouths. The amazingly light taste, combined with the delightful cream and chocolate fillings, completely fried their brains as they never tasted anything like it before. The best part however, was that there was still a large amount left. In astonishing speed, the cake was gone. "That was actually amazing." Bliss commented, pieces of cake decorated around her mouth. Daisy burped slightly, but still gave a sound of approval. "No kidding, that was one of the best things I've tasted." Maddie replied as he used the table cloth to clean her face, which Bliss gratefully accepted. Sighing with content, Bliss couldn't wait as she grabbed her milkshake and slurped from the straw. "Oh shit! Maddie, Daisy, you gotta try the drinks!" She exclaimed with a bright smile. "Damn, this shit's good." Maddie stated, mouth stuck to the straw. Daisy joined in as she had a similar reaction. Soon enough, they all finished their drinks, happy with their decision to come here. "Dude, more." Bliss said as she practically vibrated in her seat, Daisy giving the same sentiment. "Sure." Maddie easily complied with a big smile, genuinely happy as he went to ask for more. Happily drinking milkshakes, the trio were peaceful. They easily created an enjoyable atmosphere, merrily laughing as they relaxed, talking and drinking in complete peace. No worries, no dangers, just them, and their emotions. Until. "Ugh! I just can't believe I lost them Flutters! What if they're already out of town by now?" Angrily shouting, Rainbow Dash came in the store as she complained to another pegasus. "Don't worry Dash, I'm sure you'll catch them, right after you have lunch." Flutters calmly said with a slightly silent voice. The trio were broken out of their little daydreaming as they carefully observed the newcomers. "Yeah! I'll teach them a lesson or two when I-!" She stopped her rant as she noticed three extra pairs of eyes on her. "Oh, I don't think I've seen them before." Flutters commented without much thought. "Hey! Quit staring you-YOU!" "SMOKE!" Maddie yelled, prompting Bliss to throw down a few balls that filled the room in black smoke immediately. "Fuck!" Bliss shouted in annoyance. "Just book it!" Maddie commanded as they ran through the streets of Ponyville, knocking down ponies in the process. Left in Sugarcube Corner, the two mares coughed as tears were falling from their eyes. They quickly made their way outside, hacking out smoke, to breathing fresh air. "Ugh, my eyes!" Ponies cried out in pain as those who got close to the smoke, quickly felt the aftereffects. "You good Flutters?" Rainbow asked, fighting through the pain. "I-I'll manage." She weakly replied as she continued to cough. "No you won't, I'll take you to a doc." She sternly said before flying off, taking Flutters with her. Ms. Cake ran out as well, confused as to what could've exploded outside the kitchen. Night quickly came. The moon held itself, high in the sky to look over Equestria. The stars shone brightly, accompanying the moon in its noble quest. Guards, personally selected by Princess Luna herself to be able to circle the entirety of Ponyville ten times over in one flight. The bat ponies, donned in purple armor, made from the highest quality steel. With predatory eyes and sharp fangs, they patrolled the town, searching for the suspects. Said suspects, were currently staying in a place, not a single creature would've suspected. Inside the one place, where it should've been the safest. *Sigh* Bliss let out a relieved sigh as the shadow of a guard walked past their place of hiding. "When do you think we can leave?" Bliss whispered to Maddie, who was busy tying up a knocked out guard. "I don't know, I wanted us to leave during the night, but these guys," he said as he tapped the guards' helmet, "can see perfectly fine in the dark" "What should we do then?" "We should, no, then, no that, fuck." Maddie walked back and forth as he struggled to come up with a feasible plan. Daisy's ears suddenly rose, prompting her to land on Maddie's mouth, shutting him up. Bliss held her breath as the three watched the door with tense expressions. Slowly, very slowly, the door opened a tiny bit. Maddie flexed his muscles, already in a position to strike. Daisy brought out her claws, prepared to react appropriately. Bliss already had her knife out, glowing a dull blue, ready to cut through anything that comes through. The door stayed still, just taunting the trio on what could come through. Not even the tiniest trace of a shadow showed under the door. But they didn't let their guard down, it's not the first time they didn't see the shadow before. As seconds passed, sweat formed slowly. The small gust of wind from the opened door teased their expectations. Seeing the door not moving, Maddie, as careful as he can, approached the door and peered through, only to find nothing. Letting out a heavy sigh, he silently closed the door and turned to Bliss. "For fuck's sake." Bliss smacked her face with her hoof, annoyed by the event. Daisy only sighed in annoyance. Princess Luna of the night, one of the few alicorns Equestria has to offer, was having a bad day. Currently working on an hour of sleep in two days, she had personally come down to Ponyville after a scroll had come in. A simple report of a theft is not important enough for her presence, but two of the Elements of Harmony had been injured in trying to pursue the thief, one even had to stay the night in the hospital as she had fainted from the amount of smoke she inhaled. Right after she heard of this, she skipped her sleep and chose to aid in catching them herself, alongside some of her trusted guards. But after a full day of searching, they came up empty, further angering the already enraged princess. So, choosing to at least try for one more day, she decided to spend the night in the castle of a fellow princess, Twilight Sparkle. Currently staying in her castle, Luna had chosen to take an evening walk before beginning her nightly duties, then she heard something. "What the? Who are you!" The muffled voice of someone called out. Taking a second to process the information, she quickly followed the sound to the source. A double door, one used for storage, although it didn't look even the slightest bit different from the rest of its siblings. She quickly bucked it open as time seemed to slow down for her. With her severe lack of sleep, coupled with the stress of being on full alert for the whole day, her reaction speed had been slowed down to one of a snail's speed. As her mind raced to form thoughts, a sore feeling formed under her jaw, along with the sensation of flipping backwards through the air. Her vision went upwards, and it didn't stop as it kept going up, eventually going down as it went past the point of looking upwards, turning to behind her. Until it eventually stopped as she stared at the ground. With her mind slowly blacking out, she heard a loud gasp, followed by a worried voice calling out to her. And during all that, a single thought dominated her mind. "Was that a foal?" > Criminals > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "PRINCESS!" Maddie quickly silenced the guard by kicking him into the wall, fully knocking him out. "Fuck, tie her up, we'll take her hostage. Daisy, you're free to roam." Maddie made the decision as the sounds of hooves thumping were resonating through the castle. Daisy quickly climbed upwards, completely disappearing into the shadows as she soon vanished. Bliss stuck a block in the blue alicorn's chest, ropes extended from the block, fully restricting her movements. Dragging Luna through the castle halls, the trio sprinted without direction, slowly going up and up. Right as they were about to turn a corner, a pair of guards appeared. Letting go of Luna, Maddie instantly threw the first punch. Alas, the pegasus acted fast, blocking his punch as the other tried to pierce Maddie. As the spearhead reached ever closer, its path was interrupted by a knife with a dull glow. Bliss grimaced as sparks flew from her parry, fully knocking the spear away. Maddie used the chance and rotated on his free front hoof and put his hind legs behind the one who blocked. Pulling hard, he staggered the guard ever so slightly, giving him the chance to deliver an uppercut. Bliss rushed in instantly, completely ignoring her brother's opponent and gave a normal cut, which was unfortunately blocked as her opponent brought a sword from his side. Sparks ignited as the stared at the other behind their respective blades, but Bliss was focusing on something else. After only a few seconds, she lost the struggle as she jumped back, plugging a wire into her knife from inside her cloak. Several blue lights shone through the cloth, creating a chilling image. Maddie's uppercut took the guard by surprise, hitting at enough force to launch his helmet away. Taking the chance, Maddie grabbed the stunned guards neck and used it as leverage to flip the guard over him. Crystal shards flew as the pristine floor was now ruined with a hole in its place. Bliss's knife glowed at a brighter hue, hinting at something as the guard got nervous. To him, the filly had ridiculous strength for her age, as if she's worked out for her whole life. Bliss charged forward, prompting the guard to focus on her. He's both more skilled and powerful, so he will win if he's just careful. But that thought was broken to pieces in their very first exchange. His sword met her knife. Fully expecting another exchange, he prepared his body. Only for the knife to go through the sword, completely melting the point of contact. Bliss smirked once again, this time hitting the hard steel of the armor. Melting through the armor, the guard screamed in pain at the scorching feeling. Until he felt a hard tap behind his neck, causing him to slowly lose consciousness. "Let's move." Maddie commanded as Bliss removed the plug from her knife, the glow from both her knife and cloak faded away. Dragging the princess through the halls once more, they rushed to anywhere they could leave without getting caught. "HALT! HOW DARE YOU BRING HARM TO THE PRINCESS!" Hearing the shout, Maddie grabbed Luna by the neck as he held her towards the guards. "BACK OFF! I HAVE A HOSTAGE!" This was not what they had wanted to do. Bliss acted quickly, putting a knife to Luna's neck as she stared sharply at the guards. More and more stomping of hooves rang throughout the castle halls, making the situation even worse for the duo. But, they can still make it. They've been through worse. "Don't panic Bliss, we'll get out fine" "I fucking know that" Their little banter ended as Maddie was about to negotiate. Until. A pair bluish green eyes opened. In the hallways, only lit by the moonlight, stood our duo. Breathing heavily through gritted teeth, Maddie groaned as he tried to stay quiet as he slumped against the crystal wall. Bliss took half of his jacket off of him and put the sleeve in his mouth as he bit hard. Blood flowed to the ground in worrying amounts. Knowing that there wasn't much of a choice, Maddie started to mentally prepare himself for the oncoming pain. Bliss took off her cloak, revealing a few gears for her cutie mark and a metal construct half her size. She took it off as she pressed on a few latches, opening it up. Bringing out two bottles from her storage of sorts, she opened one filled with clean water, and the other with a brown liquid. "Open your mouth." Bliss demanded silently. Maddie complied, letting go of his jacket for a drink. Tasting the harsh alcohol, he was patiently waiting for it to numb his pain for a bit. Bliss breathed in and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself as she stared at the wound on Maddie's side. Maddie bit back into his jacket as he waited for the oncoming pain. Bliss, after sufficiently calming down, poured water over the gaping wound. Maddie's muffled screams rang through the hallway as he struggled to stay put. Eyes bulging, he breathed erratically as Bliss tried to hold him down. "FUCK! MADDIE, STAY PUT OR I'LL SILENCE YOU MYSELF!" Bliss yelled in both frustration and desperation as more blood flooded the floor. Hearing her voice, Maddie calmed himself as much as he could, breathing heavily as if he's just went through the hardest exercise he's ever known. Grunting through the pain, he painfully grabbed the bottle of whiskey. Taking in gulps at a time, he coughed a bit. "Good, it means your organs are fine." Bliss told him after seeing that there was no blood in his cough. "You, *cough*, sure that's, *inhale*, how that works?" Maddie asked, full of pain as he grimaced hard. "It doesn't fucking matter." Bliss harshly said as she brought out more items from her storage. "For fuck's sake, I didn't think my first try at sewing would be like this" "You know how?" He asked with a raspy voice. Bliss tore into her backpack, breaking it down to build something else. "I had to have a few hobbies when I wasn't working." Bliss said with sarcasm, attempting to disperse the tenseness of the situation. Sparks of electricity flew out from exposed wires, a few scrapes from breaking the plates. Folding it all by ripping pieces off of her robe, she squashed it on the ground, making a nest like shape. Placing one final metal, shaped somewhat like bowl from it being a corner of the bag, on top of the gathered wires, she poured some of the water into it. "Alright asshole, just wait for a minute or so, you can stay alive until fucking water boils right?" Bliss asked with a nervous smile as she started organising the items she brought out. "Sure." Maddie replied, albeit much weaker than before. Bliss, with a grimace, placed the items in her desired place, in reach if she needed it. A few tiny sparks, and smoke rose from underneath the water bowl. Maddie tried to shift his position, only to frown harder as pain came from an unexpected place. "Hey, don't fucking move." Bliss angrily said. "Ugh, sis, I need you to check my shoulder" "What." She said with more worry. Taking the rest of his jacket off, she clenched her teeth as another gash appeared on the shoulder. She stared back at the water, noticing that a small fire started. "Fuck it, this one isn't too deep, I think we cauterize it." Bliss said as she brought out her knife. "You sure?" Maddie asked, knowing what she would have to ruin. "We both know how serious it can be if wounds get infected, so yes." She replied as she took a random piece of sharp metal. Poking in seemingly random positions, Bliss finally manages to loosen the edge of the blade. Forcing out more parts, pieces of the tech used to heat the knife fell to the ground. Finally taking out the last piece, a small stone with the power of a previous dragon lord, she was left with something that could barely be called a knife. Without barely even a single edge, a crooked piece of metal, shone in the light of the fire. Bliss shoved the metal part into the fire, heating it up considerably. She turned to look at Maddie. "Ready?" Maddie took one last gulp of the whiskey, finishing it before nodding. Releasing a deep breathe, Maddie held the leather in his mouth as he stared at the glowing metal piece, coming closer and closer. Loud hissing noise came from his shoulder as the hall started to smell like burnt flesh. Maddie's eyes widened in pain, screaming as he did everything in his power to not move. "JUST A TINY BIT MORE MADDIE, COME ON! YOU'VE GONE THROUGH WORSE!" Bliss shouted, hoping to give some relief to him. Eyes slightly becoming wet from the pain, Maddie just clenched his teeth harder into the leather, almost tearing it apart from the amount of force he used. After a few seconds, Bliss judged that it was enough and pulled it back, sighing in relief as no pieces of flesh or such were stuck to the knife. Cutting more into her robe, she made a makeshift bandage and wrapped the wound after wetting it with some water. Finding the water over the fire boiling, she used her magic. A few sparks appeared as magic coiled around her horn, acting like electricity as the bowl was lifted off and slowly placed on the ground. "Don't push yourself Bliss." Maddie said as sweat poured down from Bliss's forehead. "Shut it." Bliss snapped back, grunting slightly as she levitated a sewing needle and metal strings inside the boiling hot water. With great effort, she slides one end of the metal string into the sewing needle. Fully cleansing it, she holds it in her hoof as the sparks around her horn die down. "Alright, the final stretch." Bliss roughly said as she breathed hard from the overuse of magic. "I'm ready." Maddie replied before gulping dry air. Bliss nodded. Slowly, the needle approached the slash in his side. Constantly shaking, Bliss felt a stinging pain in her eyes as her vision went slightly blurry, consumed by the thoughts of losing Maddie. Until, she felt a weight on her head. "Hey, don't worry, don't forget what I taught you." Maddie told her with a low voice as his hoof patted the top of her head. Shakily taking a breath, Bliss let it out, calming her body as she swiped her eyes once to get rid of the forming tears. Now, with conviction, she brought the needle to the wound. "UGH." Maddie growled, but managed to keep still enough as the whiskey he drank did its wonders. Taking deep breaths, Bliss concentrated as she pushed the needle further, piercing through the other end of the gap. Taking even deeper breaths, Maddie looked upwards to deal with the pain as his face was enveloped with a large frown. "One done, just, about twelve more to go." Bliss commented nervously as her mouth went dry from the stress. Letting out one more breath, Maddie steeled his mind, trying to distract himself from the pain. "Alright, here we go." Bliss told him. "GAH! FUCK!" "Hang in there Maddie, only one more to go." Bliss said as she took tired breaths. Despite having spent about forty minutes on the wound, it felt like she had worked nonstop for a whole month. "Shit. Damn it. Fuck." Maddie constantly spewed out curses, trying to expel the pain out of him along with anger and frustration. He was currently tied to the wall, the blood that painted his body being mostly dried off. Several holes were formed in the wall behind him, roped with hooks embedded deep into it, holding him back from flailing around from pain. The wound was mostly closed, looking like someone had stitched a tear in their favorite stuffed toy. "Alright, the last one." Bliss told him, feeling like she's more energized than ever. Maddie, hearing that the end of his suffering was close, gained more hope as he bit into his leather jacket, having left plenty of permanent teeth marks by now. "Phuuuuuuuuck!" His muffled cries were left unattended as the bloody needle pierced through his skin. His hoof, the one with the uninjured shoulder, banged the wall repeatedly. Already cracked from the amount of punches Maddie gave it. "DONE!" Bliss shouted happily, glad that their impromptu surgery was successful. Maddie stared up, giving it his all to stay conscious as his mouth hung open, allowing the jacket to drop down. Bliss tore through the rest of her cloak as she used it all to bandage Maddie's entire gut section. After a tight binding, they sat there. Staring at each other, they broke into smiles as small chuckles left their mouths. "Gah, fuck." Maddie cursed as his side hurt from his laughing. "Careful, you lost a lot of blood." Bliss pointed to the ground where a puddle of blood formed a pool as she started to loosen the ropes holding Maddie. "Doesn't matter, we gotta start moving. They said that one was a princess, it's a miracle we haven't been attacked yet." He stood up shakily, prompting Bliss to try to support him with her shorter height as she thought about the alicorn. Bliss simply stared at the body on the ground. In the hall, over a dozen guards stay sprawled on the ground. Some were bleeding while most others were simply knocked out. Most, being the keyword as Maddie stared at one of the unicorns. This one was different, as the neck was twisted a full circle. Although Maddie had this aim in mind, he was sure that he only performed a simple buck. Having killed enough that he lost count, Maddie couldn't care about adding one more to the number, or the way he performed it. He was just annoyed by his gut telling him that this was going to bite him in the ass down the line. Bliss, however, was focusing her gaze on the only body, different from the rest. With a fierce frown on her face, Bliss glared at the body of Luna with soul drenching bloodlust, heavy enough to drop the temperature of the area by several times. Until she felt the familiar soft rubbing on her head. "Leave her, we'll really be hunted down if we kill her." Maddie told her while patting her head. Bliss nodded lightly in response. Looking around the area, Bliss sighed as she knows she'll have to rebuild all her stuff. Maddie stared for a few seconds at her figure, noticing that her body felt much colder. "Here." Maddie told her whilst putting his jacket on her. "This shit's too big." Bliss happily complained. "The fucking cloak was too big, but that didn't stop you from wearing it." Maddie replied with a soft smile. She chuckled as a response after putting the jacket on. "Shit, gimme a cig." Maddie told her. Feeling a slight bump on her chest, Bliss went through the pockets and brought out a white box. "Here." She put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with her magic. "Thank you" They once again, start their little journey throughout the castle. Walking through hallways upon hallways, the duo met up with their friend rabbit, who was heavily breathing while covered in blood. As she angrily spouted, something, at the duo, she stopped mid rant as she noticed the injuries. "Yeah yeah, I got hurt, you don't gotta rub it in." Maddie tiredly told Daisy, who was shaking her head with exasperated expression. Slight thumping sounds suddenly started to echo through the area. Maddie tried to stay on the defensive, but failed to keep steady with his injuries as Bliss was too busy holding him. Daisy, noticing the situation, quickly scaled the ceiling for a plan. "Hello? Anypony there?" A tired voice called out. The duo stayed silent, having long since hid in the shadows, waiting to see who it was. "If you're hurt, I ca-." The voice was interrupted. Walking out of the shadows and into the moonlight, there was the purple alicorn. Daisy was wrapped around her neck, sharp claws threatening to cut into the throat at any moment. "You-" She was cut off. As the claws held on tighter, drawing a small amount of blood, the pain told the alicorn, not to try anything. "Move." Maddie told her with a cold voice. Twilight Sparkle, fearfully looking at the duo with wide eyes, carefully followed the instruction silently. Maddie, however, was starting to stumble. "Fuck it, let's go here." Bliss told the crew as she led Maddie to a random door. The door opened, revealing a dark room, completed with a bed that had a purple blanket on top, a simple drawer with a lamp on top, a big carpet in the middle with Twilight's cutie mark etched on it. A simple wardrobe close to the wall, and two big windows with curtains. A single door with towels stacked on a shelf next to it. "Don't try shit." Bliss said to Twilight before rummaging through the drawers and wardrobes. Maddie laid down on the carpet, ragged breathing sounds filled the room as he was close to passing out from exhaustion. Twilight wanted to say something, ask if he was alright, or carry him to a hospital. Anything to help, but with them not trusting her in the slightest, as well as the sharp claws holding her hostage told her not to try. Filled with both worry and fear, she simply chose to wait for a chance to speak up. "Fuck! Seriously? What the hell kind of moron doesn't keep anything useful in their rooms." Bliss yelled angrily as she kicked the extra door open, revealing a bathroom thoroughly checked. "Those with luxury?" Maddie replied with a smirk. "Yeah. That's why I said moron." Bliss responded with her own smirk. Twilight was just slightly offended at their exchange. Daisy let out a few rabbit noises, grabbing the attention of the duo as they just lie down. "Alright, we'll rest for a bit, and leave before sunrise. We should be fine since took care of the night guards, and the day ones won't come before their shift." Maddie planned it out, completely ignoring the fact that Twilight was there. "What about her?" Bliss asked while pointing her head to Twilight. Maddie simply stared at Twilight as simulations upon simulations ran through his head, trying to see every possible outcome, even with the biggest variables. "She's weaker than the blue one, so we'll use her until we get away, somehow." He finished. "Aight, makes sense." Bliss replied. Twilight was simply worried now, for she didn't know the state of Luna. In the royal castle of Canterlot, a very distressed mare was trying to calm herself down. "Come ooon, Celestia, she'll be fine, Lulu is a fully grown mare after all, she's even staying with Twilight, nothing is going to happen" The alicorn of the sun. Celestia of the day, was very worried about her sister. Despite wanting to head down there herself, she was also tied down by her royal duties, and her sister specifically told her not to follow her. She's aware that she has been treating her sister as if she were a foal, but by the stars, she could not see her any other way than her precious little sister. Even if, she tends to let out a few less than pleasant thoughts. "Yes, Fluttershy is not really a fighter, and Rainbow Dash is known to be impulsive. So it's not too big of a surprise if they were defeated by thieves. Surely, Luna, with her thousands of years of experience in combat, and the guards she took with her, will be completely fine." She finished her little rant with a relieved breath as she sat down by her fireplace with a cup of steaming tea. The fireplace was magically lit despite having nothing to burn on. The evening gust felt more comfortable than chilling. The simple blend of one of Celestia's favorite tea, calmed her down quite nicely. As she let out a soft sigh, the smallest trace of magic came to her. She watched with small anticipation as the gust of green magic turned to fire, before swiftly being replaced by a white scroll. Her calmness, however, was broken by the traces of blood on the parchment. Any thoughts of it being red paint was broken by the small traces of iron wafting off the spots. Trying not to freak out, she quickly unrolled the scroll and read its contents. With widened eyes, she quickly stood up to leave. "GUARDS!" She yelled, her voice reverberating through the castle. "Your highness." The ponies, looking oddly similar to one another, fully donned in golden armor, came in the room and bowed. "Tell Captain Sword Edge to take his stallions, and head straight to Ponyville as fast as he can, tell him to land at Twilight's Castle." With that, she disappeared in a flash of light. Appearing inside the Castle of Friendship, Celestia hastily started to check the rooms one by one with a glowing horn, hoping to find her sister. Bodies were scattered throughout here and there. Guards that she had sent as support, and a few specialists from Luna's personal regimen. She closed the wounds of those who would have died, and awoke those who were only knocked out. Then she spotted someone she knew. "Spike!" Celestia shouted louder than intended as she ran up to the poor dragon. The small dragon was huddled up, terrified by something as his scales were colored red on random spots. "P-princess." He looked up with a stutter as tears were flowing from his eyes. "Spike, tell me what happeened." Celestai demanded peacefully. "I-I don't know, I wanted something to drink, then, then, there were just, guards laying there, and-and my feet felt wet, so I ran, and, I wanted to tell Twilight, but she was missing, and I, I panicked." He finished his story while supressing sobs. "Alright, you're safe now, I'll get to the bottom of this." Celestia told him as she placed him on her back and teleported.