INTRODUCE A LITTLE ANARCHY

A/N: Sorry about the gap in updates again! This time, Hellsing was at fault.


"How're ya holdin' up back there?"

"My wing still hurts... but I'll be okay. You?"

Russell opened his mouth, working out his lower jaw for a moment before closing it. "Well, ahm still in one piece. Somehow mah jaws're still flappin', despite the fact that ah should've had it dislocated by that uppercut."

Cassie put on a mock pout, letting out a huff. "Oh, darn. I was just hoping you would've gotten a broken jaw. It would've been good punishment for letting your trap run longer than what was necessary." She let out a yelp of surprise when Russell bucked a little, making her body bounce a little before settling back down on his back.

"Don't make me play "ride the bull" with you, chickadee." The stallion snorted. "Ah may be a bit winded from the scuffle ah just had, and you may have a broken wing. But that ain't gonna stop me from shakin' you up a lil' if I wanted to." As he felt her nuzzle the back of his head, he reached up with one of his forehooves to tilt his hat forward a little to keep the brim from poking at her. The movement sent a slight ache within that particular leg – a hint of just how tired he really was. Even breathing in the air that blew at his fur didn't help him out very much. Cassie's front legs wrapped around his neck in such a comfortable manner made him all the more envious of where she was.

"Sure..." The mare rolled her eyes, tightening her hold just enough to cause Russell to wince in discomfort. "Give me a reason to accidentally choke the life out of you. I'm sure even you aren't that stupid."

"Ahm pretty sure a girlie like you don't have what it takes to even press mah windpipe to the back of mah throat-"

Cassie abruptly tightened her hold, eliciting a sharp gag from him and nearly caused him to reel back. It was enough to make him take back his statement.

"Ey, ey! What the hell're you doin'?.! I'm still flyin' here, you want us to fall?.!"

He earned a light scoff in response, but the legs around his neck loosened their hold, and he could breathe easy again. He let out a heavy sigh, taking a look down at the world below them. From the trees to the man-made constructs to the moving individuals, everything seemed so small. It made him wonder why he couldn't simply just stay up here and keep flying. Of course, that could be amounted to his exhaustion as well as the burden he was bearing on his back. He couldn't carry Cassie around forever, and he certainly couldn't keep flying forever. But there was just no place to rest. After all, he had no idea how quickly the news about them would spread.

It was here that his gaze fell upon a rather large cloud that was a few yards away from his position.

"All right, Cassie. This is where we make a pit stop."

"I don't have to go-"

Cassie's protest was interrupted by another light buck from Russell, causing her to emit another yelp. "Not what ah mean, ya git!" He growled, nodding over towards the cloud. "Ahm not gonna last much longer if ah keep flyin' aimlessly like a moron. So we're gonna go take a rest over on that comfy-lookin' cloud over there."

"...cloud?" Cassie asked skeptically. "Really, Russell? How exactly are we gonna rest on such a "comfy-looking" cloud? It's nothing but visible gas-" However, she immediately stopped herself once she remembered the nature of their situation. "Y...you know what? I take that back. Considering that there are unicorns, pegasi, and the fact that we're supposed to be dead, I don't think anything will surprise me anymore. Let's go stop at the cloud!"

With an amused grin, Russell flew the remaining distance needed to make it to the cloud before slowing down, hovering over it for a moment before gingerly placing his hooves on where he assumed to be the top.

In truth, he had been expecting his theory to be completely wrong and that he would sink through the cloud entirely. So when he felt all four of his hooves settle down onto a soft and solid surface, he was certainly surprised. He blinked for a few moments, tapping at the cloud with a wary hoof just to see if it would suddenly collapse. All the action did was kick up a few wasps of its material in the air. The cloud was indeed stable.

He was so enthralled at this fact that he didn't notice Cassie slide off of his back until he heard her voice again.

"Well, what do ya know? Yet another illogical fact in this pretend world..." She muttered, taking a few steps away from him in order to take a closer look. The cloud's size could be compared to a small field and was big enough for the two to frolic about as much as they pleased. As the mare lay on her stomach, she found the soft quality of the cotton-like structure much more comfortable than she would've assumed. Without a moment's pause, she rolled over onto her back and sighed, allowing herself to soak in the comfort of the puffy material on her back and the sun beaming down on her. "At the very least, this one is something I can't complain about."

"You and me both, sister..." Russell agreed, walking up to her. Moving himself so that he was laying on his back, he rested the back of his head against Cassie's stomach. After sliding his Stetson down to cover his eyes, he folded his forehooves behind his back and crossed one hind leg over the other. "Though, ah gotta say..." He sniffed a little. "Ah could do without the smell o' blood, though."

"Oh, shut up." Cassie huffed, folding her front legs across her chest. "You reek of it worse than I do!"

"True, true..."

A silence swept over them, broken only by the chirps of the birds flying past them. Then...

"...what did it feel like?" Cassie asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"When we were fighting those guards... I couldn't help but notice the fact that your eyes were glowing. Normally, I would've assumed you were just as angry as I was... but... well..." She found herself stumbling over her words, nervousness clear. "Considering that we were literally punching their heads off... and... back at the beginning of it all, when all of that rage just suddenly popped up in my head... I don't think-"

Fortunately, Russell cut her off before she could fear that she was sounding stupid. "I know one thing. None o' that was normal."

"You're sure about that...?"

"Yup. Unless ah suddenly got diagnosed as bipolar, there's no way we could've switched from hopeless to ax crazy in just a few seconds. And there's certainly no way in hell that either one o' us would be able to punch someone's head clean off if this was somethin' normal."

"...you seem awfully calm about this."

Russell snorted. "What? Y'all expect me to panic o'er it? It may not have been normal, but it got us outta there with the breaths still in our bodies. But to answer yer question..." He drew in a deep breath, pausing for a moment in order to collect his thoughts. "What I felt durin' that little phase was... well, it was as if mah body were actin' on its own. Ah mean, ah could still think, ah could still speak, ah could still feel myself... but it was as if all o' me had been put under the control o' someone else."

"Just like I felt..." Cassie's expression as well as her tone expressed mild apprehension. "But... for me, it was like any thoughts that I got were pushed to the back of my head... other than the desire to kill. I couldn't think of anything else..." She moved her folded front legs moved to hug herself, feeling a sudden chill wash over her despite the warmth of the sun. Now that she had said it out loud, it seemed even more wrong and unnatural than what she had thought it to be... maybe even more than what it probably was. "I...I don't want that to happen again..."

"...there's a million things that we didn't want to happen. But did our wants stop any of it?"

The nihilistic and bitter change of tone was jarring, nearly causing Cassie to jolt up in shock, her heart skipping a beat. She looked to Russell, but he had not moved at all from his position. Under the brim of his heat, she could see the eye closest to her regard her with a dead yet intense gaze. "None o' us wanted the lives we got. None o' us wanted to be regarded as cutthroat criminals without a cause. None o' us wanted to die. But that was the result we got, damn it. No one gave a damn about us or what we wanted." With each and every word spoken, his malice was becoming clear little by little, and Cassie found herself becoming scared by the minute.

"Russell, what's wrong with you-"

In an instant, Russell had leaped up from his position, and before Cassie knew it, she found the pressure of his body on hers. She let out a gasp as the wind was partially knocked out of her body, recoiling when he slammed his forehooves in the areas beside her head. Her heart was pounding, and she was rendered completely speechless when he lowered his forehead, his teeth bared in a feral and aggressive manner.

"Maybe you didn't wanna be stuck in the body of a pony...maybe you didn't want to be alive instead o' dead. Maybe you didn't want to get speared in the wing by that soldier! But it happened! And you know somethin' else? It's gonna happen again! So how about you shut up and get over yourself?"

"I-I'm sorry, Russell...! I...I just...!"

The fangs were hidden and the glare was whisked away as quickly as they had come the moment Russell saw Cassie's face. Her face was turned away, her eyes were shut, and tears spilling out of the lids. He could feel her heart beating against both of their chests with such ferocity, as if it were trying to rip away from her. After her statement, she was too shaken up to say anymore and had taken to quietly sobbing. All in all, she was reacting as if he was going to strike her. That was enough to force his anger at her back and suppress it once more.

This time, the silence lasted longer. Slowly, Cassie gained the courage to raise her tear-stained face to point to Russell's, her eyes slowly opening to meet his. Instead of the fury that had been present a moment ago, she saw nothing but weary regretfulness. This gave her the courage to speak up again in an attempt to defend herself.

"I'm...I'm scared, Russell..." She said pleadingly. "How am I supposed to get over something like this? It's so unreal, so imaginable, and so... surreal! We don't even know if we're just repeating history with what we just did! And what... what about Silas? What happened to him? Where is he, in all this? There are just too many questions swirling around in my head right now, all right? I don't understand anything around here and that... is making me afraid."

"...yeah..."

Slowly, the stallion got off of her and slid to one side of her, laying on his side and turning himself to face her. "Me, too, Cass..." He said quietly. "Now lay on yer side and face away from me."

"Huh?"

"We might as well get some rest while we still can. We're probably gonna have a long journey ahead o' us if we wanna find at least some ground to stand on in this upside-down world." A small smile crossed his face, and a chuckle escaped his lips. "Who knows? Maybe this is some screwed-up dream and we're all gonna wake up like nothin' happened." It was enough to convey that the anger had completely dissipated, allowing Cassie to give a weak chuckle of her own.

"Don't get my hopes up, Russell. I'm supposed to be the thinker out of the three of us, remember?"

"Right... and even if it isn't, we'll make sure to find ol' York before everything's all over and done with."

Slowly, Cassie allowed herself to do as she was told, shifting herself on her side and facing away from him. Russell moved forward, wrapping his front legs around her waist and bringing her closer to him. A shiver ran down her spine as he buried her face within her neck, and she found herself blushing slightly. Thankfully, the stallion didn't seem to notice any of it. Otherwise, she was sure he would've never let her hear the end of it.

As the two of them closed their eyes, she heard him whisper one last line.

"In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

And she whispered back.

"Amen."

The two of them fell fast asleep, the exhaustion finally taking over their bodies.


Within the town of Ponyville, Silas found himself sitting in the very spot where he started – that bench.

He was laying on his stomach, his hooves carrying his newly borrowed book. He stared at it with a distant gaze, concentrating on the book and its contents. But the distance of his gaze showed that his mind wasn't entirely on what he was reading. Sometimes, it would pay attention to the other ponies walking around him. Sometimes, it would be distracted by the cool breeze that occasionally blew through the area and the birds flying overhead. But these were just minor distractions, as far as he was concerned. What overtook both of these inconveniences was the storm that consisted of his own history swirling around in his head.

Occasionally, he would flip to a different page and study it for a moment in the brief moments that it had his attention. He would skim through it, analyze the important parts, realize that it wasn't something that added up with his current situation, and then drift back into his head some more. It was a pattern of his mind drifting in and out of awareness – something it tended to do once it was relaxed enough. But upon repetitive execution, all of this began to merge into one another bit by bit, making it harder for him to keep them separate from each other...

A sharp pain attacked his hoof when he turned the next page, causing him to wince and hiss a little. He raised the affected hoof in order to look at the underside.

A paper cut. It went straight down the middle, with the blood running down and dripping on the bench. He let out a low, aggravated sigh as he looked at it for a moment. He didn't care to bring any bandages with him, for he didn't think he would've had to deal with something as minor as a paper-cut. He certainly wasn't going back to the hospital just to ask for something as stupid as a band-aid, and even then, there was the fact of the earlier "incident" that he was not eager to repeat. But still, he couldn't let himself just bleed out like what he was doing.

Raising the hoof up to his face, he put his mouth around it.

Once the fluid hit his taste buds, however, he instantly stopped all movement, and his heart almost stopped beating.

Warm.

Salty.

Iron.

Bittersweet.

Suddenly, he was back at his home prior to its burning. No longer was he in the body of a pony sitting on a bench, but rather the body of his twelve-year-old self sitting on the back of his bound-and-gagged father. He could see himself with the jagged-edge knife in hand, using its teeth to tear through the throat of his screaming victim. He could feel himself smiling as he completed the decapitation, letting the head fall to the floor and roll unceremoniously away. But most of all, he could feel the blood staining his hands with its crimson color and its fleeting warmth. But it hadn't been enough. It was never enough.

The price could never be paid with the blood of two victims.

He could not be satisfied with this simple paper cut. He had to have more.

His teeth ground down on the cut, and he ignored the sharp ache that went through his foreleg. This caused the wound to open up more, and a bit more of his own blood spilled out. With his tongue, he swept the entire base of his hoof, lapping up every single drop before it could hit the bench. The warmth that spilled down his tongue, the warmth of his breath hitting the underside, and the sharp pains he felt every time the tip agitated the cut sent shivers down his spine. It was simply delicious.

"...okay, that's just gross. Even I wouldn't dare to do that, especially in public."

The slightly appalled and disgusted voice of his employer caused him to stop in his tracks out of shock. He held the liquid that had built up within his mouth in his cheek for a few seconds. However, once realization set in, his surprise was quick to change to irritation. He leaned his head over the bench, spitting out the blood onto the grass behind him. He remained silent for a moment, listening as the voice in his head continued its rant.

"The moment I turn back around, I find you making out with your own hoof. I mean, I may be a bad guy myself, but at least I hold some decency! Don't you know you could get diseases from doing that kind of stuff? I mean, we may not have had the best of histories towards each other, but trying to get out of this by killing yourself with a disease is certainly not a way to go. If you really want to, at least go jump off a cliff or something. Far less painful and disturbing to look at..."

He was making it clear that he didn't really care. So Silas decided to interrupt him.

"What... do you want?" He sent the blunt question back to the telepathic messenger, resting his cheek on his affected hoof. Thanks to his actions, the bleeding had stopped, and the only thing bothering him was the ache. But that was something that he could easily ignore, especially in the face of his biggest annoyances."I thought you said that you would be leaving me alone. You know... as in... be gone?"

"Of course!" For some reason, the voice sounded impressed that he remembered what had been said in the hospital. "But I also said that I would be checking up on you from time to time. After all, I still need you for the plans I have in mind. So it would be highly appreciated if you didn't try and take your own life, when there's still so much left to explain."

"Like you're going to tell me everything, when all you've been saying to me was that you weren't going to tell me anything. That's a pretty good reason to assume you're going to leave me in the dark to the very end."

"Oh? Well, if I explained everything at once, it wouldn't be as fun and you wouldn't learn anything from your experience... which leads me to the reason I'm here. I'd like you to turn to the second red page of your little book."

It was here that Silas turned his eyes to the book in full interest. Now that he had noticed it, there were two red pages in the book judging from the brims. His eyebrows furrowed quizzically – a sign that the voice was quick to take as a nonverbal question. The answer was delivered in a dismissive tone, clearly not finding them important.

"My old friend Twilight Sparkle colored the pages of the most recent mythological events for reference and remembrance. As you can see, these happenings are rare. You can read up on the rest of those later."

So Silas flipped over to said page, his eyes falling over to the picture that was shown in the right-hand color.

The picture was of a stained glass window that looked as if it had come from a church. The background consisted of a mass of swirling colors representing different things such as the sky, sun, and the earth. But what the stallion was paying attention to was the three individuals in the center. Two of them were alicorns, one white and one black. Their positions indicated that they were circling the third individual, who could be best described as a snake-like figure with claws. When Silas had analyzed it fully, the voice started back up again.

"See that handsome devil dead center? That, Mr. York, would just so happen to be me. I was and still am known as Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony! At that time period, I was the cream of the crop, the king of the world, and the ruler of all existence! Everyone and everything below me either cowered or fled into their faux shelters in an attempt to protect themselves from me. But that didn't stop me from turning everything topsy-turvy, no siree! As a matter of fact, there was no one that opposed my rule, no one who dared to defy me. They knew I was far too powerful to be subdued by the likes of them!"

If it was something that Silas hated, it was narcissism and pride over the dominance of others – and this stranger was expressing that in full-force.

He grit his teeth slightly, feeling his heart race a little. But he managed to keep control of his tone. "I see... so, in other words, you're pretty much a tyrant. I should've known that, considering how much fun you're having manipulating me to your whim-"

"Oh, no no no no no, you've got it wrong, dear boy!" The voice abruptly cut him off, albeit sounding amused by his challenge. "You see, my rule was not intended. In fact, that, along with the populace cowering, was merely a side effect. In truth, the amount of chaos I unleashed among the world was the way that I preferred to express my freedom. Before I came to play, everything was dull, everypony was living normal lives, and the days just dragged by." Its words were enough to make the anger fade away, and it knew that it had Silas where he wanted. The final sentence drove the nail in.

"Expressing freedom is something you should approve of. After all, that's what you were doing before I met you, wasn't it?"

It was a statement that froze Silas from the inside out.

Expressing freedom. Showing the world what resulted from a controlled and manipulated society. Unleashing the pent-up fury that had built up from the years of abuse that he suffered from his parents and his false friends. All of these were motives six-year-long rampage that he had started in Texas. It came in the form of fire-bombing houses, major destruction of property, and the slaughter of those who had dared to get in his way. He could almost feel the handles of the twin machetes he had used when ambushing and killing hapless cops who had came too close to finding them out. It was a thrill that was made more satisfying when coupled with the knowledge that they had deserved it.

But still, did it justify what Discord had claimed to do?

"Th...all of the ones I killed deserved to die!"

"And the ones I dealt with didn't? Don't bark before you know everything, boy." The voice chided coolly.

"What could they have possibly done to you that was so bad, oh spirit of chaos and disharmony?" Silas shot back.

"Can you say "imprisonment in stone for a thousand years"?"

The voice silenced Silas immediately, and the voice took that as a sign to continue.

"All I really did was stir things up a little, make everypony's lives more interesting. But the alicorn princesses, Celestia and Luna, didn't like that. They liked their boring and repetitive immortal life so much that they decided to imprison me into a stone for a thousand years. A thousand years, being able to know the world but not be able to interact with it at all! Fortunately, the only thing negative that happened as a result is me getting extremely bored. Of course, that only brings up the "What ifs" in the case of someone with a worse mentality..."

Then...

"One can only wonder if the leading monarchy dealt with opposition in the same manner..."

One of Silas's hooves slammed onto the wooden bench with a resounding smack, earning a few but momentary glances in his direction. But the blood-boiling anger in his system would not let him notice. His teeth was bared, and his eyes exhibited a livid visage. The deep breaths he took was not enough to soothe the emotions raging inside of him. From where he stood now, Discord's stance was completely justified. What the princesses did was inexcusable and unforgivable, but the possibility that they had done the same with others? No one deserved to suffer such a fate.

"And how long was their reign...?" He asked, the rage seeping through every word.

One could hear the smile in Discord's voice.

"A little bit over a thousand years, my boy."

"...what do you want me to do?"

"What you've done best. The deaths of the so-called goddesses of Equestria will throw the world once again into chaos and anarchy. I would do it myself, but that would be far too obvious – hence the reason I have called you here. You are the only one capable of getting it done... but be forewarned: though their powers have transferred to a group of others, they will still be a challenge to take down. Don't worry, though... you'll be able to in due time."

"And who are these "others"?"

"The wielders of the Elements of Harmony, a.k.a., the six ponies you first met."

Silas's eyes narrowed into contemplating slits, and he found himself indirectly staring at the open book again. On one hand, this was a relief for him. He had been worrying about trying to gain their trust while keeping them in the dark at the same time, but now those efforts might have well been moot considering they would be his enemies in the near future. It was no longer a mandatory thing. He could reveal his true colors to them without consequence of betraying any of his emotions.

But on the other hand... that would possibly be devastating for the yellow pegasus known as Fluttershy.

"Ey, York. Why so serious?" Discord quipped.

"Don't make me stab you in the face." Silas's eye twitched once. "If we ever actually meet face-to-face, that is."

"Oh, all right, all right, such a kill-joy. But really now. What's there to think about? Obviously, you're not that close with any one of them, so I doubt you can consider them friends... despite what they think about you. So what could possibly be on your mind, my dear boy?"

"It's... Fluttershy." Silas physically breathed a heavy sigh as he mentally spoke the words."I know we've only just met each other, but... in all honesty, I don't think I could ever raise a blade to someone like her. She's too kindhearted and gentle. I don't think she holds a bone of malice of hatred in her entire body! It doesn't matter even if she's another heathen in the bunch of 'em."

"Oh, so you're taking up a soft spot for the nature girl, huh?" Discord said teasingly, before taking on a more thoughtful tone. "Yes, that does seem like a bit of a problem for you. But when the time comes, she most likely will stick with her friends. In that case, what will you do? What will you allow yourself to do when she points her blade at you?"

Silence. Silas lowered his head a little, his slightly unruly black hair overshadowing his eyes and his ears flopping down. There was no avoiding that scenario, if what Discord said was true. But it didn't make the decision any less harder to make. He really didn't want to make an enemy out of the pure-hearted. But he could only go one way if he wanted to accomplish this goal. He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself for a moment before answering.

"What else have I been good at doing?"

"Cold and ruthless, mister York... just the way I ordered you."

With a movement of the hoof, the book was shut. "How should I go about this?"

"Well, first off, I want you to head to Cloudsdale tomorrow. There will be two rewarding surprises waiting for you. The first one comes within a few days of when you actually settle down. The next surprise will come afterwards when I tell you the location of where it's located."

"...and the reason you won't tell be the location now is...?"

"That would be boring and ruin the point of annoying you."

"...for someone I'm apparently working with now, you sure are easy to hate."

"Thank you kindly, dear boy."

With an annoyed sigh, Silas picked the book up by its spine with his teeth before getting off of the bench. "Well, I guess there's only one thing to do. You wouldn't mind if I brought someone with me, would you? It's not my favorite thing to be stuck on my own with a voice constantly in my head."

"You're going to bring someone with you? Who exactly would you-" Discord's confused tone disappeared once he realized what Silas was getting at. "Wait a minute, you're not serious, are you? You do realize that's just going to make your personal problem even worse than it is, don't you?"

"Be that as it may... she was the first one to step up and actually show worry about me, despite me being a complete stranger. I consider this a return of the favor."

Discord sighed in disappointment. "Oh, dear. Should I get divorce papers for you and your hoof?"

"What are you t-... screw off. Just go die in a fire."

Silas would never get the snickers out of his head for a long time, even as his threat was registered.


"...I've heard of being obsessed with money, but this is just ridiculous, Twi."

"I'm serious, Spike! This is something that we've never even heard of before! I've checked very single book in here, but I just can't see anything even closely related to the word "dollar" before!"

"Maybe it's just another word for "bits"?"

"It can't be. No one says the word "dollar", even if it was some sort of slur!"

Spike let out a groaning sigh, slapping a clawed palm to his face as he watched his friend skim through yet another book before haphazardly throwing it on the already huge pile. "C'mon, Twilight..." He complained, trying to be the voice of reason and soothe her nerves. "This is the third time you've gotten yourself worked up over something so simple! Don't you think that just because someone used a word you never heard of before suddenly make it something to stress about?"

He let out a yelp when Twilight spun her head to give him an angry glare. "Yes!" She said heatedly. "The first time, yes, I was worked up over nothing. The second time, however, was the time I learned my lesson and that there actually was something wrong! Whatever this is, it can mean something bad as much as it can mean something good! I have to know!"

It was clear that there was no reasoning with the unicorn. So as Twilight turned her attention back to her frantic searching, Spike decided to offer her a simple solution. "Why don't you just ask Princess Celestia? She's got universal knowledge of Equestria. She's got to know what that word means if it even exists!"

Abruptly, Twilight stopped herself, freezing in her tracks. From the looks of her shocked face, the idea had not even come close to spawning within her head. With everything she thought of, why had she carelessly threw away the thought of consulting the princess herself? She blushed out of embarrassment, slapping a hoof to her face. "Spike, I'm very, very glad you're my assistant."

Spike grinned, a sheet of paper and a quill already in hand. "I know."

After giving a weak smile back to him, Twilight straightened up and cleared her throat to begin. "Dear Princess Celestia," She said, prompting Spike to start writing out the words on the paper. "There is a recent word that hasn't been recorded in any of the archives within my home and yet spoken by a pony that just stepped into town. After excavating my library fully, I have found no record of the term. It may sound like a simple question, but I am worried that it might mean something more than what it is on the surface. The term is "dollar". Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

With the finishing statement, Spike rolled up the paper, took in a deep breath, and blew out the green fire that would teleport the message straight to Celestia. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a heavy burden lift off of her shoulders. "Now, with this, we'll definitely know what it means."

"I'm gonna laugh if it's something stupid..." Spike chuckled, grinning widely when he received a glare in response. "What? It'll just prove you were getting worried over nothing. C'mon, even you gotta laugh at tha-"

He abruptly cut himself off when he felt the familiar rumble in his belly, and within a burp of fire, the message appeared before the two. Twilight's magic caught it and levitated the paper towards her, its user having a pleased look on her face. "Well, that was surprisingly fast!" She exclaimed, unraveling the message. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I applaud you for your impeccable timing and this particular notification. Unfortunately, I..." The pleased look immediately faltered when she continued to read the second. "Have no idea what the word "dollar" means, and I am pretty sure that such a term does not even exist. I am unsure, however, as to where the newly arrived pony got the term from."

"...is this a good time to start freaking out?" Spike asked, suddenly feeling a bit apprehensive himself.

"But the reason why I say your timing is impeccable is because of a decision to inform you about what has happened here in Canterlot..." The more Twilight read, the more the sense of dread started to grow. But it wasn't focused on the word "dollar" anymore. "Today, there has been a massacre of a group of Royal Guards patrolling the garden. I regret to inform you that-"

That was where her blood ran cold and her heart almost stopped beating. She dropped the letter, staggering back and placing a hoof over her mouth. "O...oh, no...!"

"W-what?" Now Spike was more than panicked. He rushed over to the fallen letter, picking it up and quickly skimming to the part where Twilight had abruptly cut herself off at. But when he finished reading, his face turned pale and he too dropped the letter on the floor. "No way...Shining Armor's-?"


"-fallen into a coma, courtesy of the Destrier's wrath."

The doctor was speaking to a sullen Cadance about the condition of the unconscious patient that was laying beside him. A variety of machines and tubes were hooked up to the said patient, mostly to regulate his health and check his status. The most prominent of them was the steady beeping of the pulse monitor – one of the most irritating sounds to the princess's ears at that given moment. But she said nothing, allowing for the doctor to continue speaking.

"The reason for this was severe head trauma due to concussive blows. He has also suffered minor damage to the chest cavity as well as the majority of his ribs being broken. These injuries can be treated in time. However, efforts to awaken him have proven to be futile. We can do nothing but hope that he awakens."

"...and how long will that be?"

"That is uncertain. Chances are, your Majesty, that he may never wake up again."

Now, the steady beeps of the pulse monitor reigned dominant. With each and every beat, Cadance's heart clenched inward on itself more and more. But her outer self betrayed nothing for the sake of her pride. She met the doctor's solemn gaze. "...if you are able, leave us." She said quietly. "I would like to be with my husband in solitude." There was little authority in her voice, but the urgency was as clear as day.

"Yes, my Lady." With a quick head bow, the doctor trotted past the princess and exited the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Cadance turned her attention to Shining Armor, taking the few steps needed to be right by his bedside. She reached up and placed a trembling hoof on one of his own. She drew in a deep breath, shutting her eyes tightly in an attempt to keep herself composed. But knowing that her touch could not reach him and he would not be able to see her was making her lose it little by little. Because of this incident, the life-long bond they had vowed to uphold to one another was on the verge of splitting. And it had lasted perfectly for only one year...

After a few moments of rubbing Shining Armor's hoof, Cadance could not hold it in any longer. Tears fell from the closed lids, dripping down to stain the floor. She threw herself forward, burying her face in her forelegs and his chest to stifle the sobs that wracked her body. Rage, grief, the desire for vengeance and the fear of being left alone by her beloved swirled around in her head like a cyclone. But in the eye of the storm was the feeling of helplessness – the very same feeling that she had felt when forced to watch Shining Armor put under Chrysalis's spell. There were a million options she had, but she just did not know what to pick. All she could do was sit by the side of her husband and cry.

"Please, Shining Armor... please, wake up... you can't die... please don't die..."


All Spike could do was walk over to the crying Twilight and place a hand on her shoulder, his expression showing a sibling's concern. "Twilight..."

"Who could've done this?" Twilight asked hoarsely through her tears, though the question was directed to no one at all. "Who would be so cruel as to suddenly attack somepony like my brother?" She slapped her hooves onto her shut eyes, nearly sinking to the floor. It had been only a few months since Shining Armor and Cadance had come back from their honeymoon, and now he was put in a coma? It was nothing but madness.

The small dragon could do nothing but remain silent and watch the unicorn spill out her emotions. It was times like this that he felt truly helpless to do anything. What more could he say, other than "everything was going to be all right"? So he pulled his hand away from her shoulder, walking back over to the fallen letter and picking it up in order to check for anything else. When he found the spot where Twilight left off, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. But he didn't hesitate to read.

"I have tried to calm the populace of Canterlot as best as I could. But there are several residents who demand that they be relocated to Ponyville, despite the Royal Guard insistence on them staying within their homes. They will be arriving within Ponyville a week from now. Due to your exceptional organization skills and your position in the Winter Wrap Ups, I am having you assist the mayor in helping the new arrivals in place. I apologize for the sudden demand of work in such circumstances, but you're one of the few available who can get it done. Your thoughtful mentor, Princess Celestia."

Twilight drew in a breath before sighing heavily, blinking away the tears and slowly standing up to her hooves. "I..." She muttered, having to pause for a moment to regain herself. "I can't just sit here and mope. If this is Princess Celestia's request, then I must honor it. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I have a chance at going back to Canterlot to visit him, as well as Cadance."

Spike blinked. "Well, I can understand Shining Armor... but why Cadance, too?" He questioned.

"Well, gee, I don't know..." Despite the innocent tone, the unicorn couldn't help but be sarcastic. "Maybe it's because it's because her husband's in a coma and that she's gonna be really upset about it?" Her bluntness was enough to make the dragon cringe in embarrassment, a small blush forming on his face to emphasize.

"Oh...right. Sorry." He muttered, before straightening up. "What are you gonna do about the preparations?"

"I'm going to ask Mayor Mare about the situation before I do anything." As she was explaining, Twilight walked past Spike and towards the door. "In the meantime, do you think you can inform my friends?"

Quickly, Spike issued her a military salute, grinning all the while. "Of course!"

"Good." Twilight couldn't help but grin in amusement at his antics. "Meet me back here and bring them with you."

"Yes, ma'am!"

With that being said, Twilight pushed open the door and stepped out, leaving it open for Spike to go through while heading in the direction of where Mayor Mare's house.