This chapter is a little shorter due to all the information dumped in. I'll be back soon.

Thank you to everyone who've commented and kudoed!

Chapter Text

"How do we know how this brute is going to attack?" Rarity asked, making sure she had enough scarves.

"We don't. That's why we're figurin this out now, Rarity. Stop countin those, we'll be fine, for corn pickin's sake." AJ tapped her chin, trying to think along with the rest.

Twilight had books laid out in the middle of the walkway of the train, the group taking up the back and a barrier up so the other ponies on board couldn't hear or see them.

Pinkie was messing with her cannon. Spike, putting books aside that Twilight was done with. Mr. Discord shrunk himself and sat on Pony Fluttershy's hair as to not cause a scene. Rainbow was stretching out her legs and wings, huffing along, most likely trying to get ready for battle.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, was looking and taking the information that Twilight wrote or mumbled in quietly. She didn't know this Sombra and judging from who she'd seen so far, these versions of those she knew were actually a bit different. That meant this Sombra was not like her best friend. She had to steel herself.

"He might try more sneak attacks or use his magic more cunningly. I just gotta find a spell that'll work on him." Twilight spoke, flipping through more pages.

Fluttershy tried holding in her huff. She thought it simple what they had to do, if this King Sombra was so dangerous and if he used such underhand tactics. But…she quickly learned that those in this world didn't like the idea of murder. They'd much prefer banishment. Fluttershy kept her ideas to herself, knowing if she voiced them, they'd try and stop her. "What does this King Sombra pony want?" She asked, hoping to get a bit more information.

"He wants power. He wants to rule not only the Crystal Empire, but all of Equestria and make ponies his slaves." Twilight informed her, not taking her eyes off a book.

Fluttershy wanted to laugh. How could one pony control hundreds? Thousands? Make them his slaves? What a joke. "How can one pony be that strong though? I mean, if he's that dangerous, why don't the Princesses or all unicorns gather together to defeat him?" She closed her mouth after, using her tongue to put pressure and soothe her teeth.

"It ain't fair to everypony else and it'd be a mess to send so many after one pony, even if they're evil. As fer the Princesses, they're busy too, they don't have the time to leave Equestria open for attack while they're gone." AJ explained, glancing at a few books herself.

"We're here to protect everypony. With our powers of friendship, I'm sure we can take him down for good." Pony Fluttershy smiled meekly, playing with her long mane. Luckily, Rarity brushed Fluttershy's own short mane before they left.

Fluttershy tried keeping her cynicism in check, so she just smiled and nodded. She would admit she was wary. This Sombra would be a pony, not a human. His eyes wouldn't be Somby's eyes. She hoped her mind wouldn't convince her he was a friend. Her fangs began to ache. With a conspicuous slide of her tongue, she felt her fangs lengthen again. She internally sighed. Her vampiric powers had been on the fritz since she ended up there.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Discord doing little braids in Pony Fluttershy's mane.

Fluttershy didn't quite understand. Mr. Discord had said they were friends, but they seemed like more. But…that could've just been her own thoughts pushed onto them.

"Say, Breeze! Do you have anyone you like?" Pinkie broke her out of her thoughts and was suddenly up in her face.

Fluttershy backed up a bit. "I like you all." She smiled, happy to have a distraction.

Pinkie giggled, her tail going crazy. "Not like that, silly. Like anyone you love? You've been pretty tight lipped and this Pinkie Pie will not stand for it!" She grabbed Fluttershy and shook her a bit.

Fluttershy rose a brow but her lip quirked. "Shouldn't you ask other things first?"

"Like you'd tell us. But really, Pinkie, I agree with Breeze. Why go into that mushy stuff?" Rainbow agreed.

Rarity gasped, putting her hooves to her chest. "Oh how romantic and tragic! Separated from your lover with no way to return so you try your hardest to find a way with no way to know how they're doing!" She spoke dramatically, a hoof moving to her brow.

Pony Fluttershy gasped as well, giving Fluttershy a sympathetic look and patting her back. "That is stressful. Don't worry, Breeze, we'll find a way to get you home soon."

AJ snorted with a laugh. "Y'all, she didn't even answer yet."

Pinkie waved her hoof. "Yeah, yeah, Applejack. So? Do you?" She looked back to Fluttershy with a big grin.

Fluttershy couldn't help the small smile as she watched the others. But, how would she explain how her Discord was? She never did get a chance to gush about him in her world. Maybe because what she would say, most would look at her with horror or ask if she was okay. With a hum, she nodded. "I do." Her smile widened without her permission and she couldn't stop it so she tried covering it.

"Knew it!" Rarity blurted, holding out her hoof with a smug smile as Rainbow, Pinkie, and AJ placed some coins in her hoof.

"Darn it! How?" Rainbow grumbled, pouting.

"Darling, you know how much of a romantic I am. I could just tell." Rarity tossed back her mane.

"Why would you all bet on that?" Pony Fluttershy asked disapproving.

"Come on, Discord, cough up your share." AJ scowled at the Draconequus.

Said Draconequus whistled and looked away until Pony Fluttershy cleared her throat at him, which then he snapped his fingers and the coins landed in Rarity's satchel.

Fluttershy couldn't help laughing at them all. They were so easygoing. It was nice. "Anything else you all bet on?" She asked, enjoying the feeling of being involved.

"Nope. But anything you wanna tell us? We'll listen." Pinkie asked with excitement.

Fluttershy's smile lessened some. "I'm not sure. Some things I don't want to share." She saw some of them, especially Pinkie, deflate and Fluttershy's heart hurt so she threw out her hooves. "B-but I don't mind answering depending on the questions, so go ahead." She hurried out, not wanting them to think she was cold.

"REALLY?!" Pinkie asked, her deflating mane bouncing back.

Fluttershy nodded, not expecting the sudden switch. "Yes."

Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a long notepad and a pencil. "Go ahead." She looked to Fluttershy in all seriousness.

The others sat quietly, listening in and getting their own questions ready to ask.

Twilight took a glance with a smile before she went back to studying a few more spells, wanting them to be prepared, happy they could help another pony make friends.

Fluttershy's World….

Chrysalis crouched down quickly, hissing in pain as her knees popped as they hit the ground, hearing the footsteps of the assailant halt. 'Dammit!' She grit her teeth, looking for an exit and hoping he'd leave. With a glance up to the clouds, she heard his phone ring.

"No. Lost her. I don't mean to question, Madame, but what's the point in this?" A pause, "yes, Madame. Understood." Accord hung up, his gut telling him she was there, but he was a loyal dog, so he continued walking, obeying his Madame's orders with a tsk.

Once the footsteps left, Chrysalis let out the breath she was holding. After she brushed her hair back, she took out her phone, making sure the video was saved before she was seen and chased out from the old school building. With a quick glance around as she left the alley, she disguised herself and started towards Rutherford's territory.

Yona greeted her with a big grin, pulling Chrysalis in and then frowning at the few cuts and bruises she had. "Why Chrysalis hurt?" She started pulling her towards the infirmary instead of where Capper was.

"I'm fine, Yona. I have to get this to Capper." Chrysalis lightly tugged on her arm to free it, surprised when Yona's hand didn't budge. 'Strong little brute.' She thought and with a sigh, knew she had to go along with it.

The day they'd decided to try and get through the statue was a disaster. Not at first, but Chrysalis' heart ached at the memory…

'As the group tried thinking of what was needed to get through, they apparently weren't as sneaky as they'd originally thought before they met up as a bright light and the sound of a crack like a whip, they all separated to see a scorched spot and looked ahead in alarm to see Fluttershy's friends with their Elements out and at the ready.

"Where's Fluttershy?!" Rainbow yelled first, her wings bristled out as they kept her firm. She held a ball of energy in her hand, holding it like a pitcher.

"Not now, Rainbow! We have to do what Dean Celestia and Miss Anodyne said." Twilight replied, a magic horn steady on her head with the crown and her own wings large as she tried conjuring something with her own magic. "All this time. All this time and you monsters were under our noses!" She yelled, eyes blazing a bright lavender.

"Calm down, Twilight. We ain't gettin' anywhere by attackin first." AJ began, orange boxing gloves on her hands as her Element glowed, only to shut her mouth at Twilight's glare.

AJ looked to Rarity and Pinkie, seeing their matching looks of worry and hesitance.

She and the others were worried. Ever since the black and silver haired woman began putting more responsibility onto them along with Dean Celestia, Twilight had gotten frazzled, to say the least. She was also stressed at home due to what Fluttershy had done to her older brother and Cadence was in therapy, her parents pissed they couldn't get Fluttershy arrested for some reason. Well, there was, but the police had said without evidence, they couldn't. They'd all seen how this was making Twilight distraught but the purple haired girl wouldn't listen to their comforting words and they all wanted to help her, so they stayed by her side.

The group had spoken, sans Rainbow, who seemed too busy, and decided Fluttershy had lost her mind completely, possibly influenced in her time of weakness by the people she lived with. Brainwashed into whoever this angry and distrustful Fluttershy was.

Their group was being torn apart and it was all because of Fluttershy, they were convinced.

Then Dean Celestia called them during winter, the day just an average one, only to have something mission oriented to tell them with the help of the silver and black haired woman, her name was Anodyne Equivalence, they'd found out the second time they'd met her, had told them that Fluttershy had known all along who the Harbingers of the End were and proved it with picture evidence of Fluttershy's housemates using magic, the kind described in Dean Celestia's notes.

That had driven all of them to feel hurt and beyond angry. Here they were, looking for these unknown, dangerous people for months, only for them to be under their noses.

Betrayed by a friend.

No. Betrayed by two friends, as Anodyne tossed Rainbow her Element.

Anodyne had whispered something in Rainbow's ear then and assured them that Rainbow had a lapse in her Loyalty, Rainbow only nodding slightly.

Then, with that and no idea of where the Element of Kindness was, it led to what Dean Celestia feared. Next thing they knew, magic as unpredictable and strong as they'd never known came upon them all after months of silence, thinking the attack got rid of the threat before it was too late.

Back at the present, the friends waited to see what Twilight would do, the magic draining their energy.

"It's all you damned monsters fault!" Twilight yelled again, a large surge of magic building up against her horn and aimed right for Discord.

Discord cautiously tried getting in front of his housemates and just as Twilight released the beam of magic, the air hot and crackling, she was suddenly pushed over, the beam missing and breaking the top of the statue.

They all froze in silence as the concrete tumbled and the Elements cooled down, everyone's energy suddenly drained, but they didn't notice as they saw Rainbow still with her hands stretched out, Twilight shocked on the ground, and with a snap of his fingers, Discord got himself and his housemates out of the area.'

Chrysalis flopped on the hard sofa a bit of time later, a colorful bandage on her knee curtesy of Yona.

"Where's your phone?" A calm voice asked, getting close to her and patting her leg.

Chrysalis opened her eyes, looking to Sombra who had a few books against his chest. "Already gave it to Capper." She sighed, using her hand to usher him more towards her. When he did, she simply let out a long breath, placing her head against his hand she was holding. "Why're we doing it this way?"

"Because it's dangerous for Discord to get close and that woman has a eye on the statue. What did you see?" Sombra answered, placing the books down and petting her head. She'd been on reconnaissance for the last couple days, trying to see what the Madame was up to and how she fit into the mess they were all in.

Though Sombra and Chrysalis calmed quite a bit at the news of Fluttershy being alive, the news didn't stop Discord's episodes, of which he'd wreck havoc on the world outside.

Chrysalis looked to him, moving his hands since she was done with his comforting. "There was a lot of higher ups I heard mentioned who were affiliated with her. With my magic, I was able to sneak farther back, down the underground levels they'd crudely made. I didn't see much before I was seen, but I was able to video the Madame messing with this gem and Filthy Rich tied to a chair with a band across his head with wires sticking out, but I couldn't see what it was connected to. She was also talking on the phone but I couldn't pay much attention. Not sure how useful the video is. Sorry I couldn't get more information." She rubbed her temples.

Sombra sighed. "I couldn't find much on the founding of the high school either, which is odd in its own right. There were no books or even articles on it." He picked up his books, thinking he ought to check on Capper and Derpy. See how Capper was dealing with Angel, the poor bunny missing half an ear and one of his legs still healing as well as being depressed. Missing his owner and unsure why he couldn't see her. Derpy was adjusting as best as she could, having lost everything when the house was destroyed. The insurance was coming through, but it didn't remove that her home was gone. A lot of her mementos and her belongings.

"Fluttershy would want us to at least do what we could, but also to take care of ourselves. Go get some sleep." He lightly smacked her ankle.

With a deep breath through her nose, Chrysalis stood up, wondering if they could have prevented any of it.

She was brought out of her sleepy mind when Capper came barging into the room, a look of panic on his face, sweat running down his face. "W-where's Discord?" He squeaked.

Chrysalis and Sombra looked to each other in confusion. "Burning off an episode. Why?" Chrysalis answered.

Capper gulped. "One of Fluttershy's friends is here. She's a little beat up."

Chrysalis refused and stood, silently leaving, which left Sombra to check. He didn't want to do any of this. Capper kissed his cheek for assurance and what Sombra walked into, with a deep breath, was RainbowDash. Capper downplayed RainbowDash's injuries. Sitting on a chair, RainbowDash was trying to clean up her wounds on her own. She was struggling, as she didn't have the supplies yet. Sombra observed her silently for a bit. She had a black eye, lots of bruises and cuts and her hair was a mess.

Sombra had his own feelings toward her, but because he cared for Fluttershy, he grabbed the first aid kit, stopping to give Capper a kiss, and he walked out, a fake smug grin on his face as he went to speak with one of Fluttershy's oldest friends.