I"M SORRY! This took way too long to write, I wanted a good long chapter to build up the drama a little. I really hope you like.
If you see any errors (Spelling, grammar, facts, etc.) please let me know! I may have missed things in editing. Please leave a review, it helps a ton! Fav&Follow and spread this story around like chicken pox at a daycare.
Update 12/12/12- God guys/gals, i haven't updated in like a month. I'm so sorry, Call it writes block but I just can't get the words out in a way that I like. I've maybe written a few chapters worth of crap, but I refuse to use that. I'm currently in Finals Week at school, so time isn't in abundance, but over the weekend i plan to get some solid work down and possibly start another story i've had in the works. Thanks ever so much for your patience.
Update 12/27/12- Good news! I started the next chapter and i actually like how it's taking off. So Sorry for the RIDICULOUSLY long wait, there's only two things standing between me and finishing this. My Brother just gave me Skyrim, and i'm currently formulating a completely original novel/story/book...whatever you want to call it.
"Spark what the HELL are you doing?!" Storm Cloud yelled at me. Princess Celestia suddenly surrounded me in a golden aura and pinned me against the wall.
"Spark, I thought we could trust you, but seeing as how easily you just hurt one of your friends I'm beginning to question if we can." Celestia's motherly tone now was very threatening.
"Okay for one, I take offense at that." I said while struggling to get off of the wall. "And second, Ditto, will you show them please." Ditto nodded and started walking over to an unconscious Applejack. Cloud stepped between them.
"If you think I'm going to let either of you get near her…you have another thing coming." He said enraged.
"Cloud, you all need to see this." I said calmly, still against the wall. "Like hell." He snorted back. Ditto started moving closer, Cloud was about to jump him but Rainbow Dash stopped him.
"Cloud, I trust Spark, let him show us." She said to him, he started to turn and say something, but when he made eye contact with her and saw the tears beginning to form, he stopped. He took and a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
"Alright…but if either one of them does anything, I'm sending them out of a window." He said standing up straight. Celestia looked about the room, then at me and let me down roughly. I hit the floor hard.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically while rubbing my side. "Ditto." I said, he nodded and moved to Applejack, when he lifted a hoof towards her, Cloud tensed up and took a step closer, but Dash held him back. Ditto moved closer and pushed Applejack's tail out of the way, revealing her flank. He looked back to gauge a reaction. When everyone gave him a confused look he rolled his eyes and pointed at her flank. Twilight's hooves went immediately to her mouth as she let out a gasp.
"How could we have not have noticed!" She said downtrodden. She slowly walked to Applejack. Her horn began to glow and she shot a burst of purple light at her. There was no longer Applejack, just a black changeling.
The others gasped. Celestia called out for her guards. A half dozen armor clad ponies rushed into the room and quickly surrounded the changeling.
"Take it to the dungeon, an isolation cell. Make sure the mirrors are all in place as well." She commanded. The guards saluted and two unicorns levitated it above them and carried it out of the throne room.
"So if that was a changeling…" Rarity started.
"…where's the real Applejack?" Fluttershy finished.
I walked to the window and looked out and down over Canterlot and down the mountain and into the Everfree forest.
"She could be anywhere." I said, my mind was wandering back to when we kissed on the hill a few nights ago, I should've told her how I felt about her, now I might never get that chance. We need to find her.
"I know where she is." Cloud told us. I burst out.
"Then let's get moving!" I yelled heading for the door, but something stopped me. I turned to see Rainbow Dash holding onto my tail. Note to self, cut tail shorter.
"Spark, it's not that simple, where she is we can't just walk in." Cloud said while pulling a map out of his saddlebag and spreading it on the floor. He pointed to a black area in the middle of the Everfree Forest.
"She's somewhere in here, in the changelings' home." He finished.
"You mean we have to travel all the way there, fight an army of changelings, find Applejack, and then get the heck out of there." Rainbow Dash asked while floating in place. I looked around the room at everyone around me.
"Not we, just me." I said while grabbing the map off the ground and rolling it up.
"Whoa whoa whoa…you are NOT going alone!" Cloud yelled at me.
"Exactly!" Twilight chirped in. "Darn right!" Rainbow Dash added. "Yes darling, we simply can't let you go alone!" Rarity chimed. "Um…well…I want to come with you…if that's alright." Fluttershy mumbled out. It was Celestia's turn.
"Spark, I can't allow you to go alone." She said.
"You're right princess, Ditto is coming with me." I caught Ditto's look and he just gave me a stern nod and started walking towards the balcony.
"Okay, that's a start, who else is going?" Celestia asked, like I was going to risk anyone else.
"That's it, Ditto must know the area since he's the one who found me out there, and we have this map so that's all we need, right Ditto?" I ask loudly, Ditto just gave everyone a brief look over as if weighing his options, but then shook his head.
"What we need someone else?" I asked, Ditto pointed to Dash.
"Me?" Rainbow asked confused.
"No clue, but if Ditto says we need you, we need you." I said. I looked back at Ditto, "Why do we need her?" I asked. He pointed to her wings then went over to Cloud and reached into his saddlebags and pulls out a folded piece of paper.
"Hey! Put that back!" Cloud lunged for the paper but Ditto held it out of his reach and then handed it to me while holding Cloud off.
I took the paper and unfolded it, it was a faded flyer. I could clearly make out a picture of Rainbow Dash. The writing on the paper read:
YESTERDAY AT THE YOUNG FLYER COMPETITION RAINBOW DASH WAS CROWNED 'BEST YOU FLYER' AND RECEIVED HIGH HONORS FROM OUR OWN PRINCESS CELESTIA AND THE WONDERBOLTS…
"Oh I get it, Ditto knows that you're the best flyer around and figures we'll need you." I said handing the paper back to Cloud.
Rainbow Dash walked over to Cloud and he wouldn't look up at her.
"Cloud, is this why you came back to Ponyville?" She asked.
He let out a sigh and made eye contact with her. "I tried every day to forget what I did to you, eventually when I couldn't take it anymore I tried finding you, and I couldn't. I was away doing work for Celestia during the Young Flyer Competition, but when I saw this flyer I knew where you'd be. I finally cleared enough time to look for you, and here I am." He looked like he was going to say more, but Dash cut him off with a kiss on the cheek. He blushed.
"Alright guys, let's get a move on." Dash said.
"I promised you I wasn't leaving you and I'm not leaving now." Cloud said. "I'm coming with."
I looked to Ditto but he shook his head, "I'm sorry Cloud, but Ditto's in charge with this one." I told him. He looked like he was about to protest but Celestia put a hoof on his shoulder and he relented.
"Sorry to rob and ditch you Cloud, but do you have any more firesticks, those might come in handy." I asked. He emptied his saddlebags.
"Sorry, no." He said.
"Hmmm, I might be able to help" Celestia said while walking out of the throne room. "Follow me." We followed her to a huge gold paneled door that was blocked by five royal guards, they weren't in the typical gold armor, but a steel gray color. Their long horns jutted form their helmets. They didn't carry spears, but instead had two sheathed swords hanging off their sides and a large pointed shield hung across each one's back.
"Spark, these are the Inner Guard, the best of the best. They guard all the important rooms of the castle and guard VIP's during special events." Celestia told us. The guards didn't even look at us.
"Wait, why isn't my brother an Inner Guard then?" Twilight asked. Celestia gave a small chuckle.
"Who said he wasn't?" She said with a smile.
"Wait Celestia, you said all the important rooms were guarded by these guys." I asked her. "What room is this?"
The Princess gave a nod to the guards and they all turned and used their magic on five golden prongs protruding from the door. The door sunk back into its frame and retracted to the sides.
"Spark, this is the royal armory."
I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the ground. The room was huge, and filled with long shelves stacked with swords, spears, shields, armor, saddlebags, potions, ropes, medical supplies, stacks of paper, and everything you'd think would be in a "royal armory."
Before I could say a word, a sandy brown earth pony appeared from between the shelves. He had a dark brown mane and tail, he had a pair of green goggles on and a black bandana around his neck. He had a faded scar running across his snout. His cutie mark was a screwdriver and wrench. He walked over to me and lifted his goggles, revealing a pair a piercing green eyes, despite the pony's young age, his eyes looked like they've seen countless wars and conflicts. He reminded me of my buddy Mike back home, he was a war vet, he never mentioned it much. Mike had the same look in his eyes, that thousand yard stare, like he was looking at you, but also at something right behind you.
But with this pony there was something else in his eyes, brilliance maybe, intuition, perception, ingenuity, or just cunning, or maybe all of them. He gave me a look over and looked to the princess.
"This the guy?" He asked with a soft voice, a little aloof, but at the same time almost comforting, like one of the voices that makes you feel like everything is going to be alright.
Celestia nodded, "Spark, this is Rivet, he's our chief of supply and also a genius inventor, and a veteran of-" She was cut off my Rivet.
"That's enough princess, no need to flatter. Besides they aren't here for me, they're here for their mission." He said while looking over the group. "So who's going?" He asked. Dash, Ditto, and I stepped forward.
"Alright, so you're sending the outsider, the great flyer, and the mute. I know just what you need." Rivet said. He pushed his goggles back down over his eyes and turned to the shelves.
He pulled off a suit of the same steel colored armor that the inner guard were wearing and handed it to me.
"Had to put in a little work to make it wing compatible, but this should work nicely for you." He told me while browsing the shelves. He pulled a similar suit of armor off the shelf for Dash, her's looked to have been seriously lightened and the edges smoothed. "For aerodynamics." Rivet noted.
Finally he pulled off a dull bronze colored armor, and handed it to Ditto, when Ditto gave him a strange look Rivet commented. "Oh trust me, I know all about you, your secret's safe, this armor was worn by a unicorn friend of mine, bit of a shape shifter."
Ditto nodded empathetically and accepted the suit. He slid it over his body and strapped it down. I did the same, the armor was surprisingly comfortable and light.
"Next is helmets, we want something light and aerodynamic for the flyers, but not lacking in protection, and not too stifling. Ah here we go." Rivet said while pulling a dull steel colored helmet off of a peg. It forgot what exactly it was called, it sort of looked like a helmet worn by those 300 guys I always say movie posters for. It had a short dark gold brush strip of some material, feathers maybe, running along the top. Rainbow's helmet was similar to mine but without a snout piece and without the brush.
"This is just like my crystal jousting helmet!" Rainbow Dash yelled cheerfully. Ditto wasn't given a helmet.
"Rivet, won't Ditto need a helmet too?" I asked.
He let out a hardy laugh. "Trust me, he doesn't even need armor." Before I could question him further he just moved down the line, tossing us something called greaves that went on our legs.
By the time we reached the end of the aisle, we were the spitting image of armor clad warriors.
Rivet turned the corner and led us into the next aisle.
"Weapon time." He announced. He tossed Ditto a broad sword, Dash a long spear, and me a double headed axe.
"I can't take this." I told Rivet. "I don't kill." I set the axe on the shelf and looked around for a better alternative.
"Well you can't very well march into Everfree empty handed. Pick something." Rivet scolded. Alright, I'll humor him. Something caught my eye. It was a large pointed shield similar to those that the inner guards carried. The front of the shield was divided into four sections by a black cross. The sections alternated bright red and white. I took the shield off the wall and felt the weight of it.
I turned to Dash and Ditto and hefted the shield up.
"What do ya think?" I asked. Dash then lunged with her spear at full force and her blow just glanced off of the shield.
"That'll do." Dash said while floating down the aisle. I caught Cloud's glance he just gave me a shrug.
Lastly came gadgets, I grabbed a pair of saddlebags that had an emblem that resembled the shield I now carried on my back. I found a bin full of firesticks and loaded a saddlebag full of them. There was a small section with medical supplies so I grabbed some bandages. Finally I took Cloud's maps and a length of rope he had and stuffed them in my other bag. Dash and Ditto packed their bags full and we went back to Princess Celestia and the others.
"Wowie Zowie!" Pinkie exclaimed "You look all soldier-ific!"
"You look ready, but how do you feel?" Twilight asked.
"Well it really doesn't matter how I feel, we need to get Applejack back." I told her.
"Ummm….you look really…uh…fierce…" Fluttershy muttered while keeping her eyes averted.
"Oh do be careful darling, I couldn't bear to see you hurt." Rarity pleaded.
"I'll try my best. Now, I don't suppose that you could just teleport us there Princess?" I asked Celestia.
"Unfortunately not, but I can get you close. But before I do, you three will need these." She said while levitating a polished wooden box towards us. It opened slowly revealing three golden amulets with a large ruby in the center of each. Celestia explained. "These are a little thing Rivet and I developed for the Inner Guard for some of their more dangerous missions. Push the ruby in the center, and you are teleported into a special area of the Canterlot dungeon."
"Why the dungeon?" Dash asked
"Well, what if the amulet is taken by a foe, we wouldn't want them showing up in my throne room now would we?" She said with a motherly chuckle.
I slipped the amulet over my head and tucked it under my armor.
"Are you ready?" Celestia asked.
"You betcha!" Rainbow exclaimed.
Ditto nodded
"Ready." I told here.
"Alright, be warned that there is no telling what you may run into while you're out there. Be prepared for anything and everything." She warned.
Celestia raised her head high and her horn began to glow a soft gold. Soon all three of us were surrounded by a golden aura. The intensity of the light grew and grew until I was blinded by light and overtaken by a sense of falling.
[Cloud's POV]
Spark, Dash, and Ditto were surrounded by Celestia's magic and disappeared in a bright flash. When the light cleared the space was empty. I looked over the long shelves of armor, weapons, and gadgets. I turned to the group of ponies behind me and then to Celestia.
"You know we're going after them right?" I asked.
"Oh I counted on it." She said with a smile.
So did I do good? Let me know what you think in a review! Fav&Follow and all that JAZZ. Have a lovely evening/day/afternoon/morning/end of the world.