"Pardon?" Luna asked.
Octavia and her unconscious friend, a unicorn named Vinyl Scratch, had just brought fairly distressing news. Celestia actually didn't seem that surprised.
"Who is attacking Fillydelphia?" she asked.
"A blue mare and her gang of thugs," Octavia said bluntly. "I counted six in all. Three mares and three stallions, of each pony type. Well, excluding alicorns like yourselves, of course."
"Tia, that's where the Element holders are," Luna reminded.
"I was about to get to that," Octavia said, interrupting Luna. The princess glared at the musician. "Their appearance there appears to have been solely to attack my sister and her friends."
"... Sister?" Luna asked.
"Inkamena Octavia Pie. Known by my sisters as Inkie. Pinkie is one such sister," Octavia answered. "Like I was saying, the Elements were targeted specifically. I can probably give you the details of the battle later, after you come and help Fillydelphia."
"Thou art very commanding," Luna pointed out.
"I'm the oldest in the family, I'm used to authority. Will you please help Fillydelphia? The Elements are fighting a losing battle," Octavia requested.
"We can help only if we know the current state of things. Explain, please," Celestia asked.
"But there's no ti-"
"Explain, please," Celestia asked again.
"Very well, then," Octavia said, sighing and lying down next to Vinyl.
{~X~}
The sun rose over the old town of Fillydelphia. Octavia and Vinyl had roomed together during their night at the hotel. It didn't take long for them to get ready for the concert they were having later that day. They headed down to the hotel lobby, where they found an expectant Pinkie Pie and her friends waiting for them.
"Mornining, Inkie! Are you excited for our day together? I'm excited! I've never been so excited! Well, except for the time I *GAAAASSSSP*, but really, what could top that?" Pinkie rambled.
"Pinkie?" Octavia began.
"What is it, Inkie?"
"Please shut up."
"I have no idea what she said," Vinyl said.
"Well, it's a little hard to read the lips of a rambling person. Good morning, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity."
"Morning, Octavia," Twilight said. "Sorry if Pinkie's more hyperactive than usual today. She discovered coffee."
"Who are you?" Pinkie asked, bouncing over and shaking Vinyl's hoof.
"Vinyl Scratch. We've met before," Vinyl answered.
"Who?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head.
"I provided music for Rarity's fashion show," Vinyl continued.
"Which one?" Pinkie continued.
"The one for Hoity Toity," Vinyl answered.
"Which one?" Pinkie asked again.
"The one where you five dressed up in ridiculous outfits," Vinyl said, sighing and rolling her eyes.
"Which-"
"The one where Flutterpie had a bird's nest on her head!" Vinyl shouted.
"Her name is Fluttershy, and that was a totally different pony! You silly filly!" Pinkie said happily. Vinyl narrowed her eyes, and slipped her shades onto her face. "OH! It IS you!"
"Yeah. Hi," Vinyl said. She took off her sunglasses, storing them in the Neverspace where ponies keep everything.
"I thought your name was DJ P0N-3," Pinkie stated happily.
"That's my stage name. My real name is, like I said, Vinyl Scratch."
"Why did you call Fluttershy Flutterpie?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was answered with silence. "I asked why you called-"
"She can't hear you, Rainbow. Vinyl's deaf," Octavia stated.
"Then how does she DJ?" Twilight asked.
"Chalk. Doesn't always work, though. She once remixed the Pony Pokey beyond recognition."
"Are you talking about The Incident?" Vinyl asked.
"No, of course not. After all, I promised that was our secret," Octavia said.
"So, this was some sort of incident that's too bad to let word get out?" Pinkie asked.
"... Actually, no, that's an entirely different event. I Pinkie Pie Promised not to tell. The event I'm talking about happened in front of an entire crowd. It would be hard NOT to let word get out. I'm not stupid enough to break a Pinkie Pie Promise, and certainly not stupid enough to tell you if I did," Octavia said. She shuddered a bit.
"Good. Don't ever break one, because if you do, I will find out," Pinkie said, her demeanor changing to a sudden and much more frightening one. She was back to her smiling self in the next split-second, though.
"Yeah, after the time Blinkie broke one, I've been scared to break one for fear of the same fate," Octavia said, backing away from her sister cautiously.
"Can I ask what happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You've been in the hospital with a broken wing before, right?" Octavia asked.
"Um, yeah," Rainbow answered. "It wasn't that bad."
"Her state was similar to that of your wardmate," Octavia warned. Rainbow Dash stepped away from Pinkie slowly. "Rocks make really good weapons, and we grew up on a rock farm. Let this be a warning."
"Wait, that story was true?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, didn't she tell you how she got her Cutie Mark? She threw her first-ever party with Granny Pie," Octavia said.
"Well, she mentioned everything but yer Granny, and she ended with saying that that was how Equestria was made. We were... a bit skeptical."
"She ends the Hearth's Warming Eve tale by saying that was how she earned her Cutie Mark, so don't mind it."
"So, where are we heading today?" Vinyl asked.
"We're going to the park, first. Fluttershy requested it," Twilight answered. "Besides, there are some nice sculptures there. Apparently, they even have gigantic stone carvings of our Elements... That is relatively recent, of course."
"Sweet," Vinyl said. "Let's go, everypony!"
{~X~}
The group had finished examining a statue by Michelangelo Buonarroti, or as Pinkie called him "Michelangelo Burrito". Twilight was not amused.
"One of the most famous artists of all time, and you can't even bother to pronounce his name correctly?" she asked, annoyed.
"I like Michelangelo Burrito! Burritos are good!" Pinkie said happily.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack suddenly slid into the group, nearly crashing into the sculpture in their haste.
"Ah... won..." Applejack gasped out.
"Did... not... I was distracted..." Rainbow argued.
"Distraction or not, Ah was here first," Applejack argued back.
"C'mon, it's not everyday... that a gray streak... zooms through the sky..." Rainbow said.
"Ya stopped ta yell at it," Applejack continued. "Ah think that counts as fair game."
"Rematch!" Rainbow challenged.
"Same course?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah. Onyourmarksgetsetgo!" Rainbow shouted. She zoomed off, leaving Applejack to cough at the dust.
"... Are you gonna go back after her?" Twilight asked.
"Nah. Ah just wanna see her fly circles round the park," Applejack answered. "Why would Ah agree to a rematch when Ah won?"
"So when are you going to tell her she can stop?" Rarity asked.
"When she gets tired," Applejack responded.
"If she thinks you're racing, why is she flying up into the sky?" Vinyl asked.
"What?" Applejack asked.
She looked up, seeing a rainbow-colored streak shooting into the sky. A gray-colored streak suddenly shot into view, colliding with Rainbow and throwing her off-course.
"Whoa! Fluttershy, could you fly up there and see what that pony wants?" Applejack asked.
"That won't be necessary. We can explain everything," a voice said.
The ponies turned around to find a group of 5 ponies staring at them. One was easily recognizable, as a certain showpony who got driven out of Ponyville years ago: Trixie. The other four were not so easy to recognize. A unicorn stallion with a sleek gray coat and a black mane was beside her, his Cutie Mark obscured by a blue cape. On the other side, a young Earth-pony mare with hair strikingly similar to Pinkie's (or rather, Pinkamena). Her Cutie Mark was a single red dot. It matched her eyes perfectly, save for the lack of a pupil. Behind them, two more ponies could be seen. One was a pegasus stallion with a dull yellow coat and a sharp-cut mane. His grin showed sinister sharped teeth, matching his bat-like wings and draconic eyes. Finally, there was a simple yet large brown Earth-pony stallion. He looked to be around the size of Big Macintosh. Unlike the others of the group, who had smug grins on their faces, his face showed no emotion at all.
"Trixie? Who are your friends?" Twilight asked, stepping in front of the others.
Octavia realized that this was likely a battle not to be fought by her, and slowly began to pull Vinyl away from the scene to let rivals settle their differences. They slipped away behind a statue, before bolting to a tree to continue to survey the scene. They never caught the names of the other ponies, but within just seconds Twilight and Trixie were dueling while the other paired up to fight off the rest of her gang.
Applejack began to fight the Earth-pony stallion, but for once, it appeared to be a battle of strength in which she was outmatched. He casually kicked her with his hind hoof, hurling her into a stone statue. She got right back up, though, and kicked him back in the jaw.
"... Hey, Octavia, why are those two just staring at each other?" Vinyl asked, pointing to two more of the paired up ponies.
It was Fluttershy and the Earth-pony mare, more specifically. They were engaged in what appeared to be a staring contest. The mare's eyes had shrunk to where her pupils were no longer visible, giving her eyes the same appearance of the dot on her flank.
"... Her special talent is staring? Wow, lame," Vinyl muttered.
"Actually, I think something else may be going on," Octavia said.
"Like what?" Vinyl asked.
"Fluttershy isn't just staring. She's using The Stare, like what Pinkie told me about a while back. It's sort of like mind control, except that it's just implanting enough fear into the victim that they are cowed to do whatever Fluttershy commands," Octavia explained.
"Then how is the mare resisting it?" Vinyl asked.
"Actually... I think Fluttershy's resisting her," Octavia said. "C'mon, don't look either of them in the eyes."
They pulled their eyes away from the staring contest, to where Twilight and Trixie were still dueling. It was at that moment that Octavia noticed a large brooch around Trixie's neck. It was in the shape of her wand and moon Cutie Mark. Octavia also noticed that unlike the typical magic duel that such a powerful unicorn as Twilight would engage in, it wasn't a complete curb-stomp. Trixie was putting up a significant battle, and even threw Twilight onto the defensive occasionally.
"Octavia, look at the sky," Vinyl whispered.
Octavia looked up. There, in the sky, streaks of rainbow and gray were colliding repeatedly. The speeds of the aerial battle were truly insane, and Octavia winced as a sonic boom went off from both ends of the battle. The two duelists collided again at hypersonic speeds, and she was amazed that either of them stayed flying after such a clash.
"Funny. I thought I heard a boom for a moment, but that's impossible," Vinyl said.
"YOU heard it? Wow, that is impossible. And yet..." Octavia answered.
She looked back to the ground, where the rest of the party was still fighting. The unicorn stallion had produced a dagger, and was waving it around telekinetically. It was swiftly dodged by Rarity, his opponent. She actually didn't seem too interested in the fight, and was just talking to him as she dodged his blows. For some reason, every word made his eyes glisten.
Finally, Pinkie was paired up with the pegasus. In a normal fight, the Earth-pony would've been demolished by the superior mobility of a pegasus. Obviously, though, this was no normal fight. Whenever he lunged at her, she seemed to appear in a different spot completely. They never actually saw her disappear or reappear, she just... was there. The pegasus was as confused as they were.
The fight continued in this manner for several minutes, while Octavia and Vinyl pulled themselves away to a safe spot. They retreated to their hotel, looking out the window. The aerial fight was still going on, and they could see the clashes of magic from the park.
"Hi, guys!" Pinkie Pie declared, having appeared behind them instantly. Octavia jumped, though for obvious reasons, Vinyl was unaware of her appearance.
"Pinkie, where'd you come from?" Octavia asked.
"The park, duh! You came from the same place, Inkie!" Pinkie answered. Without warning, the pegasus she had been fighting burst through the floor underneath them.
"You- will- stay- still!" he shouted. "Just stay still and die already!"
"Excuse me? Are you trying to kill my sister?" Octavia asked, stepping up beside the pink mare. "That would be lovely, because I can always use new strings for my cello."
"Who the hay are you?" the pegasus asked.
"Inkamena Octavia Pie, and you will not threaten my little sister on my watch," Octavia answered. "You lay one hoof on her, and red strings will be seen at my next performance."
"I have no interest in you," the pegasus said dismissively.
"Then why do you have interest in my sister?" Octavia asked, reaching for her cello.
"She represents the Element of Laughter. Normally, I would've killed Fluttershy instead, but circumstances changed," the pegasus said. "Now leave, before I kill all three of you."
He got no verbal response. A large, heavy, wooden cello suddenly crashed against his head. His eyes whirled for a few seconds, before he fell through the hole he'd made in the floor. They looked down, seeing that he'd apparently crashed through multiple stories on the way up.
"Ooh, that's gonna hurt," Pinkie said.
"I certainly hope so," Octavia said. She looked at her cello worriedly, seeing that it had broken the back. "My poor cello."
"Oh, hey there, Pinkie. Did I miss anything?" Vinyl asked, turning around to notice the sisters. "... What happened to the floor?"
"That's a story for another time. Pinkie, you should go back and help your friends," Octavia said.
"You should go look for Rainbow Dash first," Vinyl mentioned. "She was just sent flying into the horizon. She wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the other guy's attack."
"Oh, no, not Dashie!" Pinkie Pie gasped. "Never fear, Dashie, your hero is on the way!" She then bounced out the door in a very unheroic manner.
"Vinyl?" Octavia asked.
"Yeah?"
"How good are you with teleporting?"
"The only time I've been able to do it, I had another unicorn providing support. Even then, I ended up sleeping for the next twelve hours."
"Then we shall have to find a unicorn to help us. I believe this isn't a rivalry battle, but a battle against the wielders of the Elements of Harmony specifically."
"You think they're a threat to Equestria?"
"Yes. The pegasus stallion with the bat wings said he was trying to kill Pinkie because she represents the Element of Laughter."
"So...get to Canterlot and warn the princesses?"
"Exactly."
The ponies ran down the stairs to the hotel lobby and out the door. They ran back to the park, where a small crowd had gathered a safe distance from the battle to watch. From what they could see, Fluttershy had disappeared, leaving the Earth-pony mare to stand there, appearing to concentrate on something. Rarity's opponent had gotten a few hits, but it was clear that somepony had delivered a hoof to his eye in retaliation. Applejack and the stallion she was fighting both had several marks, but they both refused to give up. Two more mares had joined the fray. A purple marbled pegasus with a blue mane, a brown beret, and a bow and arrow Cutie Mark was flying above, serving as an aerial sniper, while her friend, a light blue and purple Earth-pony with a two-tone blue mane, a khaki vest, and a jumping fence Cutie Mark was bouncing around, bucking ponies in the faces. It appeared, by all accounts, that they were on the Elements' side.
They were interrupted as a large explosion shattered a stone statue, caused by a dark pink unicorn with a curly yellow mane and a blue jumpsuit that obscured her Cutie Mark. Her eyes were deprived of their pupils.
"Rose!" the pegasus shouted, as the Earth-pony was knocked back by the explosion. "Focus your destruction more carefully!"
"I am," the unicorn answered. The pegasus' bow suddenly snapped in half.
"What the hay, Rose?" the Earth-pony screamed.
Suddenly, Rose seemed to come to attention, as her pupils came back to life. Octavia scanned the field for the source, and found Vinyl near an unconscious Earth-pony mare. She hadn't even noticed that Vinyl had slipped away. Vinyl cantered back to them, smiling.
"Nailed it," she boasted.
"Vinyl, what did you just do?" Octavia asked.
"I have no idea!" Vinyl answered. "I just got it in my head that she seemed fairly defenseless, and she was on the bad side, so I hit her with a tree branch!"
"Hey, guys... what happened?" the unicorn asked, rubbing her head.
"You shattered the statue of the Element of Magic and snapped my bow!" the pegasus yelled.
"Why would I do that? It's all one big blur... I guess I missed again," Rose said.
"No, you did that on purpose!" the pegasus argued.
"Why would I snap your bow, Marble? I mean, really," Rose asked.
"Hey, if you don't mind, we sort of need a unicorn," Octavia interrupted. "Do you mind helping Vinyl here to teleport?"
"Oh, sure, I guess," Rose answered. "Where are you going?"
"Canterlot. As close to the throne room as possible," Octavia answered.
"Oh. The throne room is teleport locked, but I can help you get just outside easily," Rose said. "Ready?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Rose? We don't need you blowing them up," the Earth-pony said. Octavia's eyes widened.
"Heh... don't worry, you'll be fine. She's just nervous because my special talent is destruction," Rose reassured. This didn't help. "My name is River Rose, by the way. My friends are Marble Marks the pegasus and Joy Jumper the Earth-pony."
Vinyl stepped up next to Octavia. "We don't really need your names. We just need help," she stated. She then turned to Octavia. "We have to try it, Octavia. There aren't any other unicorns in this crowd and Fillydelphia isn't known for it's unicorn population. We need to get to Canterlot fast and we can't spend time looking for another unicorn."
"Fine, fine, but if we blow up, it's on your head. Or what will be left of your head," Octavia declared.
At this declaration, Rose's horn started glowing a pale yellow, while Vinyl's glowed a light blue like the shade in her mane. That was the last thing Octavia saw before she was in the halls of Canterlot Castle.
{~X~}
"And so, here we are. I hope that was in-depth enough that the Elements lost the battle while I was telling you the story, or should I go longer?" Octavia asked.
"No, that is plenty long, thank you," Celestia asked, while Luna continued to glare at the brash Earth-pony.
"How much more rude can thou be?" Luna asked.
"Plenty, if you don't shut up and teleport," Octavia answered. Luna's eye twitched.
"Now, Luna, her rudeness is justified. Granted, she STILL shouldn't use it, given our status, but let's ignore that for now," Celestia said. "Let's go to Fillydelphia and see how my faithful student has been faring."
"Tis strange, though. The pegasus thou hit with a cello sounded rather like Boldwing," Luna stated.
"Who?" Octavia asked.
"He was a former Night Guard. Unfortunately, his coloring didn't quite blend in with the night. That, combined with excessive cruelty, had him banished from his position," Luna said.
"Wow, you hired a psychopath?" Octavia asked. Luna's eye twitched again.
"Thou should be banished for thine impertinence," Luna growled. "Let us go, sister."
With that, the two alicorns teleported away.
{~X~}
Celestia and Luna arrived in the Fillydelphia park to find a scene of rubble and bloodstains. There were several police officers around interrogating various ponies to try to get a full story of what happened. They immediately approached the chief of the police.
"Officer?" Celestia asked, getting his attention.
"O-oh! Princesses! You don't need to worry. Everything here is under control. You can go back to Canterlot. You didn't have to bother coming here," the officer started rambling. He sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure the princesses.
"I was told the situation involved my student. Where is Twilight Sparkle?" Celestia asked, cutting off the chief.
"Uhm, well, she's...we're just...we were going to..." the chief stuttered.
"Thou does not know where she is, do thou?" Luna asked.
"Well...no. No sign of Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie, either," the chief admitted.
"What of Applejack and Rarity?" Celestia asked.
"They are in no condition to see anypony. After the police arrived, six of the ponies vanished and Applejack and Rarity were immediately rushed to the hospital for highly severe injuries," the chief stated.
"We were told of three more ponies involved in the battle. Does thou know where they are? We wish to speak with them," Luna said.
"Are you speaking of the group of a pegasus, Earth-pony, and unicorn, right? Unicorn blew up the statue of the Element of Magic?" the chief asked.
"Yes, River Rose the unicorn, Marble Marks the pegasus, and Joy Jumper the Earth-pony,' Celestia answered.
"They are speaking with Officer Coral over there," the chief pointed to where the trio were talking to a rather young-looking pale pink Earth-pony officer.
The princesses nodded to the chief, who was now pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his face with, and walked over to the officer.
"Officer Coral, if we could speak to these three, please?" Celestia asked.
"O-of course, Your Highnesses! I'll just go over there a-and..." Officer Coral stuttered, before bowing and bolting off.
"Princesses? Hello! I'm River Rose and these are-" Rose started.
"We know your names," Luna said, cutting off the unicorn.
"You do? How?" Joy Jumper asked.
"Octavia told us," Celestia stated.
"Octavia? Octavia who?" Marble asked, confused.
"The grey Earth-pony here earlier. River Rose helped her friend teleport the two of them to Canterlot Castle."
"Oh, good. They DIDN'T blow up. That's a relief," Joy Jumper said.
"Hey! I'm not THAT bad!" Rose said, annoyed.
"Yeah, you kinda are," her friends said at the same time.
"Yes, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch did not blow up. Now can you tell us what happened?" Luna asked.
"Sure," Marble said.
{~X~}
The three were walking in the park, not really paying attention to anything. Marble was flying above the two, while Rose walked carefully, so as to avoid accidentally destroying the ground. They were discussing the concert coming up, which had some surprise guests. In fact, they were guessing who exactly the surprise ponies might be.
"I still think it's that Heartstrings girl. She's obscure enough that nopony would guess it was her," Joy Jumper said.
"Exactly. She's obscure. She would come up on stage and everypony would be all like 'Who's that pony? I've never seen her before,'" Marble said.
"Hey, guys..." Rose said.
"What is it, Rose?" Joy Jumper asked.
"Look over there. What's with the flashes of light?" Rose pointed down the path to their right, where they could see large flashes of light,with ponies occasionally coming into view for brief moments.
"It looks to be...some sort of duel," Marble said. "Let's check it out."
They approached the duel to find the holders of the Elements of Harmony engaged in battle with some other ponies they didn't recognize. Or rather, five of the Element holders. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. Rarity was avoiding a knife that somepony in a cape was waving around while Rainbow Dash, or rather somepony who was spewing rainbows that they assumed to be Rainbow Dash, was locked in aerial battle with somepony who left a gray trail behind her. Applejack and a large stallion were taking turns bucking each other, a draconic-looking pegasus and a young mare with the creepiest red eyes they had ever seen were trying to attack Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle was dueling a blue unicorn.
"I don't think this is an ordinary magic duel," Rose said, looking at her friends.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed. It's not like they chose to duel in the park instead of a dueling arena, or that they seem to be having a full-on battle," Marble said, sarcastically.
"I think we should join the fight," Joy Jumper said, catching her friends off-guard.
"What?" Marble said. "Are you crazy? How can we help them?"
"Easy. Your special talent is archery, mine is parkour, and Rose's is destruction itself. I think we should help."
"What if we're interrupting something really important? They might not want us to join in," Rose said.
"Really, Rose? Because the crazy unicorn with the knife appears to be trying stab Rarity in the heart. If it makes you feel any better, here," Joy Jumper said before turning to the battle and yelling, "Hey! Do you need any help!"
Rarity and her opponent immediately turned around to see them, pausing their fight in the process.
"No, we don't need help," the unicorn with the knife said.
"Yes, help would be appreciated," Rarity said, glaring at the other unicorn.
"Good! Because we were asking Rarity and not the psychopath with the knife!" Joy Jumper yelled back.
"I am NOT a psychopath! I'll have you know that I am completely sane and very well educated!" the psychopath answered.
"I don't really care! C'mon, girls!" Joy Jumper said.
Marble pulled her bow and arrows out of Neverspace and flew higher. Joy Jumper crouched and leaped, jumping off a tree and performing a backflip before bucking the psychopath in the eye. He glared at her and tried to hit her with the knife before turning back to Rarity. River Rose walked over to a tree near Applejack and the Earth-pony stallion's fight. She kicked it with her front hoof, causing it to topple over. The stallion barely dodged before it could fall on top of him. Applejack gaped for a second.
"Ah'm never invitin' yah to come harvest apples with me," Applejack said before turning back to the stallion, who was slightly dazed from feeling the full force of a tree falling next to him, and bucking him in the flank.
The battle continued for several minutes, gathering a small crowd along with it. Eventually, Pinkie Pie, avoiding an attack from the pegasus, appeared at the entrance to the park and bounced off, with the pegasus chasing her. The battle continued for a few more minutes, with more ponies coming to watch, until River Rose and the Earth-pony mare disappeared behind a statue to fight. Once they got behind the statue, Rose prepared to charge, but immediately stopped when she looked the pony in the face. The mare's eyes shrunk, until they were small red dots with no pupils.
"You are now under my control. You will do as I say. Understand?" the mare said. Rose nodded, as everything blurred around her.
On the other side of the statue, Marble and Joy Jumper were still fighting. They were vaguely aware of an Earth-pony and a unicorn running towards the scene. Then Rose came crashing through the statue.
{~X~}
"We know this part. Can you please skip ahead to after you teleported Octavia and Vinyl?" Celestia asked.
"Of course," Joy Jumper said.
{~X~}
After Octavia and Vinyl vanished, the three turned back to the fight. Marble, having lost her bow, ducked into the crowd of spectators and watched. The fight was rather uninteresting for about three minutes, until the Earth-pony mare approached Twilight and the blue unicorn's fight. She jumped in between them and narrowed her eyes. Her eyes once again reduced to dots as she stared Twilight in the eyes. Twilight seemed to be resisting for a bit, until her eyes became devoid of pupils and she nodded. She immediately turned and ran from the battle, much to the protests of Applejack and Rarity, who were both covered in injuries and exhausted by this point.
"Where is she going?" Rarity asked. "She can't possibly be leaving the battle. She was starting to win against Trixie."
"Don't you worry your little green head about it," Trixie said, turning to Rarity."And if you do worry, you won't have to much longer."
The Earth-pony mare shut her eyes for a second. When she opened them, her eyes had returned to normal. She turned and gave a smug look to Applejack and Rarity. It was then that two pegasi came flying in. One was the draconic one from earlier, but the other one was new. She looked like Rainbow Dash, but monochromatic, with the only color on her being light grey-blue streaks in her mane and tail and her incredibly light pink eyes. The six ponies split up to take on their four remaining adversaries. Fortunately, before the remaining holders of the Elements could get completely curb-stomped, the police showed up, causing the ponies to flee the scene.
{~X~}
"And that's about everything," Joy Jumper said.
"Strange. It would appear the Earth-pony mare you speak of posseses some sort of mind-control, which should be impossible for an Earth-pony like her," Celestia said.
"Pinkie Sense," Luna reminded her.
"I'm not sure that counts. Pinkie Pie is by all accounts not a normal pony," Celestia said.
"The story is still incomplete, though. Twilight Sparkle told me of this Trixie, but I do not know of these other five ponies. I say we see if we may speak to Applejack and Rarity yet. They may be able to finish out the story for us," Luna said.
"I agree," Celestia said. "Thank you for telling us of this gap in Octavia's story."
"No problem, Princess," Rose said.
{~X~}
The princesses stepped into the Fillydelphia hospital and approached the receptionist, who was sorting through some papers.
"We are looking for Applejack and Rarity. We wish to speak with them," Celestia said.
"I'm sorry. They're not taking- Oh!" the receptionist exclaimed, looking up from her papers. "P-princesses... I'm sorry. Applejack and Rarity are on the third floor. Take the second hallway to your left, go all the way down. There will be a set of double doors. They will be through there."
"We thank thee for thy assistance," Luna said loudly, scaring the receptionist a little.
"Sister, you're using the Canterlot Voice again," Celestia whispered.
"Oh, yes, right. Our apologies," Luna said, making an intentional effort to lower her voice.
The two continued up to the third floor, following the receptionist's instructions until they reached the set of double doors. Luna pushed them open and stepped into the room, followed closely by Celestia. They found Applejack and Rarity covered in bandages. Both were slightly dusty and Applejack had lost the tie to her mane. Her stetson was in worse wear than usual, and was laid beside her. Rarity was the first to notice the Princesses out of the corner of her eye.
"What are you doing here, Princesses?" she asked, causing Applejack to turn her head and notice them, too.
"We wished to address you for a more accurate account of this day's events," Luna answered.
"Why?" Applejack asked.
"Because there seems to be some sort of missing puzzle piece in the stories we've heard today," Celestia answered. "We do not know who the majority of your attackers were, nor why they attacked you in the first place. Trixie is slightly understandable, as she holds a grudge against Twilight Sparkle, but you have never met the other five before, have you?"
"No, I am fairly certain I have not associated with knife-hurling ruffians before," Rarity answered.
"And Ah sure never met that big stallion before," Applejack added. "Well, might as well tell 'em the story, right, Rarity?"
"Very well. I'll do the talking, to keep your ridiculous accent out of it," Rarity said.
"You leave mah accent outta this!" Applejack shouted.
"I just said, that's exactly what I'm going to do," Rarity said, earning a glare from Applejack.
{~X~}
"Trixie? Who are your friends?"
"Oh, of course. How silly of me to forget introductions. The unicorn stallion is Niop, the Earth-pony stallion is Poker Face, the mare is Rose Eyes, and the dragon-pegasus here is Boldwing. The pegasus fighting Rainbow Dash up there is Inkjet. That's about all you need to know. Are you ready to fight?" Trixie asked.
"Wait, fight?" Twilight looked confused.
"Yes. Fight. I certainly hope the bearers of the Elements of Harmony aren't going to back out of a fight so easily. After all, that means we would simply have to kill you all right now and where's the fun in that? I want you to watch us pick off your friends one by one, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie said, giving Twilight a smug look, as if she had already won.
Twilight glared at Trixie and took a step forward. Her horn started to glow as she prepared to fight. Trixie's horn started glowing in response. And so the battle begun, as each Element holder stepped forward to fight whichever opponent they felt would be the best match for them. When Fluttershy started her staring contest with Rose Eyes, Boldwing got a disappointed look on his face before starting his somewhat-of-a-fight with Pinkie Pie. Applejack paired off with Poker Face, who's strength felt somewhat comparable to that of Big MacIntosh. Meanwhile, Niop tried to stab Rarity, which resulted in her having to start cutting back... by insulting his fashion sense.
{~X~}
"THAT'S what you were doing?" Applejack interrupted.
"Capes are out of season, and it could only barely conceal his Cutie Mark, besides. I got several good looks at it while he was attacking me," Rarity said.
"... You've got a crazy stallion stabbing you, and you look at his flank of all things?" Applejack asked.
"Well, I couldn't help but notice that his Cutie Mark looked exactly like his knife. A gold hilt, with a long blade," Rarity said.
"Why the hay does he have a knife for a Cutie Mark? And why does it matter in the heat of battle?" Applejack continued.
"To the first question, I don't know. To the second, I think it matters plenty to know what your opponent is good at, especially when he is attacking you with it," Rarity answered. "Now, may I please continue the story?"
"Wait. Thou said the pegasus was named Boldwing?" Luna asked.
"Yes, why?" Rarity asked in response.
"He was a member of the Night Guard. We had him kicked out for a variety of reasons," Celestia answered.
"A former Night Guard, hm? Interesting. Anyway, may I continue now?" Rarity asked.
"Proceed," Luna said.
{~X~}
Rarity continued her game of hit-and-dodge with Niop, while Applejack and Poker Face continued to buck each other. Poker Face was stronger, but Applejack was faster, which meant for every strong hit he got in, she got in about three weaker ones. As Rarity continued to insult Niop's fashion sense, she was watching the staring contest between Fluttershy and Rose Eyes out of the corner of her eye. She watched as Fluttershy's pupils faded. For some reason, Fluttershy nodded to Rose Eyes and ran off from the fight, confusing Rarity.
After running off, Rose Eyes appeared to still be concentrating for a bit, until eventuallyshe blinked and her eyes were back to normal. She gave a glare to nopony in particular, then walked over to help Boldwing fight Pinkie Pie. Her eyes shrunk to red dots once again and she stared at Pinkie. Pinkie, curious, walked over to look her in the eyes. Her pupils faded for a second, before coming back. Rose Eyes gave a little shriek and fell over.
"W-what was that? So... much... happiness..." she said, obviously traumatized.
"Are you ok?" Pinkie asked, looking down at Rose Eyes.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Rose shouted, standing up and backing away quickly, keeping her eyes closed. "Boldwing! Please, kill her! As quickly as possible!"
"I've been trying, Rosie," Boldwing said flatly. "I lunge and all of a sudden, she's just... not there."
"She's escaping, featherbrain!" Rose shouted.
This brought Boldwing back to attention, who noticed that Pinkie was happily bouncing over to aid her friends. He pursued her quickly. Her back right leg gave a twitch, and she ducked to let him crash into a tree. He shook his head and glared at her.
"Her mind... I think it was made of oatmeal..." Rose Eyes said, shivering slightly.
"You're not the first person to say that!" Pinkie said happily, bouncing away from Boldwing. "Of course, my mind being made of oatmeal is just craaazy!"
Rose Eyes glared at Pinkie, bent her head down, pawed at the ground, and gave a snort before charging. Pinkie Pie just bounced out of the way. This was when a pegasus, an Earth-pony, and a unicorn all jumped into the batle.
{~X~}
"And... that's far enough. We have spoken to River Rose, Joy Jumper, and Marble Marks, so we know the rest of the story," Celestia said.
"So... did yah find your 'missing puzzle piece'?" Applejack asked, stroking her stetson.
"I'm not sure. It still doesn't quite make sense... Rose Eyes appeared to be traumatized by the happiness incarnate that is Pinkie Pie. Boldwing told Octavia that normally he would be fighting Fluttershy, who is a pony of kindness, his exact opposite," Celestia said, trying to add up the different parts in her head. "Trixie battled Twilight Sparkle, a fellow mage. Applejack fought somepony named Poker Face, though who named him such, I cannot imagine. Rainbow Dash battld Inkjet, a fellow pegasus, in the air. And Rarity battled Niop, who has possibly the strangest name of them all."
"The brooch. Octavia mentioned that Trixie was wearing a brooch," Luna reminded her.
"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure all the ponies we fought had something around their necks," Rarity said.
"Yer the only one who'd be payin' 'ttention to that," Applejack said.
"Brooches... opposites... I think I know!" Celestia said. "According to legends, everything in existence has an opposite. Even the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Chaos, as they were called, were Cruelty, Betrayal, Anger, Greed, Deceit, and Illusion. They were the opposites of Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Magic, respectively."
"And now Trixie and her thugs have got their hooves on 'em?" Applejack asked.
"That would appear to be the case. Though the chances of such a party that embodies the vices so perfectly coming together, and then not collapsing in on their own group for power struggles... it would have to be some outside force manipulating them," Celestia said. "I mean, one of the Elements is Betrayal."
"The Miasma," Luna said, earning everyone's attention. "The Shadow Miasma. It's what triggered our transformation into Nightmare Moon. It fed upon our envy and tempted us with much greater power."
"That would be a fair guess, though it's impossible to confirm," Celestia answered. "But if the Miasma is active, then that would imply that it has formed a new plan."
"What do these plans result in?" Rarity asked.
"Well, it created Nightmare Moon. Think about it," Celestia said. She paused for a moment, letting the realization sink in. "It would like nothing more than to see the entirety of Equestria thrust into eternal chaos and despair. To be honest, we aren't even sure if it's alive. It appears to be a force more than a creature. But that is beides the point. If the plan is already hatched and active, time is of the essence. Have you heard from any of your friends?"
"Just you two," Applejack answered.
"That is very bad. No sign of Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash? She claimed to Octavia that she was going to rescue the pegasus," Celestia said.
"Not since she was chased back to the hotel, no," Rarity said.
"And Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle are nowhere to be found?" Luna asked.
"That is the case. We haven't heard from Fluttershy since she ran from the battle, and we're not entirely sure where Trixie and Twilight Sparkle went off to," Rarity answered.
"I see. And you will be in the hospital... how long, exactly? Assuming that you could get regular healing magic in addition to medicine?" Celestia asked.
"Ah dunno. Too much math for me," Applejack said, shrugging. She winced as she did so. "Ah would guess a while."
"Very well, then. We cannot go to the Elements of Harmony on our own-" Celestia began.
"Wait, what happened to them? Didn't you have a few hundred protective spells on them this time?" Rarity asked.
"Yes, we did. We also had guards entrusted with the ability to bypass them. If Rose Eyes has the ability to control the actions of a pony, as we suspect, well, add it up," Celestia said.
"Ya' think she controlled the guards into giving them the Elements of Harmony?" Applejack asked.
"Precisely. And we can't very well wait to regather the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, seeing as four of them are missing, and you two are incapacitated for the time being. We need somepony else to find the literal Elements, as well as six ponies who can embody them well enough to use them," Celestia said. "Luna, can you send out a national decree?"
"How loud do you want it?" Luna asked. Celestia facehoofed.
"I meant the other kind. The kind that involves sending letters to the mayor of every town and NOT shouting off the top of Canterlot Mountain," she said.
"Oh, of course, Tia."
"Good. Tell them that Equestria is in a state of emergency and to tell their citizens to avoid leaving their houses. We are not sure where the bearers of the Elements of Chaos may strike next."