/I have returned once again to bring you chapter two! Nothing to say this time except what I forgot last time. MLP: FiM doesn't belong to me, it's property of Hasbro./
I must confess that making amends with Rainbow Dash is the last thing I want to do. Put of all of us, I have to be the one she is the most angry with, and I am completely terrified. Of leaving the castle, of the soldiers outside looking to destroy us. But mostly of her. For her. If she is alive, who knows what has happened to her? She could have gone insane! She could be so injured she is incapable of helping us! There is even a large chance that her loyalties have shifted. A chance almost as large as that in which she has already been killed.
But Twilight is right. After all of the Ponyville turning on us, losing my parents, Sweetie Belle escaping town with the little ones to form a traveling survival camp... I would much rather die trying than stay in the shadows and slowly starve to death. This is why I am coming along. I can only hope Twilight's force field scheme will work. She plans to put a joint force field around all five of us so we can escape as safely as possible. Of course, she has warned us that her protective spells are not as strong as her brother's, therefore we must still prepare.
"Okay. Are we all ready?" Twilight asks, giving her saddle bag's straps one last tug.
"Good to go." Applejack nods.
"Yes." Fluttershy whispers.
"I suppose so." I say.
"Let's get out of here..." Pinkamena sighs. I've gotten so used to calling her by her full name that I can't even think of her as 'Pinkie' anymore.
Twilight fires up her horn, conjuring a transparent violet force field. It stretches out to surround us all.
"Get ready to run..." The door flings open. "NOW!"
We take off running as a unit. Shots fire at us from the likes of unicorn soldiers. The shots bounce off the protective shield one by one in a kind of rhythm. Glancing upwards, we can see pegasi above us, dropping heavy objects such as tree branches to try and break through. Earth ponies stand off in the distance with cannons and catapults. The force field could give out at any given time. We have to get out, and we have to get out now.
"Faster, ladies, faster!" I shout, attempting to pass Applejack.
The steady rhythm of deflected shots matches that of my hooves on the ground. We've come close to the end of town when a shattering sound nearly stops me in my tracks, followed by a thump behind me.
The force field just broke.
I skid to a halt and turn back to see who was hit. Pinkamena lies, curled in a pained fetal position, on the ground. Blood pours from her side and onto the street. I conjure a beam of magic and manage to somehow lift Pinkamena off the street and onto my back. I continue to run, blasting pegasi who try to take my injured friend with my own attack spell. We run into the thicket of the Everfree Forest, safe and concealed for now.
"Somepony was hit!" Applejack shouts frantically when we stop. She checks herself for wounds then sweeps over all of us until she comes to Pinkamena lying on my back. "Oh, sweet Celestia!"
"Applejack!" Twilight hisses. "Quiet down. The soldiers will hear us."
Unfortunately, she was too late. A multitude of pegasi soar in above us, followed by more unicorns. Twilight conceals Pinkamena instantly with an invisibility spell. Shots fire, just barely missing us.
"T-Twilight..." Fluttershy whispers. "What do we do?"
Twilight jumps to the side, dodging a beam.
"Here's what we do, Fluttershy. You and I will take on the pegasi. Applejack and Rarity will combat the unicorns. Ready, girls?"
"Agh!" I shout, ducking to avoid another beam. "Ready!"
"Break!"
Applejack gets an immediate hold on things. She attacks the earthbound unicorns with no mercy, kicking and biting and fighting dirty. None hesitate to fire at her. I, however, manage to stay a safe distance away from the rough housing to protect Pinkamena, conjuring up as many beams as possible. My attack beams are not nearly as powerful as Twilights, but I can conjure more quicker. A serious wound from me takes about three shots, as strong as I can manage. I grit my teeth, firing up my horn, and shoot.
Twilight and Fluttershy seem to be handling the pegasi fairly well. Twilight is granted closer targets because of her ability to meet them on their chosen terrain, and each shot brings somepony down. Fluttershy is having some trouble letting out her 'inner beast', as always. However, she is useful in the distraction tactic while Twilight powers up her attack beams. One pegasus stallion, whom I once knew as Time Turner, staggers to his hooves and advances, limping towards me. I freeze. His eyes narrow as he draws closer. Blood drips from the corner of his mouth. He drags himself towards me. I tremble slightly with fear. I can hardly stand to look at him. At how he's changed.
He grits his teeth and attacks viciously. Trying to rip me apart. I struggle, managing to push him off. I shut my eyes, forcing as much power as possible into this beam. Once I can't hold it anymore, I fire the beam, blasting Time Turner back at least four feet. He collapses, and in a matter of seconds a pool of his own blood surrounds him. I nearly retch at the sight.
"Girls, gather!" Twilight orders. We obey, quickly gathering in a cluster.
Twilight hovers above us, warding off attackers as best as she can. A rush of darkness speeds before me until suddenly we're no longer in the Everfree. No longer surrounded by soldiers. Instead, we are in the Zecora, the potion maker's hut. Twilight slams the door shut and flings a chair under the handle. She draws the curtains so nopony can see through the windows. We'll be able to hide out here for a little while.
"Rarity! You're hurt!" Fluttershy exclaims in her quiet, raspy voice.
I search myself, finding multiple bleeding tears in my coat. Time Turner certainly didn't hold back.
"No matter. Pinkamena needs aid." I say, gesturing to the bloody mess on the floor where the still-invisible Pinkamena lays.
"I'll patch her up, but we have to hurry." Twilight says in a rush. "The unicorn soldiers have been trained in advanced attack magic. Once they find us, they won't hesitate to blow this hut to pieces."