21: Guardian
"H-hold on. I think I... have to... t- huurghh!"
Specter sighed and looked away in disgust as Thunderlane started vomiting on the ground. Though his teleportation spell could only be detected by powerful unicorns who spent time training in forbidden magic, he still took the precaution of teleporting himself and Thunderlane to three random spots around Ponyville before finally ending up at the hideout that the other ponies working under Polaris had picked out. The only positive thing that Specter could think of about this situation was that Thunderlane was at least throwing up outside and wouldn't stink up the hideout. He sighed again as Thunderlane let out another dry heave, still struggling to get over the feeling of extreme nausea from teleporting for the first time in his life.
Finally finished expelling the contents of his stomach onto the ground, Specter unceremoniously kicked some dirt over the puke before leading the way into the cave they stood in front of. "Hey wait, can I get a drink first?" Thunderlane asked in a whiny voice. With no patience left, Specter grabbed a hold of the sick pegasus with his magic and dragged him inside, wondering if using this pitiful excuse for a stallion would really be worth the pain it was already becoming.
Pulling the still-whining pegasus deeper and deeper into the cave, the two stallions came to a dead end. "Wait, where are we? There's nothing here." Thunderlane said while looking around.
Specter nodded towards the wall. "Through there."
Thunderlane walked up to the area that Specter indicated. Placing a hoof on the rocky wall, he pushed and probed the area but found it solid. "Wait, there's nothing here!" he exclaimed, beginning to wonder if this was all a trick.
Specter suddenly shot a ball of light from the end of his horn at Thunderlane, causing him to shut his eyes in fear. However, nothing seemed to happen. Before he could ask Specter what was going on, he watched in amazement as the unicorn strode forward and simply passed through the rocky face like it wasn't even there. Extending his hoof once again, his limb this time simply passed through the rock wall like it wasn't even there, and as Thunderlane reluctantly moved forward he realized that it was some sort of protective spell cast to protect what lay deeper in the cave.
What was now in front of him was a rather intricate camp with five other stallions lounging around in various places. They looked up as Specter and Thunderlane walked towards them, but then went back to their various tasks, not caring who the new pony was.
"You're absolutely sure that you can identify Starshadow and where she lives, right?" Specter asked the pegasus. Thunderlane nodded, finally giving Specter hope that he wasn't a lost cause. "Good. When I give the word, you will lead the ponies here to where Starshadow lives. Once they take her, escort them to the Ponyville train station. You'll find a train with a single car, get everypony in it and it will bring you all to Canterlot. You'll receive your payment and a full pardon for your crimes once you arrive." Specter said before walking back out, not waiting for an answer.
Left alone with five complete strangers, Thunderlane tried to hide his nervousness and sized up his new companions. Three of the stallions sat around a crate playing a card game while the other two sat off to the side, one of them sharpening a deadly-looking set of knives while the other one had his attention focused on a copy of PlayColt. Clearing his throat, Thunderlane approached the poker playing ponies and gave a friendly smile. "Heya guys, wanna deal me in?" he asked.
The three ponies shot Thunderlane a glare so stern enough to scare even a cockatrice. He quickly backed away, turning instead to the two other ponies. Figuring the one looking at the magazine would be slightly friendlier, he walked up next to him and glanced at the page that was open. "Heh, sweet flank on that one, right?" he said.
The pony ignored him, leaving Thunderlane only one other pony to try to befriend. Gulping nervously, Thunderlane walked started approaching the last stallion but stopped cold as the pony turned his attention to the pegasus and held up a freshly sharpened dagger. "Back off." he said, the tone of his voice leaving absolutely no room for any doubt.
Defeated, Thunderlane sought out a secluded corner and sulked by himself. He huffed out loud but none of the other stallions even twitched at his sign of discontent; instead, they continued their activities as if he wasn't even there. With no other choice, Thunderlane tried to figure out how to pass the time and hoped that Specter returned soon. He could swear that the other ponies were stealing glances at him, and they weren't happy about having a newcomer in their midst...
The last few days for Starshadow had been rough, but as each day passed Big Mac noticed that her old habits and tendencies were once again fading away. As he walked back to Sweet Apple Acres he heard multiple screams, and as he looked over to his right he saw Starshadow, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell running in and out of the trees bordering the farm, the four ponies playing tag with one another. Big Mac smiled as he stopped to watch them play, happy to see that Starshadow seemed to be done with hiding alone somewhere, trying to seduce him, or calling him her 'Master'. After a hard period of time, it finally seemed like things were changing and life was returning to normal.
Spotting the large stallion, Starshadow stopped and shyly waved to him, still slightly embarrassed that he continued to insist that she was his special somepony. However, the thought of them remaining together appealed greatly to her, and with great hesitance she had finally agreed to call him her special somepony instead of 'Master' anymore. It was clear she had trouble with the change at first, but now she seemed happy with life.
"Gotcha!" Apple Bloom shouted as she dove forward, tackling Starshadow to the ground. Both ponies laughed as they tumbled across the ground, coming to a stop a few yards away from where Starshadow was standing just seconds ago. "Ah gotcha, Starshadow! Ya can' catch me!" Apple Bloom said as she untangled herself and quickly galloped off.
With a look of determination, Starshadow stood up and raced after the fleeing Cutie Mark Crusaders, trying to tag one of them back. While the four continued to play, Applejack came out of the barn and walked over to where her brother stood, joining him in watching the ponies play.
"Well, this is nice tah see." Applejack said, smiling at the sight in front of her. "Ya sure ya'll don't wanna join em, Big Mac?"
"Nnope. Too fast for me." Big Mac said, not afraid to admit that he was nowhere close to being the fastest runner in town. "Why don' you join in?"
"Naw, wouldn't be fair to 'em. No way anypony can outrun me. 'Member tha Runnin' of tha Leaves an' me'n Dash raced?"
Overhearing the two siblings talking, Starshadow couldn't help but suddenly veering off course and racing straight at them. Stopping right in front of Applejack, Starshadow grinned mischievously. "Oh really? Then prove it." she challenged, bopping AJ lightly on the snout with her hoof. "Tag."
Before Applejack could react, Starshadow ran off with the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, all four of them laughing and giggling as they ran into the fields. Big Mac couldn't help but laugh also at the challenge Starshadow had thrown out. "Ya not gonna play?" he asked, noticing that Applejack hadn't yet moved.
"Jus' givin' 'em a head start, is all. T'wouldn' be fair if Ah didn't." AJ replied, tossing her hat so it landed on Big Mac's head. "Hold that fer me. This won't take long."
Without any more hesitance, Applejack raced off after Starshadow. "No flyin', ya hear!" she yelled after the pegasus, her focus solely on catching up to Starshadow to prove that she was indeed the fastest runner.
As Applejack weaved through the trees she saw that she was already catching up to the four ponies. Though Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell were slightly lagging behind, Applejack ignored them, her target being only Starshadow. The three fillies knew that the orange earth pony was only after Starshadow and wisely gave way to Applejack as she began to close the gap.
"Ah gotcha now!" Applejack said, getting ready to reach out and tag her target. However, Starshadow let out a short laugh before suddenly increasing her speed and pulling away. Applejack almost tripped from the surprise, but quickly recollected her thoughts. _'Course she was holdin' back, that's why Apple Bloom an' the others kept up with her.'_Applejack thought to herself. With renewed determination, Applejack bolted after Starshadow, leaving the three fillies behind while they cheered for Starshadow to run faster.
As the chase went on, Starshadow began darting between the trees erratically, using her wings to help take turns much tighter and faster than most ponies could. Applejack did an admirable job keeping up with Starshadow, but due to the turns wasn't able to close the gap anymore. However, the advantage soon changed to Applejack's favor as her impressive endurance and stamina easily beat out Starshadow's, and before long Starshadow's speed began to slow dramatically. They had circled around the barn about seven times and were running past the front gate once again when Starshadow finally had enough. Slowing from her pace, she tried to get her heavy breathing under control so she could tell Applejack that she surrenders but she wasn't quick enough.
Still with plenty of energy left to spare and with adrenaline still flowing strongly, Applejack didn't see that Starshadow had stopped until it was too late. She crashed into the worn out pegasus and both mares went tumbling to the ground in a cloud of dust. Neither Applejack nor Starshadow were injured during the collision, but as they opened their eyes they both realized that they were now in a somewhat compromising position; Starshadow was lying on her back, pinned under Applejack's larger frame.
Applejack blushed as soon as she realized that she was lying on top of Starshadow, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to move away so Starshadow could get up. Instead, both mares stared into each other's eyes, unable to look away.
'What'n the hay are ya doin'? Get on off of her!' Applejack thought to herself, but what was going on in her mind was nowhere close to what her body was doing. Instead of listening to her thoughts, AJ's body remained put where it was, keeping Starshadow pinned under her. AJ's head started to slowly move down, inching closer and closer to Starshadow until the two were separated by less than an inch. Both mares could feel the other's hot breath on their muzzle, but before either of them could speak up Applejack closed the gap, locking her lips against Starshadow's mouth.
'Ya idjit! What'n tarnation are yah doin'?!' Applejack thought to herself, but she couldn't bring herself to lift her head back up. Her heart was racing faster than Rainbow Dash flying to Sweet Apple Acres during cider season, but it wasn't because she was nervous about somepony seeing her kissing another mare. No, Applejack was worried that Starshadow would hate her for kissing her, and she would forever be hated by her brother's special somepony. However, her fears were put to rest when she felt one of Starshadow's hooves wrap around the back of her neck and pulled her down, clearly not wanting the nervous earth pony to stop what she was doing.
Not caring who may see them and forgetting that her family may be nearby, Applejack allowed herself to indulge in the guilty pleasure, both mares kissing each other like they were long time lovers. Starshadow wriggled momentarily on the ground, but instead of trying to free herself she positioned her body so her crotch was now pressing against one of AJ's rear legs. Unable to hold herself back, Starshadow began to rub herself against Applejack's leg, causing both mares to moan softly as they continued to kiss. It only took a matter of moments for Applejack's leg to start becoming slick with Starshadow's juices, but both mares were too preoccupied to even notice, let alone care. The two mares were so preoccupied with each other that they didn't notice the clip-clop of hooves nearing them, growing louder and louder by the second.
"I must say, this town is growing on me every time I come here." Starsong said as she watched the scenery slowly pass her by.
"Yup. It's a fantastic place. I used to live in Manehattan, but this is a much better place to raise my two young foals." one of the earth ponies pulling the taxi said.
As the two ponies pulling the taxi went back and forth commenting on their favorite parts of Ponyville, Starsong looked at the quaint little buildings that made up the small town and smiled. She recalled the nightmare of a life that she and her mother had saved Starshadow from and thought that a town like this was the perfect place for her sister to settle down in, especially now that she had found a stallion that she loved. Her thoughts were soon interrupted as the taxi slowed and one of the ponies announced that they had arrived at her destination, though she noticed that he had stuttered uncomfortably for some reason.
Ignoring the hiccup in his speech, Starsong disembarked the taxi carriage and tossed her payment, plus tip, to one of the ponies while the other one quickly offloaded her luggage. Starsong found it curious that he was beet red in the face and he frequently glanced towards the farm she had been taken to, though she was on the other side of the carriage. Once everything had been settled, the two stallions took off back to town, leaving Starsong confused by their strange behavior. Levitating her bag behind her, she took one step towards the farm before her eyes went wide and she dropped her bag in surprise as she saw what had gotten the two taxi stallions so flustered.
Standing still in shock, it took Starshadow and Applejack a few moments to realize that they now had an audience. Applejack was first to glance up, and when she recognized Starsong she let out a muffled yelp in surprise and quickly removed herself from her position over Starshadow. "Gah! Sta-Starsong! Ah didn' know ya'll were... it ain't what it looks like! Ah was... we were..."
Starshadow's reaction was much calmer, and as she looked over and saw that her sister was back in town. "Starsong!" she exclaimed excitedly, quickly getting back on her hooves and rushing over to hug her. Starsong snapped out of her trance once her younger sister warmly embraced her, but as their cheeks touched she felt a cold wetness. Starshadow pulled back and noticed that she had gotten some saliva on Starsong's cheek, though she had no idea if it was hers or Applejack's. Not really caring whose it was, Starshadow gently licked Starsong's cheek clean, causing her sister's already flushed face to become even redder.
Applejack didn't know whether to cry from embarrassment or roll on the ground laughing from what Starshadow had just done, but to her relief Starsong seemed to shake off the awkward situation that had just occurred and smiled as if nothing had happened. "Good to see you too, Starshadow." she said to her sister before turning to Applejack. "Pleasure to see you again. I hope you don't mind me dropping by so suddenly."
AJ couldn't believe that Starsong could act like she hadn't seen anything but managed to spit out an answer. "Ain't no trouble at all, Starsong." she said hesitantly.
Just then, Big Mac and Apple Bloom came out of the house, having seen the taxi carriage pull up but had missed what Starshadow and AJ had been doing. The two remaining Apple siblings greeted Starsong warmly, but as Big Mac and Starshadow carried Starsong's luggage inside, Starsong slowed down and asked to speak to Applejack alone.
Once Starshadow and Big Mac had gone inside, Starsong's face darkened as she confronted AJ. "Is there something going on between you and my sister? I thought she was with your brother, not you." she asked.
Applejack could sense the suspicion hanging around Starsong's head, and she quickly shook her head no. "She ain't! Ah mean, ah crud... she IS with Big Mac. That, whatcha saw there was... aw gosh darn, it's so hard to 'splain." she said, unsure of how to tell Starsong of what all three of them had done in the past.
Starsong took a step closer to Applejack, a fiery glare in her eyes. "I believe Starshadow told me before that you are 'the Element of Honesty', so you better live up to that title and be honest with me right now. What have you done to my sister?"
Applejack felt her gut wrench when Starsong referenced her Element of Harmony. "Ahlright, Ah'll tell ya." she finally said in defeat. "Listen, Ah don't have no intention of hurtin' nopony, 'specially Starshadow. She'n Big Mac are datin' an' Ah think they go well together."
Starsong eased back a little, but her eyes still betrayed her heightened suspicion. "Then why were you two doing THAT just now? That's... that's not right. Two mares shouldn't be doing something like that, especially out in the open for everypony to see!"
Applejack's ears and tail drooped in shame and embarrassment as she heard Starsong scold her. She couldn't help but think herself as a gigantic hypocrite as just a few weeks ago Applejack thought the same way, that two mares shouldn't engage in activities that a mare and stallion were meant to. But now, after spending a few intimate nights with Starshadow, AJ wasn't sure what to think any more about that topic. "Ah know, Ah just... Ah didn' mean to- Ah mean, what Ah'm tryin' ta say is..." she stuttered.
Starsong held up her hoof, not wanting to hear excuses. "Whatever. Just answer me truthfully; are you trying to hurt her or steal her away from your brother?" Starsong asked.
Applejack quickly shook her head no. "Never! Ah would never hurt mah brother or a friend like that!" she said firmly.
Starsong's gaze didn't ease at first, but she did see how determined and sure of herself that Applejack looked. Hesitantly nodding in satisfaction, Starsong eased her mood and calmed down. "Okay, I believe you." she finally said.
Just then Apple Bloom came bouncing out of the house and raced up to the two mares. "There ya'll are! We were wonderin' where ya'll went to." the small filly said."Watcha still doin' out here?"
Starsong smiled at the little filly. "Oh, I'm sorry dear. We got caught up talking. We'll be inside shortly."
"Well don' wait too long! Granny Smith'n I made a fresh zap-apple pie!" she said, bouncing excitedly back inside.
Applejack glanced over at Starsong, unsure if Starshadow's sister would still want to be friends. To her relief, Starsong offered her a small smile and placed a hoof reassuringly on her shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry for being so harsh before. It's just... Starshadow has been through a lot, and I can't let anypony hurt her or drag her back to where she was before."
"Ah understand." Applejack nodded. "She told me'n Big Mac 'bout what had happened to her. Please believe me, Ah don' want anything ta happen ter her either. She's like family to me."
Starsong embraced Applejack. "Thank you." she said. With an increased respect and trust in one another, both mares headed inside to join Starshadow and the rest of the Apple family.
"Aww, ya sure ya'll can't stay tonight?" Apple Bloom asked.
Starshadow and Starsong looked at each other, Starshadow trying to suppress a giggle as she glanced up at her sister's singed mane. "Sorry, Apple Bloom, but we have to get home tonight. We'll be back tomorrow, though." she said.
Once everypony said their goodbyes, the two Star sisters walked back towards town, and Starshadow finally let out the laughter that had been building up inside of her. "Ha ha ha ha! I'm sorry, sis, but I can't believe that you let her try that on you!"
Starsong glanced up at her mane, sighing at the sight of the singed tips of hair. "How was I supposed to know? She said it was shampoo!" she defended herself. "I've never heard of shampoo bursting into flames like a phoenix before!"
Starshadow wiped her eyes as she tried to stop laughing. "Well, you did choose to ignore all our warnings not to, especially anything that had to do with cutie marks. Even Granny Smith tried to pull you away in time."
"She asked me to help her wash her dentures!" Starsong protested. "What pony in their right mind would choose that over helping a filly?"
Starshadow smirked. "At least Big Mac and Applejack put it out before it got any worse."
Both sisters continued walking together back to town, but unbeknownst to them they were not alone. From the shadows of the trees a lone unicorn watched the two sisters walking home, silently following them until they went inside Vinyl's home. Once the door was closed, Specter quietly made his way back out of town, having confirmed the two places that Starshadow spent most of her time and was most vulnerable. He had no need of Thunderlane's services to show him where she lived; he was simply a scapegoat in his plan. It was now only a matter of time before his plan could be put into motion and he could finally 'retire' and be free to pursue his mysterious past.
However, Specter was wrong about one thing; he was not alone in the dark. From her own hiding place, Twilight's bodyguard remained hidden as she watched Specter foolishly leave his hiding place before teleporting off somewhere else, only a faint trace of his magic left lingering in the air. Not one to make the same mistake, she teleported herself back to Twilight's library from her hiding spot, and once back she woke Twilight up from her sleep.
"Uh? Who is...? Nightshade, what's going on?" Twilight asked sleepily.
Nightshade bowed in apology before speaking. "Princess, we have a problem."