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Egghead's Guide To Running, Chapter 14: Running While Encumbered
Sometimes the intellectually advanced mare may find herself required to run while carrying an unconscious or weak pony. There are many possible causes for this particular scenario - perhaps she must drag an injured comrade out of the line of fire, perhaps she must carry an unconscious mare she harbours a secret interest in and must return her to her bed before she wakes and the situation becomes awkward, or perhaps she must transport a kidnapped hostage to her secret lair. We do not judge; we simply inform. The first thing to keep in mind is some measure of stability for the unconscious pony; a rope around her hooves to prevent her from falling from your back is an excellent place to start...
Twilight Sparkle's horn briefly glowed as she tied a rope around the dazed Rarity's hooves as she continued to run at full pelt away from Canterlot Castle. It was okay, though. The Princess may be brainwashed, she might have hit Rarity in the head, and there was an a chance she could wind up married to Prince Blueblood. But it was okay. The books had known this might happen. They'd prepared her for the first step - which was running away - and they'd surely help her with everything after that.
What does one do when dating a Prince? Is there a book on the topic? A guide to dating, perhaps? Is there a book to get out of it?
Fluttershy was running behind her, but Fluttershy wasn't one to raise her voice to the level that'd be heard over the sound of their galloping hooves. And Twilight wasn't really capable of communicating in anything more than slightly unhinged laughter right now. So they ran in silence towards Ponyville. Where the books were. There was safety in books.
*
"What's the ruckus?" Applejack said, as she and Pinkie emerged into a room with nervously dispersing courtier ponies. Princess Pinkestia was waving blankly at a dustcloud faintly visible on the horizon. All the ponies other than Prince Blueblood were leaving the room nervously, constantly glancing behind them.
"Hey!" Applejack said, blocking the path of a suited unicorn, "'scuse me, but what's goin' on around here?"
"Oh, it was terrible. Manticores came and ate all the palace doctors!" said the colt. He drew a handkerchief from his coat pocket, placed it across his forehead, and with an elegant sigh, fainted.
"Really? All of them?" Pinkie Pie asked the unconscious pony, eyes wide. "Even the psychologists?"
"Especially the psychologists!" Cried another courtier, eyes wide with fear.
"Where's Twi'? And Rainbow?" Applejack asked edgily, looking around. "And where'd these manticores come from?"
Something about this had her mane on end. It didn't feel right. The ponies weren't answering her either, and were just hurrying out of the room.
"Hey! Somepony answer me!" Applejack shouted, but the ponies were spooked, and her yell made them start to run. A few seconds later, they were alone in the great hall with Blueblood and Pinkestia, who was still waving mechanically at the horizon.
"Gee, where do you think they have to be?" Pinkie Pie said.
Applejack took a deep breath. "Twi' and the others wouldn't have left without tellin' us, unless it was real important. Let's take one quick look around the castle, see if we can find 'em, and meet back here."
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing off without pause. Applejack took a deep breath and slowly started off in the opposite direction.
Pinkestia was still waving at the distant Ponyville.
*
"Spike! Spike!" Twilight shouted, bursting in through the door of the library. She didn't wait for a reply, running upstairs to the bed, levitating Rarity off her back and onto it, and then running downstairs again. She caught a glimpse of Fluttershy wrapping some ice in cloth and thanked the pegasus under her breath. She needed to work.
"Spike!" Twilight shouted, running down to the floor of the library and starting to grab books off the shelves. "I need books to escape arranged royal marriages - check the fiction section! And I need to find out as much as I can about deprogramming princesses. Spike!"
No Spike.
"Fine! I'll just... I'll just fix this myself!" Twilight said, pulling as many books off the shelf as she could. Tomes on espionage and riddles were thrown aside, the workspace was cleared, and almost as instantly built up again with piles and piles of books. Hypnotism, mind control, head injuries, parallel universe evil opposites...
There was a knock on the door.
Twilight slammed the book shut so hard it felt like she'd bruised it.
"Who's there?"
"Rainbow."
She relaxed a tiny bit. "Come in." Instantly, she went back to her reading, not looking behind her.
"Rainbow!" She heard Fluttershy's wings beating behind her. "Did you get the cure?"
"The... cure? What, precisely, do you mean?"
Something about that voice made Twilight stumble over the sentence she was reading. Evil opposites can usually be told by their tendency towards facial hair. If you already possess facial hair, consider the possibility that you may be the evil opposite and surrendering to that clean-shaven rogue may be in the best interests of ponykind...
"For the poison joke? The poison joke that blinded that poor guard?" Fluttershy, sounding hesitant. Even fearful.
"Poison Joke?! You didn't tell me about any poison -" Twilight shouted, turning around -
And stopping dead.
Rainbow Dash was...
Her mane was thick, combed, and braided. Her tail was thick and long and expertly cared for. Her hooves were clean and shining, and her horseshoes were silver. She was wearing a long red and green ball gown. And lipstick. She was smiling.
"Fluttershy, darling," said Rainbow Dash, with a smile, "I think the one who's blind here is you - that mane! So understated, so simplistic - really, you must allow me to give it a proper makeover. Two hours, a haircut, some eyeliner, a nice saddle and you won't recognise yourself. You'll be gorgeous!"
"R-Rainbow?" Twilight asked in horror. "You're wearing a dress."
"Of course I am, darling," said Rainbow Dash with a smile. "I always dress in style."