Episode 2: The Return to Flatts

Caramel stood at the end of the covered bridge on the side that led to Flatts. The sun had lowered to the horizon, and it bathed the sky in orange and red. Through the chinks in the bridge, a ray of light reached Caramel’s determined face. He held his hooves firm in place as he stared ahead.

“I don’t care what you think,” Caramel said, “You are not going back in there.”

“I am not some defenseless mare that needs your protection, Caramel.” Edger shot back.

Edger looked up into Caramel’s eyes and attempted to look as assertive as the tan stallion did, but he failed miserably at it. His head barely reached Caramel’s neck. The aggression in Caramel’s eyes caused Edger to breathe faster.

“You know what they will do to you if they see you.” Caramel said, “You even wrote about it, remember? I’m just going in there to get Pinkie, and then we leave.”

“And then what?” Edger asked, “I know there is something going on here, and I know it has something to do with the things that I see.”

“And what are you going to do?”

Edger’s mouth dropped and his eyes widened. He took a few steps towards Caramel and then pushed him aside with as much strength as he could, which meant that Caramel stayed in one place. Edger shook his head and then continued past the bridge.

“Edger…” Caramel started.

“No!” Edger shouted, “You think that because of this…”

Edger lifted his hind leg and pointed to his mutilated underside and cutie mark.

“Because of this, that I’m less than you are. You think I’m incapable of protecting myself.”

“Edger, that wasn’t-”

“I’m not useless!”

Edger lowered his hind leg and ran off through the forest. Caramel reached his hoof out to call him to stop, but decided against it and just ran after him. The distance to Flatts closed within minutes at the speed Edger raced. The path bent in so many ways that Caramel couldn’t see Edger. He looked to the west at the setting sun. It was almost below the horizon. Luna’s moon already peaked over the horizon to the east, but Caramel still hoped they would reach the village before Celestia’s sun was gone completely. Caramel heard a gasp ahead of him, and he sprinted the rest of the way, only to find Edger trembling behind a large bush.

“Edger, what-”

“It’s him.”

Caramel joined Edger behind the bush and peeked through. In front of him was a clearing next to an old storehouse. In the clearing, a white stallion with a red mane circled a freshly lit fire. His lips moved, but Caramel couldn’t make out any of the words. He estimated that his build was similar to his. He continued to circle the fire until the flames grew above his head.

“Who is that?” Caramel asked.

“It’s Ag,” Edger said, “I know it is.”

Caramel watched as Edger continued to tremble next to him. He lowered himself until his body pressed next to Edger’s and then reached a hoof over his neck to embrace him.

“I’m here, Edger, I’ll prote-” Caramel hesitated, “I’ll help you, okay?”

Edger looked up to Caramel and nodded his head. Caramel moved to continue, but Edger held him back.

“There are more of them.”

Caramel watched as other ponies made their way from the main street to the fire, where they all sat down in a circle. Their lips moved, and when they spoke together, Caramel could hear whispers as they rose with the fire.

Helioselene

Enas alithinos theos

Perimenoume

ankalia sas eikosi oples

“Caramel?” Edger asked.

“Yes?” Caramel replied.

“All of the other ponies are white, but Ag is black.”

Caramel turned to the other ponies. Ag was clearly white, and the other ponies were mainly different shades of grey or blue, but he didn’t see any of the ponies as having black fur.

“I don’t see it.” Caramel said.

“No, his soul,” Edger replied, “He’s like a shadow, but he’s not wavy like the shadows I’ve seen before.”

“Edger, listen,” Caramel said, “I know you feel that you need to do something here, but please, let’s just find Pinkie and go.”

“No,” Edger replied, “I have to do this. Everything bad that I have experienced has come from here, I cannot stop until I know that it is no longer a threat. If you want to find Pinkie and go, then that’s fine. HEr house is the one by the silo.”

“You mean the silo that a bunch of things are flying out of?”

Caramel watched as Edger turned his attention to the silo just as the sun sank below the horizon. In the moments between dusk and night, he could make out the shapes of large winged creatures as they flew out of the silo into the night sky. A shriek filled the air. Caramel and Edger turned towards the source of the sound. In the moonlight, they saw the barn door in the distance open and a yellow stallion with a black mane left the barn. He carried a smaller pony on his back.

“We have to get closer.” Edger said as he left the safety of the bush and made his way to the storehouse.

Caramel followed him. A moment later, they stood at the side of the storehouse that faced away from the fire. Edger peered around the side and watched as the yellow stallion carried the mare closer to the fire.

“That’s Apiaris.” Edger whispered to Caramel.

The shrieks continued as Apiaris carried the mare to the fire and as he and some other villagers tied her up to a large pole. The pole was lifted above the fire.

“Another one has turned to the darkness!” Apiaris shouted.

Caramel watched as the mare’s body began to change in the light of the fire. Her hooves elongated and separated. Another shriek ripped through the air as two wings grew from her back. A few sparks flew up from the fire and singed her mane. The ponies that surrounded the fire began to chant.

Helioselene

Enas alithinos theos

mas katharisei apo ti̱n amarti

na mas kanei katharo gia sas

“Mother of Celestia, are they-?” Caramel started to ask, but was unable to complete his question.

Edger stared at the fire. Break through the surface, he thought, break through the surface. Edger imagined the fire as separate particles. He saw the fire as a collection of atoms, each binding to and separating from one another. The shrieks continued and Edger watched as the flames licked at the mare’s fur. He closed his eyes and continued to focus on the fire. He imagined heat; he imagined the heat dissipating into the night air; he imagined the night air combining with the heat of the fire and becoming one. The fire disappeared a moment later, but the mare’s body continued to writhe on the stake. The villagers looked around as the light of the moon replaced the light of the fire.

“Where’d the fire go?”

“Apiaris!”

The mare on the stake screeched. The ponies looked around as more screeches filled the air and then looked up as shadows circled around them. Edger and Caramel looked up and saw the creatures that had fled from the silo hover above them. Screams of ponies filled the air as a bell rang in the distance.

“Quickly!” Apiaris yelled, “To the schoolhouse!”

The ponies ran from the fire pit and ran down the street, but the creatures began to swoop down from the air. One of the ponies tripped and was quickly picked up by one of the creatures. Edger and Caramel looked up as the pony and the creatures became a silhouette against the moonlight. Another creature surrounded her and scratched at her as she struggled and screamed against their claws until they all became one mass of darkness above them. Bones snapped and Edger and Caramel reached their hooves to their faces when they felt something warm fall onto them.

“Get in the storehouse.” Caramel whispered.

“But, the mare-” Edger started to say.

“Get in there now!” Caramel yelled.

Edger looked into Caramel’s eyes. He wanted to argue, but the way Caramel towered over him and stared him down suppressed all urges to argue. He nodded and together, they entered the storehouse. Edger lit his horn slightly so as not to draw attention to the creatures that flew outside. He could still hear the screams of the villagers and the ringing of the schoolhouse bell as it rang down the street. Above them, rusted scythes hung precariously from the rafters and the scent of rotted grain filled the air. As soon as they entered the storehouse, Caramel swung it shut.

“Caramel,” Edger pleaded, “Please don’t look at me like that again.”

“I just wanted you to-”

Edger’s sob filled the storehouse. Caramel reached over to touch Edger’s mane, but another light began to glow in the corner of the room.

“So you truly are a vessel.” The voice said.

Edger and Caramel looked at the source of the light as it made its way down the single aisle in the storehouse. Script emerged from the end of the aisle and faced them.

“What are you doing here?” Edger asked as he choked down his final sob.

“The same thing you are.” Script replied.

“How did you escape Canterlot?” Edger asked.

“How did you?”

“Wait a minute,” Caramel asked, “You were imprisoned there?”

“We both were,” Edger said, “The princesses must have put us in separate places, though. He wasn’t with the other unicorns I met.”

“Why would they do that?” Caramel asked.

“To learn how to control the unicorns with the power of old magic, I suppose.” Script replied as he turned to Caramel, “Mister…”

“Caramel, just Caramel.”

“There are some things that I need to discuss with Edger. If you would be so kind…”

“Sure, let me just excuse you both and go outside where those bat pony things are.”

“Vesperqui.” Script replied, “They are the ponies that were… rejected… by Helioselene. The ones who are hopeless.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Miss Pie is out there.”

The ground shook. The scythes above them rustled back and forth. As the metal scraped together, Edger shivered.

“Where is Pinkie?”

“At her house, I suppose. The one by the silo.”

“Oh, here,” Script reached into a saddlebag and tossed a scroll at him. “I do suggest that you study the map I just gave you before you go rescue your mare in distress.”

Caramel unwound the scroll and looked it over. A moment later, he had his hoof at the door.

“Oh, and I also suggest that you find something with which to protect yourself before you go barreling in after her. Who knows what the vesperqui would do with somepony like you?”

“Edger,” Caramel asked as he placed a hoof on Edger’s shoulder, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Go get Pinkie.” Edger replied as he pulled away.

The door closed again a moment later. As the sound of Caramel’s hoofsteps grew fainter, Edger turned to Script. The shrieks of the ponies outside had died down, and Edger had assumed they had made their way to the schoolhouse. The only sound was the occasional moan coming from the mare that was still tied to the stake.

“We have to save her.” Edger said.

“It’s too late for her.” Script replied as he pulled out another scroll from his saddlebag, “Dim your horn. We don’t want to attract too much attention.”

Edger did as he was told. Script unwound the scroll and placed it in between the two of them.

“Why did you do it?” Edger asked; the question had weighed on him even more so than what was occurring at that moment.

“Why did I do what?”

“The pills.”

“I did it to stop the princesses from getting to you.” Script replied, “A lot of good that did.”

“Why do they want us?”

“Because they are the created ones,” Script said, “They are the created ones, and the magic that we possess comes from the uncreated ones. They want to control that.”

Edger looked down at the scroll Script had unwound. On it, he saw his crude drawing of the image that had been burned into his mind; it was the image of Helioselene that had been painted onto the roof of the barn. Surrounding this image were images of the creatures that Edger had just seen flying outside. They carried off ponies just like he had just seen.

“The ponies here believe that Helioselene is the true god, and that Celestia and Luna are merely placeholders, waiting for his return.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I’ve had a long time to study this, Edger.” Script sighed, “They want to bring Helioselene back, and they want to use you to do it.”

“Vessel?” Edger asked.

Script nodded. Another moan tore through the air from outside.

“They tried using the villagers for it, but they end up like her.”

Script’s horn dimmed and Edger heard him pick up the scroll.

“There’s nothing we can do tonight.” Script continued, “We’ll talk with Caramel and Miss Pie in the morning, if they’re alive.”

Edger suddenly realized how tired he was. The thought of Caramel and Pinkie Pie out there had him turning towards the door.

“I wouldn’t go out there, if I were you.”

“I have to find Caramel.”

“Caramel is going to have a difficult enough time trying to protect Miss Pie. He doesn’t need you slowing him down.”

Edger’s hoof remained on the door handle. His shoulders slumped and he turned back to lie down on the floor.

“Edger,” Script asked through a yawn, “Why don’t you tell me about the other unicorns you met in Canterlot?”

*****

Caramel peeked out of the corner of the general store. In the distance, he could see faint light coming from the boarded up windows of the schoolhouse. Luna’s moon was now high in the sky, and it cast everything in its grey light. All of the noises were gone now; the shrieks of the ponies had stopped, as had the flapping of the wings of the vesperqui. Caramel turned around and saw another light from the storeroom where Edger and Script were hidden. The light from the storeroom dimmed and Caramel sighed as he turned back down to the alley.

Caramel jumped as the sound of something crashed behind him. A brown box had fallen from a stack and now lay on the ground, its contents of discarded metal strewn across the ground. He turned back around and made his way past the backs of buildings and houses. Is the entire village in the schoolhouse, he thought. As he passed another alley, Caramel saw a shadow dart across the other side of it on the main road. He stopped for a moment and peered back down the alley, but there was nothing there. Caramel looked back at the end of the road, at the small building near the farm at the north of town. Just before the farm is the smithy, Caramel thought, I can make it there, and then find Pinkie. Caramel stood in front of a field in between the buildings he used for shelter and the smithy. The grass hadn’t been tended to, and it grew to the height of his cannon. Caramel stared in the direction of the smithy as he heard the sound of wings beating lazily in the tree that stood nearby. Just as he prepared himself to run, he felt a hoof on his shoulder. Caramel spun around and prepared himself to kick, but he saw who it was.

“Pinkie,” Caramel whispered as he embraced his friend, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my sister. Were you about to run through the cemetery?”

Caramel spun back around. A wind blew through the field and between the blades of grass Caramel could just make out the tips of stones. He pointed to the smithy.

“We have to get there,” Caramel said, “I have to make something to protect us from the vesperqui.”

“Vesper-what?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“The flying things.”

“No,” Pinkie Pie said, “Those creatures were the ponies.”

“I know.” Caramel replied as he remembered the scene he came into town to see.

“But,” Pinkie Pie continued, “They’re my family, you can’t kill them.”

“They aren’t your family anymore.”

“But-”

“Come on.”

Caramel edged his way out of the shadow of the building. The wings in the trees ruffled, but they didn’t take to flight. Their hooves trod along the ground, but their breathing stilled. Caramel felt his hoof sink deeper into the ground and he struggled to pull it out.

“Hold it,” Pinkie Pie said, I’ll help.”

Pinkie grabbed onto his fetlock and began to pull along with Caramel.

“It’s a fresh grave.” Pinkie Pie said, “Somepony died recently.”

“Or maybe they were preparing the grave for somepony about to die.”

Caramel continued to struggle against the ground, but the sound of wings in the distance made them stop. Both ponies

looked up and saw three sets of yellow eyes in the trees.

“Pinkie,” Caramel said, “Get to the smithy.”

“No.” Pinkie Pie replied as she began to dig around the dirt to free his hoof.

A shriek rang in the distance. Caramel continued to pull as Pinkie Pie continued to dig. The yellow eyes squinted as the sound of wings beat through the trees. Caramel finally urged his hoof free as three vesperqui emerged from the tree and flew towards them. More vesperqui descended from the direction of the schoolhouse.

“Run!” Caramel yelled.

He had made it a few feet before he realized that Pinkie Pie wasn’t behind him. He turned around in time to see Pinkie Pie throw three cupcakes directly at the vesperqui that had flown from the tree. The cupcakes hit their faces.

“Pinkie!” Caramel shouted, “We don’t have time for this!”

“Just watch.” Pinkie Pie said as she caught up to him.

They continued to run as the sound of more vesperqui filled their air. Caramel charged through the back door of the smithy, and the door burst open and hung on the hinges. He pulled Pinkie Pie inside and shut the door. One the other side, Caramel could hear the sound of scratches against the door as the creatures tried to get in. Just as suddenly as the scratches started, they stopped. Pinkie Pie made her way to the window and motioned for Caramel to look. Caramel eased away from the door and to the window. Near the middle of the field were three small ponies. They looked at their hooves and turned to one another.

“Pinkie,” Caramel asked, “How did you?”

The sound of wings stopped his question and a look of panic covered Pinkie Pie’s face. The three ponies looked up as shadows grew beneath them. As Caramel watched one of the vesperqui pick up one of the ponies, he dragged Pinkie Pie away from the window.

“No!” Pinkie Pie yelled, “We have to get them!”

“There are too many of them, Pinkie!” Caramel shouted back, “Don’t you understand that?”

“But,” Pinkie Pie whimpered, “They’re my family.”

More shrieks filled the air, but Caramel held down Pinkie Pie’s body with all of his weight. Pinkie Pie struggled against him, but he refused to let her go. In a matter of moments, the shrieks once again ceased and the sound of beating wings could be heard as they grew fainter in the distance. Caramel released Pinkie Pie, who took off to the window. Caramel noticed the intense heat in the room and turned his gaze to the forge. Do they keep it going at all time, Caramel thought. He looked around the room as he recalled the blueprints for his invention. A small metal tube and cone lay in the corner with other discarded metal. He looked up at the worktable and found a roll of copper tubing. In a large jar on a shelf he saw steel shots of ball bearings. Perfect, he thought as he reached for the items.

“They’re gone.” Pinkie Pie whispered.

“Yes,” Caramel replied, not looking towards her, “For now.”

Caramel immediately began to heat up the metal tube and cone until they became hot enough to mold together. He didn’t look up, but he heard Pinkie Pie make her way towards him.

“They’re dead.” Pinkie Pie said, “And it’s because of me.”

Caramel moved what he was working on aside and made his way to Pinkie Pie.

“Don’t you dare think that you’re to blame for this.” Caramel said, “We have no idea what’s going on here. Look around, Pinkie. You and I both know that there is something wrong here.”

Caramel watched Pinkie Pie’s eyes darken and her hair deflate.

“Script and Edger will explain everything to us.” Caramel said.

“Edger’s here, too?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Caramel cocked his head as he wondered how Pinkie Pie knew Script was in Flatts.

“Of course he is.”

Caramel hugged Pinkie Pie once more and continued with his work. He grabbed a length of copper tubing from the roll and a steel shot and was glad to see that the steel shot rolled right through the tubing. Caramel began to sweat as he started to put the pieces together.

“Caramel, have you seen my sister?”

“I can’t say that I have.”

“She’s about my size, pale blue coat, light grey hair?”

“I haven’t seen her, Pinkie.”

“It’s just that they took her from our home and I’m sure they took her to the barn and I know there are bad things going on there so I really hope they didn’t take her there.”

Caramel tried to control his facial features and continued to work on his project.

“They took her to the barn?”

“Yes?” Pinkie Pie replied, “Are you sure you haven’t seen her?”

Caramel set down his project and stood still for a moment. He thought back to the mare that Apiaris had been carrying. He thought of the burns she had on her body before the fire went out. The sounds of her shrieks still filled his head.

“No, Pinkie,” Caramel said, “I haven’t seen her.”

Caramel watched as Pinkie Pie turned back to the window. Caramel shook his head and turned back to his work.