First Impressions

“Twilight? Are you okay?”

Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes, only to see the worried expression of her assistant. Every inch of her body screamed for her to lie back down as she slowly rose from the floor. She felt Spike’s arms wrap around her neck as he pressed his face into her coat. She smiled as she attempted to reassure him. Her gaze moved from the small dragon to the state of her library as the events of the night before caught up to her.

The library looked as though a hurricane had run through it. Books and paper were scattered everywhere, torn pages littered the ground, smudging the remains of the chalk circle. She looked back to her assistant as he broke away and gave her a smile while wiping his eyes.

“I thought I lost you guys. None of you were breathing after the spell finished.”

“Where are the others Spike?” Twilight asked as she scanned the room for her friends. None of them were present as Spike sat down on a pile of loose books. Twilight rubbed her head with a hoof as her mind went over the events of the previous night. She looked outside to see that night had fallen again.

Something had gone wrong in the middle of the spell. Twilight remembered the giant orb and the glowing tendrils that had nearly drained her and her friends of nearly everything. Spike had been there before she passed out, but had been thrown back as the orb exploded in a flash of brilliant light. A few walls had scorch marks from where the tendrils had lashed out, and majority of the shelves were damaged from the magical shockwave. A sudden movement caught Twilight’s eye, making her turn to see a figure shift on the couch behind her. Twilight’s eyes widened as the figure turned to face her. Twilight stared at Spike with a look of utter disbelief. A groan made her turn her attention back to the figure that had risen from the couch. It was holding its head in its hands, trying to clear its vision.

******

Dante’s expression matched Twilights as he locked eyes with the pony in front of him. Twilight could’nt help but stare into his deep crimson eyes as they bore into her with a worried expression. His hand slowly reached out and brushed the soft fur of her cheek as she came close to him. A strange tingling sensation shot down her spine as the fingers grazed her skin. She gazed at him as his eyes became frightened as he started to edge away.

“This can’t be real,” Dante said as he backed away from the unicorn. He looked at his hand as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Twilight could quite literally hear the rapid beat of his heart as he took in both her and Spike. He stared in disbelief as he tried pinching himself. “What happened to me?”

Confusion overtook Twilight as she turned to Spike. A sudden crashing noise came from Dante as he made a dash for the door, knocking over a few pieces of upright furniture. He winched as a jagged piece of wood caught his arm and drew a thin line of blood before he burst through the door.

“Wait! Come back!” Twilight yelled as she chased after him. Dante saw the purple mare chase him and increased his speed as he clutched his bloody arm. He ran through the surprisingly empty streets as he tried to evade the purple mare chasing after him. He jumped over a crate and spun around as he summoned a small portion of his magic to his palm. With a quick chant he condensed the air in front of his palm and sent it hurtling towards Twilight.

Sweet Celestia, what kind of magic is that? Twilight thought as she ducked under the ball of air. The spell smashed into a building, completely obliterating the wall. Twilight stood in awe of the destructive force as she looked a Dante. “I need to stop him.”

Dante had severely underestimated his condition as he gasped for air. Such a simple spell would have normally been an easy feat for him, but recent events had taken their toll on him. He fell back as more of the horse creatures came out of the pastel coloured building and stared at him. “Stay away from me!”

He summoned the last of his strength as he felt a familiar heat engulf his hand. He opened his eyes to see the ponies staring at his arm, which had been engulfed in bright red flames. All had looks of fear as he backed away with his hand raised. The purple one that had been chasing him stood in front of the crowd as a magenta aura surrounded her horn. Dante felt himself rise off the ground as he was encased in a similar coloured aura. He struggled as he floated, extinguishing the flames that had begun to sputter as his magic reserves ran dry.  He felt a wave of exhaustion overtake him as he dropped to the ground.

Twilight cautiously approached Dante as she lowered her horn in case he tried to use his magic again. A sudden scream made her turn her head towards the familiar shape of the Carousel Boutique as a shadowy figure jumped through a window and stopped in front of Dante. A smile crossed Dante’s face as he looked at the familiar golden haired elf standing in front of him.

“It’s good to see you Moe,” Dante said as the elf picked him up. Twilight was about to call out to them to but was interrupted when the elf threw down a small pellet. Smoke billowed out from the device, enshrouding the two. She coughed as she used her magic to clear the thick grey smoke, only to find the two creatures gone. She searched frantically as a snow-white mare ran out of  the boutique.

“Twilight! What in the world were those things?!” Rarity said as she approached the frantic purple unicorn.

“Did you see the one with horns?! He was on fire!” Pinkie said as she popped out of nowhere, causing everyone to jump back. Twilight looked at her friends with the same look of confusion and shook her head. Pinkie was bouncing up and down excitedly as she looked around for the two aliens. “Your friend looked really funny too! I’ll go find them and then we can all have a giant party!”

“Pinkie, I think a party is the last thing they need,” Twilight said causing the party mare to stop bouncing and look at her with a puppy dog eyes. Twilight sighed as she scanned the area looking for any sign of the two figures. “They’re frightened. I think we brought them here last night.”

“Speaking of last night,” Rarity said as she tried to fix her mane. She looked at the crowd of ponies that had begun to disperse before continuing. “What exactly happened? I don’t remember much of it.”

“I can answer that!” Spike said as he caught up to the three mares. He wheezed for a bit as he tried to regain some of his breath. After a minute, he looked at the three confused mares before speaking. “It happened after you all passed out.”

*****

Spike ran towards the stairs as he heard the girls screams for help. His foot missed the first step causing the dragon to tumble down the stairs.  Regaining his footing on the floor, Spike ducked as an expanded copy of Applecare 101 flew past his head. He gasped as he saw the gigantic orb spinning in the centre of the room as hundreds of tendrils smashed holes into the walls and destroyed furniture.

Spike ran towards Twilight as he saw her struggle to rise from the ground. The element of magic had fallen from her head and looked as though it was beginning to bend under an immense pressure. His hand instinctively went to grab the mare but collided with an invisible force, and he was thrown back by a magical backlash. He ran back to Twilight and began to pound on the invisible force field as he watched her faint. His eyes turned to the other five mares as each lost consciousness. Tears began to well in his eyes as he helplessly watched the tendrils suck the life out of those he loved. His eyes moved towards the growing orb as it began to spin even faster.

To his amazement, the orb suddenly stopped as each of the tendrils fell limp. It began to twist, swell, and crack, before exploding in a flash of brilliant white light. Spike Shielded his eyes as the light blinded him. A number of smaller beams of light shot past him, passing through the door and windows, disappearing into the night. As the lights dimmed, Spike lowered his hand, and saw a figure crouching in the middle of the circle.

The figure had a mess of white hair that covered the majority of its pale face. A dark black eye shone from beneath the white as the figure stretched and scratched the horns that protruded forward from the sides of its head. A yawn escaped its lips as it looked at the room with a smile of amusement, and then tucked away a staff and a golden sword. Its gaze rested on Spike and the unconscious mare lying beside him. Its smile grew even larger and more sinister as it approached. Spike felt a chill go along the length of his spine as he stood between the figure and Twilight. Dark tendrils extended from its sleeves as it raised a bandage hand towards Spike. He waited for a darkness to take hold as he closed his eyes, but felt one of the figures fingers press on his forehead.

Spike couldn’t describe the strange feeling as the figure’s presence filled his head. It felt wrong, as though somebody was invading the very sanctity of his mind and peering into his very soul. The feeling lasted only a moment before Spike felt the presence leave his mind. He looked up to see that the figure had placed a finger encased in a black aura to its throat. The area where the finger touched turned black as the air hummed with unnatural energy that sent chills through Spike’s scales. A moment later, the aura surrounding the finger was gone and the figure cleared its throat as it knelt in front of Spike.

“I am assuming you’re the only one here capable of speech at the moment,” the voice of the figure said. It sounded as though two people were talking in unison. It echoed through the room as Spike stared dumbstruck only nodding as he stared into the deep blackness of the figures eyes. “Good, it looks like the spell was successful. However I can’t say the same for the state of your companions.”

Spike swallowed the knot in his throat before he spoke. ““What do you mean? Will they be okay?”

“Frankly, no. The spell took too much out of them. It won’t be long before they cease living altogether.”

“Please, you have to help them!” Spike cried as he hugged the still form of Twilight. “I need you to help them.”

“I may be able to assist in their recovery, but I require a favour in return.”

“Anything! Please you need to help them. You can have my hidden stash of crystals!”

Spike ran back up the stairs and came back with a basket of gems that he dumped on the floor in front of the figure. He separated them into small piles and presented them to the figure who looked at them with a bored expression. Spike moved through each pile with lightning speed before coming to the bottom of the last pile where he found a small black crystal. He remembered this as one of the strange black crystals he had picked up near the gate of the Crystal Empire when they were heading back to Ponyville.

The figure picked the crystal from Spike’s hands and examined it with keen look. He clenched his fist around the crystal for a moment and then dropped it as he stood up. Spike looked down to see that the inky blackness had disappeared, leaving behind a crystal as clear as glass. Spike looked up to see that the figure had lined up the bodies of all of the the mares except for Twilight, and had extended his hands towards them.

Spike watched as the tendrils extended from the folds of the figure’s robe and carefully encircled the five mares. With a strange chant, Spike watched as ghostly purple flames engulfed his friends. The tendrils evaporated as the flames collapsed inwards, leaving behind a strange and acrid smell. Nothing remained were the bodies of the five had been. Only small scorch marks in the shape of their outlines. The figure gave a sigh as he turned his attention to the lavender mare who had ceased breathing. Spike stood in front of her, quavering as he stared directly at the figure.

“What did you do to them?”

“I simply fixed what was wrong and sent them back. They will wake up in their homes fully healed and able to continue with their lives.”

“So what about Twilight?”

“I will examine your friend in due time, but this is where the second part of the deal comes into play. I hold the lives of your friends in my hands, so you best listen to my instructions.”

Spike nodded furiously as he stepped away from Twilight’s body. The figure knelt down and put a hand on the unicorn as he repeated the chant from before. Purple fire erupted from the figure’s hand as he grasped the unicorn’s horn. He held onto Twilight for a minute, then slowly withdrew. As the hand came away, Spike sighed in relief as Twilight drew a breath before turning back to the figure.

“Within the next few days, three of my current host’s companions will arrive in this town. This is inevitability. We will need assistance in returning to our homeland which only your friends can provide. However, I fear that we were not the only ones brought here. Until this problem is remedied, we will stay here in this town. In the meantime, you will take care of our needs until such a solution is found. Understood?”

Spike nodded as the figure got up and sat on a nearby couch. Another yawn came from the figure as he looked at Spike with a smug expression. Suddenly, dark trails seemed to evaporate as the dark robes were replaced by a different set of clothes. The bandages disintegrated from the figure’s hands as he examined his arms. A small smile played on his lips as he leaned back.

“It seems that I must go back to my cage for a bit, but remember this tiny dragon. I will always be watching, and if my host is not taken care of, I will take back that which I have given.”

“Who are you?” Spike asked as he stood up, no longer intimidated by the weakened state of the figure. “Who else came with you?”

“My name and who I am is not of importance right now. Everything will be revealed in time, but for now, we must both rest. I am sure that my host will fill you in on recent events once he has recovered from his initial shock. Goodbye for now.”

With those final words, the blackness in the figures eyes changed to a deep red before they rolled back into his head. The figure collapsed on the couch, unconscious.

*****

“So we summoned a group of dangerous aliens to Equestria,” Twilight said as she looked at Spike. She groaned as she rubbed her forehead. Not only had she mistakenly summoned a group of unknown aliens to Equestria, one was capable of using destructive magic she had never seen before. She could only imagine what the others were capable of doing. “Princess Celestia is going to kill me!”

“Now Twilight, I’m sure that if we explain what happened, she’ll be able to help us.” Rarity said as she followed Twilight back to the library. Pinkie bounced beside them whistling a tune, obviously undeterred from the previous night’s near death experience. “Besides, I really need to apologize to that one who was in my shop. I acted rather hastily and without proper judgment. I do hope he accepts my apology for throwing my scissors at him.”

“I think it would be best if we all got some sleep before we look for them,” Twilight said as she let out a sigh. She opened the door to her library and was greeted by the sight of a now, slightly cleaner, mess on the main floor. A few pieces of furniture were still overturned, and the majority of her books needed repairs, but that would be a problem for another day. “I’ll send a letter to the Princess tomorrow and we’ll all gather here to go looking. I’m sure Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow will need an explanation as well.”

“Then can we throw a party?” Pinkie asked as she bounced rapidly. Twilight rolled her eyes as she stepped inside the library. She nodded to the pink mare who squealed with excitement before running back to Sugarcube Corner. “This is gonna be the bestest most supertastic party ever!”

“Well then I guess we shall see you then tomorrow,” Rarity said as she turned away and headed back to her shop. “Good night Twilight.”

“Good night Rarity,” Twilight replied as she closed the door. Twilight sighed as she levitated a scroll and her quill and began to write. The letter took her only a minute to finish and explained everything from what had happened to exactly the individual measure of degrees of each angle of the intersecting lines. Rolling the paper up, she turned to give it to Spike who breathed a jet of green flame over the paper. As the smoke exited her window, Twilight went upstairs hoping to salvage what was left of the cold night.

*****

Dante grimaced as Moe bandaged the cut on his arm. With a twist, Moe tightened the piece of cloth over the reddened skin. The bleeding had been stopped, but without any medicine or alcohol, it ran the risk of infection. Dante estimated that he unless they could find a healer soon, they would have to make contact with the pony creatures that had chased him last night. Dante scanned the room as Moe sat between a stack of boxes.

They had taken refuge in an old building in the centre of the town. From the size of the building, Dante could tell that this was more than likely the town hall. They had gotten in through an open window and locked themselves in a musty storage room to rest for the night while they tried to figure out a plan of action. A sudden realisation came over Dante as he looked at his friend.

“Hey Moe?”

“Yeah Dante?” Moe replied as he brushed back some of his long hair and looked at his friend’s worried expression.

“What happened? We were fighting those four and then the next thing I know, I’m in library with some purple horse thing staring at me.”

“Well, we were fighting the Bullywug, then there was a bright flash. The next thing I know, some sort of vortex opened up and sucked us all in. I woke up in some sort of fashion place and almost got stabbed by some flying scissors. The next thing happens is I see you surrounded by horses, so I come and get you.”

“Were Coppa and Sam with you?”

“No. I thought that maybe you’d know where they were.”

“Well, this situation has gone off to a great start. This is starting to look like one of those bad novels that Sarah writes.”

“I don’t think Sarah ever wrote one that involved small horses, Dante. Most of that girl’s books were bad slasher plots,” Moe said as they both remembered the shy green haired student librarian. “We’ll look for them in the morning and be back at Particus before you know it. Besides, it’s not like this situation could get any weirder.”

Dante was about to protest until he saw a flash of mint green dart from the window. He stared at the window waiting for whatever creature to reappear but shook his head as he noticed that Moe had fallen asleep. Dante leaned back as he felt the day’s events take their toll on his exhausted frame. The comforting hold of sleep came easily to the Diablon as his eyelids sagged and he shifted his body into a more comfortable position.

“I just hope that the others are ok.”