Under the Bed

Under the Bed
Part 4: Within the Everfree

“For the last time, that’s all I saw!” Twilight said, wiping her puffy eyes a little. Almost-but-not-quite witnessing her marefriend’s ponynapping had hit her hard. The local guard had been questioning her over and over for the slightest variation to her story, but there just weren’t any. Several loud thumps, and by the time she’d gotten there, nothing. Tiny hoofprints all over the hallway, and then whispering in the alleyway.

“Anything else? The slightest detail could be important, you never know,” the mare in golden armor said, sitting across the table from her. Between the stacks of papers and the gold helm sitting on the table, Twilight felt very much like a suspect. “Any odd smells, or noises, or anything?”

Twilight scrunched her face, trying to do her best to help, “There was tapping on the roof. Like somepony was running across it.” She admitted.

“That’s a pretty big detail, Twilight,” observed the mare across from her. “Did it sound heavy?”

“No, it was light. Really light and quick like a… like a foal almost. That would explain the tiny hoofprints all over the walls and the ceiling.” Twilight leaned back, furrowing her brow. “But what kind of animal leaves foal-shaped hoofprints?”

“We’ve already discerned it’s not an animal attack, Miss Sparkle.” said the guard shortly. “We’ve been in touch with a local animal expert, and quite a few other ponies trying to figure this out.”

“Well I can certainly do some research or something,” Twilight offered eagerly. “It took Cheerilee, the least I can do is—”

“No, I don’t want you involved,” said the guard curtly.

“What?! Why?! I’m Prin--!”

“--Princess Celestia’s protégé, the element of magic, a national hero and rumored to be next in line as court magician of Canterlot,” she said, interrupting. Turning to her stack of papers, she produced a little manila folder. “I know all about you, Twilight, and so does everypony in this station.” She flipped the folder open. Clipped to the front page was a polaroid of Twilight and Celestia. Twilight leaned, blushing a little.

“Why do you have this…?” Twilight reached for the file, but the white Pegasus snatched it back and snapped it closed.

“For all the reasons I just named as to who and what you are,” she said. “Whatever we’re dealing with here, it snatched Ponyville’s biggest stallion without leaving a trace. It also grabbed a grown mare from a second story window and sprayed her blood across the wall.” Twilight made to interrupt but she held up a hoof. “It also grabbed a second grown mare right out from under the nose of the most powerful unicorn in Equestria.”

Twilight winced at the blow to her ego. “S-so? That means I can help!”

“It means that it’s strong enough and smart enough to rip you in half when nopony is looking, and I’ll be damned if my police station has to report to Princess Celestia herself that ‘sorry, your protégé was captured and might be dead. Our bad!’” she snarked.

“That’s not fair!” Twilight said angrily, standing up.

“Lemme put it to you this way, Miss Sparkle. You’re a national hero, but you’re still a civilian. We cannot bring you in to help because, frankly, you’re a scholar. You’re attached to this case because of Cheerilee. We don’t assign murder victim’s families to help us look for their murderers.” The guard said. Twilight looked horrified. “Not that I’m saying anypony is dead. That remains to be seen,” she coughed. “But, back to you. In your own bizarre way, you’re a national treasure as well. If you get lost, stolen, or… well, broken,” She said with a dark look, “All kinds of hell will break loose. And I don’t just mean Celestia getting mad at us guards.” She nodded towards the window, “Ponies everywhere will be terrified of this place for a long time to come. After all, if something out there was tough enough to grab Twilight Sparkle, then what chance do they have?”

Twilight hung her head a little. She wasn’t used to being praised and then put down like that. It hurt, but she kind of understood. “What should I do? I can’t just sit around and wait,” she said softly.

“That’s exactly what I’d like you to do.” The mare said, standing and putting on her helm. “I’d like to place you in protective custody with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”

“Protective custody?” Twilight gaped. “Why?! I can defend myself!”

“So could Big Macintosh.” snapped the guard. “For your own good, I want you to go pack a suitcase and report back here.”

“What about the others? I mean, Rarity was the element of generosity! Shouldn’t we contact the Princesses?” Twilight begged a little, already being led to the door.

“I’m not sure what we’d tell them, Twilight,” said the armored mare. “Something is snatching ponies in the dead of night, and in broad daylight, under the guise of a foal. So what do we do about that? Tell everypony to avoid children until we catch whatever it is? Maybe evacuate Ponyville?”

Twilight sighed as she spoke. She was just as short on ideas about how to catch a monster nopony had even seen—other than Sweetie Belle, apparently. Twilight’s face suddenly lit up. Sweetie Belle could tell her more! But Sweetie Belle was locked up in protective custo…. Ah-hahhh. “Alright,” the purple mare finally agreed, smiling. “I’ll go close up the library, get Spike and bring a suite case back here.”

The gear-switch was suddenly, but the soldier wasn’t about to look a gift-pony in the mouth. “It’s not exactly the Ritz, Miss Sparkle,” the tired mare looked relieved that Twilight had stopped fighting her. “But there’s a lot of good ponies here that’ll protect you.”

“I’ll be back in an hour or two,” Twilight nodded, promising.

=-=-=-=

When Twilight returned it was nearly sunset, and her little suitcase was bulging. Spike rode on her back, looking around the police station in wonder. He’d never been in such a place, and it was pretty interesting to see all the serious-faced armored ponies milling about. Big maps had red yard strung across them, pictures of wanted ponies lined a cork board, and there was even an actual water cooler like you always hear about those water cooler jokes! He caught himself grinning. “Here we are, two to check in,” Twilight joked just a little.

“Good to have you back,” said the pony behind the counter.

The same armored mare as before approached. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name!” Twilight apologized. “I was here for hours and didn’t even ask it.”

“Eh, sorry I never gave it.” She looked exhausted and worried in the eyes as she led Twilight past the offices portions. “I’m Captain Clover, of the Ponyville Guard,” She nodded. The purple mare’s eyes flicked to her rump to see a four-leaf clover. Maybe she was a lucky pony? And she used that luck to catch criminals? That was a great way to use one’s special talent, Twilight decided, smiling wide.

“So we’re gonna stay here for a few days?” Spike asked, leaning on Twilight’s withers to make himself taller.

“Yeah,” said Captain Clover with a flap of her wings. “It’s much safer here, in case whatever it is comes back.”

“Do they know what it is yet?” Spike asked eagerly.

“Not yet,” Clover said, frowning seriously. “This way.” She led them along a short hallway. The regular drywall walls gave way to a much more serious stone and mortar. “These walls are over two feet thick, and the passage is fifty feet underground. The walls down there are just as thick.” She told them as they made their way down. “This building used to be a bank, back in the old days. So this was…” she nodded to a quartet of guards standing in an antechamber as they entered. “The vault,” Clover gestured with a smile. The massive door was steel and kind of scary-looking, but it was all the way open. “Don’t worry, we don’t actually close the thing unless there’s a threat detected.”

“N-neat,” Spike said nervously.

“I’ll have my one of my fellow officers bring extra blankets and such. Make yourselves comfortable.” Clover didn’t cross the threshold, offering a tired but honest smile. “Thank you for agreeing to do this, Twilight. If you wanted to run wild and chase after that thing, I don’t think I could’ve stopped you. You’re making the smart decision.”

Twilight nodded somberly, going inside.

“Hey look its Twilight and Spike!” Sweetie Belle’s head popped up over a couch. Scootaloo’s followed shortly after. Both of them were wide-eyed. “The monster must’ve taken somepony else…” whispered the foal.

“I didn’t see a monster at all,” said Scootaloo glumly, sighing. “At least you saw something.” They were awfully cheery for having ponies close to them snatched or dead. Twilight opened her mouth to scold them, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. If they found comfort in each other and their sharing, she couldn’t yell at them for it.

“Hey girls,” Twilight said finally, scanning the room. It had basic furniture, a radio, plenty of toys strewn about for foals, a bookshelf, a line of cots, and a little supply closet.

In one corner stood a fifth guard. “Ma’am,” he offered, nodding before returning to his silent, stoic look. Even as far from Canterlot and out of sight as he was, he was still the picture of your standard solar pony.

“Oh wow, that’s the first thing he’s said in two days!” Scootaloo said. “We can’t make him talk at all, we tried everything!”

Twilight set her suitcase down as Spike hopped off, “You said you saw something, Sweetie Belle?” she said with interest. “I didn’t see what took Cheerilee. What did you see?” she settled on the other couch like it was a sleepover. Sweetie Belle looked at the floor, eyes softening. Twilight regretted diving right in almost immediately. She tried to remember that the poor thing had seen Rarity get assaulted, maybe killed, then dragged out into the night. “Er… I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up like that.”

“It was little, like me.” Sweetie Belle mumbled. “It took Rarity away. I-I dunno if she’s even still alive!” her pupils got bigger and bigger as the tears began to well up. Twilight felt worse and worse. Two minutes in and she’d already made one of her new housemates cry. Without warning the little white foal bounded off the couch and took refuge under the guard in the corner. Twilight blinked when he sank to sit on his haunches so she could hide herself in his belly and barrel. Though the guard said nothing, he could offer the silent comfort of his pillar-like legs and muscle. Poor filly.

=-=-=-=

Zecora cocked her head when she heard hooves approaching. She reached, snatching her rattling staff from where it rested. The clip-clopping stopped at the stoop of her little hut. She narrowed her eyes, hunching a little. She didn’t dare move to a window. Her mind was far from easy. Everywhere she looked lately, she’d seen shadows in the wood. Shadows with round little eyes and pitter-patter steps. But she knew better than to go near them.

There was a quick and fretful knocking on the door. Tap-a-tap-a-tap-a-TAP-A-TAP-A-TAP-a-tap-tap-tap.The zebra wasn’t sure she should answer. She looked at the line of red powder along her windowsills, the one across her bedroom door, and her front door. Screwing up her courage, she rose to her hooves and stood before her front door. “Who is that knocking there? Lighter hooves tell me… a mare?”

“Zecora it’s me! Pipsqueak!” the accent was as foreign to Ponyville as her own. “Please let me in, it’s scary out here!” the clitter-clatter of little hooves told her he was dancing nervously about. “W-we met on Nightmare Night, don’t you remember me?”

The zebra frowned a bit, thinking. Yes, she knew that voice. Going to the door, she eased it open and peered down. The oppressive, rolling clouds over Everfree tucked all the colors away in exchange for greys and silvers. No Pegasus could steer the clouds there, and it gave the whole place an air of menace. “Hello my friend Pip, coming here was quite a trip! But tell me now little foal, what has made my home your goal?”

The foal giggled at her rhyming. Most foals did, and that always made Zecora smile. “W-well, there’s something weird happening in town, and I wanted to come see if you could help.” He looked around like he might have been followed, still standing on the doorstep. “You see, my teacher Cheerilee is gone! And two other ponies too! They disappeared!” he paced about in a cute little sort of I-have-to-pee dance.

Zecora cocked her head. Serious indeed, missing ponies! “Missing ponies you tell me of darling Pip, braving the wood for love and friendship. Tell me more, where they lived, so better advice, I might give.”

“W-well, the guards around Ponyville are being really hush-hush, y’know?” he stood on the lip of her threshold, looking up at her with soft eyes. “But, my classmates noticed when Cheerilee went missing. Scootaloo says someone ponynapped her! And Sweetie Belle just got back from the police station—she said a monster came and took Rarity! And then--” he rattled through what gossiping foals had told him.

Zecora was more than a little worried now. Moving shadows with big eyes in the woods, and now missing ponies as well? “To my hut you came at a clip, but who assigned you such a dangerous trip?”

“Snails triple-dog-dared me,” Pipsqueak hung his head, wilting his ears. Zecora chuckled a little. Well, one could do strange things when one’s honor was at stake. Triple-dog-daring was quite serious business when you were ten. “A-anyway, I came to get your help. None of the grown-ups seem to know what to do.” He sad sadly, looking at his hooves. “B-but, I think maybe you could help!” he nodded past her to all her hanging bones, potions, and strange Zafrican artifacts. “Maybe you can zoodoo the monster away?”

Zecora’s muzzle wrinkled for a moment. Zoodoo, much like triple-dog-daring, was very serious business. The foal didn’t know what he was implying. It took a black heart indeed to make a zoodoo doll, wrest bodily control from somepony, and drive them away. A black heart indeed. One might mistake it with voodoo, but no, zoodoo was meant for animals and the evil-hearted. The only question was… how did Pip know about such a thing? Or better yet, Zecora’s capacity to do it? She’d never attempted more than a few times in Zafrica, but… that word hadn’t touched an Equestrian pony’s lips in some time. The zebra’s eyes narrowed a little, then she smiled indulgently at the foal. “Very well then, zoodoo it is. I will drive out the monster, wherever it is!”

Pip’s face lit up and he did a little dance on the doorstep, hopping up and down on his front hooves like an excited dog. “Alright! Let’s go! Let’s do it! C’mon!” he said, very excited. Such an hyper little thing! He must’ve been fed something sugary to boost his courage before he’d set out into Everfree. “Let’s go, Zecora!” he said, dashing out into her yard before turning about to beckon her.

The zebra chuckled a bit, glancing at the sky. “Come in a moment, before it rains! I have much to gather, things to arrange!” It did take some unusual ingredients to make a zoodoo doll and cast a zoodoo spell, after all.

Pip looked skyward, at the rolling clouds. A little plip of water touched his muzzle. He made a beeline for the door as Zecora stepped away. He’d been invited in! Neato! All his momentum and dashing galloping jerked to a halt in the threshold of the door. Almost like he’d hit a wall. He gagged a moment, like he’d hit his nose. Blinking, confused, he looked at his hooves. There was a line of red brick dust across the doorframe, mounted rather high. Even the winds of the oncoming storm didn’t push it over and break the line. He looked up slowly, and found Zecora regarding him with a cool frown. “What’s this?” he asked innocently.

The zebra leaned on her chest of drawers, shouldering her staff. “Brick dust, my little friend. Now tell me, why draw me out-- and to what end?” Pipsqueak cocked his head, looking at the line of brick dust. He backed up, then tried to force his way across again. He yapped like he’d hit his nose. Something supernatural was keeping him from crossing the threshold into the hut. Leaning down, he heaved a big breath and blew hard on it. The dust didn’t scatter. He couldn’t affect it at all. He hoof’d at it a few times, tried to cross again. It held like iron.

“That’s not fair, Zecora!” said Pipsqueak, whining as the rain began outside. “I’ll get wet!” he whimpered at her and gave her big, soft foal eyes.

The zebra felt only the briefest tug on her heartstrings, but she knew better. Brick dust, when enchanted, stopped those of ill-intent. Animals, ponies, and— anything else. Zecora turned slowly and gracefully, leaning to pluck a few empty bottles from her shelf. Leaning her staff on the wall, she arranged them in a neat little row. Pipsqueak watched her curiously, falling silent and tilting his head. She held up an amber beer bottle, peering at him through the colored glass. He blinked at her. She held up a green ginger ale bottle, squinting at the foal’s image in the doorway. Nothing. She held up a plain clear mayo jar. Hmm, distorted. “Clever you are, a smart little creature. But does a mirror, I wonder, reveal your true features?” she reached into a drawer and got a hand-mirror, turning away from Pip and angling it at him. Mirrors never lied.

The creature Zecora saw in the mirror was black and shiny, like a changling. But it wasn’t a changeling. Its eyes were completely whited out and the rows upon rows of fangs in its mouth gave way to a jaw that looked easy to unhinge. Zecora counted three rows of teeth from where she stood. Its little pot belly was round and shiny, and the little stub of mane and tail on its body barely resembled—something close to seaweed. Its skin was oil, shimmering back and forth like it was trying to decide exactly what sort of onyx color to be. It dripped and dribbled all over—something that looked like a mix between hot wax and tar. Most interesting was the line on its back. Zecora would have mistaken it for a garden hose at first, but it was much too small. She was reminded of an umbilical cord, if not for it having sprouted from the thing’s back instead of its belly.

Zecora lowered the mirror, turning around with a pale expression. Pipsqueak was standing there with a neutral expression, something between disappointment and annoyance. The rain started to pound at him, blowing into the hut as well. There was a long silence as not-Pip a the Zebra stared at each other. “You’re all going to die, you know. We only need a few of you. The rest will die.” Suddenly his cute little foreign accent wasn’t so cute anymore.

The zebra waited for the next flash of lightning to wrench down a random bottle from where it hung on a string. Turning with a wild Zafrican hoof-spring she sent the bottle spinning at the monster, “Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-yahhhhhh!” she bellowed a quick spell to set the label ablaze with a thrust of her staff.

The shattering of glass sent the mixture all over the pretender and it shrieked in three different voices, cartwheeling backward in pain. It caught fire before it hit the ground. It splashed out into a black, muddy puddle, moaning in a loud wail that was neither male nor female. Zecora seized a dirty jar of brick dust, rushing out of the safety of her home with it. Grabbing a hoof-full she blew it all over the frothing, boiling puddle. The whole thing caught fire as the mixture spread, spitting and popping like a fireworks show. She traced a quick circle around it in the mud with brick dust. It wasn’t going anywhere. The little cable on the beast’s back snapped, snaking away into darkness. Then the whole thing went still.

Zecora stood there in the rain, panting and soaked. She mixed the brick-dust in with the beast’s remains using the butt of her staff. Then she rushed back inside for more alchemist fire and burned the already burned remains. She watched the entire time, to make sure it was dead. “If the shadows I’ve seen are things like it,” she poked it a few more times to make quadruple-sure it was dead, “then Ponyville, it seems, is in deep shit.”