Chapter Ten - Removal

Twilight wasn't sure of where she was.  Everything was dark, and the only sound she could hear was the echo of her own footsteps.

"Hello!?" Twilight shouted.  "Applejack!?"

"Pipe down!" an unfamiliar voice hissed.  "You're asleep, and probably still on her back, so stop shouting!"

"Who said that?" Twilight asked, whirling around.  "I'm sleeping?"

"Time to wake up, 'Twily'..." The voice replied.

Twilight's eyes shot open.  She could hear the sound of water crashing softly against a surface, the smell of salt filling her nostrils, and she felt the sand beneath her back.

"Twilight!" Applejack whispered, inches from her face.  Twilight grimaced as the realization that neither of them had brushed their teeth in days sank in.  "Twilight, wake up!"

"I'm awake," Twilight groaned, hoisting herself up.  She had a splitting headache.  "Is that the Great Hive?" Twilight gestured toward the towering black structure on a small island across the waves.

"Yeah," Applejack replied, helping Twilight to her feet.  "I managed to sneak out of the Hive.  Broke off a few pieces of the thing, realized they could float.  I used the material to throw a lousy raft together that got us about three-quarters of the way across the water.  Had to swim the rest of the way, but we made it."

"Where are we?" Twilight asked, turning to see a dense forest at the edge of the beach.

"Not sure, but I reckon anywhere that's far away from the Great Hive is a step in the right direction," Applejack said.

"Unless, of course, the Changelings are waiting to ambush you just beyond the trees!" said an intrusive thought in the back of Twilight's head..

"Ambush?" Twilight asked, groggily.

"What about a bush?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N...nothing.  Listen, Applejack, maybe we should wait a while before we go in there.  It could be a trap," Twilight replied, rubbing her head.

"But what if it isn't," the voice in Twilight's head proposed.  "The longer you wait on this beach, the easier it will be for the Changelings to find you again!"

"On second thought, let's go into the forest, but slowly!" Twilight replied.

"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Twilight replied, forcing a smile as she turned towards the forest.  She took a step towards it before collapsing from exhaustion.

"You're lying to her..." the voice said again.  Twilight gulped.

"You're still weak from that teleportation jailbreak of yours," Applejack replied.  "Go back to sleep now, I'll watch over ya 'till you're fit to travel again.  That's a promise!"

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle, go to sleep!"

"No, I can't sleep!" Twilight groaned as Applejack helped her lie down.  "Something's wrong..."  but Twilight's fatigue got the better of her and she fell asleep.  Applejack frowned at Twilight's final words before sitting down in front of her and facing the Great Hive, a look of pure determination and alertness on her face, even as bags began to form beneath her eyes and a yawn escaped her mouth.

...

"So obviously, you know why you're here," Mahugpin said, sitting in a small, but elevated chair behind a massive desk.  His paws were folded neatly, right on left, on the surface.  He stared intently at Fluttershy.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the werewolf attack the other day?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

"Ya hit the nail on the head, little lady," Mahugpin replied, raising an eyebrow.  "Fluttershy, you were given specific instructions to stay at the hospital while the Wolves handled the attack."

"I know," Fluttershy replied, leaning forward and frowning, "but Rarity—"

"Was fine after Greyjaw showed up." Mahugpin interrupted.  "And what would you have done if he didn't?  Fight 'em on your own?"

"I could have flown her to safety," Fluttershy replied, nodding once.

"And left all the other miners behind?" Mahugpin replied, pressing the tips of his paws together in front of his face, his elbows resting on the desk.

"Well, no," Fluttershy said, looking away.

"Exactly," Mahugpin replied, nodding.  "You would have hesitated, and probably gotten yourself hurt, or worse.  That's why you were told to stay at the hospital, where you could make the best decisions for your patients without having to react to danger on top of that."

"I see your point," Fluttershy said, lowering her head before raising it again.  "But you can't expect me to sit by and do nothing while my friend is in trouble."

"No, I reckon I cannot," Mahugpin conceded.  "From now on, whenever Rarity is workin' in the mines, she'll have two Wolf bodyguards with her at all times, starting tomorrow."  Fluttershy's face lit up.

"Oh, thank you so much!" she squealed, her wings propelling her into the air.

"Yeah, yeah..." Mahugpin grumbled, trying to repress his own smile.  "Just stay out of trouble from now on, alright?  From what I hear, you're too good at your job to go getting yourself eaten by Lycanthropes."

...

"Bodyguards?" Rarity asked, cocking her head from across the dinner table as they ate their soup.  "I certainly don't want to trouble anypony, but I must admit, that does put my mind at ease.  It was a dreadful experience."

"I can imagine," Fluttershy replied, nodding.

"So..." Rarity said.  "Did Mahugpin mention anything about Equestria?  Have they gotten a response back, yet?"

"I asked him on my way out," Fluttershy replied.  "He said his messenger hadn't returned yet, but that he'd know something within the next few days."

"I do hope that Princess Celestia is able to do something about these werewolves," Rarity said, looking down at her soup.  "The Diamond Dogs have so much to worry about, and they've been so kind to us."

"I..." Fluttershy hesitated.

"You what, dear?" Rarity asked, placing her spoon into the bowl.

"I think Mahugpin might be lying to us..." Fluttershy replied softly.

"What makes you think that?" Rarity asked, elevating a brow.

"It's just..." Fluttershy placed her forehooves on the table.  "That unicorn who brought us here.  I think Greyjaw called him 'Rion'."

"You know, I didn't really think much of him at the time, but it does seem rather odd that they were in contact with a unicorn before meeting us, does it not?" Rarity asked.

"It's more than that," Fluttershy continued.  "I think he might be a criminal.  Before you and Spot showed up at my cottage, the mailpony accidentally stuffed twelve identical fliers into my mailbox.  They were warnings about an escaped convict.  I didn't get a chance to read them, but I think it might have been Rion in the picture."

"Well, that certainly is troubling," Rarity replied, lowering her head.  "Of course I wouldn't put it past Greyjaw to keep such unpleasant company.  Maybe Mahugpin doesn't know."

"Maybe," Fluttershy replied.

"Besides," Rarity continued, raising her head and smiling, "we've seen first hand that their plight is very real, and they've certainly taken good care of us since we arrived, so for now, I think we should give the Diamond Dogs the benefit of the doubt!"

"I guess you're right," Fluttershy replied, returning the smile, but averting her gaze.

...

Rarity awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and kicking off the covers so that she could cool herself down.  "What time is it?" she grumbled.  "And what is that horrid smell?"  She wrinkled her nose as the rank odor filled her nostrils.  "Did a pipe burst?  I guess that's the risk one takes with indoor plumbing."  She used her horn to illuminate the bedroom.  Unfortunately, that revealed the werewolf that was hunched over her bed.  It leered down at a speechless Rarity.

"You come with me, Strangemeat," it hissed.  Rarity replied by belting out the most piercing shriek she could muster, causing the creature to howl and cover its ears.

"Get away, you filthy beast!" Rarity shouted, levitating her hairbrush, blow drier, mirror, and everything else from her nightstand at the monster.  Of course, none of this deterred the creature, who hooked his claws around Rarity's torso and tucked her under his shoulder.

"It smells even worse under here!" she wailed.

"Quiet!" the werewolf hissed as Fluttershy barged in and turned on the light.

"Rarity!" Fluttershy screamed as the Lycanthrope turned and bolted out the open window through which it had come, a screaming Rarity struggling in his armpit.  Fluttershy didn't waste a second before giving chase, flying out the window and after her friend.  She chased the beast across a yard and into a nearby street.  That was when the alarm sounded.  Fluttershy looked off toward the center of town, hearing a commotion forming there.  Fluttershy continued chasing her target toward the outskirts of the city.

...

"What in tarnation is goin' on here!?" Mahugpin shouted as his Squatter's massive right fist pounded a Lycanthrope into the ground, destroying it.

"I don't know, sir!" replied one of the Wolves that was fighting near him.  "They tunneled down past the city and up through the ground here!"  He sank his sword into a snarling werewolf, receiving a wound of his own in return before the beast dissipated.

"They don't get this aggressive," Mahugpin grunted as a werewolf leaned up against his Squatter's crossed arms, trying to get at his head.  The Squatter's torso spun rapidly, throwing the beast into the exterior of City Hall.  "Unless they're here to abduct someone!"

...

"Fluttershy, go get help!" Rarity shouted, cupping her hooves together as she bounced up and down in the grasp of the Lycanthrope.  Fluttershy ignored her and continued in her pursuit.

"Fluttershy, please, don't hurt yourself!"  The werewolf leapt into a hole in the wall, and the sound of scraping claws and Rarity's screams indicated that they were ascending.  Fluttershy flew straight in after them, slowing her flight so that she could navigate the lightless, narrow tunnel she now found herself in.

...

"Hoo," Owlowiscious cooed as Spike extinguished the candles before heading upstairs to bed.

"Tell me about it," Spike replied.  "Just isn't the same without her here..."

"Hoo?"

"No, I'm sure she's fine," Spike replied, forcing a smile.  "Twilight can handle herself just fine!  Same with Rarity and the others!  We'll see them again before you know it!  It's fine!"  His smile sank into a frown as he finished speaking.  His gaze drifted over to Twilight's desk, and he found himself wiping his eyes with his forearm.  That was when he noticed the window above it, and the strange silhouette that pulled itself out of sight as he set his gaze upon it.

"What-" Spike gasped as he jogged to the window, climbed atop the desk, and peered outside.  He saw nothing out of the ordinary, but his heart began to race.  "The stress is getting to me," Spike sighed, shaking his head as he hopped down onto the floor.  "Maybe we should ask the Apples if we can stay with them for a few-" Spike stopped short as he saw Owlowiscious, trembling as he scrunched his eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked.

He heard a creak from upstairs in his and Twilight's bedroom.  "Twilight!?" Spike shouted, dashing to the foot of the stairs.

"Twilight, is that you!?"  In spite of his hope, his knees began to shake.  He wanted to investigate, to see if she had returned, but instead he backed away, extending his left arm to feel for the front door.

The lights that illuminated the top floor went out, and what light Spike still had in the main room offered him little more than a view of the cracks that began to form from the top of the staircase all the way down.

"What's going on!?" Spike demanded.  "Who's here!?"  He could see a pair of feet.  Someone was descending the staircase.  Spike gasped as he hooked one foot around the other, tumbling onto his back.

"I'm warning you," he shouted, shaking his fist as his voice cracked.  "I'm a terrifying dragon!"

When he looked back up again, however, there was nobody on the staircase.  He exhaled deeply and wiped the sweat from his brow.  That was when the last remaining light went out.  Owlowiscious darted into the window, knocking it open and flying away.

"Run away!" Spike cried, jumping to his feet and turning toward the front door.  He bumped into something, tall and sturdy, and fell down again.  All Spike could see now was a pair of lights, floating a few feet above him, and they were drawing closer.  His vision blurred, his breathing became labored, and he felt as though he were being pressed into the floorboards.

"Where are the Elements of Harmony?"  A gruff, deep voice rumbled through Spike's body and the surface on which he lay.  The baby dragon tried to shut his eyes, but it was in vain.  Of course, he knew where he had hidden the Elements.  He gritted his teeth and did his best to stop the uncontrollable shaking.  Though he resisted the urge to speak, his eyes betrayed him, drifting toward the wall that held the secret compartment that housed the Elements of Harmony.  The phantom left his side as Spike lay there, motionless.

With a sickening crack, Spike looked up to see, faintly through the moonlight shining in through the window, that the tall figure who had accosted him was now ripping the wall asunder.  In a small compartment that was now exposed sat two books.  One had a piece of paper sticking out of it.

A claw grasped the book and opened it at the mark.  It skimmed a paragraph about the Mirror Pond before discarding the tome.  Opening the second book, he found it to be hollow, with the Elements of Harmony sitting neatly therein.  Spike hoisted himself to his feet.  "You can't have those..." he whimpered.

The thief turned to him and began his approach.  Spike raised his fists, steeling himself for combat against whatever the creature destroying his house was.

"I won't let you take them!"

"Don't waste the time you have left," the figure spoke softly, swaying as it walked.  As it drew closer, Spike found himself loosing his nerve again.  Before he could encourage himself to attack, he was alone.  He had never felt so relieved in all his life.  That lasted all of three seconds before the knowledge that someone had just absconded with the Elements of Harmony sank into his head and he began to panic again.

...

After hours of navigating the twists and turns of the upward-slanting tunnel, Fluttershy finally saw daylight.  Coming out of the ground, she grimaced at the sight that now greeted her.  The dank swamp land, the endless pools of water, and the dark forests that surrounded her all unnerved her.  The stench was nearly unbearable, and the intense high-pitched buzz of countless mosquitoes made her entire body itch prematurely.

Fluttershy had come to the land above the Big Deep, which the Diamond Dogs had once called home many generations ago.  She reminded herself of why she was there and began to look around.  Fluttershy saw no sign of Rarity or her captor, but did see something that gave her hope:  large footprints.  At least now she had some idea of where to begin looking for her lost friend.  Taking one deep gulp, she started down the path as the Sun crept higher into the sky.