Chapter 1
Dune was unremarkable in a sea of remarkable. A small grey earth pony with a black mane and tail, almost thirteen, he stood out like grass in a paddock - not at all. In the classroom, he was constantly surrounded on all sides by energetic Technicoloured equines with overabounding enthusiasm, of which he (usually) took no part; he was for the most part a mildly cynical and reserved mind, watching as if from above the antics of his friends. Yes-for though immediately others see him as aloof and holier-than-thou, he still sees friends as a great necessity. He enjoys their company, though they are (as he often ruefully thinks) blissfully unaware of sarcasm, and do not appreciate the great majority of his humour.
He was just finishing a brilliant mental lecture to the princesses, the nobility and everybody in general about the ridiculous names for public places-“I mean-PONYVILLE. This is nothing but a thinly-veiled attempt at bad pun-ular humour- hardly an appropriate –...”
“Dune!”
Dune awoke from his reverie, only to see the brightly-coloured green nose of his teacher, Mrs Hoofalot (Another ridiculous name) staring down at him.
“Is there anything so dreadfully important about that window that is so much more interesting than my lesson?”
“Well…”
The best answer was yes-if followed by a witty explanation, possibly even a witticism …no, he was too tired for this. Whatever, answer ‘no’ it was. Score one to the teacher. Actually, maybe not-maybe I shouldn’t concede this yet-yes, that’s it! Mrs Hoofalot was a sucker for fake sadness.
…no”, he said, his eyes downcast. Play up the remorse card, more, and shuffle your foot, yes…
“Well then…stay focused, and, um, pay attention”. Yes! Success!
“Now class,” Mrs Hoofalot continued, “we are doing a history project on the Canterlot royalty, as part of this term’s learning inquiry subject. So everyone will bring in something to do with the royals for show and tell, on Friday next week.”
Dune groaned and covered his head with his ‘Diversity is Wonderful’ exercise book as the rest of the class cheered. Sunshine Daisy (Why are lots of names simply combinations of obscenely cheerful nouns?), a fluorescent yellow Pegasus, was so excited about getting some wonderful homework that she started frantically flapping around the classroom. Mrs Hoofalot smiled and waved for the class to settle down, after a few seconds of gazing round the classroom fondly.
When the timekeeper sounded the trumpet for the end of school, Dune awoke from the trancelike staring state that he had slipped into, slipped on his bag and began to slowly trudge home. Around him the others trotted happily down the cobbled road, laughing and chattering excitedly about what they would do for their projects. Dune walked slowly out of main Ponyville (I mean, really? PONYVILLE?!!), and slowly up the dirt track that led to his home, nestled inside a small pine forest on the outskirts of Ponyville. He was not walking slowly for misery, or tiredness- merely caught up in the luxurious limbo between the trauma of school and the boredom and unfulfilment of home. This was his time-the time to reflect on the day’s successes and losses, the mental and emotional sacrifices of maintaining a stable existence in this most hectic of surroundings. He waxed lyrical in his mind, bemoaning the failures of the ruling classes, while still appreciating the many sacrifices and made and challenges met by their two rulers. Part of this self-reflective thinking stemmed from the ever-persistent desire to find out-Who am I? What is my purpose in life? How in Equestria did vibrant Technicolor manes evolve, and why don’t I get one?!
Dune arrived home sooner than he would have liked, as always. His home was relatively simple, made of cobblestone held together by unicorn magic, with a thatch roof. His parents were quite normal, his mother a doctor and his father a writer in the Weekly Hoovespaper. (An exceedingly obvious pun). He trotted through the front door, looked around the living room and yelled,
“HI MUM!” No reply. He tried again, louder. Still no response. He did a quick check of the house, and ascertained that neither of his parents were home. This in itself was not unusual, as both of his parents sometimes worked late. He picked up the Unicorn-Driven-Handheld- Telecommunications –Device TM and checked that there were no messages. He shrugged, got some clean paper from his father’s office and began a brilliant speech on the impact of solely unicorn-powered devises and their negative impact on society, along with a brief tie-in to Princess Luna to make it acceptable. Controversy was the key, and he was a master. The teacher wouldn’t be able to complain, as it was just in keeping with the ‘Happy and Educational Learning Publicly Society’. The HELPS. What was it with ponies and weird names? I swear they just made the words to fit the acronym. He worked on this for ages, self-dictating, testing, thinking and chuckling madly at the thought of Mrs Hoofalot’s face. He happened to glance up at the wall mounted clock, before after a few minutes of attacking the rigid industrial culture of subterfuge and elitism the information from his eyes reached his brain through a fog of righteous moral outrage. He started in shock, his blue-grey eyes darting to the clock. He gasped. It was 7:43, and he hadn’t heard anything from his parents. And he had written 8 pages.
But the number of pages was irrelevant. He galloped to the phone and rung the first number he could think of. April Sunshine, a unicorn filly who he sometimes hung out with. He waited, nervously, for her to pick up. He was suddenly painfully aware of just how dark the shadows in the corners of the room were, and how deep the mist was in the dimly-lit trees outside. He gulped nervously, and brushed a few stray hairs from his eyes. He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding when he heard the phone click and she said,
“H-Hello? Who is it?” She sounded nervous.
“Hey, April, it’s me. Look, it’s probably nothing, but... my parents haven’t got home yet, and... I was kind of, Y’know a bit-”
“Ohmygosh I’m scared, Dune, my parents aren’t here either and-I’m scared now. W-what should we do...?!” Dune thought. Years of practice had enabled him to very analyse a situation and think up a response. He did this now and spoke in a calm, collected voice.
“Look. If there’s nothing wrong, we don’t want to rush in, call the cops and end up looking stupid. However, if something is going on, we do need to address this properly. To tell the truth, I’m a bit worried too. What do you say?”
“Yeah-ok then. But I, I...”
“Yes?” She replied in a weird voice.
“Look, I don’t mean for you to take this the wrong way but I am actually getting quite worried here. I am a thorough believer in filly rights, and do not at all take this as a concession on my part of male support being necessary, but-”
“You are worried about Buttercup?” Buttercup was April’s younger sister, a five-year-old who she was fiercely protective of. April took a deep breath.
“Yes. I hate to concede this to you, but you are a pretty good fighter-
“You mean that time when-”
“Yes, with the trash can.”
“...Ok. I think I should come down to your house, and then the three of us can walk into Main Ponyville and figure out what the hay is going on. Ok?”
“Thanks.” Her reply seemed unusually heartfelt. He could guess what was coming-
“And don’t you dare tell anypony about this” He smiled. She was often highly predictable in her bouts of femininity. He said goodbye and hung up. He stared outside at the dark forest and sighed. Picking up his backpack, he emptied it of school-related materials and proceeded to rummage around the house for anything useful. He picked out a flashlight, a small folding knife, a rope and a medical kit. Just in case. He slung the backpack over his back and began to trot swiftly down the ever-darkening road.
The road was usually nice at night, with Luna’s stars and moon shining, the cool wind blowing; but not tonight. The air was heavy and hot, and his mane was soon plastered to his coat as he trotted. The moon barely shone through the deep fog, and the world was ruled by swirling columns of writhing white mist. Eyrie sounds wailed and clattered in odd ways, echoing creepily. Dune licked his lips nervously, his hooves’ clattering oddly muffled. Great Celestia, this is so cliché. A vampire is probably going to loom out of the fog any moment now, grinning and yelling ‘I vill sukka your bluurd!’ .April’s house was not that far away, but the journey seemed to be taking ages. The flickering unicorn-powered streetflames were nothing more than faint glows. Dune was well and thoroughly creeped by this time, and would have happily turned tail and galloped all the way back home. He almost fell over the small blue letterbox outside April’s house, and cautiously turned up the driveway. He knocked cautiously on the blue front door, and heard muffled thumps and a high-pitched squeal emanating from inside the house. Fortunately, he stepped back alarmed just as the door opened and a wide-eyed April leaped out, clutching a tennis racket and looking very fierce. Her eyes softened when she saw Dune, and her hoofhold on the racket relaxed.
“Oh thank goodness, it’s you. Come in.”
“No, why don’t we just stand here in the cold, and freeze to death”.
“What?”
“Never mind”. Dune’s hopes fell slightly. Maybe next time. Dune stepped carefully through the doorway, pausing only to wipe his hooves on the mat. They stepped into the living room, where they could see a pair of tiny yellow hooves sticking from under the curtain. The whole curtain was shaking madly and high-pitched whimpering could be faintly heard. When Dune walked in, the hooves scramble out from under the curtain, only to end up in a little tangled heap on the floor. Buttercup stared up a Dune sobbing and shaking until she realised that it was only Dune, and she wasn’t going to be eaten. April immediately started comforting her. Dune spoke up.
“Have both of you packed?”
“Yes, I’ve packed some food for all three of us, and some other...things”, said April. Dune looked at her oddly before continuing.
“Well then, the sooner we get this over and done with the better. Let’s go!-Oh wait-do you have a flashlight?”
“Yeah, I’ll go get it”. April dashed upstairs and came back shortly after, holding a large orange flashlight in her hand. It was covered in thick bright orange fuzz, and had a fuzzy orange handle. Dune looked at her. She blushed and strode past him to the door. Dune just kept looking at her. She turned to him.
“Don’t judge me!”
“Are you sure you know where we are?” asked Dune, exasperated.
“For the last time, NO!” They had just passed the same paddock, for like the fourth time. After following Aprils brilliant idea-‘TRUST ME, I know a shortcut’- they had crossed several paddocks and were now standing in the middle of Ponyville. Or they should be, according to April. They were in fact standing in the middle of some paddock, on an unspecified farm, in either the general vicinity of Ponyville, of in the general vicinity of... elsewhere. Dune groaned. April was grumpy, convinced that her shortcut’s failure was due to the mist, and therefore somehow Dune’s fault. Buttercup was whingeing about how much her hooves hurt, and Dune was running out of bad jokes, and was now being periodically told to shut up.
“What did the policepony say to the pony who phoned to say he was dangling from the edge of a cliff??” He whispered.
“Oh god. Whatever. What did the policepony say to the pony who phoned to say he was dangling from the edge of a cliff?” She said, quietly.
“Hang on!” Groans. Very quiet groans. They felt as though they were being watched, and though Dune said it was probably their just their sub-consciousness having a nervous breakdown they had unanimously resolved to be quite. Just in case.
“What did the real estate agent say to the evil villain?”
*sigh* “What?”
“That’s a nice plot you’ve got there!”
“That is terrible.”
“You just don’t understand my genius.”
“Shut up.”
They kept walking. The fog had receded somewhat, but the night air was still pitch-black, kept at bay only by the shining of the unicorn-powered fires. The feeling of being observed had grown now, and Dune shivered. The silence was all around them now, a tangible wall. And then the lights flickered. Not the gentle wavering of a fake-flame, but a full-blown blackout. For a moment, it was absolutely dark, with not a single trace of light. Buttercup would have screamed if April hadn’t clapped a hoof over her muzzle.
“Holy Luna, what was that?” hissed April.
“I know exactly what that was.” said Dune. She looked at him confused, then her eyes cleared and she nodded.
“Ah, I get it. You don’t, you’re just insulting me for asking you.” She smiled, and then frowned.
“Yes, you get it!” he said happily.
“So... in effect you’re mocking me...”
“I prefer to call it...um...yeah, mocking. But really-”
“Dune?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
They kept walking. They had a vague idea of where they were, and then they saw a signpost. His pulse quickening, Dune motioned for the others to follow him. He jumped over a fence and cantered up to it. He read it and his eyes widened in shock. April read it too looked at him with surprise.
PONYVILLE- 6 KILOMETRES
How in Equestria had they managed to walk 6 kilometres? But at least now they had a destination. Dune raced ahead a bit, telling himself he was scouting or something, but he was really just excited. They were trotting now, secure on roads they knew and eager to get to Ponyville and figure out what the cause of their parents’ mysterious disappearance was. And then Buttercup saw something and started screaming. And April looked, and saw it and cried out, and stopped and went all still and was staring at the thing. Dune rushed over, and saw it, and his mind froze.
Dune stared. April looked at him, and there was terror in her eyes. Buttercup was on the ground, sobbing into her hooves. Dune looked into April’s eyes and he knew she was thinking the same thing. Pony’s heads are not simply found lying on the road six kilometres from Ponyville. The head was staring vacantly in the sky, blood congealed around its stump of a neck. The expression was less of pain than of surprise, like (as Dune thought) why am I dying? What the hay just happened- oh stuff it- erk. Out here in the fog, with the creepy noises and the immense dark of the night all around them, and now apparently with something that ripped off a ponies head, things could hardly get worse. Dune looked around. He saw the head again, and bile rose in his throat, and he rushed over to the side of the road and retched in the ditch. Great Celestia, get a hold of yourself.
“Dune?” Dune turned around, and April was looking at him, and her chin was trembling.
“What do we do now?” she asked. Dune opened his mouth, blinked and then shut it. He didn’t know. This was way too heavy for him to be having to figure out. But he had to remain calm, act confident, etcetera, all that cliché stuff that heroes did in the movies. And not get eaten. Preferably.
“Well, I think our best bet is to get to Ponyville. And no, I don’t know what did this- but I sure as sugar don’t want to meet it.”
“Right; I agree with you there. I also reckon we should get to Ponyville- there will be ponies there that will know what to do.”
“Ok, good -” and that was as far as Dune got. For at that moment, the unicorn-powered streetlights went out. Bang. Darkness. Chaos.
Dune staggered forward, almost colliding with April. Dune quickly reached into his bag, and pulled out his flashlight. He turned it on, and now that she could see April rushed over to Buttercup. Buttercup was by this point absolutely and completely terrified, and about to burst into tears. This was the last thing they needed, with the blackness all around them, and some pony-killing monster lurking nearby. April quickly shushed her, and began talking in a low, calm voice.
“Okay Buttercup, It’s just the dark okay? Don’t worry about anything, because I’m here, and there is no reason to be scared. I need you to be a big girl now, and be very quiet, okay? Do you think you can do that for me?”
“Okay.” said Buttercup in a small voice.
“Good girl.” April turned to Dune. “Now all we- what was that!?” Dune whirled around.
“What was what?”
“There was a... I thought I saw a, something moving, behind you.” She pointed. Dune squinted, but he couldn’t make out anything through the thick fog.
“We need to get moving. Whether or not there is something out there, we want to get to Ponyville A.S.A.P.”
“...Ok. Buttercup, let’s go.”
They moved off, Buttercup trailing just behind April, her hoof firmly clutching April’s tail. Dusk shone his flashlight in front of them, waving it back and forth. He reflected on their predicament. Jees, if this flashlight goes out, we’re done. Or if we meet the thing that cut off that ponies head. Or pretty much anything. We really are screwed! I hope they write on my grave- AT LEAST HE TRIED. They kept travelling, their tempers on edge, their nerves frayed. The slightest odd movement made them jump, and they all flinched at the smallest sound. Then April said she could see a light in the distance. Dune looked, and couldn’t see anything. They got a bit closer, and then he could see it too. They started cantering towards it, uncaring what it was, as long as it was something other than the seemingly endless cobbled road and its phantom demons.
They came closer, and Dune observed that the light was swinging, as though it was being held in someponies mouth. They kept on going, until they made out a green stallion, walking towards them holding a lamp. He had a wide yellow hat and a sack over his back. He waved to them, and they waved back. They trotted up to him, and he greeted them cheerily.
“So, what’s a bunch of youngsters like you doing out ‘ere? ‘Specially at this time o’ night? ”
“Well, we were lost in the fog-
“And we found a head-
“Because our parents weren’t home-
“And we got lost-
“And there is something out here-
“And it killed someone!” The green stallion looked very worried at this, and scratched his head. He spent a few seconds thinking, and then spoke.
“So what yer’s is sayin’ is that summat has killed somepony, and they’re after yer?”
“Yes- we need to get to Ponyville.”
“Allrighty then, if there’s murder afoot than I’d better come with you. Come with me!” And with that he marched off into the darkness. They hurried after him.
Buttercup was practically in hysterics, at having an ADULT there to save them. She was completely and utterly confident in his ability to solve everything, because he was an ADULT. She walked right beside him, smiling in contented bliss at being absolutely and unconditionally safe. Dune and April weren’t so sure. April was trotting carefully behind Buttercup and the green stallion (whose name , they found out, was Clive Greenacres). Dune was trotting behind her, holding the flashlight in his mouth and swinging it, illuminating rows of crops and ghostly, tortured trees. Everything looked like it was about to lunge at them, all the trees had monsters behind them. But that was ridiculous.
And then Dune turned his head back to the front, and Clive’s head came off, and there was a monster in front of them. Buttercup screamed, and galloped away. There was blood on her coat. April stared, was frozen, a scream on her lips but she wasn’t making a sound. The monster was terrifying. It stood two meters tall, with massive horns protruding from the sides of its arrow-shaped head. Blood was dripping from its serrated arms. Its face was lowered as it ripped chunks out of Clive’s body. Blood splattered over the cold cobbles as it fed. Dune grabbed April’s arm and yanked her. She just kept staring. Dune slapped her hard across the face, and she blinked out of her daze and galloped off down the path where Buttercup had gone. Dune galloped after her.
“Princess Luna?” Luna grumbled under her breath and rolled over in her bed.
“What is it... I’m asleep... couldn’t you have waited?”
The messenger shifted nervously. Luna rubbed her bleary eyes and saw it was one of her Night Guard.
“Well... I don’t really know how to put this, Luna-“
“Well out with it, you woke me up for it...”
“Um... Celestia’s dead.” THAT woke her up. She pounced out of bed, and then looked in her Night Guard’s eyes.
“Dead?”
“Dead. I saw it with my own eyes.” Luna slumped down on her bed. This was not happening. Celestia couldn’t be dead.
“How did she... die?” Her voice was choked.
“Eaten.” Luna looked up, disbelieving yet knowing her Night Guard would never lie to her.
“Yes... there appears to have been some sort of... invasion.”
“An invasion?”
“Yes. Although they do not appear to have any capacity for intelligent thought, they have surrounded major town and have already... taken over many of our farms.” Luna stood up and collected her thoughts. Now was the time for calm, thought-through thinking.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING! HOLY-”
The rest of the Night Guard stood outside the door, each one incredibly thankful that it had not been their job to inform Luna of the late Princess Celestia’s demise.
Somewhere, in the deep shadows of the night, the seeping mist sending long, writhing tendrils through the still night air, the monsters were hunting.
