"No, no ,no." Rainbow put a hoof to her forehead. "See, the idea of Nightmare Night is to get scared, or try to scare other ponies. That candy crap is just for foals."
"Oh, come on!" Pinkie laughed. "Who doesn't love free candy? Nightmare Night was made to get the biggest tummy aches ever in the history of Equestria!" she blurted, stamping her hoof authoritatively.
"Well, I think it's about the fabulous costumes." Rarity adjusted the wig on her 'Bride of Frankenstein' outfit, though she didn't seem to get the 'ugly' part of it.
Applejack sighed. "Honestly, Nightmare Night is just another sales opportunity for me and my family. Do you have any idea how much money we make offa caramel apples?"
I groaned, burying my face in the crook of my elbow.
"What'sa matter, Twi?" Pinkie asked, her bouncy tone still saturating every word.
"Oh, it's just... well, this was my party."
Fluttershy gasped. "Did we seem ungrateful? I'm sorry..."
"No, it's just--" I sighed. "Well, I didn't want everypony to be fighting like this. I thought we could... you know, make s'mores and tell ghost stories. I wasn't planning on pranks and stuff."
"But that's the best part!" Rainbow whined, throwing her head back. Applejack gave her a kick in the hip that made her fall to the floor. "Sorry."
"It's fine," I murmured. We were all quiet for a second, when the doorbell jolted us out of our thoughts.
We all went for the bowl of candy at the same moment, and it flew across the room, landing on Spike's head. He was napping, (or rather, had been) and he screamed shrilly through a shower of Nickers bars and Butterhooves.
Rainbow, of course, took delight in having scared him and started laughing uproariously. Fluttershy ran to his side, trying to comfort him. Pinkie looked confused, then seemed to remember the foals waiting outside. She dove for the doorknob, throwing the double doors open to reveal two very startled young fillies.
Pinkie giggled nervously. "Uh... uh... we don't have any candy!" she screamed, slamming the door in their faces. But not before I had managed to toss a few pieces of candy corn at them.
I only hoped their parents hadn't seen this display.
"See? That was AWESOME! Did you see the looks on their faces?! That's what Nightmare Night is all about!"
"So I guess Hearth's Warming Eve is all about the presents, huh?" Applejack muttered sarcastically.
Rainbow scoffed. "Hey! I have the perfect idea! What if we--"
"Don't wanna hear it!" I yelled, jamming my hooves in my ears.
Rainbow said something that looked like 'hear me out.' Applejack and Rarity shook their heads firmly. Pinkie was absorbed in the 'blood cake' I had made earlier, and Fluttershy was still trying to get Spike down from his shock.
I, however, removed my hooves. "Fine."
"Okay, great! You're gonna love this one, Twi. What if we go out into the woods and re-enact that horror story you gave to me! I mean, I haven't read it yet... but I know you have! Right?"
"I dunno... I might be kinda hard..." I thought for a moment. "Then again, there are parts for all of us. It could be kind of fun.
"Awesome! Let's do it!" Rainbow hovered over her chair, then zoomed over and put her hoof out.
I put my hoof on hers. "You can be the murderer, if you want."
"Sweet!"
"Ooh!" Pinkie ran over. "Who do I get to be? Huh? Huh?"
"Hmm... you can be the crazy sidekick. She lost her mind a few years ago, and recently escaped from an asylum," I explained.
"Sounds fun!" She added her hoof top the stack.
Applejack wandered over. "Er... hypothetically, who would I get to be?"
"You could be the skeptic of the group. She denies that any of the folktales are real, and tries to get the others to turn back." I looked over at the other two ponies. "Rarity, you could be the damsel in distress!"
"Mph... alright."
"Fluttershy! Come on, you could... you could help me gather a crowd. You wouldn't even have to go in if you didn't want to," I coaxed. This wasn't going to be as much fun unless we were all in on it.
"No way! I think Nightmare Night is the day when you lock yourself in your closet! I just want this all to be over!"
I groaned. "Look, I'll be with you the whole time. It won't be scary, I promise."
Fluttershy stifled a small cry, but came down the stairs and rested a quaking hoof on Rarity's.
"Ha ha! Yes!" Rainbow jumped, fluttering her wings and hovering a few inches off the ground. "This is going to be the coolest prank ever!"
~~~~~
"B-but you said--!" Fluttershy stuttered in what could only be described as anger.
"I know! But you're going to have to stick with Spike, instead." I frowned sympathetically. "The girls need another victim, and neither of you will go in the Everfree. I'm sorry."
Fluttershy quivered, her eyes growing wider and wider.
"Come on, Fluttershy..." I whispered, smiling a bit.
She sighed, hanging her head. "Alright... I guess..." she agreed, barely audible.
I threw my arms around her in a relieved hug. "Oh, thank you!"
Fluttershy simply sighed.
"This is gonna be so great!" I squealed, galloping off into the woods.
The excitement wore off very quickly. It was well past sunset on Nightmare Night, the creepiest night of the year. The woods were unexpectedly cold, and I found myself shivering more and more violently as I searched for the rest of the girls. Even though it was pitch black, the moonlight seemed to be throwing horrifying shadows on the ground and the sides of the trees. Ghoulish faces seemed to be staring out at me as I ran, and the setting almost made me believe I was in a horror story.
"Twilight!" shouted the unmistakable accent from a few yards away.
"Applejack?!" I yelled back, skidding to a halt. "Applejack, is that you? I can't see a thing!"
There was a pause, before I heard the panicked reply. "Twilight, run!" this time it was Pinkie's voice. She sounded terrified.
"W-where are you?" I called, quieter and a little more afraid.
"Doesn't matter, just go!" screamed a distraught Rainbow Dash.
I started backing up slowly, then turned and ran again. The frigid air made my teeth ache and my lungs freeze. I ignored that, however, and ran all-out back the way I came. I could hear thundering hoofsteps behind me as the rest of my friends followed. I knew Spike and Fluttershy were safe outside, and that calmed me a bit. However, it was almost completely counteracted by the fear of what was chasing us.
I was almost out of the woods when I spotted the figure of Fluttershy standing near the edge of the trees.
"Fluttershy!" I yelled, half in relief and half in panic.
"Oh, Twilight! I'm so sorry, nopony would listen to me!" she apologized.
"It doesn't matter anymore!" I told her. "We have to get out of here! Something's chasing us!"
"What? Are you trying to scare me? I'm sorry, Twilight! I just couldn't get them to follow me! Please, forgive me so we can get out of here!" she whined.
"I--" I tried to explain, but was cut off by a feminine chuckle that echoed through the forest. It was disturbingly familiar, though, somepony we knew. I froze, as did Fluttershy, as the chuckle rattled through me.
"That was easier than I had anticipated," announced the delicate voice. The last four ponies that were behind me came to a quick stop when they saw the two of us.
"Who's there?!" shouted Rainbow. "Show your face, you coward!"
She chuckled again. "Well, I could. But wouldn't it be more fun if you saw somepony you knew? Somepony you respected? Maybe even loved? Plus, I believe you all know who I am already."
"Oh my god..." I whispered, realizing where I knew that voice. "It's Chrysalis!"
The voice changed. "No. It isn't." A being shimmered into view before us. "It's Princess Celestia. Or would you prefer... Luna?" the image shifted again, getting smaller and turning that familiar shade of blue.
"What do you want? H-how did you get here?" I demanded, a tremor still obvious in my voice.
"Hm... well, I'd like to tell you, but I think we need a different venue. How about... the Canterlot Police Department's interrogation room? I'll even sit in the little chair and let you stroll about the room and accuse me of things."
"Wh-- I--" I stuttered.
Fluttershy whimpered, but the rest were silent.
"Oh, good! Let's head over then!" A thin tissue of green smoke twirled around her horn. The same came up about our hooves, then snaked up over our eyes. There was a whirling sensation, like we were being spun through space, and then a hard landing.
Everything was happening so fast, I had a hard time keeping up. The events of the last few minutes were shocking and horrifying. I didn't know how to even begin accepting this.
My vision slowly returned, and I found myself in a small, white room with only a table and chair. The image of princess Celestia sat in the small chair, looking up at me with eyes like a foal being punished.
"Let's play a ga-game Twi-Twi-Twilight." Her image skipped like a bad recording, changing to static and then reverting to an earlier pose.
"Wha..." I breathed, swallowing hard.
"I ma-made it up-p-p-p-p." She announced.
"Stop it. Stop that... that flickering." I said, as steadily as I could.
She sighed. The image became steady. "You see, I'm going to use my extremely powerful magic to show you what you put me through. When you sent me back to the hive, with so many causalities on my soul, I was exiled. I was starving, yet I am immortal, and therefore unable to die. I started seeing things. Changelings I respected and knew intimately were appearing to me, trying to kill me. Now, it's your turn."
"I don't understand." I said simply and quickly, trying to hold down the shaking in my voice.
"Oh, still?" she whined, growing bored. "Well, then, I'll explain the rules. I'm going to create a world with my magic. It'll be almost exactly like yours, all the same memories and faces, but a tiny bit off. The longer you can keep your sanity, the more horrific things will become. As soon as you start seeing things that are not of my creation, you lose. Understand?"
"What happens if I lose?" I asked hesitantly.
"YOU DIE, TWILIGHT!" she screamed, smacking her hooves on the table. "And you should thank me for my mercy! If I really wanted you to suffer, I would let you live."
I was silent. Chrysalis took her time calming down, getting her ragged breathing back under control.
"Now. I'm sure you have lots of other questions for me, with the biggest one regarding my power. While I'd love to spend more time chatting away with you, that's my secret. For the time being, that is. I'll be dropping you some hints, just to keep you entertained. Goodbye, Twilight. Enjoy your sanity while it lasts. Oh, and one more thing: if you can figure out my clues and find the source of my power, you'll be able to shut it down and win the game."
"Is that a promise?" I asked, hope flooding back to me.
"It's a guarantee. I won't have the power necessary to keep the world together," she explained, standing up and powering her horn. "Now, for the last time, goodbye. Good luck to you. This should be very interesting."
Author's Note
STOP!
Please note the rating change! Things have gotten a lot darker, so this story is now mature/gore.
Stripes
There's a mare in the woods...
That was what the filly said.
A terrifying, horrifying, mare in the woods. She had teeth like needles and skin like burlap and eyes that drooped open wide like sacks.
The little filly drew a picture.
You knew you could believe her. She was a just a kid. Just a frightened little pony. Didn't even have a cutie mark.
Bless her.
Sun slithered over the sill, making my eyes squeeze shut. I stretched lamely, attempting to shake the dust off my mane.
How long had I been asleep?
My eyes were still shut against the harsh light, and even a trial opening they did nothing. I rubbed at them with my hoof, feeling a crusty substance pull away from my eyelashes.
How long have I been asleep? I thought, almost more fiercely this time.
Finally accepting the light, my eyes were met with a considerably grayer, drabber setting than I usually find myself in. It looked like home, yes. But with the color siphoned out of it. In fact, things across the room appeared flat, almost, as a very even and unnatural light was being displayed upon them.
Chrysalis must have gotten lazy. This feels almost... fake. I pondered, experimentally lifting a book towards me. The normally tinkling sound of magic had been replaced by a dull, almost static-like drone, and the light it gave off was so dim it barely caused a shadow to be cast.
Mm-hm. Lazy.
I drew the shades, squinting out at the town below. It was the same as here: the colors duller, the shapes flatter and less detailed than real life. Other than that, things seemed to be normal. The average ponies were out and about, smiling and greeting each other as they went about their business. Among the crowds, however, were five very determined ponies marching towards Golden Oaks.
I trotted immediately down to the door, heaving it open with my glitch-y and unresponsive magic. They appeared to be Discorded, their colors were so faded.
"Hiya, Twilight," Applejack murmured, pulling her hat down low on her brow.
"Hiya." I noticed that Rarity was carrying a newspaper. "What's that?"
Rarity sighed. "We think it's our clue, dear." She passed it over gently, her already talent-specific magic flickering with the effort. As soon as I touched it, it shorted out, apparently giving Rarity a small jolt.
She yelped, rubbing her horn gingerly.
"Well, we figured we'd take some time and explore a bit," Rainbow added before I could begin reading. "What we've seen so far is... pretty weird..."
"Like... 'weird' how, exactly?" I asked hesitantly.
"Just weird, Twi." Applejack put a hoof on my shoulder. "Go on and try to have a conversation with one of these guys." She gestured out at the street.
I looked down the street, now realizing how... strange their movements were up close. At eye-level, they looked mechanical to an extent. She noticed that shopkeepers were stuck in a loop, reaching below their tables to fetch items of importance with robotic accuracy, without ever removing their eyes from the customer. The cherry vendor just down the road seemed doomed to smack her head upon standing every third time she made a sale. All with that stiff smile on her face and the same little apology...
"Go on," Applejack urged, giving me a small push toward the tent-covered stands of the market.
I walked slowly to the nearest vendor, a fruit salespony.
"Can I help you?" He asked.
"Erm..." I looked over his face, than down at the table. No items were on display.
"Can I help you?" He repeated.
"Well... do you have an apple?" I asked.
"All out of... apples! Can I help you?" he asked a third time.
"An orange, then?" I asked.
"All out of... oranges! Can I help you?"
"What do you have?" I demanded.
"All sold out! Can I help you?" He asked. His eyes weren't focusing correctly.
I sighed, trying to calm myself. I pulled out the newspaper, quickly glancing at the headline. "What do you know about the filly who saw the monster in the woods?" I asked, the headline registering just as I finished relaying it to him. "Monster in the woods?" I repeated, looking at the image accompanying the text. A small filly, not much older than five or six, held up a drawing of her own, a blank but scared expression on her face.
The salespony's eye twitched a bit. "All sold out! Can I help you?"
I backed off. His eyes fixed on me, unblinking, until I was about a meter away. He then yelled "See you again sometime!" and fixed himself to the next pony nearing his stand, repeating his question a seventh time.
I shook off the surreal conversation, gazing intently at the picture the filly was holding. It was a grotesque creature, but somehow still recognizably pony, even in a child's drawing. Its back arched upwards, its stomach was bloated and low. From the looks of it, it had a mouth that lacked a bottom jaw, gaping all the way down its neck but still full of needle-like teeth. Huge crescents of red were scribbled in under its eyes, and its hooves were split by thick nails. Worst of all, though, was how quickly I recognized the subject.
I held it up to the group. "This is Zecora, isn't it?" I asked.
Applejack yanked her hat down over her eyes and Fluttershy cowered as the rest avoided eye contact.
"Well... well, it's just some filly's drawing, right? H-how bad could it really be? I mean... a-according to the article she only saw it in the dark!" I panicked. This was a cruel way to start the games, but I'm sure that's what Chrysalis wanted.
Rainbow made a small sound of distress. "I don't know..."
I rubbed my temple softly, reviewing the contents of the article. Accusations of kidnapping, torture, and worse were made against the 'Monster of the Everfree,' as it was called here.
"I guess we'll just have to pay her a visit," I said softly, turning away from Golden Oaks and heading out to the woods.
Before I could get anywhere, Rainbow Dash was blocking my path. "Are you nuts? We have no idea what to expect! I mean, she might be perfectly normal. She could also look like that! Or worse!"
"She's right," Rarity spoke up. "Maybe we should take a quick recess. Just to... regroup? Strategize?"
I nodded. "Alright. I'll make a pot of tea or something."
The group agreed softly, heading back inside. They took seats on the upper floor, tense and alert. They said nothing as I prepared tes, though I think I heard Fluttershy whimper when the kettle whistled.
I carried the tea tray delicately up the stairs, resting it on my nightstand as we arranged ourselves for conversation.
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash seemed eager to speak and ready to solve this mind game the queen of the Changelings had thrown us into. Even Fluttershy, though she was constantly holding back tears of fright, was engaged.
Pinkie Pie was the problem. Not having said a word since we arrived, she now stared blankly at the wall, slowly stirring her tea in tiny, silent circles. Her stare was not blank in the same way as the villagers were, more of a stare that thought harder than she could bear, too hard to pretend to pay attention to us. Although her mane did not have the panic-worthy style we had seen once or twice, I did take note that it did not have its usual gravity-defying quality about it.
"Well, then. What do we do?" I asked, taking a small sip of the hot liquid. So far, it was the only thing to feel genuine today.
Rainbow scoffed. "I think we needed a better plan than 'let's all barge in on the potentially horrific beast in a secluded area of the woods.' "
I threw her a glare she didn't really deserve. "Fine. Do you have a better idea?"
She shrugged.
"RD's right. Barging in is why the heroes die in the movies." Applejack gulped her tea down as though it were a shot of alcohol.
"But can't you see? That's the only option we have!" Rarity added. "We have to do something!"
"We could lure her out..." Rainbow suggested.
"With what?" I asked.
Rainbow shrugged again. "The goal is to not corner her in that tiny building. If Chrysalis really has changed her that much, then we'd never get out alive."
I moaned, putting my face in my hooves.
"You know, Rainbow Dash has a good point," Rarity said. "Chrysalis doesn't want to just scare us badly, or even kill us. She's just trying to mess with our heads. If that's true, why would she only change the appearance of one of our friends? Not to mention forewarning us of the changes she made."
"Maybe she's taking it easy on us for the first go-round," Applejack offered.
"No... she prides herself on being tricky. She also likes to make a spectacle, when the time comes. She's luring us into a trap of some kind, and I don't think it'll have anything to do with Zecora." I set my mug down on the tea tray. "I'm sure she's got some great big tale woven."
I looked over at Rarity, sitting beside me. She was staring at the paper in my hoof.
"What is it?" I asked her.
She pointed at the filly's face. "I know that face..."
I looked a little closer. "I don't recognize it. Are you sure?"
Rarity rubbed her chin thoughtfully, staring down at the grainy image. "You know, that must be one of Sweetie Belle's classmates. I should know, I've done quite a bit of work for her class from time to time."
"Lemme see that." Applejack held out her hoof for the paper. "Yeah... I think she's right. I can't remember her name, though..."
"Bonnie!" Rainbow shouted suddenly.
We jumped, looking over at her.
"She was... a part of my short-lived fan club." Rainbow blushed a bit.
The rest of us managed to force laughs, if only to lighten the atmosphere. It seemed to loosen up the tense looks on everypony's faces.
The photo was colorless, and the Cutie Mark obscured, but if Rainbow knew of the filly it might not be so hard to track her down.
The same thought passed through everypony else's minds as they all gulped down their tea at stood up.
"I bet the three of us workin' together could find her house," Applejack proposed, heading for the door. Rarity and Rainbow followed her. "You gals can come to, 'f you want," she added over her shoulder.
I glanced at my company. Pinkie continued to stare straight ahead, barely blinking , continuously swirling the little spoon in her cup of tea. Fluttershy seemed rather calm, really, and even spoke up, "I'd like to go check on my animals."
"Fluttereshy, you may not have any animals," I reminded her.
"Well, that's why I need to check, then," she announced, heading down the stairs with the other three mares.
"O-okay..." I looked over at Pinkie. "We'll stick around."
The group left, leaving me with Pinkie, who still had not uttered a single word.
"Pinkie?" I murmured.
She did not respond.
"P-pinkie?" I repeated.
Still no response.
I sighed. "Look, I know--"
Pinkie shook her head, resting the tea on the table near her right elbow. "No," she whispered.
"No what?"
"You don't know, Twilight. You... you think about everything like it's a puzzle. It's logical, and it's rigid, and... and..." her voice broke as she buried her face in the crook of her elbow. "I just wanna go home."
I careful rested a hoof on her shaking shoulder.
Pinkie sniffled, but kept talking. "You will always have your magic, Twilight. And everypony else can always fall back on that thing that matters most to them... but do you know how hard it is to laugh in a place like this?"
I stroked Pinkie's back gently, encouraging her to let the tears out.
"I'm just so scared because-- because I knew everypony in the real Ponyville. I just know that-- that..." she broke off, crying softly into her fur.
I nodded in understanding, even though she could not see me. I then knelt down in front of her, looking up at her face. "Pinkie, look at me," I ordered. She lifted her face, looking down at me with shimmering eyes. The fur around them was slightly darker and broke off into tracks down her cheeks. "Chrysalis made have changed the world. But we cannot let it change us."
Pinkie looked at me a while longer. I tried to give her a small smile. "No matter what, we have each other. Okay?"
Pinkie sniffled a bit, but nodded. She forced a little smile, but it quickly disappeared.
"I don't expect you to be perfect, Pinkie. I don't expect any of us to act exactly like we would under normal circumstances. But we have to be strong, okay? We can't let Chrysalis beat us."
"But what about Spike?" Pinkie asked.
I wasn't sure what that meant. "What about Spike?"
"He isn't here, silly." Pinkie pointed to the spot where Spike's bed would normally sit.
I glanced over, noticing... nothing. I stood up, looking around the room. "Spike?" I called.
"I checked. He isn't here."
I didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. Why would she leave out Spike?
Before I could ponder this further, the party returned.
"Twi! We found her, she's just down the street!" Applejack yelled.
"Um... coming!" I yelled back. I then stopped, putting a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "You going to be okay?"
"I think so." She stood up.
"Good. Let's get this over with..." I lead the way down the stairs, meeting up with the rest of the group by the door. Fluttershy had returned, as well, a solemn look on her face. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?"
"She put my house outside the boundaries," she muttered.
"Boundaries?"
"Apparently, Queen Swiss walled off the town. Anything outside Ponyville or the Everfree is blank," Rainbow explained vaguely.
"Blank?" I repeated.
"There's nothing out there, dear," Rarity added. "It's just a white plain. And, if you try to walk into it, after a few steps you just get turned around. Really, if you walk straight, you'll just come right back to the place you exited. It's quite the trick, not sure how she does it."
I thought a moment before murmuring, "Ant on a newspaper..."
"Come again?" Applejack demanded.
"Ant on a newspaper. It's a scientific principle. See, the ant on a flat newspaper represents somepony in the third dimension. When a pony folds the newspaper, the ant can jump from on end to the other without leaving their current dimension," I explained. In response to the blank expressions I faced, I added, "It's what Chrysalis used to manipulate our three-dimensional world! Which means she's folding through the fourth dimension..."
"Ugh!" Rainbow put a hoof over my mouth. She didn't seem phased in the least by this nightmare we found ourselves in. "Stop talking in nerd! Just skip to the point, and move on!"
"The point is, she's got a lot of power! More than I would have thought possible..." I thought for a bit. "Come on. Let's go talk to this filly."
"Thank Celestia..." Rainbow lead the way, weaving through the stiffly operating citizens to reach a small house near the edge of town.
I walked up to the door, knocking softly. "Remember," I addressed the group, "we need to be kind and understanding. This filly's been through a lot... worse than what we've seen here so far. Use a quiet, calm voice," I warned, demonstrating the technique.
A rather large stallion answered the door. His face was unshaven, and his eyes were red and bleary. He held, in unstable, shivering magic, a brown-tinted glass bottle with a tall neck.
After belching loudly, spreading the acrid smell of alcohol amongst us, he slurred, "Whaddya want?"
Rainbow pushed to the front. "Look, man, it's me from a few minutes ago. We need to talk to Bonnie."
The stallion looked confused, almost, then seemed to remember the name of the filly he was living with. "Oh, sure. Sure."
"Are you her father?" I asked, trying not to breathe through my snout so as not to inhale more of the stale scent on his breath.
"Naw. I'm her uncle. She's a cute kid..." he trailed off, wandering back into the house without finishing his thought.
I sighed. This was looking pretty typical, to be honest. Maybe not for Ponyville, but I had read countless stories about things like this happening in Canterlot and other big cities. A foal gets ignored, so they invent a story to get attention. When that doesn't work, they try to confirm the story by doing something wild or drastic.
But there had to be more to it than this... keep digging, Twilight...
The six of us squeezed our way through the narrow halls of the house, following the sound of Bonnie's tiny voice. We found her playing with a doll, singing a little song.
Chevalin, gentille chevalin
Chevalin, je te plumerai.
Je te plumerai la tête. Je te plumerai la tête.
Et la tête! Et la tête!
Chevalin! Chevalin!
A-a-a-ah.
She had a very pale yellow coat and a matching mane, just a hair darker than the rest of her. Her mane lay flat and silky on her neck, looking a lot calmer than the frazzled air it seemed to have taken in the picture. When she turned to look at us, we noticed her almost unnaturally large eyes held a dark purple hue.
"Hello," she said.
"Hello," I replied. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends, they're all very nice. I'd like to talk to you about what happened."
The filly nodded her head, hugging her doll near her chest as a security blanket. "Okay."
"What happened exactly? Could you tell me how you met the monster?" I asked, making myself comfortable on the floor in front of her.
The filly gave me an odd look. "You don't want to record me?"
"No, sweetie. We aren't from the newspapers. We want to get rid of the monster, but we need your help. Can you help us?"
"M 'kay..."
"Thank you! Could you start by telling us where you were?" I asked.
She sighed. "Well, I was walking my puppy, but I got lost. Then I heard this pretty voice coming from nearby, so I went to find the lady to ask for help, but that's how the monster was trying to trick me."
"Did the monster tell you that?" I asked.
The filly nodded, squeezing the doll tighter to her chest. "She said she wanted to eat my cutie mark. But then she noticed I didn't have one, so she let me go. But... she stole my dog."
"What was your dog's name?"
"Brandy... I miss him a lot..." she looked down at her doll, holding it up limply by its front hooves. Its head flopped down onto its chest.
"I'm sorry, honey. But, if you help us as much as you can, we can try to get him back for you."
"Really?" The filly looked back up at me, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
I nodded.
"Wow... you're the first grown-up to try to help me... thank you!" Before I could stop her, she had thrown her hooves around me, one still clutching the doll.
I chuckled lightly, giving her a tiny squeeze in return, then setting her down in front of me once more. "Do you mind if I ask about your doll?"
The filly shook her head. "My mommy made it for me. She said that it would protect me..."
"Where's your mommy now?" I asked.
"I don't know. She said she needed to buy some milk and she never came back..." Bonnie murmured, looking at the doll again.
"And your daddy?" I asked.
"I never knew my daddy... but it's okay, because I know that Celestia takes care of him. That's what mommy always said."
I nodded to her, watching quietly as she returned to playing. "One more thing!" I interjected suddenly.
Bonnie turned to look at me.
"Could I have that picture you drew?" I asked.
She nodded. "I drew lots..." she went off to dig through a pile of papers. "You can have one, if it will help get Brandy back."
Bonnie brought me a close-up of the pony's face.
"Thank you, sweetie. We promise, we'll catch her and get your Brandy back." I nodded sternly to her, and she went back to drawing.
The six of us left quickly. We needed to discuss what we had seen.
We gathered on the corner next to a carrot dog stand. The owner seemed to only notice us when we were on the near side of a crack in the sidewalk.
"Okay. What have we learned?"
"That this kid's life sucked major-league, but she's still too young to even understand what happened?" Rainbow suggested.
"That the monster had a beautiful voice, even though it looks like a plot that was attacked by rabid timberwolves?" Applejack added.
"That she was probably lying to get attention?" Rarity spoke up.
The group fell silent.
Rarity looked at us. "You didn't pick up on that? This filly has been without parents and living with a neglectful uncle. It's possible she ran into Zecora, and made up this crazy story so that ponies would give her the attention she wants."
We all thought on that for a moment or two.
"Well, what about the dog?" I reminded her.
"She may have made that up, too. Never even had a dog," Rarity said, "Nopony would ever know, what with that uncle she's got. I mean, a kid that age, don't you think she'd be drawing her dog?"
"Hm..." I rubbed my chin. "Not a very terrifying change... I'm sure queen of the mind games has something more intricate than that planned."
She sighed. "I suppose you're right. What's our next move, then?"
"Well... I guess we've only got one move to make." I looked sympathetically to the group.
"Oh, don't say it..." Applejack put a hoof on her forehead.
"Looks like we need to head into the woods."
~~~~~
Not ten minutes later, we stood at the edge of Zecora's property. Everypony was quiet as I laid out the plan.
"Okay. We're just going for a visit like normal. We'll knock on the door, we'll act like we normally would. The first sign of trouble, we'll split, okay?" I looked to the group. "Okay?"
There was a murmured sound of affirmation from three ponies, with Pinkie and Fluttershy remaining silent.
"All right..." I walked slowly towards the door, tapping softly on the wood. "Zecora? It's Twilight... can we come in?"
I listened intently, hearing a small shuffling sound and a few grunts.
"Zecora?" I repeated. "Look, we heard about what happened, but we wanted to help."
I listened again, putting my ear against the door. There was the sound of labored breathing, but not much else.
"I'm coming in, alright? We don't want to hurt you, we're you're friends!" I called, giving the door a gentle push. It swung about an inch in, then got stuck on some kind of barricade.
I waved the group forward.
"Stand away from the door, okay?" I yelled in.
Applejack stepped forward, crouching in preparation, her hind legs facing the door.
I nodded to her and the door flew off its hinges.
A panicked shriek came from inside, though somehow distorted, accompanied by some more shuffling hooves.
I started to clear the rubble with my magic, creating a path for the six of us to enter.
But Zecora said something.
"Go away!"
No rhymes. Just terror and a raspy intonation.
"Zecora, we want to help!" I said, throwing aside her cauldron.
"No!"
The shuffling just kept going and going, like she was running but not moving.
The room was dark, so I sent a small magical spark towards a nearby lamp. As the room was illuminated, I spotted Zecora.
To say that she was in bad shape would be a gross understatement. Not only did the poor Zebra look exactly like the image given to us by Bonnie, but had a few added details Bonnie had neglected to mention.
There were nails in her hooves, yes, but they pushed through them and into the floor. Her back legs were free, and she pushed against the floor, trying desperately to get away from us, to turn back into the shadows. Her bottom jaw had been torn away, and her entire esophagus was on display through the ragged hole. It was not lined with teeth, as Bonnie would have us believe, but instead had dried and crinkling edges dyed brown with blood.
It was a mystery how Zecora had survived in such a state. She had clearly been here a long time, struggling to break free of the imprisonment. All objects in the room had been moved out of her reach, in some cases only just far enough, as though she were being taunted.
I rushed to her, recognizing that she was not a threat, but instead the victim of Chrysalis' first game.
"Let me help you..." I said, taking a firm hold of one nail with my magic. Rarity did the same beside me.
"You poor dear..." she commented, beginning to pull.
Zecora shook her head, exhausted though she was. "Magic..."
I sighed, tugging and groaning with effort.
"Magic..." she rasped again, more intensely but with very little volume.
"By who?" I asked.
"Y-yell..." Zecora stuttered. She was losing consciousness.
"Yell?" I repeated.
She nodded, then tried to form another word. Before she managed it, her eyes drifted shut. Her tongue, which she had been holding in a relatively normal position, flopped over.
I sighed, helping her limp body into a comfortable position.
"She's still breathing," Applejack noted.
"She's not dead?" Fluttershy whispered.
"No," I said, getting to my hooves. "She'll be fine. But we need to find out who did this to her."
"Are you sure it's a who we can talk to? It's was probably just Chrys trying to freak us out," Rainbow pointed out.
"If that were true, she would've moved onto the next problem by now," Rarity said.
"Look, it's clear that we need to go back and talk to Bonnie again. Pinkie, Fluttershy? Could you girls stay here and make sure that Zecora's okay? Maybe try to find something to feed her?" I asked.
"Sure, Twilight. We'll let you know if we find out something else," Pinkie murmured.
Fluttershy nodded.
"Okay. Stay safe, alright?"
The four of us left, trotting quickly back into town. The dull colors kept us from even speaking to each other on the way, kept us focused and stoic as we sought the house of the pony who had started the ordeal.
The house was not like it had been when we left it. There was not a visible difference, no, but there was a different feeling in the air. Instead of sympathy, a sort of empty fear hung in the air around the house.
I took a deep breath, heading to the door. The stale scent of alcohol still floated near, but when I knocked on the door it opened.
"Hello?" I called. I could feel the presence of my three friends directly behind me, but that was not enough to stop my stomach from falling through the floor.
"
Chevalin, gentille chevalin
Chevalin, je te plumerai...
"
"B-bonnie?"
"It's Prench..." she said.
"What?" I asked, stepping into the house and searching for the source of the voice.
"The song. It's Prench. Do you want to know what it means?" Bonnie asked. her voice seemed to be bouncing around the house, moving from room to room too fast for me to follow.
"
Little pony, pretty little pony
Little pony, I will pluck you clean!
"
There was a strange sound behind me, a warbling screech that ended with a pop and hiss.
I spun around, seeing Bonnie standing among us. "You figured out my secret!"
We were silent.
"You saw what I did to Zecora, didn't you?" she asked.
"H-how--"
"I have a friend! He wants to meet you." Bonnie disappeared again, reappearing across the room.
As we watched, her uncle came lumbering out. He still looked tired and drunk, but his eyes squinted in a new way. A worse way.
"Your uncle?"
"Silly! He isn't my uncle! He's my playmate!" Bonnie pulled out the little doll she had been playing with earlier.
"Uh..." Rainbow's voice wavered. "Your doll?"
"Wrong again!" Bonnie held the doll up in the air in a standing position using her magic, then gave it a little shake. "Isn't he pretty? Doesn't he look familiar?"
She slowly lifted the front left leg, and I felt something graze my shoulder. I jerked away, twisting to face the touch.
Her Uncle was right beside me, his front left leg up in the air, mimicking the doll.
"What the hell is going on?" Rainbow asked, her present situation causing her language to slip.
"Oh, there's one last thing you might wanna know! I always forget that last one..." Bonnie smiled, but the smile kept getting wider... and wider... "I'm not quite a filly anymore!"
After her grin had grown so large that it extended past her face, the rest of her body started to grow. As she explained, her voice change with her form. "You see, I was never really a filly at all. I was never really a pony. I was never really even alive... you might call me an... Anomaly. That is my name, after all."
I started breathing harder and faster. I mean, maybe I was as soon as I got in here, but it was just now starting to hurt. Or maybe it had hurt before, and it was just bad enough now... or maybe that wasn't my breathing at all.
The strange pony, Anomaly, started pushing my friends to the other side of the room. Not by touching, just by looking. They slowly slid across the floor until they were pressed against the back wall, immobile.
Anomaly turned the doll towards me, and gave it a little shake again. She then started to lift my front left hoof up.
My hoof started floating upwards, as if on water, coming to a rest when it pointed straight out.
I pointed at the doll.
The doll pointed back.
The doll smiled.
So I smiled, too.
Then, the doll's hoof went higher. It went up and up and up, pointing straight up at the ceiling. Then it kept going.
I cried out in pain. She was going to break my leg, pop my shoulder out of its joint.
"So, you see how this works? I do horrible, horrible things to ponies like you. Then, I leave you like that for others to find. When evidence leads them back to me, I'm just a scared little filly that nopony could possibly pin with such terrible deeds. Did you find my dog?" she added.
"Twilight!" Rarity cried.,
"We got you, Twi!" Applejack agreed.
Rainbow stayed silent for a moment, then began to growl. "When I get my hooves on you, I'll rip that smile RIGHT OFF YOUR FACE!"
Anomaly chuckled. "Aw. Cute. I doubt that."
"Why?" I choked out.
"Why what?"
"Why.. do you..." I couldn't finish the sentence. I could feel my shoulder beginning to leave the socket in slow-motion.
"Why do I hurt ponies? I thought that was obvious." She leaned in close to my face. "I love to mess with you." For a moment, the briefest of moments, her face flickered into that of our warden, Chrysalis.
When she saw the recognition on my face, she released the grip on my leg, then tossed me against the wall with the other three.
"Tsk, tsk, Twilight. You stopped the fun too quickly."
I glared at her. "You thought it would take us longer to solve this one?"
"Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter. I've learned my lesson-- never enter the games myself. Ah, well. I'll see you tomorrow."
~~~~~
That was how I woke up.
I woke right then, like I had never been asleep, back in my own bed.
There was something blocking my vision.
I pulled it off my forehead, something tacky clinging to my fur.
"A note?" I whispered to myself. The sound echoed.
I wasn't in my bed. I wasn't anywhere. I just had a note.
I looked down at the one word:
Differences
I woke up.
