Into the Everfree

Chapter 3

* * * * * * * * * * *

The pegasi pulling the chariot slowed to a halt at the edge of the forest. Dark swampy willows roped in vines loomed in front of them. It was definitely a gloomy place. Twilight often wondered why Zecora chose to live in such an inhospitable area. But then Zecora was accustomed to the wilds, having lived in the Zebrahara and knew how to tread the forest without wandering into the dangers lurking there. Still, Zecora lived on the tamer side of the forest and wasn’t that far from Ponyville. The wilder parts of the Everfree Forest changed and shifted. Trees and paths never stayed the same, and earth ponies could easily become lost or worse without the aid of magic or wings to help them. It was why the earth Ponyville citizens especially feared the forest, not to mention all the beasts and wilder animals that made the forest their home. The creatures did not like to be disturbed.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash landed lightly on the road beside the chariot. Twilight noticed the pink-maned mare’s knees knocking slightly. Spike wasn’t fairing much better as he too began to tremble at the most intimidating part of the forest. The calm unicorn wrapped a loving hoof around her companion. Rarity looked a little nervous standing next to Pinkie Pie, but Twilight guessed this came from her phobia of dirt and all things unclean rather than the old pony tales surrounding the forest. Pinkie Pie simply smiled happily at the dark trees, no doubt keeping in mind her Granny Pie’s famous Giggle at the Ghostly lesson. Her friends, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, were unperturbed by the forest, but Twilight knew this was because they were reassured by the fact that they were surrounded by their friends. If the two cool and collected ponies had to face the dangers of the forest alone, they might not have been so composed.

Bright Shield spoke up from the front of the chariot. “Prince Shining Armor, are you sure that this is a good idea?”

The pegasi were doing their best to look brave and unintimidated by the imposing forest. Twilight realized with a start that this must be the first time the two crystal ponies had left the empire. Cadence had mentioned she was trying to ease the crystal pony citizens into visiting other parts of Equestria, but the ponies were afraid of being so far away from the warmth and protection of Princess Cadence and the Crystal Heart. After such a long time being under Sombra’s cruel spell, the ponies were scared of everything they had missed during their near thousand-year absence. That’s why Cadence had advocated for the Empire, having the Equestria Games held there. It was easier for her to nudge her citizens into the new age by bringing in ponies, than trying to encourage her citizens to explore. She was confident that the Games would show the crystal ponies that the rest of Equestria wasn’t too different in some ways at all.

Twilight looked at the pegasi with newfound admiration. The crystal pony guards that Shining Armor had brought with him truly must be brave ponies to be among the first to travel outside the palace. They had taken Ponyville and traveling well. But the Everfree Forest was another thing entirely. Of course, they’d be nervous about going into a place as scary looking as that.

Shining Armor boldly jumped down from the chariot. “We’re just going to see the meteor, Bright Shield. Besides,” he winked slyly at his sister, “Twilight and her friends will protect us.”

The girls giggled good-naturedly at his comment, and the two pegasi dutifully unbuckled themselves from the chariot. Twilight hopped off the platform with Spike riding on her back. He discreetly wrapped his claws around a lock of her mane. She sighed, wishing he could overcome his nervousness. The ponies went slowly into the forest, staying close together as a group. Twilight walked beside Shining Armor with the crystal pony guards on either side. The dense canopy above shaded them from the noon sun. It felt cool and damp under the trees.

Pinkie Pie stepped on a fallen branch, and Fluttershy screamed, startling every pony. The frightened pegasus clung to Applejack. “What was that?” she squeaked.

“Just a twig, sugar cube. Why don’t y’all calm down now?” the orange pony replied, untangling herself from Fluttershy.

Sheepishly Fluttershy resumed walking beside the level-headed earth pony. Relieved that nothing more serious had happened, the other ponies continued on.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, Fluttershy. Relax. We’ve been here before.”

Applejack shot the blue pegasus a glare and asked the prince, “So, Shining Armor, how have ya been enjoyin Ponyville?”

“It’s been great. It’s such a peaceful and relaxing town. I can see why Twily chose to live there with you all,” he replied.

“Well, when we get back to Sugar Cube Corner, ya gotta try some of Granny Smith’s zap apple jam,” Applejack drawled. “I kept a jar back, ‘specially for you. Ya haven’t had a proper visit to Ponyville unless you’ve tasted some of our famous zap apples. It goes with just about everything.”

“Oh? Twilight mentioned something about your family being the founders of Ponyville,” Shining Armor said.

“Why, that’d be my Granny Smith. Didn’t I ever tell you about how Ponyville became a proper town?”

When Shining Armor replied that she hadn’t, the farm pony began to tell the story of Granny Smith and the zap apple trees. Twilight knew what Applejack was up to. Applejack was trying to calm the fears of the ponies through her storytelling, and it was working. She felt Spike relax on her back, and Fluttershy wasn’t hiding in her mane. The guards were picking up their hooves a little more and smiles began to appear on each of the ponies’ faces. Applejack’s sweet country voice settled around the group like a warm blanket, comforting them with a tale of home and family. Applejack described each step of how the zap apples were harvested. Her words painted pictures of the colorful apples and how each year her family harvested the magical fruit. Shining Armor was a good listener for Applejack. He joined in laughing with the other ponies at just the right places and asked questions to keep the orange pony talking. She was pleased that he was interested in her hardworking honest life. With Shining Armor’s prompting, Applejack talked about Sweet Apple Acres and her chores there, of what fields needed to be harvested, and what trees needed to be removed. She talked about the famous Apple family barn that had been rebuilt several times due to age, mishaps, redesigning, and termites. The others politely listened to the exchange between the farm pony and prince.

Her short stories carried them deeper into the forest. The trees and vines above them grew thick and blotted out the sun. It became dark and shadowy in the forest, but no one seemed to mind because of Applejack. Rarity and Shining Armor used their magic to allow their horns to light the way.

Applejack was telling Shining Armor about her siblings, Big Macintosh and Applebloom when Pinkie Pie began to shiver.

“Are you cold dear?” Rarity asked kindly.

“N-n-no. I fe-feel fu-n-n-ny,” Pinkie Pie said through chattering teeth.

The shivers continued, growing in intensity. The pink pony stood, unable to continue walking as she continued to shiver and convulse uncontrollably. The ponies stopped and looked at their companion, growing concerned as she shook violently.

“Are you having a twitch?” asked Spike. Twilight felt his claws clutch her mane again. “Is it the Pinkie Sense?”

“I th-th-think s-s-s-so, b-but it’s never-r-r be-e-en lik-ke th-t-this,” Pinkie Pie forced out.

Fear showed in her ice blue eyes as the twitching wracked her body. Her hooves thudded into the grass like a jackhammer and left deep impressions. Her knees suddenly buckled, and she cried out in alarm, about to fall face first on the ground. Twilight quickly levitated her friend into the air before the pony could injure herself. Pinkie Pie gave her a small grateful smile as the muscle spasms continued to ripple across her body.

“Is this normal?” asked Morning Star tentatively.

Rainbow Dash flapped beside Pinkie Pie and watched her friend shiver in the air, surrounded by Twilight’s protective pink magic. “No, well, sometimes she gets twitches that mean something is about to happen. But usually they’re a lot smaller.”

Rainbow Dash bit her hoof in worry.

“Do you know what this twitch means, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie Pie, unable to speak, managed to simply shake her head back and forth. She didn’t know, and her friends could tell this twitch was so powerful, it was scaring her.

Shining Armor whispered in Twilight’s ear. “Maybe it’s the meteor. We must be pretty close to it by now.”

Twilight considered this. If that was the case, then what was Pinkie’s Pinkie sense trying to tell them? How spectacular the meteor would be up close? Or perhaps it was trying to warn them of danger.

Applejack came up to Twilight and Shining Armor. “Ah don’t like this. Ah think we need to get her home.”

Worry filled the earth pony’s eyes as she looked imploringly at the two unicorns. As much as Twilight wanted to see the meteor, she wasn’t about to put her friends’ lives in danger. Every pony was scared about what the twitch was trying to tell them and worried about Pinkie. This was no longer a fun little adventure. They needed to leave.

Suddenly Pinkie Pie stopped shaking. Exhausted, the pony hung limply in Twilight’s magic. Twilight gently lowered Pinkie onto the grass. The pink pony sat down and leaned heavily on Fluttershy who wrapped a wing around her friend.

“Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked, sitting beside her.

“I’m fine,” she panted. “But that wasn’t very fun.”

“There’s a pony up ahead!” shouted Bright Shield.

Every pony turned to see a figure in a plain brown cloak standing in the shadows. Rarity and Shining Armor cast their light upon the figure, trying to see who the pony was. Twilight stepped forward, squinting. The hood of the pony’s cloak completely hid her face and most of her body. She noticed the glint of golden bangles around the pony’s front leg. Twilight instantly felt relieved.

“It’s Zecora,” Twilight announced. “Zecora, what are you doing out here? Did you see the meteor?”

“I am here to gather herbs for a special brew. The stone from the sky, I saw it, too,” the zebra said in her familiar rhyme. “My pony friends, come closer and take a look. Such a stone won’t be found in any book.”

Twilight began to walk toward her zebra friend. She wondered why Zecora hadn’t lowered her hood.

“Twilight,” Applejack hissed at her, glaring hard at the cloaked pony. “Something about this just ain’t right.”

“What are you talking about, Applejack?” asked Twilight, continuing toward the zebra. “Zecora can lead us to the meteor. Maybe she can even explain why Pinkie twitched.”

The zebra lifted her head just a little, and Applejack saw a sickly green eye peek from the hood. Applejack snatched Twilight’s tail in her teeth and with all her might, yanked Twilight backwards. Twilight felt like her tail was being pulled out and yelled as she was painfully lifted completely off her hooves and slung into the dirt behind the work horse. Spike was thrown from her back, and both of them rolled to a stop in front of the other ponies who watched in horror.

Wincing, Twilight propped herself up. “Have you gone crazy?” she shouted at Applejack.

Applejack ignored Twilight and faced the cloaked pony. Digging her hooves into the dirt, she demanded, “Who are you? Lower your hood!”

“Ah, Applejack. The honest one. I knew you’d let me have no fun,” Zecora said menacingly. “But if my face is what you wish to see, I shall show you all gladly.”

Zecora threw back her hood and all the ponies gasped. It was Zecora except she had empty green-glowing eyes. At that moment creatures burst forth behind bushes and foliage, covered in fur with menacing claws. The ponies screamed and yelled completely surrounded by the monsters.

“What are they?” shrieked Rarity.

Fluttershy cowered next to Pinkie, gazing up at one of the monsters that loomed over her.

Realization hit her. “The-They’re rabbits. Or at least they used to be!” the pegasus squeaked out.

The rabbits were grotesque horrible beings. They had huge bulky bodies with tiny limbs and heads. Their ears were so long, they were incapable of being held upright and dragged on the ground. Their paws had thick, wicked yellow claws. Their fur was matted and ugly. Drool ran down elongated cracked and chipped buck teeth. Their noses sniffed the air constantly, and pairs of glowing green eyes studied each of the ponies. Gone were the sweet bunnies that Fluttershy was accustomed to caring for. Without warning, the mutant rabbits descended upon the ponies.

“No!” Applejack shouted and started toward her friends.

She found herself held fast with Zecora’s hooves around her neck. She gasped in shock and fear. The earth pony had turned her back on the zebra for a second. How had Zecora run up behind her without her hearing it? How was Zecora so strong? The earth pony bucked in her grasp, only to feel teeth sink into her flesh. Applejack screamed in agony.

The zebra suddenly released her, and Applejack staggered a few steps back. She put a hoof to the back of her neck and drew it back, slick with blood. The trees around her spun and the image of the cloaked zebra doubled and tripled in her sight. She couldn’t keep her balance. What had that pony done to her?

“Why, Zecora?” she croaked.

The zebra looked past her and shouted at the rabbit monstrosities, “Bring me the prince of the Crystal Crown. As for the others, take them down.”

Applejack reeled. No! This couldn’t be happening. This just couldn’t be. . .

The farm pony lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a heavy thud; her hat fell off her head and lay to the side.

“Applejack!” Twilight shouted.

She bucked against a rabbit clutching her back legs and pushed the beast aside with her magic. Behind her, the other ponies raged against the rabbits. She levitated Applejack and her precious hat away from the staring Zecorah.

Fluttershy flew above the fight. “Please, bunnies! Don’t do this!” she watched in horror as a rabbit swiped at her with claws from below. Rarity flung stones at another rabbit as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie kicked at a second rabbit. Spike cowered before another mutant as the creature raised his paws, about to pummel the baby dragon.

The brave yellow pegasus flew in front of the rabbit’s face before he could strike. She sucked in a deep breath and shouted with all her might, “STOP!”

The rabbit blinked and Fluttershy hovered there staring into his eyes and saw. . .nothing. Nothing was there. She saw no happiness or love or kindness. Only emptiness. The creature raised a paw and slapped Fluttershy, sending her tumbling away into a tree. She struck the trunk with a sickening thud as Spike screamed. He ducked between the rabbit’s legs and reached the tree just as Fluttershy fell into the bushes below. He reached out to the crumpled pony. She was covered in scrapes and scratches and lay there sobbing.

“What’s wrong with them?” she whispered to Spike through her pain and sorrow. “They aren’t themselves anymore. This isn’t right.”

A piercing yell cut through the battle as rabbits cornered the prince. His pegasi guards threw themselves at the rabbits, futilely bouncing off their bulk.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight shouted.

She raced toward the fight only to have a rabbit block her path. More rabbits began to emerge from the bushes. Shining Armor shot bolts of his magic at the rabbits, managing to knock a few aside. Another grabbed his coat, and he tore through it.

“Get out of here, Twilight!” he shouted. “Take your friends and go!”

Twilight levitated a mutant rabbit and threw him into another. “I’m not leaving you!”

“They’re after me!” he threw a shield around himself and his pegasi guards. “You have to get Applejack out of here! Go now!”

The rabbits bashed against his shield, climbing on top of the magical dome trying to break it. There were too many rabbits surrounding him for Twilight to reach her brother. She couldn’t even see or hear him anymore with the great mass of fur covering the dome. Twilight levitated Applejack closer to her.

“Twlight!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Twilight watched Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie defend Fluttershy and Spike. The three ponies stood in a semi-circle with their backs to the bushes Fluttershy lay in. They kicked and bucked and punched the rabbit attackers near them. But most of the rabbit creatures were gathering around Shining Armor’s protective shield. Shining Armor was giving Twilight and her friends a chance to escape. And she had no choice but to take it.

She dashed past rabbits, dodging their swipes and galloped to her friends. “Run!” she shouted.

Twilight concentrated and shot magic bolts at the nearby rabbit attackers. Rarity grabbed Spike from the bushes, and Rainbow Dash picked up Fluttershy, urging her to flap as much as she could. The ponies raced away from the rabbits and charged down the path of the forest at full speed. They heard rabbit mutants thundering after them. The running rabbits shook the ground beneath their hooves and made branches fall from the trees above.

Twilight Sparkle turned her head to look behind her. The mutants were closing in on them. She concentrated her magic and a pink force field wall appeared in front of the ponies’ pursuers. The rabbits, unable to stop, charged painfully into the barrier. The girls kept running and flying as fast as they could until they reached the edge of the forest. They slowed to a walk, panting heavily as they came to the chariot.

Rarity stopped and looked behind them. “Where’s Shining Armor? And the crystal ponies?”

Twilight reasoned that the other ponies were so busy fighting that they didn’t see everything that had happened. She brushed past her and levitated Applejack onto the chariot. Rainbow Dash gently set Fluttershy on the platform next to the country pony. Twilight felt her friends’ gazes weigh heavily on her. She looked back at them. Really looked at them. Her pony friends were gathered around the chariot. She saw how bruised and dirty they all were. Rainbow Dash sported a particularly nasty black eye and was flapping tentatively above Applejack, looking down at her unconscious friend with worry and fear. Settling onto the plush cushions of the chariot, Fluttershy placed a gentle hoof over Applejack’s lovingly. The quiet pegasus had fared the worst of them all from being flung into a tree. There was hardly an inch of her that wasn’t scraped or bruised. Twilight knew she had to be in pain from it all, but if Fluttershy’s injuries bothered her, the brave pony didn’t show it. She was far too concerned for her unconscious friend. Pinkie Pie’s mane had deflated. Instead of its usual cotton ball poofiness, her hair was smooth and sleek, a sure sign that she was sad. Blood trickled down the side of her face from a cut above her brow. Next to her, Rarity was an absolute mess, covered in dirt and mud with bits of twigs entwined in her tangled locks. She didn’t even bother to try to clean herself up. Twilight could tell she was far too exhausted for that. Spike sat on Rarity’s back and looked lost and scared. And then there was Applejack, lying on her side among all of them. The once strong mare had been taken down by a twisted Zecora.

And where was her brother and his guards? She had left them behind. She didn’t even know if they were okay. Shining Armor. . .

This was all her fault.

Twilight burst into tears. She curled into a ball on the grass and sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Rarity quickly knelt beside her and held her while Spike, Pinkie, and Rainbow hugged her protectively. She felt their strong hooves and arms around her, comforting and supporting her. Twilight hid her face in her own hooves. She didn’t deserve their love. She was a horrible pony.

“Hush now, Darling,” Rarity soothed. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it is,” Twilight insisted, her voice muffled. “If I hadn’t wanted to go see the meteor so badly, we all would have been fine. Applejack wouldn’t be like this. Shining Armor and the crystal ponies wouldn’t be. . .” she didn’t know how to continue that sentence so she went on with, “I heard Zecora say that she was after Shining Armor. He created a diversion so we could get away. He. . .told me to leave him behind. I-I shouldn’t have left him.”

The girls glanced at one another in distress. Spike hugged Twilight tightly.

Fluttershy sucked in a ragged breath. “Twilight, you couldn’t have known what would happen. None of us knew. Everything happened so fast.”

Twilight looked up at the battered pegasus. Fluttershy gave her a kind smile.

“That’s right,” Rarity agreed. “And your brother did what he thought best. He saved us, Twilight. If you hadn’t listened to him, we’d all still be fighting those,” she shuddered, “terrible creatures.”

“Come on, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said in a gentle tone. “We just gotta figure this out and get Applejack back on her hooves. Then we’ll go back, save him and the crystal ponies, and get Zecora and those animals back to normal. With your egghead leadership and my sweet moves, this will be a piece of cake.”

Rainbow Dash gave her a toothy grin, and Twilight smiled back.

“You really think so?” she asked her friends.

Spike nodded emphatically. “We know so. Together we can do anything.”

Twilight felt her resolve coming back. She was strengthened by her friends. She slowly stood up. Her friends needed her, and she wasn’t about to sit around moping. Not when they had ponies and animals to save. And there was no way she was going to let them down.

“All right,” she said confidently. “Let’s get Applejack to the hospital.”

Pinkie Pie’s hair immediately returned to its bouncy curls with a spring. She embraced Twilight in a slightly choking hug. “That’s the spirit!”

The pink pony released her, and Twilight staggered back trying to collect herself. She went over to the front of the chariot and strapped herself to it. Rainbow Dash wordlessly did the same beside her. She gave Twilight a wink with her good eye.

“Ready?” she asked Twilight.

The unicorn nodded, and the two of them took off at a trot. When they saw that their pace wasn’t jostling their passengers, they picked up speed. The chariot must have had a spell on it to allow it to remain stable, even when the chariot was going fast. It didn’t even feel very heavy to Twilight as she pulled it. Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran along behind the chariot, able to keep up well enough.

The ponies took the most direct path to the hospital which ran, unfortunately, through the middle of Ponyville. Ponies milling about in the afternoon sunshine stopped abruptly and stared when they saw the chariot and the girls running past. Unease quickly spread as the townsfolk called out, asking what had happened to them and where was Shining Armor. The missing prince and the bedraggled state of the ponies were telltale signs that something was amiss.

“Everything’s fine,” Rarity called out to the bewildered onlookers as they ran past. “Everything will be all right.”

The fashionista smiled nervously at their neighbors, as if getting covered in dirt and cuts was just a bit of fun. But from the scowls on several ponies’ faces, she could see they weren’t buying it.

The ponies stopped at the hospital. The large building was located on the outskirts of town, and thankfully none of the townsfolk had thought to follow them here. Twilight quickly unstrapped herself from the chariot and levitated Applejack with her into the entrance, the girls following her.

“This is an emergency,” Twilight announced seriously and gestured to Applejack. “This pony needs to see a doctor right away.”

A pony from the front desk looked up from her papers and gasped when she saw them. “Oh, my goodness!”

She immediately paged for medical assistance. A nurse appeared from the hall and motioned for the group to follow her into an empty patient room. Twilight gently laid her friend on the bed as a unicorn doctor in a lab coat walked in. Several nurse ponies entered as well, brandishing bandages and medicine. The room felt crowded with all the ponies in it. The nurses had the ponies sit down on the floor while they told Fluttershy to sit on the other bed. The doctor examined Applejack while the nurses tended to the other ponies’ injuries. Spike stood in a corner of the room, trying to stay out of every pony’s way.

“Can you tell us what happened?” the doctor asked.

Twilight mechanically told the doctor what had happened as a nurse applied healing salve to her scrapes. She briefly described the meteor, Zecora and her actions, and their narrow escape. Noticeably, Twilight mentioned nothing of her brother or his pegasi guards who had been left behind. Her friends listened avidly to her description but remained silent. As she talked, the nurses looked concerned but continued to clean, bandage, and heal the ponies’ injuries. The doctor tried to keep his expression neutral, but Twilight could see the bewilderment in his eyes by what she had said. Zecora’s bite causing Applejack to pass out was unusual. Applejack was not the kind of pony to faint easily from fright. It must have been the bite itself that caused her to fall unconscious.

The doctor nodded at the end of her tale and said professionally, “I’ll see what I can do, but I need you all to wait outside.”

The nurses had finished their work and now gathered next to the doctor. The girls and Spike reluctantly stepped out into the hallway, and the doctor closed the door behind them. Fluttershy walked gingerly and sat down on the floor. The unicorn nurses had performed several healing spells on her injuries, but Twilight knew the poor pegasus ached all over. It was a wonder she hadn’t broken a wing or had a concussion. She sat down next to Fluttershy, and her friends gathered in a semicircle on the floor. They could have gone into a waiting room to sit, but none of them wanted to be that far away from Applejack. The ponies looked and felt better, thanks to the nurses’ attention, but it didn’t make them worry any less about their friend.

“We need to send a letter to the Princess—” Twilight began when Spike belched audibly, a paw over his stomach.

Twilight levitated the parchment in front of her and scanned the page.

“What does it say?” Rainbow Dash asked warily.

“Public Notice #1. My loyal subjects of Equestria,” Twilight read hoarsely. “I am sending these letters throughout the nation to alert you of the danger at hand. There have been numerous reports of green meteors raining down upon Equestria. Where the stone falls, evil spreads. The animals and ponies that come into contact with the meteor mutate and are not themselves. Animals become larger and much stronger. Ponies become dark and evil. You will know them by their glowing green eyes. I urge you to avoid any contact with those that are changed. They will try to bite you and any other living creature. This causes the victim to fall into a coma that they cannot be awakened from. I urge all of you to remain calm and keep animals and yourselves indoors. If anypony has any information—any at all regarding these events--send a report immediately. I will provide you with further instructions as reports come in.”

The parchment was stamped with the Celestial seal, followed by directions for ponies to spread the information it contained. The girls looked at one another in shock.

“Applejack is in a coma? And no pony knows how to wake her up?” Fluttershy asked incredulously.

Her eyes began to tear up, and Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around her side.

“And it’s not just Zecora who has changed,” Rarity murmured. “Other ponies are being affected the same way. This is happening all over Equestria. Ponies and animals are becoming evil and. . .” She found herself unable to continue.

“Well, what about the Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Can’t we use them to fix everything?”

Twilight shook her head sadly, “But without Applejack, we can’t use the Elements.”

Pinkie Pie stood up determinedly. “Then we’re just gonna have to figure out something else.”

“But, Pinkie, I. . .” Twilight looked into Pinky’s icy blue eyes.

There was a fierce determination in her gaze. She wasn’t about to give up, and neither was Twilight.

Twilight nodded, then rolled up the parchment and turned to Spike. “I need you to deliver this to the newspaper ponies. Tell them to print enough copies so that all the ponies know what is going on. And tell them to make sure a copy gets to the mayor.”

Twilight levitated the letter to Spike. He took it from her and nodded seriously. “I’m on it.”

“When that’s finished, come back as quickly as possible,” Twilight continued. “The girls and I will write the report.”

Spike nodded and took off running down the hall.

Just then the door to Applejack’s room opened, and the doctor with his team of nurses stepped out. He looked at the girls and shook his head helplessly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to make of this. I really don’t know what’s wrong. Everything appears to be normal, but she’s comatose. We’ll have to wait until she wakes up.”

“But there’s gotta be something more you can do,” Rainbow Dash sputtered.

The doctor shook his head.

“It’s okay, Doctor,” Twilight said softly. She told him the details of Princess Celestia’s notice.

“Then we might be getting more cases in like Applejack,” he murmured. “I need to alert the staff. I’ll. . .I’ll try to learn more about this. Excuse me.”

The doctor and nurses left the ponies in the hall. The girls quietly went into Applejack’s room. The ponies gathered around the earth pony. Her neck had been bandaged where Zecora had bitten her. Other than that, she was simply asleep. Her hat hung above her on the corner of the headboard. Twilight couldn’t help but think about how Applejack had tried to warn her. She had sensed that something wasn’t right about Zecora from the beginning. She had taken Pinkie Pie’s pinkie sense seriously.

And she had been the one who paid the price.

Twilight closed her eyes in shame. Her friends might not believe that this whole mess wasn’t her fault, but Twilight knew that it was because she hadn’t listened to Applejack. She should’ve taken her friend’s words seriously. Instead, she had been blinded by her own desire for greatness.

Twilight opened her eyes when she heard Pinkie’s voice.

“Hey, Applejack,” Pinkie Pie said softly. “If you could hurry and wake up now, that’d be even better than a party. I’d even throw you a party for it. The biggest most bestest party ever.”

Applejack didn’t move. She simply breathed.

Twilight couldn’t bear it. She turned away and sat down on the tiles. She opened a nightstand drawer and levitated out some writing materials. She laid the page on the floor before her and methodically dipped a quill into the ink jar. The girls gathered around her.

“We’ll help you write the report, Twilight,” Rarity told her offering a gentle smile.

“We’ll figure out a plan,” Rainbow Dash said, stamping her hoof confidently.

“We’ll save our friends,” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“We’ll save the animals,” Fluttershy added.

“And then we’re going to help save Equestria,” Twilight said fiercely.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Luna stood facing her sister’s bedchamber door. She took a deep breath and knocked lightly. She waited until she heard a muffled “Come in” before she pushed the door open and entered.

Luna found Celestia lying on an oversized violet cushion in the middle of the floor. The only light in the room came from the crackling fire in the grand fireplace and the light of the moon shining through the massive open windows. Everything in the spacious room was large and overwhelming. Shortly after Luna adjusted to her reformation, she had asked why Celestia designed her bedroom that way. Celestia had answered that she liked the bigness of her bedroom because it made her feel small. The room reminded her that the sky was so large, and she only controlled a small portion of it. Never again would she make the mistake of believing her role was more important than any other pony’s.

Luna never asked again.

The sun princess didn’t look up from her reading. Scrolls and papers were spread all over the rug surrounding her. All of them were reports, notes, and accounts sent in by ponies from all over Equestria, regarding the meteors and terrible things that had happened. The princesses had spent the entire day in the throne room, trying to address the chaos that the meteors had inflicted. Royal advisors, medical, scientific, and strategist ponies had filled the chamber while messenger ponies were constantly coming and going with deliveries of reports. It was Celestia who had come up with the idea of the public notice system to try to warn ponies about the danger of the meteors and as a means to encourage information to be sent in. But it still wasn’t enough. Although the reports were helping to pinpoint attacks and note where a few of the meteors had fallen, none of it explained how or why ponies and animals were becoming evil or how to reverse the effects.

“Any news?” Luna asked.

She had tried to go through the reports like Celestia had, but honestly, after a while all of the endless reports had made her head spin. The sheer number of scrolls was simply overwhelming. She left the task of sorting and reading the reports to the secretaries and Celestia. Luna had spent her time in the throne room, speaking with the ponies there and trying to gain knowledge and advice from them. Finally, Celestia and Luna were too exhausted to continue and had dismissed everyone.

Celestia wordlessly levitated two scrolls in front of Luna. Luna took them in her own magic and read the first one.

Dear Princess Celestia,

One of the meteors fell in the Everfree Forest. My friends, Shining Armor and his two personal guards, and myself decided to investigate. This happened before we received the public notice. We were ambushed by Zecora and mutated rabbits. Zecora and the rabbits had the same symptoms you described in your notice. Fluttershy attempted to speak with the changed animals, but it didn’t work. They weren’t themselves anymore. Zecora had glowing green eyes and said that she was after Shining Armor. Zecora bit Applejack, and immediately Applejack fell unconscious and hasn’t awoken since. Shining Armor and his guards, Bright Shield and Morning Star, distracted the mutant rabbits to let us escape. The rest of us are unhurt, and we made it to the hospital, but we don’t know anything about Shining Armor and the guards’ wellbeing.

Your notice is being spread throughout Ponyville as I write this. Our plan is to see if we can learn more about what is happening and to help prepare Ponyville as needed. We will wear the Elements of Harmony at all times even though without Applejack awake, we can’t use them. I will do what research I can in the Ponyville Library while the rest of my friends work with the citizens of Ponyville in making their homes and animals secure. Rainbow Dash wants to do an overhead scouting of the Everfree Forest to see if she can find out more about Shining Armor and the guards. She believes that alone, she would go unnoticed, and if need be, she can fly fast enough to get out of harm’s way.

I am writing a letter to Cadence to let her know what has happened.

I know that all of Equestria needs your help, Princess, but I could really use some of your guidance right now.
Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Luna frowned and read the second letter. This parchment had more ink drips and scratches from where the pony writing it had pressed too hard with a quill.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Applejack hasn’t awoken yet. Rarity is staying at the hospital, watching over her. The medical ponies at the hospital are baffled, and as I suspected, nothing in the Ponyville Library has any information on her condition. Spike and I scoured every single book, and not one had anything to do with these meteors or the ponies and animals changing.

Worse yet, the mutated animals seem to be preparing for some sort of attack. Rainbow Dash was able to complete her scouting mission, but just barely. She overheard mutated rats, the size of ponies, actually talking. The rats spoke about gathering more animals to prepare for an attack on Ponyville in the morning. Unfortunately, that was all she was able to hear before one of the rats noticed her in the air. She flew away, only to be pecked and scratched by horrible birds with the same green glowing eyes. She was able to get away, thanks to her amazing flying skills. I don’t think any other pegasus would’ve been so lucky. She’s fine now, thankfully. The nurses and doctor ponies were able to patch her up.

Thanks to her scouting, we have begun work on preparing Ponyville for the worst. Buildings are being boarded up, and Fluttershy has been encouraging animals to stay indoors or close to their pony owners. The mayor has been encouraging all the ponies to gather at the hospital. It is the largest building in Ponyville, and one building is easier to protect than a whole town. A few of the ponies aren’t willing to leave their homes, and we can’t force them to. We’ll just help make sure their home is secure and well-supplied.

The mayor and I considered evacuation, but it’s too risky. Mutant animals have appeared at the forest edge. We can see their glowing green eyes, watching the town in the darkness.

Princess, I’m trying to be brave, but in truth, I’m really scared. Rainbow Dash wasn’t able to find out anymore information about Shining Armor and the guard ponies, but I’m not about to send her back out alone again. I know you instructed all the ponies to stay inside, but we have to fight. The girls and I—we can’t just let our town be destroyed. Or worse, have ponies and animals get hurt. But without the Elements of Harmony, I don’t know how we can win. There are a few ponies that are willing to help us fight, but from what I’ve experienced facing those mutants myself, there is no way we can win.

We need help, Princess. We can’t do this on our own. Please respond as quickly as you can. Please send help to Ponyville. Otherwise, there may not be a Ponyville come tomorrow.
Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Luna looked up at her sister. Celestia was staring at the moon. Her voice was filled with sadness.

“Twilight Sparkle is being so brave,” the sun Princess said softly. “She’s looking to me for answers. But for once,” Celestia bowed her head, “I have none.”

Luna cleared her throat and set the letters next to her sister with her magic. “She is right, though. Ponyville needs help.”

“So does Manehatten, Las Pegasus, and Appleloosa,” Celestia said bitterly. “What am I supposed to do? Send palace guards to them? Then I’ll have Canterlot citizens appearing in person to tell me what a fool I am for having a city undefended. And even if I did send out the guards, it won’t be enough. This is outside of their training.”

Luna took a step closer. “Then perhaps we should look for help elsewhere.”

Celestia gave her sister a hard look. “And where would that be?”

“I’ve just returned from dream speaking with Sonny in the Old World.” As soon as she said these words, Celestia glared, annoyed at her sister, but the moon princess pressed on. “He believes that the meteors are warpstone. It makes sense. The meteors are similar to the warpstone of his world.”

Celestia gave a dry laugh. “And you believe him?”

“I have no reason not to. His heart is pure, and his intentions are noble.”

Celestia wearily stood up from her pillow. “Sister, you know I dislike you using that portal, but now you’ve gone too far. It is one thing to explore an alternate realm through dreams. It is another to seek council from them. You should not have told that innkeeper of our world’s crisis. You’ve influenced him enough as it is.”

Luna stood her ground. “I dreamwalked through that portal tonight to try to find answers that we don’t have. And I think I was successful. What if our meteors really are warpstone? His description was of stones that changed the people and animals of his world, making them evil and twisted. The stone would mutate anyone who came near them.”

“And what of the bites, hmm?” Celestia asked. “Mutants biting others only to make them fall into an irreversible sleep? Does his world have that?”

“Well, no. . .” Luna said softly.

Celestia levitated the letters around her and began to sort through them. “And does his world have a solution for the mutants?”

“Erm. . .” she said softly.

Luna was reminded how foolish her older sister could make her feel at times. She hated it when Celestia treated her like a child. True, Celestia treated her better since her reformation, but the sun princess was not always as kind as she could be.

Old habits died hard for them both.

“Speak up, dear sister. I can’t quite hear you,” Celestia said tiredly.

“The people of the Old World don’t have a cure for those infected with warpstone. They. . .they kill those infected instead.”

“Just as I thought,” Celestia growled. “That world is thoughtless and cruel. Such needless savagery. I’m afraid you wasted precious time by your dream walk.”

“Actually, I didn’t. I think I’ve found the solution, Tia,” Luna said as confidently as she could.

“And what would that be?” Celestia murmured, glancing at the papers floating in front of her.

“The Old World is filled with warriors. Sonny told me of two—a human and a dwarf that are noble and are the best fighters he knows.”

Celestia lowered the letters to the floor. “You want to bring two murderers here?” she asked icily.

“They kill, but they do it in self defense,” Luna explained. “Their world isn’t like ours, Tia. But these two warriors. . . .I scanned the hearts of everyone in Nuln. They aren’t like the others. They have done wrong, but they are good people, Tia. And they can help us.”

Celestia whirled to face Luna. “I can’t believe my own sister wants to bring killers from another plane of existence into Equestria!” she shouted furiously.

Luna held her head high as Celestia stamped over to her and continued to seethe. “How can you be so blind? I’m trying to save our ponies while your insane solution will only make everything worse! They will slaughter those mutated by the meteors.”

“Not if we enchant them,” Luna shot back. “Do you have any better ideas, sister? Or any ideas at all? Twilight Sparkle has already stated the obvious. We cannot overcome this on our own. We need warriors. You and I and Cadence can’t go out and fight. What if we fall prey to these mutants? Shining Armor already has. And if we three fall, who will lead Equestria then? No, we need warriors. We need . . .Gotrek and Felix.”

Celestia turned her head to the side, and Luna saw tears gathering in her eyes. She saw how exhausted her sister was, beaten down by not knowing.

“I hate feeling so helpless, Luna,” Celestia whispered.

Luna reached out to her. “Tia.”

Celestia pushed her hoof aside. “I don’t like your plan. But it appears I have no other alternative,” she said with finality. “I can’t allow Ponyville to fall. Lead a few guards to the portal in the caves. Have them bring it to the throne room. Make the proper arrangements for these. . .beings to arrive.”

Luna nodded sadly, “Yes, sister.”

She turned to leave Celestia’s chamber.

“Please get some sleep, Tia,” she said softly.

“I’ll rest when my little ponies are safe,” Celestia said staring out the window.

Luna sighed and closed the door.