The Unicorn Caper

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

The Unicorn Caper
Chapter 1

Despite the overcast sky, Rarity had no concerns of being rained on, although that would soon be the least of her worries. She was just trotting along the trail leading to Sweet Apple Acres with seemingly no soul in sight. It was not until she heard the twig snap that she became nervous.

“Who’s there?” The trail she was walking on had few trees nearby, leaving no place to hide, but she felt certain that something was there. She saw a bush start to shake, and out leaped...a cute little squirrel.

“Oh, it was just a squirrel,” laughed Rarity. “I must be—”

Before Rarity knew what happened, a large ring flew toward her face....

Back in Sweet Apple Acres, Big Macintosh had injured a hoof on the job, leaving Applejack to take care of her crops alone again. Unlike last time, however, she asked for help. Pinkie, Applejack, and Twilight gathered the apples while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew the apples into storage. Not long before the harvesting started did Twilight had an idea.

“I want to try apple bucking,” she said to Applejack.

“Why, when you can use your magic to pluck out the apples lickety-split,” said Pinkie who was kicking more apples out of the tree.

“I know, but I thought I would give it a try,” said Twilight. “I think it’s amazing how much good shape earth ponies have to be to be bucking apples all day.”

“Aw shucks, it’s quite simple,” said Applejack, modestly. “It requires a good posture and a strong kick to the trunk.” Applejack demonstrated by kicking a nearby apple tree with her hind legs, causing every apple to topple down into the buckets.

“Like this?” Twilight kicked a nearby apple tree with her hind legs, but nothing fell down.

“Almost. Apple bucking not only requires strength, but it requires some precision. When you hit the tree, you must keep your hooves close together, and the hit has to be dead on. If you hit too high or too low, you might injure yourself.” To demonstrate, Applejack kicked another tree, causing apples to rain down.

Twilight followed Applejack’s example, kicking the tree at full strength. It took about three kicks before a few apples came falling down.

“This is harder than it looks.”

“Oh this is nothing,” said Pinkie as she kicked down a bushel of apples. “I grew up on a rock farm, and rolling rocks isn’t easy either. I remember one time I...” Pinkie suddenly froze in her tracks. “Uh oh, I feel my Pinkie Senses tingling...my left haunch itches. That means someone is upset.”

“Upset about what?” asked Applejack.

“Usually it’s because someone lost something like a comb, or a book, or a jackhammer, or—“

“Jackhammer?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “How could someone lose a jackhammer?”

“You’d be surprised. There was this one time when I was playing hopscotch near a construction site and...”

Twilight ignored Pinkie Pie’s ramblings, wanting to focus on her work, but then she saw Rarity walking down the road toward Sweet Apple Acres. Immediately, Twilight knew something was wrong. Rarity’s beautiful mane was spread out over her face. She kept her head low in a display of shame.

“It looks like something’s wrong with Rarity,” said Twilight. “I better go over and see her.” Before Applejack or Pinkie could inquire, Twilight teleported away, reappearing in front of Rarity with a blinding flash.

Rarity was sobbing hysterically, so much so that she barely noticed Twilight as she materialized before her.

“Rarity, what’s...?” Twilight gasped as she got a good look at Rarity’s face.

Rarity’s horn had been sliced cleanly off her head.

“What happened to your horn?”

“I was attacked,” shouted Rarity.

“Attacked? Are you wounded?”

“Only my pride. My beautiful horn is gone.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow, who had just finished packing up another barrel full of apples, flew over to Rarity.

“Oh Rarity, what happened to you?” asked Fluttershy.

It was not long before Applejack and Pinkie approached Rarity.

“What in tarnations happened to your horn?” asked Applejack.

“Oh, maybe it’s a new fashion trend,” suggested Pinkie.

“If that thief knew anything about fashion, he would have left my beautiful horn alone,” whined Rarity. “Twilight, can’t you use your magic to restore my horn?”

“I’m sorry, Rarity, but not even magic can restore a horn. You’re just going to have to wait until your horn grows back.”

“But how long will that take?”

“Two weeks.”

“Two weeks? I can’t wait that long. Without my horn, I can’t use magic, and without magic, how will I be able to sew any new cloths.”

Applejack huffed. “Come now, you can still sew without magic. The entire Apple family has run this here farm without the need for magic for generations. I’m sure you can run a clothing store for two weeks without magic.”

“Why do unicorns need a horn anyway?” asked Rainbow, hovering over Rarity. “Can’t you use magic without it?”

“Of course not,” said Rarity. “We can’t cast spells without our horns any more than you can fly without your wings.”

“There’s no need to be huffy. I was just...” Rainbow trailed off when she noticed a small figure flying toward them on a scooter. “Hey, is that Scootaloo?”

Propelled by her wings, Scootaloo dashed across the dirt trail, coming to a hard stop in front of the older ponies. She was panting heavily with a worried expression plastered on her face.

“Scootaloo, what’s going on?” asked Twilight.

“We were trying out mud sculpture when something attacked Sweetie Belle.”

Rarity cried out in alarm. “What! We have to help her.” Rarity dashed off. Not being a fast runner, Rainbow and Scootaloo easily over took her with the others following close behind.

They found Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, sitting next to a pile of crude mud statues. Sweetie Belle sat under the shade of a tree, tears running down her face with Apple Bloom consoling her.

When Rarity caught up, she shouted, “Sweetie Belle, what’s wr...” To her shock, she saw that Sweetie Belle’s horn had been cut off.

“Girls, what happened here?” asked Twilight.

“We were just making statues when this...flat object flew by Sweetie Belle’s face,” said Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, it looked like a ring that was this long,” said Scootaloo, spreading out her hooves to emphasize the size of the blade.

The ponies all turned their gaze toward Twilight.

“What do you think is going on here?” asked Rainbow.

“Uh...It sounded like her horn was cut off by a...chakram,” said Twilight.

“What’s a chakram?” asked Pinkie. “Is it a type of dessert?”

“No, it’s a flying, bladed ring, but this still raises some questions. If there really were a chakram involved, it would have cut off bits of Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s mane. This is a real mystery, one we’ll have to figure out later. For now, we better get these fillies inside. Rarity will take Sweetie Belle home. Dash will escort Scootaloo.”

Rainbow and Rarity led the two fillies off the farm while the rest escorted Apple Bloom. The implications of these two attacks occurring in one day weighed heavily on everyone’s mind.

As they neared the farm, Fluttershy asked Twilight, “So what do you think is going on?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

What seemed like a simple attack quickly became a rampage throughout Ponyville. Within three days after Rarity and Sweetie Belle were attacked, many other unicorns of all ages were robbed of their horns. Although the attacks occurred at different times and different places, the story was always the same: the victims would see an object fly toward their faces and their horns would be cut off without seeing an attacker. In a peaceful town where crime was almost unheard of, these attacks left the ponies of Ponyville fearful. So much so that the Mayor of Ponyville had to insist on asking the residences not to travel alone and asked volunteers to escort foals to and from school.

Two of the volunteers were Twilight and Spike who were helping one of the teachers, Cheerilee, escort her class home.

“All right, my little ponies, stay together now,” said Cheerilee to the class. Each foal huddled together, constantly looking behind their backs and jumping at the slightest sound. Twilight stood on the other side of the group with Spike riding on her back.

Once all the foals were returned home, Spike whispered to Twilight, “So who do you think the thief is?”

“I don’t know. He’s been able to attack ponies in broad daylight without being seen. The thief might be using some kind of invisibility or teleportation.”

“It could be very dangerous.”

“I know. The thief might try robbing earth ponies and pegasi.”

“No, I mean dangerous for you.”

Twilight turned her head and saw a genuinely worried expression on Spike’s face. “Don’t worry, Spike. I know enough magic to take care of myself.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. You’re the most magical unicorn in all of Ponyville, and that’s no secret. I just know that thief will come after your horn next.”

Spike’s concerns had sparked Twilight’s worries. Ever since she was taken in as Princess Celestia’s apprentice, she always relied on her magic. But perhaps that was her Achilles’ heel.

“Maybe you’re right, Spike. My magic is a part of who I am. If I lose it, I won’t be able to do much to help. All the more reason why I should help find the thief.”

“Will you at least promise not to go anywhere alone until this all blows over?”

“Of course.”

The two jumped in surprise when they heard a scream. Concerned, Twilight jogged toward the source of the scream and came to a small outdoor market where fruits and vegetables were sold. Standing behind one of the stalls was a young stallion unicorn, his horn lopped off. There were at least a dozen other ponies in the area, looking at the stallion in shock.

“What happened?” asked Twilight to the crowd.

“I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden—whoosh—my horn was gone,” whined the stallion.

“That’s all? Did anyone see the attacker?”

There were ponies everywhere, looking at Twilight with blank faces, helpless to provide any help.

“I saw something.” The ponies in the crowd parted to reveal Applejack standing by her apple stand. “I saw that strange flying blade Rarity described.”

“But nothing else?” asked Twilight as she approached Applejack.

“I saw it fly off from out of the crowd.”

“But that makes no sense. Surely some pony would have seen the perpetrator.”

Applejack shook her head helplessly. “I’m sorry, Twi, but I couldn’t tell who threw it or where it gone to.”

“Ugh, this is crazy. How could someone commit a crime in full view of so many witnesses and not get caught. Even with an invisibility spell, that would have been impossible.”

“Perhaps we’re dealing with some kind of super thief,” suggested Spike.

“I doubt that, but either way, we might need some help with this. Spike, I want you to go back to library and send a letter to the Princess, telling her what’s been happening and what we’ve found out so far.”

“But what about you?” asked Spike, his voice laced with distress.

“I’m going to stay here and investigate,” when she saw the worried look on Spike’s face, she added, “and I’m sure Applejack will be willing to walk me home.”

“Don’cha worry, Spike,” said Applejack. “No thief will harm Twi while I’m here.”

That reassured Spike.

Twilight spent hours searching the area, both with her eyes and her magic, but much to her frustration, she found nothing.

Somewhere, Princess Luna was raising the moon, prompting ponies to rush back home, saving themselves from the unknown threat. Applejack in particular was slowly packing up the coins from her sales and the remaining apples from her stall into her saddlebags despite the fact that everyone else was long gone. She asked Twilight, “Well, Twi, are you ready to skedaddle?”

Twilight made one last glance at the dirt road, sighing in defeat. “Sure, I’ll leave when you’re ready.” As Twilight was about to rejoin Applejack, something caught her eye. In the dirt was a clear trail of hoof prints. With a road walked on by ponies all the time, it was not an unusual sight, but on closer examination, she realized that the trail led off the road and into some bushes. Twilight knew that there could be several reasons why a pony would want to go off the road like that, but deep down, she suspected otherwise. Although she was quite rational, even she could appreciate the use of intuition.

She conjured a light spell, allowing a large glow of light to appear at the tip of her horn. She walked into the bushes, examining the hoof prints. She followed the prints until they abruptly ended. There was no evidence that the tracks were whipped away. The tracks just stopped.

“Maybe it was a pegasus,” said Twilight to herself.

Twilight was so perplexed by this that she did not notice a figure standing in the shadows, nor did she notice the blade flying toward her.

Chapter 2

The Unicorn Caper
Chapter 2

With the last of her apples packed up into her saddlebags, Applejack went off in search of Twilight. “Hey Twi, I’m ready to go. Where are you?” From off into the trees, she noticed a soft light. Thinking it was Twilight, she headed toward the direction of the light until she saw her in the clearing...with a spinning ring headed toward her.

“Look out!”

As Twilight turned her head, she saw the spinning blade. She telekinetically caught the weapon, suspending it in midair a mere five inches from her face.

“Hang in there, Sugarcube. I’m a comin’.” Suddenly, a long cord of some kind snaked out from the darkness, tripping Applejack.

Applejack fell face first into the grass, causing her apples to fly out of her saddlebags and spill everywhere.

Twilight wrestled with the assailant, even though the two were far apart. She telekinetically pulled on the weapon with the assailant tugging in turn. It was a duel of magic on magic as if the two were tugging on a rope with the chakram in the center. Twilight could not see the thief because she was just outside the dim light of Twilight’s horn. All Twilight could make out was the silhouette of a four-legged animal.

The ring was wrenched out of Twilight’s grasp and flew back toward its owner. The thief let out a loud hiss and sprinted off.

Applejack, who had removed her saddlebags, ran after the assailant. “Get back here.”

“Be careful, Applejack,” said Twilight. She pursued Applejack and the thief. However, as Applejack wondered aimlessly into the darkness Twilight was focused on the ground, searching for evidence of the thief’s identity. She was looking for tracks, but instead of hoof prints, she saw paw prints, much to her surprise. What was even more perplexing was lying near the prints was a discarded mask. The mask depicted a creature with bright orange skin, a stretched and grinning mouth, eyes resembling lemon slices, frilly hair along its edges, and dagger teeth. The mask was nothing like Twilight had ever seen. Thinking it was important, she picked up the mask with her teeth.

Cautiously curious, she followed the paw prints, but as the trail went on, the prints began to change little by little with each succeeding print. The pads of the paw prints gradually got thin and narrow. By the time the trail abruptly ended, the prints had changed into what appeared to be bird prints. As Twilight lifted her head, she saw a crow in the trees that flew away as soon as it was spotted.

“Hey Twi,” shouted Applejack as she ran up to her. “I can’t find the thief anywhere. What in tarnation is goin’ on here?”

Twilight put down the mask. “Applejack, I need you to come with me to the police station and start searching through their wanted postures.”

“Uh...okay, but what are we lookin’ for?”

Twilight stared at Applejack with a stern look. “Shape-shifters.”

Twilight gathered her friends into the library. As she dug through all of her books like a mad mare, forcing Spike and Owlowiscious to frantically collect every book she dropped, the other ponies stared at the mask as it lay on the table.

“This is really strange,” said Rainbow. “It looks like a kid’s mask.”

“I think this is no ordinary mask,” said Twilight as she withdrew another book, “but I have no idea what’s it for. The police didn’t confiscate it as evidence because they thought it was just inconsequential.”

Rainbow cocked her head in confusion. “What?”

“It means that they thought it wasn’t important.”

“Oooh, why didn’t you say so?”

Fluttershy hovered over the mask. “It’s a really scary looking mask. Why would a thief need a mask like this and who is the thief?”

“I think I know who it is,” said Twilight as she hastily read through a page in a book. “This book I’m reading is a dictionary on rare magical creatures, and I think I know what our perpetrator is.”

“Well don’t leave us hanging,” said Rainbow. “What is it?”

The ponies were dead silent as they anxiously awaited Twilight’s answer. Although they were initially surprised when they heard it.

“It’s a bakeneko.”

“...A what?” said Rainbow.

“A bakeneko. It’s a magic-wielding, shape-shifting cat.”

“You mean my horn was stolen by a cat?” shout Rarity.

“Yes. According to my book, bakenekos are rare and not native to Equestria. If the thief is a bakeneko, then she can change into anyone. That’s why we never see the thief strike; she’s always hiding in plain sight in disguise.”

“We went to the police station and found this,” said Applejack. She withdrew a rolled up piece of paper from her saddlebag and unrolled it onto the table. “This was the only shape-shifter they had a warrant for.”

The ponies gathered around the wanted poster, crowding each other like a pack of dehydrated wolves going after a puddle of water.

In the photo was a dark blue and white striped cat whose sharp claws were flying toward the camera as if she was attacking the cameraman. She bared her teeth mid-hiss to further highlight her anger. Her eyes were large and golden orbs, almost gazing at the ponies through the picture. On the top of the poster was the name Izanami written in bold, black letters.

“Izanami,” said Applejack as she read out the name. “If this ain’t our criminal, then I don’t know who is.”

Twilight read the description on the bottom of the poster. “Izanami is wanted for several accounts of theft and breaking and entering. She is a crafty shape-shifter who will frequently use her powers to infiltrate homes and public places to steal valuables.”

“That sounds just like what’s been happening here in Ponyville,” said Rainbow. “Now that we know who she is, I say we hunt her down.”

“But how?” asked Applejack. “With her powers she could be anywhere...even in this room.”

The ponies suddenly began to look behind their shoulders as if they expected Izanami to pop out of the walls.

“That cat could be any pony,” said Fluttershy, fidgeting nervously. “She could even be one of us.”

“That sounds suspicious to me,” said Pinkie, glaring at Fluttershy.

“But I’m not Izanami.”

“Then prove you’re the real Fluttershy.”

“How?”

Pinkie shoved her hoof into Fluttershy’s face. “Tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”

“But you don’t have any fingers.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Uh...five.”

Pinkie smiled cheerfully. “Correct. You’re the real Fluttershy.”

Twilight tapped the floor with her hoof to attract everyone’s attention. “Actually, I think Pinkie Pie has a point. Izanami could easily transform herself into one of us. What we need to do is set up some kind of password. If one of us is acting suspiciously, we should ask them for the password.”

“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” agreed Rarity.

“But first, we need to determine that we are who we say we are by asking each other questions,” said Twlight as she handed the book over to Owlowiscious for him to put away.

“Like what?” asked Spike as he slid a book on the shelf.

“For example, what was the title of that book you burned last week?”

“Look, I’m sorry I burned it. I just forgot my allergy medication and—”

“No, Spike, I want you to answer the question because only the real Spike would know the answer, and if you answer, that proves who you are.”

“Oh, I see. Well, the book was entitled Fire Eaters for Simpletons.”

“That’s correct, Spike.” Twilight turned to the other ponies. “Now, lets ask each other questions.”

One by one, each pony was interviewed. Once everyone was satisfied, Twilight said, “Now that we know who we all are, we should come up with a password. One that is not too obvious but is easy to remember.”

“Oh, Oh, I know,” said Pinkie, bouncing up and down while raising her hoof. “Sesame cake.”

“Sesame cake?” said Rarity. “Why ‘sesame cake?’”

“Because sesame cake is good,” answered Pinkie all bubbly.

“Hm, I think that’ll do,” said Twilight.

“Okay, now that we have a password, what’re we goin’ to do next?” asked Applejack.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. “I think all we can do is wait.”

“And what about the mask?” asked Spike.

“If this does belong to Izanami, then I know of a place where even she can’t get it.” Twilight’s horn glowed a bright purple light as she cast a summoning spell. Right before their eyes, a cage materialized in the corner of the library. The cage was almost large enough to fit a foal, but the bars were thin like a birdcage. It was built out of shiny brass, which was shaped into intricate curves onto the door of the cage. The door was wide open, but there was no visible lock on it. Small wheels were attached to the bottom.

Twilight telekinetically carried the mask into the cage and slammed the door shut.

“Pardon me, Sugarcube, but how is that cage suppose to keep Izanami out?” asked Applejack.

“Try opening it and see.”

Applejack curiously walked up to the cage and gripped the door handle with her teeth. To her surprise, the door would not budge even though there was nothing holding the door in place. She pulled on the handle harder, but only accomplished in dragging the cage along on its wheels. She put her right hoof onto the side of the cage, but a magical force field appeared in a blinding red light, repelling her away.

“What kind of cage is that?” asked Applejack, running her tongue along her teeth to make sure she was not missing anything.

“It was a gift from Princess Celestia,” explained Twilight. “It’s magically designed so nothing could get in or out because the only way to open it is with my horn.” Twilight put her horn against the cage door, and it opened as if a lock had been undone.

“But what if Izanami tries to steal your horn in the middle of the night?” asked Fluttershy.

“I can cast an antiburglary spell on myself at night so if any pony got too close, the spell will create a noise that will wake me up.”

“Wow, Twilight, you sure can think of anything,” said Pinkie.

“No, I’m just lucky to know a princess.”

Three days went by and Izanami still remained at large. Twilight continued to volunteer escorting the foals to and from school. On that morning, Rainbow and Applejack had accompanied her with Rainbow hovering overhead, watching for signs of trouble, and Applejack herding the foals.

“Come on, young ’uns, stay together,” said Applejack as she circled around them, keeping them in check. “How does everything look up there, Rainbow?”

“There’s no sign of trouble.” Rainbow was darting around in the air like an excited bee. In her frantic search for danger, she noticed Twilight who seemed oddly distracted.

Applejack noticed too. “Hey Twi, you look like your mind is anywhere but here.”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts. “What? Oh, sorry. I’ve just been thinking about that mask. I looked at every book in my library...”

“Don’t worry,” said Rainbow, “if anyone can figure it out, you can.”

Throughout the day, Twilight was still frightened and worried, wondering when the thief would strike. Even long after the foals were escorted to their school, Twilight was still lost in thought. Once she got home, she tore up every book in the library, hoping to find the mask’s purpose.

By noon, she was sitting at her work desk with piles of books stacked up around her like a fortress. Twilight’s head rocked back and forth, exhausted from studying. So much so that she barely acknowledged Owlowiscious as he flew in through the open window and landed on his perch.

Twilight shook her head to wake her up. “Hello, Owlowiscious. Sorry the room’s a mess.”

“Who,” said Owlowiscious.

Spike came into the room balancing a tray on his right hand. On top of the tray were two cups.

“Hey, Twilight, I got some soymilk for you.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight telekinetically lifted one of the cups and started drinking through the straw.

“So have you found anything?”

Twilight sighed in frustration. “I suspect that the mask is some kind of magical tool that is used with a specific spell, kind of like those pendulums you see in divination, but what kind of spell the mask is used for, I can’t figure out. If only there was some pony here in town I can ask. One who’s an expert with strange masks.”

Spike put a claw to his chin in thought. “Perhaps you can ask Zecora.”

“Why Zecora?”

“Well, she has lived outside of Equestria, and she’s got a lot of masks. Perhaps she might know something.” Spike grabbed the remaining cup on the tray and loudly sipped through the straw.

“You know, you’re right.” For the first time in days, Twilight was alert and confident. “Perhaps Zecora might know something. Owlowiscious, I know it’s early but can you watch the library for me?”

“Who,” said Owlowiscious.

Twilight took that as a yes.

Twilight had removed the mask from the cage and stuffed it into a saddlebag. With Spike riding on her back, she galloped into the Everfree Forest. As Twilight wondered through the forest, Spike was constantly looking in all directions, jumping at the slightest bit of movement. It did not help that the forest seemed unusually quiet that day as if the monsters were long gone, leaving even the smallest of sounds to become amplified tenfold.

“Spike, will you stop that. You’re going to fall of if you keep doing that.”

“Izanami can be anywhere. I have to be vigilant.” Spike continued his frantic survey of the forest until the two reached Zecora’s hut.

Twilight knocked on Zecora’s door. The door was unlocked, so she quietly stuck her head inside.

“Hello, Zecora...”

Zecora sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly in a meditative trance. She opened her eyes and said to Twilight, “Come on into my humble abode...and rest your hooves from the dirty road.”

“Thanks.”

As Twilight entered the home, Spike slid off her back, fidgeting as if he expected to be ambushed. Rather than meet Twilight and Zecora at the table, he stood by the open door, watching the outside.

“Zecora, I need your help identifying something.”

“Is it an artifact comprised with danger? Or perhaps a gift from a total stranger?”

“No. I found this strange mask lying on the ground when I was attacked by the thief stealing horns in Ponyville.” She withdrew the mask from the saddlebag and dropped it onto the table.

Zecora observed the mask as if it was a specimen on a dissecting tray. “This is not an ordinary mask as you correctly deduce, although the answer is quite obtuse. It is an enchanted mask of a rare variety. Designed to subdue the strongest enemy.”

As Zecora talked, Spike saw some bushes rustling just outside the hut. Suspicious, he tiptoed toward the bush. As he closed in, he heard whimpering and whining as if there was a wounded animal. When he pushed the branches aside, he gasped in surprise...Lying on the ground was Zecora with her mouth gagged and her hooves bound in rope.

Terrified, Spike ran back into the house, bursting through the door. “TWILIGHT.”

“What is it, Spike?”

As Twilight turned around, Spike saw the chakram levitate out from behind the imposter Zecora.

“LOOK OUT.”

Before Twilight could do anything, the ring came down on her. For the briefest of moments, the hut became eerily quiet. The only sound was the clatter of Twilight’s horn as it hit the ground.

Twilight put hoof to her head, feeling only a stump where her horn should be. She stared at Zecora in shock and betrayal, mouth agape at the sight of Zecora’s grinning face. Right before her eyes, the zebra transformed. Her black stripes became blue, her hooves became paws, her turquoise eyes became golden, and her tail grew long and whip-like.

“Thank you, for returning my mask,” said Izanami with a low hiss at the end of the sentence. “Since you’re so interested in me, how would you like to see something else I can do?” Like a vine, her tail stretched out and wrapped around Twilight.

Twilight tried to magically repel her, but nothing happened without her horn.

“You let her go,” ordered Spike.

Izanami extended her tail toward Spike, but Spike blasted a small fire blast at her, forcing her to withdrawal her tail.

“I don’t have time to deal with you,” said Izanami, her voice low and resentful.

With a single paw, Izanami put on the mask. Much like a unicorn’s horn, she channeled magic through her tail and into the mask, causing the eyes of the mask to glow a sickly yellow light.

Twilight could only watch helplessly as Spike took one look at the mask, and was put under her power. He stared at her in complete enthrallment, making it easy for Izanami to wrap her tail around him.

“Spike, run!” Twilight’s words fell on deaf ears as Spike gawked at the mask, not so much as flinching as he was wrapped in Izanami’s tail

Izanami looked upon her helpless captives and smiled. “Akin to blind mice / You scurry into danger / Right into my claws.”

Chapter 3

The Unicorn Caper
Chapter 3

Spike, Twilight, and Zecora struggled against the grip of Izanami’s tail, but it was like living chains, strong and unbreakable.

Izanami carried the three captives further north toward the edge of the Everfree Forest, eventually coming across something one would normally not find in a forest: a collection of at least 20 cages spread out in rows. One by one, she threw her prisoners into three separate cages.

As Twilight was thrown inside, she could not help but notice how cramped the cage was. She could still turn around to face Izanami, but she still rubbed against the bars as she rotated.

Izanami playfully twirled Twilight’s horn in her claws while spinning her chakram around with her tail, now back to its original length.

“Do you like my chakram?” she asked. “It’s magically designed to cut only unicorn horns so I can’t accidently injure myself.” Near the cages was a campsite complete with a tent and several burlap bags of supplies. She opened one of these bags, revealing several unicorn horns inside, and threw Twilight’s horn in with the others.

“Let us go!” shouted Spike.

“So you can tell everyone where I am,” chided Izanami. “Out of the question. Besides, if I keep Twilight as my prisoner, I can continuously harvest her horn before it fully grows back. With her horns in supply, I could make a fortune on the black market. Oh...and I forgot something else.”

Izanami’s fur darkened from a blue to a purple as she transformed. Once again, her paws became hooves as she assumed a new equine form. This time, she became the spiting image of Twilight.

“That disguise won’t fool any pony,” said Twilight, confidently.

Izanmi gave her a cocky grin. “They will if I tell them that the password is ‘sesame cake.’”

Twilight flinched in surprise as if someone kicked her in the face.

“How did you know that?” shouted Spike, angrily.

Izanami reverted back to her natural form. Her tail stretched out and reached into the tent to remove a small birdcage from within, and placed it in front of Twilight.

Twilight stared at the occupant inside, knowing who it was. “Owlowiscious? How did you get in there?”

Owlowiscious let out a sad hoot as if to apologize to Twilight.

“It’s easy to fool / Even the wisest pony / When she sees a friend. That’s why I’ve been disguising myself as your little owl friend. Ever since I saw you take my mask, I’ve been spying on you, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Because of that cage of yours and those antiburglary spells you put on yourself before you slept, I couldn’t steal my mask back. Further more, I knew my magic was no match against the pony who single handedly saved Ponyville from an Ursa Minor, so brute force was too risky. Instead, I chose to wait until an opportunity presented itself.”

Twilight was stunned. She never expected Izanami to infiltrate her home so quickly as well as fool her for three days. She wiped her hoof across her eyes, hoping to wipe away the tears that betrayed her anger and shame to her capturer.

“Now excuse me, I have important work to do.” Izanami packed her mask into a saddlebag and flung it onto her back. Her tail glowed a bright blue followed by a flash of light as she teleported away.

Izanami’s departure left a deafening silence as the three captives reflected on their predicament.

“What is she up to?” asked Spike, breaking the silence.

“With a spinning chakram and a mask of wood,” said Zecora, “whatever she’s planning, it cannot be good.”

Twilight scoffed irritability when her head hit the roof of her cage. “Why are these cages so small?” As she thought about it, she concluded that the cages were not intended for a full-grown pony, but for something smaller...or younger. “Oh no, I’m suppose to be taking the foals home from school right now.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Rainbow Dash and Applejack can take care of it,” reassured Spike.

“No don’t you get it?” said Twilight, her voice rising in agitation. “These cages aren’t meant for us. She’s after the foals.”

“But why would Izanami want to kidnap foals?”

“She probably wants to lock up the unicorns so she can harvest their horns. We have to get out of here and save them.” Despite her cramped conditions, Twilight repeatedly kicked the cage with her hind legs. The metal clanged with each strike, almost drowning out her grunts of frustration and desperation.

“I know you want to flee your cage,” said Zecora, “but you won’t escape on pure rage.”

Twilight scoffed miserably. “You’re right.” She put a hoof to her forehead, tears welling up in anger. “If only I still had my horn.”

“Don’t say that,” said Spike. “You can do a lot of things without your magic. Remember what happened during Winter Wrap-Up?”

“But I can’t pick locks.”

Zecora put a hoof to her lip in thought. “There’s a saying from my youth...that what we see is not always the truth. Although vulnerable one may seem to be...removing all the apples won’t hurt the tree.”

Hearing Zecora’s metaphor reminded Twilight of Sweat Apple Acres. She let out a shaky breath as her mind drifted into the memories of the farm. She could remember the scent of the apple trees, wondering if she will ever smell them again.

Then it dawned on her...

“That’s it,” she shouted. “I bet I can apple buck my way out of here.”

“But how?” asked Spike.

“I need you to blow some flames onto the door lock. Hopefully that will weaken it enough for me to break it down.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Spike expelled green flames out of his mouth, slowly turning the lock from a dark black to a light orange as it heated.

As Twilight watched the lock heat up, Applejack’s advice rang in her head, “Apple bucking not only requires strength, but it requires some precision. When you hit the tree, you must keep your hooves close together, and the hit has to be dead on.”

“That’s enough, Spike,” said Twilight. She took careful aim, and kicked. The sounds of clanging metal echoed throughout the forest. Sweat dripped from Twilight’s forehead. With each kick, the lock slowly began to bend. Panting heavily, she let out one last kick and the door opened with a loud whine.

“You did it, Twilight,” cheered Spike.

Despite her exhaustion, Twilight ran toward the tent and found the keys to the cages. While holding the keys with her teeth, she freed Spike, Zecora, and Owlowiscious. Once they were out, the four of them gathered together in a circle.

“So what are we going to do now?” asked Spike.

“You should go to the police and tell them what’s going on,” said Twilight. “Owlowiscious and I will go find Izanami.”

“But why only you two?”

“I think I’ll be less likely to be noticed if it’s just me and Owlowiscious. Besides, there’s something I want Zecora to do to help me catch Izanami.” She turned to the zebra. “Can you help?”

“Helping you, I will certainly agree,” said Zecora with a wide grin, “especially if I get payback against Izanami.”

By early afternoon, Twilight galloped through the forest with Owlowiscious soaring overhead. Knowing school was almost over, Twilight dodged around trees and animals until she climbed to the top of a hill and saw the school in the distance. Even from far off, the foals were visible to her as they exited the building together. Her heart racing, she bolted toward the school.

She did not get far before a familiar face popped out from behind a tree.

“Applejack,” cried Twilight as she skidded to a halt.

“Twilight, what’re you doin’ out here,” asked Applejack, “and what happened to your horn?”

Twilight tried to speak in-between panting breaths. “Izanami is...going to...impersonate me...and kidnaped the foals. She’s planning on...locking them up...so she could harvest...their horns.”

“Landsakes, so that’s what this is all about. What happened to Spike and the others?”

“Well I told them to...” Twilight paused, staring into Applejack’s eyes, suspiciously. “How did you know Spike was with me?”

Applejack only stood there with a scornful look. She was not even trying to maintain the pretense.

“Y-You’re not Applejack.” Twilight scooted away nervously.

“I don’t know how you escaped your cage,” Applejack transformed into Izanami mid-sentence, “but this is as far as you’ll go.” Izanami’s whip-like tail stretched out and wrapped around Twilight.

Before the tail could tighten its grip, Owlowiscious plummeted from the sky and pounced on Izanami’s head, pecking at her.

Izanami swatted at him with her claws, hissing angrily.

With Izanami distracted, Twilight wiggled her way out of the tail’s grip. She sprinted away with Owlowiscious following close behind.

Izanami wanted to follow, but the ever-crafty feline giggled as she was struck with an idea. She changed into Twilight’s form and headed toward the school.

“All right, get into your groups. Don’t go wondering off, you hear?” Applejack carefully rounded up the anxious foals who were in a hurry to get home.

One little pegasus tried to fly off, but Rainbow caught her by her tail with her teeth and forced her down to the ground.

“What’s taking Twilight so long to get here?” she asked as she hovered over the crowd.

“It’s certainly odd for Twilight to be late,” said Applejack. “I hope nothin’ bad happened to her.” From the corner of her eye, she saw what she thought was Twilight running toward them. “Ah, there she is now.”

Rainbow and Applejack waved to Izanami as she approached them.

“Girls, we have a problem,” said Izanami, feigning panic.

“Hold on, tell us the password first,” insisted Applejack.

“Sesame cake.”

“Oh good, it’s you. So what’s the problem, Sugarcube?”

“Listen, I think Izanami is here disguised as me. I just saw her transform on my way over here.”

“Why that sneaky varmint. Don’t worry, we’ll find that imposter.”

“Yeah, there’ll be no mercy once we get our hooves on her,” said Rainbow, throwing punches in the air.

“She’ll be easy to spot because she forgot to include my horn in her disguise.”

“Don’t worry,” said Rainbow. “She can’t fool us.”

“I know she can’t,” said Izanami, grinning at the irony.

“How could I be so stupid to fall for such an obvious trap?” chided Twilight as she hid herself behind some bushes. She eyed Izanami and the foals as they cantered down the dirt roads toward town. She was dodging to one bush or tree after another, hoping to keep herself hidden from view.

“Who,” said Owlowiscious as he hovered overhead.

“If only I can get to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I have to warn them.” She poked her head out from behind a bush to see Izanami taking the lead of the herd with Rainbow flying over them and Applejack taking the rear. Rainbow fidgeted in the air, spinning around more than usual as if she was more desperate than ever to find an attacker.

“Who, who.”

“It’s times like this where I really wish I understood you,” signed Twilight. “We need to get their attention somehow. Hmmm...perhaps you should fly over to Applejack and—“

Without warning, Rainbow pounced on top of Twilight from the sky. “I gotcha, Izanami.”

Applejack ran up to Twilight, pressing her hoof on top of Twilight’s head to hold her down. “You’re not gettin' away this time despite your phony disguises.”

“No wait, it’s me,” shouted Twilight, struggling to get her snout of the dirt. “I’m the real Twilight.”

“Nice try, but we’re not falling for that,” said Rainbow.

Owlowiscious abruptly bounced on top of Rainbow’s head.

“Get away from me.”

He hooted loudly, hovering off to the side while swaying back and forth.

“What are you trying to tell us?” asked Applejack. As she turned her head toward the road, she quickly realized something was amiss: the foals. “What the...they’re gone.” Applejack saw that the dirt road was latent with fresh hoof prints, but the prints were directed off the road and into the grassy field...toward the Everfree Forest.

“What did you do?” demanded Rainbow, applying a hoof to Twilight’s head.

“I told you, I’m the real Twilight. Izanami learned our password and tricked you so that she can kidnap the foals.”

Confused, Rainbow turned her attention toward Owlowiscious. “Is that true?”

He nodded vigorously.

She leaped off of Twilight’s back. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Applejack averted her eyes out of shame and distraught. “I’m so sorry, too.”

“No time to apologize, we have to save those foals.” Twilight charged toward the trees, forcing the others to follow.

“But how do we find them?” asked Applejack, galloping beside Twilight.

“She probably has them under an invisibility spell. If we follow the foals’ tracks, we could—“

“I’m on it.” Rainbow rocketed ahead, leaving a rainbow trail behind.

“NO, STOP...”

Before Twilight could say another word, Rainbow dove toward the forest. From out of thin air, a long tail suddenly appeared, smacking Rainbow out of the sky as if swatting a fly.

The invisibility was lifted and the foals reappeared before Rainbow’s eyes. Each foal was staring mesmerized at Izanami, now in her true form and wearing the mask. Zombified, the foals followed Izanami as her tail stretched around them, twisting and whipping about to bat around all who came too close.

“You’re not getting away this time.” Rainbow dove for Izanami, but she took one look into those eyes, and halted to a still hover, transfixed like the foals.

Applejack stared at Rainbow’s behavior, perplexed. “What’s goin’ on? Why is Rainbow just standin’ there?”

“If you look into the eyes of Izanami’s mask, it hypnotizes you. We have to get it off her somehow.”

“How are we goin’ to get at her with that tail in the way?”

Once again, Twilight had to remind herself that she did not have her magic anymore. As her brain formulated a plan, she knew that if she was going to get to Izanami, she had to be crafting and forceful.

“You and Owlowiscious should try to approach Izanami from the front. I’ll attack her from behind.”

“Ain’t that dangerous?”

“It’s still three against one and she’s distracted. I think this is our best way of catching her.”

“All right, but be careful, Sugarcube.”

Twilight sprinted off to the side while Applejack and Owlowiscious darted toward Izamani.

Able to see them approaching through the eyes of the mask, Izanami used telekinesis to toss them aside. When the two continued their pursuit, she again used her power to push them away as if blessed with a large invisible hand. Although she was able to force Owlowiscious away, Applejack dug her hooves into the ground and was still crawling toward her, fighting her power.

“Don’t you ponies ever learn to quit?” shouted Izanami. She stretched out her tail and wrapped it around Applejack, holding her down. She was so focused on Applejack, she did not even notice Twilight as she pounced onto her back.

Izanami was far bigger than a typical cat, almost as tall as a full-grown pony, but that did not mean she was as strong as one. She hissed under the strain of Twilight’s weight, her knees buckling. Releasing Applejack, she swung her tail toward Twilight.

Before that wicked tail could get her, Twilight ripped the mask off and dropped it to the ground. As she leaped out of the grasp of Izanami’s tail, she came down upon the mask, smashing into pieces with a loud crack

“What the...” said Rainbow as she regained control of herself.

The foals were also freed, allowing them to scatter and retreat from shear confusion and panic, especially at the sight of Izanami.

“Applejack,” called out Twilight as she and Owlowiscious put herself between Izanami and foals. “Get these foals to safety. We’ll handle Izanami.”

Rainbow, even more fired up and angry, stood her ground, eager for some action.

“Hurry up, young ‘uns, ya’ll need to follow me to the school.” Applejack used her herding skills to gather the frightened and bewildered foals.

“It’s over, Izanami,” challenged Twilight. “You’re outnumbered and the police will be here any minute.”

Izanami did not retreat. “I refuse to leave a job empty handed. If I can’t have those foals, I’ll take you instead.”

Twilight felt her heart pump with pure adrenaline, a sensation she had not felt since the day she ran from a hydra. As her mind raced for a plan, something black and white caught her eye. She glanced behind Izanami and saw a large boulder stuck in the ground. From behind the boulder, she saw Zecora sticking her head out from behind the rock and waving her hoof to beckon Twilight forward.

“Well, if you want me,” said Twilight in an uncharacteristically cocky manor, “you’re going to have to catch me.”

Twilight bolted passed Izanami, running full speed toward the boulder, but Izanami did not pursuit right away.

With a wave of Izanami’s tail, she conjured a strong wind.

Owlowiscious and Rainbow, caught off guard, were lifted off the ground. They fought to regain control, but wound up slamming into a nearby tree, knocking leaves and pinecones everywhere. The two wound up lying on the ground, staring off in a daze with stars flying around their heads.

Izanami transformed into a cheetah and chased after Twilight who had already disappeared from behind the boulder. Like a missile, she followed her into her hiding place, but halted in surprise after finding something large hidden behind the boulder. Set up before her was the cage from Twilight’s home, but with a rope tied to it as if a certain zebra had pulled it there.

“What’s this doing here?”

Zecora and Twilight crept out behind her, taking precise aim with their hind legs. The two bucked Izanami into the cage, and Twilight slammed the door shut with one hoof.

Angered, Izanami transformed into a fly and tried to squeeze through the bars, but the cage’s magic repelled her with a flash of red light.

“Let me out of here,” she ordered once she reverted back to her true form.

“Gee, I would love to,” said Twilight in mock sympathy, “but only my horn can open this cage, and it got left at your camp.”

Izanami hissed and clawed at the bars of her cage, rocking back and forth. Flashing lights and coursing energy fizzled away as she attempted every spell she had to break free. She attempted teleportation, but even that was negated by the nulling magic of the cage. Quickly realizing the futility of her attempt, she sulked in defeat.

“The tables have turned / Hunter changes to hunted / My luck has run out.”

Later that night at the library, Spike was searching for Twilight while carrying a white sheet under his arm. He found her at her writing desk with a pencil in her mouth and groaning with irritation as she tried to write on a piece of paper.

“What are you doing?” asked Spike.

Twilight spat out the pencil. “I’m trying to write a letter to the Princess without magic.” Twilight laughed awkwardly at her poor penmanship. “I guess I’m out of practice.”

“Here, let me help.”

“Thanks.”

Spike grabbed a quill off of Twilight’s desk.

“Dear Princess Celestia. I’m happy to report that with Izanami behind bars, she won’t be bothering Ponyville for a while. Helping to capture her was an educational experience for me because when I lost my horn, I thought I was useless without my magic. That was until I remembered Applejack’s apple bucking lessons. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have figured out how to escape the cage. I’ve learned that when you’re in trouble, drawing wisdom and knowledge from your friends can help you out when your own knowledge is insufficient, even when they’re not there. Signed, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

As Spike sent the letter to Princess Celestia, Twilight noticed the sheet he had tucked under his arm. “What’s the sheet for?”

“I was thinking how cool it was that Izanami could change shape like that. Being able to disguise herself into anyone just opens up so many possibilities, so I thought I’d try it out myself.”

“And what are you going to change yourself into?”

Spike crouched down into a sitting position and threw the sheet over his head. As the sheet came down upon him, he held out his arms, holding the position so that he resembled a chair with armrests.

“There, now you won’t know I’m here.”

“Spike, that disguise won’t fool anyone.”

Just then, Owlowiscious flew in through the open window and perched himself onto the desk.

“Owlowiscious, could you help me find Spike,” said Twilight in a sarcastic tone of voice. “He seems to have disappeared.”

Without needing more than a second to think about it, Owlowiscious grabbed the sheet with his talons, and pulled it off Spike’s head, causing Twilight to giggle.

“You two are no fun,” whined Spike.

The End