Enigma

The screams were getting louder, and what's worse, the seemed to be coming from a different pony each time. The five ponies were ready to either run or fight, with the exception of Sky High, due to her injuries. Then suddenly, the screaming stopped. There were several moments of tense silence until...

A pitch black NightMare broke through the ground in between Sugar Cube and Coal Rock. Four slimy tentacles protruded from its back with a pony in each of them. The creature's jaw unhinged and it let out a horrifying screech. Another tentacle shot from the back of it, latching onto the neck of one of the ponies in its grasp. The pony was a magenta earth pony that Enigma recognized as Berry Punch. The tentacle yanked on the pony's neck, ripping it clean off. A loud snap filled the air. Enigma, who had been flying up to help her, got his hooves drenched in her blood. Her lifeless head rolled over to where Sky was standing, an expression of terror still fixed upon her face.

There was a pause, in which Enigma realized he was enraged. Enraged that an innocent pony had been brutally murdered, enraged that three others were on the way, enraged that some creature of unknown evil, was causing this all at the hand of none other than Twilight Sparkle, one of Ponyville’s friendliest residents. In that moment, the blue pegasus made a decision: He was going to make these creatures pay. This wasn't a quest of self discovery anymore, it was a quest to save Equestria, and to destroy those who put it in danger. It was a quest for revenge.

Enigma flew at the creatures left most tentacle, which contained a gray earth pony named Lucky Clover.

“Grab my hoof!” He yelled. Lucky Clover obliged and grasped tightly onto his front right hoof. Enigma pulled with all his might and tore the stallion free from the symbiotes grip, toppling down to earth as he did so.

Heart Sings, realizing what he was trying to do, levitated Cloud Kicker, a pegasus who was also in the grasp of the symbiote, and pulled her free. Coal started distracting the symbiote by bucking at it and throwing stones.

However, this couldn’t keep the symbiote at bay for very long. It quickly realised what was happening and as Enigma was pulling to free the last pony, an aqua unicorn named Lyra Heartstrings, the symbiote started pulling the other way.

“Help me.” She gasped, as the symbiote tugged at her. Before Enigma realized what was happening, the sound of her spine ripping echoed through the forest. Enigma quickly let go as Lyra screamed. Soul Dust flew up and bit the tentacle with her razor sharp teeth, causing it to drop Lyra.

Enigma flew under her and caught her as gingerly as he could. She was out cold. He flew over to Heart Sings.

“Get her to the hospital! We’ll meet up with you as soon as we can.” Enigma said. Heart nodded and teleported away with Lyra and Sky High. “Okay, guys, ” He shouted “We can’t let that thing follow us back to Ponyville!” Before he even finished talking, Coal Rock bucked the symbiote in the face.

And that set everyone off. Enigma began trying to tear off one of the tentacles and Soul Dust tried to tear the symbiote off Twilights face. Sensing it was in danger of losing its host, the symbiote let out a burst of energy, knocking the four ponies back. The symbiote had peeled off of Twilight’s face as it receded back into the forest. Tears were streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry.” She cried. And then she was gone.

The ponies stood there for a while, staring into the forest. Enigma broke the silence.

“Come on.” he said, shakily. “We have to meet up with Sky High and Heart Sings back at the hospital.” And so the carried out their trek in silence, not speaking a word until reaching the entrance to ponyville.

“ You guys go ahead to the hospital. I need to do something first.” Said Soul Dust. She walked away from the others. She came upon the library. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the entrance of the home of a dragon.

"What are you doing in here?" Growled spike. In the three years Twilight had been gone, almost no one had seen Spike. He had grown to almost the size of a stallion.

"Spike..." said Soul "We found Twilight." Spike froze.

"What?"

"She and the rest of the Elements have been infected by some sort of symbiote. So far, we don't know how to cure it, but we saw her in Everfree." Spike was still silent.

"Leave." He said.

"What?"

"I said, LEAVE!" Spike roared. Soul backed out of the library, looking shocked. Spike slammed the door and immediately turned and started looking through books.

"Symbiote... symbiote..." He pulled out a book called Strange Secrets of Equestria. The room started rumbling, the shelf moved to the side, revealing a secret passage.

"You shouldn't have down that." Said a mysterious voice.